wine

This Winemaker Has Been Producing Wine Since Age Five

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Morgan Twain-Peterson takes us to the Bedrock Wine Co. vineyard in Sonoma, which produces as good a zinfandel as you will find —as well as the perfect answer to the eternal Thanksgiving conundrum.

I stumbled on this article while checking on a Wine Berserkers forum I babbled in last night after opening my first bottle of Bedrock Old Vine Zinfandel. The well-balanced red wine perfectly married fruit and spice and became a wonderful pairing to last night’s pizza. It was one of those moments where I physically had to remove the wine bottle from my line of sight so I didn’t keep pouring another glass. As I commented on an Instagram I posted: #sublime.

Before ever tasting any of his wines, I’ve been interested in Morgan based on his reputation for great wines, hard work, his prolific instagram activity and the the shear curiosity factor: He’s the son of a  famed California winemaker. From the tiny glimpse I can see, Morgan’s out working (and as I just read in this story – studying for the Masters of Wine) and putting passion into his wine every. single. day.

But now I have a new reason to appreciate Bedrock wines, especially as a journalist who spent 16 years at a newspaper. You know those old vines? There’s a bit of history in them. As Jay MacInerney writes:

In 2004 he and his father bought Bedrock, the vineyard we’re strolling through today, and it’s a piece of land well suited to an American history buff. Much of it was planted between 1888 and 1895, when it was owned by millionaire senator George Hearst, the father of newspaperman William Randolph Hearst…. Some 33 acres of his original vines remain, still producing grapes more than 100 years later.

And before you wonder whether these old vines really matter (as opposed to new plantings), Morgan has this to say:

There is also a Darwinian element. If a vineyard has lasted through two world wars, Prohibition, and any number of other things, it must be special, or it would have likely been ripped out.

If the bottle of 2013 Bedrock Old Vine Zin I drank last night serves as any indication, it certainly is a beautiful expression of this special place.

Decanting Bedrock’s Old Vine Zinfandel

 

Read the full story on Morgan here: This Winemaker Has Been Producing Wine Since Age Five

A Pre-Broadway Treat

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Last week’s visit to Aldo Sohm was everything it promised to be: a casual, chic vibe; fabulous wine; gorgeous Zalto glasses and delicious food. Sadly my visit was too brief. We stopped in for only about an hour to have a glass of wine (Nebbiolo, for me), some cheese (a selection from Murray’s!) and charcuterie (amazing fennel salami) before going to see a Broadway show.

I can promise my next visit will be much longer. If you haven’t heard about this place, take a look at these recent write-ups: 

Taking the WSET Intermediate Exam

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It’s over. The six-week WSET Intermediate class I took at Capital Wine School concluded tonight with the promised 50-question-multiple-choice test. I was very prepared. I took my time going through the questions, and then I went through the entire exam a second time. Yet, I was still one of the first students to finish (I think I may have been the 4th or 5th one done). The practice tests were only slightly easier than the difficulty of the real thing. The trick with this course and exam: There’s a lot of information to know. Of the 50 questions, there were about a handful I wasn’t confident about. At least three I looked up when I got home, and I now know I got them wrong. But I’m not kicking myself. They were items that I didn’t focus on enough. Funny thing is, some of the items I fretted over were no where to be found on the exam. So be it.

So what now? Results come out in about two weeks, I think. I should feel relieved, but I’m sad. I thoroughly enjoyed each class. Studying wasn’t the boring, frustrating task it was in my high school and college days. I loved reading new chapters, and conquering the practice questions. I loved learning about grape varieties and parts of the world that hadn’t yet crossed my path. And I have a new joy seeing wine labels in a wine shop or while reading a wine list – it’s like I’ve finally cracked a code, or rather, the language of wine.

I knew one of my weaknesses going into this class was communicating effectively about the taste of a wine. And while I still have a way to go, I’m not disappointed that I didn’t conquer it. To really resolve that, it means tasting more wine and trying new foods so I can correctly identify flavors. That doesn’t seem like such a bad problem to have.

Cheers!

Wine Enthusiasts Seek Sommelier Bragging Rights

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From the Wall Street Journal:

When they could be raising a glass with their friends during their free time, some wine enthusiasts are hitting the books alongside professional sommeliers in order to take a challenging test.

Look! I’m not the only wine fan out there taking wine classes with no idea whether I’ll actually parlay my career toward the wine industry or just keep it as a fun hobby. But unlike the tone of the story’s headline, I don’t intend on taking classes so I can be called a sommelier (besides, I’m also taking classes from a different organization), nor am I doing this for bragging rights. I’m guessing (or at least hoping) there are plenty more people like me than the ego-driven folks the Wall Street Journal assumes in its story. Fortunately, the writer interviews enough enthusiasts who don’t sound like they’re doing this just for the snobbery. And it’s encouraging that many of them found ways to put their new certificates to good use.

For me, these past 5 weeks (tonight’s my last official class until next week when we take the exam), have been an opportunity to widen my knowledge and find ways of becoming a better communicator. I’m desperate for more interesting and intellectual conversations with other wine enthusiasts and winemakers I meet. And the one thing I know from being a journalist: The more information you’re armed with, the better questions you can ask and the more interesting details you can learn.

WSJ has also produced a video to go with their story, which can be read here: Wine Enthusiasts Seek Sommelier Bragging Rights

Saturday Wine Sharing

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So far today, I’ve sipped the following:

  • 2013 Copain Trousseau
  • 2006 Mayacamas Merlot
  • three different 2011 Hirsch Pinots: San Andreas Fault, East Ridge and West Ridge (there was a Chardonnay on the table, but i didn’t have a chance to try it)
  • 2008 “Alter Ego,” Chateau Palmer, Margaux
  • 1971 Chateau Lafon-Rochet
  • 1984 Silverado Cabernet Sauivignon

and many others. 

I’m not sure how I got so lucky, and I probably shouldn’t have been drinking them today, but I did. And I don’t regret a single moment. My favorite part of wine is the ability to share and it warms my heart that there are people in this world who agree.

Some Online Wine Diversions

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A combination of work projects, studying and diving into a book a friend recommended, has taken my attention away from obsessively monitoring twitter and other online news outlets for wine-specific features. But there are a few things that have caught my attention. I hope you’ll enjoy them, too!

  • 1FWA: That stands for “One (fill in the blank with an F word) Wine Adventure” – if you keep refreshing his site, you’ll see that your options for the F word include: foreign, French, frigging, fabulous, friendly, fancy, fine, festive, frivolous – and the list probably goes on (maybe this is the writer’s attempt at getting some additional pageviews – but it makes me smile). This morning he writes about the end of Burgundy’s harvest and includes a photo that illuminates the magic of the vineyards.
  • Over at Wine Folly, there’s a fun piece about the science of wine and your sex drive. I’ll just leave this link here, but let’s say there wasn’t much to disagree with.
  • And I’ve absolutely been loving the newish Brown Bag Wine series, where William Shatner interviews interesting characters (clowns, chefs, famous people, etc.) and asks them to describe and rate a wine in their own language. Here’s the latest episode:

Blame It On The Pyrazine!

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I may have mentioned this already, but I have a hard time with Cabernet Sauvignons. As a California wine lover, who loves visiting Napa, this can be a bit frustrating. Even in blends, when it’s not the dominate grape, I can easily detect its presence.

The reason? I’m not a fan of green bell peppers, and whenever that flavor is present, it leaves behind a terrible bitter taste. No matter how lush the fruit and other flavors that may waft from the glass, just a tiny taste turns the entire experience sour for me. 

Fortunately, there have been a few exceptions. I recently had a glass of Stag’s Leap Hands of Time Napa Valley Red Blend, which I gladly accepted a second glass of; and I’ve been able to tolerate some Cabernets when paired well with food.

But it turns out, there’s a name for this flavor – and a reason it’s detected in certain wines. More importantly, I may not be the only one who’s sensitive to it (see this 2010 blog post on the subject). It’s a chemical compound called Pyrazine.

The chemical often appears in Sauvignon Blancs, too. But I’m much more likely to tolerate it there. In fact, I’ll actively order SBs and love the crisp mix of high acidity with citrus flavors and some light herbaceousness.  Given my choice, I’ve always enjoyed California SBs to those from New Zealand. And wouldn’t you know it: Pyrazine is more apparent in Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough than those from California (So why can’t winemakers do the same with their Cabernets?).

I’m guessing there are probably additional chemical reactions that happen in red wine, which make it less approachable for me. I hope to research this further and learn more about it. For now, however, I’m glad I can put a name to it.

(Photo by Manfred Moitzi via flickr and creative commons.)

A New Wine For Women?

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I’ll admit, one of my guilty pleasures is watching E News when I get home from work. And I’ll admit, I’m a fan of Giuliana Rancic. But when I first saw this story in my Google newsfeed, I was ready to roll my eyes. Then I realized, even though I’m a woman, I’m not the market audience for her newest venture: 

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That’s right, those are four single-serving wine cups stacked as if they’re one bottle. Aesthetically, the design is very pretty and contemporary. And I do love the thought that it’s a way of being able to save the rest of the bottle when you’re in the mood for just one glass.

I have no doubt there’s a market for these, especially among those who are looking for the alcohol benefit in a nice tasting glass of wine at the end of the day.  It may even prove to be a good, accessible gateway into the world of wine for millennials.

But that’s not me, and I have to remember, just because I’m not the market for a particular part of the industry, I shouldn’t be quick to judge. It will be interesting to watch and see how these do.

(Photo: Courtesy XO, G Wine via EOnline.com)

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Learn About Wine With Me – White Bordeaux Wine Labels

This may or may not become a regular feature. I like the idea of writing through a specific topic from my class. It helps me better understand the lesson, allows me to stretch my writing fingers and maybe you, dear reader, will find what I have to write about interesting.  So I’ll start here, and we’ll see if other topics naturally present themselves in the same way. If you spot a factual error or you’re confused by something I’ve written, contact me: I’m itswinebyme on both gmail and twitter. I reserve the right to come back and re-edit this a million times, as I work through the learning process. 🙂 

I love buying wine. It gives me the same kind of happy excitement as when buying new shoes, or a new purse, or anything on a New York City shopping spree. So when the instructor of my WSET class pointed out a specific kind of White Bordeaux we should try, I immediately ran to MacArthur’s. One of their experts selected the label above and told me at $20/bottle it was a good entry level version of this particular wine to try. I haven’t opened it yet, but I figured this would be a good instructive opportunity to really understand the parts of a French wine label. I’m mostly writing this for my own learning purposes (and attempting to do so without my notes). So here’s what I think each element of this label tells us (starting at the top and moving to the bottom):

  • Grand Vin De Graves: These are grapes from Graves, an area of Bordeaux on the Left Bank. This combined with the specific appellation noted on the label (we’ll get to that a little later in this post) let me know what kind of grapes are in this wine.
  • Chåteau Tour Léognan: This is the property where the grapes were grown, or possibly the name of the vineyard on a larger property (I’m not 100 percent). When I first started writing this, I was nearly convinced that this was also the brand or producer, but as I worked my way down to the bottom of the label, I realized my mistake. The prominence given to the vineyard or property in a French wine label is the opposite of what you see in the U.S. and other markets, where it’s the brand or the producer that’s seen as more important. But in France, it’s the terroir, which drives a wine’s importance, not necessarily who’s making it.
  • 2012: This is easy. It’s the vintage, or the year the grapes were harvested. The class instructor noted that 2013 was a disastrous year for Bordeaux, so hopefully this vintage won’t let me down.
  • Pessac-Léognan: Aha! The very reason I bought this particular White Bordeaux. It’s the premium appellation for White Bordeaux, which by definition should be a mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon grapes. As a consumer, I’m expected to know this (which is why reading French wine labels can be so difficult). Fortunately this particular bottle’s back label notes it’s 70 percent Sauvignon Blanc and 30 percent Sémillon. 
  • The bottom of the label includes Famille Perrin, Propriétaire S.C.E.A. Chåteau Carbonnieux, and unlike the first Chåteaux written so prominently, this is the winemaker (aka producer, brand) of the wine. After some googling, I think this may also be the owner of the land, too. In theory, the owner could sell the grapes to other winemakers and they would have to label their wine with “Chåteau Tour Léognan,” as well.

To make understanding French wine labels even more complicated, there are other quality indicators not listed on this particular wine, such as Cru Classé, which signifies the best wines, according to a classification system created by the French government in 1855. But that system only applies to Bordeaux, so if you’re looking at a French wine label from Burgundy and see terms such as Premiere Cru or Grand Cru, that’s a different designation combining a quality rating and ensuring the grapes are from a single vineyard. Does Cru Classé have to be single vineyard? That I’m not sure about. But since most Bordeaux wines (red and white) are blends, I’m guessing the answer is no.

I’m always uncomfortable about publishing posts that may have factual mistakes. But writing this has taught me there’s still quite a bit I need to learn. If that means buying and enjoying more wine, I’m not going to complain! 

Wine School – Week 2!

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(Photo: A 1996 bottle of Chateau Sociando-Mallet bottle from Haut Medoc, in Bordeaux. It was opened at a gathering I went to last week. Little did I realize, later that week I would be learning about the region. )

Last night’s class was all about varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. But it’s impossible to talk about those grapes without lessons in winemaking, climate and geography. It served as a wonderful reminder of how well-rounded studying wine can be. 

As I mentioned last week, I don’t want to rehash my classes, but I do think it’s fun to leave behind some random facts (not necessarily part of the lesson plan). Here are a few from last night:

  • There’s less sulfer in a bottle of wine, than in trail mix. The sulfer dioxide that many people are afraid of helps keeps grapes oxidized, it fights mildew in the vineyards and fights against yeast and bacteria in the wine.
  • Even though Burgundy is usually associated with Pinot Norir, more than 60 percent of the region is planted with Chardonnay.
  • The hotter the season, the more rapidly acid falls. Wines from cooler climates have higher acidity levels than those from warm and hot climates.
  • A lot of Chardonnay now grows in China and North India, too.
  • Irrigation is not (or very rarely) allowed in Burgundy, unless you obtain special permission, which is hard to do.
  • A fair guestimate that about 95 percent of all wines don’t get better with bottle age.
  • New Zealand now makes more Sauvignon Blanc than France.  
  • Our instructor highly recommends trying a White Bordeaux from the Pessac Leognan winegrowing area of Graves.
  • 2012 was a fabulous year for Oregon Pinot Noir.

Probably the most important take away from this class – not related to the formal lesson plan – is that it confirmed my general dislike of many Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux (red) wines (we tasted both a Bordeaux and a California in class). Even when blended with other grapes. Sadly for now, those green bell pepper flavors don’t agree with my palate.  I’m not going to give up on them, and with food pairings and age, maybe I’ll eventually grow to like them.

As for that empty Bordeaux bottle I posted at the top of this page, I did enjoy the wine, but I didn’t ask for a second glass. Instead, I reached for some Burgundy.

Cheers!