February 29, 2008

Giacomelli Vermentino: Complex Winter White from Liguria

Could this be the cruelest time of the year? The holidays have receded well into memory, daylight seems scarce, the chill is here and spring is still much too far away.

The only answer our eccentric minds could cook up was a Mediterranean-inspired meal with a couple of Vermentini that deliver the fresh warm scents of the sun-soaked Ligurian coast of Italy. (Click here for more on the Vermentino-celebrating meal Joe concocted, including a killer recipe for Bourride - a fish stew from Nice - the perfect partner to Giacomelli's rich Vermentini.)

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 3:11 PM | TrackBack

Giacomelli's Vermentino Meets Fish Stew

Vermentinos are such rich, complex whites with such big acidities that they marry very well to finessed winter fare. To plow through the winter blues, Joe, Chris and I got together last week to indulge in Giacomelli Vermentinos - both the regular Colli di Luni bottling as well as Giacomelli's first-ever, single-vineyard "Boboli" - with a menu from the wickedly intelligent culinary mind's eye of Joe Salamone.

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 9:05 AM | TrackBack

February 27, 2008

Betts & Scholl "O.G." Grenache - Australian Power with Elegance

Let's speak simply here: The 2005 Betts and Scholl "O.G." Grenache is one of the best deals of this young year. With a special case-price that brings the bottle down to $25, this is a no-brainer big Aussie red that delivers power with style at a level way beyond its price-point.

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 3:43 PM | TrackBack

February 22, 2008

Lignier: 2005 Clos de la Roche and Company

The campaign of top 2005 Burgundies at compelling prices continues at Crush!

I'm thrilled to be able to offer out the 2005 Ligniers, from the Bourgogne Rouge up to the grand Clos de la Roche, direct from the domains at some of the lowest prices in the nation!

Regardless of the confusion during the last two years, the Lignier domains continue to produce some of the best wines out of Morey, Chambolle and Gevery-Chambertin.

To my palate, few estates have been able to so successfully marry the power and energy of the ultra-vivid 2005 fruit to such a sleek, delineated mouthfeel. There is a focus to these wines, a clarity of fruit, a super-fine polished minerality that is seemlessly built into these 2005 Burgs. This is delineated hedonism!

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 5:33 PM | TrackBack

Louis Boillot - Grower Burgundy with Heart and Soul

Louis Boillot crafted some outstanding wines in the more difficult 2004 vintage. As he's married to Burgundy phenom Ghislaine Barthod, this is a family that lives and breathes wine. In 2005 he has outdone himself, gifted as he was by the near-perfect fruit that has already made the vintage famous.

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 5:20 PM | TrackBack

February 20, 2008

2004 Chave Hermitage Rouge

On Friday night Ian came into the back office and declared "I'm going to open my '04 Chave Hermitage Rouge" I advised against opening the bottle arguing that it would be a waste. The wine was way too young and would probably be shut down. I have had examples of mature Chave and patience is definitely rewarded. The bottle was a gift and for those of us who are lucky enough to work in the industry if you don't pay for the bottle you rarely feel guilt about cracking the bottle. Ian shrugged off my pleas for him to not make any rash moves. It was popped, poured into a decanter and off we went.

I could not wait to be cynical and jaded. I knew the wine would be closed and I could say "see I told you so, you should have waited" with great satisfaction. I can be a childish about these sort of things. At least I thought we could have opened it, given it more air time and maybe had it with a giant lamb shank.

But I couldn't be cynical, even with the depressingly bad weather of February. I poured myself a healthy glass and hide in the back office. The perfume was instantly satisfying and I knew that my tail would be between my legs for ever protesting. The nose within ten minutes was appealing and had all the signs of being terrific Syrah. Notes of cassis, black olive, anise, white pepper and minerals. The fruit was very pretty and elegant with great balancing acidity. I was shocked how lovely it was. This wine really should have been backward and austere. It had great balance and concentration, some said almost Cali like but I think it was more retrained then most Cali Syrahs. The structure was certainly present but it was integrated with the fruit quite well for being so young. And oh the minerals. An extremely well put together wine and a great example of why Chave is the king of Hermitage. The only question is, how much better will this get? Probably a lot, but who cares, it was darn tasty Friday night. Thanks Ian for sharing the bottle with all of us.

If cracking bottles '04 Chave for no reason seems a bit silly and frivolous you can always pick up a bottle Texier CDR or Edmunds St. John Syrah. Both are delicious, elegant examples of what highly perfumed Syrah can be like. And both are around the $30 price point so no guilty feeling or angry partner in the morning. Cheers all!

Posted by Chris Cottrell at 2:44 PM | TrackBack

February 9, 2008

Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze '04

With all the hype around 05 Burgundy and the troubles of the 04 growing season it's very easy to overlook the vintage. However if you have any regard for putting the kids through college or paying NYC rent, 2004 suddenly becomes more appealing. You have to tread carefully while exploring 04 Burgundy because many of the wines are showing poorly now and some may never come into their own. I have been disappointed with many Grand Cru wines from 04, even with the vintage's pricing considered.

So when Ian asked me if we should open this bottle I was not surprisingly jaded and cynical saying "sure" but assumed it would be another 04 that was dilute, green and out of whack. But in classic Burgundy style just when you think you understand the wines of a vintage a wine will slap you in the face and say, "You don't know me!" The wine was opened and poured into a decanter and drank over about an hour.

The nose was very perfumed and expressive right from the start. There was that 04 greenness but it was more herbal and peppercorn rather then bell pepper, which I can not stand in red Burgundy. The nose continued to open up with more spiciness and some wonderful tart red fruit and lead notes. On the palate there is no doubt that this is a Grand Cru wine as it had great weight and wonderful acidity. This was showing quite well for its age however I think in around six to twelve years the wine will be peaking. The balance is quite impressive especially when you consider that Bruno Clair commented about how difficult the summer and vintage overall was saying, "There was oidium, hail and wet, damp weather with limited luminosity. You had to be very vigilant because otherwise, you had serious problems. And you absolutely had to harvest late because if not, your levels of phenolic ripeness were just too limited to make really good wines."

After all that you would think it would be hard to produce jug wine let alone a respectable Grand Cru. Making great wine in 05 was easy, making simply good wine in 04 took sweat and tears. While I love my 05 burgundies and all their glory, I appreciate all the long days and hard work that had to be done in the vineyard to make this very good 04 Clos de Beze. Cheers Bruno!

Posted by Chris Cottrell at 3:54 PM | TrackBack

February 4, 2008

Karthauserhof - Ruwer's Mineral-Drenched Terroir Speaks

In September of 2007 I was lucky enough to travel through Germany with legendary importer Rudi Wiest. I have long been a fan of the great wines of Germany but I have to say this trip was nothing short of a revelation. I had the opportunity not only to speak with the winemakers and walk their vineyards with them, I got to taste roughly 400 wines, most of them from the 2006 vintage. I'm happy to offer some of the highlights of this trip in the form of my "German Travelogues."

Ludwig Breiling has been the winemaker at Karthauserhof for many years and his signature is an exquisitely enchanting dance of minerality and acidity. These two sensations are for a Karthauserhof more than mere descriptors, they are the very core of the composition. The fruit, though lean and graceful, is never the most important part of a Karthauserhof. Rather, the wines quietly reveal a singular delicacy, a wispiness that is persistent and almost always refreshing, like a brisk morning fog where you can almost smell and taste the cold stones in the stream and the lemon orchards over the hill - which is, not surprisingly, very much the atmosphere at the estate.

The lichen-dappled stone wall at Karthauserhof.

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 1:48 PM | TrackBack

Karthauserhof - Ruwer's Mineral-Drenched Terroir Speaks

Up in the foresty, dew-covered Ruwer Valley, rising eastward from the famed Mosel, the Karthauserhof estate has been producing some of the most glowingly austere, mineral-drenched Rieslings since 1335.

The great Rieslings of this estate have the reputation for aging themselves into greatness. With a decade (or many more) in the cellar, a Karthauserhof's citrus widens to introduce exotic spices, herbs and wax notes; the minerality becomes much more detailed and textured, a fireworks show of minerals and flowers exploding on the palate.

We are proud to have a back-vintage library of these minerally Rieslings; all of these wines are treats for any Riesling fanatic.

Posted by Stephen Bitterolf at 12:53 PM | TrackBack

February 2, 2008

1990 Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie

On the nose, the white ash of a burned-out fire, with green raspberry fruit, and herbal and slight barnyard notes, and a breath of florality.

It is a lovely light-medium weight in the mouth and on the palate the wine has a beautiful warmth and an elegant, soft silkiness. Any tannins that were once present have softened completely.

The wine starts with a mouthful of wet white ash earthyness, but the midpalate is where the wine stars, with fruit reminiscent of older burgundy and an earthy sweetness that kicks in leading to a finish leaves no doubt its Cabernet Franc - a perfect partner to a falafel tabouleh sandwich.

Drink now!

Posted by Tom Stephenson at 7:26 PM | TrackBack