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January 23 2008
If I had to draw a line of differentiation, I would say there is a difference between being a “cult” winemaker and being a winemaker with a “reputation.”
When I say reputation I mean in a good way, as in “what a great winemaker” not “he gets around with that overwrought, bombastic chard style of his.” I mean somebody with a reputation that precedes them, you know … somebody with street cred.
You could play a game of Hollywood Squares with the current crop of wine industry shining stars –cultists and those with reputation- and still have enough winemaker wattage to fuel a run in syndication, too.
Helen Turley? Cult winemaker
Heidi Barrett? Cult winemaker
Mia Klein? Cult winemaker
Ed Sbragia? Reputation
Merry Edwards? Reputation
David Ramey? Reputation
I’m not really sure what the difference is between a cult winemaker and somebody that merely has a reputation, but I surely can sense it and I’d definitely like to figure it out. Methinks that there might be an inversely proportional line between bottle price and mere reputation, but that would be very simplistic …
Whatever the reasons might be, I think David Ramey would like to know, as well. Because if anybody’s output is meritorious of cult status, it might be David Ramey from Ramey Wine Cellars.
In fact, if he keeps going, it might not be too long before he hits cult status.
The interesting thing about his winemaking style is, to my palate, making only Chardonnay and Cabernet, stock-in-trade California wine varietals, he strikes almost a perfect balance between ripe California fruit and Old World balance and finesse.
In his words, according this interview found here, Ramey strives for:
Balance, harmony, deliciousness
While trying to avoid:
Heaviness, coarseness, clumsiness
Does he ever.
In reference to a Jericho Canyon Vineyard Cabernet, which he thinks can age 30 years, Ramey says,
Tastes good now, tastes good later – but different. That’s the new mantra.
Speaking of mantra, it would be nice if all “New World” winemakers got on the same page about “tastes good now, tastes good later” and mercifully ended this New World-Old World-Parker argument.
Providing additional insight into his style ala the job interview question, “tell me what your friends would say about you,” Ramey goes on to say in the same interview that his “desert Island” wine would be:
“… a bottle of 1998 Chateauneuf du Pap Les Caillox by Andre Brunel. I really like the combination of sweetness with acidity, richness with elegance, and complexity.”
That kind of sums up his wines, I think—richness with elegance, and complexity.
Dare I say it, but if I had to pick a winemaker for Chateau Good Grape, it might be David Ramey.
This past weekend I had an opportunity to attend a public tasting of the ’05 Ramey Wine Cellars line-up held by one of our really good local wine shops, Grapevine Cottage, just outside of Indianapolis.
These sorts of tastings happen all the time, but you really have to keep your eyes open to get in on the good tastings and I feel for those that missed the Ramey tasting.
Standing on the shoulders of giants, I won’t give my tasting notes or reviews of the wine. Just know that Parker is enamored with Ramey, as is Tanzer—and for good reason.
In my estimation, Ramey might be the most un-cult, cult winemaker out there. These aren’t the cheapest wines—ranging in price from $38 to $115, but if you are going to splurge, these are some dandy wines to spend some money on.
Tasting through mostly the ‘05’s, I particularly enjoyed the following:
2005 Ramey Sonoma Coast Chardonnay $38
2005 Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay $58
2005 Ramey Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay $58
2005 Ramey Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon $75
For more information on Ramey Cellars check out the following links:
Robert Parker column from BusinessWeek magazine in ‘06
January 22 2008
Since the beginning, I have been a big fan of the concept of Crushpad Wine. However, being a fan of their business concept and being an advocate based on their wines are two different things.
I was straddling the line between being the equivalent of a business admirer versus being a stark, raving consumer fan. I knew that they had produced a couple of nice wines in their first few vintages, but, just the same, the proof is in the palate, my palate that is, and I hadn’t actually tasted any of their vino.
I might be crossing the chasm to stark, raving consumer fan given the first two bottles from the case that I have had of the ’06 Cellar Rat Cellars Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.
I signed up relatively late for Alan Baker’s Cellar Rat wine project (chronicled here), and I am glad I did, not missing the opportunity. As explained by Alan on his site, he, essentially, spent his last bit of savings to make this wine, hoping that it was a good bet not only for quality, but also for realizing his wine dream.
It was a good bet. Wow. This is nice juice. And, he got a job out of the deal, too, now working with and for Michael Brill, Crushpad CEO on their Crushnet initiative.
For Alan, this is a boutique project—boutique as in small—not boutique as in kind of small. I think total production of the Cellar Rat Cellars Pinot is 75 cases. Given the smallness of the project, it makes the $42 bottle price, while, yes, a bit dear, worth every penny.
The Pinot is a very nice balance between having some of the “Old World” food-friendly acid and earthiness components that you would expect alongside some amazingly succulent California fruit upfront, all done in a restrained manner; it is not blowsy or rendered too tightly.
The thing that I like most about this wine, however, is its natural state. According to Alan, who generously spent a 1 ½ hours with me in May of ’07 doing barrel samples, is the wine went into fermentation with natural yeasts—no inoculation. Which, given Crushpad’s location in San Francisco, makes that fact pretty cool, particularly given the result. The other good decision that Alan made with the wine is to not filter it. It has obviously been fined, but not to the extent where it is completely free of all wine detritus. It is clear, but not brilliant and there is a rustic quality to the wine that, when paired with the earthiness in the flavor profile, makes it a special wine.
Alan thinks it will age for the next five years or so—the acid and the subtle oak influence being indicators that it needs some time to reach its peak. This, alongside the fact that a little decanting really opens up the wine, particularly on the nose, gives indication that its best days may be in the months/years to come. However, in my humble opinion, this wine will not last five years, at least not in my house. I will drink it before it sees its peak, color me impatient if you must.
The ’06 Cellar Rat Cellars Anderson Valley (Wentzel Vineyard) Pinot Noir also just won a Bronze medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition against some notable competition. Other Bronze Pinot winners in this price range include DeLoach, Consentino, Londer, Navarro, MacMurray and others. It is good company.
Alan tells me that there is a very small quantity of the wine left. If you are interested in picking up a bottle or three you can do so with the commerce functionality that Alan has set-up. (found here)
Quoting New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov (here) in regards to Pinot Noir, he says, “… No other wine forges as direct a path to the soul.” With the quality of the Cellar Rat wine and the story of how it came to be with Alan Baker, I would have to say I think Asimov is right on target.
My tasting note is found here.
January 19 2008
Now, a full two weeks after Alder, while adding his own inimitable perspective, created a wide distribution platform for Rich Cartiere’s reporting from the Wine Market Report, you would have to say that Wine.com has seen significant damage to its reputation online and offline.
That is what journalism does; it tells objective stories before those with opinions weigh in with the essential truth and let the chips fall where they may.
Simply, very few wine stories that are not lifestyle and consumer-oriented have had as much historical life, save for the completely boring and pedantic “New World vs. Old World” debate that pops up a couple of times a year with a new set of players.
As the wine.com story heads into the home stretch, as the fire gives way to burning embers, I think it is safe to say it will show up on year-end 2008 wine industry “notable stories” lists.
Classicwines.com announcing that they were removing all advertising from Wine.com from their site was simply a symbolic deathblow from the wine blogosphere court of public opinion. Persona non grata, if you will. Or, to be more colloquial, Wine.com has been Fredoed (see also here).
In the meantime, though, given we have 11.5 more months of ’08 yet to unfold, let’s give a little credit where credit is due before we pull the car past the accident site. Credit goes to Richard Cartiere for breaking the story from a reporting perspective and the Specialty Wine Retailers Association for hosting the Wine Market Report newsletter where the story first appeared. Credit also goes, significantly, to Alder Yarrow, for giving this story a voice with opinion that took the lid off the situation.
Cartiere, especially, should credit for breaking this and that has been a little bit lost in the shuffle. I’m not sure where he got the tip, but it was bold of him to go with it. However, he is a journalist, experienced in investigation. Having the story come from an exclusive newsletter like the Wine Market Report and subsequently using the trickle down effect to Vinography.com seems like it was smart in execution. If it had not started in the Wine Market Report, I am not sure if it would have picked up as much steam as it did when Vinography effectively “broke” the story wide open.
The interesting thing about the story starting in the Wine Market Report, because it’s subscription-only to an influential group of winery insiders, is the fact that it saw the light of day at all to a larger audience. Historically, Cartiere has not made the newsletter available for *any* public consumption outside of his email or fax subscriber list. I know he does not make it available for outside intercourse because I have tried.
In the summer of last year, I read a copy of the Wine Market Report that featured a very damning review of “The House of Mondavi” by Julia Flynn Siler. I subsequently had occasion to exchange a couple of emails with Cartiere. I asked him if I could post the newsletter because I wanted to do a counterpoint review to the book review that he did. He very politely and professionally said, within the context of a longer narrative about his reporting background:
My approach to wine business news is the same I had at The AP, etc:—investigate, verify, verify, report all the news fit for discussion. I do not receive any gifts or accept travel or accommodations from wineries, etc. I accept only a limited bit of ads (rarely if ever are they from wineries) and otherwise support the newsletter through annual subscriptions (roughly 1,000 executive types currently). That is one of many measures I have in place to ensure that editorial is never to be influenced by the wine industry itself.
This model is the same as has been used for decades by newspapers in the United States. My slight twist is that the newsletter is not posted online and is available only via fax or email and it focuses exclusively on the wine business.
As such, I must deny as I always do, any request to publish the newsletter on a web site. Copyright restrictions give you the opportunity to quote from it to a limited degree as long as it is with clear and consistent attribution.
So, again, as the story dies down, let’s give credit to the folks that brought this story to light—Cartiere for writing it and agreeing to expose his newsletter to everybody against his own strictly enforced policy, the Specialty Wine Retailers Association web site for hosting the newsletter, and to Alder Yarrow, of course, for giving an opinion that, once combined with careful reporting, gave the story legs to expose the scurrilous truth.
January 17 2008
Sex in San Francisco
It’s not often that I’m in California and reminded of my Midwestern roots—particularly from a wine perspective, but sure enough, I was in San Francisco this week having a business lunch at le Petit Robert in Russian Hill when I see a Michigan sparkling wine. L. Mawby’s second label, M. Lawrence, is represented on the wine list, by the glass no less, with their sparking wine called “Sex.”
L. Mawby is also highlighted in the 2005 book, “The Great Wines of America” by Paul Lukacs—a bold choice in wineries for the author to include in the book given geography. Having tasted the “Sex” before, and been to the L. Mawby tasting room, I can vouch that their sparklers are excellent, but I did opt for a California butter-bomb chard at lunch thinking the sparkler might be a little dandy. Alas, I should have gone with my instinct as the California Chard was less than fantastic. My wife was not on this trip with me and I did not have the wine so I cannot say that I had “Sex” in San Francisco. Nevertheless, check out L. Mawby if you want to try something off the beaten track.
The Conundrum Killer in the Good Grape Wine Blogger Pack at Domaine547
I like Conundrum wine. There, I said it. Sure, there is some residual sugar, sure, it is an out and out quaffer, sure, it is somewhat expensive for what it is, but damned if it is not a tasty wine.
I have been on something of a personal mission to find a blended white that approximates that juicy goodness of Conundrum for a little less money. I am finding that the Conundrum blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli and small amounts of Sémillon and Viognier is not easily duplicated. The Hey Mambo Swanky White and the Menage a Trois white blend are each enjoyable for what they are, but they don’t come close to challenging the layers of hedonistic flavor you get with the Conundrum (NOTE: this will be the only time I parrot Parker and use the word hedonistic).
However, in terms of pure enjoyment, the Brooks Amycas, a white blend made up of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Muscat, comes pretty close to the Conundrum on the pleasure meter. It is a different kind of wine, crisper and brisker, but the same liveliness and the tropical fruits with a very balanced undercurrent of acid are present in both. The Amycas is a winner.
The Brooks Amycas white is one of three whites wines featured in the Good Grape Wine Blogger Pack at Domaine547. If you’re interested in trying this gem of a wine along with two other notable and delicious Rieslings, you can buy it at the Domaine547 web site.
Re-visiting Mondovino
I re-watched Mondovino this past weekend. I was mostly interested to check this out AFTER having been blogging for two years to see how my perspective might have changed or been better informed than the first time I watched it after it came out on DVD in 2005.
Mostly, I think I viewed it a couple of years ago with less of a discerning filter and insight into the polarizing divisiveness that is New World vs. Old World, particularly around Rolland and definitely around some of the issues with Parker’s palate.
However, upon re-reviewing, frankly, I have to say the documentary is pretty innocent and subtle for what it is. I think it rankled many folks mostly by virtue of the filmmaker, Jonathan Nossiter, and his manifested ego in how he made the film. It is definitely not cinema verite, at least as far as documentary’s go.
Undoubtedly, the movie does demonstrate a certain affectation—a refined Michael Moore, if you will. There are the awkward moments that aren’t edited out—with virtually everybody— nobody comes out wearing the glossy veneer of a filmmaker putting somebody’s best foot forward. There is the out of touch Bon Vivant James Suckling, Parker talking about his farting dogs, Neal Rosenthal looking like W.C. Fields with gin blossoms on his nose, the laughing, dismissive Rolland, Michael Mondavi clearly talking on cue with the press attaché lurking nearby and his father straining to hear what he says, et al. Doubtless, none of these subjects thought that their candid moments were going to make up the bulk of the film. Then there is the jarring juxtaposition of the music, the panning of the camera to non-sequitar scenery shots, including the abundant dog shots ...
Overall, I would have to say that I watched this documentary scratching my head wondering what the big deal was about, why Parker and Nossiter still snipe at each other. I would urge you to re-watch it with the addition of a year or two more worth of context in wine experience and let me know what you think.
January 16 2008
Usually I have a moderately interesting story for my Wine Blogging Wednesday wine selection—some sort of madcap purchasing story, morality tale or taste revelation.
Today is no different.
My white from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region wine, as stipulated by our gracious hosts, Jack & Joanne from the Fork & Bottle was, in a word, interesting. My wine selection, which set me back a whopping $7.99, might be the most interesting wine I’ve ever had. But, you know, interesting in the kind of way where somebody asks you your opinion and you don’t exactly know what to say, but your inclination is negative, so you just say the benign “interesting.” The wine is so interesting in fact that I’m channeling my inner Chateau Petrograsm—words can’t describe this wine adequately.
So, with that in mind, the following is a link to my single picture which encapsulates the wine.
‘01 Forchir Villa del Borgo Chardonnay
My tasting note review for the same wine can be found here.
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