Wine review #1!
Hello to all! Well, here's my inaugural attempt at writing my own wine reviews. Hopefully, they're not too horribly off the mark but I entreat you, be gentle!
Okay! So onto a few wine reviews…
2010 Arrowleaf First Crush
Arrowleaf, from one of my earlier entries, is a winery on the eastern edge of Lake Okanagan, situated among the hills on that side, and is about halfway between Kelowna and Vernon. As the climate gets cooler in this region (even compared to west or south Kelowna), a greater range of white varietals can come into play.
Having really opened in 2003 (vintages dating from 2001 and 2002 stocking the first offerings), the winery has really racked up the hardware in intervening years. A long list of Canadian Wine Awards, Wine Access wine awards, and Okanagan Festival prizes has ensued, which is quite reflective of the wines themselves. A rather unpretentious winery, the bottling is not as glamorous as others in the region (the label is a little more machine, and screw-tops always look cheaper even though they might yield better wines) but it constantly has wines of good quality. Having had a flight of at 4 wines for free tasting there, I can pretty much state that with some certainty.
Now that brings us to First Crush. A combination of pinot gris, auxerrois, bacchus, and gewürztraminer, two of the grapes are not common knowledge to most. Auxerrois blanc is a French sibling of chardonnay which has many similar characteristics to pinot blanc. That’s explained because some genetic testing suggests that it is a cross between pinot blanc and Gouais blanc (a traditional French and German grape that’s fallen out of favor nowadays but was used to produce simple acidic white wines, particularly in the soil plots not so favorable for pinot gris or noir). Bacchus, on the other hand, is a cross of Silvaner (one of the staple grapes used to make Alsace Grand Cru) with Riesling, then with Muller-Thurgau (Germany’s second most common wine planting, it is itself a Riesling cross first conceived in the late 19th century, producing grapes of low acidity and mild fruitiness in large quantities). So overall, you could say you’d expect a pinot gris - pinot blanc - Riesling - gewürztraminer combination in this wine for taste. That would indicate something very light, with low acidity, and some hints of fruit.
Pouring into the glass, it has a light color reminiscent of a light amber or honey, and upon smelling an aroma of light citrus (particularly lemon zest), melons (honeydew), ripe pears, and a slight hotness or spiciness that would seem more galangal or kafir to me than ginger, but that’s what they claim it’s more like. It bespoke a lot of relaxed sipping, particularly since no strong alcohol or acid smells emanated from the glass.
Upon tasting, it reflected a lot of what I was thinking from the initial. A very mild tasting wine, the acidity is well-balanced with a bit of a hot kick to it at the aftertaste. Flavors of citrus gave way to something very peaceful and mild, almost floral in nature (but very sensual, so I’m going to call that jasmine or vanilla). The melon comes off slightly, but the sweetness is more ripe (i.e. not super crunchy but still a touch firm) pears. Perhaps a bit of an emphasized cloy at the end, like a bit of a honeysuckle kick at the end, too.
This brought me to my tastings of the night. Having stopped off at Les Amis du Fromage, I had some rosemary-seasoned croccantini, campani tomatoes to act as palate cleansers, a pate de campagne (homemade at Les Amis du Fromage - its principal ingredients are pork, duck, pistachios and a touch of pepper), and three kinds of cheese. These cheeses were:
Finally, in the end, I also had Sesamo Bianco - a combined white and dark chocolate with sesame seeds and red Tahitian sea salt - from Cocoa Nymph. All in all, I had a nice variety of flavors to taste the wine out with.
On its own, with the crackers, I found the wine to be a good accent. The crackers are crunchy and flour-based, with a light dusting of salt as well as rosemary. The salt was complemented with the acidity and I think the fruitiness of the wine helped to bring out the inherent sweetness in the biscuit. A good flow to start with.
The pate campagne was a bit weak-flavored compared to what I expected (i.e. not so much of a strong pepper flavor, nor was there the large amount of strongly flavored gelatin that I’m accustomed to seeing with pates), so it was hard to get the items to work. Even though First Crush is low on alcohol, it’s not alcohol-free, so that alcohol and citrus worked against drawing out the richness of the pork and duck, instead latching itself to the bitterness of the pistachio, which kind of worked against the point of the pate on its own. That being said, the pepper was accented by the wine. Perhaps with a stronger pate this would’ve worked better.
With the cave-aged gruyere, I found that the light creaminess in the cheese (almost like when one has shaved Parmesan instead of grated) was accented, particularly since the gruyere maintained a somewhat musty aroma (probably from the caves). As such, the wine’s mildness helped to accent these strong elements well. As a sipper alongside the cheese with croccantini, the aromas expanded through the mouth, resulting in a very full and well-developed finish.
Next with the Rang des Iles, it seemed to me as if the strong washed rind was related well to the wine. Even though the rind kind of reminds me of beer left in the open for a day or two, it was a light beer smell, which is kind of what I associate with a pale ale like Strongbow, that goes well with citrus as well. So naturally, to me, the citrus elements helped to blend with the rind and accent it, allowing the rind to really come alive on its own. The sweetness of the First Blend, too, helped to highlight the slight notes of sweet cream, though it also cut through the butteriness in the mouth. A pleasant drink.
Leyden was promising. Cumin seeds have an interesting flavor, as they’re also among the items used in a small course of herbs I like to call the Indian version of the after-dinner breath mint (of licorice). The quirky sweetness and hotness of the cumin actually interacted well with the ginger notes in my mouth, making me think this wine would be well-suited for curry dishes. Also, while the wine’s acidity did strip the cheese’s creaminess slightly, it more than made up for it because the salt of the cheese was well-matched by the wine.
Pairing off bits of Rang des Iles with a campari tomato, I found this made an exceptional pairing to the wine. The tomatoes, with their sweetness and very slight acidity, found a happy medium in the wine’s melon and citrus notes, meaning the flavors blended in a succinct manner in the mouth. Rang des Iles, in this environment, could only add to the acid with the slight smell of beer from the washed rind, which made the sweetness all the more striking. From this, I believe the wine is perfect for pairing with salads that involve cheese, or just straight vegetables. Light fruit and melon aromas would mean that it would mesh well with most things fresh from the garden.
Finally, in testing it out with the Sesamo Bianco, I found that the sea salt, which carried a slight smokiness, matched up well with the acidity of the wine. The white and dark chocolate was white enough so that the sweetness shone through, but also dark enough so that the tannic elements of the chocolate could tie it well to the citric notes (and even the mild, almost green honeydew smell). Sesame seeds added a good texture element to the dish. Sesamo Bianco helped to knock this wine’s tasting out of the park.
Overall, as a grade, I’d give this wine a B - from what I can tell, it is very good on its own (but some of the light aromas of melons and stone fruit could be accented just a bit, so that the citrus doesn’t overpower the drink). When paired, one has to be slightly careful - balancing acids against each other is one consideration (so vinegars, other dishes using citrus, etc), but what’s also interesting is that the wine didn’t really pair well with lightly seasoned bits of meat in a pate. That, on its own, means that the wine’s scope is quite limited, because even salads often use a sour ingredient to offset the remaining components of the dish.
Notes: pulling it out from the fridge the next day, the wine has lost a bit of its floral and melon notes but there is a very pleasant, light aroma of citrus that rules the air. When paired with my Italian pork stew, the flavors merge quite well, as the trotters stewed in red wine have a thick, oily flavor. The wine helps to cut through the oil extremely well, leaving a very clean, refreshing palate of rosemary, lean pork and some jus infused with guanciale and mirepoix behind. And again, having some raw campari tomatoes alongside helps to accent this all the more.
Wine details can be found at http://www.arrowleafcellars.com/fc_white.htm
2009 Robin Ridge Gamay
Robin Ridge’s gamay is quite well regarded, having been a top 5 placer in BC in the red wine class, as well as an “honourable mention” of the BC Lieutenant Governor (whatever that means). Having sampled it after the insane array of samples at St. Laszlo, I came away with quite a favorable impression of it, but I have a feeling I could’ve come away with a favorable impression of almost anything at that stage.
I brought a bottle of this gamay over to my friend Zahra’s to celebrate her moving into her new townhouse (yay Steveston!). After coming home from a dinner including seafood chowder, steamed mussels, filet mignon with a neptune-style dressing, and a dessert of a shared slice of pecan and caramel streusel, I was in the mood for sitting down with a touch of cheese and a nice, smooth red. And fortunately, I was in for a treat.
Pouring out the wine, we encountered a lovely dark ruby color that glinted in soft lighting, with an aroma indicating dark fruits (particularly cherry) but mostly toasted almonds and, upon a swirling, hints of oak and cedar or pine in the background. Upon a first sipping, it yielded an excellent mouthfeel, with well-balanced tannins that created a smooth finish, giving way to a powerful, slightly heavy aftertaste.
Spice was definitely on the tongue for this offering, with notes of cloves and cardamom, with hints of pepper interspersed. Again, the aroma of oak and toasted nuts added to this, giving this wine a bit of a festive feel to it, and I could see enjoying this wine with well-prepared dark meat from a turkey or other roast beast on the holiday table. The acidity was balanced, giving the aftertaste a more definite feel instead of having the distortion that is sometimes inherent if said acidity is not well-controlled.
In pairing with some of the cheeses I bought (I couldn’t eat a lot, given how much I stuffed in at dinner), I found that it made a perfect pairing with the aforementioned Rang des Iles, because the washed rind aroma was very much mellowed with the soft finish of the gamay. This, in turn, created a good platform for the creamy finish of the cheese to carry through, a slight heat from the alcohol helping to carry it through just that bit further, making it even more a hedonic pleasure. Croccantini melded perfectly on contact with this wine-cheese pairing, adding crunch to the velvet softness in the mouth. The rosemary element was kind of distinct but not offensive in any way. Tasting it with the cave-aged gruyere helped to illustrate that as the salt in the cheese helped to strip away moisture from the taste buds, the spice in the wine was accented, further emphasizing the sweet aspects, indicating greater notes of cinnamon and cloves to me. Aside from that, the alcohol and moisture in the wine helped to provide a good contrast, the headiness pairing nicely against the salt aroma of the gruyere, and a clash between the two resulted in a very pleasant harmony.
As a rating, I would give this wine a B+. It paired very nicely with the cheeses, helping to serve as the platform and not dominate the discussion. That being said, I am not sure how it would pair with most of the standard meats (chicken being too light, beef being potentially lost in the notes, pork tending to be cooked by me in a different manner that wouldn’t go too well), but this is definitely a wine to enjoy with cheese plates, game meats, and even cured meats for antipasti.
Details can be found at http://www.robinridgewinery.com/list.html
2004 D’Alessandro Cortona Il Bosco Syrah
To round out our group of three, over Thanksgiving weekend my family celebrated with that most festive and autumnal of foods, lasagna. Then again, we’ve always had duck or lamb or other items for as long as I can remember, so why not a nice meal of barbecue chicken and lasagna? After all, the night before I had turkey rotisserie at the country-style restaurant down the street. (if you come to Burlington/Mount Vernon, the Farmhouse is a pretty good restaurant) And of course, when you eat Italian food, you may as well have Italian wine!
One thing I have commonly found with Italian wine is that it is often fairly mild, with some bold notes - something of note but not exactly a showstopper on its own. In that way, it’s in big contrast with the Bordeaux or Rhone wines, which are heady enough to stun a moose and complex enough to rip old Oedipus a new one. However, Italian wine is basically cultivated to pair with food - instead of being a major statement on its own, when paired with a hearty dish it serves to accent the flavors of that dish, while providing a lovely dose of moisture to the palate.
Sangiovese, nebbiolo, barbaresco, valpolicella… styles and grapes that aren’t so commonly found outside of the country… so what to chose? For this night, I went with a syrah that I got from a CinderellaWine pack offer, thinking that a medium-bodied red wine would be a good complement to a hearty, but not overwhelming, pasta dish. It also happened to be the only Italian wine in the pantry, and I wasn’t in a hurry to open my Araujo or Flora Springs, either.
In opening up the wine, I found it smelt great even without much decanting and had a feeling it wouldn’t need time in open air to really be pleasant. Light aromas of toasted wood were surrounded with a major swath of sweet-smelling berries - blackberries, cherries and a touch of a raisin aroma - which gave way to a dense, earthy aroma. A well balanced aroma, upon swirling a small hint of vanilla or other herb popped up - that inherent sweetness, so pure, was refreshing when sniffing the wine. No traces of smoke or pepper or leather, which gave this wine a very pure-feeling smell. That, along with the clear ruby tint holding the slightest thinness to allow light to penetrate, was what I had going forward.
Upon my first sip, I could feel a beautiful red growth - a direct, up-front kind of blooming in the mouth. From the initial slight bitterness came a cloud of mild red wine with a touch of hidden sweetness underneath - the initial smells of herbs and toasted wood again came through, and the very soft tannin structure did not curb these sensations but rather contrasted them well. A beautiful smooth finish with pleasant mouthfeel, it had a decent linger on the palate with nothing offensive.
As noted before, the tannins well-balanced and approachable. Because of this, it was a fairly dense drink. We also had a small shrimp and avocado salad to start, and it did complement that, but only slightly, probably because there was a bit of a creaminess to the shrimp, and the olive oil wasn’t present in large enough quantity to run with the wine. Avocado fat also didn’t seem to carry the requisite weight to stand up to the red, either.
Now, how did it go with the mains? Firstly, it worked very well with barbecue chicken. In particular, the smoky barbecue sauce that my folks grilled the drumsticks in was added in light dollops during the process, helping to bring out a sweetness and slight spice for the chicken while not overpowering it. Somehow, when tasting it in that respect, the syrah helped to extend the feel of those spicy notes, and the herb complimented the smooth feeling of chicken. Toasted wood on the aroma helped to go with the light smokiness of chicken (had this been turkey or duck, I think they may have overpowered because this was a light balance).
Finally, the medium body of the drink worked extremely well with lasagna. It really seemed made for the dish - tomato sauce, in particular, accented it well, because its minor acidity was well-met by the smooth, dense structure of the wine, refreshing the palate. The ground beef and onions in the dish complimented the earthiness of the wine well, and overall the hearty dish was well-matched with the smooth but dense drink. The cheese and tannins also balanced each other, cutting through the bitterness and richness, respectively and helping to control their inherent features to the respective dish or drink.
All in all, a true hedonic pleasure. I kind of wish I had another one now, to try a few years later and see what I think. At this stage, probably an A- wine, perhaps an A. A summary can be found at http://winelibrary.com/wines/49059-2004+D%2527alessandro+Il+Bosco+Syrah+750ML, but the wine can be found at wine.com or any of the other large carriers
WE 93, WA 92
“The 2004 Cortona Syrah Il Bosco offers wonderful aromas of spices and sweet toasted oak that give way to layers of small red fruit, earthiness and mint flavors. It shows outstanding depth in a linear, pure style with a vibrant, generous personality, plenty of concentration and fine tannins to round out the finish. It is a terrific effort from D'Alessandro. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.” - Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
Well, that concludes my first wine review. Let me know whta you think! Next up will either be my recap of a night at Cocoa Nymph, where chocolate and beer pairings are thought about, or... a trip to C restaurant in Vancouver will be recapped! Let me know what you want.
Okay! So onto a few wine reviews…
2010 Arrowleaf First Crush
Arrowleaf, from one of my earlier entries, is a winery on the eastern edge of Lake Okanagan, situated among the hills on that side, and is about halfway between Kelowna and Vernon. As the climate gets cooler in this region (even compared to west or south Kelowna), a greater range of white varietals can come into play.
Having really opened in 2003 (vintages dating from 2001 and 2002 stocking the first offerings), the winery has really racked up the hardware in intervening years. A long list of Canadian Wine Awards, Wine Access wine awards, and Okanagan Festival prizes has ensued, which is quite reflective of the wines themselves. A rather unpretentious winery, the bottling is not as glamorous as others in the region (the label is a little more machine, and screw-tops always look cheaper even though they might yield better wines) but it constantly has wines of good quality. Having had a flight of at 4 wines for free tasting there, I can pretty much state that with some certainty.
Now that brings us to First Crush. A combination of pinot gris, auxerrois, bacchus, and gewürztraminer, two of the grapes are not common knowledge to most. Auxerrois blanc is a French sibling of chardonnay which has many similar characteristics to pinot blanc. That’s explained because some genetic testing suggests that it is a cross between pinot blanc and Gouais blanc (a traditional French and German grape that’s fallen out of favor nowadays but was used to produce simple acidic white wines, particularly in the soil plots not so favorable for pinot gris or noir). Bacchus, on the other hand, is a cross of Silvaner (one of the staple grapes used to make Alsace Grand Cru) with Riesling, then with Muller-Thurgau (Germany’s second most common wine planting, it is itself a Riesling cross first conceived in the late 19th century, producing grapes of low acidity and mild fruitiness in large quantities). So overall, you could say you’d expect a pinot gris - pinot blanc - Riesling - gewürztraminer combination in this wine for taste. That would indicate something very light, with low acidity, and some hints of fruit.
Pouring into the glass, it has a light color reminiscent of a light amber or honey, and upon smelling an aroma of light citrus (particularly lemon zest), melons (honeydew), ripe pears, and a slight hotness or spiciness that would seem more galangal or kafir to me than ginger, but that’s what they claim it’s more like. It bespoke a lot of relaxed sipping, particularly since no strong alcohol or acid smells emanated from the glass.
Upon tasting, it reflected a lot of what I was thinking from the initial. A very mild tasting wine, the acidity is well-balanced with a bit of a hot kick to it at the aftertaste. Flavors of citrus gave way to something very peaceful and mild, almost floral in nature (but very sensual, so I’m going to call that jasmine or vanilla). The melon comes off slightly, but the sweetness is more ripe (i.e. not super crunchy but still a touch firm) pears. Perhaps a bit of an emphasized cloy at the end, like a bit of a honeysuckle kick at the end, too.
This brought me to my tastings of the night. Having stopped off at Les Amis du Fromage, I had some rosemary-seasoned croccantini, campani tomatoes to act as palate cleansers, a pate de campagne (homemade at Les Amis du Fromage - its principal ingredients are pork, duck, pistachios and a touch of pepper), and three kinds of cheese. These cheeses were:
- a hard, cave-aged Swiss gruyere, the cave-age bringing out a little more of the aroma of the cheese as well as concentrating some of the salt, while maintaining a somewhat moist flavor;
- a semi-soft Dutch gouda-style called Leyden, which has low to moderate salinity, a bit of a crumbliness and, most importantly, cumin seeds interspersed so as to add a touch of spice (in a licorice-like fashion) to the cheese; and
- a soft, washed rind cheese from Quebec named Rang des Iles, which has a fairly mild aroma of fermented alcohol (like most washed rind cheeses) that has a creamy, pleasantly mild taste with a small bit of sweet cream taste to it. If anything, I would probably classify it as a combination of a Fleur d’Aunis and a Brillat-Savarin, but of a not-so-rich form.
Finally, in the end, I also had Sesamo Bianco - a combined white and dark chocolate with sesame seeds and red Tahitian sea salt - from Cocoa Nymph. All in all, I had a nice variety of flavors to taste the wine out with.
On its own, with the crackers, I found the wine to be a good accent. The crackers are crunchy and flour-based, with a light dusting of salt as well as rosemary. The salt was complemented with the acidity and I think the fruitiness of the wine helped to bring out the inherent sweetness in the biscuit. A good flow to start with.
The pate campagne was a bit weak-flavored compared to what I expected (i.e. not so much of a strong pepper flavor, nor was there the large amount of strongly flavored gelatin that I’m accustomed to seeing with pates), so it was hard to get the items to work. Even though First Crush is low on alcohol, it’s not alcohol-free, so that alcohol and citrus worked against drawing out the richness of the pork and duck, instead latching itself to the bitterness of the pistachio, which kind of worked against the point of the pate on its own. That being said, the pepper was accented by the wine. Perhaps with a stronger pate this would’ve worked better.
With the cave-aged gruyere, I found that the light creaminess in the cheese (almost like when one has shaved Parmesan instead of grated) was accented, particularly since the gruyere maintained a somewhat musty aroma (probably from the caves). As such, the wine’s mildness helped to accent these strong elements well. As a sipper alongside the cheese with croccantini, the aromas expanded through the mouth, resulting in a very full and well-developed finish.
Next with the Rang des Iles, it seemed to me as if the strong washed rind was related well to the wine. Even though the rind kind of reminds me of beer left in the open for a day or two, it was a light beer smell, which is kind of what I associate with a pale ale like Strongbow, that goes well with citrus as well. So naturally, to me, the citrus elements helped to blend with the rind and accent it, allowing the rind to really come alive on its own. The sweetness of the First Blend, too, helped to highlight the slight notes of sweet cream, though it also cut through the butteriness in the mouth. A pleasant drink.
Leyden was promising. Cumin seeds have an interesting flavor, as they’re also among the items used in a small course of herbs I like to call the Indian version of the after-dinner breath mint (of licorice). The quirky sweetness and hotness of the cumin actually interacted well with the ginger notes in my mouth, making me think this wine would be well-suited for curry dishes. Also, while the wine’s acidity did strip the cheese’s creaminess slightly, it more than made up for it because the salt of the cheese was well-matched by the wine.
Pairing off bits of Rang des Iles with a campari tomato, I found this made an exceptional pairing to the wine. The tomatoes, with their sweetness and very slight acidity, found a happy medium in the wine’s melon and citrus notes, meaning the flavors blended in a succinct manner in the mouth. Rang des Iles, in this environment, could only add to the acid with the slight smell of beer from the washed rind, which made the sweetness all the more striking. From this, I believe the wine is perfect for pairing with salads that involve cheese, or just straight vegetables. Light fruit and melon aromas would mean that it would mesh well with most things fresh from the garden.
Finally, in testing it out with the Sesamo Bianco, I found that the sea salt, which carried a slight smokiness, matched up well with the acidity of the wine. The white and dark chocolate was white enough so that the sweetness shone through, but also dark enough so that the tannic elements of the chocolate could tie it well to the citric notes (and even the mild, almost green honeydew smell). Sesame seeds added a good texture element to the dish. Sesamo Bianco helped to knock this wine’s tasting out of the park.
Overall, as a grade, I’d give this wine a B - from what I can tell, it is very good on its own (but some of the light aromas of melons and stone fruit could be accented just a bit, so that the citrus doesn’t overpower the drink). When paired, one has to be slightly careful - balancing acids against each other is one consideration (so vinegars, other dishes using citrus, etc), but what’s also interesting is that the wine didn’t really pair well with lightly seasoned bits of meat in a pate. That, on its own, means that the wine’s scope is quite limited, because even salads often use a sour ingredient to offset the remaining components of the dish.
Notes: pulling it out from the fridge the next day, the wine has lost a bit of its floral and melon notes but there is a very pleasant, light aroma of citrus that rules the air. When paired with my Italian pork stew, the flavors merge quite well, as the trotters stewed in red wine have a thick, oily flavor. The wine helps to cut through the oil extremely well, leaving a very clean, refreshing palate of rosemary, lean pork and some jus infused with guanciale and mirepoix behind. And again, having some raw campari tomatoes alongside helps to accent this all the more.
Wine details can be found at http://www.arrowleafcellars.com/fc_white.htm
2009 Robin Ridge Gamay
Robin Ridge’s gamay is quite well regarded, having been a top 5 placer in BC in the red wine class, as well as an “honourable mention” of the BC Lieutenant Governor (whatever that means). Having sampled it after the insane array of samples at St. Laszlo, I came away with quite a favorable impression of it, but I have a feeling I could’ve come away with a favorable impression of almost anything at that stage.
I brought a bottle of this gamay over to my friend Zahra’s to celebrate her moving into her new townhouse (yay Steveston!). After coming home from a dinner including seafood chowder, steamed mussels, filet mignon with a neptune-style dressing, and a dessert of a shared slice of pecan and caramel streusel, I was in the mood for sitting down with a touch of cheese and a nice, smooth red. And fortunately, I was in for a treat.
Pouring out the wine, we encountered a lovely dark ruby color that glinted in soft lighting, with an aroma indicating dark fruits (particularly cherry) but mostly toasted almonds and, upon a swirling, hints of oak and cedar or pine in the background. Upon a first sipping, it yielded an excellent mouthfeel, with well-balanced tannins that created a smooth finish, giving way to a powerful, slightly heavy aftertaste.
Spice was definitely on the tongue for this offering, with notes of cloves and cardamom, with hints of pepper interspersed. Again, the aroma of oak and toasted nuts added to this, giving this wine a bit of a festive feel to it, and I could see enjoying this wine with well-prepared dark meat from a turkey or other roast beast on the holiday table. The acidity was balanced, giving the aftertaste a more definite feel instead of having the distortion that is sometimes inherent if said acidity is not well-controlled.
In pairing with some of the cheeses I bought (I couldn’t eat a lot, given how much I stuffed in at dinner), I found that it made a perfect pairing with the aforementioned Rang des Iles, because the washed rind aroma was very much mellowed with the soft finish of the gamay. This, in turn, created a good platform for the creamy finish of the cheese to carry through, a slight heat from the alcohol helping to carry it through just that bit further, making it even more a hedonic pleasure. Croccantini melded perfectly on contact with this wine-cheese pairing, adding crunch to the velvet softness in the mouth. The rosemary element was kind of distinct but not offensive in any way. Tasting it with the cave-aged gruyere helped to illustrate that as the salt in the cheese helped to strip away moisture from the taste buds, the spice in the wine was accented, further emphasizing the sweet aspects, indicating greater notes of cinnamon and cloves to me. Aside from that, the alcohol and moisture in the wine helped to provide a good contrast, the headiness pairing nicely against the salt aroma of the gruyere, and a clash between the two resulted in a very pleasant harmony.
As a rating, I would give this wine a B+. It paired very nicely with the cheeses, helping to serve as the platform and not dominate the discussion. That being said, I am not sure how it would pair with most of the standard meats (chicken being too light, beef being potentially lost in the notes, pork tending to be cooked by me in a different manner that wouldn’t go too well), but this is definitely a wine to enjoy with cheese plates, game meats, and even cured meats for antipasti.
Details can be found at http://www.robinridgewinery.com/list.html
2004 D’Alessandro Cortona Il Bosco Syrah
To round out our group of three, over Thanksgiving weekend my family celebrated with that most festive and autumnal of foods, lasagna. Then again, we’ve always had duck or lamb or other items for as long as I can remember, so why not a nice meal of barbecue chicken and lasagna? After all, the night before I had turkey rotisserie at the country-style restaurant down the street. (if you come to Burlington/Mount Vernon, the Farmhouse is a pretty good restaurant) And of course, when you eat Italian food, you may as well have Italian wine!
One thing I have commonly found with Italian wine is that it is often fairly mild, with some bold notes - something of note but not exactly a showstopper on its own. In that way, it’s in big contrast with the Bordeaux or Rhone wines, which are heady enough to stun a moose and complex enough to rip old Oedipus a new one. However, Italian wine is basically cultivated to pair with food - instead of being a major statement on its own, when paired with a hearty dish it serves to accent the flavors of that dish, while providing a lovely dose of moisture to the palate.
Sangiovese, nebbiolo, barbaresco, valpolicella… styles and grapes that aren’t so commonly found outside of the country… so what to chose? For this night, I went with a syrah that I got from a CinderellaWine pack offer, thinking that a medium-bodied red wine would be a good complement to a hearty, but not overwhelming, pasta dish. It also happened to be the only Italian wine in the pantry, and I wasn’t in a hurry to open my Araujo or Flora Springs, either.
In opening up the wine, I found it smelt great even without much decanting and had a feeling it wouldn’t need time in open air to really be pleasant. Light aromas of toasted wood were surrounded with a major swath of sweet-smelling berries - blackberries, cherries and a touch of a raisin aroma - which gave way to a dense, earthy aroma. A well balanced aroma, upon swirling a small hint of vanilla or other herb popped up - that inherent sweetness, so pure, was refreshing when sniffing the wine. No traces of smoke or pepper or leather, which gave this wine a very pure-feeling smell. That, along with the clear ruby tint holding the slightest thinness to allow light to penetrate, was what I had going forward.
Upon my first sip, I could feel a beautiful red growth - a direct, up-front kind of blooming in the mouth. From the initial slight bitterness came a cloud of mild red wine with a touch of hidden sweetness underneath - the initial smells of herbs and toasted wood again came through, and the very soft tannin structure did not curb these sensations but rather contrasted them well. A beautiful smooth finish with pleasant mouthfeel, it had a decent linger on the palate with nothing offensive.
As noted before, the tannins well-balanced and approachable. Because of this, it was a fairly dense drink. We also had a small shrimp and avocado salad to start, and it did complement that, but only slightly, probably because there was a bit of a creaminess to the shrimp, and the olive oil wasn’t present in large enough quantity to run with the wine. Avocado fat also didn’t seem to carry the requisite weight to stand up to the red, either.
Now, how did it go with the mains? Firstly, it worked very well with barbecue chicken. In particular, the smoky barbecue sauce that my folks grilled the drumsticks in was added in light dollops during the process, helping to bring out a sweetness and slight spice for the chicken while not overpowering it. Somehow, when tasting it in that respect, the syrah helped to extend the feel of those spicy notes, and the herb complimented the smooth feeling of chicken. Toasted wood on the aroma helped to go with the light smokiness of chicken (had this been turkey or duck, I think they may have overpowered because this was a light balance).
Finally, the medium body of the drink worked extremely well with lasagna. It really seemed made for the dish - tomato sauce, in particular, accented it well, because its minor acidity was well-met by the smooth, dense structure of the wine, refreshing the palate. The ground beef and onions in the dish complimented the earthiness of the wine well, and overall the hearty dish was well-matched with the smooth but dense drink. The cheese and tannins also balanced each other, cutting through the bitterness and richness, respectively and helping to control their inherent features to the respective dish or drink.
All in all, a true hedonic pleasure. I kind of wish I had another one now, to try a few years later and see what I think. At this stage, probably an A- wine, perhaps an A. A summary can be found at http://winelibrary.com/wines/49059-2004+D%2527alessandro+Il+Bosco+Syrah+750ML, but the wine can be found at wine.com or any of the other large carriers
WE 93, WA 92
“The 2004 Cortona Syrah Il Bosco offers wonderful aromas of spices and sweet toasted oak that give way to layers of small red fruit, earthiness and mint flavors. It shows outstanding depth in a linear, pure style with a vibrant, generous personality, plenty of concentration and fine tannins to round out the finish. It is a terrific effort from D'Alessandro. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.” - Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
Well, that concludes my first wine review. Let me know whta you think! Next up will either be my recap of a night at Cocoa Nymph, where chocolate and beer pairings are thought about, or... a trip to C restaurant in Vancouver will be recapped! Let me know what you want.