Joel Stewart
Joel Stewart
Chidaine, Montlouis Sur Loire, Methode Traditionelle -
(12% abv) pale gold/green which sounds normal and fine and all that, but actually it's quite pretty once one takes a moment to observe. (cue "straw + green glints"). the nose is comparatively closer to champagne than loire cb cremant - tangy dough and a spritz of ginger. more former than latter. palate delivers much the same. this is by far the most champagne-ish loire sparkler i've had...it passes various tests: for one, it is not foamy; at cellar temp the bead is light but persistent...for two it expresses itself completely in all it's complexity in a short burst, without cloying reminders. the wine is gorgeously balanced....so much in fact that one doesn't notice that you could say the acidity is on the low side for loire cb, and yet it's still there. i've been searching thru loire sparklers for a year or more for an under-$30 version to stock up on and i just found it.
2008 Grace "Koshu", Katsunuma, Yamanishi, Japan -
100% Koshu (12% abv.) Pure white in glass, with a bare glint of yellow. Nose is tight, but showing characteristic smokey funk notes. The finish is the strongest thing on the palate, the attack the weakest. Good acidity, subtle tropical fruits delivered in a clean manner, some biting tang and spice on the finish. I can see where this grape has potential, but this particular bottle is a little soft overall. Day 2 - there is a distinct musk-like note in the nose and on the palate, which, along with other elements, are recognizable traits in past Koshu's I've had. I like the Chateau Sakaori (see below) much better.
Sake: Kitashika "Yoneshiro", Honjozo Daiginjo -
Akita prefecture. 15% abv; rice milling 50%. (Bottled 4/09). Akita prefecture, with it's severe winters, excels in preserved and fermented foods. It follows then that the sake from Akita is made to stand up to robust flavors. That said, this is not at all overpowering on the nose...clean, floral notes, a bit of fennel, high mountain running brook water and wet rushes...delightful, really. The palate is full, but not at all overly so. Again, clear mountain water notes dominate, running through the whole palate and are interlaced with subtle savory notes and loads of minerals. Pleasant grip on the finish. This is on the dry side, with just enough white mash sweetness to provide balance. I really like this....especially given it was a blind try, and a local supermarket purchase for $9.50 (720ml) no less. Will have to grab another bottle for an aged test a few months down the road.
2005 Roger Goulart, Brut Reserva, Cava -
Pale white gold w/green tints. Pungent nose: honeysuckle, green apple skin, toast, vanilla. Would love to do a side by side with a Loire cremant, as the mid and upper register notes here remind me of recent chenin b bubblies. The difference may be that this comes with a bit of smoke and spice. Brut it may be, but there's still a touch of sweetness tucked in with chalk and fresh lime. Not bad length. One could do worse for the price tag of $20. The brut rose is kind of fun too.
2000 Smith Haut Lafitte.......uhm, are grapes sourced from McLaren Vale? Over the top (tm pending) smoke and blackberries on the nose. Fuckin' yuck in a glass.
2006 Marc Tempe Zellenberg Riesling -
13% - Yellow straw gold with slight green tints. Light-footed for it's type (i welcome that) and tight at first, then a nose of green apple, grasses, white pepper... much later: herbs, dried fruits, a bit of petrol and apricot. Initial feeling is this is a basic medium+ bodied Alsatian riesling. Day 2, some interesting mikan notes slingshot thru the flavors and the finish picks up intensity nicely. Pleasing depth. Balance is fine, good mouthfeel. For all the bio-d hype tho, the wine lacks both personality and, especially, vibrancy. We got more pleasure from an '07 Villa Loosen last night in fact.
2003 Vincent Pinard La Clemence, Sancerre -
(13%) light pear gold with mellow pungent aromas of flint, custard, dried yellow fruit, herbs and a touch of oxidation. The palate has moved, and is showing developed smokey notes and a bit of sherry on the finish. Interesting as an experiment and drinkable, but it's gone as a wine.
2007 Ch. Sakaori, Yamanashi Koshu "Dry", (12%) - clear water white with gold tinges in glass, nose is unexpectedly deep, savory and more food-like than most white grapes...a whirl throws honey, smoke, browned grains...very interesting....the palate reflects the smokey savory notes reminiscent of something dammit (brown rice? beef bouillon?) finish has plenty of acidity, cleansing and dry, but a touch simple. that said, this is surprisingly deep and funky. A grape from Japan with a history actually. $7 for a 375, and a good deal, I think.
2007 Puzelat, La Tesniere, Touraine - Pinot d'Aunis.....edited to add this note i found in my notes later: there's an intriguing wood resin smell the wine gives off which strangely resembles fresh cut cryptomeria (aka hinoki, which is used for many things, including as a ceremonial container for serving sake in). pungent and cedar like, it is joined by earth and forest smells. i liked that. overall, i felt the wine was sort of unremarkable on it's own, but really loved how it paired with food. I think that's the target. the bright flavors and juicy acidity brought out all sorts of nuances in the food...and handled salad with a vinaigrette quite well too. Well done (and my fave of their reds so far) but it's borderline pricey here in Japan at $25, for what it delivers.
2007 Saladini Pilastri Pecorino, Offida - intriguing nose of lemon, fennel/licorice/anise. medium heavy body with muscadet-like sharpness on the attack, a touch of salinity, rather waxy follow through and a reasonably lengthy finish that, unfortunately, never seems able to lift off the ground. some tannins present. the brightness of the acidity saves the wine, but there's lots of fat here, watching the tv and not realizing it's sitting on the channel changer. Several hours later...this wine has awakened...a little chilling (and probably some air space created in the bottle) brought this to life...same pungent nose, but the palate is ripping with acidity now, very quinine and rind-ey bitter finish and more lemon and lemon drop in the mid. No more muscadet on the attack. What a morph job. Now, what the hell would pair with this? Shellfish in cream sauce maybe?
NV Gratien and Meyer, Cuvee Flamme Rose, Saumur - Cabernet Franc 68 %, Grolleau 32 %. very pleasing nose of rosehips, green strawberry tops and a bit of rising bread dough. black tea, peach, pink grapefruit on the palate with a zippy lemon finish. with some air, saline notes and a touch of cinsault-like strawberry (without the sweetness, just the core undertones). persistent soft petillance which holds in the glass well. a final glass from the bottom of the bottle 2 hrs later is delightful and still alive, more of that cinsault/strawb thing, must, chalk and a touch of bitters on the end. a very pleasant sparkler, moreso for the the $19 sale price tag. Definitely a fave for a Loire pink.
(12% abv) pale gold/green which sounds normal and fine and all that, but actually it's quite pretty once one takes a moment to observe. (cue "straw + green glints"). the nose is comparatively closer to champagne than loire cb cremant - tangy dough and a spritz of ginger. more former than latter. palate delivers much the same. this is by far the most champagne-ish loire sparkler i've had...it passes various tests: for one, it is not foamy; at cellar temp the bead is light but persistent...for two it expresses itself completely in all it's complexity in a short burst, without cloying reminders. the wine is gorgeously balanced....so much in fact that one doesn't notice that you could say the acidity is on the low side for loire cb, and yet it's still there. i've been searching thru loire sparklers for a year or more for an under-$30 version to stock up on and i just found it.
2008 Grace "Koshu", Katsunuma, Yamanishi, Japan -
100% Koshu (12% abv.) Pure white in glass, with a bare glint of yellow. Nose is tight, but showing characteristic smokey funk notes. The finish is the strongest thing on the palate, the attack the weakest. Good acidity, subtle tropical fruits delivered in a clean manner, some biting tang and spice on the finish. I can see where this grape has potential, but this particular bottle is a little soft overall. Day 2 - there is a distinct musk-like note in the nose and on the palate, which, along with other elements, are recognizable traits in past Koshu's I've had. I like the Chateau Sakaori (see below) much better.
Sake: Kitashika "Yoneshiro", Honjozo Daiginjo -
Akita prefecture. 15% abv; rice milling 50%. (Bottled 4/09). Akita prefecture, with it's severe winters, excels in preserved and fermented foods. It follows then that the sake from Akita is made to stand up to robust flavors. That said, this is not at all overpowering on the nose...clean, floral notes, a bit of fennel, high mountain running brook water and wet rushes...delightful, really. The palate is full, but not at all overly so. Again, clear mountain water notes dominate, running through the whole palate and are interlaced with subtle savory notes and loads of minerals. Pleasant grip on the finish. This is on the dry side, with just enough white mash sweetness to provide balance. I really like this....especially given it was a blind try, and a local supermarket purchase for $9.50 (720ml) no less. Will have to grab another bottle for an aged test a few months down the road.
2005 Roger Goulart, Brut Reserva, Cava -
Pale white gold w/green tints. Pungent nose: honeysuckle, green apple skin, toast, vanilla. Would love to do a side by side with a Loire cremant, as the mid and upper register notes here remind me of recent chenin b bubblies. The difference may be that this comes with a bit of smoke and spice. Brut it may be, but there's still a touch of sweetness tucked in with chalk and fresh lime. Not bad length. One could do worse for the price tag of $20. The brut rose is kind of fun too.
2000 Smith Haut Lafitte.......uhm, are grapes sourced from McLaren Vale? Over the top (tm pending) smoke and blackberries on the nose. Fuckin' yuck in a glass.
2006 Marc Tempe Zellenberg Riesling -
13% - Yellow straw gold with slight green tints. Light-footed for it's type (i welcome that) and tight at first, then a nose of green apple, grasses, white pepper... much later: herbs, dried fruits, a bit of petrol and apricot. Initial feeling is this is a basic medium+ bodied Alsatian riesling. Day 2, some interesting mikan notes slingshot thru the flavors and the finish picks up intensity nicely. Pleasing depth. Balance is fine, good mouthfeel. For all the bio-d hype tho, the wine lacks both personality and, especially, vibrancy. We got more pleasure from an '07 Villa Loosen last night in fact.
2003 Vincent Pinard La Clemence, Sancerre -
(13%) light pear gold with mellow pungent aromas of flint, custard, dried yellow fruit, herbs and a touch of oxidation. The palate has moved, and is showing developed smokey notes and a bit of sherry on the finish. Interesting as an experiment and drinkable, but it's gone as a wine.
2007 Ch. Sakaori, Yamanashi Koshu "Dry", (12%) - clear water white with gold tinges in glass, nose is unexpectedly deep, savory and more food-like than most white grapes...a whirl throws honey, smoke, browned grains...very interesting....the palate reflects the smokey savory notes reminiscent of something dammit (brown rice? beef bouillon?) finish has plenty of acidity, cleansing and dry, but a touch simple. that said, this is surprisingly deep and funky. A grape from Japan with a history actually. $7 for a 375, and a good deal, I think.
2007 Puzelat, La Tesniere, Touraine - Pinot d'Aunis.....edited to add this note i found in my notes later: there's an intriguing wood resin smell the wine gives off which strangely resembles fresh cut cryptomeria (aka hinoki, which is used for many things, including as a ceremonial container for serving sake in). pungent and cedar like, it is joined by earth and forest smells. i liked that. overall, i felt the wine was sort of unremarkable on it's own, but really loved how it paired with food. I think that's the target. the bright flavors and juicy acidity brought out all sorts of nuances in the food...and handled salad with a vinaigrette quite well too. Well done (and my fave of their reds so far) but it's borderline pricey here in Japan at $25, for what it delivers.
2007 Saladini Pilastri Pecorino, Offida - intriguing nose of lemon, fennel/licorice/anise. medium heavy body with muscadet-like sharpness on the attack, a touch of salinity, rather waxy follow through and a reasonably lengthy finish that, unfortunately, never seems able to lift off the ground. some tannins present. the brightness of the acidity saves the wine, but there's lots of fat here, watching the tv and not realizing it's sitting on the channel changer. Several hours later...this wine has awakened...a little chilling (and probably some air space created in the bottle) brought this to life...same pungent nose, but the palate is ripping with acidity now, very quinine and rind-ey bitter finish and more lemon and lemon drop in the mid. No more muscadet on the attack. What a morph job. Now, what the hell would pair with this? Shellfish in cream sauce maybe?
NV Gratien and Meyer, Cuvee Flamme Rose, Saumur - Cabernet Franc 68 %, Grolleau 32 %. very pleasing nose of rosehips, green strawberry tops and a bit of rising bread dough. black tea, peach, pink grapefruit on the palate with a zippy lemon finish. with some air, saline notes and a touch of cinsault-like strawberry (without the sweetness, just the core undertones). persistent soft petillance which holds in the glass well. a final glass from the bottom of the bottle 2 hrs later is delightful and still alive, more of that cinsault/strawb thing, must, chalk and a touch of bitters on the end. a very pleasant sparkler, moreso for the the $19 sale price tag. Definitely a fave for a Loire pink.