Skip to content

Clever Corkage

Clever Corkage

Chateau Lanessan 2015 High quality Bordeaux on a budget. Chateau Lanessan is a Bordeaux wine estate located in the Haut-Medoc and was originally purchased by Jean Delbos in 1793. During the 1855 Bordeaux classification the owners of Chateau Lanessan felt it unnecessary to submit wine samples and thus was left out of the classification. Today Chateau Lanessan is praised for its consistency and great value and can easily be found for $20 or less. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Merlot (35%), Petit Verdot (7%), and sees 18 months of maturation in oak before bottling. This vintage is packed with ripe blackberry, plum, and black currant with streaks of earthy notes. The tannins are high but fine grained. While still approachable young this wine will continue to develop and improve with age. Older Chateau Lanessan is a treat and accessible on the secondary market for a small premium. . . . #bordeaux #chateauLanessan #hautmedoc #cabernetsauvignon #merlot #petitverdot #frenchwine #redwine #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winegeek #wineeducation #sommelier #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Last week I had the great pleasure serving as a judge for this year’s Forks & Corks blind wine judging hosted by the Sarasota-Manatee Originals. I would like to thank the event hosts for such an organized and efficient setup and can’t wait for the Grand Tasting in a couple months. Here is more about Forks & Corks. “This 13th annual, multi-day epicurean event will be held in the spectacular courtyard of The Ringling Museum of Art, prominent Originals restaurants, premier wine retail shops, and other exciting venues across the region from January 23 to 27, 2020. The Forks & Corks world-class weekend of food and wine offers a feast for your senses through various vintner events and interactive food and wine seminars, culminating in the coveted Grand Tasting where guests enjoy a variety of samplings from the top local restaurants and wineries from around the world. Forks & Corks is one of the few festivals in the Southeast that offers guests the opportunity to taste and take home their favorite wines at all of the events throughout the weekend!” . . . #winejudge #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #sommelier #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Look at this Sherry and Madeira rainbow! I am a strong believer that the best way to understand a wine is to taste multiple styles side by side. From left to right we have Fino, Manzanilla, Manzanilla “Pasada”, Manzanilla “En Rama”, Amontillado, Oloroso, Cream, Sercial 5yr, Baul 5yr, and Malmsey 10yr. . . . #fortifiedwine #sherry #madeira #jerez #spanishwine #portuguesewine #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #sommelier #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Oak Influence on Wine The wood in which a wine is matured in plays an integral role and influences its characteristics and flavor. The following substances are present in oak and may be directly absorbed into the wine during maturation. 1. Lactones – derived by lipids in oak, these compounds are responsible for the aroma of oak or “oakiness”. Lactone levels very from different tree species. In high concentrations lactones are coconut-like. American oak tends to contain high concentrations of lactones. Drying of the staves before barrel-making and toasting after the barrel is made can also increase the perception of lactones. 2. Phenolic aldehydes – vanillin is the most popular phenolic aldehyde and is the responsible for the vanilla note in wine. It is most potent in new oak and loses its effect after repeated barrel use. 3. Volatile phenols – These phenols impart spice-like characteristics to a wine such as clove, and smokiness. These decrease with oak seasoning. 4. Tannins - act as a reservoir to balance the oxidative/reductive reactions of the wine, protecting it from oxidation and lessening the chance of unpleasant reductive aromas. Concentration in oak decreases with heavy toasting. . . . #oakinfluence #oak #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Domaine de Ferrand Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 Domaine de Ferrand is operated by Philippe Bravay who is dedicated in championing the unique traditions and history of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. He practices organic viticulture and only farms 7.5 hectares of CdP vineyards with an average age of 75 years. This wine is a blend of 90% grenache, and a 10% field blend containing syrah, mourvedre, and cinsault. It is then aged 14 months in stainless steel tanks before being bottled without filtration. This particular wine is one of controversy. The 2007 vintage was extremely hot and pushed final alcohol levels easily past 14.5%. After reviewing dozens of tasting notes and talking to people familiar with this wine the consensus is that the wine never fermented to dryness initially and once bottled underwent a re-fermentation. This has led to a slight effervescence and in some cases volatile acidity (va). Such a shame for a wine that received high critical acclaim on release (98 points Robert Parker). TN: Slight effervescence, slight va, but still showing deep intense fruit. Full bodied, velvety tannin with high alcohol but not out of balance. Powerful wine showing notes of black plum, black currant, fig, sweet coffee notes, and spice. Enjoyable but on the border due to the faults present. . . . #chateauneufdupape #domainedeferrand #southernrhone #rhonewine #grenache #syrah #mourvedre #Cinsault #winenotes #robertparker #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Sticky Sundays or Sherry Sundays? Either or, they both work for this post. El Maestro Sierra, PX Sherry, NV El Maestro Sierra was founded in 1832 by master carpenter Jose Antonio Sierra who used to provide barrels to all the major Sherry houses but yearned to make sherry himself. After building his winery in 1832 he quickly realized the large barrier to entry put in place by the local nobility. After many hardships Sierra was able to build his business as one of the top Almacenistas in Jerez. An Almancenista is a sherry house that matures sherry for other bodegas. In 1992, El Maestro Sierra began to bottle and sell sherry under its own label. Today El Maestro Sierra is considered a high quality boutique bodega that is known for its very old and well stocked soleras. This Sherry is made of 100% Pedro Ximenez and is aged for 15 years in solera before bottled. Brownish amber in color this wine is packed with notes of caramel, toffee, and nuttiness. Deliciously sweet but containing enough acidity to remain fresh and not cloying on the palate. A great reference guide for well made entry level PX. . . . #sherry #sherrysunday #elmaestrosierra #px #pedroximenez #sweetwine #jerez #fortifiedwine #spanishwine #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

When it comes to Sonoma Coast producers these two rank towards to the top. Glad to have both these Ceritas and Pax wine shipments come in today. . . . #sonomacoast #ceritaswine #paxmahlewines #syrah #chardonnay #cabernetsauvignon #paxwines #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Champagne Chartogne-Taillet, “Chemin de Reims” 2013 is a killer bottle of single vineyard Blanc de Blancs grower champagne. . . . #champagne #chartognetaillet #blancdeblancs #chardonnay #growerchampagne #france #frenchwine #sparklingwine #bubbly #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

First wine delivery of this fall season came in today. As temperatures slowly start to drop in South Florida my wine fridge will start to fill up. I received a mix case of Lakewood Vineyards’ Cabernet Franc 2018 and Lemberger (Blaufrankisch) 2017. Lakewood Vineyards is standout producer located in the picturesque Finger Lakes wine region of New York. A working grape farm since 1951, the winery was established in 1988 and has been making outstanding quality wine from both vitis vinifera and hybrid grape varieties ever since. Very excited to pop these corks this fall especially during Thanksgiving. . . . #lakewoodvineyards #cabernetfranc #lemberger #FLX #fingerlakes #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Had a great time attending #RAWwine this afternoon. 68 producers showcased their handcrafted wine and spirits to a packed house. Thank you @rawwineworld for bringing this event to Miami! . . . #rawwine #rawwinemia #rawwineweek #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Jean-Paul Thevenet Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2017 Jean- Paul Thevenet is a biodynamic winemaker that produces Beaujolais wine in the AOC of Morgon. Dubbed as one member of Kermit Lynch’s “Gang of Four”, Thevenet and three other vignerions in Beaujolais took up the natural wine movement started by viticultural prophet Jules Chauvet. This movement started as a call to return to more traditional winemaking practices and combat the mass produced and low quality Beaujolais wine that flooded the market in the 1980’s. Thevenet grows gamay grapes on 70+ year old vines, does not use synthetic herbicides or pesticides, harvests late, rigorously sorts to remove all but the healthiest grapes, adding minimal doses of sulfur dioxide or none at all, and refuses both chaptalization and filtration. These techniques allow the character of Morgon to express itself naturally, without any cosmetic surgery: rustic and spicy yet also refreshing and loaded with the minerality of the granitic vineyards. On the nose, cherries, pomegranates, and flowers coupled with a deep stoniness dominate. On the palate, this wine has bright red fruit, wet earth, and minerality notes. The acidity is medium + and the finish is long. . . . #france #frenchwine ##frenchwine #beaujolais #morgon winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer “Turckheim” 2018 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht is an Alsatian icon with an unbroken winemaking lineage in Alsace since 1620. Zind-Humbrecht is managed by Olivier Humbrecht, one of the world’s only winemakers to attain MW status. His passion for Alsatian wines and Biodynamic farming translates into a faithful expression of each individual vineyard site. This wine is ZH’s entry level gewürztraminer from. Pleasantly complex and unique this wine is a good representation of what gewürztraminer should show like. TN: Pronounced notes of lychee, melon, and stone fruit (peach, apricot). Waxy texture. Medium + Body, 14% alcohol, and low acidity. Slightly flabby finish from lacking acidity. . . . #whitewine #gewurztraminer #alsace #alsatianwine #zindhumbrecht #winestudent #frenchwine #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Xavier Gerard, Cote Rotie, 2014 Xavier Gerard is an artisanal producer making great wines from his small holdings in the Northern Rhone. He owns 3 hectares of AOC Condrieu and 2.2 hectares of AOC Cote Rotie. This wine is a blend of the estate’s finest parcels and represents a finer and more elegant expressions of the appellation. TN: Medium ruby in color with characteristics of black pepper, black olive, and violets. After a 90 minute decant this wine became more expressive and started to pick up notes of smoky bacon fat, dark red cherry, and light blackcurrant. After a few more hours of air the wine completely shut down and didn’t open up much on day two. . . . #syrah #northernrhone #coterotie #xaviergerard #redwine #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

Talk about a special night! All the First Growth Bordeaux estates plus D’Yquem! Mouton 2014 Margaux 1999 Latour 2004 Lafite 2004 Haut-Brion 1995 D’Yquem 2011 . . . #bordeaux #firstgrowth #floridawineacademy #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage

🇫🇷Lambert de Seyssel, Méthode Traditionnelle “Petit Royal”, NV Seyssel may be unknown to many oenophiles today, but the vineyards of this small appellation are regularly mentioned in documents dating back to at least the 11th century, and with the development of sparkling wine production methods in the 19th century a new Seyssel mousseux was created that quickly gained great popularity. Even Queen Victoria is said to have enjoyed the region’s sparkling wines during spa stays in neighboring towns. This label was originally founded in 1901 and saw great success but was eventually sold to a large Burgundian négociant in the 1990s and saw quality levels severely decline. The great-grandchildren of the original founders bought back the label in 2008 with the mission to restore the Royal Seyssel label’s reputation. This particular sparkling wine is made in the traditional method (second fermentation in bottle) and is a blend of 70% Molette and 30% Altesse (local Savoie grapes). The wine is aged 10 months on lees and then sees two years of bottle maturation after disgorgement. TN: Medium lemon in color, pronounced notes of citrus (lemon, lemon curds), peach, green apple, brioche. 7g/l dosage and a creamy mousse. Very hard to find many more sparkling wines sub $20 that can match this complexity and quality. . . . #france #frenchwine #sparklingwine #savoie #bubbly #winetasting #winelover #winery #winetime #instawine #winecountry #winelovers #winetasting #wineaddict #winetime #winepairing #mywinemoment #winewednesday #winedownwednesday #winesofinstagram #wineoclock #winemaker #winemaking #wineoftheday #winestagram #clevercorkage