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March 08, 2010

2004 Bodega Asenjo & Manso Ribera del Duero Silvanus

2004 Bodega Asenjo & Manso Ribera del Duero Silvanus - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (2/13/2010)
Fruit and earth aromas explode from the glass. Extremely rich and sweet mouthfeel: dried cherries, ripe plums, bacon, cranberry(?), freshly-plowed wet earth. Liberal use of toasty oak but not off-putting in this package. Balanced. Just a touch of rustic character links a modern wine making style with simple vino tinto roots. Unfortunately wine-searcher doesn't show any availability because this one would tempt me. About $60 from a pricey restaurant wine list but I'd say it would be worth that retail. Excellent with a wonderful future. 92+ (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com

Posted by matchvineyards at March 08, 2010 07:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 06, 2010

2007 Green & Red Vineyards Zinfandel Chiles Canyon

2007 Green & Red Vineyards Zinfandel Chiles Canyon - USA, California, Napa Valley (2/15/2010)
This wine would have never been on my radar screen but I was about to pick another Zin from a restaurant wine list and the waiter recommended this one instead. He said it was drinking fantastically right now. He was right. Round sweet cherry with some wood smoke, bacon fat, a dash of pepper, and cloves. A fleshy, mouth filling wine without being heavy. Very understated for a Zin and excellent complement to the varied dishes around the table. About 50 bucks on the 350 Main (Park City) wine list seems like a deal. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com

Posted by matchvineyards at March 06, 2010 09:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 05, 2010

Why haven't I eaten here yet?

Now I'll never get in. At least if anyone pays attention to Gayot.com (the self-proclaimed "Guide to the Good Life") and MSN.com

Bardessano (Yountville) makes list of 10 Best New Restaurants in the US.

What is the best restaurant in your town?

Posted by matchvineyards at March 05, 2010 08:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 03, 2010

A newbie's reflections on a week of Loire Valley wines

I just finished a week trying some Loire Valley wines with fellow members of the wine board WineBerserkers.com. This was a virtual tasting. Board members around the country tried their Loire Valley wines during a one week period and wrote about them online.

If you want to increase your odds of buying wines that you will enjoy, get to know your local retailer and let them get to know you. Once he knows your tastes and budget, he should be able to help you navigate your options. If not, find another retailer. I didn't know much about Loire Valley wines and had to go shopping to be able to participate in the tasting. On the recommendation of a staff member at Paul Marcus Wines (Oakland), I bought a Cab Franc (my 83 points), a "dry" Chenin Blanc (flawed), a Sauvignon Blanc (my 78 pts), and a sparkling wine -- a very generalized sampling of the wines of the Loire. I'd never shopped at Paul Marcus so as a result, the staffer, who wanted to be helpful, didn't know me and was just guessing on what I might like. Unfortunately, his guesses didn't pan out.

Here is the third tasting note:
2007 Domaine Deletang Montlouis-sur-Loire Sec Les Batisses - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (2/25/2010) Lemon furniture polish and watermelon bubblegum. Also a bit maderized. I originally panned this wine with a below average score but have thought more about that oxidation. Perhaps a damaged bottle. NR (flawed)
Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com

To say the Loire wines did not immediately sweep me off my feet would be an understatement. However, since they are relatively inexpensive, we can afford another date. I'll need to retry the Cab Franc (2004 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny) as apparently I didn't give it enough air and it needed more cellar time. I was also expecting a bigger wine with more robust flavors. Apparently that was a false expectation. It would have been helpful if that salesman had made some serving recommendations along with the wine recommendations.

While Loire Valley wines are, in my opinion, under-the-radar of the general U.S. wine drinking public, they are popular and considered distinctive and a good value by wine enthusiasts. I won't write them off as I am apparently missing something with this very limited exploration. As with any new wine region, the advice is to keep drinking. I still have to try that sparkler. I've got my fingers crossed.

Posted by matchvineyards at March 03, 2010 08:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 02, 2010

A Carménère and a Cab... both 07s

Similar quality, but I only paid 12 bucks for the Carménère retail and paid $50 for the Cab off a restaurant wine list. BYOB is my friend.

2007 Viña Ventisquero Carménère Root:1 [The Original Ungrafted] - Chile, Central Valley, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley (2/18/2010)
Aromas of baked fruit, pepper, and violets but rather simple sour cherry flavors in the mouth. Still, quite pleasant and recommended at $11.99 retail. (84 pts.)

2007 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley (2/14/2010)
Expressive cassis and tobacco flavors backed up by a healthy dose of sweet new oak, however it finishes very short and thin. Disappointing given the vintage. (82 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com

Posted by matchvineyards at March 02, 2010 08:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 28, 2010

2002 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon

2002 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (2/24/2010)
Generally, folks love the 2002 vintage from Napa. I love them too - they are big, fruity, rich, and fun. I've often called our own 2002 "our party wine." 02 Napa Cabs are loud music and colorful balloons. (And no small amount of alcohol.) The 2002 Cab from Round Pond fits right in with its peers: massive raspberry, currant, campfire, molasses, and vanilla. The thing holding this wine back - and what has held many Cabs from this vintage back - is a lack of developed, secondary, earthy flavors that can round out a wine and make it special. It's always hoped that these flavors will develop with time but at least with the 2002 Round Pond, I don't immediately perceive the necessary structure to develop further. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker
Part of a Wineberserkers.com 2002 Cali Cab Virtual Tasting

Round Pond just completed construction on a beautiful winery a couple of years back. The architecture and wines are worth a visit when you are in Napa. Their tastings (by appointment only, I believe) are paired with little nibbles in a very comfortable, sit-down setting.

Posted by matchvineyards at February 28, 2010 09:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 23, 2010

2008 Philippe Raimbault Sancerre 'Apud Sariacum'

2008 Philippe Raimbault Sancerre "Apud Sariacum" - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (2/22/2010)
Strong lemon grass nose promised MUCH more than this wine delivered. Mowed grass is out of balance -- almost bitter weedy, melon, and some off flavor that I couldn't id. Certainly not recommended at $22 retail. Drank as part of the Wineberserkers.com Loire Valley exploration week. (78 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at February 23, 2010 08:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 22, 2010

2004 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny

2004 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny (2/19/2010)
Light in color, body, and flavor. Mint and cedar nose. Initially, I couldn't help but be reminded of grape kool-aid when one added too much water to the powdered mix. Luckily it did flesh out a bit with air. Tart strawberries, rhubarb, and celery in a delicate package. Not bad but could have used a little “something-something” to make it worth the $40 retail. Drank as part of Wineberserkers.com Loire Valley wine exploration week.(83 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at February 22, 2010 08:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 18, 2010

Taste Loire Valley wines with Wineberserkers (2/21 - 2/28)

Wineberserkers.com will be exploring wines from the Loire Valley next week. Members will each try wines from this region and post their thoughts. It should be a good learning experience for me as I know virtually nothing about the Loire.

Here's what I bought on recommendation from Paul Marcus Wines (Oakland):

N.V. François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Brut $21
2004 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny $45
2007 Domaine Deletang Montlouis-sur-Loire Sec Les Batisses $16
2008 Philippe Raimbault Sancerre "Apud Sariacum" $22

Why don't you stop in at Wineberserkers.com and pop a bottle from the Loire with us.

Posted by matchvineyards at February 18, 2010 02:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 11, 2010

One night. Two 2002s. One from Napa. One from Bordeaux.

One night. Two 2002s. One from Napa. One from Bordeaux. Identically priced at $159 on a relatively pricey restaurant wine list. Of course, not too much should be read in this head-to-head tasting. Comparing a vintage from two different wine regions is an imperfect comparison at best.

2002 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/30/2010)
Full bodied and lavishly flavored as expected from the 02 Napa vintage, but beyond just a big boy party wine, Cathy Corison has crafted a wine that causes pause for thought as well. Aromas of a bowl of berries burst from the glass but those flavors are well in balance on the palate accompanied by black cherry, dark chocolate, and cinnamon with secondaries of clove and mellow sweet oak. It's a little early for this wine: it's lovely now with and hour of air, but will be awesome in 2012 and wonderful for years to come. (92 pts.)

2002 Alter Ego de Palmer - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (1/30/2010)
Reticent nose. Soft and refined flavors, but lacks distinction. Currant, tobacco, cedar closet, black olive and a touch of stemmy greenness. Medium finish. Very good wine that doesn't quite eek out excellence. Drink now though 2012 because I think it's drying out. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

By the way, neither of these wines are their winery's flagship wines. Cathy Corison makes a single vineyard Cabernet from her Kronos Vineyard. Palmer, of course, makes the famous Chateau Palmer Margaux.

Posted by matchvineyards at February 11, 2010 10:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 04, 2010

2006 Qupé Chardonnay Block Eleven Bien Nacido Reserve

2006 Qupé Chardonnay Block Eleven Bien Nacido Reserve - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (1/29/2010)
Lemon meringue, almonds, and fresh baked scones. Buttery, but not overdone. Maintains a lively, spry character while still giving some ooomph on the finish. Nice wine. (89 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at February 04, 2010 09:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 02, 2010

2005 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha

2005 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha - Chile, Central Valley, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto (1/29/2010)
Ripe plum with some pine and coffee secondaries. Oak is a bit disjointed and green but there is a chance this will resolve some. The wine fleshed out with air but the finish is short and thin. I thought the 2007 vintage was a significantly better wine. $16 retail would have been far more palatable than the $50 we paid off a pricey restaurant wine list. (83 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at February 02, 2010 12:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 01, 2010

2006 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard

2006 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (1/28/2010)
Monstrously good wine. Deep, rich, dark chocolate covered cherries. Brooding. Wood smoke, molasses, espresso, new toasty oak. Earth. Long and vibrant finish with licorice and milk chocolate. Obviously just a baby but far more approachable young than my experience with QC's Columbia Valley Cabs from the early years of this millennium. Still, this wine is going to become seriously special in just a few. Best QC I have tasted. (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at February 01, 2010 08:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 30, 2010

2005 Judd's Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

• 2005 Judd's Hill Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/28/2010)
  Fleshy raspberry with a full, rich mouthfeel. Currant, tea leaf, and a touch of green herb that I love in many 2005 Napa Cabs. Tannins are fine and not off-putting but a few more years in the cellar will pay off for this wine. Not a 91 just yet, but I think it will be in time. A friend brought this to a restaurant but I see that it retails for somewhere just above $40. That's a heck-of-a-deal for an excellent Napa Cab. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at January 30, 2010 02:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 29, 2010

07 Matua Sauv Blanc and 06 Boutari Santorini

• 2007 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay - New Zealand, North Island, Hawkes Bay (1/28/2010)
  Crisp lemon zest, lychee fruit, pleasant level of grassiness. Hint of sweetness. Winner at $6 btg. (86 pts.)
• 2006 Boutari Santorini - Greece, Aegean, Santorini (1/28/2010)
  Light and refreshing with predominate melon and honey notes. $35 from a rather expensive restaurant list. I don't know what this retails for but I'd say it's worth $10 - $12. (84 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at January 29, 2010 06:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 26, 2010

Support relief efforts in Haiti and win a mag of 07 Butterdragon on Wineberserkers.com

On Wednesday, January 27, we will help Wineberserkers.com celebrate its one year anniversary. Wineberserkers is a fun, friendly, irreverent, highly informative, online community of folks who share a passion for wine. It also has one of the highest numbers of wine industry folks participating. They all, like us, are donating prizes and helping make the 27th a special day for this community of almost 2000 folks who have gone berserk over wine.

What is Match Vineyards doing? We are raffling off six magnums of the soon-to-be-released 2007 Butterdragon Hill. To enter this raffle you must be a registered member of WineBerserkers.com AND have made verifiable donation(s) totaling at least $135 (the retail value of the wine) to a charity or charities doing work in earth quake ravaged Haiti. This donation needs to have been made from 1/12/10 through 1/27/10. You also, of course, have to be at least 21 years of age. Complete details of how to enter will be on Wineberserkers.com.

So come on by WineBerserkers right now and join in the community. And on the 27th, it can really pay off.

Posted by matchvineyards at January 26, 2010 07:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 19, 2010

1997 E. Pira & Figli (Chiara Boschis) Barolo Cannubi

1997 E. Pira & Figli (Chiara Boschis) Barolo Cannubi - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (1/16/2010)
Burnt cherry pie, baked dark berries, road tar, green herb. Tannins are pronounced but not debilitating. I liked this slightly unpolished, roguish barolo. Middle and finish are shallow but I expect this wine will flesh out more in 2-3 years and gain a few points beyond an 88+. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at January 19, 2010 10:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 18, 2010

Fang Restaurant (San Francisco)

After a recent evening exhibition at the SFMOMA, Sasha and I found ourselves in need of a bite and where better to meet such a need than a place called "Fang." We'd never heard of this slightly upscale Chinese restaurant but the hip decor and house full of San Francisco Gen X & Y-ers showed promise. It was a good choice.

Our waitress was obviously new and had little familiarity with the menu and sake choices. However, she promised that the chef would be by our table soon. Before we could stop her from summoning the chef, he appeared and indicated that he was here to cook whatever we wanted. (We later figured out that he did this at most, if not all, of the tables.) We were trying to steer clear of oily or heavy sauces and he recommended a white fish with spinach. We added some bok choy and tofu to the mix as well. This turned out to be a delicious variation on one of their menu items. We both thought the fish was fantastic. Sash thought it, and most everything, could have gone a little lighter on the salt. I saw her point: I like salty stuff and even I noticed the salt here. Giving in to that sodium siren though, I ordered a rather pleasing salty and spicey prawns on purpose. We shared an appetizers of steamed duck rolls. They were tasty, but not special.

In fact, "tasty but not special" sort of sums up our whole experience at Fang. I would walk several blocks to go to Fang. If in SOMA and hungry for Chinese food, I would go to Fang if parking wasn't too much of a problem. But I don't think I would drive across the Bay Bridge or even across SF to go to Fang.

The wine list is non-starter. Don't even bother. There's a small selection of sake, beers, and cocktails.

Fang's owner also owns the Chinatown mainstay, House of Nanking.

Fang Restaurant
660 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 777-8568‎

Posted by matchvineyards at January 18, 2010 12:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 15, 2010

2009 Familia Zuccardi Torrontés Santa Julia Organica

2009 Familia Zuccardi Torrontés Santa Julia Organica - Argentina, Mendoza (1/14/2010)
Light color. Rich fruity aromas promise a bit more than this wine can deliver. Pear flavor is dominate with some melon notes as well. Nice full initial flavor but trails off quickly. Still, a pleasant wine and fully worthy if you're looking for a light-bodied white wine that retailed here for just $8.99. (82 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at January 15, 2010 10:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 14, 2010

Going to Mexico is dangerous

Well, at least the coming back home is. James Suckling, Bureau Chief of Wine Spectator Magazine and Editor for Cigar Aficionado Magazine, shares on his blog what happens when you try to return having forgotten a couple of Cubans and wine in the car. Read the very interesting -- and a bit harrowing -- story.

They're serious about those customs laws.

Posted by matchvineyards at January 14, 2010 08:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 13, 2010

Do these symptoms sound familiar?

• Difficulty sleeping?
• Difficulty concentrating?
• Obsessive compulsive behavior?
• Irritability?
• Mood swings?

If so, you may be, as I am, a wine collector during wine release season.

Every year my fellow sufferers and I make our wine-related New Year's resolutions. "I'll buy less wine in 2010." "I'll buy more wine in 2010." "I'm going for quality over quantity." "I need to concentrate more on daily drinkers." "I'm going to collect a wider variety of wines." "I'm going heavy on the 2007 vintage from Swavobia." Whatever. By this time, if you're still reading, you are either nodding your head in understanding, or shaking your head thinking I'm crazy.

If you are disciplined and able to easily follow your wine resolutions, well, my hat's off to you.

This year I planned to continue last year's trend of buying fewer bottles, spending less money on wine, and buying wines that are a better value. Notice that those last two are not necessarily the same thing. I've pretty much stopped chasing points -- a bad habit new wine collectors can get in to -- and am buying what I either know I like, what I suspect I will like, or wines recommended to me by trusted sources. That has ruled out many new wineries. Just because Mr Superstar Winemaker makes it or Mr Superstar Winereviewer says it is good will not make me pull the trigger on something, especially as the price starts approaching and then surpassing the century mark. And unfortunately, a lot of new wineries, especially those from my own beloved Napa, have surpassed $100... by a lot.

But I've got to admit I've got a collector's (or hoarder's) mentality and the potential loss of a coveted mailing list position does still strike "fear" into my heart every time I shred one of these new offers. Will I be sorry later?

Note to self: you are almost never sorry later with the exception of passing on Kosta Browne back in the very beginning.

The other day, I received a snail mail and email that the order window for a great winery was going to open. I've bought for quite a few years so had a large allocation initially including even the chance at a magnum. But now, the price that was about $60 per 750ml just a few years back, has risen to $125. For most of you, that is waaaaay too much to spend on a bottle of wine. It's more than I should spend as well, but that didn't make the decision any easier. This wine has garnered lofty scores from the Wine Advocate for many years and is in very high demand. If ever there was a wine that deserved such a price, this is it. So I started looking over my own notes on past vintages. They were good, but not stellar. I pulled a 2003 out of my cellar to do a little liquid research. Even after a few hours in the decanter, the 2003 was disjointed and a confusion of flavors and structure. All the elements were there, but it was too young. I recorked and waited a day. Day two it was much, much better. It made me feel confident that in 3-4 years, this would be a great bottle of wine, but right now, our own 2003 Match Butterdragon Hill is a better wine and a more enjoyable experience.

So what to do? If I go ahead and pay the $125 for this offer, I'll be buying wine that probably won't be worth the money to me until 2017 or later. How many special occasions do I celebrate each year that are worthy of such an expenditure? And this won't be the only time I am tempted this year by a wine this -- or even more -- expensive. If I wait long enough, the decision will be made for me. They'll sell out. Already the mags are gone. But each day I suffer from those symptoms I described, distracted by the temptation -- or is it a fixation -- to order.

I know other wine collectors face similar dilemmas this month. How are you deciding?

Posted by matchvineyards at January 13, 2010 09:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 09, 2010

2007 Bressler Pinot Noir

2007 Bressler Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/4/2010)
Strawberry, quince, cola, Christmas spice, and forest floor in this understatedly styled Pinot Noir. True to its Russian River Valley (Sonoma) origins without going over the top, it embraces a California style without the heaviness one sometimes sees. Impeccable balance is achieved after a couple of hours of air but it tends to take on a more tart character after about 4 hours. Drink over the next 3 years.

I'm a huge fan of Bressler Napa Cabernets from the White Sulphur Creek bench west of St Helena but this was my first experience with their small production of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. This project shows real promise. Their talented winemaker, Mia Klein, is obviously more than comfortable with the finicky Pinot grape. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at January 09, 2010 01:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 07, 2010

Buy a bottle from your local wine store this weekend

Today I noticed that what used to be my Local Wine Store (LWS) in the Montclair district of Oakland is now going to be a self-serve yogurt place. I guess it is a sign of the times, but let's see if you can make a little blip on the sales charts of your favorite LWS. Show them that you appreciate them adding value to your wine passion. Please pass this on. Share it on Facebook or post comments here. Tweet it and tag #wine. But most importantly, buy a bottle of something at your LWS this weekend.

Posted by matchvineyards at January 07, 2010 06:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 06, 2010

2001 Crocker & Starr Stone Place Cuvée

2001 Crocker & Starr Stone Place Cuvée - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/2/2010)
Seems a lot more like an 02 Napa than an 01. Really big black plum fruit. Overall sweet character. Huge mouthfeel. Dark chocolate, strong, slightly bitter, espresso. Mint. Toasty oak. A LOT more youthful than I expected at this point but not lacking in complexity. Excellent with about an hour of air. I don't think there is a rush to drink this but it is so pretty right now... this wine, in my opinion, has reached its highest potential. Wish I wasn't all out. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at January 06, 2010 05:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 05, 2010

Robert Parker rates our wines

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Issue #186 (Dec 2009) is out and the big man himself reviewed some of our wines:

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2007 Match Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Baconbrook
Revealing the most opaque color of these offerings, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Baconbrook’s abundant notes of blue and black fruits, forest floor, graphite, and vanilla are followed by a tannic, rich, backward wine with undeniable minerality. It should turn out to be outstanding after 3-4 more years of bottle age. It will last 20+ years. (90-93 pts) Release Fall 2010

2007 Match Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Butterdragon Hill
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Butterdragon Hill possesses attractive, fleshy black currant, crushed rock, cedar, spice box, and tobacco leaf characteristics. This broad, savory, pure, moderately tannic 2007's overall impression is one of elegance, with a Bordeaux-like framework to the tannic structure. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring and drink it over the following two decades. (90-92 pts) Release Spring 2010

2006 Match Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Baconbrook
The impressive 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Baconbrook does not possess any aggressive or rustic tannins. It offers pure red, blue, and black fruits intermixed with notions of crushed rocks and flowers. Medium to full-bodied with excellent balance, ripeness, depth, and length, it will benefit from 1-3 years of cellaring, and should easily last 15-18 years. (90 pts) Available Now

2006 Match Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Butterdragon Hill
The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Butterdragon Hill reveals plenty of plum, spice box, floral, cedary, black cherry, and black currant notes, elegant, medium to full-bodied flavors, and well-integrated wood, acidity, and moderate tannin. This graceful Cabernet should be enjoyed over the next 15-18 years. (90 pts) Available Now

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We're pretty proud of these notes. He describes our wines in very similar ways to how we would hope folks would perceive them. "Graceful." "Pure." "Elegant." Wines that you can confidently age for 20 years. These are characteristics we are going for. As always, one can follow how our customers are enjoying our wines at Cellartracker.com.

At the end of the day, however, what really matters is how you like our wine. To receive information and the opportunity to buy our wines on release, please join our mailing list. The 2007 Butterdragon Hill that Mr Parker reviewed will be offered in just a few short weeks at a price of $60 for new customers. Repeat customers will receive their customary discount.

Posted by matchvineyards at January 05, 2010 04:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 04, 2010

2007 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha

2007 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha - Chile, Central Valley, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto (12/30/2009)
Cherries, anise, smokey and earthy. Tannins are muscular, but stay in balance. Best to give this wine 3-4 years in the cellar. I liked its rustic, brooding charm. Especially impressive long wood smoke finish. (87 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at January 04, 2010 08:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 28, 2009

Tasting 2007 d'Arenberg The Stump Jump

• 2007 d'Arenberg The Stump Jump - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (12/26/2009)
  Peachy with honeysuckle blossom, ripe honeydew. Hint of oily petrol aroma. Finishes sweet. Quite nice. Off an "expensive" restaurant wine list in Vietnam it was $30 so if it is available retail in the US, it should be at an attractive price to stock up: it would go well either as a sipping wine at a party or with Asian fare. (85 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at December 28, 2009 08:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 25, 2009

Video blog by Judd Finklestein will make you chuckle

The Finklestein Family is Napa Valley wine royalty. Okay, perhaps they're more like the wine court jesters. They are fun, funny, eccentric, and make life in wine country just a little bit more interesting. Art and Bunny Finklestein created Whitehall Lane and then moved on to found Judd's Hill. Their son, Judd, follows in their footsteps running the winery now. Check out Judd's off-the-wall video blog: Judd's Enormous Wine Show. I especially like Episode 2. I'm ready to order tshirts for every kid I know.

Posted by matchvineyards at December 25, 2009 05:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

2007 Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett

• 2007 Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Rheinhessen (12/25/2009)
  Lemon curd, peaches, floral, in this charming but primary wine. It is a kabinett but one still gets an overall impression of sweetness. Right now it goes well with a big, spicey Vietnamese meal. Would be interesting to see how this one develops over the years. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at December 25, 2009 03:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 24, 2009

2006 Jim Barry Cabernet Sauvignon The Cover Drive

2006 Jim Barry Cabernet Sauvignon The Cover Drive - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley (12/24/2009)
Huge candy monster. Blueberry flavored syrup, berries and cream, chocolate, charred wood. Some zingy acidity keeps it from being cloying but if served blind, I would have guessed this was an Aussie Shiraz, not a Cab. Just not my favorite thing to do with the Cab grape, but if you like this style, you'll like this wine. (86 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at December 24, 2009 04:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 19, 2009

Loving 2001 Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon

• 2001 Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (11/18/2009)
  Wow. I got excited about this wine just during the decant. Smokey and berry aromas filled the room. An hour later, I was not disappointed. The glass was filled with wood smoke and flavors of rum soaked cherries, anise, cinnamon, clove, pencil lead, and sweet oak all in perfect balance. An incredible wine. Subtle power in every sip with new things seeming to happen every second during the long attack, middle and finish. I love the western slope of the Napa Valley. While a wonderful accompaniment to a special meal, this wine deserves center stage. I got significant sediment from this bottle. Stand it up in advance and decant carefully. Give it 2 hours of air. Drinking marvelously now and will continue to evolve for years. (96 pts.)

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December 17, 2009

Three New World wines that pay homage to the Old

Notice the label on the Castello di Amorosa. That "castle" was built by V. Sattui a few years back in the Napa Valley. Many would argue that this medieval recreation is out of place in the California wine country but few would say that it isn't a pretty incredible building to visit. Just like going to Disney's Cinderella's castle isn't the same as going to Germany's Neuschwanstein, it's still fun to go.

2002 Castello di Amorosa Merlot - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/13/2009)
Strawberry, balsamic, and a touch of eucalyptus. Castello di Amorosa is still more interesting to visit for its architecture than it is for its wines, but I did like this Merlot. (86 pts.)

I don't know whether the label on the Foley Claret depicts a real coat of arms, but it certainly makes you think Old World. Using "Claret" to refer to a Bordeaux blend also screams Europe. According to Wikipedia, Claret was the most common wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century. Regardless of the name, I've never had a wine made by the very talented, but very New World styled, Bob Foley that could be mistaken as something made on the other side of the pond.

2004 Robert Foley Claret - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (12/1/2009)
Back in 2007 I thought this wine was fantastic and scored it 94. This time, I did not like it nearly as well. While still showing the same bright fruit, cassis, and chocolate, there was an element of bitterness that was offputting. The tannins were awkward. Bad bottle? I don't think so. I think this wine is is a dumb phase right now. Hold for 2-3 years. (87 pts.)

The elegantly named and beautifully packaged Trilogy is the most modern presentation, and yet it is the most true to Old World inspiration. Trilogy refers to the blend of three of the traditional Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Each varietal brings something special to the wine and Flora Springs does it well.

1999 Flora Springs Trilogy - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/12/2009)
Bright raspberry fruit well balanced with wood smoke, leather, pencil lead. Open the bottle an hour before serving and decant just prior to remove significant sediment. Drink now. (88 pts.)

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December 12, 2009

Tasting 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon

• 2006 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (12/11/2009)
  I've been a member of Schramsberg's club for years. In fact, it is the only wine club I belong to -- their quarterly shipments keep me in enough excellent sparkling wine to satisfy my needs and tastes. Every once in a while, they include a bottle of J. Davies still wine in the club shipment. I wasn't a fan of the 2005 but the 2006 J. Davies Cabernet is excellent. Warm rhubarb pie, cinnamon, espresso, and a bit of Italian herb. Not overpowering, this medium body and finish wine compliments the meal. Not expecting much, I opened this wine tonight as a cellar defender. Too bad I didn't hold on to it. It is going to get better over the next 2-3 years. At my club discount, this wine is tempting to repurchase at $63. At $75 retail, not so much. (89 pts.)

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December 08, 2009

It got a little cold at Butterdragon Tuesday morning

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December 07, 2009

Tasting 2007 Adelsheim Pinot Gris Willamette Valley

• 2007 Adelsheim Pinot Gris Willamette Valley - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (11/29/2009)
  What a fun little wine! This is like a tropical cocktail: a little sweet, banana, lychee, and coconut. Not cloying, stays light on its feet. $35 from a local wine list indicates that it can be had for a really attractive price retail. Would make a great crowd pleaser to serve passed at a party. (85 pts.)

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December 06, 2009

Fine Dine and Wine at Eleven Madison Park (NYC)

Great restaurants in New York City?!? Who knew? Just kidding, of course. Other cities have their stars, but The Big Apple is a whole galaxy of epicurean super novae. That’s one of the main reasons why I visit The City: I love to eat.

“The City” is not to be confused with “The City” that one means when talking about San Francisco. Residents of both believe their hometown is THE ONE that deserves the capitalization. Everywhere else is just a city.

The other night we had the pleasure of dining at Eleven Madison Park. The space is lovely and service was attentive, but not obtrusive. I kept wondering how my water glass and bread plate got refilled without me noticing. It just seemed to keep happening like some sort of Hanukkah miracle.

The amuse bouche was great. I wish I could remember the French name for it but it apparently meant soup. It was a frothy, artichoke cream with pear oil and a few caviar eggs at the bottom. Sounds bizarre I know, but I loved it.

Appetizers:
Di Palo Ricotta – Gnocchi with Violet Artichokes, Taggiasca Olives and Bacon
Hawaiian Prawns – Roulade with Avocado, Lime and Yogurt
Entrees:
Four Story Hill Farm Suckling Pig – Roasted with Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts, Pickled Plums and Amaretti
Millbrook Farms Venison – Herb Roasted with Glazed Bosc Pear, Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Bacon

Everything was delicious and beautifully presented, but if it all sounds heavy to you, you’re right. Dining out a fancy NY restaurant like Eleven Madison is not for the faint of heart, stomach, or wallet. Three-Course Prix Fixe, two savory, one sweet is $88. An eleven course chef’s tasting menu is $175. A “Taste of Autumn” seven course menu is $125.

The wine list was impressively broad but also had some impressive price tags. Staying under $100 per bottle was not an easy thing to do, but we did it. Kudos to the sommelier who treated our "cheap" bottles as respectfully and professionally as he would if they cost 4 times as much.

• 2007 Failla (Failla Jordan) Pinot Noir Estate Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/23/2009)
  Delicate strawberry fruit is currently dominated by bracing acidity. Elements of cinnamon and clove. This wine needs time but hints of really nice things to come. Blind, I would have guessed Oregon rather than Sonoma. $75 on tEleven Madison's wine list.(86 pts.)
• 2006 Domaine Jean-Michel Gaunoux Meursault Les Terres Blanches - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault (11/23/2009)
  Clean and fresh, light on the palate with green apple, stone, and lemon zest. Interesting minerality. $95 on Eleven Madison's wine list.(88 pts.)
• Posted from CellarTracker

This kind of dining can be fun, but Sasha’s and my preferences run more towards ethnic foods, particularly asian influenced cuisine. We tried two such places during our short stay in Manhattan. Both were highly recommended to us by locals and Zagat's guide. I won’t be doing a separate blog entry for Bar Bao or Shun Lee Palace but while both were okay, they were not as good as we’re used to back in the Bay Area. In my opinion, while Manhattan may be #1 overall in dining destinations, other cities including San Francisco and Vancouver have it beat on Asian fare. Feel free to argue and/or post suggestions that may change my mind. I’d love some more great options in NYC.

Posted by matchvineyards at December 06, 2009 12:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 05, 2009

Tasting 2005 Papapietro Perry Zinfandel Elsbree Vineyard

• 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.)

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December 04, 2009

Quick sushi recommendation: Sanraku (SF)

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 above (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

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December 03, 2009

Tasting 2005 Papapietro Perry Zinfandel Pauline's Vineyard

• 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.)
  

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Tasting 1970 Château Kirwan

• 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.)

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November 30, 2009

A couple from Peay Vineyards

• 2005 Peay Vineyards Chardonnay Estate - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/18/2009)
  Honey suckle and other floral aromas start off the party. Creme brulee and an extreeeemely long citrus finish. Pineapple, lime, buttered toast with orange marmalade. Even some mango in there. Peay Estate is one of my favorite domestic Chards and in my opinion well worth the $45 mailing list price. (90 pts.)
  
• 2006 Peay Vineyards Roussanne/Marsanne Estate - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/16/2009)
  Quince, melon, and oily petrol. I find this Roussanne/Marsanne, and I guess most white Rhone blends, a bit distinctively stinky. Not awful, I think this is how they are supposed to smell, but also not my particular cup of tea. Not rated due to my lack of sophistication with this blend.
  

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November 21, 2009

I am not in this calendar and you should be glad... Napa Uncovered

The 2010 Napa Uncovered Calendar is now available. From their website:"it is a 12 month calendar featuring Napa Valley farmers and ranchers as you have never seen them. The proceeds from this cleverly revealing calendar will support the efforts of Napa County Farm Bureau to protect the agricultural land that provides a high quality of life for all rural and urban citizens of Napa County."

I'd like to support the Farm Bureau, but am not sure I am secure enough to start using the calendar.

Posted by matchvineyards at November 21, 2009 09:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 20, 2009

JoLe Restaurant (Calistoga) and some quicky wine tasting notes

Last weekend we dined for the second time at JoLe Restaurant (Calistoga). Both times it has been great. It's currently one of our favorite Napa Valley restaurants and certainly ranks as one of the best up Calistoga way.

Highlights included:
Chicken Livers with medjool dates and Point Reyes blue cheese ($9)
Crispy Pork Belly with quince, ginger, soy & apple cider ($13)
Half Roasted Cornish Hen with collard greens and corn bread stuffing ($15)
Duck Confit with herb spaetzle and huckleberry coulis ($15)

Service started off sputtering but rapidly improved. Our table wasn't ready until about 20 minutes after our reservation and then after we were seated, it took a an uncomfortable, unusual period before being greeted by our server and then for him to return to take our order. I think there may have been some confusion on who we "belonged" to. Anyway, they caught up and we were treated in a professional and friendly manner for the rest of the evening. Especially of note was outstanding wine service for our BYOB bottles: Burgundy glasses provided for the Kistler Chard, Cabernet glasses for the Arrowood, discussing temperature and decanting needs. This is the type of service I don't mind paying corkage for. Their own wine list is clever and fairly priced. Many, if not all, of the wines are also available by the pitcher or "pichet" which in this case describes a little decanter that holds the equivalent two glasses.

About the wines:

• 2005 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (11/14/2009)
  A tropical fruit bowl with exquisite balance. Drink now or if you're like me and love aged Kistlers, hold for years. (92 pts.)
  
• 1997 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale - USA, California, Sonoma County (11/14/2009)
  Restrained and elegant with cassis, tobacco leaf, freshly plowed earth, and cedar. Drink now. (90 pts.)
  

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November 18, 2009

The BEST pecan pie recipe

Next week is Thanksgiving and we'll be spending it with relatives out on Long Island. We need to bring a dish so I dusted off an old recipe we cut out of the SF Chron years ago. Before submitting it to "the public," I needed to practice.

It was awesome, if I do say so myself. Not too sweet. In fact, I don't think you need the ice cream or whipped cream it recommends to accompany the pie. Just serve with a big glass of milk. Also, while the recipe recommends the final baking step be 45 minutes, keep an eye on it. We found that 35 minutes were enough for us.

One Facebook friend mentioned that the best pecan pie recipe they found is the recipe on the side of a Karo corn syrup bottle. The ingredients in that recipe and this one are similar but we found that the (much) higher butter content and using brown sugar instead of white makes the Chron recipe pie less sweet and more to our tastes.

Tomorrow, if the mood is right, I need to practice making good ole fashioned, corn bread dressing like we used to have in East Texas. That oyster and chestnut stuffing those Yankees eat is just not going to cut it any more.

Posted by matchvineyards at November 18, 2009 10:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 16, 2009

How do they come up with all those wine descriptors?

Recently, I had a customer describe one of our wines with one of the most vivid descriptors I've ever heard. He said it was like a Northern New Mexico gift shop. My mind and memory went there right away. Leather souvenirs, old cedar floors, piñon tree incense, a wood burning fireplace, berry flavored candles... it perfectly paints a picture of a really good wine.

When reading tasting notes written by professionals and experienced consumers, a new wine drinker may be intimidated by how these guys and gals describe the various aromas and flavors in a wine. Don't be. While their descriptors may range from flowery and poetic to crass and profane, a tasting note should reflect your own experiences. A big proponent of trusting your own palate and describing wine based on your experiences is current media darling, Wine Library TV creator, and the owner of Wine Library, Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary's tasting notes can really push the descriptor envelope. One may never hear Robert Parker say a wine reminded him of Big League Chew bubblegum or dirty gym socks forgotten in a locker for a few months, but such descriptions are typical from Gary.

So next time you're trying to describe a wine, close your eyes as you drink and see where it takes you. I bet you'll like the journey. I may not know what your Grandma's gooseberry pie at Christmas tastes or smells like, but you do and it may be the perfect descriptor for a wine you're enjoying.

If you need a little help to job your memory and get you started, Alder Yarrow of Vinography.com has a convenient aroma/flavor card on his website.

Posted by matchvineyards at November 16, 2009 12:31 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 12, 2009

Tasting 1996 Joseph Phelps Insignia

• 1996 Joseph Phelps Insignia - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/7/2009)
  Huge pine forest nose... like walking on to a Christmas tree lot. Flavors of fresh bing cherry, baking spices, cedar, espresso, leather, and a zippy acidity that belies its 13 years of age. Very long finish with a smooth, rich mouthfeel. I didn't love this wine to the extent some recent tasters did, but all-in-all, an excellent bottle. Probably the one thing holding this wine back from stratospheric scoring with me was that cedar nose... it was almost too much. I wish I had this bottle a couple of years ago. (93 pts.)
  

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November 09, 2009

Garibaldis Restaurant (Oakland)

Garibaldis Restaurant in Oakland has been around for years. In the past, each time we'd go there, we'd ask ourselves why we don't go there more often. It's usually very good. Recently the restaurant made a big change. They remodeled, dividing their space into two restaurants. One part remained Garibaldis and the other space became Marzano, their pizza / small plate concept. On Saturday, we went to Garibaldis for the first time since the remodel. The space is beautiful.

Service was friendly and sincere, but spotty in the results. The overly-busy staff did not seem ready for the task though I suspect a lot of the difficulty had to do with the big party next to us. Wine service for our BYOB Phelps Insignia was good with the server bringing us excellent stemware without being asked.

Most of the food was good to excellent. My dinner companions liked their salads and hamachi crudo appetizers. My son and I loved our steak tartar. A couple of us were not that hungry and the kitchen and server cheerfully and generously split a delicious salmon entree which was grilled to perfection and served with a yummy pomegranate sauce. The disappointing entree was my own: the potato gnocchi were salty and mushy.

Garibaldis has always been loud and this hasn't changed. The copper ceiling, while beautiful, doesn't lend itself to sound dampening. The noise level on our visit wasn't helped by the neighboring table of about 20 twenty-somethings. They were at least tipsy and for some reason, their table could never be full. Two would leave the table just as two more would return. The constant traffic did take away from our experience.

So, with more hits than misses, we'll again return to Garibaldis someday, but as usual, a few inconsistencies keep it from being at the top of our list.

Garibaldis
5356 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 595-4000

Posted by matchvineyards at November 09, 2009 04:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 05, 2009

Does serving order trump flavor?

According to research cited in the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail recently, it does. Study participants were given 3-5 identical -- though they didn't know it -- glasses of wine to taste and then asked to indicate which glass they thought was the best wine.

It's commonly accepted, and supported by past research, that the attitude "first is best" is prevalent. This again proved to be the case: When subjects were given only 3 glasses, they preferred the first glass.

Heck, it could be for other reasons. I almost always think the appetizer was the best part of a meal.

I know anecdotally from pouring our two wines that approximately 3/4 of folks prefer Butterdragon over Baconbrook. This isn't because Butterdragon is better, but it is more approachable young -- and all our wines are still young -- plus it has more mass appeal than the brawny mountain fruit of Baconbrook. However, in side-by-side "horizontal" tastings, if I lead off with the Baconbrook, that 3/4 preference for Butterdragon goes down. It doesn't work out that the first poured wine is always the favorite, but the crowd-pleasing popularity advantage of Butterdragon is minimized. My experiences seem to mimic the study results.

Back to the study cited in the Globe and Mail article.

When the the number of wine samples went up, and particularly as the wine experience level of the test subjects went up, the preference started to be towards the last sample glass. Researchers had a theory about why this order preference changed:

"Wine geeks thrive on discovering new and ever-better drinking experiences, so they're more likely to give subsequent options a chance... [T]hey will keep looking and they will give themselves even more of an opportunity for something later in the sequence to beat the current favourite."

Here's where my experience seems to be different than the study. When I am pouring multiple vintages of both of our wines, no matter what serving order I pour, tasters usually gravitate towards the wine that is currently drinking the best and the 3/4 Butterdragon preference holds true. One thing to also note is that tasters in this setting with me, like in the study, are usually fairly experienced in wine. Without a public tasting room, my vertical tastings are with my customers accustomed to buying $60+ bottles of Cabernet.

According to the article, "The results have an obvious implication for the wine industry." If trying to sell an overstock or high-profit wine, serve it first. If trying to impress a sophisticated buyer, save the best for last. At your own dinner party, they also recommend saving the best for last as the first wine will shine anyway. Really? At least according to my experiences, it's not so "obvious." While I can see the advantages of organizing a tasting so that it builds to a crescendo, I don't think sophisticated palates are so easily swayed. One also runs the danger of your tasters suffering from palate fatigue before they ever get to the wine you really want to shine. Just because a study using identical glasses of wine shows an order preference doesn't mean that it will translate to real-world enjoyment of wine.

I'd like to see a bit more information about this study. The article does not say how the subjects indicated their preference. Did they try each wine and in the end just say which they liked best? Or did they write notes -- and perhaps even score -- the wines as they went along and use those notes and scores to determine the preferred wine? I think the results could be different.

Posted by matchvineyards at November 05, 2009 12:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 31, 2009

Dining at Camino (Oakland, CA)

Camino Restaurant was opened a year or two ago by Russell Moore who prior to that spent 13 years as produce buyer and in the kitchen at Chez Panisse. That background under Alice Waters served him well. Camino is a simple concept and one that seems sustainable -- and probably profitable -- in these tough economic times: Have a daily changing menu of just a few items made from locally available ingredients and do it extremely well. A small menu is easier to plan, execute, and manage inventory. But hey, that is just me being my analytical self. One can go to Camino and not even think about business stuff. Just enjoy the delicious, fairly priced fare. Last night there were 6 appetizers and 3 entrees (one vegetarian) on the menu. I'm the kind of guy who ultimately likes trying new and interesting foods but I am often initially intimidated by descriptions of dishes that use ingredients not part of my usual diet. (Sardines come to mind and some Camino dishes use sardines.) But, even with so few choices that often don't read like I would want them, I have never been disappointed by a dish at my many visits to Camino. The food from their simple, open kitchen and wood burning oven just works.

Our choices:
Sheepsmilk ricotta grilled in a fig leaf with herb salad and almonds $10
Fresh shellbean, beet and greens salads $9.50
Chicken soup with wild nettles and rice $10
Grilled and braised duck with spätzle, cabbage, red wine and duck cracklings $24

Everything was fantastic.

The bar and wine list work the same way. They stock the bar with only the items necessary to make their own, ever-changing offerings of clever cocktails. The wine list is affordable and well chosen. We had a deliciously aromatic 2007 François Chidaine Vouvray Sec “Les Argiles”, Loire ($11.50 glass) with our startest and a rich 2007 Combier Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône ($12 glass) with the duck.

Camino Restaurant
3917 Grand Avenue
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 547-5035

Posted by matchvineyards at October 31, 2009 09:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 28, 2009

Tasting a stunning 2002 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Ranch

• 2002 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (10/24/2009)
  Wonderfully mature but still vibrant. Golden color. Perfect for the season because it is like biting into a caramel apple without anything getting stuck to your teeth. Touch of lemon pudding, tropical fruit bowl, and mineral notes too. This wine is like a classic book... I feel like each time I would revisit the glass, new complexities would emerge. Drink now, the time is right. It's really rare for me to score a wine this high, but this is incredible. (95 pts.)
  

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October 26, 2009

Tasting 1999 Castello del Terriccio Tassinaia Maremma Toscana IGT

• 1999 Castello del Terriccio Tassinaia Maremma Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Maremma Toscana IGT (10/22/2009)
  Dark and brooding with a wonderful nose of freshly turned earth, ripe plums, and cedar. The wine is refined and tannins smoothly integrated. The fruit, however, seems to be a little too delicate and I wonder if it will last in this wine. I think they're fading too quickly. Finish is very dry and dusty. I'd drink up. (88 pts.)
  

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October 25, 2009

Tasting 2006 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne

• 2006 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (10/22/2009)
  Not hugely expressive at this time, with aroma of cloves and subtle flavors of lemon peel, green apple, river rock, and roasted nuts. Nicely balanced and delicate now but I suspect a few years in the cellar would be the right call with this wine. Excellent but I wish I had paid retail rather than wine list prices for this wine. (91 pts.)
  

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October 24, 2009

Tasting 2006 Vina Pargua Pargua II

• 2006 Vina Pargua Pargua II - Chile, Central Valley, Maipo Valley (10/19/2009)
  Overripe plum with woodsmoke and green herb offer some promise but the finishing tannins turn bitter and disjointed. A few years in the cellar should help. I didn't hate this wine, but it's hard to think of when one might use it right now. At almost $20 retail at a LWS, it's possibly a bit pricey to serve passed at a party or host bar. Right now, I'd put it with a rustic, hearty meal. (79 pts.)
  

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October 22, 2009

Tasting 2000 Château Pavie Macquin

Ouch. Sometimes a wine is just not good and you don't know why.

• 2000 Château Pavie Macquin - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (10/16/2009)
  Nice cassis aromas but very thin, muted flavors and mouthfeel, short finish. It seemed tired which should not be the case. I could not identify any specific defect but judging by others' tasting notes, I suspect something was wrong. I'll withhold a rating for now.
  

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October 18, 2009

Tasting 2006 Milat Merlot Estate Bottle

• 2006 Milat Merlot Estate Bottled - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (10/15/2009)
  It's easy to miss Milat as you whiz by on Highway 29 south of St Helena. It's a very small winery and tasting room and often is going to be staffed by a member of the family. But their wines are good and reasonably priced. When folks ask me for a recommendation of where to taste that doesn't require an appointment, this is one I mention. I like their wines with their Chenin Blanc being my favorite. This Merlot isn't big or especially complex, but it is charming with sour strawberry pie flavors that make you pucker until the meal starts but then go very nicely with food. Nice value too at about $20. (86 pts.)

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September 30, 2009

SF Gate article on Dick Grace

"We have to get over what I call the trophy mentality"
-Dick Grace

Our neighbor, Dick Grace, created what could justifiably be dubbed the first Napa Cult wine back in the in the mid-80's. His wines at the time were some of the most expensive and still are. Release price is $225. BUT, Dick Grace, is not your average high-society, new money, big party throwing winegrower. His profits, after what he admits supports a very comfortable lifestyle, go toward supporting charities world wide.

Read more: SF Gate (the San Francisco Chronicle) article

When you spend a lot of time and money on a passion like wine collecting, there can be the tendency to get that trophy mentality. We strive for the next big wine prize. It certainly happens to us winegrowers. We strive for recognition from our customers, peers, and the press. Times are tough and we're all watching what we're spending. Charitable organizations are having a heck of a time with most facing reduced giving and funding. If it comes down this year between supporting a charity and buying our wines, give to the charity.

Posted by matchvineyards at September 30, 2009 07:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 06, 2009

If you're going to charge me corkage, give me good wine service!

I know we're lucky here in California, particularly in Northern California and wine country, when it comes to being able to bring wine to a restaurant. Many folks in other parts of the country can only dream of being able to legally do this. Although it's not unusual for a corkage fee to be waived, particularly if one also buys wine from the restaurant's list, typically the charge ranges from $15 per bottle to $50, usually towards the lower end of that scale. So the other night, we're at a local Oakland place that I like to support. It's near our house and the food is excellent. BUT, the wine service was terrible on this night. The waiter popped the corks on some really good bottles, brought the cheapest, smallest stemware, did not have a decanter available for our red wine, and waited too long to bring out an ice bucket for our white. [Sigh.] Corkage was $20 per bottle. I was none too pleased paying $40 basically for the waiter to use a cork screw and for them to stick a few glasses in a dishwasher. I've been there before and received excellent wine service on my brought bottles, so I will give them one more chance. Still...

If you're going to charge me corkage, give me good wine service.

• 1997 Oakford Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (9/3/2009)
  Brooding and dark with moist earth, tobacco, and some sour blackberry. Unlike a few recent tasters, I think this wine has past its prime. While still showing significant tannins, I don't think the fruit balance is there for longer aging. Could perhaps have benefited from a vigorous decant which unfortunately wasn't available with mediocre BYOB wine service at a local restaurant. (86 pts.)
• 1996 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/3/2009)
  Deep gold color and huge nut and butterscotch nose. Butterscotch and caramel flavors predominate with honey-lemon tea undertones. This wine suffered from rather indifferent wine service at BYOB local restaurant. The requested ice-bucket never arrived. Not rated as I don't think we were able to see this bottle at its best. Still, I love Kistlers with some age!

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2005 Karl Lawrence Aldin Red Table Wine

• 2005 Karl Lawrence Aldin Red Table Wine - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/4/2009)
  The red wine from Aldin (Karl Lawrence) represents one of the best values in Napa Valley. A right-on-the-money profile of rich raspberry and currant with enticing flavors from a midsummer garden and cedar backbone. Not tannic, not overbearing, it just delivers an excellent bottle of wine and in a complex vintage like 2005 it can't be beat at the price. Note that this wine shows its best right out of the bottle and doesn't need an extended decant... it tends to turn dusty with a lot of air and after open for a while. (87 pts.)

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September 04, 2009

2007 A.P. Vin Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard

• 2007 A.P. Vin Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/4/2009)
  Opened this one a bit early to get a sneak peek at AP Vin. Keefer Ranch, in my opinion, provides some of the best Pinot Noir fruit out of Sonoma and Andrew's interpretation does not disappoint. Still a bit primary, the wine exhibits lovely cherry cola fruit with a touch of green herb that I liked. Hint of sweet oak and a ceamy mouthfeel, but not heavy, with just the right balance of acidity to keep it light and promising greater things for the future of this wine. Hold for 2-3 more years. (89 pts.)

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September 03, 2009

2005 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard

• 2005 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros (9/1/2009)
  I'm reminded of fresh baked biscuits with home-made (not-too-sweet) lemon marmalade with this wine. Big, rich, mouthcoating, with an extremely long finish, yet even despite its size, the wine is balanced enough to stay nimble. I liked this wine but be forewarned: it is true to its origins as a Napa Chardonnay with oak, butter, and vanilla to spare. (90 pts.)

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August 30, 2009

Tasting 2000 Pilllar Rock CS and 2005 St Supery Virtu

• 2005 St. Supéry Vineyards Virtú Meritage - USA, California, Napa Valley (8/30/2009)
  The Semillon really shines through on this wine. Honey-suckle, fresh peaches, nectarine, and a hint of pear flavors nicely compliment vanilla undertones. I would have liked to see a bit more acidity to lift this wine's structure a bit higher. It's rich, but a bit heavy. Stlll, an interesting nice white wine when looking for something a bit different than same-old, same-old chards or sauv blancs. Recommended. (84 pts.)
• 2000 Pillar Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District - USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District (8/26/2009)
  Sour cherry, pine needles, slightly medicinal with not much midpalate and short finish. This wine's best days are behind it -- I much preferred this wine 4 years ago when I thought it was a standout from the 2000 vintage. Drink up.

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August 27, 2009

Instant wine collection and nice book available for $1 million.

Actually, at today's exchange rate, the as-yet-unpublished 640,000 British pounds book comes out to $1,036,811.40 but who wants to quibble over pennies? British publisher Kraken Opus will be producing an 850 page book which features the "100 top wineries in the world" as selected by an unnamed panel of experts. The book will be accompanied by 10 bottles of wine from each winery and only 100 books will be produced.

So, if you've got a mil just burning a hole in your pocket, you can pick up 600 bottles of some undoubtedly great wine and undoubtedly a very pretty book. Or you can order 13,888 bottles of Match. Heck, I could probably even be persuaded to do a volume discount on an order that size.

Posted by matchvineyards at August 27, 2009 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 26, 2009

Tasting a couple of '99s from Sonoma

Last night we had a small bbq to mark the last evening before my son started his junior year. The kids had to settle for Ginger Beer, Snapple, and Starbucks frappuccino but I figured we parents should have a little something special to go with our steaks. What better way to observe the occasion than wine from the year these "youngsters" started first grade? (I was so glad the math worked out to the 1999 vintage and not 1998 or 2000.)

• 1999 Vérité La Joie - USA, California, Sonoma County (8/25/2009)
  Raspberry and currant, brown sugar, espresso, eucalyptus and a generous dose of oak though the wine is in balance. Drinking more youthfully than the 99 Ch. St Jean Cinq Cepages we opened alongside. Has the structure to continue developing. Drink now with 2 hour decant but probably better to hold 2-3 more years. (90 pts.)
• 1999 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages - USA, California, Sonoma County (8/25/2009)
  This bottle was better than one I opened about 6 months ago. Earthy with forest floor, cherry pipe tobacco, cedar, mushroom and secondary notes of ripe plum and hint of mint. Drinking quite mature now and although there's probably not a big rush, I'd advise enjoying over the next few years. Decanted one hour. (88 pts.)

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August 25, 2009

Tasting 2008 Sigalas Santorini

• 2008 Sigalas Santorini - Greece, Aegean, Santorini (8/24/2009)
  Rather shy floral nose on this pale yellow hued wine. A bit of effervescense. Initial flavors of lychee and banana salt water taffy and finishes with tart green apple. Quite charming though I did not get the mineral and citrus notes that some other CT writers did. Well worth the $21.99 from local wine store. My first, but hopefully not last, experience with the Greek Assyrtiko grape. (86 pts.)

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August 24, 2009

Tasting 1999 Pride Merlot

• 1999 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot - USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma (8/19/2009)
  Big wine with a huge attack of red licorice, boysenberry, cinnamon, mocha, and wood smoke. Time has tamed this wine a bit so you don't have to just have it for dessert but like breaking a wild stallion, it has lost some of its uniqueness. Still classic Foley. (92 pts.)

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August 21, 2009

Wine and cheese pairing?

What are your favorite wine and cheese pairings?

Awesome cheese pairings with Match Cabernet Sauvignon:
Petit Basque (French sheep)
Il Boschetto al Tartufo (blend of sheep and cow with truffle pieces).

I picked up both yesterday from Sunshine Foods Market in St Helena, which, by the way, is THE BEST PLACE to shop for groceries in the Napa Valley.

Sunshine Foods Market
1115 Main Street
St Helena, Ca 94574
(707) 963-7070

Posted by matchvineyards at August 21, 2009 08:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 17, 2009

Congratulations CellarTracker!

CellarTracker just reached 1,000,000 user posted tasting notes. What Eric Levine began 5 years ago as a way to track his own wine collection has grown to be among the most influential and in my opinion the most useful wine website out there. I, along with 82,000 other registered users, manage our own wine collections, record our thoughts on the wines we're drinking, and research other wines using this website. A good measure of CellarTracker's range is, according to a press release from CellarTracker, leading wine magazines Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate each publish about 1000 reviews per month. CellarTracker users post on average 1100 tasting notes a day.

I think this milestone represents more than just the success of one website. It, and certainly some other sites (even Facebook), are giving wine lovers the tools to learn more about their passion and decentralizing the information available. The influence of any one critic has been reduced. While some may argue that "amateur" tasting notes and reviews are not of much value, I think that when you get enough of them, you really start to get a feeling for what a wine is like. This, in my opinion, is the greatest value of CellarTracker. 30 positive reviews on CellarTracker are far more influential to me than one guy's experience on one particular day, even if that guy was dubbed the emperor of wine.

I may be just preaching to the choir as I know that many folks who will read this already use CellarTracker, but those who aren't, give it a try. It is based on the shareware model. It is free to register and use but there are suggested donations based on the size of cellar you are tracking. Donations also turn on some additional value added features like links to professional reviews and wine auction values. Note: I don't have any commercial or other interest in CellarTracker. I'm just a very enthusiastic user.

I'd love to hear about your favorite feature or discovery on CellarTracker. Feel free to also post the negatives and suggestions too. Anything constructive, I'll pass on to Eric Levine.

Search CellarTracker for notes on Match Vineyards' wines.

Posted by matchvineyards at August 17, 2009 07:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 15, 2009

Tasting 2007 Melville Chardonnay Estate Verna's Vineyard

• 2007 Melville Chardonnay Estate Verna's - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (8/8/2009)
  Earlier this year, we took a marvelous trip to the CA Central Coast and did a tasting at Melville. Based on that visit, I bought 6 bottles of this wine. Today was the first time I opened a bottle and am very happy with my purchase. Deep green-golden hue. Lemon and roasted nut aromas. Outstanding chardonnay grape flavor with lemon zest, tangerine, green apple and just a hint of vanilla and oak. Big mouth-coating feel and long, tropical sweet-tart finish. I believe I like this one considerably more than some previous CT tasters and thankfully, did not experience the big oak and butter that one mentioned. I'll be drinking most of these over the next 3 years but will probably lay down one or two long term. (90 pts.)

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August 14, 2009

Tasting a couple of 2003 Pinots from Oregon

• 2003 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir La Bohème - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton (8/7/2009)
  Rich, full flavors of red raspberries with cherry pie, clove, Christmas spices, and a hint of sweet oak. Not a huge wine, this medium-bodied Pinot still went wonderfully with grilled salmon and wasn't even embarrassed when it followed a few bites of filet mignon. Drinking well now, there's no big rush. I'd open between now and 2012. Dominated the 2003 St Innocent Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard it was served alongside. (89 pts.)
• 2003 St. Innocent Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/7/2009)
  Bing cherries, mushroom, soy, in this light bodied wine. Pronounced acidity is a little off putting without some bigger flavors to balance it out and was certainly overpowered by grilled salmon and veggies. Judging by CT notes from a few years back and by this particular bottle, I'd say this wine's best days are behind it. Drink up. Tasted alongside 2003 Elk Cove Pinot Noir La Boheme which was significantly better. (84 pts.)

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August 08, 2009

Tasting: a Zin and a Field Blend

• 2006 Casa Nuestra Tinto Classico - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (7/29/2009)
  Rustic and earthy with dark ripe plum, tar, bacon, cedar, graphite, and black licorice. Unique field blend that for lack of a better comparison, reminds me of something I might find in an Italian village. (87 pts.)
• 2006 Outpost Zinfandel - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (7/28/2009)
  I'm not normally one to give a tasting note based on a wine on Day 2 after opening, but this time, that's how it worked out. To my benefit. Yesterday the wine was unexciting: big boysenberry syrup fruit and some tart acidity but reticent on showing anything else. Today, it is showing much better. The boysenberry has been tamed to a more integrated package with some nice white pepper, freshly tanned leather, and brambly forest floor. Hold this wine until 2011 and enjoy a really good, well-balanced Zin that doesn't overwhelm its company at the table. (90 pts.)

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August 01, 2009

Tasting a really fun white wine from Kirk Venge

Kirk Venge, of Venge Vineyards, is well on his way building a reputation as one of the most talented young winemakers in the Napa Valley. He has big shoes, or perhaps I should say, a big cowboy hat to fill as his father is the famed legendary winemaker Nils Venge. I've really been impressed in the past by Venge's Scout's Honor Zinfandel. This summer, I keep finding myself buying bottles of his Champ des Fleurs white wine.

• 2008 Venge Vineyards Champ des Fleurs Proprietary White - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/26/2009)
  This was my third bottle of this wine. I really like it. This propriety blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc offers a light enough package to work as a pleasant quaffer on a hot summer afternoon but complex enough to cause pause for thought. Initial notes of lemon grass and melon give way to a hefty dose of creme brulee and buttery pastry. A nice dose of acidity lifts it up and keeps the residual sweetness from being cloying. I'm considering picking up a case as a house white. (88 pts.)

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July 31, 2009

Tasting: Long Meadow Ranch steaks and 1997 Viader

Thursday night I had the pleasure (and challenge) of feeding myself and 3 teenage boys at home. Sasha is traveling. What better than some grass-fed rib-eyes from Long Meadow Ranch? LMR is a winery and farm in the Mayacamas Mountains of Napa. Although I have yet to have the pleasure of trying their wines, their produce stand at Rutherford Gardens is a regular stop on my way up the Valley. Selection varies by season. In the winter, one may only find an unattended ice chest full of delicious fresh eggs where you pay on the honor system but in season, a veritable cornucopia of fresh veggies and meats are available. We love their meats, especially the grass-fed rib-eye ($17.99 lb.). And if their produce and meats weren't good enough, Ted and Laddie Hall and their son Chris, owners of Long Meadow Ranch, are some of the nicest folks in Napa. Check out their website. I just did and it looks like a visit to their produce market is just the tip of the iceberg in experiencing all that LMR has to offer.

Long Meadow Ranch Rutherford Gardens
1796 So. St. Helena Highway (SR 29), just north of the intersection with SR 128

So what would a great cut of meat be without a great wine?

• 1997 Viader Proprietary Red - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/30/2009)
  I've been breaking into my '97s to see if rumors of their demise are true. The 1997 Viader Red Wine is at a good place. Youthful appearance of medium ruby with virtually no bricking. Blackberry cobler flavors are followed by sweet cherry tomatoes and a backbone of cedar and mint. Sounds odd, I know, but it works. Tannins are still significant. At first I thought it didn't need a decant but found it better with about 1/2 hour of air and a big rare steak. Drink now until 2012. (91 pts.)

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July 29, 2009

Tasting: some summer whites

In addition to the 2008 Quivira Sauvignon Blanc Fig Tree here are some white wines I've tried recently to quench the summer heat.

• 2008 Araujo Estate Sauvignon Blanc Altagracia - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/24/2009)
  This wine needs more body. It is tart and thin and possesses very little taste beyond a big burst of lemon. Served btg at "Go Fish" restaurant in St Helena.(79 pts.)
• 2006 Bodegas Naia (Viña Sila) Rueda Naiades - Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda (7/16/2009)
  Pretty golden color and aromas of a bowl filled with tropical fruit and a hint of jasmine. Flavor starts out with a very tart lemon zest but that mellows as the wine warms and opens up to more of a lemon flavored salt water taffy, banana candy, and a bit of petrol. Don't serve this wine too cold and perhaps even decant for best results. Well made, but personally, I didn't love it, especially with the tariff of $30 from a premium Napa Valley grocer. It would have been more acceptable sub $20. (83 pts.)
• 2007 Osseus Wine Company Sauvignon Blanc - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (7/12/2009)
  Lovely and vibrant. Zesty lemon grass, grapefruit, even unsweetened lemonade with a tart laser beam of citrus acidity. Blind, I would have thought I was drinking a wine from New Zealand rather than Santa Ynez. Awesome summer wine. I wasn't familiar with this label but will look for more. (87 pts.)

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Tasting: a bunch trying to catch up with my publishing

• 1997 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages - USA, California, Sonoma County (7/22/2009)
  A bit of bricking on the edges. Currant, pencil lead, anise in a light body wine. Tannins are still pronounced but the fruit is a tad thin. Drink up now. Significant downturn since 2004. (88 pts.)
• 2003 Sloan - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/2/2009)
  Some blueberry, tobacco, and sage, but that's about all the positives I can note about this wine. Not flawed. Out of balance, the fruit was awkward rather than being integrated. Heavy alcohol aroma and taste (in fact it burns the throat). Astringent. Overbearing raw, green oak. With time in the decanter, the EToH blew off a bit but the wine's rough edges just became sharp pointy corners that hurt. This reminded me of one of those wines that you get poured for you from the bar at a big party or event and you decide to switch to beer. Perhaps acceptable if in the sub-$10 category, but I'm quite surprised at the low quality here. Yes, 2003 was a difficult year in Napa but this wine is an example of the need for winemakers to adapt to a vintage rather than trying to force that big Napa style. I would have bulked this wine off and declassed the vintage. I'm a literal scorer so this below average wine would have received the same score no matter the price, but it probably would have escaped the scathing comments. (73 pts.)
• 2005 Raymond Vineyard & Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/28/2009)
  Spicy with a dark berry medium long finish. Disconcerting alcohol aftertaste. Not wonderful, but not bad. It's one of those wines that it all depends on how much you paid for it and what your wine budget is. I got this one free in a gift bag. I'd say it's worth about $35 when compared with its peers. (83 pts.)
• 2004 Adrian Fog Pinot Noir Oppenlander Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (7/20/2009)
  My experience with Adrian Fog pinot is that it is built for the cellar. This one was no exception: the 2004 is starting to open up but still could use some time. Tart cherry, cola, black olives, forest floor, and a touch of celery seed in this medium bodied wine. Not big and fruity but rather subtle and complex. (90 pts.)
• 2001 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (7/2/2009)
  Roasted almonds, lemon meringue pie, green apples... nice acidity keeps it light and uplifting. Drink now. (92 pts.)
• 2005 WesMar Pinot Noir Oehlman Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (7/1/2009)
  Elegant and very delicate in both flavor and texture. Strawberry, citrus, crushed tea leaves, and a bit of black olive: as the wine opens in the glass each taste offers a slightly different nuance. Lovely. (90 pts.)
• 2000 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/25/2009)
  Rather reticent nose but lovely flavors of raspberries, chocolate, and espresso. Not a big wine, or built for longer aging, but drinking just fine right now. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (6/16/2009)
  Big, boisterous wine with blueberry fruit, woodsmoke, molasses, grilled meat, and sweet mouthfeel. Really heavy alcohol nose eventually blows off but I just have to ask "why?" to the 16.7% abv. Another taster said a "well-made fruit bomb, but not my style." I agree. (88 pts.)
• 2006 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir Alberigi - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (6/10/2009)
  Dark and brooding, earthy and dusty. Hot nose, tannic finish. Rum soaked cherries, charred wood, soy. Less acidic than Terra Neuma from same vintage but hold also for 2-3 years.
• 2006 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir Terra Neuma - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (6/10/2009)
  Tart Strawberry, rhubarb, sage... big mouthfeel and will ultimately, I predict, be a great wine, but currently overshadowed by puckering acidity. Hold for 2-3 years.
• 2000 Château Lescalle - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur (6/9/2009)
  A shy wine that doesn't show much even after an hour in the glass. A pleasant attack of slightly sour raspberry, pine box, and a bit of pencil lead but thin on the palate with a short finish. Drink now. (83 pts.)

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Posted by matchvineyards at July 29, 2009 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 27, 2009

Tasting: Brix Restaurant Napa Valley

Brix Restaurant in Yountville has been around in various iterations for quite a while. Years ago, it was a good, but not great, place that we tried a few times, usually because Mustards or another better first choice was full. Consistency always seemed a challenge for them. Just when we had decided to write them off, they'd pull off a decent meal luring us back again. Then, it went through a modest name change (and an extensive staff/ownership? change) and went even further downhill. They're trying again. To quote their website, Brix "is an entirely new incarnation of the wine country classic, with a renewed focus on farm-to-table dining." Chef Anne Gingrass-Paik, formerly of Spago, Postrio, and Hawthorne Lane is now at the helm. Six of us headed down there on Saturday night to give it another try. The results were mixed.

The wine themed decor does a lot to mitigate the big open feeling of the dining room though I just couldn't get out of my mind a hotel's dining room all open and square with the ability (or curse) of looking out over every single table in the place. A nice touch are the booths fashioned out of what appear to be reproductions of old wooden wine fermentation tanks. The stemware and dishes are first rate but one wine glass on our table was not just dirty, but disgustingly dirty. We had to point it out, but it was quickly wisked away by the server.

The wine list is extensive and fairly priced on California selections including a nice variety of by-the-glass and half bottle options. Corkage, I believe, was $20.

Food:
Beausoleil oysters with classic mignonette ($2 ea) - excellent
White corn and porcini soup ($10) - excellent
Heirloom baked beans ($5.50) - I found them "unexciting," others were even less complimentary
Farmer's cheese polenta ($5.50) - mediocre and very bizarre consistency of warm breakfast cereal
Grilled zucchini - This side dish was so good, we ordered another one. However, the second time it was inedible, bitter and dry. What happened? The waiter removed it from our bill but unfortunately, the same bad mess was served with one of the entrees. You'd think someone in the back would have checked out a dish sent back before serving more from the same bad batch.
The entrees were all excellent:
Roasted corn & candied bacon pizza with arugula ($15)
Porcini rubbed new york steak with blue cheese and porcini mushrooms ($37)
Atlantic farmed salmon with lima bean puree and kohlrabi relish ($23)
Beef filet with green peppercorn pesto and braised italian string beans but the string beans were replaced by the nasty zuccini ($30)

So what to do about Brix? It appears that they have returned to where they were some years back: good but not great. Saturday night, it was a restaurant not firing on all cylinders and one would expect on a weekend during the high tourist season you would have the "A" team at work. The service was knowledgable and professional though not especially warm and friendly. The pace of the meal was really off. There were noticable lags between courses and in clearing our plates. I'm a forgiving sort so although I wouldn't rush back there, eventually I guess I would give them another go. I might have to do it alone however, because my dinner partners said they would never come back. I really can't blame them. Competition is tough and a restaurant really needs to have a better selling point than we can't get in anywhere else. Especially at these prices.

Brix Restaurant
7377 St. Helena Hwy, Yountville CA 94558
(707) 944-2749

Brix serves Sunday Brunch which seems like a good idea so close to Yountville, the largest supply of hotel rooms up Valley. There is also a small gift shop and wine store in front with some nice, but expensive, selections.

Posted by matchvineyards at July 27, 2009 09:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 26, 2009

Tasting: It's not always good

I'm incredibly lucky that I live in an area where excellent dining and wine choices are abundant. I have regular access to food and wine that folks in many areas can only dream of seeing. So, lucky for me, bad meals and bad wines are a rare occurrence. But they do occur.

The dilemma when one blogs about food and wine -- especially when in the business himself -- is what to do about disappointing experiences. I hate writing negative things about restaurants and wines that I know are labors of love by their producers. Personally, such writing can cause some awkward moments with my peers. Professionally, such candor can come back and, well, honestly, bite me in the ass.

Folks should keep in mind that my experiences are just that, my own. Your mileage may vary. With just a few exceptions, we go to restaurants that have good reputations and drink wines that come recommended by folks I trust. If you try the wines that disappoint me (or the ones I like) or dine in places I pan (or those I loved) and don't agree with my assessment, I would love to hear about it. I'm all for giving them a second chance.

With restaurants, I'll try to write about what I experienced that was both good and bad.

With wines, I score wines very literally and strictly based on the Cellartracker.com scale. Note, 75-79 while damning in some publications, means "Average." Although in this day and age, I believe it is not that difficult to find an above average wine at almost any price point, average does mean average. To me, it is a competent, if unremarkable wine.

Cellartracker scale:
* Extraordinary (96-100 points)
* Outstanding (90-95)
* Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
* Good (80-84)
* Average (75-79)
* Below average (70-74)
* Avoid (50-70)

Posted by matchvineyards at July 26, 2009 02:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2009

Iona or "Once when I felt stupid while naked"

Think Napa Valley. Think wine. Think food. You should also think "spa." Nothing refreshes the body after a strenuous day wine tasting and eating like a massage, mud bath, aroma therapy, or some other rejuvenating technique from the non-traditional healing arts. Between you and me, I just like it ‘cuz it feels good. It’s really nice that there are a lot of places in the Valley that one can get a massage with little notice. This story has to deal with one such visit.

But first, the stage must be set. One should not forget that the Napa Valley, with all its “landed gentry” feel and wine country lifestyle, is definitely located within Northern California. You’ve heard of Northern California? You know, where Berkeley is located. We won’t be getting in to politics here, but it is important for one to understand two things: a) my previous perception of someone working as a massage therapist is that they were probably not leaning really far to the right and b) I’m a talker during a massage and the last thing I want to be thought of while lying there in my birthday suit is that I’m uncool.

Anyway, one day I “assumed the position” on my stomach in a massage. The therapist came in and introduced herself as “Iona.” This didn’t phase me at all. If one gets enough massages, he runs in to many Crystals, Sunshines, Harmonies, Starrs, etc. Just par for the course here in Northern California where the name you were born with is actually just a suggestion on what you should use for the rest of your life.

“Nice to meet you, blah, blah, blah…” I drifted off into a peaceful state, but before long, my mind wandered back in to reality and I started wondering to myself, “hmmm… Iona. I wonder where that comes from.” Asking her the origin of her name would reveal me both as enlightened and cool. I expected some story – just a little flakey – about how it was Celtic for “Wise Searcher” or Wapoo for “Evening Dew.” You get the idea.

Iona, without skipping a beat, explained. “Well, I’m from the Midwest. And when I was born, my father didn’t know what to name me. He looked outside and there sat an old, rusted out International Harvester tractor. But most of the letters had rusted away. What was left was IONA.”

Posted by matchvineyards at July 22, 2009 09:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 21, 2009

Tasting: A North Berkeley classic

The last time I wrote about a restaurant, it was a relatively undiscovered new place. Judging by the crowd queuing all Tuesday evening, Lalime's in North Berkeley is still on everyone's radar. And deservedly so. The setting is a converted house in the craftsman style. We were seated in a semi-private room near the main entrance. Service for our party of 7 was friendly and speedy. Especially impressive was the waiter's knowledge of the menu. He patiently described numerous menu items and made them all sound delicious. I bet he was right. I can at least vouch for my appetizer of Deep-Fried Maryland soft shell crab with pineapple-ginger chutney ($14) and entree of Crisped duck leg with sweet corn spoonbread and poblano chile coulis ($19). Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact preparation of my dessert, but it was a raspberry mousse crepe with a coconut pistachio cookie. It was phenomenal. Order it even if you don't have room!

Lalime's 1329 Gilman Street Berkeley, CA (510) 527 9838

Wines

• 2007 Edmeades Winery Zinfandel - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (7/21/2009)
  I was a bit leery when I heard a dinner companion order this wine. I wasn't familiar with it and some less expensive CA Zins can be too big and jammy for a typical meal. I was wrong. This wine was soft and balanced with pretty red fruit that while it doesn't wow, it doesn't muscle its way into the meal. >15% alcohol is fairly well hidden. Notes of new leather accompany the red plum fruit. (86 pts.)


• 2008 Quivira Sauvignon Blanc Fig Tree - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (7/21/2009)
  Very California style Sauv Blanc. Grassy nose but lemon taste with a touch of sweetness. Fun, but not a wine that spurs much thought. (80 pts.)


• Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at July 21, 2009 11:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 20, 2009

Please do not eat at this new Oakland restaurant

I really shouldn't be telling you this since this restaurant is just a mile or two from my house, the food was awesome, and six of us were able to snag a table without a reservation on Friday night at about 8PM. I guess I know that easy access isn't going to last whether I let the cat out of the bag or not.

Commis is a fantastic new place at 3859 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland / 510-653-3902. Chef and founder, James Syhabout, after many years with David Kinch at the famous South Bay restaurant Manresa, has opened a small, very sparsely decorated, well staffed, eatery where the food does the talking.

The format is a three course Prix Fixe for $59 and folks may choose items from any section of the short menu to serve as your appetizer, main course, and dessert. Portions are adjusted accordingly. We all chose to skip the dessert section and load up on apps and entrees. There were no complaints, only raves, for all the food served to our table that night. I may be missing a dish or two, but I do remember:

Monterey Bay Sardines, lightly cured then smoked with green tomato confit in rhubarb juice, bronze fennel and pollen
Soft Farm Egg with Potato and Allums, fermented black garlic and pork jowl
Morro Bay Cod with Brandade, mussel liquor and vermouth, pardron petter
Corn Fed Chicken, Poached then Roasted in Summer Savory, crushed english peas, crepes emulsified with foie gras

Corkage is $20 for the first bottle, $30 for the second, however one corkage is waived for each bottle purchased from their short, well-thought, fairly priced list. Our choices:

NV Fracois Pinon Chenin Blanc Brut Dose Vouvray $48
2007 Domaine du Salvard Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay Cheverny $30
2004 Match Butterdragon (brought)
2006 Match Baconbrook (brought)

All the wines were excellent -- if I do say so myself -- but especially surprising was the 2006 Baconbrook. This wine will not be released until this fall and typically our Baconbrook vintages are more for the cellar than immediate consumption, however, this bottle was singing that night.

So, I guess I have spoiled this "secret" for myself and the few who have stumbled upon this place that doesn't even have an exterior sign yet. Is there any way I can discourage you from going and crowding it up? I know, and this is the honest truth: Parking is a pain in the butt and they are now reading the meters until 8PM in Oakland. Stay away from Commis!

Posted by matchvineyards at July 20, 2009 08:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 18, 2009

Tasting an aged Syrah from Napa, a Cab, and a Rioja

• 2001 Novy Family Wines Syrah Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/5/2009)
  I pulled this wine from the cellar with hope that it hold its own with the spicy food at Tamarindo Antojeria Mexicana (Oakland - awesome restaurant). With the exception of the grilled habaneros, anaheim chiles, and jalapenos, the wine did serve the meal fairly well. Fortunately, the very hot (EtOH) nose of this wine doesn't overwhelm once you take a drink. Grilled teriyaki steak, dark berries, anise, a bit of a medicinal note, smooth and mouth coating. Drinking at its peak. Interesting, I'm going to give this wine a score not too different from previous tasters on CT but I liked it and their TN seem to indicate otherwise. Excellent wine. 88+. The "plus" is because I'd bet the wine would be even better with a rack of lamb. (88 pts.)
• 2005 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (6/2/2009)
  I'm not that experienced with Rioja, but this one seemed quite pleasant a great addition to the Spanish tasting meal at Mezze Restaurant in Oakland. Cherries, wood smoke, fresh turned earth, some crushed sage leaf... not a big wine or especially complex but certainly worth the $30 off a restaurant wine list. (84 pts.)
• 2001 Neal Family Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (5/27/2009)
  Tight with cedar and sour blackberries. A bit austere and angular right now but should improve with 2-3 more years in the cellar. By about hour 4 in the decanter, it edges had softened a bit and the wine displayed a smokier character. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at July 18, 2009 01:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 17, 2009

My Wine Life in Pictures

Tell your wine life story in pictures. I've started with the mosaic to the left. You can either create one and upload it directly to our Facebook Page or email it to me and I will do it for you.

Instructions:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
b. From the pages of search results, pick an image. You may choose to be literal or rather esoteric.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images (the thumbnail image location) into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3 (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).
d. Save the image to your hard drive and either upload it directly to our Facebook Page or email it to me and I will do it for you. I'll also add them to our Vintner's Journal blog.

Note: if you upload the photo to Facebook yourself, it will not be anonymous. If I do it, I will leave out all names.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite red wine pairing?
3. What is the vintage year of the oldest bottle of wine you own?
4. Where were you when you first experienced your wine drinking epiphany? The place or situation where you realized wine was more than just a liquid to quench your thirst?
5. What is the first and/or last name of the person living or dead with whom you'd like to share a special bottle?
6. What is your favorite wine growing region?
7. What is your favorite pairing with white wine?
8. Where were you born (city, state, country, anyplace)?
9. What is your favorite wine varietal?

Posted by matchvineyards at July 17, 2009 12:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 15, 2009

De-Fleur a Maiden at Dinner

The other night we celebrated a special occasion in San Francisco at Chef Hubert Keller's Fleur de Lys. Amazingly, even after many, many years in the Bay Area, we'd never been to this famous restaurant known as one of the most romantic in The City. It is one of those restaurants that stays consistently outstanding (Chef Keller has been at the helm since 1986) and continues to thrive while trendy places come and go. The food, service, and atmosphere were impeccable. I'm not going to pretend to be a food writer since I can't do this meal justice, so I will just list our menu. I would not hesitate to recommend anything here:

Amuse bouche
Chilled Carrot & Coriander soup and Chilled Cucumber & Mint soup

First Course
Pan Seared Artisan Foie Gras with rhubarb, corn, and truffle sauce
Veal Sweetbread "Meuniere" with morel mushrooms, poached egg "purse", toasted brioche, veal jus

Second Course
Chilled Dungeness Crab Salad with shavings of young vegetables, lobster infused vinaigrette, and lobster fondant with caviar
Wild Prawns with brioche crust (unfortunately didn't get the full description of this one)

Third Course
Slow-Braised Snake River Farm Waygu Beef Cheeks with Pretzel Crust on spatzle, choucroute gratin and scented beer sauce
Oven Roasted Venison Chop with Truffled Baby Bok Choy accented with rich cocoa nib red wine reduction, Spanish chorizo, and cocoa tuile

Dessert
Chocolate Souffle
Grand Marnier Souffle

A four course menu is priced at $82 per person though there are additional surcharges on a few menu items. Corkage was $35 which is reasonable in The City at a restaurant of this caliber -- especially since they treat the wine you bring the same as if you had ordered it off their list providing proper stemware, decanting, and giving fantastic wine service. Kudos to Marcus, the manager and sommelier that evening for making our dinner special both in food and wine.

Speaking of wine, I guess I should explain the rest of the title of this post...

• 2001 Harlan Estate The Maiden - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/14/2009)
  Wood smoke, sweet blackberries, molasses, cedar, toasty oak, river rock, and chargrilled meat. It was an outstanding wine after about an hour in the decanter and proved to be a great compliment to the meal. Not overpowering, it was a graceful heavyweight that stood up to the rich, big flavors of the French Alsatian meal at Chef Hubert Keller's Fleur De Lys (San Francisco). The one negative: after about 2 hours in the decanter, I did notice the fruit starting to trail off and the tannins coming across as a bit dry and dusty. It makes me wonder if the time to drink and enjoy this wine is now, not later. (91 pts.)
  Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at July 15, 2009 05:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 14, 2009

Tasting: 2 Americans and a Frenchman walk in to a bar

• 2001 Neal Family Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (5/27/2009)
  Tight with cedar and sour blackberries. A bit austere and angular right now but should improve with 2-3 more years in the cellar. By about hour 4 in the decanter, it edges had softened a bit and the wine displayed a smokier character. (88 pts.)
• 1998 Château Pavie - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (5/18/2009)
  Absolutely wonderful. Creme de cassis, chocolate covered cherries, mint leaf, eucalyptus, and smooth, sweet oak. Drinking very youthful, but "ready." Wine Searcher shows this wine around the country at $175 - $200. It would be worth it. (96 pts.)
• 2001 Gemstone - USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville (5/2/2009)
  I had forgotten that 18 months ago I had decided to hold this for 3+ years. That shows how tough it can be to make such predictions because this wine is rocking and rolling right now. It is wonderfully balanced, walking the tight rope between lush, extracted fruit while still supported by a smokey, secondary complexity. Kind of the best of both worlds: Mouth coating, but not heavy. Earthy, but not rustic. Extremely long finish with tannins fully integrated.
  
  Gemstone is a list that I allowed myself to drop. When the wines were released, I found them cloying, but if this is how they can be at age 8, I need to rethink my decision to not buy. (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at July 14, 2009 12:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 06, 2009

NY to out-of-state wine retailers: STAY OUT OF NY

Time and again this Court has held that, in all but the narrowest circumstances, state laws violate the Commerce Clause if they mandate 'differential treatment of in-state and out-of-state economic interests.' This rule is essential to the foundations of the Union. States may not enact laws that burden out-of-state producers or shippers simply to give a competitive advantage to in-state businesses. We have viewed with particular suspicion state statutes requiring business operations to be performed in the home state that could more efficiently be performed elsewhere. - Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

Sigh. Despite the statement above from a 2005 ruling by the US Supreme Court that states can not discriminate against out-of-state wineries and must treat them as they do their own in-state wineries, the powerful liquor/wine distributor lobby keeps trying to preserve their power to, in my opinion, the detriment of the consumer and the wine industry. A federal appeals court in NY has upheld a ruling that NY can bar out-of-state retailers from shipping wine into NY while NY retailers can ship wine.

This ruling seems, to me, to be counter to the 2005 Supreme Court decision. There are several similar cases coming up in the future in Texas and other states. Unless the Supreme Court steps in and broadens their decision and resolves the apparent conflict between the 21st ammendment (which grants states the power to regulate the sale of alcohol) and the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, we're going to keep seeing this sort of thing happening. The only way around it is to make sure that your state passes laws that are in the best interests of the wine consumer.

Based on a story from Wine Spectator online.

Posted by matchvineyards at July 06, 2009 12:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 05, 2009

Modern Wine Drinker Independence

Alder Yarrow of Vinography used the 4th of July holiday to post an excellent article declaring independence for modern wine drinkers. Everyone should read it and "sign" it. In fact, you should regularly read Vinography. It is, in my opinion, the best wine blog out there.

Posted by matchvineyards at July 05, 2009 01:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 12, 2009

The "glamour" of Wine Country living

Ah, the glamour! They never show this stuff on the TV travelogue In Wine Country.

Our garbage collection is on Tuesday and as we mainly spend weekends up in Napa, I usually take the cans down to the main road before departing on Sunday. I decided to be lazy and rather than rolling them down through our meadow, I would load them on our little 6 x 4 John Deere "Gator." I was not dressed for farm work wearing shorts and flip-flops.

I rolled one of the cans towards the gator and looked down. A small rattlesnake, about a foot long, had been hiding under the can. So much for rattlers avoiding humans! This one was hanging out 10 feet from our front door. Fortunately, he seemed as determined to get away from me as I was of him. I ran to the shed and grabbed a spade and (voila!) I had dispatched my first rattlesnake. It was a youngster, with just two sections on his rattle, but he was definitely striking at the spade. I learned later that the babies are more dangerous because they tend to inject a full load of toxins when striking while adults may not release poison at all.

It was with just a little bit of swagger that I called and told my son that I had killed a rattlesnake. (The rattler may have grown in length and ferocity in the telling.)

What is really weird about this encounter with the wild is just a few hours before, as I was moving some wine around my wine storage room, I noticed that I had apparently stepped on (and killed) a scorpion.

I think it may be time to sell it all and give up this glitzy life.

Posted by matchvineyards at June 12, 2009 07:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 11, 2009

A long day of wine in Wine Country

Last Friday -- I think I'm just now recovering a week later -- was quite a day of wine tasting. I never take notes during such experiences but do try to at least write down the names of wines I would recommend for my own purchases and others. If I mention the wine, I would recommend it but an * indicates that I found the wine particularly outstanding. Note, I only tried a fraction of the wines available at these events. One would have to be some sort of super taster on a paid vacation to work through all offerings.

Taste Napa Valley - part of the Napa Vintners' Auction Napa Valley. This event featured numerous wineries pouring their current releases, many local restaurants offering wonderful edibles, the closing hours of the online e-Auction with computers set up for last-minute bids, and the barrel auction of future releases. Personal observation and confirmed by several vintners was that bidding was down from previous years. Many bidders at the barrel auction were able to pick up some future cases of quite renowned wines for less than the ultimate release price. I was pleased however with our E-Auction lot which went for $5101. Ultimately the auction raised $5.7 million for local Napa Valley non-profits. This is a little more than half of what was raised last year.

Bottled Highlights:
*2007 Truchard Roussane
*2008(?) Heitz Grignolino Rose
2007(?) Broman Sauvignon Blanc
2007 Madonna Estate Pinot Grigio
*2005 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon
Barrel Highlights and there were many reflecting the excellent 2007 Napa vintage:
2007 Blackbird Contrarian Bordeaux Blend
2007 Crocker Starr Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 DR Stephens Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon
*2007 Jones Family Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon
*2008 Mi Sueno Cabernet Sauvignon - if you don't know Mi Sueno's wines, you should
*2007 Realm Beckstoffer Dr Crane Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Roy Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
*2007 Sonador Cellers Cabernet Sauvignon "The Dreamer" - a winery I'd never heard of but I think one to watch, very charming, lush, approachable, and I believe they said the price point of this wine is in the $50's
*2007 Viader Cabernet Sauvignon

Next, it was on to Herb Lamb tasting at Acme Wines in St Helena. They were pouring their 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 EII Red Wine, and *2005 HL Cabernet Sauvignon. All were good to outstanding. If you've not had a chance to meet Jennifer and Herb Lamb, do it. They were wonderful, down to earth, and charming people. It was also a pleasure to meet face-to-face winemaker Michael Trujillo after so many years. His wife planned my wedding back in 2001.

Cheers St Helena - this is the first year for this event held the first Friday of each month (starting last month and ending in October). The merchants of St Helena stay open late and most have a winery pouring inside plus many have restaurants providing munchies. Tickets are $5 a taste, $35 for a VIP one night unlimited tastings, or $100 VIP unlimited for the whole season. This is not your run-of-the-mill wine festival. They limit the number of winery participants to 50 local wineries and there is a waiting list to participate. (I know, I'm on it.) This differs as usually these types of events are begging for participants. Sign of the times, I guess.
Highlights:
Scott Harvey Wines - a new one for me. I liked their 2007 Jana Rose (Napa) and their *2005 Old Vines Zinfandel (Amador County)
2006 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee - "hot" nose, but delicious taste
*2005 Venge Vineyards "Scout's Honor" Zinfandel blend
2006 Bouchaine Pinot Noir Carneros
*2007 Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc
2006 Miller Wine Works Grenache Shannon Ridge Vineyard, Lake County - another new one for me. I'm not normally a big Grenache drinker but thought this one was quite attractive
2006 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon - undoubtedly this will be a great wine but it's almost painful to drink now. Honestly, I'm surprised they would choose such a baby to show at this sort of mass venue.

I finished up the evening with the delicious Oysters Bingo and the Brutus Caeser sitting at the bar of Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. One final "new" discovery, 2006 Six Sigma Sauvignon Blanc (Lake County) by the glass and a small taste from a neighbor's bottle of *2006 Inman Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.

And then I slept.

Posted by matchvineyards at June 11, 2009 09:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 26, 2005

Photo: Olive Path

A path lined by hundred-plus year old olive trees crosses the top of Butterdragon Hill.

During the late 1800's, these trees shaded vineyard workers traveling up and down the Napa Valley between St. Helena and Calistoga. Now they welcome us home.

Posted by matchvineyards at April 26, 2005 01:13 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 30, 2004

Tasting some older Bordeaux

• 1975 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (11/30/2004)
  A dull, dark, brownish-red wine gives off earthy aromas of cigar box and forest floor. Dusty tannins are still, as Mr Parker put it in 1996, “angular” but there are notes of rum-soaked black cherries, strong coffee, wood smoke, truffles, menthol, and cedar closet. Will this wine ever resolve in to something better? Perhaps. It seems to be holding it’s own and undergoing little change in the past decade. No rush to open. Could be that better things will come to him who waits. (87 pts.)
• 1989 Château Le Gay - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol (11/29/2004)
  Inky dark, almost black wine -- a fascinating color -- with just a slight orangish browning at the edges. Aromas of leather, pencil shavings, and old wooden furniture but there’s fruit here too: fig, stewed plums, spiced fruit cake. Chunky, chewy tannins beg for even more time. A classy wine that I liked a lot. Only a mid-palate thinness held this one back from a higher score. Hold for another 3 years and then enjoy for years to come. (88 pts.)
• 1966 Château La Mission Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (10/23/2004)
  Not fading, but mature and beautiful. Cedar, leather, spicy fruity. Retains a beautiful red color with little browning. Elegant.
• 1989 Château Chasse-Spleen - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc (3/24/2004)
  Beautiful deep color, no bricking, very clean with medium body. Pretty aromas of raspberry, cherry liqueur, pipe tobacco and pine forest. The flavors of the forest continue with cedar and pine, plus pencil lead, leather, mint, and a racy streak of wild berries. Pleasant acidity with firm, but sweet tannins, and wood smoke. Long finish. This wine is just starting to appear “mature” and while lovely after an hour in the decanter, it hasn’t quite completed the transformation from youthful exuberance to distinguished maturity. Give this one another couple of years and then enjoy for many years to come. (93 pts.)
• 1975 Château Pape Clément - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (3/3/2004)
  Maintaining good color, medium to light red with very little bricking. Musty smell gives way to wet earth and tobacco. After about 15 minutes, the wine reveals currant with pencil lead and river rock flavors. A bit past its prime, but still drinking fine. If anyone has a properly stored magnum, that should be really good. (85 pts.)
• 1970 Château Fourcas Hosten - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Listrac-Médoc (1/12/2004)
  Still good color. Muted nose of herbs and spice. Pencil lead, cedar box, cherry tobacco.
• 1970 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (9/29/2003)
  Had this again last night. This bottle, purchased and stored with the one I enjoyed back in June, was not showing nearly as well. Less body, less fruit, less... well everything. On the downhill slope. NR.
• 1970 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (6/11/2003)
  Superb mature Bordeaux. Elegant, but still vibrant after all these years. Dark brownish red with some amber bricking. Opens with sweet pipe tobacco smoke and cedar. Fantastic things happen in the mouth: black currant, prune, and dried fruit with notes of eucalyptus and tar. But even with these “aged” elements, there is still a youthfulness of sweeter, fresher fruit that emerged about 15 minutes after of decanting and remained for the next 1 1/2 hours. There’s an element of not unpleasant tannins on the finish, but I doubt this wine is going to improve much more. Drink it now while the fruit still leads this parade. (91 pts.)
• 1975 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (6/4/2003)
  Slightly dull, medium ruby color with only slight bricking. Thick full body with long legs. Earthy aromas of tobacco leaf and forest floor. Dusty, tight, stingy tannins but the wine still ekes out a some nice dark plums, menthol, and cedar. Drink now. (88 pts.)
• 1970 Château Beychevelle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (5/30/2003)
  Mid - Bottom shoulder fill. Dark amber, port like color. This bottle was in even worse shape than the one I had a couple of months before. Tar, oaky wood, little else with a quite EtOH nose. NR.
• 1995 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (5/19/2003)
  Way too soon on this one, very backward and tight tannins but I wanted to see how it was developing. Opened up after 2 hours to reveal nice saddle leather, cedar, raspberry, and blueberry fruit. Such a different style of winemaking from the evening’s other wines. I’ll wait at least another 3 years to open another one of these.
• 1970 Château Fourcas Hosten - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Listrac-Médoc (3/21/2003)
  Slightly cloudy red but otherwise I didn’t detect any obvious flaws. Surprisingly youthful nose for a 30+ year old wine with aromas of dark fruit and tobacco. Tasted plum, black cherries, cherry-flavored pipe tobacco, tar, smoke, and pine wood. This wine must have been big when young -- it’s still holding its own. Drink now. (88 pts.)
• 1970 Château Beychevelle - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (3/15/2003)
  Soft and light with a bit of spice, there was very little fruit left, perhaps some plum if one hoped hard enough. The wine still maintains a nice color, but it has certainly seen its better days. Drink now or ten years ago. This bottle’s cork was dry at the core and crumbled on extraction. There was a high shoulder fill. NR.
• 1989 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien (2/23/2003)
  Medium body with a dark ruby color. Aromas of cigar box and asian spices. On the tongue it revealed pleasant, but quite subtle cassis and cherry fruit with a touch of earthy minerals. Medium, balanced finish with some tannins hinting of better things to come. This wine has a bit left in its bag of tricks that should emerge (in a good way) over the next few years. I plan to look for some more. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Posted by matchvineyards at November 30, 2004 04:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 31, 2004

Tasting a few from down under

• 2002 Woop Woop Shiraz - Australia (3/31/2004)
  This wine has taken on some weight since I last had it a year ago. Sweeter fruit, rounder, better integrated flavors. Score for me has jumped 5 points to a strong 88. (88 pts.)
• 2002 Marquis Philips Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, South Eastern (2/9/2004)
  Initial blast of berry aromas, then decanted 3 hours. This bottle is a little more together than my last six months ago. Wave of fruit aromas, backed up by flavors of vanilla cream, cherries, blueberries, and cedar. Oak and tannins are more abrupt and bitter than they should be -- they betray this wine’s rather pedestrian heritage and are the unrefined element keeping this wine from being great. Still, it’s not a bad drink at all for 13 bucks. One more point than last time -- 87 points.
  
  Revisited the remainder of this bottle 24 hours later -- only a point or two better perhaps but much more enjoyable. This wine will definitely benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar but the dilemma is whether to dedicate badly needed cellar space to a sub 90 point wine... (87 pts.)
• 2001 Kangarilla Road Shiraz McLaren Vale - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (11/17/2003)
  No notes. (89 pts.)
• 2002 Marquis Philips Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, South Eastern (8/28/2003)
  Dark garnet, strong ETOH with fruity aromas that became more defined after about an hour in the decanter. This wine smells like the little syrup bottle racks they have at IHOP -- or at least used to -- blueberry in particular. Creamy blueberry, vanilla, medicinal, a touch of oak. This wine seems very disjointed to me. It has the right elements but they are not well integrated giving a sort of a haphazard start, middle, and finish to the wine. Youth? Bottling shock?
  
  Do I consider it a good value? For drinking right now, there are wines available at the price that I would enjoy more. However, this one seems to have a richness that hints of more potential. Sure would have liked to see this one have more time in oak, but then, that would drive up the price. I’ll try another one in a year and see if it was a good deal or not. 86+ pts.
  
  Note: after 24 hours served slightly chilled the various components of the wine have melded a bit better to make it more drinkable alone. The first day it was only enjoyable while eating the lamb and did not complement the rest of the meal or by itself. (86 pts.)
• 2002 Woop Woop Shiraz - Australia (5/22/2003)
  Deep crimson color in the middle with lighter edges. Light body. Lovely sweet cherry nose. Initially tasted of tart cherries soaked in alcohol, oak, wet earth and pebbles. After about an hour in an open bottle, the oak calmed a bit, the cherries tasted sweeter, and I picked up a bit of mocha and raisins. I agree that this makes a nice weekday wine. I enjoyed it with spicy Mexican food and the slight sweetness helped it hold its own. 83 pts. Not bad for $10.99 at a local wine store. (83 pts.)
• 1991 Yarra Yering Shiraz Underhill - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (2/28/2003)
  Almost black. Light bodied with a bizarre stewed tomatoes (Sasha thought it was a fruit) aroma. This oddity carried over on the pallate with an unidentifiable fruit, black pepper, and gamy flavors that flattened out in an unexciting way on the finish. I didn’t finish the bottle, or even my glass. What a waste for $110 dollars on a wine list. I’ll give it an 80 and figure that someone else who knows more about Aussie Shiraz would appreciate it more. (80 pts.)

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Posted by matchvineyards at March 31, 2004 04:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack