“wIne tIme” is a wine event that I’ve been wanting to do for some time. It’s supposed to be casual, fun, but also educational and an opportunity to taste some new-to-you or completely-off-the-radar unfamiliar wines or grape varieties with a few winelover foodie friends who also enjoy and are not afraid to “taste around the world”. There is no time like the present to do something different, so this is it – “wIne tIme with forkandcorkdivine” Number 1………..and hopefully just the first of many more to come.
The theme was “NO theme!” Here were the rules:
1. Bring a bottle of wine to share that you really enjoy and/or think that it may be new to some or all of us.
2. Bring an appetizer or tapas-type food to share that should pair well with your wine.
3. Be prepared to tell us about your wine and food.
4. Sample widely and above all ENJOY!
The wIne lIst
Here is what we tasted on February 25, 2019 and the food that was paired so well with each bottle.
Kris Sparkling Cuvee Limited Release NV, Alto Adige, Italy
KRIS wines are made in Alto Adige using grapes from various Italian regions. The culture here reflects both Germanic and Italian heritage. The bottle labels are designed by Riccardo Schweizer (1925 – 2004), a native of Alto Adige who studied in Paris under Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró. The labels emphasize the sun which ripens the grapes, the human hand that crafts the wine, and the lips of those of us lucky enough to drink this wine! Kris produces about 3 million bottles per year. This particular limited release cuvee is a blend of 75% Verdeca, 24% Pinot Noir and 1% Moscato with alcohol at 11.5% and residual sugar at 11 g/l. The white Verdeca grape is mostly found in Puglia and is relatively rare. It was once used to make Vermouth but is now primarily used for white wine blending ranging from neutral and herbal to more aromatic with citrus flavors. Verdeca is used in making the famous Lacryma Christi (tears of Christ) wines produced from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius which we were able to enjoy at our Volcanic Wine Dinner last year. This sparkling was crisp and fresh with delicate hints of pear and floral undertones, and just generally delightful drinking. It is perfect with light appetizers or just sit and enjoy it all by itself!
Tamber Bey “Lizzy’s Vineyard” Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Calistoga, California
Tamber Bey Vineyards were founded in 1999 in Yountville and Oakville. Then they hired Thomas Brown as the winemaker. Great choice!!! Tamber Bey winery was built in 2013 at the Sundance Ranch in Calistoga, CA which is a 22 acre equestrian facility, and new home for their Arabian horses. Now they not only train top performance horses there, but also make wine in a 15,000 square foot covered riding arena converted into state-of-the art winemaking facility and a 36 fermentation tank crush pad. Lizzie’s vineyard is on the Oakville Cross Road just east of the Napa River Bridge. Their neighbor to the west is Opus One, so they are in really good company! Tamber Bey produced 1529 cases of the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc which according to Andy Jones, the current winemaker will give you bright aromas of ginger, grapefruit, lemongrass and fresh kiwi followed by floral notes of lavender and white peach. Then there is some green apple and starfruit with long lasting texture and a vibrant acidity. The wine was aged for 7 months in stainless steel and acacia wood and has an alcohol level of 13.9%. This wine is perfect for pairing with seafood. Al and Mariann, we really appreciated this Sauvignon Blanc that paired so well with your “real” crab cakes!
Williams Selyem Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2016, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California
The now cult-famous Williams Selyem started out in 1979 in a garage as a weekend winemaking hobby for Burt Williams and Ed Selyem. They made their first vintage in 1981 and went on to make history with their Pinots, most of which we winelovers never got to experience. They set the bar for winemaking in Russian River Valley. Burt and Ed sold the winery in 1998, but the wine just keeps getting better and better. This Chardonnay is a new wine grown right on their Westside Road property with 20 different clones guaranteed to provide a Chardonnay with an unmatched complexity. It was supposed to give us “Notes of white flowers mixed with pear, quince, green apple, stone fruit, and melon combined to offer a kaleidoscope of aromas. In the mouth, flavors are diverse with notes of lime, pear, and green apple. The acid is subtle and creates a framework around the tannin structure which gives the wine excellent weight.” It did not disappoint! It was barrel aged for 16 months with an alcohol level of 14.5% and Wine Enthusiast scored it at 92 points. Sadly most of us would never have the opportunity to taste this wine as it was available only to their mailing list members. Happily thank you Jeff and Rene for sharing yours with us!
“Petites Secondes” Domaine Drouhin, Pinot Noir 2016, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Maison Joseph Drouhin was founded in France in 1880. An entire century later one of the Drouhin family members came to Oregon and founded a 225 acre wine estate there in the 1980s – from the “Caves of Burgundy to the Dundee Hills of Oregon”. In 1988 they produced their first vintage from purchased grapes and in 1989 built their four-story gravity flow winery. Wine from DDO have always been considered first class highly rated wines made with “French soul” just like their Burgundian relative. “Petites Secondes” wines are grown, produced and bottled by the Drouhins in Willamette Valley giving us the opportunity to drink “Drouhin” at a slightly lower price. The 2016 harvest was the year of “early” – a warm winter was followed by early bud break, early bloom, early veraison and early harvest. This area of Oregon is between some volcanic mountain ranges that give the vineyards a little cover from coastal winds and rain and help to keep temperatures in a moderate range. And Pinot and Chardonnay love the cool climate. This 2016 example of Pinot Noir has aromas of deep dark blackberries and plums, flavors of rich dark berries and some nutty notes all fully expressing the grapes. It is velvety and has well-balanced tannins and subtle oak with 14.1% alcohol. It is a really nice entry into the Drouhin family of Burgundy style wines. We thank Dave and Sandi for sharing some Petites Secondes Drouhin with us.
Fabre Montmayou Cabernet Franc Reserva 2016, Lujan de Cayo, Mendoza, Argentina
Winemaker Hervé Joyaux Fabre moved from Bordeaux to Argentina in the early 1990s and decided there was lots of potential to make good wine with complexity, freshness and elegance. Hervé believes in local terroir and is determined to make wine that expresses it as elegantly as possible. He was first impressed by the potential for Malbec, and built the Fabre Montmayou winery. Next he bought vineyards and a winery in Rio Negro, Patagonia because he realized that the cool climate in the southern region along with the terroir, allowed him to create great wines that are very different from those he produced in Mendoza. Evidently he was right – he and his wife, Diane, have now achieved international acclaim for the exceptional wines of unique personality they produce. Hervé makes the wine and then Diane gets it to the customers in over twenty countries. Their 2016 Cabernet and Malbec have been given 92-93 points by James Suckling, and Decanter gave this Cabernet Franc 96 points. The winemaker notes for this wonderful example of Cabernet Franc are “intense red color, elegant on the nose, with red and black fruit aromas and hints of mint.” It was quite well balanced and had a long finish with 14% alcohol. We love our Cab Franc and this one is a great example of wines now being produced in Argentina. Thanks to Doug and Anita for sharing!
Hill Family Estate Red Door 2014 Red Bordeaux Blend, Yountville, California
The Hill Family grew grapes for other Napa Valley wine producers for four generations before they decided they should make their own wine. Doug, the farmer, grew the grapes, helped to make the wine, and then gave wine tasters a chance to experience them at a tasting room in Yountville, CA., their hometown. Now brother Ryan runs the sales division with assistance from the rest of the family. The Hill Family produces premium Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. They make just 14,000 cases total of wines from their 15 different vineyards throughout the valley. Doug Hill still finds time to manage vineyards for some other great producers like Silver Oak, Duckhorn, Caymus and Cakebread.
They produced only 267 cases of this 2014 Red Door wine, a Bordeaux-like blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Malbec and 10% Petit Verdot from the grapes of 6 different vineyards. Since they had small lots of several varieties along with some rich and elegant Cabernet, the Red Door was made to give them a place to show off! The wine was aged in new oak and the alcohol is 14.8%. According to winemaker Alison Doran, “the 2014 Red door had deep concentrated aromas of blackberry and chocolate-covered cherries. The entry of this wine is juicy with blackberry and black cherry fruit, and just a hint of sage in the ripe tannins. It finishes with a velvety texture and mocha flavors.” And so it did!!!!! Thanks Gary and Debbie for bringing us this great bottle from the Hills.
Bodega Garzón Single Vineyard Tannat 2015, Garzón, Uruguay
Bodega Garzón was born in 1999 when Alejandro Bulgheroni began to transform some land near Garzón, a small village 10 miles inland from beach resorts of Uruguay. They later planted 370 acres of Tannat and some other grape varieties…….and then on to 220 more acres of grapes plus building a 205,000 square foot ultramodern winery here in the Maldonado Wine Region. Bulgheroni and his winemaking consultant, Albert Antonini, made their first commercial Bodega Garzón wines in 2012. Now they produce about 120,000 cases a year, are seeking LEED certification, and have a posh private club and restaurant. They make five reserve level varietal wines priced at $20, single-vineyard varietal wines like Albarino, Pinot Noir and Tannat for $30 and ultrapremium red blend called Balasto for $120 all helping to make Bodega Garzón the fourth largest wine producer in South America.
The 2016 Tannat Single Vineyard wine was awarded 92 points, Editor’s Choice by Wine Enthusiast, and 91 points in 2017 by Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. Our friends at Decanter gave it Platinum Best in Show: best red single varietal at their 2017 World Wine Awards. And here is the big news – Bodega Garzón was selected by Wine Enthusiast Magazine 2018 Wine Star Awards as their “New World Winery of the Year”!
We were lucky enough to taste this 2015 which called out for red meat. It was black, with blackberry and blackcurrant on the nose, almost chewy, with some white pepper and bitter dark chocolate lasting through the finish. It was aged 12-18 months on the lees in French oak barrels and casks with 14.7% alcohol and could be cellared for a number of years. Not too shabby at 92 and 91 point ratings by James Suckling and Wine Spectator. Thanks Carolyn and Jay for sharing it with us!
I think I can safely say that we all enjoyed the wide-ranging choice of wines from Italian sparkling to Oregon, Napa and Sonoma to Argentina and Uruguay. What a great and quick trip around the world of wine! And of course all of the food pairings were beautiful, delicious and just right with the wine. Chuck and I (forkandcorkdivine) are already looking forward to scheduling “wIne tIme” Number 2! And don’t forget – be adventurous and “taste around the world”.
