EAST COAST PALATE

Happy New Year to everyone from East Coast Palate!  2009 nine was eventful for me, working at the Marcus Whitman Hotel and at Syzygy in Walla Walla, WA.  I backpacked across Spain, sipping wine and tasting amazing food the whole way.  I finished my degree in enology.  Most importantly, I have met some wonderful people.  And what good is a bottle of wine without some friends to share it?
Tonight I'm popping some Perrier et Jouet Brut Champagne, which retails for about $40 and brings a dry, lemon zest quality.  After that it'll be some Willm blanc de blancs (90% Riesling...an awesome tropical nose with a fresh, frothy body) and some Martini e Rossi Prosecco, which is one of my go-tos for parties.
After the sparkling, anything goes, but it feels like a bourbon kind of night. 
Well I wish everybody a safe, stellar night of bacchanalia and debauchery.
Peace and lots of wine love to all.
Cheers,
Chris

I have to admit that while I haven't been posting any reviews over the last few days, I still have sipping some good wines.  I tried the 2006 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir over the weekend and was very impressed.  Another great bottle I opened was the Willm Riesling.  It's bone dry, with fantastic tropical fruit and floral aromas.  Then came the greyhounds:  fresh squeezed grapefruit juice mixed in with Absolut Citron... yum.
Anyway, my epicurean adventures continue.  I promise to have full reviews accompanied by pictures in the near future.  But first I'm off to snowboard in the Poconos.

Here's another wine from Mendoza Argentina.  The Uco Valley is about an hour's drive southwest of the city of Mendoza, and it's gaining more and more recognition for their Malbec, Torrontes, Merlot, and even Pinot Noir.
This 50/50 blend caught my eye down at Adega Cellar in Silver Spring mainly because the winery where I used to work - SYZYGY - makes a wine that is a blend of Malbec, Tempranillo, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  While Syzygy's Saros blend is work of enological art, this blend by Urban was unimpressive. 
There aromatic components are masked by the high alcohol %.  There's a cotton candy smell mixed with flowers, strawberry and even some stinky poo aromas, but they don't mesh well for me. 
In the mouth it starts smooth, then heats up with a bit of spice that I'd attribute mostly to the 14.5% booze level.  The oak tannins on the back end were a bit overbearing, completely drying my gums after each sip. 
It seemed like all the puzzle pieces for a quality wine were there, but nobody bothered to put the thing together.  This bottle retails for about $12, but I don't think I'll ever have it again; it was just too dissappointing for a wine made from two varietals that I enjoy so much.

Last night I went down to YES! on Georgia Avenue to open a couple bottles of good wine out of Argentina's Mendoza region.  I always have fun doing this kind of thing because I can talk to a lot of people about wine, and often I'm able to try something new. 

The 2009 San Telmo Esencia Torrontes:  this grape varietal is indiginous to Argentina, and can produce a wine that often has tropical fruit, citrus, or floral aromas.  This particular bottle fit exactly that profile for me.  Smelling it, there's an orange blossom component that jumps out.  There's also some heat on the nose coming from the 13.5% alcohol content.  The wine has a zing to it, a bite that is slightly bitter, as if I were biting into a flower petal.  Simultaneously there is a lush feel that it creates in the mouth and the finish allows the flavors to linger quite a while.  This wine gets 87 points from me, and it costs $9... I will be drinking more of this wine in the future.
The 2008 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec ($10) has a very floral aroma, as if there were a bouquet of lilies near me while my nose was in the glass.  The wine has a beautiful deep purple color, and with the flowery smells, there are prune and cherry notes that lend to this wine's alomst sangria-like fruity aroma.  The body of the wine is light.  It's not very tannic, and the fruit and berry flavors come through immediately, leading into a floral finish.  I'd prefer a Malbec with more structure, a little more "umph" to it, but for ten bucks it's not a bad bottle to pick up to take to a party.  I'll rate this wine an 84.  It's tasty, but I think people who prefer bigger bolder wine will be bore by this one.

This Sangiovese brings an array of aromas: wood, dark fruit, and earthy mushrooms to name a few.  It has a fresh pop to it, as well, given the bright acidity.  That acidic tartness is typical of Sangiovese, which is the grape used to make Chianti.  This wine comes from a region outside of the Chianti appelation so it is just called Sangiovese.  The Chieti is a hilly, arid part of the country situated in the Abruzzo.  
This wine isn't as oaky as Chianti typically is, and I enjoy that.  Also the alcohol content is only 12%, so there isn't that nostril-stinging sensation as you smell the wine.  Its fruity and funky bouquet is balanced by that crisp acidity, and there's a pleasant finish.  Overall this bottle gets a high B (87 points).  As you can see, it's an $8 bottle, with a screwtop and all; but ultimately it's what's inside that counts.

This mostly Tempranillo blend really seems to me to capture a lot of what is typically associated with the wines of the Ribera del Duero region.  It has a oily leathery stink, a dusty resinous aroma that is a little hot, and very concentrated.  Even though I wasn't completely taken with this wine, I really enjoy the aromatic nuances...the cherry, the black olives, the barnyard animal.  Seriously, it has some funk that is sultry and inviting.
The tastes take their time unfolding, starting of with a rich, creamy mouthfeel, rising into the moment when the tannins take hold, and then slowly finishing with a cherry/leather senstation on the palate.  It is a medium bodied feel, not over-oaked by any means.
It's a good wine that I bought for $12.  I'd rate it in the upper 80's.  Really the aromas did more for me than the flavors.  But it's well balanced, a bit chalky and slate-like, which I like.  I couldn't pin a number on this one, so let's just call it a high B.
Sometimes I feel wierd because the more unusual the aroma, the more I want to stick my nose in that stink.  Is this a funky wine aroma fetish or something?  What are some strange smells or flavors that you have encountered in wine?  Share your stories.

For a young wine, harvested only about eight months ago, this Malbec delivers some really nice aromas and flavors.  It is a light bodied wine, dominated by a very strong candy scent that sets the palate up for some fruity, cherry flavors.  There is a slight smell of leather and nuts, and bit of a tannic bite on the back end of the wine.  This wine from Mendoza, Argentina is inexpensive and shows a younger, simpler version of how well some of the South American Malbecs are made.  I tried this wine at 1 West Wine, down in Dupont Circle, where it was on sale for $13.  It gets a solid B, and I'll probably buy this wine again.  It really is a good bottle for a Tuesday night. It would would go well with a burger, a baked potato or some spaghetti.

The blend in this bottle is 60% Syrah/40% Mourvèdre.  It smells old-world, with dusty, earthy aromas mingling with fresh strawberry notes.  It also smells a bit strong, even though the alcohol content is listed at 13%. 
The wine is light bodied, with some fantastic minerality and a little bit of spiciness.  I like the acid levels, too.  The fruity components, in this case, were low key, taking a back seat role to the stoney, dirty characteristics.  This wine gets 87-88 points from my palate; I'd recommend decanting the wine to let it breath a bit (really just to allow some of the stinging boozey aroma to burn off).  Either way, this Luc Pirlet blend from the Languedoc region is a good wine, and I'd go back for more any day, especially since it only costs $12.

The 2007 vintage in the Rhône valley is impressive, and many critics are touting it as the best year in the last couple decades for Chateauneuf-du-Pape blends, but let's forget the Côtes du Rhônes.  Many Chateaux have limits on how much CDP they can produce, and a lot of high-quality wine is going into blends like this one that cost under 20 bucks but still bring some serious flavor to the table.
This 2007 Domaine de la Solitude has some strawberry/blackberry notes that hover just above a sweaty funk that gives this wine a well of aromatic depth.  The slate smell is in there.  There's some black cherry.  This wine smells dank and earthy.  It smells beautiful.
The mouthfeel is rich, with tannins and acids in perfect harmony.  There is a chalkiness that seems to accentuate the minerality and earthy aspect of this wine, too.  Most impressive about this product is the balance.  Some wines are 'good.'  This one is a composition.  I love it.  It an A, 93 points, and I bought it for $13 (on sale from $17)at The Wine Source in Baltimore.  Even though that Domaine Lafond CDP was a B+ for me, why would I get it ever again when I know that I could get 2 bottles of better wine for less money?  If I seemed a little worked up, it because this wine really just does it for me.  It is good enough that I might have to order a case. 

The first snow of the season fell on Saturday and I was in D.C. pouring wine at a YES Organic Market, where the wine and dairy sections share an aisle.  Needless to say, I was cold on that frigid day, and when my sampling duties were done, I went down a block to Busboys & Poets.  This was my first time here, but I'm planning on heading back this weekend.  The ambiance and noise and warmth were just what I needed.  It seems like a good place for a first date, but I could tell a lot of people were there for the food and drinks.  I, however, sat at the bar, opened a book, and thawed out.   A glass of Côtes du Rhone turned out to be the perfect wine for my brief visit.

The 2006 Côtes du Rhône by Jean-Luc Colombo is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre that has some dark cherry aromas mixed with a spicy, woodsy smell.  The alcohol adds its own spiciness to the nose, but the wine's structure is solid.  There is a good deal of acidity to balance out the tannins.  The dark berry flavors come through, but at the same time this wine isn't overly fruity.  The finish is lengthy and on the tart side, which I like.  This wine would be able to stand up to some duck confit or a hearty steak, but it's made well enough that it does fine on it's own.  A glass at Busboys & Poets costs $8, so I'd guess this wine runs about $13-$15 retail.  I'll be looking for it for my own wine cellar.