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

1994 Leroy Pommard Les Vignots about $200): Fuggedabout da price. First some catty background. Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy was drummed out of DRC, Burgundy's most coveted house. She focused on her own label Leroy with ferocity. That's it for the gossip. This link is much more informative. You can also read about the 1994 vintage in Burgundy here.. All this reading suggests the vintage was not that great but that great producers made great wine despite the climatic challenges. Reading also suggests Leroy has re-released many older wines of late making wines like this one available when they would otherwise not be available at all. As the fellow who introduced Dotore' and I to Burgundy said when we asked the price for the bottle of heavenly exotic flavors he had just poured "it's not a question of price, it's a question of availability". As for this wine...it was very interesting and wonderful. The difference between Tia Maria and Kahlua is the caramel in Tia Maria. This wine has that Tia Maria quality. The longer it was in the glass the more the caramel flavors emerged. Color shows aging. Nose was profound right at the start. No barnyard. Lean, sinewy. Attractive for a middle-aged gal just like the proprietress. I'm a chauvinist! I gottatellya it was harder finding a photo of the Madame than Adam Tolmach and that was near impossible.

1998 Franz Hirtzberger Smaragd Hochrain Riesling $18: "The hills are alive..." This is the Wachau Valley in Austria, close to Vienna. It is the most famous wine growing region in the Sudetenland. You may have read how I love Austrian and German Rieslings. This wine was an example of why. It is spectacular. Ripe green apples on the nose and in the mouth. Beautiful golden color. Weighty in the mouth. Clean and crisp. Like Irish Spring!! My wife, my daughter PeeWee and I tasted it. Even PeeWee's boyfriend had to sniff it. I think PeeWee finished it off. This is 10 year old Austrian Riesling at its finest. Hirtzberger is a top line producer and this is a great effort. Look at the family ferchrissake. Adieu! Adieu! To yu and yu and yu-u! 13.5%. Wish I had some right now. Check out their website. Even if you don't read German. Better yet, let's all go there next Spring.

1999 Ojai VIneyard Chardonnay Clos Pepe $27: This wine was a s#225B60 at this price. Got it at Wades Wines which is a local emporium for domestic wines. He also has some very nice champagnes (single vineyard) but he is primarily renowned for his California selection...which is outstanding and very fairly priced. Igottatellya (dontcha know people who talk like dis?) this wine is 8 years old and there is a ton of oak on it. Color is golden. Nose it subdued. The wine is not balanced but it is not out of whack either. Just oaky. The chard fruit is there. No California tropical flavors. More mineral. Clos Pepe and Cargassachi are two of the best vineyards in Santa Rita Hills and Adam Tolmach is a grand master of central coast wines. So this wine should be in perfect balance, right? Fortunately, Adam is very detailed and forthcoming about his wines and explains why it may not be. His own tasting notes are here. It is worth the effort to peruse Adam's website. I would say he is more candid on his website than in person. Here are his thoughts on winemaking. "I like to think I am the master of my own destiny. I have my vision of the ideal wine, and I know what to do to help insure I get the desired result. You obviously need great vineyards, low yields, and delicate handling of the wine in the winery". See my recent review of his 2001 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir. That wine was delightful. What happened with this 1999 chardonnay? I cannot say...but...unlike the 2001 Pinot Noir this wine does not make the hunt list.

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

Ed.: Mouse is a serious wine maven. He reports in from a recent run through Manhattan where he found some great and not so great white wines that in turn prompted several thoughts on white wines in general.

First, let's just get this out of the way. Burgundy represents the zenith of white wine. Riesling in its various forms may have a few delegates, but they would represent John Edwards in a summer convention. And maybe one renegade Viognier supporter. But the white burgs would win by a voice of affirmation. Deafening. Perhaps later we can go into Cote de Beaune in more detail, but for now, let's move on to the wines.

[ed. un moment my leetle rodent! Here is an excellent link to the winedoctor where he discusses Burgundy and Chablis!!]. . .Furthermore, I have posted a redundant map of France's wine regions in case anyone wonders where Burgundy sits.]

2000 Vincent Prunier Premier Cru St Aubin $15: Recently my man Mike at New England Beverage Mart in Orange, CT, alerted me to a $15 St. Aubin, an 2000 premier cru from La Chateniere from Vincent Prunier. Never had the vineyard, never heard of the producer. But for $15? A case later, it remains a deal of deals. All of the burg essentials are there - oatmeal, hazelnut, ripe pear and length, length, length. A close-out, of course, and comparable to ANY $40 bottle one would find. Two Strong Mice.

2006 Stadlmann Zierfandler $15: Now to the germanics. First, the $15 liquid glue from an Austrian producer named Stadlmann. Purchased in Manhattan at a lovely little store called Nancy's Wines on Columbus Ave. They specialize in wines others don't sell. Four German spatburgunders (pinot noir), for example. They recommended a BYOB Chinese restaurant and a varietal called zierfandler that was news to me. It should have stayed that way. For a Frederick Wildman import, coupled with Nancy's enthusiasm, I expected more. The food was spicy and we still didn't finish the bottle. This experience convinced me that Austria's brilliance rests on its Riesling. You can have the dry pepper Gruner.

2002 Weingut Prinz von Hessen Johannisberger Klaus Riesling Kabinett $8: But, ah, to the fairytale Rheingau to cap off this discussion. An $8 close-out from Weingut Prinz von Hessen: 2002 Johannisberger Klaus Riesling Kabinett. Well, tasted more like an auslese to me. Rich, minerally, sweet candied apples and a lovely viscous streak in the glass. Bottle for bottle, does anyone producer more consistently good wine than the peace loving 21st century Germans? 1.5 mice [ed. This winery is a member of Der Grosse Ring, the long-standing if somewhat mysterious mark of excellence in German wines]

1997 Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir: As Dotoré purges his cellar tBoW benefits. We opened his 1997 Richioli Riverblock at the last Super Bowl. Loved it. Fact is the wines from WS are best enjoyed in their youth. In my experience the Allen is among the slowest WS wines to come around. At 11 years this bottle is not spry but it still has some hops. Maybe not as spectacular as the Rochioli Riverblock but nothing to sniff at. Perfectly balanced. Showing some red brick color in the bowl. The first impression is how delicate. Like a dragonfly showing wonder and light. We can smell and taste the figs. "As good as California pinot gets" declares Dotoré [ed. obviously he is coming around to you position that WS trumps Rochioli in sheer pleasure which was originally noted by IGTY]. Yes, it is more fruit forward than Burgundies. Aren't all Calif Pinot Noirs? But only Williams Selyem has the candy. 13.8%

2005 Williams Selyem VIsta Verde San Benito County Pinot Noir: Contributed by IGTY. Unusual source prompts discussion about from how many vineyards WS sources their fruit. Where is San Benito County? Hollister, which you fellow Angelenos know is where they grow garlic and asparagus. This is inland farm country on the hottest stretch of the 101 freeway. Nevertheless, against all odds the wine is pretty nice. Has a deeper color than the Allen, but then it is 8 years younger. Rich, more dense flavor, and still delicate consistent with the WS style. 13.9%

2006 Siduri Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $24: The odd bottle from a highly reputable Pinot Noir specialist vintner. "37% Sonatera Vineyard, 31.5% Terra de Promissio, and 31.5% Hirsch Vineyard" which sounds like pretty good pedigree. Very different form the Williams Selyem wines. Earthy. Like a Gevrey is to a Volnay. Almost (but not quite) rustic. Liked it. Did well in this group. Very nice. 14.1%

2006 Paul Lato Larner Vineyard Syrah $60: Opened it first which was probably a mistake. Should have let it air out. Needed the time. Very intense and focused. Too big too soon. "Hot" with high alcohol. This needs to be aerated. It is a pricey wine but then when you fall in love... you do crazy things! Paul Lato wines are the only ones I am willing to buy from the region. I hasten to point out that Paul makes his Pinot Noir from Santa Maria which is like being on the Eastside of the 101 in Paso. He is now being sought as a winemaker by the premium growers in Santa Rita Hills. I do not blame him for charing premium. He makes so little and his winemaking style is absolutely right when it comes to working with SRH fruit. "The fruit is so muscular it does not need more muscle. I try to give it some grace and intelligence". Hell yeh. 80 cases. 15%

2005 Abbaye de Tholomies $14: Purchased at K&L Hollywood. Grenache based from the Languedoc. The village of Minerve and its historical tragedies at the hands of the Papal armies are documented in another post [ed. with photos of the "island" village]. This wine shows the hot and arid country surrounding Minerve. Highlands, up-river. Hardy country where head cut Grenache and Mourvedre grows well. The "story" is that the winery and vineyards were purchased in 1980s by a surgeon obsessed with quality. Dark red color. Sweet high toned fruit with plenty of backbone acid. The mIssus would call it thin. Call it sinewy, muscular like a dancer (not a gymnast or a diver). [ed. tBoW concedes a lone Olympic reference] Good hot dry fruit. We have happily witnessed the resurgence of Languedoc wines in the past decade. Now will this make me forget Tablas Creek or Gauby? No. But for $14 I can forget a lot of overpriced cabs and red burgs. 13.5%

1995 Weinlaubenhof Alois Kracher Grande Cuvée TBA #12~$80: Not a U20 but a wine probably worth the splurge if you like sweeties. Fantastically delightful and delicious dessert Riesling blend from Kracher. At 13 years there is plenty of time to enjoy this wine. We had it with a cheese plate that matched very well. ..and coffee. Topped off another great meal at Palate. Sommelier Steve Goldun says this vintage is the last of Kracher's more acidic Kracher sticky styles. Apricots, apples, just enough acid to keep it firm. Most amazing...only 12%

It has been 13 years since tBoW visited Portland and the Willamette Valley. We made two day trips into the Valley touring McMinnville and the Dundee Hills. Here is a map of the AVAs in the valley. Link here to the Willamette Valley Wineries website.

We visited about ten wineries including Domaine Drouhin, Rex Hill VIneyards, Torii Mor Winery, Brickhouse Vineyards, and Lange Winery.

Drouhin was impressive on both construction choices and wines. The winery is set on a hillside to enable gravity flow at each step in the winemaking process. The female winemaker is a family member who, we were told, would not be permitted to act as director of winemaking in Burgundy. The Drouhin wines were pricey.

The setting at Brickhouse was magical. Doug Tunnell, the proprietor and winemaker is an early biodynamic farmer. His vineyards were remarkably cluttered with plenty of weeds and flowers between the rows. We went to Oregon to taste and buy Pinot Noir. At Brickhouse we bought Chardonnay. Even then tBoW was losing his taste for New World Chard, but the palate does not lie. The Brickhouse chard - his premium Cuveé de Tonneliere - was thick and oily without the tropical scents and flavors common to California versions. In fact, it was Burgundian. [ed. "Burgundian" is the highest Pinot praise possible].

When tasting wines the setting can significantly enhance and confuse the experience. And at Brickhouse the sun lowering on the horizon surely influenced our decision making. [ed. special thanks to Jean Yates of Avalon Wine Company in Corvallis for the photo]. Our purchases were gone within 5 years and each bottle, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, was memorably good. The Tori Mar products were a ripe in the New World style. And Rex Hill seemed too large a facility to make interesting wine...at least those were the conclusions in 1995.

The fact is I rarely drink Oregon Pinot Noir. Or perhaps I do not drink enough Oregon Pinot Noir!Pricing is too often an issue. Another producer with attractive pricing is Evesham Wood in the southern end of the valley. Their wines seem to be more firm, even stiff like a Calvinist preacher. However, after popping the Lange Winery magnum purchased on that trip I am ready to get re-acquainted with Oregon Pinot Noir.

1993 Lange Willamette Valley Pinot Noir$70 (in 1995): Purchased at the winery. The wines seemed very well made. The magnum may have been sitting on the tasting room shelf for a year. The sommelier at Josies in Santa Monica pulled a cork that had done its job. The bottom was crusted black leaving a ring 10 cm high on the perimeter. Stored in the tBoW temp controlled cellar since 1995, the tight stained cork promised the wine was at least preserved decently. The color was dark brick red. The nose showed beets at first. There was the tiniest bit of volatile acidity for about 5 minutes. With 20 minutes air the wine began to open. The fruit was perfectly balanced. The beets converted to cherries with plums. The weight was light, delicate, balanced. This was truly exquisite. The fact this was 15 years old testified to what can happen in Oregon. The only issue is price point. The 2006 version is $22. That is a very good price. Winemakers Don and Wendy Lange also have single vineyards at $60 which would have to be very good to get tBoW to break the U20 prime directive. [ed. Dotoré recollects a Lange Reserve was top wine in a 1999 Pinot Noir tasting prompting a new Oregon hunt-a-thon]

This wine experience - busting open a 15 year old Pinot Noir that is outstanding in every way - is especially compelling given the recent belly flop by the two 1996 red Burgundies that anchored the King's Tasting. The only caveat is whether the fruit that went into this bottling may now be going into the current single vineyards. tBoW did contact Don Lange asking what might be expected of the 1993 vintage in mag. Lange said he had not had it in a couple years but that 1993 was an outstanding vintage. Well, congratulations to the Langes. This was rare and beautiful wine. The kicker? 12.5%

2000 Domaine de Bonserine Cote Rotie Les Moutonnes $50: Syrah wine from the Rhone. Rich and not showing any age. Juicy but no extracted. Quite fruity. Purchased at new Wine Cask in town. Matching it up to 2001 Croze Hermitage reviewed in the August 30 post. Another winner. Nice work from the buyer at the Cask. 13%

2001 Salomon Undhof Kremser Koegl Riesling Reserve $40: Steve Goldun of Palate Food & Wine [ed. LA's best and most wonderful restaurant for wine lovers] poured the Austrian Riesling and stopped the show at our table. Given he had been bombing us with glasses, each something new, sometime familiar, this wine stood out like Obama at a Florida bingo tournament. It followed a Vouvray sparkler from Huguet, A Cabernet Rose from Saumur, and a recent vintage Chablis. Deep golden and afresh apricot nose with plenty of acid. It was outrageously interesting and delicious. One of those wines you know as soon as you taste it that you must try it again. Terry Theise Selection. 13%

2007 Vinho Verde Adamado $10: Produced by the Adega Cooperativa de Ponte de Lima of Portugal. This is the prototypical Latino summer white wine. Limoncello, lemonade, bright, acidic. THis is delicious wine but not for the faint of heart. If you mostly know white wine as buttery Chardonnay with tropical flavors then you will be shocked when you first sip this margarita mix. I tasted and bought it at Palate in Glendale. It is widely available around town. 10%

2006 Rex HIll Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $20: Ain't it great being humbled? tBoW pans Rex Hill for making too much wine to possibly produce anything decent and here it comes. Greg St Clair of K&L [ed. Greg told tBoW to stay at Da Felicin in Monforte d'Alba so ree-speck snap] said this was an honest everyday PN from Oregon, otherwise Oregon wines are not really in the personal rotation. The price is perfect and the wine is...worth another go round. Has that very nice blend of cherry fruit and soft smoke. No barnyard but plenty good Pinot muscle to take it out of the candy store. Very good. My apologies to Rex Hill and congrats on keeping the alcohol down!! 13.5%

2006 Sineann Oregon Pinot Noir $24: Cherry cola, blueberries, pretty ripe. Oregon shows Santa Rita Hills they have not cornered the market on overripe Pinot Noir. tBoW prefers a more restrained and high tone style but this does not exactly taste bad. With all the rich fruit you might consider this the poor man's Williams Selyem. 14.6%