2006 Piccini Villa al Cortile Brunello di Montalcino

Culoare rosie inchisa cu o bordura usor caramizie. Nasul este bine dezvoltat, intens, dens, cu arome de fructe supracoapte, visinata, prune coapte, magiun afumat, tabac si piele. Vin cu corpolenta plina, bine stucturat, cu taninuri coapte si prezente, suplu, cu arome pronuntate de visinata, ciocolata amaruie si tabac, cu aciditate buna si o senzatie de proaspat data de structura tanica. Final mediu spre lung, cu arome de cafea si fruct rosu, cu o anumita astringenta binevenita. Un vin care ar cere un steak. 13.5% alc. (87-88/100)

Un vin comentat pentru Unvinpezi. Importat de Cramele Recas.

2009 Prats & Symington Quinta de Roriz Prazo de Roriz Douro

O crama detinuta de o legenda a vinului din Bordeaux: Bruno Prats, fostul proprietar al Chateau Cos d’Estournel din St-Estephe, impreuna cu un alt producator la fel de cunoscut intre amatorii de vinuri Porto: Symington, atestati ca exportatori de vinuri Porto inca din 1652. Vinul de astazi este un vin sec, un cupaj din cel putin 5 tipuri de struguri specifici Portugaliei, ce pastreaza aceleasi proportii ca si vinul de Porto.

Culoarea este rosie inchisa cu reflexii purpurii, tradand un vin foarte tanar. Nasul este bine dezvoltat si puternic aromat, cu umbre de fructe rosii si negre de padure coapte, condiment – rozmarin, bitum dar si o nota lactica. Un vin plin, rotund, cu taninuri sanatoase, coapte si putin dulcege, bine echilibrat, extractiv, si un final mediu spre lung, condimentat. Vinul isi pastreaza bine aromele in postgust. Poate fi consumat acum alaturi de fripturi suculente, dar poate aduce arome noi probabil dupa o invechire aditionala de 2-3 ani. 14% alc (87/100)

Comentariu aparut la Unvinpezi.

2000 Chateau Chauvin Saint Emilion Grand Cru

This is a very intriguing wine. Chateau Chauvin is located very close to Chateau Cheval Blanc and aside from the typical Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines associated to the St-Emilion terroir, it has a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Even the label resembles somehow the one of Cheval Blanc.

2000 Chateau Chauvin St Emilion

The wine was rather charmless in the first few hours upon opening. The color is dark red-garnet with no signs of evolution. The nose is well developed and initially shows aromas of light red fruit, but vey spicy, smoky, mixing hot stones with graphite and some green bell pepper. However, after 3-4 hours this is a totally changed wine and it becomes very interesting: it gets a deep, rich floral character, losing the fruity aromas: it is the first wine I taste that feels like someone stuffed a bouquet of fresh, blue Hyacinth and smokey charcoal (very intriguing) in the glass. Medium to full bodied on the palate, with assertive tannins and a firm grip, lively, and flavors of graphite, spices and cigars ash. Medium finish, mint tea freshness, slightly bitter aftertaste, with green coffee bean and again cigars ash. I loved the deep floral character of this wine, but if you are looking for a fruit driven wine this should not be your pick. It needs a good dose of breathing in a decanter. 13.5% alc (90-91/100)

1996 Robert Weil Riesling Halbtrocken

This is not that intense as the 1996 R Weil Spatlese Halbtrocken I had a few weeks ago and it is on a lighter side in the mouth.

Yellow lemon color, still young. The nose is developed, youthful, with aromas of apple pie, nectarines, very discreet petrol and pineapple. Light to medium bodied, with sharp acidity and flavors of ripe citrus fruit, baked apple amd peach. Short to medium finish, fresh. (87/100)

Paired fairly well with sushi from Itadaki.

2005 Chateau Beychevelle Saint-Julien

Had this wine on SUN with lunch, after leaving it in a decanter for about 30 minutes.  Robert Parker gave it only 90 points. 2005 was an excellent vintage in Bordeaux, especially for the Left Bank.

2005 Chateau Beychevelle Saint-Julien

Youthful dark red garnet color. A well developed nose, intense, complex, with great aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, smoky plum, green bell pepper but just in a small dose, enough to increase its complexity and black cherry; a really nice nose. Full bodied, ripe and polished tannins, very balanced, with depth, fairly rich flavors on the palate and good freshness given by the mineral character. Long finish, spicy, with a very good drink-ability and very pleasant freshness. This wine is open and as much as it has a good aging potential, it is drinking extremely well already. 13% alc (93/100)

It would be interesting to find out how other 2005’s taste today.

Cramele Recas Sole Chardonnay 2011

Ultima oara cand am vizitat Cramele Recas anul acesta si am avut ocazia sa degust majoritatea vinurilor produse aici, recunosc ca am apreciat mult acest Chardonnay care, in opinia mea, rivalizeaza bine anul acesta cu Solo Quinta si pe chiar il prefer in detrimentul cupajului mentionat. De asemenea pretul este mult mai competitiv, avand in vedere ca Solo Quinta 2011 este Chardonnay in proportie de 80%.

Cramele Recas Sole Chardonnay 2011

Culoare galben pal. Un nas care se dezvolta si creste in intensitate cu putina aerare si devine mai expresiv pe masura ce vinul se incalzeste in pahar. Baut la o temperatura prea scazuta nu-si etaleaza intreaga paleta aromatica, deci atentie la temperatura de servire. Aromele de vanilie, banane, pere si citrice se imbina placut cu tente usor minerale si cele de fum. Un vin cu corpolenta plina si aciditate medie, dar placuta, bogat in gura, din nou aromele citrice se intrepatrund frumos cu cele minerale, iar finalul este mediu, cu un postgust revigorant, usor amarui, ce aminteste de grapefruit. Un vin placut, chiar elegant, bine pus in evidenta de aciditatea buna. Vinul beneficiaza daca este servit din pahare mai mari, cu gura mai larga, asemanatoare celor pentru vinuri rosii, ce dau posibilitatea unei aerari mai bune. Un vin ce merge asociat la peste sau carne alba cu sosuri albe mai bogate. (84-85/100)

Vin primit si comentat pentru site-ul www.unvinpezi.ro

2007 Toni Jost Erste Lage Hahnenhof Riesling Trocken

The Hahn is a Grand Cru (Erste Lage) vineyard in the Middle Rhein, entirely owned by Toni Jost. Already with a relative amount of age but still an infant compared to Riesling’s aging capability, this was a very good match for a sushi dinner I had recently. It is worth mentioning that I had the best sushi I ever experienced in Bucharest so far from Itadaki sushi. Kudos to Itadaki’s chef for the sushi he makes.

2007 Toni Jost Erste Lage Hahn Riesling Trocken

Yellow gold color. The nose is well developed, happily combining sweetness, spices and minerality. Aromas of quince pie, pineapple and peach hold their ground very well next to warm rubber, freshly shaved ginger and ripe citrus fruit. Mouth watering acidity, lively on the palate, with generous amounts of flavors on the palate and a long finish, with spicy and citrus fruit flavors that linger in the aftertaste for a good amount of time. Really nice wine, with enough complexity and killer acidity to make it convincing. (91/100)

Despre Sherry cu Gonzalez Byass

Articol publicat in revista Vinul.ro de Cosmin Grozea

Sherry este denumirea generala a vinurilor fortifiate produse din struguri albi in zona orasului Jerez de la Frontera din Andalucia, in sud-vestul Spaniei. Subevaluate pentru o perioada lunga de timp, aceste vinuri incep sa-si recas- tige prestigiul de care s-au bucurat la inceputul secolului al 16-lea, cand cantitati impresionante de Sherry erau trimise catre America, Marea Britanie si Olanda. Doar in anii 1950 s-a egalat aceasta cantitate. Sherry este denumirea englezeasca a cuvantului Jerez, in timp ce francezii il stiu ca Xeres. In regiunea Jerez DO sunt cunoscute trei centre principale de maturare a Sherry-ului: Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda si Puerto de Santa Maria, fiecare impregnand vinului propriile subtilitati. Exista doua tipuri principale de Sherry: dry fino – un vin fortifiat sec, galben pal, care se matureaza sub influenta unor particule fine de drojdie denumite flor, si oloroso (un vin fortifiat inchis la culoare, cu o corpolenta plina). Toate stilurile (in ordine crescatoare dupa corpolenta) Manzanilla, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, Pale Cream, Cream etc. sunt variatii ale celor doua tipuri principale. Exceptia o reprezinta Palo Cortado, un stil intermediar aparut natural, intre Amontillado si Oloroso.

Modernizarea inceputa in anii ’60 si continuata in’70 si ’80, a dus la demistificarea procedeului de producere, astfel incat acum se poate stabili din start ce tip de sherry va fi produs, fino sau oloroso, din fiecare lot de struguri. Ca raspuns la solicitarile de relansare a conceptului de sherry, dar si de promovare a unor produse superioare de tip vintagedated (proiect initiat de Gonzalez Byass), in anul 2000, Consiliul Regulator a creat doua noi categorii, VOS (Very Old Sherry), pentru sherry cu o varsta medie de cel putin 20 de ani, si VORS (Very Old and Rare Sherry), cu o varsta medie de peste 30 de ani. Datarea cu carbon pentru a garanta varsta si degustarile in orb ale mostrelor depuse de crame sunt doar doua dintre metodele folosite de Consiliul Regulator pentru a proteja aceste noi categorii. Initiativa a suscitat interes crescut pentru astfel de vinuri fortifiate, care au inceput sa se vanda la preturi tot mai mari

Flor, drojdia minune

In secolul al 19-lea, se producea Sherry din mai multe soiuri de struguri, dar dupa ce filoxera a distrus mare parte din vite in anii 1890, multe au disparut. Acum, Sherry se produce strict din: Palomino, este cel mai usor de cultivat si cel mai reprezentativ – in jur de 95% din intregul DO, Pedro Ximenez (PX) – in jur de 100 ha cultivate in total, si Muscat de Alexandria – in jur de 3%, soi plantat in zonele mai nisipoase si utilizat la indulcirea celorlalte vinuri. Vinul Sherry este produs prin adaugarea de distilat din struguri peste vinuri linistite pe baza de Palomino, ce au un grad alcoolic iniţial de 11 sau 12%. In funcţie de cantitatea de distilat adaugat, sherry-ul poate ajunge la un nivel alcoolic de la 15-15.5% pana la 22%. Drojdiile flor cresc la suprafaţa vinului, apariţia fiind determinata de nivelul alcoolului. Creşterea şi raspandirea lor este oprita de o concentraţie alcoolica mai mare de 16%. Vinurile care sunt destinate sa devina fino sunt fortifiate pana la maxim 15.5%, iar cele pentru oloroso, ce se matureaza fara flor, in jur de 18%. Flor creşte natural la suprafaţa vinului, iar butoaiele de fino sunt umplute la 5/6 din capacitatea lor, deoarece aceste drojdii, care protejeaza vinul de oxidare, au nevoie atat de alcool, cat şi de oxigen, fiind sensibile la caldura. Flor se dezvolta mai bine in zonele racoroase şi umede de pe coasta, in jurul oraşelor Sanlucar de Barrameda şi Puerto de Santa Maria, faţa de cramele din oraşul Jerez de la Frontera. De aici subtilitaţile fiecarui vin din cele trei zone diferite. Drojdiile flor sunt menţinute in viaţa timp de şase ani prin adaugarea de vin tanar in butoaie. Aceasta este baza sistemului Solera, prin care nu doar se pastreaza drojdiile vii, dar se şi asigura consecvenţa stilului. Pana la 33% din conţinutul butoaielor poate fi retras anual şi inlocuit cu vinuri din alte butoaie. Vinurile care au pierdut pelicula acoperitoare de flor capata o culoare inchisa, ca a chihlimbarului, işi schimba caracterul datorita contactului cu aerul şi sunt cunoscute ca amontillado. Sunt de obicei seci şi pot evolua şi matura timp indelungat in sistemul solera. Sherry-ul oloroso, fortifiat pana la 18% alc., evolueaza fara ajutorul drojdiilor flor, avand contact mai mare cu aerul. Vinurile devin maronii inchise, caştigand in concentraţie, iar nivelul alcoolului creşte de asemenea in timp datorita evaporarii lichidului. Un nivel al alcoolului de 24% este comun in cazul unor oloroso mai vechi. Acestea pot fi seci in mod natural sau dulci prin adaos de vin sau sirop concentrat dulce din struguri PX, ambele stiluri avand o corpolenţa plina.

In vizita la Gonzalez Byass

La inceputul lui aprilie 2012, am vizitat cramele Gonzalez Byass din Jerez de la Frontera. Acest producator a inceput sa comercializeze vinuri fortifiate in 1835. Crama, o cladire metalica realizata de insuşi constructorul turnului Eiffel, gazduieşte un numar impresionant de butoaie, ce poarta steagul fiecarei ţari in care sunt exportate vinurile producatorului. Printre numeroasele butoaie purtand semnaturile unor persoane celebre: de la familia regala spaniola la regizorul Steven Spielberg, Vicky Gonzalez a menţionat povestea vizitei economistului Milton Friedman, care nu doar şi-a lasat semnatura pe unul dintre butoaie, dar a şi calculat ca fiecare dintre butoaiele din sistemul solera conţine pana la 50 de vinuri din ani diferiţi. Dupa vizita cramei, am fost invitat de Vicky Gonzalez, membra a familiei proprietare, sa particip la o degustare privata, unde am putut testa 10 tipuri diferite de sherry, 2 de brandy, dar şi un cupaj de Syrah şi Cabernet Sauvignon din zona Cadiz. M-au impresionat Apostoles Palo Cortado (Palomino/PX) ce provine dintr-o selecţie speciala de 12 butoaie mari ce poarta fiecare numele unuia dintre cei 12 apostoli – in butoiul cu numele Iuda se ţine la maturat oţetul balsamic, Del Duque Amontillado, Solera 1847 Olorose Dulce, dar şi Tio Pepe, cel mai cunoscut şi mai raspandit dry fino al producatorului. Aceste vinuri fortifiate au arome uşor amarui, ce amintesc de migdale, masline şi nuci verzi, samburi de fruct pentru sherry de tip dry fino, in timp ce aromele foarte dulci de fructe uscate sau zaharisite, smochine, zahar brun şi caramel caracterizeaza sherry-ul dulce.

Istoria acestui producator este impresionanta şi strans legata de istoria oraşului Jerez de la Frontera. Centrul oraşului este organizat in jurul acestei crame, multe strazi fiind umbrite vara de viţe de vie vechi de zeci de ani crescute foarte inalt, asemeni unor copaci. In fiecare an Gonzalez Byass primeşte in jur de 400.000 de turişti.

Deşi par mai greu de inţeles la inceput, datorita diferitelor stiluri de producere, aceste vinuri fortifiate pot fi foarte complexe şi, avand in vedere preţurile mult subevaluate, sunt adevarate chilipiruri pentru orice amator de vinuri bune.

Link direct catre articol aici.

Link catre mai multe poze aici.

2005 Chateau Le Crock Saint-Estephe and a fully Greek culinary experience

I have just returned from a lovely vacation in the beautiful Lefkada island from Greece where I was able to have a complete Greek culinary experience in the sense that I asked my host where can I have the best lamb dish and he advised me to do what every local does. He pointed me to the best butcher on the island, which happens to own over 200 live-stocks in the mountains and has its own meat shop. There, I was able to pick and choose the meat that I desired. I settled for a 2 kilos leg of baby lamb. The butcher (which was a lady !!) was kind enough to prepare it for me with local spices. I got back to my studio and I prepared the meat for cooking by adding olive oil, vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice and left the tray in the fridge to marinate for 2 days.

The one thing that I absolutely loved about my host’s advice was the fact that, in Greece, it is very common for people to take their marinated meat to a baker to be cooked. The scoop is like this: you prepare your tray with whatever meat you want to eat, you take it early in the morning to a baker (not later than 9:00 am) and leave it there to cook it for you. You just mention the hour you want to come back and take it. In my case I settled for lunch for 14:30.

I think it is useless to mention that all morning I only thought about my baby lamb dish, but I had mixed feelings not knowing what to expect. At 14:30 all my doubts vanished completely when I saw the final product: words are sometimes useless to express the pure pleasure I felt when smelling and eating the most tender, juicy and tasty slow cooked baby lamb I had in many years. And all for EUR 2.5 I paid the baker.

For the record, I stayed in Episkopos in Lefkada, the butcher is in the first village as you go to Nydri, on the right side just next to a pharmacy. The baker is on the way to Lefkada, in Nikiana, just after a petrol station(Shell) and is called Kalos. Do not hesitate to experience the Greek eating and cooking habits exactly as they do it.

I had a bottle of red wine with me brought from home that matched very well the fatness of this dish.

2005 Chateau Le Crock Saint-Estephe

I had this wine several times in the past 1 year and it is the first time that I find it a bit closed and quite dry in the first day as least. The wine opened up considerably on the second day.

Red garnet color with plenty of sediment that settled down in the bottle. The nose is shy in the first day but it develops very well on the second day, showing those great truffles aromas that I absolutely loved when I tried it for the first time during my visit at Chateau Leoville Poyferre in 2011. The nose exhibits aromas of red and blue forest fruits, smoke, truffles and pencil shavings. Full bodied, with a firm tannins backbone and grippy on the palate, the wine has a long life ahead of it and it mirrors the excellent conditions of the 2005 vintage: great structure, long aging potential and still not accessible. The finish is medium plus long with a roasted coffee and smoky aftertaste. It might seem to be a bit astringent due to its assertive tannins on its own, but, with baby lamb, this wine sings as all the fatness is pleasantly washed away by the same assertive tannins. Correct pairing is the key. (89/100)

If you visit Greece for vacation do be open minded and try to explore the local habits. It will certainly pay back.

2008 Chateau Carbonnieux Blanc Pessac-Leognan

Had this wine on a great Greek beach in Lefkada and it was quite refreshing even for a hot summer day.

2008 Chateau Carbonnieux Blanc Pessac-Leognan

Pale yellow lemon color with green reflections. A well developed, complex and intense nose, combining aromas of tropical and yellow fruits: mango, peach, melon and ripe lime, with a very nice smoky edge. Fresh, full bodied and extremely lively on the palate, the flavors mirror the nose. The mineral and smoky character are a touch more pronounced in the mouth, but this only makes the wine more complex. Medium plus finish, refreshing, with nice citrus fruit. A really nice wine. (91/100)