Newsletter

June, 2002

• Wines of the Month
• New Arrivals
• Bursting With Burgundies
• Elemental Cellars
• Oregon Beauties
• The World’s Three Greatest Women Chefs
• Archives

Wines of the Month

1999 Bourgogne Chardonnay, Bernard Millot, $18.99/Sale $16.99— Wonders never cease, even from Burgundy. Supposedly, this is declassified Meursault. It comes from young vines, and Millot didn’t feel they provided the quality of juice for the hallowed Meursault label. But, boy, is this delicious. It has style and elegance with a kick of acid at the end. Though not cheap for the lowly Bourgogne Chardonnay appellation, it is a value because it’s better than many "village" Meursaults. You don’t find Chardonnay like this often.

1998 Salice Salentino Riserva, Te Deum, Casale Bevagna, $16.99/Sale $14.99— From around Lecce in Apulia, this proves that old vines and high technology can combine to make superb wine. The grapes are 30 to 40 year old Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera. No oak, just unadorned fruit with some age. It is all cherries, plums and nice sensations. Unique? Yeah. We think it may be the best wine from Italy’s "boot heel" we have tasted

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New Arrivals

2000 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc, Regularly $14.99/Sale $13.99—Sauvignon Blancs and Rieslings are definitely our top two choices for summertime quaffing, and this one fills that niche perfectly. With lemon and fig flavors and a crisp, light acidity, this rivals some of our New Zealand favorites. It’s not quite as assertive as the Kiwi style, but its equally refreshing. Two stars from the Connoisseur’s Guide and a 89 from the Wine Spectator.

NV Evolution, Regularly $14.99/Sale $13.49—Made by Sokol Blosser in Oregon, this is a blend of nine white varietals including Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling. It’s a "fruit bowl" of flavors in an off-dry style with a crisp finish...perfect for a warm summer evening. Our staff tasted it recently, and it was a big hit.

2000 Il Circo Uva di Troia "La Violetta", $13.99—Leave it to Randall Graham of Bonny Doon to come up with this name and label. Il Circo means "the circus" and Uva di Troia translates to "Grape of the Trollop" ( If you don’t know what trollop means, you have to look it up). The picture on the label is a drawing of the tattooed lady at the circus. Randall’s plan is to do a series of "Il Circo" wines starring unusual "whacked out" Italian grape varietals. This is the first of the series, and it’s wonderful. The grapes are grown in Puglia, Italy, and the resulting wine obviously tastes Italian, showing elegant fruit and an interesting dab of rustic earthiness. As with so many of Randall’s wines, this is a great value, and the label is sure to entertain.

2000 7 Deadly Zins, $15.99—A blend of seven old vine Zins from seven of Lodi’s best growers. As you might imagine, this is ripe and rich with lots of spice ...quite a bargain at this price.

2000 Incognito, $22.99—Incognito is the proprietary name brothers Mike and Dave Phillips chose for a bottling of their 2000 Viognier at their Michael David Vineyards. Earlier vintages of this wine were labeled Roussane. However, subsequent DNA testing of the vines found that the grapes are actually Viogner...thus, explaining the wine’s new name, "Incognito". The wine itself is very silken with a honeysuckle bouquet and full flavors of peach and apple. The finish is long and lingering - a very nice example of California Viognier.

2000 Jekel Riesling, $10.99—As you’ve probably noticed, we are Riesling fans. The brisk acidity in Riesling makes it a great food wine and one which pairs well with foods that cripple other wine varietals...like spicy Thai dishes, curry, salads and fruit. Most often, we recommend German and Alsacian Rieslings, but this riesling from Jekel Vineyards in Monterey is a good alternative. It has slightly sweet pear and apple flavors with a crisp finish. Great by itself and even better with food.

2000 Saintsbury Garnet, $16.49—From Carneros, this is Saintsbury’s lighter style Pinot Noir but, while light, it is not thin or lacking in substance. It has a really pretty nose of strawberry and spice which is reflected in the flavors. While fruit driven, it’s not overly fruity. A nicely made Pinot for the money.

1999 Hess Select Cabernet, $13.99—We’ve been looking for a cab like this for a long time. It’s stylish, not overblown, with nuances of chocolate within the dark cherry fruit...a cab with complexity at a reasonable price. Definitely a Best Buy!

1999 Coppo Barbera d'Asti, Camp du Rouss, $15.99—Poor man’s Barbaresco. Though we adore Barbaresco and Barolo, we must say the prices are out of our daily drinking range. Barberas, such as this, offer an alternative at a tolerable price. It’s creamy and round with bushels of red fruits.

2000 A-Mano Promessa, Rosso Salento, $8.99—The delicious 2000 A-Mano Primitivo, we featured last month, is "finito." Not to worry. This is just as fetching. It blends Primitivo with Negroamaro.

1999 Quinta Dos Roques Encruzado, $14.99—From our favorite Portuguese winemaker, Virgilio Loureiro, this is modern with oak, but composed. Encruzado is the grape. Chardonnay lovers should try this. Nothing approaches it for the price.

2000 Amador Foothills Rosato, Regularly $10.49/Sale $7.99—Dry rose fans take note. Made from Sangiovese, this is distinctive. It’s a vintage change, so the price is much reduced. The 2001’s will be the old, higher price.

2000 Chateau Ducasse, Bordeaux Blanc, Regularly $9.99/Sale $7.99—An irresistible wine for summer, particularly at the price. It’s clean and citric in essence.

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Bursting With Burgundies

We wanted to say, "We have a plethora of Burgundies," but we recalled a rule at Random House that no manuscript editor should continue reading a text if "plethora" is used in any form. So, we are "bursting" with Burgundies.

Rouges

Here is a sampling of our 1999 red Burgundies, a vintage not to be ignored. For estates which controlled yields, 1999 was an excellent vintage resulting in wines which, according to Pierre-Antoine Rovani of the Wine Advocate, are "gorgeously ripe, with supple tannins, lively personalities, and loads of fruit flavors". Rovani specifically lists Santenay, Volnay, Pommard and Nuit St. George as appellations that had an outstanding vintage in 1999. These were followed by Vosne-Romanee, Gevery Chambertin and Morey St. Denis. Our selections concur with his assessment. Though the 1999’s are generally not built for long term aging many are showing beautifully now and most should be consumed with the next four years.

1999 Santenay 1er Cru, Les Gravieres, Baron de la Charriere, $23.99—Gosh, some smoke and stuffing. A steal.

1999 Pommard, 1er Cru Les Fremiers, Jean-Marc Bouley, $49.99—The best ‘99 Pommard we’ve guzzled. Beautiful fruit, elegance and length.

1999 Morey St. Denis, Vieilles Vignes, Jacky Truchot, $29.99—Pretty trick and qualitatively almost reaches 1er Cru status.

1999 Morey St. Denis, 1er Cru Clos Sorbes, Jacky Truchot, $49.99—Awesome! We can’t say enough about this producer.

1999 Volnay, Lucien Boillot, $27.99—Silken like Victoria’s secret, whatever that secret might be?

1999 Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er Cru Les Champonnets, $49.99—As solid as a "Lands’ End" swimsuit, but more alluring.

1999 Nuits St. Georges, 1er Cru Les Corvees Pagets, Robert Arnoux, $69.99— Steep price and steep quality.

1999 Vosne-Romanee, Les Hautes Maizieres, Robert Arnoux, $64.99—This and the preceding Pommard were the hits of our Burgundy tasting at La Petite Maison.

Blancs

The 1999 vintage was also very good to excellent for white Burgundies. These wines are harmonious—soft, supple and lush without any sharp angles. They are very appealing while young though they really do not have the structure or concentration to be cellared for a long time. So, enjoy some instant gratification and drink them now or over the next few years.

The 2000 vintage was a difficult one due to a rainstorm which occurred a little before harvest was to begin. The rain pushed some growers to pick their grapes too early and their wines reflect that. However, other growers waited and were rewarded with higher quality fruit. So, one must be careful in selecting 2000 Burgundies, and we are. The three 2000 whites we are featuring are very good and are excellent values.

1999 Saint-Romain, Colin-Deleger, $25.99—Get this. We only have a few bottles left, and it is the best Saint-Romain we've bumped into.

1999 Chassagne Montrachet, 1er Cru Morgeot, Bernard Moreau, Regularly $48.99/Sale $44.99—The most attractive Chardonnay I’ve tasted over the last year. Why are we putting it on sale?

1999 Puligny Montrachet, 1er Crus Les Folatieres, Henri Clerc, $49.99—Classic Chardonnay from this highly regarded vineyard.

2000 Macon la Roche-Vineuse, Chateau de la Greffiere, $12.99—Well, if you can find a better Chardonnay than this at a similar price, let us know.

2000 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, J.P. Droin, $22.99—It doesn’t blow you away. But, it’s far better than a "village" Chablis and is just a touch costlier.

2000 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, J.P. Droin, $34.99—Let’s modify the above...it doesn’t blow you away. But, it’s far better than a 1er Cru Chablis and is just a touch, albeit a significant touch, costlier.

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Elemental Cellars

Elemental Cellars is the side passion of the cellar master at the regarded Witness Tree Vineyard in Oregon. The man is Steven Westby, and he makes some super, rare, fantastic "stuff" from special vineyard sites. We think they are far more than "elementary".

2000 Elemental Cellars Melon, Willamette Valley, $16.99—This is "Melon de Bourgogne," the grape of Muscadet. This is so much more than scrawny Muscadet. It’s pleasantly distinctive. Two hundred and seventeen cases were produced.

2000 Elemental Cellars Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, $16.99—Not the usual, insipid Pinot Blanc. This has a satin texture and lots of fun in the glass.

2000 Elemental Cellars Viognier, Willamette Valley, $22.49—Everyone wants to make Viognier, but few succeed. Even in Condrieu, France, the motherland of the grape, the report card is not all "A." This is pretty good. It sidesteps the bubblegum and banana aspects of many of its cohorts.

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Oregon Beauties

Those of you who tasted the Oregon wines featured at this year’s Dance Theatre Wine Festival (which we, of course, coordinate) know how good these wines are. Oregon has had three fabulous vintages in a row, 1998, 1999 and 2000, so now’s the time to buy their great Pinot Noirs. Here are a few of our favorites.

1999 Chehalem Pinot Noir Rion Reserve, $54.99—This may be the best Oregon Pinot Noir we’ve ever tasted. The wine is dark and rich with great depth and balance. Robert Parker agreed with us on this one giving it a "94" and declaring it the best Oregon Pinot from the ‘99 vintage. It’s very allocated and we have less than a case left, so get it while it lasts.

1999 Broadley Pinot Noir, Claudias Choice, $46.99—After the wine festival, we took the six visiting Oregon winemakers skiing for a few days. One night, we had dinner at the Keystone Ranch, and each winemaker brought one wine to serve. This Pinot was the favorite of the evening. It’s drinking beautifully now and, like the Chehalem, has darker fruit flavors "with great depth and balance". Try this wine- it’s pretty exceptional.

1999 Cristom Pinot Noir Reserve, $39.99—These grapes come from four separate vineyards, adding to the complexity of the wine. Cherry aromas and flavors make it very appealing. Again, Robert Parker liked the wine bestowing it with 91 points. 1999 was a vintage yielding wines with solid structure and this Pinot will improve with a few more years of aging.

1999 Cristom Chardonnay, Germaine Vineyard $22.99—Oregon Chardonnays have come a long way in the last ten years...like from awful to very good. The switch to the Dijon clone from Burgundy has made all the difference in the world. Now, Oregon Chardonnays, like this one, have a beautiful richness in the midpalate that comes from the grapes and the terrior, not from the barrels. A touch of oak melded with green apple flavors results in a clean, medium weight Chardonnay.

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The World’s Three Greatest Women Chefs

Soriso, Italy—It’s astounding. Of the world’s 40 or so Michelin Three star ranked restaurants (the most widely acknowledged guide to restaurant quality), only three have women running the kitchens. This is particularly astounding in America, where women do most of the domestic cooking and a lot of professional cooking as well. But, in Europe, particularly France, restaurant work is thought to be men’s work. In France, there is a somewhat derogatory term for women’s cooking, "cuisine de mere." Basically, it is used to differentiate "family style cooking" from "haute cuisine."

So, there are no women Three Star holders in France. But there are two in northern Italy and one in the Basque Province of Spain. The Italian women aren’t that surprising because there is a tradition of female chefs there. But the Basque woman is nearly a shock because, in that pretty region, professional cooking has traditionally been a male job.

The talented chefs are Nadia Santini of Dal Pescatore in Canetto sull’Oglio, Italy, Luisa Valazza of Al Sorriso in Soriso, Italy, and Elena Arzak of Restaurant Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain. Not only do these three possess talent, but they are lovely and charming. They would be the ideal wives. But, sorry boys, they are all spoken for.

NADIA SANTINI--DAL PESCATORE

Nadia Santini was the first Italian woman ever to receive Michelin's top rating. At a time
when a lot of top chefs come with giant egos, Nadia is modest, almost
humble. She says, "Dal Pescatore is really a traditional family restaurant. I make the pasta and main courses. Antonio (her husband) runs the dining room and wine cellar. 'Mama' makes the antipasti and desserts. 'Papa' makes the bread." And her two sons work in the kitchen when they are off from school.

Nadia's is not a showy cuisine, just honest Mantuan cuisine. It's a style of cooking based on the finest local ingredients and the high standard of preparation
imparted to the region by the Gonzaga family who ruled here for centuries.

It is important to note that Dal Pescatore is in the Po River Valley, called the "Padania." This is a fertile lowland where many of Italy's best and costliest food stuffs are grown and bred. Beside vegetables, there are bovines, swines, fish and fowl. They say, for the farmers, this is the most remunerative food valley in the world!

To demonstrate the simplicity and quality of Nadia's, one dish tells all. This is her "Tortelli di pecorino, ricotta e parmigiano" (three cheese ravioli). Three fat raviolis are huddled in the middle of a plate. The golden color, twisted contours and shapes are gorgeous. The flavors are beyond description. Because of this simplicity, I'm slightly surprised she was given three stars. Usually, Michelin critics fall for flashier food.

Asked about how it feels to be one of only three women with Three Stars, she said, "I'm very happy. I only hope that next year there will be more of us."

Dal Pescatore is in the hamlet of Runate, 23 miles west of Mantua, It is closed Monday and Tuesday. All major credit cards are accepted. A meal for two with moderate wine runs about $250. Phone, 011 39 (0376) 723001.

LUISA VALAZZA--AL SORRISO

This lady rocks. Though in Piedmont, her cuisine is not the heavy,
overwhelming offerings one battles against in that area's renowned wine zone of
Barolo/Barbaresco. Luisa's productions are finer, more personal. Like Nadia Santini, she relies on superb local ingredients. For instance, a woman in Ferrara specially raises the geese for her foie gras. This is marinated in olive oil and salt for 24 hours. It is served as carpaccio, upon slices of locally grown apples. The interplay of the soft, fatty, sweet foie gras with the crisp, acidic apples is a complete delight. This is listed on the menu as "Piccolo carpaccio di fegato grasso."

Normally, two tasting menus are offered. When last there, one of the menus had fish as the main course, the other pigeon. I took the pigeon. My companions took
the fish. I received a breast of pigeon cooked with a sauce of Port and leeks. This
was served rare and wasn't the least gamey. Look for it as "Petto di piccione al porto con fonduta di porri."

Luisa's husband, Angelo, runs the wine program. It has all the Piedmontese stars, like Giacosa, Conterno, Rinaldi. He recommended an unusual Piemontese, Erbaluce di Caluso, that was fascinating. "This is Piedmonts best white, not Gavi or Arneis," he said.

Another amazement at Al Sorriso is the cheese trolley which contains only artisan, Piedmontese cheeses. Angelo will put a plate together for you and tell you the life stories of each cheese.

Soriso (not the spelling difference) is a bewitched, little village. It's about an hour drive from Milan. Al Sorriso has a half-dozen rooms that are nice and cozy. It's proximity to Milan's Malpensa Airport makes this an ideal place to stay on arrival or departure from Italy. The rooms rent for about $100. Meals run about $125/diner with moderate wine. All major credit cards are honored. It is closed Monday and Tuesday at lunch. Phone--011 39 (0322) 983228.

ELENA ARZAK--RESTAURANT ARZAK

Some wags might contend that Elena Arzak got her three stars under the cover
of her fathers "toque." That is somewhat true because her father, Juan Mari Arzak, first accumulated the stars. But, to her credit, she has been running the
kitchen for four years and designing the menus, and Restaurant Arzak hasn't lost any of its stars. Actually, many think it's even better now.

Of course, the fact that Elena's father is considered the creator of the "New Basque cuisine" looms in the restaurant and all of San Sebastian, actually. Again this is a cuisine based on the best local ingredients and in the Basque country you have the bounty of the sea, mountain and farm. But Juan Mari had a harder job than just gathering ingredients. He had to overcome the suppression of all things Basque during the Franco regime. Incredibly, Basque cooking was considered a metaphor for one's "Basqueness" and was frowned upon.

So Juan Mari revived the traditional Basque kitchen and re-molded it to modern taste and style. For one example, he revolutionized the traditional dish "Txangurro" (spider crab) that was usually baked and re-stuffed in its shell. Instead he baked the crab meat and then bundled it into crepes which were than crisped. The counterpoint of the crunchy crepes and succulent meat was a triumph.

He once told me his goal was to taste the Basque soil and sea in his food. He had small interest in spices, seasoning or foods from other places. This is where he and Elena differ. Elena is fascinated by different cuisines. She travels the world
to taste different kinds of cooking and gather unusual ingredients. Once, on a trip back from South America, a bag of plantain flour caused a small stir at Spanish customs. And this wasn't because of its gastronomic potential.

Elena is constantly inventing new delights. One of my favorites is the "Sorta de cigalas y fideo de arroz con mahonesa de foie" (crayfish wrapped in a nest of fried rice doodles with a dollop of foie gras pate on the side). Here a morsel of orange crayfish is woven into the golden fried noodles. It's visually stunning and, on the tongue, the sweet meat and the crunch of the noodles delicious. On my last visit, Elena had another new success. This was a duck egg poached in white truffle oil. She explained, "The egg must be a day old and I poach it in a bag with the truffle oil inside. It's easy."

So it goes at Restaurant Arzak today. Imaginative new offerings appear regularly. And Elena's bright and wickedly, beautiful face overlooks it all.

Restaurant Arzak is in the seaside town of San Sebastian at Alto de Miracruz, 21.
The phone is 011 34 943 27 84 65. A meal for two with a bottle of wine costs about $220. All major credit cards are accepted. Closed Monday and most holidays. Vacation times vary.

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COALTRAIN
Wine & Spirits
330 W. Uintah
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719-475-9700