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When I was thirteen I thought I was going to grow up to be a photographer. I spent endless hours in the darkroom and carrying my cameras everywhere I went. Being shy, it was the perfect date for me at a youth dance. I could take pictures of the action and go into the darkroom later that night to print them. Often folks would come into the darkroom (it was at the same place the dance was, usually) and see what I was doing. Photography was a social magnet.
A few years later, in college and during the Vietnam War era, photography opened up the greater world to me. I met different folk than the ones in the small resort town where I had grown up. I even met a famous one from time to time.
A word about fame, something I know a little about. I grew up in a town filled with famous people (Palm Springs, CA) and learned very early not to make a fuss over folks who have been afflicted with it. Leave ?em be, talk to them normal, change the subject away from them. Some of them might even make the grade to friendship. But, I ramble.
I am a walker. Love to walk the streets of a town. Rome, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Palermo, Naples, Chicago, Dallas. I once walked the route on Elm Street in Dallas where JFK was shot (grassy knoll) to the shop on the same street where John Hinckley bought the gun that he shot Ronald Reagan with. On a hot July day I took my trusty Canon VIT rangefinder and a new Canon AE1 and did my own shooting. The Dallas of that day has altered greatly.
New York? Since 1975, I have trudged the streets of that city camera and wine bag in tow. My childhood friend and photography co-conspirator Bruce took a fabulous street shot, worthy of a Weegee. Bruce went on to become a movie mogul and one of the greatest collectors of photography in the world. And still a friend and drinking buddy.
I spent time in the NY scene with Diane Arbus? teacher, Lisette Model. Not much time, but enough to remember one cold afternoon in January in her apartment. I had already been to Arbus boot camp. It started in California and concluded in a bar in Milwaukee, a bar right out of the collective mind of Kubrick, Serling and Lovejoy. I had walked onto the set of a world that someone like Diane Arbus lived daily. And it scared the holy crap out of me.
I had my time with the world of reportage and photojournalism. One photographer from Magnum, to remane unnamed, asked my help in getting him and his art director through Tijuana for a photo shoot. An ad campaign for Pentax. I thought it odd that the photographer almost exclusively used his Leica M3 for the assignment. When I asked him, his answer seemed cynical at the time. Now, I think he was like a sushi chef, just using the best knife he had to cut the Toro.
And the old masters, so many of them I was lucky to encounter, sit awhile and soak up their greatness. They were called the f64 group. My entry was through Imogen Cunningham and Ansel Adams. In the darkroom with Ansel was a breakthrough, I still remember the warmth of that little room, and not in a creepy way. How often is it you can stand in the dark and be dazzled with brilliance?
Imogen, she reminds me a lot of my friend Alice. Petite, but never diminutive, cantankerous, strong willed and boy crazy. But a vision and a determination to walk her trail without fear. Imogen was a wonderful mentor to me in life.
On the fringe of the f64 group was Wynn Bullock. Wynn was the one who taught me about the vision thing. He schooled me in the philosophy of perception. Thanks to Wynn, some of the best photography I have ever taken was without a camera. I remember how supportive he was when I came back from NY, explaining to me that he also had to take NY in measures, not in giant doses. Like him, I needed the horizon.
My dad was a photographer and a film maker. I still have hours of 16mm reels of film he shot, some of it family, some Italy, and also Old California footage. He always thought I should take more sunset pictures.
Being a black and white kind of guy, I could never understand why he wanted to thwart my path. But fathers do that to their son?s even when they aren?t conscious of it. I love to watch sunsets (like sunrises better) but not to shoot.
My college teacher, Philip Welch, introduced me to many of the West Coast school. He was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and had given me the entrée to that world. He told me about famous people. He said, ?Call them up, knock and their door. If they are truly great they will talk to you, if not, they are only famous. You want to meet greatness, not fame.?
I?ve had a few friends through the years who made it to fame, but not quite to greatness. I have also had more than my share of friends who bypassed fame and went straight to greatness. I have photographed them, opened bottles of wine with them, danced with them, laughed with them, cried with them and walked through pools of Jell-O with them.
All along the way there has often been a camera nearby, my consigliere of consciousness.
Instead of traversing the familiar terrain of regions or grape varieties, I forge a new path by plotting a seasonal arc for wine consumption. This ties in to the way that I enjoy wine, by emphasizing the context of how, where, when (and with what and with whom) we drink wines, as well as linking to the trend of seasonal cooking that is so prevalent today among professional chefs and home cooks. I’m glad that this theme resonated with so many of you in our previous discussion.
The book has short essays and hundreds of wine recommendations across the twelve months of the year. There should be something for wine lovers of all levels, newbie to full-on wine geek. There’s also some information for all seasons about wine style, wine service and how to actually find good wines near you. And twelve wine travel sections help you even change your context for maximum wine enjoyment.
Alex Eben Meyer contributed the great illustrations. Check out his excellent portfolio at his site!
And a total of thirteen sommeliers lent their thoughts to the volume. They include: Richard Betts (The Little Nell, Aspen, CO); Shayn Bjornholm MS (Washington Wine Commission); Thomas Carter (Blue Hill Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY); Belinda Chang (The Modern, NYC); Christie Dufault (Quince, SF); Erik Liedholm (Seastar, Seattle); Rajat Parr (Michael Mina Group, SF); Shelley Lindgren (A16 restaurant, SF); Roger Morlock (Park Avenue Seasons, NY); Virginia Philip, MS (The Breakers, Palm Beach); Tysan Pierce (The Herbfarm, Woodinville, WA); Juliette Pope (Gramercy Tavern, NYC).
So check out the book’s page over at Amazon (or Barnes and Noble or Powell’s if you prefer) and see what Kermit Lynch, Eric Arnold, David Lynch, and Bobby Abreu had to say on the back cover. Or ask for the hardcover at your local bookstore and check it out in print. And if you do get it, let us know what you think of it here!
Château Palmer derives its English name from Charles Palmer (1777-1851), a former Mayor of the spa town of Bath and Member of Parliament, who rose to the rank of General during the Napoleonic period. A gentleman, officer, and aide-de-camp of the Prince of Wales, Charles Palmer apparently fell under the spell of Bordeaux as well as the charms of a beautiful widow, Marie de Gascq, who convinced him to buy her Château de Gascq estate. From 1816 to 1831, Palmer bought additional land and buildings in the communes of Cantenac, Issan, and Margaux, and by 1830 the property covered 163 hectares, including 82 hectares of vines. Ultimately, the good life did him in financially, and he was forced to sell his magnificent Médoc estate. Purchased in 1853, brothers Isaac and Emile Péreire and their descendents had the château built in 1856, and thereafter battled oidium and phylloxera, survived the Franco-Prussian war, and made it through the First World War, only to succumb to the economic crisis of the 1930s which forced them in turn to also sell the estate. Château Palmer was purchased by several families of Bordeaux, English, and Dutch extraction (the Sichel, Mähler-Besse, Ginestet, and Miailhe families) in 1938, and continues to be owned by its descendants.
Château Palmer’s terroir dates from the Quaternary period, when gravel slowly accumulated on the Left Bank of the Gironde, pushed by the Dordogne and carried along by the Garonne. The two rivers meet a few kilometers downstream from Ch. Palmer to form the Gironde estuary. Among their current 52 hectares of vines, Ch. Palmer has a large percentage of Merlot, almost the same amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a small percentage of Petit Verdot. Here in Margaux, the vines are planted on gravely rises several meters thick, consisting of brittle black lydite, white and yellow quartz, quartzite mottled with black, green or blue, and white chalcedony. In an effort to help the vine roots sink deep into the gravelly soil, they till the soil regularly. They also maintain a very high vine density - 10,000 vines per hectare - in order to increase competition between the vines and encourage this deep rooting.
Join us as we talk with Thomas Duroux, CEO of Château Palmer since July 2004, about Ch. Palmer’s fascinating history, along with its vineyards and wines.
An amazing dinner at Tetsuya’s last weekend to celebrate a friend’s birthday, I’ll let the tasting notes and the pictures of the wine then food tell the story.
1981 Krug This is a wine that I have always wanted to try (being my birth year) and I was very lucky to get the chance on this night. Golden coloured, with a lazy, meandering bead. Powerful ginger, spice, earth, toffee, creme brulee and cedar aromas on the nose. Incredibly deep flavour and complexity, with fresh acidity sweeping over the palate into a long and memorable finish. Kept improving the longer I left it. 97/100
1982 Krug A year and a half ago I had this wine from the same source and it looked a touch awkward (while still being excellent), but tonight it was much improved. Light gold colour with straw highlights, an insanely fine bead - probably the finest I’ve ever seen. Aromas of almond, coffee, black truffles, vanilla and ginger came to the fore as the wine warmed up in the glass. The palate is vibrant, with great acidity laid over complex flavours. Still developing, another 5 years and I think it will be close to maturity. 95/100
1990 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Hengst Gewürztraminer Vendange Tardive Golden coloured, this wine possessed an ever shifting, evolving nose of spices, honey, lychee, pineapple and rose petals. The palate possesses an astonishing balance between weight and refreshment. Rich, complex, deep and softly sweet, but with superb acidity, focus and purity of fruit. None of the oily or warm alcohol characters I often get from this grape and region. Close to the best Alsatian wine I’ve ever had. 96/100
1965 Lindemans Bin 3110 Hunter River “Burgundy” (classic release) This is one of the legends of Hunter Valley and Australian wine. Still deeply purple coloured, fading slightly to red at the rim. The nose is intoxicating and layered with notes of earth, tobacco, liquorice, leather, blackberries and five spice. The palate is so composed and well balanced. Harmony reigns among the various elements right up to the long finish. Very different in style to some other great old Australian wines I’ve tried, but superb in its own right and very representative of the Hunter Valley. 97/100
1953 Domaine J. Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges Very lightly coloured. The nose on this wine was one of the most unique I have ever seen, along with cherry, earth and spices there was a beguiling character that I followed for some time, in the end only being able to describe it as akin to tropical fruit! The palate has superb definition and the structure that has allowed it to live to this age is still clearly evident. If there is one shortcoming, it is that the fruit is a touch thin, but otherwise the balance is very good - it seems that those famous Faiveley tannins do eventually integrate (it just takes 55 years! ). 94/100
1990 Domaine Leroy Clos de Vougeot This wine is a strong argument in favour of the excellent reputation of this fine estate. A bold, brooding nose of cherry, strawberry, liquorice, black tea, game and forest floor. There is a richness to the palate, but it is finely textured and exists alongside the structural elegance of the wine rather than pushing the palate around and dominating. Drank well tonight, but will continue to improve over the next 10 years. 95/100
1966 Château Palmer (Margaux) Youthful in colour. A nose that has both primary and secondary characters wound together with raspberry, cedar, tobacco, cinnamon, violets and graphite. The palate is velvet smooth, this is an absolute pleasure to drink. The elements of the palate are resolved in full and work together in harmony. Classic top-shelf Bordeaux. 96/100
1975 Château Lafleur (Pomerol) Corked A few were brave enough to taste this and proclaimed that underneath the taint it was exceptional, but I was not willing to try. NR/100
1990 Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tilden (Piedmont) Deeply coloured. One of the most complex, haunting and evocative noses I have ever had the privilege to experience - there were aromas of blackberry, rose petals, anise, pine, smoke, plum and layers more - with every sniff there was something new uncovered. There is a wonderful intensity to the palate, it is as though all the elements have been magnified but somehow remain in balance with a wave of pure fruit, striking acidity and the finest of tannin. On a night of legendary wines, this wine somehow rose above and was my favourite wine of the evening. I don’t give out 100 point scores often (4 wines so far) … and I’m not going to for this, but I really feel like I could, it is so very tempting. 99/100
1982 Penfolds Grange A nose of blackberry, cedar, liquorice, vanilla, red and black currant. Youthful and very fresh with bold and bursting with flavour, but maintains its balance across the long length of the palate. Drinking beautifully well now. Consistent with the previous bottle I tasted a year prior, one of my favourite Granges. 95/100
1990 Lindemans Sesquicentenary Release Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (magnum) 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Shiraz. An aroma of tomato leaf dominates the nose, behind it are some notes of raspberry, blackberry and a touch of briar. The texture of the palate is good with elegant primary fruit characters and good balance. Drinking well now but will develop and improve over the next 10 years. Was not shamed among some of the great wines from around the world. 91/100
1928 Marc Brédif Vouvray A dazzling light straw-golden in colour. The aromas were surprisingly fresh - lots of pear, apple, honey, blueberry, ginger, oats and cloves. Amazing acidity and depth still present on the palate. It actually got better after an hour in the glass, taking on extra weight of flavour. This wasn’t showing any signs of falling apart, maybe good bottles will live forever! 94/100
1981 Jakob Gerhardt Niersteiner Frauenkirchner Bouvier and Traminer TBA (Austria) Deeply coloured, almost like a tokay, but with strands of gold. Deep scents of apricot, marmalade, honey and apples. Great depth on the palate, with strong sweetness and a viscous mouth-feel balanced by very good acidity. Great persistence. Drink now. 93/100
1968 d’Oliveira Reserva Boal Madeira (Portugal) Nutty, burnt toast, caramel, banana and a very familiar medicinal aroma from my childhood (possibly amoxicillin). There is a bitterness to the palate and the alcohol stands out. It is very long and intense, but I couldn’t really get into this. 86/100
Chestnut Mushroom Soup with Truffle Salt
Italian White Roll and Truffle Butter
Smoked Ocean Trout and Avruga Caviar with Scallop Mousse and Quail Egg
Leek and Crab Custard
Grilled Scampi Wrapped in Pancetta
Scampi in Sea Water and Lemon Scented Olive Oil
Marinated Scampi with White Miso and Passionfruit
Confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Konbu, Apple, Fennel and Witlof
Antarctic Black Cod with Globe Artichoke and Yuzu Vinaigrette
Roasted Breast of Quail with Soft Polenta and Shiitake Mushrooms
Slow Roasted De-Boned Rack of Lamb with Blue Cheese and White Miso
Grass Fed Angus Beef Fillet with Blewitt and Chestnut Mushrooms
Cheese
Apple Sorbet with Apple Jelly
Mont Blanc
Apple Tarte Tartin with Calvados Cream Ice Cream
Chocolate Terrine with Mascarpone and Cognac Anglaise
Apparently I don’t get out much. Until recently, I didn’t know that some restaurants charge as much as $250 per bottle for their corkage fee. Excuse me, but that is insane. As Lettie Teague in Food and Wine magazine asked recently, “What could you get for $250 that you couldn’t for, say, $25?”
The average cost of corkage around the country is about $25, which is infinitely more reasonable, but even those establishments that have reasonable corkage fees, they, perhaps surprisingly, come with their own set of rules. One of the more popular restaurants in San Francisco, Michael Mina, for example, has a two-bottle limit with their $35 per bottle fee, and the bottles that you bring can’t be something that they have on the house list. That certainly makes sense, and if you’re planning on bringing your own bottle of wine to your next dinner reservation, it’s a good idea to call ahead to inquire as to the restaurant’s fee and their own individual rules. You know, “know before you go,” and all that.
In her recent Corkage article, Lettie shared seven cheap corkage spots for your drinking pleasure:
Where to Go
Metro Marche, New York City ($10). This bus-station brasserie has good food and cheap corkage. 625 Eighth Avenue, 212-239-1010
Sip Sak, New York City ($13). Great Turkish food and a low corkage fee. 928 Second Avenue, 212-583-1900
Dehlia Lounge, Seattle ($15). Corkage here is just $15, as it is at all of Tom Douglas’s restaurants. 2001 Fourth Avenue, 206-682-4142
Market, St. Helena, California ($15). Corkage is free on Tuesday nights at this friendly diner. 1347 Main Street, 707-963-3799
Charlie Palmer Steak, Washington, DC ($25). If you bring an American wine, the corkage is free; otherwise, it’s $25. 101 Constiutution Avenue NW, 202-547-8100
Naha, Chicago ($25). There are lots of great corkage spots in Chicago, but this restaurant also has terrific food. 500 North Clark Street, 312-321-6242
Michael Mina, San Francisco ($35). This top restaurant has a great wine list and a fair corkage fee as well. 335 Powell Street, 415-397-9222.
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As Seen on Ellens 12 Days of Giveaways & Good Morning America The pocket-size electronic talking Wine Master offers a sleek and slim design easy control panel and over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings and suggested retail prices at your fingertips. The newest version of the Wine Master is the most essential wine tool you can own. Bring along with you to wine shops and restaurants and never make another wine buying mistake again. Requires 2-AAA batteries (not included). Over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings (100 pt. scale) and suggested retail prices from Wine Enthusiast Magazine Food and wine pairing guide Digital display screen with back-light and compressed text functions Talking navigation with on/off Type Varietal Winery or Vintage search option Handsome non-zipper black case Wine Master is a mighty wizard that gives you mastery over the most serious wine shop clerks and sommeliers. Brushed aluminum with chrome accents. The Wine Enthusiast 2008 Wine Buying Guide is also available. Size: 4-3/4'H x 3'W NOTE: The information included in the Wine Master is based on the reviews and ratings conducted by The Wine Enthusiast Magazine. For the 2008 edition we added 10 425 reviews. Therefore if you look at a review of a 2002 Caymus in 2007 and in 2008 the review will be the same. Since we cannot review all the wines produced in a year some wines may not appear with a newer year review which does not mean that the wine is discontinued but just that particular vintage (year) was not reviewed.
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Aerates wine faster with an extra-wide base. The Riedel Ultra Wine Decanter offers a modern design in crystal while creating maximum breathing room for your wine. Made of 24% lead crystal the wine decanter has a broad base that allows the wine to aerate and release flavors and aromas which enhance the attributes of your wine. Decanting wines (particularly old wines) just before serving ensures clarity and true color while preventing any sediments from interfering with the wine-drinking experience. Decanting young wines gives it a chance to open up and tame overpowering tannins and fruit flavors. Pair the Riedel Ultra Wine Decanter with our large wine decanter glass stopper. Size: 8-3/8'H 45-3/8 oz.
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Tecnorati
When I was thirteen I thought I was going to grow up to be a photographer. I spent endless hours in the darkroom and carrying my cameras everywhere I went. Being shy, it was the perfect date for me at a youth dance. I could take pictures of the action and go into the darkroom later that night to print them. Often folks would come into the darkroom (it was at the same place the dance was, usually) and see what I was doing. Photography was a social magnet.
A word about fame, something I know a little about. I grew up in a town filled with famous people (Palm Springs, CA) and learned very early not to make a fuss over folks who have been afflicted with it. Leave ?em be, talk to them normal, change the subject away from them. Some of them might even make the grade to friendship. But, I ramble.
I am a walker. Love to walk the streets of a town. Rome, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Palermo, Naples, Chicago, Dallas. I once walked the route on Elm Street in Dallas where JFK was shot (grassy knoll) to the shop on the same street where John Hinckley bought the gun that he shot Ronald Reagan with. On a hot July day I took my trusty Canon VIT rangefinder and a new Canon AE1 and did my own shooting. The Dallas of that day has altered greatly.
New York? Since 1975, I have trudged the streets of that city camera and wine bag in tow. My childhood friend and photography co-conspirator Bruce took a fabulous street shot, worthy of a 
I spent time in the NY scene with 
I had my time with the world of reportage and photojournalism. One photographer from 
And the old masters, so many of them I was lucky to encounter, sit awhile and soak up their greatness. They were called the 
Imogen, she reminds me a lot of my friend 
On the fringe of the f64 group was 
My dad was a photographer and a film maker. I still have hours of 16mm reels of film he shot, some of it family, some Italy, and also Old California footage. He always thought I should take more sunset pictures.
Being a black and white kind of guy, I could never understand why he wanted to thwart my path. But fathers do that to their son?s even when they aren?t conscious of it. I love to watch sunsets (like sunrises better) but not to shoot.
My college teacher, Philip Welch, introduced me to many of the West Coast school. He was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and had given me the entrée to that world. He told me about famous people. He said, ?Call them up, knock and their door. If they are truly great they will talk to you, if not, they are only famous. You want to meet greatness, not fame.?
I?ve had a few friends through the years who made it to fame, but not quite to greatness. I have also had more than my share of friends who bypassed fame and went straight to greatness. I have photographed them, opened bottles of wine with them, danced with them, laughed with them, cried with them and walked through pools of Jell-O with them.
).
A few were brave enough to taste this and proclaimed that underneath the taint it was exceptional, but I was not willing to try.
Apparently I don’t get out much. Until recently, I didn’t know that some restaurants charge as much as $250 per bottle for their corkage fee. Excuse me, but that is insane. As Lettie Teague in