Finally, I have the TN's for the Ch. Burbank Chardonnay, plus a few others. We
shared a "Hanukkah-mas" dinner with friends. Our hostess is a chef, who also
has done several cookbooks and is the perennial holiday guest on quite a few
cooking programs, Janne Taubman (www.dinnerontime.com). I had a short-list of
the menu, and did several wines to pair with the various dishes. I had not had
the mushroom soup, so I opted for two wines. I also held on to sips of all to
try with each course. The evening began with a ‘97 Moss Creek Napa Sauvignon
Blanc. When I first experienced this wine, I thought Bdx. SB. I managed to
keep a few btls to see how it aged. I'm glad that I did. The color was dark
wheat with a nose of honey, but still some tart fruit - lemon/lime. The acid
was a bit down from my last tasting, but the fruit held its own with spiced
nuts and pte. It was a hit with the crowd, though not what they were
expecting from an SB - can you say Marlborough?

First course was: Mushroom Soup made with fresh mushrooms, a touch of Sherry
and cream, for which I had chosen two wines, the ‘02 Ch. Burbank Chard Santa
Barbara County for the cream and an ‘00 Marc Michelete & Fils Nuits-St
Georges, Les Thorey Premieur Cru red Burg to pair with the mushrooms. First,
the cream overcame the Burg and the mushrooms, but it wasn't a bad fit. The
Ch. Burbank was the better pairing, and all agreed. First, the Burg: nice nose
of woodsy earth and truffles, with good acid. The color was reddish-brick with
a tiny meniscus. On the palate, there was medium-dark cherry, a hint of tar,
damp earth, and truffles. The finish was medium. Had the soup been a mushroom
broth, it would have been a better fit. However, the Ch. Burbank was wonderful
with the soup. Medium gold all of the way to the rim, there was maybe a hint
of ageing showing on the Chard. The nose was of lemon (though subtle), sweet
pear, light honey, with some oak and vanilla. I have to add that there was
vanilla in the cream in the soup, so I may have been influenced by it - after
all, it was right below my nose. On the palate, the Chard was a wonderful
lemon. Now, this is hard to describe, but it was like a lemon custard without
any sugar - soft, smooth, but with the taste of lemon noticeable. I have never
had something that tasted quite like this, as most lemon tastes carry the acid
element, or are sweetened to the point that their sweetness is in evidence.
This was like a light lemon cloud, without the accompanying acid, or any
sweetness, give the fruit. The palate also had some spice (nutmeg?) And the
finish went on, and on, and on. On the winemaker's suggestion, I brought this
from the cellar, and it only saw a few moments of "fridge-time." I wish that I
had had my Riedel Montrachet glasses, but insisted that the hostess serve this
wine in a medium red-wine glass. By the time that we confronted it, the temp
was probably around 60 F. Though we had already had two btls of the SB and a
good pour of the Burg, both bottles of the Chard went in a hurry. This wine
also went very well with the salad course, a traditional Caesar Salad with
anchovies for a bit of salty taste and a touch of balsamic vinegar,
Worcestershire sauce and fresh lemon. Maybe it was the lemon, but it was the
universal hit of the evening. (Thanks DaleW - what a wonderful wine!) I'd
guess that this wine saw about 60% malolactic fermentation, but do not know
for sure. The oak was present, but here I'd opt for lightly toasted American
oak, and maybe even a percentage v stainless, as the oak was subdued and
subtle.

I poured a ‘98 Joseph Phelps Napa Cabernet with the traditional Prime Rib
flavored with whole garlic cloves, kosher salt and pepper, mashed potatoes and
Yorkshire pudding topped with rich roast gravy. The ‘98 vintage from CA was
panned by many in the wine-porn business, but I have found that well-made ‘98
Cabs are quite good, especially in their youth. This guy was poured about 30
mins. before we sampled it. The wine was dark ruby-purple to the rim, with
black cherry, current, and blackberry on the nose. On the palate, I found, in
addition to the berries, some tar, and a bit of leather, followed by tobacco
and spice (cinnamon?). The finish was medium-long and the retronasal indicated
more of the spice and tobacco.

I also poured a ‘97 Chateau de Pez, St. Estephe Bdx. This wine was decanted
about 1 hr. before pouring and, I think, benefitted from the air-time. Dark-
ruby with a tiny meniscus of brick-red, this was still in its youth. Dark
berries, earth, leather, tobacco, and a small hit of spice were found on the
nose. The palate was about the same. Smooth, after the decanting time, this
guy still has many years before it. The finish was also medium-long, with the
spices coming through on the retro. I planned on keeping both of these for the
cheese course next. A side note: the Ch. Burbank paired nicely with the
Yorkshire pudding, but didn't quite hold up to the Prime Rib, as was to be
expected. Maybe it was the pudding that matched so well, as the gravy was a
bit on the light side.

For the cheese course, I chose dry-aged Jack, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-
Reggiano, and an artisan Cheddar (domestic, CA). Both reds excelled with these
hard and semi-hard cheeses. The last of the Ch. Burbank only really matched
with the Cheddar.

Dessert was a Cherry Meringue Pie....a light meringue crust topped with a
cream cheese filling and Cherry pie filling. OK, so I missed on this one, big
-time. I didn't get the e-mail with this dish, and had chosen a ‘96 P J
Valckenberg, Madonna, Eiswein from the Rheinhessen. Maybe one of Randall
Grahm's Vin de Glascieres would have been better. Anyway, the Madonna was dark
yellow to the rim. The nose was apricot and peach (no cherries - sorry Janne),
with a ton of honey. The RS content was fairly high, but could not overcome
the cherries and meringue. The wine was delightful on its own, as was the
dessert, but they did not pair at all well. Though the cheese plate had been
cleared, I think it would have gone better with the Madonna. Sometimes, I
think dessert might go better with coffee, than wine, and this might well have
been one.

Had the evening not grown so old (5 hours of dining!), we would have done Port
and cigars on the deck, but that had to wait. :-(

Hunt

"Hunt" > wrote in message
...
> Finally, I have the TN's for the Ch. Burbank Chardonnay, plus a few
> others.

> I'd guess that this wine saw about 60% malolactic fermentation, but do not
> know
> for sure. The oak was present, but here I'd opt for lightly toasted
> American
> oak, and maybe even a percentage v stainless, as the oak was subdued and
> subtle.

Hi, Hunt -

You might be surprised to know that my 2002 Chardonnay is full ML (or very
close to that), was 100% barrel fermented and spent 14 months in new French
barrels (various forests) on its lees. The only time in stainless was the
settling tank (1 day) prior to fermentation and just before bottling when it
was fined and cold stabilized (~2 weeks). It was never racked from barrel
in the interim.

> Had the evening not grown so old (5 hours of dining!), we would have done
> Port
> and cigars on the deck, but that had to wait. :-(

LOL! Those'll keep for New Year's Eve - right? You'll have an extra
leap-second to enjoy them too. ;^)

Glad to hear that you enjoyed my wine as much as I did making it (and also
drinking it!).

Tom S
www.chateauburbank.com

In article > ,
says...
>
>"Hunt" > wrote in message
...
>> Finally, I have the TN's for the Ch. Burbank Chardonnay, plus a few
>> others.
>
>> I'd guess that this wine saw about 60% malolactic fermentation, but do not
>> know
>> for sure. The oak was present, but here I'd opt for lightly toasted
>> American
>> oak, and maybe even a percentage v stainless, as the oak was subdued and
>> subtle.
>
>Hi, Hunt -
>
>You might be surprised to know that my 2002 Chardonnay is full ML (or very
>close to that), was 100% barrel fermented and spent 14 months in new French
>barrels (various forests) on its lees. The only time in stainless was the
>settling tank (1 day) prior to fermentation and just before bottling when it
>was fined and cold stabilized (~2 weeks). It was never racked from barrel
>in the interim.

Yes, I am surprised at full ML. The acid indicated to me, that there might
still be a bit of malic. Nothing out of balance, just a hint on the tip o' the
tongue. Thanks for the specs, and thanks for the wonderful wine.
>
>> Had the evening not grown so old (5 hours of dining!), we would have done
>> Port
>> and cigars on the deck, but that had to wait. :-(
>
>LOL! Those'll keep for New Year's Eve - right? You'll have an extra
>leap-second to enjoy them too. ;^)
>
>Glad to hear that you enjoyed my wine as much as I did making it (and also
>drinking it!).
>
>Tom S

I also hope that you caught my typo and my apology. Dang, I'm just not good at
multi-tasking! I just hope that my clients benefit from my tunnel-vision.

Hunt
>www.chateauburbank.com
>
>

On 28 Dec 2005 05:22:11 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:

>Finally, I have the TN's for the Ch. Burbank Chardonnay, plus a few others. We
>shared a "Hanukkah-mas" dinner with friends.

So why is it that red potatoes still make white potato pancakes?

I was dealing with a mixed crowd, some of whom knew what a good wine
should taste like, and some of whom wouldn't know the difference.
Aiming low turned out to be a good idea.

I started them out with my last bottle of 1998 Vielle Ferme CdR. Yes,
it was $5 a bottle in 1999, and yes, it was still good Monday night. I
thought this wine was rather light when I first bought it, but it
seems to have picked up weight over the years.

While that was making the rounds I decanted a 1996 Gran Oristan La
Mancha gran reserva. This was followed by a 1997 Nemea Saint George
Skouras, which I figured would have died a couple years back, but is
still showing well for what it is.

Next up was my only bottle of 2002 Mt. Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Creek
shiraz (who knew the Speculator would choose it in its Top 100?). For
12 bucks, it packed a lot of smoke and fruit. Pretty impressive,
really.

While I was busy scarfing latkes, somebody got into my stash and
opened the bottle of 2002 Zachary's Ladder. This is a recent release
from Gorman Winery in Washington. I was tipped off to it by Paul
Gregutt at the Seattle Times, who tasted all of Gorman's new releases
a few weeks back. (His personal favorite was "The Bully," with "The
Evil Twin" close behind.) All it says on the label is Columbia Valley
Red Wine, no info on the blend. Paul and I figure it's big on cab and
syrah, with maybe a smattering of some other reds. This is a wine that
ain't for wimps, and it drew some interesting responses from the
group. Some people were not up to the challenge of a big, bold red,
especially those who were accustomed to the lighter reds.

The only bottle still in the carrier when the party broke up was a
1996 Markham Petite Syrah. I did open a bottle of this recently, and
found that it's lost a bit of its zip. Even so, it's always been a
favorite of mine, and should hang on long enough for me to polish off
the last half a case.

Mele Hannukahlikimaka!

JJ

In article >,
says...
>
>On 28 Dec 2005 05:22:11 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:
>
>>Finally, I have the TN's for the Ch. Burbank Chardonnay, plus a few others.
We
>>shared a "Hanukkah-mas" dinner with friends.
>
>So why is it that red potatoes still make white potato pancakes?
>
>I was dealing with a mixed crowd, some of whom knew what a good wine
>should taste like, and some of whom wouldn't know the difference.
>Aiming low turned out to be a good idea.

An often "tough call," but it seemed that you handled it well. I hate the
gatherings with a mixed bag of wine tastes. One hates to offend the serious
winos with too much on the lower end of the spectrum, but then it's often hard
on the neophytes, when you bring out the rare old Burg, or Bdx and they are
all looking for the Blossom Hill.
>
>I started them out with my last bottle of 1998 Vielle Ferme CdR. Yes,
>it was $5 a bottle in 1999, and yes, it was still good Monday night. I
>thought this wine was rather light when I first bought it, but it
>seems to have picked up weight over the years.
>
>While that was making the rounds I decanted a 1996 Gran Oristan La
>Mancha gran reserva. This was followed by a 1997 Nemea Saint George
>Skouras, which I figured would have died a couple years back, but is
>still showing well for what it is.
>
>Next up was my only bottle of 2002 Mt. Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Creek
>shiraz (who knew the Speculator would choose it in its Top 100?). For
>12 bucks, it packed a lot of smoke and fruit. Pretty impressive,
>really.

Just had this one and YES, it is a very good wine. Didn't know that WS had
praised it so - been behind on my reading the last month. Well, at least I
tasted it, as it has all probably disappeared from the shelves in the US.
>
>While I was busy scarfing latkes, somebody got into my stash and
>opened the bottle of 2002 Zachary's Ladder. This is a recent release
>from Gorman Winery in Washington. I was tipped off to it by Paul
>Gregutt at the Seattle Times, who tasted all of Gorman's new releases
>a few weeks back. (His personal favorite was "The Bully," with "The
>Evil Twin" close behind.) All it says on the label is Columbia Valley
>Red Wine, no info on the blend. Paul and I figure it's big on cab and
>syrah, with maybe a smattering of some other reds. This is a wine that
>ain't for wimps, and it drew some interesting responses from the
>group. Some people were not up to the challenge of a big, bold red,
>especially those who were accustomed to the lighter reds.
>
>The only bottle still in the carrier when the party broke up was a
>1996 Markham Petite Syrah. I did open a bottle of this recently, and
>found that it's lost a bit of its zip. Even so, it's always been a
>favorite of mine, and should hang on long enough for me to polish off
>the last half a case.

Since I've known Brian Delbondio for some years, I usually have some various
Markhams on hand, but have never tasted their PS - gotta' get out to Napa
more. Will look for this as PS is a secret love of mine and, while not at the
level of some, Markham nearly offers very good wine at easily approachable
prices - good value for the $.
>
>Mele Hannukahlikimaka!
>
>JJ

Thanks for the TN's. I guess the answer to your question is rather like why is
the juice from most red grapes white? Maybe if we keep the potato skins in
contact with the must longer, we'd have red pancakes?

Aloha,
Hunt

On 29 Dec 2005 16:14:09 GMT, (Hunt) wrote:

>>Next up was my only bottle of 2002 Mt. Langi Ghiran Billi Billi Creek
>>shiraz (who knew the Speculator would choose it in its Top 100?). For
>>12 bucks, it packed a lot of smoke and fruit. Pretty impressive,
>>really.
>
>Just had this one and YES, it is a very good wine. Didn't know that WS had
>praised it so - been behind on my reading the last month.

Yep, #91, rated 90 points.

> Well, at least I tasted it, as it has all probably disappeared from the shelves in the US.

Dunno. I do know that Garagiste offered the 2003 last week. I snoozed
and lost on that one, but I'm sure it'll turn up later in the retail
joints.

>Since I've known Brian Delbondio for some years, I usually have some various
>Markhams on hand, but have never tasted their PS - gotta' get out to Napa
>more. Will look for this as PS is a secret love of mine and, while not at the
>level of some, Markham nearly offers very good wine at easily approachable
>prices - good value for the $.

I've been a devoted PS fan since discovering the 1983 Mirassou Late
Harvest bottling two decades ago. Silver Medal winner at the LA County
Fair, I later found out. It was $3.50 a bottle at the Washington State
liquor stores. After tasting the first bottle, I went back and bought
all they had.

First tried the Markham with the 1994 vintage. I like my PS on that
real inky, knock-your-socks-off side, and this was just that kind of
wine. I almost cried when we finally ran out of it, but fortunately by
then the '96 had been released.

Another favorite PS of mine is the Pedroncelli. On a friend's advice
(more like insistence, really) I stopped by the winery in 1999 to
taste their 1997 release. Absolutely stunning. I think I walked around
the tasting room for five minutes with my nose in the glass, inhaling
deeply and exclaiming loudly, before I could finally bring myself to
actually taste it. The word "big" hardly does it justice. I bought the
last two cases at Bottle Barn, and most of it is still in the cellar.
Every once in a while I pull a bottle out, just to taste it and go,
"Yeah, wow! -- I wasn't dreaming!"

Pedroncelli doesn't make the PS every year. I was told that the '97
was their very first attempt. Attempt? Yow. Since then I've also had
their 2000 PS, which was very good. And talk about bang for the
buck...I snagged the '97 for around $11.50 a bottle, and the 2000 was
maybe $14. Pedroncelli is a small family winery in Sonoma, and all
their prices are very reasonable.

>Thanks for the TN's. I guess the answer to your question is rather like why is
>the juice from most red grapes white? Maybe if we keep the potato skins in
>contact with the must longer, we'd have red pancakes?

Or maybe I could marinate them in Petite Syrah! Well, you know that
old saying..."All white wine would be red if it could." Maybe the
potatoes have a similar problem.

JJ