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.

Petrolo Wines at Tavern

I had lunch today at Tavern in Los Angeles with Luca Sanjust, owner of Petrolo winery in Tuscany. He was showcasing the pre-releases of his 2008 Torrione and Galatrona, in addition to some current and library wines. Having only tasted one or two of his wines in the past, I jumped at the opportunity.

The lunch began with some Ostertag Sylvaner (I didn't catch the vintage...) just to wet the whistle and prime the palate. We quickly moved into the 2007 and 2008 Torrione, which is predominantly Sangiovese. Luca's father was originally a Chianti producer, but they decided to ride the Super-Tuscan wave at Petrolo. The Torrione, while pricey for a Sangiovese, is actually still quite a good value for itself. Especially when considered against wines like Tignanello. The 2007 was firmly structured and seems to be built for the long haul. The 2008 is drinking better today and likely will over the coming years while the '07 comes into its own.

We moved on to the 2008 Galatrona which is 100% Merlot. They planted this Merlot back when it was trendy. I wonder if they regret the decision now... Regardless, the wine is nothing short of wonderful. We followed that with the 2005 and 2006 vintages. I must say that, despite critical reviews, I preferred the 2005. It's showing more complexity and aroma, more generous fruit and, all-in-all, seems the better wine of the three for drinking tonight. The 2006 is in need of some serious time and the 2008 is, obviously, still very primary, but looks to be one that will be drinkable fairly early as well.

These wines are fairly pricey for what they are, if you consider that they are just IGT wines. However, they exemplify all the character of Tuscan wines (which I believe is most important to Luca) and compete in a world format as well. If you happen to find an extra hund-y laying around, spring for a 2005 Galatrona. I don't think it would be a disappointment.

Fried Chicken and Carillon

I've been on a deep-frying kick. I'm decidedly OCD and when I get going on something, I tend to beat it to death. I had some extra buttermilk in the fridge and decided I was going to make fried chicken. After soaking some chicken breasts in the aforementioned buttermilk for 24 hours, I was ready to fire up a vat of oil and get to work.

I must say that this has been Kara's favorite dinner in a long time, which is actually saying a lot. I prepared a simple Caesar salad, the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and a good old-fashioned box of Kraft Mac & Cheese. The buttermilk/flour combo created an amazingly delicious crusty skin on the chicken breasts and was crisped to perfection. There is something so amazing about good homemade fried chicken. It takes me back to my childhood when my Tennessee-born grandmother would fry chicken for our long road trips to Ohio.

So, to go along with the chicken, we opened a Louis Carillon 'Les Champs Canet' Puligny-Montrachet 2001. Critical reviews put this as well past its prime, but it's drinking beautifully and Kara noted it as the best white Burgundy she's ever had. Balanced acidity, strongly present minerality and integrated oak flavors all come together in this beautiful portrait of what Chardonnay should always be. And this is not a great vintage for them...

In the following days, we ate a lot of fried chicken: wings, legs and more. Needless to say, we are due for a little cut-back on the calories so I think we're aiming for a weeklong diet in the coming days.

Dinner with Cheree and Josh

I always neglect to take pictures of the food at these onslaughts.





Our good friends Cheree and Josh attended one of the legendary dinner parties at our place last night. It had been awhile since we'd seen them and they'd been wanting to experience the madness since the first time we did this. So, with a long weekend at hand, I set forth to build another wine-paired menu for the four of us.

We began at their arrival with some bubbles, of course: Andre Robert Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc from Le Mesnil sur Oger. 100% sustainably-produced Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards and a reserve blend of three vintages. At the price, this is really amazing a terrific value. Probably retails for about $40-ish. Lots of minerality and, as it warms in the glass, the ginger, orange marmalade and lemon rind comes out. Great chalkiness in addition to the standard toast and ginger flavors. Definitely my new "house" Champagne!

After a leisurely cocktail hour, I strapped myself in for the cooking process. We began with some oysters: Shygokus from the Pacific which are reputed to be somewhat rare. They were very clean tasting with significant brine. Only slightly larger than Kumimotos, they were packed with delicate flavors. I served these two ways: traditionally with no decoration and also as a "Chesapeake Bay Shooter". The shooter included vodka, olives, shallots, garlic and lemon zest. I'm a purist, myself, so, while the shooter was fun, I totally dug the pure oyster. And especially with the Pascal Cotat 'Les Monts Damnes' Sancerre 2008. The wine was crisp and citrus-y, but also leaning into some tropical notes aromatically. Wonderful old-world minerality that clings to the palate. Terrific oyster wine and should be interesting to taste again with some age as I know these wines can go the distance.

The second course was a real hit: Pad Thai served with the Weinbach 'L'Inedit' Riesling 2006. I love Pad Thai, in general, but this recipe rocks my world. Not overly saucy or overly sweet and very fresh and integrated flavors that come together like a beautifully balanced wine. Which can also be said for the Riesling. The 'L'Inedit', in my experience, is always so delicately put together and offers so much flavor and substance in a bold package, but without feeling overblown at all. It's like watching a really great action movie that has really well-written dialogue and a well thought-out story. When does THAT happen...?

Next, we ventured into a Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing and a Goat Cheese Cake on top. I love this salad. Bacon is the great equalizer with wine pairing and this course allowed me to break into red wine, despite it being a salad course. I paired a Russian River Pinot Noir from Arista winery 2005 called 'Longbow'. The wine was balanced and drinking at its peak with solid red fruits and moderate body. Not overly complex, but servicable with the salad. This was my least favorite wine and pairing of the evening, but nothing at all to complain about, by any means.

For the main course, I broke out the Beef Wellington and some Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts. We've done the Wellington before, but it's always a hit. As I often do, I eliminated the foie gras and substituted a mushroom and bleu cheese mixture inside the puff-pastry. It was an excellent bridge to the funky earthiness of the Cos d'Estournel 2001. Cheree smelled it and immediately said, "barnyard poopy". I love that! Though an off-vintage, I've been loving this wine over the years. Still youthful, it has a significant life ahead and I will abstain from popping another cork for probably five more years, despite how well it is drinking now. Lots of rich black fruits, plenty of earth and dirt, Brett and florality.

As usual, no one ever makes it to dessert and I'm quickly learning to always have one ready in the wings, but to not go to any extra efforts. I hade some of my homemade vanilla ice cream prepared and I picked up some bananas to have a Bananas Foster. Kara and I were kind of excited about it so we made it anyway about an hour after company had left. It was absolutely the best I've ever made this dish and we both devoured it. There's nothing better than homemade ice cream and the caramel sauce and dark rum were just taking it to a whole other level.

All-in-all, another successful dinner extravaganza and everytime it gets smoother, faster and easier to execute. A perfect way to spend Sunday evening with friends!

Zind-Humbrecht and TCA

I don't want to get up on the soap box or anything, but I really felt compelled to share this:








I attended a lunch with Zind-Humbrecht probably about two years ago now. If you're not familiar with the wines, they are one of the most famous producers in Alsace. I'm not personally a HUGE fan of Alsacian wines, but I keep pushing myself to find my way in to loving them.

At this lunch, the topic of TCA (corkiness) came up and our host revealed that he had found the way to avoid corkiness in his wines. His theory was that corkiness was caused by the chemicals and pesticides found in the ground. The rains would splash these chemicals on to the cork trees where the cork is harvested and TCA is thereby introduced into the wines. Sounds like an interesting and reasonable theory...?

The Solution: Zind-Humbrecht only purchases cork harvested from six feet and higher on the cork trees. Thereby, avoiding the chemicals and pesticides...

The Result: The 2009 Pinot Gris I opened last night... Corked.