Check out what the Terroirists drank this week, including highlights from Clos Rougeard and a wine with ties to Donald Trump.

Matt Latuchie
I decided to crack open a 2005 Burgundy this week — despite knowing they’re years and years away from maturity. I opened at 2005 François Parent Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets and it took a couple hours to really open up. Compared to other Volnays I’ve had (from other vintages), this was darker and meatier than what I was expecting. Typically, I think of Volnay as feminine, elegant Pinot Noir but this was more masculine and weighty. This was a great example of a bottle of wine that the last drop was by far the best.

As a part of the Wine Library TV Forum Producer of the Month thread I reached for a 2008 Ridge Geyserville. I’ve never been a huge fan of zinfandel, but given the producer and its designation, I was expecting a treat. Sadly, this was incredibly disappointing. The oak and alcohol were just plain distracting. It had some underlying blueberry and tart cherry tones, but the fruit was essentially hidden behind the cream, charcoal, and mocha tones that the oak gave the wine. After drinking this I still feel like I don’t know what the fruit in a 2008 Ridge Geyserville zinfandel tastes like — all I’ve tasted is oak.

David White
The week started with some Rhone varietals. On Sunday, I opened the 2007 Novy Family Wines Syrah Page Nord. Like most Novy wines, it was obviously well made – ripe fruit, good structure, nice balance, etc. But the wine seemed sad. There was nothing bright or lively or compelling about it.

On Monday, I opened a different Novy — a half bottle of the 2007 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley. This wine continues to improve, and delivers an incredible value. Dark fruits, smoky meat, maple syrup – just delicious.

On Tuesday, over dinner at Proof – one of DC’s better wine bars – I ordered a bottle of the 2008 Jemrose Foggy Knoll Vineyard Grenache. This was my first Jemrose, and I was floored. The wine was big but not dense and ripe but not jammy – and it had great acidity. I can’t wait to seek out more wines from this producer.

On Wednesday, I attended an epic tasting of Clos Rougeard – the Loire estate that’s universally considered one of the top wine producers in France, and that only a “lucky few” will ever get to taste.

The night opened with three Champagnes. The first two were from Nicolas Mallart – the 2004 Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru Extra Brut Les Chaillots and the 2005 Blanc de Noirs 1er Cru Les Francs de Pieds Vieille Vignes. Both were delightful, but the Blanc de Blancs really stood out — incredible focus, bright fruit, intense minerality and wonderful florals. We then opened a 1985 Krug. Wow. I don’t have much experience with aged Champagne, but I couldn’t get enough of this wine — subtle effervescence, beautiful mouthfeel, seductive aromas of tropical fruits, sweet, baked apples, hazelnuts. Awesome.

We then opened three 2008 Chablis from William Fevre: The 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre; Grand Cru Les Clos; and the Grand Cru Les Preuses. I really loved the MdT – bright citrus fruits, sea shells, salinity, just a perfect Chablis.

Finally, we opened five Clos Rougeards: the 2004 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg; the 2004 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux; the 2005 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny “Clos”; 2006 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny “Clos”; and the 2006 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux.

Suffice it to say that I’ve seen the light – all of the wines were wonderful and showed just how delicious Cabernet Franc can be when grown in the right region and made by the right producer. The ’04 Le Bourg and the ‘06 “Clos” were my two favorites – the ’04 for its enchanting combination of gray rocks and flowers; the ’06 for its incredibly seductive nose. While obviously young, the ’06 was unlike any wine I’d ever put my nose in — spice and licorice and bright, tart fruits and wild herbs, just fantastic.

Warren Leonard, a friend who works at Weygandt Wines, shared his notes on WineBerserkers.

The week finished with a 2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Peay Vineyard. I knew that the wine would be a treat – I’ve always been a fan of Williams Selyem, and the Peay Vineyard might be my favorite for Pinot. But I was still surprised by the wine, mainly because it tasted shockingly young. The wine opened with tart cherries and lavender, and became bigger and darker – showing cola and dark cherries — as the night went on. Aged characteristics were nearly impossible to find – if I had been told this wine was from ’07 or ’08, I would have believed it. Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s wine roundup marks the first impressions from new Terroirist Matt Latuchie. If your palate favors old world wines, you’ll want to pay close attention to Matt’s impressions!

Matt Latuchie
After a couple of months of drinking lots of Loire wines, this past week was spent revisiting my first love – Burgundy. Early in the week I opened a 2007 Scott Paul Cellars Pinor Noir La Paulee and a 2009 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvee Corcelette, two wines that could easily be mistaken for Burgundy. The Paul is a favorite of mine from Oregon and was showing lots of damp earth and ripe berries while the Foillard from Beaujolais was brilliant with a muscular profile and great acidity.

Later in the week I opened a 2006 Louis Jadot Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre that was easily one of the best young Burgundies I can remember. Beautiful floral and red fruit tones were almost weightless yet packed intense flavor and appeal. On Saturday night I opened a 2008 Domaine Marc Roy Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvee Alexandrine which is a new producer for me. I had thought most 2008 Gevrey’s would be shut down at this point, but this was miraculously open with a beef-broth character to it.

Robby Schrum
This week, to celebrate a birthday in the Schrum household, we opened something from my favorite producer: a 2007 Robert Keenan Syrah from Napa. Superb, gigantic nose: ripe berries, with some rich chocolate notes as well. Also a touch of heat. Much to my surprise, the syrah characteristics were muted. The fruits were up front and big on the palate — dark berries, with great secondary characteristics, including a big dose of chocolate. The syrah notes made themselves known on the mid- and late palate: pepper, spice, and the like. Mild and pleasing tannins. A little heat on the finish, too. Huge fruits for a syrah. Fun — but perhaps a little too alcoholic. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the cold weather, several members of the Terroirist crew pulled white wines (from some of our favorite domestic labels) from their cellars this week. Check out the notes below!

Rebecca Canan
I’m in finals, so a bit of a dry spell (not to worry; will be remedied aggressively over the 1-month holiday break). I did treat myself to opening up a bottle of 2009 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc that I bought on a trip to Sonoma a couple years ago. They didn’t have the bottles open in the tasting room when I was there, so I had no idea what to expect from this, except that I’d heard good things and I like Merry’s Pinots. Dude, this wine is crazy. It manages to pull off some crazy acrobatics as you experience it — starts out smelling like a sauv blanc (grapefruit, white apricot, citrus), then surprisingly tastes like a gently oaked chardonnay, then briefly feels like a round chard (rich mouthfeel), then hits you with a nice shock of mouth-watering acidity like a sauv blanc.  Long, satisfying finish. Really enjoyable and interesting wine.

David White
On Thursday, I had a few folks over for a game of trivial pursuit and we opened up three wines.

We started with a bottle of NV Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley – and I was reminded why I keep recommending this wine. The wine offers tiny bubbles, an excellent mousse, perfect green apple flavors, and some sweet, approachable yeast, with a zippy acidity. It easily competes with more expensive NV Champagne bottlings.

We then moved onto the 2009 MSH Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, which continues to impress. The wine offers everything that’s good about Napa Valley Sauv Blanc (explosive citrus fruits, fresh cut grass, wonderful lees interaction) without any of the bad (flabbiness, overripe fruits, etc.), and a screaming acidity to top it all off. At the price point, it’s a no brainer. I purchased a case of this over the summer at just $10/bottle from invino, and just re-loaded with yet another 12 bottles.

Finally, we opened a half bottle of the 2007 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley. I’ve probably had this Novy Syrah a dozen or more times, and it never disappoints. It’s opulent wine — dominated by bold blackberries and black olives – and it’s always delicious. Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s wine roundup is headlined by notes from a serious Champagne tasting. If you’re a lover of blue chip bubbles, don’t miss Rebecca’s impressions below!

Rebecca Canan
This week in wine class, we visited Champagne. I had every intention of NOT taking notes during class, but rather to sit back and just enjoy the bubbly. However, I got so excited that I couldn’t help but write things down.

On the line-up we had a N.V. Dosnon & Lepage Champagne Recolte Noire Brut ($49), which was straight-up Pinot Noir with fresh green apple, sweet pear, and yellow cherry notes. Next we enjoyed a N.V. Bruno Paillard Champagne Brut Rosé ($55). In the glass, this was a tawny pale copper color. It had a very floral, rosey nose, and pops of fresh red berry bubbles in your mouth.

The next wine was my faaavorite. 1988 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Rosé La Grande Dame ($395). Amaze. Amber colored. I haven’t experienced so much concentration in a champagne before I met this wine – deep nutty almond flavors, buttery bread, amaretto, creamy & earthy wild mushrooms. It just coats your palate in delicious richness.

Next up we had a biodynamic, funky wine — N.V. Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Saignée de Sorbée Extra Brut ($90). Pretty party pink in color. On the palate, it has an introduction of red raspberry and plummy fruit punch followed by an unexpected salty/briny conclusion.  Would pair well with scallops or sushi. Totally heady & weird — as one person in our class put it, “this wine makes demands of you.”

Onto another vintage bottle, 1998 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses ($180). Rich yeasty nose, like you were walking past a pastry shop. Some age and weight on the palate, but balanced with the finesse of citrus. Finally we had the grandfather wine (my second favorite), 1990 Krug Champagne Brut (magnum, $950). Yummy – buttery brioche, fresh honey, teeny little fragile bubbles. Delish.

This past Wednesday, I attended a virtual tasting with Fred Dexheimer MS, who (via streaming video) led us through several interesting wines from the South West France. My biggest surprise was the white wine — they were more dimensional and interesting than I’d expected given what I know of this region is primarily red.

A few overall highlights from the event were the 2008 Château Montus Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec. This one was a favorite among the group I tasted with – it’s easy to sip with a herbaceousness and fresh grapefruit character, but with some weight and richness from the aging on lees.  Enough crispness and acidity to leave you wanting more, yet satisfying too. We then had a 2010 Domaine du Cros (Philippe Teulier) Marcillac Lo Sang del Païs. This had tons of pepper – white pepper, green pepper, a little smokey black pepper. Combined with greener red fruits and a little “iron, mineral character.”

Another cool pour was the 2008 Domaine des Terrisses Gaillac. I wish I’d let this sit for a little while before initially trying it. It needs a bit of time to open up. One of the tasters said, “this smells like Brussels sprouts.” However, not in a stewed cabbage kind of way, more like a smokey roasted brussels sprouts with bacon kind of way. Definitely a steak wine and could pair well with other hearty dishes as well.

David White
My week started with a very disappointing wine, but fortunately, things quickly improved. Read the rest of this entry »

We hope you had many pleasant sips and hearty laughs with friends and family over the holiday weekend. As you might have assumed, the Terroirist cell opened many bottles last week, many of which were American offerings and most of which impressed!

Read on to see what we had. If something wowed you over the weekend, let us know in the comments!

David White
On Sunday, my brother and I got together for some pizza and opened a 2008 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands. I’m a huge fan of the wines Ed Kurtzman makes (in addition to Sandler, he’s the winemaker behind August West, Freeman, and Roar), so my expectations were high. And sadly, I was a bit disappointed. The wine was certainly tasty – super tart raspberries, cherries, and even some nectarines, along with a good dose of baking spices – but it lacked the depth and concentration I’ve come to expect from Sandler wines.

On Tuesday, Robby Schrum and I visited Medium Rare – a DC restaurant that exclusively serves steak frites – and brought a 1973 Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah York Creek. The wine was stunning – easily one of the most memorable (and tastiest) wines I’ve ever had. For a solid 45+ minutes, the wine was focused, precise, and full of life. Lots of beautiful red and dark fruits, along with tobacco, sweet herbs, Christmas spices, dried plums, and more. The wine started to become flabby after about an hour, but overall, it was phenomenal.

On Thanksgiving, I failed to abide by my own guidelines (I’ll blame the host!), but fortunately, a number of different wines were opened. We pulled corks on a 2008 Becker Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve; a 2009 Arista Winery Pinot Noir Bacigalupi Vineyard; a 2008 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Klopp Ranch; a 2007 Woodenhead Syrah Russian River Valley; and a 2007 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley.

The Becker Vineyards Cab was fun because it came from Texas Hill Country, but I wasn’t a huge fan. The Oak Monster was on steroids, and the finish had an off, banana-like flavor. The Pinot Noirs from Arista and Merry Edwards were phenomenal – both were textbook examples of wines that pull off power and finesse. The Woodenhead Syrah, sadly, was terribly corked (and no, I didn’t try the saran-wrap trick). I’ve probably had this Novy Syrah a dozen or more times, and it never disappoints. It’s opulent wine — dominated by bold blackberries and black olives – and it’s always delicious. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s better than drinking wine to raise money for a good cause? While David White attended a charity wine dinner in Washington DC for So Others Might Eat, Rebecca hosted a wine-tasting event in New York to benefit Yorkville Common Pantry. Meanwhile, I just drank some Zinfandel.

See below for a recap of what we tasted!

David White
On Thursday night, I attended Uncorked DC, an annual charity tasting and dinner that raises money for So Others Might Eat. The featured speaker was Washington Post wine writer Dave McIntyre, who gave an excellent speech (his remarks are available online).

Seven different wines were poured. The evening started with a Virginia sparkler – the N.V. Thibaut-Janisson Chardonnay Fizz. A 100% Chardonnay, the wine was a great starter.

For the whites, we had a 2010 Sean Minor Sauvignon Blanc Four Bears; a 2010 Mer Soleil Chardonnay Silver Unoaked; and a 2008 Dunham Cellars Riesling Lewis Vineyard.

The Mer Soleil was the only disappointing wine in the flight – as it came across as too rich for an un-oaked Chardonany. The Sauv Blanc was fun, as it came across as much greener (good green!) than I would have expected for something from Sonoma. The Riesling was excellent. At first, I worried that the wine was too sweet – but once paired with food, it worked perfectly.

For the reds, we had a 2010 Martin Ray Pinot Noir Angeline; a 2008 Kunin Pape Star; and a 2009 Ridge Lytton Springs. The Martin Ray was much bigger than I expected it to be — it tasted more like a Napa Pinot than something from the Russian River. The Kunin Pape was fun — it could have easily passed for a higher priced Côtes du Rhône. The Ridge was stunning. An absolute knockout, and definitely as good as the hype. (Wine Advocate recently awarded 95 points to the wine.)

On Saturday night, I got together in New York City with Terroirist Rebecca Canan and occasional Terroirist contributor Andrew Feldsen, and opened up a bunch of wines with some pizza.

We started with a N.V. Moët & Chandon Champagne Brut Impérial, which far exceeded everyone’s expectations. Wine geeks have become Grower-obsessed, so it was fun to remember that the big houses still know what they’re doing. The wine was delicious.

We then moved onto my current obsession, the 2010 Beaumont Wines Chenin Blanc Hope Marguerite. A word of caution – this wine shows best at “Pinot Noir temperature.” Don’t serve this wine too cold, as you’ll be doing yourself a disservice!

We then moved onto three light-bodied reds: A 1993 Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Les Angles (positively awesome); a 2009 Rhys Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard (delicious – but I won’t be opening my other bottles for several years); and a 2008 Jacques Puffeney Trousseau Arbois Les Berangères (herbal and earthy and floral and so much fun).

We ended with a big red from Virginia – the 2008 RdV Vineyards Rendezvous. The wine, unfortunately, came off as very, very alcoholic. After 2 hours in the decanter, it had settled and improved dramatically. But if you’re thinking about opening this up anytime soon, be sure to decant it for at least half a day. Read the rest of this entry »

Uploaded to flickr by davedehetre

Despite the warm weather enjoyed in many parts of the country, the Terroirist crew favored pulling reds from the cellar rather than whites. Read on to find out what we drank!

David White
This week included some really fun wines.

On Wednesday night, I hosted a party at Sonoma Wine Bar to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Terroirist. My friends at First Vine – an importer and online retailer in DC – poured several wines, two of which really stood out.

The first – the 2005 Domaine de Montvac Vacqueyras Rouge – was impressive because it was so incredibly drinkable. A blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 5% Mourvèdre – and made exclusively from vines at least 40 years old – the wine is aged in concrete. So the fruit is strikingly pure and smooth. The other First Vine wine that really stood out was the 2005 Meridiana Melqart, a Cabernet-Merlot blend from Malta (!!). The wine was impressive because it managed to offered the fruit profile of a New World Cab-Merlot blend – but wasn’t weighty.

For the price point on these wines ($22 and $17, respectively), they’re perfect for stocking up on.

On Thursday, I sampled three wines with some friends – a 2006 Franciscan Oakville Estate Stylus; a 2008 Descendientes de José Palacios Bierzo Pétalo; and a 2007 Peter Franus Zinfandel Brandlin Vineyard.

The Stylus needs several more years – all the ingredients are there for a knockout wine, but the oak and tannin need to settle down. The Peter Franus Zin was super concentrated – and somehow managed to combine its power with finesse. The top wine for me, though, was the Mencía from Descendientes de José Palacios.

I’d never had a Mencía before, and when the wine was poured, I pegged it as a northern Rhone until my buddy told us what we were actually drinking. It was a knockout wine, and a no-brainer at its $17 price point. Read the rest of this entry »

The Terroirists opened quite a few different varietals this week, most of which were produced in France or the United States. Take a look at our notes below!

David White
On Tuesday, over dinner at Bourbon Steak, I had a Louis Michel Chardonnay Chablis 2010, a 2007 Rudius Cabernet Sauvignon (from my own cellar), and a 2007 E. Guigal Gigondas.

The Rudius was the all star. Opening it was infanticide, but the wine had layers and layers and layers of perfectly ripe, soft dark fruit. I’ll hold onto my other two bottles for at least a few more years, though. The E. Guigal, unfortunately, had some brett (manifesting itself as band-aids) that I just couldn’t get past, even though it was relatively minor.

On Friday night, I joined some DC Wine Berserkers at Weygandt Wines, as they held an open house to show off some of the new wines. Dozens of bottles were open, but I was most impressed with the 2007 Marc Plouzeau Touraine Ante Phylloxera Clos de Maulevrier – a pre-phylloxora (reportedly planted in 1853!) Cabernet Franc from Chinon. The nose was pure Cab Franc – dark fruits, herbaceous, and a hint of pepper. On the palate, though, this wine came alive – some surprising bright red fruits, a ripe, concentrated mouthfeel, juicy acidity, soft tannins. Delightful.

On Saturday, I went back to Bourbon Steak (to the bar; not the restaurant) for a friend’s birthday. After the crowd emptied, we decided to order a bottle off the “Secrets of the Sommelier” list, and picked out the 2007 Shinas Estates Cabernet Sauvignon The Verdict. It was a great wine to end the night — rich, ripe and flirting with amarone-like qualities. Read the rest of this entry »

Two Terroirists celebrated International #GrenacheDay this week, while others spent the week tasting some pretty remarkable wines — including some Bordeaux all stars. Check out our notes below!

David White
Just one wine this past week. For International #GrenacheDay, I pulled the cork on my third (and final!) bottle of 2006 Rudius Grenache. It was consumed casually — over pizza and salad (and with crappy stemware) at Iggies Pizza in Baltimore. The wine was stunning — plums, prunes, black olives, green peppers, tart cherries, and cocoa don’t sound like a good mix, but all these elements (and tons more) came screaming out of the glass. And the wine was incredibly juicy, so it paired perfectly with dinner. I remain very impressed with everything coming from Rudius Wines. Read the rest of this entry »

The highlight of this week’s wine roundup comes from David, who recently returned from a trip to South Africa, where he served as the keynote speaker at the Nederburg Auction. David provides a sneak peak into the wines he enjoyed on the trip, which he’ll write up in detail soon!

David White
Last Saturday, I headed to South Africa for the Nederburg Auction, and on the way there, I sampled every wine on KLM’s list.  As one might guess, copious amounts of South African wines were sampled and reviewed – notes on many of them will be coming later this week.

The highlights are too numerous to list, but I was particularly impressed with the 2010 Glen Carlou Chardonnay Quartz Stone, the 2005 La Motte Shiraz, the 2007 Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, the sweet wines from Nederburg, and many of the wines from Le Bonheur.

I ended the trip with a beautiful drive along the coast of the West Cape – and paid a visit to Cape Point Vineyards, where I got to spend some time with the winery’s cellarmaster and viticulturist, Duncan Savage, and taste some stunning Sauvignon Blanc. Read the rest of this entry »