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Tag: Germany

Gundlach Bundschu’s Merlot Was Made for Lamb Meatballs

May 19, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Virtual tastings: How many have you participated in during the past week? I’ve enjoyed several, including one a few days ago that featured a Chardonnay, a Syrah, and a Cabernet Sauvignon, all from California, from different producers, and all representing great value (look for a review soon).

COVID-19 has made this type of tasting a regular thing, and I am looking forward to taking part in more of them later this week, and well (who knows for how long?) into the future. Let me know how yours are going.

Today, I want to tell you about a 2016 Merlot, from Gundlach Bundschu, an estate that traces its founding to 1858, when a Bavarian, Jacob Gundlach, purchased 400 acres in Sonoma, an expanse he named Rhinefarm. He then returned to Germany, married Eva, and the couple traveled in their homeland and France on their honeymoon, during which Jacob bought the rootstock he planted on the farm. The following year, 1859, Jacob and his three partners established 60,000 vines on the property.

The 2016 Gundlach Bundschu Merlot is well worth its $35 price.

The sixth generation of the family is now in charge at Rhinefarm, led by Jeff Bundschu, who became president of the family-owned venture in 2001, when he was 33.

To the 2016 Merlot. It marked the 40th anniversary of the wine for Gundlach Bundschu (the first vintage was 1976), and here’s the rundown on the varietal composition: 82 percent Merlot, 9 percent Petit Verdot, and 9 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged for 17 months in 100 percent French oak (Nadalié), 40 percent new. Alcohol is 14.6 percent.

I opened this bottle one evening last week, and sampled it immediately. I was met with aromas of dark cherries, tobacco, earth, and mushroom, an entirely pleasant experience. The spice notes rang out in the mouth, along with mushroom, vanilla (slight), ripe cherry, and leather. Tannins here are rounded, relaxed. My next taste came 20 minutes later, and the time benefitted the wine’s balance.

Pairings? I had laid out a block of Gorgonzola earlier in the day, and it was perfect for this bottle. The main course that evening was lamb meatballs, and I cannot think of anything I’d enjoy more with this Merlot, which can be had for around $35 — it’s sold out at the winery, but is available at many merchants.

Want more wine? Read on:

James MacPhail Has His Way With Pinot
A Very Proper Sparkling Wine
Talking With David Ramey
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

My Long and Winding Journey With Riesling Continues

November 26, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Terry Theise: A man of wine.

Terry Theise: A man of wine.

So many bottles, so little time. Still, you recall hundreds of moments when the cork slid from the green vessel, the friends near you, the setting (a winery in Rheinland-Pfalz, a castle in Bavaria, Holger and Gudrun’s house, a Houston restaurant, a patch of grass in Brooklyn), the food, the laughter and conversation. It’s a journey that began for you during a magical time, and you’ve learned much in the days and nights since. And through it all, Riesling.

Several years ago I initiated an email conversation with Terry Theise. (Many of you will be familiar with him, and to those of you who aren’t, if you are in the slightest interested in wine, I recommend you get to know him; Reading Between the Vines is a good place to start.) Theise agreed to answer a few questions for me recently, and he’s the star of my latest Wine Talk. Give it a read here, then open a bottle and make some memories.

Photo of the Day: Lamb Tongue at Restaurant Amador

August 4, 2014 / / 0 Comments

I miss working in the kitchen at Amador, and wish I had been able to stay there longer.

I miss working in the kitchen at Amador, and wish I had been able to stay there longer.

“A little more than two years.” That is how I reply when anyone asks me how long it has been since I have had my hands on some lamb tongue. To many people it will sound odd, but when one works daily with items on a menu you become one with them, and discover their nuances and feelings. These things have identities and personalities, and the more you handle them, smell them, feel them, the more they open up to you, the more they give you. And the more you miss some of them when they are taken off the menu or you no longer work with them.

One of my tasks at Amador was prepping lamb’s tongue. Christian, another cook with whom I worked closely at this Michelin Three Star-restaurant located in Mannheim, Germany, showed me how to slice it thinly and use a round to cut it into the shape required for the dish. Not every piece was usable, because we sought a particular, even coloration. Gray does not look good on a plate, and Chef Juan Amador wanted (and wants) nothing but perfection.

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