2015 SAINT JOSEPH DOMAINE FAURY

August 8, 2017August 8, 2017 awordtothewinedomainefaury, France, FrenchWine, kermitlynch, northernrhone, RedWine, rhone, saintjoseph, Syrah, Wine, winesLeave a comment

GRAPE: Syrah REGION: Saint-Joseph COUNTRY: France AVE PRICE: $30

I was jonesing for a red yesterday after a long streak of mainly white, orange, and sparkling. It cooled down quite a bit last night making this a perfect re-introduction to reds. The Faury smells and taste of a beautiful spicy orgy of pepper, meats, and herbs. Considering how it’s dark and heavy in the glass but hits your mouth quite light. And all you tannin sissies can relax, they’re fine and will treat your mouth gently. It’s delicious. It has definitely put syrah back on my radar.

WEB: Domaine Faury

Le Clou 34

July 28, 2017August 5, 2017 awordtothewineAligote, Burgundy, France, FrenchWine, LeClou34, WineLeave a comment

GRAPE: Aligoté REGION: Burgundy COUNTRY: France AVE PRICE: $39

Yeah, I would have guessed this one wrong. Maybe a Chardonnay, maybe Chenin. The grape. 100% Aligoté. Rich. Creamy. Savory. Round. Plush. Creaminess sometimes puts me off. But, not always. But it’s a very good wine and I’m sure a pleasure to consume with anything from a sea shell. Know about sulfites? Personally, I don’t give a rats ass about this subject. But considering the scary anti-sulfite cult roaming the streets, I feel the need to address the issue. I’m at a loss with this one because I was told no sulfites added. The bottle says, contains sulfites. The tech sheet says (Long pressing, in whole grapes, without adding sulfites) then it says, (Light sulphiting at setting). From tech sheet: Total SO: 37 mg / l — SO2: 20 mg / l. I’m left to assume sulfites were added after secondary fermentation. I searched other notes regarding the wine and people keep referring to this wine as unsulfured. Are they talking about a different vintage? I have no idea, I’m asking. Again, this isn’t so important to me, but what is important is communication. I think a whole lot of you are full of shit and have no idea wtf goes on behind closed doors at a winery regardless of what information is divulged. The crew might be vomiting in the barrels for all you know.

WEB: Naudin Ferrand

Instagram: @winemc2 @clairenaudin

UPDATE (comments from instagram)

soilexpedition15 wasn’t a very good example of her elegant and beautifully austere juice she usually puts out.
winemc2Hi @awordtothewine ..
winemc2Claire Naudin does a larger part of her wine “fermented without sulfites”
winemc2a dismal amount is added prior bottling no fining or filtration done
winemc2and no vomiting in barrel ether 😉
trentslattonWell said on the “anti sulfite cult roaming the streets”. A lot of them drink really off tasting, overpriced wine because it’s currently in vogue. I don’t buy that bs. A lot of it taste very amateur. There is a reason that things evolve. The process gets better. Sulfites protect from oxidation. We all know this, hopefully. It lasts longer.

Mmmmmm —> Albariño

July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 awordtothewineAlbarino, Rías Baixas, Spanishwine, whitewine, WineLeave a comment

GRAPE: Albariño REGION: Rías Baixas COUNTRY: Spain AVE PRICE: $45+

I’ve been listening to N.W.A. non-stop for the last 48 hours. Every word out of my mouth is foul. It’s bringing out the Baltimore City in me. I shouldn’t blame the music. I’m like this all the time. Just don’t step up in my face today or I’ll be forced to show you what it’s like. I hadn’t had this wine in a few years. Albariño Cepas Vellas 2015. I’ve missed it. 200 year old vines. Sub-zone: #Salnès Aged on the lees for 11 months. The vineyard is planted on a hillside. It’s sandy/granite. Pretty fucking close to the Ocean. It delicious. Probably be perfect with your oysters.

WEB: DMSelections

I love drinking from a Piala!

July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 awordtothewineBlueDanubeWine, georgianwines, orshikiss, slovenianwine, tabularasabar, Wine, wines, winoLeave a comment

Drinking the 2007 @kabajwines Amfora from a Piala. I now have a new understanding of these wines. You immediately see the symbiotic relationship between the juice and clay. Glasses on occasion no matter how well cleansed have residual smells from the cleaning agent, etc. Ordering Piala’s right away. @bluedanubewine and I didn’t set my hair on fire this event @tabularasabar!

Do you remember your first Kisi?

May 13, 2017May 19, 2017 awordtothewineamberwines, BlueDanubeWine, Georgia, georgianwines, OrangeWines, qvevri, SkinContact, soviets, WineLeave a comment

GRAPE: Kisi REGION: Kakheti COUNTRY: Georgia AVE PRICE: $23

The wine: doqi Kisi 2014

First comes grape, Then comes harvest, Then comes crush in a….

I can’t help myself.

When I say Kisi I can’t help but to think of my first kiss.

Do you remember yours?

I was in my friends backyard.

Probably about the age of 10. Maybe younger.

There were four of us playing on a swing set.

One of my friends asked me, “mirror mirror on the wall who’s the prettiest of them all?” I replied, “Bridgette!” Then she kissed me on the lips. Embarrassed, I ran home.

That happened. Then I spent every waking moment anxiously awaiting for my next lip encounter.

It’s true. I’m prejudice. And I’m obsessed. Obsessed with Georgian wines. I find them spiritually rewarding and intellectually stimulating. I love qvevri. Sometimes the wines are sensual and sometimes primitive.

The doqi Kisi likes air, so give it air. You’ll get apricot, orange, and tea. Some salt and oil. It’s delicious with food or by its lonesome.

Kisi is indigenous grape to Kakheti and it came close extinction by 2000 due to Soviet intervention.

WEB: Kisi Qvevri

WEB: doqi Winery

IMPORTER: @bluedanubewine

WTF is Sciaglìn?

May 9, 2017May 13, 2017 awordtothewineEmilioBulfon, friuli, italianwine, italy, nomadicdistribution, Sciaglìn, VeneziaGiulia, WeAreNomadic, WineLeave a comment

GRAPE: Sciaglìn APP: Friuli Grave COUNTRY: Italy AVE PRICE: $17

The wine: Bulfon Sciaglìn 2014

I just lost my Sciaglìn grape virginity.

And it wasn’t anything like the time I lost my sexual virginity. That time I was in a double wide trailer off of Pulaski Highway shooting a flirtatious game of pool, surrounded by broken down cars, and barking dogs.

This time I was sitting my most romantic outdoor space in Silver Lake, just a stone throw away from a lively Sunset Blvd. listening to a rush hour orchestra of noisy cars, buses, all the while breathing in a shit load of particulate matter.

Sciaglìn is totally unique and will be a winner with all sorts of food. I kept twinkling my nose hoping a plate of a flaky white fish with a side of pasta would appear. The wine is fresh with decent acidity and saltiness. A pale yellow with hint of green. It has very unique and complex aromatics, challenging my most critical olfactory. It’s herbaceous, with stone fruits and a bit of white pepper on the nose. Some green apple skin and peach on the palate. It’s f++cking delicious.

The art on the label on the bottle depicts The Last Supper, I read somewhere that the winemaker himself designed the label. I don’t think I’d regret if Sciaglìn was the wine presented at my last supper. The native grape Sciaglìn was rediscovered by Emilio Bulfon. The grape is now grown in the area of Pinzano al Tagliamento and Castelnovo del Friuli, as Regional regulation.

WEB: Bulfon

WEB: Nomadic Distribution

2015 Maurer Kadarka 1880

May 6, 2017May 10, 2017 awordtothewineBlueDanube, kadarka, maurer, serbia, serbianwine, Wine, winesLeave a comment

GRAPE: Kadarka APP: Sremska COUNTRY: Serbia AVE PRICE: $39.95

The wine: 2015 Maurer Kadarka 1880

This is another zingy, bright, delicious, and fun slamming juice. Strong acid, soft tannins, cloudy and a pale reddish/brown in color. All natural yeast, fermented in open vats, aged in old ass casks for 12 months. It’s bottled unfiltered with no additional sulfites. Trust me, chill it ever so slightly, give it some air, and tell me the bottle isn’t half empty in 20 minutes. You trendy natty wine fans are gonna love this. And if you tell me you don’t, I call bullshit. It taste most similar to a handful other delicious natural wines I love from both California and even Italy. So similar in fact, if I had been handed this blind I would have guessed it was one of my favorites from California. No point in naming names. But how is it that a wine from the other side of the world taste so similar to a wine from California? I’m not a winemaker or a scientist, but I am curious and I’m someone who loves wine. So you tell me.

Again, while I find this wine absolutely delicious and fun to drink, it does bring pleasure to the palate and soul. But in no way finding it unique, but it does offer the comfort of familiarity.

Some facts: The grape Kadarka came close to extinction under dirty communist rule. The vines in this vineyard were planted in 1880, and is the oldest known Kadarka vineyard in the world. It’s located in Serbia just across the border from Hungary.

VIDEO: Listen to Oszkár Maurer’s natural winemaking philosophy

WEB: Maurer

Štoka: Elegance and strength

May 6, 2017May 10, 2017 awordtothewineBlueDanubeWine, PetNat, slovenia, slovenianwine, SparklingWine, stoka, WineLeave a comment

GRAPE: Teran APP: Kras COUNTRY: Slovenia AVE PRICE: Sold Out

Pét-Nats might be all the rage, but they’re not all created equal. Some of them are soulless, bottles void of meaning and no other purpose then getting slammed, which I’m always down for. But like many wines, some are more about technique or dogma than place. Fortunately, there are some that are goddamn delicious, fun, and will have you removing your clothes before the night ends. This one is from Slovenia. Štoka Rosé Peneče 2014 (Grape: Teran) is one of those, too bad for you it’s sold out. It’s elegant with a muscular edge. The color is a beautiful shade of red. Perfect for a budget wedding or a Jersey Shore dive bar.

WEB: Štoka Winery

the bitter month of march

March 22, 2017March 22, 2017 awordtothewinecancer, cats, chinato, digestif, italianwine, italy, nebbiolo, weed, WineLeave a comment

GRAPE: Nebbiolo APP: Piemonte COUNTRY: Italy AVE PRICE: $40

Mauro Vergano’s Chinato has been the perfect companion for this month of bitterness. Dealing with the death of one of my beloved cats, all the while watching my other cat stumble around, walking in circles depending on the position of her brain tumor, crying out for her missing companion and my hours of cancer research and coming to some sort of decision on my treatment. I’ve about had it with 2017, I thought it would be enough to deal with the horseshit coming out of the nation’s capitol. But while the juice lasted, I was happy to have been able to reach out for this most pleasantly medicinal and bitter digestif. I found it a great opener for the evening or for closure. And paired most lovely with a hit of #weddingcake from @jungleboyz @tlcpropd and a bite of the darkest most bitter chocolate you can lay hand on. What’s in this Chinato? Nebbiolo, China bark, Chinese Rabarbaro and Ginseng, and aromatic herbs & spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander, bay leaf)! Delicious and relieves stress the moment it hurts your mouth.

WEB: Louis Dressner

In the mood for love?

March 22, 2017May 10, 2017 awordtothewinecantinadellavolta, italianwine, italy, lambrusco, sorbara, WineLeave a comment

GRAPE: Lambrusco APP: Sorbara COUNTRY: Italy AVE PRICE: $29

This sexy pale pink Lambrusco – simply put – is a powerful aphrodisiac. Subtle aromatics with a delicate tingling on the palate and a friendly assistant in devouring prosciutto from your lover’s fingers.

WEB: Cantina Della Volta

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