An "Over the Top" Christmas Eve

No - Sylvester Stallone didn't drop by for arm wrestling... But that would've been an interesting party, too. Christmas Eve was a balls-to-the-wall exercise in decadence this year! Not sure why that particular bug bit in 2010, but everyday is a party, they say. So, why not kick it up a notch for the holiday?!!!

Kara's tradition for Christmas Eve is hanging out and eating appetizers. She has a bean dip that she makes every year which is the anchor to this concept. I get to fill in the goodies all around it. So, I figured it really knock it out of the park:

We opened with side-by-side glasses of Paul Bara Brut Champagne NV and Moreau's 'Les Clos' Grand Cru Chablis 2008. I paired these to a dozen Fanny Bay oysters (yes - I shucked them myself...) and an ounce of Russian Osetra Caviar. The Champagne was nice: crisp minerality, balanced fruit, but really just a servicable sparkler. It worked well with both foods. The Chablis was awesome! I think the quality of the wine itself made this the favorable pairing for both the caviar and the oysters. It was salty, with chalk and butter compound, ripe fruits, perfumed with white flowers and moderate body. This Chablis was just ranked in the Top 100 by Wine Spectator, so grab it while you can.

Our next course was Alaskan King Crab Legs, also paired to the Chablis. This was pretty awesome to see the change in the wine. The Crab Legs really drew out the fruitier aspects of the Chardonnay, while the lighter seafood dishes played on the minerality. I knew these wines would be versatile and fine pairings for all of these dishes, but I had no idea how delicious and interesting this Chablis was going to be!

Lastly, Kara's bean dip hit the table. No pairing here except for some beer. In retrospect, I should've filmed her eating the bean dip. You've never seen such a small girl put away so much. "Selective hunger", she calls it...

All in all, a great Christmas Eve! Hope yours was as enjoyable!

A Random Observation...

Well - I thought the point of advertisements and literature at the retail level was to encourage you to BUY the product. Perhaps I was wrong...






While shopping at Bevmo for some festive holiday ales, I came across this ad for the joint venture between two breweries I like. At $20 for a 750 ml, it ain't exactly cheap as beer goes. Curiousity immediately took hold and my first reaction is, of course, GRAB IT!

But something sat uneasy with me on this good night and I re-read beyond the names of the two breweries that had pretty much sold me on the beer. "Light" - ALL the way up to the "short finish". Sounds like a Pellegrino. How ever could they craft such an amazing roller coaster ride of a beer?

Look - I love a light-bodied beer as much as the next guy - but short finish? I'm out!

Needless to say, I passed on purchasing the beer. Congratulations, Bevmo! You just lost a sale thanks to the literature you posted to promote the product.

The Saveur/Alsace Event at Jar

We had a great event at Jar last night! It's been a long and arduous process in getting it together, but ultimately a good time was had by all. "Wines of Alsace" hosted a tasting via Saveur magazine for Los Angeles sommeliers. It was held late night so somms could relax and cut loose after work. Wines and food were paired by yours truly, showcasing the diversity of Alsace.

Here were the wines selected and poured for the event:

Rene Mure, Cremant d’Alsace NV
Trimbach, Pinot Blanc 2006
Weinbach, Pinot Blanc ‘Reserve’ 2007
Trimbach, ‘Cuvee Frederic Emile’, Riesling 2002
Pierre Sparr, Cremant d’Alsace Rose NV
Weinbach, ‘Cuvee Ste. Catherine L’Inedit’, Riesling 2006
Zind Humbrecht, Pinot Gris 2009
Marcel Deiss, ‘Beblenheim’, Pinot Gris 2004
Zind Humbrecht, Gewurtztraminer 2009
Schlumberger, ‘Kitterle’ Gewurtztraminer 2005

It was a great glimpse into the style of Alsace, ranging from entry level to Grand Cru wines, dry to off-dry, and great vintages to mediocre. While not my favorite region in general, it always surprises me how well these wines DO work with food. Although, as a sommelier, you do have to get past that initial shock for most American palates of the residual sugar in some of the wines. Or as one of my former servers once said that really sums it up, "It's sugar water!!"

The real standouts in the lineup are shown above. The 'L'Inedit' Riesling by Weinbach was the clear favorite, and not a surprise. It was the first wine on my list when I was asked to select the wines. Even from a shoddy vintage, this wine is deftly balanced and just a treat to drink. A picture of elegance! And great with the Char Siu Pork Croissants! I also found myself returning to the 'Cuvee Frederic Emile' Riesling 2002 by Trimbach. A bit more austere with more present acidity and less residual sugar than the Weinbach, it was an excellent contrast and better suited to the Hamachi it was paired with. I also found the Marcel Deiss 'Bebblenheim' Pinot Gris 2004 to be quite delicious with a very intriguing nose that could be considered offensive to some. It was paired classically to a deliciously rich Onion Tart. And lastly, Schlumberger's 'Kitterle' Gewurtztraminer 2005 was intense! Decidedly off-dry and bordering on sweet, showing all the rose, lychee, baked apricot that makes Gewurtztraminer the Elvis Presley of wine. It was a wildly interesting and unique pairing with Lamb Meatballs in a Honey Dipping Sauce.

I included Zind Humbrecht because they are considered one of the best, if not THE best, producers in Alsace. However, the reception to their wines was less than favorable. I thought they showed fine, but it seems many did not understand their style. Granted, these were not their premier wines, but they were the entry-level wines that most would be exposed to.

A great thanks to our talented chef Suzanne Tracht for her hard work on the six dishes that I was able to pair to! And to the Wines of Alsace and Saveur for allowing us to put on this fun event.

2001 Produttori Barbaresco 'Moccagatta'

Still drinking Nebbiolo -









I found the 2001 Moccagatta from Produttori del Barbaresco at a tasting held at Pizzeria Mozza almost four years ago now. The tasting featured the entire lineup of their 2001's, other current releases, and a vertical of the Poro vineyard (I think...). We've had the wine on the list since that time and when it came down to my last bottle, I just had to buy it and say goodbye properly.

The menu featured a Prime Ribeye from Costco, the last of our Chino Farms corn sauteed with some red bell pepper, and a long-grain wild rice provided expertly by Rice-a-Roni. I love that stuff! I grew up eating Chicken-flavored Lipton rice for almost every meal. Twenty minutes in the microwave so it got crusty on the edges... Look - you have some weird childhood foods, too!

The wine is drinking beautifully. Still firmly structured and fuller-bodied than the recently reviewed Brovia Barolo. Red cherry, leaning its way toward black, roses and tar, plum and blackberry. The dusty spices are there as well. To my recollection from the tasting, the Moccagatta was the fruitier and more crowd-pleasing bottling and that seems to still be the case.

Delicious wine and great with the meal. I suppose the Ribeye could have taken a heartier wine, but I was certainly not complaining. When great wine is great, fine-tuning to food is usually irrelevant.

Brovia Barolo 2005

We just picked up the 2005 Brovia Barolo at Jar and, having not tasted the 2005 yet, I figured I might as well pick one up and give it a shot. I've been on a Nebbiolo kick lately and any excuse to dive into one is welcome.

While not profound, the Brovia 2005 Normale is everything I look for in a Barolo at a young age. The core of cherry fruit is there with the roses, tar, dusty spices and gripping tannins. This is Barolo in the classic style: light-bodied, elegant and built for hearty foods to tear down that wall of tannin.

An interesting point: There is a small blurb in "What to Drink with What You Eat" from Silverlake Wine owner (and former somm at Campanile) George Cosette about Barolo. He says that people are sometimes surpised when they taste Barolo at how "light" it is when they were told or think that it's a "big" wine. I encountered this last night when I served a bottle and the table was surprised at the light color and light body with jarringly (no pun intended) firm tannin.

This brings up the issue of wine vocabulary. "Big" can mean a lot of things. Big fruit, big tannin, big alcohol, big body. My buddy Josh means big tannin. Most people seem to mean big body or dark fruit. So, in that sense, Barolo is not a big wine.

Yes - back to the Barolo at hand. By the time said table had food, the Barolo had been open and was singing with the dishes. While still not a full-bodied wine, it was better with food. Personally, I was hoping they'd refure the wine so I could taste the staff on it and maybe pour it to some cool guests in the dining room. Or worse, drink it at the end of the night! No such luck.

Tenuta di Trinoro Estate 2003

Every so often, disappointment rears its ugly head...





I opened a bottle of Tenuta di Trinoro Estate 2003 with dinner last night after a long night at Jar. Kara and I were enjoying a Kansas City, some roasted carrots and sauteed corn from Chino Farms. A Bordeaux blend from Tuscany seemed a good fit and we hadn't tried this in a few years.

I accept that 2003 was a hot year for Europe that produced less terroir-driven wines, but this was practically a Californian wine. Kara blind-tasted it as New World Bordeaux-blend. The fruit showed as wild berry jam mixed with violets, soft tannins and a short finish. And this is not a cheap wine! While I have confidence in the quality of this producer, I cannot recommend the 2003 vintage of this bottle.

It's possible that this paled in comparison after tasting the 1996 Phelan-Segur and the 1997 Shafer Hillside Select at Jar tonight, which were both showing beautifully. I think I'm suffering from wine envy tonight...

Penfolds with Chief Winemaker Peter Gago

I was invited today to a tasting of Penfold's wines featuring chief winemaker Peter Gago as a speaker. He is in town for the recorking clinic tour. If you're not familiar with this, Penfold's offers to recork any bottle of Penfolds older than fifteen years for free. They see a lot of wines from the 50's, 60's and so on. So, to our benefit, he decided to hold this trade tasting of mostly current releases.

Upon entering, we were served the 2009 Bin 51 Riesling. Plenty of petrol and lime on the nose, dry on the palate (austere, even...) with peach underlying. Also a touch of tropicality in the nose with orange as well. Very straightforward and a nice, friendly Riesling.

At our prepared seats, we had a line-up of whites and reds. To start we tasted contrasting Chardonnays. The 2009 Bin 311 Chardonnay represents the more Burgundian-styled with less new oak, but still showing baked apple, buttered toast, fig and orange flavors with crisp acidity that support a moderate finish. On the other end is their premium Chardonnay: the "Yattarna" Chardonnay 2007, which sees a lot more new oak. Wildly buttered grilled pineapple, lemon, green apple, showing nice balance in its components, but certainly a powerhouse. At $100 a bottle, I'd stick to the Bin 311.

Moving on to reds, we tasted the Bin 2 Shiraz/Mourvedre 2009 which shows amazing freshness on the nose, almost as if it were not oaked at all. Also, cracked black pepper, black cherry, a little herbaceousness, blueberry and a touch of raspberry. Following this, in comparison, they poured the Bin 138 GSM 2007. Bin 138, sealed with a screw cap, showed an incredible amount of reductive flavors that needed blowing off. However, underneath the rubber, it showed black and red fruits with dried flowers, a touch of coconut, and a nice balance on the palate.

The Bin 28 "Kalimna" Shiraz 2006 began to showcase what Penfold's is known for: Shiraz. This wine was textbook Shiraz with cherry liqueur and chocolate on the nose, blueberry and blackberry mixed with black pepper, sweet aromatics, and somewhat firm tannin. Following this, and more in the style I would prefer, is the "St. Henri" Shiraz 2005, which is aged in large oak casks, minimizing the oak flavors and emphasizing the purity of the fruit. This wine showed Queen Anne Cherry Cordials and vanilla on the nose, a very clean fruit component, balance, florality, blueberry and black cherry, a hint of meat as well as a saline character. Moderate body and soft tannin with a beautiful texture on the mouth. Following this was a library selection of the 1999 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon , poured from magnum. It was difficult to get past all the new oak on this wine. It reeked of freshly sawed cedar on the nose as well as on the palate. Underlying, there were sweet flavors of brown sugar, coconut, vanilla, Twizzlers, blackberry and cassis, baking spices. The tannins are very firm suggesting this has a way to go, but I doubt that oak will ever integrate.

And finally - the 2004 Grange. Firm tannin dominates the palate right now, suggesting this has got a long life ahead. 100% new American oak shows on the nose and palate, but it's much more integrated than the other bottlings. The florality here is fresher and the fruit is sweet, but not AS sweet. The finish on this guy is pretty impressive and overall, for elegance in Australia, this is top notch. I wouldn't pay the prices they're charging these days, but I certainly wouldn't turn away a glass if offered.

Lastly, they poured a Grandfather Rare Tawny. I love Aussie dessert wines in lieu of dessert. They have so much to offer! This was full of walnuts, cherry flesh, tangerine candy, brown sugar, raisins, fig, toast. Wildly sweet, of course, but complex and a delicious end to a meal with some cheese.

With as much wine and as many labels as Penfold's makes, it's a wonder they can make this many solid wines. Overall, they are crowd-pleasers and don't push the envelope in any one direction, but their commitment to showing different styles and vineyard sources is commendable. A hearty thanks to Mr. Gago for making some time for the Los Angeles wine market!

Washington Road Trip Day 5: Woodinville

Our day began with our departure from Suncadia and a bus ride to Woodinville. Most of the wineries in Washington are located here and ship their grapes in from the vineyards we have been visiting all this week. While it may sound weird, it’s really not that unusual. For example, if a winery in Calistoga (Northern Napa) gets any grapes from Carneros (Southern Napa), that’s an hour shipment that you’d never know about. While not particularly scenic, this is really where all the magic happens and the wines actually get made. There are lots of tasting rooms and that’s about it. Actually, at one intersection, there are no less than 25 tasting rooms. One could potentially come to this one intersection for two or three days. In addition, this is where the famous Chateau Ste. Michelle winery is located which brings plenty of attention.

A small group of us were assigned to go to the DeLille facility with owner Jay Soloff and Chris Upchurch, the winemaker. Chris spoke to us for awhile about his philosophy on winemaking and what is important. He has travelled the world to see wineries and discover “what is a great wine”. Chris then took us into the winery and let us get on the sorting table to sort some Roussanne. Then, he allowed me to inoculate a barrel of Merlot. While a simple process, it was awesome and sounds impressive! This was a great visit and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the team at DeLille now.


We returned to Columbia Winery for a seminar on Merlot, the proposed grape that Washington does best. The seminar featured Bob Betz MW and showcased some of his wine as well as some other producers. I think many of the wine professionals in the room agree that Merlot needs to make a comeback. I don’t know if it’s because it’s the underdog at this point, but the Merlot coming out of Washington (and many other varietals, as well) is exceptional, particularly for the money. Unfortunately, a movie wiped it out of people’s realm of consideration and, with any luck, that will wear off someday and wine drinkers will rediscover amazing wines. Especially those from Washington!

We had a brief tasting in the barrel room across the street at Chateau Ste. Michelle after the seminar. Two tables that were real standouts were DeLille and Eferte. The DeLille wines were great across the board! Their Roussanne has terrific acidity with peach, lime and honeysuckle. The Chaleur Estate Blanc was profound and I can’t wait to go home and buy it! Eferte makes a slew of wines, but their Riesling was a standout: Orange Crush aromas and really zesty acidity supporting the tangerine, lime, melon and peach flavors. Also, their Emmy which is a Mourvedre-based blend was pretty solid. Lots of white pepper and animal flavors over a core of cherry and plum. This one is perfect for Jar.

We dined in the winery after that. “The Ocho” reconvened one last time! I’m really going to miss dining with these people. It’s highly unlikely that we will all be together ever again, but I will hope for that day. It was a bittersweet meal as we all began to re-assimilate into our real lives, checking phones, prepping for our return to work. But we have a tremendous amount of memories to take with us. As well as some incriminating photos…

So, a quick recap, if you’ve made it through this entire rehash of my journey to Washington: These are really wonderful wines and not to be overlooked. There is such an amazing sense of pride and awe that this wine-producing community feels about what they are doing. I’ve never seen so many people in competition with each other who are also so supportive of one another. These are vines that have not been affected by phylloxera. The flavors are complex in a way seen in few places around the globe. These growers and winemakers are incredibly passionate and it shows in the wines they make. And this is just a budding region! It’s going to be amazing to see where they go from here.

I will definitely be on that trip for sure!





In the mean time, there are two very sad dachsunds waiting for me to come home. I'm on my way, boys!

Washington Road Trip Day 4: Yakima and Suncadia

Today was a pretty big travel day broken up by some wine events, as opposed to our previous days that felt the other way around. Although, we did get a fair amount of down time at the luxurious Suncadia Mountain Lodge. That was a pleasant surprise.

The day began with a bus ride out to the DuBrul vineyard. Owned and farmed by Hugh Sheils and his family, they escorted us on a foot tour through the vineyard where we sampled all the varietals they make off the vine. They produce Cote Bonneville themselves, but also sell a lot of the fruit off to other wineries like Owen Roe. With 48 acres under vine, you kind of have to let a little go. This was my first time tasting Riesling off the vine and I have to say, I’d love to have these frozen in my freezer for a hot day.

At the end of the tour, we stopped and tasted through the wines off the back of Hugh’s SUV. These included the 2008 Chardonnay, 2007 Carriage House Blend and the 2003 Cote Bonneville which was pretty amazing. In addition, they poured us a little Late Harvest Riesling that they make for themselves and their wine dinners. This was the star of the show. Even though it’s 16% sugar, it felt completely dry because of all the acid Washington produces. I’d put a few of these away if you ever happen to see them by some chance.


A lengthy bus ride later, we arrived at the Red Willow Vineyard in Yakima. Absolutely stunning property! A strenuous uphill hike through Owen Roe’s Syrah vines brings you to a small chapel they built to resemble La Chapelle in France. And from up there, an amazing view of Mt Adams and the rest of the property. The smell of the Concord grapes being grown down below wafted up the hill and smelled like a jam truck exploded.

We had a sit-down Syrah seminar with some producers, highlighting how Syrah is affected by including stems in fermentation, how the weather can change its flavors, as well as the winemakers influence. The real standout at this tasting was the JM Cellars ‘Boushey Vineyard ‘ Syrah 2007. It had everything going on: mocha, vanilla, pepper, smoked meat, blueberry, soy, beef jerky. It’s beginning to become apparent that there truly are Grand Cru vineyards in Washington.

We enjoyed tacos, burritos and beer on the lawn of the property from the Taco Truck they brought in. We relaxed for a bit and then hit the road for another lengthy bus ride to the Suncadia Mountain Lodge where we had a full three hours of scheduled down time to relax in whatever way we wanted. I took a stroll around the property and wound up at the far end of the driving range where I came upon six deer. Two families, in fact, with the parents and their babies. I had to sit down and soak in the wildlife for awhile. This is a gorgeous property and well worth the visit – I will definitely be going back someday!

At the other end of the property, we attended a small tasting on the patio of their adjacent and sister restaurant. Then, we were escorted down to dinner in the barrel room. We enjoyed the wines from Stillwater (the winery where we dined) among others. Our table of Master Sommeliers, et al re-joined forces and wreaked havoc on our tour group yet again. I started calling us “The Ocho” (an affectionate name I have for the “party table” in any room). We sucked down as much Riesling as we could throughout the course of the Italian-themed meal and had a blast!


Shortly after dinner, we discovered a life-size stuffed sheep… It’s not everyday one gets to molest a farm animal with a couple of Master Sommeliers.

We returned to the hotel for “Beer Hall”. I was quickly coerced into playing piano and was joined by Andy McNamara who sang a grumbled rendition of “Black”. That turned into Lady Gaga and so on. A few of us tackled the hot tub for about thirty minutes to relax and then off to bed with enough time to recharge for the final day.

Washington Road Trip Day 3: Ciel du Cheval and Fidelitas

I am SO glad I didn’t go out with Charles Smith last night. Even after what amount of partying I did experience, I am so tired and not ready to do anything today. I rolled out of bed at 6:30, got ready and made it down to breakfast in the lobby. Cheerios… I couldn’t take anymore than that.

We shipped off to meet Jim Holmes at the Ciel du Cheval vineyard in Red Mountain AVA. Jim has been growing grapes for other wineries for more than 30 years. You can tell he’s a farmer. He’s very into the soil and the vines. In fact, he taught us how to analyze the soil to tell what it’s made of. Even the MS’s on this trip thought that was pretty cool. Jim toured us around the vineyard as well, showing off all of his hard work. Super nice guy!

We were then off to Washington State University for a tasting seminar of wines from the Ciel du Cheval vineyard. Some groups were at different vineyards in the morning, but I was very pleased to have been able to see the vines before jumping into these wines. In attendance with a few wines each were the winemakers from Seven Hills, DeLille and Andrew Will. They each poured the wines they make from Ciel du Cheval. It was amazing to see the through-line of what that specific vineyard has to offer. In fact, by the end of the tasting, many of us were able to identify the Ciel du Cheval vineyard blind amongst a couple of other Red Mountain vineyards.

Lunch was served after the tasting at WSU. Thankfully, it was a lighter meal than we have been served up to this point. My stomach was ready for a little break from the cheese and charcuterie. We had a little extra time so we hung out on the lawn. It was like being back in college again.

Charlie Hoppes of Fidelitas picked up our little mini-group for the afternoon. We rode in his Excursion out to the winery and tasted through the line-up of his current releases. He made a name for himself while making wines at Columbia Crest. This is a slightly smaller endeavor, producing about 7500 cases a year. But, to keep himself busy, he also makes the wines for about 6 or 7 other wineries. The highlights from his line-up were the Semillon, Merlot and Ciel du Cheval Cabernet. He also poured us a vertical of his Optu from 2005 to 2007.

We then rode out to the Red Mountain Vineyard, where he sources fruit from to check out the vines. After a quick stop, we then rode to where they make the wine. Charlie allowed us to taste four different Merlots that are in the middle of fermentation. This was so cool! It comes out looking like carbonated wine mixed with a spoonful of melted ice cream. And it’s still fermenting out the alcohol, so it’s still sweet and warm. The texture is like unfiltered sake mixed with wine. But the flavors and tannin still show through. These are going to be some really good wines. We witnessed a quick punch down on a wine and then we were off to the hotel for a little downtime.

We were bussed out to Canyon Ranch for a tasting of the Red Mountain and Yakima regional tasting featuring some pretty awesome wineries: Andrew Will, Owen Roe, Cote Bonneville, Col Solare and many more. Most of us plowed through the wines and then dug into the thirty pound wheel of Parmesan on the picnic table. There were some very good wines on the tables, but we were all fairly tired of heavy reds by that time and very few of us took any detailed notes. I, myself, was only able to star a couple of wines to revisit at another time for serious consideration.

The dinner bell was rung and we sat for dinner under the tent. The meal was BBQ! And it was good… Barbecued chicken and ribs, Brussels sprouts with bacon, some crazy mashed potato concoction with cheeses… It was badass! The wines were less than stellar, but BBQ wines should really never stand out. In my world, anyway. As soon as we were permitted, my fellow tablemates and I procured as many beers as we could and shot the shit for a long while. Actually, four of my dining pals were Master Sommeliers. Before we knew it, the conversation ran from Eddie Izaard to the plagues, from diarrhea to Celine Dion, and Sean Connery… While it may sound weird, it was awesome! And then the Bacchi ball…

The bus ride home was no exception to the fun either. We broke out the disco and Disco Ball app on the phone. Singing all the way home with a Scuttlebutt Tripel in hand. It’s awesome when you don’t have to be responsible for getting home! AND when you can drink in the vehicle on the way! Who says the party has to stop when you leave the venue?!!!!

Washington Road Trip Day 2: Morning Wood and Charles Smith!

Yikes! I awoke at 4:45. This is what time I’m normally going to bed! After a much needed cup of Starbucks, we hopped a prop plane out to the Tri-Cities airport to begin the Road Trip. Directly off the plane, we hopped on to our busses and were soon tooling down the road through Washington Wine Country. Riding along the Columbia River and looking at sheep. Good times! The overall plan for the journey is to work our way back to Woodinville by bus, stopping at the major AVA’s and wineries along the way.

The day began at Woodward Canyon with Rick Small. A fifth generation farmer, he toted us out into the vineyard to do some berry samples. 2010 has been an extended and late vintage for everyone down the west coast so we had the opportunity to taste the fruit when we otherwise might have not had the ability to do so (It would’ve normally been picked by now). We pulled different clones from clusters on different rows, etc. I’m tooling around on a broken tow (long story…), so it was a slight challenge, but awesome!


We checked the sugar levels of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon with the refractometer and then tasted barrel samples of the same varietals from 2009. Those of us brave enough to do it in front of the owner, concocted blends from the individual grapes. I christened mine as “Morning Wood”.

After that, the debauchery ensued. I pretty much won the lottery on the Road Trip by being paired up with Charles Smith of K Vintners for the afternoon. Myself, and three others (one of whom was newly indoctrinated Melissa Monohoff MS) spent the afternoon hanging out with Charles at the winery. Ultimately, it turned into a patio party with some of his wines and a Vieux Telegraphe 2005. Of the K Wines, we tasted the 2008 Viognier, 2008 Phil Lane Syrah (from 2 acres surrounding his home), 2005 Cougar Hills Syrah, and the 2007 Royal City Syrah. All were excellent wines with intense complexity, but completely balanced on the palate. As Charles said, it coats the palate, but still feels light.

We were required to return to our new hotel at 4pm, but Charles traded his SUV for a Rolls Royce Phantom 2006 and came to pick us up covertly for a “super secret probation party” back at the winery before the evening festivities. We sped out (and I mean sped at 110mph…) to the winery where we drank a Sauzet Puligny 1994 amongst other activities that set the night up for pure hilarity!


Off to Leonetti Cellars for tasting and dinner, I don’t think any of us wanted to do more than drink beer or Riesling. So, Charles grabbed each of us a Japanese import (didn’t get the name, but he has it imported special…) for the car ride over. He says the cops “know “ him! Can’t imagine how. We plowed through the tasting as best we could and hankered for dinner.

Dinner was wonderful. The Leonetti wine pairings could have been a little more course specific, but the wines were good on their own, as was the food provided by Graze Catering. The Leonetti’s offered their Sangiovese with Antipasto, the Merlot with Caesar Salad and Roasted Tomatoes, and the Cabernet with Spaghetti and Meatballs. For a dessert of Tiramisu, they poured their Reserve Cabernet. A number of cool wines were broken out by the Walla Walla Vintners after the meal for fun.

The night extended itself as Charles escorted us in the Phantom (affectionately named Satan) to the Green Lantern for a preliminary beer before attending the official “Beer Hall” in downtown Walla Walla with the rest of the gang. Eventually, we caught up with the rest of the crew to enjoy some local brews and a relaxing end to the evening. Charles was still looking to party, but our tour guides advised us highly against it if we wanted to survive to rest of the week…

And so Day 2 has come to a close. I am excited for what the rest of the week has in store –

Washington Road Trip Day 1: Seattle

I was lucky enough to be invited by the Washington State Wine Commission to attend the 2010 Road Trip. Basically, they invite about 40 – 50 sommeliers and wine buyers to Washington for an intensive tour through the AVA’s of wine country. Having never actually made the trek myself, I leapt at the opportunity. 5 days in wine country paid for – of course I did!

I landed in Seattle to the typical rain and gloom. I just wouldn’t have been happy if it wasn’t disgusting weather. It would be like meeting the Pope while he was smoking a doobie. We were shuttled directly to our hotel at the Edgewater. It actually was on the edge of the water! Cute little hotel and very lodgy-feeling. And apparently famous for hosting the Beatles in 1964 during the whole Beatlemania craze. In fact, they snuck us down the same stairwell to our buses. No screaming girls, though….

After a brief “primer” with Master Sommelier Shayn Bjornholm, we were shuttled off to the Space Needle for a wine tasting of the 11 AVA’s. IN the Space Needle! Great atmosphere. And very cool wines as well. Some interesting finds were:

Tsillan Dry Riesling 2008
Syncline Gruner Veltliner and Mourvedre
DeLille Harrison Hill 2007
Hedges ‘Red Mountain’ Blend 2007
Dupont ‘Red Mountain’ Les Gosses Syrah (vtg?)

After the tasting, we stood atop the Space Needle and took in the view at our leisure, deciding who we were going to hook up with and where we were going for dinner. I latched on quickly to a small group and we dined at Lark. Very good tapas-style restaurant. Pricey, but the food was truly delicious. I highly recommend the Sea Bass which was the best I may have ever had. And the Buratta ain’t a bad way to start with the local Billy’s Tomatoes.

With dinner, we ordered a bottle of the McCrea Grenache Blanc, a Teroldego (forget the producer…) and a Januik Red Blend (to support the locals again). The Grenache Blanc was a real surprise and very good. Sourced fruit from the Boushey Vineyard. All of the wines were sound and versatile with the array of dishes.

Sadly, no after-partying as we were getting up bright and early to fly out to the Tri-Cities in the morning. And by bright and early, I actually mean dark and early…

Let the Road Trip ensue…

Spontaneous 'Cab and Cow' Moment

While we normally reserve 'Cab and Cow' for when my folks come to town, Kara and I couldn't resist the other day. We hopped in the car and raced over to the Morton's Steakhouse in Burbank with a bottle of wine in hand. Racing to make it before they shut down lunch service, we had to grab a bottle quickly so I pulled an old stand-by: Frostwatch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007.

The truth of the matter is that when Kara had her burger at dinner with Daniel and Monica, it was overcooked and she was somewhat disappointed. I swore to her that if she came at lunch, it would be spot-on since those chefs cook so many of them. Well, I was right! She unfortunately ordered medium-rare, thinking it would be overcooked. Seabass (the chef I used to work with when this was my stomping ground) nailed it! But she didn't actually want mid-rare, so she sent it back for more love. Then, it came back almost well-done. Tragedy, but expected.

On the other hand, the Frostwatch Cab 2007 is still showing awesomely. I know you don't know this wine. Nobody does! Brett Raven made a whopping fifty cases of it with fruit sold to him by David Ramey from the Larkmead vineyard in Calistoga. It's absolutely gorgeous California Cab that reminds me of a second-label version of Caymus Special Selection. Brett has only made this wine twice: 2005 and 2007. The '07 smokes the '05, but both are good wines and pretty awesome for the price at $35-ish retail.

The bad news is that of the 50 cases he made of the 2007, I bought 27 of them for Jar and we've pretty much sold out of it(We've reverted back to the last four existing cases of the 2005 out of dire necessity). So, it's unlikely you'll ever see this killer wine. Unless you want to drop by the house, in which case I might be able to locate a bottle for us to try.

We topped the lunch off with a shot of Fernet Branca and went drunkeon shopping. I to Albertson's and Kara to the Pet Supply Store. I grabbed supplies for dinner, ogled the actor who plays Newman on Seinfeld in the frozen foods section, and then we tooled home with the top down on the Mustang. Life is good!

The Duckhorn Event

I drug my neighbor, Chris, over to Upstairs 2 at the Wine House for a Duckhorn event. In the past, this tasting has been mass chaos, with Duckhorn providing some library wines as well as virtually every label they produce. This particular event was much more low-key and had the winery focusing on their new Decoy label.

Up to this point, Decoy was simply a red wine blend. Duckhorn has diversified the label, sourcing quality fruit from other wineries. For example, the 2009 Chardonnay was purchased from Patz and Hall and includes Dutton vineyard fruit. Not bad. In addition, they showed the Decoy Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc was consistent with past vintages, blending in 25% Semillon and dousing it with some oak. Clearly Californian, but modelled after the Bordeaux-style. Lots of tropical notes, banana, some citrus. Very drinkable but definitely not the style of SB I go for.

The Decoy line-up was good. I didn't particularly care for the Chardonnay, but that's no real surprise. The Merlot showed typical plum/cherry/spice, but lighter oaked than the big brother (Duckhorn) and, for that reason, I actually liked it. Same for the Cabernet - a bit cleaner with black/blue fruits and not masked under an ocean of spice. Thumbs up on this new value line-up, guys!

The Goldeneye Pinot Noir 2007 was a real surprise. I think I've grown into Anderson Valley Pinot over these past few years. Racy acidity, pomegranete, spice, black cherry, a little mushroom and bitter earth on the finish. I was kind of surprised by this one. And with the deals they're offering, you might be able to find this at a reaonable price.

The Duckhorn Merlot 2007 was pretty consistent, as well. Rich black cherry and dark plum, mocha, with the red fruits leaning into black a little. Lots of baking spice and pretty firmly structured. As Chris said, "a Cab-drinker's Merlot". And it is, since it's the only way anyone can sell Merlot these days.

Lastly, the Paraduxx 2007 was, despite being 70% Zin, decidedly not that Zinn-y. There is a raisined, jammy edge to the flavor, but it's fairly controlled and this seems to be a very good year for the Paraduxx. Dark blue/black fruits with tannin, but only a little. Straight-forward and easy to drink. Fairly seamless as this blend goes.

I fought the urge to go downstairs and shop. I did walk through to assess the state of the retail wine world. There were some fun Italian reds with some age on them that were calling out to me, but with 1400 bottles in the cellar, there was hardly a call to buy them and restraint prevailed for once.

The Search for Decent Wines: Part 3

The last couple of appointments for the week! Thank God! I know most of you are thinking, "Poor baby - has to taste wine all week for a living..." Believe me, it's not always so much fun. Imagine waking up hangover and having to drink because it's your job!

So, this last run was with a Paul Young and Suzanne from Kimberly Jones wines. Some interesting finds from both the New and Old Worlds. Here are the highlights:

Bonny Doon Albarino 2009: A nice replica of a Rias Baixas Albarino. Showing lots of orange citrus and tropical tones. It doesn't show quite the juxtaposition of sweet nose to vibrant acidity that a Spanish representation would, but in that way it's a decent crowd pleaser.

Mariannet Touraine Gamay 2009: This is my first ever Gamay from the Loire (I think...). Really intrigued by this one: Super-fresh red fruits with raspberry and the acidity of an underripe strawberry. Refreshing to drink with terrific earthiness underlying. Crisper acidity than a Beaujolais might have.

Cazar Chardonnay 2008 Sonoma Coast: The second label of Chasseur, this is a bold, typical California-style Chardonnay that doesn't suck. I remember saying to Suzanne, "Some days I think I don't hate California Chardonnay as much as I think I do.." Rich, powerful flavors of baked apple and pear, pineapple, butterscotch. All that typical stuff is there with lots of new, spicy oak. But it's actually pretty good. A great value.

Scholium Project Petite Syrah 2005: Big, rich, chalky, very grippy tannins, dark brooding black fruits, coffee, herbs. This is a powerhouse and not for the faint of heart. It really wants some rich braises or fatty steaks, but it's a cool wine to taste alone as well. Not sure I could put down more than a glass, but it's pretty good stuff.


So - that's it for this week's line of tastings. We'll see how the pieces come together for our Fall wines that we pour by the glass. This looks to be a good start, but we may have a few more holes to fill.

The Search for Decent Wines: Part 2

Another fruitful day in the pursuit of quality wines! Today was even better than yesterday, featuring visits from Grapevine, Rosenthal Importer, and Winemonger. After tasting yesterday, I kind of just needed a beer... Today, I am inspired to drink some great wine tonight! Thanks!

Perhaps you don't know the names of these companies I'm throwing out? Grapevine specializes in Pinot and Chard domestically from small producers in the US. They also represent some amazing European wines that are near impossible to get - Pingus, Rayas, etc. Neal Rosenthal imports very traditional wines from Europe and reminds me how wonderful wine is everytime I have a tasting. Lastly, Winemonger has a very small portfolio of some fantastic Austrian wines as well as Italian.

The Sommelier Quick Recap of great finds from the day:

Morgan 'Highlands' Chardonnay 2008: Talk about a Chardonnay that hits all the right spots. Almost as if they had a recipe and executed it perfectly so it was everything to everyone. It has oak, but just enough. Ripe fruit, but not over the top. 50/50 apple and pear with spice and some pineapple. It's almost freakish how typical it is, but in a good way.

Domaine Cheveau Macon Solutre Pouilly 2008: Very generous fruit with strong minerality. Attacks almost like a Vouvray with an illusion of sweetness, but it's completely clean. Then it becomes Burgundian Chardonnay. Long finish - it just goes! Very impressive wine with only 250-ish cases imported.

Gerard Viognier 2008: I don't know many people who choose Viognier to drink, but I would probably drink this in the right setting. It's completely balanced and not over the top, showing classic peach and orange blossom flavors, without the schlocky tiring viscosity. Not too bitter on the finish either. Very impressive for a Vin de Pays.

Montpertuis Cote du Rhone 2008: This is better than many of the 2007 Chateauneuf du Papes I've had and I'd choose a glass of this Cote du Rhone over them. Classic! Chalky mineral and structured showing primarily red fruits peppered with black. Perfumey with lavender and flowers. Tinge of pepper. This is an awesome value wine!

Gritsch 'Kalmuck' Gruner Veltliner 2009: I adore Gruner and this hit the spot for me. Also, my first of the 2009's which is very promising. Radish on the nose leads into peach over grapefruit flavors with the blast of white pepper. Round and friendly on the fruit for first-time GruVe drinkers, but terrific mineral and complexity for afficionados. Great product!

San Francesco, Ciro Rosso Classico 2007: I was ready to buy the sample bottle from her so I could keep drinking it! 100% Gaglioppo aged in stainless steel (no oak at all!!!). Just a beautiful perfumey nose: fresh and floral with old-school red/black fruits. On the palate, astringent black tea steeped just a little too long, providing chalky tannin, black pepper. I can't wait to pour this by the glass. No one is going to know what it is, but the people who want to experiment will be magnificently rewarded.


Finding some great stuff so far! Very inspiring. The search continues... I can't wait to share some of it with you soon!

The Search for Decent Wines: Part 1

Jar's wine by the glass program goes through a major overhaul about every six months and it's about that time again. Just in time for the fall months and the ensuing holidays. For me, this is a slightly painful experience - digging through a lot of inexpensive wines trying to find a halfway decent product I'm not embaressed to pour for $9 - $14 a glass. And that works well with our food!

I'm only slightly embarassed to say that I didn't make it to Spago to taste through the new line-up of Peter Michael wines at noon. Or to the Rioja event at the Four Seasons at 2pm, but I have another fish to fry!

Yesterday, I hosted three appointments, each of which offered about 8 - 10 wines each.

Some highlights from my crusty notebook included:

Miro Cabernet Sauvignon 2007: Rich, black fruits, licorice, spice. Not as rich as many of the 2007's, but more elegant in that way, as well. Straight-forward and an amazing value.

Miro Petite Syrah 2007: Coffee on the nose, jammy dark fruits, plums and blackberries, red licorice, very generous fruit and grippy tannins.

Arcangelo Salice Salentino 2009: From the heel of the boot in Italy, this bottling is 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nero. An awesome value wine that is very straightforward, but with enough complexity to keep things interesting. Rose petals and black pepper on the nose with plums and blackberry fruit. Ground cinnamon. Just a delicious drinker!

Deep Sea Pinot Noir 2008: Candied strawberry aromas, but dry on palate. Excellent balance and elegance. It is fruit-driven with some cola nut showing through. Refreshing acidity. Solid for the price. Central Coast.

Rancho Arroyo Grande Zinfandel 2007: Tobacco and cigar box on the nose, baking spices, dried berries mixed with fresh jam, black pepper on the finish. Very full-bodied at 15.9% alc, but controlled and balanced within itself. Ripe enough fruit, but not raisined. Focused and classic.


I'll be tasting wines over this week and next so stay tuned for the highlights and "diamonds in the rough" from this treasure hunt.

An Engagement Celebration

Our friends Daniel and Monica got engaged recently and revealed it to us last night over dinner at Morton's. They met through Kara and I - in fact, they had their first kiss the night of our engagement party. We were very happy to hear it and Kara shrieked at the top of her lungs when she found out.

To be honest, another friend had already filled me in ahead of time so I was prepped with the Champagne. For a celebratory toast, I brought a bottle of Egly-Ouriet 'Les Vignes de Vrigny' NV that my friend Chris Miller from Spago sold me. Egly-Ouriet is a small "Grower Champagne", primarily located in Ambonnay, but with other vineyard holdings as well. The 'Les Vignes de Vrigny' is actually 100% Pinot Meunier, which is all they have planted in Vrigny. Hence, this cool bottling of a 100% Meunier Champagne. His wines are unfined and unfiltered, spend plenty of time on the yeast, resulting in big powerful Champagnes.

The 'Les Vignes de Vrigny' was fantastic - a powerhouse, but still clinging to the elegance of Champagne. Lots of ginger and orange/lemon citrus. On the attack, the dosage stands out giving an immense blast of fruity pleasure, then the acidity quickly cleans it up and allows the mineral and secondary nuance to present itself. Plenty yeasty, this was a real crowd-pleaser and held up to the rich salads as well.

For reds, Monica brought a Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 from Washington. Leavenworth, to be exact. Interestingly enough, this is the only self-powered winery in Washington state due to the fact it's ten miles off the power grid. The wine fell into the profile of WA wines for me, candied/ripe fruits with a chalky tannin finish. The fruit felt a bit more "red" than I would normally expect from Cabernet, but it was great with the food and makes me respect how the anti-jammy Cab works so much better with food. Actually, for whatever reason, I really loved this wine with the Onion Rings.

I texted Sanguis winemaker Matthias Pippig about which of his wines I should take to dinner that night. He responded "Waxing Poetic" which is his new release. So - I make it a point never to cross the winemaker. I took the Sanguis 'Waxing Poetic' Syrah 2006. This was the first time I'd tasted this bottling after receiving it a few months ago. It was gorgeous and a definite hit at the table. Daniel was blown away by the mouthfeel. It was elegant (despite its 15.1% alcohol) and complex. Pepper, florality, blueberry, raspberry, meat, toasted marshmallow. I'd love to hold some of this, but it's so good today! Matthias is really nailing it these days.

So, a hearty Congratulations to Daniel and Monica! We look forward to many more dinners and wines shared over the years to come!

Soliste 'Soleil Rouge' Rose of Pinot Noir 2009

Claude from Soliste winery came in recently and had dinner at the bar with his lovely wife. It's always a pleasure to see him and anyone, really, who is responsible for making wonderful wines here in California. Or anywhere, for that matter.

As we were discussing the 2010 vintage and its expected results on the wines yet unharvested, I began spewing my love and adoration for his 2009 Rose of Pinot Noir which we have been drinking all summer long. It has definitely been my "go-to" this year. And when has my "go-to" ever been a California rose...?! I love you, Claude!

They do also make some pretty amazing Pinot Noir (red) as well. Very small quantities of two labels. The L'Esperance was my personal favorite in the 2007 vintage - at least for immediate drinking and gratification at the restaurant level. They are very Burgundian in style, but respectful of the fruit of California, commanding elegance and refinement of the grape in a way achieved only by the masters of the grape. (Did I just write that...? A little less wine while blogging...)

As for the delicious 2009 Soliste 'Soleil Rouge' Rose of Pinot Noir, it clocks in at a meager 13.1% alcohol and hails from the Sonoma Coast. As you would expect from French-influence, the color is barely a shade darker than Tempier and every bit as elegant. Perhaps even crisper acidity. The only way you'd suspect it was a New World rose is when the copious amount of ripe red fruits well up on the finish. Crisp strawberry, raspberry, even peach skin, a hint of cranberry, and a whisper of what tastes of caramel. It has the acidity on the attack and mid-palate of an Old World wine. This is a fantastic domestic rose and certainly one of the best I have ever had from California.

I highly recommend you seek out these wines. They are currently working on some additions to the two labels. A new, third, Pinot Noir and a couple of extended-aged Syrahs (a la the La La's from Cote Rotie) that I am highly excited about. And the rose, of course. Lots to discover and they are truly committed to expressing the "truth" in the wines. That is, the character of the vineyard, the nature of the grape, the balance of minimalist winemaking, and dammit - just awesome wine!!! These are super-small production so the mailing list may be the only way to get your hands on them. Believe me, it's worth it!

Stephan Ehlen 'Erdener Treppchen' Riesling Kabinett 2007

We've been pouring this great little Riesling by the glass at Jar for a while now. It amazes me how few people actually order Riesling there. Usually it's girls who know they're a little sweet and lower in alcohol. AND the smart wine drinkers who know that it pairs fairly well with many of our starters and brilliantly with a select few. I, for one, am happy just to have a glass available to me at the end of a long night of work.

Every time I go back to this Riesling, I rediscover how much I really like it. It's got wonderful complexity and I'm not embarassed to say that it's really inexpensive - probably $15 - $20 retail. On the nose, it offers classic petrol notes, peach, lime candy, white flowers, Meyer lemon, and slate. On the palate, it's slightly sweet, with honey, chamomille and balancing acidity. As far as my palate goes, I could want even a little more acidity. And at 9.5% alcohol, no one has to worry about moving on to the next wine or going in for Round 2!

For the summer, Jar has been serving a Dungeness Crab and Watermelon Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette. This has been a spot-on pairing for me and I keep coming back to it. I can't think of anything I'd rather be eating at Jar.

(On a side note - I'm re-tasting this with some Trader Joe's White Cheddar Corn Puffs and totally digging it!!!)

Checking in with Pichon Baron 2004

I bought the Pichon Baron 2004 for Jar because, on release, it was drinking great and offering a lot of fruit and balanced tannins for diners' immediate enjoyment. Ready to rock and roll, as they say. I haven't tasted it since that day a couple of years ago so it seemed a good a time as any to pay a visit to the old girl.

I love Saturday nights! Not because the restaurant is busy or any nonsense like that, but because Saturday is actually my personal Friday - the day that, at the end of work, starts my weekend. Kara and I usually have a formal dinner when we get home to wash away the week. Thankfully, I get to bring my "manager dinner" home from Jar to share and pair with my lovely bride.

After my (and Jar's) "Perfect Manhattan" which features Blanton's Bourbon, Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth and Angostura Bitters (stirred, not shaken), we moved on to the quickly decanted Pichon Longueville de Baron 2004. Aromatically, it was very focused on fresh flowers, car leather, tobacco, cigar box and fresh black currants. Showing decent fruit, but definitely not fruit-focused. On the palate, it has more blackberry and gravel (a tinge of charcoal, even) and moderately grippy but not intrusive tannin. It finishes fairly long. This is not a profound Pichon Baron, but it's drinking great. The present acidity and tannin drive the finish and tannins build on the palate without the food. With a Dry-Aged Kansas City Steak, as we had, it was just singing!

I doubt this is one for the long haul and it probably won't develop a whole lot of complexity over time, but it's drinking great and in today's world of outrageously-priced Bordeaux, this is an overlooked value from a solid second-growth Chateau. You could pay twice as much for the 2009 and wait three years to get it, too. Then five or ten more to drink it. Your call... I'll be drinking the oft-forgotten 2004.

Domaine Ligneres 'Piece de Roche' 2002

I remember when I first tasted this wine with one of my wine reps at Jar. I was completely floored and couldn't wait to get it in so I could start introducing people to my new best friend. I thought I was the only person in Los Angeles who must know about this wine. Later, I was eating at Il Grano and discovered Peter Birmingham (a brilliant and talented wine guy) was not only carrying it but pouring it by the glass. Well, at least I was sort of ahead of the curve...

Domaine Ligneres, a family winery located in the Languedoc in the South of France produces the Piece de Roche. The Piece is a term used to refer to the best piece of land or vineyard and this particular Piece was planted by family friend Louis Roche back in the late nineteenth century. What, you say?!!! No one was ALIVE back then! Not true - the 16,000 vines were planted in 1890 to Carignan. CARIGNAN, you say?!!! Yes! And damned good 125-year old vine 100% Carignan it is to this day.

The 2002 is absolutely beautiful still and I am very sad to say that this was the very last bottle I have access to. Jar had long since sold out and I bought one as a memento. The other night, Kara was asking for "something with character, but not so heavy... and not Beaujolais or Rhone!" I quickly realized this was the perfect moment for me to break out the final Piece de Roche 2002.

Of moderate body and very black cherry and plum-focused. The acidity has integrated and it's beginning to show a little more Brett (barnyard) than it used to, but in an acceptable amount that adds complexity. There is an intriguing florality as well and, while it has Rhone-like appeal, one knows that this is a completely different universe. Imminently drinkable and with a lot of appeal, she's still showing great. Kara was bowled over. I wouldn't hold them too much longer myself. For me, this was the perfect last showing and I was happy to have had it again.

While the only other vintage I have tasted is the 2003 (which I was not nearly as taken with), I am suddenly excited again about seeking out this wine. I know the 2004 is on the market - could be a good place to start!

Chicken with Champagne Sauce (and Champagne, of course)

When I first moved away from home to go to college, I promptly collected all of the recipes that I loved from my family. I didn't want to have to eat only canned food and Lipton Chicken-flavored rice for the rest of my life. So, I got Grandpa's Chili, Dad's Spaghetti Sauce, Grandma's Chicken and Dumplings as well as her Biscuits and Gravy AND Cabbage Rolls, Dee's Potato Salad and, of course, Steak and Tomatoes, and finally Mom's Twice-Baked Potatoes and her Fettucine Alfredo. Oh, and her Caesar Salad. Off to college.

Well, those recipes kept me entertained for a short while and soon I was seeking new challenges. I picked up 365 Ways to Cook Chicken and there I found one of my (and definitely Kara's...) favorite recipes: Chicken with Champagne Sauce. It's a fairly simple dish. Cook a couple of chicken breasts in butter, flambee with Cognac, then cover in Champagne and chicken stock with a little tomato paste for color. Oh - and a buttload of heavy cream! I usually serve it over Linguine. Rich, flavorful, delicious and fairly easy. Plus impressive with the big fire show!

The natural law of food pairing says that if you use a particular wine in the cooking of a dish, said wine should really pair well with the dish as well. Exceptions apply, of course. To cook (and pair) with this dish on tonight's experiment, we used Francois Diligent's Brut Champagne NV. This is a K & L Wine import (if I remember correctly) and only sold by them. Affordably priced and highly touted on the website, it was about $25. Unfortunately, I found it tasted only slightly better than a very good domestic sparkler. So, into the sauce!!!

We drank the other half of the bottle with the meal and, while I wasn't highly impressed with it in the first place, things got decidedly worse with the food. The heft of the dish was not cleansed by the acidity and bubble, but rather made the Champagne taste one step above soda water. All that cream really wanted something a bit heftier on the palate to match. Lesson learned...

Thankfully, the dish came out remarkably well this time and we were so giddy as we haven't pulled this out of the archives in awhile. Some freshly home made French Bread sealed the deal as we sopped up the sauce. I highly recommend this recipe (and the book if you're not a home chef yet) for a decadent and not-too-taxing meal. But maybe this is one of those occasions where you could break out the buttery Chardonnay or Meursault and be a little happier.

Chicken Marsala: Red vs. White

Okay, so this is kind of a redundant post since we just had Chicken Marsala with the '85 Brunello. But Kara is obsessed with the dish all of a sudden and keeps asking me to make it! It's like crack for her apparently... In order to keep it fresh, I decided to use chicken stock instead of beef and thought I'd pit a red against a white in a battle royal. New World vs. Old World. Red vs. White. Will the red win? Will the California Chardonnay come out on top once more? Will Kara finally get tired of Marsala? Can Rob chop the mushrooms fast enough? Will the dogs ever learn to poop outside?!!!

I did make a homemade loaf of French Bread...

So, for wines we had the Hafner Chardonnay 2007 from Alexander Valley. Everything about this producer reminds me of Jordan winery. The packaging, the profile, the fact that they only make Chard and Cab, the late release. They're even right down the street from each other. The Chard is actually very inexpensive and we've used it at Jar for a few years now as our low-end on the wine list. It's very clear-cut in its style and not really offensive except to snobs like me. The oak usage is moderate and not offensive with a creamy mouthfeel on attack, but uprising acidity on the finish. Kara was happy to drink it.

For red, since Kara HATES Beaujolais, I took this opportunity to drink a 2005 Calot Morgon Vielles Vignes. Old Beaujolais? Well, not that old. But it's drinking well still with lots of fruit and perfectly balanced. Refreshing ripe fruits of cherry, strawberry and raspberry with a little earth underlying. I put a little chill on it and was perfectly happy. I won't hold my last bottle too much longer, though.

The winner..? I don't know - neither of us tried the other's wine with the dish. But I was content with the Morgon and she said the Chard was a good pairing as well. I suppose we could have a rematch tonight as we have plenty of wine left, but that would mean making Marsala AGAIN... Kara wouldn't mind.

Not a chance.

Labor Day Impromptu

WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ME?!!!!

We woke up after our party with Cher and Chris feeling less than functional and before I knew it, I was organizing a Labor Day party. Mind you, I wasn't going to make a trip to the store for anything - just a hodge-podge collection of stuff from the many parties over the last week. A "non-laboring" Labor Day, as I put it. Although I was prepping and cooking most of the day anyway...

In attendance were Bill and Beckie with daughter Callie, good friend Michelle, and newlyweds Trae and Hillary.

On the menu: Mini-Filet Mignon Sandwiches with Goat Cheese, White Bean Puree on Crostini, Assorted Cheeses (still...), Tri-Colore Pasta Salad with Corn and Peppers, Aidells's Terriyaki Chicken Meatballs, and some goodies from TJ's that Michelle picked up. Those Filet sandwiches were kickin'!!!

Can't really say there were any formal pairings or insightful matches going on here. It WAS Labor Day - do we really have to think about and analyze the wine? Cause that would be like work and that's what we're not supposed to do! NO - we just popped some really great bottles and celebrated the day off.

To start we tried the recently released Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose 2009. It's gorgeous and everything I love about a rose. Light in body and flavors, but with great depth. It was great with the Delice de Bourgogne cheese. Is the wine overpriced? - sure. But I have to have a bottle or two each year. To follow, I opened my last bottle of Domaine de la Truffiere 'Les Folatieres' Puligny Montrachet 2001. I was thinking this was going over the hill and would probably be showing some oxidation. Boy was I wrong! This is the best bottle I've had of this and certainly the most sound. Completely balanced and drinking perfectly. Crystal clear lemon flavor over green and red apple. Focused minerality. Again, killer with the Burgundian cheese. I actually felt a little wine jealousy that I had to share this bottle...

On to reds! Michelle is a BIG Beaucastel fan so I pulled a bottle of the 2005 Coudoulet de Beaucastel (their second label) for her. It was in the guest cellar specifically for a time when she might come over. I was much less impressed with this than I have been in the past. It seems to be going into that raisin territory and felt a little overblown for my taste.

Trae arrived around that time and I opened a Neal 'Second Chance Vineyard' Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. Unfortunately, it was corked. In place of that, I grabbed an Ashe Family 'Entre Nous' Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. This is a brand new release from a new winery in Oakville that I'm sort of taken with. They only make four barrels of this Cab along with some Sauvignon Blanc. Both are pretty terrific. The fruit is very generous with currant jam balanced by blackberry acidity and mocha. Not mind-bending, but it is a powerful first effort in a strong vintage.

For fun, we next tried another Oakville Cabernet from Tierra Roja 2005. This is another tiny and new producer making under 300 cases on the east side of the valley at the base of the mountains. I've found her wines to be a bit of a roller coaster ride as far as consistency. I originally did not like her 2005, then preferred her 2005 to the 2004, but that has completely reversed in the past few months, with the 2004 returning to be the better wine. These are good quality wines in general, but the 2005 left a bit to be desired last night.

On to the old friends portion of the evening: my last bottle of the 2002 Lewis Cellars 'Alec's Blend' and a 2004 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon. Clearly our palates were fatigued after the line-up so suffice it to say that both were drinking well and served their purpose as follow-up wines to a "t".

Kara woke up the morning after and swore off drinking for awhile. We'll see....

Annual Labor Day Eve with Cher and Chris

Our very good friends and neighbors Cher and Chris live in another world: the 9 to 5 world where life begins early in the day. It's rare that they ever really have a chance to cut loose and come to the dark side with Kara and I. EXCEPT - on three-day weekends! So, we have a standing commitment every three-day weekend to live it up with the CVA's (Cher and Chris).

We opened the party with a White Bean Puree on Crostini that Kara made from Nancy Silverton's A Twist of the Wrist. It's a simple but delicious recipe and I think they even serve this at Pizzeria Mozza. A cheese plate, of course, as well. And Cher made these really awesome Panko and Coconut-Crusted Shrimp with a Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce.

To pair to the cheese and shrimp, I opened the recently released Sanguis 'Ramshackle and Threadbare' 2008. If you don't know this winery, you should! Matthias Pippig (owner and winemaker) was Manfred Krankl's assistant (Sine Qua Non) and is pretty much making SQN Jr. With this wine, he branches out from Manfred's mold on his whites and offers an intriguing blend of Roussane, Malvasia Bianca and just a touch of Viognier. The wine is very stone-fruit focused and, while fat on the palate, seems to remain crisp. I was actually pulling a little coconut off the wine which made me think it'd be badass with the shrimp. Man, was it!

The dinner turned out fairly perfectly, if I may say so. I tried to keep it somewhat simple so only one course plated: Beef Wellington, Twice Baked Potato and Sauteed Summer Corn.

Chris pulled a bottle from his cellar and wanted to blind taste me so he foiled it. As we sat for dinner and I sucked down the rest of the Sanguis, I was primed and ready to be tested. For their enjoyment and boredom, I ran through the entire MS format and came to the final conclusion of a 1999 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (potentially Stag's Leap AVA). It turned out to be a 2001 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain Vineyard AVA. Close...

I also pulled a bottle and let Kara taste it blind. She didn't go through the format for Cher and Chris, but rather just powered out an impressive conclusion (gut reaction!) Her instinct was a 1986 Left Bank Bordeaux. Well, she was only ten years off, but otherwise dead on with the 1996 Pichon Baron from Pauillac. This wine was drinking surprisingly well for a 1996 - soft integrated tannins and quite a bit of tobacco leaf on the nose and palate. Could have maybe wanted a touch more fruit. A solid wine and I was glad to find it less tannic than many of the other 1996's I've had in recent years.

Chris selected a 1997 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon from the "Guest Grab Bag" Cellar for a post-dinner bottle. I've been underwhelmed with the 1997's for years now and this was no exception. While imminently drinkable, there was very little structure left to this wine and not much more than some ripe (but evolved) fruit. Not bad, but not good - it's Grgich Hills...

The games ensued and the real partying began. I did have a couple of simple desserts prepared, though. First was a Classic Crepe with Nutella. This is just a crowd-pleaser everytime. Who doesn't love Crepes?!!! The second was a very simple Baked Peach with Nocello Whipped Cream and a Tupelo Honey Drizzle.


To pair to the peach dessert, I opened a 2001 Chateau Myrat Sauternes. I've never found this to be a profound wine, but it's a great vintage and relatively inexpensive for Sauternes. Kara loved it back when we first tasted it, but she was also brand new to Sauternes and seemed to like ALL of them. The wine was good: some baked apricot flavors and honey, orange marmalade, lemon. Not cloying at all - I might have even liked a little more perception of sweetness. The peach was great, though, and it makes me want to cook some more simple fruit desserts before the summer is over.

Another fantastic party! Thanks to the CVA's for their participation and contributions! What a relief that home was only three doors away. At least no one passed out this time...

Chicken Marsala and 1985 Il Colle Brunello

I guess we've been on an Italian kick lately. I keep wanting to drink wines from Italy and, of course, that makes me want to cook Italian food. Our neighbors went to Tuscany recently and I guess that's been reinforcing the habit. They brought us back a jar of pesto that I've been hoarding in the cabinet, looking for just the perfect moment to bust out!

It's been eons since I've made Chicken Marsala and, for whatever reason, it called to me while I was "zombie-ing" around the aisles of the grocery store yesterday. With a bottle of Dry Marsala in hand, I was off to whip up some brilliance. On that note, many recipes, I noticed, call for a Sweet Marsala. I prefer to keep my dishes a little less sweet to work better with the wines. And the final product did not disappoint.

To pair with the Chicken Marsala and Buttered Pasta, I opened a 1985 Il Colle Brunello di Montalcino Reserva. This is an interesting wine because, as I understand it, these wine have all been just recently released from the winery in Montalcino. Apparently, the kids inherited this winery and found all this wine so they're selling it off. Brand new labels and all these old vintages - cool stuff! And they aren't that expensive! I'd say they probably retail around $75-ish.

This was my first time with the 1985 and boy was it Brett-y! Brettanomyces is a "fault" in wine that makes it smell like barnyard or horse poo. Delicious! Actually, small amounts are acceptable and add complexity, particularly in European wines (Bordeaux especially!). In America, it's highly frowned upon and stands out like a sore thumb. This was a little overboard, in my opinion, and I don't generally mind Brett. There was fairly good strucure and acidity left here with vibrant cherry/plum/raspberry fruit. Typical spice and leather notes, mushroom. I liked this wine, but I wouldn't go chasing down any more of it, myself.

It was very good with the chicken, though! The funky, earthy tones were totally balanced out by the mushrooms and the truffle oil I added to the pasta last minute to help with the Brett. All in all, a great meal! No complaints at all.

Holland Gouda and Sam Smith Stout

We're still slowly working through the cheese from the party on Sunday. I don't know how I thought people were going to be able to eat this much cheese!!! I put out about half of what I bought so I could reload with fresh reinforcements when necessary. We never got through more than the first onslaught!

So, I take these opportunities to play with cheese pairing. I got a decent Gouda from Holland that Kara is going ga-ga for. My "go to" Bible recommends dark Ales, Stout, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Alsace wines. I pulled a 1er Cru Beaune from Chanson 2005 and popped a Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout.

The Stout worked great! Actually, we also had Delice de Bourgogne and an English White Cheddar on the plate as well. The Delice really emphasized the sweeter caramel/cane syrup tones in the beer, while the Gouda drew out the smokier and ashy marshmallow side. Kara, who hates dark beer, preferred it with the Gouda, but still didn't want to drink it.

The Burgundy did well with all of the cheeses actually, but it seems to be in an odd place right now in its lifespan. It's not giving off much character. Fruity, sure! Straightforward fruit with not much else. I'm hoping that it's going to develop some nuance over time. Yes, opening these things so soon is infanticide, but you've got to be able to try them sometimes!

So, only 73 more servings of cheese to go! I'm putting calls out to everyone I know to come help. Wine is included - just show up!

Aglianico and Pasta

Kara works at Mario Batali's Osteria Mozza, which I feel I must have mentioned at some point in this process. She drug me to the inaugural "Wine Lunch" at the Pizzeria side one day (months ago...) with wines from Re Manfredi. This is a producer from Basilicata who specializes in cool climate, volcanic soil-ridden Aglianico. Well, any excuse to eat Mozza pizza...

The lunch was actually really fantastic! The pairings were very insightful and the wines showed wonderully against the dishes. My particular favorite was the entry-level Aglianico with a Duck Confit, Roasted Cherries and Sage. It was brilliant! I promptly got on the phone as I left Mozza and bought a couple of six-packs for Jar's list. As well as his highly delicious Muller Thurgau/Traminer blend to pour by the glass through the summer!

After time passes, I always like to revisit these wines in a new context and having had some time to let the "hype" in my head settle down. So, I pulled a bottle of the Aglianico del Vulture from Re Manfredi 2005 to pair to a simple Spaghetti and Meatballs. Truth is, we didn't feel much like going out, so this was a makeshift pasta using leftover Aidell's Mozzarella/Tomato Meatballs from my Bday Party on Sunday. They worked great, I must say!

While I didn't have tremendously high hopes for this pairing, it worked pretty well and I had no complaints. Kara, who always gets blind-tasted on everything we open, put Aglianico in her primary possibilities. She has often remarked that Aglianico tastes of "flat Cherry Coke" to her. She's not consistent in her blind tasting, but once in awhile (and usually something obscure or very specific) she will knock it out of the park. I was impressed!

The Aglianico was particularly plummy with black cherry and smoke, a little tar and rocky mineral underlying. Of moderate body, it still showed off some pleasant acidity that worked with the tomato sauce. Hints of licorice added another layer. It was fairly straight-forward, but perfectly delicious and a good food wine.

I think I mentioned that we had a birthday party on Sunday - I'm not writing it up in this blog since we didn't drink any wine. It was pretty much a beer and cocktail gathering with some good friends. I think the best pairing of the day was the Cuban cigars and the Oban 14 Scotch that Josh and Cheree got me. But I think the birthday has officially ended - I can't take anymore celebrating!

French Onion Soup: White or Red?

One of the first things I learned how to make when growing up was French Onion Soup. My mom had a fairly easy recipe and it was a great place to start on cooking. Cook some onions, add some broth, melt some cheese and you're good to go! Needless to say, I'm still cooking French Onion Soup, but in a more complicated way these days. Recently, I've been clinging to an Emeril Lagasse recipe that uses Bourbon and takes about two hours to slowly cook the onions. And I've been lightening it up by melting the Swiss on a toasted bread rather than imprisoning the soup under a fortress of cheese.

So, when I have some gut instincts but am curious about what to pair with certain dishes, I always go to my reference guide: "What to Drink With What You Eat". Their recommendations for French Onion Soup were as I expected. Beaujolais, Cote du Rhone Rouge, and Alsace Pinot Blanc. Also, Manzanilla Sherry, which I would've loved to have but didn't have any in the house. I wasn't completely excited about any of these pairings, so I veered off on to the scenic route:

David Arthur, Chardonnay, Napa 2006 VS. Morlet Family, 'Coteaux Nobles', Pinot Noir, 2006 Sonoma Coast

I love a good side-by-side! Especially white vs. red!! Everything about this dish says red wine, right? Caramelized onions, beef stock, bread, hearty amounts of cheese. But I was taking the underdog's side and putting my bet on a white wine. Of course, the white has sentimental value since Kara and I ate the Chardonnay grapes off the vine from David Arthur in 2006 about thirty minutes before I proposed to her in Napa...

The Chardonnay was fairly typical: Grilled pineapple, vanillin and baking spice from oak, baked apple and pear, plus a nutty oxidative note that makes me suspect I'd better drink my last bottle of this sooner rather than my usual annual re-visit. With the soup, the fruits toned down to a cleaner and crisper (more youthful...?) tone. The oak characteristics were minimalized by the bread. I only had Blanton's Bourbon in the house (and didn't want to waste it in cooking) so I used a cheap Brandy instead. I found the oak character of the Chardonnay filled in the void of the American oak that I was missing having used Brandy instead of Bourbon. All in all, I must say this was a much better wine with the soup and I found myself wanting to return to this glass throughout the meal. But when the soup was gone, I left the Chardonnay gladly.

The Morlet Pinot was pretty awesome! Having tasted this wine a couple of times already (once with Luc Morlet himself), I still like to check in with Cellar Tracker sometimes to see what Joe Wino thinks the wine is doing these days. All the reviews seemed to lean toward a more Burgundian style and a highly reserved wine. I found quite the opposite: this is just well-crafted California and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir in the way that it should be made! Very perfumed and floral, with controlled ripe fruits: ripe cranberry, ripe black cherry, pomegranate, touches of baking spice and cocoa from oak. This is far from Burgundy, but it's interesting to think that the American palate finds this Burgundian in light of all the Pinots they have become used to. With the food, this wine showed very well and consistent flavors with or without the food, but it felt a little heavy-handed in comparison to the Chardonnay.

My vote: David Arthur Chardonnay. Perhaps it was the cool temperature that made it so refreshing to come back to? Maybe I just had myself convinced I was going to like it already? Not sure, but when you WANT to drink a wine with the food you're eating, but run away from it as soon as you're done with the dish, that speaks to me of a great pairing. At least, as far as the wine is concerned. Both wines were completely acceptable and showed their best.

You should definitely seek out Luc Morlet's wines. They're really quite amazing, but also very pricey. You may know Luc from his work at Peter Michael where he was the winemaker for a number of years. These are terrific examples of what California can do with Pinot Noir and are well worth seeking out. He also produces some great Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and a terrific White Bordeax-styled blend called 'La Proprtion Doree'.