• 2005 Papapietro Perry Zinfandel Elsbree Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (12/4/2009)
  I opened this to compare to a recent 2005 Papapietro Perry Pauline’s Vineyard Zin which I wasn’t too wild about.This wine was also a bit of a disappointment. Another Cellartracker TN said that they would have guessed this as a Pinot Noir. I was thinking the same thing! It possessed an overbearing stemmy green character that I associate with young Oregon and Burgundy. In Pinot, that’s not a bad thing. It’s a signal to hold, but I can’t say where this Russian River Valley Zin is going. Additional flavors of Christmas fruitcake with sour cherries, pine needles, and a hint of sage. A hot nose that also shows some sulfur. Light in body and a rather thin mouthfeel. Hold? Hurry up and drink? I really couldn’t say but since I have one bottle of the the Pauline’s and one of the Elsbree left and they’re obviously not wonderful now, I’ll wait and see if a few years in the cellar rounds them out. Next time, I will also pair with a tomato sauce. (83 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Looking for sushi around San Francisco’s Union Square? We really enjoyed Sanraku last night. The sushi was fresh and creative. The service was outstanding with servers ready with thoughtful and useful recommendations. Our server was particularly helpful with her knowledge of the varied and fairly priced sake list. The wine choices, while few, were respectable, especially considering that often wine options are an afterthought in sushi restaurants.

The picture to the left (sorry for the poor quality, blame my phone) is their Harvest Celebration platter which is available only a few weeks a year. At $37, it’s expensive for six pieces of sushi but it was delicious and is a work of art on the table.

I recommend making a reservation. The Sutter Street space is small and it was packed on a Thursday night. They also have locations in the Metreon and Four Seasons Hotel.

Sanraku
704 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
415-771-0803

It was our very first release. It was dedicated to my late father-in-law. We started with 500 cases but only a few are left which we’ve been storing for personal use. It hasn’t been available to the public for years, but I’ve managed to grab 10 cases for this offer. I’m pleased to make this final holiday offer a rerelease of our 2002 Match Vineyards Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV was “completely blown away” by this wine and scored it 96+.
Wine Spectator Magazine said the 2002 Butterdragon Hill is “[r]emarkably plush and opulent, impeccably balanced, with rich, soothing layers of ripe currant, blueberry, blackberry and plum, scents of cedar, anise, herb and dusty berry. The tannins are ripe and polished and the finish sails on and on.”
We just say yummy.
With the exception of our personal library, the initial release of this wine sold out at $72 a bottle. We are offering these 10 cases at our new, lower price of $60. Plus, for shipments of six bottles or more, we’ll pay for shipping. Eligible repeat customers may use their individual discount. This offer expires midnight PST 12/4/2009.
Download Order Form

• 2005 Papapietro Perry Zinfandel Pauline’s Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (11/17/2009)
  Light in color and in body. Typical Zin character with brambly berry flavor and zesty black pepper, without being overbearing despite alcohol above 15%. Still, the wine comes across as uninteresting and while adequate, it doesn’t show cause for pause. I have one more bottle that in my opinion I should drink sooner rather than later. (84 pts.)
  

Posted from CellarTracker

• 1970 Château Kirwan – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (11/27/2009)
  This bottle was from the collection left to my wife and her sister by their late father, a man with excellent taste in Bordeaux. However, we’ve been running at somewhere around 1/2 the bottles being just shadows of what they must have been in their prime. We try to keep our hopes under control when cracking one. The cork broke as we attempted to remove it but we were able to extract it with an Ah-So opener. We gently decanted just a few minutes prior to serving. The color was amazingly youthful for a wine about to celebrate its 40th birthday with a pale crimson body and just slight bricking on the edge. Initial aromas reminded me of walking in to an old library full of leather bound, dusty books. After about 5 minutes, a lovely, delicate raspberry and mint showed itself with a finish of mushroom, soy, and oiled leather. The charm was short-lived with the glory fading within 30 minutes, but what a wonderful half hour that was. Aged Bordeaux may not make the biggest splash, but it definitely gives pause for thought on the intricacies of the wine and sharing memories of the vintage that was and the one who collected it. It’s like finding a good book in that old, dusty library and being taken to another place for a while. You eventually must put the book down and return to your surroundings, but for a brief time, an 88 point wine becomes a 98 point experience. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV scored our 2005 Butterdragon Hill 93 points when I was a guest on the WLTV Thunder Show. We’re not big in to points, but 93 sounds good to us, so for this Holiday Special we’re offering magnums of 2005 Match Vineyards Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon for $93. That’s $67 off the original release price!
Tasting notes on Cellartracker.com indicate that with a few hours in the decanter, this big bottle will be a great addition to your holiday table.
This offer expires Midnight PST on 12/4/09 or until the small supply is gone.
No additional discounts apply.
Download Order Form

We’re going to do a little test of social media. Let’s see what kind of response we get to some very special offers which last only a extremely limited time. These deals will be promoted via Twitter, our Facebook fan page, and Facebook advertising. The rest is up to you. Please spread the joy.
Holiday Special #1: three 2004 Butterdragon Hill for the price of two AND free ground shipping. That works out to $40 bucks a bottle delivered to your door, BUT it only lasts until midnight PST on Friday, 12/4/2009. Orders placed now will be delivered prior to the holidays.

Download the Order Form
If you’d like to know how the 2004 Butterdragon is drinking, check it out on Cellartracker.com
Limit 4 three packs per customer.
Eligible repeat customers will receive their appropriate discount as well.