Placenta: impossible food-wine pairing?!?

?When I was pregnant, I just craved organs?so the placenta just made sense.? So a new mother is quoted in a New York magazine article on cooking placenta. No, not polenta–placenta. I’ve never delivered a placenta personally, so maybe that’s why I find it a little difficult to, erm, swallow. But the NYmag story highlights [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/JlqejLWuaQo/

Larissa Meek Laura Harring Laura Prepon Lauren Bush

Event Report: 2011 Wine Spectator Grand Tour Boston

The Wine Spectator 2011 Grand Tour made its third and final stop last Thursday at the Marriott Copley Hotel in Boston. The event offered a chance to try more than 200 wines in an expo-style tasting over the course of three hours. Between the high quality of the wines being poured, the chance to interact with winemakers and winery owners, and the lack of long lines, it was the best wine tasting I've ever been to.

Prior to the event I wrote down a cheat sheet of wines I wanted to taste. I didn't think I'd actually get a chance to try all the wines especially after reading Wine Spectator Tim Fish's blog post from the Las Vegas event. At tastings like these lines usually get long and I end up going wherever the crowds aren't. However I was pleasantly surprised the lines for even the marquee wines weren't too long at all. I was able to try everything on my list and then some.

The event provided an excellent opportunity to taste some of the great wines of the world. I bumped into Phil Minervo from Lower Falls Wine Co who coached me to taste through wines in their peer group rather than jumping around.

Bordeaux

What better place to start with a fresh palate than Bordeaux?

With my souvenir Riedel tasting glass in hand I made my first stop at the 2004 Chateau Margaux table (93WS/$220 release price). I thought the wine had incredible texture, was made in a serious style, and had a long finish. Next up: 2004 Cos d'Estournel (94WS/$80). I've always eyed that wine as attainable top-quality Bordeaux. I thought it was very elegant in style:

The winery owner was pouring his 2008 Pontet-Canet (92WS/$105). I thought it was delicious and enjoyable to drink even though it was so young:
The 2005 Mouton-Rothschild (95WS/$680) was powerful but a little too earthy and austere at this point. Maybe even skunky:
From Bordeaux I also tasted 2004 Chateau Palmer (elegantly balanced), 2006 Chateau Haut-Bailley (only 12.5% alcohol!) and 2005 Chateau Lynch Bages (nice fruit - enjoyed it).

Side note: The size of the pours, even for these expensive wines, provided an ample opportunity for assessment. In Massachusetts, a sample of wine poured at a tasting cannot legally exceed 1 ounce and most vendors were pouring right at that mark.

Italy

Next up was Italy to taste some Barolo and Tuscan reds. The 2006 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Torriglione (92WS/$265) was beautiful - and stunningly aromatic:

The 2005 Marchesi di Barolo (91WS/$88) was very well balanced with really nice floral aromas:
The Tuscan line-up was even more amazing - a crash course in the great wines of the region. Some were showing more generously at this point in their development but all were a joy to taste. One of the more friendly offerings was the 2005 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova (92WS/$75). I liked the style, and the 2006 vintage was rated 100 points by James Suckling. I bought some the next day.

The 2007 Modus (96WS/$35) was a wine I was interested in trying. There was a good amount of speculation it would be the 2010 Wine Spectator Wine of the Year (it wound up at number 25). I enjoyed the wine.
I blogged about the 2007 Felsina Fontalloro recently (92WS/$55). It was showing very well alongside very formidable competition. I really like this wine. I asked the gentleman pouring it to compare it to the 2005 and 2006 vintages. He slyly recommended the 2005 for breakfast, the 2007 for lunch and the 2006 for dinner implying the 2006 is bigger than the 2007. Both the 2006 and 2007 are fantastic - I'd highly recommend you track some down:
The guy pouring the 2008 Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno (96WS/$110) wasn't much of a talker but the wine spoke for itself. Brilliant and approachable. Balanced:
 
In the not so approachable camp: The 2007 Testamatta (95WS/$125, some fruit but still quite tight), and 2008 Ornellaia (NYR, tannic beast).
The 2000 Fontodi Flaccienello (87WS/$69) was one of the few wines at the event not rated 90 points at the time of release. The vendor pouring it said Wine Spectator may have rated it higher as part of a retrospective tasting but I couldn't find a record of that. The wine was showing nicely and it was especially interesting to taste a wine of the caliber with some bottle age (many of the wines were insanely young).
I really appreciated that each table was only pouring a single wine. This focus kept the crowd moving and provided an opportunity to quickly see what a winery is all about. When I've only got 3 hours and more than 200 wines to taste that's what I'm looking for.

Pinot Noir

Even though I was spitting as much as I possibly could, I was parched after tasting so many Bordeaux and Italian wines.

I took a break then made a bee line for the Kosta Browne table where Managing Director of Marketing & Sales Sam Lando was pouring. Perhaps more than any domestic winery I was pleased to see them there. They seem to have little trouble selling through their wines and it was a pleasure to taste the 2009 Kosta Browne Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (NYR). Beautiful stuff - my wine of the night. At 14.5% alcohol they seem to have found ways to bring the alcohol levels down slightly while maintaining their rich mouth feel and delicious flavor profile.

Nearby, Adam Lee was pouring his 2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir (92WS/$29). I liked this wine quite a bit more than his 2009 Russian River Valley bottling I tried earlier this year and will seek out the SLH for future purchase. It's a winner.

  Oregon was also well represented. Sokol Blosser was pouring their 2008 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills (90 WS/$38). I love how distinctly vibrant their wines are across every recent vintage and bottling - fabulous. The 2008 Bergstrom Pinot Noir (93WS/$78) showed how you're rewarded for spending more in Oregon Pinot Noir. 

Napa Cabernet

Looking back I can't believe some of the Napa Cabs I passed up. The 2007 Robert Mondavi Reserve was there and I didn't make it a priority to taste it. What was I thinking? I very much enjoyed the 2008 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon (94WS/$130). It was only outdone by the 2006 Joseph Phelps Insignia (94WS/$200). Love everything about that Insignia with its rich mouth feel and generous fruit-driven flavor profile. For my palate, it's absolutely delicious without going over the top. Cliff Lede was pouring their 2007 Poetry (91WS/$150). Beautiful bottle. Nice wine. 

Wandering Around

The wineries were generous with their selections.  Michael Twelftree from Two Hands was pouring their 2007 "Zippy's Block" Single Vineyard Shiraz (91WS/$110). Catena Zapata brought their 2007 Nicasia Vineyard Malbec (96WS/$120). For wineries like these (which I've heard of tasted their wines before) it was nice to be able to try some of their lower production bottlings.

One of the most delicious wines I tried all night came on a tip from Mike O'Connell Jr from Upper Falls Liquors. The 2008 Betts & Scholl Grenache Barossa Valley - "The O.G." they call it (90WS/$20). Original Grenche? It was luscious and so enjoyable after tasting through dozens of drier wines. I'd really like to track this one down:
Conclusions and Recommendations

What was advertised as a light buffet turned out to be quite substantial. Buffet stations and seating areas outside the ballroom provided a break from the action. Plenty of bottles of Acqua Panna and Pelligrino aided in hydration.

Several people I ran into at the event called it "the best wine tasting I've ever been to." I agree with them. The combination of high quality wines, manageable crowds, and the overall experience made it an event I'd look forward to attending again. It was the kind of thing I'd really enjoy going with some friends, attending the event, going to dinner afterwards, and spending the night at the hotel.

More than anything the tasting provided a way to taste some of the great wines of the world and get a feel for their flavor profiles. I can read tasting notes all day but until I get a chance to experience wines myself it's hard to know what I'll like. Because of this I find tastings like this really valuable. I learn a lot and can focus my wine exploration in new directions.

Disclosure: I attended on a free blogger pass.

Further Reading: A review of the event from The Passionate Foodie

Question of the Day: Have you been to a Wine Spectator tasting in the past? What are some of the best wine tastings you've ever been to? What made them so enjoyable?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/qnVNh6j2Yhs/event-report-2011-wine-spectator-grand.html

Rose McGowan Roselyn Sanchez Rozonda Thomas Saira Mohan

Help Steer the Direction of an Award Winner!

Generally speaking, I do very little public housekeeping here, but it’s time for some remodeling and I want your feedback. 

Despite winning some awards and receiving significant positive feedback about the design of this site, I haven’t materially changed the look or the function of Good Grape since November 2006.  Times have changed a lot in the intervening (nearly) five years.  At the time, Wordpress was a very secondary blogging platform choice behind MovableType (I chose door #3).  Facebook had recently announced general availability to the public from its former days of being collegiately oriented; Twitter launched, but was barely a blip on the radar, YouTube was hot (but not ubiquitous) and smartphones were still very niche in general adoption.  Tablets like the iPad?  Nope, at that point people were stoked about rumors of an iPhone that was set to be released sometime the next year. 

A lot has changed in five years and this site has barely kept pace, making due with duct tape and spittle.

image

A number of regular readers have let me know that pieces and parts of the site don’t always work, or the site is slow for them, or it’s hard to comment, or archive pages are junky looking, or links take you away from the site, etc.  And, forget about reading this site on your mobile phone – Good Grape equal’s bad mobile mojo.  The list goes on and on and I have my own list of wishes and want-to’s 35 items deep.

So, here’s the question and the crossroads I’m facing:

Do I keep the same general design (with some slight modifications like making the main text area wider and re-doing the navigation) and simply leave a classic design alone, focusing on enhancing functional and technical aspects of the site?

Or,

Do I take this opportunity to blow it out and set the bar for what a quality, beautiful, professional wine blog should look like, plus all of the social and mobile bells and whistles?

Readers, friends, colleagues, and peers: Your feedback is very welcome.  Should I mess with a good thing for a potentially greater thing, or do stay true to the visual identity in place and simply remodel focusing on functionality, familiarity and usability?

Please leave a comment.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/help_steer_the_direction_of_an_award_winner/

Shana Hiatt Shania Twain Shanna Moakler Shannon Elizabeth

2009 California Pinot Noir: Best Vintage Ever?

Wine Spectator called the 2007 California Pinot Noir vintage the "best ever". Now there's talk 2009 might be even better than 2007. The skeptic in me is starting to think this is like Bordeaux where a vintage of the century comes around three out of five years, but the reality is Pinot Noir consumption outpaces all other varieties combined around here so I'm paying attention to the accolades and buying 2009 California Pinot Noir. Although Oregon's Willamette Valley has a reputation for being the home of domestic Pinot Noir, all things considered I prefer the options available from California.

It's mostly because south of $30 I've had better luck with California Pinot Noir. Many of the lower-end bottlings from Oregon I've tried fall flat on the mid-palate and are accompanied by a green/stemmy aftertaste that sometimes dominates the flavor profile. It's not to say that there aren't fantastic Oregon Pinot Noirs. Far from it. But of the wines available in Massachusetts it seems like you have to spend north of $40 to find an outstanding bottle.

And that's not the case with California Pinot Noir. While it's not easy to find a great California Pinot Noir for around $25, higher production levels and wider distribution do make it possible.

If you search Wine Spectator's tasting notes for 90+ point Pinot Noir made in the US since 2006 costing less than $20 you'll find 5 wines. Two of them were made by Siduri (their 2007 Sonoma County and 2007 Willamette Valley).

As we look at early ratings for 2009s, three wines from Siduri again stand out: The 2009 Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (91WS/$29), the 2009 Siduri Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (also 91WS/$29), and the 2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir (92WS/$29).

I tried the 2009 Russian River Valley a while back and was unimpressed. I thought it was a little over-ripe and hot at points. I'd rate it 87 points. This left me a little "spooked" until I tried the 2009 Santa Lucia Highlands at the Wine Spectator event in Boston a while back. It showed quite well so I tracked down a bottle to try. I'm glad I did.

The 2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is a powerful and focused wine with classic California Pinot Noir markings. It's generously fruit-forward with primarily black cherry notes but refrains from straying into over-ripe territory - at least for my palate. It finishes clean with just the slightest bit of heat on the backend. Overall an outstanding wine. I'll go along with Spectator's rating on this one: 92 points WWP.

I think it's one to check out, especially if you can find it for less than $25. It's also trending a point or two higher than the 09 Siduri Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast bottlings on CellarTracker. A terrific example of outstanding California Pinot Noir and an insightful window into the 2009 California vintage.

Check it out:
Siduri website
2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands on CellarTracker
2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands on Wine-Searcher.com

I have more 2009 California Pinot Noir recommendations coming up, and a deeper analysis of the 2009 vintage. I'd love it if you subscribed to the site so we can keep in touch.

Question of the Day: What are your impressions of 2009 California Pinot Noir? Which producers are you buying from?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/RdgHORQkJLM/2009-california-pinot-noir-best-vintage.html

Sarah Mutch Sarah Polley Sarah Shahi Sarah Silverman

2009 California Pinot Noir: Best Vintage Ever?

Wine Spectator called the 2007 California Pinot Noir vintage the "best ever". Now there's talk 2009 might be even better than 2007. The skeptic in me is starting to think this is like Bordeaux where a vintage of the century comes around three out of five years, but the reality is Pinot Noir consumption outpaces all other varieties combined around here so I'm paying attention to the accolades and buying 2009 California Pinot Noir. Although Oregon's Willamette Valley has a reputation for being the home of domestic Pinot Noir, all things considered I prefer the options available from California.

It's mostly because south of $30 I've had better luck with California Pinot Noir. Many of the lower-end bottlings from Oregon I've tried fall flat on the mid-palate and are accompanied by a green/stemmy aftertaste that sometimes dominates the flavor profile. It's not to say that there aren't fantastic Oregon Pinot Noirs. Far from it. But of the wines available in Massachusetts it seems like you have to spend north of $40 to find an outstanding bottle.

And that's not the case with California Pinot Noir. While it's not easy to find a great California Pinot Noir for around $25, higher production levels and wider distribution do make it possible.

If you search Wine Spectator's tasting notes for 90+ point Pinot Noir made in the US since 2006 costing less than $20 you'll find 5 wines. Two of them were made by Siduri (their 2007 Sonoma County and 2007 Willamette Valley).

As we look at early ratings for 2009s, three wines from Siduri again stand out: The 2009 Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (91WS/$29), the 2009 Siduri Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (also 91WS/$29), and the 2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir (92WS/$29).

I tried the 2009 Russian River Valley a while back and was unimpressed. I thought it was a little over-ripe and hot at points. I'd rate it 87 points. This left me a little "spooked" until I tried the 2009 Santa Lucia Highlands at the Wine Spectator event in Boston a while back. It showed quite well so I tracked down a bottle to try. I'm glad I did.

The 2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is a powerful and focused wine with classic California Pinot Noir markings. It's generously fruit-forward with primarily black cherry notes but refrains from straying into over-ripe territory - at least for my palate. It finishes clean with just the slightest bit of heat on the backend. Overall an outstanding wine. I'll go along with Spectator's rating on this one: 92 points WWP.

I think it's one to check out, especially if you can find it for less than $25. It's also trending a point or two higher than the 09 Siduri Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast bottlings on CellarTracker. A terrific example of outstanding California Pinot Noir and an insightful window into the 2009 California vintage.

Check it out:
Siduri website
2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands on CellarTracker
2009 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands on Wine-Searcher.com

I have more 2009 California Pinot Noir recommendations coming up, and a deeper analysis of the 2009 vintage. I'd love it if you subscribed to the site so we can keep in touch.

Question of the Day: What are your impressions of 2009 California Pinot Noir? Which producers are you buying from?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/RdgHORQkJLM/2009-california-pinot-noir-best-vintage.html

Raquel Alessi Rebecca Mader Rebecca Romijn Reese Witherspoon

Auction of Washington Wines: Another Smashing Success

This past weekend, the Washington wine industry hosted its 24th annual Auction of Washington Wines. The Auction has raised more than $24 million since its inception in 1988 to benefit the uncompensated care program at Seattle Children?s Hospital and since 2001, the Washington Wine Education Foundation, funding viticultural and enological research across the state. This [...]

Auction of Washington Wines: Another Smashing Success was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WinePeeps/~3/TC7DRH_Qu7Q/

Lindsay Price Lisa Marie Lisa Snowdon Liz Phair

Top Ten Differences Between Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley

Having lived both in Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley, I've developed some opinions and observations about these two very different but neighboring wine country locations. The visitor to the region should be aware of these differences if only to be...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/TIoZTNc3o1o/visiting-wine-country-napa-valley-v-sonoma-valley.html

Lauren Conrad Lauren German LeAnn Rimes Leeann Tweeden