EAT WINE

AWESOME!!! A Chilean wine made the Wine of the Year (2008) for Wine Spectator. That means it beat the Premier Grand Cru, some rockin' Pinot, many, many others. Wow. Clos Apalta is the creme de la creme of Casa Lapostolle winery, a sultry, slinky vintage of 42% Carmenere, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot.

We visit Clos Apalta quite frequently and this has been my favorite vintage besides 2001 (2003 we are still waiting since it was explosive and needed time). 2005, in general, was very feminine for the grand wines of Chile. Long, elegant, slowly revealing itself with soft tannins. I still found the barrel could mellow out a bit. And don't get me wrong, this is new world Rolland-style so the word "big" still applies. But within that genre, it is very expressive. Bravo to the winemakers.

Simultaneously, if being named Wine of the Year wasn't enough, Clos Apalta winery was named Wine Enthusiast's New World Winery of the Year. I call the winery a "shrine to wine". Think the guggenheim in a winery spiraling six stories deep into the ground (never mind all the granite they had to dynamite out and then carve into the floor stones). Slick, understated with fine details in premier craftsmanship, you may never see another like this anywhere else. By the time you get to the second year barrel cellar for tasting, and catch a glimpse of Madame Marnier's private cellar (OMG!), you will be mesmerized.

So what are you waiting for? Go get those bottles, or better yet, cases, of Clos Apalta 2005 before they disappear.  Last time I was in the US, I could hardly believe when I saw it at Trader Joe's in Napa for US$65. A steal. Seriously.

Salud and congratulations Clos Apalta!

http://www.winesofchile.org/article/74

Oh, those Aussies. Always trying to throw out some shockers with the wine labels. I have to admit though, they always make me laugh and it inevitably creates this intense desire to try the wines to see what they are like. Is the wine that good (or bad), evocative?

Comparing cellar notes with my Dad on the phone, he shared with me some of his newest findings that gave me a short lived chuckle. If any of you have tried these, I would love to know what they are like. Or if you have any outrageous wine names, let's get that going too. It is refreshing actually to find these lighthearted labels (although perhaps opportunistic in a marketing sense). I will say that the Australians have nailed the niche of getting people to buy cheap and cheerful wines exclusively on the label as Wine & Spirits Daily posted a while back (http://www.winespiritsdaily.com/2006/02/wild-wine-labels-...).

Anyway, let me know if any you have actually "experienced" these babies. I give them high scores for creativity in the name making at least and some of the ratings I found from Wine Dictator/Spectator:

--Barrel Monkeys 2004, an 16% alcohol Shiraz fruit bomb--oh my! 

Supple, generous and nicely focused, showing pure blackberry and blueberry flavors, which linger on the slightly hot finish. Drink now through 2009. 4,000 cases made. --Bruce Sanderson

--Jealous Bitch 2007, Chardonnay from New South Wales

http://www.chathamimports.com/jealous_chard.php, hmm...not so sure about the dog on the label. Would be willing to bet though that female dog owners in their 20-30s may be the market.

--Two Hands, Two Gnarly Dudes 2005, Shiraz from Barossa

This name I just loved. It is like Sideways meets those Surfing Chefs down under. The wine description on www.snooth.com describes it as "black to the core" followed by aromas of tar, earth, licorice, cedar, and black, black fruits. Ok, I gather its gonna be very chewy with viscosity that may need a knife. All the reviews were favorable and said it was balanced in alcohol-tannins-acid. This is not a light wine though--14.8% alcohol and that kind of dark fruit definitely will need a rack of grilled lamb chops.

Fire up the barbie mate!