May 25, 2004
With two week’s worth of wine events to report on, this entry is packed with tasting notes. It is a busy time of year, springtime, so full of promise. The Napa Valley Vintner’s Association event of early May was the harbinger for the lively Wine Fest weekend on May 14 and 15, which featured a variety of gatherings celebrating Napa Valley wines and raising money for a local charity. It was my great pleasure to introduce Fernando Frias of Frias Family Vineyard to The Wine Doctor, so that the fabulous Frias Family wines might become available here in Minnesota. The deal was struck, so stay tuned for what could be the most exciting new wine to enter our market in some time.
Speaking of The Wine Doctor, I recently had the good fortune to sit down with him to taste the wines of Mike Januik, formerly the winemaker for Chateau St. Michelle. Mike had become perhaps the most powerful force in the Washington State wine industry, through St. Michelle’s dominance in the market. So why did he leave? Simply put, to work toward making the best wines in the world. Januik believes that Washington State can produce wines as distinctive and expressive in varietal character as those from the best regions of California. After putting nine of his wines to the test, here’s my opinion: His chardonnays are very solid, but these days not many of us are interested in paying $30 for a chardonnay. His merlots were not distinctive, but then I don’t find that quality in many merlots (Pride Mountain and Paloma being two exceptions). Januik’s ’01 Cabernet was approaching greatness, and I could see where the high ratings were deserved. But it was his Syrah, both the 2000 and the 2002, that made my heart sing. These wines are worth every penny—seek them out and consume with certain delight!
We also tasted a ’96 Chateau Corbin Michotte St. Emilion, which, at $31.99 retail, didn’t impress me too much. But I am tough to please when it comes to French Bordeaux, having developed such a Napa palate. I did get to try just this past Saturday a ’98 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, quite a prestigious Bordeaux from the St. Julien region. This was a finely structured wine, but I still preferred its tasting mate, a ’97 Clos du Bois “Marlstone.”
The Wine Doctor and I also sampled a couple of tasty offerings from the South American producer Budini. Both the 2002 malbec and cabernet were very much worth their asking price of about $10 a bottle. Likewise the red and white blends under the label “Le Bistro” were very good, when you consider the $8.99 price.
Moving on to an event I presided over on May 15, during which a small group celebrated with four flights of Napa wines. Standouts included S. Anderson “Stag’s Leap” 2000 Chardonnay ($24.99) and the Kendall Jackson 2001 Cabernet “Grand Reserve” ($22.99).
And, lastly, a wine dinner on May 22 gave us the opportunity to taste Schramsberg’s “Mirabelle,” a non-vintage blend sparkling wine. A great bubbly for picnics, it’s also a great value at about $18. Another standout was the quirky zinfandel from “Blockheadia Ringnosii.” Winemaker Michael Ouellette honors his French heritage by making a wine that is very Rhone in its styling (perhaps akin to a Chateau-neuf-du-Pape, or in a similar manner as Bonny Doon’s “Cigare Volant”). This is a great wine to pair with a spring lamb barbecue. A Ferrari-Carano ’00 Reserve Chardonnay went over very nicely with a salad of spring greens, feta, and caramelized walnuts. And then came the big cabernet blends mentioned earlier, the Ducru Beaucaiilou and the Clos du Bois “Marlstone.” Both were massive and yet supple—great beef wines. And I must mention that just this past Friday I noticed at Sam’s Club in Maple Grove that the ’97 Marlstone was on sale for $24 and change. That, dear friend, is a steal!
We ended this fabulous evening with two knockout dessert wines: First, a sublime Eiswein from Franz Reh in Germany; and second, a delightful port from Silver Oak’s winemaker, Justin Meyer. Along with some locally produced passion-fruit-filled chocolates and a precious Stilton cheese from England, dessert became an international love-fest! Ah, gluttony…
So, what is up on the local scene? I was checking out one of the Cost Plus Word Market outlets, and they do offer an occasional reason to stop in a buy a few bottles. This month they are featuring Cline’s Red Truck blend, as well as the Toasted Head Chardonnay from R.H. Phillips. Two very nice spring picnic wines. Another chain, The Cellars, is having somewhat of a May sale, with a hodge-podge of selections discounted through the end of the month. A few big-name Napa cabs stand out, like Caymus and Staglin Family. And they stay balanced by offering an assortment of ’97 French Bordeaux as well. I might be tempted by the ’97 Chateau LaGrange, St. Julien, at $26.97.
With the spring wine sales now past, the next big sale to anticipate is Hennepin-Lake’s coming in June. Stay tuned for more news on this sale-to-beat-all-sales, if you believe everything owner Phil has to say… Well, time to jump back outside and enjoy what is turning out to be a long and cool spring. The city gardens and parks are lush and gorgeous this year, so grab your favorite bottle of wine, your favorite friend, and go enjoy!
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