8.19.09 Sexy Spanish Whites

¡Ay dios mio! This was probably our biggest lineup to date…

Los Vinos

Thankfully, Spaniards go grande, or go casa. And so do we.

Para empezar? A 2007 X’armant  Basque White Wine (Txakoli, Basque Country, Spain), $15. First off, don’t ask us how to pronounce the wine region (chah-coal-ee?). Second, x’armant means “charming” in Basque, which this wine was. And third, Nikki found the nose bright and citrusy with lemon and mineral components all up in her nose. Chris thought it smelled like pear and Kelly Naughton. Katie got bar soap.Valerie got “zestfully clean hand sanitizer.”
The palate, according to Nikki, had super high acid, with a slight zippy effervescence. Chris thought it started out crisp and finished with a “funk chaser.” Katie found it lemony and Fernanda seconded that with a citrus component. We enjoyed this wine mucho.

Muy sexy label, muy sexy vino

Numero 2: 2008 Pazo Serantellos Albariño, (Rias Baixas, Spain). Off the bat, Katie got mad melon – honeydew style – with some green Starburst overtones on the nose. Nikki picked up caramelized sugar and brioche. Colin got marshmallow and Fernanda found it yeasty, like sparkling wine.
To me, the palate was creamy, not tart, and voluptuous. This wine got back, IF you know what I mean. Colin got a Bailey’s Irish Cream flavor, Nikki got cantaloupe and prosciutto, and Tim thought it tasted like a lot of nothing.

Tres: 2008 Salneval Albariño (Rias Baixas, Spain), $10.
The nose? Nikki got Bazooka bubble gum, and along with Katie got banana Runts (the little banana candy). Colin got sparkling cider. Valerie got green apple Jolly Rancher.
Fernanda found  that the banana Runts smell was echoed in the palate with artificial banana flavor. I got pineapple mango madness, saying it was like a “daquiri in a… glass?” Nikki, Colin, and Brie also echoed the tropical fruitapalooza.

Up next was a 2008 Granbazán Albariño (Rias Baixas, Spain), $13. To me, the nose smelled like tropical vacation. Nikki thought it smelled like homely combo of interior design, upholstery, and Pottery Barn. Katie got fresh coconut and Colin got tobacco.
The palate was hella tart, like War Head super sour candy from 4th grade and tasted like a crisp refreshing spring day. Nikki got sour powder and lime oil while Val got quince.

2007 Nessa Albariño (Rias Baixas, Spain), $16. Val got hibiscus on the nose and Colin got pineapple and clean linen. I got watered down pineapple juice and a vegetal component. Brie found it perfumey and Katie got walnut.
The palate showed some asparagus, Fernanda got bitterness, and Katie got unripe fruit.

2007 Valmiñor Albariño (Rias Baixas), $16. Colin got varnish on the nose. I got unripe lemons, Nikki got Brussel sprouts, linseed oil(?), and sugar in the raw. Val seconded the saccharine smell with sugar cane and brown sugar. Katie got green and yellow apples.
Nikki got melon, grassiness, and effervescence on the palate. Colin found it moderately tart. I got some greenness/vegetal action.

2007 Castro de Lobarzán, White Blend 80% Godello, 20% Treixadura (Monterrei, Galicia, Spain), $13. Nikki got pear on the nose while Val noticed peach, nectarine, honey, and facial toner. To Brie it smelled like summer. Tim found it mild and soft with an artificial grape aroma. I got citrus. Colin, Val, and Chris C concluded that it smelled like a stale hippy’s apartment sprayed with some Febreeze.
Nikki and I got banana and other shit on the palate, F.T.W. Tim still got artificial grape. Katie got crisp(!) green apples.

2007 Viña Sila “Las Brisas” White Blend 50% Verdejo with Sauvignon Blanc and Viura, (Rueda, Spain), $11. The nose smelled like lemon custard yogurt meringue according to Nikki. Val got mango and Chris C got Cheerios. Colin got body odor. Katie got aioli.
The palate? Yeah… the palate… um, we don’t really remember/I lost the 4th page of notes. Whoops and I can’t imagine how that happened after bottle number 8…

And the ringer:
2007 SUNBOX eleven Winery “The Maverick” 50/50 Marsanne/Roussanne (Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, CA), $65. As you may or may not know, Sonoma County is not in Spain. BUT, after a bajillion crisp albariños, you gotta shake things up a bit. I was lucky to snag a sample of this boutique winery’s white Rhone blend so I brought it to the tasting.
Colin got vanilla on the nose. Nikki and Katie got dill, and Nikki noticed the nose opened up to winter spice after some more swirling. Tim found it floral and complex, with a fresh cut cedar component.
The palate was equally complex as the nose; very balanced and round. Nikki found it nutty like cashew butter. Chris C and Brie got anise. This wine was the favorite of the night. Said Tim, “This is so good. F&@% the Spanish wine. (No offense.)”

Back to España…

2007 Olvena “O” Chardonnay (Somontano, Aragón, Spain), $14. Colin got the funk of 40,000 [somethings] on the nose. Chris C got vegetable oil, like Crisco.
On the palate, it tasted like an albariñoed chardonnay to me. And yes, I used albariño as a verb. Sue me, bitch, I’ll drink you under the table. See:

Downing (and later choking on) vino blanco

2007 Marqués de Cáceres, White Rioja, 100% Viura (Rioja, Spain), $7. The nose was nectarine-ish, said Katie. The palate had nice minerality. Also nice? Taking this and what ever was left to the elevator party on the way out:

kn
YWSF

Winos Jovenes de San Francisco

8.12.09 Blind Date: Central Coast Reds

This tasting was on my (Katie) birthday so I chose to mix it up with a big bad BLIND tasting. The theme was Central Coast Reds  which was Tim’s idea in honor of our home town. Here’s me trying to open the bottles that I had just bagged, without looking.

Grrrrr.

Wine #1: Ellen and Colin both immediately said “this smells like a pinot”.  They should have called jinx. I picked up on some alcohol  and Christopher smelled some honey. Ellen also got notes of blackberry and Colin said it was oaky and smelled like raisins more than berries to him. Kelly showed up later that night and wrote down “brown spice” for this one.

On the palate Florian mentioned that it was not very heavy but had a lingering taste. He also thought it was a bit papery. Christopher thought it was earthy and smelled sweeter than it tasted. Colin got some tannic and strawberry action. Kelly’s added notes mentioned cranberry and “pinot fo sho”. This one turned out to be our favorite.

Wine #2 Florian immediately got earthy woody, diesel, and eucalyptus scents. Christopher agreed and added that it reminded him of chemicals or burned wood. Fernanda chimed in that it smelled sweeter than wine #1. Colin got oak again, and bandaid which impressed me as I immediately picked up on it too. Ellen thought it smelled like an old library book, but in a good way, for those of us that enjoy the smell of library books. Kelly later wrote that he thought it was a syrah.

The taste was both sweet and vinegary for Christopher with notes of fig. Florian thought it was super tannic and dry. And I got some white pepper action. Overall we though this wine was just average.

Wine #3: Florian said this one was his favorite smell so far. Fernanda got a lot of alcohol and Colin agreed. I thought it had a distinct cheery smell and Kelly whiffed  some brown sugar.

On the palate Kelly got the hotness and some berry flavors. I quickly started loosing my focus and said “I’m not really concentrating tonight. I just want to get drunk”. Fair enough I think.This wine didn’t excite us that much and we agreed it was an equally average as wine #2.

Wine #4: Moving on to the fourth blind wine, Colin got some jammy berry notes. Kelly though it was peppery. Chris said it was sweet tasting and Colin equated it to caramelized candy. I came back in the game, noting that it had a nice leathery taste and Ellen also got some berries and pepper. Fernanda also found the berries on the nose and the palate. This wine we all liked a bit better, maybe almost as much as Wine#1, but being the pinot whoirs that we are I think #1 was still the fav.

Wine #5: Our second to last wine, Christopher thought it smelled like oak and razzberry (yep with a z). Colin got licorice and leather  and I thought it smelled like “your mom” but no one’s mom in particular. I also got some earthy whiffs of something complex. Fernanda smelled cassis and Kelly found some grapey, blackberry notes.

Nikki thought it tasted like brown sugar and both Nikki and I thought it had some port-like qualities. Florian qualified that by saying “bad port”.  There was a bit of confusion over what type of varietal this was. Kelly, Colin and I all pinned it as a zin. A few others disagreed and Nikki thought it was maybe a petit syrah, zin blend. Some of us really like it, other were less enthused.

Wine #6: The final wine of the night. Well actually not really, but the final blind wine. Kelly and Ellen both said oak! (emphatically). Nikki and I both thought it was funky. Nikki got some almonds and I nailed it down as a “funk nut”. Kelly and Nikki also picked up on some spiced plum on the nose and Chris got peppercorn salami. Ew.

On the palate Ellen though it was peppery and sweet. Kelly said it was spicy and plummy. I got some meaty flavors, while Colin tasted figs.

Then came the unveiling….. drum roll….

Central Coast Reds

Wine #1: Irony Pinot Noir, Monterey County, 2006 $12

Wine#2: Valréas “Cuvée Prestige” Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007, $6  (Yeah we threw in a cheap french to throw people off the trail)

Wine #3: Qupé Syrah, Central Coast 2006, $13

Wine #4: Ventana Rubystone, Soledad, 60% Grenache 40% Syrah, 2007 $13

Wine #5: Barrel 27 Syrah “Right Hand Man, Central Coast, 2006 $18

Wine #6: Robert Hall Syrah, Paso Robles, 2006 $14

Crazy how we ended up with all those Syrahs!

Lucky for me the night didn’t end there. Tim and Kelly surprised me with a delicious birthday cake and some awesome bubbly. What sweethearts they are.

Birthday treats for the lucky birthday gal!

Kelly also enjoyed some grapes, hand picked from Napa:

Mmmm, grapey

Cheers!

The night was long and fun. BUT another surprise awaited us….

The wine ran out and we thought we were S.O.L. , but then Chris presented us with a secret wine that he had brought and stashed:

Supermerlova

Cosmic Cruzers, Supermerlova 2001. And  then we drank it.

THE END.

YWSF

8.5.09 I AM drinking F#&%king Merlot! (A California Merlot Tasting)

On a warm summer day suited for merlovers, we sat down in SF’s Dolores Park for a juicy journey of  the enological equivalent of Ugly Betty: Merlot. Since the movie Sideways came out (see above pic), Merlot has been getting a bad rap from ignorant D-bags. Done right it can delicious and smooth as a baby’s bott… -le of wine. Here’s what we tasted:

2006 Thomas Kruse “Claire’s Field” Merlot, (Santa Clara Valley, CA), $13. I got berry stink on the nose. Nikki smelled blackberry, cinnamon stick, and mint. Tim found it dirty and woodsy.
The palate had flavors of soft cherry with mellow tannin. Nikki pointed out the high acidity, red licorice flavor, and something weird on the finish. Tim found it mild with not a whole lot to it. Aight, but we can do better.

Next up, a 2006 TEIRA Merlot (Sonoma County, CA), $15. After sticking my big schnoz in the glass and contemplating, I noticed some spicy clove action alongside the fruit. Fruitcake, anybody? No? Didn’t think so… Nikki got dark chocolate and Tim noticed jammy boysenberry with some nutmeg.
The palate gave us gobs of plum with brie and Bhavin noticing some grip from the tannins on the finish. At $15 bones, this merlot was our favorite yo.

After the TEIRA was a 2005 Cartlidge & Browne Merlot (CA), $15. Upon taking a whif or three (it was kinda windy in the park…) I got Welch’s grape juice and black pepper. Nikki surprised us by noting the aroma of the brown Mr. Sketch smelly markers we used as kids along with an artificial cinnamon scent.
The palate had intense blueberry and, not much else. Medium tannin. Medium rating. We couldn’t place a number on this wine, so we gave it a circle.

Last was a 2007 Calvet “Reserve des Ramparts” Merlot (95%)/Cab Sauv (5%), (St. Emilion, France), $10. One of my rare Trader Joe’s purchases, this one caught my eye while grocery shopping. Probably because it was 10 buckaroos. On the nose it immediately smelled French (nice and pretentious) with an herbal component. It smelled like weed. Actually, the weed aroma was probably the kids sitting near us at the park.   Bhavin noticed a dirty/soil smell.
On ther palate there was some plum, Tim got lighter berries and pink peppercorns, and Nikki noticed some acidity with an almost citrusy component. An OK wine overall.

7.29.09 Double Trouble with Bubbles

The occasion? Tim and my birthday.
The time? For celebration.
The location? Swirl on Castro.
The goods? International bubbly.
Drinking sparkling wine with other young winos? F-ing priceless.

Most of the lineup

The details?…

NV [Non-Vintage] Contessagiulia Prosecco (Veneto, Italy), $16. On the nose, it smelled like a bakery to me. Muffins, scones, and doughy goodness galore. Tim got some green apple, Ellen got sweet cream, and Katie thought this sh*t was bananas. Ahem, smelled like bananas.
Il palato revealed flavors of apricot and artificial lime flavor, like you get from the little green plastic squirt bottles, as noticed by Katie. I got gobs of peach and stonefruit. We freaking loved this prosecco. Molto bene uncle Tony.

Off to España next for a NV Parés Balta Brut Cava, (Penedes, Spain). Johny thought it smelled like a meadow and Ellen continued the notion by suggesting it smelled like laying in the grass, with some pear overtones. Katie got dandelion and I got toasted coconut.
Melanie found the palate to be hella bubbly, Ellen thought it wasn’t as smooth as the Prosecco and noticed the flavor of pomelo (giant citrus, wikipedia it or see our Sauv Blanc tasting notes). I found it to be pretty highin acidity with flavors of cream and green apple. Not bad, but not great. Good enough for a Spanish toast…

Bringing it home to Napa, we next tasted a 2005 Domain Carneros (by Taittinger) Sparkling Brut, (Carneros, CA), $24.50. Katie got melted butter, toffee, and brown sugar on the nose and suggested it smelled like commencing a cookie baking sesh. Melanie found it floral. I found it a little funky.
As for the palate, Fernanda exclaimed, “It tastes like Champagne!” … we’re on the right track. Katie found it creamy upfront with a grassy finish. Melanie got fruity, green/sour apple. Tasty.

Bubbly: the best ivention since sliced bread

Keepin’ it classy, we threw in a NV J. Lassalle Premier Cru Brut Champagne, (Chigny-les-Roses, Reims, France), $36. Melanie got chimney/smokey aromas. Fernanda thought it smelled weird. I got a nutty component. Katie got canned green beans.
The palate gave me whole wheat toast, brioche, and nutty flavors. Melanie got dried fruits and berries. Katie got green pepper. Interesting stuff.

And the ringer, a 2004 Extra Toso Sparkling Pinot Noir Extra Brut (Mendoza, Argentina…!), $24. This was likely the first bottle o’ bubb from Argentina most of us had ever tried. I got caramel on the nose, Katie, got fig, razzle dazzle (raspberry), and Alan Greenspan. Melanie thought it smelled like the diamond she had tried on earlier that day. Obviously, we’d tossed back a couple glasses of bubb.
Tim got roasted almonds on the palate. Katie found it floral, tasting like rose petals. Tasted like a berry bonanza to me. Unique descriptors for a unique wine from a New World wine-growing region on the up-and-up.

At the end of the day, we can all agree that bubbles make it better. Salud!

KN

Celebratory Winos

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Most of the lineup