Delius Restaurant and 2007 Perrin & Fils Rasteau

I have not done reviews on actual venues on this blog, but I think I may begin to incorporate that when I come across one that I find striking...in any direction. I think I will start with Delius, a restaurant/wine cellar in Long Beach that I went to last night.

I went with my friend Kyle. It was actually his idea because he passes by Delius several times a week on his way to work, but has never stopped in. That all changed yesterday because we were already in the area and craving a glass or two (or four) so we rang the place up and headed on over.

I have spent a large portion of my life in the Long Beach area, and let's just say that I don't always equate Long Beach with this kind of dining experience. The restaurant is very modern with dim lighting and a nice, quiet atmosphere; Perfect for a date or simply a night out to enjoy some great wine.

The bartender gave us a 'By The Glass' wine list, which in all honesty was fairly lackluster. The walls of the restaurant were lined with wine bottles, very impressive looking- as if they really wanted to showcase their wine selection...but their wine list was full of Temecula selections. (Nothing against Temecula wines, but one would expect more with a place that looks as impressive as this.)

There were two Napa selections for which I would have settled, but I knew there had to be more to Delius than this. When the bartender came back, I asked to see a 'by-the-bottle' list; he returned shortly with a touchscreen tablet, not unlike an iPad, which had their wine list. Now THAT was cool. You can select wines by varietal, vintage, price and region. Being that i'm on an Old World wine kick, I chose France.

Price points for a venue like this, I feel, were fairly reasonable. Bottles started in the $20s with entrees and appetizers in the $14 and up range. We ended up getting a 2007 Perrin & Fils Rasteau and paired it with their Duck Confit, Overall, a magnificent pairing.

The wine service was very good; The bottle was presented and sampled, all the etiquette was followed and all that. However, if I had to split hairs, it would be over the fact that that their wine glasses were slightly water spotted and not as polished as I would have liked.

The Duck Confit was great. It was served over a bed of upland cress, topped with teardrop tomatoes, dried cranberries, red onion and bleu cheese crumbles. The duck leg itself was garnished with tomato yogurt spheres and mole sauce. I apologize for not taking a photo before we devoured it, but sometimes the stomach thinks faster than the brain.

Overall, a wonderful experience at a reasonable price point. Great place to take a date or simply enjoy a drink in a nice, quiet atmosphere. I will be back.

2007 Perrin & Fils, Rasteau L'Andeol- Cotes du Rhone, France.
At first opening, the wine had very apparent forest floor and tobacco aromas accompanied by subtle plums, red berries and hints of pepper and spice. The lighting was dim, but it appeared to be quite light in colour and intensity- a brick red colour which transitions to an almost watery-clear rim.

On the palate, the earth and minerality comes through before any fruit. The forest floor aroma translated into a clay and loam flavour, typical of Cote du Rhone wines. This particular blend is 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. Lots of heat from the alcohol content of the Grenache (14% abv), and spicy, peppery texture from the Syrah. At first opening, the wine seemed balanced, but lacked complexity and finish; As it opened up, though, the depth really started to show. Lots of black fruit, cocoa and nice tannin and spice mouthfeel, opening up to a medium plus finish. It was very nice as a stand alone wine, but excellent with the Duck Confit.

At Delius Restaurant- Signal Hill, CA

Napa Valley and 2007 Esca Cabernet

California's Napa Valley is considered to be one of the most highly regarded wine regions in the Americas. There is more viticultural diversity within the Napa Valley appellation than there is within the Médoc or the Côte d'Or, with several California examples rivaling and even besting some famous French labels. Napa Valley has become so synonymous with excellent wine that even the casual storegoer knows that any selection from that region is a safe bet for a good time.

There are many factors which make Napa Valley special, in this entry we will touch briefly on three main characteristics: Climate (weather conditions), aspect (angle relative to the sun) and geology (soil content).

Because of the unique way that Napa is located and shaped, it has several microclimates which exist inside of it. Temperatures range from the cool and often foggy southern areas like the Carneros District, to the much warmer, closed-off northern regions where the Calistoga and St Helena Appelations are. Mountains and footbills protect much of the valley from excessive wind and rain, keeping the grapes safe from being torn apart or drowned. Napa also has a long growing season with warm, sunny days and cool nights- an ideal combination for allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.

Vines are mostly planted on the valley floor, but more and more are being cultivated on the slopes. The wooded western slopes provide cool, afternoon shade- conditions which favour white grapes- Chardonnay, Sauvignon/Chenin Blanc, Riesling, whereas the more arid, rain-shadowed eastern slopes favour red varietals- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.

This beautiful balance of hot sun, cool ocean breezes, and (in some areas) shade provide enough sun and heat to ripen the thicker-skinned grapes (Cabernet, Zinfandel) but not overcook the more delicate varietals like Pinot Noir.

The soil content varies from one appellation to another, but the entire valley was once part of the ocean floor that has since been lifted up over years of tectonic evolution. The northern areas have been torn open and blasted with volcanic ash and rock, leaving a soil content of volcanic ash and gravel loams. The southern area closest to the San Pablo Bay has constantly been flooded and dried out over several centuries, depositing layers of sediment on the floor each time- leaving behind fertile clay and silt loams once the ocean retreats back.

Many 'Old World' French and Italian wines pride themselves on their 'terroir'- or the taste of the earth. Flavours of chalk, loam, gravel, slate etc come through first on these Old World wines, however California wines are initially very fruit-forward. Warm sun and [relatively] young vines give you powerfully ripe reds- flavours of black plums, cherries, cassis and berries will come before any earthiness or minerality.

So how do you choose the right Napa wine? There are hundreds upon hundreds of producers in the 16 appellations of Napa Valley (2012), you can easily drive yourself crazy picking apart which sub-regions have which micro-climate and soil ideal for growing which grape varietal in what year. My advice? Don't be afraid to try something new, and if you find something you really like then note it down (varietal, region, producer, vintage) and eventually you may begin to see a pattern.

Here is a fine example of a Napa Valley Cabernet: 2007 Esca Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon- Calistoga, Napa Valley. It is not the boldest Napa Cab that I've had, especially for a 2007, but it does have a great, velvety smooth texture and nice round fruit flavours of black plums, currants and a little bit of vanilla and spice from the French oak barrels. Great wine to pair with anything from lamb shanks to swordfish.

At Wine Lab Camp- Costa Mesa, CA.

The Moscow Mule

In today's world of Absolut and Grey Goose, it's hard to imagine a time when vodka needed a hand with boosting its popularity. Cosmopolitans and Apple-tinis owe their success to the original vodka cocktail- The Moscow Mule.

In 1941, John Martin (Who's company had recently bought the Pierre Smirnoff brand) and Jack Morgan (Owner of a famous Hollywood pub- which carried an in-house ginger beer) combined their products in a fit of 'inventive genius', as a way to offload their otherwise unsellable goods. They threw together a concoction of ginger beer, vodka, lime juice, and sprig mint in a copper mug and the Moscow Mule was born!

Martin then used a creative marketing technique to get more bars to start carrying their new creation. He bought one of the first Polaroid cameras and had bartenders pose with a Moscow Mule in its copper mug and a bottle of Smirnoff vodka. Then he would leave one copy of the photo at the bar and take a second copy to the bar next door to show them that their competitors were selling this hot, new item.

It worked! Between 1947 and 1950, vodka sales more than tripled and nearly doubled in 1951- but the glory was short lived as the Moscow Mule's popularity began to dwindle in the 1960s. We are in luck, though, with the recent boom of high end bars and gastropubs, the Mule is coming back!

Just make sure to get yours in a copper mug, like how they are served here at Chapter One: the modern local.

Na zdorovie!

 

2009 Chateau De Costis

Bordeaux, just like Champagne, is a wine which is named after its region. When you see a Bordeaux wine, it is usually a blend of any or all of the five traditional Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Similar red blends can be found outside of France as well- California Meritage and Italian Super Tuscans are a few examples of Bordeaux style wines.

Red Bordeaux blends are known for their bold, dark fruit flavours as well as their firm and tannic structure. Plum, black currant and sweet berries are usually used to describe the deep, ripe flavours of Bordeaux...and because these tend to be high in tannin, many can stand to age for quite some time- a few decades for some of the finer specimens.

This 2009 Chateau De Costis- Grand Vin De Bordeaux was initially a little thin for my liking. After letting the open bottle sit for half an hour or so, the depth and complexity began to develop. Even still, this is probably the thinnest bodied and most fruit-forward Bordeaux I have ever tried, which makes it a great wine to accompany a meal but not the best stand-alone wine like other Bordeaux blends I prefer. It is still a bargain at $8.99 a bottle and goes to show that you do not have to break the bank to try a nice French wine!