Some great whites: Olivier Leflaive, Billecart-Salmon, Tement etc

Had a lovely dinner on WED evening at La Brasserie restaurant in Herastrau with some beautiful wines. Started earlier with a stunning Puligny Montrachet by Olivier Leflaive.

2012 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Pucelles’ needs at least 45 minutes in a decanter to open up and when it does it is simply kaleidoscopic. Color is medium yellow gold. Nose is profound and luxuriant, stone fruit, papaya, toast and butterscotch center the stage. Rich and vibrant yellow fruit pours lavishly on the lively palate, with intense and long rich citrus fruit and chamomile finish. Simply gorgeous. (95/100)

I was invited to blind taste this wine at the beginning of our dinner and I managed to spot there is an older Sauvignon Blanc from Austria. Tement as far as I read is the best producer of Austrian Sauvignon Blanc. Perhaps I am wrong here.

2007 Tement Zieregg Rezerve IZ is indeed a Sauvignon Blanc that spent 30 months in oak barrels. The wine has amazing richness both on the nose and the palate. Nose is filled with generous aromas of slate minerality, cut hay, white melon and passion fruit. Very rich on the palate with medium acidity, it shows abundant yellow fruit and flowers. Quiet long and ripe. (92/100)

1999 Champagne Billecart-Salmon Nicolas Francois Billecart comes with a razor sharp acidity after Tement. This has a classy nose of smoked citrus fruit, baked apples and biscuit, tense and precise, with a citrus infused long finish. (94/100)

2005 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot needs to be properly decanted of its sediment and to breath for at least 45 minutes. This has a mineral, gamey and red fruit generous nose that just keeps on getting better. Supple on the palate, it has a Burgundian character written all over it. Syrah for Pinot lovers. (94/100)

More wines followed but did not manage to pay the proper attention to take notes on: 2007 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino, 2009 Davino Rezerva Rosu, 2006 Vinarte Aniversare Merlot Rezerva, 2012 Davino Rezerva Blanc. Night ended with a second bottle of 2012 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Pucelles’. Sometimes you can just have it all.

Easter weekend 12-13 April 2015

We celebrated Easter last weekend in Romania and we had a gorgeous summer like weather with 27 degrees outside. It was the first time this year that we dinned in the courtyard having great wines and just sitting in the sun and doing nothing. Obviously friends wanted to be a part of all this process so it was a full house. How can you say no when friends want to mingle with you in your moments of serenity.

On MON after having so much lamb and colored eggs it was time for a change so back to cellar I got the leg of Jamon Iberico outside and had some freshly cut ham with raw tomatoes puree, olive oil and crackers. There are a few pairings that go very well with this cured meat, but for me German Riesling is a staple wine.

2013 Von Winning Deidesheimer has a rich and sweet nose filled with peach, apricot and pineapple that makes me sniff the glass over and over. Von Winning makes wines in a more opulent style in the mouth, however there is a dry cut on the palate that together with tangy acidity, ripe citrus fruit and peach makes it really pleasant to drink. Medium finish with floral flavors. (90/100)

2013 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett has a more restrained nose in comparison and fresher, with Granny Smith apples, citrus fruits and chamomile flowers. The taste is an explosion of flavors with an off dry taste, but there is vibrant and rich fruit, lemon zest and plenty of floral character. The acidity animates the entire texture, while the finish is long, fresh and highly aromatic. Only 9.5% alc. (92/100)

Sweetness and salty ham: you should try it for yourself ! Let me know.

2011 Juris Tricata was offered to me by a friend. I did not know this producer before, nor this wine. Tricata is made from Blaufrankisch grape from Austria and is made in a similar style and way to an Amarone: the grapes are partly left to dry. The wine is deeply colored with a dark red garnet opaque appearance. The nose is highly intense and complex, with a very ripe and sweet profile, but certainly not lacking freshness. There is ripe sweet black berry liqueur, big dark chocolate aromas, sour cherries and spices, with a subdued mineral layer of charcoal that provides freshness. A really opulent wine on the palate with soft and ripe tannins, lush flavors of ripe black fruit, chocolate and rum. Finish is really long and lingering and brings even a slightly violet floral hint. At 16% alc this is well balanced even for a very warm day. (93-94/100)

A really enjoyable 2nd day after the Easter.

An unusual blind tasting

I received a new invitation to join the special Wine Club on MON. As usual the wines were an unexpected surprise. This time it was bigger than the house. The surprise was that all four red wines were served blind. The first wine was a German Riesling from Pfalz that was served with shown label.

2011 Reichstrat von Buhl Ungeheuer Forst Riesling Trocken Grosses Gewachs has a pale straw yellow color. Initially it has a tempered nose, elegant, resembling more a Sauvignon Blanc than a Riesling. As it aerates it gets closer to the Riesling aromatic profile showing mild aromas of pineapple, apricots, peaches, flowers and dry lemon peel. It has sharp acidity, that feels a bit too pronounced at the moment, similar flavors as on the nose, vibrant citrus fruit and long finish, slightly sour. It is an elegant and well made wine that needs to age more in the bottle but has potential. (90/100)

Next four red wines were served completely blind. The host prepared a huge surprise and as much as it was declared from the get go that this is not a contest, I was excited to see if I can guess the regions or the wines. Looking back at last night experience I do realize how humbling and also relevant blind tastings are.

First wine served had intense aromas of black fruits and coffee, with touches of spices. Based on the color and the nose I said Syrah from a warm place. In the mouth it was trickier. Somebody said Pinot Noir, I argued it wasn’t based on color and aromatic profile. It was a 2005 Umathum Ried Hallebuhl – a Zweigelt majority blend. I had this wine previously but did not manage to recognize it. I loved it when I had it in the past, but this evening it pleased the least. It has soft tannins, well structured, velvety mouth feeling and a medium finish. (89/100)

On the second wine I was able to say without any doubt that it is a Bordeaux. It was very open and expressive, with a lovely bouquet that reminded of aromatic herbs, cedar, graphite, charcoal and tons of cassis. I said initially Pessac-Leognan but after a few moments I realized it lacked the smoky Pessac profile. It was 1999 Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron. The wine offers maximum drinking pleasure today. In the mouth it has a healthy structure, fully integrated tannins, bright acidity and tons of expressive flavors on the palate. Long finish, fresh, with black tea leaves and blackcurrant. The most open, fully developed and expressive wine of the evening. It can also hold easily another 5-7 years. It is a huge success considering the 1999 vintage but today it is at its peak. (92/100)

Third wine had a warmer profile on the nose that made it initially difficult to pin point. Intense aromas of very ripe blackberry, blackcurrant, prunes and macerated black cherry, mixed with cinnamon and cloves made up the nose. Extremely young and the most tannic of all, made it easily the youngest wine of the line up. It has depth, structure, flesh and powerful tannins that will offer enough support to age well. Long finish, very intense on primary aromas and dark chocolate. I managed to guess until the end of the evening it was a wine from Davino. Could not say the vintage or the specific wine. It was a 2006 Davino Reserva Zamfirescu (predominantly Merlot – the one with the yellow drawing on the label). It has at least 10 years ahead. (92-93/100)

The fourth wine was the biggest surprise and a first time for me. By far the most consistent and impressive wine of the tasting. I was able to recognize Bordeaux but that’s where my expertise ended. It was closed on the nose initially, with little fruit and it started to open up slowly as time passed. It did not get close to the expressiveness of 1999 Pichon Baron and I am fairly sure that not even prolonged aeration will not take it there now. This wine needs years of aging in the bottle. In the mouth the wine confirmed its class: superb structure, polished but assertive tannins, quite closed on the palate, but you can certainly guess something big is happening here. Long finish, fresh, assertive flavors that mix blackcurrant, smoke, gravel, black tea and tobacco. It was 2001 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan. It has finesse, great length and purity. This will probably need at least 5 more years to open up and become more expressive, while it can age for decades. (94/100)

As much as this was a great academic exercise, the surprises were without any doubt huge. All 4 red wines were spectacular. When you remove the label out of the equation things will offer huge surprises as it was the case also tonight.

Umathum Ried Hallebuhl 2005

Received this bottle as a gift from a friend. It is my first experience with an Austrian red wine and what a lovely encounter it was. This is a red blend where Zweigelt is the majority grape variety.

Umathum Ried Hallebuhl Burgenland 2005

The wine has a lovely dark red, garnet color. A well developed, elegant and complex nose of great intensity, constantly evolving and giving new aromas; it was even more interesting on the second day. On the first day the fruity aromas of fresh dark cherries are very pure and more intense, but on the second day the wine shows its real complexity with its tobacco, cedar, gamey and smokey dark cherries. On the palate it is full and has a darker character, good concentration, with fine grained tannins and a great structure. Dense flavors of coffee, tobacco and black fruit along some hints of minerality, with a long finish. I liked this wine a lot, as it shows complexity, appealing cedar freshness, balance and purity of fruit. There is a substantial potential for aging and in a few more years it will probably become even more interesting, even though now it can be enjoyed superbly after a few hours of aeration. (91-92/100)

I can definitely enjoy more of this. A producer that is worth seeking if all his wines are on the same line.

The International wine round table Ep 1

Last SAT, on March 12th, about 14 wine lovers, some accompanied by their wives or girlfriends, got together at restaurant Trattoria Roma Opera for the 1st edition of the International wine round table for 2011 in Bucharest. The event started at 18:00 and while there were still a few people to come, all guests had the chance to taste the sparkling from Stirbey while the introductions were made. The event brought together two winemakers: Oliver Bauer and Ghislain Moritz, seven wine bloggers and the rest of the attendants simply wine lovers. The wine bloggers that attended this gathering were: Ciprian, Sorin, Mihnea, Nicusor, Raluca and Oliver and myself. The atmosphere was warm and friendly and everybody excited in the expectation of the actual tasting.

Together with Oliver, I started to uncork the wines and I have to say that three bottles were a bit of a challenge to get the cork out in one piece. Oliver pulled the cork on the 1970 Magnum and as the cork was completely soaked it just did not want to come out in one piece. I experienced the same challenges with the 1985 Smith Haut Lafitte and the 1996 d’Angludet. Both corks were soaked and just broke into two pieces. I managed to get the 2nd remaining part of the cork from the Smith Haut Lafitte clean and smooth but not in the case of d’Angludet. All the wines were put in decanters while we had the first 2 flights with Champagne and Riesling.

uncorking the 1970 Magnum

Oliver was a great host and told the story of each wine before being poured in glasses. His explanations were right on point, informative and easy to follow even for beginners. We started the tasting with the flight of Champagnes and they were served in the exact order of my tasting notes.

2000 Grand cru Blanc de Blancs Demiere Ansiot

A Champagne made from Grand Cru vineyards from le Mesnil sur Oger. This producer makes only 3 wines from 2.5 ha and this is a 100% Chardonnay sparkling.

The color is yellow light gold color with smooth and rich bubbles. The nose is elegant, medium intense, rich, yeasty with a mineral-stones touch, lime, stone fruit and an interesting aroma of caramel. The taste is medium+ body with a pleasant mouth feel, the smooth bubbles show absolute no aggressiveness, intense flavors, mineral palate, with a medium(+) finish and nice flavors of rock, lemon and green apple in the aftertaste. The most mineral sparkling of the flight. 89 points

H. Goutorbe Cuvee Prestige 1er Cru NV brut

Blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The color is pale yellow-gold, a bit more intense than the first one with smooth bubbles and less bubbling. The nose is medium intense, with aromas of yeast, brioche, baked apple, apricot and lemon showing a more developed wine. The taste is rich, with higher acidity and a bit more aggressive than the first one, medium(+) bodied, with flavors of apricots, lemon, a creamy palate, feels more concentrated, with citric fruits and biscuit in the aftertaste.  88 points

Rose brut Loriot-Pagel NV

The color is light pink salmon, bigger bubbles, a rich and intense bubbling. The nose is yeasty, round, with rich aromas of light red fruits, strawberry, brown sugar and brown apple. It tastes full body, intense, mineral, with light red fruits, grapefruit, a creamy palate and a medium(+) finish with red fruit and grapefruit peel in the aftertaste. My favorite of the flight. 90 points

The group rating was 1. 2000 Demiere Ansiot 2. both Loriot-Pagel NV and H. Goutorbe Cuvee Prestige 1er Cru NV with the same number of votes.

Next flight was Riesling from Austria.

2007 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg Domaine Wachau

Light gold clear color. The nose is medium with aromas of lemon, wet stones, mineral, warm rubber, pineapple, light peach. A medium to full body wine with an intense sensation of sweetness on the initial attack, good acidity, and flavors of petrol, rock and pineapple. It is a bit bitter in the finish but a nice dry lemon-apple aftertaste with a reinvigorating acidity. 88-89 points

2007 Riesling Hochacker Nigl

The color is lighter and paler compared to the first wine with a yellow lemon color. The nose is more mineral, with citric aromas and chalky. In the mouth this wine shows a great contrast compared to the nose: rich sweetness, flavors of petrol-tire, pineapple, peach, a pleasant mouth-feel with a mineral palate, high acidity and a medium intense finish. 88-89 points

2000 Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg F.X. Pichler

There is a beautiful deep gold color with an oily appearance. The nose is intense, with Riesling typicality, great aromas of petrol, warm tire, apricot, peach, pineapple, overall a nice and elegant nose. The initial attack shows an intense sensation of sweetness, balanced by a high acidity, a full body mouth feel, good mineral flavors intermixed with citric and stone fruits aromas. The finish is bald, with good minerality and tropical fruit flavors. A rich and intense Riesling. 91 points

Group’s favorites: 1. 2000 FX Pichler 2. 2007 Nigl 3. 2007 Domaine Wachau

With this wine we started our Bordeaux wine tasting, the actual purpose of our event.

1970 Chateau La Tour Figeac Grand cru classe in Magnum

The color is surprisingly young of dark ruby red with a bit of brick tones on the rim. The nose is clean, elegant, intense, mature and well developed, really classic Bordeaux, with beautiful aromas of cedar wood, blackcurrant, cassis, warm forest floor, truffles, sweet earthy red fruit flavors and cigar box. The taste is medium bodied, very youthful considering its age, with already dissolved tannins, but an absolutely silky mouth feel. There are flavors of red fruit, coffee, a bit of vegetables, leather and chocolate. The finish is medium(+) long with a minty red fruit flavor and good freshness. This wine is characterized by great balance and now at its peak. 93 points

The wine of the night for me this 1970 La Tour Figeac.

1985 Grand cru classe Chateau Fonplegade

There is a ruby red color with a bit of an orange rim. The nose is a bit off for me, the smell of a dump old cellar, a developed nose, showing light red fruit and more earthy aromas. The wine is medium to full body, with a contrasting sweet sensation, red fruits, a bit of heat, anise, ginger bread and a medium finish. 85 points

1985 Grand cru classe Chateau Smith-Haut-Laffite

Unfortunately this wine was cooked, on the nose and the taste the wine was maderized. Not rated.

1996 Cru bourgeois exceptionelle Chateau d’Angludet

The color is ruby red with light signs of aging. The nose is clean, appears the least developed, with some pronounced shades of vegetables, spicy, with marzipan, dry tomatoes, asparagus, mint-eucalyptus and red fruits. The taste is medium body with spicy red fruit, a lively acidity and a medium finish. 87 points

1996 Grand cru classe Chateau l’Arrosee

The color is ruby red with a bit of a light brick rim. A much nicer nose than the d’Angludet, with a beautiful Margaux typicality, clean, developed, showing a bit of cork taint, with nice aromas of leather, cedar and plum. The taste is medium body, really youthful, with good flavors of cedar wood, red currant, coffee bean, a light touch of vegetables, but an overall good and pleasant mouth feel. There are firm tannins, but not aggressive, that give a good structure to this wine and a nice mocha aftertaste. 89 points

2000 Chateau Rayne-Vigneau Sauternes 1er cru classe in Magnum

There is a beautiful clean amber color. The nose is clean, developed and intense, with rich aromas of stone fruits: apricot, peach,with caramelized like pineapple, honey, orange peel and a mineral oily tone. The taste is full body, a lovely mouth-feel, unctuous without being sticky, well balanced, intense flavors of apricots, honey, caramel are very well invigorated by a good acidity. The finish is lively and crisp with floral aromas. 92 points

My favorite wines of the tastings were:

1. 1970 La Tour Figeac, 2. 2000 Rayne-Vigneau Sauternes, 3. 2000 FX Pichler, 4. L’Arrosse, 5. Rose brut Loriot-Pagel NV, 6. 2000 Demiere Ansiot

Once the thematic tasting was over, Oliver and Raluca prepared two of their whites: a 2006 Feteasca Regala Genius Loci and a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Vitis Vetus for the ones still in need for some more wine. I found it impossible to have any more dry wine after the sweet Sauternes.

The atmosphere during the wine tasting was relaxed, but also spiced with pertinent discussions about each wine. I am certainly looking forward for the next gathering.

To see more pictures from this event you can go here and here.

Thanks for reading!

Wine dinners Ep 1

Bordeaux flight

On SAT, March 12th, a new serie of wine related events begins in Bucharest. This is an initiative started a few years ago by the team behind the blog Cellartales that already organized several dinners in other cities outside Bucharest (Sibiu and Dragasani area so far). The aim of this initiative is to bring together wine lovers and organize thematic wine dinners. Now this move starts in Bucharest as well, assisted by From grapes to wine, and the objective is to have such an event organized every 5-6 weeks. The theme of these wine dinners will be announced in advance and suggestions will be accepted as well. The group of participants will not exceed 14 people.

Our first event will take place tomorrow and is dedicated to old vintages of Bordeaux. The seats for this event were occupied within 3 days from spreading the word so any prior advertising was no longer necessary. The cost per seat for this event was 175 Ron and includes tasting of all the wines, water and a plate with cheese, grilled vegetables and some charcuterie products.

For anyone interested to attend the next similar event, please send an email with your details to my address: cosmin.grozea@gmail.com or to raluca.bauer@cellartales.com . The seats will always be limited to 14 people and the cost per seat will be around 35-40 Eur per person. If there is interest to try higher end wines this cost may increase.

Here are the wines for the first Wine dinner event:

1st Flight

– 2000 Grand cru Blanc de Blancs Demiere Ansiot

—-  H. Goutorbe Cuvee Prestige 1er Cru NV brut

—- Rose brut Loriot-Pagel NV

2nd Flight

– 2007 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg Domaine Wachau

– 2007 Riesling Hochacker Nigl

– 2000 Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg F.X. Pichler

3rd Flight

– 1970 Chateau La Tour Figeac Grand cru classe in Magnum

– 1985 Grand cru classe Chateau Fonplegade

– 1985 Grand cru classe Chateau Smith-Haut-Laffite

– 1996 Cru bourgeois exceptionelle Chateau d’Angludet

– 1996 Grand cru classe Chateau l’Arrosee

4th Flight

– 2000 Chateau Rayne-Vigneau Sauternes 1er cru classe  in Magnum

Will come back with tasting notes and feedback about the event after the weekend. Meanwhile, close up pictures with the wines of this event could be watched here.

Enjoy the weekend !

Thanks for reading!

Random wines

Nigl Senftenberger Piri Riesling 2008

I bought this wine from Austria at the beginning of the year for something around 10-14 EUR, I cannot recall exactly.

The wine has a pale lemon color. The nose is very fresh, showing mineral aromas, oil and wet rocks mixed with lemon and grapefruit zest. In the mouth the wine is medium body with a very high and pleasant acidity, showing green apple and citric fruits. The finish is medium plus with a very distinctive bitterness in the aftertaste. When you make tea and add slices of lemon, the zest included, and leave it over night in a cup and taste it the next day, you notice a certain bitterness from the juice of the zest. This is exactly what this wine leaves in your mouth in the finish. And it persists for about 5-6 seconds easily. An interesting wine if you like lemon. For me a Good+ wine.

Madiran Laplace 2004

I received this wine as a sample from Le Manoir to taste it. Drank from a small 0.375 ml bottle. This is a blend of 80% Tannat and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Madiran is a region in the South of France where they use Tannat as the dominant grape to make red wine. Wines made from Tannat are usually pretty aggressive in their youth, not to mention the number of years they need to soften and become more approachable, but the wines can usually last for decades. It seems micro-oxygenation has helped this region a lot to make the wines approachable while still young. A little bit of oxygen added at different stages during vinification softens the Tannat. I confess I was expecting a monster of tannins to show up from this bottle.

The wine has a deep dark red color. The nose is pleasant with a touch of sweetness, showing plenty of spicy dark fruits. In the mouth the wine is not aggressive, this is very important to mention. The wine is medium body with a nice mouth feel, the tannins are there for sure, but they are round and soft already. There is a certain complexity in this wine showing a mix of spicy, leathery ripe blue and dark fruits: mulberries and cranberries. The wine finishes spicy with a medium aftertaste. Good+ and balanced wine. Usually wine matures quicker in small formats like this 0.375 ml bottle.

I had this wine paired with chicken and mashed potatoes with truffles and it was not the best pairing I have tried so far. I hope next time I do better.

To see more pictures visit and become a fan of the blog on Facebook here.

Thanks for reading!

Celebrating summer

Last weekend we took the opportunity and did a BBQ together with some good friends in the anticipation of the future vacation will spend together very soon. I did a little research for some different BBQ recipes and I found a very interesting kebab on Adi Hadean‘s blog: very easy to prepare and incredibly tasty.

My kebab’s and also some shrimps we made on a stick, served on a bed of pineapple, red and yellow pepper salad, looked like this:

Unfortunately by the time I wanted to take some photos to the rest of the food there was almost none left so next time I’ll keep in mind the priorities: 1st shoot then eat. We also had a few wines and, as this blog is about wines more than food, here are the tasting notes.

Crama Stirbey Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Price: 20 RON

The wine has a pale yellow color. The nose shows lots of appricots and some floral flavors. In the mouth the wine is watery, lacking concentration, with stone fruits, floral flavors and nice acidity. The wine has a rather short aftertaste. Not my favorite. Last time I tasted this wine on the 1st of May it left me a better impression. Good

Davino Sauvignon Blanc Edition Limitee 2007

Price: 80 RON

I chose this as the second wine because I wanted to give our guests the opportunity to compare two wines made from the same grape from different producers. I know it is not the same vintage but this was not intended to be a professional wine tasting either.

The wine has a clear deep gold color. Already you can see a big difference from the 1st wine. In the nose the wine shows intense aromas of acacia, linden and cut hay. In the mouth the wine is very concentrated, round, with very nice balance, medium body, nice acidity, with herbaceous and floral flavors, some minerality, apple, grapefruit and lemon. The wine leaves a pleasant medium aftertaste. A very nice surprise for me, as it is the first time I taste this wine. I had this wine in my cellar for almost 2 years and I am pretty sure this wine, already good to drink, can still benefit more from further ageing. Very good +

Weingut Knoll Loibner Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 2008

Price: 65 RON

Knoll is one of the best producers of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner wines in Wachau, Austria. I tasted other wines from this producer, all amazing wines for their price category. Here you can read about the Wachau wine classifications and see tasting notes on another Riesling from the same producer.

The Gruner Veltliner has a beautiful deep gold color. The nose is strong with beautiful floral flavors of linden, cut hay, white pepper and lime. In the mouth the wine shows a good concentration, medium body, very mineral, very different from the sweet floral nose, spicy, crispy, nice freshness, good acidity. The wine has a nice mineral medium aftertaste. This wine pairs nicely with a big fish. Very good+

Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2005

Price: 90 RON

This wine has conquered my palate forever from the first time I had it on the World cup final 2010. It is the 3rd time I have this wine over a period of 2 weeks and continues to impress me. This is what I wrote then:

” The wine has a dark red/purple opaque color. The nose is complex with dark ripe sour cherry, cassis, hints of oak, earth, dark chocolate and spices, very nicely balanced. Everything is dark about the nose and very intriguing. In the mouth the wine is full body with lots of dark fruits, black currant, dark chocolate, very Bordeaux style, black pepper and finishes in a medium plus aftertaste with certain pleasant bitterness of dark sour cherry, dark chocolate and tea leaves.Very good+ to Excellent”

This remains an amazing value wine that shows huge concentration of dark chocolate, cocoa and tea leaves on the palate. It is really Excellent+.

Farnese Edizione Cinque Autoctoni

Price: 110 RON

This is an Italian wine made by Filippo Baccalaro and French winemaker Jean-Marc Saboua from 5 particular vines: Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Primitivo, Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera that put together in different percentages obtain the final result.Edizione does not have a vintage as the grapes come from two different regions even if the vintage is the same, so the wine is named with the progressive N’ of the vintage produced(L.2006).  The wine is bottled as Vino da Tavola Rosso.

The wine has an opaque dark purple color. The nose is very, very tight with very discreet flavors of ripe dark fruits. In the mouth the wines explodes with aromas. A full body wine with beautiful concentration of pure blackberry, red currant and bilberry, very silky on the palate, nice acidity, round, nice balance. The wine has a very pleasant sweetness in the aftertaste, leaving ripe blackberry aromas on your cheeks, which is amazing for a dry red wine.  Excellent

After such a tasty meal and interesting wine pairings a Romeo y Julieta cigar is perfect.

I am looking forward for the next hedonistic experience.

Thanks for reading!

Aalto PS 2006 and Franz Hirtzberger Federspiel Riesling 2008

I firmly believe that drinking an impressive wine is a celebration in itself. Combined with a special occasion, like the anniversary of a dear friend, we have the x-ray of a perfect event. Last evening I had a lovely dinner with my good friend Dan, celebrating his birthday at a restaurant in Piata Operei – Trattoria Roma. Dan is a wine lover as well, so the meal was accompanied by two amazing wines: Aalto PS 2006 and Franz Hirtzberger Federspiel Riesling 2008. We had a very tasty three course meal together with the two wines we brought in.

I am an advocate of pairing wine with food and I also try to have at least two wines with my meal when time allows. Please do not get me wrong, I am not saying you should drink 2 entire bottles. Alcohol consumption should be treated responsibly, but having 2 glasses of wine, each from each bottle, is more than enough to have a memorable dinner.

Franz Hirtzberger Federspiel Riesling 2008

Franz Hirtzberger, top Wachau producer with 20ha, is one of the seminal figures in a new generation of Austrian winemakers. His winery, located above the village of Spitz, lies on the Danube at the western end of Wachau. 2008 was a nerve racking vintage that could produce outstanding results in the hands of the most careful producers. Protracted cool and rainy spells in Oct and Nov made harvesting very difficult in Lower Austria and in the Burgenland, but in the southern regions, the autumn was more clement.

I have mentioned in a previous review of another Riesling the wines classification in Austria and you can read them here. Federspiel (named after a falconry device) is allowed 11.5% to 12.5% alcohol, roughly equivalent to Kabinett.

The wine has a clear gold color and an oily appearance in the glass. The nose shows flavors of honey, minerals, already discreet petrol aromas, white flowers and pears. In the mouth the wine is medium to full body with pears, green apples, nice minerality, everything wrapped into a beautiful very high acidity. Loved it. The wine finishes with a medium mineral aftertaste. That high minerality makes this a very good wine.

We had this wine with mussels in a white wine sauce. Not ideally as the wine was heavier than the food but a very nice pairing.

Aalto PS 2006

Bodega Aalto was founded in 1999 by Javier Zaccagnini, formerly director of the Consejo Regulador de Ribera del Duero for 6 years, and Mariano Garcia, who was head winemaker at Vega Sicilia from 1968 to 1998. Aalto wines are the product of 100 ha of vines, comprising more than 250 parcels spread out over the various terroir’s of DO Ribera del Duero. No parcel is more than 3 ha, and no vine is less than 40 years old. The standard cuvee is named simply Aalto, with the bodega’s top wine called Aalto PS- Pagos Seleccionados (selected parcels). Tinto fino(Tempranillo) is the only grape used for the wines. Until 2005, wines were made at a rented winery facility in Roa, but Aalto is now based in a winery at Quintanilla de Arriba. The basic wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in steel vats, but for Aalto PS barrels are used.

Aalto PS 2006 spent 30 months in new French oak and is made from vineyards planted in the 1920s or earlier. The wine has an opaque dark/purple color. I just love the smell of a Spanish beast locked in a bottle. The smell of the wine simply fills up the entire room with its aromas. The wine is thick, leaving many lazy legs coming down after swirling the glass. It has a very sweet lactic nose with pretty much all the specter of the wine aromas: ripe dark fruits, blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, ripe dark cherries, floral flavors: violets, spices, thyme, rosemary, cigar box, earth, mushrooms. It is the most complex nose I smelled so far. In the mouth the wine is full body, almost Port like, it creates a creamy mouth-feel. The wine is impressive, showing real finesse with over ripe, but not jammy, dark berries: blackcurrant, blackberry, tobacco, violets, chocolate, cocoa, mocha, even meaty everything wrapped in a sweet vanilla flavor from the oak. The wine shows immense balance and depth with layers and layers of flavors. When you have this nose and the mouth-feel you would expect the wine to finish with a sweet sensation. But that’s where this wine gains in complexity and surprises: the wine finishes in a very, very long aftertaste with a beautiful pure dark chocolate bitterness that stays with you forever.

If I may turn a negative into a positive and use the words of some of my readers, this wine is decadent, pure obscenity, that good it is. The best wine I had this year. Excellent+

This wine has a price level of 65-70 EUR in Spain, so next time you visit Spain make sure to break the piggy bank and buy one of this bottles.

You can serve this wine with any big food. We drank this wine with our next two courses: penne with beef, sour cream and tomato sauce and the last course: rare grilled beef with mushrooms and grilled vegetables. Perfect match.

I wish my good friend Dan Happy Birthday and best of luck and thank him for sharing this amazing Spanish red.

Even 4 h later, the wine was still fresh on my memory and I could really feel that amazing smell while watching the markets in the US falling sharply. Strange how the memory works when you are on the right side of the trade.

Thanks for reading…

Weingut KNOLL – Loibner Riesling Smaragd 2008

I hate Mondays. It doesn’t matter how much we party and we don’t sleep or if we rest for the whole weekend. Every MON morning is tough to wake up at 7:30am. The rest of the day I usually act like a zombie. Yesterday was no difference. Perhaps with more work than usual.

So going home after 7:30pm was a relief. Just to feel better I decided to eat something light and easy to cook. So here it is: green salad with shrimp, goat cheese and olives. It is a very light dish and you don’t spend more than 10-15 mins cooking it. Wash the shrimps and keep only the tales. Mix black balsamic vinegar with honey and put the shrimps there for 1-2 mins. Put the shrimps on some sticks and BBQ them on any device you may have at home. Make sure to wash from time to time the shrimps with some of that sauce. Cook til they get a crust. The rest is simple: green salad, olives: I had some olives left from our last trip to Greece from 2009, but try to use the red ones you can find in the store as they have more flavors, some green or red onion, freshly crushed pepper, goat cheese(it can also be any other salty cheese you have) and salt if necessary.  Put the cooked shrimps on top of it, add olive oil and that’s it. You got yourself a very fresh and tasty salad. If you have followed the proper steps you should end up with something like this:

The wine that I had was a nice bottle of Riesling from Wachau, a region close to Wien, in Austria:  Weingut KNOLL – Loibner Riesling Smaragd 2008. Knoll is one the best producers of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner in the Wachau region. Austria is famous for its white wines made of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner grapes. This was a dry Riesling.

The “Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus” has three categories, all for dry wines: Steinfeder (‘Stone feather’) maximum 11.5% alcohol, mostly for local quaffing; Federspiel (named after a falconry device) – 11.5% to 12.5% alcohol, roughly equivalent to Kabinett; Smaragd (named after an ’emerald’ lizard that lives in the vineyards) – minimum 12.5% alcohol, with a maximum 9g/litre residual sugar, some of the best dry whites in Austria. My bottle, good homework before buying is mandatory, was a Smaragd. Some members of the wine community think that Riesling is not only the best white wine, but also the best wine, period. There is even an International Riesling Foundation, with worldwide membership.

The wine has a strong yellow color and from the get go you can see that the wine has a serious concentration as it slowly comes down from the walls after spinning the glass. The nose is not a bomb but shows discreet mineral notes, honey, herbs and a hint of spice. In the mouth the whine is nicely balanced with high acidity which I like, mineral, tropical fruits, some type of oil character, citrus and apples. The aftertaste was nice some 10-15 s. A wine that went very well with the salad and the honey-balsamic vinegar mix from the shrimps.

If only the rest of the week would go as smooth as my last night meal. We can at least hope, can’t we ?