No Wine Over $20-Reviews and the LA Wine Scene

Carlitos is a genuine LA character. From stuffing burritos at El Rey Taco for 60s and 70s era USC football greats at Fig & Vermont when he was a teenager to making the leather boots for the old PSA stews (i.e., flight attendants) to throwing my favorite Xmas party, the man is endlessly amusing and excellent company. We have a March Madness bet - most wins - and this year I nipped him by 2 games. So he had to buy dinner at his favorite local Italian joint, Giorgios, in Palos Verdes. Like Litos, Giorgios is classic right down to the plaster statues between the banquettes. The highlight of the meal, for me, was Chef Carlo serving us panne cota ora'nge for dessert. Carlos requested cherries jubilee (what else?) which Giorgio prepared at the table. The only thing missing was a Tony Bennett serenade.

Now the wines. Carlitos loves classic Napa cabernet. He has a garage full of it. This summer he is going to install an air conditioner in the garage because come Aug-Sep it can get warm-ish up on the PV hill (even though the afternoon of the dinner at 75F it was 20 degrees cooler than the West Valley). The cool ocean air allows him to keep the wines in reasonably good shape. I have never had one that turned, even the 1966 BV George de Latour he opened Dec 10. I always look forward to drinking wine with Carlos (and lovely Alice his keeper and charming muse) because it gives me a chance to try wines I have long abandoned - classic Napa cabs. The other cool thing is that I know most of the wines he opens from 2 decades past so it is lotsa fun to reach back and discuss some 80s vintages (the last Napa cab I recall buying was the 1990 Mondavi Reserve in double mag; still have it). This what we tasted on Carlitos Way the other night.

1996 McKenzie-Mueller Merlot (in mag): We had this in December as well. It is simply magnificent.
This tells you everything you need to know about Bob Mueller's winemaking talent. Forget merlot-bashing. Some folks actually make it memorable. Bob is one such. My wife bought a 1999 Wild Horse Merlot at the winery in 2005 (with the Constellation turnover they must have been clearing the cellars). Excellent. The M-M wine was fresh, voluptuous without being plump, full-bodied. Deep flavors. If the evening can be likened to The Magnificent Seven (on TV today) this wine is Chris (Yul Brynner's leader). Straightforward, practical, daring, a winner.

1995 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon: See what I mean about Litos' cellar? Who has these wines? Let me amend that...who bought these wines and held onto them a decade or more? This is the Steve McQueen character in M7. Sensible, classic, dependable, solid as a rock, nimble. Classic Napa cedar nose. Middle weight, tannins pretty settled in. Pure Napa cab balanced with fruit and wood, both appropriately mellowed and blended. If I could drink one wine on its own this would be the one.

1998 Phelps Insignia: Do you remember Horst Bucholz in M7? He is mistreated by Chris and the others. They think he does not belong. He is obviously insecure and wants to be one of the gang so badly it hurts him. Flashy. Full of stuff. Bombastic. Oh. Back to the wine. Phelps Insignia lacks nothing in terms of being included with the classic lineup of old guard Napa cabs. Maybe it was never BV de Latour, Heitz Marthas, Ridge Montebello, or Montelena. If there is any hint of "less than" maybe that is because it is a blend, I mean Meritage. The 1998 was 78% cab, 22% merlot. I always recall the 1985 Insignia, remembering it was so minty and eucalyptus-ilke. Turns out it had 15$ cab franc! This 98 was the big baby of the night (not crybaby, more like Glen Davis aka Baby Shaq). First, it was completely fresh like it was bottled last month. Living in Carlitos' garage however many years did nothing to diminish this wine's power. Like a smack in the face. Kick in the gut. Round, firm, full, powerful. Big fruit but not over-ripe at all. Even the bottle is kind of rugged and powerful. This was the wine to stand up to Chef Carlo's chianti wine sauce with the slices of fresh garlic. This wine will keep another decade easily. I wonder if it will ever age? It is that huge. Do not misunderstand. It is not overblown. Just overwhelming. This is a wine to take to a blind tasting of monster Napa cabs. Put this in a bag with the other big names and let's see who likes what.

Happy 4th.

2006 Chateau Barbanau Cote de Provence $12: Dry mineral flavors. Everything I expect from a Provencal rose' which, in my experience, differs in a mineral style compared wines from Languedoc or other SE France regions. These wines are so easily distinguishable from domestic rose' wines because they rarely have the big fruit found in CA wines (of which I am also fond, see Anglim out of Paso Robles). However, the real story here - as I discovered - is the importer, Charles Neal. Get thee forthwithly to charlesnealselections.com and read what these folks at Paul Marcus Importer have to say about how to start and sustain an importing business. The first thing you will find is that Mr. Neal picked the region from which to import based upon where he could buy wines below the silly pricing threshold, aka $20. He also took a liking to wines he could drink everyday and that were regional in style and blend, that is, the region has not yet been Parker-ized. The tasting notes from the Paul Marcus Imports staff that toured with Mr. Neal are fun to read and educational. Compare the Neal notes with those found in the LA Times by the Food section's wine-tasting panel ("hint of lime, nice"). It is the difference between riding down a "technical" slope (fun and slightly dangerous) versus riding in your cul de sac (boring and only when necessary).

2005 Beaujolais Paul Durdilly Cuvee Unique Vielles Vignes "Les Grandes Coasses" $11.50: Ring that bell again!! Another winner from North Berkeley Wines. When I asked the clerk about this wine he said at $11.50 how can you go wrong? Put it in the box! Now I must reply how can he be so right? NB Wines - just call 'em up and order. You cannot lose. Perfectly balanced, rich fruit (perfectly ripe), middle-weight so a bit more heft than expected. I need more. So do you. Drink it right up to Turkey-day and put it on the table. How do they do it in Beaujolais? Great vintage, under-the-radar region. The label reads Red Burgundy Wine which is technically correct but without the trophy-wine pricing. I saw a pitch for a current release Leroy Bourgogne at $35. The pitch was this is cheap for Madame Bizes-Leroy. Well exxccuuuuuse me. Bag 'em and taste 'em blind. You may pick out the pinot but you won't tell me the Madame's wine is 300% better.

The next set was tasted at an Independence Day BBQ.

2006 Traversa Moscato d'Asti $15: Summer is for fresh and refreshing wines and that means rose' and moscati d'asti. We have already said plenty about rose' (not to worry I am confident we will say more) so here are some thoughts about moscati d'asti. They are low alcohol, between 5% and 7%. They are frooooty, think peaches, honeydew, melon. When not made well they are tooo frooooty. But when the winemaker hits the target they are like drinking starlight. They have a slight spritz and you serve them cold. This one had it all. Unremarkable house (Tarversa loyalists forgive my ignorance) with an outstanding product. I pushed this on the ladies as the men hit the 1999 Rochioli in protective seclusion. Fuggedaboudit. The moscato killed. "Please suh, cun I have some moh" they asked in their best Oliver impressions. Hell yeh. Going back for more.

1999 Rochioli East Block (cellar): Smoky nose, smoky flavors, bacon, ritz crackers (the cheese and dough thing). Solid unbroken flavor line like a Roman phalanx. A bit cloudy, dark brick color. Opening up after 15 minutes to lush ripe pinot fruit (neither strawberries or cherries). Rochioli is the class of Russian River wines (along with W/S). Extra special (I guess) since East Block is no more.

1995 Gary Farrell Rochioli Vineyard (cellar): Going against the grain here. This wine was over the hill despite perfect storage conditions. Brick-not-brown color but not much red either. A good wine with fruit fading fast. Ironic since I find his wines to be too fruity for my taste. If you're British born before WWII you love this wine and consider it perfectly aged. I confess I have never been a fan of GF (even though he made my favorite domestic pinot at Rochioli from 1982 to 1986). He gets the best grapes from the best growers and is highly regarded and certainly knows much more about Russian River Valley (RRV) winemaking than myself. However, I have tasted through many vintages of Williams Selyem (W/S) and Rochioli to know they are at the summit of RRV wines. If I see a bottle made by a highly regarded winemaker who has sourced a top grower like Rochioli I want to know how he managed. Somebody told me he (the somebody not GF) had tasted a Brewer-Clifton bottling with Cargassachi pinot grapes. This is like Vlad Guerrero going to the Yankees. You have to see know how it worked out when stars get paired. I am sure this was a better wine to taste 5 years ago. On the other hand, I have to say I have tasted wonderful W/S and Rochioli wines that were 13 years old (and older). They held up better. Of course, 1995 was not exactly a memorable vintage for RRV.

2005 Malm Cellars Sonoma County Pinot Noir $16: Smoky nose and flavors reminiscent of the Rochioli. Fresher, more fruit, balanced nicely. I mixed it 4:1 with the Martinez 1994 Oporto. Now that was very nice. This excellent value for Sonoma pinot. 14.4% alcohol is average for region. The problem is I have stopped chasing pinot noir so I will not chase this Malm down although it merits pursuit. Feces occurs!

2006 Domaine Cassagnoles Reserve Gros Manseng $10: Lean angular fruit; dry and brawny in a middle-weight way. Reminded me of Cung Le who I was watching on UFC fighting, he was pounding a veteran mixed martial arts guy with a 24-3 record. Cung Le is now 4-0. Le was tougher, faster, deceptively bigger with a wicked command of spinning kicks and backhands. This Gros Manseng is deceptively delicious with satisfying lean flavors and a devastating blend of near-tropical fruit. Find it at local fave WHW. Or make plans for a trip to the Gers region ASAP and find out for yourself over two weeks. This is Cathar country rich in history of the Inquisition with burned out castles and outstanding wines.

1994 Martinez Port (cellar): I bought this on futures at a reputable west valley wine shop (not Woodland Hills Wine Co - Paul and Kyle would never do what I am about to tell you). I paid $30/bottle pre-release. Somehow they had gotten Martinez to pour bottle samples a year ahead of release. The very young wine was terrific and I thought this will the last vintage of new release port I will buy in my lifetime. Martinez is a rarely seen brand with a strong reputation (i.e., Broadbent covers it). When I went to pick it up a year later the retailer wanted $32/bottle. This is, of course, a case of bad faith and I have never returned there for anything. I paid the price and took the wines. I looked it up on the web today and see it can be found although pricing is about double unless you order it from Scotland; g'head laddy. This is the first time I have opened a bottle. It has everything I want in a 13 y.o. vintage port. Still has a strong presence of tannins but softly firm like a Savile Row haberdasher's clothes brush. The peppers and hot spices common with young ports (why are you even opening ports before at least a decade passes?) have blended in. Balance is perfect with fruit now forward. Alcohol subdued in the background. I can look forward to bringing this out on any special occasion (July 4th 2008? Labor Day 2007?) and I know I will be pleased.

2005 l’Uvaggio di Giacomo Vermentino $11: Finally, an opportunity to write about a Jim Moore wine. First, a few words about Jim. He is one of many winemakers who are not media stars. However, he is widely regarded within the winemaking industry as a “go-to” person
when you need something done. Looking for premium juice for sale by a high-profile winery? Call Jim. Need more super-premium French oak barrels? Jim probably knows where they can be had. Want to start a winery from the ground up? Do a custom crush? Fill-in a sudden and unexpected hole on your winemaking team because the winemaker for your long-standing label just went elsewhere? Want to turn around your wine program for your winery that is one of the oldest in the valley? He is the man to see. I am sure there are others like Jim in Napa. He knows them all, too. And what of his wine? Distinctive, meaning his wines share certain qualities regardless of the grape or employer. This Vermentino has all the earmarks of Jim Moore wine. He got the grapes from old old vines in Lodi. My summer reading includes “Blood and Wine”, the unofficial story of Gallo wines, and Lodi goes way back in California wine history. Jim knows. Read more about Moore here. His Vermentino is from young Lodi vines, fresh and light, balanced with a subtlety that you do not even think about the alcohol (12.5%!!) or any kind of awkwardness. Perfect summer style. Flavors bring lime, some white grapefruit (Indian River?), citrus rind (pick-a-fruit). Acid supports the overall tart and bright experience. It is available but good luck finding it.

2005 Edward Sellers Grenache Rosé $12: The good dokker paired this Paso effort with the Languedoc wine below. The objective was to compare two fruity wines from the two distinctive regions that we are always yapping about. First sip showed hugely fruity and sweet flavors. I did not like it…at first. The dokker’s wife (see photo) was disappointed since she picked it on their last trip top Paso. It is a remarkable achievement that when spouses play bridge or taste wines together there is always something on which we can disagree. Aha! As my palate re-tuned from the more mineral continental roses’ I have been quaffing to the fruit bomb side of things I began to find the strawberry flavors more seductive and charming. We killed the bottle with flair. 14.2% alcohol. Nice wine from Edward Sellers. [URL]

2005 Mas de Brassandes Costieres de Nimes $10: Curiously, the good dokker had this rosé from last summer already chilled. He called it a transition wine (evening plans and all). It was also a fruit bomb. And from SW France. Nimes is squarely in the Languedoc which is a region everyone who loves wine should visit at least once. Topographically identical to SoCal with wall-to-wall vineyards and chateaus. The principal grapes are grenache, syrah, mourverdre, and carignane. I have probably already written it but let me do so again (in case I already have). The Languedoc is traditionally the garbage hole of wine. Critics love to tell how the region produces so much ordinary and sub-par wines that in years with an especially large harvest the wine is sold off as fuel. This has changed in some measure over the past decade as French and international winemakers have recognized the conditions are outstanding for producing quality and even better the cost of vineyard land is (was?) extraordinarily attractive. I like to recall our 2001 trip to St. Chinian when it was almost impossible to find a bottle costing more than 10$. And the wine was fine….bring-it-back-in-your-son’s-backpack fine.

1997 Rochioli Allen Vineyard Chardonnay (cellar): Controversial wine for me. I have been a wine club member since the early 80s. I have tasted Rochioli through 20 plus vintages. In 2006 I sold off my remaining collection going back to 1996 to a dear friend who was more than happy to take it off my hands. This wine is from the dokker’s cellar. It is complex. “Coconut” says dokkerm. “Quince” says I. We agree tropical aromas and flavors emerge over 40 minutes in the glass. Tons of acid. The wine is still young. Dokker says it will not get better. I play my collector trump card and say it will go at least another few years, possibly longer. Playing my collector trump with the dokker is silly since he has tasted through my entire collection. Still looking for a path through his usually invulnerable intellect I suggest this wine captures the problem for me with Rochioli. It is too complex. “Too serious?” he snorts. Yes. I ask Gail (see photo above) what TV game show she would rather, Championship Jeopardy or Deal or No Deal. No contest. Deal gets her vote. Williams Selyem is Deal/No Deal. The look-alike babes march over the grandstand in their short satin dresses with their black leather suitcases and it’s all downhill from there. Turn off sound and dig the chicks hamming it up. Rochioli is Championship Jeopardy. Stay sharp. Hit and miss hoping for a category where you actually have some expertise. Fight intellectual exhaustion. Pat yourself on the back 30 minutes later for surviving with some pride intact. “Too many notes” said the King. Rochioli is top of the RRV heap with possibly “the best situated vineyard in North America”.

2006 Curran Grenache Blanc ~$20: This is the 3rd vintage of this wine I have tasted…and enjoyed. In each vintage it is a late bloomer. Drink this in the first 6 months of release and you will ask yourself what is all the fuss. Wait 9 months (only another 3 or so, sit down) and you will be very happy. Give it a year and you will be amazed at how much this wine changed. At first it is recessive, withdrawn, almost sullen. Like first seeing Juliette Lewis in Cape Fear. So awkward. When she starts to mature a bit the charms emerge, slowly, gracefully. And after a full year she is all charm, delicate fruit, sparkling flavors, like a kiwi-blueberry-custard fruit tart. Too much to taste in one swallow. Kris Curran is a terrific winemaker (she makes Sea Smoke which is generally opened way too early). This meets the $20 criterion (maybe a little more but worth it) and is age-worthy (if a couple years count). That's Kris on the left and her dear friend Strummy on the right. Curran Wines

2000 McKenzie-Mueller Napa Valley Pinot Noir (cellar): Our affection for Bob Mueller’s wines is documented. We have reported the sedition within the wine club vis a vis his whites and rosés (i.e., the “red only” membership). I reported how his Merlot stole the show at the Carlitos cab-a-thon last December at the Carlos&Alice Xmas party. So, now I want to say that Bob Mueller’s McKenzie-Mueller pinot noir is probably our favorite wine that he makes. It is a consistent knockout wine. We have tasted it to the early 90s. It never fails to amaze us. My wife always recalls how the staff at Saddlepeak Lodge (Calabasas' best and snootiest restaurant, justifiably) flipped when she tasted them on it. Bob’s wines are still on that list. Strummy introduced them. This wine (7 years old) is fresh, with smoky pinot fruit. It does not taste like cherries or strawberries or any other berry. It is Carneros pinot noir at its finest. It is spectacular and would stand with any W/S and Rochioli (the sine qua non of domestic pinot noir). Get on his mail list. You decide what level. All estate grown grapes. Alcohol a wonderfully restrained 13.5%.

My dear Cuban amigo and muy talented artist Iggy-tones writes: "Lately I've been traveling up to Shell Beach in the Central Coast because I currently have for sale a two bedroom house that I own. The house is a block and a half from the shore. The whole area of the Central Coast is growing grapes. Do you have some recommendation of interesting wines and wineries to visit on one of my trips there?"

Toss a 70 mph pitch down the middle to Barry Bonds and he couldn't hit it as far as I can unload on this topic. Paso Robles is my favorite California wine country tour. I love to visit. Consider this. Paso was the up and coming wine region in the state until Sideways. Miles puked in the Fess Parker tasting room (it was the Fess Parker winery wasn't it?) and everyone forgot about Paso. Like the 101 just ended in the Santa Rita HIlls AVA. Why oh why do I love Paso? Because it has been somewhat forgotten, cut off at the knees by Santa Barbara. Paso got all the way to the altar and the bride (all us consumers) took off. But the wine did not change in Paso Robles. The changeover that has been taking place in Paso ever since Tablas Creek arrived has continued without interruption. I am talking about dumping the cab and chard and replanting with syrah, grenache, mourverdre, grenache blanc, rousanne, marsanne and every other southern France cutting the folks at Tablas Creek could bring into the country legally with full papers and full quarantine. No mongrels in the Tablas Creek nursery. They are the modern Library of Alexandria for Southern France vinifera.

Tablas Creek is the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of wineries with production facilities, tasting rooms, storage..the whole mushpucha. Consider Justin who still makes a very popular and Napa-priced cabernet named Isoceles. Then there is Pipestone which is a 10 acre site planted, owned and operated by a wonderful couple who abandoned careers in environmental law and biochemistry to live in the middle of nowhere and learn how to make wine and live peaceably with the cougars. Justin, TC and Pipestone are part of the Far Out Wineries contingent. They are located at the greatest distance from Paso Robles. Well worth the ride for the terrain, the wines and the hospitality. This ain't Napa. Or Santa Barbara/Solvang.

And how about Clautiere? They made lingerie before turning their attention to wine. If wine can be sexy then it will be a Clautiere wine. Their parties sure look like a lot of fun. Clautiere is located on the unfashionable East Side of the 101. Where the Westside has rolling hills and deep pockets of microclimate bounty the unfashionable Eastside has low hills and hot dry dusty roads...with some very old Italian farmer fields (another kind of bounty). Clautiere makes very good wine at very attractive price points. Finally, the best indicator that Paso is still developing as a region of repute, the sourcing wineries (e.g., those wineries without walls) are growing in number...like Anglim of whom I have written before.

I have not hit every one of the Far Out Wineries. I have to mention Saxum and Linne Calodo, two notable wineries who are not Far Out even if their wines are pretty heavy dude. I will also mention another highly reputed winery L'Aventure however I have not tasted their wines. Sadly, few of these wineries produce much wine under $20. Tablas Creek, Clautiere and Pipestone are exceptions. Of course, I am a wine club member with each.

Paso has not stopped being the next big thing for want of its own very funny movie. It is well worth a visit. They have their wine festivals. Summer is blistering hot. We like to stay in Cambria and drive up to Paso for the day returning to the cool ocean air for the evening.

2005 Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas Blanc ~$15: This is my third vintage of this wine. As with the red (named just Cotes de Tablas) the wine is ready to drink right away. Nose is summer melon. Flavors are fresh, light fruit, well balanced. 75% viognier and rousanne. A small does of Grenache Blanc adds a little backbone. The sweet-ish viognier fruit really stands out making this a wonderful summer evening wine with a meal of salmon. Hey- that's what we had!

2005 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc $9 in split: I bought this from Jim Ruxin. More on Jim later. Best kept wine secret in LA and beyond. Grenache Blanc dominant so the smoke is in your face but not quite like standing over my BBQ. 70% Rousanne and 25% GB. A young wine that needs at least a year. Even in the split. Serious wine.

The Tablas Creek Wine Club is the best deal I know. They make great wines without exception. They discount generously to club members. And the pedigree is peerless. This is the best of southern France in California.

Today's LA Times flooded the Food section to talk about seasonal wines. I have been considering how wine follows seasons - just like fashion - following a recent tasting/dinner hosted by the good dokker.

One of the main points the Times writer(s) were out to make was that wine varietals correspond to the season. The writers were spewing forth on the wonderful white wines that are not "heavily oaked" that we can inconspicuously enjoy in the summer when nights are warm and "cool" is as transient as a cold breeze in Chatsworth. Translation? Forget your Napa chardonnays fercrissake and try something white and un-pronounce-able from Spain, Italy or France. The word "cheap" appeared a bit too often for my taste but it was there.

Ain't it clear by now? They are working our beat. Wines under $20 that are fun to taste and radically different from what we think we should be enjoying...instead of a big ticket over-oaked Napa chard. Is it news that we look for the culturally cool [i.e., correct] choice because we are just not confident [yet] about what we might not know?

OK. That's it for the armchair head shrinking. [Last shrinker's advice - find your experiential context and work it]. My point is that this same kind of blind thrusting can be encountered when folks bring a wine to a tasting among firends. For the oeniphilogically-challenged here are some simple rules to guide what wine you should bring to the next summer wine dinner.

Big red tooth-mashers for the Fall and Winter. I am talking cabs, zins, Montepulcianos, Barolos, St. Joseph, Vega Sicilia, Penfolds Hermitage...the list is longer than the Wine Spectator Top 100 rejected pool (been there). Bring your big-oak chards to the year-end holiday gigs. For white wines you can try the high-acid steel-driving Austrian and German Rielsings. The Fall/Winter is also the time for ports and dessert wines.

Softer, mid-weight reds for the Spring. Pinots, Burgundies, Alta Riojas, Barolos, and especially vintage Beaujolais. This is a good time to break out your steel fermented chards with their higher acids and naked chardonnay fruit.

Summer time is for the lighter, fresher and far more interesting rosés and exotic white wines - Alabriňos, Saumur, Eklekticos, Moscati, French and Calif Sauvingon Blanc, Vermentino! Why stop exploring new regions and new grapes. It's summer!

2005 Chateau Grande Cassagne Rosé Costieres de Nimes ~$10: I cannot recall where I bought this but I am going to guess it was Whole Foods. And I think I bought it last summer so it might have been sitting around a year. Of course, I also might have bought it a month ago at Woodland Hills Wine Co. With Steve's recommendation, of course. So what about the wine? Do you like strawberries but not a total infusion of? How about cranberries? Now blend them perfectly in wine that is not over-ripe (like so many domestic Rosés not that I am unable to enjoy those as well) with bright acid and light to medium weight. 13.5% alcohol makes for an easy and wonderful summer evening where ever you are (excluding the South Pole but maybe even there).

1999 LIparita Cabernet Sauvignon (well over $20) - Word is this is Grace vineyard pedigree. Unfortunately, the season is all wrong. I want this with an oyster stuffed turkey, cranberry sauce, yams. In the raw summer evening the green nose and earthy flavors overwhelm the cherry and chocolate lurking within. Fortunately, he has another. Wait a bissel.

2004 Vincent Arroyo Petite Syrah - What an interesting bottle of wine. Petite syrah is one of the stalwarts of old time vines in Napa/Sonoma. In the summer evening against the rose's, vermentino and Saumur, however, this wine is lead footed. It cannot get past its rich over-ripe weight and flavors. They are delicious and well-balanced but we need it in 120 days Doc. This is why Italians drink Amarone in the Fall with game! And Moscato d'Asti in the summer with...another bottle of Moscato d'Asti!

2004 Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur Blanc <$20: Honey, plums, viscous. Heavier than the other roses and white wines we have been tasting. More serious. Delicious. Rich. Will age at least a year if not three. This is interesting wine. This could be served with the bird in November and it would sprint past Cakebread like a juiced biker from Kazakhstan! North Berkeley, of course.

Thanks to all for bringing wine. The spirit of sharing is always right.

As an old pal used to tell me "you know doc, it ain't easy". You can't find a wine deal just based on price. You certainly can't trust the labels, especially in the US, if they say reserve or special selection. "Oh look! Here's a reserve Cabernet for $14"! We need help. And we need to help ourselves. Help can be found in a local premium wine store. Not BevMo. Good tequila selection, same-old ordinary wines. Not TJs. Good beer, lousy wines. Of course there are exceptions however time spent buying wine is better spent in a wine shop. And we help ourselves by trying the wines your local wine pro recommends that are from unfamiliar locations. Try a wine with a name you can't pronounce...like from Europe. Fact is, there are a ton of Italian, Spanish and French wines that meet our call to arms criteria. Visit your local wine shop. Make friends with a smart-ass clerk who knows his shit. Here are some examples.

2006 Domaine de Cassagnole Cotes de Gascogne Vin de Pays $8: “You want a value in wine, try this one” said wine-sales-guy extraordinaire Steve at Woodland Hills Wine Co. If you are going to try out this <$20 wine campaign then you have to have a reliable wine maven. Find one and you will spend far more time enjoying gems than tossing out rocks.

And how do I love thee my leetle under-$20 nugget? As I open the bottle I think about everything that is great about this “find”. It’s not only under $20 it is under $10. That little smile passes quickly. Now I appreciate how thrifty is the “foil cap” choice. It isn’t foil at all. It is the flimsiest of plastic. Love that!! My foil cutter burns through it like a magnesium fire. The cork is, of course, composite. Anything else would be out of balance, pretentious, dumb. Out she comes. And the wine? What do you want for $8? Tastes like French sauvignon blanc. We’re not talking pussy foosy or Sancerre. This is Cotes de Gascogne where Charles Neal searches for gems like this. Thank you Charles. Thank you Steve. Serve cold.

2006 Verget de Sud Syrah Rosé ~$15: Southwest France wine. Orange-red color. Mineral tart flavors, refreshing, simple. From North Berkeley Wines.

2006 Verget de Sud Rosé de Cabernet Sauvignon ~$15: Interesting enough to try just because it is a cab. Darker red color within the rose palette. Bone dry to the point that the fruit is buried. Not so refreshing. North Berkeley pick. Sometimes they miss. Their slugging percentage is still close to .800.

2005 Clautiere Rosé de Grenache and Counoise ~$15: Remarkable bright orange color that looked a lot like transmission fluid. The wine is interesting for Paso. Not overripe. Bright acids. Even lean. Refreshing. Wine club shipment.

2006 Mattes Sabran Corbières Rosé “Duc de Narbonne” ~$10: Excellent Southwest France rose. Everything I like in this category. Sort of lean, simple, balanced, refreshing in the warm SoCal summer evening with pals. Woodland HIlls Wine.

Last note - these wines were tasted at a dokkerm dining & wining party. Other wines were presented that are described in the previous entry. However, a current favorite - at ~$15 - the 2005 l'Uvaggio Vermentino was opened and it was quickly quaffed. Big with with the ladies and men in touch with their vermentino side.

Note that the image is not of the Vermentino which features a new style simple and clean label. However, I do want to endorse his Mendocino Arneis because it is the right wine for summer for all the right reasons....including...Italian white wine grape grown in colder region, fresh bright flavors quite similar to Arneis one might buy in the Piedmont region of Italy, lots of acid to balance the fruit makes for the perfect summer meal combo. Great stuff. Now I wish I had some.

I am not finished with the recent entry about corresponding the wine to the season. The good dokker calls it wine intelligence. I agree. The immediate objective is to provide a few simple guidelines for how to know what to take to a wine dinner-slash-tasting. The longer term objective is to give some hints on how to enhance your enjoyment of wine.

The impulse that we must all fight is to take a heavy-hitter that we believe will guarantee savvy and breeding. Wrong. The better aspiration is to bring a bottle that fits a set of criteria, such as the taste of the host, the meal being served, the other wines, e.g., a theme‚ and the SEASON or time of year. Cabs in summer? Fogettum. Albariňo for Thanksgiving? Not really. Perhaps it is time for a seasonal wine chart instead of another tasting wheel? This past week we tasted an array of wines that showed intelligence on the part of the guests who trotted them out. Here are the notes. You can ascertain the reasons why.

2006 Chateau des Baumelles Bandol $16: Another rosé from Southwest France. I guess we will just keep drinking these until winter hits SoCal and the temps drop to 60 overnight. What is not to like? Well balanced with just the right amount acidity that, combined with the perfectly ripe fruit, gives the perfect mineral flavor. I liked this one quite a bit and will purchase some more. All rosés are not the same although they do share many similarities. And they seem most enjoyable in the summer season. 13.1% alcohol.

2005 Domaine de Fondreche Cotes du Ventoux Instant Rosé $15: The label with the cute "Instant" name says "for the American market." Great. I am buying. Cotes du Ventoux is in the Rhone region which is north of Provence. So what's in the bottle? Grenache, syrah and one or two more grapes in combo? Alcohol is 12.8%. Wine is more ripe than the Bandol above but you would still probably not mistake this for a California product. This is one of those rosés that supports the stereotype all rosés taste alike. Compared to the Bandol it comes in a distant second. I am glad I tried it. Purchased at the local premium wine store Woodland Hills Wine Company (but not a Steve tout!).

2003 Magnien Morey St Denis Herbuottes ~$20: Now this is smart wine toting. Bring this to a dinner to which you are invited and everyone will be impressed with whatever-heck-was-that-wine-you-brought. The designation (MSD) is lighter for red Burgundy. While Burgundy is arguably the most expensive and collectible region among wine cognoscenti, the region of Morey St Denis is not what the big collectors search out and bag like the big game hunters they are. Why? Because it is just an ordinary little village that makes great wines in certain vintages from the same fricking grape that goes into DRC La Tache or Romanee Conti. Some will laugh and more will scoff at my declaration‚Ķnevertheless, this bottle is plenty of evidence that what I say is at least worth looking into. North Berkeley Wine seems to have an exclusive with this producer. NBW selected the barrels and had it bottled just for them. This is the kind of red wine one can drink with sockeye salmon on a totally relaxed summer night discussing presidential candidates and children and/or choices in prospective spouses. Great nose, fruit is right there, violets, tannins. Good fruit flavors‚ raspberry? - right up front. Tastes like the best wines from the 2005 Beaujolais vintage. Even better. Holds up for a couple hours. Wonderful wine.

2005 Curran Grenache Blanc $24: My last bottle from the 2005 vintage. My experience with this wine is consistent as 100+ heat in Palm Springs in August. This wine needs time. I first tasted the 2004 at the Wine Cask March tasting and it was not appealing. I did not understand the grape of the wine, especially as constructed by Ms. Curran. I next had it at a tasting I put together at which Kris Curran poured the same vintage. Blew me away. Where did all the honey and peaches come from? I bought the 2005 and sat on it for 6 months. Drank it Thanksgiving 06. Perfect with bird and stuffing showing the same rich peach and honey flavors. Tasted the 2006 a few weeks ago and covered it here. Not even close to ready. But now I know better. This 2005 is now almost 18 months past release. Honeysuckle nose with acid evident on the nose. The wine is viscous, rich, exhilarating. We kept tasting it against the Morey St Denis. I know. Sounds silly but it held up impressively. Sip of Morey. Sip of Curran. Stupendous. Probably the two most memorable wines so far this summer (excluding the 1995 Dehlinger Pinot Reserve).

Part two in a couple days; a Santa Rita Viognier and a couple domestic Pinots.