Is This For Real? Or has April Fool’s Day Come Late For Wine Spectator?

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

I saw a headline in my RSS reader today and clicked on over to the Wine Spectator to read about an “amazing” $8 Pinot Noir that James Laube apparently tasted blind. The ensuing blog entry started out well enough, but then I read a few lines that made me wonder if it could be a joke. Read it for yourself by clicking here (membership to the Wine Spectator site required to read the full article).

For your general enjoyment, and for those of you lacking access to WS, I’m taking the liberty of including a few paragraphs here (at least until cease and desist orders come my way) that stand out to me as…well, as Onion-like in their tone:

The wine was aged with oak chips instead of in oak barrels, which give it a very subtle spicy wood edge. “I really focus on the taste and complexity that I’m getting.” To achieve the right flavor profile he adds what he described as simply “red blending wine.”

When I asked him what grapes were in the “red blending wine,” Broman insisted he didn’t know, but that it’s common to buy bulk wine samples that have already been assembled, and the percentage of blending wine added is small enough that the wine can legally be labeled as Pinot Noir.

“We don’t know [what grapes] they are,” he said. “It sounds like I’m being evasive, but I don’t know what it is. We’re simply focusing on the flavor.”–excerpted from James Laube Unfined, 4/22/09

I’m actually certain this isn’t some sort of late-April Fool’s joke, and that Laube indeed loved this “yummy” 2008 RedTree California Pinot Noir (with a dash of some other grape varieties in it that the winemaker can’t even identify).

And while there’s a strange kind of honor in Laube’s admittal that he was wowed by a blindly-tasted-wine of unlikely (or less-than-elite) origins, there’s something kind of (really!) disturbing about his subsequent statement that it doesn’t really matter what’s in the wine, as long as it tastes good (can oak chips ever be a good thing? Really? And could he not tell the wine was artificially oaked?).

More so than just endorsing iffy modes of production, Laube is commending what amounts to a simulacrum of wine in general, and Pinot Noir in specific, rather than an authentic product.

Simon’s Pick, February 2009: 2007 Becker Estate Pinot Noir, Pfalz, Germany

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Simon has spotted a Spatburgunder for us this month, though we notice the winery has labeled the ‘07 vintage with the more US-friendly Pinot Noir variety instead of what you see in the image here.

Pick this up at Larchmont Village Wine & Cheese in Los Angeles, where it’s at a budget friendly $17.99. Call and ask for Simon at (323) 856-8699.

Oh, and here are Simon’s notes:

We think it’s time for a straightforward, simple and tasty wine to help you confront these complex times. Bid farewell to an era of excess and greed with this pure and elegant Pinot Noir from Germany.  Yes, Germany. The Freidrich Becker Estate is in the Pfalz region, just over the border from Alsace, and sits on chalk and limestone soils that are perfectly suited to Pinot Noir. A cool climate ensures a delicacy and vibrancy in the wine, and importantly for us, lower levels of alcohol -(this one clocks in at 12.5%.)

Dark ruby on the nose, this shows ample tart red cherry and raspberry on the nose with some pleasing earthiness. This is medium bodied and silky on the palate, with ripe juicy red fruits and hints of sweet spice, the finish braced by uplifting acidity.

This balanced Pinot Noir will pair well with seared Ahi, grilled Salmon with a maple glaze, beef stew or just a platter of your cheeses of choice. –SC

Wine Bloggers Conference: Live Blogging!

Friday, October 24th, 2008

A group of bloggers — 170 or so of us — is currently in Santa Rosa, California, at the first ever Wine Bloggers Conference. It’s incredibly geeky and so far fun. I’ll be updating a few times this afternoon.

First taste of the day will be the 2005 Bink Pinot Noir, Weir Vineyard. Three clones, vinified separately and blended before bottling. Here’s a picture of it. Yay for multimedia! Tastewise, it’s a nice, medium-bodied Pinot that’s not pretending to be Syrah, which I appreciate greatly.

Update: next up is Clos La Chance — 2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. About 1200 cases, $30 retail. That’s Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 drinking it with Russ Beebe, the Winehiker in the background.

Read more…

Mile High Wine Blogging! 2006 Brooks Janus Pinot Noir

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

I’m writing this from 30,000 feet! Much to my surprise, American Airlines is testing a new WiFi service that allows online access on flights between LA and New York. Whoopee! (And so much for a few hours off the grid.)

I wish I were drinking some wine right now so I could inaugurate a new Mile High Wine Blogging club, but I refuse to drink what’s offered in coach (and drinking wine on a plane at 10:30 AM holds little appeal). However, I will happily point you to a wine I tried a few days ago and enjoyed immensely.

Care of the Inertia Beverage Group Direct To Trade group, I was able to taste the 2006 Brooks Janus Pinot Noir, from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. What a lovely wine, with a good blend of red and black fruit, a hint of earth, and a nice, subtle acidity that will ensure this isn’t going to die any time soon. The bottle will run you $35 direct from the winery. d547 doesn’t carry it yet, so please go to Brooks and support buying direct from a winery we love.

So who else wants to blog the friendly skies?

get your wine on

2008 “Bebame” Red, El Dorado County, California

Cabernet Franc (65%) and Gamay (35%) from - gasp - California! And only 13% ABV, pretty modest by California standards. If I tasted this blind I would probably have said it’s from the Loire Valley. It has pretty much nothing in common with the full bodied iterations of Cab Franc coming out of Napa. Juicy, light, delicious quaffing wine.$18 a bottle

2006 Telegramme Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge

Really balanced and smooth, this is a bargain of a Chateauneuf. Yeah, the 07s are lauded but what would I prefer to drink? This! It’s the second label of Vieux Telegraphe, from the same property but from younger vines. And it’s a deal at $33 a bottle.2006 or bust!

NV Barcino Cava: LA Times Wine of the Week!

Delicious and just in time for New Year’s Eve…this is the LA Times Wine of the Week, and we have plenty in stock. Order online, pick-up in-store!$14 a bottle!

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freshly pressed

3/8/10: First domaineLA Wine Tasting at Susan Feniger’s Street: 5 Wines, $15:

Just a quick note to let you know that a week from today, on Monday, March 8th, 2010, I’ll be hosting the first domaineLA wine tasting event at Susan Feniger’s Street, with the Manincor winery of Italy. The importer and winemaker will both be present to chat about the five wines being poured (including an unusual and delicious dry moscato), and the wines will be paired with light bites.

The best news is that the event will cost just $15 a person…a bargain! Swing by between 6PM and 8PM — I hope to see lots of you there!

Susan Feniger’s Street, 742 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Oh, and you can buy tickets in advance, online by clicking here:
Buy Tickets

wine jargon

Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.


Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.


Frizzante


March 29th, 2008

Scorekage


March 23rd, 2008

Rioja


March 3rd, 2008

grapewise

DomaineLA Store Contact Info
If you’re looking for our brick and mortar shop, here’s where it can be found:

6801 Melrose Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 932-0280

Hours are 11AM to 8PM, Monday through Saturday and noon to 5PM on Sundays.

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Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!

Read more…