BITS & BOBS…

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Stan The Wine Man

I love March Madness! Every year I tell myself I am not going to fill out a bracket, and yet here I find myself in the midst of despair once again as Duke pooped all over my attempt to win some money. Of course, it’s not the Blue Devils fault, I know it’s mine. First of all, although I love most sports, I have never been one of those guys who keeps track of players and stats. For instance, I love the Seahawks, but would be hard pressed to name all the players on either side of the ball, it’s just not the way I’m wired. My son is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to sports and sports figures. I have learned not to argue with him about sports related things because he is almost always correct. Maybe it’s because I think a bracket is fun and makes watching a little more exciting. I do like excitement, and watching this years NCAA basketball playoffs has been an emotional roller coaster. Kansas is still left for me to prove that I at least know a little about the sport. Just don’t ask me the names of the players on the team please.

Why do I write about wine? I ask myself that question daily. Like March Madness, I get excited about the subject, and unlike sports, I know a few things about the wine world. I also like to teach, that is fulfilling for me and brings me a lot of satisfaction. I have a wine group that I have been associated with for quite a few years. Some of the individuals who came into the fold knew very little about wine in the beginning. Today they are what newbies might consider wine experts! I am sure they would disagree, but the point is that I have had the satisfaction of helping each individual in my group to become a more experienced and informed wine drinker. They have learned how to understand their own palate and this has helped them in choosing wines that they will enjoy. It has also helped them to expand their palate horizons, try new things, and to become more adventurous in their wine drinking pleasure. Now that my friends is a very cool thing to be involved in.

ABC. What do those three letters stand for in relation to wine? ANYTHING BUT CHARDONNAY. Believe it or not, I still run across this term from time to time. Actually if you are in this group, please rethink. I believe it is mostly a guy thing, but I could be wrong. The #1 selling wine in the United States is, believe it or not, Chardonnay. It beats out Cab and Pinot Noir. Chard has come a long way since the seventies and eighties. It no longer packs enough lumber to build a dog house. There are still some out there, but they are few and far between. Today, you will find more and more wineries trying to emulate what comes out of Burgundy. This is a good thing, because although we can’t possibly do what Burgundy does with Chardonnay, we can get close. What you get, is a lot of Chard with good balance, more acidity and at times minerality. I love the baking spice component I find in a lot of Chardonnay from California and Washington. Chardonnay has many faces, so don’t judge it by the old school, oak driven examples of the twentieth century. If you are not at least trying Chardonnay, you are missing out on a very cool side of the wine world.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S THIRTEEN…

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Stan The Wine Man

A boatload of wine

A boatload of wine

In a weeks time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). I lot of my friends think I’m lucky. Well, they’re right, and I wouldn’t give this job up for the world. The only thing that makes my job hard, is my feeling of responsibility to taste the samples given to me as quickly as possible and to put my reviews either in my Moleskine, on my Youtube channel (Stan The Wine Man TV), or right here on Stanthewineman.com. Here for your reading pleasure, are thirteen wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2015 Jo Landron Muscadet “Les Houx” (Loire, France)… $18.

Aromas of honey, lemon, herbs and wet stone with a hint of green apple. Lemon and apple notes on the palate with just a kiss of honey. Mineral notes lie underneath with a solid core of acidity that integrates nicely with the fruit and minerals. Lemon, apple and mineral notes linger on the finish. This baby screams for shellfish. (B)

2015 Christopher Michael Pinot Noir (Oregon)… $12.

Cola and roasted meats on the nose with hits of rosemary, cherries and rose petal. Cherries all-day on the palate backed by notes of sarsaparilla and an underscore of acidity. Simple and delicious with sarsaparilla and cherry notes lingering with just a touch of bark on the back-end. (C+/B-)

2014 Christopher Michael Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington State)… $12.

Smells like cherry cobbler with a splash of chocolate, oats and a hint of dried bark. Cherries and currants on the palate with an interesting rust and bark element coming through. A background of chocolate with a nice spine of acidity, making this cab a good food wine. Finish is a little thin. (C+/B-)

2015 Saviah Cellars The Jack Rose` (Columbia Valley, WA)… $10.

Strawberries and watermelon on the nose with a kiss of cherries. Strawberries and cherries are balanced nicely with citrus, herbs and a hint of watermelon supported by balanced acidity. (B)

2015 Saviah Cellars The Jack Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, WA)…$15.

Light aromas of apples and pears with a hint of clove and baking spices. Nice baking spice notes on the palate joined by notes of pears and apples all day. Creamy mouth-feel with just a hint of butterscotch into a clean finish where baking spices linger. A little on the sweet side for me, but I know a lot of folks will love this one. (B-)

2014 Domaine Jomaine Bourgogne Aligote (Burgundy, France)… $20.

Aromas of wet stone and melon with hits of banana and herbs. Nice core of fresh acidity on the palate with a stainless steel component coming through. Melon and lemon notes with a good dose of crushed rock. Lemon and melon notes on a bed of stainless steel lingers on the palate for a long time. Bring on the oysters baby! (B/B+)

2016 MDZ Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina)… $10.

Smells sweet on the nose with notes of black raspberries, dark cherries and red plums. Plum and cherry notes on the palate with an edge of tar and tobacco. A slight herbal element comes through underneath. Finishes with a raspberry, tobacco, tar and plum party in the mouth. Nice complexity for the money. (B-)

2015 Condes De Albarei Albarino (Rias Baixas, Spain)… $10.

Perfumed aromas of licorice, melon, white flowers and tangerine. Fresh, clean notes of tangerine, white flowers and a touch of honey. Carnation notes join forces with the citrus on a bracing finish. Not super complex, but not one-dimensional. (C+/B-)

2015 Gerard Bigonneau Sauvignon Blanc Quincy (Loire Valley, France)… $13.

Just a touch of stink action on the nose joined by notes of mango, apple and papaya. Mango and papaya in spades on the palate with underlying apricots. The acidity is well-integrated, giving it a nice flow across the palate into a delicious mango/papaya finish. This is a sexy Sauvignon Blanc that is almost Viognier like. (B/B+)

2014 Chateau Reynon Bordeaux Blanc (Bordeaux, France)… $20.

A little funky on the nose with notes of melon, white flowers and wet stone. Almost fleshy on the palate with notes of melon, gooseberry and a pinch of quince. There is a spine of wet stone front to the citrus, quince finish. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. (B/B+)

2015 Caves Des Vins De Bourgueil “Lieu-Dit-Beauregard” Bourgueil (Loire Valley, France)… $12.

Aromas of candied cherries, baked earth, and licorice with hints of chocolate and red flowers. Almost lush on the front of the palate with notes of cherries and tobacco. A little tobacco leaf sneaks in underneath as it finishes with notes of licorice, red flowers, tobacco and a kiss of minerals. 100% Cabernet Franc. A great one for those trying their first old world Cab Franc. (c+/B-)

2013 Queen Of Hearts Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara, CA)… $14.

Cherries, red flowers and a hint of strawberries and tobacco on the nose. A little on the tart side, with notes of under ripe cherries and strawberries and a touch of earthiness. Red flower notes hit on the mid-palate into an acidic finish with cranberry notes hitting on the backside. This baby is bright front to back and will need food. (C+)

2011 J. Lebegue & Cie Bordeaux Saint-Emilion (Bordeaux, France)… $25.

Aromas of leather and mushroom with a little funk thrown in. Hits of ripe currants and candied cherries with pinch of cinnamon. Crushed rock and leather on the palate with hits of citrus underneath. The acid kicks up its heels on the mid-palate into the finish with notes of citrus and tobacco lingering. (C+)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS…

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Stan The Wine Man

I need to share with you how easy it is to be a lazy writer. I missed my Friday’s Thirteen because of a wine tasting event that took most of my day and early morning. A legit excuse you might say. No it’s not! I could have started earlier in the week as I knew the event was coming. LAZY. Once I skipped that self-appointed assignment, I failed to get my Bits & Bobs article out on Monday…LAZY! I literally had to force myself to sit at the keyboard this morning and extract an article from this lazy brain of mine. Writing is very much like a muscle that needs to be exercised daily if you want it to improve. I know this is true and yet I allow myself to skip writing days. The more I skip, the harder it gets to start up again. Lazy is not allowed in the writing world, so here I go.

Is there anyone out there that is adept at video editing that would be willing to give me a hand with VideoPad. I purchased this new editing tool along with the book “Video Editing with VideoPad For Dummies.” I must be especially dumb, because I am having great difficulty even understanding half of what they are trying to explain in the book. This is a great editing tool, and should improve the quality of my You Tube channel. I so badly want to understand how to navigate through this tool. I can teach myself of course and will eventually. However, it never hurts to get hands-on instruction. HELP!

I subscribe to to the Wine Spectator, not for the wine scores. I subscribe for material for my blog. The reason I pay very little attention to the scores in the Spectator is simple. They get paid big bucks by wineries to advertise in their periodical. Would it surprise you if wineries had some influence on how the magazine scores certain wines? I understand they try all the wines in the blind format. The question is, do they come up with a final score in the blind format? Not sure about that one myself. The currant edition has a nice spread on Allegrini, a famous winery in the Veneto in Italy. I love their wines. They make some of the best Amarone I have put my lips to. A couple of years ago, they were acquired by Gallo. I have no problem with this since Gallo plays a hands-off approach, allowing the winery to continue doing what they do without a lot of intervention. Do you think Gallo advertises in the Spectator?

Matt Kramer is one of my favorite writers in the Wine Spectator for great fodder for this blog. He writes some of the most inane things I have ever read. He’s been a good boy lately however, giving nothing in the way of material to have fun with. His recent article entitled “That Special Wine” is like reading soft porn of the wine world. He tries to project a little romanticism, but can’t pull it off. He did a some name dropping, which always raises a red flag for me and completely kills the mood of the story. One of the things he wrote actually shocked me a bit (surprise!). He said he didn’t enjoy older wines, yet he fancies himself a wine lover. Hmm. How does that work? I think the definition of a “true” wine lover is the excitement that comes with experiencing any wine, old or new, cheap or expensive, well-known or unknown. Do you agree? I love wine, and eagerly look forward to trying any wine at least once. I believe Matt didn’t really mean he doesn’t enjoy older wines as he waxed poetic about the ’73 cab he shared with Paul Draper (Ridge winemaker) and Paul’s wife (a concert pianist no less). Obviously he enjoys older wines only if they deliver for his palate. Right? Matt. Really? I can only hope that Matt gives up the soft porn approach to writing and gets back to giving me better material to use.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS.

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Stan The Wine Man

Today, I am headed down to Seattle with Susie to share in the celebration of Chateau Ste Michelle’s 50th anniversary. It’s crazy to think that they have been producing wine since 1967. I have to admit that I used to have a bad taste in my mouth for Ste Michelle. They are a big winery, owned by a large corporation and the David in me wanted to slay this Goliath. However, I conducted and interview with the late Bill Powers, owner of Badger Mountain and Powers Winery (now owned by his son Greg and a partner), and he set me straight without even knowing it. In the interview he talked about how Chateau Ste Michelle helped him to get his winery established in the early days. He also mentioned that even at that time, if he had questions or needed some help with something, Ste Michelle is at the ready to give assistance. He also reminisced about how many other wineries they have helped to get on their feet. What I realized was that Chateau Ste Michelle wants the Washington wine industry to flourish. Yes, it helps them for sure, but it also helps the many wineries in this state to grow and be successful.

What a perfect time for them to celebrate their anniversary. March is Washington Wine Month, a month for all of us to celebrate the success of the Washington wine industry. I am focusing on Washington wines in my You Tube episodes during the month. Check them out!

My Friday episode (312) will feature a line of wines produced by Chateau Ste Michelle…Don’t miss it!

Rose` is seeing a huge rise in popularity in Washington. I have never sold as much rose` as I did last summer and I continued to see it sell throughout last fall and through this winter. It’s about time or enthusiasm for this wine has caught up to the rest of the world. Rose` is all they make in the Tavel region of southern Rhone. The rose` of Tavel is even age-worthy for up to five years or more depending on the producer and the grapes used. Of course, a lot of folks get hung up on the color of the rose` thinking that only the best are salmon colored or lighter. If that’s what it takes to get them drinking it, then more power to them. However, I have tried some amazing rose` that are quite dark in color, including the rose` of Tavel. In fact, if you watch the aforementioned episode on my You Tube channel, I am quite impressed with The LIV version that is quite a bit darker than the other two. I will be the first to admit that the rose` that comes out of Provence, France is superb, but Washington State is now pumping out some pink juice that gives this region stiff competition.

On a final note, it is very hard for me not to talk politics in the environment we live today. I refuse to use this platform to express my opinions about what is going on in the White House. I have very strong feelings as many do, but this is not the place to express them. if anything, I think that wine consumption may hit an all time high over the next 4 years…Just sayin’.

A quick shout-out to my baby sister, you will be fine, you are strong!

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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