What Does Post COVID-19 Look Like? Post Vaccine Food and Wine Notes
Tasted 1/31/2022
We just picked up our latest Ann Arbor Wine Club order at the Village Corner. Certainly a 3 pound block of Bleu D’Auvergne will be the highlight of the purchase, but the wines are worth noting in this column too. First off is 2018 ALBARROBLE (produced by Bodega Santa Cruz de Alpera) Tinto Garnacha Tintorera, Almansa (14.5% abv) SPAIN $8.49 on sale at the Village Corner. I have indeed been on a roll lately finding precisely the wines I like best. Perhaps looking in the bargain section has been the key because anyone who has tasted wine with me for any time knows that typically my pleasure and perception of quality is inverse to the price. So, here we have another of what I call “desert island wines”; that is wines that if stranded on a desert island, I could drink every day for the rest of my days and never fully understand what makes them tick or ever get tired of trying to figure that out. Though clearly Grenache, the nose seems tempered with possibly aging in large neutral oak. Certainly no trace of wood flavor, but it does show a sense of completeness and rounded mouth feel one normally associates with neutral oak. The real explosion of bright berry-like edginess and spice comes forward in the instant that it hits the palate. This reminds me of Gigondas in that it is clearly Grenache, but just subdued enough and with enough texture to tone down its nervous energy; clearly a wine I would never tire of. UPDATE: 10/16/22 We had a second bottle of this delightful wine with Ukrainian Borscht and knowing what I know now does slightly change my appreciation of this unique wine. I found out from Dick Scheer that Garnacha Tintorera is not Granacha at all. It is in fact a synonym for Alicante Bouchet! Funny how that goes. No doubt, back when the Spanish named this variety, someone other than I felt it embodied Garnacha characteristics. Upon re-tasting this wine some 8 months later, it still makes me think of Garnacha; vividly bright edgy red fruit, but with the added bonus of very rich tannic mouthfeel that wouldn’t be consistent with most Granacha bottlings. Still love it!
Yesterday, we tasted a couple of Malbec’s from Argentina. One was a lovely wine we injoyed in Sarasota that I was curious to see if it could possibly taste as good in the frozen ambience of Michigan in January as it did at a sidewalk cafe in St. Petersburg FL. This is the 2019 GOUGUENHEIM Malbec Reserva which tasted every bit as vibrant as I remember it tasting on a beautiful summer-like day last month in Florida. It even had a nice dose of bitter green herb not unlike a Carmeniere from Chile. This wine is alive. We followed that with a 2019 KAIKEN Indomito Malbec which was awarded 96 points from Decanter Magazine. It is indeed a fine bottle of wine, but not nearly as bright and interesting as the Gouguenheim. The Kaiken is more typical of the medium priced Malbec I’ve had in the past. It seems that the really expensive ones are huge complex monsters, the cheapest ones are bright, fresh, vibrant and fascinating while those from about $14-$20 are lost somewhere in between. The Kaiken is just such a wine. I would easly rate the Gouguenheim in the mid 90’s point wise and the Kaiken no more than high 80’s.
Tasted 11/17/2021
We were in W Michigan to deliver several more cases of Michigan Vintner wines and decided to attend our old wine group, the Rude Tasters being hosted by Durk and Kathy Piersma. Though they have offered many notable Merlot tastings in the past, this tasting seemed different right from the start. We started with a pair of red wines which I don’t believe anyone correctly identified. To me, they reminded me of northern Rhone though not quite as ripe or fat. So, I’m thinking Syrah, Shiraz right off the bat which clearly got me way off the path. This group always tastes double blind. That is, only the host knows what the topic is and even the host does not necessarily know the exact order. For these tasting notes, I do include the names of the wines, but keep in mind none of the tasters know anything about the wine other than what they see, smell and taste. The first “warm up” pair included a couple of 2018 Bordeaux that the Piersma’s purchased in a four pack at Costco for $30. Considering that the wines go for $17-20 per bottle, that’s a real deal. 2018 Chateau de Lyde Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux Red Blend (70% Merlot / 30% Cabernet Sauvignon) (14% ABV) about $17 is a nicely balanced wine with a rich earthy streak not unlike a northern Rhone or other Syrah based wine. Cadillac Cotes de Bordeaux is more famous for their sweet whites (AOC Cadillac) and their Dry Whites (Entre Deux Mers) though this wine is proof that this sheltered part of Bordeaux between the two main rivers can make good reds too. The other warm up was 2018 Bel Ormeau Les Herits Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux Blend (Merlot / Cab Fr / Cab Sauv / Malbec) (14.5% ABV) about $19 has a very fresh youthful flavor not unlike the de Lyde but a tad plumper with a nice touch of pepper. Most of the tasters seemed to prefer the Bel Ormeau which is located on the NE side of the Gironde estuary.
The following wines are all Cru Bourgeois* Bordeaux Left Bank wines which scored 90 points or more in tastings conducted by the Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator or Wine Advocate. It was sold as a six pack for about $150 when it was released about 2013.
*Officially rated among the very top wines of the region just below the Grand Cru Classe.
FIrst Flight
2010 Chateau Garonne Ste Gemme Haut Medoc Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux Blend (60% Cab Sauv / 37% Merlot / 3% Petit Verdot) (13.5% ABV) about $31 Though not as hearty as most of the wines we tasted, it has an easy fresh fruitiness that is very pleasant. My score 82/100; group score 81/100 5th (last) place tie. 2010 Chateau Poitevin Mecoc Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux Blend (40% Cab Sauv / 55% Merlot / 5% Petit Verdot) (13.5% ABV) about $25 I have had this exact same wine tasting about four years ago and in that tasting the Poitevin was the most liked wine. Tonight, it came across as less youthful with the fruit fading and the other factors which were subtle complexities then are now dominant. The nose is a bit dusty with tar and truffle with more creosote-like nuances on the softly dry palate. It was one of my favorites, but, I think the fading fruit was found to be a fault by most of the tasters. My score 90/100; group score 81/100 5th (last) place tie. 2010 Chateau Dutruch Grand Poujeaux Moulis Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux Blend (47% Merlot / 47% Cab Sauv / 6% Petit Verdot) (13.5% ABV) about $29 This is a huge mature wine that makes me think of Aussie Shiraz from the best terroir. I would have never guessed Bordeaux because of the overtly rich berry flavors. I think I would have given a much higher score in previous tastings but, to me, it is starting to show its age. My score 87/100; group score 85/100 4th place.
Second Flight
2010 Chateau Fourcas Dupre Listrac Medoc Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux Blend (44% Cab Sauv / 44% Merlot / 10% Cab Fr / 2% Petit Verdot) (13% ABV) about $25 Though not a terribly complex wine, it would seem like we caught it at its best with fine balance and still delightfully fresh. My score 83/100; group score 91/100 3rd place. 2010 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux Blend (77% Merlot / 22% Cab Sauv / 1% Petit Verdot) (13.5% ABV) about $57 This was my favorite. Yummy plump fresh black fruit that while soft and easy is remarkably complex with forest scents, pepper, oak and a rich firm texture suggesting it will hold well for some time. My score 92/100; group score 93/100 1st place tie. 2009 Chateau Domeyne Saint Estephe Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux Blend (60% Merlot / 40% Cab Sauv) (14% ABV) about $29 This wine was probably better a few years ago though it still has lots of fresh exotic juicy black fruit albeit heavily nuanced by old dusty forest floor components. My score 85/100; group score 93/100 1st place tie.
Tasted 11/7/2021
Because I’m typically too cheap to buy wine costing more than $15 when we have a cellar full of wine in need of being drunk, the job of buying wines priced beyond what I call everyday values is now left up to Alice. Today, she picked a winner. You’ve heard this before, but, really the bottle of 2018 Alma Negra M Blend Mendoza ARGENTINA (13.5% ABV) is absolutely one of the best wines I’ve tasted this year and here we are in November. The label tells us it is a mysterious blend that will not reveal itself until the last glass. We’re not quite to the last glass yet but what’s in the glass right now is deep and dark (black soul as the name implies) with a nose showing somewhat restrained fruit, more the smell of walking into a winery than the grapes themselves. As soon as it touches one’s palate, the texture of fruit pits, piquant spices and exotic incense-like complexity. The mouth feel is very firm and tightly packed with clean tannin, concentrated berry conserves laced with dry dusty spice not unlike the smell of an antique shop. This probably sounds unpleasant, but aromatic memories are a huge trigger and something about this wine just triggers all kinds of fond sensory memories. It is really quite a wine to behold. I can’t wait to try the last glass! UPDATE: We finished the last glass and nothing new was revealed. Must be a hype to get you to open another bottle.
Tasted 10/23/2021
As is our typical football Saturday afternoon, we got together with my sister Linda and brother in law George to watch the Maize ‘n Blue triumph. Today, Alice and I decided that we would serve something very French for dinner after the game; Veau a la Berrichonne. So, of course, we needed to serve some French wine. First of all, the recipe takes a full bottle of wine for the sauce. Even though this is a Parisian recipe, Bordeaux seemed like the right wine theme. I found an old bottle of “The Official Wine of Memphis in May” which I had mistakenly assumed was a Bordeaux, but turned out to be a generic 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vin de Pays d’Oc. Certainly it was purchased by the late John Beadle (Memphis Barbeque Aficionado) as a memento of the event not as a wine to cellar. Turns out the wine was still quite good with typical French depth of flavor and complexity in spite of its age; perfect for the stock pot. For the main course, we served both a red and a 2014 Domaine Dupre Bourgogne (White Burgundy) Chardonnay FRANCE, purchased recently on a Village Corner closeout for $7.99. This is a wine with which I have a history. Back in the ‘80’s when I was the cellarmaster at the Amway Grand Plaza, this was our house white wine. I really enjoyed it then and still love it today. It is just SOOO French in its big rich lemon candy-like bouquet and perfectly balanced flavor of ripe apple and pear finishing with a twist of citrus peel and custard; very appetizing. We also picked up another old Amway Grand Plaza friend at Total Wine; 2017 Chateau De Costis Bordeaux FRANCE, $9.99 at Total Wine which had been our house red during the same era. Though I remember this wine as a perfectly balanced Bordeaux architype with astonishing fruit purity, the bottle in front of me was a very nice wine but neither astonishing nor a poster child for Bordeaux terroir. It seems that the tannin is a bit at the forefront leaving the fruit more to the finish than the entrance; though not quite up to what I expected with the veau, there was nothing to complain about for ten bucks. I was prompted to get a more seductive selection of red wine and because I had gotten a note several months ago from Rod and Jo Schmidt regarding a gift of Chateau du Moulin Rouge we had given them years ago I was still thinking about this note. Rod said, “We opened the 2005 Chateau du Moulin Rouge Grand Vin the other evening with Dan and Jackie Hansen and all of us were blown away by its nose and color. When we tasted it, we could hardly believe how much fruit was still there. The tannins were soft, the wine was so well balanced and the finish was long and extremely pleasant.” Well, as we enjoyed our last bottle of that same 2005 Chateau du Moulin Rouge Haut Medoc Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux FRANCE, probably priced under $15 when I purchased it, we all felt the same way. This property is located between Margaux and St. Julien and possesses the ripeness, depth and suppleness of St. Julien and the elegance and class of Margaux. Rod is right about the color; still deep nearly opaque red. It is a perfect bottle of Bordeaux in its prime. If you have any 2005 Bordeaux in you cellar, you might want to enjoy them while in their prime. Funny coincidence, this wine was also one I had also purchased at the Village Corner (Ann Arbor) some ten to twelve years ago.
Tasted 7/19/2021
We just needed a decent red so serve with what we call a Poo Poo Platter (cheese, olives, cured meat and crackers) and I pulled out a 2012 Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma CA bought at about $12-$15 per bottle. It’s funny how a brand like SIMI has never really risen to what one would call a prestige brand, yet, it is and has always been considered solid and better than most California wines. I am absolutely blown away at the class, clarity of varietal flavor and balance that this wine exhibits. This is so understated yet as one sips and swirls it just gets finer and finer. Sadly, Simi along with the entire Franciscan Estate portfolio was purchased by Constellation Brands since 2012. Like Gallo, Constellation owns great facilities, great vineyards and employs some of the best and brightest in the world. But, like Gallo, when they buy brands, they become just brands. At one time the slogan for Franciscan Estates was “wine with a reason for being”. That is, each of the brands identified wineries with vineyards and vineyard contracts which gave them unique quality and consistent style that endured generations. No more. I pick on Gallo and Constellation because they are the two biggest wine companies in the world. In spite of all the great property and intellect that they control, most of their wines are just brands with no identity and no reason for being other than to use the currency of a viable brand for capital. I haven’t had a bottle of current vintage Simi lately. Tasting this wine makes me more inclined to just savor the memories and stay the hell out of the big box wine aisle. It just makes me shake my head when I drink wines that were once great, unique and historical like Franciscan Napa Cab or Simi Landslide or even a “regular” Simi Alexander Valley knowing that this level of quality will never exist again among affordable California wines; another reason why I drink more and more wines from everywhere else in the world which are still tied to the land.
Tasted 8/28/2021
After the really tasty roast on the 24th (see below) we tried the fillets. Cooked on the rare to medium rare side, they are very good, anything more than that and they toughen up, so do not over cook a “grade good” tenderloin. The wine was about as inspiring as the meat. We’ve been hanging on to this wine for quite a while. It is an only bottle which Alice probably received for helping out with past tasters guild judgings. 2006 Alexander Valley Vineyards CYRUS (meritage blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Fr, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot) Sonoma County CA about $65 for the current vintage is one of the many wines that wineries feel compelled to make as a creme de la creme for their loyal customers. In this case, it is also an historic vineyard dating back to the 19th century when Cyrus Alexander farmed it. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good bottle of wine, it checks all of the boxes, but lacking elegance, finesse and the sort of perfect balance of the Atalon (below). The mouthfeel is quite powerful with strong fruit essence and whiffs of a complex array of earth, leather and very dry cocoa-like spice. There is a lot here, it just doesn’t combine to a memorable or particularly enjoyable experience. It is a big wine that commands a high price, but quite honestly, I’d rather have a $7 Spanish Garnacha.
Tasted 8/24/2021
With the surge of the Delta variant, I may need to reconsider the title of this blog in the near future. There my not be anything “post” about COVID. Anyway, tonight with left over chicken broccoli casserole I pulled out a 2011 Atalon Napa Valley Pauline’s Cuvee (Merlot/Cab Fr) CA about $30 today. This was one of those wines of which I bought a half dozen bottles to fulfil a sales requirement. We drank or gave away the first five bottles by 2014 without hardly paying attention and as is my habit saved the last bottle for several years. So, today at age 10 we were mortified. Alice says it is the best wine we’ve had this year! I might agree. In the nose, it shows graceful age with right bank style and elegance. On the palate, the wine has strength yet is so perfectly balanced and supple that it almost doesn’t seem like real wine. Had this been poured blind, there is no doubt I would be guessing top top top level St. Emilion or Pomerol. I did a bit of research and Jess Jackson purchased the Howell Mountain ghost winery and vineyard which gives this wine its pedigree a couple decades ago. That winery dates back to 1888. Clearly, tasting this wine is tasting history. ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! Wish we had more.
Tasted 7/13/2021
Tonight the arthritis in my left leg was literally killing me. Alice tried some pressure points with her elbow but nothing really eased the pain. Finally, she said lets sit on the porch with a real nice bottle of wine. Limping to the cellar I grabbed one of the several bottles needing decanting that I have in a well slanted rack. I’m starting to wonder if my typical “double decanting” regimen might be too much of a good thing so I single decanted it and brought it out to the porch in the decanter. Alice took a sniff and a sip and exclaimed BORDEAUX immediately. Bingo! What we were enjoying was a bottle of 1998 Clos du Marquis Saint-Julien Bordeaux FRANCE probably under $20 when I bought it. We tried to remember where we bought it but couldn’t. Clos du Marquis is a second wine of Leoville Las Cases which is a second growth (Grand Cru Classe), so I was not surprised by the class and deep earthy scents wrapped around slightly composty black fruit. We have one more bottle, but we’ll not wait long for that one. This bottle is lovely now and I wouldn’t expect any positive evolution. Though not a great wine, it is exactly what the doctor ordered. The pain is gone!
Tasted 7/4/2021
It’s been a while since I added to this column. We’ve been pretty busy with moving to Ann Arbor and have mostly been drinking pretty ordinary stuff. We’re finally relaxing a bit and pulling out a few older bottles. The other night while looking for an ordinary drinker, Alice brought out a 2010 Glen Carlou Grand Classique Meritage (Cab Sauv, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cab Fr) Paarl, S AFRICA originally about $10 to serve with a cheese and sausage plate. She tasted it first and commented that it was really nice. I tasted it and was astounded. I’m not kidding; if it had been served blind, I would be guessing First Growth Bordeaux not $10 S. African! Like many of the top wines of the left bank, Pauillac in particular, there is a slightly smoky earthy edge that when fully integrated into the abundant ripe yet elegant complex array of classic Bordeaux heritage fruit aromatics, it just says CLASS. Wow what a surprise. I looked up the professional notes from the Wine Spectator and Parker. Both rated it 90 as a delightful slurping wine which Parker suggested it would be best served before 2013. Who’d have thought it would turn into a true classic 8 years after reaching its predicted prime. This might be the best red I’ve tasted this year. Unfortunately, it is our last bottle.
Tasted 3/26/2021
The Italian dinner and wine below took place over a month since our second COVID vaccine and just plain felt like we were getting back to normal. I know we have a long way before the US is anything remotely close to COVID-free, but somehow armed with the vaccine, it just doesn’t feel so dire. Today as I was packing liquor and bar stuff in anticipation of our upcoming move to Ann Arbor, I was a bit perplexed by a bottle of 1979 Duhart Milon Rothschild Pauillac Grand Cru Classe, Bordeaux FR resting in a decanting cradle on the bar. We decided to drink it rather than pack it. As I extracted the enormously long cork, it clearly was nearing the its useful end fully saturated with chalky looking mold near the top. General thinking is that a cork is good for 25 years or so and this one was 42. If the smell of the cork had anything to do with the wine, we wouldn’t be drinking it. Luckily, the wine was wonderful. I, like everyone else in the civilized world, am a fan of Lafite. But, the fact that Robert Parker was not a fan of Duhart in the 1970’s kept it out of fashion and very affordable (by 1980 standards, not today, however) at a small fraction of the price of its sister Chateau. Granted Duhart does not have the pure class of Lafite but there is an undeniable richness and suppleness that is so endearing. As a fan of Rioja, I also find its olive-like smell particularly enjoyable. Unlike the nasty cork, the wine itself smelled of olive tapenade, tobacco, earth and spicy incense-like exotic wood scents. The wine is incredibly soft and lush with just enough mouth feel to keep it fresh but having lost its bright acidity feeling more like strawberry jam or even marmalade than freshly picked berries. I had to dig up my old (published 1985) Robert Parker Bordeaux book to see what he had to say. Of course, he’s not a fan of the Chateau, but he did say that the 1979 Duhart was elegant and precocious, reaching its peak between 1987 and 1992, rating it a whopping 83. Well, I’m here in 2021 to tell you this wine was never better than it is now. I’m glad we didn’t drink it 30 years ago. As it sits in the glass now, I’d give it at least a 90! My brother-in-law suggested that moving will be an exercise in discovery. He nailed that for sure. In addition to the lovely old Bordeaux, we’ve also been trying to clear out our freezer so we broiled up a tied bacon-wrapped tenderloin with pan-roasted potatoes and carrots that had been in the freezer since the last time Family Fare had a sale on whole tenderloins. Alice says it was the best meal we’ve had all year.
Tasted 3/17/2021
We haven’t actually gone out to dinner or have been to a live wine tasting yet, but having gotten both shots of vaccine over a month ago we are ready for golf and dining in Myrtle Beach. Our Rude Tasters group is still on Zoom, but tonight each participant is making a favorite Southern Italian dish with a favorite Southern Italian wine.
For decades, our favorite Southern Italian dish is my father’s version of Linguiini with Broccoli Garnished with Toasted Pine Nuts (shown above). He used to love to serve it to people who claim that they hate anchovies and then after they raved about how delicious it was tell them the ingredients. One of our other favorites is Orecchiette with Sausage and Rapini. So while I was doing a little bit of research on Apulia I spotted a dish that gave me an idea for “Orecciette con Cavolo Verde” which combines and simplifies what we love about our two favorite recipes. I am a big believer that the fewer the ingredients and procedures the better the results.
So the wine that got us going along that path is a 2002 Tormaresca Castel del Monte DOC Aglianico Bocca de Lupo, Puglia (13.5% ABV) IT. I’m sure that when I bought it, I wouldn’t have paid more than $20 but, today the current vintage would fetch $50-$75. I was surprised by the gigantic Angelo Gaja-like natural cork which was still pristine. The color is almost black still with just a tiny hint of brick color at the meniscus. The nose is just almost too big to smell. Not ripe and floral, just jam packed, dense, thick and palpable with myriad earth, forest, leather and amaro-like spice. The palate is much the same with more fruit-like sensations yet plenty of bitter spice notes carrying through. The tannin is pleasant taking a back seat to all the other palate sensations. We couldn’t have chosen a better wine to match with this hearty peasant dish.
Here is how I made the pasta.
First, I put about a cup and a half of Orecchiette (pasta ears) into boiling salted water with olive oil.* While that was cooking, I got the rest of my ingredients together including: 2 large garlic cloves smashed and chopped, 4 anchovies in oil, one small dried chili and about a cup of grated Pecorino Romano.
Once the pasta was cooked, I added to the boiling pasta a full package (5 oz) of baby kale. While that was cooking, I put some extra virgin olive oil, the anchovies with their oil, garlic and chili into a large medium hot pan. When that was nicely blended, I added a couple tablespoons of butter. Then, using a slotted scoop, I took the pasta and kale from the water and mixed it into the anchovy mixture. I like very sloppy pasta so I added a bit of the pasta/kale water back in. After mixing it all together, we put it into pasta bowls and garnished it with an ample amount of cheese. It makes two generous servings. YUM!
*Though most Americans like sticky pasta, I do not. As with many Italian-Americans, I grew up on wet sloppy pasta. So, adding oil to the water guarantees that the pasta will be sloppy and wet, never sticky. The salt lowers the cooking temperature which means the cooking time is a tad longer with the benefit of cooking it to the perfect degree of doneness has a very wide margin of error for that perfect texture. And, if it is still not sloppy and wet enough, add some of the pasta water back in.
Enjoy in Good Health!
A Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner
