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.

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.

Retrospective Review Volume I, Number 3 (December-January 1979-1980)

In this our third issue, Edward Lazarus kicked off with “Woes of a Burgundy Drinker” speaking to the fact that back then a lot of wine was spoiled by excessive heat either in transit or after arrival when many wines were stored in unrefrigerated warehouses. In Southern California, there are many weeks each year when temperatures range between 80-100 degrees. Northern California is generally cooler, but even so, temperatures can reach the same highs. This is disaster for wine storage – particularly Burgundy. Burgundies, both red and white, are among the wines most sensitive to excessive heat.

And, 30-40 years ago, many, if not most, wine storage facilities used by wholesalers and distributors were not refrigerated. So true to our mission we were straightforward with our call “must consumers deal with spoiled wines as well?” Today things have changed as now wines are transported in a temperature-controlled environment to their destination , which is temperature-controlled as well. We’ve made progress and today, thankfully, spoiled wines are a rarity.

WINE TASTING OF THE MILLENNIUM

Over the years, I’ve participated in thousands of wine tastings. I have read about hundreds or thousands more. But there is one that stands out above all the others. It is, without question, the wine tasting of the millennium. The basic idea was to taste the highest scoring wines of all time in one tasting.

The Fontainebleau Hotel’s Hakkasan Restaurant in Miami Beach & The World’s Most Unusual Wine List?

On a recent visit to Miami Beach with my wife, Laurie and I visited the newly refurbished Fontainebleau Hotel for the first time in many years. It was nice to see the beautiful hotel and it is definitely worth a visit. The Fontainebleau, a revered Miami Beach landmark for over half a century, widely recognized for its distinctive curvilinear design, completed a $1 billion expansion and renovation the end of 2008. The 1950s era resort has been transformed into one of the country’s most sought-after beachfront resort properties, a blend of Miami’s glamorous golden era and stylish, ultramodern luxury.

For dinner, we chose Hakkasan, one of three, world-class signature dining experiences at the hotel. Opened in early 2009, Hakkasan also has locations in London and Istanbul. The award-winning restaurant was rated by Zagat as Top Newcomer in South Florida in their 2010 survey. Heading up the Miami kitchen is Chef Wen Sian Tan, formerly of My Humble House restaurant in Beijing. Chef Tan offers diners a diverse menu of modern Cantonese cuisine and house specialties reinterpreted for a contemporary palate, with a wide array of wines, sake and cocktails.

The Cellaring of Fine Wines

Wine collectors of a generation ago were perhaps not so aware of the necessity to store wines at constant temperatures and that a cellar should not, under any circumstances, have a temperature over 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In my capacity first with Christie’s, with Butterfield & Butterfield and finally with Zachys Auctions, I have had many opportu­nities to visit private cellars all over America and Europe.

Retrospective Review: Volume I, Number 1 (August-September 1979)

We are reproducing here a copy of the first 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 2 will be coming next. […]

ONE WINEDRINKER’S OPINION: THE NEED FOR UNDERGROUND WINELETTER

Over the years many of us have decried the often commercial, many times self-serving or inaccurate information available about wine. An obvious solution would be to publish our own subscription letter. Some of the most experienced and knowledgeable wine tasters/collectors/and consumers have joined together to publish what we plan to be the most candid and comprehensive commentary available on fine wine anywhere…