Tasting Notes: 2006 Melville Sta. Rita Hills Syrah, "Donna's"

This particular bottle has been sitting on my wine rack for at least 6 months, and though it's been ready to drink, I hadn't really had a reason to pull the cork. Melville is a charming, pretty winery located off of 246 in Lompoc, up in the Santa Ynez area by Santa Barbara. I had to dig out my fuzzy, scratched out tasting notes to remember my first impressions. Drinking wine is often contextually associated in my memory, and having a glass outdoors tonight while listening to old jazz and blues highlighted different characteristics from when I first tasted it in Melville's sunny and bustling tasting room, with The Pointer Sisters' "Fire" piped in on the radio (see, I told you, contextual).

The wine is a powerful blend of sweet, dark fruit and a lingering, pop-rock-like pepper finish that bursts across your taste buds. In the glass, it is a rich and inky, deep purple color. At first, I tasted more of blackberries & cassis, but as the wine had more time to sit, the acidity softened out somewhat and I tasted more of the earthy undertones mixed in with the fully expressed fruit flavors. Melville's tasting notes suggest it might be "sinister," I'd almost call it "lascivious;" the creaminess seduces the palate before that kicky finish teases you to take another sip - I'd even say the peppery borders on overwhelming, so this is not a wine for the faint-hearted. Certainly a delicious syrah with a shamelessly bold personality. Probably good to drink now and for another two years, at least. Enjoy.

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Tasted: 2006 Melville Syrah "Donna's"

bikes & flights

Santa Barbara wine country is a charmed area for multiple reasons in addition to its obvious draw as an epicenter for delicious, mouth-filling pinot noirs - from the established wineries along the Sideways wine-tasting routes to smaller, family operations, every vacant plot of sloping hillside is gradually filling with new wines to discover.

Over Labor Day weekend (yes, I'm a little behind on the updates), I took a trip up to Zaca Lake, a retreat also known as the location set for warm and fuzzy movies like the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Friday the 13th, part 3. We arrived at the gate just before midnight, learning something about what it means to be in complete, pitch-black darkness. After struggling with the padlock, we bumped over 5 miles of rough, narrow and winding road, traversing a couple of small, mostly dry creek beds and giving A, my backseat passenger, some mild car-sickness.

We woke up to find ourselves nestled between mountains on all sides, having stayed in the cabin above with 20 other strangers who would become our friends by the end of the weekend. We had all driven up variously with bikes loaded onto the backs of our cars, training for races the next week but eager to combine some pre-taper workouts with wine-tasting and outdoors relaxation over the long weekend.

I've been in the area several times for both tasting and cycling, and can't get over what a great place it is for both. The Solvang Century, held annually in early spring, was my first century ever and so beautiful, with one of the aid stations housed in a lot adjoining Fess Parker, at about mile 90 and just before the final (killer) hill on the road toward Los Olivos. This time, all 20+ of us drove our bikes from Zaca Lake to Los Olivos for a good long ride, combined with some tasting...and then disaster struck.

My tire had a pretty little hole in it from a ride earlier the day before, but figuring it would be a quick fix, I left it until we unloaded the bikes in Los Olivos. In a series of bizarre mishaps, we struggled for about 30 mins before realizing the poor wheel just had to be taken to a bike shop. I'd basically resigned myself to missing out on a great ride AND a full day of tasting, but A and I rolled into Dr. J's in Solvang where the friendly shop guys not only fixed my tire pronto, but a laid-back local hanging outside led us on a nice, 20-mile jaunt on the mostly flat roads around Solvang and Los Olivos. You can bet I'll drop back by there next time I'm in town, whether just to say hi or to find an excuse to buy something new for the cycling habit - they're the kind of local bike shop you want to have in every neighborhood. We were back in time for a late lunch at Panino before popping back into Los Olivos to try and reconvene with our fellow cyclists.

Los Olivos always becomes a bit of a mad house on the weekends, with the main square overrun by limousines and black cars chauffeuring groups around to tastings and a flood of other weekend visitors stopping in for a mid-day break from tasting. It's never so crowded that it takes away from the charm, however, and Saturday was no exception. I saw some riddling-rack wine holders for sale that I've added to my mental checklist of items for a future house, and A successfully procured various locally grown gourmet garlic varieties to save for future cooking endeavors.


There are numerous tasting rooms all over Main Street, which I've found to be hit or miss. The winery specific ones are generally better, and Saarloos&Sons was a pleasant discovery this time around. They fall into the family-run category, with Keith Saarloos pouring. He had this great trick of pouring just enough into the glass, then rolling the glass across the counter on its side, without spilling a drop. I've made a note to practice with some cheap wine and master as a future party trick. I guess I could also try learning to tie a knot in a cherry stem, but back to the wines -

They mostly grow grapes used by other wineries, but started producing small quantities of their own wines. Of the ones we tasted, I most enjoyed Daughter's and 194Five The Union. Daughter's is a fresh, sweet Chardonnay blended according to the tastes of the women in the family. I thought it was refreshingly different from most California Chardonnays I've tasted, with a soft and slightly creamy feel and light, fruity flavors that rush the palate before fading away like the champagne fireworks you see on the 4th of July. 194Five The Union is a Syrah-Cabernet blend that is a strong, masculine contrast to Daughter's, with its dark and smoky flavors and tannic finish.

This was unfortunately the only tasting we had the chance to breeze through, despite an ambitious schedule, but I'll likely be making another tasting trip in the next couple of months, with more to come at that point on some of my favorite wineries and tasting routes.

L.A. Sommeliers and Chefs Toss Back Summer Beers

who says beer and wine lovers can't get along? I'm on board with Peter Birmingham - love Racer 5, and have on occasion hightailed it to Father's Office just to sneak in a sweet potato order before the kitchen closes.

from eat:LA
L.A. Sommeliers and Chefs Toss Back Summer Beers

Color me organic

A couple of years ago, my then-roommates and I were in the habit of having friends over to our modest (tiny) space once or twice a month, over 6 or so bottles of wine and conversations that grew increasingly silly as the glasses emptied. Though these were meant to be beginning-of-the-night stops, they more-often-than-not ended with several of us curled up on the floor cushions with no desire to pursue any further bar-hopping or other exciting social engagements.

One such night I was able to convince the roommates it would be a good idea to do only organic wines; everything else is going green, why not go green with the wine, too? And so I asked for some favorite picks at the store, came back with the standard collection of a half-dozen bottles, and excitedly served them up.

What exactly makes a wine organic? Well, just as with foods at the supermarket, there are certifying bodies, but the term is not a clear-cut indication as to how a wine is produced. A wine "made from organically grown grapes" may not necessarily be an "organic wine," and must be labeled accordingly. The difference here is simply because an "organic wine" can have no sulfur added during winemaking process, a step that aids in the aging of wine as it reacts with oxygen in the bottle to prevent the wine from oxidizing before the cork has been removed. Those with sulfite sensitivities (like one of my old roommates) may prefer organic wines for this reason.

By the time we had worked our way up to the fourth bottle of the evening, one of our friends took a sip, and remarked that it "tasted like green earth." Organic wines are sometimes criticized for relying on the certification as a marketing gimmick while sacrificing the integrity of bottles produced. Of the organic wines I've tasted, at this particular tasting and since, I would have to agree that there is a whole range of quality to be found amongst the organic wines. There's no specific advantage, taste-wise, for choosing an organic wine over one otherwise labeled. Even with concern over production practices though, it may not be a meaningful difference as all quality grape growers should be focused on practices that extend the life of their soil. Most of the agricultural methods employed to create prime growing conditions are already fairly sustainable.

What makes the whole business even more confusing is the parallel growth in popularity of biodynamic wines. These merit a post of their own. In summary, biodynamic wines are similar to organic wines in production methods but employ an even more holistic, philosophical approach to growing - preparations involve burying cow manure in horns or adding wildflowers to compost that is spread on the vineyards. My brief take on both? Organic and biodynamic wines are best for those who are primarily concerned with the many steps to winemaking that occur before grapes are even harvested.

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Tasted: 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Mauritson, Dry Creek

More on certification:
California Certified Organic Farmers

windy city wining & dining

I can't tell you how many times I've flown through Chicago's airport, rushing through the concourses to catch a connecting flight, never curious about the city beyond or pausing for long enough to think whether I'd even want to stay a little longer. Over the last couple of years, however, it seems like every friend of mine I've talked to has loved the place, so okay - I got a little curious, and finally dropped in for a weekend.

In addition to doing the essential touristy things - walking the Magnificent Mile, grabbing some great (really yummy) pizza, hitting the beaches on Lake Michigan, Millennium / Grant / Lincoln Parks, an architecture boat tour, etc. - the highlight of the weekend was dinner at Alinea. I've been fantasizing about eating here since I saw this slideshow from a dinner hosted by Grant Achatz and Thomas Keller, Achatz's old boss at French Laundry, so could hardly wait for our Saturday night dinner reservation. There's no use in pretending I'm a food blogger, but at a place like this, the wine is at best a complementary element to an amazing meal.

Alinea's food emphasizes the intense and varied flavors contributed by each element of a dish, and Achatz has established himself as a leader in molecular gastronomy (alongside Ferran Adria of El Bulli, of course). Prior to dining at Alinea, my only real encounters as an experimental gourmand were at New York's WD-50 and Bazaar, LA's trendy restaurant-of-the-moment. I enjoyed the meals I've had at both, enough to have dined at Bazaar on multiple occasions, but Alinea put both to shame in all categories - inventiveness, presentation, ambience, pure deliciousness...

Dining at Alinea was a lot of fun. We had snagged a reservation on the earlier side, with the upshot being that each dish was a surprise, unspoilt by having seen it previously presented to any of our fellow diners. The highlights were a decorative vase spewing smoky fumes of peppery steak on a grill, dessert served on self-deflating pillows wafting lavender air, and a fascinating tobacco ice cream.


Though we opted for two half-bottles, it seems a wine pairing would be the way to go with better planning (we had numerous additional stops to make after dinner that would have been more difficult to navigate after so many glasses of wine). The sommelier was helpful in picking half-bottles of white and red that would pair appropriately with the mixed bag of dishes we were to experience, leading us to an Austrian Riesling and a Rhone.


The three of us at dinner are all big red drinkers, though R has more experience with whites and, despite being hesitant (ok, actively against) Riesling, we were convinced to give it a try. As promised, the Riesling (note to self: be better about recording names of wines tasted) was nice and dry, more like a Sauvignon blanc than the overly frilly Rieslings with which most of us are acquainted. The Rhone was a 2004 Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which drank well with the Wagyu steak and rich flavors dominating the later half of our dinner courses.

The wine really took a backstage to the food here - which is what good wine should do, when paired with excellent cuisine (though we did come away newly open to Austrian Rieslings). Ideally, wine should enhance what is on the plate, bringing out subtle or missed flavors and enhancing the full expression of more dominant ones. For us at this meal, however, it was all about the fun of being in Achatz's hands.

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Alinea
1723 N. Halsted
Chicago
312-867-0110


Achatz's writings for The Atlantic
photos: thanks, Jessisah

Wine that travels well

If you've picked up on the trend from previous posts of eating outdoors + music + wine, you'll find this Gear Test from today's New York Times useful when arming yourself for your next picnic adventure:

FASHION & STYLE
Physical Culture Gear Test, Wine Chillers
Michael Brands for The New York Times
Published: 20090812
When it comes to summertime relaxation, the idea of an outdoor picnic — complete with a nice bottle of wine — is hard to beat. One of the hardest tricks to pull off, however, is keeping the wine chilled along the way.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/08/12/fashion/20090813-physical-slideshow_index.html

Varietold: White zin your pocket? (say it fast)

I'll admit right off that I generally avoid pink wines (rose, blush, etc., if we want to be technical) like a bad rash. But I've recently come to the realization, upon enjoying a bottle of white zinfandel this past weekend, that these wines are perfect for summer afternoons. While white zin is not technically a variety unto itself, I'll say that it is a wonderful wine for the season - an uncomplaining companion for a lazy afternoon in the sun. It's unfortunately got a pretty bad reputation, becoming somewhat of the playground outcast, scorned by most wine aficionados and only disdainfully accepted at best.

Zinfandel is a versatile grape that makes for some interesting red wines, but the white zinfandel take carries none of the expected peppery, bodied notes and is rather a light, fruity and almost punchy wine. These carefree qualities make it an easy wine to drink, clear and refreshing in contrast to the heat of the grille. So, even though I'm not here to extol the undiscovered epiphanies to be found in that blush, I would advocate at least picking up one bottle this summer and giving it a try.

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Tasted: Beringer White Zinfandel 2007