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

The summer is drawing to a close. As we hang onto the last warm evenings now mingled with some cool-ness we rush to determine which have been the greatest Rosés of our Summer 2007 Festival of the Pank. Here are a few candidates recently compared.

2006 Cotes de Provence Chateau du Rouet Cuvee Reserve Tradition $12: Good wine to start the evening. Orange copper color. Dry with strawberries in mouth. Easy drinker without much finish. 60% Grenache 40% syrah. 12.5%.

2005 L’Uvaggio di Giacomo Lodi Il Gufo Babera Rosato $11: Jim Moore’s almost beefy rosé is almost like something else – syrup! It is not thick enough for waffles but it might make a great cosmo! A manly rosé for all manly men (and stout women I suppose). This deep red, near-purple wine goes with BBQ as easily as it goes with a fruit cup. 12.5% alcohol. Bravo Jim!

2006 Nicodemi Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Gerasuolo $13: Another bigger than usual rosé, bright deep red color (without blue tones above), rich dry flavors. My first Tuscan rosé was a hit. Both of these wines deliver a kick in the cajones to the pink wine naysayers who complain about rosé simplicity. From North Berkeley Wines. 12.5%.

Time out for an observation (bitch-pitch). “Serious” wine drinkers who complain that rosé cannot be taken “seriously” because it is too simple ("not serious") cannot be serious themselves can they? To them I say…what about the legions of over-oaked and over-ripe cabs and chardonnays considered serious? Are these wines not simple in their own stupidly complicated, out of whack (i.e., unbalanced) ways? Puhleeeze. Think Rubiks' Cube and "Rube Goldberg". The Rube Goldberg machine takes something simple and makes it ridiculously complicated. "Serious" wines? Rubik's Cube takes something simple (block of colors) and makes it quite complicated. That is serious simplicity. Simple and serious are rarely antonyms.

2005 Verget de Sud Rosé de Syrah $15: A second appearance this summer and if it is up to me this wine will make a 3rd and 4th. Here is what my wife said as she sipped in the spa. “What I like about this wine is that it is dry and still has the hint of strawberries but not sweet”. And I always agree with my wife. In the salmon pink color camp. North Berkeley Wines. Lovely. 12.5%.

Richard Belloff is a pioneer in Westlake. He opened his cozy wine bar/restaurant Bellavino in Westlake CA in 2003. He has gone through several chefs and enough personal re-tooling to test anyone's survivability. Yet here he is with his very warm dining establishment, a terrific chef, a wine director, an outrageously attractive Monday night $30 three course special...and a superb wine list.

2005 Michael David Petite Petit $20: Richard recommended this wine to go with my crab cake and pork chop. He also noted the importance of staying under $20 without sacrificing quality. This wine does it. Great balance. Medium weight. Some cranberry, light pepper. Could pass for a Southern France Carignane blend. And it is such an unusual blend. Michael David Winery hails from Lodi. He makes the 7 Deadly Zins which is a very popular label. Not a zin fan but who knows now? We love Lodi having learned about the historical importance of Lodi in California wine history. You could call it the motherlode. More like the motherland.I usually frown on the zin-cab or cab-syrah stylists. As my good pal who took me to Mastros might say Igottatellya this blend works really well. Now I have to bring Igottatellya to Bellavino on Monday night.

14.5% on the alcohol which is the new goal for Adam Tolmachl! If you did not read the incredible LA Times article on high alcohol levels in Central Coast wines with the courageous admission from Tolmach - one of California's master wine makers - that he is boycotting his own high-alcohol wines - then you must click on the preceding link. Of course, tBoW has been pounding the table (like Krushchev at UN in 1960) for this cause for a long time. This is why we post alcohol levels. Let me step down from my soapbox.

[ed. for all the puppies who read this blog, the link goes to a 1960 newsreel showing Russian Prime Minister Krushchev and komrades pounding the table with their fists to demonstrate Soviet strength and pugnacity. tBoW's Bacchus was 11 y.o. then and this stuff played big but you had to go to the movies to see newsreels, or you could just read the newspaper. Now I feel like Andy Rooney.]

Holy jumpin' elephants now here's a goodun. The Michael David winery was supposedly sued because this label looks too much like Barnum & Bailey artwork. All I can say is the wine is not listed on the winery website nor could I find it on the web. I had to take this pic of the Micahel David label above myself so you could make up your own mind.

Jesse Casanova is the wine director. Jesse brings his experience working with Terlato Wines International which handles many high-end Italian wine plus domestic standouts such as Rochioli. So Jesse know wine. Better yet, Jesse is on a mission to help Westlake wine fiends learn about wines other than the same old same old (nuff said right there). So he has initiated a series of wine dinners called Vine and Dine. These feature different varietals paired with well-matched foods. How about a Riesling tasting? First one I have seen in the Conejo Valley. Check these guys. If you are there on a Monday say hello to me!

Here are some other nice wines recently tasted.

Pipestone 2003 Grenache ~$18: Jammy-lite, ripe fruit. One day later the fruit backs off and blends in much more nicely. Ripe plum notes. Rich tasting. Can only dream of what this wine might offer with a bit less ripeness and alcohol. Following the development of this winemaker is worthwhile.14.9%.

2005 Domaine de Combiaty Brouilly $18: Imported by Beaune Imports, an importer to watch. We are pretty much in love with the 2005 and the 2006 vintages in Beaujolais. Something is happening in the region. This wine is made by Dominique Piron. We think we can always tell the old world wines because they do not have the big bright fruit (generally, there must be exceptions). This is not the exception but it does have a lot of good fruit. A day later (as above) it is better, more blended (melded?) and nicely balanced. Moreso than the Pipestone. Would I buy it again? If other wines from the same vintages were not available. Would I buy it if I had never tried it before? Well I already did. Best of all? 12.5%

2004 Barbera d'Alba Vigna San Lorenzo Bartolo Mascarello $22: Steve Goldun tout (he left WHWC!! What will we do? We throw our corks in with Dave Russell). Think Gamay fruit with spicy pepper. Absolutely delightful. Very nicely balanced. Open one day and stored in half bottle. I will get more of this. 14%. Once upon a time Barbera was not very glamorous. Maybe it still is not. Then it got glamorous kind of riding the coattails of the Barrique Barolistas. Those would be the Piemonte winemakers who broke ranks with the old timers and started aging the wine in small oak barrels instead of monster Slovenian oak - or traditional cement - barrels. My point is Barbera quickly shifted from being sort of obscure and for locals only to a "re-discovered" varietal that "deserved its due". Thank god that movement faded. Here is a locals only wine that tastes like the wines we would like to taste more of. Who is Bartolo Mascarello? Mascarello is a high profile name in the region and a defender of the "old ways". Click on the preceding link to read a bio on the elder statesman of Barolo.

It is the plain trooth. A golfer recently told me "Costco has the best wine selection in the country". All things considered - golfers know putters, not wine - it is hard to challenge this observation.

Take Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen. In a recent Vanity Fair article Bob Dylan says "many folks think Seger is the poor man's Springsteen. I say Springsteen is the rich man's Seger". [ed. Sounds more authentic if you hold your nose while speaking.] Costco is no Hi Time but then Springsteen sold many more albums than Detroit's favorite son (along with the Ig as in Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper). Dylan settles things by admitting "I love them both".

The point is that you can't go wrong with Springsteen and that is how folks today think of Costco's wine selection. But if you want to "take a little trip" with wine then you have to find the Hi Time in your neighborhood. Or listen closely over and over to Hollywood Nights and Night Moves if you want to catch the rarified discriminating vibe.

"Workin' on mysteries without any clues". This is the point isn't it? You can always find a Springsteen CD in a SecondSpin bin but finding vintage Seger is a bit tougher.

What does that have to with wine? Dotoré has earned the respect of his family and friends as a wine snob such that he is tasked with finding the right wines (this always means U20s) for a Kansas City wedding. A quick run through the KC Internet directory of fine wine stores pulled up some home pages more suited to the wine department at Ross Dress for Less. The go-to store in KC is a liquor store that you can be sure is the name that falls off the tip of everyone's tongue when asked who has the best wine store in town. Like Brooosss the Boss. Not an inspiring selection but hard to argue against given the widespread belief.

In fact the local KC liquor emporium did not list any French wines. Or Italians or Spanish. Argentina? Let me be Frank. Shirley you're kidding. We did find a party planner with a palate who probably has a tiny local following of wannabe but tooscaredtabe polygamists. At least she had a decent wine list that didn't look like a BevMo 2-for-1 clearance. Then it hit me. Kirkland. Buy the freaking wine at Costco, Dotoré. I hope people don't have some kind of misplaced attitude about Costco being low class. As Beastie Boys Mike D once said..."let me clear my throat".

Back to the trooth. The new wine buyer at Costco has a more adventurous palate than the former gal. I see all kinds of wines in the Costco bins that look interesting to me. Along with the usual uninteresting retread Napa trophies (BV & Silverado), Aussie Syrahs (oh, I mean shiraz) I saw a Kiwi white (but no pinot...of course we aren't really sure there are any worth buying), some interesting Rhones from the 2005 vintage, a Spanish Grenache Rosé ($24, however, is not competitive in this sector), and two Argentina Malbecs from the right regions...and at the right prices. There are even more online.

2005 Fabre Montmayou Malbec Gran Reserva $18: A bargain steal go-get-some Gold Medal winner in a nationwide Malbec competition. This is a great example of how Costco is moving to the head of the U20 class. Elegant and high-toned. What does that mean? It means the wine holds together well. The flavors are not too extreme, the tannins actually contribute to the flavor profile without overwhelming, the weight is just right neither heavy and overbearing or porous like tissue. Here is somebody else's review (why not?).

A magnificent Malbec! It picked up a trophy at the inaugural Wines of Argentina Awards held in Mendoza in 2007, having wowed the international panel of judges - included among them wine expert Jancis Robinson, who gave it an impressive 17 out of 20.

Ripe blackberry and bramble aromas merge seamlessly with spicy oak and vanilla flavours. Full bodied, yet seriously smooth and warming. This 89 Parker point wine is sure to survive for many years to come. Definitely a wine to enjoy with fine food ... try it with rare roast beef or a juicy steak.

2006 Preludio Malbec $12: This is one Tempus Alba wine we did not taste when we visited this past March [ed. tBoW coverage here]. Of course, as the self-described big boutique (350,000 cases) there is enough of this to be handled by the Kirkland Nation. Aromatic nose. Syrupy. A bit thick. Very Rollandian even though I do not think he consults here. Doesn't that say it all? Fruity, forward, some tannins. Looking to go over the top like Reggie Bush on the goal line. Maipu fruit which is a good thing. Check out the embossed label. All Tempus Alba labels seem expensively embossed like this. 13.9%

2001 Mouliniere Les Sigillaires St. Chinian $9: Picked from the wall of bargains at Woodland Hills Wine Company. At 7 years this wine has to be peaking if not even entering a long snooze. St. Chinian is one of the longer lived appelations in Languedoc. Most likely a Syrah and Grenache blend. Very nice if soft out of the bottle. Tannins have slipped out the back door. This wine is ready as Norma Desmond for her next blockbuster. Unlike the femme fatale of another era this St. Chinian is simply happy to have one last shot at applause. It gets mine.

Veramar Vineyards Rooster Red $17: Jim Bogaty of Veramar VIneyards in Virgina's beautiful Shenandoah Valley tips his hat to good old fashioned Dago Red [ed. PC apologies to those offended by tBoW's use of a crude name for fine old world style wine.]. If only those old style wines were this good. Rooster Red is one of those unusual and pleasant Proustian experiences.

As I drink this little gem I vaguely recall every Italian table red I ever tasted...except this one is much better than any of the others ever were. Sweeti-ish, balanced, Chianti-style. Excellent job!

Here is possibly the rocking-est song every recorded - smoke, trip lights, long hair, leather everywhere. After this photo of tBoW with Allison and Maya of the rocking-est girl band to ever bash a guitar and drums (respectively), the Donnas. [ed. This post really slid into a musical maelstrom. It can happen. What next? Betty Page?]

You read it here second!!! Guest blogger Dotoré touches down in Paso Robles, one of California's premium and under-appreciated regions. He tastes. He knoshes. He leaves. He reviews a couple wines by name along with some nice places to eat when driving through the area. I don't think he will be stopping there again. He also shares some of his most private thoughts on how to maintain a healthy marriage. All in all a very strong post!

Mrs. Dotoré and I spent last weekend in to the Central Coast. The trip crystallized my thoughts about the region, in general, and, specifically, the wines grown there.

First, for those expecting specific wine reviews in this missive, there will be few. In fact, let's get them out of the way early.

2006 Sancerre Terroirs, Domaine Sylvain Bailly (Beaune Imports/Woodland Hills Wine Co., $18): Everything you'd want from a young Sancerre. Lean, floral, balanced. Seamlessly integrated with food. A David Russell recommendation. [ed. David Russell was standing in for Steve Goldun now both are MIA. So it is with the wine biznuss.]


2001 Pinot Noir,West Block, Rochioli (Bought from winery directly, approx. $65 at the time). Blueberry, hints of anise, velvet, masculine, went as well with Gail's steak as my herb-crusted halibut. A great bottle of wine.

Notice nary a Central Coast wine mentioned. Why? Because they aren't worth mentioning.

[ed. tBoW has been sitting on this post for well over a month as he has instead chosen to rave like a lunatic about Argentina wines. In the meantime tBoW has been scooped by a May 5 LA Times Op Ed piece [click here for your own hard copy] confirming everything Dotoré claims to be true. Both are companions to a January 2008 LA Times article [linked here] in which Adam Tolmach echoes the same theme then reveals he cannot drink his own overblown wines!!]

Drove up to Avila Beach on Friday and stopped in Los Olivos for lunch. Found a great place that is not to be missed--The Sidestreet Cafe. Very ambitious chef who aspires to have his restaurant be the opposite of that fussy little place on the Main Street (you know the one...Miles got drunk there and called his ex). Hearts of Romaine dipped in warm olive oil with balsamic/bleu dressing--sounds awful, but tasted delicious--and an order of sublime Paella split between us. Mrs. D. had a glass of local Sauv Blanc, D. had a local Pinot. Don't ask what they were, because I can't remember and it doesn't matter.

Dinner in Pismo at the Cracked Crab. A bucket of crab, shrimp, lobster, sausage, potatoes (how do you spell that anyways, Dan Quayle?) and corn on the cob is dumped on the table along with implements of mass destruction and you go to town. All was fresh, delicious, and the Sancerre not only tied everything together, but I gladly paid the $10 corkage as opposed to the $30 price for a local $8 white.

Next day drove to Paso. Visited Edward Sellars tasting room in town and bought the obligatory bottles of Grenaché Rose to make the missus happy. 15% alcohol. 2% residual sugar. Yecch! (Any man out there that hasn't bought a stupid bottle of wine for his wife just to avoid the argument hasn't traveled with his wife to a winery. Just ask our Editor how many bottles of overoaked, overpriced and utterly useless Chard he has bought for his wife over the years.) [ed. shrugs weakly and sighs at the nakedness of this truth] Again, had a great lunch. An absolute must meal is Artisan. Wife had shrimp/pasta (how girly!), and I had home-made corned beef, Gruyere, and pickled cabbage on grilled rye (how manly!). No wine...just couldn't bring myself to do it.

The lovely Kendall (is that a wine name, or what!) at Ed Sellars referred us to L'Aventure to taste wines that she was certain fit my sensibilities. Boy, was she wrong. Talk about overpriced, overextracted, over-alcoholic, undrinkable wines (at least as those of us with U20 taste believe). Most telling statement from the pourer: "Hey. It's 100 degrees in the day and 50 at night. This is the way the wines are going to be." Drove up to two other tasting rooms, looked at the lists and left without tasting. Went to the tasting room around the corner from the hotel, tasted only one of eight wines (horrible Pinot Grigio--just what the world needs!), and gave up on Central Coast wines entirely.

Had the Rochioli that night in San Luis Obispo. Restaurant very good, not great. "Something Blue".

So here's my point: I maintain that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make world-class wines in the Paso Robles area. Climate just won't allow it. Unlike Oregon, Sonoma, Napa, or even Santa Barbara County, where the differences in expression of the grapes, be they Cab, Pinot, of Chard, are STYLISTIC, there is enough latitude for the winemaker to craft his wine and create his/her vision.

I don't believe this is true with the current Central Coast wines. If it is impossible to create wines that are not approaching 15% alcohol (or, most often, above), and then have to sell them for $30, $40, $75, who needs them? They will, in my opinion, ALWAYS pale in comparison to their brethren grown in the indigenous soils of France, Italy, or Spain, where they have flourished for centuries. And, by the way, sell for half of what you'd pay for Central Coast wines.

Bottom line...Paso is a nice place to stop for lunch, without wine, on the way to anyplace else that grows wine.

[ed. would it be trite to say touche' my freng?]

Here is a wine Dotoré would like because it has qualities not found in Paso wines HOWEVER it is more than a shade away from other wines from this region he and I have enjoyed in the past.

BEWARE STEPFORD WINES!! (this ain't one but forewarned is forearmed).

2005 Vietti Barbera d'Asti Tre Vigne $15: Lush, fruity, much more so than Barberas of recent memory, at least years in a dog's life and, after all, don't most wine snobs bear more than a casual resemblance to a lazy pooch? Vietti has always been a kind of forward looking winery from the Piedmont. And Baroli have definitely moved in the direction towards fruit-forward and away from Slovenian oak styles tighter and more monstrous than the Bush White House (in the good Rove years). What happened to the local vin du pays Barberas? Gone with the Dolcettos to a place where people want fruit forward and food friendly. It ain't Parker but it is kind of close. At $12/bottle I am sure you won't mind if I help myself to another pour. 13.5%