InMyCups

It’s time for an overview of wines number 9, 10, 11 and 12 from the 50 Project.  I’ll start with a couple of fine French reds.

First up is a 2009 Laurence Feraud Plan Pegau (from KD, JD and TD).  Talk about a lot of grapes in one bottle: the wine is a blend of 65% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 10% Carignan grapes with the balance a blend of Mourvedre, Merlot, Alicante and Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine Advocate gives this wine 87 points saying, “Essentially a high class Cotes du Rhone, this dark ruby blend of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, and Merlot exhibits lots of peppery, Herbes de Provence, black cherry, and earthy notes. It is a velvety-textured, fruity, classic example of a southern Rhone wine to enjoy over the next several years.”  The wine was medium-bodied and loaded with red fruits like cherry with a peppery finish.  Lovely.

Next is a 2009 Chateau Lilian Ladouys Saint-Estephe Grand Vin (from LD and CD).  Wow!  This French Burgundy (Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend) was absolutely delicious, with wonderful red fruits on the palate balanced by licorice.  It was also gorgeously dark ruby in the glass.  The wine is medium-bodied and soft, but with a fantastic long finish.  I hate to pick favorites, but this was of mine so far in this 50 Project journey.

Now to the whites.  Mr. GP presented me with a delicious 2008 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres.  This crisp French Chenin Blanc had wonderful pear/peach overtones with a great mineral quality.  The Wine Advocate gives this beauty 92 points.

And last but not least: a 2009 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Calcaire (from SE and AE).  I know almost nothing about German wines but they intrigue me.  Perhaps an exploration of German wines should be on my blog agenda at some point soon (and I can enlist the help of Mr. Cups to help me decipher the labels).  The wine was very mineral-y, which I enjoy, with overtones of apple, grapefruit and pepper spices.  It had a great aroma of spices and flowers.  (92 points from Wine Spectator, BTW, so I’m really drinking the good stuff here.)

True dat!

Words to the wise with this guest post from Wine Gal.  A good trick to know heading into warmer weather season.  Thanks, WG!

If this warm weather has caught you off guard and you’ve failed to move your summery whites over to your refrigerator’s wine bin (otherwise known as the produce drawer), I’ve got a magic trick to get that room temperature Sancerre down to a drinkable chilled quaff in no time flat.  7 minutes flat to be exact.

Just stick that warm bottle in a bucket.  Add some ice.  Add some cold tap water.  Now for the magic….throw in a handful of TABLE SALT!!…..go change into linen and flip flops and by the time you come back, that bottle will be perfectly chilled.

Three more “50 Project” wines to report on in today’s blog.

First was a 2010 Layer Cake Shiraz (from dear friends LR and JR).  The Layer Cake (a perfect wine name for a birthday, IMO) was a dark red in the glass, with a fabulous mushroom/leather aroma.  I tasted hints of vanilla and pepper in the mouth, and the wine had a nice long finish.  Wine Spectator awarded this wine 88 points, saying:  “An earthy wine, showing a strong tar and black olive component to the dark berry flavors, finishing with a refreshing balance.”

Next up was a 2009 Louis M. Martini Cabernet (from my longtime Red Sox partner in crime, BP).  This was a perfectly elegant Cabernet: a gorgeous garnet red in the glass, with aromas of tobacco and smoke.  The wine had great tannins with a long finish.  According to the Louis M. Martini web site:  “This wine exhibits a deep burgundy color with intense aromas of cassis, sweet herbs and hints of pipe tobacco. Intriguing flavors of ripe black cherries, deep, briary red fruits, and old world complexities linger throughout the finish. This is a well structured and balanced wine that is medium-to-full-bodied and is ready to enjoy now or can be aged up to 5 years.”  (InMyCups note: sounds like I drank this beauty at exactly the right time.)

Lastly, a 2007 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley’s Oakville region (from the fabulous PS and LS).  The wine (from “Purpura Vineyard” – bit of an inside joke) was outstanding: big, bold and beautiful.  Wine & Spirits magazine gave this Cab 92 points, saying: “From the Groth family’s estate vineyards, this has the lush fruit of a classic Oakville cabernet. The structure is lean and firm, with purple and blueberry fruit running straight through it. Sleek mineral tannins keep it tight, revealing a profile that will expand over time in bottle.”

The 50 Project bounty continues in my next post: wines 9 and 10.

I’m turning my attention back to some catch-up blog posts focused on the wines from my “50 Project.” As you’ll recall, these wines were gifts from dear friends for my 50th birthday. I’ll attempt to honor them by sharing my tasting notes so others can look for these labels in their local stores and give them a try.

Let’s focus this post on three outstanding whites.

First was a 2010 Ponzi Pinot Gris (a gift from my sweet BC-D). I love a dry Pinot Gris and this one was perfection in the glass. Ponzi is one of Oregon’s leading Pinot Gris producers and this wine features grapes from eight of its vineyards across Willamette Valley. I found this wine to be very fruit-forward without being at all sweet, with great aromas of tropical fruits. It was acidic and nicely lemony. Some words from Wine Enthusiast, which rated this wine 90 points: “Bright with scents and flavors of apples and pears, this fresh and spicy young wine is bone dry, moderately low in alcohol and utterly delicious. It couldn’t be more refreshing. Best Buy.” I’ll be on the lookout for more of this as a summer staple.

Next, let’s talk about two very different interpretations on Chardonnay. My little friend, JB, sent along a 2010 Domaine Cheveau Macon Solutre-Pouilly, hailing from France’s Burgundy region. Banish any idea of the buttery, oaky California Chardonnays most of us know: this wine was produced all in stainless steel, with a hint of creamy sweetness to it. It was also a paler yellow than most US Chardonnays. All in all, very lovely.

Last but not least was a 2009 Calera Chardonnay from California’s Central Valley, a gift from HK and BK. The Calera was more typical of a classic California chardonnay, with lovely aromas of vanilla and just the right amount of oak and butter, with some good acidity. According to the International Wine Cellar: “Greenish gold. Ripe pit fruits and melon on the nose. Supple, sappy and precise, offering lively honeydew and white peach flavors, with a touch of orange. A fruit-dominated, juicy wine that finishes with very good breadth and cling. This would be a great by-the-glass wine.”

Thanks, everyone! My next post will focus on some 50 Project red wines that hit the spot.

A little treat from a dear friend enjoying the overseas life.  How very true!

Wine Gal recently called my attention to the 90+ Cellars label. 90+ Cellars describes its offerings as “wine with a pedigree of high ratings from the world’s most respected wineries that you can buy for a fraction of the original cost.”

It works like this: the team at 90+ Cellars searches the world for great wines (red, white and sparkling) that other producers can’t sell and need to move. They then buy that surplus wine, “white label” it with the 90+ Cellars name and sell to customers at a significant discount price. While you’ll never know the pedigree of the particular wine you’re drinking (apart from the vintage and country/region of origin), 90+ Cellars only carries finished wines that have received a gold medal or a 90-plus rating in a past vintage from a wine industry trade publication such as Wine Spectator. So you know you’re drinking the good stuff. Sounds like a fantastic formula to me.

My introduction to 90+ Cellars came in the form of two French wines.

The first is what they call their 2011 “French Fusion, Lot 65” from the Languedoc region in the south of France. French Fusion is a blend of the Vermentino (50%), Marsanne (20%), Rousanne (20%) and Viognier (10%) grapes. 90+ Cellars describes the wine as such: “Like a summer breeze in a glass, this white is full of brisk citrus fruit mixed with hints of peaches, lightly roasted almonds and wild herbs.”

The wine was a bright yellow gold in the glass, with a nice mineral finish. The description made me think the wine might be on the sweet side, but I found it to be relatively dry and nuanced. I’d love to try it again on the patio this summer.

90+ Cellars retails French Fusion, Lot 65 on its site for the bargain price of $11.99.

My second 90+ Cellars experience was with its 2011 “Cotes Du Rhone, Lot 30.” The wine is a blend of Grenache (75%), Syrah (20%) and Mourvedre (5%) grapes hailing from a vineyard in the south of France. The wine was a gorgeous ruby red in the glass, with excellent tannins and a long finish. 90+ Cellars says, “In the nose, you’ll find concentrated aromas of wild cherry and blackberry fruit alongside more exotic flavors of anise, white pepper, cocoa, and fig. Full but firm in texture with a burst of berries and spice on the palate.”  I do love a spicy red!

The Cotes Du Rhone also retails on the 90+ Cellars site for $11.99.

I’ve spotted the 90+ Cellars wines at shops throughout the Greater Boston area, including Arlington’s new Mystic Wine Shoppe. 90+ Cellars’ wines can also be purchased online. Shipping is free if you order at least $300 worth of wine and case discounts are also available. I’m really looking forward to sampling more of their varied selection in the weeks to come.