A Key Chianti

I have come to find in the past couple weeks that I love Italian reds. The depth and tannins, when in balance, create a taste that I truely adore. After tasting a series of Chianti Classicos at a local tasting, I decided to share one here that was truely excellent. Now, Chianti Classico is a designation that is (supposedly) a step above Chianti. Classicos come from only the heart of the Chianti region in Tuscany, and must be 100% Sangiovese, as well as follow other specific rules to qualify for the DOCG classification. I can tell you, on the whole, the couple extra bucks you spend on a Classico are, more often than not, well spent. The Classicos I tasted were richer and stronger, without sacrificing balance, compared to the standard Chiantis. I highly recommend you try one soon, or perhaps it will take my good words to encourage you:

Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $17

Maker: Toscolo

Vintage: 2004

Country/Appelation: Italy/Chianti Classico

Varietal/Blend: 100% Sangiovese

Special Designations: None

Nose: Violets and freshly upturned earth swirl invitingly on the nose, much like a freshly worked garden.

Taste: A fantasticly balenced mix of simple flavors from a variety of fields. A deeper raspberry and cherry fruitiness with a touch of strawberry keeping it from being too beefy. After the fruit it moves into a deeper violet note, ending with tannins that add a small, unobtrusive hint of earthiness. Stays on the lighterside despite having alot of deeper flavors.

QPR: Excellent QPR. This is something you would go back and buy again and again, even if it is $17.

Good Pairings: This is a classic Italian wine that will pair well with just about any red Italian dish. I personally loved it with lasagna filled with fresh veggies from the greenhouse out back.

Final Thoughts: Many people have told me they liked the Toscolo Chianti (not Classico), which is much easier to find. I would certainly recommend you try both and compare, can you tell the difference between the region and its heartland?

And now for dessert!

I have yet to look at dessert wines, so last night's bottle was also my first. It comes from a place not so well known for their strong fortified wines, Australia. This Muscat from Victoria came very highly recommended from the manage of a store back near my home, who heard I was looking for a very full, complex and interesting dessert wine, that was also under $20 or so (Yes, college kids can't drop big money on wine, its true). R. L. Buller & Son is a wonderful producer that makes a variety of Port-like wines in Victoria, as well as this Muscat offering. I highly recommend you seek them out here.

Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $13

Maker: R. L. Buller & Son

Vintage: NV

Country/Appelation: Australia/Victoria

Varietal/Blend: 100% Muscat

Special Designations: Fine Old

Nose: Brown sugar, Molasses, and a hint of cherry wrap themselves in a velvety heated nose. It's almost like wrapping yourself in a warm electric blanket in the middle of a kitchen with lots of baking going on.

Taste: The mouthfeel is equally smooth, with the alcohol not posing any problems and evoking an Allspice character on the finish. The silky smooth texture first brings out raisins, molasses and a bit or caramel. It then moves into an even fuller toffee, apricot, caramel and brown sugary mix, with an endless complexity lying just under the syrupy coating. The delightful full finish then seems to last forever. A fantastic wine and a fantastic buy. Wow! (This wine also lasts for a while in the open bottle, so feel free to enjoy this over a few days, as its something you have to sip slowly to fully enjoy)

QPR: Excellent QPR. Even at $13 for a half bottle, I'd like to see you do better.

Good Pairings: Honestly, this wine would steal the show from whatever you ate with it, but if you insist, simple cheesecakes would be simply devine as a compliment. Another idea that was broached was reducing some and serving it over pancakes or vanilla ice cream, though we didn't get around to doing it because it was so good out of the bottle!

Final Thoughts: This was possibly the best wine I have ever tasted, and an amazing bottle to open for the price. It is simply a show stopper with its complexity and aromas. The only thing that could scare people away would be the higher alcohol content of this fortified wine. Let me assure you, it doesn't come across hash, but with much the same warming power that a mug of hot cocoa would. If you're looking for a cheap adventure that will blow your mind, here it is. Fantastic.

Its all Greek to me

The quest to broaden my palate never really ends, but it ususally takes layovers in interesting places. Tonight's selection happened to be from Greece, where Im told their indiginous varieties make for forceful, spicy, racy reds. I decided to start with a fairly common Greek grape, the Xinomavro (also spelled with a Y instead of I in some places). Our wine hails from the region of Naoussa, a region known for its ageworthy Xinomavros and is widely considered one of the top Greek regions, so lets taste!



Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $13.

Maker: Boutari.

Vintage: 2004.

Country/Appelation: Greece/Naoussa.

Varietal/Blend: 100% Xinomavro.

Special Designations: None

Nose: The smell is fruity, definite raspberry ice cream before the air gets in, then it settles into a warm fruit, almost like a sweeter, milder cranberry.



Taste: The taste is fruity upfront, similar to the smell, before giving way to an allspice and cinnamon combo through the middle, and tannins running rampant over the fruit at the end as well as some of the spice back in the middle. Not totally well balenced, the fruit doesn't fill out the spice and tannins, so its a bit out of whack, but interesting and enjoyable all the same. (On a side note, after more air, the wine came into better balance, but lost much of its spice and settled into a lightly spiced gentle cherry with good matching structure, very enjoyable, but not as interesting as the first glass)



QPR: Very Good QPR, you can do better, but this will get you thinking and leave you happy.



Good Pairings: Strong cheeses and seasoned meat would pair well here. The spice in the wine also compliments sharper garlic flavors and is really quite versitile. Try it with something out of the ordinary and see how it goes!



Final Thoughts: This was a great wine to pick up for the price. Even if it did take some getting used to after we tasted it initially, it did mellow out and even out after some time, although it lost some of the extra flavors that made it fun at first. This is a wine you could easily drink either way, as a decanted lighter side to dinner, or as a racy red to accompany sharp foods right out of the bottle.

WBW #41, and my first

I am proud to announce that this is the first wednesday that Im participating in Wine Blogging Wednesday, an idea started by one of my favorite blogs: http://lennthompson.typepad.com/. This week, its hosted by the fine folks at Fork and Bottle who decided we should try a white from the far North-East Italian wine provence of Friuli.



What I anticipated was going to happen was: First, I would find a nice, semi-obscure varietal that would characterize the region. Second, I would like it. Third, I would have nothing but positive things to say about Friuli and have a nice sense of adventure as I wrote this post. Unfortunately, I wound up with .5 out of 3, though not of my own doing. See, I looked up the stock of my favorite local wine store online (a great aid to wine lovers who like to research what they buy before they buy it!) and saw a nice $23 Tocai Fruiliano on sale for $17. So, being that I was busy, I asked my roomate to help me out of my pinch and pick it up for me. He came back with a Pinot Grigio by the same producer for the same price. Not what I had planned on, but lets see what came of it all the same.





Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $17 (It was on sale from $23)

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Maker: Petrucco

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Vintage: 2005

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Country/Appelation: Italy/ Colli Origientali Del Friuli

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Varietal/Blend: 100% Pinot Grigio

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Special Designations: None

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Nose: On the nose there's light citrusy lemon lime with mild pineapple. The overall smell is rather light and reserved.

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Taste: Decently dark color, would be average chardonnay. On the taste theres a tarter tangerine/orange taste, moving on to a lemony pineapple on the midpalate and kinda dissolving on the finish. A slight effervescence The finish is the only part where the alcohol (13%) shows through, seemingly because theres no flavor to balance against. Not bad, light and easy to drink, but not really that interesting or exciting.

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QPR: Good QPR, as its not flawed as so many Pinot Grigios are, but you can certainly do better for 17 bones.

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Good Pairings: Cheese actually pairs quite well. If you have the privelige of trying cheddar made with champagne, you will find this wine pairs very well. I highly recommend trying Yancy's Fancy cheeses if you have the chance.

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Final Thoughts: I was looking forward to trying something new and exciting, but alas, it was not to be. The Pinot wasn't bad, but I'm not really a fan of Grigio to begin with. Also, I expect more from a wine for $17. Simple as that.

Bordeaux, but white though...

The first thing I hear from many wine pundits when asking for their next prediction as to what will be the next big release, is that 2005 Bordeaux will be simply stunning. With that in mind, I was curious to try some. When people think Bordeaux, they usually think expensive reds that are one of the benchmarks of quality, Old World style dry wines. While this can be true, Bordeaux also has a rather under appreciated white offering.

Whites from Bordeaux are generally majority Sauvignon Blanc blended with Semillon, but sometimes the amounts are equal or blended with small amounts of other grapes. The bottle we just tasted came highly recommended despite being a general Bordeaux wine (and not a superior, or classified growth).

Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $7.50 (though it was on sale from $9)
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Maker: Chateau Cadillac
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Vintage: 2005
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Country/Appelation: France/Bordeaux.
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Varietal/Blend: 50% Sauvingon Blanc/ 50% Semillon
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Special Designations: Estate Bottled
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Nose: Coming through on the smell lilies and pineapple, with a hint of limey citrus come through in very pleasant fashion.
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Taste: Once it warmed some (the prescribed 50 degrees was much too cold) a grassiness came through, followed by mango, before both fading and leaving a light floral/oaky note on the very smooth finish. Wonderfully balenced, certainly not flawed at all, but simplistic and a touch too reserved to be special.
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QPR: Excellent QPR, you really can't beat it for under $8
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Good Pairings: Cheese and buttery seafood would compliment this wine best, as it doesn't have the strong acidity or fruit to stand up to lemony flavors or strong dishes.
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Final Thoughts: Honestly, this might be the best effort I've ever tasted for under $10. It is very well ballenced, which most under $10 whites are not, so right there this is a bargain without going further. It does continue, however, and give nice floral and light flavors that are also in balance and not dull to make a very solid wine. I would buy this regularly even if it was twice the price. Period. I guess the pundits might be right about 2005 Bordeaux. Perhaps I'll try another one soon...

A "Fat" Time to Come Back!

Well, it's been a long time since I've been able to post to this blog. The end of a very busy semester and a holiday in a home that doesn't really drink wine severely hampered my efforts to continue expanding my palate. That doesn't mean that me or my housemate don't have more wine to share though! While I don't think that I'll be able to post here everyday, especially with classes beginning again, I beleive that I'll be able to leave something for you all to peruse at least 3-4 times a week.

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I figured I'd start with one wine I was able to try out recently, one that was picked up on a whim to fill the need for a cheap bottle of Chardonnay at the time. It produced some very interesting results:

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Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $10

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Maker: Thierry and Guy Fat Bastard

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Vintage: 2006

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Country/Appelation: France/ Languedoc-Roussillon.

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Varietal/Blend: 100% Chardonnay

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Special Designations: None

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Nose: Fairly light and creamy, this smells like it has absorbed quite a bit of oak. It's not totally pleasing though, almost like someone poured milk on a piece of toasted french bread and stuck it in a very green tree. Each component smells alright, but together its not quite right.

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Taste: I don't know if green plums exist, but that would seem to describe the not quite ripe flavor that stands out at first. The toasted buttery oaky notes balance the strange but not unpleasent fruitiness of the afore mentioned plums, plus bananas and a touch of acidity keep this wine from being too boring. The downsides would be the abrupt finish and a strange consistency, almost like someone put some pureed banana in to thicken it up a touch. The longer it sits, the more the banana and toasty cream dominate this wine, which is definitely oaked to the hilt. This wine could be quite good with the flavors if it was more balenced between the grapes and the oak. As it stands now, the oak really runs roughshod over the weak green fruit.

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QPR: Good/Poor, if you like oak. Poor, if you don't.

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Good Pairings: This wine would accompany banana flavored dishes well, especially mexican style ones. Perhaps the oakiness would also lend itself to some white cheeses.

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Final Thoughts: I struggled whether to give this wine an all out PASS or not. It is really over oaked and my housemate was so taken aback by the consistency and oak that he (never having had a corked wine before) thought it was corked and no good. Generally, I would say you could do much better, even for $10 Chardonnay, but there are those who like really oaky Chardonnays for their $10 price point as it tends to cover flaws and keep the acidity at bay. So, I guess my advice on this wine would be the same I give to my wine drinking friends, don't take my word on whether its good or not, take my word on what it tastes like and if it intrests you, go for it!

Greensleeves... or just green wine

Well, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, mine was quite enjoyable. The break from school and free reign in a kitchen at home with loads of spices and ingredients is always fun. While this meant that I had to shelve my reviews for a few days, fear not, I did in fact continue my virtual, wine led walk through the valleys of Argentina.

This review is dedicated to a grape Id heard was sharp as a tack and clean as a whistle, one that would make a safe choice with salads in a variety of styles. Such a thought left me with a worry that it would just taste sterile, but I conjoured up a bottle of 2006 Finca El Portillo Sauvignon Blanc, and had mixed opinions.

Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $10

Maker: Finca El Portillo

Vintage: 2006

Country/Appelation: Argentina/Mendoza (Valle De Uco)

Varietal/Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Special Designations: Estate Bottled

Nose: The nose is just a bit off, disrupting the clean sharp green scent that otherwise dominates.

Taste: The medium body beefs up the lighter taste of green apple, blending into a grapefruittyness that lingers on the aftertaste. Unfortuntely, Im not a huge han of grapfruit and the aftertaste follows the fruit exactly, making it pretty annoying. The very lively acidity and dry greeness of the wine make it clean and sharp, too bad the aftertaste wrecks it for me.

QPR: Good

Pairings: Salads still seem to be what I would go with here. The razor-like acidity would seem more paired to a warm weather sort of gathering. The green atmosphere it carries could also pair well with melon or other such fruit I suppose.

Final Thoughts: This grape lived up to its reputation as being an acidic but clear wine. I didn't appreciate the grapefruitiness in the taste and aftertaste, but that could just be that I don't really like grapefruit. I would be more than willing to try the varietal again, as the rest of the wine impressed me alot, but I couldn't get over that one little hump, the grapefruit.

Argentina! Ole!

A couple of my favorite wine blogs have recently reviewed Argentinian wines, praising them as both economical and wonderfully flavorful, on top of them being the next great region. With that high praise in mind, I wanted to look for a varietal that was uniquely Argentinian, something that wasn't also grown in 30 other countries. What I ended up settling upon was a Malbec. Now most casual wine lovers either haven't heard of Malbec or seem to get it confused with Muscat. Trust me, the two are VERY different. For a good run down on this varietal, the folks at winepros.org wrote a good one here.

Malbec is really only grown prominently in one other place in the world, Cahors, France. There it is usually blended, but in Argentina, there is a substantial amount of wine that is 100% Malbec. With Malbec chosen, I gave Argentina a shot to impress me.

Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $10

Maker: Terrazas de los Andes (A producer with a very good reputation, vouched for by multiple people)

Vintage: 2006

Country/Appelation: Argentina/Mendoza

Varietal/Blend: 100% Malbec

Nose: A very dark scent, leathery and choclatey, with a hint of astringency.

Taste: A deep though lighter feeling taste of dark fruit, cola/smokey flavor, and a bit of spice all kind of muddle together in this middle-wieght wine. It stays a touch on the sweeter side and has almost a nice chalky finish that comes out with some air.

QPR: Good/Very Good

Pairings: Well, the hick side of me shows when I say that I was snacking on jerky while drinking this wine, and it actually went very well. If you are a fan of matching your wine flavors to your food, it did it perfectly. A touch of sweet smokiness, deeper meatiness and (because it was cheap jerky) easy going down. On a more serious side, this could pair nicely with any red meat that doesn't involve alot of work to savor, eat and enjoy (ie drink with burgers, not steak).

Final Thoughts: This was a good, solid wine at a very good price. If it was a little better organized, or was a couple bucks cheaper, it would be totally a Very Good QPR, but for now, its borderline. Argentina did well here. I would be willing to try the Riserva in the future. Viva le Argentina! Wait, that was French, hmm...

Cellar, or house?

Recently, a few of my favorite wine blogs have been been "showing their racks" to the reading world. (See http://goodwineunder20.blogspot.com/ , and http://lennthompson.typepad.com/lenndevours/, their flickr group is here) Well, I'll skip the pictures, as mine is fairly easy to describe: it's our house. Thats right, our house is actually our cellar, thermostatically set to a cellar perfect 55 degrees F, and reasonably humid as well. While you might say this sounds extreme, its actually quite practical. Think, in colder weather, we spend a significant amount of money on heat. If you're investing in a decent size cellar, and don't have a basement that lends itself to the project, you're also spending a sizeable amount of dough. I realize this is a slightly rediculous proposition, but maybe if we all keep our houses a little cooler, we'll enjoy well kept wine and have more money to spend on it too. Hey, its a thought, right?

Simply simple

Last night was our latest bottle opening at the house, and it led to a simple conslusion, simple can be simply nice. I personally am a big fan of a nice robust and complex wine, with alot of action and interaction between notes and flavors, while one of my fellow tasters tends to prefer something easier to drink and simple, something he doesn't have to puzzle over every time he takes a sip. Since most of our consumption come with light snacks in the evening or while studying, sometimes that complexity can be annoying or distracting from the tasks at hand.

This brings me to my selection of the previous evening:

Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $10

Maker: Tapena (with the little N squiggle)

Vintage: 2006

Country/Appelation: Spain

Varietal/Blend: 100% Garnacha

Nose: Dark Fruit and Lighter Flowers

Taste: Dark Cherries are the main fruit here, showing sweetness upfront, and then taking a bit of spice in the middle. The close kicks out the spice though and finishes simply fruity, maybe with some plummyness added on the close. No tannins and not much acid, but the taste becomes more balenced against the acid with considerable air. An easy to drink, simple, sweet but not dessert sweet wine.

QPR: Good

Pairings: God really knows, its too sweet to be serious with anything substantial, but too dark to be a good dessert wine. Perhaps it goes best with a bagel with some mildly sharp cheddar melted over it? (It happens to be pairing well with such at the moment)

Final Thoughts: This is a nice wine to broaden your palate and taste something truely red that has no tannin. It's cheap enough to forgive lacking alot of good grenache spice, and also economical enough to enjoy with lighter, less serious people and faire.
Simple can be good!

The First Post

Well ladies and gents, here it is. The Cornell Sommelier is a blog about reasonably priced wines and the occasional foray into using them with fine foods, all while drawing from the culinary and viticultural of Cornell University. I hope this becomes a source of reasonable advice and discussion as the experiences of a few Cornellians interested in wine are shared with the world.