Words on Wines

Review: Crios de Susana Balbo

2009-02-10T19:09:00.008-05:00

2004 Mendoza, Argentina. Cabernet Sauvignon.

Recently, I went to Finale in Boston to enjoy some good dessert, and I happened to order a glass of the 2005 Crios. The experience was more than delightful. The 2005 was fresh, vibrant with the spiciness of Argentinian soil. I was in love at this point, so the day after, I went out to search for this bottle, and happened to find the 2004 vintage instead.

Amazingly, the 2004 vintage was completely different from the 2005. Tasting it makes me think of a dull knife. You know the knife was once sharp, but not anymore. This bottle was once fresh and vibrant, but not anymore.

Nose: A typical Cabernet Sauvignon profile, lacking the dominant jalapeno pepper aroma that I loved in the 2005.

Taste: The 2004 was more fruity, smooth and not dry, at all. I was disappointed, not because it was bad wine; it is certainly good, but it was not what I was expecting. It was obvious that it has passed its prime. There was no grip, no exotic spiciness, no backbone, and nothing to dominate the mid-palate.

Conclusion: Buy the 2005. Tell me if you find it.

Each vintage is different. This is the most fascinating thing about wine. Each vintage changes with soil and climate. Each bottle changes with time. So, taste carefully, make it memorable for a lifetime.

Not every wine can be aged. Each wine is made for a different purpose. Some are made to be enjoyed in its vibrant youth. Some are made to be enjoyed after years of building complexity.

Review: Louis Jadot 2005 from Burgundy

2008-12-28T17:35:00.015-05:00

My Value Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Rating reflects value, not subjected to a ranking standard.
http://www.louisjadot.com/

Due to Hollywood influence on the general public, we have seen an increasing popularity of pinot noir in the United States. From my observation, most seem to drink pinot noir from California. I wonder how many actually know what a "good" pinot noir is supposed to taste like. To what standard can a wine be judged? Pinot noir is a delicate grape, it cannot withstand too much heat. The intensity of the sun can easily cook the grape, destroying all of its complexity.

To really understand pinot noir, refer to one of the classic regions of this varietal: Burgundy of France. The appellation Bourgogne sets law for a specific region to be planted with only pinot noir, maintaining a strict concept of terroir (specific soil, climate, and grape) and tradition. A classic pinot noir is known to be bright and acidic with a lighter shade of red. This is a Bourgogne wine, a more basic wine compared to the special village wine or the premier grand crus (a ranking system used in Burgundy).

Review: The Louis Jadot 2005 pinot noir is a wonderful example of a good Burgundy wine and a true pinot. Light in its shade of red, vibrant in its nose, I truly enjoy this wine, with the understanding that it is still in its premature stage. Just off the bouquet, this wine has bright vibrant fruits like strawberries and young cherries, a mild rustic sense of tannins, and a soft hint of earthiness and manure that reflects the soil of the region.

With a taste, you will find this wine to be very precise from the dry and balance backbone to its delicate finish. The initial attack is so smooth, generous with berries and cherries, until it transitions into a more acidic tone, capturing the palates with bright vivacity. This is a good Burgundy wine because it is precise. Compared to California wine, this wine does not try to do too much, rather it is very specific to its terroir (soil, climate, and grape). You will find that this makes a wine more unique, more memorable, and a wonderful mix of pleasure and complexity.

Important Note: Due to the fast economics standards the world is being subjected to, wine makers, importers, and distributors are forced to turn over their inventory faster, and often jeapordize the true potential of a wine. A regular Burgundy is often aged in barrels for 3 or 4 years before its transfer into bottles for further aging. The Louis Jadot is a 2005, which means it is very premature in its aging. This wine is still a child trying to grow to its full potential. The tannins can be softly eliminated by decanting, but it still needs to age to bring out its true character. I am saddened by the way the world works now, but we need to understand this for ourselves and truly appreciate a wine and its vintage.

Review: Louis M. Martini 2005

2008-12-18T20:25:00.007-05:00

My value rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
http://www.louismartini.com/

One of the most unique things about tasting wine is that you have to be focused. If you casually sip through every bottle of wine, they will all taste the same. I picked up a bottle of Louis M. Martini 2005 vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the spirit of the holiday sales. Not often will I find a bottle of Cali that tastes better than its price, but this bottle of Louis Martini from Sonoma County is absolutely pleasurable.

There is barely any supply left from the 2005 vintage, so I recommend that you buy the remaining bottles of the 2005 because this wine is absolutely phenomenal. The Martini family has been producing wine in Nappa for almost a century now, specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon varietal wine. I can tell you that this is one of the best cab that I have ever tasted. Do buy a bottle and taste it for yourself. No guarantee the 2006 will be as good.

It sits nicely in the glass, in a dark bold shade of red. I took a sniff and recognized a beautiful and complex blend of black currant, blackberries, and gentle sweetness. In the backend came a gentle hint of a damp forest floor after a rainy day, the kind of smell that is so cool and fresh to your nose. Another sniff convinced me that this wine is a good balance of earthiness and sweetness. Excitement was building up inside of me as I was about to taste.

This wine tastes as good as it smells, a relief to my expectation. Tender and sweet, this wine has perfect backbone and structure. The grapes were picked at the perfect time, preserving the right amount of acid and sugar, giving it freshness and balance. On the mid-palates is a complex flavor of berries and fruits. This wine is so smooth and pleasurable on the finish.

This is a wine that makes me proud of California, and the true dedication generations of wine growers have put into the vines.

Thoughts on Wine (continue): Terroir

2008-12-17T21:43:00.005-05:00

(read previous post first)
We must embrace the concept of terroir. Many wines are made by negociants, which are merchants who assemble wine by collecting grapes from small producers from different regions. Each wine needs to be in its specific appelation. A bottle of red that is labeled to be "California" has been mixed with reds from all over the state. The true personality of the wine is lost in the process. Each appelation is define by its geographic reference and personality, the same process when Sonoma County was separated from the Nappa Valley.

We must embrace this concept by thinking of wine as soil, climate, and grape. Many New World wine bottles are labeled to a specific varietal, a type of grape. This gives a false perception to new wine drinkers who concentrate too much on the type of grape and not its geographic trait. A bottle of French syrah is completely different from a bottle of Australian shirazz. Therefore, we must concentrate on the appelation and the vintage (the year of harvest).

Bring wine into your life by capturing its romance, its complexity, and its special value, the bond between human and the vines. Enjoy wines with personality, whether it be New World or Old World.

Thoughts on Wine: the modern time

2008-12-17T20:56:00.008-05:00

The world of wine is constantly changing, with new producers, new suppliers, and new public preference. Back in the 1970s, where wine in the United States attracted a very small crowd, most liquor stores would carry a limited selection of popular wineries from Europe. Wine-making and wine-drinking was an art and a pleasure for those who appreciate it the most. Europe was the focus of this romance.

The best wines of the world are known to come from the Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Loire and Rhone valleys of France, from Piedmont and Tuscany in Italy, from the Moselle and the Rhine in Germany, also the Rioja in Spain, and the Porto district in Portugal. The Old World wine originates from these regions with an amazing foundation of history and passion for the art. Each bottle of the Old World would deliver such complexity, structure, and backbone. The Old World was built on the value of terroir, the idea of the same soil, climate, and grape from the same appelation. This important concept sets the foundation of wine-making, giving each vintage and each appelation its own taste of personality and traits.

The concept of terroir is the basic of wine-drinking, but some New World wines completely lack. Now the number of wine producers is so high that every bottle is competing for shelf space. Wines such as Yellowtail is a disgrace to the community of wine drinker. It becomes a business that drives on profits and revenues, by allocating most of its money into marketing rather than improving the quality of its vines. Yellowtail and other companies have exploited a trend in the public, a trend for the sweet tooth. However, there is a difference between a sweet wine and a completely fruit bomb. A wine like Yellowtail with no quality in its vines, sugary in its taste, empty in its complexity and backbone, is sadly the best selling wine of this decade. You're better off drinking grape soda. Some wineries even add petit syrah into their reds to make them darker, a resemblance of higher quality. Please note that I do support New World wines, just not the fruit bombs that are made to simply satisfy the public.