Art of the Table

At the Big Wine Tasting this week we enjoyed trying an Aligote from Shooting Star, and I mentioned that it was a good grape to have when filling out your Wine Century Club application. At Art of the Table I try to bring in as many eclectic and rewarding wine varieties as I can find so as to expand your wine experiences.  Who wants to drink the same wine over and over anyway?  The third dimention, what gives wine so called complexity, is surprise.   New and interesting grape varieties will smell and taste like nothing you’ve ever had, and thus, yield new impressions and give new experiences.  See where you stack in your breadth of wine experiences and check out the Century Club!

Mike D.

On Wednesday about 15 of us convened in the back “Benton” room at our good friend Louis Benton restaurant for a tasting through six wines made by Jed Steele. Jed as you know is a crazy busy wine consultant who makes wines for all sorts for people but also makes wine for his own label Steele, and it’s second label, Shooting Star. We’ve been having fun with his wines since we opened and thought to highlight what he does in this tasting. Here’s my notes from the event with added commentary.

First off I want to stress that we started right at 6:30 P.M. as scheduled. I actually was looking at my phone’s clock and started speaking as soon as the time changed. Bradford arrived shortly thereafter and then individually welcomed everyone in the room. “Well, hello there. My name is Bradford. It’s so good to see you. Welcome, welcome . . . Bradford . . . Hello there.” We were off with a bang and the excitement of the first two wines was palpable.

The first wine was the 2006 Shooting Star Aligote from Washington State. Aligote is a white grape most commonly associated with Burgundy, as well as being the redheaded stepchild to Chardonnay. This was a much richer version than the French Aligote’s I’ve had in the past. It was pale gold with very little rim variation. The aromas were Asian pear, golden apple, Mandarin orange, lifting floral notes, spice and a whiff of lanolin. The flavors reminded me most of a nice baked apple pie with accents of spice and hazelnut. Excellent acidity and a lovely finish made this a crowd pleaser. Alongside the Aligote we poured the 2005 Shooting Star Chardonnay from Medocino. Apparently we learned that Jed declassified two lots from his single vineyard Chardonnays because they didn’t “fit” what he was working on. This wine was freaking gorgeous as we soon found out. It was pale gold with an ever so slight variation. The aromas leaped with notes of red apple, fig, vanilla spice and toast. (At this point I’m sending a shout-out to Ruth Speyer, who we’ve not forgotten. She would always laugh out loud whenever she would read my descriptions that ended with “and toast.”) On the palate the Chard was certainly a bit rounder and had that total ML (malolactic fermentation) feel to it with lots of buttery, creamy stuff going on around the intense apple notes. I loved the Chardonnay. The crowd preferred the Aligote. It was certainly an interesting contrast.

Next we tried the 2006 Shooting Star Riesling from Lake County. It was pale gold with little variation. The aromas were rich with lots of lime, lemon zest and apricot. It is a very clean and crisp wine, despite a touch of residual sugar. On the palate the peachy aspect of Riesling really came across, with more lime and hints of nectarine and spice. It was a really fun wine and the appetizer came out at this point which was stuffed shells with a crazy spicy sauce, and the Riesling cut through great and really shined.

Next we tried the 2005 Steele Carneros Pinot Noir. It was lovely. A pale, intense garnet with little variation, the wine began somewhat muddled aromatically for me. With vigorous swirling I began to get some earthy notes of strawberry reduction, red cherry, caramel and spicy stuff. It’s definitely a tick young at this point but was drinking great after ten minutes. It’s got lots of pedigree for a wine under $25, I can highly recommend it.

Next up we did a vintage comparison between the 1999 Steele Lake County Merlot and the 2003 Steele Lake County Merlot. The ‘99 was medium garnet with more than a slight haze and medium variation. Its aromas were meaty at first, kind of like turkey thighs (know what I mean? Hey, I’m trying to be accurate) with oodles of black cherry and anise. On the palate it was lovely with darker fruit than the aromas, more like black cherry with big notes of brown sugar, star anise and yes Ruth, toast. I thought this wine was at a plateau and showing beautifully. The 2003 Merlot was clear and medium ruby with little variation. The aromas were jumping out of the glass with lots of burnt sugar and campfire smoke with cassis and black cherry lurking beneath. On the palate it was classic Merlot with black cherry, cassis, tobacco and spice with a touch of mocha. This wine was drinking great and had the tannin to survive a few years aging. I thought the 1999 was more interesting but both were lovely. The ‘99 was a testament that Steele wines age.

Last up we had the Steele 2004 “Red Hills” Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendocino. It’s medium ruby with little variation. The aromas are rich and intense with notes of black cherry compote, cassis and brown sugar. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and relatively dry, despite how ripe it seems. Flavors of red cherry, cassis, Very Berry and toasted spice linger nicely on the finish. A day before, Ryan and I had been to Detroit and tried both the 2004 Dominus and the 2004 Beringer Private Reserve, which hover around a hundred and a quarter retail. I seriously think the ‘04 Steele Cab would have hung in there quite nicely in a comparative tasting, and goes for eighty bucks less. Nice wine.

Another amazing tasting, I had tossed Steele in the “just another California winery” bin - and their wines really showed up. They’re awesome values for what they deliver, especially the Shooting Star Chard and the Steele Cab.

Last night while we packed up we took a break for some grilled cheese sandwiches and thought, let’s pop that Penalba Lopez 1990 Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva to see if it’s still alive. Whoa. Yes almighty indeed very much alive. 1990 was an excellent vintage for Ribera del Duero and this wine, while aged beautifully, was not fading at all. It was a pretty cherry/ruby color with medium variation and was fairly brilliant in brightness. The aromas were effusive with notes of dried black cherry, cassis, tobacco, coffee and spice. I spent five minutes smelling the wine before I even managed to taste it. On the palate it’s big and very complex, with plenty of cherry fruit mingling with black licorice, chocolate and firm, yet integrated tannins. Lots of licorice. In a good way.

One of the things I’ve begun to look to in terms of a wine’s quality is its finish. The finish on this was gorgeous and super long. Most wines have a normal finish length, but the truly special ones have discernible finishes that you actually remember as much as the aromas and flavors. This is one of those wines you can’t believe you’re drinking, because it’s so seemingly perfect. So on a Thursday night at midnight with grilled cheese while you pack your girlfriend’s car before she drives to California for law school is a good time to open a seventeen year old Tempranillo. Trust me.

It’s difficult to find wine that’s been aged but I’m always on the watch for overlooked gems. For similar but not quite as amazing experiences, check out our Penalba Lopez 1999 Ribera del Duero Crianza, it’s a lovely wine drinking great right now and it’s a steal for $10.75. It will be here for a good week or two before we run out. For some Ribera del Duero selections that are worthy of aging I recommend 2004, a crazy good vintage, probably the best of the decade at this point.

I have secretly stocked many wines from this vintage here at Art of the Table. We have limited amounts of

2004 Montecastro Ribera del Duero at $44.75 (94 pts Wine Advocate)

Avan “Nacimiento” 2004 Ribera del Duero at $35.50 (91 pts Wine Advocate)

2004 Pesquera Tinto at $36.00

Vizcarra “JC” Crianza 2004 Ribera del Duero at $24.50 (92 pts Wine Advocate)

2003 Pesquera Reserva Ribera del Duero at $58.00, which should be awesome as well.

Mike D.

The Art of the Table elves have been busy at work the last few days - we’ve been preparing a sale table for you!

Okay so there are about 5 sale tables and each one is chock full of summer goods and other foods & candles and linens and serving pieces that we’re done showing but hope that you can still use!

While we were setting up, we were chatting about what great gifts these summer sale items could make. Remember how you’re always looking for something for your sister-in-law on her birthday in January…and she loves being outdoors on her deck all summer? and you can never find her that perfect something? Maybe this week you’ll find it, her gift - early - and at a great price, too!

We are featuring a $2 or less table, select paper products at 40% off and a mystery item each day that will knock your socks off. Take a chance to visit this week as next week it will be all over, and fall products will be in its place!

Recently the G-pal and I attended some good friend’s 4 year old daughter’s birthday party. There were many young people, the requisite slip and slide in the backyard, a sand box, many parents, burnt hot dogs, melted ice cream. You get the picture? Expecting such, we brought a bottle of pink, the ‘06 Stephen Pannell Grenache, which is pure strawberry creme-sickle btw, and were ready to battle flies. We were pleasantly surprised in that the hosts were also thinking pink, and had both the ‘06 Domaine Faillenc Syrah and the ‘06 Gour de Chaule Gigondas. The Syrah was bright and yummy with lots of upfront fruit, almost to the point of slightly sweet, it went great with my spicy brat and watermelon wedge. The Gigondas was a different story. Bone dry, lots of complexity, notes of mineral, earth, crazy pink fruits, easily the best dry rose I’ve ever had. My partner became a ball hog with the Gigondas at this point, which was fine with me. Fyi, I think there are about two bottles left at the store.

So at this point Allison and I are talking away with various parents and generally having a jovial time and getting mildly stuffed. Our expectations had been met and suddenly, as the third designer lunchbox had just been torn from goofy wrapping paper, I noticed my glass empty, just as John arrived with a box of wine. “Who’s that strange red man?” Allison asked. “Things will get interesting,” I muttered. We heading back to the patio where John was pulling out three bottles of Loire Valley gems. A ‘96 Savennieres, a ‘95 Coteaux du Layon and a ‘90 Quartes du Chaume, all from Domaine Baumard, and all are, if you don’t know, incredibly ageableChenin Blanc. We were delighted at the opportunity to try these wines.

The Savennieres was first and the driest of the bunch. Deep gold with medium variation, it had aromas of dried apricot, peach, toasted nuts and honey. On the palate it was rich with additional notes of mineral and lime. Outstanding in every way, it quickly went as everyone caught wind of the tasting. Next up was the ‘95 Coteaux du Layon, which was more advanced visually, a more turgid gold, almost browning. The aromas really shot out of the glass and all I was getting initially was circus peanuts. Seriously. The more we swirled the more we got citrus rind, orange blossom, lots of honey. Truly complex aromas. I think I went almost five minutes before I even wanted to taste it. On the palate it’s certainly ripe and pushing sweet, but the thing I kept going back to was the ripping acidity. This wine was not going to go anywhere and I anticipate it lasting another ten years plus. Finally, the ‘90 Quarts du Chaume was poured and was discernibly lighter in color, a brilliant yellow gold with much less variation. Likewise, the aromatics were somewhat muted. We were stunned! This seventeen year old wine wasn’t even ready to drink. After vigorous swirling typical notes of botrytis, candied pear, orange liqueur and spice began to yield. Very sweet and again, ridiculously acidic, this is a wine to toss in the furthest corner of the cellar, as I anticipate it will last 25 more years. At the end of the night I snuck the last of the ‘95 into my glass to share with Allison, which we agreed was easily showing the best this night of all the wines. It was utterly sublime .

We have a 2003 Savennieres here at the store, and a 2003 Coteaux du Layon, please stop in and ask your friendly Art of the Table representative about Chenin Blanc.