"For My Love of Wine"

Top 20 Wines of 2011

2011-07-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

Another year gone and hundreds upon hundreds of wine bottles that I got to taste or drink. I am a lucky man with some serious wine people as friends. I don't think I can ever repay them back for there huge amounts of generosity and knowledge except in the only way I know how. By continuing to open and share my own bottles of wine whenever I can. We can sit there together going over the wines one by one. Trying to get an understanding of sense and place for each wine. Giving up our personal opinions of them and in the end, deciding whether it is a wine that you will never forget or just another bottle filled with grape juice. In the past 7 years, I believe my best knowledge of this fruit has come. All thanks to a group of individuals with the same kind of passion I have for it.

This year I believe that was a bit more guilty of choosing my top 20 wines from my own collection and not from my friends and family. Were they just better than everything else I had the chance to taste? Not at all! But this year is different then in years past. With a connection that I can only explain at the end. So lets get started~~~ Enjoy~

#20
2009 Altovinum Evodia Old Vine Garnacha Calatayud

One of my very best finds. Simple and to the point. Garnacha at a price of $9.99 from 100 year old vines. Strawberry, raspberry and blackberry all integrated perfectly. Not a big fruit bomb like most new world Grenache tends to be. This wino needs bottles at this price or he would be penniless.

#19
2008 Flor de Pingus Ribera del Duero

My other favorite wine grape from Spain, Tempranillo. Only problem is that this wine cost a bit more than $9.99 per. Thank you wine buddies for your serious generosity. I didn't guess right when this wine was brown bagged. Simple Tempranillo just taste "SIMPLE". I must of not noticed the spices, cocoa powder and cherry notes or the finish that just would not end. Oh but what a happy camper I was.

#18
2008 Zotovich Estate Pinot Noir

Now we fly back home to California. The only place that I really enjoyed Pinot for the longest time. I am still waiting to build the cash flow for Burgundy. So you take a short 3 hour drive from my place to Central Coast, namely Lompoc's "WINE GHETTO" and you see pinot after pinot after pinot. Some are good, and some are just not right. Zotovich use to only supply fruit but now they bottle wine. At $38.00 per, it is one of cheaper producers in the Ghetto. I mean everybody else is in the $40.00 to $55.00 dollar range these days. The Zotovich estate has that balance of Cola and Forest Floor that I love so much from Santa Rita Hills AVA. Beautiful acidity with a clean finish. I did buy a few bottles to squirrel away for a few year. We shall see how they develop.

#17
1995 Vieux Telegraphe - Chateauneuf du Pape

It is time to fly across the pond to my favorite land of them all FRANCE! Those popes in France were having a good time 700 hundred years ago. Makes me wanna party with them! I will stick to the wine, because this Chateauneuf rocks! Deep with color and structure. Black cherry and plums on the nose and a mouth feel to make you believe that this wine is still young at heart. It is probably still 10 years away from full maturity. How lucky I am to taste it now.

#16
2010 Jalama Clementina La Presa

An interesting blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling makes my cut at #16. It made for a perfect wine pairing with crab & Lobster one day. Tropical fruit aromas followed by good minerality and acidity. Oh! and a great price point to boot, $26.00. This was one of my wife's favorite wines of the year. Gotta give her some props you know~ :-)

#15
2000 Vina Ardanza - Rioja

I am very proud to say that I owned this wine from the day of it's release. I am also very proud that I did'nt jump the gun and drink them all way to early. This wine delivered a bouquet of cedar, leather and some forest floor. The wine was definitely ready to drink. Poured for my wine group, it could of used some food. Ropa Vieja sounds about right. I will dig in the back of my cellar, because I still have one left. I better get cooking.

#14
2007 Mad Hatter

From the age and grace of Spain to the rock stars of California. Yeah! we are all "Star Fuckers" once in awhile. When you have Dave Abreu in the vineyard, Andy Erickson making the wine and Michel Rolland consulting. Your credit card just instantly flies out of your wallet without you even knowing it. Did I buy this wine because of the star power? Actually, it is fruit from one of my favorite areas, Howell Mountain. It is planted to five Bordeaux grapes and it did exhibit vanilla and dried cherry characteristics. Tannins were soft and in check. Some hints of graphite, sage on the palate made me keep coming back. Who wouldn't wanna say hello to there favorite star if they walked by you once.~

#13
2004 Pago de los Capellanes - Crianza

Another wine that I am very proud to say I owned since its release date. I do love, love Tempranillo, but add a splash of Cabernet and we are in heaven. This wine was very clean and well balanced between fruit and oak. The fruit is ripe black berries and pepper with hints of leather and licorice. I continue to buy and buy this wine for its perfection in the glass and on the wallet.

#12
2003 Blankiet Estate Cabernet

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is a huge gigantic monster. Oh no! The Robert Parker effect is starting to show. Why the heck did I love tasting this wine so much. Perhaps it was the notes of coffee, graphite, blackberry, blueberry, cassis, etc, etc, etc!~ The wine went on and on and had beautiful minerality with super tight tannins. Something tells me that this was a wine to age another 10 to 20 years. Perhaps someday I will buy a couple of bottles.

#11
2005 Marc Bredif Vouvray

Chenin Blanc really? You have to really love France to understand that they are the kings and queens of wine making. I just don't believe the US or anywhere else can get some of the unusual grape varietals correct. This wine was sweet but laced with acidity and bite that I have never experienced before. Citrus peel with hints of tropical fruit. The texture is rich and silky at the same time. A very very refreshing, tart and clean wine. What more can you ask for?

#10
2008 Spottswoode Fieldbook

My favorite Cabernet on earth now making a Paso Robles Syrah/Grenache blend. Sounds strange, but I can't say no to such a great family project. I have almost tasted every vintage of Spottswoode's estate Cabernet. I will keep that tradition going with there Field Book blend as well. This wine being a blend of 95% Syrah with 5% Grenache exhibits a traditional dark Paso Robles color. Just enough deep rich fruit and pepper to keep me coming back to the glass. I have always said that it's the Rhone blends that I love from Paso Robles. So why wouldn't my favorite Cabernet producer from Napa get in on the action.

#9
2005 Chateau D'Aiguilhe - Bordeaux

Bordeaux doesn't always have to be expensive just made well. Add the company of good friends and a perfect dinner, price doesn't matter anymore. I always try to remember those good meals with friends and family so that I can repay them back someday with my own wine. This bordeaux is 80% Merlot & 20% Cabernet Franc. Beautiful notes of cassis, charcoal, and espresso came out of the glass. It is full bodied, layered, and super concentrated. The wine went perfect with my Lamb Sausage. A meal to remember with good friends. Is there nothing better in this world??

#8
2005 Saxum Heart Stone

Oh me - Oh my! A GSM monster blend from Paso Robles! I told you! That Robert Parker Effect is taking over me and my head. Damn that S.O.B.! How could you get away from the HUGE amounts of bacon fat and liquid smoke that this wine turns out. So compelling and complex at the same time. I wanted more! Oh well another rejection letter from Saxum came in the mail. "Sorry sir, you will not be getting any wine this year". Boy, do they know how to tease you or what??

#7
2007 Puligny-Montrachet Etienne Sauzet

Some good friends treat you and your wife to dinner so you wanna pay them back with something special of your own. White Burgundy will do just fine. How about a wine with solid purity of fruit and elegant oak length. Something this wino just can't seem to get when drinking California chardonnay. There are some beautiful green fruit characteristics on this wine. It does have a reserved finish which I loved very much. I hope my friends enjoyed it as much as I did.

#6
2007 John Anthony Cabernet Sauvignon

Way way back in time, I started buying this wineries 2004 and 2005 vintage wines. I skipped on the 2006, but came right back to something comfortable and delicious in 2007. We got 2 chances to taste this wine from a brown bag in 2011. I brought the wine first and gave it a monster score. When someone else brought it several months later, she didn't fair as well. You see!! this is what "brown bagging" wines does to you. Either way both times the wine was over 90 points, so who really cares. This wine has a pleasant nose of blackberries, allspice and dark chocolate. A perfectly priced lush, jammy wine with nice tannins and a complex finish. Need I say more???

#5
2007 Collina Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon

Your wine friends are so generous. What a special birthday gift this was! Despite this wines youth. Huge amounts to ripe berries and mocha come right at your nose and palate. This wine is elegant yet refined. Perhaps that has something to do with the pedigree. What an honor it was to try it.

#4
1994 Chateau Monbousquet Bordeaux

You buy wine and you collect wines. As you will see at the end you are really buying memories. The 1994 Monbousquet I was saving for another occasion. A very important one. That is okay though, there will be other 94's coming along in 4 years. This was a wine that was ready to drink NOW! It did get beat up a bit at this tasting being that there were some far more superior Bordeaux's in the line up. But if you don't know me by now as a guy that collects memories. I guess you just don't really know me. On the nose this wine was classic french. Earth and lead pencil. The wine was tight with not a whole lot of fruit coming thru. Simple yet exactly what I needed on that day. Any and all wino's should buy wine for that perfect moment in time. This was one of them for me.

#3
1999 Stags Leap Petite Syrah

There is nothing petite about this wine. Heck, when I first tasted it from the brown bag, I was convinced it was a 2008 Syrah. Nope! 9 years older and the wrong varietal. I don't mind being wrong on this occasion. I mean how often do you get a chance to taste a wine that is inky, dark and delicious. Yeah did I mention it was a 1999. I really can't mention that enough. There was still so much complex berry and oak from the very first sip. I truly believe that no one would of guessed this wines correct age. I DARE YOU!! Either way, what a wonderful wine to taste from a good friends personal collection.

#2
1998 Hermitage La Chapelle

From an old California Petite Syrah to an old French Syrah. This deep purple wine exhibited black cherry, blackberry, leather, smoke and truffle aromas. Perfect delicate tannins with outstanding length on the finish. I kept wanting to taste and taste this wine. What a treat from a great wine friend that I have gotten to know. He really does know how to bring out the right wine for the right occasion!

and the number 1 wine of the year is????
If you really do know me!
You really know just how special saving and drinking certain bottles of wine is!

August 29th 1990

12:17pm

The birth of your first child? I still remember the nurse telling me to put on the scrubs, that my wife was 10 centimeters and ready to deliver. I sat there for a minute wondering what kind of father I was going to be. If I would raise my children with good morals and values. I was only 22 years old on that day. A young man still planning his future. I walked into the delivery room not knowing the answer to that question yet. My wife the warrior laid on the delivery table. I call her that because in no way would I ever want to change places with her. As young as we were, we planned the birth of our first child. Married just over 2 years, we both wanted to start a family early on. My parents waited till there mid thirties to even get married. My mom was 39 years old when she gave birth to me. I suppose that I wanted to be different from my parents. That I wanted to have a relationship that would last 50, 60 or even 70 years. My parents would never get that chance getting married as old as they did.

My mom was so happy on that day, for she was an employee of the hospital that delivered my child. A housekeeper for 17 years. She knew everybody in that building and they knew her as the Grandmother to be. She was working that day and swept and swept that same hallway just outside the delivery room over and over waiting for the news.

When the birth came my child was put on Angie's belly turned away from me. We never found out what the sex of the child was during the pregnancy. I so wanted to reach over and turn him or her towards me just to see if it was a boy or girl. I stopped myself though! Then, 30 seconds later I was cutting the umbilical cord to my daughter Jacqueline Lucia Rodriguez. Angie and I were truly blessed. Jackie was born 1 month early at 12:17pm weighing 5 pounds 7 ounces. She was so little!

I lost sight of my mother as I walked out of the delivery room. She still had a job to do. It didn't take long to have someone call her back to the maternity ward.

I hugged her and cried! She thought something went wrong, but they were tears of joy. A tiny but healthy baby girl. My mom always wanted me to be a girl! So I gave her the next best thing, a granddaughter that she could spoil! And that she did for 12 years till her passing.

Hearing your child say her first word. Dada of course! Seeing your child take there first step. Having them draw there first picture for you. Priceless moments in the raising of a child. But when things go wrong, no parenting book can prepare you enough. My daughter was struck by a car at the age of 9. She had to be airlifted to Children's Hospital in Los Angeles because they thought she might lose her arm. You are helpless! With nothing to do but pray for the best. I held her in my arms as hard as I could whispering in her ear that everything was going to be okay. You are numb with pain and worry. Something no parent should ever go through. I am not a very religious man, but I believe someone was looking after her that day. Doubt creeps into your head as to what kind of parent you are for your children when things like that happen. Then they grow up with beautiful smiles, hearts of gold and good strong morals. Your job is complete. ~~~~~~

August 29th 2011
12:17 pm

So my number 1 wine of the year is not one but 2 wines.
1990 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon
and
1990 Chateau Chasse-Spleen Bordeaux

In the dinning area of my home sits a shelf that holds several dusty, empty wine bottles. Why do I keep them? For the memories that they have given me. Every so often they get dusted off. This allows me to reminisce about that moment when I drank it and what that moment meant to me personally. There are wines on the that shelf that fill me with sad emotions and ones to remember joyful, historic moments in my and my families lives. Now on that shelf sit 2 more bottles to honor the birth of my first child and to celebrate her 21st birthday. This is why I collect wines!

My brother gifted me the bottle of 1990 Spottswoode back in 1996. His idea! Pop it open to celebrate my daughters 21st birthday in the year 2011. How quickly he forgot that I even still had that bottle. He thought we drank it way back when. This wine still had lots of life! It was a bit funky on the nose when first we opened it, but that blew off over the first half hour. Hints of chocolate were still there with cedar and dark fruit on the nose as the wine evolved. I waited for 15 years, and I got exactly what I wanted. A moment to remember what it was like to become a father 21 years earlier. This is my #1 wine of the year~ My daughter thought it was pretty darn good too! :-)

The 1990 Chateau Chasse-Spleen, I purchased in 2000. I have always had a fondness for Bordeaux. I also have a fondness for a little friendly USA vs. FRANCE competition. Add into the mix the fact that both wines are from my daughters birth year just makes it more exciting. On this day, it was not to be for FRANCE~ This wine, although still showing some forms of structure and intensity, started to putter out after an hour of being opened. Then again I want to never forget this wine memory, so she will sit on my wine shelf right along side her counterpart.

So we come to the end~~ What a year! As I mentioned at the beginning, this list was a little heavy handed in my favor. I only hope my personal wines that I got to share with my fellow wine geeks brought as much joy to them as theirs did to me!! It truly was one of those kinda years.

A year that I will never forget!

CHEERS~

Top 20 Wines of 2010

2011-01-01T18:01:00.001-08:00

WOW! What A Year!

This year I didn't pull no punches. I went for the Jugular. Last year I posted my top 15 wines of 2009, but this year how I even came up with a top 20 list is insane. From opening bottles to celebrate birthdays or parties, to opening bottles to toast family that has passed away. From meeting "Rock Star" wine makers to opening one of the rarest bottles of wine around. It was one hell of a ride. My light estimate of 400 plus wines that I tasted this year would make it pretty hard to narrow it down to a top 20 list. Last year I tried to educate my fellow blog readers by including what I thought were great value wines that I bought and drank throughout the year. Unfortunately this year only one bottle made my list as a bottle that I bought and drank several times throughout the year. Every other bottle I would think deserves a place in history not to mention one in a museum.

I would like to thank my very very generous friends from La Canada, Whittier and Monrovia for having the desire to share some of there most prized wines. I really do hope that my friends enjoyed the wines from my own collection as well. I always follow the rule, that I don't collect wines. I collect memories of wines shared with friends and family.

So without further delay! Let us Begin~

#20
2006 & 2008 Seasmoke Botella Pinot Noir
Okay, I lied, it's actually my top 21 wines, but I cannot put a price on 2 wines that were shared amongst friends on Christmas Day to honor the passing away of my mother-in-law on Christmas Eve. Then again Sea Smoke is my all time favorite Pinot producer from Central coast. I was together with my wife and some of my very best friends around. We all laughed and shared stories about relatives living and gone. A perfect wine moment with 2 perfect wines. Nothing can be better.

#19
1988 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne
From my very good friend Ken Rushworth came a gift that was given to my brother for helping him with his annual Halloween party. To our surprise this bottle was in pristine shape for 22 years old. Super tiny bubbles and great amounts of fruit were still very present. This particular wine comes with a wine medallion hiding under the foil cap. It required my brother to explain to me how Heidsieck made a vintage champagne that included a medallion to be worn as a charm. I had never heard of any other winery ever doing that before. Let's hope my brother wears it.

#18
2005 Domaine Du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf Du Pape
It may have a long name and it was the BIGGEST bottle of wine that I have ever drank from at 6 liters, but what a treat it was to taste this wine not once but twice from the same bottle. Large format bottles seem to last forever. There is no exception to the rule with this Chateauneuf Du Pape. I first tasted it at the "Envy Tasting" from Wine Warehouse. That same bottle was then given to my good friend Ernie Ceja of Vinatero Wine Shop 7 days later. To our surprise the wine was still drinking very well. This wine could easily last another 25 years. Still young and closed up the first time we tasted it. The wine developed ripe and sweet fruit 7 days later. Very soft tannins with good amounts of acidity. What a special wine treat~

#17
2007 Peter Michael Chardonnay Belle Cote
I will continue to say how Chardonnay is not my favorite white wine varietal. So why was I buying some Peter Michael Chardonnay? What was I thinking? Oh yeah there is that thing about my wife loving Chardonnay and of course very expensive Chardonnay like Peter Michaels to boot. Of course my wife ended up not getting any of this particular bottle because I shared it with my good friends the "Padres Panel" Yeah I think it went over really well. Peter Michael is a solid producer of exceptional wines. I will say that I would prefer there big red wines ahead of there whites, but my wife is very special to me and must be allowed from time to time to have exactly what she wants. I guess I better start saving up again.

#16
2005 La Sirena Syrah Barrett Vineyard
When you meet and hang out with a rock star like Heidi Barrett everything tastes better. She is a legend and probably the most approachable person in the wine business that I will ever get the chance to meet. I have always said how famous wine makers are like your "Rock Star" Chefs that you see on TV. What a special treat it was tasting Heidi's wines with her personally explaining them to me. The Barrett Syrah isn't very fruit forward on the nose, but makes up with huge amounts of blackberry and spice that I have become accustomed too with Syrah. This was the year that I tasted more and more Syrah. This was the very best one I had all year long.

#15
2000 Arietta Red H Block
What happens when a good friend opens an exceptional wine. Like every other time before that, we sit back and say WOW. What a treat it was to have finally tasted a wine from Arietta. It only took forever, but was worth every patient moment. This wine was enormous with oak and chocolate. It had big tannins for a 10 year old wine. Could very well have lasted another 10 years. This is what you get when you have the coolest friends ever.

#14
2002 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet
What happens when a bottle of your favorite Cabernet of all time finally gets opened to share with friends. Just like the Arietta above, you sit back and say WOW again. I cherish so much the wines from certain wineries. Spottswoode is my all time favorite producer of Cabernet. Hopefully I will continue to buy some forever. This wine had plenty of perfectly ripe fruit, aromas of fresh berries, leather, mocha, with a touch of smoke. Was in a perfect stage for consumption. I guess that is why it didn't last long.

#13
2008 Rivers Marie Summa Old Vine Pinot
Rivers Marie makes some pretty damn good Pinot Noir. I put my name on there mailing list last year but decided not to buy any of there wines in 2010. That was a big mistake, because after one of my good friends allowed me to taste all 3 of there Pinot Noirs, I quickly tried to pick up some of my allocation. Like many small producer, if you "snooze you loose" and the wine was all gone. Then again it's nice to have friends in high places. I was still able to pick up a few bottles months later. The Summa Old Vine is the most expensive of the 3 Pinots Rivers Marie produces. This is a super ripe California Style Pinot. Ripe red cherries, wild strawberry, and herb on the nose. Light acidity that makes it very refreshing. Not sure about the wines longevity, but I can't wait to find out years from now.

#12
2007 Ketcham Estate Pinot Russian River Valley
Twice I tried this wine in 2010 and both times, I was surprised on how much I really like the efforts from this winery. To me the biggest surprise is how this wine doesn't come off as your typical Russian River Valley Pinot. The wine has potent acidity and back end structure that isn't too typical to Russian River Valley Wines. It shows a touch of oak on the nose with black cherry and blackberry. I may have to look into purchasing some of these wines in the near future.

#11
1998 Cuvee Louie Champagne
One of my best efforts this year was the pairing of this beautiful vintage Champagne with some perfectly roasted potatoes and crab cake with a garlic aioli. When your wife is about to have a major surgical procedure and wants a great meal. I put my best foot forward. Many thanx to my good friends the Ceja's for there enormous hearts and generosity for supplying this bottle. The wine made a harmonious connection with the food that I prepared on that day. I couldn't of asked for a better wine and food moment. Then again there are many more to come~

#10
1979 Karthaeuserhof Kronenberg Reisling Auslese
Did I just write down that I drank a 31 year old bottle of white wine? Yep that is not a typo. Best part was sharing it with my good friend Ken Rushworth for our birthdays. I would say that it's rare to find another friend that shares the same birth date as your own. Then add the fact that he happens to be a very generous huge wino and wine collector. Extra Rare~ I must admit that when the cork of this wine came out, I was a bit scared. Then a beautiful golden glow poured into the glass and the nose of honey, apricot jam, and petrol filled the air. The wine is medium sweet on the palate and the acidity is still very high. What an effort from an old world wine. Can California ever produce something like that? I guess I will have to wait and see in about 25 more years.

#9
2007 Brown Estate Chaos Theory
Okay so far every wine on my list has been a rock star - cult wine that few people ever get a chance to see let alone drink, but I had to include the most drinkable, approachable wine that I bought several times in 2010 on my list. I was first introduced to Brown Estate wines at Vinatero Wine shop 2 years ago. The Chaos Theory is a blend of Cabernet and Zinfandel that makes this wine perfect to pop open any time or day of the year with so many food options as well. I bought several bottles throughout the year and shared them with my wine club members. They in turn bought more of the wine for the same reason I did all year long. The wine opens up very nicely with a nice long finish that makes it a perfect bottle to just drink by itself or have with food.

#8
2004 J. Rochioli Chardonnay - South River
One of my best efforts this year was the pairing of this beautiful Chardonnay with my famous Cashew Crusted Chicken Breast in Apricot Curry Sauce. When your wife is about to have a major surgical procedure and wants a great meal. I put my best foot forward. Didn't I just type that about 3 wines ago?? Either way, what an effort from the famous Rochioli Vineyard and how lucky am I that my good friend had wine to sell me. This was a perfect pairing with the Chicken that I made. The wine is drinking perfectly for an 04 vintage. Lots of tropical fruit aromas with a full mouth feel. This is a wine with strong acidity and more mineral on the finish than most California Chardonnay's. I may just have to buy more for Angie's sake. I better start saving again~

#7
2003 Pride Merlot
No more Merlot jokes please. I love the movie, but am getting tired of it. I had a few chances to try Pride wines this year. The Pride Merlot supplied by Chris Poole for our Merlot Tasting was the last wine that I got a chance to taste that night. Instantly, I declared that it was the best wine of the night. Absolute perfect balance of flavors, fruit and tannins on this wine. Soft color with cherry, mocha, and oak aromas. Perfect mouth feel and balance. The finish lingered for just the right amount of time. I am glad it was the winner that night.

#6
2003 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir
I have already talked and talked to much about how I love this winery. The 06 and 08 wines perhaps were young, but oh how I still enjoyed having them this year. The 03, Southing happened to be the very last bottle I had. This time I checked really good in my cellar and there are no more of them left, I swear~ The wine was fantastic! Tons of Cherries and berry on the nose. It still had plenty of life and not showing any age at all. What a way to enjoy Mother's Day. That is just how I roll.

#5
2004 Bodegas El Nido Clio
I continue to buy and buy this wine every year. It has yet to disappoint me once. From having the 2002 make my list last year, to finally opening my 04 this year for my birthday. What a treat it was for my friends in Monrovia on that day. The fruit on this wine is so precise, so tasty and enjoyable. Not jammy at all and yes the oak is there but receded into the background as the wine opened up. Not to expensive, so I will keep on buying it over and over again.

#4
1995 Chateau Lynch Bages, Bordeaux
So many friends I have made in the last 4 years. Thad Brennan is no exception. He loves bringing out curious old world wines. He also loves pulling the trigger and bringing out BIG BOY wines. This was definitely one of them. Well structured with the lead pencil, leather, black fruit and forest. Big french Terroir comes screaming at you. This is a great reason to collect and hold onto certain wines. Perhaps that is why the next wine made my list! Please continue reading~

#3
1986 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Bordeaux
It probably belongs in a museum. Braised Lamb Shoulder Roast was a perfect pairing.
ENOUGH SAID Shhhhhhhhhhhh~

#2
1994 Ken Wright Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
I am still learning every year just how good the wines from the United States can compete against the French. When I first started drinking Pinot it was from California. I still don't have the wallet to buy top notch Burgundies from France, but what a treat it was on that summer day to pour myself a glass of 16 year old Pinot Noir not from California, but from Oregon. Some of my wine expert friends that I know swear by Oregon for there ability to produce high end Pinot's that can rival French Burgundies. The Ken Wright makes me hold out hope for a few of the California Pinot Noir's that I have collected the last 5 years. It also makes me want to learn more about the Pinot's being produced in Oregon. The Ken Wright had a beautiful nose of cherry, spice and flowers. In the mouth a young tasting Pinot with serious acidity, cherry and cranberry flavors. Very well integrated Tannins as well. What a treat! Thank you Mr. Rushworth.

AND THE NUMBER #1 WINE OF 2010 IS?????

2006 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly - SILEX

Oh gee~ I just finish talking about how wines from the United States can compete against the French then this happens. I will take you back to January of 2010 and just one of many many "Padres Panel" tastings that took place throughout the year. I brought Peter Michael's Sauvignon Blanc in a brown bag for the group to try and my good friend Jon Jilg brought Silex. I remember my brother talking about Didier Dagueneau dieing in a plane crash in 2008 and how he was using unconventional French methods to make some serious wines. Little did I know just how good this wine would turn out to be. Everything about Silex that day was in perfect harmony. Intense nose of exotic fruit, melon and white pear. On the palate the wine has good weight with a heavy fruit concentration but in balance with perfect acidity and a very long mineral finish. To me, it is the absolute perfect expression of Sauvignon Blanc. The only thing missing that day was food. Then again, I will have another chance at the perfect food and wine pairing as a bottle of this fine wine made it's way into my locker for Christmas. Thank you Mr Jilg for the coolest wine gift of the year. I have already stated to some of my friends that this could very well be a wine that may make my top 5 wines of all time EVER!.

Lets just hope I get to drink wine for another 45 plus years!

~So there is my list~
~As I said last year~

Wine Geek? - Wine Snob? - Wine Collector?

Perhaps you should listen to me!
I may just know something!

Cheers~

2010-12-13T22:23:00.000-08:00

My Year in Wine:
2010

How do you put in perspective the year 2010 in wine that for me personally included some family stress - great friendships - super parties - wines that belong in museums and wines that belong in the trash?? You can't, its not that simple. In reality, I am so looking forward to 2011 already.

This year I managed to surpass the light estimate of 175 to 200 wines from last year that I tasted to easily reach 300 to 400 wines in 2010. Yes! that number is correct. I am a very fortunate man. I have the very best friends and family in this industry. I have developed friendships with so many people that I really can't ever pay back for there generosity. All I can continue to do is remain there friend and give my personal opinion regarding the wines that we taste, share, or drink together. All of my friends and the wines that we drank together shall remain nameless this year as I really hope that they will read this blog post and know just how much I value there friendship and kindness.

The year started off with the grape that I have become so fond of "Pinot" and one heck of a pinot tasting in Pasadena. Some of my favorite wineries were there, including a few bottles that I brought myself. Although as the year went along I developed a bit of "Pinot Burn-Out" and started tasting lots and lots of Syrah, as I still cannot afford to really sink my teeth into Burgundy. Yes I am yearning more and more for a certain style of pinot, but my preference still remains in the Central Coast, specifically Santa Rita Hills AVA, but this year Oregon made a big impression on me with an almost perfect 16 year old Magnum of wine. The Pasadena Pinot tasting also brought together several of my best wine drinking friends together in one room. In the end, some superior and some horrible pinot's were tasted.

Later in the month of January came not just my proudest wine moment of the year, but quite possibly of all time. It was another great wine tasting that happened to be "Brown Bagged" It included lots of great bottles, but on this day 2 bottles stood out above the rest and my friend and I developed what I believe was a psychic power. We brought 2 very high end wines that were the same varietal, almost the same vintage year, and can hardly be found not just anywhere. The wine I brought was a great expression of Sauvignon Blanc from California, but the wine that my friend decided to open will probably turn out to be the greatest bottle of wine that I had all year long. Perhaps some day it may even be in the top 5 bottles that I will have gotten the chance to drink in my entire life. My proudest moment was just having the sense that I was drinking perfection in a glass even though I didn't have a clue as to the bottles origin. Everything about that wine was in perfect harmony. I don't think that will ever be duplicated.

In February came a meeting with not just one, but two "Wine Legends". Both meetings were fun and laid back tastings, that gave me the chance to ask them questions that were or were not wine related. We hung out, ate great food, drank amazing wines. To me wine makers are "Rock Stars" just like the chefs you see on TV. In the end they are hard working people that love what they do. I just hope that I get more chances like that in my life.

When March finally came around, my brother found work back in the field that got me all started in this craziness more than 15 years ago. He still is the most inspirational person I know in the wine business. I will never be able to pay him back for the education and wines. The month ended with both of my favorite wine bars spoiling me rotten with great bottles of wines. One celebrated there 3rd year in business and the other celebrated St. Patrick's Day in style. Every year this will happen and every year I will look forward to it.

When my birthday rolled around in April. I only got to drink a 31 year old bottle of wine. I also got to share it with a friend of mine that just so happens to have the same birth date as myself. What better way to get a bit older than to enjoy an oldie but goodie with a great wine friend. I never would of known that Riesling wines could last that long. Just another way old world wines one up California. Did I mention that my Anniversary is also the same day as my birthday. What was I thinking. The actual day started very sadly with the news that some friends of ours had a sick child in the hospital. Emotions ran over me as to how can I celebrate my birth as they worried about the health of there newborn child. The day was an emotional roller coaster, but we did get treated very well by my friends in Whittier. They sang Happy Birthday to me and wished my wife and I many more Anniversaries to come. We are so very fortunate.

May was a quiet month. I suppose that I needed a break, so wine drinking was very limited. Mother's Day allowed me to thank my wife and sister-in-law the correct way with 2 beautiful bottles of Pinot Noir. When we moved into June the party started right back up again with the "Empty your Wine Locker Party". This one is an annual event that a few of my friends throw. It allows a bunch us to bring out our "Big Guns" and share them with everybody. There were to many solid or badass wines that night that I got the chance to taste. My head is still spinning!

In the month of June, finally some vacation! Yep, it was wine related. Just a small trip up to Central Coast to visit my favorite winery and favorite California Pinot Noir. Visiting there new facility was so cool, but the coolest part was the friends that I have made there treating us above and beyond there abilities. It feels good to have friends in the right places. The trip was most needed for us all. When summer rolled around, it was time for me to give back just a little. My wife was about to undergo a surgical procedure to lose weight and requested that I make her favorite dish one last time. It is no mystery that I find my inner calm in the kitchen. Up until that point, we had not thrown any big wine party. I spent several days putting a menu and a music play list together. Two of my best friends and my sister-in-law were invited to enjoy in this meal. As I ate the meal and drank the wines, I became very emotional. Nothing brings me more satisfaction then to feed my family and see there smiles after a successful dinner. The emotions still linger now for my wife's health. She is my rock and I would be lost without her. We have so many more dinners to host. Just a few weeks after her surgery, I finally got the chance to introduce my wife to several of my wine friends. It is still uncomfortable for her to explain that she could not eat anything. My wine friends treated my wife very well and we are both looking so forward to many more parties together.

As the wine year comes to a close, party after party emerge. To many to count from my friends in La Canada. It has been the absolute best club that I could of ever joined. We are friends now, not just a bunch of guys getting together to taste wines. Brown bagging the wines has taught us all how to judge and be judged. The friends that I have met from Monrovia, also deserve so much praise. There generosity is priceless, and there friendships to both my wife and I are legendary. Words cannot say enough about the friendships I have made in Whittier. To Angie and I, you are family now.

Then comes the party of parties. A party where friends decided to cook and drink wine. A party that allowed me the pleasure once again to feed friends and enjoy there company. Cooking is still such a fun activity for me. It brings me calm remember? A party that allowed me to give back! Why hold onto legendary wines if you can't share them with friends and family! The food prepared in a high end culinary style. The friends, laughing and enjoying the day. This is why we get together. These are the days that we hope we will never forget!

So the year is almost over! How will I put together a top 15 list. It will be difficult, but I will try really hard. I sit here writing about it, Remembering the wines! Remembering the parties! Remembering the laughter and some tears as well!

And I say yeah!!

I did it right!!

Cheers~

WA vs. WS

2010-09-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Tale of the Tape:

In this Corner:
the Great Wine Advocate
Robert Parker
and
2005 Lagier Meredith Syrah 95pts.

In this Corner:
the great Wine Spectator
and
2006 Landmark Steel Plow Syrah 94pts.

Lagier Meredith comes in with, a beautiful deep ruby/purple hue and is accompanied by aromas of blueberries, black raspberries, spice, and ground pepper. Displaying a seamless integration of acidity, alcohol, tannin, and wood. Robert Parker; Wine Advocate # 174 Dec 2007

Landmark "Steel Plow" Syrah comes in with loads of pepper, beef, dark berry, teriyaki, mineral and spice. Intense, distinctive, full-bodied and focused, this is so complex and well-proportioned that all the flavors work together seamlessly." #19 on the Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2009 - March 2009

Sitting on the bench and wanting to come into the game. 2006 Vice Versa Syrah - 2008 Booker Fracture Syrah - 2007 Jelly Roll Syrah - 2007 Booker Vertigo Syrah - 2005 Bremer Family Syrah - 2006 Shafer Relentless Syrah - and 2006 Hitching Post Syrah.

Ok so that is a baseball reference and not a boxing match term. But all of the wine poured on this evening from my La Canada Grand Crew Wine Club were great examples of a grape that I have become very fond of in the last year.

Syrah you say?? Well I do have a bit of Pinot "BURN OUT" and I have not found a great expression of Cabernet that has rocked my socks off in the last few years, so I have fallen on the way side of finding "Good" - "Solid" - "Affordable" and last but not least "Drinkable" grape varietals. That wont break my bank account and could still hold some aging potential.

Syrah just fits the bill. Yep, that dark skinned grape that sometimes yields octopus or squid ink in a glass. Black as night!! Or perhaps it can yield pepper, then more pepper, followed by yet more pepper with an occasional splash of blackberries and espresso. But what about the true Cotes du Rhone style of bacon fat, leather, earth and truffle. Yeah! that sounds pretty tasty as well. Can't there just be 1 wine with all of those characteristics??

Keep an eye out folks. You just might be surprised one day like I was when I drank La Sirena Barrett Vineyard syrah or Agharta syrah.

Hey wait a minute!!
Why the heck did I not pour one of those wineS for this tasting???
Why????
Because I wanna win dammit!

Let me release to the masses the biggest - jammiest monster of them all. With a name like Jelly Roll how can I lose. Ooppss! I lost! To a cheaper and more consistent wine this evening.

BACK TO THE BOXING MATCH~~~
Spectator has advocate on the ropes. Spectator is pummeling advocate with hard lefts and right. Advocate is covering up trying to avoid the blows. Advocate just cant seem to get out of the way. More body shots from Spectator. He is moving in for the KILL!

AND WAIT~~~

DOWN GOES PARKER - DOWN GOES PARKER!
Parker is trying to get up ~ 8-9-10!!! IT'S OVER!!

AND THE WINNER by KO - 2006 LANDMARK STEEL PLOW SYRAH. A Spectator 94pt wine. Good job Brad. You will be rewarded by having me look for more Landmark wines to taste and try. And as for 2005 Lagier Meredith Syrah! A Robert Parker 95pt wine? Hopefully Steve can redeem himself at our next tasting with a great wine. It's your choice Steve, pick a great theme. I still like "Pink Shit"! as a theme, but that's just me.

As for the rest of the wines, that just didnt cut it on this night. Better luck next time~ 5 of the wines represented were Parker 90pt plus wines. Of the 5, Booker Fracture came in at the highest position in the line up at number 3. Followed by Jelly Roll at 4th. Right in the middle again for me. Just like the Merlot Tasting. Oh well~ Then Came the other Booker wine in the mix Vertigo. With 3rd from the bottom being Shafer Relentless. Oh my~ Mr Jilg, What Happened? Just so you know, I rated that wine #1 of the evening and the Landmark was 3rd from the Bottom. Oh well, what the hell do I know~~~

Good times by all! On a perfect evening outdoors!
I must thank our host Genji for a great theme to our tasting.

Just think of what might of happened if Cotes du Rhone would of been allowed.
Hmmmmm? A great question! Nah!

Robert Parker would of eaten them up alive and been dancing around the ring yelling
USA USA USA!

Cheers~

I am not Drinking any "@#!~ing" Merlot!

2010-03-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

Merlot Tasting 2-23-2010

I couldn't help myself to paraphrase the famous scene in the movie.

I just don't know enough about Merlot. I remember one tasting many many years ago in San Francisco. Where I was poured both an estate Cabernet and an estate Merlot from a famous winery. I turned to my brother and said "These 2 wines taste the same". Would that still happen today, 12 years later? Probably! Would I be able to tell the difference in a Great Bordeaux with one being predominately Cabernet versus another that is predominately Merlot! Again, Probably not! The grape does get a little mixed up for me. Should we have a blind tasting of 3 Merlot's against 3 Cabernet's? Sounds good to me, but I am betting against myself to get perhaps 2 of them right. One from each side. The rest I would be guessing.

This is probably why I can never be a Sommelier! I just don't have the skill.

So what better way to make ourselves laugh at each other for even suggesting a Merlot tasting, but to pour 14 great Merlot wines. It's all fun in La Cañada and I thank Chris for picking this theme. 4 of the wines didn't count being that 2 were from Washington. Leonetti Cellars. The Matanzas Creek Winery was 21 years old and the 98 Paloma was a last minute "Go pull another bottle from the cellar and lets taste it wine". Chosen by me!

Oh! the damage I could do to a friend's cellar if given the keys!!

That 2001 Leonetti might of had a chance this night if it was allowed, but the theme called for wines made strictly from California.

I thought and thought again what wine I could bring to this tasting. Originally I believed that I had 1 bottle of 2001 Duckhorn estate Merlot somewhere in my wine locker. Digging around on 2 separate trips, I couldn't find that bottle. It's probably better that I didn't!! I would of had to explain that "San Francisco, 2 wines taste the same story", to my group. They might of thought I was an idiot!! Then all of a sudden a majority of our group that night agreed that it would be difficult to pick out a great Merlot from a great Cabernet blind.

Ok! I am not that much of an idiot anymore.

So what was my Merlot of choice on this night?? I went back to what I was comfortable with. I very famous winemaker with a great history of making both Cabernet and Merlot. Mia Klein's Selene project. Let's face it I don't ever want to be labeled a "wine snob". Wine Geek just sounds funnier. I have never met Mia Klein, but her history and my love for her Sauvignon Blanc told me that this would be a great wine to share with my group. We brown bag and double blind taste all of our wines so I am proud to say that my wine of choice did well on this night. Landing firmly in 4th place overall. I few more high scores I might of taken 3rd or 2nd.

On this night. it was our host of the evening that won the "best in show". 2003 Pride Merlot was our winner. It was the last wine that we tasted. Coincidentally~ The last 2 wines tasted were the big winners. #9 was Buccella's Merlot and #10 was the Pride.

I was the first to taste the last 2 wines before the bottles had even gotten around the table to the other side. Buccella I scored 93 points. I had some experience with this wine a few weeks earlier and recognized it in the tasting. The wine had big rich fruit with a tiny pinch of chocolate. This is a wine that can only get better with age. Perhaps it was the reason that Pride won! 2 years older could of been the factor, because the minute Pride hit my lips, I declared it my favorite of the night. I have never tasted a bottle of Red wine from Pride before this night. The wine had all the structures in perfect balance. The nose showed hints of berry fruit, espresso and oak in perfect harmony. The wine's tannins were soft and not overbearing. On the palate, zero heat from the alcohol and elegance from the fruit. An overall perfect expression of Merlot!!!

Did I just say that??

So come on people! Give the "@#!~ing" Merlot a chance with your dinner of the evening. It just might surprise you with thoughts that have vanished from your mind since seeing the now famous movie.

But don't listen to a word I say!!!

My mind is still hazy from all the wine we tasted that night. Here is the list in winning order.

2003 Pride - 2005 Buccella - 2007 Robert Foley - 2006 Selene - 2000 Joseph Phelps - 2003 Robert Sinskey - 2005 Keenan - 2006 Shafer - 2005 Pahlmeyer - and last but not least 2006 Paradigm. Sorry Scott! I am actually embarrassed to admit that I picked Paradigm last. I just met Heidi Peterson Barrett the week before. She is too kool to come in last place.

See! I told you I know nothing!!!

Cheers~

TOP 15 Wines of 2009

2010-01-04T10:55:00.001-08:00

I have decided to list my top 15 wines that I got to taste or drink in the year 2009. I decided on 15 because lets face it, I couldn't stop adding more and more wines to the list. Not to mention that I am probably missing 5 or 10 more good ones.

A light estimate on how many wines I tasted in 2009 would be between 175 to 250 plus wines. Give or Take! Some of the bottles are from my personal collection while most are from my friends, family or wine shops that I frequent.

So without further delay, here is my list;;;;;;

#15 - 2007 Zolo Torrontes

Crisp, Clean and inexpensive. This new varietal that I got experience with makes perfect sense in tough economic times. I tasted several different Torrontes wines in 2009 with some as high as $15.00 per bottle. The Zolo Torrontes was $9.99 per bottle and my favorite over the year.

#14 - 2007 Atteca Old Vine Garnacha

A great value wine over the year. I bought several bottles of this wine every time I needed a solid, "ready to drink now" wine. I have always loved Spanish wines, but this one was a "winner" at $15.99 per bottle.

#13 2005 Numanthia-Termes

This wine blew me away when I got a taste of it. I was able to taste this wine at a great wine event and I was able to take the bottle home and taste it again the very next day. Both times the wine impressed me with it's flavors. The wine was chosen as Wine Spectators #2 wine for 2009 and it shows why. Again! this is why I love so very much Spanish wines. Especially Tempranillo.

#12 2005 A. Rafanelli Zinfandel

Many thanx to all of my wine friends and there generosity. This wine poured from a friend's

private collection was the highlight of a day filled with great wines. Zinfandel isn't one of my favorite varietals, but the Rafanelli showed perfect balance of fruit that kept me coming back.

#11 2006 Kelly Fleming Sauvignon Blanc

I love Sauvignon Blanc. Kelly Fleming delivered me a perfect bottle of California wine. Perfect balance of acidity and fruit make this wine very french in style. I only wish I would of bought more of it. Lets hope that it returns at Mission Wines.

#10 2007 Peter Michael "Cuvee Indigene"

I am not a huge Chardonnay fan, but after finally tasting Peter Michael for the first time. Yeah! California makes a pretty good Chardonnay. I bit on the pricey side but many thanx go out to my friends for allowing me a taste of perfection.

#9 2007 Paul Lato Pinot Noir - Gold Coast

This was my one perfect pairing that I personally created this year. Pork Tenderloin crusted in pistachios. The first bottle of Paul Lato Pinot that I opened from my personal collection. I have high hopes for the quality of this wine to come over the next few years.

#8 2001 Opus One Cabernet

I have lots to be thankful for when it comes to Opus. It was the very first bottle of expensive wine I ever had back in 1996. This bottle was a huge treat and in good form at the time of opening. My best friend should be proud to have held on to a few of these.

#7 1999 Spottswoode Cabernet

Every year I open a bottle, and every year I love this wine. I wish I had the wallet to buy more of it. The wines are ageing gracefully, and should bring more "Wine Tears" to me personally over the next few decades.

#6 1999 Demoiselle Vranken Vintage Champagne

Maybe because it was the first taste of the day I had, or maybe it was looking across the table at my wife on her birthday, or maybe it's the fact the my friends over in Whittier know a thing or two about bubbles. This wine made perfect sense for my night out! 4 people tasted her and all 4 came to my table to thank me. The wine is at a perfect age for consumption.

#5 1989 Chateau Angelus Bordeaux

Pouring it into the glass and see that beautiful color brought a smile to my face. Many many thanx to my friend for all of his great wines, but this one stuck out the most. The only thing missing was a perfectly cooked Lamb Shank. FRENCH PERFECTION~

#4 1997 Dunn Family Howell Mountain Cabernet

I am so glad that these wines that continue to collect dust in my wine locker over the last 15 years are developing sooooooo nicely. Dunn will probably be the wine I drink on my death bed. Not because it is the greatest, but because she ages so gracefully. She just might last another 50 years.

#3 - 2002 Clio Bodega Jumilla

It is a sad day when you crack open the last bottle in your collection of a certain wine. We almost wanna savor every bit of juice in the glass for eternity. This 2002 was the last yes, but I have several other vintages put away for many years to come. Clio is one of the very best Spanish wines I ever tasted. I would of thought that this wine could of aged for 20 more years, I just couldn't hold onto the original 6 pack that I bought that long. Twice I opened this bottle in 2009. Both times the wine did not disappoint.

#2 - 1997 Peter Michael "Les Pavots"

Just so thankful for the many friends that I have. My best friend of 34 years has a big heart and a small but GREAT wine collection. For his birthday he graced me with 97 "Les Pavots", so I returned the favor by buying and opening 06 "Les Pavots". I great day of tasting wines. It is fun to able to taste 2 separate vintages of the same wine that are 9 years apart. We savor the flavors and try to determine that quality of the ageing. The 97 shows great California fruit ageing in a French Style. Showing perfectly, I only wish I had the wallet to buy a bit more of the 2006. What might she taste like in 2016.

#1 - 2003 Sea Smoke Botella Pinot Noir

Maybe it is the fact that I have always respected a winery that opens it's doors and allows us in. Friendship goes a long way when drinking wine. I am the kind of guy that never forgets when someone does something special for me.

Maybe it is the fact that I have collected this wine for over 5 years now and patience is starting to pay off in a PERFECT way. As I said earlier, when you open the last bottle in your collection of a certain wine you want to savor ever ounce of juice to the last drop. How ironic that this was my last great bottle of the year. Opened for Christmas day dinner and again, with a pork dish. The wine showed a perfect balance of fruit and aromas that make me love Pinot oh so much. This wine probably still had the potential of ageing another few years, but I am glad that I had the chance to drink a wine in a perfect state. I will continue to buy Sea Smoke till the day that I can't buy wine no more.

So there is my list.

Wine Geek? - Wine Snob? - Wine Collector?

Don't listen to me!! I know nothing!!

Cheers~

THANK YOU

2009-12-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I got around to writing, so I figured I would use this last post of the year to thank the many people that have been instrumental in my growth of wine and wine education.

Without good people around you, growth and knowledge about this little fruit would never happen. There are really to many people to thank, but I am going to keep it to the ones that I have gotten to share some great wines with this very year.

Of course the very first person I have to thank is my big brother Michael.

It all started with him many many years ago in San Francisco where there have been to many great bottles of wine that we have had. Now 13 years later, and a great collection of wines put away, I owe my big brother many thanx for the education and knowledge that he has put into my head. This year we shared some Dunn Family and some Spottswoode which are 2 of my very favorite Cabernets produced in California. May we have 40 more years of tasting and drinking wines together.

To my best friend Jr. Duarte

Always there with an extra special bottle in hand. The Great bottles keep stacking up. I feel so fortunate to have had so many good ones with you, not to mention so many more to come.

To my Sister-In-Law Linda Montoya

Although she has a small collection it doesn't stop her from wanting to drink them all up. A very generous person with a big heart that I can call upon any day for a taste, pour or bottle. We have so many more great bottles to come that we are both looking forward too. Don't worry Linda, you will live long enough to enjoy them all.

Lisa Ceja, Ernie Ceja and the entire Vinatero Wine Shop Staff

http://www.vinaterowineshop.com/

The buck stops here for wine tasting. More bottles that I can count or remember. The education keeps growing as I continue to wander there great wine shop tasting each and every bottle. I am so thankful to the Ceja's for there generosity and to there staff for there knowledge and education.

Janet Dugan, Tom Dugan and the entire California Wine & Cheese Staff

http://www.cawineandcheese.com/

Another great wine shop that I have learned so much from. Tom Dugan shares the same birthday with my father and the same passion and love for wine like myself. There staff are both knowledgeable and entertaining every time I walk in the door. I have met so many great wine friends in this shop. Lisa & Dan Murphy, Dave Buckley and many more. A special thanx to Mr. Jeff Schultz and his great knowledge of cheese. When there is wine you must have good cheese.

Mr. Ken Rushworth

I am so fortunate to have gotten to become friends with Ken from my many trips to California Wine & Cheese. His generosity is more than I will ever be able to repay. His passion for wine is endless, especially for Pinot. We have gotten to drink and share some of the very best wines that California has to offer.

The La Cañada Flintridge Wine Club

With a very special thanx to my friend and client

Mr. Jon Jilg at the far right

It seems like just yesterday when I made my first appearance at one of your wine events. The Freemark Abbey did pretty good that day. Now 9 months later and more wines that I can remember, getting together is a highlight of my week. Again! I have tasted more wines with your group than I will ever be able to repay, but tasting and judging wines is the best way to learn and hone your skills. This is what makes this wine group so great. From "Brown Bagged" to "Black Glass", the Padres Panel rules. Thank you again for allowing me to join such a fun bunch of wine enthusiasts. May we continue to enjoy each others company for many years to come.

A special thanx to Randy Watson all the way from Tampa, Florida and his Wine Whore Blog & web page. http://www.winewhoreblog.com/. So many great wines and stories that keep me coming back for more.

And to the rest of my friends that slip my mind at this time. I learn so very much from people that love wine as much as I do.

So I say goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010.

Another decade and more wines to collect and share.

I better get busy!!!!

Cheers

"STAR STRUCK???" PERHAPS!!!

2009-09-23T15:01:00.001-07:00

2005 La Cancion de Jonata - Pinot Noir

Finally I got to drink SCREAMING EAGLE~~~

Oopps sorry~ It's only another project from the Guy that owns Screaming Eagle~

I first heard about this winery back in 2008 when I was celebrating my 40th birthday in April. Perhaps it was the Robert Parker sighting that allowed me to hear about this up and coming new winery owned and operated by the 2 gentleman that purchased Screaming Eagle back in 2006. News around the Grapevine now states that one of the gentleman has left the Screaming Eagle and Jonata project to pursue other wine ventures.. Oh well~

A show of Power?

A flexing of Muscles?

or perhaps 2 guys with way to much money? That just wanted to own the hardest wine to purchase from California EVER~

Either way the "Wine Geek" in me couldn't help to put his name on there mailing list to see if first; I could even get some of the wine and second; see just how good it is. Yes~ I was able to get my hands on the wine. as for ladder;; To Be Determined~

Opening this bottle for myself and 4 of my more knowledgeable Pinot Noir friends was exactly how I wanted it to happen. I wanted to get the reaction of others as to the quality of this wine. The La Cancion de Jonata Pinot is a good wine. A solid wine~ There are so many great producers of Pinot Noir in the Central Coast. Sea Smoke being my favorite, with Paul Lato, Clos Pepe, Alma Rosa, ETC, ETC.

This is a very very green project for this new up and coming winery.. Meaning that they have a lot to learn and or a lot of years of ageing before any really really great comes of this project. The wine had very very heavy tannins on the palate, which tells me that it needs a few more years in the bottle. Beautiful aromas of forest floor very similar to Richard Sanford's Alma Rosa Pinot's. Very nice bouquets of flowers on the nose as well that are so indigenous to a good Pinot Noir.

I wanna not like it; maybe because you hear so many stories about rich people that buy up land or buy up wineries and then think they know what they are doing... They can afford the best wine makers that money can buy for sure. Andy Erickson from Screaming Eagle also makes and consults for several other great wineries. Winemaker Mike Dees of Jonata started his career at Craggy Range in New Zealand. A Pinot Noir that I blogged about a few months back.

Overall the experience that myself and my wine friends had was very positive for the Jonata wine. I will have the chance to taste this and other wines in the near future and perhaps when the economy picks up. Buy a few bottles.

Like any True "Wine Geek" I look forward to it...

Give them a Try!~~

Cheers~~

A ghost from the past

2009-09-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

2007 Paul Lato "Duende" Pinot Noir

2007 Sea Smoke "Gratis" Chardonnay

1 - 40 year old cooking pot!

When I think of all the times I sat there and watched my grandmother then my mother cooking rice in that old aluminum pot. I can't help but think that my career choice should of been in the Culinary field and not the Printing industry. As I have gotten older my love for spending an entire day in my kitchen prepping and cooking a meal for my friends and family brings a form of peace and calm to my soul. Even now as I sit here typing this story emotions flow threw me of the many family parties and functions I attended as a boy. So as I have gotten older my love and desire has grown to wanting to feed my family a big home cooked meal 2 or three times a week. I have talked before on how it is so difficult getting myself to cook Cuban food though. My families recipes taken with them as they have passed away. In the last couple of years my desire has grown though for resurrecting those family recipes. So that I can eventually pass them on to my children.

This 40 year old pot is a start! It was tucked away for the last 8 years in my father's garage. He actually thought that he had given it away to his neighbor after my mother had died 7 years ago. In a conversation one day we were having he mentioned to me that he had put away a bunch of pans and dishes in the garage. My father is getting older and a bit more forgetful so I figured one day I would attempt to search for it. Yesterday! buried in the back of a cabinet in the garage was that old oxidized aluminum pot and it's lid. I spent the majority of the morning trying to clean it and remove the rust. The pan was mainly used to cook rice, but I do recall both my mother and grandmother making some of my families Cuban staple dishes like picadillo and ropa vieja in it as well. For me there was really only one recipe I wanted to use this pan for.

Last month my father and son made a visit to New York to watch a couple of baseball games in the new Yankee stadium. We went out to dinner before there flight to my favorite Cuban restaurant, Cuban Bistro in Alhambra, California. http://www.cubanbistro.com/ After that meal I decided to email the owners of the restaurant and tell them how much I appreciate the many great meals I have had at there restaurant and if it was possible to have them give me there recipe for Rice Morros y Christianos. A good Morros y Christianos dish is what I hold a true Cuban restaurant accountable for its authenticity. When it's made perfect, as it is at Cuban Bistro, I have flashbacks of my grandmother cooking this dish. Cuban Bistro replied to my email with a thank you and the recipe. My first attempt at making the dish using there recipe was not a complete success. The rice came out a bit mushy, but the seasoning was correct. So this was the reason for searching and finding that old pot. To bring back the cooking vessel that my family used and see if the recipe would be better the second time around.

Dinner last night was a complete success!!! I served Pork Tenderloin marinated in Mojo and Cantaloupe with a pistachio crust. My famous Avocado Salad and the now PERFECT! Morros y Christianos Rice. The wines were a complete success as well. Paul Lato's "duende" Pinot Noir paired well with the pork dish. The wine is a bit young but had beautiful cranberry flavors. The Chardonnay "Gratis" from Sea Smoke which is a list members item only was a perfect blend of honeysuckle, oak and butter. A great example of Central coast Chardonnay.

But the real star of the night was that old pot! It worked its magic and brought back a moment in time so cherished from my childhood that I couldn't help myself from swelling up with emotions as I ate the dish.

Keep your families cooking history close to your heart.
They will serve you well in your old age.

Cheers!

"Smoking Guns"

2009-09-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

First and foremost:

I am happy that all of my La Cañada wine friends

were not majorly affected by the fires.

My prayers go out to those people who were.

Oh my! This is probably why Zinfandel ranks low on my list of grape varietals. Waking up this morning was not easy as the high levels of alcohol in these wines definitely made that hard to do. I am still having flash backs of raspberry, blackberry, jam, smoke, pepper, wood and tobacco. Overall it was a very interesting wine tasting as so many different styles of Zinfandel's were represented.

I pat myself on the back for suggesting the theme.

Thirteen Zinfandel's plus one bad ass Cabernet. Prices ranging from $45.00 to $7.00 per bottle. Every area in California was represented including a winemaker himself pouring his own wine. A clear winner emerged. Rosenblum 2003 "Rockpile" at $23.00 per bottle. This wine was my clear winner as well. It had the right amounts of blackberry, raspberry fruit that were not overwhelming with small hints of wood, pepper and spice to balance the wine out perfectly. A great price at $23.00 per bottle. Good Job Greg! 2 out of the 3 tastings with the winner is pretty darn good.

My props go out to our homemade wine as well. Although Tom Pietzman gave the lowest score of all the tasters to his own wine at 72 points. I gave his Pietzman Family Zinfandel 92 points which was my second highest total of the night. This is what makes tasting wines blind so much fun. The Pietzman Zinfandel again had good combinations of fruit with a balance of spice which made it very drinkable. At a cost of $7.00 per bottle to produce this wine, I only wish more Zinfandel's hovered in this price range. I would probably drink a whole lot more of them.

I also pat myself on the back for understanding the losing wine. I can not give it to my good friend Jon with his 20 year old Caymus zinfandel. That just isn't fair! The real losing wine which was a mess of tree bark and tobacco gone mad that even after 2 hours of decanting as a friend of mine suggested that I do, didn't help the wine at all. Yep that is right! I brought the losing wine again. Outpost-Howell mountain. I am just happy that almost everybody also caught on to how flawed this wine is. I recognized the wine right away in the line up, because I still can't get that wine out of my head from the very first time I tasted it 2 years ago. Time warp back 15 years and I bet Caymus fairs much better against Outpost.

So let us never EVER do this again!!! 13 high octane, smoky, fruit forward Zinfandel's make you yell and laugh a bit louder than usual. They also give you a headache that only large amounts of Aspirin can cure. The varietal should only be consumed with large amounts of food. BBQ beef brisket would be my preference!

Till our next meeting!

Cheers!

PS
I think I am becoming a Mark Herold groupie as well Jon. That was one bad ass Cabernet.

USA "1" - FRANCE "1" - ME :-)

2009-08-25T23:23:00.000-07:00

RUST IS THE KEY!

2 Absolute perfect bottles of well aged and ready to drink wines. 1994 Chateau Latour - 1994 Mondavi Reserve.

I don't really know how people like Robert Parker do it. Perhaps I should of asked him myself. Now that I think about it, he was probably just mooching some of my wine is all and this is how I really see the process of distinguishing one wine from another. On memory alone. I don't have any sommelier skills. I do have a good ability to retain information from bottles tasted before. Sight and aromas come first while flavors on my palate are last. Throw 3 different varietals of grapes in a glass in front of me and I loose my ability of sight instantly. I would be guessing the varietal. Stick my big Cuban nose into the glass and some memories would come racing back. Taste those 3 varietals and the memories of those thousands of bottles that I have tasted in the past would be in my head to assist me.

Tonight tasting these 2 beautiful bottles was a very special treat. Thank you again Jon for allowing us to make some great wine memories together. I must agree that on sight alone this was the most difficult of the 3 senses to choose. Both wines are blended with Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Each wine had that rust characteristic in the glass. I seem to catch it the most as the wine is being poured into the glass. The Mondavi was the first wine that I poured out followed my the Latour. The rust factor is most recognizable as you are pouring the wine and along the edges in the glass. On looks alone Latour carried a bit more of the crimson, rust colors. On the nose again was Mondavi's wine first, and I instantly knew that I was smelling a familiar friend. To me California wines have more intensity of fruit. As they age, the wines loose some of that intensity. I don't believe that I have ever tasted 1994 Mondavi before today. I have had several other vintages and still own one bottle of 1996 30th anniversary and 2 bottles of 2001 vintages. This is a perfect example of a California Mondavi wine. There are no similarities to Opus one here. I also recognized an old friend in the Latour. Cedar, smoke, hints of wood and leather. They are what makes a Bordeaux. The 1994 vintage I have tasted in the past. I am happy that on the nose first I picked correctly because on the palate I was 100% sure.

I said in an earlier post what an honor it is to taste a first growth Bordeaux. It is also a great honor when opening a well aged California Cabernet. The old saying "Patience is a Virtue" is what makes for great wine memory like today.

Both of these fine examples of wine would of benefited from food. I do wonder what a few hours in the decanters might of done to them. They only would of gotten better and possibly harder to pick out.

Oh and as you see there were 2 other wines poured on this day. They were Rhone blends from California and France that I "brown bagged" to see if my friends could pick them out. All 3 of my friends were correct in picking out the California example which was the Morgan's "Cotes du Crow's. I must agree these were 2 completely different wines on the palate. Morgan which is a go to drinking wine for me is very fruit forward while the 2007 Cotes du Ventoux carried the heavier earth notes found in french wine examples. If I were to have tasted these 2 wines blind. On sight they were identical. I would of been guessing. On the nose some similar characteristics come forward on both wines. This is probably because of the similar blends that both wines have which is 55/45 Grenache and Syrah. The only difference being that the French wine has more Grenache while the California example is the other way around. Tasting these wines would of been the key. As all 3 of my friends picked correctly and if I were to have tasted them blind. I too would of picked correctly. Both wines are good examples of drinkable Rhone blends.

So remember to always retain those memories of wines that you have tasted in the past. They will serve you well in future tastings to come as you see in this photo.

Sorry Jon!! I had an advantage!

Cheers!

Goodbye San Francisco

2009-08-18T15:10:00.001-07:00

When I think of the thousands of bottles of wine that I have had the privilege to drink. None have been better than the 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild paired with the absolute best Roasted Chicken I ever had!

It was July of 2001 and my brother had made the decision to move back to Los Angeles. For anybody in the wine industry, leaving San Francisco to come to LA would be career suicide, but our Mother was dieing of Lou Gehrig's Disease and my brother wanted to spend the remaining months of her life by her side. In 2001, I was still a novice when it came to understanding "WINE" completely. I had made several trips to San Francisco and the wine country before. Plus, I had already began to collect wines for several years under my brother's guidance of buying the best. This trip would turn out to be the last I ever make to San Francisco with my brother. There have been so many great wine memories in this city with my brother like my birthday dinner party where I insisted on eating Seafood Risotto even though I was drinking 1997 Bryant Family Cabernet. Would I love to get that memory back today and eat the right meal with that wine. An absolute YES! Unfortunately, there is no Bryant Family wine left in our collection.

So we come to that warm summer day in 2001. Where my brother Michael this time would insist that I must have Roasted Chicken from Zuni Cafe. The problem was he also wanted to open 1982 Chateau Lafite. By 2001 I had learned what to do and not to do when it comes to opening a nice bottle of wine, but this was Michael's farewell meal and he insisted that we go to his favorite restaurant in San Francisco of all time.

Zuni Cafe is located at 1658 Market St (between 12th St & Page St) which was walking distance from my brothers loft. When we arrived we quickly ordered the Roasted Chicken being that the dish requires 1 hour of cooking time. The dish is cooked in a brick oven and comes with a warm bread salad with red mustard greens, scallions, currants and pine nuts. As shown in the photo above.

We actually started the meal with a cocktail while the wine opened up. Both our thoughts at the time were of sadness for our mother's health and for my brother leaving San Francisco which I still believe is a much better food city then Los Angeles ever will be.

There are just a few words to describe 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Perfection would be one of them. But I still remember telling my brother as that first sip of wine hit my lips was how much better this wine was than anything I had ever tried before. The wine showed finesse and elegance that I had never seen before in red wine. Plums, Cedar, Liquid Smoke, and Earth are what a remember. Who cares that I had it with Chicken. Yes! it could of benefited from a rack of lamb, but now that I think of it, I would of drank this wine with dessert if I could. It is just that good.

PERFECTION! It has never been duplicated again!

As for the famous Zuni Roasted Chicken. It was the most succulent bird I ever had. The brick oven gave the chicken a beautiful smoky flavor that worked very well with the wine. The skin was a Utopia of crunchy perfection. The salad is a warm mix of crispy, tender and chewy chunks of bread. It had little slivers of garlic and scallions. Just the right amounts of currants and pine nuts with a handful of greens all moistened with vinaigrette and chicken drippings.

Today my mouth still waters when I think of that dish. The greatest white wine I ever tasted was 1992 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. I had that wine twice. Both times with roasted chicken dishes, but on that day in San Francisco having to settle for Lafite at Zuni Cafe will do just fine.

As seen in the first photo at the top of this story. I own Judy Rodger's Zuni Cafe Cookbook. In the book, is the famous recipe. Temptation has always driven me to try and duplicate that dish.

Why mess with one of my most memorable "Wine Moments" of all time.

Cheers!

7 - 1 = GOOD

2009-08-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

5 Chardonnays

1 Cabernet

1 Mysterious Bordeaux

It's fun when a bunch of passionate wine geeks get together to taste wines. It is how your wine knowledge and taste buds evolve. I have been looking for a group like this for years. A get together that can broaden my love and passion for this little fruit. Years of tasting wine have only taught me 1 thing. That I have years and years of education to go. So you have to taste wines over and over on a weekly basis. Personal opinions matter even if we disagree. That is half the fun of it. I will thank the "Padres Panel" for taking me under there wing and I look forward to sharing more great wines in the future.

TODAY'S LESSON

Is a simple one! Don't hold onto a wine to long. As we learned from tasting 1996 Kistler it's a bad idea. Sorry Padres Panel, I had to go back just one more time for another sip and dream that it would get better. It didn't! and I cried inside! There is hope though for California Chardonnay and there ageing probabilities. Tasting 1999 Kendal Jackson Great Estates helped the cause. Surprisingly holding its own, this wine had a good amount of both Oak and Butter that I love so much in a good Chardonnay. The wine had a good heavy feeling on the palate and was tasting really good even 2 hours later when my wife got the rest of it. I had to quiz her on the Varietal which she got right. Good Job Honey! I knew that some of my craziness would rub off on you eventually.

We also had the pleasure of tasting 3 more Chardonnays. 2007 Lincourt, 2005 Windbreak, and 2006 Landmark. In the process of tasting all three of these makes me again say how I am not a huge fan of Chardonnay. All three showed different levels of oak and butter and complexity that turn me off to having them with a meal. Relaxing with some friends and having a glass is OK, but pairing the wines with food would make my head spin. If I had to put them in order, it would be Landmark, Windbreak then the Lincourt would be the final results. Landmark had good amounts of balanced fruit, oak and butter that kept me interested in coming back. The Windbreak had to much butter that overwhelmed my senses a bit and the Lincourt just came up short on both oak and butter with heavy concentrations on mineral. If I had tasted this wine blind, I probably would of been fooled into believing it to be a Sauvignon Blanc.

Which leads us into the Red Wines. It is a great treat to have the chance of tasting a "Grand Cru" Bordeaux. With the price of some wines reaching $200 to $500 per bottle these days or more. They are well out of reach for this wino, so getting a chance to be apart of tasting 1989 Chateau Angelus is a great honor. I only have a few bottles of Bordeaux in my collection left. My thoughts are to save them for my most memorable moments yet to come in my life like my 50Th wedding anniversary in 29 years or maybe the birth of my first grandchild a million years from now :-) There is no problem in French wines lasting that long as is the wine presented in front of me today. I was the first person to pour the wine into my glass and the first words out of my mouth were "Look at that color!" My first experience with Bordeaux wines was over a decade ago. I believe that today, I would be able to distinguish the difference from a California to French wine just on the color. French wines will always have that dirty crimson, brick color. And if the wine was poured in BLACK GLASS! No problem, because the french wines carry so much leather, oak, earth and tobacco notes to separate them from California wines. There are but a few California wines that I have tasted that mimic a pure expression of a French Bordeaux. May we continue to try though! The 1989 Angelus was perfectly aged and well balanced. The wine would of benefited from a fat piece of steak or lamb. The characteristics would of been even more significant.

Oh and there was the 1999 BV Georges De Latour that we taste as well. I almost forgot because I am still in a French Coma! Let this wine be a lesson to all serious wine collectors. I tasted an 03 or 04 De Latour a few years back and my thoughts were that it was a great wine but at too high a price. Knowing that Greg bought cases of this wine years ago for around $20.00 per bottles is exactly what any wine geek should do. It is also what this wino has failed to do over the last decade. Buy a lot of 1 wine instead a 2 bottles of 3 or 4 different ones. The wine has developed very nicely with good amounts of fruit coming forward for a 10 year old wine. If I were to taste this wine blind, it probably would of ended up toward the top of the list. Great little treat to taste a solid wine that didn't break the bank with a few years under it's belt.

I have always said that I don't collect wines, but rather that I collect memories of wines that I have shared with friends and family.

I can't wait to make more!

Cheers!

Pinot Masters!

2009-08-09T23:14:00.001-07:00

I will always have a big love for Pinot Noir's produced in Central Coast California. Especially the Santa Rita Hills. Pinot has become my second favorite varietal behind Cabernet. Elegance and aromas make this thin skinned grape so much fun to pair with different cuisines or at least making the attempt. As my Pinot collection has grown my Cabernet purchases have not. Maybe the economy is a reason for that. As Pinot typically costs less per bottle. Then again, I would rather believe that in my attempts to create in the kitchen, Pinot is the grape that I find most facinating of all.

Over the last month I have gotten to taste quite a few Pinot's and even a few Burgundies. These 2 that I write about now are perfect examples of what the Santa Rita Hills (ava) is producing on a regular basis. Then again Richard Sanford and his long time winemaker Bruno D'Alfonso are a big reason for that ava.

The first wine a tasted was Alma Rosa's 2004 La Encantada Pinot. This was the inaugural bottle produced by Richard Sanford's new venture Alma Rosa Wines. Richard Sanford came to the Santa Ynez Valley 38 years ago and started Sanford Wines. He was one of the first to recognize the potential of the Santa Rita Hills and the first to plant Pinot there. Differences in business philosophy with Terlato Wine Group led to a separation from his namesake winery Sanford in 2005. This also led to the firing of longtime winemaker Brundo D'Alfonso from Sanford as well.
The first vintage of Alma Rosa were released in 2006. I had the pleasure of visiting Alma Rosa's tasting Room 2 days after they had just opened there doors. Of course Chris Burroughs made famous in the movie Sideways was there in a make shift warehouse pouring the Alma Rosa wines. What I remember tasting that day at Alma Rosa was really familiar to the first time I tasted Sanford wines just 2 years before in 2004. The 2004 La Encantada is a bold, smooth, earthy Pinot Noir with great depth and balance. Richard Sanford's continued love for Santa Rita Hills puts him high on my list of favorite wine producers for this area.

Which leads me to another wine producer who happened to be Richard Sanford's winemaker while at Sanford Wines, Bruno D'Alfonso. Bruno tells the story of literally being told to pack your stuff and leave when Terlato Wine Group took over the Sanford Winery back in 2006. Why he didn't follow Richard Sanford to Alma Rosa is unknown to me, but Bruno also has years of experience producing Santa Rita Hills Pinot's under his belt. He also happens to be married to a pretty famous winemaker herself Kris Curran. I am really looking forward to there joint project under there new umbrella D'alfonso-Curran Wine Group. With the mastermind of 2 great Pinot Winemakers, the sky is the limit for the 2 of them. The 2005 Badge Pinot which is Bruno's second release is elegant, and a very delicate wine with plums, cherries and forest floor on the nose. The wine shows very similar characteristics to the Alma Rosa wine I had. Great ripe fruit with very firm tannins.

Santa Rita Hills is my favorite Pinot producing wine region in the United States, but as I have always said Pinot is still a grape that I must continue to educate myself about.

It is never ending hard work!

Cheers!

La Canada or Bust Part 2

2009-07-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Remember the ABC Wide World of Sports Theme?

"The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat"

Then they show that poor skier going down the long jump crashing and burning at the end. Yeah! It was kinda like that. My wine crashed and burned.

The best part of it though was once again getting together with a great group of Wine Lovers that love tasting wines blind so that we can chop them down one by one until there is but one standing. Good job Jon! You won fair and square. 2006 Kaesler Cabernet from Barossa Valley was a great choice for a wine that we had the chance to taste twice. Can someone say unfair handicap. Just Kidding! Hey at least my palate didn't let me down there. Numbers 8 and 9 were the same wine and I was right. Of course that was after I re-tasted them. And yes! I agree that my choice, Felino 2007 Cabernet was the worse wine of the night. Since I had drank the wine just 2 days prior, I recognized it right away when I tasted it but I couldn't very well vote it down. I had to pray that another wine would be worse. Number 5 was close. Which ever wine that was. Perhaps if I would of gone with my other choice which was Novelty Hill Cabernet from winemaker Mike Januik, I would of fared better. http://www.noveltyhillwines.com/wines-releases.html This was a wine that I had tasted and had past experience with. Plus Mike Januik's other project was represented last night. http://www.januikwinery.com/ and realistically I thought was the best wine of the night. Perhaps if I would of brought another Washington Beefy Cabernet, I would be celebrating instead of crashing and burning. Oh well!

I am very thankful to Jon for introducing me to such a fun group of wine lovers that follow the same guidelines as myself. I often think as a wine lover how much wine I have collected and consumed. ALOT! But in reality I collect memories of bottles to come and bottles that have been shared with friend and families over the years and years. To me it isn't about "Hey! Check out my wine collection!' But more about "Hey lets make this bottle memorable" I believe we did just that last night.

A special thanx for our host of the evening Chris Poole for allowing the new guy to pick another bottle to share from his locker. 1996 Silver Oak was the first bottle that I actually bought to collect many many years ago. I probably only have 1 or 2 left of the 96 vintage buried somewhere in my locker. It is a wine that brings back both good and sad memories every time I taste it. The 1996 Silver Oak Napa was still tasting great. I will also correct myself in calling out The Orin Swift's Papillon as a Paso Robles Wine. Trust me I have made dumb mistakes like that in the past. That bottle appeared later in the evening and was just another cherry on top of a great night of tasting wines.

Oh one last thing!!

Thanx Chris for recognizing the Charles Shaw before any of us started saying how great it was.

Man! I dodged a bullet there!

Cheers!

Twin Killers!

2009-07-23T11:51:00.001-07:00

Did Someone say "Terroir" Again?

As a wine lover it is always so much fun tasting new wines from fellow wine lovers and hearing the story of how they come to love this winery and there wines. My thanx again to my friend Jon for telling the tale of Dumol and how he fell in love with this small boutique winery and there wines.

The first bottle of Dumol I ever tasted was a gift that Jon had given me. It was the 2005 Russian River Pinot. I took the wine up to Central Coast last year to celebrate my 40th birthday. I wasn't really sure if I would even open the bottle, but a very interesting moment happened while tasting wines at Tantara Winery with the owner and winemaker. http://www.tantarawinery.com/ I allowed them to taste the Dumol wine blind. The owner Bill Cates instantly stuck his nose in the glass and said "Russian River" and also mentioned that it was either 04 or 05 Vintage. They didn't guess the winery correct but knowing that they got Russian River right tells me again that California is developing a "Terrior" of there own. Ever since then I try really hard to remember those certain blackberry and plum flavors plus the earthy characters of mushroom, nutmeg, and star anise.

The 2006 Dumol Pinot Noir - Finn delivered on all those points. These are flavors that I believe represent the Terrior of The Russian River Valley. The aromas and flavors that stick in my mind since that day in Central Coast. This wine is the Estate Single Vineyard release while the wine I had last year was the spring release Pinot that is more affordable. Big bold flavors and aromas are what to expect when drinking any Russian River Wine.

The 2007 Dumol Chardonnay is also no exception. This wine was another beautiful gift from my friend Jon. Jon allowed me to choose either the pinot or the Chardonnay and since I had already tasted the Spring release Pinot last year. I decided on the Chardonnay. I have said it before that I am really not a big Chardonnay guy not to mention that California has a way of over-oaking there wines to the point of tasting nothing else. Few great Chardonnays come to my mind. Of course Tantara and Rombauer, are just a few that I love. The Dumol falls into that almost there category for me. The wine has Crisp acids with lemon, orange and nectarine notes. On the palate come tons of citrus again with a good lingering finish. What didn't come screaming threw more than I wanted were those butter undertones that I have come to love soooo much in certain chardonnays. Perhaps I should of aged this wine a bit more, but like my friend Jon I too have a wife that loves Chardonnay and this was the bottle of her choice for a quiet night of movie watching and popcorn at home. Either way Dumol is a solid producer of very limited wines and I look forward to continue tasting them in the near future.

Thank you again wine buddy!!

Cheers

"Twin Terrors"

2009-07-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

Or did I mean "Terroir"

This native Californian wants to still believe in the Pinot "Wine Dream" I mean I waived the white flag years ago to Bordeaux when it came to those varietals. Why can't they just give us this one.

I want to thank my wine friend Peter from Vinatero Wine Shop for allowing me a taste of these 2 beautiful 2003 Burgundies. Terroir is exactly what they expel. "Hands over fists". Both wines produced by Domaine Michel Gros show very different characteristics. The Nuits Saint Georges showed heavy Cranberry flavors with very sharp Tannins while the Chambolle Musigny had a more familiar forest floor character similar to some Californian and Oregon wines plus a heavy lingering finish. Both wines had the perfume aromas of flowers, cherries that I would be able to distinguish blind. Yep! That is a pinot!

I have always said that I have very limited experience with wines produced in Burgundy. Pinot is just a grape that I only found recently in the last 5 years fun and exciting to pair meals with.

Can this Native Californian be swayed to the "Dark Side" of France once more?? Thank god that I have an open mind and palette for just those things. There really isn't a wine that I hate. It is just the fact that to enjoy a real good bottle of wine from any country, is to focus your attention on what may or may not taste great with the wine in question. Some Coq Au vin, lightly poached Salmon or stuffed mushroom caps will do just fine.

"Viva Le France"

Cheers!!

Shhhhhhhh! I like Beer too!

2009-07-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.lbhb.org/

http://www.steinfillers.com/

I recently got invited to attend a meeting of the Long Beach Homebrewers Club. They are a members club based out of the city of Long Beach that gets together once a month to taste beers and share there recipes. All the beers are handcrafted by Home Brewers. Good friends of mine Monica and John whom are both home brewers themselves thought I would get a kick on how passionate these people are about making beer as any experts are about producing quality wines. Of course everybody knows me as a "Wino" and not a beer guy. But lets face it; alcohol is a "Gateway Drug" You always start with some cheap beer, wine, tequila or whiskey, then you move on up the ladder to bigger and better things and I don't mean narcotics. Beer was just my first choice for a legal drink in my early days. Budweiser (yeah I said it), then some Canadian beer like Moosehead.

Nowadays if I am really in the mood for an ice cold beer, I go straight for the Micro-Brew stuff like Stone or Lagunitas. Watching all the Beer aficionados pour and get up there and talk about there products that night was really neat. They all shared there recipes for the beers they produced that day. We all got a taste of each and everyone. Like some wines, some of the beers were just not my style, but it was so much fun getting to try so many different ones that night.

Sometimes I wonder how much fun it would be to make my own wine. Yeah there are services out there that let you buy some fruit and a kit to help you in the process right in your garage, but I am talking about owning the land and farming it. Then seeing the fruits of your labor in the bottle. I will stop dreaming now and leave that hard work to the experts while I continue to drink them.

Then again I do love to cook! and some beer brewing kits are under $100 bucks.

Thanx Monica and John! Now I just might get an itch that I have to scratch.

Cheers!

"Cheers"

2009-07-17T07:36:00.001-07:00

The 6740

6740 Greenleaf Ave. Whittier, California

From the first time I ever walked into this little pub in uptown Whittier over 8 years ago till yesterday. Only it's interior has changed, but the lifetime of memories, friends and clients will live on for the rest of my life. Lets face it! I am a social butterfly! My best friend Jr. Duarte and I use to find places to meet after a long day working just to hang out. Several different places we frequented from West Covina to El Monte. Then came the day when my buddy was working at an office in the City Whittier back in 2001. He called me up and said "Hey! I found this little pub on Greenleaf that is really kool. You gotta come down and check it out one day." Sometime later that week Jr called me again and said I am chillin in Whittier watching the Dodger game. Come on down and I will buy you a beer! Hey!! I can't turn down a free drink and it was a slow day anyway. Why not! I still remember the first words uttered to me by Mike Kachoeff who is one of the owners of The 6740. I walked in wearing a New York Yankee baseball cap and he told me that if I was gonna be wearing that I had to leave. Thanx Mike for being brutally honest!

Pubs like the 6740 are an anomaly. Whether it is the tight knit community of Whittier that makes this place special or just the fact that 3 Gentleman, Mike, Dave and Audi just have the knack for welcoming anybody into there home like family. I have never left now for over 8 years. I have gone on a camping trip with Dave. I have played golf and drank wine with Mike! I even have a close connection with Audi! We are both Cubanos. Three business owners that I now consider close friends.

So many memories stand out for me here like my 35th birthday party! The big giant card signed by many that my wife got the day she was having surgery for Uterine Cancer or the day I cracked the seal on a box of Montecristo #4 Cigars from Cuba right at the bar and passed them out to anybody who wanted them to honor my mother passing away just 2 days before.

The friends and clients I have made here. Russ, Todd, Ed, Big John, Steve C., Terry, little Joe, Marc, Tony, Mr Baley, and Martin to name just a few. They all have different stories to tell about this little Pub as I have done, but there is always a "hello! How are you" every time I step foot in here.

Great owners and Great friends! These are the reasons that I come all the way out from El Monte just to sit back in a chair, have an ice cold glass of Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball or Stone IPA and relax the rest of my day away. You always wish you could find a friendly neighborhood bar where everybody knows your name! Yeah I am a kid of the 80's! I saw the show!

I believe that I have done just that.

Cheers!

Attack of The Mermaids

2009-07-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

"Legend"

To: Grandmother Jerry - Big Anitra and Baby Anitra

thank you so much for making my day fun and making me smile remembering some great family moments!

A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history. Is Heidi Peterson Barrett a legend. I have mentioned her name before. Yeah! something about how the women of wine rule the world.

Today I was fortunate to taste 2 of Heidi's wines. Her 2007 Moscato Azul - Muscate Canelli and her 2005 Napa Valley Syrah. I met Mrs Peterson 2 years ago at a tasting in Los Angeles. She herself was pouring the wines at the event which I attended with my big brother. Of course as we approached her booth, I wasn't even aware of who I was meeting. Just another wine maker pouring there wines. No!!!!!!! My big brother had to put me in my place and tell me just a little of her history. Okay the biggest part of her past history, which was her being winemaker for Screaming Eagle. Yeah!! That Screaming Eagle!! That is something you better learn if you are a wine buff or historian. Either way I was thrown back on how approachable Mrs. Barrett was in speaking about her wines then. A class act that needs no introduction to this wine lover ever again.... Fast forward 2 years later and nothing has changed. Mrs Barrett's wines are still a home run.

The First wine I tasted was her Napa Valley Syrah. Dark ruby color in the glass with aromas of Dark Chocolate, Currants and raspberry jam. On the palate perfectly integrated tannins with great length. Pure intense fruit flavors come forward. I was more impressed this time around with this wine then I was 2 years ago when Mrs Barrett poured the wine herself to me. Overall this wine is a winner.

The second wine tasted was the 2007 Moscato Azul. This is a Dry Muscat Canelli. I really don't have much experience with this grape varietal other than the sweet variety. Which I don't really like! That being said, tasting this wine makes you think of so many lingering sweet grape varietals like Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Gris. All of whom I do love very much. The wine appears almost white in the glass. Strong Peach and flower influences on the nose. On the palate come small hints of sweetness and lots of the same characteristics from the nose of peach and tropical fruit with hints of vanilla. The wine is very clean and crisp which would make it pair so well with sweet shell fish. Both wines can be purchased at Vinatero Wine shop. www.vinaterowineshop.com

Today I tasted 2 wines produced from a "LEGEND".

Tomorrow I shall wish I can drink more!

Give Them A Try!

Cheers!

80 to 120 Year Old Wine!

2009-07-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

How do they do it?

How do they produce a wine in Spain from 80 to 120 year old vines, that only produce one ton of fruit per Hectare of land. Bottle it, Label it, and Ship it to the United States and only charge us $15.99 per bottle. This is a super wine for that price. I actually tasted another Grenache produced here in the United States this past week, that was $30.00 per bottle. Atteca was just as good if not better to drink right now.

The Spaniards have a magical way of producing high end, quality wines for a fraction of what they would cost here in the US or other European countries for that matter. I love reaching out for 2 of my favorite varietals, Tempranillo or Grenache from Spain. Well produced ones should cost you in the range of $12 to 20 dollars a bottle. What wino wouldn't want to pay under $20.00 bucks for a great wine that is ready to drink the minute you pop the cork.

Atteca has a beautiful dark purple color in the glass. Heavy blueberry and stone on the nose with a bit of graphite. Dark fruit like blackberries and plums come out on the palate with just the right amounts of wood.

This is an absolute perfect wine for sweet pulled pork BBQ or beef brisket. With July 4th being tomorrow, a match made in heaven. I tasted and bought this wine at Vinatero Wine Shop.
www.vinaterowineshop.com

Give it a Try!

Cheers!

Spain Vs. France

2009-06-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

2005 Matchbook Tinto Rey

http://www.crewwines.com/index.php

This has to be the craziest blend of grapes I have ever heard or tasted. 43% Syrah, 40% Tempranillo, 7% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Graciano. Wow that's a mouthful. To my surprise that is exactly what it is. It truly is a Spain Vs. France war of grapes. Your Syrah for Boldness and fruit. Your Tempranillo and Graciano for tannins and fruit and your Petite Verdot and Malbec for the wood component and herb characteristics. This wine for $19.99 is a perfect everyday wine. I can see it pairing well with any Latin cuisine, pizza, BBQ, burgers, pasta, etc, etc, etc. It delivers good amounts of fruit, spice, wood and tannins. I love getting to taste simple yet creative wines like this one. You do have to scratch your head as to how they come up with these blends, but that must be half the fun in creating it. I bet they just sit around and play with Matches or juggle bottles of each varietal and see what falls out. Either way! You gotta love good, simple table wines.

This wine can be bought at Vinatero Wine Shop. www.vinaterowineshop.com

Give it a Try if you dare!

Cheers!

One of the Best!

2009-06-29T09:42:00.001-07:00

We always try and have fun when we drink wine. My brother pictured above last year with our France Vs. United States war. We tasted the wine while we ate our dinner. France won the war with the food. That always seems to happen, but the good ole USofA came back with a fire around 2 hours after the wine was open. Ah yes it's Monte Bello and that bottle always delivers.

Lets Just say I have NEVER EVER had a bad bottle of Ridge Monte bello. I have had several vintages of Monte bello with a few still in my collection. Never has it disappointed. 5 stars all the way. Never is Monte Bello sold as a Cabernet being that the blend always changes. Yes it is a Bordeaux blend with every year being different. The years of experience that surround Ridge come full forward in the production of this wine.

But Friday I drank 2006 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel and the wine came out a little flat. Yeah my brother and I drank it pretty fast and towards the end the wine was waking up a bit. But overall this wine which I have had in the past did not deliver completely. Ridge zinfandel's are actually a blend with the Geyserville having 70% Zinfandel - 18% Carignane - 10% Petite Sirah and 2% Mataro. Typically the blend works to perfection with the other varietals lifting up the wine. Not fast enough this time!! Zinfandel is not a grape that I have tons of experience with or even love all that much, but Ridge Vineyards has been around for a long time, and this wine lover has to ranks them up there as one of the best. There zinfandel's are pretty solid. East Bench or Lytton Springs I have also tasted in the past. They will deliver those Zin Characteristics you love like smoke and tangy fruit on the finish!

Keep blending your wines Ridge, Don't worry! I will keep drinking them when I can get my hands of them.

Give them a try!

Cheers

Man I hate the French

2009-06-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

2005 Chateau Candeley Bordeaux

Actually I love the French. When I first started tasting and drinking wines back in 1996. I got to taste a lot of French Bordeaux. I have sampled some of the very best. The French have a way of incorporating the land into there wines. Terroir was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon them.
That's the definition and that is sooooooooo true!

Yes California has developed there own Terroir, but with France hundreds of years ahead of the game it makes me wonder if we will ever catch up. French wines to me just pair so well with the cuisine and the cheeses. They make you feel like when you are taking a bite of that Lamb and taking a sip, The stars align.

We all know how expensive 1st growth Bordeaux can be like Lafite or Latour. They are pretty much out of anybodies league. With 2005 being one of the greatest years for French wine production. There is always gonna be very attainable wines out there. 2005 Chateau Candeley Bordeaux is a great example of Solid, Good French Wine and at $17.99 per bottle a really good deal. The wine is almost an even blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Cab Franc. Out of the glass come all of those familiar aromas of wood, earth, hints of smoke and herbs like Thyme and peppercorns. On the palate are even amounts of tannins, fruit, dirt and rocks. Dirt and rocks you say??? Well it wouldn't be a French wine if it didn't taste like the motherland. That is what Terroir is all about. This wine is still very young. I shared the bottle with several people but I would of loved to of gotten a chance to try it 24hrs later with a big fat piece of steak or lamb. French wines especially young ones open up very slowly. The other problem I had was that this bottle was the last bottle on the shelf. Oh well, my loss for not buying up more 2005.

So don't be afraid ladies and gents to pick up a bottle of French wine. Yes we want to support our nations own product, but even the best winemakers from California and the rest of the world owe a debt to this nation.

Cheers!

Can Someone Tell me Where to find New Zealand Cuisine

2009-06-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

2006 Craggy Range Single Vineyard Pinot Noir

http://www.craggyrange.com/

A really knowledgeable Wine Guy that I know mentioned to me how he went on a trip to Australia and finally understood the wines from there after he paired them with the local cuisine. I can believe that!! Kangaroo steaks with big bold Syrah! Hmmmmm maybe!

The wines from New Zealand can fall into that category. I have never really understood there biggest seller. Sauvignon Blanc which is one of my favorite varietals. They definitely have a very distinctive aroma and mouth feel. Pinot's are starting to make a name for themselves as well.

I tasted the Craggy Range 2006 Single vineyard Pinot last week along side with 2 other Pinot's. The Halleck Estate and the 2007 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast! The Craggy Range wasn't a disappointment. It was just so much different then the other 2 wines. I tell myself that I have to continue to taste wines over and over and not fall into 1 country or style. The Craggy Range did have beautiful flower notes but it also carried heavy citrus aromas that I am just not too familiar with. On the palate some good amounts of Cherry come thru but also heavy amounts of smoke and wood. These wines I am not sure if they should be layed down for a few years or if they just require the right type of cuisine. I will continue to think about what the perfect pairing might be. Especially since more and more Pinot's are coming from this island nation.

I am not sure what Los Angeles shops might carry Craggy Range Wines. But Give them a try if you dare!~

Cheers!

Man! Am I Spoiled!

2009-06-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

I am just such a lucky lucky guy. I have such great friends that love to share beautiful bottles of wine. Especially my friend Ken whom I got to know at another of my favorite little wine shops to visit, California Wine and Cheese in Monrovia California! www.cawineandcheese.com

Ken has a great love for what has now become my second favorite grape varietal Pinot Noir. He has shared some great bottles with me over the last 2 1/2 years. This bottle being one of them.

The 2004 Halleck Estate Grown Pinot is a sonoma coast produced wine. This to me is a very Burgundian style Pinot with Earthy notes of herbs and spice on the nose, but tart cranberry, sour cherry flavors on the palate. The wine is very long and drawn out on the palate lingering for quite some time. 75 cases were produced. Halleck Vineyard produces several Pinot's plus a Sauvignon Blanc. It is mailing list and restaurant only, so this would be my only chance to taste it. Get your name on there mailing list or look for them at your local restaurant. I have put my name on the mailing list for future purchases when the economy bounces back.

Cheers!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-22T09:36:00.001-07:00

My father's day didn't see me bring out a big gun to drink with the Prime Rib roast that I cooked for my father. Why? The Damn Wine Storage where I house my collection closed early. Oh well! This is why I own so much wine. I can't touch it when I really wanna drink some.

I had bought 2 bottles of Ghost Pines from a local shop because:

(A) I wanted to taste it of course

(B) I needed to make a wine reduction sauce for my Prime Rib

Ghost Pines is produced by Louis Martini Winery. I cannot recall if I have ever had any Louis Martini wines in the past. They make an array of value Cabernet's and Premium Cabernet's plus several other varietals. The Ghost Pines project is new. They source there fruit from both Sonoma and Napa Valley. Blending the wine at 72% Napa County and 28% Sonoma County. Overall the wine did make a great reduction sauce. I infused it with fresh Thyme and Garlic with a half cup of beef stock.

A big success!

But the wine fell short for drinking. As the name indicates!! It did have a bit of spice and vanilla on the nose but not enough fruit on the pallet to keep me interested long. Even allowing the wine to decant for 3 hours did not bring out enough characters to this wine. I paid $19.99 per bottle for this wine. I assume I got what I paid for. In the last several years there haven't been to many GREAT Cabernet's that I have found under $30.00 per bottle.

Maybe my taste buds just won't allow it.

Give them a Try if you dare!

Cheers!

You got to be kidding me! Another Argentine Chardonnay!

2009-06-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Wait a minutes! Paul Hobbs makes it of Paul Hobbs Wines! http://www.paulhobbs.com/
Hey no wonder it taste like a California Chardonnay. A really good California Chardonnay.

This is my style of Chardonnay. A balance of Butter and tropical fruit with just a bit of oak. The wine has a luscious mouth feel. Hints of coffee on the finish. This was an interesting wine that a fellow wine geek opened for a few of us last night. It is a trio of winemakers Andrea Marchiori, Luis Barraud and Paul Hobbs. They produce some world class Mendoza Wines from there Vina Cobos line of wines. I am not sure if these are even available here in the States for purchase. It is the first time I have ever heard of them. I was told that this wine in particular can only be purchased if you are on Paul Hobbs mailing list and it is a 2 bottle maximum. It was a special treat from a very special wine friend. Thanx for sharing Ken! Oh! and the rest of the wines we tasted last night were not bad either.

Check under this website http://www.paulhobbsimports.com/ for more wines produced and distributed under Paul Hobbs import company!

Cheers!

"Home Sweet Home"

2009-06-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

Wine Merchants are there to teach you something new about wine every time you visit.

Wine Merchants are there to have you explore wine and explain new flavors from the bottles they bring into there store.

Wine Merchants are there to share there knowledge of bottles that have been tasted in the pass and the history surrounding them.

But these VINATERO's have become more than just business owners and merchants but true friends and lovers of wine just like myself. In the time that I have gotten to know both Ernie and Lisa Ceja, we have tasted hundreds of wines together. We have shared dozens of bottles together. We have visited each others homes for dinners and parties. We have travelled to wineries to speak hands on with the owners themselves.

This little wine shop in the town of Whittier California has become my home away from home. I first met the Ceja's on the day that there little shop opened in 2007. 3 years before I sat around with my Big Brother and my best friend thinking why don't we open a wine bar in Whittier. I great idea in theory but no way would I or my friends and family could of pulled it off to the style that Ernie and Lisa have. Having a place to come and sample wine so close to my home has given me a bigger love and understanding for this little fruit that I love so much. Your education and understanding grows as you taste wines over and over. I can't thank the Ceja's enough for giving me that chance. My knowledge of varietals, regions and history have created a passion in me that puts me here now in front of my Computer to write about it. The more and more that I continue to write about wines that I have tasted and enjoyed the more reasons I have to thank the people that have got me there. My older brother Michael is the person that started it all back in 1996, but the Ceja's have also been very pivotal in that training, understanding and love of wine. I continue to think that someday I may just have in one form or another, a career in the wine industry someday.

I just wont ever forget the friends that I have made along the way.

www.vinaterowineshop.com

Cheers

What!!!!! A Chardonnay from Argentina

2009-06-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

I just don't like Chardonnay!!!

If I plan a dinner party. Usually it will be 3 courses. A starter of fish or salad. A main Course of meat and a dessert. For me Chardonnay is a hard grape varietal to pair a starter with. My preference is a Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino or Viognier. They just go so much better with shell fish or a salad with a homemade vinaigrette. Sometimes I think the reason is because I was just so spoiled early on tasting white Burgundy's. The French have a way of getting perfect balance in there white wines especially white burgundy. That being said, I have to continue to look in the mirror and say!!

"I AM A WINO" "I AM A WINO"

I must taste more Chardonnay. My preferential Chardonnay leans more toward the butter scale then the mineral scale. I feel if the wine has to much Oak it starts to taste to much like a Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier. BUT!! If the wine is a true "BUTTER BOMB" it becomes un-drinkable. It's a balance game! Oh yeah! This is why I don't like this varietal. In California the style usually is over oak the wines. Lots of new oak will hide the imperfections of the wine. There are some good California Chardonnays out there, don't get me wrong, but prepare to pay threw the nose.

So my quest is to seek out other alternatives that won't break my bank account. But Argentina??? Huh? Well I am not gonna say it is the best Chardonnay you will ever have, but when I tasted this wine I was pleasantly surprised at just how good and balanced it was. Argentina is not an area I usually think of for white wines. Hell! I am barely starting to try more Malbec wines from the area.

The 2007 Catena Chardonnay is harvested from 3 distinct vineyards on the property. They each have different altitudes. The Catena family explains that in blending from the 3 the wine gains a balance of tropical fruit, citrus and minerality. This wine does exactly that. I was very pleased with the balance of both butter and mineral on this wine. The wine does see 35% new french oak, but does not come off showing to much of the wood components. Overall it was a good fine and a wine that I wouldn't mind pairing a roast chicken with.

The best part was the price. $18.99 per is a solid deal for this wine. I purchased it at my favorite wine shop. Vinatero Wine Shop in Whittier California. http://www.vinaterowineshop.com/

The wines importer is Winebow, Inc. in New Jersey!

Give it a try!

Cheers

Para mi Madre Y Abuela

2009-06-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

Lucia Perez y Olimpia Rodriguez

I thought I would finally release a Cuban recipe from my heart out to my fellow bloggers and wine Lovers. The photo above is of my grandmother and mother back in 1992. The photo was shot by my big brother. Of course, they were the most influential women in my life and both of them taught me to be a man and have a love for cooking. Both my grandmother and mother have passed. My grandmother of bone cancer in 1994 and my mother of Lou Gehrig's disease in 2002. I still remember the days when my grandmother lived in my parents guest house when I was very young and she would be cooking all of those Cuban staples like picadillo, papas rellenas, tamales, empanadas, croquetas and of course black beans and a lot of rice. My mother on the other hand never attempted to out-cook my grandmother. I think it might of been a sign of respect, but my mother always had home cooked meals on the table for me growing up. I can still taste her pinto beans, mariquitas and of course every morning coming to visit her where she would have a cup of Cuban coffee waiting for me. These are the fondest memories of my childhood.

So being that my grandmother's birthday and my mother and father's wedding anniversary are celebrated this month, I pass onto you the one Cuban recipe that I didn't mention above. "Ropa Vieja" aka Old Clothes. I actually made this recipe this pass week for a birthday party we attended that had an "Old Clothes" theme. I believe that my dish was well received by all of the guests. This recipe is not passed on from my grandmother recipe. I believe that this is the way that I honor her, but I cannot help myself in attempting to make Cuban food. When both of your parents are Cuban, you better learn. So here is my recipe, with the cooking instructions.

Oh!! and my wine of choice with this meal would be any Tempranillo or this one. http://vosselections.com/Domains/1188.html

Which is bad ass!!

Enjoy

"Ropa Vieja"

1 (2 1/2 pound) Flank steak cut in half.

2 bay leaves

2 carrots

2 onions

1 tablespoon of dry Oregano

1 Tablespoon of Cumin and extra for rub

1 Red Bell Pepper julienne

2 green bell Peppers (one julienne and the other rough chopped)

2 heads of Garlic. (one smashed and one finely chopped)

2 Cups of Whole tomatoes, Canned then hand crushed.

1 1/2 Cups of Tempranillo Wine (A good one OK!!!)

1 can of Beef Stock

1/4 cup Mojo Criollo marinade (Store bought is OK - Goya)

1/4 cup of Good Sherry

Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Dust the flank steak with a little cumin, salt and pepper and sear off in stock-pot. Add 1 of the onions, 1 head of garlic crushed, the 2 carrots rough chopped, 1 green bell pepper, the bay leaves, 1 cup of the wine and the can of beef stock. Make sure the liquid is high enough to cover the meat completely. If the liquid in the pot isn't high enough add water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for approximately 2 1/2 hours. Pull the meat out and let cool. Dump the contents of the pot (or save for a good stock some other time). Cut the meat against the grain into 2 inch cubes. Then shred the meat with 2 forks with the grain.

Bring the pot back up heat with olive oil and add the julienned, onion, finally chopped 2nd head of garlic, 1 red and green bell peppers. Saute for a few minutes and deglaze with the 1/2 cup of wine, 1/4 cup of mojo sauce and 1/4 cup of sherry. Add tomatoes and hand crush in the pot, 1 tablespoon of Cumin and 1 tablespoon of oregano. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add the shredded meat and mix well. Cook for half and hour. Salt and pepper to taste. If dish appears to dry. You can add a bit more wine or tomato sauce.

Serve over white rice or on top of a Cuban cracker with a dab of Avocado.

Enjoy!

Cheers!

The Glass Makes a Difference!

2009-06-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

Myself - Tammy(aka Riedel Stemware Representative) - My big Brother

http://www.riedel.com/

I have been wanting to write about this subject for the longest time. Now that I have a blog this might interest some of my fellow wino's. I have lots and lots of wine glasses in my home. Glasses from wineries that you get after a tasting. Glasses that were given to me as gifts. I use them all the time. When friends come over that love wine or don't love wine. I keep those glasses in a cabinet in my dining room.

But in another "SPECIAL" cabinet I keep my good stemware. This is the only stemware that I bought and paid for myself. What is that stemware! Riedel! I own 6 Bordeaux, 6 pinot, and 6 Chardonnay glasses. Now you might think why own all of these different stemware when you usually taste wines at events from one type and only one type of glass. Well! that all changed after a great seminar that my brother and I got invited too last year.

George Riedel the 10Th generation glass maker from Austria and owner of Riedel put on an event showcasing his Stemware. The catch was tasting 3 wines, a chardonnay, a Cabernet and a Pinot from 5 different vessels. 4 of the glasses were all different sizes with the last glass not being a glass at all but a plastic cup. The 4 glasses represented his signature series for different wines. The first glass made for young White wines, 2ND glass was his standard series that you probably see in every restaurant or wine bar, the 3rd Glass for Burgundy Wines, and his last for Bordeaux style wines.

Mr Riedel walked us threw the tasting starting with the Chardonnay, the Cabernet, and then the Pinot. We were asked not to move ahead and not to dump the wine. Until told!. At first you are wanting to question if this is even true, but as Mr. Riedel began explaining the wines structure in each glass, you really wanted to pay attention. All of the aroma notes and flavor profiles came off exactly like he explained in each glass. The Chardonnay was beautiful in the young white wine stem while there was to much citrus coming off of the wine in the Bordeaux and standard Stems. The Pinot and Cabernet seemed closed up with hardly any aroma notes from the white wine stem. While all of those beautiful flower, earth, chocolate or wood notes come threw in the Pinot and Bordeaux stems. In some cases the wines flavor profiles completely change as the wine will tend to roll into your mouth at different speeds from the different shapes of the glasses. His explanations make you say that without a brilliant Glass there can really be no understanding of the different structures in a wine.

George Riedel made me a believer to the point where I had to own at least a half dozen proper glasses for 3 different grape varietals. I spent some bucks, but it was well worth it.

Oh and what about that plastic cup that he made us drink out of. Well! Lets just say that all wino's should try this sometime. Taste a wine from a proper stem and taste it from a plastic cup.

Where did the wine go?????? I don't Taste anything!!!!!!

Give that I try someday!!!!

Cheers!!!

For My Love of Wine!

2009-06-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a little drive this weekend to visit some old and new friends of mine in Santa Barbara Wine country. My best friend who is as big a wine collector and lover as me tagged along. Our first stop was at the very famous Sea Smoke Cellars. http://www.seasmokecellars.com/

My love of Pinot Noir started 6 years ago. My favorite varietal has always been Cabernet. In the beginning I learned so much about wines from both France and California. I started purchasing Cabernet's and Bordeaux back as far as 1997. Yeah my collection is out of control. Thank god for Wine Storage. When it came to Pinot Noir though I am a little under educated with Burgundy. Not to mention I don't have the wallet right now in tough economic times to purchase a lot of wines period. So my favoritism is a bit lopsided toward California. The first Pinot I ever started to purchase came from Sea Smoke Cellars. My vintages go back to 2003. The only bottle I have left from the 03 is the "TEN". I am holding onto that wine a few more years. Every other vintage I still have a few bottles of.

Sea Smoke is in the process of moving to a bigger facility out of the Lompoc "Wine Ghetto". The new facility will house all of there equipment and store all of there wines. I still don't believe that they are gonna open a formal tasting room, but who knows. We were not able to see the new facility on this trip but I am already planning a new trip back in late August to check it out. For now I drove by the old facility to see if the Vice President of sales Victor Gallegos was around. There was no one around so I guess we will have to meet in a few months.

We decided to take our chances in the Lompoc "Wine Ghetto". Several wineries make there home there with almost a half dozen having tasting rooms. Our first stop was the famous fiddlehead Cellars

I have always always loved Kathy Josephs Sauvignon Blanc. It is one of my favorites. Her wines were tasting really great that day. In particular her Willamette Valley Pinot. This wine showed all of those traditional cherry, cola, aromas. I was very impressed. We asked the lady working here if anybody new had moved into the Ghetto. She pointed us to our next stop which was Nicolaysen Family Vineyards. http://www.nfvwine.com/

Bob Nicolaysen is the owner and operator and was happy to assist us this day. He gave us this great poem above, that I believe truly shows the potential of real wine making. He allowed us to taste 5 wines. 2 pinots, 2 sirahs and a late harvest dessert wine. Both of his pinots were well aged. Bob prefers them this way. The first was 2001 vintage. Which still had good tannins and berry fruit. The other Pinot I did not care for. The wine had to heavy of a fungal / Truffle nose which kinda turned me off. the Sirah's were nice wines but a bit heavy on price at $38.00 per and the late harvest has never been my thing. Although I did pick up a bottle at Fiddlehead earlier for my wife. The things we do for our spouses. Anyways! The only reason I did not buy any wines from Nicolaysen was that tough economic times thing. Which made me have a strict budget. Overall a fun stop, which I do suggest you check out someday.

Our third stop was at Samsara. http://www.samsarawine.com/ Which is a new project by Chad Melville. Chad's father owns Melville Vineyards, http://www.melvillewinery.com/ Melville Pinot Noir's are some of the best in Central coast. Samsara shows alot of potential as well. We tasted 3 Pinots, 2 sirahs and 1 rose. All the wines showed a lot of the same characteristics from Melville wines. My only complaint would have to be that pricing should be a bit lower for a new upstart project. I was very satisfied though with all of the wines, but again no purchases were made.

Our next stop was at Ampelos Cellars. http://www.ampeloscellars.com/ They practice and promote bio dynamic farming here. The owner Peter and his wife Rebecca were pouring that day. I met Peter back in what I believe was 2004. I tasted there very first produced wines then. I believed they were pretty good with a lot of potential to come. Peter didn't remember me this day as I mentioned that story to him, but it really doesn't matter. Peter is one very fun host! He makes you very welcomed and he plays the part of the dirt farmer very good as you see in the photo below. Oh! and his stepson happens to be winemaker at Sea Smoke. Another great person to hang out with.

Our last stop was one of reasons I wanted to come up this weekend. Besides Sea Smoke which falls at the top of my Pinot Noir list of favorites. A very small producer named Paul Lato Wines http://www.paullatowines.com/ invited me up for a barrel sample of his upcoming wines. Now I know that I have mentioned the "tough economic times" thingy already but last year I had the chance to taste Paul Lato's "Suerte" Pinot at my 40th birthday bash. The wine blew me away. So I made sure to get on Paul's waiting list the very next day. To my surprise I was allowed to buy some of his wines a few weeks ago. Yeah I dropped a boat load of money, but I believe it is gonna be well worth it. All of Paul's wines score very high on both Spectator and Parker's websites. All of his wines are under 100 cases of each. I am not usually a "score whore" kinda guy, but I do make exceptions and when a great tiny producer comes around, it is a real great treat. As I thought Paul is an exceptional guy. He is a trained wine sommelier. He really is on his way to making a Big name for himself. I was very very impressed with every wine that he poured for us. He even allowed us a taste of a new Pinot he will release next year from a plot of land in the Pisoni Vineyard estate. Talk about a big name in the game. Try getting wine from there. Mailing list only I believe. We had a great time hanging out with Paul. We talked about wine and the upcoming harvest. I might get my hands dirty and help him out with the harvest! I can't wait to get back there.

Overall we had a great great time. I am so very fortunate to live just 3 hours away from this beautiful area of California. So making a day trip is so much fun.

Cheers

10 Buck Chuck!

2009-05-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

OK so I like to drink some bad ass wines from time to time. But lets get real! I have 2 kids. One in College already and the other on the way. Do you think I can drink expensive wines everyday? Well in my dreams maybe but when I wake up I am like every other true wino seeking out interesting little wines that I can drink and say not bad and that won't cost me more than $15.00 per bottle. I think I found One.

2007 Menage A Trois Red

This wine is made by Folie A Deux Winery and is actually priced at $9.99. Yeah that is what I said $9 dollars and 99 cents plus tax. So I guess it is a 10 buck Chuck. I tasted this wine at my local wine bar hang out. It is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet. Hence the brand Menage A Trois. It's a VERY jammy wine which is not my style but lets face it, for an inexpensive wine you don't usually get a lot of structure. The Zinfandel adds a juicy character, Merlot mellows and Cabernet adds backbone is how they explain it on there website. I totally agree! Overall this was a perfect little wine for my dinner guest to have last Friday night. I will probably go back and purchase a few more bottles just to have for a rainy day! They do make a Cabernet, Zinfandel and Merlot under the Folie A Deux name. Those wines I have not tried but the prices are $28.00, $18.00 and $24.00 per respectively.

Give Them A try

Cheers!

A salute to the Troops!

2009-05-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

My long long weekend was very fun in regards to wine drinking because I cooked and cooked and cooked some more for 3 days straight. I really didn't mind. I have a big big love for making a mess in the kitchen as my wife always says. Plenty of visitors were over so I went with some really trusted wines that are really really good values.

The wines I drank for my Memorial Monday were Morgan Wines:

2006 Syrah Monterey

2006 Cotes du Crow's

The wines are a perfect value in tough economic times. Both wines are under $20.00 per bottle. The Fruit is harvest from either Santa Lucia Highlands or Monterey vineyards. They also produce several other varietals like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. They do produce single vineyard Chardonnay's and Pinot's. There prices are a bit higher ranging from $44.00 to $85.00 per bottle.

The 2006 Syrah Monterey has the deep black/purple color associated with Syrah. Aromas of Black Cherry, Licorice and Coffee with pepper on the finish. I did pick up this wine marked down from $22.00 to $19.99. It is a great value at this price.

The 2006 Cotes du Crow's is a blend of 55% Syrah and 45% Grenache. I do love Rhone blends in general but one can still taste the qualities of each grape with this blend. Beautiful ruby red color in the glass with aromas of Violets, strawberries, pepper and mint. A versatile food wine, that is easy to enjoy. You should be able to find these wines at local wine shops or big name stores. Give them a try.

Cheers!

Women Winemakers Rule the World!

2009-05-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

2007 Sauvignon Blanc

Hyde Vineyard

I will say it again: The Best Winemakers in California are Women.

The Ladies to me rule the world.

Kris Curran

Rosemary Cakebread

Celia Masyczek

Heidi Peterson Barrett

and so many more that skip my mind at the moment:

Then there is Mia Klein. Owner of Selene Wines. With a long long history Consulting for Several Big Name wineries like Araujo, Bressler, Spottswoode, Viader, and Fisher. Selene is her personal Label. Mia makes several beautiful wines. Merlot, Cabernet, Rose and a Bordeaux blend, but to me its that "Beautiful - Crisp - Clean" Selene Sauvignon Blanc that I can never ever forget. I have always said the I lean more towards Sauv. Blanc's and several other Varietals over Chardonnay. Her expression of Sauvignon Blanc shows the lime, lemon and pineapple notes that I have come to love from this varietal. The wine has a beautiful long finish that makes you want to keep coming back to the glass for more. Scallops - Shrimp - Lobster and my favorite! Avocado Salad with oil and vinegar (My Cuban Specialty) will benefit from this wine. So so Good! The 2007 vintage has just been released. You will find this wine at any of the major wine shops in Los Angeles! I got to try it at California Wine and Cheese. The Sauvignon Blanc wine prices out at $27.99 per.

This is one of my favorites Ladies and Gents.

Definitely Give this one a Serious Try.

Cheers

La Canada or Bust!

2009-05-21T08:53:00.001-07:00

I would like to thank a very good friend of mine Jon and his wine group for allowing me to taste all of these beautiful wines. Jon's group gets together from time to time and comes up with a "Wine Theme" for the tasting. Jon was nice enough to invite me to attend this time around. There were 7 winos present and 10 bottles of wine poured. We brown bagged all the wines and tasted them 3 / 3 /2 and 2 at a time. I actually live quite far from Jon so I had to make sure that I poured no more than 1 1/2 ounce per tasting being that I didn't want to pass out on his couch after 10 wines. Jon also happens to be a client of mine so I made sure to be on my best behavior.

The theme for this tasting was California Cabernet's and we rated the wines using the Robert Parker scale. The twist was that Jon created a handicap system depending on the cost of the bottle. I don't recall the exact math equation that Jon used but If bottles were above $100 per, they received a negative handicap while bottles under the value of $100 in increments or $10 dollars below received a positive handicap. The handicap was added to your final Parker score to determine a winner. Everybody seemed to be in the same frame of mine being that no bottle was above the cost of $60.00. I brought to the tasting 2004 Freemark Abbey Napa Cabernet. I purchased the wine this past Saturday. I have not bought much Cabernet in the last few years and I didn't get a chance to poke around in my cellar to see if there was something I could of brought. The Freemark Abbey was a wine I had experience with in the past. Somewhere in my cellar are a few bottles of 2001 vintage. Just have to find them someday. Most of the young Cabernet that I do own, I want to age out a little. Either way my thought was to bring a wine that was a bit more of a Bordeaux style. I thought I would be good enough to pick my own wine but I wasn't. All the wines that I tasted were pretty good. I was a bit hard on most of them, with only 2 wines scoring above 90 points. Most of the wines scored in the 80 point range with 1 wine scoring 77 points. The Freemark Abbey that I brought I scored 82 points. It's good to be brutal on the wine that you bring. Then again when you are tasting wines blind anything can happen.

Here was the list of wines we tasted in the winning order:

The number one wine was 2001 Keenan Cabernet priced at $20.00. I actually rated this wine 85 points which was third highest on my list. It is a good feeling that a 2001 / $20.00 bottle of wine won the competition. Yeah it might of been that we tasted this win first and that we were all real thirsty, but I will agree with the group that the wine had a good structure and the $20 price tag just makes us all warm inside.

The rest of the wines are as follows: (2) 2005 Sequoia Grove Cabernet $20.00 (3) 2005 Pellegrini Cloverdale Ranch Cabernet $28.00 (4) 2002 Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet $32.00 (5) 2002 Rober Mondavi Napa Cabernet $18.00 (6) Freemark Abbey Napa Cabernet $27.00 (7) 1995 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet $60.00 (8) 2006 Honig Napa Cabernet $37.00 (9) 2006 Stags Leap Artemis Cabernet $48.00 and last but not least was 2003 Robert Sinskey Cabernet at $55.00 per bottle.

The Sinskey to me was the worse wine of the night. I gave it 77 points. The wine had a strange nose and on the palate came up a bit short for me. The "Robert Parker Scale" gives up to 35 points in bouquet and finish and that is where I scored this wine the worse. It is kinda ironic that the Sinskey was the second most expensive wine on the list. Is it too structured for our palates maybe?? I don't claim to be an expert by a long shot, but there have been lots and lots of times when I thought a wine was horrible but Parker gave it a 90 plus score. I guess you have to follow the old saying "Like what you drink - Drink what you like". Have fun with it!

I will end this Blog post with the 2 wines that I loved the most this night. They were the 1995 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cab and the 2006 Stags Leap Artemis Cab. I gave the Mondavi 92 points and the Stags Leap 91. It is funny that these 2 wines are separated by 11 years of vintage. The Artemis was a bit crucified this night coming in second to last place. The $48.00 price tag was third highest, but the Artemis to me grabbed that Cedar Box, Chocolate, dark berry fruit that reminded me the most of a French Bordeaux. The Reserve Mondavi followed the same paths. This wine showed all of those French Characteristics that Napa Valley wants to emulate so very much. The rest of the wines showed a lot of those California Big Fruit flavors. That isn't a bad thing to me. California has a style of its own.

I had a great time tasting all of these wines. I so wish that I had a bigger and closer to where I live group of friends that could get together like this once in awhile, tell stories and enjoy each others company while sharing in some great wines.

Thanx Jon

Cheers!

Me Gusta Tempranillo

2009-05-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Latino in me was in a mood to cook. I decided on my Chicken milanesa, black beans, avocado salad and some white rice. What wine did I decide on? Tempranillo of Course! The wine I decided on was 2005 Ramon Bilbao Tempranillo.

I picked up this wine over the weekend because 2 weeks ago I was watching a cooking show on PBS which features Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow traveling thur Spain. The show does not focus on wine but this particular episode had both Mario and Gwyneth visiting the Ramon Bilbao Winery facility. Now the wino in me always takes notes about wines or wineries especially when they are shown on TV or print and sure enough our visit to a wine shop over this past weekend yielded me this wine.

The Ramon Bilbao winery is in the Rioja Alta region of Spain approximately 190 miles north of Madrid. The word Tempranillo translates to "Early". The grape usually ripens mid September earlier than other red Spanish varietals. Rioja has always been known as the best region for growing Tempranillo and for this wino there is no better made anywhere else in the world.

The 2005 Tempranillo has a dark crimson color. It exhibits cherry and baking spice aromas with subtle tobacco characteristics. On the palate the wine has great acidity; another good characteristic of Tempranillo and a lingering peppery finish. I was very very satisfied with this wine. How can I not be for $11.99 per bottle. Oh yeah! that is another great thing about Spanish wines. There quality exceeds there value.

Cheers!

Cabernet or Merlot?

2009-05-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

I got to taste 2 very reasonably priced wines the other day. One being my favorite Varietal while the other was the much maligned Merlot. Both Wines were under $20.00 per Bottle.
Now mind you!!! I am not an expert. If you were to put 2 Cabs and 2 Merlots in front of me and made me taste them blind, lets just say I probably wouldn't get them all right. It is 2 grape varietals that always trick me a bit on the nose and even sometimes on the palate. From my standpoint, Merlot always seems to be softer on the palate, but what do I know.

Anyhoo!

The Cabernet I tasted was 2006 Sean Minor 4 Bears Cabernet.
http://www.4bearswinery.com/
The wine is a blend of 85% Cab, 13% Merlot and 2% Petite Verdot. The alcohol levels on the wine are good at 13.5% which I like, but the wine sees some time in American Oak barrels which I don't like. The nose has light tobacco notes which is ok. A bit of bitter chocolate and berry fruit do come Thur on the palate. I am not really sure if this wine would benefit from aging or decanting. I only got to try the wine at a tasting, but for $16.99 per bottle. The price seems very fair for what you get. I rate this wine on the parker scale, 83 points.

The poor maligned Merlot I got to taste was the 2005 Tin Roof Cellars Merlot.
http://www.tinroofcellars.com/
The poor poor Merlot grape has gotten a bad rap since "SIDEWAYS". Don't get me wrong! I almost gotta agree! Why reach for a Merlot when you can reach for a beautiful Cabernet instead. Besides! like I mentioned earlier, the 2 grapes throw this wino off sometimes when I taste them.

This Merlot I kinda liked. It does have a bit of Cabernet and Petite Syrah blended in. I would think the petite syrah is to lift the tannins on this wine because to me they are not subtle. The nose on this wine was very fruit forward. Cherries, plums. On the palate I puckered up a bit, but the hints of Chocolate and tobacco came Thur. The wine did have an herbal character that I could not figure out. I tasted this wine directly from the bottle, so no decanting what so ever. I would think that might of benefited the wine some. Overall! For the price of $19.99 per this was a decent little wine. I rate this wine 85 points on the parker scale.

Overall I liked both wines. They were not seriously complex or Over the top Fruit Bombs. I would like to thank my friends at Vinatero Wine Shop for the tastings. http://www.vinaterowineshop.com/.

Try em if you dare!
Cheers

"Raise A Glass to Honor Robert Mondavi"

2009-05-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Whether you love him or hate him. There is no denying that Robert Mondavi was one of the driving forces in putting California Wines on the map. Today is the 1 year anniversary of his death. I drove out this morning to Hollywood with my big brother. We were headed to a Wine Shop that my brother really wants to work at to buy a very exclusive Cabernet that they were listing in there newsletter. The 2005 Kathryn Kennedy "Lateral" was sold out when we got there, so I ended up picking 2004 Freemark Abby Napa Cabernet instead. http://www.freemarkabbey.com/ I needed a California Cabernet for a tasting that I am doing with a friend of mine on Tuesday. I have had this wine before, it is a very Bordeaux style wine which should make for a very interesting tasting on Tuesday.

Any winery from any part of California owes a debt to Robert Mondavi. It really is one of the reasons that so many wineries flourish today from our great state. Do I believe we make the very best wines in the world here in California?? Actually I don't!! Old World wines still appeal to me a bit more. But! Robert Mondavi had a vision and California will always continue to show great growth in the Wine Industry forever.

Cheers to you Mr. Mondavi!

I guess I better crack the 1996 30Th anniversary Reserve Cabernet in 9 more years on this day to honor you.

2009-05-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

I guess for my first blog posting I better talk a little about myself. I was born and raised in Southern California. I am 41 years old. I am Married 21 years with 2 children ages 14 and 18. We started young. I have a career in Printing and design under my own company Flash Graph ix. It is a small home base business that I have been doing for 15 years. The business has had it's up and downs over the years, but I make a decent living.

I also have a huge thirst and love for wines and food. I am a self taught Cook. Learning mostly from all the years my grandmother and mother did it. Being Latino you get stereotyped as being a "mamas boy" Where your mama takes care of you forever and ever. But my mother and grandmother would always make me assist in any of the chores including cooking. So I learned a fun passion from them both.

My love for wines started back in 1995 when I was still working for someone else. My brother who had already been living in San Francisco since 1993 was working in the wine industry and from time to time would tell me about all the beautiful wines he got to taste. My then boss who was a Korean businessman had a hug passion for wines and food, so my first taste of a great bottle of wine was our Christmas Party where I got to taste 1992 Opus One and a Kobe Steak. To this day that meal ranks up there as one of the best I ever had. If I only remember the restaurant. Somewhere in Downtown LA. Went into an underground parking structure in one of the many many buildings. Took an elevator up to the restaurant. Oh well!

I fast forward 14 years later and thousands of bottles of wine. My love continues to flourish. I am not the best when it comes to history or regions, but I have gotten to understand varietals very well now and my real passions stems again from the love I have of cooking and pairing those great bottles of wine with the perfect meal...

It is my passion!

To Be Continued!

Cheers!