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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not one of the three wines reviewed is under $20. Not my fault. And, as you will learn, I cannot say I regret it.

During these dog days of summer when the temps hit 100 in the LA industrial interior you need a really good reason to drive 50 miles one way just to see some old pals starting a new wine venture. As I passed the Commerce Casino on a stretch of freeway where trucks outnumber automobiles I considered what I was doing here...so far from my pool and bike trails.

I was on my way for lunch with old friend and wine biz veteran Greg Gilooly and his partner Alex Correa. Greg is like the Hoyt Wilhelm of wine, well traveled because he can still throw the drop ball. If Greg is the cagey vet, then Alex is Tom Glavine, the steady winner. Greg has been in every part of the business and more than once in each. Want to know more? Founding partner in the Wine House, arguably LA's biggest wine retailer. They carry everything you would ever want. He owned a distribution company, a wine shipping and storage and another more recent wine retail shop. Now he is back in the storage and shipping business with WineBridge. He graciously invited me to visit the facility in an industrial part of LA most people pass through. Seems like there are two trucks for every car on that stretch of concrete.

After we visited, toured the "airplane hangar" perfectly temp controlled, and talked about trucking strategies, it was off to lunch at ABC Seafood in Monterey Park. For those not from these parts Monterey Park is home to reputedly the finest Chinese restaurants west of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Like Grampappy Amos used to say ("Luke...") "no brag just fact".

I was pleased to see that Greg's sense of direction was as bad as mine. Neither Alex or I offered advice being content to roam until we ran into the place. DokkerM would call this the way of men or something like that.

There are so many ABC restaurants in LA I have to wonder if the same thing happens in China. This is stupid of course since I cannot read Chinese script and Chinese people will say anything just to laugh at how stupid I am. Dim sum at lunch as one would expect. So good I tried to engineer a "special" birthday brunch for the subsequent Sunday for my daughter's 20th. But she saw through my ploy and we ended up eating pizza.

2005 Sea Smoke Ten: Brooding, serious, medium weight, one of the main the reasons Santa Rita Hills are a hot area for growing and producing pinot noir. There are tea flavors but mostly ripe SRH fruit. Winemaker Kris Curran is one of the important names behind the wine. The Ten is the high end bottling from 10 different clones in the estate vineyard. OK. 14.9% alcohol. Yow. At least it doesn’t burn. I’m probably a wimp in the eyes of SRH winemakers. http://www.seasmokecellars.com/sections/our_wines/tasting_notes.html

2004 Vocoret Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru: When did I lose track of these wines? I used to love Chablis wines. I think I memorized the Grand Cru vineyards. Maybe they got too pricey (likely) and I just burned out on white burgs (not likely). This wine was once sold by Greg G around $15. Today? $XX. It is not in the flinty style often attributed to Chablis. Has lemon nuance, ripeness, neither plump or lean. Was 2004 a ripe vintage? Absolutely lovely. 2005 village wine is $15. The Blanchot will run you $40 (but it is Grand Cru). You can still buy Vocoret at Heritage Wines in Pasadena.

2000 Uvaggio Il Leopardo: The question is whether the wine is tired. It is California Nebbiolo made by Mr. Jim Moore. The wine has sat in my cellar for a week with temp controlled. It is brackish red in the glass. The nose is delicate, suggesting something aged but not retired. The flavor is aged Barolo, lighter, delicate, familiar flavors of rose and tar. Delicate. We start lunch with this wine and finish with it 90 minutes later, still charmed.

All three wines were excellent with the dishes of BBQ pork, broccoli, shrimp and some kind of shellfish dumpling. I selected cubes of bean curd with sesame flecks for desert. It tasted like sesame gelatin and looked like opaque pepper jello. It was terrific. When do we go again boys?

You may have noticed that "value" in wine is getting quite a bit of attention. A recent LA Times article expounded on the merits of various domestic and international wines which they considered to be good values, i.e., the U20 wines (under 20 bucks) we favor. The Wall Street Journal also recently (Sept 7) featured values in pinot noir.

We could not agree more with this reasonable fascination. We recognize trophy wines have their place as trophies that can play a very helpful role when entertaining and seeking to impress clients or anyone else whose favor is worth culling. I am being perfectly serious. However, we also know when it comes to enjoying wine for nothing other than the sheer pleasure of drinking and talking about wine...it's a great big world. Bully!

Here are four wines we tasted recently that cover the range from bargain to trophy.

2002 Ethan Santa Ynez Valley Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard $25: This was purchased in 2003 on futures at the Wine Cask Santa Barbara tasting. We do not go
anymore as the event dipped in quality and range of wines offered. It is actually an interesting story of how the leverage shifted from the Wine Cask to the winemakers. As the winemakers and their respective labels received more and more attention the winemakers began bringing fewer wines to the tasting where the cost of entry to them included a mandatory 25% discount (which encouraged attendance). The only way to get many of the top wines is to buy them through the winery mail list at full retail or with a nominal discount. Makes sense, no?

Ethan Lindquist is the son of Bob Lindquist, founder of and winemaker at Qupe. This bottle may be Ethan's first release of Purisima Mountain Vineyard. It was delicious. Profound bittersweet chocolate (65% cacao) flavors. Dustiness initially (soft tannins) faded within 15 minutes. Never faded throughout our meal. There was a companion tasting article in the LA Times that covered a couple other Purisima Mountain releases from SRH winemakers. This vineyard is regarded as one of the area's best. 14.5% alcohol which is typical for SRH. Ethan kept it balanced without pumping up ripeness. I doubt pricing for Ethan wines still begin with a 2!

2005 Clautiere Estate Viognier Paso Robles $20: I am not a big fan of viognier from any region domestic and abroad. The grape just does not thrill me. I have had the "legendary" and very expensive Chateau Grillet young and aged. Nnhh. This wine was nice enough. Came with the Clautiere club order. I like Clautiere wines. Great price points. Well made. I prefer their red blends which are traditional Rhone style. I really like that. But even Tablas Creek (California's best winery) makes duds. I would still recommend joining the Clautiere maillist (along with Tablas Creek), especially if you like costume parties and the bacchanalian debauchery.

2005 Trenel Moulin A Vent Tirage Limite $23: These are numbered bottles which means they are limited production. It is the fabled 2005 Beaujolais vintage. How much longer will we be able to find these wines in our local (and favorite mail order) stores? This is a cut above the ordinary 2005 wines from Beaujolais. More tannic backbone with just as much of the ripe Gamay fruit. This wine will keep for several years. In flavors it is closer to Barolo than Burgundy (its northern neighbor). A lean and sinewy wine (think marathon runner) that likewise does not give out.

1997 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru: Long term cellar dweller that I finally busted out for a special guest. This is highly sought wine for burg hounds. 1997 was a difficult vintage in Burgundy with intermittent rain. This means some grapes did not ripen enough. French chardonnay blows away California across the price range but especially at the high end. This wine has character and flavors that cause us to prefer French to domestic chardonnay wines, however, the vintage did leave a mixed impression. Stones and minerals in the nose and initial flavors. A bit later jasmine emerged as the wine opened. Ten years is a good time to wait for white burgundy especially a Grand Cru. Because of the vintage problems with ripeness I wold say this was a good time to open this bottle. Served with halibut and a tomato salsa that worked well. Here are notes from the domaine.

Send my ribeye to the house of detection. I have eaten my last meal in a big deal steak house. Honk if you have had it, too. The place? Mastros. Not the Beverly Hills location but does it really matter? Go to the website and Sinatra is playing and that is part of the problem. The concept of high rollers, rat pack, swingin' down the lane - it seems so silly unless it's Halloween. Ring-a-ding-ding. I do not care if the beef palace is Cut or Flemings or Arnie Mortons or Nick and Steph. [I will reserve a last chance for N&S never having eaten there, not to mention the wife ate there and liked it]. However, having written that, as it were and if you will...these places are smoke and mirrors...and more than I can handle. And I will throw in a "there you go".

Our dear dear dear friends asked us to join them for a birthday meal (probably for the last time now!). We love them and they are always great company so of course we accepted. They did not disappoint. Cannot say the same for the joint and the meal. The problem for me is I just don't get the $500 meal any more. Maybe I would if it involved fresh truffles 36 hours airlifted from a Piedmont field and shaved over my pasta. But, a Kansas City ribeye? BFD. Or Kobe prime? SFW. I cannot digest this stuff anymore. It gives me g-a-s-s. I rolled in the bed all night. Got up twice to just to see if I could evacuate (as we say in the hospital). Fuggedaboudit.

The steaks were cooked perfectly. It is just too damn much. Sides included mashed with lobster chunks. I felt nauseated hearing the waiter roll it off her tongue. Birthday boy hit that pile like Keith Richards found his lost nickel bag. G'head! They should be serving nitroglycerin on the side.

It actually helped when the entrees arrived before the salads. Our host thankfully chided the delivery guys and sent the steaks back to the kitchen. Next thing the matire'd is tableside gushing apologies. With a promise that he would "make it up to us" we relaxed and the wives were able to shelve their embarrassment at my pal's show of masculine restaurant decorum.

By dessert I was in a cholesterol/diabetic fog. I think the coffee was good. The wines were outstanding. Here they are.

2001 Ojai Vineyard Close Pepe Pinot Noir ~$40: We toted this in figuring it was worth the $25 corkage. And how about the new corkage retaliation? I guess these big ticket steak brothels figure they need to squeeze every bit of cash from their customers so they have jacked the corkage fee to discourage folks from bringing their own trophy cab that is too young to drink anyway. This would be less objectionable if a wine list was in place with a selection that complemented a $125/plate. Like the basic fare, the list exchanges imagination for label flash. But I digress. This wine was outstanding. Adam Tolmach is a master winemaker working with fruit from one of the top three vineyards in Santa Rita Hills. More importantly, Wes Hagen the grower (can you guess which is Wes?) and Adam T the winemaker share a stylistic and personality kinship. Adam is somber. Wes is lyrical. Both are serious experts at what they do. This wine will take more age and I would like to have several more bottles even though they will easily break the $20 limit. This wine moves to the "hunt list"; a small and distinct list of wines for which I am always on the hunt. What else is on my hunt list? Ask me another time. Adam extracted lots of fruit from the Clos Pepe tonnage which is his way. The wine has aged enough to show some dried flowers character. Cola and sour milk flavors sounds absolutely disgusting but that is my best description. This comes from very ripe fruit. Only 200 cases. 14.5%. For some fun and to perhaps learn a bit more about Wes and Adam be sure to read Adam's "tasting notes" from his website.

2003 Nicolas Potel Nuits St George $105 (on the list): Delicious wine. It is the "village wine" from Nicolas Potel who is a newcomer in Burgundy (1997). 2003 was an unusually hot vintage. This wine was ripe with lean characteristics of northern Burgundy. It was balanced and tasted like French pinot noir. Cherry and blackberry fruit. Tannic but no barnyard. If you like Nuits St George, which I do, then this wine is very pleasing. Retails is in the $50s so Mr. Larry - birthday boy - picked a value winner.

Our hosts were the best company as always and, along with the wines, the best thing about the dinner!

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.

Like many middle-aged empty-nesters we faced a typical Saturday night choice: watch another boring division series baseball game or enjoy a dinner prepared by Jackie d'Occitan with wines selected by her shadowy husband Michael du Nawlins. Not even close.

Michael was decanting the 1983 Grahams Port (definitely not U20) when wife and I arrived well ahead of the other guests (the Scourge of Mastros and his wife Letty). Naturally I poured a small taste of the Grahams immediately seeking a reference point when I hit this again much later. Spectacular. Rich nuttiness. Cherry and mentholatum not unlike cough syrup. Loooonnnnngggg finish. Next taste in three hours with cigars. Michael bought this from his local wine retailer, Liquid Wine & Spirtis in Chatsworth CA. Excellent wine store where one can always find something unexpected, unusual and often spectacular. Here are some notes from a tasting of the 1983 oporto vintage. Very nice!

Cheese, olives and crackers was accompanied by the 2005 Cargasacchi Pinot Noir (also not U20). Mike pours it blind. Oh my goodness. Exotic spice in the nose. Not cab. Not pinot. Not syrah. What is it? Jackie S says allspice aromas. First taste reminds me of fruit cakes at Christmas. Cinnamon, gluwein, lipstick. Wildly exotic wine from Peter Cargasacchi a wildy exotic winemaker from Santa Rita Hills. Tannins emerge after 20 minutes. This will go awhile. I believe Michael bought this on subscription from Caragsacchi through Peter's Point Concepcion Point Concepcion wine label. For me this was the most remarkable and memorable wine of the evening. Truly exotic.

Dinner time. Michael serves the NV Veuve Clicquot. $34 at Costco. The orange label. Toasty citric. A bit harsh. Orange fruit flavors. Michael suggests tangerine. OK. Goes nicely with Jackie's platter of duck fois gras, peppercorn pork pate, beets, and carrot shavers.

Jackie serves poached salmon and spinach gratin for the main course. It is perfectly prepared. Delicate. Nice to not get beef again. Love that. Thank you M&J. Michael serves the 2005 Domaine de la Motte Premier Cru Chablis Vauligneau. This is covered in a preceding report. Costco purchase and the hands-down U20 value for this evening and many others to come.

Jackie serves creme brulee' for dessert. Since I am waxing on Rieslings Michael pulls another surprise wine out. I have had it before but do not recognize it until I spot the bottle lurking behind him. The nose is rich and oily riesling. Pomegranate, grapefruit, very ripe. Oops. That gives it away. The nose is too ripe for the color. It is the 2004 Rideau Riesling from Santa Ynez. The flavors of peppermint and pear are nice but they do not fulfill the promise of the aromas. He has dropped his subscription even though they do have a new winemaker. The pedigree is there so they could and should get better. Worth a re-visit.

Michael decides if I will not drink the riesling then he will put the 2005 Inniskillin Cabernet Franc in front of me. I am just at my limit for more rich food so I pass on the dessert and the riesling (given teh choice it would be Jackie's dessert). But I do taste the Inniskillin.This is a wine I would never buy simply because it is too widely marketed, too corporate (I am such a snob about being snobby). I figure if I see it in an airport duty free store... So I must at least try it. I am surprised and pleased with the low level alcohol at 10.5%. This is rhubarb pie in a glass. Strawberries, chambord, strawberry jam. Everyone plays along thinking of flavors. This is the hardest thing for shy wine drinkers to do. But it so simple if you just un-dam your memory pool. This is nice wine. Costco? I do not ask. But if the Kirklanders offer it a really great price...it was awfully good.

The evening closes upstairs with cigars on the patio with the fireplace going - I know, a dream home and it is. We return to the 1983 Grahams. It is still delicious and worth another small glass.

Fall approaches and the holidays are a'coming.

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 is OK to stop eating now. And let me tell you the ladies who hosted the New Years Eve party (Tootsie) and the New Years Day party (Lettie) made it impossible to slow the cascade down my gullet. Prime rib and lasagna were followed by a torrent of extra special wines.

We can all go back to drinking excellent everyday U20 wines. The 2007 Christmas/Hannukah/New Years/Wedding Anniversary holidays are CLOSED. USC is the best football team in the nation and will open the 2008 rankings in the top 3. And we open at home against Ohio State. Now back to work!

These 2007 holidays came to a resounding close. New Years Eve with the Sinkowskis and New Years Day at the See-Glits, being awful damn friendly with new friends and old friends. We watched Uncle Pete and his Trojan Heroes obeying the Two Rose Bowl Laws: [1] It will be a beautiful SoCal day (the kind of day folks back east call "sun-splashed"); and [2] the Big Ten will lose.

The most interesting thing about the also-ran Illini was learning about the banishment (I mean retirement) of their beloved mascot (I mean symbol). There are at least half a dozen websites devoted to the controversial Chief Illiniwek.

The other important news about the Illini is they were the only team to beat OSU in 2007 which was enough to land them in the Rose Bowl for the inevitable thrashing. Wish it would have been the Buckeyes...soon enough my pretties.

If you think it might be interesting to read how Chicago sportswriter Steve Rosenbloom saw the game then click here. With a 49-17 USC victory in the books I can tell you now 2008 will bring another football championship to University Park...behind Mark Sanchez & Mitch Mustain, Stafon Johnson & Joe McKnight, and a defense that could be better than the #2 defense in the nation in 2007.

Here is a bucket of bottles that helped bring in the New Year.

2006 Marques de Caro Cherubino Valsangiacomo $11: 90% Mersequera, 10% Muscat. Alto Turia is the region. Mountainous region west of Valencia. Wine Expo is the local vendor. A moment to describe the Wine Expo where Robert Rogness roosts playing the vinous Lothario; think Orson Welles as Citizen Kane in a wine shop. Bombastic, impatient, ultimately charming and quite persuasive. His newsletter says he has the best selection of Ital wines and champagnes in the Southland...and maybe he does. Like Granpappy Amos might say "no brag just fack". If there is one caution it is that Rogness' tastes are wide ranging and on occasion mine do not match his...despite his enthusiasm. His newsletter is a hoot and fun to read. My brother-in-law shops there and always brings something direct from Robert's stacks. This is Spanish Blanco. First opened wine is always under added pressure to be good. It is. Quince and citrus then pear flavors in the middle and on the finish. Cannot top the U20 price. Good job Don Pharaoh.

2001 Ciu CIu Esperanto $30: Another Wine Expo selection. Could not uncover a millibyte of data on the web. It is a blend of Montepulciano and Cabernet Sauvignon. That's right, Montepulciano is a grape. Mixed with cab means Super-Tuscan intentions. Nice nose and flavors. Delicate with tannins present. Middle to light weight with some earth. Good fruit. Pronounced choo-choo. I liked it because it was so gentle. By the way, Esperanto is an international language created in the 1870s as a second language that would promote internationalism over nationalism. I wonder if "W" ever heard of it?

2002 Paul Lato Duende Gold Coast Vineyard Pinot Noir $25: Purchased at the 2004 Wine Cask Santa Barbara Futures Tasting. One of two wines that stood out for myself and Dotore' at this tasting and the next two (then we stopped going). Paul Lato is the winemaker who produces all of 75 cases annually. That Paul Lato will end up making thousands of cases each year for somebody is a done deal. It will happen. This first vintage is beautiful. It tastes like Pinot Noir fruit. The key flavor is sweet beets. Not veggie. Not cherry although it gets close. But sweet red beets. If that sounds ridiculous then you will have to figure this one out on your own. Here is a thought. Paul Lato captures pure Pinot Noir fruit in his wine. Smoke on the nose. Some in the taste. He has to work with Santa Rita HIlls high alcohol coming in at 14.3%. Which is low. One of the best in region. He kicks booty. His wines rock. He makes wine like Guns 'N Roses work over Paradise City!!! And we discovered him all..by..ourselves (and a couple hundred others).

Schramsberg Mirabelle NV: Venerable Napa sparkler. My first taste of this. Kind of lean, even weedy and soapy but not off-putting. More acidic with a reflux backwash. Sounds just super. WE did not hate it but it did not get a second pour from me.
Canard-Duchene Brut ~$35: This got a couple pours. Tangy orange fruit. Mandarin. Ripe. Really nice. Available in LA County at Wine House (West LA), Wine Country (Long Beach/Signal Hill), Heritage Wine (Pasadena).

2005 Foxen Sea Smoke Pinot Noir ~$45: Bought at the 2006 Wine Cask SB Futures Tasting. Sea Smoke is a coveted Santa Rita HIlls vineyard that is also one of the most coveted labels from the new Pinnacle of Pinot Noir. A big near jammy wine. 14.5% alcohol typical of the region. Says Dotoré "I no longer have a taste for these big wines". Me too. However, if you have the taste then this one is pretty well balanced and you will find it quite appealing.

2005 Pipestone Viognier $25: Shipped under Wine Club. Fruity and fairly forward. Not too much oak (7 months in barrel). 250 cases. Does not have the foxiness I sometimes find off-putting and that, I believe, comes from new oak. Guests preferred this to the Chalone PN (which I think says something about the Pipestone wine). Much more character here and a very nice wine. 14.5%.

2006 Domaine Colette Régnié Beaujolais $13: The first find of the new year. A WH/SG selection. Fruity, cherries, not jammy (!!), special. This is a Beaujolais cru with which I am not familiar. A Charles Neal Selection so there are excellent notes on the wine and the Regnie region. I will be visiting local wine whop Woodland Hills Wine Company to pick half a case. Thinking how nice this will be with Spring lamb being from a biblical shepherd family and all.

Here is one final biblical shot of Rey Maualuga making memories for the Illini quarterback and fans. Click here to see the photo of Rey Maualuga and local fan taken in August.

Wades Wines has a lot of characteristics that I like in a wine shop. First, no dark walnut or oaky bars. We need less oak in wine in general. Leave the oaks in our sublime California hills. There are no stuffy clerks who size you up before they decide what you should be drinking. No green lantern-type lamps that belong in attorney offices. And no bottles in individual racks.

Give me floor stacks of bargain priced wines that demonstrate someone has an idea of what they are selling and who is their market. I like shelves of bottles I can see and easily pull into my basket. I like pricing that is no worse than fair and sometimes even below market. And I like selection that is ahead of the pack. If the clerks are all wearing burgundy bowling shirts with the WadesWines logo on it...well that is fine with me, too.

I had not been to Wades in about half a year. Last time in he told he was reorganizing the floor plan because some clever little bastards ripped him off stuffing some of his wonderful late harvest splits (e.g., Kracher) in their pants.

This is more than callous and crummy because Wade is a local guy who is also a prolific giver. We got to work together on a Boys & Girls Club event I organized a couple years ago. He was my go-to wine guy and he really delivered. Not just in wine but in contacts to distributors (who we squeezed for really nice products instead of the usual plonk) but also with phones for Santa Barbara winemakers who I eventually roped into pouring and contributing wines. I think of that event as the TAMI show of regional wines. Check out the lineup who poured that day: Wes Hagen (Clos Pepe), Dave Corey (http://www.corewine.com/), Andrew Adam (Andrew Adam Vineyards, tiny production), Dave Dascomb (East Valley Vineyard), Kris Curran (Curran Wines), Peter Cargasacchi (Point Concepcion Wines) and Ernie Vandegrift (Tantara Winery). It was like going to a 1967 rock show featuring new British bands with funny names - Kinks, Stones, Searchers, Animals, Them. [ed. Click on each band name and see these BITCHIN vids from the mid 60s.]

Wade has completely changed his store. Not only has he expanded his space claiming extra footage at the back, he has also expanded his selection of libations. He features premium vodkas, tequilas and beers. His wine selection has always been especially strong for regional winemakers. A couple years back he began offering estate grown champagne. Fuggedaboud Cristal and Dom. Try some of these bottles. Small production, grapes grown on the estate.

If you live in the Conejo Valley (Westlake Village, Agoura, Thousand Oaks) or the West San Fernando Valley go by and check Wade out. Did I mention premium cigars?

If you cannot visit be advised Wade's mail order business dwarfs his on-site sales. He has many small regional (Santa Rita Hills) labels.

I took three bottles to open the same evening. The missus was hosting her staff party. The group likes wine but they are not snobs (like you and me), usually asking for white or red (which is actually a good place to start) while the smarties ask for merlot or chardonnay.

So I poured Wades own label.

2005 Wades Wines Syrah Terra Alta Vineyard Santa Barbara County $20: Served at the wife's staff party. A hit. Dan does not like wines with tannins. Neither does his wife Ellen. They loved this wine. What is not to like? Easy drinking, plenty of fruit. Medium bodied. You drink this one right down. Perfect choice for this sort of affair.

2005 Wades Wines Syrah Clover Creek Vineyard Santa Barbara County ~$18: More fruit than the Terra Alta. The crowd loved this one, too. Up front fruit flavors. Easy going syrah. Another perfect wine for a business-like holiday party.

The back story is Wade purchased juice from a high profile Santa Rita Hills vintner and bottled it at considerable savings under the Wade label. Good for us.

I also poured two other reds.

2004 Chalone Monterey County Pinot Noir ~$12: Another excellent party wine. Dan and Ellen noticed it was lighter weight and preferred Wades syrahs all round. I thought this was pretty generic pinot that would not embarrass the bearer if brought in as a casual gift. Chalone is a Diagio property along with Sterling and Acacia.

2005 Vielles Vignes Daniel Bouland Morgon $19: I bought this at Woodland Hills Wine Company which is my local wine haunt. The 2005 vintage is really special. Gamay fruit that stands right up there with Burgundy. Big wine, solid, forceful. Medium weight. I love this vintage. I have also had the 2003 form the same producer. The Bouland wines are worth searching out. Imported by Peter Weygandt who provides a complete data sheet for the discriminating buyer.

I actually went by Wades because I knew David Corey was pouring his new stuff this weekend. Oh. That was Saturday. So to help me stop sobbing Wade poured the end of a Gypsy Canyon late harvest Mission grape elixir that was delicious. Angelica is the wine name. A bit pricey. Napa arrives in Santa Barbara. No matter. This is exactly the point. Where else does one find this wine? Interesting story (of course). Interesting wine shop.

Now...here's Tommy James...

It is the worst of times for home prices. They just keep falling. It is the best of times for the best of wines. When wine prices start sinking that is a good thing. Excellent wine values just seem to keep on coming. When we started this blog we thought we were busting new ground. Not exactly. Looks like we were just feeling the pulse of a wine market losing its glitz. Good!
The absurdly priced trophy wines need to clear out. Mondo Vino is correct. Robert Parker is narrow-palated. Storm the Bastille of Bombastic Bordeaux. Beaujolais, Cote du Rhone, Languedoc! Savoie, St. Chinian, Minervois!

Here are some recent tastes while preparing another Molotov for the aristocratic folks over at World of Wine!

2002 East Valley Vineyard Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir $30 then: Kudos to Wades Wines for bringing this one to our attention. Dave Dascomb has a day job at some technology firm in Goleta. When he isn't building GPS (spy) satellites he tends the family vineyard up in Santa Ynez. He makes the wine too. Rustic, simple, deep Santa Rita Hills fruit. This vintage produced 55 cases. Can you buy better wine for $30? Maybe. But can you buy better Pinot Noir from SRH at this price? Not likely. I would buy this one again. 14.2%. Low for those parts.

2004 Perrin & Fils Chateuneuf du Pape Les Sinards $23 (Costco): Grenache from the homestead of the Tablas Creek partners. Softer than Paso juice. Lovely perfumed nose. Doughy. Lip smackin' good. Smooooth. I know it does not sound appealing but I am left with the impression of doggy biscuit on a long finish. I guess that is some dusty earth. Definitely resembles the TC style. 14%

2005 In Extremis Chateau d'Agel $23 (Costco): Minervois wine of Syrah and probably Carignane. Very tasty. Rich red "robe" (color). Black berry nose with spice and pepper. Minervois in the Languedoc is known for more mineral and leaner wines. This is not exactly that. Must have been a hot harvest?
But it ain't Parker either. And I will tell you something else - somebody is buying some really interesting wines for Costco. Like this little gem. I am seeing Rhones, the Sud. I would not be surprised at all to find a Hermitage Blanc soon! Tasting just perfect for the summer that is threatening to break out now here in SoCal. 14.5% alcohol.

And one for the road...
2003 McKenzie-Mueller Malbec $30: As I am getting ready for a trip to Argentina I have decided I need to become at least a bit more familiar with the Malbec varietal. Bob Mueller makes this wine in each vintage. Nice red fruit nose and flavors. Cinnamon, allspice and tarry finish. Reading tells me tar is not unusual in the more extracted style. Not a fruit bomb nut kinda fruity. 14% Cant' wait.

A cool and dreary start to the summer. LA is known for June Gloom (AM coastal fog that works great for early morning tee times) but this is something else. Overcast and slight drizzle for the unofficial start of summer. [ed. that was 7 weeks ago, now in the 90s plus daily] tBoW hosts three couples who are ready and willing to try anything we put in front of them. What more can one ask from a guest?

The tasting choices were like a juke box on Adderal. Bottles flew out of the cellar as fast as we could purge. We covered California pinots, white Bordeaux, a Paso white, and Baroli that must get consumed. As they say in film noir, the usual suspects showed up...and I do mean people and wines.

1996 Cantina Vignaioli Elvio Pertinace Barbaresco Vigneto Marcarini: Tobacco nose and flavors. Cherry puckering fruit, too many tannins for 12 years. Not enough fruit left. Anutha bummah from this selection. I think. 13.5%

1995 Sottimano Curra Vigna Masue Barbaresco: I am fighting with the 1996 vintage in Barolo. When I tasted the vintage in the Clerico cellar with Domenico himself it was magic. The wines were forward, rich and elegant. So many now are tough. The chance to taste this 1995, a "harder" vintage, more than ten years later was welcomed. One of the premium vineyards for this label. Tannic, puckering, needs decanting. Opens up after several hours. Still not very impressive wine. 13%

2000 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico: Costco purchase? Parker 90. Was opened last so it did not get much attention that evening. Next evening it was nice enough. You have to like Sangiovese, of which I am not a big fan. Too sweet and rakish. Balanced, sweetish, light to medium weight. Holding up nicely for 8 years old. 13%

2005 Wiliams Selyem Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: If this were basketball this would be a "make-up call". The Chianti brought by "igottatellya" is all but forgotten whenever he opens his WS stash. Of course, wrestling a glass from him of the nation's finest domestic pinot noir is another matter. This is the first bottle opened from the 2005 and 2006 vintage resting comfortably in the tBoW cellar. So there are many more to come. [ed. cue wicked Dr. Evil laugh] We (the ubiquitous Dotoré) selected carefully, being sure to crack the wine most likely to be ready. This eliminates all the vineyard designated wines. Going through the sealed case and reading every label is a lesson in the marriage of a label with mega-cachet and lesser known Russian River-Sonoma growers. Seeing your vineyard on a Williams-Selyem label brings prestige. We hardly recognized the names. This wine had all the seductive flavors and qualities we associate with WS wines, especially the ones for "early" opening. Vanilla, creamy, forward fruit, some understated smoke. Soft but not flabby. It went quickly. Summer's challenge? Not to plunder the entire two cases. 14.2%

2004 Paul Lato Gold Coast Vineyard Pinot Noir: With the Italian debacle behind us and a strong pinot wind in our sails we headed for the Santa Rita Hills. Paul Lato is one of the finest examples of wines from this region. tBoW put it in a bag and poured on the heels of the Williams Selyem. More tannic but that is no surprise. Restrained at first. More structured than the WS but then this is the flagship. Showing smoke and dark dense pinot fruit. Not an SRH fruit bomb. Excellent. So different than WS and outstanding on its own. It is not Rochioli with all the complications and complexity. It is fine wine. Paul made 70 cases. 14.5% [ed. special credit to Grape-Nutz where I lifted the photo of Paul; an outstanding wine blog for all wines regional; highly recommended reading].

2006 Chateau Martinon Entre-Deux-Mers $10: Recommended by Hi Time Wine Cellar as a go-to summer white. Like white loafers. Reminds me of Jim Moore's l'Uvaggio di Giacomo Vermentino. All the bright acid, lush fruit. Almost oily in weight. Somewhat reminiscent of the Argentine Torrontes wines. Wonderfully good. Here is a nice review on the Entre-Deux-Mer region. Love that alcohol level. 12.5%

2006 Tablas Creek Vermentino: Another excellent white wine from TC. Strong, spiney, good acid. Sharp, lime flavors. Serious, even. But for current drinking. Anytime with anything. Before dinner. 14.5%

2005 Calot Morgon Vieilles Vignes Cuvée Unique: North Berkeley Wine purchase. Pinot pedigree (Morgon borders Burgundy) with Gamay fruit. Unusual. Read the NBW notes on the winemaker. Excellent, fruity but not overtly forward wine. Tannic balance. Will last a year in the cellar. Jump on it.

It is going to be a very good summer.

This year was the 30th anniversary of the Playboy Jazz Festival. It is a day in the sun with "mature" party pipples including the tBoW crew. We bring plenty of wine, cheese, a camera and binocs because the best performers are not always on stage.

The festival lineup follows a rather inflexible format: 3 or 4 new performers paired with seasoned tigers fill the first half of the day. Then there is a dinner act followed by the pop stars, a "classic" vet, and closing with a crowd pumper (Tower of Power this year and they did pump). The downside is minor if predictable. Bill Cosby, exercising his traditional emcee role, puts together "his" ensemble of local premium performers who jam under the name Cos of Good Music. The indulgence is tolerable because the ensemble features truly great musicians (such as trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire) who, having never played in one group, are compelled to exhibit their talent in featured solos.

The other "anchor act" is the "nostalgia" performer. This year Al Jarreau filled that spot and he was truly awful. He complained about "performers touching their privates". The LA Times reviewer loved him which means he had a stringer web in the report. If Jerry Lewis has a musical counterpart it is AJ.

The big question for the day is not where to park but what wines to bring. Matching includes food (we are toting), the weather (hot and sunny), and the acts. Here is what we came up with in 2008.

2004 Arbois Traminer by Stephane Tissot $20: Supposed to be Savagnin (huh??) but it tastes like white Burgundy. But from Jura France, a region on the Swiss border east-southeast of Burgundy. Plenty of acid but not like the Basque wines. Tastes a lot like old world chardonnay. Dotoré - "very well made but not my favorite grape". 13%

2007 Bandol La Bastide de Blanche Rosé $19: Dry, strawberries, pale salmon color. Floral flavors, taste the alcohol, almost hot, at least lukewarm. Put it back on the ice. Too acidic! Ultimately, we do not "get" Bandol. Our expectations seem to exceed our experience consistently. It is not like the winemakers fail to aim high. They just do not seem to hit their mark. 13.5%

Served with the Cos of Good Music (see above). Aim high...fall short. Except this year with Auntie Renée Resnes on piano and Cos doing his best T Monk impression on drums.

Fortunately, the performer of the day was working hard so the weird Rosado was quickly forgotten as Hiromi and her crew of 2 gave it all they had. She is a youthful ball of energy who plays piano like a bumblebee in a free fall. She plays with lightning speed and melodic thunder. She topped her performance in 2006 which was powerful enough to steal that show as well.

2007 Avinyo Vi D'Agulla Rosado $15: Phawn-keee. Weird. Volatile acidity? No it's a spritz. Strawberry jam. With something weird. Plasticity in feel and flavor. 100% Spanish Merlot from Penedes. Ugh. IF this has to compete with Moscato d'Asti...fuggedaboudid.

2007 Txakoli Gurrutxaga $13: Pure grapefruit juice from the Basque country. If you like acid in your wine the way Hef likes blonde bimbos this is the wine for you. The wine is still light on its feet and tight! 10.5%

It must have been the wimmin's hour as Hef and trio arrived around the same time the all female 16 piece band from New York DIVA took over the stage.

The ladies were tight and ready to let it all go. Hef and crew were gone in two hours while DIVA showed real moxie. You can keep Kendra and MIss Sugar Kane; I'll take DIVA's bass player! [ed. tBoW a big Some like it Hot fan]

2002 Babcock Cargassacchi Pinot Noir $30: Possibly the last pinot to come out of Santa Rita Hills under 14%. This wine has followed a precipitous road since futures purchase in 2003. Wine of the show at the Wine Cask's SB Futures Tasting (so said-eth tBoW's tasting team). The wine immediately entered a dumb phase that cost a couple of bottles and hours of worrisome lamenting. "It's just dumb. No it's freaking awful". Happy to see things are back on track. Too bad we lost our flavor for SRH pinots! Expansive nose that keeps growing. Cherries all over. Soft smoky smells and flavors. Powerful and rich. Could be a Syrah it is that dense. 13.6%

The wine went perfectly with the paunchy punchy homeboy Pancho Sanchez, timbales maestro. Cos re-emerges with a cow bell so he can party with Pancho begging the question...is he buzzed?

Not reviewed but putting in good vibe...Dr. John, Robert Glasper and RnR who will definitely be headlining Vegas in 24 months if not sooner.

It is axiomatic to oenophiles that you have to sit on some wines for awhile so the wine can develop in the bottle. I am coming to the conclusion that this is just one more corollary to the magic chef and the hallowed ground marketing themes that have created the Parker/Rolland two headed monster. Wine does age in the bottle. But does it get better? Recent pourings/tasting have concluded otherwise. The 1996 Burgundies flopped like Vlade Divac taking a charge. And here we have some pinot noir bottlings from the fabled Santa Rita Hills that also fell well below high expectations when purchased on release.

To be fair, tBoW must own being swept up willingly in the SRH hype and falling for the bombastic fruit forward styles that came from the region. How times and palates change.

This was a somewhat free-form tasting that began with white wines of curious interest and closed with five "heavy hitters". Be sure to check out very good friend David McMillan's delirious and delicious political content at the end of this post.

2006 Treana Central Coast Mer Soleil Monterey $10: Purchased online at wines.com. 55% Viognier 45% Marsanne. Dotoré asks "what are they aiming for with this wine"? Too much oak, alcohol, everything. More like a California chardonnay than a white Rhone blend. Awful. Whatever they were aiming for it could not have been this wine. 14.5%

2005 Andre Perret St Joseph $40: A Robert Chadderton selection and the first I have found unimpressive. Highly regarded producer. Would like to taste his reds. Foxy flavors make the Marsanne Rousanne blend taste more like a Viognier. Worth $15 but not what tBoW paid. At least the alcohol is a decent level. 13%

1999 Jean Luc Colombo Le Rouet Blanc Hermitage: Online press on this winemaker is appealing; terroir driven, opinionated, non-traditional. However, this wine did not show well. Acidic and lean out of the bottle. Out of balance. "Nun piss" says an irreverent taster who will never be on Chris Matthews. Somewhat madeirized. Parker says "mature". Soiled flavor as in earth. Not a very good wine. [ed. had to go with red label]

2006 Curran Grenache Blanc $26: tBoW is a Curran fan. This 2006 has been reviewed on two other occasions prior. It may be heading over the hill. Fruit presence more pronounced than old world wines squeezing life from our tongues. Marked contrast to the Rhone efforts. But the wine is out of whack. Enough time has passed to come around as these wines seem to need 12 months. We are struck by how generally mediocre are the white wines, despite expectations.

2005 Lamargue Costieries de Nimes $10: At the insistence of our honored guest we opened this delightful bottle from Languedoc. 50% Grenache Blanc, 50% Rousanne in the blend, reasonably balanced, gentle enough to sip gently, low enough alcohol to sip again and again, and easily the best of class on this day. Great value. 13.5%

disappointed and unimpressed with the white Rhones we moved on to the featured showing...Santa Rita Hills pinot noir.

These wines came right out of the tBoW cellars of yours truly and Dotoré where they have been since release.

2002 Ojai Clos Pepe $40: What could be better than pairing the original Santa Barbara/Central Coast winemaker Adam Tolmach with one of the premium new era growers (and winemaker) Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe. The wine is awkward and even a bit vegetal. Truly Adam Tolmach is somewhat of a tortured soul. Take a moment to read his own notes on this wine. I prefer his Syrah wines.

2002 Sea Smoke Southing $50: Rich, dense pinot fruit. Very smoky even though that has nothing to do with the label name. Let's pretend it does. Entry level for the most collectable SRH label. But not the best wine from the region!! 14.3%

2004 Kenneth Crawford Clos Pepe Pinot Noir $40: Thin, acidic, more like a vin ordinaire Syrah from southwest France. Something happened here between the vintage, harvest and vinification. Further evidence that Syrah is the wine to seek from SRH? I'm convinced. [ed. I never noticed how similar are the Sea Smoke and K-C labels.]

2002 Melville Carrie's VIneyard Pinot Noir $60: That is correct sir. We ponied up three Jacksons for this monster wine. It is rich. It is ripe. It is eating the little dog. This wine, alcohol and all, was preferred to the K-C, Sea Smoke and Ojai efforts. Nobody would ever confuse this with an old world pinot noir. But they might confuse it with a zinfandel port from Sonoma. 15.1%

2004 Paul Lato Goldcoast Pinot Noir $30: Elegant, balanced, delicate, smooth, silky, some smoke. Paul gets it right every time. In the vintages tBoW owns he made 75 cases. Why didn't we buy more? That's right, we had a limit. Dumbkopf!! 14.5%

So here is the real question. Given the recent tastings of SRH and Burgundy (avoiding impulse to write French Burgundy), from which region is tBoW likely to pick his next pinot noir wine? Domestic, and in the following order....Williams Selyem and Paul Lato in a dead heat; then select Oregon bottlings, then select SRH bottlings. If we go "old world" we will be looking for recent vintages from less fashionable regions....from Becky Wasserman and North Berkeley Wines.

Still have a taste for satire and a contemporary POV? Try David McMillan's News In Color on youtube. 75 entires and climbing. Here is one of my currents faves. WARNING: this material can be political.