Newton was heavily damaged by the 2020 fires. I’ve heard they are on the road to recovery but I don’t know where they stand. This unfiltered chard is a stalwart and I hope they can continue it. Not inexpensive but a great value.
Are you allowed to bring cheese into the U.S. ? Or was this contraband?
I’ve had quizzical/amusing looks from U.S. Customs when I’ve told them I was bringing in cake! I always declare what I have in my “comestible bag”.
Vacuum sealed by the cheesemonger, he assured us Comte would pass muster with the US Dept of Agriculture at the border. My understanding is that certain cheeses, like Morbier, are prohibited. Very confusing.
Earlier this month Saturday:
https://shop.foleyfoodandwinesociety.com/wine-shop/shop-brands/chalk-hill-estate/108218.html
or
https://shop.foleyfoodandwinesociety.com/wine-shop/shop-brands/chalk-hill-estate/008134A.html
Menu’s wine list gave no vintage.
How was it?
Liked it a lot. Juicy, soft. Ordered it because it was most appealing idea on the short by-the-glass list, not to complement dinner.
Gorgeous! Has all the key characteristics of an Alsace Gewurztraminer Grand Cru except the ’ lychee ’ component was mysteriously missing?!
Apparently terroir giveth, and taketh.
Attended a going-away party at a relative’s home. Since the wine was way better than the food, I’ll just post the former!
Back in the mid '00s, when my income was more predictable, I’d tag along with friends on a day-trip through Sonoma to pick up wine allocations. I wasn’t on the list at Rafanelli, but they let non-members buy two or three bottles during a visit. This 2005 zinfandel has aged beautifully, retaining its black and red fruit, tannins soft, no trace of oxidation or other flaws. It’s rare to find a zin this old in such good condition (my basement is 60F year round, so that certainly helped).
Then came the 2008 financial crisis, and that was the end of our Sonoma visits.
I love Rafanelli’s zins, but actually like their cabs even more.
How was it? I think I had this in a brunch cocktail at Bar Mezzana, but don’t know how it is on its own.
Innocuous. I’m going to have another tonight over ice with crème de pamplemousse added.
The wines I didn’t drink today, and won’t for several years. A friend is moving from the Bay Area to DC, and we had lunch yesterday. He gave me two bottles of wine that he didn’t want to take with him. I looked at them after lunch. Hmm, a 2015 Beringer cabernet and then…Holy Fcking Shit! 2015 Stags’ Leap cabernet! “Is that good?” he asked? “Holy shit!” I repeated. “Where the hell did you get this?” “They were gifts.”
The wines are going into my cellar (60F year-round), to be opened when my friend visits.
Good friends Paul and Linda came over for cheese and charcuterie and a chance to open a few good wines. We had some news to celebrate, so we started with Iron Horse 2016 Ocean Reserve. Off-, not bone dry, lovely texture and just plain delicious. We really like the style of Iron Horse wines. Next up was a wine I’d been saving, the 2018 Aubert UV-SL Vineyard Pinot. This was #2 on the Wine Spectator Top 100 wines of 2020, so we were curious to see if those folks at Wine Spectator know what they are talking about 
. Decanted about 90 minutes before pouring. This was a beautiful wine - concentrated, jammy fruit but not over-ripe or a “bomb”. I guess a tip of the hat to WS is in order - this was among the best Pinots I’ve ever had. Finally we needed something to pair with assorted chocolates, so we decided on a Zin and headed to that corner of the cellar. On the second try I pulled out a 2007 Ridge Lytton Springs that literally had Paul’s and Linda’s name on it - they gave it to us about 10 years ago. That’s wine karma for you. The cork disintegrated even though I was very gentle with the corkscrew - I should have used an Ah So at the outset. However the wine was intact and decanting through a screen took care of a few stray bits of cork. This was just what we were looking for, a graceful zin still showing some youthful energy, hints of leather and licorice that made it a perfect foil for chocolate.
We took in a Women’s Wine Dinner at Bar Mezzana in Boston. It’s available through the 31st. Two of the wines stood out - the Kelly Fox with the first course was an orange wine, distinctive and refreshing. The Martha Stoumen, actually a blend, had distinct cherry notes.
Women’s Spotlight Wine Dinner.pdf (148.2 KB)
Edmund St. John is a hyper-local winemaker here in Berkeley, specializing on Rhone varietals, mostly for sale by mailing list (the name is from partners in life Steve Edmunds and Cornelia St. John). I’ve picked up their wines at their house. Steve is retiring now, so I opened his 2008 syrah, and have his 2001 Los Ropos Viejos cued up. The syrah is meaty and juicy, with good fruit.
I had to stop buying when my finances didn’t allow it, maybe ten years ago.
SF Chronicle article, possibly paywalled:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/edmunds-st-john-winery-19381393.php
