Posts belonging to Category Marsanne



CHEERS FROM WINE-EXOTIC NEW ENGLAND!

DISCOVERY!! HIDDEN WINE SHOP IN CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS

 The Shop | Porter Square Wine & Spirits

Porter Square Wine & Spirits in Cambridge MA

When we used to travel to DC or NYC or other points east…

tBoW always was on the hunt for local wine shops with selections unavailable in LA…

That joy has abated certainly with the COVID pox on travel and the absence of a job that requires such.

What job requires travel anymore?

No problem there are plenty of great and special wine stores in LA/SoCal. And we can relive the joy of “wine store hunt” discovery through tBoW contributors.

Guest Editor today is the Field Maus who hails from Connecticut or Massachusetts. Call it New England. He wants to tell the tBoW readers about a splendid wine shop in Cambridge MA. Please notice there are multiple links to sites that give more depth to Maus’ wine fetishes which are always of interest to readers. Do click on the links! tBoW will embellish post notes.
“You will find Porter Square Wine and Spirits, a small shop in Cambridge Mass that is crammed with hundreds of wines you never see anywhere, from grapes you’ve never known, and bottles sizes you’ve forgotten about…”
Val d'Aosta | Natural landmarks, Wine region, Aosta

Valle d’Aosta above Alto Piemonte

Cave des Onze Communes Vallee d'Aoste Mayolet, ... | prices, stores,  tasting notes and market dataMy first time in the store I was somewhat rushed, but I managed to find a red from Valle d’Aoste, a sparsely populated area above Piedmont. RARE. I’ve only seen them online, and the one I purchased a few years back was memorable, so I took a flier on this $23 bottle. Made from a grape called Mayolet, it tasted a bit like gamay, maybe? Very light, would go with anything. Fun, but not a re-buy. Would love if anyone poured me a glass, tho.

My second time there, I repurchased two bottles of Manincor ‘der Keil from what may be the world’s loveliest wine region: Sudtirol. 100% schiava, this comes from Lago di Caldaro, one of Oz Clarke’s favorite sources. Imagine a lighter, chocolately pinot noir with a bit of BLT. $23 as well, and worth every penny.

First-Taste Guide to Alto Adige Schiava | Learn Wine | Opening a Bottle

Sudtirol borders Austria and Italy above Venice

On a slightly more conventional note, also picked up two bottles of Bergerie Anjou Blanc from Pierres Girard. Why? ‘Cause it’s made with chenin blanc, and this is demi-sec. The versatile chenin reaches its highest potential when it’s on the vine into the month of October. This will last longer than me, by the way. $21.
In Mass, the retail sticker includes tax. Delightful. Cheers from New England, Maus.”
Quite a bit to UNPACK. tBoW has been waiting for a chance to use that premier term strongly favored by newscasters. Now that is gone.
Wine shop discoveries are one of the delights of being a wine snob…and I use that designation in the most irreverent sense. Finding your palate – learning what flavors you like and which grapes deliver those delights – is the the first important lesson in tasting and enjoying wine. Maus likes white wine grapes associated with the Rhone. These include Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Rousanne, perhaps even Viognier [ed. endorse all except yuk on viognier]. He also likes wines from regions off the beaten path, roads less traveled, especially in countries he has visited on numerous occasions. He often eschews the standard and highly touted regions preferring the less fahionable and “sellable.” Agreed.
tBoW has written repeatedly about his favorite shops where staff can discern my flavor profile (strawberries, cherries, kiwi…think of fruits you like) and price point ($U20 but willing to go to $30 if all criteria are met with exception) and low alcohol level…sub 14% down to 11% (especially for pink wines in the summertime).
Schiava grape meets all criteria of interest. tBoW has had a few and never been disappointed. Color is quit light for a “red”; alcohol is low at 12% even lower; and costs are chained to the $20 level. tBoW is on the fence with Chenin Blanc. I have tasted quite from the Loire and other regions near. Flavor is too sweet from my palate. Makes a highly desirable dessert wine. Note both are relatively light wines from mountain regions on either side of northern Italy.
All in all Maus always has something of great interest to share when it comes to wine. Did I mention he’s a huge Dodger fan? We all have our flaws.
Be sure to search for other posts by Maus on tBoW. Here are a couple.
As for what job requires travel? The wine business abounds with traveling wine hunters. In fact a great wines strategy for choosing unusual, affordable and downright interesting wine if to BUY THE PRODUCER. Here is a great piece on this approach.
CANNED HEAT “ON THE ROAD AGAIN”

Wine Dinner with the Krisses

What? Sounds boring? Hardly. Neither was the Krisses Tasting boring. In fact, it was splendid. KrisA is preggers again so no wine for her and more for us. KrisB, tBoW and Sam-the-Rioja-Man [ed. SRM?] were on hand to help out with the h-e-a-v-y lifting…if ya git mah drrriiiiffftttt. PT8Y handled child care with the very active 4 y.o. Everett. Mrs. tBoW assisted with light sipping esp when the desert wine cork was pulled. She’s like that.

Count on KrisB to pull corks on cool, unusual and top quality bottles. No wonder we like him. The West Coast Maus. After a grueling 90 minute ride to go 20 miles – LA baby – we were greeted with a glass of chilled 2006 Gaillez Lemaire Champagne Cuvee Jadis. Mostly Petite Meunier which the Krisses prefer in their champagne. Bracing acidity buttressed by the cool temp. Comes thru Fass Selections [ed. ~$46] which KrisB has seriously engaged as a purveyor! Here is some typical Fass prose and praise: “Gorgeous nose. Biscuits. Mineral. Brioche. Palate is opulent and deep but so elegant and wonderfully vivid. What a stunning wine. Huge and elegant.” Sooooo, we found the wine to be crisp, bright, richly flavored and bracing. Opulent? Why not. Only if Grace Jones is opulent. Alcohol on the lable estimated at 11% to 14%. Hey. Beats a 100 point rating scale when it comes to precision.

2007 Pricum Prieto Picude 13.5% $25. The grape is prieto picudo. The reviewer from Wine Enthusiast called out “tomato, red currant, raspberry and herbs” which he said are snappy. Excuseme fro being droll bbuuutttt if tBoWcalls out herbs he usually names which ones… e.g., Herbert Hoover (US prez), Herb Adderley (Green Bay Packers safety) or Herbert Lom (Inspector Dreyfus who oversaw the investigations of the bumbling idiot Inspector Clouseau). This bottle mollified SRM and pleased Mrs tBoW.

Glasses in hand KrisB agreed to show us his wine cellar. He was in the midst of unpacking nine [ed. nicht nein, jah nine!] Fass shipping boxes so thw space was a tad unruly. KrisB shared his sorting scheme: ready to drink now, will be ready soon, and not ready for a while. We immediately felt a wave of relief as if the 100 point rating scheme had been hurled into the Santa Maia volcano never to be seen again. 

tBoW brought a bottle of $14 2017 Gelsons Mayfair. Bottled by Margerum in Santa Barbara with a 13.5% rating. Medium weight blend of 50% Marsanne, 25% Grenache Blanc and the last quarter Viognier. This is a very pleasant drink that will suffice for any season.

Following grilled Japanese yams, salmon and scallops the final cork was removed from the neck of a svelte bottle. Yesitwas the 2007 Domaine des Bories Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh. It was desert wine. KrisB did not disappoint with the perfectly chilled bottle. The wine comes from a region referred to as Madiran in Gascony in southwest France which is easier to “see” as northeast Spain. It is so off the beaten path in France that it is known more for surfing than for wine. I kid you not. Basque I tell you. This wine is also a Fass find and as it seems nearly every Fass wine…it is delicious and delightful. So are the Krisses.

As for the aforementioned bumbling idiot…I almost choked watching the following clip! Happy Thanksgiving all. Enjoy some wines especially bubbly and desert styles. Do not watch the following with food in your mouth…which the Inspector would surely pronounce “moooth.”

 

 

 

 

Fada Day, Birthday, Playboy Jazz, July 4th!! Must be SUMMER.

who_yo_fadaWEBSummer just gets started and THEN… it just bombs forward with special days and celebrations. So many corks get pulled it takes concentration to keep up with the luxuriously warm evenings. No wonder Dotoré loses his mind. The water in SoCal is a delicious 70 degrees. Someone said it’s the precursor to an El Niño Winter. Yellow Tail running off Newport Beach and Great Whites are biting… poles and people. So we drink wine and hang with our homies. Here is what we been tasting.

vergano-vermouth-frontCROPWVergano Vermouth Bianco NV 500ML $43: LA Times wine tout SIrene V. wrote a blurb on Vermouths. As usual she’s a day late and a dollar short! The venerable critic covered domestic vermouths. For data more substantive try Goldun’s own prose: “Vermouth is the only fortified and aromatized wine with a precise historical origin. It was first concocted 1786 in Turin by Benedetto Carpano. Since then the Vermouth has become one of the most famous drinks in the world both as aperitif or as an ingredient in cocktails. Its name derives from the German word “Vermuth” which means Absinthe, one of its main components.” Absinthe? If you must have more info try here. A pot store opened behind tBoW’s favorite Mexican food palace. Back to SIrene V. We would bet dinner at Faith & Flower the real Vermouth wiener is this Piemonte effort. Who knew vermouth was an aperitif and not something to avoid in your ultra dry Martini. This Vergano drink brought to us by Eno Fine Wine is just perfect anytime anywhere. Some anise. Some Tonic. What balance. Over cubes. Dangerously delicious. 16%

Rami-09WEBAzienda Agrocola COS Rami 12.5%: Orange wine from Sicily. This is really terrific wine. Southern Italy kicks booty one more time. This would work in Fall as well as Summer. Lovely orange color [ed. Goldun tells why, no? Si.] with delicate spicy flavor, acidic, ripe fruit but NOT citric. More like kiwi-lite. Even better next evening. We panned the COS red last week as too zin-like for tBoW’s palate. This shit is so good we want more. 12%

TC-CT-2011WEB2011 Tablas Creek Cote de Tablas Blanc $24 (Fine Wine House): You MUST decant the reds if you MUST drink them. You should wait! Not one is at full potential even at 10 years. They need 15 or more. However, DO NOT FORGET THE WHITES from this top Paso estate. Creamy and lean at the same time. Light oak (we think). Almost one quarter each Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Rousanne and Marsanne. The contribution from each varietal is distinct and harmonious. The secret is out. Sit on the reds and drink the whites without hesitation or shame. A bravo for the 13.1% alcohol level.

As a great man once said “Keep the party hat on!” That would be Mungo Jerry’s lil’ bra’… the ole BeeDee.

2014 Kicks Off with New Winners

new Rose Bowl winners

new Rose Bowl winners

The Michigan State Spartans came to Pasadena and stuck it to the Stanford Cardinal. The substitute middle linebacker playing in place of the team captain resting in the dog house made the play of the game (above). Let me be Frank. Shirley there is a wine story here. (more…)

Golden Summer Evening with Goldun Fine Wines

just trying to earn a living

just trying to earn a living

Restaurants beg him to store his personal wines with them.

When he sniffs wine he pours it up his nose.

Jon Rimmerman asks him for travel tips.

Miles suggested they invent Barolo jazz.

He is.. the most interesting.. wine merchant in the world.

Eno Fine Wine is Steve Goldun’s new project. Goldun not only offers some of the best pricing we have seen for wines we A-D-O-R-E, he also loves to cook! If there is a better confluence of favors and flavors for an impromptu summer evening, we do not know one. Steve Goldun is 99% ready to go live with his online wine merchant site Eno Fine Wine. Even though it is not in our personal wine-snagging interest to publish what you are about to read, we are going to tell most of the truth regardless because we are reasonably confident only a handful of tBoW readers [ed. compared to the dozens of tBoW readers?]? will believe the hype. Here is the updown. (more…)