Wine Review: Chamard Vineyards Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2007

Chamard Vineyards Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2007

By Codey Foster

Sometimes at work I get patronized for so animatedly supporting the Connecticut wine industry. And some of this critisizm is justified and understandable. As a state, we sure do produce more than our fair share of ordinary white hybrid blends (generally carrying a proprietary name referencing some romantic/scenic image located, or that used to be located on the vineyard property). And I hate to stereotype but sometimes stereotypes ring true in real life situations and this might be one of those situations. I’m not going to delve too deeply into my feelings on local wine, as I have before--but as wine people, I think it’s an important thing for us to be thinking about. Of course, I understand it’s a little easier to be thinking about local Chardonnay when you live in the Cote de Beaune rather than the Cote de Fairfield—but that’s a whole other conversation all together.

In any case, what I’m really getting at is that there are some select gems produced in and around Connecticut and the Chamard Estate Chardonnay is, for me, the first one that comes to mind.

For this particular bottling, I’m pretty sure they age 60% in new and used French oak barrels, with the final 40% being finished in stainless steel. I’m also fairly certain they use a touch of malolactic fermentation although I’m having trouble finding the exact details online. And while this bottling I generally explain as falling somewhere between New and Old World in style—they also make a second Chardonnay that isn’t available at the moment, but uses the exact inverse winemaking—that’s 40% French oak and 60% stainless. This more Old World version is the finest Connecticut wine I have ever tasted, and is a sure ringer for fine white Burgundy. Although, as I’ve found out in the past couple of years—all great wines eventually disappear and we can only hope that Chamard will decide to produce this elegant blend again (as I’m sure they are capable of). But back to the 2007 Estate Reserve Chardonnay.

On the nose the 2007 Estate Reserve brings fourth an ample balance of tree fruit, mineral, and subtle-sided oak that is neither overwhelming to the wine’s primary flavors, nor cloying in a buttery overoaked/over-malo’ed kind of way. Clean Chardonnay meets a pleasant oak framework—a combination spawned from soils appropriately mid-way between Burgundy and the California Coast.

On the palate it is surprisingly full bodied and robust. Although its mineral and fruit is more Cote de Beaune—its structure is more Maconais in style. Its French oak treatment is, once again, evident but not overdone.

Thanks to its ‘somewhere inbetween style’, when it comes to the dinner table (or picnic blanket), this Chamard Chard will be versatile and food friendly. Because of its acidity it will meet fish/shellfish with ease but as a result of its richness will also be able to stand up to more hearty dishes and cream sauces.

Pick it up from us for $19.99

Brunellos

Brunellos

By Codey Foster

This week we’re featuring Brunello—a muscular clone of Sangiovese that is known to produce some of the finest red wines in all of Tuscany. Despite Brunello’s reputation of being bold, extracted, concentrated and extraordinarily long-lived, it is often compared to Burgundy/Pinot Noir for its food friendliness and accessible soft tannins.

Brunello’s finest growing region is in Montalcino, where it produces wines that are dense in their youth and prime candidates for long-term cellaring. It really takes five or six years for most Brunellos to reach their prime and as a result—our 2006 and 2007s are just becoming drinkable while our 2003s and 2004s have really hit their stride.

For brilliant Brunello pairings look to roasted meats like veal, ham, and pork loin. Basic preparations are best—sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and rosemary paired with a mushroom sautee and polenta fries would do wonders.

To name a couple of our Brunellos that we’re particularly excited about:

2006 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino - A Fine, Cellar-Worthy Wine 

The ripeness of the vintage meets a classic sense of structure as this bold, full-bodied wine takes shape in the glass. It offers a virile, masculine expression of Sangiovese.  

 2007 Poggio Antico Altero Brunello di Montalcino - Dark & Concentrated 

Rich, powerful, extremely concentrated yet elegant and velvety. The silky and ripe tannins make it particularly smooth to the palate.

 2004 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto - 98 Points Wine Spectator

"Very powerful and rich, with blackberry, licorice and light toasty oak. This has pure fruit. Turns exotic and decadent. Big and full-bodied, with dense, powerful tannins, but velvety and beautiful." ~(Wine Spectator)

Wine Review: Pesquera Tinto Fino 2009

Wine Review: Pesquera Tinto Fino 2009

By Codey Foster

I recently reviewed the 2008 Pesquera Crianza—a wine that I found to be incredibly complex, if a bit funky earthy/minerally in its young age. Well, if the 2008 Crianza is a bit young, the 2009 Tinto is just in its infancy and just on the fence of being uncorkable. Although, the 2009 Tinto didn’t manifest its youth in the same way the 2008 Crianza did—it did show incredibly dense, dark fruit (although with a fair amount of red fruit showing as well), and big structure and tannin. Its tannins, no matter how ripe and big, are delicate and focused, filling in on the back palate rather than overwhelming the drinker on the very attack. It is this winemaking execution that makes the Pesquera Tinto 2009 accessible in its youth but most definitely destined for greater things.

I’m not going to drone on about Pesquera for too long because I talked about this iconic Ribera del Duero Producer when I reviewed the 2008 Crianza, but I do want to point out that it is perhaps one of the only producers in the world using French, American, and Spanish oak—although I’m pretty sure this particular cuvee is more American oak oriented.

In the glass this Pesquera shows surprisingly red with darker shades of purple filling in.

On the nose, it is very red fruit/black fruit oriented showing black berry, currant, tart cherry and a classic Ribera del Duero earthiness that is so unabashedly and shamelessly Pesquera. The only wine that I’ve ever tasted that possessed an earthiness anything like this was the 2008 crianza—and I think that’s a true testament to Pesquera terroir.

On the palate the 2009 is dense and structured, as I mentioned earlier, but not unfriendly either. It is tight but very accessible while showing great potential for the near future, intermediate, and long term cellaring. Ripe red fruit, spice and scorched earthiness come through with stylish verve that will turn secondary brilliantly. Its American oak is quite present but well integrated and tremendously fruited.

Also, note that this particular Pesquera was simply more interesting after having been open a couple of days. Its oak character showed more punctuated and integrated and its fruit opened to become yet more decedant and rich. For near future drinking decant and allow it some time to do its thing. But a gem for sure. I’ll gab a couple for my cellar and hope to forget them for a while.

http://www.anconaswine.com/sku02774.html $39.99

Wine Review: 2010 Tikal Patriota Malbec/Bonarda

Wine Review: 2010 Tikal Patriota Malbec/Bonarda

By Codey Foster

Sometimes on Saturday afternoons I find myself walking around the store trying to figure out what I’m going to drink that weekend. Often times Thor, our other ‘wine guy’ is right there with me, and as a result I end up taking a lot of his recommendations home. I have to admit, I’m never disappointed with the wines that he gives me but one thing is for sure, I always know what I’m getting—a big bold red with incredible concentration, dense fruit, and (typically) longevity. This wine is one of ‘Thor’s Picks’. And it is no exception.

Although in the past year I’ve found myself shying away from Malbec, I’ve tasted some impressive examples of its lesser-known Argentine counterpart, Bonarda. It should be noted that the Bonarda grown in Argentina is in fact a different grape than the Bonarda that you hear about in Italy, Bonarda Piedmontese. Argentine Bonarda, also called Charbono in California, is a late ripening red that originates from Savoie, and is like Bonarda Piedmontese only in name and color. This particular wine showcases 60% Malbec and 40% Bonarda and sees a year in both French and American oak.

At its center this wine shows an inky purply/black.

On the nose it gives off intense aromas of black fruit, asphalt, and a subtle underlying peppery aroma. As the wine opened it showed more dried fruit and on the second day some subtle red fruit qualities became evident as well.

On the palate 2010 Tikal is incredibly dense, shamelessly young, and spectacularly new world. Dense blackberry, cassis, and plumb harmonize on a well-structured frame to make a wine that is monstrous and rich.

There is however composure here somewhere. This wine’s extracted structure balances its extracted flavors to create a drinking experience that is muscular but intelligent and well suited for your most hearty gastronomical pursuits—and by that I mean that this wine was made for one pairing, and one pairing only—steak. Cook it how you want, but meatier, juicier cuts will prevail over delicate ones, as will well-done plates over more rare preparations. And feel free to drink it on its own of course, but do so knowing that you’re walking down a dark alley. It might make you feel small.

Serious bang for your buck.

$19.99 at http://www.anconaswine.com/sku02637.html

Domaine Fourrier Exclusive Offers

Domaine Fourrier Exclusive Offers
By Codey Foster

In the past two decades Jean Marie Fourrier of Domaine Fourrier has emerged to be not only one of the finest winemakers in all of Gevrey-Chambertin but even in all of Burgundy. Jean Marie, however, would argue that fine winemaking isn't actually in the winemaker at all but in the land that it comes from, and in the winemaker's ability to put his own ego aside and allow the purity of the vineyard to be exemplified in the wine rather than the intent of the person making it. Fourrier does just that, using mostly used, neutral oak casks to allow slow and precise oxygenation of the wine without marring its purity with new oak tannins and flavor compounds.

I’m excited to be the first to tell you that we’re offering three amazing packages to showcase our favorite domaine in burgundy.

The first package which draws entirely from the 2009 vintage, offers a bottle of the rare and sought after Clos St. Jacques, along with two other incredible Premier Crus (Chambolle-Musigny Les Gruenchers, and Gevrey-Chambertin Champeaux) and Fourrier’s Vielle Vigne, and Bourgogne Blanc.

Over the years, Clos St Jacques has developed a reputation as an unofficial Grand Cru of the Cote de Nuits. As the story goes, at the time of vineyard classification, the Clos was owned by a vingeron that was widely unpopular among certain groups in Burgundy. As a result the Clos received a Premier Cru classification rather than the Grand Cru Classification it deserved. The Clos is famous for consistently producing wine at a Grand Cru level, and often times even more so than some of the lesser Grand Crus of Gevrey.

The second package offers the 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru, Griotte-Chambertin along with the same wine from the first package (excluding the Clos St. Jacques).

Located on the East side of the RN74, Griotte-Chambertin is the smallest of all 9 Gevrey Grand Crus and farmed by only four other producers. Fourrier owns a relatively substantial .26 hectares, and I say substantial only because the vineyard itself is only 2.7 hectares total and not one producer owns more than a single hectare.

These two packages are of special pertinence to me because 2009 was a particularly fine vintage for the Cote de Nuits, among the finest of the decade, and will provide a steadfast staple for Burgundy lovers as the following vintages, 2010 and 2011 were not as consistent and great wines will be fewer and further between.

The third package is our most limited and the one that I’m most excited about.

To highlight the incredible depth of Fourrier's winemaking over the past few vintages, we have held back small quantities of the Gevrey-Chambertin Vielle Vigne 2007, 2008, and 2009. Although the Vielle Vigne is Fourrier's most basic red wine, it is perhaps the most apt to represent his 'translucent' winemaking. Composed from selected vineyard sites throughout the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, the Vielle Vigne represents the terroir that makes it one of the finest Pinot Noir producing villages in the world. These wines will drink well for many years to come. Take advantage of this rare and unique opportunity now because supplies are very limited.

Fourrier Clos St Jacques Package:

http://www.anconaswine.com/sku02936.html $649.99

Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Package:

http://www.anconaswine.com/sku02937.html#anchor_moreinfo $699.99

Fourrier 2007, 2008, 2009 Vertical Package:

http://www.anconaswine.com/sku02935.html $189.99

Good Drinking

Good Drinking

By Codey Foster

In a recent wine review I wrote that “In regards to my own personal taste, I find more and more that there are distinct lines between ‘what I like’, ‘what I think is good/well made’, and ‘what makes me think’. And although wines often span the gaps and overlap the space between these three realms—more often than not I’d prefer to drink a wine that makes me think even if I don’t consider it a great wine.”

This is something that I wanted to elaborate on because I think its one of those things that at least somewhat applies to everyone’s drinking experiences but is hardly ever discussed. Often times I find myself trying to break my wine experiences down into the simple terms of like/dislike but it’s hardly that simple. This is old news to most of us, I’m sure, but even us wine geeks are sometimes so poor at communicating how we feel about a wine that we fall into the good/bad, like/dislike trap and the real essence of a wine is lost in translation.

While pondering this, I’ve realized that most of my favorable wine experiences can be described in three different ways, and as I said in the prior post, they can be best categorized as ‘what I like’, ‘what I think is good/well made’, and ‘what makes me think’. I’ll try to make this black and white for you.

‘What I like’—These are wines that just taste good, are a pleasure to drink, and have me wanting to polish off the whole bottle. These are the wines that I indulge in, treat myself to, and savor. I appreciate them simply for their flavor profile and/or texture. The pleasure is on the palate and that pleasure is physical and tangible.

‘What I think is good/well made’—These are wines that I appreciate for their intent, execution, and composition. They are classy, stylistic, unflawed, and balanced. Compared to ‘what I like’ I’d be more apt to describe these wines as ‘beautiful’ rather than ‘delicious’, although I have encountered many wines that are both ‘what I like’ and ‘what I think is good/well made’. There’s huge overlap here, although, I insist they are in fact quite different.

‘What makes me think’—This is the most subjective of favorable outcomes I’ve experienced and probably the least common. It’s self explanatory, more or less. A wine can make you think, ignite conversation, and in extraordinary cases, leave you puzzled for weeks on end. In contrast, and more often than not, you will drink it and forget it. The kicker here is that both a well-made wine, and a poorly made wine can make you think. And both can be pleasurable. This pleasure however, is more cerebral than physical/tangible, and often lasts for a greater period of time. This is why I bother to taste new wines. I’ve got my standby go-to wines—and while they give me pleasure, taste good, and make me think—it’s mostly the experiences with wines that I’ve never tasted before that I find myself enthralled by. And that’s the greatest thrill I’ve encountered in all of my wine tasting career.