Paul Steely White, a relative newbie to racing who was one of the 28 to finish in a field of mostly professional cyclists. Holy crap, read the whole thing.
BAMF.
photo courtesy James Brosnan
Fear and fatigue plagued me from the start horn. Sure, I clipped in fine, but we were barely into the first turn before I was being shoved to the barriers and passed like a mile marker. The leg torque required to push my 200 pounds into and out of the tight…
Some fun changes going on in 2009 at Ridge as they introduce a 100% Merlot and 100% Cab Franc for the first time in a long time.
Ridge has a fairly significant number of vineyard parcels in its Santa Cruz Mountain properties. The “cream of the crop” for the vintage makes it into the iconic Monte Bello. The rest goes into its estate reds. In 2006 and previously they released the ”Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Red” (what a mouthful), a really beautiful wine that is most akin to a riper/more approachable and earlier-to-mature version of the Monte Bello. In 2007 and 2008 they released the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, which was much easier branding-wise. Though if I’m honest I preferred the 06, perhaps because of the complexities brought into play with the other varietals and maybe I’m just not as crazy about straight Cabernet Sauvignon.
I tried to ask someone at Ridge whether this was branding (good or bad, as somewhat of a purist I’d say ‘bad’) or a legitimate change in the fruit/end product (good or bad, probably good IMO). I got a not-so-straightforward answer, but it seems like they’re sticking with the formula.
2009 has brought a particularly interesting dynamic as they’ve now made a 100% Ridge Merlot for the first time in two decades. I was recently at the winery and had the pleasure of tasting it. Jason the hospitality manager at their Lytton Springs property had me taste it blind so as to get rid of any preconceived notions of merlot. It was a curveball because it had all the ripe red fruit you’d associate with a lot of merlot from warmer climates, but it also had a solid backbone of ripe tannin. Really delicious stuff and worth a flyer if nothing else to check it out.
I now see they have a 2009 Ridge Cab Franc. I don’t know how long it’s been since they’ve done a 100% CF. But the story goes that the varietal didn’t make it into the final blend for the 09 Monte Bello. This one I haven’t tried, though I’m curious to hear if anyone has. The CellarTracker notes don’t appeal to me terribly as I like more red fruit-driven CF, but I’ve rarely had disappointments from Ridge. Whether or not I decide to take a $55 gamble is another matter.
Fun stuff and some pretty cool changes. Would love to hear your thoughts.
(Photo credit: yours truly, standing in the Lytton Springs vineyards mostly of century-old Zinfandel vines. None of the wines listed above come from these vineyards, so obviously it makes sense I lead with that photo.)
Outside of a handful of Bourgogne Blanc and Chablis, I haven’t tasted 2010 Burgundy, but Allen Meadows has me excited…
“It genuinely is difficult to put the 2010s in a stylistic vintage box as there are a number of parallels that can be invoked. The freshness and verve is indeed like 2008,…
I have a crap-ton of new content for the blog that remains saved as draft, and I’ll definitely get to editing and scheduling soon. In the meantime, though, sabering never gets old.
A red wine drinker’s sparkling rose. NV R Pouillon Brut Rose 1er Cru
Nice color in the glass. Like pink lemonade from powder when you put too much powder in there. Dark pink, almost a translucent red. Big nose of berry red fruit, a little candied, almost like a cherry liqueur. Smells delicious. On the palate big red fruit with that liqueur-like quality again, dominated by cherry and raspberry but there’s a lot going on. A nice kick of tannin you don’t fully expect, but it’s really nice. Good-length finish of that same red fruit and tannin. This is a treat. 93 pts.
Time to taste some wine!
I just found out earlier tonight that I’ll be my brother’s best man at his wedding. I immediately made myself responsible for the wine to be consumed, which can only mean one thing… time to taste through some wine.
I did what any self-respecting wino would do and search high and low for inexpensive wines that punch well above their weight. Astor Wines tends to put together some really nice value in their “top 10 under $10” lists, while Wine Library gets good prices across all the stuff.
I’ve got some work ahead of me indeed…
White
Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/ Viognier - 2010 (California)
Wishing Tree Chardonnay - 2010 (Australia)
Root 1 Chardonnay - 2010 (Chile)
Santa Fé de Arraiolos, Vinho Regional Alentejano - 2009 (Portugal)
Estival, Viñedo de los Vientos - 2009 (Uruguay)
Verdicchio, Failoni - 2009 (Italy)
Chateau Haut Reygnac, Entre-Deux-Mers - 2010 (France)
Sawbuck Chardonnay - 2009 (California)
Arona Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - 2010 (New Zealand)
Red
Bodegas Lan Crianza - 2006 (Chile)
Palestra Douro - 2008 (Portugal)
Falesco Vitiano - 2009 (Italy)
Caves Sao Joao Portas Dos Cavaleiros - 2007 (Portugal)
Villa Des Anges Cabernet Sauvignon - 2010 (France)
Root 1 Cabernet Sauvignon - 2010 (Chile)
Il Rosso di Casa VdT, Romagnoli - 2010 (Italy)
Echeverria Cabernet Sauvignon - 2010 (Chile)
Beaujolais, Ch. Pizay - 2010 (France)
Chateau Haut Reygnac, Bordeaux Rouge - 2009 (France)
Sparkling
Prosecco, Mia - NV (Italy)
Savia Viva, Cava Brut Reserve - NV (Spain)
Prosecco Brut, Scu Dò - NV (Italy)
Riondo Prosecco - NV (Italy)
Segura Viudas Brut Reserve - NV (Spain)
Wine choice and carbon footprint: a fun talk with @tishwine, @drvino and others at the @nywinesalon
If you drop by Healdsburg and don’t have at least one interesting cocktail at Spoonbar I think you’re doing yourself a disservice. A trendy place with talented ‘mixologists’, it serves classic cocktails prepared to perfection and produces an interesting line of off-the-beaten-path concoctions.
Spoonbar makes it clear they don’t stock expensive European vodkas for one simple reason—vodka by its very definition is a fairly flavorless, odorless spirit. If the whole point of vodka is to be as smooth-drinking and inoffensive as possible, why bother trudging some expensive stuff in heavy bottles from 6000 miles away? Fair enough.
I think this has fairly direct parallels to wine. I recently attended a talk at the New York Wine Salon featuring educational discussions with tastings on the carbon footprint of wine consumption.
There was a table at the back of the room with innocuous, remarkably similar wines. The common theme? They came from all over the place and could have come from just about anywhere.
Anonymous wines are not unlike anonymous vodka. So if given the choice between these similarly personality-stricken wines, shouldn’t you choose the one that poses least risk to the environment? I’d say that’s about right.
Part of it comes down to understanding what you’re actually drinking and from where. The weight of the bottle matters, while shipping method is critical. Yet ultimately there are more pressing choices you should make before limiting your consumption of Chilean cabernet.
To try and substitute a wonderfully unique syrah from the Northern Rhone with something grown in the North Fork of Long Island would be pure heresy. In other words, don’t limit your consumption of Allemand just because he ships across the Atlantic. (And if you do, I can give my mailing address for your remaining bottles)
It’s a good idea to make sure it’s worth everyone’s while to buy that wine from Australia even if there’s a perfectly good substitute from France (and so on…). Keep doing what you’re doing as long as it’s not overtly wasteful. Lowering the thermostat during the winter will do a great deal more good than only buying wine made within a 100-mile radius.
On a personal note, it was a fun talk and great to meet and greet a couple of people with whom I’d conversed over twitter. Thanks again to Tish for the invite.
