2010 Sommelier of the Year, Southern California Restaurant Writers Association

Just recently, I went down to the OC for the Southern California Restaurant Writers Awards Banquet, because I was nominated for 2010 Sommelier of the Year. I'm pleased to announce, I won!
It was a really wonderful dinner, in the main room of the Long Beach Aquarium, where we sat under a huge 80 ft replica of a Blue Whale, and ate and drank our way through the evening. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Marilyn and Bob Gourley, the President of the Association, and John and Tom Papadakis who have run their restaurant longer than I've been alive. Also nearby were Aricia Alvarado, the 2010 winner Mixologist of the year, and her Husband Hugo Molina, the 2009 Chef of the Year, for Seta.
It was really both an honor and a humbling experience to receive this award, and more than anything, really lights a fire under my ass to keep getting out there and accomplish some of what these other members of the audience have...
Click Here for the link

Fun new wines from the OC portion of the NVV tasting

LA traffic's a bitch. 2 Hours to get down to the trade tasting, so I missed it. But luckily, Maureen Taylor was there to hand me off a half bottle of her delicious 06 Diamond Terrace, and I just happened to walk by a lonely bottle of 06 Neal, half gone, sadly waiting for someone who cared to stick a cork in it and take along for the rest of the day's journey- starting with meeting Sean Larkin and his winemaker Bruce Devlin, for drinks at Charlie Palmer's, which had, get this, electronic tablets, like iPads, for a wine list, AND, a retail shop, INSIDE, the restaurant, where you could buy your wine, and then pop it right there in the restaurant FOR NO CORKAGE FEE... As a consumer I love it, but as a somm, I don't get it, Really? I mean, hooray for cheaper wine, but does this work for the resto? I guess it must. Ah, how the world changes right in front of my eyes....
So then off to the evening's event at The District, an outdoor tasting of 30 or 40 Napa wineries. Lots of winners, and for some reason, I keep noticing the Sauv Blancs. What's up with that? How can I go to a big Napa Cab tasting, and walk away remembering the Sauv Blancs? Well, it's my notes, and I can remember whatever I'd like, so this time it was Three Clicks Sauv Blanc and Entre Nous. So there. Oh wait, lest I forget, the Signorello Estate Seta, Semillon and Sauv Blanc. Ha. Take that, Napa Cabs!

The Haul

It's been a big week of tastings and it's only Tuesday. Sunday started with a cheese wine and chocolate event at Learnaboutwine.com Monday was the Napa Valley Vintners, then Mosaic Wines, then, Napa Nightlife at "Elevate", the night club for Takami, Then today it was The Gelinas Portfolio. Tomorrow is Napa Valley Vintners in the OC, Thursday is the Henry Wine Group Portfolio... I may not make it to Friday. An interesting plethora of producers to be sure, but maybe too many to mention. Highlights?
From The Napa VV: Neal, Larkin, Trefethen, Shafer, Schramsburg, Peter Franus, Lang and Reed, Gemstone, Staglin, Barlow, Diamond Terrace.
New guys (to me):
A Bordeaux blend from Tournesol.
Coup de Foudre-from Danielle Price, the director of wines for Wynn resorts, John Schwartz, the owner of Amuse Bouche, and Frank Sinatra’s three children, Tina, Nancy, and Frank, Jr.


So then, the Gelinas tasting... great small book of really top producers, like my favorites (as always) Alta Maria, Native 9, Herman Story (Russell's awesome labels pictured below, which my godfather will especially appreciate) Sans Liege, etc. These three are the guys to watch, as well as newcomer, Field Recordings, with an unfiltered Chennin Blanc that spoke to me...



The middle picture is from Russell's "On The Road" Grenache. I love that wine. It's my third favorite Kerouac novel by the way, Dharma Bums and The Subterraneans being my first and second, respectively. Butanyfuckinghow, I love that picture, and when I heard Russell was coming into town, I brought him a piece of road that I'd found and kept, a piece with a bit of the yellow line still hanging on it. It's really quite beautiful, and one of those lovely things that transports you, particularly if aided by inadvertently ingesting rotten/ing matter of various forms. Here, for your viewing pleasure, are said pieces of road. Russell's:


And Mine:

Wine Pairings by Erika

Riedel tasting with Max

Max Riedel was in town, and came by The Learn About Wine Loft to do a demonstration and speak about the differences of tasting in his glasses. We went through his line up, and also a small wine glass and a plastic cup. The difference was startling. The biggest difference for me, was in the Sauvignon Blanc glass. Something about the lighter floral notes and acidity, really seemed to prefer the beatiful Riedel stemware. Now if I can just recover from the cost...

Family Winemakers

One of the biggest tastings of the year, I've learned to give up on even attempting to make it through the whole line up. I check in with old favorites, and try a couple of new ones when I can...
This year, I employed a new technique, starting at Z and working my way towards A. My thinking here was that I'd be able to rotate in the opposite direction of the crowds, and hopefully taste more wines and meet more people. I guess it sorta worked...
So, this year's stand outs:
Yates Family Vineyard, ( "Chevalier" 100% Cab Franc)
X Winery
Thorne Wine / Rio Vista Vineyard
Sojourn Cellars (Sangiocomo Vyd. Pinot Noir)
Silver Wines
Red Car
Ramey Wine Cellars ( Had a hard time picking a favorite between the three Chards)
Pride Mountain Vineyards (Always an amazing Viognier)
Paul Hobbs Winery
Michaud Vineyard
La Fenetre
Hitching Post Wines
Bink Wines (My favorite Sauv Blanc of the tasting)
Benovia Winery
B Wise Vineyards
Alfaro Family Vineyards (These guys are new to me, and doing a great job with Chard and Pinot)

Howell Mountain Tasting

So, the Annual Howell Mountain Tasting at the Petersen Auto Museum. Always a great one, and this year was no exception. Standouts:
Black Sears, Neal Family (as always), and Pina. New wines (To me): Notre Vin with a really great Cab Rose in 500 ml bottles, and Arkenstone's Sauv. Blanc in a strangely traditional Bordeaux style. I say strangely, because I've never experienced any Napa SB that could pull that off before...

AND got a chance to meet Mark Neal, which was really cool, because I've always admired his wines.

In Vino Unitas and Bordeaux Barrel tasting

First stop, Downtown LA to the City Club to taste through the VinoUnitas portfolio. These guys are a group of smallish, independent wineries that band together to sell their wines directly. A fun line up including amongst others:
Ehlers, Etude, Gemstone, Krupp, Larkmead, Merry Edwards, Quill, and newcomer, Vellum. Some great appearances by these guys, Merry Edwards, killin it with her Pinot Noirs as expected, Gemstone undoubtedly rocking the Cabernet Sauvignon of the tasting, and Vellum getting the newcomer award for coming on the scene with a really nice, complex, and rich, first effort.


Next stop, The Skirball Center off the 405, for a Bordeaux tasting of Mammoth Proportions. Some past vintages AND, Hooray, first looks at 09 for me. Stand outs: 2005 Teyssier. Retail $31. Grab it if you can get it, head and shoulders above the other 75 or so that I tasted. And as for the '09's, I don't want to start making blanket predictions from a small testing group, but from what I've tasted, these 09's are going to be damn good. Two stand outs, Rol Valentin and Boutisse. Big, juicy, hedonistic and luscious offerings, some of the most fruit forward examples I've ever seen. Boy did those show well. Will they age? I wouldn't be able to wait long enough to find out.

Picture o the day

How cool is this little girl? I'd adopt her in a minute, and let her eat all the pizza and candy she wanted.

Rose tasting

Hooray, we're tasting Rose today! No tasting notes yet, but I thought this might be an appropriate picture.


These guys were the winner, Cahteau D'Esclans... Dizope!

Well, you know...

Can't always be keeping my dog, Charlie on a leash. I took him to the zoo and was distracted by my ice cream cone that was dripping all over my hand. I let go of the leash for one minute and he decides to jump in the tiger cage and get it on. I suppose this kinda thing just happens...

Highlights of my MOCA trip...

First off, Dan Flavin. It's kinda funny because Flavin used to be my case in point for some contemporary art that's, how shall I put it, Insincere. I would, in particular, point to one of his single light bank installations and call B.S. The thing is though, I stumbled upon a collection of his work in an old church in Bridgehampton that is now a permanent collection of his pieces and I was blown away. I was actually able to understand what it is he's doing, or at least, get a glimpse of it, in my own way, and boy did it make a difference.

Click here. All that being said, I'm still not a fan of some of his smaller, simpler, installations. To me, they're still just lightbulbs.



I really like the idea behind this one, using one's ceiling as an extralong movie or long exposure painting. Great.


Robert Irwin. This guy is fantastic. His pieces distort the mind and create this blurry/ soft focus unreality. They have to be experienced, but you can catch a glimpse in the photo above. It's really hard to know where one piece ends and the next starts. Somehow this feeling gets into your body, and everything in the world begins to merge. Can you see the light glare on the upper right of the circle? It brings another dimension, no? Now factor in that you can't possibly experience this piece from my picture. Or maybe, you can have an experience, but definitely not seeing it in person...


Sadly, I don't know who did this. But so what. I loved looking at it and figuring it out. Clearly the glass was brought in whole, and then broken on site. There were still miniscule little slivers on the floor. It's site specific nature, (Although now that I say it, is it site specific?) I was going to say, it's site specific nature brings up many questions. But theoretically, it could be done anywhere, however, it can't truly be moved and still carry the original power of the truth from impact. Well anyway, it does a good job of communicating the energy of the impact, and the energy inherent in the glass which is then displayed in it's shatter.
On the bottom, you can see there is one piece sticking out from the "frame" created by the top pane of glass. Did that happen naturally or was it pulled out? If so, why? What is the effect?


Edward Ruscha
Chocolate Room
1970/2004
For its debut at the 35th Venice Biennale in Italy, Chocolate Room originally consisted of 360 shingle-like sheets of paper silk-screened with chocolate and applied to the interior walls of the gallery space. Edward Ruscha was just starting to work with organic materials in his prints, using such unconventional substances as blood, gunpowder, or cherry juice instead of traditional inks. During the summer of 1970, curator Henry Hopkins invited Ruscha and several other artists to make a work for the American Pavilion as part of a survey of American printmaking with an on-site workshop. Many declined the invitation in protest against the Vietnam War; Ruscha intended to do the same, but eventually reconsidered. When Chocolate Room went on view in Venice, protesters etched anti-war slogans into the rich brown surfaces of Chocolate Room, leaving it to stand as a spontaneous anti-war monument, which Ruscha ultimately considered more effective than non-participation in the Biennale. In the summer heat, the heady smell of chocolate was particularly overwhelming and attracted a swarm of Venetian ants, which ate away at the work. MOCA acquired Chocolate Room in 2003 and silk-screens new chocolate panels each time it is installed.

So, more questions... How does one acquire something that doesn't exist? If every time it is displayed, it is re-silk-screened, then is it the same piece? What's to stop someone else from doing the same thing. Can they call it an Ed Ruscha piece? Does every museum in the world own this piece the moment they silk-screen and hang the pieces?

The very first Ipod ad...

Qui sait deguster, ne boit plus jamais de vin, mais goute des secrets.

Another awesome Learn About Wine event... Burgundy vs. California

CHARDONNAY:
Paul Pernot, Bienvenues Batard- Montrachet, Grand Cru, 2000
Many people thought this was corked, I wasn't sure. I should've spoken up earlier, but Pride, being much stinkier, out weighed my thoughts on the matter and I decided to keep quiet rather than look silly. It was definitely stinky, and funky, but maybe not corked...

Louis Jadot, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, 2002
Gorgeous wine, beautiful balance, Mineral. Graceful. Beautiful.

Domaine Leflaive, "Les Pucelles", Puligny-Montrachet, 2004
My favorite. Beautiful sesame and petroleum, maybe a bit heavy handed, but fine by me, I just wanted to sit with it.

Leroy, "Les Blanches", Chablis,Grand Cru, 2000
A treat, my first Leroy Chablis. At first I felt it was lacking the acidity and minerality I look for, but then bang, it grabs you in the finish. Well Done. The group's choice for favorite.

VS

Aubert, Ritchie Vineyard, Russian River, 2002
Sweet fruit and power, but I felt the acidity and body were not quite enmeshed. Undoubtedly beautiful chard though. People's favorite of the Cali Chards

Bonaccorsi, Santa Rita Hills, 2002
After the white burgs, these cali chards all seemed to suffer from lack of acidity, but the beautiful fruit characteristics saved the day.

Brewer-Clifton, Rancho Santa Rosa, Chardonnay, 2003
Once again, would've liked a little more acidity, but the apricot and stewed fruit jumping through on this BC Chard were wild, almost as if the notes of a Sauternes fermented dry.

Stony Hill, Napa Valley, 1995
My pick of the Cali chards, a great segue from the Burgs. Crisp lively acidity, with some muscle to back it up. Full finish. A champ. And so interesting to see a 15 year old Cali Chard hold it's own.

PINOT NOIR:

Denis Mortet - "Les Champeaux" Gevrey Chambertin, 1er Cru, 1997
Pow. My #1 of the Red Burgs. REALLY funky when we first popped it, but turned into something special with some cola notes and abundant mature fruit. Beautifully balanced, with a silky texture.

Leroy, Rouge, Burgundy, 1999
Youthful. Nothing stunning, but for $30, a great deal. I'd still go with that 02 Gevrey from Drouhin I had the other night though.

Dominique Laurent, Beaune, "Le Clos DesMouches" , 1er Cru, 2005
An interesting look into an '05 Burg. My friend and tablemate, Renee, felt it was going to sleep and I'd tend to agree with her. It'll be interesting to see where it emerges.

Comte de Vogue, Bonnes-Mares, Grand Cru, 1990 (valued at $400)
Wow. Is this thing Pinot? Huge. And at 20 years of age, it doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. It's almost too big to be judged as a Pinot Noir. But sure was tasty. People's favorite, although it was close to a three way tie.

VS

Kosta Brown, Russian River, Pinot Noir 2006
The jump to Cali from Burgundy was even more marked on the reds than the whites, and with such a stellar line up, I was kind of let down. I in no way mean to put down Kosta Browne Pinots, because they're awesome and the critics and the public go wild for them. For me personally, I find them a little too powerful to masquerade as pinot. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't kick one out of bed, I just don't go crazy like everybody else

Sea Smoke Cellars, Botella, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills 2003
The group's favorite of the flight. I thought it was really tasty, but..

Radio-Coteau, Alberigi Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Russian River, 2005
This was my wine, absolutely beautiful, really head and shoulders above it's peers, nobody seemed to agree with me though. Oh well.

Kistler, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, 2002
Some people's favorite, but I found it flat. These Cali pinots after a few years of age remind me of retired musclebuilders, walking the Florida beach in a speedo and a permatan.


My spellbinding photography of a Shiraz Ian shared with us after the event. Yarra Yering. Small producer, really great funky stuff. Not over ripe, some great complexity going on, really a stand out. Parker has this to say:
This artisinal winery produces what must be the most idiosyncratic/eccentric wines of Australia. They can be absolutely spectacular, or they can be distressingly irregular, one never knows which until the cork is pulled. I suspect if the late recluse of Chateauneuf du Pape, Jacques Reynaud, were reincarnated in Australia, he might be making the wines at this backwater address.
Thanks Ian!

Harder Tasting at Campanille, and then some Burgundy

One of my favorite tastings, from one of my favorite books, Diane Harder. As it was last year, a great collection of super top notch producers, as well as some newer, lesser knowns. My tried and true favorite well knowns were there, Peter Michael, Kosta Browne, Sean Thackrey, Araujo, Soter, Hirsch, Luc Morlet. I got there a bit late, and had my friend, Elissa with me, so we leisurely strolled around instead of my usual manic dashing around. It meant I didn't get to taste at as many tables as I normally would have, but I'm beginning to slow it down and spend a little more time smelling the roses as it were. I did get a chance to catch onto a couple of new (to me) producers.
It feels like I'm cheating a bit with my selection of "new" guys, because my two, are already working with some of the biggest names out there, and are stepping out with new side projects. But there's a reason these guys are where they are, and their juice tells that story...
First, Shane.


Shane Finley is associate winemaker at Kosta Browne. Not too shabby. He's worked with Wells, at Copain, here in Cali, Torbreck in Australia, Gaillard in the Rhone, Paul Hobbs and then Kosta Browne. It's like a fucking who's who of the wine world. But I didn't know any of this when I tasted his wines, and I almost skipped his Syrah, because I wanted to keep it light before going big, but I'm glad I didn't. His "unknown", won't be. And neither will he.


Second, and not in quality, but merely, because George Skorka hadn't made his way up to me yet, to weigh in and point me in the right direction. George, a legend in the LA Wine World, is one of my favorite people to grab at a tasting and ask what's good. He's always got a colorful story, a joke, and a damn good selection to follow it up. Cheers to the George Skorka's of this world!
Dutifully following George's Advice, I headed over to Matt Taylor's table where I met his brother Sean, a super cool guy, as passionate about these wines as one could hope, pouring the Taylor Cellars 06 and 07. Sean, who clearly loves his gig, had a great time with us, regaling us with stories about the label graphics and the Michaud vineyard, of which I'm already a fan. Michael Michaud does some stunners, and I had the pleasure of checking through a vertical not too long ago.
Yet I digress, Matt, "Winegrower" at Araujo, has, as his side project, this beautiful Taylor Cellars. Sean tasted us through the 06 and the 07, although he was all business about not letting us taste the 06 until it had time to open. He let us taste the 07, which was a stunner, but wouldn't let us have the 06. He even suggested we come back later. I Love This Guy! He did let us try the 06 eventually, probably cause we spent so much time bullshitting with him, and even, at the end of the tasting, gave me a half full bottle of the 06, but one of the waiters grabbed it for the winemaker's dinner while my back was turned. Dammit! I'm going to do the unfashionable thing here and say I preferred the 07 to the 06, BUT, if I were able to have sat here with the 06, I might have changed my mind. Either way, wildly different wines, but as expected due to the vintages. Keep these guys on your radar.
Had the pleasure of meeting Diane Harder for the first time too, she's really doing a first rate job of keeping the best and finding the new ones. Cheers Diane!


To wrap it all up, some Burgundy when I got home. Came across an 02 Gevrey Chambertin from Drouhin at a great small shop in Larchmont, Larchmont Village Wine Spirits & Cheese for $30! Yeah, yeah, Drouhin's a big negociant, wah wah wah. Kiss my ass kids, it's a treat, and an expensive birthday treat for me being all unemployed and whatnot, so, I'm lovin' it. A little tight to start, but earthy, lovely juice. Never made it over that hump into "etherial", that special category I reserve for pinot that sneaks into my soul and does the hokey pokey while I'm not looking, but it comes right up to that "all the right things in all the right places" line, and is one of the better, affordable Burgs I've had in awhile. I give it a "right on!", if not a "Hell Yeah!".