tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60445972011-04-21T15:28:16.326-07:00By John Falstaff. <br>Information direct from the heart of the California wine country. Unbiased, non-commercial wine reviews. This is nobody's promotional vehicle. No 100-point scale, no puffs, no stars. And no bad reviews. If I take the time to write up a wine it is because I think it is worth looking for, and I will tell you why. Comments welcome.jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1150830117037646482006-05-20T11:59:00.000-07:002006-06-20T12:42:52.380-07:00

Priorat is one of those recently trendy Spanish winegrowing regions. Hotshot winemakers from other better-known regions in Spain and France have descended upon Priorat in the last decade, bringing quality viticultural methods -- probably a good thing -- and "new world" winemaking methods.Whether or not you view the latter as a good thing or a bad thing depends on how much value you put on having

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1143500863240529682006-04-18T16:05:00.000-07:002006-06-19T16:37:46.266-07:00

With prices for Russian River Pinot Noirs heading for the stratosphere -- can we blame that movie? -- finding a traditionally-styled hand-crafted Russian River Pinot for a reasonable price is becoming a rarity.The TR Elliott Queste is that rarity. Ted Elliot -- for many years in upper management at Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards -- has produced a wine of character, power and finesse from Pinot grown in

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1143500729665361942006-03-27T13:23:00.000-08:002006-06-20T12:51:26.420-07:00

Domaine Roulot is a well-known and respected producer from Meursault. Most folks think "white Burgundy" when they think of Roulot, and their "Tessons" cru may be the bargain of the century -- a wine with premier cru but a village price and appellation. But as I found when visiting their cellars a few years ago they do make red Burgundy, and quite well.I'm not sure where the rankers are placing

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139701640309981642006-02-11T18:24:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:59:43.190-08:00

Falstaff is rarely wowed by Chardonnay (certain Chablis excepted) and never at all by the Chardonnay wannabes out there - the alcoholic, new oak barrel-fermented, 100% malolactic sur-lie monsters that sip like a cross between paint thinner and cough medicine.Thank goodness for honest-to-god Chablis, Albarinos and Sancerre. Never mind that this wine by Hippolyte Reverdy has a package that looks (

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139701977592887262006-02-11T15:47:00.000-08:002006-06-20T12:45:49.590-07:00

What is the world coming to? Falstaff was having a nice lunch with Falstaff, Sr. at Boon Fly Cafe in Napa the other day. Sitting next to us were folks working for a couple of large-volume wine companies - one a producer and the other a negociant. The tables are a bit cramped and so it was impossible not to hear their conversation. Most of it was "blah-blah-blah" but Falstaff's ears perked a bit

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1136663855545863712006-01-07T11:25:00.000-08:002006-07-07T13:41:08.856-07:00

Falstaff just noticed that he has not posted anything in six months! (perhaps some waggish readers will argue that he has never posted anything - anything interesting, anyway). Hey, whatever. I've been busy. Lots of changes to our little wine venture have been consuming my time and I have not had much opportunity to discover the wine gems among the dross, much less time to write about them.

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1118185023417611752005-06-07T16:10:00.000-07:002006-07-07T13:21:38.316-07:00

"Terre di tufi" is a trademarked blend name from this Tuscan producer (if you have a broadband connection, their website is interesting). This is one lovely Italian dry white from the San Gimignano area.Falstaff actually discovered this wine for himself about 20 years ago. My wife and I have been enjoying it every now and again ever since. We had a bottle today for lunch and Falstaff was struck

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1118096780827010342005-06-06T15:21:00.000-07:002006-02-11T17:47:26.126-08:00

Here it is June and it is a very blowy 70 degrees in the late afternoon here in Northern California outside Falstaff's window. I would guess that the vineyards are about 2-3 weeks behind an average year. There has been a lot of debate among growers, winemakers and wine writers in the last year about long hang time and its effects on flavor, alcohol level, and harvest tonnage. If this winter does

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1118096141885563962005-06-05T04:15:00.000-07:002006-02-11T17:47:03.460-08:00

I love prestige Champagne cuveés: Dom Perignon, Krug “Clos du Mesnil”, Bollinger R.D., Salon, Taittinger “Comtes de Champagne”, Roederer Cristal in particular.Now, as Falstaff I will readily admit to being a sybarite and gourmand, as well as a traditionalist and all-around curmudgeon. That is why I will not be caught dead drinking some of these wines in public, especially Cristal. Since Cristal

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1118094544187129962005-06-05T03:53:00.000-07:002006-06-20T13:03:41.183-07:00

Single-vineyard Champagne is something of a rarity. Finding a single-vineyard prestige cuvee at a reasonable price is an experience to be treasured. The 1991 Champagne vintage was generally not all that well-regarded, however what makes a vineyard great is that it will produce an outstanding wine even in an average vintage. Clos des Goisses is a steep walled plot on solid chalk, situated above

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1118094325541777432005-06-02T04:45:00.000-07:002006-02-11T18:00:55.916-08:00

Pinot Grigio – The Next Merlot – NOTIt seems that there is a rush in the New World’s wine regions to plant and produce Pinot Gris/Grigio. The wine press is touting Pinot Grigio as though it is “the next Merlot”. There is a whiff of desperation about the whole thing. Falstaff has tasted a number of Pinot Grigio’s lately and has been singularly unimpressed. No names here – I have NOTHING to

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1118094104011415452005-05-30T02:41:00.000-07:002006-06-20T13:04:33.280-07:00

Thank god for traditional red Burgundy! This wine positively oozes the terroir of Pommard: floral aromas over cherry leather, with hints of mineral and smoke, while it also shows the depth and power of the great 2002 vintage – very closed at first, but with marked tannins (thankfully, well-integrated) good acid balance, closed finish at this time but a remarkably persistent aftertaste.Falstaff

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1117056625626131812005-05-25T02:30:00.000-07:002006-02-11T17:44:40.986-08:00

Falstaff can’t be the only one around who thinks that American sparkling wines are an incredible bargain these days.Industry in a SlumpAmerican sparkling wine producers have had a rough go of it. Pioneer Hans Kornell went completely out of business several years ago. Korbel and the charmat producers stay in business by marketing cheap eyewash. Successful quality methode champanoise houses such as

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1116455981775522092005-05-18T03:38:00.000-07:002006-02-11T17:43:32.253-08:00

Well the Supreme Court finally decided the suits before it which pitted wineries and consumers against State regulators, alcohol wholesalers and anti-alcohol lobbyists in Michigan and New York. As reported by the New York Times (and pretty much every other national media outlet) the Supremes ruled that bans in Michigan and New York on direct shipment of wines into the state violated the Commerce

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1116365113130992942005-05-17T02:15:00.000-07:002006-02-11T17:42:49.346-08:00

It has been a very long time since Falstaff has posted anything. Lately he has come across little to inspire time spent before the keyboard. A recent exception: Chardonnays by Charles Creek Vineyards in Sonoma. WOW! Falstaff was on a tasting tour of the town of Sonoma, which has a lovely downtown piazza surrounded by kitschy shops, some good restaurants, a couple of decent pubs and a growing

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1091406713327929032004-08-14T13:31:00.000-07:002006-06-20T12:54:42.510-07:00

In his alter ego Falstaff is taken up by the political season, and this has affected his recent ponderings on the state of the wine world. Aside from the overtly political - and here I note that a well-timed action or actions brought to the WTO by wine producers from Europe and other countries could strike a heavy blow to the very foundations of the anachronistic and unfair three-tier

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1091409126039506022004-08-01T17:58:00.000-07:002006-02-11T17:41:55.180-08:00

I still have not seen any evidence that we are going to pick early this year, and in fact I have heard this prediction less frequently with each passing week. The weather remains mild and the vineyards in my sphere continue to color up on a "normal" schedule.I was out earlier this week for my first walk through my Pinot vineyards. I found that up to 25% of the fruit in some areas still needs to

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1090010086163428102004-07-16T13:01:00.000-07:002006-02-11T17:40:31.106-08:00

Looking ahead to the 2004 harvest: well, if one were to listen to the regular suspects, it could be confusing. Here in Sonoma we had a lot of heat early in the year - like 100 degree temps in February - that pushed the vines to bud out early. Some vineyards were moved well ahead, while others were not. Falstaff has yet to discern a pattern. The result is that some vineyards flowered quite early,

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1089737799906762412004-07-13T08:35:00.000-07:002006-02-11T17:39:45.120-08:00

Falstaff has been drinking a lot of dry rose this summer, while his political alter ego has been monopolizing the writing time. Most of these wines have been quite enjoyable, but none have led me to a "eureka" moment worth writing home about. But there has been a really nice wine or two. One of them I have gone back for more of is this wonderful Languedoc red. Wow. Deep color. Hugely aromtic nose

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1080852632882167402004-04-01T12:50:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:29:41.750-08:00

Well, after a bit of a dry spell as far as tasting any new and exciting wines, Falstaff has had an eventful week. This Grange is one of seven wines reviewed this week.This is the third Grange I have tasted in my life and to my mind the most controversial. I have never been sure what to make of this wine: it is based on Syrah but sometimes blended with Cabernet, a wine that seems to have a

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139707853470723182004-04-01T12:45:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:30:53.470-08:00

Tasted blind in the same group of Shirazes, this wine was less controversial than the Grange. Lots of fruit, roasted meat, pepper and spice, with great textural complexity and integration. The Cape Mentelle showed nearly as much positive evolution in the glass over time as the Grange, if not the overall concentration. Not bad for around $20.

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139707916190956852004-04-01T12:40:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:31:56.190-08:00

Also part of the Shiraz tasting, this wine delivered more of what people expect from the Australian style - huge blueberry syrup and white pepper aromas, with overtones of truffle and earth, followed by a good attack on the palate, with moderate acids and tannins and a long finish, which seemed a bit dominated by toasty wood at this time. Most enjoyable, and retails around $22.

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139707973476622042004-04-01T12:35:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:32:53.476-08:00

Enjoyed before dinner with friends. Simple - this bottle delivered about as much pleasure as I have ever had from a Reserve Cabernet or first-growth Bordeaux. Everything was there that was expected, a couple of surprises - more chocolate and less bell pepper than I remembered from my last tasting - incredible depth, complexity, concentration and finish. This was my last bottle - I shed a tear.

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139708060955950882004-04-01T12:30:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:34:20.956-08:00

This wine has an amazing story, loaded with the romance of wine lore. An abandoned appellation, geographically isolated inland from the Galician coast and lost to the current generation, is rediscovered by a famous winemaking family. They encounter steep slopes of raw decomposed schist covered with tiny, gnarled Mencia vines that are up to 100 years old. After several years of hard work behind

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139708179966353702004-04-01T12:25:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:36:19.966-08:00

Call me "Sammy segue" but here is another wine that originated in Northwest Spain. Owners Mike & Kathie Havens picked up budwood during a trip to Galicia years ago, herded it through the certification process here in California, then planted it out in their own vineyard. Talk about your leap of faith - the grape is grown nowhere else in the world outside of Galicia and northern Portugal (where it

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139708269831509282004-04-01T12:20:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:37:49.833-08:00

What!? Falstaff reviewing a Chardonnay!? Readers of this column know it is not my favorite grape, with a few anachronistic exceptions (mostly from Chablis). But when I taste a great wine I am man enough to step up, even if the wine in question is not my style.Tasted at the winery from tank, fresh from barrels and a few days prior to bottling - this wine was simply amazing: fresh fruit, citrus

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1077147298176849242004-02-18T15:34:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:24:44.270-08:00

Readers of this column will know that I am not a fan of "modern" styles of Chardonnay, whether it comes from California, Australia, Burgundy, or wherever. My tastes run more to the austere, classic Chablis, such as the Dauvissat "La Forest" reviewed back on November 6, 2003. So it shouldn't surprise you to discover that I am equally disappointed by most of the Viognier bottled in the world as

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139707555547341912004-02-18T14:24:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:25:55.546-08:00

Since my last post I have had the chance to enjoy several more bottles of the J Brut Rose reviewed on February 13th. My enthusiasm from the first tasting has waned a bit as subsequent pourings revealed some bottle variation, some being sweeter and less crisp than others. The direct comparison with Billecart Salmon was premature. While it is not in the same class as the Billecart, the J Rose still

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1076725955221930702004-02-13T18:32:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:23:04.946-08:00

It's no secret that I love rose sparklers. I am a huge fan of the extra dimension in the sensory experience brought by the higher proportion of Pinot Noir. My favorite has been and is Billecart Salmon - this is just a superb wine, which I prefer to all of the better known Grandes Champagnes. I hardly expected anyone in California to produce a wine that I could rate second to the Billecart - and a

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1076276995928683222004-02-08T13:49:00.000-08:002006-07-07T14:23:38.213-07:00

I just got finished with my Sunday morning reading - the Feb. '04 hardcopy of Wine Business Monthly. I always find some useful information in this publication. And sometimes some that is just exasperating. A recurrent theme in the sales and marketing-oriented articles in this issue was industry enthusiasm for growth potential in the sub-$7/bottle "ultra-value" price segment.Oh, puh-leeeez!It

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1073883373804209552004-01-11T20:56:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:21:41.540-08:00

Occasionally a great wine just comes at me out of the blue. Yesterday I dropped into a new restaurant/charcuterie - Sonoma Saveurs. They have only been open a couple of weeks as of this writing, and this was already my third visit. This bistro reinterprets the concept of "great things in small packages". Saveurs is a bit out-of-the-way on the Plaza and is so small it only has five 4-tops, a

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1073597627016793932004-01-08T13:33:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:21:01.376-08:00

Well, hell... Happy New Year anyway. I was hoping to be able to report on a bunch of great wines enjoyed over the holidays, but the pickings were pretty slim. Everyone had the flu or bronchitis. I did enjoy at least two memorable wines:Pinot Noir, Carneros (Napa), 2001, ArtessaArtessa used to be Codorniu Napa - a sparkling wine house financed by the well-known Spanish cava producer. Recently they

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1070407463678861362003-12-16T19:30:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:16:49.013-08:00

It's a weird time of year. The holidays aren't here yet so I'm saving the "good" wines and drinking cheap and sparingly. Plus I have had three different colds brought home from school by my toddler. And of the few wines I had high hopes for, none really blew my skirt up. Had a very nice dinner with friends where we had some decent wines. Opened a few bottles out of the cellar on a couple of other

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1139707192047099392003-12-16T19:20:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:19:52.050-08:00

Cooking a steak starts way before putting fire to meat - it starts with shopping. First you have to pick the steak. For my money the best cut is the boneless "ribeye" or "market steak". If you have a source for USDA "Prime" guard it jealously. Most of us have to settle for USDA "Choice" but even so there are things to look for to assure you get the best.First, look for generous and uniform

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1069986186232379722003-11-27T18:23:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:12:00.076-08:00

It's Thanksgiving and I have decided that I'm not going to cook for a change. No traveling, no visitors this year either. No football on TV - I'm not pacified by bread and circuses anyway. Some folks in this mood will choose to go out for their Thanksgiving feast. Not us, not today. Thanks to Haute@Home we are having quail stuffed with foie gras and black truffle in puff pastry nests with port

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1069555466316369282003-11-25T18:38:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:10:59.050-08:00

I make no bones about it - Pinot Noir is my favorite wine. It inspires a passion in me that no other variety can come close to. For me, different Pinot Noirs and Burgundies are either "loved it" or "hated it" - nothing in between. This one falls squarely in my personal "loved it" category.Wonky Jargon: Deep pinkish-red color for the varietal. Earthy, black cherry aromas overlain with smoky wood,

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1069536062064993892003-11-22T13:21:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:10:29.603-08:00

I had wine-loving parents. Their appreciation for a good bottle meant that I grew up with some of the great early California Cabernets at the dinner table: Heitz "Martha's Vineyard", BV "Georges de la Tour", and Mondavi "Reserve" come to mind. But I did not discover the breadth of the wines from Napa Valley until I moved to the North Coast in 1981.Clos du Val Cabernets improved the state of my

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1069008519863091582003-11-16T10:48:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:09:55.176-08:00

Most people have failed to discover prosecco - Northern Italy's version of sparkling wine. I could be shooting myself in the foot by writing about this wine at all - low demand keeps the price down. But hey, I'm keeping this blog to share what I like in the world of wine, and this is one I like a lot. The household here goes through several bottles a week.To my thinking prosecco is the best of

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1068172083254083322003-11-06T18:28:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:09:13.680-08:00

What? A California winemaker opening his tasting log with a French wine? You bet. I just opened a bottle of this and it is WORTH writing about.Mostly I am totally bored with Chardonnay - thanks, I'll just have a beer. With very few exceptions, anything with "Chardonnay" on the label these days is simply a commodity beverage. This Chablis is an exception, and an exceptional one at that - chardonay

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044597.post-1068159228520614582003-11-06T14:53:00.000-08:002006-02-11T17:07:53.106-08:00

Casting bread upon the waters as I track my personal tasting log. Hope someone out there finds this helpful.

jfalstaffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01000843616300711248noreply@blogger.com