Mimosa State of Mind

It was a grey day in the city this past Sunday as the clouds settled in over the southern shores of Lake Michigan. But inside this sweet little spot on Chicago’s north end, we cut the chill and brightened the day as we indulged each other with our stories of triumph and defeat, childhood memories, and determinations for the future. Add the bottomless mimosas and bloody marys and you’ve set the stage for a soul-stirring session of the sisterhood.

This cozy scene was in stark contrast to the day before, hot and sunny, a dozen outdoor music venues filled with the sounds of jazz as the 2nd Annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival played itself out. TH and I trolleyed from venue to venue and enjoyed the classic sounds of Fred Anderson, the more contemporary music of the Charlie Johnson Quintet and others. Later, we headed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra facility to enjoy the 12th Annual Day Of Music. TH caught up with Reginald Robinson, and I took in Paulinho Garcia and Greg Fishman, who make up “Two for Brazil.” These free concerts were just an incredible gift to the people and mimicked many similar weekends in one of our fair city’s beautiful parks, full of sun, fun, and music throughout the summer.

This weekend was the perfect ending to the best summer I can remember.

SWB Checks Out Middle Coast!

It was great to have another favorite Seattle Wine Brat (SWB) visiting recently. Though she took over Rain Man’s legacy of bringing down the sky, abundant good times did not elude us. Effects of Hurricane Ike plagued Bay Views two biggest festivals on Saturday but we managed to take advantage of the one break in the rain to enjoy dancing a full set by Beat Nation at the Global Union World Music Festival. It started to rain again just in time for the next band, so we decided it was a good time to find a nearby wine bar. The next morning we hit as many of my favorite places around town as possible before heading back home to finish cooking and set up for the dinner party, which featured Middle Eastern cuisine and wines from all over the world. The MWBs did an excellent job of supplementing the main course dishes and sides with appetizers and salads. As we enjoyed each others good company and conversation, there were many moments of that most exquisite pleasure of making a perfect match between the wine you’re drinking and the food you’re eating. There were some reds that had the old world earthiness that blend so well with the gamier flavors of lamb and the eastern spices that dressed the sides. Others were big, bold, deep, dark fruit reds that are the perfect complement for a hearty, harvest-time meal on a cool, rainy evening. Memorable labels included Coppi Primitivo Riserva 1997, Italy, Arcturus Astrale 2002, Napa, and Midnight Cellars Gemini Reserve Red Wine 2004, Paso Robles.

Those hearty reds were in abundance once again, this time at TNT’s birthday party and wine tasting. The theme was “old vine” or “late harvest” any region or varietal. The “darling” of the evening was by far the Tschark 2006, Barossa Valley, Australia, a blend of tempranillo and graciano. This wine softened as it opened and yielded hints of leather, chocolate, and the slightest bit of dark cherry.

One more wine to mention is Hegarty Chamans 2004, Minervois, France. This blend of carignan, syrah, and grenache is one of the most memorable due to a striking note of mint dominating the palette. My only other experience of that was with a high end Australian blend by Penfolds. To try this one by the glass, head out to Trocadero Café.

Patz & Hall at Thief Wine

Fabulous tasting tonight at Thief Wine in Milwaukee Public Market. Thanks to TJ for the heads up and invitation. TJ was working the event and TS joined in the fun. We got to meet winemaker Don Patz and grill him about the movie Bottle Shock. He’s been in the Napa Valley making wines since 1988, so he knows the players in the region, including all the characters depicted in the movie. He said the portrayal of Jim Barret was pretty right on—a tough guy. Portrayal of the son Bo seemed reasonable. His girlfriend, Sam, who later became his wife didn’t actually moon the crowd, but the real people being portrayed didn’t harbor any resentment toward the filmmaker, they mostly felt it was all in good fun. I asked him about the phenomenon about the Chardonnay turning brown in the bottle. He specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—about eight of each. We had five total and they were all beautiful wines—more about them in a minute. Don said he’s never had the experience of wines turning brown in the bottle and didn’t know anyone else who had either, and that the chances are much less than being struck by lightning. He did say that the part of the story about the wine turning brown is part of the folklore of Chateau Montelena. Don said that shortly after pressing, you get a lot of agents in the juice that are susceptible to oxidation and turn brown pretty early on, but they also settle out to the bottom pretty quickly well before bottling and leaving a clear, beautiful wine. At that point, what’s left is pretty resistant to oxidation and can last many years before suffering the symptoms of further oxidation.

About the wines—we had three Chardonnays and two Pinot Noirs. Don only makes wines from these two varietals, sourcing from various vineyards in the Napa Region. We had one of each varietal with a designation of Napa Valley, the least expensive, and then one of each from the very reputable Hyde Vineyard in Carneros (SW corner of Napa and high country—great microclimate for both grapes). The Hydes were the most expensive. He also had a Chardonnay from Duton Ranch. I had never had any Patz and Hall wines before tonight and am now a huge fan. All five wines were delicious, gorgeous wines. CG, you would love all of these Chardonnays!! I bought two bottles of one of them and hope to share some with you before the fall season sets in. All the Chardonnays are barrel fermented with a second malolactic fermentation. The effects of the wood were nicely understated—a little buttered toast under scoring the fruit. Nicely balanced with no oiliness. These were outstanding wines. The Pinot Noir wines were even better, sporting ripe fruit, black berries (not much of that sour cherry thing going on—these wines were much richer and had more depth). The first Pinot was from Hyde Vineyard and the second was his Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Not much earthiness from either, but a little spice from the oak barrels. Both were elegant and sensuous wines. Pinot lovers will want to have these in their cellars. Discounted prices ranged from $28.50 to $52.95 per bottle.

After the tasting, we retired to the wine bar on the first floor to split a bottle of the Foley 2006 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Rancho Santa Rosa. Another beautiful Pinot, this one has some cherry notes, and less of the ripe black fruit found in the Patz and Hall. Thanks to AF for introducing me to this wine earlier this year—a perfect way to round out the evening.