Wine

Chianti is the Bordeaux of Italy. Really?As a major fan of Bordeaux and lukewarm to anything Italian, it takes some significant rationalization to make this statement palatable for me. Those who proclaim so mean that Chianti has more freedom in their blends of varietals than elsewhere in Italy, somewhat like Bordeaux.Located in Tuscany and featuring mainly the Sangiovese grape, Chianti has a long history dating back to centuries. The traditional Chianti bland was created by Ricasoli (above photo) in the 19th century and was a blend of mostly Sangiovese with some Malvasia and Canaiolo mixed in. During the mid 20th[...]

Bacigalupi has become to the Russian River what To Kalon is to Napa.I have gradually reached this realization after several years of regular visits to the Russian River Valley. There are many for whom these names mean nothing. It will therefore take some explaining to impress upon my readers how remarkable this is.Vineyards all over the world have individual names. Many are code-names with letters and numbers, some are actual words. They are recognized only among those who work them or vinify their products. Some are special, enough receive mention on wine labels. Very few become world famous. To Kalon[...]

At first I thought it was a fluke, possibly some post-New-Year's overstock sale at K&L, my main San Francisco wine shop. I happened to be there a couple of days after New Year's and noticed Billecart Brut, my favorite champagne on the shelf for around $ 45. I took two to the sales clerk. It usually sells for around $ 55. He told me that with my member discount it was actually $ 39.99. I returned home a bit astonished. Within a few days, after coming to grips with what had happened, I went on-line and ordered six more.When I[...]

During a rather academic tasting of 2009 Bordeaux I was suddenly struck with a sensual pleasure, a sublime wine moment of the kind that is so rare as to be memorable for the rest of my life. It was one of those highly technical, partially blinded tastings where we all quietly sample a couple of ounces poured into half-a-dozen glasses and take notes, discussing each afterwards and unveiling them one at a time.We were at George Heron's house, a group of eight sampling six pre-decanted bottles from our own collections. I have a certain routine for this affair.  First I[...]

           Can wine speak? And if so, can it speak in accents?If you get to know certain wines well, you'll find that they indeed do speak a language, and with certain accents.A case in point: take the above 2011 Healdsburg Rancher from the Russian River we recently sampled in a blind tasting. It had a clean, fruity domestic pinot nose, a delicate structure as all pinot noir should have, but robust and fruit forward, enough to announce itself as being from the New World. It has a slightly sweet mid palate profile and a food friendly, acidic finish with no[...]

When I accepted our friend Kelley's invitation to dinner at far away Mill Valley, Marin County, north of San Francisco, including a nearby hotel to stay overnight, I did so because the accompanying wine event peaked my curiosity. I did not count on having dinner with a rock star and his entourage.It was to be a BYOB (bring your own bottle) Collectors Night at El Passeo, a restaurant owned  by Tyler Florence, whose Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco  I was familiar with. The theme was pre-2005 Chateauneuf du Pape, one of my favorite wines. BYOB may be routine in certain[...]