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Wines of the week

The above title is a misnomer at best. I drink only a couple of new wines in a week and if I like them, then I make a note of it. This week has been a little more eventful than usual. Here we go:

Ch. Latour - 1999 Bordeaux, France(Paulliac) - Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot
Too tannic now. On the second sip, I was able to experience some of the complexity this wine will have to offer in years to come. Nice fruit until the tannin takes over but you already get some nice oak and a trace of that coffee, tobacco-ish stuff you'd expect from a wine like this. For a weak vintage, it's extremely good. Really full and long-ass finish. Flowery nose, too.

Opus One - 1998 Napa Valley - Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc
I, too, am joining the chorus in stating that this wine is overrated and overpriced. $150, are you kidding me? I don't care if it's the lovechild of Mondavi and Mouton-Rothchild. It's a fine wine but better wines can be found at the $20, even the $10 level. If I don't have to pay for it, say at a dinner of a friend's, I gladly drink it and enjoy it, but I'll never ever plunk down that amount of change for it. Not exactly a recommendation but worthy of a mention due to its high profile. Also, I tried it right after the Latour.

Taurino Notarpanaro - 1997 Puglia, Italy - Negroamaro, Malvasia Nero
Their Salice Salentino is fabulous so I finally decided to try their estate bottled version. Some dried fruit flavors with some tobacco in the finish. A little sweet, too. Very affordable.

Firestone - 2001 Napa Valley, Calfornia - Sauv Blanc
Light but more complex than you'd expect. Very grapefruity like a Graves but it changes character toward the end. Good stuff, not too bad pricewise.

Boston - An optimist's perspective

As someone who spent more than 16 years in the Boston area, watching Game 7 of the ALCS was heart breaking. I'm sure many people share this sentiment. I'd be feeling worse about it had I not been changing my view of Boston in recent years.

I've always felt that Boston had much room for improvement, mostly in terms of attitude. That neurotic inferior complex that has been gripping the psyche of Bostonians ever since the New Yorkers built the Erie Canal and setting New York on the course of becoming THE city on the Eastern seaboard has been plaguing Bostonians since then. People who know their history and geography know that for a long time, Boston was the most important city in this country. Many pivotal moments in US history took place in Boston. It gave birth to and developed some of the greatest minds who shaped this nation. Also, Boston is the closest port city to Europe on the western hemisphere and this allowed them to dominate American commerce and trade until that fateful canal was built.

With the rise of prominence of New York City, a rivalry grew. Sports, commerce, culture - it pervades all forms of interaction between the two cities. While outwardly loyal, Bostonians secretly acknowledge and resent New York's superiority. Also, Boston has always had the problem of being stuck in the past. Its temperament is very pre-Erie Canal puritan.

There are many ways in which Boston has fared better. Boston is the education capital of the country. Boston leads New York in many life statistics. For most of their respective history, Boston has had a better orchestra than New York, for one random distinction.

I must qualify this by saying that I, at times, feel like a closet New Yorker. I love the city. I feel so at home there. In most aspects, I would not hesitate in putting NYC over Boston. Before being labeled a Benedict Arnold, I do relish the day when Boston can rise up to these challenges.

What frustrated me when I was living in Boston was the constant observation of Boston's strive in besting New York was marred by this afore mentioned Boston complex. This caused countless lapses in judgement that kept Boston from achieving greatness.

Over the past few years, I've been noticing changes. There have been a growing contingent in Boston wanting to change. People no longer want it to be an insular "white" city where African-Americans all over the country referr to it as the northernmost Southern city due to its racism. People are embracing a new paradigm. People are increasingly focusing on Boston's cosmopolitan potential and its place as the technological hub of Eastern USA. For instance, you can find many fine examples of any culture or cuisine that you're looking for. This wasn't always possible nor expected from cities other than New York and San Francisco.

The most active and visible ambassadors for the city - Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, Boston Symphony Orchestra - have all embraced these sweeping changes without turning their backs on their place in history. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, once the most influential cultural entity in the US, has placed itself on the road to former glory by hiring James Levine as their musical director after decades of steady decline in quality and reputation under Seiji Ozawa.

All almost everyone knows, some much needed house cleaning on all aspects of the Patriots led to a Super Bowl victory and a team that continues to be competitive despite losing valuable veteran players.

The biggest excitement for me has been the Red Sox. One of the oldest and most venerable baseball teams has acquired new ownership who revamped the entire staff and embraced new ways to play successful baseball. Bringing in brilliant statisticians like Bill James has worked out incredibly well(I'm not so sure about the relief pitching by committee though).

As disheartening as the extra inning loss was, I'm looking forward to a team that can only get better as long as they stick to what they've been doing over the last couple of years. The state of Red Sox Nation is a strong barometer for my feelings about Boston in general. I am looking forward to much excitement from Boston in terms of culture, sports etc.

Stay tuned.....

Things Better than Sex

In a recent outing, a friend was bemoaning the lack of sexual contact in their recent past. We've all been through that but this person would not stop talking about it. I, along with others, agreed that while sex is a wonderful thing we'd like to partake in in as many opportunities that arise but there are plenty of things to do and experience in the world that are as pleasurable and sometimes more enjoyable than sex. I'll add to this list in the future. Here we go -

1. Getting a standing ovation.
2. Performing.
3. Fine Belgian chocolate.
4. Great wines like aged Bordeaux's, Barolos, Priorats
5. Deep meditation.
6. Coasting down a steep mountain trail on a mountain bike after spending what felt like an eternity riding up the mountain.
7. Witnessing a great performance - 10/24/99 - Berlin Philharmonic doing Mahler 9 with Abbado; Summer 2000 - Cecil Taylor and Max Roach; February 2001 - Vienna doing Mahler 2 with Boulez; February 2000 - Argerich

Favorite Red Wines

I'm addicted to wines. You'll see many more posts about wines in the future. I'm on pace to drink about 400 different wines this year. There are only two other topics I like talking about more than about wines - music and women. When you combine all three, things get very interesting. Here are the red wines that have over the years blew me away.

Chateau Haut-Brion - 1988 Bourdeaux, France(Pessac-Leognan, Graves) - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
My dad bought a bunch of these a while back. He opened one on my twenty-first birthday. Back then, I didn't know as much about wine. I just remember having this unbelievably complex Bourdeaux. Only recently did I realize that it was the famous Haut-Brion. I didn't remember the name but I remembered the distinctively simple label. Even though it was ten years old at the time I had it, I didn't mind the tannins that much. People have called this one of the top Haut-Brion of recent years. My dad still has one left. I can't wait until I get to try it when it has fully matured. This is a premiere cru wine.

Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou - 1996 Bourdeaux, France(Saint Julien) - Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Fr, Petit Verdot
I had this at a cellar tasting at Wine Underground, in between Roland Park and Hampden in Baltimore, this year. It is the most balanced wine I've ever tasted, although I have to admit that I do have a high tannin threshold. Robert Parker called it possibly the best vintage of Ducru ever. Although it is a second growth wine, most people agree that it's up there with first growths.

Beaune Clos de la Mousse, Bouchard Pere et Fils - 1999 Bourgogne, France(Beaune) - Pinot Noir
I've been staying away from Burgundies because they tend to be too expensive for me, they're variable in quality, and they're too delicate to keep around in less-than-ideal environments like my apartment. When I saw a half bottle of this premiere cru at a clearance sale, I seized upon it. Unfortunately, it was oxidized. They gladly replaced it. Smooth, elegant - like velvet. Finally, I got to have a red Burgundy that tasted like a prototypical Burgundy.

Pira Luigi Barolo - 1995 Piemonte, Italy(Serralunga) - Nebbiolo
Wow! This is how my love affair with the nebbiolo grape started. I've been hearing about barolos for years and a couple of years ago, I got up the courage to buy one. There's a store near Lexington Market in Baltimore called Trinacria that sells wines at wholesale prices, sometimes lower! I got this one for $20! I bought it for a dinner party and I used it for both a tenderloin roast and for a spaghetti sauce. This just might be the biggest and most complex wine I've ever had. The finish was like a minute and a half!

Villa Bellini Amarone 1998 Veneto, Italy(Amarone) - Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara
Had this during Cranbrook Liquors(Timonium, MD) Dollar Days sale where they sell everything for $1 above cost. Not too soy sauce-ish like some other amarones, just enough to make you appreciate it. This is one big and deep wine.

CVNE Imperial Gran Riserva - 1995 Rioja, Spain - Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo
Late last year, I stumbled upon a Spanish wine tasting at Eddies on North Charles, Baltimore that was simply earth-shattering. I never had wines like those before. I never tasted anything so unique, vibrant and so full of character. Ever since then, I've grown quite fond of tempranillo based wines. This is full, complex and terrior all the way!

Les Terrases, Alvaro Palacios - 1998 Cataluna, Spain(Priorat) - Cab Sauv, Carinena, Garnacha
A wine distributor I know refers to this wine as a "big, dirty, slut". It's big, bold, and spicy, obnoxious even. Sometimes, you don't want elegance. It's like that loud boorish friend of yours that you can't help but love. Priorat, along with Barolos and Bourdeaux's are my favorite wine styles right now. Most of them are horribly expensive but this one's fairly reasonable.

Penfolds Grange 1997 South Australia - Shiraz
This was one of my wine dreams come true. During my first visit to Wine Underground, the owner took me to the cellar and had me try something. When he showed me the bottle, my eyes lit up. You'd think that the best wine from Australia would knock you flat on your ass but I was surprised at how smooth it was. It was like Bourdeaux meets shiraz.

Rosemount Syrah McLaren Vale Balmoral ? McLaren Vale, Australia - Shiraz
Ah, my first shiraz. I was hearing great things about shirazes a few years back. Every year, my best friend from home , Carl, and I celebrate our birthdays together - we were born a day apart. During the peak of the tech boom, I briefly experienced the luxury of financial stability. In 1999, we decided to splurge and go to Salamander, a very high end fusion restaurant in Boston. And this was the wine we picked. The best way to describe it was in musical terms - sforzando piano, followed by a crescendo(we're both musicians). Basically, you initially get hit with spice and fruit, then it quickly softens, only to intensify into a wonderful finish.

Clarendon Hills Old Vines Grenache 1996 Australia - Grenache
I had this on the same day as the Grange. Wow, what a day. I don't remember much about this wine other than that it was really fucking good! It got some obscene score in Wine Advocate.

Cyrus, Alexander Valley Vineyards 1996 Sonoma County, California(Alexander Valley) - Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Fr
This is what a meritage should be! It's a bourdeaux blend made with California in mind. It's more aggressive and vibrant but still as complex as a bourdeaux. This was a refreshing change since I've been getting tired of Californian wines these days. I had this at Roland Park Wines and Liquors tasting.

Elyse D'Aventure ? Napa Valley, California - Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedre, Carignan
Every Elyse wine I had was awesome(Petit Syrah, Howell Mountain Zinfandel, Tietjen Vineyard Cab). This one's in the style of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Lots of intense but well balanced flavor. It's pretty remarkable how they kept the fruit from being to unwieldy and let all the other flavors come out.

Ah, the pressure of writing my first entry. I plan on posting whatever I feel like. They will be spontaneous and unedited in terms of content. I acknowledge that blogs are inherently self-serving endeavors. I'm just trying to have fun. Let's see how it goes!