A Basque cider, from the hills of Astigarraga. Fermented with wild yeasts, then bottled unfiltered and unpasteurised, like the best of scrumpies, and only 6% abv, I love this stuff. As the label implies, it is best poured from a height of 1 meter, so as to "release" the flavours, and to encourage a bit of bubbles. The nose is sharp and medicinal, competing waves of apple Jolly Rancher hard candies and a definite sour funkiness. Super dry, almost chewy and tannic, sour and high acidity, earth and mushrooms but with very pronounced real apple flavour. Reminds so much of a lambic, and practically screams out for food. I love that in the Basque country, this is paired with simple grilled meats. Sarasola is not one of the places I visited during "that period," but like so many other producers, they welcome visitors and have a large dining hall where one can, um, partake.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sarasola Sagardoa
A Basque cider, from the hills of Astigarraga. Fermented with wild yeasts, then bottled unfiltered and unpasteurised, like the best of scrumpies, and only 6% abv, I love this stuff. As the label implies, it is best poured from a height of 1 meter, so as to "release" the flavours, and to encourage a bit of bubbles. The nose is sharp and medicinal, competing waves of apple Jolly Rancher hard candies and a definite sour funkiness. Super dry, almost chewy and tannic, sour and high acidity, earth and mushrooms but with very pronounced real apple flavour. Reminds so much of a lambic, and practically screams out for food. I love that in the Basque country, this is paired with simple grilled meats. Sarasola is not one of the places I visited during "that period," but like so many other producers, they welcome visitors and have a large dining hall where one can, um, partake.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Nøgne Ø Dugges Sahti
Sahti is an unhopped beer style that originates from Finland, and this particular sahti is a co-adventure between Norway's Nøgne Ø and Sweden's Dugges. I guess it's sort of a pan-Scandinavian tribute? This one tips the scales at 24 IBU and 11% abv, and is brewed with a variety of fun ingredients, including rye, heather flowers, juniper twigs and something called "sea wormwood." Orange-copper in colour, the most transient head and no real lacing. Strong honey aroma and flavours, herbal and floral notes, along with a malty bitterness on the finish. Smooth, there's a definite heft to this, yet the carbonation and tartness of the fruit brings balance. It isn't "hot", but the 11% is felt keenly. Definitely a (tasty) sipper.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
ΜΑΛΑΜΑΤΙΝΑ
Normally, I wouldn't have much to say about retsina - it is what it is - resinated, and for that reason, I guess, not widely popular outside of Greece. On a sultry day though, I don't mind the herbal bitterness, but this one, from Malamatina, is worth further comment. A blend of Savatiano and Rhoditis, it is, apparently, not resinated with the more common Aleppo Pine, but instead with Thyine Wood. And wow, the resin flavour here is strong. No hints from the nose, but whap! Reminds me of a cross between holy ash and holy water. A tough beverage.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tozai Typhoon [1 Koku - 11]
It certainly is a coincidence that we had this open when our own local "typhoon" appeared to blow through. I was about to brave the rain, having turned around to fetch my glass, when the hail started pelting down. Ouch. Tozai is the label co-created by Yasutaka Daimon of Mukune and Vine Connections, although this particular sake, and several of the other Tozai products are actually produced by Kizakura, a moderately large producer located in Kyoto's Fushimi district. Apart from a whimsical gallery dedicated to cartoonish depictions of the kappa, some sort of benevolent sake spirits, they've got an interesting little museum where if you bring your own containers, you can collect some of Fushimi's delightful springwater. I can't recall any particularly standout brews from them, though I must note that their nama taruzake is quite nice.
Not a lot of information out there on this, apart from the shelf talkers supplied by VC itself. While it is listed by some retailers as a futsushu, VC calls this, simply, a "premium" sake. Well, those are at odds with each other, and there is no clear indication on the label. Further, VC's website notes that the milling percentage here of 70% "is the same as most higher grade Junmai sake." So? What is it? If it's not junmai (and we know it's not ginjo), but it is in fact premium, then the only thing left is honjozo. Which makes VC's comment odd, unless they have some sort of junmai bias, which, no, is still odd, and rather begs the question, why not just make a junmai then? But, if as described elsewhere, it really is futsushu, well, then, it's not premium at all, is it. Clear as mud.Well, at least the sake is clear, very clear, untinted really. The nose is rather forward, fruity and floral, dare I say junmai-esque. On the palate, it enters sweet and forward, but that's short-lived as bitters seem to be the dominant mid-profile, followed by rice-starch and melons, and finally a coconut water/coconut oil finish. It is a touch heaty (though only 14.9% abv), so I might guess this is still aruten, with perhaps a slightly shorter fermentation time. It's really quite ok, and it certainly fills a mid-range price-wise between the industrial dreck and proper premium sake, but I must admit to being a bit peeved by the lack of clarity over what it is.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Stripped-Theise
Following on from the Movia dinner, and the late-night party that ensued at Terroir with Johannes Leitz supplying very large bottles of his latest releases, Tuesday was the latest edition of the Skurnik/Theise tastings at City Winery in Manhattan. Sadly, I had managed to pick up a bit of a cold, so I'm giving my own notes a very very wide berth due to diminished capacity. Nonetheless, there were a couple of things I wouldn't mind checking back in on.Kreinbacher (Nagy, Hungary) - new to the Skurnik portfolio. On offer were the 2007 Somlói Kuvé, dry with stern acidity and medium presence, and the Juhfark, which was very similar, just slightly amplified, but also slightly more serious. I preferred the latter, but both were quite nice.
Prieler (Burgenland) - two 2008s, the Blaufränkisch Johanneshöhe (crystalline, floral, gossamer lightness, savoury and peppery. Yummy, yummy) and the Blaufränkisch Leithaberg (much darker all around, very chewy and tannic and much less approachable.)
Bründlmayer (Kamptal) - I tried two bubblies, and both were very foamy, it was strange. I found the 2005 Sekt was just a bit too grape-y, it rather sadly reminded me of German sekt, though with a bit more refinement and acidity. Pass. The NV Rose though was a much less obvious wine, with lively structure, and a very peachy character, both in colour and in everything else... I only tried one still wine, the 2009 Ried Käferberg Grüner Veltliner, and while the aromatics, such as I could tell, seemed spot on, I found the palate a bit musty.
Schloss Gobelsburg (Kamptal) - I think I was feeling a wee bit depressed about not enjoying Willi B's Käferberg, so I only tried the 2009 Gobelsburger Rose, and that only because it was in the fellow's hand as I got to the table. It seemed a pleasant rose and not much more.
Hiedler (Kamptal) - this was a real letdown for me. R. and I LOVED the 2007 Grüner Veltliner Thal, it was just perfectly crisp and delicious. Then the 2008 rolled around and it was flat and musty. Well, the 2009 isn't musty, but it's so soft and round, it's hard to imagine any connection between this and the '07.
Hirsch (Kamptal) - I didn't enjoy the '08's but I'm hoping the 2009 Grüner Veltliner Heiligenstein is a sign that things are back on the right track. Fairly green and vegetal, good presence and mouthfeel, with decent but not stellar acidity. Wouldn't turn down a glass though.
Nikolaihof (Wachau) - is it fair to borrow a baseball analogy and say this was the third strike? I tried three of their Grüner Veltliners, the 2009 Hefeabzug, the 2009 Im Weingebirge Federspiel, and the 2008 Im Weingebirge Smaragd, and these are uniformly in a soft and rounded style that just generates no interest for me. Three consecutive vintages I've tried, the same, so I'm done with Nikolaihof.
Reisetbauer (Styria) - A JEROBOAM of Apple Eau de Vie! Yikes! And it was almost empty. I sampled his new sparkling apple cider, it was nice, but it wasn't scrumpy. I'll stick to the distillates, thank you.
Ok, well, that exhausts the Austrian things I tried, onto the miscellaneous.
2009 Roger Labbé Vin de Savoie 'Abymes' (100% Jacqueres) - the opposite of what this varietal should be, I think.
2009 Terenzuola Vermentino Nero (Toscana) - who knew there was a "black" vermentino? This was quite bright and attractive, primary sour cherry fruit, a bit roundish but in a cheap and cheerful sort of way (if indeed this is cheap, it will be cheerful.)
2009 La Cadalora Marzemino (Trentino-Alto Adige) - seriously, the northeast of Italy is where it's at. This was lovely, vibrant and well balanced, floral and dark berried, very tasty. Much better than that sparkling marzemino I tried a while back.
Hmm... I guess that was a short list of miscellaneous... what's left? Champagne. I didn't care so much for the Varnier-Fanniere Grand Cru Brut this time, seemed a bit sweet and soft - I seemed to have rather liked it last time, so I wonder what's going on... maybe just my nose, or maybe nothing at all. For consistency's sake though, I still didn't care so much for the A. Margaine Cuvee Traditionelle, though even softer it seemed drier. Weird. I did enjoy the Gaston-Chiquet "Tradition" Brut, it had a definite savoury/nutty character that was appealing. I can't say that I was moved in either direction by the Rene Geoffroy Empreinte Brut, but it was interesting to note that this wine is entirely from 2004 fruit, but not vintage-declared as it doesn't spend enough time on the lees. The parallel here to Jacquésson et Fils is a very definite plus in my book.
Onwards... the Marc Hébrart Cuvée de Reserve was up to its usual level of deliciosity, a welcome balance of finesse and power. I failed to make any note of the Pehu-Simonet Selection Brut, I wonder if I missed it? I have liked it the last two times out. The Henri Billiot "Reserve" Brut was very nice, fuller-bodied, lots of peppery acidity, just all around tasty. The last wine I didn't get at all, as the 2001 Vilmart & Cie "Couer de Cuvée tasted almost entirely of oak, with a splash of vinegar for interest. I really hope that's the cold talking.
I'm thinking that next time I will forgo the antibiotics and just try the Germans. What have I got to lose?
Monday, June 21, 2010
Aleš über alles
Movia's master was back in NYC on Monday, capping his latest U.S. tour with another dinner at Italian Wine Merchants. Aleš was in fine form, sharing his various wine-making philosophies, both the obvious ("Wine is not like Swiss watches") and the less so ("Only the chicken that knows the rooster can make the good eggs.") To start with, the 2000 Puro - nice to know what this is supposed to taste like after our recent misadventures with this wine. I'm thinking there might have been a storage issue with my bottles.
Anyways... first up was a pair of Lunar - the 2007 Ribolla (R) and the 2008 Chardonnay - not yet for sale, not yet released, actually only bottled a couple of weeks ago. So, a bit hard to say where this is at the moment, but despite the cloudiness and the, well, not off-putting dirtiness, I think there's there there, especially considering how much the Ribolla had cleaned up. 
The first course was Cobia in Octopus and Cucumber Guazzetto - never had cobia before, but it was nicely textured if not particularly flavourful in and of itself. The octopus was amazingly tender though.The second flight of wine was three of the Veliko Bianco, the 2005, the 2002, and the 1990. Just as last year, I found the young wines lagging far behind the 1990. In a relative sense, the 2005 seemed dominated by oak, though with a pleasant cumin note, while the 2002 was shedding oak, but otherwise discombobulated. Dunno, maybe this is a wine that simply requires time in bottle. All those folks out there doing late releases must be on to something.
To pair with this flight, there was Pancetta Wrapped Rabbit, with Fresh Fava, Tomato and Pecorino - this was yummy, though I don't think I've ever had rabbit that tasted more like chicken. The fresh fava beans were very tasty, made me wonder why I've not had fresh fava before? I'm crying foul.The third flight was all Veliko Rosso: the 2003, the 2001, and the 1983, another repeat from last year. Once again, I by far preferred the '83, it just seemed the most interesting and the most balanced. Balanced in that Musarian sort of way, but without so much of the funk. Of course, here is where I was presented with steak and forgot to take a photo. Grilled Skirt Steak with Braised Snails and Anchovy, yummy.
In the end, we returned from whence we came, sort of... formaggi with the 2002 Puro Rose. I do so prefer the Rose. Of course the night didn't quite end there, the customary nightcap followed, and so on, and so forth. It was good.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Tej and Tere Saga
Tej, the Ethiopian honey and gesho (buckthorn) homebrew. Powerful stuff, this is a fresh batch made by friends of ours (and a full jar of it now sitting in our refrigerator), with the ominous warning that it will get stronger with time. As it is, this is an instant intoxo-accelerant for me, I have to be very careful. And what do our lovely friends serve with tej?
Why, steak of course. Tere saga - completely unadulterated raw beef, here served with dry mitmita, a blend of birdseye chili, clove, cardamom and salt, as well as mitmita blended with, well, more tej! Cunning, and curiously, the tej really drives up the heat. Couldn't quite make out the cut, apparently somewhere near the spine and/or hind legs. But who cares, it was delicious!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Okunomatsu Tokubetsu Junmai [1 Koku - 12]
From Okunomatsu Shuzo in Fukushima Prefecture. Fukushima rice milled to 60%, SMV ±0, acidity 1.4, and 15.5% abv. Sweet and sour nose, banana and rice pudding. On the palate, this is quite full and round, lots of grainy sweetness, especially pronounced at room temperature. Good late acidity and bitterness helps bring this back to centre - taste of two halves. Pleasant and nicely balanced with a good chill, but with even a little warmth, sweeter than I prefer.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Nihønshu Ø
Three sakes, derived from one batch, by fellow Mukune intern Kjetil Jikiun of Nøgne Ø. We met up at our local Malaysian restaurant, and tucked in. 85% Ginpu and 15% Yamada Nishiki milled (in Japan) to 70%, and then brewed with a yamahai starter (using #701 yeast.)
Hadakajima (Naked Island, i.e., as in Nøgne Ø) Yamahai Muroka Junmai [SMV -4, 16% abv] - good junmai character, quite full and sweet, and much to his chagrin, very clean. He likes his drink funky, does Kjetil.
Hadakajima Yamahai Nigori Nama Junmai [SMV -3] - Kjetil said that at bottling, this was 17% abv, but he thinks it's gone up. LOTS of sediment, coarsely filtered, with... some sediment added back?! Again, very clean, and chewy.
Hadakajima Yamahai Genshu Muroka Shiboritate Nama Junmai [SMV -6, 19% abv] - I wouldn't call this powerful or really terribly amino-acid driven, but it is full-ish, and has a nice bitter "stop" at the back of the mid-palate. It might be a little bit short, but all in all, nicely balanced, and a massive success for a first batch.
Norway, sake's next new frontier?
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Movia Double-Dip Doomed
Was hoping to go for the 2000 Movia Puro disgorged vs. undisgorged taste-off, but somewhere along the way, things didn't work out so well on a number of fronts. Disgorgement of the first bottle went off without a hitch, but the second bottle poured even more cleanly - the lees didn't mix! And the bottle was corked, to boot. Shambolic!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Three from Nøgne Ø
Nøgne Ø's Kjetil Jikiun is in town for Philly Beer Week, and to kick things off, a mini-tasting at The Head House (owned by Bruce Nichols, co-founder of Philly Beer Week.) Two that we are already familiar with, the Brown Ale, which I like quite a bit, and the Porter, which R. favors. And to round it off, a twist on a style that isn't my favorite - wit bier. Nøgne Ø's Imperial Dunkel Wit: Kjetil explained that at 10% abv, this is very much an amped up variant, with more than generous quantities of coriander and orange peel. Must admit, I didn't recognize either, but there was a definitive herbality behind the maltiness. Interesting, but not really my thing.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Otokoyama Momenya [1 Koku - 13]
A tokubetsu junmai from Hokkaido's Otokoyama. Not sure why this would be called "Cotton Shop", if that is indeed the correct reading. To the best of my knowledge, Hokkaido isn't famed for cotton. But, cotton is considered a clean, wholesome, natural product, so perhaps that's the intention. Semaibuai of 55%, SMV of +5, acidity 1.5, and 15.5% abv (that's rather a lot of 5s.) The nose is grainy, with subtle wood, dairy, and apple notes. On the palate, this is certainly on the lighter side, not quite tanrei, but neither is it full-flavoured or fruit-forward. Rather, this strikes a pleasant balance between rice sweetness and starchiness, with an astringent, faintly cinnamon-laced finish. Very nice acidity supporting throughout, even offering a little bit of a surprise "kick." For our taste, a much better effort than the straight junmai from this kura.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Cantillon
Jean Van Roy of Belgium's Cantillon was in town over the weekend, to take part in some of the Philly Beer Fest activities. He also took the time to stop into one of our local winebars for a chat with the locals. Even on a Sunday afternoon, Jean was swarmed inside - seems he's a bit of a legend around these parts.Not for us the big crowds though. We chose instead to cool our heels under the awning, refreshing ourselves with a couple of rounds of Cantillon's Fou'Foune (5% abv), a lambic flavoured with Bergeron apricots, hand stoned at the brewery and soaked in two-year-old lambic for two months. Apparently, this is to be the last batch of Fou'Foune, as Francois Daronnat, the Bergeron-grower has decided to retire from the fruit trade. Or so we hear. Anyways, this was from a barrel, nicely chilled. Brilliant orange-yellow, mango-colour and full of fruit on the palate - the apricots were unmistakable, as was the brett funk. Sour, with pretty intense acidity, yet coming together with a pillowy soft mouthfeel. Surprisingly sessionable, even though the acidity half left one feeling a bit of heartburn afterwards.
Nonetheless, this being my first Cantillon experience (not for lack of interest), I had to give the "Classic" Gueuze (also 5% abv) a go as well. A blend of 1, 2 and 3 year old lambics, it is advised that aging for 20 years will reveal rich rewards. Not having so much time, I was taken a bit aback by this, as it wasn't at all as funky as I expected. In fact, though lacking the very appealing fruit, I found this even smoother and approachable than the Fou'Foune. Very impressive stuff.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Housui Tokubetsu Junmai [1 Koku - 14]
From Tokushima Prefecture's Housui Shuzo, a young-ish brewery that will reach a century in 2013. This "Fragrant Water" is made from Hyogo Yamada Nishiki milled to 60% and brewed with #9 yeast, SMV +5.5, acidity 1.5, amino acidity 1.5, and 15.6% abv. With a good chill, clean and crisp, allowing the dryness and acidity to shine, characterised by a delightful melon topnote/tang on the entry and a minty herbal finish. At room temperature though, this becomes much fuller and rich, with a sturdy mid-palate savouriness. A multi-dimensional sake that doesn't needlessly become thought-provoking. And that... in itself... is something to ponder.
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Hunter's Beer?
From Okinawa, a 5% abv rice-lager in a 500ml bottle, and frankly, unless you've just been strenuously exerting yourself outside, in the hot sun, this is 2.5 wasted units. Seems unusually thin even by Japanese lager standards. I'll probably stick with Asahi Super-Dry, the best of a bland lot (I'd much rather have a Yebisu.)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Koshi no Sasameyuki Junmai [1 Koku - 15]
From Niigata Prefecture's Echigo Shuzo. Gohyakumangoku and Koshibuki milled to 60%, SMV +5, acidity 1.4, amino acidity 1.4, and 15.5% abv. This "Light Snow Flurries of Koshi" is a solid representative of the oh-so-easy to drink Niigata style - light, crisp, dry, pure and mineral driven. Seems perfectly content to melt into the background, but no complaints here.
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