Wine Focus for December: Wines We Love for the Holidays

[Robin Garr]

Wines We Love for the Holidays

Now the winter holiday season begins! From the harvest joy of the Canadian and American Thanksgivings through the celebration of Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Christmas and all the other family winter holidays, we then move forward to greet the new year,

At their best, this is a season of joy, of family and friends, of gathering to drive away winter’s chill with the roaring fires, indulgent feasts, and, if we wish, for quieter times of spiritual reflection.

For those who love wine, good things to eat and drink, this is a time to mark the season with something special, wines that we not only enjoy but that may have special meaning for us.


Let’s share the holidays by talking about those special wines, the “Wines We Love for the Holidays.” Come and let’s talk about the wines we love at holiday time: The wines we enjoy this year, the wines that we plan to enjoy, and the wines that have brought us special adventure in holidays past.

To make the experience particularly rich, we invite you not only to share tasting notes but to offers us a thought or two on the emotional impact of these wines. Tell us the stories that surrounded their enjoyment; recall the memories that made that experience meaningful for you.

Happy winter holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and whatever other greeting brings warmth and comfort to you.

A Magnum of a Thanksgiving

I suppose this is a good a time as any to post my Thanksgiving report. We did something new this year. We ditched the family and went up to our vacation place at Deep Creek Lake. We had a fantastic dinner with 16 of our friends. No kids. No drunk uncles. No family drama. No political discussions. Fabulous! Everyone brought couple of dishes. For the entree we had smoked turkey, Virginia ham and roasted lamb. More vegetables than you could count or even try. Fabulous! I brought wine... 2 magnums of Sea Smoke Southing, 2010. To start off we had a magnum of Pierre Peters NV Champagne. Followed by the Sea Smoke. Also for the white wine drinkers, a magnum of Riesling (not sure of the producer but it was dry for a Riesling) and a magnum of Tempranillo. For the many deserts, I had also brought a magnum of Taylor Fladgate 1997. An incredible time was had by all. The wine was great. The Sea Smoke was almost chewy. The port was wonderful and deep. But what it really proves is that the company and the occasion greatly influence my perception of food and wine. So even if I was capable of the in depth reviews that many on this site honor me with (and trust me, I am not so capable), I would not really trust my perceptions.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Holiday.

Glenn

[Robin Garr]

The warming, mellow power of fortified wines is comforting for me on bleak and blustery winter evenings, and while I'm quite happy to savor the rich sweetness of Ports and most Madeiras and Sherries, the hearty style of a dry Oloroso makes a pleasant change of pace. Emilio Lustau's non-vintage "Don Nuño" Oloroso Sherry is a long-time favorite.

Lustau NV "Don Nuño" Oloroso Sherry Dry - Seco ($22.99)

Transparent light walnut color. Good nutlike Sherry aromas, walnuts and pecans, carry over in the flavor with mixed nuts, hints of lemon and golden raisins and a fresh acidic tang. Smooth and pleasant, it shows a bit of warmth from Sherry's typical 20 percent alcohol, but is not the least harsh. Its full body and dry, unsweet character make it a good choice for before or after dinner or even an accompaniment with appropriate food. U.S. importer: Europvin USA, Van Nuys, Calif. Selected by Christopher Cannan. (Oct. 26, 2014)

FOOD MATCH: Before or after dinner sipping, on its own or with walnuts or dried fruit. Because it's dry, it could make an interesting experiment to taste it against a range of Spanish tapas. Lustau's Website actually suggests that Olorosos, "with their aromatic complexity, are the ideal complement to game, such as partridge; and stewed meats like oxtail and pork cheeks; as well as cured cheeses. They blend remarkably well with grilled red tuna steak." If you try it, let me know how it goes!

WHEN TO DRINK: Sherry is virtually indestructible, but I'm still inclined to drink up and make way for later bottlings. (Note that by its nature, Sherry is not vintage-dated; every bottle is drawn from a "solera" system that incorporates a range of years.)

VALUE: Wine-Searcher.com reports an average $24 U.S. retail price, but many vendors offer it for less. Given that you'll likely sip it in short servings, and it will keep extremely well in the opened bottle, it's a good value to have around for the holidays.

WEB LINK:
Emilio Lustau's website is available in Spanish and English. Here's a link to the English-language home page.
http://www.lustau.es/en/
For more information and notes on Don Nuño Oloroso, check this link on importer Michael Skurnik's pages.
http://www.skurnikwines.com/wines.cgi?r ... ne_id=2715

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and check prices for Lustau Don Nuño Oloroso on Wine-Searcher.com.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Lusta ... g_site=WLP

2009 Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir Hillblock Pommard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon. 13.2% abv.
Volcanic soil underlain by ancient basalt. I had this at our Thanksgiving dinner but it didn't get opened. Dark in color and opaque. Raspberry and dark berry notes on the palate. I thought this improved over the three days it was opened. Medium in body with some structure and nice acidity. A bit of sediment in the final glass. Perhaps not as impressive as the 2008 vintage which was a great vintage in Oregon, but still worth the price. I have one more bottle of the 2009 and two bottles of the 2010. The Carters have decided not to continue with their own line of Pinots but will still be selling grapes from their vineyard to Ken Wright. As far as holiday dinner wine, I think this would be better with something like Cornish hen and wild rice or mushroom risotto and not the turkey and stuffing and cranberry.

WHEN TO DRINK: Sherry is virtually indestructible, but I'm still inclined to drink up and make way for later bottlings.

Except for the pale dry versions like Fino and Mazanilla, sherry is indeed virtually indestructible in an unopened bottle. But, once opened, I find that it does change character quite quickly, eventually for the worse. A few years ago, I did some experiments on an Oloroso Seco and a Palo Cortado; the former resisted better but after about 3 weeks open, but not decanted, it had definitely dried out a lot. Open bottles of Fino and Manzanilla behave like an open bottle of unfortified dry white wine, i.e. IMO usually decent with some loss of bloom up to 3/4 days recorked or closed by VacuVin in the fridge.

When I was in my late teens/early 20s in the UK, it was a common experience, particularly when visiting Victorian aunts and venerable college tutors, to be offered "dry" or "medium" sherry out of a dusty decanter. Unless one was lucky enough to arrive when the decanter had just been refilled, it was a horrible experience and I seriously believe that it contributed a lot to the discrediting of sherry for my generation and the one that followed.

[Robin Garr]

Except for the pale dry versions like Fino and Mazanilla, sherry is indeed virtually indestructible in an unopened bottle. But, once opened, I find that it does change character quite quickly, eventually for the worse.

Good points throughout, Tim. And of course, our British ancestors brought the custome of keeping a Sherry/Port decanter on the sideboard for months over here.

I probably should have made more clear that I was expressing that "how long" item in the context of unopened Oloroso, etc. Fino and Manzanilla are indeed very different.

[David M. Bueker]

A bottle of Sandeman's 20 year old Tawny Port is on deck for later tonight.

This will no doubt roll some eyes, but....

My mom had terrible taste in wine, and my dad was indifferent. Growing up the only bottles I remember seeing around our house were Mateus rose and Gallo Hearty Burgundy. But once a year during the Christmas holiday, my mom insisted on cramming all us kids into the Volvo station wagon and taking what felt to us like a 17-day trip to Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville. She loved the huge barrels, the goofy tour, and most of all...the Holiday Spiced Wine. She always made my dad splurge and buy half a case at the gift shop, and for the next several weeks right through New Years she had a glass a night. Hot, cold, mulled. She loved it all. And she made sure we did too.

So now, goofy as it is and as horrid as it tastes, every year I pull my trenchcoat collar up and my fedora down and lift a bottle of it off Liquor Barn's display then rush it to the cashier before anyone recognizes me.

Then I go home and drink it, and it's officially Christmas.

(And then I open a Sauternes or a Port and beg baby Jesus for forgiveness.)

[David M. Bueker]

Sandeman Porto 20 Year Old Tawny - Portugal, Douro, Porto (12/6/2014)
A fresh style of tawny Port, the Sandeman 20 Year shows more fruit than other 20 year townies I am familiar with (Graham's, Taylor, Fonseca) and only develops the nuttiness with extended airing. I like the overall style, it's just a bit shocking based on what I have tried in the past.

I am looking out for Tawnys from Sandeman, starting tomorrow! Fair selection of 10/20/30/40 in my area.

I am looking out for Tawnys from Sandeman, starting tomorrow! Fair selection of 10/20/30/40 in my area.

Port is mostly drunk as an apéritif here in France and the choice is usually a modest tawny or ruby. I did see a Graham's 10 year old in a supermarket that may be worth a whirl and now Xmas is approaching I'll see if the cavistes are offering anything more interesting. There are only two vintage ports left in my stock which should be excellent with Stilton plus a 1966 Sercial Madeira.

Bob, are they asking fancy prices in Edmonton for 30/40 year olds?

This will no doubt roll some eyes, but....

My mom had terrible taste in wine, and my dad was indifferent. Growing up the only bottles I remember seeing around our house were Mateus rose and Gallo Hearty Burgundy. But once a year during the Christmas holiday, my mom insisted on cramming all us kids into the Volvo station wagon and taking what felt to us like a 17-day trip to Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville. She loved the huge barrels, the goofy tour, and most of all...the Holiday Spiced Wine. She always made my dad splurge and buy half a case at the gift shop, and for the next several weeks right through New Years she had a glass a night. Hot, cold, mulled. She loved it all. And she made sure we did too.

So now, goofy as it is and as horrid as it tastes, every year I pull my trenchcoat collar up and my fedora down and lift a bottle of it off Liquor Barn's display then rush it to the cashier before anyone recognizes me.

Then I go home and drink it, and it's officially Christmas.

(And then I open a Sauternes or a Port and beg baby Jesus for forgiveness.)

Tom, I should probably check out your profile to see your age, but (I hope Robin will back me up on this) (but if not then so be it) Speaking of Hearty Burgundy, that was a damn fine bottle of really decent wine back in the 70's (and before I suppose) when it could be had for about a buck fifty. Then along about 1978 Gallo began turning out vintage Cabernet and HB went down hill pretty rapidly. I must have purchased ten or more cases of the 78 cab and it became my house wine. I think I paid something like $3.5 per minus case discount, and that was here in Kentucky.

I plan to open a Taylor-Fladgate 20-year Tawny Port around Dec. 29 or 30th and will have that as my New Year's Eve beverage. Tonight I will open a 2013 Julien Sunier Regnie' Beaujolais Cru. I have contributed Beaujolais Cru (not Regnie however) to Thanksgiving dinners in the past. I will also this month open a J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese to pay homage to a Christmas Eve in Oberammergau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. I need to get out my Oberammergau-carved crèche pieces to get in the Christmas spirit. I also have a very small collection of lambs or shepherds with lambs from different countries (Germany, the Basque region, and the former Czechoslavakia.)

Tom, I should probably check out your profile to see your age, but (I hope Robin will back me up on this) (but if not then so be it) Speaking of Hearty Burgundy, that was a damn fine bottle of really decent wine back in the 70's (and before I suppose) when it could be had for about a buck fifty. Then along about 1978 Gallo began turning out vintage Cabernet and HB went down hill pretty rapidly. I must have purchased ten or more cases of the 78 cab and it became my house wine. I think I paid something like $3.5 per minus case discount, and that was here in Kentucky.

Well how 'bout that! Maybe my mom knew more than she let on, the little sneak.

(BTW, I was a course instructor at the International Wine Center in Manhattan in the mid-80's, and I remember being told by another instructor there that Gallo released so many "Reserve" Cabs that it caused a run on corks. I was never able to confirm if that was true or just derisive snobbery, but it did give me a laugh at the time.)

[David M. Bueker]

The backbone of Hearty Burgundy was old vine zin for a while.

Anyway...last night at a walk-around Champagne tasting we had a few outstading bottles, but one that really stood out:

2008 Roederer Brut Rosé
Pale pink color and an effusive aroma of strawberries and red cherries, followed up by a precise, fresh and long palate of red fruit and yeast. This looks like a fine example, from what is showing to be an excellent overall vintage. Good value here as well, with it going for $50 - cheap by vintage Rosé standards.

I think this white from Portugal will be a very nice wine to try with some (seafood) appetisers during the Christmas festivities. I have opened 2 bottles so far with consistent notes>


2012 Vinhos de Altitude-Beyra "Quartz" Beira Interior.

2 new grapes to me....Siria and Fonte Cal. $19 Cdn, 12% alc, good natural cork.

Light straw color, no green and very bright looking. Lime zest,mineral nose, some floral as it opens, "grapefruit and straw" from across the table.
Entry is quite dry, medium-bodied, big acidity here. Lengthy finish here, grapefruit, good rounded mid-palate. I let it stand for an hour to open up and found more mineral tones. I did not serve too chilled as I thought I would get more from this white. I need to do more research on this very interesting new arrival.

http://www.beyra.com/en/

2013 Julien Sunier Regnie' Beaujolais Cru, France.
Imported by Fruit of the Vines, Long Island City, NY, also a Robert Panzer Selection, Wilmington, DE. 12% alcohol by volume. The wine is a light burgundy color with transparency. Raspberry seems to be the predominant fruit on the nose and palate. This is a light-bodied and easy drinker, that could complement turkey, stuffing and some of the side dishes at a holiday table However, a bolder Beaujolais Cru such as Morgon or Moulin a Vent might be an even better choice. Keith M. referred to its easy juiciness in his note on a San Francisco Beaujolais tasting event and I concur.
Next I will open a German Riesling Spatlese.

These December wines were not holiday wines but, as our Christmas and New Year are likely to be rather dry this year, they may represent the month's best. Germaine is due to have an operation on a long neglected bunion on Friday and will be under painkillers much of the time round Christmas and I don't fancy drinking stellar bottles by myself. So here goes -

1998 Catherine et Claude Maréchal Pommard La Chanière - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard (12/14/2014)
Colour was still quite primary without being very deep. First impressions from the nose of ripe caressing liqueur tinged Pinot fruit held out hopes for a sumptuous palate which were somewhat disappointed; indeed with air harsher background notes of dry liqueur came up on the nose. On the palate, the fruit was there veering towards sour cherry with minerals, lively acidity, a somewhat matt texture and a still very firm and slightly bitter finish. Nevertheless enjoyable good+ wine.

2001 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Winninger Uhlen Riesling "L" Laubach - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (12/13/2014)
Colour was a darkening yellow and the nose was an attractive combination of white fruit, exotic spices and flinty petrol tinged minerals. The palate was fuller and more firmly structured than usual from the Mosel, not bone dry, well focused and played variations on the aromas from the nose with bright mouth-watering acidity, minerals and backbone supporting the finish. Very good but compared with my notes of a superb bottle three years ago, I think that it has lost a little bloom.

2004 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG (12/12/2014)
The nose promised more than the palate gave. Attractive but quite subdued aromas on the nose of red fruit, tangy minerals with an underlying roundness. However the palate showed less body (medium/light), less density and less tannic backbone than most vintages of this bottling. It was nevertheless elegant and lively with attractive albeit not very dense fruit and the right level of acidity. Just good but I was hoping for more.

2013 Mas Amiel Côtes du Roussillon Villages Pur Schiste - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (12/8/2014)
This is very similar to the 2011. On the first sip before food, I thought it seemed clumsier but it came rapidly into balance. Colour is deep red and the nose shows dense dark fruit tinged with raspberry and a hint of liquorice. The palate is quite full and dense with lots of dark fruit laced with spice, mineral hints and again a little liquorice and raspberry and has sufficient substance for the high alcohol to remain unobtrusive. Good+. QPR! at €9.

2003 Domaine Gauby Côtes du Roussillon Villages Vieilles Vignes - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (12/6/2014)
This was my second Roussillon VV in the last week (the other was Clos des Fées). Colour was still quite deep and the nose was lively with notes of red and dark fruit with a touch of varnish, sour cherry and kirsch. The palate was medium/full bodied and the texture was more matt than the Fées. There was good depth of fruit, lively acidity, minerals and a still quite firm backbone towards the finish. Which do I prefer? Hard to say. The Gauby leans more towards a fresh, digestible Atlantic profile (alc.13.5%) and Fées towards the hedonistic and heady Mediterranean (alc.15%). Both very good but my heart goes to Fées.

PS: Varietal composition -
- Grenache noir 25 % Vignes de 55 ans
- Carignan 35 % Vignes de 125 ans
- Mourvèdre 10 % Vignes de 25 ans
- Syrah 30 % Vignes de 20 ans

2013 Domaine les Maisons Rouges Jasnières Domaine les Maisons Rouges L'Eclos - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Jasnières (12/5/2014)
This young Jasnières, made from organic grapes, is very promising. The nose shows lively aromas of apple, pear and quince and the medium bodied dry palate shows great purity and adds flinty minerals, lively acidity and a nice underlying roundness. It is still perhaps a bit simplistic but, if the oxidation bullet can be avoided, I would expect greater complexity in the medium term. However, I am tempted not to wait with my remaining two bottles because it is already delicious in its present state. Good+.

2005 Domaine du Clos des Fées Côtes du Roussillon Villages Vieilles Vignes - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages (12/2/2014)
I like this wine a lot more than some of the posters here on CT. Colour was a dense carmine red and the nose was discreet but showing beautiful notes of mature dark fruit and roses with a dash of tar. The velvety palate was full/medium bodied with depth and roundness showing the promised rose tinged dark fruit with tar touches confirmed, discreet garrigue and enough acidity for balance leading to a firm liqueur tinged finish where the high alcohol (15%) was unobtrusive. Very good classy Mediterranean wine but the prices for current vintages are quite high for Roussillon (c.€25).

PS: "Assemblage des plus vieilles vignes du domaine (50 à 100 ans) : 50 % Grenache et LLadoner Pelut, 35% Carignan, 15% Syrah."

Posted from CellarTracker

2013 Santa Giustina "1937", Emilia Romagna, Italy 12.5% abv This dry rosé sparkling is a lovely celebratory wine. A blend of Pinot Nero, Barbera and Croatina (Bonarda), this is a brilliant magenta salmon color and vinified with the Charmant method. This shows lots of wild strawberry, sweet paprika and a stony mineral finish; this wine is simple yet delicious. This is a new effort from our dear friend, Gaia Bucchiarelli, the winemaker of this estate. Our favorites from Santa Giustina are their Ortrugo and Bonarda, but this sparkling stands out as a great wine for the holidays.

2011 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese. A.P. Nr. 2 576 511 13 12. 8.5% abv. Imported by Cellars International Inc . Rudi Wiest Selection. Pale gold color. Some petrol (subtle), some white blossoms (not as subtle) and some peach juice. A big streak of acid. Probably higher Brix than the Spatlese of old but not over-the-top sweetness. I enjoyed this, but over the holidays I would probably sip it after dinner on its own or with a fruit pie or tart or cobbler.

I meant to introduce this with a Christmas Eve memory. While working for the Americans in Germany as a Department of the Army civilian, I couldn't always travel back to the USA for Christmas. One Christmas I stayed in Konstanz at a hotel on the lake in a former monastery building. A couple Christmases I was in Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany. There was a NATO (?) School in Oberammergau and the students had a break over the holidays so rooms were available to be booked by people like me. There was a small ski slope (I think with just a T-bar) within an easy walk from the rooms. This Christmas Eve I arranged to have dinner in Garmisch with another Army librarian and her officer husband. I'm sure we had a Mosel wine with dinner--most likely a Spatlese from Wehlener Sonnenuhr or Urziger Wurzgarten. Then we attended a Protestant church service at the Army post. A group of us decided to go caroling at the barracks for the soldiers that had remained in Garmisch over the Christmas holiday. It's a special memory of those days.

[David M. Bueker]

Laura and I drink Champagne throughout the year, but we did have a couple of recent ones as part of celebrating holidays/birthdays with friends.

The Aubry Brut Champagne NV (disgorged July 2014) was as it always is, bright, richer than many NV Champagnes due to its high Pinot (Noir and Meunier) level, and thus an excellent wine with richer food.

By contrast, the Chartogne Taillet "Le Rosé" Brut Champagne NV (disgorged June 2014) was lighter than most Rosé I have had recently, but still showed pretty strawberry fruit and good precision.

With Christmas Eve apéritifs, for which our neighbours joined us, and reveillon dinner of langouste and buche (a log shaped dessert of chocolate and fruit mousse) -

NV Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Latitude - France, Champagne, Côte des Blancs, Champagne (12/24/2014)
This is a perfect apéritif Champagne with fine bubble, medium/light body, airy texture, flavours of creamy white fruit and dry biscuit, discreet mineral, lively acidity leading to a long finish. Very elegant and very good.

2012 Mas des Caprices Rivesaltes Grenat - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Rivesaltes (12/24/2014)
It is conventional wisdom that VDNs (sweet fortified wines) from Roussillon like this one are the best choice with chocolate infused desserts like tonight's buche de noël and, unlike in many cases, that wisdom is IMO correct. This style seems to sublimate Grenache and produces here medium body, fine red and dark fruit, mineral touches and gentle sweetness together with good grip, backbone and a long finish. Dark chocolate seems to bring out raspberry notes which acts as a perfect foil. Very good.

Posted from CellarTracker

PS on translation of langouste. I am dissatisfied with the translations discovered by Googling. One is "crayfish" which is wrong - the French for that fresh water crustacean is écrevisse. Another is "spiny lobster", which is not a bad description but not one which I have ever heard in English use. Langouste is a sea water crustacean about the same size as a lobster but without claws; its meat is excellent and a bit firmer than lobster's.

Happy holidays Tim. You note about chocolate is apt as staff member at Devines gave me a piece of (fluffy!) chocolate cake and I opened an 04 Botrytis Semillon from Keith Tulloch. Very nice match indeed but some may question eh.
Oh, did not make Banff .

2012 Knapp Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc. This wine was the perfect foil for our Roast Goose with mashed potato stuffing, braised red cabbage, green beans almandine, and fruit salad. Four of us knocked off two bottles, and we have another for leftovers!