Umpqua Community College
Chateau Montelena
The Montelena Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1990
Umpqua Community College
The Cellars Triple Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012
Floral; sweet with a little tartness. A touch of citrus in the finish. — 8 years ago
Cantillon Brewery
Zwanze Tripel 2013
Jean Van Roy's amazing story of Zwanze 2013. When we started renovation works in the cellars of the brewery two years ago, much to our surprise we came upon the remains of some very old walls. In agreement with the medievalists of the city of Brussels, the works were stopped in order to allow archaeological excavations to take place.
Shortly thereafter we were astonished to find out that Cantillon brewery had in fact been built on the ruins of the very ancient Abbey of Cureghem! According to the medievalists, this religious community was well-known during the middle ages for its fowl fed on draff and, more specifically, for its dish of stuffed Cureghem capon, which was served with a beer brewed at the abbey and apparently drew pilgrims from all over Europe.
Yet it was truly a heavenly surprise when the excavations uncovered the cell of the abbot, Father Faro. In the small room the archaeologists found quite a few old reference books, one of which contained the original recipes for the beers brewed at the abbey several hundred years ago. We didn’t hesitate for a second and decided on the spot to recreate one of these mythical beers.
This beer, which will be our Zwanze for 2013, therefore bears the name of its illustrious place of origin, Abbaye de Cureghem (Cureghem Abbey). Cureghem was formerly a village established many centuries ago on the banks of the Senne, the river running through present-day Brussels. The area was very heavily industrialised during the 19th century and, among other things, became home to many breweries. Today, it is part of the municipality of Anderlecht.
Since beers commonly referred to as “abbey beers” are not, or not any longer, products of spontaneous fermentation, we decided to brew a top fermentation beer, from a technical point of view in any case. The yeasts were selected in collaboration with Institut Meurice, a post-secondary college in Brussels specialising in biotechnology. Brewed in March 2012, our “Cureghem” beer fermented four weeks in stainless steel tanks before being blended with 10% lambic and pumped into 400-litre barrels of various origins. After maturing for six months, the beers were blended and put into casks or bottles to undergo re-fermentation and reach 7.2% ABV (Alcohol by Volume).
Inevitably, a top fermentation beer brewed in a spontaneous fermentation environment will be affected by the wild yeasts in the air, and this is certainly what happened in our case. For our Cureghem, the cultured yeasts were clearly the main factor behind primary fermentation and I think that the wild yeasts in the beer will instead play an increasingly important role as the product ages. However, despite the addition of the lambic to give it a little “extra something” in terms of character and ageing characteristics, this Zwanze cannot in any case be considered a spontaneous fermentation beer.
The long fermentation period coupled with the presence of wild yeasts lends this beer a solid character with a dry finish that lingers on the palate, while the combined use of fresh and aged hops yields both freshness and bitterness. Moreover, the different malts used give this year’s Zwanze a coppery colour along with a touch of caramel and candied fruit that provide body. Clearly, this is not your standard “abbey” beer but, perhaps, it is representative of what these beers were one or two hundred years ago — 11 years ago
Bill Bender
This is my 1000th wine on Delectable and I wanted to post something that meant something special to me. @Steve Anderson brought this to an incredible tasting we attended last night at a beautiful cellar in the home of @Scott Kahn who graciously hosted many of our local tasting group among wives, neighbors and other friends of his. It was an exemplary night that I had to cut much shorter than I preferred because I had to pick up my teenage daughter from a friend's house. It was a perfect storm of many important elements impacting my life both past and present. First and foremost I am a Father and even though my daughter called me much earlier than I wanted on an evening of wine involving first growths, Napa giants and Burg greats....I left because I was needed. My daughter just recently started living with me and we've been through a lot in the last year. The men I was with are almost all parents who totally get the importance of my daughter in my life....they are exceptional Dad's who have raised special kids. I respect them immensely and that is why I am honored that wine brought me together with a group that I would not likely have become friends with without it. Wine does that. It bridges gaps. It creates memories. It develops community. Delectable has done that for me as well. I have never been much of a social media guy but something about this app drew me in. Yes it was the wine...but it's the people that make this "place" truly special. I've made legit friends here and I'm better for it. I spent an amazing weekend in Chicago this summer with @Roman Sukley and @DAG...those 2 couldn't have been more generous, gracious or cool. I've also developed a synergy with @Ron R @TheSkip @Martin G Rivard @David A Lentine @Kimberly Anderson and many others I've never met but I feel like I know somehow. These people know who they are.....but back to the wine. Montelena has a special place in my heart. When I passed the bar in '93 I brought a '87 Montelena to dinner that night. Just me and my Mom. She grew up on a dirt road in a small rural town in North Carolina. Not wine country. By the time we shared the Montelena she had become a pretty ardent Chardonnay fan but did not seem to take to reds. Wine was fairly new to me but I was always trying to get her engaged with my love of red wine. Unsuccessfully. That night we shared a meal and memories at the La Valencia hotel in La Jolla and enjoyed that bottle. She was proud of me and said so. Without reservation. I was the first person on either side of my family to graduate college and now I was a lawyer. The moment touched her and it has stayed with me always. She said "you're my only child and I'm so proud of the man you've become and now you're a lawyer. I can't believe it. More than that I can't believe how much I loooooove this wine. I'm actually more impressed with that!" My Mom had a sense of humor too 😉 and right there a lifetime memory was created over a bottle that now had meaning beyond the wine. When she passed suddenly in '05 I had dinner with her husband. I brought a '90 Ausone and a '91 Montelena. We toasted my Mom. I have no recollection of the $500 Ausone but the Montelena is still one of my top 10 wines of all time. Each wine is its own experience and those you share it with enhance that experience immeasurably. Cherish each glass....and @Steve Anderson thank you for granting my request by bringing that bottle. You know now why I chose it. — 7 years ago