It Took Me Five Years to Get the Joke

Inevitably at wine class, the movie "Sideways" has surfaced a few times. (We saw it at the closing night of the New York Film Festival in 2004; Avery Fisher Hall is not a great place to see a movie, but we had a swell night ... and the director and cast were there.) Miles (Paul Giamatti) is memorable for his anti-merlot rant, and also for the scene where he gulps his prize bottle, a 1961 Cheval Blanc, from a Styrofoam cup while murdering a burger.
Well -- I discovered that the Cheval Blanc is 33 percent merlot! I wonder if there is a wine dorks' equivalent of Trivial Pursuit, because that could make a great question.
Now I can't wait to see the Japanese remake of the movie.

Teutonic and Trendy

Tonight with dinner I opened a 2007 Graff Riesling Kabinettt ($11.99 at Ninth Avenue Wine & Liquor). It's part of my newfound appreciation for German wine, and hey, after all, I did spend the first 33 years of my life as a Biersdorfer, so maybe it's genetic.
For dinner I whipped up some cheddar cheese puffs (when food snobs make them with parmigiano or gruyère, they're called gougères) from a recipe in the Times' Dining section last week. Sinfully delicious. Then, black miso cod (so easy to make, and almost as good as Nobu's), plus sugar snap peas. And dessert: banana cream whoopie pie from FreshDirect. Wow, I think we stuffed three or four food trends into one meal. The Kabinett was crisp and minerally, and went with the cod like peanut butter goes with jelly. Even Bobby liked it, and he usually runs from white wine like it's hemlock.
I was happy to spend some time in the kitchen since we have been on the go lately. Now, I have homework: must read the chapter for tomorrow night's class.

Two of My Favorite Things

Jude provides me with regular updates from the LOL cats collection. Perhaps it's because her hands have become permanently deformed around her iPhone. Heh heh.
Anyway, this was the best one yet!

Signs of Spring

Yesterday, I went running outside, and later saw daffodils, for the first time this year. I was all too ready for both.
And last night I wanted to check out City Winery with my friend Phyllis. But it was "closed to the public" for a Marianne Faithfull concert. Rats! We'll have to stop in another time.
So we ended up at Cafe Noir in Soho on the recommendation of another friend (thanks, Scott!), and what a happy turn of events it was. I had a warm goat cheese salad, french fries with dijon mustard and a glass of Côtes du Rhône, and I remember stopping at one point to exclaim how utterly happy all of the above was making me. Delicious food, great company, in a lively restaurant (TWO sessions of "Happy Birthday" nearby ... what recession?). A lovely stroll home on a spring evening was the perfect coda.

The Red Wines of Bordeaux

Class 5 was the most fun yet. Kevin Zraly says Bordeaux is his favorite region; the wines are highly collectible and can age well for 100 years. (The demand from Asia and other places is also pushing the prices up.) I never really think in those terms -- how can I have a wine cellar when I live on the 9th floor? But it's fun to daydream about. Here are some notes:

1. Blind: Earthy/dusty bouquet; very grape-y and tannic at first, "austere," very drying, almost to the point of cottonmouth; low fruit at the finish. It was a 2005 Mouton Cadet, the world's No. 1 selling Bordeaux, produced by Chateau Mouton Rothschild. $12.
2. Barons de Rothschild Reserve Speciale 2005 (Médoc): Deep ruby, almost magenta upon swirling; mossy, oaky aroma, started quite astringent with fruit showing up after half a minute; good balance. $18
3. Château Graysac 2003 "Cru Bourgeois" (Médoc): Plush red color with leafy/plum scent; fruity and balanced with a slight dryness over time, a soft finish. $18, a good value for wine from a classified chateau.
4. Château La Lagune 2003, "Grand Cru Classé" (Haut-Médoc): A shade of brick, woodsy, dried fruit smell; tannic to begin, acidic and drying toward the middle with a subtle ending. Complex. $47.
5. Sarget de Gruaud-Larose 2005 (Saint-Julien): Deep red with ruby edges; slightly musty, nutty aroma; a fruit-acid punch at the start, then dry, softening but a closed-in finish. "Tight." $25.
6. Château Gruard-Larose 2005 (Grand Cru Classé" (Saint-Julien): Black fruit/violet scents; bright and balanced, mellow after a minute. $62, "a good value" from a second-label wine from the chateau.
7. Château Haut Corbin 2000 "Grand Cru" (Saint-Emilion): Deep red with garnet edges; an open, floral, red fruit aroma; clean fruit taste, softer tannin, an elegant structure. A bit of sediment in this one, normal for a 9-year-old bottle. (For people who think they hate merlot, this one was 70 percent merlot, and my second-favorite of this tasting.) $35.
8. Blind: A cloudy red, with an overripe, almost fecal smell. This wine insulted my nostrils. Surprisingly, it did not taste nearly as funky as it smelled: a bit gamey, then a bit of fruit with an appealing finish.
9. Blind: Medium color; minerally, slightly musty scent with a hint of hay; oaky and balanced with a lingering fruity end.
10. Blind: A light garnet; herbal, raspberry notes, luscious fruitiness, with a smooth and velvety farewell. A wine of "finesse. My favorite of the class.
    

KZ played a game at the end: Were Nos. 8, 9 and 10 wines from the same vintage but different chateaux, or different vintages from the same chateaux? I guessed wrong; it was the first choice. And they were: No. 8, the stinky one, Château Belle-Vue 2001 (Haut-Médoc), $25. No. 9, Chateau Talbot 2001 "Grand Cru Classé" (St. Julien). No. 10, Chateau Margaux 2001 "Premier Grand Cru Classé" (Margaux), $450 (!).
I had been tasting and spitting. Not for No. 10. Sigh. The high point of wine school (so far).

Homework

My assignment over the weekend was to buy a Bordeaux for less than $30 (apparently to tear down the myth that the only good Bordeaux are stratospherically expensive). Mission accomplished, as some former presidents like to say.
I ended up with a 2005 Chateau Marot Bellevue Bordeaux. This was a delicious, easy-drinking red with a note of plum. It went very well with dinner last night: pesto pasta, broccoli and angel food cake. I got it for $14.99 at 9th Avenue Wine & Liquor.
Factoid alert! It is a law in France that the chateau on the label actually has to be the one attached to that vineyard.
I was also reminded of Peter Mayle's hilarious essay in French Lessons about the wild marathon in Bordeaux every September, the one where people dress up in costumes and stop for wine breaks at the chateaux. It actually made even me want to run a marathon.

The Red Wines of Burgundy and the Rhone Valley

Well, the subject of Burgundy is pretty staggering. What it comes down to is you are really supposed to know about 1 gajillion towns, vineyards and producers to figure out where the good stuff is. And I used to think, hey, they're in France, so they must know how to make wine, right? We tasted 8 from Burgundy and 2 from the Rhone. Another useful hint I learned from Mr. Zraly: "If you can see through a red wine, it's ready to drink!"

1. Beaujolais Villages, Louis Jadot 2007 (Beaujolais): A clear red, with a young raspberry/floral/yeast aroma; started pretty acidic, with a subtle fruit end. Drink slightly chilled, and eat fish with this one. $10/bottle.
   
2. Fleurie, Georges Duboeuf 2007 (Beaujolais): Pale ruby, with earthy, dried fruit smell; a sharp zingy beginning, diving into a flat-ish finish. Pair with goat cheese. $12-15.
3. Mercurey, Domaine Faiveley 2006 (Côte Châlonnaise): At last, a pinot noir: Pale red with pink edges, aroma of honey and leather; acidic, then blossoming into balance, dry at the end. $25.
4. Santenay 2002, Joseph Drouhin (Côte de Beaune): A light brick with an "onion skin" edge, hint of vanilla; zippy, but very little fruit, out of balance. "In need of aging." $35.
5. Beaune Clos des Mouches, Drouhin 1999 (Côte de Beaune): Light red, thin edges, a powdery, sweet, "dead leaf" scent; balanced, minerally, sweet fruit, an elegant glass. A few bits and pieces in this one; apparently as the tannin diminishes in older wine, it becomes sediment. At least $100.
6. Gevrey-Chambertin, Bouchard Père & Fils 2005 (Côte de Nuits): Ruby with pale edges, leafy, buttery, minerally aroma; a clean start, bright and elegant with lingering fruit. A pinot noir aged in oak, and my favorite of this tasting. $48.
7. Vosne-Romanée, Les Suchots 2005, Maison Champy (Côte de Nuits): Subtle fruit/toast smell, a dry hit of oak that overpowers the fruit. $85.
8. Clos de Vougeot, R. Dubois & Fils 2005 (Cote de Nuits): Medium red with bright edges, a woodsy, fruity bouquet with an alcohol slap; metallic, quickly drying, zero fruit finish. Out of balance, "needs to age." $75.
9. Crozes Hermitage, Les Jalets, Jaboulet 2005 (Northern Rhone Valley): Dark red, a syrupy, peppery scent; fruity spice flavor, low acid in this 100 percent syrah. $20 (a great value -- "tastes like a $40 bottle.")
10. Chateauneuf du Pape 2001, Guigal (Southern Rhone Valley): Brick color, a bit of a rubbery smell, a warming, slightly metallic taste. Steak with this one (no wonder I didn't like it). $A lot.
    

What I'm Drinking Now

This week I enjoyed a 2005 Cardeal Dão, a nice chewy, warming red blend from Portugal. It's a shocking bargain at $7.99 (FreshDirect/Union Square Wine).
Another favorite of mine is, of course, Malbec, this time a 2007 Crios de Susana Balbo (Mendoza). Not sure of the price on this one (I think it was a gift on the ol' wine rack), but Malbecs always seem like a good value to me. Its label says, endearingly, "This Malbec is extremely lovable and fun to be around." I'll drink to that.

The White Wines of Germany

Class 3 on Monday was a trip. In addition to tasting white wines from Germany, we did a component tasting to help us identify the different elements of wine: acid, sugar, tannin and sulfur dioxide, which KZ added to samples of both water and wine. This will be useful in helping identify what's good and what's farkakteh.
I have a new respect for German wine, based both on what we tasted and on KZ's evangelism on the subject. Although I think they are still mostly too sweet for my palate, I can see adding one or two of these to my wine universe in the future.

1. Blind: A pale shade, with melon and cut-fruit aroma, almost a bit effervescent; light-bodied, nice zing, KZ remarked "like biting into fresh fruit." Surprise -- turned out to be Blue Nun. They need better PR, I guess.
2. Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett 2001, J & H Selbach (Mosel): Pale yellow, scent of apricot and minerals; sweet at the start with nice layers of flavor and a lingering finish.
3. Burrweiler Schlosgarten Riesling Kabinett 2001, Messmer (Rhein-Pfalz): Medium gold, smell of fig, with full, juicy flavor, hints of pear, a pleasant dryness at the end, then a bit of sweetness that hangs on. This was my favorite.
4. Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese, 2001 (Mosel): Medium yellow, rubbery/woody/metallic aroma; juicy, low fruit flavor, a Jolly Rancher finish. Eh.
5. Haadter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese 2001, Weegmullen (Rhein-Pfalz): Smelled of fresh berry, dew, hay; high fruit, balanced sugar, a very smooth finish. KZ said this was his best glass of wine in a very long time...
6. Kinheimer Rosenberg Riesling, Auslese 2001, Jakoby-Mathy (Mosel): Ivory-gold color, honey/creamy scent, smooth, with balanced fruit and a candylike finish. Elegant.
7. Deidesheimer Grainhubel Riesling Auslese 2001, Dr. Deinhard (Rhein-Pfalz): Honey yellow shade, aroma of prune, slight acidity, fresh and fruity.
8. Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 2000 (Hungary): Syrupy gold color, vanilla and blackcurrant scent, shadow of cinnamon; candy flavor, no acid, highly sweet -- compared to "liquid dried fruit." KZ refers to this type of wine, which can age for 150 to 200 years, as "the wine of the czars."
   

So August

Last Wednesday I ate at Charles, which is billed as a "semi-private" restaurant at West Fourth and West 10th and apparently wants to be the next Waverly Inn. The bar was cramped and stupidly laid out -- people crowded into the path of the kitchen -- the service was off-handed, the decor reminiscent of Plato's Retreat, and the prices laughable.
I was reminded of a passage from Susan Dominus' column in The New York Times from March 1: "Some real estate brokers at the Corcoran Group have lately picked up a phrase that Pam Liebman, their chief executive, has borrowed from a friend, a line she uses whenever people admit they’ve splurged on something a little luxurious: 'That’s so August of you.' "
I have come to think of "so August" as "overpaying for anything." I mean, $29 for THREE scallops as a main course? The Market Cafe on Ninth Avenue does an excellent appetizer of two seared scallops with potato puree. It's $9.
The wine list was interesting but also overpriced. I started with a glass of 2006 Riesling Trimbach Alsace ($13), then we had a bottle of 2005 Rosso di Montalcino Collemattoni ($58). I think it was something like the second cheapest bottle on the list. It's hard to remember the last time I ate at a place that didn't have at least a few bottles in the $35-45 range.
It's a good thing my fabulous dining companions made up for all of the above (thanks, Laura and Jonathan!).

The White Wines of California and New York

It was a snow day for much of New York, but not at wine school on Monday. The pour must go on! Here are some notes:

1. A blind tasting: A pale yellow wine, with aromas of pear and straw. Minerally. Low zing at the beginning, high fruit/no acidity, no "hang time" and very juicy. It turned out to be Gallo Chablis Blanc, the No. 1 selling jug wine in the United States.
2. Riesling, Dr. Konstantin Frank 2006 (Finger Lakes, N.Y.): Yellow-gold, a tart/rubbery scent, sourish tasting to start, but zippy, with tart apple flavor and a long finish. Would pair well with Asian-fusion food. $18-20/bottle.
3. Fume Blanc, Dry Creek Vineyards 2006 (Sonoma County): Ivory cast, fresh fruit aroma, lots of zing to start, tart/green apple with a neutral ending. A great appetizer wine for clams, oysters or food with a creamy sauce. $14 (a "great value" in sauvignon blanc).
4. Sauvignon Blanc, Mason 2006 (Napa Valley): Straw yellow, strong scent of cat pee, also pineapple, very tangy, slightly bitter, then grapefruity with a balanced ending. Heavier food with this one. $18.
5. Chardonnay, Hawk Crest 2007 (Montery): Goldish, a twiggy/melon/vanilla smell, tart beginning, toasty, then low-key and mellow. Low oak, "Macon-style" wine, a crowd-pleaser. $12.
6. Blind: Definitely a young yellow, powdery, slightly oaky, low acid, grassy with a faint citrus finish. It was Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay 2006 (Sonoma Coast), the No. 1 selling wine in tablecloth restaurants in the United States. $25.
7. Blind: Young gold, buttery and strongly oaky smell, alcohol fumes at the start, very grape-y, low tannin, good balance. It was Lenz Chardonnay 2005 Gold Label (North Fork, Long Island). Our class seemed to favor this over Wine No. 6. $20.
8. Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay 2007 (Sonoma County): Fresh fruit aroma, lemony, soft edges and tannin toward the end. $14, a great value.
9. Au Bon Climat Chardonnay 2006 (Santa Barbara County: Buttery/tropical fruit smell, bracing acidity, almost "bakery" flavors, tingly, oaky end. Could age a bit. $25.
10. Talbott Chardonnay, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard 2005 (Montery): Metallic aroma, very fresh smelling, intense, sweet fruit. The class favorite (not mine). $40.
11. Chardonnay, Hudson Vineyard, Ramey 2005 (Napa Valley/Carneros): Honey/oaky aroma, obvious tannin, zingy, very puckery/overpowering dryness. Eat steak with this. $55.
12. Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2003 (Napa Valley): Soft, figgy scent, great balance, low oak. My favorite. This winery won at the Judgment of Paris in 1976. $90, and rare.
    

Italy, Then the Basque Country

I didn't exactly celebrate Open That Bottle Night on Saturday because I don't really save wine for months or years on end. (We're a buy 'em and drink 'em household. I will be putting a wine fridge on my wish list, along with a bigger apartment, but it's out of the question at the moment.) But I did open a special wine, a 2006 Vietti Barbera D'Asti DOC ($17.25 at Garnet Wine) and it was a nice reminder of our first trip to Babbo. We got a gift certificate (thanks, Bud!) and splurged on a Barbera there that was very memorable, although I don't remember the exact wine. I want to say it was in the $125 ballpark, by far the most we have ever paid for wine in a restaurant, or anywhere else for that matter. And I was a little intimidated when the sommelier came over and spoke about the family and the vineyard it came from ... I think I would be slightly more confident now. I just have to remind myself that while it's fun to learn about it, wine is still only something to drink. No fear.
Last night we ate at Txikito (chee-kee-toe), a cute new Basque tapas joint on Ninth Avenue at 24th. I had a glass of the -- mouth-fully named -- 2004 Vina Salceda Rioja Alvesa Tempranillo Mazuela Graciano ($11), which was pleasantly spicy. Later I tried a 2006 Gaba do Xil Valdeorras Godello ($9) that was very smooth, even creamy. The second, a white that was totally new to me, was notated as being from a "Basque heritage winemaker producing outside Euzkadi," in this case Galicia, Spain. And the food was delicious but a bit salty: Grilled sardines, green beans with garlic and olive oil, and crab gratin. The bartender told us people have been flocking to the place for the chef's turbot, which she said "tastes like home" but which is only occasionally on the menu. I guess we'll have to stop in again.