The UnTourist

Sorry for the silence, but the day job has taken some interesting twists of late, and the charity work has taken most of the time not claimed by the jungle/lawn. That said, I do have some new to share after a trip this weekend, so stay tuned.

One thing the weekend did was take me near both a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe’s. At the latter, I picked up several bottles of what used to be two-buck-chuck and is now three-buck-chuck.

Even with the price increase, three-buck-chuck may not be great wine, but it is a great value for the price. Against bargain wines it more than holds its own, and can do fair against some that sell for $10-$15 a bottle.

They are well worth checking out, and I’m glad I had the chance to try them again.

It probably shows my lack of experience in the full world of port, but I only recently seem to have become aware of Smith Woodhouse ports. At least I can’t find any references to it in my notes (nor can I find all my old notes, but that’s a different tale).

Given the introduction that was a bottle of their Lodge Reserve Porto, I will be exploring further. Despite my strong preference for vintage ports, this was an outstanding blend, full of good flavors and a maturity that I was not anticipating. So much so that I am contemplating splurging on a bottle of their vintage port to sample.

Worth exploring.

Sorry for the lack of posting, but between work and trying to file for 501(c)(3) status life is busy.

That said, last night brought about a treat to end the day. Some morel mushrooms unexpectedly arrived in my kitchen, so I decided to:

1. Roast two bulbs of garlic at 300 degrees for a couple of hours. Easy to do, just cut the tops off the bulbs, coat with olive oil, wrap in foil, put in the oven, and cut it on. Set time, walk away.

2. Already having a smoked pork chop for dinner, I cooked up some potatoes and mashed them with roughly one bulb of the roasted garlic, some cream, a bit of smoked salt and sea cream salt, and some sweet butter from Normandy.

3. Cleaned and sauteed the morel mushrooms in sweet butter from Normandy, sea cream salt, and a small amount of ultra-light flavor olive oil. These were fresh and at least semi-local, and the flavor was magnificent even before cooking. The goal is to enhance, not cover.

4. Carefully reheated some asparagus that I had wrapped in Prosciutto ham and grilled (froze the leftovers, what few there were, and saved for a time like now).

5. Enjoyed with a glass of Boggle Old Vin Zinfandel.

That’s the way to end a long day of a long week. More soon I hope.

My wine pusher has a special section that tends to get a lot of my business. Many of the items in it come with tags that detail the reviews and ratings of the wine. Then you have what I call the mystery bottles: bottles that simply are there, with nothing out to describe them. They quite often are well worth the try.

Last night, I stopped by and picked up one such bottle, a La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Ventoux Recolte 2007. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault (from the label), it struck me as something worth trying.

La Vieille Ferme

Tasting circumstances were not ideal, but it had a nice nose of red fruit and hints of old leather. The light to medium mouth builds, and red fruit continues from the nose and expands to a good medium to full-body. Spice notes of clove, anise, and cinnamon appear and lead to a clean finish that has leather and chocolate appear along with some other spice notes. The tannins really do come out on the finish, to the benefit of the wine.

While it is quite nice for sipping and enjoying, it should go well with food (nothing too heavy). A very pleasant surprise and a nice one to try.

The oenophile in me is almost ashamed to admit this, but for many years now I’ve just not gotten the whole Beaujolais/New Beaujolais thing. Admittedly, some of what I tried when in college many years ago probably was not the best introduction. Then again, when trying what some earnest friends said was good, I had about the same reaction. Paint thinner was one description that came to mind, flat was another. I just didn’t find the joy, the profile, the complexities I had come to love from other wines and grapes.

Recently, my current local wine pusher had suggested that I try a Beaujolais. I was not real receptive, but adding the bottle to my order got me a discount almost worth the cost of the bottle, so I did so. Frankly, I put off trying it until this last week.

To my friends who pushed Beaujolais on me in the past: I get it.

The Joseph Droughin Beaujolais-Villages 2007 I tried was good. No paint thinner, not flat, and a flavor profile that was quite enjoyable. Light, at least when compared to truly complex wines, but very enjoyable on its own or with cheese. To be honest, I was so surprised (and had expected so little), I failed to take good notes. Well, any notes. Instead, I enjoyed the wine with a light snack, and forgot all about the notes.

Come pay day, I plan to add a couple of bottles to the cellar. I can admit when I am wrong, and this wine has shown me I was wrong in my perception of Beaujolais.

This is a repost from a wine tasting at Pauli’s in Huntsville/Madison, AL. There will be a series of these to go up, along with notes on individual wines.

Being posted on a Friday, no less. I wanted to post some quick notes on Frei Brothers Dry Creek Valley 2002 Merlot. I had this with dinner yesterday and was quite pleased with it. The nose is quite nice and full, with old leather, bramble, dark fruit filling and hints of spice up high. The mouthfeel is full as well, with old leather, and chocolate forming a core, dark cherries with wild berries high and on the sides, and a nice finish filled with spice. Not recommended for computers, just for drinking.

This is a repost from a wine tasting at Pauli’s in Huntsville/Madison, AL. There will be a series of these to go up, along with notes on individual wines.

My recent trip to Austria introduced me to a new variety of wine, Gruner Veltliner. It appears to be sort of the flagship wine of Austria, and shows a nice range of flavors and styles. It is a white, fairly dry wine, that goes well with a number of meals. It is dry enough that it can be used to cut through heavy flavors or even sweet in the mouth, yet is not so dry that it goes towards pucker factor. The flavors can range from floral to citrus to fruit and you will even find touches of sweet notes. Even the low-ends are well worth a try.

This is a repost from a wine tasting at Pauli’s in Huntsville/Madison, AL. There will be a series of these to go up, along with notes on individual wines.

Since I am not getting to the free wine tastings at Pauli’s anymore, the ability to do regular notes has been curtailed. That said, however, my cousins and I recently went to the Habersham Winery where I found some very pleasant surprises.

Their Creekstone 2002 Georgia Cabernet Sauvignon, was a very pleasant surprise. While not as full-bodied as some other Cabs, it was rich with fruit and spice, and was good with food. A little pricy for what you get, at least in comparison with other U.S. Cabs, but not bad and it bodes very well for the future of Georgia Wines

The Creekstone 2003 Georgia Viognier was an outstanding wine. There are lots of floral notes and light white fruits in the nose, but the taste is absolutely dry. The body was fair, and it paired very well with cheeses and even some meats. If you are looking for a very good example of what a Viognier can be, this is a wine to check out.

While not at Habersham, in the last few weeks I have also had the opportunity to sample A*MANO 2001 Primitivo Puglia (Indicazione Georgrafica Tipica). The Primitivo is the parent vine of Zinfandel (or so I am told) and it carries the robust flavors of that grape, but adds to it something a bit more. This was an excellent wine, particularly with the $7 price tag. Something well worth trying and it will stand up to medium foods quite well.

While it is not a wine, I did get to try a Rogue Imperial Pale Ale. Delightful, especially for warm weather, with strong hops providing a (very) sharp edge to a decent body. Who, me enjoying myself?

This is a repost from a wine tasting at Pauli’s in Huntsville/Madison, AL. There will be a series of these to go up, along with notes on individual wines.

L’Ecole No. 41 2002 Columbia Valley Barrel Fermented Semillon. The colour was a nice pale gold and the nose was crisp, sweet, and somewhat buttery. The mouth starts light and builds with a mix of crisp and sweet fruit and come vine, and buttery notes along the side on the finish.

House of Nobilio 2003 Marlborough Pinot Gris. This entry from New Zealand has a clear pale gold colour and crisp nose of fruit, with apple predominating. The mouth feel is solid and strong with sweet apple.

Fortius Tempranillo 1998 Navarro D.O. This Spanish wine has a dark garnet colour and a nose filled with chocolate and jam, and just a hint of leather. The mouthfeel is different, slightly bitter at the start but moving into red fruit. Fair.

Speri Valpolicella 2001. This Italian entry is a light garnet colour and a nose of musty leather. The mouthfeel is fair, with fruit and leather predominating, and a nice finish.

Monsanto Chianti Classico 1999. The nice ruby colour leads to a fair nose and a solid, tangy mouthfeel. Red fruit comes under, along with a nice finish.

Bodegas Monticillo 2002 White Wine. A delightfully very pale yellow colour more reminiscent of flowers than anything else leads to a nice nose that is light and crisp, full of green grape, pear, and hints of tropical fruits and minerals. The mouthfeel is fair, at best, the taste of the fruit being diluted; yet, past the initial taste one can find some crispness and a bit of sweet/tart going on the sides. While lacking in body, this would make a very good hot weather wine simply to enjoy outside on a summer day.

Osborne Solaz. This wine is 80 percent Tempranillo and 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and has a nice red/purple colour leading to a nose crisp with fruit, chocolate, and spice. The mouthfeel is fair, with tastes of ripe plum and chocolate predominating with hints of spice following. The finish is okay.

Bodegas Monticillo Crianza 1998. This 100 percent Tempranillo wine has a slightly odd red/brown colour and a fair – but light – nose of leather with hints of spice. The mouthfeel is stronger than the nose, and filled with fruit and berries, spice, and a nice hint of mocha.

Bodegas Monticillo Reserva 1998. The colour is dark garnet and the nose is full of chocolate and leather, with spice under. The fair mouth has a slight tart and crisp texture to it, and rich with plums and other red fruits, along with subtle notes of chocolate and spice. Not bad.

This is a repost from a wine tasting at Pauli’s in Huntsville/Madison, AL. There will be a series of these to go up, along with notes on individual wines.

Once again, Pauli’s provided an interesting afternoon with a selection of five wines. While a bit higher than normal in price, the tasting was enjoyable and provided a view of some smaller and interesting estates.

First up was a Victor Hugo 2002 Rose, made from Syrah grapes. No, not the writer, but interesting all the same. The colour was garnet and the nose was both sweet and tart. The mouth was tart, giving way to fruit and grape skins. A very different rose, but with some interesting possibilities.

Next up was a Ruston Sauvignon Blanc 2002 from Napa Valley. The colour was a clear pale straw, with a sharp nose of vine with spice that extended out into fruitiness. The mouth was nice, with a mixture of sweet with fruit and tartness. This led into some interesting tropical fruit flavors and a nice finish. A bit different, but it would go very well with a number of dishes.

The next offering was Victor Hugo 2001 Zinfandel. The ruby red colour leads to a nose of tobacco and spice, while the mouthfeel is surprisingly mellow. Tobacco is followed by fruit, spice, and a nice and slightly sweet finish.

The fourth offering of the day was Victor Hugo 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon. Again, a ruby red colour with a nice nose of tobacco over leather, what I consider a nice barn smell, with some mineral under. The mouthfeel was fair, lighter than anticipated from the nose, tobacco giving way to fruit and an okay finish.

The final wine of the day was Victor Hugo Oppulence, 1999, and it was an interesting treat. The colour is a solid ruby with an equally solid nose of tobacco and spice. The mouthfeel was fair, starting with tobacco with dark chocolate leading to spice notes and a nice finish. The flavors were interesting, and the result of the blending of 40 percent cabernet franc, 33 percent merlot, 20 percent cabernet sauvignon, and 7 percent petite verdot.