Planet Stoppenhagen

Wednesday Wine of the Week #16

2004 De Martino Organic Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley, Chile

Organic?? What are you a tree-hugger who now needs to even drink organic wine, too?? No. Not even close. Organic wines are all over the place. You just may not have known it while drinking it. Not a lot of wineries actually market or publicize the use of organic or bio-dynamic methods in their wine-making. In this case, organic-grown grapes are used in the making of this wine.

What exactly does this mean? Organic-grown grapes are just as you would think - no pesticides or fertilizers are used in the growing of these grapes. What is really worth noting is that Chile is a very unique wine-growing area of the world. With the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, the most common vine pests and diseases that plague the rest of the world are literally non-existent. So, on one hand, pesticides are not needed. Another reason that makes this wine organic is that no artificial yeasts are used in the fermentation of the grape. Grapes contain natural yeasts that are present on the skins. These yeasts combine with the natural airborne yeasts present in the cellar (crushing and fermentation rooms) during the crushing process.

Most wine makers will utilize these natural yeasts in conjunction with manufactured yeasts to boost the fermentation process. These manufactured yeasts are produced from natural yeasts, so there is no need to worry about unwanted chemicals in your wines. You could even think of it this way - that the naturally-occurring yeasts are "wild" and the manufactured ones are "domesticated". Organic wines simply only use the naturally-occurring yeasts.

Does it make a difference? Maybe. I think that the jury is still out on that and I also think that many winemakers would be strongly divided on the issue. I can tell you that this wine, the De Martino Cabernet is a really solid and well-made wine.

So on to the tasting notes...

Deep ruby red core leading out to a thin purple rim. Deep color intensity. A lot of thin steady legs surround the glass.

The nose is clean, pronounced and intense. The aromas that stand out are deep dark fruits like blueberries and blackberries. There are also scents of green-pepper and a leafy herbaceous quality. The wood notes are well integrated and combine nicely with the fruit aromas. This wine was made in 2004, so the wine is still developing and the aromas indicate the youthful nature of the wine, although it is far from being "green".

The wine is dry. The tannins are soft and velvety with no harsh cotton-mouth feel of the stronger tannic wines. The acidity is crisp and the alcohol is there, but it is soft as well. There is no harsh heat from the alcohol. The flavors that are dominating the palate are more of that fresh dark fruit - blackberries, blueberries and black currant. There are also some subtle spice notes such as vanilla and cloves. The oak, once again, is well integrated with the fruit in this wine and creates a nice harmony. The finish is long and brings out different profiles of the initial fruit components.

This is a great wine from a great wine-producing country. As far as South American wines go, you can find some great wines for much less than the cost of other lesser-quality wines from around the world. This is certainly one of them. You can find this wine for roughly $15.00 (certainly under $20). It is worth every penny. Worth searching for and asking your wine shop to help locate for you. By the way, if you are looking for a wine and your favorite shop does not carry it, just ask them to find it for you. Most shops get their wines from six or more different suppliers/distributors and will be able to simply make a few phone calls to locate the wine you are looking for.

Until next week, cheers!

Memorial Day Weekend

Summer is officially here, right? Sun, heat, BBQ's and hiking. Memorial Day kicks it off and this weekend didn't (hasn't) disappointed. Starting with a great BBQ on Saturday and then hiking in the mountains on Sunday, this weekend has been full of summer activities. Today is a zoo trip for Mom and Ethan along with Heather, Sofia and Nicholas Quiroga.

Click HERE to go to our Gallery pages to see some picks from the 'cue and the hike.

Massive Attack and Snow Patrol in Denver

I have had a few requests from folks asking for some pictures from the Massive Attack show in Denver in April and the Snow Patrol show here this past Tuesday night.

I have uploaded a few pictures onto the gallery. Click HERE to see them if you are at all interested.

Wednesday Wine of the Week #15

1918 Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Ok. Not your everyday wine. Not your every-century wine for that matter. It is not likely that you are going to be able to find this wine on your local shop's shelf. So why am I doing a WWW on something like this? Because, for one reason it is a rare opportunity to taste and experience something of this pedigree. Not only is Chateau Lafite one of the most famous of Bordeaux giants and a rare opportunity to enjoy, but it is amazing to have been able to drink one from 1918.

Last year, while we were still in England, my wine shop held a rare tasting of these wines. The wine shop where I work had the extreme good fortune of being able to acquire a substantial parcel of wine from a private collection. Substantial not in the actual quantity, but substantial in the context of rarity.

We were approached by a gentleman who had come across some wine that had belonged to his father. The father, being quite on in years, had no further interest in drinking the wine. Not being a wine drinker, the son had no interest in holding onto the wine or drinking it, either. He then set out to see if anyone would be interested in purchasing this wine from them. Luckily, we were one of the entities he contacted.

The wines that this gentleman had on offer were:
3 bottles 1914 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
2 bottles 1918 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
2 bottles 1948 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
1 bottle 1955 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
1 bottle 1957 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
1 bottle unknown vintage Chateau Lafite Rothschild
6 bottles 1981 Chateau La Cardonne (Lafite's 2nd wine from 1971 to the mid-1980s.
6 bottles Non-Vintage Bollinger Champagne (likely 25 years old).
3 bottles 1963 Cockburn's Vintage Port
1 bottle 1927 Taylor's Vintage Port

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is arguably one of, if not the premier Bordeaux producer. It is highly regarded and has been so for centuries. Even in bad years, top Bordeaux houses can produce phenomenal wines (with astronomical price tags to match). Given the state of the bottles - dirty, uneven fill-levels, missing labels, unreadable labels, poor cork, etc., the man was quite content on unloading the wine for a very reasonable price. When coming across an opportunity, we could not pass it up and bought all of it. We then invited a group of highly distinguished clients and customers of ours and hosted a dinner to showcase these wines. Yes, we opened them all! Unbelievable.

Here are the tasting notes for the two bottles from the 1918 vintage...

"Two bottles. First bottle has a good, readable label if a bit soiled from cellaring. The capsule is in intact and good condition and the level is at the join of the neck and shoulder. The second bottle’s label is in a slightly poorer condition, yet still readable. The capsule has a slight tear in it but the content is at the base of neck. Harvested just prior to the Armistice Treaty of 11 November 1918.

Bottle #1:
Fill level just at the join of the shoulder and the neck of the bottle. The glass of the bottle is darker than the 1914s, suggesting the possibility that the winemakers at Lafite were attempting to preserve the wine longer in the bottle by shielding it from light better than previous bottle versions. The wine is clear, with a little sediment. (None of these wines, incidentally, were decanted at all. This is due to the age of the wines and the propensity for wines of this age to fade from oxygen exposure much more quickly than other, more recent vintages.) The wine is darker in color, with deep intensity, showing deep maroon core and lighter rusty brick rim. Thick legs coat the glass. The nose is appealing. Gone is the overt earth and mold of the 1914. This instead shows a little bit more intrigue. (Maybe these wines weren’t all going to be shot after all.) Some of the aromas noted are wet cement, a little bit of wood and some resemblance of fruit. The development of the nose changes dramatically over the course of a couple of minutes. The palate is the pleaser. This wine is remarkably still quite tannic. The tannins are mature and soft. The wine still exhibits a bit of fruit on the palate. This 1918 caused quite a level of excitement at the table, being this drinkable after 87 years!

Bottle #2:
Fill level at base of neck.
Clarity of the wine is clear, with visible sediment. The color is deep maroon intensity in the core fading to rusty brick-red in the rim. The legs are thick and coat the glass. The nose is vile. This smells of rotting stagnant mud puddles. There are no other characteristics I can think of to paint the picture. This was simply horrific-smelling. Interestingly enough, however, as time went along, this wine dramatically improved in the nose. After about ten minutes, the vile aroma was replaced with a slightly more fresh, almost floral scent. It was miniscule, but dramatic compared to the initial aroma. Based on the emerging characteristics on the nose, confidence is high enough to brave a taste. While not completely revolting, this 1918 is not something that I could remotely recommend drinking. This is disappointing in that the bottle condition and fill level of this bottle is better than the first 1918."

An amazing evening and an amazing opportunity to drink a truly rare wine. I will return to current vintages and wines in the next WWW, but I want to periodically run features on rare and unusual wines. I have tasting notes for all of the wines from that evening listed above, so look for them in the future.

Until next week... Cheers!

Mommy's Day

All the mommies at the brunch

Last weekend we had a great Sunday Mother's Day brunch here at the house. A beautiful day in the high 70's or low 80's and clear. It was really the first "party" we've had at this house and, thus, the first since we arrived back in the States.

We had about fifteen to twenty people here, including the load of kids. Click HERE to go to the gallery for a bunch of pictures from the afternoon.

No Wednesday Wine of the Week

For the past cople of weeks I have not been able to get around to doing a WWW. It isn't from a lack of wine to drink or lack of desire to write about them, however. Rather, it is simply that my palate has been a little out of sorts. About a month ago, I strained something in my back and have been on various forms of medication for the past couple of weeks. These medictions not only make me lethargic and tired in the evening but also shatters the palate's ability to asses the wine effectively.

Good news, though. The meds seem to have worked well and I think that next week we should be able to see another entry of the WWW right here.

Mom and Dad S. Visits

This past weekend, my mother and father came out to Colorado for a nice visit. The weather didn't really cooperate too much, but it wasn't too bad. The visit was very nice and we were able to get a lot in while they were here. The only hitch was that mom got really ill on Sunday that kept her in bed all day long. Not fun for her, as you might imagine. Still, though, it was nice to have them here.

Click HERE to access our photo gallery to see a few pics from their visit, along with all of our other galleries from recent live music shows to our life living in Europe for a few years.

Wednesday Wine of the Week #14

2004 August Kesseler Riesling Kabinett Trocken Rheingau

This week's wine may be hard to find, but it shouldn't be too hard to find other August Kesseler Rieslings out there.

Riesling is a great grape. Back in February, I did another Riesling review from the Mosel region of Germany. You can read that review HERE.

Rather than simply repeat what I have already written about Riesling, I urge you to read that entry again (or simply read it for the first time, if that is the case). So, on to the review of this wine...

Clear, pale-yellow core that morphs out to a broad watery-white rim. The legs are not evident, instead a broad uniform coating of the inside of the glass is there. The nose is clean and quite pronounced. I was able to catch wafts of the wine from the glass sitting on the table as I sat a foot or so away from it. The character of the nose is still developing as this is only a year and a half old. Again, as with the other Riesling I reviewed back in February, this could certainly develop much more definite character over the course of a few years. The aroma spectrum is broad with concentrated components including peach, pear and green apple along with the tell-tale petrol characteristic, although in a limited role. I think that this bottle exhibits more fruit than petrol whereas the February Riesling seemed to carry more petrol on the nose. I even detected a hint of bready-yeastiness in the wine which was not altogether a bad thing. I felt that it lent a bit of complexity to the nose overall. The palate is bone-dry with a moderate intensity. A bit austere, the wine developed more character when combined with the Asian food we had for dinner. The acidity was crisp and vibrant that made up for the low alcohol level (12.5%). Flavor characteristics were made up of peach, pineapple, earthiness and a fair amount of minerals. The finish was initially fruit-filled and robust but then quickly faded and seemed to just drop off leaving me missing some of the character development that often comes with a longer, richer finish.

Overall a decent wine, but not really worth the $20-plus it typically costs in the stores. I think that there are many other Rieslings out there from all over the world that are less expensive, but higher quality. Even other Kesseler wines. Also, check out Rieslings from Washington, Oregon, New Zealand and Alsace (France). Riesling is a fun grape with many different styles. Chances are you will find one that will fit both your budget and the food you are going accompany it with.

Cheers! Enjoy!