Dinner at the Kittle House!

Last Saturday night, I went to one of my favorite places, Crabtree's Kittle House, in Chappaqua. I have gone for years, mostly for the great wine list, but recently I find myself going for the awesome food as well. New Chef, Brad McDonald, who has worked at Per Se and Alain Ducasse, amongst other top restaurants, is producing some of the best dishes in New York. In addition, it is innovative and "cheap." Their 5 course tasting menu is $60! One of his best best dishes is the Gnudy, which he uses Mascarpone and Ricotta cheese for. The stuff is unreal.

On this Saturday evening, I had to control myself with the wine list, as I was drinking for 1, as my pregnant wife is only good for a sip or two.

I ordered two half btls...1996 Donnhoff Auslese Niederhauser Hermannshohle...This was an absolutely stunning wine. Not much more I can say on this, other than it is a shame that it was only a half btl. Clearly not something I would age too much longer, as I see no reason to. The acid has basically disappeared from this wine, and what you are left with is a fruity, delicious wine, that proved to be a great pair for a couple of the courses served.

The next half btl was 1991 Staglin Cabernet Sauvignon. I was torn as to whether I should order this and then whether I should decant it. Well, I was wrong...not about ordering it, but about decanting it. Still a "baby" the best tastes of this wine were the last ones. Clearly in a funky stage, I thought the fruit was nearly gone from the wine, and I was left with a "dry" wine not for me. Then, at the end of the meal, the wine did a 180, and the wine actually too on weight, sweetness and fruit, and it was actually very good. In the end, a very impressive showing for this nearly 20 year old wine, especially out of half btl!

Old Rhones-Another Monday Night Meatloaf Recipe!

Last night, 10 very passionate one wine drinkers got together for an evening of Old Rhones at Peter J.'s house. One got food poisoning, so that made it just 9 of us. Have no fear Keith, we still drank your Guigal after you left! Laurent brought no wine for a change, using the excuse that he is a poor Burgundy farmer.

Peter had a chef that did a tremendous job with the food. I am still trying to figure out the ravioli dish and how the egg got inside of it. Oh well, as little as I know about wine, I know less about food.

Onto the wines...

For starters, we did 2 bubblies...

1982 Salon-Man, this was a weird one. Upon first pour, this was oxidized. Only 5 minutes later, it was not. Smooth, sweet fruit, with little bubbles, this ended up being very tasty.

1996 Billecart Salmon Clos St. Hilaire- This is still much too young for me. Vibrant, and very crisp...I look forward to tasting this one down the line (Peter will have to open it though)!

Overall, the wines we had from the Rhone were excellent. Very few issues with one possible fake. As a whole, these wines stood the test of time!

First flight...

1) Blind...this was dark, rich, and minty, absolutely delicious...King Angry guessed 1970s Grange...the answer 1976 Penfolds Grange...(I am assuming Ray meant Penfolds, although he never did specify) ;)
2) Blind...for me this was a little watered down...finish was flat, I did not enjoy it...I guessed early '80s CDP...it was 1967 Mont Redon
3) Blind...I really enjoyed this wine...it had life, and a good spicey characteristic...very tasty stuff...I guessed early 90s Northern Rhone...it was 1971 Ch Fortia CDP...sign me up!
4) Not blind...1977 Chave Hermitage...one of my contributions...this had a very strange nose at first. Others liked it, I did not, after a few moments, it blew off. I actually went back to this wine hours later, and it was absolutely delicious!

Second Flight

1) 1983 Ch Beaucastel CDP...a good showing for the 1983 Beau on this night. It had good fruit...medium intensity...good pairing for the food.
2) 1989 Ch Beaucastel CDP...the 1983 overshadowed this one. Fortunately, it was not corked (as is the case with many 1989 Beaucastel CDPs).
3) 1989 Andre Brunel CDP Cuvee Centenaire...Not talked about much, but a few of us liked this wine and many others hated it (Ron complained of too much oak). It was clearly a pioneer of styles of new world CDP, but I thought it was very good, for many of the reasons that the "traditionalists" hated it.

Third Flight

1) 1989 Ch Rayas CDP...wow, this was a good wine. It would have been even better for me, if not for...
2) 1990 Ch Rayas CDP...this was absolutely stunning. Big, rich, layered with fruit, and a finish that went on and on. While some preferred the 1989 (which was really nice), this was one of my Wines of the Night!
3) 1989 Henri Bonneau CDP Cuvee Celestins...another wine with varying opinions. I found this wine to be harsh, and "too masculine." It was just not my style on this night. Especially after the silky smooth Rayas wines.

Fourth flight

1) 1989 Beaucastel CDP Hommage Jacques Perrin...I thought this flight was going to be historic, but I think the previous flight made it not so...nevertheless the 1989 Beaucastel Hommage was a very good wine, definitely softer than the 1990, which comes later. I can get into this wine.
2) 1990 Beaucastel CDP...a wine, that in the past, I have enjoyed immensely, and at one dinner, a couple of years back, showed nearly as well as the 1990 Hommage. On this night, though, this was a good wine, just not a great one.
3) 1990 Beaucastel CDP Hommage Jacques Perrin...darker in color than the 1989, this had less finesse and more muscle than the '89. I think this wine still has a long life ahead of it.

Fifth flight

1) 1989 Chave Hermitage...It was right about now when someone said, "victory for the 1989s tonight." Well, that is just opinion, but this was my WOTN (maybe a tie with 1990 Rayas)...another rich, intense wine that just had gobs and gobs of fruit coating my mouth. Man, I wish I had not just sold a mag of this last week!
2) 1989 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle...this was was a bit austere and rather unpleasant...which surprised me, because generally 89 La Chapelle is a very good wine.
3) 1990 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle...this is where it got interesting. I opened up most of the btls throughout the evening. This cork was gleaming white and clean...very strange, considering how moldy the 1989 was. The wine was more of a blueberry style (think high ratings from Jay Miller). No one really cared for the wine. The btl was etched with a number coding on the back. A rerelease from Jaboulet, perhaps? Could be, but clearly the cork was not original, and the bottle code left some doubt...and the wine sucked...makes you wonder...
4) 1989 Chapoutier Hermitage Pavillon...Another stunning btl of 1989 Chapoutier Pavillon for me. A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of drinking a magnum of this stuff with everyone's hero, Robert Parker, and it was delic. A 750ml last night did not disappoint either. While I cannot stand his white wines, Chapoutier seems to have mastered certain reds.

Sixth Flight

1) 1990 Guigal Cote Cotie La Mouline...something was not correct with this btl...a shame, as it should have been amazing stuff...but it just never came together.
2) 1990 Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque...What more can you say about this one but, WOW! In case, there was any doubt about the La Mouline being off, the La Turque confirmed it. This had everything going on...the funk, the fruit, the acidity, I loved this wine...I think I suffered from a little palate fatigue at the end of the meal, which caused me to not really appreciate what we had here!

Thank you to Peter for his generous hospitality, and everyone else who brought wine, except for Laurent, who, as usual, contributed nothing and compared everything to 1966 Drouhin Musigny!

Just kidding...Laurent!


Sixth Flight
1)

Dinner at Veritas last night-A great CDP!

Had dinner at Veritas last night, where the food was excellent, service was great, and the wine is 25% off till the end of the year.

I ordered a btl of 2003 Aubert Chardonnay Quarry Vineyard. This was probably the worst btl of Aubert Chardonnay that I have ever had. Over oaked, and maybe too much sulfur or something, this was a very strange wine. Over two hours, the wine calmed down (we did decant it), but it never lived up to the billing.

A wine that did live up to its hype was 1998 Domaine de la Mordoree CDP Reine des Bois. This wine was off the charts. Even if I had never tasted it, the smell screamed amazing, but the palate was just as awesome. I wish I had a magnum, rather than just just a 750ml. Holy shit, I think I can still taste the wine today.

Dinner in Newport, RI-The best $30, three course meal ever?

Went up to Newport, RI for one night this past weekend. It was restaurant week, so I had low expectations. I made a reservation at Spark for Saturday evening. It came highly recommended amongst internet chatter.

I called for a rezzie. The answering machine (where you can leave a message) asks you to call the owner's cell phone, where you leave another message. Shortly thereafter, I got a phone call back. I got a reservation, but they told me it was restaurant week. Simply put, restaurant week in New York SUCKS. Restaurants participate with a half assed menu, as a way to get unsuspecting souls in the door. Once there, the menu is limited, and none of the "good" stuff is offered. So, naturally, I asked if the regular menu would be offered. She told me no, but that I could look up the menu for restaurant week online.

This is the menu that I stared at...
http://www.gonewportrestaurantweek.com/PDFs/Restaurants/52.pdf

Wow, it almost wanted me to pay $60 and order twice as many things!

One cool thing about Spark is that it is BYO. They charge $2.50 per person for the luxury of doing so. While the man next to us brought a pint of Dewar's, I opted to bring a half btl of 2003 Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin. In addition, Spark, as per their website, tells its future patrons, that they can order a btl of vino from Vicker's Wines, a Newport staple, and have it delivered, just in case you forget to bring something. Well, I knew Vicker's has a decent selection of older stuff, so I figured I would try out this "delivery method." I called Vicker's at 7 pm, told them to deliver a btl of 1995 Guigal Ch D'Ampuis ($74.95 price) for my 8 pm reservation. Well, my btl was at the restaurant waiting for me when I arrived at 8 pm.

The Rousseau was an easy "suck down" wine. Simple, yet delicious, I might have been able to finish off a magnum on my own. The fruit was still all there, this was an outstanding btl of "inexpensive" 2003 red Burgundy.

The Guigal was, as you would expect it, funky. Near pristine condition, I tasted it and opted not to decant it. I think that was the right decision. As, by the end of the meal (2 hours) the wine was not as good as it was during the middle of the meal. Still, a great effort. It went perfect with my Cassoulet.

They brought out some bread to start. It was warm focaccia. An interesting choice. Not crazy about it, but the honey butter that went with it was awesome.

For a starter, wifee did the Pea soup. They insisted it was just a touch of cream. It looked more like a milk shake upon arrival. She liked it. I am not a pea soup fan, so I defer to the experts.

Our server recommended the Sweetbreads over the Frog's Legs to start. Who am I to argue? Possibly the "flakiest" sweetbreads I have tasted, it came with Kalamatta Olives, Roasted tomatoes (that were to die for) and capers. It all just worked. A high recommendation from me.

My wife did the filet steak and I did the Cassoulet for dinner. The steak came with their own version of Cowboy ketchup. They added chipotle and bbq sauce to the ketchup. The best part of her dish was the green beans. Very fresh, just crisp enough, with salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic. The steak was very good as well.

My cassoulet was good as well, if you go for good Cassoulet.

For dessert, we nibbled on the Chocolate Peanut Butter Spring Rolls and the Warm Tart of Apples. The Spring Rolls were very rich. The tart utilized cheddar and bacon in it. Not sure that that worked for us, but we had no room for dessert anyways.

Our bill, before tip, was $70!!! Astonishing, for first class food! Kudos to Spark!

Monday Night Meatloaf, Part II!

This past Monday evening, 7 "Burgheads" found their way to Apiary, Scott Bryan's new haunt on the Lower East Side of Manhattan (well, just south of Union Square to be exact). A few notes on the restaurant. The food is excellent. My second time there, and the pork chop is off the hook. This time, I started with scallops and we all did a half portion of risotto. All excellent. Mondays offer free corkage. We all paid $80, which seemed to include a very healthy gratuity. Negatives on this night was the service. Glassware was hard to come by, and water service was slow. Still, I would go back to the restaurant. I would almost prefer to pay corkage on another evening, as long as a dozen wines are not being opened.

Onto the wines...

1) 1990 Henriot Cuvee Enchanteleurs (Magnum): KA must find it difficult to go without bubbles, so he brought this one. I liked it a lot. Very crisp and extremely youthful, I would like to see this evolve for another decade...or two.

2) 2000 Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc: This was served blind and compliments of David. I find this wine painfully young. Lots of acid. Needed more air time.

3) 2002 Leflaive Batard Montrachet: Not a good sign when your WOTN comes so early, but this wine was outstanding! I cannot really say much more than, WOW! Bill, you da man! Or, as Robert Kenney once said of Jay S. Miller, "You're my boy, blue!"

4) Louis Jadot Chassagne Montrachet Abbaye Morgeot: Others said this was too young. I am not a buyer. I am generally a fan of Jadot wines, but this wine is a pass for me. The fruit was just out of balance with the acid. Never came around.

5) 1988 Ponsot Clos St Denis: Thank you, David. This wine was very good. Probably the best nose of the evening. I would not age it any longer, as my best sips were my first sips. Still, quite impressive given the vintage.

6) 1990 Jacky Truchot Charmes Chambertin: Someone referred to this as "cheesy." I wanted to like this wine, but although it got better as the night carried on, it was just never all that enjoyable. KA brought it, as he really wants to become a wine geek. Looks like he will have to wait to be inducted into that hall of fame. I think he hated more than anyone at the table.

7) 1990 Louis Jadot Ruchottes Chambertin: Ian brought a winner as well. This was quite a nice wine. When I heard the price it is selling for, I may not be a buyer, but still a nice drink.

8) 1996 Louis Remy Chambertin: The wine was flat and ininteresting. Lifeless would give it too much credit. If you own this, sorry.

9) 1996 Robert Arnoux Romanee St. Vivant: It was not talked about much, but I quite liked this wine. Pretty juicy on the palate. It showed pretty well.

10) 1995 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot: No shock that Leo brought Jadot. Does he own anything else? As the night went on, this wine got better and better and better. I decided the order and put this towards the back of the pack, as I thought it might need time. Good wine, in a difficult vintage.

11) 1996 Dujac Bonnes Mares. My contribution, dbl decanted by a member of my staff. Upon opening at arrival at the restaurant, I announced (shamefully) that the wine was corked. A couple of the others disagreed. So we poured it out. We poured it a couple of hours later and KA said it was corked. Doh!

12) I could not go without contributing a red wine, so I ordered a 2001 Gaja Sperss, and got it decanted as quickly as possible. I really enjoyed this wine. Clearly not an "elegant" Nebbiolo, but it sure was tasty. Most at the table really liked it and I was "saved."

Good food, good wine, and a fun group of people (except for Leo). Looking forward to the next dinner!

Monday night "MEATLOAF" (Musigny, Montrachet and Petrus)

Dinner with a client last night took me to La Panetiere in Rye. La Panetiere is one of my favorite restaurants in the area. The mansion is beautiful. The service is impeccable and the food is terrific. Last night was no exception. I was glad to see some other diners on a Monday evening, as well. Good sign for the economy. It should be noted that La Panetiere no longer requires men to wear jackets, as it used to.

Food wise, we both started with the escargot, which was topped with some toasted crushed nuts. Previous to that, the amuse was fish soup. Not a favorite for me A method I had never seen before, but it was delicious. After the snails, the restaurant brought us a terrine of Foie Gras (made up for the fish soup, for me). I never turn down Foie Gras. one of the things that makes La Panetiere's Foie Gras so tasty is the toasted brioche bread served with it.

For an entree, I did the veal cheeks and sweetbread. Yes, heading for the heart attack (I had no idea we were getting foie gras). The mushrooms that accompanied my entree were delightful.

We finished with cheese (with the Petrus) and the equivalent of a baked apple for dessert. I think they gave us a pound of cheese per person...

Onto the wines...

2006 Domaine Baron Thenard Montrachet: I double decanted this about 90 minutes before the meal. Should have done it earlier. Thenard is an estate in Givry that has been around for a couple hundred years, typically selling off their fruit annually. The Montrachet goes to Remoissenet, historically. 2006 is the first vintage that they have produced enough, on their own, to be imported into the United States. This wine was really singing, after about 30 minutes in the glass. The acidity mellowed out, and honey/fruit flavors exploded. My client commented how easy to drink it was, and meant it as a positive. We had no problem polishing off the bottle.

1964 Faiveley Musigny: This is a bottle of wine that I have been eyeing for quite a bit on La Panetiere's wine list. And when you are having dinner with a great client, it seems like as good a time as any, to pop one. The first btl brought over had a slightly lower fill than I would have liked, so they ended up bringing up another btl that looked much better. The btl was opened and sat, recorked, as we finished off the Montrachet. Then, the first glasses were poured and the aromas poured out of the glass. Wow, you knew this going to be good. We actually took the cork out of the btl for a bit, to let the wine breathe a little more, as we both agreed, the wine could open up even more. This wine was a pleasure to drink. Soft and silky, this wine danced around your mouth. Fairly rich, and intense (considering the vintage). Truth be told, I let the last glass of this sit in my glass and did fade and become austere as the fruit dried out. The bottle had been open for an hour at that point. If we had dinner for 4, we would have never seen the wine fizzle out, as it all would have been consumed quicker. Nevertheless, an outstanding effort, and happy to have had the opportunity to drink it.

1990 Ch Petrus: My client was insistent on ordering something after the Faiveley. I said it was very unnecessary. He looked over the list and talked about 1926 Ausone or 1929 Cos. I excused myself to the bathroom, for a brief moment. Upon my return, he had opted for 1990 Petrus. He said he could not resist. Who was I to argue? This wine was a baby. My client mentioned that it was almost California Cabernet like in style. That could be, but for 20 year old wine, the youthfulness really shocked me. 1992 Grange last week was youthful but very drinkable. 1990 Petrus, in my opinion, needs to sit down for another decade. We decanted the btl and sat with it for an hour. It just never really opened up. You could tell that the fruit was there and the nose was getting more enjoyable, but this was like killing a baby, only the baby was 19 years old. Who would have thought?

Your Wine Spectator Wine Experience Cheat Sheet

I went to the zoo, also known at the Wine Spectator Wine Experience last night. Truthfully, it was not too bad. I recommend going to the 5th floor first, followed by the 6th floor. The 5th floor got much warmer later in the evening as it got more crowded, so do the opposite of the herd. I started on the 6th floor, and ended up missing a few gems on the 5th Floor, like 2003 Lafite (which I heard did not show well), and 2006 Sassicaia. I think Opus went quickly as well.

I skipped most of the white wines, all of Champagne and all dessert wines. It is just too much to do in one night. I did get a nasty look from a woman as I spit some wine into a spit bucket. Then she turned to her husband, or pimp, or her "Steve Phillips" (not sure who he was) and said, "Look, that man just spit his wine!"

For ease, I will tell you that, as usual, the lineup was star studded. I tried to talk very little to people, in order to cover as much ground as possible. Since I hate most people, it worked pretty well.

3 categories for you...1) Must tastes (wines I loved) 2) Indifferent (wines that did not suck) 3) Avoids (wines that sucked)...obviously my opinions only, and if you would like more in depth analysis, I can try to provide it, if you contact me...

Must Tastes
2007 Achaval Ferrer Bella Vista
2007 Alto Moncayo
2007 Vieux Telegraphe
2006 Bouchard Beaune Greves Vigne l'Enfant
2006 Canon la Gaffeliere
2005 Carter Merlot Truchard Vyd
2004 Casanova di Neri Brunello Cerretalto
2006 Chryseia
2005 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia
2005 DeLille Cabernet Grand Ciel
2006 Dominus
2006 Felsina Fontalloro
2005 Ch LaFleur Petrus
2006 Fontodi Flaccianello
2006 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Beckstoffer To Kalon
2005 Cliff Lede Poetry
2006 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Coopersmith
2006 Peter Michael Les Pavots
2000 Ch Montrose
2005 Torre Muga
2004 La Nerthe CDP Cuvee Cadettes
2006 Ornellaia
2004 Pacenti Brunello
2007 L'ermita
2006 Petrolo Galatrona
2003 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (book says 2005, but I think it was 2003)
2006 Quintessa
2004 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne
2006 Schrader Cabernet Old Sparky (out of magnum)
2004 Sierra Cantabria El Bosque
2005 Torbreck Run Rig
2006 Two Hands Ares
2004 Vall Llach
2005 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito

Indifferent
2007 AP Vin Pinot Noir Rosellas
2006 Almaviva
2006 Castello di Ama Chianti Bellavista
2006 Angelus
2006 Guado al Tasso
2007 Beaucastel CDP
2005 Bond Vecina
2005 Pio Cesare Barolo
2005 Clarendon Hills Syrah Hickinbotham
2003 Ch Clerc Milon
2006 Craggy Range Sophia
2004 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill
2006 Drouhin Chassagne Marquis de Laguiche
2006 Ducru Beaucaillou
2005 Elderton Command
2007 Faiveley Latricieres Chambertin
2006 Foley Claret
2006 Fonterutoli Siepi
2006 Fournier Alfa Crux
2004 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino
2006 Gagliole
2005 Harlan Estate
2004 Heitz Martha's
2006 Louis Jadot Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle
2005 Ch Lagrange
2000 Ch Leoville Barton
2007 Loring Pinot Noir Aubaine
2005 Ch Lynch Bages
2004 Masseto
2003 La Mission Haut Brion
2006 Mondavi Cab Reserve
2006 La Mondotte
2004 Ch Pontet Canet
2006 Saffredi
2006 Ramey Cabernet Annum
2005 Shafer Cabernet Hillside Select
2006 Snowden Cabernet Reserve
2006 Tardieu Laurent CDP Speciale
2007 Testamatta
2007 Vision Pinot Noir Coster Vyd

Avoids
2004 Altesino Brunello Montosoli
2006 David Arthur Elevation 1147
2005 Chapoutier Hermitage Sizeranne
2003 Ch Mouton Rothschild
1995 Ch Latour
2006 Dominio del Plata Nosotros
2005 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 Ch Haut Brion
2006 Mugnier NSG Clos de la Marechale (book says 2007, but I know I tasted 2006)
2004 Gaja Sperss
2006 Termanthia
2006 Penfolds RWT
2006 Ch Pichon Lalande
1989 Ridge Monte Bello
2004 Rosemount Balmoral Syrah
2006 Staglin Cabernet
2006 Tua Rita Guisto di Notri
2004 Valdicava Brunello
2006 Ch Vieux Ch Certan
2004 Yalumba Signature Cab Shiraz

94 wines on the list, by my count, so have a ball!

Some producers had their wine on ice, which turned out to be a very good idea!

Eating and Drinking in Miami!

I always say, "It is a tough job, but somebody has to do with it." It is with that credo, that I embarked on my trip to Miami, last week. I enjoy planning trips around New York Jets away games, and nothing beats a Monday night Jets/Dolphins game, except when the Jets lose, which they did, in thrilling, last second fashion. But, as a Jet fan, we have come to expect such devastation!

Onto the meals...

First lunch was Monday...went to a local Italian trattoria that my client frequents. I brought just one wine to this one.

2006 Domaine Barroche Chateauneuf du Pape Pure: One of the new stars emerging in CDP, this old vine, 100% Grenache is made by Julien Barroche, a truly gifted young man. This wine was a baby, but absolutely stunning. Big, bruising and powerful, I may not touch another bottle for a few years. Nevertheless, I did enjoy it.

For Tuesday's lunch, I was at the Ritz in Coconut Grove. This time, the client was insistent on bringing the juice, and how could I argue. The guys loves old Alsatian stuff.

1989 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Emile VT: 20 years old and you would have never guessed. Cuvee Emile is a bargain in the marketplace. Still a little acid to maintain the freshness and balance out the sweetness, but I could drink this everyday of my life.

Tuesday's dinner was at Chop's Lobster Bar in Boca Raton. Your kinda typical BIG steakhouse, the food was excellent. Seafood was fresh, steaks were very good and their 'signature' side was mashed corn. Never had it before, but it was delicious. I would love to get the recipe.

1998 Schramsberg J Schram Rose: This was really good. Close your eyes, and this is a delicious food pairing wine, beyond your typical bubbly pairings. This was soft and full bodied. The richness is what I really enjoyed. Not sure about aging potential, but very tasty now.

1996 Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst: I was supposed to bring this to lunch, but my wine case had not arrived at the hotel yet, so I pushed it back for dinner. A fun wine. Olivier is a great winemaker. The table seemed to enjoy this more than me, which always makes me happy, as customers will buy it. Nevertheless, I did like it. Not something I would hold pass another 18 months, but a great pair for the oysters, clams and shrimp we enjoyed.

1996 Chave Hermitage: I was not sure what to expect of this wine, but, as usual Jean Louis delivered. Good QPR? Maybe not. But for an "off"vintage, this wine showed very well. Still lots of fruit, cherry flavors, and probably good for another few years.

2005 Roy Estate Red: I hate to say it, but this wine put the Chave to shame, for me. Shirley and Charles Roy hired Philippe Melka to make their wine, and they picked a winner. These wines get better and better every year. It has no yet achieved cult status to many (although they have a huge fan in Robert Parker), and that is a shame, as these wines are absolutely stunning Cabernet blends from Napa. I would put it up against others two and three times the price. Go out and get some of this stuff!

Lunch on Wednesday was in Downtown Miami at Fratelli Lyon. While the food was pretty good, the service was absolutely atrocious. I felt like they were understaffed. In addition, the A/C was barely on. Nothing worse than seeing your waiter sweating up a storm over your food.

2007 Forman Chardonnay: I prefer Rick's Chardonnay over his Cabernet, in recent releases. This wine was absolutely delicious. A touch oak and acid leads me to believe this one is good for a few years, but I popped and poured, and it was that good. Rich, ripe, Chardonnay grape. This btl was finished off in a hurry.

1995 Petrolo Galatrona: I though this was an off btl, so I corked it. One of my clients thought it was okay, so she took it home with her.

1998 Fontodi Flaccianello: Fratelli Lyon had a pretty cool wine list and this looked very appealing (@ $120) so I ordered it. Decanted and stunning. Fontodi makes very long lived wines. This will go another 10 years, I suspect. Rich, deep, sweet fruit, this seemed to be in a perfect drinking window. While I think it will hold for another decade, with a quick decant, no reason to.

Dinner on Wednesday night was back in Miami, at Michael's Genuine. A funky menu that has 4 levels of food sizes...small, medium, large and xl. 5 of us for dinner, we all order 2 things on our own (I did 2 mediums) and we were told to get one XL, a whole roasted chicken that takes an hour to cook. My prawns were excellent, as was my pork belly. Chicken was good, although you had to make sure to get a little au jus with it, as it was a little dry for me. Not too dry, but just a little. The brussel sprouts and potato sides were great as well. Service was excellent. I highly recommend this joint.

And the wines...

1996 Henriot: The irony is that I am pretty sure that I enjoyed the Schramsberg more the previous evening. This was good, and painfully young to be consumed. Very crisp and clean, I would like to revisit this in 5 years.

2004 Christian Moreau Chablis Vaudesir: This showed very well. Not my favorite vineyard from Moreau (Clos des Hospices and Valmur are generally off the hook), this wine was still pretty darn tasty.

2003 Vatican Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Sixtine: Upon release, this was my favorite 2003 CDP, and I was curious to revisit it. The wine was good, still lots of fruit, I think it had lost a little of that stuffing that I remember it having.

2001 La Poderina Brunello di Montalcino Poggio Banale: This consumed the table for me. Tough to go back to the CDP, with this in my glass. Wow, what delicious aromas. Decanted for about an hour, and this wine was delicious.

2002 Donnhoff Riesling Auslese Neiderhauser Hermanshuhle: It is really hard to find flaws in wines such as this. No wonder the critics give them all great scores. This one was outstanding. The nice thing was that it really was not a dessert wine, per se, so it was a nice compliment to dessert. A half btl for 5 adults was just what the doctor ordered!

SLONYC 2-Aussie Shiraz

SLONYC 1 was California Syrah, SLONYC 2 featured Australian Shiraz...SLONYC 3....who knows...

Dinner at Zoe last night featuring 8 wine enthusiasts (Brent had to bail).

Zoe provides great service for wine dinners. The steak I ordered was excellent and very flavorful. The scallops were like jelly, and needed to be seared more to enjoy. A shame. Cheryl, sitting next to me felt the same way. My vanilla panna cotta for dessert happened to be excellent.

Pobega did a great job driving the bus on this one, as usual. We were just missing a white wine starter and/or dessert wine. I should have contributed. Oh well...onto the wines that we did taste...

#1 1992 Penfold's Grange...Mike donated well. This garnered 5 first place votes and appeared on everyone's ballot. I am not sure how much, if any Cabernet, was in 1992 Grange, but it tasted a lot like one. This smooth, clean, and very youthful, given its age. Penfold's seems to have mastered the recipe on this one, and I loved it!

#2 2003 Mitolo Shiraz G.A.M...This was sweet and jammy. More than a mouthfeel, and not really for me.

#3 2000 Elderton Command...I think I was the dissenter on this wine, as I did enjoy it, at least more than the Mitolo. Even going to back to it at the end of the night, I liked it. Very minty nose, but the finish had a slight metallic edge initially. It did eventually blow off.

Blind wine: 2003 Cayuse Syrah en Cerise...I guessed 2003 Sonoma Syrah, so I was not too far off, I think. Like most Cayuse that I try, I did not care for this wine. Cherry syrup on the nose, a little lean on the finish...I do not think anyone really enjoyed this. Even Pobega poo pooed it.

#4 2002 Shirvington Shiraz...In a word...AWFUL...completely undrinkable crap...I cannot wait to see Parker retry this 99 pointer at the 10 year mark. What a joke!

#5 2002 De Lille Syrah Doyenne...wrong btl pulled from a cellar resulted in this wine at the tasting. Not nearly as good as 2001 Doyenne at SLONYC 1. A bit too much alcohol and quite uninteresting.

#6 2003 Ox Shiraz...my contribution...what an awesome wine. Dbl decanted 3 hours before serving, should have done it for 6 hours. A baby at the table, this wine had everything going for it. A touch of alcohol initially, that blows off with time. Definitely competed with the Grange, for me, for first place.

#7 2004 Dead Arm Shiraz...3 of us enjoyed this wine, the rest of thr group, not so much, it would appear. Jay Miller says to cellar this for 20 years. This wine tasted very good last night. 20 years will not do it any favors. It was very big and structured, but with gobs of fruit. Good pairing for my steak.

#8 2004 Amon Ra Shiraz...Initially I hated this wine, but over time, it got much better. Once the alcohol calmed, it became a decent wine. Miller says this will hold for 10 more years, but the 2006 should be held for 30 more years...interesting.

#9 2006 Mollydooker Velvet Glove...clearly the worst QPR in the group. I found this wine all over the place and completely out of balance. Lots of cough syrup in my mouth. Miller says hold it for 30 moe years. Maybe it will come together at that time, but at $200/btl, I am not finding out on my dime.

There seemed to be some divide in the group. Those that really enjoyed the Grange/Ox and those that enjoyed some other wines.

The Shirvington and Mollydooker, two Sparky Marquis wines, showed a particular style that is very polarizing. While I did not really enjoy the MD 20/20, if it becomes anything like the Shirvington 2002 in 5 years, I will not be surprised. These wines are not for the shy folk.

Interestingly enough, when I got home, my wife said I wreaked of alcohol and noted that it was the first time in 9 years, that she had every thought I wreaked of alcohol after going to a wine dinner. I told her that these were Aussie Shiraz, high octane stuff, and that explained it...maybe...

The voting was pretty straight forward, we awarded 4 points for first place, 2 points for second place, 1 point for third place. Number of first place votes in parentheses...

#1 1992 Grange 25 points (5)
#2 2003 Mitolo GAM 3 points
#3 2000 Elderton Command 0 points
#4 2002 Shirvington Shiraz 2 points
#5 2002 De Lille Doyenne 0 points
#6 2003 Ox Shiraz 10 points
#7 2004 Dead Arm 7 points (1)
#8 2004 Amon Ra 5 points (1)
#9 2006 Mollydooker Velvet Glove 4 points (1)

Partnership with Children Charity Event!

On Wednesday evening, for the third consecutive year, Grapes coordinated all of the wines for Partnership with Children's annual "Taste of the Good Life" gala!

Here is a video of the event...

http://www.stylemusictv.com/video/video.html?data=xml/data_1.xml&flvID=145

We encourage all of you to think about attending this event next fall!

Dinner at Anthos last night!

I have been to Anthos about 4 times now. Very consistent. Steep $35 corkage per btl, but service is excellent and food is very good. Oysters tonight were off the hook, and I am not an oyster kinda guy. Onto the wines...all were served BLIND...except the 2002 Taittinger Comte de Champagne Rose, that was absolutely beautiful...

1) Very Austrian Gruner like qualities. A very tasty wine. Lost a little flavor but beautiful bouquet...2000 Prager Riesling Klaus.

2) This wine screamed SB. Most kept thinking NZ. I picked up a little more body and some oak, so I guessed California SB...a nice wine. Many loved it. 2007 Jonata SB.

3) 99 Chave Hermitage Blanc...maderized.

4) Howard thought Chardonnay. Almost got me thinking that, but this wine had an oily texture and a rich acid that screamed Northern Rhone Roussanne. I stuck with that guess. At first, I was not in the love with the finish on this. Had some bite, but that quickly blew off. Over the course of the evening, this wine grew and grew and grew. WOW! 2001 SQN Rien Va Plus Roussanne.

5) Howard was having a tough night and said CDP. I put my nose in the glass, and said Burgundy. I had a feeling this was a wine I brought, so I stopped guessing. Absolutely delicious. 2002 Lucien LeMoine Clos de la Roche.

6) This was a little shutdown, or so I thought. I pegged it as Grenache. I kept expecting more. In the end, I guessed 2000 CDP...turned out to be 2000 Clos du Caillou CDP Cuvee Quartz. Very disappointing!

7) Possibly corked, but clearly not correct. I was guessing a decent amount of Cab Franc from Bordeaux. Hard to guess as wine was flawed...1985 Lafite

8) Another wine I was not in love with. A few dissenters, but most agreed something was a miss here. I thought old Napa Cabernet (guessed 20 years old) . Turned out to be a magnum of 1989 Aldo Conterno Barolo Granbussia Riserva.

9) Unintersting dessert wine. I guessed 1998 or 99 Climens, turned out to be 2002.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

SQN, and Lemoine were delicious. Prager was interesting. Jonata was a nice wine.

Tasting corked wine with suppliers!

A few weeks ago, there were many wholesale/trade tastings in NY. I try to taste as much as I can, but I cannot help but get frustrated when they pour me a flawed wine. Usually, they are just corked. I try to point them out, but often times the person pouring is a volunteer. It is more embarassing when it is an actual winemaker or importer.

Then, this week, I had an appt with a well known Napa winery at the store. They brought in 4 wines. Each was about 60% full, as they had been to appts throughout the day.

Wine #4 was corked. They tasted it in the morning (they claimed) to make sure it was correct. Then they visited other retailers, who did not say a word.

Our industry is a joke.

Any thoughts?

Dinner at Apiary!

So, I jumped the gun and went to Apiary on Saturday evening with friends. The place was packed. Good wine list, but I opted to pay corkage. They had a smoked salmon appetizer special that came with some caviar and a poached egg that was awesome (more like breakfast food, but happy to eat breakfast all of the time). The pork chop was bigger than me head. One of my friends had the Rabbit Papardelle. Not sure I have ever had Rabbit so tender. And, for a bargain appy, wifee had the Mushroom Soup for $8, that was very tasty...onto the wines...

2002 Bernard Morey Chassagne Montrachet Morgeots- Man, I am not sure this ever tasted better. Talk about a "suck down" Chardonnay...this was absolutely delicious. I think I paid about 50 shekels and worth every penny. Such lively fruit integrated into the oak, wow!

1999 Alban Pandora- After the AWFUL btl of 2005 Alban Reva at SLONYC #1 with Pobega, I had to pull my last 99 Pandora from my "extensive" cellar. I fell in love with the 1999 Albans back in the day, which led me to buy up subsequent vintages for the store. We decanted this for about 45 minutes. The nose was open for business and absolutely stunning. I think the bouquet could be smelled across the room. The wine, in the front and mid palate, was terrific. Delicious, sweet, candied fruit, it was a good pair for the pork (everything pairs well with pork;)). But something was amiss on the finish. It just dropped off a cliff. While the wine was certainly delicious, it left me wanting more. Maybe drank a couple of years too late? Still a good effort.

Carillon Bienvenue Batard Montrachet Vertical and 1 "Fake" btl of 1962 Volnay!

Last night, 6 drinkers of Burgundy descended upon Blue Hill at Stone Barns, to go where very few others had gone before...a vertical of the very rare and very sought after Bienvenue Batard Montrachet from Domaine Louis Carillon. Six vintages would be tasted before we moved onto a very impressive array of Pinot Noir from "Mecca," also known as Bourgogne, or Burgundy!

Before we get into the wine, let's talk about Blue Hill for a moment. Personally, I dined there numerous times when they first opened, but after a few hiccups and a couple of large private wine dinners that went awry, I have stayed away the last few years. Well, they may have brought me back with what they served last night. We opted for the "Farmer's Feast" at $135 per person, but we practically had to stop them from bringing more food. All of the the little starters were great, including the zucchini flowers, chicken pate surrounded by chocolate, corn soup with verina (sp?)as well as the charcuterie (Lanzo? was extraordinary, I would like to purchase that by the pound at my local deli). They even served pig face bacon!!! The "savory dishes were even better...Lobster with local veggies melted in your mouth, and the Berkshire pig was delicious. It came with an almond and bean side that really worked. Finally, they forced us to the ER with two delicious lamb chops, and lamb NECK, which was a lot like Pork Belly but with better texture. Something better than Pork Belly? Who would have thunk it?

Thomas Carter, and staff, treated us like royalty (well, shit, Laurent Drouhin practically is royalty, so that explains it)!

Onto the wines...first Carillon...Peter provided all except...
1984: I brought this pristine looking btl and, of course, it was corked. Thomas came to us and said it was very slight...but the "corkiness" only picked up steam over time and rendered the wine undrinkable. Before that happened, the wine, to me, showed amazing youthfulness. There was good fruit under there somewhere. The color was lighter than the 1998 and the 1996. A good show, despite the cork problem. Anyways, only corked one of the night.

1998: This was right in my wheelhouse when they poured it. Very rich, fat fruit (not in the CA way, though), this is the second time I have enjoyed this wine over the past 6 months. Over time, the wine did lose a lot of its character, but that took a solid 45 minutes to an hour of it in the glass. Impressive and delicious.

1999: There was much debate as to the order we should pour these wines in and, inevitably, I lost. I thought the 1999 ought to be in the next flight and the 1997 here. Well, the 1999 was put here and stole the show for most of us. An absolute baby, this took about 30 minutes in the glass for it to really come out of its shell. Someone used the word, precise, to describe this one and that appeared to be very accurate. At 10 years old, this one clearly has more life ahead of it, but on this night, it was still outstanding!

1997: I think others liked this more than me, I thought this was a good wine, but would have expected more. I found the finish to be a little short, and a little nuttiness to the wine (possibly some oxidation?). Over time, the wine did actually get better in the glass. It took on more weight, but it just never got there for me.

2005: Why not, right? This had 2005 written all over it. Upon pouring, I noted the distinct tropical fruit flavors in the wine. It was sewet, rich, and fat. There should have been a sign on my glass that read "do not drink for 2 hours!" Upon revisiting the wine much later in the evening, the nose had turned to a coconut smell, and the wine lived. Good show.

1996: Well, when drinking white Burgs from the late 1990s, you are bound to get an oxidized one, and the 1996 was it for us. Deep yellow. light orange color...the wine was very simple and monolithic. I took two sips...that was enough for me.

Onto the reds...
1990 Drouhin Bonnes Mares: DQ'ed (maderized)
1985 Pierre Amiot Clos de la Roche: This was not a favorite of mine. I found it a little old and uninteresting. A very short finish...drink 'em if you got 'em! Paul brought this one!

1993 Drouhin Bonnes Mares: Man, these 1993s are delicious. Who was the wine critic that pancaked them? Oh, yes, RP. Laurent had a good laugh about that as we all enjoyed this sexy wine. Big, rich fruit, this wine is still in its infantile stages...got to find more 1993s...thanks Laurent for this btl!

1990 Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot: I brought this one. I am never a huge fan of Grivot. His wines tend to be a little rough around the edges for me, and upon opening, this one was no exception. Closed, muted nose. Then, after about 30 minutes in the glass, this wine shined...for about 20 minutes, with a nice sweet long finish...but then I found it declined again...a roller coaster never seen by a wine critic that spends just 45 seconds with each wine!

1962 Potinet Ampeau Volnay Clos des Chenes: Even brought this one. He purchased it from a prominent retailer. He guessed about 8 years ago. The label was gleaming white (obviously a new label). The fill was up to the top (obviously topped off)...and the color was an amazingly bright red...and the wine was tasty...very tasty. We all just sat there in disbelief. I kept questioning the color on this wine as I sipped it. Finally, Laurent put his hands in the air, and said, "I have something to say...there is no way this is 1962 Volnay!" He sounded frustrated. The wine was good, but clearly noy 47 years old. The cork was saturated as if it had been recorked when it was topped off, about 10 years ago. Of course, no branding on the cork. There is not one indication that this wine came from 1962, except the sparkling white label. Even says that he purchased 1959s, 1966s, and 1971s as well. He says that the 1966s have been very bad. He is sure he has more 1962 in the cellar. Who would fake such a wine? Not sure...stay tuned...Robert Parker will investigate...

1982 Clair Dau Chambertin Clos de Beze: Many of us know the history by now. Jadot bought Clair Dau's holdings in the mid 1980s and Jadot became a star in Bonnes Mares, Musigny, etc. This Beze is from a very underwhelming year, and I found the wine fairly underwhelming. At first sip, the wine was tasty, but the wine quickly fell off the cliff for me. In the end, it was a harsh, rustic wine, that could have used more fruit. But, alas, the fruit just was not there. Peter shared this one.

1985 Pierre Bouree Chambolle Musigny les Amoureuses: Paul brought a very nice surprise for all of us...this wine kept getting better in the glass. It started off a little tight, but you could sense that this wine was going to be good. Not a flashy wine, but just a very solid wine that was a pleasure to drink! I need to find more Pierre Bouree like this!

It was a great night, with some great people!

Sierra Car Crash-Fraud in da house!

So, yesterday was Sierra Carche's big day to shine at Grapes The Wine Company. I hosted a lunch for about 12 people, some clients, some ITB, some interested parties to showcase the 2005 Sierra Carche, a 96 point disaster courtesy of Jay Miller of the Wine Advocate.

We BBQ'd lunch (sliders for appys, filet for the main course) and then it was up to the Grapes lounge to enjoy the filet and some Sierra Carche. I selected the lineup and all anyone else knew is that there was a btl of Sierra Carche in the group. Sierra Carche has been a hot topic in the wine business after Jay Miller scored it 96 points and the wine appears to be worse than crap.

Double blind for everyone (single blind for me)...poured in flights of 3 (one corked 2005 Pico Madama) so just 14 wines were served.

Not a bad lineup

4 btls 2005 Sierra Carche @ WA 96 points each
2005 Pico Madama (corked, never served) WA 95+
2004 Pico Madama WA 93
2001 Clos Fonta WA 94
2007 Panarroz (Unrated by JM, but RP gave 2003-2006 all WA 90)
2007 Telmo Rodriguez A1 Murvedre unrated
2005 Pasanau El Vell Coster WA 97
2008 Edgebaston Pepper Pot unrated
2007 Emilio Moro Resalso WA 90
2005 Espectacle (unrated, but 2004 was WA 99, 2006 WA 96)
2008 Oriol Unrated
2005 Mollydooker Carnival of Love WA 99

Mostly highly rated Jay Miller wines. Well, then why did everyone hate just about every wine? The Sierra Carches were easy to spot. Dreadful and undrinkable. Turn the 96 around? Not even, lets say 4 btls probably totally 96 points!

One of the things I wanted to see was whether Pico Madama 2004 suffered like Sierra Carche 2005. It was not as bad but it was univerally panned by the group. I am curious to see where the 93 point btls of this are? Maybe Robert Parker can muster one up from another bulletin board member and taste it with his wife.

Onto Espectacle...first read this...http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/sho ... espectacle

I had the 2004 and it sucked. 2005 was a decent wine...for $10, much like the 2004. This is another example of what happens when an importer whispers into a wine critic's ear about 100+ year old Grenache vines in Montsant. In the 45 seconds that Jay Miller presumably spent with the 2004, he called it a 99 point wine. With the 2006, it is 96 points. Assume the 2005 would be a 97-98 pointer based on that scale. This is really a shame. I have not yet heard of anyone (besides Robert Kenney) have a full btl of this stuff and call it great. It should be noted that Robert Kenney thought the wine was crap yesterday.

When it came time to vote, only 5 wines received votes...
Espectacle 3 points
Pasanau 7 points
Carnival of Love 25 points
Oriol 19 points
Clos Fonta 18 points

Blind tasting is very revealing. Critics at the Wine Advocate should try it some time. Something is wrong with Sierra Carche. As Jay Miller first said, there was fraud somewhere. It is a shame that Robert Parker has no interest in seeing where it happened. It is a shame that Jay Miller will apparently continue to taste the portfolio of wines from Well Oiled Wine Co, when they have shown no proof that they are, in fact, innocent in all of this.

Special thanks to Steve Manzi and Robert Kenney. I worked this tasting around their schedules. I think I did right by them and the wine consuming public. I would have loved to taste a good btl of Sierra Carche. That would have made for interesting debate. Instead, we tasted 4 btls of crap. More importantly, many of these wines were crap.

So, where is the fraud really being committed?

For some fun reading, see here...http://www.wineberserkers.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9735

BYOB Dinner in Jersey City!

Sorry, I have not posted recently. August is a vacation month, including for those of us in the wine biz! Well, I had one week off...Last night, I dined at Madame Claude Cafe in Jersey City, NJ. The PGA is in town this weekend, so I met with a couple of clients to break bread.

I decided on Madame Claude because it seemed like an interesting spot. Tucked away in the ghetto in Jersey City, we dined outside overlooking the constant police cars blaring their sirens that sped past us.

The place was packed. I brought a few btls. These golfers tend to like the high octane Aussies and Spanish wines, but this week, one of them had an epiphany, or I should say a Leroy Gevrey Chambertin...so I changed the format...

The food was very good. I started with the stuffed mushrooms...they were on point. The other guys had salads and one had the soup of the day (Celery and Cauliflower). For entrees, they both had the Cous cous Madame Claude and could not stop raving about it. I opted for another house specialty, the steak frites. Simple dish, hangar steak and fries. The server gave me two dipping sauces...peppercorn and shallots. She recommended the peppercorn, which I thought might be too strong, but she was right. Good pairing for the wine. We shared some Cauliflower Au Gratin as a side, that I loved.

As for the wines...

1) 2006 David Duband Clos de la Roche-I recently featured this as a closeout special (event the Wine Spectator gave mention to our great closeouts lately). Opened and decant at 3 pm, served at 7 pm and it was absolutely delicious. Right in the wheelhouse. A bargain for the money...when you get a great Burgundy, there is nothing else like it.

2) 2006 Barroche CDP Signature- I had high hopes for this wine. I love the Fiancee and Pure from Barroche, so I thought that Julien's Signature CDP would sing as well. Opened and decanted at 3 pm, it was tight as nails, but a pretty bouquet. Drank at around 8 pm, this wine never hit that sweetspot for me. Tasty, but after the Clos de la Roche, it did not fare well.

3) 2002 Yalumba Signature- When we jumped from 2 people to 3 people for dinner, I needed more wine. So I stopped at the Jersey City Shop Rite and picked up the Robert Parker 96+ rated Yalumba Signature. $42.99, why not? Upon opening, this wine had a beautiful nose. Lots of mint, and eucalyptus. This reminded me of a great old Napa Cab or a Clarendon Hills Cabernet. Unfortunately, on the palate, it was neither. The wine was good, but nothing very exciting. For $20, this is a tasty drink. The nose is worth $40, but who drinks the nose?

4) NV Noon Tawny Port- When my supplier mentioned that they were looking to close this one out, I called bullshit. I never knew that Noon made Port. Heck, their regular wines taste like Port, so what would their Port taste like. Well, we found out last night. 19.5% alcohol listed on the btl, has to be more like 22%. The first taster remarked that it was like a liqueur. I thought it was more like a vodka on the rocks. It had lots of fruit behind it, but the alcohol was very offensive. It mellowed out over time, but was never very enjoyable. Out of a 500ml btl,3 of us left half of the btl to the table of cute girls who had also brought their own wines....magnums of Yellowtail! They were just happy to see more alcohol! They also got the remainder of the Yalumba...

60 Australian wines at 9 am!

Last Wednesday morning, I started my day doing a "mini" portfolio tasting of Southern Starz's portfolio. Ken Onish invited me over to taste the "leftovers" of his tasting from the day before with a prominent wine critic. I wanted to go Tuesday night, but scheduling conflicts got in the way. Still, one day later, the wines showed no ill effects, according to Ken, and I agree, based upon my tasting.

None of these wines are in the market yet, and in fact, because 2007 and 2008 were, for the most part, bad vintages in most parts of Australia, some of the wines tasted were just tasted for education, as Southern Starz will not be bringing them into the market. I offered up my opinion on the "garbage" whenever I thought applicable. The good news is that Ken and John work diligently to supply to best wines that money can buy. There is no funny games here.

All wines are tasted without any information, including price, unless I ask. They are not blind, but for many people unfamiliar with the wines, they might as well be. Many wines were new to me, as well.

When I got there, all of the wines were lined up ready to go. I was late, which Ken hated me for, so I tasted the white wines rather quickly. All in all, I did this tasting in a little more than 2 hours. I taste fairly quickly when at these types of events. I am not a critic, so I do not need to spend hours studying these wines. If I got paid for that, I surely would.

2009 Bleasdale Verdelho-A crisp, clean wine. Not sure of the price, but this was a good pairing for seafood.
2008 Nugan Vision Chardonnay Riverina-I was never a fan of Nugan. I thought they made garbage wines until about 2 years ago. Since then, I have very much enjoyed many of their wines. This had a distinctive green appley quality. Not over oaked, but definitely noticable. Very comparable to a good value Calif Chard (if such a thing exists).
2008 Nugan Chardonnay Frasca's Lane Vyd-I liked this one a lot. I also liked the 2006. Single vineyard Chardonnay at under $20 that tastes great? What is not to love? They use oak, but much better in the integration on this one.
2008 Wildberry Chardonnay Two Passions-A real crowd pleaser. I like the Wildberry Chard, but always hated the packaging. Better packaging, still great juice. A touch of sweetness finished this one off nicely.
2008 Water Wheel Memsie White-A mostly Chard blend (SB, Roussanne, Marsanne round it out), we have never sold this wine, but I always like it. I think I will reconsider. At $10, it kills it for the summertime sipper. Put a straw in and slurp up!
2009 Koonowla Riesling-One of my favorite producers in Clare Valley, this bone dry Riesling holds its own against the best in class from other regions. You just have to dig the style and I do.

On to the reds (which there were many more of)
2008 Bleasdale Langhorne Crossing Shiraz/Cab- A wrote a big chocolate bar bargain. I think ken said this was like $10 retail. Wow, there is a lot going on here for $10.
2007 Bleasdale The Broadside- 60 Cab, 40 Shiraz...this had one of those burnt rubber smells that I do not care for. The wine showed a lot of character though. Tobacco, leather, this was a very earthy wine. Not bad.
2007 Bleasdale Second Innings-100% Malbec. They make this wine, apparently, when there is no Frank Potts, which is the case in the 2007 vintage. Frank Potts usually contains about 10% Malbec. Southern Starz was looking for feedback for this wine and whether it had a chance in the marketplace. I told them, NO! For me, this was nothing like some of the fine Argentine value Malbecs.
2007 Bleasdale Mulberry Tree-Cabernet Sauvignon, I really enjoyed this wine, probably around $15 and a great value. Not over the top, jammy Australian Cab. It had a lot of minty (Eucalyptus) qualities.
2007 Bleasdale Shiraz Bremerview-Big, fat and juicy. I liked it but preferred the Cab.
2008 Wildberry Two Passions Cabernet Sauvignon-A little over the top for in the Blueberry category.
2008 Nugan Riverina Cabernet Sauvignon "Vision"-This had a strange nose that I could not make out. But it was absolutely delicious in the glass. Rich deep color, sweet fruit, with a little vanilla. Great value!
2008 Nugan Riverina Shiraz "Vision"-This wine tasted like fruit punch. Bleh!
2008 Nugan Parish Shiraz McLaren Vale-A strange off putting finish. Wanted to like this wine, but alas, I did not.
2008 Nugan Durif-A wine that i have tasted in multiple vintages, and I can never wrap my finger around it. This was plain and simple for me. Poor QPR.
2008 Water Wheel Memsie Shiraz-This is a fairly simple wine. Good fruit. At $10, not a bad choice. But do not expect the world.
2007 Water Wheel Shiraz-This had a nice mid palate, very spicey, but the finish really fell off the cliff for me. Color is very purple
2007 Cascabel-I loved this wine in 2005, but you can see that Cascabel really struggled with their 2007s. This was a a very uninteresting and uninspiring GSM blend. Sometimes nature f**** you.
2007 Cascabel Graciano Tempranillo-This was a very powerful wine, and yet refined. I could see this one improving with age. Although, I would still seek out older vintages.
2007 Cascabel Monastrell-A very earthy wine, as you would expect from Mourvedre anywhere in the world. Very spicey and racy. Me likey.
2006 Koonowla Cabernet- 2006 was not kind to the Clare Valley. 2004 and 2005 Koonowla red wines are absolutely stunning and relative bargains. 2006s absolutely suck.
2006 Koonowla Shiraz-Read above
2008 Reilly's Barking Mad Cabernet-Never one of my favorite producers in the portfolio (bias perhaps?) but the Clare Valley got hit with a heatwave in 2008 and the Cabernet shows it. Not a good wine. Fried?
2008 Reilly's Barking Mad Shiraz-Heat here, but it is Shiraz so it handles it better. This is a good wine, but relatively uninteresting for me.
2007 Reilly's Bushvine Grenache-This was a WOW wine for me (no bias, I guess?) When I heard the price, I almost fell over in my chair (well, not quite, since I was standing for the entire tasting). Seriously, this is an eye opener. When it releases, I suggest you find some. I think it is like $17 SRP. Serious wine for that kinda money.
2006 Reilly's Dryland Cabernet-Back to the awful Clare Valley Cabernet (similar problem to Koonowla) . Pass!
2007 Reilly's Dryland Shiraz-This had many Cab like characteristics for me. It was big and rich, with some vanilla. Coated your mouth with nice spice. I liked it.
2006 Reilly's Stolen Block Shiraz- Aptly named because the winemaker won this plot of land in a card game from D'Arenberg's Dead Arm production. About 40% cheaper than Dead Arm, fyi. This was a very good wine. 80 year old vines, 50% new oak that integrates well.
2007 Sylvan Springs Shiraz-Uninteresting wine for me. Nothing wrong with it, but just not exciting enough.
2007 Kurtz Seven Sleepers-You ought to get to know Steve Kurtz's wines. Small productions, generally good quality. The Seven Sleepers was a good wine, but it just lacked that "oomph" for me to push it to the next level of great QPR. Very fruity and lots of chocolate. Shiraz/PV/Cab/Grenache/Malbec
2007 Little Ox McLaren Vale-Ox by Andrew Hardy was one of my little "discoveries." When no one knew this wine and it got poor reviews, I was buying it. in 2005, Andrew released Little Ox, an absolute bargain. The 2006, for me, was just as good. The 2007 misses the mark slightly. Still a good wine, but I think a reflection of the vintage.
2008 Tait Ball Buster-The Ball Buster is consistently a good wine. Hard to find faults, as it is typical $15 Aussie Shiraz from Barossa. I believe that in 2008 there will be no Basket Pressed Shiraz, so theoretically, the quality here should be even better. I did not get that. Bruno Tait is very talented. Find his Basket Pressed from other vintages.
2008 Longwood Reserve Shiraz-A super small production, I believe that Longwood was hit very badly by the heat in McLaren Vale. Phil Christiansen barely bottled anything. Good idea. Pass.
2005 Ox by Andrew Hardy-What is not to love here? Production has gone way up since the 2003 vintage of 70 cases. Now there is a whopping 275 cases! Produced from 120 year old vines, this is a special wine for me. Big, rich, cherry nose, this wine will age and I will be happy to own it!
2008 Oliverhill Red Silk Shiraz-Oliverhill had big problems with the heat of McLaren Vale in 2008 as well. This is a replacement for the Clarendon Shiraz, as I recall. I loved this wine. Great QPR and aptly named. Also no Petite Syrah in 2008, which is a bummer. That is generally a delicious wine.
2008 Oliverhill Mt Benson Shiraz-An interesting wine. No heat wave in this region. Small production. Only 20% new oak. This was a bit spicier and racier than the Red Silk. I liked the Red Silk more, but this may have had more going on.
2008 Oliverhill Jimmys Section-A wine I rarely "get into." The 2008 lacked character and style. Seeking a personality, I could not find one. Pass for me.
2004 Kurtz Lunar Block Shiraz-Now we are talking. I am not sure how much this is gonna cost, but worth every penny. I told you to look out for Steve Kurtz. This guy knows what he is doing. Named for the astronauts trip to the moon in 1969, this vineyard was planted about 50 years ago, but was purchased on the day Neil Armstrong and company walked on the moon, hence the name. It spends 27 months oak 100% new oak, and stays in bottle for another year before release. One pallet was produced and do not be surprised to see Grapes the Wine Co take a huge chunk. At first taste, I asked how much Cabernet was in the blend. NONE! I then asked if we were tasting a ringer for Penfold's Grange. This is a serious wine.
2005 Kurtz Lunar Block Shiraz-I could clump the notes together but I did prefer the 2004 to the 2005. That being said, I am very happy to own a lot of the 2005 someday. 31 months in 100% new oak. Kurtz knows what he is doing with the Lunar Block!
2008 Flinders Run Little Flinders-The first production of a second label of this great winery (that you have never heard of). The winemaker is now John Zilm from Craneford fame. They experimented with a little Flinders last vintage and it just never happened. This time, they got it right. At around $17/btl, this is very good value. Shiraz/Cab blend. Drink early and often.
2007 Flinders Run Shiraz- I would like to think I "discovered" this wine, when I was at a Southern Starz portfolio tasting a couple of years ago in Washington, DC. The 2005 was awesome on that day, and subsequently we bought and sold a ton (we made commitments before Jay Miller's well deserved high score). The 2007 of this wine is excellent. The 2006 was very good , but not up to the high standards of the 2005, but the 2007 gets very close to the delicious 2005. 100% Shiraz from the Southern Flinders Ranges. A winery to look out for over the years. At $30-35 SRP, serious value!

How good is 2008 in Burgundy? Lunch with Laurent Drouhin!

Had a very casual lunch with Laurent Drouhin today at Rye Grill & Bar, which used to be my next door neighbor at our old store. Happy to report that "heart attack" (petit filet sandwich) is back to being more than Petit. I did not have it, but I convinced Laurent to give it a whirl.

Anyways, Joseph Drouhin is now 100% organic, FYI. All of their Domaine wines are 100% effective 2009 vintage, although most of it was already.

They are changing the packaging on their Chablis lineup effective 2008 vintage. They are separating it from the Joseph Drouhin labels, since everyone assumes they are a negoc Chablis producer, while 90% of their Chablis production in Estate Bottled!

2008 vintage in Chablis is the best of this decade (better than 2004, Laurent says).

2008 reds are great according to Laurent, Veronique and their father. The other 2 brothers (Philip and Patrick, I think) are not as enthusiastic.

If you have ever met Laurent, you would know that he is a very honest business man that pulls no punches. I never take anything he says with a grain of salt, because I have never had to.

FYI, it was a casual lunch, so I had a soda, he had iced tea.

2005 Chateauneuf du Pape-BLIND

In my circles, much is being made of 2005 vs. 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape. Robert Parker hailed 2007 as the best vintage in 30 years, while James Molesworth, Josh Raynolds many vigneron side on the 2005 side as superior. Anyway you dice it, 2005 is a great vintage by any standard, so for now, lets move past which vintage is better and see which 2005 is better than the other 2005s. The best place (for me) to accomplish that is at Executive Wine Seminars in New York. On July 14th, about 40 thirsty lovers of the Rhone gathered to taste 13 2005 Chateauneufs in the only method that Bob Millman and Howard Kaplan know how, BLIND. At the end, everyone votes for their top 3 wines, and the numbers are tallied.

Here are some brief notes on the wines...there were 3 flights. I do not SCORE wines, I just review them within each flight, so, if there are 5 wines in a flight, I rank them 1-5. First flight was wines 1-5, second flight 6-9, third flight 10-13.

1) This was a beast, clearly new world style, very dense, very rich. Turned out to be Cuvee Vatican Reserve Sixtine. This finished in 8th place.
2) This had written Beaucastel written all over it. Very bretty, almost rubbert nose. Herbatious in the mouth. I like my Beaucastel with age. Of course it turned out to be Pegau Reservee, and was well liked by the masses...4th place for the night.
3) I very much enjoyed this wine. One of the most accessible wines of the night. Good, clean, rich and creamy...fun to drink, were my notes. Janasse Chaupin...6th place finish
4) For me this was in a bit of a funky stage at first, when it did calm down, a hint of cocoa emerged. I kept wanting more on the finish, though. Considering the price, not too shabby...Milliere VV...11th place
5) For me, this wine was off the hook. The nose of the night! Big, rich, and very young, this was my idea of a great CDP to lay down. Plenty of new oak, but not overwhleming the great chocolatey minty fruit. I was clearly in the minority on this one...Beaurenard Boisrenard...7th place overall (my second place)
6) Wow was what I first jotted down. Big, bruising, masculine wine. Deep rich, cherry nose, this has of the stuffing to be a great wine...Usseglio Deux Freres...2nd place overall (my first place). It did get the most number of first place votes
7) Bleh was my first note. Just tasted awful. Hollow, oaky and smokey is what I wrote down. Domaine Charvin...13th place
8) We originally had an off btl (I pegged it as corked, which others at my table disagreed with, in the end something was definitely wrong, as we had a taste from a better btl). Unfortunately the better wine was not all that much better. I liked it more than the group though. Beaucastel...11th place
9) This was like Strawberry (rhubarb) pie in an absolutely delicious way. Very jammy, soft and feminine, I was a huge fan...Clos des Papes...5th place (my 4th place)
10) This was old school CDP. I actually commented that it may have smelled like burning cannabis. I liked, but not for the reason...Vieux Donjon...3rd place overall
11) Very closed down wine, while most wines were showing their youth, this one may have been the baby of the bunch. There was some good fruit. It had the lightest color of the night...Vieux Telegraphe...9th place
12) This wine was swesome, Big blueberry, very well balanced, and delicious. Very masculine, I could have sucked this down with a straw. Barroche Fiancee...1st place overall, third place for me (Pegau Donjon, and Usseglio all received more first place votes, but this was top 3 for 75% of the room)
13) This wine was practically black, when lined up near VT, you may have thought the VT was a Rose! Possibly some Sulfur issues. Clearly new world, ripe fruit, not good at all. All btls the same. Clos du Caillou Reserve...9th place. Disappointing for me, as I have enjoyed their wines in the past.

As a whole, 2005 CDP is a great vintage. Out of 13 wines here, I would be happy to drink 9 of them, which is a lot, as I tend to be a harsh critic, as blind tasting is always difficult. Barroche Fiancee is a bargain and worth seeking out. The producer makes amazing wines. Usseglio Deux Freres was just so outstanding. Clos des Papes stood its ground and considering its release price, did very well against the competition.

These wines are clearly wines for the cellar, for the most part. Find some 2004 and 2006 bargains, while allowing your 2005s to mature!

My trip to the North Fork- The Good, the Bad & the Ugly!

My best friend, Ted, surprised his lovely bride, Megan, for her birthday, with a bus trip for family and friends out to the North Fork, to do some wine tasting. I think there were about 35 people in attendance, on a coach bus...4 stops over the course of 4 hours...My overall assessment is that there is some good wine being made out there, unfortunately, it represents some of the worst Quality to Price Ratio around. Chardonnay should not be produced out there, period. I did not taste any Chardonnays from these 4 wineries (small sample set admitted) that merited me taking a second look.

1) Baiting Hollow Winery-Honestly, I would rather not post notes on these wines, as they were all pretty bad. Their Riesling (which received a gold medal recently from some awards competition) was not at al like Riesling. Their Cabernet Franc had strong burnt overtones, and everything in betweem was that much worse. No one really knew much about the wines, they were just pouring alcohol for people to get wasted, it would appear.

2) Next stop...Palmer Vineyards...one of the landmark wineries in LI. This place has been around for over 25 years. Clearly a step up from #1. I tasted the SB, Gewurz and Sparkling white to start. I did not care for the SB or the Gewurz, but I did enjoy the Sparling (100% Chardonnay). The Gewurz lacked any of the nuances of a "typical" Gewurz and the SB was very bland. The Rose Merlot was not very exciting either (this is their first time producing this wine). 2005 Merlot was very good for me, and one of the best "values" of the trip. Good structure, this wine was not old in any way. Well balanced. The Cabernet Franc was uneventful. The next two wines are the "best" at Palmer...the Gallagher's Private Reserve Red (private label for Gallagher's Steakhouse) and the Select Reserve Red. Gallagher's private label is available for sale at the winery, so not much of a private label. The Select Reserve got a slight nod for me. Both are similar blends and similar flavor profiles, but the Select Reserve had a touch more sweetness on the palate for me, which made it more enjoyable to drink now. The woman who did the pouring was reasonably knowledgable on the wines.

3) Macari. I guess Macari is one of the newer wineries to pop up on the scene. I think they may have been one of the first to produce a $100 wine out there. The woman who poured the wines did not know too much, other than she told how much better LI wines are versus the Finger Lakes (which if I really cared, I would have raked her over the coals for). Anyways, my best wine of the day was here...2004 Macari Bergen Road. Great great wine ($43 at the winery). I did enjoy the Katherine's SB as well, but the Estate Chard and the Reserve Chard, you could keep. Most of the Chards I had were completely overoaked, it reminded me of KJ 5 years ago. 2004 Cabernet Franc was true to the varietal. Very earthy nose, lots of spice in the mouth, overall a pleasant wine. 2004 Merlot Reserve was a winner for me. At $36/btl, maybe not that good, but very good wine all around. The Bergen Road Meritage was a dead ringer for a good value Bordeaux or Cali Claret. 25% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot...this was the kitchen sink, but I enjoyed sipping on this one. Finished with 2005 Block E Chardonnay (ice wine style). The acid was way too low for this wine, more like a sweet, dense, Chardonnay with low alcohol. At $40, easy pass.

4) Last stop was where we had lunch, Osprey's Dominion...another crowded venue with people sucking back a lot of alcohol. I tasted numerous wines here and I could only find one that I "liked." The 2005 Cabernet Franc was decent wine. Very masculine and powerful for CF. At $24, I ain't buying though. Toasty, oaky Chard, Uninteresting SBs, Gewurz was a good $6 summer sipper (@$15). The Merlot was too flabby, the Cab Sauvignon was just awful. The reserve wines showed a lot of oak, too much considering they were 2005 vintage.

Overall, my first trip to LI wineries was exactly what I expected. A few good wines, a lot of bad wines, lots of alcohol being consumed, and very poor QPR. Macari was tops for me, it seems like they know what they are doing there, unfortunately, the prices are out there, but I would drink the wines again...for free...

Dinner and CDP at Bobo!

On Wednesday evening, I was invited by a client to his tasting group's monthly wine dinner. This one was at Bobo. Bobo is located in the West Village (of Manhattan, for you foreigners). An interesting group of 11 passionate drinkers descended upon the restaurant at 7:30 pm. Unfortunately, I arrived 30 minutes late, but I did not miss too much, just the seating assignments, which left me far away from the women on the other side! They all would have just been a distraction, anyways! The theme was 1990 and 1998 Chateauneufs with a few bonuses thrown in! Most of the wines were supplied by a very nice man that we will call Ed.

The food at Bobo was excellent, we started with tuna sashimi over a warm filo dough like biscuit (bite size). Then we had scallops prepared with bacon, cauliflower, and a spicey sauce. The scallops were probably my favorite dish of the night. They were meaty but charred perfectly. We had duck breast, prepared with a spicey plum sauce, that was the perfect compliment to CDP and we finished with flank steak, served with a caramelized onion sauce. The steak was excellent, but I could have done without the sauce (a bit too sweet for my liking, so I pushed it to the side). Desserts were passed around the table and included a flan and a hazelnut chocolate torte.

First up were the two whites:
Flight 1...
1) 2004 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Blanc: This was a decent wine, an easy sipper. I expected more from the btl. It went down pretty easy, but it lacked the acid that I thought might help this age longer. Drink up!
2) 2005 Ch Beaucastel CDP Blanc: This was an excellent example of this wine. Good balance of fruit and acid. I came late, so it was a touch too warm (all my fault), but nevertheless, I would sit on these for a few years.

There were four flights of red wine and then the dessert wines:
Flight 2...
3) 1989 Domaine Pegau CDP Cuvee Laurence: A huge disappointment for me. This was an old, tired btl for me. I am not sure when it was purchased, but bad storage may have played a role, as the 1998 Laurence is still a baby.
4) 1990 Andre Brunel Les Cailloux CDP: Considering the age of this wine, this was good stuff. For some people, one of the top 3 wines of the night. The fruit was drying out, but I could drink this one again, if I had to.
5) 1990 Domaine du Clos du Caillou CDP: Wow, my first time having this wine at this age, and WOW! Clicking on all cylinders,. I would love to own some of this stuff. My second favorite wine of the night, and my biggest surprise. This was in a perfect drinking window. A great match for the tuna dish!

Flight 3...
6) 1989 Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne: On our side of the table, this was a wine of a little controversy. Go figure, it is Chapoutier. I am never that impressed with Sizeranne, and while this wine was decent to drink, I was not a huge fan. It was a bit rubbery for me. One taster commented that it got better over time. I went back to it, and did not see that.
7)1990 Domaine de Marcoux CDP: As had been discussed on multiple occasions on the Parker board, my old biz partner owned a negoc company that had purchased some land from the Marcoux family and Marcoux made the wine for him. Subsequently, I have tasted a lot of Marcoux in my brief wine career and it usually disappoints me. That being said, this was a very good btl of 1990 Marcoux CDP. I was surprised at the youthfulness it displayed. I would drink this one again, if it was always this tasty.
8) 1995 Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde: This is another ringer and really unfair comparison. An aboslutely delicious wine that needs another 5-10 years to reach full potential. Loads of black pepper overwhelmed my glass. Lots to love about Cote Blonde!

Flight 4...
9) 1998 Domaine Pegau CDP Reservee: This was an excellent wine. Lots of pepper and still a few years of aging potential left (which still leaves me scratching my head on the 1989 Laurence). My last sip (30 minutes after my first) was not as good as the rest of the glass. The wine had turned a little rubbery and definitely affected my overall feelings on the wine. Nevertheless, I think this can age for a few more years, and had it been the only wine in front of me, I would have never tasted the rubber, anyways.
10) 1998 Vieux Donjon CDP: This was definitely not a favorite of anyone's on our end of the table I enjoyed the earthiness of the nose, but in the mouth, it suffered from being too old (almost a moldy taste, but not flawed), it would appear. This came from a well stored cellar and Mike said he has enjoyed this wine tremendously in the past. A bad btl, perhaps?
11) 1998 Ch Beaucastel CDP: My wine of the night, along with a few other people (quite a diversity of opinions from those attending, which I like to see...NO SHEEP!). This was one of the best btls of Beaucastel I have ever had, almost as impressive as the 1990 I had two years ago. It was extraordinarily delicious. I made sure to finish the btl on this one and none of it went into the dump bucket. WOW!!!! WOW!!!

Flight 5...
12) 2004 Charvin CDP: For me this suffered from being too young. Tighter than a ...you fill in the blank. I like Charvin a lot, but 2004 is not the best example for me. Nevertheless, many others enjoyed it. I would like to check this one out again in 5 years.
13) 2005 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne CDP: I had high hopes for this wine, and they were dashed at first sniffy sniffy (borrowed from Gary V, with permission). This a very new world, blueberry like nose...someone mentioned Jumilla...ding ding...this was the oddball of the night for me. It appears that much manipulation has gone on here, which is unfortunate. Maybe over time, it will mellow out, but if I want blueberry spoof, I can buy $10, 92 pointers from Jay Miller and Spain.

Dessert...
14) 1980 Mas Amiel Millesime: My contribution. I bought a lot of this for the store a couple of years ago based upon Pierre Rovani's review (yes I buy wine on scores). Man, I wish I bought more. This wine was off the hook. I butt heads with Pierre often (heck, he called me a moron, when I questioned Jay Miller's 100 point scores, who's laughing now?), but he nailed this wine. I thought this was going to be more like a sherry, but it was really more like a wine. Full bodied, rich and intense, the nose was of plums, and it was very tasty. I wish I brought two btls, as many people seemed to enjoy this one!
15) 1976 Weingut Maximinihof BA: I was looking forward to this one, but this may have been a few years over the hill. The color was an orange brown, and the acidity was gone. All that was left was a very sweet apricot like wine. Many enjoyed it, and it was pretty good. I just need a little more backbone on these wines.

The service at Bobo was excellent, I would highly recommend dining there, based on this meal!

Dinner in a client's cellar!

Last night, wifee and I dined with a good client in the dining room of his wine cellar in his home. A pretty amazing room to eat in, as the house is pretty spectacular as well! His wife is a very good cook and she handled everything, with Lamb being the main dish. Appys included some fresh figs stuffed with gorgonzola and wrapped with prosciutto as well as some shrimp in a pretty spicey broth. Everything was consumed that came my way. On to the wines...

1. 1996 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne- Opened just before we arrived. Our host, Adam swore it was a premox victim, but reserved judgement until we arrived. He poured me a glass. One whiff, and it smelled oxidized. Then I pointed out that Stephen Tanzer urged all of us to give these btls more time in the glass. I went back to it about 30 minutes later. The wine did indeed still smell oxidized, but it tasted a whole lot better. Still not a great btl, as something was clearly overwhelming the fruit there. Oxidized? Last week, I would have said yes, on this night, with Tanzer looking over my shoulder, not so sure

2. 1999 Gaia Rey Chardonnay- Wow, what a wine, 10 years of age, and it was delicious. A very nice pairing for the figs. I think safe to say wifee's favorite wine of the night. This wine is rare, and not cheap, but I have never had a bad btl, in my limited experience.

3. 1977 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard- I make no secret of the fact that I am a 1977 baby. I am constantly in search of great wines from that year in anticipation of the WORST 40th birthday party ever! Interesting to note, my best friend's wedding last may was chock full of 1977 Bordeaux being poured and many of the wines are plonk. So I recently bought a case of Martha's 1977 to give it a test run and brought a btl to our guests. This took about 20 minutes to open up (we did decant it) and I really enjoyed this wine. I think Adam did as well. This was the essence of old CA Cabernet. Hints of cocoa filled my glass and there was still a lot of fruit to be enjoyed with each sip. I think this one may hold up until 2017 for us! Interesting to note that the case came in the original cardboard carton.

4. 1990 Mont Olivet CDP Cuvee Papet- After touring the house and cellar, Adam (our host) asked me to pick a btl to go with dinner. The selection is endless. Lots and lots of Barolo and Burgundy. My choice: a 1990 Mont Olivet CDP Cuvee Papet. For those that have never tasted this wine, you ar ein for a real treat if you ever do. Extremely rare, and extremely young. I predict that this wine will be better 5 years from now. We decanted it, but it needed some air to come around. Still it was delicious. A bit rustic at first, that blew off. I did not check the alcohol level, but I did feel just a touch of heat on tasting. Did not bother me, though. I would love to own some of this!

5. 1989 Mugnier Musigny - This was preselected by Adam, and we may have gone out of order by having the CDP first, but the CDP was a perfect match for the lamb. This was a good wine. After 20 years, it has held up quite well. It did not mesmerize me like the Papet did, and my opinion of the wine may have suffered due to that. Good fruit, pop and pour. Knowing how inexpensive this wine was just 5-10 years ago, worth every penny!

Lunch with Dr. Vino, Max Marinucci and Mark Franks!

So, Tyler (Dr. Vino) and I put this on the calendar about a month ago. We added Max to the party, since while I had come up to see his beautiful store, he had not yet checked out my more beautiful store. Since Mark Franks does nothing all day, I invited him to tag along. I had never met Dr. Vino before and since we are forever tied together for attempting to overhaul the Monkton Mafia, it was only fitting that we broke bread. And, of course, we had an agenda.

Nola Palomar, frequent poster here, and owner of Veleta, a Bodega in Spain, had sent me some samples of her wines to taste. Tyler had received some samples of Viu Manent Viu 1 (a vertical of 2004-2006). The Veleta was of keen interest to myself as Nola has been very vocal about her inability to get Jay Miller to take note of her wines, since she does not go through a major importer of Spanish wines (which puts her a disadvantage according to Miller). Viu 1 is of interest because, while I have never even heard of these wines, Jay Miller scored the 2004 a 92+, the 2005 a 92 and the 2006 a 62!!!! This is a $60 Chilean wine and we were curious to see if the 2006 sucked as much as DrJ thought.

I invited Max, because, well, I like Max and while his palate sucks, it would be interesting to see what he thought. Mark Franks tagged along to show that we were not cheating to write this report. And I like Mark, so what the heck.

We went to Milonga, a Mediterranean Tapas place that recently opened in North White Plains, not far from Grapes The Wine Co, the greatest wine store on earth. We popped 10 btls of wine for lunch and they charged us $30 to do it. The food is basic, inexpensive but pretty good. I have been 3 times in the past 6 weeks (since theyopened) and have no complaints, although they just raised their food prices, which I find odd.

First flight: Veleta whites and Rose
1) 2008 Veleta Vijirieja: A fun wine for me. Inexpensive and a good summer sipper. Nothing exciting about it, but knowing the pricepoint, a perfectly good value.
2) 2008 Veleta Chardonnay: No one particularly enjoyed this one. I think Max mentioned KJ Chard look alike. Max sells a lot of KJ, so he would know. It was okay, but not for me.
3) 2008 Veleta Rose (Tempranillo): This was 13.5% alcohol, and you could feel like it was a bit more. The alcohol overwhelmed any potential good fruit for me.
4) 2006 Veleta Tempranillo: Mark and I thought that this was slightly corked. I will reserve judgement, as I felt like it could be better
5) 2006 Veleta Noladas: Now we are talking...a blend of Cab, Cab Franc and Tempranillo, this was a wine that I would happily enjoy many times over. Rich and concentrated, this had layers of fruit and a nice finish. A pretty serious wine for the money. Good match for the foods we were enjoying.
6) 2006 Veleta Cabernet Sauvignon: This was a good wine, albeit uninspiring. I kept going back to the Noladas, and considering that they are probably around the same price, this one suffered for me, because of the Noladas.

It should be noted that Josh Raynolds has reviewed these wines and given them all about 87-88 points consistently. They are worth seeking out, considering the low prices, in particular #1 and #5.

Ok, onto Chile...Viu Manent...Tyler poured these vintages blind for us (good idea),
As a whole, these wines were not enjoyed by the group. They were inky, dark, and brooding...
First wine...This was the best of the bunch for me, showed a lot complexity, good fruit, good balance and a wine I would drink again (although not at the price)...it was the 2005 (which was my guess)

Second wine...very similar to the first wine, similar nose but a little more tobacco there. In the mid palate is where I saw a flas as compared to wine#1...there was no fruit there...maybe suffering from age, but not likely. I had a feeling it was 2004, but I saw the quality as a whole suffer here, so I was hoping it was 2006...alas it was 2004

Third wine...the oddball, which made it easy to see the difference when compared to the the other wines, so it has to be 2006, right? Well, it was, but there was no way this was a Jay Miller 62 pointer. In fact, I think we all agreed that it was right up his alley. This was straight out of Barossa style. Clearly, something has changed in the winemaking, but I would have thought, interms of WA review, for the better. I hated this wine. It showed no nuances that the first wine showed, it was way more spoofilated than the others.

Ok, now onto the "extras"

Max brought a delicious btl of 1976 Lopez y Heredia Gran Riserva Bosconia. After a few minutes of funk, this blossomed into a beautiful wine. Showed no oxidated qualities that I have not liked in other Lopez wines. Very fresh, very light in color and very good.

I brought a 1996 Ponsot Clos de la Roche. I know Mark never drinks Burgundy, so I put in a ringer. Mark said it was his favorite wine of lunch. Not sure if, in context, that says much, but the wine was tasty. Not a great wine for me, but very good. It was just missing that next dimension, that I would expect from a 1996 Red Burgundy.

Overall, a great 3 hour meal, with good people, on a Friday. Love this Job!

Wine with Lawyers!

Last night, I conducted a "seminar" for the summer associates at a major Manhattan Law Firm. The theme was comparing the same grape varietal from different wine regions of the world.

3 Chards, 2 Syrah and a 1989 Suduiraut just for fun.

1998 Billecart Brut Blanc de Blancs: Our first Chardonnay...most of the grapes for this one come from Le Mesnil. This was big hit and why not? It was not as bone dry as I like many of my 100% Chard Bubblys to be, but this was pretty spot on for quality. Definitely more fuller bodied and meaty that I expected, great pairing for some food.

2004 Billaud Simon Chablis Blanchots: This is what I am talking about. I love 2004 Chablis and this showed why. Double decanted it and let it sit for an hour more, which seemed to do the trick. This was flinty and fresh. Very popular popular amongst the future lawyers. I believe this had a touch of oak on it, but I have not verified that yet.

2005 Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vyd: For me, this is Ramey's best wine. Amongst the lawyers, they were split between this and the Chablis. but those that liked the Ramey, kept coming back for more. For me, it is a great wine, but I still prefer Peay, Eric Kent, and Dutton Goldfield in a similar price range. Nevertheless, excellent juice, not to be confused with a white Burgundy, though.

2004 Chave Hermitage: Dbl decanted and left to sit for about 2 hours. This was the most consumed wine of the night. I guess lawyers have good taste. About 80% preferred this to the Shiraz. I loved it as well, and the only wine I had two glasses of. This was rich dense and pure. The finish, while not overwhelmingly big (a la 2003 Chave) still carried in my mouth for a nearly a minute. I would love to see how this would develop over a day as it kept getting better.

2005 Greenock Creek Shiraz Apricot Block; Sadly, this wine receives a better rating in the Wine Advocate than the 2004 Chave. About 20% of the audience enjoyed this over the Chave. Those that loved it, enjoyed the jamminess of the wine. It was rich, saturated and completely over the top. Listed at 16.5% alcohol, it had to be closer to 18.5% and for me, it showed. I do not enjoy these types of wines, and it appeared that the lawyers did not either. Except for one lawyer in Monkton. The first few btls were dbl decanted and poured about 2.5 hours later. I had to open another one (along with more Chave). When I poured one female a glass from the new btl, she asked if the wine would benefit from more air time. I gave her a glass from the older btls and she said, "nope, same crap."

1989 Ch Suduiraut: Good way to finish. 20 year old Semillon from Sauternes. Served slightly chilled and opened one hour in advance of pouring. No decanting. The funk blew off almost immediately and this was a very pleasant glass of dessert. Not overpaying in any way and I would have loved some chocolate cake with it (although the chocolate dipped strawberries were adequate). I managed to polish this one off before I left. As usually is the case these days, many shied away from this one, calling it too sweet. And we wonder why Riesling is such a hard sell?

Lunch at the Kittle House yesterday!

Went up to the Kittle House for lunch yesterday...if you have never been or not recently, you are missing out. The new chef is very good. Lunch is $22 for a 3 course prix fixe, which had a choice of salmon or short ribs yesterday as the main. A bargain...anyways, we drank a 2003 Tardieu Laurent hermitage Blanc that was good, not great, for me. I had ordered the 2000, which they were out of, so we had the 2003. If you see any 2001 of this wine, for cheap, BUY IT.

The wine list at KH is still a treasure trove of bargains. Not be missed. Rhone and Burgundy still contain many RIDICULOUS deals that merit some serious attention. I love being so close to something this special.

For dessert, I noticed a half btl of 1993 Chappellet LH Chenin Blanc for $45 on the list. The first one was corked (RATS) but the second one was pretty spectacular stuff. 16 year old btl that did not reveal its true age. It was rich and sweet, but def not overpowering. I enjoyed it immensely. Never had even seen a btl.

Do they still make this stuff?

I have had longer meals at In n Out Burger!

Last night, I went to Tarry Lodge with Wifee. First time at Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's new place in Port Chester NY. We had a 9:15 res, got there at 9 pm, and got seated immediately, which was great. We shared an appetizer (pizza) that arrived at about 9:20, 2 entrees shortly thereafter and a btl of 2005 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin ($110) throughout the meal and we had our check at 10 pm, no exaggeration. When we got the check, they said, "take your time."

Food was good, they DO NOT ALLOW CORKAGE, but the service is VERY VERY VERY rushed. About 2 minutes after the appetizer plates were cleared, I was staring at my entree.

Back home at about 10:20.

I was $230 poorer.

Dinner with Santiago Achaval (4 June 2009)

Last night, a few of us got together with Santiago Achaval, one of the men behind Achaval Ferrer, probably the best wine producer in Mendoza.

Dinner was at Triomphe and organized by Fernando Losada. The food was excellent, as usual there. We paid the restaurant $90 for 3 courses (I added a salad for a 4th course), which included, tax and about a 35% tip for the staff.

Forgive me, as I am going off of memory, as those that know me, much like Jay Miller, I do ot take notes, just put it into the memory bank...

First wine was a 2005 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Clos St Catherine. A very nice wine, needed some more time, I wish I went back to it at the end of the night, but instead I revisited my WOTN...1992 Raveneau Chablis Butteaux. Full disclosure, I brought this wine and I am glad I did. It just got better and better as the night went on, showing no sign of being 17 years old!

On to the reds...first up 2001 Mordoree Reine des Bois (Fernando brought). This was a pretty tasty wine, but I suspect this will only get better over time. The next wine to compare to was blind (brought by Jose). I guess a 10 year old California Cabernet. It was soft and juicy and a little chocatey. For me, it was Napa, but the btl revealed a 2001 Clos Erasmus. A very nice wine, but nowhere near the price of admission.

Then we jumped back to CDP. I supplied a very tasty btl of 1999 Bonneau CDP Cuvee Celestins. Pey-Wen really enjoyed this one as did others. I think two people would have said WOTN had there been a vote. I enjoyed it immensely. It was popped and poured. I think I would have liked it more if the btl temp were a little cooler, but that was my fault.

Moving onto Spain...2004 Terreus from Mauro (Pey-Wen brought this). I hated this one out of the btl. I defer to Jose, who tells me that 1996 Terreus is one of the all time great wines of Spain (he compared it to 1970 Unico...he must have been drunk ;)). This clearly got better over time in the glass, so I wlil be patient and maybe go back in 5 years. 2001 Alion was AWESOME. Bang for your buck, my WOTN. I love Alion and this one was absolutely delicious.

Santiago brought a terrible btl of Paso Robles Cabernet. $30 retail. Angwin or something like that, but it should have been called ALCOHOL. The heat was tremendous. Not a fan...back to the woodshed.

He also brought a 2004 Achaval Ferrer Bellavista. Wow! This was good. For anyone unfamiliar, Santiago Achaval produces 3 single vineyard Malbecs...Mirador, Altamira and Bellavista...Bellavista is the estate property. Due to hail, none produced in 2005 or 2006, but there is 2007 and 2008. Most consider this their best wine, although I tend to gravitate towards Altamira. Nevertheless, this 2004 was rockin.

Pey-Wen through a blind curveball at us. No hints...Fernando thought Syrah from Rhone, I said New world...specifically California and Syrah...2004 vintage...It turned out to be Ch St Jean Reserve Malbec from Sonoma. A very good wine. Not sure of cost, but only sold at the winery.

All in all, a great night, with great food and great people. Santiago listened as we all took shots at bashing certain wine critics and publications, and he remained very silent, and professional throughout.