Sunday, May 4, 2014

Latour Marsanny 2010


Name:Latour Marsanny 
Variety:Pinot Noir
Year: 2010
Price: $17.95
Region:Burgundy
Country:France

http://www.louislatour.com/ review-  With a lovely ruby colour, our Marsannay Rouge 2012 offers an expressive nose full of spiced red fruit aromas (raspberry). An ample and supple wine in the mouth revealing a fresh and lasting finish

My Review: I liked this wine a lot.  The nose is earthy like a stable with a hint of raspberry.  The mouthfeel was light on the heat and well balanced.  The finish is short bitter and acidic.  I enjoyed the complexities of this wine.  I did not taste this with food. 

Juliet Primo Amore


Name:Juliet Primo Amore
Variety: 70% Garganega and 30% Moscato.
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95
Region:Verona
Country:Italy

Winelegacy.com Review-Has an enchanting floral perfume as alluring as a bouquet of spring flowers. One taste of this lovely wine and you’ll be enamored of the intense crushed grape and white peach flavors that dance across your palate in perfect harmony with the delicate bubbles, crisp acidity and whispery sweetness.

My review- I really enjoyed this wine, especially with the warmer weather!  It was hard to pin point the nose because they were floral rather than fruity which I can identify quicker.  The  finish is butterscotch with a great little fizz on the mouth feel.  Not too sweet but definitely a light easy wine to drink alone.  I did not taste this with food. 

Trimbach Riesling


Name:Trimbach Riesling
Variety:Riesling
Year: 2012
Price: $22
Region:Alsace
Country:France

international wine cellar review- 87 Points 
($20) Pale bright yellow. Restrained aromas of ginger, caraway seed, underripe pineapple, flowers and crushed stone, with a riper note of peach emerging with air. Dense, juicy and penetrating, with good texture and weight for a basic bottling. Finishes a bit warm, but there's no shortage of flavor here.

My Review: I was really excited to try this winery's riesling.  The nose was fruity, a tropical fruit.  The taste itself was not as impressive as I was hoping for (maybe the vintage?).  The mid palette was short and sweet followed by a sour and very acidic finish.  The finish was too strong and overpowered a lot of the subtle earlier tastes.  I did not taste this with food.  

Logos Rosado


Name:Logos Navarra Rose
Variety: 42% Barrel Fermented Garnacha (4+ months), 28% Garnacha with no oak and 30% Tempranillo
Year: 2012
Price: $4.95
Region:Navarra
Country:Spain

Timeless Wines Review-Light strawberry with copper tones proceeding from the barrique. Mature red fruits aromas, creamy spicy touch and with vanilla bottom. Ample in mouth, filling it of fruit flavors of the variety, With a slight touch of good oak. Excellent balance between alcohol and acidity.
Enjoy it well chilled (8°C = 50°F)

My Review:This was a dry rose which I have never tasted before.  The nose is sweet and strawberry notes.  The taste is much different.  It is very dry for a rose and it was pretty heavy on the heat or alcohol side as well.  Not very well balanced between taste and heat.  The finish was dry and creamy.  Interesting but not one I would try again.  I did not try this with food.

Ca Momi Napa Valley Chardonnay


Name:Ca Momi Chardonnay
Variety:Chardonnay
Year: 2012
Price: $16.95
Region:Napa Valley, 
State:California

Winemaker's Notes:Ca' Momi Chardonnay is a luscious wine with intense pineapple and tropical fruits, citrus and pear, framed by caramel and creamy vanilla notes. Complex touches of butterscotch balance a zesty acidity and a long oaky buttery finish. Stylish and balanced, this is a crisp chardonnay for people who want to taste the flavor of the grapes!

My Review: The nose had hints of pear.  The taste of the mid palette has an acidic bite that cut the sweetness of the initial taste.  My favorite part was the finish which was creamy and buttery,  A complex wine for chardonnay.  I did not taste this with food, 

Brewery Visit-Yard Brewery, Philadelphia

Brewery Visit
Yards Brewery, Philadelphia, Pa

On Saturday May 3 I finally made it down to Yards Brewery on the docks of the Delaware River in Philadelphia.    I have been enjoying Yards Brawler for a while and was excited to see where it was made and taste some brews right off the tap.  It is located in an old furniture warehouse that later became an  underground skate park, so the actual building was pretty cool itself.
The Walt Whitman Bridge from NJ to PA
Me outside after we finally parked


pictures of all the decor in the tasting room
Samples of ESP and our tour tokens


We entered through the tasting room with a Korean food cart right outside.  As we entered we were given a tasting of the ESP , extra special ale brew.  They describe it as their first brew, ESA helped establish a following for cask ale in the 90s.  East Kent Goldings gives this English style ale a subtle spiciness, complimenting the strong malt backbone.  Deep chestnut colored, hints of chocolate and caramel. 6.0% ABV.  This ale was good and light.  I did pick up on any of the chocolate of caramel flavors but I did taste the hops and an acidic cut.  This beer was simple and interesting.  Not my favorite tasting of the day.


A tasting of the grand Cru on tap
The next beer I tasted was the Grand Cru from the bar.  The bar and tasting room were pretty busy but we only had to wait 15 minutes for a tour on a Saturday afternoon.  At the bar we could ask for free samples of any of the beers on tap.  The first one we chose was the Grand Cru Belgian Style Ale.  Yards describes it as  "We craft our Grand Cru with pilsner malt imported from Belgium and use a classic yeast from the same iconic brewing nation. A subtle malt profile compliments the fruity esters produced by this distinctive yeast. A blend of noble hops adds just a touch of aroma, nicely rounding out this deep golden, slightly tart, effervescent delight. 
STYLE Belgian Strong Ale ABV 9.9% SIGNIFICANT INGREDIENTS Belgian pilsner malts and a classic Belgian yeast"
I really enjoyed this beer.  It reminded me of some of the hefeweizen I had in Germany.  I subtle floral and fruity mid palette with a tart or acidic finish.  I barely detected heat from alcohol even though it has a high amount.  I would definately buy this if I found it in the store or go back just to get in on tap.  


Chocolate Love Stout
The next beer I tried is the one I ordered (in plastic so I could sip it on tour) is the Chocolate Love Stout.  I really enjoy Brooklyn's Chocolate Coffee stout so I wanted to compare the two.  All drafts are only 5 dollars, which is a great deal for any city and they are all on tap!  The first thing I noticed about this stout is how thick it is.  Much thicker in consistency to the brooklyn stout.  This beer was filling, so unfortunately I will have to save the food cart visit for next time.  It had big chocolate, caramel, and vanilla flavors.  I wished I ordered it later because it is so bold and full bodied it was hard to taste beers after it.  Yards Brewery describes it as "Passionately brewed with over 200 pounds of pure, 100% cacao Belgian dark chocolate, this irresistibly smooth stout explodes with the taste and aroma of rich, dark chocolate goodness. This deep black beauty will seduce you with her roasty maltiness and hints of vanilla and caramel.
STYLE Stout
ABV 6.9% "


My Boyfriend got the Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale 
I obviously had to try his draft as well.  Compared to my thick stout this ale was light and refreshing.  I tasted notes of a wheat beer.  It was simple but great for afternoon drinking.  Yards describes it as "This powerful and complex golden ale pays homage to Founding Father and fellow brewer, Thomas Jefferson. Yards Brewmaster, Tom Kehoe, worked closely with Philadelphia’s historic City Tavern to recreate this recipe, employing honey, rye, and wheat, just like the beer Jefferson made at Monticello.
STYLE Strong Golden Ale
ABV 8.0%" Again I did not taste this with food because I was full of beer.
We finally began the tour, with more samples of beer at the start.  I tried the Yards IPA.  It was hard to pick up on all the notes after drinking the love stout but as with most IPA's i picked up on the hops , fruit, and acidic notes.  It was not overwhelmingly hopped up which I really enjoyed.  Yard's describes it as "Standing firmly on the east coast end of American IPAs, our India Pale Ale emphasizes balance. An insistent malt character from traditional floor-malted English barley harmonizes with a generous amount of Chinook and Amarillo hops. Fruity and aromatic, our IPA is perfectly balanced. STYLE India Pale AleABV 7.0% /"

Free samples at beginning of tour

The Masher

Old bourbon barrels to age the barley wine ale

fermentors

kegs!

how the beer is kegged and bottled

The tour guide was very entertaining.  If you ever go try to get a tour from Mike, he was informative and very funny.  I really enjoyed how he described boiling the starch.  He compared it to caramelizing onions, instead of cooking them on a high heat.  Caramelizing on a lower heat lets out more sugars, the more sugars the yeast can eat the higher the alcohol content.  Just like caramelized onions are sweeter than just sauteed.  He also talked about how some of the Yard's recipes are from the founding fathers original recipes.  Lastly Mike described to us how they recycle the starches (barely, rye, wheat) to a bakery and to a farm.  They use bread from the bakery that uses their recycled grain for bread on the sandwiches they serve in the tasting room.  They also use bison from the farm they give grain to as a dish in the tasting room. I thought that was an interesting concept similar to terroir, or the grain. 

Chocolate Stout and Thomas Jefferson's tavern Ale



Me in front of the Brewery

I really enjoyed the bar and decor






wine dinner


A few Sundays ago my roommate Trey and our friend John all worked together on a wine and food feast.  I have been experimenting with perfecting a whole wheat homemade pizza crust for a while and thought this would be a great opportunity to pair a wine with one.  Above is a picture of the dough (made with greek yogurt, whole wheat flour, and baking powder!) I used the wine bottle as a replacement rolling pin.  


John brought Simi, Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma County, California 2012 vintage to pair with Bruschetta as an appetizer.  The wine nose was floral and grapefruity.  The taste is filled with grapefruit cut by acidity and heat.  It had a short finish.  The Bruschetta was made with toasted baguette pieces topped with freshly diced tomato and white onions.  He finished it with mozzerella and a balsamic vinaigrette.  The wine did not overpower the fresh tomato and onion and the balsamic vinaigrette complimented the acidity of the wine perfectly.  



Now the pizza!  I made a whole wheat pizza crust that I topped with a spinach artichoke cheese reduction I found on pinterest.  This sauce IS RICH.  It is packed with cream, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese.  I also added some garlic, red pepper, and oregano which added some spice.  I chose to make this pizza then I decided to find a wine to pair with it.  I wanted a wine that would compliment some of the spices and cut the rich buttery cheese.  I chose Pepperwood Grove Cabernet Sauvignon.  It has a best wine value from the wine spectator and the name "Pepperwood" appealed to me since I was looking for earthy and spicy notes.  The nose has berries, little bit of spice, and vegetal.   The taste brought out that vegetal nose and pepper in the mid palette.  The mid palette flavors brought out the spinach and artichoke tastes in the pizza.  The tannic finish cut the rich cheesy flavors.  The dryness compliments the cheesiness.  It is a simple wine but it paired well with the complex flavors of the dish.


The last pairing was a dish by my roommate Trey.  Trey put in a lot of prep time and made some delicious Burritos for us.  John and I watched him work hard while we continued to snack on pizza and bruschetta with wine.  I thought it was interesting Trey chose a sweet wine to pair with his mexican dish.  He chose Fetzer Riesling 2012.  The nose had pear, melon, and peach notes.  Very fruity and sweet.  I tasted peaches, light carbonation on the mouth feel, little to no heat or tannins.  The light body paired well with the spicy black bean, jalapeno, chilis, and jack cheese.  It complimented the dish well because their opposite flavors brought out the sweetness of the wine and the spicy and salty components of the burritos, especially the cumin.  The mouthfeel was the best part because the spiciness was cut by the sweet fizzy mouthfeel of the wine.