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!".
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