#winebutch

Don't know what to pour tonight? Will Lyons of the Wall Street Journal does...

Let this be a lesson to any restaurant insiders looking to make a quick buck stealing and fencing wine - those expensive bottles are numbered! http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-wine-stolen-french-laundry-recovered-20150123-story.html

In remembrance and solidarity of those killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack - which included 3 cartoonists who also produced some of France's most outrageous wine labels.

"Their spirit was to laugh at everything and expose the biggest bullshit in the world. And they were killed by the biggest act of bullshit." - Gerard Descrambe, Bordeaux Winemaker

p.s. this is supposed to be top 5 tastes, but Tumblr is being difficult. I am always appreciative of the access I have to great wine...and not just great wine, but world class wines at the top of their game, undiscovered gems, trending wines with big scores and of course, the coveted and hard to source wines like First Growth, Cali Cults and 100 pointers. In a wine world that is ever increasing in overall quality, there are always peaks and valleys of the underrated & overrated over the course of a year but no matter the results, I am always looking forward to the next taste. Here is a short list of my standouts for 2014.

2011 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series I am always on the lookout for elegant and refined Chardonnay that isn't from Burgundy. For years Leeuwin has been hitting spot on with their top of the line Art Series Chardonnay. Mineral driven with just the right touch of oak, you might think this wine was a Grand Cru Chablis. And my instincts here were justified when this wine was named #5 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the Year 2014 Click here to get info & pricing to purchase 2011 Leeuwin Chard

2011 Pavie Macquin, St. Emilion Surprise! 2011 Bordeaux for the most part is fair to middling from the majority of producers. BUT there are a few...very few...standouts and I was floored when I tasted this Right Bank beauty at the Union des Grands Crus tasting early in 2014. First off was the flavor - as opposed to many of the weedy, reedy and dirty tasting wines represented, Pavie Macquin was loaded with blackberry, black currant, black cherry, floral and mineral. Layers of flavor that wouldn't end. Secondly the texture was mouthfilling and like velvet. Beautiful tannic structure that didn't overpower, but will give this wine long life indeed.

2012 Caymus Cabernet - 40th Anniversary Edition I was blown away when I tasted this Napa Cab. Densely fruited, layered, complex and most of all juicy, this is some serious potential in a bottle. My favorite component to look for, which many Napa Cabs lack, is acidity and this version of one of Napa's finest has it dialed in. Mostly sold out by now, if you can get your hands on this terrific wine, grab all you can!

Once that cork was discovered floating and bobbing at the base of the neck, it was curtains for this 3 Liter. Unfortunate for the customer (who received a $5K refund) but fortunate for the staff! 

It was every wine enthusiasts dream - my first buying trip to France! Eight days of non-stop barrel samples, foie gras, vineyard tours and cellar tastings. The company I was with (North Berkeley Wine) was hosted by a different producer from the import portfolio for basically every meal. Day 5 was dinner at a small family-owned winery Domaine La Milliere with winemaker and proprietor, Michel Arnaud. (And, oh my god, I cannot remember his wife's name...well, I do remember that she was exuberant and loved to speak, or try to speak, English. She was non-stop talking about her adventures in America when she visited our wine country in Napa. After attending an American BBQ, she was stunned that we had no sauces on any of our dishes...grilled chicken...no sauce. Corn on the cob...no sauce. After this experience, apparently she acquired the nickname "Saucy-Girl" and that is forever how I remember her.)

After tasting the new 2006 vintage from barrel in the cellar, Michel and Saucy Girl treated us to a home cooked meal of classic southern French fare. An eggplant and carrot terrine was followed by ratatouille and the thickest rib steaks you can imagine. Michel grilled these wine country style - using a pile of dried grapevine to stoke the fire. It was a homey experience and one that was welcome after days of five course meals that left me full to bursting every time - I mean, foie gras AND cheese course every lunch and every dinner...how can you say no? Totally hedonistic, but isn't that why I'm in the wine biz?

The wine, of course, was fantastic - Michel poured the 2004 and 2001 versions of the La Milliere Chateuneuf du Pape that the company had in the portfolio. The 2001 was tremendous with 2004 not far behind. Then he popped a magnum of the recently bottled 2005 - pure hedonism with rich dense blackberry fruit - yum! And then it happened - Monsieur Arnaud got a little twinkle in his eye and asked us if we wanted to try something special, something secret. We couldn't wait as he disappeared to the cellar and came back with a bottle with no label and set it on the table. He was very cagey and said only that it was a wine his father had made and he would tell us the vintage after we tasted it. Having not had too, too many older wine experiences, I was tapping my feet with anticipation. He poured us each a spot and we dove right in. We were all floored by the aromas, complexity and pure beauty of this wine. We tried to guess - 1990? 1978? Chateuneuf ages how long...10 years, twenty years...more? We kept going back in time until we hit it - 1968. At first I thought it was a fairly young wine - say from the tremendous 1998 vintage, but after about 20 minutes the oxygen killed it and it fell apart with the beautiful cherry fruit turning sour and harsh. Still, unforgettable. I was fortunate enough to know at the time that this was a benchmark wine experience for any enthusiast or professional. To this day it remains one of my most treasured wine memories. Thanks to Michel & Saucy GIrl. 2006 Domaine la Milliere Barrel Sample Foudre #9 100% Grenache. A little stanky. Less jammy, more elegant but pure fruit and some tannin. Quite balanced and very 'épicé' with cocoa & basil. Solid.

2001 Domaine la Milliere Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvée Unique * Still stanky but mouth is dense & young still. Lots of structure but fruit is showing beautifully. Balanced & complete but still evolving, needs 5-7 more years maybe. Rating: One Star