Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Something I’ve always loved about California is that you can turn right on red. New Mexico allows it too, so I felt good right off the rental parking lot. Brazil doesn’t allow it. In the US, do only protestant states forbid it?
In the East Coast, I feel no (internal) pressure to check out American wines, but for some reason I do in the rest of the country. Maybe because it feels more like team USA. But I double digress.
This post, mostly for the files, and is about where we ate in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, in case you ever find yourself in the area and care to use the search function.
In Albuquerque, we had excellent lunches (with wine) at the Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro and the Artichoke Café, despite iffy decors (Zinc) or ugly paintings (Artichoke). Both were recommended by Tom Hill of WLDG, who lives in Los Alamos. We also had a good lunch at the stylish Nob Hill Bar & Grill (without wine because of the pedestrian wine list) and a passable one at Los Equipales, reputed to be among the most authentic Mexicans.
At the Zinc, a glass of 2007 Bonterra Syrah Mendocino County was jammy and one dimensional, notwithstanding the organic grapes (no point getting the first part right if you screw up the second), while Marcia has a glass of 2009 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Véran that had lovely aromas and good balance.
At the Artichoke, we had glasses of 2008 Belle Vallee Whole Cluster Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (discreet leafy, stemmy cherry aromas, excellent balance and weight, lovely, non jammy fruit; European specs but different flavor; shows the luster of whole cluster) and 2007 Kiona Lemberger Red Mountain Washington (exotic, with spices, leather, blackberry; tastes kirschy and peppery, with a savory finish; some heat but good balance and body; interesting and different). The Belle Vallee ended up being my favorite American wine of the trip (together with an Arnot-Roberts Trousseau). The Lemberger had the most interesting personality.
In Santa Fe, we had dinner at the storied (or at least two-storied) La Casa Seña, which has a great wine list with many interesting (but not so hipster) wines. Initially, we made reservations at the less expensive upstairs La Cantina (same wine list), but didn’t like the noisy atmosphere (have a hard time eating with live music; feels disrespectful). So we moved to the main dining room, where we did our best with 750s of 2002 Breuer Berg Schlossberg 12.5 % and 2008 Adelsheim Elizabeth’s Reserve Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 13.5%. The Breuer had lively white flower, peach and caramel aromas, lively acidity, but a candied finish. Eventually, food or air absorbed that. The Adelsheim was chosen based on Eric Asimov’s recent recommendation in the NYT, but I made the mistake of following our waiter’s advice and going for the Elizabeth’s Reserve instead of the regular bottling. The waiter said he had found the regular rather thin and the Reserve a significant step above. Aromas were attractive, spicy sour cherry and cloves. But the flavor, while by no means jammy, was too ripe. The acidity was adequate, but the ripeness kept wagging its finger at me, saying “when will you learn not to take advice unless you’re sure it’s from the same planet?” The food was OK, falling short of the high prices.
Annoyed at having chosen the “wrong” Adelsheim, a few days later I opened the NYT’s 2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 13.3% in our hotel room. Gobs of American oak, with ripe cherry/plum fruit, and burnt caramel overtones. Decent acidity and balance, but too modern (oak & ripeness). At this point, the object of my annoyance shifted from myself and the Casa Seña waiter to Asimov himself (with due respect for the great work & general championing of the cause that he is doing at the NYT). If this confection came out third out of ten 2008 Oregon pinots, the report is of little use to me. The article calls it high toned; is that code for ripe? Thank goodness for the 2008 Belle Vallee, of which I picked up a 2007 to try at home.
As for supermarkets, we checked out two Whole Foods (Academy and Indian School), one Keller’s (Eubank) and the La Montanita Coop (Central). The Academy Whole Foods is the best, in every category, followed by the Indian School Whole Foods. Don’t even bother with the others. Both Whole Foods have a considerable range of wines, so I needn’t have brought my own to ABQ. Could have tasted every Oregon pinot under 13%.
In the East Coast, I feel no (internal) pressure to check out American wines, but for some reason I do in the rest of the country. Maybe because it feels more like team USA. But I double digress.
This post, mostly for the files, and is about where we ate in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, in case you ever find yourself in the area and care to use the search function.
In Albuquerque, we had excellent lunches (with wine) at the Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro and the Artichoke Café, despite iffy decors (Zinc) or ugly paintings (Artichoke). Both were recommended by Tom Hill of WLDG, who lives in Los Alamos. We also had a good lunch at the stylish Nob Hill Bar & Grill (without wine because of the pedestrian wine list) and a passable one at Los Equipales, reputed to be among the most authentic Mexicans.
At the Zinc, a glass of 2007 Bonterra Syrah Mendocino County was jammy and one dimensional, notwithstanding the organic grapes (no point getting the first part right if you screw up the second), while Marcia has a glass of 2009 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Véran that had lovely aromas and good balance.
At the Artichoke, we had glasses of 2008 Belle Vallee Whole Cluster Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (discreet leafy, stemmy cherry aromas, excellent balance and weight, lovely, non jammy fruit; European specs but different flavor; shows the luster of whole cluster) and 2007 Kiona Lemberger Red Mountain Washington (exotic, with spices, leather, blackberry; tastes kirschy and peppery, with a savory finish; some heat but good balance and body; interesting and different). The Belle Vallee ended up being my favorite American wine of the trip (together with an Arnot-Roberts Trousseau). The Lemberger had the most interesting personality.
In Santa Fe, we had dinner at the storied (or at least two-storied) La Casa Seña, which has a great wine list with many interesting (but not so hipster) wines. Initially, we made reservations at the less expensive upstairs La Cantina (same wine list), but didn’t like the noisy atmosphere (have a hard time eating with live music; feels disrespectful). So we moved to the main dining room, where we did our best with 750s of 2002 Breuer Berg Schlossberg 12.5 % and 2008 Adelsheim Elizabeth’s Reserve Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 13.5%. The Breuer had lively white flower, peach and caramel aromas, lively acidity, but a candied finish. Eventually, food or air absorbed that. The Adelsheim was chosen based on Eric Asimov’s recent recommendation in the NYT, but I made the mistake of following our waiter’s advice and going for the Elizabeth’s Reserve instead of the regular bottling. The waiter said he had found the regular rather thin and the Reserve a significant step above. Aromas were attractive, spicy sour cherry and cloves. But the flavor, while by no means jammy, was too ripe. The acidity was adequate, but the ripeness kept wagging its finger at me, saying “when will you learn not to take advice unless you’re sure it’s from the same planet?” The food was OK, falling short of the high prices.
Annoyed at having chosen the “wrong” Adelsheim, a few days later I opened the NYT’s 2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 13.3% in our hotel room. Gobs of American oak, with ripe cherry/plum fruit, and burnt caramel overtones. Decent acidity and balance, but too modern (oak & ripeness). At this point, the object of my annoyance shifted from myself and the Casa Seña waiter to Asimov himself (with due respect for the great work & general championing of the cause that he is doing at the NYT). If this confection came out third out of ten 2008 Oregon pinots, the report is of little use to me. The article calls it high toned; is that code for ripe? Thank goodness for the 2008 Belle Vallee, of which I picked up a 2007 to try at home.
As for supermarkets, we checked out two Whole Foods (Academy and Indian School), one Keller’s (Eubank) and the La Montanita Coop (Central). The Academy Whole Foods is the best, in every category, followed by the Indian School Whole Foods. Don’t even bother with the others. Both Whole Foods have a considerable range of wines, so I needn’t have brought my own to ABQ. Could have tasted every Oregon pinot under 13%.