I'm am happy to announce that I have found the amazingly herbally goodness that is the 2002 Pierre et Marie Paul Dumazet, Cuvee Charlemagne at a LOCAL wineshop no less! The wine shop, Red White and Bleu from Falls Church, was nice enough to find a distributor and order it for me (no minimum # of bottles either). I ended up getting a great discount since they're trying to sell off the vintage. The distributor had 22 bottles left. I took a case at $29 a bottle and on top of that I received a 10% case discount from the wine shop!
Oh joyeous day callooh callay!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Inn at Little Washington... worth the expense for the wine alone :)
So my husband and I decided to visit the Inn at Little Washington for our 5 year wedding anniversary. The Inn did not disappoint. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Inn it's located in Washington, VA and is known for it's amazing service, presentation, creative menu and hefty price tag.... oh yea and the wine's good too. ;)
I opted for the 7 course tasting menu with wine pairing and was glad I did. Their sommelier was the most knowledgeable I've ever met. She not only explained the nose, taste, region, and varietals... she went as far as discussing the soil consistency. How would she know that you ask? Because she's been there! Oh yes, no joke... I think she's been to almost every vineyard on that menu. Her descriptions of the wines were SPOT on and everything from "peaches, apricots, and butter" to "grassy, dirty, animally".
There were two wines in particular that stood out like they were in a completely different category from anything I've ever tasted. The first one was the 2004 Feudi San Gregorio (Fiano di Avellino) Pietracalda from Campania, Italy. The nose was robust with a hint of pears and a sweet brightness to it. The taste was evenly balanced and smooth... not overly acidic. It had a hint of herbs, peaches and pears. They paired this wine with wild greenlip mussels baked with herb butter and perfumed with pernod. It was indeed a heavenly combination.
The second wine had to be HANDS DOWN the best wine I've ever had in my entire life and I can't find it ANYWHERE. It's the 2002 Pierre et Marie Paul Dumazet (Cornas), Cuvee Charlemagne, from Rhone, France. The nose was minty, yes minty... and kind of barnyardy. It tasted like I was biting into an herb garden. No joke... the complexity was intense. They paired this with a pan seared pekin duck breast on red wine risotto with carmelized endive and foie gras "croutons".
All in all... the inn was amazing and I highly recommend everyone to go there at least once in there lives. If not for the food.... do it for the wine!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Cellar Tastings and Why They're Worth It...
This past weekend the hubby and I went to Linden Vineyards (yet again) and decided to mix it up by not only doing a tasting at the bar, but also signing up for a cellar tasting. If you've never done a cellar tasting before, I highly recommend it. You'll get to taste wines that typically aren't on the traditional tasting menu (even wines that are no longer for sale), hear in-depth information about the wine and winery, and learn about the wine making method on a more intimate level.
At Linden, as with most vineyards, you have to sign up for the cellar tasting in advance. So I highly recommend seeing what slots are open right when you walk in. Once it was time for our tasting, we walked down to "the Cave," as Linden lovingly refers to it. Thru the door we could see a wonderfully romantic set-up. It was a small room, with stacks and stacks of oak barrels. The scent of the barrels permeated the room. On the top of the barrels were tea lights (which added to the ambiance of the whole thing). So there, in candle light, we approached a small table set for four tastings. Some vineyards do slightly larger groups for their cellar tastings, but Linden definitely keeps theirs intimate. On the table (aside from the glasses and menu) were three glass jars filled with rocks from each of the vineyards they use grapes from; Bouiseau, Hardscrabble, and Avenius.
We were greeted by none other than Shari Avenius herself who gave us a rundown of the different vineyard locations used to make Linden wine and explained the terrain and the different types of rocks found in each location. Yes, the type of rocks found in a vineyard do make a difference ;). From there we tasted the first round of wines and did a comparison of the 2006 Avenius Chard vs. 2006 Hardscrabble Chard, then the 2005 Bousieau Red (which is no longer available to the public, so it was a real treat to taste) vs. the 2006 Bousieau Red, then moved on to the sweeter Vidal Reisling vs. Late Harvest Vidal. As usual all of their wines are amazing, but for me, the standouts were the Hardscrabble Chard and the 05 Bousieau. The Avenius Chard had a subtle, floral/grassy nose and the taste was smooth with an almost creaminess to it. It's hard to find a chardoney that can be both buttery and bright, and this one definitely was. The 05 Bousieau was a bold red, with a smokey nose and a fruity/chocolaty taste.
We had a blast at the tasting and even chatted it up with a local who also dabbled in grape growing. I'd like to think we learned a lot, and will probably check out other vineyards cellar tastings next time we get the chance. It was a truly unique experience.
At Linden, as with most vineyards, you have to sign up for the cellar tasting in advance. So I highly recommend seeing what slots are open right when you walk in. Once it was time for our tasting, we walked down to "the Cave," as Linden lovingly refers to it. Thru the door we could see a wonderfully romantic set-up. It was a small room, with stacks and stacks of oak barrels. The scent of the barrels permeated the room. On the top of the barrels were tea lights (which added to the ambiance of the whole thing). So there, in candle light, we approached a small table set for four tastings. Some vineyards do slightly larger groups for their cellar tastings, but Linden definitely keeps theirs intimate. On the table (aside from the glasses and menu) were three glass jars filled with rocks from each of the vineyards they use grapes from; Bouiseau, Hardscrabble, and Avenius.
We were greeted by none other than Shari Avenius herself who gave us a rundown of the different vineyard locations used to make Linden wine and explained the terrain and the different types of rocks found in each location. Yes, the type of rocks found in a vineyard do make a difference ;). From there we tasted the first round of wines and did a comparison of the 2006 Avenius Chard vs. 2006 Hardscrabble Chard, then the 2005 Bousieau Red (which is no longer available to the public, so it was a real treat to taste) vs. the 2006 Bousieau Red, then moved on to the sweeter Vidal Reisling vs. Late Harvest Vidal. As usual all of their wines are amazing, but for me, the standouts were the Hardscrabble Chard and the 05 Bousieau. The Avenius Chard had a subtle, floral/grassy nose and the taste was smooth with an almost creaminess to it. It's hard to find a chardoney that can be both buttery and bright, and this one definitely was. The 05 Bousieau was a bold red, with a smokey nose and a fruity/chocolaty taste.
We had a blast at the tasting and even chatted it up with a local who also dabbled in grape growing. I'd like to think we learned a lot, and will probably check out other vineyards cellar tastings next time we get the chance. It was a truly unique experience.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Red wine linked to prolonging life
So I was just watching 60 minutes and they had a company named Sirtris on. Sitris has released a study stating that one of the main components of red wine, resveratrol, has been linked to slowing the effects of aging. Resveratrol is an ingredient found in grape skins and protects the skin from bacteria and disease. Unfortunately you have to drink about 1000 bottles of red wine a day to get the amount of resveratrol needed to really slow the aging process. Lucky for us, scientists have come up with capsules that can be taken daily and are now testing them on cancer and diabetes patients.
Well, until it's our turn, we'll just have to take our medicine one sip at a time ;).
Well, until it's our turn, we'll just have to take our medicine one sip at a time ;).
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Vino to Compliment the Inauguration
The past few days included a great many things...
1. A visit to Rappahannock Cellars
2. Lasagna lunch is in full effect at Naked Mountain Vineyards (posting to follow)
3. The swearing in of our 44th president :)
Unfortunately I'm just going to blog about the wine and not about the dawn of a new day for the US.... but HEY what a better way to start off Obama's first day as President than with some fantastic vino!
The winter scene was in full effect this past weekend, putting about a 2-3" coat of snow throughout the western parts of VA. To me, nothing goes better with snow than a nice glass of Cab Franc. So I'll start this week's posting with Rappahannock's Cabernet Franc:
Cabernet Franc 2006
This wine is up there with Linden's Claret in regards to drinkability. This is the perfect wine to drink with a good book in a bubble bath or by the fire. Hell it's the perfect wine for pretty much anything... when I was having my tasting the man pouring the wine said he enjoyed it with pepperoni pizza... I could see that too.
Nose:
cherries, tobacco
Taste:
mild tannins, very smooth, currant, rassberries
Rappahanock is a beautiful cellar set in the foothills of the Shanandoahs. Their tasting fee is a little high for the area ($7.50 per tasting or $3.00 if you've tasted there before), but you get to go home with the glass and you do get a fair bit of wine for what you pay for. Typically their tastings consist of 8 or more wines. In the busy months they offer two different flights of wines to choose from. So as you can see there's a lot of variety. The Cab Franc was my favorite, but they have other exceptional wines as well, including their 2007 Viogner and 2006 Meritage.
1. A visit to Rappahannock Cellars
2. Lasagna lunch is in full effect at Naked Mountain Vineyards (posting to follow)
3. The swearing in of our 44th president :)
Unfortunately I'm just going to blog about the wine and not about the dawn of a new day for the US.... but HEY what a better way to start off Obama's first day as President than with some fantastic vino!
The winter scene was in full effect this past weekend, putting about a 2-3" coat of snow throughout the western parts of VA. To me, nothing goes better with snow than a nice glass of Cab Franc. So I'll start this week's posting with Rappahannock's Cabernet Franc:
Cabernet Franc 2006
This wine is up there with Linden's Claret in regards to drinkability. This is the perfect wine to drink with a good book in a bubble bath or by the fire. Hell it's the perfect wine for pretty much anything... when I was having my tasting the man pouring the wine said he enjoyed it with pepperoni pizza... I could see that too.
Nose:
cherries, tobacco
Taste:
mild tannins, very smooth, currant, rassberries
Rappahanock is a beautiful cellar set in the foothills of the Shanandoahs. Their tasting fee is a little high for the area ($7.50 per tasting or $3.00 if you've tasted there before), but you get to go home with the glass and you do get a fair bit of wine for what you pay for. Typically their tastings consist of 8 or more wines. In the busy months they offer two different flights of wines to choose from. So as you can see there's a lot of variety. The Cab Franc was my favorite, but they have other exceptional wines as well, including their 2007 Viogner and 2006 Meritage.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Starting off 2009 with a bit of a dissapointment
This past weekend the hubs and I visited Phillip Carter Winery in Hume. PC is a relatively new vineyard and was previously called Stillhouse vineyards, but is now under new ownership. PC has done some large additions to the small scale schoolhouse style building that previously occupied the land, although the large banquet room addition gives a more cold than cozy feeling.
You'll notice under their logo they have the date 1762.... sounds crazy right? How could anyone possibly be making wine in Virginia since 1762 when good old Thomas Jefferson planted his first vines in 1774 and TJ IS afterall, the father of Virginia wines (no matter how unsuccessful he was). Well my friends, I'll explain the little story behind PC's 1762... Charles Carter, was part of a commitee in London created to brainstorm ways to economicly diversify Virginia. Carter, after some research, decided that winemaking would be a good industry to get started in VA. In 1762 Carter had 1800 vines in his vineyard. Unfortunately due to a drought, they were unable to produce a large amount of wine from those vines. So there's where the 1762 comes from.... Now on to the wines....
Late Harvest 2006
Nose: honey, fruit
Taste: coats your tongue, honey, apricot
Nice white dessert wine, thick, syrupy, but not over-powering
Sweet Danielle 2007
Red Dessert Wine
Nose: Rasberries
Taste: Rasberry, currant, sweet, dark, drink more than one and you're sure to have a headache.
This wine was named for the owner's wife... aweeeee howwww sweeeeeet.
I cannot tell a lie... the other wines (especially the reds) left something to be desired. Maybe they're just really young, but only the Cab Franc and Chardonney had any nose. The Chambourcin and Meritage didn't have much complexity or anything else for that matter. I would say it was just me, but half the tasting bar dumped theirs out.
You'll notice under their logo they have the date 1762.... sounds crazy right? How could anyone possibly be making wine in Virginia since 1762 when good old Thomas Jefferson planted his first vines in 1774 and TJ IS afterall, the father of Virginia wines (no matter how unsuccessful he was). Well my friends, I'll explain the little story behind PC's 1762... Charles Carter, was part of a commitee in London created to brainstorm ways to economicly diversify Virginia. Carter, after some research, decided that winemaking would be a good industry to get started in VA. In 1762 Carter had 1800 vines in his vineyard. Unfortunately due to a drought, they were unable to produce a large amount of wine from those vines. So there's where the 1762 comes from.... Now on to the wines....
Late Harvest 2006
Nose: honey, fruit
Taste: coats your tongue, honey, apricot
Nice white dessert wine, thick, syrupy, but not over-powering
Sweet Danielle 2007
Red Dessert Wine
Nose: Rasberries
Taste: Rasberry, currant, sweet, dark, drink more than one and you're sure to have a headache.
This wine was named for the owner's wife... aweeeee howwww sweeeeeet.
I cannot tell a lie... the other wines (especially the reds) left something to be desired. Maybe they're just really young, but only the Cab Franc and Chardonney had any nose. The Chambourcin and Meritage didn't have much complexity or anything else for that matter. I would say it was just me, but half the tasting bar dumped theirs out.
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