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! 

http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2014/11/kim-jong-un-necks-snake-wine-for-virility/

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

I was lucky enough to visit Chateau d'Issan in 2014 for En Primeur (first presentation from barrel of the newest Bordeaux vintage). I was blown away by the property - one of the few Chateau that has a REAL moat - a true old time castle! Not only was the property impressive, but the wine we tasted was a great showing for this 3rd Growth estate.

The folks from d'Issan paid us a visit yesterday with a retrospective of wines going back to 2000. What a great way to see how this wine has evolved in the bottle. One of the big talking points is that this property is on the same kind of soil as Chateau Margaux - similarly styled and certainly this 3rd Growth property strives to be on the same level as the vaunted First Growth. In the great vintages d'Issan surely does soar, yet in the lesser vintages the difference in quality is more apparent.

2012 Chateau d'Issan (barrel sample tasted in April 2014) * Dark fruits on nose with aromatic floral. Fruit is lovely though lacks a little concentration, but showing great acidity. With time, this will be a "pretty" wine. One Star

2012 Chateau d'Issan + Noting some reduction on nose? Med body and fairly intense. Some savory (read: green) notes coming through but still depth of fruit is apparent. Showing lots of classic tobacco, lead and espresso.Good balance. Missing the lift and lovely complexity I remember from barrel.

2010 Chateau d'Issan * initial nose is pretty with fruit and floral, but then some redux again? Sweet fruit up front with great depth that continues through finish. Good structure to support. Lovely complexity with acid balancing. JUST GREAT! One Star

2006 Chateau d'Issan :-) Color just a hint of brick. Secondary aromas coming and palate is smooth & quite delicious. The silky smooth texture says maturing but the fruit is still sweet and fresh. A hint of grip emerges on finish. Very Good. Smiley Face

It was 1999 and I was working at my first high end restaurant, diligently taking notes at the daily line up of exquisite ingredients and top flight wine by the glass. Foie gras with sweetbreads, duck and rabbit confit, the airiest souffle in all of Chicago, maybe even the country. The wine education was fast and furious as I lucked into the job with more personality than wine knowledge and maybe the fact that the hiring manager was a giant gay tipped the job in my favor. In short order I fell in love with Beaujolais, Pouilly Fuisse and Sancerre and it was a big day when I discovered that Chateauneuf du Pape really DOES smell like black pepper!

Even though every day brought a new favorite to my wine repertoire, I was ever the student, learning and studying, applying the flavor profile and characteristics as if from a textbook. Why was wine so great? I didn’t really know - after work, my drink of choice was vodka and soda or the lightest of lite beers…literally beverages with no flavor or character.

It all changed on a night off having dinner at a small restaurant in Lincoln Park - American Cuisine with a solely American wine list. In Chicago in 1999 that was a revelation. After hearing of my interest in French Pinot Noir, the wine director (also a revelation in 1999) steered me toward an Oregon Pinot, lavishing her sales pitch with descriptors like “layers of raspberry and cherry…gaining complexity as it opens in the glass…” I was intrigued.

1995 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve - this wine changed my world view. The aromatics were transporting and the flavors exploded on the palate. Truly, layers of flavors unfolded minute after minute and the wine changed and evolved in the glass as the night wore on. It was a contemplative, intense and almost arousing experience. I couldn’t get enough of smelling the nose. When I tasted this wine, I felt like I understood the history on humankind just a little bit better. I understood why the Romans, the Greeks, the French and every civilization before us has tried to educate the future that wine truly is a living thing and meant to be preserved, celebrated, contemplated and enjoyed.

Should a first post be memorable? I think so. My whole point here is to focus on access. Access to new wines, special vineyards, hard to get into properties, unknown producers or ridiculous vintages that most people don't have a chance to experience. And detail them for you. Enjoy my notes!

These two wines came through the consignment department where I work but were in seriously questionable condition . It was a happy day when the powers that be decided to open them. It's not every day you get to taste Chateau d'Yquem let alone from vintages this old. Truly one of the most memorable wine experiences ever.

1928 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes ***

Absolute clarity in the glass. Golden brown fading to yellow to clear at the rim. Nose is burnt sugar, caramel, orange peel, vanilla, spice, cardamom and nutmeg. Still alive with delectable sweet fruit flavor and candied nuts, caramelized apricot and orange rind. Still not heavy on the palate. Superb. Two plus Stars

1959 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes *