Sandrone Nebbiolo 2006

Kara and I drank a bottle of Sandrone Barbera d'Alba our last night in Italy on our honeymoon. She's been a Sandrone fan ever since. And why not?! She likes New World-styled wines. And doesn't Sandrone really exemplify the idea of a New World-styled producer making wines in the Old World? Riper, more extracted and friendly levels of fruit that speak to an American palate.

Kara was closing last night and I didn't have time to make dinner. There was a little pizza in the fridge so I figured we'd build around that. Better go Italian on the vino.

I thought we'd try the Sandrone Nebbiolo Valmaggiore 2006. This is Sandrone's "entry-level" Nebbiolo. It does not come from Barolo, as their other more famous Nebbiolos do, but rather from the Valmaggiore area in Roero. As it was explained to me, you can get a better quality Nebbiolo from Roero than you can in buying a Nebbiolo d'Alba. Reason is: all the great Nebbiolo from Alba goes into the Barolo and/or Barbaresco. In Roero, all the good stuff can just go into a Nebbiolo bottling. Make sense? Yeah, I thought it sounded like a weak sales pitch, too, but I bought the wine anyway.

I remember trying this at a tasting at Jar. My notes said "tastes like a cheap, entry-level Nebbiolo - overpriced". I did like it, though, and we didn't have any Roero Nebbiolo on the list. So, I thought I'd buy a bottle to try at home.

Kara came through the door starving at almost one am. I told her all we had was a little pizza. She bolted out the door to In and Out, which she has, unbeknownst to me, been craving. Minutes later, bag in hand, she returned and we were underway with our Animal Style Double-Doubles and Nebbiolo.

While I wasn't planning for burgers with this wine, it worked out great, I have to say. The wine was particularly floral (most would call it rose petals) on the nose. The fruit was ripe almost to point of raisiny, but also fresh cherry at the same time. An odd, underlying jalapeno/tobacco green note as well. The tannins were present, but not stripping. This bottling was meant for early consumption. I must say, the wine worked pretty well with the burger. The tannins were stripped by the meat and cheese, while the raisined tone was brought to balance as well.

Ultimately, I guess I haven't changed my opinion on this wine at all. I still think it's overpriced for what it delivers. But, I do like it. Kara, not knowing the cost, also really liked it. Although, her comments did elude to the fact that she assumed it might be in the "value" range as pricepoint goes. Oh, well.

If you want to experiment and you've got a few extra bucks, check this one out. Sandrone's wines are not cheap, in general. Even his Barbera is over $30. I don't think it will disappoint. But if you're a hardcore Barolo fan, I'd likely just put the money toward a more classic producer's Barolo.

A Quick Note on Regional Pairing

In the Introductory Sommelier course, the Master Sommeliers offered a brief bit of advice on pairing wines to food, since that is a large part of what we do in our work. It was a very short part of the program and very general in nature, but it fascinated me at the time because I was still more invensted in learning regions and grapes at the time. I had not even ventured into the world that would fascinate me most.

One of the approaches to pairing was pairing "regionally". That is, food from the region will often go well with the wine from the region. For example, Italian food with Italian wine. Or more particularly, the specific region! Montchevre goat cheese which is tangy and acidic with Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, also high in acid. Mind you, these are just general rules of thumb. Nothing works all the time and you have to just keep experimenting, but it's a good place to start.

I was simply reminded of this the other night and thought I might touch on it briefly. We ordered pizza from a local place called Barone's. Their pizza is very rustic (made in a rectangle shape) and you can tell the crust is made in house. It's a dry style of pizza using very little sauce. So, I always pull out a juicy red wine with plenty of red fruit. We get Pepperoncinis and Pepperoni usually (amongst other things) so a higher acid wine is usually in the line-up, too.

Hence, the Bertille Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. Considered the red-headed step-child of Brunello di Montalcino by some. They seem to model themselves after the wines of Montalcino in some ways, but are often cheaper, as well. I often find it to be a cross between Brunello and Chianti, myself. Their soils are more clay which makes the wines a little more "watered-down" than Brunello due to water retention. Nonetheless, when pairing with pizza, these are the wines I love most.

Ripe red fruits, licorice, a little chalky, plums, cherries, tobacco. It was terrific with the pizza. We plowed through it maybe a little too quickly. But every bite of pizza wanted a sip of wine and vice versa. Nothing profound here, but a good value in Italy at probably about $25-$30 retail. And a small-producer many of your friends may not know.

For an even better value, seek out the Rosso di Montepulciano wines. They're the grapes that don't make it into the Vino Nobile. Even cheaper and usually awesome for fun foods like pizza as well. When I pop a bottle of decent Italian Rosso, I'm always transported back to a piazza in Italy, drinking a delicious wine out of a caraffe and watching the sun set.

Good wines don't have to be mindbending. Just good. And good with food. Which is really what Italy excels at. Viva Italia!

Blackjack Ranch

Took the night off tonight. Sometimes I love a recession! Particularly when it affords me the opportunity to spend a few hours with a friend I rarely get to see over a glass of wine. My good friend Matty works a bazillion hours a day and twelve days a week at a very popular entertainment television show that doesn't afford him much time to spend socializing. I was very happy to hook up with him for a visit.

Matty had a rough day today. We started out with a shot of Orinoco Rum. God love a rum that doesn't make you cringe! I try not to make it a habit to shoot liquor, but you can't let a friend do it alone and he was in definite need.

I popped a bottle of Stonestreet 'Black Cougar Ridge' Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 for Matty. He prefers non-acidic wines so I tend to lean toward New World wines when he visits. It was unfortunately slightly corked. At these moments, I curse the day I ever learned what corkiness tasted (or didn't taste) like. Another one bites the dust...

It prompted me to revisit a winery I used to support quite a bit: Blackjack Ranch. This is a small Santa Barbara winery located on Alamo Pintado Road just south of downtown Los Olivos. Roger Wisted is the proprietor and winemaker. Having made a good dollop of money creating the "California Blackjack" known as 22, he bought this winery and named it accordingly. He's a big Francophile and has been trying to make his wines in a similar style. Unfortunately, Santa Barbara does not lend itself to particularly French-styled wines.

Blackjack Ranch was one of the few wine clubs I ever joined in my fledgling stages of wine interest and early years spent in California wine country. While many people I took care of in restaurants said they were treated rudely in their tasting room, I always had a great experience there and found the wines quite enjoyable. I still took Robert Parker's opinion to heart at the time and he was a Blackjack Ranch fan. So, I blew some of my hard earned cash each year supporting Roger, as well as convincing my manager to pick up the wine so I could sell it in my restaurant.

I ditched the wine club years ago due to a small disagreement regarding their 2003 Harmonie. It was the only wine he'd ever made that Parker gave a "classic" score (95-97, to be exact) and Roger refused to send it to his wine club since he would have to discount it. As a wine club member, I was pissed, to say the least. He also doubled the price on the wine. I finally saw what all of the nay-sayers of Blackjack Ranch had seen. So, I've never purchased a bottle of Blackjack Ranch since. OH - except that I found that particular wine which he would not discount on close-out at Wine House a year after it was released. I picked one up, I regret to say, but I have a small OCD about things I can't have.

Tonight we opened the previous vintage: the 2002 Harmonie. This is a Bordeaux-styled blend, Cabernet Sauvignon dominant. I've held this bottle since its release, never having had it since it came in the wine club. I have to say, I'm kind of impressed. It reminded me a little of the 2003 Chateau Gloria from St. Julien upon opening, with a dirty graphite quality under the red/black fruits. Also, an interesting minty/herbal tone that is consistent with Santa Barbara Bordeaux varietals. Dark-roasted coffee, too. After an hour of air, it fell into a more typical Santa Barbara style, but that first hour offered a fair amount of pleasure. The structure was still fairly firm and this wine seems to have a decent life ahead of it. At the $50 price he charged through the winery, I think it's overpriced. The 2003 Chateau Gloria was only $30 at the same time and a better wine.

All-in-all, I still like the wines Roger makes. I think they're overpriced, unfortunately. And he, more than anyone, tried to ride the Sideways train. One of his labels was featured on a quarter of the screen for barely a moment in the film. That doesn't mean he didn't frame and hang the frames in his tasting room to promote the winery. It's business, right. Like not offering your best wine to your long-time wine club supporters because you'd have to discount it. Business, too.

So, I continue to drink the Blackjack Ranch right out of my cellar over time. Each time, I feel like I'm putting one more nail in the coffin and it sort of makes me a little happy. Is that wrong? I don't think so. Wine is about relationships, too. I think we've all experienced that at some point and some level. I hope you understand this small rant and have a point of reference in your own life for it.

And by no means do I intend to slander Roger Wisted or Blackjack Ranch in offering my experience and opinion. As with everything, I hope you make up your own mind, having tasted his wines for yourself.

Tandem Chardonnay and Sea Bass

After the lunch with Greg La Follette, I felt compelled to go back and taste a wine from his final vintage with Tandem. I'm a reborn La Follette fan at this point. I have a tendency to immerse myself in themes to the point of obsession.

A simple dinner by myself at home: Sea Bass, Roasted Summer Squash and Duck Fried Rice. Also, a bit of Jar's Caper Berry Relish on the side. The Tandem wine I opened was his 2007 'Ritchie Vineyard' Chardonnay. The Ritchie Vineyard has provided magnificent fruit to some of the best Chardonnay producers in California: Aubert, Kistler and Ramey are the first that come to mind.

The Sea Bass and the Chardonnay worked beautifully together. The already integrated oak was further pushed into the background, emphasizing the delicious apple/pear fruits. This is my style of Chardonnay. Crisp acidity and well-balanced. How can you not like this? I don't recommend the Caper Berries for it, however. Not tragic, but not a positive pairing.

Now, off to watch some Party Down! Have you seen this show...? Catering waiters. It has some of the funniest moments I've seen on tv in awhile. Check it out on Starz or stream it through Netflix. Check out the ninth episode of the first season and make sure you watch the credits. Priceless!

The 4th... Whoof...

Bear with me. I'm STILL recovering.

I'm happy to say there was not an American wine to be found at our July 4th celebration. It seems I've been plowing through so many of my Californian wines lately (actually just trying to get rid of them) that I never actually get a chance to drink what I like to. So, in honor of Independence Day, I granted myself the opportunity to drink fun, summer-y wines from the Old World. Nothing fancy, but good.

(And I will refrain from giving tasting notes on the Pabst Blue Ribbon that everyone was drinking. I didn't taste it, but I understand it tastes like beer-flavored water.)

As you might have guessed, this was completely informal:

Started out with a Simmonet-Febvre Cremant de Bourgogne Rose NV. This is a Champagne-styled rose sparkler based made from Pinot Noir and Gamay in Chablis. Delicious and fresh with peach, raspberry, green apple flavors. Also, good value for about $18 retail. Pinot Noir out of Burgundy for $18, you say? AND they do methode Champenois? That's what I'm sayin'!!!

We quickly moved on to a 2006 Dry Tokaji Furmint from Degenfeld. This is a Hungarian wine we don't often see. Sure, lots of Tokaji dessert wine out there made from this same grape, but what fun to see the dry version! What's it taste like? On the nose, it reminds me a bit of Sauv Blanc if you nix all the citrus - so smoke, parsley, and minerals. On the palate, particularly interesting is how it hits sort thin, but then expands into this Pinot Gris-bodied wine with a particularly long finish where all the real character shows. An inverted wine, if you will.

On to rose: a Cote du Rhone rose from Caillou 2009. This wasn't really my style of rose, but many would like it. Aromatically, it reminded me of those old popsicles that had banana and fudge flavor in them. Like Star Pops, but brown and yellow. Much too tropical for my taste. A nice wine, but I prefer a crisper, cleaner rose. Perhaps this would've been awesome with a beet salad so the beets had some fruit to tear away.

Next, the Re Manfredi 'Bianco' from Basilicata 2009. This is a Southern Italian blend of Muller Thurgau (a cross between Riesling and Sylvaner - supposedly) and Traminer (Gewurtztraminer). I often find Gewurtztraminer way too heavy to drink, unless paired with the right food or cheese. By blending in 70% Muller Thurgau, I get all the flavors of Gewurtz, but a lighter wine on the palate. Call it, Gewurtztraminer Light! So, stone fruit and flower-driven, lanolin, but also crisp citrus tones as well. Probably about $20 retail.

On to reds for the burgers: Bielsa 'Old Vines' Garnacha 2008 and a Cote-de-Brouilly by Domaine de la Voute des Crozes 2007. The Garnacha was the better fit for the burger, but I chilled both down for fun. The Bielsa is an unoaked old vines grenache from Spain. Dirt cheap and absolutely delicious! Ripe berry fruit that is pure and un-affected by wood - one of the cheapest wines on the table and probably the one I enjoyed most (particularly with the food). The Cote-de-Brouilly sort of got lost in the shuffle, I'm afraid. I tasted it with the food, then quickly returned to the Garnacha. And after eating, I immediately flipped back over to white wines. I don't think anyone actually drank it. If anyone live in the Toluca Lake area and wants to pick it up, let me know.

Lastly, as the night began wrapping up, we drank a Stephen Ehlen 'Erdener Treppchen' Kabinett Riesling 2007. Totally dig this inexpensive little German Reisling. She's so musty on the nose with the kerosene notes, but also honey and peach/lime fruits. Sweet, but not overtly, and it hits all the little targets that I love about Riesling. Retails probably for about $15. We didn't kill this one off, but I snuck it out with me to drink on the 5th. I know, it's poor etiquette, but the rest of the bottles were still quarter to half full and the party was winding down!

All-in-all, a great time. We watched the fireworks from Universal Studios on the corner where there was a perfect view. It was one of the best displays I've ever seen. Good friends and good fun! Can't wait to do it again.

Torbreck and La Follette at Hatfield's

I wasn't entirely sure what I was walking into. I RSVP'd for an event at Hatfield's hosted by Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein. Having not been inside the newly relocated Hatfield's restaurant, and having heard great things, I figured that was reason enough to check it out. Oh! And they were going to pour Greg La Follette's new label that is being released this fall.

Greg La Follette is a superstar in the world of Pinot. He's also a super genius when it comes to winemaking - he literally wrote the book on it. Wildly brilliant and still passionate about it, he is a joy to listen to. With a resume that includes working at BV with Andre Tchelistcheff and launching Flowers and Tandem wineries, how could you not want to spend a few hours with the man?

The event began with a glass of Torbreck's Roussanne/Marsanne/Viognier blend from Australia to whet the palate for the lunch to come. I have traditionally been a fan of Torbreck's wines. They are a controlled version of what Australia has to offer. Don't let the crazy Robert Parker scores fool you. The wines actually have balance, while still showing decidedly Australian character. This was no exception. Beautiful stone fruit nose with florality. On the palate, not overbearing or heavy at all, as one might expect. A delicious aperitif and summer wine.

The lunch was very good. It's always a challenge to serve a full dining room of people at the same time. Some of the food did not come out better than luke warm, but it only entices me to come back when they are serving on their normal rotation. The ingredients were creative and well-connected. The octopus paired wonderfully with a Tandem Chardonnay, as did a squid ink pasta. The boiled chicken was cooked perfectly to match the older vintages of Torbreck Run Rig and Struie, both 2001. They showed fabulously! The younger vintages of 2006 Struie and Run Rig were, of course, paired to some hearty red meat.

Run Rig, in particular the 1997, was one one of those wines that stopped me in my tracks and changed the way I thought about wine. When Kara and I closed on our first house, we opened the 2001 Run Rig to celebrate. It was a wonderful opportunity to check in with it again at the event, having added two and a half years of evolution. She's aging beautifully. Copious amount of ripe fruits, herbs, cracked pepper. It's a big one and I will most likely not open the last bottle I have of the 2001 for another decade. I'd like to see its long-term aging potential.

After lunch, we moved into a private dining area to preview the new La Follette line of wines due to release this fall. Three Chardonnays and four Pinot Noirs from Sonoma. I did not take detailed notes, but I am happy to recap their styles, which were all very unique and decidedly different. All vintages were 2008:

The Lorenzo Vineyard Chardonnay was typically oaked for the California palate. While not a butter-bomb, it definitely speaks to the New World craving for woody flavors. The first thing I asked Greg was how much new oak he used. 60% new and the most oak he used on the three whites. The Sangiacomo Chardonnay was nothing short of spectacular. Ripe fruits, well-integrated oak, and seamlessly constructed. Truly sexy California Chardonnay that gives one hope for the wines we could be creating here. The Manchester Ridge Chardonnay was also good, but my recollection of it fell flat after the Sangiacomo.

The Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, a blend of the three single vineyards, represents a good value. Meant to showcase the best elements of the more expensive stuff, Greg puts more effort into this one since, for many, it will be their introduction to the brand. It showed green notes on the nose that are surprising at first, but when meeting the ripe red fruits on the palate, only serve to add complexity and interest to the overall experience of the wine. The Sangiacomo Pinot, from one of the coolest (and I mean coldest) vineyards in Sonoma, was pure elegance. Light-bodied and caressing the palate, it showed subtlety and was the most expressively fruity wine on the table - a real crowd pleaser! The Van der Kamp Pinot was my least favorite because of a very strong herbal tone on the finish that reminded me of the inside of a garden hose. It had a stronger spice element as well. While a good wine, for my taste, the character that it represented was not my favorite. The wine that grew on me as I continued to retaste it was the Manchester Ridge. At one point, Evan leaned over to me and said, "It tasted like Nuits-St.-George". He was right, but that's why he's an M.S. For many, this will be a hated style of California Pinot. It is the anti-Sea Smoke. Very bracing acidity, green herbs, high-toned raspberry, meatiness. It's definitely the wine geeks Pinot out of Sonoma and very much the opposite of the Sangiacomo.


The line of wines was very impressive and offered such a wide and refreshing variety of style. Greg offered us a wealth of information and passion in his unassuming, George W. Bush-like demeanor. I wish I had recorded his words on the texture of Pinot Noir. I felt as though I had been transported into a better version of the movie Sideways.

Please seek these wines out if you find the opportunity. They are well worth trying and when you know how much effort and passion goes into the construction of them, you can't help but want to experience them.

Chateau Margaux with Paul Pontallier

When I was invited to attend dinner with Paul Pontallier, General Director of famed first growth Bordeaux Chateau Margaux, I was prepared to lose my job in order to be there. Thankfully, we were a little quiet at Jar last night and I was able to sneak out after monthly inventory to participate.

The Commanderie du Bordeaux hosts these amazing dinners from time to time. Last I was invited, they pitted eight or nine different vintages of Mouton-Rothschild against Leoville Las Cases blind. They are always well-organized and very classy. It's a treat to be a participant. One might call it a little stodgy: a bunch of guys, almost all over 60 years old, sitting around in their Commanderie crests, politely drinking Bordeaux and talking about recent business ventures. It's very much the antithesis of how I like to enjoy and treat wine, but still a wonderful experience.

Dinner was held at the California Club in downtown Los Angeles. This is an amazing place, if you haven't been there. Super old-school! There aren't many places like this left, particularly in California. High ceilings, antiques, large paintings, a maze of little rooms and corners to explore. It's like being transported to the past. The food was very good, but in my opinion, was as classic as the Club. The preparations and sauces also felt like they were from the ancient past. Almost as if they were using the same recipes from the 1960's. It brought to mind the food at Pacific Dining Car, which has been open since the early part of the 20th century and has never changed since.

On to the wine: The purpose of this dinner was for the members of the Commanderie to introduce young people to Bordeaux and Chateau Margaux. They were asked to bring someone under 40 years of age to the dinner as their guest. The wines poured were: 2008 and 2005 Pavillon Blanc, 2006 and 2004 Pavillon Rouge, and Chateau Margaux from 2004, 1999 and 1983. For dessert, we enjoyed a wonderful 1986 Barsac from Chateau Climens.

Unfortunately, my specific tasting notes were scooped up and thrown away while I was taking the photo above. So, I have nothing but memory to report. My apologies for the generalities and broadness of the information. But I was swallowing the wine, naturally, and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it.

The Pavillon Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc every year. Margaux does not even plant Semillon. The 2008 was wonderfully fresh with loads of citrus, tangerine candy, lemon pith and white flowers. Their 2005, a reputedly better vintage, was not showing as well. Fruits were clearly more baked, like an orange tart straight from the oven. However, the oak was much more dominant in the finish, to a severely noticable degree. There is a great quote from Paul in "What to Drink With What You Eat" about oak being like the frame on a piece of art: It should accentuate the picture, not overtake it. His words were much more eloquent, of course. I felt as though the frame was showing a little oversized on the 2005.

The Pavillon Rouges were drinking beautifully, which is the intended effect. Drink them while you are cellaring your Chateau Margaux. The 2006 was wonderfully fresh and elegant with wonderful ripe fruits and florality. The 2004 suffered from a greener character shown as tobacco leaf, cigar box and spice. One can definitely tell that this was a cooler vintage. I actually like that aspect in my Bodeaux, personally. These were wonderful wines, but completely eclipsed when we hit the first labels.

The 2004 Chateau Margaux was still incredibly young, but definitely drinkable. Paul proclaimed that great Bordeaux does not HAVE to be cellared. It is drinkable young as well as with time in the cellar. As a general note, the first label shows much more perfume and elegance. They are wonderful to simply smell: spice box notes, vanilla, currant, fresh flowers and cedar. The 1999, while showing development, was also youthful with a terrific life ahead. Again, showing the signs of green from a cooler vintage, but beautiful to drink.

The 1983 was nothing short of spectacular. I cannot give wildly specific notes because there was variance in the bottles and I did not taste any one bottle individually. My first glass was a combination of two bottles, and at halfway consuming it, was topped off from a third bottle. Even tasting the mix of them, it is clear that what they say is true: there are no great wines, only great bottles. My first glass was showing stronger signs of barnyard and leather. It may have even been slightly corky, but Eric (our sommelier) was checking the bottles. With the topping of the third bottle, it showed much more youthful characteristics and vibrant fruit. It was actually a wonderful experience! The advanced development of the first glass joined with the slower of the mixture only improved the overall experience.

I have nothing to say about the Barsac except "yum". In a conversation with one of my co-attendees, I said, "Even when Sauternes sucks, it's still pretty awesome". The Climens was a far cry from sucking.

I was pleased to hear that Chateau Margaux is experimenting with alternate forms of closure for the wines. He mentioned synthetic corks and Stelvin (screw caps) in particular. However, he said they would never release a wine to which they had been applied until they knew that it absolutely made for a better wine. He assured they would never experiment on the customer. So, it sounds as if we may not see those new closures until the end of this century, if they perform well.

He also expressed concern about the 2009 futures and pricing some of their regular consumers out of the market. Unfortunately, business is business and they must follow the pack.

It was a let-down to return home and drink a 2005 Trespass 'Rendezvous' 2005 with Kara. But there was no real way to follow up Chateau Margaux, short of opening another one. The 'Rendezvous' is a right-bank Bordeaux-styled blend with primarily Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It was fair, with balanced plum, cherry and violet/cola tones. Not wildly generous on fruit, such that we consulted the lunar calendar to see if it was a "root" day (more on that another time). I have really liked this wine in the past and hope that it's just in a funky place in its evolution. It was not a disappointment as a late night bottle, though.

In short, thanks to Paul Pontallier for making some of the greatest wines on the planet. And for taking the time to spend with us over some of them here in Los Angeles. I will not soon forget the experience.