8 Gift Worthy Chardonnay Wines

Chardonnay The holiday season is upon us, and it absolutely is the best time of the year, bringing friends and family together in celebration. And with the seasonal gatherings comes a gift exchange. Red wines are always popular for gifting during the holidays, as a bold Cabernet Sauvignon and earthy Pinot Noir pair well with the Christmas goose or crown roast. Still, the gift-giving should not be…

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Remember the time parties existed? Kissing, touching, conversing, drinking, falling in love...

Now we treat friends as strangers and strangers as enemies. 

I miss the ‘ol days of yore. 

To more parties, joy, happiness, and, to friendship.

Una tarde cualquiera, menú du jour, en el clásico Seddon 🔱 con generoso Chardonnay y el nunca bien ponderado flan solo🥇. . Y vos 👆🏽 qué le agregarlas a tu flan? Con cuál sos feliz? . Pone tu respuesta 👇🏽 . . . . . #epicurean #sweettooth #flan #lunch #vitarizate #solo #rico #glassofwine #multitasking #tastes #delish #traditional #dolce #hedonism #happiness #hereandnow #today #foodie #foodiegram #simplepleasures #keepitsimple #livesimple #inspire (at Bar Seddon) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQRjgZWpP1o/?utm_medium=tumblr

MEMBER GROUPS 

as promised here is our first site preview! these are our five member groups. inspired by the site name they’re all based on different types of wine: cabernet, champagne, chardonnay, rosé, and syrah. click the images to see the full-sized version. the bbc color codes for graphic making purposes and aesthetic descriptions below: 

cabernet / #841d1e 

dusty bookstores, vintage records, dinner and diatribes, curving strokes of calligraphy, deep thinkers, shame cigarettes, organised chaos, black coffee, messy notes, faint love lines, loose coins, sturdy boots, rainy days and museums, melancholy

champagne / #b9b175 

rich gold, passion, luxe, private jets, midnight skylines, glitter and glamour, marble floors, purposeful strides, clandestine moments, warm velvet, determination and drive, hedonism, consuming the classics, hand rolled cigarettes, flashing lights, unwavering love 

chardonnay / #ae8d5f 

hot summer nights, dripping honey, crisp linen, daydreams, electric energy, secret smiles, big ideas and bold dreams, cool water, freethinking, barefeet, bruised knees, romanticism, late night conversations, smooth lines, post-it notes, spontaneous adventure 

rosé / #a1694a 

the new classic, soft edges, faded denim, orange sunsets, long drives, scattered freckles, deep empathy, subtle touches, messy journals, smooth silk, open windows, gentle gazes, quiet resilience and strength, strawberry cheesecake, warm duvets, echoing laughter

syrah / #934434

sharp smiles and sharper tongues, red lips, hushed whispers, tradition, bitter chocolate, bleeding hearts, hopeful cynics, cornell notes, worn leather, ambition, lovebites, notices the little details, burning matches, tailored suits, full bookshelves, whiskey neat 

At 105 days, a meditation on sobriety

I've been reflecting on 2019 thus far, and how it's been one of the hardest but one of the most important years of my adult life.

2019 has brought some new lows. I've struggled with suicidal ideation in a way that I haven't since I was a teenager in the immediate aftermath of rape and sexual abuse. And if anything, it's been worse this time, because I would keep thinking, "I’m in my 30′s. Over a decade has passed; my life should be better by now." At this point, I was supposed to have grown out of what happened to me in my youth. I wasn't supposed to be stuck with that trauma's ongoing effects, or trapped in cycles of being re-traumatized by the emotionally abusive relationships that followed. (Because even as survivors of abuse, we often gravitate to the familiar. Control and the diminishment of self by the partners who should care for us is what we know, so it’s easy to mistake that treatment for love. It’s emotional Stockholm Syndrome. And it makes any attempt at healing exponentially harder, because every new relationship like that--and I’ve been in several--opens old wounds over again.) 

I spent the early months of 2019 hysterical with anxiety. I fantasized about suicide. I planned how I'd do it. I’m a writer, so I planned what I might say in my suicide note. (I’ll admit that the part of me who used to like Linkin Park reveled a bit in the emo-ness of this exercise.) It wasn't that I wanted to die. That was the worst part: I very much wanted life. And not just life, a good life, suffused with new and exciting experiences. I had this cliche vision of the “Eat Pray Love” version of myself. Like something out of an Instagram post, this Hannah stood laughing on top of a Colorado mountain that she’d just spent all day climbing, silhouetted against blue sky in a big hat and a sports bra, water bottle in one hand, a joint in the other, glowing with self-actualization. Hannah in a state of hippie nirvana. Hannah breathing in nature, no cares or worries. Just picture-perfect privilege. A juvenile aspiration--like most Internet-inspired fantasies, all shine and little substance--but  if I visualized it long enough, I could almost feel the sunshine on my back. 

But feeling that sunshine was becoming more and more impossible. I'd lost hope. I remember crying on the phone to my mom, "I feel like I have no future." I remember I said that over and over and over again. The simple fact of *being me* was so painful that it seemed unendurable. "It hurts to exist," I also recall saying. It’s a feeling I don’t know how to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it (and I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone). I didn't see another way out of that pain and I felt sapped of the considerable energy required to fight it. There was little left except pangs of failure and fear and self-hatred, and the compulsion to escape by any means possible. At 31, I felt old.

All the while, I kept up appearances. If I couldn’t fool myself any more, at least maybe I could fool others into thinking that I was fine. I went to work and tried to stay engaged and personable. I attempted to maintain my social life, even my dating life (though the man I’d been sleeping with lost interest after my facade of the fun-loving, bohemian girl in the sunshine became too exhausting to maintain, and he caught a glimpse of my actual vulnerability). I posted selfies on social media, shopped for new clothes, got my hair done. All the trappings of functional suburban normalcy. But inside I was giving up on the idea that I could access real joy and relief again. When I’d try to smile at people, my face felt like rubber stretched into an unnatural shape. The muscles didn’t want to move that way any more.

And so my drinking, which had already fallen into unhealthy patterns--more and more evenings when I fell asleep fully clothed and still wearing my shoes after too many glasses of Chardonnay--escalated. And escalated some more. In a fucked-up way, it was my weapon against the inevitability of ending it all. It was a last-ditch attempt to break free from the splitting awfulness of being in my own brain. Anything to mitigate the stress before the stress took over completely. If I got enough alcohol inside me, I could feel warm and light, at least for a while. If I was lucky, I could even feel a flicker of sexiness, a fleeting chemical charisma. Late one night around this time, a stranger at a bar said she could tell I have "a beautiful soul." I cried thinking about it later, wishing that I could see myself this way. Beautiful was the opposite of how I felt. Even getting out of bed took a grim amount of effort.

It's only been 3 months and a few days since my last drink, but already what I can see is that the day I decided to quit alcohol was the day I chose life. Quitting drinking was a choice to believe that there *is* hope. That I do have a future, that I am a person worth investing in. I've wondered, too, if the incident that propelled me to stop drinking was my subconscious acting on my suicidal feelings. My "rock bottom" was that I drove home blackout drunk from a bar and crashed my car. That could have killed me. Worse, it could have killed someone else. I was lucky that neither of those things happened. (No one was hurt and my car was fine, apart from a few scrapes and scratches.) Despite the deep, deep shame I felt--and still feel--about having taken this dangerous action, it scared me into realizing that I still had fight in me after all. The thought that I could've died filled me with panic, not longing. That made me determined to piece myself back together, no matter how much more hurt I'd have to get through to do it.

And it does hurt. I've moved through the intervening days feeling like a weird exposed nerve. My emotions are heightened and all over the place. Not to mention that I feel a gnawing restlessness, stripped as I now am of the usual outlet for my self-destructive impulses. It’s hard not to feel manic when you’re struggling for peace against ongoing sensations of frustrated hedonism. The other day I was walking in the woods and first I was smiling because the landscape was beautiful and then there were tears in my eyes because I felt so privileged to be there experiencing it. Profound awe and gratitude, mingled with profound sadness and a loneliness that pervaded every part of my body. And that's probably how it's going to be for a while. 

Quitting drinking hasn't fixed everything overnight. I still often feel at war with myself. I push against the weight of constant anguish just trying to fulfill my basic responsibilities. But sobriety has reminded me that I have agency and that it isn't impossible that I will one day be able to accept myself. Not an Instagrammable, FOMO-inducing, obvious form of self-acceptance, but a quiet feeling of confidence that’s deep and unshakable. Because if I can do this hard thing and stick with it, what else can’t I do? I've been rewatching early episodes of "Game of Thrones," and there are those scenes in the first season where Arya's taking sword-fighting lessons with the Bravosi dude and he tells her, "What do we say to the god of death? Not today."

Deciding to get sober--and, shortly thereafter, seeking professional help to improve my mental health--has been my way of saying to death: "Not today."

RPM Restaurants’ Richard Hanauer Gets ‘Really Pumped’ by Grand Cru Burgundy

For Chicago-born beverage director Richard Hanauer, everything stems back to the family dinner table.

Growing up, his father would return from work each day to see what was cooking in the kitchen, before heading down into his cellar to select a wine that would pair with that night’s dish. “This was a nightly ritual,” Hanauer said in a 2013 radio interview.

Years later, Hanauer returned from Syracuse University with an English degree in hand. With rent checks to pay, he soon “fell” into the service industry, starting as a lunch server at a steakhouse in the city’s West Loop neighborhood.

Hanauer wasn’t sure service was going to be for him, but then he approached his first table and was instantly transported back to those family meals. “Nothing could stop the smile on my face,” he says.

More than a decade later, Hanauer oversees eight sommeliers, working as the wine and beverage director for Chicago’s RPM Restaurants. The group includes RPM Steak Chicago and RPM Italian Chicago & Washington, D.C.

VinePair caught up with Hanauer to discuss birth-year wines, death-row wines, and a Burgundy obsession so strong, it fueled a job switch.

1. What’s the bottle that made you fall in love with wine?

2006 Elio Grasso Barolo “Runcot.” I was literally first reading about Barolo at the time and had never had it before; I bought the bottle on a total whim. Everything I had read was true — the hedonism of the varietal and region were legit. That was the day I dedicated my career to wine.

2. FMK three varieties: Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay?

Kill Cabernet. No offense at all, just compared to the other two, Cabernet, you never had a chance. But I would be sad about it…

F Pinot Noir. Such a nuanced, fickle varietal whose best performances are unearthly and whose underwhelming performances are devastating. Pinot is possible of making the most interesting wines of the three but is unreliable in its greatness.

Marry Chardonnay. Such a reliable, diversified performer. Whether it be Chablis or [other] Burgundy, Champagne or New World, the grape rises to every occasion.

3. You’re on death row. What’s your last-supper wine?

1983 Château Margaux. (I, too, am vintage 1983.) It’s an incredibly undervalued wine … The ’83 Margaux is truly one of the most impressive Bordeaux I have ever had the chance to work with. It would be nice, on my death-row pity party, to reflect on the wine’s life as well as my own.

4. You can only drink one wine for the rest of your life. What is it?

2002 Leflaive Montrachet. Frankly, I’d be really pumped with any of their wines from that vintage for the rest of my life. The wines started a Burgundy obsession that would make me change restaurants to focus more on the region.

5. You can only drink at one bar for the rest of your life. What is it?

Bar Ramone.

6. What’s the best and worst wine on your rack (or in your fridge) right now?

1990 Chave Hermitage. The Domaine has always topped my list of personal favorites, and the vintage seems to just keep getting better. I’ve had the pleasure of having several over my career and was lucky enough to buy some bottles before the world caught on.

7. If you could no longer drink wine, what would be your beverage of choice?

It’s going to be beer. Personally, I find it refreshing and therapeutic. Professionally, there is a myriad of textures and flavors in the world of beer that have epic dining room performances.

The article RPM Restaurants’ Richard Hanauer Gets ‘Really Pumped’ by Grand Cru Burgundy appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/richard-hanauer-somm-interview/

Chardonnay

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2o3thO3

by nanospirt

Dean goes out on a self-pity run. He needs hedonism to drown himself in after a particularly bad hunt, but Sam goes out of town on a hunt for his coping, so he tells Cas to look after Dean. Castiel takes on a female vessel just for the time being, but everything goes wrong when a drink Dean unknowingly flirts with his best friend. Due to an angelically altered drink to Cas, lust overwhelms him. They, as one would say, shatter the meat tunnel. The next morning, Castiel panics, but realizes that he cannot leave the new vessel. Fortunately, Sam agrees to help, but Cas has to figure out how to keep this scandalous event away from Sam and Dean. Less fortunately, Cas begins needing food, feelings cramps, and experiencing horrible nausea. What could this elixir have done to Cas' new vessel?

(See notes for other warnings)

Words: 2942, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Supernatural

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel, Sam Winchester, Naomi (Supernatural), Crowley (Supernatural)

Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester

Additional Tags: Mpreg, Canon Genderbending, Genderbending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pregnant Castiel, Unplanned Pregnancy, Season/Series 08, graphic birth, Episode: s08e13 Everybody Hates Hitler, Heavy Angst, One Night Stand, Female Castiel, dick angels, Platonic Destiel, Kinda, Possible Miscarriage, Suicidal Castiel, Cas doesn't wanna be pregnant, angst is my bitch, Discussion of Abortion

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2o3thO3

The beautiful south: New Wave South Africa

FOR sheer buzz, it’s hard for me to remember a recent tasting with the excitement of this week’s New Wave South Africa event. It was certainly the first trade tasting I’ve ever had to wait to get into – the venue’s capacity was 320, and 700 people had accepted invites – though I was lucky in queueing only five minutes. By the time I left, a 30-minute line of critics, sommeliers and buyers snaked down Poland St. I’d guess they left feeling it had been worth the wait.

New Wave South Africa was first launched in 2015 to showcase an innovative new generation of Cape winemakers. Launched by Swig, Indigo, Dreyfus Ashby, New Generation Wines and FMV, more importers are now involved in the tasting, though the founders were well represented yesterday (the Dreyfus Ashby and Swig showings were particularly strong.)

The producers tend to be younger and the atmosphere more casual than many trade tastings (most producers were dressed in T-shirts, with the occasional baseball cap). There was a visible camaraderie between them: a number were clearly friends. And they are all producing wines which challenge what were South Africa’s norms a decade ago – in terms of terroir, grapes, technique and above all, quality.

What is most exciting about New Wave South Africa is the snapshot it gives of a wine industry in rapid transition. For anyone like me who has paid less attention to South African wine in recent years, it felt like you’d been caught napping: the transformation was astonishing (not that these producers yet represent the majority there.)

Exciting too was the promise for the future: for instance, a number of the producers I was impressed by currently buy in all their fruit but have planted vines or are trying to acquire their own land. And in areas such as the cool-climate Hemel-en-Aarde valley – source of a number of serious wines on show – apple farms still predominate over vineyards. In a decade’s time, with another ten years of change at this pace, I’d guess it will look very different – and be even more dynamic.

I could only really scratch the surface in the time I had available, but here are a few of my favourites:

Botanica “Arboretum” 2016, Stellenbosch – Ginny Povall makes all of her wines from bought-in fruit, though she has been planting since 2009 and fruit from her own 5ha of vines will hopefully come on stream soon. Arboretum is a Bordeaux blend dominated by 49 per cent cabernet sauvignon: fine-grained tannins, good acidity and well balanced despite its 14.5% alcohol. Her Mary Delany pinot noir 2016 is excellent too, juicy with a savoury edge (Vinosa, The Wine Reserve, from £21.99) 

The Foundry grenache blanc 2018, Voor-Paarderberg – The Foundry is the side project of Chris Williams, cellarmaster at Meerlust Estate in Stellenbosch, with friend James Reid. Williams favours Rhône varietals, all grown on granite terroir. For the moment the wines are still vinified at Meerlust. I loved Chris’s fresh, expressive Viognier 2018, Stellenbosch, but this grenache blanc was just about perfect: generous citrus flavours and breadth combined with lovely precision (Berry Bros, £11.67 – 2015.)

Sijnn Touriga Nacional 2012, Malgas – David and Rita Trafford’s estate close to the coast in an isolated part of the central Western Cape has won many plaudits. I was particularly taken by the concentration and, well, very Portuguese character of their touriga nacional, of which they have 2ha planted – big, sweet but with good acidity (N/A/ UK retail; imported by Dreyfus Ashby)

Restless River Main Road and Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – at 300 metres and 5km from the Atlantic, this higher end of the cool Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is making its name mostly for pinot noir and chardonnay. Anne and Craig Wessels’s cuvées of those grapes are impressive – their Ava Marie Chardonnay 2017 is wonderfully elegant – but I was most taken by this cab. From two vineyards planted across a total of 2.2ha, they make just 1,000 cases of this a year. Pure and fresh with minty fruit notes, well balanced with fine-grained tannins – lovely. Delicious now but this has a long life ahead of it – Craig thinks at least 10 years (M Wine Store, Harvey Nicholls, Hedonism, Handford, from £50.)

Saurwein Chi Riesling 2018, Elgin – Jessica Saurwein buys in all her fruit from cool-climate sites, making stunning wines. Her pinot noirs are superb, especially her Nom Pinot Noir 2018, Elandskloof, vinified in Elgin, but it was her Elgin Riesling, grown just 2km from the ocean, that really blew me away – perfectly poised, a delicate balance of taut acidity and zesty fruit, long. Serious stuff (Lay and Wheeler, Handford, from £24.28.)

Richard Kershaw Clonal Selection Chardonnay 2017, Elgin – British-born winemaker and MW Richard Kershaw has been making wines in this especially cool corner of the Western Cape since 2012. The grapes for this chardonnay are grown at up to 650 metres, 9km from the ocean in Elgin. Supremely elegant and restrained, pure yet well balanced and long, in a very Burgundian style which he insists is mostly down to the terroir. Very classy (Berry Bros, £36.67)

5 September 2019

Pictured above, clockwise from top left: Jessica Saurwein; Craig Wessels of Restless River; Chris Williams of The Foundry; Ginny Povall of Botanica.

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.   They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

2017 Dutton Estate Winery Kylie’s Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley): It’s a big yard, but the grass is fresh and well-tended, and the tropical plants look great. $27 B+

2016 Dutton-Goldfield Walker Hill Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Sporting a sexier profile than normal… and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. $50 A-

2016 Amici Cellars Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast): Equal parts creamy hedonism and perky personality. $26 B+

2015 Tres Sabores Petite Sirah (Calistoga): Leather, violets, game, plums, and a whole lotta “Yowza!” $45 A-

2016 Flora Springs Trilogy (Napa Valley): All three people involved in this tryst are just as sexy and over-the-top as you’d expect. $85 A-

2016 Xavier Monnot Clos de la Fussiere (Maranges Premier Cru): The incense is intense; the tart red fruits, not so much… $55 B+

NV Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee (Champagne): Apples, toast, jasmine, and one of the best things going in NV Champers that we mere mortals are likely to encounter. $50 A-

2013 Barone Pizzini Rose (Franciacorta): Like a good mystery novel, the intrigue keeps building as you go along. $45 A-

2016 Donnafugata ‘Sul Vulcano’ Rosso Etna (Sicily): Wild berries, wild flowers, & a grounded, friendly personality. $35 B+

2015 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Single Vineyard Red (Tupungato): Throwing earthy, meaty, well-executed punches above its price-weight class. $34 A-

Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every glass of wine today!

Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com

Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019 from 1WineDude.com – for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers! Source: http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-25-2019/

source https://meself84.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-25-2019/ from Sommelier Courses https://sommeliercourses.blogspot.com/2019/02/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for_25.html

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.   They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

2017 Dutton Estate Winery Kylie’s Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley): It’s a big yard, but the grass is fresh and well-tended, and the tropical plants look great. $27 B+

2016 Dutton-Goldfield Walker Hill Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Sporting a sexier profile than normal… and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. $50 A-

2016 Amici Cellars Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast): Equal parts creamy hedonism and perky personality. $26 B+

2015 Tres Sabores Petite Sirah (Calistoga): Leather, violets, game, plums, and a whole lotta “Yowza!” $45 A-

2016 Flora Springs Trilogy (Napa Valley): All three people involved in this tryst are just as sexy and over-the-top as you’d expect. $85 A-

2016 Xavier Monnot Clos de la Fussiere (Maranges Premier Cru): The incense is intense; the tart red fruits, not so much… $55 B+

NV Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee (Champagne): Apples, toast, jasmine, and one of the best things going in NV Champers that we mere mortals are likely to encounter. $50 A-

2013 Barone Pizzini Rose (Franciacorta): Like a good mystery novel, the intrigue keeps building as you go along. $45 A-

2016 Donnafugata ‘Sul Vulcano’ Rosso Etna (Sicily): Wild berries, wild flowers, & a grounded, friendly personality. $35 B+

2015 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Single Vineyard Red (Tupungato): Throwing earthy, meaty, well-executed punches above its price-weight class. $34 A-

Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every glass of wine today!

Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com

Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019 from 1WineDude.com – for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers! Source: http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-25-2019/

from Linda Johnson https://meself84.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-25-2019/ from Sommelier Courses https://sommeliercourses.tumblr.com/post/183049151397

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.   They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

2017 Dutton Estate Winery Kylie’s Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley): It’s a big yard, but the grass is fresh and well-tended, and the tropical plants look great. $27 B+

2016 Dutton-Goldfield Walker Hill Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Sporting a sexier profile than normal… and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. $50 A-

2016 Amici Cellars Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast): Equal parts creamy hedonism and perky personality. $26 B+

2015 Tres Sabores Petite Sirah (Calistoga): Leather, violets, game, plums, and a whole lotta “Yowza!” $45 A-

2016 Flora Springs Trilogy (Napa Valley): All three people involved in this tryst are just as sexy and over-the-top as you’d expect. $85 A-

2016 Xavier Monnot Clos de la Fussiere (Maranges Premier Cru): The incense is intense; the tart red fruits, not so much… $55 B+

NV Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee (Champagne): Apples, toast, jasmine, and one of the best things going in NV Champers that we mere mortals are likely to encounter. $50 A-

2013 Barone Pizzini Rose (Franciacorta): Like a good mystery novel, the intrigue keeps building as you go along. $45 A-

2016 Donnafugata ‘Sul Vulcano’ Rosso Etna (Sicily): Wild berries, wild flowers, & a grounded, friendly personality. $35 B+

2015 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Single Vineyard Red (Tupungato): Throwing earthy, meaty, well-executed punches above its price-weight class. $34 A-

Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every glass of wine today!

Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com

Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019 from 1WineDude.com – for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers! Source: http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-25-2019/

from Linda Johnson https://meself84.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-25-2019/

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.   They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

2017 Dutton Estate Winery Kylie’s Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley): It’s a big yard, but the grass is fresh and well-tended, and the tropical plants look great. $27 B+

2016 Dutton-Goldfield Walker Hill Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Sporting a sexier profile than normal… and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. $50 A-

2016 Amici Cellars Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast): Equal parts creamy hedonism and perky personality. $26 B+

2015 Tres Sabores Petite Sirah (Calistoga): Leather, violets, game, plums, and a whole lotta “Yowza!” $45 A-

2016 Flora Springs Trilogy (Napa Valley): All three people involved in this tryst are just as sexy and over-the-top as you’d expect. $85 A-

2016 Xavier Monnot Clos de la Fussiere (Maranges Premier Cru): The incense is intense; the tart red fruits, not so much… $55 B+

NV Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee (Champagne): Apples, toast, jasmine, and one of the best things going in NV Champers that we mere mortals are likely to encounter. $50 A-

2013 Barone Pizzini Rose (Franciacorta): Like a good mystery novel, the intrigue keeps building as you go along. $45 A-

2016 Donnafugata ‘Sul Vulcano’ Rosso Etna (Sicily): Wild berries, wild flowers, & a grounded, friendly personality. $35 B+

2015 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Single Vineyard Red (Tupungato): Throwing earthy, meaty, well-executed punches above its price-weight class. $34 A-

Grab The 1WineDude.com Tasting Guide and start getting more out of every glass of wine today!

Shop Wine Products at Amazon.com

Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019 from 1WineDude.com – for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

Source: http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-25-2019/

Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.   They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

2017 Dutton Estate Winery Kylie’s Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley): It’s a big yard, but the grass is fresh and well-tended, and the tropical plants look great. $27 B+

2016 Dutton-Goldfield Walker Hill Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Sporting a sexier profile than normal… and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. $50 A-

2016 Amici Cellars Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast): Equal parts creamy hedonism and perky personality. $26 B+

2015 Tres Sabores Petite Sirah (Calistoga): Leather, violets, game, plums, and a whole lotta “Yowza!” $45 A-

2016 Flora Springs Trilogy (Napa Valley): All three people involved in this tryst are just as sexy and over-the-top as you’d expect. $85 A-

2016 Xavier Monnot Clos de la Fussiere (Maranges Premier Cru): The incense is intense; the tart red fruits, not so much… $55 B+

NV Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee (Champagne): Apples, toast, jasmine, and one of the best things going in NV Champers that we mere mortals are likely to encounter. $50 A-

2013 Barone Pizzini Rose (Franciacorta): Like a good mystery novel, the intrigue keeps building as you go along. $45 A-

2016 Donnafugata ‘Sul Vulcano’ Rosso Etna (Sicily): Wild berries, wild flowers, & a grounded, friendly personality. $35 B+

2015 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Single Vineyard Red (Tupungato): Throwing earthy, meaty, well-executed punches above its price-weight class. $34 A-

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Copyright © 2016. Originally at Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For February 25, 2019 from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers! source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-february-25-2019/

Ram's Gate 2017 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

https://j.mp/3pgtFZ7 Ram's Gate 2017 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast - Keith Wallace - Great wine often turns millionaires into, well, less wealthy millionaires. This is one of those stories. The owners of Ram’s Gate spent seven million on building the winery, only to discover it sits on top of an earthquake zone. Then they spent a fortune rebranding just before the pandemic hit. As a business, Ram’s Gate winery wasn’t a wise investment. The wine, however, is well worth your investment. Whatever was going on in the front office didn’t affect winemaker Joe Nielsen or the cool climate wines he is making. This bottling comes from the Sangiacomo Vineyards outside the Carneros AVA, sandwiched between the Seven Flags amusement park and the Sonoma airport. It isn’t the prettiest vineyard, but it is one of the best plots of chardonnay in California. Wine Review Like many great wines, this is an exploration of contrasts. The attack is rich, buttery, and decadent, but the midpalate cuts with the crispness of a Barlett pear, and juicy freshness spreads into citrus and savory notes. The austerity disappears only when you take another sip, and the hedonism-puritanism roller coaster starts all over again. While many would call this “Burgundian,” it is not. It’s something very different than that, although I don’t quite know what that is. A new paradigm? In any case, a great wine. Wine Rating Rating: 93 Points. Purchased for $25 in Pennsylvania. Pricing in other states can be as high as $40. - https://j.mp/3pgtFZ7

RPM Restaurants’ Richard Hanauer Gets ‘Really Pumped’ by Grand Cru Burgundy

For Chicago-born beverage director Richard Hanauer, everything stems back to the family dinner table.

Growing up, his father would return from work each day to see what was cooking in the kitchen, before heading down into his cellar to select a wine that would pair with that night’s dish. “This was a nightly ritual,” Hanauer said in a 2013 radio interview.

Years later, Hanauer returned from Syracuse University with an English degree in hand. With rent checks to pay, he soon “fell” into the service industry, starting as a lunch server at a steakhouse in the city’s West Loop neighborhood.

Hanauer wasn’t sure service was going to be for him, but then he approached his first table and was instantly transported back to those family meals. “Nothing could stop the smile on my face,” he says.

More than a decade later, Hanauer oversees eight sommeliers, working as the wine and beverage director for Chicago’s RPM Restaurants. The group includes RPM Steak Chicago and RPM Italian Chicago & Washington, D.C.

VinePair caught up with Hanauer to discuss birth-year wines, death-row wines, and a Burgundy obsession so strong, it fueled a job switch.

1. What’s the bottle that made you fall in love with wine?

2006 Elio Grasso Barolo “Runcot.” I was literally first reading about Barolo at the time and had never had it before; I bought the bottle on a total whim. Everything I had read was true — the hedonism of the varietal and region were legit. That was the day I dedicated my career to wine.

2. FMK three varieties: Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay?

Kill Cabernet. No offense at all, just compared to the other two, Cabernet, you never had a chance. But I would be sad about it…

F Pinot Noir. Such a nuanced, fickle varietal whose best performances are unearthly and whose underwhelming performances are devastating. Pinot is possible of making the most interesting wines of the three but is unreliable in its greatness.

Marry Chardonnay. Such a reliable, diversified performer. Whether it be Chablis or [other] Burgundy, Champagne or New World, the grape rises to every occasion.

3. You’re on death row. What’s your last-supper wine?

1983 Château Margaux. (I, too, am vintage 1983.) It’s an incredibly undervalued wine … The ’83 Margaux is truly one of the most impressive Bordeaux I have ever had the chance to work with. It would be nice, on my death-row pity party, to reflect on the wine’s life as well as my own.

4. You can only drink one wine for the rest of your life. What is it?

2002 Leflaive Montrachet. Frankly, I’d be really pumped with any of their wines from that vintage for the rest of my life. The wines started a Burgundy obsession that would make me change restaurants to focus more on the region.

5. You can only drink at one bar for the rest of your life. What is it?

Bar Ramone.

6. What’s the best and worst wine on your rack (or in your fridge) right now?

1990 Chave Hermitage. The Domaine has always topped my list of personal favorites, and the vintage seems to just keep getting better. I’ve had the pleasure of having several over my career and was lucky enough to buy some bottles before the world caught on.

7. If you could no longer drink wine, what would be your beverage of choice?

It’s going to be beer. Personally, I find it refreshing and therapeutic. Professionally, there is a myriad of textures and flavors in the world of beer that have epic dining room performances.

The article RPM Restaurants’ Richard Hanauer Gets ‘Really Pumped’ by Grand Cru Burgundy appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/richard-hanauer-somm-interview/