Boston Uncorked Summer Solstice IV: Wrap Up
By Christine Liu • Jun 26th, 2008 • Category: The Second Glass
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It was an auspicious beginning when Tyler asked me to be a partner-in-crime for Boston Uncorked’s 4th annual homage to popping corks on a rooftop patio: Summer Solstice. I was all prepared to perform some menial but necessarily work on behalf of The Second Glass … Would I need to haul bottles? Usher and entertain wine-industry big fries? Pass out catchy buttons? (If official buttons aren’t in existence yet, they really should be.) Whatever was to be asked of me, I’d be ready. Hup.
I rushed to arrive on time at the Sports Club / LA, zooming up to the 4th floor in the elevator with a hodgepodge group — a yoga mat here, a mesh jersey there, some glittery heeled sandals among the bunch. After getting signed in at the front table, we made the highly intimidating route through the throbbing gym to seek the stairs leading up to the roof. Flexing, sweating, screen-staring weight-shifting bodies flanked both sides of the walkway as I, and other like-minded souls who knew we’d be in a relatively hedonistic haze mere feet away, ambled as stridently as possible, straight-faced among the moist mist of sore-in-the-morning ambition.
But the health self-deprecation soon passed, and there we were on the glorious patio, faced with a individuals donning glasses of rose and rose-colored glasses. (Sorry.) I ran up to see what my duty would be on this sunbathed terrace, where one could nonchalantly glance over to a completely unfettered view of Boston Common and the lush, lush beyond. The air felt wonderful, an enlivening early-evening breath of summer. Table-clothed surfaces boasted trays of bread, cheese, skewered seasoned beef, grilled vegetables (zucchini, squash and asparagus adorned with edible blooms), a marinated onion and roasted red pepper salad/relish and plenty of the hovering hungry. Among this scene, I was delivered my assignment: Drink half of the wines to be poured, and report back. That was it. No sabrage demos? No case-schlepping hernias? Only to take a glass and my palate to the task? Although I may have risked much to my person — weaving in and out of the growing crowd took a little strategic sashay at points — it was well worth the benefits. And, of course, being instructed to use “kickass” as an official wine descriptor.
Table 1Italy, Portugal, California and New Jersey (Signature Imports and Triumvir) |
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Mionetto Brut ProseccoVeneto, Italy Editor Notes: This wine is light and elegant. Definitely a very refreshing wine to drink. Texture wise it is sheer and dry. All in all, it’s completely non-offensive. [cl] |
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Mionetto IL Sparkling RoséVeneto, Italy Editor Notes: Distinct flavors of peach and berries. This wine is distinctly feminine. It makes me want to drink this for celebratory reasons. It’s very reception-friendly. [cl] |
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Mionetto IL MoscatoVeneto, Italy Editor Notes: I found this wine sweet but not cloying with flavors of lychee. This is good wine for dessert or with really spicy foods like Thai. [cl] |
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Casa de Vila Verde Vinho VerdeVinho Verde, Portugal Editor Notes: The wine is very bright with honeyed flavors. I had an instant craving for some linguiça or chouriço. Without a doubt, this is a summer sipper. [cl]
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Triumvir Pinot NoirCalifornia Editor Notes: This wine has a weirdly sweet nose. It smells very much like a ‘white’ for a red wine. Very strawberry juice-like, almost to the point of artificiality. It got me drawing comparisons to fruit liqueur. [cl] |
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Triumvir SyrahCalifornia Editor Notes: This wine is spicyish with a medium body. It called to mind a pairing with duck. [cl] |
Table 2Rioja, Spain (Vibrant Rioja) |
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CVNE MonopoleRioja, Spain Editor Notes: This wine is light with a lot of minerality. I would drink this with shrimp. [cl] |
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2007 Darien RoséRioja, Spain Editor Notes: This wine has a lovely color, a very floral nose and is excellently balanced. It also so happens to be the Wine of the Weekend! [cl]
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2006 Cortijo IIIRioja, Spain Editor Notes: The wine is light-bodied, slightly spicy and very smooth. It makes me want to drink this with figs, almonds, dates and a high-quality olive oil. [cl] |
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2001 Marqués de Riscal ReservaRioja, Spain Editor Notes: This wine smelled of cherries. It is reminiscent of macerated fruit.This guy is VERY easy to drink. [cl] |
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2001 Conde de Valdemar ReservaRioja, Spain Editor Notes: This wine is almost sherry-like. It’s deceptively light-bodied yet uber-dry. [cl] |
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Baron de Ley ReservaRioja, Spain Editor Notes: This wine is dark and ink. It has presence as it’s rich and spicy with lingering flavors. This is a wine that’s begging for steak. [cl]
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Table 3California, Australia (Foster’s Group) |
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2006 Chateau St. Jean ChardonnaySonoma County, California Editor Notes: I took the Table 3 Chardonnay Challenge between the Chateau St. Jean and the Greg Norman. The vote was close and I slightly prefered the Norman, but this stuff is still decent. It has a bit more acidity than the Norman Chard, which was refreshing. While, like the Norman, this wouldn’t be my first choice for an under $15 Chard, it certainly isn’t my last. [tb] |
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2005 Chateau St. Jean MerlotSonoma County, California - $25 Editor Notes: Ehhhh. This wine is by no means bad, but it really wasn’t anything that stood out. I tasted it right next to the Caberet and I wrote very similar notes.While I think the 25 bones they want for this wine is a bit steap, I definitely wouldn’t decline a glass if someone was offering. [tb] |
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2006 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet SauvignonSonoma County, California - $25 Editor Notes: See the review above. These two pretty much fit into the same class. Unexciting, not really worth the full retail price, but there’s nothing wrong or offensive about the wine. If you go to a party and someone is pouring this stuff, I would definitely have a few refills. [tb] |
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2006 Greg Norman ChardonnayEden Valley, Australia - $14 Editor Notes: For the price, this stuff is pretty good. While it wouldn’t be my first choice in Aussie Chard, I certainly wouldn’t turn it down. In fact, now that I think about it, I would I highly suggest smuggling a few of these bottles onto the links. You probably won’t won’t golf like “The Shark” after you down a bottle on the front nine, but at least you’ll have a decent excuse for all the triple boggies. [tb] |
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2005 Greg Norman Cabernet-MerlotLimestone Coast, Australia Editor Notes: The Cabernet-Merlot label is a bit misleading since it’s 95% Cabernet and only 5% Merlot, but they aren’t lying. I’m not going to lie, I had a lot of wine before I got here so this one and the two Chateau St. Jean reds kind of blend together. I don’t know if it’s because they were all kind of the same; unexciting but once it was in my glass I was content to pour it down the hatch. Like the Shiraz, this is a very juicy wine. I would almost call it a “fruit-bomb.” [tb] |
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2006 Greg Norman ShirazLimestone Coast, Australia Editor Notes: JUUUUUUUUUISSSSSY! Damn, this thing had some fruit goin’ on. I guess “The Shark” likes his Shiraz the way he likes his yachts; big, fat and over the top. Not my favorite wine of the night but since I was actually drinking (not professionally tasting by spitting the stuff out), the notes got a bit fuzzy. [tb] |
Table 4California, Australia, Germany, France and Spain Bin Ends, 236 Wood Road, Braintree, MA |
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2006 Saison des Vin Le Printemps RoséMendocino County, California - $??.?? Editor Notes: Some wines gets better with age and others… not so much. Last year this stuff tasted like strawberry juice; super bright and mega flavorful. This year, it has become a lot more dry and it lost the bright fruit. This isn’t necisarily a bad thing, but it will taste different from the 2007. [tb] |
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2003 Tyrrells Vat 47 Hunter ChardonnayHunter Valley, Australia - $27.75 Editor Notes: This guy has a little bit of age on it, which can totally benefit Chardonnay. It didn’t have too much oak, the acidity was good and all in all this was a pretty solid wine. Personally, I would like to see it come down a few bucks (like $10), but I did enjoy this wine. [tb] $27.75 |
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2004 Egon Muller Scharzhoff Riesling QbAMosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany - $9.90 Editor Notes: When I found out how much this wine cost it made me want to run all the way to Braintree. This stuff is a steal at $10! It is a fairly “sweet” Riesling, so you have to be down with that, but I thought this stuff was great. The winery was originally planted by the Romans, which means there is a little bit of history here. I’m bringing a case of this stuff to my friend’s cabin so I can sipp bottle after bottle next to a lake. If Chinese food were to be included, I could die happy. [tb]
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2003 Domaine Saint Martin Santenay RougeSantenay, France - $16.50 Editor Notes: I originally wrote down “ehhhh…” but after I saw the price I’m changing my official review to “sure, why not!” This is a light (almost too light) Pinot Noir from France with a little bit of aging on it. All in all, not a bad deal. [tb] |
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2001 Buena Vista Carneros Reserve MerlotCarneros, California - $12.10 Editor Notes: This is a cheek-sucking Merlot that’s spent a few years short of a decade in the bottle. This thing totally rocked! Fire up the grill, slather some ribs in BBQ sauce and crack open a few bottles of this stuff. For the price, it’s definitely worth picking up a few of these bottles. [tb]
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2003 Pintia ToroToro, Spain - $27.50 Editor Notes: Attention carnivours: buy this wine today! Yeah, it’s not exactly cheap but it started out at $50… plus, that steak from Whole Foods cost you $20, so don’t mess around. This wine is “strong like bull” (that’s what I wrote down at least) but the Bin Ends guys assured me it’ll “open up a bit” if you decant it. [tb]
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I drank the sequence as close to lightest white to darkest reds as possible.
So the KICKASS wines ranged from supercheap (living in the Little Portugal neighborhood of Inman Square, I’m very clear on how inexpensive Vinho Verde is, to the tune of a very respectable $5) to not-as-cheap (a bottle of Finca Monasterio retails for $45). Not only was the research tasty (and quite varied), I also got the pleasure of meeting John Hafferty of Bin Ends in Braintree, and learning a key misconception — you’re not supposed to rinse your glass between tastings with water, as it changes the temperature of the glass and dilutes the flavors a teensy bit. You should rather go ahead with the next wine (as it should be somewhat stronger/heavier in spectrum) or, if necessary, rinse it with the next wine. Call me schooled. Great tip, courtesy of Lisa manning the Rioja table!
Watching the sun set under Boston’s breadth, especially with a glassful of whatever deemed KICKASS at that moment, is an unbelievable thing. Open up some new bottles at your next party, whether you have a penthouse with rooftop privileges or milk-crate stools on a shallow porch, and toast to tasting new things with friends en plein air. Cheers!
Tasting code: [cl] = Christine Liu [tb] = Tyler Balliet
That’s a lotta damn wine! Though I’ve had many of those before (I agree the Pintia kicks ass) I’m sorry I missed it. I’ll have to get my sorry butt out to the next one!