Farewell (for now) to One of Our Dudes

Dude Patrick!

For more than two years a group of friends have gathered nearly every 2-3 weeks to sip wine, compare thoughts, and tell each other that they have no idea what they're talking about.

We tasted all sorts of wines at low price points, high price points, and from countries around the world. We've done dinners, blind tastings, and a couple of videos for this blog.

After all, isn't that what friends do? We dubbed ourselves "Dudes on the Porch." That's because it all started on my front porch when I lived near the center of town in grand 100-year old home. I've moved to a newer condo, Dude Mike has moved away because of his wife's career, and tonight we lose Dude Patrick for a year as his Professor Wife goes on sabbatical.

So tonight we're opening some wines. I'm going to update throughout the evening. We've sort of pledged to bring different wines but only good ones!

I'll udpate with the wines, some thoughts and a few photos as we go along. This is sort of a "live blogging" night!

We started with a wine I carried back from Wisconsin last year - Ledgestone 2009 Le Crescent. Le Crescent is an Elmer Swenson creation. Swenson was a grape-development pioneer at the University of Minnesota. He developed the slightly better known Frontenac as well.

Le Crescent combines another of Swenson's grapes, St. Pepin, along with a clone from Muscat Hamburg. What you get is a refreshingly tart white wine with strong apricot and tart citrus. It's quite refreshing. Winemaker Tim Abel talks up the varietals and this wine delivers. The $22 price point is higher than a lot of white wines but worth it to discover these unique varieties you've probably never tried nor heard of before.

Next up was a Burgundy Patrick brought along. We enjoyed a rather big Domaine Larue Saint-Aubin 2008 1st Cru Sur Le Sentier du Clou.

"This has bigger, darker fruit than you get from Burgundy," Patrick said. Indeed, the dark fruit was much bigger than most Burgundy (think bold cherry flavor) but it had great acidic balance for a great mouth feel.

Patrick snatched this $50-plus wine from Cinderella wine.com for just under $30.

Our last wine was John Bojanowski's Clos du Gravillas Lo Vielh - or 100 percent Languedoc Carignan. This wine stands out as one of my favorite finds from a week-long visit to France's Languedoc region in January.

The Lo Vielh - which means old one - is big, earthy, and bold - the perfect way to send Patrick off to Tennessee. John doesn't make much of this wine so the fact it made its way to Indiana is even more amazing. Thanks go to our friends importer Paul Chartrand and Derek Gray of Graybull imports.

The wine features grapes from 101-year old vines on John's small property in the Languedoc. Clos du Gravillas is also certified 100 percent organic by French laws. John has personally taken Carignan on as a personal cause. It's grown widely in southern France but most often used as a blending grape. It has a wonderfully stinky nose and might be off-putting to some until you tasted. If you can find the Le Vielh, because most sold out on the first shipment, expect to pay $25-$35.

All four of us present Monday night really liked this unique bottle of wine. I briefly met John at the Millesime Bio in Montpellier then had the chance to talk with him a bit during a spring visit to Indianapolis promoting his wines. The Kentucky native is an interesting guy making some really unique wines worth seeking out.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Quick Takes on Four Recent Wines

When I review a wine on my blog site I always try to make sure it's one readers can usually find. Or, it's a new wine varietal or something special worth reading about.

That's the case with this post with one unusual variety, a great white and two darn good reds.

Ledgestone Vineyards 2008 Frontenac - I discovered Frontenac during a spring 2011 trip to Northern Wisconsin. The grape varietal was pioneered by former University of Minnesota icon Elmer Swenson. Tim Abel makes one of the few 100 percent bottling I found in Wisconsin.

The big red wine features very pronounced sour cherry flavor that's just wonderful. This is a big tannic wine. It not only needs some age in the bottle but a healthy decant before drinking.

Here is a blog entry I wrote the day I visited Ledgestone and met Tim. You may or may not find Ledgestone, probably quite difficult to find outside of Wisconsin. But if you come accross a 100 percent bottling of the cold climate Frontenac it's definitely worth the investment.

Ledgestone Vineyards 2008 Frontenac, $28, Very Highly Recommended.

Chateau Lamothe de Haux 2010 White Bordeaux - I write a lot about red wines which taste at a quality level far above their price points. Here is a white French wine that does the same thing. This beautifully drinkable white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. It's smooth yet crisp with a tart lemon flavor.

I had the wine with a shrimp and pasta dish - a perfect pairing. If you can't find this particular label, just seek out a White Bordeaux. It's one of the great value wines coming from the world's most prestigious wine region.

Chateau Lamothe de Haux White Bordeaux, $12.99, Highly Recommended.

The other two wines are quicky recommendations. Mas Janiny Cabernet Sauvignon is a light bodied Cab from the Launguedoc from organic grapes. This a smooth drinking Cab that is excellent for new wine drinkers or those who just don't want to be clobbered by the King of Grapes. $24,99, Recommended, available from The Organic Wine Company.

Unusual Suspects 2007 Red Blend - This Lodi Californa wine is a great value buy. I have written about it before but liked it even more on the second bottle. Think dark cherries and spice and a delightfully easy-to-drink red for under $25. The wine is made from  55 percent Carignan, 35 percent Tempranillo and 10 percent Grenache. It's a real tasty, spicy value wine.

Send questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com