this heaven gives me migraine

2003 François Chidaine Clos Habert

Region: Montlouis sur Loire, France

Composition: 100% Chenin Blanc

Background: At 4 o'clock this afternoon I remembered that today is Wine Blogging Wednesday 11, and I needed to drink and write up a demi-sec/off-dry wine before midnight. Of course, I had no off-dry wines in the house aside from a way-old bottle of Moscato d'Asti that I have been abusing because I forgot it in the fridge for about three years and only noticed it shoved way in the back behind the untouchable beer we had when I cleaned out the fridge a week or so ago. I mean, knew it was there, but had forgotten quite how old it has become (let's just say it would be in elementary school right now, if it were a small child).

Anyway, I had to do some quick work and pick something up, because I have a feeling that when I open the Moscato, it isn't going to be pretty. My dirty secret (well, not so secret) is that I don't drink a lot of sweet, or even slightly sweet, wines (hence, the existence of a six-year-old Moscato in the house), so I had my work cut out for me insofar as finding one that I thought I would like.

I ended up with a bottle of François Chidaine Clos Habert, a demi-sec from the Montlouis appellation in the Loire. Montlouis is located across the river from the more well-known Vouvray, and has a similar soil composition of clay and chalky tuffeau. The wines are similar, although some say that the Montlouis wines are more rocky in nature, and this all seemed fine to me since I was originally angling for a Vouvray just because I like saying Vouvray a lot (and if that isn't a good reason to buy a wine, what is?). In fact, Montlouis was part of the Vouvray appellation until it was granted its own AC status in 1937, and the wines are also made of Chenin Blanc, the grape which produces so many fascinating wines in the Loire.

The estate makes several styles of wine from Chenin Blanc....sweet, off-dry, dry, sparkling (the same styles can be are found in Vouvray), and also makes a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes for this wine come from 60-year-old vines and are harvested by hand in up to four passes, to achieve optimal sugar levels. The wines are certified organic even though Chidaine doesn't mention that on the label.

Notes: This wine is all about honey! Clear light gold in the glass, it has a strong nose of poached peaches and syrupy pears, with a mineral streak and a little bit of honeysuckle. The floral element is more noticeable as the wine gets warmer. It hits the tongue with a thick, heady block of intense sweet fruit (more peaches and pears), and finishes with a long honeyed note that has a little gingery bite in it to keep it interesting. There is enough acidity that my gums are left tingling, and I am not finding it cloying or unpleasant. It's not within my usual drinking repertoire and I don't think it has made a demi-sec believer out of me, but it was fun to drink and is well-done and balanced. We had it with bread, roasted almonds, blackberries, Harley Farms pepper chevre, Humboldt Fog, and Mount Tam.

Cost: $22

Overall: B

2005 Golden Glass

A little over two weeks ago, I had the good fortune to attend the second annual Golden Glass tasting up at Fort Mason. Why did it take me so long to write things up?

1- I have been trying to study since my test is on Saturday.
2- My parents have been in town since last week and I have been entertaining and going to all the touristy parts of the city (luckily not Fisherman's Wharf).
3- I tasted a lot of wines at Golden Glass.
4- Writing up said wines took me a long time, partly because I had to endure my own terrible mangling of the Italian language (which, believe me, was painful, since for some reason I was mispronouncing words that I even knew better than to say incorrectly), but also because I had to check spellings and info. For the love of god, if anyone reading this ever puts on a wine tasting, please please PLEASE put the tasting book in some order that can be understood by the common man. The person at Slow Food who put this book together was a sadist and had the wineries listed in random order. I think it was possibly by region (which of course were not marked) and then by some random listing within that region, but it mostly meant that I had to leaf around every time I looked anything up, which was pretty much constantly. When I was at the tasting, one of the tables had a "we are on page 17" sign up, so I know it isn't just me. I imagine the book was even more frustrating at the tasting itself, although if you managed to taste in the right order, maybe it wasn't so bad. Aside from the tasting book order, the tasting was good, but oh, man, that tasting book was traumatic.

Pre-tasting I attended the seminar about "Italian wines in America" and while it was interesting and sometimes confusing since I don't speak Italian, I felt like the panel (mostly restaurateurs and retailers) were yelling at the producers in the audience (there were a lot of them there) about having wine that is too expensive or too confusing for the American public. I understand that it is difficult to sell expensive wines to people if the buyers have never had the grape or heard of the producer, but at the same time I don't think a lot of these producers were selling ridiculously priced wines. A producer also doesn't want to sell at a loss, and how is a producer in Italy supposed to fix the American problem with Italian wines? It seems to me that if I go to a shop and the shop has a lot of Italian wines I might not understand, it is the shop's duty as much as anything to make me understand why they are selling those particular wines. So I am not really sure what the seminar was supposed to do, besides get some of the producers pretty mad and encourage them to do more tastings in the U.S. (something they might not want to do given the chiding they got in the seminar).

Post that I had lunch at Greens and got to watch the flashback-to-high-school events surrounding some of the producers/marketers/distributors/pourers having lunch. There was a lot of worried looking around and concern if certain important people stopped at the wrong table for too long before joining the table they were supposed to, and a lot of peering around and watch checking, and, oddly (I thought), wine being drunk, considering we were headed to a big room where four and a half hours of wine-pouring was about to ensue. I had lemonade, and I am glad I did, because my mouth was shot when I rolled out of the tasting at 6.30.

The tasting itself was great, although I found myself wishing over and over that I spoke Italian, because I couldn't have much of a conversation with some of the more interesting people there, due to my complete lack of Italian. There were the requisite disillusioned youth and women teetering around in high heels more to be seen than taste wine in attendance, and some goofy people taking society-type photos for the event, but it was not overly crowded, and the quality of the wines poured seemed pretty high to me. I ended the day, once my palate gave out completely and I couldn't face any more Barolo, talking to Dee Harley of Harley Farms about her goats and her cheese and her life in general, and decided I want to live with a bunch of goats somewhere and make cheese. At least in theory. I also got to taste a lot of her delicious cheese, and right now have a trip down to the farm (it's near Half Moon Bay, in Pescadero) mentally planned out in my head.

As for the wines, there were a lot of interesting ones and I really enjoyed most of them and thought them well-done, even if they weren't up my personal alley. I think the Prà Soaves were very good, as were the Fattoria di Felsina wines. The 1999 Prunotto Barolo was very nice, even though I found myself gravitating towards the more acidic reds, which seems to be my mindset these days. Fontanafredda, Sassotondo, Bastianich, and Marotti Campi also had some very good wines. I didn't get through everything, although I got through just about all the whites and three or so tables of the reds (there were four tables). I am still working on my speed and figuring out exactly what I am looking for tasting notes... I don't like the grade-and-nothing-else commentary, which I tried for my first few wines this time around and abandoned, but I am not sure what I want to do and what is most useful. I also have to work more on the technical aspect of my notes, since my voice recorder has the Record button in a very dumb place and I often end up turning it on/off at inconvenient times and then miss notes. Anyway, the notes I took are below.

Les Cretes
2004 Valle d'Aosta Petite Arvine Vigne Champorette (100% Petite Arvine) a lot of acid very lemony, slightly aggressive but good

Coffele
2004 Ca' Visco Soave Classico (75% Garganega 25% Trebbiano di Soave) banana nose, limey orangey in mouth, almondy finish
2003 Alzari Soave Classico (100% Garganega) partly dried grapes, fermented in wood really nice nutty bitter vanilla flavor probably from the oak, a little softer than Ca' Visco

Feudi di San Gregorio
2004 Falangina (100% Chardonnay) very floral nose steely in mouth with slight vanilla finish

Roberto Anselmi
2004 Capitel Foscarino (90% Garganega 10% Chardonnay) interesting, can't place the nose, generally a B
2002 Capitel Croce (100% Garganega) barriqued, slight oak on the finish, a little too much for me (it starts out okay but then overwhelms)

Poggio dei Gorleri
2004 Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino Vigna Sori (100% Vermentino) bitter lemon flavor B-, not much on nose
2003 Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato Cycnus (100% Pigato) more on nose than the Vermentino, a lot of white fruit evident, I liked it better than the Vermentino

Centorame -Lamberto Vannucci
2003 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Castellum Vetus (100% Trebbiano)
2003 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo San Michele this nose is all about tar, which is surprising, since the actual wine is very light/delicate

Eugenio Collavini Viticultori
2003 Collli Orientali del Friuli Ribolla Gialla Turian (100% Ribola Gialla) bitter but clean, zippy
2003 Collio Bianco Broy (40% Chardonnay, 40% Tocai Friuliano, 20% Sauvignon Blanc) heavy feeling, you can feel the Chardonnay in it, it's a little much, almost buttery (especially after the Ribola)

San Michele Appiano (at the Moris Farms table)
2003 Sanct Valentin (Sauvignon Blanc) from Alto Adige very grassy and cat peeish (in that good way), but soft and no bitterness, unusual and stood out among wines just because it was slightly different

Arnaldo Caprai
2004 Colli Martani Grecante Grechetto (100% Grechetto) lots of tropical fruit in nose, soft, a slight CO2 zip on tongue, snappy, finish is lingering and fluid

Cornarea
2004 Roero Arneis (100% Arneis) zippy, lemony, finish kind of dies off, but is pleasant

Cantina Sociale Di Trapani
2004 Drepanum Bianco (50% Insolia, 50 % Grillo) Sicilian native grapes very pretty exotic floral nose
2004 Forti Terre Rosso (80% Nero d'Avola, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon) smooth at the beginning, gets frisky at the end, I don't love it but it is pleasant

Bastianich
2004 COF Tocai Friuliano Plus (100% Tocai) citrus and white flower nose, smooth finish, very soft
2002 Vespa Bianca (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Picolit) named "Vespa" because when harvesting they had a wasp attack and the winemaker or someone got eight wasp bites and the wine was named Vespa because that is what he would have needed to get away (Vespa is also Italian for "wasp") almost buttery finish but very well-integrated and well-done

Prà
2003 Soave Classico (Garganega, Trebbiano Blanca) nice astringency, very drinkable
2003 Soave Classico Montegrande (90% Garganega, 10% Trebbiano di Soave) more fruit in finish than Classico, so far these two are my winners of the day

Vigneto delle Terre Rosse Enrico Vallania
2001 Sauvignon Blanc (100% Sauvignon Blanc) zesty finish, very steely and brassy, reminded me of a Gruner

Marotti Campi
2004 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jessi Luzano (100% Verdicchio) just bottled, has a clean hay-ey grassy nose, slightly tight, probably because it was just bottled
2001 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jessi Classico Superiore Salmariano)(100% Verdicchio, 20 percent in oak) heartier, fuller than the Luzano with some extra spice, dry bitter finish, very nice
2003 Lacrima di Morro d'Alba Orgolio (100% Lacrima) very floral red berry nose, almost flowery flavor, even, along with the berry flavor, Lacrima is mostly indigenous to the area (Marche) so you won't see this stuff a lot

La Boatina
2004 Collio Ribolla Gialla (100% Ribolla Gialla) unusual nose, slightly musty old book smell, not TCA but like old papers
2003 Collio Pinot Grigio (100% Pinot Grigio) almost like white chocolate, marzipan on nose, lots of acidity to uphold the heavy flavor and aromas

Santi
2004 Sortesele Pinot Grigio (100% Pinot Grigio) musty marzipan nose (like a combo of the last two!), starts out acidic and turns into vanilla goo at the end, very creamy finish
2002 Valpolicella Classico Superiore (Ripasso) I enjoyed it quite a lot, had a burst of clean flavor in the finish, good astringency/acid

Cave du Vin Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle
2004 Valle d'Aosta Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle Rayon (100% Prié Blanc)
2004 Valle d'Aosta Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle (100% Prié Blanc) good labels foamy, looks unfined and unfiltered, girly flowery nose, finish ends up creamy lemony

Zenato
2003 Lugana Vigneto San Benedetto (100% Trebbiano di Lugana) reticent nose but a lot of vanilla in mouth
2000 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Corvina, Rondinella, Sangiovese, according to book) a little closed up, vague black fruit and astringency, kind of one-d, probably needs some more time

Tasca d'Almerita - Regaleali
2003 Leone d'Almerita (Catarratto, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay according to book, I noted Inzolia and Chardonnay at the table) a nose like canned vegetables and then strangely lemony and fruity in the mouth, kind of odd combination
2002 Cygnus (Nero d'Avola, Cabernet Sauvignon) slightly green, mostly seems to behave like Cabernet

Marchesi Mazzei - Catello di Fonterutoli
2001 Chianti Classico Castello di Fonterutoli (85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot) a little too much bitters/quinine (?) and not a lot else going on in it
2002 Tenuta Belguardo (Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon) I liked it better than the previous but still kind of simple and like a "whonk on the head" (I wondered if the transition from white to red did the wine in here, but I didn't get a chance to revisit later, so I can't say for sure)

Allegrini
2001 Palazzo della Torre (70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara) dried grape sweet finish, a very dried raisiny plummy finish and a little too dried for me, nice tannins, though
1999 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (75% Corvina Veronese, 20% Rondinella, 5% Molinara) smells a little corked but pleasant in mouth if you can ignore that, very drying and intense
(people who wear all cream to Italian wine tastings are crazy)
2001 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (75% Corvina Veronese, 20% Rondinella, 5% Molinara) clean nose, berry, tarry, leathery, violet, nice finish that isn't too cloying

Di Majo Norante
2002 Biferno Rosso Ramitello (85% Prugnolo, 15% Aglianico) beeyooteful nose, green bell pepper, in the mouth it is bitter and stemmy (and I mean that nicely)
2004 Sangiovese (100% Sangiovese) leathery tea nose, a lot of fruit up front but then gets bitter with soft fuzzy tannins, tasty

Giuseppe Cortese
2000 Barbaresco Rabajà (100% Nebbiolo) lots of sediment, nose smells heavy dried fruit, light in mouth though
1996 Rabajà Riserva (100% Nebbiolo) looks like old coffee/tea, has a soapy floral nose

Prunotto
1999 Barolo Bussia (100% Nebbiolo) smells like heaven (black tarry flowers), not as cloying at finish, more astringent than the 2000
2000 Barolo Bussia (100% Nebbiolo) very tasty, very dried raisin/prune, a little much for me
2000 Barbaresco Bric Turot (100% Nebbiolo) nice, slightly too sweet/fruity at finish but I wouldn't kick it out of bed

Fattoria di Felsina
2001 Chianti Classico Rancia Riserva (100% Sangiovese) very well balanced
2001 Fontallloro (100% Sangiovese) more aggressive than Rancia, more tannin and astringency, makes your mouth tingle

Fontanafredda
2000 Barolo Fontanafredda Vigna La Rosa (100% Nebbiolo) tarry, berry, cherry, tarry, not too sweet or tannic
2002 Eremo Langhe (70% Barbera, 30% Nebbiolo)

Casanuova delle Cerbaie
2000 Brunello di Montalcino (100% Sangiovese Grosso) so so, too fruity at finish for me
1999 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (100% Sangiovese Grosso) slightly more tannic than the 2000, but similar in style

Palari
2002 Rosso del Soprano (Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Nocera e Calabrese) Sicily, has the funky nose I smelled last night that I can't quite place, Rob says it is blood, cigars, (I think it has some manure, too, because it has a sweet aroma), it is slightly fruity and then just fades off and disappears
2002 Faro Palari (Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Nocera e Calabrese) less sweet version of the nose the Soprano had, slightly lighter overall, had a nice fuzzy finish, and I enjoyed it

Ricardo Baracchi
2002 Ardito (Merlot, Syrah) 3rd wine with manure/blood/cigar nose
2003 Cortona Sangiovese Smeriglio (100% Sangiovese) nice tarry blackberry nose, nice tingly finish, prickly, I liked it a lot

Ruggeri & C.
2004 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Gold Label (Prosecco, Verdino, Bianchetta e Perera) floral nose, pleasant mousse, apples and citrus, zesty, slight sugar
2004 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze (100% Prosecco) slightly more reticent nose and then no more because there was a minor to-do as the poor lady at the Ricardo Baracchi table spilled red wine all over herself (she was wearing light clothes) and the Ruggeri guys gave her one of their aprons to wear to cover up

Cusumano
2003 Cubia (100% Inzolia) slightly ML finish, but pretty well-balanced and smooth, slightly too buttery on finish for me, but only a bit
2003 Sagana (100% Nero d'Avola) licorice, not tannic, easy drinking, simple

Fattoria Le Corti Corsini
2002 Chianti Classico Le Corti (95% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo e Colorino) it has the funky funky bloody nose, with a hint of manure, very smooth and soft finish, lots of sour cherry fruit, well done
2001 Chianti Classico Don Tommaso (85% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot) nose reticent, not much funk like the previous, pleasant lingering tobacco finish

Fratelli Alessandria
2000 Barolo tar and a floral element, violets or jasmine, big
2000 Barolo Monvigliero very tannic and heavy, I would store it for a time, classic tarry fruit

Academia dei Racemi
2003 Primitivo Manduria Giravolta (100% Primitivo) refreshing, not too spicy, pretty well balanced
2003 Susumaniello Sum (100% Susumaniello) old variety from Puglia, medicinal herbal nose, bite mid palate to finish like a Syrah, but wilder, with more funk

Albino Armani
2001 Corvara Vallagarina (Corvina Veronese, Cabernet, Merlot) well-balanced
2002 Foja Tonda Vallagarina (100% Casetta) sweet cardamom like an Australian Shiraz, bitter fruit followed by astringency

Anzivino
2001 Bramaterra(Nebbiolo 70%, Croatina 30%) much softer nose, no bloody funk like the Gattinara, lots of red fruit, with bitters and a fair amount of tannins
1999 Gattinara (Nebbiolo 100%) blood nose, lots of acid, not tannic, some sweet dried fruit (berry/cherry), it has a lot of things I like in it even if it is a little challenging

Sassotondo (loved this woman)
2001 San Lorenzo (100% Cigliegiolo) oak, lots of tannin, it is rugged, some funkiness with the nose, not as clear and pure fruit as the Rosso
2004 Sassotondo Rosso (70% Cigliegiolo, 10% Sangiovese, 10% Alicante) regular blend, very clear and pure berry, with a bite of spice at the end, all stainless, the nose is a little reticent

Tenuta Coppadoro
2002 Radicosa (100% Montepulciano) bitters, crushed rotting flowers, cigar and wood
2003 Pescorosso (85% Primitivo, 15% Nero di Troia) sweet candied leather, some cigar, in the mouth it is all about the big boom finish, lots of spicy tannins at end with slight bitter undertones

Cascina Adelaide
2000 Barolo Cannubi slightly hot but reticent nose, some tar, more cigarettes and cigars than other Barolos, nice acids at finish
2000 Barolo Preda reticent nose, sweeter, fruitier on finish, I prefer the Cannubi

Gianfranco Alessandria
2001 Barolo smoother than the Nebbiolo... could be better grapes, could be the extra year, could be both, very nice
2002 Langhe Nebbiolo leather and earth, it was very tannic and made me cough, even...in a few years it will be tasty but right now it will beat you up

Cà Viola
2003 Langhe Dolcetto Barturot soft cute fruit nose, no leather here, simple fruity, would be an easy drinker, fun

Veglio Mauro
2000 Barolo Vigneto Arborina roses and red fruit, not much tar, kind of a Barolo-lite, not a lot of tannins, fruity

Manara
2002 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Le Morete blood nose tempered by dried fruit, very delicate in the mouth, slightly warming, spicy, elegant
2000 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico more slight funk of the tobacco blood variety, dark and spicy and tannic

Castello di Neive
1999 Barbaresco Santo Stefano Riserva cypress and pine needles in nose

Pink out!

Put down your rosé predjudice and pick up a glass! RAP, the Rosé Avengers and Producers, will be holding a their first-ever tasting at Butterfly restaurant here in SF on July 18. This is an excellent chance to jump on the pink wine bandwagon, if you haven't already. I am very interested since I have been enjoying a lot of rosé lately and recently missed what sounded like a great tasting at K&L, and this should make up for that. I have had a couple of offerings (some this year, some last year or before that) from wineries on the list, and am looking forward to some comparison tasting.

(I am also working on getting Golden Glass written up, even belatedly, and hope that I will finish it this weekend. Transcription is tiring and studying is killing my brain.)