Wine around the world

We all understand the power of brands. There was likely a time for most Americans alive to day when we used "Reynolds Wrap" when we meant aluminum foil. Some of us still say Kleenex instead of tissue and Xerox instead of photocopy. When one company pioneers a product that becomes so ubiquitous and common, it's likely that the name will stick, even when we're no longer using the original product.

There was a time in Japan's history when sake was more easily referred to as Oyamazake, for exactly the same reasons. In 1882, the Shogun commanded that a sake brewing operation be established to feed the growing thirst for rice wine at the court, and like most of the time when the Shogun asked for something, he got what he wanted.

At it's height, the brewing operation that sprang in the town of Oyama occupied almost fifty separate breweries arranged side-by-side on the Shonai plain in northwestern Japan. The amount of sake produced at the height of production is unknown, but it must have been truly staggering.

Today, several sake breweries call he town of Oyama home, but only one brewery can trace its history back to that massive brewing operation begun more than a century ago. Named Ohyama, or "big mountain," this modest brewery continues to carry on the traditions of sake brewing much as they were established before the turn of the century.

Ohyama makes several sakes, but perhaps one of their best is this very special nigori, or "unfiltered," sake. Unfiltered in the world of sake means much the same as it does in the world of wine. The process of making sake eventually yields a big soup of mushy fermented rice and alcohol in the same way that the end of fermentation for grapes results in a big tank of grape skins, wine, seeds, etc.

In order to get sake out of the mash, the sake must be pressed off of its lees (the solid bits of rice and yeast that are left). This usually involves putting sake into canvas bags and then squeezing those bags in a pneumatic press so that the sake squirts out and the rice and such is left behind. The resulting sake is a milky, cloudy color as it still contains a lot of rice starch and yeast in suspension.

At this point the sake is usually cold filtered through charcoal or other mediums to clarify the sake, but occasionally, brewers will simply stop here, and this cloudy, sediment filled sake is known as nigori. The rice starch gives the sake a milkier, slightly sweeter flavor which makes nigori a nice aperitif, as well as a good match for stronger flavored foods.

Interestingly, if you were to travel back in time, say, to 1882, when Ohyama was busy making sake for the Shogun, all the sake would have been unfiltered because they hadn't invented the filters yet. Clear sake is quite a modern phenomenon.

Unfortunately while nigori sake is also an increasingly popular phenomenon, much of it is extremely low in quality. In some sake drinking circles, nigori sake is the equivalent of white zinfandel, an entry level brew that is easy to drink and doesn't take much to appreciate. As a result most nigori sakes are made from relatively low quality rice, are often fortified with alcohol, and in some cases, are just downright nasty tasting.

Increasingly however, there are some breweries that are making extremely high quality nigori sake, and Ohyama happens to be one of them. This sake is a "tokubetsu" junmai nigori, which means "very special" junmai nigori. The Haenuki rice has been milled to less than 60% of its former mass (enough to qualify for ginjo status), and no additional alcohol has been added in the brewing process. These two facts, coupled with the extra care taken in its production have made for one of the finest, most delicate nigori sakes available on the market today.

Tasting Notes:
This sake looks like watery, fat free milk in the glass, and it smells very pretty, with aromas of rainwater, flowers, and faint hints of bubble gum. In the mouth it is smooth and creamy, with flavors of...well...cream, wet cedar wood, apple, floral notes, and a beautiful stony quality that lasts through a surprisingly long finish. This is one of the most refined, elegant nigori sakes I have ever had.

Food Pairing:
Even though it is refined in quality, this sake has the robustness of the nigori style, which means it is not so easily overwhelmed by stronger flavors (like many delicate sakes are). I'd happily serve this sake with any non-spicy south or east Asian food. It would go beautifully with a mild Vietnamese curry, for instance.

Overall Score: 9/9.5

How Much?: $15

This sake is available for purchase on the Internet.

If you have more than a passing interest in wine, you've no doubt heard some form of this common complaint: wine critic Robert Parker's palate, with it's emphasis for 'hedonistic fruit bombs,' has ruined the wine world, because now everyone makes (unappealing/monstrous/one-dimensional/sweet/spoofulated/choose-your-adjective) wines that taste the same and have the singular goal of a high point score from Parker.

I have long maintained that this "sky is falling" point of view (perhaps best typified by the irresponsible polemic, Mondovino) and in particular the demonization of Robert Parker's palate as monolithic represents a sort of irrational fanaticism with little basis in reality.

My observations, for as long as I have been following the world of wine criticism, have led me to believe that, contrary to the whining and accusations of many, most of the world's top wine critics tend to completely agree with Parker when it comes to most of the top wines of the world.

And now there's actually been a study that seems to bolster my anecdotal convictions. Conducted by the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University, this recently released study was commissioned to examine the hypothesis that the ordered ranking of Bordeaux Chateaux into First Growths, Second Growths, etc. that has been in place since 1855 may no longer be truly accurate. In the process of testing this hypothesis, the researchers have produced the only statistical analysis I have ever seen that compares the rankings of major wine critics across similar wines. And while it was not the purpose of their research, their findings on the correlation of scores between The Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, and Stephen Tanzer are quite remarkable.

In short: these three sources are in near complete agreement on which wines are the best, and they have been for three decades. This result utterly refutes the idea that somehow Parker's "skewed" palate has driven the wine market to a place that it would not have otherwise gone on its own.

Here's one of the charts from the report that pretty much says it all (click to enlarge):

This graphic shows the ratings for nearly 50 of the top wines of the Medoc region of Bordeaux by these three critical sources. The researchers' primary findings about these ratings are nicely visualized here, namely that there are incredibly strong correlations between all three raters as to which are the better wines, as well as which wines are relatively better than others, as well as the fact that the differences between these raters are consistent. Parker gives higher ratings (by about one third of a point) than the Spectator, which in turn is about a point higher than Stephen Tanzer. Over 30 years of data, even in the cases where there is significant disagreement between these raters, that disagreement is rarely more than two or three points, maximum.

The only way this study could have proved my suspicions any better is if it had included scores from European critics like Jancis Robinson, Stephen Spurrier, Michael Bettane, and Michael Broadbent.

But luckily enough, there's a fairly easy way to answer that "what if?", thanks to a phenomenally useful site called Bordoverview.Com, which lists the scores for several hundred top Bordeaux wines across the past 4 vintages and across a huge range of critics, including Parker, Robinson, Bettane, and the Spectator. A quick pass through the data on that site should be enough to put a nail in the coffin of the myth of the monolithic palate once and for all.

A comparison of the top 20 wines from each of the critics from every vintage since 2004 yields an overlap of more than 60%. I didn't have the time (or the skill) to grab all the scores and run a regression analysis on them, but I'd bet good money that they'd show the same level of correlation, as well as internal consistency that was found by the Cornell study.

Of course, there will be people who will say, "well, that's just the top Chateaux of Bordeaux, what about California, or Burgundy, or Italy, or Australia?" It certainly would be great to do this sort of analysis on scores from the critics for all those regions. But the reality is that the majority of wine critics don't cover all those regions equally. Bordeaux, and the Left Bank in particular, is the ultimate benchmark for wine critics -- every major critic covers nearly every one of these wines every year, and these are ostensibly the best wines on the planet if only judged by broad historical market prices and demand.

So let's just put this one to rest, shall we? If anyone wants to persist in the argument that Robert Parker is ruining wine for the world then they need to answer the following question: how can that possibly be, when the rest of the major wine critics in the world seem to agree with him (nearly wine for wine) and when it appears that some have done so for decades?

I highly recommend you check out the report from Cornell, and that you spend some time playing with Bordoverview.Com.

Oh, and about that 1855 Classification? Looks like it needs a significant overhaul.

These days, with a newborn, I don't get out to many large tasting events, but one I decided I shouldn't miss this year was the annual Golden Glass tasting in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. This tasting is an annual fundraiser for Slow Food USA, and has been called the best single wine tasting event in San Francisco by more than a few wine lovers I know. In addition to having a reputation for pouring a lot of great wine (mostly Italian) the Slow Food focus attracts many of the top artisan food producers and restaurants from around the Bay Area. So the snacks are pretty good.

Generally the Golden Glass is on a weekend that conflicts with many other wine tasting events for me, so I often don't get a chance to attend, but this year I carved a couple of hours out of my schedule to wander the hall and check out what the event had to offer.

While past years have been almost exclusively Italian in focus, this year a significant number of producers from New Zealand were on hand, as well as smatterings of other regions like Australia, Spain, Germany, and Argentina. I cruised these areas, and after a little consideration, decided to focus my tasting efforts on the Italian contingent (which still made up more than 60% of the wine being poured).

After all the hype about this tasting from folks I know in the business, I have to say I was disappointed in the quality of the wines. That goes for both the Italians, which I tasted, and the rest of the producers, many of whom I was familiar with. Don't get me wrong there was plenty of good wine there. But there wasn't a lot of amazing wine being poured. Compared to the Tre Bicchieri tasting, held about two month's earlier, this tasting was lackluster. However, there were some excellent wines to be found amongst a crowd of decent ones, so my scores follow below.

The food at the event was definitely some of the best I've had at any public wine tasting event, and might alone be worth the $50 entrance fee.

WHITE WINES

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9.5
2006 Cantina Prod. San Pauls Sauvignon Passion. $35

WHITE WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2004 Barone Pizzini/Pievalta Verdicchio Castelli Jesi Class. San Paolo Pievalta. $30
2006 D'Antiche Terre Greco di Tufo. $21

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2007 Cornarea Roero Arneis. $26
2006 Pierpaolo Pecorari Sauvignon, Kolaus. $32
2005 Primosic Collio Ribolla Gialla di Oslavia Riserva. $20
2007 Ronco dei Tassi Malvasia Collio. $25
2007 Ronco dei Tassi Sauvignon Collio. $25
2007 San Michele Appiano Alto Adige Sauvignon Sanct Valentin. $45

WHITE WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2007 Castello di Neive Roero Arneis. $16
2006 Collavini Broy Bianco Collio . $??
2003 Collavini Ribolla Gialla Brut. $35
2006 D'Antiche Terre Fiano d'Avellino. $21
NV Gigante Schiopettino Cof. $32
NV Gigante Pinot Grigio Cof. $25
2006 La Boatina Pinot Grigio Collio. $25
NV Livon Braide Alte. $30
2006 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Roero Arneis . $??
2006 Marotti Campi Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico Salmariano. $16
2006 Marotti Campi Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico Luzano. $18
2004 Primosic Collio Bianco KLIN. $35

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2006 Barone Pizzini/Pievalta Verdicchio Castelli Jesi Class sup. Pievalta. $19
NV Gigante Friulano Cof. $25
2007 Livon Ribolla Gialla. $28
2006 Pierpaolo Pecorari Pinot Grigio, Olivers. $32
2006 Pierpaolo Pecorari Pinot Grigio. $30
2006 Primosic Collio Pinot Grigio Murno. $16
2004 San Michele Appiano Alto Adige Pinot Nero Sanct Valentin. $45

WHITE WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8 AND 8.5
2006 Accomo - Bricco Majolica Langhe Bianco

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8
NV Barone Pizzini/Pievalta Franciacorta Brut Barone Pizzini. $37
2006 Busso - La Badia Moscato d'Asti. $20
NV Livon Tiareblu. $25

RED WINES

RED WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2001 Prunotto Barbaresco Bric Turot DOCG. $90
2001 Prunotto Costamiole Barbera D'Asti. $70
2005 Prunotto Mompertone Monferrato. $28

RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2007 Cantina Prod. San Pauls Pinot Bianco Ploetzner. $25
2007 Caprai Grecante Grechetto Colli Martani . $??
2000 Cascina Adelaide Barolo Riserva Per Elen. $105
2004 Cascina Adelaide Barolo Riserva Vigna Preda. $100
2003 D'Antiche Terre Taurasi DOCG. $40
2003 Il Molino di Grace Gratius. $50
NV La Montagnetta Rosato Ciaret . $??
2003 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Barbera d'Asti Superiore Sant'Emiliano . $??
2006 Marotti Campi Lacrima di Morro D'Alba Orgiolo. $22
2004 Podere Ruggeri Corsini Barolo Corsini. $45

RED WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2004 Attilio Ghisolfi Barolo Bricco Visette . $??
2004 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Ovello. $50
2004 Cascina Adelaide Barolo Fossati. $85
2004 Cascina Adelaide Barolo Riserva Cannubi. $84
2003 Fornacina Brunello di Montalcino DOCG . $??
2003 Il Molino di Grace Chianti Classico Riserva. $30
2006 La Montagnetta Freisa Bugianen
2003 San Michele Appiano Alto Adige Lagrein Sanct Valentin. $45
2003 Tenuta Caparzo /Borgo Scopeto Brunello di Montalcino Caparzo. $50
2004 Valle Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Valle Reale. $21
2003 Valle Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo San Calisto. $38

RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2006 Accomo - Bricco Majolica Dolcetto Diano Sori' Bricco Maiolica. $20
2005 Attilio Ghisolfi Barbera d'Alba Vigna Lisi . $??
2004 Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano . $??
2005 Caprai Rosso di Montefalco . $??
2006 Cascina Adelaide Barbera d'Alba Vigna Preda. $36
2003 D'Angelo Aglianico del Vulture Caselle. $35
2005 Fornacina Rosso di Montalcino . $??
2004 Le Fonti Chianti Classico Riserva. $45
2007 Marotti Campi Rubico . $??
2006 Poderi San Lazzaro Sangiovese Polesio. $18
2005 Poderi San Lazzaro Grifola. $60
2003 Sassotondo Ciliegiolo Riserva San Lorenzo . $??
2007 Sassotondo Rosso Maremma Toscana . $??
2006 Valle Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Vigne Nuove. $15

RED WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8 AND 8.5
2006 Cantina Prod. San Pauls Lagrein Gries. $28
2004 Castello di Neive Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano. $50
2006 Castello di Neive Pinot Nero I Cortini. $30
2003 Le Fonti Fontissimo. $60
2006 Poderi San Lazzaro Rosso Piceno Superiore Poderi 72. $20

RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8
2004 Accomo - Bricco Majolica Nebbiolo Cumot. $28
2003 Busso - La Badia Barbera d'Asti Clotilde. $28
2006 Cantina del Pino Nebbiolo Langhe. $20
2005 Cascina La Corte Barbera d'Asti La Grissa . $??
2005 Cornarea Roero. $32
2003 D'Angelo Canneto Rosso Basilicata. $28
2006 D'Angelo Sacravite Rosso Basilicata. $18
2005 Le Fonti Chianti Classico. $30
2005 Podere Ruggeri Corsini Langhe. $20
2007 Ronco dei Tassi Collio Rosso Cjarandon. $25

It's hard to believe that in the early 1990's less than 100 acres of vineyards were planted in Chile's Casablanca valley. In little more than two decades, this region of Chile has surged in growth and popularity, and is currently producing excellent wines that generally represent fantastic values on the world market. The region is currently home to more than 10,000 acres of vineyards.

Back when the grape acreage was still in the triple digits Agustin Huneeus decided that the Casablanca valley was one of Chile's most promising wine regions, and that he needed to start making wine there. Not surprisingly, the world took notice. Huneeus was not just any aspiring winemaker. Indeed, by 1990 Huneeus could lay claim to being one of Chile's first great modern wine pioneers.

In 1960 Agustin Huneeus entered the Chilean wine scene by becoming CEO and majority owner of Concha y Toro, the wine brand that would eventually put Chile on the wine map for the rest of the world. In 1971 the political climate in Chile became unstable and Huneeus left for the United States, where he took over the helm of the beverage giant Seagrams Worldwide for a time, as well as Franciscan winery in Napa. He went on to purchase the Quintessa winery in 1989.

The early 1990's were calmer times in Chile, and Huneeus was afforded the opportunity to spend more time in his home country exploring the continually expanding wine regions, including the Casablanca Valley. These explorations turned serious rather quickly, and before long Huneeus was the proprietor of a brand new Chilean winery called Veramonte.

Veramonte, by now, is a well established producer of quality Chilean wines, and a recognizable brand for anyone who strays into the global section of their wine shops, as well as those who have a thirst for reasonably priced Sauvignon Blanc, of which Veramonte makes a seemingly never-ending supply.

Veramonte makes primarily single varietal wines with a sole exception: this wine called Primus. The story of this Bordeaux blend goes all the way back to Bordeaux in the 1800s, when a wave of French immigrants were setting off to the new world to try and make their fortunes. Being French, they weren't going anywhere without their wine, and knowing that they were headed to an unknown world, the only way to ensure that there would be wine there was to bring the vines to grow it themselves. So off they went to Chile with vines representing the best of Bordeaux packed in wet sawdust and paper. Only a couple of decades later these few samples and others like them would be some of the only vines that were not utterly destroyed by the Phylloxera epidemic that ravaged Europe's vineyards.

When Bordeaux got to replanting their vineyards, they did so carefully and methodically, but for some reason, they pretty much ignored one of the grape varieties that was originally common in their vineyards: a grape called Carmenere. To be fair, they also gave Malbec short shrift as well, and now Bordeaux is mostly Cabernet, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, while Chile has been trying desperately to turn Carmenere into its signature grape.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, Carmenere isn't that special of a grape, and the single-varietal Carmeneres I've tasted haven't impressed me greatly. What Huneeus knew, however, and Chilean wineries are increasingly discovering, was that Carmenere is an excellent blending grape, and as part of blends that resemble the ancient wines of Bordeaux, it is beautifully expressive.

And that is why Veramonte's top wine is a blend of Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The best grapes from the top vineyard parcels are carefully sorted, destemmed, and fermented separately before blending and aging for 2 years in French Oak barrels, about 50% of which are new each year. The wine spends an additional year in bottle before release.

With the level of care, aging time, and the designation as the winery's top wine, not to mention a snazzy, heavy bottle, it's easy to imagine this wine as one of the more expensive Chilean wines around. Hell, it even tastes expensive. But I'm happy to say instead that it undeniably represents one of the best values in the wine world today.

Full disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample.

Tasting Notes:
Medium to dark ruby in the glass, this wine has a nose that would make even the most distracted wine taster immediately pay attention: perfumes of chocolate, cherry cordials, and vanilla waft from the glass. In the mouth the wine is beautifully balanced, with a polished feel on the tongue, and the flavors seem to burst in the mouth. Cherries, chocolate, and old wood paneling swirl in a storm of fine grained, dusty tannins and velvet texture. The wine's finish is long and has beautiful aromas of cocoa powder and confectioners sugar. Surprising, unique, and totally delicious.

Food Pairing:
This is a rich wine, though not one slaked in oak, so despite its brawn, it is quite food friendly. I'd love to drink it with some lightly spiced slow-cooked pork on crunchy bread.

Overall Score: around 9.5

How Much?: $19

This wine is available for purchase on the Internet.

One of the fascinating and attractive things about sake breweries are their (usually) much longer and storied histories than the wineries of the western world. While there are a few wineries that have been in existence for a few hundred years, there are many more sake breweries that have been doing their thing for many hundreds, some continuously operated by a single family.

Kamotsuru Shuzo may not be one of the oldest breweries in Japan, as it can only trace its history back to 1623, and really only began production under the Kamotsuru name in 1873, but it is one of the most respected.

The company's name, like so many in Japanese, benefits from a clever double meaning. Kamo is both a reference to a chain of mountains from which the brewery gets its water, and Kamo(su) is also the verb to make sake. The second half of the company's name, Tsuru, means "crane," a noble and very auspicious bird for the Japanese culture.

When it comes to kamosu, Kamotsuru represents an odd dichotomy between technological innovation and strict tradition. In many ways Kamotsuru can be considered one of the most pioneering sake breweries in Japan. They claim many firsts in the world of sake including being one of the first Japanese breweries to export sake to the United States in the year 1896. Don't ask me who might have been drinking sake in the U.S. at that time. Perhaps more notably, Kamotsuru brewery can claim to be the co-inventor of the modern rice polishing mill in 1898, along with another company. In 1905 were among the first breweries in Japan to produce ginjo class sakes, whose rice had been polished to at least 60% of its former mass, and in 1958 they claim to be the first brewery to produce a daiginjo class sake (made from rice polished to less than 50% of its former mass).

Today, despite such a history of innovation, a visitor to Kamotsuru might be struck by the seemingly traditional approach taken towards sake brewing. Kamotsuru still makes use of wood where many have switched to stainless steel, and continues many of the labor intensive manual processes of sake making that have been automated by other breweries. And, of course, the brewery insists on producing incredibly high quality sake, of which this sake, named "Sokaku" is their second most premium product, and the highest quality sake that they export to the United States.

Sokaku is a junmai daiginjo sake. This means that no additional alcohol is added during the brewing process and that the rice has been polished past the 50% point. As a mark of its premium quality, the rice used to make Sokaku has been polished to 38% of its former mass, a delicate and expensive feat, and one that the brewery feels makes for a more refined and delicate brew. It is made in the dead of winter in Hiroshima prefecture as the snow blows in cold from the sea of Japan.

While it's easy to buy sake by the label (many of them are quite attractive, and when you don't have any idea what they're saying -- I don't -- it can be an interesting aesthetic gamble) it's generally best to know what you're getting yourself into. However, it is worth noting that this sake rates pretty high up on the aesthetic scale. Anyone who could receive this individually gold boxed, hand tied, handmade-paper-labeled bottle and not be impressed probably isn't worth having as a friend anyway.

Tasting Notes:
Colorless in the glass, this sake has a nose of white flowers, dried orange rind, tropical fruits, and wet stones. In the mouth it is ever-so-smooth, with clear stony, rainwater and floral qualities wrapped in a slightly creamy, melted vanilla ice cream jacket with hints of wet cedar on the finish. The sake conveys a purity that marks the best daiginjo sakes along with a silky weight on the tongue that entices sipping again and again. World class.

Food Pairing:
This sake seems like it would do beautifully with butter poached fish of any kind, but especially...butter fish! A nice filet, a splash of lemon and a glass of Sokaku could make any evening spectacular.

Overall Score: around 9.5

How Much?: $80

This sake is available for purchase on the Internet.

There are those in the wine world who seek out (and often pay for) the best possible advice they can get. Winemaking and winegrowing are sciences as much as they are arts, and these days, there are plenty of experts to be had in both arenas. And then there are those in the wine world that no matter what the scientists, experts, and even their friends say, choose to follow their instincts. Call them pig-headed, call them eccentric, call them iconoclasts, there are certain people that will always walk their own paths when it comes to wine.

Jim Dierberg seems to be one of those people. He's a man that puts a lot of stock in his intuition. He proposed to his wife on their first date, and the first time he set eyes on a piece of property near Santa Ynez Valley he knew it was where he needed to live and to make wine. And not just any wine. Jim decided that this little plot of land was where he was going to make the Cabernet that he had dreamed of making for years.

Never mind that the idea of making Cabernet Sauvignon in the chilly, fog-influenced Santa Ynez Valley (known, for good reason, for it's cooler climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) was pretty much the most insane idea anyone had heard of for some time. Jim spent nearly ten years fending off his friends and neighbors, all of whom confirmed the insanity oh his plans. In those ten years he methodically planted his vineyards and experimented with rootstocks, built a winery, and (perhaps just to prove that he wasn't totally bonkers) bought some land in the neighboring Santa Rita Hills and started making excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under the Dierberg Estate and Three Saints labels.

Jim's faith in his own vision wasn't easy to shake, perhaps because Jim lived on the property that came to be known as Star Lane Vineyards for those ten years. And he needed little more than a good set of eyes and a thermometer to prove to himself that the tiny little North-South valley where his vineyards climbed up the steep valley walls was a climatological anomaly. At the start of his driveway, several miles away, the mid-summer fog would be thick and the air a chilly sixty degrees Fahrenheit, but out his front door it would be sunny and between 80 and 100 degrees.

Indeed, the Happy Valley, as this little crease in the San Rafael Mountains is named, happens to be both the highest and the hottest place in the entire appellation. Daytime temperatures routinely climb above 100 degrees and nighttime temperatures often fall well below fifty degrees. This wide range of temperature, known as the diurnal shift, is coveted by winemakers for its ability to coax complexity and richness out of grapes of many varieties.

Now, after ten years of work, Jim and his winemaking crew, which includes winemaker Nick DeLuca and consultant David Ramey, are releasing the first vintage from Star Lane, including this wine, which is a special selection from three specific blocks of the vineyard. The vineyards are planted almost exclusively to Bordeaux varietals, with the exception of a little Syrah that is mixed in amongst the Cabernet Sauvignon, and are so steep in places that there is only one guy on Jim's staff that is willing to drive the tractor between the rows (he apparently keeps asking for a raise on this account).

The vineyard management crew, all of whom are full-time employees rather than hired contractors, pick the grapes in the dead of night to escape the day-time heat, and load them in small batches into the winery (which has been built with two distinct sections, one dedicated to the Dierberg Estate Burgundy-style wines, and the other dedicated to the Star Lane project). The grapes ferment slowly with native yeasts, and are then aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 20 months before bottle aging another 14 months before release. The wines are never filtered and are fined lightly with egg whites before bottling.

Star Lane makes about 1900 cases of this special Cabernet Sauvignon, and about 9000 cases of their estate Cabernet (which is also fantastic).

Santa Ynez Valley, barring some serious effects of Global Warming, will never be known as a place that's ideal for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, but if Star Lane Vineyards continues to produce blockbuster wines like this one, Santa Ynez Valley may well become known for at least one Cabernet.

Tasting Notes:
Inky garnet in color, this wine bursts out of the glass with a rich nose of earth, tobacco, and dark fruit aromas that had me salivating immediately. In the mouth it is rich, heavy, and pure liquid silk on the tongue, with powerful flavors of black cherry, vanilla, and chocolate mixed with an undertone of dirt. The wine has just the slightest touch of sweetness to it that I eventually decided was a hint of residual sugar, but couldn't possibly hold against this wine in all its lusciousness. Perhaps it's best to think of this wine as a monster Napa Cab, that isn't from Napa. A wine for those times when you'd prefer that your wine not show a little restraint.

Food Pairing:
This is a wine that while perfect for grilled meat, I would simply prefer to drink on its own. It's big enough to demand all of your attention.

Overall Score: between 9 and 9.5

How Much?: $100

This wine is available for purchase on the internet.

I know how you think. You're sitting there, scratching your head, wondering, "now what on earth am I going to do here in the middle of the summer to exercise both my brain and my taste buds in a sophisticated way?" It's a good thing I caught you early on in your musing, otherwise you might have frittered away the whole summer in frustration, trying to come up with something suitably intellectual and delicious to occupy your time.

So instead of sitting there updating your cellar list in Excel, or converting that old rolodex of recipes into a new digital form, you can head up to Napa and go to Taste3. I honestly don't know whether the damn thing is called "Taste Three" or "Taste Cubed" but it's a big taste with a little three after it, and it may well be the coolest food conference ever devised.

Those of you in the high tech industry can think of it as TED for food and wine. For those of you who have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, here's (maybe) a more accessible explanation. Think about a conference where, instead of one cooking demonstration after another, some of the world's foremost scientists, intellectuals, musicians, writers, chefs, and winemakers come together to discuss a wide range of issues having to do with everything from the aesthetics to the ethics of food and wine. There are lectures, demos, performances, and of course, some tastings. But it's all highbrow, you know?

OK, so perhaps that didn't quite capture it. The thing of it is, the conference is nearly impossible to describe well. It doesn't quite fit the mold of anything else out there in the world of food and wine. So rather than resort to metaphor, let me just tell you how the conference works, and who's involved. The whole thing is set up as a series of themed sections, each hosted by a moderator, and comprised of a series of short format presentations by some amazing people.

Here are a few examples from this year's roster:

• Dan Barber, owner of Blue Hill & Blue Hill at Stone Barns talks about his restaurants, career, and his Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

• Journalist Novella Carpenter talks about the current phenomenon of urban farming.

• Editor-in-Chief of Gastronomica, Darra Goldstein talks about food as a path to peace in the Middle East.

• Chateau Musar Winemaker Serge Hochar on the passion for wine that kept him from fleeing civil war in Lebanon.

• René Koster, director of the Dutch "Restaurant of the Future" project, talks about how we make food and drink choices.

• Artist Laura Letinsky shares her haunting photographic images that evoke unseen people and relationships using the detritus of a meal.

• Author Christopher McDougall talks about the health and nutrition secrets of Mexico's legendary Tarahumara runners.

• Entrepreneur Barry Schuler shares his ideas for mapping the wine grape genome.

• Author of The Billionaires Vinegar, Benjamin Wallace talks about forgery and fakes in high stakes wine collecting.

As you can see, this isn't your mother's food event. I've never been to the event, but I hear nothing but rave reviews from everyone who's gone.It's apparently great brain food. Check out the whole program on the event web site.

Taste3
July 17th - 19th, 2008
Culinary Institute of America
Greystone Castle
2555 Main Street
St. Helena, CA 94574 (map)

Tickets are $1950, and discounts are available for those in the industry. Ticket price includes lunches, winemaker dinner, and gala dinner and reception. Tickets will likely sell out by early July so they should be purchased in advance online.

Dusty Grapes
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How many times have I told myself not to meddle in the world of terroir? Having (or starting) discussions about the traditionally French notion of how wines possess unmistakable signatures of their place of origin is not unlike having discussions about religion and sexual orientation: you need to take care who you have them with.

But here I am again meddling in the "somewhereness" of wines, to borrow writer Matt Kramer's favorite shorthand for terroir.

The question of the day is whether terroir includes the "bad" flavors as well as good -- and if it does, whether such flavors should be eliminated, or not.

We've already had part of this discussion here on Vinography, in the context of a previous discussion about the role of yeasts in terroir. While not a part of the main post, the conversation in the comments quickly turned to the role of the Brettanomyces yeast and whether it is a fundamental flaw, or whether it might be considered part of the regional terroir of the southern Rhone. While some might object to the suggestion that Brett and its typical horsey, barnyard aromas are a part of terroir, the question of whether it represents (or represented at one time) a regional style.

A recent piece of news bears on such questions. Scientists in South Africa, in collaboration with regional winemakers, have undertaken a series of investigations to identify the source of a series of aromas found in South African red wines. These aromas, which range from green wood to burnt rubber, are considered objectionable by some (myself included) while others consider them to merely be one of the typical regional qualities of wine produced in the country, and therefore an important signature of terroir.

Let's assume for a moment that such flavors are indeed endemic to, and produced by, the region's particular combination of geology, climate, and (sound) winemaking practices. If this is the case, but still many consider such flavors so objectionable that they will not buy (or worse, won't rate highly) the region's wines, should those flavors be eliminated?

To wit: if the scientists in South Africa manage to figure out what causes these aromas and then what to change in winemaking or winegrowing to eliminate them, should winemakers go ahead and effectively erase what many have come to consider a fingerprint of the region in an effort to make their wines taste better?

There are those who will stridently declare that just like the Brett that characterized Rhone wines of a certain era (much less commonly now), these aromas are fundamental flaws and need to be stamped out like nesting cockroaches. And there are those who will just as violently argue that stripping such qualities out of South African red wine will rob it of its individuality.

My interest in all this has to do with the implied balance between typicity on the one hand (how much a wine represents a certain place or type) and pleasure on the other hand. If winemakers make wine that is indelibly true to a place, but if very few people like it, does it matter how well the wine represents the place?

There's no easy way to answer such a question, though I find it perhaps easier than most to step back from the romanticism of terroir and ask the question: what do these winemakers want to do with their wine? If they only aspire to sell it to a local market of people who don't think it's red wine unless it tastes like peeled willow bark, then there's no need for a change. If they want to sell their reds on the global market, however, and that market demands wine without burnt rubber, then perhaps the terroir, or at least the regional style, needs a bit of an overhaul.

What do you think?

Day two of Aspen's Food and Wine Classic was blessed with the same weather as the first. Crystalline blue skies, 75 degrees and sunny. I gave my second Napa's Next Superstars seminar to a nearly full auditorium at the Given Institute, and after hanging around to chat with some of the attendees about the wines, I was free.

With all my seminars behind me I had the opportunity to finally explore the Classic as a spectator instead of a speaker. The first thing I did was head down to the Grand Tasting tent to get a few bites of food -- a lunch constructed out of small samples of grilled rib eye; rum cakes; brownies; grilled lamb and salad; crab cakes; roasted fingerling potatoes; fresh gazpacho; and bits of Spanish cheese. Plenty of other people had the same idea:

It's a pretty astonishing sight this gathering of thousands of food and wine lovers under one huge canvas awning.

After this pastiche of a light lunch I headed over to one of the event venues to watch the third annual Sommelier Challenge -- a panel session hosted by Lettie Teague, the Executive Wine Editor of Food & Wine magazine.

Not your usual panel session, this event pitted four of the country's top sommeliers against each other in a sort of "sell-a-thon" where they are asked to speak to the audience about different wines, after which the audience votes on who they think did the best job.

This year's lineup of sommeliers was a formidable cast of characters:

Each of the sommeliers, including the audience, had five glasses of wine in front of them:

2007 Santa Rita Floresta "Leyda" Sauvignon Blanc, Chile
2006 Tablas Creek Esprit d'Beaucastel Blanc, Paso Robles, CA
2005 Vietti "Tre Vigne" Barbera d'Alba, Piemonte, Italy
2005 M. Chapoutier "Les Granits" Rouge Saint-Joseph, Rhone, France
2005 Celler Can Blau "Mas de Can Blau," Montsant, Spain

When I saw this session's listing in the program, I assumed this would be a blind tasting, but instead of putting each of these guys palate's to the test, they were instead being evaluated on their schpiels. Each would be required to speak about one of the first four wines as if they were providing a recommendation of the wine to a restaurant patron. Then each would get a shot at performing the same task for the fifth and final wine.

After Teague's introductory remarks, the serious looking Bobby Stuckey (last year's champion) introduced the audience to the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. Stuckey took an enthusiastic, if traditional, approach to the task, pleased that he had been assigned the wine that, in his view was a perfect match to the Summer day we all walked out of into this session. He praised Sauvignon Blanc's qualities, and offered his tasting note for the wine, noting its low alcohol level and food friendliness.

I thought this was an excellent wine -- one of the better Sauvignon Blanc's I've had from Chile. Here are my tasting notes:

2007 Santa Rita Floresta "Leyda" Sauvignon Blanc, Chile Pale green-gold in the glass, this wine has a vibrant nose of grassy, juicy gooseberry aromas. In the mouth it is crisp, lean, zingy with acidity, and explosive with lovely kiwifruit, lime, and starfruit flavors. Score: around 9. Cost: $23. Where to buy?

Next in line was Richard Betts who spent a few minutes good naturedly suggesting that Sauvignon Blanc was perhaps a bit too pedestrian and simple a wine for a day as lovely as the one we were having (which prompted protests from Teague who admitted that she bought that particular Sav Blanc by the case). Betts suggested that as a sommelier his job was to be "an enabler" -- an advocate whose sole goal was to turn you on to something you'd really like. Instead of Sauvignon Blanc, he suggested, the audience might prefer something more truly Summery, like the complex peach and floral qualities of the Tablas Creek white. He spoke about the wine like it was an old friend, referencing the history of the Perrin family behind it, and shared his own rambling tasting note.

I've had this wine several times, and always enjoy it, but I have to say, at the time, I preferred the Sav Blanc.

2006 Tablas Creek "Esprit d'Beaucastel" Blanc, Paso Robles, CA Pale gold in color, this wine truly does smell like a summer's day -- nectarines, white flowers, and other tropical fruits. In the mouth the wine is silky and weighty on the tongue with flavors of elderflowers, peaches, and orange blossoms that linger in a moderate finish. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $40. Where to buy?

Stuart Roy was up next, and began by suggesting that the lineup was truly unfair, but such was life, as he had clearly been given the best wine of the group. He went on to offer an explanation to the room of where the wine came from in Italy, and professed his love for the few Italian regions whose names included both the name of the grape as well as the place they came from, in this case, Barbera from the town of Alba. He waxed fanatical about the wine, making special note of its acidity and minute long finish, and suggested that it would be one of his favorite wines to recommend to any diner looking for a red wine with their food. Roy was articulate and knowledgeable, but came across as more formal than Stuckey and Betts. I certainly shared his appreciation for the wine however, which was excellent.

2005 Vietti "Tre Vigne" Barbera d'Alba, Piemonte, Italy Dark ruby in color this wine had a gorgeously floral nose that slipped sideways between violets and lavender with undercurrents of leather and red fruits. In the mouth it was smooth, even polished on the palate, with dusty tannins, beautiful acid balance, and flavors of dried cherries, leather, and sweet flowers that lingered in the truly memorable finish. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: a steal at $24. Where to buy?

Finally, John Ragan got the chance to set the record straight about who really had the best wine on the table. He went on to speak about how Syrah was a trendy grape at the moment, but that its true home was in the Northern Rhone (he actually said that was the birthplace of Syrah, but I believe the Syrah grape's origins have been traced back to the Middle East). He seemed quite familiar with the producer and this specific wine, describing the single vineyard it came from, and praising the degree to which, in his opinion, the wine personified the true essence of Syrah. Ragan was likeable and knowledgeable, but his pitch seemed to be missing the hook that might have won me over as a diner. The wine was, indeed, classic, however.

2005 M. Chapoutier "Les Granits" Rouge Saint-Joseph, Rhone, France Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has the classic white pepper, black fruit, and wet earth aroma of Syrah. In the mouth it is frankly beautiful, perfectly balanced with great acidity and subtle dusty tannins. The flavors are deeply mineral in quality, encased in a blanket of dark blackberry and mulberry fruit, and dusted with white pepper. A long finish completes a picture perfect Rhone experience. Yum. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $60. Where to buy?

The most interesting part of the challenge involved the recommendation of the final wine, a brute of an old-vine Grenache from Spain that was heavily extracted, and heavily oaked. Stuckey and Roy both endorsed it as a big wine from a great region that would make folks looking for a major red very happy. Interestingly, and in my mind to their credit, both Betts and Ragan said that they couldn't, in good faith, recommend the wine to us.

"Smell it," said Betts.

"What do you smell? OAK!" He went on to suggest that the wine offered no real sense of the place it came from, and was more of a vanity piece than a wine of character.

Ragan agreed, saying "This wine has no fingerprint, no trace of its true identity. Wine has to take you someplace special, and this one doesn't."

The Montsant was indeed a heavily oaked concoction.

2005 Celler Can Blau "Mas de Can Blau," Montsant, Spain Dark purple in the glass, this wine smells of the sweet vanilla of French Oak wrapped around super-ripe cherries. In the mouth it is tight and angular, with flavors of sawdust, sweet oak, leather, and dried red fruit. The tannins are somewhat abrupt and chewy, and the finish not particularly striking. Score: around 8. Cost: $45. Where to buy?

After some closing remarks by Teague the audience was polled and the winner was...

Bobby Stuckey for a second year in a row, by a rather wide margin. Personally, after all was said and done, I was pulling for Betts, but the crowd clearly seemed to favor Stuckey. Stuckey and Betts are best friends, and after receiving his prize of the precious champions airbrushed t-shirt, Stuckey offered to let Betts wear it for the second half of their usual joint morning run tomorrow.

The session was a lot of fun, and a good reminder that some of the country's best sommeliers are quite young, personable, and incredibly approachable. They inspire confidence and curiosity in wine drinkers, and that is a very good thing.