SLAKED!

Oregon Pinot At Our House

2012-01-14T13:24:00.005-05:00

It occurs to me recently that I've gotten lazy about choosing our wines at home; it's just gotten so easy to choose the "go to" producers from the regions I enjoy. Case in point: Oregon pinot noir. I love pinot from Oregon: I love the variations from year to year and house to house, and while I don't buy and drink as much of it as I would like, I do think I drink more pinot from Oregon than any other region in the world combined. So now that it's winter in San Francisco these bottles have been coming out of the woodworks at home. Most of these are the bottles we drink routinely on work nights with roast chicken, pork chops, and salmon. I have found 2008 to be an exceptional year across the board, with more variation and less concentration in 2009. I enjoyed the 2007s, but not when they were still too young -- they are still only starting to open up -- and 2006 was phenomenal from the beginning. Here's my thinking:

2006 = great year, early drinking, good concentration and roundness of flavor (drink or hold)

2007 = considerable variation, marked by less concentration, more acidity, but also greater floral aromatics and longevity, better served with food (hold)

2008 = see 2006.

2009 = see 2007.

2008 Botanica **** Robust blue-purple in the glass, with a Smörgåsbord (?) of berry compote, subtle oak flavors and anise. Listed as 13.8% alcohol. Probably incomparable.

2008 Antica Terra *** A more riveting, if ultimately less profound, companion to the Botanica.

2008 Adelsheim ** Deep plum in the glass with some red at the edge; marked by woodsy notes, earth tones, bluish phenolics and wonderful roundness in the mouth. Perfect with dinner.

2009 Adelsheim * Plum color, with fruitcake cum strawberry rhubarb notes. Dusty and fine; very polite.

2008 Shea Cellars Estate *** At 14.8% alcohol, one of the higher octane, if not the highest, pinots in my cellar from Oregon? Noticeably concentrated flavors, perhaps even to the point that it sacrifices a touch of whoseness and class. For sheet enjoyment, however, it's hard to beat. Blue tone berry fruits with an underlying citrusy Zzzing! just as it crosses the throat.

2007 Bryce Vineyard **/*** A difficult wine to discern, but just so very Bryce, and the kind of wine I will miss drinking very much now that this producer has leased the vines to Ken Wright. Plum color, bold strawberry notes with anise, fresh floral notes and wet earth...the acidity and the floral notes are what make this wine so interesting. Cinderella before the ball. It's ... just .... so ... Bryce.

2008 Bryce Vineyard *** A classier, more voluptuous version of the 2007; i.e., Cinderella post fairy godmother touch up.

Tablas Creek On Vacation

2012-01-12T19:09:00.003-05:00

I don't get away very often, but when I do, I try to bring good wine. The trouble is choosing it. This year we returned to the Baja of Mexico, which carries its own problems in choosing wine. For one, you haver to account for the heat, the salty air, and the occasional wafting into your sensory realm of burnt garbage at night (I'm not wrong, am I -- they do burn their garbage at night, and it sort of stinks up the whole bay?). For another, you have to anticipate your own tastes, which can be a moving target at best. So I went simple this year, and brought three bottles of a go-to producer whose wines I have been enjoying revisiting recently: Tablas Creek.

2006 Tablas Creek EdB Blanc 2006 *** was heavy and velvety in the mouth and held up nicely with all that grilled Bonita we were eating. It's the kind of white wine that comes as neatly as possible to the fullness of red wine in the mouth. Pineapples, coconut, and mellon at first whiff, followed by a brief tang of mellow apple and white stones on the finish. You could drink this alone.

2007 Tablas Creek EdB Blanc 2007 ** was lighter than the 2006, perhaps more delicate in the mouth, with fleeting notes of coconut and mango. This reminded me more of a Rhone wine, rather than a Rhone-inspired wine. Lovely paired with all those tacos.

2006 Tablas Creed EdB 2006 **/*** Purple plum color, with beef notes and dried herbs in the glass. On the palate, some briery notes, cola, root beer, mellow citrus towards the top of the mouth as it finishes. Unfortunately my mother in law drank most of the rest of this bottle of wine so my notes sort of trail off from there.

2007 Tablas Creek EdB Panoplie ****

2011-12-21T01:30:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, addictive. Charred embers, crushed, salty red berries and fresh floral notes in the glass. On the palate, moderate density, brine, sage, acacia, saffron and thyme; an unctuous, almost silken fatty calf's blood texture, with light smoke, ultra-lite menthol, sage and molasses on the finish. But lingering throughout is this lactobacillus-esque funky musk that is part feral Vampire bride, part sex by the side of the highway. I would have consumed the whole bottle if the 14.5% alcohol didn't knock me out first. Pure wow in a bottle.

Recent Fall Wines From Our House

2011-12-14T07:39:00.001-05:00

NV Aubry Champagne * (from Andronicos). Deep dull straw color, almost gold. Hay, dried nuts and tart peaches on the nose. Very mild effervescence. Soulful, with full bodied flavors (quince, melon) but the minerality stands out (wet slate, dry lime). Despite all that, not as good as I remember.

2009 Dom. Bernard Defaix Chablis * Purchased at D&M Wines on Fillmore ($20). Light yellow gold. Predominantly pear and citrus on the nose and palate, with some light black licorice on the finish. Pairs very well with shellfish. Good value.

2010 Tablas Creek Rose ** (from the mailing list). Red color. Cherry hard candy aroma, with secondary notes of musk, leather on the palate. Very good value.

2010 Guigal Cotes Du Rhone **** pale yellow gold color. Concentrated canned pear juice on the nose. Very full and voluptuous white, with sweet peaches, mellow apple, vanilla, cream, and cinnamon cookies. A pleasant 30 second warming finish. This is a three star wine that costs $15. Great value.

2006 Le Secret des Sabon CdP ***

2011-12-13T15:34:00.002-05:00

Dark plum color. Very closed on the nose, with mild notes of dry lavender and mellow herbs; then prunes, blood, and citrus notes as it breathes. This is monolithic, bold, and dense for the sheer pleasure of density, which is a style I can very much admire and enjoy - most often. There are typical purple fruit notes, with blood, char, and orange water, but the overall impression is that the wine is very closed at present and will continue to open up for another five years. What it will taste like at that age is difficult to say.

Also, I prefer the old, green, script label to this newish, ornate, and considerably less charming version.

1994 Dom. de la Vieille Julienne CdP *

2011-12-02T21:42:00.001-05:00

Light to dark ruby with significant bricking and amber color. After opening the nose runs from musty to fully floral with candied pear notes. Predominantly stewed plum, with mild tang then truffles, savory, and wet earth notes. This is silky but adds tannin as it breathes - best to decant.

Wine Tasting at The Capital Grille in NYC

2011-11-25T19:41:00.002-05:00

Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2010 *** lime, stone, honeydew and fresh grass. Superb.

Steele Carneros Pinot Noir 2009 ** milk chocolate covered strawberries, confectioners sugar on the finish. Fine tannins. Very soft.

2008 Faust Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon ** dark chocolate, cherries, light brine with some olive notes as it finishes.

2003 Clos Saint Jean CdP *

2011-11-25T18:03:00.002-05:00

Somewhat oxidized at this stage. Purple color with bricking. Tart cherry, tangerine, Rosemary and beef blood. Dry, long finish.

2004 Ch. Brane Cantenac Margaux **

2011-11-24T18:57:00.001-05:00

Light blackberry color. Worn wet barrel wood on the nose, with some tantalizing musk and wet earth notes. Light bodied and dry on the palate, with tomato leaf, wild berries, stewed plums and some ripe-vegetative notes, but not at all green. The tannin is light but persistent, and as the wine breathes notes of violet and black licorice emerge.

2006 Dom. Raymond Usseglio CdP ***

2011-11-24T18:48:00.002-05:00

Tasted at the Barrington Bistro. Dark garnet color. Very fresh floral nose with faint licorice, plum, and strong bloody overtures. Overt cherry cola in the mid-palate. Finishes with sweet red berry notes. Surprising, relevant, and delicious.

Batasioli Barolo 2006 **

2011-11-24T18:44:00.002-05:00

Clear dark rose color. Light aromatics of wet gray stones and ripe roses. Very full palate of strawberry rhubarb, tomato paste, and faint licorice. Moderate, drying finish; particularly good with food. Tasted at Parma Restaurant in NYC.

Harvest Retrospective 2011

2011-11-06T12:40:00.031-05:00

It's been a strange and long and harrowing and interesting harvest, and I finally have a chance to sit down and reflect on how everything has changed and evolved in the past 31+ days. This summer, like last, was unusually cool and wet. Things started to catch up in September and we harvested the Sauvignon Blanc perfectly and uniformly ripe, with a significant amount of work in the vineyard to reduce the already low yields to improve quality.

Then, just as things were getting really interesting, uncharacteristic early October rains arrived. I wrote in my calendar, "Rain! Rain! More fucking rain!" The chardonnay was decimated. We only picked the highest quality fruit that remained after the rains: a half ton of fruit from our roughly half acre of clone 96 in Carneros (a 75% loss). The skins were ripe and tasty and the acidity just right, so I remain "cautiously optimistic."

After the rains I waited as long as possible to pick any of our red varieties. Sugars remained low in all our vineyards and the grapes matured slooowly. (It has been a very French year, and will unquestionably appeal to the new wave of wine drinkers who prefer low alcohol wines.) So it was I waited to harvest until the last two weeks of October, much of this fruit myself, picking the first 2.3 tons of Oak Knoll Merlot of October 19, followed by a quarter ton of Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon on October 20, another quarter ton of Rutherford fruit on October 21, 1.8 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder the afternoon of the 21st, 2.5+ tons of Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon on Saturday October 22, and the last ton remaining of Rutherford fruit on the morning of October 29.

Across the board I only harvested the best fruit available to me. At each vineyard I work with I dropped any cluster that showed any sign whatsoever of rot or mold. I then performed a secondary whole-cluster sort on the sorting table prior to destemming. For the Merlot, I left the berries whole (destemmed, uncrushed) and bled a portion of saigne, then chilled the fruit down for just 36 hours prior to inoculating with three strains of premium yeast for three different fermentations. The musts were warmed early and late for tannin development and pressed after 15 days on the skins, then racked to new Daranjou barrels. I am very optimistic -- cautiosly optimistic, but very optimistic nonetheless -- about the quality of the Merlot this year. There is no question in my mind that it transcends our 2010. The tannins are fine and soft but the palate is full with variations of red and black fruits and lingering minerality on the finish. It continues to showcase everything great about the Oak Knoll District.

The Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is being fermented in a combination of three new Taransaud barrels with varying premium yeast strains, stainless steel, and one bin. I bled some juice off the crusher to concentrate the flavors of the skins, and I punched down, pumped over and aerated the wines multiple times each, with varying amounts of heat, to maximize extraction. The wine is still macerating with a small amount of aeration and heat, and it is just a monster at this stage with prominent purple fruited notes and a fully realized mid-palate. Once complete, the Rutherford will go into mostly new French oak from Sylvain, Daranjou, and Taransaud.

But the darling of my heart and the belle of the ball may in fact turn out to be our small section of Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit from our section of the vineyard (the lower part of the Block C slope where the hill faces due southeast and the vines are protected from the trees on the ridgeline) was a perfectly dark plum color and uniformly mature without excessive sugars. This part of the vineyard is characterized by small, loose clusters of dark berries with supple skins and brown seeds. I bled the juice, again off the sorting table, to concentrate flavors and maximize extraction. I then fermented .6 tons each per bin with three different premium yeast strains. I performed the same maceration schedule for each bin: two punch downs per day, with occasional splashing and daily heat. The wine was racked and pressed to all new Sylvain and Taransaud barrels after eighteen days on the skins.

At this stage I am confident that despite all -- the late harvest, the rain, the rot, the mildew, the mold -- 2011 is a better vintage for Crosby Roamann than 2010. For one thing, we got the Sauvignon Blanc right: ripe, tart, succulent, fleshy, tangy -- it's all there. This will be a blockbuster. Furthermore, there is no question that the reds are far superior in 2011 than 2010. They are more uniform, more mature, more concentrated, more balanced, both in terms of fruitedness and fruit-style, as well as tannin profile and fullness, and all at lower alcohols and higher natural acidities. These wines will likely age and mature for decades. These are going to be wines for our children's children. The Chardonnay ... I guess that's another story. My hunch is that the 2010 will outperform the 2011 in the short term. It's too early to say about how the 2011 will age, yet I have very high hopes for our 2010, to be bottled at the end of winter.

Despite it all, my guess is that the press will likely proclaim the whole vintage a complete bust.

What we're drinking ... 1969 H. Lamarche Clos Vougeot **** Rehydrated potpourri on the nose. Slightly murky in the glass; gains depth with air. A dark raspberry color with bricking. I am told this is a ripe vintage for Burgundy. On the tongue, ultra-silky with mushrooms, dry earth, notes of birch and old, faint dry herbs. Very fine but still-present soft tannins; raspberry sorbet on the finish.

It's Harvest: Picnic Wines From Around The World

2011-11-02T16:59:00.012-04:00

The wines abound at harvest this year due to CV's new rule: for each ton you crush, you bring an "old" wine (old means more than 10). I don't remember drinking this well for a long time, if ever!

1975 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1975 **** Still a very wonderful red plum color in the glass, with bricking. Old oak on the nose with mild oxygenation; some green notes as well. Considerably soft with well-balanced acidity (dried oranges and faint green herbs) blended well with lingering raspberry notes in a very round palate. Mild maderization lends credibility here. Overall very fresh -- hard to put down.

1995 F&L Pillot Chassagne Montrachet Vide Bourse 1st Cru *** light gold. Mild funk on the nose with honey and apricot jam. On the palate still fresh and surprisingly vibrant: pineapples and pear sauce with orange marmalade. This needs time to open up and strut it's stuff!

1983 Joh Jos Prum Graacher Himmelreich Auslese ** Yellow gold. Somewhat dusty and reminiscent of gorgonzola and mushrooms. I love it but the nose at this stage is a little strange.

2000 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Riserva **** Dark plum color. Perfect. Very fruity with loamy texture throughout the mid-palate and a succulent long minerality on the dry, silky finish.

Harvest Update From Napa Valley

2011-10-18T22:35:00.011-04:00

Harvest is progressing nicely, if slowly, here in Napa Valley. Our 2011 St. Helena Sauvignon Blanc is all barreled down and aging nicely. The wine in stainless steel barrel tastes bright and ripe, but the new and once used oak adds this complexity that is lost from either lot alone. The riper fruit that we fermented separately in a steel tank is now barreled and beginning malolactic fermentation. We are stirring the lees regularly to maximize flavors.

Our chardonnay was picked on the 14th after the early October rains that lasted four days. Our two tons of fruit was dropped to half a ton and is now racked to barrel and starting fermentation. The fruit is lower in sugars than usual but the flavors are uniform with soft acids and tannins and ripe notes of melon.

We'll be picking the Oak Knoll District Merlot next. The fruit here is tasting very nice, showing some senescence and ripe blackberry. The clusters are larger than average but the berries are dimpling in places and the soft skins and seeds are uniformly ripe.

In Rutherford our newly contracted 1.27 acre vineyard of clone 338 organic Cabernet Sauvignon is coming along slow and nice, with notes of mostly blueberry and very soft tannins. The seeds I guesstimate are about 80% ripe and will benefit from about another week of soft sunlight. Up on Mt. Veeder our .8-acre block of clone 337 Cabernet (pictured above) is showing wonderful notes of mixed berry compote. Here and there it's sweet blackberry or tart raspberry, where in places you can taste more nuanced flavors of loam and brine.

What We're Drinking ...

2008 Hanzell Estate Sonoma Pinot Noir *** Briny, musky, with notes of damp earth and mild but fresh spice aromas with bright fresh and sweet grape notes on top. Lovely cheap perfume and and goldfish notes. Sort of all over the place which is partly why I love it.

2005 Oddero Barbaresco Gallina***

2011-10-06T00:14:00.001-04:00

Black cherry color. Floral nose of red hyacinth, rose water, charcoal and graphite. Dry rosemary cum herbes de Provence and citric notes emerge as the wine breathes. Dusty medium grained tannins on the palate. This follows through with stewed plums and tart cherry. Drying, cloying and long finish.

2005 Clos des Brusquieres CdP **

2011-10-04T21:04:00.002-04:00

It turned rainy and cold here and left me craving a hearty and succulent red. This CdP did the trick. Deep red rose color, with a pliable medium plus structure and mostly dry but soft tannin throughout the palate. A very long finish at the fore and middle-finish. Seamless but not quite robust. Mildly gamey with some floral, some raspberry, but mostly fat sweet currants. Probably best to drink these in the near term.

Barreled down and ready to age ...

2011-10-03T23:03:00.008-04:00

Happy to report the Sauvignon Blanc has completed fermentation and we've topped up the barrels in preparation for aging. The harder press wine, which includes the press fraction from the riper-fruit -- picked and pressed separately -- was pressed to a small tank for a cold-settling, and then allowed to begin fermentation.

The wine is just now about one-third through fermentation, as the temperature has remained low. I turned off the chiller to allow the wine to warm to spur it through dryness. It's bubbling along nicely and smells and looks great.

The premium lot of sauvignon blanc tastes like ripe melon and sweet limes right now. It's just finished fermentation so it's still cloudy, but it's already showing a nice varietal character and minor notes of oak. The color is light yellow gold and will start to darken slowly now that it's aging. So far ... so great!

Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Harvest

2011-09-27T22:10:00.011-04:00

Our sauvignon blanc is coming along nicely! After picking we brought the fruit back to the winery and covered it with a little SO2 and a little dry ice to keep it cool. The fruit was transfered to a 2-ton basket press, pictured below, for a gentle pressing.

Is it just me or does this basket press look surprisingly similar to the "RECOGNIZER" in Tron?

After pressing the cool juice was racked to a stainless steel tank for cold settling. Two days later we racked the juice again to a mixture of stainless steel and new French oak barrels and inoculated.

The wine is already 60% through fermentation and will likely be dry in 2-3 days. After all the worry and pressure and hard-work I am convinced this will be the best SB I've made to date. Then again, drinking the 2010 this evening, I realize it will be hard to beat :)

What (else) we're drinking .... 2006 Ch. Pontet Canet *** Blackberry color with some red and purple highlights depending on the glass and the light. Very expressive nose of bramble, violets, iodine, some nice herb notes and a touch of briny minerality. Note a fruit driven wine. The tannin is just so elegant I catch myself thinking this is why people so love their Bordeaux. The kind of wine that fills an enophile with purpose.

2005 La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino ***

2011-09-26T21:52:00.002-04:00

Ruby color. Very soft oak and fresh red fruits on the nose with fresh acidity. Mild tannin, incredibly silky without sacrificing roundness. Stone fruit, plum and long minerality on the finish.

Harvest Begins!

2011-09-21T15:13:00.001-04:00

Our harvest began this morning at Wilson Ranch. We picked 3.2 tons from our one acre block of Sauvignon. The fruit looks and tastes amazing after all the hard work we've put in!

The Night Before

2011-09-20T22:58:00.003-04:00

It's the night before harvest and I'm thinking I won't get much sleep tonight. It would be so romantic of me to never sleep the night before the first pick of the year but usually I sleep fine these nights. Tonight it's just too freaking hot, and I'm sweating it ... so I'm killing time ....

I dropped a significant but not unrealistic amount of sauvignon blanc with bunch-rot this morning after walking our little stretch of Wilson Ranch with Salvador, the foreman for Oak Knoll Farming. I've worked with Salvador for three years now, and his crew during picking has been the most attentive and disciplined I've worked with every year. This year, because of the nature of rot and raisining affecting the alternating sides of the rows (rot on the west side, burning on the east) we decided to drop the rot today, and pick the raisins separately at first light. There was a place in the middle of the rows more towards the northern side where certain vines just failed to flower properly and the rot and raisining seemed to be more acute in these regions. Everywhere else, the occurrence was sporadic, even rare.

I used a pair of needle nose clippers to surgically remove the rot from the bunches that could be saved. Those that had entirely succumbed were let go. This labor intensive process took most of the day, which left me thinking, Why bother? I kept telling myself, We have no choice. We have no choice. But I wonder if that's true. It all comes down to the fact that I'm here to make the best freaking wine I can possibly from this little corner of the world. No exceptions. No excuses. Anything less and I should just pack up my shit and go home to New York. But that's just it. New York isn't home anymore. This is home. There is no going back. So here I am, dropping clusters, in 97 degree fucking heat. If that ain't love, I don't know what is.

What we're drinking ... Lagunitas Czech Style Pils. 6.2% alc. Bright amber in color, with medium grained carbonation, for those days you wish the sun would just GO AWAY.

Vineyard Update From St. Helena

2011-09-13T14:12:00.003-04:00

Harvest is approaching in our little section of Wilson Ranch. Yields are down this year with some of the fruit showing signs of bunch rot in the Sauvignon Blanc (pictured below). In the next week we will be dropping the bad fruit and picking the raisined clusters to crush as a separate lot.

The following week we will be picking the rest of the beautifully ripened fruit (pictured below).

Somehow there is a rumor going around that it's a great year for Sauv B. I wonder how Mr. Sauv B feels about this. It's true that reduced yields can produce great wines, but my 2 cents is that a serious lot of work has to be done to make it great this year. We are sparing no expense in picking our fruit, by reducing yields even further to avoid any moldy or rotten clusters and then separately fermenting the over-ripe bunches for possible inclusion in the grand vin (I think most likely it will be included, considering the taste profiles of the ripe berries at this stage), and I expect we can make a great wine this year -- perhaps even the best Sauv B from Crosby Roamann to date -- but I think the rumor that it will be a great year across the board is not true because I'll predict that producers without the drive or wherewithal to produce great wines from extremely low yields will end up making wines similar to last year, perhaps a touch riper, but with more issues in the cellar considering the bunch rot I've seen.

What we're drinking ... 2004 Damilano Barolo ** robust purple color. Dry herbs on the nose with some tangy red fruit notes. Tastes of fine, drying tannins, a blend of tart cherries and plums, with some spicy notes. Savory.

Vineyard Update From Oak Knoll and Mt. Veeder

2011-08-18T22:52:00.004-04:00

We've reached about 50% veraison in our small plot of Merlot at Jaeger Vineyard just west of Big Ranch Road in Oak Knoll District. Our clone 181 is catching up slowly on last year. We've been about two weeks behind schedule, but the recent weather has brought things along nicely. There isn't a lot of shatter here ... the clusters look big and bold just like last year, and the berries that have turned are already starting to taste sort of nice.

Our one acre plot of Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is about 40% through veraison. We lost about 20-30% of the crop to shatter, likely due to spring rains and cold. Overall the vineyard looks similar to last year, with a small crop of slowly ripening fruit very indicative of our Mount Veeder terroir.

Vineyard Update From St. Helena and Carneros

2011-08-12T19:17:00.009-04:00

It's turning out to be a late season, with some predicting we are already two weeks behind last year's late harvest, but veraison has finally come to Napa Valley. Our patch of sauvignon blanc from Wilson Ranch, just north of St. Helena, set a small crop likely due to rainy and cold spring conditions. We are currently estimating about 2-2.5 tons to the acre. The berries are uniformly small and clusters loose. If the weather remains warm and dry through September, however, we could see a splendid harvest with atypical concentration. Our patch of chardonnay just off Old Sonoma Road in Carneros is purring along. The vineyard has set an average of 4 tons per acre, despite some shatter from wet spring conditions. Just thinking about the chardonnay these beautiful old vines produce makes my mouth water. Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the vineyard pulling brown leaves out of the centers of these vines and leaf pulling around the fruit zone to expose the clusters to air and just a little light. I'm hoping for a very pleasant crop this year. (Pictured above, David Heil at Wilson Ranch.)

What We're Drinking ....

2006 Alban Vineyards "Reva" Estate Syrah **** This 16.2% alcohol syrah from Edna Valley is just a monster. Notes of cola, bramble berry, raisins and coarse ground black pepper. Just don't drink and drive!

2006 Turley Wine Cellars Howell Mountain Zinfandel "Rattlesnake Ridge" *** A whopping 15.9% alcohol to pair with our Reva (what were we thinking?) Prunish and peppery with a note of wet wood smoke. Very nicely balanced on the long finish. A very exciting zinfandel.

2009 Stags' Leap Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay ** Tangy and citrusy at first with apple and wood smoke notes as well. Ages nicely with mango notes on day 2.

New Crosby Roamann Labels Revealed

2011-07-08T21:47:00.010-04:00

Criticism sucks. I fucking hate it. Truly. Which means I must be a masochist, because only a masochist would redesign his labels every year. It's not a good way to make money, to be sure, and everyone has their own opinions on wine labels (I should call them theories), and not all of them are kind. Despite this fact, I find myself compelled, (uncertainly, but compelled nonetheless) to do it. Doing the art is the part I love. It's one of the things that makes Crosby Roamann so much fun and so different from almost all the other brands out there (Manfred Krankl, to whom I do not stand a candle, and Mouthon Rothschild ... ditto .... excepted, of course). But our labels have evoked violent and ofttimes polar emotional responses, and I wasn't prepared for that.

That said, I cannot imagine doing anything differently, and if I had to give up doing our labels, I might just give up releasing our wine commercially. So at least for one more year we're releasing new wines with new labels.

The first is our new label for "Eternal Return" -- our 2010 St. Helena AVA, Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, pictured above. This photograph was taken by Juliana as we were driving into a thunderstorm in some southwestern desert last year. We disagree over precisely where she took the picture. It may have been Utah or Wyoming; it may have been outside Las Vegas. We both remember me saying, "take a picture! take a picture!" and her saying, "It's a good thing you're driving," (Juliana doesn't like driving in the rain). I think we both felt a tornado was about to swoop us up and deliver us to Oz.

Maybe it raises the question why: why this picture? Why the name "Eternal Return?" "Eternal return" is a reference, essentially, to the idea that all "this" has happened before, that all "this" will happen again. I'd say it's essentially an homage to my philosophy degree (which never proved too useful in the "real" world,") as well to the idea, perhaps the feeling, that all roads lead inexplicably back to oneself ... eventually. To explain what that has to do with wine, well, even I can't really do that. I'd guess it has something to do with the idea that *my* roads feel like they have lead me here, to Napa, for better or worse.

Our other wine, perhaps the more interesting of the two, is "Dark Garden" -- our 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced primarily from Atlas Peak, with eighteen months in 80+% new oak, 6% Petit Verdot, 14.9% alcohol, unfined, unfiltered, and just a whole lot of lovely funk on the back end. I'm (slowly) becoming a big believer in this wine, but only bottle-time will tell. The drawing for this I did myself. It features a dragon embossed in silver on a black field. The name "dark garden" refers to a beautiful little house in Stags Leaps we spent a couple nights at last year when bottling the 2010 release. It had a large garden in back that the girls loved running through, and it was some night when we were sitting in the dark garden with a couple bottles of wine and a couple good friends that I started working on this label that was when the wine itself started to take shape in my mind, not just the label but the wine itself. More than that I can't say...

Breaking news? Sloan Estate Sold

2011-06-29T12:16:00.001-04:00

Received a letter this morning from Stuart Sloan that Sloan Estate has been sold to a Hong Kong firm Goldin Financial holdings, Ltd. The "all star" winegrowing and winemaking team will remain in place and the next three vintages will be bottled under the Sloan name.

Blending Day 2011 -- In Polaroids

2011-06-25T18:43:00.024-04:00

It's become my practice to taste and blend our wines in June of the year following harvest. Some wineries blend earlier, but I find that I enjoy the blending process just as the wines turn away from their sixth month in barrel. Before that, the nascent wines are too young to be focused enough for me to make the best of them. I might not understand them yet; they might not show themselves. (That's me in a dooshy hat to the left.)

Tasting for blending is consuming; a labor-intensive labor of love. Even at six months, the wines are young and tannic, backwards, uncompromising, unyielding ... tasting them day in and out, blending samples, distinguishing between the barrels that will be blended into other main lots and those that may stand out on their own to be designated some sort of "reserve" is a tough process. (Tough work: that's me racking the "lies" into kegs for possible inclusion in the wines next year.)

This year I made sample blends over a period of two months, with most of the tough final blending and tasting performed last week prior to the final blending days, which occurred Thursday and Friday of this week. We began with base blends of our varietals -- Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot -- and then experimented with single barrel additions and reductions, "reserve" or "barrel selections," and blind tasted everything with friends and family repeatedly. (Jaime, below, laying out the barrels for blending.)

The base blend for the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, a Mt. Veeder AVA designate, showed a wonderful perfume and tannin profile, with notes of black olives and herbs, and a soft tannin profile from its largely new French oak cooperage, but the addition of 11.7% Merlot from Oak Knoll and 1.7% Petit Verdot from Hendry Ranch brought out dark fruits and filled in the early-finish, or what I consider the top of the throat finish, with a touch of heat and svelte. Roughly 75% new wood; 13.6% alcohol. This wine reminds me of a Leoville Barton clone from a ripe year, with more pronounced new oak. (Crosby Roamann barrels, below, returned to the caves for extended aging.)

The base blend for the 2010 Merlot, an Oak Knoll AVA designate, showcased robust dark fruits, monster tannins in the front of the mouth with more fine grained red berry notes on the finish, with a touch of heat. (We brought this wine in at over fourteen and a half percent potential alcohol in early October, and at this stage of its life, it is dark, mean, and voracious on the palette.) I had already added about 1.5% Cabernet Sauvignon at the initial racking in December, and the inclusion of another (roughly) 12% Cabernet Sauvignon truly mellowed and humbled this wine, making it more generous and loving. It shows wonderful notes of mint, sweet blackberry, and dried herbs on a long warm finish. 50% new wood; 14.6% alcohol. (Jaime and Christopher, just looking cool.)

The finest cuvee in our cellar from 2010, however, was a barrel selection -- or "proprietary blend" -- of just two new barrels of Merlot and a mixed barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon (half new, half once used). The nose is all sweet blueberry, with gorgeous soft sweet tannin and a long, lingering finish. Just over 80% new wood; 14.3% alcohol -- only three barrels produced -- the best of the best.

Cycles Gladiator California Syrah 2009 **

2011-06-12T00:15:00.001-04:00

Deep rose color. Predominantly bacon fat on the nose. Wow. Big palate with considerable soft tannin, orange peel/citrus, bright on the finish with lingering ... Hard to put my finger on ... Tastes like lingering redcurrants. Purchased at Whole Foods; worth checking out.

2007 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Syrah ****

2011-06-01T17:38:00.001-04:00

Purple, maybe a very dark garnet color. Mesmerizing French oaky notes (not overt, though) with blueberry compote and Cool-Whip sweet cream and sweet lactic notes. Mellow spice in the middle and finish, which is really the only way to tell this is syrah. Not what I would call a varietal driven syrah; but a delicious one.

2010 Serotonin Sauvignon Blanc Release (almost)

2011-05-21T22:49:00.001-04:00

Enjoying our first dinner at home with the new (almost released) 2010 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc "Serotonin" with homemade sushi and pot stickers Delish.

Crosby Roamann Bottling 2011

2011-05-18T23:07:00.000-04:00

After months of torturously preparing our 2010 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, tentatively named "Serotonin", and our 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, likely monikered "Dark Garden", we finally got around to bottling today, May 18, 2011. It was a chilly, slightly overcast morning in the city as I made my way north.

And I'd like to say that I used this time to reflect on the wines I was about to bottle as I drove. But that wouldn't be true. The truth would be that I blasted Silversun Pickups and heavily caffeinated and zoned out on cruise control the whole 75 minute trip. So the time for reflection, if any, would have to be now.

The 2009 Dark Garden, as you might have read below, is a big, robust and full Cabernet with 6% petit verdot for balance. Its eighteen months in 81% new oak (seven out of nine barrels) is apparent from the first sniff of fresh jam, cassis and vanilla. It is almost everything I wanted from it: concentrated and forward with lingering sweet fine tannin. Bottled unfined and unfiltered it retains an earthy complexity that would have otherwise been lost. If I could have brought this wine in at slightly lower alcohol I would have, but one must play the hand one is dealt, so rather than risk losing some complexity or terroir by filtering out the alcohol I let the wine age unadulterated. Now, I am looking forward to seeing it finally labelled, as we are still waiting for TTB approval of the labels at this point.

The 2010 Serotonin... well there is so much to say about the Serotonin that I don't know where to begin. This wine, from Wilson Ranch north of St Helena on the valley floor, was harvested technically perfect. By perfect I guess I mean that I got exactly what I wanted: 22.8 brix, 8 g/L TA, 3.2 pH. The wine fermented cleanly on it's lees in 8 three year old barrels and 2 new Dargaux and Jaegle. We let the wine reduce a little before we started stirring. Malolactic fermentation was halted early and we maintained fresh malic notes in the wines. Over concerns about sulfides we performed tests to detect the presence of flaws.

We found none. And so the wine remained in barrel on it's lees with occasional stirring, topping and sulfuring for a full eight months, slightly longer than usual. The new barrels were tasted regularly alone, and compared to the full lot, to determine whether we could make a better wine by reducing or increasing the percentage of new oak in the final wine.

At no point did the new barrels stand out as overly oaky, we could have bottled them separately, but we enjoyed the 20% new oak blend best. The final wine came in at 13.2% alcohol, quite low by Napa standards, with tart citrus, mellow mellon and noticeable vanilla. We then sterile filtered the wine after a cold and heat stabilization in tank prior to bottling.

It is, all bullshit aside, tasting pretty awesome right now. And pretty much I feel like doing cartwheels when I drink it. It truly is my little darling wine and I just cant wait to share it with everyone.

Bottling day, despite being 14 hours long, went smoothly and successfully, and I'd like to take this chance to thank everyone who made it possible - if you're reading this, you know who you are.

2000 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Riserva ***

2011-04-23T15:11:00.001-04:00

Blackberry color with a little transparency at the rim. Very fragrant, with notes of dark gravy and somewhat sharp aromas of grizzle. The long traditional treatment in oak certainly comes through.

At first blush this wine is mellow but full, with somewhat large grainy tannins without astringency. Shows maturity with it's eleven years, and a depth of balanced black fruits, chalk, and a long finish.

Scarlett's First Pale Ale

2011-04-20T22:03:00.001-04:00

Nice golden brown nutty color with decent head retention and a clean aroma but lacking hop or malt complexity. This is soft on the palate with noticeable bright carbonation somewhat at odds with the style sought. It has a very pleasant malt character on the middle but the finish comes across as a touch bitter.

I followed a Brooklyn Brew recipe and increased the Columbus hops in the blend, as well as adding oats in lieu of CaraPils. This recipe will be refined by the third iteration. 5.4% alc/vol.

Crosby Roamann at San Francisco Vintner's Market 2011

2011-04-12T19:01:00.000-04:00

Hey all -- Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by the Crosby Roamann table during the SF Vintner's Market! We had a blast pouring wine for everyone and getting to know you and we appreciate all the feedback and praise.

Thanks again for stopping by and we look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers!

2000 Giacosa Barbaresco Rabaja ****

2011-04-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

The picture doesn't do it justice. Purchased from Fine Wines Int'l in San Francisco; decanted one hour. Medium garnet color in the decanter, garnet in glass (I took this wine very seriously from the hey-ho, with my tasting notes pad and a room full of quiet and all that BS). It honestly reminded me of slightly acidic, tart hot-house strawberries like we found at the farm stand by the side of the road to Tennessee Valley. Confectioner's sugar and sweet tomato stems in the front of the mouth and along the front sides of the bottom of the mouth. If you breath now, find notes of bunches of dessicated, rancid roses left out in the vase before a week's vacation, that broken memento. Sweet white pepper on the finish, full of dry orange zest and ultra-fine tannin. If you let the wine decant the bouquet that develops is other-worldly, but I'd put down the pad and left my quiet little room, so you'll have to trust me on this one....

Notable New Zins From Ridge

2011-04-05T12:36:00.003-04:00

As my palette has changed and evolved over time -- hopefully for the better -- I've found myself moving away from the sweeter, more full bodied, fruity flavors that I used to enjoy so much. I tell myself sometimes that this is a good thing, that in wine, "all roads lead to Burgundy," that it shows I am progressing to enjoying more elegant wines. Sometimes I think that's all hogwash. Here's why.

Two recent zinfandel release from Ridge Vineyards demonstrated for me that a big varietal like zinfandel, which can produce high-blown, fruity wines, can also produce elegant wines that conceal their considerable alcohol. The first was the 2008 Jimsomare ** from the middle of Monte Bello in the Santa Cruz Mountains, pictured below, that weighed in at 14.7%. Without being coy or sweet, the wine was soft, with some fine gritty tannins, notes of lavender and other dried flowers, predominantly tart red berry fruit, without heat or astringency on the finish.

The second recent release of note was the 2009 East Bench **/*** from Dry Creek Valley. Previous editions of this wine tended to come across as robust, stylized, and perhaps a bit oaky. I found less elegance in the DCV selections than the equivalent Paso Robles wines from 2007 and 2008. This year that all changed. The East Bench is a dark garnet color, with focused aromas of worn wood and dry spices. It shows predominantly black fruits in the front and middle of the mouth, reminding me of some flavorful Barbaresco I recently tasted. I would have thought the fruit here was less ripe, but the wine weighed in at 15.2% alcohol, and for me it proved that at the end of the day whether a wine tastes "big" or "hot" is foremost a question of balance.

2004 Lequin-Colin Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot ***

2011-03-26T23:37:00.001-04:00

Light gold hay. Perfume of petrol, residual sulfide cum burnt matchstick smoke, hyacinth, mildly oxidized, texture reminiscent of soft Austrian lake water in spring. Lots of fun here.

2001 Quantarelli Giuseppe Valpolicella ***

2011-03-22T21:42:00.001-04:00

Received this for my birthday a couple months back and cracked it on Laguna beach overlooking a pod of dolphins frolicking in the Pacific. This took a good couple days to unwind. Tart dark berries on the nose, gains a nice musty deepness with air. Zzzing! on the palate. Austere balance, tight, fine tannins, lending an overall impression of elegant power wrapped in worn oak. A "should try at least once in your life" wine.

Massive Explosion in Fermentation Containment Vessel!

2011-03-22T11:11:00.002-04:00

Well, I may be exaggerating a little bit, but I woke this morning to check on Scarlett's Ale fermentation to find the air lock stuck and the whole pale about to explode. Quick and deft, I removed the top of the air lock and the damn thing nearly blew up in my face. It's bubbling out nicely now and smells...divine.

"That's what you call a happy fermentation."

Dark Lager Bottling

2011-03-05T00:44:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy day. This morning I bottled the first batch of a new "dark lager". I got the recipe from beerrecipe.com and it turned out pretty decent this far despite some minor hiccups in fermentation temps in the new used fridge I bought for it. I'm loving the color and nose on it tho, and check out the label.

After bottling I headed up to Napa for blending the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon in preparation for bottling in May. This was the last racking prior to bottling for this wine.

Back at home this evening I got started on a new batch of beer called Hank's Lager. I swapped out a small amount of malt for oats and Spaltz for Saaz hops but its pretty similar to the last batch, although probably lighter in color, as I tried not to scorch the mash this time.

Will the fun never end?

2004 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino **

2011-02-26T00:28:00.001-05:00

Dark garnet. Pine, cedar, woodsy notes on the nose, with mild brine that comes through on the tongue. Light on the palate, with tart strawberry and orange tang on the finish.

Also tasted Kongsgaard 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay **** nectar of the gods. Ribald passion fruit, sweat, chunky mid palate. Compared to the 2007 Bonneau du Martay Corton Charlemagne *** (also tasted) - road tar, just really super French, light, with a pale green note, and very dry body, admittedly not doing it justice here - the Kongsgaard kicks ass.

Linne Calodo Screwball 2007 ****

2011-02-21T00:02:00.001-05:00

Drinking Screwball at the Oakland Marriott. 90% syrah 10% mourvedre. Just unbelievable.

1998 Ch. Pavie Decesse St. Emilion

2011-02-14T00:59:00.001-05:00

Deep ruby purple color with good brilliance, almost opaque. Took a while to open up. On the nose tight still: potpourri and minerality combined. Not as full and fruity as I remember, with tight lingering tannin on the finish, but really hard to put down. A lot to like about merlot here.

2007 Caterina Zardini Valpolicella Classico Superiore **

2011-02-11T14:21:00.001-05:00

Very good. Better than expected. Dark garnet almost black rose. Creosote as RPJ likes to say on the nose. Some black cherry and dry herbs as well. On the tongue, quite nice acid, not here or there just very full, soft integrated tannin without the presumption of oak or age. Blood, hint of steak fat on the finish. Recommended.

2005 Conterno Il Favot Langhe

2011-02-06T14:03:00.001-05:00

Hmm, interesting. Reminds me strangely enough of Soda Canyon wines. Very concentrated, black fruits, a little oak, and abundant acidity with notes of orange on the finish. Very fine with dinner.

Pale Dragon IPA - mashing in

2011-02-05T14:48:00.001-05:00

This IPA recipes comes from Brooklyn Brew. I mashed in I think about 10 pounds of some pale grain and must be some crystal malt in there too. I should get the actual ingredients for it. Average temp about 150 and mashed out at 170. Sparged over three times and boiled for 60 minutes with cascade and Columbus hops. Then racked to primary.

Anno Italiano Part II

2011-02-04T21:21:00.000-05:00

2007 Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico tasted
At Jackson Fillmore. Dark and musky with nicely grained tannin and good balance. Very fresh example.

What are you wankers doing looking at my blog?

2011-02-04T13:11:00.001-05:00

Slaked is back! and it's better than before! After a year of torturously deciding whether I should abandon the entire concept hereinatwhich my friends and relatives have relented upon me to keep the sick venture up. So the world is none the better for my continued wine ranting thanks to all the winos with nothing better to do at 3pm on Tuesday at work than to look for wine tasting notes and assorted memorabilia on enophilia.

What's the point ... What is the freaking point of wine blogging. That, I guess, is the condundrum. The one I have attempted to widget my whole blogging career. Well, there isn't one. But looking at the continued overwhelming interest in this miasma called Slaked! (ahem, thank you Google Analytics for giving me something to judge my innate worth by), it would appear that despite my very best efforts to ignore my reading public the reading public has refused to ignore Slaked!)

So we're back. And despite the obviously apparent CONFLICT OF INTEREST of being a winemaker and a wine writer (something Robert Parker Jr as co-owner of Beau Freres must know something about) I am going to keep it up. So here are the new ground rules:

I will not review wines from Napa (where I, too, make wine, and the place where I simply adore wines) unless they are hot, awesome, worth talking about, worth buying, worth cellaring, worth it, simply put. There can be no harm in that. All other US wines are up for analysis despite it.

I do not accept wines for reviews, ever. Don't send them. I will drink them and not write about them. But thank you.

This year I'll be drinking and writing about Italian wines almost exclusively as I return to my wine drinking roots, so look for lots of new notes from the Boot.

And remember Slaked! is purely for fun. Don't take it too seriously. And don't take wine too seriously, either, or you risk ending up sounding like those knobs leaving reviews on Cellar Tracker (a most awesome cellar tracking tool)

Like me.

Anno Italiano Part I

2011-02-02T23:31:00.003-05:00

Welcome, Anno Italiano. It's a returning to my roots. This only drinking Italian wines. One year. One theme. One nation. Italy, and all its many, glorious, varied wines.

Cascina Val del Prete "Serra de'Gatti" Barbera d'Alba 2009 ** Deep red licorice color. Musky, primeval, nicely balanced throughout the mouth. Hard to place, blind, as a Barbera d'Alba. I would have thought Spanish, from the Tempranillo style nose, but it's quite nice, and a perfect start to Anno Italiano.

Crushing Chardonnay

2010-10-01T12:11:00.000-04:00

I couldn't get our 2.11 tons of Chardonnay from Carneros to fit in the 2 ton press without a little fancy footwork.
Cheers - S

2010 Sauvignon Blanc Harvest!

2010-09-08T09:31:00.002-04:00

We harvested 4.6 tons of sauvignon blanc from Wilson Ranch north of St. Helena starting at dawn on Wednesday Sept. 8. The fruit was lightly sunburned requiring some thinning in the vineyard and a hand selection once we got back to the winery, but I couldn't be happier with the quality of fruit we harvested. 22.8 Brix, 3.2 pH, and over 7.7 g/L TA. Harvest begins!

Good News for Wine Industry?

2010-06-17T11:24:00.003-04:00

Nielson reported yesterday that "Despite Improving Economy, Alcohol Beverage Consumers Cautiously Indulge." Wine Business Monthly chose to highlight the sub-title of the article, which I found somewhat misleading, "Consumers Who Trade D own Satisfied with Quality, Likely to Continue to Buy Less Expensive Alcohol Beverages." I don't think the sub-title is accurate having looked at the data and I don't see why WBM chose to highlight it. Overall, this is particularly good piece of news.

The real take away from this release is that, "While 'trading down' has been the buzz of the economic downturn, more than three-quarters of consumers surveyed claim they have not changed their alcohol beverage purchases because of price." Some buyers are choosing the same products, but less often; others wait till those products go on sale; but 20% "tried less expensive products but weren't happy with the quality or experience!" (emphasis supplied). Of the 25% of wine consumers who have traded down, 20% did not find good values, with some "willing to sacrifice some quality in order to save." This group is likely to trade back up with an improving economy. Additionally, Millenials are particularly "likely to trade back up, compared to other age groups."

And that, my friends, is something I can drink too.

Blending ... continued

2010-06-14T16:34:00.001-04:00

Now that the cabernet sauvignon is ready for racking and blending I've started playing with sample blends. To get the party started I divided our cabernet sauvignon, which represents the lion's share of our available wine, into four categories:

(1) Tight, and tart raspeberry notes.
(2) Dark fruits.
(3) Mellow and round.
(4) Press wine (round, full).

Petit verdot showed very nicely in 2009. A 5% addition added a welcome chalkiness and increasing liveliness to the finish that everyone in the tasting group agreed improved the whole. Increasing the petit verdot addition to 10% resulted in a significantly less interesting wine than the 5% addition. A 7-8% addition added nothing more, either. The amazing thing with the 5% petit verdot addition was that it brought out the inherent vegetal characteristics (not green pepper, but very succulent fresh young celery leaf) that really turned the wine into something more than the component parts.

Likewise, an addition of cabernet franc did nothing for the wine. I enjoyed the merlot sample with 20% cabernet sauvignon blended in, but not the other way round. This is likely to become a second wine with some leftover petit verdot for substance.

This leaves us with a likely blend of our 2009 Napa Valley red wine: 95% cabernet sauvignon, 5% petit verdot, 75% new oak with one American barrel for good measure; alcohol by volume approximately 14.5% with a 3.9 pH.

Fruit Set In Napa Valley Vineyards

2010-06-12T17:14:00.002-04:00

During a recent tour of Wilson Ranch, I had a fascinating talk with sales manager Daivd Heil about valley floor Sauvignon Blanc. You can see in the picture below that our Sauvignon Blanc fruit has set and begun to flower. Once all the fruit is in, we'll be looking at about 100 days until harvest, putting us about 1 week behind last year's schedule, which was admittedly earlier than anticipated. I'm expecting a larger crop than last year, as the spring has been wet, flooding the water table, and feeding those "big" sauvignon blanc vines in that nutrient rich valley floor soil.

A couple things David impressed upon me are worth repeating. For one, we're working with white Bordeaux varietals on a split canopy, also called a quadrilateral cordon, shaped like a double cross arm trellis, in rich soil near the river. Sauvignon blanc is a "big vine" and yields a considerable amount of fruit, but the vines are trained to maximize air flow and access to light. Considering the spring rains, he thinks we can naturally stress the vines by not irrigating once the fruit is ripening. We'll be shooting for about 23 degrees Brix this year, and putting the juice through the same low intervention treatment we did last: pick at down, cold press, straight to neutral French oak for fermentation, minimal SO2 additions, cold filter and bottle.

Blending with Audrey

2010-06-10T15:39:00.009-04:00

There is very little that is more fun than blending wine. I'd have to say it's one of the best parts of the job. From February through the end of summer I will be spending a lot of time working with different barrels, varietals, and blends determining the single best wine I can make. This encompasses not just finding the highest expression of a particular vineyard or varietal, but consideration of a number of factors including varietal percentages in the finished wines, vintage characteristics, barrel choice and percentage of new oak, pH, sweetness, etc.

One of the first things we're doing in the cellar around February is starting to pull samples of the wines that have finished secondary fermentation and running some rudimentary analysis to get a handle on what we have. We're also tasting individual barrels to get an idea of how the young wines taste. Another important aspect is that by February the wines have sucked up a ton of new oak (in 2009 we purchased 80% new wood) and we get generally the highest sensory experience of vanilla and sweet tannin in the wines. This can be exhilarating but also frustrating, since on the one hand you get to taste pure oak and really develop an idea of how different coopers compare, but on the other there's really no way to determine how the wine is going to taste 12 months down the road. At this early stage you are only really tasting for saturation, tannin, density and what I think of as "high notes" added from the oak.

February Samples:
(1) Cocoa notes, dark fruits, showing less suavity than expected.
(2) Nice sweet tannin and starting to show some black fruits. Finishes nicely.
(3) Sweeter than the others. High concentration. Round, less spice than expected.
(4) Very French with tight smoke. Black fruits predominate.
(5) Velvety texture, purple fruits showing, has some sweet finish and hints at red peppers.
(6) Cocoa notes here again, purple fruits, slightly upfront tannin.
(7) Vanilla, mellow spice. Purple fruits predominate.
(8) Lots of grip, fine tannin in the mouth. Chewy. Mellow spice. Shows more upfront than finish.
(9) Velvet tannin here as well, with more dark fruits, sweet and spicy.
Blend (with press wine): nice synergy here, with the press wine adding depth and weight.

May Samples (same batches as above):
(1) Deep ruby. Chewy. Good bite. Tart raspberry with some citrus and loam. Finishes a little dusty.
(2) Good ruby. Nice nose on this. Rose water, purple fruits, finishes with citrus and mellow tannin.
(3) Dark red fruits on the nose here. Menthol and mint. Integrated acidity and very nice finish. Good body.
(4) Great nose. Still showing a lot of new wood. Tight, dark fruits. Very French.
(5) Purple color. Great nose. Spice on mid palate, vanilla, celery salt, licorice. Lots going on here.
(6) Deep color. Brine on the nose. Very definite impression of salt, minerality and dark red fruits. Long dusty finish.
(7) Mellow nose, at least compared to last sample. Some vanilla and a touch of celery showing up throughout the tasting, but this batch subdued. Dark fruits, not as tight as #4.
(8) Knock out nose: fancy French perfume, fruity purple notes with some sweetness in the tannin, still shows upfront but fills out the mid palate for the blend.
(9) Soft, tight dark fruits on nose. Soft and harmonious, not overt. Particularly tart raspberry on finish.
Blend (with press wine): Deep ruby color. Brine, celery salt, and tart raspberry on the nose. Succulent purple notes in the middle with a lingering sweetness on the finish.

The Alphas

2010-05-20T11:09:00.009-04:00

Last night I attended two wine events in NYC that left my head spinning. The first was a wine receiption at the Links Club put on by The Napa Valley Reserve, "a private club and winery." The Reserve essentially functions as a custom crush club, but one where you purchase access to vineyards tended by Harlan Estate's viticulture team and collaborate with Harlan's winemaking team to make private label wines.

The wines are, of course, first rate. The evening opened with nonvintage Krug, at the perfect temperature that cocktail receptions always seem to manage if you get there at the start. Gold color, with a wonderful balance of yellow fruits, pine nuts, a touch of grass and very nice effervescence. The 2004 NVR was very potent on the nose with considerable tannin and substance without losing much charm. Very dark, with some sweet black fruit notes, licorice, and a very mellow hint of spice - overall dense and robust. The 2002 was simply perfect. All the substance of 2004 without the fruit forwardness. Full, and fully ripe, considerable substance without sweetness. Again, blackberry notes, licorice, but here is minerality, balance, life. The 2000 was perhaps a touch more austere, with some varietal notes showing through, less concentration and charm, but still drinking nicely. Whereas the 1997, similar in substance and style to the 2002, was showing still more fruit and varietal notes, and considerable concentration without coming across as too much. I prefered the 2002 overall, and would rather drink the 1997 now. The 2000 should all be consumed soon and the 2004 in fifteen years.

The wines aside, phenomenal as they were, the reception felt awkward. One of the women I spoke to had never heard of Harlan Estate and did not know the first thing about the Reserve. One gentleman was more impressed with the hors d'oeuvres than the wines (I will admit, the food was great). The major topic of discussion was the European "banking crisis" -- Germany and Greece -- government intervention in the capital markets, and, of course, the mini-BLTs that were passed around. I was incredibly out of place.

Afterwards, I went to my club for a "reserve" wine dinner, hosted by the VP himself. This, too, was disappointing. The first wine, a 2003 Chateau Barthe, was corked. And not just one bottle. Each and every bottle they brought out -- they should have tasted these bottles before they brought them to the table. A 2000 Chateau Troplong Mondot **/*** was the sole shiner in the night. Nice shine in the glass. Very nicely concentrated on the nose, with ripe notes and red berries and considerable new oak -- mollases, caramel -- finishes with a short burst of incredible energy.

A 1982 Chateau St. Pierre, by comparison, was tired. A dull dark color, with earth, dry mushrooms and iodine on the nose, tart raspberry in the mouth, no perceptible bite or tannin, and ultimately devoid of life or charm. Similarly, the 1978 Cheval Blanc ("the white horse with velvet tannins") displayed smoke, mushrooms, and sandall wood, paired perfectly with local soft goats cheese, but was boring by itself. Unfortunately the dinner conversation revolved around investment grade Bordeaux and the rise of Hong Kong's merchant princes, the alleged failure of American wines to pair with food, and the "stunning" 2009 Bordeaux vintage.

Why not just stand at the end of the meal and sing God Save the Queen?

1964 Grunlack Riesling Spatlese Schloss Johannisberg Rheingau ****

2010-05-14T16:14:00.004-04:00

This 46 year old wine did not taste a day over six or seven. Vibrant light yellow hue, with freshly ground apples, tart soft goat cheese notes, and very mellow honeysuckle and dried apricots on the finish. Young Brie predominates for me as the wine airs. Simply magnificent.

Screw It: Crosby Roamann - SuppleWine.com

2010-05-10T09:18:00.001-04:00

Screw It: Crosby Roamann - SuppleWine.com

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Beer and Cheese Tasting at Buttermilk Channel

2010-05-07T16:13:00.013-04:00

I love cheese. It is a dietary necessity. I am sorry, heart, because meat I can do without, but cheese I cannot. Now, we are officially entering beer season, so it's a good time to open up the topic of beer and cheese, and if you like both beer and cheese (and who doesn't?) then the idea of artisanally crafted beers matched with local artisanal cheese is intriguing from the get go. Combine that with a meal prepared by chef Ryan Angulo at Buttermilk Channel and cheeses supplied by local cheesemonger Saxelby Cheese, and you have a "must attend" event.

Atwater Block Brewery "Mai-Bock" Detroit 7% ABV

Big thick white head. Very light in the mouth, with some semi sweet notes on the lips and semi tart notes on the back end. Mildly hoppy. Short finish. A traditional German "helles bock." Probably my favorite beer of the night in retrosepct. This you can drink all day. Until you can't anymore. Served with Buttermilk Channel's unparalled "snacks."

Lagunitas Brewing Co. "Wilco Tango Foxtrot" Petaluma 7.8% ABV

Deep amber color. Light and creamy head. Bitter on the nose, then some tart citric notes with a wet hoppy finish? Served with Green Garlic & Spring Onion Soup.

Allagash "Curieux" Portland (ME) 11% ABV

Wow. Light and soupy head. Tart and a touch nutty, semi sweet, gains sweetness as it opens up, with a very long finish. Peanut butter notes predominate as this warms to room temperature. A must attempt beer. Served with Country Ham & Queso del Invierno Salad...superb stinky cheese.

Rogue "Double Mocha Porter" Newport (OR) 8.2% ABV and Brewery Ommegang (my indecipherable hand scrawl obscures part of the

name) Cooperstown (NY) 6.5% ABV

These are the stouts of the evening, paired with Grilled Creekstone Farm Flap Steak. The Rogue is a cola color with a nose of charred molten meats and a long grilled steak charcoal finish. The Ommegang is dark brown amber with a stinky nose and notes of earthy notes. (No pics)

Avery Brewing Co. "Brabant" Boulder 8.65% ABV

Dark red brown color with notes of sweet red cherries and red wines (no doubt from the barrel aging). I love the complexity on this beer.

Cheers!

Harlan Estate's Game Changer

2010-04-30T14:23:00.000-04:00

If you are receiving wines from Harlan Estate, you'll find the following note card with your orders:

In short, Harlan's new packaging material is 100% biobased green cell foam. It is entirely compostable, biodegradable, recyclable, dissolvable, and clean burning. The only thing it is not, I suspect, is edible.

It is, additionally, a game changer for cult wines. In the ever tortuous journey to be the best, a packaging material that goes neatly and cleanly into the fireplace as you warm up with a glass of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is more than a neat trick. It is a bold step away from foam, which is always makes me cringe, and recycled shippers, which are better, but unsightly.

It's just too bad the wine didn't arrive when I still had the fireplace open.

Bottling Day March 31, 2010

2010-04-28T16:55:00.007-04:00

It was sort of a wet week, with rain and sunshine off and on throughout, but we lucked out on March 31 and the air cleared for about 3 hours while we bottled our first 150 cases of wine.

The Crosby Roamann Napa Valley Introsé 2009 is a red rose color, with strawberries and orange zest on the finish. The Crosby Roamann Out On A Limb Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is pure golden sunshine. Grapefruit, very pure underlying fruit and nice mouthfeel - could drink this all night long.

The Brand Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is showing gorgeously at this young age. From a Soda Canyon vineyard, southwest facing, cropped at just 2 tons per acre, aged in all French oak, 60% new, the wine is still tight and chewy, but this is next generation Napa Valley wine. You cannot taste the new oak on this and the wine is floral and quite, I hate to admit, reminiscent of Margaux.

Find out more at Crosby Roamann's website!

2007 Ridge Monte Bello ****

2010-03-24T16:39:00.003-04:00

Arrived last week. Rested -- popped -- poured. Ranking among the best of the decade, the 2007 Monte Bello **** is not a "classic" Monte Bello in my estimation -- no pine, no cedar sap, soft fine and mouth coating tannins -- but this ranks among the finest. A very dark red almost blue tone in the glass, with notes of blackberry jam and shades of vanilla and chocolate. At this young age this really could not be finer. In retrospect the Noughties may turn out to be the finest string of Monte Bello ever.

2007 Tablas Creek Grenache ***

2010-03-20T21:19:00.002-04:00

I've been waiting for this wine to arrive for months. And while the final jury is still out, the nose on this is immaculate. A touch of oak foudres on the nose? Nicely dense with plum, chocolate covered tart cherries and a touch of white chocolate on the finish. Sharp on the mid note but the tannin is very fine. Will gain gravitas with age and I'm ordering more.

Antica Terra, Botanica, and Lillian

2010-03-09T12:20:00.004-05:00

On Monday I was fortunate to attend a lunch at Eleven Madison Park hosted by Maggie Harrison, the proprietor of Antica Terra winery in Amity, Oregon. In short, Maggie's pinot noirs from Willamette Valley are not of this world. In 2007, in which it rained 9.5 inches prior to harvest, she produced an aromatically complex and soulful wine. Tasted alongside other wines of the vintage, it clearly stands head and shoulders above the rest. With that in mind, I headed to the lunch with high expectations. Unfortunately, my palate was slightly cracked that day, so I tasted the wines only briefly. All things considered, however, Harrison produced a remarkable line-up.

The 2008 Antica Terra ***/**** to be released to the mailing list next week, is vibrant and glossy in the glass, the color of dessicated roses, that reminded me of Middle School romances and Rilke, of notes scribbled furiously in journals and hidden under pillows. On the nose you find strawverry, briarpatch, a touch of chalk, with spice and cracked pepper on the finish. Like a good kiss, this wine leaves you wanting more.

The 2008 Botanica ***/**** -- a barrel selection -- is more concentrated. More purple than rose, more opacity, more gravitas, more fruit, more plump, more sweet. But here I find that some of the romance -- the complexity and turbulence that marks unrequited love -- has been sacrificed for what is sure to be a wine to be taken seriously by critics and journalists. Perhaps it is the romantic in me, but I found this wine less charming than the Antica Terra. It has the mark of being made too easily (by picking out the best barrells in a cellar full of them) by a modest but artful and potent winemaker. Perhaps the fault, if there is any, is mine.

We also tasted Maggie's cult central coast syrah, Lillian. The 2006 *** (which I had previously tasted blind against Danforth's 2003 Sonoma Syrah ***) is blackberry in color with musk and blood and pure ripe fruit on the nose. It shows some new wood, which is very lovely, and does not overpower. I have two bottles in my cellar, which I will wait another 3-10 to open. The 2007 **** is crazygood. Purely opaque, with crushingly handsome dark fruit scents on the nose, new wood (vanillia, smoke? spice?) and a tremendous hold in the mouth. Really a very pure wine that has a long life ahead of it. I haven't checked the scores, but this is likely to receive 95+ if it hasn't already.

1978 Adrien Belland Corton-Perriere Grand Cru ****

2010-03-06T13:12:00.003-05:00

Adrien belland corton perriere grand cru 1978 **** Opened at the Club with the first VP etc. Depressed and slightly crumbled cork but the goods were all here. Deep red color. Highly concentrated with fat tannins, cassis and sweet brown button mushrooms. Perhaps the best Burgundy I have ever tasted. Also tasted 1993 Louis Jadot Bonnes mare *** leaner and more rustic with tart dry cherries and a note of chalk.

1993 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spatlese **

2010-03-06T09:26:00.003-05:00

Tasted this 1993 Zilliken spatlese at Bar Henry. Very apricot and petroly.

2001 Chateau Le Gay Pomerol ***

2010-03-03T07:29:00.002-05:00

A surprisingly significant and relevant wine today. I found a couple bottles of this 2001 as well as a 1998 at auction for probably 30 cents on the dollar. The 1998, despite being an excellent vintage in my opinion for right bank Bordeaux, was lank and somewhat green. This 2001 was explosive, fairly concentrated, with dry and silky tannin, with a touch of mild blackberry jam and violets and an enjoyable if not particularly lasting finish.

2005 Ridge Monte Bello ***

2010-02-18T09:23:00.005-05:00

Opening this 2005 Monte Bello *** with the affluent aromas of only Monte Bello mountain surfacing, the only thought I had was life seemed a little back to normal, at least somewhat, and if only for a moment. A deep plum color, with a certain vibrancy, like polished wax. Very mellow in the nose, with notes of brine smelled a long distance from the sea. On the palate, surprisingly light, with some fresh dark fruits left, and certainly quite pure in style, but not concentrated like the 1991 or 2002, and not esoteric like the 1996. One person declared it "boring." I would disagree. Tasted along side the 2005 Nickel and Nickel Regusci Vineyard Block 4 Cabernet Sauvignon *** (a very tasty wine at this young age, with some jammy notes and very mellow tannin, making it immediately approachable) the Monte Bello was less concentrated and forthcoming. But that is a part of the character and charm of Monte Bello, which distinguishes it from so many other wines from California, even those -- if not especially those -- from Napa Valley. Let this 2005 Monte Bello develop in the decanter for a good three hours before trying it -- secondary notes will emerge. Another good trick is to pop and pour a half glass the night before you intend to drink it, putting the cork back in the bottle and letting it rest overnight.

Also tasted (blind): 2003 Ridge Vineyards California Mountain Merlot *** and 2005 Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley *** Both very similar in style to the 2005 Monte Bello. The Ridge Merlot was surprisingly pure, with developed dark fruit notes, soft but still present tannins, and notes of dried flowers, perhaps even violets, on the nose. The Duckhorn was more concentrated, a touch more tangible in the mouth, with notes of currants and dark cherries. Neither wine displayed overt oak, heat or acidity -- These are nicely balanced.

I retasted the little remaining of the Ridge wines and the Duckhorn after 3 days in bottle; all of which had aged nicely in that time, gaining substance without relinquishing any of their charm.

NV Jean Vesselle "Oeil de Perdrix" Brut a Bouzy ***

2010-01-02T14:15:00.004-05:00

Recommended by Harvey Steiman at Wine Spectator for New Year's Eve. This "recoltant-manipulant" grower-Champagne Jean Vesselle is a dessicated grapefruit flesh color, very lively on the glass with a vibrant mouse, and some sweetness on the nose. There doesn't appear to be any disgorgement date on the bottle but this is shockingly vibrant in the glass. Chalky raspberry aromas, with fuzzy sugar-toast notes, fresh squeezed orange and raspberry on the finish. Not long, but effervescent.

2007 Ridge Vineyards Dusi Ranch Late Harvest Zinfandel

2009-12-30T16:09:00.004-05:00

I'll just say it: I'm not a fan of late harvest zinfandel. So this 2007 Late Harvest Dusi Ranch is the only wine from Ridge I couldn't really get into this year.

On the bright side, Ridge has instituted a new membership log-in to streamline purchases online. Gone are the days of manually entering the same old shipping info everytime you want to make a reorder. Thank baby Jesus, too.

Now, here is just a quick recounting of the past year's Ridge ATP/Z-List releases:

ATP:
December: 2007 Zinfandel Dusi Ranch Late Harvest
November: 2004 Lytton Estate Grenache **
October: 2006 Zinfandel Old School (not tasted)
September: 2006 Nervo **/***
August: Optional Shipment: 2007 Jimsomare ****
June: 2007 Carignane Buchignani Ranch **/***
May: 2004 Petite Sirah Dynamite Hill ***
April: 2004 Zinfandel Oltranti **/***
February: 2005 Zinfandel Buchignani Ranch **
January: 2006 Zinfandel Dusi Ranch *

Z-List:
2007 Geyserville ***/****
2007 East Bench ***
2007 Paso Robles **/***
2007 Lytton Springs *
2007 Pagani Ranch **
2007 York Creek ***

Monte Bello wines:
2006 Monte Bello ***
2006 Monte Bello Chardonnay ***/****
2007 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay ***

Christmas Wines etc.

2009-12-26T20:20:00.008-05:00

We poured a lot of random stuff for the holidays, with only one bottle to go around a table of 10, so with very little second tastes, here are some highlights on our holiday:

1993 Dom Perignon ** Vivid gold color, with good vibrance. Full and dry, with blood orange on the tongue and lemon drop viscosity, somewhat less elegant than previous bottles, possibly due to variation?

2006 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ** Deep red rose. Warm nose of fresh red flowers and red licorice. Very mellow, with round tannin on the mid palate and finish, as has become expected from RM recent NV wines. Very nice.

2001 Carruades de Lafite * Dark bold blackcurrant, green olives, noticeable green notes that resolved somewhat over the course of the night.

Vintage Tastings BYOB Dinner at Tribeca Grill

2009-12-18T16:42:00.014-05:00

The best thing about a large BYOB gathering, aside from the great wines, is meeting people who like to share their interest in, and love for, certain wines. There are the Bordeaux lovers, the Burgundy afficiandos, the Champagne specialists, and the members of the Cult. We had them all at our table. You all get thrown together and drink a bunch of great stuff and -- generally -- everyone gets along.

Then again, there's Table Number One. NUMERO UNO. Where they seat the heavy hitters - I could imagine Hardy Rodenstock sitting there, with his 1787 Lafite. And it's so stupid. Of course, the only wine I tasted from this table, the 1990 Montrose, was probably the Wine of the Night for me. So here I am - a hypocrite with a blog. But there it is. Overall, a great evening with lots of great wine and great people. Thanks to David Hamburger for MCing and the staff at Tribeca for wonderful service.

Thank you -- as well -- to the mystery woman who poured us all 1976 Yquem, just as the night was drawing to a close. To be honest, this display of generosity was something of a holiday miracle.

Notes in order of tasting:

1993 Dom Perignon *** a perfect start to the evening. Wonderful floral and tropical notes with lime and Mountain Dew on the finish.

1982 Leflaive Les Pucelles Puligny Montrachet ... tired.

2001 Meo Camuzet Corton ** dep rose and irridescence. Dired floral notes and melon. Developed jolly rancher on the nose and chalky tannins throughtout the night.

1983 Dom Perignon * (to replace the Leflaive) Prune and fig on the nose. Some green notes as well. Very traditional, to me a very different style from more recent vintages. Perhaps the age - the oldest DP I've ever tasted.

1984 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello **** (my wine) a very fresh bottle, with dark fruit notes, dried floral notes, violets, salty on the midpalate, but surprisingly short. Still, a stunner.

1996 Ponsot Clos de la Roche (flawed)

1998 Lignier Clos de la Roche *** ruby red; still tight and fresh, tannic, with sweet cherry and mellow well-trod earthy notes.

1986 Ch. Gruaud Larose ** deep black cherry color, still tight, with cherry and just a very mellow note of worn wet wood here.

1989 Ch. Pichon Comtesse de Lalande **** warm cinnamonny raisins, dark cocoa, and wooza supa-tight. Brings to mid-90's rap and the advent of Bling! I'm a sucker for the warm vintage 1989 Bordeaux....

1995 Ch. Mouton Rothschild *** tight purple, still dense with moderate chalky midnotes and very mellow mint. The fruit is elegant, not as voluptuous as I had hoped. A very traditional Mouton, perhaps.

1990 Ch. Montrose **** WOTN? Black olives. Black olives. and Black olives. Succulent black fruits. Electric and elegant. Just stunning.

1990 Clos de Tart **** remarkable sweet black cherry and silk. Tannins like a young woman's inner thighs. Then unctuous on the finish. Leaves one breathless.

1989 Ch. Lynch Bages ** mellow black fruit and medium body, elegant tannin. All there but ultimately no wowsa.

1986 Ch. Lynch Bages **** Black olives again. Dark fruits. Mellow mint with fine but chalky tannin. Superb.

1984 Katherine Kennedy ***- AHA! Just opened - tight, succulent, balsamic notes here. Needs air, badly, but this nicely concentrated, with black and dark blue fruit notes.

1999 Ch. Mouton Rothschild ** (my wine) Dusty with tart raspberry. Opens up nicely. This vintage has an undeserved poor reputation. Mostly fried floral notes, wonderfully elegant, with good balance, but not a blockbuster.

1976 Ch. d'Yquem. Wine of the Night. Gold color. On those nose, sweet yellow flowers, honey, apricot. On the palate, quite racy below the tongue, with surging salt towards the front of the mouth, then receding sweet white raisiny notes with mellow tropical melon notes and a slow, long finish. Perfect.

California Cult Wines Review of 2009

2009-12-15T17:22:00.016-05:00

In New York, if you’ve survived the 2009 onslaught, then in Frank Sinatra’s words, “You can make it anywhere.” The old saw seems true in life as well as wine, at least, that was the feeling I got the other night after the wines were revealed in a tasting of 2005 California Cult Cabernet organized by none other than David Hamburger of Vintage Tastings. I was standing at the bottle tables with another gentleman after the brown paper bags were pulled away and the labels revealed, and I held in my hand my #2 wine of the night -- A wine I had never tasted before, let alone heard of. He was young and rich. A banker of sorts from Germany, and he was familiar with the wine in my hand, a 2005 Sherwin Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

“It’s not expensive,” he said.

“Really?” I said. “How much?”

“Oh … $50 or $60?” he responded.

Well … is $50 or $60 expensive? What about $300? My how things have changed.

Now let me digress.

Some of the best wines in our tasting are unheralded by the major critics, and this is a good thing. In fact, I heard it reiterated over again last night that the Parkerization of one’s palate is a serious insult. Scarves and gloves may – and did -- fly at the mention that one prefers his or her wine overtly “prunish.”

So after all the talk, I was surprised to see the Wine of the Night revealed as, none other than Bryant Family Vineyards 2005, a Parker favorite. It was without question delicious, floral and balanced, and only more so as the night wore on. It was my #5 wine of the night. And it took the sting out of being called a "Parkerite."

Wines in order of appearance:

1. Stanton Cabernet Sauvignon */** (Group 4th place) Low shine; some oak notable and sweet milk cocoa on the nose. On the palate minor green notes; a Bordeaux style with lingering dry tannin on the finish.

2. Shelter *** (Tied 10th place) Deep red color with lots of shine on this. Salty minerality evident on the nose and even some celery salt; I heard the phrase "black cherry cola" bandied about. Certainly a Bordeaux style here as well, not tart, but mildly loamy, not exactly sweet tannin; gains elegance with air, and the celery and fresh herb notes come out on top. Very fresh with air.

3. James Johnson Vineyards Bisou Estate ** (9th place) Low shine; consistent nose as wine #2, with less overt minerality here and more ripe fruit notes. Mellow tannins, with cola and cherry coming up early, but more fluff than substance on the finish.

4. Versant Vineyards ** (Tied 11th place) Good shine. A very Napa nose with minor oak and ripe sweet cherries, mellow spices, and tart, chalky tannin in the middle.

5. Realm Farella Vineyard ** (Tied 11th place) Good shine. Very minor funk on the nose blew off quickly enough. With charcoal (could that be from the hot dog stand downstairs?) some green and celery notes, but on the palate nice balance and sweet tannins, good mint as well.

6. David Arthur Elevation 1147 (flawed) (Tied 10th - but NOT LAST place)

7. Peter Michael "Les Pavots" ** (Tied 10th place) I have to admit, I was pulling for this wine. I pegged it as my #3 of the night - I was wrong. Still, this was very nice. A semi-translucent pale purple with some well hidden vanilla, some sweet cherry and cocoa, and developing buttery popcorn notes towards the end. Tight and elegant, but overshadowed tonight.

8. Sherwin Family Estate **** (My #2, Group Tied 6th place) Nice shine; violets, earth and minor vine leaf on this outstanding nose. Balanced, best so far. Sweet but robust mid palate tannins, with notable black olives and increasingly floral and elegant with aeration.

9. Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve *** (7th place - my guess was Bryant) Nice ripe red shine with ripe sweet fruit on the nose, sweet raspberry and some oak on the nose as well. Lots of cola, mindful of malbec. With some mint and olive; coffee and vanilla bean on the finish. Very near ****

10. Husic Vineyards ** (Tied 8th place) Low shine. Charcoal and graphite on the nose, with underlying tart strawberry. Some marajuana on the nose? Black cherry cola here, with good minerality and green olives - black olives - olive mix? Good sweet tannin on the close.

11. Hemlach Hills (flawed) (Tied 10th - but NOT LAST place - seriously people, what are you drinking?)

12. Merus *** (My #4 - Tied 6th place) Very elegant on the nose, with dried flowers and mellow cola and some soft wood, plus blackcurrant notes as this aired. Very elegant. Mellow fish oil; sweet tannin, almost overly sweet? Some salt water on the nose. All over the place; pretty amazing.

13. Harlan Estate ** (Tied 8th place) You could almost feel the collective "Ohhhh" of let down as this wine was revealed. Very high shine, "most complex nose of the night" thus far say my notes, but only very mellow round tannin on the palate, not at all viscous or overt, with mellow green and celery notes providing some intellectual stimulation.

14. Kapcsandy Family Winery State Lane Vineyard (Grand Cuvee) **** (My #3; Group 3rd place) Good shine, with a hot nose of mint, mellow barn, port and some fish oil - very complex nose that came together greatly. "Wow" smooth. Gorgeous in the mouth and elegant and very long.

15. Shafer Hillside Select **** (My Wine of the Night; Group 5th place) High shine; hot nose; high concentration mellow mint and spice. Wow. Uber smooth, mellow chalk, with oreo mint cookie ice cream on the finish.

16. Lewis Cellars Reserve *** (Group 2d place) Cola and celery and salt on the nose. Mellow mint evolves with air. Black pepper and prunes, with big concentration and very soft in the middle but not forever. An overall very impressive wine.

17. Bryant Family *** (My #5; Group Wine of the Night) High shine. Very floral nose; with lots of salt, celery and mint. Nice and full. Very Napa, with pepper and mild spices. Incredibly drinkable, and the first wine I gulped down.

2006 Grammercy Cellars Syrah Columbia Valley

2009-12-10T17:24:00.009-05:00

At Buttermilk Channel recently we ordered a 2006 Grammercy Cellars Lagniappe Syrah ** from Columbia Valley, produced by Master Sommelier Greg Harrington. Co-fermented with 3% viognier in open top containers then "lightly pressed" to barrels and aged for 15 months, this is deeply colored, dark but not purple, and very continental in style, elegant and poised in the mouth, without any of the fat I find sometimes in California syrahs. The viognier is very expressive on the nose and the overall impression is of a Northern Rhone styled wine. Succulent comes to mind, as do dried herbs and Provence and perhaps even dried roses. A very compelling introduction to Washington state Rhone wines, which are emerging as the new bad boys of American wine.

1985 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello ***

2009-12-09T09:39:00.010-05:00

Still vibrant, translucent deep purple color, with mellow dried herbs and tart blackberry on the nose; this from a bottle with ullage into the neck and a bright label. Burgundian on the palate, with a mixture of silk on the midpalate and dusty tannin on the finish; large tart greenhouse strawberries and notes of unsweetened crushed blackberries and black tea. Best bottle of this very good vintage I have tasted.

Thanksgiving Wines Revisited

2009-12-03T12:27:00.007-05:00

I enjoy reading about what everybody had to drink on Thanksgiving more than what they are planning on serving (or selling), so here are my two cents.

The night before Thanksgiving, as family was arriving from California rather late, we stayed up with a bottle of Ridge Vineyards Grenache Lytton Estate 2004 ** This improved by day two -- when I had a little sip of it with an apple and cheese for lunch as we were preparing the main event -- garnering a nicely loamy texture and concentration and dark berry fruits.

For din-din I opened a Domaine Drouhin Cuvee Laurène 2006 *** We had received this as a gift from our friends in Portland who praised it and despite its young age, I couldn't resist. From the website, "Laurène is our flagship wine, and is produced entirely from Pinot Noir grown on the family's estate in the Dundee Hills. All of the fruit is handpicked into small totes, destemmed, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and then placed into barrels (French oak, never more than 20% new)." A deep garnet or very dark red rose color, with red fruits and very mellow pine and wet earth on the nose. My notes trail off at this point, but it was nicely round on the palate without being sweet. And I almost enjoyed this more before dinner than during. Another Oregon wine lending credence to the greatness of the 2006 vintage?

For the white wine lovers we opened a Hanzell Vineyards Chardonnay Sonoma County 2006 **** Let me admit now that I was surprised at the superamazingness of this wine. (Yes, that's one word.) I opened a second bottle last night to confirm just how superawesome it was. There is saying that "young" wine writers can't be objective about the wines they enjoy, and I guess this post proves their point. Screw objectivity in the face of great wine. This Hanzell is without question the single greatest Hanzell wine I have ever tasted. A pale gold color, with a bouquet of fresh wild flowers, taut minerality on the attack, with sumptuous tropical fruit notes in the middle and just un soupçon of black licorice and oak on the finish.

Thirsty much?

2004 Ridge Grenache Lytton Estate ATP **

2009-11-25T21:22:00.002-05:00

Decidedly Ridge, but very grenache (mmm, grenache). Deep red rose/purple to the rim. A very American nose on this, but underneath its bursting fresh fruit. The nose is just gorgeous. A varietal driven grenache, with touches of sage and some noticeable dark cocoa, but the midpalate and finish are light. Serve this tomorrow on Thanksgiving, but keep just one for next year to see how it evolves.

2004 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino **

2009-11-24T13:48:00.006-05:00

Maybe it's not too terribly popular to admit, but Argiano is one of my go-to Brunello producers.Luckily, the wine isn't difficult to find. I tasted the 2004 ** recently at Serrafina. It was served slightly too warm and without decanting - so not off to a great start.

This is deep garnet, almost translucent purple. Displaying a very reticent and primary nose of dried flowers, with nice acidity on the midnote and seemlessly integrated soft dry tannin. This is very nicely balanced and it opened up considerably after almost an hour to display more typical dark fruit/tar and chalky Brunello notes. It will receive a higher score if served at a proper termperature and with proper aeration and/or bottle age.

NV Marc Hebrart Premier Cru Brut Rose **

2009-11-21T09:09:00.006-05:00

From Mareuil-sur-Ay, this brut rose is a pale blood orange / raw salmon color. Orange blossom and rose water compose the firm midnote, with nice citrus notes on the finish. Very suave and unusually long. From all 2005 fruit; equal parts pinot noir and chardonnay. A Terry Theise Estate Selection from Skurnik. Purchased at Heights Chateau.

2007 Joh. Jos. Prum (new releases) ***

2009-11-06T17:22:00.006-05:00

Joh. Jos. Prum is almost too easy to love, and 2007 presents a very good year to collect these wines, so I recently ordered a mixed case and cracked a couple open. Perhaps predictably, my favorite wine of the night was also the most expensive, which ran me about $40 -- 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese **** This was light yellow gold with sweet peach notes on the nose. On the palate this is glorious, light and deft with a touch of zzzing! and citrus; finishes with long minerality. The 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese *** displayed more apricot and honeyed notes, grander in the mouth but not the heavenly texture of the Auslese. Similarly, the 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett *** is light with mildly honeyed notes, sacrificing a touch of mouth feel for minerality and structure. This is a fantastic value. As I drink these wines I am reminded of a 2007 Joh. Jos Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett (Gutsabfullung) *** I tasted over the summer. This last wine made such a powerful impression on me that I have compared everything that has come after to it ever since. A must find.

2006 M. Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Croix de Bois **

2009-11-05T17:14:00.000-05:00

I am a sucker for discounted Chapoutier. What can I say? Chapoutier's packaging is great, and I was glad to see these bottles arrived from the retailer still wrapped in brown tissue, their orange wax capsules emerging from the top. Some people claim these little touches mean nothing to the underlying wine, but I disagree. The tissue wrapping will prevent bin stins and the wax capsule may prevent closure problems in the future.

Pure grenache (mmm ... grenache) hand picked at the end of September and fermented in closed concrete tanks for 21 days before aging in vats for 14-16 months prior to blending and bottling. Deep ruby color. Stones and tart red notes on the nose. This is elegant but not at all restrained, very Burgundian in style with tangy frozen red fruits on the midnote and not at all overtly rich or overripe. I would have enjoyed a touch more ripeness on the finish, but maybe I've been jaded by California wines. A lovely wine for dinner, and probably warrants a higher score in 2-3 years.

TANSTAAFL

2009-10-07T11:19:00.008-04:00

A great post at Reign of Terroir alerted me today to the need to disclose to my loyal fanbase what I recieve by way of compensation for writing Slaked! As I have said before, that number would zero. Nothing. Zilch. I pay for all the wine I review on Slaked! and my total advertising earnings (for those little links to the right) equal $2.23.

Of course, that's not the point. Slaked! is "pure editorial" (in the immortal words of UrbanDaddy) and is solely here to help the lonely consumer find good wines in a wine world gone mad. That may mean spending $10 on something quite nice, or at least not spending $200 on something that's shit.

To that end, I'd like to take this chance to once again hype the new wines coming out of Tablas Creek. I received my fall shipment this week and immediately opened a bottle of the 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel. As I have previously written, the 2007 wines from the west side of Highway 101 in Paso Robles are un-freaking-believable, and Tablas Creek has a line-up of great wines at very reasonable prices considering the quality.

The 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel **** is composed of mourvedre, grenache, syrah, and counoise. It is a nearly brooding purple in the glass and shows notes of crushed berries, very mellow oak and an almost sweet tang at the top of the mouth on the finish. This is gentle on the palate now with sweet tannin and a closed nose, but it turned teeth puckering and showed red berry notes with evolved perfumes over two hours. Like most of Tablas Creek's wines, this is easy drinking. VINsider price $40, list price $50. Robert Parker score 95-97. Slaked! **** In other words, this is a no-brainer.

2000 Castello del Terriccio TASSINAIA ***

2009-09-25T11:45:00.000-04:00

I have my good friend and esteemed colleague to thank for introducing me to Castello del Terriccio. That was just shortly before the wines became so fashionable on the East Coast. He had just returned from a trip to Italy with his family and was trying to find this wine he had tasted one night. Like most of the best wine writing, he had written it down on a bar napkin. Convinced it could not be had in New York, he asked me to find it for him. Twelve hours later, we each had half a case. And that is how I came to start drinking one of my favorite IGT Toscana red wines, Tassinaia.

The wine is distributed by Korbrand in New York, and they do an admirable job marketing it. According to their website, "The Terriccio estate is geologically divided into two distinct areas: a northern half typified by white clay soils supporting cereals crops and a southern half lying on clay and rock appropriate to vineyards, olive trees and fruit trees...The first vines were planted in 1989, and as of 2000 cover slightly over fifty acres...Tassinaia, which means "place of the stones," or may alternately indicate a badger habitat from the Italian "tasso," or badger, occupies 37.5 acres of sandy, stony soil situated on a south-southwest exposed slope."

The estate hand-harvests the grapes and winemaking is over seen by consulting oenologist Carlo Ferrini. Tassinaia, the estate's second wine, sees about 80% second and 20% third year oak. A blend of nearly equal parts cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and sangiovese, the wine is typically deep ruby, with stone notes and mixed red berry compote. The 2000 *** is still velvety, with massive road tar, black jam, and mild dry tannins.

We also retasted a bottle of 2003 Lupicaia *** the estate's premiere wine, which hails from the finest microclimate of the massive estate: a vineyard of 12.5 acres planted 90 percent to Cabernet Sauvignon vines and ten percent to Merlot vines planted in 1989. From this abnormally hot season, the 2003 Lupicaia shows immense concentration, jammy fruit and sweet tannin. The notes of jammy tar, which I have come to expect from this estate, always reminds me of Mouton Rothschild 1989 **** A delicious wine, I found the Tassinaia more intellectually pleasing. The 2003s won't live out the decade, and should be consumed sooner rather than later.

Ridge Vineyards: Spring/Summer 2009 Update

2009-09-02T12:07:00.024-04:00

2004 Dynamite Hill Petite Sirah *** this wine a behemoth pimp in a blue fedora. Rich, round, and condensed, with plentiful blueberry and vanilla notes (the wine saw 33% new oak). Good now and should develop some secondary spice over the next ten years.

2005 Buchignani Ranch Zinfandel ** from 44 barrels of 96% zinfandel with 4% carignane from the same "small planting of old-vine zinfandel on the Buchignani Ranch on Dutcher Creek Road in the hills on the far western edge of the Alexander Valley appellation." I enjoyed this Buchignani more than most recent vintages: this is more sublime, more intellectual than most zin.

The 2006 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel ** (with 7% alicante bouschet, 3% petite sirah, and 2% carignane,) is a silky young zinfandel with briar patch and strawberry notes on the mid-palate and mild black spice on the finish ("the alicante and a small amount of zinfandel co-fermented with a floating cap to better stabilize alicante's intense color").

2004 Oltranti Mazzoni Alexander Valley Zinfandel **/*** (88% zinfandel, 10% carignane, 2% petite sirah) from mostly young vines on this old dog vineyard, there is nice texture to the tannins and this is mid-stride now. Good notes of frozen dried strawberry and whey.

2007 Carignane Buchignani Ranch **/*** from 49 barrels of 100% old-vine hillside grown, head-trained carignane vines aged for twelve months in air-dried American oak (10% new). This is dark ruby, with dried floral aromatics and crisp, nearly citrus notes and mildly chalky tannin. There is some Jolly Rancher cherry on the finish as well. Should improve with a year or two in bottle.

The 2007 Jimsomare Zinfandel ***/**** is a straight 100% varietal-driven wine from Monte Bello Ridge. The inclusion of "rich" press wine with the free run is evident from the deep color. Aged for fifteen months in nearly neutral American oak, this is a concentrated wine with dark berry notes and mild spices on the finish. Perhaps my favorite of 2007 Ridge zin - this wine has kept me thinking, "Will I regret not ordering more?"

2006 Monte Bello Chardonnay ***/**** Straw hay nearly yellow gold color, with noticeable tropical fruit notes on the head, yet not redundantly oaky, this is an athletic chardonnay that has staved off flabbiness with a certain I can't say what sex appeal. When I was drinking this I hadn't thought it was a 4 star wine, but then I realized that I had finished it off, and I have a rule about wines: If I can drink the whole bottle, it's a 4 star wine.

2007 Lytton Springs * (with 22% petite sirah and 7% carignane) Ruby color with musk and mold on the nose. The funk blew off to reveal considerably hidden dark fruits, but this was a mostly disappointing wine.

2007 York Creek *** (with 22% petite sirah) shows much more sex appeal. Vanilla and honey at first give way to overtly ripe dark fruits. This is chalky but homely and just too much fun not to share with friends, like an old joke with a new punchline.

The 2007 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel ** (with 5% alicante bouschet and 3% petite sirah) reminded me of Robert Frost. Stern, serious, and like I don't get the joke. This was enjoyable but after the York Creek it felt like I was missing something. Go to Dartmouth; you will love this wine. But it went well enough with firm sharp cheese and biscuits.

1987 Monte Bello (flawed) Was it Brett? TCA? Looking back at all the vintages of Monte Bello I have had and for some reason 1986 and 1987 stand out as surprisingly off years. Now that fall has arrived and we begin to retaste Monte Bello (and Burgundy) I will retry the 1985 next weekend and the 1984 which I have never tried before. These are allegedly exceptional years and should make up for 86/87.

2006 Nervo **/*** Plum color and stewed plum on the nose with chalky rich raspberry and good citric balance. This Walks The Line.

Tablas Creek Sent Me This Hat, And You Should Too

2009-08-26T12:09:00.004-04:00

This summer, I not only took a vacation from work, but from Slaked! as well. Vacation is one of those things I don't do enough. It's hard to get right. It's always the last day before I feel I really have it down, and then it's back to work.

Apparently, absence does indeed make the heart grow stronger, for Google Analytics claims my hits have never been higher. Perhaps I should stop writing altogether; that may push my daily hit counter over the breaking point. But that would also defeat the point of all this anyway, which has, from its very silly inception, been a diversion, and a greatly enjoyable one at that, and nothing more.

More to the point, I have not been on total vacation. In fits and starts, I've been working on a number of unfinished posts. Writing these have been a struggle. My mind is elsewhere. So I post them below, with their titles, to get them all out now, for once, and move on with my life.

Blogs Are Like Assholes, Everybody Has One

It turns out my uncle has a blog. Well, he's not really my uncle, but I guess I always thought of him that way, and he doesn't really write a blog, anymore than Slaked! is a blog, but all that being said, this semi-retired social worker from Boston, Mass., has taken to ranting online against prisoner abuse now that he is no longer ranting in court. I'm left wondering: What's the point? What are blogs here for? Are blogs here to help spread the winery gospel? No. Are we journalists? Mostly, not. Are we pundits? Well....I've struggled with this question since the inception of Slaked! While I don't think blogs rise to the level of journalism (there is a big difference between Eric Asimov's articles and his posts) some blogs may in fact skirt the line. (Can't we just leave the so-called journalism to the Wine Spectators of the world?) It's the really little blogs that I find the most interesting, the most heartfelt and the most humane. The best blogs, I think, merely help consumers find good wines for good prices. That, I think, is the point of the Wine Business Monthly article, "Do Wine Blogs Impact Your Brand? New Study Highlights Wine Blogger Activity" by Liz Thach, Ph.D., SSU Wine Business Professor.

Best Wine Marketing Of The Summer

And the award goes to ... Stomping Girl Wines, which provides some of the nicest, drivel-free wine marketing emails I have read this year. And trust me, I have read a sick amount of marketing ploys from wine companies recenty. Stomping Girl Wines produces pinot noir sourced from the North Coast. I haven't even tried the wines, and I still enjoy reading Kathryn Cohen's emails that much. (The wines will be released in early 2010.)

Additionally, one of if not the single best marketing email I received over the summer came from Fritz Hatton at Arietta. I've gone on and off the Arietta bandwagon since I purchased some of the wines a couple years ago off the mailing list. I was concerned that the wines were all hype and no substance. But I think I was wrong. Having recently retasted the 2005 On The White Keys **** infra, my confidence in this little producer is renewed. But I digress. The point of this section was on marketing, and it was Hatton's email that got me thinking. What was so great about this particular email, titled simply "Arietta 2009" was that there was no request for me to buy any wine. There were no links, no new wine news; just a, "Hey, what's up" email about the Hatton family trip to Michigan. A delightful change from the "Buy My Wines Now!" email so often sent. Plus, it helps that Hatton's got cute kids.

And finally, let's not forget the Tablas Creek blog, which is possibly the single greatest marketing device online. (Anyone with a "10-Minute Blender Bearnaise Sauce Recipe" gets high prasie in my book.) This is a veritable platinum mine of interest for wine enthusiasts. Simple, straight and no-nonsense writing - a thought provoking look behind the scenes - backed up by terroir-driven, well-priced wines, and I don't bandy about the term terroir for just anyone. Plus, they sent me a really cool hat for joining their wine club. So I opened the 2006 Tablas Creek Grenache *** (mmmmm, grenache...) the other night. Deep ruby color, with plush and sexy mouthfeel without sacrificing any nerve, this is cool, restrained, and effortless. Reminds me of a young Ethan Hawke, edgy but sweet, almost but not quite wholesome, of course, before he started writing novels.

Cult White Wines: Drink 'Em Or Lose 'Em -- Highlights from Summer 2009

2005 Arietta "On The White Keys" **** a green tinged pale golden sauvignon which, I believe, hails from Sonoma. Grassy, with mellow lemon lime on the nose and honeyed apricot and pencil shavings on the finish. A perfect July wine.

2003 St. Innocent Anden Vineyard Chardonnay *** Gold color. This is drinking better than ever. It has really come together, expressing mineral oil notes on the nose with honeysuckle and 7-Up upfront, a welterweigh texture in the middle and nice acidity on the finish.

2004 Lail "Georgia" Sauvignon Blanc ** A golden oldie. Lots of wood smoke and concentration here, but it's lost its nerve. I should never have believed Robert Parker Jr. when he said this would cellar for 10 years. It was literally perfect upon release, and I should have drank both of my bottles then.

2006 Lail "Georgia" Sauvignon Blanc *** Not going to make that mistake again. Lighter, fruitier, more zing, zest and life in the mouth. Still not the perfect 2004 upon release, but quite an interesting wine.

2003 Kistler Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard *** ooooh, geez, ahh, this is Salma Hayek in a glass. Wrap this puppy up and bring it home to momma. It's just that good. Pale hay color, and on the nose petrol, lemon, with flash and zest in the mouth, and ... oops, it's time to wake up.

2006 Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc l'Apres-Midi *** Gold color. A rather flashy and voluptuous nose on this sauvignon from one of my favorite regions in the world, Knights Valley. Not a varietal-driven wine; the nose is what's important on this wine, and it defies words.

BUSTED: 2006 Thief In Law Napa Valley ***

2009-08-14T10:52:00.004-04:00

For the "who knew" file: "Thief in law," from the Russian "vor v zakone," is an authoritative individual within the Russian criminal world -- the elite of the Russian world of organized crime. It is now also yet another rather delicious wine from Mouton Noir - the same proprietor who brought us Montgomery Place, Andre H. Mack.

According to the website, "A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, this right-bank inspired blend shows high-toned aromas of blackberry, black raspberry and bitter chocolate." To my palate this is a full, rather than medium bodied wine, but there is no doubt about the dark fruit, semi-sweet cocoa and mild peppery notes to be found here. Looking for something similar to Switchback Ridge and Merus, for a fraction of the price, and this is the certainly worth a five fingered grab.

Just make sure you pay for it on the way out.

Summer Whites: Under $30 Mosel Saar Ruwer

2009-07-17T11:00:00.005-04:00

I promised myself I would drink more German wines this year. They give me so much pleasure, at such reasonable price points, it's somewhat strange I haven't done this sooner. I blame it on the tongue-defying regions, names, and producers from Germany -- German taxonomy makes France look simplistic.

While still only a neophyte, I found that sampling a case of these wines with friends over seven days proved to be an effective method (at least for a consumer) of picking out the best. I think I can now fairly say I know what I am looking for from these wines - a briney nose, a touch fuzzy on the palate, with the texture of ice cold oysters in the mouth and just the faintist hints of rose water, honeydue, and apricot.

All wines were purchased at retail in Manhattan and Brooklyn for under $30, most under $20, my favorites listed below in descending order of deliciousness.

2007 Joh. Jos Christoffel Erben Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett (Gutsabfullung) *** Sauvignon color with green tint, mildly fizzy, with brine and honey on the nose. Very light in the mouth, with honeydew and warm lard on the finish. Enjoyed this immensely. For great info on this estate, check out the Wine Doctor.

2005 Weingut Clemens Busch Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Pundericher Marienberg Riesling Spatlese (Gustabfullung) *** Pale hay with lemony notes. Melons predominate, honey and brine all present. The acidity is unfelt in the mouth, as is the 13% alcohol. Not at all warm - should age nicely for another five years.

2007 Stein Riesling feinherb (Mosel) ** White gold. Striking nose of apricot and honey. Oyster texture. (Drink up.)

2006 St. Ludwig Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Bernkasteler Kurfurstlay Riesling Spatlese ** Pale gold. Bright honey on the nose. We drank this slightly warm, revealing more pronounced sweet apricot notes with a salty finish. (Maybe we've been drinking these all too cold?)

2008 Weingut Matthias Dostert "Roter Elbling" (Gutsabfullung) ** Pale pink rose, with tart strawberries and mellow apple notes on the finish. (In contrast, we drank this straight from the fridge, too chilled to reveal secondary notes.)

WSJ Focus on High End California Wines

2009-07-08T12:18:00.003-04:00

The title of today's Wall Street Journal article "Luxury Wine Market Reels from Downturn" by Jim Carlton and David Kesmodel, pretty much speaks for itself. The nuts and bolts of this story is that Americans are still drinking wine, they're just spending less. The secondary theme seems to be how producers are going to weather the storm. Elliot Stern, chief operating officer of the Sorting Table, a Napa Valley-based wine distributor, is quoted as saying, "If you're a $90 wine and all of a sudden you're on the Internet at $50, how do you ever become a $90 wine again?"

Stern's rhetorical question is a variant of the Veblen Goods Market Theory, which is failing in the current economy.

The simple answer here is to make great wine. Lowering your price to $50 from $90 will allow (some) consumers to continue to buy your wines. It also shows that you're aware of the challenges facing the consumer, who is daily flooded with better deals from overseas. Note: lowering prices in 2008 has only spurred demand for en premeur Bordeaux. As time goes by, and market conditions return to normal, you can increase prices.

Producers such as Claude Blankiet, whose wines I enjoy immensely, but which cost $185 this year despite the "downtown," need to be realistic. Sticking their heads in the sand (keeping prices inflated through a recession) simply won't sell wine. What's worse: it negatively affects the perception of the brand, because it shows the producer doesn't understand -- or care -- about the core consumer.

In short, in this economy, high price does not equal high quality. Cult Wine producers need to redefine and remarket themselves accordingly.

2005 Bodega Sottano JUDAS ****

2009-07-01T17:16:00.000-04:00

On my way to pick up some Mosel Saar Ruwer wines the other night I happened upon this tasting of Argentinian wines, featuring not unsurprisingly four malbecs, one cabernet sauvignon, and one blend. I'm no malbec expert, but the Argentinian malbecs I have tried have been generally very good, and good values. The last wine I tasted has been on my mind ever since.

Bodega Sottano only produced 2014 bottles of its "Judas," a 100% malbec from the Finca Sottano Vineyard in Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, one thousand meters above sea level. Picked by hand in the early hours of the morning, then fermented in 5000 liter stainless steel tanks with "selected yeasts" (seven days cold; 35 days total), Judas was aged in all new oak, 70% French, 30% American, for eighteen months, prior to bottling unfined and unfiltered.

But all of that is back story to how this wine came to be. Bodega Sottano is a partnership of three brothers, Diego, Pablo and Mauricio Sottano, whose roots in Mendoza reach back to their Italian ancestors in 1890. According to the legend I was told by an unquestionably disreputable distributor (wink wink), this wine had originally been intended to serve as the family's "private reserve," but one brother bottled it and released it on his own, thus earning him the name "Judas." Whether the legend is true or not (and I don't believe it) the wine speaks for itself.

Deep plum color; unquestionable vanilla notes predominate on the nose, but the palate is firm and juicy, with blackberries and cream, rounded out by fat sweet tannin. No idea how long to cellar this one; it's hard to resist now.

Cult Wine Oh Nine

2009-06-26T14:00:00.001-04:00

Summer arrived in New York with a splash -- cold and wet -- but the trains are still packed out to Montauk, the Jamaica-stop on the Long Island Railroad has traingoers negotiating the politics of seating arrangements with sweaty seniors and the disabled, and the New Jersey Turnpike is packed from north Jersey to Exit 8. Flights are delayed. Market volatility remains high. All indicators point to a long and restless summer. 2009 has officially become the Year the World Stood Still while we collectively wait for indicators from analysts who inhabit think tanks that may one day reveal the Great Recession has left our shores for greener pastures.

And it's the wettest spring anyone can remember. Instead of drinking crisp sauvignon blanc and dry Mosel in poorly air conditioned rented apartments I’ve been opening cabernets and merlots which I briefly cool off in the fridge. Just last night we opened a Robert Sinskey 2005 Los Carneros Merlot ** that was nicely textured and tart. Beer just hasn't felt thick enough for this grotesque imitation of early summer, despite the fact that everyone from President Obama to Eric Asimov to Shea Coulson at Just Grapes have declared beer season officially open. I’ll admit, it seems particularly chic these days to be drinking beer in casually expensive looking cheap dark clothing. I just can’t bring myself to do it.

In the midst of this dare-say-summer I am going to post on Cult Wine prices. At first, this may seem to be in particularly poor taste. After all, no one has the money for $300 cabernet sauvignon from California, and even alluding to Cult Wines, let alone drinking them, is so out of fashion that one hesitates to mention the plethora of emails arriving daily intra-continentally.

But as cheap 2008 Bordeaux threatens to flood our shores, I am eager to defend American producers in difficult times. It’s just that this year I had hoped for some understanding from them, with corresponding price reductions, considering the ultimate demise of the investment banking industry and everything that went down the toilet with it. I had thought that, after Bordeaux released 2008 prices at up to 40% off 2007, our own Cult Wine producers would give us a break. Not much, of course, but something. To my horror and surprise, I was dead wrong.

I've considered the how and why of this for days as I prepared and researched this post, on such a wide range of topics as teenage mating habits to the migratory patterns of economists. (What less is expected of a wine blogger?) But the only thing I have found – and I have found it quite certainly – is that there are in fact six stages to grief when one is confronted by one's own inability to purchase Cult Wines. (Some will say there are only five stages of grief, so consider this the Kübler-McBride Theory of Loss.)

First, there is shock, as in, "Huh? Maybe I should refresh this email and see just ... oh, it's really real, they raised prices again. Could this be right?" And so on and so forth as I restart my computer, reopen my email, and recheck the release price, until it finally sinks in.

Second, there is denial, as in, "I’m not going to let this happen to me. I absolutely refuse to pay this price for wine. Ever. Never again.”

Third, there is anger, as in, “This release price is an insult to the buyer. I learned my lesson with 2005 Bordeaux. To hell with them. They all suck anyway.”

Fourth and fifth, there is fear, followed closely by bargaining, followed more closely by more denial, with a final bout of depression thrown in for good measure, as in, "Damn, if I lose my place on the list, I may never get it back again. I may not get my 2007 allocation! I may not get my Abreu! Only one bottle. Maybe two. Oh, but I can’t, not at these prices!" The fear and the bargaining and the depression go on for a good while.

Finally, there is resignation.

Now, here I digress, because resignation can take many forms. Resignation could, for example, take the form of, "Well, that's it. I just will have to drop the list and buy the wines from elsewhere, at retail, for less than the producer is selling it for. Oh, boo-hoo." And here it is worth mentioning that nothing looks meaner than releasing your wine to your “Release List” at a higher price than it can be had at retail! If the consumer can go out and buy your wine at his local liquor store for 80% what he paid you, why do you have a mailing list in the first place? It’s unlikely that anyone looking for Cult Wines is unaware of Wine-Searcher, and when he realizes he has been duped you will have permanently damaged your relationship with the consumer. So do the consumer a favor – stop allowing the second tier to value price your brands if you are going to first try and bilk the "club members." It looks greedy, and it leaves a bad aftertaste.

Lastly, there is the resignation that takes the form of, "$%^&* it...I've come this far. Just send me the damn wine and to hell with you." This is done solely to stay on the list. And if buyers learn they could have gotten these wines later, for less, the Cult Wine producer has damaged his reputation with the ultimate consumer -- yet again.

Are some of the wines listed below worth buying? Yes. Many of them are. Cult Wines are some of the greatest in the world. The problem is that Cult Wine prices for 2009 are totally out of line with today's marketplace. No one is looking for these wines. No one wants these wines. No one even wants to be associated with these wines right now. So raising prices in this economy not only seems to me to be corporate suicide, it seems insulting to the core consumer. And that, my friends, is the anomaly in your Veblen goods market theory, the ghost in the Cult Wine machine.

Thus, consider this the anti-Veblen/McBride Theory of Prestige-Value Pricing in a Down Market, according to which, when “only the best” no longer equates to “only the most expensive,” brands built for the long haul can increase core market consumption by reducing prices inline with consumer expectations, increasing transparency and building long term relationships without sacrificing “prestige value.” For those concerned that a price reduction in this market is going to adversely affect their appeal to Cult Wine consumers, let’s just say that the 2008 en primeur Bordeaux campaign should have put that fear to rest.

Winter-Spring 2009 Cult Wine Release Schedule with pricing (where available)

January
Ridge Monte Bello 2007 $125
Quilceda Creek 2005 $140
Kistler 2006 avg. $85
Sloan 2005 $1100/3-pack OWC
Blankiet 2006 $185 (old vintages of this wine sell for $85. Why would anyone purchase the 2006 as a future release for 250% of the 2001?)
Kosta Browne (prices for single vineyard wines unavailable)
Hanzell $95 (major price increase…regretting now that I told them to increase prices.)

February
Peter Michael 2006 Les Pavots $185; chardonnays avg. $85
Ovid “Experiment” (second wine) 3 for $225
Merus 2006 $450/3 pack
Brewer Clifton 2006 avg. 65
Amuse Bouche ($1375/6-pack)
Coup de Foudue (I don’t even remember signing up for this list)
Pharoah Moans (Is this for real? Seriously, would someone stop putting my name on all these damn lists…)
Robert Foley 2007 Claret $110
SQN (white wine blend) $100
Paul Hobbs (single vineyard cabernets around $200)
Ramey (single vineyard cabernets up to $185)
Linne Calodo (a slam dunk producer, wish there were more of these)

March
DuMOL (RRV second wines $50+)
Scarecrow 2006 $600/3-pack OWC
Continuum 2006 $150+
Araujo sauvignon blanc $50
Futo $600/3-pack OWC
Sea Smoke (up to $100/bottle)
Tablas Creek (Panoplie $90)

April
Lokoya ($200/bottle)
Quintessa ($110+)
Colgin (IX Estate $290)

May
Arietta (varied)
Hundred Acre Deep Time $300
Kongsgaard (varied) $100-$175

June
Wind Gap (varied)
Pax Wine Cellars (varied)
Alban Vineyard (varied)
Araujo ($275 cabernet, $110 syrah)
Hundred Acre 2006 Ancient Way shiraz $600/3-pack OWC

Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Mini-Review

2009-06-16T17:35:00.025-04:00

Dry Creek Valley has become a Mecca of sorts for those seeking world class zinfandel. And while I don't adhere to the particularly strident belief among certain producers and connoisseurs that Dry Creek Valley produces the "gestalt" of zinfandel, there is no question it produces some of the finest. The best wines are both plush and fruity with dark fruit notes like blueberries while maintaining low alcohol levels, good acidity, a velvety mouth feel and a lingering finish. Make no mistake about it, these wines will age gracefully. When done right, life expectancy can be well above a decade.

At the top of my list is Dashe Cellars. This is a polished estate that's received great press from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits Magazine, and Snooth. Perhaps more importantly, word on the street is incredibly positive (you're doing something right when your competitors speak highly of you). The 2006 line-up, including the baseline 2006 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel *** is impressive. Rich and elegant, with a deep hue and sweet tannin, this is a plushly textured table wine to be enjoyed throughout an evening or during dinner.

Then there's Quivira Vineyards, a family run Demeter certified estate whose 2002 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ** was chunky and polished at the same time, not overripe, and not too dense, with good texture and Zzzzing! on the finish. Drink up though, this wine has reached its apogee. I expect the 2006 to start drinking nicely now.

I'd be remiss not to mention A. Rafanelli, whose 2005 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ** at 14.8% alcohol is nearly opaque, closed on the nose, but features wonderful blackberry and very mild woodsy notes. This needs time to shine, and goes down like water.

Just what is it about Dry Creek Valley that produces exceptional zinfandel? According to Michael Dashe, who previously made zinfandel at Ridge Vineyards, "The combination of the well-drained rocky soils and the special ocean-influenced climate in Dry Creek combines to make some of the most complex and flavorful zinfandel grapes in the state. In particular, the fog that rolls up the Russian River and Dry Creek valleys in the mornings, even in the summer and fall, cool the vines and help the grapes retain acidity as they ripen. The resulting grapes show much more balance (because of the acidity balancing the fruit flavors) and beautiful black raspberry and black cherry fruit that is characteristic of the region."

A note of warning is in order though. Due to their increasing notoriety these wines aren't exactly cheap, with a $30 average price. And price isn't going to be a good guide in finding quality Dry Creek Valley zinfandel. There are a number of $30 zinfandel-bombs out there which really should be taken off of shelves. Some of these are flawed: cloudy, wild, 16+ percent alcohol wines that have no place being on store shelves, but the name Dry Creek Valley sells, so that's unlikely to change. Caveat emptor.

Perhaps a case in point is the 2003 Albini Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel I purchased for $31 at a wine store in Brooklyn Heights. I mention this wine only because despite all its failings, with its cloudy appearance, hot funk on the nose and gritty cocoa underneath, this is one hell of a sexy wine. In other words, if you could bottle the Bridge & Tunnel club scene, sans brassier, a touchy feely sweaty mob and no questions asked, this is exactly what you would get. Now ... I'm not bringing this home to mommy anytime soon, but trust me, this is definitely worth a looksee.

And if anybody asks, just tell them you were "experimenting."

2005 Ch. Latour a Pomerol ***

2009-06-10T18:30:00.000-04:00

Ok ... I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I haven't been overly impressed with the 2005 Bordeaux I've tasted to date. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking this guy doesn't know squat. And maybe you're right. But after all the hype and hoopla surrounding this vintage, I've been drinking these Cru Bourgeois wines and wondering why they aren't better. At least one wine I tasted was clearly flawed; most of the others were just boring. The only wine I truly enjoyed was a 2005 Lalande de Pomerol *** Granted, I haven't started in on the classified growths yet, but in a region that produces over 700 million bottles of wine, and unquestionably the finest wines in the world, why should I have to pay more than about $25 for a really good bottle of wine from an excellent vintage?

Then I got this email the other day from America's Wine Shop, advertising the 2005 Latour a Pomerol for $35. This is by no means cheap, by today's standards, but I've loved this vineyard since I tasted a bottle of the 1998 a few years ago, and couldn't resist the offer. Besides, for my own sanity, I needed to try a 2005 Bordeaux that I could enjoy.

Latour a Pomerol is roughly 20 acres of gravel interspersed by loam and clay, planted 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc, with an average age of 35 years. Farmed and produced by Jean Pierre Moueix, the wine is aged in one third new oak barrels, lending the wine very smoky and mildly spicy notes. Dark and thick, and very tannic, probably like most 2005 Bordeaux, this wine needs plenty of time to develop, but there is very good fruit and complexity underneath.

1975 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello **

2009-06-07T19:50:00.000-04:00

There's a school of thought out there that American claret doesn't age as well as Bordeaux. Regardless of whether you subscribe to this point of view, and I don't, there should be little doubt about the age worthiness of Monte Bello. Considering this fact, I find it amazing that you can find thirty-four year old Monte Bello at auction for a fraction of the cost of a first growth. And that is how we came upon the wine we opened last night.

We purchased a lot of three bottles from an Acker Merrall & Condit auction recently for as much as I would expect to pay for a single bottle of the same vintage of Mouton Rothschild, which I have tried, and didn't enjoy as much as I did this wine. I opened the bottle in the worst condition of the lot, with a high shoulder fill and slightly torn label.

Unquestionably beyond its prime, with a cork bloody red three-quarters through, this wine nevertheless turned from brick red in the bottle to a nicely deep hue of sunset purple in the decanter. Whiffs of blue fruits, olive tapenade and milk chocolate emerged from the glass after two hours. Perfectly enjoyable, but not as lively as the '76 or '78.

Pax is Back ... And This Time It's Personal

2009-06-04T09:35:00.006-04:00

In the spring of 2008 I learned that the winemaking prodigy behind Pax Wine Cellars, monsieur Pax Mahle, was leaving the eponymously named venture and striking out on his own, once again. Rumor had it that disagreements with co-owner(?) and world renowned collector Joe Donelan led to the (what may be termed in retrospect) inevitable split. Emails for more information went unreturned.

This presented a problem for me -- the consumer: should I keep buying the wines, even though Pax was no longer making them? I felt like the friend of a divorcing couple who met the pair as a pair. I was in a state of limbo - not sure who to trust. The divorcing couple revealed nothing about their troubles, which always means the worst. When the time came, I found myself still buying a couple bottles of one of my favorite Pax Cellars Wine, the Kobler Family Vineyard Russian River Valley Syrah, thinking it would be the last time.

Then, just this Monday night I received an email from Pax and Pam ("Punky") Mahle introducing their new venture, Wind Gap Wines. Pax had surprisingly gentle words for his former partner's venture, saying, "The Concept at Pax Wine Cellars was a complete immersion in and study of Syrah—using the same grape and largely the same appellation with a focus on specific sites with differing soils and climates to make the wines unique. With the help of a dedicated team of growers (and countless hours of spent in the vineyards) we produced some remarkable wines and learned a great deal. Wind Gap is the culmination of all we have learned from working so diligently with Syrah." As a side note, Pax has retained his relationships with some former growers and will be releasing their wines under his name label.

The current release includes:

2007 Sonoma County Chardonnay
2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris
2007 Brousseau Vineyard Chardonnay
2006 Booker Vineyard Paso Robles Grenache (mmmm....Grenache....)
and a 2006 Sonoma Coast Syrah

Prices range from $32 to $45, about 30% less than Pax Wine Cellars. Future releases will include:

2007 Grenache, James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles
2007 Syrah, Castelli-Knight Ranch, Russian River Valley
2007 Syrah, Griffins Lair Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
2008 Chardonnay, James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles
2008 Pinot Noir, Woodruff Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
2008 Alder Springs Rhone White Blend, Mendocino County

Not to be outdone, I received an email from Pax Wine Cellars just last night. Pax is now a "100% family owned winery" (albeit by the Donelans, not the Mahles,) and their "compass is pointed towards bringing you a select number of single vineyard syrah wines ... along with preeminent Rhône inspired blends." Pax Wine Cellars has scaled back the number of its releases, all of which are now pure thoroughbreds:

2007 Nepenthe (a full throttle blend of white Rhône varietals)
2007 Cuvee Moriah (a Chateauneuf du Pape GSM blend)
2007 Walker Vine Hill Vineyard Syrah Russian River Valley (a former RP 95 wine)
2007 Obsidian Syrah Knights Valley

To toast Joe and Pax's new ventures, last night I opened a bottle of 2004 Pax Wine Cellars Kobler Family Vineyards Syrah Russian River Valley *** (previously reviewed) a deep blackberry colored wine, with outstanding crushed black pepper, mellow blackberry notes and dark cocoa on the long finish. I wish both Wind Gap and Pax Wine Cellars success in their new ventures. These are two owners who know exactly what they want and how to get it: high quality wines.

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 Mini-Retrospective

2009-05-29T09:40:00.011-04:00

I remember the 2000 vintage as a whirlwind of excitement. This was before the Tech Bubble Burst, Enron imploded, 9/11, and eight years of Bush Part Deux. At the time, bridges were literally for sale. But the Napa Valley 2000 vintage hit the market with a lame thud. There was very little excitement for it, with most professional wine writers comparing it to 1998. In other words, a loser. So I spent very little time and money on Napa 2000, which in retrospect was a mistake.

By comparison, Bordeaux 2000 was hailed as virtually the greatest vintage of the century, despite the fact that the century had just barely begun. Prices for both banks of Bordeaux soared in spite of the fact that NASDAQ lingered around the same figure as the vintage. I have never bought Bordeaux en primeur, and 2000 is the one vintage I regret not having done so. But I bought the wines with abandon as they appeared on shelves, and I drank them young, and that in a nutshell is how I taught myself about Bordeaux.

Nine years later, Napa's wines are coming into focus while Bordeaux is still closed, and I find that there is much to enjoy from both sides of the Atlantic, with Napa Valley cabernet proving to be the better value. The best wines from 2000 exhibit density, semi-sweet dark chocolate notes and mellow raspberry. And in comparison to Bordeaux prices and today's prices for California Cult wines, the 2000 Napa wines were (and in many cases still are) a bargain.

2000 Sloan Estate Napa Valley **** The first release from this small, family run estate, featuring a high percentage of cabernet made by Martha McClellan. Unctuous and opaque. Extremely concentrated dark fruits, most notably blueberry, with shaved graphite notes and thick sweet tannins. To my taste, a marvelous wine, but I think it's worth noting that Sloan is probably not to everyone's taste. It's been slammed by some CellarTracker users as, "bitter, astringent, over extracted, [and] so rustic and void of any real fruit that i am shocked." This is the only Sloan wine I have ever tasted, and it was one of the best wines I've ever had (Scarecrow and Schrader included).

2000 Corison Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon *** I didn't figure this would (or could) be any better than the 1997 *** (previously reviewed). I was wrong. Almost iridescently dark, with sweet cream and briarpatch notes, strawberries and Burgundian Zzzzing! on the finish.

2000 Far Niente Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ** Always reminds me of St. Julien. Ink color, not a purple wine. Neither translucent nor opaque. Tight and searing at first under the gums, then very fluid with a couple hours decanting, soft dry tannins with notes of blackberry and currants on the finish.

Previously reviewed:
2005 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville **
2004 Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay **/***
2005 Nickel & Nickel Manzana Vineyard RRV Pinot Noir *
2005 Nickel & Nickel “Bonfire Vineyard” Zinfandel *
2004 Nickel & Nickel Copper Streak Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ***

1988 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello ***

2009-05-24T13:15:00.007-04:00

This wine put the 1989 *** to shame. Oppulently opaque, but this is most likely mature. Left a hefty amount of black residue in the bottle. You can smell the twenty-one years on this. Decanted, an hour later, the wine smelled like an old forrest, very reminiscent of old Bordeaux, then sweet blackberries. The most succulent twenty-one year old wine I have ever tasted. From 95% cabernet sauvignon, with 3% merlot and 2% petit verdot...makes me think they should add 2% petit verdot to the final blend of the 2008, in an attempt to recreate the longevity of the sweetness here.

Also tasted:

2004 Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa Valley *** Lush, full-bodied, a touch sweet, with underlying salty minerality reminiscent of young German riesling. The tropical fruits and granite notes that I loved in this two years ago have given way to a more traditional Cali-fruit-bomb. Still delicious.

Sine Qua Non The Hoodoo Man **** A straight edge white blend with uber pineapple and coconut and amazing Zing!!! underneath. This was perfect (and made me regret saying anything negative about SQN) until it fell apart after a half hour. Still, this wine is enormously endowed. It should be enjoyed young, undecanted, just pour this sucker up. It cannot get any better than it is now.

2008 Monte Bello Futures Tasting

2009-05-20T09:25:00.040-04:00

After a 72-hour whirlwind weekend trip through San Francisco, north to Knights Valley, south through Napa, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, and Monte Bello, I feel a little like splattered road meat sitting at my desk in Manhattan, a little like Dante, who, upon sitting down to translate his journey through Heaven, Hell, and everything in between, realized just how ill-prepared he was for the task. Upon reaching Paradise, after his tortuous journey upon Mount Purgatory, Dante wrote:

His glory, by whose might all things are mov'd,

Pierces the universe, and in one part

Sheds more resplendence, elsewhere less. In heav'n,

That largeliest of his light partakes, was I,

Witness of things, which to relate again

Surpasseth power of him who comes from thence;

For that, so near approaching its desire
Our intellect is to such depth absorb'd,

That memory cannot follow. Nathless all,

That in my thoughts I of that sacred realm

Could store, shall now be matter of my song.

Similarly, the trip up Monte Bello Road is a wine lover's purgatory: The road is much too narrow, the mountain is much too high, and it is impossible to travel faster than a snail. Wooden crosses line the road, where, I presume, luckless travelers have fallen. This is a white knuckled trip, but I can never wait to just get there.

As is obvious, I have a certain fondness for Ridge Vineyards. Why? There is no short answer. I grew up drinking Kendall Jackson cabernet sauvignon at home and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo out. I always appreciated wine, but it was a 1995 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel that hooked me when I was working as a stock boy in a fancy wine and cheese shop during college. Ridge wines have been a part of my life ever since. Thus, every trip up Monte Bello Road is a lesson and an adventure.

The 2008 Monte Bello *** will (probably) be made from just cabernet sauvignon and merlot for the first time in twenty-five years. The wine is an iridescent purple color with woodsy notes emanating from the glass and mild ripe raspberry, loam and ground dark cocoa in a very elegant package. Difficult to compare to recent vintages (which have all included at least some cabernet franc or petit verdot) this is less flamboyant than the 2006 and 2007, and will benefit from extended cellaring.

We also barrel tasted a 2008 Monte Bello from a Taransaud barrel (there are only three in the chai, purchased each year as an experiment with French oak) which was slightly more muted, as opposed to the Canton (Kentucky) barrels, which were all vanilla and spice.

By contrast the 2005 Monte Bello *** which we tasted from bottle is darker, more profound; a surprisingly succulent wine at this stage, with good viscosity in the mouth and old school verve.

The Monte Bello team was also pouring the 1999, 1997, and 1995 Monte Bellos. All are superb. The 1999 is still edgy with more woodsy notes and succulent strawberry and cream. The bottle of 1997 I tasted was the best I have ever tried. Previously linear, yet elegant, on Saturday, it was perfect. The 1995 still has a long way to go, with mellow dried herb and vegetal notes remaining and tannin to shed for another decade. The 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay *** (which recently received 93 points from Wine Spectator) is lightly steely with minor tropical fruit and strawberry-bubblegum notes. This chardonnay, like Eric's previous two vintages, is impossible to resist.

From barrel, we also tasted the 2008 Geyserville *** Tightly wound, young, but still elegant, with spice and cedar and tight red fruits. This is a teenage River Phoenix in a bottle. The 2007 Lytton Estate Syrah/Grenache ** is also tight, almost light, almost too searing, with blue fruits and tons of tannin. It needs air and space to let loose and will improve significantly in bottle. This wine is Kevin Bacon in Footloose.

Eric Baugher said Ridge may be phasing out its syrah and grenache programs from the Lytton Estate. The rationale is that Ridge wants to focus exclusively on cabernet, chardonnay, and zinfandel. This is terribly disappointing news. These Rhone wines need time to evolve. True: they may never develop the sweet, blueberry and vanilla notes which trade critics laud. But these are distinctive, mineral driven wines which, in the best years, have fully integrated, svelte tannins and polished floral notes, and even in poor years, produce nicely quaffable wines. I would hate to see the end of Ridge's syrah and grenache program.

At the end of a long day, Eric Baugher opened a bottle from a barrel experiment of the 1991 Monte Bello ***** vintage, aged exclusively in new (mixed) French cooperage. An opaque purple color, with violets on the nose gave rise to a concentrated, broad wine, with succulent blueberry and fully integrated oak notes. Without question, this was a once in a lifetime event, and a once in a lifetime wine.

1989 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello ***

2009-05-13T09:54:00.010-04:00

If it weren't for Monte Bello, I wouldn't believe in that greatest of vinous marketing stunts, the theory of terroir. Of course, that could just be because Monte Bello is the only wine I drink consistently enough to know it when I smell it. Perhaps if I drank La Tache often enough I would understand terroir differently. Having never tasted La Tache - I will just have to make do with Monte Bello.

On the subject of terroir, and how little I know about it, I might as well confess that I have never tasted a Bordeaux that struck me as having a sense of place as much as any bottle of Monte Bello. Despite trade critics assertions to the contrary, I just don't understand how a 200 acre vineyard (e.g., Mouton Rothschild) can have terroir in the same sense a 15 acre vineyard can (e.g. La Tache). (And that's not a knock at Mouton Rothschild -- which I adore .)

Thus, the application of the traditional definition of terroir to anything but small vineyards in specific areas is oxymoronic. It's pure marketing. And hence, it is purely worthless. But then I taste this ... and I realize how wrong I am. Monte Bello, which is comprised of roughly 82.7 acres of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, caberent franc and petit verdot consistently displays its own unique terroir. But it is certainly larger than the miniscule vineyard sizes that make up plots of grand cru Burgundy to which the term should only apply.

And thus we come to the real genius of marketing terroir: it can refer to anything and everything provided it refers to terroir.

Now switch gears. It's 1989, and the country is about to enter a brief recession. Our new president, Bush The First, is about to invade Iraq. He is slightly less engaging and much less entertaining than our previous president, Reagan.

Now it is today, and the country is in another recession, and we have a much more engaging president than our last one, Bush The Second, who also invaded Iraq.

In retrospect, it doesn't seem like all that much has changed in 20 years.

Looking at this decanter full of 1989 Monte Bello ... It's a transparent, purple color, with major bricking. The nose holds the promise of wet earth, mushrooms, and mild wild berries. There are notes of strawberry and vine leaves on the palate. The acidity has held this together for twenty years. The tannins are fully round and this bottle, at least, has evolved and begun its "inevitable decline." After an hour, sitting out on our terrace overlooking Brooklyn Heights, it mellows and reveals sweet berries and cream notes.

Love Letter to 2007 Linne Calodo Sticks and Stones ****

2009-05-05T13:43:00.015-04:00

Dear Sticks and Stones,

Ever since that night we had together I haven't be able to get you out of my mind. It's true. I'm not playing coy. No more games. I miss you. I miss your husky blackberry concentration, your heady fancy French perfume, your notes of sage and orange rind and clove. In this world gone mad I want you all to myself.

You think I'm playing games -- drinking around -- what can I say? I am who I am. I'm not a one wine kind of guy. I told you this. I never lied. You knew where I stood.

I've been checking you out, behind your back, drinking with your friends from Paso Robles without your knowing about it. Mostly west side wines, where that limestone earth seduces me. Making sure you're for real. Making sure you're legit.

It's true I spent a week with Tablas Creek. And I ordered some old vines wines -- they had nothing on you. But I don't regret it. I can't say I ever will. But I was thinking of you the whole time.

You think I don't mean it. You think I prefer those blueberry-syrahs with their overtly vanilla profiles, but let me tell you something, they've got nothing on you.

I heard from Sine Qua Non not so long ago. That husky tramp with her sexy perfume and wily Moulin Rouge ways. She allocated me two bottles of white wine and told me I was lucky to get just that. Ha! A two bottle allocation is a slap in the face. It's an insult. I told her to get lost. Two bottles. What a joke.

You're the one I want. Come back to me. It can be the way it was.

I promise ...

Bonny Doon Tasting at City Winery

2009-04-30T09:51:00.009-04:00

It's hard not to want to admire Randall Grahm -- irreverent, whimsical, just enough out there without being too far gone. In fact, I have a quote of his from the NY Times tacked up on the wall next to my computer at work:

"I'm taking a risk, but it's a rational risk. Maybe it will

turn out great, maybe not. But I'll have made a sincere

effort to create something new and strange and different,

which may be the best you can hope for in the New World."

--Randall Grahm, April 2009

It's also why I ponied up $95 last night to go to a Bonny Doon wine tasting at City Winery and meet "the original Rhone deranger" himself. After all the good press recently, from both the establishment and the blogosphere, I thought Bonny Doon must be doing something I should know about. I remembered a wonderfully vibrant and complex Cigare Volant I had what seems like many years ago, and I realized I should learn more.

There is, apparently, a lot to learn about Bonny Doon. Grahm has been called "a marketing genius" (by himself, admittedly) and there is no shortage of information about him on the web. When I arrived at City Winery last night I was handed a volume sized press kit complete with press clippings from Wine Spectator to Wines & Vines. There is a lot of talk about "vins de terroir" and "minerality" and "sensitive crystallization" (although this last sounds like New Age crap to me) and I was quite excited. Sitting at the age of my seat before the tasting there was that air that something true and very American was about to happen.

The first two wines were exceptional. The 2008 Albarino ** from an estate vineyard in Soledad was tight and racy. The 2006 Le Cigare Blanc *** showed "quince and a little bit of spear mint." From Monterey, this was aged in 25% new wood, and was my favorite wine of the night. The 2008 Vin Gris de Cigare * was aromatic but a little flabby, while the 2003 Cigare Volant **/*** and 2004 Cigare Volant ** each showed a little reduction. The 2003 showed tar, smoke, and prune. The 2004 was fresher, earthier and riper and more complex. Neither was a "wow" wine.

By contrast, I very much enjoyed the 2005 Syrah Le Pousseur **/*** An elegant, restrained, but ripe and very purple wine, with a finish that made my teeth Zzzzzzzing! And the 2005 Nebbiolo is off the charts. (I couldn't append a star to this if I wanted to, because there is simply nothing in the world to compare it to.) In short, this wine stumped me. It may be the best Italian varietal wine from California I have ever tried. Then again, it may also be a freak. Those looking for a sangiovese from America should look for this instead.

Unfortunately, I found the 2007 Le Vol des Agnes uninspired.

These wines are good values. Overall, they are very fairly priced, very well made wines that show good fruit, nice complexity, and will go well with food. But these did not strike me as vins de terroir, and I wish I had tasted the minerality Grahm surely goes to great lengths to produce.