Vincent Auxey Duresses 2007

A casual dinner at home, I opened a bottle of Jean-Michel Vincent's Auxey-Duresses 2007 for our Chicken Cordon Bleu. Simply decorated spaghetti noodles along with some roasted Brussels Sprouts. Seemed like a simple, classic French meal to me...

I bought this Burgundy a year ago for Jar and picked up a few for my personal cellar as well. I've always liked the vibrant acidity of these 2007's. With a year in hibernation, I figured it was about time to check back in with this old friend. And what better way to revisit than with a regional pairing of Cordon Bleu?

I was somewhat disappointed with the showing of the wine this go round. The fruit was in hiding, barely showing some green pear and a very strong lemon frame. Plenty of chalky and pithy aromas, though and a strong mineral component. This was not a bad wine, by any means, but seemed a little sleepy still and may want some more time in the cellar to really show off. I finished the last glass the following day and it was coming out of its shell a little but more.

As far as pairing goes: it didn't have much for the food to draw out, so it wasn't brilliant. Not to say White Burgundy wouldn't be a great pairing, but this wasn't the bottle on this particular day.

The Cordon Bleu was killer, though! I merge the best aspects of some recipes I've used over the years and it has never disappointed. I love this "sandwich" prep where it isn't rolled up, but rather just two pieces of chicken with goodies in between and then breaded to bind it. It takes a little skill and patience to keep it all together, but it's worth it!

Pliny the Younger at Father's Office

My friend Anthony Anselmi, who is in my tasting group, passed the Master Sommelier exam this month. We celebrated his success at Lou on Vine the other night where someone revealed to me that Russian River Brewing Company's most elusive and rare beer, Pliny the Younger, was going to be poured at Father's Office in Culver City the coming Monday. I immediately began making plans to be there the moment the doors opened.







I was first introduced to Russian River Brewing Company by a Master Sommelier and friend, Melissa Monosoff, during our visit to Sonoma last summer. We cabbed it over during a very brief break in our schedule because there was absolutely no way I was going to miss the opportunity to experience these beers firsthand. They brew soem of the rarest and most sought after beers in the world. I had an amazing time at the brewery. We got the paddle sampler of all the beers they currently had available and each was pretty profound in their own right.



Flash forward to today: I hear that this elusive Pliny the Younger is being poured at Father's Office. Here's the hype: Pliny the Younger is brewed only once a year (in February) and released at the brewery where it sells out pretty much immediately. A handful of California accounts are permitted to buy a 5-gallon keg which also sells out immediately. Surly Goat's sold out in less than an hour this year. Only two accounts get a 15-gallon keg: Father's Office Santa Monica and Father's Office Culver City. Santa Monica had already poured theirs and it lasted into the second day.

I was determined to be there for the opening moments of Pliny the Younger's appearance at Father's Office. Kara and I headed down for a 4:30 arrival time, putting us barely in the first ten people in line. One of our co-drinkers was the first guy in line at Surly Goat the week prior. It was evident that this was a major event in the lives of beer drinkers in California. I was very excited to be a part of it and felt very much like I was going to a general admission concert. Before they opened the doors, there was a line running down the block.


When the doors opened, we immediately began our tab with a couple of glasses of Pliny the Younger. It's a Triple IPA and extravagantly hopped, so we knew it would thrash our palates for any subsequent beers, but we just wanted to make sure we got it. It was pretty amazing, particularly considering that it was making me like IPA, which I sometimes despise: lots of citrus rind, fresh garden aromas, a savory that I could only place as cumin, fresh-cut grass, balanced hoppiness and grapefruit citrus. Was it worth the wait and visit: YES!

Worth the visit? Well - also becasue they had about half of the other Russian River Brewery beers on tap as well. If Pliny the Younger hadn't been there, I still would've been happy since we never see these beers. And I had been dying for an opportunity to get Kara up to Russian River Brewing Company to experience these. Any chance to drink Pliny the Elder, which I have heard many Master Sommeliers state is their favorite beer in the world, is a great day in my book.


The 15-gallon keg of Pliny the Younger was gone in less than two hours. We had since moved on to all of the other Russian River Selections. We ordered some apps and the infamous Father's Office Burger (which was truly profound...). Here are my tasting notes on the Russian River Beers poured on that day:




Sanctification: Brewed with Brettanomyces. Tangy and sweet smell, like a Chinese sweet and sour. Woodsy funkiness. Especially tangy on the palate, so much so that it comes across as lemon and passion fruit. Very cool and interesting.

Redemption: A Belgian-style Blonde. Smells like I would imagine a savory doughnut to taste like. Yeast, flowers and fruit. Ortega taco shells from the market, clean and creamy mouthfeel.

Pliny the Elder: I'm pleases to say I enjoyed two full glasses of this and preferred it, in fact, to Pliny the Younger. Grass, smokey wood, florality, and a creamy mouthfeel. The attack of the fruit comes across as more sweet fruit than their other IPA's, balanced with exquisite hoppiness that shows citrus rind and very cool savory notes. This is super-complex but not overly tiring. My favorite of this flight.

Perdition: The Belgian Dubbel-style. Bread, malt, caramel, a little Brett-y, but lighter on the palate than the nose and color elude to. This is a dark beer that you could actually drink a lot of. A soft citrus tone underlying keeps this darker beer feeling fresh.

Blind Pig IPA: This has a very similar flavor profile to both Plinys, however, there is a dip in the mid-palate and it comes across as a shadow of its better siblings. The lighter intensity of the fruit makes the hoppiness more pronounced on the finish. It would be easier to drink a sixer of than the Plinys, but would it leave you want just one Pliny the Elder...?

Consecration: A sour ale aged in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels with currants. Kara really didn't like this one, but it seems she's not a sour beer fan. Lots of tangy, grapey funky aromas. Kind of like a theoretical mesh of Kool-Aid and beer, but in a good way! Imagine Sea Smoke Pinot (heavier, darker Pinot) put into The Fly pods and integrated. This one isn't for everyone, but I totally dig it for its unique character and execution.


They had about 3 more beers we didn't taste on this particular evening. We had to drive back to Sherman Oaks. But we will definitely be back. And just a quick note on the Father's Office Burger - yes! it's worth it! I have never had a burger come out so perfectly cooked to the desired temperature in my life. Spot on mid-rare and freakin' delicious! Highly recommended and especially with a Perdition or Pliny the Elder.

Keep your eyes open for these beers! Depending on how open-minded you are or what styles you like, you may love or hate any or all of them. But even when they go for something outside of your box, understand that they are incredibly well-crafted representations of those goals. Hit up the brewery or Father's Office. I think you'll find it worthwhile.

Mother...

It felt like mere hours being home from Australia when mom showed up on our front doorstep to spend a few days. She had been visiting soem friends in San Diego and made the short trek up to LA to see her grandkids (our dachshunds) and party with us. I usually try to break out some fun and interesting wines for her while she's here.



The abridged version of her visit:


We grabbed some sushi from our local spot and brought it back to the house for lunch. I'm still living in a world of love for Australia so I broke out the Koonowla Riesling 2007 from Clare Valley that I picked up from K & L. This totally rocked their worlds and mostly because it was Australian. This is a perfect example of what the American consumer isn't aware that Australia can do well. The Riesling was super-crisp, high acid, showed petrol and citrus. It was perfect with the food. We sucked that down fairly quickly so I opened a Vocoret 'Foret' Chablis 2007 to move forward. I was not wildly impressed with this one, but it was good - a bit too green and a little light on fruit for my taste. It was relatively inexpensive, also at K & L.

The night continued on with a variety of red wines: Emeritus Pinot 2007, Araujo 'Altagracia' 2004 and Neal Cabernet 2004. The Emeritus, while I have liked it in the past, was showing off a little too much of the cola for me, but the Araujo was doing great and seems to still have a long life ahead. The Neal 2004 has generally been consistent and is probably my favorite vintage of this wine to date.


We dined at Lucques on another evening. I have been to Lucques a few times, but always for events hosted by wineries. This was my first experience during normal service and it was pretty solid. We bought a bottle of J. Lasalle 'Cachet d'Or' Brut Champagne from the list to start and moved into a bottle of 2000 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape from my cellar for the entrees. The Lasalle was perfect and showing well. Sometimes bubbles are so satisfying that you can actually shut your brain off and not have to analyze them. This was one of those times. And with its versatility, it went great with our salad and burratta.

The 2000 Beaucastel was good, but not my favorite experience with this Chateau. The Mourvedre was a little more obvious in this bottling and felt more like an inexpensive Bandol than a well-crafted Chateauneuf. The medicinal cherry and meatiness were present, with funky French earth notes, dusty tannin and decent structure. I liked this wine, but I'll hold my last bottle for awhile to see what happens down the road.

Our final dinner was at Peppone, which is one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. You get raped on your Spaghetti and Meatballs, but the wines are cheaper than you can buy them for on the market, if you know what you're looking at. I bought a bottle of 1991 Chateau Montelena 'Estate' Cabernet from their list for $89. It's going for $120 minimum in the free world! Dave (my step-father) gave us a bottle of 2000 Gaja 'Sperss' to take with us. The Montelena was killer and still youthful! Dusty sage and eucalyptus notes over blackberry and cassis with spicy oak throughout. I'm really developing a taste for this winery and I wish I had bought more of it back when I was first getting into wine. The Gaja was, unfortunately, corked. Not badly, but enough that we noticed it and the staff seemed to appreciate us leaving it.

We plowed through a fair amount of bottles, as usual, and only a few of do I mention here. It's good to have this connection in wine with mom. She's always been there for me and it's good to be able to offer her some great juice when she comes around. I always look forward to the next time we'll be able to spend some time together.

Melbourne and Sydney, Australia

While there wasn't much to speak of wine-wise during this leg of the trip, I would be remiss not to include it in the Australia recap. These couple of days were really more debaucherous and allowed us to cut loose a little bit after being on such good behavior for Wine Australia.

As soon as we were checked into the Hyatt, Russ, Jens and I walked over to Chinatown. It just happened to be Chinese New Year! We dropped into a cool wine shop and remarked how there is such a focus on Australian wines. Here in the US, we seem to tip our hats to the world equally, but there is definitely a more domestic-focused contingency there, it seems. We dropped into a local pub and slugged down a palate-cleansing ale before racing back to the Hyatt to get ready for dinner.

Dinner was held for us at the Press Club. Our hosts secured a private room where we dined with some winemakers and owners. We were all a little tired on this particular evening and more than a little run down. We were also so tired of 1) Duck 2) Lamb and 3) Cheese. We powered through the dinner and the wines poured for each course. The food was very good, but also very "fancy". There were some molecular gastronomy-type things going on in the dishes and, on occasion, there were just too many things going on in the dish. But overall, it was very good.

We retired from the dinner as early as was polite to go home and get some rest. We knew we were going to have a big day in Sydney when left to our own devices.

The next morning, we were headed for the airport and Sydney. A short flight later, we landed and were whisked off to the Shangri-La Hotel, overlooking the Darling Harbor. Our cab driver was very informative, showing us major sights and taking us for a quick spin by the Opera House before dropping us off. After a quick check-in, we grabbed a cab to take us to our last formal event of the trip.


We were treated to lunch by Robert Oatley Vineyards, a large winery that we have access to here in the US. The wines are solid and likely a little more of what you would expect from a large-scale Aussie winery. They produce a Rose, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot, Cab and Shiraz. We overlooked the Darling Harbor (from the other side of our hotel) and feasted on a variety of local seafood, selected by our sommelier for the wines. The Mud Crab was really delicious and an impressive presentation. And I was really jones-ing for some oysters!

When we left, I think we all felt like we had just been released from school for the summer. I wanted to fling some papers out of my backpack as I ran from the restaurant. We had decided we were going to take the "Manly Ferry" over to Manly Beach so we could see Sydney Harbor and also the beaches. It was a gorgeous ride across the harbor, despite Marie and I getting completely soaked at the front of the ferry.

Manly Beach was amazing! It completely reminded me of South Beach, but a heckuva lot smaller. We watched the ocean and the people for a bit, then ducked into a cool hotel for where I intended to buy the gang a round of shots and beers. Oddly enough, this place wouldn't serve shots or any liquor that didn't have a mixer in it. Russ and I quickly eyed the high-end Scotches and Cognacs behind the bar and wondered 1) Why they would carry them at all and 2) what horrific injustices had been dealt to those products since they could not be served up or neat. Tragic!

Eventually, I was able to buy the round of tequila and beer I had hoped. Right by the ferry dock, in fact! Which made the ride back to downtown Sydney much more entertaining. The sun had gone down at this point and we were treated to an even more magnificent view of the city.

The rest of the evening turned to pure debauchery. My plan to try to adjust back to Los Angeles time was to stay up most of the night and try to sleep on the plane. I had also promised the group that we would "tear Sydney up". We began stopping at a pub on our way back to the hotel where we enjoyed a round of Belgian beers. A quick jaunt back to the Shangri-La to freshen up and we were off to dinner. I can't remember the name of the place, but we ate at a Japanese sushi-type place. The food was pretty good. We were all just so happy to be eating fish and not meat for a change. Some sake and Riesling rounded out the experience.

I grabbed a double espresso and the best cappuccino eclair I've ever had in my life from a little store close by and was fueled to stay awake for the long haul. Our server sent us to a night club called Ivy which was a little too "trendy" for us. We wound up at a place called Establishment. We stayed there doing shots of Maker's Mark and drinking beer until 3am. Dawn and I tore up the dance floor most of the time while Jens held down the bar. Russ and Marie had long since petered out.



The next morning was rough. I allowed myself about three hours of sleep before I woke up and went for a run on the treadmill (I was pretty much still trashed). We got our things together and made it to the airport. I was dumbfounded that they were pouring liquor and wine samples in the Duty Free area. And stuff like Remy XO, Johnnie Walker Gold, Moet & Chandon Rose! We did some gift shopping and had a quick bite before settling in at the gate.


The most important purchase I made was my mini-bags of Smith's Lamb and Mint-flavored potato chips to bring home. I know I've only mentioned potato chips a couple of times, but we powered through about 12 bags of different chips on our road trip: Sweet Chili Sauce and Sour Cream, BBQ Ribs, Lamb and Mint, Crispy Bacon, Morrocan-Spiced Chicken and Lemon, Honey Soy Chicken, Ketchup, etc. Lamb and Mint were profound, followed by BBQ Ribs and the Chicken flavors. I can't believe we can't get these flavors here...

Well - there you have it! The Victoria wine experience as provided by Wine Australia. This state, country and continent were never really on my radar for places I was dying to travel to, but after this amazing journey, I am strongly considering a return in the coming years. Even if just for potato chips and to drink those amazing Yarra Chardonnays again.

Macedon Ranges & Sunbury, Australia

Despite a fairly raucous night at the Emeu Inn, I managed to get up early enough to squeeze in a run through Heathcote in the morning. Oddly enough, I "ran" into one of the winemakers from dinner the night before. Small town, I guess. A quick homemade croissant later, we were on the road again to the Macedon Ranges.


We arrived at Bindi a little more than an hour later. As we pulled in past the stone wall announcing the winery, we immediately saw a colony of kangaroos bouncing around in the vineyard. Before the car had stopped, I had the door open and was leaping out to scale the wire fence and chase them down for pictures. Jens was quickly right behind me. Tragically, this was the only rainy day we had and our shoes were soaked after this Roo Hunt. It was amazing, though. There had to be thirty or more of them!

We eventually had chased them all too far away so we headed up to the winery to meet Michael Dhillon, owner and winemaker for Bindi. No sooner did we say hello than I saw another group of kangas that I bounded off through the vines to hunt, leaving Michael during his introduction to the winery. Many pictures later and finally satiated with my Kanga experience, I returned to the group with Dawn (who tagged along this time) to learn about Bindi.

We hiked up into the upper parts of the vineyard some (still surrounded by kangaroos) with Michael so we could see the majority of the vineyard sprawling below. The vineyard is essentially broken into three parts and planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Michael is very interested in the quartz makeup of the soil and seems to be separating some of these vines and areas within the main vineyard breakdown as well. A true believer in the ground and "terroir", as well as vineyard expression, these wines truly represent their sense of place and marked one of the best visits we had on the trip for wine quality.

We did a little barrel tasting of some of the upcoming Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, sampling different block components of the wines. They were nothing short of extraordinary and I'm pretty sure none of us were spitting, even at 10:30 am. I didn't take individual notes since we were moving fairly quickly through the barrel room, but I can unequivocally say that any bottle of Bindi that you pick up will not be a disappointment.


A real highlight of the visit was when Michael broke out a couple of bottled wines: the 2009 'Block 5' Pinot Noir and the 2005 'Original Vineyard' Pinot Noir. The 2005 was absolutely stunning! Burgundian mushroom aromas with earth, herbs, cola, vibrant red fruits and such depth. If I could get this bottle in the States, I might not ever drink another Pinot Noir. It's unlikely you can find this, but I know there was once some imported to some saavy places and sommeliers. You will not be sorry if you can get your hands on one.

Departing from Bindi, we made our way to Curly Flat, another Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producer. Despite a road that had been washed out from the massive rains striking Australia, we made our way on foot up to the winery where we were greeted with a glass of Pinot Grigio 2006 for our tour of the winery. While there is a rustic feel to the winery, there is also a sense of modernity to the technology and equipment. I love that there is a big influence on music as well. Adjacent to the table where we sat for lunch and tasting, there was a jam session setup, complete with drum kit and microphones.

The wines of Curly Flat were good, but fell a little in the shadow of Bindi. Personally, I found them to be a little too New World-y in style, with a heavier feel of oak, particularly on their 2008 Chardonnay which was rife with vanilla and spice over lemon and green pear. Of the four Pinot Noirs that we tasted, I liked the 2007 Curly Flat Pinot Noir best: slightly baked red fruits, mushroom and a touch of Burgundian earthen character, plushly textured with soft tannin and vibrant acidity; bottled unfiltered.







On my way out, the staff told me that I look like George Clooney. I don't know...









The last visit of the day was Craiglee. THIS was an experience. We arrived to find it was sheep shearing day. Pat Carmody, owner and winemaker, is more farmer than typical winemaker and appears to consider his wines as much a product of his land as anything else. We sat at a long wooden table, covered in spider webs (including the wine bottles opened maybe the day prior) and tasted an incredible amount of bottles from his cellar, back to 1995. Pat opened verticals of Shiraz, Cabernet and Chardonnay and poured them blind. The highlight of this tasting was the 1996 Craiglee Chardonnay that we all guessed to be perhaps as old as five to ten years. It was incredibly youthful and vibrant - hard to believe it was going on fifteen years. I also had the pleasure of observing a spider ensnare a fly in its web and then wrap it up before feasting on its blood - cool! Overall, this visit was more of an oddity and the wines were interesting, but less than consistent or amazing.


Wrapping up our excursion in wine country proper, we headed back into downtown Melbourne to check into the Grand Hyatt. We had to say goodbye to our amazing driver, tour guide and new friend: Brian Ingleson. I wish I could say that I was sad to be heading back into the city, but I was definitely growing tired of barrel rooms and ready for a little Aussie culture. And it was a refreshing feeling to know there would be no spiders in my room when I went to sleep.

Heathcote, Australia

After the lengthy road trip from Tahbilk, we finally arrived at Shelmerdine winery, our first stop in Heathcote. Well, that's not entirely true... Our driver, Brian, allowed us a pit stop at a fun local pub to grab a palate-cleansing ale before we dove into more wine. A meager five minutes later, we were back in the car and around the corner at Shelmerdine.

The Shelmerdine visit was less than extraordinary. We were seated at the tasting bar and poured the line of their current releases. The assosciate pouring for us was knowledgable, but unable to answer any of our geeky or logistical questions about the wines. We tasted a servicable and simple 2010 Riesling, a horrific 2009 Viognier, the tightly wound 2007 Cabernet, and a decent 2007 Shiraz. The best wine of the flight was poured last: the 2007 "Merindoc" Shiraz which was an odd one and probably not for everyone, but had some interesting meaty characteristics that reminded of being at a summer BBQ: roasted ribs, bbq sauce, pickle juice, black pepper, and black fruits with crushed red fruits layered in. This was also very pricey for what it delivered.

I'm sad to say that the best part of the visit to Shelmerdine, and actually one of the highlights of the entire trip, was the espresso we had there. I can't believe I'm still talking about this coffee. It was the perfect balance of bitterness, fruity, ashy, roasted, et al. And, man, did it crack us out for the rest of the day! If you ever visit this winery, the espresso is a MUST HAVE!

We quickly made our way down the road to a store frontage for Heathcote Estate wines where we met Tom Carlson, who I had recently met in Los Angeles for the Landmark Australia tasting. Tom is the winemaker for a few labels: the aforementioned Heathcote Estate, Cooralook (a sort of second label) and Yabby Lake. He poured us a sampling of wines from all three labels. Of the six wines he poured, the wine of the flight (and a memorable one from the trip) was the Heathcote Estate Shiraz 2008. It was decidedly new world Syrah, but such a lovely snapshot of it: espresso-rubbed meats, savory green herbs, eucalyptus, smokey bacon, ripe blue/black fruits. And the most wonderful part about this wine is that it's one of the few wines we tasted on the entire trip that will actually be available in the U.S. At the moment, you're more likely to find the 2005 and 2006, but this 2008 will be worth seeking out. I would also be ashamed not to mention the 2006 Heathcote Estate Grenache which was also surprisingly good.


Our last visit of the day was one we had all been looking forward to: Jasper Hill. Jasper Hill has something of a cult following in Australia and a bit here in the States. They rarely have wine to sell because they sell out almost immediately when they release over there. Ron Laughton is the owner and winemaker, along with his daughter. We began with his 2010 Riesling which smelled a bit like Lillet Blanc and Orangecello, but tasted like a fruity, hopped beer. I was not particularly a fan of this style. We began the reds with the 2009 'Cornella's Vineyard' Grenache: aromas of black truffle and blue cheese, fruity but also austere, eucalyptus and raspberry/strawberry - this was very young but wildly intriguing. Next, the 2009 'Georgia's Paddock' Shiraz showed cumin, florality, eucalyptus, balanced blue and red fruits, and loads of structure that suggest long-term aging will be necessary. The 'Occum's Razor' Shiraz 2009 is made by Ron's daughter: it fell slightly more into the camp of warm-weather Aussie Shiraz and not nearly as complex as the Jasper Hill wines, but still good and especially at half the price. Lastly, Ron poured us the Shiraz/Cabernet Franc 'Emily's Paddock' 2009, which was my favorite wine of the flight: Very floral overtones, violets, eucalyptus, crisp acidity and massively structured with more pepper, chalk, tobacco and licorice on the palate. Overall, these are powerhouse wines that need time, but I think they will be worth the time spent.

After what was probably our busiest day of tasting, we checked into our rooms at the Emeu Inn where a dinner with about ten wineries and winemakers was being held for us in what was essentially both their lobby and dining room. It was a casual dinner with all the wines being passed around so I didn't manage any formal notes while talking with the winemakers. However, there were some interesting wines in the mix, including a couple of Sangioveses and roses.


I sprung for a round of Fernet Branca to round out the dinner. This was one of two places that I saw it and I couldn't resist. The Emeu Inn is adorable and I'd highly recommend it if you're in the Heathcote area. It's run by a very sweet woman from New York and her husband, who is the chef.

All said and done, the wines from Heathcote were coming closer to expected Australian style for me. Especially having begun with super-cool climate regions, these started to stand out as more forward. But the right producers are making some terrific wines and certainly wines that I wouldn't mind having on my table for dinner. The real testamant is this: the day I got back to the States, I hunted down some older Jasper Hill wines to taste and put in the cellar. I'll let you know how they are!





Cheers!

International Syrah Day!

Just a quick break from the Australia recap to celebrate (in REAL time) International Syrah Day. Syrah is quite possibly my absolute favorite vinifera grape. I love the complexity that it has inherently and it can remain somewhat elegant like Pinot Noir if you don't extract the hell out of it. I like to think that my favorite Syrahs are cooler climate US examples, but some of the Aussies we tried give them a run for their money. And, of course, the great Northern Rhones with some age on them are quite often profound.

What am I drinking today? I sort of haphazardly popped the cork on a Tardieu-Laurent "Coteaux Cuvee" Cornas 2001. I picked one of these up in a wine store a couple of years ago and figured this was the perfect moment to give her a shot. Also, it happens to be the oldest of my Northern Rhones here at the house. I had the pleasure of tasting the full line-up of the 2006's from this producer last year. The wines were quite good.

This 2001 is quite savory on the nose: fresh green herbs, charred wood, some Bordeuax-like horse blanket, smoke, blueberry compote, black cherry. On the palate, the wine is still holding some firm structure and has a surprising acidity that comes across as tart blackberry. The earth tones are layered with the fruit, impeccably balanced and dying for some food. The finish on this bad boy is pretty impressive as well, leaning into some olive notes. I'm actually quite surprised at how well this wine is aging and how good it is, particularly for the low price of $30. I wish I had bought more than just one bottle...

I hope you are enjoying a delicious bottle of Syrah today as well!

Ngambie Lakes, Australia: Tahbilk

Wrapping up the lengthy drive from Rutherglen, we finally pulled into Tahbilk in Ngambie Lakes. Not that I've been into New Orleans proper or the bayou, but this is what I imagine it would look like. Lots of swampy area with moss-ridden trees, snake-infested streams and Friday the 13th-like forest. And stuck in the middle of all that is the Tahbilk winery, where it was been for 150 years.

We strolled through the original cellar, as well as the "New Cellar", constructed in 1870. There is such an amazing amount of history in these brick-laid walls and the atmosphere transports you immediately back to days-gone-by when winemaking was much simpler. Old winemaking equipment is laid out for viewing, as well as old fermenters and barrels, some still in use today.


After the tour, we sat down to the Tahbilk line-up. We tasted multiple vintages of their Marsanne, including a 2003 that was showing some interesting character: marzipan, petrol, honeysuckle, peach pit, a toasty finish with fresh acidity and limey minerality. Their Viognier was tasty, but some felt it was muddled with their addition of some Sauvignon Blanc. I personally liked the balance the SB added by making the Viognier less fat.

On to reds, we tried a 2006 and 1999 of their entry-level Shiraz. Neither was particularly exciting, and the 1999 was showing some highly oxidative character that made it feel especially tired. Same goes for the entry-level Cabernets: we were poured the 2006 and the 1998. The 2006 Cabernet was solid, with rich blackberry (including seeds), currant, dried spices, anise and monster tannins. The 1998 was unfortunately corked.

The flagship wines were more exciting. The "1860 Vines" Shiraz comes from a vineyard unaffected by phylloxera that was planted (as you might guess...) in 1860. This wine showed blue/black fruits, red licorice, big oak influence that maintained balance, white pepper, and building tannins. It would be interesting to see this wine with some age, but given the showing of the older reds they poured us, I would be weary to risk it. We also tried the "ESP" line of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Shiraz was not wildly complex and firmly structured with velvety tannin. However, the wine of the flight seemed to be the Cabernet Sauvignon, with a meaty and tangy character that reminded me of good salumi. Sweet and savory spices, ripe fruit, heavy oak influence that shows a pervading licorice note. This finished fairly long as well.

After the tasting, we visited the restaurant onsite for a little lunch: Pumpkin Pizza and Farro Risotto. We brought along some of the wines from the tasting to taste with the food. I was particularly fond of the Marsanne with the pizza. And the ESP Cabernet continued to improve with both the additional air and the food.

I'd highly recommend a visit to this winery, should you find yourself in the area. Not even as much for the profundity of the wines as much as the history of this facility. It seems rare these days to find a winery steeped in such a rich past, and ironically enough considered part of the "new world".

We quickly hopped back in the car and began our journey to Heathcote to continue the day. Despite having just eaten lunch, I popped another bag of potato chips, in an ongoing tour of Australian junk food. We tooled down the highway, listening to Billy Joel from my laptop and taking in the scenery. I think this was the point that we finally felt like we had settled into the trip.

Rutherglen, Australia

Our trip through Rutherglen began with and consisted primarily of our visit to Chambers Rosewood winery. The fortified dessert wine producers put together an amazing tasting of their stickies for us. Prepared at each seat was a flight of 27 dessert wines. This was a very challenging, but very rewarding tasting. The wines were ordered by style from left to right, and by producer from top to bottom. This offered an opportunity to experience the style of the wine, or alternately, the house style.

Sitting down to a large flight of dessert wines can be very daunting. Higher alcohol levels and incredible amounts of residual sugar can fatigue the palate pretty quickly. But these wines Australian fortifieds are as complex as any wines in the world. Before this trip, if you'd asked me what the best thing coming out of Australia was, I'd have been inclined to answer "dessert wines". For me, this was one of the best tastings of the trip.



I took my most dilligent notes on these wines, which would be fairly boring to read, so here are the highlights:

As a house, overall, I found a new love for Campbell's. In comparison to most of the other producers, their style remained drier and more savory. Still sweet on attack, the wines consistently found balance on the finish. Their Grand Muscat was stellar, offering freshness on entry with tangerine and cherry flavors. However, the thrill is on the finish where all of the "goodies" show: nuts, toffee, molasses, chocolate. Their Rare Muscat was no slouch, coming across as drier, with a darker molasses tone and heavier malt. For the money, the Grand Muscat is spectacular.

Chamber's Rosewood wines were also a close second, but presented as a bit sweeter overall, while still showing tremendous complexity. Their Grand Muscat may well have been my wine of the flight. It shows all the layers and complexity I love in these wines, perfectly wrapped in a sweetly, savory, and nuanced package. Dried cane syrup, coffee, walnuts, bitter chocolate, fresh and dried fruits - it's all in here.

Other producers shown were: Jones, All Saint's, Morris, Pfeiffer and Rutherglen Estate. Rutherglen Estate's Muscat was a real find as well. Dry coffee, cocoa, caramel, creme brulee sugar, fresh cherry and apricot. A super-value at this pricepoint. Overall, I found the wines of Pfeiffer to be a bit offputting. There was a strange VA (nail polish remover) wave coming off the wines consistently. Their Rare Muscat was the best of their wines, but paled in comparison to the other houses in that style.



We took a quick jaunt out into the vineyard to taste some of the grapes and a walk through the barrel rooms. There were some amazing, old barrels to look at and we managed to sneak a taste of some wine from one of them.

Following the tasting, the boys headed over to a local pub for a palate-cleansing ale before dinner. We were shocked to hear that they would be closing up shop at 7pm. Not a happening place in Rutherglen, it seems...

Dinner was held at All Saint's winery, which looked very much like a medieval castle. We were greeted with sparkling wines (including Shiraz), as well as some still whites from the area. After a few speeches and thanks, we made our way into the barrel room where a table was set for dinner. It appears that I left or lost my tasting notes from this dinner, but I can say that the still reds in this region come closer in style to those from the Barossa that we are used to here in the States (with exceptions, of course). Some older wines were poured that seemed tired, but younger wines with more controlled alcohols were very good.

I managed to get my first exercise in the next morning with a jog through Rutherglen and its surrounding countryside. When we finally got the group together, we managed a stop at Parker's Pies. Dawn bought a couple of Kangaroo Meat Pies for us to try. My first experience with kangaroo meat, it probably wasn't the best example. While tender, it mostly tasted of the gravy it was cooked in and had a weird gelatinous jelly on its exterior that was off-putting. I also picked up their "Signature Meat Pie" which was pretty awesome - especially for breakfast!



We pulled out of Rutherglen fairly early and settled in for a long car ride to Ngambie Lakes. Eyes always peeled for the elusive kangaroo and koala, we took in the scenery of the Victorian landscape.

Beechworth, Australia: Giaconda & Castagna

We had the amazing pleasure of visiting Giaconda first thing as we arrived in Beechworth. These are wines that have something of a cult status in Australia and the rest of the world. Impeccably balanced Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz made in a style that nods to the New World, but shows incredible balance and depth. These are very special wines, but also very pricey.

Rick Kinzbrunner greeted us with the story of Giaconda: born in the mid-1980’s with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and introducing Shiraz in 1999. Even more exciting, he’s got a really good Nebbiolo in barrel at the moment that’s “getting better every day”. He’s recently blasted a mine/cellar into the ground on the property that holds his personal collection as well as a library of Giaconda wines. We spent a good amount of time down there barrel tasting, noting that the atmosphere was a theoretical blend of Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Carribean and Haunted Mansion rides.

Rick invited us into his home for lunch where he served some local cheeses, roasted trout, prosciutto, country bread and salad. Moving into his bottled wines, we tasted his recent vintages of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and his 2005 Warner Vineyard Shiraz, which was the wine of the tasting for me. It was dry, earthy, held good fruit, acid and structure. Russ and I agreed that this bottle will best be drunk close to ten years from now. It was an amazing visit and we left with a little more love for Giaconda.

A few short minutes away we stopped at Castagna. Julian Castagna greeted us at the door. An eccentric man, to put it mildly, he explained that winemaking was about just letting things happen. He produces little more than 1000 cases in great years and perhaps under 400 in bad years, if at all. He was coming to terms with the notion that he may lose this vintage entirely if it rains for three days this coming week, as is predicted. Despite his unusual personality, his wines were very good. About 60% of it is sold to his mailing list with a small amount offered to a select few restaurants here in Australia. I would be highly surprised if any could be found in the States. They are worth tasting if the opportunity presents itself. Unfortunately, the “crus”, as Julian calls his best three wines, are in need of age and I fear that most of the bottles produced will never see the time they need.

Despite the contrasting visits and differing personalities of these two wineries, it was an exciting and educational visit to Beechwood. This brief visit reminds me how much wine is about its story and how the experience you have at a winery can shape your opinion of a wine. I would buy Giaconda to support the soft-spoken, humble Rick Kinzbrunner before I would add the Castagna wines to my list. All that aside, the most important note here is that these wines, while perhaps richer than their counterparts down south, are still world class and worthy of adding to your Rolodex.

Yarra Valley and Strathbogie Ranges, Australia

Our day began with a stop at De Bortoli, or “DeBort’s”, as our guide Brian calls it. Brian tells us that shortening names is a national pastime in Australia as he switches on the “air con” in the van after finishing our “brekky” (breakfast). As we arrive, we are again in awe of another amazing view of the Yarra.

Steve Weber hosted our tasting in a private room and showed us a truly profound flight of Chardonnays from the Yarra. There were quite a few standouts in what will likely be my favorite flight from the trip. The Oakridge Chardonnay 2009 was a deadringer for Chablis with more mineral than fruit, crisp acids and great balance. The 2007 Yering Station ‘Willowlake’ Chardonnay offered cheese-like aromas, truffle tones, oyster shell and lots of citrus. Mayer’s ‘Bloody Hill’ Chardonnay 2008 was an amazing crossover wine for typical Chard drinkers to head to Burgundy: typical apple/pear flavors with mushroom, mineral and crisp acidity. The PHI Chardonnay 2008 was a little more in the box with white peach, baked apples and pears doused in Meyer lemon and orange juice, toasted oak and that pervading minerality.

For fun, Steve pulled some De Bortoli wines for us to taste: a 2010 Pinot Gris, their Reserve Riesling 2010 which was quite delicious, and an Edelzwicker 2010 which Jens was particularly enamored with. These were all very interesting and a great look at the potential this region has for amazing white wines. I’m definitely going to be seeking out some of these Chardonnays for my personal cellar.

We headed over to Yering Station. To precursor, I think that after we’d had so much Pinot at the beginning of our trip and such an amazing flight of white wines, we were not so much into this flight. Also, the facility was a little warm which made the wines show a little too much alcohol. We tore through about ten Pinot Noirs from the 2008 vintage and five barrel samples from 2010. None of the wines were particularly standouts, but it looks that the 2010 vintage will be warmer and riper in this region. We enjoyed a terrific lunch of duck breast and duck foie with pistachio sauce as well.

The most exciting part of our visit, for me, was watching the bottling line for their sparkling wine, which I had never had the opportunity to see. It’s fascinating that such a complicated process can occur in such a short bottling line. From the freezing of the yeast and removal, the dosage, to corking. Fascinating.

We headed out to the Strathbogie Ranges and visited Plunket Fowles with Sam Plunkett. This winery took a bit more of a New World approach to its winemaking. I don’t personally approve of this winemaking style when taken to this extent. He had a reverse osmosis filter, wood chips, bags of acid for adding to the wines, and some kind of plastic containers he was aging wine in instead of barrels. In my opinion, this is taking the “winemaking” a little too far. When you tamper this much with wine, how can you really taste the vineyard?






We stayed at the Euroa Butter Factory that evening, a real butter factory converted to accommodations. Sam joined us for dinner at a local restaurant that reminded me of dining in the American South. I had a marvelous Murphy’s Stout Meat Pie in Guiness sauce. Russ brought a 1999 Ferraton ‘Le Meal’ Hermitage that we enjoyed tremendously.





Bellies full, we returned to our rooms where I met my roommate, who I affectionately named Hunterwasser. Thank God Jens used to play hockey. He used a coat hanger to whack him right into our bag of Lamb & Mint-flavored potato chips so we could transport him outside to enjoy his evening buffet of bugs. I, for one, would be happy not to wake up to find him sitting on my face...

Yarra Valley, Australia: Great Steps/Innocent Bystander

We began our tour of the Yarra Valley at Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander. Many of us knew these wines already from their availability in the US. I have carried Innocent Bystander’s Moscato at Jar, which is a delicious off-dry rose sparkler. We were ready for some entertainment after the drive up from the Mornington.

The Giant Steps facility is now one of my favorite places in the world. If it were located somewhere in Los Angeles, I think I’d be there three times a week. Not only is it a complete winemaking facility, but it’s also a brewery, a bakery, a fromagerie, wine shop, and restaurant. Talk about one-stop shopping! After seeing their cheese-aging room, I immediately asked if they were thinking about making some prosciutto. “We’re working on it,” was the reply.


After a brief tour of the facility, we tasted some wines from across the Yarra with Steve, the winemaker, and Phil, the owner. Overall, these wines were completely the opposite of what you might expect from Australia Shiraz and Cabernet. Actually, some winemakers are labeling their Shiraz as Syrah to draw up notions of the Northern Rhone and Steve suggests that it may be a movement in Australia to use the name alternately if your style is more old world. The two standouts in this tasting for me were the Oakridge Syrah 2008 and the Giant Steps ‘Harry’s Monster’ 2008 which is a Bordeaux-blend. The Oakridge was everything that I love about Syrah: moderate body with meatiness, red and blue fruits, white pepper, hints of smoke and a long finish. ‘Harry’s Monster’ was as the name suggests: ripe, but dry black fruits, firm structure and acidity with florality, underbrush, and balanced oak. ‘Harry’s Monster’ will want some time in a cellar and will be fun to check in with five to ten years down the road.

Phil then drove us up to his vineyard. This is one of the most breathtaking views I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in Australia. It’s a magical piece of land that you really must see to appreciate. Phil gave each of us our own half bottle of Moscato 2010 to enjoy as we looked around which we drank from the bottle like a beer. Truly a great experience!


We enjoyed dinner back at Giant Steps, which was wonderful. It was the first time I’ve had Kingfish since I was a little kid at my grandparents. Although, my grandparents cornmeal battered it and fried the hell out of it in Crisco, while Great Steps was slightly lighter-handed with a sashimi preparation and a delicate Miso sauce. The pizzas were fresh and delicious, and the Iberican ham was nothing short of spectacular. As I said, I’d eat here regularly if it wasn’t a full twenty-four hours travel away from my home.

We ended the night back at the hotel with a bottle of Coldstream Pinot 2008. It was a little too heavy and Sea Smoke-y for my taste. We sat under zillions of stars, watching satellites pass over head, catching the occasional bat fly by, and Jens was teaching me some German. It was an amazing day and I think we all finally felt like the trip had truly begun.

Mornington Peninsula, Australia

One of the great benefits of working in the wine world is the luxury of being invited to many exclusive events that occur around the world. I was fortunate enough to attend the two-and-a half day Pinot Celebration held in the Morning Peninsula of Victoria, Australia. After the lengthy flight over from the States and into Melbourne, my co-travellers and I were shuttled down to the Cape Schank Resort where the event would occur.

Travelling with me were two wine buyers from Seattle, Dawn and Jens, as well as some local friends from Pasadena, Russ and Marie. With a little downtime after arriving and before our first event, we sampled some local Victorian beers in the lounge. I then quickly decided to take a hike down to the ocean, despite the fact there was no direct path there. After an hour of trudging through underbrush, I made it to the water, only to get completely lost in the woods on the way back. Eventually coming up on a paved road and barely making it home in time to catch the bus to dinner, I was ready to dive into some wine.


Our first evening was spent at Ten Minutes by Tractor with Kate and Rick. They were kind enough to host us for dinner at the winery restaurant. I did not take detailed notes on these wines as it was an informal event, but I can tell you that this is a winery to be watched, should the wines ever make it out of Australia. They own three vineyards in the area (which are ten minutes apart by tractor…) and bottle Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from them. I noticed a Pinot Gris on an order sheet as well, but it was sold out and not poured. These wines are controlled, elegant and feature wonderful acidity and cool climate character one wouldn’t expect to see in Australia. In addition, they poured some wines from Moorooduc, where Rick also makes wine. I actually preferred the Moorooduc wines overall to the Ten X wines as they were a little more catered to the California palate with more prevalent fruit. I would also be remiss not to mention that the food was quite good here as well.

Getting up bright and early the next morning, we entered the Cape Schank Resort banquet room where we would be spending the next two days. To be quite frank, this was a challenging way to start our first trip to Australia. Being locked in a banquet room on a resort for two days straight was slightly frustrating, but ultimately, a good way to prime the palate for the wines and places we would be experiencing over the following days.


Sparing you the play-by-play, the Pinot Celebration was a series of seminars, hosted by Burghound Allen Meadows and Ben Edwards. The seminars included flights of Mornington Peninsula Pinots by vintage, in context with other growing regions in Australia, wines with some bottle age, as well as in context with Pinots from around the world. The wines were generally poured blind. In addition, two very prominent Burgundy producers were in attendance to show flights of their wines as well. Christian Serafin and Etienne de Montille were flown in to provide words of wisdom and commentary on the up and coming region of Mornington Peninsula with 1400 years of growing experience under their belts in Burgundy.

On the whole, the Pinot Noirs of the Mornington Peninsula ARE world class. Light in body, nervy acidity, slightly herbaceous and all set on a frame of clean red fruits. They appear to have some potential for aging, although there are no examples as of yet since it is a budding region with no history. There is actually minerality in these wines, which is generally an unexpected trait from the new world.

There is a terrific sense of community down on the Peninsula (as it is locally put). Promoting the region is of more importance than focusing on the competitive end of things. Wines from outside of Mornington Peninsula, and Australia, are few and far between.

This focus on their own wines also works to a fault. Some of the winemakers and owners were violently harsh on wines from other regions. In particular, Julian Alcorso from Tasmania commented that he would rather dump 100 cases of the Faively Latricieres Chambertin 2004 Grand Cru down the drain than have to drink it, due to some Brettanomyces. This opened a heated debate about Brett and, ultimately, revealed a case of “frame error” present in the Australian palate. Some of the vocal Aussies eluded that heavy amounts of oak, as used by many in California, and cases of Brett, noticed sometimes in France, were unacceptable and made for awful wines. One writer went so far as to say the Faively would be best served with a “cherry and feces pie”.

Thankfully, Etienne de Montille spoke during our final seminar and brought everything back into perspective. With great eloquence, he encouraged growers to focus on their vineyards and make the best wine they can possibly make. “I want the right to be wrong”, he said, in regards to experimentation. He is a profoundly interesting personality and the wines were, obviously, top notch.


The pervading message that kept ringing true to me was one spoken by Allen Meadows. “What does your vineyard have to say?”, he asked. It’s a very interesting idea that kept recurring. Does your wine taste of your place or of your own hand? I hazard to say that in California, we are very self-focused and our tendency to make ourselves known may sometimes work against the sense of place. In that way, the Mornington Peninsula winemakers have got it right. They are very focused on their vineyards and allowing them to shine. I hope they continue moving forward in this fashion and do not fall prey to the critical influence as their neighbors did in South Australia.