B-21 on Facebook
wine news
Chile perdió un Angel: Douglas Murray of Montes
Douglas Murray of Montes Winery
The Chilean wine industry is in mourning this week — And anyone browsing B-21’s South American wine shelves can tell how much we valued his work that made Montes so formidable.
Murray, 68 and a native of Antofagasta spent his career as a pioneer promoter of Chilean wine to the world, especially England and Japan. He touted it not just as wine of good value but one with the potential for great quality. After he joined with Aurelio Montes in 1982 to make their own label, he proved his point. Montes has distinguished itself from delightful rosés and late-harvest gewurz to top dollar cabs, shiraz and carmenere. In between were chardonnay and merlot rated as among the best buys on the planet.
The name on the label came from his partner. The idea for an angel on every Montes bottle was Murray’s.
Horror on the Mosel: A bridge too far along?
Earth moving equipment is in place to begin the approaches planned for a massive mile long bridge at Urzig not far from Bernkastel and the wine world is already shaking.
Many German wine makers, locals and environmentalist say the four lane bridge flying between the hillsides and over the river will disrupt natural runoff and air current and add large amounts of salt, gas fumes and other pollutants to the 2000 year old wine scape.
Manfred Prum of J.J. Prum says “This giant, grotesque would irreversibly deface the beautiful viticulture landscape of the Middle Mosel.” Markus Molitor says the bridge will hit “precisely (at) some of the rare Grosse Lagen vineyards or the Mosel. ”
Ernst Loosen, has weighed in against the bridge, so have wine writers. Jancis Robinson calls it madness and Hugh Johnson says the “motorway on stilts” threatens vineyard areas between Bernkastel and Erden that are “the first ones I would save.”
There is another side, including some winemakers who support the bridge and new highway to connect the region with the low countries, and others who are resigned, saying that new protests are five years too late.
Perhaps not, German elections are coming and finances are strained throughout Europe.
2005 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ** $39.99
Aesthetically, the bridge so tall, so long and so plain, lacks the lightness and style of great Rieslings — and great bridges. It’s no Sunshine Skyway. And I imagine when it’s built it will need scenic overlooks mid-span for Kodak moments looking at the valley that once was.
I won’t say that this is a last chance for these great vineyards, but if you want to taste what the fuss is all about, B21 has fine examples on hand. From the great 2005 vintage, try Molitor’s Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese, a 97 pointer for $39.99, or J.J. Prum’s for $34.99. If you’re not already a fan of Loosen, try his 2008 Dr. L ($11.99).
I think you’ll agree that they have something special. They’ll appreciate your support.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
P.R. emergency! 911 call to the pinot grigio conzorzio
2008 Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio $7.99
Have you seen Sunset Daze, the new reality show about hot times in a senior community in Arizona? It combines the sass of Golden Girls with the crass of Jersey Shore.
Scripted or not, this gang is having a good time and enjoys dating and drinking. It also updates silly white-wine drinking stereotypes. Naive tipplers once routinely ordered chablis in bars that never had the real stuff from Burgundy by the glass. Then they switched to “chardonnay,” which was that grape but could have tasted like anything.
Enter Sandy Miracle-Jones, the series’ wine drinker. According to a New York Times story on the show, her favorite choice is a “double pinot grigio.”
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
Hot off the Press! Spain continues to soar!
2007 Clos Erasmus ($179.99) 98 Points, Wine Advocate
Robert Parker just released his always anticipated issue of The Wine Advocate. Spain continues to soar and as Jay Miller puts it, “Let the Good Times Roll!” Very happy to see that the 2007 wines by Clos Erasmus rated as high as expected. The 2007 Clos Erasmus (98WA) $179.99 – 750ml, $449.99 – 1.5L and the 2007 Laurel $49.99 received a whopping 94 points (hurry up, only a few bottles remain in inventory of this one!)
Some more highlights:
- 2008 Emilio Moro Resalso 90WA $11.99
- 2008 Borsao Tres Picos 91WA $13.99
- 2007 Juan Gil 90WA $14.99
- 2007 Alto Moncayo Veraton 92WA $24.99
- 2007 Alto Moncayo 94WA $39.99
- 2006 Numanthia 94+WA $49.99
These are just a few of the highlights. Also 2009 is supposed to be an amazing vintage in Spain for whites according to Jay… so keep an eye out!
Cheers,
Summer Martin, B-21′s Spain & Portugal Advocate
Top chefs of today, tomorrow cook up Ryan Wells dinner
Taste who’s cooking now and ten years from now at the annual salute to student chefs next week at the Sheraton Sand Key, one of the Nibbler’s favorite dining secrets.
The dinner for the Ryan Wells Foundation is unusual because the full course meal is both first rate and cooked by teams of professional toques and the top students in high school culinary programs. We’re fans of them — and alumni like Shane Clark who’s in the kitchen at Currents where B-21 hosts many a winemaker dinner.
There are more future Mario Batalis than you realize. While restaurant sales have slowed, the hunger to be a chef has grown rapidly. Pinellas County now has ProStart programs at Dixie Hollins, Northeast, Osceola, PTEC, and Tarpon Springs. Those students will bang pots with top chefs John Harris of Rusty’s at Sand Key, Chris Ponte of Café Ponte, Scott and Doug Bebell of Guppy‘s and Mystic Fish, Mark Hyrcko of Island Way Grill, Stephen Jordan of SandPearl, Tyson Grant of Parkshore Grill, and Tod Hess of the ACF.
Tickets are $300 a couple and supports scholarships that send students to further training at Johnson & Wales and other professional schools.
The foundation was started in memory of one such student chef who never got that chance, Ryan Wells, a promising senior in Tarpon’s culinary program who died in a car crash coming home from training in Miami.
This year’s dinner, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday May 5, will have a Cinco de Mayo theme.
Find out more at www.ryanwellsfoundation.com
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
Me and the big spenders in old Napoli (di Florida)
I’ll try not to rub in the fact that I’ll be at the Naples Winter Wine Festival Jan 28-29s since you probably don’t have your $7500-a couple ticket, of course I’m in the peanut gallery but it’s worth saving your ducats for the next time. For the real fun of bidding you’ll need save a bunch more for very rarely does a single lot go for under $20,000.
In 10 years the festival has put southwest florida on the map, even if they do flay the stars in by provate jet. And such stars. From U.S. wine country the festival draws the names behind the labels at Harlan, Colgin, Grace, Colgin and Staglin and from overseas, the giants who create Vega Sicilia, Antiniori, Drouhin, Lynch-Bages, Haut- Brion, Beaucastel and more. Plus the newest celebrities with wine Labels, tennis great Annika Sorenstam and actor Kyle MacLachlan (cue dwarf and edgy music).
Chefs include Thomas Keller, Tom Colicchio, Dean Fearing, Emeril Lagasse’s Daniel Boulud and a full brigade of Ritz-Carlton all-stars from hotles across the U.S.
Celebrated wines under glass included real treasures, like a 100-bottle instant cellar of Austrlian greats includeiong 12-vintage verticals of Hill of Grace and of Penfolds Grange (with multiples) . I’ll let you know what they sell for.
How does Naples get such great stuff? One clue: Many of them are deep into wine as collectors and as vintners and wineyard owners; they know wine and winemakers.You can count Napa’s Swanson and Gargulio wines, Figge in Monterey and Domaine Serene in Oregon , as “Florida wines, once removed.”
The Harlans are the Vintner of the year and if you can’t make it to cheer them on as the grand marshal in this luxury parade, B-21 has their near perfect ’04 red on hand at $599.99. That’s not a case price but a bo ttle and the judges agree on the quality: 97, 98, 98,97.
A prescription diabetics can live with
“Fight diabetes – with wine and beer” was a surprise come-on on a new pitch from Prevention magazine, the good people, make that very good and prudent people at Rodale, but not entirely sober-sided. Don’t be stunned. Modern medicine has steadily found that daily moderate alcohol consumption improves metabolism, facilitates insulin reaction and reduces the risk of Type II diabetes (ask the man who owns one). No less than the diabetes gurus at the Joslin Center at Boston Medical Center sum up 15 studies from around the world: “Moderate drinkers are less likely to have type 2 diabetes than are abstainers. Teetotalers and heavy drinkers have equally high risk of the disease. Moderate drinkers (those who drank between about a half a drink to four drinks per day) were found to be 30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than abstainers or heavy drinkers.” The key was not which form of alcohol they drank it was the pattern. “It’s much better to consume frequently (such as daily) rather than infrequently for maximum health benefits.”
- Chris Sherman