Cycles Pair

Hello Wine Lovers!
This weekend I thought I would not only treat you to a couple of good wines to drink but also a little info about cork... the other white meat. Oh, sorry, wrong ad... anyway what is cork? (If suddenly this blog comes to a short ending I wanted to tell you why. It is my anniversary and I am writing this while my beautiful bride is in the shower, so if I don't finish by the time she is ready... you get the picture.
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of generic cork tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber (the Cork Oak), which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. Cork is composed of suberin, a hydrophobic substance, and because of its impermeability, buoyancy, elasticity, and fire resistance, it is used in a variety of products, the most common of which is for wine stoppers. Portugal produces approximately 50% of cork harvested annually worldwide.There are about 2,200,000 hectares of cork forest worldwide; 32.4% in Portugal, and 22.2% in Spain. Annual production is about 300,000 tons. Once the trees are about 25 years old the cork is stripped from the trunks every ten years. The trees live for about 200 years. The first two harvests produce poorer quality cork.The extraction of cork place only during the period from early May to late August, when the cork separates more easily without causing damage to the tree. The first harvest from a young oak, the breaking-in, is done when the plant has about 25-30 years and a circumference of not less than 60 cm. Subsequent extractions occur at intervals of at least ten years, as required by regulations, but also 12-13 if the cork has not reached an acceptable size, and the product obtained is gentle cork that is used, if of good quality, for manufacture of cork stoppers.
The workers specialized for this job are the extractors whose tool is a very sharp axe that they use to make some cuts: one horizontal around the plant, called a crown or necklace, at a height of about 2-3 times the circumference of the tree, and two or three (but more if the tree is very big) vertical called rulers or openings. This is the most delicate phase of the work because, despite having a lot of force to impose the axe to cut the cork, while it must absolutely do not affect the underlying fellogeno, whose disruption leads to the destruction of the plant.
A good extractor must be able to use force and sensibility, and he must well recognized the physical characteristics of the cork who is going to extract in order to operate accordingly. I am willing to bet good money you had no idea that cork was basically a "bark" of a tree. The next time you open a bottle of wine... think about this blog. Ok, enough about cork, lets talk wine.
My entry today is two different varietals from Cycles Gladiator, a California producer who certainly has had some issues in the past. When they first hit the market they id some good things. Then the quality went downhill and I stopped drinking them. I revisited them last week and found the quality was back, so here we go. The Syrah and the Merlot is what I am talking about.
First off, you may ask, why the naked lady holding on to a bike? Well, it is a famous French poster used for advertising "Gladiator" a well know manufacture of French Bicycles. The French know what sells... naked ladies, so the rest is history!
The Merlot you will find a deep ruby color with an inviting mix of ripe fruit and earthy aromas. Juicy black cherry and blackberry flavors mingle with wisps of wood. The lush fruit is complemented by hints of tobacco, black licorice and spice. Slight tannins dance on the tongue, then tapers off, melting to a pleasant finish.
An excellent expression of the varietal, this full-bodied Syrah presents a pleasant combination of rich texture, solid acidity and velvety tannins.
This distinctive, Syrah elicits smoky-sweet aromas of ripe plum, wild berry and spice. Lush layers of dark fruit flavors are complemented by notes of savory pepper, harmonious oak and tobacco, and faint wisps of rose petals. An excellent expression of the varietal, this full-bodied Syrah presents a pleasant combination of rich texture, solid acidity and velvety tannins. You will not believe what is in your mouth for the money. Both of these wines are available at Binny's of the Wine Discount Center for, are you sitting down? $6.99 a bottle! This is just plain nuts! Hurry up and buy this stuff before they wake up and start selling for what they are worth!
Cheers!
J

Paso Robles Pair

Hello Wine Lovers!
It is that time again... another wine posting. When do I have enough time to drink all these wines you ask? It is not easy and it's a dirty job but someone has to do it and why not me? So last night my wife and I cooked a wonderful dinner and of course during the cooking we drank a bottle of nice red wine and then when we set down to enjoy our labor, we had another matching wine! Both are from Rabbit Ridge Winery in Paso Robles California. A Region of California with far less money per acre and very high quality. The wines were Rabbit Ridge "Allure de Robles" which is a wine crafted after the famous Rhone Region in Southern France. It is a blend of
Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes.You will find this wine to be ruby red in color with aromas and flavors of ripe berry, plum, tobacco, and vanilla with a little herb thrown in on the finish. The second wine is Le Lapin Paso Robles "Speed Bump" which is a blend of Tempranillo and Alicante from Spain. Both of these wines sell for around $7.99 a bottle and you will not believe your taste buds! Tempranillo is a native red grape from Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja. Alicante is a cross of Petite Bouschet (itself a cross of the very old variety Teinturier du Cher and Ramon and Grenache. Teinturier, is a French term meaning to dye or stain and refers to a grape whose flesh and juice are both red in color. (Most red skinned grapes the juice is clear in color)Does that make sense?? Anyway...don't hesitate to try these wines out, you will not be disappointed! I purchased the wines from a small shop in Palatine but they should be available from our good friends at Binny's.

Cheers!
J

French Red

Hello Wine Lovers!
Today I decided to talk about a beautiful red wine from a lesser know region in southern France, Chateau Sainte Eulalie Minervois from the Languedoc-Roussillon region. I know what your thinking... how the heck can I possible pronounce this wine let alone know what it is. That is what I'm here for, believe me when I say this, it is worth the trouble! This wine will cost you $8.99 at your local Wine Discount Center (Binny's may have it or another value driven wine from the same Region. Just tell the knowledgable clerk you want a red wine from Minervois and he or she will know what you are talking about. This wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignon (notably a grape from this Region. You will find this wine to be very pleasing with fig, blackberry and currant flavors mixed with a little spice on the end. It has a nice soft finish and some nice earth tones on the nose. You won't believe your mouth! Trust me... go buy this! Now a little history of the area. My bride and myself had the pleasure to spend a few days in this area a few years ago and it is fantastic! Very few tourists and the surroundings are what dreams are made of!
Caunes-Minervois is located in the Languedoc-Roussilon area of southern France. The name "Languedoc" is a straight-forward contraction of "Langue d'Oc," the language of the troubadors. Oc, or Occitan, is still found in many place names and sometimes heard in speech, especially in the smaller villages.It is the largest walled city in Europe and is known for it's large Abbey. Pebbled top soil, with a high percentage of clay and limestone, rich in manganese is what the ground has to offer the grapes, and you will smell this in the glass. The name derives from the ancient regional capital of Minerve, some 20 km east of Caunes, itself named for the Roman Goddess Minerva. The Romans came through here, settling and introducing vines & olives in the region. Minervois Vignerons have been dynamic in changing the perception of the world towards wine from the south of France, developing quality products and experimenting with both old and new grape varieties and techniques.
Ok Ok, enough of this... go buy the wine and enjoy! Don't worry about pronouncing it correctly or what it is, print this if you have to and take it to the shop with you!

Cheers!
J

Value Cabernet

Hello Wine Lovers!
Value driven Cabernet you ask? Are you kidding me? I rarely find a Cabernet (at least from California) that is worth drinking for less than, let's say $15-20 range. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of value Cabernets out there, just not from the big state. Washington produces quite a few, but for the most part, domestic value Cabernets for less than $10 are few and far between. On the other hand, Cabernets from our friends south of the equator, lets say Chile and Argentina offer many more. I know, I know, many of you are about to go nuts! So just slow down and read on! Here is one for you to sink your teeth in... Chateau St Jean California Cabernet for about $10 at your closest Binny's. (With their growth pattern, I'm quite sure you have one fairly close) Anyway...Inviting aromas of blackberry, black tea and a little hint of leather are on the nose of this Sonoma County wine. The wine is concentrated with ripe fruit of dark berries and a full finish with very little tannins. For all you Napa Cabernet drinkers, this will do little for you, but for the rest of us... a nice little wine for the money! Now a little history of the winery according to their website. I have had the pleasure to visit this property and dine in their gracious dining room and I'm here to tell you, if you get the chance visit this property, you will not be disappointed!
In 1920, "The Chateau" was built as a summer home for Ernest and Maude Goff, and their children. The family, originally from Saginaw, Michigan, made their fortune in mining for iron and in lumber in the Pacific Northwest. The 250 acres of land now Chateau St. Jean vineyards were initially planted with white grapes. Prohibition curtailed grape growing, however, and the family, like many families in California during this crazy time, grew prunes and walnuts instead.
When Chateau St. Jean was established in 1973, the decision was made to preserve the Goff legacy. "The Chateau" was fully restored and opened to the public. It has since been listed in the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
2009 marked Margo Van Staaveren's 30th harvest at Chateau St. Jean as their wine maker. During her long tenure with the winery, Margo has played a pivotal role in every facet of the winemaking process. As winemaker, she makes the final decisions involving blend and style to produce consistently high quality wines in the super premium and luxury category. So as you can see, they do a lot more things than this entry level Cabernet but as I always say, anyone can produce a good bottle of wine for $50 but produce one for $10 that is worth drinking and you got something!

Cheers!
J