Randall Graham and Bonny Doon

I was very fortunate this past week to have the opportunity to spend some time with Randall Graham, the genius and mad scientist, if you will, behind Bonny Doon winery. Considered the original "Rhone Ranger" when he began Bonny Doon back in 1983, he has consistently been pushing the envelope over the years by poking holes in the staunch and pompous bubble around wine, but making profound product at the same time. His former tasting room in Paso Robles was a clear cut example, looking more like a ride in Fantasyland than a professional winery. But there is no arguing the quality of what's in the bottle; his line-up on this particular afternoon proves that.

In speaking with Randall, I was taken with how humble he still is after all this time. With nearly thirty years in the bag, he still refers to Bonny Doon as "a work in progress". He is trying to shrink his production, which is currently around 35,000, to about 25,000. In fact, he tells me that he would make only ONE case of wine if he could. If it were the most brilliant wine in the world, I assume. I hazard to think of what it might cost or what my allocation would be. A .187 ml for $3000? Sign me up!

On a side note, his video "Vive le Screwcap" is on You Tube. If you have about ten minutes, you should give it a watch. Pretty entertaining and informative if you need a basic education in corkiness and screwcaps. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSlmjxQkJRE



On to the wines we tasted:

One of my personal favorites of the flight was the very first wine he poured: "Riesling to Live" 2006. It's the perfect sommelier wine! A Method Champenois sparkler that is varietal Riesling. Bone-dry and perfect as an aperitif or just a fun summer wine. It showed the typical petrol notes of Riesling on the nose, with lime, green apple, crisp acidity and minerality rarely seen in the New World. White peach on the palate as well. I can't wait to get this in to Jar so I can have a full glass or two! A special thanks to Randall for making this available. Heretofore, it has not been available outside of the winery and mailing list.

His flight of white wines was equally as impressive. The Vinho Grinho 2009 is a blend of Loureiro and Albarino. You've got to love his commitment to using grapes no one has ever heard of! And the wine is killer! Florality and a perfumey nose of peaches, oranges, and citrus. The Albarino really comes through. On the palate, it feels round, but the acidity takes over and keeps it feeling light, bringing you back for more. Moving on to the "Vin Gris de Cigare" 2010, his rose, I was pleasantly surprised to find it incredibly affordable for the quality. A blend of Grenache, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne, it shows a little of that bubble gum character that I often don't like in domestic rose, but also balanced with strawberry and raspberry, white flowers and a quaffable style. The flavors cling to the palate. Nice value! Lastly, we tasted the "Le Cigare Volant Blanc" 2008, which I was also very taken with. A blend of Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, it strikes me as almost reminiscent of a Chablis-like nose in its minerality. Also, beeswax, quince, flowers and a chalkiness on the palate that also includes more citrus and stonefruit characteristics. The Old World style of this is brilliant. I'm even noting a little pineapple on the finish that's fun. We're likely to be pouring this by the glass at Jar next month.

As move into reds, Randall pours me his 2007 Dolcetto under the Ca' del Solo label. Dolcetto?! I love this guy! Who's growing Dolcetto in California?! And it tastes like Italian Dolcetto! Why am I using all exclamation points?! BECAUSE I'M EXCITED!!! Actually, this is a great representation of the varietal. Candied cherries and purple flowers. Completely classic. It's hard to give you a tasting note because I never really find Dolcetto that complex or interesting, and Randall's is no exception, but its similarity to its Italian counterparts is what's so impressive. The 2008 Syrah "Le Pousseur" is nice as well. Classic Syrah, it shows black pepper notes, blueberry, grilled meats, soft florality, singed herbs and a refreshingly moderate body that is not tiring. Another good value drinking wine.

I believe it was about this point in the tasting when I ask Randall if it's a "Fruit Day" on the lunar calendar because everything is just tasting brilliant. He practices biodynamics and if anyone's wines should be affected by the lunar calendar, I would expect them to be his. If you have no idea what I'm talking about - I'll do a write up on it someday. It's sort of hokey and sort of fascinating. You'll either disregard it immediately or begin methodically looking for the truth in it, as I did.

Bonny Doon's flagship wine is "Le Cigare Volant". We tasted the 2007 today. It contains a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault. I liked it, but it was not my favorite of the flight. However, I must make a disclaimer that I am not always the biggest fan of Rhone blends such as this. I love them with the right foods, but they are not always my first choice for casual drinking. The wine was spot on, though: Based in red fruit flavors, and showing like a riper Chateauneuf, the body is round, offering peppered meats and minerality. Beautifully balanced, as a Chateauneuf blend is meant to be. A terrific representation of its model. Lastly, I absolutely adored the "Bien Nacido" Syrah 2007. Like a Cote-Rotie, it was rife with savory flavors: bacon fat, pepper, meat, herbs and more. The black/blue fruit is only a framework for all this other cool stuff, which continues long into the finish. This is the style of Syrah I wish more people could nail in California. But when you're getting from one of the coolest growing sites in the state, I guess it's a little easier to emphasize those characteristics.

I am a much bigger fan of these wines today than I was when I visited their tasting room nearly ten years ago. Of course, my palate has completely changed and, possibly, so has the quality of the wines. As Randall said, they are a "work in progress". I am incredibly happy to have finally met the man and been able to pick his brain. I highly recommend doing so if you have the chance at a tasting or event some time in the future. The wines are top notch!

Lewis Cellars Wine Dinner at Jar

We're very excited at Jar to be starting up a new series of wine dinners. Occurring the third Tuesday of every month, they will feature new dishes created by Suzanne and Preech, as well as themed wine pairings. The setting offers intimacy with a table set for a mere fourteen people in the side dining room. The beverage selections are, of course, provided by yours truly.

For our inaugural dinner, Suzanne and I offered a menu showcasing some of the wines from Lewis Cellars. While known for their extracted and monstrously endowed reds, I took the opportunity to show as many of their whites with Suzanne's menu. Four courses were prepared following a light amuse.

As guests arrived, we poured the Terres Secretes 'Blanc de Noirs' Brut NV Cremant de Bourgogne. This is a terrific, crisp sparkler that offers wonderful value for the money. Red fruit, apple and minerality with a touch of sweetness noticable on the palate. This wine also carried over as the pairing for Suzanne's Roasted Tomato Soup with Smoked Mozzarella, which served as the Amuse Bouche for the evening.

The first formal course was a Dungeness Crab Salad with Watermelon and Sugar Kiss Melon. A jalapeno-lime vinaigrette and some mint made me think of Sauvignon Blanc, which thankfully, Lewis just began making last year. The Lewis Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2009 was very pretty, offering tropicl notes, some percievable oak tones, citrus flavors and a well-done California-style SB. I much prefer this bottling to their Reserve which sees more oak and seems more like Chardonnay than SB.

I played around a bit with the second course pairings. Suzanne serves Cod and Cod Cheeks with Umbrian Lentils. I desperately wanted to show the Lewis 'Vin Gris of Syrah' Rose 2010, of which there are only 2 barrels made. But also, I wanted an appropriate pairing for the dish which might be better found in their 2008 Napa Chardonnay. So - we poured both and had a side-by-side. I explained to the group that I agonize over these things down to the last minute. The Chardonnay seemed to be the favorite, but with the summer weather finally beginning to show in Los Angeles, it's always a good opportunity to remind people that it's rose season again.

For the third and final savory course, Suzanne and Preech grilled a massive Dry-Aged Ribeye and served it with some Arugula Salad and Jar's famous French Fries. Finally, I got to break out the wines Lewis is known for: the 2008 'Alec's Blend' and the 2008 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasting these wines side-by-side really exemplified the style: Rich, lush, spicy and plushly textured. The Cabernet had an amazing roundness and softness that I can't recall from their wines. While massively endowed, it caresses the palate at the same time. The Alec's, a blend of mostly Syrah with Merlot and some Cabernet, showed soe of the typical Syrah bacon, pepper and florality, but was much more fruit-focused and served as a good contrast to the Cabernet.

Dinner was wrapped up with coffees and an amazing Peach Pie a la Mode from Pastry Chef Sandra Bustamante who continues to amaze me with her incredible execution of classic desserts. I had to take one of these amazing pies home to enjoy that evening. It was pretty spectacular.

It's amazing to see the reponse from people who are experiencing Lewis wines for the first time. Many of these guests were Jar fans, but weren't familiar with the winery. The hedonism and pure abandon one can experience when drinking these wines is wonderful. They're not what I would necessarily call intellectual wines, but they are wildly delicious and balanced for wines of such size. Everyone at the table seemed to respond to that aspect as they sipped down the last of all the wine in the decanters.


I'm very much looking forward to the upcoming series of these events. I've got some interesting candidates in the queue for the coming months. In addition, we are looking at regional themes, varietal focus, and maybe even a beer dinner (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Russian River Brewery...) In any case, it's going to be a lot of fun to introduce these beverages to Jar's cuisine in this format. I hope you can find a date to join us to experience it firsthand.

Schiavenza Reserva Barolo 1999

I've been hoarding this bottle. I'm sure you've been a victim of this particular syndrome as well. You might have a great experience at a wine dinner or tasting room and then covet the only bottle you purchased of some wine. Keeping it as a relic of the experience. Never wanting to open it. Saving it for some special occasion, but no occasion is really perfect or good enough. Sure - you've probably got a few in the cellar right now.

When I first came to work at Jar, we had this pretty little Barolo on the list. I took one to a dinner with some colleagues and we were all singing its praises. Particularly with the roulade of rabbit a number of us were eating. I've been looking for the right opportunity to open the wine again, but never thought I had just the right dish on the table. So, getting frustrated with myself and deciding that I really just want to drink the damn wine, I grabbed dinner from Jar and set out to re-experience this little gem.

Strangely enough, a lot of people think of Barolo for Jar's cuisine, although I never really think of it myself. The food is fairly rich and I always suspect the more elegant wines (despite the heavy tannin) will get overshadowed by some of the sweeter and more robust elements of the dishes. Classically, Barolo should go well with richer and more rustic dishes. I don't know - I must just have a block I need to clear up. And so...

The Schiavenza 'Reserva' Barolo 1999: Bricking at the rim, as one would expect, more from the varietal than its age. The core is darker than you might expect for classic Barolo. On the nose, immediate cherry cough syrup notes with perfumey florality. Riper on the nose than I might normally like. On the palate, the tannins are fine and soft. Atypical of a Barolo this young. The fruit is ripe and surprisingly pronounced with the soft tannin seeming to leave it a little flabby. I didn't remember it being this soft...

Nursing some slight disappointment with this showing, we sat down to the braised meat and suddenly the clouds parted. The richness of the sauce (which includes some sugar from the sherry it's braised in) cuts the ripeness of the wine and provides the austerity I was missing. Miraculously, the earth and florality volume go up a few notches and the ripeness comes into balance. Could it be? Have I been overlooking this brilliant pairing for so long?!!! Ripe enough and plenty drinkable without the food, but becoming more classic and balanced with the meat?! I'M IN LOVE AGAIN!

Someone asked me yesterday about my last amazing wine experience. I had to share this one since it was fresh in my head. He chided me for being a "restaurant guy" and having to judge my wine with food. Of course I do! Personally, that's when I drink the majority of my wine - when I'm eating. Not even considering this interaction can be detrimental to your experience of the wine! I've known people who buy expensive wines and simply won't eat while they're drinking them because they don't like to change the wine itself. I congratulate any wine novice for making this decision. It's all about determining what works for you!