Flavor Mapping Lesson - May 2013

WOW!  2 years of wine club!!  117 different wines tasted.  Before I go into notes about the flavor mapping, which I am posting early for those who want to read up before the lesson, let's recap what we have done in 2 years.

We have done 4 tasting lessons.

We have tasted wine from every major wine producing country in the world (11 different countries!).

In that time, we have unanimously agreed on ONLY the following bottles:

King Estate Pinot Gris

Villa Maffei Valpolicella

2009 Chateau Jacquet

2008 Riserva Tomaiolo Chianti Classico

4 out 117 and only one is a white wine!

Can't wait to see what the next 2 years bring.

On to Flavoring Mapping.

This is flavor mapping lesson 1.  This is a huge topic and one that will truly help when you are in the wine store, want something new, but aren't sure what to grab.  Unfortunately, it is a LOT of information.

We are starting by returning to our big 6 grapes.  Grapes need heat and sun to grow, but the amount of heat and sun varies greatly depending upon where the grapes are grown.  That is what flavor mapping is all about.

Question #1 - Looking at the label, was the wine grown in a cool place or a warm place?

How to answer & what it means-

There are essentially 3 climate zones (for our purposes).

Cool climate zone - cool/less sunny

Moderate climate zone - temperate/moderately sunny

Warm climate zone - warm/very sunny

Cool                          v.                               Warm

less sunny                                                  very sunny

crisp & tangy acidity                                soft & smooth acidity

light body                                                   full body

"green," tart fruit style                           ripe and luscious fruit style

Logically, the farther you are from the equator, the cooler the climate.  An easy way to think about this is by thinking about seasonal fruits.  Apples & pears (crisp fruits) grow in cooler climates with less sun. (New York & Washington).  Pineapples & mangos (lush fruits) grow in sunny, tropical climates (Hawaii, the Caribbean).  A moderate zone would be citrus fruits and stone fruits (Florida, Georgia).  

Basic Flavor Map guidelines for

                                         White                         &                                          Red

Cool Zone                apples, pears, quince                       cranberries, red cherries, pomegranates

Moderate Zone    citrus, peach, melons, kiwi               black cherry, blueberries, blackberries,                   

                                                                                            plums, raspberries, strawberries

Warm Zone            mango, papaya, pineapple,                   figs, raisins, prunes

                                 banana, guava

So, where is your wine from?  Most of the US is in a moderate zone, with New England being the exception in a cool zone.  Chile spans all three zones with most wines grown in the moderate zone.  Argentina's main growing region is also in the moderate zone.  Half of France is in a cool zone and the lower half is in the moderate zone (splits in Burgundy).  Italy is in the moderate region with a couple of warm zone spots in the boot.  Australia's main growing region is spans the warm and moderate zones, but thank to our climate, it has some cool spots (southeastern coastal areas).

 A few fruit terms for those of us who haven't traveled the world eating fruits.

Blackcurrant - this is a moderate zone fruit usually used to describe Cabernet Sauvignon.  The closest thing to it is creme de cassis which is made from them.

Redcurrant - usually used to describe Pinot Noir.  They are tart and tangy.

Gooseberries - Cool zone Sauvignon Blanc.  Very tangy flavor.

Quince - references sweetened and cooked fruit and is slightly spicy with a rich apple-pear taste.

Lychee - this is almost only used to describe Gewurztraminer - spicy, zingy

Tasting Notes:

Riesling - cool zone v. moderate zone

Sauvignon Blanc -  cool zone v. moderate zone

Chardonnay - cool zone v. moderate zone v. warm zone

Pinot Noir - cool zone v. moderate zone

Shiraz - moderate zone v. warm zone

Yes, it is a lot.  We will do it slowly and in tiny sips (very light pours).  Study for now and figure out what you expect from each tasting based on where it is from.  Think of this as practice.

I will post the bottles and the specifics after the actual lesson.

Cheers,

Kitti

Italian Reds Revisited - April 2013

We LOVE Italian Reds.  Oh my, we do.  I could spend a year tasting just Italian Reds and be perfectly happy!  We only tasted 4 this month and nothing got dumped down the drain, which is a really good sign, because we do dump wine.

Sorry for the bad pictures this month.  We were not in our normal location and I forgot my "real" camera so these came off the cell phone.  On the plus side, I now have a better cell phone with a much better camera, but I digress....

We did not have a bad wine.  I could go on and on about each wine and how delicioso it was, but I will give you the basics.  Let me say that there was nothing left in any of the bottles (and there was other wine available, so it wasn't that).  On with the notes!

We learned in the previous Italian Red tasting, that we all preferred the Chianti Classico over the regular Chianti.  Classico refers to the area it is grown, not an aging of the grapes.  This lovely bottle of 2008 Riserva Tomaiolo Chianti Classico was $13.99 at Wegmans and was super yummy!  Great color and a butter & earthy kind of nose.  The Riserva status means that there can be no white grapes at all in the wine and it has been aged at least 2 years in wood and 3 months in the bottle. This one is definitely a "keep on hand" wine!  (Big thanks to my bottle holder!)  This was another 100% approved wine!  We are on a roll.

In an attempt to try wines we had not tried previously, I picked up this 2010 Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  This is from the Abruzzo region and is the only good wine from the region (the montepulciano - not the vineyard).  While this was not a favorite of everyone, it was yummy on the nose and the tongue.  For $9.99 at Wegmans, not a bad choice if you have a bigger wine drinker coming to dinner.

We headed to the Piedmont region for this bottle.  Piedmont is my FAVORITE growing region in all of Italy because they have the lovely Barbera grape there.  This is from the Grandpa grape of the region; the Nebbiolo.  Nebbiolo is a big grape with a powerful flavor.  This 2006 Travaglini Gattinara is the best known Gattinara in the United States.  It is often referred to as a mini-Barolo and since they both come from the same grape, it is easy to see why.  This was the most expensive bottle of the evening at $28.99.  This is NOT a quaffing wine and definitely needed food to round it out.  Food made it quite yummy and our big wine drinkers (those who love the Barolo) really enjoyed this one.

We had to try a "rosato" or rose.  We really did.  I believe that there is a good rose out there somewhere, I just have to keep looking to find it.  This particular bottle is from Asti and is classified as a dessert wine and it was yummy with the biscotti.  This is a Castello del Poggio Rosato and was $9.99 at Wegmans.  It actually had a little bubble to it.  It would be lovely, really cold, on a hot, summer day.

So we learned that we really, really, really like our Italian reds.  There was talk of a field trip.  No surprise that Italy, the number 1 wine producing country in the world, is the number 3 country for consumption (at 14.51 gallons/person).  So many great wines and so little time.....

Cheer,

Kitti

Bordeaux - The not as scary as you think French Red - March 2013

I do not believe I have ever tried a Bordeaux.  French reds used to intimidate me and so I just avoided them.  I mean, this is a wine that they sell futures for (what the heck does that mean anyway?)!

Leave it to the French to make things complicated, again.  As we learned when we tasted Burgundy, French wines are named for their region and not their varietal.  Think what it would be like if California labeled its wines solely by growing region (Napa, Sonoma, Russian River) instead of by varietal.  Scary, huh?  In truth, it is not.  Let's break it down and move past the fear (NEVER fear a French wine).

Bordeaux is the largest fine wine region in the world, for now.
Bordeaux is a BLEND!!!  Who knew?
Bordeaux's 2 main grapes are Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon.
The deeper the color, the younger the wine (hmmmm).
Bordeaux is named by its "chateau" (that's vineyard to those of us outside of France).
There are over 7,000 chateaus that produce Bordeaux.
There is a white Bordeaux.
Sauvignon Blanc is the primary grape for white Bordeaux.
Growing regions are classified as:
                  Left Bank (best vineyard zone)
                  Right Bank
                  Graves
The Best Bordeaux towns/localities are:
                  Margaux - Left bank
                  St. Julien -Left bank
                  Pauillac - Left bank
                  Ste. Estephe - Left bank
                  St. Emilion - Right bank
                  Pomerol - Right bank
                  Pessac-Leognan - Graves (top White Bordeaux locale)
                  Sauternes - Graves

So, what is the deal with "Bordeaux futures" anyway?  This is a process of buying wine 2-3 years in advance of release at a discounted (hopefully) rate.  Professional wine tasters taste the young wine and rate it.  Based on the growing conditions of the year and the ratings, a price is set (heavily influenced by the chateau and growing region).  The goal is to buy early at a lower price than the wine will actually go to market for.  See, that wasn't too complicated, was it?

So, here is the line up...

As always, we try to work lightest to fullest.  We started with our white Bordeaux (which comes from the Graves region).  The first bottle was o-k.   This is a 2011 Chateau Fage (not related to the yogurt).  It cost $10.99 at Wegmans.  It definitely tasted like Sauvignon Blanc & smelled like it too (green grapefruit).  However, there are those in the group who love SB and this was consumed.

This white Bordeaux is actually one of the best, according to France, I guess.  This was the worst wine of the night!  This 2006 Chateau Carbonnieux set us back $36.99 at Wegmans and got dumped down the drain.  Talk about age not helping a wine!  It looked almost caramel yellow and smelled like acidic mildew.  P-U!  Skip this one.

2009 Chateau Jacquet (right bank) - the deal of the night!  $9.99 at Wegmans.  This was jammy and yummy and we drank the whole thing!  I HIGHLY recommend laying this in for regular drinking.  This wine could make anyone feel carefree about Bordeaux.  This was a 100% liked wine.

2009 Grande Reserve Chateau La Grange Clinet - right bank, Cotes de Bordeaux region (sub classification).  $13.99 at Wegmans and it was yummy also.  I nice blend of Merlot and Cab Sauv with a lovely bit of Cabernet Franc to round it out.  Not a bad wine to have, but if I had a choice, I will still go with the Jacquet.

We called this one "Hot Magnet" just cause it was funnier.  2010 Chateau Haut Maginet (right bank) was a fuller wine than the other 2 and was yummy as well.  It cost $10.99 at Wegmans and we all liked it enough to finish it, but the first red was still the fave.

2008 Chateau Malmaison was our only left bank wine.  It had a nice full body.  At only $14.99 from Wegmans, it is definitely a drinkable wine, but not as good as the Jacquet.

So, what did we learn?  We learned that California Merlot & Cab. Sauv are trying to duplicate the Bordeaux style (we will do a comparison tasting another time).  We learned that Bordeaux isn't so scary.  We learned that the whole futures thing is just bargain shopping.  We learned that we don't so much care for the white Bordeaux, but we LOVE the red Bordeaux.  We really learned that you don't have to spend a lot of money for a yummy Bordeaux - who knew?!!!

Cheers,

Kitti

California Reds - February 2013

I am a bit of a snob when it comes to California wine.  By that I mean, I assume I will not like it if it is from California with rare exception.  I take issue with the fact that California thinks itself so great that I can't send Virginia wines to my MIL who lives in Cali.  I take issue with the fact that most of the wines that California thinks are so great are mediocre to me.  I would rather have a Argentinian Malbec than a Cali Cab. Sauv. or a Spanish Tempranillo over a Cali Merlot.  The "California" Pinot Noir that I enjoy is from Chile (Pepperwood Grove).  I am so jaded that I was tickled to death (almost couldn't drive) when I saw the following bumper sticker on a car:

A little harsh, maybe, but really, really funny (at least to me).  So, I was not looking forward to this tasting AT ALL.  But, I am always up for trying new wines, so .....

First up is a California Pinot Noir.  This was $7.99 at Wegmans and was drinkable if you don't love Washington and Oregon Pinot Noir.  Compared to the standard for the grape, it was thin and lacked "umph." (yes, that is the technical term).

Next, we have 3 Blind Moose Merlot (chosen specifically for one of our members).  I don't like Merlot.  It is probably part of my problem with California Reds.  That said, this was entirely drinkable and, at $7.49 at Wegmans, very easily doable.  This one goes on the list for my Dad.

We followed up with an Old Vine Zinfandel from Plungerhead (what a name!).  For all you Zin fans, this one was not bad.  At $11.99 at Wegmans, this is pretty decent Old Vine Zin.  It was much enjoyed by many and I loved the deep color it had.  Nice earthy aroma too.

Have to throw in a Cabernet Sauvignon.  This one, from Louis M. Martini in Sonoma County, was only $10.89 at Wegmans.  It was a Cali Cab Sauv. and everything that one expects from that.

On to blends!  Snap Dragon makes a lovely blend of reds (and they have a cool label too).  This 2009 blend was $7.49 at Wegmans.  As far as blends go, this was more middle of the road in dryness and body.

Coppola, as in Francis Ford, has produced a Rosso for many years.  This was our first time trying the 2011 and while we have enjoyed the Rosso in the past, this was a little young.  I would suggest laying it down for a year and letting it mellow a little and at only $8.49 at bottle, it isn't a big risk to take.

So, what did we learn?  I still don't like Cali Reds but I know lots of people who do.  I think we need to break California down by region so that we can decide which regions we like and which we don't (kind of like the rest of the wine world).  I will buy some of the Rosso and see how it is in a year and maybe a bottle of 3 Blind Moose for my Dad, but other than that, I wouldn't repeat any of these.

Cheers,

Kitti