This week’s wine roundup features a bevy of winter reds. It looks like the Terroirists drank very well this past weekend!
David White
Last week was amazing — thanks entirely to the wines I opened on Friday night in Austin, Texas.
The evening started at the headquarters of Wines.com, where I filmed a feature on “esoteric whites from California” with Bill Elsey. I selected the wines from my own cellar, and decided to bring out three bottles — the 2010 Massican Annia; the 2010 Matthiasson White Wine; and the 2007 Chimney Rock Elevage Blanc. Regular readers will recognize these wines, as they were among my “11 Most Memorable Wines” of 2011. The video should be up on Wines.com (and cross-posted here) in about 2-3 weeks.
After leaving Wines.com, I headed to Wink, one of Austin’s first farm-to-table restaurants. The food was delicious. From the hamachi sashimi and the seared foie gras to the duck and the antelope, the kitchen was obviously firing on all cylinders.
And the wines were incredible. Thanks to the generosity Alex Andrawes, the CEO of Wines.com, I brought along a 2003 Domaine Pierre Amiot et Fils Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Millandes and a half bottle of the 1982 Château Gruaud Larose. (I also brought what remained in the 2010 Matthiasson White Wine.)
The Les Millandes was stunning. I followed the wine’s progress over three hours. It opened with wonderfully pure, ripe red fruits, great minerality, a hint of earth, and firm, linear tannins. As the wine opened, sweet anise, cardamom, cinnamon and allspice emerged, with incredibly juicy cherries and raspberries remaining present. The red fruits turned tart as the night went on, but the wine never lost its depth or concentration. Without question, the Les Millandes was of the most vibrant Burgs I have ever consumed.
The ’82 Gruaud Larose was most notable for its youth. Even though the wine came from a half bottle, the wine showed no bricking at its edges — and everything about it was fresh. Unfortunately, that freshness included gobs of brett, which I found difficult to ignore. Underneath the brett, though, was a beautiful wine. On the nose, aromas of coffee, pencil lead, cedar, blackberries, redcurrant. On the palate, the wine had great balance and depth, with a wonderful lift at the finish.
After dinner, Wink’s sommelier, Dirk Miller shared a P.X. Sherry from a small producer called “Alexandro.” The wine was spectacular, and if I can find any online, I’ll certainly be buying quite a bit for myself. (If you can help, let me know!)
Matt Latuchie
To celebrate #PortDay, I tasted a bottle of 10, 20, and 30 year old Tawny’s from Sandeman. Being a creature of habit, I’ve avoided Port after a couple boring bottles a couple years ago – so this was a chance to give them a try again.
All three bottles were impressive and surprised me with their elegance and nuance. I started with the 10 year old Tawny and unsurprisingly it came with the densest flavors of molasses, orange, florals, and smokey nuts. The 20 year old Tawny was lighter in color, and had more expressive floral notes than the 10 year old. The molasses tone was more subtle and it had a nice dark fruit profile to it. Lastly, the 30 year old Tawny was still lighter than the 20 year old bottle and featured a more delicate, elegant profile. The intensity of the dark fruit and molasses were toned down, but the flavors were integrated incredibly well.
All three were a pleasure to drink and it’s certainly a wake up call for me. Perfect. Another wine region to think about collecting. Read the rest of this entry »