Marc Kreydenweiss Les Charmes Kritt Pinot Blanc (2006); Alsace: Let’s start with the fun facts. The “Kritt” part of the name is from the word Kritter, which is how the vineyard site was labeled on old maps of the area. “Les Charmes” is fancy French-speak for “the charms” and the label art represents the delicacy and harmony of the wines. I like when I can put it all together and wrap it in a bow like that. As for the tasting profile, immediately I smelled pear with maybe a touch of minerality. When I tasted, I got more citrus and mineral but that pear was still there on the finish.
Pierre Morey Bourgogne-Aligoté (2006); Meursault, Cote d’Or: This is an interesting one. I don’t think I have ever tasted anything quite like it. On the nose there is almost a fresh mushroom-y aroma but with some sort of peppery note. Not in a bad way, just distinct, but on the palate it’s got some green apple characteristics that combine with a sort of earthiness.
Josemeyer Le Fromenteau Pinot Gris (2006); Alsace: Today was a clearly a French white wine kinda day. Alsatian pinot gris are very different from “new world” pinot gris and since I wasn’t terribly familiar with those differences, I decided to give it a whirl. This pinot gris smelled bright with hints of honeysuckle. There was some fruit but I couldn’t place it but it seemed to integrate nicely with the honeysuckle. When I sipped, there was a creaminess to the wine that was balanced by a little acid that gave it good structure.
I read once that Mets’ third baseman David Wright (perhaps you’ve heard me talk about him?) keeps a notebook in which he writes down all his at bats and the pitchers he faces. He documents his at bats and the sequence of pitches he is thrown and what he did with them and it undoubtedly makes him a better hitter and even more dreamy, since we all know how much I ♥ him.
In an effort to become a better hitter in my world, I am documenting all the different wines I taste. I taste a lot and I mean a lot of wines so it’s hard to keep them all straight so I’m writing them down in a place where I will never lose my notes: the internet. Naturally, I will take some bottles out two days in a row so let’s not get crazy and think that I will be posting notes about wines every day because really, unlike the pitchers that David Wright faces, these wines won’t be throwing me many curve balls from day to day.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Today’s bag brought:
Sokol Blosser Evolution (12th Edition); Dundee, Oregon: This is a blend of 9, count ‘em 9, white grape varietals–Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Muscat Canelli, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sylvaner. Very tropical (think melon) and bright, it’s an off-dry white with a bit of a natural effervescence on the palate. The scrapbooker in me is definitely digging the label.
Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc (2007); Russian River Valley: This smells like a sauvignon blanc. I *might* have been able to guess the varietal had I been tasting this blind. It’s very clean with a little bit of the grassiness for which sauv blanc is known but with some grapefruit notes that match the palate.
*Cannot find a label shot to save my life* Domain Carneros Pinot Noir (2006); Carneros: I love the color of this wine. It could be because it’s garnet-colored and that’s my birthstone, I’m just sayin’…It smells of earth with dark cherry notes which to me, is signature pinot noir. I definitely get the cherry on the palate with a little bit of smoke but it’s very smooth.
Cuvaison Cabernet Sauvignon (2006); Mount Veeder, Napa Valley: I get dark fruit on the nose but it’s balanced by chocolate and more oak and even a touch of jammy-ness. It’s definitely fruit-forward but the chocolate notes are also present on the finish.
Hanna Bismark Mountain Vineyard Syrah (2001), Sonoma Valley: This wine has a much more smoky note to it that is the first thing to grab me but there is also something that reminds me of boysenberry jam. I can taste some of that smoke with cracked white pepper on the palate.
I asked Ida to downgrade (see below) and hot damn! She’s a tropical storm, working on depression. For my CA readers:
It’s just a little rainy and windy but I’ll survive. Looks like I owe her a fruit basket. Megan, maybe we can get a group discount.
I’m going to crawl under some blankets now.
I wanted to take a moment to write an open letter to Tropical Storm Ida, which, according to all reports, is gaining on hurricane status as it makes its way to the Gulf.
Dear Ida,
I don’t know if you know this or not, but I’m new to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. That being said, I think we have something in common: we both enjoy the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They really are splendid, I can see you have excellent taste. I mean, I don’t even have to wear a sweatsuit when I go to the beach down here like I did in California, so I can appreciate your affinity to the Gulf waters.
So now that it has been established that we are practically akin with our good taste in beaches, I would very much appreciate it if you would help a sista out and would hold off on visiting. Say, til you become less than a tropical depression? The thing of it is, I haven’t ever experienced a hurricane and I was hoping to keep that streak alive a little longer. I have seen pictures and it doesn’t look awesome. Just last night, I was setting my GPS and at a particular point in Metairie, I thought that 127 feet above sea level was high and something must be wrong with the aforementioned GPS because we are close to sea level, not a “towering” 127 feet above it. Then I thought of what 127 feet would look like and my mind went to how many of my junior prom date stacked on top of himself that would be and it occurred to me that it wasn’t very much. He was very tall. And while I enjoy the water very much, I do not enjoy driving in it or when it comes near my place of residence. I can say that with assurance because Napa is also prone to flooding and it was recalled that one time, during a particular flood (probably the Great Flood of ’86, as I call it), water was lapping up our driveway and it was equally as un-awesome as this would be. Never mind that I was 3 and don’t remember, that’s neither here nor there.
Last week everyone was saying how you were “weakening” and “Tropical Storm Ida wouldn’t amount to much” and I can understand how that would irritate you and make you want to prove the meteorologists here wrong but Ida, don’t listen to them. They are always wrong.
The other thing that I hope you will consider before coming to visit is that I recently moved and I am so close to being done with the unpacking, it would really bum me out to have to pack it all up again. Also, I moved all 22 of my scrapbooks myself and I can assure you, they are way heavier than they look so I would really love it if I didn’t have to do that again. Especially since I’m still nursing my pulled abdominal muscle from my adventures in getting back in shape.
So if you go away, I too will send you a fruit basket from Edible Arrangements but, as my friend Megan said about your cohort Hurricane Rick, “if we happen to meet the Category 1 side of you on next week, I’ll be polite but don’t expect a welcome hug”.
Regards,
C