Luigi Bosca Pinot Noir Reserva, Lujan de Cuyo 2007

Aged cheese, cherry and prune bouquet; big smokey mouth (that sounded wrong!), dark fruit, tobacco, full body, some oak. Can't believe this is a 2 year old pinot noir! I would have it with some red meat next time around.
A bit short now, but I can imagine this will change in a year or two.
Over all totally worth the 50 AR$ (retail), but not as good as the 2006 vintage Sam wrote about here.

Don Baltazar Petit Verdot, 2004

Another great discovery: petit verdot. This red variety came to Argentina from Bordeaux, where it is still used as a part of Pomerol blend. It is a late maturing grape which needs a lot of sun... this rarely happens in France, and thus the name: "little green one".
In Argentina petit verdot is it's own variety. I found it to be a very unique, original wine, hard to compare with any common varieties.
Purple red, medium body, pungent nose with notes of mushroom, soy sauce, tomato and cherry.
The dominant taste is gooseberry, followed by blackberry, lime and wood. The wine is quite tannic and structured, finishes with cherry pit and cocoa. Really sharp and surprising. 37 AR$ in retail.

Saurus Patagonia Select, Pinot Noir 2006

Have you ever tried oysters with red wine? Commonly known to be one of the worst pairings... except when you are having raw patagonian oysters with patagonian pinot noir!
This lovely pinot, served at Crizia, was supposed to complement a large tuna steak, but it ended up working great with the oyster appetizer. I am very impressed with patagonian pinots, much more than anything Mendoza (so far).

Yeast and green apple aroma; light oak, grapefruit and pomegranate mouth. Somehow this wine
reminded me of chardonney... or champagne? Definitely lighter body, very mineral and energetic. Although oaked, tastes more like Burgundy than California. Delicious!(110 AR$ in restaurant).

Dante Robino Bonarda, 2008

This bottle was our second choice at "Bo Bo" in Soho Palermo: we needed a lighter body red and I wanted to try an decent Argentine Bonarda for a while (it is actually charbono grape, called bonarda in Argentina).
Both restaurant and the wine were kind of disappointing... Our food was good but nothing to brag about, and the bottle .... well it's all subjective... but for me the combination of sweat, barnyard and sweet, red fruit in the bouquet was not happening. Some yogurt or other lactic undertones were present. Simple cherry and oak mouth, little vanilla in the finish. I read some reviews of the same bottle from older vintages, looks like it ages well toward chocolate and raspberry. 35 AR$

Tasting menu at La Bourgogne, Buenos Aires

I usually don't hang out in super fancy restaurants, but it was my birthday and I'm in Buenos Aires! So my girlfriend and I treated ourselves to a full tasting menu at chef Jean-Paul Bondoux'
"La Bourgogne", which is supposed to be one of the best gourmet joints in Latin America.
I took some pictures and added images of wine pairings... my failed efforts to neatly pack lots of information into a small space led to this post looking like a cheap Chinese take out menu... oh well:) To see more detail click on the images.


The theme of the dinner was French food cooked with fresh Argentine ingredients and paired with local wines. We started out with a crab appetizer prepared with chamomile and violets (didn't know you could eat those). It came with Torrontes Finca Domingo 2008, which for me was one of the more interesting wine discoveries here. Torrontes is a white grape variety exclusive to Argentina. Young, sharp, unique; think Australian Savignion Blanc, but shorter and more explosive... lots of flowers, tangerine and mango.

Then we had frog legs with garlic and parsley, paired with Mendoza Chardonney. The frog legs were delicious and gianormous... Chardonney didn't do much for me... buttery oak, new world average. The third course was a vapor cooked Patagonian sea bass paired with Luigi Bosco Gala 3 Viogner 2006. Both were splendid; the wine is actually a mix of Viognier 50%, Chardonnay 40% and Riesling 10%... very complex and satisfying: lime, wood, vanilla.

Finally, the pièce de résistance: cranberry sauce venison served with Alta Vista Malbec Grande Reserva 2004. I thought the malbec was good, but needed to breathe... it kept opening in the glass, mostly blueberries, oak and plum. I prefer more structure, but I think this goes for malbec in general. This was a very polished, well crafted, Bordeaux style wine, perhaps a bit too polite for the venison steak...
The tasting ended with an Argentine cheese plate, raspberry tart and a glass of dessert wine from Luigi Bosco (which I can't say much about because I was pretty drunk already:)
Over all this was an amazing experience, which would cost 4 times the price in NYC. Definitely recommended. And Mr. Bondoux is quite a character!

Weinert Malbec, Mendoza 2004

Our first day in Buenos Aires! We decided to buy some of that legendary Argentine beef and cook it at home with garlic, shallots and fava beans. To go along I bought a bottle of what Karen MacNeil recommends as a classic Mendoza Malbec... Weinert 2004, 46 AR$ (13 bucks!), 90 points from Wine&Spirits.

Medium to full body, garnet color; prune, a bit of barnyard and eucalyptus (maybe mint) in the nose. Black cherry, oak and a tobacco/quinine finish.

This wine is really reminiscent of Bordeaux, very old world, very slick. Indeed pairs great with the steak, which, btw, turned out super... but probably will take a few days to digest:)

La Chapelle de la Bastide, Picpoul de Pinet, 2008

I don't get it: why aren't people more excited about Picpoul?
This is a fantastic deal, $8 at the BQE Liquors, if I was into white wines I would get a case.
Peach and rose bouquet, simple but effective lime, green apple mouth with a finish of mead.
Crisp, fresh, fun, paired great with our baked salmon & millet.

Think quaffable Languedoc version of Grüner Veltliner with an extra touch of class.

Ondarre Rioja Reserva 2002

If you are into Riojas this one is a pretty tasty treat. Tempranillo 75%, Garnacha 10%, Mazuelo (Carignane)15%, full body with a deep cherry hue. No oxidation or browning. The nose is typically malolactic: yogurt and sweet fruit.
Sometimes Riojas are too flat for me... this one, although very fruit forward, has enough structure to be fun. Cherry syrup, fig jam and oak. $16 in retail. And yes, it calls for a pork loin!

Patrice Rion, Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes 2003

This powerful Côte de Nuits drank like a Brunello! 2003 was definitely a hot vintage, and it's ready now. Medium to full body, brownish red with medium transparency, velvety smooth texture. Caramel, strawberry jam and subtle spicy notes (eucalyptus?) in the bouquet. Taste wise this wine was an explosion of fruit: mainly plum/prune, fig and cherry compote, with a nice finish of cocoa and coffee (which I attribute to perfectly aged tannin).

This is a Burgundy for a hedonist: less terroir, more pure joy. I had it with home made cheese Spätzle, chicken cutlet and Swiss chard... no complaints:)

$40 at Warehouse Wine&Spirits, NYC.

Galtarossa Colombara Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore 2003

This wine turned out to be a great find in a cool restaurant in Newburgh, New York. On the nose it had hints of vanilla and honey without being too overpowering. On the taste it was very well balanced with an oak medium finish and a herbaceous and dried fruit aftertaste. This wine is a Ripasso which is an Italian red wine from Valpolicella made by fermenting young wine with the unpressed but drained skins and lees left over from making Amarone. These wines are typically lighter (and cheaper) than Amarone and more flexible when it comes to combining with food. All together this was a very pleasant wine to drink with an autumn type meal. While this wine retails at 24 USD we paid 42 USD in a restaurant which is a decent deal keeping in mind that restaurants in the US typically triple the retail cost of bottles.

Louis Latour, Côte de Beaune-Village 2002

2002 wasn't a stellar year for red Beaune (91 points) but this gentle pinot noir is a good candidate for a daily dinner wine. Still purplish red, transparent with no signs of aging, medium body with healthy viscosity. I imagine there was a decent dose of tannin in this wine once, pretty much gone by now.

Soft, mellow and nebulous all around: this is a typical, solid but no thrills Côte de Beaune. Sweet red fruit in the nose, very slow to open. In the mouth: an attack of blackberry, cherry and mature apple mid-palette and a barely detectable pungent-spicy finish. I actually tasted durian fruit in the finish...

Rosemary turkey scallopini, quinoa and green beans seemed like a pretty good pairing.

2006 Artezin Zinfandel Mendocino County

A European perspective on a stateside wine (guess you guys might know this one already, probably at a nicer, much more accessible price ...)

"Very nice refined wine, a bit of smokiness and plum but not too intense or compotey with the fruit, with a light, refreshing texture, just enough of a trace of Zinfandel sweetness to round it out and a subtle, not overblown tangy twist of oak/tannins in the tail. Not having drunk much Zinfandel in the past, thought this might be a touch young but seems this wine is good to drink now."

Tasting note from Zink23 on Cellartracker. More notes on zink23.tumblr.com or #wine @zink23 on twitter

Drank 10/10/2009 2006 Artezin Zinfandel Mendocino County - #wine http://cellartracker.com/w?521076

Mazer Valtellina Superiore DOCG 2005

Valtellina Superiore is a less known nebbiolo variety wine from the very north of Lombardy.
Grown on the foothills of the Alps nebbiolo grapes (there called Chiavennasca) produce lean, medium body reds, which don't have much to do with Barolos or Barbarescos.

I drunk this "Mazer" by Nino Negri last April in Milan. It was a curious wine, which made me very intrigued by Alpine red wines. Garnet color, definitely structure over fruit, smelled of vanilla, violets and sweet spice... Dry, but with a persistent presence of mellow fruit, sweet cherry compote... This was a very elegant, confident wine with a lot of personality, not your typical Tuscan crowd pleaser... (45 Euro in a resturant, 16 in store retail).

With the wine we had a typical Valtellina pasta Pizoccherri, which is whole buckwheat tagliatelle served with potatoes and Swiss chard (you can see the last bite of it in the picture above:), and a very delicious serving of fresh buffalo mozzarella.

Septimo Dia- Malbec 2006 Bodega Septima Mendoza-Argentina

Septimo Dia- Malbec 2006 Bodega Septima Mendoza-Argentina

Price U$ 16

Making its debut in 2009, this new wine comes courtesy of Paola Borgo who arrived at Septima wines in 2008.
Septimo Dia has malbec grapes picked from three different estates in the Mendoza region which provide variety in this complex malbec wine, the winemaker aged this wine 10 months both in french and american oak barrels.
Its very balanced with lots of fruit flavors and hints of vainilla, currants and spices.
It can be hard to find as only 20,000 bottles were made but strongly suggest trying to hunt down a bottle.

Castell del Remei- Gotim Bru 2005 Catalonia Spain

Castell del Remei- Gotim Bru 2005 Catalonia Spain

Tempranillo, Merlot, Granache & Cabernet Sauvignon blend

Price U$ 15

http://www.wine.com/V6/Castell-del-Remei-Gotim-Bru-2005/wine/92262/detail.aspx?s=GoogleBase&cid=GoogleBase

This spanish blend which has a total of 4 different varietals is a great value for the price.

With about 70% Tempranillo one can still taste the other 3 blends which gives this full ruby red wine a rich taste. Its spicey and I tasted hints of coffee and cherry in the mix.

Catalan wines are hard to find outside of Europe but this is a good place to start.

Humberto Canale- Pinot Noir 2006 Patagonia-Argentina

Humberto Canale- Pinot Noir 2006 Patagonia-Argentina

Price U$ 25

Perhaps the best pinot noir out of Argentina this medium size ruby colour pinot noir is the closest one can find in this side of the world that comes close to the Oregon and California counterparts.

Patagonia has become one of the great new regions in Argentina as its climate and land is prime for wine making.

There are hints of raspberry, cherry and rhubarb as well as vainilla.

Its light on the palate and keeps the alcohol content considerably low so as to enjoy this good wine.

Week in Burgundy, July 2007

In July 2007 a group of four entry-level wine enthusiasts (including my girlfriend Sakurako, Gosia, Sam and myself) undertook a little trip to Burgundy, France. We assembled in Zurich, where I happened to be for a conference, and drove a rental car all the way to Cote d'Or.

I just recently stumbled upon some photos from that trip and decided that it would be nice to post some on Dailyglass. After all this was the trip which turned me into a somewhat serious wine drinker, and made pinot noir my favorite grape variety. So in a way this blog wouldn't have happen without our week in Burgundy...


At the time spending more than $30 on a bottle of wine seemed outrageous, so this prevented us from drinking grand crus and older vintages... Nevertheless, we managed to hunt down several exceptional bottles and participate in 3-4 tastings every day.


To save money we camped out most nights, which made the whole thing affordable.The bulk of our limited resources went toward various culinary indulgences, which mostly consisted of beef, snails, roosters and foie gras. And cheese, of course ... including the local, super-smelly, half-liquid Époisses. Vegetal matter is not much appreciated in Burgundy region:)




One of the highlights was a half-day tasting class at Sensation Vin in Beaune. We decided to go with reds only, and tasted 10 wines which were samples of various local terroirs. That was a pretty well organized Burgundy crash course, including slides and handy vintage charts.


If I was to mention one bottle that particularly stuck in my memory, it would be the modest, 7 Euro Bourgogne Passetoutgrains 2004 from organic producers Pierre d'Heilly et Martine Huberdeau (picture below on the right). Passetoutgrains is a regional appellation, basically a cuvée of Gamay and Pinot Noir, where Pinot has to be at least 33%. We got the bottle at a remote abbey Pierre Qui Vire, along with some locally produced moldy goat cheeses. I still remember the deeply satisfying peppery black currant taste with grapefruit finish... this wine was so full of energy and life!

For anyone who is into wine: this doesn't have to be an expensive adventure! We loved it and , no doubt, will be back.

Bracco Chianti Classico Riserva 2004

This was a very balanced Chianti. Typically this wine can retail from anywhere between 30 and 40 dollars per bottle but at Warehouse Wines & Spirits in Manhattan it retailed for about 10. The store recommended opening the bottle two hours before being served. An interesting note on Chianti wines is that they must be produced in Tuscany and made up of at least 80% Sangiovese grapes in order to be called Chianti per Italian legislation set forward in the 70's. Another interesting note on this wine is that it belongs to Bracco Wines of Lorraine Bracco, the actress who plays the psychotherapist in the HBO series The Sopranos.

On the nose this wine had a hint of berries, vanilla and pepper. On the taste, with two hours of decanting, this was one of the most well balanced wines I have ever had. Granted I don't have too much experience with Chantis. It had faint tannins, a slight licorice taste mixed with berries. Medium body and medium red color, this wine will go well with pastas and salads.

Map of the Côte de Nuits

Check out this pretty detailed map of village appellations in Burgundy/ Côte de Nuit. Red areas represent red Grand Crus, purple 1-er Crus. Probably the best place on earth to drink pinot noirs. Click on the image to enlarge.

Player 1!

My friend Paul found this... God knows where:)
How cool is this, I can't wait to order a bottle and check it out. I'll keep you posted!



"8-Bit Vintners is the creative love child of Mike James. His passion for wine and love of gaming has come together to create the coolest mash-up since The Flintstones met The Jetsons. All fruit comes from high-end vineyards within Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley AVA's. It is produced with the highest winemaking standards in Walla Walla, WA and aged in a selection of fine cooperage.

My wine is for anyone who spent time trying to save a princess or fit odd shaped blocks together. We may have never met, but we have more in common than we ever knew. So blow out that old Contra cartridge, give the NES a good dust off, and pour yourself a glass"

Player 1, $18

The inaugural vintage of Player 1 displays the quality and diversity of fruit that is being produced in Eastern Washington. Player 1 is blended from various vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope, and Walla Walla Valley. 2007 was a moderately warm growing season with long, dry, sunny days that allowed for extended hang time during harvest. This wine shows an accessible and approachable style that is both fun to drink now and has the acidity and tannins to hold up for 5 years plus.

Appellation: Walla Walla Valley, Wahluke Slope, and Columbia Valley
Blend: 50% Syrah, 30% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carmenere, 5% Malbec
Harvest Date: August and September 2007
Bottling Date: July 2009
Cooperage: French, American, and Hungarian for 18 to 22 months
Alcohol: 14.1%
pH: 3.74

Callia Alta- Syrah/Bonarda 2006 Valle de Tulum, San Juan, Argentina

Callia Alta - Syrah/Bonarda 2006 Valle de Tulum, San Juan, Argentina

Price U$ 8

Found this at a food fair in South America. Great wine for under 10 dollars.

San Juan has become one of the newest regions in Argentina to come out with quality wines
along with the Patagonia.

This combines the Bonarda and Syrah varieties which gives a rich ruby wine,
with sweet tanins and rich fruit aromas. Pretty smooth finish as well.

Combines well with pasta, thai and chinese food according to the maker.

The Umbrian Experience

So, about my Umbrian experience…

We were staying amongst the rather wild and empty hills of Umbria. The closest town was Spoletto, but to go to Montefalco wouldn’t take us longer then 1 hour. Because of the isolation of our house (nearest trattoria was about 7 km away of twisting, hilly road) we had to organize our meals at home, along with some more serious wine tasting sessions. Eventually it turned out to be the best solution: the restaurants in the area had a tendency to serve kind of “touristy” food, while the products of the region were awesome. Also our landlord was supplying us with fresh veggies and fruits from their garden, as well as homemade cakes…

http://www.agriturismovalnerina.it/home.htm

Both of us are devoted white wines drinkers, and, of course, we went through several lovely grechettos and trebbianos spolettino from Antonelli (nice choice – flowery, slightly spicy nose, for me best with simple food – prosciutto or seafood).
The interesting thing was that in Umbria, with it’s dry air, climate, and constantly present aromas of rosemary, truffles and venison, I suddenly started to feel a vampiric need for heavy, dry and even tannic wines. And that was exactly what the area had to offer.



Sololoro (Fontecolle, Montefalco 2005) – I really enjoyed this wine. It’s cuvee of sangiovese (about 70%), sagrantino, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Nice structure, fresh and fruity. Tender but expressive. We had it with pasta with dried ricotta and truffles, wild boar sausage and local olive oil. (I would rate it 82/100)


Rubesco Lungarotti (Rosso di Torgiano, 2005) – forest fruits, some spices, it was a little bit too concentrated for me, but drank with serious steak (look at the grill) worked pretty nice (73/100).

Hubert Lignier, Bourgogne, 1998

I took a little risk with this $35 Burgundy: a bit too old for a regional appellation from a mediocre vintage... But I knew that Ligner is known for some serious pinots, which are often biodynamic and crushed by pigéage (actually climbing into the tanks and pushing down the cap with your feet). Apparently only natural yeasts are used.

This must have been the driest, most schizophrenic French pinot noir I have ever had. I am suspecting some Négrette was added along the way... Over the two hours of drinking I briefly went through every item on the taste wheel, as if the wine was undergoing a rapid chain reaction.

If I was to describe some of the more stable elements of the nose I would say red fruit compote and fresh cheese, maybe yogurt. But there were also micro-bursts of truffle, jasmine, white pepper and wild strawberries. It was medium-bodied, very viscous, particulate and purplish-red with no signs of oxidation.

The mouth was more consistent (and mighty dry) with cranberry, mature yellow apple and bitter spice. The amount of tannin in this wine made me think of nebbiolo or tannat... I guess that was what kept it from yellowing. It was an adventure for sure ... if I had another bottle I would let it open for two hours... It coupled pretty well with ham wrapped prawns and boiled leeks.

Tartness in the finish would be my only real complaint.

Santa Julia, Organic Tempranillo 2008

Just a quick enthusiastic note about this $8 organic tempranillo from Maipu, Mendoza... I had it at friends gallery afterparty, and was pretty surprised...
This is a big, complex wine; figs, blueberry and other fruit jam flavors, with a nice round nose of blackberry. And its organic! Earlier that evening i had some $14 a glass Rioja at La Boqueria and it didn't even come close. Seriously, I am going to Argentina!

Brunello Di Montalcino, Fattoria La Lecciaia 2003

This is how The Wine Spectator describes this bottle : "Raspberry, flowers and citrus fruits on the nose follow through to a full body, with lots of fruit. Almost jammy, but fresh and dense. Generous. Best after 2010. 9,000 cases made. 91 points".

Our bottle seemed to have none of the noble bouquet characteristics listed above, which means that either, for real, every bottle is different, or The Wine Spectator was drinking their stuff well after 2010:)

Brunello is a highly fetishized Toscan clone of Sangiovese isolated in the late 19 century by Clemente Santi. Indeed it is hard to find a Brunello that sucks, it is also hard to find a good one under $50.
2003 was not a stellar year for Brunellos, and that's why I found this bottle for $32 (BQE Liquors, Brooklyn).

Dark ruby color with amber tinge, full, oily body. Prune and a touch of banana on the nose.
Taste ways it was all prune, fig, some fennel, and a slightly dissappointing oak finish. I guess my expectations were a little too high, still an awesome treat. And definitely don't drink it with baked bronzino and spicy mussels.

Agua de Piedra, Mendoza, Argentina 2007 - Malbec

It looks like I am on Malbec roll these days, and this one has been the best one yet. Agua de Piedra is about an 11 USD bottle; great value. The texture rather silky and the color is on the lighter side for a Malbec. On the nose I got blackberry, salt, fresh cut grass and pepper. The view beyond the bottle by the way is the Hudson River Valley north of NYC.

On the taste this Malbec has some red plum, cranberry, and a hint of apple. It is slightly bitter on the aftertaste which is long lasting. Definitely worth its money and it actually surpasses many Malbecs that are even twice its price.

Dom Martinho, Domaines Barons De Rotschild (Lafite), 2005

Tonight's treat was a Portuguese bottle from the southern region of Alentejo, produced by a Rotschild/Boredeaux affiliated Sociedade Agricola Quinta Do Carmo. ($17)

This rather intense wine is a blend of Aragonez (Tempranillo), Cab. Sauvignon and Syrah. Think of it as your nice Bordeaux on steroids. After the first sip I felt like I just smoked a Cuban cigar... while sucking on a salt-lick. Over all a super fun wine, but it completely overwhelmed our dinner of acorn squash soup, prosciutto and sprout salad :(

Full body, deep red shifting toward brick, a nose of sweet plum an cherry.
The mouth begins with an attack of syrupy sour cherry, then cola and salt mid palette, with an over the top finish of tobacco and some other bitter, herbal notes.

You simply have to have a rare buffalo steak with this bottle.

Update: saved a glass for the next day and the salt/cola tuned into a very smooth blueberry... also pretty good. Go figure!

Otello Malbec Reserva 2007 Mendoza Argentina

Personally I am not a lover of Malbec wines but this was an interesting bottle. The retail cost of this bottle is about USD$ 25.00. The nose had blackberry, vanilla and hints of other fruits.

On the taste it was slightly bitter with black olives, quinine, and wood. It was fairly tannic and had a very long finish. It would be interesting to hear some feedback about this wine from a Malbec fan.

Reserva Especial Sibaris Undurraga Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Chile

This Sibaris was a fantastic bottle that I bought for about USD$30.00 in Medellin. I thoroughly enjoyed this wine and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys new world Cabernets. Chilean Cabernets are in my experience mostly very heavy dark wines but this one was lighter, almost playful with a lot of complexity.

The nose has black currant, oak wood, soil and minerals. The taste is rather dry with hints of pepper, green peppers, plums and cherry. The color is light for a Cabernet. It has a very gentle middle and finish. This wine is easy to drink and could go well with meats or spicy foods.