Fun WIth Bottling

After two exhausting days of bottling this week, our warehouse is filling up. We now have 8 pallets of 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 pallets of 2007 Merlot. Our good friend Jimmy Jenkins at Fort Worth Screen Printing dropped by to check out the organized chaos. Using his handy dandy iPhone, he put together a great little video of the bottling process. You can also see Andrew's OSHA stretches on our Facebook page- always a good laugh. Oh! And we're always looking for volunteers for our next bottling!

Ten Times the Wine!

I am so pleased to announce that we have finally started production here at Times Ten Fort Worth! We brought in 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Merlot from California.

Before any juice could touch our tanks, we had to scrub the inside of the tanks to ensure that they were free of anything detrimental to the wine. Bill, who helps Chris out in our cellar, did a great job getting those tanks squeaky clean. Dustin and I arrived early to sanitize the hoses so that everything that the wine came in contact with was safe.

Chris and Dustin hook up the pump

A huge tanker truck rolled up and had to squeeze down our back alley. It was pretty interesting to see a semi fit between freshly laid cement and a tree. Fortunately, he made it- thanks to years of experience. We hooked up our hoses and let the wine flow!

Truck driving skills at their finest

Opening up the valve. Yay wine!

Quality assurance

More quality assurance by Steve

Dustin and Chris enjoy some of the Cab

The fun part of wine making. Cleaning!

After everything was pumped into the tanks it was time to clean up. I showed off my squeegee skills that I picked up at Benton-Lane.

Bottling commences next week. It's hard labour, but good times are always had.

French Wines

We all know France is king when it comes to wine. They have more land under vine than any other country, they started the modern model for wine laws and regulations, and tout some of the biggest names in the business. Before the Easter break, we covered French wines in class- everything from Champagne to Bordeaux. Here are several that we tasted and I liked:

• 2003 Chateau Trianon Bordeaux- from St. Emilion, and a Grand Cru. This wine has heavy notes of leather, cedar, and lead on the nose. Upon tasting, you will get a well balanced fruit, cocoa with a medium acidity. This wine is predominately Merlot with a little Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Carbonere thrown in. 
• 2003 St. Estephe Bordeaux- Wow! This wine was amazing. Also a Grand Cru, it is oaked with a floral and slightly smokey aroma. On the palate, it is earthy with soft tannins and an incredibly long finish. 68% Cab Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cab Franc. Unfortunately, I won't be purchasing this wine anytime soon, it's worth over $200! It was great to have a taste though. 
• 2005 Chateau Doisy Däene Sauternes- From Barsac, this wine was surprisingly very complex. Definite notes of botrytis (a disease that sucks the water out of the grape, leaving the sugar highly concentrated- in this case, a good thing). Tangerine, fig, agave, pineapple, pear, brown sugar, honeysuckle- the list goes on. The layers and complexity were endless! A lot of people turn their nose up at sweet wine, but wines like this one can be very good- especially if paired with the right thing. This would be excellent with foie gras. 
• 1998 Cantemerle Pinot Noir- from the Haute Medoc region. The brettanomyces was definitely noticeable with the aroma of band-aid or animal. Some people like this, others don't. I'm not crazy about it, but it's ok in small doses. Hints of tobacco were also evident. This wine had sediment, and a little cloudy- probably due to age- but still very good. I would say drink this now, it's probably on the way down after this year.
• 2005 Amiot Guy et Fils Alligote- another sweet wine, although, this one is from Burgundy. A musty, aged aroma, with notes of coffee, fig, and raisin. It has a sweet, birthday cake finish with notably high acid. 
• George D'Boeuf  Moulin-A-Vent Gamay Beaujolais- Most people think of the light and fruity, inexpensive, picnic wines of Beaujolais, but this one is quite different. It is purple in color, with a spicy nose. It has soft tannins with notes of black pepper; a medium bodied wine. I was glad to discover a higher end Beaujolais that breaks common perceptions.
• 2006 George D'Boeuf Pouilly Fuisse- from Macon in Burgundy, made out of the chardonnay grape. Light oak with a touch of vanilla on the nose. I love, love, love me some Pouilly Fuisse, and this one is no exception! 
• 2003 Clos des Vignes Franches Pinot Noir- A Premier Cru from Beaune. Garnet color with a mushroom, cherry, and carmelized nose. Complex, soft and spicy- notes of dried fruit, and light tannins on the palate. 
• 2005 Joseph Drouhin Chablis-Sechers- We'll finish up with this Premier Cru from Cote D'Beaune. There is banana, apricot and a floral aroma on the nose. Maybe a little hint of oak, but it was definitely not aged in new oak barrels. Sweeter, but not overbearing. A high acid wine that would be paired nicely with oysters. 

Go ahead, set up a little cafe table, pretend you're on the streets of Paris, dine on some fromage and pate, and enjoy a nice, French wine! Give yourself a little mini-vacay, even if you can't afford that flight to Paris.

Shall I Review Some Wines?

The fun part of sommelier class is the tastings, of course! So here are a few that I have tried throughout the weeks and my picks of the litter:

Week One: 

1996 Etude Pinot Noir- aged, and absolutely smooth. This wine was thought to have been over the hill, but it certainly was not! It probably could have held out for another year in the bottle, but personally, I'm glad we got to drink it! Brick red in color, typical of older pinots, light, and easy to drink.

Week Two:

2004 Sbragia Cabernet Sauvignon- I'm not a big cab drinker, but this was a very nice wine. I would bring this to a nice dinner party, provided they are serving a red meat or hearty meal. It's big, but not overpowering. California grapes, so I would have expected it to be high alcohol content and really big bodied, but I would say it was closer to a medium bodied wine. 

2007 Rosemont Treminer Riesling- Australian. A very dry wine, what most people do not expect out of a riesling. This is not your typical dessert wine! I could see myself drinking this on a hot day, maybe with a light lunch. 

Week Four: We sampled eight wines and then took a test this week! I just about sloshed out of there. 

2007 Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz- Holy cow! This wine has a 16.5% alcohol content! We weren't sure how they got the ALC so high naturally. And to top it off, there is a hint of residual sugar, which is very uncommon in wines that hot. I think this is the highest ALC I've ever had. Aside from that, there are heavy notes of pepper, some of which may be attributed to how hot the wine is. Actually very good. This would HAVE to go with a very rich meat, venison, or lamb, or other big game. It would go well with a lamb stew. Do not pair with anything spicy. Be careful- two glasses and you'll be on the floor!

2003 Pesquera Tempranillo- ah, my favourite grape! This Spanish wine was delicious! Lots of tobacco on the nose and the palate. Plenty of spiciness, but a smooth finish. I would probably pair this with pork or tapas. You would need a cheese like manchego or a cheddar to off-set this wine. And a modest 13.5%! 

2004 Marques de Murrieta Rioja- Another lovely Spanish wine! Lots of leather in this one, some minerality, and definitely tastes like an old world wine. Medium bodied and very easy to drink. Again, I would pair this with some delicious jamon serrano and other cured meats. The fattier or saltier the meat, the better. The acidity will cut right through.

2001 Cogno Borolo- Wow, this wine was good. Lots of tar and roses on the nose. That may sound bad, but actually very nice. Very smooth and aging nicely. Goes for a reasonable $32 per bottle. But better yet, is the 1999 vintage we tried next! A little more tar on the nose and even smoother! Both of those could have stayed in the bottle for another five years and been just as amazing, if not  better! 

Aside from class, I've picked up a few other bottles along the way:

2007 Ludovicus Red Wine- From the Spanish vineyard Cellar Piñol. This wine is almost identical to Times Ten's Cathedral Mountain Spanish blend. Except, this one has more granache than tempranillo grapes, and ours is the other way around. Very jammy, lots of raspberry up front, and a spicy finish. I would definitely drink this with pizza and on summer evenings. When you want a red, but don't want to feel heavy and hot after drinking it, Tempranillo and Grenache are the way to go. Best part about it? Only $10.95 at Central Market. What a steal!

Brumale Cabernet Sauvignon- We went to Arcodoro for Chad's 30th birthday dinner and picked this beauty off of their wine list. A very light Sicilian cab, extremely smooth. This would definitely be a crowd pleaser at a dinner or cocktail party. I need to find this at a retail store ASAP! 

Inwood Estates Tempranillo-Cabernet- This wine comes from a Texas vineyard out by the New Mexico border. We sell a few wines from other Texas wineries at Times Ten, and this happens to be one of them. I sampled some the other day, it was delicious! Very fruit forward, almost like the raspberry flavour in Grenache. High acidity, which I like, but others may not. The spiciness of the tempranillo grape with the earthiness of the cab. I loved it, but it goes for $40/bottle retail, so I won't be purchasing it for just some random night on the couch. 

I have only four more weeks of class, and I've already come across some other delicious wines to let you know about. More on that this coming week!

Times Ten Cellars 2007 Cathedral Mountain

Tempranillo, Grenache, Syrah, Cab Sauvignon, Cab Franc, UNITE! Times Ten Cellars has released it's first vintage ever from our very own vineyard in West Texas. After a minor mishap with the labeling, it's back on the shelves! Woohoo! This Spanish style blend is earthy with the spiciness that is characteristic of Spanish wines. With a hint of fruit, the taste finishes smooth and light. Great paired with tapas, Spanish cheeses, and pizza. Though still young, only bottled in November, and still undergoing a little bottleshock, it is delicious to drink now, but will be even better in six months to a year. However, even as I type, it is drinking better every day. I have hidden a bottle from myself to pull out for my 26th birthday in July. We'll see how long that lasts, since I did the hiding. :)