Page 37 - Staff Tastings

It seems that every year summertime just flies by. But the summer of 2011 feels like the shortest ever.

With the snow lasting until April and all the rain this year, it was a short, wet summer. And now it's just about gone for good. The calendar says the Autumnal Equinox is on September 23rd but school has started and the cooler nights are upon us. Life is crazy busy.

One of the pluses to the end of summer (other than the kids being at school all day) is that it's the perfect time for drinking big, red wine again. Now I drink them all year long, especially with steaks on the grill. But it's just not the same when drinking a fine Cabernet, and it's 80 degrees in the shade. The fall is my favorite time for big reds. And lately I've been in a Washington State state of mind!

I recently had two of our best wines from the state of Washington. An incredibly pleasing Cabernet, and of course what they are doing better every year - great Syrah! I've had a handful

This year my wife and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary. Throughout the year, we've been popping some bottles from 2001, a solid vintage for CDPs, Cali Cabs, Sauternes, German Rieslings, and a good portion of Italy. 2001 was also a benchmark vintage for Spain, with Ribera del Duero, Priorat and Rioja at the forefront.  One might even say that the '01 vintage did for Spain what '97 did for Italy.

In the mid-19th century, Marqués de Murrieta was one of first and most influential houses in shaping the future of Rioja wine. Using techniques learned in Bordeaux, in particular the use of oak for aging, these pioneers fashioned wines made primarily from Tempranillo that were built for the long haul.

Today, Marqués de Murrieta produces wines in a modern style under the Dalmau label, as well as traditional with their Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. The most demanding of Rioja classifications, above Crianza and Reserva, Gran Reserva requires

On a recent trip to the local market, I developed an intense craving for lamb. It's usually my favorite meat to order when dining out. I love to cook, but lamb has proven to be the bane of my cooking existence for as long as I can remember. Rack of lamb? Yea, right. Lamb chops? Where's the meat? I knew that I wanted lamb, but I didn't want the trouble or all that prep. The perfect answer was Lamb Sliders.

I have never made lamb sliders, but I know that I can make one heck of a burger. So I took my burger knowledge and tried to apply it to the lamb as best I could. I knew that I had plenty of seasoning available and with the fresh mint growing in the backyard, I figured I could throw together something pretty tasty.

Before I got into the prep work too far, I decided it was time to select a wine for the night. My go-to wine pairing for lamb is Pinot Noir, so I decided to see how the 2005 Burgundy vintage was doing. I opened a bottle of 2005 Pierre Boisson Auxey Duresses

My girlfriend & I are always looking for fun, new restaurants in NYC to try. A couple weekends ago, it was a rainy, cold Friday night, & we were in the mood for Italian food. My normal search of Google & Yelp wasn't turning up much so I looked to NY Magazine's Critic's Pick section and narrowed our search to the Upper East Side. One restaurant in particular sounded perfect, Nica Trattoria, a quaint Italian restaurant on 84th St. that offered homemade Italian food & whose menu boasted such items as gnocchi & lamb chops. The icing on the cake was that corkage was only $20, so I instantly had a bottle (2006 Montevertine IGT Montevertine) in mind to bring for dinner. I've had the bottle in my wine cooler since December of last year, which it's amazing it lasted that long, but it seemed like a good evening to finally pull the cork.

The main reason I purchased this wine had to do with a Galloni review I read. He used a lot of adjectives that I would normally

You may feel that it's a bit too late in the season for the wines of the Loire Valley, but hear me out. One of the most incredible voyages of my life was a week through paradise in central France. Navigating this place would be nearly impossible if you didn't have friends or family to guide you, so I was lucky enough to travel with a Loire local. Venturing through quaint areas such as Restigne and Angers were just as rewarding as visiting the larger provinces like Sancerre.

I began my tour through the vast Touraine, which is the central most appellation in the Loire. Famous for goat cheese (Chevre de Sante Maure), beautiful sunflower fields and rillettes, or potted meat, this area harvests mostly light bodied reds. As for any American tourists, my first request is to visit at least ONE of the Chateaux de la Loire (c'mon ladies...). Lucky for me, almost every castle had a vineyard on land, so my chaperone was occupied as I pranced around in my own fantasy world. Château

I just had the pleasure to attend the Wine Spectator Grand Tasting in New York City!  Over the course of the night, I was able to taste dozens of wines from amazing producers.  First Growth Bordeaux, big name Super Tuscans, legendary California Cults, Grand Cru Champagne, and the list goes on...

One of the highlights from the entire tasting for me was Michel Niellon's Chassagne Montrachet. They were proudly pouring the 2008 Premier Cru from La Maltroie vineyard.  What a treat! The 2008 White Burgundies are among my favorites right now to drink, and the 2008 Michel Niellon Chassagne Montrachet La Maltroie is no exception. Full of honeyed pear on the nose, the palate opens with great acidity, fruit and oak - all in perfect balance. Great length and overall amazing value for Premier Cru Burgundy. This is a producer to keep on the lookout for, as their wines are always excellent quality at very reasonable prices.

This particular white is one to seek

“…unequivocally one of the most exciting portfolios that I tasted and I sincerely hope an American importer with niche clientele embraces “Passionate Wines” in the future.” - Neal Martin

Thankfully for passionate consumers of wine here in the U.S., Monsieur Touton must have read the quote above from last October’s issue of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.  And when they tasted the wines from Matias Michelini’s project, they realized his passion for wine as well as respect for the Tupungato terroir.  Incorporating biodynamic techniques with a range of varietals in this part of Mendoza, Matias appears to have hit a homerun on bottling interesting wines that capture the essence of the area under the Passionate Wines label.

Two of their wines currently in the market are the 2010 Montesco Parral and the 2011 Montesco Punta Negra.  Parral is a blend of 40% Malbec, arguably Argentina’s most notable varietal,

James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator travelled around Bordeaux tasting the 2010 Futures this past March.  As we all know, the hype was significant (again) and much of the talk was how the 2009s and 2010s compare to each other.  But at many of his stops, he was asked if the 2005 vintage is now a "forgotten vintage".  He wanted to know how 2005 measures up against the two most recent legendary vintages.  Most of the answers were frank and complimentary.

Personally, I like what Christian Seeley (who is responsible for the Bordeaux estates of Pichon-Longueville-Baron, Pibran, Petit-Village and Suduiraut) did: 

JM: "Suddenly, '05 seems to have become a forgotten vintage. Does it measure up to '09 and '10?"

CS: "How about we taste it?"

Last spring, we were fortunate enough to get an allocation of G.D. Vajra's 2007 Kye, a wine made from the usually overlooked Piedmont varietal Freisa.  Vajra arguably set the standard when it comes to bottling excellent examples from this genetic parent of Nebbiolo, but with their newly released 2008 vintage, they have raised the bar.

Upon swirling a glassful, one is exposed to aromas of dark berries, baking spices, herbs and tobacco.  The palate is rich with minerality, as well as spicy, nearly peppery.  Unlike the '07 which felt 'together', the '08 is constantly in flux - all the characteristics taking center stage at different moments and continually transforming.  Our tasting panel was truly floored while enjoying this wine last week.  It truly is a vin de garde and a wine to follow over years to come.

I highly suggest picking up some of the 2008 G.D. Vajra Freisa Kye and explore for yourself.  We still have some 2007 in stock

Robert Parker recently led a historic 2009 Bordeaux tasting at Wine Future in Hong Kong this past week with 1,000 people in attendance.  The "Magical 20" were served that night, a group of wines that aren't first growths, but top quality wines that Parker believes are of "first growth quality".  The Magical 20 included names like Haut Bailly, Palmer, Pontet Canet, Lynch Bages, Cos d'Estournel and Pichon Lalande.  The results were astounding, and Parker compared the 2009 vintage to '21, '29, '47, '49, '59, '82, and '90.  He went on to say, "I feel validated that this is a truly, truly magnificent vintage," which was in part to confirm his initial findings a few years ago.  He added that the window of drinkability of these wines will be huge, meaning that they drink young and will age for decades, despite their approachability today.  He further stated, "This is one of the greatest vintages of my lifetime."

James Suckling was also in attendance,