Laurenz V Gruner Veltliner Tasting

When the call came through on our direct
WOW Line extending an invitation to a dinner hosted by the famous Austrian wine maker, Laurenz Moser V, only three quarters of us were able to accept due to previous arrangements. It had been a while since we had been to a structured wine dinner together and even though Jules was missing it, the idea of having dinner with a member of the legendary Moser family had us all excited. Laurenz is the grandson of Professor Dr. Lorenz Moser III, the man who introduced the high trellessing system, named after him which changed vine-growing across Europe and greatly improving the quality of GrÜner Veltliner. In a nutshell, his granfather is some what of a legend in the wine business....

GrÜner is an indigenous grape of Austria and the most widely planted variety in Austria with most of it's success occurring in the north-east of the country. Laurenz concentrates solely on this grape and is committed to creating a dry white in many different styles of which we saw clearly the other night.

Upon arriving we tried the Laurenz V "Sunny" 2009 so named after one of his twin daughters(both pictured below), Anna. He explained to us that the style reflected her personality hence the name. It was fresh and as he put it himself "fun" and not too serious a wine although the typical varietal flavours were present such as peppers and tropical fruits; perfect as our aperitif.

With the starter of salmon, crab and fennel salad we enjoyed the Singing 2009 which is called after his other daughter, Sophie who is involved in the business. Both the Singing and Sunny are treated identically with the grapes just coming from different areas. I found the Singing to be slightly less zippy than the Sunny with more floral notes to it and a little rounder. We also tried the Friendly 2008 so called after his wife, we presume!Thjis had quite a burgundy nose to it, tropical notes which were soft and elegant on the palate with a certain creaminess and a spiciness to the finish.

I chose the Roast Loin of Pork with apricot and sage stuffing which worked amazingly well with the Silver Bullet 2008 . This was somewhat of a privilege to try as not only is it relatively new to the range but also unfortunately not available to purchase in Ireland.
It comes in a 50cl bottle which as Lenz explained to us is the ideal size for ladies lunching! Average age of vines for this particular wine is 35 years old and 40% of the wine is left in contact with the skins during fermentation as with red wine, something he learnt from his time working with Mondavi. This produces a deeper coloured white which has a certain nutty character to it and a fuller palate which worked well with the pork. There were also 2 vintages of the Charming served with this course, the 2007 & 2008. This wine is selected only from the best vineyards and is left on the lees for 6 months. I prefered the 2007 of the two as I found it to have more body yet still holding on to it's freshness. A buttery nose, could be confused as oak even though stainless steel was used. Minerality and spice on the palate with more citrusy flavours possibly grapefruit.

We had a gorgeous selection of Irish cheeses to finish the meal off and even older vintages of the Charming which blew the theory of GrÜner being a youthful wine right out of the water! The 2005 was still very zippy and had plenty of youthful acidity. Round tropical fruits on the palate but with some lemon in the background somewhere. The 2004 was the star of the night as far as I am concerned. Golden in colour with a fresh nose of pineapples and subtle vanilla. On the palate there is honeyed fruit with that typical gruner spiciness and possibly a good alternative for the Burgundy-drinker. The 2005 came across way more youthful than the '04 which might have something to do with the fact that the latter was under cork whereas the former is stelvin so it is ageing at a slower rate. It was a really interesting and enjoyable night with great food, fantastic wines and superb company.

I had heard it being said that GrÜner is set for world domination, knocking Pinot Grigio off it's perch on the way to the top, Lenz is obviously firmly behind this and after seeing the diversity of this grape and the quality of these wines, Cellars will be too. GrÜner is like an "all in 1" grape; in it's youthful form it sits nicely as an altenative to Sauvignon blanc, with a bit of lees ageing will really do IT for the Burgundy drinker and all along has the drinkability to suit the Pinot Grigio gluggers.

All together now ...GRÜNER, GRÜNER, GRÜNER....!!!

Till Next time

Clare
CELLARS,NAAS ROAD

ORGANIC ------- BIODYNAMIC -------- FAIRTRADE

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

The European Union definition of ORGANIC WINE is ‘wine made from organically grown grapes.’

Outside the EU,organic wine may be defined as ‘wine made from organically grown grapes’ or ‘organic wine’.

Organic farming is a form of agriculture which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators, and livestock feed additives. As far as possible, organic farmers rely on natural practices to maintain soil productivity, to supply plant nutrients, and to control weeds, insects and other pests.

Organic grapes generally come from two sources,land that has been returned to an organic state over a period of time or virgin land that has never been treated in the first place.

Producers of BIODYNAMIC WINE adhere to biodynamic agricultural principles.

These are complex but, in brief, they entail consideration of planetary

influences as well as the ecosystem.

Biodynamic producers aim to achieve a perfect balance in terms of consideration of wildlife, crops and the environment (celestial as well as terrestrial) with minimal or no intervention.

The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal. They receive a minimum price that covers the cost of sustainable production and an extra premium that isinvested in social or economic development projects.The interesting thing here is that these projects are based either in the poorest of cooperatives which can have a reduced ability to produce quality wine, due to the lack of modern wine making equipment or you have the modern cooperatives producing both fair trade and "ordinary" wines presumably paying more for the fair trade grapes...which seems very strange!

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John Duval,Entity 2006 Barossa Shiraz

John Duval is a legendary name, as only the third winemaker entrusted with managing the production of Australia's most famous and iconic wine Grange.

John has worked for Penfolds for 28 years (including 16 years as chief winemaker until his departure in 2002).

He set up on his own in 2003, sourcing fruit from some long time friends in the Barossa.

John was in Dublin last week and paid us in visit in our shop to show his 06 and 07 vintages of Entity and Plexus,(which is a Rhone blend)

His Entity 2006 stole the show for me hands down.The wine is aged in barrel for about 18 months. It is a wine with great complexity. On the palate it is powerful, rich, intensely flavoured with blackberrys, blueberries and a touch of spice. Its rich with tremendous flavour and balance, wonderful length

Powerful yet elegant is the only way i can describe it

Entity 06 won the international wine challenge Barossa red wine trophy in 08.

A classic Barossa that is well worth seeking our at 30 Euros a pop, its a real bargain considering the asking price for the current vintage of Grange is 250 Euro.

Cheers, Julie
JUS DE VINE, PORTMARNOCK

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Antares Sauvignon Blanc 2009

This really is a lovely glass of Sauvignon Blanc that can be opened day or night without a a qualm of conscience as to the price because it is really great value for money.
These grapes from Central Valley are able to ripen fully thanks to the excellent exposure to the sun, dry summers and a lack of rain at the time of harvest. All these factors ensure optimum fruit expression..

The 2009 Antares Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh young wine. It offers aromas of melon and pineapple with refreshing citrus notes of lime and grapefruit. The palate is soft and fruity with medium body and well balanced acidity.
This really is a vibrant zesty style of Sauvignon with lovely concentration .
Everytime I drink a glass of this my brain shouts… This wine is far too good to cost only €7.99 !

Antares Sauvignon Blanc recently received a well deserved NOFFLA Gold Star Award in Ireland.


Enjoy!Evelyn
THE VINTRY,RATHGAR

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Jean Leon Merlot 2004

On the 4th of August, 1962, Jean León  delivered a meal from his notorious restaurant in Hollywood to the tragic actresses, Marilyn  Monroe's home. He was one of the last people to see her alive and never spoke about the night again. Marilyn was a regular diner at his restaurant, La Scala, where she apparently sat at the same table (No.14) every night. On that particular night she had placed a phone call directly to Jean complaining of feeling ill and asked him to bring a meal to her house in Brentwood. The next day she was found dead. Marilyn was among many famous guests who frequented his restaurant including actors such as Paul Newman, Fred Astaire and Marlon Brando to name but a few.

 La Scala was the "in" restaurant to be seen in Beverly Hills and opened it's doors in 1953. Originally, the restaurant was a dream of León's and his best pal James Dean who was able to provide the financial backing through his successes in films such as "Rebel Without A Cause" and "East of Eden". Tragically Dean died before they were realised but León  was determined to fulfill them even despite of his heartbreak. He borrowed the money from a local bank and La Scala opened it's doors in 1956. Diners not only included legendary actors but also presidents such as Regan, Kennedy and Nixon however it was a far call from where León  had started.
 Originally from Santander in northern Spain, his childhood was tough but despite this he was determined to get on and stowed away on a boat to New York when he was just 19 years old. Jean (real name Ceferino Carrión) worked washing dishes bringing him from the East to the West coast where he eventually arrived in Hollywood where his luck changed! After a stint in the army which gave him citizenship he found work in Holywoods trendiest restaurant of the time, Villa Capri. He mingled with the stars here and struck up a friendship with Dean. It was around this time that he changed his name to Jean León as it was fashionable amongst the stars he hung out with to do so and presumably a lot easier to pronounce.

 In all his years in the restaurant business , Jean León (pictured far left)  still held out a dream to own his own vineyards and in 1964 this was fulfilled when he built his own winery in the Penedés region of his beloved Spain. He imported french varietals from some of the best Bordeaux chateaus such as Château Lafitte-Rothschild, La Lagune and Corton Charlemagne. He employed Jaume Rovira to work along side him and create elegant wines whilst staying away from the typicity of the region.

 This has been a wine that has been in Cellars for the last 3 years and while quite pricey at €24.99 still surprises me how it is not flying off the shelf. it has a beautiful cherry colour which disguises it's age well. on the nose it is full of cherry aromas, spice and evidence of oak ageing  . On the palate there is balckberries and cherries with refined tannins. Beautifully structured and smooth. T was away for a few days with her girlfriends so T was over for dinner in 66 and we really enjoyed this steak covered in ratatouille, baked potatoes and green salad.

Jean Leon spent his last 2 years on his boat, La Scala a Mare however Jaume Rovira still oversees all winemaking at the winery keeping up the standards that Leon built over his life. this is a truly unbelievable wine and behind it an incredible story of a man rising up and fulfiling his dreams.
Till Next time

Clare
CELLARS,NAAS ROAD

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WOW WINE GAZETTE 6

Well Known "Art Dealer"Caught Not Cooking Chicken

Reports are percolating through the grapevine that photographic evidence has emerged of Ms C O Sullivan well known "Art Dealer" and Chicken Connoisseur caught cooking something other than chicken, at a secret location somewhere in Ireland.

Ms O Sullivan is rumoured to have to lived predominantly on chicken for the first 49 years of her life and it is only when eating out that she manages to diversify her diet and eat other foods.
When questioned about this Ms O Sullivan is quoted as saying" I am just too polite to insist on chicken when I am invited to other peoples houses so I just grin and bear having to eat other foods.
It is not that I don`t like cooking ,in fact I adore it but unfortunately, I have such a busy lifestyle running my International Company that, I sometimes have to let my friends do it .
The truth is that it just makes them so happy to cook for me that I don`t like to object!

Ms O Sullivan has long been the flag bearer of food standards in both Ireland and the USA and is credited with giving Michael Moore the idea for his Mc Donalds film "SUPER SIZE ME" when he overheard her now ground breaking question to a counter assistant in McDonalds "What is the least fattening thing on your menu"?

In terms of wine consumption she holds herself to the same high standards and has consistently drank Pinot Grigio for the last 31 years. She is considered one of the worlds leading authorities on this grape variety.Extensive research,into this very "complex" wine style and it`s service, has yielded several research papers. Her latest paper entitled " TapWater versus Bottled Water and their impact on the taste of Pinot Grigio"is considered even more groundbreaking that her controversial paper published in 2009 entitled "Pinot Grigio and its impact on liver function".She is currently working on a paper entitled ""That`s loads" ! Ah okay just a little bit more Pinot Grigio "which promises to be a revelation


Ms O Sullivan we salute you for your dedication!

Guigal, Cote Rotie, 1982

Tom came over for his dinner on Tuesday. Well actually he brought the dinner and I cooked it, he also brought the wine. Tom obviously drew the short straw... I made the baked potatoes, green salad and ratatouille. He brought frozen steaks, a bottle of gas and a Guigal Cote-Rotie 1982!!
Tom loves Northern Rhone and as a lucky result of this we've tried some amazing vintages. This was no worse than any of the other great vintages from Mouline, Landonne or Turque.
We sat around and watched the sediment settle. The cork was soft and seemed very porous which worried me at first. If this wine had been corked our only alternative was a Michel Lynch 2005 that I have been drinking around for the last 2 years. No offence to Michel Lynch but it would be like booking your holidays to the Seychelles and ending up in the Irish quarter of Santa Ponsa.
It poured almost like a Burgundy, strawberry red in colour with little black flecks of sediment. The nose is incredible - ripe strawberry and soft summer fruits with a hint of mushroom and some gravelly earthiness. The palate is smooth and full bodied. A little bit of acidity on the finish. The typical earthiness of a good Rhone working perfectly in line with the soft ripe berry fruit - strawberry and cherry.
Drink this by the neck or in a glass, with a steak or a slice of pizza. To be honest, a bottle of wine like this is the meal. Once you taste something this special everything else plays second fiddle. So, if you're out to impress and cooking isn't your forte, spend your wage on a good Northern Rhone. It definitely makes frozen steaks on a Tuesday the most memorable meal in ages!!!
Thanks Tom, as always.
Ruth.