WineLife365

Archive for October, 2009

From: Chile
Price: $10.99

It’s a “two-fer” folks – two reviews for the price of one.  Over the course of a year, my wife and I taste drive a lot of different wines day after day searching for ones that we think taste great and offer consumers like you and us outstanding value.  Unfortunately, in our pursuit of trying to discover these diamonds in the rough you might say that some days are well…better than others.  So I thought that it would be a good idea to occasionally spare both you and me the hassle of going through a lengthy review about a particular wine that we find to be so mediocre and hum-drum that it would be a sin to bother wasting precious time discussing it.  The central idea in these occasional reviews is just to tell you, “Hey this wine is fine, but you should do yourself a favor and pick something else instead.”

The 2007 Root: 1 Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchagua Valley in Chile that we recently tasted totally fit the bill perfectly.  The $10.99 price tag that both of these wines carry hits the sweet zone for most red wine shoppers and the packaging is absolutely gorgeous and stunning.  But, that’s where the buck stops for these Chilean reds.  Once you’re done drooling over these bottles, sooner or later you’ll have to open them up.  Once you do, you’ll be greeted with a pedestrian targeted bland combination of dark fruit and spices that will have you scratching your head wondering how such an enticing looking bottle of wine could yield such an ok, mediocre, and hum-drum forgettable tasting wine.

The 2007 Carmenere in this particular case goes through a pretty complex fermentation process that starts out with spending time in stainless steel and then ends with a 10 month vacation in American oak.  On the other hand, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is actually a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah.

If you visit the Root:1 website, the winemaker’s notes on both of these wines really sound very compelling and enticing.

“Tasting Notes: Root: 1 Carmenere is a deep red color with gentle tannins and rich flavors of plum, blackberry and spice.
Food Pairings: Root: 1 Carmenere pairs well with pasta, vegetable soup, spicy entrees and grilled meats. Its unique character pairs perfectly with ingredients that are difficult to match such as garlic, bell peppers, fresh herbs and eggplant.”

Checkout the Cabernet Sauvignon:

“Tasting Notes: A rich red wine with black currant, mocha and chocolate notes.
Food Pairings: Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon is an exceptional match with full-flavored cheeses, pasta with red sauce, steak, ribs, and chocolate.”

 

Sounds great right?  Well, we threw our favorite chopped eggplant salad and a giant meat lover’s pizza at both of these wines based on the food pairing notes and both of them came up a little short of meeting our “taste spectations”.  Both wines left us a bit bored and bummed out. 

I award both the 2007 Root: 1 Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon each a C+ on taste alone, which equates to a 2 star rating in our house, and an A+ for its original and stunning label.  In both cases, the dark fruit, spices and vanilla flavors were much too soft and came up short of convincing us that either wine was worth buying again.  

WineLife365 Ratings: 2-Star

Warm, sunny, beautiful autumn weather along with great wine, food, and entertainment for the entire family are in store for folks that make their way this weekend to the charming beach town of Cape May, New Jersey.

The annual Cape May Wine Festival will be taking place on October 10^th and 11^th, from 12-5 p.m. at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal, overlooking the Cape May Canal and Delaware Bay.

More than 20 New Jersey wineries will be on hand to offer guests some of the finest locally produced Chardonnay, Chambourcin, Syrah, Marechal Foch, Viognier, Traminette, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. There will also be a large array of fruit wines such as raspberry, cherry, and blueberry to satisfy sweet wine lovers.

In addition to wine sampling, festival goers will be treated to live music, various types of vendors, and a “Kids Zone” for those who are bringing the whole family.  Festival attendees can also take advantage of “Victorian Week” which will be running through the end of Sunday.

  
Anyone interested in learning more about this particular festival can call The Garden State Wine Growers Association at 609-588-0085 or visit their website. 

With the weather in the Northeast being nearly perfect, this should be a truly relaxing and enjoyable event.  

Cheers!

From: Washington
Price: $9.99

Founded more than 25 years ago, today Columbia Crest is one of Washington State’s premier wine producers.  Since the release of its first white varietal wines in 1987 and its first release of red varietal wines in 1988, this Washington State winery has become recognized as the epitome of consistency in the global value wine category.  In the 90’s, Impact magazine named Columbia Crest as one of the “Top Five U.S. Wineries”.  It has also garnered tons of top honors and accolades from other large circulated wine publications like The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator as being one of the “Best Value Wineries” in the world.  Year after year, Columbia Crest has shown amazing consistency at producing exceptional wines at a price point that most consumers can swallow.

The Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay is, in this case, one of the winery’s stewards of excellence.  In 1997, Wine Spectator magazine ranked the 1995 Estates Series Chardonnay #59 on its “Top 100” list. In 1999, Columbia Crest pleased the judges again at Wine Spectator to earn a spot at #40 on its “Top 100” list with its 1997 Estates Series Chardonnay.  The list of medals and achievements has been endless for both the Chardonnay as well as the Columbia Crest Winery.  In my personal opinion, Columbia Crest is one of the most reliable winery names that shoppers should be looking for when considering to purchase either a red or white wine.

However, with that being said, I will caution you:  There’s a lot to choose from if you decide that you want to try a wine from Columbia Crest for the first time.  You’ve got their first tier, which is called “Two Vines” – this is their least expensive stuff.  Then you’ve got their second tier of juice, called “Grand Estates”, which is the equivalent of saying “$10 bucks of intensity and gusto.”  The next rung will put you into their VIP section with the  Horse Heaven Hills (“H3″) wines that first debuted in 2008.  Finally, their top of the line wine is the high octane brain bender “Reserve” – which is liquid gold.  This is definitely one of those situations where you get exactly what you pay for here.  The “Two Vines” is pretty decent for the price, while the Reserve line-up will rock your world so long as you’re willing to ante up anywhere from $25-40 bills to feel the beat of your brain.

I thought for this tasting experience that I ought to hit the sweet spot of most wine buyers – $10 buckaroos.  I’ve had the Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” line-up of wines more times than counting sheep in my sleep over my wine drinking years, and that includes this very “decorated” Chardonnay for which my beloved sister-in-law and I would drink by the gallons way back in our early days.  I’ll be the first to admit, I’m usually a huge fan of the consumer-friendly “Grand Estates” line-up, however I’ve become particularly sensitive to one very apparent attribute about the “Grand Estates” Chardonnay – it appears to be stuck in its glory days of the ‘90s and early years of 2000 when most of the Chardonnay drinking world liked gnawing on big chunks of oak.  Back then, it was the cool and palatable thing to do.  Fast forward to the present, I can honestly say that not much has changed over the years with this brawny-style American Chardonnay.  All in all, the 2007 Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay just seemed very “dated” to my taste buds.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s ok, but solid wood just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.  I would personally welcome a design change towards a leaner and crisper modern style.

I award the 2007 Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay 2 Stars out of 4.  It tasted “out of style” to me with it’s over the top oaky flavors.  However, I’m sure that there are still a lot of “woodchucks” out there that would whole-heartedly disagree with me and ask that this recipe be left alone.

Once a year I am compelled, by my desire to share good food and wine with friends, to prepare a four course lunch for 24 people, at a beautiful outdoor venue, out of a small kitchen.  These are friends I go camping with every year.  Putting on a great meal is one of the small ways I can contribute to the camping experience.  Knowing I must manage my time efficiently putting out so many courses, and wanting to enjoy the meal myself along with the guests, I look for recipes that don’t require an inordinate amount of labor, but which will make a stunning visual and taste impression, while making it look like I slaved in the kitchen for much longer than I really did.

Each of these luncheons has been made much more fun and interesting by my recruitment of a winemaker to attend with his wines, building a menu of dishes that pair well with those wines.

In 2007, for the first seated course after hors d’oeuvres, I prepared a chilled cucumber soup garnished with tuna tartare.  It was a big hit with the crowd, paired with a luscious Burgundian styled Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley made by Deerfield Ranch Winery.

The soup is easy, as most of the prep work is handled by a blender.  It can be made the day before and chilled in the refrigerator until serving time.  The tuna tartare just required a bunch of slicing and dicing about an hour before service. 

The color contrast in the soup plates was wonderful.  With two dishes in one, guests can use their spoons to sample each part separately, or in a combined spoonful.  I garnished with all of the optional ingredients listed at the end of the list, making a dazzling dish.  Also for my presentation, I used a cookie cutter to mold the tartare portion into a cylindrical shape centered in the soup bowl, adding the garnishes just after removing the mold and ladling the soup around the tuna tower.

The appetizer that day was shrimp and scallop ceviche, served in martini glasses, paired with a Sauvignon Blanc.  The main course was pheasant risotto, served with a Ladi’s Vineyard Syrah.  Dessert was lemon thyme pannacotta with thinly sliced, fresh macerated Sonoma County peaches, served with a botrytised Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend, ‘Gold.’  All the wines were from Deerfield Ranch of Sonoma County.

For some reason, I was invited back to cook lunch again in 2008 and 2009.

Cheers!
Scott 

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The recipe for the Cucumber Soup with Seared Tuna Tartare can be found on the Food & Wine website.  Please note that Scott suggested the following optional items:

• Cilantro and mint leaves, fresh grated ginger, orange zest
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Mix equal parts Wasabi Tobiko Caviar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and drizzle over the tartare