Out of shape at 33

Out of shape at 33 is one of those targeted ads you see on Facebook. They are insidious, but ultimately they are an acceptable trade-off for many Facebookers (you reveal your birth date so your friends can get birthday reminders in order to buy you a drink; you suffer thereafter a torrent of tanned, toned abdominal muscles that call you out by your age, peppering you with reproach about your wanning fitness the day after your birthday).

But they are only annoying as they are effective. Internet incantations of laziness prompted me to post this, after all.

Finally, after six weeks of inactivity and silence, I am posting. Finally, after a marked increase in bottles of calorie-rich wine (that just so happened to match my sudden hike in vacation time, which always carries with it wanning physical activity)!

And, sure enough, this post comes after a time away in which I celebrated my 33rd birthday. So that's me who's out of shape. There's no contest: I really am out of shape at 33. At the very least, this blog space is a testament to it.

SEXY, STREAMLINED AND SAVVY IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

I bring up Facebook mostly because I'm on it and I'm on it a lot. (Oh, don't act surprised. You're on there too. So is Steve De Long of De Long's Wine Moment. So is David McDuff of McDuff's Food and Wine Trail.)

Need more proof of how much I'm on there (other than the sad abs-in-my-face story)? Here:
MY NEW WINE BLOG ON FACEBOOK

Yes, I've been somewhat busy with a new foray for Weingolb set in an exciting collaborative environment: it's called the Facebook page.

Here's what a Facebook page brings:

• public access to everyone on the Internet (notice that I didn't say it was a Facebook profile!) so it's not restricted to registered Facebook members (though Facebookers do get the added benefits of an improved social networking experience, which is something that has entirely changed the raison d'être of wineblogging for me -- thanks especially to BrooklynGuy, Bill "the Caveman" Zacharkiw and Joe from Joe's Wine


• a multi-purpose wall for writing comments, wine reviews or comments on wine reviews (or...?)


• a discussion board for enhanced development of forum topics


• the easiest photo and video upload tool on the planet -- accessible to all, whether you are a reader, administrator, weindoktor or plonkpupil


• built-in RSS and news feed features for reliably keeping track of updates


• event creation -- though it's a bit stiff and I admit could be better -- and the usual web 2.0 bells and whistles


• automatic web tracking and metrics (bye-bye slow-loading Site Meter)

But most of all, the biggest thing it brings is:

• convenience and ease of access... since I'm already always on Facebook!

Ooops. I've forgotten a bit about wineblogging. It has been a long, long time since I last wine blogged. I meant to say... Here's what my Facebook page brings:

• A Great White Gaillac


• The Best Rasteau in the World


• A '97 Brunello


• A Maury for digestion

And those were just wines suitable for the celebration of my 33rd birthday. Plenty of other everyday wines are documented too.

• Lorieux's Thélème Chinon


• Lorieux's Mauguerets Bourgeuil -- in fact a Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgeuil to be exact, called Les Mauguerets-La Contrie


• all those Pinot Noirs that Joe and I tasted at our 05 Champys tasting (already reported by Joe in this Joe's Wine post)

I'm about to post reviews on Château Candastre, another French southwest wine from Gaillac, this time red, and a Limoux sparkling wine from Laurens.

Drink up!

Thanks to all the clever bloggers I have continued to read during my slow-down and switch. They have kept me inspired. I may never publish notes once a day as I did when I started this site. But I am hopeful that this move could ultimately be better than the blogging of my early days anyway.

So I hope you will visit me over here on my re-launched page.

WBW #39 Silver Burgundy: Domaine François Lumpp Crausot 2004

Today it's BrooklynGuy's turn to host Wine Blogging Wednesday. With it comes a theme that brings bloggers a piece of him.

What makes BrooklynGuy tick may be a question you've asked yourself if you've ever followed the ongoing and always intriguing blogging going on at BrooklynGuy's Wine and Food Blog.

It's fairly obvious to the casual reader that BG is big fan of Burgundies. But when I met him he told me that these were the wines that turned him a true wine lover beyond the point of return. He admitted that these were expensive wines. With a newly arrived BrooklynBaby on the scene (and those BrooklynRents aren't going down either you know), BrooklynGuy's need to find greater value wines from storied French wine regions grew more urgent.

Hence WBW 33, hosted by me, which... whoops, wrong WBW! But like the WBW 33 Languedoc-Roussillon value wines I did in May, BrooklynGuy has asked participants to look to other wines -- the lesser knowns and the humbler reputations (in this case, Burgundy's Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais) -- to find some quality bottles at a more affordable, everyday price. Hear hear!

Hence Silver Burgundy. There's no need to always try to go for the gold. In the world of wine, I couldn't agree with this sentiment more.

I have a feeling the bottle I picked up for WBW 39 is too expensive, despite all this. I knew I wanted a red, and since I already had experienced a couple of great Mercureys (both the Michel Juillot and the Marquis de Jouennes would've been perfect entries for WBW 39), it was the Givry region I was perusing. In the end, they were very alluring to me and perhaps I put more weight on the appellation part than the getting a bargain part.

I picked up the Domaine François Lumpp Givry Premier Cru Crausot 2004 -- the Crausot in the name being the precise plot of land in Givry that Monsieur Lumpp uses. This bottle is priced in the mid-thirties in Quebec (see its online descriptive record here). That's because it's not only just any old Givry -- Givry being situated in the heart of the Chalonnaise region -- but because it's also a Givry Premier Cru -- my first Burgundy cru, or classed growth. So apparently that Crausot vineyard is hot stuff. Not sure if crus are what Silver Burgundy is all about, but went for it anyway.

I was very interested in seeing how this would pan out. So, of course, I would be disappointed. I think maybe I should've taken baby steps. BrooklynGuy seemed to want to ease fellow bloggers into this one and I may have dived in head first. Here's what I found.

Eyes: Flashy, intensely coloured and bright ruby in the glass.

Nose: In terms of aroma, I thought it smelled like barn on fire that contained a whole lot of freshly picked mushrooms and was subsequently doused with vats of cherry kirsh. Over time, this sense seems to wane. Maybe I got used it? Not sure. But I see that Jane MacQuitty endorsed this wine -- perhaps because it so vanilla-ish overall.

Mouth: This is a very overt wine. Also very smoky with strong cherry verging on cherry medicine by virtue of the heavy extraction. There's also some interesting earthiness and pinch of cacao, but mostly it reminds me of concentrated jello. A squelch of acid is followed by a much simpler finish than I was hoping for a wine of this calibre.

Stomach: Fairly demanding with food, I have to say. I had to re-season my meal, midstream. The chicken breast encrusted in Gran Padano and mustard-celery seeds was a lively match that stood up to this hulking Pinot. It brought out the spice and verve that lies at this Givry cru's centre. However, my simply prepared mushrooms did nothing for the wine and I really had to enhance them to continue. More flavourful were roasted red and yellow peppers. They had an intensity that paired fairly well because its strong ovenroasted notes complemented the wine's.

A LUMPPY RIDE SMOOTHES OUT OVER TIME

On the second night, this Lumpp cuvée was showing off a fruity licorice profile that I quite enjoyed and by this time the length seems quite spectacular to me but I still would not buy it again -- even if a thorough decant could get me to this point again.

My conclusions on this wine don't beat around the bush. This is a heavily extracted wine that possesses little intrigue and too much oak. Not a lot of complexity or anything that really flags my interest. This is exactly what I'd call a boring though technically sound wine. Other than the nose I'm fairly sure all aspects of this wine could be found in a Mondavi wine of half its price. In a word: Lumpp-ish.

Grade: 2 Lumpps (out of five)

Like it or lumpp it, this was a great chance to discover a region I don't usually explore and also to find out a little more about one of the palates I most respect in the blogosphere: that of the BrooklynGuy. I eagerly await the remaining entries and of course the full WBW 39 roundup. I'm staying tuned!

François Lumpp, Le Pied du Clos, Givry, France. 13%.

Towards a concensus on New Zealand Pinots: 40 wines in 40 minutes

The New Zealand Wine Fair came to Montreal two weeks ago at the height of my hosting duties for WBW 33. What does a good host do when he himself gets invited as a guest*? He attends, and drinks 40 wines in 40 minutes, takes a few photos and then gets back to work.

By the end of WBW 33 and its "Mid-priced wines of the Midi" theme, I claimed to have tasted 40 Languedoc-Roussillon wines in about 40 days. That was in addition to the "virtual tasting" of 40 wines submitted to this site by WBW 33 participants. At the New Zealand Wine Fair, my first wine expo, I figure I tasted 40 wines in 40 minutes. With diverting snacks and freshly-prepared food dishes, conversation with passionate Kiwi winemakers and some discussion and note-taking on the wines themselves with my tasting partner, I easily spent a couple of hours at the Fair, but it still felt like a whirlwind compared to WBW 33. What's more: it is not easy to taste that many wines in that little time. I was surprised and sympathetic for the Michel Phaneufs and Jancis Robinsons of the world.



Mathieu Turbide of Méchant Raisin is a local voice in wine and he posts a lot of tastings for his readers. Even though he writes in French, I'm sure even most Anglo oenophile can appreciate this recent round-up of rosés he did last week. It basically is everything in the SAQ catalog, rated and described for the rosé drinker in Quebec. If it's pink and on sale in this province, Mathieu's got it. (I love a good rosé guide for local shoppers -- last year it was the Caveman who launched a valiant effort.)

Anyway, it turns out that Mathieu spent time at the Fair too and posted on it. He titles it New Zealand Attacks and that's definitely how it felt for me going from table to table, cleansing and recleansing my palate, not ever spitting but sometimes dumping, getting the inevitable buzz though the serving sizes were thankfully modest.

Though I am an amateur and Mathieu is a professional, we selected the same three Pinots as the best in show. That is reassuring because though wine writers can wield expertise, not all of them necessarily allow you to identify with their palate, and that is what I value most in a wine review/wine reviewer.

The New Zealand Wine Fair's top Pinots are produced by some names that are worth retaining: Carrick, Churton (pictured at right above), and Mt Difficulty. I also noted Waitiri Creek, Waimea (Nelson) and the distinctive Bordeaux-like blends of Alpha Domus but apparently these names aren't available at the SAQ. Check out Mathieu's post for official availability, and vintage and descriptive notes.

What is also reassuring is that the best at the Fair are already in the SAQ catalog so apparently those SAQ buyers who are out there working so that we can drink well deserve some of the credit too, though every NZ producer I talked to would tell me that they were in the midst of on getting on SAQ shelves. I wouldn't hold my breath, unless New Zealand really is attacking, in which case, watch out.

Even though the Fair itself features more wine, both red and white, than you can appreciate (I had to focus on Pinot Noir for example), the producers involved were nothing more than a drop in the New Zealand wine-producing bucket.

Elsewhere, Vinography has reported on the Fair heading to San Francisco. It would be interesting to see which of the wines that our intrepid Alder tastes gets the thumbs-up.

* actually the guest was a friend of mine who works in translation -- he passed on the comp ticket to me when he could not attend... a big thank-you for that.

A wine to sip by the fire? Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Silver Label 2005

Here's my review of an American wine from Monterey County. This moment has been a long time coming as over the past year I have posted on wines from all over the world, but never a Californian wine or anything from the U.S. at all. Seriously, it's true!

WINEBLOGGER REVIEWS HIS FIRST AMERICAN WINE AFTER 180 POSTS

Other than America, only Austria and South Africa have been notably absent from these pages, and even that's about to change for South Africa as I have a Western Cape white that's ready for tasting. So U.S.A. -- it's about time.

Here are my notes and label notes from this bottle:

Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Silver Label Pinot Noir 2005
Diamond collection wines are made from grapes selected throughout California's unique and diverse viticultural regions. Precise winemaking techniques and aging methods which best showcase the grapes' characteristics culminate in complex and robust wines... with hints of smoke!

Silver Label Pinot Noir has a bright ruby colour and an alluring perfume of red plums, sweet spices, and French vanilla. Profuse flavours of black charry, dark currant, and strawberry fill the palate while notes of sandalwood continue into the soft elegant finish. Enjoy this wine on its own or serve with seared duck breast or herbed pork roast. Try dishes in which you turn your kitchen into a smoker...

It turns out that a small kitchen fire would interrupt my analysis of the Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Silver Label Pinot Noir 2005.

My toaster oven had burst into flames, but not before I jotted down my reactions to the wine. Luckily for you dear reader, my tasting was unaffected by the heavy smoke that was about to permeate my apartment.

I got a clean nose of herbal or eucalyptus tincture. It was reminiscent of cherry medicine, but with time it softened into notes of strawberry, raspberry, lush tomato. It was redolent and bright, reflecting the remarkable red hues described on the bottle's label.

On the palate, Coppola's Silver Diamond was smooth and fruity -- red currant notes with a light body. A bit one-dimensional with a short finish but thoroughly flavourful and enjoyable. Some nice acid added more brightness to the overall package. And true to the varietal, there were some lovely 'shroomy Pinot Noir echoes. This was an interesting expression that possessed earthiness and a vivid character. More complex than I originally had noted.

And it was at that point the smoke detector went off. I switched from wine tasting to fire fighting (as one so often does). Fortunately my tasting notes were at the other side of the room. They survived. The toaster oven and four slices of brioche did not. Neither did the Ralph Lauren bath towel I used to smother the flames. Then I waited about an hour while my windows stood agape in order to disperse the particulate and fumes. Whatever dinner I was in process of making on top of the stove (yes, I had something on the go on the stove too) turned out to be a flop. All I recall is that it was a poor pairing for the wine anyway.

NO SOUR GRAPES HERE

This Pinot is not corsé, as they would say in French. It is smooth, not coarse, so I would have it alongside a hummus salad with fully ripened and sweet-ish vegetables, like roasted peppers, zucchini, olives, cucumbers, and sundried tomato.

It is perhaps a bad sign for Weingolb that disaster would ensue after the uncorking of this (inaugural) American bottle. Up until now, the dearth of wines from the United States on these pages was simply because my province-wide wine monopoly didn't do a good job relaying the value-price ratio from coastal vintners to Quebec consumers (this bottle was in fact a gift from a friend and is not available in Quebec). I have hope that fire and brimstone will not prevent further explorations south of the 49th parallel.

Oakville, California, U.S.A. 13.5%.

Rockets to Mercurey: Domaine Michel Juillot 2003

Like the planet Mercury, wine from the Côte-Chalonnaise town of Mercurey is predominantly red (90% of bottles produced there is red wine, reports Jancis Robinson). Since Mercurey is nestled in the heart of Burgundy, red means Pinot Noir. And since Mercurey carries with it a lesser-known Burgundian appellation, red also means bargain. I got the sophisticated cuvée pictured above on sale for a hair over $20.

Domaine Michel Juillot Mercurey 2003 may not be as solid or firm as your average Côte D'Or product. At least that is what the experts say -- you have to be fairly flush to dabble with the cream of the Burgundian crop. So if, like me, you can only occasionally afford a Mercurey such as this one, you will do well in treating yourself to a good, reasonably priced Old World Pinot Noir.

The 2003 Juillot has smoky and earthy notes which are characteristics of the Pinot Noir grape. On the palate, there is big, bold but elegantly nuanced cherry fruit. I tend to think of some Mercureys as northern takes on Rhône wines -- from the central French valley below Beaujolais and just south of here -- with their typically luscious cherry fruit. They are totally different grape varieties but both possess a similar intensity of cherry fruit.

You are encouraged to serve this fruit-filled Mercurey at 14 degrees. In the summertime, that means sticking it in the fridge a good quarter-hour before you are ready to serve it. Since I would recommend decanting the entire bottle to let the wine open up, obtaining that lightly chilled temperature is easy as pie. Just stick your carafe in the fridge as you get out your ingredients for a dinner.

WHAT TO TAKE OUT OF YOUR REFRIGERATOR WHEN YOU PUT IN YOUR WINE

On the subject of food pairings, the bottle label says this wine matches red or white meats, as well as cheeses. If that seems too vague and general, I'll widen the playing field even further. How about a salad made up of whatever you have on hand? Throw it all in the salad bowl and toss with a vinaigrette. One restriction: make whatever you want just as long as you're working with arugula greens, or rockets, as they are sometimes known. Why arugula?

The mushroom is supposed to be a legendary pairing for Pinot Noir. Those deep and foresty tones in rich mushrooms like truffles, chanterelles or black trumpets are echoed in the wine. Sounds great indeed but expensive wine and expensive ingredients... you are going to have eat again this week so don't break the bank on one meal. Instead of mushroom delicacies, turn to the nutty, rich and pungent flavours of arugula to live up to your Mercurey.

A salade composée centred around the hearty arugula leaf is not only cheap but a cinch to prepare. There are no rules really: hard boil some eggs and slice them up, rinse some canned beans and coat them with herbs and oil, dress up some cold leftover boiled potatoes or whatever you've got. Mound the various items around the edges of your tossed rockets and feast.

Mercurey, France. 13%

...so then Pinot Noir goes to Grenache: You bring me downstream

Here we have a wine made from Pinot Noir and a Côte du Rhône wine. I'm putting them in the same review because, like a Sancerre to goat's cheese, there's an interesting relationship going on. The Sauvignon Blanc in a Sancerre is said to complement goat's cheese with its high acidity and contrast it too by adding something in the herbal department. It's a nice dynamic and my putting these two wines together attempts something along those lines. Like the shared acidity in the above equation, each wine possesses a common denominator in climate: They were both rendered out of the Midi in the late summer of 2003. And as for contrast, what could establish a greater gap than comparing the humble descriptive record of Grenache to the storied accomplishments of Pinot Noir. In my mind, placing these two bottles back-to-back would surely be enlightening. Where do varietal characteristics end and terroir influences begin? And though these were not cultivated from the same vineyard, they do share a certain regional profile. And I wanted to investigate that profile by tasting the wine grape I least respect right after the one I most revere.

The Cave de Rasteau, Côtes du Rhône-Villages 2003 is composed mostly of Grenache grapes. That's really my problem, not the wine's. Because Rhône appellations enforce vintners to include at least 40% Grenache in their reds, I end up a tough sell. On top of that, I tend to avoid shopping for Rhônes because it seems someone has always brought one out to dinner anyway. I guess when I get right down to it, Grenache, in general, is not a variety I harbour great affinity for. I sometimes detect a sweetness there that unfortunately reminds me of the sweetening agent in children's cherry medicine. But that is personal reaction and of course it doesn't apply in every case. I suspect I'm drawing my stereotype from low-end Rhônes. And I hate to say I dislike Grenache because it really is simply not true. Once in a while I'll be transported by a Grenache-led blend. This happens more often when I spend $20-plus, like in the wonderfully smooth case in point provided by the 2000 Antique Senimaros from Cave de Cairanne. For about $5 more than this Rasteau here, you will be invited to experience the difference that a higher-end Rhône can carry. And it's a difference that my money is on. Because it may be my palate is too temperamental -- a slight bit too much in the cherry department (something that so many of my friends encourage) just comes off as cloying to me. It sends my wine appreciation meter exponentially low. I hazard that's what you would call a classic case of dislike.

So needless to say this Rasteau had a lot to live down. But it manages quite well for itself. It enchants with its hearty balance and richness, neither characteristic overly fruity. Not fruit-bomb-y -- perhaps that's more to the point. Vaucluse, France. 14%.

Surprisingly, my tasting notes mark very similar reactions for the Pinot. The Laroche Pinot Noir Vin de Pays d'Oc 2003 is juicy, round and refreshing. It delivers bracing cherry notes in a way I would expect a Rhône to, but with much lighter body. An aroma of ripe blueberry tells you that you are not dealing with Grenache anymore. Its nose is good; its balance, not subtle, is punctuated by firm tannins. It's the depth that is most lacking, but quite fine as an everyday selection. Great with roast beef too. Béziers, France. 12.5%.

Conclusion: This potential odd couple share a ripened fruitiness that transcends the different grapes varieties of which they are made.

Backwash
It's seems like Montreal newspapers are covering their tracks. The leads they had with their liquor board price fixing story are quickly being replaced by newer articles clearly driven by SAQ press releases. So with that in mind, here is the original item that started it all (in French) and here is a comparable piece about the story written in English. In yesterday's space the CBC story did a fair job summarizing the whole conundrum. This one does okay too, but it really does feel shadier than a palm grove walking into an SAQ lately. I still want more brought to light regarding this one. A great -- if opinionated and French -- resource for a whole history of unyielding criticism towards the SAQ is found at this blogue. I'll be watching it and hoping for more in the meantime.