Corbières from Hell

It’s time to stop trying to forget about the South. It might be a blemish on the rest of the country, but it’s not going away anytime soon, and in fact, some pretty èxciting stuff is happening down there. If one has been ignoring the south of France, one should prepare to be hit with a primal concrete sledge.

Southern France might be better known for wealthy couples spending their psycho holidays relaxing on the beach than its wine production, but the common stereotype that it only produces barely drinkable plonk is just heresy. That vineyard over there on the other side of the cemetery gates could very well be capable of producing an old vine carignan with total palate domination.

And that’s just what tonight’s wine has done; presenting the 2006 Maxime Magnon Rozeta. from Corbières. For a modest $19 from an understated region, this wine has shattered my previous opinion of the Languedoc. Some have probably heard of this thing called Brettanomyces, well this isn’t it; it’s good, clean, southern dirt. Anyone expecting a lush new world style wine, however, should be prepared for a clash with reality when the tannins suck every last remaining drop of saliva from one’s mouth.

This wine hits the palate hard; so hard that it will leave many who are used to polished Napa cabernet calling for the medicine man. This is definitely a wine for those who don’t mind a little roughness around the edges, and in the end it rewards drinkers with a message in grapes. That message states: “I’m never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down…” I’m not going to finish that.

Hermitage and Reese’s: a match made in heaven?

As Three Dog Night proclaimed in 1969, one is the loneliest number. That is the number of wines which were consumed during tonight’s Cork Dorks United. Perhaps this demonstrates, if nothing else, the disrespect for which winos hold for drinking red wine with chocolate. It might be the saddest experience that you’ll ever know, but that didn’t keep me from trying to make it work. I even flew a bottle of wine from Lausanne, Switzerland to Walla Walla for tonight’s tasting. Too bad only Mike and I were able to taste it.

1st Place: 2001 Cave de Tain Hermitage

Hermitage and fire, two of the finer things in life

I wasn’t expecting greatness out of this wine, and it didn’t deliver greatness. After a couple hours the nose started to take on some nice dark fruit and pepper aromas, but this might be due to the fact that I added some jelly and a spice mix to my glass. The wine is just so much different than I’m used to. My mind is saying yes, but my palate is saying no. It’s thin, much more acidic than any Syrah to be found in this neck of the woods, and it’s also somewhat bitter. The Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups I chose to pair with the wine didn’t do much good, although they didn’t do much harm either.

Last Place: 2001 Cave de Tain Hermitage

Since Mike is my house mate he had no choice but to show up for Cork Dorks, and after we tried the wine we both agreed it begged for some real food. With some tortellini and tomato-garlic-onion sauce the wine improved greatly. This experience helps confirm that Port (and some California Zinfandels, which might as well be Port) is probably the only good wine and chocolate pairing. I was hoping that a bevy of different wine and chocolate pairings would help to further the case (or shoot it down), but the trial shall live on.

In case anyone was wondering, Hermitage is an appellation of France’s Northern Rhone Valley. The only red grape permitted is Syrah. White Hermitage is Marsanne and Rousanne. The appellation is a single south-facing hillside overlooking the Rhone River and the town of Tain l’Hermitage. There are about 345 acres of grapes planted – thus one reason these wines can be quite pricey. For comparison, there are about 43,000 acres planted in Napa Valley.

Despite a weak showing, Cork Dorks United lives on. The next meeting will be on March 14 and feature a collection of Southern Hemisphere reds. Perhaps we will have two wines to taste in this one, but two can be as bad as one. It’s the loneliest number since the number one.

We’re gonna Sauv your Blanc off

If it pleases and sparkles, sunshine

Sparkling wine is always a fun time, and tonight was not an exception. It made some of us slap the bass and others eat the pizza. All in all, my wine came in last, but no tears have been shed yet. Check out the reviews below:

1st place: 2007 Chateau Guadrelle Vouvray Brut
Descriptors included: dustbuster, mandarin orange, and lychee. Eric is elated that the top two wines came from the Loire Valley tonight, and he says this has a finish of, “granny smith apple”. I think Jolly Ranchers. Tasty.

2nd place: A. Simoneau Touraine Brut 100% Chenin Blanc
Yet another Chenin Blanc from the Loire showing strongly. Marshmellows, bacon, beach, and gummy bears. Despite the outlandish and moderately snobbish tasting notes, this wine is solid and could hold its own against… well… other wines. A finish of flowers lingers flowingly through Floridian flamingos.

3rd place: Graham Beck Brut 53% Chardonnay 47% Pinot Noir
South African goodness. Stinky shoes, graham crackers (coincidence? I think not), and more green apple Jolly Ranchers. We eat that shit up. Solid.

4th place: Mountain Dome Brut
This wine sparked some debate. The only Washington entry of the night, this was tasted last week in Wines of the World class which three of the night’s tasters are in. They claim large variation, with aromas ranging from meatballs to soccer balls. Any sort of ball, and it’s probably spot on. Oh, and it’s yeasty.

5th place: 2007 Vida Organica Chardonnay Mendoza
Argentina comes through, finishing the night how they started the 20th century: in last. I like this wine, and I feel horrible that it was not loved by my peeps tonight. Actually all of the wines were solid, but this may have been the shakiest of them all. Yeast, French toast, and Heather’s vegan grandmother hit the nose. Woot.

The next Cork Dorks United is on March 7 and will feature the infamous wine and chocolate pairings.

The Loire Valley: In Your Face!

I have noticed a certain lack of my own presence in the written portion of what is probably the worlds best wine blog in the world. I have a monster ego so this can not go on. I would like to share with you (my cherished readers) my thoughts on a wine region in a little country called France. I am not talking about Bordeaux or Burgundy or the Rhone. I would like to tell you a tale of the Loire valley.

The Loire valley filled with beautiful chateaux and awesome landscape is home to some of the most looked over wines of France. These wines generally do not have a mammoth price tag and yet can be quite pleasant if not totally f****** awesome (pardon my French). Wait you mean you can get French wine of good quality for a good price. Yes, yes you can.

I read all to often of wine writers talking a whole lot of smack about the Loire for having a poor climate for growing grapes and therefore making some less than stellar wines, and yet I often find myself opening a a bottle of a Savennieres, Vouvray, Sancerre, or any type of Cabernet France you can find (as it is the main red varietal grown in the Loire) and saying to myself “thats a notably epic wine”. I mean if you don’t like big opulent wines with a slight kick of some pyrazine’s then by all means don’t pay attention to what I say at all, but you will be missing out on a unique and possibly life altering wine experience.

sorry for what was probably a painful read, but I am not much of a writer.