ROBERT WHITLEY "THE DISH" WINE BLOG

Robert "dishes" about wine.

Season's Greetings . . . By Robert Whitley

It's almost my favorite time of year again. Nope, not the holidays -- the competition season. More specifically, that would be the wine competition season. It's without a doubt my busiest time of year, but I love it. Last season I judged in three competitions and served as Director and Chief Judge at three others.

Competitions are a treasure trove from my perspective because I get to see what's new and taste many vintages before they've been released. And because I'm involved with so many competitions, I can observe a wine that has medaled consistently but has been flying under the radar.

We've just refreshed the San Diego International Wine Competition website (www.sdiwc.com) with new dates and deadlines and will have theCritics Challenge International Wine Competition (www.criticschallenge.com) changes ready for posting by next week.

These sites are a tremendous resource if you're looking for an impressive wine in a particular price range. And the results on the Critics Challenge site include comments by the judges, many of them regular contributors to Wine Review Online, such as Ed McCarthy, Leslie Sbrocco and Nick Passmore.

An Ode to Joyesse! By Robert Whitley

One of the great myths about Champagne, repeated ad nauseum around the holidays, is the proposition that Champagne makes a good match with sweets, particularly chocolate. It's all a lot of hooey. But not for the reason you might imagine.

When most well-meaning wine enthusiasts champion Champagne and chocolate, they are generally promoting a match involving brut or brut rose. These wines are far too dry to be served with sweets. The result will leave a sour taste in your mouth for sure.

The wine must be as sweet or sweeter than the sweet treat, or dessert, for the pairing to be successful. There is a Champagne for this sort of match -- the demi-sec.

These are lovely Champagnes, generally very soft and round on the palate, and splendid when paired with desserts that are not too sweet, such as fruit tarts.

I'm always looking for an opportunity to pop the cork on a demi-sec and found one last night when I had friends over for dinner and served poached pairs with marscapone cheese. The pears were poached in Bonterra Muscat.

I served the Mumm Champagne Joyesse demi-sec, a beautifully balanced, slightly sweet bubbly that complemented the poached pears beautifully. It was a huge hit!

What joy! What Joyesse!

Spirits of the Season./I By Robert Whitley

First up in my recommended spirits for the holiday season series is the beautifully crafted Auchentoshan 18 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Matured single-malt Scotch ($100).

Auchentoshan is an unpeated Lowland malt renowned for its smoothness. Thrice distilled (the norm is twice) and aged 18 years in first- and second-fill sherry butts, this is the rare Scotch that has absolutely no bite despite going into the bottle at cask strength (55.8 percent alcohol).

What it delivers is intensity of flavor and a rounded, lush mouthfeel that will remind some of a smooth, high-end Irish whisky. Complex aromas of honey, almonds and dried fruits combined with a long, sensuous finish made the Auchentoshan 18 Year Old Sherry one of the most memorable Scotch whiskys ever to pass these lips.

Only 4800 bottles are available for the entire world.

Choosing the 'Best' Vintage By Robert Whitley

Reader Bob Brown (shame, shame, he failed to provide his email location) poses an interesting question about three currently available vintages of the tetes de cuvee Champagne, Dom Perignon.

Brown writes:
"I have been offered 1995, 1996 and 1998 Dom Perignon vintages for about the same price per bottle. Which vintage would you recommend?"

This one's a slam-dunk. The 1996 Dom Perignon is one of the greatest ever made, and is certainly chef de cave Richard Geoffroy's crowning achivement in a brilliant career at Moet. The 1995 vintage was exceptional as well, but the depth and power of the '96 Dom are clearly superior to both the '95 and '98.

It should be noted that Dom retails for approximately $120-$140 depending upon your location, though in my neck of the woods (southern California) it can be found for considerably less around the holidays, particularly at Costco.

This comparison does serve to point out the inadequacy of the "line pricing" that is used almost universally in today's wine trade. At one time a wine's price was a reflection of the vintage and the estimation by the producer of the quality in the bottle.

That pricing model was abandoned sometime in the 1980s. Now wines are priced by stature, regardless of vintage. Enthusiasm for a vintage will often drive prices higher after they've been released, but the price almost never goes down from one year to the next on classified-growth Bordeaux, A-list California Cabernets or premier and grand cru Burgundies.

'Tis a shame. Some of my shrewdest wine purchases were Bordeaux from so-called "off vintages" in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Is It Any Good? What's It Worth? By Robert Whitley

These are the eternal questions if you have your hands on a bottle of wine that is 20 years old or older. Not all wines improve with age, of course, and the ability to do so has much to do with the type and style of wine and the quality of the vintage.

What it's worth is purely speculation. That depends entirely on who the prospective buyer is, assuming there would even be any interest in the wine under consideration.

So reader Pat Mansfield writes:

I have a single bottle of 1978 Chateau Trimoulet Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe in my cellar and am considering opening it to drink. What is the value of this bottle today and do you think it is likely to be tenable? It has been stored in ideal (quite cool) conditions for many years.

First of all, I have no idea what the value might be. Though '78 was a very good vintage, Chateau Trimoulet is not what I would consider a "collectible" Bordeaux and I doubt very much there would be tremendous interest in this wine.

If, indeed, there are Trimoulet fans out there who might attach a significant value to this older vintage, finding them would be the trick. Good luck. Establishing a value would be negotiable, i.e., how much does the other party lust after this particular bottle?

Better to just open the wine and enjoy. If the bottle has beeen stored properly -- on its side in a cool, dark place the past 25 years or so -- there is a better than even chance it will be quite good, though probably well past its peak.

One clue would be the ullage. This is the space between the bottom of the cork and the wine. If the wine level remains in the neck of the bottle, that is a promising sign and one indicator the wine could still be in good condition.

If the level has receded into the shoulder of the bottle, it could indicate problems such as oxidation and loss of flavor and color. Older wines with ullage into the shoulder often surprise us, but the odds have gone up that the integrity of the wine has been compromised.

Ullage below the shoulder? Forget about it!

Tapas & Wine a Tough Combo in Madrid By Robert Whitley

You would think every great tapas bar in Madrid would serve fabulous Spanish wines, but then you'd be wrong and very disappointed.

The popular Cerveceria La Dolores, pictured here and just a few blocks from the Prado in central Madrid, is a case in point. Loved the food, hated the wines. Bad enough to force a confirmed wino to order a beer!

This is typical throughout Madrid, and it's a shame. Best wine selection I found in a tapas bar was the eclectic list at Taberneros, situated between the royal palace and Plaza Mayor.

Best wines I found during a four-night stopover were at the fabulous restaurant Viridiana, where I had an exceptional old Pesquera Reserva. El Rincon de Esteban, a good neighborhood restaurant close to my hotel, the Palace, offered a solid selection, but nothing too esoteric.

Winemaker Craig Williams, the Man Behind 'Insignia' By Robert Whitley

I could go on and on about the just-released 2003 Joseph Phelps Insignia (and will in a review later this week) but I'd rather pause for a moment and reflect upon the man behind the wine.

No, not Joe Phelps, though Insignia -- America's first red Meritage wine -- would not have been possible without Joe's vision and staunch backing. That and the fact that he's been a serious Bordeaux collector since before he built the Phelps winery.

Credit should go squarely where it's due, and that would be on the reliable shoulders of longtime winemaker Craig Williams. He took over from the great Walter Schug when Insignia was in its infancy and his stewardship of this iconic Napa Valley wine speaks volumes about one man's quest for perfection.

Craig Williams was never willing to rest on his accolades. He has tweaked the Insignia blend through the decades (the 2003 vintage is the 30th) in the belief it could always be better, no matter how wonderful it already was.

Phelps fans may remember that earlier vintages of Insignia had a pronounced eucalyptus note -- a la Heitz Martha's Vineyard -- until Williams gradually phased it out in an effort to achieve greater purity of fruit.

I loved the 2002 Insignia and rated it highly (97 points) here at WRO. To my palate the '03 is even better. And there's but one man to thank for that.

A Case of Sour Grapes! By Robert Whitley

Some of my most memorable wine experiences have involved Penfolds Grange, a world class red wine produced in Australia. If you don't know Grange, it is Shiraz and is a remarkable wine. It ages superbly, much like a fine Bordeaux, and will easily set you back a couple of hundred bucks or more if you are lucky enough to find a bottle.

So I opened a 2001 (the latest vintage) Grange with some anticipation last night, expecting to taste a wine for the ages, or at least something very, very good.

Alas, the bottle was corked. Now some folks might think a "corked" wine is a wine that has simply been opened, or had the cork pulled, as it were. Hence that quizzical look I get from flight attendants when I politely inform them a wine they've just served is corked. They look at me as though I've lost my mind.

Uh huh. Actually, a corked wine is a wine that has been infected with "cork taint." I won't bore you with all the technical stuff, but the cork industry has a huge problem because it continues to sell tainted corks to its wine industry customers, despite much wailing and gnashing of the teeth from the wine industry.

That's why you see so many "screwcaps" popping up on wine bottles these days. The wine industry is fed up, and so am I.

I have always argued that once the worldwide demand for cork slackened -- that is, when more wine producers started using screwcaps instead of cork closures on their bottles -- the "cork-taint" issue would disappear. I'm not so sure about that anymore.

Screwcaps are now the dominant wine bottle closure in Australia and New Zealand, and many California wineries have followed their lead. Yet the cork-taint issue -- despite protestations from the cork industry to the contrary -- remains.

Call me an elitist, if you will. Spoil a $10 bottle of Rioja for me and I'll probably yawn. Spoil a rare treat such as a $200 bottle of Grange, now that makes me mad!

The Man Who Turned the Screw on the Cork Industry By Robert Whitley

When I finally caught up with John Larchet last week he had just returned from Australia with a boat load of new wines. Larchet is owner of The Australian Premium Wine Collection, an import company that specializes in hand-crafted wines, some of them extremely eclectic, from boutique wineries scattered about Australia.

We sat down together and tasted a few dozen of the new releases and, as usual, one of the wines that stood out was the Grosset Riesling. Both of them actually. Grosset produces two Rieslings from the Clare Valley, the Watervale and the Polish Hill.

If you are not familiar with either, these are dry Rieslings, and for my money they are the finest in the New World. The Polish Hill may be the finest in the world, period, though Jean Meyer of Josmeyer (Alsace) might be willing to argue the point.

Grosset, pictured above, is not only a brilliant winemaker but a visionary as well. He led the charge to the screwcap wine closure in Australia, and what was once the exception is now the norm. And he demonstrated his commitment by putting his most cellar-worthy wine, the Polish Hill Riesling, under the Stelvin screwcap closure.

That the screwcap movement is gaining momentum throughout the New World (it's quite the rage in New Zealand and is becoming accepted practice here in the United States) can be attributed at least in some small measure to Grosset's passionate advocacy.

Grosset, like so many other vintners, grew weary of empty promises from the cork industry about stamping out cork taint. After careful consideration, he determined the screwcap to be the best alternative to cork for sealing a bottle of wine.

I will post reviews of both Grosset Rieslings this month, but suffice it to say, if you doubt there are any great wines in screwcap bottles, it tells me you've never had the pleasure of a Grosset Riesling.

Taylor Fladgate's Century of Port By Robert Whitley

The clever folks at Taylor Fladgate, one of the Port industry's top five houses, have come up with a scintillating gift package for this holiday season. They've dubbed it A Century of Port.

What you get in the handsome wooden box is four 375ML bottles of tawny Port -- a 10-year-old, a 20-year-old, a 30-year-old and a 40-year-old. Add 'em up and that's 100 years of tawny, a century as it were.

Anyone who has ever passionately engaged in the debate over which tawny Ports are more rewarding -- the younger, fruitier releases or the more rare, more refined, less fruity older tawny Ports -- will positively drool over this gift, priced at a quite reasonable $225.

The time for talking is over. Open all four bottles and decide for yourself which style you prefer. Best of all, after the bottles have been opened they will keep for several months without noticeable deterioration.

The Postman always rings twice. By Robert Whitley

Writes reader Greg Severson:

I have a question regarding decanting wine. Even though decanting is beneficial (even necessary for some wines), do you have any suggestions on how to keep the wine from getting too warm while it is decanting. I'm able to keep our wine temperature controlled, so letting the wine sit for 30 minutes before serving, and getting towards room temperature after keeping it stored correctly, seems to counter the airing of the wine.

We like the wine at the correct temperature, so that's the reason I usually don't decant, though I know I should.

Dear Greg:

There is an important difference between cellar temperature and serving temperature. You probably keep your temperature-controlled unit at or near 56 degrees. That would be an excellent temp for ageing your wines.

It is slightly too cold, however, for serving most red wines. Decanting and airing a red wine for 30 minutes or so should slowly bring the temperature closer to 66 degrees, which would be ideal for Pinot Noir or older, more delicate reds. You can let your big reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah warm up another couple of degrees.

The reason the storage temp is much lower is too prevent premature ageing and oxidation. But once you've decided to pull the cork and serve, a few minutes under warmer conditions will not harm your wine. In fact, it will develop a much more expressive bouquet as it warms.

Writes reader Patricia Campbell:

I read your item on the Drouhin family. I am going to be in Burgundy in April and, in honor of my favorite wine, I plan to eat at the Montrachet restaurant in Puligny-Montrachet. However, I am a little worried that I might inadvertently order a bottle of Puligny-Montrachet that has been 'Americanized' (or 'Robert Parkered' as I call it). Can I assume from the column on the Drouhins that, if I order one of theirs, it will be in the classic (non-oaky) tradition?

Dear Pat:

Virtually all Puligny-Montrachet is fermented and aged in oak barrels, but the presence of wood is hardly due to either American influence or the influence of wine critic Robert Parker. This is the traditional method of vinification in the region.

Your perception that traditional Puligny-Montrachet is not overtly oaky like many American wines is most likely due to the aroma profile, which is more distinctly at the mineral aspect of the spectrum than more fruity New World Chardonnays.

The Drouhins produce an exceptional Puligny-Montrachet from the premier cru vineyard 'Folatieres.' This wine retails in the U.S. for about $60. I tasted the 2004 Folatieres during my Drouhin visit and was impressed with the wine overall, finding it to be flinty on the nose, largely driven by an intense minerality, a hint of smoke and a very light honey essence. The Folatieres also offered generous notes of pear and baked apple, with a tight, clean citrus finish.

I rated the wine 93 points.

The Call of the Wine Locker. By Robert Whitley

I finally took the big plunge and rented a wine locker. My collection of ageworthy wines had outgrown my small cellar in the basement as well as the two refrigerated wine-storage cabinets in the garage.

I'm not sure how many other wine enthusiasts have a similar problem, but I was amazed when I visited the wine-storage facility nearest me, a place (pictured above) called Fifty Seven Degrees, and discovered that it was chock full.

I was lucky to find an empty locker large enough to meet my needs. I had been toying with the idea of a storage unit for some time, but was reluctant to part with any of my wines. There is a certain comfort in knowing you can lay your hands on any bottle you have whenever you want.

Now I have another sort of comfort, knowing that most of the wines I believe have a future are being kept at a constant temperature of 57 degrees or lower and 70 percent humidity, either in my home cellar or the off-site location.

But best of all I now have a location other than my office to receive wine samples. My fervent hope is that within a few weeks, once the word spreads, all samples will go to Fifty Seven Degrees and my garage will no longer look like a cardboard box factory, or a giant dumpster.

That would be amazing. And to think -- at the same time I also get a place to properly store my spillover collectibles. What joy!

 

 

Some Things I Think... By Robert Whitley

Some things I think you’d like to drink:

While visiting Portugal’s Douro Valley, the home of Port wine, during the 2006 harvest I noticed the locals had two clever libations to beat the heat. The tawny Ports were consumed well chilled, which served to counter the naturally warming effects of the alcohol. And they were delicious, too.

Set out a few small plates of almonds, potato chips and cured ham with a chilled tawny and you’re in business with simple yet classic tapas with an aperitif.

The other excellent aperitif was a cocktail made by combining dry white Port, tonic and a wedge of juicy lime. Perhaps it was the language barrier, but this concoction didn’t seem to have a name that I could discern. Just ask for a white Port and tonic with a lime if ordering in a bar or restaurant.

White Ports are hard to come by in the United States, but I know Ramos-Pinto imports one, and I believe Churchill’s does as well.

These drinks are convivial and would make outstanding serving selections during the upcoming holiday season…

Anne Moller-Racke was prominent on the Sonoma County wine scene when her family owned the historic Buena Vista winery before selling out a few years ago.

She was intensely involved with vineyard management at Buena Vista and never gave up her love of the vine after the sale. Moller-Racke now runs the Donum Estate in Carneros, which grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for the small Donum label and the larger Robert Stemmler brand.

The Stemmler Pinots had once been in vogue, but were eclipsed in the 1990s as more producers took a shine to Pinot Noir and better vineyard sources were discovered. Buena Vista had purchased the brand by that point and the Stemmler reputation began to fade, at its lowest point only being sold in the tasting room.

Moller-Racke has taken over the Stemmler brand and set out to remake the wines, using grapes from her Carneros property as well as the Nugent vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The 2003 Stemmler Carneros Estate Pinot ($36) and 2003 Stemmler “Nugent Vineyard” Pinot ($40) signal a dramatic shift in the fortunes of the Stemmler brand, at least in the artistic sense.

The Stemmler Carneros Estate, from what Moller-Racke calls “heritage clones”, shows more depth and black-fruit character than most Carneros Pinots, with subtle hints of spice from the judicious use of oak. The Stemmler “Nugent Vineyard” Pinot exhibits more power and earthiness and was my preference between the two, though both are beautiful wines.

In the scheme of the greater Pinot Noir landscape, both of the Stemmler Pinots can hold their own against the finest California and Oregon have to offer. It appears as though the Robert Stemmler brand is back, or headed in the right direction at the very least…

Another surprisingly good Pinot, this one at a modest $25 price point, comes from Cuvaison. The winery’s new facility in the Carneros district of the Napa Valley produced this wine from estate grown grapes. Cuvaison has the reputation as a Chardonnay house, though it has always had ambitions – seldom realized – to make world class Pinot Noir.

The 2004 Napa Valley Carneros is Cuvaison’s entry level Pinot and it delivers beautiful dark cherry and spice aromas, excellent body and weight on the palate and a pleasingly long finish absent any bitter green tannins. Very nice, especially for the price. Cuvaison’s more pricey reserve Pinot is a blockbuster at $40, suggesting this Chardonnay house might finally have its Pinot Noir program dialed in.

Tip to Enhance the Tasting Experience By Robert Whitley

Enhancing the experience is just about every wine enthusiast’s goal – mine at least! Toward that end, I’ve developed a good habit or two over the years.

Permit me to share:

Whenever possible, buy Champagne by the magnum. Experts will tell you that’s because Champagne ages better in magnum. That may be, but bottom line there is more bubbly to go around when served from magnum. A magnum of Champagne for two people is just about right.

When choosing wine in a swank restaurant that takes pride in its wine list, find the cheapest bottle and order it. You can bet the wine buyer bends over backwards to make sure the cheapest offering isn’t swill. This practice has generally served me well, except for the time I ordered an inexpensive red at Charlie Palmer’s Aurerole in New York. It had been a very hot day and the wine was warm when it arrived at the table. I was puzzled because I knew Aurerole had beautiful temperature-controlled storage. The waiter explained that my inexpensive wine wasn’t “important” enough to take up valuable space in the wine cellar. But it was cheap! And delicious after a few minutes on ice.

Buy yourself an inexpensive glass decanter. It needn’t be crystal, though cut crystal lends elegance to any occasion. But a simple glass decanter might be better because you’ll be more likely to use it for everyday wines. The benefit of decanting is remarkable. Exposure to a fair amount of air 30 minutes or so prior to serving will often enhance the sweet fruit characteristics that otherwise might be masked by the firm tannins of a younger red wine. Ever notice that the last couple of glasses from the bottle  seem to taste best? That’s because the wine’s aromas have been fully released through aeration.

Serve your wine in a good glass. That means a glass large enough to allow for swirling. Swirling may appear to be an affectation, or only something done by a wine snob, but the truth is it helps in much the same way aeration in a decanter helps. In general red wines need more room for swirling than whites because it takes more aeration to bring out the fruit aromas of red wine.

Season those glasses. Though this practice is largely ceremonial, it does serve a purpose. Wine glasses collect the aromas of the room or cabinet where they are stored. This can inhibit the pleasure you get from a glass of wine. By seasoning the glasses you in effect wash out those potentially off-putting aromas. It’s simple. Pour a small amount of the wine to be served into the first glass. Swirl it until the entire inside of the glass has been coated. Pour the wine from the first glass into the second glass and repeat the process. After all of the serving glasses have been coated, dump the “seasoning” wine down the drain and serve the remaining wine. Your guests will love it!

Do yourself a favor and try a “sticky” tonight. A sticky is a dessert wine, and it is so named because it is sweet and sticky. One of the most enduring myths about wine is the idea that drinking dry wines is sophisticated, but drinking sweet wines isn’t. In truth, some of the most amazing wines in the world are sweet. Until you try one, you’ll never know. I prefer dessert wines with savory cheeses rather than dessert, but many wine lovers like a bit of tawny Port with their crème brulee, and that’s OK, too!

Sometimes it’s good to go against the rules, namely the one about red wines with meat and white wines with fish. It all depends on the preparation. A case in point is a dish I enjoyed recently at the Herb Farm in Woodinville, Washington, just outside Seattle. The sommelier paired a ten-year-old Syrah with my huge chunk of fresh tuna. This worked because the age of the Syrah had softened the tannins, and the tuna’s fennel-seed crust tied the dish together with the savory elements of the Syrah. When it comes to pairing wine with food, common sense always trumps a hard-and-fast rule.

Change of Seasons: It's Pinot Noir Time! By Robert Whitley

There was a time, and it wasn’t too many years ago, when any serious discussion of Pinot Noir began and ended with the red wines of Burgundy. Very little Pinot Noir from anywhere else was worth talking about.

Pinot Noir is an unforgiving, thin-skinned grape that is notoriously difficult to grow unless the climate and soils are perfect. Even when conditions are ideal, good results don’t necessarily follow. California is the best example.

Winemakers long ago decided that a few cool-climate regions in the north and central coast were best for this glorious but finicky grape variety. The cooler regions allowed for a long growing season without producing Pinots that were too heavy, or too much like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. Those regions were risky, however, because growers didn’t always get the Pinot Noir ripe enough.

The wines were often either too thin or too green. The trick was to get it just right, so the winemaker could make a wine that had palate weight and body without losing its delicate features – the floral perfume of the nose, or the silky tannins and smooth mouthfeel.

Oregon got the hang of it first, but California has made up considerable ground in the past 15 years. New Zealand is starting to get it, and even Australia can point to some success in recent years.

Good California Pinot Noir once only came from one of four locations: the Russian River Valley, the Carneros region, in the mountains high above Soledad in a small AVA (American Viticultural Area) named Chalone, and a bit farther north in the mountains of the Central Coast where Josh Jensen founded his Calera winery atop Mt. Harlan.

The late Dick Graf, who founded the Chalone winery and eventually had the estate anointed its own AVA, was one of the earliest pioneers of California Pinot Noir. He also established a partnership that opened the Acacia winery in Carneros and dedicated it to producing Burgundian style wines.

The Carneros district straddles the southern end of the Napa/Sonoma county line and is profoundly influenced by the cool breezes off the San Pablo Bay. Acacia winery’s earliest Pinots convinced others of the region’s potential and it is now one of the most important areas in California for Pinot Noir.

The Russian River region possesses the most stature for the prowess of its Pinot Noir, though much of its renown can be traced back to one vineyard (Rochioli) and one man (Gary Farrell). The earliest Gary Farrell Pinots made from grapes grown in the Rochioli vineyard established the region as a force in Pinot Noir.

Others soon followed, such as Williams Selyem and Dehlinger.

In more recent years Mendocino’s Anderson Valley, Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands, the Edna Valley region just outside of San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara County’s Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley have all contributed to the overall quality and growing abundance of top-notch California Pinot Noir.

Good thing, too, because the 2004 movie “Sideways” ignited so much interest in Pinot Noir that production has barely been able to keep up with demand, a situation that has put upward pressure on what had been stagnant prices.

Of course, talk is cheap and good Pinot Noir isn’t, so you’ll want to be sure you’re on to something yummy before you shell out the big bucks. A few suggestions follow:

Tasting Notes

Acacia 2004 ‘Beckstoffer Las Amigas Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Carneros ($60) – This bold, earthy Acacia single-vineyard Pinot was made from one of California’s oldest Pinot Noir vineyards and both the wine and the vineyard are classics. Carneros Pinot typically doesn’t come with this much structure and palate weight, let alone the multiple layers of fruit complexity that’s cut by a thread of minerality and earthy secondary aromas.
Rating: 93

Dutton Goldfield 2003 ‘Dutton Ranch’ Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($35) – There are but a couple of California pinot noir producers I would rank ahead of high-flying Dutton Goldfield. This vintage from the Dutton Ranch shows deep color, bright berry and dark cherry aromas and a subtle spiciness that helps make this a sexy, hedonistic wine.
Rating: 93

Etude 2003 Pinot Noir, Napa Valley ($40) -- Even as the trend in California Pinot Noir appears to be moving in the direction of overripe fruit and unusually high alcohol levels, there are those who haven't forgotten that elegance and balance are the characteristics that dedicated Pinot fans prize. Tony Soter's '03 Etude Pinot Noir has plenty of horsepower without losing the delicate aromas (black cherry) and silky mouthfeel that distinguish high class Pinot Noir from the rest of the pack. I would also note that the best California Pinot I’ve tasted this year was Etude’s 2003 ‘Heirloom’ that retails for a robust $80.
Rating: 93

Calera 2003 ‘Ryan Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Mt. Harland ($40) – Josh Jensen's Ryan Vineyard gives him the minerality and firm tannins that are typical of Mt. Harlan, but with a bit more fleshy fruit and less aggresive tannins than the Reed and Jensen Pinots I've previously tasted from this vintage. Offering fresh strawberry and cherry aromas, a lean mineral edge and a hint of earthiness, this is a Calera Pinot you can enjoy now or lay down for several years in the cellar.
Rating: 90

La Crema 2004 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley ($29) – For sheer consistency at modest prices, few Pinot Noir producers outshine La Crema. The winery also sources fruit from grapes from the Sonoma Coast. This Anderson Valley bottling shows interesting characteristics of leather and spice, with the black cherry, red raspberry fruit playing more of a support role.
Rating: 89

Faiveley 2003 ‘Joseph Faiveley’ Bourgogne, France ($17) – Though this ultra-warm vintage in Burgundy has been somewhat controversial, there is little doubt the heat helped lesser wines such as Bourgogne, giving added weight, body and depth of flavor. Faiveley’s Bourgogne is lovely, a substantial wine that delivers bright black cherry aromas and beautifully ripe tannins for a texture on the palate that is uncommon with this level of red Burgundy.
Rating: 88

Kendall Jackson 2005 ‘Vintner’s Reserve’ Pinot Noir, California ($14) – There are only a few genuine bargains in modern Pinot Noir and KJ’s Vintner’s Reserve is one of them. It’s not a blockbuster Pinot, but better than anything else I’ve seen at this price. It’s generous and fleshy on the palate, showing a bit of spice and bright red fruit characteristics.
Rating: 87

No Need to Accept Poor Wine Service By Robert Whitley

You can find poor wine service anywhere, sometimes where you least expect it.

True story. I was dining recently at one of San Diego’s most acclaimed restaurants, a Bradley Ogden-inspired (of Lark Creek Inn fame) spot called Arterra. But this could have been any restaurant in America that fancies itself chic, hip and wine savvy.

The wine list is eclectic. You know the type. Very expensive and heavy with wines nobody in your group has ever heard of, including the wine geek in your crowd who spends every waking minute digesting the Wine Spectator.

Of course, this place has a sommelier.

So we arrived at the end of a splendid evening (I have no quarrel with the kitchen of this establishment) and asked to see the after-dinner menu, which includes desserts, cheeses and the appropriate libations.

What quickly caught my eye was a selection of three artisan cheeses with three bual Madeiras. I am fond of Madeira because of its exotic aromas of brown sugar and burnt caramel, and I love the clean, dry finish that seems so improbable from a sweet dessert wine.
The bual style, which is less sweet than most Madeiras, happens to be my favorite. It’s rare to find a good Madeira even in better restaurants, let alone three in one sitting, so I ordered up.

The wines arrived in a cleverly contrived wrought iron holder, with a slot for each of the three wines. The presentation was exquisite. My mouth was watering.

Then the waiter went through the three wines and my mood immediately changed. Something wasn’t right. As he identified the second Madeira it struck me that it didn’t correspond to what I had seen on the list. Neither did the third wine.

That’s two substitutions out of three wines. Not good. What’s worse, the waiter wasn’t sure about the third wine. So I asked to see the bottles. It was at this point that everything went downhill beyond redemption.

Two bottles arrived at the table. One was allegedly the second wine in the flight, and perhaps it was. The other – a Smith Woodhouse vintage Port – was allegedly the third wine of the flight. It most definitely wasn’t. The color of Madeira is a brownish amber. The color of a vintage Port is deep purple.

The color of the wine in the glass was brownish amber. Big oops! My waiter summoned the sommelier, who was pleasant and competent and relatively new to the job. After some consultation with his staff, even he couldn’t tell me with any certainty which wines occupied the three glasses in front of me.

To his credit, the sommelier made it right. He brought out new bottles and poured them in front of me and took the charge for the Madeira and cheese pairing off the bill. All well and good, and because of the excellence of the kitchen I would be inclined to give Arterra another shot.

But ponder this: the after-dinner menu was printed that day (the date was noted on the menu) so why were two wines listed on the Madeira selection that were out of stock? In a restaurant that asks you for between $30 and $45 for an entrée and between $10 and $20 for a starter, that level of ineptitude is unacceptable.

In a fine dining establishment you are paying as much for service and style as you are for cuisine. Sloppiness won’t cut it.
And I felt sorry for the poor waiter. He was efficient and polite but utterly lost when trouble arose. I got the impression he had no idea how absurd it was to present a bottle of vintage Port while attempting to explain the Madeiras in front of me.

That’s a training issue. That level of incompetence should not exist in a high-end restaurant that asks you to fork over copious amounts of your hard-earned money. If this had been a restaurant with fewer pretensions, I would have shrugged it off.
Ultimately you get what you pay for.

So when the tariff is steep, you have every right to demand – and get – excellent service.

Thinking About Tawny Port, Dry Rose and Smoky Scotch! By Robert Whitley

Some things I think you’d like to drink:

I am neither a “vintage” nor “tawny” Port man. I happen to love both. It is the setting that determines which I choose for an after-dinner adult beverage. With pungent cheeses following a grand meal, I would most likely lean toward a vintage Port. The other evening, following an excellent-though-not-so-grand meal, I sank into a chair on my deck overlooking San Diego Bay and lit a fine cigar. I poured a 10-year-old Churchill’s tawny, which retails for about $35. This isn’t the richest or sweetest of the 10-year-old tawnies in my cellar, but that’s why I chose it. Sipping it solo, it was just sweet enough, with ample red-fruit character as well as the caramel and spice nuances that result after a decade in barrel. With cheese or dessert I might have preferred a richer tawny, but with my cigar it was the perfect ending to a simple summer dinner…

While traveling in Mexico recently, I stopped in to taste at a few of the wineries in Baja California’s Guadalupe Valley. I was stunned to see my Francophile friend, Otto, buy a bottle of Rose of Cabernet at L.A. Cetto. More of a red wine person, Otto is not usually one to be seen drinking a rose in public, but he was impressed with the Cetto enough to buy a bottle and risk the scorn of friends and family. I had to smile, for I’ve been trying to win over wine enthusiasts to good dry rose wines for years. The L.A. Cetto would be almost impossible to find north of the border, but, off the top of my head, there are a number of domestic wineries that do a fine job with rose, notably: Quivira, Bonny Doon, Iron Horse, Solo Rosa, Eberle and Santa Barbara Winery in California; and Wolffer Estate on Long Island…

Connoisseurs of single-malt Scotch generally fall into two camps: Those who enjoy the rich, sweet, fruity Highland malts typified by those produced in Speyside (Macallan is one of those) or the smoky, pungent, salty malts typified by those from the Islands (Laphroaig is one of those). I’m as ecumenical with Scotch as I am with Port. I enjoy both styles, but the Island malts can sometimes be over the top – too smoky, too medicinal – for anything other than an after-dinner digestivo. I used to feel this way about the Ardbeg 10-year-old from the isle of Islay. Very smoky and peaty, with a penetrating aroma of iodine, it was a single-malt I had to be in the mood for. Ardbeg was sold to Glenmorangie some time back and it’s my sense the Speyside distiller has had a moderating influence on Ardbeg. A recent bottling of the 10-year-old seemed to have tamed the pungent iodine aroma and showed less of the smoky peat character that defined previous bottlings. I loved it!

Chilling Out With Those Summer Wines By Robert Whitley

There really isn’t any trick to serving good wine through the dog days of summer.

Well, maybe one.

The ice bucket could well be your favorite gadget in the weeks and months ahead.

This is true whether you prefer white wines or reds. The reason is quite simple: Most wine enthusiasts do not have the capacity to store wine at the proper serving temperature. Even most restaurants, particularly those that open only for dinner, fail in this most basic area of wine service.

The average wine drinker will usually toss a white wine in the refrigerator for several minutes to cool it off, but all too often open and serve – at least a glass or two – before the wine is really cold enough.
I’ve been guilty of this enough times to know that a good quick chill requires about 20 minutes in the freezer section. Crisp whites need more of a chill than Chardonnays and white Burgundies because the chill helps keep the acidity fresh.

A red that I’ve pulled off the rack goes into the fridge for about 10 minutes. Long enough to bring the temperature down into the 65 degree range. I want my Chardonnays about 10 degrees colder and Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings and other aromatic or crisp whites another 10 degrees lower still.

If the bottle gets a little frosty, don’t worry. On a warm day the wine will warm up quickly in the glass.
The tricky part comes at an outdoor barbecue or in a restaurant. I use a metal tub filled with ice to keep the whites chilled and to cool the reds down from time to time when attending a barbecue or cooking outside myself.

The whites are not usually a problem in a restaurant because most come straight from the refrigerator. But restaurants are notorious for storing red wines in every little nook and cranny, sometimes nooks that are near the ceiling where the warm air congregates.

Never be shy about requesting an ice bucket for a red wine you’ve ordered if the bottle feels a bit warm to the touch. Five or ten minutes on ice will do wonders for any red wine that has been served at room temperature on a 90-degree day.

The server may make an odd face upon hearing the request, but that’s merely a show of ignorance.

WOW's Summer Survival Kit By Robert Whitley

The recent heat wave that gripped southern California reminded me it’s past time for a summer survival column.

When the going gets hot, my preferences in wine change to lighter-bodied reds and crisp, refreshing whites, such as the Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa that helped me through a rare sultry night in San Diego.

So the following are my top picks for summer survival, though I would advise a flexible approach to these suggestions due to the vagaries of availability:

Quivira 2005 Mourvedre Rose, Dry Creek Valley ($14) – Domestic dry roses are gaining in popularity and Quivira’s is one of the best. The Mourvedre grape – used primarily for blending in the southern Rhone Valley of France – delivers world class rose wines in the Bandol region. The California version as rendered by Quivira offers a bright burst of red fruit character, with a lingering, well-balanced finish. Yummy stuff if you can find it.
Rating: 93

Mastroberadino 2004 “Radici” Fiano di Avellino, Italy ($25) – This is a serious white wine made from perhaps the most important white grape grown in southern Italy. The Fiano grape thrives in the volcanic soils near Naples, which produce a wine that is extraordinarily complex, with exceptional minerality. Predominant aromas of pear, honey and roasted nuts coupled with firm acidity make this a wine that matches well with shellfish, particularly lobster.
Rating: 93

Morgan 2005 “Metallico” Chardonnay, Monterey ($20) – It is possible to serve a full-bodied white, such as Chardonnay, without sacrificing the crisp aromas that blend so well with summer cuisine. Morgan’s fifth vintage of the Metallico Chardonnay from Monterey offers juicy aromas of peach, pear and green apple in a clean, fresh style. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks (hence the “Metallico” name) to retain the acidity and clean flavors, then aged briefly in older oak barrels that are neutral and impart none of the wood taste that can make a Chardonnay slightly heavy on the palate. While the wine is in barrel the lees are stirred to give the wine texture and additional complexity. The result is wonderful Chardonnay that is fresh, clean and crisp – perfect for summer.
Rating: 91

Sterling Vineyards 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley ($14) – Though the Napa Valley is best known for its robust reds, a handful of top producers have always prided themselves on top-notch Sauvignon Blanc. Sterling has always kept pace with such luminaries as Duckhorn and Cakebread – both renowned for their Sauvignons – but at a price that is downright modest by Napa Valley standards. The Sterling style emphasizes fresh acidity and the pure grapefruit and herbal aromas of the Sauvignon grape.
Rating: 90

Chalone Vineyards 2003 Pinot Noir, Monterey ($30) – This pioneering winery in the hills outside of Soledad has rebounded from a slump throughout the 1990s. The wines are better than ever, particularly the Pinot Noir, yet prices haven’t soared as much as might be expected. Even at $30 this is one of the great bargains in California Pinot; it’s a robust, flavorful style with firm but supple tannins and good persistence on the finish. On a warm day, drop it an ice bucket for 10 minutes and enjoy. Rating: 90

Grgich Hills 2003 Zinfandel, Napa Valley ($28) – It’s always good to have a luscious Zinfandel on hand to pair with the aromas of smoked meat from the grill, but many if not most Zins are so over-ripe and high in alcohol they almost seem to be cloying and heavy in warmer weather. Not so the Grgich Hills, which is unfailingly well-balanced because it is made in a “claret” style, which only means its picked a bit less ripe. This vintage is another in a long line of exceptional Zins from Grgich, showing all the briary berry flavors a Zin lover could want without the over-the-top characteristics that flaw so many of these wines.
Rating: 90

Joseph Drouhin 2004 Volnay, France ($32) – Shelling out big bucks for the “village” wines of Burgundy is often an exercise in futility. These wines, particularly the reds, are disappointing more often than not unless the negociant is a reputable house. Drouhin’s ’04 Volnay has all the right stuff: a floral nose, richness and viscosity with supple tannins and a lingering, elegant finish. Volnay is one of the finest villages for reds in the Cotes de Beaune, and Drouhin milks every drop of finesse out of it in this vintage. Served slightly chilled, this is a perfect red for al fresco dining on a warm day.
Rating: 88

Hahn Estates 2004 Syrah, California ($14) – Winemaker Adam LaZarre’s style with the Hahn wines (he also makes the wines for Smith & Hook) places the emphasis on balance, usually with lovely aromatics and supple tannins. That’s the M.O. for this lovely medium-bodied Syrah. Aromas of violets on the nose mixed with a slightly smoky essence (though not overly oaked) are followed on the palate by bright berry flavors and a long, smooth finish. Great bang for the buck.
Rating: 8

 

Cool Wines for Summer Months By Robert Whitley

There really isn’t any trick to serving good wine through the dog days of summer.

Well, maybe one.

The ice bucket could well be your favorite gadget in the weeks and months ahead.

This is true whether you prefer white wines or reds. The reason is quite simple: Most wine enthusiasts do not have the capacity to store wine at the proper serving temperature. Even most restaurants, particularly those that open only for dinner, fail in this most basic area of wine service.

The average wine drinker will usually toss a white wine in the refrigerator for several minutes to cool it off, but all too often open and serve – at least a glass or two – before the wine is really cold enough.

I’ve been guilty of this enough times to know that a good quick chill requires about 20 minutes in the freezer section. Crisp whites need more of a chill than Chardonnays and white Burgundies because the chill helps keep the acidity fresh.

A red that I’ve pulled off the rack goes into the fridge for about 10 minutes. Long enough to bring the temperature down into the 65 degree range. I want my Chardonnays about 10 degrees colder and Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings and other aromatic or crisp whites another 10 degrees lower still.
If the bottle gets a little frosty, don’t worry. On a warm day the wine will warm up quickly in the glass.

The tricky part comes at an outdoor barbecue or in a restaurant. I use a metal tub filled with ice to keep the whites chilled and to cool the reds down from time to time when attending a barbecue or cooking outside myself.

The whites are not usually a problem in a restaurant because most come straight from the refrigerator. But restaurants are notorious for storing red wines in every little nook and cranny, sometimes nooks that are near the ceiling where the warm air congregates.

Never be shy about requesting an ice bucket for a red wine you’ve ordered if the bottle feels a bit warm to the touch. Five or ten minutes on ice will do wonders for any red wine that has been served at room temperature on a 90-degree day.

The server may make an odd face upon hearing the request, but that’s merely a show of ignorance.

Critics Challenge Brings Out Best from World of Fine Wine By Robert Whitley

The beauty of the Critics Challenge – last but not least of the three major international wine competitions directed by yours truly – is in the sweepstakes round of judging.

This is the point of the competition at which all of the judges taste all of the wines that have been scored Platinum, the highest award. Then they vote for best red wine, best sparkling, and so on, concluding with a vote for Wine of the Year.

It is usually a stunning array of wines from around the world, and this year (the competition was staged in San Diego over the Memorial Day weekend) was no exception. More than 60 wines (from a total of 1334 entered) were in the hunt for the top prize, captured by the 1995 Charles Heidsieck ‘Blanc des Millenaires’ Brut Champagne ($95) in a close vote over the 2003 Flora Springs ‘Trilogy’ ($60).

Trilogy, one of California’s original ‘meritage’ wines, had advanced to the final vote for Wine of the Year by narrowly winning a run-off against the Flora Springs 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon ($30). Other “bests” included the Charles Heidsieck ‘Blanc des Millenaires’ as best sparkling wine; best white, Bonterra Vineyards 2004 Roussanne ($18); best rose, Bonny Doon’s Ca’ del Solo ‘Big House Pink’ ($10); best dessert, Chateaux St. Croix 2004 Symphony ($12).

It is worth noting that the Blanc des Millenaires is a repeat winner, having beaten Antinori’s 1999 Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino for Wine of the Year in the 2005 Critics Challenge.

Renowned Master of Wine Jancis Robinson has called the Blanc des Millenaires the greatest wine from Champagne’s superb 1995 vintage, and it certainly has lived up to its reputation. The fact that it once again took the top honor speaks volumes about the consistency and quality of the Critics Challenge judges, 16 well known and accomplished wine journalists.

Complete results of the 2006 Critics Challenge will be posted by mid-June, along with comments excerpted from the judges’ tasting notes, at www.criticschallenge.com. An excel spreadsheet of the winners, with pricing information and judges’ comments, can be obtained by emailing a request to whitonwine@aol.com.

Other highlights from the sweepstakes round:

Andeluna Cellars, a relatively new Argentine winery, was on fire with two Platinum wines in the sweepstakes, plus five Critics Golds and a Critics Award. The two Platinums were the $50 Pasionado, a red meritage blend, and the $13 Winemaker’s Selection Malbec.

Geyser Peak, the ultra-consistent star of the Alexander Valley, also put forward two Platinums (the $50 2002 Reserve Alexandre and the $46 2003 Block Collection Cabernet Sauvignon from Kuimelis Vineyard) and backed it up with the Critics Gold awards and two Critics Awards.

Italy was well represented in the sweepstakes by the 2003 Vietti Barbera d’Asti ‘Tre Vigne’ ($17), Masi 2001 ‘Costasera’ Amarone ($55) and 2001 Renato Ratti Barolo ‘Marcenasco Rocche’ ($47).

France did well, as expected, in the sparkling wine arena with four Platinums but Mumm Napa Valley also popped up with two Platinums of its own, the 1999 ‘DVX’ ($50) and the 2001 Blanc de Blancs ($25). California also was represented in the sweepstakes round by the 1996 Gloria Ferrer ‘Carneros Cuvee’ ($50).

The Platinum wines are by no means all of the high-priced variety. There were a number under $20, including a couple of my favorite reds from the sweepstakes: Joseph Drouhin 2005 Moulin-a-Vent ($19); Cameron Hughs 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Lot 13’ ($12); and Eberle 2004 ‘Steinbeck Vineyard’ Zinfandel ($18).

The most expensive Platinum was the non-vintage Piper-Heidsieck ‘Cuvee Rare’ ($120), followed by the Charles Heidsieck ‘Blanc des Millenaires.’

Cult Wines Have Their Place By Robert Whitley

Don Bryant’s small state-of-the-art winery sits back in the hills about three miles east of the Napa Valley’s famed Silverado Trail. Facing west from the crush pad, he looks down upon Lake Hennessey, shimmering in the afternoon sun. Mount St. Helena beckons from a distance.

The view is priceless. The Bryant Family Vineyard wines, however, come to around $400 a bottle, depending upon the source. The price is determined by the market, of course, and Bryant Family’s market is decidedly upscale.

Bryant Family Cabernets are among a handful of Napa Valley wines that have developed cult status over the past 15 years. It’s an exclusive club that include labels such as Screaming Eagle, Colgin, Harlan Estate and Grace Family.

All share a couple of things in common: Production is extremely low, therefore the wines are scarce; and prices are high, especially so if and when they turn up on the auction circuit.

While attending the recent Napa Valley Wine Auction I took the rare opportunity to visit Bryant Family, a bonafide member of the cult-wine crowd, and Bond Estates, a late-comer to the party but certainly a contender in the cult arena due to its connections (Bond is owned by Bill Harlan of Harlan Estate).

I’ve largely ignored the cult phenomenon except to note its upward pressure on Napa Valley wine prices. For all intents and purposes these are mythical wines because of the degree of difficulty in obtaining them and the prohibitive expense involved.

Yet they’ve had a profound impact that has been felt by anyone even mildly interested in the wines of the Napa Valley, driving style as well as cost.
Stylistically these extreme Napa Valley Cabernets tend to be sweet, ripe and mouth-filling, with elevated levels of alcohol and generous amounts of new oak. They are made with the intent to secure high scores from wine critics such as Robert Parker and The Wine Spectator’s Jim Laube.

“Our goal is to only bottle 95-point and higher wines under the Bryant Family label,” said Bryant in a candid moment. “Wines we feel would fall in the 92- or 93-point range are very good wines, but we plan to have a second label – Bryant Brothers – for those wines.”

Bryant Family is a fairly good example of the genre. The winery has the capacity to produce about 3,000 cases annually, which is miniscule, and the wines are sold only in a few major cities around the country and to an exclusive mailing list.

They initially gained notoriety due to the presence of infamous winemaking consultant Helen Turley (who no longer makes the wine) and a rave or two from Parker, whose passion for rich, voluptuous Cabernet is legendary. Indeed, I had the pleasure of tasting the 1997 Bryant and found it magnificent.
That said, I continue to be mystified by the price. An internet search turned up the most recent release of Bryant at prices ranging from $390 to $550 per bottle. Just the day before I had visited Bond and tasted three different Cabernets – each one every bit as good as the Bryant, yet about one-third the price at approximately $140 per bottle.

I came away from the experience more puzzled than ever about the cult phenomenon. Why would anyone pay such prices when historically great Napa Valley red wines that have a proven record sell for the equivalent or less? I’m thinking of Joseph Phelps Insignia, Heitz Martha’s Vineyard, Chateau Montelena, Diamond Creek and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

I enjoyed my brief excursion into the world of cult wines. It was certainly a feast for the senses and very enlightening. But I wouldn’t want to live there. Call me smug if you will, but I never had the feeling I couldn’t be drinking just as well elsewhere in the Napa Valley for a fraction of the price.

MOJITO SETS

Cuban Mojito: A Refreshing Summer Break From Wine By Robert Whitley

It’s summer time and the sipping is easy. Especially if your adult beverage of choice is a soothing Cuban mojito, the hottest and hippest “new” cocktail that’s popping up in salons across the country.

The mojito – a rum-based cocktail that in reality has been around for about 200 years – may not overtake the perennial king of cocktails, the margarita, but it certainly is a contender. Particularly as the weather turns steamy.

The most common mojitos are typically made with light rum. The recipe was conceived in the rural agricultural areas of Cuba and was meant to be served as a refreshment at the end of a hot day.

The ingredients are simple: a healthy shot of your favorite rum, a teaspoon of sugar or cane sugar syrup, fresh squeezed lime, club soda and about three sprigs of fresh mint. The trick to a good mojito is the mint. It should be muddled with a wooden stick before adding ice.

Muddle the mint leaves just enough to release the oils and flavor the cocktail. Add ice, then give it all a good shake.
Proportions can vary to taste, adding more fresh squeezed lime juice to balance the sweetness or more sugar to reduce the sharpness of the acidity from the lime.

Although the early mojitos were made with coarse, primitive rums (often homemade) today’s mojitos can be as smooth and flavorful as you want them to be. Using a top-shelf rum will help.

A couple of my favorites are 10 Cane from Trinidad, an ultra-smooth light rum with a distinctive cane flavor, and Oronoco, a luscious white rum from Brazil that is new on the market. My rule on rums for a cocktail such as a mojito is that I only use those that I would enjoy having served on the rocks as well.

A good mojito does not mask the flavor of the rum, so the quality of rum used is most important.

Rumors Of The Demise Of Merlot Have Been Greatly Exaggerated By Robert Whitley

The first hard and fast rule of wine appreciation is that there are no hard and fast rules. Nowhere is this thought discipline more apropos than when it comes to the issue of Merlot, lately the Rodney Dangerfield of red wines.

The snide reference to Merlot in the popular film “Sideways” seemed to convey the wisdom that real wine buffs wouldn’t go near the stuff, much less condone ordering it in a public place, such as a restaurant.

Of course, the shame of it all is that anyone who truly appreciates good wine knows better.
Merlot is one of the mainstay grape varieties of the Bordeaux wine region. In the Bordeaux “right bank” districts of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol Merlot even holds sway over the vaunted Cabernet Sauvignon.

The most well known wine of the region, Chateau Petrus, is made primarily from the Merlot grape, and Petrus generally commands the highest price among all Bordeaux, including the famed estates of Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Mouton.

There is little question that Merlot has not enjoyed the same success in American viticulture, but that has more to do with the age and maturity of the American wine business than anything else. It wasn’t until the early 1970s that any American producer even acknowledged Merlot as a varietal wine, the first being the Napa Valley’s Louis M. Martini.

Cabernet Sauvignon is king, particularly in California, but there are few wineries that produce Cabernet Sauvignon that also don’t produce a varietal Merlot.

The best Merlot comes from producers who respect the grape enough to work with it to achieve quality. That means finding the best soils and microclimates to achieve outstanding flavor and structure from the early ripening grape.

The Carneros district that straddles southern Napa and Sonoma has been identified as an outstanding Merlot region, but other areas in California’s North Coast also provide a hospitable environment for the Merlot grape.

The following are a few of my favorite Merlot producers. You can rest assured that if you purchase a Merlot from any of these producers that you will find a lush, complex wine that will hold its own at the dining table with just about any Cabernet Sauvignon that comes to mind.

Beringer Howell Mountain: I remember when Beringer first started making this wine in the early 1990s and thinking it was as good as California Merlot gets. I still have a number of those older bottles and they’ve aged magnificently. Whenever I spring one on dinner guests they’re always stunned to discover a Merlot can be so layered and complex. Alas, the price has risen dramatically since those early years and this wine is no longer the bargain it once was. It retails for about $70, but given the quality that’s hardly outrageous. Howell Mountain is a primo area for red wine on the eastern side of the Napa Valley.

Chappellet: Once one of the stars of the Napa Valley, Chappellet’s wines are as good as ever but there isn’t a great deal of buzz. This is good for you because it keeps the prices reasonable. Though Chappellet is renowned for its Cabernet, the Merlot (approximately $30) is its yummiest red never seems to experience an “off vintage.” Chateau St. Jean: Dollar for dollar probably the best Merlot to be had in California. It’s always rich, mouth-filling and long. You’ll find it in the $18-$22 range and it’s your best bang for the buck. I attribute the great price to location. Sonoma wines generally don’t fetch the same high prices as wines of similar quality in neighboring Napa.

Duckhorn: Dan Duckhorn was among the first Napa Valley vintners to see the potential of the vineyard designation for Napa Valley Merlot. Duckhorn produces several Merlots from specific vineyard sites, each expressing the terroir of a particular place. Duckhorn Merlots are consistently among the finest red wines produced in America’s finest red-wine region, but they are very expensive, ranging from about $50 for the basic Merlot up to $85 for some of the vineyard-designated wines.

St. Francis: It’s interesting that two of Sonoma County’s top Merlot producers are neighbors in the Sonoma Valley, though Merlot does well throughout the county. The St. Francis Merlots are consistently exceptional, beautifully structured wines that disprove the oft-repeated contention that Merlot is merely a blending component and lacks the complexity and personality to compete with Cabernet. The St. Francis Merlots are reasonably good values as well, ranging in price from $20 for the standard Merlot to $40 for the reserve.

Swanson: Much like Duckhorn, Swanson is considered a Merlot house, though it also produces a wonderful Syrah. The Swanson Merlots have always been beautifully structured and ageworthy, but are trending lately to riper aromas and sweeter tannins with perhaps a bit more extract and depth. It seems to me that Swanson is on the verge of rising to the next level, alongside Duckhorn and Beringer Howell Mountain. For now, though, this is a wonderful Merlot in the $35 range. You can bet as the reputation escalates, so will the price.

 

Paris Tastings Put California Wine On The Map, But It's Time to Let It Go! By Robert Whitley

Much noise has been made recently about the infamous Paris tastings of 1976, when a California Chardonnay and Cabernet, both from the Napa Valley, bested several hand-picked stars of Burgundy and Bordeaux in a blind tasting at the Paris wine shop of British wine merchant Steven Spurrier.

The results of the tasting shocked the French wine trade and firmly established California’s credentials as a place of considerable merit in the production of wine.

At the time, California wines were scoffed at by the French, which made the triumph much the sweeter because all of the judges at the Spurrier tasting worked in the French wine business, including chateau owners and stuffy Parisien sommeliers.

The 30th anniversary of the Paris tastings are just passed (May 24) and Spurrier is attempting to re-create the event, though he has met a great deal of resistance, particularly from the French but also from some newer California wineries that have refused to participate and risk their reputations in a blind tasting (when the wines are served in unmarked bottles).

I say everyone’s missing the point. These days California, especially the Napa Valley, is on equal footing with the wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux. They may differ stylistically, but no one can deny that both are important actors at the highest echelon of fine wine.

You may prefer one over the other, but the undeniable fact is that the best wines from these regions are exceptional – and worthy of the attention they get. There is nothing left to prove.

The 30th anniversary should be observed and celebrated by the winners, in this case Chateau Montelena (with the top white, a 1973 Chardonnay) and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (with the top red, a 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon).

May 24, 1976 was the day California wines came of age in the eyes of the world. Everyone who made wine in California then and now benefited from the fallout of that event. The Napa Valley became th