Fugazi - Turnover - (Live 1991)

This is Live in DC, during what looks to be an anti– Gulf war concert. DC was an entirely different, arguably a much cooler place to live back then, from what I have heard. Anyway, 'Turnover' is the lead track to the Repeater album. Thanks to my older brother I was listening to a lot of Fugazi in my pre-teen and early teen years. They are a great band and a group with integrity. If Guy, Ian, Brendan and Joe were wine drinkers they'd probably be drinking lots of real wine.

Post New Year's, Pre Bday Champagne.

Yesterday my tasting group and I were bringing in the New year in the traditional PMW tasting group style, with some champers. Usually it's a December event, but with the overarching sense of frenetic holiday activity prevailing this year, we put it off until the new year. Which is fine by me because it doubled as a bday celebration of sorts as well. And if any sort of celebration goes down tonight (today is bday proper) it will definitely be low key and on the early side. I'm partied out.

Our first champagne: Charley Heidseck Brut NV. It was not offensive; simple, crisp and celebratory enough, if lacking on the mid-palate and falling very short on the finish. A textbook middle of the road grand marque NV champagne without much character. But you can do a lot worse. I'd like to retroactively strike the LP Brut on my 'in a pinch' champagne post and replace it with this one.

Next would be a Blanc de Blancs from Gaston Chiquet. Didn't even know they made one, though their NV is always a favorite, especially for a good all around party wine. It's full of flavor and easy to like. Well this one was the exact opposite. It was a bit one-dimensional as well, though in a more interesting, lean and mean way. A cool, shy and mineral nose led to a very tight BdB that just isn't showing too much right now. Though I think this was the prevailing sentiment in the room, there were a few defenders of the wine.

No such divergence in opinion on the next guy: Methode Traditionnelle sparkling wine from Marin county! Point Reyes Winery's flagship (I think) sparkling wine, brought courtesy of Chad, was a unanimous pick for MOWOTN (most offensive wine of the night). Elmers glue and bananas foster. Not so fresh, not so clean clean.

Chad, however, knowing full well that this would likely be a dud, came through with another bottle that I think might have been WOTN. At least according to me and Chad. 1996 Gaston Chiquet Special Club had all of the delicious ripe and intense flavors of the vintage, balanced by the off the charts acidity that '96 also shows. This '96 was a bit more integrated, less angular, and probably will be quicker to mature than others I've had from the vintage. It's drinking really well right now.

Before Chad's 'redemption bottle' we had a few others. '98 Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Millesime showed classic brioche aromas and lead to a tasty palate that is probably, both in terms of texture and flavor, one of the softest and most mellow Peters champagnes I will drink. Which was fine, and probably a reflection of a merely ok vintage. But when I drink Peters, I kind of want to taste that searing acidity, you know? This was a good reminder of the fact that, when it comes to vintage champagne, occasionally any notion of house style needs to be tossed out the window. Bonville Cuvee Prestige NV was a solid all round blanc de blancs, produced from the '02, '00 and '98 vintage chardonnay in Oger and Cramant. It was also well-rounded, with agreeable flavors and gentle mousse. Definitely another good party and 'gateway' champagne, to which my co-worker and first time PMWer David would attest, as it's the bottle that converted his girlfriend into a champagne drinker. 2000 Aubry "Le Nombre d'Or Campanae Veteres Vites" Brut is what Nadia and I brought, and definitely a funky number. It's a blend of primarily black skinned grapes including Fromenteau (pinot gris) Petit Meslier & Arbanne (endless mileage on the nose in the glass and declaring, 'yep, that's definitely Arbanne' joke) which are all nearly extinct in Champagne. There's a bit of chardonnay and PN in there as well, which I'm guessing is due to not enough supply of the other grapes, and an effort to make the wine somewhat more normal tasting. I couldn't put a finger on this one. The fruit was definitely tangy and full of life, but there was a real salty minerality here. Usually just the sort of wine I love, but for some reason I wasn't digging this. To me it was jarring, angular, and possibly just in a weird place? Definitely not bottle shocked, as the bottle has been comfortably resting on our shelves at K&L for the past year.

There were a few rose sparklers, one a cava whose name escapes me but was really dark colored, austere tasting, and tannic. The other was Taittinger Brut Rose NV. A bit off and almost reductive at first on the nose, it eventually shedded this and was a mediocre, over manipulated, over dosed rose champagne. The wine tasted contrived and lacked energy.

We had a few reds and a riesling after before the night was out. I had brought a 1976 Santenay 'Clos Rousseau' 1er cru from one Rene Fleurot, which smelled absolutely lovely but was a bit tired on the palate, with stewed red fruits that were kind of hanging in there but not enough to want to finish the glass. Then Mark ventured down to the cellar and grabbed a few wines. First, a bottle of '78 Sterling Cab which was as mature Napa cab should be. Green pepper and cherry fruit. It wasn't the best bottle; we had drunk the same thing at a Bdx tasting a few months ago that was a bit more delectable and intense. Next, a bottle of 1998 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini 'Vigna Chiniera' which was delicious, young, and with a solid, long future ahead of it. Check back in 10 years. Finally we finished things off with a bottle of Koehler-Ruprecht Riesling Kallstadter Steinacker Kabinett 2002. Very smoky, delicious Kabinett from the Pfalz. It was woodsy and floral on the nose. Dry palate with Pfalz burnt brown sugar but plenty of acidity and savor. Thanks, Mark, for cracking this one open - I love 2002 German riesling and this was a great wine to finish the evening. Like the dude's rug, it really tied the room together.

OK, off to pick up a bottle from my birth year. Hope you all are enjoying your Thursday - it's my Bday so it's gonna be a good day for all of you out there as well, I know it will.

Taking Stock on 2008; Looking towards 2009

What a year it has been! While I'm sure there are many folks out there who will gladly wave goodbye to this watershed year, whether due to a mortgage foreclosure, loss of employment, poor health, or - who knows - maybe for the simple fact that, for the next four years anyway, the White House will be looking decidedly less white, I feel fortunate to be in a good spot in my life. Healthy, employed full-time, drinking and eating well, possessing of solid support from family and friends. Things are good, and I hope that they are for you as well. If not, here's to some positive change in the year ahead.

Looking back on last year, it started with Pe-Pa's passing- certainly expected but still an unhappy way to begin 2008. Things improved. Natalie and I began dating. We began what will hopefully become an annual tradition, checking out the San Francisco Film Noir Festival. Spring brought financial crisis to the nation, but in the largely prosperous, slightly insular Bay Area things seemd to chug along virtually unchanged. Later on in May and extending a week into June, I went to Spain on what amounted to my first wine trip in this country. In the summer and leading into Fall, the presidential campaign dominated the news, youtube views and our collective psyche. As we know, the good guys won. Also in the Fall season, I lessened my carbon footprint, while earning some extra cash (not a bad thing to have at any time, especially in these times) by selling my car. Recently I used some of the proceeds to buy a new bike and a basic Pro Tools recording setup. Speaking of recording, I headed east to spend a weekend recording music with some good Carribean friends, and while not recording I headed up to New York, spent time with the fam in Bmore, and even squeezed in a quick lunch with one of my favorite bloggers.

So there you have it, a brief, personal re-cap of 2008. For something way less personal and much more witty, check out the Mad Skillz version.

I suspect that 2009 will be a challenging year for many of us. Cliché that it may be, challenges do convey with them opportunities. I sincerely hope that on the national, state, local and individual level, we keep this in mind and learn (re-learn?) many things of value this year.

Here's to a happy, healthy, resourceful, dynamic New Year.

Joe

OWOS Welcomes you in the '08

Happy New Year! To my family, friends, readers, fellow bloggers, colleauges, commenters, lurkers, b-boys and girls, punk and yacht rockers...welcome back to Old World Old School. Happy New Year, and I hope for all it is a year of health, exploration, growth, activity, and, as it relates to these pages, tasty, authentic, and honest wine, great food and real music.

Just to rewind back to the NYE celebration last night, we had some folks over, drank Mont Marcal cava, Ariston Brut and Brut Rose champagne, 1998 Cronin Zinfandel Mourvedre and 1974 Charles Krug Cabernet. Everything was tasty, though the latter really stood out. The wine was full of life, spicy and a bit bretty on the nose, but with loads of savory cherry fruit. And the fruit was not as sweet as a few generally higher regarded cabs I've had in the past from the '70's, at least from '78. The music was eclectic - a little Brian Eno, Billy Joel ('Los Angelenos' - that's an album cut from the oft overlooked Streetlife Serenader record. Good album.), Dylan and The Band, and a good stretch of The O'Jays which threw the crowd into a dancing frenzy. DA-da-da. Da-DA. DA - What they do.

While I get ready for what remains of the day, ponder if I'm going to see Sweeney Todd or The Savages and sip on some really tasty Lupicia Gyokuro 'Seiran No Homare' green tea, I thought it worthwhile to look forward to the (blogging) year ahead, think through what I'd like to accomplish on these pages, and give folks a sense of what's ahead. So here are some points as it relates to OWOS:

PERSONAL TASTE

This will continue to be a blog driven by my personal sense of aesthetics. Bear in mind that wine drinking, as with music, is ultimately subjective. You don't have to agree with me, but if you disagree you risk being completely off base and plain wrong. I joke....

WINERY AND VINEYARD VISITS

I will be visiting more vineyards and wineries this year and look forward to writing about them here. As I continue to live in the Bay Area, and continue to work the often rigid schedule of the retail wine business, most visits will be concentrated on who I think is making great wine locally. Napa may not figure too prominently in these visits, as they have long since ventured to the dark side of winemaking. Look for more stuff from Santa Cruz in particular, with Sonoma and other areas likely to be visited as well.

I LOVE MUSIC!

Now that I am somewhat more settled in my new city, I intend on seeing a lot more live music and writing about it. As time allows. At least I know I'll see a lot more concerts, reviewing them will take some discipline....

JOE MANEKIN - BLOGGER OR PROMO WHORE?

2008 is the year of shameless, unabashed promotion of this blog. To that end, I plan on being a bit more proactive in getting more people to read. How, I'm not yet quite sure, but of course I want more people to read. Not just wine geeks. Don't get me wrong, I still write this blog primarily as a means of self expression, continuing education, and organizing/documenting lots of random stuff in one convenient form. But while I am doing so, I might as well try to reach out to as many people as possible and hopefully entertain the masses who are bored at work.

Thank you to everyone who reads, and especially to everyone who occasionally shares comments on these pages. Thanks to my parents for continuing to read and to my brother Michael for reading and providing a real writer's input. Thanks to Mateo who encouraged me to begin blogging. Thanks to Paul who introduced me to Lyle's blog, which introduced me to Manuel's blog. Both of these are blogs, like this one, which began in 2007. Pretty good company. 2008 looks to continue to be The Year of the Wine Blog. Keep on reading, and I'll keep it coming.

Peace and Happy New Year,
Joe

My favorite wines of 2007, or the year I started to truly enjoy wine.

(these wines are not on my list, but I think it's a funny little photo)

As a relative newcomer to wine, I will always remember 2007 as the year that I gained a bit more first-hand knowledge, through tasting, of wines in their various states of maturity. As a former buyer of one of my retail accounts in Baltimore once told me, back when I worked for a distributor, "If you want to learn about wine, if you want to taste a lot of wine, get on the retail side of the business." Well, that is what I did in 2007. My palate, wine knowledge and overall enthusiasm for wine are much stronger now than ever before. Thank you, Peter.

This is a tough list to synthesize, but I'm going to scratch some wines out on paper, rank them, and then put 'em up here with varyingly brief, telling, or perhaps not at all descriptive, TN's, often supplemented by the circumstances in which I was enjoying a bottle. I ought to note that this is a contextualized list. Context is very difficult to separate from the wine itself, so I choose not to do so. Y ahorita, los vinos:

10. 1995 Lopez de Heredia Rosado

This was one of the highlights of a rose tasting this past summer. Someone once described this wine to me, before I had ever tried it, as port like. I think of it more as the perfect embodiment of traditional Rioja flavors, in the prettiest, most ethereal way imaginable.

9. 1978 Poujeaux Moulis-en-Medoc

Delicious, bright, lively claret. It tastes much younger than its 30 years.

8. 1989 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Blanco Reserva - Read about it here.

7. 1995 Luneau Papin Muscadet L d'or

I tasted this alongside the 1989. It was my first exposure to first rate Muscadet with bottle age (I was a little behind, I know, chalk it up to youthful ignorance, and to living in the DC area for 9 years).

6. 1985 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese

Sorry, no AP number...anyway, you know it was a good drinking year if this amazing wine did not quite crack the top five (and if you read this blog you know I love Riesling).

5. 1989 Chasse-Spleen

What can I say, I love Moulis. It showed a pretty, wonderfully perfumed nose with black cherry and licorice notes. Amazingly fresh and young on the palate. Tannins were still not fully resolved, but there is abundant, and abundantly pure, fruit there as well.

4. 1971 Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee

My first '70's Burgundy experience, and a good one. '71 was when my parents married, August 25, 1971 to be exact. So my parents, brother and I enjoyed this bottle in August, in a Calistoga cabin, alongside roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled lamb chops. After some initial stage fright, this 36 year old opened up and showed admirably, with tangy sour cherry fruit. I do enjoy drinking wine that is older than I am, especially when the year is significant to others who are near and dear to me.

3. 1988 Krug

One of my good friends in the business, and straight up one of the best human beings I know in Washington, DC, Burnie Williams, gifted me this bottle. I decided that we would drink it over lunch at CP Steak. The wine was textbook Krug: rich, full flavored, and a finish that would not quit. To borrow Matt Kramer's description of Meursault, this was truly like drinking 'liquid gold.'

2. 1981 Cronin Pinot Noir 'Ventana Vineyard'

'WTF???' you may be asking yourself. 26 year old CA pinot from a now defunct winery that many people outside of Woodside, California do not know, this bottle was pure magic, and I wish I had bought more. Read more about Cronin.

And the #1 wine is...

1976 Domaine des Varoilles Charmes Chambertin

One of those vintages that at first concerned Burg drinkers due to the heat, many '76s, I am told, have aged incredibly well. This was my Burgundy Epiphany Bottle - I began to understand why people obsess and bankrupt their shit over this shit.

So that's it, those are just some of the wines I loved in 2007. You know, I was thinking of doing a similar list for current releases, but there are just too many enjoyable wines I have drunk this year to whittle it down into list form. To be honest it's too much work and I'm not up for that sort of work at this point in the year, you know? Maybe next year....

Palo Cortado, otra vez.

Hidalgo is perhaps best known for their Manzanilla 'La Gitana,' as well as their single vineyard Pastrana Manzanilla pasada. Well, they also make Palo Cortado, and I finally got around to trying some tonight. Compared to the earlier reviewed Barbadillo Palo Cortado 'Obispo Gascon,' the Hidalgo PC is a totally different animal. In short, if Barbadillo's style is Palo Cortado bordering on oloroso, then Hidalgo's is more towards the Amontillado side of Palo Cortado. In the glass, the sherry is a duller shade of amber, with less of the brilliant orange glints. Dried black currants and fruit cake aromas on the nose are somehow a bit less intense and spirit like than the Barbadillo PC. No surprise here, as the Hidalgo weighs in at 17.5% abv whereas the Barbadillo is closer to 21.5%. Similarly, the palate is less viscous and powerful, both in terms of alchohol and intensity of flavors, but there is plenty of dried fruit character, acidity, salty tang and nuttiness to make this yet another excellent value fine wine from sherry country. Hidalgo's PC also gets huge bonus points for transmitting that tough to pinpoint sherry glow and energy (no, I did not finish the bottle, not even close) that I have not experienced since visiting Jerez in 1999 while living in Sevilla.

Next up in my Palo Cortado exploration: the Hidalgo Palo Cortado Viejo, which, if I understand correctly, comes from a solera dating back to colonial times!

Grignolino - Mmm, mmm mmm.

The 2005 La Casaccia Grignolino del Monferrato is such a mouth-wateringly tasty imbibement, I thought that it merits its own, brief, post. Produced from 100% Grignolino, the Piedmontese specialty, this wine is pure wild strawberries, with fine sandpaper tannins, the kind that leave your tongue feeling like a cat's tongue when it licks you. There is the barest hint of marzipan on the finish. Oliver McCrum continues to amaze me with his terrific portfolio of Italian wines; this particular example is available in the Bay Area for less than $15. Drink it up.