Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Beaubourg Le District NYC Wine Tasting

Beaubourg Le District NYC Wine Tasting

During our weekend visit to NYC we dined at Le District, a collection of three different French Markets and wine and dining options. Like Eataly, where we ate earlier in our trip, the Italian focused destination for all things Italian, Le District is a destination for all things French.

Le District has four different restaurants Beaubourg, classic French Brasserie, Le Bar featuring bar food and an extensive wine list, Bar A Vin offering 32 different rotating wines that can be paired with over 200 cheese and home made charcuterie, and L'Appart, a Michelin-star restaurant with a weekly, seasonal changing menu prepared under the direction of notable Chef de Cuisine Nicolas Abello.

The Market District features a series of market settings - a Boulangerie, Delices du chef, Bar a Frites, Cheese and Charcuterie, Rotisserie, Boucherie & Poissonnerie.
For our wine selection we ordered from the extensive winelist this Echo de Lynch-Bages Pauillac. 

There is an broad selection of wines by the glass, and an extensive wine list showcasing French wines from modest to extraordinary First and Second Growths from outstanding vintages. There are more than a hundred carefully chosen labels, mostly in the $100 to $400 range, and also some outrageous selections such as Chateau Petrus 1982 for $7500.

Following our recent trip to Bordeaux, I was hoping for a St Julien and was tempted by the Second Growths, Château Ducru Beaucaillou ($360), Château Gruaud-Larose ($260), two of the estates that were highlights of our tours, a broad selection of Chateau Talbot vintages, and several second labels of some top producers Pichon Lalande and Lynch Bages. In the end we chose this Echo de Lynch-Bages, the second wine of Lynch Bages, one of favorite producers we visited during our trip.

Sunday, March 3, 2019

La Pecora Bianca Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato

La Pecora Bianca Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato

For Saturday Brunch in NYC Chelsea Flatiron neighborhood with Alec and Viv, we dined at La Pecora Bianca (The White Sheep) on Broadway at 26th. A bright vibrant lively setting that was perfect for a rainy afternoon.

I ordered the Tagliatelle with beef and pork bolognese sauce. To pair with this entree I ordered the Il Bruciato Tenuta Guado al Tasso - a delicious perfect combination as each was embellished and enhanced by the other as a result.

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato 2016

This is what is known as a Super Tuscan, made famous in the 70s when wine critics noted the quality rivaled that of high-end Bordeaux. The Bolgheri area was known for producing IGT and VdT wines based on the typical Bordeaux varietals. In 1994, the Bolgheri DOC appellation designation was created to recognize these quality wines.  These wines tend to offer great QPR - Quality Price Ratio values.

This 2016 Il Bruciato was delicious and provides great high QPR value. Amazingly, more than one million bottles were produced at this quality level. Pick up a case for great every day drinking wine that will also stand up to special occasions and quality drinking.

This wine, “Il Bruciato,” which means “the burned” is the second wine of Antinori’s Tenuta Guado al Tasso, second to the flagship wine, “Guado al Tasso”, named after the large vineyard in Bolgheri in which the grapes are grown.

This Il Bruciato, produced to be a more approachable and contemporary style of wine than the more traditional estate wine, is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 15% Syrah.

This was delicious in this food combination and was a great value. Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, smooth, polished for casual easy drinking with vibrant red and black fruit flavors accented by spice, mocha and smoke with elegant soft tannins on a moderate lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

P.S. - Upon returning home I went out and purchased a bottle at Malloy's, our Village wine shop. We tasted it with marinated beef stew and it was good, but not as harmonious as with the pasta in our earlier tasting. Perhaps bottle variation, (they produced a million bottles!), never-the-less, I reduced my rating for this bottle.

RM 90 points.

The Wine Advocate gave this 93 pts
Jame Suckling of Wine Spectator gave it 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2904858

https://www.antinori.it/en/vino/il-bruciato-en/ 

http://www.lapecorabianca.com/

Saturday, March 2, 2019

L'Artusi NYC Wine Dinner

L'Artusi NYC Wine Dinner features three diverse expressive bold wine selections

Meeting for a gala wine dinner during our weekend in NYC visiting Alec and Viv, we dined at L'Artusi in West Greenwich Village. For the occasion we pulled from our cellar a special bottle of our 'V' series of labels, signature wines for special occasions when we're together with Viviana.

The diversity of the small plate dinner menu selections provided a tasting pairing experience for three wines with different styles and profiles - roasted beets, three pastas including the special highlight Torteloni with guinea hen and mushrooms, charred Octopus and sweetbreads.

We took BYOB this winemaker signed bottle that we tasted and acquired at a winemaker dinner with owner/producer Delia Viader in Chicago back in 2004.

Our visit to the winery on the lower reaches of Howell Mountain overlooking Napa Valley (shown right) was a highlight of our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2008.

Viader Estate Proprietary Red 2002

Appellation: Nape Valley Howell Mountain


Winemaker Notes: Scents and flavors of that classic Howell Mountain terrior sweet currant, black cherry, raspberry and hints of plum and  mocha with a long smooth polished finish.

Garnet colored, medium bodied, blackberry and black raspberry fruits accented by spice, hints of black olive, bacon fat and dark mocha chocolate on a pleasant acidic moderate tannin lingering finish.

Varieties:  Cabernet Sauvignon 51%, Cabernet Franc 49%

RM Rating 92

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this 91-93 points
 
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar gave it 90 points
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=40755

Website: www.viader.com

Bodegas El Nido 2015

Frank and Marylisa brought one of their favorite selections, this big bold El Nido.

From Jumilla, Spain, this is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Monastrell. This is the premium flagship El Nido label that consistently gets extraordinary ratings (96-100 points) from The Wine Advocate. This is a big bold concentrated fruit forward style that we love - much like a big Shiraz/Syrah; no wonder as this is a project of the Gil family of Jumilla and Australian Chris Ringland (R Wines) as chief winemaker who also makes big bold Aussie Shiraz's.

Jumilla El Nido - from the 2014 vintage
The second El Nido 'Clio' label offers a similar 'big wine' profile at a fraction of the price offering great QPR. This is a must buy each vintage as it too consistently gets highest marks.

This El Nido wine is not for the feint of heart with its 16%+ alcohol and bold forward profile and style. We love this style with bold hearty cheeses or spicy pasta dishes such as some of our selections this evening.

Bright ruby colored, full bodied, powerful, ripe and concentrated yet nicely balanced, forward bright black berry and currant fruits accented by expresso, black pepper, dark mocha, hints of cinnamon clove spices, cigar box and mineral with smooth approachable lingering tannins.

RM 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2845293

This received 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 

Wine Spectator gave it 93 points.


Argiolas Turriga Isola dei Nuraghi IGT 2013

Interesting red blend from Sardinia. I had selected no less than three wines from the wine list shown on the website earlier, but couldn't find them on the actual wine list. I described my preference to the Sommelier and she presented this bottle. Ironically, we tasted this exact label at Italian Village in Chicago last year
 


Turriga is a blend of Sardinian grape varietals Cannonau, Malvasia Nera, Carignano, and Bovale Sardo. It is a powerful fruit forward red wine that requires time in bottle to show its full complexity. Upon release, Turriga is densely packed with powerful tannins and tightly wound fruit, thus decanting is recommended. With time in bottle, Turriga reveals multiple layers of Mediterranean herbs, roasted coffee, spices, and licorice with a generous core of black and red fruit.

Bright ruby colored, medium full bodied with bright, vibrant, bold and expressive forward sweet cherry and black currant fruits, integrated with notes of earthy spice, herbs and leather, bright acidity but moderately smooth tannins.

RM 89 2013 points.
 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2661079

http://www.argiolas.it/it/index.html
 

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Cakebread Cellars Napa Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

For the second time in as many months, I found myself in NYC and a special dinner at what is becoming one of my favorites dinesites there, Il Postino Ristorant Italiano. Once again, the food and service were spectacular in a classic cosmopolitan setting, ideal for a special business dinner.


As with my last visit, I ordered the Dover Sole, one of my favorite dishes, although I am happy with a less extravagant regular sole, or SFO native Petrale, or my absolute favorite, Sand Dabs, also known as Rex Sole, which is primarily found on the middle west coast Pacific from Monterey (CA) up to San Francisco.

Tonight, they prepared the dish to my request, in a lemon caper
butter white wine sauce. It was spectacular, just the way I like prefer. I might have opted for a lighter Sauvignon Blanc but I opted for a Chardonnay in consideration of my guests and mates who were having Calamari, Pasta and Shrimp, and Pasta with Lobster.

From the winelist we ordered Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay and Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2015.


Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015
The 2015 Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay consists of 90% of the grapes came from the cool-climate Carneros district at the southern tip of the valley, with 40% of the fruit from Cakebread estate Carneros vineyards. Situated down at the bottom of Napa Valley where it meets Sonoma, off the San Pablo Bay estuary, the cool breezes and fog waft in, giving Carneros a long, cool growing season. This allows the fruit to fully ripen while retaining the bright acidity that gives Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay its freshness and vitality. For this vintage, Cakebread blended fruit from Carneros with chardonnay grapes from just north of the city of Napa that yield especially luscious wines resulting in a elegant and complex chardonnay.

The 2015 vintage produced a light crop with small chardonnay berries and clusters yielding bright, intense varietal flavors.. A warm, dry winter brought early bud-break, and consistently mild summer weather, with a few late-season heat spikes, led to the earliest harvest in Cakebread Cellars forty-five vintages dating back to their inaugural release in 1973.

Straw colored, medium-full bodied this has aromas of green and golden apple, pear and citrus with hints of mineral. Complex and crisp with nice depth and balance, the long finish highlights notes of pear with hints of lemon, peach, vanilla, and spicy oak.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2470938

https://www.cakebread.com/

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Pride Mountain Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

Pride Mountain Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2016

We dined at Seafire Grill in Midtown NYC and ordered this Pride Mountain Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016 with our seafood entrees.  Seafire Grill has been on my to-do list for quite a while so it was nice to get this in this trip.

I ordered the roasted Nova Scotia Halibut in beurre blanc sauce with lemon gnocchi, fava beans, and kale chimichurri (left). I was hoping for more boldness and rich flavor in the beurre blanc sauce but it was too subtle and benign to spruce up the mild fish. The fish preparation was excellent and the full gnocchi was a nice complement to the Halibut. 

Similarly, the cous cous starter was rather bland and uninspiring. The tuna tartar starter was the most expressive and enjoyable of our selections. All the better to order a rather bold forward Chardonnay to fill in the blanks. The Pride Mountain Napa Chardonnay turned out to be more modest as well, hence not overpowering to the more delicate subtle dishes, although that was not planned. 

Unlike the food, the atmosphere at Seafire Grill was boisterous and outgoing, bordering on overhearing, almost difficult to have a conversation, overly cosmopolitan and certainly lacking intimacy.

Pride Mountain Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2016

Pride Mountain Vineyards are most noted for their mountain grown Cabernets from their vineyards high atop Spring Mountain. 

This Chardonnay is sourced from three different vineyards in Carneros down at the bottom of the Mayacamas Mtn range that separates Napa and Sonoma Valley. The area with its cool breezes and fog that wafts in from nearby San Pablo Bay is known for Burgundian varietal wines, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 

Pride has long term supplier agreements with its growers there, hence, while not Estate grown, there is a history to compare this wine over many vintages for collectors and brand loyalists. 

While this is aged in 25% new French oak, the oak is subdued and well behaved, straw colored, light medium bodied, fresh, crisp lively acidity, moderate fruit tones of pear, citrus, melon and hint of spice.  

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2802580

https://www.pridewines.com/


Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay at Il Postino NYC

For the second time in as many months, I found myself in NYC and a special dinner at what is becoming one of my favorites dinesites there, Il Postino Ristorant Italiano. Once again, the food and service were spectacular in a classic cosmopolitan setting, ideal for a special business dinner.

As with my last visit, I ordered the Dover Sole, one of my favorite dishes, although I am happy with a less extravagant regular sole, or SFO native Petrale, or my absolute favorite, Sand Dabs, also known as Rex Sole, which is primarily found on the middle west coast Pacific from Monterey (CA) up to San Francisco.

Tonight, they prepared the dish to my request, in a lemon caper butter white wine sauce. It was spectacular, just the way I like prefer. I might have opted for a lighter Sauvignon Blanc but I opted for a Chardonnay in consideration of my guests and mates who were having Calamari, Pasta and Shrimp, and Pasta with Lobster.

From the winelist we ordered Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay and Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2015.

 Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015


The 2015 Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay consists of 90% of the grapes came from the cool-climate Carneros district at the southern tip of the valley, with 40% of the fruit from Cakebread estate Carneros vineyards. Situated down at the bottom of Napa Valley where it meets Sonoma, off the San Pablo Bay estuary, the cool breezes and fog waft in, giving Carneros a long, cool growing season. This allows the fruit to fully ripen while retaining the bright acidity that gives Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay its freshness and vitality. For this vintage, Cakebread blended fruit from Carneros with chardonnay grapes from just north of the city of Napa that yield especially luscious wines resulting in a elegant and complex chardonnay.

The 2015 vintage produced a light crop with small chardonnay berries and clusters yielding bright, intense varietal flavors.. A warm, dry winter brought early bud-break, and consistently mild summer weather, with a few late-season heat spikes, led to the earliest harvest in Cakebread Cellars forty-five vintages dating back to their inaugural release in 1973.

Straw colored, medium-full bodied this has aromas of green and golden apple, pear and citrus with hints of mineral. Complex and crisp with nice depth and balance, the long finish highlights notes of pear with hints of lemon, peach, vanilla, and spicy oak.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2470938

https://www.cakebread.com/


Saturday, February 24, 2018

Murrays Cheese Wine Dinner

Cheese Murray's Cheese ! Wine Dinner

During our NYC getaway weekend, we dined on Saturday night at one of son Alec's favorite eateries Murray's Cheese Bar on Bleaker Street down in Greenwich Village.

Legendary Murrays Cheese Shop has been at the same site on Bleecker Street since 1940. The Cheese Bar opened in 2012 to feature their selection of fine cheeses selected and arranged by expert Cheesemongers, or cooked into heir imaginative dishes by a team of seasoned chefs.

As usual, Murray's was packed, lively, bordering on boisterous, serving up imaginative cheese centered combination plates and dishes.

We chose wines from Murray's simple but succinct winelist, with its carefully selected cross section of wines to accompany the range of menu options. This time, they did not offer any New York or Long Island wines which we customarily would order for the occasion. 

We started with a Proseco Sparkling wine to sip with Murray's Kale Ceasar salad with Parmigiana-Reggiano, Radish, Anchovy and Crutons. 

Transitioning to the main courses we had Brussel Sprouts with Lardons, Pomegranate Molasses, and Smoky Bleu (cheese), and Mussels and Fries with Coconut Red Curry in a Lemonbroth sauce. 

With these courses we had a Merlot based St Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux from Clos de la Cure.

We then dined on Murray's Lamb Meatballs with Spiced Tomato Sauce, Fennel, and Sheep Feta (cheese) (shown left).

With these hearty courses, we drank a 2013 Perbacco Vietti Nebbiolo from Langhe Piedmonte, Italy.

As is customary, we let the Murray's Cheesemonger prepare for us a selection of cheese and meats, each accompanied by a complementing fruit, puree, sauce or jam. This went well with the Nebbiolo, and from there we moved on to a Jam Jar Australian Shiraz 2016.










Saturday, February 10, 2018

Le District NYC Wine-Dine

Le District NYC for an immersive classic French, NY culinary experience

Another one of the highlights of our NYC getaway weekend was a trip to Le District down in the financial district. Consider this the French equivalent of the immensely popular Eataly that provides an immersive experience of a Italian village market.

Le District strives to recreate a French village market experience. Le District is actually three districts in one; the Cafe District offers a range of coffee delights, pastries, crepes, chocolates and French treats to indulge one's sweet tooth, the Market District. a shopping and culinary
extravaganza with Boulangerie, Delices du chef, Cheese and Charcuterie, Rotisserie, Boucherie & Poissonnerie; and the Garden District for groceries, flowers, salad bar - all authentic French inspired, of course.

We went down to Le District for pre-dinner wine and small plates. We could've spent the entire weekend there shopping, dining, exploring, taking in the whole experience.

For pre-dinner we dined at Beaubourg Brasserie which they refer to being as much classic New York as classic French. Beubourg means literally “pretty village”, like the namesake a vibrant area in the heart of Paris. We dined at a table with a picturesque view overlooking sunset on the Hudson adjacent to 'Le Bar'.

We dined on Foie Gras Terrine, Steamed Mussels in saffron broth and shave fennel and a charcuterie selection of cheeses: Brie du Pommier (cow), Crottin de Chavignol (goat), Fourmé d’Ambert (cow), and Comte Elegancé, each better than the next. 

To accompany our small plates we ordered a bottle of J.L. Chave Sélection St. Joseph Offerus Syrah 2014. 

The vineyards used for Offerus are located in two distinct St. Joseph areas. The communities of Mauves, Tournon, and St. Jean de Muzols yield over 80% of the blend and are owned by Jean-Louis. The remaining vineyards are located in more northerly communities around Serrières, and even these are farmed mainly by Jean-Louis, though he doesn’t own the vineyards.

This cépage is composed of 100% Syrah, dark garnet colored, full bodied, concentrated, dense, complex brambly blackberry with notes of black raspberry and hints of blueberry, floral with tones of tapenade, leather and spice with hints of anise and tightly wound tannins on the firm finish. A bit much for the mussels but ideal for the hearty cheese and pate.

RM 89 points. 

Vinous gave this 91 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2319834

https://www.ledistrict.com/



Saturday, February 3, 2018

Piedlong CDP foie gras Il Fiore Langham NY

Piedlong CDP and Auxey-Duresses with Foie Gras small plates at Il Fiore Langham Hotel NYC

Langham Hotel Lobby Desk
During our NYC getaway weekend, before dinner, we stopped in the Michelin star Il Fiore restaurant bar in the tony Langham Hotel in NYC.

We were seeking small plates and some wine from their extraordinary selection for a casual setting. Not often does one have the choice of Phelps Insignia, Tignanello, Sea Smoke, Quilceda Creek, Cos d' Estournal and Vieux Telegraph BTG (By-The-Glass)!

I selected the Torchon Foie Gras with tart cherries and winter squash (shown below) which was perfect for the occasion and was spectacular with Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Piedlong.

Linda had the crispy grilled artichokes with parmesan and lemon aoli, with a Benjamin Leroux Auxey-Duresses Burgundy Pinot Noir which was not on the winelist and was substituted for our initial selection.

Il Fiore offers a elegant but casual comfortable setting for a delightful food and wine experience, albeit rather expensive, but in-line with New York prices and such quality premium offerings. We look forward to returning for dinner there during a future trip.



Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Piedlong 2013 

The BTG winelist (shown below) specifically said 'La Crau', which refers to the flagship CDP offering from this Domaine, but this label was served instead.

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe has been run by the Brunier family for six generations, since 1891. The estate’s vineyards sit on the Plateau of La Crau, the highest point, in the appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Back in the 1800's , Claude Chappe, inventor of the optical telegraph, built a signal tower on the property due to its high elevation in the region, hence the property was given the name “Vieux Télégraphe”.

This Piedlong label was first released in 2011. It comes from a 29 acre vineyard site from the stony soils on the Piedlong plateau in the heart of the appellation, north of the village, the highest point in the region. The Mourvèdre, comes from the Pignan lieu-dit, just to the east of Piedlong. We visited the Vieux Télégraphe estate during our CDP appellation tour back in 1998 and then again this year during our 2019 visit with owner/producer Alain Brunier at the Estate.


This label is a blend of 90% Genache Noir and 10% Mourvèdre. Comprised of but two varietals, its a simpler less complex wine than the flagship label which under appellation rules can contain up to thirteen different varietals.

This was dark garnet colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant black currant and black raspberry fruits, notes of spicy cinnamon, hints of dust, tangy cherry, tapenade and mushroom with a smooth soft peppery lingering finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2880773

http://www.vieux-telegraphe.fr/en


Benjamin Leroux Auxey-Duresses Pinot Noir 2015

Il Fiore restaurant bar
Another substitution on the winelist, this label has a rouge and a blanc variant. We were looking for the blanc Chardonnay, but they served the rouge Pinot Noir instead.

Auxey-Duresses (pronounced “Oh-see”) is an appellation is in the famous Côte de Beaune area in the region of Burgundy, surrounded by two famous neighbors, Volnay and Meursault.

Readers of these pages know we don't do many Burgundies, mostly because we favor the Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) over the Burgundy Pinot Noir.

Also, I'm not knowledgeable in all the myriad of appellations and producers from the region and find it a bit confusing and mystifying. This is much the case for many folks, for many regions, but its especially challenging for Burgundy with all the mini and micro producers and labels that typifies what this regions is known for.

My advice to folks is to focus on one region, gather knowledge and experiences as a baseline and for comparisons, especially if one is going to start collecting wines.

We selected this Benjamin Leroux Pinot Noir from the Auxey-Duresses appellation, an area noted for high QPR and excellent value.

This is the label of Benjamin Leroux, manager/winemaker of Domaine Comte Armand who launched this label with the 2007 vintage. Leroux's Auxey-Duresses are from fruit sourced from vineyards that he manages, vineyards he owns, and he also buys fruit (never juice or wine) from growers with whom he works closely so to meet his standards.

The vineyards lie below the village of Beaune, adjacent to the Meursault Villages Les Vireuils Dessus and Les Meix Chavaux. The land is north-facing so it is affected by the cold air rolling down from the Hautes-Côtes.

The wines here come from three terroirs in this cool, mineral (rocky) place - Les Hautés, La Macabrée and Les Boutonniers. The oldest vines date back to 1946, planted just after the war. The vineyards span 2 hectares, large for this area where many of the properties are tiny in comparison. Hence Auxey-Duresses is a primary wine for Leroux.

Leroux's Auxey-Duresses is produced in a new winery in the center of the village of Beaune (just off the Boulevard) that is also used by Dominique Lafon and two other wine growers. The operation is very small and specializes in Puligny and Volnay, but there are over twenty different labels produced, in this ‘micro negociant’ operation.

Like so many Burgundy operations that are small, even tiny, only two to five barrels are produced from many of the offerings, resulting in extraordinary fragmentation and granularity in the plethora of small production labels.

This Pinot Noir was somewhat opaque, light in color and body, with blackberry and black cherry fruits accented by tones of leather, dusty rose and spice with smooth soft tannins on the finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2911060


Friday, January 26, 2018

UGC Bordeaux 2015 Release Tour unveils stellar vintage

UGC Bordeaux 2015 Release Tour unveils stellar vintage

The UGC Bordeaux' (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)) annual release tour visited America to showcase their latest vintage release of their wines this week. Following stops in Toronto, Washington DC and Boston, they held their grand tastings at two spectacular elegant settings, Cipriani on 42nd in NYC and the Drake Hotel, Chicago. Once again, our 'Pour Boys' wine group helped host the event in Chicago at the Drake Hotel in the elegant grand ballroom (shown below).  Following the tasting, we attended a gala dinner at remarkable Schwa Restaurant.

Pour Boys, Rick, Lyle, Dan, Ernie
This was the seventh Bordeaux release event that wine buddies Dr Dan, Ernie and Lyle (shown right) accompanied me to assist the team at Balzac Communications to host the event, helping with set up, logistics and then standing in to pour wine for any featured producers that were not able to attend in person. Earlier UGCB and related events are featured in earlier unwindwine blogposts. More than once, winter storms delayed or disrupted travel prohibiting some of the producers to get to Chicago for the event which started our standing in for them, hence we coined the name the 'Pour' Boys.

Cipriani on 42nd, NYC
Close to 100 producers, winemakers and their commercial representatives presented their wines on the tour which was attended by nearly 800 members of the trade and press. Following the trade event in the afternoon, each evening a public tasting was hosted by a leading local wine merchant.

The interest in and enthusiasm for the 2015 was apparent by the attendees as this promises to be the best release since 2010. Several producers compared this vintage to a combination of the best of 2005 and 2010. As the saying goes, 'all boats rise with the tide', a spectacular vintage such as this affects the wines from the high end to the secondary labels. This provides great opportunities for consumers as it promises quality wines at lower price points as well as in the ultra-premium more expensive levels. As with highly rated, highly anticipated vintages, prices are also higher accordingly.

Drake Hotel, Chicago
Following several more modest and a few lackluster vintages, 2015 promises great potential, and 2016 is expected to be even better!

The quality of the vintage shone through with high quality representations from appellations across the region from the left bank to the right bank. Unlike recent years which were more hit and miss, our representative collection of benchmark wines that we collect, all showed exceedingly well. There were a few lackluster labels and disappointments, but they were far fewer in number than recent years.

I found the Margaux, Pauillac and the Sauternes appellations to be especially impressive. Particular highlight standouts from the vintage that impressed me were Canon, Clinet, the Pichons (Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Pichon Baron), Lynch Bages, Brane Cantenac, Cantenac Brown, Lascombs, Giscours, and many of the Sauternes including Coutet, Lafaurie Peyraguay, Bastor Lamontagne and Suideraut. The St Juliens, normally one of my favorite appellations seemed generally more moderate and even keeled but lacking expressive standouts.

Some of the standouts were:

The 2015 Chateau Canon was the best in memory and I've collected and held this wine going back to the 1983 vintage. A blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc this presented a smooth polished structure, an intense bouquet with bright vibrant pure fruits black berry and raspberry fruits accented by notes of floral and mineral.

The 2015 Brane-Cantenac was as good as any I remember, a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenère, presented blackberry fruits, hints of raspberry and tones of tobacco leaf and hints of cedar.

The 2015 Clinet. a blend of 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc, was smooth, elegant and polished, presenting perfumed bouquet turning to black fruit, notes of menthol, creosote with silky smooth soft tannins.

With Chateau Canon
The 2015 Clos Fourtet, a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc presented full, bright floral bouquet with notes highlighting the black fruits turning to tones of cassis, dark mocha and menthol mint with a pure elegant polished structure.

The 2015 Suduiraut was intense, thick, unctuous with apricot nectar and notes of honey on a tongue puckering finish.

The 2015 Domaine de Chevalier,, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot was also the best in memory since I first discovered this label in 1994, presenting a full bouquet smooth blackberry fruit and hints of pepper.

Margaux Reeder, Bastor-Lamontagne
The 2015 Giscours is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot showing bright vibrant black currant and black cherry fruits turning to notes of spice, menthol, cedar and smooth silky tannins on the lingering finish.

The 2015 Pichon-Longueville Baron was complex concentrated with a firm structured backbone but was polished and smooth with hints of menthol, mint and firm but approachable tannins.

The 2015 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was as good as any I can remember, complex, firmly structured but a symphony of smooth polished well integrated flavors with the black fruits accented with refined notes of graphite, tobacco, leather and silky smooth tannins on the lingering finish.


Ryan and Rick w/ Pichon Baron
 The public tastings and host merchants were:
  • Thu. 18 January Toronto - LCBO
    Washington - Calvert Woodley
  • Fri. 19 January St John's - NLC (2013 & 2014 vintage)
    Boston - Gordon's Wines
  • Sat. 20 January Montréal - SAQ
  • Mon. 22 January New-York - Sotheby's
  • Tue. 23 January Chicago - Binny's
  • Wed. 24 January Denver - Applejack
  • Thu. 25 January San Francisco - K&L
  • Fri. 26 January Los Angeles - Wally's
     
Lois Vallette with special engraved
bottle packaging of Lafaurie-Peyraguay








 http://www.cipriani.com/events/?loc=ny-42nd-street

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Italian Wine & Dine Masseria dei Vini NYC

Italian Wine Dine Masseria dei Vini NYC
 
Italian Wine & Dine Masseria dei Vini NYC

During our week in NYC attending an industry conference and visiting son Alec, we dined at Masseria dei Vini (Masseria of Wines) which is a favorite of Viv's Bergonzi family when they are dining in town. The name is derived from masserias or fortified farmhouses, where in the Puglia region of Southern Italy, many of them have been transformed into restaurants or hotels. Chef Pino Coladonato is a native of Rutigliano (Bari), and has created a menu of dishes from Puglia, which incorporate fish, shellfish and a selection of homemade pastas. They offer an extensive wine list which features a large selection of mostly premium and ultra-premium labels, mainly from Italy, but also America, and a by-the-glass (BTG) selection too.

These pages have many posts from dining at our Angelis Italian in our hometown of Naperville, our favorite Italian trattoria, which is our benchmark for Italian dining. Its always interesting to compare Angelis with notable and popular Italian restaurants around the country, especially in dining meccas such as NYC.

From the Masseria dei Vini dinner menu, Alec ordered SPAGHETTI AL NERO CON VONGOLE, homemade Squid Ink Spaghetti with fresh baby clams, garlic and white wine sauce. I ordered AGNOLOTTI PIEMONTESI, homemade Half Moon shaped Ravioli Stuffed with Veal, in a Mix Wild Mushroom Sauce. Linda ordered the eggplant appetizer for her dinner entree, POLPETTINE ALLA FONTELINA, Eggplant Cakes with a Hint of Tomato Sauce and Basil. For a starter, we ordered the mussels.

The service including our server, Isaac, were excellent, knowledgeable, attentive, professional, and personable. 

Comparing to our home court Angelis, we found the mussels lacking, especially the sauce which was comparatively plain and uninspiring, perhaps lacking the white wine and butter components at Angelis. My pasta was also lacking in comparison to an Angelis dish I regularly order, which is more flavorful, especially the brown mushroom sauce. The veal in the Masseria dish seemed to be substandard. Good news for our hometown site.

From the winelist I order this Deltetto Roero Braja Riserva DOCG.
Deltetto has been producing high quality wines in Piemonte’s historic and prestigious wine producing areas of Roero and Langhe since 1953.  The family estate has 21 hectares (40 acres) of vineyards and the family’s winery in Canale, in the heart of the Roero in the Piemontese region.

Founder Carlo Deltetto's son Antonio and grandson Carlo run the business today, faithful to the founder's vision resulting in a broad family of wines that are known internationally.

Deltetto Roero Braja Riserva DOCG 2013

This is based on the Nebbiolo varietal. It is intense ruby red color, medium bodied, a firm structure with layer of elegant tannins, with a bouquet and flavors of intense red and black berry and black raspberry fruits.

RM 88 points.