6 Easy Steps to Enjoying Chianti Classico

Step 1: Erase all bad memories of cheap Chianti in a straw covered jug (fiasco)

Step 2: Think about your favorite Italian food

Step 3: Think about how nasty it will taste with a high alcohol new world cab or zin dripping with jam and vanilla

Step 4: Think about how delicious your meal will taste with Chianti Classico, a wine made in Tuscany from the grape, sangiovese – delicate fruit and floral flavor/aroma profile (strawberry, dried raspberry, blueberry, red plum, violet, rose), mild spices (cinnamon, clove, thyme), with moderate to high natural acidity, generally a medium-body, and a drier finish

Step 5: Make new memories with cheap Chianti Classico! Start by trying Lamole di Lamole. It’s $10 at Trader Joe’s and they have a few more in that same price range. Lamole di Lamole is aged 9 months in barriques, clocks in at 13.5% abv, and you should find the 2006 on shelves right now.

Step 6: ENJOY!

1998 Le Vieux Donjon CdP

If there's one thing I've learned from tasting older wines (over 5 years old), it's that they can't be rushed. This '98 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CdP), didn't begin it's ascent until an hour after opening. If you don't have the time or tools to decant, the best thing you can do it to keep pours small - maybe even pour more than one glass at a time per drinker.

This wine initially gave off a nose of apple, smoke, and game, then, after an hour or so, had this distinct scent of earth-candy, baking spices, and roses. The wine was highly concentrated, deep ruby, and primary notes of red and black fruits still graced the palate.

World Buckets (Old & New)

Rule of Thumb:

Old World wines come from the "classic wine making regions" aka Europe. New World wines come from "not Europe" aka anywhere else in the world wine is made.

Break It Down:

Old World: 

France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain

New World: 

Latin America, Australia, America, South Africa, and New Zealand

I love using maps when I'm studying wine. It helps me remember things. I also tend to write all over them. When I read about a wine growing region like the Mosel in Germany, I can write a bunch of things on the map next to "Mosel" like Old World, cool climate, riesling, and some top wine makers/producers (names I could recognize in the future on wine lists or at tastings). Or if I was working on a California map, for Paso Robles I'd note that it's considered part of the Central Coast and is recognized for its rhone blends and zinfandels.

Here is an example of a world wine map for this high level New/Old World exercise. When you start learning about specific regions, just work with regional maps!

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 2005

I had the treat of drinking this young rhone with a friend over three hours. It's taken me some time to write about it, but now I'm ready so here's my review:

The wine started very tight. The alcohol and tart notes pushed everyone else out of the way. The wine carried its density elegantly. After a half hour or hour decanted the wine began to catch its breath. The nose evolved to show off more fruits (dried and ripe) and a hint of smoke and bacon. Very satisfying palate journey and finish. I recommend buying this wine and decanting two hours before serving. The wine will also age well, so you may choose to cellar. Whenever you decide to open this wine, it will be a quite a different experience for those used to drinking New World rhone blends.

Here is Wine Spectator's review and rating:

(Wine Spectator 96 & TOP 100 2008)

"One of the largest estates in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, this property is owned and run by the Perrin family. In 2005, they produced their best regular cuvée since 1989 (Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in 1991). The Beaucastel vineyard produces dense and explosive wines from a collage of 13 different grapes, most notably Grenache and Mourvèdre. Each is fermented separately in concrete or wooden vats. The third year of drought, 2005 only intensified the concentration and structure of this ageworthy red."

Family Winemakers of California

This was my first experience at Family in  San Francisco at the Fort Mason Center. It was a great one thanks to...

1) My friend (and international distributor) JB Moresco who was no rookie. Our plan of attack was to explore spontaneously and taste more thoughtfully Day 1 and hit the destination producers we missed Day 1 plus a few extras, recommended by trusted palates, on Day 2.

2) Eating a full lunch at Greens (awesome vegetarian cafe around the corner from the Tasting in Fort Mason Center) prior to tasting both days: http://www.greensrestaurant.com/

3) Spitting everything. If you can't do this, cut the tasting short and go back to your favorites to "drink" a second pour over the last hour. Grab some bread or cheese and crakers to enjoy these sips.

4) Drinking water in between producers. A couple ounces is enough. This will keep you going when fatigue sets in from tasting, talking, standing, and fighting to maintain a healthy core body temp in the Fort Mason Center.

Summary (IMHO):

A LOT of wine and only a handful of standouts. High (unbalanced) alcohol, no mid/back palate, and green tannin showed consistently. And, sadly, in some renowned wines which I really looked forward to tasting. I've listed my "Best in Show" below. These are wines with above average complexity and balance (fruit, acid, alcohol, ripe tannin, oak positive), among their neighbors in CA. However, on an international scale, I can't commend them all on value (taste per dollar). But this is just the voice of one palate, which lacks a respectable wine budget and was trained on almost all Old World wines. 

I believe that there is high demand in the market for the style wine I tasted the past two days, at a lower price. "For the love of the game", I hope these wineries do well. And just because you don't LOVE all of the wines at a tasting doesn't mean it's a bust. I will always go to trade tastings because of the opportunity to meet the winemakers and sales/mkg peeps who are crazy passionate about their juice. Regional tastings showcasing hundreds of wineries are one of the best ways to exercise your the palate and build on your mental inventory of producers, appellations, and specific vineyards*.

(drumroll please)

B E S T   I N   S H O W . . .

Chardonnay

Arcadian, (Dierberg Vineyard) Santa Maria Valley, 2006

Fog Crest Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 2005

ZD Wines, Reserve, Napa Valley, 2007

Rose

Lynmar Estate, Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, 2007

Pinot Noir

Arcadian, (Fiddlestix Vineyard) Santa Rita Hills, 2005

Ladera Vineyards, Russian River Valley, 2006

Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills, 2007

Cabernet Sauvignon

Parallel Wines, Reserve, Napa Valley, 2006

Kelleher, (Brix Vineyard, Oakville) Napa Valley, 2005

Peirson Meyer, (Versant Vineyard on Pritchard Hill) Napa Valley, 2005

Cabernet Franc

Pride Mountain Vineyards, Sonoma County, 2007

Cass Winery, Paso Robles, 2005

Petit Sirah

Robert Foley Vineyards, Napa Valley, 2006

Sirah

Enkidu Wine, Odyessy, Russian River Valley, 2006

BLENDS

L'Aventure, Cote-a-cote and Estate Cuvee, Paso Robles, 2006

Paloma, Merlot (15% Cabernet Sauvignon), (Spring Mountain) Napa Valley, 2007 (buy 2006)

X Winery & Amicus, Amicus Special Blend (51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot,10% Cabernet Franc), (Spring Mountain) Napa Valley, 2005

BEST VALUE Portfolio ($12-$20!)

Owl Ridge Wines, Dry Creek Valley/Sonoma Coast/Sonoma County/North Coast 

PARTYINMYMOUTH 

La Sirena Winery, Moscato Azul - Dry Muscat Canelli, (Calistoga) Napa Valley, 2007

Navarro Vineyards, Estate Dry Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley, 2006

*and cement my love for the Old World. Much has to change over here before that foundation starts to crack :)

L'Aventure Wine Tasting

Stephan Asseo, Bordeaux transplant and L'Aventure's owner and winemaker, restored my faith in balanced, disciplined Paso Robles wine. Prior to this trip, I had very high alcohol, low acidity, jammy, and generally klunky encounters with (benchmark) wines from this region. However, I always approach a new wine with an open mind and I was ready to be pleasantly surprised.

When we arrived at L'Aventure's tasting room at 10am Saturday morning (opens to the public at 11am), Stephan was sweeping the stoop outside his tasting room. The sign of an artist...we were in for a treat.

He greeted us humbly and then told us the story of his search for the right piece of land in California. His winemaking techniques are old world. His vines are (relatively) new. Plus, he has the freedom to work with any varietal, as the wine laws here are much more flexible than those in France. 

As we learned more about his style, I honed in on his focus around harvest time. It is not on the brix level (sugar level) of the grapes or, more generally, the ripeness of the fruit. Stephan picks his fruit when he believes the tannin to be ripe. Tannin is the skeleton that gives red wine its structure and ultimately connects, and supports, every other element. Choosing to harvest when "the tannin is ripe" is not a technical decision at the mercy of a number (like picking at "x" brix, or sugar, level in the berries). It's based on taste, experience, and the 6th sense of man who grew up in one of the most remarkable wine regions in the world. Ripe tannin sets a wine's "tannin" skeleton in perfect alignment. The fruit, alcohol, and acidity work their magic to fill it out. The result is a work of art. An integrated, disciplined, and memorable wine. I almost forgot to mention...it tastes fantastic. Like all of the wines at L'Aventure.

The Estate Cuvee had to be my favorite, but I also enjoyed his Estate Cote a Cote and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Buy and drink or hold:

http://www.aventurewine.com/