Al Fresco in Palo Alto

My buddy Dan's pile is a paradise-like pocket-cottage-garden tucked behind a house on a leafy neighborhood street in Palo Alto. He is an intense gardener, as well as a long-time wine enthusiast and food maven. Fortunately for his friends, he loves to entertain at home.

The first time Dan invited me for dinner was several years ago, in the initial phases of his evolving garden that started with heirloom tomatoes. Today, his patio is dense with various edible plants, and his garden empire has expanded to a nearby off-site community garden plot, where he grows a ton of heirloom tomatoes, including rare varieties, even San Marzano!

The cherry tomatoes are still green. A pretty special variety, says Dan.

The padron peppers are also just starting to form.

But the shiso is constantly leafing. Dan served a concoction of infused shiso in water. Wow! Such a refreshing herbal tea.

In the kitchen, Dan and our friend Ash get supper ready. With these two accomplished cooks we are in good hands.

Jazz piped-in at the terrace via blue-tooth Bose speakers connected to a phone, soothing the air.

When night fell pesky bugs started to hover around but there was at least this electronic UV light protection.

Dan sauteed fresh mussels in a mixed chicken broth which was very tasty, especially with the new Champ Rose I brought from Lelarge-Pugeot, an organic and biodynamic producer in Vrigny. It's made with all Pinot Noir with low sulphites and minimal dosage.

I've always looked forward to trying the cuisine of our friend Ash, a skilled and really technical home cook, and I was rewarded. He made a version of gambas al ajillo in thick, garlicky Spanish olive oil sauce which was so good I couldn't stop mopping up the oil in the skillet with baguette!

Dan's homemade pappardelle pasta in tomato sauce (garden grown San Marzano) was simplicity itself but was so intense flavored. An perfect match for the luscious 2011 Massa Vecchia Berace, a Tuscan blend of Sangiovese and Merlot with a bit of Cabernet Sauvigon made totally naturally, without addition of sulfites or any additives.

Another supper guest, Francisco, whom I met for the first time, turned out to be a Portuguese professional caterer. He brought a tray of tender barbecued pork ribs, which was drop-dead tasty but unlike any barbecued ribs I've had before. It wasn't marinated or slathered with sweet barbecue sauce, like the usual, instead the sauce tasted dry and flavored with peppermint! Terrific with the Massa Vecchia.

Final plate just in case anyone isn't satiated yet, was more pappardelle pasta, this time buttered with black truffles and a drop of lemon juice. Lovely. What else can I say, except, to quote Anthony Hopkins in "Meet Joe Black": I don't want anything more.

Among Dan's legion of friends an invitation for a Sunday supper at his cozy lair is the golden ticket. How could it not be? It's a gastronomic treat with his culinary prowess and the beautiful wines that always flow. Not to mention the serene, jazz-filled, bug-free garden atmosphere. Dan, don't lose my number, dude!

Sorting Through Material Other Than Grape

Winemakers take pride in removing everything but the healthiest grapes in the all-important sorting process. Prior to this step, they fuss over growing the grapes to maximize flavor and then picking at the right time. The grapes are collected in shallow trays so as not to bruise them, and are brought in quickly to the cellar.

Given the impeccable provenance, one would expect these grapes not to be sullied hereon. That the wines that they will be turned into would directly impart all their qualities intact with nothing getting in the way.

Wrong.

In fact, winemakers seem to to abandon these cuddled grapes to the wolves. All sorts of chemicals and other additives are applied during winemaking--a total of about 59 are allowed in EU countries and much more than that in the US. Some of the most common are enzymes, cultured yeasts, nutrients. oak chips, tartaric acid, tannin, potassium sorbate, alcohol, water, sucrose, and sulphites.

Why do winemakers do these to grapes they have overprotected since birth? Is it laziness? Incompetence? Greed?

I think the answer is obvious. "We have met the enemy and he is us."

Drinkers don't like to taste anything they're not familiar with. The last thing drinkers need is to be immersed in a new flavor experience. No one seems to have the time or inclination to learn something they don't know in wine. Drinkers want wine to be obedient, to follow its master. Wine should not surprise or be unpredictable. No, we all have enough of that during the day with our tangles with co-workers, friends or partners. At the end of the day, when we're relaxing and having a meal, we want total control over that wine. Dammit, we don't want wine to challenge or question our expectations.

And so winemakers deliver to us wines that we want. Repeatable, with a sameness of character. Yet, they continue to also market to us the notion that wine is nothing more than grapes from these great vineyards, unsullied and expressive of their terroir. Of course, nothing can be far from reality, although that is what we want to hear, but not taste.

White Burgundy In Which Nothing Was Added Or Taken Away

A native of Burgundy, Frederic Cossard doesn't come from a family of vignerons. His family background is the milk trade. Yet, he grew more passionate about making wine the very old artisanal way, totally natural, without addition of any chemicals, including sulphites, and with minimal intervention. He started Domaine Chassorney in Saint-Romain, west of Volnay, with 7 hectares of vineyards that is farmed organically.

Today, Domaine de Chassorney's wines are much in demand by cutting-edge restaurants, bistros and wine bars in Japan, Belgium, and Scandinavian countries that they are almost impossible to find even in France.

I'm very happy that a few cases of the 2010 Saint-Romain Combe Bazin managed to arrive in the US. I enjoyed a bottle the other day with ceviche. This is incredibly overachieving white Burgundy. It's richness and palate-tingling minerality, density, and precise, high-voltage fruit recalls a Meursault-Perrieres. I'm not kidding! Check it out.

Saint-Romain Blanc "Combe Bazin", Domaine de Chassorney 2010 $58.00

An Afternoon at Maison Lou Dumont

On a visit to Maison Lou Dumont last fall, I found Koji Nakada and his wife Jae Hwa Park along with their two children very much at home in Gevrey-Chambertin. Koji came from Japan and Jae Hwa from Korea. They met in Burgundy and started their negociant company in 2000. The very first wine they made was a 2000 Nuits-St.-Georges Vieilles Vignes.

 

Today at their own house and cellar in Gevrey they produce wines from over a dozen different appellations with fruit purchased from well-chosen vineyards with vines averaging 30 to 40 years-old.

In 2012 they were able to purchase a walled vineyard under a hectare in size adjacent to their house no more than 50 feet from a new swimming pool Koji is digging. This first estate vineyard is a lieu-dit named Les Crainelles. It was planted earlier in the year with Pinot Noir and is being farmed organically. Koji expects to make about two barrels of villages Gevrey when the vines mature.

Koji's son (I can't remember his name!) is a delightful kid. He just got back from school soon after I arrived and started to play around us with a football and anything he can grab. Would he develop an interest in wine so he can help Dad and Mom? Koji's not sure but I think he hopes.

The family's backyard swimming pool between the house and the home vineyard was more than halfway finished. I'm sure it's fully operational by now.

The Nakada's house and office and cellar for Maison Lou Dumont was formerly the address of Domaine Fourrier. Not long after Jean-Marie Fourrier took over the domaine from his father, Jean-Claude, he needed more space and eventually sold the house.

It looks like Jae Hwa and Koji have kept the house in good shape. Jae Hwa loves to garden and she has added an Asian touch, planting bamboos and laying a rock garden outside the cellar entrance.

I was glad to be accompanied by my good friend Kei, a Kyoto-native and a brilliant toji for a small sake brewery in Shiga. He was in Burgundy to host a tasting of his sake, mainly for Burgundy winemakers.

After tasting the 2012s, which just just finished malo, from barrel, we headed to the office where Koji opened a bottle of his precious 2010 Bonnes Mares as a treat.

Maison Lou Dumont wines speak of Koji Nakada's traditional approach and minimum intervention. He doesn't overwork the wines, doing minimal pump overs and little punch downs. He vinifies with natural yeasts and adds low doses of sulfites during vinification and a little at bottling--no more than 30 grams/liter for reds and 50-60 grams/liter for whites. He strives for aromatic complexity and fine tannins and above all expressiveness of fruit.

Before I left, Koji handed me a souvenir, their wedding favor, which was a cork puller made by a friend from the barrel of the first vintage he and Jae Hwa made.

On the label of Maison Lou Dumont wines are the Kanji characters for sky, earth, and man. These are the elements that make wine possible.

Note: Maison Lou Dumont wines are not always available, but Vineyard Gate always tries to stock a few. Check the website for availability.

Stony Hill Napa Riesling

 

Unbeknownst to many, Riesling had great success and a much longer history than Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa. The dominating presence of German immigrants in the California wine industry by the second half of the 19th century had a lot to do with it. These California wine pioneers from Germany included: Jacob Gundlach, Emil Dresel, the Beringer Brothers, Jacob Schram, Charles Krug, Gottlieb Groezinger, Claus Schilling, Frederick Schweitzer, John Thomann, William Scheffler, Gustav Niebaum, George Husmann, and many more.

Napa’s “Great Wine Boom” during 1880s were led by the founding fathers of Napa  wine, mostly German immgrants like Niebaum, Krug, Beringer, Schram, Groezinger, and Thomann. During this time Napa became known for its superior wine quality among California wines mainly because of increased plantings of classic European varieties, especially Riesling. During a tour of Napa in 1892, the famous industrialist Andrew Carnegie was so impressed with the1888 Beringer Riesling that he said it was one of the best wines he’d ever tasted and placed a larger order the following month.

However, Riesling proved to be a difficult grape to grow in Napa Valley, where the climate was generally warm. The exceptions were the cool western hillsides, like Diamond Mountain above Calistoga, where Jacob Schram was confident Riesling would do well. Schram, originally from the Rheinhessen, knew that Riesling favored steep hillside slopes. California wine historian, Charles Sullivan, wrote that at an 1891 dinner for President Harrison at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Schram’s Riesling was the only Riesling and the only Napa white served.

By the 20th century, Riesling had almost disappeared in Napa as many wineries closed because of Prohibition and as red grapes such as Zinfandel and Bordeaux varieties became more dominant. Against this unlikely backdrop, Stony Hill Vineyard started in 1952, the first Napa winery to be established since Prohibition. The vineyard situated on the slopes of Spring Mountain was planted with all white grapes, mostly Chardonnay, followed by Riesling, then a little bit of Gewurztraminer and Semillon. Today, more than 60 years later, Stony Hill Vineyard has hardly changed. In fact, it has become legendary mainly because of its iconic Chardonnay. But its White Riesling from vines planted in 1948 is just as revered by long-time fans.

When I sipped the 2011 Stony Hill Vineyard White Riesling recently, I tried to imagine how elated Andrew Carnegie and President Harrison felt when they drank a great Napa Riesling like this Stony Hill during Napa's "Golden Age" in the late 1800s. Believe me it was easy to realize why.


Napa Valley White Riesling, Stony Hill Vineyard 2011 $27.00 (order)
A lovely dry Riesling from vines dating back to 1948 (22 to 63 years-old) on the hillside slopes of Spring Mountain. The dry-farmed (non-irrigated) vines are planted on stony soils in the cool microclimate producing a precise, vibrant Riesling with excellent acid balance and delicious depth of flavors that gradually open in the glass. This exudes the energy and elegant character of Stony Hill wines. Refreshing to sip on its own or with smoked trout and grilled asparagus. Vinified and aged in stainless steel. 12% alcohol. Only 330 cases made.

The New California Rosé

As the weather gets warm I start seeing things through Rosé-tinted bottles.

Apparently, I'm not alone. People are drinking more Rosés and every year the selection grows. But I'm picky. I just don't want Rosé made as an afterthought, usually from left-over grapes or left-over juice to generate extra revenues for the winery. No. I want Rosé from fruit intended for Rosé, and I want Rosé made by people who know how to make them.

After a careful search this spring, three California Rosé producers made my cut so far: LIOCO, Bedrock, and Arnot-Roberts.

In Mendocino's Redwood Valley LIOCO buy in grapes grown in benchland vineyards planted with head-pruned old vines that are dry-farmed (meaning no irrigation). The result is this juicy, flavorful Rosé called "Indica". It is made from "old-vine" Carignan planted "mid-century" according to LIOCO. The fruit was hand-harvested, sorted and then fermented in stainless steel tanks with wild yeasts. LIOCO's winemaker, John Raytek of Ceritas fame, proves that he knows how to craft real Rosé as well. The alcohol tops out at 12% and the price is just $19.

To avid fans of California wines made from old vines, Bedrock doesn't need any introduction. Morgan Twain-Peterson is one of the hottest young winemakers in California today specializing in California's heritage vineyards. The 2013 Bedrock California Rosé "Old Vine Ode to Lulu" is the latest example of Morgan's brilliant work. The blend consists almost entirely of Mourvedre--two-thirds from the 120 year-old Mourvedre vines in Bedrock Vineyard and one-fourth from Mourvedre planted in the Pagani Ranch in 1922. There is a tiny dollop of Grenache planted in the Gibson Ranch in McDowell Valley in the 1880s and Carignane from Ukiah planted in the 1950s. In other words, this Rosé is a treasure trove of priceless old vines in California. Alcohol is 12.3% and the price is just $20!

Arnot-Roberts works closely with a select group of small growers in Northern California farming vineyards in sites ideal for the grape varieties they grow. The grapes are grown and harvested to their preference, usually harvesting early for good acid balance and modest alcohol. Their 2013 Rosé, with fruit as usual sourced from Luchsinger Vineyard in Lake County, is made with Portuguese Douro grapes, mainly Touriga Nacional and a bit of Tinto Cao. These vines are planted in volcanic soils over ancient riverbed stones at 1,400 feet elevation in the Clear Lake AVA west of Kelseyville, California. Whole cluster grapes were foot treaded and the juice was macerated with skins for 24 hours then pressed into stainless steel tanks where it fermented in native yeasts. Alcohol is 11.5% and the price is a modest $26.

These three vibrant, manifold-flavored Rosés are as thirst-quenching and full of depth and flavor as any top European Rosé I've had, and are priced very reasonably.  But make sure you stock up on these California Rosés immediately as production and availability are very limited.


Mendocino County Rosé Wine "Indica", LIOCO 2013 $19.00 (order)


California Rosé "Old Vine Ode to Lulu", Bedrock Wine Co. 2013 $20.00 (order)


Clear Lake Rosé Touriga Nacional "Luchsinger Vineyard", Arnot-Roberts 2013 $26.00 (order)

Great Albariño from Napa

Thank God, Bedrock winemaker and owner, Morgan Twain-Peterson, is making value California wines, not pricey cult Napa wines. He could've easily taken the latter route as he trained at Chateau Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux.

I try to get my hands on everything Morgan makes as I’ve yet to find one that’s not satisfying. One that stands out among all the gems in his range is this Albariño. Yes, that cool climate grape from the green fields of Galicia in northern Spain and Vinhos Verde in northern Portugal. It turns out that much like the Iberian peninsula, fog-shrouded Los Carneros on the southern end of Napa also has cool, verdant vineyards that grow superb Albariño.

Morgan and his partner for this Abrente label, Michael Havens, source fruit from Stewart Ranch Vineyard in Carneros. This vineyard, as Carneros, is known for Pinot Noir, but Albariño is its hidden gem. It only needed Morgan to guide them to pick early enough while there is good acid balance and the sugars don’t produce such high alcohol. The 2013 Abrente Napa Albariño is aromatic, modest in alcohol (13%), and captures precisely the complex and refreshing qualities of great Albariño.

Albariño is not just some quaffer wine. A serious one like this Abrente is richly flavored and can gain more complexity with age. Yet, I’m glad people don’t take Albariño too seriously, that’s what makes it more fun and keeps the price down.


Napa Valley Albariño, Abrente 2013 $23.00