A Query about 2005 Edmond Vatan 'Clos la Neore' Sancerre Chavignol

I picked up two of these for the cellar and need some advice. When should I open them? My usual cellaring routine involves buying a reasonably priced bottle, drinking it, purchasing more, asessing a rough time frame of checking in on the bottles (say, for example, opening a bottle three years after purchase, then another one after five years) and then putting away and forgetting about said bottles. As Vatan is allocated and not inexpensive, I will need to consult the public as well as my knowledgeable readership for advice with regards to cellaring time.

Well, readership, what do you think?

Galician (and one oaky Bierzo) Tasting with The Group

Last night it was my turn to host our PM Dub tasting group and it will probably not come as a surprise that I chose to feature Spanish wines. As with many other tasting groups, we usually taste double blind, i.e. brown bagging each bottle, so that we do not know the region(s) or producers.

I chose to feature wines from Albariño and Mencia grapes, mainly because I do not believe that the group has had such a tasting, at least not during my tenure. The idea was to remind the group, with its typically Francophilian and occasionally italophilian wine geek tendencies, that Spanish wines are not all about fruity values to entice new world palates, or overoaked, over-priced wines from Ribera del Duero, Rioja and Priorat. And that there is more Spanish wine of interest to the well–informed, long tested wine palate than Lopez de Heredia, sherry and the occasional txakoli. That being said, there are more obscure wines from folks like Can Rafols (Penedes) I could have included, but the great northwest seemed to be calling, so Rias Baixas and Ribera Sacra it would be.

The Whites (in reverse order of group preference):

2006 Quinta do Couselo Turonia Albariño

Unusual for the O Rosal subzone, this is a 100% Albariño (usually Treixadura and Loureiro are in the mix). The wine was corked.

2005 Bodegas Pablo Padin Granbazar 'Ambar' Albariño

This relatively large producer (40,000 cases) located in the largest production zone of of Rias Baixas, Val do Salnes, generally makes good stuff. Their 'ambar' bottling is the nicest one they produce. People at first were put off by the funky aromas, but then warmed up a little to this wine. It echoes my experience with this wine a few months ago - at first I found it to be an over the hill, partially maderized bottle of albariño, going a little bit sweet and without any vibrancy. Over a period of several days in the fridge the wine opened up to show bright yellow stone fruit flavors with a streak of mineral. Same thing last night as the wine improved markedly in the glass.

2005 Lusco do Miño Pazo Pineiro Albariño
At first I really enjoyed this wine. The intensity and dripping ripe character were speaking to me. Almost like apricot preserves and tinned mandarins, but fully dry and with good balancing acidity. You can tell that this is from well situated, very old vines. While tasty, it was definitely a show wine, more front to mid-palate flavors, not much mineral, and a bit over the top for casual drinking. And at over $40, there is a whole lot in Rias Baixas that I think would show more typicity and work much better with a meal.

2006 Do Ferreiro Albariño
From the same subzone (Condado do Tea) as Lusco, this was the group favorite and mine as well. I'm not surprised. Small production, organic farming, indigenous yeasts. Not that they are the only ones in Rias Baixas doing this, but somehow they consistently produce some of the best albariño out there, year after year. It is always the albariño that, with its floral/herbal aromatic streak, smoky minerality and overall sense of poise, most brings to mind certain characteristics of German Riesling.

Overall, people thought these wines ok but were not particularly enthused. One taster commented on a green vegetal component he caught in three of the four wines. A few others thought that we were tasting a flight of sauvignon blanc. Clearly, however, only one wine seemed to truly pass muster with this discriminating group of palates.

Better luck, perhaps, with the reds (least favored to most favored):

2004 Dominio de Tares 'Exaltos' Bierzo
Oak juice, courtesy of aging in Missouri, Allier and Nevers oak. I went back to this wine the day after the tasting, and it still showed meaty, but muddled. There was a not entirely unappealing bloody, iron, meat like quality here that definitely brought to mind the arid Castilla y Leon countryside (as well as the region's meat and potatoes inspired cookery).

2006 D. Ventura 'Pena do Lobo' Ribeira Sacra
Red fruited and fairly one-dimensional. This could have just as easily been a Cotes du Rhone Village. Similarly put together, with a disappointing lack of acidity.

2006 D. Ventura 'Viña Caneiro' Ribeira Sacra
More dark fruit and spice on this offering, from higher elevated vineyards composed largely of 'pizzarra' or slate. While it shows more complexity, there is still a liveliness that is just lacking in this as well as the other Ventura wine.

2005 Algueira Ribeira Sacra
Ahh, now this is what I'm talking about. This must be why so many experts are hyping Ribeira Sacra as the next big thing in spanish wine producing regions. Very pretty blue fruits on the nose, with a tense interplay between fruit and acidity, subtle oak spice and slate minerality, on the palate. More finessed, higher toned, and classier wine. A unanimous (I think) wine of the flight.

Mostly everyone enjoyed the red flight more than the whites. Someone mentioned an appealing bloody quality (yes, 'bloody,' can be appealing in the realm of wine descriptors) that showed in all of them. Another taster mentioned a granite inflected mineral stamp - keen tasting on her part as all of these wines came from either granite or slate.

So did these wines truly impress? Will Albariño and Mencia make occasional appearances alongside cru beaujolais, Bourgueil, Menetou Salon Rouge and Langhe Nebbiolo on the tables of my fellow group members? Perhaps. The fact remains, however, that even I have far fewer Spanish wines in my cellar relative to Muscadet, Chinon, German Riesling, and others. My most recent splurge was for two bottles of '05 Edmund Vatan Sancerre, not '05 Pazo Pineiro albariño. So I need to be convinced as well. Four years ago, Spanish wines used to be the bee's knees for my younger palate. Now, not so much. The good news, however, is that Spain is diverse, dynamic and still learning. Given some time, I'm confident that there will still be plenty of wine for the masses, as well as more intriguing stuff for the geeks who demand a bit more authenticity and challenging, regionally specific flavors.

Building Connections

I stumbled across this live Built to Spill clip a few moments ago. In it Doug Martsch and band cover an old Gladiators classic, "Re-arrange." It grabbed me because it represents two distinctive stages in my musical appreciation: the indie rock of my pre-teen and teen years, and then the reggae that comprised much of my listening throughout most of my 20's. There are few things better than a well performed cover, especially one that extends beyond a band's usual genre or comfort zone. Who doesn't enjoy learning what influences and inspires an artist's creativity?



Now the original version of 'Re-arrange.' Clinton Fearon, original bassist and vocalist for The Gladiators, still records and performs to this day.



Reminder for the day: Good music is good music. Period.

Nebbiolo and Pizza - Bliss or Bust?

Last night my roommates and I inaugurated what will hopefully become a new household tradition: Sunday night pizza. We made the dough the night prior, divided it into four sections, proofed it overnight and created four different pizzas. Remembering a post from Do Bianchi's Dr. Jeremy Parzen in which he speaks of his number one guilty pleasure: pizza and nebbiolo, I was very excited to drink some Nebbiolo with the pies. Unfortunately, and as I had expected prior to momentarily getting caught up in Jeremy's enthusiasm, the two Produttori de Barbaresco ('06 Langhe Nebbiolo and '04 Barbaresco Torre) wines were not so great with the pizzas. Then again, maybe the guilty pleasure of nebbiolo and pizza requires more mature nebbiolo based based wines, or perhaps some stuff from different producers.

Anyway, here's what we ate:

The Margherita - classic fresh mozzarella with tomato sauce and basil. We threw some fresh baby romaine from our garden on top after baking.
The Farmer - ricotta, string beans, chopped potatoes from our garden, sliced garlic, white truffle oil
The Funghi - tomato sauce, sliced mushrooms, sliced garlic, grated parmeggiano reggiano
The Friulano - Not sure why I dubbed this one the way I did. The only vaguely friulian component might have been the seasoning. Thinly sliced piave, olive oil, toasted ground cumin seeds and coriander, grated cinnamon.

Here's what we drank:

2006 Produttori de Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo

While this was truly interesting Nebbiolo, amongst the sturdier, richer, and more age-worthy basic nebbiolos I've had, it just didn't work with all but the last pizza. The nose was foresty and had some black cherry and deeply pitched blackberry aromas. More of the same on the palate, very dark with iron minerality and licorice rope on the finish. While this is not one for most pizzas, the interplay between spices (especially cumin), sharp piave, and nebbiolo, even of such a muscular and stern style, was enlightening.

2004 Produttori de Barbaresco Barbaresco Torre

Not the best bottle, I didn't even give this a shot with most of the pizzas. Given the hollow mid-palate, general sense of disjointedness, lack of aromas, absence of fruit hitting the tongue, and strongly bitter finish, I thought this bottle to be corked. Re-tasting it today, there was no TCA jumping out, but the wine remained a disjointed mess, with the same lack of a mid-palate and jarring, weird acidity. I tasted this wine six months ago with different, though similarly disappointed, notes.

Here's to progressively better pizzas, and more successful matches with wines. And yes, we will always have beer on the ready for the pizza and beer purists.

DC Go-Go mini mix

First, a classic from RE (that's Rare Essence for those of you who don't know). That intro is one hell of a break, don't you think?


And now a performance from the incomparable Junk Yard Band at what we used to refer to as the Cap Center. I don't even know what it's called now. Alright, enjoy the music and the weekend.

Ubuntu: Biodynamic vegetable cuisine...worth the hype?

Where else but in California might one find a vegetarian restaurant featuring biodynamic fruits and vegetables (many grown in their own garden), a chef who formerly cooked at a Michelin two starred restaurant, and a yoga studio? Ubuntu is the restaurant, Jeremy Fox the chef, and the town of Napa, gateway to the Napa Valley, the setting for such an ambitious - and uniquely Californian - endeavor. Having already earned best of accolades in the San Francisco Chronicle, a #2 spot on NY Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni's top 10 list of 'restaurants that count,' and countless other fawning press, I was preparing myself for a truly transforming dining experience when I went with my family and girlfriend for dinner last week.

Upon entering Ubuntu, Natalie and I were greeted by a friendly manager, who noted our arrival and led us towards the bar as we waited for my parents to arrive. We ordered a bottle of 2007 Palmina Arneis, a snappy Piemonte by way of Santa Barbara white wine which had most of the requisite crisp green fruit flavors and bite to the finish which my favorite Italian Arneis wines show. While enjoying our wine, we took in the relaxed interior design, featuring a two-story high ceiling, exposed stones, handsome wooden flooring of alternating planks of multi-hued wood and a large, sturdy, attractive wooden communal dining table. Shortly thereafter, the parents arrived, we embraced and caught up, they sipped some Arneis, and we were shown to our table.

To start off we ordered all of the 'bites': salted marcona almonds coated in lavender sugar (savory, floral and sweet - delicious but perhaps best after dinner); castelvetrano olives covered in a 'carrot top pesto' (slightly carroty olives, which were fine); dickson ranch “regina” taggiasca olive oil and chickpea fries with herbs and romesco sauce (very tasty, a good way to sneak in something slightly more nutritious than the potato and still maintain the proper texture).

Following some deliberation and consultation with our waiter, we made our selections from the 'cool plates' and 'hot plates' portions of the menu, each featuring large appetizer portions of food, so it's probably best to order a couple of plates if you are hungry. We split four plates and two pizzas, which was plenty of food for the four of us. Greens, flowers, herbs, and roots was a delightfully fresh combination of Ubuntu garden grown lettuces, carrots, radishes and even tangy leaves of an edible succulent plant, dressed lightly in olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Just the type of salad I like, ingredients that cannot possibly be fresher, tossed with a judicious amount of olive oil and citrus. The light, crispy carta de musica blended fresh-picked greens (from Ubuntu's garden), lemon, rosemary, and trumpet chips with a tasty truffled pecorino (not a whole lot of truffle flavor, however). Lemon cucumbers with miso “bagna cauda” was a creative play on the Piedmontese specialty, while fregola (Sardinian pasta, similar to couscous) finished with corn pudding melon rind & friarelli pepper relish, with fried padron peppers fused Italian, Californian and Spanish flavors together admirably. Our two pizzas were decidedly Californian in style, featuring non-traditional toppings on a thin, flat crust lacking the savor and chew of a good Neapolitan crust. While the mushroom pizza bianco with bellwether ricotta was a favorite of everyone else at the table, I preferred the slightly unorthodox strawberry & basil pizza margherita with a 3-day strawberry soffrito, fresh mozzarella, and saba. My parents are generally very open-minded folks, but occasionally when it comes to food they need to be convinced. In other words I ordered this pizza against my dad's wishes, and he ended up thinking it was ok. The tang of the strawberries brought to mind a sun-dried tomato spiked pizza, though the delicate fruity sweetness reminded me that this was still a strawberry (not a tomato) sauce.

For dessert, since we were stuffed, we ordered a single vanilla bean cheesecake in a jar - rich vanilla flavor blended well with the creamy, airy textured cheesecake and sour cherries. It made me want to further explore more desserts the next time I go.

There is no doubt that Ubuntu is the Bay Area's, and perhaps the nation's, best vegetarian restaurant right now. Somehow, though, it did not have quite the impact or leave the imprint on my imagination that I expected. Maybe it was the wine list, through which I had to really dig to find something I would enjoy drinking. The old world selections here are obviously an afterthought, and do not represent top-notch, or even particularly good, producers. Where are the Loire wines? And German rieslings? Wines that should be a slam dunk with the cuisine are clearly absent. As far as the food is concerned, maybe I should have avoided the a la carte ordering approach, opting instead for the tasting menu? Would that have been the way to go? Regardless of the nit picking, I look forward to returning to Ubuntu, which has left such a strong impression on some of the nation's most respected food authorities, if just a slightly less strong impression on this reviewer.

Spain Part VI: Rioja Day 1 (part 1 of 2) – Contino

In theory, driving from San Sebastian to Rioja Alavesa should have been a breeze. Maybe an hour and a half drive on the AP-1, a bit longer with traffic. Well, theory did not prevail on Tuesday June 3, as Natalie and I spent the better part of three hours stuck in traffic on a regional road, due to one of two possible factors: 1.) A partial closure of the highway without any way to get back on or 2.) A partial closure of the highway with posted signage that I completely ignored or failed to understand. The latter is most probable. Anyway, we arrived considerably late for our appointment at Contino with winemaker Jesus Madrazo and export director Jose Luis Ripa. They were nice, but I was really upset with myself – I mean who likes being late, let alone a few hours late? Anyway, after introductions were made and a brief history of the estate were recited, all frustrations slowly dissipated as we descended down into the Contino cellars.

Here’s a brief history of Contino. Founded in 1973, the result of a partnership between the owner of a terrific vineyard site and the ownership of Cune, Contino is the oldest single estate bottled Rioja of the Rioja Alavesa. Their 68 hectares are very well situated close to the Rio Ebro, just outside of a small village named Laserna and proximate to the beautiful medieval, hilltop town of Laguardia.

As it relates to modern-day Rioja, Contino is quite significant for two reasons: 1.) Jesus Madrazo’s firm belief in the importance of the Graciano grape, which has a significant 10-15% role in their wines, as well as comprising the outstanding Graciano varietal bottlings 2.) The winery’s undeniable ability to make a fruit forward, modern style of Rioja that has enough balance and acidity to appeal to most classicists (including such experienced Spanish wine authorities as Gerry Dawes and Manuel Camblor, amongst others).

Jesus Madrazo is an eloquent defender of Graciano. As the joke goes, many in Rioja refer to this varietal as ‘gracias, no,’ or ‘no thanks,’ due to the fact that it’s temperamental and tricky to grow. When not properly ripened (which historically can occur quite often) the flavors are no good. But it’s arguably an essential element to Rioja blends, as shown by Lopez de Heredia and Muga, amongst others who always make sure to include Graciano in their reservas. It also makes for a tasty, interesting mono-varietal wine (see Viña Ijalba). My experience with good bottlings of varietal Graciano is that they hide their 14% alcohol quite well, since they show great natural acidity and remarkably pure, focused blue fruits. Perhaps this is why a Contino Reserva, even at 14.5% alcohol, can still retain a sense of elegance and freshness on the palate.

For some more detailed information on Contino’s history as well as winemaking, see this terrific article from Gerry Dawes (you’ll have to scroll down from the Roda portion of the article). Below are a few tasting notes from my visit at Contino:

2004 Contino Rioja Reserva
14.5% alcohol barely registers. Aged in 3, 4 and 8 year-old oak (French, American, and a small portion of Hungarian). My notes read, “fresh, primary red fruits,” though the 'red' also looks as though I were saying 'real.' I'm pretty sure I meant 'red,' but 'real' would be apt as well. This wine is a real joy to drink, and for near-term consumption is my favorite of this line-up.

2005 Contino Viña del Olivo
While the reserva has 10% Graciano, this wine, produced largely from a tempranillo vineyard surrounding a 1,000 year-old olive tree, ratchets up the proportion to 15%. There is more mixed berry fruit on the nose and more obvious oak influence (which would make sense – if memory serves this wine is typically fermented and aged in a combination of French and American oak, most of it new, for 12-14 months). Blackberry and vanilla flavors predominate on the palate, with some oak derived spice on the finish. Somehow, with all the power and intensity, this wine still maintains a relative sense of lightness in the mouth. No overly extracted fruit or harsh wood tannins here.

2005 Contino Graciano
At first very muted on the nose, it becomes quite floral, as is Graciano's (at least the ones I've drunk) tendency. Very pure blue and dark fruits on the palate. This wine needs at least five years to develop. As a matter of fact, Jesus told me that he recently conducted a vertical tasting of this wine for a group of sommeliers in San Sebastian. And the 2001 Graciano I tasted six or so months ago was quite tasty indeed.