Quick Jaunt to Sonoma!

 

Sonoma Wine Country is arguably the home of some of the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the planet, and has always been "the other wine destination" for those seeking to avoid the wine crowds in Napa, but now more and more of us are realizing the true charm of this easy to-get-to jewel.

I only had two days for a getaway to wine country, and with Horizon Airlines now flying right into the heart of wine country, "popping in" couldn't be easier and more affordable.

I left Los Angeles at 8:30 AM, and was at Iron Horse Vineyards, sipping bubbles by 10:30!

At Iron Horse, not only are they making ten amazing sparkling wines, but also 6 Chardonnays and 4 Pinot Noirs. The Sterling family has become known for top-notch wines as well as a strong commitment to the environment. When you buy a bottle of  their "Ocean Reserve" Sparkling Wine, they donate $4 to establish marine protected areas, in partnership with National Geographic. 

Up the road a tad, I stopped in to visit Shane Finley, winemaker at Kosta Browne, who is pushing the envelope in the world of Pinot Noir. The single-vineyard Pinots are incredibly expressive and unique. Shane took me through barrel after barrel of Pinots that were amazingly opulent, intense, well-structured, and consistent. His track record at Paul Hobbs and in the Rhone speaks for itself. These wines are not for the faint of heart! I could have stayed here all day, but I had to get moving. There were more wineries to visit on this whirlwind trip!

Next on the agenda, Jordan, one of the most beautiful wineries in Sonoma. Tom Jordan struck oil and natural gas in Indonesia back in the 60's, and with that fortune set out to build the most perfect Bordeaux-inspired winery he could. He settled on this gorgeous spot in the Alexander Valley in 1972, and built one of the most consistent Cabernet houses in California winemaking history. Winemaker Rob Davis has been with him since 1976, taking over the helm from Andre Tchelistcheff, and still turns out this top-notch iconic Cabernet Sauvignon today. We also had the fortune of trying their crisp, Burgundian Chardonnay and even their home-made extra-virgin Olive Oil.

After these 3 vineyard tours, it was time to hit the town and explore Sonoma Town Square. There is no shortage of great restaurants here, including Cyrus, Ravenous, Zin, Willi's Seafood Bar, Rustic, and Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen, just to name a few. I was craving seafood so went with "tapas style" small plates of seafood at Willi's, then went for jazz and after dinner drinks at the Dry Creek Kitchen where a wintry night was countered by a blazing fireplace and a live jazz trio. Great wines by the glass and top-notch mixology were in no short supply here! But I kept it an early night as there was an early morning agenda for more wine tasting!

That 2nd day started with a visit to Cline Cellars, where winemaker Charlie Tsegeletos is making more than 17 different wines!  It is an impressive lineup of Zins, Syrahs, Mourvedres, Carignanes, Viogniers, Marsannes, and Pinot Gris! What a great way to start my day!

It was an incredibly beautiful and windy drive up to Kenwood, on this frost-covered morning. It was my first trip to Chateau St Jean, a stunning 250-acre Estate built in 1920. It is meticulously maintained and has the charm and feel of the Great Gatsby! I was taken on a journey through the impressive lineup of Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Merlots, and Cabernets, including of course, the seminal Cinq Cepages red wine blend that was Wine Spectator's wine of the year in 1996.

It's no wonder that winemaker Margo Van Staaveren was named Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2008. The wines and  winery are gorgeous pure Sonoma!

Last stop before popping back onto the Eco-friendly Horizon Q-400, I had the privilege of visiting with Tripp Donelan, whose family makes Donelan Family Wines, formerly Pax. Nobody makes more dense, age-worthy Rhone-style wines than Tripp and family. We tasted through an array of 08 Syrahs such as the Cuvee Moriah, Cuvee Christine, and Kobler Family, as well as some of the 07 Pax gems. These wines are huge and muscular with a long life ahead of them. Impressive wines from an impressive family.

But alas, it was 2:45 PM, and the 3:30 back to LA beckoned. A 10-minute drive from the Donelan's and I am back at the Charles M SchulzSonoma Airport and a one hour flight back home to LA, and back to The Palm for me!

Don't worry, Sonoma, I'll be back soon. You can bet on it!

The Wine Minute Featuring Jeridan Frye

 

In this video, Jeridan and I have the pleasure of drinking (and talking about) Cheval des Andes! It's a wine venture between Frances prestigious Cheval Blanc and Argentina's much-heralded Terrazas de los Andes. Sorry about the sound quality!!

Top 5 Most Romantic Wines

 

The big V-day is coming! Here are my recommendations for the most romantic wines for Valentine's Day. These tips are sure to impress that special someone!

1. Moet Chandon Rose Imperial- $45

  This lovely, fresh, pink bubbly from the Champagne region of France, will certainly ensure a romantic evening. Great as a starter wine with light appetizers, and also as a wine for the rest of the evening. Looks as sexy as it tastes.

2. Lewis Cellars Sauvignon Blanc- $37

   Another wonderful wine for starting out the evening on a light, yet luscious note. the Lewis Cellars Sauvignon Blanc is redolent of spicy ripe lime, mandarin orange, and gooseberry, with custard and key lime pie notes. A seductive wine for sure!

3. Swanson Merlot- $36

  This is a flagship Merlot boasting classic black cherry, plum, cocoa and spice notes. It is elegant, soft, and silky. No girl could resist it. Men, go buy a bottle and make her yours! 

4. Bolla Amarone- $39

  Amarone is the ultimate romantic wine expression, with it's roots in Veneto, Italy. It is a seductive blend of soft and elegant Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes, which have been patiently dried out on straw mats for months, becoming raisiny and sweet. Then they are crushed, giving this wine complexity and sweetness, properties we hope your Valentine's date will have as well. The Bolla is a steal at this price!

  5. Quady Essencia Orange Muscat- $25

Last but not least, you need something sweet to enjoy after dinner, with your dessert, or the Valentine's Chocolates, which will overpower that red wine you were savoring with dinner. The Quady Essencia is made from 100% Orange Muscat grapes, giving you gorgeous fresh apricot, peach, and mango notes, without being too heavy or sticky. It is fresh and light, and will leave you wanting more.

Enjoy, lovebirds!!

The Wine Minute Featuring Wei Fung Li

 

Here is wine expert and icon Wei Fung Li at Wino Wednesday on 2-2-2011
Chinese New Year!!

Pinot Days Santa Monica 2011

 

In these videos, I had the chance to speak with some of the top producers and sales people in the Pinot Noir biz.  The wines at Pinot Days emanated from the Russian River Valley to the Santa Lucia Highlands, Oregon to Carneros, and from the Anderson Valley to the Sonoma Coast to the Santa Rita Hills. I tasted through a myriad of great Pinot Noirs, some of the outstanding ones for me, were the wines of Papapietro Perry, La Fenetre, Etude, Domaine Chandon, Cloud's Rest, Patz & Hall, Inception, Ken Brown, Belle Glos, and Siduri, although there were lots more I was unable to taste. Pinot Noir is an obsession. If you catch this bug, watch out, for you will be hooked! Enjoy, and don't forget to have fun with wine!  :-)

Wine Minute-Wino Wednesday-Holiday Wines 12-2010

I spent the afternoon with the crew at Indie 103.1, talking about (and drinking) Wine and Spirits for the Holiday Season. We enjoyed the high-end Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne, the more reasonably priced Zardetto Prosecco, and cocktails with Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum! Cheers!!

Holiday Wine Ideas from My Interview with Examiner.com

Interviewed by Roberta Rinaldi.

"Every year wine gurus put on their thinking caps to offer recommendations for the perfect wine to pair with the diverse flavors on our Thanksgiving tables.  What can be flexible enough to stand up to the savory bird cum stuffing, sweet-tart cranberry sauce, candied yams, buttery mashed potatoes, rich gravy et cetera? Luckily, three local wine experts (and yours truly) have graced us with their suggestions, yet another reason to give thanks on Thursday.  To find the purveyors nearest you who carry the wines, go to wine-searcher.com.

Jonathan Mitchell, assistant general manager and wine director for The Palm Restaurant, says, "As far as I am concerned, the best Thanksgiving wines are my two new best buys--both low tannin Shiraz--perfect for the bird!" Each is from Australia's MacLaren Vale region, available at Trader Joe's and Costco respectively.  2009 Layer Cake Shiraz winemaker nates: Dark, dense and creamy, complex aromas of black plum, Bing Cherry, blackberry and pepper merge with licorace, tobacco, mocha and dark chocolate...finishing with a melange of exotic spices.  2008Marquis Phillips Shiraz winemaker notes: An opulent, plush, structured Shiraz with soft creamy roundness. Aromas of rich brown sugar, prunes, black fruits, earth and mineral...dense, silky palate.  Don't feel like cooking? Make a reservation for The Palm's delectable four courseThanksgiving menu.  Be sure to visit Jonathan's blog, Fun With Wine, which includes his informative Wine Minute videos….”

Here is the link to the complete article.

Wine Minute featuring Boys' Lunch at Fig in Santa Monica

Here I am with 14 of my wino friends, doing a "blind wine tasting" where we all brought bottles of wine, wrapped in aluminum foil. We then tasted them, one by one, and voted on the best, 2nd best, and WORST of the day! The winner got a free lunch. The loser had to do a shot of Jack Daniels with Mayonnaise in it! Ahhh, but thems the breaks. Hope you enjoy seeing who brought which wine, and why they chose it. All in 2 minutes and 24 seconds. :-)
Try this at home or at your next wine party, won't you?

On KTLA this morning!

How to make your wine taste even better!
I had the great pleasure of spending a few hours with KTLA's Kurt "the Cyberguy" Knutsson, and we discussed wine, wine, and more wine! In this segment, we explore one of my favorite wine gadgets, the Vinturi wine aerator. As you can see, I like them! Be sure to keep an eye out for other segments, where we'll be discussing wine "apps" and pairing wine and music! Cheers!

 

The Wine Minute with Jonathan Mitchell - Ian Blackburn

In this Wine Minute, I am with my buddy Ian Blackburn of Learn About Wine, as we taste Argentinian wines at his event at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood
Ian's company, Learn About Wine, put on this trade event to promote the wines of Argentina. There were hundreds of incredible Malbecs, Cabernets, Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and blends. Some of the highlights for me were the wines of Clos de la Siete, made by 7 French Bordeaux makers who are in Argentina making fabulous Bordeaux-style blends, and the wines of Bramare, made by Paul Hobbs down in Argentina. His Cobos line is the super-premium, with a phenomenal Malbec and a KILLER Cabernet Sauvignon. To learn more about the great wines served at this event, go to Ian's website, learnaboutwine.com.

Wine Minute Blooper – Hide Sushi

Whoops! A bad take!
I love to eat sushi and drink sake-it's a perfect pairing.
But sometimes you drink too much sake, and THIS is what happens! :-)

The Wine Minute with Jonathan Mitchell - Sake!

I love shopping in Japantown. Problem is I always end up buying the expensive sake! Today I got excited and bought 2 of my favorites, a Kikusui Junmai Ginjo (2nd highest level of rice polishing) and a Waketaki Junmai Daiginjo (the highest level of rice polishing).
These are both big, rich, and full-bodied sakes that will stand up to pretty much any foods. Drink them cold, my friends! Kanpai!

Wine Minute with Jonathan Mitchell, featuring Kurt Knutsson (The Cyber Guy)

Up at the Esquire House in the Hollywood Hills, I was shooting segments for KTLA's Kurt "The Cyberguy" Knutsson. I brought a couple of great wines to pair with music. One was Wente's "Riva Ranch" Chardonnay, which I paired with the new Dave Koz CD. They are both bright and sunny and would be great on a picnic up in wine country.
We had a blast shooting the segments and Kurt, being a fan of "The Wine Minute", offered to tape one for me. Here it is! What a guy! :-)

On the set with KTLA's Kurt "the Cyberguy" today @The Esquire House.

Examiner.com's take on the Boys vs. Girls Wine Challenge!

And here is another article from Examiner.com's Roberta Rinaldi. Enjoy!!  :-)

Sommeliers face off at The Taste of Beverly Hills

For those of us obsessed by wine, Saturday was an exciting day at The Taste of Beverly Hills.  Eight sommeliers competed (click here for bios) in the "Boys vs Girls Sommelier Blind Tasting". Moderated by event sommelier, Bonnie Graves, teams of four girl and four boy sommeliers were playfully pitted against each other, one pair for each of the four wines tasted.      

The group featured some of California's brightest, most cutting edge sommeliers.  On the feminine side were Rebecca Chapa (Culinary Institute of America), Diane De Luca (Providence), Dana Farner (CUT--wearing the best sundress ever!) and Carolyn Styne (AOC, Luques, Tavern). Representin' for the boys were Chris Lavin (XIV), Mark Mendoza (Comme Ca and Sona), Jonathan Mitchell (Palm Restaurant) and David Rosoff (Pizzeria Mozza).

Bonnie started out by guiding the audience through how to approach a glass of wine; beginning with the eyes, then nose, mouth and brain.  Next she set the rules.  One point each was assigned for guessing the varietal, the wine growing region and vintage.  The group was also asked to say what they would pay for it by the glass.
The soms went for it in a raucous battle starting with Styne and Lavin.  This was a fantastic opportunity to hear the experts think out loud, and to learn how they reach their conclusions.  Styne analyzed the nose first: grapefruit and tropical fruit.  On the palate she found Meyer lemon, bright, racy acidity and no oak.  Both agreed it was a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, with Lavin leaning toward Pouilly-Fume.  She said 2008, he said 2007.  Each would pay $11-12.00 per glass.  The wine, in fact, was a 2009 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  One point for the girls, one for the boys.
And so it went, with the best round being round three.  Rebecca Chapa and David Rosoff were completely stumped by a bottle of Two Buck Chuck Merlot, which she guessed to be a Chinon Cabernet Franc, and he thought to be a Dolcetto!  Since the teams were allowed to reach conclusions by consensus; this was a great example of how group think leads wine tasters to cede their opinions to others, when they'd be better served to follow their gut instincts.  Jonathan Mitchell had a thigh-slapping moment upon the reveal, when he exclaimed that his first impression was of a cheap Merlot, then went along with David.
Dana Farner lead the girls to victory with great aplomb in round four, with her brilliant evaluation of a 2006 Rioja Riserva.
  

My interview with Examiner.com's Roberta Rinaldi

Wine chat with sommelier Jonathan Mitchell

Sunday, the first annual Los Angeles Times Celebration of Food and Wine, was held at Paramount Studios. Judging by crowd size alone, it was a smash hit.  Of special interest to oenophiles, were the Wine Chats; one of which featured the charming, affable Johnathan Mitchell, (sommelier and assistant general manager for Palm Restaurant), who generously granted an interview.

RR: "What was the first "aha" moment when you realized food and wine really did something for each other?"
JM:  "Probably the first time I had a great bottle of Chinon, a Cabernet Franc from France; and I said to myself, 'I'm not sure I understand this wine.  It's angular, or something.  I know it's a great bottle of wine. Everyone raves about it, but I'm not getting it.'  I was in a restaurant, and no food had come out, and was ready to get a whole different bottle.  Then I ordered eggplant parmesan, and there was a garlic component, and a cheese component.  Now I took a bite, and then I took a sip of the wine and I said, 'Oh my God!'"
"When you taste it together, it creates this thing, a gestalt, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and you GET it, because what one lacks the other has.  It formed this partnership where all of a sudden the proteins in the food brought out the subtleties in the wine.  Where there was no sweetness in the wine before, now the inherent sweetness in the garlic gave basis to the wine, so the spice nuance and the fruit that was there kind of jumped out.  That's when you realize you cannot judge a wine by itself, and if you're a real oenophile, you almost don't want to judge a food by itself.  If you love wine, and view it as a part of the meal, like I do; you want to find a great wine for the food, and enjoy them together just to see what the possibilities are."
"The relationship is symbiotic.  It's really critical that you play with it, and don't worry too much about what other people tell you works.  I don't care if people say a big, buttery, rich Chardonnay goes with lobster.  Try it!  But also try a crisp, light, unoaked Chardonnay, with no malolactic fermentation. Try them both."
"The most important thing I tell my guests is to take notes.  When you drink, it's very easy to just enjoy it and forget.  If it worked well for you, and you really loved it, write it down.  You'll be so grateful that you did."

The Wine Minute. Finding the perfect wine to go with SPICY food!

One of the great perplexing wine questions of all time is WHAT wine goes with hot and spicy food? In this Wine Minute, I explain why Viognier  (VEE-OH-NYAY) is such a great match for Thai, Chinese, Mexican, etc.
The slight sweetness of a Viognier offsets the heat of the chilis. You don't believe me? Just try one. Let me know what you think.
And don't forget to have FUN with wine!!  :-)

Unexpected Grapes from Unexpected Places!

Yesterday I had  the great pleasure of tasting through a whole boatload of phenomenal wines from regions many of us are unfamiliar with. Such areas as Contra Costa, Amador County, Paso Robles, El Dorado, Temecula, Malibu, Santa Cruz, Livermore, and the Santa Rita Hills. And so many more...
The take-away for me was to spread the word that we all need to get out and try more wines from areas outside our "comfort zone" of Napa and Sonoma.
Some standounts for me were the Tablas Creek Vermintino from Paso Robles, Terra d'Oro's Barbera from the Amador County, Pinot Gris from Balletto in the Russian River Valley, Big Basin Syrah from Santa Cruz, and McGrail Vineyard's Cabernet Sauvignon from Livermore Vally, home of the world's longest continously-burning lightbulb. Yes, these factiods can't be negelected!  :-)
For more info on some of these great areas, visit these sites:
http://www.amadorwine.com/new/pages/home.cgi
http://www.scmwa.com/
http://www.lvwine.org/
http://www.sustainablewinegrowing.org/
http://www.cawg.org/
Explore unexpected grapes from unexpected regions! Have some fun with wine today!!
:-)

The Wine Minute - Musigny Burgundy / Pinot Noir

2001 Musigny Crand Cru Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue - Here's a fantastic Burgundy selection! If you're not familiar with Burgundies, give this video a watch!  :-)

I am very lucky to be Musigny-worthy! The wine was paired with grilled mushroom pizza, and was to die for. Life's simple pleasures, right? Elegant Pinot Noir and pizza. A great combo. Have it today! And don't forget, Have FUN with wine!!

Me enjoying an incredible Burgundy

The Wine Minute, featuring Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva!

In this video, I pair one of my favorite Italian wines, Ruffino Riserva Ducale Gold,  with grilled Halibut and roasted garlic! The natural sweetness of roasted garlic really brings this Italian beauty to life. I highly recommend this combo! :-)

Cheers, and Buon Appetito!

Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva!

Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay- Come GET some!

Vintage: 2007

If you haven’t had a bottle of Grgich chardonnay in a while, do yourself a favor and stop reading this right now and go buy a bottle, then come back and read this. Yeah, it’s okay. I’ll wait…

I have known about Grgich Hills wines for most of my adult life, yet for some reason, maybe because they were so readily available, I assumed they were common wines. A couple of years ago I sat down with the Southern California Grgich rep. for my restaurant and tasted through the lineup. Boy was I wrong!

The Grgich chardonnay straddles the perfect line between “old world” style fresh and  crisp and “new world” style rich and buttery! It is fresh and clean yet rich and full-bodied, with gorgeous apple, pear, and ripe melon notes.

The winemaker, Mike Grgich made headlines around the world in 1976, when his Chateau Montelena Chardonnay beat out all the great French white Burgundies in the “Tasting of Paris” contest. When it comes to chardonnay, he knows his stuff!

He also makes a dynamite Fume Blanc, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. But don’t just take my word for it. Go GET some! Salut!

Wine Chat Video

9/5/10
At this wine chat, we kicked around such diverse topics as tastevins, the "meaning" of a cork, what "corked" means, the different styles of Chardonnay, what some great wine values are, and the meaning of life. Well, maybe not that, but lots of info about wine! :-) Enjoy!

Wine chatting with 103.1’s Liz Warner @ LA Times Celebration of Food and Wine.

LA Times Celebration of Food & Wine

9/5/10

I had a great time doing “Wine Chat” with 103.1’s Liz Warner. We chatted about all things wine and took questions from the audience. Special thanks to Grgich Hills, La Fenetre & Pech Merle for the great wines. Salut!

Had a fun interview with examiner.com, talking about food and wine pairings. 

Boys vs. Girls Blind Tasting Challenge

9/4/10
I was honored to be asked to partake in a Boys vs. Girls Blind Tasting Challenge at Taste of Beverly Hills. Our panel included some of LA’s top sommeliers such as Chris Lavin (XIV), David Rosoff (Mozza), Mark Mendoza (Comme Ca), Caroline Styne (AOC, Lucques), Dana Farner (Cut), Diane Deluca (Providence), and yours truly.
We had a blast even judged a two buck Chuck!! End result, the girls won. Better luck next time, boys!

Taste of Beverly Hills!!

Come see boys vs girls in a wine tasting square-off! Some of the best palates in town will be there. Is it really true that women are better than men? Stop by and find out for yourself!
 http://thetasteofbeverlyhills.com/?page_id=1448

Flyer

The “Original” Wine Minute

Here is the "original" Wine Minute with Jonathan Mitchell. I had this idea sitting around in my backyard one day with my new video camera. I thought since I spend so much time as a sommelier talking to people about wine, why not post some of my ideas on Youtube so I could reach more people? alas, TWM was born! :-)

The Palm West Hollywood on Japanese TV Show– Sekai! Dangan Traveler

Sekai! Dangan Traveler is a popular Japanese travel TV show. This episode was aired on 7/17/10. It featured Natsuko “Gal” Sone (ギャル曽根), who is the leading Japanese female competitive eater, and Hinano Yoshikawa (吉川ひなの, ) who is a Japanese actress, fashion model and singer.

Dangan Traveler featured Natsuko Sone & Hinano Yoshikawa