Dave McIntyre's WineLine

Wine Camp, and Other Ideas

Over Christmas weekend, my family held our annual "Wine Camp." This is an extremely vinonerdy exercise in which we pour several wines blind and say, "Tell me what this is." Over the years, it has taken on an air of one-upsmanship and competition, and it is always a helluva lot of fun.

My main protagonists are Dave Johnson and Ed Oldfield. Dave is my brother-in-law's brother-in-law, a relation twice-removed by marriage; Ed is Dave's close friend. Both are prominent doctors in the Hampton Roads-Norfolk region as well as avid wine collectors. They both are extremely skilled at finding exclusive wines of small production and (usually) high point scores that are not widely available - their network of retailers and winemakers across the country is impressive. One year, Dave wowed us with a $20 Aussie Shiraz that had everyone opening their wallets, while Ed, a devoted Dooniac, stunned with a bottle of 1984 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare - the inaugural vintage of the original Rhone Ranger wine.

Naturally, I can't compete in this crowd, so I bring outlandish wines that no one will expect. Last Spring, I surprised Dave and Ed with a delicious Dragon's Hollow Chardonnay from China, of all places. (Being a wine writer gives me the advantage of some unusual samples.)

This year's lineup included Isabel Sauvignon Blanc 2002 from New Zealand, still showing well without the stewed asparagus flavors old NZ SB can get. A 2000 Hunter Valley Semillon from Rothbury Wine Scoiety (my offering) was not as fully developed as I would have liked; it had appealing lime flavors and still tasted young, but was not harmonious. (I went back to it 3 hours later and thought it delicious, but by then I had been enjoying about ..... THIS many wines, so who knows?)

Dave then opened a 2006 Poets Leap Carmina Burana Cask Aged Riesling from the Long Shadows project in Washington state's Columbia Valley. I guessed the wine and the winery, but only because its Riesling character was obvious and I knew Dave's fondness for Long Shadows. (It pays to know your adversary!) Ed then opened a Retour Pinot Noir 2007 from Oregon, which matched nicely the Carabella 2005 I had brought.

You get the picture - the evening continued through the 2005 and 1996 Quilceda Creek Cabernets, and a Cab Franc comparison of Horton Vineyards "Tower Series"2007 and a 1985 Channing Road from Napa. Ed showed his Doon colors with a 1986 Old Telegram.

I had a surprise wine in reserve and was despairing that the evening was getting late and I wouldn't be able to present it against so many stellar, older wines. Then Dave brought out a young California Syrah, a Tensley 2008 Colson Canyon - lush and opulent with abundant fruit and high alcohol (over 15%) noticeable but not enough to dominate the wine. I saw my chance and brought out my ringer. It was similar, and yet clearly different in style - more earthy and dense, less obviously fruity than the Tensley. Dave and Ed immediately pegged it as Syrah, young, aged in French oak, and from California. My brother-in-law thought Washington state, figuring the concentration in the wine indicated Columbia Valley.

"You are all right except for one detail," I said, pulling the bag off the bottle. "It's from Maryland." I showed them the Black Ankle Vineyards 2007 Leaf Stone Syrah.

Such games are not what wine is all about, but they are devilishly fun and a great way to experience wine. I suggest some other ways of exploring the grape in my column today in The Washington Post, along with my monthly Recession Buster recommendations.

Champagne Outside the Envelope

Champagne is too expensive to be an everyday tipple, much as many of us might want to enjoy it on a daily basis. Rather, ít's a special occasion wine, and this often leads us to rely on familiar brand names when we splurge on a bottle of bubbly. While those old favorites - the Veuve Clicquots or Moet & Chandon - are fine and reliable fizz, there is more excitement out there. So this year, I suggest looking either to small grower Champagnes for something distinctive and individual, or to some nice bubbly from other regions. Drink outside the slipper, or the envelope, or whatever cliché you want to recite.

Anway, my recommendations for high quality fizz for those willing to splurge this holiday season are in today's Washington Post. (The online version has more recommendations than the print edition.) I'll have some bargain bubbly recommendations next week.

Cheers!
Dave

Carbon-Neutral Wine

Wineries today tout their green credentials almost as much as their scores from influential wine magazines. Solar power, sustainable or organic or biodynamic (s/o/b) viticulture, and "carbon-neutral" winemaking are all marketing buzzwords for wineries. In today's column in The Washington Post, I focus on "carbon neutral" - what does it mean, and why should we consumers care? And in this video, I interview Dave Pearce, chief winemaker for New Zealand's Grove Mill winery, which was the world's first to attain "carbon-neutral" certification. The video was shot on my new Flip camera in a restaurant, and the light was focused on the center of the table, which means the wine glasses look great while Dave and I resemble shadowy creatures in a county fair house of mirrors, but oh well. I'll get the hang of it someday.

psst - Grove Mill's wines are good, too! Especially the Sauvignon Blanc and the Riesling. The Pinot Noir ain't shabby, either.

Cheers!

Pinot Reigns Supreme at IPNC

Everything you may have ever heard about the International Pinot Noir Celebration is true. Over the past 23 Julys, pinotpheliacs have congregated in McMinnville, Oregon, to spend a weekend pickling themselves in their favorite wine. This year's IPNC, held July 24-26, was a little less crowded than recent years, according to some regular attendees I spoke with. But the economy did not dampen the enthusiasm of about 800 wine lovers who ponied up $1000 each for the chance to mingle with winemakers and sample the cuisine of some of the best chefs in the Pacific Northwest.

This year's featured wineries included 46 from North America (including one Canadian) and 14 from Europe (two Austrian wineries, one from Alsace and one from Champagne, the rest from Burgundy – the lack of German participation was surprising). Australia and New Zealand sent four. British wine writer Jancis Robinson served as master of ceremonies. On Friday and Saturday, about half the attendees enjoyed seminar tastings designed to show the terroirs of Oregon and Chambolle-Musigny, while the rest boarded buses to vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley for tours and luncheons. And then of course there were more tastings, a petanque tournament, tastings, and dinners, including the annual salmon bake.

A threatened heat wave held off, though late-afternoon temperatures did climb into the 90s. Locals wilted in the heat, but District denizens reveled in the low humidity.

Bill Sanders of Washington, D.C., was attending his third consecutive IPNC. Sanders, a “workforce development consultant” who also blogs about wine and olive oil, said he values the connections and friendships he has forged with winemakers.

“I love to travel to the wine regions of the world, especially France,” he said, “and when I come here I meet the vignerons, then I go to Burgundy and there's an open door. I've made great friendships with the French winemakers here, and that makes travel to their region much more rewarding. It can be hard to get into Burgundy.”

As for the wines at the event, Sanders likened the exploration of pinot noir year after year to peeling the layers of an onion. (That reference may not endear him to many winemakers, actually.) Every year, you learn something new. “The pinot here is across the board, from syrupy monsters to laser-like fruit,” he said. Sanders has already registered for next year's conference.

Bob and Susan Crenshaw own two natural food stores in Goldsboro, N.C., and were here in McMinnville attending their 18^th consecutive IPNC. “Every meal you make new friends and meet up with old friends,” Bob Crenshaw said, pointing out three winemakers by name among the crowd milling around after the Saturday night salmon bake.

The tables on the lawn at Linfield College in McMinnville were littered with the detritus of a bacchanal – empty bottles from the featured wineries and from the personal collections of the attendees. Part of the fun at an event like this is walking around, glass in hand, looking for someone you recognize and seeing what they're drinking.

Photos: Bertrand Ambroise, of Domaine Ambroise in Burgundy, demonstrates petanque technique, left; a traditional Native American salmon bake capped off the festivities, above.

Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses

In Bordeaux, Vinexpo week has been blessed with stunningly beautiful weather – bright, sunny skies, warm-to-hot-but-not-stifling temperatures, and steady breezes leading into cool nights. It’s been such a treat after all the rain back home.

That rain had me in a bit of funk as I was writing two columns on rosé for The Washington Post, with summer temperatures in mind. You can still check them – one from June 17 on Old World rosé, the other from June 24 on some worthy ones from the New World. (Don’t forget to click on the links for “Rosé Recommendations” to find some extraordinary wines for your summer sipping pleasure!)

Cheers!

Dave

Photo: Julia Ewan, Washington Post

Virginia Wines - World Class

Can Virginia wines stand tall among some of the best wines in the world? Undeniably yes, if the results of an in-depth tasting I attended on February 27 are any indication.

The occasion was the second annual Virginia Wine Expo, held this weekend in Richmond. The tasting was conducted by Bartholomew Broadbent, wine importer and head of Broadbent Selections, scion of Michael Broadbent, and resident since early last year of Richmond. Broadbent presented six pairs of wines, each matching a Virginia example against an imported wine that had been highly rated by leading wine magazines. The tasting, attended by about 100 people, mostly in the trade, was conducted “semi-blind” – meaning, the list had been posted on the Expo’s Web site (where I had seen it), and the bottles were on display on the dais. But we did not know which wine was which, and we were guess the grape varieties and which one of each pair was from Virginia.

In each pair except one, it was pretty easy to tell which wine came from Virginia. (Or, perhaps I should say I was lucky six times out of six – the show of hands was not always consistent.) The difficult pair, the Bordeaux blend from 2001, was tricky because the first wine was tired and past its prime, while the second was still youthful and lively. The easy tendency – even the winemakers in the room – was to assume the Virginia wine had not held up over time. And of course that was wrong.

Here are my notes from the tasting, in the order tasted. The imported wines are all from Broadbent Selections, which obviously simplified the organizational aspects. Pretty gutsy, though, to subject one’s own portfolio to such competition in front of so many people rooting for the home team. Broadbent selected the Virginia wines with the help of Richard Leahy, east coast editor of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine.

Linden Vineyards “Avenius” Sauvignon Blanc 2007, paired with Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2008. It was easy to tell which was the local here, if only because the Spy Valley’s aggressive grassy and passion fruit aromas shouted its New Zealand origins. The Linden had some grassy notes and a hint of spice; it was rounder and fuller than the Spy Valley, with some creamy mango tango juicy loosey going on.

“The Spy Valley has classic New Zealand acidity, while the Virginia wine has more complexity,” Broadbent said. “Both are high-quality wines.”

Rockbridge Vineyards DeChiel Reserve Riesling 2006 and Louis Guntrum Riesling (Yellow Label) Spätlese 2006. Virginia is not noted for its Riesling, but the DeChiel Reserve was charming for its bright fruit and appealing acidity. It was the clear crowd favorite, but primarily because many in the audience disliked the classic “petrol” minerality of the Guntrum, which hails from Germany’s Rheinhessen region. Broadbent said he picked this particular German contender because it was the same price as the DeChiel (about $18).

Warwick Estate Cabernet Franc 2006 from South Africa, paired with Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc 2007. I was sitting next to Michael Shaps at the tasting, and when we reached this pair he started bouncing on his chair like a giddy schoolboy who knows the answer to a pop quiz. So there was no way I’d vote for the first one. But I wouldn’t have anyway – the Warwick Estate had too much bandaid flavor to it, and I found it rather unappealing. (From crowd comments, others seemed to like it better than I.) The Shaps wine was simply gorgeous – concentrated, ripe and lively, superb fruit from a superb vintage that received superb handling in the winery. After tasting several dozen Virginia wines at the Expo later that evening, a friend and I both said as we left, “Shaps – the wine of the tasting.”

Barren Ridge Touriga Nacional 2007 from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, paired with Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional 2006 from the Douro Valley in Portugal. There was no doubt which was which here, as the Crasto was simply sublime – it featured all the leafy tobacco and fennel aromas of the Douro, with amazing complexity. The Barren Ridge was simpler, with bright fruit and a surprising exuberance for Virginia. It was a delicious eye-opener, especially when Broadbent mentioned the prices - $18 for the Barren Ridge, compared to $75 for the Quinta do Crasto. (Another, less expensive Touriga from Crasto was ranked #3 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 ranking for 2008.

Warwick Estate “Reserve”2001 from South Africa, with Barboursville Vineyard “Octagon” 2001. This was the tricky one. I had tasted the 2001 Octagon about a year and a half ago, and I was confident that it would not have turned brick red and tired so quickly. Winemaker Luca Paschina was in the audience, and he seemed nervously confident as some crowd chatter clearly considered the first wine the Virginian. But the Octagon was quite lively, even picking up an attractive note of orange peel and clove.

“The Barboursville Octagon is classic Bordeaux in Virginia,” Broadbent said. “I rank this wine as good as you get in Virginia.”

Paschina was quick to spread the praise. “There are other Bordeaux blends to come from Virginia,” he said. “What it takes is having vineyards with enough age and knowing what works well in each one.”

Chateau Guiraud Sauternes 2005 paired with Veritas Vineyard “Kenmar” 2007. Again, it was obvious which wine was Virginian, as the Veritas featured perfumey floral aromas typical of Traminette. The Guiraud, #4 in Wine Spectator’s  ranking last year, was rich with botrytis and crème brulée notes.

Broadbent stressed that the tasting was not meant to be a competition, but rather an exhibition of how some of Virginia’s best wines stand tall among the best wines from around the world.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007, New Zealand $13

Have you ever picked up a shriveled passion fruit - one that looks like it's ready to toss in the compost bin - and then sliced it open and slurped up its juice and seeds? That wonderfully ripe, tropical flavor is what you'll find in this zesty wine from the Marlborough district of New Zealand. This is not complex Sauvvie; there's no minerality here. But there is bold NZ character and refreshing acidity - and great value for the price. Look for the starfish on the label, and enjoy this with grilled chicken or any seafood, especially with a citrusy marinade or sauce.