Dirty South Wine

Master Po, Kung Fu, and Blind Tasting

Caine: (Master) You can not see.
Master Po:  You think I can not see?
Caine:  Of all things, to live in darkness must be worst.
Master Po:  Fear is the only darkness.

Blind tasting-- It injects FEAR into the hearts of many tasters.  Those that overcome their fear, must overcome DOUBT, and only those that truly overcome doubt can then face their skills (in el Thunderdome!)

On Tuesday night, the 2009 East Lake Tasting Table got together for their second session of blind tasting.  Formed and hosted by by the team of Matt Olson (from finalanalysis wine blog) and Cayce Callaway, the group is made up of a collection of many of Atlanta's top wine professionals.  (How I snuck in, I haven't a clue...)

(The Wines Unveiled)

The blind tasting is academic in approach-  some participants are practicing for wine exams, others to hone their skills, and everyone wanting to use their wits to try and best determine what is in each bag.

11 bottles were lined up and bagged--  5 White, 6 Red, and the group worked through all the bottles at their own pace.  About an hour later, the bags were unveiled.  There were some cries of victory, some disappointing groans, but everyone having a feeling that doing this is worthwhile activity for any wine professional or wine lover.

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The wines with some of my notes. 
(Disclaimer: My notes do not reflect the opinions or consensus of any other participants)

WHITES

1.  1992 Domaine Aux Moines Savennières
(France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières Roche aux Moines)  Chenin Blanc variety.
A huge, salty, shell-like nose that could only be Savennières.  The metallic yellow / orange says age.  I put in my vote as a 1997.  Killer-Killer Juice!  (Huge props to Vajra for bringing this!)

2.  2007 Araldica Piemontesi Gavi La Luciana
(Italy, Piedmont, Gavi) Cortese variety.
I picked up a ton of floral notes w/ some melon.  A little nutty, and my best guess was young Viognier.

3.  2004 Domaine Alain Patriarche Bourgogne Blanc La Monatine
(France, Burgundy, Côte d'Or, Meursault, La Monatine)  Chardonnay variety.
Burnt, scorched wood / match stick.  Screams 2004 White Burgundy.

4.  2006 Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne-Aligoté
(France, Burgundy) Aligoté variety.
Grassy nose, medium bodied, open & closed on the palate.  Aligoté.  I had the unfair advantage on this- I brought this one and was semi-familiar with it. (though someone also brought it to the previous meeting)

5.  2007  M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Petite Ruche
(France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)  Marsanne Variety.
Floral, rock, and peach.  Unfair advantage 2-  I brought this one too and pegged it.  For what it is worth, I LOVE this wine....

REDS

1.  2002 Château Léoville Poyferré
(France, Bordeaux, Medoc, St, Julien)  Red Bordeaux Blend.
Dried cherry, leather, , oak, and then some oak.  Juicy, mouthwatering acids, big tannins.  I thought a 2002 Sangiovese.

2.  2003 Salentein Reserve Malbec
(Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco)  Malbec Variety
I was convinced this was a new world, Paso robles Syrah from 05.  Deep purple, intense fruit, heavy on the palate....wrong. 

3.  2002 Château Angélus
(France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru) Red Bordeaux Blend
Cherry, Currants, graphite-  screams Bordeaux blend.  On the palate, more fruit than I expected from BDX, I threw my vote in for 2002 Napa Cab / Merlot blend.  Right grapes, right vintage, wrong place (Should have kept 1st guess).

4.  2007 Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Campo de Borja Tres Picos
(Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja) Grenache Variety.
New world, 2006, central coast Pinot Noir- 100% certain! Cherry explosion, spice, tightly knit, extracted, Zin like Alc.  I even started listing vineyards...  Nope.  I even had this 2 weeks ago.

5.  2006 Foley Estates Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa
(USA, CA, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills)  Pinot Noir Variety.
2006 OR Pinot 75% sure.  Backup guess- Russian River Pinot Noir.  Medium Cherry, some earthy tones, low tannins... (In hindsight, this changed a lot, and became way fruitier, and CA as the night went on). Right vintage, right grape.

6. 2003 Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel Mayacamas Range
(USA, CA, Napa Valley)  Zinfandel Variety.
An initial nose of cold, canned vegetable soup, dried, candied orange rinds, and birthday cake.  97 Amarone or 2001(ish) Ripassa.  I was certain it was Italian and was made with raisinated fruit.  This was another wine that continually changed over the night.  The Veg. soup blowing off, and pure fruit starting to shine through.  This one was a trip.

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In the end, I find Blind Tasting is like golf.  It is always you against yourself (or against that know-it-all Master Po!)

This was an awesome event with a great crew of some of the Atlanta's most passionate wine professionals.  Huge thanks to Cayce and Matt for hosting the event!  Also-  Check out Matt's wine blog-- finalanalysis.  It is a cool view from inside the industry.

3 Inexpensive Wines Perfect for Armageddon

"People drink when times are good.  People drink more when times are bad..."  

(But their average price per bottle probably drops.)

In preparation for a potential Economic Thermonuclear Armageddon, here are a 3 relative bargains to help wash down some economic fire & brimstone.

2006 Frédéric Giachino Vin de Savoie Abymes Tradition 

(France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Abymes)  Approx. $14 at Ansley Wine Merchants. Jacquère Variety

Good yellow color.  An initial aroma of pineapple, cold rocks, and light lemongrass.  Medium bodied- crazy acids, and a big, mineral laden finish (maybe a little bitter to some- worked great with roasted sweet potatoes).

Fairly simple, but tasty, and unique. At under $15 bottle, I'm going to crush a bunch of these hobo-style with a can of sardines.  I'm buying mo' fo' sho'!

2005 H. Brunier & Fils Vin de Pays de Vaucluse Le Pigeoulet en Provence 

(France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse)  Under $20 from Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant.  White Rhone Blend.

Closed for business at first.  Just some waxy fruit reminiscent of Nik-L-Nips.  On day 2-  Great white Rhone flavors- White flowers, pear and peach, some minerals.  Beautiful stuff.  Rich on the palate with good acidity, nice minerals, and a long, light mineral finish.

I need little more than this in a wine to be happy.  Complex, refreshing, delicious....   Money well spent.  Under $20, but drinks somewhat luxurious.

2006 Altesino Rosso di Altesino Toscana IGT 

(Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT)  Under $19 at Ansley Wine Merchants.

Purple.  Big fruit.  Cherry, leather-fruit (c'mon- work with me!), some hot tar, and giga-vanilla.  Lots of fruit and acid on the palate, and a bit of an earthy finish.  

On its own, this isn't my style, but with some of my Dirty Lamb Burgers-  this sucka' was tasty!

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Here's to Good times!!!!

 

Slovenian Wine (and a few others) by the Grill

Wrapping up the weekend with a little time around the grill, I recruited Rowdy, Mean Jean, and Lady Dirty for some sipping and snackin' on some grilled thighs and drums.

I struggled in the kitchen over the holiday. 3 out of 4 dishes were mediocre or worse, and I needed to cook something simple to redeem myself (or serve enough wine that if it turned out lousy, people would soon forget). Thankfully, we had enough wine...

Rowdy was kind enough to bring over an interesting Slovenian white wine.

2005 Movia Ribolla Gialla
(Slovenia, Primorje, Goriška Brda) Ribolla Gialla varietal. Source unknown.
Yellow with hints of orange. A full nose of honey and orange jelly. Full bodied, somewhat oily on the palate, and slightly sweet. A medium length jelly dominated finish.

After opening, this almost seemed like Vouvray / Chenin Blanc. With more time, this evolved into having the nose of a dessert wine. I tried some of the remaining wine the next day, and it was far more jelly flavored- really over the top. I liked it way better on day 1 (actually loved it on day 1).

1997 Leroy Bourgogne Blanc
(France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc)
Golden Yellow- Initial aromas of lemon rind, smoke, and quartz. Full bodied, limeade on the palate, acidic and a long finish. Pretty Dirty. (After about 90min, the fruit faded, and the smoke dominated) A nice bottle if you can drink it fast enough. Paired excellent with the grilled chicken (with lemon, garlic, and parsley)

2007 Cusumano Rosato
(Italy, Sicily)
Light red in color (more red than pink)- Muddled aroma of plum blossoms and Ranier cherry. Medium bodied, slighty sweet, and medium acids. A slightly astringent medium length finish. A decent rosé, I probably won't seek it out, but I'd happily drink it.

2006 Catherine et Pascal Rollet Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes Domaine de la Chapelle
(France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé) Chardonnay varietal. Approximately $35 at Ansley Wine Merchants.
Pale yellow. Light aromas of blood orange and white flowers. Full bodied, K-Risp, medium length tight finish. Delicate, delicious stuff! Dirty. My wine of the night. I'm glad I have a few more of these.

Not sure about this wine- but the Panda was Awesome!

2002 Di Majo Norante Aglianico Molise Contado
(Italy, Molise) Aglianico varietal. Approx $14 at Ansley Wine Merchants.
Notes:
This wine is the color of beef blood sitting in the bottom of a styrofoam tray. A full nose of cassis, spent coffee grounds, and a little eucalyptus. Medium+ bodied on the palate with some juicy acidity and serious graphite flavors. Chalky, sappy tannins, and a medium, arid finish.

I didn't fall in love with this wine, in fact, I'm telling myself I didn't like it- but something about it kept me coming back to the glass. Curiosity to see if it evolved? That I secretly loved chewing on #2 pencils as a kid? I liked the nose, but just the palate and finish are so harsh. Maybe the color- that beef blood- is telling me this is wine for ground beef. Fatty, juicy, loaded with iron, and just cannon fodder for tannins... This would probably work. It paired ok with my pasta marinara, but a juice with a little less minerals would have gone better.

I revisited this sucker on day 2, and it seems like the fruit faded and the coffee and graphite grew even more. I am not that familiar with Aglianico, but this drank like a rocky, lightweight Bordeaux. If that's your style- try this at 1/4 of the price.

On another note, last night Trader Vic's had one of their "Tiki Torch Nights" with Tongo Hiti and the Dames Aflame dancers. As usual, quite an awesome event. Why not throw a panda into the mix?

After Trader Vic's, we felt "inspired" to walk across the street and ride the elevator at the Marriott Marquis. I love that elevator.