Some brief Scotch notes

In an effort to continue to create more diverse content, I've decided to occasionally post whisky tasting notes, likely focusing on single malt scotch.

Why single malt? Well, IMNSHO, it is the whisky that best reflects a specific place, showing consistent style depending upon where in Scotland it's from (Islay, Highland or Speyside, for example). While it is tough for many people to appreciate differences in flavor at 40% abv or higher (as it occasionally still is for me), the truth is that with some tasting under one's belt, and a bit of an effort, many people slowly gain an appreciation for quality single malts. And once you do, you will eventually realize that, just as you can't live with one type of wine alone, you will need at least several different whiskies on hand to satisfy your need for for variety.

Here are a few of the single malts currently residing in my liquor cabinet:

Isle of Arran 10 year old (Isle of Arran)

Arran is a tiny island lying east of Campbeltown. Its lone distillery is a fairly young one, having been established less than twenty years ago. Their 10 year is light, unpeated, and very drinkable. Sort of a gateway scotch, as it is not too intensely flavored from a higher alcoholic strength nor a heavily peated malt. Light as a sea breeze, with a hint of sweetness on the mid-palate and a subtle, salt inflected finish.

Springbank 10 year old (Campbeltown)

I'm not 100% positive, but I believe that this is Scotland's oldest, continuously independently owned and operated distillery. And their stuff is unbelievably good. I'd love to have the 15 year, but at about $90 it's significantly pricier than this $55 bottle. The 10 year is peatier than I had expected, but beyond the slightly aggressive peat lies a powerfully flavored, nutty, honeyed whisky. The finish is nicely briny, lingers for a while and dissolves elegantly after a while. As powerful and elegant a 10 year as you're likely to find.

1990 Glen Grant 18 year old Gordon & Macphail Reserve (Speyside)

This is a custom bottling done for K&L by independent bottler Gordon & Macphail. An independent bottler selects and purchases casks from various distilleries, bottling them separately and independent of the distillery,though both names are displayed on the label (an example might be, say, 1991 Macallan Murray McDavid 16 year old ). Just as English merchants have a history of selecting the best barrels of port, or perhaps sherry, the same model was established with Scotch. This Glen Grant is a solid Speyside whisky, with some candied citrus and butterscotch notes.

I've also got a few bottles of another fantastic Speyside single malt, Glenrothes, but I'll save that for another post.

I encourage those of you who have not already done so to experiment with single malts and indulge in the occasional wee dram - a perfect winter pick me up during these rainy (Bay Area) and snowy (nearly everywhere else) winter evenings.

And yet again, the tasting group convenes: '07 German Riesling meets Brandenburg Concertos and Die Mensch Maschine

Hope you enjoyed the Kraftwerk video.

As you may have surmised from the above title, it was something of a celebration of all things glorious and of teutonic origin for my tasting group's most recent meeting tonight. I selected the highly regarded '07 German vintage as a theme, cooked up some brats, made some cabbage to accompany, and played JS Bach to thematically tie things together. Kraftwerk's Man Machine was requested (and shortly thereafter un-requested) by a few fellow group members. As for the wines, we all agreed that it was a very solid showing. I divided the seven wines into two flights: one trocken (dry) flight of 4 and a flight of three kabinetts.

FLIGHT ONE: Dry Riesling

There was a fairly strong divide between people's two least favorite wines, and their two favorites.

2007 Johannes Leitz Riesling Eins Zwei Dry

By a single point, this was the least favorite wine. Personally, I found the wine to be aromatically closed at first. With air, some tart, red autumn apples as well as yellow stone fruits emerged. The palate was very tangy, reminding me of tart yellow plums skins. Crisp and thirst quenching, but also, I feel, deemed a bit lean and one note by this tough crowd of folks mainly in the wine trade.

2007 Von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Riesling QbA Trocken

This Ruwer riesling had a strong mineral stamp on the nose. It smelled funky and very slatey. The palate was earthy, soft, very textural, and a whole lot more mature tasting than its youth might suggest. Interestingly enough, the estate is one of the few non-interventionist ones in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Native yeast fermentation, and judging by the style perhaps a relatively minimal dose of sulphur as well. Ultimately, while this was interesting, the austere dryness, pungent minerality and lack of fruit did not do much for me or many others in the group.

2007 Becker Landgraf Riesling Trocken

This up-and-coming Rheinhessen estate impressed many folks, with three first place votes and two seconds out of nine participants. Johannes and Julia, a husband and wife team, source grapes from particulalry chalky soils in the Rheinhess. They ferment using a 50-50 mix of indigenous and cultured yeast. I found a certain savor and harmonious quality to this wine's aromas. A definite mineral stamp, but not as overbearing or defining as on the Von Schubert. I was particularly taken with the effortless balance and purity of flavors.

2007 Weingut Ott Riesling Vom Rottem Schotter

Scandalous... the top finishing wine of this German focused Riesling tasting was actually an imposter, a ringer, an Austrian wine! I'd be crying foul, except for the fact that Ott's wines are so delicious and in this particular case show so incredibly well out the gate. Some comments from my colleagues: 'Great depth,' 'Good weight and richness,' 'characteristic petrol notes.' We all agreed that this wine was the most expressive on this particular evening. This is made from biodynamically farmed grapes grown in a vineyard in the Wagram region of Austria (due west of Vienna, just before you reach the Kamptal, Kremstal, and Wachau).

FLIGHT 2: The Kabinetts

Given budgetary restraints, as well as the fact that 2007 is such a classic vintage, perfect for Kabinett production, I decided to select a few Kabinetts for the off-dry portion of this evening's tasting.

2007 Von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Estate Riesling

As with the trocken, this wine had a decidedly slatey mineral stamp. It's a dry kabinett, smelling of browning apples left out on the counter. It has a creamy mid palate, with broad, funky, lighter flavors relative to many German Kabinetts. This wine showed completely, utterly apart from the other Kabinetts. More oxidative winemaking, combined with the unique Ruwer terroir, perhaps?

2007 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett

Though this had an equal amount of points as the Schubert, it garnered more first place votes, and as a result placed higher. While some folks thought that this was textbook Riesling, complete and offering up everything a classic young Kabinett should, others took issue with the noticeably reductive state (it is a JJ Prum wine, after all). Nevertheless, I would fall into the fans of Prum camp. Yes, they are pricey wines, doused with sulphur along every single step of the winemaking process, etc. But they also have a certain power, depth of flavor, and typicity that scream Mosel Riesling, and more specifically that perfectly recall their respective vineyard sites.

2007 Selbach Oster Zeltingger Riesling Kabinett

Fans of this wine claimed that it had all the elements I found in the Prum. While I enjoyed this, it was simply on the level of a solid, quaffable, off-dry riesling. Nothing too evocative, complex, or thought provoking. A solid wine for salads, seafood, or various Asian cuisines (with apologies for the cliched suggested off-dry riesling pairings, if you're reading, Lyle).

So there you have it. Another PMW group tasting in the books. Hopefully we can settle on a date for the next one and get back in the swing of monthly tastings. Thanks to all those who came out and participated on a rainy Sunday night in the city. Special shout out to guests Catherine and Josh (who showed on short notice and with an early morning inventory to deal with tomorrow) as well as Susan, my co-worker from Birmingham (England, not Alabama) who lent her considerable nosing and tasting talents to the group.

Wine Blogging Wednesday: A very Dolcetto evening, with an Arneis guest appearance

Long time, no WBW participation here. In fact, if memory serves I have only done this once. Well, none other than David McDuff hosts this edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, so I'm in. Thanks to our gracious host for selcting such an endlessly fascinating wine region: the Piedmont. Who knows, maybe I'll get back on the wagon with this fun, educational excuse to crack some new bottles and blog about 'em.

First the Arneis. Accompanied by a delicious pasta dinner I enjoyed with friends a few weeks ago, the 2004 Giovanni Almondo Arneis Vigne Sparse was easily, to my taste, the star of the evening. Though it is already three vintages matured, the wine tastes nearly as young as an '06 Vigne Sparse I enjoyed nine months ago. If anything the '04 has intensified, revealing more yellow fruit flavors, including the tarter fruit skins. It's still mineral, and at this rate of evolution could still be drinking well for another several years. Such a clean, precise, tense, chiseled arneis, easily the best of this style I've yet to try.

Now let's fast forward to last night. I had decided at work to ramp up the geek quotient of this post and compare two Dolcetti, one a 2006 Anna Maria Abbona Dolcetto di Dogliani Sori dij But, the other a 2006 Luigi Baudana Dolcetto d'Alba. If you were to go by the various writings on the region, the Dolcetto di Dogliani DOC is of the best quality and highest aging potential. Not that I was hoping to either confirm or disprove this assertion, but nonetheless I thought it might be interesting to compare Dogliani dolcetto to its Alba counterpart.

Well, Anna Maria Abbona is a stellar producer, one of the true masters of Dolcetto. The vineyards are at some of the highest elevation in the DOC, with ideal exposure, and the winemaking seems to never be at all heavy handed. I really enjoyed their '06Sori dij But (the name of one of their vineyards). On the nose, a satisfying bit of meaty, brett savor combined with full, fleshy darker cherry and berry fruits. Similar palate, with some nice violet floral notes and balanced acidity, especially for this notoriously low acid grape (Dolcetto = 'little sweet one).

As for the Baudana '06 Dolcetto d'Alba...different story. It was blocky, clumsy, grapey, lacking in balanced acidity and just not particularly good. Unfortunately it echoes many other Dolcetti I have tasted.

Photo's of wines and accompanying food to come....

Robert Camuto Book Signin and Tasting TOMORROW at 18 Reasons

Just a reminder about this event. Should be educational and lots of fun - check it out.

Wine Tasting, Discussion and Book Signing with Robert Camuto
18 Reasons Gallery
539 Guerrero St (near intersection at 18th St, between 17th & 18th)
Thursday February 19th, 7-9pm
Cost $15

Some meditations on Baltimore

Oh, Baltimore
Man it’s hard, just to live

In the classic, but oft overlooked Sly & Robbie produced tune by the Tamlins (which upon further review, is actually a Randy Newman cover) the everyday hardships of many who struggle to get by in the city are exposed. As everyone from the city will tell you, yeah, Baltimore can be a rough place. However, there has always been a certain, hard to describe likeability about this place. Rather than dwell on the negative in these gloomy economic times, I thought I would make a few observations about the Baltimore that I have come to know and love.

ON JEWISH BALTIMORE

While it is one of the country’s (and therefore one of the world’s) largest Jewish populations, everyone is miraculously either related or otherwise connected by two degrees or less! I know, this seems strange, but ask any nice Jewish girl from out of state who has married a Baltimore Jew. They will give you a knowing nod and explain how they’ve never encountered anything quite like it.

ON HIP-HOP AND R&B RADIO

In the tumultuous, hyper competitive radio industry, a lot can change, even in a midsize market such as Baltimore. One of the few constants in the landscape has been the domination of 92Q. Like most other large, corporate owned stations, this one has the same repetitive, boring programming as its competitors within their radio genre. Nonetheless, it’s always fun to hear your hometown radio station commenting, in the hometown accent, on local news, sports, and gossip. And, all considered, 92Q has done a pretty solid job. Just one thing though – what happened to the ‘Big Phat Morning Show?’ It has apparently been replaced with a show by a personality named Rickey Smiley, whose show is promoted with the tagline ‘Rickey Smiley and DEEZ NUTS!’ Come on now guys, did you really have to descend to this grade school level humor to promote your morning show?

ON EAST COAST JEW FOOD NOT EASILY FOUND IN SAN FRANCISCO

I’m not the biggest fan of deli. Or lox. Or many of the delicacies specific to eastern European Jewish cuisine. I know, how could I disrespect my culinary heritage, right? Generally I prefer light and fresh over heavy and processed, as a general rule. And as much as I love sandwiches, typically they involve a tasty Spanish, French or Italian cheese between two layers of fresh baked, crusty, flavorful bread. Not pastrami on rye. That having been said, it’s hard to beat a delicious rare roast beef on rye from Pikesville’s incomparable Edmart deli. It’s nearly good enough to make me think twice about those fancy European cheese on artisanal sourdough sandwiches we’ve got here in San Francisco.

Goodbye, N-ana

Winter, of late, has not been a good season for my grandparents. Pepa passed away last January, and early yesterday morning, my grandmother on my father's side, Na-na (real name Vivian Manekin) died of lung failure.

A few memories of my late grandmother. She was an incredibly elegant woman. This was her reputation, and she certainly lived up to it. A beautiful woman, she would never dare be seen in public without her make-up just so and her jewelry on. Her beautifully colored red hair - with nary a single strand out of place- was admired by her many friends in the tight-knit world of senior Jewish Baltimore social life. She often times would address family as 'dear,'the sound drawn out so that it would sound like 'DEE-yuhr....' Na-na always offered her support, though she could be a tough critic, often times following up a comment with which she perhaps did not fully agree, or a proposed business idea, with a tough line of questioning, preceeded by an emphasized 'DEE-yuhr....' That's when you knew you were about to get a healthy earful of critique. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that many people have benefited from her tough love and constructive criticism over the years. I know that I certainly have.

As it relates to this blog, Na-na did enjoy wine, especially a fine Burgundy, though the high acidity meant that she could indulge infrequently, in tiny amounts. Her real tipple of choice was Scotch, a blended Scotch served on the rocks with a splash of water. While I prefer single malt served neat, I will surely be enjoying a wee dram (or a few) over the course of the upcoming weekend in Baltimore, to celebrate my grandmother's memory and her love of a good party.

Goodbye, Na-na. We will all miss you.

Back in the Old World Again - OWOS soon to hit Paris & Champagne

Recently I received an email from a major airline, advertising really low fares to various cities in Europe. I couldn't resist - a brief excursion seemed a terrific idea and Paris was calling. Once before, nearly a decade ago, I stayed briefly in the city of light. I was traveling amongst a group of friends during the millennial craziness, and needless to say there was much partying. A lot of the city's magic was either virtually impossible to access or neglected by our large, party hearty group.

So I'm excited to be returning to Paris as well as visiting Champagne six weeks from now. What do you have to look forward to in this reportage? Well, probably a few notable Parisian wine bars, at least a day's worth of pedaling across arrondissements via Velib, a few detailed reports on visits to Champagne producers, some rich, fatty regional Champenoise cuisine, and perhaps a few photographs showcasing interesting sights in Paris, looking all the more tempting in that famous diffuse, grey-ish Parisian light.

Though I feel like I've got a pretty good handle on food and wine stuff in Paris, I'm welcoming any ideas for restaurants, bars, shops, or any other sites of interest worth discovering. Many thanks for the suggestions.