The Wine Cult » Restaurant

2004 Barolo Cerequio Tasting at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse – Houston

jheck — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:56:06 +0000

Paul and I were recently invited to a 2004 Barolo tasting hosted at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle restaurant in Houston, TX http://www.delfriscos.com/. The tasting event was sponsored by Kobrand Corporation http://www.kobrandwine.comand Stefano Chiarlo of Michele Chiarlo Winery http://www.chiarlo.it/. Michele Chiarlo was founded in 1956 by the sole and present owners, Michele and Giuseppina Chiarlo. Son of over seven generations of esteemed wine growers, Michele Chiarlo is today one of the most respected producers of the fine wines of Piedmont viticultural industry. The family wine-making tradition has currently been passed to Michele’s son, oenologist Stefano Chiarlo who has been making of his own since 1956.
The tasting event started off with Stefano Chiarlo explaining his families philosophy of producing wine whose characteristics faithfully reflect the terrior, varietal, and not the winemaker. As I listened to Stefano Chiarlo you could hear the passion in his voice for his family and their wine. All four of the wines that we tasted were poured blind and all were from the 2004 vintage. I did not take detailed notes as I was enjoying listening to Stefano as much as I was the wine, but here are the brief notes. Cerequio is an historic vineyard recognized as one of Barolo’s finest cru. The wines in order poured from 1-4 are listed below.

1. Boroli Barolo, Cerequio 2004

Note: Aged 24 months in barriques, and another 18 months in the bottle. Runs around $80.00 dollars a bottle

On the nose cherry, cranberry, dark dried prune, cola, and graham cracker, with a nice hint of oak. Full body, well integrated tannins and nice balance. Wine Advocate gave it a 91. Rating: 91 JH

2. Michele Chiarlo Barolo, Cerequio 2004

Note: Aged 24 months in French oak with some being new and some second-passage. It is aged in the bottle another 18 months. Runs around $105.00 a bottle.

Initially the nose was closed and tight, but as the tasting progressed the wine began to unfold and was changing in my glass until I finished the last of it. Deep garnet color in the stem. On the nose dark dusty fruit of cherry, plum, followed by mint with hint of eucalyptus, pencil lead, and a hint of tar with a nice minerality. The body is full and the tannins are velvety smooth. The wine shows great balance and has a pleasant finish. I think it will improve for the next few years and drink well for the next 10. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate gave this wine a 90, and WS a 90. Rating: 91 JH

3. Gaja Langhe, Conteisa 2004

Note: 8% Barbera, 12 months in barriques, 12 months in larger oak casks, with additional time in the bottle. Bottle ranges from $234.00 to $307.00 dollars

Initially tight and slow to open. Nice ruby color in the stem. Bright nose of macerated cherries, plum , licorice, spice, leather, tar with a nice earthy minerality. This medium bodied wine shows great acidity with nice integrated tannins, and a pleasant long finish. Robert Parker gave this wine a 94. Rating: 94 JH

4. Roberto Voerzio Barolo, Cerequio 2004

Notes: Aged in a combination of 1/3 new and 2/3 used French oak barriques for 2 years. and is refined for 1 year before being cellared for one additional year in bottle. Only 515 cases produced. Bottle price is up to $275.00 a bottle.

A little tight on the nose as well at the beginning but opened more with time. On the nose plum, blackberry, and mint followed by spicy oak and a great earthy minerality. The finish is pleasantly long. The velvety tannins in this wine work very well with bold cheese and beef. Needs several more years in the bottle to reach it fullest. Robert Parker gave this wine a 97, WS gave it a 93, and ST gave it a 92. Rating: 93 JH

Stefano Chiarlo was generous enough to bring two of his Barolo Cerequio from the 1997, and 2001 vintages for us to see how their wines age well. Booth of these wines showed the complexities of quality wine with additional time in the bottle. The 2001 was the star of the entire show for me, and will be in my cellar shortly.

1997 Rating: 92, and the 2001 a Rating: 94

Ibiza restaurant in Houston – Great wine list and value

jheck — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:14:34 +0000

I haven’t blogged much since I smashed my clavicle and had surgery, so I thought I would write a little something about a recent night at Ibiza restaurant in Houston TX. For anyone that lives in Houston and is a wine addict like me, you cannot beat their wine prices anywhere, and their list is very good as well. The night was a special one to honor a friend who was having a birthday, so I didn’t make a great effort to write detailed notes on the wines, as I didn’t want to be terribly rude. This blog will look a little different in format, but I hope that you enjoy the information on the wines.

We started the night off with two Clos Mimi wines that’s had been decanted for about five hours before we arrived at the restaurant. The first wine was the a 2003 Clos Mimi Syrah “westerly” vineyard from Santa Barbara, California . RP rated this wine a 93, and only 105 cases were made.

brief impressions: Dark cherry, and blackberry on the nose with fresh black pepper, with Forest floor. The wine is well balanced and very pleasant. Rating: 91 JH

The second wine was a 2004 Clos Mimi Syrah “Shell Creek” vineyard from Paso Robles, California. As many of you that read these blogs know, I am a big fan of wines from Paso Robles.

Brief impressions: The very first thing that came to my mind when I smelled this wine was it is very old world in style. Dark raspberry fruit, with nice herbal notes, and mineral components. The fruit is brighter in thi wine, and the acidity was nice and bright too. The wine is well balanced and silky smooth on the palate. RP gave this wine a 90+ score in August of 2006. Only 120 cases were made. Rating: 92 JH

The third wine was a 2005 El Nido from Jumilla, Spain. This wine is composed of 70% Mourvedre, and 30% Cabernet. This is one seriously good wine, and I would have to say one of the very best I have had from Spain. RP gave it a 98, Jay Miller a 98, and ST gave it a 94. I would have to say that IMO ST really missed it on this one.

Brief impressions: An incredible bouquet that displays aromas of blueberry, blackberry, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and pencil lead, with a nice wild game component. At 17.5% Alc you would think this wine would be hot, but it was not at all. The palate is complex, and the mouthfeel is full with an array of wonderful fruit flavors. Rating: 98 JH

The last wine of the night was a 2005 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet. If you like big, bold, full bodied cabs like me, then you must have some of this wine. This wine is drinking really well right now, but IMO it will improve for a few years to come, and drink well for a decade. Brief impressions: Deep dark ruby color. On the nose blueberry’s cassis, pencil lead, star anise, cedar, and a nice floral component. This wine is very elegant and graceful for such a big wine, like the plus size lady that can really move on the dance floor! The finish is oh so pleasant and lingering. RP gave this a 96, WA a 96, and WS a 92.

I would have to agree with the higher scores. There is no way this is a 92 rated bottle of wine. Rating 96+ JH

I cannot say enough about Ibiza. If you live in Houston, go and check it out. The wine list is exceptional, and the prices are outstanding. The menu is dynamic food is just as exceptional too.

2005 Astrales “Tempranillo”

jheck — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:52:02 +0000

Had the opportunity to drink this very low production Astrales Tempranillo or Tinto Fino from Spain’s Ribera Del Duro region, that is the best 100% Tempranillo I have ever had, hands down.
The grapes for this wine are harvested from the oldest vineyard in the Bodega. The vines are aged between 30 and 85 years old. The Vines are grown in vaso form with shorter trunks than in most of Ribera del Duero helping to shield the vines from the wind which contributes to the accumulation of polyphenols and sugars. No chemicals are used in the Bodega, and only native yeast is used for fermentation. The wine was aged 18 months in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels, 30% of which is new. Of the thirty hectares planted, ten are actually used to form the backbone of the wine from eight different plots.

Wine Details: 2005
Appelation Ribera Del Duro – Spain
Varietal: Tempranillo or Tinto Fino
Alc 14.5%
Cases made: 150

Dark garnet color. On the nose blackberry’s and black cherries, with a little pencil lead, anise, leather, cedar, eucalyptus, and a nice smokey mineral component. The wine is is full bodied, with great structure, concentrated and easy to drink now. The tannins are integrated and the finish is long.

Rating: 94+ JH

Guido’s Pizza Pies

jheck — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:45:38 +0000

Since our kitchen has been completely gutted out of our house after the big sewage spill, we have been eating out. Tonight we decided on Pizza and went to a local retaurant called Guido’s Pizza Pies located at 10850 Louetta Road in Houston Tx http://www.guidospizzapies.com . They make their dough and sauce fresh daily and the Pizza’s are baked in a stone deck oven brought in from New York to give you an authentic North-Eastern Style Pizza. We had the Margherita and Mafia Pizza Pie’s. The Margherita is made with fresh Roma tomatoes, Garlic sauce, basil, and mozzarella. The Mafia is made with Italian sausage links sliced, eggplant, fresh garlic, basil, and pizza sauce. We also had a meatball calzone that was really good as well. The food is wonderful, and the chef Fabio is very friendly.

Check it out if you are in the neighborhood.