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New to Wine? Here’s a blog for you!

There are those of you out there reading this blog, in fact, you may even have subcribed to this blog just to be nice (thanks!), who are always thinking, “what the heck is this guy talking about?” Yes, the information here on WineScholarship can be pretty dry, and to someone who’s new to wine, totally overwhelming and boring. If that description fits you, well you don’t have to worry anymore, because I’ve got a brand new blog set up to teach everything you need to know in nice simple lessons.

The blog is located on my new venture’s website, HomeWineSchool.com. Through Home Wine School, I’ll be traveling to people’s homes in the New York City metropolitan area to teach them about wine. But in the blog, I’ll offer everything up for free! I’ll even include recommended wines for each lesson, which can be ordered directly through Frankly Wines.

Feel free to keep geeking out here if you like, of course!

Special Grand Opening Rare Treasure Wine Sale

To celebrate the grand opening of my new venture, Home Wine School, I have a rare and special offer. I recently attended a Sotheby’s fine wine auction, and was able to pick up some really amazing deals on old Bordeaux. Pretty soon I’ll be posting a detailed account of what it’s like to buy at auction, but for now let me just say that there are bargains to be had! I’m partnering up with Frankly Wines to sell these wines, and we’ve agreed to pass on the savings to you. There were literally hundreds of wine I could have bought a huge bargain, but I selected these three above many others because they’re from top names, in top vintages, and the first two tasted extremely well at the pre-sale tasting. If you’re interested in anything, Frankly Wines doesn’t quite have it’s ecommerce site up yet, so just email me for details. At these prices, even if you need us to ship it to California, it will still be a bargain. Here’s what we have on offer:

Chateau La Dominique 1982 (pictured above)- This is a Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé. I tasted it at the pre-auction tasting, and it is totally unbelievable, one of the biggest hits of the night, which is saying a lot, as it was up against a 1979 Lafite Rothschild, and a $900 bottle of Cote Rotie. It had a tremendous amount of complexity, with notes of coffee and cherry, and the kind of extremely long finish you would expect from a grand cru classé. Robert Parker, if you care about what he says, gave this vintage a 92, and said it will drinking in its prime up until 2010. This wine is retailing in the US for anywhere from $150-250 a bottle but I’m offering it up for the insanely low price of $89.99!

Chateau Angélus 1987. Another Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. This was one that flew a little under the radar at the tasting when compared with some of the big boys. But I recognized as a really great value. Angélus is a top name from Saint Emilion. This wine had lovely notes of liquorice and drank so easily, a lot of people would be shocked to know it’s from Bordeaux. Soft and supple, this wine is a Cabernet Franc lover’s dream. It’s soft enough that I’m planning to serve it at Thanksgiving this year. You can’t even find this one for sale in the US. In Europe this bottle is going for outrageous sums like $150 and up, but I’m offering for only $49.99.

Chateau D’Issan 2000. This a fabulous producer from Margaux. Parker gave this one a 93 and said it was their finest wine to date. 2000 is also universally recognized as a top vintage for Margaux. I haven’t tasted this one, but I have tasted their second label, Blasson D’Issan from 2001, which was a steal at 40 bucks, I really enjoyed it. It will drink well now, but you could also hold onto it for a very long time if you wanted to. This one typically retails for about $70 bucks, and I’m able to slash that down to $59.99.

Sotheby’s stated that all these wines were stored in professional cellar conditions, and they’re sitting in my cellar right now, so you can rest assured they have been taken care of. I think any of these wines would make a phenomenal Holiday present for somebody who really cares about wine. If you have any questions about them, don’t hesitate to ask.

Live Wine Blogging session at WBC

Ok folks, the conference has officially kiced off, and we’re starting with a live wine blogging session. The idea is there’s a whole room full of people sitting at tables, and winemakers are going to come by each table with wine to taste. The winemakers get 5 minutes to let each table taste, and then they have to go to a new table. So far our table has no wine to taste. ):

3:30

“Winemakers rotate”

Ok, we still have no wine. We’re getting sour. Ablegrape just busted out some boxed wine so we won’t be too sad. It’s not too bad. Nice earthiness. Some spice, pepper, and a moderate amount of fruit. This is a Vin de Pays de Languedoc I believe. I’ve never had boxed wine from france, and I’ve been waiting for something like this. Finally something people who like earthy wines can’t turn their nose up at in a box!

3:35

“Winemaker’s rotate!”

We have wine! We have a Bonterra vineyard 2004 Red Blend. Merlot/Cab/Syrah from Mendocino, mostly Merlot and a bit of the other two. Pretty huge tannins on this one. Lots of pepper and graphite/lead pencil stuff going on. A fair amount of oak tannins going on here too, although I don’t pick up a lot of classic oak spice on the wine itself. Fair amount of bright red fruit on the attack, but it finishes pretty earthy. I’d say this wine isn’t quite ready to drink yet, but it could develop some sophistication in a few years and some nice leathery notes.

3:40

“ROTATE!”

We have a 2005 Pinot Noir Weir Vineyard again from Yorkville Highlands in Mendocino county. This thing seems to have a ton of oak on it. It’s a bit overwhelming to the fruit of the wine. It smeels quite fruity, but the oak seems to overwhelm the fruit on the palate. The winemaker just told us it sees 20 months in oak, so I guess I’m right on. I personally think it’s a bit out of balance, but people that like oaky California Chardonnays would probably like this one. I think the oak tannins might allow this one to age for a few years and get a bit softer.

3:45

Nobody said rotate, but here we have a new wine. 2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Clos LaChance from the Central Coast. This one is a pretty big fruit bomb on the attack, but finishes with some nicely balanced oaky spice and a touch of earthy graphite/lead pencil type stuff. This one’s 100% Cabernet, but the tannins are not too overwhelming here. She says this one retails for 25 bucks, and I think that’s a bit high. Certainly you could find other similarly fruit wines for less from Chile and Argentina. But that’s California for you!

3:52

“Rotate!”

Now Sean Minor is here talking about his wine. It’s a 2006 Napa Cabernet blend. It’s got some Petit Verdot and something else I forgot he said. He also says it’s 50% French and American oak, which is different. Nice acidity and fruit, and because it’s only 18% new oak (I think that’s what he said) the spice isn’t too overwhelming. Nice savory spice notes probably from the Petit Verdot. This wine finishes strong with some nice Tobacco/chocolate stuff going on. At 17 bucks, this is a pretty good value from Napa I think. It has enough tannins that it will definitely develop nicely in the next few years, but it is ready to drink now.

3:58

Now we have a BOHO Vineyard Chardonnay in a big old box. They’re selling us on the virtues of boxed wine, which is preaching to the choir as far as I’m concnered. There’s nothing wrong with boxed wine folks! They still haven’t poured us. Here it comes. The wine is lightly oaked. It’s not a crazy fruity oaky Cali chard! It does have some creamy butteriness going on and a bit of funk that reminds me of Burgundy whites. The acidity could be higher, there’s definitely a fair amount of malolcactic fermentation going on here. It retails for 24 bucks apparently, which seems a bit high, but it’s a good boxed wine for people who don’t like the typical highly oaked California Chard.

4:04

We seem to be falling behind on the time a bit. Now we have a2007 Muscat Blanc from James David cellars in Paso Robles. This wine is crazy fruity, as you might expect. It’s barrel fermented dry. It kind of tastes like a dessert wine at firt, but then it does finish dry…or almost dry anyway. I suspect there may be some residual sugar going on here, but not enough to make it obviously sweet. Oops, time for the next wine!

4:09

And we appear to have no wine again. Ok, back to the Muscat. Lots of peach going on in this one. It kind of reminds me of a Viognier. I’m surprised that I find myself really wanting to swallow this one (yes folks, I am spitting!). It’s not really my style exactly, but I seem to like it.

4:13

Ok, now eljefetwisted just showed with a tempranillo blend from Caliveras County California. 60 Temp/ and a little Graciano and Garnacha. I’ve never had a tempranillo from California. I wouldn’t really recognize this as similar to a Rioja or a Ribera del Duero. It’s got some serious spice going on. Cloves, cinnamon, and more bright fruit and acidity than I would expect from Spain. Very interesting. There’s a slight hint of the tobacco/coffee Spanish Tempranillo stuff going on, but it’s quite subtle. Actually, now that I’m sitting here, that dimension of it has magnified. Wow, there it is! The finish on this is quite long. Very interesting indeed!

4:19

2006 Dark Horse Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. The tannins on this Zin are surprisingly soft and supple. It’s pretty fruity, but there’s some nice chocolate going on and the finish is quite long. The winemaker says he likes to have fun with his wines. It gets 40% American oak and the rest is in neutral oak. I’m searching for the dill and coconut, but I don’t really see it. I guess the oak is pretty well integrated here. This wine is pretty good, not exactly my style, and it’s a little expensive (34 bucks).

4:24

Now we have a Small Vines Sonoma Coast 2006 Pinot Noir. This a pretty darn earthy Pinot for California. Either that or I’ve tasted too many wine to be able to tell anymore. What will I do during the blind tasting challenge! It does have a bit of candied fruit going on, and a siginificant amount of oak and it’s spicy accompagniments. I personally prefer the bigger rounder fruit style from Oregon or New Zealand. It goes for 65 bucks! Woah! I guess they’re going for a Burgundian style here. I don’t know that I get any forest floor mushroomy goodness here though. Maybe it needs to age a bit.

4:29

2007 Central Coast Chardonnay from cupcake winery. This guy likes to talk about the wine before he pours it.

4:32

Now I have wine. This wine is definitely creamy and oaky.
The oak isn’t totally huge. Big citrus and apple fruit going on here. It’s still a little too oak for my taste. But plenty of people will like it. That guy shouldn’t have talked so long so I could actually taste his wine and write about it…

4:34

2007 Barrel sampler of Kanzler Pinot Noir from Sebastapol. Big giant cherry fruit on the nose. Nice big round fruit on the palate. This starts strong with fruit and keeps going with fruit. The finish is quite long. He says it’s been in the barrel 12 months so far, and they’ll leave it in barrel another 3-4 months. There’s definitely some spice going on there. Cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, nutmeg. That and the fruit are the primary notes. Almost zero earth to my mind. He said the 2006 was 48 bucks. I don’t really think it’s worth that much. The Amisfield from New Zealand goes for about 27 and it’s a very similar style but much better in my opinion.

4:44

Long break for some reason there. Now we have lioneart wines with a 2007 Roussanne from Santa Barbara County. This has a nice balance between fruit and spice. I get some nutmeg here. The fruit is pretty tropical here, pineapple and stuff like that. I can’t really write anymore about this. They’re saying this is the last wine and I’m thankful.

Ok, that’s it for liveblogging. That was totally exhausting and I don’t know if I’ll ever do it again. But it was fun.

North-Central Spain

Two important mountain ranges are influential on the growing climate of North-Central Spain. The Pyrenees form the border between Spain and France, and provide some nice high altitude growing sites. The Cordillera Cantabria mountain range runs along the northern side of Spain, and provides protection to Rioja and the other nearby areas from the Atlantic Ocean. To the South of those mountains lies Navarra, Cariñena, Campa de Borja, Calatayud, as well as Rioja, which is so important, I will cover it in its own section. The other areas are exploding with popularity and growth in winemaking, and will soon become highly regarded as well.

To the North of the Cordillera Cantabria mountain range lies the Basque region, a unique area of Spain. In Basque country they speak their own language, which is nothing like Spanish. The most promising wine coming out of this area is called Txakoli, which is pronounced Chaw-koe-lee. Txakoli is produced in three DO’s: Getariako Txakolina, Bizkaiko Txakolina, and Txakoli de Avila. The most popular style right now is the Getariako style, which is lightly effervescent, runs a little lower in alcohol (about 10%) and has a characteristic salty briny taste, with very bright citrus style acidity. The grapes are grown very close to the ocean, and are often observed covered in salt from the ocean breezes, which may explain the characteristic salty taste.

Castilla y León

Castilla y León is located in North Central Spain, and was historically the seat of Spanish royalty during the renaissance. The most well known DO’s of the area are Toro, Bierzo, Ribera del Duero, and Rueda.

Toro

Toro is an area that has changed its style of red wines from rustic and unrefined to what it is now– powerfully rich and ripe. The main grapes known from this area is Tinto de Toro, which is the same grape as Tempranillo. Toro features very sandy soil. Because of this, and the large distance between vines, it remained largely immune to the harm of phyloxera.

Bierzo

Bierzo produces white wines mainly made from Godello, and red wines made from the Mencía. The soil in Bierzo has a large amount of slate, which gives a very mineral quality to the red wines especially. Most of the area is located at an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet, which allows the grapes to slowly ripen for a long time, adding complexity to the wine. This area is on the rise, and always attracting new talented winemakers due to the attractiveness of the growing conditions.

Ribera del Duero

As of this year, Ribero del Duero was elevated to a DOCa, putting it on par with Rioja and Priorato in terms of recognition. The area lies along the Duero river, which is the same river as the Douro that runs through the Port producing areas of Portugal. The soil of the area is sandy, with outcropping of limestone and chalk. During the day temperatures in the area can reach 100 degrees, but the nights usually remain very cool, which helps lend acidity to the wines. There is a danger of frost, but if the winemaker is attentive to this problem, the growing conditions can be ideal. Tinto Fino, yet another name for Tempranillo, is the primary grape here. For some reason, Ribera del Duero’s recognition as a top wine producing area has come later than others, but the wines being produced their right now are indeed word class. The most receent 2004, 2005 and 2006 vintages were particularly outstanding, which has helped its reputation recently.

Rueda

Rueda is now known for its production of Verdejo, a grape very similar in profile to Sauvignon Blanc. At one time, it was used to produce a sherry style wine. While the Moors ruled the area comprising Jerez, the main Sherry producing area, it was impossible to produce sherry there under Islamic law, so Rueda took over sherry production.  When phylloxera hit Rueda, however, sherry production returned to Jerez. In the 1970’s the Marque de Riscal decided that the limestone soils would produce a crisp, light, and dry white wine, which gave rise to the style of wine we know from Rueda today. There are three types of white wines produced in Rueda today. Rudeda Superior must contain at least 75% Verdejo. Another style is made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and Rueda Blanca must contain at least 40% Verdejo or Sauvignon Blanc. Rueda also produces sparkling wine, which does not fall under the Cava DO. Instead it is under the DO Rueda Espumoso.  These wines are made mostly from the Verdejo grape as well.

Galicia

Galicia is an area in the northwestern corner of Spain, close to the coast. It is very different from the rest of Spain, as it is quite lush and receives a siginificant amount of annual rainfall. The area is known for its stunning seafood, and crips acidic white wines that compliment the cuisine perfectly. There are 5 DO’s in Galicia the two most important of which are: Rias Baixas and Valdeorras. In addition, Galicia contains Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, and Monterrei, all of which use an assortment of grapes used in the first two areas.

Rias Baixas

Rias Baixas is is located in the southwest corner of Galicia, bordering Portugal to the north. The history of wine exportation from this area dates back to the 16th century, when the wines were popular throughout Europe. In the 19th century, however, Phylloxera devastated wine growing in this area, and most of the native varietals died out in the process. It was not until the 1970’s that these grapes were successfully replanted, and modern winemaking gradually came back to the area. The most important grape in Rias Baixas is Albariño, which produces a very crisp and acidic dry white wine, with floral or peach notes. It is sometimes blended with two grapes called Loureira Blanca and Treixadura.

Valdeorras

Valdeorras is known for the Godello grape variety, which produces white wines rich in minerality and plenty of fruit. Some think this grape may have the greatest potential to make very high quality white wines in all of Spain.

Cariñena

Cariñena is the same grape as the French Carignan. As in France, it used only as a blending grape, giving additional alcohol and adding structure to the wine. In Rioja, it is called Mazuelo and is sometimes found in blends along with Tempranillo and Garnacha. It is also used in Priorato to blend with Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. There is also a DO and a town in  Spain with the same name.

Monastrell

Monastrell is the same grape as the French Mouvedre. Monastrell does very well in the harsh and hot Spanish climate and is very resistant to disease. It produces wines that are very high in alcohol and body, and have a great deal of color. Monastrell is the most common grape used in the DO’s of Jumilla, Yecla, Bullas, and Alicante. It also goes by Mataro in Catalan.

Graciano

Graciano is a blending grape native to Rioja. It is used to add aromatics, tannins, and acidity to Rioja wines. Its production is very small, accounting for only 4% of the total grapes grown in Rioja. It is usually found planted in between the other grape varietals in the vineyard. If you want to impress your friends and sound really cool, you should pronounce it like Grathiano, because that’s the way they say it in Spain!

Garnacha

Garnacha Tinta, which is the same grape as the French Grenache, is the most widely planted grape in Spain. It does well in the hot and arid areas so common to Spain. Garnacha is an important grape in many Rioja blends, and it is the primary grape in wine from Priorato. Garnacha produces a wine that is juicy and spicey. Some of these wines can be quite light bodied and fruity, while others, like Priorat, are much fuller bodied, dark, and spicey.