Corcoran Night at Lansdowne On the Potomac

Looking for something fun to do this Saturday night? Corcoran Vineyards is hosting Corcoran Night at Lansdowne On the Potomac:

For $39 you can get spicy and sweet tapas paired with 4 wines from Corcoran Vineyards. A representative from the vineyard will be on hand to discuss the pairings while you dine. Stay for a 3-course dinner for an additional $45/person. Price does not include wine, but guests who attended the tapas pairing will get a 10% discount on Corcoran glasses or bottles.

Call 1-877-509-8400 for reservations. I'll be out of town, but this looks like fun.

Virginia Wines in the UK

At the DC Sip & Twit last week I was lucky enough to run into Christopher Parker from New Horizon Wines and he was very excited about how well Virginia wines are doing in the UK. He mentioned several shops that are carrying them and he is seeing more awareness of them.

The UK has a long history of infatuation with great wines, so this is exciting news! Christopher has graciously agreed to answer some questions for me. I hope to have those ready soon.

Restaurant Wine Bottle Presentation

This article has gotten a lot of attention on Twitter over the last couple of days. Specifically:

How long has it been since you ordered a glass of wine in a restaurant and had your server bring the bottle to your table, pour a little for you to taste and then finish pouring your glass as you watched?

If you think the practice is disappearing, you're right.

For me, its been about 3 hours (I know you are seeing this post at 6:55 on the 26th, but I wrote it the night before). I just don't see this practice disappearing at the places I drink. Is this something you all are seeing?

The Chinese Love Affair with Bordeaux

While naysayers like Gary Vaynerchuk are telling people to stay away from Bordeaux because it is overpriced, the Chinese are embracing and even accelerating their purchases. From the article:

The 10-hour sale yesterday of more than 800 lots tallied HK$52.9 million, beating host Sotheby's own forecast of HK$40 million. Bidders at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel drank glasses of Louis Roederer Blanc de Blanc 2003 and Haut Brion 1998 as they competed with online bidders for choice items, such as twin 1.5- liter bottles of Chateau Petrus 1982 that fetched HK$435,600, against the lot's top estimate of HK$130,000. Estimates don't include commission.

If you visit the websites of the top Chateaux in Bordeaux almost all of them have Chinese versions of their pages and many offer tours in China.

I have heard the argument that the Chinese only buy older Bordeaux, they won't embrace the En Primeurs system and the futures market, which is what people like Vaynerchuk are recommending US wine buyers avoid. That doesn't appear to be true, there are going to be many wine buyers from China at En Primeurs this year.

Top Bordeaux are always going to be a scarce product (as they should be), if the Chinese eat into that limited quantity in significant amounts that will make it more expensive to buy top Bordeaux in the US.

Win 3 Nights at TorreBarolo

Megan, who owns the TorreBarolo, in the Piedmont region of Italy, let me know about a contest she is running. Details are here, but the contest is pretty simple: become a fan of the property on Facebook between now and January 31st. On February 1st, she'll pick someone to win a 3 night stay at the property.

The property is located in the Langhe Valley, which is famous for its Barolo and, based on the pictures, it is absolutely beautiful.

Note: According to the rules, the stay must occur between February 5th and March 31st.

DC Sip and Twit

Giramondo Wine Adventures hosted a "Sip and Twit" on Wednesday at the Whittemore House in DC. I was skeptical about the benefit that tweeting would add to the tasting event, and I am not sure my opinion changed much.




The way the event worked was pretty simple. To participate, you either had to sign up at the WineTwits website, or you could simply add the hashtag #sptwdc to your Tweets. They had a large monitor mounted to the wall to display Tweets as they happened (well, with a minor delay). You can see my shout out to Breaux Vineyards in the picture below. You can follow along along with the stream of tweets here to get a feel of what wines people liked and didn't like.

I think the concept has merit. In theory this type of testing would give people the opportunity to talk with each other about the wine. Instead of the person pouring the wine dictating what you should taste, a consensus could be developed amongst the crowd. To some extent it was successful, in the pictures below you can see people buried in their phones, tweeting.




I think where it starts to go wrong is with the prizes they were awarding for people who posted the most tweets during the event. When you do something like that, you wind up with too much chaff. If you read through the couple of hundred Tweets linked above, how many of them actually tell you about the wines? How many tell you something useful about what was good or bad? How many of them seem like padding to increase the user's chance of winning (including my own)?

I think one way this process could be improved is by inviting the producers/distributors who are there to open their own Twitter accounts. Again, take a look at the stream of tweets here, the ones that are probably the most useful are the ones that include the wine producer's handle (well, with the possible exception of this one :)).

If guests of the event had a way to easily tag which wine they thought "was dry, with hints of plum" or "tasted like feet" then I think the conversation becomes even easier. At the very least the wine producers who are there get immediate, and frankly invaluable, feedback on their wines.




On the other side of the equation, the wines presented were, generally, very good. I've already commented on the wines from Georgia, and will have more on that in a couple of days (they've graciously agreed to an interview).

Another standout was the wines from Solterra, they offered an excellent Carmenere. Like most Chilean wines, it is also a very good value at about $10.

Local boys Keswick and Horton were there. The newly released Keswick 2007 Heritage was excellent, as was the Horton Chocolate wine.

There were also several good wines from Sicily including a Grillo from Dinari del Duca and the House Jam Barnardo.

The Williams Corner table featured two really good wines the J. Mourat Collection and the Forlorn Hope Mil Amores.

Update: This is exactly, what I was talking about above. Forlorn Hope gathers some of the Twitter comments from the event on their blog.

Route 9 Barrel Tasting

If you are looking for something really fun to do today Sunset Hills, Loudoun Valley Vineyards and Doukenie are hosting the annual Route 9 Barrel Tasting.



For $35 you get the opportunity to try some of the upcoming wines from all three wineries. More importantly, you get to meet with the winemakers and talk about their winemaking style and their insights into the vintages. Barrel tastings really give you insight into the winemaker and the types of wines produced at the winery.

Un week-end d'exception a Margaux

Maria, from Chateau Brane-Cantenac sent me a note about this event, hosted by Terre de Vins.

Un week-end d'exception a Margaux an incredible weekend-ish getaway to Margaux! The trip starts off on Friday with lunch at Chateau Brane-Cantenac, followed by a tasting at Chateau Margaux.

After the Margaux tasting, the next stop is Chateau Palmer for dinner. After dinner, guests will spend the night at the Relais de Margaux.

In the morning guests will do tastings at Chateau Kirwan and Chateau Rauzan-Segla. The weekend finishes up with a lunch and reception at Chateau Lascombes.

The best part, is that these are not the ordinary tastings, the Chateaux have really gone all out. Chateau Palmer is serving their 1998, 1990 and 1983 vintages and the 2000 vintage of their Alter Ego. Chateau Brane-Cantenac is serving their 2004, 2002 and 1996 vintages and Chateau Lascombes is serving their 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2001 vintages, plus the 2005 vintage of their second label.

The price is 1290 Euro per person and there is only space for 25 people. This is an incredible opportunity, one that I would take advantage of, if I wasn't already going out to Bordeaux in March/April.

Lasagna Lunch at Naked Mountain Winery

First, congratulations to Naked Mountain for 35 years in the wine business, they are one of Virginia's oldest wineries.

The Lasagna lunches at Naked Mountain are somewhat of a tradition in the wine club. The lasagna is amazing and lodge-like feel of the Naked Mountain tasting room is a perfect environment for a warm plate of lasagna and a bottle of wine.



The big new release this year was the 2008 Chardonnay/Riesling blend. I am not normally a Chardonnay drinker, but combined with the Riesling it made a nice semi-sweet wine, that pair surprisingly well with the lasagna.

Georgian Wine House

I went to the DC Sip and Twit event tonite, I'll have a full write up over the next couple of days, but I wanted to highlight the wines from Georgia (the country, not the state).

The primary grape of Georgia is the Saperavi, it makes a dark wine that is extremely tannic and full bodied.

There is a website that the winemakers of Georgia set up to tell people about their wines, Georgian Wine House (unfortunately, the site seems to be down at the moment.)

Georgian wines are only available in select markets throughout the United States - DC is one of those markets.

I've sent them an e-mail asking if they would be willing to do an interview with me. I will let you know if I hear anything back.

Wine Bars in Dubai

According to Google there are three wine bars in Dubai: Agency Wine Bar, Cin Cin and Vintage.

For some reason this fascinates me.

Chateau Palmer and You

I am a sucker for unique marketing ideas, especially when they come from old-school companies and it does get much older than Chateau Palmer. Labelled a third growth in the 1855 Classification wine has been made on the Chateau Palmer property since the 1750s. It is one of the top wines from the Margaux region, and one of the few to have a Twitter account.

They've set up a website called Palmer and You where visitors can "share a memorable moment with a wine of Palmer..."

It is a very simple idea, but I think potentially very powerful. Wine is all about the moment, a great bottle of wine is great because of the people you share it with or where you are experiencing it. Reading through the stories reminded me of the last bottle of Chateau Palmer I had, and makes me want to order more.

Paradise Springs Winery

As I mentioned previously, Paradise Springs Winery had its grand opening this weekend. I went out on Monday to visit them and sample the wines -- us bloggers lead a rough life :).

The tasting room is in a restored cabin that dates back to the 1800s. There are actually two different tasting bars, one on the top floor and one in the basement which came in very handy, as they were very crowded. The setup is very nice, but it was clear they were still experiencing some opening weekend pains, give them a couple more weeks and they should get everything ironed out.




They currently serve 8 wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Merlot/Tannat Rose, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Norton. They are, by far, the most proud of their 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, its 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 13 months in 1-4 year old American Oak.



I got to talk briefly with Jane, one of the owners, she talked about the history of the property and their winemaking process.

They have been working very closely with Chris Pearmund getting up to speed and making their first batch of wines. In fact many of their wines were made at the Vint Hill facility with grapes sourced from all over Virginia.

They do have vines on the property, but they most likely won't get fruit from them until next year.

Betting on Bordeaux

I feel like a broken record with repeated articles on the value of Bordeaux wines. But, I think someone has to counteract the impression most most Americans seem to have that Bordeaux wines are overpriced.

Will Lyons has an article in the WSJ about 2009 Bordeaux and what people are saying:

One Bordeaux buyer quietly confided in me that when he visited the region a couple of months ago he was allowed to taste the juice. "It's very rare that growers let you taste anything at this stage," he said. "It was really rich and sweet -- 2009 will be a cracker."

He goes on to compare 2009 Bordeaux to 2005 and talks about some of the great values that wound up coming out of that vintage. If 2009 is as good as everyone has been saying, then there will be incredible deals. Sure, Chateau Margaux may be priced out of most people's reach, but but there will be great value in some of the 2nd and 3rd growths, just like there always is.

Remember, too, that the Bordelais do not live in a bubble. When I was in Bordeaux all of the winemakers I talked to do were aware of pricing and the economic conditions. I think that will factor into the pricing considerations for the 2009 vintage, no matter how good it is.

We'll know for sure beginning in April.

Deerfield Ranch Winery

Back in September I had to go to San Francisco for a couple of days. I got to spend one day in Sonoma and hit a couple of wineries while I was there.

Deerfield Ranch Winery is located in Kenwood practically across the street from Kunde. Deerfield produces 21 different wines and their grapes are sourced from 17 different vineyards.

The Deerfield Ranch Winery tasting room is absolutely beautiful. They have turned their cave into a good-sized space for tasting, parties and just to hang out. The space set aside for tasting is open and relaxing, and while they do have two small tasting bars, most of the tasting while I was there was done in the more comfortable chairs or tables set up in the room.




Their standout wine was the 2005 Red Rex (image 2). It is a blend of 29 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 17% Syrah, 11% Petit Verdot, 9%, Sangiovese, 6% Malbec and 5% Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Sauvignon gives the wine good structure while the Sangiovese adds fruit and the Cabernet Franc gives it just a little spice. It is a surprisingly full-bodied wine with smooth tannins that lingers on the palate.

Aside from wine, they also make a very good grapeseed oil. I use grapeseed oil in almost all of my cooking, so I was delighted to see this, their truffle flavored grapeseed oil is particularly good.

Breaux Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical

Jennifer Breaux always does an outstanding job with the events at Breaux Vineyards and this weekend's Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical was no exception. This year we were able to taste the 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 vintages along with a special treat, their 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Rose -- directly from the fermenting tank.




We started off with the 2008 and 2007 vintages, directly from the barrel. These wines were paired with Beef Ribs that were also braised with the Cabernet Sauvignon and a chocolate truffle. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is a standout wine. It is an intense wine with lots of black fruit and tannins. After letting the glass sit for a bit I also picked up hints of vanilla. The 2008 on the other hand was much more concentrated and is not showing the fruit or the intensity that the 2007 vintage is. Fortunately, it has several more years in the barrel to help bring out its flavors.

The second course consisted of the 2006 and 2005 vintages. These have been bottled, but not yet released and were paired with pork wellington and some really good cheddar. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon had a very dark color and lots of spice on the nose, not a lot of fruit, but strong tannins. The 2005 vintage had more red fruit and a lighter color and light tannins.

The final course was a grilled salmon served over saffron with a side of pecorino romano cheese. This was paired with the 2002 and 2001 vintages. The 2002 has smoothed out nicely as it has aged in the bottle. It has a medium body and complex aromas. In contrast, the 2001 vintage is darker in color and has more body. The black fruits and the tannins in this wine are equal partners.



As a special treat, we were also able to try the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Rose. This wine is still in the tank and hasn't been clarified yet, but even this early it is really good and I can't wait to see what it tastes like once it has been bottled.

For me, the standouts of the day were definitely the 2001 and 2007 vintages, but all of the vintages were very good.

On the Cost of Classified Bordeaux Wines

Lindsay Morriss is a very good young writer based out of Bordeaux. She has an article on the Cork'd website about the cost of Classified Bordeaux wines. She makes some excellent point, most notably that most Bordeaux wines are actually quite affordable. But, the classified growths will always be more expensive because:

However, looking ahead, basic supply and demand factors virtually guarantee that the region's Grand Cru wines will continue to fetch high prices. The supply is static - government regulation ensures that vineyards don't overproduce in order to maintain high quality. Globally, demand is actually rising, with new markets emerging in China, Russia and beyond. Couple this with a great image and reduced wine tariffs (just look at Hong Kong) and you've got your answer to the original question..basic supply and demand.

A very good article.

Paradise Springs Winery Grand Opening

After a couple of false starts and some serious regulatory hurdles, the first winery is opening up in Fairfax County this weekend. Paradise Springs Winery is in Clifton Virginia and has been 20 years in the making.

You can follow the grand opening festivities on Twitter. I won't make it out on Saturday, but I'll do my best to get out there this weekend and report to you all.

Brane-Cantenac Part II

After my tour of the property, I was invited to have lunch at the Chateau. Keep in mind that (as I am sure you all are aware) I'm nobody. I am not a buyer and while I write about Bordeaux a lot on this site a good day for me is 100 visits, so I have no influence in the wine world whatsoever and yet Henri, Corinne and Maria took time out of their day to have lunch with me.

This is one thing that stood out during my trip to Bordeaux: just about everywhere I went I was met with warmth and openness. Everyone was friendly and accommodating - which was especially nice considering how bad/non-existent my French is. In America, we often see French people portrayed as snotty and stand-offish. That may be true in some parts of France, but it was definitely not true in Bordeaux and the surrounding regions.




Lunch started off with hours hors d'oeuvres served with Champagne. This was followed by a 4 course meal, each course paired with a vintage of Chateau Brane Cantenac, selected by Henri. It was excellent, and by far the best meal I had while I was in Bordeaux (i didn't have any bad meals while I was there, this was just the best :)).

Aside from the great food and superb wine what made the meal great was how quickly the conversation ramped up. Very quickly it felt like I had known these people for years and the two hours I had set aside for lunch passed so quickly that I almost missed my appointment at Chateau Margaux.

One of the advantages of being a blogger and not a wine journalist is that I get to show my love for wine properties that I think do everything right. You read that here in my constant posts about Breaux Vineyards, Fabbioli Cellars and when I write about Chateau Brane Cantenac. To me, these wineries not only make great wine but do a tremendous job of taking care of their fans and I have no problem repeatedly telling the world how great they are :).

Brane-Cantenac Part I

This is the first part of my last post about Chateau visits while I was in Bordeaux and the one that I am the most excited to write. Chateau Brane-Cantenac has long been one of my favorite wines. To me, it is the quintessential Bordeaux: complex and elegant, with well-structured tannins and a long finish. Plus, with most vintages in the $50-$70 range it is a wine that I can (and do) drink regularly.



The history of Chateau Brane-Cantenac dates back to at least the early 18th century when the property was known as Chateau Gorce. Even then it was recognized as a quality wine. The estate was purchased Baron Hector de Brane in 1833. Baron Hector de Brane -- a staunch advocate for making Cabernet Sauvignon the primary grape in the Medoc -- renamed the property to Brane-Cantenac in 1838 and that is the name that was used in the 1855 Classification.

Chateau Brane-Cantenac is classified as a second growth.




Like many properties in Bordeaux, the estate fell on hard times between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It changed owners several times before finally being sold to Leonce Recapet and Francois Lurton in 1925. The estate was passed to Francois' son Lucien Lurton (I have a couple of bottles of Brane that have L. Lurton etched into the wax covering on the bottle). In 1992 Lucien passed the property to his son, Henri Lurton. It is Henri who runs the Chateau today.



Henri Lurton is well-known for innovations in the wine making process. While I was visiting the Chateau I was fortunate enough to have him give me the tour, and I have to say it was a real honor talking to him about his winemaking process and philosophy.

There is an old adage that if you want to sculpt an elephant you simply get a block of marble and chip away anything that doesn’t look like an elephant. That appears to be Henri's philosophy when it comes to making wine: Because of Brane-Cantenac's terroir and the care he shows the vines there is great wine in the fruit, he just needs to chip away everything that is not great and the wine will manifest itself.

Of course it helps that Chateau Brane-Cantenac sits on one of the best spots in the Margaux region. Directly in front of the Chateau is the Plateau de Brane. The Plateau de Brane has an elevation, at its peak, of 22 meters above sea-level. It is comprised of large gravel that extends as deep as 10 meters. This is an ideal environment for Cabernet Sauvignon. The gravel improves the resilience of the vines and generates additional heat.




Harvesting and sorting are done by hand. Initial fermentation is done in temperature controlled steel, concrete and oak vats (Henri has a preference for oak). Malolactic fermentation is done inside the barrel, one of Henri's innovations. Racking is done every three months. To make that process easier Henri has begun using twist on bungs (see the last picture) in the barrels. Fining is done with egg whites and the wine is typically aged 18 months.

There are a total of 75 hectares under vine. 55% of those are Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and .5% Carmenere. The average age of the vines is 35 years.

The Ethics of Twitter

Barbara at Seattle Wine Gal has an interesting post on the ethics of tweeting about wine received gratis from a producer. From the post:

Is there a way of doing Social Media Marketing to it’s fullest extent without giving free products in exchange for online recognition? Is this ethical? Am I being bribed, or simply offered a great chance to taste wine and let other know what I think?

She asks some excellent questions, and questions that have become important to people who blog about wine. I don't have any answers, but I encourage you all to check out her comments and weigh in.

Sip and Twit

I am not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, as a traditional tasting, its a nice way to get introduced to the wines of Chile and Argentina (assuming GiraMondo does its usual good job of picking out wines). The introduction of Twitter into the event is what intrigues and bemuses me.

I am not sure what value Twitter adds to a wine tasting event like this. When I go to an event like this, I am interested in what my companions think, but frankly, I have no interest in what people outside of my group think. I am also skeptical about this claim:

Whereas a typical tasting involves attendees busily scribbling in notebooks, Sip & Twit participants will be able to ‘tweet’ their tasting notes and thoughts as they walk around the room. The tweet-feed will be simultaneously broadcasted locally to plasma screens around the room and globally to the online community utilizing the technology of our partner WineTwits.

First, I rarely see anyone scribbling in notebooks at tastings. At best, you see people putting stars or check marks on the sheet provided by the hosts. But even if the scribbling point is true (and admittedly, I hang out with people who are drinkers not spitters), how is people busily typing on their iPhones and Blackberries any better?

I'd love to hear your thoughts?

Chateau Perenne

When I went to Bordeaux, I had some very specific destinations in mind. I've been drinking wine from Bordeaux for more than 10 years, and I have a really good idea of what I like and what I don't. The first part of my trip was spent visiting those Chateaux that I have always wanted to see: Margaux, Brane Cantenac, Lynch Bages, Lascombes, etc. The second part of the trip was spent exploring the city of Bordeaux.

The last leg of my trip was supposed to be spent in St. Emilion, but rental car issues (thanks again, Hertz) made that difficult. Instead I decided to explore regions that I wasn't as familiar with; to do that I turned to the Office de Tourisme de Bordeaux. The Office de Tourisme de Bordeaux has a number of vineyard tours including one out to Blaye and Bourg. It was reasonably priced at 30 Euros and it gave me an opportunity to see part of the region that I other i probably would have missed.

Obviously touring a chateau with 40 other people is not nearly as personal as the one-on-one or one-on-handful tours I did at the chateaux in the Medoc, but it was worth the trade-off to explore new regions.




Cotes de Blaye is just north of Cotes de Bourg (well, north and west) on the right bank. Vines have been planted here since the Greeks and Romans first settled the land, wine has been made in this region for thousands of years.

Cotes de Blaye is also home to the Citdel of Blaye, which is extremely imposing, even from a distance.




On the tour we visited Chateau Perenne a Bernard Magrez property. If you take a look at the 4th picture one of the first things you'll notice is all the grass between the vines. Unlike the more gravelly terroir of the Medoc, this part of Cotes de Blaye is mostly limestone.

Harvest and sorting are done by hand. Depending the quality of the fruit fermentation is either done in steel or or oak vats (the best of the fruit is isolated, fermented in oak, and used to make the equivalent of a reserve wine) and then barrel aged. There are 57 hectares under vine (for red vines) with an average age of 30 years. The wine is 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec.