Vinfolio Blog

CHANGE...is that a four-letter word, or what?! Sometimes the best change is one that is forced upon us (famous words of wisdom from my maternal unit.) Sometimes it's sly and weasels its way into the fabric of our life and all of a sudden "Wham!", we’ve got a new way of looking at or thinking of things. So it goes in the wine world. It's a many-forked path and I find that summer is the best time to be easy and breezy and just let 'change' be our friend.

In my case, it's finding all the weird, ethnically or varietally-challenged wines that nobody even gives the slightest of nods to when passing them down the aisle. But thrust one of these tasty whites, reds or rosés into an unassuming individual's hands and they will be amazed. Having just celebrated the 4th and anticipating some warmer BBQ and patio-slouching weather, here are a few favorites that will 'change' your views on summer sippers. Trust me; I’m a wine expert... ;)

2006 Bolgnani Moscato Giallo, Trentino - Italy

2007 Pampelonne Rosé, Provence - France (VF 92, $16) 

2006 Amisfield Pinot Gris, Central Otago - New Zealand (VF 91, $21)

2007 Cabriz Colheita Seleccionada Branco, Douro – Portugal ($11) : OMG! I just bought a case after tasting this. Definitely THE white of summer and will launch the word ‘change’ into the same glorious stratosphere as “Choo” or “Blahnik” does in the shoe world…with nary a pinch to your pocketbook!

2006 Valentin Bianchi Malbec "Famiglia Bianchi", Mendoza – Argentina (IWC 89, $16)

2003 Ligneres "Les Vals Rouge", Corbieres – France (VF 91, $21)

2005 Greppi 'Greppicante', Tuscany – Italy (VF 92, $24)

How many times have you been out to dinner and not ordered from the wine list because the markups were outrageously high? How many times have you ordered wine by the glass and paid the same for that glass as the entire bottle would cost at retail? Well that happens to me more frequently than I would like. It’s not that I’m cheap or don’t have the money to afford the wine, or that I feel restaurants aren’t entitled to make money through their wine program, because they are – it’s that I don’t like the feeling of being gouged, and I assume you don’t either. I’m obviously not the only person with restaurant wine pricing on the mind, based on the 90 responses to James Laube’s blog post "Help Wanted: What’s Fair with Restaurant Wine Pricing" on Wine Spectator online. Restaurants today routinely do themselves a huge disservice by charging too high of a margin per bottle, when they could easily make up the difference in volume with lower margins. They just don’t get it. 

Luckily I live in California where there is the option to bring your own wine to restaurants and pay a corkage fee. Savvy wine people here can do their homework, look at the wine list and menu prior to dining out, and decide whether or not to bring their own wines to the restaurant. This isn’t a luxury that most states allow, so the typical diner is held hostage by the restaurant’s wine list and exorbitant markups. Neither alternative is optimal in my opinion. In most cases, if the wine list is interesting and varied, I would much prefer to sample the restaurant’s offerings, than to bring my own. Furthermore, I would be much more inclined to order a second bottle if the price was reasonable (not more the 2 to 2-1/2 times retail). Dining out is one of life’s great loves for me, and in most cases I prefer the accompanying beverage to be wine – not a beer or cocktail…but steep markups are taking that fun away from me.  

Here are a few names of restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area that have great, eclectic wine lists at very reasonable markups: Plumpjack, A16, NOPA, and Park Chow.

Remember Z Cavariccis? I laid down 70 bucks for my first pair and wore them all through the winter of ‘91 matched with uber-trendy Birkenstocks…with socks. There was a hot guy at school who owned a pair for every day of the week and I had such a crush! Please tell me it wasn’t just a Fresno thing. Trends are powerful; somehow wearing balloon pants with tight ankles seemed like such a good idea then. Clothing trends are the easiest to spot and single out for ridicule, but trends in wine are fairly obvious too. White Zin (still hanging on in my hometown – FresYES!) was a good one, “The Movie” made Pinot the hot ticket, and animals on labels, be they hopping, dancing, or…screaming, are all the rage. Having done a fair bit of wine research in the past few months, I’ve had the chance to visit a huge number of winery websites and so have taken notice of an insidious trend in the world of winery website writing.

There is a sneaky French word that has burrowed its way into the American wine lexicon, a word oft written in italics to flaunt its exotic, mysterious nature, since alas there is no true English translation. You know it well: terroir. Suddenly it’s everywhere, like those damn Cavariccis, trying to make my wine taste like dirt and wet stone and animale, whatever that is. It seems the new goal of every former CEO-turned-winemaker is to create “wines that accurately express the site”, have a “sense of place”, “mirror the terroir”! But does terroir matter? And to what extent? And further, do wines claiming to “express terroir” really do so?

I made a small, very small, batch of wine from my father’s “vineyard” outside of Fresno. I swear, I used only “traditional winemaking techniques” (another insidious linguistic trend, but for another day). A year later, the “wine” tasted like soy sauce. So, I think I’ve got this straight, Fresno tastes like something I want to dip my sushi in. Really? 

 

 

It’s the time of the year when many wine drinkers revert to white wines and cut back on red wine until there is frost in the air again. Don’t get me wrong, I fully support the enjoyment of white wines. So often they get written off as not having enough complexity or depth, when in fact there are many interesting white wines from throughout the world that excel at being a great pairing with food or fantastic on their own.
Now back to those reds. I just finished reading an article on this very subject in the NY Times entitled “Reds on Ice?  It’s not Heresy” that reminded me of how red wine doesn’t always get its just due in winter or summer because of its serving temperature. The point of the article is that are many red wines that taste great chilled and are very refreshing in the summer months. It emphasizes that when chilling red wines, you’ll have greater enjoyment if they are lighter fruitier wines like Beaujolais and Italian Barbera, or a nice Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. I completely agree; however, it brings me back to a personal pet peeve that most red wine is served too warm throughout the year.
This reminds me of a talk I heard by Anthony Giglio, a wine writer from New York, at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic several years back. He was incensed at going to top restaurants and paying top dollar for wine and that was served too warm!

So he proceeded to visit the top restaurants in New York City, all with names that started with “The” or “La”, with his handy dandy thermometer in tow. Bottom line, each restaurant that served red wine above 68 degrees was included in his article on this very topic. To further exemplify this point and how red wine should be served, he did a wine demonstration at a large party where quite a few wine aficionados were in attendance. Basically, each person was given 3 red wines to sip and told to respond to what they liked. Most everyone liked #3 the best. What they didn’t know was that it

was the same wine in all 3 glasses. The 1st glass was at room temperature (72 degrees), the 2nd glass

was from a bottle that had been on ice for 5 minutes, and the wine in glass #3 had been on ice for 15 minutes. Needless to say, there were a few folks that felt tricked by thinking it was 3 different wines, but I’m sure no one will forgot it; I certainly haven’t.

Giglio also points out that, of course, you don’t ever want to serve any wine, white or red too cold because it will lose most of its aromatics. Don’t fall for the opposite: the typical temperature we drink red wine at, 72 degrees, is just too warm!

  

As part of the Collector Services team, I am often out of on the road and digging around in cellars to get them organized and inventoried. Part of what we do is bringing to the collector’s attention those wines that are drinking wonderfully now. It seems we all get so carried away with our latest purchase, newest winery release or “must have” varietals that the wines we loved just a few months or years ago are getting relegated to the deep dark corners of the cellar. We love to see clients smile when we pull out some older vintage gems they had long forgotten.

The downside to losing track of your collection is that some wines may have suffered from being hidden for too long – they are no longer something you would want to drink. We have seen some collectors throw out cases of wine because they just sat in a corner with more new cases getting stacked on top of them or new bottles racked in front. That is not only a wasted tasting opportunity, but more importantly, wasted money.

Here are some basic organizational tips to keep your collection up to date:

•  Front and Center: place the oldest vintages (same region/producer) in the display position or just above/below and work outwards with the more current vintages at the edges.  As you consume, consolidate the bottles towards the center, which will help to create room for the new vintages of that same wine or producer
•  Out of sight/Out of mind: create an area or designate a section for long-term aging wines so that you aren’t tempted to drink before they are ready.  If you can keep them in their original wood case, even better.
•  Drink Me Section: we recommend clearing a shelf, bin or column close to the cellar door for those bottles that are going to be consumed in the very short term or are fast approaching the end of their drink window.

You may find that some wines are not holding up as well as you thought, or are no longer suited to your palate. If you have large quantities of that wine, it is best to move it to this area and think about selling, donating or having a party.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 20s it’s that weddings are…expensive. But, not surprisingly, they are also great opportunities to try new wine! My brother got married at BR Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen on a sweltering summer day and we fought the heat with plenty of sparkling. One of my best friends tied the knot the weekend just prior, at her parents’ vineyard in Sonoma. They grow grapes for Castle Vineyards, and had a Merlot from their property bottled with a special wedding label. At both of these fun events, the wine flowed like, well, wine.

This past weekend my family celebrated another wedding as my step-sister got married in Tahoe. (Congratulations again Elisabeth and Darrell!) The setting was picturesque, the weather perfect, and again the wine was delicious. I love being able to hear what people who don’t work around wine for a living have to say about what’s in their glasses; it’s refreshing and honest, and not obscured with typical review jargon. Here’s what we were drinking, along with some comments from my family members:

2006 Kistler Chardonnay Les Noisetiers  – “Smokey, flinty. There’s a lot to it,” said my brother, and an hour later his wife commented, “Oh, fruity!” This also got a round of “I like it” comments from the table.

2005 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Reserve – My father: ”Tastes good with the duck sausage. A little more please.” By the way, it also went well with the rack of lamb.

2003 Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Napa/Sonoma – My eloquent brother: “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Why do you even bother with Pinot?”

At the end of the night, my dad and I fought over the two unopened bottles that remained. He ended up with the Pinot and I got the Chardonnay.  I think I won.

If you have enjoyed reading the Vinfolio Staff Picks blog, now is the time to show your support by nominating us for the 2008 American Blog Awards. Last year our CEO, Stephen Bachmann, won the category of "Best Single Subject Blog" for The Wine Collector, also featured on Vinfolio’s website.

To nominate us for this category, go to Best Single Subject Wine Blog.

Other nomination pages include:
Best Wine Blog Writing
Best Wine Blog
Best Wine Review Blog
Best Wine Business Blogging
Best Winery Blog
Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog
Best Wine Blog Graphics

See here for a list of the winners from 2007 in all categories.

 

Many of us in the wine trade make New Year’s resolutions regarding how can we better balance our own collections, sharpen our palates, or promote hot categories to our collector/enthusiast fan base. I usually stick to my wine related resolutions better than my personal ones, but heck I’m a Wine Geek who is passionate to stay the course and spread the gospel. Below you will find my Ten Resolutions to make 2008 a worthy one for collecting and for exploring the unknown. The wine world is getting smaller and smaller and there’s no better time to think outside of the box.

1.    Purchase more wines using alternative closures. It’s time the wine world woke up and examined the alternative closure i.e. the Stelvin screwcap or Vino-Lok (http://www.vino-lok.de/). Save a cork tree! Your precious wine doesn’t have to be tainted anymore.  

2.    Buy exclusively from projects that stress organic farming practices. 100% Certified Organic is a bigger plus, but doesn’t mean to exclude all the wineries that haven’t registered with the governing body for an official certification. Stay with smaller producers and avoid bulk production out there!

3.    Taste and buy more Single-Grower Champagne and stay away from the large Luxury Houses that have to charge high prices to support their marketing costs and high-fashion packaging. Many Single Grower Champagnes are a third to half less than the noted “Big Boy” labels. More often than not, the juice is from highly rated Premier and Grand Cru vineyards.

4.    Touch base with us and your other reputable retailers to get the skinny on up-coming great vintages to stock in your cellar. 2002 Champagne, 2004 Tuscany, 2004 Piemdont, 2005 & 2006 Rhone, 2005 Red Burgundy, 2006 White Burgundy, 2006 Austria, 2006 Sweet Germany and 2006 California Cabernet Sauvignon.

5.    Make a point to learn more about Vinfolio’s VinCellar. It’s free to use once you sign up for an account. VinCellar is revolutionizing the way we track our collections of any size, from the 100-bottle newbie collection to the 1,000-bottle portfolio of a serious collector.  

6.    For those who use VinCellar, take a moment to contact Vinfolio to get an assessment of your collection. Certain wines are gaining value, but more importantly, know what wines need to be drunk now. Plan on that “Drink ‘Em Up” Party over the next year. Some of those wines are not getting any better!

7.    Stay away from the 16.0% and above for wines labeled as table wines. One more degree and you’re talking fortified. How to match foods with these wines is beyond me!

8.    Try more of the bizarre from ancient lands that have been making wines since Antiquity. In your market, look for more dry whites from Greece, Slovenia and Austria. They make for wonderful food pairings.

9.    Spain is the new European Power House! Branch out and try old-vine wonders from areas that have been too long overshadowed by Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Great entries from Bierzo, La Mancha, Toro, Montsant, Calatayud, Costers del Segre and Jumilla are redefining the category.  

10.    Time to really explore Italy with over 2,000 native varietals grown from Valle d'Aosta in the northeast to Calabria in the south. There are more flavors and price points than you can imagine. It’s not just about Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese anymore!

This post was inspired by two articles in the NY Times that discuss ideal glass shapes and how different stemware can affect the way someone experiences the aroma, taste and harmony of a wine. “This Glass Is for the Cabernet, That One the Pinot Noir” (9/16/07) discusses Riedel Crystal’s theory of designing varietal specific stemware, while “A Tall Glass Makes The Best of Bubbles” (12/25/96) rates 18 different Champagne glasses priced $2.75 to $85 each. While informative, both articles incite you to do more testing on your own.

As a wine enthusiast, I often contemplate whether I have the ideal stemware for my wines and whether buying a more specialized glass (such as one designed for Riesling or Sangiovese) will improve my tasting experience.  Overall, I do subscribe to the view that the best glasses provide sufficient space in the bowl for the wine to “breathe” and have a rim that is both thin and tapered (such as those made from crystal instead of glass) so that the wine flows smoothly into the mouth. I once attended a Riedel tasting seminar that contrasted various glass shapes and thicknesses by pouring the same varietal wine into multiple glasses. I must admit that I was won over by the results. However, the biggest difference I found in tasting was between the “joker” glasses (small, non-crystal, clunky glass or tumbler) and generous sized crystal stems. The subtleties between the varietal-designed glasses were much more subtle. Unless one has extensive storage space, I wouldn’t invest in more than four basic styles. Below are some general style descriptors and a selection of my favorite wines that could pair with each category:

Tall Champagne flute – Tall flutes are better than coupes or saucer-shaped glasses at streamlining your bubbles, although a “tulip” shaped stem will provide additional focus and space for the aromas to gather.
    1997 Laurent-Perrier - Grand Siecle Cuvee Alexandra Rose $99
    1996 Pol Roger - Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill $159

Narrow white wine glass – A narrow Sauvignon Blanc styled glass will focus the aromas at the top of the glass. Since this glass has less surface area than a red wine glass, it allows less air to circulate around the glass, keeping the wine cooler. This style is also good for Riesling and other acidic whites. 
    2006 Cotat, Pascal - Sancerre Chavignol Reserve des Mont Damnes $47
    2005 Pichler, F X - Riesling Durnsteiner Kellerberg Smaragd $66

Burgundy-style goblet – The larger bowl of this glass is important for Pinot Noir, Grenache and full-bodied Chardonnay to accumulate its aromas as well as expand in flavor as it enters your mouth. The glass directs the wine to the tip of the tongue.
    2005 Drouhin, Joseph - Meursault Les Perrieres 1er Cru $71.95
    1998 Mortet, Denis - Gevrey Chambertin Combe du Dessus 1er Cru $69

Bordeaux-style wine glass – This glass is tall with a wide bowl so that it directs the wine to the back of the mouth. This style is best for medium to full-bodied red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel.
    1995 Guigal, E - Cote-Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis $75    
    2000 Cos d'Estournel $139

In addition to breathing and effects on the palate, the four styles of glasses described above follow a progression of light to more full-bodied varietals, and also reflect a relative progression of wines’ serving temperatures. The narrowest glass is meant for chilled Champagne whereas the larger Bordeaux-style glass is meant for “bigger” reds served at room temperature.

In the end I’m not yet ready to break the bank by buying every varietal inspired glass (Riesling stemware will have to wait), but I’ve been convinced that employing glasses that allow appropriate temperature control and breathing for a particular wine style will provide an enhanced drinking experience. What do you think? Select, swirl and sip towards your own opinion…

In the modern era of wine marketing, much importance has been placed on the virtues of a particular grape and the growing region where it best performs. However, it seems that soil is rarely mentioned in the same breadth, but has as much to do with the success in what the consumer and the wine trade deem as a quality wine. The concept of terroir weighs heavy on the geological premise that winemaking starts below the ground. Not to sound brash, but our darling varietals of the world are merely ‘transformers’ and that the wine industry might want to categorize wines not by varietals or regions, but by soil composition. Could you imagine if your local wine shop had signs pointing to the ‘limestone’, ‘tuffa’, ‘clay-loam’ or ‘schist’ sections of the store? I don’t think so, but it would be a great way to educate the public on the importance of terroir (a sense of place).

Many people whose palate preferences lean towards a dry French white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre or a 100% Chardonnay Méthode Champenoise from Avize in Champagne, reflect their preference for a limestone-chalk based soil rather than the primary fruit components of these classic, but completely different varietals. Certain enthusiasts and serious tasters have a grasp of the major soil types and what effect they have on the wine. The first ones that come to mind are calcareous, clay-loam, sand and gravel based. There’s a ton more, but it’s schist that gets me all worked up! Yes SCHIST, coarsely metamorphic rock that was born at great depths some 300 million years ago, and brought to the surface in the mid-Tertiary by uplift of the earth’s crust. The deep-seated molten masses were intruded into an overlying crust of ancient lavas and volcanic ash. The heat and pressure of the intrusions cooked and squeezed (metamorphosed) the lavas and ash into the foliated rock called schist. These formations have been referred to ‘old rocks’ in the same family of granite and slate, but schist has experienced the most stress and can be intermixed with deeply weather granite. Schist can come in different shades based on the metamorphosis activity. Schist is often finely interwoven with quartz and feldspar. It’s quite foliated, meaning a flaky texture that can easily fracture into flakes or jagged slabs. The word ‘schist’ in Greek means ‘to split.’

Schist based soils are ideal for grape growing due to its heat retentive nature and high levels of magnesium and potassium. Vigorous vines thrive in a medium of schist by slithering through the fractured rock in search of moisture. In my opinion it’s the ‘old-vine’ cultivar and its direct correlation to the schist based soils that make for some of the finest wines in the world. With much tasting under my belt, I can often pick out a schist influence on a wine’s nose and finish. A mouth watering reaction usually occurs, very similar to tasting a wine in which the grape was grown on limestone. The difference is the pronounced mineral quality throughout the mid-palate with a bone searing dryness that can linger for three to five minutes depending on the age of the vine.

Historical growing regions with high level of schist are the found throughout some of the classic growing regions of Western Europe including …

Spain- Priorat & Montsant (Catalonia), Valdeorras & Ribiero (Galicia)
France- Beaujolais, Alsace, Cote Rotie (Northern Rhone), Collioure, Banyul & Maury (Côtes du Roussillon)
Germany- Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Portugal (Northern)- Douro Valley & Vinho Verde

The most compelling wines are made from extremely old-vines averaging anywhere from 50 to 100 years old in which the schist has made for an ideal medium for these vines to produce grapes of immense quality, thus a finished product that is completely unique and shines above any of it’s ‘New-World’ competition. Certain white varietals and red varietals, both dry and sweet, are associated with schist. More than likely it was the Romans who were the first to work these lands and plant the cultivars that still exist today. In Spain, Grenache (Garnacha) and Carignane (Cariñena) take center stage in the ‘licorella’ soils of the Priorat and Montsant.  The best examples are blends dominated by these two truly Spanish varietals with a dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo for added weight and polish. Heading to the northwest part of the country it’s the ancient white grape of Godello that is the ideal suitor for schist in the Valdeorras and Ribiero. Some experts argue that Godello is a mutation of Riesling. The largest schist mining operation in the world is based in Valdeorras. Moving onto France, the noted cru villages of Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon have schist sub-structure in which old-vine Gamay Noir thrives. The mighty Syrah owes its mineral laced nose and finish to the adulating slopes of the Cotie Rotie in the Northern Rhone. Down in the Roussillon, Grenache Noir reigns supreme in the villages of Collioure, Banyuls and Maury, making full-bodied dry and hedonistic sweet versions. Schist makes its way along the Vosges Mountains in Northern Alsace in which Riesling is the beneficiary growing in what locals call ‘Steige.’ Riesling’s connection with schist influenced soils is evident in the middle section of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, where certain ancient plantings are supported by a unique red slate, similar in composition to some of the terraced vineyards found in Galicia, Spain. Historical data suggests that both of these region’s original plantings were established by the Romans. Finally, in the Douro Valley, Port producers plant new vines by setting off explosive charges to loosen up the schist formations. Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional and several other traditional Port varietals can only exist in this extreme environment due to the schist formations.

I encourage wine lovers to plan their next theme tasting not as varietal based, but schist based and taste the underlying mineral theme and complex layered structure of these wines. For the collector, schist based viticulture offers tremendous returns. Old-vine material from the regions mentioned above can age gracefully for many years to come specifically with Grenache and Carignane based wines of the Priorat, Syrah from Cote Rotie, and Grand Cru Rieslings from Alsace and Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. For the sweet nectar, look no further than a great Porto and France’s Vin Doux Naturel category of Banyuls and Maury made from 100% Grenache Noir. Chocolate anyone? It’s all about the schist baby! Who knew that a metamorphic occurrence could taste so amazing?!?

Below is a sampling of schist influenced wines that you may find on the Vinfolio site. Select a mixed lot for you next theme party!

•    2004 Vall Llach, Priorat, Catalonia, Spain                                        $75, Wine Advocate 93
•    2003 Lo Givot- Pont, Priorat, Catalonia, Spain                                 $50, Vinfolio 92
•    2005 Guy Breton Morgon V.V., Beaujolais, France                             $24, Tanzer (IWC) 91
•    2005 Pierre Gaillard ‘Cote Rozier’, Cote Rotie, Rhone, France           $80, Vinfolio 93
•    2004 Rostaing ‘Cote Blonde’, Cote Rotie, Rhone, France                    $99, Tanzer (IWC) 94
•    2002 Calvet-Thunevin ‘Hugo’,Cotes du Roussillon Villages, France     $36, Vinfolio 92
•    2004 Domaine Ostertag Riesling ‘Fronholz’, Alsance, France              $29, Tanzer (IWC) 91
•    2005 Selbach-Oster Riesling ‘Zeltinger Sonnenuhr’, Germany             $22
•    1997 Fonseca Vintage Port, Douro Valley, Portugal                            $65, Wine Advocate 93

I have often found that I’ve preferred wines with lower scores. Of course, this can never be generalized (and under normal circumstances, quite the opposite is true). However, I have deduced that in many instances, the size of a wine - i.e. the overall scale in relation to extract, body, concentration of fruit…..the BIGGER the wine is - tends to contribute to higher ratings. I have tasted many wines that merit a 96-point score from a respectable and experienced critic that possess the same level of intensity, balance, complexity and length as a wine that merits a 93-point score from the same critic. And I have concluded that in many of these cases, the differentiating factor in the scoring variance is a wine’s size and power.  This rationale may help explain why there are far more 99-point wines from Australia than there are from Burgundy.

For those of us with a preference for wines that possess a bit more grace, elegance and sophistication as opposed to power and body, then it’s entirely possible for a slightly lower score to suggest that you may prefer it over a similar wine with a higher rating. Note that it’s always important to read the description of the wine and to couple that information with the rating, since the description will likely give tidbits on the wine’s character, but too often people equate a higher score to a better wine……not so!

I recently tried both the 1995 and 1996 Grand Puy Lacoste (Paulliac) and found that I had a definitive preference for the 1996 (RP 93) over the 1995 (RP 95). Because of their relative value in a sea of expensive Bordeaux, these two wines have been relentlessly compared to each other with varying conclusions. While both wines are quite powerful, the 1995 clearly has the upper hand in this regard, but lacks the nuance, sophistication and class of the 1996. There is a slightly higher level of acidity and less body, which to me, brings the wine to a greater level of balance and harmony. The 1996 Grand Puy Lacoste ($110) is really a delightful wine: intensely aromatic, impeccably balanced, very complex and quite sophisticated. In my humble……expert opinion, it’s got the upper hand over its older sibling and as the score suggests, less is more.

As girls are known to shop, I decided to compile my own personal wish list from Vinfolio’s wine store. Over the coming years I would like to considerably expand my collection so that it represents a diverse selection of wine regions and vintages. Although I have a tendency towards the Old World, I also favor many wines from Oregon, cool-climate California and New Zealand.  

My favorite wines tend to have high acid (Champagne, Riesling, Chablis, Brunello) and reflect a sense of terroir (Burgundy, Bordeaux). I especially enjoy the influence of chalky soils in Champagne (from oyster fossils in the Kimmeridgian soil), the role of limestone and clay on Merlot in St. Emilion, the mineral notes of slate in Mosel Riesling, and the ripe, rustic quality imparted to Aglianico or Galioppo grapes by volcanic soils in southern Italy. I also love the concentrated flavors of wines whose vines have had to struggle, whether grown on a mountaintop or by restricted yields (perhaps through a green harvest). High altitude climates (Argentina), coastal breezes and ocean currents (the Benguela Current near South Africa, the Humboldt Current off Chile, and the California Current along the Pacific NW) also bring clarity and intensity of flavor. There are so many factors to producing great wine that it makes the discovery process (through tasting, of course) all the more fun!

I think a good cellar should have a mix of every day wines (albeit tasty ones) and special event, collector bottles that benefit from aging. Here is a start to my wish list, beginning in France (to be continued in later posts):

Champagne – The ideal aperitif and palate stimulant, whether white or rose.
Good value, every day favorites:
    NV Lafitte, Charles Brut Rosé $35
    NV Ruinart Brut Rosé (375ml) $35 – one of the original Champagne houses
    NV Jean Vesselle Brut Oeil de Perdrix $38 – with a beautiful salmon color
    NV Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition $54
    NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé $66 – a classic rosé

Luxury bubbles for special events (1990 and 1996 are especially good vintages):
    NV Krug Grande Cuvée $127 – a Champagne staple
    1998 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne $129 – the 1990 is also amazing
    1990 Heidsieck, Charles Brut Blanc des Millénaires $135
    1996 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill $159 – so classy and brilliant
    NV Bollinger Brut Special Cuvée (1.5L) $225 – creamy and big for parties
    1990 Möet & Chandon Dom Perignon (1.5L) $850 – everyone must have Dom!
    1996 Krug Clos du Mesnil $1,065 – yes, we can dream of the ideal Grand Cru

White Burgundy – Where Chardonnay reveals minerality, clarity, and complexity.
The values:
    2005 Long-Depaquit Chablis Les Vaillons 1er Cru $25
    2005 Daniel et Martine Barraud Pouilly-Fuisse La Verchère $36
    1996 Latour-Giraud Meursault Narvaux $39 - one with some age
    2004 Long-Depaquit Chablis Blanchots $42 – a Grand Cru at an amazing price
    2000 Henri Germain et Fils Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru $59

The collector items:
    2004 Raveneau Chablis Les Forêts 1er Cru $75 - another classic producer
    2004 Marc Colin Corton-Charlemagne $79 - this made a friend become a Burgundy believer
    2002 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne $94
    2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru $133
    2004 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet $196 - gotta love Leflaive
    2004 Comtes Lafon Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru $349
    1998 Ramonet Montrachet $599 – a true life experience
    1996 Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet $950 – ditto
    1989 Ramonet Montrachet $1,899 – we’re at the pinnacle here!

I see that my thoughts stayed with the high acid whites; next time I’ll peruse the reds. Cheers and happy collecting! What’s on your list?

In this space Vinfolio’s wine experts will present their favorite wines and explain why they are special. We will also comment on and discuss other areas in the wine industry such as new trends, food & wine pairings, and upcoming events. Our varied experiences in the business reflect a myriad of perspectives but ultimately, we all share a passion for great wine. Hopefully our reflections will inspire you to try something new and keep you thirsty for adventures with Bacchus.

This is an open forum and we look forward to starting a dialog with you, our readers and customers. Don’t hesitate to include your point of view by adding comments to the postings. Wine is an ever-changing subject that is inexhaustible, incapable of being completely mastered and best when shared. I expect that we will all learn something from one another since none of us can claim to “know” it all.

Who is the blog facilitator?
Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Laura Conway, Vinfolio’s Editorial Manager and database content administrator. My role at Vinfolio focuses on growing our 56,000+ wine database including professional reviews, auction and retail pricing, and educational content such as producer notes. Colleagues occasionally refer to me as Vinfolio’s “wine librarian”, a term which aptly describes my wine related research and data collection. So it is fitting that I am the facilitator for this blog. You can contact me at laura@vinfolio.com.

Posting schedule
Our goal is to post 2-3 times a week, but this average may increase or decrease according to our schedule and inspiration.

Contacting us
We love to receive feedback so your comments are always welcome. Each member of Vinfolio’s staff can be reached via email. Thanks again for joining us; sit back (or at the edge of your keyboard) and enjoy.