Winery: Castelnau du Suiduraut
Vintage: 2001
Appellation: Sauternes
Varietal: Semillon 90%, Sauvignon Blanc 10%
Oak: 12 months
Average Price: $29
Tasting notes: This wine has a deep intense straw yellow color, and a very complex nose. Covered in figs, prunes, caramel and the taste is so nice in balance. So sweet, yet so fine, fresh and delicate. This is one of the best Sauternes buys at the moment!
Food Pairing Suggestions: Grilled bananas with vanilla ice cream! Apricot pie with caramelized figs and crème anglaise. Yummy!
Winery Notes: I thought this tasting note would fit the spot just right. After the last review of “Rieussec 01” – which is one of my favorite wines of all times (!!). I wanted to give you an example of a world class Sauternes at a good price. This is the second wine of the famous Ch. Suiduraut, and what a bargain!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Dessert Please!
David Grega is a certified sommelier and wine consultant living in the Napa Valley; In addition David is the consulting winemaker and national sales manager for Carlotta Cellars. For more information e-mail david@carlottawines.com
Winery: Château Rieussec
Vintage: 2001
Appellation: Sauternes AOC
Varietal: Semillion/Sauvignon Blanc
Average Price: $150.00
Tasting Notes: By far the greatest and most memorable Sauterne I have ever tasted (yes, including Y'quem). A rich and profound aroma of pure organic honey, Creme Brulee and ripe apricots, trumped by the impeccably balanced and rich flavors on the palate. Well over a minute after taking my first taste, this wine is still lingering, amazing length and perfect acidity. I expect this the age well over 30 years.
Food Pairing Suggestions: I had this wine with an amazing dish prepared by chef Casey Gibson of restaurant 58 degrees in Sacramento CA. Chef Gibson presented a blue cheese panna cotta topped with organic honey "caviar" garnished with fresh raspberry and Spanish almonds. A truly ethereal pairing!
Winery Notes: Chateau Rieussec is one of 11 Prémier Cru properties designated in the 1855 classification, and was originally owned by Carmelite monks pre-dating the French Revolution. Currently the Chateau is owned by the Lafite-Rothschild group. The vineyards border that of the great Chateau Y'quem and consistently produce wines that rival Y'quem in Quality.
Winery: Château Rieussec
Vintage: 2001
Appellation: Sauternes AOC
Varietal: Semillion/Sauvignon Blanc
Average Price: $150.00
Tasting Notes: By far the greatest and most memorable Sauterne I have ever tasted (yes, including Y'quem). A rich and profound aroma of pure organic honey, Creme Brulee and ripe apricots, trumped by the impeccably balanced and rich flavors on the palate. Well over a minute after taking my first taste, this wine is still lingering, amazing length and perfect acidity. I expect this the age well over 30 years.
Food Pairing Suggestions: I had this wine with an amazing dish prepared by chef Casey Gibson of restaurant 58 degrees in Sacramento CA. Chef Gibson presented a blue cheese panna cotta topped with organic honey "caviar" garnished with fresh raspberry and Spanish almonds. A truly ethereal pairing!
Winery Notes: Chateau Rieussec is one of 11 Prémier Cru properties designated in the 1855 classification, and was originally owned by Carmelite monks pre-dating the French Revolution. Currently the Chateau is owned by the Lafite-Rothschild group. The vineyards border that of the great Chateau Y'quem and consistently produce wines that rival Y'quem in Quality.
Monday, March 23, 2009
2007 Grüner-Veltliner 'Wachtberg, Salomon-Undho
Winery: Salmon-Undhof
Vintage: 2007
Appellation: Kremstal (Wachtberg vineyard)
Varietal: Gruner-Veltliner
Oak: No
Average Price: £22
Tasting notes: The appearance is a clear, with a lemon-green color. The nose is beautiful with the classic tones of green apples, asparagus, lychee and white pepper. The palate is dry with a medium body and intensity – good herbal length. Ooh what a beauty on that hot summer evening at the beach!
Food Pairing Suggestions: I’ve recently learned something new. Gruner Veltliner is excellent with creamy soups! Try them in all sorts, the crisp, but still good bodied wine matches the structure of the soups just perfect. Gruner is also excellent pair to dishes with a lot of herbs – examples could be 'moules marines' or baked fish with creamy sauce flavored with your favorite herbs.
Winery Notes: The winery is very old – 1792 – and has been in family hands ever since. Today, Erich and Bertold Salomon are making the wine and controlling the vineyards. The wines are VERY affordable, so avoid the ‘lowest’ range of their wines, they seem a little to cheap, lack of fruit etc, but the singe vineyard wines are an excellent buy.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Cujorl: Contemporary Cuisine with International Appeal
Melinda Joe is an American-born sake and wine professional living in Tokyo, Japan. She works as a freelance journalist and is the bar editor of the award-winning Tokyo Food Page (www.bento.com). Melinda loves eating, drinking, and witty repartee. Visit her blog Tokyo through the Drinking Glass at http://tokyodrinkingglass.blogspot.com.
On a recent visit to Cujorl, the conversations that floated between the tables took place in four languages, punctuated with convivial sounds of laughter and the clinking of glasses. This newly opened Shibuya eatery, with its smart, modern interior, Japanese and Italian staff, and bilingual menu, exudes an air of relaxed, cosmopolitan chic. Despite the vaguely Scandinavian-sounding name (the “j” is pronounced as a “y”), the restaurant bills itself as a hybrid trattoria, a term that does little to convey the warmth of the space and the service, but hints at the kind of culinary Esperanto spoken here.
Chef Masayo Funakoshi finds inspiration in fresh, local ingredients and draws upon her diverse background to add international flair to her creations. A trained sculptor fluent in English and Indonesian, she brings an eclectic perspective and innovative spirit to the table. Even with the long hours in the kitchen, at the end of service she wears the cheerful look of a university student on her first day of class. Her youthful appearance, however, belies formidable experience. Chef Funakoshi worked her way around the world in some serious kitchens – Union Square and WD50 in New York City, Astrance in Paris, and Flavors Of in Jakarta – before heading back to Japan.
The appetizers, in particular, demonstrate Funakoshi’s sense of humor and keen eye for texture and presentation. The whimsically named Mushroom Cappuccino with Milk and Sugar?, an earthy mushroom soup capped with white foam, came in a coffee cup, alongside airy cubes of porcini meringue and a small pot of milk. The dark intensity of the broth was skillfully tempered by the delicate sweetness of the meringue. A neat mound of venison tartare was crowned with a quail’s egg yolk, accompanied by weightless shika senbei crackers and a dab of vibrant shiso pesto. Although the venison lacked the gamey depth we’d been expecting, the dish as a whole was thoughtfully composed and offered a pleasant balance of contrasting textures. We were especially impressed by the focused flavors of the tomato jelly, topped with a spoonful of fresh sea urchin, finished with Parmesan and ao-nori seaweed foam.
Though decidedly more straightforward, the pasta dishes made clever use of Japanese ingredients and were equally delicious. Perfectly chewy orechiette was tossed with sun dried tomatoes and a mélange of mildly bitter mountain vegetables. Spaghetti in a tomato-based horse ragu was a delightful surprise - the horsemeat was remarkably tender and subtly flavored. Both paired nicely with a bottle of Rubino Rosso, a robust organic Sangiovese blend from Tuscany. The wine was earthy with firm acidity, offering hints of dried flowers and a dusty finish.
The simply plated mains also veered more toward the traditional in style, but small touches lent a contemporary feel. A maitake mushroom tapenade accented with smoky hacho miso complemented the Japanese beef, grilled over grape vines, perched atop a smooth celeriac puree. The Five Minutes Smoked Pigeon – smoked quite literally for five minutes before grilling – was juicy and infused with flavor. We enjoyed these with the Fattoria La Rivolta Terra di Rivolta ’03, an unusual organic Aglianico with bright acidity and intriguing notes of red berries and Marachino cherry, ending in a smoky finish.
The rich, fruity, but slightly herbaceous Tanca Farra Sella & Mosca Alghero '04 was great with our cheese plate. A blend of Cannonau and Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine was solidly structured with all the ripe, convivial charm of the wines from Sardinia.
The wines are well chosen and fairly priced. The friendly sommelier is happy to offer pairing advice in English, Japanese, or Italian, and will help you navigate your way through the list.
We’re still not certain where they got the idea for the name Cujorl, but we’re sure to be back for the excellent food and wine again soon.
Cujorl
22-8 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku
03-5784-5818
On a recent visit to Cujorl, the conversations that floated between the tables took place in four languages, punctuated with convivial sounds of laughter and the clinking of glasses. This newly opened Shibuya eatery, with its smart, modern interior, Japanese and Italian staff, and bilingual menu, exudes an air of relaxed, cosmopolitan chic. Despite the vaguely Scandinavian-sounding name (the “j” is pronounced as a “y”), the restaurant bills itself as a hybrid trattoria, a term that does little to convey the warmth of the space and the service, but hints at the kind of culinary Esperanto spoken here.
Chef Masayo Funakoshi finds inspiration in fresh, local ingredients and draws upon her diverse background to add international flair to her creations. A trained sculptor fluent in English and Indonesian, she brings an eclectic perspective and innovative spirit to the table. Even with the long hours in the kitchen, at the end of service she wears the cheerful look of a university student on her first day of class. Her youthful appearance, however, belies formidable experience. Chef Funakoshi worked her way around the world in some serious kitchens – Union Square and WD50 in New York City, Astrance in Paris, and Flavors Of in Jakarta – before heading back to Japan.
The appetizers, in particular, demonstrate Funakoshi’s sense of humor and keen eye for texture and presentation. The whimsically named Mushroom Cappuccino with Milk and Sugar?, an earthy mushroom soup capped with white foam, came in a coffee cup, alongside airy cubes of porcini meringue and a small pot of milk. The dark intensity of the broth was skillfully tempered by the delicate sweetness of the meringue. A neat mound of venison tartare was crowned with a quail’s egg yolk, accompanied by weightless shika senbei crackers and a dab of vibrant shiso pesto. Although the venison lacked the gamey depth we’d been expecting, the dish as a whole was thoughtfully composed and offered a pleasant balance of contrasting textures. We were especially impressed by the focused flavors of the tomato jelly, topped with a spoonful of fresh sea urchin, finished with Parmesan and ao-nori seaweed foam. Though decidedly more straightforward, the pasta dishes made clever use of Japanese ingredients and were equally delicious. Perfectly chewy orechiette was tossed with sun dried tomatoes and a mélange of mildly bitter mountain vegetables. Spaghetti in a tomato-based horse ragu was a delightful surprise - the horsemeat was remarkably tender and subtly flavored. Both paired nicely with a bottle of Rubino Rosso, a robust organic Sangiovese blend from Tuscany. The wine was earthy with firm acidity, offering hints of dried flowers and a dusty finish.
The simply plated mains also veered more toward the traditional in style, but small touches lent a contemporary feel. A maitake mushroom tapenade accented with smoky hacho miso complemented the Japanese beef, grilled over grape vines, perched atop a smooth celeriac puree. The Five Minutes Smoked Pigeon – smoked quite literally for five minutes before grilling – was juicy and infused with flavor. We enjoyed these with the Fattoria La Rivolta Terra di Rivolta ’03, an unusual organic Aglianico with bright acidity and intriguing notes of red berries and Marachino cherry, ending in a smoky finish.
The rich, fruity, but slightly herbaceous Tanca Farra Sella & Mosca Alghero '04 was great with our cheese plate. A blend of Cannonau and Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine was solidly structured with all the ripe, convivial charm of the wines from Sardinia.
The wines are well chosen and fairly priced. The friendly sommelier is happy to offer pairing advice in English, Japanese, or Italian, and will help you navigate your way through the list.
We’re still not certain where they got the idea for the name Cujorl, but we’re sure to be back for the excellent food and wine again soon.
Cujorl
22-8 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku
03-5784-5818
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Cote-Rotie Clusel-Roch 1999
“Wilfried Sentex is born in Bordeaux, France and for sure his passion for wine comes from his home country. At present he is working in New York, at Bar Boulud, Daniel Boulud Wine bar. For more information you can reach him at willsentex@gmail.com"
Winery: Clusel Roch
Vintage: 1999
Appellation: Cote-Rotie
Varietal: 96% Syrah, 4% Viognier
Winemaker: Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch
Oak: 24 months in oak (15% new) no filtration
Average Price: N/A
Tasting Notes: With a daylight clarity, medium intensity and purple to garnet color this wine is beautiful. The nose is really powerful with the black cherry, ripe black berry and raisin scents, which combine with the leather, the black pepper and the violet scents. As the palate with a medium tannin and body, a high acidity, this wine releases some black fruits' flavours, same as the nose, the spices (black pepper, nutmeg) become more pronounced. The leather taste, with some violet and a meaty taste (bacon) comes out at the end with the long finish.
Food Pairing Suggestions: This wine could be drank just by itself, with some good friends, maybe for a special occasion, but if you would like to open it for dinner, which is also a really good idea, maybe you should start with some Jambon de Bayonne pan-seared in cider with some shallots, follow with a rack of lamb (medium) crusted with some herbs and roasted, served with some sauteed potatoes and green beans with some garlic. After, why not follow with some cheeses (a nice selection of medium to strong with peppery taste) and if you still have some wine left just finish your dinner with a chocolate souffle. Bonne Appetit!
Winery: Clusel Roch
Vintage: 1999
Appellation: Cote-Rotie
Varietal: 96% Syrah, 4% Viognier
Winemaker: Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch
Oak: 24 months in oak (15% new) no filtration
Average Price: N/A
Tasting Notes: With a daylight clarity, medium intensity and purple to garnet color this wine is beautiful. The nose is really powerful with the black cherry, ripe black berry and raisin scents, which combine with the leather, the black pepper and the violet scents. As the palate with a medium tannin and body, a high acidity, this wine releases some black fruits' flavours, same as the nose, the spices (black pepper, nutmeg) become more pronounced. The leather taste, with some violet and a meaty taste (bacon) comes out at the end with the long finish.
Food Pairing Suggestions: This wine could be drank just by itself, with some good friends, maybe for a special occasion, but if you would like to open it for dinner, which is also a really good idea, maybe you should start with some Jambon de Bayonne pan-seared in cider with some shallots, follow with a rack of lamb (medium) crusted with some herbs and roasted, served with some sauteed potatoes and green beans with some garlic. After, why not follow with some cheeses (a nice selection of medium to strong with peppery taste) and if you still have some wine left just finish your dinner with a chocolate souffle. Bonne Appetit!
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