We kick off the second half of my Tokaj Furmint adventures this week with a visit to Basilicus Winery, an interesting endeavor that I think qualifies as an “urban” winery in Tokaj terms.
They compliment their tiny production of high-quality Furmint with services that include gastronomy tours and oenophile-centric events, encompassing local vinegar and food as well as wine.
I had a particularly fun time touring their source vineyards (and pretending to make wine barrels), as you’ll see in a few moments.
So, like, what is this stuff, anyway?
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes with you via twitter (limited to 140 characters). They are meant to be quirky, fun, and easily-digestible reviews of currently available wines. Below is a wrap-up of those twitter wine reviews from the past week (click here for the skinny on how to read them), along with links to help you find these wines, so that you can try them for yourself. Cheers!
11 Duboeuf Morgon Jean Descombes (Beaujolais): “He was gentle as a night wind… as no lover had been beeeeefooooooooreeeee……..” $19 B+ >>find this wine<<
93 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos (Tokaj-Hegyalja): Do mortals deserve slices of heaven? Doesn’t mean we should turn them down… $200 A >>find this wine<<
12 Grgich Hills Estate Grown Chardonnay (Napa Valley): Melon rock band, with shades of back-country lemony twang to their riffs. $42 B+ >>find this wine<<
07 Three Sticks Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast): 1st impressions would say burly; but 1st impressions aren’t always right. $56 A- >>find this wine<<
07 Ferrari Perle (Trento): Apple bread & awesomeness, with a take-no-prisoners attitude and a preference for not being disturbed yet. $35 A- >>find this wine<<
13 Hearthstone Estate Roussanne (Paso Robles): Cream, toast, honeycomb cereal, melons; a time warp back to grade school breakfast! $28 B+ >>find this wine<<
12 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): The devil is in the details, and thankfully there’s no shortage of details available here. $50 A- >>find this wine<<
11 Maldonado Parr Vineyard Chardonnay (Sonoma County): There’s just enough lemony twang in this richly orchestrated performance. $32 B+ >>find this wine<<
11 Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Valpolicella): For those who take their coffee, tea, meat, disposition, & life dark. $85 A- >>find this wine<<
NV Champagne Ayala Brut Rose Majeur (Champagne): Upscale brunch, in an upscale location, with a setting that’s refined & quiet. $70 A- >>find this wine<<
Yo lovebirds (and those who recently dumped people and hate lovebirds at the moment)!
My latest piece for Fix.com is now available; in this round, their inimitable graphics team has put some stellar visuals to the tune of my words explaining the Whys behind the now-ubiquitous “proper”step-by-step procedure for tasting fine wines.
I’d advise a gander at the article (and the graphics, embedded below after the jump), not out of snobbery, but out of a desire to get the most enjoyment out of your next glass (and to garner some wine-tasting-related trivia with which to annoy your friends).
Peeps! Here’s episode 6 of my Furmint adventures in Tokaj, in which I visit Sauska Winery, and give them grief over their green harvest practices. Ok, so I am sometimes not such a gracious guest. Oh, yeah – I also do a fan dance.
Fan dance, Sauska style
Anyway…
The wines are excellent, and the scenery typically gorgeous, so it’s just another day “at the office.”
David Creighton on Blah Blah Blah, Natural Wine, Blah Blah Blah: “So, some questions: Is pruning grapevines natural are jacketed stainless steel tanks and chilling must natural? is…” Aug 2, 11:35
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