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 Santa Claus made a surprise visit yesterday with a small selection of wines to taste and review. He also brought some cool weather with him that deterred me from taking a dip in the pool.  However, it is beautiful and warm today. After my work commitments this morning, I am definitely going to jump in the pool later for some laps and aerobics.  I was invited to a friend’s home for dinner last night, so I grabbed one of my “Santa Claus” bottles of wine to start off the evening. It was a 2012 Chateau Mourgues du Gres Les Galets Rosés Costieres de Nimes Rosé from the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It is mostly Syrah with a touch of Grenache. The color was very dark pink, with wild berries, cherries and floral fragrance. The fruit flavors, especially raspberry, were intense with an interesting spice kick and orange zest on the palate. The finish was long with spice lingering on. Thumbs up on this Rosé! http://www.mourguesdugres.com I’ll be back on Tuesday…Happy Sunday!
Cheers! Penina  It was a cool day yesterday and a chilly evening. I was back to wearing jeans and a sweater. Crazy weather! The day passed quickly and before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set. So, I dashed over to a friend’s home to watch the Stanley Cup. He opened a 2010 Stonestreet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma Valley. It seemed fitting for the cool evening.  The wine was deep red with aromas of blackberry, anise and spices. Flavors burst onto the palate with blackberries, cherries, and licorice leading the way. Hard tannins settled into a softer mouth feel as the wine opened. Spices, hints of mocha and a touch of tobacco lingered into a long luscious finish. This is a big wine and I’m sure that it is going to be even more so in the next several years! It was a treat to drink this! An interesting note: Stonestreet Estates is formerly known as Monument Ridge. It was making the transition at the time of bottling the 2010 vintage. Some of the labels read Monument Ridge and some labels read Stonestreet Estates. http://stonestreetwines.com Even though the NY Rangers lost last night, it was an exciting and high scoring game!
Have a great Thursday! Cheers! Penina  It was a beautiful Sunday filled with lots of activity. Between a quick walk, visiting with friends, watching the Stanley Cup and cooking, it was no wonder that I blissfully crawled under the covers last night for a much-needed sleep.  One of the highlights of yesterday was a delightful afternoon lunch with a friend. We popped open a 2014 Whispering Angel Rosé from Chateau d’Esclans Coted de Provence. This southern Rhone blend was made from Grenache, Rolle, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes. The color was a delicate pale salmon with aromas of strawberry, peach, and tropical fruits. It was crisp, filled with fruit flavors and a touch of spice. This was a fabulous Rosé with flavors that lingered for a long finish. http://esclans.com  I have included a photograph of the back label. I love the quote!  Have a great Monday and don’t forget to watch the NY Rangers tonight! Cheers!
Penina Saturday turned out to be quite the party scene at my house. An impromptu visit from a friend to watch the NY Rangers play, turned into more friends coming over to watch the Preakness Stakes. It was a lot of fun until I ran out of beer and white wine! So, we switched to vodka and scotch…but not together! With a starving crowd and no food to serve, we had pizza and snacks delivered and the party resumed!  Among some of the wines that we depleted were a 2013 Armas de Guerra and a 2012 Tenuta Le Calcinaie Vernaccia di San Gimignano. They are both very refreshing, light and what I call “great starter wines”. The 2012 Tenuta is an Italian wine from Tuscany and 100% Vernaccia grape. It had tones of white fruit, peach and grapefruit. Very refreshing on a warm day. The 2013 Armas de Guerra Blanca is from the region of Bierzo of Spain. It is a blend of 85% Doña Blanca and 15% Godello. It was a lovely floral blend, with peach and was light and crisp. Both of these wines are modestly priced and worth stocking up on. It’s a great way to start the party before bringing out the bigger wines! Enjoy your Sunday!
Cheers! Penina  The year was 1969. It was the year of love, Woodstock and the Beatles “Revolver” album. Nixon was inaugurated 37th president of the US. The movies Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Easy Rider were released. Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon.  And then…. there was 1969 Petrus.  I shared this amazing wine last evening with a fellow oenophile. The wine was released from 46 years of resting in the bottle and gently decanted. The color was brick red with very subtle aromas of dried berries and faint spice. A quick sip told me that we were in for a treat. We allowed the Petrus time to open up. Over the course of an hour or two, we enjoyed tasting the very delicate but undefined flavors of fruit and earth. However, I did detect a hint of plum. It was a 1969 love fest. And…I have one more bottle that I’m saving for a special occasion. The winery is located in the eastern portion of Pomerol in the Bordeaux region of France. The vineyard’s location is in the highest point of Pomerol and is made up of iron-rich clay soil, resulting in fruit with excellent mineral balance and aging potential. It is interesting to note that although Pomerol has never been granted “growth” classification status, Petrus is widely considered on par with other First Growth wines. I'll drink to that! http://www.moueix.com Enjoy your Saturday…the Stanley Cup and The Preakness!
Cheers! Penina So it seems that I need to backtrack a few days. As I mentioned in a previous post, I attended a wine seminar and tasting on Wednesday for Chianti Classico.  The purpose of the seminar was to introduce a new classification to the top of their DOCG quality pyramid, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. The most important elements of this classification are as follows: 1) Wine must be produced from a single vineyard or from a selection of the estate’s best grapes. 2) Minimum aging requirement is 30 months, including 3 months of bottle aging. (mostly French oak is used) 3) Strict chemical parameters & outstanding organoleptic characteristics are judged. We tasted eight 2010 Gran Selezione. They were all a deep ruby color with heady aromas and each one unique on the palate. The wines that “spoke” the most to me were the Antinori, Isole e Olena and Felsina. When I have time, I will elaborate more on my experience and share tasting notes. I will also have to catch up on the wine that I had last night as well!
Happy Friday! Cheers! Penina  Over the past few days I decided to start opening wines that I’ve had chilling in my refrigerator for a while.  I started Thursday evening with a bottle of 2010 Envolve Winery Chardonnay from one of California’s oldest and most celebrated viticultural areas, Los Carneros. The wine had aromas of citrus fruits and delicate flowers. On the palate, the fruits continued with a more tropical flair. Hints of vanilla and a touch of forest rounded out the long and rich finish. I had a little left over and drank it last night while watching the NY Rangers and eating grilled salmon and veggies. Yum! I’m putting the finishing touches on my knitting/goddess room. I will be knitting by the end of the week! Hooray!
Happy Monday! Cheers! Penina  It was quite a kick off to the weekend. I spent the better part of yesterday in NYC, enjoying the hustle bustle, eating at a French bistro and catching up with a friend.  By the time I arrived home, I only had a few hours to take care of mundane business before quickly transforming myself for the evening. And, I do believe that I hold the record for quick changes!  Although the weather was a little nippy, we dined outside around a large fire pit which kept me warm and toasty. Dinner was cooked on the grill and of course, wine was opened.  We drank 2005 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. This was a big and hearty wine. It is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months and also contains 18% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The color was deep ruby with dark fruit on the nose, including cherry and vanilla. On the palate were lots of berry flavors, spice, plum and hints of cherry tobacco. The finish was long and smooth. I was delighted that we had a few bottles to go around. The second bottle was decanted for about an hour. It was definitely more robust than the first “un-decanted” bottle. Delicious! http://www.faustwine.com  Have a great Saturday!
Enjoy the Kentucky Derby! Cheers! Penina  It was glorious to sleep with the windows open last night. I think it is safe to say that spring is here to stay!  I realize my blog of late has the “knitter” missing in it. I am in the process of setting up a “knitting room”, a long overdue project. I hope to have it completed in the next two weeks…and then I will resume making art wear.  Last evening my friend and I lined up three vintage bottles of wine, two of which obviously had leakage and evaporation. Can you guess which bottle was drinkable? We started with the 1969 Chateau Haut-Bailly Grand Cru Classe from the appellation Graves, Pessac Leognan in Médoc. Both bottles had flattened out, but surprisingly had not turned to vinegar. There was still a hint of grape on the palate and had a musty but not unpleasant aroma. I will probably try to make homemade vinegar with them. The winner of the evening was the 1976 Chateau Beychevelle Grand Vin Saint-Julien. Not only was it drinkable, but rather enjoyable! It had certainly lost all the nuances of a Bordeaux wine, but still possessed a lovely fragrance. It was both sweet and soft on the palate with a hint now and then of what it used to be. The wine improved as it opened and two hours later we were drinking the last drop! It was a lot of fun! 
Happy Thursday!
Cheers! Penina  What happened to spring? I woke up this morning to 35 degrees and it is supposed to go down to 29 degrees tonight! Seriously? It’s hot toddy weather again.  I have a busy day ahead of me, but before I dash off, I want to tell you about the 2006 Hecht & Bannier Faugères that I had last night to toast my lucky friend who has been traveling in the Languedoc region.  The wine is made from about 70% Syrah and the rest is Mourvèdre. It was a rich garnet color with cherry, violet and pepper on the nose. The palate offered dark plum, berries, spices and a hint of cocoa. The texture was pure velvet with soft tannins and a long finish. It is interesting to note that this is the smallest appellation in the region and only 200 cases are produced per year. I was fortunate to try a bottle! http://hechtbannier.com Enjoy your Friday and stay warm!
Cheers! Penina |
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