Wine Blogging Wednesday #51 (Baked Goods) gets some 89s

Following is a re-post of this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday from 1WineDude.com. Our fearless 89 Project leader pointed out there there are 2 wines in my write-up that are 89-pointers (I'd not checked any scores before obtaining the wines that I reviewed):

"Wine Spectator - December 23, 2005

BLANDY'S Sercial Madeira 5 Year Old NV (89 points, $21)
Dried apricot, golden raisin and smoky flavors fill this fresh and lively Madiera. Balanced, and edged with lush spicy notes, which linger on the creamy finish. Try on ice as an aperitif. Drink now through 2010.

-Kim Marcus
---------------------------

Blandy's Malmsey 10 Year

KM Wine Spectator 12/31/05
89/100"

These wines (especially the Malmsey) were very good, and certainly worthy of attention (no matter what the WS score...). Enjoy!

---

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #51(WineDude)!
Dude here is hosting the 51st edition of the venerable WBW, and today's theme is "Baked Goods" - reviews of wines that are deliberately heated (aka "Madeirized"), and we're also allowing reviews of sweet Fortified wines to be included. For the scoop on how Wine Blogging Wednesday works, check out the WBW site. More details on the background of the theme can be found here.

Now... let's get this funk started!

I love Madeira. Love is a strong word. And I love Madeira.

It's often sweet, incredibly tasty, high in refreshing acidity, and because it's already been exposed to oxygen and heat (which would utterly destroy normal wines), it's virtually indestructible.

A Madeira wine from 1935 will pretty much taste the same today as it did in 1935, even if opened and enjoyed tablespoon by luscious tablespoon from then until now. Not only is it tasty, indestructible, and food-friendly, it also boasts an abv of 19% or more. It's a bad-ass wine!

Normally, I'd expound on the storied history of Madeira, and give you background on the traditional styles of Madeira, food pairings, etc.

But...

Rather than take you through the history of Madeira wine - which I figured might be covered by one or more of the other fine WBW participants anyway (and if not can easily be found in detailed play-by-play on the web) - I thought I'd instead show you, by way of comparison, just how bad-ass Madeira actually is.


Let's compare kick-ass, indestructible Madeira to the so-called "Invincible" IRON MAN:

	The "Invincible" IRON MAN	Totally Kick-Ass Indestructible Madeira
Abilities	Superhuman strength, Repulsor-ray technology, Genius-level intellect	Intense aroma , Mouth-watering acidity , Ass-kicking 19%+ abv Edge: Madeira
Protection	Bullet-proof, temperature-resistant armor - TIE	Impervious to hot ovens, attic temperatures, and long, perilous sea voyages - TIE
Creator	Stan Lee	The Dutch Armada Edge: Madeira
Nemesis	The Mandarin , Alcoholism , Soft spot for Pepper Pots , Very large magnets Edge: IRON MAN	Cork Taint
Tastes Like	Metal alloy	Nuts, caramel, dried figs. - Edge: Madeira
Result of Oxidation	Rust	Characteristics of nuts and honey Edge: Madeira

No contest: Madeira totally trumps IRON MAN, 5-2.

Anyway, traditional Madeira comes in four flavors of grapes, each chosen to highlight a particular style of the wine, examples of which I tasted in comparison (witness below).


Notice how the color of each wine gets darker? This is a key to the style, which range from dry and nutty to lusciously sweet and caramely (is that a word...?):

Blandy's Dry Sercial (Aged 5 Years in oak): Made from the Sercial grape, grown in the cooler high-altitude regions of the Madeira island. Sherry-like, nutty (almonds, baby!) with searing acidity. Pass the hors d'oeuvres!

Blandy's 5 Year Vedelho: Made from Verdelho (also grown in the cooler Northern part of the island) - Sherry-like, but this time its darker and more 'Oloroso-ish'; the oak is more pronounced, and there's touch of sweetness balancing the acidity.

Cossart Gordon Medium Rich Bual (15 years): From the Bual grape (probably my favorite) from the warmer southern portion of Madeira, it ripens to higher levels so it can be made into a sweeter style. And sweet it is - as in sweet fig, vanilla, and hazelnut, with a long nutty finish.

Blandy's Malmsey 10 Year: Malmsey is the malvasia grape, grown in the warmest and lowest-altitude regions of Madeira. These wines can become ultra-indestructible and typically have a near-perfect balance between acidity and sweetness. In this case, the wine is bursting with burnt caramel, rum, honey, and smoke, with a smooth, luscious mouthfeel.

Now do you see why I use the word "love" when I'm talking Madeira?

Just don't tell Mrs. Dudette... she might get jealous...

Cheers!
(images: 1winedude.com, malone.blogs.com, historyguy.com, wikimedia.org, sahistory.org.za, d210.tv, wilsoncrfeekwinery.com, fruitsstar.com, purplemissues.blogspot.com)

88 - The Number of The Beast?

Another ditty for The 89 Project has me tasting a devil of a wine that good ol' Wine Enthusiast dubbed a "Best Buy" and gave 88 points (hey, it's not technically an 89, but it's close enough for government work, right?): Concha y Toro's 2007 "Casillero del Diablo" Chardonnay Reserve (Casablanca Valley, Chile).

Speak of the Devil. And just in time for Halloween, too.

You know how for some lower-budget wines, you read the tasting descriptor on the back of the bottle and it sort of, but not really, describes how the wine tastes to you; or worse, seems to be describing a completely different wine than the one that you're drinking?

This is not one of those times. The descriptor on the back of the Casillero del Diablo bottle is frighteningly (get it?) accurate:

"A crisp [editor's note: i.e., it's got decent acidity] Chardonnay [well, duh] packed with tropical fruit flavors [there is definately some grapefruit and melon going down in this puppy] "and subtle hints of vanilla [the oak doesn't skewer your nostrils like a wooden pitchfork]. Medium bodied with good balance [it's not a booze-hound from hell] and a fresh finish [i.e., the finish is short but it's good]."

Color me impressed. Especially for a wine this cheap (about $10 USD).

Normally the 89-point range is the Number of the Beast, the veritable wine kiss o' death. But Concha y Toro ought to be very pleased with this rating at this price point. If anything, it's a testament to how well poised Chile is to rule the wine world at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Sure, the CdD Reserve is far from complex. But it's got the Fire. It has the Force. It has the power to make it's evil take it's course!

YeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
[Insert trademark Bruce Dickinson awesome butt-kicking heavy metal scream here].

Cheers!
images: (1winedude.com, ironmaidenwallpaper.com)

Where the Rubber Hits the Glass: d'Arenberg 2005 'The Custodian' Grenache

OK, so technically this one is an 88 (Wine Spectator). So sue me - it's close enough. And to make it even more intriguing... Stephen Tanzer of the International Wine Cellar gave it a... 90!

d'Arenberg 2005 'The Custodian' Grenache (McLaren Vale, Australia):

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with the tasting notes on this one...

This wine is more full bodied, as you'd expect from Grenache it packs a buttload of booze (14.5% abv). Yes, it's got jammy fruit, along with lots and lots of berries (strawberry, cranberry...). But it feels a little 'hot', and gives the impression that this vintage is not fully representative of the big, explosive fruit that McLaren can deliver in warm years (2005 was a bit on the cool side for them).

Now, while technically I agree with WS on their sub-90 ruling, I don't agree with them on the core reasons for that ruling.

That's because I get something out of this wine that I think I shouldn't. It's floating just above the fruit after the mid-palate and it's seriously disrupting my enjoyment of the finish on this otherwise tasty sucker.

Rubber. Sniff-sniff. Damn! There is it again.

I confirmed this with some dinner guests who shared the wine (and no, we did not eat tire for dinner). They're not wine geeks, but once I pointed it out to them, there was no mistaking it.

My verdict: overall point reduction due to, well, Reduction.

Cheers!

L'Ecole No. 89

The Walla Walla stalwart L'Ecole No. 41 is no stranger to 90+ point wine ratings in the established wine mags. So I was particularly happy to find their 2004 Columbia Valley Merlot, an 89 point score proudly displayed below it on the wine store shelf.

How does a winery that's often the darling of established wine mags. sink below the "90" threshold?

Probably because it scored 89 at Wine Spectator... and a 90 nearly everywhere else!

Now, that one is just too good to pass up for the 89 Project, right?

It might also explain why they thought they could get away with charging well over $20 per bottle on this sucker...

Anyway, the L'Ecole No. 41 2004 Columbia Valley Merlot just qualifies as a single-varietal labeling, being 80% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Petit Verdot (presumably for good measure).

What I liked most about the big mag. reviews on this wine is how similar they all are. You tell me - which one do you think is the 89-pointer review:

1) "This is a classy, sophisticated wine, blended from a wide range of Washington vineyards. It’s really a Right Bank-styled Bordeaux blend. Berries and spice, chocolate and herb, and many other lightly applied nuances make this a pleasure to sip."

2) "Crisp in texture and generous in flavor, offering currant and blackberry fruit that’s shaded with herbal notes as the finish lingers. Drink now through 2008."

3) "Deep garnet color with a brick rim. Dark chocolate covered fruit, mocha, and roasted nut aromas. A round entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium-full bodied palate with baked plum, baker’s chocolate, and spicy, mocha flavors. Finishes with a long, toasty oak and fresh plum skin fade."

Yeah, I thought so.

Kind of helps to prove one of the points of the 89 Project, right?

Somehow, WS decided to dip below the 90 mark when reviewing this wine. Why? To start answering that question, I'll offer my take on this wine:

It's almost Zin-level big and jammy. One whiff, and you know that you boarded the bus to "over 14% abv land" so if that's not your ticket, you'd better get off now. Blueberry and blackberry aromas jump up at you from the glass. When I say jump up at you, I mean like "two house pets greeting you at the door" jump up.

"Ohhh! Oh! Me first! Me FIRST!"

"Noooo! ME! Pet ME FIRST!!!"

It's not a coordinated effort.

The finish has herbs on it, for sure, but they are aflame in the unmistakable astringency of booziness.

It's not a bad wine by any stretch, but it's a total brute of Merlot, and you need to be in the mood for that.

This could be one instance where I actually *agree* with Wine Spectator (a rare occasion indeed), if the intent of dropping below 90 points was to give this wine a level of separation from more refined Merlot offerings. Theirs was the 2nd review, by the way.

File this one in the "pretty good, but I expected a bit more from you guys" category.

Cheers!

By George, I think They've Got It!

As Gilbert & Sullivan once wrote, "Here's a howdy-do":

If the 89 Project is meant to give a modest amount of additional publicity to wines that might otherwise go unnoticed, what do you do with a wine that is actively promoting its 89 point status?

If it's Georges Duboeuf's 2006 Chardonnay Reserve (Vin de Pays D'oc), you drink it. And enjoy it. Because it's good, and at $10 (or under) you could drink a lot of this wine - even on a tight budget.

Duboeuf is not an outfit armed with dummies. Known as le roi du Beaujolais, they are one of the largest French wine merchants, with as much marketing muscle and resources behind them as probably any big wine operation in France.

With the 2006 Chardonnay Reserve, Duboeuf seems to be playing up the 89 point status (see inset pic for an in-store example). With a snazzy opaque bottle and a card proudly announcing its 89 point Wine Advocate score, it's almost daring you to ignore it.

"Hey, boss, check me out over here. I'm cheap. And I damn nearly got a 90. Go ahead. Pass me up. Make my day!"

As for the wine: The nose is a bit muted and a little out of balance with the alcohol dominating. On the palate, though, there's tropical fruit and sweet vanilla. While the fruit isn't complex, the wine has enough balance to be crowd-pleasing and make it a bit of a steal at its current price.

So go ahead. Pass this wine up just because it's an 89.

Duboeuf dares ya.

Cheers!