In the last few weeks I have had several wine tastings with my friends. It has made me realize how important wine has been in my life. Almost every one of my friends, became my friends, do to our mutual interest in wine. These friends come from many different backgrounds. If not for our interest in wine, our paths might never have crossed. That would have been sad.

As many of you know I have a Pinot Noir club. We started in 2001. The plan was to have a group gather and discuss wine. We would try to form a lexicon on wine. This way we would know what each other was saying, when we described what we tasted. Well, eight years later we still don’t know what the other guy is talking about. But you know, it does not matter. What has happened is a bunch of guys have become good friends. These friends get together monthly; we laugh and tease each other unmercifully. Most of the time is spent talking about things other than wine.

When I think about it, I would not want it any other way.

I have been hearing from several sources how good the 2007 vintage was in Spain. They are calling it the best in 30 years. I always take this with a grain of salt. Wine makers tend to be in love with their latest vintage. Then the wines started to come in and the fact is, they are delicious.


One of the tasty ones I have had is Nekeas El Chapparral Grenache. This wine comes from the Jumilla region of Spain. This wine has a bright ruby color. It has an extremely rich nose with wisps of black raspberry, plum and flowers. You call this wine juicy, with a hint of pepper on the palate. The wine finishes with red and dark berry flavors. If you like big, bold, red wines you will love this wine.

So, you are going to order a pizza tonight and you want a wine to go with it. What is a good pizza wine? It is a red wine, with a nice fruity character (we all now people like this, but I am talking about wine). You want a little bit of tannins and a little bit of acidity; these factors will let the flavor of the wine cut through to the palate. You also are having pizza, not exactly breaking the bank on dinner, so obviously you don’t want to spend a fortune on the wine.

Anyway, here are a couple of choices. First up, is Rutherford Ranch Zinfandel, this is a quintessential pizza wine. Zinfandel has a cherry/berry flavor profile. The Rutherford Ranch is a well rounded, even supple wine, but there is enough oomph (oomph is a technical wine term) to it, so it can stand up to a pepperoni pizza. Track it down should cost you about $15 bucks.


Another winner is the Bogle Petite Syrah. The Bogle wines have always been a favorite of mine. The wines are full and fruity (you expect me to make a crack here don’t you?) and the prices are great. The Petite Syrah is no different, it begins with a raspberry character then segues (segues for those who are products of the California school system, means to move into or through) (now calm down, this is just a crack at a good friend who is a teacher. I know he gets this e-mail, so I am just having a little fun) (Of course I know other teachers get this e-mail so I guess there goes those sales) into a rich texture and smooth and pleasing finish. This wine will go down easy. And priced at around ten bucks it will be easy on the wallet. It is probably cheaper then your pizza!

Cheaper will be very good in 2009!

A quick blog.

I had the Star Lane wines. They are the best line of Bordeaux varietals I have had from the Central Coast. These are rich multi layered wines. The Merlot is outstanding. Yes, I said a Central Coast Merlot was outstanding. Star Lanes wines come from Happy Canyon in Santa Ynez.

Find them, try them, and thank me.

Wine and Physics

Physics and wine are not often in the same blog. This is an exception. When I go on vacation, I try to bring a book that will tax my mind. I am vacationing this week and my book is “The Black Hole Wars, or how my battle with Stephen Hawking made the world safe for Quantum Mechanics.” It was written by Leonard Susskind.

One of the building blocks of Quantum Mechanics is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. The gist of the principle is that by observing something you change it. So, even though you think you have devised an experiment that covers all the variables, you can never be sure of the outcome. Everything must be rated in probability not definitive results.

Now what does this have to do with wine? As I was studying this Principal, I thought of wine evaluation. I wish I could tell you I was pondering a fine wine when it came to me, but I was drinking a Daiquiri by a pool. Besides that incongruity, I thought of how often, someone has told me what I should think about a certain wine. I may say the color is purple and another may correct me and say “no it is garnet”. We in the wine business make it a habit of judging wine and telling you what to think. This gets in the way of peoples enjoyment of wine.

By applying Quantum Mechanics and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, we can say that a wine is not necessarily what the expert says it is. Another quirk of Quantum Mechanics is that things can be in two states at the same time, such as light i.e. waves and photons. So you both can be right at the same time.

So, the next time someone tells you are wrong about a wine, tell them to bone up on their Quantum Mechanics

Is it all an Illusion? Or just a good Cab.

Due to landing on my head in a bicycle crash, I have not been imbibing. The medications altered my perceived reality. Now that I have my reality back in alignment, I can imbibe the nectar of the vine.

I choose my first glass to be the Robert Craig Howell Mountain 2004. Robert Craig is one of those names that most people know, but don’t know very much about. The reason for this is Robert Craig is a farmer and vintner. He is not a “star.” He does not aspire to the spotlight. Something rare in a Napa producer.

Robert Craig has developed some of the better know vineyards on both Mt Veeder and Howell Mountain. He has been doing this for close to thirty years. He makes “mountain” wines that show a great deal of elegance and finesse. They will age for years, yet they can be drunk now.

Robert Craig also makes a wine called Affinity. These grapes come from vineyards on the valley floor. I am a big fan of this producer. Yet again, I did just suffer a head injury.

A step into White Burgundy

Burgundy, the word carries a lot of connotations. At first we visualize ancient wine cellars, perhaps a stooped old Frenchman, blowing the dust of an old bottle and gently opening the wine. To most of us Burgundy means expensive wine. This is accurate to some degree. Many Burgundies will set you back several hundred a bottle. But not all Burgundies will break the bank.

This week we will talk about white Burgundies. As you know, white Burgundies are made from the Chardonnay grape. Let’s start with wine labeled Bourgogne Blanc. This will be you basic, entry level white Burgundy. You can expect a crisp, clean wine. Most of them just have a kiss of oak. Some of your better producers can make a wine with richness and complexity. You can get many of these wines for $15-$30. Try the Bouchard or Remoissenet 2006.

We all know the famous white appellations such as Puligny-Montrechet and Corton Charlemagne. But there are other appellations you should try, if you are not a millionaire. Macon-Villages, produces Chardonnays with bright fruit character. These wines are delicious on hot August evening. Look for the Perrusset 2005. This is a really enjoyable wine. Wines from the Macon can be found in the $15-$20 range.
Wines labeled as Saint Veran, can come from seven different communes. The wines exhibit some of the mineral quality you expect in wines that will cost you much more. The buttery oak flavors are a little more pronounced in the Saint Veran wines as compared to Macon and your basic Bourgogne Blanc. Some think of the wines as being fatter the Macon. St Veran should be in the $20 to $30 range.

My advice is start with some of these wines before you step up to the big boys.