Go Ask Alice

I've never been a huge fan of Prosecco. This may not be something that a sommelier should admit, but it's the truth. Prosecco is usually too sweet and flowery for me, and not nearly as rich and weighty as Champagne, a beverage that I could literally drink every day. Whenever I'm given a glass of Prosecco, all I can think of is how I would rather be drinking Champagne.

I am happy to say, however that my new friend Alice has shown me the light. Le Vigne di Alice is a woman-owned and operated property that is making some pretty spectacular wines. Cinzia Canzia, the winery's owner along with winemaker Pier Francesca Bonicelli are focused on the details, working diligently in the vineyards as well as the winery. Their Proseccos are elegant and dry, as they work to emphasize the acidity of the wine over its sweetness.

Not surprisingly, my favorite of all of their wines is the "Extra-dry" Prosecco di Coneglaino and Valdobbiadene, which comes from the two most well-known areas of the region. It is clean and bright, and drinks more like a blanc de blancs Champagne, a selling point in my book. Notes of ripe pear and Pippin apple dominate, with touches of acacia flower and apricots. It has a hint of yeastiness, fine bubbles and vibrant acidity that keeps it fresh on the palate.

Of course, the beauty of Prosecco, particularly for a Champagne lover, is its affordability. At about $50 per bottle on the wine list, Le Vigne di Alice could trick you into thinking that you are drinking more richly than you are. In Alice's wonderland, you might actually think the recession is over.

An Oscar Buzz

I decided that since I wasn't doing anything more glamorous tonight than sitting in front of the television and watching the Academy Awards, that I would drink something glamorous instead. Tonight's winner is the 2003 Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Meursault, 1er Cru, Charmes.

Domaine des Comtes Lafon is one of the greatest Meursault producers of all time. Although the estate has been in existence for over a century, it was not until the 1950's that anyone in the family took an active interest in producing high quality wine. During that time, René Lafon extensively replanted many of the vineyards and changed the focus of the domaine to bottling a higher percentage of wine under its own label, rather than selling it to negociants. In 1984, René's son Dominique took over the estate and has been managing it solely ever since. The domaine covers almost 14 hectares of vineyards in 13 different appellations, the majority of which are in Meursault. They farm their vineyards biodynamically, harvest the grapes manually and allow their white wines age for up to 22 months in barrel.

This wine is pretty incredible and I must say very appropriate for the occasion. First off, the color of this wine is a deep golden yellow, somewhere between the color of Sandra Bullock's dress and the Oscar itself. On the nose, an intoxicating blend of honey, fully blossomed roses and sandalwood aromas fill my glass. And about the palate, all I can say is WOW. This is one seriously concentrated wine, which is no surprise considering the unusually hot vintage that was 2003. In the hands of some winemakers, this could have resulted in a flabby, flat wine, but in the hands of Lafon all is well. Notes of ripe pear and meyer lemon are complemented by ginger, cardamom and exotic spices. Along with the exotic, full-bodied personality that embodies this wine are a vibrant minerality, bracing acidity and a finish that lasts about as long as the Oscar telecast.

We have a few more bottles of this at Lucques and after tasting it I'm considering buying them for myself.

Pisoni Wine Dinner at Tavern

'Tis the season for wine dinners, apparently. In addition to the dinner that we are having for Evening Land Vineyards at AOC on Wednesday, March 17th, we are also thrilled about our upcoming dinner for Pisoni Vineyards on Wednesday, March 10th at Tavern.

Pisoni Vineyards is legendary. You know the story: the vineyard's owner, Gary Pisoni smuggled cuttings from Burgundy's famed La Tache vineyard back into America and used the rootstock to start his own vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands region of California. This vineyard and others spawned from it are the reason that the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA has become so well respected. That and the fact that the wines are delicious. The Pisoni style of winemaking is that of balancing power and grace, a result of their attention to detail in the vineyards, their ideal location and sustainable farming practices...something that I really commend.

The dinner will feature a menu created by none other than Suzanne Goin and was inspired by each of the winery's rich and complex wines. The selections that we will be pouring are as follows:

2009 Lucy, Rosé

2007 Lucia, Chardonnay

2007 Lucia, Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands

2008 Lucia, Pinot Noir, Gary's Vineyard

2007 Pisoni, Pinot Noir, Pisoni Vineyard

2007 Lucia, Syrah, Gary's Vineyard

It is a stellar line up and the menu will not disappoint. The evening is also a deal at only $100 per person plus tax and gratuity for the four-course dinner and wine pairing. The much admired Gary Pisoni will be on hand to talk about the wines, answer questions, and just basically be there for everybody.

Call Tavern at 310.806.6464 to book a table.

Upcoming Wine Dinner at AOC

Evening Land Vineyards Dinner

AOC

8022 West Third Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

7:00 p.m.

Four-Course Dinner, $100 per person

AOC is proud to announce our upcoming dinner featuring the wines of Evening Land Vineyards. Evening Land is the dream wine project, a meeting of some superstar minds of the wine world who are focused on making some of the best pinot noir and chardonnay on the west coast. Passionate wine lover and businessman, Mark Tarlov put this team together and purchased some acclaimed properties, Seven Spring Vineyard in Oregon, Occidental Vineyard in Sonoma and Odyssey Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills. He brought on Dominique Lafon of the famed Domaine des Comtes Lafon estate in Meursault to consult along with winemakers Isabelle Mugnier of Burgundy and Sashi Moorman of Stolpman Vineyards and Red Car Wine Company in California. Needless to say, the wines are spectacular and are raising the bar for elegance in winemaking.

Evening Land was named in Wine & Spirits Magazine Top 100 Wineries of 2009, while its 2007 Seven Springs Pinot Noir was included in the 100 Top Wines of 2009.

Winery owner Mark Tarlov will be on hand to discuss the wines and lead us through our four-course dinner and wine pairing.

To reserve, please call AOC at 323.653.6259.

I feel like a Pigato.

Bring me your strange, your rare, your unusual wine. I will find a place for it at AOC. This is basically the criteria for wine vendors to follow when presenting wines to me for the list at AOC. Tara Gano helps me buy wine for the list there, and we always look forward to seeing what new treats people will have for us each week. It's actually incredibly fun to be able to taste wines that are off of the radar for most traditional restaurants and makes the whole process that much more interesting and educational.

Today's unusual little sip was the 2007 Claudio Vio, Pigato, Riviera Ligure di Ponente. Pigato is a white grape variety grown mainly in the coastal northwestern Italian region of Liguria. Pigato is akin to Vermentino in its high-toned, floral aromatics and light body. The Claudio Vio Pigato however, is like no other Vermentino I've ever tasted. Claudio Vio hand harvests his miniscule amount of Pigato from vines planted on extremely steep hillsides, ferments it and ages it in stainless steel. He farms his two hectares sustainably and bottles a mere 100 cases of the wine annually.

What is unusual about this wine is that it barely resembles Vermentino at all. Rather than being overwhelmingly floral and light, this wine indulges the palate much more deeply. On the nose, soapy lavender and honey mix with hints of pepper and savory green herbs. On the palate is another dimension completely. Salty mineral notes intermingle with aromatic baking spices of cardamom and cinnamon in a sea of incredibly oiliness and rich texture. Though the wine is perfumed and weighty, it maintains an elegant acidity that keeps it tight and balanced. I lingered on this wine for a while, tasting it over and over making notes about how crazy and odd this wine was, and how much I liked it.

The vendor was kind enough to leave the rest of the sample bottle with us and I've been counting the hours until I can indulge myself in a whole glass of the stuff. I'm going to sit down with a plate of salty Italian cheeses and Pigato out.

The Kids Are Alright

I had a brief tasting today at Tavern with the rep from the French wine import company, Robert Kacher Selections. No matter how great a rep's portfolio is, I often dread having these wine tasting appointments. This may sound crazy because, let's face it, being paid to taste wine is not a bad thing. My problem is that I don't always like what they bring me and I feel bad not ordering anything after tasting through many hundreds of dollars worth of wine samples. I know intellectually that this is all part of the deal for them, but I still just feel bad about it. So of course, going in to this tasting, I felt this same sense of dread coming on. What would I do if I didn't like the wines? What would I say? What if I don't order anything from him? Fortunately enough, I didn't need to answer those questions today.

One after another, all of the wines I tasted were right up my alley. The standout was the 2008 Mas Carlot, Costières de Nimes, "Les Enfants Terrible" made from 50% Mourvedre and 50% Syrah. Mas Carlot is made by Nathalie Blanc-Mares whose husband happens to make wine at the neighboring Mas des Bressades, making the area a real family affair. The name of this wine has as much to do with their gaggle of crazy children as it does her hectares of low-yielding, old vines, all of which seem to need taming. I'm not sure what she does with her children, but in terms of the vines, she does this through harvesting late for maximum ripeness and by aging the wine in barrel for a year or more.

What I love about this wine is how its aromas and palate of deep blueberries and black fruits are contained by the wine's architectural tannins. Notes of ripe, plummy fruit and roasted meat mingle with hints of baking spices and cocoa making for a wine of great complexity and balance. While this is definitely an intense, concentrated wine, it remains elegant nonetheless. This is a wine that will appeal to the fruit lover and tannin junkie alike.

Even better though, is its incredibly reasonable price, about $30 on the wine list at Lucques. Not so terrible.

Rayas of Light

Just wrapped up Tavern's Larder Wine & Cheese Club which resumed again after a brief hiatus. We had a great turn-out and a really lovely group of guests. My belief in the west side's interest in wines beyond oaky chardonnay has been reinvigorated, thank the lord! I was beginning to get worried.

The entire room seemed to really enjoy the format of the evening as well as the pairings that we put together. I know I'm not alone when I say that my favorite wine of the night was the 2003 Château de Fonsalette Côtes du Rhône. It was a real stand-out, mainly because it is such a far cry from any other Southern Rhône wine. Fonsalette is made by the legendary Château Rayas, known for producing what is probably the most elegant Châteauneuf-du-Pape around. Rayas drinks much more like a Burgundy than anything else, which is probable why I like it so much. Somehow, Grenache from this estate becomes bright, high-toned, lean and elegant, a far cry from the dark, blueberry laden wines normally made in this region. I was immediately struck by its seductive aromas of eucalyptus, cranberry and game which carried over to a palate of smoky, roasted meats blended with kirsch. Throughout, the wine's acidity kept it bright, lean and racy. It was the perfect accompaniment to our roasted root vegetables and a Midnight Moon goat cheese from Cyrus Grove.

I love the stories of Jacques Reynaud, Rayas' winemaker who passed away in 1997. He was apparently quite a character and an incredibly private person who would go so far as to avoid his appointments by hiding in the ditches along his rutted driveway. I can just imagine this elegant man, lying in the dirt hoping that no one would see him, all the while trying to avoid being run over. Of course, I might do the very same thing if it meant that I got to keep all of that wine for myself!