Ranting and raving about customer service
In the wine and restaurant industry, I am always amazed when they do not deliver the best possible customer service. I mean, isn't word-of-mouth the key to success? Maybe I'm wrong but I think the new modes of communication (the internet superhighway) have made it easy to spread both good and bad word-of-mouth.
Here are a few recent experiences worth mentioning:
Wine Chateau in New Jersey - I am talking about
new customer acquisition. When the Wine Spectator announced its top 100 wines list, I used
wine-searcher to find low prices on the highest ranked wines. Wine Chateau had the lowest price on the highest rated wine, so I placed an order online. About 7-10 days later, I got a form email saying an order I placed could not be completed. No phone call, no apology... just impersonal. Maybe they thought that I was just a price-based buyer, but they could have taken the opportunity to call me and explain... maybe it would have made me place an order with them in the future.
Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant - this is an example of a company that knows how to
treat all customers well. I have had good experience at this store. They always ask questions and are attentive to customers. I sent an email asking about a wine, and they responded. They didn't go the extra mile in that situation, but they still understand that communication is key. You don't have to treat all customers equally, but treat them all well because you never know when a small customer will become a big fish.
Sushiko - this restaurant in Berkeley needs to take a crash course in customer management, especially
customer loyalty. Customer A orders take out like 5 times in a month... then places an order and you make him wait an extra 20 minutes (45 minutes instead of the quoted 25 minutes) - maybe you should do something for that customer. That was my experience - haven't been back since. If you have competition like they do, you have to always deliver the best experience. Don't lose customers.
Michael Mina - this is an example of a company needing to deliver a high-end experience because they are changing a premium. I had reservations at Michael Mina for my mom's birthday. We were late and they rushed us... not that big of a deal. I think they could have been more flexible, but this was partially our fault. On the other hand, I brought
a wine carrier to the restaurant and gave it to the sommelier. He never returned it. I called as we were driving away and they said they would hold the carrier at the hotel's lost and found. After one trip to the hotel, five phone calls, and multiple broken promises, I still didn't have my carrier. I finally talked to the assisment manager and he admitted they lose the carrier. He offered to make it right with a gift certificate... I declined and said he owed me a favor. I mainly just wanted to be treated well.
And I think that is what most customers want.
Labels: customer service, restaurants, wine
Avery's first visit to a restaurant...
... might as well be
Slanted Door. I am in the business of raising a future gourmand, might as well get her trained as early as possible.
We went down to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market yesterday and we checked to see if there were openings at the Slanted Door. Luckily, they had an opening a little later, so we wandered around the market and returned to the restaurant for lunch.
Walking through the Ferry Plaza every woman wanted to stop us so they could meet Avery. We stopped at Cowgirl Creamery and then checked out the truffles. About $60 a pop, but I think they are worth it once in a while.
We got seated at Slanted Door right when they promised. We tried some old standby dishes like Shaking Beef and Claypot Chicken along with noodle dishes and prawn dishes. The food was great but the tea was pretty cool as well. When the hot water seaps into the tea, it opened like a flower (see picture).
All in all, it was a great lunch and I highly recommend Slanted Door. It gets a lot of hype and I think it is deserved. The food is consistently good, the wine list is spot on for the food, and the setting is pure San Francisco. I used to not recommend it because it is touristy... but I think it is back on that list.
Labels: Avery, restaurants, Slanted Door
Wine 2.0 companies
The wine industry has embraced the Web 2.0 concept. I refuse to call it a trend because I don't want to legitimize buzzwords. Anyway, there are new web-based businesses that are capitalizing on people's willingness to use the web for recommendations.
I have interacted with a few people recently that are starting companies in this space. I get an email daily from
RadCru. While I am still not sure about the scalability of their business model, they seem to offer good wines. I think their objective is to offer wines from small wineries, hopefully introducing consumers to new wines. I have heard good things about the
Cameron Hughes wines they were selling recently. Also, I won a contest for free tickets to the annual
ZAP tasting through them... which
is nice.
Bottle Notes is another company in this space. They are a very smart marketing company - I think they will find success if they nail their product portfolio.
Haas Wine Industry Series... Week 1 Q&A
Here is a list of the questions asked during this session. They were great questions, especially for people just getting introduced to wine. Rod Santos, from
Wine Thieves, did an excellent job answering our questions. In general, he was a classy host for our first class.
I will try to recreate his answers, adding my own in some cases.
How big is a barrel of wine?A typical barrel yields 25 cases of wine which is 300 bottles. This is 225 liters and about 59 gallons.
What is old oak? What does it do? What is the difference from new oak?Old oak can refer to any barrel that is not recently purchased. Usually it refers to an oak barrel that is 2-4 years old. Older barrels are then called neutral barrels. As a barrel gets older it imparts less flavor into the wine. Also, winemakers often use older barrels because they allow the wine to breath, which means oxygen comes in contact with the wine. This can smooth out a wine's acidity or tannic character.
What is the typical mark-up for wine at retail?Wholesalers usually pay about 50% of the winery's MSRP. So if it is $50 at the winery, the wholesaler pays $25. Retailers usually
How much do barrels cost?About $650 for American oak, slightly more for Hungarian oak, and more for French oak (~$800 is typical). More prestigious barrel makers can demand higher prices.
How much does stainless steel cost?Stainless steel fermenters cost about the same as oak barrels, for similar sizes. Larger fermenters vary in price depending on the technology; prices get into the thousands of dollars pretty easily.
What does "dry" mean when describing wine?A wine is dry as long as it does not have any sugar or bubbles in the finished product.
What does "crisp white" mean?Crisp is usually a positive description of a wine's acidity. Some would also call it a "pleasing tartness".
The bottoms of wine bottles are indented/convex... why?Simply, this shape makes them more durable.
What do you think of twist caps?Rod was a major proponent of screw caps. He supported them because he believed it was worth it to avoid corked bottles and it is easier to open.
What is the dripping coming down the side of a glass?Many people refer to these drippings as the wine's "legs". There is a misconception that legs equate to quality. In reality, the legs are just related to alcohol and evaporation. Because alcohol evaporates faster than water and has lower surface tension, the water's surface tension increases. The legs get pushed up the glass until the surface tension pushes the water into beads. The wine that moves up the side of the glass then forms droplets which fall back under their weight.
How long does it take for a cork to dry out?It actually doesn't take very long - most folks recommend storing wine on its side. It will be interesting to see how screw caps impacts this.
What does "still wine" mean?A still wine is a wine without carbon dioxide. I.e. it isn't effervescent or sparkling.
What does "IGT" mean for Italian wine?IGT is the abbreviation for Indicazione Geografica Tipica. The Italian government strictly controls the winemaking methods. DOCs and DOCGs are regulations that are based on specific regions within Italy.
IGT offers regulations, but they are not as strict as the DOCs and DOCGs. Specifically, they are more flexible about winemaking methods and where varietals can be used.
What about sulfites?In the United States, the bottle has to say whether it has sulfites. People will often say they have a negative reaction to sulfites, but most wines have some sulfites. Sulfites are a by-product of the process used to preserve wine while it ferments.
What do you think about Robert Parker?The Wine Advocate and the Wine Spectator are the most influential wine publications in the world. They definitely have an influence on popularity. The positive for Rod: they make it easier to sell wine in many cases. The negative: they can carry a little too much influence for pricing and consumers' choices. The hidden positive: wines that get okay ratings (<90 points) but consumers like can be had for reasonable prices.
Where does the name "shiraz" come from?Shiraz is the name of the town in Iran where it is believed that Syrah was first planted. Genetically, they come from the same grape.
For more answers, I recommend a few resources. Many good websites have glossaries of wine terms. For example, check out
GrapeRadio (also a great source of podcasts on wine). If you are looking for a truly complete reference, I recommend purchasing
Jancis Robinson's The Oxford Companion to Wine.
Labels: Haas, wine
Haas Wine Industry Series... Week 1
As part of my formative MBA education, I am taking a course on the wine industry. The class is student-organized and I will probably be the organizer next year. Each week we bring a person from a different segment of the industry to talk about their work. In addition, we taste wines... of course we taste wines, what kind of wine class would it be without wine tasting.
This post is going to have two parts. I want to talk about the wines we tasted. All of them were inexpensive but easy drinkers. In a separate post, I want to document some of the questions asked by my classmates. Rod Santos from Wine Thieves (an East Bay retail wine store) did an excellent job responding to questions - I'll try to recreate his responses and add a little bit of my own commentary.
- 2005 Laurenz V. Grüner Veltliner Singing - Austria, Niederösterreich (1/24/2007)
My initial impression was very light golden color, clean but slightly water mouthfeel. There was a little toasted almond on the nose, pears in the middle, and a nice tinge of green apple acidity on the finish. Nice wine and accurate representation of Gruner but the wateriness just didn't do it for me.
- 2005 Charles Krug Winery (Peter Mondavi Family) Chardonnay - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros (1/24/2007)
This wine was a light golden color with a rich nose that had a slight tropical tinge. The nose had distinctive tropical aromas of coconut, banana, and a little pineapple (like the acidity of pineapple providing a bit of searing acidity at the end). The mouthfeel was full-bodied but slightly one-dimensional. The highpoint was great acidity on the finish - this is not a flabby California Chardonnay.
- 2003 Tormaresca Puglia IGT - Italy, Puglia, Puglia IGT (1/24/2007)
The first bottle was slightly corked... not awful but I smelled enough wet cardboard to be turned off. As we discussed, this tasted like southern Italian wine - it had a nose of smoke and dried fruit, especially raisins and prunes. There was even an aspect of dried rose petals. The palate had more plums and some berries, and it had a chewy texture. Sweet tannins finished it off - great value wine... I think Tormaresca is one of my favorites.
- 2004 Razor's Edge Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (1/24/2007)
Sweet, sweet, sweet. The nose is sweet with a little meatiness, a little pepper, and a little bit of heat. The mouth is filled with sweet raspberries, vanilla, and creaminess. The tannins on the finish are sweet as well, though they were grainy like a powder.
- 2004 Salentein Malbec - Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco (1/24/2007)
Super easy drinker, sweet plums, and dark fruit. Initially the nose was muted with a touch of minerality. The color was a deep inky color. The oak on the finish mellows the tannins.
Labels: Haas, wine
Strong opinions about Pinot Noir
Among wine writers and wine geeks, nothing draws out opinions like the modern versus traditionalist winemaking debate. And Pinot Noir seems to be ground zero for the debate, based on its rising popularity and its tendency to transmit whatever actions are taken to the wine.
Most opinions either take one extreme or the other... "California doesn't make real Pinot Noir" or "California wines are naturally riper and we should enjoy them". Today I read
an article on winereviewonline.com that essentially takes extreme positions on both sides. The author says that the only real Pinot Noirs are the expensive variety from Premier/Grand Cru Burgundy vineyards or "from top producers in Oregon, New Zealand, and a few cool spots in California."
While I understand where he is coming from - there is a trend towards extremely ripe, monotonous wines from California - his statement is not consumer-friendly. Consumers should not have to pay high prices to drink decent Pinot, and contrary to his generalizations, it exists.
Serving wine... what temperature?
One of the most common mistakes made by wine drinkers (experienced and inexperienced) is serving wine at the wrong temperature. Why does this matter? Well, my limited experience says that you sometimes only get half the wine experience when you serve wine at the wrong temperature. If someone tries a wine at the wrong temperature, he/she might mistake the dislike a great wine.
So what is the right temperature and why?
- To start, a wine coming out of the fridge usually clocks in at 35 degrees; from the cellar it usually is at 60 degrees, and typical room temperature is over 70 degrees.
- For white wines, the ideal temperature is around 50 degrees. This means you should usually take it from your cellar and pop it in the fridge for a short time. If it is starting at room temperature, use an ice bucket to cool it down.
- Red wines should be served around 65 degrees. If served too warm, the alcohol can over-exert itself. If you buy red wine and it is at typical room temperature, dunk it in an ice bucket. If you have a cellar, just open the wine at that temperature and watch it develop.
So, to summarize:
- Do not serve white wines straight out of the fridge; serve red wines slightly chilled.
- Do not be shy about asking restaurants to serve your wine at the correct temperature.
- Chilling can be done very easily with an ice bucket.
- Lighter bodied reds could be served at even lower temperatures.
Good luck!
Labels: education, temperature, wine
Tasting my wines at Crushpad
It was barrel tasting day at Crushpad, so I stopped by to try my wines as well as some of the other barrels being made at Crushpad. I do have some experience tasting out of barrels, but not enough to be able to predict success.
It was interesting to taste so many different wines from many different vineyard sources. There was a lot of diversity in styles, though as a body, they tended to be more modern in style.
When I arrived, the room was filled with people. I am guessing that most of the people who make wine at Crushpad make them with groups, which inflates the number of people at the tasting. I headed straight to the Pinot Noir table, starting with the lightest varietal... though completely forgetting there were white wines available. I gave up on the notetaking early in the evening.
I tasted a bunch of wines at the Pinot table, but none really stood out. The best ones had a balance of acidity and fruit. I was surprised that the Dain samples didn't stand out... it actually is a good thing because it makes it seem like we could all achieve the quality level he is achieving. My Nomadic Wines Pinot Noir had bright raspberry and sour cherry fruit. The mid-palate had great acidity and the finish, while not long, was clean and left a nice taste lingering on the palate.
The LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah that I am making with Jon Favre was whole different ball of wax. Smoky, mocha, coffee, brambly berries... with tannins that are chalky and just shut down your palate by sitting on your tongue and refusing to leave. I know this wine will come around and improve... the question is just how long will it take???
Labels: barrel tasting, Crushpad, Nomadic, Pinot Noir, Syrah, wine
Foreign juice in American wines
So I was at CrushPad earlier this month for the walkaround tasting (where everyone's samples are tables - we, the customers, are trying both our own wines and wines from others).
Anyway, the level of wine sophistication seems to vary from a little geeky to very geeky (like me). I was alone and I mostly eavesdropped into other conversations. One particular conversation caught my ear and I listened to them for a few minutes.
Essentially, two men were talking about non-American wine being included in wines from America. They seemed to be aware that this could happen and they knew that wine
only had to have 75% of its contents from the declared appellation. In fact, that is correct in California, while in Washington/Oregon the requirements are stricter. Rules are also stricter when declaring the county or viticultural area.
What struck me was their (the two men's) expectation that wineries would be honest. They didn't expect this practice would be widespread... but I have the opposite expectation, especially for the large wineries. I doubt that makers of $50 Napa Cabs are mixing in Cabernet from Argentina, but I bet the mass producers use this technique if it saves them costs.
What do you think?
Labels: Crushpad, wine
All wines taste the same... maybe one day
Recently I have been reading opinions about vegetal flaws in wine and the undeniable positive attributes of biodynamic wines.
On one side, there is the perspective that any green tastes or vegetal tastes are flaws derived from unripe grapes. That is one extreme. Another perspective, potentially just as extreme, is that wineries should be non-interventionalists. This point-of-view leads winemakers down the green path of biodynamics.
I have to admit that I am siding more and more with the biodynamic perspective. It is becoming hard to tell where a wine is from because many wines are made in the same modern, ripe style. I still respect the winemakers who are making these modern wines, but I am not interested in buying them. In addition to the monotonous experience this leads to, many of the jammy red wines do not pair well with food.
In reality, I don't think it takes biodynamic farming to make unique wines. Winemakers can make wine that is neither under-ripe nor over-ripe. The problem is that the current trend is towards erring on the side of over-ripe, high alcohol wines. No doubt this is consumer-driven, but I would like to see this change and if the biodynamic movement helps... that doesn't seem so bad.
Labels: biodynamic, editorial, wine
Dinner at the local Burmese spot - a wine list find
Flo and I decided to get dinner in Rockridge and we settled on Nan Yang. I had seen that they got an award for their wine list, so I was optimistic. Once we arrived... I was disappointed. A few random finds on there (Edmunds St. John) but not very good prices. Eventually, I spotted the 2000 Alban Rousanne. I asked to see the bottle to make sure it was Alban (as opposed to Ojai or some other producer using Alban fruit). It was in fact the correct bottle... dismissing my concerns about storage, I decided to give it a try because of the price.
Dinner was also tasty. We started with samosas that were a cross between Indian samosas (the filling) and egg rolls (the wrapper). The curry spice in the curry noodles was great. The lamb curry had great flavor. We enjoyed the meal all around.
2000 Alban Vineyards Roussanne Estate - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (1/4/2007)
Interesting bottle of wine - caramel color with a slight green tinge. Initially, whiffs of peach and lemon. The palate is full-bodied and sweet, with notes of honey and of light oakiness. The finish has a metallic sour note which detracts despite the length.
(Not a great picture, but I think it is different than the new label.)
Labels: Alban, California, Central Coast, restaurants, wine
Visiting the actual wineries
Having just returned from wine country, I was reading an article about seven vineyards that are worth visiting.
The article is on the Wine Enthusiast website.
While I have no idea how they chose those seven vineyards, I agreed with the sentiment of the article. Visiting vineyards is a must for anyone interested in wine. If you are learning about the winemaking process, visiting a winery takes you straight up the learning curve. When you can sit down with the winemaker and ask her/him questions, you really internalize the process. If you can do it in the vineyard... even better.
During our last trip, we sat down with Kathleen Inman from Inman Family Wines. Even during the holidays, she spent at least two hours with us. It was a great afternoon - we learned about her philospohies and the decisions she makes in the vineyard. I recommend her wines, just based on her commitment to making a product that fits her vision.
If I was going to write an article about visiting vineyards, unfortunately my experience is limited. Here are two lists - the first is my favorite vineyards and the second is a list of vineyards I would like to visit.
My favorites:
1. The caves along the Loire River. These old caves are technically not vineyards, but they are unique. They were built long ago to store the wine and now are often the spots where you can meet the winemakers and taste their wines.
2. The steep hillside vineyards in the Wachau.
3. The rolling hills surrounding Montalcino.
3. The Russian River Valley - I have specific memories of the vineyards at the Hartford vineyard but I am sure there are more pictaresque settings.
Places I would like to visit:
1. The Bone Rock vineyard made famous by Saxum syrahs.
2. The Hirsch vineyard - the veteran Sonoma Coast vineyard (true Sonoma Coast).
3. The Mosel in Germany - the steep slopes are legendary.
4. La Crau - the Chateauneuf vineyard where many great wines are made from.
I am sure I am forgetting some memorable spots, but these vineyards came to mind first. I hope others can recommend their favorites for my future travels.
Labels: travel, vineyards, wine
Trip to Sonoma
I took a relaxing trip to Sonoma with my wife and my parents. We didn't pack the schedule with appointments, but we did visit a few wineries and we drank some nice wine with dinners. By the end of the trip, I realized that I almost always visit Pinot producers, in Sonoma, who make wine in warehouses. I am going to concentrate some effort on visiting more traditional wineries (still small) in Napa, just to explore more diverse wineries.
December 27, 2006
Inman Family Wines with Kathleen Inman- 2005 Inman Family Pinot Grigio – strong acidity, pear, pear skins, and citrus peel. Nice finish. The pear is strongest on the finish, with a nice variation between fleshy fruit and acidity.
- 2004 Inman Family OGV Pinot Noir – nose of deep cherry and spicebox flavors. Tart cherry and cranberry on the palate.
- 2005 Inman Family OGV Late Harvest Pinot Grigio – very light with low alcohol (tasted like 8-10%). I tasted lemon peel and fresh pear – it is very fresh overall, not cloying at all. Some light nuttiness on the finish add another dimension. The finish has a little acidity, but there is a little flabbiness… the rest of the wine is so nice; the finish is just a notch below.
- 2003 Inman Family Olivet Grange Pinot – purer fruit, more earth, grainier tannins, less spice, and strawberry.
- 2005 Inman Family OGV Pinot Noir (from 375 mL) – little bit of cola, clove, deep dark cherry. It has high acidity and it is more floral than the other vintages… the vines are clearly maturing and yielding darker fruit flavors.
Kathleen was an extremely gracious host. She spent the entire afternoon with us, drinking wine and talking about her winery. She planted her estate winery in 2000 so the vines are still young. She is learning a lot quickly, so I only expect the wines to get better. We talked about yields in her winery as well as the Klopp vineyard (she got fruit from them in 2006), mentorship from fellow winemakers, and how she runs the business. A wonderful visit and I am looking forward to when she has a tasting room on her property.
Dinner at the girl & the fig- 2003 Château de la Gardine Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/27/2006)
($60 off the list)
Raspberry, bing cherry, tar, anise… smooth wine but grainy tannins. There was a little heat/spice on the finish which reminds me of peppercorn. The tannins were in balance, drying the mouth slightly, and lingering on the mouth.
- 2005 Mark Ryan Chardonnay - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (12/27/2006)
(brought with us)
Coconut, lemon, creamy, vanilla… there is a touch of butter and oak with a finish that was like the oils from lemon peel. Nice wine (though less powerful Ramey from the next day) and a good match with my scallops/butternut squash entrée.
This turned out to be the best meal of the trip. The food wasn't "wow" kind of food, but I thought it was good value and well-executed. The balley-hooed fig salad wasn't exciting; maybe it would be more exciting when fresh figs are in-season.
December 28, 2006
Carlisle Winery with Mike OfficerWe arrived 20 minutes late for our appointment with Mike. If you go to visit them, I recommend getting directions from Mike... because the last little bit is tricky. Since we were late and Mike had to pick up his son at practice, we just tasted about five wines from barrel.
- 2005 Carlisle Dry Creek Zinfandel (Teldeschi, Goldmine, and ?) – an elegant Zin… i.e. not truly elegant, but well-structured and feminine. Nice wine – I’ll be looking for this one.
- 2005 Carlisle Goldmine Zinfandel – harder with more heat and fruit… this just lacked any of the elegance that the blend had.
- 2005 Carlisle Pietro’s Vineyard – blend of everything from vineyard, in 2005 all picked at the same time. We talked about Alicante as a varietal – it provides a lot of dark color and depth. I’m not even sure how much Alicante was in this vineyard but it was interesting to learn about it.
- 2005 Carlisle Bennett Valley Syrah – the most northern Rhone of the Syrahs and I think Mike said it is the lowest alcohol. Nice cool climate Syrah.
- 2005 Carlisle Papa’s Block Syrah – this had fruit up-front, but green olive on the finish. This wasn’t my favorite that day.
- 2005 Carlisle Russian River Valley Syrah (Parsons Vineyard) – dominated by blackberry and other black fruit, though the alcohol and tannins seemed to be well-knit. Pleasure wine.
- 2005 Carlisle Knights Valley Syrah – soft tannins, black fruit, vanilla… this was the new modern California style that many winemakers are focused on.
Mike answered a lot of questions. When asking Mike which Syrah was his favorite, he gave a very tactful (and intelligent) response – it was nice in 2005 to be able to make a range of wines.
I was also interested to hear his take on vineyard designation – he thinks the practice is abused and he prefers to use it when he has to or when he thinks it actually adds value.
Mike has a great grasp of winemaking, so it is easy for him to answer questions. It was nice to visit right before I get the mailer, so that now I know which wines I want to purchase.
Siduri with Kate Noble- 2005 Novy Chardonnay – fruity with a small bit of oak
- 2005 Siduri Sonatera Vineyard Pinot Noir – earthy spices, lush cherry, great balance already, pure red fruit. Stunning at a young age.
- 2005 Siduri Sapphire Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir – mushroom, bigger wine (less elegant than the Sonatera), dark cherry, and a low fruit tone finish (not ideal).
- 2005 Siduri Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir – high acidity, tart, and seems to be coming together slowly. This is definitely an awkward stage, even though I am always more of a Garys’ Syrah fan.
- 2005 Siduri Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir – strange effervescence is accompanied by creaminess. Lots of red fruit… maybe even more awkward than the Garys’ at this point.
- 2005 Siduri Cargasacchi Vineyard Pinot Noir – fruit forward and more fruit on the finish. A little simple but definitely a fun wine and a great example of SRH Pinot.
- 2004 Novy Amber Ridge Vineyard Syrah – crushed berries and chocolate, with a very clean finish. I enjoyed this wine and I bought a bottle because it is an Amber Ridge.
(from tank)
- 2005 Novy Sonoma County Syrah – pretty color, fruit forward, long finish = recipe for a great $20 California Syrah.
- 2005 Novy Rosella’s Vineyard Syrah – smokey, ashen, licorice… looking forward to seeing where this goes.
- 2005 Novy Christensen Vineyard Syrah – white pepper, green pepper, and maybe some black pepper… seriously, not as pepper-y as the 2004 but this isn’t my cup of tea. I think other people really like this because it is well-made and consistent from vintage to vintage.
Dinner at Café La Haye- 2004 Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (12/28/2006)
($33 for 375 mL on list)
Delicious Chardonnay with nuttiness, lemon, subtle oak, peach, saltiness, and slight tinge of smokiness. There was nice oily acidity on the finish.
- 2004 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir Cahill Lane - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (12/28/2006)
($60 on list)
Feminine, sexy cherry, with very soft tannins. The finish lingers for a long time. Along with the Sonatera, best Pinot of the trip. As it opens, sweet mushrooms come out and it becomes silkier. Interesting color – deep, deep red color.
The food was a little busy, but the good overall. The wine list is impressive. It would be nice to have a dinner there where we opened a few bottles off their list - they had great prices of SQN, Shafer Hillside Select, and a few other hard-to-find wines.
December 29, 2006
Merry Edwards Winery with JackieWe started by talking about Merry and her history, which has been well-documented. I think PinotFile did a great job discussing the history. They have an artist’s rendering of their new facility at the Coopersmith Vineyard. (Coopersmith is the last name of Merry’s husband.) Looks like a nice, modern facility but integrated nicely into the landscape.
- 2004 Merry Edwards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir – cinnamon, cherry, pure in a simple sense. After tasting the Klopp, we could taste the difference especially on the finish (even though this was 50% Klopp fruit).
- 2004 Merry Edwards Klopp Ranch Pinot Noir – plum, black cherry, sweet fruit, and a long finish. Not my style, but extremely well-made.
- 2004 Merry Edwards Meredith Estate Pinot Noir – the label says Sonoma Coast but it is more like Russian River Valley – it is a masculine wine. Compared to the Klopp, it is silkier, less tannins (though grainy), and lighter bodied. I tasted red berries and cherry, though the wine seemed a little dumb and continued to close while in the glass.
- 2005 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc – tart peach on the nose with fleshy fruit upfront; I got grapefruit on the finish with a little brown sugar.
Dinner at Redd- 2004 Peay Vineyards Syrah La Bruma - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (12/29/2006)
($78 on list)
Darker purple than I remember… pretty much opaque. This is my type of Cali Syrah… meaty, blueberry, smokey on the nose. The palate is filled with iodine and bacon fat. This is a complex wine that maintained its strength over the next two hours. My dad found it to be thin, but I think it just lacked the jammy fruit he was looking out for.
- 2005 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Crau - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/29/2006)
($76 on list)
Translucent with a yellow tint, it started with a ripe nose of citrus and pears; it evolved into caramel, honey, and candied peach. After about 1.5 hours, I tasted fresh fig and melon. By the end of the bottle, it was back to citrus.
December 30, 2006
Lynmar Winery tastingThere was an
interesting article today about Lynmar. I had hoped to meet a winemaker or taste more wines, but I guess we arrived early. Next time I will call ahead because even though tasting room is beautiful, the people in the room didn't seem to want us there.
- 2005 Lynmar Russian River Valley Chardonnay – more citrusy with a touch of spice on the palate. Tasted pear and a slight touch of butter, but not as much oak.
- 2004 Lynmar Quail Hill Chardonnay – estate grown fruit is masked a little by toasty new oak. The wine still showed peach on the nose and creaminess.
- 2004 Lynmar Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley blend is bright red cherry all-around with some candied notes. Smelled a little raspberry on the nose and it is floral. An average Pinot for the price.
- 2004 Lynmar Syrah – another blend from RRV fruit, it was ashy and smoky on the nose with some gaminess. The palate had relatively strong acidity, green olive, and chalky tannins. I am interested to see how this develops because it needs a little more time.
Labels: Chardonnay, family, Pinot Noir, restaurants, Sonoma, wine
Dinner at home with McClure
McClure just got back from Thailand/India... while he regaled us with exciting stories, he also brought a tasty bottle of wine. We had pork loin with a middle eastern spice rub, green beans with toasted almonds, and good old-fashioned mashed potatoes.
2003 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (1/2/2007)
I was surprised by its elegance. We popped and poured into a decanter - the bottle was cellar temperature when my friend arrived. Initially we got a nose of tobacco and black cherry, but the palate was elegantly filled with plum and currant. We had the bottle open and in the decanter for a couple hours... towards the end of the night it showed some floral notes on the nose (rose) and the finish had closed down a little. In general, this was a very smooth wine with sweet tannins and delicious black fruit.
After finishing the Tig, we re-visited the Bollinger from New Year's Eve. It still had nice fruit and yeastiness, but not in perfect harmony.
Labels: friends, Italy, super-tuscan, wine
New Year's Eve with the 'rents
Yesterday, as my wife is ~2 weeks from her due date, we decided to take it easy for New Year's Eve. I started in the afternoon by opening a Garagiste selection (the Pasanau) with some cheese and salume. I'm not sure if it is a great wine, but I would consider it a successful purchase.
2003 Pasanau Priorat Ceps Nous - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (12/31/2006)
Fresh and focused like a good Cotes du Rhone. Aromas of berries and bacon, with a palate that is lush with cherries and some kirsch. There is minerality on the finish, which lasts about 10 seconds. (On the second day, it is still holding up with some black pepper really shining through).With dinner of bluenose bass (with ginger-shitaki sauce), green beens, and mashed potatoes... we opened a special old bottle of champagne. Overall it was more youthful than I expected but not quite a wow wine.
1976 Bollinger Champagne Grand Année Rosé - France, Champagne (12/31/2006)
Youthful, full-bodied champagne. The color is pink/brown color and there was a lot of sediment. Sweet red fruit (strawberry, cherry) but not cloying. It showed a lot of breadiness. Complex wine but not sure it was coming together well at this stage; it probably could have benefited from the right food pairing.As we were finishing dinner, I opened another Garagiste purchase.
2002 Porter's Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough (12/31/2006)
Intense, modern, delicious Pinot Noir from NZ. Big ripe strawberries and some cherry undertones... that's about as much complexity as I could identify at this time. My mom asked if this was really Pinot, but both she and my dad really enjoyed this modern NZ Pinot. This wine could have been Chambolle from a ripe vintage, so it was somewhere between the big Cali Pinots and ripe Burgundies. It had some acidity and structure, so I will let the other 2 bottles sleep for another year.The second day, the Porter's had maintained the sweet red fruit but some secondary characteristics developed - sour cherry, tobacco, and a little earthiness. I don't think it has the stuffing to age but it is very pleasurable for wine drinkers that like the style.
