A Kistler Chardonnay Vertical

A tasting last month of Kistler Chardonnays encompassing five consecutive vintages was very revealing. It showed that Kistler Chardonnays can age over longer periods than widely believed (well beyond five years from vintage date), and that at least this is true for vintages earlier than 2002.

Vintages 1998 through 2001 have turned to a deep yellow color. Some may frown at this and quickly conclude that it’s a visible sign that the wine has turned. Nonsense. It’s oxidation, alright, which is what aging is about, but it doesn’t mean the wine has expired. On the contrary, the 1998s were still tight, particularly the McCrea Vineyard, while both the Dutton Ranch and Durell Vineyard showed better on the second and third days. No doubt the powerful concentration and high levels of polyphenols of these wines help them achieve long maturities.

Surprisingly, though, the youngest wine of the group, the 2002 Dutton Ranch, was the softest and was immediately drinking well. Has Kistler changed anything in their winemaking approach since 2002?

Russian River Chardonnay “Dutton Ranch”, Kistler 1998
Deep yellow color. Nutty, fruity scents. Round and creamy. Showing more vibrancy on the second and third day, plus more minerality.

Dutton Ranch is in one of the coolest microclimates in Sonoma and planted with 30-year-old vines. Many other wineries produce Dutton wines, but no one equals Kistler.

Sonoma Chardonnay “Durell Vineyard”, Kistler 1998
Softer and more open than the Dutton. Ripe, with lush tropical fruit flavors. It showed more substance on the second day

Located in southwest corner of Sonoma, close to Carneros, Durell Vineyard is planted with old Wente clone taken from the Hyde Vineyard in Carneros. Very low yields and small berries result in intense, forceful Chardonnays.

Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay “McCrea Vineyard”, Kistler 1998
The tightest of the three 1998s. It had no nose at all when opened, though the palate was fruity and fresh and showed the most minerality of the three 1998s. The nose remained closed over the next two days and the flavors retained their freshness.

McCrea Vineyard lies 800 feet on the east-facing slopes of Sonoma Mountain. It’s in a very cool microclimate and grapes ripen slowly here and develop full flavor when harvested. Kistler is responsible for farming this vineyard.

Russian River Chardonnay “Vine Hill Vineyard”, Kistler 1999
The most mineral in the group and, therefore, very well textured. Its color is slightly lighter yellow than the 1998s. Started tight on the palate, but its vibrancy made it at least refreshing. It opened up more the next day. Ripe apricot, citrus flavors and layers of minerals.

This is one of Kistler’s estate vineyards. It was planted in 1988 with low-yielding Chardonnay clone that produces concentrated, multilayered wines.

Russian River Chardonnay “Vine Hill Vineyard”, Kistler 2000
Deep yellow color, somewhere in between the 1998s and the 1999, A bit reticent, but soon opened up to lush, tropical fruit flavors. It remained fresh-tasting over the next two days.

2000 was a relatively cool growing season, perfect for expressive, elegant Chardonnays that are able to mature over a longer period.

Russian River Chardonnay “Dutton Ranch”, Kistler 2001
A fat, rich Chardonnay. Just a bit sweeter than the others, but also just as fresh tasting. The color has turned deep yellow, but it tastes very youthful on the first day. The next day the flavors showed more tropical fruit and nuttiness.

Unquestionably one of the finest Chardonnay vineyards in California, Dutton Ranch experienced a long growing season in 2001 resulting in a juicy, ripe, and full-flavored Chardonnay.

Russian River Chardonnay “Dutton Ranch”, Kistler 2002
Lush, round, soft, and creamy-textured. This was very forward and showed no tightness at all. It drinks very deliciously now. With its softness and low acidity, this is stylistically the most different Chardonnay in the group.

A short growing season with severe heat spikes, the fruit ripened quickly and produced a wine that’s fat and opulent, yet mouthwateringly fresh on the palate.

Boys' Night Out Las Vegas Rendezvous

It was impossible to pass up the opportunity to trek to Las Vegas for a BNO (boys’ night-out) last month. Stephen Marshall, executive chef of the Medici at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas, obliged to prepare a special dinner menu to match up with whatever wines we could muster. A consensus, more or less, evolved over the wine theme, and as soon as all the bottles were gathered up and styrofoamed for the airplane check-in, the Vegas affair was afoot



A trio of Champagnes started the evening. Eric uncorked the surprise performer, an unpretentious and somewhat obscure non-vintage Champagne Brut Rosé de Saignée from Duval-Leroy. Duval-Leroy, a venerable estate in Vertus, is one of the few Champagne houses that produce pink Champagne using the traditional saignée method. It’s the long method of making pink wines—instead of simply mixing some red wine to white wine to produce a rosé, Duval-Leroy uses 100% Pinot Noir, macerating the skin with the first-pressed juice for about 24 to 48 hours to allow just enough time for the skin color to “bleed” and produce a wine with a lovely salmon pink hue. This Champagne put out its seductive charms with its baked fruit aromas and rich, mouthfilling flavors of dense fruitcake. Matt detected “almond and almond extract”. It was truly captivating Champagne! At least 3 puffs.




The 1997 Champagne Brut Rosé “Cuvée Alexandra” Laurent-Perrier that followed was more reticent. A deep salmon pink color. On the nose, it smelled as yeasty as baking bread; and after a while in the glass it starts to taste more like Burgundy, deliciously nutty and minerally. It is built to last and with its firm, sturdy character, tastes like it can age another 10 years or more. This 1997 is just the fourth release of this special Champagne as it’s only made in special years. A blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay—all from grand cru vineyards—vinification starts with a short maceration period of the two grapes to extract the color. 3 ½ puffs was the consensus score after considerable deliberation and comparison with the Duval-Leroy.




We drank the 1995 Comtes Blanc de Blancs Taittinger in style, while riding in the limo en route to the restaurant. Serious tasting was not easy as the Champagne sloshed in the glass most of the way. It was quite creamy and the flavors were again reminiscent of a big white Burgundy. Almost brutally dry, mouthfilling and very minerally. This bottle was just way too tight and young. It really needs several more years to mellow as it is quite a brute right now. 3 ½ puffs.




As soon as we settled down around the spacious round chef’s table, the next flight commenced. It was an interesting pair of Corton-Charlemagne from the distant past: 1978 Joseph Drouhin and 1982 Bonneau du Martray.The Bonneau du Martray estate is of course the embodiment of Corton-Charlemagne itself. It’s the giant of the appellation, owning a whopping 9-plus hectares of vineyard, and it’s almost sole production is Corton-Charlemagne (an inconsequential amount of red Corton is also produced). It’s situated on the Pernand side where the character is more mineral and elegant and the wines more long-lived. The 1982 is mature, but still very fresh; tasting of honeyed fruits with hints of citrus/orange. What a brilliant bottle from a so-so Burgundy vintage! It is clearly one of Bonneau du Martray’s best. That after nearly a quarter of a century, this wine can be so fresh-tasting and elegant is proof of the superiority of the Bonneau du Martray terroir. Veteran and novice wine collectors, alike, who focus mainly on “vintages of the century” are missing out and overspending; oftentimes, great wines are produced in unheralded years. Group score is 3 puffs.

How lucky can we get to have not one, but two great Corton-Charlemagne experiences in one night! The 1978 Corton-Charlemagne from Joseph Drouhin was another stellar performer, but it was more reticent. From the get-go it was outclassed by the Bonneau du Martray. But an hour or so later, the Drouhin blossomed and blew us away! Looking back, maybe we should have decanted it. Some experts do recommend decanting aged grand cru white Burgundies, particularly Corton-Charlemagne. At any rate, the two Corton-Charlemagnes couldn’t be more different. Drouhin, a negociant, nevertheless has owned a parcel in Corton-Charlemagne for quite some time, so this is a domaine wine. 1978 was another average, at best, white Burgundy vintage, yet this is one of the great Corton-Charlemagnes from Drouhin. Ha! Ha! Another reason to throw away vintage charts. Tight for a while, but later fragrant with floral, toasted bread scents. This has penetrating depth, very long, vivid, and totally focused. The flavors are just amazingly persistent. Consider the fact that this Chardonnay has evolved for nearly thirty years! Group score is 3 ½ puffs.



Well, on with the reds from this point on. What follows is the main theme of the evening: 1982 Bordeaux. To sort of “cleanse” both our glasses and palates a bottle of 1984 Pichon-Lalande (“glass-coater”, says Steve) was passed around. No one expected much from this lowly bottle, but it more than did its job. A touch earthy and mushroomy, with the familiar Pichon-Lalande floral-sweet cedar-plum scents coming through. Graceful and still weighty on the palate. I’m reminded of what Michael Broadbent wrote about one of his favorite Bordeaux: “certainly fully mature, an easy style of wine, the tannin so noticeable at a tasting bench would be unnoticeable with food; it would merely serve to refresh, leave the mouth clean and dry—an aid to the digestion. That is what good claret is for.”



The first 4 puffer of the evening was the 1982 Pichon-Lalande. This beauty exuded floral, violets, and earthy scents. Very lush, sweet, and somewhat chocolatey. It felt fresh on the palate, with its good acid balance, and the tannins were rich and velvety smooth. Never forceful, but totally persistent in its long finish. It held steady in the glass throughout the evening. What a gloriously harmonious wine! Will it continue to improve? I think that’s a subjective notion. I very much like the way it is right now, mature yet youthfully fresh and energetic. There is no question in my mind that this is at its peak.



A pristine-looking bottle of 1982 Palmer followed next. Let me say first that it is a highly attractive wine for its powerful fruit and robust character. But it remains a puzzler as it is rough-edged and its expression is muddled. There is a lack of the Palmer elegance and, instead, more cru bourgeois. Will it still blossom in later years? Nevertheless, good wine is still good wine, as it adequately accompanied a marvelous plate of medium-rare New York strip venison in a sauce infused with juniper oil extract. 3 puffs.



The 1982 Cos d’Estournel had no hesitation; it opened up immediately as soon as it hit the glass. Mouthfilling, soft, and lush, with flavors of dark chocolate-coated blackberries. It’s almost like a fruit-bomb, soft-centered and lacking grip, yet its energy and liveliness are essentially what still make it so good. It, too, was great with the venison, proving that great producers like Palmer and Cos don’t have to come up with perfect wines to be enjoyable 24 years after the vintage. 3 puffs.



More than any other vintage, 1982 pushed Léoville-Las-Cases to the front ranks of Bordeaux's quality hierarchy and made its name synonymous with the term, “super-second”. Perhaps its greatest success, the 1982 is still backward and evolving, yet the potential is clear. The nose has reached a point of lovely maturity, with its bouquet of tobacco and sweet herbs. On the palate it is already austere and elegant and still backed by excellent concentration of fruit that is very cassis. After an hour or so in the glass, its power is more evident in its firmness and muscular concentration. This is a serious wine, not a drink to trifle with; its character is dry and cerebral, not sensual. 4 puffs.

It’s interesting to observe that the 1982 Mouton-Rothschild is not so dissimilar to the 1982 Léoville-Las-Cases as both are still backward wines and probably another decade till peak. But the Mouton is definitely seductive, with its sweet and spicy cigar box nose; its velvety tannins; and its lush, concentrated flavors of cassis and ripe plums. The sweet flavors stay long on the mid-palate, and then turn austere and elegant on the lengthy finish, with notable freshness and good acid balance. In today’s tendency for low-acid, high alcohol wines, it’s notable that this powerful, long-lived Mouton has 11.5% alcohol! 4 puffs.

In the midst of all these Bordeaux, a 1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia was passed around. To be honest, I failed to take notes on this one and my memory may not do enough justice to it. Suffice it to say that is was still drinking young and it was quite a change from the Bordeaux not just for its more voluminous fruit, but for its sharp minty flavors. A standout Cabernet Sauvignon I’m sure.

This whole dinner affair was undoubtedly exhilarating but quite fatiguing as well. At least four hours had passed from the time we started, and there was one more drink to go and, of course, cigars. We repaired to the outside patio to polish off the decanted 1963 Fonseca Port. The red mahogany-colored liquid was very sweet and velvety. Its fragrant nose recalled preserved plums, chocolate, and cedar. In the mouth it was powerful, aggressive, almost rough, but it caressed with its heady sweet raspberry, earthy, licorice flavors. Very long, sustained finish. An astonishing Port for its power and youth!

"A Good Year" The Movie

(The limestone covered vineyards of Château la Canorgue. Photo courtesy of Beaune Imports)

Getting serious Hollywood heavyweights like Director Ridley Scott and Actor Russell Crowe to do a slapstick film on wine is almost bizarre. Yet, their new movie "A Good Year" is a lot of fun to watch, especially if you approach it like you would a good rosé.

Based on Peter Mayle's book of the same title, the movie tells the tale of a obsessively competitive boy, tutored early on about the charms of wine by his uncle during summers spent at the latter's vineyard in Provence, who grew up to be a greedy, backstabbing monster of an investment banker in the City of London (he calls his minions "lab rats"). From the moment Max Skinner, the investment banker (played by Russell Crowe), received a letter from France informing him about his uncle's death and his impending inheritance, the movie becomes altogether predictable, so you can just sit back and laugh at the run of jokes and hilarious scenes that Ridley Scott stitched together.

Wine buffs would delight in how wine is the catalyst in the movie. No, there is no discussion here of malolactic fermentation or of showing off great trophy wines as in "Sideways". The opening scene sets the tone with the boy Skinner being schooled on the appreciation of wine by his uncle who opens a bottle of 1969 Bandol, Domaine Tempier. The uncle pours a full glass for himself and he cuts the next glass with water for his nephew. Asked by the boy why he likes wine, the uncle explains that "wine is incapable of lying".

But the real star of the movie is the Provençal setting. Much of it was filmed on location at the beautful estate of Château la Canorgue in the Lubéron hills of Provence. Its picturesque Roman villa, with a natural stone swimming pool, overlooking the limestone covered vineyards is stunning.

Enough said. Go see the movie and enjoy!

Uva Cure!

There's been a spate of reports recently about the remarkable healing powers of wine, specifically red wine.

A study by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine found that Cabernet Sauvignon may help cure Alzheimer's disease. It appears that Cabernet Sauvignon stimulates a protein that prevents Alzheimer's from developing. The study was done on mice and not on humans.

Another study, also involving mice, done by the Harvard Medical School and the Naitonal Institute on Aging, showed that large doses of resveratrol, a substance found in red wine, "lowers the rate of diabetes, liver problems and other fat-related ill effects in obese mice", says a New York Times article.

Wow!

These studies certainly appear to be good reasons to keep drinking wine. But I do remember Julia Child's comment on a TV show with Jacques Pepin when they were cooking salmon. Pepin extolled the benefits of Omega-3 found in salmon, to which Child immediately retorted, "but we don't eat salmon for medicine!" Amen

The BNO California Pinot Noir Theme

Our BNO (Boys’ Night Out) wine group was called into order on August 25th. The theme this time was California Pinot Noir. But as always, there were tasty deviations from the theme.

To start things off the sparkler was a California Mumm's Napa Blanc de Noirs Rosé ("in honor of our Kawleeforniaa theme", said Kevin). Appropriate with the theme as this is made with Pinot Noir. “Highly rated, good value also. Very nice wine—loads of Pinot fruit, decent balance.” (Kevin)

Ours hosts (John and Bonnie) put out an outstanding spread of appetizers, with different cheeses (Brie and Parmesian) coupled with Bruschetta and salami. Fabulous with the Mumm’s Napa. The presence of Bonnie added a new element to BNO, as she’s so far the only woman to have joined the group—a most welcome intrusion (?), so to speak.



Williams Selyem’s 2002 Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard got drained quickly. “Classy, clean, fragrant”, says Kevin. Unfortunately, our main scribe for the night didn’t pull his pen fast enough to take copious notes and had only this comment: “I started taking notes well after they were gone, and my recollections would not do them justice, although the Selyem was Bonnie’s favorite wine.”

Hereafter, Steve’s notetaking was exemplary.

"Dinner was an outstanding cut of prime rib, with baked potatoes and all the fixings, a great compliment to the wines which rapidly began flowing. We scored them on the puff system, with 4 puffs being the highest accolade that a wine can receive. The wines started to flow fairly rapidly, and continued flowing all through dinner. The comments are not presented in the order of opening and the comments represent many opinions, and for me personally, many glasses of wine:




1976 Hanzell - Who says California Pinots can’t age? This wine exceeded everyone’s expectations and was fabulous! An unbelievable nose, full of anise, leather, strawberries forest floor, mushrooms and rose petals. It was very concentrated in appearance, dark, deep, with little bit of a burnt edge. Full flavored, with a very complete mouth feel, good fruit, well integrated, but still with notable acid. 15.4% alchohol. 3.5 puffs

1994 Hanzell – A deep ruby color, more leather, earth and forest floor, the sweet fruit has not emerged yet, but the wines are clearly cousins. Very tight right out of the bottle, still tannic and full of acid, the fruit started to emerge later in the evening. Very balanced, chewy and rich on the palette, the overwhelming view of the group was that it was just to young, and it needs more time to emerge and develop. This (like the previous bottle) was clearly viewed as a serious food wine. 3.5 puffs




1999 Marcassin, marcassin vineyards: If the Hanzell, was a brute, a school yard bully, the Marcassin was a graceful ballerina (I told you I had several glasses of wine as I started writing). Because I brought this wine, I was expecting it to blow away the competition (at leased based upon auction price). The wine was delightful, if the Hanzell was a food wine, this was a wine that cried for a party. Soft and lush on the palette, a complete wine. Perfectly integrated, round and balanced in the mouth, bursting with soft red fruits, raspberry, strawberry. Beautiful nose, incredibly subtle, with rose petal, flowers and red fruit. 3.0 puffs

1984 Calera - WOW, what a surprise! The killer wine of the evening, certainly blowing away my expectations. Fragrant and earthy, an explosive intoxicating nose of red fruit and violets. Complete mouth feel, a multi-dimensional wine, perfectly balanced acid and soft tannins, not soft in the mouth more chewy, full of violets and richness. At it’s peak, Great right now, nothing to improve. The most complete wine of the evening, stylistaclly, more French than Californian. If the Hanzell is food, and the Marcassin is party, this is the wine I would take to desert island wine. 4.0 puffs




1996 Gary Farrell – One of California’s legendary wine makers. Lighter than the others, but still rich in color. Light pomegranite and plum fragrance on the still tight nose. Mouth feel was a little disappointing, thin on mid and back palette, a little flat, perhaps past it’s prime. Drink now, still a great wine, but it had some brutal competition, which hurt it in a head to head comparison. 2.5 puffs”

Kevin chimed in: “Williams Selyem ' 02., suggested what the G. Farrell might have been like 3-4 yrs. earlier. Dry mouthfeel, good acidity, some rhubarb notes, I didn't think this would improve.” (Kevin)



“If I could drink mahogany, this would be it.”


“1927 Cockburn Port - It’s nights like this, that I feel lucky to be associated with this wine group. Any one of these wines would be a huge treat on it’s own, but to have them together, and then to end on a wine like is pure luck. The bottle fill was low shoulder, but no signs of seepage. The port was a bit cold on opening, and very tight. The color was jewel like, garnet in color, but clear, not at all cloudy. Kevin swears by his port tongs for opening old bottles, and if this bottle was any indication, I may have to risk personal injury and switch. Opening a bottle with port tongs involves fire, red hot metal, ice cubes and broken glass. As it warmed, it’s richness emerged, a heady nose of black walnut, tobacco and caramel. If I could drink mahogany, this would be it. In a blind tasting, I would have picked this as a late 80’s early 90’s wine. A bit light on the front palette, but it gained weight and muscle as it went on. The finish went on and on, 60+ seconds. A viscous and oily mouth feel, after sweet dark fruits on front palette (cherries and blackberries), a spicy richness of carroway and nutmeg emerged. YUM YUM!!!!!” Very nice wine."

Kevin’s comments: “Cockburn ' 27. I agree, youngish, my thought was more like ' 60 or ' 66. Cockburn pre 40's vintages, even more austere and tight than its reputation for those qualities in later years. Would have been fun to see how it would have developed with a day or two--I agree Steve, opened up considerably, lean, elegant, dry, good acidity."

No “puffs” were recorded for this wine. I don’t know if it was just in the euphoria of the moment or no one bothered any more, but I guess it’s safe to assume this Cockburn is a four pointer.

And for the newbies out there, Cockburn is pronounced: Koh-burn. My friend, Dennis Foley, reinforced this fact on me when he commented, quite accurately I would say, that:

"cock burn is a condition, while Cockburn is a Port".

R.W. Apple, Jr.

Global gourmand and New York Times super-journalist, R.W. Apple, Jr., passed away today at the age of 71.

A gifted journlist with a prodigious appetite for fine food and wine, he used such talents to perfection, reporting blissfully about his food adventures around the world. He was unique among journalists as he criss-crossed the world of news reporting and that of food and wine.

Hail to Olive Garden, Wine Marketer Extraordinaire!

The hugely popular Italian-themed restaurant chain Olive Garden is not just good with breadsticks, but it's also the top wine seller among restaurants in the country. With nearly 600 locations, the chain goes through over half a million cases a year according to recent reports. Okay, they don't exactly sell classified-growth Bordeaux or Napa cults, but their wine program is a smashing success and, therefore, remarkable considering that the chain targets middle America, not upscale gourmands who are usually regarded as the main wine consumers in this country.

How does Olive Garden entice their customers to drink wine? It starts with an easy to understand, one-page wine list dominated by wines selling in the range of $20-$30 per bottle. The list is classified not by price, grape varietal, or geography, but by flavor profile: something more understandable and friendly to their customers. They have "Slight Sweet" (white Zinfandel, Riesling, Asti), "Light & Fruity" (Pinot Grigio), "Full & Smooth" (Chardonnay), "Smooth & Fruity" (Pinot Noir, Valpolicella), "Soft Berry Flavors" (Merlot, Chianti), and "Robust & Rich" (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Barolo, Amarone). Mark-ups are 2X-3X retail. Brands are well-known mass market, large-volume producers such as Sutter Home, Robert Mondavi, Penfolds, Cavit, Yellow Tail, and Kendall-Jackson.

But the restaurant also hooks customers by having a staff member go around offering free tastes of some of their wines. Though white Zinfandel still accounts for 40% of wine sales, customers are increasingly moving on to Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir.

This is a welcome exception to the wine establishements' dependence on wine critics' scores to promote wines. It's good to see restaurants like the Olive Garden tackle the marketing successfully with, shall we say, a more user-friendly approach.