Food Drink Think

So many things can influence you when tasting a wine and many times high or low expectations can take over and you try to "make" the wine become, what you expect it to be.  When tasting the #1 wine on my Top 10 all-time list, everything was a complete surprise and I knew nothing about the wine so I had no preconceived expectations at all!

My wife Susie and I arrived at dinner just before friends Dean and Elizabeth joined us at one of our favorite restaurants, "Aliotta's Via Firenze" in Torrance, California (90503).  Dean brought along a wine he said he liked.  But, that was it.  I knew nothing more than the fact that Dean appreciated the wine (of course I assume he would never bring along a wine he didn't like), but all he said was he liked this one and all I got from the label was that it was a Chateauneuf du Pape.  That is all I recognized.

After letting it sit for a few minutes, I swirled a couple of times and started to get information from the nose.  The Domaine de la Janasse "Chaupin" 2007 offered a deep earthiness along with initial dark fruit flavor characteristics.  It certainly got my attention right away due to how everything seemed to be so well balanced, not only with the flavors, but also the structure, acidity, tannins, oak, finesse and power.  This was even apparent before I had a chance to actually taste the wine and right from the start I knew this wine had a chance to be something special.

When I finally tasted it, I was jolted to attention by how everything was so straight forward and at the same time I realized how all of the elements were coming together perfectly.  First I noticed a sharp acidity, followed by concentrated deep black fruit characteristics of currants, plums, black raspberries, then a spice note with everything wrapped up in the earthiness that I had picked up on the nose.  But it didn't stop there as the finish went on and on and on with hints of licorice, mocha and a slight touch of sweet oak.  Throughout, but especially at the end, everything was pulled together by strong, firm yet pleasing tannins.

I was so taken by this masterpiece that I immediately blurted out "I give this a 99", as I felt strongly that this was a superbly constructed wine and was amazed again at how all the components worked so well together.  Dean just looked at me and kind of chuckled at how much enjoyment I was getting out of this wine and he pointed out that Parker had given it 98 points (Wine Spectator scored it 94 points), so now I was proud of the fact that I was not being fooled or over- zealous.  As I took my second sip of the Domaine du la Janasse, I continued to be impressed by how a wine with this much sharp acidity allowed the fruit and earth elements to come through as intensely as they did.

If making a perfect wine is about balance, then this was as close to perfect as I had ever tasted and not knowing what to expect and not having any preconceived ideas also helped to just let me sit back and enjoy.  As with so many wines in my all-time Top 10, I have to thank friends for their generosity in sharing.  To Dean and Elizabeth, thanks for sharing.

Now that I have completed my all-time Top 10 list, I need to hear from you.  Please pass along any list or favorites and of course as my list changes, I will keep you up-to-date.

#2 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1989

As I have mentioned before, circumstances surrounding and the atmosphere created, can affect anyone's appreciation for any wine.  If the circumstances and atmosphere are ideal and you are sharing a wine with friends, it only makes for a perfect setting to enjoy any wine.  All of these variables came together when tasting the #2 wine of my Top 10 of All-Time list (circa 2005).

My friend John Hamilton was celebrating the success of another fund raising event, my best friends Dave Taylor and Mark Hardy were tasting with me and the person I knew the least, Jim Grant, a friend of John's, was supplying the wine.  I had played golf with Jim earlier that day and we shared our wine appreciation stories and such and when we made plans for dinner that night, Jim was able to join us and he promised to bring along a bottle to try.

We arrived at the Landmark Steakhouse (Corona del Mar, California) for dinner around 7 pm and we all sat at a table in what I will call the "lounge area", for lack of a better term, because it was an unbelievably gorgeous summer night and this area opened up it's huge sliding doors so we were able to enjoy the fresh air.  Jim arrives and pulls out a 1989 Chateau Lafite Rothschild.  I had already enjoyed some 1^st growth Bordeaux, due to John's generosity, and had tasted a few Lafite's with John before (the 1970 and 1982 vintages which were higher rated than the 1989...the '89 was given a 90 by Parker and a 94 by Wine Spectator), but as soon as had my first taste of the '89, I was completely mesmerized.

Unfortunately I do not have any photos of the bottle, but here are a few photos of a Lafite label, some young and some not so young

I had never tasted a 1^st growth Bordeaux that had so much clean, up-front fruit, with acidity that made it sharp and focused.  Maybe my expectations of having to fight through the expected earthiness caught me off guard, but it instantly captured my attention, then the minerality kicked in along with a subtle oak characteristic that made for even more complexity and flavor.  The tannins were soft and combined with the acidity, provided a strong, firm backbone and an overall structure that was easy to feel and hard to beat.  I then noticed something more specific about the minerality (this characteristic also appeared in my #6 Shafer Hillside Select). It offered lead pencil and graphite which worked so well with the ripe berries and cassis to give the "89 so many different elements to enjoy.  This is probably considered an understated, softer version of Lafite, but it had an extremely long finish and has stayed with me ever since.

I would like to thank Jim for sharing and also thank my friends who helped provide the perfect experience!

#3 Marcassin "Zio Tony Ranch" Chardonnay, 2004

At STAPLES Center a few years back, I was introduced to Bert George when the San Jose Sharks were in town to take on the Kings.  He came by our broadcast booth to say hi to Bob Miller and I and it was immediately apparent that he loved hockey and loved his Sharks.  Then he told me he operated a wine shop up in San Jose so I started to talk his ear off.  His energy for the game was unmistakable and I believe he found my energy about wine to be just as enthusiastic as his energy for hockey.  Bob and I invited him to put on the headset and listen in for a period and Bert had a great time.

The next time we were in San Jose for a game, Bert arranged for Bob and I to stop by his wine shop www.josephgeorge.com  (Bert followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Joseph and father, Glenn), before we went off to dinner.  I don't have any photos of the Marcassin but I thought I would add a few pictures of some of the custom bottles that Bert produces.  Many people in the hockey business have been the recipients of gifts produced by Joseph George, including me!

After our tour of the shop and a few tastings, Bert invited Bob and I to each select a wine to take to dinner.  Since Bob chose a red (Shafer Hillside Select) I decided to select a white and when Helen Turley's Marcassin, Zio Tony Ranch, Chardonnay 2004 was available, I picked it up and we took it off to dinner.

Bert took us to "Le Papillon" and it turned into a great adventure into the world of wine and cuisine.  The food was fantastic but the wine was even better.  We started with the Marcassin and I was completely leveled by the effect it had on me.  From the first taste to the last drop, I savored every second of this flavor experience as this was a "wine-life", life changing wine.  From the intensity of the fruit, to the opulent mouth-feel, to the almost piercing acidity and of course the superbly balanced oak, every facet stood on its own but also united into a powerful combination that had my taste buds overflowing. 

The first thing a noticed was the weight and thickness of the mouth-feel.  Then the up- front fruit presented itself with caramel, butterscotch and then a zing of apple and there was more than enough acidity to give this giant a strong foundation.  The oak also added to the roundness, but could not overshadow the intensity of the fruit which was as focused as I had ever experienced.  The finish produced layers and layers of caramel, butterscotch, apple that kept giving and giving.

Wine Spectator scored this wine 96 and had the following description:  Springs to live on the palate, with ultra-rich layers of fig, nectarine, smoke and mineral.  Full-bodied, elegant, sleek and focused, ending with a long apple, lime and subtle butterscotch!  Robert Parker gave it a 93!

My thanks go out to Bert for sharing some of his wonderful wine.