Six "Labor Day" Wines Under $20

After an uncharacteristically beautiful summer here in St. Louis, the heat and humidity have finally settled in - just in time for the Labor Day weekend. It looks like Saturday will be in the 100's.
Ugh!
So, we'll deal with the heat by drinking refreshing wine.
Here are four Whites, a Rose' and a Zinfandel that should fit the bill for all your Labor Day needs - all readily available at your friendly neighborhood Balabans.
Crisp refreshing whites. Drink these all by themselves, on the patio or by the pool:
2012 Araldica Gavi, Italy - $15
2012 Hopler Gruner Veltliner, Austria - $15
2011 Rainstorm Pinot Grigio, Oregon - $17
2011 Huia Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand - $19
I love Chardonnay, but for me, most Chardonnays do not have the bright, refreshing crispness as these whites - which helps them to confront the heat of the day.
Let's eat!
With some salad, deli meats and lighter cheeses I'm drinking rose'. I think this lovely rose' from Cotes de Provence, France is just right:
2012 Castel des Maures Rose' - $12
And finally, when we move on to something heavier, like typical holiday barbecue fare, you just have to have a Zinfandel. Here's one of the best under $20 Zins I've found:
2011 Hess Artezin Zinfandel, Mendocino CA - $17
Whatever you're drinking, be sure to have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.

Tom

Ramey Wines and Balabans Food - Golden!

Judy and I attended a Ramey Wine dinner at Balabans this Sunday.
We enjoy these types of events and have been to quite a few of them.
But this was special.
Chef Scott Phillips put together an amazing tasting menu of white salmon, lobster ravioli, roast quail, bison tenderloin and a cheddar cheese sampler plate.
The pairing wines, respectively, were as follows: 2009 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, 2010 Russian River Valley Chardonnay, 2009 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, 2011 Claret Cabernet Sauvignon and 2009 Syrah.
Judy was particularly pleased with this event because she loves Chardonnay.
And David Ramey makes some of the best Chardonnay on the planet!
The food was exquisite, the wine pairings were perfect and we sat at a table with wonderful people who we consider to be new friends.
My favorites of the evening were the white salmon and the Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay.
Should I be shamelessly plugging my new employer, Balabans, like this? Maybe not, but we've been going to Balabans since we moved to St. Louis in 1994, and the food has always been outstanding.
If you've never attended a Balabans wine dinner, or haven't been to one in a while, make sure you put this on your "to do" list.

Tom

   

Why Did Australian Wines Fall Out of Favor?

I have absolutely no idea.
I guess I could end the blog right here. It would be easy on me and I could start the weekend early.
But let me pontificate a bit:
About 6 or 7 years ago, Australian wines were all the rage. The critics loved them, it seemed like every new release of Shiraz or a Shiraz blend got 92-95 points and most of the wines were screaming values - often under $20 a bottle.
The wines were selling out in days.
People could not get enough of them.
There was rioting and fighting in the streets.
Well, maybe not that last part, but everything else is true.
And now. It's hard to give the wines away. Granted, the critic's ratings are not quite as high, but, ratings are lower across the board for all wines.
The same producers are out there making good juice: Mollydooker, Kilikanoon, Mitolo and many more.
I actually think the wines are better made now than before. They are not the big "fruit bombs" of the past, they're more balanced and generally lower in alcohol.
I really don't know why Aussie wines fell out of favor. Maybe they will make a comeback some day.
I hope so.

Tom

Another "cork" epidemic hits St. Louis!

It's happened before, it will happen again.

Corked wine. As long as wine makers continue to use corks, I guarantee you that there will be corked wine.

It doesn't matter if a bottle is $5 or $500 the risk is always there.

Oh, it's a very small percentage of bottles that end up being corked. Estimates range from 3-5%.

My question is this: why do they always come in bunches?

It's a mystery of wine.

Last week alone we had 3 corked bottles at Balabans. I would say that blows away the percentages.

If you need a refresher on what a corked wine is, it's a flawed wine that is contaminated with the chemical compound TCA. This sucks all the fruit out of the wine, and leaves it smelling like a wet dog, damp cardboard or a moldy basement.

If you want to learn more, just get on the internet - there's a ton of information out there.

If you buy a corked wine at a retail store, and it is a fairly recent purchase, return it to the store. Any reputable wine shop will replace the wine. If you are at a restaurant and order a wine that's corked, by all means, send it back.

If you open a corked wine that's been in your cellar for many years ... well ... not really much you can do. You can either choke it down, or spill it out. 

I hope it's a while before another epidemic hits.

Tom

Yep. That's a corked wine.

 

A Stunning Red Burgundy From Balabans

Short blog today ....

Had dinner last night with close friends at one of our favorite restaurants - Paul Mannos.

As always, the food was superb: mussels and clams, cannelloni, rack of lamb, grouper "mama's famous pasta" and on and on.
Sorry - drooling.

And then there is always outstanding wine: White Burgundy, Red Burgundy, Bordeaux, Paul Hobbs Chardonnay, Conn Valley Eloge and Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet made for quite a lineup.

But here is the star of the evening:
1999 Georges de Vogue Chambole-Musigny Premier Cru. This red Burgundy is in ideal drinking condition. Sexy, silky and smooth with a touch of earth and big fruit on the nose. This is one of those wines that just tingles all of the senses. Mine are actually still tingling.
Balabans has several bottles of this gem in stock at $225 per bottle - definitely not cheap, but, it's one of those special purchases that you don't get "buyers remorse" over, once you try the wine.

Tom

Winery Focus - Turley Wine Cellars

If you're into wine, like I am, you will find the Turley wine story fascinating.

If you're not into wine so much, you might find this particular blog boring.

Hey, I can't be exciting to everyone all the time - just most of the time.

Turley is a small family run winery that makes 28 wines from some of the best vineyards in Northern and Central California. They are most known for their old vine Zinfandels, but also produce excellent Petite Syrah. The best part is that they sell all of this incredible wine at extremely reasonable prices.

The worst part is that production is very small and you have to get on their mailing list to get the wines.

And, of course, there is a long wait before you actually get on the list and get the opportunity to buy the wines.

In a recent interview, Christina Turley shared some of her thoughts about wine and the wine industry. 

Here's an excerpt (one of my favorite parts) where she discusses alcohol levels:

A 12% abv wine is not intrinsically better than one at 15%; that's drinking by the numbers. I believe the goal should be truth—what is the truest expression of this grape variety, this vineyard? It might mean slightly different things to different people, but that's part of the beauty of winemaking; regardless, I believe the pursuit of truth is a much more admirable undertaking.

If you've read this far, then you might be interested in reading a little more - so here's a link to the interview:

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/08/christina-turley-california-wine-misconceptions-whats-new-good-value.html

Tom

Christina Turley

Chateau d'Yquem -Wine Nirvana!

Sauternes is a region in Graves, France that is known for making the world's greatest dessert wines.

And the king of these dessert wines is Chateau d'Yquem.

Up until a month or so ago, I never tasted a Yquem. I've owned a bottle, a 750ml bottle, for about 15 years, but could just not find the right occasion to open it. So this year, my wife Judy had one of those "milestone" birthdays that we all dread. I believe it was her 40th. "That's it", I thought. "Her birthday party - that's when this baby gets popped".

So, I plan a surprise party at Balabans with about 20 of our closest friends. The food was amazing, the wines were perfect, and at the end of the night the Yquem was opened.
I waited a while to write this so I could come up with the right words to describe this experience that I so vividly remember.
But, for the first time in my wine loving life - I just can't do it.
So, here's what Robert Parker said in April 1999:

1990 Chateau d'Yquem - 99 out of 100 points from Robert Parker
An extraordinary effort, Yquem's 1990 is a rich and fabulously superb, sweet wine. This wine also possesses lots of elegance and finesse. The wine's medium gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and apricots. High quality, subtle toasty oak is well-integrated. The wine is massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit. Surprisingly well-integrated acidity, and a seamless, full-bodied power and richness have created a wine of remarkable harmony and purity. Certainly it is one of the richest Yquems I have ever tasted, with 50-100 years of potential longevity. An awesome Yquem! Anticipated maturity: 2003-2050+.

Tom

Cory and Stan. Two of my goofy friends at the party.

What the heck is malolactic fermentation?

One of the wines in Scott's tasting this Saturday was the 2011 Annabella Chardonnay. 

A partial description of the wine reads as follows: 100% Barrel Aged in French Oak for 6 months, Partial Malolactic fermentation.

Then, one of our great customers sitting at the bar asks: "What's malolactic fermentation"?

Well, I sputtered, I believe it's when one type of acid is converted to another type to improve the quality of the wine.

I wasn't feeling very confident in this answer, so I rushed to my computer to be a little more sure.

And Wikipedia made me feel a little better (not much though) with my answer.

Here's what they have to say"

Malolactic fermentation (also known as malolactic conversion or MLF) is a process in winemaking in which tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation often occurs shortly after the end of the primary fermentation but can sometimes run concurrently with it. The process is standard for most red wine production and for some white grape varieties such as Chardonnay, where it can impart a "buttery" flavor from diacetyl, a by-product of the reaction.

Annabella is a great value priced Chardonnay which you can pick up at Balabans for $16.

Tom