2007 Marcato “Barattaro” Noir Veneto Central Northern Italy

Marcato “Barattaro” Noir Veneto Central Northern Italy

Following a previous article that I wrote about Marcato, here is another wine from this Veneto winery that I would like to introduce to you.

Azienda Agricola Marcato is an old family run winery located near the village of Roncà, about 35 kilometers east of Verona, in the alpine foothills of the Verona province of Veneto. With great west-south exposure, the winery has vineyards located on both the flat land of the Alpone valley and the sloppy Berici hills.

The history of the winery started a bit more than 110 years ago, when Francesco Marcato bought the first 3 hectares of vines near Roncá. The family first started has vine grower, selling their grapes to the local cooperative, like many other at that time. After a few years, they expanded the vineyard, the family grew and the marriage of the son Giuseppe started a new generation of grape growers and winemakers.

By 1969, the first bottled of Soave and Recioto di Soave were bottled and sold. Marcato estate expanded even more with the constant addition of new vineyards up until 1991, when they bought a new land in the Berici hills where the family now produces most of their premium red wines made with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Tocai Rosso.

In this area between the towns of Vicenza and Verona, Marcato now owns about 60 hectares (150 acres), of which 50 hectares (125 acres) are planted with vineyards. It also buys grapes from another 25 hectares (62,5 acres) of vineyards belonging to selected local grape growers.

In total, the yearly yield is around 600 tons of grapes from the various DOC areas of: Soave Colli Scaligeri, Soave Classico, Monti Lessini Durello and Colli Berici for a production of 4000 hectoliters of wine. Garganega, Trebbiano di Soave, Durella, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown in the vineyards around the villages of Roncà, Montecchia di Crosara, Monteforte d’Alpone and Soave. The red grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Tocai Rosso are grown on the Hills of Sarego and Grancona in the Berici Hills.

The vinification is sited around the hill west of Roncà, on the Via Prandi, where the company has the vinery, which covers a total surface of 7.000 squared meters (0.7 hectares or 1.7 acres). The estate is divided in the various departments including the crusher, the drier room “Appassitoio”, the fermentation room for the red and white wines, and the production of the sparkling wines both with Charmat Method and Champenoise Method in the caves of the winery. It also encompasses the barrels room, the bottling line hall and a conditioned warehouse for storage.

Having full control of the production of all of their wines at the same place offers the winery to maintain high quality and great consistency one vintage after another. The difference of vineyard’s soil types and microclimate only comforts their aptitude to produce very eclectic complex wines.

Like for many other wine regions around the world, a visit to Veneto’s vineyard is the only way to fully understand the symbiosis between each natural element (exposure, soils, microclimate, rainfall, altitude, percentage of the slope, natural drainage, etc…) and how, when combined with each other, they can result such interesting wines.



2007 Marcato “Barattaro” Noir Veneto central northern Italy
Suggested retail price $16-$19
Imported/Distributed by Noble House Wines in NYC

Product only during the best vintages, when the sun and weather are temperate, with climatic conditions not too humid, Marcatto Barattaro Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir grown in the Alpone valley and sold under Veneto IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). It was crafted at the Barattaro estate, hence the name. It was first fermented in stainless steel tanks, before spending about 9 months in new French oak and then 16 months in large 4,000 liters Moldavian oak casks. The previous vintage was 2004.

An elegant and fresh 100% Pinot Noir from the Barattaro estate in Veneto, this approachable medium-to-light bodied red offers fruity red cherry aromas with a touch of oak, great acidity and earthy terroir-driven fruit flavors. Aged in both French and Moldavian oak, it boasts clean red berry flavors exploding on the mid-palate, supported by silky tannins and nice acidity lingering into the crisp cherry finish. A versatile pairing wine that works well with everything from chicken to lighter meats to creamy cheeses.

Overall, an intriguing wine that grew in me on a more positive way after a bit of opening and was even better the second day. The reason is that, surprisingly enough, I felt a light fizzy sensation when I first opened it. I left my glass aside for a few minutes and still felt the strange sensation when I tried another sip of it. I though to myself that may be it was one of those wines that deserve a few minutes in the fridge due to its acidity and slight fizzy attitude. I drank another glass of it and left the rest of the bottle for the next day. To my surprise, I found it better the next day. Obviously, the fizz was gone and it was more rounded on the edges, offering a silkier palate and a more pleasant experience overall.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from the winery website at www.marcatovini.it

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.

Galicia & 2009 Ladera Sagrada Castelo do Papa Godello Valdeorras Spain

Galicia Northwestern part of Spain

Although Spain is massively known for its ocean of Tempranillo, Garnacha and Monastrell based red wines; this beautiful country also offers a wide array of tasteful white wines.

To name a few of my favorites, I highly recommend you to discover the delightful, crisp and slightly fizzy Txakoli from the Basque country made with the ever difficult to remember Hondarribi Zuria grape; the Sauvignon-like style of the Rueda made with Verdejo; the still undiscovered white Rioja made with Viura; and the light and refreshing Penedès and Ampurda-Costa Brava whites made from various grapes like: Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Moscatel, Xarel-lo, Chardonnay and even Gewürztraminer.

If you really enjoy white wines, you will find some of the most refreshing and exquisite whites Spain has to offer all along the coast from Donastia-San Sebastian in the Basque country to Santiago de Compostella and Pontevedra on the western shores of Galicia, the greenest northwestern region of Spain.

One of the most famous and now firmly established on the US ground is a light, crisp and racy wine made predominantly from the Albariño grape variety in the region of Rias Baixas. While the different sub-zones (within Rias Baixas) express subtle differences, the wines all share a number of characteristics. Boasting a pale golden lemon color, they are all crisp, elegant and fresh. Bone-dry and aromatic, these wines are packed with flavors of white peach, apricot, melon, pineapple, mango and honeysuckle. They have good natural acidity, mineral overtones, and are medium-bodied with moderate alcohol, usually about 12%.

Rias Baixas have been selling fantastically over the last 10-15 years and in the meantime wineries burgeoned to favor the demand and increase the different styles. Although sold all year long, being so versatile, light and vivid, Rias Baixas Albariño slowly became a prime choice to complement summer aperitif, lunch and dinner.

Further east, a few kilometers far from the Atlantic coast and Rias Baixas, is located a lesser known appellation called Ribeiro, also producing interesting whites but also some reds. White wine represents about 80% of the wine produced, and is most produced with the Treixadura variety, which is native to the area. Other authorized white varieties mostly used for Galician whites are: Albariño, Godello, Torrontés, Loureira, Macabeo and Albillo.

Even further east, nestled between Ribeiro to the west, Ribeira Sacra to the north and Bierzo, its Castilla Y Leon counterpart to the east, the Valdeorras appellation resides as the bridge guardian between the two ancient kingdoms, at the easternmost boundaries of Galicia.

Valdeorras, whose name means “Valley of Gold”, may have been the first grape growing and wine-producing region in Galicia. After the ancient Romans had finished mining the area for gold, they planted vines and the wines produced were mentioned in several inscriptions in Latin.

Remember that we need to be eternally grateful to the Romans for spreading their knowledge and experience of viticulture everywhere they went. Already existing centuries before them and improved by the Egyptians and the Greeks, the domestic wine culture has we know it today as really started and rapidly expanded with them.

Did you ever realize that the Roman's Empire extended only to countries where they could grow vines and make wines? No? Well check again, it seems that viticulture and wine were so much part of their everyday drinking and culinary culture and festivities, that it will have been useless for them to invade a country where they couldn’t produce the delectable juice.

And in fact, if you study a Roman Empire map, they didn't... They pretty much occupied all the best wine-growing European areas, which encompasses all the countries around the Mediterranean Sea, and also logically conquered the "cradle of all wine" around the Caspian Sea and in Mesopotamia, but also all the northern part of Africa! Think about it…

However, let’s go back to Galicia and Valdeorras. Like many wine regions in Europe, Valdeorras saw a decline of wine production during the Middle Ages where only monks and locals were really committed to viticulture and cultivation of the Godello grape, which, once strongly planted, was slowly denigrated and replaced by Palomino. Here again like most of European appellations, the region had to wait until the 19th century to experience a true renaissance.

Yet the Phylloxera, which devastated most European vineyards between late 1860 and mid 1930, left the Valdeorras region on its knees and the Godello grape almost forgotten.

It is only in the 20th century, after generations of trials and experiences, around the 70s, that the native Godello white grape variety was reinvigorated and became the focus and pride of the Valdeorras region. Consequently as a reward for its efforts to maintain high quality and consistency within a characteristic and defined environment, climate and delimited area, the region was elevated to the rank of appellation in 1977, becoming Valdeorras DO (Denominación de Origen or Denominación de Orixe in Galician).

Nowadays, Valdeorras DO produces mainly red based with Garnacha Tintorera and the white Palomino grape. Yet for the past 10-15 years, Bierzo’s pride, the Mencìa red grape, and Godello, Valdeorras recurring white grape, have made a stronger impression and have gain ground in the US market due to the fruity and easy drinking red and complex, mineral and extremely food friendly white wines, that they respectively produce.

It is in this up-and-coming region that Ladera Sagrada produces Castelo do Papa Godello. After Bodegas Godeval, which has always been one of my favorite Valdeorras winery, I’d like to share with you this newfound Godello based wine.

Ladera Sagrada Castelo do Papa Valdeorras Spain

Founded in 1920, Ladera Sagrada is a winery located in the mountain town of Larouco, about 90 kilometers east of Ourense in Galicia, nestled at 1749 feet of altitude (about 534 meters).

The owner, Jose Sotos, possesses about 62 acres (25 hectares) of vineyards planted with Godello and Mencía grapes. Jose Sotos and Albino Fernandez, his vineyard manager and assistant winemaker make 2 wines: “Castelo do Papa Godello” and “Castelo do Papa Mencía” (Castelo do Papa means “Castle of the Pope”).

Although, more inland than Rias Baixas and Ribeiro, Valdeorras benefits of an Atlantic climate, with average temperatures from April to October of 57.2 º F (among the lowest temperatures in Spain) and about 13 inches of rainfall which is quite low for this area.

The high altitude and the cool temperatures provide a longer ripening period, which results in more aromatic, more mineral and fresher wines. Its low level of rainfall helps the grape by preventing night frost produced by rain-humidity.

The mountainous soil is composed of slate stone, granite and thin clay layered in its topsoil and subsoil. This soil profile is poor in organic matter yielding 6 pounds (2.5 kg) of grapes per vine, compare to the average of 17 pounds (7.5 kg) per vine in Valdeorras.

The granite and slate soil surface warms up during the day, releasing and thus providing heat to the roots at night when temperatures are cooler, which helps the grapes to keep ripening. Its lower yields result in more concentrated grapes providing more flavor intensity to the wines made by Jose Sotos.

The success of the wines produced by Ladera Sagrada and crafted by Jose Sotos, is a combination of: the balance between the different soils and microclimate, allowing for fresh, intense Godello and Mencía wines; and the fact that it a family run winery which give more control over the quality of grapes and the resulting wines. It is also coming from the fact that Papa Godello doesn’t undergo malolactic fermentation achieving consequently greater aromatic expression and freshness. Yet the remaining key factor is surely one of the most important: 90% of the vines are 25+ year old, which confers great complexity and depth to the wines.



Ladera Sagrada Castelo do Papa Godello Valdeorras Spain
Suggested retail price $14-17
Imported / Distributed by Olé Imports in NYC

The 2009 Castelo do Papa was crafted with 100% old vines Godello (25+ years) vinified in stainless steel tanks, with no malolactic fermentation. Approximately 1,800 cases were made, with roughly half sent to the US market.

2009 was across the board, like 2005 and 2003, both literally and metaphorically, a very “hot” vintage in Europe. In my opinion, it produced fatter, more opulent wines, which for some regions and producers translated more into over-ripeness and predominance of alcohol than complexity or refinement. Yet here again, this is a discussion that will take more than a post to discuss…

As a result of the hotness of the 2009 vintage, the 2009 Castelo do Papa Godello is fatter and rounder than I though it will be, with more fruit weight and soft edges rather than the usual fresh and racy Godello whites that I previously tasted, especially the 2006 and 2007 vintages.

This 2009 Castelo do Papa Godello is really aromatic, almost tropical, with pineapple, mango and lime notes accentuated by firm minerals and herbal hints. The expanding palate is quite fat and full yet really clean and intriguing, showing great coating minerality, adding more dimension to the pineapple, yellow fruit juice and lemon zest flavors. Fairly bright and juicy with a good amount of oily glycerin, the long finish possesses enough acidity to balance the layers of pear, pineapple, citrus and light buttered rounded notes. It has tremendous complexity and generous mouth-feel for the price. The fatness is surely due to the 2009 vintage, but also to the old vines factor and may be the fact that this wine may have spent a bit of time on its lees before bottling.

Overall, even without Malolactic fermentation, it feels really rounded and soft. I like this wine quite a bit, but I need to admit that previous vintage like 2007 corresponded more to my palate due to higher acidity and freshness with brighter fruit and purer minerality sensation. Yet it remains a great value and a go to food friendly wine. Pair it with fish in sauce or grilled. Its fatness allows it to complement more complex dishes with white meat and poultry cooked in a Mediterranean style with garlic, herbs and mixed vegetables.

Enjoy!

Ledom du Vin

Info about the winery partly taken and edited from the importer website at www.oleimports.com

Info about Rias Baixas partly taken and edited from the DO website at www.riasbaixaswines.com

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.

Interesting Natural Wine explanation....via YouTube

A colleague just sent me a cool and interesting link about "Natural Wine", while there is a bit of cursing here and there, it is informative and pretty accurate, in a raw way, or should I say Natural way...

It is called "Let's drink some Natural Fucking Wine!" (by Dalforno)

Click the following link to watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UXlL0FIF9Q&feature=player_embedded#

Enjoy!

Ledom du Vin

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.

Shipping wine from New York retailers to out of state customers

Lately, while working on updating the shipping page of our website, I realized that there is no valuable information whatsoever regarding the laws about shipping wine from New York Wine & Spirits retailers to customers in other states.

There are plenty of info about wineries, what they can do and where they can ship (especially from California) but nothing really about New York wine retailers.

The only, somewhat, informative writing that I could find was from a "Wine Spectator.com" articles dated from 2005 (you can always read it at http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Shipping-Laws-State-by-State_1049).

The article is a bit outdated and quite a few things have change since then, yet it will give you somewhat of an idea about the permitted, limited and prohibited states.

After searching "Google" in many ways with many different combination of words and even by consulting the website of "The New York State Liquor Authority" website at http://www.abc.state.ny.us/; I couldn't find the answer to my question:

What are the prohibited states for New York retailers to ship wine to for out of state customers?

By law, New York retailers can NOT ship Spirits out of state and FedEx and UPS can only deliver wine to certain states.

You see, in the United States of America, the different states are far from being united in many ways. Each state has is own laws and regulations, and barely none of them interact with each-other. Being still a gray area, it is therefore difficult to really know what are the states that are NOT "dry" (as we say in the trade). Even in New York, they are still trying to enforce laws that seem to date from post-prohibition time in the 30s. I think it is about time to realize that we are in the 21th century and things need to change for the better.

In my opinion, instead of state regulated laws, we should have federal laws that will resume once and for all this weird situation. As always, it might not please and will surely not be in the interest of some people and probably upset a lot of them, but I think in some ways it will be better. But this too long of a discussion to be handle in one post....

After searching the internet and the many New York wine retailers websites, I draw a list of what I think are the states that are open to receive wine shipments from New York wine retailers for customers out of state. This list may not be the most accurate, and I'm eager to receive any comments to make it more accurate for all the wine buyers and wine retailers like me that have been asking themselves the same questions.

Please find below a list of states which are legal to ship to for New York retailers. If you reside or wish to receive a shipment in a state that is not allowed to receive alcoholic beverages, should contact a member of the sales team at your favorite Wine shop (in our case www.HeightsChateau.com) to make alternative arrangements.

Here is a list of the open or non "Dry" States, New York wine retailers you can ship to:

• Arizona (AZ),
  
• California (CA),
  
• Colorado (CO),
  
• Connecticut (CT),
  
• District of Columbia (DC),
  
• Hawaii (HI),
  
• Idaho (ID),
• Illinois (IL) (?),
  
• Iowa (IA),
  
• Minnesota (MN),
  
• Missouri (MO),
  
• Nebraska (NE),
  
• Nevada (NV),
  
• New Mexico (NM),
  
• New Jersey (NJ) (?),
  
• New York (NY),
  
• North Dakota (ND),
  
• Ohio (OH),
  
• Oregon (OR),
  
• South Carolina (SC),
  
• South Dakota (SD),
  
• Texas (TX),
  
• Vermont (VT),
  
• Washington (WA),
  
• West Virginia (WV),
• Wisconsin (WI),
  
• Wyoming (WY).

New York wine retailers can NOT ship to the following states for legal reasons and individual internal state laws:

• Alabama (AL),
  
• Alaska (AK),
  
• Arkansas (AR),
  
• Delaware (DE),
  
• Florida (FL),
  
• Georgia (GA),
  
• Illinois (IL) (?),
  
• Indiana (IN),
  
• Kansas (KS),
  
• Kentucky (KY),
  
• Maine (ME),
  
• Montana (MT),
  
• New Hampshire (NH),
  
• Louisiana (LA),
  
• Massachusetts (MA),
  
• Maryland (MD),
  
• Michigan (MI),
  
• Mississippi (MS),
  
• North Carolina (NC),
  
• Oklahoma (OK),
  
• Pennsylvania (PA),
  
• Rhode Island (RI),
  
• Tennessee (TN),
  
• Utah (UT)
  
• and Virginia (VA).

I hope that you will find these two lists useful. If I made some mistakes, do not hesitate to send me comments to make it more accurate. Thank you.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.

My mood about the world and the heat in New York and “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood

Saturday July 24th, 2010, another day in the furnace. This year, during the month of July, New York has experienced some of the highest summer temperatures (yet) ever recorded in Manhattan (98 degrees Fahrenheit today). And apparently, it is not finished yet and August seems quite promising too.

When I came out of my apartment this morning to go to work, it was already hot in the corridor and the difference between my air-conditioned nest and the staircase was mind-boggling. By the time I walked down the few flights of stairs, too impatient to take the lift, I was already overwhelmed by the heat.

Once outside in the street, it was surreal, everything was quiet, New York seemed sleepy or resting, silenced by a powerful sun to a tranquil and gentle attitude, far from the usual brouhaha caused by the traffic and other street annoyances and behaviors even as early as it was, around 8.30am.

I walked down the street to the train station, with not a soul around to accompany me. No early birds, no dogs, no locals, just a few cars and in the sky, a big, bright, shinny sun conversing with the ever consistent, incessant and always-annoyingly-around rotating fan sounds of all the air-conditioner units hanging out of nearly every other window on site in every street of the Big Apple. Inevitably coming with the also unstoppable sound of dripping water drops on the pavement.

It makes me think, somehow, that New Yorkers are too spoiled. I’m too spoiled. While the world is fighting a huge economical and financial global crisis, with political tensions and an ever-growing population with no jobs, no education, no food, no potable water, facing daily violence and relentless wars, very uncertain future and doubting faith in pretty much everything and everyone; topped with natural and unnatural disasters, climate changed, manly made mistakes and who knows whatever else... topped with layers of years of asking people to recycle, be greener, use less water and electricity, diminish their carbon footprints, and more… So much trouble in the world, and New Yorkers still push up to the max their air-conditioner at the first rising temperatures of the summer and keep it like this for at least 3 months like nothing else. Pumping the juice... consumption is key! Who cares? That's B******t!

We are far from the long adopted European habits of paying attention to their personal consumption of gas, electricity and water since World War II. Far from their recycling methods, which have been in place for generations as an everyday logical thing to do to preserve the environment, thus avoiding unnecessary daily superfluous trash and plastic pollution.

Here, in New York, and in most of the other mega-metropolis and "mégapole" scattered all around the world, easily recognizable from the sky, due to their shinning luminosity that could deceive you by making you think that it is just after noon at midnight, the switch off button doesn’t exist: apartments and offices stay alight all night, water runs freely for longer than needed, rotten wasted food and constantly overflowing trash, advertising boards glowing of all their marketing eye-catching power, the streets stink and reek like the bad habits of the people that populate them and couldn’t care less, prisoner of their own little world, under pressure from a growing individualism and self awareness…

People think that they are important to everyone else, permanently wired on obviously needed small complex devices "wirelessly" connected to the internet and expressing themselves to the world in less than 150 characters to describe nearly each minute of their day thinking that somebody will care or will be interested because of course they have nothing else to do and everybody has to know… distracting themselves from the everyday hard reality of our retracting world… ignoring the repetitive warnings from their surroundings and the discouraging news… thinking that nothing can touch them… nothing will happen to them…

But look at it… we were about 1 billions in 1820; 2.5 billions in 1920-40; 4 billions in 1980 and we are now about to be 7 billions and growing… we multiplied our estimated world population by 7 in less than 200 years… technology has evolved at lighting speed over the last 100 years … and now even go faster than ever… changing a bit more as I write these words… the science fiction of yesterday inspired the reality of today… the world is more elitist than ever… more in competition… who's the greediest?... but when are we going to measure the consequences of certain of our actions before it is too late?… why succumb to money, power, individualism and greed when we need urgent solutions to preserve our world and make it a better place where people are and should be aware of the whole picture and not only their immediate surroundings and interests without even paying a minute of attention to what is going on and what we are about to become…

However, once again I get carried away with my idealistic ways ... and this is too vast of a subject to only be taken on board by just a handful of concerned people that try to change the world and mankind with their everyday actions, concerns and willingness to help, even if just a little bit… everybody should think about it and act responsibly to change things…but more and more people are just self aware and not preoccupied anymore by the innumerable problems that our planet and all its living things are encountering everyday… piling up problems and concerns into a gigantic wall that will one day shadow our closed-eyes-and-closed-mind's attitude... and then we will really have to find a solution... let's hope it won't be too late! Our kids deserve a better future and right now it is not looking so good... But I need to be positive and take action for my kid and my family! It is important...very important!

Did you ever realize that New York could be some much nicer and surely less suffocating place without for example, all the AC units sucking on hardcore all that somewhat wasted power?

Think about it, it is always the same thing every summer, (and if scientists are correct it may get worst in the near future). Usually by end of May-June, each year, the “ronronnement” (French for cat purring) of the hundreds of thousands air-conditioner units in New York awake, ringing up the arrival of the hot coming months. Yet with them, strangely enough, comes the soggy, high humidity micro-climate that we all know too well and hate. Although New York is great, New York in July and August is pretty awful and unbreathable. It stinks and reeks. And the subway stations become ovens for sweaty locals that couldn't flee elsewhere for some summer vacations and unaware tourists who thought that it was probably better to visit New York under the sun during summer months (by now they should know better, March-April-May and September-October are the best months for sightseeing the skyscraper's city).

All these cold, refreshing breezes blown out from the multiple overworked AC units to cool down your apartment, your store, your office and whatever else room you want cold, come with a high price for the city: rejected hot air from the same units adding heat to the street (paradoxical isn’t it?), higher street humidity partly due to dripping water and huge over-consumption of electricity, sometimes resulting in blackouts (remember the ones from 1977 and 2003). Already surrounded by water, the island of New York's streets are acting as greenhouse, keeping the humidity and hot air prisoner in between buildings, mixed with the pollution from gas and other dirty fumes from trash, etc...

But, yes, I know what you are going to say, without AC, New York will be unlivable and I’m myself using it like anybody else, because I don’t have the choice. The pre-second World War brick buildings should keep the air moist and cool inside, but no, it is the opposite, it is “suffocatingly” hot and unsupportable. They really should invent better insulation system to save energy and preserve New Yorkers and everybody else from the heat and so many other things… yet the human race brought upon itself so many things that it could and should change...it has been years, decades, that we have been warned.... the science fiction of yesterday inspired the reality of today… but what about tomorrow?

All these comments about how, and why, and what should be invented in this world to make things better (or worst depending on the inventions and their purposes), make me think about the book that I’m reading right now, “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood.



“Oryx and Crake” is a great book definitely not too far from our reality that will make you ask yourself some questions about all the above often rejected and ignored subjects that populate our everyday life, but for what ever reasons leave most of us indifferent to what may result from such a fast paced evolution accessed only on individualism, self-awareness, and self concentrated technology that keep us, 24 hours a day, away from reality to be more essentially in contact with mostly unimportant controversial edited news and images, text messaging, emails and unearthly manners, topped with total refusal to acknowledge or even less, take action regarding the way we are evolving and the damaged world that we are leaving for the future generations… We should stop looking at ourselves and look at the world, even if only just a minute a day.

“Oryx and Crake” follows the reasoning and way of thinking of Snowman, the apparently sole human survivor of the inevitable result and consequence of our relentless current way of living in a future which is not so distant. Through out back and forth passages of his life, the book plunge us in a desolated, devastated, somewhat strange yet so recognizable world, where Snowman remembers and recalls to himself the memories of the past and slowly help the reader to comprehend how it happened, why, and what could have happened if... The book also counts the story of Oryx, the somehow unreachable love of Snowman and Crake, Snowman's long friend and the mad-scientist of this tale with idealistic visions who wanted to created a different world. But I already said too much, just read it.

I highly recommend “Oryx and Crake” to frighteningly-close-to-the-reality science fiction book amateurs and good writing connoisseurs. Margaret Atwood’s prose is delightful and complex, with easy to grab ways to describe the cynical human nature and demeanor in its entire splendor.

Thank you Margaret for such an eyes opening book. (I will be reading your award winning book “The Blind Assassin” next).

You can find a great description of the book on the following website http://booksbound.blogspot.com or simply click on the following link at http://booksbound.blogspot.com/2009/02/review-oryx-and-crake-by-margaret.html

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability.

2007 Wolffer Estate Cabernet Franc Sagaponack Long Island New York

2007 Wolffer Estate Cabernet Franc Sagaponack Long Island New York

Recently someone ask me: "What do you think will be the best Long Island wine to pair with a grass fed local steak if money is absolutely no object (and what's great about the wine, or the producer, or why it's great with steak)? Here is what I answered.

In my opinion, money isn’t always synonymous of quality and when it comes to Long Island wines, it is definitely true. Although, usually, Money rhythms with hand-harvested, low yield and therefore limited production, long oak ageing and targeted markets and customers; sometimes, the high demanded price of a wine also often reflects the cost of the winery’s investments, marketing and yearly structure and vineyard maintaining: new barrels, new stainless steel tanks, etc… and probably a touch of greed added to the overall equation.

On Long Island, even if quality tremendously rose over the last 5 years, as well as the number of producers, only a handful of producers distinguish themselves from the bunch for their consistency. And Wolffer Estate is definitely one of them, more especially their Cabernet Franc, which is the benchmark of their portfolio and a standard for the region as far as grape variety characteristic, is concern.

Wölffer Estate Vineyard is unquestionably a beautiful place. But the creation of it spanned over three decades and required a creative vision, an ability to bring dreams to reality and a great deal of dedicated hard work by many people. Christian Wölffer possessed the vision and with the meticulous care of his professional team that built this special place – Wölffer Estate Vineyard - that was created, first and foremost, to be enjoyed by people. The original parcel of land was a potato farm with an old farmhouse in what is now the middle of the estate.

Over the years as more acres were acquired, paddocks and stables were added and in 1987, the vineyard was founded. This 55-acre winery is part of a 175 acre estate with boarding stables, 30 paddocks, an indoor jumping ring, and a Grand Prix field. Both the stables and winery have a European character and these former potato fields have become the foundation for world-class wines. Wölffer Estate Vineyard is an American Winery in the Classic European Tradition. As for the wine, the 2007 Wolffer Cabernet Franc will greatly suitable to pair with local grass fed steak.




2007 Wolffer Estate Cabernet Franc Sagaponack Long Island New York
Suggested retail price $17-$19
Distributed by Winebow Inc. in NYC

As for the wine, the 2007 Wolffer Cabernet Franc will be very suitable to pair with local grass fed steak, due to its present yet integrated tannic structure, balance and complexity of flavors, which combine European elegance and earthiness with the typicity of their Long Island Terroir. These factors will surely enhance the substantiality of the meat and complement its taste. Beside its medium, bright ruby color, the nose is redolent of dark and blue berries, white pepper, cedar and vanilla aromas. Slightly restraint at first, the palate, which needs decanting, is elegant, focus and expanding with ripe fruit flavors intermingled with peppery, slightly vegetal nuances, framed by soft tannins and balanced by bright acidity into a smooth, earthy finish. Despite steak, it will also pair well with hearty and meaty dishes like Duck confit, Cassoulet and slow cooked Beef short ribs (a great combination).

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

2008 Parker Station Pinot Noir Santa Maria Santa Barbara California USA

Fess Parker Santa Barbara California

Fess Parker? The name rings the bell? No? May be you’re too young or may be you don’t know your American classics.


In memory of him, because he was once, as Walt Disney's Davy Crockett, one of my heroes, when I was really young watching this old American classic on the French TV, I couldn't resist writing a little post.

Here is to refresh your memory: Late Fess Parker (1924-2010), who just recently passed away, was an actor who was cast, in the mid-fifties, for the role of "Davy Crockett" (King of the Wild Frontier, Walt Disney, 1955). It was one of his most inspiring roles, which deeply influenced his life and many fans and generations in the same time all around the world.

But what the fact that he was an actor has to do with wine, will you tell me? Well, Fess Parker was an entrepreneur and during his acting period bought a 714 acres plot of land in the Santa Ynez Valley where he could watch his little family grow and started a different career as hoteliers on his own Domaine.

Realizing the potential of Santa Barbara County as a premium grape-growing region, Fess and his son, Eli, originally set out in 1989 to plant a small vineyard and sell fruit to local producers. The Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard now farms almost 700 acres on four vineyards throughout Santa Barbara County.

Working as a family has always been a great source of pride and pleasure for the Parker family. Eli Parker began in the family business as assistant winemaker in 1989. After several years of learning the craft at the side of renowned and accomplished winemakers, Eli took the reigns as winemaker himself with the 1995 vintage. A leader of the winery since its inception, it was in 1996 that Eli formally assumed the title and responsibilities of President. In the early 1990’s, Ashley ran the first tastings out of the barrel room and represented the winery at trade shows. In 1998, Ashley became Eli’s partner, working on the public relations and sales and marketing teams. The presence of Fess and his wife Marcy as the founding visionaries of the winery is a vital and enduring one.

After years of commitments, hours of passion and hard work, the Fess Parker winery is proud to produce a wide range of different high quality wines made with grapes like Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling for the whites; and Pinot Noir and Syrah for the reds. And I invite you to visit the winery’s website to discover their selection at www.fessparker.com

Our wine of the day, although not listed on their website, is a side project of Fess Parker winery, called "Parker Station".

Parker Station was created to offer you a high quality Pinot Noir at an affordable price, especially compared to other Pinot Noir produced in this area. The back label describes this wine in one very appropriated sentence, especially for a Californian Pinot noir wine: “The best Pinot Noir you afford to drink daily.” Intrigued, I refreshed my memories a few days ago, during a tasting at the store and was pleasantly surprised.



2008 Parker Station Pinot Noir Santa Maria Santa Barbara California USA
Suggested retail price $11-$14
Distributed by Verity Wines in NYC

Unlike many budget Pinots from California in general (there are always exception, granted! But so few overall…), Parker Station offers ample varietally correct fruit and attractive features at a reasonable price, especially for a wine made from grapes sourced in different locations.

The grapes were partly sourced from Santa Barbara and Monterey counties; and about a 1/3 of the resulting wine was aged in French oak for about 6-9 months.

The 2008 Parker Station has a medium ruby-garnet color and expresses attractive, slightly spicy, ripe yet fresh red cherry fruit on the nose. The palate is light, clean, fairly crisp yet soft and balanced, offering well-rounded and delicious flavors of red cherry and strawberry, which persist through the mid-palate and the refreshing fruity finish.

Overall, gentle, easy going and medium-bodied with a juicy finish full of the same lingering red fruit, this versatile Pinot Noir is somewhat a touch reminiscent of certain European style Pinots rather than Californian due to its lighter, ripe yet harmonious structure enhanced by good acidity. Although, don’t get me wrong, the freshly crushed omnipresent riper red fruit profile with less earthiness denotes more of a new world, warmer climate style. Surprisingly enjoyable and approachable at this price, especially compared to the ocean of other Californian Pinots that are usually for this quality much more expensive. Drink it your way with or without food.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info above partly taken and edited from the winery website at www.fessparker.com

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability.

2001 Heredad de Baroja Gran Reserva Rioja Álava Spain

Heredad de Baroja Rioja Alavesa Spain

Established in 1964, by the way one of the best vintages of the 20th century in France and Spain, Bodegas Heredad de Baroja, located in the village of Elvillar, Rioja Álava (South of the Basque country), was born from the initiative of its current owner, Fernando Meruelo, who named it after a famous Spanish Basque writer.

He started by producing young wines (tinto) under the name of “Cautivo” and gradually enhanced his “Cautivo”selection by crafting Crianza, Reserva and Grand Reserva as the vines were getting older, thus producing better, richer, more complex wines.

Exporting activities started in 1989 and now represents more than 50% of his production and total sales. The construction of a new cellar and winery, the success of the newer style wines “Cautum” and “Lar de Paula” and revamping the image of his more traditional style “Cautivo” wines led to a new era for Heredad de Baroja. His wines, especially the newer modern style received instantaneously a lot of praises and accolades from critics and press.

Now equipped with state of the art technology in both facilities, the old and the new cellars, will also help to achieve the goal of selling about 2 million bottles a year, of which half will be high-end wines ageing between 14 to 36 months depending on the final wines. The company went from roughly 400,000 bottles at the beginning to more than 4 times more nowadays.

The winery portfolio comprehends wines like the classic "Rincon de Baroja" (and "Heredad de Baroja"), which I previously wrote about and which is part of his fairly new wine selection that includes: Cautum "Alta Expresión", Lar de Paula "Cepas Viejas", Rincon de Baroja CO2, Cautivo Maceración Carbónica; as well as the new labeled Cautivo brand and Cautum.


However, today's wine is a bit of an odd and peculiar wine through out the winery portfolio for different reasons:

• first, it is nowhere to be seen on the winery's website which seems to focus only on the two more modern brands named "Cautivo Gran Reserva" and "Cautum Gran Reserva".

• secondly, the wine bears a classic Rioja label with the famous and unmistakable netting around the bottle (and reddish-gold lettering), which is a classic sign of old traditional Rioja wines, usually more commonly attributed to wine like Marqués de Riscal (odd if you compare it with their newer modern labels). Experiencing a renaissance to please younger markets, they must have revamped their entire label portfolio compared to what it used to be before (see picture below for previous labels).

• thirdly, not only it looks but also it tastes much more traditional than their other labels, especially compared to "Cautum Gran Reserva".

2001 Heredad de Baroja Gran Reserva Rioja Álava Spain
Suggested retail price $28-$31
Imported / Distributed by Moonlight Wine Co. by friend Tony Gibson

The 2001 Heredad de Baroja Gran Reserva is, in my opinion, a delicious Tempranillo based wine that offers layered complexity and classic aged Rioja aromas and flavors at a very decent price for a Gran Reserva and more especially for a 2001 vintage which was, in Rioja, surely one of the greatest vintage of this decade.

Made from 100% Tempranillo aged for 36 months in French and American oak barrels, then 24 months in bottle before release, the 2001 Heredad de Baroja Gran Reserva possesses a medium garnet color with hint brown-orange reflects on the rime. At first a bit discreet, it evolved after about an hour in the decanter.

The nose is quite expressive with ripe red and dark cherry fruit aromas intermingled with slightly earthy, spicy, chocolaty toasted notes, touch of vanilla, cedar wood and secondary hints. The palate opens with great juicy dark cherry and other dark fruit flavors combined with chocolate, spice, toast, wood and earth, and some underbrush notes. As it expands, it is rather smooth and medium-to-full yet a bit dry, earthy and somewhat a touch rustic, but overall attractive and fairly complex. Fairly integrated and definitely approachable yet young and promising with a good texture and overall balance, it seems to be supported by fine fruit tannins that are a bit dry and still need a bit more time (which is nothing strange for this particularly great vintage).

In short, some may find the finish a bit dry or even a touch short, yet I thought that it had an elegant, lingering earthy cedar cherry finish where the acidity and the tannins were playing key roles. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and found this wine very satisfying under $30, but there again I love my traditional Rioja wines, which are for me some of the best wines in the world (but you must already have discovered that if you read some of the other Rioja articles that I previously wrote my wine blog). Enjoy with beef burgers, steaks, rack of lamb or grilled lamb chops and other hearty meats.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info above partly taken and edited from the winery website at www.heredadbaroja.com

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability.

Joyeux Bastille Day on the Quatorze Juillet at Heights Chateau

In 1789, The French cut the head of their king! Oops! Wrong.... It wasn't until 4 years later that Louis XVI lost his head when he was tried by the National Convention, found guilty of high treason, and executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793. He was the only king of France ever to be executed.

The 14th of July has an all-together different meaning, and over the different political periods that came and passed over the last 217 years, the meaning for this celebration has changed and had been slightly modified a number of times.

... in 2010, we continue to celebrate that day for reasons that are surely long forgotten by many people, except may be by the generation of my grand-father on my father side, which by the way, will be 100 years old in December (it will be interesting to ask him what he thinks about that last century and where all this will bring us all...).

However, "le 14 Juillet" is always a good occasion, wherever you are in the world, to have a good time and promote France's wines and culinary traditions by inviting family and friends and enjoy the day with specialties like: Foie Gras, all sort of cheeses, Paté, Cornichons, Cuisse de Grenouilles, Escargot a la Persillade, Magret de Canard, Casserole de Lapin, all sort of Game and poultry, Champagne, Cognac, Armagnac, Pruneaux d'Agen, Agneau de Pauillac, Cassoulet de Castelnaudarie, Saucisse Lentilles de Toulouse, Pieds de Cochon, Jambon de Bayonne, Poulet de Brest, etc...

Come and celebrate Bastille Day at the store (www.HeightsChateau.com) and take advantage of this opportunity to buy the above wines at discounted prices, and why not discuss "Bastille Day" with a glass of French wine to agreement the conversation, which when it comes to the French, always seems to have an underlying tone of rebellious revolution.

"Bastille Day" is the French national holiday which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is formally called “La Fête Nationale” (National Celebration) and more commonly le “Quatorze Juillet” (the fourteenth of July). It commemorates the 1790’s "Fête de la Fédération", held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.

The anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution.

The storming of the Bastille was more important as a rallying point and symbolic act of rebellion than a practical act of defiance. Shortly after the storming of the Bastille, on 4 August feudalism was abolished and on 26 August, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaimed.

The Fête de la Fédération of the 14 July 1790 was a huge feast and official event to celebrate the uprising of the short-lived constitutional monarchy in France and what people considered the happy conclusion of the French Revolution.

Vive la France, its wines and food traditions and culture, and not to forget the most cliché portrait of the French: a cyclist with a beret, carrying a Baguette, a Camembert, a Saucisson and a newspaper in a little basket on his bike.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info above partly taken and edited from the wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability

"Nat Decants”, Natalie MacLean’s new “Wine and Food app” for smartphones

Wow! I’m so impressed and stunned at the same time. I just opened my last emails and realized that Natalie MacLean, a famous wine writer who has won many prizes, accolades and gathered some much attention with her bestselling book: “Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass”, just asked me if I could write a little news byte about "Nat Decants", her new mobile’s “Wine and Food app” for devices such as “iPhone”, “iPod Touch”, “BlackBerry”, “Droid” and other smartphones.

I’m honored and flattered that she personally asked me to do it, but I’m just very surprised, because I’m far from having the same international recognition as her and my wine blog doesn’t attract as many people as her website… But hey! If promoting her new “Wine and Food app” (called “Nat Decants”) can help her and in the same time help my customers, followers and me to find more information about wine (and food) in an informative and practical yet fun way on cell phones, why not?

This new app has thousands of wine and food pairings, wine reviews, recipes, articles, glossary terms, virtual cellar notes, winery directories and other info. And, although brand new, it has already received a lot of praises and very positive critics.

It is the ideal solution for persons in quest for a last minute wine buying choice in a Wine & Spirits retail store, or to make a food and wine pairing decision for a lunch or a dinner with family and/or friends, or simply to find and gather all the most interesting info and articles about a specific wine and suggested food parings all in the same app. Sounds very useful to me. It is like having your own personal Sommelier in your pocket at all times!

Therefore, if you haven’t discover “Nat Decants” yet, Natalie MacLean’s new “Wine and Food App”, go to:

For iPod Touch or iPhone, visit iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/nat-decants/id353052386?mt=8


For BlackBerry, visit App World:

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/10584


For Droid, Nexus One, Nokia, Palm Pre and other smartphones, use the mobilized web site here:

http://www.nataliemaclean.com/mobile

For more info about Natalie MacLean, visit her website at www.nataliemaclean.com

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info taken from one of Natalie MacLean's emails, as well as the phone picture taken from her website at www.nataliemaclean.com

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability.