The State of Being

I have been thinking about pho (and bak chor mee, but that one is out of the question…). It’s time to revisit Chinatown that’s for sure. But my calendar is packed for the next two weeks, thanks especially to restaurant week this week.

Restaurant week! We have restaurants lined up from Monday through Sunday, with a break today – Wednesday – for the MET HD encore streaming of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. The opera was fantastic by the way; there is really something to be said for watching it on the big screen rather than live in the opera house. For one, we got to smuggle in a bottle of wine. Some of the other patrons brought small bottles too, or shared tacky plastic cups, but we had neat little wine glasses hehe. For another, we got to watch close ups of the singers, follow their every expression. And during intermissions, we had Renee Fleming entertain us backstage with interviews with the cast.

Anyway, yes, two days into restaurant week so far. On Monday, we dined at Maystreet with R and P. The appetizers was the highlight – we had grilled octopus and bacon wrapped dates. The duck burger with foie gras and chunky fries were pretty decent too, though a tad too salty. We really enjoyed Salpicon on Tuesday though. M last brought me there two years ago, where I really enjoyed the zingy taste of the blue marlin serviche. I got that again this time, washed down with some margarita. For the entree, I had the blackened Alaskan cod over rice pilaf; super tasty and paired with a half bottle of Alsace Gerwurtztraminer that had the bittersweet finish of a pomelo. Almost too full for the espresso chocolate lava cake with vanilla bean ice cream heh.

A little difficult to believe that I’ve been here a month now…Since I haven’t really had the opportunity to kick back and reflect on whether this was the case or not, I guess I’ve settled back in.

Napa Valley Tasting Day 2

We visited five wineries today, which does not feel as many compared with Aaron and company’s trip out to Sonoma last fall. Still, it was plenty enough and by the time we rolled into our last stop at Mumm, I was feeling bloated. I guess the awesome lunch we had stuffed me up too much. But it was an excellent recommendation by the guy at Quixote: we shared marinated ahi tuna, beef carpacchio, duck terrain, and the juiciest Kobe burger I have ever had. So good!!!

Anyway, it has been a really good trip out to Napa – I barely knew of the wineries the last couple of times I came out, so I think I definitely appreciated the experience this time around. We hit most of the wineries that I had planned on going to, wineries recommended by various friends, so I am definitely very satisfied. Still have a long list of wineries to hit up for when I next return!

Signorello
2006 vielles vignes estate Chardonnay -some apple in the mouth and pear in the nose. Some buttery toast, walter thinks. Thick luscious finish, maybe a little oily. Peiyun likes the heft of the wine.

2005 estate syrah (96% Shiraz and 4% viognier) – northern Rhine style, not quite the us style. I like how the viognier rounds off the finish of the Shiraz. I like the nose; some berries, coffee, and spice.

2004 estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Bordeaux style blend. Currants in the nose. Well structured, like the smooth tannins in the finish. Not very sweet but I like.

2006 las amigas vineyard Pinot noir – grown in carneros. Aged in French oak for ten months. Four uses per barrel. Smoky and nice body, some raspberries.

2006 luvisi vineyard zinfandel – 26 miles north of napa, a lot hotter. Hotter, a ton more fruit in the nose and body. Big body, smaller ass.

2003 estate Cabernet sauvignon – cool and moist growing season, completely opposite of 2004. Smells a little greener, the tannins still on the tongue, a little bigger. Interesting how the noses are so different.

Quixote (petite syrah focus. Carl big food guy, likes how this grape pairs with wine. This owner used to own stag’s leap before he sold it to beringer).

2005 panza Grenache mourvedre blend – only seventy cases. Nice hot smell. I really like this wine, not too heavy, but not in the least watery, delightful finish really.

2003 Cabernet sauvignon – tons of black currants in the nose and in the mouth. Maria really likes it too. Me too. Very juicy! Should not try to age the 2003 cabs, but this one is definitely ready to drink right now.

2003 panza Cabernet Sauvignon (5% petite verdot) – I think the Quixote was more exciting. But this is still very nice and smooth. I think that they have very nicely structured wines here, very nice and smooth tannins.

2004 Quixote petite syrah – jon thinks very nice, I do too, but my palate is a little numb right now. Very ripe black fruit, some mocha or chocolate. Should age as it can hold the fruit.

Opus one
2004 Bordeaux style blend – very very hot, a lot of currants in the nose and mouth. Very concentrated, very smooth. But I’m not sure about the $30 tasting nor the $180 price tag. Long finish very peppery.

Zd Winery
2007 rosa lee gewurtztraminer Russian river valley – very dry, citrus notes: pineapple lemon, orange. Very refreshing for today’s hot weather. Peiyun can easily distinguish the pear notes.

2006 Chardonnay California – selection of vineyards including Santa barbara. Cold barrel no maloactic fermentation. Long yeast contact. I like this a lot. Interesting body. Coconut? Little bit of vanilla in the finish. Reminds me of a breezy summer on the beach.

2006 Pinot noir, carneros – ten months French oak. Quite a light color, and with that characteristic pungent Pinot nose. Did not blow my socks off but still good, just paled after comparing with the previous two.

2005 Cabernet sauvignon – blackberries, tobacco in the nose. Some tannins buy not overwhelming. A pleasant wine.

Judd’s Hill
2007 rose – strawberries very light and refreshing, a nice change from the heavy reds. Peiyun thinks it is too sweet. Got to drink cold though.

2005 Chardonnay – quite nondescript after zd. Lemony bright fruit.

2006 Pinot noir – light colored. Nice strawberry in the nose. Some spice in the body; peiyun liked that. Nice rounded finish. Better done than the pinot we had at zd. Jon liked it so much, he bought a bottle.

2005 Zinfandel old vine (75 years) – raising nose, sweet body and raising in the finish too. Just a hint of spice. Quite enjoyable. I really like the nose.

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (6% Cabernet franc) – nice nose, love the wood. We had this for dinner last night and loved it, which is why we decided to stop by here today. Tannins in the finish, a wine that could stand to be aged a little longer too I think. A little of that sherry nose.

Mumm Napa
The winery’s the biggest we’ve been to the entire trip. Very commercial feel, none of that small intimate winery feel that we have enjoyed at some of the other places. Still it feels quite luxurious to end the day off with a couple glasses of bubbly.

Blanc de blanc – dry, and a little tart in the finish, but the body is off sweet.

Reserve brut – tighter bubbles, off sweet and I think my favorite of the series.

Grand annee 2001 – big bubbles too tart. Way too fizzy. Granted I am not much of a champagne person; Natalie would have been able to offer a much more informed opinion, but this will not be my drink of choice.

Blanc de noir - peiyun and I think its too dry. But she decided after a couple sips that she still likes it.

At Mustard’s Grill
2006 Merryvale Pinot Noir – light nose but nice weight to the body; of strawberries.

Old World vs. New World: Who Cares

It was with equal parts delight and disappointment that I left WineStyles’ weekly Thursday evening tasting. Delight because the tasting was so overwhelmingly excellent, and because I’d bought a bottle from the tasting, along with another bottle of sparkling wine that promises almond notes that I felt I just had to try. Disappointment in myself, however, for not having the conviction and strength to stay true to my self-promise that I’d not buy any more bottles until I’ve whittled down my collection. And I was making such good progress too! Thirty bottles down to 22… AH! I really can’t afford to keep running out and buying new bottles – there will come a time when I can start a real collection and enjoy the luxury of lovingly counting out the dozens of bottles (e.g. when I have a bigger wine fridge/cellar), but now is really not it. Damn it. I should have known better to bring my wallet along. Oh well. What’s done is done. Now I have to recommit to my stand, and perhaps boycott non-BYOB restaurants in the meantime.

But man, the tasting! It was a very well thought out selection comprising of Italian and California wines. Sihao, Bruce, and I were so taken with all five wines we tried, that we had to re-taste all the wines – quite a few times at that – so we could pick favorites. In the end, Sihao left with two bottles, a beautiful example of a Gewürztraminer from Silverlake, and a delicious and what I call ‘lite-port’ dessert red wine from Cagnina di Romagna in Italy. I finally settled on the John Christopher Cellars 2003 blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah because I was so taken with the heavy nose of black currants, black cherries, and all kinds of other fruit and spices. Jenel recommended pairing it with some BBQ pork tenderloin which I can totally see would make a delicious combination, but frankly, I’m more than happy to drink it alone.

My tasting notes:

Silverlake Gewürztraminer 2006: Beautiful floral notes in the nose, not so much the lychee, but the fruit was discernable in the body. Nice weight, and a long, pleasant finish.

Howling Wolf Pinot Grigio Lodi 2004: I think I have to rethink my stand that pinot grigios are simple white wines just meant as refreshing beverages for a hot summer’s day. In the last few weeks, I’ve sampled pinot grigios that have stood up for themselves, and asserted their uniqueness, including this example. I love to be proven wrong however, and I’m not one who tastes wines in the hopes of disliking them – what would be the point??? The Howling Wolf is a fuller bodied pinot grigio, with flavors of ripe fruit – peaches and melons perhaps – combined with some mineral notes. Again, I liked the weight of it.

John Christopher Cellars Epic 2003: My favorite for the evening, though it was really quite difficult to pick and choose sides. It’s a classic example of California (and New World wines) – explosive aromas of black fruit that just leaps out of the glass. I picked out notes of black currant (my base standard of comparison being Ribena) and black cherries. And the fruit aromas extended to the mouth-feel as well. Smooth and velvety. Very full bodied wine, and again, very nice weight. The spicy edge of the wine from the Petite Sirah was further complemented by the pieces of salami we had.

Narciso Nero D’Avola 2005: I recently tasted two bottles of nero d’avola wines from Sicily at an Italian restaurant, so I was quite excited to try it again. Coming right after the Epic, this wine felt quite a bit lighter in weight, more restrained – not as full bodied and luscious. The nose was a lot more toned down as well, more mineral notes than bold fruits (as is usually the case for Old World wines). It smelt and tasted a little hot, and brought to mind images of hot tires on hot tar roads.

Adesso Cagnanina di Romagna 2007: As I said before, like a port in style, except lighter both in weight and alcohol content, thus, ‘lite-port.’ Much less syrupy sweet than port, a perfect after-dinner accompaniment, even for those who profess not to like sweet wines I reckon. It was quite simply sublime with the pieces of dark chocolate proffered. By the way, ‘adesso’ means now in Italian, so perhaps this 2007 bottle is not meant for keeping?

Back to the roots: Wines from New York

New York is actually the oldest wine region in the U.S., but is obviously shadowed by Napa. Nonetheless, New York native Jeff bravely decided to tackle wines from that state last night, going where most wine distributors in Chicago haven’t dared to tread – I know, because we have been asking around. He’d gotten most of the wines shipped back from a previous visit, and carried the rest back in his suitcase on other trips.

So it was that we held our DGS New York wines tasting at Jeff and Zhen’s Saturday night. For the most part, we tried established grape varietals, and didn’t taste native grapes such as the Concord and Seyval Blanc. There were around twenty people in attendance, including three new folks whom I think enjoyed themselves, and would hopefully be around in the future. And even though we tried to end earlier by starting at the much earlier time of 6pm, the tasting only concluded at midnight. Hehe.

We started the ball rolling with a couple of fun wines, a pear wine, Goose Watch Bartlett Pear $12. It was fun, with clear pear notes but not too cloyingly sweet on the palate.

Next up was a strawberry wine, Baldwin Strawberry $16. Sadly, that was the only bottle that lay unfinished at the end, no mean feat considering we went through 12 bottles in total. It had a bold nose, big, ripe strawberry jam. Alas, it was sweet, waaaaaaaay too sweet, and most people had to cut it with a couple of ice cubes or water it down.

The Viognier, Casa Larga Viognier $20, we were served next was almost a relief from the lingering sweetness. I say almost because it tasted a little too green and tight, maybe a result of an unfortunate contrast with the syrupy strawberry wine. It’s definitely not my favorite examples of viognier; I could name a dozen more that had showed a much better structure of the woodiness. Bruce and a couple others said it smelled musty. No matter, Aaron and Yeming found that they quite enjoyed the almost refreshing crispness of the wine.

We got a bottle of Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling $24 next. Aaron and I both agreed that the wine showed a lot of potential in the nose and body… alas only to suddenly disappoint with a finish that plunged into nothingness.

Happily, the next dry Riesling, Hermman Wiemer Dry Riesling $30, showed really beautifully. It was my favorite bottles of the night, with an elegantly light nose and dancing aromas of pineapple and floral notes, and a soft finish.

Wine Number 6 was a late harvest Riesling from the same vineyard, the Hermann Wiemer Late Harvest Riesling $30, and again, this one thrilled, though I’d much rather the drier version.

We tried a third bottle from the same vineyard, this one the Hermann Wiemer gewurztraminer $25 that had the clearest example of lychee notes so far. Beautiful nose, and the slight spiciness of the body was a delight.

Wine Number 8 was a Chardonnay, the Palmer Reserve Chardonnay $17, and Natalie, upon lifting the glass to her nose, immediately pointed out the buttery popcorn notes, and not just buttery, mind you, but with a little bit of burnt edge to it, as if the popcorn had been in the microwave for a couple seconds too long. How true! I loved it, and especially savored the slight salty edge in the wine.

We had a Pinot Grigio next, the Hunt Country Pinot Gris $16, and I stand by my statement that I’ve not had many Pinot Grigios that have wowed me, one excellent exception being the Pinot Grigio from Rocca, Italy. This was not it, but tasted pleasant enough, even if it didn’t give a lasting memory.

After all the whites, we finally moved on to the reds. My second favorite of the night, a Merlot blend, the Rivendell Merlot $17. This one had a funky-ish nose, not quite merlot tasting with its smell of wet earth/wood, but I loved the soft tannins in the mouthfeel and found myself reaching out for refills a couple times afterwards.

The next red was a Pinot Noir, the Six Mile Pinot Noir $22, and this was a surprising version, the color so light that it could almost pass for a rose. Not quite what I’d expect from a Pinot Noir – a little too tart and almost sweet for my liking?

The last wine of the night, a Salmon Run Petit Noir from Dr. Konstantin Frank, was interesting. The color wasn’t quite as light as that Pinot Noir, but still a lighter shade than the Merlot. Light and fruity. Apparently a blend of Gamay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvginon (how the hell did they come up with the name Petit Noir???).

Cheers, it’s the holidays

Wines of choice this holiday season (so far):

1. Tamellini Soave 2004 ($12):
Over dinner with the girls Maggie, Kayla, and Peiyun. Our shared Italian meal was excellent – simple, yet flavorful and tasteful. Peiyun admired the Soave too, which incidentally, I have another bottle that’s sitting in my fridge. Made of 100% Garganega grapes (need at least 70% composition to be labeled Soave), the wine is a light gold in color with a heady apple and apricot perfume. Strong, luscious mouthfeel and finish, an elagant wine.

2. Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Clos des Capucins Reserve Personnelle 2005 ($33)
This was one of the dozen bottles I picked up at the beginning of December, and actually, the most expensive one. Which was a little odd, considering my preference for reds, but the wine experts at Sams helped me put together my case, and they couldn’t help going on and on about the Alace wine. I broke it out last Thursday night, after a heavy dinner at Broadway Cellar with my favorite peeps who were in town. Peiyun wasn’t a fan though; I guess she didn’t quite enjoy the more restrained body with the slightest peppery finish. I thought it quite austere, a little chewy, and on hindsight, perhaps a wine better served with food.

3. Susan Balbo Malbec 2005 ($16)
We opened this last Friday, post-dinner at Barbareebas, when we were lounging on my landing, playing my various board games. Definitely an easy to drink wine; lots of fruit in the nose – blueberries, rasberries. Very lush, and complemented the sponge cake that the girls got for Peiyun’s belated birthday.

4. Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($47)
If the Malbec was a youthful, exuberant wine, then the Turnbull could be likened to as a more grown up version. The Cabernet wasn’t as packed heavy with fruit as the Malbec – it was a thinner, more svelte, and much sexier version. Think slinky silver dress with those long gloves. Alright, I know I’m over the top with my descriptions, but I stand by my point: the Turnbull was sultry. The first sip took me by surprise: it was smooth, silky, slid down my throat, and I was smitten. I brought it over to Sandy’s for Christmas eve, and yes, it went well with the smoked turkey.

5. Clautiere Estate Viognier 2004 ($23)
I picked this bottle up on a whim over the summer. I remember the wine shop well: it was a small, boutique shop near UIC. We had stopped in after dim sum on Saturday afternoon, looking for some tastings, and I fell into conversation with the people working in the store. We gushed over viogniers, and she let me taste this one bottle. Last night, I popped the cork, rationalizing that no matter that I was alone at home, it was Christmas. A deep, golden yellow in color, it has a heavy nose of honeydew and melon. Thick, creamy body that just sits so right in your tongue, and rounded off with an earthy finish.

DGS XIX: Oregon and Washington Wines

Jeff and Zhen hosted DGS XIX: Oregon and Washington Wines last Friday at their spanking new pad. We had a much smaller group than usual – 15 people, including 4 new members, Julian and Sandra from climbing, and Dan and his fiancé from work. We started at a later time than usual, 9pm, and without any Harry Potter book release parties to distract us (or me, more precisely) from the drinking, the event lasted till past 3am. It was a blast though – 15 people, 14 bottles of wine (including an extra red that the boys brought out at the end).