Two Whites BTG For BONDA

I hate it when I love a wine from a tasting, then am not so hot on it when I get the case and taste the first bottle. It's not that I do not really really like these wines, but I do not want to make love to them as much as I did when I first tasted them. It's like when you hook up with... well you get the idea.



Here are the write ups for the BONDA list. I really do like these wines, but I was so jazzed about them when I tasted samples, that I miss that first kiss.

MAXe Riesling
From Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany, this off dry Riesling is just what the summer deserves. Sharp, tart flavors of green apple balances with a hint of refreshing sweet peach and a touch of viscocity. Great mouthfeel, with a lingering finish.

Terlaner
From Alto Adige, Italy, this bend of Sav Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Chard is a refreshing alternative to Pinot Grigio. Bright flavors of citrus and white flowers add to the rich mouthfeel with a touch of acidity. Great balance to have as an aperitif of with food.

04.12.08/ SWT 2004 Arrocol

I was leaving when Kelly wanted to have another glass, so Sam opened a bottle of some Argentine or Chilean Cab, or Syrah blend. I did not take a picture or right it down. In Sam's handwriting: Alex HATES, think likes it smells like a used condom on fire. His notes: "tannic, Big League Chew Grape".

Maybe we will revisit on a fresh palate. It is really hard to drink anything after the beauty that is the Turley White Coat!

04.12.08/ SWT 2002 Turley The White Coat

Call me Ishmael. I have bagged my whale. It all started about 7 years ago when I heard a fair amount about Helen Turley's wines. Some called them over priced, over extracted, over blown - while others called them fantastic. I had a Zin about five years ago and didn't think that much for the price. BUT I have always wanted to try The White Coat - a Rhone white blend - just have never had the opportunity to drink it. I have seen it on some wine lists, but it is hard to get a $125 wine when you don't know what it will taste like or if you will like it.

About three years ago, a couple that will remain nameless, came into the restaurant with a bottle of The White Coat. They asked if I had tried it, and I said no, but I have always wanted to. They said it was fantastic, one of their favorites. Did they offer me a taste? NO. Bastards.

Anyway, as we were trying different reds at Sam's house while his wife, Kelly, was in NYC, I saw three bottles of The White Coat in his wine fridge. When he wanted to switch up to white, he offered a bottle of the Turley and I said yes please! He said it was one of Kelly's favorites, and guess what, she arrived with a cheese plate from Murray's and was psyched to open The White Coat. The stars were in alignment.

On the nose, sticky rice, marijuana, butterscotch, sweet stink. On the tongue, big dried apricot, saffron and white raisin - maybe some wild yeast? It was like biting into a perfect danish - sort of.

From my notes: Sam loves the Turley. His notes: I am loving this wine, buy it like no tomorrow for $28! He got four bottles from WineBid - way below retail. I love this wine too. Maybe I can find some to buy for myself!

04.12.08/ SWT 2004 Soos Creek Artist's Series #5 Red Wine

This is the 2nd Soos Creek we have tried, and it is still not drinking right. "Tight as a....", was Jamie's comment - you can add your own allusion. It took forever to show some fruit.

Red currant and white pepper on the nose - with tons of alcohol. On the tongue, bIg candied strawberry, jammy jam jam of raspberry. Sam: "Gobs of inkberry on the nose, plum, inky, raspberry tart." He really liked it.

I liked it better than the Sundance, but want to try more of their other wines. I was also in a bit of a palate funk as everything tasted really sweet to me.

04.12.08/ SWT 1996 Ridge Lytton Springs

In follow-up to the last post, about our wine tasting at Sam's house in April, the next wine was this '96 Lytton Springs. I love Ridge wines, and it was a pleasure to try a Lytton with some age. We tend to drink a fair amount of it from the 2003, 2004, 2005 vintages.

Jamie declared: "This baby's all grown up!" Featuring a nose of fig with hints of pink peppercorn achored with a load of spice.

Sam was impressed by the wine's ageability - letting it breathe for about an hour enhanced the flavor, yet it could have been decanted.

It tasted like an aged Ridge, but still has the fresh zintastic roasted plum, dried raisin, touch of cedar flavors. It is bordering on closing out, so it was good that we opened it that night!

03.18.08 /RGWD 2006 Sangiovese "Ca del Solo"

Interesting that this wine is only 80% Sangiovese, with other Italian Varietals thrown in as well - Colorino, Nero de Avalo, and Cinsault. It was paired with a seared organic squab with brussels leaves, dried cranberry and heirloom potatoes with a mushroom glace. The question I had was do I like squab and do I like this wine? The pairing was superb, but I did not really like the two elements.

Sometimes it works when you try to make a European blend with American grapes - sometimes it does not. To me it tasted over cooked with rich, raisiny flavours. Tons of earth on the nose with a heavy prune. The squab breast was really gamey and rare - but chewy. The leg was fantastic.

03.18.08 /RGWD 2003 Le Cigare Volant

To close out the evening, we had one of Randall's signature wines, Le Cigare Volant, of the famed 2003 vintage. He said it was his homage to Chauteauneuf de Pape with a 5 grapes blend of Grenache, Mouvedre, Syrah, Cinsault and one other grape. I did not like this wine as much as everyone else seemed to moon over it. I found it to be a little acidic and featured a lot of sweet cherry and pine flavours. I did not order any for the restaurant, even though our sales person really wanted us to put it on our list.

2003 Nigl Gruner Veltliner Kemstel Freheight

Unfortunately like the Brundlmeyer, this Gruner is a little lacking. I am used to very high end Gruner. Not to sound snobby, but the Nigl Privat and Nigl Alte Reben are far superior to this vineyard. I do not know if it is the age or vintage - usually Gruners age like great burgundy.

Watered down, somewhat bitter and flaborious.

2006 Brundlemeyer Gruner Veltliner

A little flabby and watered down. Not as good as their rieslings! Although it is their entry level Gruner, so I won't be too harsh.

05.08.08 /2004 Walnut City WineWorks Reserve Pinot Noir

My father really likes this wine, and brought four bottles to my house last summer when he came to visit to see Cooper and the fam. At the time, I did not really like this wine. Again, there are so many great Oregon Pinots at $25 that I do not need to waste my time drinking this one.

We had some folks over for dinner last Friday and I needed a decent wine to braise some short ribs to make short rib and beef burgers. I saw the Walnut Creek and thought it doesn't suck. I took a swig off the bottle and it was decent. A lot more balance and structure than the last time I drank it.

I used most of the bottle for the braise, but took a few more pulls from the bottle. Note: a very classy way to drink wine if you do not want to dirty a glass. I remember when I was in Prague in the summer 1996, we bought some bread, cheese, a cheap bottle of burgundy, pushed the cork in and drank it on the bridge, straight from the bottle. Or in Napa the summer of '95 on the lake with a bottle of Don Quixote, taking pulls. But I digress.

This wine is better than I originally thought, but I still wouldn't buy it, but I would drink it if I liked the person who was serving it to me. That is the rating!

2007 Loosen Bros Riesling "Dr. L"

Disappointed with this wine. I wanted to put it on by the glass at BONDA, but it is too sweet and cloying for the price. It is what gives Riesling a bad name - not really, but sort of. There are so many great Germany Rieslings out there for a good price, that I do not need to sell this one to people.

2006 Culley Marlborough Riesling

This wine is OK. I bought a case for my father-in-law last summer for Nantucket. It is inexpensive and tasty for the summer. I wouldn't go out of my way to drink it, but I wouldn't spit it out either.

05.13.08 /2002 Roccolo Grassi Valpolicella

I used to love this wine and think of it as a benchmark for Valpolicella, but maybe my palate has changed? We had the 2003 on Christmas Eve and it was all jumbled fruit and oak - no balance. My father-in-law didn't like it, nor I. I told Jamie and he thought I was crazy, but I took it off the list at BONDA nonetheless.

I was in the mood for something, & the '02 caught my eye. Generally I would share this wine as I only have two left and it is kind of expensive ($65), but I made a nice ragu of beef and heritage breed sausage from Ox Hollow Farms, so I wanted something to match it. I was disappointed.

Not so much jumbled as the 2003, it just didn't gel with me and my taste buds. A little oaky and sweet, I kept wanting to like it, but it just kept coming back unworthy. This has been a problem for me of late, and without anyone to taste with, I cannot validate if it is me or the wine. It is time for whites anyway!

05.10.08 /2004 Rimu Grove Nelson Pinot Noir

Court and I ran into Liz Fath who invited us to her house for a drink. Her husband, John, gave me this bottle of New Zealand Pinot and asked me to drink it and give him my opinion. He has more wine than he can drink in his lifetime, 1000s of cases of bordeaux, burgundy, cult californians, rhones, etc.... and is the nicest guy, knows more about wine than anyone I know, and very generous. HE believes like me that wine is meant to be drunk!

The Pinot is better than I thought it would be. An interesting flavor of inflating water wings, or any sort of polyurathane inflatable device. That taste when you start to blow into it. I like that taste. Hints of fruit came out with bruised raspberry, and cherry oak. Very subtle, which I thought was surprising. Jamie liked it a bit more than me, and it would be great to do by the glass at BONDA, depending on the price.

This was the last wine I drank before Courtenay gave birth, just 5 hours after I finished the bottle.

04.25.08 /2005 Cantina Tramin Blauburgunder Pinot Nero

Thank you Mateo from Pasta Nostra for turning me onto this wine! We went out with the Russells and I had chosen a wine with our main course, but didn't know where to start. Matt recommended this Italian Pinot from Alto Adige, and he knows what I like. Produced from a coop of local growers in Northern Italy, close to Germany, this wine is garnet in color, with a nice concentration of woodland berry fruits, but not really fruity - think ripe roasted plum with notes of soft cherry – with firm tannins, an elegant body and great finish. Easy to drink on its own; a great summer red with all types of food.

Matt was kind enough to tell me the importer and recommended I buy a case ASAP. He bought 14, and there was only one left for BONDA. They make a slamming Gerwurztraminer as well, which I think will be our summer house white.

The coolest aspect of this wine is that it has a glass enclosure!

Yeah, I know, very behind. I apologize to the loyals

In my defense, a lot of what I have been drinking tastes the same - sweet and oaky - to my palate. And this is over a range of wines, appelations and grapes. Maybe I'm moving on to whites too soon for the season? It has been almost two months, so I hope my golden tongue is not broken! I only insured it for $250K, and that won't be enough to sustain the profit from this blog!