Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Boom Boom Pow
Love the Black Eyed Peas version? I did too, until I heard this one by the Maccabees (thanks Shwan!)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
I Apologize
for the lack of posts recently. I have been home for an overdue visit to friends and family in New York and Connecticut, reading to try to improve on my writing, working on launching two new companies (that, unfortunately, have nothing to do with wine) before Feb '09, and finally attending to things that I've neglected over months when I've prioritized blogging, wine tasting, traveling, and mulling over life questions on long walks by the ocean. Bottom line is that not too much wine sipping and exploring is going on at the moment...I'm just happy if I can squeeze in a Leffe and a twenty minute walk around sunset time.
The purpose of this blog has always been to add value (wine knowledge, recommendations, philosophical exercises, etc.) to the lives of my readers through its content. I hope to resume posts in this nature in the next few weeks. Thanks for your patience. XO
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Cry Freedom
Below is the last of the lyrics and a link to the song "Cry Freedom"
performed by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds at Luther College.
Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
Hear what I say
Hear what I say
Oh, so be it
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Family Winemakers of California
This was my first experience at Family in San Francisco at the Fort Mason Center. It was a great one thanks to...
1) My friend (and international distributor) JB Moresco who was no rookie. Our plan of attack was to explore spontaneously and taste more thoughtfully Day 1 and hit the destination producers we missed Day 1 plus a few extras, recommended by trusted palates, on Day 2.
2) Eating a full lunch at Greens (awesome vegetarian cafe around the corner from the Tasting in Fort Mason Center) prior to tasting both days: http://www.greensrestaurant.com/
3) Spitting everything. If you can't do this, cut the tasting short and go back to your favorites to "drink" a second pour over the last hour. Grab some bread or cheese and crakers to enjoy these sips.
4) Drinking water in between producers. A couple ounces is enough. This will keep you going when fatigue sets in from tasting, talking, standing, and fighting to maintain a healthy core body temp in the Fort Mason Center.
Summary (IMHO):
A LOT of wine and only a handful of standouts. High (unbalanced) alcohol, no mid/back palate, and green tannin showed consistently. And, sadly, in some renowned wines which I really looked forward to tasting. I've listed my "Best in Show" below. These are wines with above average complexity and balance (fruit, acid, alcohol, ripe tannin, oak positive), among their neighbors in CA. However, on an international scale, I can't commend them all on value (taste per dollar). But this is just the voice of one palate, which lacks a respectable wine budget and was trained on almost all Old World wines.
I believe that there is high demand in the market for the style wine I tasted the past two days, at a lower price. "For the love of the game", I hope these wineries do well. And just because you don't LOVE all of the wines at a tasting doesn't mean it's a bust. I will always go to trade tastings because of the opportunity to meet the winemakers and sales/mkg peeps who are crazy passionate about their juice. Regional tastings showcasing hundreds of wineries are one of the best ways to exercise your the palate and build on your mental inventory of producers, appellations, and specific vineyards*.
(drumroll please)
B E S T I N S H O W . . .
Chardonnay
Arcadian, (Dierberg Vineyard) Santa Maria Valley, 2006
Fog Crest Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 2005
ZD Wines, Reserve, Napa Valley, 2007
Rose
Lynmar Estate, Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, 2007
Pinot Noir
Arcadian, (Fiddlestix Vineyard) Santa Rita Hills, 2005
Ladera Vineyards, Russian River Valley, 2006
Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills, 2007
Cabernet Sauvignon
Parallel Wines, Reserve, Napa Valley, 2006
Kelleher, (Brix Vineyard, Oakville) Napa Valley, 2005
Peirson Meyer, (Versant Vineyard on Pritchard Hill) Napa Valley, 2005
Cabernet Franc
Pride Mountain Vineyards, Sonoma County, 2007
Cass Winery, Paso Robles, 2005
Petit Sirah
Robert Foley Vineyards, Napa Valley, 2006
Sirah
Enkidu Wine, Odyessy, Russian River Valley, 2006
BLENDS
L'Aventure, Cote-a-cote and Estate Cuvee, Paso Robles, 2006
Paloma, Merlot (15% Cabernet Sauvignon), (Spring Mountain) Napa Valley, 2007 (buy 2006)
X Winery & Amicus, Amicus Special Blend (51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot,10% Cabernet Franc), (Spring Mountain) Napa Valley, 2005
BEST VALUE Portfolio ($12-$20!)
Owl Ridge Wines, Dry Creek Valley/Sonoma Coast/Sonoma County/North Coast
PARTYINMYMOUTH
La Sirena Winery, Moscato Azul - Dry Muscat Canelli, (Calistoga) Napa Valley, 2007
Navarro Vineyards, Estate Dry Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley, 2006
*and cement my love for the Old World. Much has to change over here before that foundation starts to crack :)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Scenic Drive Itintin Down the Central Coast
York Mountain Winery
We had a spontaneous picnic here while 2 guitarists had a jam sesh on the hilltop.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Brian Benson Cellars
Hot rod enthusiast meets babyface wine maker. His tasting room (across the street from Booker) was our last stop on Sunday. Brian grew up in the vines in Paso watching his parents and grandparents make their wine, Dark Star Cellars. He's all grown up now and has his own label that's getting a lot of attention. But like most winemakers in Paso, he's still humble, sincere, and passionate about his work. My favorite part about his tasting room is the tiny barrel he keeps on display, which held the first wine he made as a boy. Brian's first commercial vintage was in 2001 (he was 19!) of 147 cases split between cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel.
This cool cat (he sported a black tee and a straw fidora) loves vintage cars about as much as he loves wines. He told us a few stories about hot rods he's restored himself, while having us taste through his current release. My palate was a bit burnt out by this time, so I don't think I can give a fair review of his wines, but I will revisit a bottle in the next month...so stay tuned. Thanks again for squeezing us in late Sunday afternoon, Brian! We'll be back again soon :)
http://www.brianbensoncellars.com
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.
Booker Wines and Eric Jensen
Booker was not only our homebase, but quite literally our wine playground. When we arrived around noon on Sunday, after a LONG Saturday (tasting appts from 10am to 4pm), Bobbyfox, Orion, and Eric welcomed us with wine straight from the barrel and free reign of the property. This place was about fun.
After a taste of Eric's experiment with cement tanks for his '08 "White" and his delicious 100% '08 Grenache (bursting with sweet and tart red fruits...my favorite!) we unpacked a picnic and invited everyone working and visiting the winery to join us.
I couldn't have dreamt a better Sunday afternoon in wine country until the quad, motocycle, and mule started their engines. Eric Jensen and his team are as rockstar-farmer-winemaker as it gets. Next time maybe The Stones will be there. (Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention that Fergie was in the tasting room an hour before us!) Make a stop at the Booker Tasting Room a priority on your next trip to Paso:
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Track Ball On The Lawn
Probably the best way to end Day #1 in wine country. Just try not to get too frustrated when you consistently whif. Maybe Terry Hoage will join us next time. I hear Eric Jensen is quite the athlete too...
Feelin' "Juicy"
Adelaida Cellars
Adelaida was the only winery I had visited before and one I sincerely looked forward to returning to. The hospitality we received at Adelaida was unmatched my first trip to Paso in December. I was there celebrating a friend's birthday - it was casual trip with no appointments or tastings with winemakers. We had no connections or pull. Only common tourist enthusiasm for tasting their wines.
At that time, Adelaida went out of their way to welcome us and made everyone in the group (from novice to professional) feel comfortable. They educated us about their wines and answered our questions. There was no hard sell on their wine club and we got the feeling that everyone who worked there LOVED their job. It also helped that their wines were top quality and well-balanced. (But don't things always taste better when you're surrounded by happy people?)
This trip we (not me, but Bobbyfox and "Charlie") scheduled a tasting appointment for us where they poured about 9 nine wines - including their pinot noir and cab reserve. As if we hadn't received enough VIP treatment from Paul (our gracious host at Adelaida this trip) already, he grabbed a few bottles and glasses after our tasting and we piled into his truck to have a toast from a scenic hilltop on their land.
Literally breathtaking.
I will go back to Adelaida every time I'm in Paso and continue to buy their wines (this trip I purchased the '06 HMR Estate Pinot Noir and the '05 Viking Estate Vineyard Cab Reserve). And next time I may bring a giant fresh pineapple with me as an overdue thank you gift.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Terry (and Jennifer) Hoage Vineyards
Terry and Jennifer's tasting room was our second stop on Saturday. I wasn't sure what to expect from a champion NFL player who majored in genetics and has been making wine for the past seven years. What a career path! But he'd be the first person to have you believe his wife is the talented palate behind the operation and he just grows the grapes.
After meeting Terry and tasting (what's left of) his last release, he took us into the cellar for some barrel tastings. It was an educational experience I very much appreciated. He is a brilliant, patient, and curious human. He took the time to answer our micro questions about his winemaking techniques. The highlight was tasting the 08 barrel syrahs side by side and recognizing the difference the barrel makes on the nose and palate. One was Moreau and the other Taransaud Beaune. The Moreau let the syrah's signature dark fruit notes of blackberries and cassis shine. While the Taransaud Beaune presented a new nose of smoke, lively spice, and rolled along the palate to a savory maple bacon finish. Fascinating stuff.
When it comes time to taste his wines, Terry's sensitivity is to mouthfeel. He wants to make wines that embrace the palate and beckon another sip. His wines do this well and I particularly recognized it in the Estate Rose, "Bam Bam", and the Cuvee, "The Pick". I would love to try the Cuvee "5 Blocks" someday.
Monday, August 10, 2009
L'Aventure Wine Tasting
Stephan Asseo, Bordeaux transplant and L'Aventure's owner and winemaker, restored my faith in balanced, disciplined Paso Robles wine. Prior to this trip, I had very high alcohol, low acidity, jammy, and generally klunky encounters with (benchmark) wines from this region. However, I always approach a new wine with an open mind and I was ready to be pleasantly surprised.
When we arrived at L'Aventure's tasting room at 10am Saturday morning (opens to the public at 11am), Stephan was sweeping the stoop outside his tasting room. The sign of an artist...we were in for a treat.
He greeted us humbly and then told us the story of his search for the right piece of land in California. His winemaking techniques are old world. His vines are (relatively) new. Plus, he has the freedom to work with any varietal, as the wine laws here are much more flexible than those in France.
As we learned more about his style, I honed in on his focus around harvest time. It is not on the brix level (sugar level) of the grapes or, more generally, the ripeness of the fruit. Stephan picks his fruit when he believes the tannin to be ripe. Tannin is the skeleton that gives red wine its structure and ultimately connects, and supports, every other element. Choosing to harvest when "the tannin is ripe" is not a technical decision at the mercy of a number (like picking at "x" brix, or sugar, level in the berries). It's based on taste, experience, and the 6th sense of man who grew up in one of the most remarkable wine regions in the world. Ripe tannin sets a wine's "tannin" skeleton in perfect alignment. The fruit, alcohol, and acidity work their magic to fill it out. The result is a work of art. An integrated, disciplined, and memorable wine. I almost forgot to mention...it tastes fantastic. Like all of the wines at L'Aventure.
The Estate Cuvee had to be my favorite, but I also enjoyed his Estate Cote a Cote and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Buy and drink or hold:
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Paso Robles Wine House
Last weekend I tasted my way through Paso Robles with a group of fellow cork dorks from Newport Beach and Laguna. Our social chair made the wise executive decision to rent a giant house with breathtaking views instead of all individually booking hotel rooms.
It was genius. And the house was ideal for cooking (only pictures do it justice), lounging (big comfy couches with an entertainment center), swimming (heated salt water pool), and stargazing (chaises and heat lamps). We were a 5 minute drive from town and also close to all of the wineries we visited. Halfway through the trip we even had a masousse come to the house to get our knots out (those barrel tastings are really back breaking...).
The highlight of the house for me was that feeling at the end of our days of going "home" together. I highly recommend this accommodation strategy.
Vacation rentals. So hot right now.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Practice Makes Perfect
We've heard this saying many times. Especially as kids. I think it's supposed to inspire us to stick with something that's a challenge, but (not surprisingly) I've always taken it literally. I applied this philosophy to almost everything and also believed in perfection. The perception, the reality, and the self-destructive path getting there.
Now, I'm thankfully writing off perfect as a human state of existence. My goal is to be present and let my senses, soul, and mind do the rest. Maybe by being more aware I can learn and improve organically. Sounds like the same result of "practice makes perfect" and a lot more attainable than aiming for perfection from your regimens.
Practice presence.
(deep breath)
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