AGN Lite: Red and White

This evening was a combo event – German Riesling and American Cabernet Sauvignon. We invited many of our friends from the kids school and had a house full of kids and adults.

The German Rieslings proved hard to find for many (or they weren’t interested in them) and so we ended up only having one true German white. True to Alaska wine selection, there are only a few shops that carry them. So, a couple Rieslings from Washington appeared. It was interesting to compare the stylistic differences – the German was light, crisp and refreshing. The Washington ones had more of a syrupy mouth feel, definitely more sweet, and people generally didn’t want more than a glass of it.

The American Cabs faired much better – we had a wide variety from a very raisin-y Marietta to the cheapest (and crowd favorite) Columbia Crest Two Vines ($8). Some of the wines had a longer finish, some were more tannic, some were more fruit-forward… a good diversity was represented.

There were about 4 or so wines that appeared at the top of most peoples lists, but in different order. These wines definitely were all good, but stylistically had some distinct differences. It was fun to talk to everyone about why they rated some at the top versus others and what they liked about it or didn’t like about it. Talking about wine and comparing notes helps you learn about your palate – what you like, what you don’t, and why.

The other benefit of this evening is that several people went to Wine Styles for the first time to get their wine. I think they found a store that encourages them to try more wine and explore a bit. Others went to local wine shops and just asked, opening up a new experience for them, also.

Drink and discover.

Stay tuned for more… I’m catching up.

Ciao! Bella!

HELLO BEAUTIFUL! The AGN Valentines Day Delight! is what our Italian night turned out to be. As a group of Grape Nuts I must say we hit a Grand Slam at our Valentines dinner with our wine/food pairings.
Since our plan was to have an Italian night we decided to do "CHIANTI". However, Randy called a couple hours before dinner with a good point, "Should we do chianti with every course?" He decided to pick up a Italian White to go with the salad course. He got me thinking so I decided to throw a curve ball as well, Pinot Noir.
Our four course valentines dinner started off Fantastic. Amanda made a fabulous Italian soup called "Ribollita". This Tuscan style soup is supposed to pair nicely with Chianti, but I must say (I think the whole AGN group would agree) the 2006 Canaletto Pinot Noir was made for Ribollita. This 2006 Pinot Noir comes from way up North in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its Cherryish (is that a word) bouquet hits your palate with bursting ripe summer berries and is light bodied. It was outstanding as a first course accompaniement.
Randy and Sandy's second course was amazing. It started with Sandy's incredible real Cesar Salad and was paired with the White that Randy called about. The wine was a 2006 Argiolas, Costamolino (Vermentino Di Sardegna). This pairing was amazing, the wine color was a yellowish color (Not your typical Chardonnay buttery color), and the bouquet very subtle. It was a fresh, dry, well-defined with pleasant delicacy and crispness. It was fabulous with the Cesar. GRAND SLAM! An interesting note about this wine is the varietal, Vermentino. Described by Wikipedia, Vermentino is a late-ripening white grape originating in Spain or Madiera, or perhaps Portugal, and now widely planted in Corsica, Sardinia, and the coastal arc running from Tuscany through Liguria and into southern France, around Nice (where it is known as Rolle). It is thought to be related to the Malvasia variety and to have been brought to Italy in the fifteenth century during the period of Spanish domination. The leaves are dark green and pentagonal. The grapes are amber-yellow and hang in pyramidal bunches. The vines are often grown on slopes facing the sea where they can benefit from the additional reflected light. Sounds like a place I would like to be.

Our dinner moved onto the main course. This was a Grilled Cornish Game Hen with Sun-Dried-Tomato Pesto and grilled veggies. The main course was paired with (are you sittng down) FIVE different Chianti's!
They were all great in their own ways but I think the hits of the night were the 2006 Peppoli Chianti Classico that the Emsleys brought. Everyone thought this was a hit with the dinner and alone. Another hit was the 2005 Montegrossoli Podere Ciona "SUPERTUSCAN". The other 3 Chianti's, all very good were as follows: 2004 DaVinci Riserva, 2006 Felsina Chianti Classico and a 2006 Tenuta Mormoaia Chianti Colli Senesi. While all of these were great wines I have to say the first two really stood out to everyone based on the discussions.
I know I am running on and on but there is one more course that was an absolute perfect end to the evening. It was a beautiful raspberry tart that was too pretty to eat. But we did! It was incredible. We paired that up with (Ok it wasn't Italian but it has been in our cellar for 3 years and looked good) a Mission Hills 2004 Ice Wine Riesling.
What a night! All I can say is, CIAO! BELLA!

A Recap of all of the wines above:
Canaletto 2006 Pinot Noir Pavia
Argiolas 2006 Costamolino Vermentino Di Sardegna
Peppoli 2006 Chianti Classico
Montegrossoli 2005 Podere Ciona Super Tuscan
Mormoraia 2006 Chianti Colli Senesi
Felsina 2006 Chianti Classico
DaVinci 2004 Chianti Riserva
Mission Hills Family Estate 2004 Ice Wine Riesling

Next Stop: South America! with our new AGN'ers Eric & Nelly.

AGN Lite: Merlot

Whew! A month late and finally getting to the Merlot night. This was a fun evening with a mixed crowd. We did blind tastings of Merlot for under $20. A lot of casual wine drinkers really enjoyed the format and opportunity to disect and analyze what they like about the wine they were tasting.
We had one Shiraz show up in the group. And, we had 2 of the same bottle show up. Interestingly enough, some people rated those two bottles differently in their tasting notes.
Hence, my assertion that for novice tasters (like we all are) there are many many factors that go into our impression of a wine - where we're at, who we're with, our expectations, the music we're listening to, the food we're eating, etc., etc. Obviously good wine is enjoyable in its own right; but, the fruits of a wine life are family, friends, and fun.

Confession!

As Brian mentioned in his earlier post New Years eve was AWESOME! Great friends, excellent wine and really good food. As Brian mentioned we all shared a thought about 2009. I have to share that I made a new years resolution to lose 30 pounds this year and I publicly made a pact (with myself) to not drink wine until I lose 10 pounds. Well, I have to say I started Weight Watchers 5 days ago and had my last drink of Alcohol on that same day. To date I have lost 5 pounds (a pound a day). Tonight, I must admit I fell off the wagon and embided in a great glass of wine. It was even a white wine (Not my favorite).
So I figured since I have broken my pact and did not complete my promise (to myself, however I am still moving forward with the weight watchers thing to lose my 30 pounds) I figured I would write a review of this pretty decent Chardonnay.

Tonights wine was a Chardonnay from Argentina. Produced in the "Maipu" region the Mendoza Valley. It was a St. Lucas 2006. Very nice with our dinner which was pork chops seasoned with sage and black pepper with sauted apples with Cinnamon and brown sugar (a 6 point dinner). It went very well with this. The veggies were a little too seasoned so they made the wine very bitter.
By itself though this wine had nice butter overtones with a hint of melon and a really fruity finish. Not a bad wine that we got with our Vinesse wine club shipment sometime ago.

After tonight, NO MORE WINE UNTIL I LOSE 5 MORE POUNDS!

Salud!

Welcome 2009

The AGN crew rang in 2009 with a somewhat muted but very enjoyable evening of great food, high end wine, and lots of laughter. Our traditional crab meal was on deck but to supplement the fare we also had Filet Mignon done in a new recipe discovered by one of the leading Grape chef's of the group. They were absolutely superb! The evening’s wine selections included some solid, well known selections as well as a few individualized picks.

2006 Brown Zinfandel magnum - a seriously smooth, fruit-driven zin that actually tasted best at the end of the meal, in my opinion. A couple of the Nuts are on the Brown mailing list and are huge fans of this Napa-based winery.

2004 Cyrus - this is a blend and actually came off as the transition between the cabs and the Brown... it has nice fruit presence but a bit more structure and weight than the zin. This is available in Anchorage.

2002 Silver Oak Alexander Valley and 2003 Silver Oak Napa Valley - a pre-dinner visit to Oaken Keg scored 2 bottles of Silver Oak at 40% savings. This wine is a high end recognizable wine and as one Nut put it, "they've perfected their Cabernet." The wines are smooth and very well balanced. Approachable and drinkable now, they went well before dinner and with dinner. The Napa Valley was definitely the stand out with stronger tannins and a bit more presence; but, the AV was no slouch, either.

2005 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Artist Series - this was a dark horse I pulled out of the cellar for the occasion. It was good, but I think another 5-10 years in the cellar is needed on the rest of my bottles. By itself it was a little too strong, maybe too young. At dinner though it really stood out and complemented the steak beautifully. The tannins in this wine rip through the palate and present a long enjoyable finish. This is a wine that definitely needs meat. I’m not sure this is available in Alaska – it was a mail order selection.

The dinner represented what I love about the wine life... each bite was savored while we sat around the table together, enjoying the wine, the flavors, and each other’s company.

We finished out the night with a little touch of port and some Frank Family sparkling wine. We had a visitor and she held up well for her inaugural AGN event; the true test will be if she ever comes back to an AGN adventure, though! To conclude the evening we were each able to go around and share a thought, hope, or goal for 2009.

Our collective AGN goal for 2009 is to go around the world... next stop, Italy and Chianti. Care to join us?

Yakima - Alaska's Napa

Driving down I82 on our way to Zillah, I looked at my wife. "Was that you?"
"Not me. Did you?"
"No... there's some funk in the air."
"I guess we're in farm country."

Eastern Washington in primarily agricultural and despite becoming known as a premier wine growing area, it is still got a core of good 'ol farmland. As you drive through the area you see fields of orchards (apple, cherry, etc) as well as crops like hops and of course, vineyards.

We arrived late in the evening and made our way up to Zillah, home of the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, where several wineries were having holiday open houses. Each winery is located down gravel roads and past barns and other farm homes. Make a wrong turn and you'll find your headlights shining on a couple mules and a horse looking at you and wondering what city-folk are doing out and about in this area.

Evening one we went to Bonair winery-a family run winery that had great clam chowder and wonderful hospitality; and, Silver Lake - one of the larger WA wine producers. Then we decided to make our way to our B&B.

The Orchard Inn is run by Karen and Henner. Henner makes the wonderful breakfasts and Karen makes sure you feel at home and are well taken care of. We were the only guests in the 4 room B&B so we got special attention and plenty of room to stretch out. They provide wonderful hospitality and we enjoyed several relaxing mornings drinking coffee and talking. They also are well connected and provide lots of recommendations of things to do in the Yakima area.

Day two we went to Prosser, home of the Horse Heaven AVA. In Prosser they have set up more of a Vintner's Village with a planned community of tasting rooms. Some were just opening and we made it to Apex, Thurston Wolfe, and Airfield. I loved the theme of Airfield and they are a growing, young, ambitious group.

Note: we had a Wolfe Primitivo (the Italian version of Zinfandel)after arriving home and it was great - rich but not syrupy, nicely balanced, and confident tannins. It is aged 13 months in American Oak and you certainly can tell. But, it doesn't ruin the wine even though I'd have liked to seen a little less barrel influence.

That evening we headed to the Tasting Room. There is one of these in downtown Seattle, that we've visited, and like the wines they serve - Wildridge, Harlequin, and the latest NHV. The couple that runs the tasting room (which sits at about 1800') lives in a room above the store. They are perfect hosts and provide colorful service while tasting their wines. He recommended a couple Zillah wineries to us, which is where we headed the next day.

Two Mountain is a Zillah winery run by a couple brothers. We showed up right as a bunch of family did and, though we felt we were intruding, they didn't seem to mind. They were preparing for their annual holiday party and we'd have loved to stay. The tasting room is in the middle of their warehouse. The wines are full of sediment and brother 1 described them as elegant and refined. I think they are doing a fabulous job and it is a winery I'll keep an eye on. They have a style they are developing, a desire to produce great wines but not become pretentious - themselves or their wine.

Wineglass Cellars, home of Capizimo, one of our favorite Washington wines. Their tasting room wasn't open but we set up a private appointment with Linda and got a tour of their production facilities. They are a small producer, about 2000 cases, of some great wines from small vineyards. In talking to her I understood more completely the life and challenges of a family vineyard - how to make the transition, how many cases to produce, and what some of the limitations are unless you want to go big time.

We also made it to Portteus. If you're here in Alaska you may have had their Rattlesnake Red. They produce about 9000 cases a year and have been in the area 20+ years. We had a wonderful visit with the owner/winemaker while we tasted some of their wines.

Visiting in the off-season is highly recommended. Sure, the weather isn't great... we got hit with a snowstorm. But, the people of Yakima are wonderful and when they don't have the crowds to deal with you get the time to sit, talk to them, learn about life their, and appreciate wine at its orgin. It may not be Napa, but Alaskans will like the relaxed, friendly style of the area, the slow pace, and of course, the lower costs. Alaska Grape Nuts will really appreciate the great wines coming from the area.

2005 Baer Winery Ursa

Gotta love the posting activity of these grape nuts!

Baer Winery (www.baerwinery.com) is located in Washington and according to their website have recently moved to the Woodinville area. If you haven't been to Woodinville, you should. It is just a bit north of Seattle and home to some big name wine rooms like Chateu St. Michelle, Columbia Winery, etc. They are putting a lot of money into community development and making it a wine destination... perfect for aspiring Alaska Grape Nuts.

Anyway, we stopped in at a nice little wine store and tried a few of the daily pours. I had a great Aussie Cab that was full bodied but nicely restrained compared to what you typically expect. The woman behind the counter was leaving for a visit to Alaska in a few days so was very interested in talking to us. We had a nice visit and she recommended this wine.

Tragically, I believe the owner or winemaker had passed away before the wine was completed. A few friends got together to finish off this vintage. It is a nice wine - good structure and nice acidity with fine tannins. It isn't a heavy fruit wine but well balanced. This would be a good dinner wine and would go with a wide variety of dishes.