January 7, 2009

Making a Case for the Languedoc

I am very impressed now with two reds from Domaine de Nizas in the south of France.

The domain is owned by American John Goelet, who also owns Clos du Val of California's Napa Valley. The property is near the village of Nizas in the Languedoc region. Unlike some other Languedoc producers who manage vast vineyards and churn out inexpensive, drinkable industrial wines, Domaine de Nizas is modeled along the lines of a Bordeaux chateau.

There they churn out inexpensive, drinkable estate wines that are several cuts above the grocery store plonk that has held the Languedoc's reputation in check. This is a part of France that can and does make a number of very exciting, cellarw-worthy wines.

I'm not ready yet to compare Domaine de Nizas with an Languedoc icon such as Mas Jullien, but Domaine de Nizas is at least in the neighborhood. The two reds I sampled this past week -- 2007 Le Mas Rouge ($14) and 2006 Vieilles Vignes Carignan ($16) -- are both inviting, sumptuous and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Carignan is the stunner of the two, exhibiting lush red fruit and aromas of savory herbs. There is an exciting thread of minerality in both wines. Are they wines for the ages? Not really. But I expect both to evolve nicely over the next five to seven years, and deliver a fair amount of pleasure every step of the way.

Around the Web

Steve Heimoff, west coast editor of Wine Enthusiast, has an interesting blog item about the French studying techniques to produce lower alcohol wines.

He makes a comparison with California, of course, where higher alc levels have been the trend.

Like Steve, I'm not necessarily against all of the big-shouldered wines. I like some (the Two Hands wines quickly come to mind) and I don't like some. But in general I believe I prefer more elegant wines and thus drink more white Burgundy than, say, California or Aussie Chardonnay.

I do think it behooves the industry to check out anything, such as new yeast strains, that subdues the conversion of sugar to alcohol during fermentation, and techniques for de-alcoholizing finished wines. Although Steve doesn't mention it, I believe the changing laws in France may have something to do with the French interest in this subject.

The maximum blood-alcohol level permitted when driving in France is .05, and the police are very strict. It wouldn't take too many glasses of a 16 percent alc wine to put you over the limit. Anyway, Heimoff's blog is worth a read.  Click here and scroll down to the Jan 6 entry.

January 6, 2010

Early 2010 Winners,  and Losers

I've started the New Year with a couple of superb wines and one surprising clunker.

First, the good stuff. Couple of nights ago I broke out an older California red, the 2001 Rodney Strong Symmetry. Though it had clearly evolved into a mature Cab, there was plenty of luscious primary black cherry fruit, with notes of mocha and mint. The wine was full-bodied and rich without going over the top, exhibiting an elegance and balance that has been a staple of RS wines all the way back to the days when the late Rodney himself made them.

I was pleasantly surprised because I haven't liked every vintage of Symmetry, finding some of them showing too much wood for my taste. The '01 is a stellar wine, however, and I'm happy that I have another bottle, for this wine will hold its peak for another eight to ten years by my guestimation.

It was a reminder, too, that collectors don't necessarily have to look to Napa to find cellar-worthy California red meritage wines. The current vintage of Symmetry is listed at $60 and can be purchased from the Rodney Strong website, although I've seen the same wine in the $45 range elsewhere on the internet.

I also very much enjoyed the Soquel Vineyards 2006 Garvey Family Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($75). Soquel is a small winery located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They entered the Garvey Family Cab in the '09 San Diego International Wine Competition, where it took a gold medal.

This is a big-time Napa Cab, full-bodied and muscular, yet with elegant tannins and a smooth, lingering finish. It exhibits layers of black fruit, with back notes of chocolate, spice and a hint of oak vanillin. This one's a keeper that will cellar nicely for at least another decade. Perfect with a grilled steak!

My disappointment was the 2007 Hogue Reserve Chardonnay from Washington's Yakima Valley. I generally like Hogue wines and have always admired their crisp, fresh whites such as Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The reserve Chard, however, lost me quickly with the first whiff of oak. It was a struggle to identify the fruit, but worse than that the wine was just plain flabby.

I know Hogue can do better. At least I hope so.

Around the Web

Wine Review Online columnist Linda Murphy has an excellent piece on the demise of Sauvignon Republic, the single-minded winery that had been dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc. I'm an avid consumer of Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Republic was one of my favorites. So the news was extremely sad. On the other hand, Trader Joe's was blowing out the back inventory for $6.99 a bottle, which is a steal.

In the same issue, just posted, Ed McCarthy (the Wine for Dummies guy) takes a look at Italian reds and Marguerite Thomas singles out Mendocino Wine Company as her producer of the year.

Of course, there are plenty of new wine reviews, too!

December 22, 2009

2009: Memories to Savor

Before we put the 2009 vintage to bed, I'm inclined to savor a few of the memories from a very good year in wine and food.

My singular highlight was cruising the tapas bars of San Sebastian and enjoying the regional wines of Rioja and Navarra out of beer glasses at one to two euro a pour. Taken with the incredible Basque cuisine of that charming seaside resort in northern Spain, life simply doesn't get much better.

I made four separate journeys to San Sebastian in the year about to end, yet I crave more. I even enjoyed the six-hour odyssey by train from Madrid. Side trips to Pamplona and Bilbao were keepers, too. Twice I dined at Bilbao's Kate Zaharra, high in the hills overlooking the city, and each visit was memorable.

Lunch at the Michelin three-star Martin Berasatagui in July was the culinary event of my lifetime. I don't believe there is a better restaurant on the planet.

Then there were the wines of the year. Imagine a Petite Sirah taking Wine of the Year at the Critics Challenge. The Clayhouse Petite was truly a stunning wine. It had to be to win over all of those wine critics with decidedly European palates.

It was a fantastic year for California Pinot Noir, as well. Upstarts such as Sojourn, Black Kite and ROAR dominated the conversation, and rightly so. Black Kite, an exciting property in Mendocino's Anderson Valley, is perhaps producing the finest Pinot Noir in the New World.

Monterey County's Ventana Vineyards ran the table at the most important wine competitions in the West, achieving impressive triumphs in tasting after tasting with a superb Riesling, the red Rhone blend Rubystone, and an Alsace-style Gewurztraminer. Winemaker Reggie Hammond should be on everyone's short list for winemaker of the year.

I have special kudos for another Central Coast winemaker, and that's Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon. Randall simply doesn't get enough credit for the consistently high quality of the Bonny Doon wines, and that's largely because Randall never caved in to the conventional wisdom and chased high scores with over-the-top, uber-ripe, high-alcohol wines.

Instead he made balanced wines that certainly exhibited plenty of fruit, but also left room for earthy minerality and subtle aroma and flavor nuances. His Le Posseur Syrah is a California gem and it retails, like the fab Ventana wines, for well under $20 a bottle.

Late in the year I was absolutely blown away by two wines from the new Sonoma Coast winery Freestone, which is owned by the Joseph Phelps clan. Freestone's estate Chardonnay and Pastorale Vineyard Chardonnay are both amazing wines, though I rated the Pastorale (98 points) slightly higher than the Estate (95 points).

These wines are not cheap at $100 and $75 per bottle, but they are stunning and unique. California Chardonnay, indeed New World Chardonnay, doesn't get any better.

These are the things I will remember from what turned out to be a very, very good year.

November 22, 2009

Choosing the Thanksgiving Wine(s)

Although I've opined recently on the topic of wines for Thanksgiving (click the "Columns" button to view my Wine Talk columns over at the Creators Syndicate), I would be remiss if I failed to leave some thoughts in this space.

First let me stress that there is no one wine that will serve all of your needs at the Thanksgiving feast, with its array of savory and sweet aromas, not to mention the aperitif requirements as guests arrive hours before the big event.

I typically put out a selection of foreplay wines such as prosecco, dry rose, crisp sauvignon and/or gruner veltliner, and perhaps a slightly off-dry moscato d'Asti or domestic gewurztraminer. If I decide to serve a rose, I always serve it first, otherwise no one touches it. We are still a nation that believes rose wines lack sophistication, though we've made progress on that score in recent years.

When the big moment arrives I take care that all diners have multiple wine glasses because I'm going to encourage them to try both a red and white with the bird. I favor pinot noir for the red and chardonnay for the white, although I'll often supplement the red options with a really juicy dolcetto or cru Beaujolais and the white options with an oily gewruz from Alsace or a lovely Italian white such as Falanghina or Fiano.

Of course, you should ultimately drink what you like and what you can afford, but for those seeking guidance, this is how I will go about choosing the wines for what promises to be another glorious Thanksgiving feast!

November 18, 2009

Consumer Demand Blunts Crisis

Seems hardly a day goes by that I don’t encounter another tale of misery and financial pain in the wine industry. The pain is real, and I suspect it will get worse before it gets better.

Vineyard values, winery values, grape prices, even the price of an ordinary bottle of Cabernet rode the dotcom bubble and housing bubble to unsustainable levels. There is a reluctance to accept the new reality: Few wine-related assets are worth now what they were a year ago. The pain I observe most is the anguish of falling prices set against the hopeless struggle to maintain unrealistic price points.

I’m so over it. Time to move on. While it’s true the ground shifted underneath the wine industry, the world didn’t come to an end. Everyday people continue to drink wine, and some recent numbers point to a robust recovery. Winebusiness.com reports, for example, that domestic wine sales rose seven percent in October, the second consecutive month they’ve seen an increase. And the October sales figures were four percent greater than those from the same period one year ago.

The sky is not falling. Americans who’ve taken their lumps in the financial and real estate markets haven’t abandoned their love affair with wine. They are merely being careful and buying smarter.

So as we barrel toward Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to take a step back and consider the positives rather than dwell on the negatives.

(Click here to continue reading this column)

November 3, 2009

Soliloquy kicks it up a notch

I've always admired the Flora Springs wines, particularly Trilogy, the winery's red Bordeaux-style blend. And a number of vintages of the cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese and barrel-fermented chardonnay have been exceptional as well. I'd always believed the Flora Springs Soliloquy, a 100-percent sauvignon blanc, was a very good wine, too, but a step behind the best stuff Flora Springs had to offer.

So I'm intrigued by the new release of Soliloquy, the 2008 vintage, which is the 19th since its inception in 1989. The wine has changed, and for the better to my way of thinking. The old Soliloquy was always good, but seldom great. The new Soliloquy has the potential for greatness, and could become one of the finest sauvignons produced in the Napa Valley.

The eveolution takes Soliloquy in the direction of a white Graves, such as Domaine de Chevalier or Smith Haut-Lafite. The fruit is more vibrant and floral, with seductive aromas of white peach and citrus, exceptional length and a refreshing tinge of minerality.

I review the wine in this week's Creators Syndicate 'Wine Talk' column, and later in the week at Wine Review Online. But I was so impressed with the new Soliloquy that I thought I would share the review here as well.

Flora Springs 2008 Soliloquy Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Oakville ($20) — There is something about the Flora Springs Soliloquy that has changed, and it's more that the updated label, which for the first time proclaims Soliloquy is in fact a Sauvignon Blanc and that it's a vineyard-designate from the recently minted Oakville sub-appellation of the Napa Valley. The '08 is the 19th vintage of Soliloquy, and it's still made in the same way it was when the first vintage was produced in 1989: fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged sur lie in 1600-gallon Slovenian oak ovals. The wooden tanks are neutral and do not impart any of the flavors associated with oak aging, so Soliloquy is the same fresh, crisp, clean Sauvignon now as it was then? Not exactly. The aroma profile, to my palate, has changed. Once upon a time, there was a strong fig and melon component to Soliloquy that was unique for a Napa Sauvignon. This new edition of Soliloquy delivers far more appealing white peach and mineral notes that are in keeping with the trend in the valley toward Sauvignons that reflect more of a Graves (the region in Bordeaux famous for its white wine) style. This places Soliloquy squarely at the top of the Napa Valley's Sauvignon Blanc camp, alongside other notable Sauvignons such as Spottswoode. It's fresh and clean and elegant, with exceptional mouthfeel and a long, lingering finish. Perhaps there have been changes in the vineyard. I don't know. What I do know is this is the finest Soliloquy I have ever tasted. Rating: 94.

October 19, 2009

Myers, Beaulac on board 
for Winemaker Challenge

I never dreamed when I set out to round up judges for the first Winemaker Challenge International Wine Competition that I would end up with such an accomplished group.

For one thing, I knew the dates in late January might pose a schedule conflict for many of the winemakers I wanted. It's at that time of the year, just after the holidays and while the vineyards are dormant, that winemakers hit the road for all-important visits to far-flung markets.

I missed out on Eileen Crane of Domaine Carneros and Christian Roguenant of Baileyana for just that reason. Still, I persevered, and last week just about put the finishing touches on the cast of winemakers for Winemaker Challenge, a wine competition in which all of the judges are winemakers.

To the stellar group already assembled we added Janet Myers and Michael Beaulac, two of the brightest stars in the Napa Valley. Janet makes the wines at Mount Veeder Vineyards and Franciscan, and Michael only last April took the reins at Pine Ridge following stints at St. Supery, Markham and Murphy-Goode.

More winemakers could be added as the competition nears, but for now I feel very good about the number of judges and the extraordinary level of winemaking talent we've assembled. Click here to view the complete list of winemakers for the 2010 Winemaker Challenge.

My goal with the Challenge series of wine competitions, and this includes the Critics Challenge and Sommelier Challenge, is to provide impeccable wine evaluations from credible professionals -- and thus, wine judgings that are second to none.

I firmly believe we're almost there!

September 24, 2009 Burgundy No, Grand Cru Yes I always cringe a bit when anyone attempts to draw parallels between New World Pinot Noir and red Burgundy. There are but a handful of exceptional terroirs for Pinot outside of Burgundy – Oregon, coastal California, New Zealand’s south island, and a narrow patch of Australia from Victoria to Tasmania – and each produces wines that are unique, and outstanding in their own right. Few measure up, however, when compared to grand cru Burgundy, the pinnacle of Pinot Noir excellence. That rare combination of elegant tannin, powerful structure, remarkable depth, penetrating aroma and delicate nuance would seem to be the private domain of the great grand cru vineyards of the Cote d’Or. There are exceptions, of course, and our intrepid W. Blake Gray stumbled into one recently, which is the subject of his WRO column this month. The 12-acre Anderson Valley vineyard of Black Kite Cellars, I would argue, is the equivalent of a Burgundian grand cru. It is, quite simply, one of the most spectacular pinot noir vineyards in the New World. I discovered Black Kite a little more than three years ago, after winemaker Jeff Gaffner’s first vintage. The Black Kite Pinots were amazing then; they are just as good, maybe better now. I recently tasted through the entire lineup – the vineyard is divided into several distinct blocks – and will publish my reviews over the next few weeks. One wine really blew me away, though: the 2007 Angel Hawk ($75, 97 points). This is a new wine for Black Kite, and only 73 cases were made. “I cherry-picked from the individual blocks to make Angel Hawk,” Gaffner told me recently. Much as I hate to admit this, I closed my eyes and let my imagination wander . . . La Tache, Griotte-Chambertin, Le Romanee, Richebourg . . . indeed, Black Kite Angel Hawk is that good.

September 21, 2009 

Winemaker Challenge Nabs James Hall

One of the driving principles of my new "Challenge" series of wine competitions is to deliver a level of skill in judging that is beyond reproach. That means I look for the best possible judges -- wine professionals I respect and admire -- and work overtime to recruit them to the team.

So I was pleased when I landed winemaker James Hall late last week for the Winemaker Challenge in January. James has been on a roll these past four to five vintages, knocking out some of the finest pinots and chardonnays California has ever seen at the Patz & Hall winery.

What I like about James Hall is that he really gets it, unlike some in the profession who believe winemaking is a test of who can get their grapes ripest before picking. Hall understands great wines must have a balance between fruit, acid, sugar, tannin and wood. It wasn't always thus at Patz & Hall, which once upon a time sent forth some of the richest, creamiest chardonnays on the planet.

A few years back Hall changed course, striving for wines that were a reflection of their vineyards, literal expressions of the various sites where Patz & Hall grapes are grown. Overripe grapes tend to lose that. Wines made from such fruit can often be yummy, but they tend to all taste the same.

Hall now has it dialed in. The Patz & Hall wines are now consistently good in epic proportions. If Sonoma County wines were classified in any way, everything Patz & Hall makes would surely be premier and grand cru.

Wineries that enter the Winemaker Challenge can take comfort in the knowledge that our judges are cutting edge.

September 18, 2009 

Market for expensive wine corrects itself

A wine industry financial symposium conducted Thursday in Napa attempted to make sense of today's chaotic wine market. Mostly it demonstrated that no one, not even the experts, really knows what lies ahead. Jim Gordon had an excellent report for  Wine & Vines, but I have my own thoughts on the crisis, and it is indeed a crisis.

A crisis not only for those who produce expensive luxury wines, but everyone else down the line, including many grape growers who are in a panic to sell tons of grapes that will need to be picked soon -- with no buyers in sight.

There is no doubt that consumers have abandoned the high end, or "traded down" as many in the wine industry describe it. The unsold inventory of expensive wines became so staggering over the summer that prices began to plunge.

I've often used the example of Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, which recently sold for more than $100 a bottle wholesale, nearly $200 retail. I know retailers who are now buying the same wine for $65 with plans to sell it for as little as $85. Yet it's not only the luxury wines that are taking a hit. Steep discounts are now routine at nearly every price point.

Think about it. If you had a kick-ass Napa cab you were selling for $75, but Caymus Special Selection was now available for nearly the same price, wouldn't you be compelled to lower your price or run the risk of being shoved aside? Indeed, the price is dropping at that price point as well.

So now you have a $50 cab that's trying to compete with wines that only a month ago were being sold for $75 and $80. You have no choice but to lower your price. Why? Because the wine merchant and restaurant wine buyer now expect it.

"Even at $30 a bottle, it's difficult to sell wine," Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm told me recently. "Everybody is looking for a big discount."

On and on it goes, a downward spiral in prices triggered by the crash of the housing and credit markets. The big question at the Napa financial forum was whether or not consumers would return to more expensive wines after the recession ends. Nobody knows. That was obvious when half the industry experts polled said yes, and half said no.

Here's my take, and it's based strictly on anecdotal evidence. Malbec from Argentina is big now. It's one of the wines consumers turned to after the bottom fell out of housing. It's very good and getting better every vintage (that's another story) and it's priced just right, in the $12-$20 range.

I can't tell you how many folks I know with big wine cellars have expressed their surprise and delight with the malbecs they've tasted over the past eight months. The quality and satisfaction has been a revelation to them. It is my belief that when these folks weigh their options in the future -- let's see, do I buy this $18 malbec or this $60 cab? hmmm -- they will do the no-brainer and buy the malbec.

Same with Prosecco from northen Italy's Veneto region. It's tasty and cheap. Even California sparkling wine is a value when compared to the price of Champagne, which also has the added handicap of a falling dollar versus the euro. That and a stubborn decision to hold the price despite an ocean of old inventory sitting in the warehouse.

One thing I've learned from my readers during this recession is that they haven't gone thirsty despite tighter budgets, and they are generally happy with the quality they've found at the lower price points. This doesn't bode well for higher prices in the near future.

I firmly believe common sense has returned to the consumption of wine. Legions of everyday wine enthusiasts have learned they can drink well for less. I really don't think those folks will return to profligate spending on wine anytime soon, if ever.

So my advice to my friends in the wine biz is simple: Lower your expectations; and if you are determined to hold the line on price, know that the wine had better be very good, and distinctive in some way. We had far too many cookie-cutter cabs at $50 and up a bottle. It now seems the market for those wines has corrected itself.

September 17, 2009

Legendary pinot noir producer Merry Edwards
will judge at debut Winemaker Challenge

The Winemaker Challenge in January will close the loop on my new 'Challenge' series of wine competitions. The others are the extraordinarily successful Critics Challenge, with the seventh of those coming up at the end of May, and the gleaming new Sommelier Challenge, which is less than two weeks away.

The Winemaker Challenge "twist" is that all of the judges will be winemakers. So I've been hot on the trail of a few of my favorites these past couple of weeks and today landed one of the greats, Merry Edwards.

I wanted Merry to be a part of the first Winemaker Challenge because historically she is among the giants of California winemaking, along with Gary Eberle, who was one of the first to accept an invitation to judge the Winemaker Challenge.

Merry, as you may know, is a pinot noir specialist located in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley. The Merry Edwards pinots are bold, flavorful and long-lived, some of the finest being made in California today. The winery bears her name.

Merry also makes a delicious sauvignon blanc, which is a not-so-subtle reminder that she was once the winemaker at the iconic Matanzas Creek winery in Sonoma's Bennett Valley. Matanzas specialized in sauvignon blanc and merlot and did much to pave the way for those two grape varieties by consistently cranking out marvelous expressions of each.

What's more, at the beginning of her career Merry made cabernet and chardonnay in the Santa Cruz Mountains at the hostoric Mount Eden Vineyards winery. In short, Merry has been an eyewitness to the evolution of modern California winemaking at every step of the way since the early 1970s.

I've known Merry for almost 20 years now and have followed her successes from the perspective of a person who loves great wine and admires those with the vision and passion to make great wine happen. And I am pleased to have her aboard we move forward with the first Winemaker Challenge, Jan. 23-24 in San Diego.