huevos con vino

My wife and I met a couple of old friends at Poco Wine Room last night.  I wanted to go for a glass of the highly anticipated Justin Mourvedre Rosé, a wine that I tried to get last time but instead I received the excellent R. Stuart and Co. Rosé d’Or sparkler.  I also wanted to introduce my wife to the molten chocolate lava cake at Poco, a dessert that I had not yet tried but that I had assumed would be good based on the high quality of the other food I have had there.  The dessert turned out to be absolutely wonderful, with more of a molten center than many other so-called “chocolate lava” cakes that I have tried.  I’m not entirely sure why the word “lava” became connected with a dessert since liquid hot magma isn’t something I associate with a good gastronomic experience, but I guess it makes for a catchy marketing concept.

Anyway, I didn’t go for the chocolate.  I went for the 2005 Justin Mourvedre Rosé, a wine that costs $8 per glass at Poco.  It’s worth purchasing there, though, because the winery is sold out of the 2005 vintage, which would retail at $22.50 if they had any to sell.  You might be able to find a bottle or two on the Internet for $16.99 or so, but it’s debateable whether those stores actually have the wine in stock.

As a winery, Justin Vineyard is certainly building a good reputation.  Their vineyards are located near Paso Robles in California and they produce quite a wide variety of wines, from Petit Verdot to Sauvignon Blanc to Orange Muscat dessert wine.  Prices range from about $12 for their Sauvignon Blanc to $48 for Isosceles, their red blend par excellence.  Certainly the good people at Justin are best known for their Isosceles release, a wine that has a potent pedigree of awards and high scores (95 from both Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator in the past).  In fact, the 1997 Isosceles clocked in at #6 on the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2000.  Impressive.

While many of their wines are red, Justin also makes something of a red-headed stepchild: their Mourvedre Rosé.  Yes, bad pun, as usual.  I believe 2002 was the first vintage for the Justin Mourvedre grapes, based mostly on this source.  If the information at that source is still accurate, Justin has only 1 acre of Mourvedre grapes planted, although they may have more by now.  However, this wine is “Very Limited Quantity!!” according to the Justin Web site, so 1 acre seems reasonable.

The Mourvedre grape is a bit of a California curiosity for those who are primarily familiar with the terrific Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines of Napa and Sonoma.  Although there are some Paso Robles wineries that grow Mourvedre, such as Wild Horse and Tablas Creek, few seem to make a 100% Mourvedre rosé from their grapes.  Happily, the Tablas Creek Web site has an excellent page describing the history of the Mourvedre grape in far greater detail that I want to go into here.  Suffice it to say the Mourvedre grape has a storied history in the French winemaking industry, and that the grape is known for its powerful gamy/meaty aroma and tanned leather flavor.  It’s an interesting grape and some wine pundits are predicting it will become the “next big thing.”

I was interested to try the Justin Mourvedre Rosé in part because it is sold out at the winery, but also because I like a good rosé and I have enjoyed a Grenache/Tempranillo Rosé wine in the past.  Plus, I have a soft spot for strange wines with limited production, so this wine really fits the bill.  But how does it taste?

• Aroma: Some red cherry and strawberry notes, along with pomegranate and possibly a Meyer lemon citrus flourish.  The wine itself looks like cranberry juice or some intermediate color between a rosé and a red.
• Flavor: Definitely everything that was promised in the aroma - cranberry, wild strawberry, sour cherry, secondary essence of red currant and pomegranate as anticipated.  Nice, crisp acidity without being too strong.
• General impression: A good rosé!  Very intriguing, nice sharp flavors without being overwhelmed by sour fruit or acid.  A classy, elegant rosé that embodies the texture and mouthfeel of a quality summer wine.  Goes great with warm dark chocolate cake.

Overall, I think I’d buy a few bottles of Justin Mourvedre Rosé for the fridge or the cellar.  I’d like to see how this wine tastes after 2-3 years in storage, although I doubt I could keep my hands off it for that long.  In fact, I’m sure I would drink it at the first sign of warm weather, particularly if I were grilling lamb or beef on the barbecue!  Very nice indeed.

The Odisea Wine Company is the brainchild of two guys: Adam Webb and Mike Kuenz.  Adam hails from Oklahoma, which explains why the Metro Wine Bar & Bistro in Oklahoma City and at least one liquor store there carry Odisea wines.  He’s a very nice guy and as a result of the quality of Odisea’s wines I have joined their Journey Member Program, which is how I got a couple of bottles of their latest release.  I wanted to state this fact about my wine club membership up front as a full disclosure sort of thing.  I do like Odisea wines and I have enjoyed their first 3 releases, but I will try to be objective in this review.

Odisea is a relatively new winery; the 2004 vintage was the first for Odisea wines in general.  Their stable of wines has thus far included the Temporary Insanity Tempranillo, the Two Rows Garnacha, and the Muse Rosé.  Their newsletter and Web site indicate some new wines in 2007, though, and I am hoping for a couple of white wines plus a “Rhone-style” red they have mentioned on the Web site.  The 2005 red wine releases total about 325 cases, making Odisea a very small winery indeed that I predict will hit it big at some point in the near future.

I first discovered Odisea when I had dinner at the aforementioned Metro Wine Bar back in December 2005.  I was in the middle of my brief Rioja period and I saw a California Tempranillo on the wine list that caught my eye.  One of the sommeliers there told me more about the wine and I decided to taste it before taking the plunge on a full glass (at $11/glass it doesn’t seem too silly to taste the wine first).  I loved the wine and drank a whole bunch of it that day.  It turned out to be the 2004 Odisea TI Tempranillo, a fantastic wine that I have since shared with several good friends.

Fast forward to 2006 and the next release of Odisea wines.  The first of their new wines is the 2005 Veritable Quandry, which retails for $18 and is the best deal in their wave of new releases.  Now, for the editors among you, “Quandry” is indeed spelled wrong.  I sent Mr. Webb an e-mail and pointed out the missing “a” in the word “Quandry,” and he claimed it was an inside joke at the winery.  I am inclined to believe him, although that is a pretty smart way to dodge a typo!

The Odisea Web site has this to say about the 2005 Veritable Quandry:

“This wine is our tribute to the chaos that is everyday life and a pretty killer rendition of the wines we love from Northern Spain. The 2005 version will drink well young, but will continue to improve with age.” (link to original text)

The blend of grapes is very intriguing: Grenache (33%), Tempranillo (26%), Syrah (24%), and Mourvedre (17%).  I am personally quite interested in this wine because I have only had Garnacha, red Tempranillo, and rose Tempranillo from Odisea in the past.  The Syrah and Mourvedre are new additions to the Odisea winemaking palette, so to speak.  Their Web site once again explains how this unique wine came about:

“We began doing blending trials on the remaining lots that we really liked, not based on any pre-conceived notions on what the end wine should taste like, but based on what we thought was the best blend. After many trials and over five months of tasting, we settled in on our favorite blend, put the wine together and put it back in the barrels to harmonize for another four months; after nine months in barrel, the wines were racked and bottled.” (link to original citation)

So, is this a flavorful quandary or a boggy mire?  Only one way to find out.  I opened a bottle of the 2005 Veritable Quandry and quickly inserted my WineKeeper “Keeper” to preserve the aroma and bouquet for several days to come.  Here are my notes on the first glass, which I drank over the course of more than an hour to allow the wine some time to open up:

• Aroma: Very interesting at first, although somewhat closed; clearly needs time to open up (this is an ‘05 after all).  I smell the bacon fat and roast meat of the syrah plus the earthy mushroom notes typical of mourvedre.  I also smell some raspberry and cherry in the bouquet as well, which could be from the grenache grapes.  After an hour or two, the aroma tended more toward red cherry and plum mixed with a nice meaty aroma, and away from the earthiness of the mourvedre.  There was also more of a spiciness in the bouquet (something like a nutmeg or a clove style of spice) after a while.
• Flavor: A strong and complex flavor profile.  Powerful acidity but not quite as much initial tannic activity as I expected for a red blend.  Good balance of varietal syrah and grenache flavors (roasted red meat and cherry) with some subtle earthy undertones.  After a couple of hours, the tannins started to appear a bit more and the wine struck a good balance of rich acidity, red fruit, and a lovely venison-type flavor.
• General impression: Powerful wine, definitely for the type of person who likes Zinfandel or Syrah.  I like this wine quite a bit, although it would definitely be best with some roasted pork tenderloin or lamb chops, probably (rather than the chicken tacos I ate tonight).

I am pleased with the Veritable Quandry.  At $18/bottle, it’s a good value and it meets the “$20 and under” criterion that so many wine drinkers seem to have.  The Veritable Quandry does not necessarily typify the rest of the Odisea wines, but it is certainly a worthy introduction to their entire lineup and their style of winemaking.  I recommend tracking down a bottle or two!

After dinner during a recent evening, I spent a few hours at an old friend’s house where we caught up a bit and split a bottle of wine.  As always, it was a tricky decision to choose just one wine for the night.  His cellar is expanding and while his focus remains on Cabernet Sauvignon, we both realized we needed something that would be better with just mild cheese and crackers since we already ate dinner.  So, after the customary perusal process, we settled on 1 of my friend’s 2 bottles of 2003 Cristom Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Cristom is a well-established winery situated in the Eola Hills region of Oregon wine country, a site that yields terrific grapes and a Salem address for the winery itself.  At Cristom, they specialize in Pinot Noir and have 8 different bottlings to choose from.  In addition, they produce Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier, and a new Syrah (2003 was the first vintage).  They have received some notice from both the Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate, and their wine prices range from $19 for the Pinot Gris to $25 for the Chardonnay and Syrah all the way up to $46 for their top Pinot Noirs.

A quick review of my master wine spreadsheet confirms that I had never tried a Cristom until now.  The Louise is one of the most expensive and limited Pinot Noirs from Cristom, and its name is not to be confused with Domaine Drouhin Louise, which should not be confused with Domaine Drouhin Laurène either.  My friends gave me heart palpitations when they told me they had seen Domaine Drouhin Louise for sale locally, but it turned out to be Laurène instead.

The Cristom Louise is made in a traditional manner that reflects the Burgundian approach of Steve Doerner, winemaker at Cristom.  The grapes are divided into a 30/70 split of whole clusters (30%) and “gently” destemmed grapes (70%), an interesting approach given that many winemakers opt to destem all or none of their grapes as stems can increase the acidity and tannins in the resulting wine.  The Cristom Web site adds this context for the wine:

“This is the oldest of our estate Pinot Noir vineyards that we began planting in 1993 to new clones and at high density. It is a selection of our favorite barrels from the vineyard. The vineyard now consists of Dijon clones 113,114,115 and 777 along with the Pommard clone all planted at 2300 vines to the acre. The site has a southeast slope and is comprised primarily of Ritner soil which is volcanic in origin.”

I would also add that this wine is 14.5% alcohol, which is fairly high for a Pinot Noir but not excessive by any means.  For more details on the Cristom Louise, including the source for that quote, refer to the Cristom winery Web site and their specific description of the wine.  One last point on the Cristom Pinot Noirs: They only made 583 cases of Louise, meaning this wine is about as limited as any of the Cristom Pinot Noirs (production ranges from 581 cases to 3,799 cases depending on the wine).

Now, normally when I taste a wine, I have a fairly clean palate, so to speak.  However, I believe I compromised my ability to taste the nuances of this wine because I had some fairly spicy salsa an hour beforehand.  I mention this fact to explain why my tasting notes are focused on aroma more than flavor; I don’t feel I can do this wine justice from this particular tasting and I hope to try it again someday when I have not eaten a bunch of habanero salsa with dinner.

• Aroma: Evolved over a couple of hours, from earth and cherry to coffee and vanilla and then back to an almost cherry cola bouquet.  Quite lovely overall.
• Flavor: Fairly soft tannins and potentially strong acidity, but this adicity was largely due to a conflict with the salsa I ate beforehand; my wife and my two friends did not think the acidity was all that strong.  In fact, they all loved the flavor and we agreed on the black cherry, black plum, and red currant flavors for sure.  Other subtle flavors permeate this wine, but the salsa stopped me from detecting them with any certainty.
• General impression: Clearly a very good wine that needs at least 1-2 hours of decanting before you take the plunge.  I’d say it’s worth $45/bottle, although at $486/case it’s not necessarily an everyday wine.

Clearly I need to taste this wine again someday.  I feel this wine will age for at least 3-5 years, although without too much tannic activity I wonder whether the wine will age well beyond that.  The winemaker notes that Louise has “some aging potential,” but I am unclear just how much age is right for this wine.  If you do pick up a bottle, hide it until 2010 and then give it a try.  That’s my professional advice…and that’s coming from someone who eats salsa before tasting Pinot Noir.

I got home tonight from a decent dinner (jerk chicken and coconut rice) and found a few wine-related letters of interest waiting for me:

• A postcard advertising “Dundee Hills…For the Love of Wine!”  On Saturday, February 10, Archery Summit, Domaine Serene, and Domaine Drouhin all throw open their doors for this special event, which involves pairing chocolate with wine at Archery Summit and Domaine Serene.  At Domaine Drouhin, you can try some DDO wines with some Maison Joseph Drouhin wines direct from Burgundy.  Each event is $20 and at DDO you get your own etched Riedel glass.  I have 2 already and we have plans for that weekend, so I can’t go…but it sounds great!
• I got a Siduri Wines mailer advertising their three new Pinot Noir releases, all of which are 2005 vintage wines.  I have tried a Siduri Pisoni but I want to try a couple other wines from their massive stable, particularly their Hirsch Vineyard release.
• I also received word from Domaine Drouhin regarding my membership in their exclusive DDO Direct Wine Club.  It seems the 2004 vintage featured delicious fruit and reduced volumes, although I will still get my 3 bottles of 2004 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley.  I think it’s smart that they are just now releasing their 2004 vintage wine when some of their neighbors have already released their 2005 vintage wines a couple of months ago!  Now that’s patient.

But the best letter came from Williams-Selyem.  I have apparently outlived some other members of their mailing list and have been officially added to “THE LIST,” as they call it.  THE LIST is not a wine club, it’s a twice-yearly mailing to a specific set of people who are able to purchase wine direct from Williams-Selyem.  I am incredibly excited about being a member!

I realize that Williams-Selyem is hardly an affordable wine choice, but their Pinot Noirs are excellent.  I have had only one W-S wine before, a 1997 Coastlands Pinot Noir made from grapes sourced from David and Diane Cobb’s Coastlands Vineyard (tip of the hat to Haeger for that nugget of information).  I had this to say about the wine several months ago:

• Aroma: Cherry, cedar, slightly earthy/forest floor essence, red/black fruit in good harmony.
• Flavor: Incredibly smooth, perfect mesh of tannic activity and acid, almost impenetrably complex.
• Overall impression: Wow.  A special treat.  The last bottle they had; their master sommelier was quite impressed when I asked for this one.

Getting on THE LIST takes time.  They have a waiting list to join THE LIST.  Part of joining THE LIST means I get a letter of congratulations and a two-page description of their policies and procedures, most of which exhorts you to buy quickly once you receive your offer letter. 

I think it’s cool that the current owner of W-S, John Dyson, is also customer number 2,080.  The winemaker, Bob Cabral, is customer number 576.  That means I am probably customer number 645,322.  But at least I’m on THE LIST!

POSTSCRIPT: My favorite typo of the day comes from the Williams-Selyem Web site.  The page describing their Forchini Vineyard Zinfandel says, “The Feeney Vineyard Zinfandel was aged in neutral Francois Freres French oak barrels for 164 months.”  I see two problems here…is it Forchini or Feeney Vineyard?  And do they really age their Zinfandel for over 13 years before releasing it?  That’s Rioja territory!  This comment is all in good fun, of course.  I make my share of typos on this site and I’d hate to have them pointed out to me.  Mostly they occur because I type very fast and I use an ancient IBM clicky keyboard that can’t always keep up with me….

Thanks to the Prince of Pinot, I discovered an interesting new winery named Le Cadeau.  Well, after striking up a correspondence with Tom, one of the owners of Le Cadeau, I decided to purchase 1 bottle each of the 3 different 2004 Pinot Noirs and 1 bottle of the 2003 Pinot Noir.  As I have said here before, Le Cadeau switched to single-vineyard releases in 2004 so that’s the first vintage to sport 3 different wines rather than a single blend of all vineyards into 1 release.

After a fairly short wait, I received a box with all 4 wines earlier this week.  The following photos are not very exciting to the average person, but to a Pinot Noir fan they might make you salivate.

Front of all 3 2004 Le Cadeau bottles and the 2003 release

Back of all 3 2004 Le Cadeau bottles and the 2003 release

I can’t wait to dig in and start tasting and reviewing these wines!  I am very interested to see the differences in the aroma and flavor profiles among these 4 wines since they are all products of different “star” winemakers.  I am also curious to see if there are any site-specific differences that are expressed in the different aroma and flavor profiles of these wines.

On a side note, I am hoping to spend some or all of my February wine budget on Privé wines, if they have any to sell at this point.  I am realizing that it makes a lot of sense to support the smaller, younger wineries owned by people who are committed to and excited about great wine.  So if these Le Cadeau wines taste as good as Tom says they will, I might have a new addition to my short list of wine club memberships!