If Your Cat Pissed In The Glass...

The title of this post is probably not the most appealing to the reader. For those of you who have never owned cats...it's a pretty horrible thing, cat piss. It might be the most pungent and unappealing smell in the domestic world of animals....but I digress.

This evening it was raining cats and dogs (reference was certainly intended) and so what is one car-less wine student to do?! Drink a lot of wine (duh). And so my California V. France comparative was born.

France and California pretty much represent the essence of Old World and New World rifts. Strict regulation versus encouraged vinicultural experimentation, earth versus fruit, medium versus high alcohol, the emphasis of terroir versus winemaker's personal style....I could go on, but why bore?

California is the PREMIER New World producer, as a state (alone) producing the fourth most amount of wine after France, Italy and Spain. The 1976 Paris Tasting put Napa on the map, and the rest is history. The California Northcoast AVA is center and leading force in New World wine, with nearby UC Davis acting as the leading researcher in vini/viticulture outside of Europe.

As much as I could go on about how far California has come, France remains the example for quality wine, regardless of style. With thousands of years of wine production behind them, tradition suits them well. The terroir is arguably the best on the planet, with many (if not the majority) of New World varieties originating from France. If California is the prodigal child, France is still Big Papa.

So back to the liquid stuff, I compared two sauvignon blancs. From France, I opened the Domaine de la Pauline Sancerre 2013, from the Central Vineyards in the Loire Valley. From California, I opened the Round Pond Estate Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc 2013. From both wines I got the varietally common factors of white grapefruit, cat piss (absolutely UNMISTAKABLE), grassy notes, and minerality. My tasting notes were as follows...

Domaine de la Pauline Sancerre 2013 
Aromas of white grapefruit with subtle kiwi, papaya and passionfruit. Reminiscent of catpiss, fresh green grass, white blossoms, chive and blanched asparagus. On the palate, candied grapefruit with hints of pineapple, apple pith, kiwi skin, freshly cleaned cantelope and dehydrated mango. Earthy, bitter grass with floral daisy, jalapeno, chive and floral stems, followed by a chalky minerality on the finish. The wine is bone dry and unoaked with solid acidity. I would love to pair with proscuitto wrapped cantelope, tropical fish dishes, or creamy cheese. Higher in acid and more delicate in flavor than its Californian cousin, I would try and match the more delicate flavors in the wine to aspects of a dish.

Round Pond Estate Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Cat piss is evident on the nose, as well as waxy aromas of starfruit, oxidized apple, dried pineapple and overripe pear. Aromas are also reminiscent of a dusty chalkboard (when you get in trouble in school and are supposed to clean it...), leading me to call a dusty, chalky minerality. On the palate, a bitter honeydew melon, especially the rind, is on the front, followed by waxy, yellow grapefruit rind, grapefruit pith, underripe guava, and "pear sauce" (is that what you call apple sauce but with pears?). Dry grass, if not hay, is certainly present with (again) a floral stem flavor, with sandy, fertile earth and preserved, salty Morroccan lemon on the finish. This is a dry wine with solid acidity, but certainly more bitter in flavor than its French counterpart. I would pair this with a dish including honeydew melon, or a morroccan dish with preserved lemons as an ingredient. Alcohol was significantly higher than the French example, so I would consider full bodied and pair it with slightly heavier dishes.

Passed my French test this last Wednesday, thank goodness! One of the hardest blinds I have ever done, but the learning experience was well worth it. Halfway through the New World unit, and cannot wait to get to Australia and New Zealand at the end of next week.

Stay tuned for a lot more wine stuff...I can't afford to cook fancy food with these wine bills!!!! Please don't mistake that as complaining....life is good!

Made friends with the pastry chefs this weekend and got invited into the chocolate lab to taste all of their new confections. Definitely one of the most delectable cocoa experiences I have ever had...my favorite being the corn flake truffles!

Three cheers to all the amazing chefs and pastry chefs who keep my belly happy :)

Until next time, here's to natural irrigation (we sure needed it out here)!

North Fork is for...Vintners?

DISCLAIMER: Yes I am in wine school and my instructors would probably yell at me for what I am about to write as it has less to do with actual quality than my own personal taste. This is more just about my general experience at the different vineyards and the wines I preferred there.

In my previous jobs in wine bars, I've never been overly impressed with New York (Fingerlike and Long Island) wines that were brought in for tastings or special events. I could appreciate what they were doing with the fuller bodied whites and sparklings, but the reds always fell a little short.

Well apparently they just don't export any of the good stuff! Right before Christmas my family decided to take the ferry over from Connecticut and spend a few days exploring this corner of the wine world, and indulge in far more oysters than is healthy for any human.

I really was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed a lot of what they were putting out. I tried to stick to the reserve lists, not out of snobbery, but as those lists generally have the wines that the vineyard prizes as their top wines. If they make anything worth tasting, those wines are going to be the best of the best examples of it.

The biggest surprise of the whole trip was how much I enjoyed the reds I tried. I really was expecting, well, to not like any of them. I certainly enjoyed the white more on a whole, but found about half the reds I tried very pleasant. Merlot and Cabernet Franc grow best in the area, so most were single varieties or blends of those two. I found a significant amount of Pinot Noir as well, but didn't enjoy them as much as their cabernet franc counterparts.

Anyhow, here are a few highlights from my trip:

1. Shinn Estate Vineyards, 2000 Oregon Road, Mattituck, New York

So on a whole, Shinn Estate was an interesting study in North Fork wines. It was our first stop on the trip. The grassy and savory quality of their house sparkling and their Haven oak aged sauvignon blanc/semillon blend was excellent. An organic quality that you miss sometimes in white wines in place of overly citrus or fruity flavors. Their coalescence blend and reds fell a little short, but the climate really isn't suited for those styles. Generally, a great start and an excellent expression of terroir in specific wines. The tasting room was also unbelievably charming. Old oak/cedar cabin style with small tables attached to a small B&B. We were the only ones there and I absolutely loved it. Very quaint...but can't imagine it in summer!

2. Lieb Cellars, 13050 Oregon Road, Cutchogue, New York

Lieb, I think, was our favorite of the trip, as far as wine quality goes. Little bit more acid and earth driven, with attempts to avoid too much residual sugar. Again, we were the only ones in there. It was great! The staff were amazing, the quality of wine, across the board (including reds) was great, and the room was large and comfortable without being stark or isolating. Just do it.

3. Lenz Winery, 38355 Main Road, Peconic Bay, New York

This was the dark horse of the trip. I had googled reviews on Lenz, seen intriguing things, and since it was across the street from Bedell.........we figured it was worth a shot. Their reds, in my opinion, were the most impressive of the lot. We got to do a little bit of a vertical tasting as well. Their whites were typical North Fork...enjoyable in the higher levels. Their team was really great behind the bar and we tasted so much more than the standard, without having to pay for it. As an aspiring Somm, this was great for me. I really got a sense for their style, range and terroir. I would highly recommend a visit here. They also had some really great wine kitch, including beautiful blown glass wine stoppers (my brother secretly bought us a bunch as presents!).

4. Bedell Cellars, 36225 Main Road, Cutchogue, New York

So apart from my brother looking extra suave, this was definitely the most "high end" tasting room we visited. I actually had featured Bedell wines at a wine tasting I conducted once, and used to sell their rose and white blends on my bottle list. It's a fancy example of North Fork wine, but it wasn't my favorite. They certainly play off the off dry strengths that the climate and terroir pushes the grapes towards, but it was VERY formal and you often need reservations. I preferred some of the other wines that were much more casually presented elsewhere, but I wouldn't count this one out for decadence.

5. Sparkling Pointe, 39750 Middle Road, Southold, New York


My last stop was a sparkling wine pairing at...you guessed it....Sparkling Pointe. They did a sushi pairing with the sparklings, which was nice. I prefer to taste things in comparison when I go to vineyards, to see the range and variety of their production. I really do like their wines and use it in a lot of my pairings, but the vineyard experience was a little overrated. They have a huge, lovely dining room, which I would prefer to be dining in to be perfectly honest.

On a whole, was a really great experience. If you like oysters.....the Peconic Bays are to DIE for. Just say yes. If you don't like seafood, or borderline off dry wine....maybe spend more money on drier climate wines with higher cattle content. 

Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.