"Waiter, Chill My Red": A Lesson from Beaujolais Nouveau
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Chill out: While dining out a few nights ago, I ordered a bottle of the 2005 Beaujolais Nouveau, the feel-good elixir released annually every third Thursday in November.

When the bottle was delivered to the table at room temperature, I asked our server to put it on ice for a few minutes.  She eyeballed me as if I asked her to transgress the laws of nature, then shot me a “suit yourself” look and swiped the bottle back.

What my server didn’t know – and many wine lovers never learn — is that light reds like Beaujolais Nouveau carry a chill as jazzily as Aretha Franklin carries a tune.  Not only will time on ice make these wines more refreshing, but they will become less overtly alcoholic, or “hot,” in winespeak.  And because wines like Beaujolais are low in tannin (the main source of bitterness in red wine), you don’t have to worry about the cooler temperature accentuating their sensation of tannin like it would with more richer, more astringent types like Cabernet Sauvignon and Barolo. So versatile are these gentle reds that in Oldman’s Guide I call them the “Very Chillable Crossdressers”: they are like whites masquerading as reds.

NUGGET TO KNOW

Don’t hestiate to ice down your reds a bit if they are light-bodied and spare on tannin.  Qualifying reds include Beaujolais Nouveau (and other types of Beaujolais such as Beaujolais-Villages and Fleurie) as well as light-style renditions of Pinot Noir, Dolcetto, Chinon, and Rioja Crianza.

chill your wineProducer: Georges Duboeuf
Wine: Beaujolais Nouveau
Vintage: 2005
Cost: $9
Track it down: virtually everywhere

This wine is the real zing, with sling-shot hits of raspberries, blueberries, and other exuberant, shirt-staining fruits.  Its abundant (but not excessive) acidity gets your juices revved up for all manner of bistro fare, including onion soup gratinee, coq-au-vent, and boeuf bourguignon.  It also makes a perfect quaffing partner with lobster rolls, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pulled pork, and other medium-weight dishes that cotton to the wine’s zesty-berry ebullience.

Learning One’s DRC’s (Part I of DRC tasting)
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Wine tasting in Silicon Valley: On a recent visit to Silicon Valley, I had the good fortune to attend a tasting of various vintages of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s La Tâche and Richebourg bottlings (’78, ’85, ’90, ’93) as well as other Burgundian treats. This surreal sampling of priceless gems provided a glimpse of life atop the Everest of vinous experience.

wine tasting silicon valley wine

For the uninitiated, three nuggets to know:

1) Domaine de la Romanée Conti is the ne plus ultra producer of red Burgundy and one of the world’s marquee names in wine.

2) The finest bottlings of mature Burgundy taste like nothing like your garden variety New World Pinot Noir (the sole grape comprising red Burgundy), instead offering a shifting kaleidoscope of berries, violets, rose petals, smoke, bacon, earth, and Asian spices.

3) Not every DRC selection we tasted lived up to the the producer’s aura and the wine’s astronomical price tag, proving that a wine’s deliciousness is not always corrolated with its prestige.  For example, the 1993 Richebourg, at least at this point in its development, had a somewhat muted nose and considerable tannic astrigency.  On the other hand, the 1978 La Tâche and the 1978 Richebourg were, well, simply electrifying, as was the 1985 Richebourg and the 1990, and the…

california wine

Value Viognier
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Value at its best: As novelist Jay McInerney put it in my book, Viognier “has a tropical garden nose that puts you in the mood for romance.” Unfortunately, good versions of this exotic, pulse-priming nectar often requires spending at least $25 a bottle retail, and sometimes much more, so for most people it is hardly an every day indulgence. A visit to New York’s new Mainland restaurant last night revealed a toothsome exception to this rule – the Domaine Triennes 2004 Viognier, a bargain at $14 retail and $35 on Mainland’s wine list.

Nuggets to know:

1) Viognier, with its tropical aromas and crème brulée texture, is a winning alternative to Chardonnay.

2) Viognier’s fruit-stand character is a delectable match with moderately spicy Chinese food, such as Mainland’s superlative Steamed Prawn and Bamboo Dumplings and crisp, flavor-packed Pork Potsickers.  (Mainland’s info: 1081 Third Avenue, at 64th Street, 212-888-6333).

value viognerProducer: Domaine de Triennes (France)
Wine: “Sainte Fleur” Viognier
Vintage: 2004
Cost: $14
Track it down: www.klwines.com/product.asp?sku=1016919

Classically Viognier, with intense aromas of apricots and honey combined with a creamy texture.  It is kept honest by more acidity than one typically sees in Viognier, making it refreshing and food-friendly.  A perfect crowd-pleaser for those seeking a full-bodied, personality-laden white; serve it at your next cocktail party.

 

Visiting Sonoma’s Siduri
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Image result for siduri vineyard

 

On a recent trip to Sonoma, California, I had the chance to stop by Siduri Vineyards.

Nuggets to know:

1) Siduri makes outstanding single-vineyard Pinot Noir, much of which is rendered in a ultra-ripe, high-alcohol, Californian style (as opposed to a more delicate Burgundian style).  They don’t grow their own grapes but source them from vineyards as north as Oregon’s Willamette Valley and as south as Santa Barbara’s Santa Rita Hills.

2) Visiting Siduri’s production facility is a singular experience.  Secreted away in an industrial park in the humble town of Santa Rosa, the warehouse-like setting is the furthest you can get from an idyllic vineyard – and that’s what makes it such a kick to visit.  Visits by appointment only.