WINE TV ADS

The golden age of television wine advertising - for me, anyway - began in the 1970s with the series of commercials which utilized Orson Welles as the spokesman for Paul Masson Wine.  Welles' girth so filled the TV tube there was barely room for the glass of wine, about which he pronounced that Paul Masson would "sell no wine before its time."

Welles apparently would drink no Paul Masson wine at anytime, and he reportedly was fired from his cushy spokesman gig after announcing just that on a TV talk show.

Thanks to the modern miracle of YouTube, we can go back in time and see some of these again, as well as some rather embarrassing outtakes in which Welles appears to have consumed a bit too much of the product.



Paul Masson Wine TV Ad - featuring Orson Welles 
Paul Masson Champagne TV Ad - featuring Orson Welles

Paul Masson TV Ad outtakes - featuring Orson Welles

ANTINORI SANGIOVESE SANTA CHRISTINA 2009 AT PANE E VINO

Pane e Vino, on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, has been a nice Monday evening dining option lately.  The food's great any night, but Monday the restaurant has been offering half-price wine from their list which features a healthy assortment of Italian options.

The Antinori Sangiovese Santa Christina is from Toscana IGT.  The Tuscan red doesn't bowl you over with brawn, but it drinks easily even for a young wine.

Medium dark color, this wine offers a nose of cherry and licorice with a tar component.  On the palate, I find cherry to be the dominant flavor.  It's not too rich, even a bit thin for my taste.  It does pair well with pasta, though, especially the dish I had with Italian sausage browned almost crispy.  At $7.75 it's a good deal. At half price, a steal.

My friend Chris commented that he had taken his Italian mother to Pane e Vino, and she was quite impressed with the food. He added that the cooking tastes as good as his mother's, which is high praise.

MANDOLA AGLIANICO 2008 TEXAS

Most of the wines I drink come from California, which is by design.  California is where I live and I like to taste the terroir of my home in the wines I drink.  I'm certainly not opposed to trying wines from other places, though - especially when the place is one near to my heart.

I'm from Texas.  I've been transplanted in Southern California for some time now.  It was so long ago when I lived in the Lone Star State, the burgeoning wine industry there is a stranger to me.  I drank plenty of Texas beer in my days as a card-carryin’ Texan - plenty - but I had never tried a Texas wine, until recently.

The Duchman Family Winery - located just a bit west of Austin - was kind enough to provide me with samples of two of their wines made from Italian grape varieties - Aglianico and Dolcetto.  On today's Now And Zin Wine Blog, I'll tell you about the Aglianico.

The Aglianico grape thrives in dry places with plenty of sunshine.  Central Texas gets a check mark on both counts.  The grapes generally make a full-bodied, acidic wine with plenty of tannic structure.

The Mandola Aglianico - the winery has recently been re-branded as Duchman Family Vineyards- is labeled as "Texas wine,” and the grapes are from the Reddy Vineyards in the Texas High Plains AVA.  Bottled in June of 2009, this wine was fermented in stainless steel and aged ten months in American oak.  The alcohol level is listed as 14.5% abv in the winery’s literature, but the label shows 12.5% abv.  I believe I’d go with the lower figure.  Total production of the Mandola Aglianico was only 150 cases.

I’m happy that the first Texas wine I taste is one with a taste as big as the state itself.

Right up front, the nose gives big aromas of red fruit - red plums and raspberry seem to dominate.  There’s more red fruit on the palate with an earthy aspect that increases the longer the wine has been decanted.  By the second night after opening the bottle, it was downright dark and earthy.  The flavor of spices did not diminish, though.  If anything, the spiciness increased a bit with time.

This wine has the tannins the grape is known for, and the acidity to allow it to match with a variety of foods.  Snacking with a handful of almonds, a piece of brittle and a chunk of dark chocolate, all three seemed to fit well in the scheme of the Aglianico.  This wine is really made for something a little more substantial.  Try it with an Italian sausage or lasagna.

The thing I was really looking for with this Texas Aglianico was the feeling of the Lone Star state’s terroir, and I think I found it.  Even though Aglianico wines tend to be somewhat “rustic” anyway, this one has a deeper, darker feeling than I was expecting.  To call it “brooding” would not be an overstatement.  To call it “wonderful” just about hits the nail on the head.  I think - just this once - a “yee-haw” might even be called for.

I couldn't resist sharing this image from the Duchman website.  

WINE FOR THANKSGIVING

A couple of Sundays back was a genuine fall-weather day in Los Angeles.  There was chilly rain and a foggy grayness outside.  Inside, thanks to Denise, there was the aroma of a beautiful lentil soup, then a gingerbread experiment.  She didn't think the gingerbread a success, so I won’t detail it.  I was, however, plenty happy to be the guinea pig.

While we were enjoying our "inside day," there was an old "Twilight Zone" episode showing on TV.  It was the one in which the actor starts to think he's actually the character he's playing.  Ultimately, he chooses to live in the pages of the script rather than on the streets of Los Angeles.  Wouldn't it be nice If we could all have a choice like that?  I think I might choose to spend that chilly, rainy Sunday as the guy who writes about good wine choices for the upcoming Thanksgiving feast.

Turkey is the popular favorite for serving as the Thanksgiving dinner centerpiece.  Pinot Noirgets high recommendations for pairing with turkey, turkey dinner and gravy.  Pinot Noir is also a good choice with ham, particularly smoked ham.  The earthiness of mushrooms also dovetails with the darker expressions of Pinot Noir.

Grenache and Merlot, with their fruit-forward tendencies, also get good marks as a turkey mate.
For smoked turkey you might find the big jammy fruit and peppery spice of Syrah attractive.  For an American holiday celebration, why not an American grape?  You can't go wrong with a livelyZinfandel on the holiday spread.

If you’re in the mood for a white wine to serve with holiday turkey, try a wine with some interesting aromatics to offer.  Riesling and Viognier come to mind and Chardonnay is a perennial favorite.  Feel free to get crazy, though, and go with an Albariño or Torrontes if you are hosting adventurous types.

I think an imperative purchase for the Thanksgiving - and Christmas - holiday is a dry rosé.  For my money, nothing pairs better with leftover turkey sandwiches than a bone dry rosé.

Don't forget that Beaujolais Nouveau arrives a week ahead of Thanksgiving, on the third Thursday of November (the 18th in 2010).  For the uninitiated, Beaujolais Nouveau is a freshly made wine of the Gamay variety - from Beaujolais - which some eagerly await each year and some decry as not worthy of all the marketing attention it gets.  Finding it fruity and almost completely devoid of tannic structure, I’m in the latter camp.  Each year I marvel at how wrong 60-million Frenchmen can be.  Each year I also find myself picking up a bottle, then swearing I’ll not do it again.  Fortunately, Beaujolais Nouveau is cheap.  You can, however, pick up aBeaujolais Cru and join the party with a fully mature wine of substance.

The wine website Snooth listed the top five most-searched-for wines for Thanksgiving 2009, and there were three Pinot Noirs, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Here are some specific suggestions to make your Thanksgiving dinner even more special:

Hitching Post Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley offers the flavors of cherry and spice that are always at home over the holidays. 

Cambria Winery struck gold with their 2007 Pinot Noir Julia’s Vineyard.  They say their ‘08 offers “red fruit, vanilla and cinnamon balanced with subtle earthy flavors.”  

Bonny Doon Vineyard says their '09 Contra red blend pairs especially well with turkey.   Food and Wine Magazine likes the "abundance of savory and peppery notes" of Bonny Doon's '07 Le Pousseur Syrah for the Thanksgiving table.

The Palmina '06 Nebbiolo Santa Barbara County sounds like it was made for the entire holiday season.  From Palmina's website: “A deep molasses thread, interlaced with an entire cadre of spice that spans the spectrum of cinnamon to allspice to clove.”

Niner Wine Estates has a Paso Robles entry cited by Guyot as one of the top wines for Thanksgiving.  Guyot says of the ‘07 Bootjack Ranch Merlot, “it begins with aromas of raspberry tart, violets and white pepper with a hint of lavender.  Flavors of cherry cocoa are backed by chewy tannins.”

Wine critic Edward Deitch has suggested the Viognier from Zaca Mesa Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County.  Viognier’s aromatic floral notes appeal to him.  He describes Zaca Mesa's Viognier as “gorgeous, with notes of melon, honey, vanilla and touches of cinnamon, butterscotch and minerals," and thinks it would pair beautifully with Thanksgiving meal featuring many different flavors.

One of my favorite rosés is Panky, from Fontes & Phillips Wines.  Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah from Camp 4 Vineyard in Santa Ynez, CA brings the flavor of all those grapes in bone-dry fashion.  It’s great with turkey sandwiches.  

La Quinta Crema Marsala has a nose of raisins, spice and honey.  It could serve as dessert on its own, but you wouldn’t want to miss tasting it.  A sherry-like flavor of candied fruit pairs well with the assortment of pies you're likely to find over the holidays.  This brown-colored, fortified wine is 18% abv and would be right at home after a big Thanksgiving meal or Christmas dinner.  From San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles.

Is there anything I've missed?  Feel free to leave a comment if there's a favorite Thanksgiving wine tradition you'd like to share.

DESSERT WINES

My friend Art Meripol shot me an email recently, in which he raved about a particularly wonderful dessert wine he had just finished off.

Art’s a wonderful photographer for a name-brand national magazine and has a website featuring his concert photography and shoots pretty amazing stuff on his iPhone, too.  You can keep up on that by following him on Twitter.

He wrote to me about a wine he had bought at a winery when shooting a travel story on Sonoma a few years back.  Of the Sapphire Hill VLH Zinfandel 2003, Art said, "It was superb.  Sweet, dense, intense black fruit, tar ...everything a great dessert wine should be."

I see this Very Late Harvest Zinfandel on the Sapphire Hill website in the 2006 vintage.  It sells for $26, half bottle.  This sweet product of Alexander Valley grapes is dubbed "liquid candy for grown-ups" in the winemaker notes.  At 9.5% residual sugar, it would not appear to be cloyingly sweet on its own, but is recommended with cheese or chocolate.

Not that I don't think about dessert wines a lot anyway, but Art's email prompted me to sift through my tasting notes of this past year for dessert wines I liked a lot.  Here are a few:

La Quinta Crema Marsala, California NV - Sampled at the San Antonio Winery winemaker dinner a while back, this Marsala shows a nose of raisins, spice and honey with a sherry-like flavor of candied fruit.  This brown-colored, fortified wine would be right at home after a big Thanksgiving meal or Christmas dinner.  FYI, the alcohol level nudges the 20% mark.

Coquelicot Slow Hand Dessert Wine - All late harvest fruit, 50% Chardonnay and 50% Riesling.  It tastes like a baked apple with raisins.

Kalyra Orange Muscat 2006 - Kalyra Winery, up Highway 154 in the pastoral Santa Ynez Valley northwest of Santa Barbara, makes several great dessert wines.  The grapes for this wine were sourced from Madeira, California.  Fortified to a 15% abv number, this viscous liquid is a rich, golden color and so thick and heavy it almost tries to stay in the glass.  On the nose are flowers, honey and apricot candy.  The palate shows even more honey, more apricots and some orange peel notes that play off the sweetness beautifully.  Nice acidity, too.

Pessagno Griva Vineyard Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Arroyo Seco 2006 - Stephen Pessagno makes small quantity wines from single vineyards in Monterey and San Benito Counties of California, all estate grown.  His Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc is a Sauternes-styled wine made from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, or the noble rot.  It has a harvest brix of 48 and a residual sugar of 18.4%.  This is definitely a sweet wine.  The nose shows pear juice, pear cobbler aromas, and a pineapple candy profile.  The sweet custard and caramel flavors are a delight, but it’s not just a sweetie - the acidity is almost bracing and can match any dessert you may put next to it.  The suggested retail price is $35 for a half-bottle.

Graff Family Vineyards Chalone July Muscat 2007 - The Graff Family of Sonoma makes very limited-production wine.  July Muscat is a cross of four different Muscat varieties.  The grapes for this wine are grown in the Chalone appellation in California's Monterey County.  Very pale in the glass, the nose of the Graff Family's July Muscat is incredibly floral and drenched in sweet, ripe peaches and apricots.  Apricots dominate the palate and a mild acidity realizes its full potential on the finish.  That finish is a delight, lingering long with traces of fruity sweetness.

Abundance Vineyards 2008 Bacio Dolce Carignane Dessert Wine - 100% Carignane, plum notes abound in a setting which makes it easy to see why they named it the "sweet kiss."  At 19.5% abv, it’s a hefty drink.

Roxo Port Cellars - This Paso Robles producer does only Port style wines.  Roxo has quite a variety of delicious Port wines made not only from Portuguese varieties, but also Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir.

Mer Soleil LATE 2004 - LATE is a late harvest Viognier kissed by that favorite fungus of dessert wine fans - Botrytis cinerea.  The color is an extremely rich gold with aromas and flavors of honeyed apricots.  An orange zest profile reveals itself in the flavors, too.  

ORTMAN O2 SERIES CUVEE EDDY RED WINE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY 2007

Ortman Family Vineyards provided me with their three new wines in the O² Series for review.  I've already written about the Sangiovese and the Chardonnay.  Today I focus on the Ortman Cuvée Eddy Rhone-style blend.

Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah from three San Luis Obispo County vineyards - Brave Oak, Dino Boneso and Wittstrom - combine in a wine the Ortman's describe musically as "a lot of smooth jazz with a little bit of rock and roll."  Winemaker Matt Ortman, a second generation winemaker - hence the "O²" designation - says the 42% Syrah gives black fruit flavors while the 30% Grenache and 19% Mourvèdre offer a healthy dose of earthiness and the 9% of Petite Sirah chips in some spiciness.  1,500 cases of '07 Cuvée Eddy were produced and it retails for $20.  The alcohol content is 14.2%

Cuvée Eddy pours up medium dark purple in the glass and the nose offers some great dark fruit aromas, and the promised earthiness hits hard.  Blackberry and black plum tread water in a mineral-laden nose which is then echoed on the palate.  The minerality leads the fruit around on a leash.  This is some dark juice here.  It benefited quite a bit from decanting - in fact, it became as smooth as silk.  Do yourself a favor - don’t drink it right after unscrewing the cap.  Give it some breathing time and you will be rewarded.  Richly.

I sampled the wine over a three-night span, and it got better - and darker in texture - each night.  It's a suggested mate with barbecue and pizza, and I can't imagine you could go wrong with that.  The intense mineral profile and lip-smacking acidity make for a very food-friendly beverage

SUNSET WINE AWARDS 2010

Sunset Magazine's November 2010 issue contains their wine awards for the year.  The magazine that's all about "Living In The West" liked a lot of Napa Valley and Sonoma County wines, a good selection from Washington state, a few from Oregon and some wines from the California Central Coast.  Congratulations to the Central Coast and Santa Barbara County wines Sunset likes, and here's what they had to say about them.

Under "Steals, $15 & Under" Sunset cites:

Cycles Gladiator 2008 Syrah (Central Coast, $10) - "Blueberries anchor the fruit character, while herbs, black olives, tobacco and espresso add interest underneath."

SeaGlass 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Barbara County, $10) - "A brininess worthy of the name underpins crisp citrus, peach, pear, quince, limestone, and gentle florals."


Under "Good Values, $15 to $30" Sunset chose:

Jorian Hill 2008 Viognier (Santa Ynez Valley, $30) - "A lively, textural Rhône white, full of honeyed apricot, quince and lemon on a long, clean finish."

Tantara 2008 T. Solomon Wellborn Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County, $20) - "A tangy root-beer edge turns flashy red fruit - strawberry, rhubarb - into a crowd pleaser."


Under "Special Occasions, $30 to $50" Sunset selected:

Samsara 2007 Melville Vineyard Syrah (Sta Rita Hills, $40) - Juicy and long - black fruit seasoned with pepper and structure that's almost Rhône-like."

Tensley 2007 Colson Canyon Grenache (Santa Barbara County, $32) - "Hibiscus-scented cherry flavors have an intriguing underside of herbs and spices, black tea and earth."


Under "Deep Pockets, Over $50" Sunset picked:

Justin 2007 Isosceles (Paso Robles, $62) - "A powerful, age-worthy Bordeaux blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot) with dark fruit, cedar, tobacco, espresso and a sprinkling of black pepper."

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY GETS DISCOVERED

Sunset's recent SAVOR the Central Coast event brought over 7,200 food and wine lovers to Santa Margarita, California and put two million dollars into the San Luis Obispo County economy.  These figures have been released by Cal Poly finance professor Kenneth Riener, in conjunction with independent research firm Productive Impact.

San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau Executive Director John Summer is already looking forward to the 2011 event, and so is Sunset magazine.  President of the Sunset Publishing Corporation, Barbara Newton, also confirms that SAVOR is set to become a highly anticipated annual event.  “For 2011, we are fully on-board, and our intention is to continue to do it.”

Southern California provided most of the non-local attendance, but San Luis Obispo County had visitors from as far away as Waco, Texas and London, England for the weekend food and wine event.

DOMAINE DE LA BECASSONNE COTES DU RHONE 2009

This wine was purchased as a food and wine pairing experiment.  It started at the recent Artisanal L.A. show in downtown Los Angeles.  Max Lesser, owner of Morning Glory Confections, asked Denise and I to come up with a pairing involving his New Mexico Chili and Pumpkin Seed Brittle.  I had the idea of pairing it with a Roussanne because I felt the grape’s natural funkiness was a good match for the offbeat brittle ingredients.  Denise thought some goat cheese would form an unbeatable triple play.

A fortunate mistake had me pick up herb goat cheese instead of plain, but Denise felt it worked even better than she had imagined.  The mouthful of brittle, herb goat cheese and a Roussanne blend was nothing short of fantastic.  Max liked it, too.

The Roussanne blend is produced by Andre Brunel, a Châteuneuf-du-Pape producer, but these grapes are from the Côtes-du-Rhône - 50% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanc and 20% Clairette.  It has 13% abv and carries a price tag of $17.  The grapes are grown in the clay and limestone soil on the Rhône Valley, and the wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation.

It’s a pale yellow wine, with a nose showing a banana-meets-guava tropicality, some minerals and spices along with a vanilla note.  Full and round on the palate, the taste offers a savory tartness or zestiness of citrus, a ripping acidity - a must if you’re pairing with candy - and a lemon-lime finish with an underlying nutty flavor way in the back.

By the way, the wine also paired quite nicely with another purchase from Artisanal L.A. - the Welsh Cakes from The Welsh Baker!  They call them "Not quite a cookie, not quite a scone," and that seems a reasonably good description.  Welsh Cakes and wine make a pretty good little snack.

EAGLE ROCK BREWERY AT ARTISANAL L.A.

October 23rd and 24th, 2010, Artisanal L.A. populated the Cooper Building in downtown Los Angeles with locally grown and produced food items.  Bee people were there, brittle people were there - even a few tarts. 

The beer people were a little late setting up their display on Sunday - beer people are like that, sometimes - but when they finally did show up, half the people in the penthouse space rushed the unadorned folding table.  I call the image at left “The Free Beer’s Here,” because this is what the crush looked like when everyone tried to get next to a tap.

I was eager to try Eagle Rock Brewery’s suds, because I have yet to make it to the actual brewery despite invitations - even pleading - from friends.  I’m sure Eagle Rock has quite an assortment of brews available at any one time, but they offered only two at this event.  Here’s what they were pouring:

Solidarity, Black Mild Ale - A British style of ale, medium-bodied and with a low alcohol level - 3.9% abv - for easy drinking.  It’s quite dark, much like a stout, but has neither the head nor heft of a stout.  It seems a little thin, perhaps because I expected something a bit more robust considering the dark tint.  That aside, it’s a flavorful drink.  Rather complex on the nose and palate, the aromas and flavors of coffee and nuts abound.

Stimulus, Belgian Amber with Intelligentsia Coffee - Smelling of lemons and caramel, the coffee in this one is a delicious surprise feature.  First of all, the color doesn’t tip its hand.  It’s amber colored, with no unusual darkness to suggest a jolt of caffeine.  Even the flavor profile, which reminds me more of a Heath bar, allows the coffee feature to take quite some time to come around.  This one is a more full-bodied affair than Solidarity, with a much greater weight and clocking in at 7.75% abv.

WINE IN THE MOVIES

Wine has played more than a supporting role in some of Hollywood's greatest films.  Here are some of my favorite movies in which wine has played a big role.  What are some of yours?  Feel free to comment!

In Sideways, Paul Giamatti takes his friend on a wine soaked bachelor party weekend in Santa Barbara wine country, with hilarious results.

Bottle Shock tells the story of the most famous wine tasting event in history, the Judgment of Paris, which catapulted California onto the big wine map.

Corked! is a dry mockumentary which targets everything about the California wine industry, from the grape pickers to the winemakers to the wine press.        

El Camino del Vino (The Ways of the Wine) This a movie just out this year, in which a famous sommelier travels to Argentina for a prestigious wine tasting event and - horror of horrors - he loses his ability to taste.

Mondovino, a documentary, is a condensation of a 10-part television series.  It explores the globalization of the wine industry and its effect on artisanal winemakers.   

There's A Girl In My Soup features Peter Sellers taking Goldie Hawn to France for a wine tasting farce.  It's a lightweight flick which is more valuable for its kitsch factor than anything else.

Of course, For Humphrey Bogart, the Champagne never stops flowing in Casablanca, while brandy is his drink in The Big Sleep. Wallace Shawn's wine goblet "Battle of Wits" with the Dread Pirate Roberts in The Princess Bride is classic, and French Kiss, the romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline, centers around Kline's desire to own a vineyard.

In The Jerk, Steve Martin's character wants to splurge in a fancy restaurant, asking the waiter to bring him "some fresh wine - none of that 1966 stuff."

KING ESTATE OREGON PINOT GRIS 2007 AT THE LOBSTER

After quaffing a Rioja as an opener and warming up a bit in the cool Santa Monica lunchtime breeze, my visit to The Lobster turned toward more appropriate fare.  Ordering clam chowder and the sea scallop dish that always turns my head there, I asked for an Oregon Pinot Gris.

The King Estate wine is $9 by the glass and a light straw color.  The nose shows some green apple and citrus, and the freshness is obvious on the first whiff.

Zippy, fresh citrus flavors dominate the palate with a peach note coming forward.  The acidity is quite nice and a fairly good minerality lasts beyond the finish.  It's a good match for the chowder and the scallops.

MARTIN CODAX ERGO RIOJA 2007 AT THE LOBSTER

The Lobster in Santa Monica is one of those restaurants where I expect to order white wine.  On my last visit to the seafood-with-an-ocean-view mainstay at the entance to the Santa Monica Pier I was seeing red.  Even though it was a brilliantly sunny day and we were seated right by the window, the ocean breeze blowing in through the open window actually gave me a bit of a chill.  I opted for a little warmup in the form of Martin Codax Rioja Tempranillo.  I certainly wasn't giving up the window seat!

The Spanish Tempranillo, at $7 per glass, is one of the more affordable offerings on The Lobster's extensive - and pricey - wine list.  It also served as a wonderful pre-lunch drink for folks like me who don't particularly go for Bloody Marys.  Looking around the restaurant, it seemed I was of the minority opinion on that issue.  There were a lot of celery stalks bringing in the noon hour.

This dark wine is very fruit forward on the nose with minerals apparent.  Cherry aromas mingle with an earthiness that makes me anxious to taste.

The lean and elegant palate shows earth and leathery blackberry and cherry, quite a dark flavor profile.  It's very dry with smooth tannins and a great acidity.

It's almost a shame I had no skirt steak or ribs to pair with it, but I was happy to sip it while dragging a slice of bread through the olive oil.  The fabulous pairing would come later. when my scallops would meet an Oregon Pinot Gris.

CELEBRATE ARGENTINA 2010 WRAPUP

The wines of Argentina are not my strong suit of knowledge.  Happily, I was able to add to my personal database with Celebrate Argentina 2010, another great Learn About Wine tasting event, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on October 21st.

Surprises

There were some things which surprised me about Argentine wine.  
The predominance of unoaked or “underoaked” red wines took me by surprise.  Red wines - even Cabernet Sauvignon - that are not aged in oak barrels are somewhat a rarity in California and France.  In Argentina, “Hold the oak!” is not an uncommon call to hear.

Kent Smith, Western Regional Manager for wine importers Vino Del Sol, speculated that one reason for the lack of oak might be, “oak barrels are expensive.”  Waving his hand around the room, Smith explained, “A lot of these wineries are small, family operations.  Buying new oak barrels every year simply isn’t an option for them."

Smith offered another potential explanation for Argentina’s fondness of unoaked reds - good fruit.  “Many of the Argentine vineyards are hand-picked.  That means they can go through a vineyard multiple times to select the grape clusters when they are at the exact best ripeness for picking.  With all that great fruit, you don’t need oak’s enhancements.  You’ve got it all in the grapes.”

Maybe that's pride talking, maybe he’s right.  All I know is that the quality of the wines at Celebrate Argentina 2010 was quite high.  Cabs seemed to be the grape variety that most often got the no-oak treatment, and it really gave the fruit a chance to shine in ways I don’t normally get to experience in California wine.  

I was told there are only a couple dozen wineries in Argentina which are organic.  Winemaker Gustavo Caligiore gave me that tidbit while pouring his organic wines.  When I complemented him on his youthful appearance, he replied, "Maybe it's the organic wine."  He's obviously a winemaker and a pitchman.

I noticed great acidity levels in all the wines I tasted - there wasn’t a flabby one in the bunch.  The high elevation of the vineyards along the Andes Mountains is credited by some for the nice acid found in many Argentine wines.

The Pinot Noirs were all very strange to my palate.  They were mostly very dark in aroma and flavor with high acidity and big tannins.  It’s good juice, just not the delicate touch I'm used to in a Pinot Noir

A producer from Patagonia poured Malbecs which all smelled like Band-Aids or plastic, even though his other wines were not similarly affected.  The Pinot Noir he poured seemed absolutely rugged.  I was told there is a lot of mineral in the soil of Patagonia and it changes the flavor profile.  A young, tattooed fellow explained that Patagonian Pinot Noir was usually very good, if quite different from California Pinots.  He said at one tasting event he attended, the representatives from New Zealand tasted the Patagonian Pinot and swore it must have been something else.  During the construction of the Patagonian winery, a 75-million-year-old dinosaur was unearthed.  Now that's terroir.

I had seen an interview with an Argentine wine producer just days before the event, and she pointed out that Argentina never needed to export wine because in-country demand was so high.  At the event, one rep told me wine sales are dropping now in Argentina, largely because younger people are leaving wine and drinking more beer and cocktails.


Tasting Notes From Celebrate Argentina 2010

Cabernet Sauvignon

Interesting Cabs from Orfila, including an unoaked '08 with floral elements on the nose and an herbal touch on the palate.  Their '08 Roble Cabernet Sauvignon shows minerals and smoke on the nose with plums on the palate and good grip.  The '08 Solar De Orfila Cab has ten months in American oak and shows plenty of earthy, dark fruit.

Familia Zuccardi brought a Cab which, according to my pourer, was named a Wine Enthusiast Best Value Wine Of The Year.  The '08 Santa Julia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon has a lilting nose and an earthy berry palate for $12.

Las Moras brought the '08 Alma Mora Cab.  San Juan fruit and no oak at all make a great tasting red.  This stainless steel Cab has a subtle nose and cherry notes on the palate.  I might have mistaken it for a Pinot Noir.

Santa Ana '09 Eco Cabernet Sauvignon only does six months time in oak, but turns in an earthy performance.  It's very dry, but not too grippy.

Malbec
Atamisque '08 Cantalpa Malbec is 40% oaked in French wood for twelve months and is bright and earthy.  Their '07 Atamisque Malbec is from 90-year-old vines in Vista Flores, Mendoza.  It sees wood for fourteen months and is smooth and complex.

Orfila, unrepresented in the U.S., had several Malbecs to pour.  The '08 is unoaked with a soft cherry nose and bright, red fruit with good acidity.  Their '08 Roble Malbec offers big red fruit on the nose and palate, the '08 Solar De Orfila Malbec is a dry wine with a dark nose and a hint of rocks, and dark fruit on the palate.

Caligiore, from Lujan de Cuyo, poured an organic '09 Malbec, 20% of which is in oak for twelve months.  The fruit comes from 80-year-old vines, and the wine is bright and extremely dry.

Carelli uses Ugo Valley fruit for their '06 Malbec.  This wine has to earn its $78 price tag with a light-as-a-feather nose showing rose petals and cinnamon.  Black plums and clove dance on the palate while the finish brings a flash of vanilla.

Cielo Y Tierra is owned by composer Gustavo Santaolalla, a two-time Oscar winner for the scores of Brokeback Mountain and Babel.  His wine certainly hits the right notes.  2005 was his first vintage as owner, and the '05 Don Juan Hahuel Reserva Malbec must have made him quite pleased.  It's a multi-vineyard effort that's oaked for 24 months and carries 14% alcohol.  It shows a plummy and earthy palate, very dry with great grip.

The Familia Zuccardi '08 Malbec is very dry, with raspberry in a smoky setting.

Las Moras '08 Alma Mora Malbec shows a very cheery cherry palate and considerable earthy notes.  The wine spent only three months in oak.

De Los Clop poured their '09 Malbec made in Steel.  The nose is full of rich, bright red fruit while the palate shows a freshness and earthiness at once.

Pascual Toso '08 Reserve Malbec is a very dark and intense wine.  The raspberry notes on the palate are broodingly dry.

Santa Ana '09 Eco Malbec - from the winery's new organic line - spends six months in oak and rames red fruit in some dark and earthy notes.  Very dry.

Zorzal broke out the '08 Climax Malbec, which recieved a 91-point score from a famous wine critic.  The 20 months in oak impart a smoky, earthy framework for all that dark fruit.

Blends

Atamisque '07 Assemblage blends Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 15 months in new French oak makes this an unusual effort for Argentina, and it spent two years in the bottle. It's got rich flavor and is extremely dry with great grip.

Familia Schroeder's blend of Pinot Noir and Malbec was an experience.  I thought I'd love it, but I didn't.  My pourer suggested that maybe the "Burgundians and the Bordeaux don't get along so well," but the other Malbecs from this producer hit me the wrong way, too.  A rather pungent smell and taste of plastic, or band aids, was present in all their Malbecs I tried.

Caligiore poured their '10 Staccato blend of 60% Malbec and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine sees no oak.  Its nose is like fresh cherries with a taste that's bright and dry.

Clos de los Siete poured two fantastic blends.  The '08 namesake wine is a combination of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot.  It has a great nose. and a luscious mouthfeel.  The '07 Diamandes is a 70/30 blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.  80-year-old vines produce an extremely dark and extremely dry wine that definitely muscles up.  Tons of minerals in this one really deliver the complexity.

Sophenia's '07 Synthesis Blend has 40% Malbec, 35% Cab and 25% Merlot.  A rich smoky nose leads to minerals and earth on the palate.  It spends 14 months in French oak.

The '08 Henry Lagarde Guarda Blend mixes Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Syrah in a spicy and fruity treat that sells for $50 or so.

Urraca brought some '07 Familia Langley Reserva, a blend of 50% Malbec, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Dark fruit and a beefy aroma fill up the nose, while the palate is dark and mouth-puckering.

Zorzal's '09 Cabernet-Malbec Reserve is 60% Malbec.  Twelve months in oak, but I would not have guessed it.  The nose is so fresh and ripe and red.  Big minerals on the palate and a dry finish.

White Wines

I've had the Alamos Malbec a number of times in Los Angeles restaurants and I like it.  I tried their Chardonnay and Torrontes this time.  The '09 Chardonnay shows a nose that strikes me as fairly oaky for a wine that only had six months in French and American barrels.  The palate, surprisingly, doesn't show much oak.  Minerals and fruit play evenly.  The Alamos '09 Torrontes smells of honeysuckle and grapefruit with a sweetness right up front on the palate and nice acidity.

Atamisque's '09 Cantalpa Chardonnay is unoaked, has a light nose and a rich taste with really great acidity.

Familia Zuccardi has a Torrontes - '09 Serie A Salta - which smells and tastes very much like Champagne!

Sophenia is located in Tupungato, 4,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains.  Their '09 Synthesis Sauvignon Blanc has a grassy, herbal nose and a big grapefruit taste.

De Los Clop's '10 Chardonnay is all steel, all Chardonnay with malolactic fermentation.  There's a hefty load of minerals with good acidity in this austere wine.

Luigi Bosca's '09 Finca La Linda Torrontes shows a floral nose with a layer of sweetness, like honey.  I taste grapefruit notes with tropical and floral elements.

Santa Ana '09 Eco Torrontes, made with organic grapes, is 100% Torrontes.  It's quite floral with good acidity and honeysuckle and tropical flavor profile.

Tapiz poured a Torrontes that's very fruity and has a huge honeysuckle element on the nose and palate.

Trapiche is Argentina's biggest producer, and I'm well versed on their Torrontes, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon because they are served at a restaurant I frequent.  This my first opportunity to try the Trapiche Extra Brut, and interesting sparkler which is 60% Chardonnay, 30% Semillon and 10% Malbec!  There's a slight funk on the nose - just right - and a toasty twist of citrus on the palate.

Urraca poured the Chardonnay I had tasted at a Los Angeles wine store tasting a few weeks earlier.  Still smells and tastes like Champagne without the bubbles.  Amazing Chardonnay.

Other Varieties

Caligiore's winemaker, Gustavo Caligiore, told me that the Bonarda grape is the second most planted grape in Argentina.  Only 20% of his '09 Caligiore Bonarda sees oak and the fruit is from 40-year-old vines on his family's estate.  It's very fruity with lip-smacking acidity.

Familia Schroeder poured two Pinot Noirs.  The '07 Saurus has a lovely rose petal nose - which reminded me of a white wine - and bright strawberries on the palate.  The '07 Saurus Patagonia Select also has a lovely nose with cherry and strawberry on the palate and a nice acidity.

Luigi Bosca '08 Reserva Pinot Noir has rose petal on the nose with raspberry and beef on the palate.  It's very earthy with a good finish and nice acidity.  Eight months in oak.

Zolo Bonarda is dark and earthy on the nose with more of same on the palate.  Dry and a bit grippy.  Recommended with barbecue.

Rosé

Atamisque poured an '09 Malbec rose that shows a rich color and a beautiful cherry and strawberry taste.  It is quite dry and has good acidity.

Caligiore has an organic Malbec rose, the '09 Pianissimo.  It lives up to its name with a lovely and delicate texture.  The color is rich and the taste is laden with strawberry and melon.

Familia Schroeder, of Patagonia, brought a rose sparkling wine.  The Rosa de los Vientos is 100% Pinot Noir and is as delightfully full of minerals as it is of bubbles.

De Los Clop's rosé is 100% Malbec with a gigantic strawberry nose and cherry and strawberry fruit to taste.  Beautiful.


Seeking Representation

A number of wineries at the show were looking for U.S. representation, among them:

Orfila (Martin Tamburelli at info@orfila.com.ar)
Cielo Y Tierra (Ignacio Velasco at cieloytierrasa@yahoo.com.ar)
Don Cristobal (Cristobal Lapania at exportaciones@doncristobal.com.ar)
Don Manuel Villafane (Luis Suriana at ls@dmvwines.com)
Eclipse (Jose Saravia-Brun at jsaravia@bodegaeclipse.com)
Finca Quara (Ricardo Puebla at rpuebla@lavaque.com)
De Los Clop (Sebastian Sicilia at info@bodegadelosclop.com)
Los Toneles (Cristian Williams at cristian@bodegalostoneles.com)
Poesia (Adriana Montenegro at poesia@uolsinectis.com.ar)
Quattrocchi (Debora Franco Quattrocchi at info@bodegaquattrocchi.com.ar)
Tierras Altas (Juan Pablo Rodriguez Reta at juanpablo@vargasarizu.com)

ORTMAN O2 SERIES CHARDONNAY CENTRAL COAST 2009

Ortman Family Vineyards of Paso Robles, under the direction of second-generation winemaker Matt Ortman, has released the O² Series Sangiovese.

Today I turn my attention toward Ortman's O² Series Chardonnay 2009.  The younger Ortman has a tough act to follow here, as dad Chuck made his name with this variety - so much so that he earned the nickname "Mr. Chardonnay."

The O² Series Chardonnay retails for $18, is 100% Chardonnay fruit of the Central Coast and carries an alcohol level of 14.2%.  959 cases of it were produced.

The wine shows a beautiful pale golden color in the glass with a lovely apricot nose.  There’s a citrus zing right up front on the palate, and minerals to spare, which show just a hint of flintiness.  A tropical-meets-cantaloupe flavor develops as the citrus zest begins to fade.  The wine is anything but flabby, with an acidity that is lively even on the finish.  There’s a touch of oak, but no more than that.  That's not surprising, as the Ortman way with Chardonnay lets the fruit do the talking.

I paired the O² Series Chardonnay with a delicious honey-baked squash that Denise whipped up on the spur of the moment.  The acidity was more than enough for the vegetable, and the honey really hit some highlights in the wine which were brought forward deliciously.  If there is anyone out there who still says "Anything But Chardonnay," they should try this one.  

THE 90-POINT WHITE ZINFANDEL

Wine writer Jancis Robinson recently reported on a study by Master of Wine Tim Hanni and Dr Virginia Utermohlen, MD, Associate Professor at Cornell University.  The study found that, according to Hanni, "physiology plays a major role in determining wine preferences."  He goes on to say the study showed that "drinkers of wines such as White Zinfandel ... are often the most sensitive tasters."  Hanni says these findings indicate "glaring errors in understanding by the wine industry (which) have led to the disenfranchisement of millions of consumers."

To boil it down, the study shows that traditional thinking on what determines a wine's quality may have to be thrown out the window.  Since your palate is determined by physiology - and thus varies from person to person - it may be that there's no way to say what constitutes a good wine.  One person's Châteauneuf-du-Pape is another person's White Zin.  And, if the findings of this study are true, all the criticism that lovers of White Zinfandel have endured for not being "serious" wine drinkers will have to be thrown out the window as well.

In the article, Robinson explains, "Utermohlen and Hanni developed a means of segmenting the wine market into four basic phenotypes - Sweet, Delicate, Smooth and Tolerant - based on physiological and behavioral criteria."  Your assessment of a given wine's perceived quality depends on which of these phenotypes describe your preferences.

Hanni says, "'The industry message to consumers who prefer light, delicate and sweet wines is that they need to become more 'educated' and 'move up' to higher quality wines; ie dry wines.  Our study reveals distinct physiological differences in human sensory anatomy and indicates that the people with the greatest taste sensitivity may well indeed be White Zinfandel drinkers and not the consumers of highly rated, intense red wines.  The industry is guilty of alienating a large segment of consumers who frequently opt for other sweet beverage options or even stop drinking wine altogether."

The message to the wine industry might well be "Hey, those White Zin drinkers aren't a bunch of know-nothings after all!  Better start inviting them to the party."  That might be good advice, since White Zinfandel accounts for around 10% of all supermarket wine sales and supermarket wine sales are said to account for 40% of total U.S. wine sales.

For as long as I've been interested in wine I have said, "The best wine in the world is the one you like best."  A 99-point wine is no good at all if you don't like it.  So drink what you like.  Those wine scores may be coming from someone in a whole different phenotype.

Read Jancis Robinson's article on this study here.

LE JARDIN DE CHARLOTTE BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR 2007

Domaine 547 is a boutique wine store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.  I don't know why it took me so long to check it out, but I'm glad I did.  All the choices seemed to be the kind that are hand-selected by a careful owner, not just product stacked on the shelves.  The store seems to always have one of L.A.'s ubiquitous food trucks parked outside during tastings, and they don't seem to mind if you bring your eats inside while you shop.  The day I was there, LudoTruck was serving on the side street.  Quite a crowd was inside the store, lounging in the open area, noshing and talking.

As usual, I wanted everything I saw.  Fortunately, Denise helped me whittle the choices down to one Bourgogne Pinot Noir that caught her eye.

Le Jardin de Charlotte carries an alcohol level of only 12.5%.  It cost $18, if I remember correctly.

The nose is abundant with fruit - blackberry, blueberry and mostly plum, but an earthy quality frames the fruit and a streak of spice runs through it.  It tastes of earth even more significantly than on the nose.  Plums dominate the fruit of the palate, but the minerality supersedes it completely.  It’s definitely not a "fruit-forward" wine.  The extreme earthiness may not be everyone's delight - I wasn't that taken with it while merely sipping.  Pair it with food, though, and it kicks into high gear.  I had it with figs from the Santa Monica Farmers' Market and a mild Alsatian cheese from the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.  It was delicious with both, triple that for all three combined.

THE HISTORY OF WINE IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

A fascinating story of winemaking in Los Angeles County - specifically the San Gabriel Valley - will be told by Charles Perry at the Los Angeles County Arboretum on Sunday October 24, 2010.  Perry is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times Food Section and the co-founder of the Culinary Historians of Southern California.  He'll tell this remarkable story from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m., and then host a wine tasting afterward.  The cost for this event is $25 for Arboretum members, $30 for non-members.

The press release for this event staes that if you've only heard California's wine history told by the mention of sacramental wines followed by an immediate leap to Napa and Sonoma, you may be surprised to find that Los Angeles County was the first place in the country where premium wine varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon were made.  In the latter part of the 19th century the wines of Los Angeles County were exported to the East Coast and Europe, and L.A. County was the nation's leading wine producer for about 50 years.

Perry's compelling story is full of colorful characters.  Hugo Reid received the grant to the land called Rancho Santa Anita and tended to the existing vines from the mission days.  He added even more vines and was one of California's wine pioneers.  After Reid's death, the land was taken over by Benjamin D. Wilson, and later Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin made wine on the property.  The Arboretum - and the Baldwin Winery building on the grounds of Santa Anita racetrack - are all that remain of the Rancho Santa Anita land grant.

Anyone with an interest in the history of winemaking in California should find this to be an illuminating afternoon.  For more information or to purchase tickets call 626.821.4623 or email jill.berry@arboretum.org.

OJAI SYRAH THOMPSON VINEYARD SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 2005

Greenblatt's Deli on Sunset Boulevard is not only a very fine deli, it also happens to be a fine wine shop.  Now that's a combination I can live with.  I had some time to kill and took the opportunity to have a great glass of wine while browsing the racks there.  I actually skipped the deli altogether and ordered a glass of the 2005 Ojai Vineyards Thompson Vineyard Syrah.

While browsing, I noticed Greenblatt's had this wine by the bottle, marked down from $45 to $30.  That's quite a bargain, and the $12 by-the-glass price isn't bad either.

The wine is colored very darkly, with purple tinting at the edges.  The nose is great, with blackberries and an earthy, beefy aroma coming forth.  It's very dark on the palate, too, with blackberries and plums giving way to black pepper and mocha on the finish.

If you get the chance, Greenblatt's is a great browse.  They cover a nice stretch, from $7 Borsao (which is great, by the way) to Screaming Eagle, with a lot of nice wines in the $20 range.

HONIG SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009

Alone in the restaurant, all alone.  It was just the two of us at lunch.  A busy week was winding down and we had the place all to ourselves for a nice, quiet lunch before heading into the final round of battle.  We picked a booth all the way across the restaurant from the front door, and slid into the corner seats.  All alone.

Well, enjoy it while you can.  In Los Angeles the ruination of a quiet moment is never too far away.  And this one was ruined by the loudest, most talkative person in town - a town, mind you, where they produce loud, talkative people for export to other states - who crossed the empty restaurant and sat down with her lunch companion right next to us.  An entire restaurant full of empty tables to choose from, and she sat right next to us.

Before five minutes had passed, we knew her job description, the make of her car, a few assorted pet peeves and her gynecologist's name.

It worked out for the best, though.  We asked the waitress to move us to another table, and we picked one right next to the window.  The view of the traffic on the street outside was so much nicer than listening to her bore that poor guy she was with.  He never got a word in, edgewise or otherwise.

We had each other's company, a nice day, a new table off to ourselves - again - and a wonderful lunch.  Oh, lookie - a wine list.  I believe I will.

Honig Vineyard and Winery hails from Napa Valley, subscribes to sustainable farming practices and goes the extra mile, playing just about every eco-friendly card in the deck.  Michael Honig is quite serious about making sure his winery plays well with the earth.  He even gives it a "green report card" which shows his estimate of how green they are.  Winemaker Kristin Belair has been with the winery since 1998.

The Honig Sauvignon Blanc is a pale yellow-green color and shows tropical notes on the nose along with a nice mineral component.  It tastes somewhat like pineapple, somewhat like lemons and limes.  There is a very slight touch of green pepper on the finish.  It's creamy in the mouth, but has a nice acidity.  It's not an extremely crisp wine - it got a bit lost when it went up against a spicy Pan-Asian curry dish at Buddha's Belly.  It went quite well with the chicken salad and the egg rolls, though.