INTRO TO BORDEAUX -$14.99

My first bottle of the elusive "Bordeaux" is a 2000 DOMAINE DU MOULIN A' VENT- GRAVES- 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon- bought for $14.99 at K&L Wine Merchants in Hollywood, CA.

Yes, I realize how diverse the wines of this region are and that there are wine snobs who wouldn't consider a Bordeaux in this price range worth drinking. 

Armed with the October 15 2008 issue of WINE SPECTATOR and its nifty EUROPEAN VALUES GUIDE, I was inspired to try a Bordeaux that scored in the upper eighties, but cost less than 15 bucks. 

My winesmith had the CHATEAU ROLAND LA GARDE 2005- Which WINE SPECTATOR gave 88 points- I was advised that though the La Garde is a terrific wine and 2005 a well known vintage- For someone trying to learn about Bordeaux on a budget- The 8 years that the 2000 Moulin a' Vent had in the bottle would allow me to experience more of the nuance that Bordeaux is known for and still spend less than 15 bucks.

ONTO THE WINE..... The Domaine Du Moulin a' Vent has a bright and clear crimson color. Wet wood, ripe poisonous berries, mineral rich Earth, and animal scents come to mind as I inhale the fragrance of this mysterious woman.

This severe, shadow eyed lady is definitely in her forties (Not literally). Long and slender, but ample in the right places, she is unimpressed with me and in no rush to reveal anything or convince me of her worth... Her arms are folded, but I inhale deep and she shows me her wild raspberries and tobacco. She is a heavy smoker, but I don't mind. The French get away with so much...

I'm going to taste the wine now....

Wow. Metallic, mineral, tobacco, and dirt- I can taste the dirt of Graves. There is an almost electric warming sensation, but at a mere 12% is that the alcohol..? Strange...

8 years in the bottle has softened the tannins nice. The softness of the wine (60% Merlot) is met with a firm and vibrant acidity (20% Cab/ 20% Cab Franc). Tart, vaguely ripe cherries dance in the background. 

This is not a sweet or fruity wine. Wood, Earth, and mineral dominate, but there are hints of wild elderberries (what the hell is an elderberry..?) I'm not sure, I just mean berries that grow wild and are lean and not very sweet...

The finish is really satisfying.... Lingering... This is where she shows me her curves and gives me something to hold on to. Wood, but not sweet American Oak. It's wet wood from the old world- mineral, metallic, rain soaked wood... And raspberries... My g-d the raspberries... Wild European raspberries soaking in muddy mineral rich spring water...

She is clearly of good breeding, having emerged from tradition, history, a process, language, and place that even at a mere $15.99 puts me- and my blog on affordable new world Trader Joe "sugar bombs"- in my place...

YET, she has no qualms complimenting my cracked pepper turkey sandwich... She reminds me that you don't need a filet mignon or stink cheese to enjoy good wine. Cold cuts and rye bread offer a canvas for her to stretch out on.  I prefer not to over think what food to enjoy with what wine. The cold baked beans with crushed pita chips on the side of my sandwich are a match made in heaven with this rouge.

She has opened up a lot in the last 30 minutes, allowing me to appreciate her balance of both velvety and vibrant. The lingering finish is so nice... Meaty, animal, wood, and metallic.

I would not call this wine full bodied. Cab and Merlot grow differently in this part of the world. This wine is layered and robust but not heavy and full bodied. 

A lovely wine... I'm going to take a cold shower now.

Thanks for reading.

-Kurt

JAPANESE COMICBOOK INFLUENCES ASIA'S GROWING WINE MARKETS

The comicbook images that you see posted on THREE BUCK CHUCK are from THE DROPS OF THE GODS- a Japanese "manga series" that has become a major force in the wine markets of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and urban China.

I first read about DROPS OF THE GODS in the New York Times (October 22, 2008) in an article written by NORIMITSU ONISHI.

The series, which has yet to be translated into English, tells the story of Shizuku who has rebelled against his father, a famous wine critic, by refusing to drink wine and working instead for a brewery. When Shizuku's father suddenly dies he leaves in his will a description of the 12 bottles of wine that he considers the greatest in all the world- (I think they are all French)--
Shizuku must drink, enjoy, and study wine, in order to find the 12 wines described in his father's will before his brother- who happens to be a sommelier- finds them. Whoever identifies the 12 bottles first will inherit father's legendary wine collection.

The comic appears every Thursday in Japan in a magazine called the "Weekly Morning" and has been compiled into 17 books so far- becoming a phenomenon in parts of Asia where people are just beginning to drink wine on a mass-cultural scale.

Onishi reports that Japanese and Korean wine sellers in stores and on websites monitor the comic and purchase their inventory according to the wines that Shizuku praises or criticizes- always showcasing the wines that Shizuku embraces. There is often a demand so large for a particular wine that it simply cannot be met.

One of the greatest things about the comic is how the hero describes wine and the illustrious images that accompany those descriptions. Onishi captures a description in the following:

"Sipping a 2001 Bordeaux from Chateau Mont Perat, a bead of sweat trickling down his left cheek, Shizuku Kanzaki is suddenly overwhelmed with images of turntable, guitars and Freddie Mercury..."

Here's a quote translated from the comic:

"It's powerful," he says of the wine, "but it also has a meltingly sweet taste, with an acidic aftertaste that catches you by surprise. It's like the voice of Queen's lead vocalist, sweet and husky, enveloped in thick guitar riffs and heavy drums."

The comicbook creators say that they are not interested in traditional sommelier jargon and claim to have no wine-tasting credentials- but rather say that they're INTERESTED IN DESCRIBING WINE FROM THE AVERAGE DRINKER'S PERSPECTIVE.

Also according to Onishi of The New York Times, "The series has evoked images as disparate as the painting 'The Angelus' by Jean-Francois Millet (to explain a wine's richness and a marsh north of Tokyo (to describe a difficult yet rewarding vintage)."

Though they may not be inclined to admit the Comic's influence- swarms of people in Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan are talking about Terroir and how a bottle will pair with what for dinner- AND above all else they are buying and enjoying wine.

The creators of the comic are a middle aged brother and sister duo- Yuko Kibayashi, 49, and her brother Shin, 46 who write under the pseudonym Tadashi Agi. They came up with the idea for the series while collaborating on another comic. According to Onishi, "...during their work session, their spirits ran high as the wine flowed..." The brother and sister team have long been wine lovers who tend to a 3,000 plus bottle collection.

Unfortunately, the comic has not yet been translated into English. It has, however been translated into French where volumes of the comic are quite popular- Shizuku seems to believe that God's Drops only land in France- and not in the new world.

Onishi's quotes Yuko Kibayashi describing American wines in his NYTimes article as follows:

"They're too simple. Wines are like human beings. The first time you meet, instead of being all smiles and wanting to become friends right away, there has to be some formality, some conversation, before gradually becoming close.... WHEN YOU OPEN AN AMERICAN BOTTLE, IT'S ALL BIG SMILES..."

Here is a link to this very intersting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/dining/22comic.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin

Now back to sampling wine...

-Kurt

SMOKING LOON- 2005 ZINFANDEL- $5.99 with Vons card

I am a fan of the Smoking Loon label art. It is smart and stylish, reminiscent of wood print etchings that could have come from ancient Persia or Greece- or simply that fictitious land where my fantasies of wine's mythic origins come to life and I can forget that I bought this mass produced juice at Vons for $5.99.

The wine has a nice ruby red color and welcoming aromas of dried fruit, toasted vanilla spice (probably from woodchips) and lingering red fruits.The taste is big, bold, and sweet with ripe cherries and a persistent but not overpowering black pepper note. There are good balanced tannins, a nice rounded finish, with lively acidity. For $5.99 the wine really tastes good- certainly on the sweet side- but the finish doesn't let you down and the acidity would pair well with red meat and hearty pasta dishes.

*15 minutes later- "This wine is too sweet and syrupy..."

A wise man once told me that the last glass of a truly great wine is as good or better than the first. Are there truly great wines for under $15 - ABSOLUTELY! I think.... And I will find them... Very often a wine like this Zin will hook you with those first few sips because of their high sugar content, but after that first glass they will often be too sweet and syrupy.

This wine suffered from that by the end of the second glass, but a bowl of Bolognese may have helped the problem. I was eating wheat thins...

The wine uses select grapes from the Central Coast of the great state of California- Paso Robles, Mendocino, Monterey, Clarksburg, and Lodi.

Smoking Loon is a label of "3 Loose Screws"- a division of Don Sebastiani and Sons. This is a company I am interested in as they source grapes from around the world, bottle them, and market them within the American Table Wine price range I am interested in. They have a very cool, informative, and user friendly website with lots of details. They also have some pretty smart looking labels and clever names for their wines.

They claim to be the "Next Generation In Wine".
http://www.donandsons.com/threeloosescrews/

In a future blog I will breakdown the various types of wine characterizations... From fictional places and celebrities to animals and novelty concepts....

Here is how 3 Loose Screws describe their Smoking Loon 2005 Zin on their website:

"This Zinfandel has rich purple color with aromas of fresh figs, dark cherries, and subtle rosemary notes. Rich and structured, our Zinfandel has dark chocolate, espresso, wild game, and dried cherry finishing with blackberry compote and integrated French oak."

HAAS NOTES: Didn't catch that rosemary- but like the idea of it. I love "wild game" as an aroma and will be on the lookout for it from now on... I agree about the "dark chocolate"... I am sorry I missed that... "Blackberry compote"... is a very cool description worth borrowing.., "Integrated French oak" probably means woodchips are sprinkled on top, as it ages in stainless steel vats. For the price it is hard to believe that this wine spent any time in a barrel... But I could be wrong...

I am new to this and learning every day... Thanks for reading...

-Kurt