A while back I had purchased two bottles of Rodney Strong wine at my local wine store and blogged about how much I enjoyed their pinot noir. I finally got around to trying the chardonnay and like the pinot noir it did not disappoint. Located in Sonoma, Ca this winery is environmentally friendly, using sustainable farming methods for the vines as well as harnessing solar power. I love that more and more winemakers are being more conscious about their production methods especially since I have been pushing myself to make more environmentally sound choices in my daily routine. Rodney Strong Chardonnay is a pale straw color when poured and has pronounced aromas of citrus and pear. When I choose a chardonnay I am one of the rare wine drinkers who prefer a more oaked and buttery style. I found this wine to have a really good balance between fruity acidity and the butter notes and would appeal to the wine lovers who tend to avoid the flavors that oak ageing brings. The lemon and apple flavors touch the tongue first while the creaminess that I love comes toward the end of each sip. I served this wine with shrimp and tomato orzo with feta cheese and it made a nice pairing with this meal. This chardonnay has 13.5% alcohol and is very well priced at under $25 per bottle. Overall I have to say that these wines by Rodney Strong are an excellent value and I would definitely purchase them again in the future.
Rodney Strong Chardonnay 2009
Posted in California, Chardonnay
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Lambrusco Rosso “Lambrusca” Lini at Gemma
Gemma in the Bowery Hotel has been on my list of must try restaurants for some time now but since they don’t take reservations the wait for a table is usually well over an hour. I was taking out two of my close friends for their belated birthday dinner and the suggestion for Gemma was made. I was filled with excitement to finally get to experience what all the fuss was about and it didn’t disappoint in food, wine, or service. The weather was very warm and being seated outdoors I was in the perfect mood for some bubbly. I was all set to order a simple glass of prosecco but saw the Lambrusco Rosso Lambrusca Lini and the decision was easily made. I don’t know what it is about sparkling red wine but quite simply it makes me giddy (and quite tipsy) but that is the desired end result most of the time.
Lambrusco Rosso “Lambrusca” Lini is produced in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy by Lini 910. It is made from Lambrusco grapes and has a dark ruby color in the glass. With each delicious sip your tongue is bombarded by a barrage of tingly bubbles bursting simultaneously. This was not as sweet as the sparkling reds that I have been drinking recently. It is dryer and has just the right amount of sweetness. It is rich in cherry and strawberry flavors and has less than 12% alcohol.
For dinner we decided to order typical wine bar fare. We built a cheese plate that included La Tur, Tallegio, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Pecorino Toscano along with a plate of prosciutto di parma. The pizza was thin crust and topped with burrata cheese, grape tomatoes, and black olives. The shining star out of it all was the truffled polenta fries. Crispy on the outside like regular fries but on the inside is creamy polenta lightly flavored with a hint of truffle. They were served with two dipping sauces but they were so amazing on their own that I barely felt the need to dip. Gemma also has many meat, fish, and pasta entrees with an array of side dishes. We ended the evening with creamy gelato. For me a scoop of hazelnut and a scoop of chocolate chip.
I am already looking forward to my next trip to Gemma and may even go back as early as next week so that my boyfriend can try it. The atmosphere is perfect for a romantic date night among the dark wood interior and candles. If you can’t get to Gemma check your local wine shop or online. Lambrusca Lini is well worth the money and retails for less than $17.
Posted in Italy, Sparkling/Bubbly, Wine bars/Restaurants
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Wines of France Tasting 1-8-11
Court Street Restaurant in Hoboken, NJ has wine tastings in it’s dining room at least two times per month from fall to spring. Over the past several years this has become my absolute favorite thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. Ten wines are presented by a distributor in a laid back, educational and fun setting with a particular theme, either by region as the Wines of France tasting was, or by price point. I have particularly liked the Wines Under $25 and have found lots of wonderful wines this way and have written about several on this website. Since I love anything from France whether it’s a great stinky cheese or a delicious bottle of Cote de Rhone I knew I had to sign up for yesterdays event. I was definitely not disappointed. Ten wines were presented from nine small production French wineries all of which are imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant:
LASCAUX BLANC 2008-CHATEAU DE LASCAUX from the Languedoc region
HIPPOLYTE-REVERDY SANCERRE 2009-DOMAINE HIPPOLYTE REVERDY from the Loire region
LASCAUX ROSE 2009-CHATEAU DE LASCAUX from the Languedock region
CHAMPALOU VOUVRAY 2008-DOMAINE CHAMPALOU from the Loire region
BOUVIER BOURGOGNE ROUGE 2008-DOMAINE REGIS BOUVIER from the Burgandy region
CLOS LA COUTALE-COUTALE CAHORS 2008-from Southwest France
ST COSME COTES DU RHONE LES DEUX ALBIONS 2008
DOMAINE LECCIA ROUGE 2009-DOMAINE LECCIA-from the Corsica region
CHATEAU ST MARTIN DE LA GARRIGUE ‘BRONZINELLE’ ROUGE 2008-from the Languedoc region
JOGUET CUVEE LE CURE 2007-DOMAINE CHARLES JOGUET-from the Loire region
All of the wines were very good and there wasn’t one that I wouldn’t purchase for myself. I did have several favorites: the rose, the vouvray, the Coutale Cahors, the cote du rhone, and the ‘Bronzinelle’ rouge. The rose was the best French rose I have tasted so far while the vouvray didn’t even need to be paired with food. It was a delicious and complex white that drinks quite well on it’s own. The stand out reds were all well balanced and smooth on the palate with good dark fruit flavors. Not only were they great quality but none of them were overly expensive. Kudos to Megan at Court Street for choosing these wines and to Kermit Lynch for bringing them to the US for us to enjoy!
Posted in France, Wine tastings/events
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Zagat Wine Tasting
Last week I had the privilege to attend Zagat’s first wine tasting for members of their wine club. The tasting was held at Bayard’s in lower Manhattan on November 29th and I couldn’t think of a better way to de-stress on a Monday night after a hectic day at work than to drink lots of wine! Eight tables were set up with a varied selection of 24 wines from several different wine regions. Upon entering the tasting we were all treated with a glass of South Ridge Classic Cuvee 2008 from Sussex, England, the first time it has ever been poured in the US! Acclaimed wine writer Hugh Johnson author of The World Atlas of Wine and The Pocket Wine Book kicked the event off with a short speech and then it was time to hit the tables, glass in hand and ready to be filled. Pouring the wines were Zagat wine buyers and employees, as well as wine makers William Knuttel and the rock star of the wine world Charles Smith. In addition to his superb syrah Charles Smith brought along his outstanding Phil Lane K Syrah 2008 from Walla Walla. Needless to say we hit him up more than once for a glass! Standout wines of the tasting for us were:
Les Anges de Malassan Viognier 2009, Oc Vin de Pays (France)
Perla Del Mar 2009, Alicante DO (Spain)
Roche Lacour Rose 2008, Cremant de Limoux AOC (France)
Charles Smith Syrah 2009, Columbia Valley (Washington State)
K Syrah 2008, Walla Walla (Washington State)
William Knuttel Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Sonoma County (California)
The Zagat wine club membership was a birthday gift this year from my boyfriend and it has been wonderful so far. We just received our third case and when the box arrives it is like Christmas for me. We can’t wait to open it up and see what fabulous wines are ours to discover. There hasn’t been a bad bottle yet! Most of the wines at this event we have yet to receive in our previous cases so based on how many amazing wines we tried last week I am hoping more of these wines that were featured will be arriving at our door very soon.
Posted in Wine tastings/events
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Stephendale Sauvignon Blanc
If you are looking for a white wine with lots of zest for an extremely reasonable price Stephendale Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is the wine choice for you. Produced in the Marlborough region of New Zealand, the Kiwi’s are turning out aromatic and flavorful sauvignon blancs that delight the palate and are light on the wallet, due to strong back to back growing seasons in 2008 and 2009. Stephendale’s version is dry and medium bodied with an extremely light straw color. There is a very pronounced sweet lemon aroma upon opening. I found this wine to have a mixture of citrus, green apple, and lemongrass flavors with a great zing from the crisp acidity. I wasn’t getting very much grapefruit on the palate like most of the other sauvignon blancs I have tried from this region. I liked that it wasn’t predictable and set itself apart from my other favorites such as Kono. Nothing is lacking in this wine and it has a refreshing, long finish on the palate. It is available for under $15 and would be the perfect wine to pair with seafood on a warm summer day.
Posted in New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc
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