Sunday, August 29, 2010

Baron Herzog Zinfandel, Lodi (California), 2007

I had promised a review of a California Kosher wine in my previous post so here it is: the Herzog Zinfandel 2007. Lodi, California (pronounced low-dye) is known for its production of Zinfandel, a grape that has a varied and dubious history.

No one is absolutely positive where Zinfandel came from, and as such, there are many stories regarding where the grape came from. For a long time, Zinfandel was thought to come to America via Hungary, when immigrants brought the vine over from Europe. However, recent genetic experiments in Italy suggest that Zinfandel is related to, if not the exact same grape as Primitivo, which is found most prominently in the Puglia region.

Zinfandels are characteristically very high in alcohol and have lots of fruit notes. Also they tend to be pretty tannic (read: eat with fatty meats, particularly beef)

Now, the last two wines I reviewed were very subtly flavored with many layers coming out each time I tasted the wines. The Herzog Zin, on the other hand, is not subtle at all. To give an image, for those of you who have seen Caddy Shack II, the Yarden Syrah and Rothschild Bordeaux were closer to the long-time members of the country club: with an air of refinement. However, the Herzog Zin I would liken more to Jackie Mason's character: gaudy and flamboyant, but still fun.

Please don't read anything negative into that description. I'm not trying to put down any of the wines I've tasted thus far. At the same time, though, the Herzog Zin comes from a different  place and with a different goal in mind than the other two, as I'll describe below.

On the nose, I got a lot of blackberry fruit, extremely ripe. Also, the alcohol was very present (again, typical of Zinfandel); I got almost a burning sensation when I was smelling the wine--that's the alcohol sayin' "howdy!" And there was a little woody spice at the end..something along the terms of licorice or star anise.

The palate was very similar. The very first thing I tasted was the over ripe blackberries; there was no subtlety at all. Instead of a licorice flavor I got more of a black pepper note.

This wine is very simple and straightforward. What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in approachability. For those who are looking for a "big," full-bodied red, this is a great one to try.

Let's talk food for a second. This is definitely a burger or chulent wine. Both dishes are fun and enjoyable but not necessarily elegant (if you have an elegant chulent recipe, please let me know!!). The tanins in the wine play well with the fats that would be in the meat or stew while the fruit plays a nice complement to the earthy tones that the dishes have.

This wine goes for about $10-12 in most wine stores

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Baron Edmund de Rothschild, Bordeaux, Haut-Medoc, 2005

Ok, so I started in Israel in my last post and I'm working my way west. Today's stop is in the Bordeaux region of France. Before I talk about the wine, let's discuss wine labeling for a minute (yes, it has some bearing on this conversation!).

In many places around the world, especially in the Americas and Australia, wines are labeled by their grape varietal (e.g., Cabernet Sauvigion, Chardonnay, etc.). They tell you exactly what's in the bottle (with some leeway, but that's another post.) In most of France, they will not tell you the grape that is in the bottle, but rather the region, and you are supposed to know based on that, what grapes should be in the bottle. As we encounter different regions (or subregions) I'll explain the varietals that you can expect there.

In Bordeaux, there are two major subregions, divided by the Gironde River, namely the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The entire region uses the same main red varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Right Bank wines use primarily Cab Sauv., while Left Bank wines use primarily Merlot. In either case, Cab Franc is used in a supporting role. In any case, most wines in the Bordeaux region are blends; it's rare to find a single-varietal wine here.

Is a single varietal better than a blend? Some say yes, some say no. I personally think that there are advantages to both sides of the argument, and that by having both, it's a better and fuller wine world. But I digress....

The Haut-Medoc is a district within the Medoc region, which is an area of the Right Bank (pop quiz: so what grape is dominant in this wine? That's right, Cabernet Sauvignon!)

The vintage in Europe is much more important than it is in the New World, primarily because weather can (and does!) vary so much more there than it does in the major wine producing regions in the Americas (think about it: there's a reason we all want to hang out in California.). 2005 was a landmark year for Bordeaux and many of its wines were built to age for long periods of time.

Personally, I live in an apartment in New York. I don't have the space--or the patience--to store or cellar wine for years and years. Fortunately, the Edmund de Rosthchild 2005 doesn't need to be cellared for all that long (though you probably could hold on to it for a couple of years).

This wine had more of a dark ruby hue to it. On the first taste, it was difficult to get much out of the wine; it's definitely a wine that you want to open an hour or two before serving!

Bordeaux wines, like their counterparts in the Rhone Valley, are not as fruit-forward as their New World counterparts, which can be a little off-putting to some people. Instead, you generally get notes like green pepper, tobacco, leather and tar (yes, this is actually a good thing, and rather pleasant. In a similar vein, if you get yourself an old German Riesling--I think there are a few kosher ones out there--you will typically get notes of petrol which is actually not an unpleasant smell/taste despite the implications of the name).

What fruit you do notice in these wines tend to taste and smell more like under ripe fruits (more astringent and sour). In California, the fruit qualities in the wine are dominant and they tend to lean towards the over ripe range of a fruit's life. This has a lot to do with the wine-growing theories spouted by UC-Davis' oenology department (namely, let the grape get as ripe as humanly possible without letting it go bad). On the other hand, in Bordeaux, winemakers tend to pick before peak ripeness.

When I was sampling this wine last Shabbos, again, I didn't get much on the nose initially, mostly green pepper. The palate was very tannic (that astringent mouth-puckering quality in red wines). There wasn't as much acid in the wine as I was expecting from a Bordeaux, but it made up for that with notes of tobacco and mushrooms.

When I tasted the wine again Saturday afternoon, the wine had opened up tremendously, allowing for more of the fruit qualities to come out. The earthier notes were still present but softened considerably compared to the initial tasting.

This kind of wine is right up my alley, but I'll be the first to admit that it's not for everyone, especially if what you're looking for is the uber fruity kind of wine (for those who like this type of wine, stay tuned next week!). And it begs for red meat. It would pair very well with a steak with some sort of mushroom sauce. The fats in the meat would go well with the tannins and the earthiness in the wine would be reflected in the mushroom sauce.

All this being said, it was overall a very pleasant wine to drink. L'chayim!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Yarden Syrah 2005

For my first wine post, I thought I'd pick one of the stars of the Israeli kosher wine world, and perhaps one of the companies that put Israeli wine (kosher or otherwise) on the map: the Golan Heights Winery. In particular, I tasted the Yarden Syrah, 2005 vintage.

Before opening, I was very concerned that I was opening a California syrah wannabe: über fruity and lots of smoky oak aging. However, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Wine uses 4 of your 5 senses: taste, touch, smell and sight. Upon visual inspection, I saw that the wine was intensely colored with a grapey shade of purple (typical of syrah) and heavily concentrated, which led me to expect a huge punch of flavor and aromas.

Like I said before, I was expecting very stereotypically California-ish qualities out of the wine (lots of fruit, peppery spice in the case of the syrah grape, and smokey oak qualities, and generally over-the-top), as many Israeli wineries are opting for this style (it sells more bottles); however, this was not the case for the Yarden Syrah.

Instead, it reminded me more of what you would get out of the Rhone Valley in France (the home of the syrah grape). In France, the best wines are more restrained. The fruity qualities are still present, but usually not overripe and in-your-face; this allows for other characteristics to come through, things that are more earthy.

In this case, the earthiness was very present, but not offensive. There was a distinctly mushroomy quality, as well as something gamey--almost reminiscent of venison.  There was oak aging on this wine with hints of butterscotch and vanilla, but it was an accent, not the primary note.

As far as the fruity qualities, there was some grapeyness going on as well as plum, but if anything, they seemed a little under ripe. And finally there was some characteristic spice going on at the end, black pepper and clove.

And now, the main event: tasting! The wine is very tannic, meaning it would go well with a dish with some fat or other richness going on. The acidic qualities complement the tannins in the wine. The black pepper and clove are more assertive on my palate than when I smelled the wine. The fruit is there, but again, it's very restrained and the fruits are under ripe.

I enjoyed this wine thoroughly, and would heartily recommend it to others. One word of warning, though: IT NEEDS FOOD! I ate a roast chicken breast with this wine and it didn't go well together. If I were to do this again, I'd pair it with a steak or lamb chop. Maybe a beef bourguignon. You'll want to have something that is rich and has a good amount of fat to counter the acid and tannins in the wine.

This wine goes for around $25 - $30 in most wine stores, but I have seen it on sale for as little as $20. In any case, if you need a wine for a gift that will impress, or if you're doing a nicer dinner party, this is an excellent bottle to buy!