The New District Liquors

I stopped by District Liquors last night to see my friend Jeff Harrison and several of his colleagues as they celebrated the completion of District's renovations with a wine tasting for the public. As the consultant on the renovations and inventory improvements, Jeff has been busy working the same magic that he applied when he converted Modern Liquors from a rundown liquor store into an upscale, reputable neighborhood establishment. While there are still a couple of odd improvements pending at District, the transformation has been remarkable and I congratulate Jeff on another successful endeavor.

There were 12 wines offered at the tasting - three whites, three reds, three ports and three dessert wines. All high quality, all well-priced.

I took home three from this group and three miscellaneous bottles that I found on the store's shelves:

From the Tasting

Domaine Gerard Neumeyer 2008 Vin d'Alsace Gewurztraminer - This will accompany Thanksgiving dinner.

Daniel Gehrs 2007 Central Coast Syrah - I don't typically turn to Cali for my wines, but this was definitely Rhone-esque and immensely enjoyable, so it came home with me.

Bouchaine 2009 Napa/Carneros Bouche d'Or Chardonnay (late harvest) - Well, look at this - another one from California, and a dessert wine at that! The nose on this is amazing, with lots of bright fruit followed by a very nice, non-cloying palette. Not sure exactly when I'll have a good opportunity to open this, but I hope it comes sooner rather than later.

The three miscellaneous selections were a 2009 Skouras Moscofilero, a 2007 Skouras St. George Nemea Aghiorgitiko, and a 2010 Oracle Pinotage. These were all priced at under $12, and I'm looking forward to trying each of them for the first time. Jeff swears by Oracle, and the two Skouras selections are the best priced Greek wines I've yet seen in the US.

District is located at 11th & M Streets northwest in Washington, DC.

$10 and Under

Our gathering last Sunday was a lot of fun, but I unfortunately fell down on the job and didn't take notes on ANY of the wines, nor did I take very good photos.

I'll just recap what I recall from the event, and promise to be more diligent next time!

It was nice to have some new faces in the group, and we hope that Michelle, Renee and Betsy will become regulars going forward.

Lisa did a bang up job in the kitchen, cooking up not only our three varieties of sliders on her Foreman Grill (lamb, grass-fed beef, and buffalo) but a number of very nice side dishes to include sweet potato fries, spinach dip, and apple crisp. Thanks to everyone who helped with the prep work, there was quite a bit involved and I think we did a spectacular job in getting it all out there. I was happy when Lisa was finally able to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine and some food.

I think that the wines were probably along the lines of what we would expect for a $10 and under tasting. I don't know that any of us were blown away by any of what we tasted, although I do recall that Ted and Aimee's contribution seemed to garner the most appreciation. It was an '07 Tempranillo, and the age seemed to lend it some complexity and nice tertiary aromas and flavors. I was also pleased to be able to try my first rose from Portugal, courtesy of Katie and Chul, who also brought a Malbec that paired surprisingly well with the apple crisp! Who'da thunk it?!

Yellowtail Reserve, A Blind Tasting

Last Friday evening, I and six fellow wine bloggers joined Laurent Guinand of Giramondo Wine in his offices in Wheaton to participate in a blind tasting of four reserve wines.

The event was hosted by John Casella of Yellowtail, and Doug Frost, a wine writer/consultant who is one of only three individuals in the world to hold both a Master of Wine and a Master Sommelier designation.


Our DC group was one of 20 from around the country, and while we gathered around the TV in Giramondo's conference room, we sampled two white Yellowtail reserve varietals (Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay) and hors d'oeuvres while we waited for the event to begin.

The purpose behind the event was to see how we would evaluate these wines without the bias of knowing what brand we were drinking (this is, of course, the purpose behind any blind tasting). Participants were asked to "tweet" their thoughts as they tasted, and it was interesting to read the various comments popping up on the television screen while we watched and listened to Doug Frost guide his group, along with the rest of us, through the tasting.

I am happy to say that I accurately guessed which wine was the Yellowtail Reserve. I am a little less happy to report that my opinion on Australian Shiraz has not changed any. I've never been a fan of Aussie wines overall, and this event reinforced my bias. There was one exception - the 2006 Dead Arm from McLaren Vale - which I actually enjoyed. But with a retail sticker of approximately $65, I think I'll stick to something from Northern Rhone.

Despite being less than enthusiastic about the actual wines tasted, this was a really fun, informative event and I thank Laurent for including me in it!

What Happened???

It seems that somewhere along the line, I became lazy about posting about our AOC events. Or maybe it was that year that I went missing....

Anyway, I'm back in DC for a little while and the AOC is working on getting going again, and I plan to post not only about our official AOC gatherings, but about other wine-related "stuff" here.

I'm currently doing part-time wine consulting, and although business has been pretty slow, I've been hanging out with some really great people in the industry who are taking me to cool trade-tastings so why the hell not put a positive spin on things!?

Stay tuned for some posts in the next couple of weeks: Wine at Church, Dry Tastings, Something Brewing in DC, Interesting Wines for Under $10 and a surprise blind-tasting for wine bloggers that I'm not sure I can talk about yet.

See you soon!

New Zealand

Unfortunately I wasn't present when you all gathered to taste various offerings from New Zealand, but Lisa has forwarded the notes that you all took and I just thought I'd reprint them here:

Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Marlborough): pleasant sweet mineral peach

Allen Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Marlborough):  grapefruit notes, grassy - we are a fan.

Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 2007 (Marlborough): papaya and oak
                      Pinot Noir 2003 (Marlborough) toffee and raisin

Hatton Estate Gimett Gravel Bordeaux style blend 2003 - amaretto forward metallic finish

Matua 2008 Pinot Noir (Marlborough): raisiny in a bad way

Oyster Bay Merlot Hawkes Bay 2006 - nose is interesting with adhesive and wet moss or sweaty sock. Palatte is lame with nothing going on. 
It's like a bait and switch. Peppery and dry on the finish.

Grove Mill Reisling 2007 (Marlborough): We aren't a fan but tried out of order.

From a post on the Wine Lovers Discussion Group

FRANCE VERSUS DOWN UNDER - MARCH AOC

Thanks to all who participated in our “France Versus Down Under” tasting on Friday, and to Leslie for hosting. Michael sent his regrets that he was unexpectedly unable to attend with the Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand due to circumstances beyond his control, but promises to bring it to a future tasting as he says it’s a good one!

Here’s a summary of our side-by-side blind tastings:

Sauvignon Blanc

France: 2007 Domaine Gibault Touraine: This was one of the more feminine expressions of Sauvignon Blanc I’ve experienced, with scents of meadow grass and wet stones and a perfectly integrated acidity on the palate. Everyone seemed to like this very much, and I did well enough to head across town to Schneiders to pick up two bottles the next day. At $12.99, I would have purchased a case to take me through the summer if I weren’t going to be leaving the area soon. This was my WOTN, among several very nice wines. Thanks Leslie…good pick!

Viogner

France: 2006 Domaine Cantarelles Payd du Gard: My contribution, and what can I say? It was the flop of the evening. Composed of 100% Viogner, this started out promising with a fairly aggressive aroma of peaches, but there was no follow through to the flabby, uninspired palate. We had people who never dump, dump this. If nothing else it was a good example of why Viogner is often used as a blending grape…it has a tendency towards high perfume but low acidity, and is often added to varieties with more reticent scent profiles. $13.99 at Calvert Woodley, I can’t honestly even imagine taking a bottle for free if it was offered.

Australia: 2007 Shoo Fly Buzz Cut: This is an unconventional blend of Verdelho, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Reisling that I’ve had before on several occasions and enjoyed very much. What’s interesting about this wine is that each of the white grape varieties that contributes to it has very unique, individual characteristics, yet they somehow come together nicely here, with none of the players trying to steal the show. Winemakers notes say, “…a refreshing, firmly structured wine. Rich and vibrant flavors of tropical fruit, apricot, and grapefruit work wonders on the palate.” You can find this at stores like Harris Teeter or World Market. Thanks to Christine for this one, nice QPR (Quality/Price Ratio) at around $11.99

Pinot Noir

France: 2003 Joseph Drouhin Savigny les Beaune: I had actually picked this up for my own consumption, but when Merit had to cancel last minute I brought this along to stand in for her contribution. I am a big fan of the Savigny appellation, but 2003 was an atypical year in Europe (really hot) and in my opinion, this wine suffered from it. What would normally be a rather ethereal, earthy wine with bright fruit and acidity ended up being much more concentrated and fruit forward. Some people did like this however, and to them I would recommend trying some California pinot noir, which is similar to this style. At $28.99 however, I think you could do much better with something else. (Note: The same producer/appellation from a more typical year would yield not only a different wine, but a pricetag of about $39.)

New Zealand: 2006 Tohu Marlborough Cuvee: Leslie contributed this wine in addition to the Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine, when her co-worker who had volunteered to come had to drop out last minute. Smoky, brambly nose and a very rich, fruity palate, I think that this is a knock-out at $14.99. If I had to gripe about anything, I’d say that the smoky nose might have been a bit too aggressive, but I think this was a really good representation of Marlborough Pinot Noir for the price. It really came down to personal preference with these Pinot’s…the room seemed divided in half as to who liked which best.

Syrah/Shiraz

This part of the evening was the most fun and educational for me, because it knocked out some stereo-types I held, and reinforced others.

France: 2007 Guy & Thiery Fat Bastard Shiraz: First thing I noticed was that this was labeled Shiraz instead of Syrah, which is something I have never seen on a French label. It threw me not only because of the labeling, but because I normally detest Aussie Shiraz but love a good French Syrah, so I was all sorts of discombobulated now. In addition to the heretofore mentioned emotions, I have seen the Fat Bastard label on many a grocery store shelf and never considered purchasing a bottle because…well, because I’m a wine snob. I shy away from mass produced wines, and Fat Bastard falls into that category, along with labels like Pinot Evil, Red Bicyclette, etc. If it has a cutesy name, I ain’t buyin’ unless I’ve been assured by someone whose opinion I trust that it’s worth it. Anyway…the aromas on this were grapey and the palate forgettable. I would call this the red counterpart to my Viogner for the evening, although I didn’t see anyone dumping this one and at $9.99 it’s still a better value than the Viogner that I brought.

Australia: 2002 Black Opal Shiraz by Wolf Blass: Wow…I actually liked an Aussie Shiraz. The nose on this, while still more fruity than what I normally seek in a Syrah, also carried typical Rhone-like tertiary notes of barnyard and leather, and the palate was full and meaty with well-integrated oak and respectable but not over the top alcohol levels. I searched extensively on the internet for retail prices on this, but found very little out there (which is bizarre, because this brand, too, falls into the mass produced category). I think that this particular year may just not be widely available anymore, but I did find some retailers in Indiana who are selling it for…$6.99!!! If this price is correct, then Dennis takes the prize for absolute best QPR of the evening!

Cabernet Sauvignon

France: 2005 Chateau D’Escurac Medoc Cru Bourgeoise: James’ contribution was a classic Bordeaux from a classic vintage. Shy notes of cedar and woodland lead into sturdy, well-integrated tannins on the palate…this wine is still young so it’s not showing its absolute best, but in 5-10 years my bet is that it will be a beauty. I wish I had a bottle of this to cellar. Very nice, and at $20 for a 2005 Bordeaux, quite a value.

Australia: We finished off the evening with Mehrdad’s contribution, a 2003 Stone Coast Cabernet Sauvignon. I was able to find even less on the internet about this one than the Black Opal…it appears that this is a boutique, limited production wine and not easy to come by in the U.S. The winemaker is well known in Australia, and the brand has a nice website with an interesting story if anyone would like to take a look: http://www.stonecoastwines.com/index2.html. My notes for the evening were non-existent, I’m going strictly by memory here, but I recall this having the classic cabernet sauvignon characteristics that I mentioned in James’ wine (cedar, woodlands, red berries), only this was more forward and accessible, which I would expect from an Australian producer, as their techniques tend towards wines that are ready to drink young.

All in all, I think this was a really fun and informative event! We were happy to have three new people attending – Matt, Jessica and Jim – and hope that they’ll join us again in the future.

I also want to thank everyone for their extra contributions: All those who brought munchies (Lisa’s little filo-dough things were awesome!), Maria and Vince for the lovely New Zealand dessert wine and cake, Matt and Jess for the big-ass bottle of plonk that we all sucked down at the end of the night, and Mehrdad for his Bourgogne that he left for whoever and which is now residing in my wine rack, but surely not for long J