A few words on the subject of online auctions

This may not come as too great of a shock coming from a wine retailer, but there's something about online wine auctions I JUST DON'T TRUST. It's not that I distrust all online auctions, in fact I am a frequent eBay buyer, having purchased everything from shoes and clothes to sporting goods and even a 120 bottle Haier wine cooler unit. I hear from clients and friends all the time who have "gotten a steal" on some rare hard to find gem on one of the auction sites. I've also been there when said gem bottlings were opened only to find that maybe some of the sparkle is just not there. Aside from the obvious flaws, wines that have been mishandled can simply not live up to their potential. A "bargain priced" bottle of Guigal Cote Rotie "La Mouline" 1991 purchased by a friend on an online auction comes to mind. Having tasted the wine in question a number of times at Charleston, I knew what to expect and was excited for my friend's $199 steal... Alas, the wine wasn't bad...it just, wasn't good. And 91 La Mouline should be, at the very least, pretty damned good. I felt that the wine had just been badly stored, not enough to make vinegar or oxidize the treasured syrah, just enough to make the wine the equivalent of a nice $13 Cotes-du-Rhone. Sure $199 was cheap for 91 La Mouline, but it's a shitload to pay for a bottle of mediocre syrah.
Issues of provenance come into play when purchasing a trophy wine, but not a pair of Nike running shoes. As long as the shoes are the right size, you're pretty much fine to run your Visa through PayPal with little or no concern. Remember that wine is a living breathing thing, you can't stick it in a warm closet next to a vibrating elevator, even for a little while, without the product in the bottle suffering. Trouble is, there's no easy way to know. Without knowing the cellar conditions of ALL the previous owners (including distributors with giant non-climate controlled warehouses and trucks and cut rate retailers with less than ideal storage) it's impossible to know if the wine you're buying is up to snuff. It can be hard to tell even upon physical examination of the bottles, much less sight unseen.
I tend to buy wines from retailers that I trust, and this is what I tell my friends in other cities. Find a small fine wine shop with a well educated staff and make friends with one or all of the clerks. I'm not saying you have to invite the guy to your wedding, but a little good cheer and remembering a name goes a long way. Never underestimate the value of having someone you trust who knows your palate. No matter how well educated you are in the wine world, there's always a producer you've never heard of, or an exciting up and coming region you're not comfortable with yet, and a trustworthy wine consultant is your ticket to these new experiences. Not to mention that this sort of contact (and spending some cash in the store) will help put you near the top of the list when the cult cabs come in and you might be surprised how thoughtful a wine clerk can be if you're one of his favorite clients.
"We just got in this amazing value from Priorat, I thought about you Mr. Smith since you love Clos Mogador, it's amazing and only $20 a bottle, but we only got two cases in..."
This type of well thought out opportunity to buy wines with limited availability is irreplaceable. A well trained wine clerk can be your best friend in the wine world, steering you towards new and exciting things as well as giving you a shot at the hardest to find of your favorites.
Happy hunting, and I still want the invite when you've got a bottle of 91 La Mouline to taste...from an online auction or not.
Cheers
TRC

2005 Tantara Releases

Speaking of California...Here's a California Pinot Noir producer y'all should start making yourselves familiar with.
Tantara. Never heard of it you say? You will. They started up in 97, based at the Bien Nacido vineyard in Santa Barbara County, they produce a number of vineyard designate Pinots as well as a few Chards. I got a super early preview of the lineup just after bottling. The 2005's just became available 3 weeks ago, just after being bottled unfiltered and unfined, and they are made in miniscule quantities, the maximum being around four hundred cases produced. Winemakers/owners Bill Cates and Jeff Fink were uber-excited about the vintage and I can see why. The quality across the board was fantastic and the wines show amazing depth for having been just bottled.

Tantara Pinot Noir "La Colline", Arroyo Grande Valley 2005
The softest and most feminine of the lineup, the "La Colline" is farmed from the Laetetia Vineyard. It exhibits softer cherry fruit and floral tones on the nose. On the palate the wine is elegant and balanced with good acidity and a ripe, soft endpalate. Very nimble and light on the palate, it almost dances. This would be ideal for salmon in a fruit based dark sauce. $55 at retail.
92 points

Tantara Pinot Noir "Rio Vista" Santa Ria Hills 2005
Riper and more fruit forward is the Rio Vista vineyard from the Santa Rita Hills appelation. Exotic cherry and berry flavors are very prominent on the nose, along with hints of cola and spice. On the palate, the fruit gets more intense and riper. Loads of sour and candied cherry dominate with blueberry and raspberry in the mix. New French oak gives just a shade of cocoa to the proceedings. Nice long supple finish. Screaming for duck breast and some sort of reduction. $55 at retail if you can find it.
91 points

Tantara Pinot Noir Bien Nacido "Adobe" Santa Maria Valley 2005
The dark and saturated color of the Bien Nacido "Adobe" is just a foreshadowing of the intensity of fruit and spice on the nose. Very ripe blackberry and cherry form the backbone, with layers of spice and caramel. This is the most tannic of the bunch with a more gripping presence and dryer mouthfeel. The glycerin is high as well, rounding out the middle of the palate. Very intense wine to pair nicely with rich game dishes. A whole lot of pinot for $55
91 points

Tantara Pinot Noir "Gaia" Santa Rita Hills 2005
Darkly colored and lavishly scented, this reminded me on the nose of a super ripe Chambolle-Musigny, but it was indeed farmed in the Santa Rita Hills. All cherry and cola spice with hints of flowers, coffee, cocoa and rootbeer. Big and bright but perfectly balanced on the palate, the depth of this wine took my breath away. Seemingly endless finish is just amazing with layer upon layer of cherry fruit, spice and floral tones. Amazing. $59 at retail...go find some.
94 points

Tantara Pinot Noir "Pisoni" Santa Lucia Highlands 2005
The now legendary Pisoni vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands and its owner Gary need no introduction to wine geeks, as many of the pinot worlds luminaries have purchased from this legend. If the Tantara is any indication of what Pisoni harvested in 2005 I will be hunting for every other bottling I can find. Put simply this is truly amazing stuff. An ever evolving nose of cherry, kirsch spice and hazelnut creme. On the palate the Pisoni is a monster of a mouthfilling pinot, all broadness and depth with a full minute finish that evolves from ripe cherry to spice and back to dried and candied cherry.
Retail is around $75
95 points

Tantara Pinot Noir "Evelyn" Santa Maria Valley 2005
The flagship of the Tantara line is a super rich and exotic Pinot from two select blocks in the Bien Nacido Vineyard. Treated with 60% new French Oak, it has gorgeous layers of caramel, spice and kirsch/cherry fruit on the nose. Simply gorgeous with loads of super rich and ripe cherry and berry fruit. Seamless and perfectly integrated with enough acidity to balance the formidable tannin and alcohol, Evelyn pulls off one heck of a balancing act. Forget pairing, just immerse yourself in this one...Retails around $100
95 points


Cheers,
TRC
"Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic and the serious smile."
Homer, "Odyssey"

Wine Literature

So for the past few days I've been reading Noble Rot, by William Echikson, a slightly fragmented, ok that's not true, it's borderline scizophrenic, narrative about the state of affairs in Bordeaux. Echikson does a fantastic job developing the history of some of Bordeaux's most revered estates, Yquem and Mouton Rothschild, but fragments his timeline so badly that by the middle of the book, the reader is entirely unsure which century, let alone decade, he/she is reading about. The lurid, but true, tale of Alexandre Lur-Saluces and his family is both captivating and truly scary, and it's this part of the narrative where Echikson does his best work. The reader comes away from this section(s) feeling like a distant cousin of this great family, connected enough to care about the waxing and waning fortunes of the sauternes barons. Echikson's detailing of Chateau Mouton's rise to premier cru status is similarly interesting to read and the author does an excellent job of filling in all of the background necessary to make sense of Baron Phillipe's struggle. From the entrenched merchant system to the once temporary, but now (except for Mouton) impenetrable classification system, the background is well detailed and Baron Phillipe's struggle to reach Premier Cru status is very engaging. "Premier je suis, Second je fus, Mounton ne change--"First I am, Second I was, Mouton does not change" One gigantic bright spot is his attention to cooperative winemaking in Entre-Deux-Mers, an area of bulk wine production that has massive economic impact on the agricultural economy of bordeaux, but gets no press from any of the major critics. These low cost wines are the backbone of daily consumption in France, and it's nice to learn something of their production and some of the people behind the massive machine. While these character driven portions of the book succeed, Echikson loses the reader in a muddled accounting of the rise of Robert Parker and his sphere of influence. While Echikson does give a good history, he doesn't connect it well to what I think is his overall scheme of the book, which is to detail the friction between bordeaux's old guard and the garagistes whose wines Parker (and this reader) rates so highly. The main problem is the almost A.D.D. pacing and skipping around. If Echikson would slow down and offer his narrative as a series of well composed parts, it would make much more sense and be an easier read. Still, he hits the historical mark and "Noble Rot" will certainly satisfy any true wine geek's lust for background information about Bordeaux.
Read it if...you're a wine geek with a hankering for some more info on bordeaux's history.
What to drink while reading it...1982 Mouton Rothschild of course (or another bordeaux if you must...)

"Judgement of Paris" by George M. Taber, the only journalist at the now famous "Paris Tasting", is an accounting of the people and wines that shocked the world that fateful day. Taber's inside perspective and his excellent background work, highlighting such Napa luminaries as Andre Tschieleff, Mike Grgich and Warren Winarski, is fashioned into a cohesive, and very readable narrative. Younger wine lovers will find this to be an excellent resource for information about the golden age of Napa and the people who built the foundation of American wine culture. "Judgement of Paris" however transcends wine geekdom into the realms of social history, and anthropology, and is well written enough for a non wine drinker to fully understand the events portrayed.
Read it if...you have any interest in wine, california, american history, french history...well, if you're reading this blog and you haven't read this book yet, you should...
What to drink while reading it...California baby. This book makes me patriotic.

Again with the Grenache? Parade of 05 Chateauneuf's...

Angeles Wine Agency Importer Tasting Monday February 26th. Fort Mason Center, San Francisco.
The highlight: A first glimpse at the much anticipated and soon to be released 2005 Chateauneuf du Papes...
I know, I know. Here we go again with the Grenache. But I have to say, a lineup of 25 or so of Alain Jungenet's Chateauneuf producers was too much for me to pass up. I did my best impression of a kid in a candy store for this tasting (Allie is mad at me since she had to stay home and study) and I was not disappointed. This was the first bunch of the tremendous 2005's that I've had the fortune to taste and I have to say, I am very impressed. The quality across the board was very strong and consistent, not a stinker in the bunch a few wines that absolutely blew me away. These wines are firmly structured with loads of stuffing for the long haul. They are not as fat as the 2001's but they come close. The 2005's are getting various levels of hype from all the major reviewers, but the overall concensus is that these are not wines to be missed. They are ageworthy, but should be accessible and be tons of fun to drink only a few years after release.
So I'm not going to waste much time blabbering on today, I'm just gonna get into the wines. These wines start arriving in April, some will not release until August.

Bosquet des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition 2005
Ripe cherry and kirsch liquor on the nose. Classic spicy notes and bright ripe cherry fruit on the midpalate. Very well balanced with well integrated tannin. Finish is soft and long. A great example of what the British would call a classique, or "regular bottling" Chateauneuf. A perfect foil for grilled lamb chops or a spicy cassoulet.
89 points

Bosquet des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Chante Le Merle 2005
Bosquet des Papes flagship wine, A nose loaded with creme de cassis and lavender. Very exotic aromatics jump out of the glass. On the palate it is rich with well integrated tannins and vibrant with loads of dark cherry and plum fruit. Showed a ton of spice and minerals on the finish. Always a strong candidate for ageing, this will reward patience. No doubt.
94 points

Bosquet des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape "A la Gloire de Mon Grand-Pere" 2005
A very interesting "super chateauneuf" 98% old vine Grenache tempered with 2% Grenache Blanc. Not a common blend but maybe it should be...Tremendously aromatic and vibrant on the nose with loads of black raspberry and blueberry fruit, spicy garrigue and sweet cocoa with great plush and velvety texture. Long, long, long finish. Evolves in the glass constantly. I wanted to just smell it forever.
95 points

Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape "Cuvee Baron" 2005
One of my favorite classic, old school style Chateauneuf producers, Chateau Fortia always makes me think of what these wines would have been like in my grandparents heyday. Sultry and seductive, with a smoky and ever evolving nose. I was truly impressed as this changed minute to minute in the glass. Loads of raspberry and rosemary on the palate with bright acidity and perfect balance. Long and supple on the finish.
93 points

Clos des Brusquieres Chateauneuf du Pape 2005
Another great "Classique" Chateaneuf- this was very expressive on the nose, calling to mind bright cherry fruit and cotton candy. On the palate it is a bit firmer, with darker fruits and baking spices evolving into hints of bacon and coffee. Richly tannic this will reward a few years of bottle age.
91 points

Olivier Hillaire Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition 2005
The first vintage under his own name. Hillaire has purchased the property formerly know as Domaine de la Relagnes and he has made a statement! Favoring more modern techniques and style- these wines are flashy and exciting. Big bold and cherry fruited on the nose, the palate shows even more intense kirsch fruit and a spicy, exotic very long finish.
93 points

Oliver Hillaire Chateauneuf du Pape "Les Petits Pieds d'Armand" 2005
Hillaire's super cuvee from the oldest vine parcels, this blockbuster Chateauneuf is amazing in its first vintage! Amazingly explosive nose of violets, super ripe cherry, rosemary with hints of cocoa and coffee. Saturated, almost purple in tone all the way to the rim, the palate gives way more than a mouthful of exotic red and black fruits, kirsch, plum, black cherry. Big and powerful, but seamless in its texture, the finish lasts close to a minute. My tasting note actually said "HOLY SHIT" but this is a wine I'll not soon forget.
95 points

Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape 2005
Gorgeous aromatics! Rosemary, lavender, cassis and tobacco. On the palate it is rich and firm, loads of spicy fruit and garrigue, giving much, but promising much more for the patient. This is the epitome of age worthy Chateauneuf. You want to save it, but can you really wait??? You should, as this will become a beautiful and seductive mistress after a few years in the bottle.
94 points

Mas De Boislauzon Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition 2005
One of my favorite lesser known producers. Loads of black and sour cherry dominate the nose. On the palate this is spicy and rich with a broad midpalate and well balanced finish. Very exotic and seductive.
91 points

Mas de Boislauzon Chateauneuf du Pape "Cuvee de Quet" 2005
"ARRRRGGGGHHH! It's a pirate wine! Sorry, the unconventional label on the "Cuvee de Quet" always reminds me of a pirates treasure map. And a buried treasure it is. Mas de Boislauzon's super cuvee is firm and super rich, this only hinted at the wine it will become after a few years in the bottle. Deep and dark in color, one wonders how Grenache gets to be that shade of purple. Lavishly spicy on the nose, with layer after layer of rich, mouthfilling fruit on the palate. The finish is dense and firm, promising to become much more enticing as it ages.
94 points

Pierre Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition 2005
This estate has rapidly become one of my favorites for consistently excellent Chateauneuf since the 98 vintage. while this does not have the explosive power of the "Cuvee de Mon Aieul" (read on) it is blessed with a very approachable personality and bright almost efflusive fruit and spice character. Dense without being too weighty, loaded with cherry and hints of cola, nutmeg and rosemary. I would drink this for the next few years as we wait for its big brother (Aieul) to show its true colors.
91 points

Pierre Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape "Cuvee de Mon Aieul" 2005
Talk about an ageworthy Chateauneuf! This cuvee always rewards (demands) patience, and the 05 is no exception. Firm, almost monolithic in its structure, this shows super intense dark fruit and a rich, but balanced structure. I would let this sleep at least 5 years before disturbing it. The 98 and 2000 Aieul's are really starting to come out of their shells now, so
I will use that as my guide for consumption.
94 points

Cheers,
TRC

Welcome to Capo's Wineblog

Welcome to Capo's Wineblog.
This being my first foray into wine criticism/review, I thought it would be best to give just a few notes on my background. I grew up on the East Coast in a food and wine loving family. My Aunt Morgan was (and still is) in the wine business, so great wine always made it to our table for holidays and gatherings. I started tasting wine long before my 21st birthday, so I got a bit of a head start into the world of wine. I think I was 13 (might have been 14) when I tasted a flight of six Chardonnays together for the first time. Learning the differences between different places and vintages has always captivated me. The unending learning curve of the wine world is addictive (intellectually speaking) and I have to say that those who have gotten a taste for it are never the same. I had an early preference for white wines until a college friend (Thanks Erin) introduced me to some mid range reds and that, as they say, was that. I drank every wine I could afford (not that many on a waiter's salary) for a few years, until I got a job as Sommelier for Chef Cindy Wolf Charleston in Baltimore, MD. Under Tony Foreman, I had the opportunity to taste and learn well beyond my salaries limitation, and it helped to turn me from an interested hobbyist into a Chateauneuf crazed lunatic. A few years of this sort of liver expanding "study" and I felt ready to head west.
After Thanksgiving 2005, Allie and I packed up the car, threw the dog in the back seat and headed west to wine country...
So here I find myself in America's undisputed epicenter of wine culture...and I've decided to write a blog. Why? Well to give me something to do while Allison studies for the Bar, and to make myself taste and think about wine in a more cohesive manner.

Do you find yourself always scouring the wine aisles looking for a label you DON"T recognize? Do your friends automatically (and somewhat fearfully) hand the wine list to you when you go out to eat? Do your friends wonder why you have no savings, then look into your cellar and mumble something about bad fiscal planning? Congratulations, you're one of us...this blog's for you.

So without further ado, here's what I'm drinking this week, in no particular order.

1) Russian Hill "Top Block" Syrah, Russian River Valley, 2003
Actually, this is first for a reason. This is most likely one of the best California Syrahs I've tasted in a few years. Beautiful delineation of fruit, super ripe raspberry and kirsch aromas dominate the nose, giving way to soft and elegant floral tones
(no doubt a product of the small percentage of co-fermented viognier, a'la Cote Rotie). On the palate the texture is full and plush with considerable depth of dark raspberry and plum fruit with soft and integrated tannins. The finish is bright and long with hints of licorice, white pepper and cola. I served this with a roasted pork loin with a cherry compote and some wild mushroom risotto with considerable success. A tremendous glass of Syrah and a tremendous value. Retail price is around $34 if you can find this very very limited gem.
95 points.


2) Domaine de la Janasse, Cotes-du-Rhone 2004
As you will soon learn dear reader, my Allie is a Grenache fanatic. So am I. This leaves us constantly rifling through the southern Rhone aisles looking for everyday drinkers at law student friendly prices. This is one. Mostly grenache with a bit of older vine carignan, this shows intense spicy dark cherry fruit on the nose, along with some hints of gravel and garrigue (I know every taster has a different definition of garrigue so here's mine; a melange of rosemary, herbs de provence, smoke and fresh loam). On the palate it has good intensity and balance of acidity. I treated this as if it were a Chateauneuf and decanted about 30 minutes prior to serving. Spicy classic Cotes-du-Rhone and well worth its $13 retail price.
89 points.


3) Celler Capcanes, Cabrida, Montsant 2001
Ok so here we go again with the Grenache. This stuff is much more serious in it's intent. Think about the difference between a very nice and pleasant japanese sedan and say a six figure German or Italian sports car. This stuff is about 5-6 times the price of the CDR I just mentioned, and it is very much worth the investment. Montsant, for those not familiar, is a crescent shaped patch of geography that borders Priorat and produces (by and large) the same types of wines. This vintage of "Cabrida" is inky black/purple saturated to the rim. Overtly fruity and exotic on the nose with loads of spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, basil and mint among others). Super rich palate presence with a mountain of raspberry, plum and cherry fruit. This continued to open up in the glass for more than 2 hours, getting better by the minute. The finish is super long and all that spice comes rushing back. Retails for around $60.
95 points.


4)Bodegas Juan Gil, Jumilla 2004
Looking for something a bit different a few nights ago, I stumbled upon this at the local wine shop. I had tasted a barrel sample of Juan Gil's previous vintage and I remembered the fat structure and texture of the Monastrell (Mourvedre en Espagnol) being truly impressive. My memory served me well. The pure purple/black color is the first clue to this wine's dark brooding character. A nose of black pepper and super extracted black fruit gradually evolves in the glass to aromas of coffee liquor and kirsch. A super rich and textural wine on the palate (super heavy velvet comes to mind), the intense fruit dominates, along with some spicy notes form the oak and a bit of dark caramel on the finish. Explosive and very heavily fruited, this is serious wine, do not be fooled by its very friendly $14 price tag,
91 points.


5) Finca Luzon, Luzon 2005
Inspired by my find with the Juan Gil, I thought I'd have a go at another of Jorge Ordonez' super value wines from Jumilla. The Luzon is a blend of primarily Monastrell, with about 30 percent Syrah added. A few minutes after opening, this little charmer showed a nose of ripe plum and sour cherry, a touch of spicy bacon. On the palate there is ripe dark red fruit with good tannic structure and a spicy finish. Like a nice Cotes-du-Rhone with a much richer texture. Most definitely worth the $6, this will very likely be a staple around my casa.
87 points

Please note: All prices are those which I paid, and may not reflect pricing or availability in your market.
All scores given are my ratings based on the now familiar 100 point scale.



Cheers,
TRC
"Wine can of their wits, the wise beguile. Make the sage frolic, and the serious smile."
Homer, The Odyssey