Raise a Glass… or Three!

One of the most anticipated tastings of the year was held at Fort Mason in San Francisco last week. The showcase of many of Italy’s finest wines known as Tre Bicchieri had buyers, restaurateurs, media and wine lovers roaming the sprawling event hall on the Bay with glasses in hand. The 150+ wineries in attendance had to have met a critical criterion in order to be invited to pour: a tre bicchieri (“three glass”) rating, the highest review possible from Gambero Rosso, Italy’s most influential wine publication. There aren’t many shaggy dogs in the room on that basis.

What separates this event from standard tastings – in addition to the pre-screened quality – is this sheer breadth of regions that are covered. Of course the usual suspects are there in full force, but dozens of obscure appellations and varietals are available to taste as well. Nerello Mascalese from the slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna? Yep. Gewürztraminer grown in the shadow of the Alps? Also, yes. The list is endless. It is a truly astounding lineup that basically allows the ambitious taster the opportunity to traverse the entire country in a few hours. Some of the wineries in attendance don’t even have U.S. importers, so one is able to sample wines that would otherwise require a passport stamp.

I know of no other one-day event in the U.S. that provides such quality at every turn.

They’ve scaled back the tasting over the last few years to three cities: San Francisco, Chicago and New York. If you live or happen to be near one of these hubs when next year’s road trip commences, I’d highly recommend wrangling a ticket. For Italian wine lovers, this gig is a must.

--Rhett Gadke, Wine Director

Feel the Burn

It’s one of the hottest (if you’ll forgive a wine industry pun) topics in California today. Alcohol. “The cause of and solution to all of life’s problems”, according to philosopher Homer Simpson. Well, it does create something of a problem on the winemaking side of the ledger as anyone working in warmer climates will tell you. While generally not a huge issue in marginal regions like the Mosel in Germany or the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, there’s no doubting the potential for a runaway train where the sun shines brightly.

The last few decades in particular have seen a noticeable uptick in alcohol levels. Numerous fingers have been pointed. Everything from warming climates to attempts to appease critics partial to a full-blown style has been blamed. And while the root causes can be debated, the reality cannot. Wines from 25-30 years ago across regions and varietals simply had less alcohol – often a lot less alcohol - than they do today. So what’s the issue?

The most contentious debate exists among two more-or-less competing camps. The first is fairly dogmatic about lowering alcohols either by picking their fruit earlier or “spinning out” through reverse osmosis from a finished wine. This often dovetails with a stylistic philosophy that celebrates higher acidity in whites and reds, more ageworthy tannin structures and less oak treatment (especially new) in the cellar. Contrast this with the full-throttle crowd that celebrates often opulent ripeness and lavish new oak. More ripeness means higher sugars. Higher sugars mean higher alcohol after fermentation is complete. One can see how a lot of decisions about where to take a wine’s octane level take place before the grapes ever hit the cellar. And not for nothing, but, and I’m painting with a broad brush here, the flashier wines are usually the ones consumers want. So a winemaker philosophically opposed to high alcohol may not have a choice if he or she wants to remain employed.

The heart of the matter is the question of how the wine tastes. I have sampled Cabernets pushing 16% that don’t have the slightest perception of ‘heat” or out-of-balance alcohol. Conversely, there are wines floating around out there in the 13%-13.5% range that taste like the barrels were topped off with moonshine. My personal rule of thumb is that if it tastes hot, it is hot. Alcohol, like fruit, tannin, color, etc. is part an overall impression that needs balance and cohesion to succeed. So I think that like the brave souls who put down their refractometers to measure grape sugars in the vineyard and started picking on flavor, maybe a similar approach should be undertaken in the cellar. Drop the paint-by-numbers approach that sets either a minimum or maximum alcohol content and start focusing in on what ends up in the glass. Then I think we’re all winners.

--Rhett Gadke, Wine Director

Winter Gazette Tasting

We sat down last week and tasted through almost 75 new wines that are featured in the Bounty Hunter Winter Gazette. With 35 wines to taste in one sitting, we began with the whites and then worked our way up the gamut of reds, starting with the lighter-bodied wines and finishing with the big, hearty Cabs. While suffering for your sake with a wine glass in one hand, we had a pen in the other scribbling notes as fast as the wine flowed. It was a grueling job, but somehow we managed to survive.

While every Wine Scout had his or her own personal favorite, the standout wines for me were the three on page two showcasing “All-star” winemaker, Philippe Melka. The ’08 Parallel Cabernet is a phenomenal follow-up to their amazing ’07 vintage, while the ’07 “Facets of Gemstone” is a first-class wine for a second label by anyone’s standards. Finally, the ’07 Lail “J. Daniel Cuvee” Cabernet left us all speechless! Sampling all three wines is easy with the Marvelous Melka 3-pack. This is just the tip of the iceberg in this new edition. There are lots of big-scoring, rare gems and every-day drinking value-wines that you’ll enjoy. Your copy of the Gazette should arrive in your mailbox any day now, and when it does, you can rest assured that your Wine Scout is ready to answer your call!

--Sam Miller, Wine Scout

In Vino Unitas

The only way to stay on top of the game it to taste. Constantly. There’s nothing like getting acquainted with the goods to see who is doing what and where the next great discovery is likely to appear. And one of the best forums to taste a lot of wine in one setting is an event like the one the collective marketing group “In Vino Unitas” put on at the Westin Verasa in Napa. It’s a chance to get some face time with suppliers and knock out a lot of sniff and swirl sessions in one afternoon. Here are a few thoughts and highlights:

- The quiet renaissance of “Bonny’s Vineyard” made legendary by Silver Oak is worth noting for fans of that house. The Meyer family kept the property when the winery was sold some years ago, and are once again making brawny Cabernet from that site. What was unofficially “Reserve” Silver Oak last seen in the ’91 vintage is back in play.

- Ann Kraemer’s Shake Ridge Vineyard continues to distance itself from the pack in Amador. A charming woman and serious farmer – she used to tend to the precious plants at Cain, Calera and Shafer – it’s a Secretariat at the ’73 Belmont situation relative to her neighbors. She’s just doing things on another level up in Gold Country.

- Gargiulo Vineyards “Aprile” continues to be one of the finest Sangiovese-based wines made in California. It flies in the face of conventional wisdom that the famous Italian varietal can’t succeed in the U.S. Take a sip of their ’07 and tell me that it can’t be done well.

- The second label for Gemstone Vineyard known as “Facets” may have been the star of the show (and at $75 a relative bargain compared to a lot of the wine on display). The ’08 was unreal. The depth, concentration and texture are off the charts, a real testament to the winemaking skill of Philippe Melka. We are definitely going to take a position on it before the press gets it.

- Heidi Barrett’s “Moscato d’Azul” (made from Muscat Canelli) under the La Sirena label remains one of the most fun and unique whites in Napa Valley. Crisp and delicious with just a little hit of sugar, this is a guilty pleasure that seems to appeal to the wine geek and novice alike. I have visions of mermaids and hot tubs…

- There was a newbie in the room called Quill that was getting some buzz. Their Cabernets from Howell and Diamond Mountains have a lot going on. They’re not cheap at $95, but in fairness, they taste expensive. With Ehren Jordan of Turley Cellars fame taking the helm in the cellar, we suspect good things are in store for this house.

- Perhaps the biggest surprise was Team Bounty Hunter’s favorite white in the room… the ’07 Mayacamas Sauvignon Blanc. Don’t let the vintage fool you – it’s a current release. It’s incredibly clean and enjoyable. They make very little, but if you see it, try it. It’s well worth a cork pull.

Stay tuned on the tasting front as we’re gearing up next week for Frederick Wildman’s 2009 Burgundy showcase in San Francisco. It should be a seriously enjoyable afternoon. We continue to suffer for your benefit…

--Rhett Gadke, Wine Director

How Do You Like It - Bold or Blah?

We came across an interesting article yesterday by Dan Berger, a well known local wine writer, regarding what he calls “The Blanding of American Wine.”

Dan decries what many of us in the wine industry see as a move towards making wines that “fit” a formulaic style that seems geared towards a mass-produced “flavor” profile of high alcohol, highly-extracted massive wines with little sense of place or individuality. Many previously great wines have become caricatures of their former selves, and seem aimed at garnering scores and press-driven marketing hoopla rather than being authentic expressions of terroir, varietal, clone and winemaker.

We tend to agree somewhat with Dan’s position. After tasting thousands of wines each year for our customers’ benefit (research is SO difficult), we have seen our share of over-the-top, amorphous juice that all seems to taste pretty much the same after a while. That’s why we are always on the lookout for something new, different, and, above all, great tasting wines that deliver value-per-dollar.

But, we also recognize that sometimes some folks will chase wines based on press and what they are told they SHOULD like. And, in this final point, we agree with Dan Berger: “About matters of taste there is no debate.”

What do you think?

Fisher Vineyards 'UNITY'

The next generation of Fisher Vineyards – siblings Rob, Whitney and Cameron – have taken the inspiration from their parents’ lofty standards for quality Cabernet and set out to create another echelon in the wine industry. Following the premise that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, UNITY is blended from small family growers in Napa Valley committed to sustainable farming practices, thus producing a wine that draws on the individual strengths of each site to create a single harmonious effect that reflects the strengths of each Napa Valley vintage.

With the overall mission to promote independent family farms in local communities, fresh local foods and sustainable farming practices, the Fishers’ donate a portion of sales from each vintage and support selected, national, nonprofit organizations that share these similar values and work to develop local practices consistent with their mission.

UNITY is the result of the entire family working together with the community to support a noble cause; all the while producing wine that demonstrates their continued dedication to quality from one generation to the next.

The Best Whisky of 2010?

As the year comes to close, I begin to reflect on some of the great whiskies of 2010. From the Pappy Van Winkle bourbons to the 1989 Limited Edition Black Art from Bruichladdich, it seems as if each year brings a new wave of interesting, amazing and sometimes unconventional bottlings that are only around for a few weeks, Those of us lucky enough to secure the goods will be able to cherish them for years to come. Recently I have started to read some interesting blogs and trade publications that have gone to the edge and claim one as the “best” of the year. I’ve always had a hard time with this concept due to the fact that at Bounty Hunter, we only offer the “best”. If it’s not great, we don’t sell it. Trying to pick a single malt that is better than another, is like trying to argue that Wayne Gretzky was better at hockey than Michael Jordan was at basketball. Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme, but even if I tried to stick to a region, take Islay for instance, I would be hard-pressed to pick a Bruichladdich over a Lagavulin because they are stylistically different. Neither is superior, they’re both great for different reasons.

All I can say, is that at the end of the day (and year) I am going to sit back, kick up my feet and sip some of the best dram out there. It could be the Compass Box 3rd edition “Flaming Heart” or the new 1994 Glenrothes - it will depend on my mood at the time. What would you consider to be the "best" whisky of 2010?

--Stefan Matulich, Spirits Buyer