New York Crostini with Rare Steak, Horseradish, Peppers, and Capers. Mmmmmm…
Only the dopest of the dope Oysters. Mmmmmm to the hella…
When you’ve got great food, great wine, and a great atmosphere, you don’t want the afternoon to end…
And yet…
It must.
So Kara and I decided to have one more round before we walked back home.
For me, there’s only one choice when finishing of a nice evening…
Port!
Graham’s Six Grapes Port
Graham’s Six Grapes Port is referred to on their website as “the everyday Port for the Vintage Port drinker.” Considering I don’t drink Port every day, and have yet to consume a Vintage Port, you can take this review how you like…
Color: Dark inky purple. I mean… c’mon… What did you expect?
Nose: Nutty grape and plum juice.
Taste: The Six Grapes comes in at 20% alcohol. And let me tell you… You can feel that heat. Beyond that, it’s goopy grape juice with a nice nutty backbone.
Score: This is not a very complex Port, but it’s not really meant to be. What is undeniable is that it is tasty. For that, Graham’s, I’ll give you an 86.
You know…
The Six Grapes got me thinking.
Dessert wines are always going to have residual sugar. They are always crafted to be tasty, sweet treats. The delicious factor is always going to give dessert wines an edge, so I’m wondering…
Should there be a different scale for rating dessert wines?
Last month, they come through with a badass component tasting of the 2011 Monte Bello (letting Monte Bello Collectors taste each of the four possible varietals that could end up in the 2011 Monte Bello). Back then, I was stoked to the hella on the assemblage.
This past Saturday, I headed back to the winery up above the city of Cupertino for the First Assemblage Tasting event.
The 2011 Monte Bello is coming along fantastically (and still bringing mad espresso notes!).
But this post ain’t about that… Well… This ain’t entirely about that.
I think the beauty of the Ridge Monte Bello is its ageability.
To prove just that, the fine folks on the mountain decided to open up the vaults and serve up something fun…
Ridge 1977 Monte Bello
Color-wise, this Monte Bello was a rusty orangish brick-red with mad sediment in the glass.
Nose of soft red fruit.
On the palate, the fruit is subtle. This wine is all mouthfeel. Smooth and smooth. There’s a hint of sun-dried tomato, and lots of rubber.
There’s something fun about a wine this old that still gives pleasure to the consumer.
The grapes that went into this wine were picked almost 35 years ago.
When this wine was in the barrel, I was in my mother’s womb.
There’s something fun about knowing that the Monte Bello I’m purchasing now will be here, giving me pleasure 15, 20, 30 years from now.
In this episode, Jeff sees if numero Uno is really a 90-pointer…
Wine Tasted:
Antigal 2008 Uno Malbec
After the Fact:
Just to be clear… I know I said Wine Spectator a couple of times. My bad. The wine was rated a 90 in Wine Enthusiast. You know you’ve made that mistake before too.
Sunday marked the third anniversary of 4488: A Ridge Blog by Christopher Watkins.
Sunday was the birthday of the late, most epic, jazz bassist, Paul Chambers.
Sunday was also F-ing beautiful…
See what I mean?
So it only stands to reason that on Sunday I headed up to Ridge Vineyards to participate in another blogger tasting…
I had no clue how much more awesome the day was gonna get…
When Christopher let us bloggers into the cool side of the barn at Monte Bello, at first, things looked normal…
Water, Glasses, Pen and Notebook all arranged nice and neat.
Breads and Cheeses were on display and ready to be noshed.
But then, things got weird…
Christopher started us off with a splash of the Ridge 2010 Chardonnay to wet our whistles. It was a classic golden-yellow color. There was a vibrant nose of green apple, vanilla, and mineral water. On the palate, the Chardonnay was quite viscous and brought flavors of vanilla bean and lemon meringue pie.
Oh no… There was nothing weird about the Chardonnay. It was great.
But what was up with that camera across the room?
Say "Cheese!"
And when Christopher brought out the wines, he kept them inside brown paper bags…
I haven't gone straight from the bag since I was in college.
Things began to make sense once Christopher began to introduce the tasting.
In honor of the blog’s anniversary, and Paul Chambers’ birthday, we were going to listen to some classic jazz music (all featuring Paul Chambers on bass) while we were going to drink some classic Ridge wines (made by another guy named Paul… Paul Draper). Our goal was to match the four wines we were about to taste with one of the four songs we were going to hear. The wines would be tasted blind, so as not to influence our choices.
So what’s up with the camera?
In August, Christopher will be participating on a panel at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon to discuss the relationship between wineries and bloggers. The camera would be used for source material for his presentation.
So…
After each of us got a chance to make wine and music pairing choices, we would reveal our answers on camera.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I can Drink that Tune in four glasses.
Let’s do this!
Wine #1
Color: Dark reddish purple.
Nose: Blueberry and tires (mmmmmmmmm), with this deeper concentrated blackberry note that keeps opening up over time.
Taste: There is a great concentration of tire rubber and blueberry fruit. The finish is nice and long, and peppery, with some dope-ass tannins.
My Guess: This, to me, was a classic Monte Bello. Great, dark fruit flavors, and balanced to the hecka. Let’s call it a 2008.
My Jazz Pairing: Give me “Paul’s Pal” by Sonny Rollins. To me, it’s the type of song I would use to turn somebody onto jazz. Just classic… Like this wine.
Do it, Sonny!
Next up…
Wine #2
Color: Similarly dark red, like the first wine… but darker. You feel me?
Nose: One sniff, and I had to jot down the words “Funkified Earth” in my notebook. There’s a lot of layers to this one. A lot. And yet, they come together perfectly. There’s this great mixed berry fruit, along with this oily goodness.
Taste: Mad strawberry and blackberry fruits. There’s a great mix of green bell peppers and crushed black pepper on the finish. As wacky as these flavors may sound, the wine itself is quite reserved.
My Guess: This wine is so damn good… and so damn unique. I was guessing a recent vintage of Geyserville (Zinfandel), because I always find them to be so damn good… and so damn unique.
My Jazz Pairing: “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk is loaded full of bouncy, funky notes. Like the wine, it’s so damn good.
Take it away, Thelonious!
Let’s keep it rollin’…
Wine #3
Color: More darker red than the first two.
Nose: Good fruit and leather. Remember when you were a kid, rockin’ fruit roll-ups for lunch? This wine smells like that strawberry fruit roll-up.
Taste: Juicy and concentrated with fruit… Spicy blackberry and red currant.
My Guess: At first, I was thinking that this was a ripe Zinfandel, but the more I thought about the aromatics of the nose and the spicy fruit, the more I gravitated toward Syrah. Let’s call it a recent Lytton Estate Syrah.
My Jazz Pairing: “So What” by Miles Davis is a laid back, cool tune. This song takes me back to elementary school. Not a care in the world, but the fruit roll-up in my hand.
It’s all you, Miles…
And finally…
Wine #4
Color: Similar color to wine #3.
Nose: Super, ultra concentrated fruit of raspberry and currant. Good leather notes.
Taste: The first sip gives a flavor blast of blueberries and raspberries. The fruit fades into a leathery finish.
My Guess: This was a fun wine. Not my cup of tea, but fun. The concentrated fruit reminded me of some of the Old School Zinfandels I’ve had in the past… So that’s what I’m going with.
My Jazz Pairing: A fun wine needs an up-beat tune like “Mr. P.C.” by John Coltrane. Super up. Super fun.
Let’s take a ride on the Col-Train (Get it?)!
Dang, that was fun…
Hella Fun!
After each of us declared our jazz and wine pairings, Christopher brought us some more wines to taste while he tabulated the results. I was very stoked to get another chance to taste from the Historic Vineyard Series again…
History repeats itself... Or does it?
Ridge 2009 Perrone Cabernet Franc: Red fruit and jerky on the nose. Juicy red fruit and vanilla on the palate.
Ridge 2009 Klein Cabernet Sauvignon: Chalky blueberry and blackberry on the nose. There’s a great grip to this wine accompanied by black and red fruits. There’s a nice tea leaf flavor on the finish.
Ridge 2009 Torre Ranch Merlot: Chalky, smokey red fruit on the nose. Red plum, olive, tea leaf on the palate. Juicy and complex.
A few months back, I ranked the Perrone first, followed by the Klein and the Torre Ranch.
This time, my ranking has flip-flopped. That Torre Ranch Merlot is fantastic!
Okay…
So, after we got into the Historic Vineyard wines, Christopher was ready to reveal the wines that we had tasted earlier.
Are you guys ready?
Here we go!
Wine #1:
I guessed a 2008 Monte Bello…
The Answer:
Ridge 2001 Monte Bello... Scored a 99 by one Robert Parker.
I was glad to know that aside from the vintage, I got this one right. As you recall, this wine screamed classic to me.
Wine #2:
I guessed a recent vintage of Geyserville (Zinfandel)…
The Answer:
Ridge 2000 Monte Bello... Overall winner at the 30 Year Anniversary Judgement of Paris Tasting.
Wow! I choose recent Zinfandel-based field blend, and it’s a 12-year-old Cabernet! I couldn’t believe how different the two Monte Bellos tasted. At least I was right about one thing…
This wine was damn good!
Wine #3:
I guessed a Lytton Estate Syrah…
The Answer:
Ridge 1999 Lytton Springs (Zinfandel)... Winemaker Eric Baugher's favorite vintage of Lytton Springs.
Hey… I got the right vineyard! To bad it was the wrong grape.
Wine #4:
I guessed the Old School Zinfandel…
The Answer:
Ridge 1997 Geyserville (Zinfandel)...
Those in the know should be proud of my pick. The Old School block is part of the Geyserville Vineyard. The problem here was that I was too specific.
All in all, I’d say I did a pretty rad job.
What a Sunday!
What a view!
What a view!
What a view!
There’s only one thing to do to celebrate a day like this…
My dad grew up San Bruno, California. It’s a little city just south of South San Francisco. So, pretty much, my dad grew up in San Francisco.
He’s told me plenty of stories about growing up in The City.
When the Giants moved out to San Francisco from New York, my dad and his friends would ride their bikes to Candlestick Park to see Willie Mays play. This bike ride, I am told, involved riding across the freeway… That’s crazy!
When the Giants were out of town, he and his buddies would play at the airport. The friggin’ airport! That’s crazy!
When the Fourth of July was coming up, they would head over to the back alleys of China Town to buy firecrackers. That’s crazy!
In a word, my dad is CRAZY!
As a kid, I was so jealous of all the crazy stuff my dad was able to do with his friends just due to his proximity to The City.
I grew up in Ben Lomond, California. No baseball team. No airport. No China Town.
When I was in junior high, I mentioned to my friends about how my dad used to get firecrackers in China Town. A few of them suggested that we get my dad to take us up to find some. When I asked my dad, I was a little shocked when he said yes.
“Sure I’ll take you guys. And while we’re up there, I’ll take you to the coolest restaurant you’ve ever seen.”
So one Saturday morning, I jumped into my dad’s car with my ol’ buddy Dave Thevegetarian and my neighbor K.T. to get us some firecrackers. We got to China Town around noon.
We spent about an hour roaming from shop to shop and alley to alley, with my dad asking around about firecrackers. My dad, who at the time looked like Ned Flanders from the Simpsons, figured out that if there were firecrackers to be sold nobody was going to sell them to him. So… we gave up our search.
Next on the agenda was lunch.
“This place,” my dad told us, “is my spot. I’ve been going here since I was in high school. Nobody knows about it.”
We came up on a skinny little storefront that read, “Sam Wo”. When I peeked through the front door, all I saw was a dirty old kitchen.
“Where’s the restaurant?” I asked my dad.
“Follow me, boys!” My dad just walked right into the kitchen toward a set of stairs in the back. Feeling a bit weird about it, we stepped into the kitchen along with him and began to walk up the stairs.
Once we reached the second floor, we walked into a narrow dining room and were seated right next to the window overlooking the neighborhood. As far as the decor or the dining room, there really wasn’t much to speak of. It was your typical run-down Chinese restaurant. Then my dad pointed out the dumbwaiter…
“Since the kitchen is on the first floor,” he told us, “the chef will put our food on that elevator in the wall, and it will come up to us.”
What!?!?
First we walk through the kitchen, now there’s an elevator for my food?
“This place is the bomb!” I exclaimed.
Dave and K.T. high-fived each other and said, “Word!”
I don’t remember what the food tasted like that day…
I don’t even remember what I ordered.
What I do remember is that I went to this totally bad ass Chinese restaurant called Sam Wo, and nobody knows about it.
Let’s fast forward…
When I was finishing up college at San Jose State University, my good buddy from high school, JR Fromgirls, moved up to San Francisco from Santa Cruz. When he first moved to The City, my buddy Sue and I would often go up to hang out with him.
Each time we came to visit, JR would take us to a hip new place to eat that nobody had ever heard about.
So one night, after drinking a few soda pops at JR’s apartment, we hopped into a cab to go get some food. “I’m gonna take you to the coolest Chinese restaurant in The City,” he told us, “… and nobody knows about it.”
After we stumbled out of the cab, I looked up at the sign on the restaurant.
“Sam Wo?” I read aloud, “I’ve totally been here!”
“No you haven’t,” JR responded, “Nobody knows about this place. You have to walk in through the kitchen.”
Let’s fast forward one last time, shall we?
Last Friday morning, while I was getting ready to go to work, I spotted that familiar Sam Wo sign on the morning news. I turned up the volume in time to catch the anchorman reporting that Sam Wo would be closing up shop.
It felt weird hearing the news. I’ve only been to Sam Wo twice in my life, and yet I felt really sad about it.
If anyone were to ever ask me where to eat in China Town, I would always tell them about Sam Wo… You know… The place where you walk in through the kitchen.
Nobody even knew about this place… You have to walk in through the kitchen!
It was my dad’s spot.
It was JR’s spot.
It was my spot.
It was Conan O’Brien’s spot…
Apparently… It was everybody’s spot.
But…
It made you feel like you were a part of it.
So…
This weekend, I figured that I would pay tribute to Sam Wo by getting me some Chinese food.
To pay tribute to my readers, I figured I would try to pair my meal with a wine.
Chinese food is not an easy thing to pair wine with.
There’s so many different flavor profiles that you are working with…
Sweet.
Sour.
Spicy.
Earthy.
Salty.
Chinese food has it all.
My suggestion is that if you are going to pair a wine with Chinese food, try to stick with one flavor theme.
When I called up China Palace in Morgan Hill to make my to-go order, I decided to go with Earthy and savory flavors.
Here’s what I got…
Tea Smoked Duck w/ Dumplings and Duck Sauce, Pork Chow Mein, and Steamed Rice w/ Mad Soy Sauce
If you’ve never had Tea Smoked Duck before, get on it!
The duck is very Earthy, and smokey, and just plain dope.
As far as pairing, I had a couple of wines in mind. I think a well-made, balanced Zinfandel would work well. I would also like to try this meal with a spicy Merlot.
In the end, I felt like a Rioja would be the way to go. I often get a minty, tea-like quality from Tempranillo (the main grape from Rioja). Why wouldn’t it work with a Tea Smoked Duck?
Here’s what I chose…
I got the Campo Viejo 2006 Rioja Reserva for 13 bucks from Safeway. You can find this in most grocery stores.
Campo Viejo 2006 Rioja Reserva:
This Rioja is made of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Craciano, and 5% Mazuelo. It spends 18 months in the barrel and another 18 months in the bottle before it is released. The Campo Viejo comes in at 13.5% alcohol.
Color: Dark brick red.
Nose: This nose is a fun one. There’s a nice balance of sun-dried tomato and raspberry. There is a minty aroma, along with tea, smoke, and cedar.
Taste: Raspberry and blackberry fruit up front. There is a long finish of tea spice and acid. There are pretty, supple tannins in this one.
Pairings: The duck has these rich, Earthy, and gamey notes. The wine makes the tea smoke pop. The chow mein has bright pork flavors and Earthy noodles. It brings out the blackberry notes in the wine. The buttery and starchy flavors of the rice lift up the oak notes of the Rioja.
Score: I’ve got to say, this was a great pick. I’m a genius. Give it a 90.
Oh yeah…
I almost forgot…
The fortune cookie brings out a creaminess in the wine that is just rad.
Nose: Up front, the aroma is unmistakably that of strawberries. Squeeze in a little bit of lime. Pour it over a slice of brioche. This wine has a great nose.
Taste: Fruit flavors of peach and tangerine mixed with yeast. There is a big, long acid finish, sprinkled with mineral flavors.
Score: This is THEE wine to have on a hot day. Refreshing and complex. Give it a 90+, and enjoy.
This past Thursday, they became my most favoritest.
If you don’t believe that “favoritest” is a word, just click here.
Here’s why…
"Where have you been all my life?"
Once a month, for $10, Bubbles offers a wine and food tasting.
Kara and I had been planning on going to one of these events for a while. Since we had last week off, and our ol’ friend John Terra Savia was in town, we all met up to get our taste on.
This tasting included six wines, and tons of food…
Tons of food: Prosciutto Wrapped Prawns w/ Spicy Chili Oil, White Bean Stew, and BBQ Pork Sliders w/ Blue Cheese Cole Slaw
Beauregard 2009 Metalique Chardonnay and Beauregard 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay
Beauregard 2009 Metalique Chardonnay:
This is Beauregard’s version of the unoaked Chardonnay. Admittedly, I’m starting to get kind of bored with that style (That gives me an idea for a post!). There is nothing boring, however, about the 2009 Metalique. Crisp, lemon acidity, stone minerality, and smoke… Lots of smoke! It’s an odd finish. Then again, I’m a little odd too. It gives me character. It does the same to the wine. Give it an 87+.
In talking to John, we began to speculate as to how an unoaked Chardonnay could get that smokey.
My guess was that it was rouge bacteria.
John just kept saying, “It tastes like smoke taint to me… Like there must have been a wildfire that year.”
Sure enough, the next day John sent me a link to an article about another Chardonnay from 2009 (Pelican Ranch) that was grown in the same area (Bonny Doon) and had also been affected by a wildfire. Check it out!
Beauregard 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay:
This Chardonnay is more my style. Crisp, lemon acidity (like before), but with the addition of vanilla bean from the oak and malolactic fermentation. I tried the spicy prawns with this wine, and the heat really went well with the creaminess of the Chardonnay. 88+
Tank House 2009 Syrah and Tank House 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
Tank House 2009 Syrah:
On the nose, this Syrah was loaded full of tomato. The palate, conversely, gives flavors of caramel and cranberries. This was an awkward, but interesting little wine. The white bean stew did a good job of marrying the flavors. 86+
Tank House 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon:
Tomato (again) and smoke on the nose, with a touch of tea leaf. On the palate, this cab brings a good balance of clove spice, plum fruit, Earthy black tea flavors, and nice acidity. This one also went well with the white bean stew, but it can definitely stand on its own. 89
The last stop on our tasting journey was Alderese Vineyards (Note: I’d provide a link to their website if they had one. Let me know if you can find it. I had no luck)…
Alderese Vineyards 2009 Westside Zinfandel and Alderese Vineyards 2008 Late Harvest Zinfandel
Alderese Vineyards 2009 Westside Zinfandel:
This is a new winery in Amador county specializing in Zinfandels. The 09 Westside Zin has a touch of Petite Sirah in it. The flavor of this wine is quite candied. Fruit-forward plums and dark raisin flavors dominate the palate. Though I give it an 86, this was the perfect wine to go with the pork sliders. The pork brought out a nice, green pepper flavor.
Alderese Vineyards 2008 Late Harvest Zinfandel:
The gentleman pouring the wine told us that 2008 was the first Zinfandel vintage for Alderese. I asked him if they did a regular Zinfandel that year too. He said they did not. John and I both speculated that they probably messed up harvesting the first year. This wine was super candied and sugarfied. Hella concentrated raisins for days. Another 86 that still went very well with the pork.
We had a great time at Bubbles, as we always do.
I’m looking forward to going to more of their tasting events in the future.
Since Kara and I had this last week off, we decided to do a little wine tasting.
On Friday we headed over to Clos La Chance in San Martin.
Some of you may know that this is the winery where Kara and I got married.
Here’s some proof…
The Happy Couple
See… I told you so.
As it turned out, Friday wasn’t the most beautiful day (weather-wise) to go tasting.
It was a bit wet…
Actually, even when it's soaking outside, this is one of the most beautiful wineries in the area.
Inside, there was a perfect wine on the menu to compliment the weather…
Clos La Chance 2009 Reserve Petit Verdot
Color: Dark purplish red.
Nose: Big dark mocha notes, with a hint of green bell pepper.
Taste: True to the varietal, this Petit Verdot has a fantastic grip on the palate. Tons of dancing black pepper spice along with powdery tannins. Great mocha, plum, and green bell pepper flavors.
Score: I have to admit that I am not a big fan of cigars, BUT this is a great cigar wine. Perfect for a lounge chair, under a covered patio, on a rainy day. Give it a 90-.
This Sunday morning (two days later), Kara and I headed back up to the Clos La Chance estate to take advantage of the more Spring-like weather…
Spring has sprung!
This time, it was perfect weather to take a Chardonnay class…
Pulling up a chair in the Grand Salon.
As part of Clos La Chance’s Chardonnay month, Estate Sommelier Roy Froom lead a 20 minute presentation on the golden grape.
Here’s the two Chardonnays we got to taste…
Clos La Chance 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay and the Clos La Chance 2009 Liebeler Vineyard Chardonnay
Clos La Chance 2008 Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnay:
Sourced from 6 different vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this Chardonnay is steel fermented and barrel aged. The SCM Chardonnay is the flagship wine of Clos La Chance. It goes through full malolactic fermentation.
Color: Typically golden-yellow in color.
Nose: Green apple. Pear. Lemon zest. Vanilla. Nice.
Taste: Good, vibrant, lemon acidity. There is a nice integration of oak that gives this Chardonnay a neat little brown sugar flavor. This wine has a light to medium viscosity and a good, creamy finish.
Score: A solid effort. Give it an 88+.
Clos La Chance 2009 Liebeler Vineyard Chardonnay:
The Liebeler Vineyard is one of the six vineyards providing fruit for the SCM Chardonnay. This vineyard is pretty high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This cool-climate Chardonnay is oak fermented and aged. It goes through partial malolactic fermentation, and is aged on its lees.
Color: Same as the SCM.
Nose: This brings a big oaky aroma up front.
Taste: Big oak and spice on the palate give way to a very crisp, acidic finish of green apples. Good, medium viscosity.
Score: The Liebeler just barely edges out the Santa Cruz Mountains for me at an 89, though I would say the SCM is more of a crowd-pleaser in flavor and price.
Thanks for the memories, Clos La Chance. We’ll probablly come back tomorrow…
Stay Rad 