Sips Ensemble

What a fabulous idea for a team holiday gathering!

We discussed wine and cheese pairing principles and didn’t miss the opportunity to taste, try, and explore a number of combos while we were at it! 🍷 🧀

We had a blast sharing some ideas and suggestions with this amazingly engaging and charming group 😆 We didn’t want the night to end.

Grateful to for inviting us to be a part of this wonderful event 🙏🏻

Cheers!! 🥂🥂🥂

A study of Sherry! 🇪🇸 Our lineup featured a Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, and Palo Cortado, all made with the same grape variety - Palomino! 👀

The Fino and Manzanilla were aged similarly (i.e., biologically), under a blanket of flor – comprised of local, indigenous yeast strains – that protected these wines from oxygen while they matured, leading to a fresh, lean, youthful profile, albeit one with prominent notes of acetaldehyde, bruised apple, sourdough, hay, and chamomile; characteristics that typify these wine styles.

The Fino and Manzanilla shared a similar color, structure, and overall profile, but the Fino had tangier aromas and flavors compared to the Manzanilla, which was softer and smoother.

As we moved on to the Amontillado, and subsequently the Palo Cortado, we noted a darkening of the color and a higher viscosity with thicker, slower-moving tears, and more concentrated aromas and flavors, along with a rounder, fuller body – all attributes that may be credited to oxidative aging (i.e., aging with deliberate, controlled oxygen exposure over time).

Neither one of these wines was aged exclusively in an oxidative manner, but they both shared some oxidative characteristics (the Palo Cortado even more so than the Amontillado) due to the method of production. They both also exhibited some evidence of biological aging (the Amontillado more so than the Palo Cortado), with discernable, yet delicate, acetaldehyde and bruised apple notes.

The biggest differences between these two came down to color, sweetness level, and mouthfeel. The Palo Cortado was a bit browner, sweeter, with a fuller body and more caramel, butterscotch and confectionery notes.

There is a heck of a lot more for us to explore and experience in the diverse world of Sherry.

Cheers to the learning process! 🥂🥂

Pairing Riesling with sushi 🍣 🍱 is absolutely delicious; here are our notes from a recent experience that hit home for us…

For the wine, we chose the Gunderloch Pettenthal GG trocken Riesling. 🇩🇪 It was fantastic, albeit just a babe! It offered well-defined, pronounced aromas and flavors of fresh, tart apple, white peach, lime peel, cantaloupe rind, honeysuckle, citrus blossom, petroleum, beeswax, chalk, oyster shell, and wet slate. On the palate, it was dry, with a medium (-) body, and medium alcohol (11.5%), offering elegance, racy acidity, and precision with a lingering finish. 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

This wine has high potential to be outstanding; it could use more time in the bottle to round out some of the angular notes and add to its complexity. We would love to try it again in 5-10 years 🙌🏻🙌🏻🕰️

It added an aromatic lift to the meal and complemented the delicate fish flavors, while also holding its own next to more flavorful spicy mayonnaise and unagi sauces. The sharp acidity cut through the tempura and lent balance to the saltiness of the soy sauce. 😆

The producer - Weingut Gunderloch - is a family-owned and -managed estate founded in 1890 and located in the Rheinhessen region of Germany. It was a founding member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP): an association of quality-minded producers, promoting the expression of Germany’s unique terroir and excellence in winemaking. .gunderloch

The grapes for this wine hail from the vineyard of Pettenthal located in the Nierstein appellation of the Rheinhessen on aptly-oriented slopes overlooking the Rhine. This particular site and its fruit have received the prestigious Grosses Gewächs “GG” indication (meaning “great growths”), as you can see on the label; “GG” is a quality designation, indicating this wine came from a highly esteemed site (one of the best) while being made in a dry style.

Cheers to the layered experience created when pairing wine and food!!

This was much-needed tasting practice for our upcoming WSET Diploma “Fortified Wines” exam, where we’ll need to analyze three different fortified wines blind (could be Sherry, Port, Madeira, etc.)

We did a speed round of SAT tasting notes for each wine. It was the first time I’d ever written a proper note for a Port, let alone 12 Ports, in timed conditions. Let’s just say it. Was. Humbling. Now that I’ve taken a step back and synthesized my notes, here are my biggest takeaways:

*Flight 1: White, Rosé, Basic Ruby Port: Color is key. It seems obvious but it really narrows your options in a blind setting. I called the Ruby deep ruby; it was darker and more youthful. I called the white deep gold and the rosé medium pink. Also, alcohol was HIGHLY present.

*Flight 2: Vertical of LBV Port: These appeared deeper and more concentrated / intense (aromatically/taste-wise) than their basic counterparts. These come from a single vintage and undergo minimum aging before release.

*Flight 3: Tawnies (Age-Indicated and Basic): Wow, what a difference between the age-indicated (10 yr) Tawnies vs. the basic Tawny on the palate. Levels of complexity, smoothness, and integration of alcohol / tannin were much greater in the age-indicated Tawnies.

*Flight 4: Vintage Port and Sonoma “Port” (aka fortified Cali Bordeaux Blend). It turns out I especially enjoy Vintage Port. Also, Sonoma “Port” is good, but tastes nothing like Port.

Are there any Port fans out there? If so, I’d love to hear from you… What have been your biggest takeaways / telltale observations when tasting Ports in the categories mentioned above?

You may have noticed, we love ourselves a Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc…


Tonight we were very excited to try this Pinot Noir from Cloudy Bay, hailing from Central Otago on the South Island of New Zealand. The southerly latitude offers cooling influences, a great foundation for an elegant Pinot Noir.

We’re tasting the Cloudy Bay, Te Wahi, Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand (2015).

It is medium ruby.

On the nose, there is medium (+) intensity of aromas including ripe black cherry, strawberry, pomegranate, violet, licorice, black tea, fresh mint, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom, and forest floor notes.

Characteristics on the palate match with the nose. It’s a dry wine with medium(+) acidity, a medium(+) body, high alcohol (14%), medium and refined tannins, and a medium(+) finish.

This wine is extremely vibrant and characterful, with a strong structure indicating excellent age-ability.

Friendsgiving calls for a culinary exploration and this meal brought us on a delicious journey paired with Beroza’s Wine Qvevri Dry Saperavi from Kakheti Georgia 🇬🇪

For the meal we prepared lamb-stuffed quince topped with pomegranate and cilantro, saffron rice, and roasted kale with crispy shallots, followed by a fresh herb and arugula salad with toasted almonds tossed in a lemon and olive oil dressing. 👌🏻

Dessert was a delicious apple crisp that I was so excited to eat I forgot to photograph. 🤦🏻‍♀️

The wine contributed aroma and flavor notes of strawberry rhubarb pie, candied plum, sour cherry, cranberry sauce, pomegranate, and violet, offering a balance of sweet and tart characteristics, matching in intensity with the aromatics of the meal. It was a delightful pairing! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 🍷 🍷

I’m eternally grateful to these gals for their sisterhood and everyone’s contributions to this wonderful meal. ♥️♥️♥️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Thank you also for introducing us to this beautiful wine. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

🇬🇪

Robert Sinskey Vineyards
Abraxas Vin de Terroir Scintilla Sonoma Vineyard Los Carneros


Certified organic, whole cluster pressed, comprised of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer.

Medium lemon hue, medium(+) aromas of lemon peel, lime, crisp pear, white peach, citrus blossom, honeysuckle, lemongrass, ginger, and crushed stone. 😍😍😍

Beautiful complement (especially due to the notable acidity) to the grilled salmon with dill and lemon, vegetarian Maryland Style crab cake 🦀 alongside an arugula and quinoa salad.🙌🏻🙌🏻

Tasted this wine for the first time at wine dinner event at .restaurant and it was fantastic!!!!!!

So glad we picked up a few - they have excellent food-pairing qualities. Cheers!!!! 🥂🍾👻

The 2019 Gard Rouge “Cru-Elles” by Ludovic Engelvin is a blend of Cinsault (70%) and Grenache (30%) coming from the Gard IGP Department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of Southern France.

This wine was produced organically, which is not uncommon for wines of this region. Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest producer of organic wines in France. It’s an incredibly dynamic region producing diverse wine styles, offering a plethora of quality and value.

Tonight we’re pairing this medium(+)-bodied wine with its robust, juicy black fruit (blackberry, black currant, blueberry, plum), licorice spice, and earthy qualities, with grilled brats, blanched broccolini, and roasted winter squash seasoned with thyme. It’s a delightful complement!

… With the second course consisting of a Snake River Zabuton with Perigourdine sauce and herbed potatoes we tasted a vertical of Château Montrose (1978, 1996, and 2005) from the left bank Bordeaux appellation of Saint-Estèphe. All of these wines were delicious and in varying stages of life. The 1996 knocked our socks off and we remain incredibly impressed by the fruit character (prune, plum, fig) and soft, well-integrated secondary and tertiary characteristics of the ’78.

With the preserved pear crème brûlée and blue cheese sable cookies for dessert, we tasted a NV Taittinger Nocturne Sec with the right amount of sweetness and acidity to balance the creaminess of the dessert. The cookies added a salty, savory dimension and the combination of flavors and textures created delicious tension and complexity.

We’re also grateful to Sara for offering to let us take home one of her dazzling floral centerpieces!

Cheers to the magic born out of a shared exploration and admiration of creativity and sensory delight.

… With the second course consisting of a Snake River Zabuton with Perigourdine sauce and herbed potatoes we tasted a vertical of Château Montrose (1978, 1996, and 2005) from the left bank Bordeaux appellation of Saint-Estèphe. All of these wines were delicious and in varying stages of life. The 1996 knocked our socks off and we remain incredibly impressed by the fruit character (prune, plum, fig) and soft, well-integrated secondary and tertiary characteristics of the ’78.

With the preserved pear crème brûlée and blue cheese sable cookies for dessert, we tasted a NV Taittinger Nocturne Sec with the right amount of sweetness and acidity to balance the creaminess of the dessert. The cookies added a salty, savory dimension and the combination of flavors and textures created delicious tension and complexity.

We’re also grateful to Sara for offering to let us take home one of her dazzling floral centerpieces!

Cheers to the magic born out of a shared exploration and admiration of creativity and sensory delight.

We are grateful for the magical evening and dining experience we had last Friday at Petite Atelier thanks to Lee, the Commanderie de Bordeaux, talented Chef and her incredible team!

The canapés of gougères with Dèlice de Bourgogne, egg salad tea sandwiches, and mangalitsa ham with black walnut mustard were beyond delicious complemented by a crisp and toasty Ployez-Jacquemart Granite NV Champagne.

With the first course of tempura fried king crab, piper caviar tartlets, and lemon shrimp cocktail, we tasted two 2012 Vintage Champagnes side-by-side as a means of underscoring the differences between the V***e Clicquot La Grande Dame Yayoi Kusama Edition (a Pinot Noir-dominant blend) and the Larmandier-Bernier Vieille Vigne du Levant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay). .bernier

Both were in impeccable condition – the Grande Dame offered more body, structure, and tart red fruit (e.g., raspberry), biscuit, toast, and red apple notes whereas the Blanc de Blancs offered a creamy, rich texture with lemon curd, baked pear, and layers of autolytic notes such as brioche, marzipan, almond paste, dried white rose petals. Both were delicious!!

See next post for more fun…

Here’s an elegant, beautifully aromatic Malvasia (Malvazija) from Truške, Istria, Slovenia 🇸🇮 with notes of ripe white peach, nectarine, lychee, guava, orange peel, citrus blossom, fennel, lemongrass, sea breeze, wet stone, blanched almond, and pencil shavings.

The aromatic complexity and gorgeous lemon hue trending towards gold could be attributable to the time this wine spent macerating on the skins and the fact that a quarter of this wine spent 6 months aging in acacia wood barrels.

It was a lovely complement to the sautéed vegetables and tofu, flavored with a combination of Asian spices.

Rodica 2019 Malvazija 13% ABV.

Speaking of Champagne… we didn’t want to miss an opportunity to comment on a magnificent wine we recently enjoyed to pay tribute to one of the most courageous and incredible women we’ve ever known, ma formidable grand-mère, my wonderful grandmother. ♥️♥️♥️♥️

It’s a bottle we carried back with us from our trip to Champagne last fall, after we visited Paul Bara, one of our favorites; a grower producer (Récoltant-Manipulant) and member of the Club Trésors de Champagne.🇫🇷🇫🇷🍾🍾

It’s the Paul Bara “Comtesse Marie de France” Millésime Brut Grand Cru 2010. It hails from the Grand Cru Village of Bouzy in the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne and is 100% Pinot Noir (a “Blanc de Noirs”). It spent 9 years aging prior to release.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This wine had a medium lemon hue and offered a firm structure, with vibrant acidity, fresh raspberry, yellow apple, pear, lemon peel, cherry blossom, hazelnut, and almond bark notes. It had a rich mouthfeel and elegant finish. It was delicious and we savored every drop. 🥂🥂🥂🥂

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Louis Brut Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2006. 🥂🥂


This wine has a creamy, fine mousse and is positively decadent. It’s hard to believe this wine is made from 100% Chardonnay, but the years are unveiling some seriously layered, complex aromatics from yellow apple and pear to white blossom, dried white rose, butterscotch, blanched almond, and marzipan. 🤩🤩

It resembles a caramel apple, but maybe that’s the autumn speaking. 🍁

It has an impeccable balance of acidity complementing the still fresh fruit and richly confectionary notes. It has complexity across primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas and flavors. Its aromas and flavors are concentrated and eager to present themselves. It has a long elegant finish and, in sum, all of the markers of an outstanding wine. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Worthy of celebration, we’re popping this bottle to mark the turning of a page - the beginning of a new chapter.

Cheers!

This is a seriously delicious, velveteen Syrah from the Hawks Butte Vineyard in the Yorkville Highlands AVA located on California’s North Coast. 🙌🏻🙌🏻

The name of the AVA speaks to its notable elevation (850-2,500 ft), ⛰ which offers cooling and moderating influences, allowing the grapes to ripen more slowly and achieve balance in their core structural components (e.g., sugar, acid, phenolic ripeness, flavor ripeness). 🍇

Here’ s a tip – when a wine label is very specific about where a particular wine comes from, all the way down to the vineyard or plot, generally, the higher the quality potential for the wine, because it means the producer felt so strongly about the expression of the fruit, that they didn’t need to blend across different regions, subregions, or vineyards to achieve the desired style. That is not to say there aren’t wonderfully delicious, generic wines out there!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

In the case of this wine, it’s pretty darn specific and the quality lives up to our expectations. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻It has balance, complexity, intensity and length of finish. The flavors and aromas cross multiple categories from white pepper and baking spice, to candied black cherry, black currant, and blueberry, to pipe to***co, anise and violet. Its tannins are smooth and the alcohol is medium at 13.1%.🤩🤩

We love how the producer – Jolie-Laide – features an artist on its label for each vintage. In this case, Claire Desjardins, a Canadian abstract artist, is responsible for the beautiful image you see here.💕💕

Cheers to this 2019 Hawks Butte Syrah by Jolie-Laide! And cheers to supporting fellow artists! 🥂🥂🥂

Vanessa De Courcy on Instagram: "Studying hard for our upcoming D4 exam. 😝 Tonight we’re analyzing 🤓 this absolutely delicious Cap Classique from Stellenbosch, South Africa 🇿🇦 Méthode Classique - or just Cap Classique - is an indicatio

Raving about this bottle of bubbles from Stellenbosch, South Africa! 🇿🇦 🍾 🥂

Vanessa De Courcy on Instagram: "Studying hard for our upcoming D4 exam. 😝 Tonight we’re analyzing 🤓 this absolutely delicious Cap Classique from Stellenbosch, South Africa 🇿🇦 Méthode Classique - or just Cap Classique - is an indicatio Vanessa De Courcy shared a post on Instagram: "Studying hard for our upcoming D4 exam. 😝 Tonight we’re analyzing 🤓 this absolutely delicious Cap Classique from Stellenbosch, South Africa 🇿🇦 Méthode Classique - or just Cap Classique - is an indication the wine was produced in the same ...

The 2019 Sadie Family Die Ouwingerdreeks ‘Pofadder’ Cinsault is another South African beauty; this one from the Swartland District of the Coastal Region on the Western Cape. 🙌🏻 🇿🇦

It’s 100% Cinsault 🍇 ; a variety that usually finds itself playing a supporting role in a Southern Rhône or Languedoc blend. Here it’s featured at center stage and is shining. 👌🏻👌🏻

Don’t let the pale ruby hue fool you! 👀 This wine is powerful 💪 It was produced organically and biodynamically in the warm, dry climate of Swartland, resulting in high alcohol (14% ABV), medium acidity, body, and fine grain tannins, with ripe, concentrated aromas and flavors, offering notes of cherry 🍒 , strawberry 🍓 , raspberry, violet, pink rose 🌹 , mint, basil, vanilla, butterscotch, and sweet spice. 🪵

We’re pairing this wine with a pesto fettuccine and grilled chicken with sautéed cherry tomatoes. It works deliciously.
Cheers to the incredible world of South African wines that we cannot wait to continue exploring!!

Cheers to old-vine Chenin Blanc from South Africa! 🇿🇦 In South Africa, Chenin Blanc also goes by the name “Steen.”

It’s such a versatile grape and wine, capable of producing beautiful sweet, dry, still, and sparkling wine styles.

This wine is still and dry. We’ve paired it with sushi and it’s a delightful duet.

The grapes for this wine were grown organically in the Citrusdal Mountain district, north of Cape Town, west of the Olifants River, on the Western Cape. The bush vines were originally planted in 1957 (old!!), contributing to an intensity and a concentration of primary aromas and flavors in the grapes.

Indeed, the nose and palate offer medium(+) aromas and flavors of ripe pear, yellow apple, white peach, vegetal, boxwood, white blossom, crushed stone, and aged cheese rind notes. Lively acidity gives it lift and balances the high alcohol and intensity of fruit.

This wine was produced by Ginny Povall, American-born proprietor and self-taught winemaker of Botanica Wines. I love the botanical images on her labels, each an homage to the flower farm on which she began her wine production journey in South Africa.   

Botanica Wines, Chenin Blanc (Mary Delany Collection), 2019, ABV 14%.

Wow, such an incredible tasting!! Notes to follow. Wow. Did I say “Wow”?

Yes, to early-evening sunshine after being cooped up inside all day!! And, yes, to savoring a glass of delicious wine while we’re at it!!!

This wine is 60% Syrah, 40% Mourvèdre, hailing from the Pic Saint Loup appellation in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. It was produced by Château La Roque, which is certified biodynamic and practices low-intervention winemaking.

It offers a medium purple hue with medium (+) intensity of youthful aromas reminiscent of black cherry compote, blackberry sauce, ripe plum, also licorice, anise, peppercorn, nutmeg, to***co, leather, peat, and cured meat (not tied to bottle aging).

This wine is dry with medium acidity, high alcohol (14.2%), a medium (+) body, medium (+) and grippy tannins, and medium (+) intensity in flavors consistent with the nose, but the pepper is more present on the palate than on the nose. The finish is medium (+).

This wine has balance, a strong structure, and great concentration of aromas and flavors. It’s beautiful.

We have tasted and loved many wines coming from this appellation (and the Languedoc-Roussillon region) lately. It's a region undoubtedly worth exploring.

Château La Roque Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Cupa Numismae” (2019)

Dang, this wine has such a unique, complex expression, hopping across layered aroma and flavor categories! It’s a 2014 Rogue Vine, Grand Itata Tinto, Los Amigos Red Blend hailing from the granite hills of ITATA in Southern Chile.

This wine is made with 95% Cinsault and 5% Pais varieties, coming from organically grown, dry-farmed (no irrigation), bush-trained vines that are over 60 years old!!

This wine has a pale ruby hue with secondary garnet influences.

On the nose, it has developing, intense aromas of black cherry, strawberry, anise, mint, eucalyptus, potpourri, clove, black olive, rooibos tea, to***co, cigar, peat moss, and leather.

On the palate this wine is dry, it has medium acidity, medium alcohol (12.8%), a medium body, medium(-) tannins, and medium(+) intensity in flavors consistent with the nose. The finish lingers.

I love that this wine is the product of a fierce passion, shared by friends (and friends of friends), who have committed themselves to producing expressive Itata wines that are gulpably delicious! Salud!