by katrin on February 1, 2012
On Saturday night we served a lovely Pinot Noir from J. Hofstätter to 500 guests (see my previous post). I thought it was elegant and representative of a light, flavorful style of Pinot Noir that seems only to come from Alto Adige. To my delight, others enjoyed it as much as I did and it received rave reviews. The next day, as I perused the wine aisles at Whole Foods, I was immediately drawn to another J. Hofstätter wine: the 2010 Pinot Grigio. My impression of this popular Italian varietal was equally positive.
The nose is forward and appealing with great pear, minerality, and melon aromas. Carambola (honestly this is the first time I can remember getting starfruit on the palate in a wine) and citrus added interesting dimensions to the pear and apple flavors. This Pinot Grigio is rich and satisfying without being oaky or cloying. In fact, it has a lanolin viscosity that is reminiscent of Sémillon. Medium acidity. The finish has lingering pear and acidity. Elegant and totally enjoyable. Very good.
At Whole Foods on River Street, Cambridge for $19.99.
by katrin on January 31, 2012
Saturday was a big night: a celebration with 500 of my organization’s nearest and dearest donors, volunteers, and friends. I had been mulling over the wine selection for weeks, tasting various options with colleagues and on my own, writing about the results, and even getting suggestions from you, our readers. In the end, the selection for the bar during the reception and for the dinner ended up being a sampling of some of my favorite wines of the past year or so that met two qualifications. First, they were within my price range of $16 or less after any discounts. And second, I thought that they would be well-received, in other words, interesting and delicious, but not overly challenging for people who thought they would be able to get a simple choice between a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and an Australian Shiraz.
I won’t name names, but the owner of the retail establishment that provides wines to the event venue tried to offer advice and options that I would not have otherwise considered. I found all of the wines he recommended boring, mainstream, and mass-produced. Perhaps they would have been pleasing to a general audience, but I didn’t like any of them and the thought of bowing to the lowest common denominator goes against the thousands of great wines out there.
In the back of my mind, I know that it’s impossible to please everyone – though I did give it my best shot. So, for those of you who asked, here were my choices. And if you read this space often enough, you may even recognize some of them from recent reviews.
Served during dinner
2009 J. Hofstätter Meczan Pinot Nero (Alto Adige, Italy)
2009 St. Michael-Eppan Pinot Grigio Anger Vineyard (Alto Adige, Italy)
On the bar
2010 L’Ecole No. 41 Sémillon (Walla Walla, Washington)
2009 Josef Leitz “Eins, Zwei, Dry” Riesling (Rheingau, Germany)
2009 Amalaya red blend (Salta, Argentina)
2008 Brancaia Tre (Tuscany, Italy)
Though my obsession with Alto Adige was well-served, it was unintended. My first choice for the dinner red was the August Kesseler Spätburgunder Pinot N (Rheinhessen, Germany), but unfortunately just three days before the event, the distributor discovered that they did not have it in stock. The 2010 L’Ecole No. 41 Chenin Blanc, curiously enough, was out of stock, too (even though I had just purchased it a couple of weeks earlier) and we substituted it with the winery’s Sémillon. In the end, it was a wonderful evening to which, I hope, the wine was a wonderful complement. And in an ideal world, some guests were introduced to a new wine or region that they will explore again.
by glenn on January 31, 2012
My Winter Red
Typically, each winter, I seek out on a value-priced hearty red that becomes my go-to winter wine. For several winters, I drank a profuse amount of Excelsior, a South African Cabernet; this was eventually replaced by J. Martini’s Sonoma Coast Cabernet. To mix things up, I’ve also favored a French Malbec, “Le Cèdre”. What I look for is warm fruit, good acidity and tannins – that is, a somewhat hearty wine able to be both drunk on its own or paired with the braises and stews I so enjoy during the cold months. My plonk pick Zinfandel has always been Rosenblum’s Vintner’s Cuvée, so when I came upon their Vintner’s Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon, I was intrigued, though the price – $7.99 – made me cautious. Choosing wines under $10 can be tricky - the bottle either a barely palatable anemic quaff or an overwrought fruit bomb. But not this wine. In the nose, lots of dark fruits and candied violets, earth and smoke underscored by a bit of green herbaceousness; the fruit carries over onto the palate with a nice dose of warm peppery spice followed by decent acidity and tannins; it actually has a somewhat lingering finish! Merlot – 10% of the cuvée – adds enough body to give the wine some heft. For the value-oriented, i.e. cheapo, wine shopper like myself, this wine is a find.
Available at
Whole Foods 340 River St. Camb. MA
by katrin on January 22, 2012
Saving the best for last, the final seminar of Saturday’s Boston Wine Expo featured Nora Favelukes of Wines of Argentina presenting on “Argentina: Celebrating Diversity.” The full house was entertained, while also being educated on Argentina’s wine, food, culture, and geography.
A lot has changed in the Argentina wine industry in the past 20 to 30 years. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Nora said that she knew exactly where to look for the Argentine wines: way in the back of the store, on the bottom shelf, covered in dust. Nicolas Catena and the arrival of two international wine consultants, Paul Hobbs and Michel Rolland, changed all that. Their work in modernizing grape growing and winemaking set the groundwork for making wines from Argentina an international sensation.
One of Argentina’s great strengths, which wine enthusiasts around the world are starting to recognize, is diversity; from Salta in the north to Patagonia in the south; altitudes ranging from 1,000 feet to 10,000 feet; incredible microclimates; and a wide range of varietals. Clearly Argentines enjoy their wine; with one of the highest per capita wine consumption rates in the world, Argentina only exports 10-12% of its total production. The rest is enjoyed at home!
We tasted five wines that gave a flavor of the geographic and varietal diversity of Argentina. Nora had selected them based on their availability in the local market and their price to quality ratio.
2011 Michel Torino Estate – Don David Torrontés (Cafayate Valley, Salta)
Beautiful nose of peach pit and white flowers. Very mouthfilling with high acidity, spice, and a long, clean finish.
$16.99
2011 Graffigna Pinot Grigio (Tulúm Valley, San Juan)
Very pale to nearly clear in the glass, the Pinot Grigio was so subtle in comparison to the Torrontés. Ripe with medium acidity.
$13.99
2010 Dante Robino Bonarda (Santa Rosa, Mendoza)
Great smoky nose with a meaty palate. Bonarda like this is a perfect accompaniment to burgers and pizza. I agree with Nora that this is a rustic, but rich example of this varietal.
$12.99
2009 Del Desierto 25/5 Cabernet Franc (La Pampa, Patagonia)
Incredibly unusual nose. Lots of dust and cocoa powder. The palate is intense showing more chocolate notes, spice, and minerality. Medium plus acidity and tannins give this Cabernet Franc great structure.
$14.99
2007 Rutini Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (Tupungato, Mendoza)
Cassis and dark fruits on nose and palate. This is one intense and very tannic wine. Tight. Bring on the steak!
$16.99
Hopefully, Nora will do a presentation at next year’s Boston Wine Expo. With her passion for Argentine wines, fun presentation style, and infectious laugh, you won’t want to miss it.
by katrin on January 14, 2012
In the glass, the L’Ecole No. 41 is a pale yellow, with long, dense legs and viscosity giving an observable richness. The nose is wonderfully fruit forward. Aromas of quince and pineapple are rounded out by minerality and a hint of smoke. Peach pit, citrusy notes, particularly grapefruit, and ripe pears on the palate. The medium-level acidity is mouthwatering like a tart apple and 13.5% alcohol provides a medium-plus body. The finish isn’t super-long, but it’s juicy and fruity and just a little bitter. Being rich and a touch off-dry makes this wine easy to enjoy without food. Though it’s not quite organic, this Chenin Blanc was made from sustainably grown grapes with limited chemical applications.Very good.
At Vinodivino for $17.00.
by katrin on January 11, 2012
Occasionally, I find a wine that is so surprisingly good that I am blown away. The 2008 August Kesseler Spätburgunder Pinot N is one such wine.
The color is garnet that is starting to turn a bit brownish. The nose and palate have ripe strawberry and blackberry, spice, brambly, and just enough mushroom and black tea to remind you that you are enjoying a Pinot Noir. Light oak adds some warm vanilla to the palate.
Perfectly balanced, with medium acidity, medium-minus tannins that are delicate and grippy, and a relatively significant 13% alcohol, this Pinot Noir has a solid, but not overbearing, structure for the fruit. By New World standards, this would be considered a light-weight wine, but it is wonderfully full and ripe compared to other German reds. Delicious with or without food. Long spicy finish.
If you like Pinot Noir, this wine is worth seeking out. Very good/excellent.
At Nine Acre Wines for $19.99.
by katrin on January 10, 2012
Las Loicas, or "the finches", Cabernet Sauvignon
I am not a big fan of rustic wines that conjure images of horses, hay, and barnyards, and I have wondered if perhaps I lack the patience or the palate for such wines. Upon opening, Las Loicas Cabernet Sauvignon reminded me of being down on the farm. Not all that long ago many Argentine wines smelled and tasted like this. However, in the past 7 to 10 years, Argentine wines transformed from rustic to refined and it has been a while since I have had a wine like this. Nevertheless, I didn’t like it and thus reinserted the cork and set it aside.
The next day I gave it a second chance, and overnight – not unlike the entire Argentine wine industry – it had evolved and improved. The nose had red currant, cherry, mushroom, hints of meat, and pepper. On the palate, cassis and ripe black fruit were rounded out by a little vinyl and cocoa. The oak was subtle, allowing the fruit to shine. Acidity, tannins, and alcohol were very well-balanced and gave the wine a pleasant structure and complexity. A nice, long finish. And certainly a positive point: it’s made from 100% organic grapes.
At Whole Foods in Dedham, Mass. for $15.99.
