Echezeaux

A group was dining in San Francisco at the restaurant featuring a famous sommelier. One of the 7 or 9 diners ordered a dessert, which was paired with a small glass of Port for about $15. Two other of the party said "I don't want the dessert, but I'll have a glass of the Port." The bill arrived as the dinner concluded and there was a charge of nearly $200 for the two glasses of Port. When they questioned this, the manager came to the table and said they'd been brought the 1937 Colheita and were charged for the same. They explained they had only ordered the Port that went along with the dessert which, together was a mere $15. The manager said "You were served the 1937 and you have been charged for the 1937." No apologies. The credit card slip arrives and, of course, the place for the TIP is left blank. This, despite the fact that they add in 15 or 18% automatically for groups of this size. Once these people returned home to the east coast, they exchanged correspondence with the restaurant. If I recall correctly, no adjustment to the credit card account was made, but I think a small "gift certificate" was sent in case these folks ever dine in San Francisco again!

Don't plan on cellaring those Jerry Garcia wines: they're made for immediate drinking. Aging one of them will leave you with "Grapeful Dead".

1. What impact on your winemaking do periodicals such as The Wine Advocate and The Wine Spectator have? 2. You make a lot of "blended" wines. What are you trying to achieve by blending? Are you more aiming at imitating other wines (such as Chateauneuf-du-Papes, Bandols, Chianti, etc.) or creating something original? 3. You're a smart guy. Didn't your mother want you to be a doctor or something 'normal'? 4. What effects do Feng Shui have in your winery? 5. You're not a sommelier, but you "played" one in a San Francisco restaurant a couple of years ago. What is your opinion of the wine-drinking/dining public? How much Chardonnay did you spill on the patrons? 6. You make many reasonably priced wines, yet so many California vintners ask ridiculous sums for a bottle of wine. How do you approach the pricing issue and how is your approach different from your competitors?

The only "problem" with the Miner Cabernet is its "Major" price tag. Good, medium-full bodied Cabernet with a nice bit of oak, though not especially woody. It is drinkable now and has enough tannin and structure to go for another 5-10 years.

I have not tasted enough of these to offer comments of much value. What I can say is I cannot afford the prices these wines command today. I was fortunate to be served an Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux 1992 last year. This was not a stellar vintage, yet the wine was incredibly complex and, though technically flawed, still a lovely bottle of wine. This was served "blind" and the host asked the guests to take a stab at identifying the wine. I guessed it to be a "small, artisan producer from Burgundy, Cote de Nuits, certainly...older wine or nearing maturity." The host, whom I later realized makes a career out of being a contrarian, then proclaimed it was a huge producer's effort. "I don't care...all I can tell you is what I taste in this glass." I think he was surprised I didn't cave in and change my mind about the wine...but I later saw this fellow really loves having people guess and then he routinely attempts to push them in an entirely different direction, especially if they are on the right track. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Emmanuel Rouget wines I've tasted have been good, but not superior to the current wines of the DRC or Leroy wines. The Haegelen-Jayer wines have been pleasant, but not nearly as compelling as those of Meo-Camuzet (Henri Jayer used to 'rent' vineyards from the Camuzet's...the lease ran out a few years ago, so now Meo-Camuzet makes all its own), Henri Jayer or others. Robert Jayer-Gilles wines are marked by a very strong toasty, smoky oak quality. If you're not a fan of decidedly woodsy/woody wines, his are not for you.

Henri Jayer is the youngest of three, his older brothers being Georges Jayer and Lucien Jayer. Georges was a forest worker. Wines bearing Henri's label were identical to those with Georges' label. The wine of Lucien was also vinified by Henri Jayer but from vineyards tended exclusively by Lucien. There's a Jaqueline Jayer...she's Henri's cousin. Another cousin is Madeline Jayer who's married to Alfred Haegelen. (Haegelen-Jayer). Madeline's brother is named Robert and his label is "Jayer-Gilles." Henri married Marcelle Rouget...her uncle worked at the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Henri's nephew is Emmanuel Rouget and he now takes care of the vineyards in the Jayer "domaine." Today Emmanuel vinifies all the wines together and he bottles half under his name, the rest being offered under the names of the Jayer brothers.

Roberto? Cotarella.... Proscuitto ??

So many stories to tell! But in line with Suzi's... Dining in a famous touristy restaurant in Florence--we had just been seated and there was a straw-covered fiasco bottle of "house Chianti" on the table when I saw someone carry a box of Sassicaia through the dining room. I asked the waiter for a wine list, saying we'd like to order a nice bottle of wine. No list was brought as we're "tourists" and "how could we possibly know anything about Italian wine?" The waiter simply grabbed the jug of Chianti and returned a while later with a marginally better bottle of "house Chianti Classico". The food was so-so, despite the popularity of the place (and I was dragged there a year later by some Tuscan friends). Same sort of result. ----------------- Another time in France's Champagne region, we ordered a bottle of Coteaux Champenois Rouge at the suggestion of the maitre d'. He explained it was made down the road and they only produce a small number of bottles, which this Relais & Chateaux place purchased the entire production. When the wine was brought and I was offered the "say," I felt there was something off--the wine seemed oxidized. I offered the glass to my companions who both agreed the wine was spoiled. We refused the bottle. The maitre d' then flew into a rage, seeing us refuse this. He arrived to say "The wine is SUPPOSED TO TASTE THAT WAY!" (leaving out the redundant "YOU STUPID AMERICANS!"). We were treated coldly the rest of the evening, but the waiter told us we were not the only ones to refuse this wine...it was frequently rejected by diners and the wine had been purchased at the insistence of the maitre d'. ------------

There are a number of California vintners producing very fine examples of Gewurztraminer. The grape has long been planted in California. The Louis Martini Winery in Napa Valley has long been a proponent of this variety. They eventually planted a modest vineyard in the cooler Sonoma County Russian River appellation, having worked hard to isolate a "clone" they felt had the intensity they were looking for. In Mendocino's Anderson Valley, you'll find fine work being done by Navarro Vineyards. They've been making noteworthy Gewurztraminer since the mid to late 1970s and also produce, from time to time, outstanding late-harvest examples of this grape. A new, tiny property in the Anderson Valley, Londer Vineyards, also makes very good Gewurztraminer. Husch used to make very fine Gewurz, but today over-crops its vineyards and makes a rather light example. Stony Hill Winery in Napa has also more than 40 years of producing Gewurztraminer. And quite dry, too. Their winemaker used to assist another small producer who I don't believe is operating any longer. They were called Evensen Vineyards. One of California's leading practitioners of Gewurz is the winery of Dr. Thomas Fogarty, a Stanford cardiologist. Winemaker Michael Martella has frequently produced outstanding examples of Gewurztraminer from Monterey County-grown fruit. A vintage or two ago, the Fogarty wine was selected as the best white wine of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, a major honor besting more than a thousand other white wines. Slightly sweeter wines have been made by Sonoma County's DeLoach Vineyards and Chateau St. Jean. Oregon's Andrew Rich makes a fabulous dessert wine from Gewurztraminer, too, by the way. The grape probably can grow well there, but there is not a leading producing of dry style Traminer there presently. Those who criticize the California wines for being low in acidity can also level the same criticism at many French examples of Gewurztraminer. Italy produces some stellar examples of this grape, too, as it should, since the town of Tramin is located in the Alto Adige. Spain's Enate winery is making very fine Gewurztraminer. From Hungary, the Antinori winery (the famous Tuscan family) has had an interest in Peter's Hill and produced a very good "Tramini" as they called it. And the grape makes some marvelous wines in New Zealand.

I've known the Cavallotto family for years and was distressed when they signed on with Marc (don't call me Marco anymore) de Grazia. I immediately phoned to say "Congratulations...it will be nice to be able to more easily buy your wine..." and also "But how many French oak barriques did you have to buy?" I was thrilled when they told me they were not going to change their winemaking. And I visited recently...no French oaked Barolo!

We dined at a famous, fancy restaurant and ordered a lovely Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The server first brought the wrong wine...then, the right wine was corked and we refused it. The 20-something year old host, who was also in charge of selecting and ordering wines, sauntered by the table with a copy of the telephone book-like wine list. "Please order something else." he instructed me. I was dazed and confused (not an unusual condition, I'm sorry to report)... Were all the bottles of this Sauvignon Blanc "corked"? Did they run out of this wine? After a moment of thought, I said "You know, that Sauvignon Blanc is going to be the PERFECT accompaniment to these ginger-seasoned mussels, so if you've got another bottle of that wine, that's what we want." He took his sweet time in bringing another bottle to the table. The fellow opened it and poured me "the say." And it was terrific (though by now the mussels were tepid instead of steaming hot as they had been when first brought to the table)! I nodded and indicated this bottle was as it should be and he poured the wine around the table. Finally, after pouring my glass he inquired "MIND IF I HAVE A GLASS OF THAT?" This, mind you, at an expensive place owned by a celebrity chef. I (graciously) poured him a bit of the wine and he ran off, never to return to say he noticed the difference in the two bottles. But I realized afterwards, of course, this fellow did not want me to have another bottle of this wine since, from his perspective, the aroma of a wet, dank cellar full of old, wet copies of The Wine Spectator must have smelled just fine. I was later waiting for the server to ask for a fork-full of the main course or dessert!

I, too, recall the Trader Vic's promotion and the featuring of "Mountain Wines" from Almaden. There's a winery which believes a pyramid-shaped cellar enhances the quality of its wines. http://www.winepressnw.com/stories/vol3no1...o1/pyramid.html I wonder if they've thought about getting grapes from vines cultivated in a pyramid-shaped green house or if the winery owner merely goes into their vineyard to peer-amid the vines?

The labels of Lunardelli's wines, of which nobody speaks of wine quality, mirror what's inside the bottle: bad taste. This fellow has quite a gallery of labels, including a line of "biker" labels, Napoleon labels, Mussolini labels and even one with Winston Churchill. He also has a line of "artist" labels, including, appropriately, Munch's "The Scream".

Someone else had a "stand" for the bottle to be placed upon, featuring magnets in the base and up top. I contacted some researchers at UC Davis who were eager to test this wine "enhancing" device. They concluded that the magnets might have some impact for a moment, but once the wine was poured into a glass the magnets' effects (if there were any) would be negated. If wineries could soften the tannins in a wine with magnetized tanks, they could probably save a lot of money on not purchasing French or American oak barrels. Anyway, it's another bit of hocus pocus which, ultimately, has no effect save for one called the "placebo effect." What should draw you to the bottle, in the first place, is the wine's own magnetic qualities.

As I like to drink a variety of different wines, I want you to know these Riedel glasses have caused all sorts of trouble. First, they're expensive, so getting a second and third job was mandatory. Secondly, since the varied wines I bring home don't (apparently) show well in a basic wine glass, I've had to buy the full line in quantity. Thirdly, we just got approval from the city to remodel the house, adding the two extra rooms for all that stemware. I've been waiting for Riedel to round out his line, producing a Pepsi glass, a Coke Classic glass, a 7-Up glass, a Dr. Pepper glass and one for orange juice as well. A glass for prune juice, I'm supposing, would be a tad smaller and I'd like one of those to use regularly (so-to-speak). I'm also going to be needing a bunch of new decanters, including the brand spanking new model (the blushing beauty) Carema must be writing about.

I'd opt for the 1990 Cristal...great vintage...famous wine...very fine at this stage...a superior vintage to the 1993, as well. Pol Roger is quite good, too, but a half a notch below the Cristal (which is probably significantly more costly). Hope that helps.

I, for one, view the brand name KRAFT on a food product as a warning label akin to the icon of a skull & crossbones, so I'm not sure I would agree with those contentions that this is a counterfeited product. Many wine producers around the world have label or packaging designs replicating those classic producers' wine labels in Europe. Unfortunately there's not much Italian investment in California to produce wine (save for Antinori's feeble attempts at Atlas Peak)...but look at the French firms which have invested in the U.S. -- They typically offer their products with labeling or packaging which, at the very least, resembles their French brands (or at least, tips their chapeaux in the direction of France). What's the difference? As for more devious deception: the Australian drinks firm which promotes Foster's (It's Australian for 'beer') sells Americans a beer that's "Imported". But it's brewed not in Australia, but Canada. This is a lovely example of a "counterfeited" product, but it's been counterfeited by the people who own the brand!

I'd suggest looking for wines such as Quinta do Vallado, a delicious, big, rich red from the Douro Valley. Reserve quality. Very fine. It's as big as a Cabernet, but with different fruit notes. Quinta de Roriz Reserva wines are also special. Barca Velha is a very famous wine...some compare it to Australia's Grange or Italy's Sassicaia as the first "international caliber" wine from Portugal. It's not produced in every vintage, but it can be a good bottle of wine. In the US market it goes for about $100...half that would probably be fair. The wines of Luis Pato are also worth a try. The large firm of Jose Maria de Fonseca (not related to the Port house named Fonseca) also produces quite a good range of wines and their Setubal wines (dessert Muscats) are in a class by themselves. I have not had Quinta da Bacalhoa in a few years, but recall good bottles of that wine and it was fairly priced, too. The DFJ brand offers a good range of wines, from modern whites to big, robust, delicious reds. There are many more, too, so happy hunting!

A couple of years ago I visited a famous estate in Tuscany and complained about the exceedingly high prices charged by its US importer. The owner felt since the demand exceeded the supply, he should not exert control over the importer's greedy pricing practices. I pointed out that when there is such an imbalance in pricing, this makes gray market purchases a more viable route, opening the door to conterfeiting. The fellow's eyes grew big, for he had just that day received a hand-written letter from his US importer, complaining about gray market availability of some wines. The interesting thing was there was a company in Bordeaux offering 100 cases of a proprietary wine. Even more interesting is the fact that the wine had only been released to the US importer and had not been sold by the winery at all in Europe. Yet someone had 100 cases to offer. The dilemma for the winery owner, of course, was whether or not to go to the authorities and risk adverse publicity, or stay quiet and hope, at least, the Bordeaux folks had bottled something of good quality. I believe he chose the latter route.

In Corsica the grape that makes the Arena Grotte del Sole is called Niellucio. It is thought to have been brought to Corsica by the Genovese. Niellucio is, most likely, Tuscany's Sangiovese in one form or another. Arena has 4 hectares of this grape...he is also famed (as famous as one can be on Corsica today) for his white wines, made predominantly of Vermentino. Arena also has a few hectares of Muscat.

I find the menu and wine accompaniments you've selected to be quite tasteful. I like the Champagne and Tuna Tartare suggestion and I wouldn't mind if it's Pinot-based or Chardonnay, just so long as it's well-balanced and quite dry & crisp. I'm also a fan of some of the Rose Champagnes...Laurent Perrier is quite good and really berryish and crisp. With the seafood cocktail--I might alter the selection to some sort of Sauvignon Blanc, especially if the Campechana "cocktail" has the cilantro and jalepenos which are often a part of Yucatan cuisine. I suppose a stony, minerally Riesling might work, but for my personal taste-buds, I'd opt for a bone dry, crisp, limey New Zealand Sauvignon...but the key here is something youthful and racy. Muscadet, given the tendency towards spiciness in this dish, is probably too light and delicate. Pinot Gris, for my taste, doesn't usually have enough "snap" to stand up to this. The Tavel Rose, providing it's not one of the "sweet" ones, should be marvelous with the vegetable salad. If the Tavel has nice spice notes, I'd be sure to grind some pepper atop the salad before serving. You shouldn't need much of an excuse for drinking Burgundy. I can appreciate others' suggestions for Pinot Gris given the apricots in the pork, but I would opt for a berryish, cherryish Pinot (rather than a more earthy or gamey styled wine) in this instance. A lighter styled, fruity Zinfandel should also work well in this case. And in this weather, it should be served with a slight chill (cellar temperature being about 55-degrees). The berry dessert can be matched, if you're still thirsty, with the Brachetto (suggested earlier), a fresh, lively Moscato, a late-picked Austrian or German wine, etc. I think the progression of flavors/intensities, etc. should make for a memorable culinary experience! Happy hedonism!

The "quality" of a vintage cannot be judged until the wines are vinified and in the processs of maturation in tank, barrel or botttle. Every harvest season we read reports of agony or ecstacy, all of which mean higher prices according to vintners. In the agony years, prices will rise, we're told, because crop levels are low for one reason or another. In ecstacy vintages, prices will rise, we're told, because the quality is such that it warrants a premium price.

You don't think Gallo uses oak chips, do you? Perhaps with a cold cerveza Ms. Gallo might bring out those chips and a dip (probably, what?, Pico de Gallo???)...

Are you now wearing Riedels, Spiegelaus or Lenscrafters??? You're not serious, are you? Gallows of Sonoma???

Of course, California still permits vintners to use the names Burgundy, Chablis, Rhine wine, Chianti and Champagne on bottles of its wines. A few years some Italian visitors were stunned to see the town of "ASTI" on their visit to Sonoma County. And I believe, if memory serves, the Chablis producer William Fevre labeled a wine he sold in the Orient with the name "Napa" somewhere on it. I think it was a Beaujolais of some sort and he did it to poke Napa vintners to stop using the word Chablis on bottles of their wines. Eventually the last holdouts, Charles Krug and BV stopped using that name on their wines.