grapevine: hear.it.first

Dinner with Your Boss

April 17th, 2009

by Mike Supple
published: 07 Jul 2008

Don’t let so many choices daunt you.

You got invited to your boss’s house for dinner. Congratulations; you’re probably not going to get fired. Why not continue your good fortune by impressing your boss and taking some pressure off of the dinner? Bringing the right bottle of wine will help create a relaxed setting and show that you care about making a good impression on somebody who obviously already thinks highly of you.

Here’s the problem: your boss may know more about wine than you or, worse yet, just thinks he does. You need to bring a bottle that you can feel confident about, impresses someone who knows about wine, doesn’t ostracize someone who doesn’t know much about wine and doesn’t break the bank. The good news is you’re in luck. A few simple tips will make you look like the genius you already know you are.

  1. Avoid white wines. Don’t get me wrong, some of the best wines in the world are white. However, whites are very difficult to bring to a dinner. The first reason is because they have to be chilled, and you don’t want to show up somewhere and make your host do extra work just because you’re there. The second is that people tend to have stronger feelings about white wines than red. They either love them or hate them, and you don’t want to get stuck on the wrong side of a Cabernet drinker by brining a big buttery California Chardonnay.
  2. Avoid names you recognize but have never tried on any wine under $20. If you recognize it from anything other than personal experience it, probably means that it’s a bulk production wine and they spend a lot of money on advertising. This doesn’t inherently mean the wine isn’t worth drinking, it just means that your boss may see it that way.
  3. Choose a variety you like. If you have a particular favorite variety of wine, choose something from that category (Syrah for example). There are thousands of great wines out there, so half the battle of impressing somebody with your selection is you feeling confident about it. If you like it, don’t be afraid to be assertive; your confidence will catch on and other people will enjoy the bottle.
  4. Go Southern Hemisphere. When it comes to value, the best wines for your dollar are consistently come from the Southern Hemisphere: Chile, Argentina and Australia all produce great wines for less money (but make sure you stick to rule #2, particularly when buying from Australia).
  5. Buy medium-bodied wines. Especially if you don’t know what you will be eating, stick with wines that are medium-bodied and will go with a larger variety of foods. This means: Pinot Noir, Malbec, Tempranillo, Chianti (the Sangiovese grape) or Merlot (although thanks to the movie “Sideways” your boss may think Merlot is not good, which is utter crap).
  6. Buy a book by its cover. Seriously. If a wine label draws your eye, it will draw your boss’s eye too. Don’t go for the garish one with the stripper (yes, this winery actually exists) but something bright and classy will work.
  7. Read the labels. Take three minutes to read the front and back labels of the bottle you picked up. More wineries are hiring marketing specialists and starting to put helpful information on the bottles, which is a nice bonus for you. This will give you something to say when your boss asks you why you chose this particular bottle other than, “It was $17 and that’s what I had left after I got gas and a Red Bull.” Don’t be the idiot who just memorizes the quote on the back, “The cool morning fog coming off the Sonoma Coast gives the grapes a longer ripening time, bringing out more flavors of blueberry and forest floor.” Instead, note a couple of key phrases and state them your own way. When you give your boss the bottle say, “I like the cooler Sonoma Coast wines and I thought you would enjoy this one.”

I’m listing a few wines below that make great selections, but due to the fact that wines are made in limited quantities, finding a specific bottle at your local shop can be difficult. We’ve paired up with a great site based in Australia that will show you local stores worldwide that carry the wines. To see if there’s one near you just click on the name of the wine. Remember that confidence when presenting your wine is key, so if you follow these tips and pick a wine, feel good about it and enjoy.

2006 Pillar Box Red, Australia - $12
This is a blend of a few different red grapes, mostly Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Very spicy, rich and jammy, and tastes like a much more expensive bottle. Note: it is in a screw cap.

2006 Don Rodolfo Vina Cornejo Costas Malbec, Argentina - $15
Normally Malbec is a bold and powerful wine, but this one comes from a cooler region that gives it more subtle spices. This makes it better for easy drinking with a variety of foods.

2005 Green Lion Cabernet Sauvignon, California - $19
One of the best values coming out of Napa, hands down. Ready to drink and very high quality. The label was designed by Alan Aldridge who has done album covers for The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Elton John, Jimmy Hendrix and Pink Floyd.

2005 Domaine Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf du Pape, France - $25
A blend of several red grapes, mostly Grenache and Syrah. 2005 was a stellar vintage for Chateauneuf du Pape, and this wine is as good as many for twice the price.

2005 Querciabella Chianti Classico, Italy - $25
A solid producer and a great year for Chianti. This wine has really great spicy smells and flavors. And if your boss is into saving the earth, it’s Biodynamic (although it does not say it on the label).

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Forget Corkage, Can I Bring My Own Glass?

April 17th, 2009

by Mike Supple
published: 04 Oct 2007

The wine I wanted to order from the list was the 1983 Chateau Margaux. While 1982 may be the landmark vintage that pops into mind, my interests lay elsewhere for dinner. I had recently been in Bordeaux again, and during a meeting with Paul Pontallier I was reminded of the stunning beauty of the 1983 Margaux. The weather treated the Cabernet Sauvignon well, and the fully ripe grapes produced a wine of monstrous depth, complexity and tannin that truly did not begin to shed its tannic youth until a few years ago. Now the true elegance of a well aged Margaux is beginning to come forward.

The restaurant is small and privately owned since the mid-1970s, and supports a wine list maintained by Frank, the quirky owner. The majority of the list pays homage to the current trends and popular bulk wineries: a solid core of Chardonnay, both heavily oaked and completely unoaked; a diminishing list of poorly constructed Merlots; a growing list of (poorly constructed) Pinot Noirs; and Zinfandel, a California staple. The hidden gems were towards the back of the list. These were all wines that Frank had purchased upon release and then squirreled away in his private collection, only to be forgotten. As he grew older his tastes turned towards the bolder, richer, fruitier New World style of winemaking, and his veritable bevy of aged Bordeaux, Burgundies, Barolos and more made their way to the wine list.

Contrary to the general trend, Frank decided that since he had purchased these wines for a song, it would only be right to pass them on to his customers in the same form. And this is where I come in to play. The low prices smeared on the pages as I drooled at things I could only hope to find in retail shops. My mind made up, I ordered the ‘83 Margaux, and asked our waiter if they had any glassware besides the clunky goblets on the table. He spun away to find something, and I was left to peruse the delicacies on the menu while daydreaming of a dark ruby glass exploding with rich plums and cassis.

The seconds became minutes, but I was not left alone with my thoughts for long. Frank, the star of the show, came banging over to the table in his wheelchair, deftly keeping every drop of Zinfandel in his glass. After taking a large swig and signaling to the hostess for a refill, he began to expound upon painstaking care with which he chose the ingredients going in to each of the dishes I was bound to enjoy that evening. He eventually rolled off to greet another table, and again I was left to my thoughts and beginning to worry about the well being of my absent waiter.

Some time later, the man in question reappeared carrying glasses that almost, but not quite, resembled something I would risk filling with expensive wine. As he sheepishly presented them, he said, “This is the only crystal in the restaurant…they were left here from a recent wedding.” Suddenly the strange etchings made sense as the words “Donna & Phil” came in to focus.

I never believed it until I went through a Riedel glass seminar, but the proper glass makes a world of difference to the wine. Riedel has spent generations researching how differences in shape affect the aromatics of wine and influence accurate placement of the wine onto the tongue. Not wanting to do the Margaux the disservice of anything less than full enjoyment I declined the offer and switched my order to a bottle of the 1995 Taittinger Comtes de Champagnes. Their champagne flutes were in much better condition than the other glassware, and I am of the firm belief that the proper occasion to drink Champagne is any one during which I am thirsty.

After a hearty meal of meats seasoned to match the power and fury of a ripe Zinfandel, I asked Frank to do me to favor of selling me the bottle of ‘83 Margaux, which he good-naturedly placed in a doggy bag and sent me on my way.

As I now sit and swirl the wine in my Riedel, it is everything I had hoped it would be. But it also makes me think of Frank and what other hidden treasures are lurking in the bowels of his restaurant. Next time I’m bringing my own stemware.

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Burgundy’s Dirty Little Secret

April 17th, 2009

by Mike Supple
published: 04 Oct 2007

Looking across Romanee Conti and La Romanee Vineyards

It’s a common scene: an impatient silence temporarily falls over what was just a lively, chatty room. Butterflies of anticipation flutter in stomachs as the host reveals the wines for the evening. Perhaps a 1983 Dom Perignon, a 1962 DRC La Tâche, a 1947 Petrus, and a 1967 Chateau d’Yquem. This is sure to be a memorable evening, if not a landmark one. But where is the creativity, the flair, the panache? Picking these wines requires no knowledge of the drink; just go to one of the popular critics’ web sites and search for wines by rating, then drop the appropriate sum with a high-end retailer.

Getting better wine for less money; this is what the game is all about.

The cat is out of the bag. Arguably 2005 is one of the best vintages Burgundy has seen. Laurence Jobard, oenologist for Maison Joseph Drouhin for 33 years, believes that the 2005 is the best vintage she has ever made, and I am hard pressed to find any winemaker who disagrees with her. The critics have all weighed in, and while there may be some bickering as to which individual wine takes the crown, the vintage is a screaming success. This news is both pleasurable and discouraging to Burgundy collectors, because increased hype around a vintage drives the market prices up and squeezes availability on these already hard-to-find wines.

Everybody I talk to has a different opinion. There are those who have never tried Burgundy but feel this is the time to buy everything they can get their hands on; other seasoned collectors stay the course and stick by their allocations from the same trusted producers year in and year out; still more lament the outlandish increase in prices and choose to leave a gap in their running verticals. The choice is up to the individual, but some of the 2005 red Burgundies I have tried are among the most stunning young wines I have yet to encounter. The key word in that sentence is “red”.

So what choice remains? Buy the wines from “off” vintages? In a manner of speaking, yes. Here is the dirty secret: the reputation of a vintage in Burgundy lives and dies by the Pinot Noir. This has led to the tragic overlooking of some of the most stunning white wines ever made, and this must end!

Sure, Chardonnay is grown almost everywhere in the world, but to date no other wine region matches the crisp purity, richness of fruit, striking minerality and unparalleled ability to age as a well made white Burgundy. While perhaps austere and lean in the tough years, drinking the best wines can be a truly transcendent experience. The year 1973 rarely shows up in vintage charts of notable years in Burgundy, but the 1973 DRC Le Montrachet is widely regarded as their greatest Montrachet, and some critics argue that it is still a perfect wine even with 34 years of age on it.

In the shadow of the great 2005 vintage, most of the wines from 2006 will be overlooked. This is not necessarily a bad thing particularly with Pinot Noir, as many of the wines will be fruity but short-lived, but to skip the vintage completely will be a mistake (particularly with the Chardonnay). Yes, there was hail that destroyed some vines, and yes, rain before the harvest led to some rot. But that IS Burgundy! The best winemakers know how to adapt and work with what Mother Nature provides. Every winemaker I spoke with from up north in Chablis to the southern end of the Cote d’Or agrees: 2006 is an anomaly, and never have the Chardonnay grapes gotten so ripe while maintaining such high acidity. As Laurent Ponsot himself recently told me, “‘06 is more balanced…pH, alcohol, acidity…everything is just - perfect.” He did quickly add the caveat that 2006 was “vraiment une année de challenge” and that the greatest wines were made on the vine, not in the cellar. In the land of Bourgogne, the rule of terroir is king. Follow the great soils and you will find the greatest wines.

What does this all mean? Amidst the continuing challenge of trying to buy reasonably priced French wines with a bruised and battered American Dollar, look to white Burgundy. Try the vintages in between the ripe red fury. Drink some ripe, crisp 2004s and 2006s while they’re young and fruity, and put some in your cellar to experience the true beauty of pure aged Chardonnay. Or don’t, and leave them all for me!

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2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

April 13th, 2009

90/A-

Tasted by Mike Supple - 04 Apr 2009

Very pale platinum-blond color. Fresh and explosive aromas jump out of the glass: ruby grapefruit, cut lemongrass and freshly clipped tomato vines. Great mouth feel. Lush and juicy with vibrant acidity. Tons of ruby grapefruit flavors are joined by ripe lemon and lime. A faint hint of grass comes in on the back end, leading to lingering citrus with a touch of wet stone.

This is what Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is all about. Fresh, juicy, crisp and delicious. Always a strong wine, Kim Crawford has done it again with the 2008 vintage. Great for sipping by itself on a hot day, but also perfect for an outdoor barbecue. Works well with most white fish, particularly when drizzled with lemon. A nice match to grilled pork chops with rosemary too. As a bonus, it’s a screw cap wine, which makes it an easy grab-n-go for a picnic!

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2007 Casal Novo Godello

April 13th, 2009

89/A-

Tasted by Mike Supple - 31 Mar 2009

Pale lemon core with a clear rim. Crisp, fresh aromas of white grapefruit and lime with a hint of honey and ripe honeydew melon. Reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc, but with softer melon notes. Surprisingly creamy on the palate entry. Round and full with flavors of kiwi, honeydew and citrus all backed by a wet stone minerality on the finish.

This is a stunning and unique summer wine that is a must, because you’ve probably never tried anything like it. It’s made from the Godello grape, a rare variety local to Valdeorras. Has all the great citrus-crisp intensity of a fresh New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but hits you in the mouth with amazing balance, creaminess and full body. A definite winner for lounging in the sun on a picnic, but it will also stand up impressively well to full-bodied, meaty fish like tuna or shark on the grill.

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2007 Domaine Ostertag Les Vieilles Vignes de Sylvaner

April 13th, 2009

88/A-

Tasted by Mike Supple - 07 Mar 2009

Pale lemon yellow core in the glass. Youthful and fresh aromas of green apple and a touch of lemon all surrounded by light white flower hints. Dry on the palate with great zesty acidity. Lemon zest, green apple and white peach surround a hint of wet stone.

A perfect wine to kick off the beginning of Spring. Fresh, crisp and easy to drink. The perfect cocktail wine for a Thursday evening or just hanging out in the back yard while playing fetch with the dog on a Saturday afternoon. Also a perfect accompaniment to crab or oysters. Sylvaner is one of the classic grapes of Alsace that is unfortunately being replaced in many areas by the more popular Riesling grape.

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2007 Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir

April 13th, 2009

88/A+

Tasted by Mike Supple - 08 Mar 2009

Medium ruby core with a pale pink rim. Very intense, youthful aromas of fresh cut violets, ripe cherry, blackberry and strawberry fruits. Good body with soft, ripe tannins and a great punch of acidity making the wine extra juicy on the palate. Round, rich black cherry, blackberry and raspberry are all underscored by a hint of wet earth.

Pinot Noir keeps going up in price due to worldwide demand, but the quality seems to continue to drop. I typically turn to Argentina for great values on spicy reds like Malbec, but the quality for the dollar on this little beauty blew me away. Balanced and light-bodied enough for just sitting around and sipping on a lazy Saturday afternoon or as a way to unwind after work while you’re waiting for the delivery guy to bring dinner.

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2007 Target Wine Cube Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz

April 13th, 2009

84/B+

Tasted by Mike Supple - 21 Feb 2009

Medium ruby core with bright purple highlights. Fresh and juicy with red cherry, raspberry and blackberry aromas. Very smooth entry in the mouth. Nice acid makes it juicy. Medium bodied with lots of bright red fruit. Decent balance and a medium-length finish.

Not a wine to impress a bunch of wine geeks, but good enough (and worth the money) for just sitting around and enjoying the company or conversation. It’s kind of like bringing a 30-rack of Coors Light to a party: nobody will complain, because it’s free wine, but if you want to make an impression, bring another bottle along.

This wine was tasted from a 3.0L box, which is the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine. So the “B+” Value Grade is for the wine being priced at about $4.00/bottle.

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2007 Trefethen Estate Dry Riesling

April 13th, 2009

89/B

Tasted by Mike Supple - 02 Apr 2009

Pale lime green core with a clear rim. Sweet honeysuckle aromas are backed by lemon and lime with ripe honeydew melon and a touch of petrol. Passion fruit on the front palate is quickly joined by juicy lime with notes of honeysuckle. Good acid and body with just a faint hint of sweetness on the back end.

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2008 Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc

April 13th, 2009

90/A

Tasted by Mike Supple - 30 Jan 2009

Pale lemon yellow color with a clear rim. Fresh and light aromas of cantaloupe melon and lime with a touch of minerality and some light floral notes. Sweet kiwi and honeydew fruits on the front palate. Crisp, clean, fresh and dry (no sugar) with a medium length finish.

Chenin Blanc (or Steen as it is called in South Africa) can be a very refreshing and delicious wine when made right, and this one from Mulderbosch is a fantastic example. Aside from some parts of France, South Africa is generally the only region in the world that manages to capture the delicacy of this wine, bringing out impressive flavors while keeping it all in balance. This is a great value for South Africa, and a great value for Chenin Blanc from anywhere. A perfect drink before or after a meal, and it goes very well with white fish or vegetable stir fry. (It says “Steen Op Hout” on the label, which in Afrikaans means “Chenin Blanc aged in wood”.)

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