The Wine Curmudgeon

Expensive wine 36: Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz 2008

What's this? Has the Wine Curmudgeon gone soft on us? Two favorable reviews of Australian shiraz in the past month?

Indeed. Because, if nothing else, the Wine Curmudgeon believes in tasting the wine before judging it. And, even more than the Layer Cake wine of the week, the Two Hands ($30, sample) is an exemplary wine. Yes, I'm not a huge fan of this style, with its huge burst of fruit and high alcohol, and yes, wines made this way usually drive me crazy.

But you know what? This vintage of the Two Hands is full of rich, deep red fruit -- but it's less overwhelming than it would have been a year ago. Plus, the tannins show a little more and most of the ashiness (the odd flavor that many of these kinds of wines have in the back) is gone. And the alcohol, for whatever reason, is more integrated into the wine and less annoying. All of this, I'm assuming, comes from letting the bottle age since I got it in 2009.

Highly recommended, especially as a gift for next week's holiday that must not be named. This is a beef wine, but it's a beef wine that will appeal to more people than you would think.

Expensive wine 35: Beaulieu Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2006

Beaulieu Vineyard is one of the most important wine producers in California history, and Georges de Latour is one of the most important figures in that history. Without the winery and the work de Latour did there before World War II, the wine business in the U.S. would not be what it is.

Hence, any wine from Beaulieu that carres de Latour's name should be special. Sadly, the winery suffered through a series of problems in the late 1990s and early part of this century -- ordinary wines, scathing reviews, and even wines infected with cork taint. It was as sad as it was surprising.

The good news is that Beaulieu's corporate parent saw that something needed to be done, and invested millions of dollars to do so. The efforts have worked, and Beaulieu's wines are once again, as wine geeks say, showing well. The de Latour ($125, sample) is a well-made and surprisingly traditional style of Napa cabernet sauvignon, which made the Wine Curmudgeon quite happy.

It's a long, long wine from first sniff to finish, with aromas of cedar and dark fruit, more dark fruit in front, a solid middle, some rich oak on the finish and much welcome tannins to balance all. It's not hot despite being 14.8 percent alcohol, though it does need food -- lots of red meat -- to show its best. I had it with prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, a classic pairing.

Decant this wine for an hour or so to get the most out of it. And be glad that someone went to the trouble to save a historic brand. A price note: When I got the sample two years, it was listed at $80; the increase, even during the recession, shows how much Beaulieu has improved.

New Year's sparkling wine 2011

How confused are Americans about sparkling wine? Very. The Wine Curmudgeon was in line at one of Dallas' upscale grocers last week, and the woman ahead of me in line had all sorts of expensive produce and meat -- and six bottles of $9 Freixenet black bottle cava. That almost certainly never would have happened if she had been buying regular, or still, wine; then her cart would have had the required 92-point bottles.

Or, to take it to the other extreme, a very well-known TV chef advised her viewers a couple of weeks ago to make mimosas -- the 20-somethings' favorite hangover remedy -- with $40 sparkling wine. Which would be the equivalent of making sangria with one of the $40 reds I review in the monthly expensive wine post. Which would seem certainly seem like overkill.

What's the reason for all this confusion? Because sparkling wine is seen as even more confusing than still wine, and still wine confuses us enough. Sparkling wine is more difficult to open. We're only supposed to drink it on special occasions, and never for dinner in the middle of the week. And it has bubbles!

But sparkling wine doesn't have to be this way. In fact, other than opening it, bubbly is not much different from still wine. It's made with the same grapes, it's made in much the same way, and it pairs with food just like regular red and white wine. Best yet, quality labels are available at all prices, even for less than $10.

After the jump, what you need to know about bubbly and my suggestions for the New Year's holiday.

Expensive wine 34: J.M. Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Referts 2003

One of the myths about the wine business is that wine needs to age. Most wine doesn't, of course. Buy it and drink it and neither the drinker nor the wine will be worse off. That's something that most people, and even those who drink a lot of wine, are often confused about.

Hence it's always a treat to taste wine where aging is part of the wine's makeup. Generally, these are expensive, Old World wines; California high-end producers have a love-hate relationship with aging wine, though there are certainly some California wines that age well and producers who care about it.

The Boillot ($30, purchased) is a good example of how aging works (and comes from a solid, if lesser known, producer in Burgundy). It's chardonnay that is ready to drink now, and doesn't seem tight or jumbled the way younger wines that are made to age sometimes do. In other words, you can taste all the flavors -- they're distinct and one doesn't dominate the mix. In this case, that means pears and some apples, even a little honey, and the minerality that is so crucial to these wines. There was a little more oak than I expected, but it still had all of Puligny's rich and lush fruit and character.

The other thing about aging? Wines can fade, and get worse, not better. The Boillot is ready to drink now. Hold it for much longer, and the fruit will go away and the wine will, literally, lose flavor. Now, though? A great gift or something to serve for a fancy holiday dinner where you pull out all of the stops. Cream sauce, even.

Expensive wine 33: Moët Grand Vintage Brut 2002

Vintage Champagne -- that is, Champage with a year instead of NV for non-vintage -- isn't especially common; when a Champagne house announces one, it's to mark an exceptional year. Which makes perfect sense with the Moet ($70, sample).

This is as well made a bubbly as the Wine Curmudgeon has had in a long, long time, and reminds me why I enjoy Champagne so much. Frankly, as much as I like sparkling wine, too many Champagne makers long ago stopped caring about price as it relates to value. They have a brand that they can charge too much money for, and so they do. It doesn't seem to matter whether the wine is worth that price.

That's not the case here. If you want to spend $70 for Champagne, the Moet is money well spent. It's subtle and charming, like a woman you meet at a party who stays in your head and you think about at the oddest moments. There is a bit of yeast and lots and lots of clean, fresh green apple fruit, as well as bubbles that never, ever end. Drink this on its own, to celebrate a special occasion, or with a fancy holiday dinner, for it's a terrific food wine.

Quick note: If you're confused by some of the terms used here, since sparkling wine can be confusing, check out this post, which explains the basics of bubbly.

Mini-reviews 29: Stag's Leap, Flat Creek, Le Grand Nor, De Bortoli

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month:

• Stag's Leap Merlot 2004 ($35, sample): Cleaning out the wine cellar, and found this gorgeous, beautiful wine. Tastes like Napa, with deep, luscious black fruit, but with other qualities that make for a wonderful wine, including a long chalky finish and a full, rich middle.

• Flat Creek Estate Pinot Grigio 2010 ($18, purchased): Texas white wine that sits between tonic Italian pinot grigio (has more lemon) and fruit forward Oregon pinot gris. There was something odd in the back that bothered me, but may not bother anyone else. And it would be a better value at $14 or $15.

• Le Grand Noir Chardonnay 2009 ($8, purchased): French white with too much badly done fake oak and without enough fruit to cover up the oak. Not very interesting one way or the other.

• De Bortoli Sauvignon Blanc Emeri NV ($11, sample): Very odd, but intriguing, Australian bubbly made with sauvignon blanc. Sweet tropical fruit but not as much citrus as one would expect. Less tight and bubbly than cava, but not as soft as some Italian sparklers. Keep in mind for the holidays.

Expensive wine 32: William Fèvre Chablis Champs Royaux 2009

The Wine Curmudgeon is not a big vintage guy. The charts and ratings that are supposed to guide us through the maze that is vintage aren't really necessary for $10 wine -- or for most wine, in fact. Remember: 9 out of 10 bottles of wine that are made aren't made to age. They're made to drink.

Having said that, when I find wines that are worthy of age, I pay attention. And it looks like the 2009 vintage from Burgundy is going to be one of those vintages. I reviewed a Macon in August that was amazing (and for only $13), and the Fevre ($22, purchased) is even better. The 2009 vintage in Burgundy should keep those of us who like that style of wine happy for a long time.

Why do I say style of wine? The Fevre is white Burgundy, which means chardonnay (and one from one of the best producers in the region of Chablis). But it's not New World style chardonnay, with oak and butter, and, in some cases, tropical flavors. It's very Old World -- no oak at all, with lots and lots of minerality, a steely character, and very tart green apple fruit. But it's very well put together and not a simple wine by any means. Best yet, look for this to add character over the next couple of years and become even more interesting -- which, for $22, is saying a lot.

Serve this with roast chicken (which I did, with chicken cornbread dressing) or almost any grilled seafood. It's also a handy wine to have around as the holidays approach, whether to pour at dinner for guests or to save for yourself after a long day. Highly recommended.