We All Remember Our First Love...

I don't know about you, but I still remember my first love.  I'd say it was a summer love kind of thing but it was more than that.  It was my first FLX Riesling love...it may be the one responsible for sucking me into the whole Rielsing thing.

We read a few things online about the new kids on block so when we found ourselves at the northern end of the east side of Seneca Lake, we couldn't pass up a chance to visit Zugibe.  We had a great tasting with Brendan and we have made it a point to stop in any time we're in the area - but that's fodder for another day.  This one is about the rock star - Zugibe 2008 Dry Rielsing!  It had everything I love - acidity, minerality and lime...lots of lime.

We opened our last bottle the other night and the gripping acidity has mellowed over the past year.  I got a wet slate kind of minerality on the nose with no petrol at all.  It was light and refreshing with citrus and lime; it was beautifully balanced with lovely acidity leading to a crisp finish...and it was awesome with slow roasted shrimp!  I keep telling you I'm fickle!

Easy and Affordable, But NOT a One Night Stand

After years of proclaiming that we are not white wine drinkers, I keep finding more and more empties in the recycling bin.  I guess it should come as no surprise that this lovely, warm Fall day, and some beautiful, incredibly fresh wild caught shrimp, and humongous sea scallops had us reaching for a white. 

The white-of-the-night was Shaw Vineyard 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.  We're not huge fans of Sauv Blanc; in many we find a grassiness that makes it somewhat unpleasant to our taste.  We were very open to tasting this one while visiting the winery but I have to admit that I felt a split second of hesitancy when my PIC brought this one out of the cellar.  We love all of the Shaw reds, so I ask myself, what's not to like?

As it turns out, nothing!  It is light, crisp, and refreshing with a minerally, wet slate nose.  It's beautifuly balanced with green apple, melon and a hint of pineapple on the palate.  It is easy drinking but not just a simple summer sipper.  I can see a lot of this in the Fall lineup!

You can say meri-TAHJ, but you would be wrong!

Meritage.  French, right?  Not so much.  Merit + Heritage = Meritage - rhymes with heritage.  Now that we have the wine-speak down, what does it mean to us as consumers?  Not much.  The term Meritage refers to New World wines blended in the tradition of Bordeaux and...hold on to your hat...they can be red or white. 

It really means more to the producers.  In order to use the term Meritage on their label, a winery must join The Meritage Association, which was was formed by a group of American vintners in 1988.  Their goal - to "identify handcrafted wines blended from the traditional "noble" Bordeaux varieties".  Producers pay something like $1/case produced to a maximum of $500 per year for the privilege of using the name.

Strictly speaking, a Red Meritage is a blend of two or more of the red “noble” Bordeaux varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and the rarer St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenère.  A White Meritage must be a blend of at least two of three specific white “noble” varieties  - Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon or Muscadelle du Bordelais.   Neither can include any other grape variety and no single grape variety can make up more than 90% of the blend.

What brought this on, you ask?  I'm not really sure except that we opened a bottle of Ravines 2005 Meritage and the wheels started turning.  The growing conditions in 2005 were almost perfect and this blend of 45% Cabernet Franc, 32 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 23 % Merlot is a fine example of that.  It is deep ruby in color, with tons of fruit and spice and a hint of cocoa.

MERI-tidge, meri-TAHJ....."if we ever part, that would break my heart"!

Rendezvous with Clark and Judy

Every now and then, we get a yearning for some Virginia wine country.  That's not to say that we don't get the same feeling for the FLX, but with cousins in Northern Virginia, it's an easier, and less expensive, getaway.  They enjoy the occasional glass of wine but are not as into it as we are.  Mobility issues limit them to one, maybe two wineries and Pearmund Cellars has been one of our usuals. 

It's been a great place to stop by with them on a Sunday morning before heading home and we have always had a great experience there.  Not only have we enjoyed the wine but they have always been so considerate to my cousins who don't do a tasting but love to sit at the tables in the tasting room and just enjoy each other's company.  From time to time, they will taste one of the white wines that are on the tasting menu, but mostly, they cherish their time together...they are so in love and so I want to be them when I grow up.

Our last visit found us there on a Saturday afternoon.  We've been so spoiled going on Sunday that we forgot how crazy these wines trails can be on the weekends!  I say trails because this phenomenon is not unique to Virginia, we find the same thing everywhere.  The first bad sign was a bus in the parking lot and you can pretty much bet that it's filled with ridiculously dressed, soon to be married, drunk people and their drunk best friends and drunk relatives.  Sadly, that was the case this time but fortunately, they were at the end of their tasting so normalcy was quickly restored upon their departure. 

I thought about all of this when we opened the Pearmund Cellars 2008 2 Principals Vineyard Petit Verdot .  It is deep garnet, almost inky in color with a nose that is earthy and mushroomy with some foral notes.  It's got great structure with some dark berries - blackberry, blueberry? -  and a dusty, cocoa finish.

I sure hope that bus load of party people took some PV home with them because they should be very, very happy right about now!

Crossing Vineyards - Part III: Please Exit Through the Gift Shop

The Premium wines started with the 2008 Chambourcin Reserve, described by the winemaker as a "complex Zinfandel-style wine" which piqued our interest.  Unfortunately, I'm not really sure how to describe it except to say that it was not Chambourcin as we know it.  The nose was a little oaky and I couldn't really pick out any flavor profile.  Having said that, I didn't dislike it but it wasn't really up my alley.  The 2008 Pinot Noir Reserve had the same brownish color in the glass as the first Pinot but the nose was more earthy.  The tannins were firm with some fruitness in the back of the palate and it finished with hints of black tea. 

The tasting ended with two dessert wines.  The first, the 2009 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc, was lovely!  Nicely balanced  - sweet but not cloying - it had a hint of petrol and dried apricot on the nose with a long honey-apricot finish.  The second was the port-style Chocolate Cherry Truffle.  A fun, light-bodied after-dinner drink reminiscent of chocolate-covered cherries, I can see sipping this one by the fire on a cool fall night.

In a nutshell, I would say that Crossing Vineyards was a mixed bag for us.  My PIC was more disappointed than I was but perhaps our bars were set differently.  I thought that the whites were pretty solid but most of the reds were just not my style.  We did, however, exit through the gift shop, and did not leave empty-handed.

Crossing Vineyards - Part II: Please Remain Seated Until the Ride Comes to a Complete Stop

The reds began with the 2010 Le Noveau, a play on Beaujolais.  With not a Gamay grape in sight, this one is Chambourcin and I'm just not a fan of Chambourcin.  Let's leave it at that.  Now, on to serious wine, the 2008 Pinot Noir.  It was a bit brown in color and a little oaky for my taste.  I got oak and allspice on the nose and a spicy, chile pepper finish. 

Next was the 2008 Merlot which was light bodied with firm tannins but again, more oak than I enjoy.  The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon was softer than the Merlot and had some really pretty fruit on the nose but I detected a hint of dill, that my PIC did not, that for me, detracted from the fruitness. 

The 2008 Cabernet Franc was light bodied and well balanced with lovely fruit, nicely integrated tannins, and a long toasty oak finish.  The ruby red 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend - 55% Cab Sauv, 45% Merlot - had a soft, round texture with firm tannins but I got that hint of dill from the Cab Sauv.  The final pour in this group was the Vintner's Select Red, a NV Meritage-style blend of 40% Cab Sauv, 40% Cab Franc, and 20% Merlot.  I found it to be a bit acidic but there was nice fruit and toasty oak on the nose with a chile spice finish.

On to the Premium wines....

Crossing Vineyards - Part I: Please Keep Your Arms and Legs Inside the Boat

After a week of heavy rain and flooding we were feeling the need for adventure.  My Partner in Crime has been intrigued by Crossing Vineyards in the Washington Crossing/Newtown area in Pennsylvania so, with some trepidation and two sets of fully inflated water wings, we plugged the address into Penny and went to check it out.

Penny did a pretty good job of getting us there in a reasonable amount of time but she took us to the vineyard - always good the check the grapes first.  The entrance from the road is unassuming and in stark contrast to the elegant building that houses the tasting room.

The tasting fees are a bit steep - $8 for Regular, $15 for Premium - but that is for 8 to 10 and 12 to 14 wines, respectively and they were very willing to let us try anything that was open.  Because the Premium tasting included the Reserve Pinot and Late Harvest Vidal Blanc, we went for it, grabbed our glasses and headed into the barrel room to get the party started.

The first wine up was the 2009 Chardonnay which spent only three months in oak.  It was quite nice - round and soft with hints of pear and butterscotch.  Next was the 2008 Viognier done in stainless steel.  It was very pleasant with loads of tropical fruit but it came across as as much sweeter than the 0.5 to 0.8 RS we were told it had - in fact, we found it almost cloying. 

The Viognier was followed by the Vintner's Select White, a blend of 60% Chardonnay, 20% Viognier, and 20% Riesling.  The nose was all Chard but it was soft with peach and tropical fruit and a little more acidity than the Viognier.  The next pour was the off-dry 2010 Vidal Blanc.  With 1% RS, I was not expecting to like this but it had some apple notes and a nice crisp finish.

I was pleasantly surprised by the next pour, the 2009 semi-dry Riesling.   I normally wouldn't even try a Riesling with an RS of 2.5% but curiosity got the better of me.  The nose was tropical fruit and sweet vanilla that carried through on the palate with a nice acidity that dried out the finish.  The last of the group was the  2009 dry Rose.  Made from Cab Franc, it was almost ruby in color with strawberry and some floral notes but it had a bit more oak than I like in my Roses.

Next up, the reds......stay tuned!

Calling All Wine Geeks: Riddle Me This!

Everyone has a neighborhood watering hole.  You know, the kind of place where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came  Ok, cheesy reference but if you don't have one, you should get one but please get one close to home.

Our favorite hangout is a thousand miles away and when we're in town, we show up almost every night for a nightcap.  We made our way through the throngs of people gathered near the bar for that manna of the bartenders.....The Prisoner.  Yes, I know I said that Saldo was my favorite but, if you recall, I also said I was fickle!

After our usual banter, we asked for a glass of Prisoner only to learn it was temporarily off of the wine list.  What to do, what to do?  Our favorite bartender came up with Plan B - The Riddler - from Stratton Lummis, one of three labels produced by Row Eleven Wine Company.

It was rather nice - juicy and full of ripe berries and plum with a long lingering finish....but what's in the blend?  Therein lies the riddle.  I encourage all wine geeks to grab a bottle (around $20) and tell me what you think.

Uh-Oh...I'm in love......again

Have I mentioned how much I've come to love Riesling?  And have I mentioned just how fickle I can be? 

Just in case you missed it, I have become a huge believer in Riesling.  It's incredibly food friendly, or so we hear, but let's be honest; the bottle rarely lasts long enough for me to get dinner on the table.  But I don't love every Riesling; I love them dry, with minerality and acidity.  I love the lime and even a hint of petrol.  People talk of terrior all the time, but if there's any wine in which it is so obvious to me, it's in Riesling.  On a really good day, I can tell you on which side of the lake the grapes were grown.  On others.....well, we won't go there.  But...as with everything in life, there needs to be balance to make it all work.

We love Shaw's reds but what about this?  Let me tell you; everything I could ever ask for just came out of this bottle - the Shaw 2007 Dry Riesling.  It has a lovely minerally nose with fresh lemon and peach, followed by honey and peach on the palate and shows mineral and slate on the lingering finish.  It has bright acidity that is beautifully balanced with just a hint of RS.  Even PIC is on board on this one!

I'm sorry previous Riesling love; I'm breaking up with you.

Makes You Go Huh....

My PIC never works on his birthday, it's apparently a life-long tradition. It's not one that I can explain, but it does give us an extra day together. So, you will not be surprised when I tell you that we made a winery visit. We trekked out to Elverson, PA to check out J. Maki. It's a lovely drive to get there from Ludwig's Corner, it actually reminded me of the Virginia wine country.

We bellied up to the bar as I worked hard to suppress the overwhelming feeling that we were intruding on them - interrupting their daily routine. It was an interesting tasting; we had the "pleasure" of the winemaker's company and a private tasting - by virtue of the fact that we were the only ones there. He's a man of few words, offering no insight on the individual wines with the exception of one or two, and that was only one sentence. There were seven offerings but he did pour us a few wines not on the tasting menu. 

There is a $20 tasting fee which is waived if you make a purchase. I understand tasting fees - I hate them - but I understand them. But here's my real issue with this one - at least pour enough in the glass that I can smell and taste it! The pour was so minimal, it wasn't enough to even swirl in the glass, let alone in my mouth. Tasting fee or not, if you want to create a possibility, no matter now remote, that I'm going to buy, please don't tell me about how many awards you've won; how popular your wine is; where you sell it; how many people from New York buy it; how much you ship to the west coast of Florida...just pour enough in my glass so that I can actually taste it.

I honestly think they sell their wine by creating an awkward and uncomfortable tasting room situation.  Having said all of that,  to recoup our tasting fee, we gambled and brought some home but, I gotta tell ya... that's no excuse for being sucked in! 

The VSP is a Bordeaux blend that we thought we liked when we tasted the tablespoon-full at the winery. We opened one the other night and we weren't exactly doing cartwheels over it. It was pretty tight at first, no fruit on the nose, only oak, lots of oak.  We recorked it and put it in the refrigerator thinking it would be cooking wine.  I couldn't help but try it again and tonight's encounter was not much better.  Instead of cooking wine it became drain cleaner.

Fortunately, the whole birthday wasn't a bust.  We did get a couple of dessert wines that that were really nice!