2003 Ruston Semillon Juliana Vineyard

My wife will be the guest blogger tonight. Take it away Court.

As I sat in the kitchen taking a deep breath after an anxiety ridden day of concerns about my health and a few scratches on my car I was relieved when I looked across the counter to find a newly opened bottle of 2003 Ruston, Semillon from the Juliana vineyard. It is hard when you are six months pregnant and you know you can only enjoy a glass at most, nonetheless I was jubilant at the notion of a clean and smooth glass of wine, even if it was only going to be one.

With a floral nose of underlying hints of caramel the taste on my lips was similar, only to be surpassed by strong notes of white chocolate and dried apricot on the palette. The medium bodied Ruston was simple in its complexity, even in its tones. It was as though there was a precise distribution of flavors that lent to a harmoniously mellow wine. It certainly transcended my mind to this mellow state. Too bad I can't have another...I think the little man in my belly liked it too!

01.13.08 Dinner Party at Jamie and Kim's

We started off the night with a great magnum of NV Prosecco, which went into











a 2004 Scheuller Riesling from Alsace, into



















a Mag of 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from Alto Adige, into











a 1978 Barolo into











a 1998 Barolo.



The Russells, Kingstons, Court and myself were the guests. All the wines were great. The Mags were a Christmas gift from Rob Mackin, I brought the Schueller, Bill brought the '78 Barolo and Sam brought the '98 Barolo. Jamie made some great hors d'oeurves, a parsnip soup, and a beef bourginon from BONDA.

A good time all around.

12.25.07 1998 Ch. Duhart-Millon

Jim brought this wine over for Xmas dinner. I was going to pair it with that 1998 Grivot (which was corked). This Bordeaux went very nicely with the cassoulet I made. Typical green pepper, firm tannins.

After awhile, all Bordeaux at a certain price point tastes about the same to me. Good thing I liked this one!

01.26.07 NV Marietta Old Vine Red Lot # 44

Courtenay and I went to Brooklyn last night to have dinner with our friends Clara and Aaron. We ate a Jack the Horse Tavern which is in their neighborhood and Aaron has been raving about for the last few months. The vibe was good and the food was tasty. The service was a little spotty, but we were a table of six (no excuses). Our cocktails too awhile, and they came out two at a time. Our apps came out the same way. We had a fantastic time. Jay joined us while Jayma was at a bachelorette party and our friend Saman also broke the bread - she had the mussels which were fantastic.

Aaron and I order hangar steaks and I chose the Marietta as a pairing. I have had their more expensive wines, and have always found them delish. This Old Vine Lot 44 was about $34 on their list, but should have been a lot less (in my mind). Their list was not the best and didn't have anything exciting on it. The Marietta kind of sucked. It had very little character, and sweet notes of Zinfandel, but nothing interesting.

To follow it up, I got a little adventurous and order a Bordeaux blend from Virginia. I asked out waiter if he had tried it - at first he said no, then yes and that is was great. We got it about ten minutes later. I thought it might be corked - but I called a wine corked last week that wasn't - so I let it ride. Jay took a sip and said yes, it is corked. I called the waiter back to ask if this was how the wine should drink. He didn't know, but cleared all the glasses, and brought the list back a good 7 to 10 minutes later. By this time, we were done eating and did not want any more wine. Now with good, timely service, we probably would have had another bottle or two - but there you go.

We had a wonderful time with our friends, had a round of cocktails and a round of after dinner drinks. Court and I had to go back to CT, but they continued the party, as they are city dwellers.

01.24.08 / 2002 Fairview Primo Pinotage

I like South African wine enough to drink it if it is served to me, but my friends the Russells really love it, and collect it. They spent their honeymoon in South Africa, and also know a bit about wine. All four of us went out in NYC after a swanky engagement party to Xai Xai (pronounced shy shy), a new South African Wine Bar which serves small plates.

I wanted to go so they could show me some great SA wines, and to sample some of the cuisine, since I know very little about it.

Unfortunately, I did not take any notes or snap any pics. The conversation was too good! They also had a funky band playing what sounded a lot like Vampire Weekend SA music, and we were sitting by the door, and it was very loud and it was a small place.

Bill selected the 2002 Fairview Pinotage from a list of about 25 reds. The waiter told us that demand was so high for Pinotage (they opened in December), that it was the only one left at $78. They discounted it to $50. Bill said that all of the wines were horribly marked up, but $50 was a fair price.

The last time I had Pinotage, it was like drinking Penzoil, but I respected Bill's judgement. He and Erin had visited the winery (they also make Goats do Roam) and said it was spectacular.

We order a bit of everything off the menu with a Riesling and Gurwertzraminer for Court and I to split. The wine was delivered in these little, not beakers, but not quartinos either - just a mini cool glass decanters that you could also be at home in a chem lab. I was impressed with the wine (the dry Riesling was particularly stunning) but they were $13 and $14 a glass - although the size was more like a glass and a half. We could have easily just shared one!

I still was a little worried about the red. Our waiter opened the bottle, and gave me a taste. I think the expression on my face was one of disbelief. It was really good. Soft, with hints of berry - the age really mellowed out what I expected - with supporting tannins and a plush finish. It was wonderfully balanced, even getting better as it sat in the glass. Reminiscent of a fabulous Oregon Pinot Noir without the big bite.

Our small plates came, and we ordered more, while drinking the Pinotage and laughing. We even decided on our new son's name.

I think we would of all had more to drink and dessert to eat, but it was getting late and we had a car waiting to take us back to CT - like the suburbanites we are.

01.16.08 2003 Fratelli Alessandria San Lorenzo Barolo

From the Noble Nebbiolo, this Barolo is a wine from a vineyard we do not normally by from - we prefer the Monvigliero - but in the DI tasting, the San Lorenzo really shined.

Upfront big cherry with black licorice anise and evergreen. Bill thoughts loads of alcohol, eventhough we decanted it for a good 1/2 hour. Definitely needs food. Jamie and I split an order of three meat ragu and the wine sang. Needs more time in the bottle.

Luckily we still have 8 bottles of the 2001 Monvigliero!

01.16.08 2005 Betz La Serene Syrah

Always a favorite in my book, this wine was met with a little bit of negative feedback, although it is admitedly very young. Big toasty oak upfront with a bit of a brackish scent. Like the '04 J. Christopher Charlie's Vineyard. Russel (Bill) said he was not impressed and prefered the K. I found blackberry and roasted plum after 20 mins or so, with mild tannins and hints of cassis.

Sam chimed in with a bit of Cullen poo (his son's diaper) mixed with "rotting plum, which mellows after a bit".

It needs time to age in bottle, but after we decanted it and let it rest, it was pretty tasty. Not as good as the '04, but it could develop into a serious wine. I find that all the Betz wines need time to sit. Can any producer wait like Gallo and not release wine until it is time?

01.16.08 2003 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Ovello

We had a fun night trying new wines at BONDA with Bill and Sam during our dinner to benefit Autism Speaks. Unfortunately it was a very poor showing with only 20 or so people, but it is a weird time of year. We gave 20% of the restaurant proceeds to Autism Speaks, but it did not amount to much.

The first in the lineup was this Barbaresco which I thought was fab when I first tasted it on the DI circuit. Jamie and I really don't dig Barbaresco at all, but this was different. Aged for a bit, single vineyard sourced and a poor year to boot! On the nose there was classic acetone and bicycle tire, with restrained fruit on the palate. Tight tannins, developed into rich plum flavor.

From the Nebbiolo grape, the same for Barolo, this was unique in that we really dug it! Sam and Bill both liked it as well, although they had a bottle of K Syrah Waluke Slope so it was an adjustment for their palates. They had also finished dinner, so it was a tough switch.

Jamie and I had a plate of salami with some parmesan. Very rustico!

Way Backed Up On Many Posts

I appologize. I have a backlog of wines to post about. I will deliver them soon.

I promise.

2006 Barnett Vineyards Sangiacomo Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay

Nothing like Cali Chard. Carneros is cooler than Napa, I think, and produces Chard and Pinots that don't have all the heavy fruit, butter, oak. At least in my opinion.

I bought the 2005 vintage of this wine for BONDA, after trying it at the Wine Thief with Coleman and Noah. They thought it was totally overdone, but I thought it had a nice balance with a lot of big fruit - that our customers want - without too much oak.

The 2006 is a little leaner, to my tasting, but still is young and I am drinking it way too cold. I picked up a bottle from BONDA and put it in the freezer while I made a piece of cod and cous cous.

I did not realize, but CT only gets a few cases of the 480 made from Barnett - and it goes quick. We have been sitting on the '06 for a few months, and it is almost time to premier it on the list.

There is an interesting spiciness that is developing, almost like a mild clove or cardamom, hints of cinnamon. The nose is floral, but not over pronounced with nothing terribly sweet, more of a tarragon and lily of the valley. Not too viscous on the tongue, but with some weight. Touches of oak and smoke - if someone likes their wines unoaked, then this is not for them - but it is not overwrought or fake. I can see how someone with a bias against Cali Chard would not like this wine. I probably would not have liked it three years ago as well.

But it is great in my humble opinion, and I really do like it now. I can think of a Rombaer (sp?) or Silver Oak (do they make a Chard?) with big fleshy, oaky, seemingly unnatural flavors. Barnett is not cheap - $58 or so on our list - but it can satisfy a Cali Chard lover, and someone who occationally wants that taste in a refined wine.

I thought Court would give me a killer quote, but she just called the wine bitter and one dimensional. Oh well, to each their own!

2006 Alban Vineyards Viognier

Ah, the central coast for Rhone style wines. I first heard of Alban from Mark Ancona of Fountainhead fame, who told me to get as many people as I could to sign up for their mailing list, then give them to him so he could get some wine. The first offering I got was for one bottle of $92 wine. I passed on getting it, and never received another offering.

I walked into the Fountainhead in September, and saw they had a good amount of Viognier, a Rhone grape that a few American producers have taken to putting in single bottlings. They get it from NY State, from their other store. I bought a few bottles, drank a few bottles, and will buy some more and drink some more.

It is a wine of paradox and contrasts: sweet and savory, oaky and crisp. I need to drink more to wrap my taste buds around it!

2005 Kistler Sonoma Coast Les Noisetiers

Just to show you the power of Kistler, I opened this bottle a week ago and left about 6 oz. in it, corked and in the fridge. When we had it, it was super smoky, had some floral notes, and delish. I just didn't feel like writing about it, and it is too young. I bought a case when my son was born, and open them occationally to check out the progress. Unfortunately I am a bit of a Kistler slut and only have five bottles left.

I was clearing out the fridge, making room for a marinating pork pernil, and thought I would finish it off. It is outstanding, better than most wines at first open. Smoked lily bulb, hints of saffron, just the right mouthfeel. And still surprisingly crisp and nimble. It speaks loads for this wine to still be delish after a week. It makes me want to open another bottle! But I will be good.

I will disclose that I had the utmost disregard for Kistler for a number of years - over oaked butter bomb. Elitist snobs I thought of those who drank it and bought it. But I started to drink it, and buy it for the restaurant, and buy it for myself and my wife got into it and we started ordering it at restaurants (if it was a single vineyard and resonably priced) and now I really like the majority of their wines - mostly Chards though. When Jamie and I first had one of their Pinot Noirs in 2004, we looked at each other and said holy shit, this really is a good wine.

Possibly overpriced, but it is Kistler.

01.09.08 Trying Wine for the Restaurant

Luckily the FCWAC still had some tasting left in them after the Staglin, as Jamie and I have compiled about twelve bottles of wine to try for BONDA. Generally we sit down with dinner and have a bottle at a time - wines that we have ordered as sample bottles, or new vintages that we get a case blind - to write the wine descriptions on the wine list, and to just check them out.

The picture, which I am having trouble posting, shows all the wine we tried, not all of the bottles being finished. I will give a quick recap of the wines but no go into too much detail as they officially cannot rank in the 365 Wines schema.

2006 Merryhill Cabernet Sauvignon: this is a wine we got for by the glass on a recomendation from Mike and Rob Makin. It had lots of cotton candy on the nose with earthy notes, high red fruit and medium tannins. Jamie noticed a lot of butterscotch. It was really tough coming off the Staglin, and most of the group had their palates upturned.

2005 Ridge Pagani Ranch: this wine only comes around every once and awhile so I was happy to score a case. Lots of elderberry and dark chocolate with a little acetone. It has the most Zin of any Ridge wine, a fact that made Sam call the wine "Very Zinny". Could benefit from more time in the bottle. I think they release a handful of their wines too soon. I usually sit on them for a while before putting them on the list.

2005 Ridge Lytton Springs: this is one of those Ridges that needs to sit for awhile. We ordered a case for a customer's party, so we had to dig into a bottle to make sure it was good. A bit of acetone on the nose with a wheated cereal note and almost a honeyed finish. Nice raspberry and blackberry fruit.

1992 Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon

My first "official" dinner with the Fairfield County Wine Appreciation Club, a group that has been coming into BONDA for Open That Bottle Night for the last two or three years, was last night. And a good bottle to start with: Staglin Family. A wine that I probably would not buy - pricey, overrated - but I do like to drink on occasion.

The FCWAC is comprised of Sam Kingston, Ted Lahey, Sam Hawley, Kevin McCulloch, Brad Essig, and Michael Solimene with occasional guest appearances by a handful of other dudes.

The group used to bring in a bottle each (6 of them), choosing a region or year, then they paired it down to partners each bringing a bottle - and now they usually buy wine at auction, large format, to imbibe. Jamie and I have participated many times, usually throwing a bottle or two in if we have one that matches the theme.

Sam opened the bottle of Staglin around 6:30, we had the first glass at 7:40. Very tight, even on the nose, with dark berries and cedar - reminiscent of a late 1980s Bordeaux continuing to the palate. Rich plum with tannins galore, and a hint of bourbon in the finish. Very tasty and promising.

Trying again at 8:20, it mellowed and almost flat lined, but still remained hearty and really benefited from a little fat with the food. Most opted for bacon or pork belly to start with short ribs or the fillet to compliment the vino. I liked it, and it was a good value at auction for $170 or so. 4 bottles of 1992 Staglin Cab for that price - unheard of at retail.

2005 Babcock Pinot Noir Grand Cuvee

The Babcock was going to go against a 2005 Patty Green Estate, but we realized we didn't need to open more wine at this point.

It was tough to rank it over the Alazan at #3 overall, but it had great fruit and a nice balance.

Kingston Vineyards Battle: 2005 Tobiano 2005 v. 2006 Alazan

Not very fair considering that the Alazan is their higher end Pinot, but they were both delish. Great fruit, harmonious acid - not as heavy as I remember the '05 when I had it over the summer. Both are on the BONDA list representing our only Chilean Pinots. I was going to do '05 Tobiano v. '06 Tobiano, but Sam brought over the Alazan and I wanted to try it.

Full disclosure: I am friends with Sam Kingston, who's family owns the vineyard, but I wouldn't rave about his wines if I did not like them!

2004 Battle Alsace v. California: '04 Schuller Pinot Noir no. 24 v. '04 Kynsi Edna Valley Pinot Noir

This was a surprising upset as the Schuller won the battle. I wanted to have Alsace represented during our fondue dinner, and it was a shining example of a red from a traditionally white wine region and winemaker. Distributed by the Fountainhead, Schuller's Pinots can be really funky to the point of undrinkable - varying from vintage to vintage and bottle to bottle.

Muted fruit with sulphur, tar and dark chocolate jammed you on the tongue with a slight effervecence and pleasant finish. The Kynsi, a Pinot that I have had at least 8 bottles of this year and love dearly, was suprisingly sweet and yeasty. It is Californian but not a big fruit bomb - against the Schuller and with the fondue, it was like candied raspberry water.

2006 Lang and Reed Cabernet Franc

This was our aparitif wine, and was a real let down. Super huge tanins, muddled fruit, no balance at all. Very disappointed, but with the '03, we had to wait two years, so I will try this wine again (I have a case) in 2009!

I really applaud the wineamakers for taking on Cab Franc in California. Primarily a Bordeaux style blending grape, Land and Reed have elevated Cab Franc to a single bottling and many other winemakers have followed suit in America. Again, disappointed by the '06 showing, but I'm sure it will improve!

2003 Battle Burgundy v. Oregon: '03 Dom. Jean Grivot Nuites-St.-Georges 1er Cru "Les Boudots" v. '03 Panther Creek Shea Vineyard

Suprising upset by the Panther Creek. Again, I got a bunky bottle of the Grivot. It wasn't corked, it wasn't cooked, it just wasn't good. I keep reminding myself how great the '02 was, and keep bumming myself out the the '98 and '03 was just horrible. We left about the 1/2 the bottle. I recommended people try it just to see, and some were polite and others just made a face - I think someone spit it out! One guest commented: "Tasted like high priced mud from the bottom of my well". Needless to say, it was in last place at the end of the night.

Ken Wright founded Panther Creek and after he left in the late 90s, they went through a bit of a rough patch. We have carried their wines for three years and I am always mostly pleased by them. The '03 Shea took the top standing overall, and I sometimes forget how good it is - definitely stands up to my other Oregon favorite small producers, Cameron, Patty Green, E.I.E.I.O., J. Christopher, but has a style all its own. Guest comment: "Shea Vineyard shines. Pencil lead with an edge."

NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose

A little bubbly to start the night off! We have carried Billecart-Salmon's Brut and Brut Rose since we opened BONDA. They are getting a little pricy now, and I like to drink grower champagnes, but always a winner in my book.

The Russells brought over some Veuve Clicquot which we drowned outselves in as well! Sam brought a very funky sparkling shiraz, which I will review at a later date as we only opened one bottle.

12.31.07 The New Year's Pinot Showdown

We had the Kingstons, the Russells, and the Murphy's over for fondue and games for New Year's Eve and I decided we should have a Pinot Battle Royale, pitting Oregon, California, Burgundy, Chile and Alsace against each other in double vintage duels plus overall. It might not have been that fair considering price ranges were from $90 to $25, but it was good fun and great to try all these wines back to back. There were some surprises and disappointments. Here is how it shook out overall from left to right. I will post the head-to-head battles and descriptions later.