Fetzer Gewurztraminer

Last week, we had a bottle of wine that my mother-in-law brought over. It was the 2006 Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks Gewurztraminer. Gewurztraminer is a light grape from France and Germany, which Fetzer grows in its California vineyards. While not as sweet as the German Riesling that I usually prefer, this Gewurztraminer was actually quite nice! It was fairly smooth mouth feel, a mild fruit, good body, with a nice finish. Not overly dry, despite being 12% alcohol. It went very nicely with our dinner, grilled chicken and steaks. It actually held up nicely with the steak, as well as the chicken. Locally, Davidson Liquors carries it for $8.99, quite reasonably priced. This is one that I would definitely enjoy again!

Wine Tasting 16 March 2008

At the wine dinner last week, we sat with Sterling Robinson, Derek's friend from Seven 30 South. We talked about each wine as we tasted them. When we were discussing the Riesling's, he suggested that I try a Riesling from Alsace, France, as they have a different character than the German varieties that I usually get.

When I stopped at Davidson's later in the week, I picked up an Albrecht Riesling from Alsace, as well as another bottle of Schmitt Söhne Riesling QbA. On Friday, a lady that Jeannette works with brought her two bottles of Riesling, to thank her for helping with a project. That gave us a Columbia Winery Cellarmaster's Reserve from Washington state, and a Schlink Haus from Germany. We thought that since we had such an interesting assortment, we should do another wine tasting.

Columbia Winery 2006 Cellarmaster’s Riesling
Columbia Valley, Washington
Our Cellarmaster’s Riesling offers fragrant honey, pear and apricot aromas that lead to delectable fruit flavors and crisp acidity. Enjoy with spicy foods, fresh fruit desserts or sipping on your deck or patio.
http://www.ColumbiaWinery.com
Produced and Bottled by
Columbia Winery
Woodinville, WA USA
Alcohol 10.0%
$8.99 at Davidson's

Had a subtle fruity, floral aroma. Medium body, with some spritz. An attack of sweetness, not so well balanced. Acidic mid-palatte, and a bit too much alcoholic finish.

I had all of the opened leftovers in the fridge for a couple of days before I finished them off. After the Columbia had a chance to breathe for a day or two, it actually smoothed out a little bit. The alcohol on the finish wasn’t as strong, and the acidity and sweetness balance seemed better as well. This wine might benefit from decanting, or at least being opened an hour or two in advance to breathe.

Schlink Haus Riesling 2006 Qualitätswein - Rheinhessen
"Schlink Haus Wine Selections represent dependable quality and great values.
The Blue-glass-bottle has been revived from a 200 year old tradition in the Nahe Valley.
The Riesling is the finest and best known of Germany’s white varieties. A crisp and refreshing wine for seafood, chicken and salads."
Bottled & Shipped by:
Günther Schlink GmbH
A.P. Nr. 7 907 008 028 07
D-55543 Bad Kreuznach
in D-54518 Esch
Produce of Germany
imported by: Wein-Bauer, Inc.
Franklin Park, Illinois 60131
Alcohol 9.5%
$5.99 at Davidson's

Light bodied, subtle earthy aroma, light straw color. Light fruit up front, apricot note on the finish. Subtle minerality, but overall very smooth.

Lucien Albrecht 2003 Riesling Reserve
Appelation Alsace Controlee
White Alsace Wine
Bottled by Lucien Albrecht
A 68500 Orschwihr Haut-Rhin
Alsace, France
Product of France
Martin Linhoff Selections
Imported by Pasternak Wine Imports, Greenwich, CT
http://www.lucien-albrecht.com
13% alcohol

Mineral presence was noticible in the aroma. Sharp mineral bite, rather dry. Rather tart/sour on the mid-palatte. Would probably pair well with something like filet of Sole with lemon and capers?

I finished the leftover portion of this on St. Partick’s Day evening with some corned beef, potatoes, and saur kraut, which the Albrecht paired with pretty nicely.

Wine Dinner at Baur’s Ristorante 11 March 2008

Last Tuesday night, we had the opportunity to attend a wine dinner with Bob Bertheau, head winemaker from Chateau Ste. Michelle, at Baur’s Ristorante. Many thanks to our friend Derek Bennington of Vine Catcher for the invitation.

Baur's is located at 15th and Curtis St. in downtown Denver, about a block from the Denver Center for Performing Arts. There is an RTD Light Rail station next to the DCPA, so we took the train downtown after work. The restaurant is in a building that used to be home to Baur's catering, restaurant, and candy shop since 1891. Current owner Jimmy Lambatos opened this restaurant last fall. Our wine dinner was in the elegant "Venetian Room" for private parties.

I should mention that since I'm lactose intolerant, I had made arrangements to have whatever modifications/substitutions made for my meal, in order to avoid any dairy. The staff at Baur's were most accommodating, and made sure that everything they brought me was dairy-free. I'll only mention the regular menu items below, although I was served something slightly different in a few cases.

Before the dinner began, we were treated to several glasses of Chateau Ste. Michelle's exquisite 2006 Eroica Riesling. It made a wonderful start to the evening. The Eroica Riesling is very light and refreshing, with the hints of citrus and and subtle mineral note. The Eroica is produced as a partnership between Chateau Ste. Michelle and German winemaker Dr. Ernst Loosen. Dr. Loosen's Blue Slate Riesling is Jeannette's favorite, so we both enjoyed the Eroica immensely.

The dinner was served in five courses, each accompanied by a different wine. It began with a "Dinner Amuse" course of Honey Smoked Salmon, Baby Fennel, Chive, and Créme Fraiche, paired with the 2006 Eroica Riesling.

The Appetizer was a Vadouvan seared Diver Scallop, served in a shallow bowl of Watercrest Soup with Spring Peas and crisp bacon. It was paired with the 2006 Horse Heavan Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was light and crisp, with a subtle citrus component.

Next came the Salad course, with Prosciutto Di Parma, baby Arugula, candied walnuts and shaved Parmesan, served with the 2006 Indian Wells Chardonnay. The warm and buttery oak flavor paired quite nicely with smoky Prosciutto.

The Fish course included a grilled Alaskan Halibut, with Chantrelle Mushroom crust, white asparagus and Fava beans and smoked corn. The wine was the 2005 Canoe Ridge Estate Merlot. While I was a bit surprised to see a red wine with a white fish, the mellow Merlot actually paired nicely with the Halibut.

A Meat course followed the fish, bringing a Muntok Pepper-crusted Bison Tenderloin, accompanied by a Goat Cheese and Shallot Bread Pudding and a sour cherry sauce. The Bison was fabulous! It was so tender that you could pull it apart with your fork! The pepper and sour cherry flavors were enhanced by the 2004 Ethos Syrah, which brought warm earthy tones and dark fruits.

For the Dessert course, we had a brown butter Financier with vanilla poached pears, and a Riesling Sabayon custard. It was served with the 2005 Ethos Late Harvest Riesling. This wine was more intense than the Eroica, with rich honey and apricot flavors. It was delightful!

Between each course, Bob Bertheau gave us some history of the winery, some of his background, and a few stories about picking the frozen grapes for the 2006 ice wines on Halloween night and working with Dr. "Ernie" Loosen. The food was fabulous, and the wines were wonderful!

The staff at Baur's did a great job of delivering the food and wine quickly and unobtrusively, and whisked away the remains almost without notice. As I mentioned earlier, they paid special attention to my dairy-free diet, and were careful to mention with each course that my serving had been specially prepared so that I didn't need to worry. We had a wonderful evening, and are looking forward to their next special event!

Riesling Ice Wine

My neighbor Steve called me last weekend, needing help with his printer on his home network. After spending some time reconfiguring the printer, and creating some new print queues, Steve rewarded my efforts by popping open a 2000 Plum Creek Riesling Ice Wine that he had chilling. Plum Creek is a Colorado winery, near Palisade, about 10 miles from Grand Junction on Colorado's western slope.

I’ve had a Rosé from Plum Creek last October that wasn’t really to my taste, but this Riesling Ice Wine is a different story!

An Ice wine is made from grapes that have stayed on the vine until they freeze, so they are overly ripe, very sweet, and very intense.

Plum Creek Riesling Colorado Ice Wine 2000
Produced and bottled by
Plum Creek Cellars, Ltd.
BWCO10 - 3708 G Road
Palisade, Colorado 81526
(970) 464-7586
Alcohol 8%
375ml

With a rich aroma, heavy body, and intense burst of flavor, this dessert wine is a very enjoyable experience. Long lasting finish. I'm not sure that Plum Creek produces this wine every year, but I'm going to look for more of this!

Wine Tasting 14 Feb 2008

For Valentine’s Day, which is also Jeannette’s birthday, I had wanted to get another bottle of Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Riesling that we had at Christmas (See Wine Tasting 24 Dec 2007) since it was Jeannette’s favorite. Davidson’s, where I usually shop, was out of stock. I went to several other local wine/liquor stores, but they either didn’t carry it, or were also out. I decided to substitute with something else in same price range, about $13-14.

I’ve liked the other Rieslings that I’ve had from Mönchhof, so I decided to pick up their Estate Riesling, which Davidson’s has priced at $12.99.

Mönchhof (Robert Eymael) 2006 Estate Riesling
Mönchhof - Robert Eymael
D-54539 Ürzig/Mosel
http://www.moenchhof.de
A.P. Nr. 2602 029 012 07
Mosel-Saar-Ruwern Riesling Qualitätswein
http://www.germanwine.net
Imported by Cellars International, Inc.
San Marcos, CA 92078 USA
for Rudi Wiest
9.5% alcohol
Produce of Germany
Price: $12.99 from Davidsons

Tasting Notes:
pale color, medium body, some spritz, smooth, slightly sweet, good balance with acidity, nice finish. Not quite as intense as the Mönchhof Mosel Slate, but definitely very nice for the price, and a Riesling that I would consider buying again.

Wine at Restaurants

I've had a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling with dinners at restaurants on a couple of occasions. Now that I have developed more of an interest in wines, I find it somewhat annoying that the wine list at most mid-priced restaurants provide so little information about the choices.

At Mimi's Cafe tonight, they only listed the producer and varietal... So I asked to see the bottle! It turns out that the Riesling they offered is the 2006 Columbia Valley Riesling from Chateau Ste. Michelle. According to their website, it was rated 86 points by Wine Spectator. Davidson's has it priced at $7.99, the same as the Saint M that I like. It was $5.95 for the glass, which seems about average for restaurants...

I thought that the Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling was a very nice wine, although perhaps not as interesting as the Saint M... It had a light fruit aroma, and a light gold color. It had a subdued mineral component, with subtle fruit component, hints of pear, apple and melon. There was a slight sweetness, offset by a mild acidity... Overall, not quite as intense as most of the German Rieslings that I had tried. Would I get it again? Certainly! The Chateau Ste. Michelle seems to be frequently offered at restaurants. It was definitely good enough to get again. At Mimi's Cafe tonight, I had their Diablo center cut pork chops, which paired with the Riesling very nicely.

I've also had a Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling at the Elephant Bar, with their MisoYaki Grilled Salmon. I'm guessing that it was also the Columbia Valley...

The last time we were at Applebee's, they had just revised their menu and wine list. This seems to happen about every six weeks, or about every time that we go there... They no longer offered a Riesling, so I settled for the Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio. I wasn't terribly impressed with it... It seemed lacking in any discernible flavor, like most of the Chardonnay that I've had.

In December I was at C.B. & Potts with some co-workers, and tried the Black Swan Riesling from Australia. I think that Davidson's sells the Black Swan Riesling for $5.99, which is probably about what it cost for the one glass that I had at the restaurant! It also seemed pretty flat... I wouldn't have guessed it to be a Riesling if I didn't know that was what it was...

I haven't posted reviews of any of these on Vine Catcher since i had so little detail about what they were. Perhaps I'll post something on the Chateau Ste. Michelle, since I know what it was...

Wine Tasting 25 Nov 2007

Ok, so this is a little bit late, but I thought that I would copy and paste my notes here for completeness... On 25 Nov 2007 we had a wine tasting with my folks, who were visiting for Thanksgiving. We had three wines, all German Rieslings:

Saint M 2006 Riesling - Pfalz region
11% alcohol
Bottled by Villa Wolf property of Ernst Loosen for Chateau Ste. Michelle
Qualitätswein - Product of Germany - Bottled by D-RP 142 463 in D-07231134
A. P. Nr. 5 142 463 01 07
Shipped and imported by Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA, USA
Price: $7.99 from Davidsons

Tasting Notes:
light gold color, medium body. slightly sweet, off dry, a bit of a tart/acid finish, nice balance... I've bought this several times, and find that it compares well against German Rieslings costing double! This is a very nice wine for "everyday" with casual dinners, or just sipping on its own.


Schmitges 2006 Riesling Qualitätswein
Gutsabfüllung - AP NR 25820711007
Estate Bottled by Weingut Andreas Schmitges D-54492 Erden
Product of Germany - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
11% alcohol
Imported by Magellan Wine Imports, Inc. Centennial, CO 80122
Price: 15.99 from Davidsons

Tasting Notes:
pale straw color, medium body, some spritz when poured. Smooth, well balanced, crisp, tart finish


Mönchhof (Robert Eymael) 2005 Mosel Slate Riesling Spätlese
Weingut Mönchhof - Robert Eymael
D-54539 Ürzig/Mosel Gutsabfüllung A.P. Nr. 2602 029 004 07
Qualitätswein mit Prädikat - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
The Mönchhof estate was founded in 1177, and today is managed by Robert Eymael. This Mosel Slate Spätlese was selected from the famous Erden Treppchen vineyard. The vineyard consists primarily of grey-blue slate which produces elegant wines with a crisp and refreshing acid structure.
Imported by Cellars International, Inc.
San Marcos, CA 92078 USA
for Rudi Wiest
8% alcohol
Produce of Germany
Price: $17.99 from Davidsons

Tasting Notes:
pale color, medium body, some spritz, smooth, noticibly sweet, good balance with acidity, nice finish
This was the wine that we served for Thanksgiving dinner.

Conclusions:

Of these three, Jeannette liked the Saint M best. Both Mom and Rich preferred the Schmitges as their first pick. I would have placed the Schmitges second, as I preferred the Mönchhof Mosel Slate. I had served the samples in 2 oz. plastic tasting cups, which were poured about 30-45 minutes before we were able to taste. Rich commented the next day that the Mönchhof tasted much better with dinner then it had the prevous night. I’m wondering if the Mönchhof didn’t sit well in the plastic cups? I think that I may avoid using the tasting cups in the future, and stick to regular glass wine glasses! All of these three are wines that I would buy again.

Vine Catcher

My son, Eric, has been doing some freelance web development for the past year. One of the sites that he's been working with is really interesting.

Derek Bennington started Vine Catcher as a community forum for people to share their interest in wine, and pairing with food. I think that his idea is to help make wine more accessible for the common person who isn't a wine connoisseur or expert.

You can either browse the wines and recipes in the database, or search for particular criteria. The site uses a very simple and straight-forward rating system of 1-5 starts, instead of the traditional 100 point scale (which really starts at 80?).

Its very easy to setup a free account, and enter notes on wines that you try, which you can keep private or share with others.

I've been entering the wines that I've been trying, mostly German Rieslings, on VineCatcher for the past few months. Check it out!

German Riesling

Our neighbor Steve introduced Jeannette and I to some German Riesling wines last summer, we we enjoyed immensely! About the only wine that we had really liked in the past was something like the Beringer White Zinfandel.

For those not already familiar with them, Riesling is a white wine that originated in Germany. It is light and fruity, often sweet, with a balance of acidity that gives a very nice flavor. I find it to be much more interesting than Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. See Wikipedia for more details.

The wines that Steve shared with us were inexpensive German imports from Schmitt Söhne. Their US website is Little German or their main website is Schmitt Söhne Our local liquor store, Davidsons Liquors, carries them for about $6-9/bottle. That was inexpensive enough to start trying different kinds, see what we liked, what foods it went with, etc.