Lancaster Holiday Party

The holiday season warmed up quickly in Lancaster's wine caves this afternoon! We were greeted by winemaker Jennifer Higgins with her infamous smile as we made our way towards the heart of the candlelit caves. Since we arrived early, we were able to admire the spread of steak bruschetta, ahi tuna tartare, duck wraps, quiche, loving spoonful bites, and cheeses, all cascading from two ends of the caves. A choir sang harmoniously in the center while the wine never stopped flowing. Time was non-existent as everyone glowed in the holiday cheer. This afternooon also marks the special release of the new Nicole's! One taste, and you'll just know this is special. Paired with the dark chocolate cups Lancaster served, the experience becomes phenomenol.

Tasting notes

Nicole's Proprietary Red 2005

Stunningly smooth, this Cab blend is vibrant with ripe dark summer berries, oak spice, and hint of coffee. Densely layered with a gracefuly lasting finish. This is my favourite of Lancaster's wines.

Samantha's Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Pure and round, tropical pineapple, passionfruit, and citrus notes dance lightly to an elegant finish. A very polished wine.

With Challenges come Character

A friend shared with me, after hip hop class this evening, the challenges that she was going through at the moment. One of those times when everything goes wrong and things are just tough.

Another friend and I were talking on the drive home and she says, "When things go wrong, that's when we build character."

As much as this applies in our lives, I realize that the same principal is what makes one of my favorite wines, Shafer's Hillside Select so special!

Hillside grapes have many conditions that cause for struggling. Vines grown on the hillside are starved of nutrients due to natural runoff, and are thus less fertile. In addition, erosion leaves only a thin and shallow layer of soil. In the case of Stag's Leap where Shafer's Hillside Select is grown, the ground is of rock with shallow volcanic soil. This results in less than half the fruit per acre grown on these vines as compared to the average Napa vine. Grape clusters are tiny.....

...giving way to each grape being full of colour and bursting with concentrated flavours! As I tasted the 1994, 1997, and 2001 Hillside's, I'm mesmerized by the uniqueness of each wine, well-balanced complexity, and elegantly long lingering flavours.

Tough times in our lives may just be that secret ingredient that makes us grow into extraordinary individuals.

Jazzing up the Wine Experience

A favorite spot of mine in Manhattan is the Central Park/Columbus Circle area where there is a mix of arts, cuisine, and diversity of people. Monday nights are far from dull with Jazz at the Lincoln Center Dizzy's Club going full swing! Here is where I discovered a new perfect pairing - wine and jazz.

Suiki, Jenn and I attended the 9:30pm set, ordered a molten chocolate cake, and a bottle of Remy Pannier Vallee des Jardins 2006. This Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc was fresh, crisp and plump with grapefruit and lime, enlaced with floral tones.

As soon as the performance began, we were immersed in passionate pieces led by the flutist, accompanied by a pianist, drummer, and cellist. The musicians moved strongly yet gracefully piece through piece against the still backdrop of Manhattan city lights. The jazzy tunes warmed the fall evening, and as I sipped my glass of wine, I tasted a different sort of freshness, with more sassy and zesty notes!

As engaging wine is of all our senses, no one really talks about what they hear. Of course, everyone will taste the wine in different settings and will hear different things. At the same time, it seems that it could play a large component in how we feel about the wine. Next time, stayed tuned, what do you see, smell, taste, feel, and hear?

Rhone on the Rooftop in New York

Tonight, my brother, his girlfriend, my cousin and I celebrated the annual Chinese Mooncake festival! This festival is a longstanding tradition in our family where we have dinner together and have mooncake. The moon was especially large this evening, and glowed with a hint of orange.

For the occassion, I picked a bottle of La Framboisiere Cotes du Rhone 2006 from a wine store in Midtown Manhattan. The wine is from the commune of Rasteau in the southern Rhone, where Grenache is the dominant grape.

It was a beautifully still and warm night - perfect for dining on my brother's apartment rooftop! Situated on Long Island right across from Manhattan, the deck had gorgeous clear views of the city. Several BBQ's and picnic tables were already occupied but we were able to occupy one to ourselves. As my brother BBQ'd the meats, we had seared steak, chicken, sausages, and roasted eggplant, zucchini, and peppers served hot off the grill under one candlelight and the moon's strong beam. There's something about eating in the dark; flavours are even more piquant!

Throughout all the courses, we sipped on the Rhone wine that was interestingly bold and full of raspberry flavours at first taste. With food, the raspberry essences mellowed out to favour more earthy tones.

A hit of the evening with the wine was the Ptit Basque French sheep's milk cheese served with a baguette that was bought fresh out of the oven from the market across the street. We polished off the cheese course before we headed back inside for the star course of the evening - mooncake! I brought mini mooncakes from San Francisco with me specifically for this night. "Happy Mooncake festival!" the four of us toasted as we shared our first mooncake in the big city.

Chenin, Oysters, and Lobster Roll!

Our 2 hour excursion around Greenwich Village and 45 minute wait was well worth the delectable meal at Pearl Oyster Bar! Beat from a full day of walking around Manhattan, Derrick, Suiki and I ordered as soon as we were seated in the bustling restaurant - oysters, mussels in wine sauce, crab cakes, and a lobster roll.

To pair with the seafood, I had a glass of 2006 Chablis by Joseph Drouhin Laforet. The wine was light and crisp, with hints of lemon, citrus, and slight almond. This fresh wine was fabulous to begin with and went elegantly with all our dishes.

Every course was flawlessly divine (except the missing oyster from the dozen that the restaurant later made up for). The most memorable plate was the Lobster Roll; it was amazing! A half pound of large sumptuous lobster chunks marinated in the perfect light mayo sauce, sandwiched by a soft, slightly sweet, butter roll shaped like a hot dog bun. Mmm... It was heavenly.

Un Gentilhomme d'un Gentilhomme

Saturday, September 6th, marks the 2 weeks remaining that Leanora would be married! Lea's bachelorette began very innocently - we learned curvy dance moves at S Factor and enjoyed a round of drinks in the afternoon. Later we arrived at Nopa for dinner, where little did we know, what would ensue after our round of pre-dinner cocktails.

"Did they change table etiquette?" I asked Bim while we were being seated, "These wine glasses are smaller than usual!" I indicated towards the wine glasses placed on our settings.

"I don't know." Bim replied. Neither of us thought twice about the unusual setting and began looking at the dinner menu.

We began discussing what we would order when our waiter comes by, a mysterious black bottle in his hands. "Compliments of Songjay," our waiter announces in a cool manner. We all look at each other for an explanation. Who is Songjay!?! A concierge? Someone at the bar? Our faces are all blank except for Lea's, whose cheeks flush pink, and she begins to laugh.

"He's a very nice man," says the waiter. Lea keeps laughing.

As the waiter breaks open the bubbly, Lea explains. "A few days ago, David began talking in an accent and made up a name, Songjay!" It was from Lea's fiance!

Our six not-so-small-anymore glasses were filled with a deep golden champagne, and the waiter says, "There will be another coming."

"To Songjay!" we toast. I taste concentrated flavours of asian pear, honeysuckle, and distinct mineral. The delicate bubbles give way to a very interesting finish.

As delicious as it was, the champagne was the perfect complement to our evening of giddy discussions and deliciously prepared food. What is this intriguing champagne in this almost opaque black bottle?

AR Lenoble, a small estate producer, is headquartered in the town of Damery, France. Its Cuvee Gentilhomme Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs is produced only during years yielding excellent grapes, and only from the best grapes.

The Year
1996 marked a notably distinct year for Champagne - yielding ripe grapes with relatively high levels of acidity. Averages were near 10% in alcohol and acidity levels of 10g/l, a rare combination that warranted a longer wait for the release of this wine.

The Grapes
The Cuvee Gentilhomme is made from 100% Chouilly Chardonnay grapes. Choilly is known to boast the ideal chalk limestone subsoil for Chardonnay grapes.

After 2 bottles of the Cuvee Gentilhomme, we were all very happy. The girls and I agreed that this gentilhomme, Sonjay, has made the perfect choice.

A Donkey & Goat

I first came across A Donkey and Goat while dining at Coco500 a year ago; the name jumped out from the wine list. While the wine was served, its label noticeably displayed a donkey and a goat, side-by-side like old best friends. What's the symbolism behind this pair, I had wondered, while enjoying the wine that went so gracefully with the food that evening.

A year later, it was a hot summer evening on August 27th, A Donkey and Goat came to Google's Wine Wednesday. Jared and Tracy Brandt, the couple behind the intriguing wine, traveled from their winery in Berkeley to share their recent releases on the tech giant's campus. Technology and wine... is there a connection?

Ah, the Spirit of entrepreneurship. Jared and Tracy were once in the heart of the tech wave in Silicon Valley. When the industry contracted, the couple ventured to explore a new passion: wine-making in the Rhone Valley of France. At Wednesday's wine event, Jared shared some of his experiences unique to France, such as harvesting techniques that were enhanced by a wine toast between each batch!

On the spotlight at Wine Wednesday were three new releases: Three Thirteen, The Recluse, and the Reserve Syrah.

Tasting notes

Three Thirteen 2006
This Rhone blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache was the most popular amongst Googlers. A dark cherry coloured wine, aromas of warm spice, plum, red pepper and a hint of coffee bean blend together nicely. This elegantly earthy, medium bodied wine paired well with the smoked salmon with creme fraiche, and the duck in blackberry and black truffle served by the Google cafe.

The Recluse 2006, Anderson Valley Syrah
The bold wine exudes confidence! Think of a baked blackberry pie, oolong tea, Venezuelan chocolate, and cigar. This deep wine is a keeper for aging and will pair well with meaty dishes. The lamb on croquette served this evening was a perfect companion.

Reserve Syrah 2005
The complexity of this Syrah makes it very mysterious. A well-balanced wine, boysenberry and dried fig aromas are enveloped with wet forest earth and tobacco. The finish reminds me of a rainbow breaking out at the end of a morning of rain.

Now - What does the Donkey and Goat represent? The story goes: Jared and Tracy noticed in France that donkeys weeded farms, and that a goat was a donkey's companion that provided a calming effect on the donkey. It's a perfect balance between work and leisure, a balance within the wines, and the balance between taking life (and wine) seriously, and having fun with it!

Penfold's Winemaker visits San Francisco

Penfolds' wines, featured at Cellar 360 in Ghirardelli Square, share many qualities with their Chief Winemaker, Peter Gago: they are approachable, have depth in character, and are naturally the life of a party.

I was greeted with a taste of Penfolds Thomas Hyland Chardonnay as soon as I walked through the glass doors past the wine shelves at Cellar 360. A refreshing wine to begin with on a warm sunny afternoon - Pale straw white, crisp, hints of white nectarines and light citrus.


The room buzzed with wine tasters, cameramen, and three tables of featured wines. Peter himself was pouring and mingling at the Cabernet based wine table, the most crowded table of them all. It was not an easy feat to reach the most popular person in the room who was serving what appeared to be one of the most popular wines. A Shiraz flight tasting and a bite of tri-tip wrapped asparagus later, I found myself learning about Peter's journey in becoming a winemaker. Bachelor of Science, teaching career in chemistry and mathematics, and Bachelor of Oenology - the perfect formula for becoming a great winemaker!

"What is your secret to winemaking?" I asked the 2006 Winemaker of the year, as named by Wine Enthusiast. "Is it a lot of science?"

"Allowing nature to do its work." Peter responded without hesitation. Simple, yet so interesting. It seems true, that the most excellent wines are those made through nature's own natural processes, with the winemaker's role being nature's partner - ensuring that the best conditions are there for nature to blossom. Peter's wines are unfiltered and are fermented using natural yeasts.

My favorite wine of the event was the Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz. A deep velvety purple wine with aromas of blackberries, cassis, vanilla and cardamom. Full of body, every taste came to life with ripe fruit and smooth rich layers.

Discovering Cahors, France

On a spring Sunday evening, as the sun was just setting at 7pm, Bar Tartine restaurant on Valencia in the Mission district of San Francisco was goldenly lit inside. Darren, Monita, Sima, Chris, and I decided that we'd share a bottle of wine over dinner, as we caught up on the exciting news that Darren and Monita were moving across the Pacific to Japan!

It was between a jammy, earthy Grenache based wine, or a more full-bodied French Mablec. We like Malbecs! Monita chimed in. Malbec, we chose. Chateau du Cedre 2004 from the Cahors region.

Our glasses were filled with a dark, velvety purple-red wine. Most prominent were aromas of dark berries and smoky tobacco, with a hint of dark roasted coffee. Blackberries and boysenberries, Darren and I agreed. Pepper and Licorice, caught by Sima. The Wine opened up beautifully as dinner progressed, and paired perfectly with our 4 orders of Four Story Hill Farm onglet (French for Hanger steak), trumpet mushrooms, marrow fritter, and with the oolong tea smoked duck breast, crushed pea stuffed pasta, in duck broth. The sun set, the restaurant dimmed, and the Wine finished smoothly, just in time for dessert.

Cahors is located in the Southwest region of France, west of Bordeaux, where Malbec is the dominant grape varietal. Wines from Cahors are known for their colour (nicknamed "Black Wine") and body. Grapes tend to be concentrated from the influence of Mediterranean and Atlantic weather, in contrast to Bordeaux's lighter wines.

Wine question of the day: How would one distinguish between the velvety, concentrated wines of Argentina from the Malbecs of Cahors?