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Archive for the Tastings Category

South American Wine Tasting

Posted in Imbibe, Tastings, Wine with tags , , , , on 28 May, 2009 by la fille

A couple of weeks ago, Brother O’Mara and I went to a South American tasting at Martin Wine hosted by the knowledgeable and gracious Andrew Dike. He took a trip to Chile and Argentina last year and not only led us through the wines of the region, but showed us some beautiful photos and made us all jealous that we didn’t go along.

Here’s the rundown, with notes:

2008 Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc (Chile, $9.99)

Creamy nose with strong tropical/melon/pineapple aromas. Bright, acidic, and green on the tongue; sweetening a lot upon warming up; creamy finish.

2006 Cono Sur Vision Chardonnay (Chile, $13.99)

cono_chard_vision

Nutty and floral nose, brisk and minerally; apple; full but with low oak for a Chardonnay.

2007 Cono Sur Vision Pinot Noir (Chile, $13.99)

pinot-noir

Toasty, hot nose, with a hint of metallic aroma. Tastes of jammy red fruit with a long finish; slightly hot. Not very well-balanced.

2007 Cono Sur Ocio Pinot Noir (Chile, $50.00)

ocio-02-b

Dusty, brambly nose with definite dark fruits; very complex compared with the Vision, soft and creamy, full with currants and black cherry. Intense fruit, mild tannins and some oak on the finish. Huge, ripe mouthfeel.

2007 La Posta Malbec Paulucci Vineyard (Argentina, $15.99)

96699l

Civet and red cherry on the nose, also perfumey and oddly floral; taste of red fruit, particularly strawberry, young-tasting, floppy, and fatty with no bones–no complexity or structure to back up the initial taste.

2007 Dona Paula Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina, $13.99)

dona_paula_cab

Big and dirty, thick, meaty nose; bitter chocolate entrance, savory taste with a huge mouthfeel and an oaky, hot, tannic finish.

2007 BenMarco Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina, $18.99)

97439l

Creamy nose with hints of graphite and red fruit; round and rich purple fruits (cassis and plum) on tongue; tannic, bitter oak on finish

2007 Tikal Amorio Malbec (Argentina, $18.99)

amorio_tikal_malbec_2006(this is the 2006 label, not 2007)

Floral and red fruit aromas, subtle but full; well-balanced with good tannins.

Overall, neither of us found anything we HAD to have, although if we had, we could have done so since most everything we tasted was moderately priced. As an aside, we LOVE the Dona Paula Shiraz-Malbec — it’s become a daily drinker in our house — so it was nice to try the cabernet as well.

Foodwise, they served La Yerbera, a goat’s milk cheese covered in almonds from Spain and Campo Montalban, a Spanish mixed-milk cheese.

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Absinthe Workshop with Jeff Hollinger

Posted in Cocktails, Imbibe, Tastings with tags on 28 March, 2009 by la fille

Jeff Hollinger is the manager of Absinthe Brasserie and Bar in San Francisco, mixmaster extraordinaire, and co-author of the award-winning book, Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics.

artofthebar

He was in New Orleans this weekend and hosted an absinthe cocktail workshop and tasting at the Absinthe Museum of America (823 Royal St. in the French Quarter). He spoke a little about the history of absinthe and what it means for cocktails now that the ban’s been lifted, showed us some interesting drink recipes utilising absinthe as an ingredient, and let us taste a whole bunch of interesting stuff.

His current favorite absinthe is Obsello, an absinthe verte from Spain:

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I’m not a big absinthe connoisseur, but I enjoyed the Obsello prepared in the traditional manner with sugar and water. It was smooth and creamy, with a powdery mouthfeel.

On to the cocktails (I didn’t take notes, but I’ll do my best):

Sacred Heart

3 parts La Pinta Pomegranate Tequila

2 parts absinthe

1 part limoncello

juice of half a lemon

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Sinister Flip

1 egg white

2 parts gin

1 part absinthe

1 part strawberry syrup*

Shake all ingredients first without ice so as to get the egg white nice and frothy. Add ice, shake some more, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Hollinger sometimes adds a drop of a rosemary tincture at the end, made with rosemary and vodka.

* to make the strawberry syrup, just boil strawberries, water, and sugar


Yesterday’s Song

3 parts rum

2 parts absinthe

1 part maraschino liqueur

juice of half a lime

handful of fresh rosemary

Lightly muddle ingredients together, then shake with ice, strain and serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Although we drank it straight-upm Hollinger says he typically serves this drink long, with a little ginger beer on top.

Drink the name for which I can’t remember

2 parts mezcal

1 part absinthe

1 part port

Stir together with ice and strain into a glass. Meant to be an aperitif.

Overall, the Sinister Flip was my favorite. I loved the creaminess imparted by the egg white, and the fruity-herby combo of strawberry, juniper, and anise was delightful. I did not like the one with mezcal–too smoky for my tastes. The other two were good, but I will definitely be craving the Sinister Flip again.

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Elk Cove Wine Tasting

Posted in Imbibe, Tastings, Wine with tags , , , on 28 March, 2009 by la fille

Adam Godlee Campbell, the head winemaker for Elk Cove Vineyards in Oregon, was kind enough to host a tasting at Martin Wine Cellar while he was in town a couple of weeks ago. He gave a great talk, answered some questions, and led us through some delicious wines his vineyard makes.

On the list for the evening (notes are a combination of mine and Brother O’Mara’s):

elkcovegris

2007 Pinot Gris (retail $16.99): Rich yet acidic with a surprisingly thick mouthfeel. Notes of peach, melon, and pineapple, with a luscious, sweet finish.

riesling_06_estate

2006 Riesling Estate Willamette Valley (retail $16.99): Rich and fruity nose, with a hint of that petrol/lighter fluid aroma you get with Rieslings sometimes. Big, with a good balance between fruit (pear and apple) and acidity, with a long, superfruity finish.

elkcovewillamette

2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (retail $24.99): Very earthy for a Pinot, with notes of chocolate, smoke, and dark fruits. Plum and cherry, with a savory note as well. Good tannic finish.

noir_07_mtrichmond

2007 Pinot Noir Mount Richmond (retail $38.99): Dark, dusty nose. Jammy; dark and thick on the tongue, strong leather/smoke notes.

noir_06_windhill

2006 Pinot Noir Windhill (retail $39.99): My favorite of the evening. Fruitier than the Richmond and Willamette, sweet and toasty, with cherry and a little strawberry, as well as a dry woody/brambly note.

noir_06_roosevelt

2006 Pinot Noir Roosevelt (retail $63.00): Huge and rich, almost unbelievably so for a Pinot Noir. Chocolate and coffee, gigantic lingering finish.

elkcovepinot

2002 Pinot Noir Roosevelt (vineyard exclusive, no retail availability): Slightly cloudier than the ‘06, nose of oil, leather, and dried fruit. Thinner mouthfeel but bursting with flavor. Mouthwatering and incredibly full, with a tannic finish.

And for dessert:

bottle_riesling_ultima_wv

2006 Riesling Ultima 375 mL (retail $29.99): 60% Riesling, 32% Gewurtztraminer, 8% Muscat. Unctuous, thick, and rich. Delightfully fruity and sweet, but balanced by citrus and a crisp acidity.

Martin provided us with two cheeses to aid our palettes, as well: Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog, an American goat cheese, and Delice de Bourgogne, a French cow’s milk triple creme (which happens to be Brother O’Mara’s favorite cheese–score!).

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