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

Please take a look at David McMillan's youtube video that got picked up by the LA Times a couple weeks back. David is wonderfully talented and pretty dang funny. And I happen to know he likes wine and stogies. Don't tell his grandma.

Mouse sent some wine picks under or around $20. Mouse is the King of sub-20 wines. He begged me for years to try grenache blanc. Being a pinot apostle at the time naturally I thought he was silly. Cute. And here he is again suggesting any white blend from southern France. Believe him. I have a couple photos I took in a snooty LA wine shop yesterday of their sub-$20 wines. We are a movement!!

Southern France - the Languedoc and surroundings - is my #1 wine destination. When we visited in 2000 it was impossible to spend more than $10 on a bottle of local grenache/syrah/mourverdre etc. All wines are blended with distinctive styles. The Languedoc used to be the bottom of the French wine barrel 20 years ago. A favorite claim-to-fame is there was such an ocean of plonk coming out of the region they used to sell it off as fuel.

Wine meets golf idea: I am thinking that it might be fun to try and draw some correspondence between the ridiculously hard Oakmont course and wines that are equally tough to love. Example - the absurdly long 288 yd par 3 8th hole. Think excess without a point. Think only accessible to the biggest hitters. Is this not a metaphor for Screaming Eagle, Harlan and other similar trophy wines? What is the point of going to all the effort to be distinctive when after all is said and done you either make par or you don't. Or the Oakmont Brazil-waxed (thank you Mr. McCord) greens. Analog to wines so impossible to approach and at the same time so consistently the same (no flats, all slopes) I wonder if Robert Parker was on the design team.

Send your thoughts.

July 4th is a big holiday and this year the 4th is a Wednesday which means no working Thurs and Friday! You want to get your rose' wines and your Moscatos on chill and ready for sipping 'round the pool, spa or bath. If you have never had a sip of Moscato d'Asti please think about it before plunging over the falls. This is a white Italian wine from Piemonte with a slight spritz. The good ones are mind-bendingly easy to swallow...like soda pop. With alcohol around 7% and flavors of peach, honey, lime and mo mo mo you will drink the entire bottle in 30 minutes.

By the way, before we get to the wines, get thee to the North Berkeley website. It is outstanding. I write alot about Kermit Lynch's taste and selections and how terrific is his palate and offerings. However, his website is strictly flapjacks. Not that he needs to be any more fanciful. I just know he could show more about what he likes and does - read his book "Adventures on the Wine Route" and you will get my point. And sign up for the NB email list.

2005 Trenel Chiroubles $15 (Robt. Chadderdon selection): This is the wine that got us started on restricting wine purchases to under $20. The 2005 vintage in Beaujolais was highly touted and has turned out to be pretty darn goot. DokkerM and I have purchased '05s from multiple sources (Kermit, NB, Whole Foods, Woodland Hills Wine Co -WHW, K&L H'wood) and they never disappoint. Sometimes they delight. This is the wine touted to us by Steve at WHW a year ago. It is still great. Medium to light weight. Still showing some tannin. Black cherries, perfectly balanced. A Williams Selyem of Beaujolias. How can you not love it? Need to get more if Paul Smith still has some. Never saw it anywhere else. Also bought the Morgon but have not opened it.

1996 Elio Altare Barolo (from the cellar): Took it to a (Provencal) restaurant. Altare is one of the top producers in Barolo. Another example if you have never tried a Barolo... The 1996 vintage was spectacular. The 1997 got more press which goes to show you should always try to get more info than what is available thru the wine industry. The flavor/nose combo for Barolo is "tar and roses". Great Baroli have that. This did not and it was still great. I have tasted Baroli that do. It did have red cherry flavors, medium weight, great depth of flavor that dawdled on my palate like my wife getting ready to go out. The 1996 vintage is fruity, although less so IMO than the 1997. 1996 has more stuffing. I am sitting on another case or so of mixed labels. Had the 1996 Alessandria a month ago (also wonderful) that let me know the vintage is ready for consumptive intentions. So, you might ask the obvious question...how does it stack up to those '05 Beuajolais? I will defer to you.

2005 Garnacha de Fuego old vines $8: A Jose Ordonez selections wine with cool packaging, fire licking up the label like the intro to a Latin movie about "the romancia". Ordonez is a hot importer. Column forthcoming on hot-shot importers. Unfortunately, this time we had a dud. Cloudy in the glass (not tossed around it's been on my bar for weeks) and jukki in the mouth. Spit it out asparagus and week old pancake mix. I had several bottles this past winter and enjoyed each one. Nothing spectacular but I wouldn't throw it out of my cellar either. For $8 (of bottles stored well) you could do a wedding up right. Bad lot? Most likely. Open one before you buy a case.

2005 St Supery Napa Cabernet $25?: This was the other dinner wine that had to stand up to the Altare Barolo, hardly a fair fight. I had the waiter ice it down and it came out cool. Fruity, cab flavors, without wood and cedar flavors or nose. Tasted very nice. St. Supery is the kind of Napa winery I like to visit but I would never buy wine on premises. They are too widely distributed. I like to visit because their tasting charge is not $40 and their wines are well made. How many cabs are in my cellar? McKenzie-Mueller new releases, and a couple older bottles by Togni.

I gotta go find some Moscatos...

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.

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.

With a double bar/t mitzvah in Palo Alto (Papa Ricolini vogues Tevya at reception) we saw the opportunity to extend a few days and hit Napa as long as we were so near. A trip to Napa is always mixed for me...at least at the outset. Visiting with good friends is a plus. But given the pure wine-country choice I would prefer to visit almost anywhere else like Paso Robles or even better Walla Walla.

Napa is silly. Take the tasting rooms...please. [apologetic link to Henny Youngman insult machine] In Napa they have tasting galleries. U20 wines? Not in Napa no way no how. It costs at least $20 just to taste wines in the galleries. The Del Dotto Gallery demands $40 and they keep the glass. And they are hardly the exception. If you plan on tasting at Del Dotto, Stags Leap and Opus in the same day bring a couple hundies...for the privilege of sipping and spitting in a bucket. The way I get around the over-the-top silliness of Napa is to make sure I visit Carneros first. Which means a visit with McKenzie-Mueller.

Fall paints brilliant colors which are wonderful to look at in the wine country light. I did not get a single picture but I do keep the memories of blazing orange, scarlet and brown vineyards.

Karen McKenzie greeted us and we got right to tasting. All prices reflect M-M Wine Club 25% discount. She poured wine on their tasting table...in the same warehouse (OK, very large garage) where they make and store the wine. Bought every wine reviewed.

2006 McKenzie-Mueller Sauvignon Blanc ~$18: She said this wine came from vines that they had tried to convert ("t-budded") to red varietals. Some the vines produced SB anyway! So they bottled a very small amount of very fresh, minerally and not at all grassy SB. Like a Sancerre.

2005 McKenzie-Mueller Clan Rose ~$14: 63% cab franc makes for a brawny pinky.

2004 McKenzie-Mueller Pinot Noir $~$26: Deep almost caramel nose. Deep red robe. Fruit forward, elegant. The thing about Bob's pinot is that you would not mistake it for Sonoma, Napa or Santa Rita. He gets the Carneros smoke and slightly briny fruit far better than other Carneros producers. Outstanding. Biggest purchase.

2002 McKenzie-Mueller Merlot ~$26: Bob makes the best and the best value merlot. Five years in bottle and completely fresh. Another deep wine with seductive aromas of blackest cherry. Spectacular.

2003 McKenzie-Mueller Cabernet Franc ~$26: Of the three reds we bought this was the least spectacular. Which is like saying Lana Turner was not quite Marilyn Monroe. Or James Coburn was not quite Clint Eastwood. More narrow flavor profile and still kicking it good. We purchased.

The McKenzie-Mueller presentation never disappoints. I need more of these wines!

On the way to Napa we spent an overnight in The City. I will not bore you with my appraisal of all the ways SF is so much cooler than LA. The restaurants with their intelligent wine lists is one reason. Here is what we tasted at SPQR, the new A16 installment in Pacific Heights on Fillmore. You can order a 3 ounce taste, a 6 ounce glass or a 375 ml carafe of any of the 32 wines on the list. Is there one LA restaurant that has even considered this policy? Lou (Dottore' suggestion) may be the closest LA has to this enlightened of a wine policy. I am showing the price on the wine list which you have to figure is a 100% markup from what you might pay retail.

First the white wines...

2004 Emmanuele Scammarca 'Murgo' Nerello Mascalese Brut, Sicilia $49: Toasty nose. Tiny bead. Dry flavor, pinot fruit, good acid and citric flavors in balance. Terrific.

2006 Ferrando 'La Torrazza' Erbaluce di Caluso, Piemonte $32: Neal Rosenthal selection. Creamy, oak on nose and in flavors. Vanilla and mineral going on. Find it, buy it. Has to be excellent value.

2006 Scagliola 'Casot dan Vian ' Chardonnay, Piemonte $37: Pale color. Sweet and salty flavors. Stick to Arneis.

2005 Di Giovanna 'G&K" Grillo, Sicilia $40: Resembles sauvignon blanc con grass.

And two reds...

2006 Castello di Luzzano 'Carlino Bonardo, Oltrepo' Pavese, Lombardia $36: Perfumed fruity nose. Flavor is cooked fruit like in a pie. A bit green. OK, not great.

2004 Di Giovanna Nero d'Avola, Sicila $34: Earthy nose, almost veggie, burnt charcoal-like. Sounds awful huh? Tasted great! Perfect BBQ wine. Even has BBQ tastes, rich and smoky. I would hunt this one down.

SPQR was a great stop. Dropped in at the Elite Cafe up the street before heading to Firefly in Noe Valley for a quiet dinner. We'll dine at Elite next time up.

Sunday night we dined at Uva in Napa. Great local spot. Food was excellent. Service unpretentious. Carlos brought wines.

1999 Clarendon Hills Shiraz Moritz Vineyard ~$128 online: This is the first Aussie shiraz I have actually enjoyed. Excellent balance, lush fruit. Ready to drink. Like a Carneros merlot crossed with Russian River pinot. Was worth the wait. Hmm. Could there be others this good?

2003 Donatella Cinelli Colombini Cenerentola Orcia ~$50: Tuscan blend of 65% Sangiovese and 35% Foglia Tonda (a once-cast-aside grape she is resurrecting) tastes more like Sicilian style than Tuscan. And no cab so it tastes nothing like a super Tuscan. Or her highly regarded Brunello. Have had this before also from Litos' cellar. Tannic, like-able, good cherry flavor. But tannic. Keeper. Stylized label represents...Italian woman with 3 names? Cerentola translates to Cinderella. Her press suggests she is kinda cool.

Monday we awakened to a gorgeous Napa day. By this time Carlitos and Alice are in tow. There is no sense getting in the way of the irresistible force that is Carlos. We headed directly to Sterling Winery. I know what you are thinking...Sterling? The winery with the tram ride? I will tell you we spent three hours there being served by Sigrid in the VIP Room tasting the best wines Sterling has to offer. And they were excellent. Among the big Napa/Sonoma producers - Mondavi, Beringer, Simi, Kendall-Jackson, BV - I favor Sterling. Now that Sterling is owned by Diageo they no longer produce a Winery Lake chardonnay. Acacia (another Diageo property) produces the Winery Lake since Acacia is the "single vineyard" property in the minds of Diageo marketers. Having just finished reading the Mondavi book (read review here) I understand the importance of positioning product up and down the price ladder. And Acacia in a word? Unimpressive.

But Sterling...and Sigrid...what a great afternoon. Retail prices at the winery listed. Enterprising folks (such as Carlitos) can do better.

1998 Sterling Cabernet Reserve $100: Wow. And I am not a cab fan. And 1998 is an "off vintage" for Napa. Extended rains in Spring delayed bud break all over the valley. But this wine was special. Tobacco, cedar in nose and flavors. Velvet smooth, all integrated, black cherry fruit. Not listed for sale.

2001 Sterling Reserve Merlot $75: Not listed. Vanilla flavors. Sweet. Too much for my taste.

2004 Sterling Three Palms Merlot $65: Tannic, chocolate/coca flavors. Doughy nose. Dark red color. Needs time. 14.2%

2001 Sterling Three Palms Merlot $60: Spicy, mint nose. Lusty wine, mocha flavors, beautiful. 13.5%. Winnah. Pay the front line! A great contrast to the McKenzie-Mueller style. Not listed for sale.

2004 Sterling Vineyards Reserve $45: Bordeaux blend sourced throughout Napa Valley (i.e., Diageo properties). Earthy, cab/merlot/petit verdot. Everything I find boring in Napa cabs.

2001 Sterling Red Carpet Reserve $100: Not listed for sale. Bordeaux blend bottled for the Academy's Oscar party. Nose is integrated. Balanced flavors, shoe polish flavors I associate with Bordeaux blends that are mostly cab and merlot. The pitch is make your friends who watch the Oscars with you feel special. I would rather watch Dog the Bounty Hunter than the Oscar show. Actually I would rather watch Beth. Now she is in perfect balance.

2003 Sterling Diamond Mountain Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon $65: No sooner do I open my big mouth about boring cabs then I fall in love with this fabulous wine. Mint nose, intense mountain fruit, lush package all round. This wine would be tempting at full retail. At the price we paid it is a very good buy. 13.5%

Diageo seems to have improved things at Sterling. The marketers have not run roughshod over the winemakers. There are only a few mega-players like Diageo and, together, they own an important proportion of the valley. But don't ask me. Ask the staff who all seem very happy and were exceptionally helpful and courteous. Sterling Winery - worth the visit.

And then there were three more wines...

Monday night we dined at Redd in Yountville. This is high-ticket fancy-pants joint. Even though it is major frous-frous I must compliment the staff on their top-of-the-line service. We were a difficult party arriving 30 minutes early and asking to be seated if something opened up. It did. They offered but we were not quite ready. When we did get to our table we were unhappy with it so back to the bar we went. They set us up in a better location in a few minutes. Unashamed, we lobbied hard to open a bottle we had brought that was also on their list. A no-no. However, the maitre'd Adam graciously assented.

The Redd decor is elegantly spare with a backlit mirror along the rear wall. Even our waiter Misty was spare. I wish I had her photo. Thin, pale. The wait staff uniform is black shirt, pants and tie. A black and white houndstooth full length apron provides contrast. Misty - who was exceptionally competent - completed the look with jet black hair, pale pale skin, round black earrings and no lipstick. How perfect is that? Prices not posted since they are ridiculously over-the-top.

1999 Roederer Cristal: We actually had this at the hotel before heading out. Golden color. Small bead. Lemon flavors. Not toasty at all. Clean and rich.

2004 Opus One: I think Opus is better since going on its own sans Mondavi. The 04 is round, balanced with lots of merlot. That is a good idea. The website is a total pain.

2000 Joseph Phelps Insignia: Insignia has always been an idiosyncratic wine. Mesmerizing; like watching "a snail crawl across a razor's edge". I go back to 1985 with it. Minty to a fault. Showing characteristic mint flavor. Narrow band of flavors. angular. Intense and focused. This 7 year old wine is quite muscular. Think Tommy "Hit Man" Hearns. It will knock you out.

Until next time.

Along with great meals, close friends, good cheer and all of that...holidays at the end of the year should include giving to others. Many have their favorite charity and many do not. Please check out my good friend's website www.givr.us and sign up to give something to someone you never knew existed but who you also know can use your help. The site is a networking center that connects those who want to give to those organizations that give to those in need.

Happy Turkey Day!! 386 years and counting of stuffing the bird and ourselves!

Here are a couple of recently tasted wines that probably will not make it to the celebratory dinner table. My list of wines that will are at the bottom.

1997 Dante Rivetti Bricco de Neueis Barbaresco: Not a U20 wine ever. However, it got into my cellar somehow (I am pretty sure it was a K&L purchase). Barbaresco is known for producing premium nebbiolo as in Barolo with the aging potential but without the brute muscularity of Barolo. Barbaresco is "feminine" in style. I always feel like Jeff Garlin when I write this. Feminine versus masculine? In wine? Silly? No...useful. Let's bring up an important question every wine aficionado faces sooner or later. Do you prefer wine older or younger? Masculine or feminine? Luca Brasi tells Marlon Brando "gawdfadda may your first child be a masculine child". Wine goes well with imagery. You will enjoy it more if you embellish it (true for many things). If the development of a wine were plotted on a curve it would look like some kind of parabola. Some wine writers like to refer to a wine as being in some developmental stage like adolescence, young adult, octogenarian, and the like. Once you set a model in your own mind you can begin placing wines as you drink them on that curve or in that stage of life. You might find, as I did, that I prefer a wine in its young maturity, like a 35 to 45 year old person. Still vibrant without the youthful blush. Exceedingly thoughtful and definitely capable of surprise. Muscular or sinewy. Charming without being nostalgic. These are wines before the crest of the curve. They are not yet in the descending plateau of middle age (45-55). We could go on and on, conjuring images of people who we liken to our favorite wines. Send in your thoughts. I definitely do not find wines advancing in age to be very interesting. They require too much support. I would not say this about older people (like myself!) but it is true that aging can bring many more disappointments beyond rescue. So it is for me with wines beyond the crest of the curve. Parabolas, people, gangster movies, find a metaphor and work with it! This 10 year old Barbaresco was browning at the edges with age. Weight is fine. Fruit is good with the pressed roses and minerality. I thought about the 1996 Ruchottes Chambertin recently tasted and considered how similar are these two wines. Both past their prime yet still stitched together like a fine ladies purse from the 19th century. The Barbaresco even had some baked bread on the nose. Otherwise the nebbiolo was like they say, textbook, and Dotore' picked it out right away. Barabrescos do age faster as a rule and they are not the same in depth as Barolos. This wine is more than ready to drink. I really should not wait too much longer...and I will not.

2003 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon ~$25: Bought this at the winery which
means we paid top dollar (>$25). Not my pick so that means you-know-who (she who cannot be resisted) had to have it. I did not find the wine interesting on site and I did not find it interesting with veal chops and mushrooms, lovingly prepared by you-know-who, which is a dinner this wine should complement perfectly. Justin is the premier cabernet grower and producer in Paso. I think Paso is not and never has been (e.g., HR Mountain Ranch) good cab country. Even though Justin does the best job of it (there are other collectible cab blend wines from Paso) and sells a lot of wine and has a very nice winery that should be on your tour...I just am not fond of their products. So bully for me. There are plenty of folks who love Justin wines, think my opinions suck, and I am glad for them. This wine had a tinny high acid flavor and not much of a nose. The fruit had a touch of veggie which is typical of Paso Robles cabernet (and Santa Barabara, too, as long as we are calling out regions where certain grapes just do not flourish). 14.5%

2005 Blaunfrankisch Burgenland $22: Not sure what to make of the producer as it appears to be a cooperative effort among Austrian producers. However, the wine is easy to appreciate. Blueberries, cool weather fruit. Some pepper but not sharp or tart. Nicely made wine. Easily the most fruit forward Austrian red I have tasted. Something like being the most flamboyant CPA. Blaufrankisch is a popular grape for Central Europe wine regions. Perhaps related to Gamay which we like mucho.

2002 Clendenen Family Vineyards Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Petite Verdot $24: Bought this at the Wine Cask Santa Barbara Futures Tasting in 2004. Wife picked it out and she made a great choice. Fruity spicy nose. Red berries in flavor. Cranberry and raspberry. Some sharp acid. Robust. Has aged well and will continue to. An unusual bottle but then Jim Clendenen is not exactly shy about trying something different. Only 100 cases so this bottle would be difficult to locate.

Now here is the Best of Wines thanksgiving day wine lineup. I will be toting the following wines north to the home of Uncle Alan and Aunt Betsy in hopes these humble gifts will complement her home cooked turkey and Kirkland lasagna!!

REDS
2004 Cote de Tablas
1997 Dante Rivetti Barbaresco
2000 Parador
something I buy at Kermit Lynch and/or North Berkeley

WHITES
2005 Domaine de la Motte Chablis Premiere Cru Le Vigneau
1990 Prince Poniatowski Aigel Blanc Mouelleux Vouvray
2006 L'Uvaggio di Giacomo Vermentino

DESSERT
last minute decision drawing from a nice batch of California stickies

It's Christmas Eve as I write this. The Godfather is on, everyone is chillin'. Tomorrow is the big party. Tamales, honey-baked ham. Mama's lasagna and many U20 wines from Dar-dee's cellar and those of our guests. So I want to get these notes down in advance since there will be many more tomorrow...I hope. We opened these wines over the past week, some with company and some on our own. All in all, a very nice group...of wines.

How about this 2007 photo of a Piemontese La Morra vineyard? My cousin's 12 year old son took it. Think he will learn to enjoy wine? I think so.

2004 Chateau Graville-Lacoste ~$16: This is why you have to love Kermit Lynch. He brings in wines like this one that are top flight and low price. Graves is my preferred Bordeaux region. The wines are "gravelly" which, to me, means more stony, dry, mineral-like. Read a review on how this wine reflects Graves here. The price/quality ratio is outstanding. Delightfully citric, lemon peel, some grassiness. Perfect acid balance. Dry, firm. 12% alcohol excuse me. A wine that knows what it is (semillon!).

2004 Page Springs Cellars El Serrano California Red Wine ~$30 in Arizona: Just off the main road to Sedona one will find the Page Spring Cellars winery that is devoted to Southern Rhone style wines. Now this is an interesting venture. They have planted estate Rhone grapes that will produce quality juice around 2010 (one can and does harvest at five years but it really takes 7 years minimum to produce decent juice). In the meantime they source Mourverdre, Syrah and more from Paso and eastern Monterey vineyards, some with 50 to 80 year old vines. This bottle includes Mourvedre, Syrah and "a touch" of Cabernet Pfeffer. The website is excellent and the winemaker is clearly a man of vision. Read about the intriguing Dos Cabezas (now Arizona) vineyard. Reminds me of Dave Corey's Alta Mesa property. The wine was light to medium weight, rusty red color. Nose is delicate with spice. Flavors are balanced, soft, seductive with the syrah in front. 14.7%. This winery is worth watching. Have I found a new wine club?

2002 MacKenzie-Mueller Merlot ~$30 (at the winery): Perfectly balanced to the point that it seems so simple. Why isn't every wine this easy to swallow and enjoy? Tasted this same evening with the Reynolds mega-cab. I consider this a question of Springsteen versus Bob Seger. One guy is an iconic genius loved by rock critics and millions of fans across the nation. The other guy just writes simple straightforward classic songs that rock. One guy belongs in an arena with thousands of fans flicking their Bics. The other guy (also named Bob) plays arenas but works best in a smaller venue with fans who love the music before the man. Who knows better? Who do you love? This merlot is simply excellent. Yikes 15%!

2002 Reynolds Family Stags Leap District Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ~$60 (at the winery): The Reynolds winery is located just outside Napa on the Silverado Trail. These guys make classic outstanding extracted Napa cab. Lovely and distinctive label of crushed heavy-weight tissue paper with an embossed sprig. Instant visual appeal. My son tells me this is a popular among attorneys for a holiday gift that demonstrates the gifter knows a thing or two about under-the-radar Napa cabs.< Which is something like preferring an Ulysses-Nardin timepiece over a Concord. Both are over-the-top silly and priced beyond defensibility. I'll take a Bell & Ross or U-boat when it comes to interesting and exciting wrist wear. This wine is like so many other extracted cabs, with some herbaceousness (herbocity?) I associate with elevated hilltop or hillside vineyards. It will surely be a hit among the cab crowd and will accomplish the objective of demonstrating what it means to be on the ascent when it comes to the Napa clique. 14.7%

The next two wines are from the Rioja Alta which is in northern Spain on the way to Navarra and the French border. Basque country is north of Alta Rioja by which I mean to say this is not the Spain you might expect. This is premium wine country where Tempranillo is king. This is not Ibiza or Mallorca. Not Valencia or Granada. This is premium centuries-old Spanish wine country. I have toured by car and would return in uno minuto Nueva Jorca. Here is an informative and well-written history of the region.

1994 Roda I Reserva: This is a 20 year old Spanish winery from the Rioja Alta. The winery is big boutique in tone, producing 7500 cases in 1994; 83% Tempranillo and 17% Garnacha (Grenache). This vintage is lovely and at 13 years age it has matured nicely. Tannins are folded in, fruit is fleshy but firm. The overarching tasting notes for Roda I from the Bodegas Roda website describe "The deep, dark, black fruit is almost always dominated by plum aromas together with mineral and chocolate notes, balsamic flavours...: I do taste balsamic and the mineral qualities in this vintage. Of the two vintages this is preferred. But, yaknowhat? I would not buy this wine again. Read what someone else thinks about the winery here. 13.5%

1996 Roda I Reserva: I finally get to write about an important topic in wine making and tasting...brettanomyces. This wine has a level of brett that is noticeable in the nose and taste. What is it? You can read about what is brett is in the wikipedia reference above. However, what does it taste like? The flavor is thickening And for me the sensory anchor is shoe polish. Good old fashioned Kiwi black shoe polish. The flavor is distinctive something like 70% plus cacao. Dense, heavy, narrow in bandwidth. Not at all complex. I opened both wines to taste side by side. Three days later I ended pouring both into the same glass. Definitely helped the 1996. 13.5%.

Palates differ...kind of like opinions. WRONG. Differences of opinions are never beyond examination. And like opinions, palates change. One's wine palate evolves over time as experience with wine broadens. One of the great things about wine is that there are so many wines to choose from. So many regions to get to know. This is one reason why it is a shame to follow ratings. Better you find a reviewer whose taste is a good match for your own. This match will change over time but it beats picking the 94 pointer believing the bottle holds 94 points.

When I first met Joe a few years ago he was into the big trophy wines. Times have changed and he is now a strong follower of Paso wines. Me too! But our palates could not be further apart.

Joe is an avid supporter of anything he stands behind or loves. This makes him a great guy to have on your team...or to be on his team. However, in wine we learn to follow our own path.

Joe likes wines that are chewy and jammy and knockyersoxoff. Sounds like big cabs. I like femmy, middle to light weight with more delicacy or even a crude presentation long as it is well-meant (like the Charles Neal Bugey Gamay covered a while back). So when Joe started pulling corks I had to take it slow and easy. That is correct. I did not say no to any wine he poured.

Fortunately, I did bring a new aerator product called the Vinturi. This was test-the-device night. Very effective for taming some of the monsters that stalked Joe's table.

2002 Alban Tithings ~$70: Grenache and Syrah blend from John Alban, one of the original Rhone Rangers. It is big, ripe, jammy, new world. There is chocolate and charcoal in the mid-palate and finish. Dense wine. Supposed to ape Chateauneuf? Alban makes "normal" Rhone blends. No tricks. We like that...with exceptions, of course. Normally I would link you to Alban's vwebsite...except it is just one page with a generic Alban label!

1997 Cafaro Cabernet Sauvignon $100+ today: This is a collectors label affordable to the masses. I guess that is good. The wine is nicely balanced. It is soft but not flabby. Very nice Napa cab. We aerated just to see. Shoe polish nose emerges. This is not bad for me. Much more dark fruit in smell and taste post-aeration. Now here is the funny part. In the company of some very big wines this was the lightweight!! I am posting the Cafaro label even though I do not for a moment believe there is a wine drinker out there who has not seen it or is not familiar with the distinctively simple and appealing label.

2003 L'Aventure Estate Cuvee $85 sold out: A blend of 66% Cab Sauvignon, 28% Syrah and 6% Petite Verdot. Ohmigod. Smoky tannic. Dark dark dark flavors. Real dark. Aerated it. Kept thinking of the croc guy. Syrah nose and flavors emerge. Actually dominate the cab. Cocoa bar. 75% cacao bittersweet. Not dirty yet. The cab fruit is there. The Syrah supports it after awhile. Jammy and chewy like chocolate beef jerky dipped in BBQ sauce. I am no longer able to drink wines like this.

Here is a great article on L'Aventure from Grape Nutz which is a terrific wine blog I often consult.

I am now plotting wine payback for Joe. This summer I will get him over to the house with Dotoré and Mouse where we will have our best shot at overpowering him with middle and light weight wines. We will make him drink some of Mouse's white Rhones along with my 2005/2006 Beaujolais crus. We will do our best to tame the Joe, settle him down, give him time to think about the Magic Chef and Hallowed Ground. He will probably hate our wines. He can scour my cellar for big Cabs or inky Syrahs and he may find one or two. That's when we hit him with the French peen-yoh nwarr. Joe does love Rosés so we will be able to bring him back from the brink of the unfamiliar because summer time is Rosé time (along with Moscato d'Asti and BBQ). Beautiful. You see, with sincere wine folks there is always a happy medium (domestically speaking). [ed. Joe kindly agrees to pose with love-child of Sir Laurence Olivier and Shelley Winters on New Years Eve.]

Just flew in from Buenos Aires and boy is my palate tired.

The 14 day tour took us to Buenos Aires, Iguazu and Mendoza. I tried to poo-poo Iguazu as just another tourist trap but I was WRONG. Here is a youtube vid with a Moby track that in a very small way captures the majesty of this must-visit site for those of you traveling to Argentina. I loved Buenos Aires and the falls but this is a wine blog so let me tell you about the wine country. That means Mendoza.

Mendoza is the the name of the city and province (e.g., Los Angeles city and county). For a city of 1.400,000 the place is pretty dang relaxed. The large province is geographically diverse which is very good for the wine. The weather in the city is ideal (end of summer this time of year in the 70s). There are purportedly 1,200 wineries in the estado. A winery that produces half a million cases like Salentein in Uco Valley is not unusual. A winery that produces 500 cs such as La Azul also in the Valle de Uco (pictured below) is also not unusual although it is apparent the larger wineries get the greatest exposure...for now.

The three wine principal growing areas surrounding Mendoza proper that get the greatest exposure are Lujan de Cuyo, Maipu and Valle de Uco. There are numerous micro areas within each. Think of Lujan de Cuyo as Sonoma, Maipu as Napa and Valle de Uco as...the Rockies with vinifera. Wine is also grown north of Mendoza in San Juan (out of the province) and south in San Rafael (warmer and in Mendoza province).

There are also a couple other important growing regions, Salta to the very north with its CafayateValley and Rio Negro in Patagonia to the very south. We will discuss these regions in subsequent reports. Especially since the most impressive winery in my view comes from Salta.

I will be writing several reports. They will focus on wine quality, regional style and value. This entry reports the wines I tasted at the Vines. Forthcoming reports include bodega touring including the incredible Uco Valley, availability of wines I liked in LA, and other wines tasted including many more Malbecs.

First an observation. Wineries in the region are well represented on the Internet. In fact, web-presence is somewhat formulaic featuring Flash with music and "visionary" dialogue. In town and on the ground, thankfully, things are not so cookie cutter.

We booked lodging at the Posada de Rosas over the web and crossed our fingers. This turned out to be very fortunate as our hosts were two very charming Americans (Ellen and Riccardo) in the travel business who provided endless touts on dining, shopping and touring. Their Posada is ideally located and quite comfortable.

[ed. Ellen and Riccardo share the very strong expectation that Mendoza wine touring is about to boom. The signs are everywhere.]

The Vines of Mendoza is emblematic of the Mendoza wine boom. This outfit is (1) a tasting room with nearly 200 local wines, (2) a wine store that ships to the USA (through their wine club Acequia), (3) the original and now former wine touring service, (4) a real estate business that sells 10 acre vineyard plots for wannbe vignerons, and (5) a vineyard management service for the buyers of their vineyards. Take a breath.

I am happy to say that the folks at Vines were extremely knowledgable and helpful; in particular Carolina Escudero, Pedro Cubillos and Mariana Onofri. Just to make my point about opportunities in the Mendoza wine scene, Ms. Onofri is a certified sommelier who left La Bourgogne to join the Vines staff. La Bourgogne is the highly regarded restaurant at the Carlos Pulenta bodega (take the bodega tour, skip the lunch at LB). Pulenta is one of the major players in Argentine wine. You would think a gig like that is worth hanging onto and certainly would trump working in a wine store. Except in Mendoza where being in the right place at the right time can make a career. And The Vines appears to be the right place right now.

I tasted nine wines at the Vines. You will see they ran a gamut in price, varietal and region which is exactly what I wanted for my get-to-know-you tasting. I paid $50 which some folks might think is kind of pricey for spitting wine, and in Mendoza it might be. I cannot make a comparison since tasting wine in Mendoza is not like California where tasting rooms are open to the public all day long. Of course, that is excluding Napa's tonier wineries where $40 is de riguer and you do not get to keep the logo glass. [ed. tBoW reviewed Napa in this Nov 07 column] Wine touring and tasting is by appointment in Mendoza. Even though there are other tasting rooms in Mendoza (e.g., Marcelino Wine Shop, see Ellen at Posada de Rosas) I only tasted at the Vines. Otherwise, tasting took place at dinner (only Argentine wines were ordered) or wineries. I will say dining in Mendoza was outstanding.

Prices are in US$. Exchange is 3 pesos to 1 dollar.

2005 Gimenez Riili Perpetuum $10: Sparkling Blanc de Blanc (Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir) wine from Maipu grapes. The winemaker/owner is a partner in the Vines. No alcohol or vintage. Toasty with oak notes. Walnut and green apple flavors. Really nice. I saved some for the end and lemon had emerged. 12.6%. Can we get this over here soon?

2007 Lurton flor de Torrontes $8.50: I am in love with Torrontes. I started drinking it the first chance I had when I ordered an Alta Vista Torrontes for dinner at Tomo 1 in BA. This is Valle de Uco juice. It is herbaceous with no oak. Feline character and viognier flavors. 12.5%. Not my style but I bet the Missus would have loved it.

2007 Lorca Viognier $13.50: Soon as I mentioned viognier, Pedro Cubillos, my server, brought one out. Salty nose. Very floral in the mouth. Also Valle de Uco fruit. 14%.

Time out. The photo at top is from Valle de Uco which is a region 100km south of the city. It is higher elevation, closer to the Andes and tends to produce higher tone fruit with more acid and more alcohol. Much of the big international $$ is going into Uco valley.

2007 Jose L Mounier Torrontes $5: The Vines staff love this wine. So do many other folks [ed. see Oct 07 SFgate article] so I am bucking the trend. Mounier is the winemaking veteran of Cafayate Torrontes which is the cradle of great Torrontes. His is a good story. After producing great Torrontes wines for others in the region he has opened his own small bodega (winery), small production (8,000 cs) with 25 year old vines. Except it is not my style. Full bodied, subdued nose, viscous wine. Floral nose but just too heavy for me. 13%.

Time out #2. Torrontes was described to me as a cross between Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat and/or Criolla. In fact, it is a cross between Muscat and Criolla Chico which is the Mission grape. It is not related to the Spanish Torrontes grape and aren't you glad we got that straight. It has weight (viscosity) which comes from Criolla. It has an herbaceous and/or floral nose which comes from the Muscat. However, I also tasted and smelled that distinctive Riesling petroleum component along with bright acids when made in a certain style. It comes on like a cross between a Ligurian white and a Saarburger Riesling (think Zilliken). In the least is a great summer wine. At best I think it can make a great white wine.

2007 Altosur Sophenia Sauvignon Blanc $12.50: Pedro strikes again. Mention Sauvignon Blanc and here it comes from the high altitude Finca Sophenia vineyard. Grassiness, grapefruit in the nose. What I would expect from SB. However, sexier bottom fruit. "What do you mean?" inquires Pedro. OK. the wine is weightier than I would expect. It has substance and elegance. This is from a 4,000 foot vineyard named Altosur in the Uco valley so it also has higher alcohol and acid. That's sexy isn't it? I would buy this.

2002 Carmelo Patti Cabernet Sauvignon $20: Pedro poured this with pride. Carmelo Patti is a beloved long-standing local winemaker from Sicily who remains independent and true to his family style winemaking methods. Production is 50,000 cs. of which 14,000 are Cabernet Sauvignon. With 6 years on it maturity was expected. The nose is exotic with black pepper and black olive. The aroma is not heavy or dominant like we often find in Napa cabs. Color is dark red brick showing some age. Flavor is acidic but balanced. Weight is light to medium. It is like a southern Italian wine, even Sicilian. Style is old world. 13.5%. Too bad I rarely drink Cabs. But you might.

, $45: This is the big ticket big rep wine of which there are many. The Familia Zuccardi label is the premium label for one of Argentina's largest (1.25 million cases) enterprises. Call it your Argentina trophy wine. Beautiful King's robe, regal red. Strong middle palate. Otherwise pretty boring...and over-priced (although "good value" for a trophy wine). 14.5%

2005 Bressia Monteagrelo $26: Finally a Malbec and a really good one. I think it is remarkable and indicative of the diversity among Argentine wines (and the knowledge of Mr. Pedro Cubillos) that I tasted 6 wines at the Vines before getting to a Malbec. And this was the one to taste first. Bressia is a bit of a mystery. The website is under construction and I am not sure where is the winery and I did not visit there (even though Ellen offered it just did not work out). However, there is no mystery about his wines which are roundly admired and recommended. This is his Malbec from the Monteagrelo vineyard. The nose was aromatic with berry notes. Distinct chocolate and cherry flavors. Good acid. Medium weight. Seductive. We need this wine here. 13.5%.

2003 La Azul Reserve $20: A blend of Malbec, Cab Sauv and Merlot from Flavia Monterolla in the Uco Valley. She is the rare woman winemaker and bodega owner. Production is 500 cs.

Posted by Bacchus on April 1, 2008 | Permalink