Fair trade and organic coffee farming is the topic as a Jesuit High School mathematics and science teacher is on a large-scale research and environmental expedition in Costa Rica this week.
Jennifer Cournia, a 1997 Jesuit graduate, is in Coope Tarrazú, a farming cooperative located in the small town of San Marcos de Tarrazú.
Cournia is conducting research on coffee farms, meeting local farmers,
Original post by Robert
It took me a long time in my evolution as a wine lover to truly understand the amount of money and sweat and energy that goes into building a world class winery over decades, even centuries.
Many wine lovers early in their education (and in their earning power) are often flummoxed by prices for wines that start to head north of $80 or $90 per bottle. Should they pursue their love of wine long enough to really learn (and see for themselves) what kind of work goes into some of the world’s best vineyards, and to taste the wine that they produce, such prices no longer seem outrageous.
Indeed, there are some wineries and vineyards in the world that seem to produce wines of such quality and consistency as to be nearly magical. In Europe, and especially France, such pieces of land are often given special designations, such as Grand Cru, to signify their quality.
There are very few plots of land in California that might be accorded Grand Cru status, should Americans decide to institute some method of classifying vineyards for quality, if only because many of California’s vineyards are so relatively new. There are some very few, however, that have definitively proven their distinctiveness and quality over several decades.
Unquestionably, the first vineyard on my list of such wineries and vineyard sites would be Rochioli Vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Tucked in between Westside Road and the meandering curves of the Russian River as it heads south past Healdsburg, Rochioli Vineyards produces some of the most sought after Pinot Noir in California.
Since the early part of the century, the 162 acres of flats and sloping hillsides that run down towards this particular bend in the river have been farmed by someone with the last name Rochioli. After working the land for decades, Joe Rochioli, Sr., began buying up the land, bit by bit. By the 1950’s, he had been joined by his son Joe Rochioli, Jr. and together they spent several decades growing grapes that were sold to wineries throughout Sonoma County.
It wasn’t until the early Seventies, however, that the farm produced Pinot Noir. Like many long-running family winegrowers, however, eventually the hankering to make their own wine started to germinate, and in 1976 Joe Jr. made a bunch of Pinot Noir at one of his customers’ wineries.
By the early Eighties, the Russian River Valley had clearly proven its potential for growing Burgundian varietals, and Pinot Noir in particular, and the Rochioli’s saw a gradual increase in the demand for their fruit. One small winery named Williams Selyem became a particularly good customer, and the single vineyard wines they made from Rochioli fruit rapidly made their fortunes and brought Rochioli to national and international attention.
Around this time, Joe Jr.’s son Tom had grown dissatisfied with his business career and decided to return to the family business. Capitalizing on the rapidly increasing demand for the family’s fruit, Tom helped transform the Rochioli ranch from a farm to a full working winery. With the help of another of their customers, Gary Farrell, the family produced its first vintage under the Rochioli brand in 1982, a 150 case production of Pinot Noir from a vineyard plot known as the West Block.
Within a few years, Tom had taken over as winemaker, a position which he continues to hold today, even as his father Joe Jr. continues to direct the management of the family’s vineyards.
Producing about 13,000 cases of wine each year, Rochioli produces appellation designated wines under the Rochioli Vineyards label, and single vineyard and block-designated wines under the J. Rochioli label. These latter wines, including this River Block Pinot Noir, are available only to their mailing list customers.
Tom Rochioli’s winemaking style, as well as his entire family’s philosophy of wine production are based in the traditions of Burgundy, and in particular the Cote d’Or. Exacting quality standards, clonal diversity, and vineyard management techniques produce top quality fruit, which is then babied through a traditional hands-off winemaking process that attempts to manipulate the wine as little as possible through its lifecycle.
More so than almost any other Pinot Noir in California, Rochioli wines are built to age, and do so beautifully. I have had the pleasure of drinking bottles dating back to 1990 in the past few years, and they are holding up magnificently. Whether they have the 50+ year longevity of old world Burgundy, only time will tell, but if any Pinot Noir America will likely age in that fashion, it will most certainly be Rochioli.
Whenever possible I avoid favoritism, as I believe my life and the lives of my readers benefit from a diverse exploration and recommendation of wines. However, when it comes right down to it, there are few wines in California wine that I care for more than Rochioli’s block designated Pinot Noirs, especially when they are properly aged for a decade or two.
Tasting Notes:
Medium ruby in color, this wine has a bright, bold nose of cranberry and spice aromas that you can smell long before your nose is in the glass. On the palate the wine has a gorgeous glassy silk texture that conveys an impression of coolness, while all but bursting with bright, juicy raspberry fruit and a deep complexion of mulling spices and fresh herbs that linger in a very long finish. Incredibly well balanced and poised, this wine has fantastic acidity that makes it a joy to drink now and a sure bet for a couple decades of aging.
Food Pairing:
I’d love to drink this wine with a crostata of goat cheese and sauteed chanterelle mushrooms with fresh thyme.
Overall Score: around 9.5
How Much?: $85
This wine is available for purchase on the Internet.
Original post by Alfonso Cevola
The wine world needs more people like Terry Theise, the man I call the Shakespeare of Terroir.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the stuffy, over-intellectualized world of wine geekery, where people endlessly debate the smallest aspects of winemaking or vintage ratings. All of us who spend enough time talking, thinking, and reading about wine get sucked into that world occasionally. But I find myself attracted to those who fall into that trap with the least regularity.
As luck would have it, there are several simple cures for me readily at hand whenever I forget that wine is first and foremost, fun. One of them arrives in two volumes every year with the name Terry Theise boldly printed across the top, usually accompanied by a pretty picture.
Theise is one of the genius-fools of the wine world, who despite their immense knowledge and experience, manage to talk and write and think about wine with the boundless and pretensionless enthusiasm of a beginner. Picking up a Theise catalog is like opening one of the crazy manifestos that some Berkeley radicals mimeographed and sold in independent bookstores in the Sixties. Part rant, part poetry, part reference manual, and part literature, Theise’s catalogs are simply a hoot.
Case in point, one of my favorite of his many descriptions of terroir:
“Soil…is a wine’s DNA. It is the fundamental building block of that wine’s identity. Elvis is Elvis. Some years it rained and he was thin Elvis; some years it was hot and he was fat Elvis. He was sometimes drunk Elvis, sometimes sleepy Elvis, or cornball, sleazy, charismatic or horny Elvis. In fact it’s safe to say that he was every imaginable variety of Elvis his temperament could contrive. But always, he was Elvis.”
Theise is madly passionately in love with wine and it shows in everything he writes — he may well be my favorite wine writer, and he doesn’t even get paid for it.
Theise has been bringing German and Austrian wine (and Champagne) to the States since… well, it seems like since before time immemorial. I actually don′t know exactly when he started doing his thing, but his name has become synonymous with the highest quality wines from both countries. It is not fair to compare two unique and talented individuals, but a shorthand that helps me explain Theise to some people often suggests that he’s the Kermit Lynch of Germany and Austria.
Now, about the wines.
I had a chance to attend a tasting on Monday of many of his selections from the much heralded 2008 vintage. Now, I haven’t been carefully following vintages in Germany and Austria for many years years, so you’ll have to take my commentary on the vintage as a whole with a grain of salt and look elsewhere for authoritative pronunciations of the soundness of the year. Having said that, 2008 pretty much looks like it rocks across the board. The wines are rich, bold, and have a depth to them that is quite striking.
Sadly I was time pressured at this tasting so I didn′t get to taste everything I wanted to — I tried to focus on the Kabinett and Spätlese wines, as those tend to be what I drink, and I threw in some Gruner Veltiners and an occasional Scheurebe just for fun.
As usual with these wines, some of my favorites are really smashing deals, and if I didn’t have to buy new brakes for my car, I’d be plunking down for a couple of cases of this stuff. Yummy!
Enjoy.
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9.5
2007 Bründlmayer Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein, Kamptal, Austria. $43
2007 Bründlmayer Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein “Lyra”, Kamptal, Austria. $40
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2008 Alzinger Riesling Hollerin Smaragd, Wachau, Austria. $65
2008 Bründlmayer Riesling “Kamptaler Terrassen”, Kamptal, Austria. $28
2007 Bründlmayer Riesling Steinmassel, Kamptal, Austria. $39
2008 Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Heiligenstein, Kremstal, Austria. $28
2007 Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Lamm, Kremstal, Austria. $54
2007 Hirsch Riesling Heiligenstein, Kremstal, Austria. $54
2008 Salomon Undhof Riesling Pfaffenberg, Kremstal, Austria. $20
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2007 Hirsch Riesling Gaisberg, Kremstal, Austria. $52
2007 Nikolaihof Riesling Vom Stein Smaragd, Wachau, Austria. $80
2008 Salomon Undhof Sal’mon Riesling, Kremstal, Austria. $21
2008 Salomon Undhof Riesling Kögl, Kremstal, Austria. $28
2008 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Renner, Kremstal, Austria. $41
2008 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Gaisberg, Kremstal, Austria. $39
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2008 Hirsch Riesling Zöbing, Kremstal, Austria. $28
2008 Nigl Riesling Kremsleiten, Kremstal, Austria. $45
2008 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Steinsetz, Kremstal, Austria. $30
2008 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling “Gobelsburger″, Kremstal, Austria. $21
2008 Schwarzböck Riesling Pöcken, Weinviertel, Austria. $23
2008 Setzer Grüner Veltliner “8000″, Weinviertel, Austria. $49
2008 Setzer Riesling, Weinviertel, Austria. $30
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2008 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Freiheit, Kremstal, Austria. $23
2008 Nigl Grüner Veltliner “Privat”, Kremstal, Austria. $54
2008 Nigl Riesling Senftenberger Piri, Kremstal, Austria. $45
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8 AND 8.5
2008 Heidi Schröck Furmint,, Austria. $26
2008 Nikolaihof Riesling Vom Stein Federspiel, Wachau, Austria. $43
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9.5 AND 10
2008 Müller-Catoir Mandelring Scheurebe Spätlese, Pfalz, Germany. $60
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9.5
2008 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese, Nahe, Germany. $69
2008 Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany. $24
2008 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Dautenpflänzer Riesling Spätlese, Nahe, Germany. $30
2008 Leitz Rüdesheimer Klosterlay Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau, Germany. $21
2008 Leitz Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spätlese, Rheingau, Germany. $24
2008 Meulenhof Erdener Prälat Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $26
2008 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese* Alte Reben, Mosel, Germany. $26
2008 Müller-Catoir Mussbach Riesling Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany. $39
2008 Müller-Catoir Bürgergarten Riesling Spätlese, Pfalz, Germany. $60
2008 Strub Niersteiner Paterberg Riesling Spätlese, Rheinhessen, Germany. $26
2008 Wagner-Stempel Siefersheimer Höllberg Riesling Spätlese, Rheinhessen, Germany. $45
2008 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #10, Mosel, Germany. $41
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2008 Dönnhoff Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spätlese, Nahe, Germany. $50
2008 Dönnhoff Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spätlese, Nahe, Germany. $64
2008 Gysler Weinheimer Riesling Kabinett, Rheinhessen, Germany. $21
2008 Kerpen Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $29
2008 Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese* Artist Label, Mosel, Germany. $34
2008 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Pittersberg Riesling Spätlese, Nahe, Germany. $31
2008 Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spätlese, Rheingau, Germany. $39
2008 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany. $21
2008 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese*, Mosel, Germany. $26
2007 Minges Burrweiler Schlossgarten Riesling Spätlese, Pfalz, Germany. $30
2008 Müller-Catoir Herrenletten Riesling Spätlese trocken,, Germany. $60
2008 Reuscher-Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese #10, Mosel, Germany. $26
2008 Reuscher-Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese #12, Mosel, Germany. $26
2008 Schmitt-Wagner Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $28
2008 Strub Niersteiner Brückchen Riesling Kabinett, Rheinhessen, Germany. $21
2008 von Othegraven (Saar) Ockfen Bockstein Riesling Spätlese Erste Lage, Mosel, Germany. $50
2008 Weegmüller Haardter Herrenletten Scheurebe Spätlese, Pfalz, Germany. $36
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2008 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett, Nahe, Germany. $31
2008 Eugen Müller Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese trocken “Cyriakus”,, Germany. $40
2008 Eugen Müller Forster Pechstein Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken “Terra Cara”,, Germany. $23
2008 Geil Bechtheimer Geyersberg Riesling Spätlese, Rheinhessen, Germany. $24
2008 Kerpen Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett feinherb Artist Label, Mosel, Germany. $25
2008 Kerpen Bernkasteler Bratenhöfchen Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $29
2008 Kruger-Rumpf Scheurebe Kabinett, Nahe, Germany. $23
2007 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett, Nahe, Germany. $24
2008 Kruger-Rumpf Binger Scharlachberg Riesling Spätlese, Nahe, Germany. $31
2008 Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling trocken “Alte Reben″, Rheingau, Germany. $56
2008 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling, Rheingau, Germany. $19
2008 Loewen Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $33
2008 Loewen Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $33
2008 Messmer Burrweiler Schäwer Riesling Spätlese, Pfalz, Germany. $43
2008 Meulenhof Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $24
2008 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling “Rotlay”, Mosel, Germany. $23
2008 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling “Schmitt”, Mosel, Germany. $23
2008 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese “Anrecht″, Mosel, Germany. $31
2008 Weingart Schloss Fürstenberg Riesling Kabinett, Mittelrhein, Germany. $26
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2008 Dönnhoff Estate Riesling, Nahe, Germany. $25
2008 Eugen Müller Forster Mariengarten Riesling Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany. $20
2008 Kerpen Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese trocken, Mosel, Germany. $30
2008 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany. $26
2008 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $31
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2008 Biffar Deidesheimer Herrgottsacker Riesling Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany. $24
2008 Geil Bechtheimer Rosengarten Riesling Kabinett, Rheinhessen, Germany. $18
2008 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese, Mosel, Germany. $36
2008 Kruger-Rumpf Scheurebe trocken, Nahe, Germany. $23
2008 Leitz Eins Zwei Dry “3″, Rheingau, Germany. $17
2008 Weegmüller Haardter Bürgergarten Riesling Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany. $25
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8 AND 8.5
2008 Kruger-Rumpf Scharlachberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Nahe, Germany. $26
2008 Kruger-Rumpf Riesling halbtrocken, Nahe, Germany. $23
2008 Messmer Riesling halbtrocken, Pfalz, Germany. $19
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8
2008 Bernhard Hackenheimer Kirchberg Riesling Kabinett, Rheinhessen, Germany. $22
2008 Weegmüller Cuvée Fleur, Pfalz, Germany. $24
Original post by Alfonso Cevola
It seems like everyday we get another headline announcing the passing of someone who was part of the larger American family. I have been thinking about this iconic Tuscan wine, one that grew up with America. And as America developed, so this wine also expanded in the marketplace and on tables across America. For many people this wine came to symbolize Italian wine. In restaurants, surely, in its day, the top tier had more swagger than Brunello.
My earliest memory is in the cellar of an old Italian restaurant, helping the leggy female sommelier open all the wood boxes. It would take 20 or more minutes, from the 750ml to the 1.5 Liter, the regular Riserva and the gold standard ones. We could have sold those boxes now, but in 1979 they were broken down and thrown out. Pity, because they used a kind of pine that dried almost to a hardwood density.
There was this little red wine, referred to as if it had become an amorphous reanimation of a magnificent Italian from the Renaissance. Today it would a simple Toscana IGT, but in those days, it was a find. Sangiovese, probably with a little Montepulciano or Primitivo ( legal for that time) that would come to the table for under $20 in a white tablecloth high-class place. The goal was to replace ice tea and Liebfraumilch on those white tablecloths with something Italian. Something that went with the food.
A few days ago I walked into an Italian restaurant’s wine cellar and saw chadonnay, merlot, pinot noir and cabernet in abundance. I wonder if that would make Maurizio Zanella or Lamberto Frescobaldi happy now. Why am I asking this? These gentlemen don’t care what I think. And they are some of the few who come from the country of wine who know something of wine, while they swim all around millions of their countrymen and women who don’t know that they live on one of the grand magazzini of wine for the world. Still, I lament the loss of those simple and authentic wines as if they were friends, replacing a great Sangiovese with a blinged out merlot. As if having a few friends on Facebook makes up for not having a community of flesh and blood real-life ones.
From the little “magnificent one” Sangiovese this dynastic family would bring mountains of Chianti in fiasco to America. Go through any antique shop in Northern California or East Texas and one can find examples of those hand blown bottles with the straw lovingly wrapped around the base. This is what ignited the Americans imagination for Italian wine and food. Even cartoon movies like Lady and the Tramp romanticized the wine. As children we were being prepared for Italian wine by Walt Disney. I shudder to think of the other influences we have been implanted with by that genius.
This brings us to their top tier wines, the riservas. They were color coded in those days, the labels. Today, the colors are muted but there is still an historical reference to them with word that now reference to royalty and a slight nod to the color of the highest one, their gold standard. Meno bistecca, piu sfrigolio.
A pity, because all of these wines were the soldiers in the day. And the salespeople, ones older than me, who took them into the little mama and papa red tablecloth places, they were tilling new fields with these wines. Imagine a Chianti Classico Riserva having more cache than a Brunello? A generation ago, it was thus. And now we have the “influenza bordelaise” deep within the walls of Chianti, arriving by sea and landing years ago at La Maremma.
I am reminded of the 34th Canto of Arioso’s Orlando Furioso:
Oh famelice, inique e fiere arpie
ch’all’accecata Italia e d’error piena,
per punir forse antique colpe rie,
in ogni mensa alto giudicio mena!
Innocenti fanciulli e madri pie
cascan di fame, e veggon ch’una cena
di questi mostri rei tutto divora
ciò che del viver lor sostegno fôra.O fierce and hungry harpies, that on blind
And erring Italy so full have fed!
Whom, for the scourge of ancient sins designed,
Haply just Heaven to every board has sped.
Innocent children, pious mothers, pined
With hunger, die, and see their daily bread,
—The orphan’s and the widow’s scanty food—
Feed for a single feast that filthy brood.
So, to my old friend who walked in battle with us in the heat of the Texas sun, and in the darkness of the white tablecloth restaurants, goodbye for now. You are older and many people have passed you by. And while none of us will escape the loss of our peak moment, I tip my ragged tweed coppola in your direction, as you were one of the giants whose shoulders we stood upon in order to see an uncertain future filled with hope.
Original post by Alfonso Cevola
The Pinot Days grand tasting event, which took place yesterday at Fort Mason in San Francisco, brings together one of the largest collections of Pinot Noir producers in North America for the tasting pleasure of the public.
I was interested to see whether attendance at this year’s event would be noticeably lower, but if it was, I couldn’t tell. The place seemed just as packed as ever, which is a good thing — the California wine industry needs all the help it can get in this recession.
So needless to say, I was in good company tasting yesterday with 3500 of my wine loving friends.
I use such events, comprehensive as they are, as a means of judging the overall quality of the vintage in California, if it is possible to generalize in such a way as this. At this most recent tasting, the 2007 Pinot Noirs were on display, and I found them generally quite good, with excellent acidity, bright fruit, and, increasingly less ripe than past vintages.
The industry thankfully continues to dial back the extraction and ripeness from levels that seemed to peak in the 2002 and 2003 vintages. This is especially true for the wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands which tend to be some of the most overripe Pinot Noirs made in Northern California. Wines from Garys’ Vineyard, Pisoni Vineyard, and Rosella’s Vineyard, continue to be moderated to saner levels of fruit and alcohol than in the past.
I’ve called out the few nice roses I found as well as a couple white wines that were on offer.
Enjoy.
WHITE WINES THAT SNUCK INTO THE TASTING
2007 Chasseur Lorenzo Chardonnay, Russian River Valley. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $55.
2006 Bjornstad Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley. Score: around 9. Cost: $40
2006 Fort Ross Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $32
2007 Hirsch Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $50
PINK WINES
2008 Clos Pepe Rose of Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $18
2008 Fort Ross Rose of Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast. Score: around 9. Cost: $16
2008 Macrostie Rose of Pinot Noir, Sonoma County. Score: around 9. Cost: $20
2008 Inman Family Vineyards Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $25
2007 Albiouness Rose of Pinot Noir, Carneros. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $15
2008 Lynmar Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $20
2008 Bjornstad Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $18
AND NOW LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS:
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9.5
2005 Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills. $48. Where to buy?
2000 Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills. $48.Where to buy?
2004 Derbes Les Pinots, Russian River Valley. $45. Where to buy?
2007 Morgan Hat Trick, Santa Lucia Highlands. $62. Where to buy?
2006 Woodenhead Wiley Vineyard, Anderson Valley. $60. Where to buy?
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2007 Auteur Sonoma Stage, Sonoma Coast. $50. Where to buy?
2007 Belle Glos Taylor Lane, Sonoma Coast. $45. Where to buy?
1997 Calera Reed, Mt. Harlan. $65. Where to buy?
2007 Chasseur Umino, Russian River Valley. $60. Where to buy?
2007 Chasseur Blank, Russian River Valley. $60. Where to buy?
2007 Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills. $48. Where to buy?
2006 Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills. $48. Where to buy?
2006 Derbes, Russian River Valley. $47. Where to buy?
2006 Domaine Serene Evenstad, Willamette Valley, OR. $58. Where to buy?
2007 Failla Occidental Ridge, Sonoma Coast. $60. Where to buy?
2006 Fort Ross Pinotage, Sonoma Coast. $32. Where to buy?
2007 Freeman Vineyards Akiko’s Cuvee, Sonoma Coast. $52. Where to buy?
2006 Hirsch, Sonoma Coast. $60. Where to buy?
2007 Jim Ball Signature, Anderson Valley. $45. Where to buy?
2006 Keller Estate El Coro, Sonoma Coast. $52. Where to buy?
2006 Morgan Double “L” Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. $62. Where to buy?
2006 Morgan Rosella’s, Santa Lucia Highlands. $85. Where to buy?
2006 Scherrer, Sonoma County. $35. Where to buy?
2006 Scherrer, Russian River Valley. $40. Where to buy?
2007 Woodenhead Humboldt County, Mendocino. $34. Where to buy?
2007 Woodenhead, Russian River Valley. $40. Where to buy?
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2007 August West Graham Family, Russian River Valley. $50
2007 Auteur Manchester Ridge, Mendocino Ridge. $60
2007 Auteur Shea Vineyard, Willamette Valley, OR. $60
2007 Balletto Burnside Road, Russian River Valley. $36
2007 Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley. $45
2007 Bjornstad Hellenthal, Sonoma Coast. $40
2006 Calera Ryan, Mt. Harlan. $40
2006 Calera Mills, Mt. Harlan. $45
2007 Chasseur, Russian River Valley. $40
2007 Clos Saron Home Vineyard, Sierra Foothills. $45
2007 Dain Savage Juliet, Anderson Valley. $45
2005 Domaine Serene Winery Hill, Willamette Valley, OR. $75
2006 DuNah Estate, Russian River Valley. $45
2006 DuNah Sangiacomo, Sonoma Coast. $45
2007 ENO The One, Santa Lucia Highlands. $35
2006 Expression 44 Degrees - Zena’s Crown, Willamette Valley, OR. $48
2006 Failla Vivian, Sonoma Coast. $120
2006 Fort Ross Symposium, Sonoma Coast. $32
2005 Fort Ross Reserve, Sonoma Coast. $49
2007 Freeman Vineyards, Russian River Valley. $41
2006 Gary Farrell Starr Ridge, Russian River Valley. $50
2006 Gary Farrell, Russian River Valley. $40
2006 Goldeneye, Anderson Valley. $55
2006 Inman Family Vineyards OGV, Russian River Valley. $52
2007 Jim Ball Booneville, Anderson Valley. $50
2006 Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast. $42
2006 Keller Estate Preciosos, Sonoma Coast. $$75
2007 Ketchum, Russian River Valley. $38
2007 Ketchum Estate, Russian River Valley. $48
2007 Ladd Moore Ranch, Russian River Valley. $??
2007 Le Cadeu Equinox, Willamette Valley, OR. $47
2007 Le Cadeu Rocheux, Willamette Valley, OR. $47
2006 Louis Latour Marsannay, Burgundy, France. $20
2005 Louis Latour Les Chaillots — Aloxe-Corton, Burgundy, France. $45
2006 Lynmar, Russian River Valley. $40
2006 Lynmar Hawk Hill, Russian River Valley. $70
2007 Macrostie Wildcat Mountain, Sonoma Coast. $40
2001 Michaud, Chalone. /a
2007 Miner Family Vineyards Garys’ Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. $55
2007 Morgan 12 Clones, Santa Lucia Highlands. $31
2007 Perception Orsi Vineyard, Russian River Valley. $53
2006 Pey-Lucia Frisque, Santa Lucia Highlands. $39
2006 Pey-Marin, Marin County. $39
2004 Pey-Marin, Marin County. /a
2002 Pey-Marin, Marin County. /a
2006 Roesseler Ridges, Sonoma Coast. $50
2007 Rusack Reserve, Santa Rita Hills. $40
2006 Scherrer Big Brother, Sonoma Coast. $50
2006 Skewis Bush Vineyard, Russian River Valley. $48
2005 Stonier Reserve, Mornington Penninsula, Australia. $45
2005 Varner Picnic Block, Santa Cruz Mountains. $40
2006 Woodenhead Troika, North Coast. $120
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2006 Albiouness Stanley Ranch, Carneros. $42
2006 Albiouness Hudson Vineyard, Carneros. $48
2006 August West Graham Family, Russian River Valley. $48
2007 August West Rosella’s Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. $50
2007 Balletto Winery Block, Russian River Valley. $36
2007 Belle Glos Las Alturas, Monterey County. $45
2006 Bjornstad Hellenthal, Sonoma Coast. $
2007 Calera, Central Coast. $24
2006 Calera Mount Harlan Cuvee, Mt. Harlan. $30
2002 Calera Mills, Mt. Harlan. $55
2007 Cargasacchi Cargasacchi-Jalama, Santa Barbara County. $??
2007 Cargasacchi, Santa Rita Hills. $??
2007 Chasseur, Sonoma Coast. $40
2004 Clos Saron Home Vineyard, Sierra Foothills. $45
2006 Clos Saron Texas Hill Vineyard, Sierra Foothills. $45
2007 Coterie Fairview Road Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. $35
2007 Dain Amber Ridge, Russian River Valley. $45
2007 Dain Savage Juliet Reserve, Anderson Valley. $45
2006 ENO Never Say Never, Santa Lucia Highlands. $32
2007 ENO The Brilliant Mind, Santa Lucia Highlands. $32
2006 Expression 44 Degrees - Willakia, Willamette Valley, OR. $48
2007 Expression 39 Degrees - Annabella, Anderson Valley. $48
2007 Freeman Vineyards, Sonoma Coast. $41
2007 Freeman Vineyards Keefer Ranch, Russian River Valley. $46
2006 Freestone Vineyards, Sonoma Coast. $75
2006 Gary Farrell Ramal Vineyard, Carneros. $50
2007 Goldeneye Migration, Anderson Valley. $34
2007 Grochau, Willamette Valley, OR. $24
2007 Grochau Cuvee des Amis, Willamette Valley, OR. $36
2007 Hirsch M, Sonoma Coast. $45
2006 Inman Family Vineyards Thorn Road Ranch, Russian River Valley. $52
2006 Lynmar Quail Hill, Russian River Valley. $60
2007 Lynmar Terre de Promisio, Sonoma Coast. $70
2006 Mac Forbes Coldstream, Yarra Valley, Australia. $50
2007 Macrostie, Carneros. $30
2007 Martinelli Zio Tony Ranch, Russian River Valley. $60
2007 Miner Family Vineyards Rosella’s, Santa Lucia Highlands. $55
2006 Morgan Garys’ Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. $62
2007 Papapietro Perry 777 Clone, Russian River Valley. $70
2005 Pey-Marin, Marin County. /a
2003 Pey-Marin, Marin County. /a
2007 Rusack, Santa Maria Valley. $35
2003 Skewis Floodgate Vineyard, Anderson Valley. /a
2006 Tondre, Santa Lucia Highlands. $43
2006 Varner Hidden Block, Santa Cruz Mountains. $40
2005 Varner Holly’s Cuvee, Santa Cruz Mountains. $40
WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2006 Albiouness Stanley Ranch Pommard Selection, Carneros. $55
2006 August West Rosella’s Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. $48
2007 Auteur Ophelia, Oregon and California. $38
2007 Balletto Estate, Russian River Valley. $20
2007 Bjornstad Van der Kamp, Sonoma Mountain. $40
2006 Brokenwood, Beechworth, Australia. $25
2000 Clos Saron, Sierra Foothills. /a
2007 Coterie Saralee’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley. $28
2006 Derby, Central Coast. $42
2007 Hirsch Bohan Dillon, Sonoma Coast. $40
2006 Inman Family Vineyards, Russian River Valley. $45
2006 Kendrick, Marin County. $33
2007 Ladd, Sonoma Coast. $32
2007 Ladd, Russian River Valley. $32
2007 Ladd Cuvee Abigail, Russian River Valley. $??
2007 Le Cadeu Cote Est, Oregon. $47
2005 Louis Latour Chanfleure Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France. $15
2003 Michaud, Chalone. /a
2005 Michaud, Chalone. $35
2007 Olsen Ogden, Sonoma Coast. $42
2007 Olsen Ogden, Russian River Valley. $$32
2006 Olsen Ogden, Russian River Valley. $32
2006 Penfolds Cellar Reserve, Adelaide Hills, Australia. $45
2007 Perception, Russian River Valley. $42
2007 Spell Barton, Russian River Valley. $47
2005 Springvale, Tazmania. $29
WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8 AND 8.5
2006 Le Cadeu Cote Est, Oregon. $47
2006 Mayro Murdick, Carneros. $35
2004 Tamar Ridge, Tazmania. $27
Original post by Alfonso Cevola
If you aren’t yet aware of the fact that fake wine is a big deal, you will be soon. It’s coming to a theater near you.
Billionaires getting swindled by fake bottles of wine purportedly belonging to Thomas Jefferson aside, as the world’s greatest wines continue to climb in price, wine fraud continues to increase in frequency and in value.
At this point, the fakery of wines has become a big business. No one knows just how large, but some wine experts say the real figure is probably shudderingly large: millions of dollars worth, to be sure, and perhaps even tens of millions. Wine Critic Allen Meadows told writer Michael Steinberger that he believes perhaps 10% of the pre-1960 wines he comes across these days might be fakes.
And it all may be due, in part, to things like this:
3 x RED WINE BOTTLE LABEL SCREAMING EAGLE GRACE ..Empty
A bottle of 1994 Grace Family Vineyards Cabernet, a bottle 1995 Tignanello Red Blend from Tuscany, and a bottle of 1996 Screaming Eagle, all empty, of course.
Together they may sell for between $10 and $60 on eBay. Filled up again with some red wine, re-corked and re-foiled, these three wines would sell for a total of about $2224 according to WinePrices.Com.
And that, of course, is the problem.
As mentioned last week in the New York Times Freakonomics blog, a recent paper by a member the American Association of Wine Economists (see the PDF abstract) suggests that online auction sites like eBay may be significantly contributing to the problem of counterfeit wine.
The logic presented in the paper is quite simple: after watching a bunch of sites like eBay, it’s quite clear that the sale price of empty bottles directly correlates to the price of that bottle were it to actually be full. In short, those willing to pay $100 for an empty bottle of Petrus must be getting some value from the bottle that is completely out of whack with its real value in the marketplace (as a glass container with a paper label on it).
While eBay certainly can’t be held responsible for people doing illegal things with innocuous items that they buy perfectly legally online, I wonder whether it might be in everyone’s interest for them to prevent people from selling bottles that are particularly prone to counterfeiting.
This wouldn’t be easy, of course, and may be unreasonable to ask, but they’ve got a lot of controls in place already to make sure that people don’t break the law in a million other different ways (like, for instance, selling dangerous chemicals online). How hard would it be for them to pay a little more attention to the empty bottle problem? It certainly would be good for the wine world.
Original post by Alfonso Cevola
By Matt Krantz, USA TODAY
Looks like coffee is starting to perk up on Wall Street.
While the broad market is struggling to hold its recent gains, shares of five of the largest publicly traded coffee companies are on a high boil.
Shares of Diedrich Coffee (DDRX) are up 4,525% this year, Green Mountain (GMCR) has doubled and even Starbucks (SBUX) is up 50%.
That shows that investors think
Original post by Robert
by Baruch Gordon
(IsraelNN.com) We all know why Starbucks puts boxes of breath mints close to the cash register. Your morning latte can create a startling aroma in your mouth, strong enough to startle your co-workers too.
But intriguing new research from Tel Aviv University by breath specialist Prof. Mel Rosenberg finds that a coffee extract can inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad breath. New
Original post by Robert
Get a FREE issue of Roast Magazine today with any order including beans or equipment. One magazine per order, while supplies last.
This is the July /August ‘09 issue.
Here’s another great issue. If you′re interested in how green coffee is chosen by buyers and makes it to your cup, part one of Signed, Sealed, Delivered discussed the process.
Designer Coffee poses the question of how an
Original post by Robert
From the There I go, there I go, there I go, there I go department:
Has this ever happened to you? You are visiting a winery and the guide takes you through the stainless steel tank room, and then a barrel room or two and maybe the bottling room or even the board room. Have you ever been in that situation and someone said,” You’ve seen one stainless steel tank room, you’ve seem them all?” And then as you go into the tasting room as the first wine is poured all those tanks and barrels and executive tables and chairs didn’t seem as important as that tiny little precious liquid that you were getting ready to taste?
Somewhere between the spirit of wine and the soul of humankind there is a connection. It is different for some people and maybe others just don’t get that sense. But with a little imagination those little tastes can take one on amazing trips in time. Think back to the oldest wine you ever had. If it was 30 or more years old, most likely someone involved with the wine has passed on. For one brief moment we can connect with the work and life of a soul who is on the other side. Isn’t that a wonderful benefit of immortality? At least for those of us who remain. I think this often, whenever I open an older bottle of wine.
Sometimes one needn’t wait that long, unfortunately. The wines of Gravner have the touch of the young son who perished this year.
I think of the time I was in Pio Cesare’s cellar, way down below the ancient Roman wall and we came to the end. There, staring at me was a wine as old as I was. This wine, made by someone my father’s age was long gone. But we met, for that brief moment, in front of the wine he had given birth to. How can one not love this business?
In truth, we descend the staircase daily, looking to bring up wines from the past. Wine is really all about a moment in time, frozen and preserved for people in the future to enjoy. It is a confluence of the ancient with the modern, the dead with the living. It is a mystical connection to souls beyond life.
I have a friend who passed away four years ago. In a linen closet I found a bottle he must have left when he was staying here. It was a simple Sangiovese from the Marche and it was marked in his handwriting as a sample to try. That is probably one of the most precious wines I have in the house. It is a connection to the life and work of a soul who gave everything to wine and the business of wine. Just like those ancient Chaldean winemakers 4500 years ago. These are markers in the life of the spirit of wine that renew my joy for this calling.
Somewhere a colleague is shaking his head if he even reads this. Last week I recited a Bukowskian soliloquy on why the business is like a battle. I know the poor guy thinks I’m bonkers. I was off on my riff of:
Tell me why baby why baby why baby why
You make me cry baby cry baby cry baby cry
I wonder if he could ever know why I felt that way. Aside from the deep belief that we must bring forth the vital energy of the fields to the new lands, it goes into an even deeper section of the cellar. It is because when you do have those beyond time and grave experiences with wine you really do get signed up to an ancient army of the wine god. And then there is no turning back. From the ancient winemakers in 2500BC all the way to the importer in the 21st century, we have burned the boats. There is no alternative to anything short of carrying out the wishes of the spirit of wine and the souls who have gone before. There is no direction home. You have arrived to the Promised Land.
Original post by Alfonso Cevola