Wine Snob: Wacky Wine Reviews

So one day, when I was putting off reading Vergil, I stumbled across a wine review podcast on iTunes called Marketview Liquor. It turns out that they've been producing these videos for a long time, but only recently put them up on iTunes. The two guys are wacky and fun, sort of similar to the way I write my wine reviews, but, unlike me, they actually know quite a bit.

In the podcast I posted above they describe two reds under $15. So, when I went to the birthday party of a friend I brought a bottle of Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Sonoma County. I thought, as it had been recommended it would be fairly decent. However, it turned out to be hugely popular and quite tasty so I shared a bottle of it with Servia and Servius on Valentine's Day and they really liked it too. There's a little bit left from the other night, so I will have to try it again and write a fuller post.

My point in sharing the above anecdote is that although these guys are a little wacky, they know their stuff and seem to review the wines fairly and accurately (so far as I can tell). They are also quite amusing, so definitely check out the videos on the website or the podcast on iTunes.

Wine Snob: My Favorite White Wine

Chardonnay

I know, this is going to sound cheesy, but I think this may have been the best white wine I have ever had. It was a lovely chardonnay. I am not generally a big fan of white wine, mostly because the white wines I have had are either too sour, too fruity, or too flowery. However, this wine was perfect; it was like a warm beam of winter sunlight warm and refreshing at the same time. The color was a lovely pale gold and a bouquet with a slight hint of flowers. The flavor was quite dry with notes of minerals, macadamia nuts, and a kiss of pine. It was wonderful.

City Bread, A Second Attempt

City Bread

As I mentioned, I made some more city bread this weekend. I did not make the same mistakes this time, but the crumb still wasn't perfect. I also let the bread sit for 2 hours before cutting into it. The flavor still did not mature as much as I would like until about 5 hours.

Spiral Scoring

I also probably should have left it to brown a little longer. However, the internal temperature was 212 degrees F and the crust sang beautifully when I removed it from the oven.

Yum!

I also increased the amount of whole wheat from the original recipe. It was 2:3 ratio whole wheat to bread flour.

The ears did not bloom enough, sadly

I doubled the recipe and made a second loaf. It was a batard-- sort of. I don't have a batard basket, so I line a loaf pan with a floured cloth. It came out reasonably well this time, but we have a lot of bread around so I am going to freeze it.

Batard

The bread is about 82% hydration which is an awful lot. I am not great at working with it, so the crumb is not perfect. However, it is soft and moist but still light.

Crumb

There was actually some better crumb on the inside, but I did not have a camera with me at the time.

We ate about 3/4 of the bread.

We decanted a bottle of wine for three hours before drinking it. it was lovely.

Girls in the Vinyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

We set out a splendid picnic with one of the last cucumbers from the garden.

Picnic

Great episode of Downton Abbey. More next week.

Wine Snob: 1992 Husch Reserve Pinot Noir

Husch 1992 Reserve Pinot Noir

Recently, it was my birthday. Although I was (and am) ill, I managed to gather up my strength for a nice quiet dinner with my parents and a bottle of wine left for us by my uncle. The wine was reasonably close to my own age and I thought it would go well with the meal. I was right, the wine was lovely with the salads, pasta, and pizza we all shared.

I was kind of nervous at first. When the waiter poured the wine it was distinctly brown. I think he saw the look on my face because he told me that if I left it to breath, it would probably be quite nice. He was right: after only a few moments the wine turned from chestnut brown to a sort of brick red. The flavor progressed to become a very light, round, warm wine with minerals and a hint of pink pepper. It retained the slight tannic bite at the end.

I always like to compare old wines (when I get the chance to have them) to their original descriptions. This wine certainly changed from when it was bottled in 1994 after a 20-month period in oak barrels (this was Husch's first reserve pinot noit). They said that it tasted of cherries, violets, and cinnamon with a long, softly tannic finish.

If there are any bottles out there to try, I highly recommend it. Let it sit for at least an hour before tasting.

Upcoming

I have my German midterm tomorrow. I am a little nervous, but I think it is going to be ok. After that, I will post a review of the delicious wine I had tonight and maybe go to the doctor because my cold is getting worse.

Wine Snob: Cabernet Sauvignon Double Feature

Two great wines, one post.

On Servia's birthday, we went out to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. It's a lovely little Italian place and we brought a bottle of wine given to us by my mom's brother on his last visit. It was a 1998 Christopher Creek Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek Valley (Bradford Mount). The wine was a dark ruby color and it was a medium bodied wine that was musty and spicy. I happened to read the label after I had written my account of the wine. It said: "rich, fruity, intense, full-bodied, ruby wine." It's interesting how a wine changes over the years. It balanced wonderfully with the food. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture.

On the night before Father's Day, on which we were also celebrating the birthday of a long-time friend of the family, we had another lovely wine. It was one of the Mystery Wines from Garagiste, meaning that it was repackaged under the name Renegade Wine Sellers. It was a 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley, Washington.

Having a coding problem righting the bottle.

Unlike the 2007 Columbia Valley Red Wine packaged under Renegade's label which was merely mediocre, this was a fabulous wine. This fabulous Cabernet was aubergine and smelled acetone or the interior of an old trunk (the drinkers were divided in the assessment). It was a full bodied wine with notes of truffles, dark chocolate, with a bit of rich soil and a dash of nutmeg or cloves. As an important note, we let this wine decant for about two-three hours, or maybe a little more before drinking it because every review said it needed substantial decanting. I am glad we took that advice. I would highly recommend both the wine and the decanting of it.

A picture of the bottle is forthcoming.

Wine Snob: Wines from the 80s and 90s

When my uncle and aunt were here, they brought down a variety of wines from their wine cellar that they have collected over the years. Most of the wines are from California vineyards that they visited over the years. I tried two different red wines while they were here which were very old. I also learned a few things about judging red wines.

The first wine I tried was a 1993 Reserve Concannon Petite Sirah. I had a Limited Edition Concannon Petite Sirah 2006 a while ago and I thought it was a bit bland. The 1993 was certainly not bland. I liked it well enough, but it wasn't quite to my taste. It was a little thick-- full bodied and slightly viscous tasting. Dark purple, it tasted like blackberries and blueberries. It had a bright fruity taste with a light finish. Apparently Concannon was the first and one of the few vineyards in California that bottles Petite Sirah as a varietal (i.e. not mixed with other grapes). I have had one Petite Sirah varietal I liked, but this one was not my favorite, although it was certainly interesting.

The other wine I tried was a Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1985. My uncle acquired the wine back in the 1980s. Now, as it has aged for many years, it is both the oldest and probably the most expensive wine that I tried. Apparently, the wine was supposed to be past its prime. However, the wine not only tasted fabulous but apparently also was not past its prime. According to my uncle, you can tell that a red wine is past its prime if, looking at a glass of the wine from below, you can see a wide ring of brown around the top of the wine. This wine only had a slight tinge of brown around the edge of the top of the wine.

Silver Oak 1985

Furthermore, the taste was fantastic. The wine was very smooth. My aunt said that it tasted as though the the wine would have had a heavy tannic taste if it had been drunk while it was young, but the tannins relaxed over time. At the time we drank it, it was a nice medium-full body, with smooth flavor and mild tannins. It was a wonderful compliment to food and was a rich brick red color.