These days, for better or worse, a lot of my social wine drinking involves multiple bottles of wine. Everyone gets a taste (or two or three) and moves on to try something different. Sometimes wines are revisited. It’s exciting to compare notes on what you’re tasting in between other kinds of chatter and gossip.
But on Memorial Day, I did something I haven’t in a very long time – and it was absolutely wonderful! I shared a single bottle of Red Car rosé with a dear friend over some cheese and an amazing strawberry cake she baked.
We caught up with each others lives, enjoyed the warm air and had a few hours to relax, breathe and just be in the moment. At times, I could even still geek out and talk about the wine. It was the perfect way to spend Memorial Day! Looking forward to more occasions where just a single bottle will do. Cheers!
“shh, THERE MIGHT BE WINE IN HERE” – a little snapshot of Alicia Cypress’ cubicle. She’s the Investigations team’s digital editor by day and blogs about wine by night @itswinebyme.
My wonderful day-job colleague who maintains the @mugsofnpr tumblr featured my most recent addition to my desk decor – although it’s frequently used for much-needed caffeine breaks, too! But if you’re curious about any of the other items in this picture, here’s a quick tour:
* Behind my now infamous mug, can you see the card with the grapes? It’s a hand-written thank-you note from a former intern, who understood my passion for wine.
* Below the shelf, I’ve decorated using postcards as art. That includes a few from Hope & Grace (an aha moment in my wine journey).
I’m trying not to let wine completely take over my desk, but when something makes you happy, having little reminders while crashing on deadlines can be incredibly helpful!
For 31 years … Wait a minute. Think about that. 31 YEARS. That’s not even a decade after the Judgment of Paris made California wine significant … MacArthur Beverages has been hosting a barrel tasting of California wines here in Washington, D.C. It’s an opportunity to try (and purchase) the most recent vintages before they’re ready to be sold – and as the name “Barrel Tasting” suggests, even before the wines are bottled.
A fun surprise (for me, at least) was to see so many Pinot Noirs (and some Syrahs and other varieties) from throughout Northern California (and dipping down into Santa Rita Hills). My understanding was this event in the past focused mostly on Napa Cabernets (but maybe I was wrong? or maybe this is a sign of changing tastes?).
But what I really enjoyed about the event was the energy in the room. Unlike other big tastings, many of the wines here have never been poured for consumers before. That made the tasting all about discovery – discovering new tastes and sensations in the new vintages, and for the winemakers, discovering how consumers are reacting for the very first time.
Napa Valley’s Chateau Montelena – along with Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars – beat out their French competition during the Judgment of Paris 40 years ago this month. / Photo by Flckr user Living In Monrovia
With this month marking the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris – the infamous blind tasting that put California (and the U.S.) on the international wine map – there will no doubt be many great stories commemorating this historic event. So instead of rewriting what everyone else is writing, here’s a compilation of pieces you should read. Since the actual anniversary isn’t until May 24, I’ll do my best to update this post as stories are published.
Bloomberg’s Elin McCoy does a few things in her piece:Why One Seismic Event in the Wine World Still Matters 40 Years Later. She starts out by reporting on a new movie in the making, and then as the headline suggests, answers her question “Why is the world still obsessed with this tasting?” She ends with a do-it-yourself guide to creating your own tasting to celebrate.
Leave it to the Judgment’s hometown newspaper to find a fascinating character to write about: Joanne Depuy. As she tells Napa Valley Register’s Tim Carl: “I introduced both of the winning wines to Steven Spurrier, and I even transported the wines over to Paris for the tasting for him.” (Uhoh – that means one of my favorite scenes in the Bottle Shock movie may also be fiction!) Read more about her story in:The woman behind the Judgment of Paris.
Wine Enthusiast is marking the anniversary by telling you which wineries to go visit and telling you what’s new, but the more interesting bits are at the bottom under fun facts! Did you know that the winning Stag’s Leap Cabernet included one percent Pinot Noir? Read more in The Judgment of Paris Turns 40.
Esther Mobley of the San Francisco Chronicle takes the cynical position that someone sitting in the center of a news subject always does in Why the Judgment of Paris really matters (and why it doesn’t). But she provides an interesting perspective that makes this a good read and some balance to all the other pieces celebrating the anniversary.
So many anniversary stories on the actual day (I’m typing this on the 24th!), but I’ll end this list by highlighting one that’s a little close to home. I encouraged NPR colleague Maria Godoy, who runs the NPR food blog, to introduce listeners and readers to the Judgement of Paris. She did a fabulous job – including an interview with George Taber – in The Blind Taste Test That Decanted The Wine World.
If you spot a good #judgmentofparis piece that’s not included here, tweet me: @itswinebyme. (Last updated May 24, 2016)
One more post about Virginia wine, and then maybe I’ll diversify this blog again. But after a Spring release party, it’s worth jotting down a couple of paragraphs about Early Mountain wines.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned the winery in my roundup of Virginia wines to know – mostly because visiting their winery is a wonderful chance to not only try their wines, but taste about a dozen others from Virginia wineries. But since it’s been at least two summers since I visited Early Mountain or tasted their wines, I wasn’t able to say too much about their specific offerings.
Now I can. The winery hosted a tasting at Iron Gate restaurant, in Washington, D.C. The restaurant has a beautiful outdoor patio and is a perfect location for a Spring or Summer evening. Unless it rains. Which it did. But the damp and gloomy weather was hardly noticeable when you combined a large white tent with Early Mountain’s fresh whites and rosé. The wines all had a beautiful acidity running through them with very little or no oak. Perfect garden party vino.
The event was also a great opportunity to meet Ben Jordan, Early Mountain’s winemaker and Maya Hood White, their vineyard manager. Both are relatively new to Early Mountain (in the past few years) and their youthful spirit comes through in the wines.
While I try not to formally review wine, I did make some notes in my Delectable account (feel free to follow me there), so here are those thoughts with some slight edits for accuracy, spelling, style and grammar (note: all wines, including the Chardonnay are from the 2015 vintage):
Early Mountain Rosé: The pretty salmon-colored wine gets most of its color from Syrah, but the wine is mostly Merlot, with a bit of Cab Franc as well. For a wine that was so light on its feet, there was a nice bit of depth and structure.
Early Mountain Pinot Gris: I braced myself for something on the sweeter side, but instead got a really nice crisp, dry wine. I enjoyed the acidity and noted it will be great on a hot, summer day.
Early Mountain Chardonnay: There’s only a touch of natural oak on this wine. Combined with a well-rounded finish, it’s an easy-drinking white that can please many palates. A great table wine, if you will.
Early Mountain Five Forks White Blend: The most structured and aromatic wine of the bunch, this white combines Viognier, Pinot Gris, Petit Menseng, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat. Lots of aromatics wafting from the glass, with a pinch of sweetness. But the palate is completely dry and the Petit Menseng lends a nice spice to the finish.
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