The Borrowed Penguin Wine Review

Grub Time

When I first started this blog off I pledged to include more than just wine, so I’m finally going to get around to saying some things about restaurants. Other than going to baseball games, I’d say eating out is my favorite form of entertainment. Admittedly I’m quite a geek about it and can really dork out, but that’s part of the fun for me. So, without further ado…

I got my copy of the New Zagat guide this past week or so, and along with eagerly reading about my favorite local restaurants and a few places I’ve eaten at in other cities I’ve been trying to glance through different parts. This particular guide is based on actual guest reviews, so it’s interesting to see what trends are popping up. I’d say that there are two “qualities” that appear throughout the book, regardless of restaurant or region: product and presentation.

Product is hardly a surprise. With the continued popularity of Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and other natural product stores is would only make sense for people to carry their interest in fresh, healthy, quality produce, meat, dairy, and seafood products into restaurants. Additionally, there is a certain ceiling a restaurant hits when it doesn’t make a major effort to secure the best quality product. I’m not saying you can’t do a good job using basic supplies and products, but the only way to really achieve the highest standards is to start with the highest standard goods.

Today’s restaurants are certainly more vocal about using local produce, sustainable practice seafood, free-range beef, and hormone free dairy. I have no doubt that the appearance of these phrases on menus and restaurant websites creates a self-fulfilling prophecy for many. But it is also true that restaurants using the best stuff start with a huge head start and will always have more potential that restaurants that don’t.

Next, I was intrigued by how often the presentation of dishes matters to diners. For myself, this is always a factor to consider. Admittedly, it is possible to make a dish that tastes absolutely delicious and looks either completely generic or even unappealing. But who wants that? There’s no need to go overboard, but I do prefer my food to be presented in a colorful, lively, attractive manner.

Although it may not in any manner effect the actual taste of the dish, I am a huge believer that presentation has a tremendous impact on the enjoyment of the dish. First, it sets the tone. If you’re food looks stylish, clean, and refined then you expect it to taste that way. Next, I think that more than just looking attractive a well-presented dish conveys the message that the kitchen staff is focused and attentive. Anyone can toss a meat, a vegetable, and a starch on the plate and then ladle on some sauce. But when you have a plate that looks as though an individual took the time to arrange everything is a specific manner then I feel reassured that attention has been paid throughout the whole process, from conceiving the dish to securing the proper product to the preparation of the food.

So I guess that means I’m pretty boring and reassured in the general public’s attitude towards food in this country. I believe we are still in the young days of a major culinary awakening in America, and a return to fewer processed foods along with a move away from mass-produced, generic dishes is gaining traction (not that McDonald’s is going away). I’m all for continuing value quality product and good presentation.

There is one thing I would like the American public to adjust to though. Recently my wife and were at a restaurant and she ordered the scallops. Since our meal was tremendous I thought it was odd she was disinterested in her entrée, but I quickly realized why. The scallops were overcooked. Not horribly charred, just a chewy. I know it is the Midwest, where seafood tends to be overcooked, but it was still frustrating.

A given rule in culinary training is that when in doubt, overcook it (and this is doubly true with seafood). The specter of food poising and the risks associated with undercooked food is massive. Also, if you’ve ever witnessed a guest who felt they were served a potentially dangerous dish respond you know they can make quite a scene. Rumors or accusations of “raw seafood” can be massively damaging to a restaurant because of how sensitive the topic is. So most people are trained to avoid the worst-case scenario. Unfortunately that means people who actually enjoy properly prepared food often have to miss out because of the ignorance of others.

I realize there will always be a segment that believes a steak is only cooked if there is absolutely no hint of pink anywhere at all, or that seafood isn’t finished until it has the texture of a pork chop. I also have personally witnessed how these kind of people can react when they are presented with food that isn’t prepared that way. It’s always going to be a problem. I just wish we could figure out a better way to communicate so that people that actually want to enjoy what they are paying for can do so.

Syrah Around The World

A few nights ago I did a tasting of Syrahs from around the world, and now I’m going to offer up a full-scale review of the wines we tasted. This was a tasting it was easy for me to get excited about, since I love Syrah and I actually was able to put together a cast of six significantly distinct wines and actually showcase their diverse qualities. Simply put, this is an event I would have wanted to attend as a member of the audience.

I opened up with Jean Louis Chave Selections “Offerus” St. Joseph, which is a negociant wine. Chave does have an estate St. Joseph, but my goal was to keep most wines in the easy-to-afford category and there is nothing wrong with the quality of this bottle. Unfortunately I did mess up the presentation of this wine. I wanted it to go first because my talk started with the Northern Rhone and the true home of Syrah, but I only poured this wine about 20 minutes before we sat down. As a 2005, it was to say the least a bit tight. Decanting this for about 90 minutes or maybe even two hours would have been a wise move.

The wine showed plenty of black pepper and leather, and someone doing technical tasting would be quite happy. But there was little fruit and while the tannin wasn’t overwhelming by any means I know some people felt it to be a bit astringent. That is too bad because the wine had great structure and hinted at some very nice intensity, and for powerful Syrah it was great.

Next up was Qupe Stolpman Single Vineyard Syrah, of which only 96 cases were made. This wine comes from Santa Ynez and is a good representation of Central Coast Syrah that isn’t completely over-extracted and fruit soaked. The wine certainly felt lighter than the St. Joseph and showed a bit more fruit, but at the same time it retained a bit of the black pepper and leathery elements. The Santa Ynez Valley has some areas that are cooler climate, but it isn’t the Northern Rhone. But, this wine is a happy medium between traditional, Old World Syrah and those who enjoy a younger, more fruit forward style. A top-notch producer showing why they have earned so much respect.

Our next wine was the Dain Wines “Abner” from Las Madres Vineyard in Carneros. Carneros is mostly known for Chard and Pinot, along with the Sparkling Wines made from these two grapes, but there is some very yummy Syrah grown there. The proximity to the San Pablo Bay makes this region cooler than most of Napa and Sonoma, and it has turned out the occasional knockout Syrah (the problem is who is going to plant Syrah when you have a large demand for Pinot and Chard???). The wine was certainly round, and there were plenty of dark fruits on the nose. The problem was a lack of spice on the palate, but redemption came in the form of bright and refreshing minerality and acidity. A wonderful burst towards the back of the wine made it wonderful. In the end, the cooler climate of Carneros did burst through.

Maybe two months ago I tasted a wine that actually had me reschedule this event to make sure I could include the next wine: Syrah by Rudi Schultz from Stellenbosch in South Africa. I know this wine is now receiving some serious critical attention (consecutive low-to-mid nineties scores from The Wine Spectator) but I was unaware of that when I tasted it. All I could think of was how awesome the wine was.

Admittedly I was a bit nervous the night of the tasting because I was convinced when I tasted the wine that it was outstanding, and I hoped I would feel the same now that I was standing in front of an audience. Fortunately, it was that wonderful and the rest of the room agreed. I won’t say the perfect balance between Old and New World, but certainly a great place to be. Good fruit, dark aromas, and hints of spice in the deep nose, and then great fulfillment on the palate and just enough leather and pepper to pay tribute to the great wines of the Northern Rhone valley.

For the last two wines I wanted to demonstrate the rich and high-octane New World style of Syrah (or Shiraz) that has made the grape so popular to many. I have to admit that candied Syrah with a syrup-like texture is not my thing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create super-fruity wines with tons of alcohol that aren’t well made (and sometimes super yummy).

I had to include an Australian wine, so I went with Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend. In fact this is only about two-thirds Syrah and the balance Cab, Merlot, and some others, but it also made sense to include a Syrah blend for discussion’s sake. This is a delicious wine with dark fruit and some spice, along with low acids and a sweet finish. It is not as big or full or well balanced as the other Syrahs, but if you like the more candied, slightly elevated levels of residual sugar version of Shiraz the Aussies have made so famous, this should make you quite happy.

To wrap things up, I went with the Rosenblum England-Shaw Vineyard Syrah. Kent Rosenblum certainly has a signature style, and it works perfectly with Zinfandel. But lately he has been focusing more and more on Rhone varietals, and while it may not be for everyone it certainly has its appeal. Full-throttle fruit, high-octane power intensity, and lots, and lots of flavor; this is the epitome of big extraction. I love the ripe fruits and sweet elements of this wine, and somehow it doesn’t feel hot or out of balance. Not the universal style of Syrah, and light years from the St. Joseph that started the evening off, but a wonderful Syrah none the less.

On the whole the Rudi Schultz was the room’s favorite, although the St. Joseph and Qupe also were popular. But the thing that made me the happiest was all six wines were unique and distinct. That is a big part of what I love about Syrah.

Borrowed Penguin Goes C-SPAN

It’s time for a knee-jerk response to a news article. As a rule I try to come up with my own topics, but the topic of the dollar’s continued fall and the impact on wine prices has been generating more and more buzz lately. As someone who tries to be aware of the macro-economic factors that influence my business and is a major proponent of European wine I have been forming an opinion on this topic lately, and here is my two cents.

First off, the recent increases in wine prices are by no means attributable just to the dollar’s drop in value. The most basic force in all areas of economy is supply and demand, and the demand for wine has been skyrocketing as of late. First, the United States continues to storm forward as a wine consumer. It’s not just that the dollar doesn’t by as much as it used to—it’s also that while it used to be only a select group that purchased imported wines today that group is substantially larger and is getting bigger by the moment.

Perhaps even more significantly, there are new markets for these goods. When it comes to French wine the first market to discuss is the Far East. Most noticeably it is Japan but China and other Eastern nations, along with Russia, are quickly swallowing up more and more wine. As worldwide demand increases, the US will have to compete more and more for these goods.

So brace yourself for a harsh reality: wine prices are going to go up. For the big name wines, they are going to go up a whole lot. There is more demand than ever, and money we are bringing to the table isn’t worth as much as it has been in the past. However, I should also point out that much of this fuss (and the headlines) is based on a very small portion of wine. Yes, the price of Romanee-Conti is going to be outrageous for the 05 vintage (it will be released to the US market soon, and rumors are it will run up to $7500 a bottle). The big name Bordeaux (Petrus, Cheval-Blanc, First Growths) are also going to continue skyrocketing. What is motivating the people who are paying these new prices is not the quality of wine in the bottle but rather the status that comes with owning those wines. Until wine is no longer cool, I don’t think you will see any slowdown on the price increases there.

The confusion comes from the fact that the price increases in these collector wines generate massive headlines but are not necessarily reflective of the overall wine industry. Most people are looking for wine between $8 and $20. If no options are available, they will move on to something else. The wineries know this, and like anyone in the agricultural business they are well aware of the fact that a crop surplus is never a good thing.

It is for this reason that many producers across Europe have a vested interest in keeping their wines affordable for the US market. No matter how you spin it, the USA is going to be the most important market in the world for wine within the next five years, and we don’t produce enough on our own (France, Italy, Spain, and Australia all dwarf the US in terms of volume of wine produced). Wine consumption across Europe is plummeting. The wineries that can’t just sit back and wait for a bunch of wealthy Japanese and ego-driven Americans to throw an absurd amount of money at them for a status symbol know they must maintain and develop a presence in the United States.

Because of this, I believe many of them will suck it up and take a hit in the short-term. They won’t swallow all of the lost profit resulting for the growth in the Euro but they will work to keep their wines available and affordable, even if it means taking some losses up front. There long-term success depends on it.

Finally, there is also a (understandable) misconception that domestic wines are going to become great values. I’m not convinced. Domestic wineries, especially those in California, have been more than happy to follow along on any price increase. In fact, it is quite disturbing how many domestic wineries continue to up their prices year after year despite no change in quality of the wine. The simple justification is “someone else is getting it.” Based on quality of product, I would argue that American wines are overpriced to European wines (speaking in very broad terms, of course), and not only do domestic wines have no currency exchange to blame this on but there is no reason to believe they will slow down the price increases anytime soon. In fact, I’d be more concerned about how these wines that have taken drastic price increases over the past three to five years are going to do once the dollar does rebound than about how European wines will fare in the short-term.

Another footnote for everyone to put in the back of their thoughts: these European countries have been producing and selling wine in some cases for close to two millenniums, and it has been an international business for the majority of that period. They’ve been through this before and know how to handle these fluctuations. More importantly, the domestic wineries should be worried about what happens when the French wineries no longer have to struggle to keep their prices down because of a weak dollar.

The 2007 Jefferson Cup

This past week was the 2007 Jefferson Cup, an annual wine competition put on by Doug Frost that I assist with. The event is American-only and routinely features wines from states all over the country, including: California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Ohio, Kentucky, and more. It's a great event, and very, very, very enlightening.

Normally I would have three million things to say, but because of all the craziness of the event and then the pressure of getting the charity portion of the event set up I tasted probably only about six wines total. Not a great learning experience for me this year. Also, I have to admit that when I did have the chance to sit down and try some things I was cherry picking through stuff I already knew was pretty special.

But, if there is one thing to say about this year's results, it's that they were pretty boring. Seriously. That is not to say the entries we got were substandard. I'm saying the exact opposite. We had a laundry list of great producers from every portion of the country. It's just that for the last several years when I have done this event it has always been fun to learn new things and get exposed to great new wines. This year I just didn't feel that way.

I haven't had a chance to review the full results yet (on Thursday I was making sure that each of the four panels received their 160 or so wines, all in the correct order and properly coded for blind tasting), so my statements might not be 100% accurate. When I looked at the finals table I was really, really, really impressed by the 51 wines selected as Jefferson Cup nominees. Briefly glancing at some of the wineries that consistently scored high I was also thrilled. I just wasn't surprised.

Delille makes great wines. Not exactly a groundbreaking revelation. L. Mawby turns out top-flight Sparkling wines. Nothing new there. Paul Draper of Ridge makes spectacular wines. I don't think that qualifies as a major newsflash. Adam Puchta and St. James (Missouri), St. Julien (Michigan), Callaghan (Arizona), Gruet (New Mexico), Konstatin Frank (New York), and the Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle reserve level wines are all wonderful. Once again, nothing particularly groundbreaking.

Part of this is no doubt a result of being around this event for several years. I'm familiar with which wineries turn out great stuff on a consistent basis. Being told that wineries like Carol Shelton, Walla Walla Vintners, Ayres, and Segehesio are making really good wines isn't news to me because that was beat into my head prior to this year's event. But in a way it is sad because I've become accustomed to learning about great new wineries each time I do this event. As I've learned more, there are fewer surprises.

But at the same time in reinforces one of my major beliefs, and one of the things I consistently try to instill in people: great winemakers make great wines. It really is that simple. Some people believe anything from a famous wine region is great (or just as bad, anything from a region that doesn't have major clout can't be good), or that the most important thing is getting the "great vintages." Nothing could be further from the truth. You could put me Pomerol, Vosne-Romanee, or Rutherford tomorrow and if I turned out something that even warranted being put in a bottle it would be a miracle. I'm sure that 2005 did offer spectacular growing conditions in Burgundy and the Southern Rhone Valley, but an inexperienced farmer wouldn't know how to take advantage of it, and once again there is the minor detail of turning fruit with great potential into wine. The best producers know how to make the most of these great opportunities, and probably more importantly they know how still deliver a wonderful wine when conditions aren't perfect.

In a sense I'm bummed that nothing I'd never heard of before grabbed me this year, but most of that is due to the fact that I really didn't have the chance to taste anything. As for the results, they merely prove the facts. People that know what they are doing will always make the best wine. I shouldn't be bummed about that. I should be thankful.

An Older Treat

One of the bad things about my job is you get asked for absurd and stupid things: 03 Yellow Tail (and it has to be the 03 vintage, because the others just aren’t as good), or a mixed case of the Wine Spectator Top 10 wines of the year, with three bottles of number 1. One of the good things about my job is you get to try lots of really good wine. Sometimes people even give you wine for free.

The day before Thanksgiving one of my distributors dropped off a bottle of older Riesling (1990 Veldenzer Elisenberg Spätlese, for those of you keeping score at home) as a gift to have with Thanksgiving dinner. However, my family was actually having Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant (two different aunts were scheduled to deliver their children this week, and everyone is now home safe and sound), so we decided it would be wise to make reservations instead of planning a meal at someone’s home. So there would be no aged Riesling at our meal.

However, on Sunday afternoon my wife and I opened the bottle to give it a try. Surprisingly, I did not pick up nearly the aromatics I would have expected. The wine did have the petrol hints that older Riesling tends to have, but there was also a distinctive lack of sweet fruits on the nose. The wine is decidedly sweet from a technical standpoint, coming in at only 8.5% alcohol. However, other than a touch of sweetness at the very front of the palate the sugar is completely integrated. Flavors of mineral and peach are the driving forces, with slight hints of exotic fruits mixed in.

But more than anything else what amazes me about these older Rieslings is the fact that the mouthfeel is so light and almost watery for how rich and sweet the wines are. Even 17 years after harvest the wine had wonderful acidity that kept the palate fresh. When I say watery I don’t mean unstructured or sloppy, I mean refreshing and mineraly. It’s an amazing trick for a wine with so much flavor.

I would love to say that I experience wines like this all the time. Unfortunately, this was a treat. Riesling is one of the greatest grapes in the world, and certainly sits at the most prestigious table as the other noble varietals. While it is refreshing and embracing in its youth, it is also capable of aging so well. I admit that I am not yet experienced enough or skilled enough to identify the Rieslings that will age. However, if someone ever offers you the chance to sample an older Spätlese or Auslese, make sure you take them up on the opportunity.

Something To Be Thankful For

I’ve been super-busy with work and the upcoming Jefferson Cup, but I’m also happy to say the past few days have been very encouraging. This week is pretty much our busiest week for wine sales (if you take out the handful of super-high end sales that sometimes skew the numbers). Last year I felt that people were only interested in buying image-based or “name” wines. The past several days have been eagerly reassuring.

First off, I’m thrilled to say we have been flying through Riesling. In fact, we’re almost sold out of the entire pre-order of German wines I did to get us through the holidays and into next year (I know, this also means I screwed up a bit, but hey…). Obviously, this is not just due to my work. Plenty of people have been singing the praises of Riesling lately. It goes great with most holiday fare, and the good German ones are not only cheap and yummy but can be served at almost any occasion, to any crowd. Additionally, the recent pattern of higher temperatures has resulted in a greater volume of quality German wines, a fact that has been widely reported throughout the wine media.

Next, the insistence of people to have particular “famed” wines doesn’t seem as prominent. Last year I felt that if I didn’t have Lewis, Etude, Kosta Browne, Sine Qua Non, Sea Smoke, or Shafer Hillside people thought I was a sub-standard retailer. Part of that was my inexperience—the rare customer who cries about not getting those things probably stood out in my mind more than it would now. Today we certainly got in a fair number of people were only interested in name Cali Cabs that have built PR images that outweigh the actual quality of the wine (in my opinion), but they just walked in, looked at our selection, and then choose I wine that I personally think is heavily overpriced before leaving happily.

As an aside, I think one particular encounter a few days before Christmas last year helped me get over all that. Two gentlemen were in to buy a gift, and they wanted to get Cakebread (how this wine has achieved the status it has is beyond me; in Cali wine right now nothing is hotter, and while the Chard, Cab, and Merlot are all quite nice, I think they are pricey and not as good as the insane hype they have right now). I showed him what we had, which was Sauv Blanc, Merlot, Chard, and Reserve Chard. This was a great selection of Cakebread given how scarce it was at the time, especially for retail. After walking through the store, the guy wanted to know if Cakebread had any $15 bottles. I’ve since accepted that some people don’t understand how wine works.

Some of my customers want a certain thing, and in some cases I can’t provide it. In other cases it doesn’t exist (a $15 bottle of Cakebread Cab). In those cases I just need to be polite and move on. In other cases they are looking for a wine that fits their needs, be it style, quality, desirability, cost, or just something to enjoy while sitting down. In those cases I can almost always provide a very, very, very good option. I’ve learned to focus my energies on helping those people.

So this year I’m very happy to say that people seem much more open-minded and encouraged about wine. I’ve spent the last several weeks pouring at least one Riesling on my Saturday tastings, and even a large number of the “I-don’t-drink-white-wine-especially-Riesling” crowd has acknowledged that good German Riesling is yummy. We’ve sold through a lot of Beaujolais Nouveau, but people are also interested in good Beaujolais from Morgon and Brouilly. For every person who asks where Yellow Tail is I have someone ask where the Spanish reds are (and they aren’t looking for the cheapest generic stuff).

In short, while there certainly is a segment of the market locked into believing the media hype or religiously believing the name Cali cabs of 18 years ago are still the greatest wines on the planet there is a healthy number of people who are willing to trust someone who works in the wine field everyday and has a vested interest in giving them good information and making them happy (that person would be me). Wine is supposed to be exciting, so the number of people willing to try a new thing is certainly an encouraging sign for me.

Next, it didn’t happen much, but at least twice this month I was asked about a particular writer’s recent comments. After multiple inquiries I Googled the name, and this person appears to have a well-trafficked blog and apparently a book due out next year. My sense is they are trying to increase their personal awareness by writing some fairly eye-catching and “intriguing in how irreverent they are” pieces designed to establish an against-the-mainstream-wine-media persona. Look, I have some major issues with The Wine Spectator and the Robert Parker elements. That doesn’t mean they are inherently wrong, or that they are the devil. Additionally, any critic that automatically rules out a particular style of wine or presumes a wine they once enjoyed that is now getting great press must have transformed into something stylized without real substance is missing the point. Describe the wine and help the audience find what they will enjoy. Don’t worry about fighting against any all-powerful demons in the media.

On that note, the Wine Spectator Top 100 is out, and I probably owe you a recap of it. First, my biggest beef is with how dated the list is in some instances (i.e. wines where the vintage they rate has long since sold-out and the new vintage has been available for in some cases a couple of months). Next, I still wonder how they get their pricing for some of the wines. Most importantly, the wines they list are for the most part really, really good wines you should try if you can find them and they are affordable. Are they the 100 best wines of the past 12 months? Of course not. Are they 100 outstanding wines? I’d say at least 90 of them are wonderful drinks that rate well above average for the money. Also, they do get credit for covering pretty much the whole globe with their selections.

Finally, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and a perfect start to the holiday season.

Cabernet Mythology

Lately I’ve been devoting a lot of time to my upcoming Cabernet tasting. This is the second year in a row we’ve done an all-Cab event at my store, and these two events have generated the most interest of any of the others we have done. I’m not surprised. Cabernet has a very strong following, and most big-time wine people profess a love for the grape.

However, this is actually one of the hardest tasting for me to get ready for because it’s an area that doesn’t really excite me all that much. Don’t get me wrong–I really enjoy Cabs. I completely respect that many of the world’s finest wines are Cab (or Cab-based). There are plenty that I love. But at the same time I’ve just spent too much time in the wine business, and I get to the point where it’s just “big Cab…big Cab…big Cab…” and so on. I just don’t find the overall excitement that I do with Riesling, Syrah, or some other wines.

So, now that I’m in the final stages of my preparation I’ve decided I will debunk a few myths about Cabernet. These aren’t intended to take anything away from the wines, instead I hope it will give people like me who have started to lose interest in the wines something to get excited about. If nothing else, hopefully it will keep people more open-minded.

Myth #1: Cabernet is the true noble varietal in wine history. Big nope on this one. In fact, Cabernet really only showed up about two hundred years ago. Long before this particular varietal Cabernet Franc was the mainstay in Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, and it was the early 1800’s that a few key producers in the Medoc began to champion the grape. There are plenty of varietals with a much longer lineage of greatness.

Myth #2: The world’s greatest wines are made from Cabernet. This sentence just needs the words “many of” at the very front of it to be true. Yes, the First Growths of Bordeaux are dominated by Cab, and the Cult wines from Napa are pretty much exclusively Cabernets, but they don’t have the stage to themselves. When it comes to Parker 100 pointers the Syrah wines of the Northern Rhone and the Grenache blends of Chateauneuf du Pape are as well represented as the Left Bank wines. Burgundy throws a few names out as well and a larger portion of Right Bank wines (where Cabernet Sauvignon is only a small component) are also present. Then we could also talk about the white Rhones, Sauternes, Chardonnays, and Rieslings.

Myth #3: Cabernet is tough to grow. I’m not sure how widespread this rumor is, but over the past six months I’ve been surprised at how many people believe it takes a determined and talented farmer to produce Cabernet grapes. The vine is so vigorous it is normally recommended that you graft it to poor rootstock to inhibit growth, it will take in almost any type of warm climate at all, it has strong vine structure and thick skin which make it resistant to many of the natural enemies of a grape, and it is capable of producing massive yields. Admittedly it is late to ripen and in cooler climates may never fully get there, but that is an issue of pour selection by the grower. In many ways the greatest challenge with Cabernet vines is keeping them from getting too healthy.

Myth #4: Cabernet on its own shines brilliantly. I understand why people feel this way. US law dictates that if a wine is comprised of at least 75% one varietal it may be labeled as just a single varietal. Most of the top-notch California Cabs are never 100% Cabernet. Those Harlan wines that score so high? Blends. Screaming Eagle? Almost 100% Cab, but they mix in some other stuff as well. Pahlmeyer, Insignia, Montelena, Larkmead, and many of the other big name Cali Cabs incorporate at least a little of some of the other Bordeaux varietals. In fact, almost every single Cabernet that comes from Napa has something else blended into it. While I don’t want to question the integrity of winemakers, I personally am highly skeptical whenever I am presented a wine that is “100% Napa Valley Cabernet.” I know there are some out there, but they are definitely the exception.

Myth #5: Cabernet is the wine best suited for aging. Please, don’t even get me started on this. The best Cabernets age extremely well and develop in the bottle. So do the best Pinots, Syrahs, Chards, Rieslings, and Merlots.

Basically, Cabernet is vine that will grow just about any place where it is warm enough, and like the vine the grape is very adaptable. Even though the structure and color of the wine make it almost unmistakable in any setting it responds to individual conditions and treatments like almost no other grape. The fact is every part of the wine-growing world is capable of producing signature Cabernet, and each winemaker has the opportunity to express his or her own style. The myths of the singularly great Cabernet shouldn’t be a downer. They should encourage those who are bored with Cabernet of how much more is out there.

Over and Over

It is a very busy time of year. Right now I’ve got about twenty million different things coming at me, and it’s time to make hard decisions (by hard decisions I mean having to say no to things I really want to say yes to). It’s the holiday season and this is the time where business really picks up, and we certainly sell more high-end wine now than any other time of year. It’s tempting to justify buying stuff I personally like because “we’re getting busy.” The hard part is staying disciplined and only bringing in the things that make sense for the store.

So, that’s a very long way of saying I’ve had a hard time deciding on a topic for tonight. It’s the perfect time for a bullet point column, but I’ve done too many of those and I’m sure as I get busier there are more on the horizon. So instead I’m going to talk about…Riesling.

This Saturday I’m not pouring a Riesling at my wine tasting, but from then on I will probably have one open every weekend through the New Year. There are plenty of reasons for this, but I’m saving the best for last. I’m sure over the next two months I’ll annoy a couple of tasters who will want to know why I insist on pouring “one of those sweet wines” every week. They need to get over it.

First, awesome Riesling doesn’t have to be expensive. There are some knockout German Rieslings for under $15. At $25 you can find special wines. It’s a chance to let people taste some outstanding representations of a grape they can actually buy a bottle of.

Next, Riesling is such a broad category. I can do QBA, Kabinett, and Auslese. I can do varying degrees of sweetness. I can go Mosel, Rhinegau, and Pfaltz. In short, I can show something different every weekend.

Perhaps this next point will sound foolish, but so be it. Riesling appeals to a very wide audience. People who are just starting to get into wine can enjoy them because the of the sweetness, and experience wine connoisseurs know they are some of the greatest wines in the world. It’s the time of year where I’ve got the highest customer traffic, and it would be foolish not to play to the widest audience. I’m not pouring generic swill, sweetened alcoholic grape juice that offers nothing but sugar and a buzz. I’m offering up really good stuff that hopefully a variety of people will enjoy.

Finally, and this is probably the biggest reason, but Riesling goes with everything. Spicy chicken? Riesling. Soups and sauces? Riesling. Thanksgiving turkey? Riesling. Holiday ham? Riesling. It is the most versatile food pairing wine you can find. Six people (or more) coming to your place for dinner? I guarantee there is a place for a Riesling.

We’ll see how it all goes over. The reality is I honestly believe these wines should be a slam-dunk week-in and week-out. Whether or not that actually happens, I’m not so sure. If nothing else, I imagine in three weeks I’ll have had enough experiences to motivate me for another entry bemoaning the snobs and fools who say “I don’t drink sweet wine” or even worse, the person who begrudgingly takes one sip and before they even have time to taste the wine makes a horrible face and shakes their head. In the end, I take comfort in the fact that they are the ones missing out.

The Other Down Under

Every wine geek wants to have an area they “discovered.” Something they’re hip to that those around them aren’t. Something they can rattle off details about that others don’t know. Everybody needs to have that special stronghold of their own.

I admit that South Africa has always been an intriguing option for me. It has a wide variety of grapes, a signature style (heavy barnyard and earthiness), and a personal star (the Pinotage grape). There is plenty of history there, and right now there is no shortage of well-financed operations trying to establish serious wines. Unfortunately, I’ve never quite found wines that blew me away. Plenty that were okay, but nothing that really made me say “wow.” I always had felt a bit let down.

Over the past month or so that has started to change. A while back I brought in Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc and their Shiraz/Pinotage blend. The wines have done fine in the store, and in particular I think the Chenin Blanc has a place. It is off-dry and at $12-$13 it is an affordable alternative to Vouvray, and personally I think it does a good job of delivering what a Vouvray should: nice richness, a touch of sweetness, and a unique fruit essence. The Shiraz/Pinotage blend isn’t quite as good, but it also serves a great purpose in my store: a way to introduce people to Pinotage.

Pinotage is South Africa’s signature. Hardly a noble grape, Pinotage is the result of a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. It has a powerfully smoky aroma, and certainly is unique. Is it the greatest winemaking grape in the world? No. Is it worth knowing about and having from time-to-time? Absolutely. But it can be a bit strong, and one thing I’ve learned is people are reluctant to try something they don’t know anything about. This wine is a good introduction—think of it as Pinotage with training wheels.

There have been a few Cabernet discoveries as well. Excelsior shows a luscious character you don’t normally find for $10, and Guardian Peak’s Frontier is a great Bordeaux blend. Both wines are cheap, and were the exact type of wine I was hoping to find when I first started exploring South African wines.

So I had at last found the casual, affordable sippers that wine geeks are always searching for. I was happy with the basic wines and I was finally confident that there was a steady stream of respectable wines from South Africa at a really good price. I was happy.

Then, a few weeks ago one of my South African importers was in town tasting through a bunch of things. We had some nice Chenin, and then tasted through a lineup of reds. Some were nice, and some of the wines listed above were part of the group. Then, there were some high-end ($25 a bottle or more) wines. In the past I have had only one upper-tier South African wine that really impressed me: Ernie Els Meritage at around $85 a bottle. It was amazing, but it was on an island. At that price I had always viewed it as an aberration.

But during the tasting we had the Ruid Shultz Syrah from Stellenbosch. I was completely blown away. Rich in color and not just full but well-rounded in flavor: outstanding mouthfeel, dark flavors with spice, earth, and that essential zip of brightness down the middle of the palette that defines upper-tier old-world Syrah. I was completely enthralled with this wine. It was the kind of thing I had been waiting for years to find in South Africa.

Down the road I will have more things to say about the Rudi Schultz Syrah. I do have big plans for this wine. But since then I have been digging into some other South African wines I have at least heard of over the years. A few days ago I had a bottle of Fairview Shiraz. It was nice, but to be perfectly honest it was a bit too fruity for my tastes when you consider the price. But then on Saturday I opened a bottle of Fairvew SMV for my Saturday tasting. It was wonderful (and only around $17).

SMV stands for Shiraz (74%), Mourvedre (24%), and Viognier (2%). Think of it as a homeless man’s Cote-Rotie (it is better than that, but stay with me). The great struggle with South African reds is to get fruit without succumbing to the powerful earthy, barnyard characteristic of the wines. This wine does a great job of balancing all these elements.

I’m not officially re-invigorated when it comes to South African wines, and I hope to say more positive things about them in the future. In the meantime, keep your eye out for the Rudi Schultz (it should be in the $40 neighborhood retail). It’s pricey, but I think when you try it you will find out why.

Getting As Much Out As You Can

Last night I cracked open a bottle of Pinot from a respected producer from a prominent appellation in the Central Coast. It was nice, and I enjoyed it. But at the same time there were too many sips where I picked up a heavy amount of extraction. Not overbearing, but also just enough to make me mumble. It’s Pinot, I should never pick up even a single trace of plum or dried fruit (quick disclaimer: I am a total geek and tend to do the draw-air-through-your-mouth-over-the-wine on almost every sip).

Extraction is a pretty hot topic. It certainly can make for some lovely wines when working with the right grapes. Clio, a mid-range Spanish wine that routinely scores in the mid-to-upper nineties in The Wine Advocate tastes absolutely delicious and is based solely on heavy fruit extraction and massive oak. But more often than not I don’t want massive extraction.

There is also no denying that heavy levels of extraction are becoming more and more prominent. The simple reason for this is only wines with massive levels of extraction stand a chance of getting the highest scores. That is partially the critics’ palettes but also the nature of blind tasting massive quantities of wines. When sixty or so wines are placed in front of you balance, finesse, elegance, and restraint by their very nature will slide into the background when placed next to a wine that is screaming and massive. The best way to make your wine stand out at a tasting is to suck out as much extraction as possible.

Such is life, and the limitations of reviewers. However, I think one of my jobs as a wine retailer is to help expose people to multiple elements of wine, especially the ones they might otherwise miss. It’s easy to enjoy heavy extraction (especially in Cab, Syrah, and Zin), and it is very easy to identify. That doesn’t mean it has to be the only way to enjoy wine.

The wine was enjoyable. I have no complaints about it at all. But if there is one grape that should be protected in our current movement towards more extraction, it should be Pinot. The real allure of Pinot is that each time you sniff the wine there should be enchanting, flowing aromas. With Pinot you should get hints of things and aromas you have to think about, not deep, brooding, heavy aromas. The mystery is the quality that really separates Pinot from all of other grapes.

Moving on, this week Wine Spectator released its annual California Cab review issue. This is probably the most influential issue the magazine releases each year (although the annual Top 100 generates more excitement). Anyway, given my recent entry criticizing the major publications I guess I should acknowledge some of the positives. To put it mildly, reviewer James Laube didn’t just hand out scores. In fact the 95-point or higher scores were pretty much reserved for the huge heavy hitters like Screaming Eagle and Scarecrow. I’m not sold on everything yet, but I this type of scoring keeps up and makes people realize that 87 isn’t a score to be ashamed of but is instead the indication of a pretty damn good wine then I’m all for it. We’ll see if that actually happens (personally I doubt it will, but that is hardly something even Wine Spectator can control now).