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What I'm drinking today: Torii Mor Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2009 I picked up this half-bottle from work (I'm a server at a Californian bistro) at the recommendation of our Somm. Love it! Rich and intense with loads of dark fruit, some earth, mushroom, and spice as well. It's luxuriously silky, with nice acidity. In the finish, I find some black pepper and something I can't put my finger on... mint? Definitely a fan. While I'm still learning a lot about wine (and my own palate), I already feel myself gravitating towards Pinot Noir. I love the huge variation you get from one region to another: Santa Lucia Highlands, Russian River, Oregon, Burgundy, etc. I know a few of you are from Oregon; what do others think of this wine?
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Nov 2, 2011 14:13
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 20:00 |
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Congratulations, Crimson! I'm studying for my Introductory and (eventually) Certified Sommelier exams at the moment, and my most recent topic of study has been Burgundy. I approached the wine director at our restaurant and asked if there were any white Burgundies in my price range I should try. He sent me home with this:  Domaine Michèle & Patrice Rion Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru "Les Terres Blanches" 2009 Being from California, I've been assaulted on a regular basis by huge, buttery, oaky, sweet, monstrous Chardonnay - a style we affectionately refer to as "Cougar Juice." I die a little on the inside whenever guests order Rombauer over Ramey or Pride. I live in the Silicon Valley, close to the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA that can make quite pleasant Chardonnays. And there are others throughout California that do their best to buck the heavy-handed approach to Chardonnay-making, and I salute them! But I rarely get a chance to try a nice white Burgundy, so this was a fun exercise for a wine neophyte. This is a very lovely wine. Aromas of hazelnut, with subtle notes of vanilla, butterscotch, and toast frame the lemon juice and lime peel fruit character. On the palate, the wine is quite savory, with both a creamy richness and a direct acidity that balance each other remarkably. The finish was possibly the longest I've experienced in a white wine - strong and continuously evolving. I've had it open for about an hour now, and the wine changes every time I approach it, highlighting another characteristic with each sip. Mesmerizing! I also picked up a red Côte de Nuits-Villages from the same producer, and I'm really looking forward to it.
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May 1, 2012 07:30
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Today's tasting notes are on some cool Italian wine! First, this lovely Barolo:  Ceretto Zonchera Barolo 2007 I haven't had a lot of Nebbiolo in general, so this was great to try. Some good poo poo right here. At first, I get sour red cherry, then a distinct whiff of black olives or even olive brine. There's anise, cinnamon sticks, and dusty cedar. Lots of structure with a very dry finish; medium to high acid, tannin, and alcohol. Drunk with a roast beef hoagie because I'm very classy. After dinner, I took on a fascinating sweet red:  Roccolo Grassi Recioto Della Valpolicella 2006 I've never heard of this type of wine before, to be completely honest with you. It's a wine from the Veneto region of Italy, made primarily from the Corvina grape. The grapes are dried out for several months before vinification, resulting in a syrupy wine with somewhat high sugar (and alcohol) content. This wine is confounding me right now. I get a nostalgic feeling from it, even though I've only been drinking wine for a couple of years. I think this is close to what I thought wine would taste like when I was a child. As odd as that sounds, I hope you know what I mean. First thing: Old. Books. The first whiff reminds me of SO INTENSELY of old books. You know those books in the library (or your parents' bookcase) that are so loving ancient that the pages are all yellow and brittle? You know that smell? That's what I'm getting right now. Plus lots of dried fruits, which is unsurprising: medjool dates! Also, raisins, prunes, dried cranberries and blueberries. Spices... clove and cinnamon, for sure. Clover honey. Bitter kalamata olives, too. This wine is so interesting. I'm glad I reached for something entirely new and got to check this one out.
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May 8, 2012 08:22
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"Cheap" is a very relative term. What 4/20 means isn't that it's the French equivalent to Two-Buck Chuck or that it isn't a nice wine. Bordeaux is just expensive in general, so to many people even a $50 bottle is on the "cheap" side.
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Jun 14, 2012 17:59
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Meursault is the perfect wine to try if your palate is calibrated towards California Chardonnay. Unfortunately, it's not always a "value" wine. Macôn-Villages is definitely a good value, but keep in mind that it's usually an unoaked style. St. Aubin is probably my recommendation for someone looking to try a good value Côte d'Or white Burgundy. Some producers also make a fairly decent Bourgogne (lower end white Burgundy), like Latour and Faiveley.
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Jan 11, 2013 01:38
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When I signed up for the Introductory exam last year, I received a membership to guildsomm.com along with it. Hopefully they still do that... I have the usual recommended reference books like Sotheby's, but honestly the study guides and practice tests on that site were way more helpful in getting me prepared. I ended up with the highest score on the exam  so I'd say they're pretty effective.Good luck!
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Jan 15, 2013 09:51
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Good fish and good wine can be transcendent. Salmon loves a good Pinot Noir. I just had a nice bottle of Hirsch Vineyards estate Pinot from Sonoma Coast that was lovely... lots of boysenberry, cherry, pomegranate fruit with spice, some earthy funk, and a velvety mouthfeel. Yum! Great with well-prepared salmon. I also really enjoy Sole with a beurre blanc sauce paired with a slightly-oaked Sauvignon Blanc, like Merry Edwards or Ojai. The neutral oak imparts a little roundness and silky texture, and the bright acid works well with both the white fish and the beurre blanc. On another note, I'm studying Champagne in preparation for my CS exam this year. My study partner tonight is a half-bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee with the creamiest Brillat Savarin I've ever had... Wow. Just, wow.
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Jan 20, 2013 13:58
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Crimson posted:Just finished my Advanced Sommelier theory exam, with the service up tomorrow. Extremely difficult, doubt I passed even with a 60% threshold. I don't feel too bad though, very few people pass on their first attempt. I can email all the questions I remembered to any certified somms interested in taking the exam. I hear that's a gnarly test, man, so congrats for making it that far! Folks I know who took it (and failed the first time) all said it was worth it for the educational experience alone. Any insight you have on it would be really interesting.
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Apr 11, 2013 18:41
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Hahaha drat. Although I knew more of those than I thought I would. Thanks for giving us an idea of the ridiculously specific/obscure questions these guys ask!
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Apr 12, 2013 07:59
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Those are nice! Ch. d'Esclans "Whispering Angel" rosé is my girlfriend's favorite hot day sipper.
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Apr 14, 2013 08:16
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beefnchedda posted:Hey guys, Turley would be an awesome stop, but according to that map you posted, it could be closed.  Jeff Runquist does good stuff. I tasted his Barbera, Zin, and 1448 (Petite Sirah blend) the other day and thought they weren't half bad.
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May 6, 2013 06:04
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Comb Your Beard posted:Anybody want to lay some knowledge down about White Bordeaux or even White Meritage? Typically they are Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc. So good. I can't be the only serious fan. Love it, for sure. White Bordeaux can be a beautiful thing, and it's generally over-shadowed by the reds & dessert wines. Château Carbonneau and Y d'Yquem are classics. The brightness and balancing acidity from the Sauvignon Blanc, the beeswax and texture of the Sémillon, and the hazelnut-vanilla of the oak is an amazing combination. I love White Burgundy, but this is possibly my favorite white wine from France (along with Alsatian Riesling). I've seen some Californians do a really good job working with the style. My favorite is Arietta's On the White Keys from Napa Valley, made by Andy Erickson. The 2010 was phenomenal. Some of the Sémillon (from the remarkable Hyde vineyard in Carneros) was botrytized, lending the wine a wonderful ginger/honey/saffron dimension. It was one of those wines I could sit and smell for hours. One of my favorite food & wine pairings ever was this wine with coconut-crusted halibut.
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Aug 24, 2013 08:30
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 20:00 |
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While we're talking about Stolpman, I recently had a Stolpman vineyard Nebbiolo from Palmina that was exceptional.Noseman posted:Have you tasted white Hermitage? I've tried the '08 from Jean-Louis Chave, and that was a life-changing experience. No I'd love to have the experience, though!I just took the Certified Sommelier exam... I was part of the first group to do the service portion, so I finished super early. I've been killing myself studying everything I can because I had no idea how difficult the test would be. Every time I thought "I probably don't need to know that," I suddenly panicked and thought "but what if I DO need to know it?? Better memorize all the DOCGs of Veneto and their blending requirements!" I'm pretty sure I nailed the blind tasting (I called Mosel Riesling & California Pinot Noir), and I was pretty solid on most of the written questions. Service went okay... I'm sure I forgot something or other and zigged when I should have zagged, but I'm used to service and the Master Sommelier testing me is one I've met a few times, so that helped with the nerves. I knew the cocktails (Dark & Stormy and Sazerac) and did my best to put on a good show. Now to sit and wait for the results in around 3 1/2 hours.
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Sep 11, 2013 19:12
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