Modus Operandi’s Bacchipectus 2011- The Amphora bottle!

Modus Operandi 2011 Bacchipectus, Napa, California. 14.5% ABV,  found online for $119/bottle. Two Barrels Produced.

 

This wine came in a Modus Operandi Wine club shipment as a club-only selection, and sat in my cellar for years while I waited for a special occasion to open it. It wasn’t until after shock of a loved one’s passing, during a social media blitz that I asked followers to carpe diem, and Open That Bottle!, that I finally took this treasure from its dusty slot on the shelf and tasted it, that I immediately wished I had waited for a BETTER special occasion and friends to share it with. So here you are!

In a bottle with an oversized mouth, sealed in wax, and that has tiny arms that look like amphorae handles-  comes a sauvignon blanc like none I have experienced before. Winemaker Jason Moore used 100% sauvignon blanc grapes and fermented the juice on the lees, with skins and seeds in French oak, then barrel aged for THREE YEARS. You can tell the difference immediately, this does NOT taste like traditional sauvignon blanc!  

The color is a rich, golden hue- and it has a turbid level of clarity; tiny particles the eye can see, help to make this wine the stunning experience that it is. The nose offers honeysuckle, apricot, orange peel, and clay. On the palate, this seven-year-old sauvignon blanc has baked apple and mature lemon rind with a supple, luxurious mouthfeel. Robust acidity prevents the palate from any oiliness. It is luscious, with lip-smacking acidity on the front palate, beautiful tartness across the mid-palate, with a sharp slice of heat on the back palate. And as soon as the wine is swallowed, the finish lingers beautifully, hanging in the air like low fog across a mountain range, while my mouth begs for the next sip.

I paired this with pasta, with fresh seafood, and a stunning goat cheese with an ash rind. Each bite was improved by the wine, no doubt. But truly, the star of the show is this beautiful wine, that needs no food to appreciate the brilliant modern, classic, and historic techniques merged In its creation. 

 

“Regrets, I’ve Had a Few” 

I hope that’s not the case, Jason. Not with this wine, this is brilliant. I only wish I had more to share with friends.  So to you, I’ll send you off with deep respect, and the Chairman of the Board. Thanks for doing this your way.

 

 

à votre santé!

 

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Mastroleo Negroamaro 2012

Ok my Italian Wine Lovers, start your engines! 

Mastroleo Negroamaro 2012, Puglia, IGT, Italy. ABV 13%, $15/bottle at Wine & Spirit Company, Forest Hills.

Color is a deep garnet with maroon edging. The nose provides a floral mix with black plum and fresh earth. On the palate is a nice melange of black fruit: black cassis, plum, dried fig, and prune; a lively acidity with moderate heat across the mid-palate. Secondary notes of forest floor, potting soil, sodium, toasted oak, and granite. A moderately-long finish that returns the fruit back to the palate, with a tiny hint of pleasant bitterness after the finish completes which re-awakens the mouth for another bite or sip. This wine really reminds me of my trip to the Mediterranean last year, with beautiful dark flavors. The acidity in this wine makes it a great balance now at a median age but I feel it could easily age another four or five years. And while it was $15 near me, a quick search online showed it commonly sells for $12/bottle- a good deal for a nice Italian food wine! Still, I feel $15 is a bargain for a nicely aged Italian red that would be a great gift wine or dinner wine. The label looks far more expensive!

 

 

Food pairing was simple with a spicy chicken fajita dish on the first night, another evening with grilled steak and asparagus, and a third day with a mix of cheese from mild to heavy. I’d love to pair this with a spicy tomato sauce, but perhaps a perfect pairing might be game: wild boar or venison- this is a wine designed to pair with food and friends! I’d love to add this to my cellar for times when you want a wine that has beautifully dark flavors and tones without the massive fruit of Cabernet sauvignon or syrah. This is a real conversation wine as well as a delightful and inexpensive bottle that can age well– I have found several of my cellared wines to be closed at the age of six, but this negroamaro is in excellent stride.

Thanks to  my friends and fellow wine writers  Debbie Gioquindo,CSW and  Lodi Budd for “Winephabet Street” ,their monthly online chat about a different grape each month which got me out of my “nebbiolo” comfort zone to try out Negroamaro! 

 

à votre santé!

 

 

Murrieta’s Well: 2017 Sauvignon Blanc

You might remember my posts about Murrieta’s Well Estate Vineyards in Livermore Valley, CA.

Well, I recently participated in a live, online tasting with Robbie Meyer, their winemaker– who happened to grow up in my own hometown of Atlanta, Ga. Click the link and you can watch the entire tasting, and see our comments as we tasted live.

Some of these were wines I had enjoyed previously, and I was happy to taste them again. Tasting new vintages allows you to see similarities and differences in varying years, and these showed excellent consistency from beautiful wines that I think are hidden gems from California at a good price point! But in addition to The Whip, the Spur, and their 2017 Dry Rosé, I got my first taste of their Small Lot Sauvignon Blanc- and I could not wait to share it with you! 

Murrieta’s Well Small Lot Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Livermore Valley, CA. 14.2% ABV, $35/bottle SRP.

Color is pale straw, with excellent clarity. The nose is bright with grapefruit, apricot, honeysuckle and salinity. On the mouth: peach, Meyer lemon, beautiful citrus and orange blossoms, with both an elegant floral essence and a subtle minerality. Only 30 barrels of this wine were produced in 2017, but this is an extraordinary, lively, expressive sauv blanc that is incredibly unusual for California. As a matter of fact, if this were blind tasting I might mistakenly claim this wine to be a Sancerre from France! While this wine is ideal for sipping on the porch in the afternoon sunlight, it’s far more important to note that this is a classic and textbook expression of sauvignon blanc, and ideal for food pairing as well!

I paired this wine over the course of a week with Thai, Chinese, Mexican food, and with a variety of cheeses. It would also pair gorgeously with shellfish, either raw or cooked. While some folks might think this is a slightly high price for a single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, this is a fabulous expression of the grape, and perhaps one of California’s finest Sauvignon Blancs on the marketplace. I find the SRP a small price to pay for such a high quality wine.

I have to admit- I was nervous when I saw the 14.2% alcohol printed on the bottle, but I know Robbie does not compromise anything in insuring either sustainably or making a great wine, the best possible each year. And you would never sense the heat of the alcohol unless the wine warms to room temperature (my glass only ever did this while I was composing thoughts and adding them to my review). He’s done an amazing job on this, as well as the entire line from Murrieta’s Well. Everyone I know who has tasted Robbie’s wines , has been impressed and enjoyed them thoroughly. You deserve to try out their wines, and let me know if you agree.

Drink Responsibly, and enjoy!

à votre santé!

#AlsaceRocks My 50th Birthday

You turn 50 once. I thought it would be no big deal, but in retrospect, it feels like so much more important than turning 40 did. My birthday week was full of shows and long hours at work, and arrived at the end of June, which happened to be a month of #AlsaceRocks promotions! So when I finally got a chance to sit down, I treated myself to two bottles of Crémant D’Alsace that became an awesome birthday present!

 

Jean-Baptiste Adam Crémant d’Alsace “Emotion” Brut Reserve, Alsace, France. ABV 12%; SRP $22/bottle.

 

Color is a pale gold, with a nose of brioche. The palate is apple, young pear and citrus; the mouthfeel is a medium-bodied rich texture with moderate, delicate bubbles. Comprised of 95% chardonnay grapes and 5% pinot noir, primary fermentation takes place in hundred-year-old wooden barrels and the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. Aged on the lees for nine months prior to disgorgement. This drinks like a champagne at more than twice the price. I was highly impressed at the quality and value of this bottle, but wanted to get a layman’s opinion of the wine. 

 

 

My next-door neighbor Lori was home, and we sat on the front step and enjoyed a glass of this to celebrate the week, that our kids were home, and because we deserved it. Lori admits she doesn’t know a lot about wine, but she knows what she likes, and she has a huge fan of the high-end white Burgundy that is my personal cocaine- so I consider her an excellent, non-professional barometer, and I asked her opinion. Lori thought it was important to note that it is both elegant and fun to drink, how nice and dry the Adam crémant is, and that she really likes the combination of apple and vanilla flavors it exhibits. After another sip, she admitted that while she loves bubbles, she’s didn’t like Champagnes as much as this, which exhibited more character and style. I’d call that a HUGE win, and solid agreement on my loving this bottle, and wanting more from Jean-Baptiste Adam!

 

 

 

Maison Willm Crémant d’Alsace, Blanc de Noirs, Alsace, France. 12% ABV, SRP $22/bottle- seen locally as low as $16/bottle, street price.

Color is pale gold. A delicate nose of green apple with effervescence, while on the palate: lemon citrus, young pear, with refined bubbles that create a silky, gossamer mouthfeel. A tiny hint of bitters with a lovely and succinctly tart finish. I could drink this all day long and nearly refused to jot down tasting notes (as you see, I relented). This delightful wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, which are softly pressed and separated from the skins quickly to refrain from exacting color from the grapes. This is a classic and harmonious representation of Alsace and is a delightful sparkling wine.  

 

 

 

So, if you have to have an iconic birthday, ok, really,  if you need any reason to celebrate, or if you just deserve a treat, seek out Crémant D’Alsace and taste it- I expect you will be shocked and amazed that these taste like single-vineyard Champagne at a fraction of the cost. Whether you prefer the Chardonnay or Pinot Noir versions- both are SO delicious-  I know that you, too, will agree that #AlsaceRocks! 

 

à votre santé!

Ranch 32’s 2016 Vintage

Ranch 32 Chardonnay 2016, Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey, California. 13.5% ABV; SRP $20/bottle.

Color is pale yellow, with a nose of pear, pineapple, vanilla extract and toasted oak. On the palate, apple and pear dominate with a buttery and rich mouthfeel, wrapped up by hints of brown butter sugar cookies and lime zest. This is a great wine to sip on the porch in the afternoon; perhaps the ideal food pairing is baked chicken with fresh vegetables. This is the classic, savory, buttery chardonnay made with ten months of aging in French oak, a touch high in alcohol for me but the mouthfeel did not give that away. For my readers who love classic California chardonnay in the under $25 mark, this is a bottle you need to find!

 

 

Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Hames Valley and San Lucas AVAs, Monterey, California. 13.5% ABV; SRP $20/bottle.

A blend of two fruits from two Monterey estates, aged for 12 month in French and American oak. Color is deep garnet with maroon edging. The nose offers cassis and blackberry, then green vegetation with notes of eucalyptus, basalt, and cedar. On the palate: moderate dark fruit starts and finishes. Black plum and black currants cross the front palate, potting soil with loam and sodium on the back palate with a spice mix and heat from the alcohol across the top palate. Medium-long finish with strong fruit is retained thoughout. I tasted this over the course of a week and the fruit profile expanded to full maturity after a couple of days. It was delightfully young upon opening and evolved with air to a nice maturity, so I’d suggest decanting or using an aerator for maximum enjoyment. Ideal pairings with grilled meats and game, my preferred pairing was grilled steak and grilled vegetables (also endorsed by a vegetarian guest who did the pairing solely with grilled vegetables). I found this wine to be a solid value, especially at the street price you will find in the $15-20 range.

 

 

Ranch 32 Pinot Noir 2016, Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey, California. 13.5% ABV; SRP $20/bottle.

 

Color is dusty rose, while the perfumed nose offers rose bush, raspberries, fresh cuttings and sand. On the palate, fully mature cherry and raspberry, notes of sea salt, moss, sandy loam, and white pepper. Considerable heat on the medium-long finish, notes of burnt coffee beans and tasted oak wrap up this little gem. I adored this wine with hot artichoke dip, both cured and baked salmon, and dried meats. I could see this wine easily pairing through an entire meal, tantalizing your mouth from the appetizer to after-dinner bites of strawberries, chocolates, or cheesecake. There is a sense of old-world glamour in this wine, perhaps an early California essence that permeates?  Regardless, this is solid value that compares well against wines in the $25+ range.

 

 

#WIYG?

à votre santé!