VOLUME
19 , NO. 12 18th YEAR
AN $8.99 CALIF. CHARD.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
2006 WENTE “MORNING FOG”
Before trying the wine, I was not expecting
much—I figured the wine would turn out to be another flabby, over-buttery,
ponderous, un-crisp California Chard.
BOY WAS I WRONG. For this ’06 is
a crisp, light to medium-bodied beguiling Chardonnay with pleasing aromas and
tastes of fresh grapefruit, lemon blossoms and pears. Don’t expect any vanilla as I venture to say
this white is not barrel aged, which in this case is certainly to the good.
The Wente name fills me with nostalgia, as this was the first California
Chardonnay I ever tasted. This is not
that surprising as Wente Vineyards, which began in 1883, was the first
This ‘06 is now at its height and will certainly keep well for another two
to 4 years. Regular price is around $12
to $15 with L.A. Wine Company having it on special for under $9.00.
RATING: 89/90 (Compared to other Chardonnays ((from anywhere in
the world)) that are under $9.00 -- it well deserves a 96).
PRICE: $8.99, **** bargain
WHERE: Los Angeles Wine Co. 4935 McConnell,
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FASCINATING $25.95
WHITE
2006
Intriguing and fascinating are words I
would use to describe this ’06 White Burgundy which is certainly Burgundy
tasting, but marches to a different drummer then say a Chassagne or
Meursault. The wine is richer, more
straightforward and less subtle. It’s a
wine you should try for two reasons; (1) it’s a fine Chardonnay easily worth
its $25.95 price and (2) it’s intriguingly different enough, that for curiosities
sake you owe it to yourself to try the wine.
Besides the usual Chardonnay traits of
butterscotch, peaches and citrus fruits there is also an appealing flinty and
mineral aspect to this ‘06. Also
evident is enough vanilla oak to reveal just the right amount of cask aging.
Anticipated maturity now to 2010.
This estate-bottled wine comes from
vineyards mostly adjacent and east of Vosne Romanee—in fact, Romanee Conti is a
relatively short walking distance away.
As far as I know, this is the only white wine made by the winery
Domaine Gros Freres and Soeur.
The Gros family has many branches and all are
located in or near the small town of
RATING: 90/91
PRICE: $25.95 - WHERE: Green-blats, 8017 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood
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EXCELLENT ½ BOTTLE OF ’05 CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
2005 CLOS DE L’ORATOIRE DES PAPES, C.D.P.
Though only
three years old this ’05 Chateauneuf is now quite approachable with a velvety,
silky, not very tannic, charming approachable character. Yet, this wine will keep well for a decade or
so.
The color of the medium to full-bodied L’Oratoire des Pape's ‘05 is a
deep rich purple with aromas and flavors of dark cherries, currants, anise,
oriental spice and hints of roasted almonds.
Clos de l’Oratoire is one of those Chateauneuf-du-Papes that have
increased markedly in quality during the last decade. Once they were close to the hallmark for
mediocrity in this region. Now they are
among the most noteworthy. Their vineyard
covers some 109 acres producing around 12,000+ cases a year. The ’05 is a standard Chateauneuf blend of 80% Grenache,
10% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault.
Regular price for this ½ bottle is around $20, with L.A. Wine Company
having it on special for under $15.00
RATING: 91/92
PRICE:
$14.95 HALF-BOTTLE
WHERE: Los Angeles Wine Co.
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A DRY CHENIN BLANC YOU
SURELY WANT TO TRY!
2006 CHAMPALOU VOUVRAY, Estate Bottled (
O.K. I venture to say you don’t try wines made from the Chenin Blanc
grape very often (if at all). In fact, I
only try them several times a year myself.
But, when it’s good its produces white wines with real character, charm
and even complexity. It does well in
The Champalou ’06 is a dry
white allowing it to be a fine modest priced companion with seafood, chicken, pork and veal and the
kind of wine you take to an Asian restaurant with impunity. The
nose of the wine is reminiscent of pears and lemon blossoms, while it the
creamy and flinty taste you’ll find quinces, Mirabelle plums and hints of herbs
like sage and anise. Fine drinking now
the wine will keep well for another 3 or 4 years.
RATING:
90 PRICE: $14.95
WHERE: Los Angeles Wine Co
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ANOTHER SUPERB 2005 RED
2005 CHATEAU DE BRONDEAU, Appl. Bordeaux Supẻrieur
At
$12.95 this is a most impressive medium-bodied red Bordeaux with an appealing
silky texture and basically soft tannins that allows the wine to now be quite
approachable (and it keep well for another 5 years or so). This shinny ruby red wine has a nose of
cassis with hints of licorice, herbs and camphor. My first response to the taste was the
noticeable fresh boysenberry flavor, accompanied in a less pronounced key with
that of ripe currants, plums and anise. Acid
balance is excellent and what is surprising in a wine in this modest price
category is its seamless integrated structure.
One of the best ’05
The vineyards
of Chateau de Brondeau cover some 25 acres and produce about 5,000 cases a
year. The cepage is 65% Merlot and 35%
Cabernet Franc. The wines matured for
six months in used casks from the same owners Clos du Clocher vineyard in
nearby Pomerol.
RATING: 90 (Compared to other red Cabernet-Merlot based wines
under $13 it deserves a 95).
PRICE: $12.95
***bargain
WHERE: Greenblats Wine & Deli.
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VERY GOOD $17.95
ITALIAN RED
2004 BARBERA D’ASTI, CAMP DU ROUSS (COPPO)
Wines made from the Barbera grape have a
deserved reputation for producing fruity, full-bodied, jammy, directly
appealing reds rather then a complex multi-layered product. At their best and when there price is under
$20 a bottle, they are wines well worth drinking, especially with most meat or
mushroom sauced pasta and other types of hearty Italian food.
Most wine aficionados would hold that the best Barberas
come from the
The color is a deep garnet red accompanied by aromas and flavors of
crushed cherries, currants, licorice, fresh herbs with a lovely earthy touch (what Parker calls, “leather like”). It is most enjoyable now and it will keep
well for another three or 4+ years.
Camp du Rouss Cappo’s first release was in 1987. They are a modest size winery releasing about
13,000 cases a year.
Harvesting of this Barbera ’04 occurred in September and October and
after fermentation, 20% was aged in new small 225-liter barrels for a year
while the balance matured in older barrels and large casks, followed by a year
of bottle ageing before release. In
addition, in order to maintain the maximum amount of flavor the wine’s released
unfined and unfiltered. As many Barbera’s
are not even wood aged, the fact that this one is adds a goodly amount to its
quality.
Oh, by the way, as with all French, Spanish and Italian wines if they
contain a varietal name (in this case Barbera) they must come entirely from
that grape.
RATING: 90
PRICE: $17.95
WHERE: Los Angeles Wine Co.
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FORTUNATE 14 DINNER/TASTINGS
(Both
Events filled, so ask about the waiting list).
LE MONTRACHET & THE GREATEST GRAND CRU WHITE BURGUNDIES –
FRIDAY JULY 25TH
$375.00 including gravlox and
dinner
------------
LEOVILLE-LAS-CASES & OTHER GREAT GRAND CRUS OF ST. JULIEN
(1949-2005), Friday August 15th
$295.00 including dinner
WAITING
LIST ENROLLMENT - PHONE OR E-MAIL
(310) 474-7773
WINE RATING SCALE
95 to 100
- Outstanding Great Classic wine
90 to 94 -
Exceptional wine
85 to 89
- Very good and fine wine worthy of note
80 to 84
- Good wine
70 to 79
- Decent wine maybe missing something
0 to 69 -
Passable to desperation time
***** A very exceptional bargain,
considerably below even the wholesale price.
These rare five star wines are
usually one time offers that are in very limited quantity. The bargains you rush quickly to buy before
they are gone.
**** An excellent bargain, at or even
below the normal wholesale\replacement cost.
Usually one time specials.
*** A very good bargain. Considerably below normal
"discount" price and frequently at wholesale.
** A good bargain. Enough below the usual retail price to merit
serious consideration.
* A decent bargain. A wine worth considering because of its
quality, even if the price is only slightly below normal retail.
S.O.S. Stands for SHORT ON SUPPLY. If
you want the wine, do not even think of delaying your purchase!