Twitter is freaky enough for some people. Seen by some as an endless stream of Fozzie the Bear type chat (waka waka waka). Throw in some good ol' fashioned drinkin' and that "waka waka" might start to sound like it is underwater-- A slow motion "waaahhhhkaaaaa, WwwwwwaaaahKa".... But, get a great group of people and bottles together, through some structure around it, and it actually works!
Enter Taste Live (formerly known as Twitter Taste Live)
(PART I) From the source to the ranch.
Napa can make a lot of people think of big wineries, big wines, themes, collections, palatial buildings, and what I can only refer to as WINE+. My visit with Tom Gamble from Gamble Family was WINE- (minus). No winery, no tasting room, and on the surface, little more than wines and vines (and a heck of a dog). Our visit with Tom Gamble was amazing. To do it justice, it needs to be covered in two posts.
I first came across Tom Gamble's wines at this year's HIGH Museum Wine Auction in Atlanta. His 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (Then bottled under the name "Source Napa") was perhaps my favorite wine of the week. It screamed balance, care, and respect. My friend Bob actually dragged me to the Gamble table and said "try this!" (This is poured as a by the glass wine at Napa's Ubuntu)
With a couple of days in Napa, lady Dirty and I made an appointment to meet up with Tom Gamble and Elsbeth Sarao at his property.
Just driving up to Tom's house / property / ranch, we were awestruck... An old farmhouse between Yountville and Oakville with land that stretches to the downside of the curvature of the earth.
We started in his dining room and tasted through a few of his wines. I was impressed. I came in focused on Sauvignon Blanc, and left thinking about Cabernet. 2008 Gamble Family Sauvignon Blanc (organic and wild yeast)
-Pure fruit, giant acids, medium bodied, ALIVE! At first is was almost jolting (most wine at 9AM comes with a little jolt). Freakishly tasty, but I wanted to give it a little time to settle. With some air, it became crazy delicious.
2005 Gamble Family Paramount
-A balanced red Bordeaux blend, that perhaps struck me off guard. Solid without rough-edges, fruit, but pepper and earth... A wine that made me think I don't drink enough of stuff like this. Clearly CA, but the CA I'm looking for.
2005 Gamble Family Home Cabernet Sauvignon
-More fruit than the Paramount, but laced with rock, stone, and sun. Luscious but not sticky. We let this sit open for awhile as well. When revisited, it became quite something. Rock, dust, fruit, and depth.
I could wax poetic, and think of crazy stuff to say about Gamble's wines, but I just really like them. They are a farmer's wines.
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After the initial tasting, we saddled up for a hayride. Yes a hayride. Pulled on a trailer on the back of Tom's ATV to tour the property.
Last night I ventured out on the Dirty South Wine / MARTA Wine Highway. I rode up to Dogwood to try their $20 mussels and wine deal. For $20 you get all the PEI mussels you can eat, and 1 glass of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. This is a good deal. (Tues- Fri. only available in the bar)
The mussels are served in white wine, garlic and smoked tomato broth. These mussels are for real. I happily worked my way through two bowls (could have managed a third),and polished off my glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The crisp acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc worked nicely with the comforting broth. I ordered a second glass of wine, but switched the style up with a 2007 Mönchhof Robert Eymael Riesling Estate. I really enjoy this Riesling. This young wine is both intense and elegant, and though it does pack a little residual sugar, it is balanced nicely and worked great with the mussels. Andrès at aria turned me on to this wine while we were out for the Riding Dirty Wine Pairing Challenge.
There are a lot of deals that out currently out there in the Atlanta restaurant world, and the all you can eat mussels at Dogwood's is one of my favorites.
As a side-note, Dogwood took home "Best Traditional Pairing" honors in the recent Riding Dirty Wine Pairing Challenge. Dogwood's Riding Dirty Video
After Dogwood, I met up at Trader Vic's with Katie, Smylie,and Jimmy (Eat It, Atlanta). For another great deal-- Big Mike's Tongo Hiti plays at Trader Vic's every Thursday night, and Joel and Salam add to the cheer with $5 Mai Tai's. Cheer was also added by watching drunk conventioneers bump and grind to Tongo Hiti's cover of Maneater.
It was quite a night....
Tongo Hiti at Trader Vic's on 12seconds.tv
800 Peachtree ST
Atlanta GA 30308 404-685-3191
Food: Nantucket Bay Scallops
with Kabocha Squash, and Local Greens
Though you might like it, it goes beyond what you were expecting, and really- "Is it what you wanted?"
On the flipside of this argument-- Thanks to Delta's in-seat entertainment, I've become shamelessly addicted to Fergie's "London Bridge" and have made it the cornerstone of my in flight playlists. My soul screams "it sucks", but my brain says "oh snap!!!!" To the point where it is even coming close to my other shameless guilty pleasure track "Toxic" by Britney Spears. Sickly sweet, Hook-laden, pop, candy...
Anyone still reading?
Wine consumers struggle with two points that don't always blend in modern winemaking--
Wanting something to taste good, and wanting something to taste like where it is from.
The other night I whipped up some Greek chicken, oven-roasted veggies, and golden couscous-- I opened the following bottles...
2005 Domaine Champeau Pouilly-Fumé Vielles Vignes
(France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé) Sauvignon Blanc. Approx. $30 at Pearson's Wine.
Repeatedly bang two rocks together, mash up some peach cobbler with key lime pie, and then suck a fistful of the clear Lifesavers (that you aren't really quite sure of the flavor).
Medium+ bodied, insanely fruity and a wee touch of residual sugar. This has some lip smacking acids and a long buzzing finish.
Crazy tasty, but is this Pouilly-Fumé? This drinks far more like New Zealand or ripe California Sauvignon Blanc instead of being from the Loire. It paired really well with a salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, and worked nicely with the grilled Greek chicken.
Perhaps a touch too young, this might need some years to calm down. It tasted great, worked well, but it wasn't what I wanted at the time.
2006 Maison Albert Bichot Beaujolais-Villages
(France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages) Gamay. Approximately $15 at Pearson's Wine.
Thin, ruby colored. This smells like banana nut bread, grape candy, and fuzzy violets. Light bodied, crisp, and a little sour. Long, tart finish.
This went spectacular with the Greek chicken. Refreshing, acidic, complimentary but not intrusive. On the next day, I had the leftovers without food. Though not repulsive, it was the epitome of why people don't like Beaujolais... Grapey, Laffy Taffy, sour, bitter, and no depth... I like Beaujolais (a lot), but this one needs food.
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I'm in Sonoma for the rest of the weekend at the first annual Wine Bloggers Conference. If you are interested in what it is all about, Tom Wark wrote a nice post on it.
Now back to music---If Toxic is the Queen, this is the King of my guilty pleasure tracks....
"Neck full of bling-bling like that Neptune's Sound!!!"
"I got 'em scattered, covered, smothered like hash browns"
S-Hoff gettin' Dirty in the top left corner!
Stuck in Costa Rica for a few days (barbed wire & machine gun Costa Rica, not the Howler Monkey and zip-line Costa Rica), I have a just a quick minutes to catch up on some bottles.
Last fall and early this Spring, I was all gung-ho to expand my palate and appreciation for South American wines. Yes, South America is a huge place, and it is impossible to lump all their wines as all from a similar source, but a lot of them share one thing- lower price point / higher value.
I gave South American exploration a couple of whirls, and a mixed case or two. I consumed lot's of ok, pretty good stuff, but nothing that really rang my bell or talked to me in tongues. Instead, I found a lot of palatable, cheap stuff that would be perfect to serve at the open bar at a conference or trade show. Crowd pleasing, rarely offensive, and totally chug-able (for when you are scrumpin' up the dance floor while still wearing your laniard / name tag). There were a few gems to be found, and a lot of value, but I never ran back for more. Of all the producers consumed, one that stuck out- Casa Marin from Chile.
2005 Casa Marin Sauvignon Blanc Cipreses Vineyard
(Chile, Aconcagua, San Antonio Valley) Sourced from Ansley Wine Merchants
Bright yellow- huge aromas of concentrated lemon grass. Fat and fruity in the mouth, tangy and acidic, and a long citric finish. This is a New World Sauvignon Blanc, but it has a little touch of sumpin' sumpin' that reminds me of white Bordeaux. It is intense and almost overwhelming at first, but it mellowed out and was a really nice bottle. Less grapefruit than NZ Sauvignon Blanc, much less cat pee than Sancerre. I'll get this again, and want to put this in a blind SB tasting.
2003 Casa Marin Pinot Noir Lo Abarca Hills
(Chile, Aconcagua, San Antonio Valley) Sourced from Ansley Wine Merchants
Bing cherry red. An initial whiff of earth, truffle, and then sweet concentrated, cherry jelly. Luscious, and again, definitely New World, but they somehow kept the funk. Med to low tannins, and a slightly fruity finish.
Another decent bottle. At 5yrs old, it was still drinking really fresh. For Pinot folks- this feels more OR in style than CA or Burgundy. I can't remember exact pricing, but it was under $30 and drinks better than most stuff in that range from CA.
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Sorry for the quick notes. In desperate need of more Costa Rican, turbo-charged, rattle the cage coffee!
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