Down the Hatch

Are we coming up on Fat Tuesday? This weekend we went through the bottles we opened so fast, I'm not sure I even tasted them. They were good in a celebratory gluttony kind of way. Fortunately, the wines we drank have been reviewed in 100s of blogs already!

First up, bubbles. Cava is Spain's bottle fermented sparkling wine. We had 1+1=3 Brut. Brut is smack dab in the middle of the sugar content classifications (from zero to 15 grams of sugar per litre). We don't know exactly where this bottle falls in that wide range but, it seemed on the dry side.

According to the Wines From Spain site, good Cava shouldn't be more that 11% ABV. This bottle is 11.5% ABV which is close enough (we can round down). The color is light; hay-colored. There is very light citrus and pear on the nose and a nice mineral flavor. Extremely gulpable and the price was right at around $14.

Cava was Saturday. On Sunday we finally opened that bottle of Hahn Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 that I had to buy after I missed the Hahn Twitter Taste Live event. This is another good value at around $13.

What can I say? It tastes like a California Cab. A very nice California Cab. Other than that, with four people working the bottle, it only lived about twenty minutes after being dis-corked so I didn't have much of a chance to analyze it. Luckily, at that price, I didn't have to worry about trying to stretch it out. If I ever see Hahn on a restaurant wine list, I'll order it as long as it's under $30. I'm not going to mention the other bottle that we did order at a restaurant...they didn't have Hahn on the wine list.

Two happy grapes for two happy wines.

Flight of Whites (Wine School Assignment #1) Taster A

Riesling
Trimbach
Alsace
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $16.99


Color: yellow to green
Intensity: medium
Aromas: lemon, grapefruit, apple, pear, melon, allspice
Flavors: lemon, grapefruit, mineral
Body: light
Acidity: crisp
Sweetness: dry
Finish: moderate

Summary: This was my first taste of Riesling since the ‘80s. I left the region because I found the wines to be on the sweet side and like so many others, found the Chardonnays of California.

The aromas exploded out of the glass, the citrus was fresh and vibrant. The aromas came off in layers as the wine opened up…apple…melon…pear…it has a nice crisp taste, dry and light bodied. Images of summer picnics, chomping on cheese and crackers on a Sunday afternoon come to mind.

Sauvignon Blanc
Lockwood Vineyard
Monterey AVA
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $11.99


Color: Straw
Intensity: Pale
Aromas: Lemon, grapefruit peach melon orange blossom, hay, nutmeg
Flavors: Lemon, grapefruit, mint, clove, allspice
Body: Medium
Acidity: Crisp
Sweetness: Dry
Finish: Moderate

Summary: This wine looked very elegant in the glass. The wine exploded with citrus aromas and as the wine opened up, layers of citrus, peach, melon aromas evolved. Sipping the wine gave flavors of citrus and spice with a very mild mint flavor developing. This wine was chosen because it was not barrel aged…meaning it would be a expression of the grape. This adds variety in the market place, one that I welcome. I would pair this with light fish such as flounder, a good cheese-and-cracker wine.


Chardonnay
Kendall-Jackson
Santa Barbara AVA
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $12.99


Color: Yellow
Intensity: Medium
Aromas: Lemon, fig, vanilla, oak, smoky, bacon
Flavors: Lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, hay, stone, clove, allspice, coffee
Body: Medium
Acidity: Moderate to crisp
Sweetness: Off-dry
Finish: Moderate


Summary: This wine was selected for its oak aged qualities and that is very apparent in the wine. The color is rich and stately in the glass. The oak influence in the wine defines character of this wine. The oak permeates the glass as you draw the aromas in. There is no doubt that this wine is all about the marriage between forest and vineyard.

Growing up in the woods of New England and having been a wood worker, I know a bit about oak. Green oak has a distinctive pungent smell to it. Upon sniffing the wine, I was taken back to my days of splitting wood for the family fireplace.

The flavors of citrus started to come alive as the wine opened up and the oak aromas toned down. The pineapple and spicy notes came through as the wine aged in the glass. Those who want to experience a oak crafted chardonnay will truly enjoy this with poultry, heavier fish such as haddock or salmon, or with heavier cheeses.

Those who are looking for a true expression of the grape may frown upon this choice, but give it a try. I’m not a huge fan of heavily oaked wines, but I truly enjoyed being taken back to an earlier time in my life when the air was filled with the smell of oak yielding to steel.

Final thoughts about the flight
Drinking three bottles of wine in one night is not a reality for us, consequently, we had some leftovers. Throughout the week, Taster A took care of the Riesling, I adopted the Sauvignon Blanc for my own. The Kendall-Jackson we shared.

I would highly recommend doing a tasting course at home. When we are out tasting in public areas, we tend to be less candid and not take as much time as I’d like to try a wine.

There are guidelines for tasting rooms that the staff must follow. Most rooms will give a one ounce pour. I find that sometimes makes it hard to let the layers come out. Professional tasters may be able to do the job quickly and get twice as much out of the wine, I have to work at it. It takes me time to identify what’s going on. At home, I can pour that extra ounce out. In a tasting room, that is generally frowned upon. Take your time and develop your skills.



See Kendall-Jackson's Barrel Page!

Flight of Whites (Wine School Assignment #1)

We bought our wines for the first tasting. Wine School gave us a price range of $12-$15 per bottle, and a few dollars more for the Riesling. We've done wine tastings before in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Russian River, Napa, etc, but this was the first time we ever had a list of things to look at and evaluate. We have to note the color, the intensity of color, aromas, flavors, body (aka mouth-feel), taste (acid/sweet), and the finish in terms of length. Also, it was our first time tasting wines in a side-by-side comparison. It was kind of a challenge for me to pick out the aromas and flavors (Taster A finds this easier to do) but, it was fun! Here's what we got along with my tasting notes:

(note: these are not listed in the order that we tasted them: it was actually Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, then Chardonnay last)

Chardonnay
Kendall-Jackson
Santa Barbara AVA
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $12.99

Color: Yellow
Intensity: Medium
Aromas: banana, oak, butterscotch
Flavors: butter
Body: Medium
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Off-dry
Finish: Moderate to long

Summary: Good everyday wine. Very tasty if a bit heavy on the oak. My impression during the tasting was that this wine would be very good with Peking duck. This was my favorite wine during the tasting.

Sauvignon Blanc
Lockwood Vineyard
Monterey AVA
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $11.99

Color: Straw
Intensity: Pale
Aromas: honeysuckle, mineral, mushroom, vanilla, slight butter
Flavors: grapefruit, hay
Body: Light
Acidity: Crisp
Sweetness: Dry
Finish: Moderate to long

Summary: I had mixed emotions about this one. I found the aroma of mushroom very pungent and compelling yet, when I tasted the wine, it just tasted a bit odd. It was interesting but, I don't think I really liked it. Like when I was a kid and I wanted to like artichokes because they were fun and different, but I just couldn't handle the taste. Maybe this one will grow on me like artichokes did. If I were serving this wine, I'd pair it with fish tacos or Greek food. This was my least favorite of the three.



Riesling
Trimbach
Alsace
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $16.99

Color: Green
Intensity: Medium
Aromas: apple, orange blossom, mint
Flavors: lemon, slightly smoky
Body: Light
Acidity: Moderate to crisp
Sweetness: Dry
Finish: Moderate

Summary: This was a pleasant surprise since I didn't think I liked Riesling (I'd only ever tried the sweet stuff). This is a good 'wine and cheese' wine. This actually wasn't my favorite during the tasting but, tasting all three again after they'd been open for a day, this is now my favorite of the three (the Kendall-Jackson seems offensively oaky to me now).