Retrospective Review: Volume I, Number 5 (April-May, 1980)

We are currently reproducing a copy of the fifth issue of The Underground Wineletter. Below you’ll find an updated review of each article, where I will go over what we got right and what we got wrong. We will follow this format with each successive issue. So Volume I, Number 6 will be coming next. […]

Lemmings to the Sea?

A few years ago I was in Napa and stopped by the Dean & DeLuca store. In perusing through the myriad of wine racks, I was taken by the Cabernet Sauvignon section. It was huge! I was struck by not only how many bottles were priced at $100 or up, but how many I had never heard of. In the latter category, I counted 20 or 30 and gave up. As I left the store, I could not help thinking “This has gone too far. How many people are there to support the market?” It looked like a market top.

What To Serve With Rosé

Rosé is an extremely versatile wine. It can be matched with many different kinds of food. Here are two of our favorite foods to match with Rosés. The salad is best with lighter and fruitier Rosés. The Mediterranean chicken dish calls for something with a bit more flavor and complexity and Bandols are really good with this dish.

More 2009 Rosés and Other Wine Bargains

Loire Valley Couly-Dutheil 2009 Chinon Rosé Baptiste Dutheil established this estate in 1921, which was then developed by René Couly, who married Madeleine Dutheil.  The family-owned operation has 85 hectares of vineyards east of Chinon along the Vienne River.  This wine is made using the Rosé de Saignée method.  Cabernet Franc is the red grape […]

2009 Rosé

Summer is here and the Rosés are arriving. The 09s are especially fruity and rounded this year. Ranging in price from $8-$34, they are quite affordable and are especially nice with the lighter foods of summer – think grilled foods, fish, salads, etc. In fact, for me, along with Champagne, they are the most versatile of all wines to match with food.

Central Coast Wine Classic Dinner

In May of this year, we held a dinner at our home on behalf of the 2009 Central Coast Wine Classic. Laurie and I prepared the meal and contributed the wines from our collection. This event, an auction lot in last year’s Wine Classic, was hosted by Archie McLaren, Founder and Chairman of the Central Coast Wine Classic and seven other guests.

2009 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Inexpensive 2009 White Wines

Following up on the 2009 vintage of the century theme, its very worthwhile to try the early arriving wines from the 2009 vintage. New Zealand was blessed with an excellent growing season and these early arriving Sauvignon Blancs show great appeal. They are fresh, clean and crisp and generally exhibit some combination of citrus, floral, herbal and grassy nuances. They match very well with summer fare of fish and salads and as a starter wine with hors d’oeuvres. Also, there are many other 2009 white wines that are inexpensive and offer really great value for the money. Check out the Pinot Grigios and an unusual, but really delicious Spanish white wine.

Mélisse Restaurant — A Great Dining Experience

Melisse, named for a lemon-scented herb from the Mediterranean, is a Michelin two-star and #1 from Zagat since 2003. Chef-owner, Josiah Citrin, is a self-taught culinary expert, offering the finest, freshest contemporary French/American cuisine, inspired by the seasons. Focusing on the best local farm fresh produce from the Santa Monica farmers market, Citrin offers a tasting menu, a vegetarian tasting menu, an a la carte menu, a carte blanche menu as well as daily specials and an impressive wine list offering rare, world-class wines. Beautifully presented, the dishes are little works of art. Melisse offers an exceptional dining experience, in a chic, dark, plush, elegant dining room, resembling a French country home, as well as two small rooms, Olivia and Augustin, for private entertaining.

Retrospective Review: Volume I, Number 4 (February-March, 1980)

In Volume I, Number 4, February-March 1980, we began with why the “Underground Wineletter? Are We Terrorists?” In this edition I wrote why we began the wineletter, what we set as objectives and our approach. Then, as now, our interest is in drinking wine and reporting on it’s merits as objectively as possible. We expect criticism, especially when our comments may be unfavorable. But, our only objective is to offer opinion that is constructive and in the end everyone – producer, distributor, retailer and consumer – should benefit. The “Underground” reflects our commitment to be as free from outside influence as possible. As we said then: “This is our battle.” Not exactly the stuff to satisfy Genghis Khan, but we think Thomas Jefferson would approve. And, far away in some remote and well-stocked, sub-celestial cellar, Bacchus smiles, nods approvingly and proclaims “Finally on earth, The Underground Wineletter, Veni, Vidi, Vici.”

A Burgundy Story

One of the challenges of Burgundy is to simplify it. Many owners of parcels within the same vineyards makes generalization difficult. For with Burgundy, you need to know the vineyards and the producers.

Here is a story of the creation of four great Domaines in Chassagne Montrachet and the creation of a great Montrachet and its history.