Alsatian Riesling

Delicate. That's the word that comes to mind when first tasting this Riesling from the Alsace region in France (2003 Lucien Albrecht Riesling), still overly cold from the fridge. While many people think Riesling's are a sweet desert wine, my experience has shown that very few fall into that category. I was curious to try this vintage from Alsace, once a part of Germany, home to many of the great Riesling producers.

In my opinion Riesling is the perfect summer or picnic wine. It's not going to overpower your cheesecake with strawberries or your ripe watermelon slice, and it won't make you feel heavy and slow. It will also complement salty, mildly spicy or peppery foods like salami or deviled eggs. This particular Riesling really slides into the picnic role with flair. As it warms a bit a nice apple taste develops along with an initial tartness that's pleasant, not painful or distracting.

Can you tell that I like this one? I do - highly recommended for your next outdoor lunch. Just don't drink the whole bottle.

Winning the Decantathalon

I just got back from an informal tasting with my friend HamGeek (the radio kind, not the pork kind). I borrowed his tongue for a decanting experiment. I was trying to recreate some of the conditions that caused my storied sommelier such anguish, and to really test what effect decanting has on a wine that is not 40 years old.

I picked a 2000 Vignobles Mousset-Barrot Châteunuef Du Pape from for the experiment.

I've had this wine in storage for a few years now, and while I expect it will get better with even more aging it was one of the older "consumables" in the cellar. We poured 1/2 the bottle into a decanter and immediately corked the remainder. After a few minutes we poured the decanted wine and tasted.

Well, yuck. Although it had nice color and great legs the wine had a very subtle, weak aroma; a mild floral taste up front, and a huge acidic throat-choking aftertaste. Now the wine wasn't BAD - BAD wine is something I'll write about later - but it was extremely disappointing. After about 15 minutes in the decanter it improved a little bit, gaining some increased floral/fruit taste and lessening the acidity a bit. But it never became good.

We then uncorked the remainder and drank it straight from the bottle. Somewhat to my suprise the un-decanted wine was significantly better than the decanted version. There was a stronger fruit/floral flavor up front and the overall experience was more balanced. The nasty acidity still remained however. Letting the bottled version breathe didn't seem to improve matters much. The wine seemed to have a "sweet spot" flavor-wise at about 45 minutes in the bottle.

My conclusion is that this was a mediocre wine which I paid too much for. Decanting hurt it, but the fault doesn't lie entirely with the process - it lies with the wine.

Lolonis Followup

The Lolonis from last night never did quite develop the way I'd hoped. I can't recommend it except as an expriment.

I do intend to get into decanting details, soon. Recently (this past October) I heard a Sommelier discuss decanting, and relate a story about it. At one time this sommelier worked in a fancy restaurant in northern France; I don't recall the exact details at this moment. Regardless he was in charge of the very large (he described it as 10's of thousands of bottles) cellar. A special customer of the restaurant would come in once a week and order an extraordinary bottle of wine, which the sommelier would decant for him at the table. This customer tipped very well from what I understand. Well one evening the gentleman called ahead and mentioned he was having a lady friend accompany him to dinner this week before some other entertainment, and could the sommelier please select something special from the cellar for them?

I believe it was a 40-odd year old bottle of Chateneuf-du-Pape that became the selection although that deatil really isn't important. The sommelier opened a bottle of this wine and took a tiny taste to make sure it wasn't corked or otherwise spoiled - exquisite! The wine is carefully decanted and placed on the table in readiness for the gentleman.

About half an hour later, the sommelier is summoned to the gentleman's table. Expecting some sort of complement, he is suprised when the diner politely asks him to taste the wine that has been served them. Horror! The wine is slightly vinegary and entirely unappetizing. A different wine was rushed to the table and a great deal of apologizing commenced. What has happened?

Decanting. In addition to removing bottle sediment decanting allows the wine to interact with oxygen in the air. This is the same thing that "breathing" does for wine, but it happens more rapidly and thoroughly since the entire bottle contents are oxidized. Sometimes this is a good thing. An older bottle that seems very tannic and without much mouth-feel and fruit can transform dramatically after exposure to air. Some wines can take as much as an hour in the bottle to reach their full potential. However a few wines get WORSE when oxidized. I've had a couple of those (they seem to be rare) over the years. At first it seems a great wine, but after sitting for half an hour or more it becomes more tart, tannic or even bitter.

Which wines should be decanted? Unfortuately there seems to be no absolute rule. When presented with this question the sommelier in the above story gave a very Gallic shrug. It depends. In general an older wine (one specifically intended to be aged) will benefit from decanting. The varietal and process matter a great deal - unfiltered and unrefined wines benefit more than filtered/refined. Wines with more tannins seem to benefit as well. In particular Bordeaux, Barolo, Cabernet, Rioja (perhaps). Some Pinots might, and I suspect Malbec also. I've not had enough experience with Burgundy or Côte de Rhône to say, but I'd gladly try it on the latter.

To sum up - decanting doesn't always help. It does make you look elegant and refined when entertaining, and if it turns out the taste of the wine deteriorates you can tell your guests that even the real pros screw up sometimes!
Santé!

Some History

Before we get to today's review(s) I'd like to share a bit of my wine history.

I've been drinking wine for around 20 years and paying attention for the last 10 or so. I started collecting semi-seriously around that time as well. My first trip to Napa was in 1979, France 1976. I didn't get to do much drinking on those first trips (I'm not THAT old) but it gave me a curiosity about wine-growing regions and the culture that surrounds them.

In spite of the time invested I'm by no means an expert oenophile. I can tell the difference between regions and varietals, identify tannic vs. fruity flavors and so on. Really my justification for writing this blog is to share tips and write about something I love (and I get to feel good about buying Riedel crystal).

Onward! This week I hope to try a white Alsatian Riesling and on the weekend break out the Champagne. For tonight though it's a Cabernet from the Redwood Valley; Lolonis 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon.

I've never had a Cab from the Redwood Valley or a wine from Lolonis. I'm expecting something similar to the Alexander Valley Cabs (some of which are excellent). Because I don't know the area well I can't say up front if 2002 was a particulary good year. That's what makes this all so fun! The wine has a very nice aroma (mild fruit with oak) and good color; a little too reddish for my taste but fine. Tasting reveals that this wine requires some breathing room. Right out of the bottle it's very tannic with some spiciness - not very balanced - and doesn't have much body. I'll set this aside to breath for a while and add a reminder to myself to talk about decanting next post.

Sante!

Hey, Welcome!

This is my space to blab about wine, restaurants, shopping for wine, vacations that involve wine, and so on.

Wine of the day: Dancing Bull 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (California). Purchased at Harris Teeter, Arlington VA. This is a pleasant wine at a reasonable (< $14) price, one of their "features". I enjoyed a glass (perhaps two) while cooking up a lasagne this afternoon. I'd recommend it as a casual drinking cabernet, but it's not going to impress your friends. Decent fruit, some acidity, not many tannins. Doesn't leave much of an impression, really.