Monday, February 09, 2004
Monday, February 09, 2004
Last night a small group of the True Friends joined Rich Spahl as he celebrated the half century mark in life at Restaurant 808. Our good friend chef owner and now seven times James Beard Society nominee Jean Marie Josselin worked in the kitchen to make sure that not a course served was ever had before in his critically acclaimed San Diego dining spot. His combinations, ranging from Cardamom Coconut Lobster to an ethereal Porcini Mushrooms wrapped with Pancetta, a new Monkfish preparation, all wowed the crowd. Of course, I was tasked, as has become an annual Spahl birthday tradition with, for the most part, bringing along the wines.
2001 Chateau des Tourettes "Les Tourettes" Rose Cotes du Luberon
Rich loves Rose, and for last night's dinner, the darker strawberry colored and scented "last bottle" seemed apropos. A lovely nose of lilac and strawberry, a cool, crisp, almost Beaujolais like flavor, and off we went. The wine has character, and is truly different from a Bandol Rose or a traditional Tavel from the Rhone. Yummy.
2002 Lawson's Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand
I never can get enough of this crystalline like Sauv Blanc, that seems to always be my go to wine when I'm thinking 808. Served with a intermezzo sushi dish of smoked salmon and fennel seed, the gooseberry, lemon, lime and kiwi flavors of the wine were dead on. The wine has lost the super high acidity it had a year ago and mellowed in the screw cap topped bottle. While it retained the freshness from bottling, the melding of fruit in the bottle was remarkable. Fresh, lively, and oh so good.
1996 Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County
Served with the Porcini mushroom dish, nothing quite works as well as a Pinot and this one sure hit the mark. Dark ruby red color, a smashingly alluring bouquet of raspberry and strawberry fields, all backed by a rich and sensual mouthfeel of ripe raspberry, tar, chewy cherries and a hint of tobacco the wine, made in the Au Bon Climat/Qupe wine making facility was just right on the money.
1999 Rombauer Napa Valley Merlot
Brought along by Ray and Kim McKewon, the wine was a real winner. Here's Napa Merlot, made in the old school way by Kerner Rombauer. The wine offered up some amazing chocolate, cherry and black raspberry flavors, and reminded me more of Matanzas Creek or Petrus, than what has become commonplace from Napa Valley with ordinary, everyday merlot.
1990 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel
Rich was amazed this was a 1990, and so was I at this stunning bottle of Ridge Geyserville. The color was deep, dark and brooding. The nose tighter and more concentrated than the last bottle I had a few months back which was more opulent and forthcoming. The wine as usual was jammy, dense, opaque, loaded with briary fruit, an ample quantity of berries and an almost Bordeaux like mineral quality running through the middle. I have a few more of these in the cellar, and feel they are worthy of another five years or more of cellaring, possibly even hitting 20 years in the bottle before they are peaking. An amazing bottle.
2000 Red Rock Syrah, Santa Barbara County
Made by Beckman Vineyards from their excess grapes, ever since the first time I sipped this wine, I always knew it was the kind of wine that would draw oohs and ahs from the crowd. It's not expensive, perhaps 12 to 14 a bottle. For top class syrah, that's a bargain compared to most Santa Barbara wines these days, especially when the fruit is coming from the vineyards that Beckman owns and operates. Unlike some wines that try to be what they are not, this pure Syrah is total California in style. Nice chewy blackberry and blueberry fruit, a hint of white and black pepper, and a long finish of tar and sandalwood.
1987 Cutler Cellars Batto Ranch Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
Saving the best for last, I pulled this wine which I recall buying on a wine excursion with WinePal Doug Kaplan back in 1989. Our pilgrimage to Napa and Sonoma that year yielded quite a haul of California wines that were air freighted back to the east coast where we both were residing, and attending college. The wine, made oh so perfectly by Lance Cutler who was making wine at Gundlach Bundschu Winery back then was something of a treat.
1987 was a fantastic year in Sonoma and Napa. While initially hard and tannic, the wines have evolved to be monumental, ranking second in my mind to 1984 in best vintage of the 80s. While most give 1985 the critical acclaim I've yet to taste an 85 that can rival the 87's or 84's head to head, with perhaps an exception being Forman or Montelena. As for this wine, the experience was like Nirvana. Here's a 17 year young wine, made from grapes in the warmer, Southern end of Sonoma County, which sold back then for under $13.00 a bottle, which should have been drunk years ago, or so one would have thought.
The color was deep and dark purple, the bouquet alluring, with that sweet cherry, tobacco, mint aroma that usually screams Napa. The flavors were intense, and this goes down as the best bottle of Cabernet I've had this year, and possibly in the past year. To call it dazzling would be an understatement. It was off the charts, and by itself, as dessert, even though Jean Marie came out with one a few moments later, was a great way to send Rich off to his next half century....
Cheers, and Happy Birthday, from all the WinePals, near and far to one of the good guys!
Andy
Last night a small group of the True Friends joined Rich Spahl as he celebrated the half century mark in life at Restaurant 808. Our good friend chef owner and now seven times James Beard Society nominee Jean Marie Josselin worked in the kitchen to make sure that not a course served was ever had before in his critically acclaimed San Diego dining spot. His combinations, ranging from Cardamom Coconut Lobster to an ethereal Porcini Mushrooms wrapped with Pancetta, a new Monkfish preparation, all wowed the crowd. Of course, I was tasked, as has become an annual Spahl birthday tradition with, for the most part, bringing along the wines.
2001 Chateau des Tourettes "Les Tourettes" Rose Cotes du Luberon
Rich loves Rose, and for last night's dinner, the darker strawberry colored and scented "last bottle" seemed apropos. A lovely nose of lilac and strawberry, a cool, crisp, almost Beaujolais like flavor, and off we went. The wine has character, and is truly different from a Bandol Rose or a traditional Tavel from the Rhone. Yummy.
2002 Lawson's Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand
I never can get enough of this crystalline like Sauv Blanc, that seems to always be my go to wine when I'm thinking 808. Served with a intermezzo sushi dish of smoked salmon and fennel seed, the gooseberry, lemon, lime and kiwi flavors of the wine were dead on. The wine has lost the super high acidity it had a year ago and mellowed in the screw cap topped bottle. While it retained the freshness from bottling, the melding of fruit in the bottle was remarkable. Fresh, lively, and oh so good.
1996 Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County
Served with the Porcini mushroom dish, nothing quite works as well as a Pinot and this one sure hit the mark. Dark ruby red color, a smashingly alluring bouquet of raspberry and strawberry fields, all backed by a rich and sensual mouthfeel of ripe raspberry, tar, chewy cherries and a hint of tobacco the wine, made in the Au Bon Climat/Qupe wine making facility was just right on the money.
1999 Rombauer Napa Valley Merlot
Brought along by Ray and Kim McKewon, the wine was a real winner. Here's Napa Merlot, made in the old school way by Kerner Rombauer. The wine offered up some amazing chocolate, cherry and black raspberry flavors, and reminded me more of Matanzas Creek or Petrus, than what has become commonplace from Napa Valley with ordinary, everyday merlot.
1990 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel
Rich was amazed this was a 1990, and so was I at this stunning bottle of Ridge Geyserville. The color was deep, dark and brooding. The nose tighter and more concentrated than the last bottle I had a few months back which was more opulent and forthcoming. The wine as usual was jammy, dense, opaque, loaded with briary fruit, an ample quantity of berries and an almost Bordeaux like mineral quality running through the middle. I have a few more of these in the cellar, and feel they are worthy of another five years or more of cellaring, possibly even hitting 20 years in the bottle before they are peaking. An amazing bottle.
2000 Red Rock Syrah, Santa Barbara County
Made by Beckman Vineyards from their excess grapes, ever since the first time I sipped this wine, I always knew it was the kind of wine that would draw oohs and ahs from the crowd. It's not expensive, perhaps 12 to 14 a bottle. For top class syrah, that's a bargain compared to most Santa Barbara wines these days, especially when the fruit is coming from the vineyards that Beckman owns and operates. Unlike some wines that try to be what they are not, this pure Syrah is total California in style. Nice chewy blackberry and blueberry fruit, a hint of white and black pepper, and a long finish of tar and sandalwood.
1987 Cutler Cellars Batto Ranch Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
Saving the best for last, I pulled this wine which I recall buying on a wine excursion with WinePal Doug Kaplan back in 1989. Our pilgrimage to Napa and Sonoma that year yielded quite a haul of California wines that were air freighted back to the east coast where we both were residing, and attending college. The wine, made oh so perfectly by Lance Cutler who was making wine at Gundlach Bundschu Winery back then was something of a treat.
1987 was a fantastic year in Sonoma and Napa. While initially hard and tannic, the wines have evolved to be monumental, ranking second in my mind to 1984 in best vintage of the 80s. While most give 1985 the critical acclaim I've yet to taste an 85 that can rival the 87's or 84's head to head, with perhaps an exception being Forman or Montelena. As for this wine, the experience was like Nirvana. Here's a 17 year young wine, made from grapes in the warmer, Southern end of Sonoma County, which sold back then for under $13.00 a bottle, which should have been drunk years ago, or so one would have thought.
The color was deep and dark purple, the bouquet alluring, with that sweet cherry, tobacco, mint aroma that usually screams Napa. The flavors were intense, and this goes down as the best bottle of Cabernet I've had this year, and possibly in the past year. To call it dazzling would be an understatement. It was off the charts, and by itself, as dessert, even though Jean Marie came out with one a few moments later, was a great way to send Rich off to his next half century....
Cheers, and Happy Birthday, from all the WinePals, near and far to one of the good guys!
Andy
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