Wines during the last week of July 2011

NV Doyard Cuvee Vendemaire – The first time I had this wine, and the first time I heard about this wine, was at the Plucky. Birk from Acid Inc, a subsidiary of Angel Share distributors, brought it in for Brian and I to taste. We currently had a Champagne by the glass selection, but this blew it away…for about the same price. No brainer. Brian ordered a bunch and on the Glass Pour list it went. Since then, the wine was highly rated by the pros, a bunch of other restaurants brought it onto their lists, and the price went up. It was on the Nougatine list for $22 a glass, about what the bottle probably cost wholesale for the restaurant (pending quantities ordered). This is a nice glass of bubbly. Great fruit, nice acid, some complexity. I used to have some bottles at home, but drank them all. Will have to look to see if I can find some more at retail (at a reasonable price).

Jenn and I went to Yumi in Sea Bright with Justin & Patty and we brought the following two bottles to drink with our sushi…

1998 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame – I bought a case of this while at the Plucky. Seems VC was having some problems moving the ’98, so the deal was pretty good. At retail the prices I’ve seen are usually around $140 or so. So far I’ve drank 6 of the 12 bottles, and this one has showed the best. Previous bottles were still a bit young for my palate, but I think it’s now starting to enter my “drinking window”. I like a little toast and complexity to my Champagnes, and that usually means some bottle age. The nice thing about this particular bottle was that it had some weight to it, but was still light enough to not over power some of the lighter sushi selections. I’m glad I have 6 more bottles, but probably wouldn’t be willing to pay retail for more.

2006 Black Kite Pinot Noir Kite’s Rest – A couple of years ago Jeff and I went to the Plucky after a round of golf for dinner. Tal, the GM, told us we needed to try the new Pinot they just got on the wine list. It was a 2004 Black Kite Kite’s Rest Pinot from Anderson Valley. We loved it. Since then I have been lucky enough to have been to the winery and vineyards at Black Kite, which are beautiful, and to explore Anderson Valley a bit as well. Honestly, if you haven’t trekked up to Anderson Valley during a California Wine vacation, you are missing out. Personally, I think they make some of the best Pinots in California. In any case, I picked up this specific bottle for $40 at the Wine Library. It was a great drink. Full flavored but not over the top, with clean fruit and a nice finish. Well worth a try if you see it in stores. They also have three other single vineyard wines: River’s Turn, Redwood’s Edge, and Stony Terrace. I bought three of the four wines in the 2008 vintage (when I worked the harvest in Napa) and can’t wait to dive into them.

2007 Sojourn Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon – After getting home from Yumi, the group was looking for one more glass to finish off the night. If you haven’t heard of or tried the Sojourn wines, make a point of doing so. Good to great wines that are generally good values, and great people (if you are ever in Sonoma) to meet for a tasting. They make excellent Pinots and Cabs and, unfortunately, are gaining widespread acclaim and notice. This is only unfortunate because the prices seem to reflect the greater demand. I bought this wine direct from Sojourn mailing list for $59. A reasonable price for the wine. It’s generally not a big as some of the other Spring Mountain wines (Pride, Paloma, etc.), but not quite as expensive either.

2006 Karl Lawrence Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – I’ve never had a Karl Lawrence wine that I didn’t like. It’s a go-to standard for me, and I never feel like I have enough of it. It’s another wine that needs some bottle age, and this is a bit early to be drinking this vintage, but it’s so yummy that it is hard to hold off. I simply choose the 2006 so that I could give the 2005 and 2007s more time. Another one of my mailing list wines (about $60 including shipping), and one I won’t be dropping off anytime soon.

2004 J.J. Christoffel Urzinger Wurzgarten Auslese (1 star) Riesling – You know, I can’t understand how people can say they don’t like Riesling. It has to be one of the most dynamic wines made. It comes in all ranges of dryness/sweetness, and it always seems to have enough acid to offset any residual sugar. It goes great with food or by itself, as well as on a hot day or a cold day. Suffice it to say, I honestly love a good Riesling. This German wine was purchased at retail for $24. Bargain. The only reason that I don’t by more of these is that I can’t find anyone to drink them with me…which means I drink the whole bottle by myself (usually in one sitting, but that’s another story and also representative of the low alcohol these wines generally have).