Wine

It’s going to be a cool and rainy Memorial Day weekend here in the Northeast–boooo! So I’ll spare you the dummer quaffers and hit you with something structured yet fun and gulpable at the same time: Sunier, Fleurie, 2011. It turns out that although Julien Sunier is from Burgundy, he’s not from a wine family. In fact, his mother is a hair stylist. One of her customers was Christophe Roumier who allowed young Julien to to work at the Domaine, where he decided that the whole wine thing was pretty fun. After exploring the wine world’s corners in California and New Zealand he came back to Burgundy and later Beaujolais, starting making his own wines in 2008. He has parcels in Fleurie, Morgon and Regnié that have old vines, which he hand harvests and uses indigenous yeasts in the fermentations in concrete vats. After the fermentation, the wines are aged in older Burgundy barrels from… Christophe Roumier. I bought the 2011 Fleurie for $25 (find this wine). It’s worth seeking out. I give it my highest (Beaujolais?) rating: quickly emptied. The post Sunier, Fleurie, 2011 appeared first on Dr Vino's wine blog.

There wasn’t much happening drink-wise in Episode 5. That was fine. There was a lot of heavy history happening in that episode – I’ll forgive them a lack of cocktails. That brings us to episode 6, where Roger starts picking up clients in airport lounges. The orders start with Roger drinking (ewww) water with an onion and ordering a Jim Beam, double, for his friend. I was all set to tell you all about the history of Jim Beam, but then something interesting happened. Bert ordered a spirits of elderflower. Let’s talk about that. Elderflower liqueur is one of my favorites. I love to ask a craft bartender to create a drink for me – whatever they want – using elderflower. I’ve also used it in sugar cookies and it’s quite tasty. The brand you’ll see on the shelf most often these days is St-Germain. If you’re familiar with Paris, you’re probably already recognizing the name of the famous street, St Germain, where Hemingway wrote and Picasso painted. The St-Germain web site describes its signature liqueur as follows: “It has been said that Paris is a mélange curieux, a curious mixture of flavors, styles and influences. So it is with St-Germain.”  Technically, the liqueur is made from elderberries, but you’ll taste everything from flowers to peaches to grapefruits in the liqueur. Honestly,  I enjoy drinking it on its own. It’s also quite wonderful mixed with champagne or sparkling wine. Here’s the classic St Germain cocktail, straight from their web site. I was so tickled by their “variation” that I grabbed the thing as an image instead of retyping. Have a laugh … and have a cocktail.

Cheap and cheerful. Big fat bubbles, sweet tasting. Fam [...]The post Nino Franco Prosecco. Prosecco but not as you know it… appeared first on The Wine Sleuth.

Issue 168 of the International Wine Cellar, published last week, leads off with our most extensive coverage to date of new releases from Napa and Sonoma, featuring tasting notes on nearly 1,800 wines. The new issue also includes in-depth coverage of Bordeaux 2012 and a special report on the  wines of South Africa. For as little as $19.95 for a two-month subscription, you can get immediate and unlimited access to the current issue, as well as to the easily searchable and sortable IWC data base of over 100,000 tasting notes. Whatever you normally spend on a bottle, the International Wine Cellar will help you become a smarter consumer and drink better wine. READ MORE »

Attentive Winefronters will know what I mean when I declare that this wine is far more Knoxinus than Walsh. It is Yarra Valley syrah / shiraz to its core. 50 percent whole bunches. Spicy and not-at-all sweet-fruited. (*Picture is of the pinot noir, not the syrah, but it’s a good indication of how it’s packaged.)

White Wine FederationWhen the Shepherd Gets Going... The Flavors Get Flowing!This Sunday, only on Pay-Per-View, get ready for WhiteWineMania! Many will enter the ring, but only ONE will exit, and brother - it’s gonna be me! Because when The Shepherd gets going... the flavors, they get a-flowing! So all you other white wines out there better get ready, because you’re going DOWN! A lot of my opponents have been saying that they’re gonna bring the flavor, but they ain’t tasted NOTHING like The Shepherd! You smell that? That’s lime, kiwi, and gooseberry, sucker! And when you get a whiff of sweet pea and jasmine, you KNOW you’ve been SMACKED with pleasing, bright aromas! My mouth may be gentle, but brother, the flavor is rich. Get ready to have your palate SLAMMED with lemon, grapefruit, and lychee! You’re in MY cellar now! You think The Shepherd’s done with you? Think again, brother, because I’ll be finishing you off with citrus, mineral, and spice! And when I’m through with you, that championship belt will be MINE. Because when the Shepherd Gets Going.. say it with me... The FLAVORS GET FLOWNG!

Stu Hordern of Brokenwood says of the 2013 Hunter Valley harvest, ‘belting!’; emphatic. ‘Best vintage since 2006 for semillon, very warm and dry, and consequently we could get full flavour ripeness, you’ll see the alcohols are a little higher, up to 12s, great lime juice and fruit acid balance. Fruit was really good, we had [...]

Another wine day has come and gone and I did my bit part by celebrating #ChardonnayDay with two of the Finger Lakes finest. Also cemented my feelings about what is considered the world's most popular white grape varietal. Of course, those that know me, know that it means forget the oak with it's buttery, toasty, vanilla, butterscotch and creamy profile and give me Chardonnay aged in stainless steel or just a touch of acorns. I've now come to realize why Chardonnay was not near the top of my favorite white wines. It actually sat well situated on the very bottom of my list. It's also a bit surprising that I would not favor well oaked Chards when I do have a liking for oaky red wines. Someday, I may write a post about what I think the reason is, but it may be a two or three part series and I'm just not ready for that, yet and I'm no Evan Dawson. Oh, by the way, let me plug his book here. Title is "Summer In A Glass" - The Coming of Age of Wine in the Finger Lakes. This past September the book was named International Wine Book of the Year. Contains great stories about wineries and the winemakers that have made the Finger Lakes a producer of world class wines. Now a little bit about the two Chardonnays I opened for today's celebration.Early afternoon, after finishing my duties in lawn care, I opened a Ravines Wine Cellars Chardonnay 2011 ($18). I recently tasted this wine at our Keuka in Bloom wine tour. As I very often do, anything I like in the tasting room, comes home. Sometimes, especially with Chardonnay, that does not always come out the way I thought it will, but this time I think it was better. Ravines has won recognition as a quality-driven winery dedicated to producing crafted and elegant food-friendly wines. The winery has won numerous medals in international wine competitions, received great reviews in major wine publications and can be found in many wine shops and fine restaurants throughout New York state.This Chardonnay was aged for a short time in oak, but as I stated above, lightly oaked is passing the grade. Aromas were full of apple, citrus, some peach and melon with very small hints of toast. More peach in mouth, a little citrus and some slate like taste led to a smooth finish, leaving long taste of citrus and slate. Aromas and taste did not suggest any real oak influence and that is OK by me. I was forced to pair this with left over mild BBQ chicken, but found the match was excellent.For a second choice, I had to pair a Heron Hill Ingle Vineyards Chardonnay Unoaked 2011 ($16) with Shirley's 20 minute turkey meatloaf. This wine, I did not taste, on our last tour. I had made up my mind weeks in advance that I would bring this Chardonnay home. Don't ask why, the wine just intrigued me. After all, it does say UNOAKED and I have never been disappointed by wines from Heron Hill.Heron Hill gets most of its grapes from 12 acres of grapevines onsite and from the owner’s Ingle Vineyard, where there are nearly 20 acres of vinifera grapevines. Located on Seneca Point, on the west side of Canandaigua Lake, Ingle Vineyard is the only vinifera vineyard on that lake. Varieties grown include Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir. The vineyard is located on the home property of the Ingles, who maintain the vines themselves and with their staff. Sustainable methods are utilized and have been for nearly 40 years.Color was more like a Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde, very light with just a greenish like tint, but the aromas were very powerful. Lots of pineapple with some grapefruit and a little melon and floral aromas on the nose. In the mouth was more of the same with some added peach and clementine. A hint of honey like sweetness and a silky mouthfeel leads to a medium to long crisp finish with a little added lemon and mineral.Today was an excellent day to discover Finger Lakes Chardonnay. Both wines excelled and are Very Highly Recommended.

Grenache and mataro, not merely blended but fermented (wild) as one. The mataro is from Sellicks Hill and the grenache from the Shirvington vineyard. No new oak (indeed, all five-year-old). 244 cases.

Brash Higgins has hit the ground running over the past few years. It has fast become a key producer in the quality reputation of modern McLaren Vale.