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Wine Character

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High-quality wine, also called fine wine , is distinguished by complexity, depth, and purity of flavor, where all components such as acidity, tannin, sweetness, and alcohol are in harmony. Additionally, high-quality wines often have the potential to age well, developing more complex flavors over time. These wines are crafted with careful attention to viticulture and winemaking practices, aiming for the highest expression of the grape's and place of origin's inherent qualities. Yet, for an aficionado like myself, that high-quality badge is just the beginning of the story. It's the character - the wine's quirky personality traits that captivate me the most. Think of the earth & tobacco undertones in a classic Bordeaux, the leafy, vegetal notes of a Loire Valley Cab Franc from Chinon, the stony notes of a Mosel Riesling, or the floral bouquet of a Provence RosĂ©. For me, character is the most intriguing aspect of a fine wine. It’s what reminds me of the wine’s identity,

Beyond Wine Ignorance: Embrace Discovery

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Years have passed. The love and the journey continue, but the passion and the excitement of the senses have become more cerebral and serene. Funny how this works. With each passing year, I find that the fervor of my heart has settled into a profound appreciation, one that speaks more through silence than through words. The love is there, unyielding, but it has grown deeper, more introspective. I post my wine impressions and notes on Twitter , it's quick and easy, the so-called "short form". What about essays, let alone epics? Perhaps one day soon. But let me try a " thought form "... a paragraph or two expressing a single thought or emotion... In the vibrant, bustling San Francisco Bay Area, home to countless wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs, I often find myself amidst individuals who, despite their self-proclaimed liking or even love for wine, possess a rather surface-level understanding of it. This observation is not meant as criticism but as an invitation to

Twitter

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I have shifted much of my publishing to very frequent short posts via Twitter. My Twitter stream is always accessible at twitter.com/ironchevsky . I will continue to publish more involved stories here on the blog, but for quick takes, photos, tasting notes and opinions, I find that Twitter provides a more natural medium. Nearly every single one of my wine and worthwhile foodie experiences can be followed there. Many wine experts I know have shifted to Instagram for broadcasting their activities, as well as Cellartracker for writing wine notes. There is also significant traffic on WineBerserkers.com forums , as well as in some relatively recent Facebook groups . I visit and enjoy all of the above, but for now, I am sticking with Twitter for most of my short-form updates. Please follow me there ! Tweets by IronChevsky

Protege Opens in Palo Alto with Michelin-Star Aspirations

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Finally, a fine dining, foodie restaurant opens in Palo Alto. There is no shortage of restaurants in this town flush with Silicon Valley millionaires (and billionaires), but finding an avenue that satisfies a truly discerning palate is a tough call.  Protege  is located at 250 S. California Ave. They soft-launched last week aspiring to fit that bill, and it mostly delivers. Founded by ex-French Laundry culinary and vinous experts Anthony Secviar (chef) and Dennis Kelly (master sommelier, a very elite designation of wine expertise), the food is high-end, yet manages to avoid a stuffy/snobby feel of a formal Michelin-star establishment. The room is divided into a "no-reservations-accepted / first-come-first-serve" a la carte section, which based on the review from a trusted source is fantastic, and the more formal "prix-fixe" reservations-only (reservations are taken exactly one week in advance) where you get to choose a 3 or 4 course (mix-and-match, i.e. you ca

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Horizontal Tasting

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Produttori del Barbaresco is the benchmark producer of Barbaresco. Always reliable in quality, they represent remarkable value too. And with their 9 single-vineyard riserva cru's, you get a look at the nuances of the various terroirs of Barbaresco. Though 2011 was a warmer than ideal year, it is considered a good vintage in Barbaresco, with wines on the riper, richer, darker, sexier end of the scale, but with good tannic structure and sufficient acidity, giving them serious ability to age. The fruit is by no means roasted or raisiny, as may happen in hot years. In short, 2011 vintage in Barbaresco is a vintage of considerable early appeal, but with serious capacity to age. Here are my impressions of the 2011 line-up from Produttori del Barbaresco, in the order I tasted them. There was a clear familial similarity among all the wines, including the Normale bottling. They were suave, rich, ripe, and tannic, shifting from red berries to blueberries and plums, hints of herbs and spi

Meeting George Derbalian of Atherton Wine Imports

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The other night I had the privilege of attending a private dinner hosted by our neighbors, who invited the owner / founder of Atherton Wine Imports - George Derbalian and his wife Sue-Min to be the wine stuarts for an aspiring group of wine aficionados. Atherton have been around for over 30 years and established reputation for carrying some of the top names in Burgundy, including producers like Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Groffier, Roty, Hudelot-Noellat, Anne Gros, and many others whose wines I cherish in my cellar. They also import some other famous regions, but it's Burgundy where I have typically seen and bought their bottles. The dinner hosted by a prominent Chinese family consisted of home-cooked Shanghai-style (non-spicy) seafood, vegetables, poultry and pork-based courses. I have noted in the past that Chinese food when not spicy, tends to pair well with both white and red burgundy, and this experience further cemented that belief. George and Sue-Min seemed like a delightful

La Paulee San Francisco 2016 - Featuring 2013 Burgundies

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Another La Paulee is in the books. The 2016 edition roared through San Francisco to the delight of Burgundy lovers. The 3-hour (all-too-short) Grand Tasting focused on the 2013 vintage, and it did not disappoint. The reds and whites across the board showed clear and consistent vintage characteristics. For the reds, this meant tart acidity and sufficient ripeness and depth without overt over-ripeness, suppleness or fat of such recent years as 2009 and 2012. The whites were consistently excellent, with high acidities, citrus, minerality, crystalline purity, and loads of grip. The best reds I think came from higher cru's, which had a bit more flesh on the bones to balance out the high acidity of the year. Same with whites - the higher cru's with a bit more sweetness were well balanced by a level of freshness and purity rarely seen. I have generally recommended caution with 2013 whites, as this is a rather leaner, high-acidity vintage. The tasting did not change my mind, but it als