Dry Germany
Yesterday’s Dry Wine Tour hosted annually by Rudi Wiest Selections pulled a quite a crowd. And thank goodness, because the 35 dry German wines reds and whites we tasted ranged from superb to absolute knock outs, rife with the power, intensity, and the sleek minerality that only cool climate wines can amalgamate.
Dry Wine Tour (for whom LA was their 7th stop in 10 days) featured the wines of 7 different houses, and represented the gamut of regional styles, from elegant Rheingau, to exotic Pfalz, Mediterranean Baden, and fresh, fruity Franken. Palpable passion exhibited in the words and gestures of these German wine makers shone through any language barriers. It was a pleasure to listen to Markus Mleinek, winemaker at Dr. Heger/Weinhaus, who is a zaftig sort of guy, giggle about how important food-friendliness is to him in the Pinot Gris & Pinot Blancs he crafts. “As you can see by looking at me, I like to eat, I like to cook [pause] with a lot of butter and cream [laughs, audience laughs] and I want my wines to work well with the foods I cook.” We tasted through his Baden lineup and the whites were like no wines I’ve ever had from Germany, weighty, with some caramel and roasted notes, and lots of hazelnut.
Carl Erhard of Kunstler buzzed like the electric minerality and piercing acidity of his Rieslings. I got a chance to speak with this tall, gentle character briefly after the event to congratulate not only his wines but also his passion. I told him that one really can taste the love and joy that goes into his wines. “With wine it’s all about the passion you put into it,” he said with a smile, “that’s how you make good wine.” I was particularly taken with this man’s inspiration; though he spoke a bit more at length than some of the others, he wrapped by saying “My wife says, ‘when you talk about wine, you talk too much!’” The whole room had a good hearty laugh.
And it’s not all about Riesling. I was pleasantly surprised at how much good dry Pinot Blanc there is for quaffing and also at the richness and density of the Pinot Noir. For varietal expression, Rebholz in the Pfalz that stole the show. Each wine was unique and had its best characteristics teased out expertly. Wines were well-made, balanced, bright, and harmonious. Their 2009 Pinot Noir exhibited characteristics of smoke, red licorice, cinnamon candy, and tea leaves which coalesced in an integration whose result was both pleasurable and intellectual.
The large majority of the German dry wines were make organically and biodynamically. And frankly the more I pay attention to wines made without pesticides and in a sustainable environment, the more I notice how much better they taste, not only from mass produced wines, but also from smaller production wines that spray or fertilize with harsh chemicals. Below is a selection of my favorites – some of which will soon be available here at WHWC. Stay tuned.
Rebholz Pfalz
2010 Pinot Blanc Estate: Bright, bold, dry, crisp, one of the better Pinot Blancs I’ve had. Guzzlable.
2010 Riesling GG Ganz Horn – Pepper, mineral, spicy, medium-bodied, big finish.
2010 Riesling GG Im Sonnenschein – Briny, saline, lime flower, & white rose.
2010 Riesling GG Kastanienbusch – red slate soil, hay, tea, dusty summer earth, dry herbs
2009 Pinot Noir Spatlese Dry Tradition – Smooth, velvety, sweet fruit, dense, cinnamon, clove
Wagner Stempel Reinhessen
2010 Riesling GG Hollberg – Gardenia, concentrated, ripe, stone fruit, mouthcoating
Heger Baden
2011 Heger Pinot Gris Estate – Heavy Loess soil, medium body, round, lower acidity, drinkable, Food friendly, Rhone-ish
Becker Pfalz
2010 Pinot Blanc Estate – Mouthfilling, delicious, ‘sweet’ fruit, lanolin, peach
2008 Pinot Noir GG St. Paul – Beachy, brambly, bright, orange rind, Campari, food-friendly
Kunstler Rheingau
2011 Riesling GG Kostheim Weiss – Closed upon opening, after 15 mins steely minerality, beeswax, lemon curd, white flowers
2009 Pinot Noir Estate – Slate, smoke, currant, like a good Bourgogne rouge, woodsy, candied fruits, bright
Geekin’ Out on New Greek Wine
The only real encounter I had with Greek wine before a couple years ago was in a dark little cafe in New York called Snack Taverna in 2003 – inexpensive pitchers of classic, cheap Retsina were the only thing we knew to order with our octopus salad and olives with salted almonds. The Retsina was fine, pleasantly pine-scented, and completely forgettable.
Then, about two years ago we started carrying a white called Moschofilero at my old shop in New York. I didn’t think twice about it. And then one day it was open. I pulled up a glass. The mineral, fruity freshness with a saline silver lining made me laugh out loud. Dang! I poured a little more, and swallowed. My curiosity popped.
All I knew of Greek wine before this synesthetic epiphany was the aforementioned Retsina, which had become the national beverage of Greece in the 1960′s. This gave Greek wine a reputation as frivolous, insipid, unserious. Luckily, Greek wine has been around for 6,500 years: clearly it can weather a storm. Appellation laws were established in the early 1970′s and now, armed with indigenous varietals, an ideal climate, interesting terroirs, forward-thinking winemakers, modern technology, moving-and-shaking exporters, and a hip little PR engine New Wines of Greece, Greece is back on the wine scene and poised to make Aegean-sized waves.
All the elements for success are in place, the most important of which are the wines themselves. Pink-skinned Moschofilero from Mantinia unleashes an awesome freshness on one’s senses, while steely Assyrtiko is full of salty minerals and bracing acidity (especially in volcanic Santorini) and begs for hot temps, sunny days, and light Mezes (Mediterranean tapas). Red Agiorgitiko from the Peloponnese is dark ruby red in color, complex of aroma and definitively ageworthy, while Naoussa Xinomavro will satisfy the Nebbiolo lover with its bright color, high acidity, and rich, strong tannins. This is the wine for your roasted lamb or meatballs.
Like I said, Greek wine barely passed my ‘who cares?’ test for the larger part of the last decade, but they’re onto something, and their siren song is certainly worth a listen if you’re into mixing it up a bit. Here are some of my current faves for contemplation:
2010 Zafirakis Malagousia – this wine is sprightly but mineral with good herbaceousness on the nose and an oily palate that’s balanced out with firm acidity.
2010 Tetramythos Roditis Patras – Bright and guzzlable, this inexpensive white is pretty, with lots of apple and bergamot.
2008 Kir-Yianni Xinomavro Ramnista – this rich, ageworthy red is finely built with good tannin and fresh acidity. Sun dried tomato and black olive on the palate make it super food-friendly.
We’ll be tasting all these and more with Greek Wine expert Markus Stolz of Elloinos, Friday January 27th from 5–7 PM if you’re interested in Greeking out with us here at WHWC in Los Angeles. Opa!
Dining at Vino Wine & Tapas Room
Recently, my wife and I moved to Tarzana and have been scouring the neighborhood looking for delicious restaurants that don’t break the bank. We visited several that were quite the fail and then we found our current favorite. I present to you: Vino Wine & Tapas Room. Located on Ventura in Encino, this small, comfortable eatery whips up delicious fare.
We have been to Vino several times now and they have many different dishes and wines. Although their wine list has a nice array from different regions around the world, we usually pay corkage. We took my grandparents recently and had a wonderful time at a semi-private table near the back. I brought one of my favorite rosé Champagnes, Billiot, and it paired wonderfully with many of the tapas. Billiot is a grower champagne with grapes from Ambonnay. All Grand Cru juice, the value is outstanding. Pairing with the Billiot, we had Manchego, a thick slice of the cheese on a croqueta smothered with a sweet tomato vinaigrette. We also had Albondigas, a sirloin meatball on top of savory mashed taters. I love how rosé Champagne (or any rosé for that matter) pairs with so many different foods and can even cross over and pair with meats. The Billiot rosé is beautiful and offers a nose of dough, cinnamon, orange zest, and berries like raspberry and cherry. Full creamy bubbles and delicious lip-smacking acidity constitute the palate.
My favorite “big” small bite is the New Zealand Lamb Chop. I love pairing lamb with Syrah, and one of my favorite Syrahs is JL Chave Crozes-Hermitage from the Northern Rhone valley. It pairs magically with lamb. Soft tannins with tart raspberry flavors, all meshed together with fresh cracked black pepper, this is a classic French Syrah. Syrah is fast becoming one of my favorite varietals. It’s very versatile with food and I simply relish the peppery flavors. The chops are prepared with, what do ya know, pepper and herbs encrusted with a wine reduction sauce on top.
The ambience is terrific and on most weekends, they have live saxophone crooning at the front of the restaurant. The chairs are very comfortable and the service is super friendly. I like to describe the lighting as happy and dark. All wine is served in Riedel stemware (specifically, Vinum Extreme). For a less personal experience, there is always at least a small crowd at the bar where energetic conversations abound. I highly recommend checking Vino out, but make sure you come by and pick up a couple bottles from me, custom matched for your food.
Cheers!
48 Hours in Seattle
Something about Seattle. I fell for it last July after a sun-drenched and resplendent week on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound. Something about the expanses of water, clean, clear air, dramatic skies and weather. The weather in the Northwest gets a bad rap – especially from people who’ve never been there. But statistics show that it actually rains less in Seattle than in Boston, New York City, or Paris, the three places I’ve lived to date (before LA). And everyone knows labile weather makes person thirsty and hungry.
Off the plane burning reds, oranges, and yellows were fully flushed against the grey and green backdrop. I dropped my things at my friends’ place and started in to take a bite out of the calm, clean city. First stop: Oysters and crisp Columbia Valley Semillon, Buty, at Taylor Fish Farm in Capitol Hill. Kumamotos latticed in lemon and minionette have a way of staying on your mind. Then onto Bar Ferd’nand where we bellied up to the bar in a sort of communal open market format. The wine list was esoteric and well-built except for the 2002 Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc they had by the glass. Credibility loss there, since 2002 was underwater in the southern Rhone and the wine crop was ruined. Sitka & Spruce next door just to say hi to one of the guys who runs the place, and then back out onto the cool grey streets. Patches of blue against the blazing red trees. My lungs fill with fresh ocean air.
At Oddfellows we had crisp, round 2009 Terlano Pinot Bianco and a little cheese for 4 PM ‘gouter‘; up the street at Anchovies and Olives, we drank 2008 San Falletto Manzoni Bianco and delighted in linguini tossed with butter, garlic, and Geoduck, a giant clam indigenous to the Northwest. It’s pretty gnarly to the eye – looks like a phallus – but quite tasty when sliced thin in pasta. Our crawl terminated at Bottlehouse in Madrona. Bottlehouse’ Somm is the brother of Eric Maclaughlin, Winery Director at Corliss Estates, the new chart-topping boutique Columbia Valley winery that we hosted a tasting for this October at WHWC. We were welcomed with effervescent glasses of Austrian Punkt Genau sparkling Zweigelt, the perfect end to the afternoon, since we had a house party to throw that night.
Up and at ‘em first thing. Breakfast at Skillet, an upscale diner born from a food truck, to share a plate of shrimp and grits with a dear friend. After a stroll through Pike Street Fish Market arm in arm, I’m fetched for my appointment at Andrew Will Winery, back on Vashon Island. We got a 10:20 AM ferry from the mainland. Gorgeous weather, cold fresh air on deck, Mt. Rainier showing its shy face against the crystalline blue backdrop to the left. Enormous barges cruised past us on their way into Tacoma Harbor, bearing cargo from South Korea, China
Started in 1989, Andrew Will Winery is headed up by winemaker Chris Camarda. Wines are made in made entirely of Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, and sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Eastern Washington. When I saw they’d received Top Winery of 2011 in Spectator, and already carried the accolades of Best Winery of 2010 from the Wall street Journal and 50 Most Influential Wnemakers from Decanter, I picked up the phone for an appointment (since I was going to be in the neighborhood). They don’t have a tasting room but the GM Celia was kind enough to accommodate me (trade perks). We tasted their flagship, 2010 Sorella, from barrel which was already delightful, full of fruit and structure though very young. We particularly like the 2007 Two Blondes (which is partially owned by the winemaker) and Ciel du Cheval. We hope to have both in stock shortly.
Harvest at Anthill Farms
Always a Northerner at heart, I crave the perennial soft scents of Autumn, sweet air, drying leaves, roasting spices, and fires in the fireplace which we don’t so much get here in Los Angeles. So when I was invited to spend an October weekend in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley making wine with Anthill Farms, obviously I jumped.
Ready to go at 8 AM. Web Marquez, one of the trio of winemakers at Anthill (he also makes the wine at C. Donatiello) picks me up at his guest house, where I’ve had a short sleep after arriving very late. First stop: Copain Custom Crush in Santa Rosa. Cellar Master Shalini Sekhar transports barrels on her forklift. Interns of every nationality harnessed to the ceiling punch juice down hovering over colossal steel tanks. We climb 
latters, and siphon off Pinot Noir juice to test Brix levels.
Then to the barrels of Chardonnay. No yeast is added, which allows the wine to ferment naturally, however one of the barrels is lagging behind the others – it hasn’t begun to ferment yet. I take a long metal instrument and insert it into the barrel, all the way to the bottom, then stir back and forth. Batonnage sur Lie. Drop in one cube of dry ice and put my ear to the barrel, waiting for the slight bubble sound.
Back to the Pinot Noir. Uncover the plastic from atop a giant vat of fermenting juice and punch the wine down manually. This consists of pushing the berries below the surface, re-exposing the skins to the liquid. I punch a hole in the cap, which yields a frothy bubble. It reminds me of Lambrusco.
Around noon we head back to the house to make sausage. Cut organic Berkshire pork into chunks and send it through the grinder. Mix creme fraiche, salt, chili flakes, white pepper, and nitrites with the ground up pork, and let sit. Another attachment goes onto the Kitchenaid while we untangle the 100 ft. casings and gently slide them onto the machine to be filled with the ground up meat. We fill the tubes and tie the ends, then hang them in the garage. Sopresatta!
Afternoon – I take a cat nap on the porch in the sun sniffing the fertile air. Inside Web and his friend make chorizo and discuss the ancient rhythms of the harvest. I open my eyes and watch a sweet gum tree sway above me, its leaves ablaze. Sleep comes.
Later, we repair to Petaluma Gap to take a sampling of Chardonnay and Syrah at Peters Vineyard. I walk the rows picking berries at random to be mushed up, strained, and brixed. The vineyards are cool, breezy, and peaceful; Napa, Atlas Peak, and Sonoma Valley are in view to the east. Dusk approaches as we sample the Syrah and Viognier (which will co-ferment, like Cote Rotie). We finish and sit for a moment on the dusty earth. He smokes. I lie on my back and watch at the sky.
The next day we have just enough time in the morning to go into Dry Creek and have lunch at Papapietro, where the Anthill Wines are vinified. More punching down. But then the bottles get opened. We sip 2009 Peters Syrah, 2009 Campbell Syrah – both meaty, gamey, savory, at 11:30 on a grey Monday morning overlooking the misted vineyards.
I love my job.
A Perfect Pair with an Amazing Steak
It was a month of anticipation and questions to decide where to go for Labor weekend. But one thing I did know for sure: wherever I ended up going I would bring the bottle of wine I’d been wanting to have for a long time. I’d had the previous vintage of this particular wine and right away it became one of my favorite wines in the store.
The 2008 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee Napa Valley a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec & Cabernet Franc. I haven’t had this new vintage yet and was very excited to see how the ’08 would compare with the ’07. The conditions during the growing season and harvest weren’t as perfect as the previous vintage. Because of the dry Spring season and long cold nights, vines pushed out early. On the other hand, vines experienced perfect daytime temperature during this season which made the wine more rich and balanced.
In addition to Labor Day weekend, it happened to be my girlfriend’s anticipated b-day. What to do for it? Well I wanted to get away for sure, so I researched and made reservations for a great Labor day/b-day getaway celebration weekend on beautiful Catalina Island. After a long drive to Long Beach Port and a hour long boat ride, we finally got to our destination. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun was out, the island was alive and the people there were enjoying everything as we made our way to our hotel. Word of mouth from previous visitors was that Steve’s Steak House Bar & Grille was the place to go if you want a really good steak. Without thinking twice, I called the restaurant and made reservation for that same night of our arrival. Dropped our bags at our hotel room and hit the town for the rest of the day.
After a long morning and afternoon of exploring Catalina and its wonders we 
headed back to our room to get ready for dinner. In one hand I had my girlfriend’s hand and in the other hand my precious bottle; I couldn’t have asked for a better evening. The weather of the island at night was cool, not too hot and the sky clear. I had asked the waiter to please open the bottle of wine right away, to give it some air to open up before having it with steak. We started with salad. The steak arrived and we had it with the wine. What a good combo. Chappellet has the complexity of a Bordeaux, with the richness of California growth. The nose shows a touch of spice, plums, mocha and ripe fruit. On the palate you get hints of black cherry, soft but rich tannins, which lead to a much anticipated long finish. What can I say but: “It was a perfect pair with an amazing steak.” The whole night was a good experience, the restaurant, the island, the company, and the wine. I highly recommend this bottle of wine to be pair with some good steak.
Mysterious Orange Wine
The First International Qvevri Wine Symposium held this September in Tbilisi, Georgia to promote modern Caucasus winemaking with ancient techniques (primarily the use of amphora clay pots for aging) got me thinking once again about Orange Wine. Readily attended by a couple friends (globe-trotting wine aficionados willing to travel all the way to Eurasia from Los Angeles and New York for the weekend), this three day conference invited a select sixty foreign guests to travel through the wine regions of Georgia. There they learned about the antediluvian vessels used for fermenting and aging wine in the traditional Qvevri style.
The conference was established as a multi-million dollar initiative by the US government to attract potential tourist attention to Georgia. But the tweets and pictures coming through repiqued my curiosity in the Orange Wine movement as a whole. The result of white grapes left to ferment on the skins for more than four days, Orange wine is reestablishing momentum in Northern and Central Italy. Skins contain tannins, phenols, and pigments considered undesirable in traditional white winemaking approaches. But extra skin maceration culminates in a white with more color, flavor, and texture.
Granted Orange Wine is not for everyone. It resides solidly within the category of ‘geek wine.’ But these geeky specimens are precisely what drives wine professionals: the yearning for a taste of every version of every country and culture. So on a recent weekend in New York, I set out to Inoteca Liquori with two friends, a somm from Resto and a somm from Lupa, to delve into a few bottles of Orange. Here is what we liked:
2006 Tenute Dettori Bianco: 100% Vermentino from Sardinia ferments uncrushed on the skins for four days in cement vats (which are growing in popularity especially for biodynamic winemakers) No sulfites are added. The wine is cloudy and golden with a nose of exotic flowers. Its apple-cidery component paired surprisingly well with eggplant parmesan.
2006 La Stoppa Ageno: Malvasia, Trebbiano, and the rare, indiginous-to-Emilia Ortrugo ferment for 30 days on the skins using all natural yeasts. It ages for 12 months and undergoes no filtration of any kind. Saffron and Marigold on the nose lead to brown sugar, honeysuckle, and coffee on the palate. Amber in color and only slightly cloudy, Ageno will benefit from a good decanting. The acidity is pure and refreshing.
Back in Los Angeles, an importer friend came to visit toting a bottle of 2002 Gravner Anfora Ribolla Gialla: Grapes for this Friulian showstopper come from vineyards straddling the Slovenian border. The juice ferments on the skins in large open-topped amphorae without added yeast, temperature control, or sulfites. Natural winemaking in its apogee. This Gravner is honeyed, savory, and mineral all at once. Spiced and complex, it breaks with contemporary wine convention entirely.
So if you’re a trade geek like me or simply an interested consumer, check out the new face of age-old Orange Wine. And keep an open mind. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, it’s pretty fascinating in its own right.
Manly Wine Consumption – MMA Fight Night
Welcome to the first edition of my “Manly Wine Consumption” series. This series will be catered to men to help them combine their love of wine with whatever manly activity they happen to be participating in. I will also help with some suggestions for appropriate wines for the occasion. Ladies, pay attention too for a look inside the mind of a man. First up: Fight Night.
If you’re like me (and I hope you aren’t… that’s me at the left), you probably don’t have many friends that share your love for fine wine and watching guys beat the snot out of each other. MMA is the undisputed king of combat sports as well as the fastest growing sport in the world. A typical Saturday night for a MMA fan usually consists of driving to a bar, watching the fights, getting plastered, getting in a bar fight and then getting left passed out in their front yard by your “friends”… I mean, their friends. That has never happened to me. 
Due to completely unrelated circumstances, I try to no longer watch the fights at bars and have started watching the fights at a buddy’s house, where a handful of guys will share the expenses. Everyone always drinks beer. It’s always Bud Light, the official beer sponsor of the UFC. Unless you are a Brock Lesnar fan, in which case, you drink Coor’s Light. If it devolves into tequila shots, don’t worry, the official spirit sponsor of the UFC is Tequila Cazadores.
There are three ways to approach justifying your bottle of vino to the other guys. First, it’s fight night. Threaten to kick their ass if they say a word about it. The second method is to reason with them about wine being classy, respectable and civilized. This will often shame them into feeling like the sub-cretins they are and often, they will ask for a taste. Deny them.
The third? Bring a wine that they can’t bag on you for. This is where selecting the right wine comes into play. Your thinking must be multi-faceted. My recommended wines for fight night aren’t too intellectually stimulating (you’ll be too distracted by the fights to over-analyze anyway) and go well with most party food fare. They also need to be worthy of respect from your buddies as well as not break the bank. The Pay-Per-Views are $55 bucks now because UFC President Dana White needs another Ferrari.
Anything with a manly sounding name and/or manly looking label is a good way to go. Some examples would be “Sinister Hand,” “The Ball Buster,” or “Boom Boom.” If you have a few extra bucks to spend, check out the wines from Four Vines. With names like “Loco,” and “Anarchy,” and bottle designs to match… your bound to score a couple knockouts with the guys.
If none of those work, try my favorite alternative… negotiate with your wife or girlfriend to watch the fights, just the two of you. Nothing is more romantic then yoked up sweaty guys in speedos making each other bleed all over the place… and drinking an aged Rioja alongside a herb roasted lamb chop.
Official Manly Picks: 2008 Fisticuffs Cabernet and 2007 Warrior Cabernet.
Ten Years of Insignia
In my unwavering quest to taste vintage after vintage of the best wines from around the world, Joseph Phelps Insignia simply could not go ignored any longer. The Insignia lobbyists have a strong case. From 1990 to 2007, the average score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate is 94.5 pts. The 2002 vintage was ‘Wine of the Year’ by Wine Spectator Magazine. It has been in their Top 10 three times, a cellar selection 5 times…the list of acclaims goes on and on. This is amazingly commendable considering just how much of this bottling they produce.
I have tasted various sporadic vintages, mostly post-2001 but was recently given the opportunity to attend a tasting held at Bellavino Wine bar & Restaurant of a 10 year vertical starting with the 1997 and ending with 2006. All I had to do was contribute a bottle so I signed myself up to bring a 2004. At my very core, I am a skeptic. I am also an old world wine drinker. So, to say I came into the event biased is not entirely necessary but for the sake of transparency, I admit to it here and now.
The evening began with an unexpected foray deep into the past… a magnum of 1993 Joseph Phelps Backus Vineyard Cabernet. Although the juice was not dead, unfortunately, the wine was very tired. The fruit was minimal and the structure undefined. I usually drink complex, subtle, aged wines and this fell short of that. A disappointment, especially given the large format. There is always a chance it was an off bottle but I found no flaws. If you have this wine… drink now.
After that, the 1997 through the 2001 Insignias were served together. The 1997 showed the best with the 2001 a close second. The wines were, in my humble opinion, in their twilight years although the color beguiled me, as the wines did not appear overly aged. The obvious theme of the vintages was clearly a well-balanced wine. The acidity is still providing some element of structure and the tannins are moderate and velvety. At this age, it’s all bright red fruit initially, followed by an open core of darker fruit that is quite soft. Minerality, earthiness and herbaceous notes were all present but you had to dig for them as they were a little dried out. The wines were decanted, which was probably not necessary. Their pedigree was still visible though and you can tell they started their lives as dark, pure wines of elegance integrated with power, true to their reputation but again, other than the 97 and the 01, drink up.
The second flight (the 2002 through the 2006) fared much better, with all vintages showing well. The ones that endeared themselves to me most were the 2002 and the 2004. These wines had the strength, balanced with finesse, that Insignia is known for. These are not overly complex or subtle wines but what they lack in tact, they make up for in clarity. Pure, dark fruit is the backbone of these wines when young and when ready to drink. These were decanted as well, and I suspect these bottles benefited from it. Once again, the reputation of Insignia is upheld but this time, within its maturity.
All in all, a great tasting and a great experience. My impression as I look back at it is that, while Insignia is no doubt a legendary wine, it is intelligently being made in an easily approachable style. This is, of course, speculation but it would not surprise me if it were intentional, as very few people hold their wines more then a few years. If consumed within 3–5 years for average vintages and 5–8 years for exceptional vintages, you will be rewarded. The wines are meant for new world drinkers looking for a touch more elegance and class then other wines in the same price range and category and it accomplishes that with ease. It is a solid buy but don’t be shy about popping those bottles.
Rudipalooza!
Rudi Wiest imports fine German Rieslings and Pinot Noirs (some consider him one of the pre-eminent importers of German and Austrian wine) and this tasting focused on the exciting 2010 vintage. The quality is extremely high and even the value-oriented Rieslings have muscle and minerality.
One of the standout estates was Monchhof. Monchhof owns parcels from several notable vineyards, including Ürziger Würzgarten (as seen in the photo). Even their simple estate Riesling has great acidity and slate notes. I think their best value is their Auslese.
The wine should retail for about $30 for the 750ml and this makes it one of the most affordable on the market. Yet it has the zippiness and pleasure that you would ask for in a more expensive Auslese. Also, check out the photo and notice the slate covered hills. These hills have no topsoil and are steeply inclined. Germany averages three undocumented deaths a year during harvesting! So If you ever go to Germany and harvest grapes, please be careful. 
After tasting through the Monchhofs, I moved on to a very popular table laden with bottles from many estates. These bottles are part of a category picking up steam among winos. For some people, kabinett must levels lead to a wine that is too sweet for their palate. Feinherb (literally “Fine Dry”) fits a great niche. Feinherbs possess less sweetness than most off-dry Kabinetts; the American term for these wines is medium-dry. These wines are extremely food friendly, especially since Trocken (Dry) Rieslings tend to have higher alcohol levels, sometimes as high as 14% which doesn’t pair well with spicy food. Medium-dry Rieslings fulfill the need to quench firey food without being too sticky sweet. My wife and I drink these commonly and there is always a bottle in our fridge.
The event took place at Lawry’s Steak House and since the chef is German, he whipped up some delicious German fare for the tasting. I was fortunate to fill my plate up with some of my favorites: pretzel 
bread (the standout for sure), as well as mustard, German meats and cheese, and cold meatballs. Riesling is versatile and there was a Riesling at the tasting that paired with each food item perfectly. Many people don’t think of drinking white wine with meat, with the exception of fish, but salty meats pair marvelously with German Rieslings.
Rudi also imports some great Pinot Noirs and several other lesser known varietals. German Pinot isn’t always held in high esteem, but Germany continues to modernize their winemaking techniques and the quality of their Pinot has increased accordingly. The small, incremental warming of the weather has also affected their Pinot, allowing the grapes to fully ripen, yet retain all the acidity and minerality we would expect from a good Pinot Noir.
Another even more unique wine I had the pleasure of sampling was a Scheurebe from the producer, Pfeffingen. This wine is fermented Trocken. It yields a wine that is creamy and fruity at the same time. Scheurebe is a hybrid grape created by Dr Scheu from Riesling and an unknown wild grape from Germany. Rebe means vine, so the word Scheurebe means the Dr’s vine. I find this wine fascinating; it shares so many nuances similar to Riesling, yet is a bit fuller and creamier.
If you are as excited as we are about German Riesling, please feel free to contact me via email: Brently@whwc.com. 2010 German wines will be arriving through out the year, but some have already hit the stores. I’d love to gab about your latest Kabinett you’ve popped…
