Gravel = Good

One of the things that surprised me when I started learning more about what makes for great growing conditions for grapes is that you can almost always say: "The poorer the soil the better the grape".
Think about why we don't have great wines being produced in Iowa, Kansas. Climate and especially soil conditions play a huge role in what grapes can grow well where.
Last week I had a chance to sample 10 wines from the Graves region of Bordeaux. If you are unfamiliar with this area all you really need to know about the potential quality of the wines made there is that Graves is the appellation of Chateau Haut Brion (this is a great site that really deserves some time). "Graves" essentially describes the soil of this area (Gravel). In fact, the gravel is so prominent that you would swear they had planted these vineyards in a gravel pit. Fortunately Cabernet Sauvignon loves these well draining, poor nutrient conditions and the wines are unlike those of anywhere else on the planet (at least planet Earth). The Graves also happens to be part of suburban Bordeaux as well and this lends a strangely residential feel to the area. I had a chance to visit Haut Brion in the Spring of 2001 and the Chateau, the grounds and the wines (barrel tasted 1999) were spectacular. Haut Brion has been owned by an American family since the 1930's (Dillon) and the Chateau has historic ties back to Thomas Jefferson (who loved this wine). Even today a portrait of Thomas Jefferson hangs in the vestibule of the Chateau and Jefferson is given much credit for helping Haut Brion obtain 1st Growth status in the 1855 Classification. While we were not able to sample Haut Brion itself, we did have a very nice lineup. The following gives the wine , my notes and my ranking.

1983 La Mission Haut Brion: Slight brickish color, licorice, graphite and smoke on the nose. Concentrated, tart cherry fruit, good structure and a nice long finish. 1st

1983 Bahans Haut Brion: Earth nose, sweet fruit with a hint of smoke on the palate. 5th

1983 Domaine De Chevalier: Savory nose with tart cherry fruit. 4th

1985 Chateau Bousaut: Fennel seed on the nose, soft cherry fruit. 6th

1986 Chateau Pape Clement: Graphite and fennel on the nose with an earthy component, astringent palate. 9th

1983 Chateau Olivier: Floral nose with a soft fruit palate, almost no finish. 10th

1990 Chateau La Louviere: Smokey nose, with tart cherry fruit. 8th

1990 Chateau De Chevalier: Leather nose, soft, sweet cherry fruit. Good body and a long finish. 2nd

1995 La Chapelle Haut Brion: Perfumy nose, leather and purple fruit on the palate followed by a slight green bell pepper aftertaste. 7th

2001 Smith-Haut Lafitte: Bright garnet, tart fruit with great structure. 3rd

This was a nice line-up and I wondered out loud if my appreciation for the last wine was due to my having a tendency to drink wine before maturity? Also, I cannot overstate how wonderful of a wine experience I had on that April day in 2001 when I visited Ch. Haut Brion. Please, if you are going to Bordeaux, make every effort to contact the Chateau in advance (6 weeks) for a tour.
Also we had a guest bring a non-Graves wine:

1993 Leoville Las Cases: Brilliant garnet color, very concentrated fruit melded with asian spices and great structure. This showed like a 2nd Growth should-gotta love that!

Chicks dig Champagne

If I could give my son (age 12) some advice that I thought he might remember and actually use in later life it would include the following:

1. Never play cards with a man named "Doc".
2. Never eat at a place called "Mom's".
3. Eat what is fresh, local and in season (and never eat anything that weighs more than your head).
4. It is never too early to start a 401(k).
5. Follow your passion & the money will follow.
6. It is also never too early to start a wine cellar.
7. Stash away a case of NV Veuve Clicquot every year (to drink the following year).

I am sure this list could grow if allowed to, but we need to stick to the basics and lets face it, if you stick to these seven you just about have all the big stuff whipped. This last item on the list took me until I was about 46 years old to understand that not only does French Champagne "kick ass" but, that aged champagne "REALLY kicks ass". During the holidays my friends and I get together to celebrate the season with good food, friendship and a big dose of Champagne.
Since most this group doesn't have jobs in commercial real estate (okay, none of us are in commercial real estate) we stick to Non Vintage Champagne. For a quick lesson on what Champagne is follow the link. For now, all you really need to know about Champagne is that in this context it is referring to the sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region of France.
Sparkling wines are produced all over the planet, but if you are going to use the term "Champagne" correctly, then we are talking about these wonderful wines from Northern France.
These wines tend to have a great acidity (so they go well with food) and often there is a yeasty/ bready/doughy component as well. As I noted above, aging a non-vintage Champagne will be rewarded. With some bottle time these wines develop complexity in the nose and palate and you can serve wines that taste expensive, but were less the result of a large wallet and more the result of planning ahead (stock that cellar now!)
I had a chance to taste 9 Non-vintage (NV) Champagne recently and I am sharing the notes of that evening. One last thing. Champagne in general is produced in two different styles. One style is crisp, tart and almost minerally and the other style could be called "creamy". Personally I prefer the creamy style and my rankings will reflect that, the second number denotes the group ranking of these wines.

Bollinger NV: Green apple nose with a doughy/yeasty palate, nice finish. 8/3

Gosset NV: Earthy nose, creamy mid-palate. 3/9

Drappier Cote d'Or NV: Earthy nose, sweet upfront fruit, lead pencil, rose petal, lasting finish. 1/2

Jacquard NV: Bread yeast on the nose with a creamy palate. 6/5

Prevoteau Perrier NV: Yeasty nose, not much character. 7/6

Domaine Michel NV: Bread dough nose, licorice, short mid-palate, no finish. 9/8

Beaumont du Craymont: Yeasty/earthy nose, apple fruit/cider. 5/7

Chartonge: Yeasty nose with balanced tart apple fruit. 4/1

Duval Leroy: Hint of earthiness on the nose creamy mid-palate with a long finish. 2/4

A final note, the reason that vintage Champagne is so expensive is that it is rare and only made in years where the fruit is deemed "perfect". The NV Champagnes are made in what is called a "House Style". These wines are meant to be consistent from year to year and they may include wines that have been blended from multiple vintages.

Cocoa and spice slow-roasted pork with onions

Photo: Kana Okada
Recipe: Michael Chiarello & Bon Appetit

This needs a long, lazy six-hour roasting, so enjoy the aromas as you get ready for the party.

Servings: Makes 8 servings





Usually I can tell just by the description how a dish will turn out and this one proved me right once again. This is a very easy to prepare main course that would be great for company and you could serve it as a holiday alternative to Turkey or Roast Beef. The roast has a great spice and smoke component and though the recipe in Bon Appetit pairs this with a domestic Sangiovese, I think that breaking out a Cote du Rhone or pulling out all the stops with a Chateauneuf du Pape ( a 2003 Vieux Telegraphe would be nice ) would make this a truly special meal to remember.

Ingredients

Spice Rub:
1/2 tablespoon whole white peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt (preferably gray crystals)
1 tablespoon plus 2 1/4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Pork and Onions:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 3/4 to 4 pounds onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 cups water
1 5-pound pork shoulder butt with bone

Preparation
For spice rub:
Stir peppercorns and coriander in small skillet over medium heat until spices are darker in color, about 5 minutes. Transfer to spice grinder; grind finely. Place in small bowl; mix in remaining ingredients. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

For pork and onions:
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sage; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté 10 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water; cover and cook until onions are soft, about 15 minutes. Uncover; continue to cook until onions are beginning to brown and water has evaporated, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F. Sprinkle spice rub on large sheet of foil. Roll pork in rub, pressing to coat. Set pork on rack in large roasting pan. Top pork with 1/3 of onions; scatter remaining onions around pork in pan.

Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center registers 160°F, stirring onions in pan occasionally, about 6 hours. Transfer pork to platter. Season onions in pan with salt and pepper; spoon around pork.

Oregon Chardonnay Alliance

When it comes to Chardonnay, there seems to be two camps. One camp is squarely onboard with the big, ripe, oaky California style and the other camp appreciates the French White Burgundy style that focuses on a crisper, more minerally style that has a restrained hand when it comes to oak.
To fully understand how the wine gets from vine to glass you need a basic understanding of the grape. As with many grape varietals there are multiple Chardonnay vine clones used to grow the Chardonnay we drink.
In the early days in Oregon the clones selection used was referred to as "Selection 108" (UCD 4 &5). These clones did well in California, but with the cooler Oregon climate the ripening time of these clones lagged into October and getting the grapes fully ripe was a problem.
In 1974 David Adelsheim went to Burgundy and observed first hand that the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay grapes ripened at the same time. Adelsheim realized the need for this clone type in Oregon and he began the 2 year process of importing, evaluating and quarantining that would be required to get this clone selection into Oregon. In 1977 those first clones were planted in Oregon and now are collectively referred to as "Dijon Clones". Today a group of dedicated winemakers have formed the Oregon Chardonnay Alliance. This group shares information and provides valuable feedback with the goal of taking Oregon Chardonnay to new heights and to help people understand that this "new world" Chardonnay is in a class of its own.

I had a chance to sample 8 Chardonnay wines recently. We had 6 wines from Oregon that would fall into the "Dijon clone" category and then we tossed in a French Burgundy and a California Chardonnay for fun. We blind tasted the eight wines together and below are my tasting notes and my group placement.

2005 Argyle Nuthouse: Slight green apple nose that continues to the palate. Creamy and crisp with a nice roundness. Fermented in neutral oak. #6

2005 Domaine Drouhine "Arthur": Green apple nose with a very bright, crisp, green apple palate. Nice mineral character with a very small touch of toasty oak on the finish. #3

2004 Hamacher: Apple pie spice on the nose. A softer rounder style wine with good balance and an earthy character that I liked very much. #1

2004 Chateau Montelena: An earthy nose and a hint of smoke (oak?), tart green apple fruit with a grassy edge. This wine had no malolactic fermentation. This was the California ringer and as a side note their 1973 Chardonnay placed first in the 1976 Judgement of Paris (and basically put California on the world wine map). #2

2004 Domaine Fichet: This was our French ringer. The wine showed crisp green apple on the nose and it had a fat mid-palate. #4

2005 Adelsheim -Caitlin's Reserve: Creamy nose and a round,fat, slightly buttery body. Just a hint of oak on the nose and finish. #7

2004 Domaine Serene: Prominent oak on the nose a short mid-palate and a funky, earthy, caramel finish. I felt this wine was WAY over oaked. #8 (note, the remainder of the group scored this 1st).

2004 St. Innocent "Freedom Hill": Spice on the nose, nice apple/pear fruit with a flabby body (if this were a celebrity it would be Britney Spears). #5

What impressed this group was the approach these wineries are taking with their Chardonnay.
Oregon Chardonnay wines are never going to show the exotic fruit profiles of their California cousins and the move towards climate specific clones has done wonders to improve the quality of the wines produced. If you take a look at the links provided above you will see the the winemakers are starting to let the grape "speak" for itself and they are using less and less technology in the processing of these wines.
In learning from the French in regard to clone selection, I believe that Oregon is starting to get its footing in establishing its own style. That is a good thing

Pax, Saxum, Copain, Oh My!

Photo: l to r; Pax, Norm, Duncan
I have been drinking wine since I turned 19 (Pre-Reagan era Idaho). I had been to Napa, Sonoma, Monterrey and even France (2001) before the wine bug really hit me. I had always enjoyed wine, but I had never really thought (deeply) about what I was drinking and tasting. Once that tipping point occurred, there was no looking back.
Old Vine Zinfandel is what finally threw me over the edge. I was in a wine shop in Calistoga, Ca. and had come across an Oregon Zinfandel from "The Pines" vineyard. That led me to discover Owen Roe, Sineann and like a gateway drug this Zinfandel led me to Walla Walla Cabernets, a 15 case futures purchase of Cru Classe & Petit Chateau 2000 vintage Bordeaux, a 35 case wine cellar (suprising how fast that 5 case undercounter model seemed to fill up) and finally winemaking (100+cases of Dundee Hills-Pinot Noir, Southern Oregon-Del Rio, Syrah and Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon).
My wine "journey" had started with high alcohol, fruit bombs from literally my back yard and then with a bit of time, effort and much tasting, my journey left the wine Interstate and headed for paths less taken.
I was lucky enough to come across an article in Food & Wine Magazine that profiled a winemaker named Pax Mahle. Pax had been a wine buyer for Dean & DeLuca and had by chance been presented with some really exceptional Syrah grapes. What did he do?, of course he made wine. Following is excerpted from that Food & Wine article published in October 2005:

Pax Mahle got a good idea of what it was like to be a cult winemaker when a special five-case lot of his 2004 Pax Wine Cellars Syrah sold for an auction-high $18,000 at the Paso Robles Hospice du Rhône benefit this past spring. Word has gotten out fast about this talented, ultratraditionalist 34-year-old who released his first wines just five years ago. "We take a very pure approach," explains Mahle, "one that was more commonplace 100 years ago in France than it is today." That approach includes organic farming, foot-crushing the grapes, natural fermentations and absolutely no fining or filtering. Though he's new to winemaking itself, Mahle says, "Wine is the only business I've ever been in." His résumé includes stints as a waiter, sommelier, cellar rat and, finally, wine buyer at Napa specialty market Dean & DeLuca. After tasting a few thousand wines for his job at D&D, Mahle became convinced that the cool coastal vineyards of northern California could produce his beloved Rhône style of nuanced, layered Syrah. While working at D&D, Mahle met the owner of the renowned Alder Springs Vineyard, Stuart Bewley, who asked Mahle who he thought would one day make California's best Syrah. "I will," answered Mahle. "At the time I was kind of joking," he says. Today Pax Wine Cellars produces 15 small-production Rhône-style wines in a converted warehouse space in Santa Rosa. Among these wines are 11 vineyard-designated Syrahs from sources all over Sonoma and Mendocino counties, including the much sought-after Alder Springs Vineyard "The Terraces" ($75), a bottling that evokes descriptors such as marzipan, baked blueberries and roasted coffee.















Photo: Sharon, Norm, Larry -ZAP 2007
Fast forward to January 2007 when I was in San Francisco for ZAP (yes, that is me with Larry Turley...what a really nice guy!). I had been in loose email contact with one of Pax's associates (Tripp Donelan). Tripp had extended an invitation to "Stop by when you are in the area", and I had taken him for his word. I scheduled a morning appointment to stop by the winery and meet Pax and tour the "winery". I had been smart enough to join the mailing list after I had read the F & W article and had been buying Pax's Sonoma Hillsides Syrah online. I also thanked my lucky stars that I was smart enough to Mapquest the location of the winery before venturing out, because driving around Santa Rosa in a funky residential/industrial neighborhood I would have thought I was lost. No vineyards, no tasting room, heck, I think one of Pax's neighbors in this tilt -up concrete, flex space, office park is a garage door manufacturer/screen door repair business (Although to be fair, Copain Cellars is less than a mile away).
Okay, so it is my 48th Birthday, I am amped up on coffee, and I am FINALLY getting to actually meet Pax. We walk up to the glass entry door (which is locked), Pax lets us in, and introduces us to his assistant winemaker Duncan. I don't know what I was expecting, but these guys are super nice, down to earth and after I hand them a 2003 Sineann Old Vine "The Pines" Zinfandel we head back to the production area. However funky the outside of this facility is, the wine production and barrel storage area is 1st class. Clean, well organized and I could tell these guys weren't flying by the seat of their pants.
A quick look at the facities and then we proceed to taste (and spit.....well mostly spit) about 10 different wines. Pax is modeling his wines along the lines of a Northern Rhone Syrah in California. When I took a bottle of his Kohbler Vineyard Syrah to a large BYOB cellar party with a ton of wine people in attendance, the response was that this wine "Kicks ass" and if it had a French label it would be selling for $100+/bottle.
I regret I didn't take notes, but we tasted though nearly all the single vineyard wines in barrel.
We talked about his wine, wine we collect, wine we drink, how if we made more money it would be invested in more wine. I sensed an intense passion and drive for what they are trying to do. These wines are very "Terroir" driven wines. These wines have good acid, a nice tannin structure to age well, lower alcohol, flavors of game, smoked meat, dark purple fruit, plums, blackberry, blueberry's, earth, tobacco, baking spices, minerals, tar (and a partridge in a pear tree...just kidding) and a REALLY light hand with oak (love that). These wines are part of what I have been discovering this past couple of years and describing as "cool climate Syrah". John Alban was a pioneer and now the next generation that includes labels like Pax, Copain, Saxum, Peay and the like are producing Syrah like we in Oregon produce Pinot Noir. That means the wine is made in the vineyard, with attention paid to how much fruit is grown (2 tons or less per acre), sorting of fruit prior to fermentation, minimal handling, natural fermentation, no fining or filtration with bottling. These wines are unlike any other Syrah, in fact it is almost an injustice to call this just "Syrah", it is like calling a Lamborgheni a "car". Interestingly enough there are several vineyard growing these "cool climate" Syrah grapes that also make a dynamite Pinot Noir (Peay sells fruit to Williams Selyem.......nuff said?) I admit to having had few, if any Northern Rhone wines from France but my feeling about these California Syrahs is that they are attractive with a ton of depth and interest and complexity-kind of like if Heidi Klum the supermodel had a Ph.D in quantum physics, had a show on the Food Network, played professional beach volleyball and also happened to be the U.S. Secretary of State.
Lets just say that if I made more money from selling the wine I make, I would be buying more wine from the above group of producers (anyone wanna buy some Oregon Pinot?).

By the way, Pax is a super fun guy to hang out with, plus, since I brought an offering (Sineann 2003 Old Vine "The Pines" Zinfandel) he sent me home with a Kohbler Family Vineyard Syrah-(I love it when that happens!)