California Dreamin…

As the checkered flag dropped on yesterday’s Auto Club 500, a 500-mile race in Fontana, California, I couldn’t help but think to myslef that I wish I had made a weekend of it. I could’ve left Fonatana in the early evening following what was a pretty exciting race, caught some zzz’s and been off early this morning to head down Route 15 to Temecula. Temecula is a great starting point for one’s exploration of California’s relatively unknown South Coast wineries, and one couldn’t do better than beginning the morning at Temecula Hills Winery.

Admittedly, Temecula Hills winery is quite a bit larger than the micro-wineries we normally represent, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t that homey feeling. The reason most wineries in the surrounding areas are on the larger side is part geography, part history. First of all, it is generally less mountanous here, and as a result there are less obtrusive geographical boundaries that naturally separate tracts of land. Secondly, this area is relatively new to commercial planting, and so a small number of (in my opinion very wise) investors were able to walk in and find the space to plant vineyards without restriction. This is not unlike what happened in the “lesser” AVA’s located in the Central Coast in the 1960’s.

Here’s the difference. There are several ways to make the “rich, buttery” Chardonnays for which California wineries were long noted. The two most common are through full malo-lactic fermentation and the other is through the use of oak. If a winery employs both techniques without care, the result is an opulent, blowsy white that is more of a meal than a refreshment, and not entirely what I want.

This needs explanation. When Chardonnay grapes ferment – that is, turn their natural sugars into alcohol – that is called primary fermentation. The wine that results has a lot of green apple flavor and acidity, something known as malic acid. There another conversion that takes place, malo-lactic or secondary fermentation, that changes this more biting acidity into a creamier textured acidity, lactic acidity. (Think malic – milk, it is the same acid.) So there is a smoother mouthfeel. Winemakers allow malolactic fermentation to occur in varying degrees, some may choose no malolactic, full malolactic or somewhere in between. If the grapes are ultraripe, ultrasweet and high in alcohol (alcohol adds apparent sweetness to alcoholic beverages such as wine) then the wine becomes too “soft” in the mouth, very full, too creamy and overall not that friendly with most foods.

The same thing can happen with oak. Oak adds a certain vanilla, coconut flavor to the wine (in varying degrees depending on a lot of factors, a topic I hope to explore in the future). With the vanilla, coconut flavoring from oak and full malo-lactic fermentation and a lot of heat (and hence ripeness and alcohol), the wine becomes unbearably clumsy, weighty and sweet.

Luckily, one of our favorite stops in Temecula, where it is quite warm, is Temecula Hills Winery. Realizing that balance is always required in a wine (balance, as my regular readers already know, is what I most prize in a wine), Temecula Hills makes their Chardonnay sans oak, offering instead, pure, natural Chardonnay flavors and the essence of sunny Southern California. They opt for an unoaked Chardonnay, skipping the sweet oaky flavors that might throw the wine out of balance. The wine that results is fresh, flavorful juice that has a nice backbone.

Those of us on the east coast about now could probably use a bit of sunny, Southern California in a bottle. If you do, like I do, I recommend 2004 Temecula Hills Winery Unoaked Chardonnay without hesitation. Sunshine in a bottle – without the sunburn: Enjoy!

The Results Are In: Double Gold Best in Show

I discussed one of our latest additions, Escafeld Winery, earlier in this blog, and, having already covered their peppery, chocolatey Zinfandel, as promised I wanted to follow up on my outstanding recent tasting of Escafeld’s 2004 Petit Verdot.

Many of you may be unfamiliar with the grape Petit Verdot, but even those of you who do not know it, may have had it, at least in small doses. Petit Verdot is typically an element in Red Bordeaux, adding tannins and color to the better known Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. Being part of the “classic Bordeaux Blend”, California vintners eventually planted the grape as well.

If you drink only California Cabernet Sauvignon’s and similar wines, you may still think that you have never had Petit Verdot: think again. Petit Verdot plays a supporting role in many of the most popular Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines made in California today. Names such as Rudd, Murphy-Goode, Seavey and even last year’s Wine Spectator Wine of the Year, Jospeh Phelps Insignia, all contain Petit Verdot.

What’s great about Escafeld is that rather than being and endnote to the story, their Petit Verdot is the body of the work. Don’t be led down the path to fool’s gold in thinking that if Petit Verdot is never seen alone in Bordeaux that it won’t make anything special; Monterey County is a long way from Bordeaux. Given that it is often quite easy to tell the difference between Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa as opposed to Sonoma, wouldn’t it make sense that Petit Verdot would take on different charcteristics than it does 6,000 miles away in France’s famous Medoc?

I think that this wine is quite simply outstanding. The wine has a firm texture, full fruit, a sleek mouthfeel and great length. You could drink it with anything from Burgers to Spicy Pasta (like the Italian Sausage Marinara concotion simmering on my stove right now). Either way, I’ll skip the sales pitch and let the judges decide. The results of the recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition:

All Other Bordeaux Varietals – 2007 Award Winners

SCHOTT ZWIESEL Double Gold Best of Class
Escafeld 2004 Petit Verdot San Antonio Valley, Monterey County, CA

SCHOTT ZWIESEL Gold
Cinnabar Vineyards 2003 Malbec

SCHOTT ZWIESEL Silver
Berryessa Gap Vineyards 2004 Malbec Berryessa Gap Vineyards
deLorimier 2003 Malbec Alexander Valley Estate
Mosaic 2004 Malbec Alexander Valley
Opolo Vineyards 2004 Petit Verdot Paso Robles
Rancho Sisquoc 2004 Malbec Flood Family Vineyards
Reininger Winery 2003 Carmenére Walla Walla Valley 7 Hills
Snake River Winery 2004 Malbec Wood River Vineyard
Stonegate Winery 2003 Petit Verdot Napa Valley, Wappo Vineyard
Stryker Sonoma Winery 2004 Petit Verdot Knights Valley Speedy Creek Vineyard

SCHOTT ZWIESEL Bronze
Forest Glen Winery 2003 Malbec
Lapis Luna 2004 Petit Verdot San Luis Obispo
McKenzie-Mueller Vineyards & Winery 2003 Malbec

As an addendum, the 2004 Escafeld Petit Verdot is the first ever winery to bear the AVA name of San Antonio Valley .. things look pretty promising so far!

Trust me…

A recent post by our CEO, William Bellomo gives further details on Silver Mountain owner Jerold O’Brien.

Selling wine is a tough job in some ways. My clients who have known me for five or ten years get used to trusting me and know that I will do my best to bring them the best wine for them. Those long-time customers, who I prefer to think of as friends, understand my sometimes simple and straightforward words. For those friends of mine, I tell them “listen buy Silver Mountain wine”.

The pinots are great. The chard is great. These are wines that are priced well below what they are worth and deliver. Given the facts that William has presented in his blog, it is clear that Mr. O’Brien is an interesting an accomplished gentleman. But more than that, we have a great time in Santa Cruz when we visit him. He is extremely pleasant anmd very welcoming. When I can sell great wines, at great prices, made by great people, my job suddenly becomes easier.

I would love to have you visit Silver Mountain’s product page. Our inboxes and phones are always waiting for you. If you have any questions, give us a call. These are great wines, at great prices, made by great people. Trust me.

The Great American Grape

As a follow up to my previous post that included my resipe for Al’s Super-Easy Chili, I wanted to discuss what wines to drink with it. Instinctively, maybe refelxively, if I am asked what wine to drink with Spicy Tex-Mex dishes or just anything on a grill save grilled fish, my answer is usually Zinfandel. After all, we are talking about “the Great American Race” and from a gastronomical standpoint, grilling is as American as Apple Pie and chili probably figures in there somewhere as well.

So why Zinfandel? From wikipedia,

Although similar to other varieties of the Vitis vinifera imported from Europe, Zinfandel was long considered “America’s vine and wine.” Zinfandel was brought to the United States (Long Island) from a varietal collection of the Imperial State Nursery of Vienna in the 1820s. In the cooler climates it was grown in greenhouses. In California the first Zinfandel vineyards were planted in the 1830s. Its popularity grew swiftly, and by the end of the 19th century it became the most widespread variety in the US.

Vintners have grown Zinfandel in quantity for over one hundred years. Many of the oldest wineries in California grow Zinfandel and the vines are now treated almost like historic landmarks. At the start of prohibition Zinfandel was California’s most popular and successful variety. During prohibition, limited home winemaking and the production of sacramental wine was allowed, and Zinfandel remained popular with Northern California’s home wine makers. However, on the East Coast Zinfandel fell in popularity and was replaced by thicker-skinned varieties. Zinfandel’s tight bunches left its thin skins susceptible to rot on the slow train rides to Eastern home wine makers. The creation of White Zinfandel in the 1970s further saved the vines by providing a larger market for the grape. In the 1990s the market for premium wine increased sufficiently that old vine Zinfandel became valuable on its own.

(Further reading of the article will show that we have in more recent times come to the conclusion that Zinfandel is probably actually from Italy, a realtive of the Primitivo grape; even so, Zinfandel secured it’s place as “the Great American Grape” long ago.)

So if Zinfandel is “the Great American Grape” and foods such as Burgers and Chili are our cook’s badges of honor, wouldn’t be lucky if the wine and the food paired well together, so that we, like the French, Italians, etc. would have wines that go with our regional cusine? The fortunate answer is that they do.

Take, Escafeld Winery’s 2003 Monterey County Zinfandel, one of our latest discoveries. Even Al’s Super-Easy Chili is an incredibly complex blend of flavors – cumin, chili peppers, green peppers, black peppers, tomatoes, kidney beans, onions, beef, pork, vinegar, garlic, sharp cheddar cheese – that’s a lot of different flavors in one little bowl. A wine with subtle flavors just simply doesn’t work. I regualrly make the argument that Red Burgundy (Pinot Noir from France) is the world’s most versatile red wine, but the Musignys and Gevreys of the world need not apply here: although they have remarkable complexity, Pinots, especially those from Burgundy, are more about finesse than pronounced flavors (not too mention haunting aromatics that would get lost in the robust scents of chili). Escafeld’s Zin on the other hand, hits the spot. The interplay of spice and sweet fruits (raisins, ripe berries) not to mention the chocolatey finish mimcs the contrapuntal flavors of, for example, spanish onions and chilis.

We have already implied the nextrequirement for a Chili-wine: it must be robust, an appropriate descriptor for the Escafeld Zin. What I like a lot about the Escafeld Zin is that, while it is a full-bodied ande robust wine, it is still a wine of balance, the most important element in any wine for me. Robust yes, but all the elements are in equilibrium; not unlike the addition of vinegar in the chili, as I described it in my previous post. Too much, and you get a really strong acetic taste and smell, and you might as well start agin. But there is a certain point in any dish where the right amount of salt or acid (acetic, i.e. vinegar, or citric, i.e. lemon, lime, orange, etc.) or any wine where the right amount of alcohol, sugar, ripeness, tannin and acidity are all in perfect balance. So once you have the chili down pat, it will require much less effort to pull the cork on Escafeld’s 2003 Monterey Zin. A “Great American Wine” with a “Great American Dish” during the “Great American Race”: robust, balanced and simply delicious.

For more on Escafeld winery, visit their product page on www.avawine.com or visit the entertaining Vineyard Diary of our friend Elsbeth Wetherill, co-owner of Escafeld vineyards. Among other things, you can read Elsbeth’s comments on Escafeld Winery’s 2004 Petit Verdot, Double-Gold “Best of Class” Winner in the recent San Francisco Wine Chronicle Competition – the subject of my next blog entry.

The Great American Race

With “the Great American Game” just finished and the “the Great American Race” coming up on Sunday, it seemed like the perfect time to make a large a pot of chili and then to follow it up with a good dose of some of our new arrivals.

Part #1) Let’s start with the chili.

A lot of people ask me for my chili recipe because, well, I make a good bowl of chili. The problem is, I don’t really have a recipe. I also don’t really do the whole measurement thing when I’m cooking, preferring instead to let my sense of smell and taste guide me. But since, it’s a frequent question, here’s a approximated version in a nut shell. Most people don’t know the secret indgredient IMO of a good bowl of chili – vinegar. Believe me – it makes all the difference. The most common mistake people make when cooking is not using enough of the handful of things that enhance the wonderful flavors of your dishes (that is, salt, citric juice such as that of lemons and vinegars iof various types). If you don’t believe me, make gazpacho some time. It’s real easy. Try one bowl with no vinegar to finish it off. Try another with cheap red wine vinegar. Try a final one with good, aged red wine vinegar. I’ll bet that you can tell the difference. It’s the same idea here.

My easy version is as follow:
- One large chopped green onion
- Two large chopped spanish onions
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 T garlic
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. ground pork
- beef suet
- 3 large cans of diced tomatoes
- 3 small cans kidney beans

Put a large saucepan over medium heat. Put a few chunks of beef suet into the pan until it becomes liquid. Add the minced garlic, being careful not to burn. Add green pepper and cook until begins to soften. Add onion until it begins to soften. Add pork, beef and chili poweder and begin to brown. One the meat has browned the whole way through, drain tghe excess moisture and fat from the chiili. Put in your tomatoes and kidney beans and a salt and pepper to taste (this is more than you think – maybe a 1/4 cup each). Cook for as long as you can on a slow simmer, three hours or even over night if you can. Take a taste about 1/2 hour before serving and vinegar to taste. Try about a third of a cup, let it simmer for 10 minutes, and if it’s still not piquant enough ad some more and repeat until you have chili with some flavor.

By the way, this makes a lot of chili, but it even goes further (and tastes better I think) if you cook up a big bowl of white rice and top the rice with the chili and then chopped red onion and sharp chedder cheese. Also, if you are interested in Texas Style Chili (chili with no beans) this recipe is complicated but the results are worth it…

Next time: finishing your pit stop with wine.

Liquid Gold

I’d like to continue with my previous post and tie everything together. The fact of the matter is that my first bottle of Sauternes was a bottle by the massive French firm Barton & Guestier. It was a wine that most aficianados would frown upon. At that moment in my life, it was the most profound sensatory experience in my life.

The only experience that rivals my first Sauternes was my taste of a most celebrated one – 1975 Chateau d’Yquem. Chateau d’Yquem, in any year, is recognized as being quite a bit better than any of its rivals – for reasons not worth getting into here. It is so recognized that it is officially recognized as such by the French INAO, the governmental agency that classifies wines. Sauternes is classified as follows:

Superior First Growth (Premier Cru Supérieur)
Château d’Yquem, Sauternes

First Growths (Premiers Crus)
Château La Tour Blanche, Bommes (Sauternes)
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Bommes (Sauternes)
Clos Haut-Peyraguey, Bommes (Sauternes) (Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey)
Château de Rayne-Vigneau, Bommes (Sauternes)
Château Suduiraut, Preignac (Sauternes)
Château Coutet, Barsac
Château Climens, Barsac
Château Guiraud, Sauternes
Château Rieussec, Fargues (Sauternes)
Château Rabaud-Promis, Bommes (Sauternes)
Château Sigalas-Rabaud, Bommes (Sauternes)

Second Growths (Deuxièmes Crus)
Château Myrat, Barsac (Château de Myrat)
Château Doisy Daene, Barsac
Château Doisy-Dubroca, Barsac
Château Doisy-Vedrines, Barsac
Château D’Arche, Sauternes
Château Filhot, Sauternes
Château Broustet Barsac
Château Nairac, Barsac
Château Caillou, Barsac
Château Suau, Barsac
Château de Malle, Preignac (Sauternes)
Château Romer, Fargues (Sauternes) (Château Romer du Hayot)
Château Lamothe, Sauternes

No one really doubts that Chateau d’Yquem is a one of a kind, even the legal authorities in France. The best wine I ever had was almost without doubt the 1975 Chateau d’Yquem (a particularly good year in Sauternes); it is scored 100pts out of 100 by Robert Parker the world’s leading wine authority, in other words a perfect wine.

‘75 Yquem goes for about $1200 a bottle give or take nowadays, but is it worth it? My opinion is “yes”, making it the first time in my life that I agree with Robert Parker I believe. Nonetheless, my experience with ‘75 Yquem is equalled by my Barton & Guestier of unknown vintage drunk with a friend at 6AM in a fraternity house in Chicago. 100 pointers can be disappointing if they’re not shared at the right moment, with the right company.

Never believe the hype of 100 point wines (or 95 or 90 pointers for that matter). A bottle of wine is an experience. I guarantee that over the course of my life I have a higher percentage of “90 point nights” with the most simple of wines, and I know for a fact that I have had too many disappointing nights with wines that were critically acclaimed.

In summary, every wine “is worth it” if you enjoy drinking it, the company with whom you share it and that moment in time where you felt more relaxed than you do every day at work or what have you. A good wine, like a book, or an opera, or a movie or a Steelers game is incomparable at that moment in time. If you don’t enjoy it, no matter what the scores say, it’s not worth it…