essex wine report

my new blog

jim small — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:01:29 +0200

i have moved....please see me at http://essexcountywinereport.vox.com

this is my new location

A Fun Read

jim small — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:15:14 +0200

Pete the Younger sent me this article from the Globe. It is very interesting and I hope you can view it. Liz is moving my blog to where her's is so all can see it all the time. It views well on my mac but I guess Bill Gates is still out to get me, because the windows machines can't read it well.

It doesn't surprise me that the Cali wines thumped the French ones. I find that French wines are ~60% hype and certainly are priced for snob appeal rather than quality. I just don't understand why I must pay $20 for a French "value" wine from Chateau STP when I can go down the road and get a killer $20 bottle from Mastronardi. Lyse LeBlanc (Mastronardi's winemaker) sounds French so why waste my money??? I will buy local.

Remember that those "Grand Cru" Bordeaux wines were selected ~100 yrs ago for sales not quality and the list doesn't change, so it was 'good' a hundred years ago and so now it still gets top prices but at no guarentee of quality.We can assume that the 'great' winemaker has retired. Only the French could do that. Besides, the Cali wineries grow and make their wine. In France that isn't as prevelent and I bet you get better wine if you grow our own grapes.

So read on MacBeth

DECANTER

Wine connoisseurs – I call them cons

BEPPI CROSARIOL

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

July 23, 2008 at 1:56 AM EDT

It was the taste-off that turned wine upside down.

In 1976, an esteemed all-French jury gathered in Paris for a blind tasting to compare eight of France's greatest wines against a dozen upstarts from California. In an upset worthy of Hollywood, the United States trounced France, winning top honours in both the red and white categories.

Now, Hollywood has finally found its way to the story. Not one but two films based on the so-called Judgment of Paris will duke it out for attention this year. Bottle Shock, a rollicking comedy-drama based on true events that stars Alan Rickman, opens in Toronto on Aug. 6 and is slated to roll out to theatres across the country later in the summer. The second film, Judgment of Paris, based on the official story by the only journalist to attend the Paris tasting, Time magazine's George Taber, is due later this year.

The event's significance has predictably been interpreted the same way ever since: California had vaulted its way into the wine stratosphere. True. But if there's justice, the films will also be a reminder – in these boom times for wine snobbery – of a message far more overdue.

Lost in the nationalistic dustup was a collateral truth merely implied by Mr. Taber's news story and deliciously hinted at in the great climax scene of Bottle Shock.

The message? Without the benefit of a glance at the label, wine connoisseurship is so much hot air and bluster.

I've seen Bottle Shock, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and it's well worth the price of a decent bottle of Gallo chardonnay. Filmed almost entirely in California, it's a sort of Rocky-with-grapes tale about the buildup to the Paris tasting at one winery, Chateau Montelena, which supplied the winning chardonnay. Mr. Rickman's understated portrayal of Steven Spurrier, the upper-crust Brit who organized the tasting and travels to California to source the U.S. entries personally, is something to behold, even if a few of the other performances run more toward typical Hollywood caricature.

One might ask why two films would suddenly materialize more than three decades after the fact. No doubt a big reason is Sideways, the 2004 sleeper hit from director Alexander Payne that proved pinot noir could be gold at the box office.

Another is the 2005 book Judgment of Paris by Mr. Taber, Time magazine's former Paris correspondent.

In fact, though credit for masterminding American wine's pivotal historical moment has always gone to Mr. Spurrier, perhaps an equally critical player was Mr. Taber, whose initiative on what he calls in his book “an otherwise slow afternoon” ensured that the low-key tasting did not fade into obscurity.

“Americans abroad have been boasting for years about California wines, only to be greeted in most cases by polite disbelief – or worse,” he wrote in the article published June 7, 1976. “Last week in Paris, at a formal wine tasting organized by Spurrier, the unthinkable happened: California defeated all Gaul.”

That last line became the enduring message of the event, of course – the Eagle had landed on the wine map.

But as Mr. Taber also entertainingly observed, it wasn't just that the French judges clearly preferred two California wines to the rest. Some actually believed they were tasting France's mythical terroir – the unique soil composition and special microclimates of its famous vineyards – in the rookie cowboy juice from Napa.

“Ah, back to France!” said one judge upon sipping a Napa chardonnay.

“That is definitely California. It has no nose,” said another after downing the Ramonet-Prudhon Bâtard-Montrachet 1973, a top-ranked white Burgundy, which placed seventh out of 10 chardonnays.

No nose? Talk about calling the kettle noir. But then, I've always advocated calling connoisseurs “cons” for short. I've attended far too many professional blind tastings to have much respect for people who boast about their tasting abilities.

Am I being too harsh? I think not. Frankly, to confuse an aristocratic Bâtard-Montrachet from continental-climate Burgundy with a warm-weather Napa chardonnay is the wine equivalent of mistaking a Massenet opera for Cats on Broadway. The tasters knew it, too, which is why some tried to suppress or dismiss the Paris results after the bottles came out of their paper bags.

These were no third-rate, tin palates, either. They included Pierre Bréjoux, inspector-general of the Appellation d'Origine Côntrolée board, which regulates the production of top French wines; Odette Kahn, editor of the Revue du Vin de France; Raymond Oliver, chef-owner of famed Le Grand Véfour restaurant; and Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which makes Burgundy's most expensive wine (at $1,800 a bottle).

If these people couldn't breeze through a taste test of iconic French wines, which they encounter virtually every day, who can? Certainly not your garden-variety wine bores here, who grandstand at some of the dinner parties you may have the misfortune to attend.

It's not just my opinion. As Georg Riedel, head of the famous Austrian wine-glass company who's seen his share of boneheaded guesses by famous palates, once wisely and humbly told me, “A label on a wine substitutes 10,000 years of [tasting] experience.”

There is no myth about wine more enduring than that of the Olympian taster, the man or woman who can, with one sip, instantly peg a wine down to the vineyard, harvest year and grape blend. Such legendary stunts, when not actually apocryphal, almost always sound more impressive than they are.

Scratch the surface and you'll usually find the field of potential wines was implicitly very limited. Until about 40 years ago, when Bordeaux and Burgundy were the be-all and end-all, the “blind wine” was virtually always pulled from a tiny list of well-known estates in the hearts of those regions – the Moutons, the Cheval Blancs and the Romanée-Contis. If you had tasted enough of those wines from a bunch of recent vintages (not difficult and not a financial hardship in those pre-hyperinflation days), you could acquit yourself pretty well. There was no fear, say, of somebody slipping in a Chilean cabernet (a style of wine, incidentally, that defeated Bordeaux once again in a repeat of the Paris tasting a few years ago using an all-European jury).

But here's the most important thing to know about those tall tasting tales: As with rags-to-riches stories, only the fluky, Horatio Alger-type exceptions tend to live on in history, not the run-of-the-mill failures. In a fair tasting with no implicit clues, most experts will embarrass themselves most of the time. At a recent trade dinner in Toronto, one of Canada's best-known wine critics guessed a 1971 Chateau Latour, a famous cabernet sauvignon from Bordeaux, was a pinot noir, a variety so distinct from cabernet as to almost be another fruit.

Ironically, Bottle Shock perpetuates that superhuman-taster myth even as the factual part of the story undermines it. In one pivotal, fictional scene, Gustavo, a Mexican-American cellar hand employed by Chateau Montelena, wows a crowded Napa barroom by identifying the legendary 1947 Cheval Blanc, a red Bordeaux, in an impromptu brown-bag challenge.

So, let me get this straight: A spunky American kid can nail the nuances of great French terroir in a blind tasting when an esteemed panel of seasoned European experts can't?

Apparently, 32 years after French arrogance got its comeuppance in the Judgment of Paris, wine jingoism is alive and well and living in America.

Visiting Wineries

jim small — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:57:21 +0200

I would like to thank Harvey and Alma of Erie Shores for their fine hospitality las Sunday. It was their annual Open House and as usual the weather co-operated and we had a great time.

The food was excellent (roast pig...I bet it was local)) and was even better than last year. Congratulations on a job well done.

How does one get invited to these events. Simple….go to the winery and sign their guest book. You will get on their emailing list and be kept abreast of what is happening. Buy some wine and become friends. What you will get back will be amazing. I have learned so much about wine….taken into the vineyard, eaten wine grapes (not what you would think...they aren’t eating grapes), and getting barrel tastings... really cool.

So when you venture out to a vineyard, you should remember some basic rules.

1)the tasting bar is not a bar. It allows you to try the product so that you can buy what you like. Please respect the server and don’t act like the tool from Sideways who says “hit me”. The tastings are just that. I have witnessed someone doing this heinous act and the server was not impressed. You are there to sample the product, not get drunk

2) If you go in a group call ahead. Many wineries are very small and need warning to prepare. You can wipe out their glassware and really overwhelm them. Basically any more than 6 people requires warning. A bonus for a call is that they may do something special for our group or give you our own wine guide.

3)Remember that many wineries are at their home. Treat the area with respect. Drive slow, park nicely and don’t run over the family pet or child.

4)Buy some wine...they like that

5)Don’t act like you are an expert. Don’t claim to know the winemaker when you don’t. You may be talking to the winemaker….you will look like a tool.

6)Forget the “I only drink wines from Napa” mentality….the local wineries are very proud of their product and “may let you have it” if you give them attitude…..try something new, talk to them with respect. Most of the people I get samples from are very knowledgeable, know more about wine than me, probably own the place and aren’t a $10/hr clerk.

7)Have fun!!!

Winery Report

jim small — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:21:09 +0200

Sunday was a beautiful day so Terry and I decided to go to a couple of wineries. So off we went.

We hadn’t been to Mastronardi for a long time so it was time to go. They love their wine and so do I, and being so close is a blessing.

What is new. Well the have a new line out which is value priced, but from what I had, is great and a great value. I always liked the idea of a 2^nd line as it allows the winemaker to cherry pick grapes and make the top line even better. The value then happens in the value line in a good year as ‘the left over grapes' could be great. Check these wines out as the are surprisingly good. Oh BTW just wait for the Vidal as the barrel sample we had was unlike any Vidal I’ve had...and the Baco….

But to the good stuff. Their Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is to die for. Enough said and the new Gewurtz….well I am waiting for Gewurtz 2 as this one will certainly have a great shot to retain the title as best Gewurtz. The wines there are just very well made. The reds just keep getting better too.

Good to see that the are going from very good to very gooder. Keep it up.

Then off to Smith and Wilson. If you haven’t been there go. The view is wonderful, the Smith’s are great people and the wine is beautiful.

The are out of Double Barrel...a pity.., but there is so much more. Syrah...yes , that Southern French beauty whom the Aussies have made their own, but theirs is just so nice. Some spice, big but not, ‘in your face’, a wonderful wine. Then there is the Voignier, another French grape which makes a wonderful, soft, delicate wine. Last year’s was wonderful but now they have a bone dry one to go with the slightly sweeter one. Both are so different but both are great. What can I say. The wines reflect the owners/winemakers. They are nice, classy people who make very nice, classy wines. If ever wines reflect the winemaker...theirs do.

So, it was a wonderful day. I just enjoy being around motivated positive people. Thank you guys for making my week...oh yes being with Terry all day was nice too!!!!!

Bacchus Made Me Write This

jim small — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:58:49 +0200

Call it divine inspiration. I was walking past my wine and this bottle slid out. I said a bad word and rushed to save my baby. Is it ok? Not hurt baby? Ah she was fine.

What was it? A Muscedere 05 Canadian Oaked Chardonnay. Was Bacchus speaking to me? Well since they refuse to bottle the new Chardonnay, I will review this one again.

This wine, was the subject of a top secret review last year. I managed to obtain (or steal) a lickbo sample. Not final production but oh so nice. This one was a production sample.

Music tonight is Joe Jackson ‘Two Rainy Nights'. Its a live album from 2002 and is wonderful.

Dinner was Berkshire pork chops grilled with a wee bit of herbes de provence, new potatoes smashed with alot of butter and rosemary and fresh local corn. Pork from Wheatly, corn from down the street, and potatoes from Murray’s (also down the street). Local is good. My god, an Essex County meal….I wasn’t trying btw.

Now the wine:

A wonderful straw/gold color. Very inviting. The wine just hangs on the glass then falls in nice rivulets…..a good sign.

So far so good but how does it smell? You smell the oak for sure but it is nice and soft, then vanilla and pears, apples so nice. I could just smell it all night.

The mouth feel is wonderful, thick soft...it just feels good. I get the oak, but apples on the after taste. Butter, lot of butter oh this is nice. There is a little acid (good). A bit of mineral on the finish and a nice warmth of the alcohol. A wonderful wine.

This wine just makes me happy. The last time I had it I was powerless (merci enwin) and drinking it in the rain. This is much better.

With the food it held up very well. It mated with the pork and brought out its best attributes. Very enjoyable. Terry thinks the new one couldn’t have done as well, but how can I be sure as the new isn’t bottled yet!

Well this one is sold out, but Bacchus has had his way. E-mail Fabio and beg him to bottle the new one...offer to help bottle it too!!!...Terry did... as it is very good and needs to be enjoyed and if you have some of this 05 try it and enjoy.

Okay, this is a couple of weeks old

jim small — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:47:54 +0200

Man, I’ve been working too hard lately, but 3 of 4 carboys of cider have now been bottled and all indications are very positive.

We intend to open some Perry this evening after dinner. For non-decedents of the West Country of England, like me, Perry is pear cider. This was hard work as the pears broke my press and I had to do emergency repairs. Next year, I will let them get very soft prior to pressing.

Well it was clear bright and had a wonderful smell. Add the secondary fermentation and I will have a wonderful sparkling cider. Oh yes it should be about 11%.

First carboy of cider is basic with a sugar secondary charge Todays has about a dozen bottles with raspberries and six with red currents from our garden. Oh yes, four with honey. An experiment yes, but should be good. Next batch will be done with caramel to get a dark cider and then some krausened( adding fresh juice as the secondary…. great beers are done this way). Fun Fun as long as they don’t explode. All natural and relying on alcohol to preserve it. Just like the old days.

So far, batch 1 of cider is good but lots of sediment….we did that one with a juicer and won’t do that again. Batch 2 was peach done with a juicer….it was a disaster but id drinkable and at 10% alcohol its a beast...its ok but, I may cook with it. We bought a press after that fun. Batch 3 was 2 bushels of pears and 11 of apple so I guess I will not be buying Strongbow this year. All fruit was local from Ruthven.

I will let you know how it goes...I’m knackered.

A Tale of 2 Pinots

jim small — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:58:48 +0200

I can’t believe the week I had. Work is worse than ever and I just managed to survive.

To remind myself that I am a worthy piece of humanity, I asked Terry to load the wine fridge as I was returning from the weekly “League of Gentlemen” meeting. Actually, the females almost out-numbered the males this week. Hmmm, I must ponder this.

Well, my spirits were raised, and it seems Gewurtz 2 will actually happen.

Now this was funny. I had been listening to NPR and the had this story about the iceberg fishermen in very northern Newfoundland. Well, I knew about the ones who fish for Iceberg Vodka (very good btw) ...well lo and behold V’s friend starts telling me about it. It seems her cousin is an iceberg fisherman. They catch iceberg bits and make bottled water out of them. What a small world.

Well, Terry did yeoman’s duty...she pulled 4 Pinots and all good ones. So when I got home I had a wonderful dilemma, Lailey, Rief, Muscedere, or Niagara College. What is a man to do???

Having had a couple of Rickert’s Whites….a real nice wheat beer, I had enough Dutch Courage (where did this term come from??), and went for the Rief. This is not the licbo stuff...We got it at the winery. The nice lady there, offered us the carafe at the end of the counter. Unmarked and only for “special people”. Not cheap, but cheaper than the Burgundian Big Boys.

This wine is an 2002 and they claim it comes from well drained soil..kinda like Burgundy. A big dark wine with lots of good stuff. An excellent wine with obvious good things. It oozes quality and I wouldn’t hesitate to serve this to the Queen. Serve this one with bigger food, I could just imagine a turned goose or duck...or lamb or Burgundian Beef Stew, or anything really good. More of a dinner wine. We had it with some nice cheese….a double brie, oka and it was oh so nice. A steal at $40. If in Niagara go and get some. Be nice and you can try some and try some of their Chenin Blanc...a nice dainty wine but gooooood.

After that Pinot, I just had to get out a bottle of Muscedere Pinot Noir. I had this when it was really young, at a tasting, and had the pre-release. It was very good then and is wonderful now. BTW just wait till next year...I had the wine at ~ 5 months and it was wonderful. This wine won a Double Gold at the wine competition and deserves the praise. It is lighter than the Rief and the first taste was not what I thought. It was unfair that we had an aged big boy before it, but after a half a glass, its wonderfulness came out. A wee bit light, but still all the Pinot goodness I love. It has the advantage to be more drinkaloneable and still be big enough to handle food. Give it bbq salmon, or turned duck or turkey or coq au vin. Take the lighter end of the red wine food spectrum and be happy. Just for thought; this is their first Pinot and the vines are just wee little things. Just think about when the ‘grow up’. Flat, clay and nothing like the Cote d’Or , but they won double gold. The wine will only get better and these guys are still kids too. Just wait until the figure out how to make wine...just joking!!!.

Listen to Mel Torme, “Live at Charlie’s” with this one and maybe his album with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass with the Rief. The wines have the sophistication to match the sophistication of the music.

So try these and enjoy!!!

Cider Update

jim small — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:40:56 +0200

Man, I’ve been working too hard lately, but 3 of 4 carboys of cider have now been bottled and all indications are very positive.

We intend to open some Perry this evening after dinner. For non-decedents of the West Country, like me, Perry is pear cider. This was real hard work as the pears broke my press and I had to do emergency repairs. Next year, I will let them get very soft prior to pressing.

Well it was clear bright and had a wonderful smell. Add the secondary fermentation and I will have a wonderful sparkling cider. Oh yes it should be about 11%.

First carboy of cider is basic with a sugar secondary charge Todays has about a dozen bottles with raspberries and six with red currents from our garden. Oh yes, four with honey. An experiment yes, but should be good. Next batch will be done with caramel to get a dark cider. Fun Fun as long as they don’t explode. All natural and relying on alcohol to preserve it. Just like the old days.

I will let you know how it goes...I’m knackered.

June Restaurant Review

jim small — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:52:45 +0200

I finally made it to Caldwell’s Grant last night, not that I hadn’t had the food previously(we always got some at the wine fest), and it was just what I had expected.

It is a nice cozy restaurant and we chose to go to the patio. This we had basically to ourselves which was quite enjoyable as it was nice and cool.

The wine list is very extensive and varied. I would have liked to see more locals but I can’t complain about what I saw. The pricing was fair and we chose a bottle of ViewPoint Auxxerrois for $30.

The menu has a fair bit of choice but not too much. There was enough variety to keep everyone happy including vegetarians ( a nice curry)…. Why would you go out to dinner to have nuts an berries???

Why do restaurants always want to serve everything?? I always get scared when I see War and Peace arrive as the menu, as I just can’t see anyone being able to cook so much without it being re-therm. Here they did it just right...2 pages... all you need….one thing I liked was the steak wellness chart...I just hate being with the “my steak is overdone” or “my steak is too rare” person….here. they would order and shut up...no bitching.

We had the mussels as our appetizer. These were done in a curry sauce and were oh so good. Ample enuff to serve me happily. We just grazed on them.

Mains was pickerel for the both of us. Very nicely done, though Terry felt that the cornmeal batter made hers a wee bit dry. When we finished...her way before me and all was gone. Veg was zucchini peppers and something...hey we were on the patio and it was quite dark which all seemed local fresh and very nicely done.

The bread was wonderful and came with a flavored butter.

Service was excellent, friendly, professional, fun and just attentive right. Not bothering but there...this is good as we were alone and could have easily been forgotten.

All in all a very good meal. The perceived value was excellent as our “specials” were at the going rate for pickerel. This made it a good value.

I am glad we went and we will be back.

Score 85

Summary

cleanliness: excellent

menu: modern American

portion size: just right

food: very good

service: very good

wine list: nice selection

priced fairly

could be more locally sourced

value for money: very good

Wine Music Interface

jim small — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:11:19 +0200

I have been pondering many issues lately and one which interests me was started from an article Pete the Younger emailed me. It was a piece about a study regarding the pairing of music to wine. Their choices were rather ‘interesting’ so I’ll add my 2 cents worth.

There is the beer group and or the beer and whiskey group. These bands include ZZ Top, George Thoroughgood, all blues and an new performers like Kid Rock.

The rum and beer group is led by Great Big Sea….why...because the are from ‘the rock’ and are a great party band..going to see them in Ohio this summer. Place in here all the great Celtic bands too. These tend to be from Cape Breton Island. My Gaelic isn’t good and I just don’t need another Sir Rod correction when I say that certain band name wrong….he won’t offer me a family discount either for their music.

So here will be some of my wine choices, starting with white wines.

Chenin Blanc: a wonderful grape that is French and not really grown much here. It is very light but has some depth and interesting hues. For this wine I suggest Yael Naim...Who is that you may ask. She is the woman who does the Mac Air theme. Her music is whimsical happy and light but really cool. It was recorded in Paris and just oozes that coolness. Some is in Hebrew but that is still good. So combine French sounds with the old Yiddish influences and there you go...light happy but with surprising depth.

Voignier: another rather rarish grape from France...southern mainly. Light fresh and and again happy. For this Ella Fitzgerald. She was just so cool and before she got ill could just groove, Happy, light and just full of life. Don’t discount her or the grape as there is alot there. She was an accomplished musician and made superb music.

Chardonnay: the grape I have learned to love. We all hated it in the late 80’s and now I love it. Stylistically it can move around and have many variations on a theme. No doubt this goes to Alyson Krauss. Union Station is/was great bluegrass, she does somewhat mainsream country as a solo artist and made that wonderful album with Robert Plant...it reminds me of the acoustic side of Physical Graffiti. She moves around gendres but you can tell its her. All good too...and btw I don’t like country kinda how I didn't like Chardonnay...I’m so conflicted.

Sauvignon Blanc: wow all French grapes. An early favorite of mine. Herbaceous and just oozing with flavour. Goes well with food and can have a rough side if not done well,but can be just wonderful. To this I will match Branford Marsallis, brother of Wynton and a fine sax player. He is really into Bebop and sometimes hard to listen to, but can be oh soo good….real music.

Riesling: so wonderful, can be sweet, can be dry, can be just wonderful. For this I suggest Jane Sibbery. I saw her in a small venue in Toronto and she was just stunning. Man layers and textures to her music. Can be sweet, can be tart and just wonderful.

Pinot Noir: the undisputed king of grapes. The best there is, was, or will be. To this I propose the Velvet Fog, Mel Torme. He could swing, scat and just had fun doing it. Not heavy stuff but full of depth, layers and talent.

Cabernet Franc: earthy tones with a little lightness. I like Joni Mitchell here. She started doing folk then now is doing great jazz based music. Intelligence, talent and the ability to to be cool. Years of cigarets have given her that raspiness in her voice which just works so well.

Merlot: like the character in ‘Sideways’ I am not a Merlot fan. Its just too jammy for me. Here I will suggest Beethoven's 5^th. Just too over the top for me. I like the 6^th much better.

Cabernet Sauvignon: big bold fruit….Wagner...enuff said

Meritage: not a grape but a blend...still really good and for this I choose Thelonius Monk. Complex intelligent full of life.

Sangiovese: in the finest forms just incredible. A tad lighter, but just packed with flavor. Here we have OP, Oscar Peterson. A wonderful musician who was regarded as ‘the best’ for years. For years wouldn’t leave Montreal but made his big impact when he did. Just love his music just like I love Tuscan wines.

Nebbiolo: complex deep dark tannic….hues of tar and alot of earthy stuff...not for everyone. Only one choice… Charles Mingus….complex, sometimes hard to listen to but makes wonderful music...you either love his music or hate it...I love it.

As you know, I full believe that the wine experience is influenced by: friends, food, music, food, and the karma of the space. All play a role and if in harmony a simple wine could just be wonderful.