27.1.15

Happening Now Tasting 23: Thera Şarapçılık Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009, Mugla



Herkese selâm! Still incapacitated, still too displeased to write my usual wine blather, however always willing to give offbeat wine potations a try! Today I am willing to provide my palate with another Turkish wine adventure. Not an autochthonous like at various occasions on this blog. This time I am going fully international on it with a classical blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The offbeat character of this wine might be its origin. Turkish wine from Central and Eastern Anatolya (and perhaps sometimes from the European part of Turkey) might be somehow prominent – at least here and there (and unfortunately most of the time nowhere). Wine from the Aegean mainland coast isn't well known at all. 

In 2006 half way between Izmir and Antalya alongside the Mediterranean coast two German wine enthusiasts from Ahr Valley – Frank Josten and Herrman-Josef Kreuzberg of the fairly respectable Weingut Kreuzberg – started with their local partner Mustafa Al a mostly daring and microscopically tiny project called Thera

The grapes for today's blend – 70 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 % Merlot – were cultivated in Yerkesik and Yenikoy in Mugla Province on an elevation of 300 to 700 meters above sea-level. The 15 to 18 months aging took place in lightly toasted Allier oak barrels. So … enough input for today. My wrist and tendon sheath is starting to hurt again. What a relief, even in times of incapacitation and pain there are a few positive aspects. I leave it up to you to imagine which ones I mean … anyway let's have a sip before the preventable blather is about to have an unfortunate comeback ….

19.1.15

Happening Now Tasting 22: Azienda Agricola Roberto Voerzio Barolo Brunate 1994, Barolo



Thanks to a semi-nasty, and perhaps mostly imagined, tendonitis, which was induced by my geriatric mouse, I am not as wine post productive as usual. In terms of writing wine none-sens - as if you guys might expect something else from me - I am willing to make a tendon-sacrificing exception. In today's Happening Now Tasting I'd like to devote myself to a well aged Barolo from highly famous Roberto Voerzio. I've been looking forward to this Barolo Brunate from the outstandingly miserable 1994 vintage for quite some time ... well, actually since last week after I spotted this neglected beauty in a local wine shop. Let's have a slup ... hopefully not a veggie one ...

7.1.15

Brooks Winery Janus Pinot Noir 2011, Willamette Valley



Der „Pinot weit weg“ Start ins neue Jahr muss erfahrungsgemäß mit einem Oregon Pinot vollzogen werden! Erst vor wenigen Monaten konnte ich meinen ersten Wein von Brooks verkosten. Da war es noch Riesling. Heute soll es dem noch sehr jungen Janus Pinot Noir 2011 an den Korken gehen. Bei dem Janus handelt es sich um einen Verschnitt aus Einzellagen (en detail: 66% Brooks Estate Vineyard, 21% Muska Vineyard, 10% Sunny Mountain Vineyard und 3% Momtazi Vineyard) die über das Willamette Valley verstreut sind. Der Janus - immerhin der Römische Gott der Balance sowie des Neubeginns, des Endes und des Anfangs - soll laut Brooks Webseite „The ultimate expression of Pinot Noir! Janus is our flagship...the richest, most vibrant and intense blend that we produce“ darstellen. Insbesondere was die göttliche, und bei Pinot Noir nie zu unterschätzende, Eigenschaft der Balance betrifft, zeigte der Janus vielversprechende Qualitäten. Auch was die wein'igen Beschreibungen „vibrant“ und „intense“ angeht bin ich bei der Aussage durchaus dabei. Die Beschreibung „rich(est)“, naja, die kann ich nicht ganz nachvollziehen, da ich zum einen keine anderen Brooks Pinots kenne und zum anderen mir dieser Janus glücklicherweise aber überhaupt nicht rich vorkam. Aber genug der unheilvollen Vorwegnehmungen! Jetzt gibt’s den ersten „Pinot weit weg“ im Jahr 2015 …