Sale at TwentyTwenty Wine Merchants

Great winter sale at TwentyTwenty — including Pinots from Loring Wine Company — very sought after and difficult to find for $34 a bottle — $10 dollars off retail (if you can even find it anywhere else).

Check out the Sale at TwentyTwenty.

Read Full Post »

Plumpjack Syrah 2005

The 2005 Syrah comes from the Stagecoach Vineyard located in the eastern hills above Oakville and Lee Hudson’s Henry Drive Vineyard in Napa Carneros — under the guidance of winemaker Anthony Biagi.

DEEP purple in the glass. Nose is a little hot. VERY big, lush, ripe, opulent and fleshy. Plum, rose, licorice, chocolate and espresso notes — good tannins and a long, persistent finish. Tips the scale at 15.8% — it does push it a bit for me, though certainly a very nice wine. Not my style, but that is my own personal taste — and am sure there are many that would think this is a great bottle of wine. I’ll certainly put the other bottle of this down for at least 5 years.

Read Full Post »

Bonny Doon Le Cigare Blanc 2005

I have a soft spot for Randall Grahm. I worked at Bonny Doon many moons ago — before Bill Clinton was President.

As mentioned in a previous post, I took a phone call from the head of the California campaign for Clinton after Grahm gave many cases of wine to the campaign. Clinton had just been elected President and the head of the California campaign said to send a bottle of BDV and he would personally deliver to the Clintons.

Randall took a bottle of Vin de Glaciere and wrote, “Bill, I trust you will like this wine so much you will virtually inhale it. Randall Grahm” — history was made and Hillary had that wine served at every state dinner during Bill’s tenure.

I am a fan of the Clinton’s — but now find myself leaning ever closer to supporting Obama. Barack, you have my vote as long as you pledge to serve BDV Vin de Glaciere at all State dinners…….

You might also want to serve Le Cigare Blanc. I do love this wine, it is 60% Roussanne and 40% Grenache Blanc. Not very aromatic on the nose, but lovely on the palate. Citrus, pear, mineral and wet stone with a hint of Ooolong — good acidity with a clean finish.

Great food wine — stood up very well this evening to Indian food. BDV Vin Gris is always a good bet with Indian as well.

Recommended.

Read Full Post »

2002 Val de Flores

More evidence that Argentina continues to increase its status as a producer of great wines — and another Michel Rolland fingerprint on the Argentine hand. This wine is produced from 100% old vine (50+ years) Malbec aged 14 months in new French oak. Beautiful, dark ruby in color and a little closed on the nose — so it was a bit surprising on the palate — lush plum, dark berry with some leather, mineral, toasted oak and graphite. Very nice balance, texture and structure — good depth, but not as layered as I initially expected with a long clean finish. It is quite extracted and weighs in at 14.5% alcohol — but is not overwhelming and could stand up well the right food (think meat, rustic and hearty fare, stews, game, etc).

I think this wine retailed for $35-40 when released, it looks like you can still find it at about $80 a bottle and subsequent vintages have been offered at increasing prices.

A look at a couple of online sources had Parker rating this wine a 95 (which might be just a wee bit high in my humble opinion…..)

Recommended — and keep a close on on Argentina.

Read Full Post »

2005 Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay

This would certainly make almost anyone’s top 10 list of top California Chardonnay. Newton’s Chardonnay is unfiltered and fermented with wild yeast, native to Newton’s Carneros vineyards — still fairly small production and really a well made wine — I think the last 3 vintages have all been rated 95 or above by Parker. Parker calls it on of the best and longest-lived California Chardonnays.

Beautiful golden straw in color. More impressive (and complex) in the mouth than on the nose, soft citrus with some green apple, pear and a hint of jicama and almond, notes of mineral and wet stone — some exotic fruit, well balanced, nice acidity with a pure and long finish.

A great food wine for anything seafood or white meat — this would certainly enhance any meal — or be totally memorable on its own merits.

While I am not a fan of the Bush Administration. I would give them their props for 2 things — one of them is serving this wine at numerous official dinners. Recommended.

BottleBuys.com is selling this wine for $36.50 — (see product page on bottlebuys.com) — Wine Exchange had it for $42.99 — so you know under $40 is a great price. Certainly not an inexpensive wine, but availability is limited and demand is only going to increase. 20/20 Wines is selling it for $64.99 — so you really should take the opportunity to order from BottleBuys as the wine is somewhat limited and in high demand.

I expect this wine will be one of the top 10 white releases for the year and will be on auction sites at $60-$80 a bottle or more the end of the year.

Read Full Post »

Alfred Peet

I was an assistant manager at a coffee shop in Santa Cruz while in college. After I graduated I was involved in a start up and oversaw all of the roasting operations.

As luck would have it, one of the founders was good friends with Alfred Peet — and was able to arrange to have him as consultant to mentor me with my coffee and roasting skills. I was already a huge fan of Peet’s coffee — and to this day I can still remember the first cup of coffee I ever had at Vine street.

Alfred was the Warren Buffett of the coffee world — he was the country’s authoritative voice on all things coffee. That being said, he was not a quiet or soft-spoken man, he knew what he was talking about and was quick to let you know if you didn’t know what you were doing. We had a rep from the roaster company come to our facility and Alfred quickly put him in his place — and reduced the man to tears For a reason unknown to me, Alfred was very patient and helpful with me. My time spent with him was as valuable as it was memorable. He was a very important person in helping me develop my palate.

In my mind, the origins of great coffee in this country start with Alfred Peet and his first store on Vine Street. This is where I had the cup of coffee that will be the yardstick I will always use as the best cup of coffee. It was a cup of Kona, thought secrets be told, Peet’s Kona is not 100% Kona, but that is why their Kona was always so good.

Read Full Post »

New 2005 Releases from Bodegas El Nido

Just released — I would suggest you move pretty quickly as these are highly anticipated. The Wine Exchange might has the most competitive prices I have seen to date. You can also go to wine-searcher.com. These are some of the most compelling wines out of Spain. Yes, they are new world in style — and there may be some that will find these to be too big, too forward, too extracted — but I actually think these show some restraint compared to a lot of Chris Ringland’s other wines — I actually think these are the best wines he produces.

This is the fourth addition of one of the most impressive new projects in all of Spain. This is a joint project featuring an all-star cast, the Gil family, who has done so much to put Jumilla on the map with the wines from Finca Luzon, wine broker Jorge Ordonez, one of the pioneers for unearthing high quality wines from all over Spain and creator of such labels as Numanthia, and famed Barossa winemaker, Chris Ringland, who has a number of things on his resume including R Wines, a multifaceted project with Dan Philips, Ringland wines, and Greenock Creek. This project started in the most difficult recent vintage in Spain, 2002, yet the reviews were amazing. They only got better from there. These guys were serious about making a statement and they pulled no punches.

The Clio is a blend of mostly Mourvedre from 60+ year old vines with the balance from a ‘younger vine’ (25 years) Cabernet. The Wine Advocate reviews for Clio: 2002 (93 points), 2003 (96), and 2004 (97). The El Nido ‘big dog’, called El Nido, is the reverse blend of 70% Cabernet and 30% old vine Mourvedre. It has an even more illustrious 3 year history with the the 2002, 2003, and 2004 versions weighing in at Wine Advocate 96, 97, and 99 respectively. The 2005s just came out and haven’t been scored yet. But given the vintage and the track record of this source, it hardly seems like much of a gamble.

December 2008 Update
The 2006 vintage was just released…..seems like it is hard to keep in stock. Wine-searcher.com might be the best bet.

Read Full Post »

Cleveland Park Liqours

A wine merchant with the name Anthony Quinn? You have to love it — and you have to love Tony — biggest sweetheart in the DC wine biz.

Cleveland Park has a very good selection for a neighborhood wine store. The selection is also rather eclectic — they might not have all the hottest wines per Parker or the Spectator, but it is a unique, hand-picked selection. They have a large sale selection — and they usually have some great close out deals. It is always worth stopping by to see what is on sale as it changes on a regular basis.

Tony has been very helpful at trying to get things for me that they don’t have in stock. They also do tastings at least 3 days a week — which might be some selections by Tony or an importer or wine rep on site — as well as some interesting events with local restaurants. A great neighborhood wine store that deserves support.

Read Full Post »

Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell Jumilla 2004

The 2004 Juan Gil is produced from 45-year-old Mourvedre vines and aged for 12 months in American and French oak. There are a lot of Spanish wines at this price point ($10 to $13) that are rated well by industry press, but in my opinion this is one of the better ones. Beautiful, inky purple in color, full bodied and velvet opulence with dark berry, licorice, notes of cedar, mint and forest floor. It is inky, juicy and concentrated — but also shows a hint of restraint.

A great food wine, but not because it needs food. I would rate this as one of the better values out of Jumilla — a fine example of why Spain continues to be hot.

Read Full Post »

Patrick Lesec Selections: Châteauneuf du Pape Marquis 2000

Patrick Lesec states he makes great efforts to search out the finest terroirs, the best soils with old vineyards — and thus the finest sources of grapes — in each appellation. His wines receive a minimal amount of handling and processing. His goal is to produce natural wines which truly express the specific character of the grape variety and the unique qualities of the terroir. Many say that his wines taste like their appellations. This is not an exercise in the large scale production of mass produced, international style varietal wines, but rather homage to the concept of terroir in the French style (Lesec is probably a study in contrasts with Michel Rolland).

He contends that his wines are natural, unmanipulated that, for the most part, are bottled unfined and unfiltered with low levels of sulphur. He produces many interesting Cotes du Rhone cuvees, but is probably best known for his wines from Chateauneuf du Pape, which he recognizes as an appellation with many phenomenal terroirs.

The 2000 Marquis is showing quite well, it is quite elegant, but also lush, nice black raspberry fruit and soft, chocolatey tannins. I might hold on to this for another 2-3 years, but I don’t expect it to show better than it currently does. Certainly not a blockbuster CdP, but it is a very nice bottle of wine in an old world style that really showcases the Grenache.

His wines are certainly worth seeking out……..they are not the sexiest, biggest fruit bombs on the block, but they are earnest, true and very well made.

Reviews for 2000 Vintage
Wine Advocate
91 points

The Chateauneuf du Pape Marquis is a 16,000 bottle cuvee made from primarily Grenache with a dollop of Mourvedre (7%) and Syrah (3%) included in the blend. The fruit is from two of the appellation’s finest sectors. The 2000 is full-bodied and rich, with loads of black cherry fruit intermixed with plum, fig, tobacco, and lavender characteristics. This unctuous, supple, velvety-textured effort will drink well for 10-12 years.

International Wine Cellar
Points: 90

Good medium ruby. Vinous, aromatic nose of superripe berries, dark chocolate, roasted herbs and violet. Ripe, supple and stylish, with complex, firm flavors. Has excellent breadth. Finishes with fine tannins and a note of chocolate.

Read Full Post »

Michel Rolland Episode I 2005

Michel Rolland is a wine consultant (and a very expensive one at that) to more than 100 wineries in 13 countries. He is the epitome of the flying winemaker. His stylistic favorings are aligned with the of Robert Parker — so his huge fees usually deliver higher scores from Parker and increase sales.

Does he produce some great wines? Yes, he does — at least in my opinion. Does he take some of the art/tradition out of winemaking and make it more of a science/equation? Probably — and while I hate to simply dismiss it as a sign of the times, it is very much the same type of thing we are seeing in many other industries.

This effort froml Rolland, the 2005 Episode One, the first installment of an interesting project entitled “The Winemakers” collection. The project was instituted by the Bordeaux negociant, Bordeaux Millesimes, under the moniker of “Once Upon a Wine.” Each year a wine will be made based on one parcel of vines from Chateau d’Arsac, and the concept involves one of the world’s most respected winemakers for each vintage. In 2006 the torch will be passed to Denis Dubourdieu.

Obviously this is very young — and needs time in the bottle to mature. Bright cherry and rubarb and some graphite and asphalt with a bit of smoke — excellent balance, acidity, purity, and a clean, long finish……It will be interesting to see how this evolves, but my initial impression is very good, though I was not overwhelmed.

Read Full Post »

2006 Clos de los Siete

See previous post on this wine — I ordered it last week from the Wine Exchange in LA. I couldn’t wait to open a bottle. As noted it is 50% Malbec, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah from Argentina, produced under the direction of Michel Rolland.

This wine is under $15 a bottle, and might be one of the best values of the year. Obviously, it is very young — but showing very well, opulent, dark berry, dark chocolate– very good structure, balance and finish.

While everyone is raving about the 2005’s from Bordeaux, you might not find this quality in any of those wines at the $25 price point.

This is probably my second favorite wine from Argentina that I have had this year. My favorite is the Cuvilier Los Andes 2005.

Strongly recommended.

Read Full Post »

Le Terrazze Chaos 2000

Antoni Terni is the man in control at Le Terrazze. He is the grandson of the man who first planted this estate in 1882. Far from being a typical Italian winemaker, he was born in Argentina and worked as a nuclear engineer before deciding to take over the family wine business.

Terni has become Le Marche’s most celebrated producer of quality Italian red wine, most notably the classic Montepulciano-based Rosso Conero and the super-Marchigiano (yup, you read correctly, a super-Marchigiano) blend sold under the label “Chaos” — named after the chaos theory, which dictates that a particular result cannot always be explained by the interaction of its components. In this case, the combination of Montepulciano, Syrah and Merlot.

An interesting and complex nose — cherry, rhubarb, hints of balsamic and candied twizzler (and a little hot, which will probably soften with a little time or decanting). Dark berry, chocolate, velvety, cassis and some tobacco — very nice balance, soft tannins and clean finish. This is really a lovely wine — that has really evolved nicely since I last tasted it some 3 years ago.

In addition to being a brilliant winemake, Antonio Terni is a huge Dylan fan and wanted to create a “spiritual wine that paid homage” to the poet that sings. In 1997, he released the vintage driven Rosso Conero “Visions of J.,” titled after the Bob Dylan song. The wine captured the coveted Tre Bicchieri award (one of many) and a host of other critical acclaim. It even captured Dylan’s attention after Terni sent a few bottles backstage at a European concert. One taste and Dylan requested to be part of Terni’s next effort, “Planet Waves.” The name is taken from Bob Dylan’s 1974 album of the same title. The maverick winemaker does not compromise quality for celebrity status; Terni creates the wine and Dylan endorses it. Obviously he could produce 10,000 cases and sell it all at a nice price. Instead, production is limited to less than 500 cases.

Antonio is brilliant. I wish he was a friend of mine…….not the easiest wines to find — but certainly worth the effort.

Read Full Post »

Luigi Bosca Malbec D.O.C. 2004

Argentina has really been getting a lot of press lately (and it is also worth noting that Chile has been getting very little)……Malbec really is a quintessential ugly duckling — and I am not even sure if it qualifies as an ugly duckling — but it certainly is not given the respect it deserves — though it seems that might finally be starting to change.

The 2004 from Luigi Bosca and it is a fine example of Argentine Malbec. A little old world in style with some new world shoes — it’s not over top and certainly not a fruit bomb, but there is a good amount of fruit, with hints of dark cherry and blackberry with darker undertones of chocolate, cedar, toasted oak and mineral — it is also dry — not too jammy or syrupy — which I do appreciate more and more these days. Nicely balanced, good structure and nice tannins.

A great wine from Argentina probably pairs well with beef and this would be a great contender — though I would also try and pass it off with an Italian meal to see if anyone would be fooled.

This is a really nice bottle of wine — industry scores from 87 to 92 — I would probably split the difference — and I would not hesitate serving this with a nice dinner and good company (keeping in mind, I do have some wines for the not so good company….this is not one of them).

You can find this wine as for $18-$20 a bottle. It isn’t cheap — but it’s comparable to a lot of wine out of California that sells for $35-$40 a bottle — still lots of value (and quality) coming out of Argentina.

Read Full Post »