Like most winos I know, we are all suckers for a fairly priced Napa wine, and get especially excited when it is from the famed 2007 vintage.  So, I plunked a couple of them in my 10% discount 6 pack carrier and headed for self checkout.

It isn’t often I use the word “lovely” when describing cabernet sauvignon, but in this case it absolutely fits.  It offered a sound structure for mid-term cellaring, but was soft enough around the edges to please right now.

Over the 2 hours I tasted it, the wine  provided twists and turns as to what it predominantly offered…all I can ask from a bottle priced under $20!

I guess my palate still has it, as I see Wine Enthusiast gave it 93 points.  Certainly one of the best deals around.

Quality, complexity, and varietally correct.  Pick some up and confidently enjoy!

It has been a while since I have had time to post about some of my favorite wines of the year, and I’m glad to have a little now before Monday Night Football to post about what may qualify as my go-to cabernet for 2011.

The folks at Folsom and Associates, the marketing arm for Robert Mondavi Winery, sent me this one a few months ago to give it a test run.  Coming off the staggeringly good 2007 vintage, it has been a while since I tasted something that gave me pause.  This one did.

Retail $28, buy widely available for far less, the 2009 RMW Cab is all it should be:  voluptuous,  with a hearty combination of full ripe tannins, balancing acidity, and complex barrel flavors of cinnamon toast, dark berry fruit, and a whisper of cabernet “sauvage”.

Perhaps one of the reasons I liked it so much is that it barely qualifies to be labeled as a cabernet sauvignon at all, with only 75% of the blend being CS.  Merlot, cabernet franc, and a few percentage points of common blending varietals all come together adding to a wine I just might like a hint better than it’s 2007 counterpart.

High praise indeed.

Well, I’m here to tell you that no 3 words could be more accurate than when applied to the 2008 La Follette Sangiacomo Vineyard Pinot Noir.  A wine that is nothing short of magnificent. 

Managed by third-generation farmers, the Sangiacomo Vineyard benefits from a daily stream of cool air pulled inland from the San Pablo Bay in the Sonoma Coast.  The resulting wine is freshly fruity, yet impeccibly balanced with tea, a sweet earthiness, and french oak to coax out additional length and harmony.

Mostly what struck me about this wine was it’s elegance.  It absolutely slipps off  your tongue in a way only pinot noir can, yet exceeded any preconcieved ideas I may have had.  This is one of those wines that I receive in the mail from a winery or distributor that made me stop in my tracks, take a step back, and realize why I dedicate so much time to teaching and writing about wine. 

Honestly, I went directly to the grocery store and purchased a beautiful piece of fresh salmon, roasted it in the oven, and served with a few spoonfulls of pesto cream over the top.  It was absolutely perfect.

One more note on concentration.  When my wife and I don’t finish a bottle over dinner together, we know it is a wine with depth and concentration, and this was no exception.  I corked the remaining wine and had it the next evening prior to dinner, but this time with some lofty expectations. 

I was not disappointed. 

Find it.  Get it.  Enjoy it now or age for up to 10 years.

Basically it is a question and answer game.  If you get the question correct, you move on to another random corner of the wine world.  If you are incorrect, it spells out why.  Multiple players may participate or one can study on their own.

I use this CD-Rom all the time to make sure I’m sharp with my global wine knowledge. It has three difficulty levels to grow along with you. Super easy to use, and made for everyone from the beginning wine lover to advanced wine professionals.

Install and running is about as basic as it gets.  Just pop it in your computer, add player(s) names and go.

FIND IT HERE

2007 Bonterra Viognier Mendocino County

When I think of Thanksgiving dishes, I think quantity, variety, and aromatics.  Choosing a wine that matches these traits while offering up a little contrast to make things interesting is often the best choice for such a complex meal.  But how does one find a wine that works with turkey, creamed corn, and green bean casserole all at the same time?

Quantity:  Lots of food, lots of guests, and a long time at the table.  The wine should be lower than average in alcohol…I mean yeah…we’ll be watching football and having fun all day, right?  But, lower alcohol shouldn’t mean it doesn’t have the body style necessary to stand up to all the cream and gravy.  For contrast, the wine should have a little zing of acidity to cut through our close friend’s delectable sausage stuffing.

Variety:   This wine should be complex.  With a dozen different dishes, and some strong ones at that, the wine should bring lots of different aromas and flavorsto the table.

Aromatics:  Thanksgiving is the most aromatic of traditional American meals so it stands to reason we’ll need something with a high degree of aromatics so the food does not diminish its partner.

The winner? 2007 Bonterra Viognier, Mendocino County.

This cool climate wine has under 14% alcohol, offers both floral and fruit aromatics, and has a medium-full and creamy mouth feel.  Without question it is consistently year in and year out one of the great values in viognier, and it is widely available around the country for around $15.  Did I mention it is also Certified Organic?

Remember, its not what is in your glass, but who you share it with.

And, if you use this coupon, you’ll get a discount of $5 of any $75 purchase too!

2009 Solis Winery Fiano Estate

So I can’t say I was angry, but I will say I was disappointed. The wine was nothing short of superb, but my fellow panelists simply didn’t get it.

To set the stage, the “other” whites category at large wine competitions are, shall we say, is The Land of the Misfit Toys. If you’ve never tasted these sorts of wines, well, generally you aren’t missing much. Often times they are comprised of the end-lots of what didn’t make the cut of better quality wines, all mixed up, given a fancy name and sold over the counter at tasting rooms. A winery marketing director will pay a small fee to enter the obscure blend into the competition hoping it will get some recognition to help sell the inventory which would otherwise be flushed.

Fiano is a relatively obscure grape (unless you are from the Campania region of Italy). As a single varietal it absolutely stands on its own. However, because it is not chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, or another widely cultivated grape, in competitions it stands alone. But it must have a caterogy, so among the “other” category it falls.

Hum drumming through many of these drinkable-yet-uninspired wines I was stopped dead in my tracks. I tasted, sniffed, and re-tasted again. I set it aside, completed my flight, and went back to it again. In judging approximately 500 wines this summer, I awarded Gold just over a dozen.

The 2009 Solis Winery Fiano Estate was absolutely without question worthy of the highest award. Unfortunately, my fellow panelists couldn’t figure the wine out. Was it aromatic, was it fruit forward, was it a food wine, or was it just an “other”? Silver was all it was awarded this time.

When any subject is spoken on at length, it is a tribute to its own powerful nature. Unquestionably, this wine was spoken about more than any other at any wine competition I participated in over the last number of years.  In fact, it was the only wine from this major competition I sought out to discover its true identity after the event was completed. 

NOTE:  We taste all the wines blind at these events to avoid any predisposed bias.

It sings of floral aromatics, expresses distinctly new-world fruitiness, and offers a luxurious combination of a mildly creamy texture and perfectly balanced acidity. If you could blend the absolute best characteristics of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and gewürztraminer you can start to paint a picture of what this special wine has to offer.

Due to the rainbow of flavors in concert with the backbone of acidity one could enjoy this wine a huge variety of aromatic dishes. From grilled chicken Caesar salad to Thai food and anything in-between.

Or, as I have been, just sip it on the patio under the setting sun and enjoy the most exciting wine find of the summer. No categories. Just pure pleasure.

Oh yeah, the 2009 Solis Winery Fiano Estate did receive its much deserved Gold at the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Ahhh…redemption.

www.soliswinery.com

I’ve proclaimed 2010 as “The Year of Happiness”.

Heck, local real estate prices have been on the rise for 8 consecutive months and the stock market has risen nearly 37% over the last year. We certainly have not seen that in a while!

Now is the time to treat yourself (or your Mom!) to something special, and I’m here to offer my own little incentive to do so.  Keep this email as a “Buy one super fun entertaining and informative wine class, get one super fun entertaining and informative wine class free” coupon.*

Each of my 1.5 hour classes cost $250 for up to ten people (do the math, it’s pretty cheap) and includes glassware, printed materials, all wine, and some great memories.

Here is a link to my newly updated “classes” page, which includes videos (the production value is SWEET!) with more info on some of my signature courses.

In addition to those on the website, I also am offering for the first time a “Points vs. Preference” class where we blind taste 88 point wines vs. some that have scored 92 or higher and see what all the hubbub is about, and to put your palate to the test and see if you can taste the difference.

Write me an email for more info or to inquire about available dates.

Finally, I kept the Dom Perignon Champagne Truffles recommendation below as they absolutely thrill all who try them.  Mother’s Day is right around the corner…hint, hint.

Life is short. Rejoice in it!

Mark the Cork Head

www.thecorkhead.com 

Dom Perignon Champagne Truffles 97 points (TCH) FIND IT HERE I kept these in here as a leftover from the last email because they are just so darn amazing.  If you didn’t get them for Valentine’s Day, get them now for Mother’s Day.  I promise you’ll email me and say thanks!       Price: $40.00

Centuries ago, temperature controlled environments in which to produce wines were not available. The now famous wine destination of Champagne, located about an hour-an-a-half drive north and east of Paris, experiences very cool fall and winter temperatures. Cold enough to slow down and eventually halt the fermentation process of the wines being produced. Early winemakers would see that fermentation had stopped and therefore bottled what they had

As one could imagine, the springtime brought with it warmer temperatures allowing the yeast to come out of dormancy, creating a secondary fermentation and hence bubbles would form in the bottles. This frothy byproduct of producing wine in Champagne was originally considered a nuisance—a flaw in the wine from this region.

Dom Perignon helped change all of this in the late 1600’s with his innovative winemaking techniques. He is credited with, among other things, creating a gentle basket wine press and insisting the wine be stored in flasks instead of wood to maintain its color and freshness. It was during this time that Champagne became fashionable.

The year 1818 saw another major advancement in the making of sparkling wine. The Champagne house called Veuve Cliquot created the process called “remuage”, or the settling of the yeast in the neck of the bottle through riddling. Expired yeast could now be removed from the bottle in one quick step providing for a crisp and clear end product.

Wines made in these traditional processes are allowed to be labeled “methode champenoise” and produce complex, nutty, and often times age worthy selections that are mostly produced in Champagne and premium California wineries.

Modern technology has brought about other, more cost effective ways to make bubbly.

In 1907 Eugene Charmat invented the bulk process, self titled the “Charmat Method” where the wine is placed in large glass lined pressurized tanks throughout secondary fermentation and bottled under pressure.

The “Transfer Process” is another modern method where secondary fermentation, just like methode champenoise, takes place in a bottle. After the secondary fermentation is complete, the wine is then poured in to large pressurized tanks where it is filtered and bottled avoiding the costly and time consuming remuage.

Finally, there is the very simple “injection method” where carbon dioxide is injected directly into the serving bottle.

Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain, and inexpensive American sparkling wines are wines often made with these more modern methods. They are marked by a strong bubbly texture and a fruitiness that is perfect for casual occasions.

When purchasing a sparkling wine the following notations may be on the label.. Blanc de Blanc is a white wine made from the white grape chardonnay. Blanc de Noir indicates white wine made from red grapes—pinot noir or pinot meunier. Sparkling wine can also be labeled by its sweetness. The list in order of sweetest to driest is as follows: Doux, Demi-Sec, Sec, Extra Dry, and Brut.

Most sparklers are not created from a single vintage, hence the reason the majority of these wines do not display a year on the label. Producers will blend multiple vintages together each year to help maintain a consistent “house style”.

However, after a special growing season, producers may declare a “vintage”. In these rare years the growing conditions were exceptional allowing them to bottle a single vintage wine that typically has superior aging potential. While these wines are very special, the “Tete de Cuvee” is the most important wine that comes from a producer each year. This is the flagship product each house offers and can be a blends of all three Champagne varietals, chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier.

His unique story began in the 1960’s when wine in the United States was not what it is today. Truth be told, at the time there were actually more orchards than vineyards in the Napa Valley. To receive the best instruction available he would be forced to move overseas.

France’s University of Bordeaux offered the world’s premier wine education, however Osterland did not speak the language. Not to be deterred, he moved to France to study the language for 9 months just so he could enroll. For each hour spent in the classroom, it took him three more just to translate the lessons. Four grueling years later he had attained the highest wine accreditation in France, the D.U.A.D, roughly translated as a professional tasting degree.

Not satisfied with this remarkable accomplishment, his internal drive to be the best took him to London where he sat for and passed the Master Sommelier exam. By doing so, he became the very first American to be awarded this revered title. Since Osterland earned this honor over 35 years ago only 103 total Americans have been able to wear the pin of a Master Sommelier.

Osterland has manifested this pioneer spirit by fusing his psychology background with his singular understanding of wine to create a package of services for corporations called “Power Entertaining with Food and Wine”.

“I’m part speaker, part educator, and part entertainer” says Osterland. His splashy engagements have served some of the greatest corporate names in the United States including American Express, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup.

Power entertaining is all about introducing premium strategies that will allow his executive clients to impress corporate and personal guests on the same high level at which they have excelled at in the business community.

“My services are not about food and wine as much as they are about developing relationships with clients”.

His signature tool to commence a corporate retreat or seminar is his “Passport to Wines of the World”. During this exercise he pairs specific foods and wines and stations them throughout the room while arming each guest with a passport to each station. Osterland invented this format to create physical movement around the room which provides an improved opportunity for attendees to get to know each other in an enjoyable atmosphere.

When addressing groups as a keynote speaker Osterland specifically avoids preaching the straight and narrow. “I’ll never tell people how food and wine taste”, he says. “Each of us has their own palate and should connect their own dots.” He will however arm his listeners with some useful insight on how to get the most out of tasting wine and combining it with food to assure a lasting impression when entertaining.

Four decades after the courageous decision to become the first American Master Sommelier he continues to be on the leading edge of the industry. In just the last few years he has led hundreds of events, including functions as far away as China.

“I’m thrilled with what I do,” says Osterland.

For more information on Eddie Osterland events or to contact Mr. Osterland, visit www.eddieosterland.com.

I was struck by an interview with Alpine Skier Lindsey Vonn as she politely and calmly answered all the questions she was asked with poise and charm…and with a conviction to be the very best.  Her passion was palpable.  Her commitment infectious.  She was simply being herself.  Expressing her thoughts.

Shortly thereafter, in the setting of a friendly Pro-Am in conjunction with the PGA Tour, Tom Brady started doing his best Rickey Henderson impression…answering questions while doing anything he possibly could to be as deflective as possible.  A loose quote of his said it all.  “We are working at it and we are hitting it a little better.” 

We?  Golf is an individual sport Tom.  What’s with the “we” reference?  Dude, this wasn’t a Super Bowl press conference, this was a fun event where you are served up on a silver platter a platform to show your personality to the nation.  Maybe you could show some sort of apprecation that you are fortunate enough to be playing golf with the world’s best on THEIR stage, at Pebble Beach no less, one of the greatest meetings of sea and earth one will ever experience. 

How about a little, “Man, I love it here.  What a special treat it is to be here and experience all of this.  I’m truly blessed”.  Give the scripted stuff a rest!

Perhaps the best thing I’ve seen so far was Netherlands Speed Skater Sven Kramer going into the stands.  Nope, it wasn’t anything like Ron Artest or Milton Bradley trying to put a beat down on a ticketholder, it was simply an athlete so overjoyed to win that he felt it only appropriate to share his gold medal moment with those who loved him most…his girlfriend, parents, and other close supporters.  It was wonderful to see the interaction of a sportsman and fans in a non-Detroit or Oakland sort of way, wasn’t it?

I guess this is why we love the Olympics so much.  Sure, we get to see competitions not normally shown in prime time, if ever given any air time at all.  Mostly we get to experience the heartache, pain, and triumphs of athletes wearing their hearts, and countries, on their sleeves for everyone to see.

GO TEAM USA!  Make us proud.

So, for my wine to pair with the early action I must choose an albarino, a light and refreshing wine sometimes even with a hint of spritz to it.  Sound familiar?

For now…

Mark the Cork Head