Wine Club Newsletter - February 2019
No One is Safe from Counterfeit Wine
Buying quality wine has never been more fraught. Global food and beverage fraud is reportedly a $40 billion industry. (Art theft, on the other hand, is valued at $6 billion per year.) The Inter-professional Council of Bordeaux Wine believes that 30,000 bottles of counterfeit imported wine are sold every hour in China alone.
For wine collectors, it’s an enormous risk. Bottles of first-growth Bordeaux, such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild, and Latour, as well as expensive Burgundy like Domaine Romanée Conti, have been duplicated for decades. Here’s how it might happen: Counterfeiters buy empty bottles from top producers for $1,000 or more on the black market. They then re-fill and cork these bottles and pass them off to unsuspecting buyers
Now, as the size and thirst of global wine consumers are skyrocketing, counterfeiting is not limited to super-high-end wines. Even small, relatively inexpensive labels are at risk.
Savvy winemakers like Frank Cornelissen are not sitting idly by. Cornelissen’s natural Sicilian wines, grown on 46 acres of volcanic soil, have become immensely popular in recent years. In 2014, Cornelissen decided to tackle counterfeiting head on. “Limited production wines are always at risk,” Cornelissen says. “We saw that the technology was available, so why not use it?”
Now, Cornelissen’s wine labels feature unique RFID and QR codes that buyers can scan with their smartphones. He also uses a distinctive black plastic cork that forms a perfect seal with the glass neck of the bottle, while still allowing just the right amount of air to enter the bottle. “The cork is more complicated than normal, which is harder to fake,” he says.
Ann Colgin, of California cult label Colgin Cellars, licensed Kodak’s Traceless system. It imprints labels with a tasteless, odorless marker that can only be read with a proprietary handheld scanner that is made exclusively by Kodak.
Legendary Super Tuscan producer Sassicaia began embossing bottles with its estate name, Tenuta San Guido, after 12 people were arrested for producing 20,000 counterfeit bottles of the 1994 vintage. The bottles had a combined value of $1 million. The company also began looking into embedding its bottles with microchips to add an additional layer of authenticity.
Italy has instituted an array of labels and seals for all its DOC and DOCG wines. These labels include holograms, watermarks, and unique registration numbers that can be searched for on some appellation websites. Physically and ideologically, they resemble new currency.
You may think that the wine from rare vintages by these legendary labels may speak for itself, but many of the top forgeries can fool even the most well-known wine experts. Critic Robert Parker infamously awarded 100 points, to a magnum of 1921 Château Petrus, owned by fakester Hardy Rodenstock. Petrus later claimed it never produced a 1921 bottling in magnum.
For this reason, wine buyers need to have their own systems to weed out fakes as well. Jamie Wolff, a partner and wine buyer at Chambers Street Wines in Manhattan, has seen his fair share of dubious wines over the years. In the 1990s, Wolff worked at Christie’s as a wine buyer.
“I’ve been working for 30 years in the New York wine scene, so if I don’t know you by now, I’m already suspicious,” he says. “We’ll visit a potential seller’s cellar and taste a few things, and have a look at the bottles to see if everything checks out.” Wolff adds that referrals are another way they find a potential seller. “Business is founded on relationships,” he says.
If you’re looking to do your own wine investing and don’t want to be duped, experts suggest abiding by an old saying: “Buy the seller.” In other words, do your due diligence on the person selling you the bottle. Check online to see if the seller has a bad reputation, research the provenance of the bottle extensively, and avoid buying single bottles if you can.
“If they’re coming to you with just a single bottle or two of [Chateau] Latour, that’s a red flag,” says Wolff, who considers that one surefire way to spot a fake wine that “fell off a truck.” If you’re still unsure, Wolff recommends going through Christie’s or another big auction house to help you source rare bottles.
But remember, Wolff says (and it’s something Robert Parker knows all too well): “No one is invulnerable.”
(Ryan Smith)
Join us for Valentine’s WEEK!
Trying to get a reservation on Valentine’s Day can be nearly impossible. So we have elected to serve our specials for dinner on Friday the 15th, and Saturday 16th of February. Take the pressure off! Stay home Valentine’s Day, then pop in here for a little extra celebration.
2015 Tantara Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley
Growing Region: Santa Maria Valley, California
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Fermentation: New and Used Oak, Malolactic
Alcohol Content: 14.1%
Suggested Retail: $32.00
WineSellar Club Price: $24.29
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery:
Since 1997, Tantara has been dedicated to producing the very finest Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. Located in the beautiful Santa Maria Valley (Santa Barbara County), our grapes are sourced from premium vineyards from the Central Coast. Because of our commitment to detail and the finite amount of fruit that meets our standards, our production remains small; about 5,000–7,000 cases per year depending on the harvest.
Appearance:
The packaging is very nice overall. The bottle is of proper size and weight, and the label colors look handsome against the dark, smoky glass bottle. Hard to read Santa Maria Valley, but who’s counting? The wine is deep yellow corn, almost golden, taking on some color depth from aging in the bottle. Viscous and quite brilliant, the wine is clean and reflects light well.
Nose:
Lots of generous oak fragrances are first out of the block: caramel, buttered popcorn, cotton candy, butterscotch and vanilla. And, oh yes, Chardonnay fruit, lots of it! Was telling the staff it reminds me of a “Baby Rombauer”.
Texture:
The wine has an excellent mouth-feel, plush, viscous, smooth, enveloping, sizeable, balanced, and quite agreeable. It’s also kind of creamy, and hangs in your mouth for a long time. Sometimes wines like this get clumsy, but not so here. Even though it has some age on it, the acid is holding the wine together very well.
Flavors:
Caramel, butterscotch and buttered popcorn dominate the flavor profile. The notes from the Nose, vanilla and cotton candy, come through as well. There is a touch of Meyer lemon, oak, and generous Chardonnay fruit to enjoy also.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a good value. Most Tantara Chardonnay are in the $50 price range, and we got a steal on this one. Happy to pass the savings along to our favorite people, members of the WineSellar Club!
2017 Nero d’Avola, Vigneti Zabu
Growing Region: Sambuca, Sicily
Varietal Composition: 100% Nero d’Avola
Fermentation: Stainless Steel Fermentation
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Suggested Retail: $18.00
WineSellar Club Price: $15.29
Broad Strokes:
Nero d'Avola (also known as Calabrese) is the most important and widely planted red wine grape variety in Sicily. Vast volumes of Nero d'Avola are produced on the island every year, and have been for centuries. They can be compared to New World Shiraz in body and weight. The vineyards of the Vigneti Zabù are vinified and marketed under the direction of the Farnese group, by the way, the winery of the year 2016 and 2017 in the Veronelli wine guide, in the industrially almost untouched landscape of Sambuca di Sicilia.
Appearance:
Pretty cool looking label with the “b” extending above the label with an additional stick on. That stick on, believe it or not, costs about $1.00 per bottle to apply to each bottle. The wine has a youthful dark red/black/magenta hue to it. It looks gorgeous, brilliant, reflecting light very well.
Nose:
Intense, dark fruit aromatics feature ripe plum, dark berry, a crush of herbs, balsamic and pine nuts. The nose is all over the place, changing and offering new scents seemingly every minute. Later got skin of cherry, volcanic soil, and noticed the balsamic essence coming more present as it aired.
Texture:
The wine is medium to nearly medium full in body and weight, yet it has a much bigger presence on the palate. It has noticeable tannins and a firm acidity, cranberry like acid, which wraps perfectly around the dense fruit. The finish is astringent, allowing the fruit to linger through the finish in check.
Flavors:
The balsamic from the nose is most noticeable on the palate. This is a rare phenomenon for wine, but I found it very compelling. Fresh, ripe cherry fruit is also delightful, with notes of black and white pepper, and, surprisingly, jasmine and violets on the finish! WOW!
Serving Suggestions:
This is a great value! It’s like drinking a wine double the price. It is a perfect match for aggressive foods, such as pizza, ripe cheese, mushrooms, sausage, pasta . . .
2012 Kieu Hoang Syrah, Blue Label
Growing Region: California Appellation
Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
Fermentation: Stainless Steel Fermentation
Alcohol Content: 13.8%
Suggested Retail: $32.00
WineSellar Club Price: $26.99
Broad Strokes:
From the winery: Kieu Hoang’s journey to find KH good-healthy cells to improve quality of life. Mr. Kieu Hoang is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, originally from Vietnam. He is the CEO of RAAS, Inc (USA) and Vice Chairman of Shanghai RAAS Blood Products, China. Through his studies on different foods and plants, he has come across numerous findings. Studying Red wine in particular caught his attention. In his research he found that good healthy cells did not just exist in human plasma but also in red wine; he found that a small grape has 5000 more genes than a human being. With 38 years of experience in sophisticated fermentation, PH adjustments and cold stabilization, Mr. Hoang presents the world with his exclusive line of wines.
Appearance:
Same style label as the 2012 Cabernet we had in December 2017, Mr. Kieu Hoang’s image, vertical titles, and blue background for the blood cell theme, it will definitely stand out on the shelf. The wine has started showing signs of aging in the bottle. Gone are the blue/purple hues of youth, which have now become garnet and gray. The wine “tears” come down the glass very slow, and are quite clear.
Nose:
Delicate and straight forward nose, showing some signs of aged, complex, resolved maturity. Dark fruit aromatics, with hints of leather, stewed cherries, wood notes and roasted nuts, herbs and spice, and an interesting note of Graham cracker.
Texture:
Medium in weight, it is even and smooth through the palate, showing the softness that comes with five years of aging. This is a more elegant style of Syrah, and possesses an excellent mouth feel.
Flavors:
Cherry and vanilla, with notes of black berry, Asian spices, toasty oak, and a bit of juniper. The flavor profile is at a great point, due to the evolution of this wine through the years. Feels like a classic older, yet well-made California wine! A true winner!
Serving Suggestions:
I would keep food pairings to those dishes that have a more simplistic, lighter, elegant characters, to let the wine shine through. Foods too rich or spicy will kill it.
2017 Tessier Cabernet Franc, Alegria Vineyard
Growing Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Varietal Composition: 100% Cabernet Franc
Fermentation: Neutral French Oak
Alcohol Content: 12.4%
Suggested Retail: $38.00
WineSellar Club Price: $33.29
Broad Strokes:
Up and coming winemaking star Kristie Tacey is a little known producer of small lot wines. This Cabernet Franc, for instance, had a total production of 99 cases. There is no tasting room at Tessier, a very tiny operation, with this woman dedicated to making wines in her own style. That style is one of very fine balance, must be varietal-correct, not over-extracted, and with the proper alcohol content. Miss Tacy started her career as a research scientist (sequencing genomes for one thing!) and later got the wine bug, left her job and began making her own wines starting with the 2009 vintage.
Appearance:
I love what Kristie has to say about her label. “Tessier is the original French version of my name, Taci. Our family is from the Loire Region of France. The label is round in shape, giving the feeling of looking through a microscope. The abstract images on the label are yeast cells, the workhorse of fermentation. On the back label “Science as Art” is a tribute to my previous career as a research scientist.” The wine has a very pretty cherry skin hue.
I also love what Kristie has to say about her Cabernet Franc:
“Stern yet yielding, like a well-dressed gentleman with all the right moves, and just the right amount of cologne.
This sustainably and organically farmed Alegría Vineyard Cabernet Franc’s aromatics read like a spice wish-list of cardamom, green peppercorns, star anise, and bergamot tea accented with blackberry and violets.
On the palate, sugared violets, roasted jalapeno, and eggplant mix with crushed lilac, charred meat and currants. Picked on my birthday as a gift from me to you.”
Some Additional Thoughts:
Makes total sense Cabernet Franc would be a varietal she would choose, as it hails from her way back when Mother land of The Loire Valley of France. The wine is in fact, very French in feel, with the moderate alcohol (great with food), not hidden by wood/oak notes, and again, correct to the Varietal. It is reminiscent of the Cabernet Francs from Bourgueil (Loire Valley), with intense flavors strawberry and cherry, spices galore, and on the nose, you might detect pencil shavings!
2016 SōNA, Grenache, Alta Colina Vineyard
Growing Region: Adelaida District, Paso Roble, California
Varietal Composition: 100% Grenache
Fermentation: Barrel Aging
Alcohol Content: 14.7%
Suggested Retail: $50.00
WineSellar Club Price: $40.49
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery:
Nestled in the SōNA Estate in Paso Robles, The Willow Creek Wine Collective is situated on Vineyard Drive on the west side of the Paso Robles wine growing region. Through our years of fostering relationships with other growers and producers, we have access to premier vineyards as far south as Santa Barbara, and as far north as the Willamette Valley.
With exclusive access to our family's multiple brands and limited production cuvees, you will always be able to experience new wines, while knowing that our commitment to quality is paramount.
Appearance:
It has a fun, distinctive label, with straightforward graphics. The wine is brilliant red, and slightly dull around the rim. Color is medium in depth, and the legs dripping from the bowl are impressive.
Nose:
Very typical aromatics of Grenache. Ripe fruits, strawberry, cherry, and even a hint of blueberry. Spicy and floral, the fragrance is enveloping and delightful.
Texture:
Medium in weight and body. The wine has a smooth, luxurious, velvety texture. It is voluptuous, mouth-coating, and makes your mouth water. All of this even though the alcohol content is so high, amazing!
Flavors:
Red cherries, cherry pie, pie dough, and of course, strawberries. There is a touch of earthiness, however faint, and I detected asphalt, which I LOVE! The fruit is almost candied, balanced by savory notes. Also got some black pepper and juniper, and from the nose, those blueberries come again.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a wine for shorter term cellaring, I believe 5-8 years would be as long as I want to keep it. However, part of the charm of this Grenache is the freshness and vitality it has, even though it is a couple years old. Make a cherry pie!?
2016 SōNA, Syrah, Alta Colina Vineyard
Growing Region: Adelaida District, Paso Roble, California
Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
Fermentation: Barrel Aging
Alcohol Content: 14.7%
Suggested Retail: $50.00
WineSellar Club Price: $40.49
Broad Strokes:
From the Winery:
Nestled in the SōNA Estate in Paso Robles, The Willow Creek Wine Collective is situated on Vineyard Drive on the west side of the Paso Robles wine growing region. Through our years of fostering relationships with other growers and producers, we have access to premier vineyards as far south as Santa Barbara, and as far north as the Willamette Valley.
With exclusive access to our family's multiple brands and limited production cuvees, you will always be able to experience new wines, while knowing that our commitment to quality is paramount.
Appearance:
It has a fun, distinctive label, with straightforward graphics. The wine is dark purple in color, still holding on to some youthful hues. It is black at the center of the glass, becoming clear at the rim.
Nose:
Whiffs of smoke happens in the beginning, then the floral components arise, specifically lavender and rose. I also got tobacco, cured meat, vanilla, herbs and cigar box. The fragrance is correct for Syrah.
Texture:
Well-melded tannins for such a young, exuberant, high alcohol content wine. Full in body and weight, but not overbearing, it is well-structured, relatively easy to drink, with a very long, lovely finish.
Flavors:
I just love this wine! Flavors of red, ripe plum, tobacco, smoke, dark berry, espresso, herbs and brambleberry are exquisite. Notes of spice, with black and white pepper, black cherry and black raspberry, all wonderful . . .
Serving Suggestions:
This is a wine for many years in the cellar. Really good Syrah can go twenty years plus, however, I would want to try this again in ten years. Fix the classic dishes to go with Syrah, such as lamb and other grilled meats.
NV Champagne Delamotte, Brut
Growing Region: Chardonnay; Grand Cru vineyards Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize and Cramant, and the Pinot Noir; Grand Cru vineyards in Ambonnay, Bouzy and Tours-sur-Marne
Varietal Composition: 55% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier
Vinification: 30-36 months on the lees prior to disgorgment
Dosage: 7 g/l
Alcohol Content: 12% abv
Suggested Retail: $57.99
WineSellar Club Price: $42
93 points Decanter
92 points Wine Enthusiast
For this installation of your Sparkling Champagne Club we thought we would treat you to a collection one of our favorite houses…Champagne Delamotte. Delamotte was founded in Reims in 1760 by Francois Delamotte. It is now the 5th oldest house in Champagne. In 1988, the House of Delamotte joined forces with the mythical Champagne Salon.
From the Winery:
The current release is based on the 2014 harvest and was disgorged in 2017.
Each grape plays a part, as Chardonnay sets the wine in place, its foundation and roots. Pinot Noir helps give the wine more breadth and depth. A small portion of Pinot Meunier brings its aromatic charm to produce a pure and intense Brut.
Appearance:
Pale yellow straw hue
Nose:
Brioche, hazelnuts, citrus and nectarine
Texture:
Small precise bubbles
Flavors:
More notes on the palate of sweet pastry; brioche, nougat, hazelnuts, nectarines, orange zest, ginger and orchard fruits; pears, honey crisp apples, lemon zest, lemon meringue…it is quite a cerebral Champagne…with every sip is a new discovery!
Serving Suggestions:
This Champagne would be a magnificent pairing for sushi such as king crab roll or shrimp tempura with a side of pickled ginger!
NV Champagne Delamotte, Brut Rose
Growing Region: Pinot Noir; Grand Cru vineyards in Ambonnay, Bouzy and Tours-sur-Marne, the Chardonnay; Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Varietal Composition: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, aged 36-48 months on the lees
Vinification: Traditional saignee method, the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir co-fermented
Dosage: 8 g/l
Alcohol Content: 12% abv
Suggested Retail: $89.99
WineSellar Club Price: $75
93 points Tasting Panel
92 points Burghound
92 points Robert Parker
For this installation of your Sparkling Champagne Club we thought we would treat you to a collection one of our favorite houses…Champagne Delamotte. Delamotte was founded in Reims in 1760 by Francois Delamotte. It is now the 5th oldest house in Champagne. In 1988, the House of Delamotte joined forces with the mythical Champagne Salon.
From the Winery:
By co-fermenting the two grapes as opposed to blending two varietal wines, the complexity of each personality is preserved without hindering the elegant ‘saignée’ color.
Appearance:
Shimmering rose gold hue
Nose:
Red delicious apples, strawberries, red flowers; hibiscus, rose petal
Texture:
Fine mousse
Flavors:
Crisp red delicious apples, fresh strawberries, raspberries, red currants, blood orange and hibiscus. There are also notes of red fruit filled pastry…powerful, and still very elegant.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a vivacious Champagne and would be a compelling pairing to game bird; pheasant or duck!
Chilled Avocado Soup (With Flowers)
Part of the wine tour we conducted in Chile last year included a cooking demonstration at the “Food & Wine Studio” of Pilar Rodriguez.
Pilar attended the prestigious school of Culinary Arts Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. After completing her studies, she worked with the prominent French chef Christian Le Squer at the restaurant Ledoyen, which is awarded three Michelin stars.
This is another of the items we made for lunch, which I want to share.
It’s very simple, but has good visual and flavorful impact!
Ingredients:
- 2 Haas Avocados (do not use Fuerte)
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Cup of Vegetable (or Chicken) Stock
- One Small Clove of Garlic
- Salt and Pepper to Taste.
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice (preferably Meyer Lemon)
- Garnish with Edible Flowers
Method:
- Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth.
- Chill
- Garnish with the edible flowers