Locanda Veneta

This was my first Italian dinner with Yarom & The Hedonists, however, the night just felt different without our chief. No pictures, no facebooking, no 69n tee-shirt. We missed you, Yarom. Get well soon!

For those present, it certainly was a fine night of food and wine. The table's favorite Locanda dishes seemed to be the grilled calamari salad, the polenta with boar ragu (did I get that right?), and the branzino.

We tasted many wines as usual. Ron couldn't resist bringing some vintage boutique champagne ('90 Alain Robert Mesnil) and the first whites just happened to be the perfect producer side by side tasting (we had the '04 Latour v. Bouchard Corton Charlemagne). My vote was for the Latour which really blossomed during dinner and was very nice to revisit with dessert. A '95 Paolo Scavino Bric Del Fiasc Barolo had been decanted before we arrived and went quickly. The '98 Romana Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore and the Bordeaux (sorry, I didn't get the notes) didn't get quite the same attention as Robin's silky '01 Vega Sicilia Valbuena (they didn't make Unico that year), Ron's '79 Grange, and Howard's '02 Esmonin Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques.

Shout out to Ron and Lana (thanks so much for organizing and hosting the dinner), Ron's son, Andrew (who joined us for the first time), Howard (who I finally met), Michael Gold (for making me feel like I still know a thing or two about wine), and Robin (for making the trek from SD). Great night! Hope to see everyone again soon :)

F. Magnien '05 Chambolle-Musigny, 1er "Baudes"

Day 1 (opened at 4:00pm, double decanted, first review at 5:30pm):

Nose: Leaves, smoke, game, and animal fat. Not as perfume-y as I’d like. Think I can smell the barrel, but also think it will open up more in the next few hours and overnight.

Front palate: Ripe strawberry, raspberry sauce, dried red cherries, know it’s over used, but “fruit-forward” comes to mind (Freddy is known for making “big” Burgundies)

Mid to Back palate: Dissonant. Chalk, herbs, some awkward tannin, bitterness, and heat

Finish lingers. Actually sits quite well on the palate after 20 seconds.

Thoughts: Realize this wine needs some age but imho the fundamentals of alcohol, fruit, acidity, and tannin aren’t ideally balanced. I don’t think the quality (aka attention to detail in his winemaking/$) is high enough here to improve that much with age. Maybe this wine’s availability, is another clue to its quality and aging potential.

Day 2 (re-tasted at 5:30pm):

A much more integrated wine now. A sleepover with oxygen definitely massaged out some kinks...nose is prettier, more seductive...palate is cleaner, some cassis and blackberry – less red fruit now – mineral and herbal elements have matured to project a tasteful presence. Tannin has softened, as one would expect. Really a different wine now. I’m very thankful I saved some for Day 2 :)

Bottom line: This is not a poor to good value wine, as I would have deemed it yesterday. It’s young and really needs oxygen and time if opened this early in its development. I love Burgundies because their unpredictable nature and expense challenge me. As wise men say... Stay curious and stay foolish. I believe buying and tasting the wines of Burgundy is an excellent way to practice this philosophy.

Cru

Last night I met my friend at a restaurant called Cru. According to a few websites, they're famous for their wine list. Well, I had no idea what I was in for. I instantly dove into the twenty pages (maybe 30!) of Burgundies in attempt to pick a bottle for the night. The sommelier there was patient, helpful, and cool - like we wanted to invite him to the club with us cool. After a few too many minutes of shop talk with the somm, leaving my friend to nurse his cocktail, it was time to pull the trigger. I went for the prize vintage and producer. MAJOR value. A 1993 Roumier, Chambolle Musigny for under $300 (at a restaurant). So a village wine, generic AOC classification, but I was fine with that. A '93 premier or grand cru would have quickly launched us to four figure liquid assets.

The food at Cru was a bit of an afterthought. My attention was captivated by our Krug aperitif and the anticipation of the wine. After it was decanted and tasted, conversation and flavors unfolded and evolved on our palates in sync. Couldn't have been a better night...well, maybe if we splurged for a Richeborg :)

(Side note: Cru's address is 24 5th Ave (btw 9th and 10th Street). There is another Cru that sometimes shows up on a Google maps search way way west on 11th Street, where I arrived on time for dinner only to find out I had walked 10 mins in boots to the wrong place. This isn't the first time Karoline and I have failed navigationally. We should know to be more careful by now...)

Viognier Rhymes With Sunday

What do you do on the perfect fall afternoon in Corona Del Mar?

1. Plant yourself with a friend on the Gulfstream patio (...may want to bring your own stems if you're sensitive to glassware)

2. Pop a bottle of chilled white wine and a red, pouring no more than two ounces at a time

3. Snack on peel-n-eat shrimp, ahi with ponzu, and roasted beets with fresh oranges, mint, and walnuts

4. Meet their cool GM, Natalia, and friendly server, Cindy, and invite them to taste the wines

5. Talk about why French wine rocks your world

6. Share a tale or two from the past week

7. Talk about candidates (white and red) for next Sunday afternoon

8. Make it home in time for a lovely fall sunset

INSPIRATION FOR WHITE AND RED PAIRINGS

(I had the pleasure of enjoying the first 2 last Sunday and the last 2 yesterday)

Bonneau du Martray (chardonnay)

Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, FR

2006, 13.5% abv

A BIG Sunday wine. Excellent balance and precision. Commanding nose and palate. More oak and butter on the nose than I anticipated. Stimulating minerality and acidity. Citrus and green apple notes. Lemon meringue too. Grand Cru finish that just can't be beat.

Janasse, Vieilles Vignes (grenache)
Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, FR
2003, 14.5% abv
Another BIG Sunday wine that pulled a 180 on us after the militant Charlie. We jumped to liquid dark fruits - silky raspberry, blackberry, and boysenberry. Creamy texture and bakery (and a touch of savory) spices coast along the palate. Opaque purple color. Zero green. Ultra fine tannin. A dichotomy of innocent fruit purity and sinful decadence.

Mathilde et Yves Gangloff (viognier)
Condrieu, Northern Rhone, FR
2005, 15% abv
Integrated alcohol. Beautiful summer sipping wine. Developed aromatic nose with notes of honey and white flowers. Smoothe medium body white. Fun flavors of key lime, peaches, and cream soda.

Vincent Giradin (pinot noir)
Bonnes Marres Grand Cru, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, FR

2001
Guttural, authenic, disciplined. Subtle fruit, more secondary and tertiary notes of spice, herbs, and tea. In no way aggressive on the palate though. A very sophisticated Bonnes Mare. Like a New York woman who always wear black couture with no visible label. Witty too. Maybe I'll be her one day ;)

An '05 Burgundy Sunday Afternoon

Opened this delicate Domaine A.-F. Gros Vosne-Romanee with a new friend halfway into the party yesterday. Having just tasted some rich red blends and cabs, it was quite a challenge for the subtleties of this wine to capture the attention they deserve. Typical of the varietal (pinot noir) and Burgundian wine making practices, the beauty of this wine is that nothing jumps out at you. It's soft on the palate, humbly carries complex aromas and flavors, and - especially the 2005 vintage - strikes heart-stopping balance. Given my slightly abused taste buds, I still managed to tune into the delicate dried raspberry, field strawberry, tart red cherry, rose water, and tea notes. Now I need to introduce my friend to one of the Gros Richebourgs... :)

Torrin Vineyards and Scott Hawley

What are the 3 most important factors in winemaking? 

Location. Location. Allocation.

Scott Hawley, owner and winemaker of Torrin Vineyards, has almost everything going for him. Priceless terroir landlocked by Booker and L'Aventure vines in Paso Robles. A lovely, loving, and gifted wife who is his partner in the project (word is they're hands down the most attractive couple in town). Two little ones running around the vines. Natural talent that's producing some of the finest wine coming out of the region.

However, his current resources can only produce 217 cases of his three bottlings of the velvety libation (80 cases of Akasha, 72 cases of Banshee, and 65 cases of Maven). He's got the allocation of a Burgundy Grand Cru. No secret marketing game here.

Moral of the story: If you can find a bottle at one of the handful of retail shops in California that have allocation (or his east coast retailer in Boston), buy it. Or get on his distribution list yesterday.

http://www.torrinwine.com/torrin/index.jsp

After I Tasted '98 La Turque

My whole wine world changed...

This Burgundy girl has a new French crush.

Wine Gallery

This is the best tasting room and wine shop in Corona Del Mar. I walked up last night to taste a few whites and reds and planned to return home, but the night took a turn for the better! I met a group that was having a reunion (UCLA) and chose Wine Gallery as their first stop for the night. Now scattered along the California coastline from San Francisco to San Diego, they see each other a few times a year - but it's clear they're all still close and always out to have a good time. We started talking about wine at the bar and the next thing you know we're polishing off a '05 Boillot (1er, Les Epenottes) burg, indulging in Crow Bar's melt-in-your-mouth lamb shank, and Chip's telling the famous "Del Taco story." That's a pretty strong ending to a random Monday night in CDM.

Domaine Serene

Is celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year with tasting dinners across the country. Last night in Las Vegas, Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse put on a six course meal paired with Domaine Serene's finest wines. While owners Ken and Grace Evenstad weren't able to join us, Allan Carter and Michelle Farkus did an excellent job speaking to Domaine Serene's disciplined and delicate wine making process. I soon tasted for myself the result. A New World pinot noir (and even chardonnay) with the finesse and intensity of a special Burgundian encounter. Head chef, Ronnie Rainwater, and wine director, Kevin Vogt*, created an extrodinary culinary experience for their guests.

We enjoyed four vintages of their famous Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir - the 2001, 2002, 1996, and the 2006. The '02 was my favorite, boasting lively raspberry, tart cherry, and dried cranberry fruit notes graced by black tea flavors and gentle tannins that can still support some age (this was confirmed by the tasting of the '96).

Every dish served with the wine was excellent and will push me to venture outside my standard steakhouse order (shrimp cocktail and filet rare) next time I'm in for dinner. Personally, the most telling part of the night was my urge to revisit the '02 Chardonnay after the series of stellar pinots served with dinner. My white wine heart lies in Puligny-Montrachet,, Chassagne-Montrachet, and Meursault, so I surprised myself with craving for a reminder the of hazelnut and creme brulee notes that unfolded in this seven year old chardonnay from the Cote Sud vineyard in the Dundee Hills of Oregon. I highly recommend you track a bottle down.

*One of my mentors who's an MS and winemaker for his own label Mastery (Gemstone Vineyard, Napa Valley). Thank you, Kevin :) 

Routines

I struggle with the right balance of routines. While at times I think they can build discipline and foster steady improvement, I also fear the comfort zone they can create. In a perfect world I would try a new form of exercise every three months, buy assorted foods at the grocery store, and explore one of the many places I haven't been to in Southern California on the weekends. But going for walks and bike rides, eating cereal, apples, bell peppers, and shrimp cocktail, and spending every weekend going to my favorite spots in Corona Del Mar makes me happy. 

And that's great. 

But I look back to times in my life when I broke away from a routine or regimented lifestyle and recognize the extreme benefits that these deviations brought to my life. A few examples are transferring high schools my sophomore year, studying and working in London my junior year in college, barely breaking even every month during my first job at Deloitte Consulting in New York City, and leaving Michael and Las Vegas after two years to spend a month in Champagne and Burgundy discovering my passion for wine. Throughout these experiences I was challenged, humbled, inspired, exhausted, exhilarated, sad, and happy. I'm still getting to know Newport Beach and Orange County, but am aware it is going to be very easy to get into a comfortable routine here. I ask of my friends to help me when this happens. It's healthy to get your ass kicked every now and then.

Emeritus: To Earn By Service

Last night was the first time I've had Emeritus. It's a more masculine pinot than the Poppy. The 2006 Estate Bottle Russian River Valley pinot is a nicely concentrated wine with refreshing acidity. It clocks in a little high in alcohol (14+%) but that blows off and the rich fruit notes of black cherry and ripe raspberries step into the spotlight. This well balanced wine has the autumnal backdrop I am always looking for in a good pinot. Integrated, subtle New World pinots can be hard to come across.  You can tell Emeritus is made with the Burgundian appreciation of terrior and a graceful style in mind. Well done. 

Here is some info from their website:

The Emeritus Team farms the vineyards to exacting standards with only one goal: To produce a Pinot Noir of great distinction, a wine that reflects its vineyard heritage and embodies the spirit of the people who put the best of themselves into their work—a noble wine.

EMERITUS. (ē–mer´–i–tus), Latin, past participle of ēmerērī,to earn by service. The Emeritus Team has embarked on a quest for the quintessential Pinot—a new direction in California Pinot Noir.