Aug

28

The notion that Chateau Bellefont-Belcier 1998 (a combination of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux’s “right bank” region of St. Emilion) was produced in the same year that I graduated from college made me feel a bit like I was opening a time-capsule when I popped the cork…. not to mention, old.  But anyway, the effect of ten years’ time in a barrel/bottle was unmistakable from first whiff (a gorgeous whiff at that) through to swish and swallow.

We found the wine to be wonderfully complex, with layered aromas of green pepper, nutmeg, mellowed cherry, and hard apple cider, and flavors of apple, cherry, and nutmeg.   The acidity was remarkably brisk given the ageing, and that convinced us that this wine was probably still relatively young.

The merchant that sold us our bottle was adamant that it constituted one of the best values that he had in his shop.  Quite honestly, it was very easy for us to understand why.

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley, but note that the store was running out quickly.  You might also try using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Aug

27

See below for the events that we recommend for this weekend and beyond.  Click on its title to visit the official web site.

Aug

26

Weekday Wine

August 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Every once in a while, the bottle that we’ve selected as our Weekday Wine doesn’t live up to our expectations, and that was the case for the wine that we were hoping to write about today.  Fortunately, it’s rare, but it happens!

Tonight’s poor performer was a Chardonnay from Northern California’s Carneros region.  The wine had a beautiful straw color and excellent aromatics, but alas, it was far too mouth-puckeringly tart to be worthy of recommending.

No matter!  We’ve already got a stunner lined up for Thursday’s Weekend Wine post.

Tune in tomorrow for this week’s “Don’t Miss” Wine Events post.

Aug

25

Shortly after we moved out west from New York City, a dear college friend, who had been living in San Francisco for several years, organized, through Segway Tours of Sonoma, an intimate group tour of the lovely Sonoma Valley one sunny weekend morning.

After a brief introductory video and an instructional lesson (included within the ticket price), we were off on our two hour tour of the valley atop our Segways — or as they are more formally known, Segway Human Transporters.   Always following our instructor, we rode alongside vineyards through the meandering and peaceful back-roads of Sonoma.

For our tour (I have since learned that tours stop at one of three wineries — Buena Vista, Gundlach Bundschu, or Ravenswood), the final destination was Buena Vista Winery.  Buena Vista is a perfect “first” for any visitor to wine country.  The winery’s history alone makes it a special trip — Buena Vista was founded in 1857 and is California’s oldest premium winery.   Indeed, while the working winery of today is located in Carneros, the original, found just outside of the town of Sonoma, is now a California Historic Landmark.  The bucolic setting is ideal for a picnic, with a few inviting tables set in the shade just beyond the winery’s grand entrance.  And the wine is superb.

As we nibbled on a sampling of fine locally produced cheeses purchased by our instructor and sipped from our glasses of Pinot, New York City seemed worlds away, and we felt wonderfully content (at least in that carefree moment) with our decision to move to California.

Aug

21

This is the bottle we drank during our anniversary dinner last Saturday at One Market (see last Monday’s post for our thoughts on the restaurant’s memorable wine list).  The restaurant’s price tag was $98, about twice as much as it would have been in a shop.

We selected Domaine Drouhin’s 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir as our wine of the evening for two reasons: first, we were familiar with the winery’s excellent reputation as one of the elite producers in Oregon, and second, we were in the mood for the lighter, Burgundian style of Pinot Noir, as compared with the more fruit-forward, extracted versions produced in many parts of California.

Thanks to the wine’s brisk acidity, which instantly cleansed our palates between bites, it complimented our food perfectly.  Also, the leathery and strawberry aromas and elegant, light-intensity ruby color were candy for the senses — both caught our attention from the get-go.

This was certainly the most expensive bottle of wine that we’ve ever purchased at a restaurant (thank heavens for our gift certificate!), but it was also by far the best, as it proved itself to be an ideal companion for an exquisite meal.

Where to get it: As noted above, we bought our bottle at One Market Restaurant.  You can purchase it by visiting the winery’s web site, by using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Aug

20

See below for the events that we recommend for this weekend.  Click on its title to visit the official web site.

Aug

19

img_3049.JPGWe know… a fifty dollar price tag doesn’t exactly fit the typical profile of a Weekday Wine.  But because we had a lot to celebrate last week, we were inspired to pop open one of our cellared bottles.

We bought our bottle of B.R. Cohn’s 2003 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon last year during a visit to the winery’s picturesque location in Sonoma Valley.  The Olive Hill Cab made a strong impression on us back then, and we were relieved to learn a couple of nights ago that our tastes haven’t changed much over time.  Overall, this rich and approachable wine was outstanding.

The complex nose consisted of a core of olive, cedar, herb, and chocolate notes set against a backdrop of black cherry.  In the mouth, cherry, olive and a significant degree of spice shone through, and the finish was more of the same.  The flavor was absolutely huge — that alone justified the price.

Where to get it: As noted above, we bought our bottle at the winery.  You can purchase it (or a later vintage) by visiting the winery’s web site or, by using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com.

Aug

18

We dined at One Market on Saturday night to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and we were so impressed by the wine menu that we felt justified in adding the restaurant to our ever-growing list of Travel Itineraries.   (Ok, so it’s a very local Travel Itinerary for Bay Area-folk, but the trip would have been well worth making no matter where we were coming from).

The wines on offer included a few head-turning rarities – e.g., the Pinot Noirs of Kosta Browne and Merry Edwards, each priced at $150 – and the array of options was extensive.  We ended up ordering the Burgundian style Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir (about which we’ll report later this week), and we were pleased with our choice.

It’s worth noting that One Market only serves domestic wines (which normally would have been a negative in our minds), but we found the selection of California bottlings so impressive that we barely noticed the absence of “old world” options.

Finally, just in case you were wondering, the food was phenomenal (and compensated for the corporate-style decor, which wasn’t really our bag).  The mahi mahi, covered with a smokey Argentine salsa, was definitely the best I’ve ever had, and I highly recommend it.

One Market Restaurant
1 Market Street
San Francisco, California
(415) 777-5577

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