Williamsburg Winery - 2007 Adagio Release Party

Patsy’s Restaurant, NYC, 1/19/2010

Wine is alive and well and being made at an exceptional level on the east coast in the state of Virginia. The wines from Virginia have been making great strides of late, having recently been selected for White House State Dinners. At the head of the pack is the Williamsburg Winery and its eclectic mix of traditional and unique grapes and wines well suited to the terroir Virginia. In fact Virginia has a similar temperate zone to that of Bordeaux, France.

The gracious Duffeler family started the Williamsburg Winery almost 25 years ago, having started the operation in 1985 and releasing its first wine in 1988. I was lucky enough to sit with the Duffeler family that night and got to know them and the Williamsburg Winery. The Duffeler’s are a well traveled, well versed, friendly and warm family. Patrick and Patrick II welcomed us to their table and discussed the tough aspects and the glamorous side of owning and operating a winery. It’s not all beautiful scenery and drinking fine wines, a lot of work goes into the marketing and selling aspects. There are plenty of beautiful moments I am sure, but being a winery that is not from Napa in the United States is not an easy proposition. Making wine is a capital intense business with large overhead costs. Sales require a winery in this day of the ever smarter wine consumer, a will of iron to hit the road and pitch their product. Tonight not one wine, but two from the Williamsburg Winery, can be proud of itself to be able to contend with some of the best wines offered in the United States.

The Party

The Adagio Launch Party was a great affair with many industry and media guests, such as the eponymous, and surprisingly exuberant Kevin Zraly. Mr. Zraly is best known for his wine education classes and best selling book “Windows on the World”. Mr. Zraly kicked things off with a monologue for the night full of zingers and one offs to keep the crowd rallied and fresh. Having read many of his past books and articles, I was surprised to hear him delivering a speech studded with jokes like a comedian. Make no joke about it, he knew his stuff, but the delivery was refreshing. It was a great treat and I look forward to meeting with him again soon as our paths cross in the wine biz. We enjoyed a 4 course dinner which Sal, the executive chef of Patsy’sNew York City, created to pair specifically with the Williamsburg Winery wines. in Patsy’s also happened to be Frank Sinatra’s favorite dinner spot back in the day and is adorned with pictures of stars from yesteryear. The food was spot on, top notch New York. I recommend anyone visiting to come by for a real taste of New York Italian food and a little bit of Rat Pack nostalgia.

Back to the Wine

Adagio, in Italian known as “ad agio” in English means 'at ease'. Adagio is also a musical term indicating the tempo of a composition that is meant to be slow and stately. It is from these philosophies that this wine is named in honor of Adagio’s extraordinary depth, elegance and grace.

The winery’s website describes the wine as follows:

“Balance is the focus of this Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc blend. The fruit, oak, tannins and alcohol all come together delightfully. An initial hint of black cherries progresses into more mature dark fruits such as figs and dates. Mixed in with the fruit is a lovely note of fresh cocoa, along with a bit of soy and eucalyptus. Earthiness and minerality blend agreeably with the fruit. The tannins are firm but approachable and contribute to a wine that will age gracefully over many years.”

I agree with most of those sentiments and have a few of my own to add from that night’s festivities. But before we do that, I wanted to mention this was the best wine we had that night and recommend anyone that likes their wines big, but with a touch of elegance and European flair to place their orders. I had a few similarities with winemaker Matt Meyer’s notes.

Dark in color, purple black core with purple/red edges. Very complex nose of currants, plum sauce and black cherry, some earth and a touch of oak folds in adding further depth. These aromas flow down to the palate expressing extra notes of delicious mocha and chocolate, more black cherry and finishes with firm tannins. Decant for sure, at least an hour. This is made to last, 10-15 years easy. 40% Merlot, 40% Petit Verdot, 20% Cabernet Franc.

Wine #2: Trianon

“Trianon is our Virginia Cabernet Franc. Rich and full-bodied, with a superb balance of red berries and darker fruit of cherries, figs and blackberries. This wine will age gracefully for many years.”

The winery explains this one well, but I have a few other notes from my tasting. While to me the best Cabernet Francs from California often fall short, there are few that I enjoy and buy consistently. Trianon however makes a great compromise combining some of the best characteristics from Chinon (Loire Valley, France) and California. You get some of the pepper, earth and minerality like in a Chinon and from the new world you get lush, juicy red fruit and concentration. Bravo, well done! 75% Cabernet Franc, 25% mixed parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot.

Matt Meyer is a talented and congenial wine maker. We discussed a few things the wine regions of Virginia have that make them unique. One of those being that Virginia's climate is similar to Europe, especially that of Bordeaux. I have driven through part of Virginia and have thought to myself that some of these regions, with just a little bit longer of a growing season than New York, could do well with growing grapes. The problem on our coast is the humid and hot nights. In California it is a drier climate, with much cooler nights which help develop and maintain a wine’s acidity. I also have to mention that the first great American wine connoisseur, Thomas Jefferson, the 3^rd President of the United States, hailed from Virginia and made it his job to import the best wines from Europe to enjoy at Monticello, his historic mansion home now an oft visited museum. Jefferson also tried to grow grapes of his own to make his own Monticello wine but failed miserably. At least he tried, and today I am sure he would be proud sampling wines from such Virginia wineries like Williamsburg Winery.

Cheers,

Tom

$13 - 2007 Bodegas Volver, Tempranillo, La Mancha
(Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, La Mancha)

Every now and then I run into a Tempranillo that I like. The problem is that if you have ever had Rioja Reserva from the likes of Lopez de Heredia, Muga, Marques de Murrieta, or Aratdi its typically all down hill from there as that is the classic, benchmark representation of Tempranillo for the world. Is this wine close to that, no, but I don't think that was the intention of Bodega Volver and I am okay with that. Most Tempranillo under $15 is best left alone, or I just have had the worst luck with the under $15 category. The Volver is a great casual mid-week wine.

Volver Tempranillo is made in a more modern style and hails from the lesser known region of La Mancha. Jorge Ordonez Selections is the importer, who is widely known for importing other great wines from Spain, many more modern in style and in a great affordable price range.


Tasting Notes

Color: Dark core with purple red edges.

Nose & Palate: Hearty and rustic black fruits and gobs of sweet black licorice mingle with some bramble and tobacco notes. Noticeable tannins on the finish so have with heartier foods.

Satisfying wine, mostly modern in style with a touch of rusticity. This is a pretty big wine, so if you are looking for old school Tempranillo, this may not be for you.

Grapes: 100% Tempranillo

Cheers,
Tom

2005 Pax Syrah Griffin's Lair $60

(USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)

California Syrah can be a dicey game. On the quality low end it can range from

a sappy uber-fruit bomb to a savory, peppery meaty wine deep in Syrah character reflective of its roots in the Northern Rhone on the high. The best from California, to me, show those latter traits of the Rhone, but also show more fruit which is typical of wine from the California. The best examples will show Rhone character, but never be too close to the real thing from France. Not one Syrah from anywhere outside of the Rhone has been anything close to what the best in the Rhone can be from Hermitage or Cote Rotie. That is not a bad thing at all. What is typical of the Rhone should be expected of the Rhone. The same should be said of Syrah or any other wine from any

other region, be it Sonoma or Southern Australia.

Poor California Syrah is one dimensional, over-ripe and juicy showing just the sunshine that is easy to capture in a glass of California wine. Its sweet and fruity up front, flat on the mid-palate, then finishes hollow. And why is it hollow? Its empty. It lacks the natural aromas and flavors that Syrah gives when its made right. Whether it be Syrah or Shiraz, it should be reflective of the place it is from, its terroir. Here we have one such Syrah from Cailfornia: the 2005 "Griffin's Lair" from Pax (Wine Cellars). Pax was an outfit out of Sonoma that had the brilliant idea to make mostly single vineyard Syrah from all over Sonoma County in Northern California. Pax also made a few white Rhones made from Viognier and Roussane grapes, and one Grenache based red. The wine maker and the family that founded the winery have split ways and the last vintage of Pax wines are the 2007 reds and 2008 whites. They both have thankfully moved on to their own ventures so we can still enjoy wines from these wonderful sources: Donelan Family Wines and Wind Gap Wines (former wine maker).

Tasting Note

Bravo! Serious Syrah here from California that is actually what California Syrah should be!

Color: Deep purple red core, lighter purple red edges. Color saturates the inside of the glass.

Nose & Palate: Tar, violets, aromatic flowers, black fruit aromas, nice oak integration as its not very noticeable. More Blackberry/currants, pepper, minty herbal, violets, tar and meat flavors fan out over the palate. Very complex!

Finishes long with tarry black berry and smoky bacon, delicious.

Cheers!

Tom

2006 Philippe Bornard, Arbois Pupillin, Le Ginglet $30

(France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin)

There is something great to be said about the old saying having to do with learning something new every day. Today that something new had to do with wine and it was my palate’s turn to learn, or rather experience something new and different. I am sure you can tell by the title you are saying “what the heck is this wine?” and maybe closed your browser. If you are still reading cheers to you!

The Jura is a tiny region east of Burgundy in France. It is little known in the main stram wine drinking world. However, in the uber wine geek world that I also live in, the Jura is an immensely respected and appreciated region. Kind of like a band I like called Wilco. From past readings on this region, thanks to New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov, visiting here is truly like stepping back in time. Traditional methods are the rule of thumb. The Jura also is typically known for their whites, both still and sparkling. Reds tend to play second fiddle to the white wines. The modern world has not exactly made its way to this little know corner of the wine world, thus the wines are very different than your average wine made in regions like Bordeaux or California. Based on this introductory wine, I am glad it has not and will try to do more discovering of this region. It is truly unlike any wine I have ever had.

The color? Check! New and different!

The nose & Palate? Check! New aromas and flavors mixed with those typical of multiple other French regions.

This is truly a Franco-phile’s wine delight! Its almost like a Chinon from the Loire meets a village level red Burgundy. Such a cool experience!

The recent prices on Wine-Searcher are around $30, but we paid under $20 at a shop that no longer has any inventory of this wine. It is well worth seeking out or finding a wine from the Jura soon to try out. Your palate will thank you, and you will have added big bonus points to educating and expanding your palate!

I listed at the bottom the exact specifics from CellarTracker, now on to the notes!

Color: Bordering on Rose-pink, light ruby core to salmon/copper outer bands, beautiful!

Nose & Palate: Smells of Bourgogne rouge, or red burgundy, village level stuff. Earthy, pepper, some subtle anise spice reminiscent of Cabernet Franc from Chinon. On the palate silky strawberry mingles with some vegetal green bell pepper and cracked black pepper. Excellent, acute acidity provides great focus on the minerally finish. Drink now.

Vintage 2006

Type Red

Producer Philippe Bornard

Variety Trousseau

Designation Le Ginglet

Vineyard n/a

Country France

Region Jura

Appellation Arbois Pupillin

Cheers,

Tom

Clos La Coutale 2007 $12.99

Happy New Year Wine Forum readers! To kick off 2010 we start with a value wine of a grape that you all know, but from a region many do not – Malbec from Cahors.

Malbec the world over is synonymous with wine from Argentina. It is the backbone of the Argentine wine industry, and the main component of the majority of the red wine that sets sail from this Southern Hemisphere wine region. There are a few examples of great, and expensive, Malbec wines from Argentina, but little people know that this grape’s origins lie in a little know region south and east of Bordeaux called Cahors (pronounced Kah-OHR). Cahor had fallen off the map literally from a wine perspective for quite some time. In the 18^th century Bordeaux had eclipsed Cahors and left it in the dust. Only 50 years ago had attention start to come back to this once regarded region that made the “black wines of Cahors”. The wines are similar to Bordeaux in that they are blended with Merlot, but neither Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc are allowed to be planted in Cahors. Appellation rules state that the wines from Cahors must be composed of at least 70% Malbec.

After some quick looks this wine is widely available at many good wine shops, just try wine-searcher.com. In your average wine shop that deals with quality wines, you may find 2-3 Cahors at most. They are not as popular as Malbec, but if you like Malbec from Argentina, I think you will be quite happy with its French ancestor, especially the Clos la Coutale. It's probably the finest Cahors I have had under $20.

Tasting Note

Color: Dark center with purple red edges

Nose & Palate: Rose petals, some iron and earth, blackberry, great fruit depth, ample acidity and wonderfully fine grained tannins. A touch of dusty lilacs and roasted herbs taper off with the finish. Easy drinking and complex enough to keep you interested. This is Malbec with a Franco soul!

Cheers,

Tom

Happy New Year!

A brief look back at wine in 2009.

Cheers to all and Happy New Year! This year, if anything was for sure, was that time went by with the blink of an eye and the dawn of 2010 is upon us. 2009 was, well, an interesting year to say the least. In many ways it was not interesting, C'est la vie!

One facet that was interesting was of course the wine drinking and tasting. We also had some very memorable meals and will highlight 5 of those meals, as well as two top 10 lists of the wines from this year. One list bearing no price that includes some legendary names and some legends in the making. The other list is a value list of those wines I found delivered the best value for under $20. Together we made 2009 more wine savvy! Let's make 2010 even better!

Top 10 Wines 2009

1) 1997 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia

Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri

2) 1977 Château Lafite Rothschild

France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

3) 1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon

France, Champagne

4) 2002 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

California, Napa Valley

5) 1995 Bodega Catena Zapata Cabernet Sauvignon Saint Felicien Edicion Unica No 1

Argentina, Mendoza

6) 2007 Herman Story Grenache "On The Road"

California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

7) 1989 & 1990 Château Bahans Haut-Brion

France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

8) 2003 Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60

France, Northern Rhône, Cornas

9) 1997 Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

California, Napa Valley

10) 1997 Niepoort Porto Vintage

Portugal, Douro, Porto

Top 10 Value Wines 2009

1) 2007 J.L. Chave Côtes du Rhône Mon Coeur $15-20

France, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

2) 2006 Viña Cobos El Felino Cabernet Sauvignon (formerly Cocodrilo) $17-18

Argentina, Mendoza

3) 1992 Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Cabernet Sauvignon $N/A

USA, California

4) 2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico $16-20

Italy, Tuscany, Chianti Classico

5) 2007 Clos de los Siete (Michel Rolland) Clos de Los Siete $14-18

Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco

6) 2007 StellaGrey Napa Valley Red $20

California, Napa Valley

7) N.V. Sokol Blosser Evolution No. 9 $14-$17

USA, Oregon

8) 2007 Bodegas Castaño Monastrell $7-8

Spain, Murcia, Yecla

9) 2004 Château D’As $15

France, Bordeaux, Graves

10) 2007 Domaine de la Chesnay Côtes du Rhône $6

France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

Top 5 Dining Experiences 2009

1) Blue, Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Chef: Eric Ripert

Flawless, modern French cooking with classical roots – seafood inspired. The Surf & Turf Lobster could be the best thing I ate all year. Amazing tasting menus for local sourced and the Le Bernardin menu – we had both!

2) La Toque, Westin Verasa, Napa, Napa Valley, CA

Chef: Ken Frank

Sommelier: Yoon Ha

Practically splitting hairs having them at #2. The BEST wine service I have ever had with the wine & food pairing tasting menu: Potel Vosne-Romanee, Corison, Keplinger, Ladera, Royal Tokaji, Duck, Wagyu beef, Matsutake, Foie Gras, and Antelope

3) Campiello, Naples, Florida

Chef: Jay Sparks

Best chicken I have had in forever, airline cut, wood burning oven. Amazing lively scene in downtown Naples

4) The Brasserie, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Beautiful presentation, Talented cooking, Attentive & Stellar service, Colonial Island Setting

5) Craft, Manhattan, New York

Chef: Tom Colicchio

Best Carrots in a restaurant, Hen of Woods mushrooms, Duck, Steak, Octopus!

TIE

5) Keens Steakhouse

- Mutton Chop, solid wine choices, the Scotch list is longer then the wine list!

Below I will list a few of the tasting notes from the top wines listed above and add some pictures!

A toast to a Safe and Happy New! May 2010 be healthy & most prosperous to you and yours!

Cheers,

Tom

2006 Vina Cobos Malbec, Bramare $35-40

Lujan de Cuyo

Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo

Yet another reason why I love Vina Cobos' Malbec wines! In fact, I feel the same way about most of their other wines too. We had the 2007 Felino Chardonnay ($13-18) the other night and it was outstanding with this healthy spin on fried chicken (recipe).

"Bramare" is Italian for "to yearn for" and let me tell you, I yearn for this wine when I get a hankering for some Malbec! I usually pick up a few of the Malbec and the Cabernet Sauvignon as they are great values compared to any region in the world.

On to the notes...

Color: Dark and saturated deep purple to red edges, vibrant

Nose & Palate: Heady aromas of blackberry and raspberry, currants too. The palate that adds blueberries, crushed juicy raspberries, some licorice and blackberry. A touch of bitter sweet cacao chocolate, earth and minerality add depth and further complexity. A long, silky smooth finish!

BACK the truck up and load up!

Cheers!