Another Day in Paradise

Things are starting to slow down a bit so now I have some time to recall a recent dinner.

December 21, 2004.
The day before setting out on the road doing my part to rid the world of petroleum. The Financial Advisor and myself were invited to dinner in the home of Bob & Lauren Tomhave. These two are not only very good clients, they are very good friends. We have been swapping off dinners and without exception the meals and wines have been spectacular. This evening would prove no different.

***While reading the following, please keep this in mind. Evenings like this are the exception to the rule. While it would be nice to drink wines of this caliber every night, doing so would diminish the significance of them. Also, I have precious little patience for articles written that carry the undertone ( or overtone) of the old: 'Look what I got to drink, haha, you suck!' This is in no way intended to be 'one of those' articles.***

Reception: Kistler 'Vine Hill Vineyard' Chardonnay 1999

It should be stated that when it comes to wine, my friend Bob is not messing around. After the hellos and exchanging of gifts, we set about drinking proper. Kistler has long been a favorite producer of mine. I know that sounds rather predictable since everybody and their brother will wax eloquent on all things Kistler given the chance, but he is a man I truly respect. On to the bottle. While it is was obvious that the wine was made with California fruit (strong ripeness levels, relatively high alcohol, etc..), it was equally obvious that the wine was made in as 'Burgundian' a style as possible. The use of oak (or at least, its presence) was quite reserved. The wine tasted as if it had seen a partial malolactic fermentation, and there was abslolutely none of the obligatory 'buttery' notes that seem to have permeated all things California Chardonnay. The wine was amazing. The fruit was tight and concentrated but incredibly focused. There was an underlying minerality to the wine that was almost reminiscent of Puligny-Montrachet. Again, it was obviously a California wine, but in no way did it wear this fact on its sleeve. What a world it could be if there were more wines like this being made out west.

Dinner:
Peter Michael 'Les Pavots' 1997
Torbreck 'Runrig' Barossa Valley 1997

At table, we set on to the reds. The Peter Micheal is a house blend comprised of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc. If I had to hazard a guess based on this information alone, I would think someone had a taste for the left bank of Bordeaux. In fact, the wine drinks like it could be from St. Julien. The aromatics were very tight and often fleeting. I could go down the list of cedar, pencil lead shavings, and blah, blah, blah. They were all there. This wine drank beautifully, albeit very early in its life. Next up, the Torbreck. Another wine that can turn the most burly dude into a little schoolgirl at the mere mention of its name. The press can't seem to get enough of these wines and while I have had some in the past, this one justified the amount of ink this house gets. 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier. The classic formula from Côte Rôtie and that's exactly how this wine drank. The last wine that I had from Australia that got this much of my attention was the Groom Shiraz 1998. Admittedly, the fruit was a little more open-knit than what you might expect from the Northern Rhône but guess what, it ain't from the Northern Rhône. The wine was casting a fair bit of sediment at 7 years old which is always a good thing. Remember, a little junk in the bottom of your glass is good, better to leave in the good, the bad, and the ugly lest you take out the amazing through fining and filtration. I have no idea what a bottle of this stuff goes for these days, but short of re-financing the house, I would highly recommend buying a bottle if the opportunity avails itself.

Dessert: Alban Vineyards ¿Oechsle? Edna Valley 1999

I know the press get all giddy using catch phrases like 'Rhône Rangers' and the like, me not so much. The only man in California that truly matters to me is John Alban. The rest of the New World could learn a thing or two from this guy. The last wine that I was fortunate to have from Alban Vineyards was the 'Pandora 1998'. It's kind of funny that Bob was the one that pulled that bottle as well. I was transfixed on that wine, so much so that I wrote Mr. Alban a letter the next day thanking him for doing what he does. Ironically, it was the Alban Viognier 1997 that put me on the course towards Franco-phile-dom, and it was one of his wines that gave faith in California wines once again. The ¿Oechsle? was no different. The name, while it looks kind of wierd, has vinous meaning. It is the German method of measuring grape sugars (hence, grape ripeness) and is obviously Mr. Alban's homage to the incredible dessert wines of Germany. It is a late harvest Viognier and tastes as if the grapes saw some botrytis. Interestingly, the only other wine like this that I have had is the 'Luminescence' from Guigal, also a 1999. I'm not sure if Marcel and John were in on this thing together but the wines are almost exactly the same. The concentration of honey, peach, apricot, cinnamon, and carmelized apple is unreal. The wine, while obviously meant for a dessert with its high residual sugar, also maintained relatively high acidity. These two in concert create an equilibrium on the palate that is nearly beyond description. Good God!

I know that I have not addressed the food during this review and that is not for lack of desire. Lauren is a great cook and I feel like a jerk for not having taken better notes during the course of the meal. The appetizers were a couple of cheeses with cracker, the main course was chicken (Cacciatore, I think) and for dessert was an apple crisp that paired amazingly with the Alban.

Lastly, I want to re-iterate that this post is not meant as an exercise in wine masturbation. I feel that there way too much of that already and the last thing I want to be is 'that dude'. I figured it might be interesting for a Euro-centric freak to opine on wines that are most definitely not.

¡Vive La France!
¡Vive Alban!
¡Vive Bob & Lauren!