History of the Artist Series Quest

I was skimming my blog and realized I haven’t posted much on my Artist Series Quest in quite some time. One might think I haven’t been actively collecting – but one would be wrong. I have about 20 labels already taken off, with another…at least 30 ready to be taken off. But my inability to finish projects is not the point of this post- it’s to talk about the reason for my affection towards “artist series wines”.

When I was .. well, we’ll say a bit younger.. I worked a restaurant that had an excellent wine list and the owners were committed to their staff knowing about wine so we often had the opportunity to taste wines before a shift, or if a table wanted to give us a glass, we could share a little bit with them. It was a wonderful kick start to my wine knowledge – but also propelled my palate quickly past the “entry” level wines, thus I’ve always had a taste for wines that are more expensive than my pocketbook would like. One of the wines I learned about was the Kenwood Artist Series. I had mentioned it in another post, but since then the link has changed, so I’ll tell the story now:

In 1974 Kenwood released a wine (what is now their Artist Series) with a drawing of a naked lady on it. It was rejected by the ATF because it was “obscene”. They then submitted a new label, but with a tongue in cheek twist-it was the same label but with a skeleton where the lady was. It was also rejected. So, finally in 1975 they released the “Hillside” label- the same label, just with no lady, no skeleton. (no…fun). Times changed and in 1994 they released the same “Naked Lady” label – the originally rejected one – and it was accepted! Here’s a picture of the 1994 label, along with a very grainy picture I took at the Kenwood winery earlier this month of the 3 labels:

This was a very interesting story with a nice twist of sex, art, and booze. (while at the winery we also picked up 2 free posters; one of which was indeed, the 1994 label!) Times have certainly changed - you can find all sorts of provacative labels now! The best part about the Kenwood Artist Series is the wine is always great and ages well. So, I decided to try other wines with art-based labels -  typically if a new "artistic" label is released for a bottle, it's because the wine is special, whereas if it's just mass printed year after year, it may or may not be special.   I've liked most, if not all, of the wines with a true unique-to-the-vintage "artist series" label, thus, the Artist Series Quest was born! Currently my quest is focused on the Gundlach Bundschu artist series - a bit pricey, but I'm on the lookout for a deal....

The Lone Sangiovese kicks the Little Penguin's arse

At this weekend’s wine club event we had a “Chianti and More: Sangiovese from anywhere” theme. We had two that were notable- the 2007 Ledson Sangiovese and the 2007 Lone Canary Sangiovese, which was from Washington state. I think the Lone Canary might’ve been the first Washington Sangiovese I’ve ever had and it was really good-nice and fruity with some dried cherry notes, complex with a little bit of cedar spice. And…here’s the surprising thing…. The label has an animal – a bird even – on it!

From their website:

WHAT'S WITH THE BIRD?

Our logo (affectionately known as Clooney) is an artistic rendering of Washington's state bird, the American Goldfinch, or Wild Canary. Forging a lone and exciting path using Washington's exemplary fruit, we have chosen to stand apart from the flock through unique artistic expression in our wines.

With few exceptions (artist series wines, Duckhorn, etc) very few wines with animals on the labels are really good, so it was a pleasant treat all around – a Sangiovese from Washington AND a great wine with an animal on it! Thanks for bringing it, NG!

Artsy Australian Riesling

Last week I shopped at the Straubs by my work (home of the beloved Kobe burger). I'm sad to report that the store is closing.....which makes me sad on many levels. However, to soften my sadness, everything was 20% off- including wine. Well, of course I had to pick some up and one was the Leeuwin Estate "Art Series" Riesling from AU. ($17 reg price)

Yes, before you ask, the primary reason I picked it up is for my Artist Series Quest....according to the website...."the "Art Series" represents Leeuwin's most opulent and age-worthy wines. They are identified with paintings commissioned from leading contemporary Australian Artists."


Ok, enough about the label....how's the WINE? Its good, actually. A bit fruity, with a nice round finish with some acid mineral in between, has some nice body. Honestly, it was one of the nicer and more complex Rieslings we've had in a long time. This might be because we often buy cheaper California Riesling to pair with a spicy shrimp pasta that is often on the Lush Dinner Menu, but nontheless it is significantly better than what we've had in quite sometime and reminded me of what good Riesling is like. Good with the pasta, but very enjoyable to drink by itself. If I see it again I'll purchase for sure.

And.....a nice addition to my Artist collection. (I know, when I get them up I'll post a pic)

Marsala and wine gods....

Well, this weekend I had the Artiste Vanessa (white blend) mentioned in my last post with my Chicken Marsala. I thought it was pretty good with it….it had enough body to stand up to the creamy marsala sauce and to the alfredo sauce for the fettucine. I think I might mark the other bottle exclusively for Marsala use…..Lucy, what’d you think?

And, how sad I was that the 1999 Marsannay we had was bad...the one time the Luce's want to voluntarily drink Chardonnay and its turned! Darn you wine gods!

Unique and noteworthy wines

We’ve had some note-worthy wines lately…..

At a recent wine club event I had my first red Pinot Meunier, by Domaine Chandon. (it’s the grape typically blended in sparkling wines with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) It was oh so good, in fact, Domaine Chandon describes it perfectly: its Pinot Noir’s soulful sister. It’s everything that’s great about Pinot Noir- delicate, a bit fruity, but with some subtle smoke added in to round it out, which is rare in a New World Pinot Noir. We bought it at Friar Tucks for $32 and it was a hit at the wine club event – unique treat!

Since Mr. Lush has been a bit under the weather, we’ve also tried to drink some value wines, where I can enjoy them to their fullest potential but not be sad that Mr. Lush’s palate is off by wasting an expensive bottle. One of which has been the Cameron Hughes Lot 150 Central Coast Meritage (blend of Cab, Cab Franc, and Merlot) – Sam’s Club bought all of it and is selling it for $6.22 a bottle. That’s right - $6.22!!! Now, my expectations for a $6 wine are pretty low, but honestly, it is really good and I’d totally stack this up against something 2-3 times the price. Its got some good fruit, a little bit of oak, overall pretty easy drinking. Note: it benefits from a little bit of decanting, although their website says it drinks great straight out of the bottle, but that’s ok. (We have 3 decanters so we don’t mind if we have to decant something 20 minutes before hand – particularly for an enjoyable bargain wine!!) We drank it with my parents who came to visit and help with the bathroom remodel and they enjoyed it as well, so I’ve been back twice to buy more and will probably pick up a few more bottles this weekend during my Sam’s Club trip. Its also a FANTASTIC choice for a holiday dinner wine - easy drinking for everyone, but priced low enough you don't care if your wine-swilling uncle chugs it like Nat Light.....

Another one is the Artiste Vanessa. (see label to the right) It was a special 3 bottle white purchase and I was a bit excited for the “Franco Italian” blend. 29% Malvasia Bianca, 28% Orange Muscat, 24% Gewurtztraminer, and 19% Chardonnay. I expected it to be fruity and a smidge sweet and hoped for a good pairing with spicy sushi. Not so much – its not overly fruity, its not sweet….its not acidic – the chard rounds it out but it doesn’t taste very chard-ish….its hard to classify, but I liked it, just not with the sushi. I think we might try it with Chicken Marsala tomorrow night and see how it goes- as you know from the Marsala Quest, I’m always on the lookout for the perfect Marsala friendly wine and who knows, this might be it. At the very least, as with all the Artiste wines, it fits nicely with my Artist Series Quest.

(can you tell I like wine-related quests??)

An artist, a phantom, and a lamb walk into a bar....

Just kidding, its not really a joke…..last night the Luce’s came over to take pity on us and help mudd the bathroom. (by “help” I mean pretty much do it) I was in charge of dinner while the Mr’s mudded away. For dinner, we had an all-grill meal of thyme/terragon seasoned lamb chops, rosemary potatoes, and zucchini. The Luce’s brought the Bogle Phantom (a Petite Sirah/Zinfandel based blend) and we served the Artiste “Summer” (a Syrah blend). The Phantom is a Luce favorite and its availability in MO isn’t consistent so it was a nice treat. As you know, my Artist Series Label Quest is ongoing and of course, the Artiste series wines are a big part of that.

Well? Both were excellent with the lamb, but I will say the Phantom was a little bit bigger and went a smidge better with it, however the Summer was good as well and was awesome with the potatoes. Of course we followed up with the Lush Favorite Po' Boy Dessert…. ice cream sandwiches and port.

Nothing like a discount finish to a nice meal…right? Hey, this remodel costs money, had to cut back somewhere and it certainly wasn't going to be on the wine! ;)

VDay and Artiste Wines

As noted in my last post, we celebrated Valentine's Day a little late - on Monday night. We had some lamb and finally opened a bottle of Artiste Wines that Lucy so thoughtfully picked up for us - The Rojo Nuevo: 72% Syrah25% Tempranillo3% Merlot.

Here's some info on their blending of art and wine:

"Combining a reverence for tradition and a philosophy of winemaking as an artistic expression, Artiste wines are labeled with gorgeous works of impressionist art. Each of our wine blends are named after the title of the painting that graces its bottle. We work with some of the finest Contemporary Impressionist artists across the country to commission and license a new painting for each new wine. Then, taking inspiration from the colors, imagery and story behind each wine label, Artiste's winemaker blends and weaves different wines together to create Artiste's Impressionist Cuvées™."

We didn't decant it but wished we had, if even for 15 minutes, as it opened up beautifully throughout the meal. It was really great, went great with the lamb, and I'm absolutely in love with the wines (and of course the labels) now and am trying to justify joining the club. It appears they are only available through the winery/wine clubs.

Hmmmmmm.........

Mosby Cal-Ital with Ital pinwheel steaks

The other night I made some Italian pinwheel steaks….flank steak rolled with prosciutto and provolone, some Italian seasonings, topped with Italian cheese /breakcrumb mix. We opened the 2004 Mosby La Seduzione, a Cal-Italian varietal. The Lagrein grape is named after the Lagarina Valley of Trentino, although it is now primarily grown at Gries on the outskirts of Bolzano. An extremely rare grape in the United States, we know of only a handful of vineyards in California-they were able to procure these grapes from the French Camp Vineyard. (thus the name “French Camp Vineyard”) It was a artist label purchase, courtesy of Lucy, and we just got around to drinking it.
I had hopes it would be good with the Italian pinwheel steaks-but it overpowered it a bit. Last time I made the steaks I used Asiago cheese, which was very strong. I think I underestimated the mildness of provolone, so while the wine was very good, plumy, a bit smoky and coco-ish, it was a bit too strong for the food. I should’ve decanted it, or even better, picked a different dish for the wine.
I love the Mosby labels, (and the wine!) but sadly they don’t come off very easily-in fact, I have yet to be successful with one yet. But I’ll keep on trying!!!! Thanks Lucy!!!!

2002 Kenwood Artist Series

November is my wine club’s annual Big Red Tasting. The point of it is to try some wines that might be special occasion wines, or nice gift wines, or if you have more money than I do, just nice wines that might be in your regular weekend drinking repertoire. (if so, I am oh-so-jealous) Of course, since I collect Artist labels, this is justification to purchase (and keep the label) of a Kenwood Artists Series Cabernet. I’ve had 3 or 4 of them, and loved every one. The 2002 is currently released and so we purchased that. It was just wonderful, as I expected. What I like about the Artists Series wines. other than the labels, is how smooth they are. They don’t require decanting to drink, they improve with some breathing, but they are very drinkable directly out of the bottle. Too many cabs need air to be enjoyable. I don't mind decanting, but I wouldn't mind enjoying a half glass while I wait and seeing the difference. Its the top of the Kenwood line, so its also consistently good. Typically, Kenwood adds just a little bit, maybe 10% or so, of other varietals to smooth out the blend. The 2002 is:91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and is aged 26 months in French Oak. Here’s some tasting notes from the winery:

The 2002 Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, concentrated wine with aromas of red currants black cherries, and plums followed by aromatic notes of French oak, spice and black licorice. It exhibits excellent structure that is characterized by its full-bodied mouth feel, smooth tannins and lingering, silky finish. This Artist Series was bottle aged before release making it very drinkable now but it should continue to improve for at least another decade.

It retails for $65-70, if you can find it for less than $50 on a closeout, pick up a couple bottles. If you can find it for less than $40, pick up a case and I’ll buy it from you. Cheers!

Really old Reisling

A few weeks ago we had a garage sale to get rid of some of the pre-wedding handme downs. We didn’t have much of real value, most of it was junk, but junk that took up space. A lady purchased an old patio set asked us to deliver it, since she was just a few houses down. No problem, of course, so Mr. Lush takes off. He comes back with a large container of wines that she had from her father, and she doesn’t drink wines. Sounds very exciting right? The vast majority of it is Riesling from 1979-1986. Hmm. I have never had 20+year old Riesling before, but I thought it lasted a while and call Lucy to ask her. She had heard the same, but had never had one.

Curious, Mr. Lush and I open a bottle of 1982 Spatlese. (Spatlese refers to the level of sugar/sweetness in the wines) Hmm. Its awfully golden. That’s what happens to whites when it ages, right? Smell. Hmm. Smells like sauternes-ish. Probably not going to be very Reisling, right? Taste….sort of apple juice like. Not moldy apple juice or funky apple juice. Just apple juice like. Dang it. We tried a few more, one with the Luce’s, who thought the same thing. Dang it. After looking it up we see that Spatlese wines will keep for 5-10 years, maybe 15 in extraordinary years. The youngest wine we had was a 1986, so they will all probably be thrown down the drain. Of course, I’ll open them and taste, hoping that perhaps we had one bottle that magically managed to stay good, and will probably be disappointed that the wine acted just as it should’ve….it was past its time. It might’ve been fantastic in 1990, which is probably how long she’d had it, based on other bottles in the bin.

I could be mad at the Wine Gods again, but one bottle did have a lovely rendition of a tapestry of the wine gods in a garden, so I thought perhaps it was a sign that I shouldn’t be mad at them, since I'm collecting art wine labels.

Juno Shiraz and superheroine maidens

As you might have read Mr. Lush and I are on an Artist Series Label Quest. Recently we tried the 2005 Juno Shiraz from South Africa. Here's the story with the wine labels, which are sort of whimsical:

Meet the Artist behind the labels, Tertia du Toit.Artist, gourmet, wine lover. Her art already adorns many households – with designs on bottles of jam, spices and book covers.She paints a picture of the atmosphere of the wine, the taste and the aroma. The girls are part of exhibitions, a collection of paintings that dance around the idea of womanhood. Her paintings focuses on the female figure, milkmaids and Madonna’s, an abundance of life’s pleasures. With the strong colours and dramatic poses she invites whoever dares, ‘to indulge’. The aim with the labels is to create an integrated visual meeting between the predominantly male winemaking traditions and the sensual nature of the wine itself. The eventual idea with the usage of the Maidens is not to objectify them but rather to turn them into super heroines.

Hey, I can get behind that. Particularly with the wine's price- $12. I was pleasantly suprised...typically I'm not a fan of South African wines. I only purchased the bottle for the label, thinking full well I wouldn't like the wine and it would go down the drain. In fact, I've only had two, maybe three South African wines that I actually like. This is one of them. Its not overly jammy, not overly spicy, like a lot of wines in its price range who just can't seem to find a good balance. The Juno is just sort of lush and spicy and we'll definately purchase again.

This quest is fun!

Artist Series Label Quest

Last year, after our kitchen remodel, I bought a print of wine bottle labels to hang on the wall. (as you might have guessed, the Lush eat-in kitchen motif is wine-inspired.) Meanwhile, we had kept a few bottles of wine we had drank that either was fantastic/special occasion quality, or had art as labels. Now, I don’t mean pretty labels. I mean actual art printed on the label.

Now, a year plus later, we have quite a few, although many of them are the Imagery Wines shared with us by Mr. and Mrs. Luce. The Imagery labels are original works of commissioned art. Another notable artist series is the Kenwood Artist Series, which are reprints of art, notably the Naked Lady. (interesting story) While the Kenwood and Imagery are good bottles of wine with art on it, the J. Garcia wine is… well, a bottle of wine with art on it. But, Mr. Lush was a DeadHead in his former long haired hippy life, so I indulge him with an occasional Jam Band concert, purchase him a J. Garcia tie now and then, and even let Jerry into our wine collection for a brief, brief moment.

Yes, yes, back to the point. I want to make my own piece of art from label-art, so we are on a quest to try more artist series labels. Thus, a quest to try more wine. It’s a rough job, but someone’s gotta do it, we say.

Recently we tried Cycles Gladiator 2006 Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon. Its like $9 at a grocery store, although only carried in more affluent areas. Well, typically, I don’t like $9 cabs but its an artist series label…so we tried it. And…we were pleasantly surprised. It didn’t even need to be decanted that long, maybe 30 minutes and it was very drinkable. Its got a couple layers, nothing fantastic, an average finish. But, once again, lets review the price point- a DECENT BOTTLE OF CABERNET for NINE DOLLARS??? I really expected to end up pouring it down the drain, like the J. Garcia wine, but nope, we even picked up another bottle.

Leave it to the Lush’s to find another reason to try many, many bottles of wine. How fun!! Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Luce just got back from California, where I added to their already insanely packed agenda the task of finding us some new artist series wines. Lets hope they were successful!