What We Drank (November 2, 2011)

Here's a sampling of what we've been drinking this week...

Dave Seel: Pellegrini Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay
I'm a big fan of finding good wine at decent prices. I'll literally spend almost an hour in a wine shop, scouring the regions and vintages trying to find that perfect balance of cost vs. quality. Of course, my definition of "a decent price" may be different from some. Of course, it's changed over the years. There was a time when finding an awesome wine for dinner at $16 was considered a good deal in my book. Don't get me wrong, I love a good $15-$20 dollar bottle, but as life has taken over, diapers and dog food have worn away at the old nightly wine budget. Now, I'm psyched if I can find something worth drinking for under or around $10 bucks. It's not an easy task and I've had to stomach some pretty unimpressive wines, but every once in a while I find a steal and the search is totally worth it.

Last week, I was on the search in a small neighborhood wine shop known for its quality of selection. Initially I was intrigued by a row of Portuguese wines, good for both their European flavors and price point. But then my eyes drew me elsewhere, just beyond a row of Merlot, was a perfect value gem. The 2007 Pellegrini Chardonnay on clearance...for only $6.99. I'd recently tried this Long Island chardonnay at the Winebar at The Portly Grape and new both the wife and I dug it.

It's a great wine to pair with seafood, chicken, or even a pork dish. We were having chicken soup that particular night and the chardonnay's tart apple, slight vanilla and nutty flavors paired nicely with my herb-tastic version of the soup. Even if you can't find it on clearance, it's a great example of a good Long Island white and is perfect on it's own or with food. I'm not giving away my secret stash, but if you scout out Long Island's North Shore wine shops, you may just find this gem, waiting patiently for you to take it home and prove to you that cheap doesn't always mean bad.

Mark Grimaldi: Billsboro Winery 2010 Syrah
I was off popping into some Seneca Lake wineries last weekend while we were up visiting family.  One of my stops was Billsboro.  Having been really impressed with their Riesling in the past I was excited to taste the current release.  What I wasn't prepared for was to taste their Syrah. 

MIND BLOWN. 

It wasn't blown because the wine was good, because I know Vinny Aliperti can make good wine, it was blown because I guess I was not expecting to taste that much fruit, with that much varietal correctness from a Finger Lakes Syrah. It's just never been a region I've associated with this variety. But if there was a year to ripen Syrah, I guess it was 2010.

It's color was deep, but bright, and screamed of freshness, and when I looked at it all I could think was that this feeling would follow through onto the palate as well.  On the nose, red berries jump at you, with just a slight hint of that white pepper I usually pick up in the Northern Rhone. It smelled great.

The palate was lively, and fun, almost bouncy with a real savory quality to it. The fruit and tannins came together elegantly, and perfectly ripe for my tastes. Nicely balanced acid and a finish that made me want another sip before it even ended.  It's not complex, and you don't have to try hard to understand it.  It was just a really juicy, delicious, balanced red that I would have no problem having in heavy rotation on the table. 

The only problem is that they only make something like 150 cases.  I believe the fruit comes from "Sawmill Creek Vineyard", which the more and more I taste from this vineyard, has me thinking that if the Finger Lakes could have a grand or 1er Cru vineyard site one day, this would be one of them.

Evan Dawson: Chateau Lascombes 2002
Nice to be reminded that even wine with a pedigree -- second-growth Bordeaux! -- can be fat, boring, utterly lacking distinction or a sense of place. Not a legendary vintage, but my quarrel has nothing to do with the vintage.

This wine was almost silly. Extracted and black, it felt like a wine that was trying too hard from the get-go.

Often we hear vignerons claim, "The fruit can stand up to the oak." In this case, no, it can not. The oak overwhelms the nose, with brown sugar and Starbucks caramel macchiato offering the clearest sense of aromatics, followed by vaguely dark fruits.

The structure is fine; nothing to complain about, and the fine-grained tannins work nicely at this stage. But even after several hours open, the wine had not improved beyond a rather one-dimensional, awkward effort.

Hard to say I'd have gone with Bordeaux had I tasted it blind.

Lenn Thompson: Aarrowhead Spring Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir
Lots of people talk about a lack of quality pinot noir in the under-$20 category. Well, here's one $18 pinot from the Niagara Escarpment that is more than, "decent for the money."

It's downright good and might be my favorite New York pinot that I put in my mouth this year.

Fresh, bouncy and all about crunchy cherry-cranberry flavors up front, the finish turns soft and silky with light spice and beautiful dried fall leaves earthiness on the finish.

It remains to be seen whether Niagara USA will become pinot country or cabernet franc country -- but this wine sure makes the case for pinot.

You won't see any "perfect Thanksgiving wine" commentary on this website, but I could see this on my table in a few weeks.

Best of all, I will soon have ready access to this wine on Long Island -- more on that tomorrow though.

Comments

[Evan Dawson]

Mark - Even their '09 Syrah is impressive, which makes just about no sense. I have to chalk it up to a strong site and savvy winemaking. Have you been to the Sawmill Creek site? It's one of the steepest in the region, and it gets steeper as it heads toward the lake. We know that, scientifically, it's one of the warmest sites, too. Their Syrah has shown that nice peppery, bright fruit character that is very new-world, varietally on-the-money Syrah.

[mark grimaldi]

Evan-
Cool. I have not actually been to the vineyard. I need to check it out. If the 09 fruit got that ripe their must be some sort of serious mesoclimate going on there, which would make sense. It's really exciting to see specific vineyard examples like this standing out from others in the FLX. It's just one more puzzle piece coming together for this entire region. To me, this wine didn't bring me to the "new world". It's more in it's "own world" to me. never had a Syrah like this. Terroir, baby.

[DougJ]

Great reviews! Can't wait to try the syrah and the pinot.

[Rick Rainey]

Evan/Mark,
About 2 years ago I sat down with a winemaker who makes a bunch of Syrah and had been all over the US tasting it and he felt that the Finger Lakes was the closest to what he considered to be the true character of Syrah...in his estimation which was definitely "old world".

Take it for what it's worth but I'm a big fan.

Lou Damiani also has a BRILLIANT site.

[Duncan Ross, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards]

I think a region can be known for more than just one varietal- Pinot OR Cab Franc? Why not both, or several? In general, the escarpment has proven to be an excellent region for Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah. These are the varieties that have excelled on the Canadian side of the escarpment over the past 30 years and our experience on the US side mirrors theirs (which isn’t a surprise).

[Lenn Thompson]

Duncan,

I know you've been a reader for a while, so you know where I stand on signature varieties -- I don't necessarily love them, but it tends to happen whether we want it to or not.

I've had excellent examples of some of the varieties you list, with cab franc and pinot standing out most for me. So, for me, those are the leaders right now -- with Arrowhead Spring right at the forefront.

[Duncan Ross, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards]

Lenn,

My point is that we should not limit a region's brand to a single variety of grapevine. It's not "this or that", but "which varietals and styles really shine?" As an example, which of the following varietals from Bordeaux would be their signature variety? Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon or Muscadelle du Bordelais? How about the Rhone or even Burgundy? Sometimes a region can be a single varietal focus, but usually there are several that will bubble to the top.

We have 200 years of commercial fruit growing experience in Niagara County and have a very wide range of fruit crops that can be grown well here - I wouldn't want to say that only one varietal will do well when I see evidence for at least 6 that perform extremely well.

[Lenn Thompson]

Duncan, I absolutely understand your point and agree with it 300% philosophically. In reality, however, that's not how many American wine consumers think.

Most, if not all, of the best-known wine regions in the United States, and really the New World, have a single variety that they are 'known for.'

Usually, this grape is one that has either achieved early commercial success (think New Zealand sauv blanc or Aussie Shiraz) or has been pushed by the regions themselves because the grape performs consistently.

Long Island, for instance, often pushes merlot as its signature, but personally, I'm more excited about the region's cab franc, sauvignon blanc etc. -- its diversity. BUT, I'd be wrong to say that merlot isn't the top performer vintage after vintage.

In my experience with Niagara USA wines, pinot and cab franc are the most consistent (keeping in mind that I'm not big on chardonnay, which also does well in the region).

I don't think we disagree as much as it may seem. Regardless, this pinot is delicious and from what I hear selling extremely well at ESC down here.