Standing On The Verge of Getting It On

Truly an eclectic collection of wines today. We were treated to some good things, some great things, and some stuff that was THE BEST EVER.

Peirano Estate 2004 Autumn's Blush

I've yet to taste a good wine from Peirano Estate. Try as I might, all the wines taste:

A. Flabby and semi-sweet.
B. Prune-o-licious, overly-ripe and sun-roasted.
C. Volatile and unbalanced like Tom Cruise at a Pfizer convention.
D. Like Grandpa's contest entry for home winemakers at Taste of Little Italy.
E. All of the above.

Note to the Peirano family: It's not autumn yet - not even here in Cleveburg.
And if this is what autumn brings with her, I'm movin' to Oslo. Norway, that is...

Sunce Vineyard 2003 Sauvignon Blanc
La Rochelle Vineyard

A nose of sweet, pure melons. Really soft mouthfeel with the melon thing continuing. Interesting leesy texture with mild acids, yet retaining balance. Well made and quite unique. Please note the back label, where the phrase 'nuances of fresh marzipan tart' jumped out. I could taste wine for the next two million years and never even think of uttering the phrase 'nuances of fresh marzipan tart', no matter how hard I tried to come up with Parker-isms.

So this stuff gets the award for best nonsensical back label description.

The wine also goes great with braised mussel chutney and dandelion sawdust coulis.


Fratelli Ferrero 2002 Barbera D'Alba
Goretta

Savvy salesgirl Danielle introduced this wine as the Best Barbera Ever. And I gotta tell ya, it really was the Best Barbera Ever. In fact, I'll go ahead and say it: This was the best wine ever brought by ANYBODY to Molinari's Restaurant.
I immeditaely telephoned my boss to resign my sales position, because there is certainly no further point in trying to sell any other wine in the universe, having just tasted the Best Barbera Ever.
I have contacted a group of investors to see if we can start a nationwide chain of stores called Best Barbera Ever so we could stock thousands of square feet of shelf space with the Best Barbera Ever.
I've also contacted my local water department to see if we could replace our city water with the Best Barbera Ever. And when I send my kid to school this fall, I'll be sure to pack little drink-boxes of the Best Barbera Ever in her luch pail instead of Juicy Juice.
The intense yet subtle flavours of the Best Barbera Ever made me question even my own existence, and I shed tears of joy as I shouted exultations to the Holiest of Gods. We have disbanded the tasting group because of the Best Barbera Ever and most members of the group can now safely commit ritual suicide with the assurance that there is no more we can learn on this planet.
In one final act of goodwill, I have forwarded a letter to our President outlining ways in which he might use the Best Barbera Ever to finally vanquish radical Muslim terrorists, cure AIDS, end poverty, and bring an age of lasting peace to the world.

Who woulda thunk a wine could be this good?

Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2002 Sauvignon Blanc
Hummingbird Hill Vineyard

This winemaker has continually impressed me with the extraordinary depth, length, and purity of his wines. We've previously tasted his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which I believe may be the best California wines I've tasted this year, and now comes this very excellent Sauvignon. Huge, delicious, head-spinning acidity married with ripe, lean, focused fruit make this truly exceptional product. I insist that this wine has some Sancerre-ish qualities to it, which make it that much more enjoyable. And the length! The ridiculously long, golden, cleaner-than-clean finish which makes you smile as you drift off to that magical border town where Sonoma ends and Loire begins.

Why are wines like this the exception, and not the standard-bearer for Cali whites?

Sunce Vineyard 2002 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
PL. Franicevic

This PL Franicevic character is the winemaker and owner of Sunce, and this Eastern European dude can make some wine, baby. I liked the bright, clean fruit and snappin' acidity so rare in California Pinot Noir. Although it's too ripe and fruity to be compared to Burgundy, this wine shows balance and texture worthy of its $32 price.

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
2002 ZIND

I think this was a funky blend of Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, and Gewurztraminer, but I'm not positive. Nice ripe fruit, with some creaminess in the mouth (no jokes, please) and a soft, lingering yet clean finish. Although this blend seems unique and unusual, this is one of those new-world 'inventions' that has probably been bottled for the Zind-Humbrecht family's personal consumption for years, but only now shows promise as a commercial wine. My opinion is that these new-world styled white blends represent some of the most creative and forward-thinking winemaking in the world. They offer awesome value for the consumer and flavours that are sophisticated, yet new and energetic and thought-provoking and regionally distinct.

Pileta 39 2004 Mendoza Malbec

This is a custom-bottling for importer Michael Skurnik. For about $11, this stuff is inky and big and chunky and tannic and tooth-staining. Unfortunately, tasting this wine ten minutes after opening did it no justice. But the potential was obvious.

Thorn-Clarke 2004 Barossa Valley Rose
Sorriso

This is a product I sell and I have no fair and balanced critique of this wine. I've never tasted another rose from the Barossa Valley, so I can't judge this wine against its peers. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo is dry, but unlike any dry rose France or Spain has ever produced. The Cabernet Sauvignon makes for a thick, slightly sweet flavour and a slightly tannic finish. This wine may be more easily marketed as a light red than a classic dry rose. I mean, yeah, it's good and pure and ripe and clean, but for me it was out of my normal realm of wine understanding. Very unique stuff, indeed.

Domaine de la Voute des Crozes
2002 Cote-de-Brouilly

Textbook Beaujolais from a good vintage. Dry, with firm mouthfeel and even slight tannin. Yeah, I'll admit I'm a fan of well-made Beaujolais, whether it's cru Beaujolais or good Villages. And for food matching, Beaujolais is probably more verastile than most reds because of its melding of fruitiness with lightweight structure.

Sticks 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
South Autralia

This Cabernet Sauvignon had some ripe, alcohol-induced flavours with minimal varietal character.
The name of this particular wine is quite fitting.

Artesa 2002 Carneros Chardonnay

Truly an atrocity, this amalgam of overly-creamy, flabby fruit combined with macerated lumber flavours made me wonder why Trader Joe's hasn't contacted these guys yet about doing a custom label. Great barbecue wine.
I mean great barbecued wine.



And after our very serious analyzation of wines, we retired to the booth for a lovely late dinner. Of course, we only brought the GOOD WINES over to the booth for dinner, and somehow we managed to forego the Best Barbera Ever. Darn!

I must say that Molinari's crabcakes are huge-mungous and super-delish, and the escargot is the finest preparation I"ve ever had. We evn got Sledge to order to Kobe beef carpaccio (we just called it salami).

Washington Apple

This unusual concoction is a shooter called a Washington Apple.
It neither hails from Washington, nor does it taste much like an apple.

Much thanks to Chefguy RJ for a wonderful evening with dinner and gracias to Sledge for dishing out Ciroc Vodka in every form imaginable.

And for T-Bud, who is on extended vacation: WE MISS YOU, COME BACK SOON!!