Wine Reviewers

Although this article is a bit old, March 11 if I recall, and from the associated press, it is quite impressive.

His schnoz is not to be sniffed at. The nose of leading European winemaker and taster Ilja Gort has been insured for euro5 million ($8 million), Lloyd’s of London said Tuesday. He took out the policy after hearing about a man who lost his sense of smell in a car accident.

“I thought it must be a horror to lose your smell,” Gort said. “It would mean that you cannot taste wine anymore. Tasting wine is something you do with your nose, not your mouth.”

Gort, 47, said his nose is essential for him to produce top quality wines at his Chateau de la Garde vineyard in the famous Bordeaux region of France, so he got it insured.

The custom-made policy covers Gort for the loss of either his nose or his sense of smell and has some unusual conditions.

The insurance contract includes a list of what Gort considers “old-fashioned rules” to protect his nose. The Dutchman is not allowed to ride a motorcycle or be a boxer, knife thrower’s assistant or a fire-breather.

“I may not fight against Mike Tyson,” Gort said.

Jonathan Thomas, the lead underwriter at Lloyd’s Watkins Syndicate, took Gort’s long, curly beard into account when drafting the policy and added a clause about Gort only going to experienced barbers who will keep their razors steady near his nose.

“These insurance policies, they’re not all dry,” Thomas said. “There’s a bit of fun we can add with them as well.

This is one of many Lloyd’s body part insurance policies. Lloyd’s reported entertainment icon Marlene Dietrich had her legs insured and that Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards was paid when he injured his finger on tour in the 1990s.

America Ferrara, star of the ABC television show “Ugly Betty,” has her smile insured for $10 million (euro6.3 million), Lloyd’s said.

“Let’s face it, it’s a Lloyd’s specialty,” Thomas said. “Lloyd’s specializes in unusual risks.”

Thomas insured the senses of taste and smell of wine taster Angela Mount for 10 million pounds ($20.1 million; euro12.7 million) in 2003 for her bosses at British supermarket chain Somerfield.

Gort said his sense of smell is his wine taster asset because although the tongue has five areas of taste, the nose can distinguish millions of different scents. When getting a physical examination for the policy, his nose was judged “better than normal.”

Gort’s friends have teased him for his newly appraised nose, even jesting to punch him in the nose so they can split the money.

“Every time I look in the mirror, I see euro 5 million,” Gort said, “but I think I’ll get used to it.”

Chateau La Vielle Cure is my first experience with Fronsac. One of the Bordeaux wines, Fronsac is a hilly region of France along the Dordogne and l’Isle rivers, west of Saint Émilion.

Interestingly enough, if the appellation indicates “Appellation Canon-Fronsac Controlée”, as opposed to “Appellation Fronsac Controlée”, this means that the grapes are from Fronsac and Saint Michel de Fronsac villages only.

So what sort of grapes are in Fronsac? We see Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec. The nose is bold and full of woods, red fruits and hints of vanilla. This means

that food pairing isn’t too difficult. We can easily pair Fronsac with red meat, especially the grilled kind, any sort of feathered game, rabbit, maybe in a mustard sauce, and pretty much all white meats.

Cheeses go well with Fronsac. You might like to try Cantal, Comté, Maroilles, Reblochon, Saint-Nectaire and Langres.

Enough details about Fronsac, this 2003 Chateau La Vieille Cure is fantastic. Go buy a bottle or 20 if you can.

Argentinian wine is relatively new to my palette, but I must say this 2004 Callia Alta took me by surprise. It has a ruby color which is almost violet, and the nose is ripe with plums, cinnamon, and vanilla. The nose also has a surprising mineral hint of a damp river stone, or at least thats what it tastes like to me.

The light body has a ton of fruit. Plum, red-apple, and boysenberry overtones. The tannins are mild and the acidity is also certainly mild.

The 14.5% alcohol content keeps it under that of a cocktail, and amazingly enough the fruit really hides the alcohol.

Delicious.

It has been a few days since my last post, but I am alive and so is this site The other night I enjoyed a wonderful Pinot Noir from Williams Selyem. This 2005 from Russian River Valley, from the Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard was quite a treat.

The color is nearly ruby red. It has a slightly cloudy color followed by a nose of cranberry, nutmeg, a hint of sour cherry, and from what I can tell, also peet moss, and possibly jasmine as well.

The sour cherry also moves towards a red currant with a bit of spice. The acidity level is decent and the finish is clean.

One of my coworkers decided to reward me with a 2001 bottle of Gainey Merlot from the Santa Ynez Valley.  I have yet to open the bottle as it is still sitting on my desk, but from what he has told me it is quite good.  Jammy and fruity, but not too much as it is a Merlot.  This classic Merlot exhibits all the things that make Merlot lovers go gaga–lush black cherry and plum fruit followed by subtle notes of warm cinnamon and clove and a finish of thick, velvety tannins and sweet creamy oak. A smidgen of cabernet franc is blended in, and the whole is aged for 16 months in one-third new oak barrels.

While not the best site for a description, here is a place which has some details on this 2001.  I will partake in libations pretty soon and Ill be sure to let everyone know how it is :)  Inexpensive, but sounds really good so far.

Nestled against the Tyhrenian Sea is Tuscany, the wildly acclaimed province of Italy. Italy remains one of the worlds largest producers of wine and back in 2005, Italy produced 1/5th of the worlds entire production of wine. Today, Italy is the largest producer of wine in the world, and has more vineyards than France. Due to its enormous influence in the wine world, I figured educating not only myself, but anyone who might read this entry, would be a good idea.

Classification System

Italy’s classification system has four types, or “classes” of wine. Two are categorized under the EU Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) and two under the category of ‘table wine’.

The four classes are listed as follows:

Table Wine:

1. Vino da Tavola - Denotes wine from Italy. Not necessarily the same as other countries’ legal definitions of ‘table wine’. The appellation indicates either an inferior quaffing wine, or one that does not follow current wine law. It is wise to note that some quality wines carry this appellation.
2. Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) - Introduced in 1992, denotes wine from a specific region within Italy, usually within Tuscany. This appellation was created for the newer wines of Italy which broke the old wine laws but quality wines.

QWPSR:

3. Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)
4. Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG)

DOC and DOCG refer to zones which are even more specific than an IGT wine. The permitted grapes are also more specifically defined.

The main difference between a DOC and a DOCG is that the latter must pass a blind taste test for quality in addition to conforming to the strict legal requirements to be designated as a wine from the area in question.

Enough nomenclature, on to the different wines:

Rosso (Red)

• Sangiovese - The pride of Tuscany. Flavors of cherry fruit, cedar, and earthy.  Biondi Santi makes an INCREDIBLE Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.
• Nebbiolo - An important Italian varietal.  Truffle, roses, and tar aromas.
• Dolcetto - Flavors of concord grape, herbs and wild blackberries.
• Negroamaro - “black and bitter”, dark red fruit, spicy.
• Aglianico - Rustic and powerful.
• Sagrantino - Heavy tannins, these wines can age for many years.
• Malvasia Nera - Sweet and perfumed.
• Montepulciano - Plum-like fruit, mild acidity, and light tannin.
• Barbera - Cherry fruit, dark coloration, and a food-friendly acid levels.
• Nero d’Avola - Inky wines, nicknamed “the Barolo of the South”.

And others too.

“International” varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are also widely grown.

Bianco (White)

• Trebbiano - Easy drinking wines.
• Moscato - Used in the slightly-sparkling (frizzante) semi-sweet Moscato d’Asti.
• Nuragus - Light and tart.
• Pinot Grigio - Crisp and clean.
• Fiano (wine) - Dewy and herbal, often with small notes of pinenut and pesto.
• Garganega - Crisp and dry.
• Tocai Friulano - Peachy and mineraly.
• Ribolla Gialla - Aromas of pineapple and mustiness.
• Arneis - Crisp and floral.
• Malvasia Bianca - Wide rage from easy to drink to musty whites.
• Pigato - Good to pair with seafood.

More to come as I learn more about these fantastic wines.

Education is something we can never quite get enough of, and luckily there is an abundance of writing on the subject of wine and wine-culture. Although countless sites, tastings and seminars exist, one method of learning which I happen to enjoy the most is through reading. Amazon has a book on sale right now called “Windows on the World Complete Wine Course”, the 2008 Edition.

Being a highly rated book, I thought I would share it with everyone listening. Here is one of the many good comments:

Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Complete Wine Course is considered a classic among amateur grape geeks (like me). The 2007 edition sold over 100,000 copies. Zraly uncorks the mysteries of wine with his trusted “wine course.” The comprehensive 2008 update is informative in the areas of wine tasting, selection, regions, and countries (from France to Chile), and also includes recommendations and advice on selecting a wine in an often complex market further complicated by the Internet. While this course may not qualify you to become a sommelier, it will definitely improve your knowledge and credentials as an amateur oeniphile, and should be considered an excellent starting point for any wine connoisseur.

I’ve just purchased the book myself and so far it has been a good read. If you have a suggestion for a good wine course book, or just a good wine book in general, let me know.

While I was at work today one of my co-workers pointed out Gainey Vineyards. Apparently Gainey has some really high scoring wines at quite reasonable prices. I checked out some of the scores while perusing Wine Enthusiast magazine and boy howdy was he right. Apparently the 1996 Limited Selection Merlot from the Santa Ynez Valley scored a whopping 95 points for only $25! I’ll dig around on the net and see if I can’t find a source for this one. $25 for a score of 95 is certainly worth my while.

Also, be sure to check out Gainey 2006 Riesling - White Wine from the Santa Ynez Valley. While it “only” scored an 84, it is a killer price at $13 a bottle. I am going to pick up two or three bottles tonight. Apparently this is a fantastic deal on a better than table-wine.

Last but certainly not least is the Gainey 2005 Chardonnay - White Wine from the Santa Rita Hills. We’re talking a $20 wine which scored a 90. This is one more that you must pick up for your cellar. Go take a look at wine.com if you don’t believe me!

Last night I posted about this ‘01 Belvedere Cabernet Sauvignon.  It has held the night pretty well and still tastes fantastic.  The nose still has quite a bit of fruit and the acidity levels are very low.  The tannins are moderate and what really surprised me is how wonderful chocolate tasted along with the red.Ultimately this is a good Cab, pairs with steak and sweets well.  I give this one a thumbs up.One more thing, don’t forget to try the Chardonnay as it is magic on the palette. 

Last night I decided to head down to the wine cellar and crack open a bottle of which I was not too familiar. Belvedere Winery as far as I can tell has no real presence on the internet, so finding information about older bottles can be tough. Either way, I didn’t have much time to let the ‘01 aerate so I poured it moments after opening the bottle. The acidity was low, and the nose was moderate. Moderately strong flavor. All in all quite a good wine to pair with steak and sweet potato. As I was dining alone last night I didn’t finish the bottle, and so it has been corked and left for tonight. We’ll see how well it holds over.

I guess one of the best ways to find out more about this Winery is to just call them up and go for a tasting. If I do end up going, I’ll take some pictures and make some more detailed notes. I guess the summary of this post is, “it goes well with steak” haha. Thumbs up on this one so far.

This is the only 1/2 decent logo I have been able to find of Belvedere so bear with me. I realize it isn’t the same year, but at least you’ll get an idea of the logo. I’ll take a picture of the logo tonight and post on the hold-over-ability.