The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

On Sunday afternoon, when most wine shops are shut, owners dining and wining elsewhere with their foodie friends, Vin Vino Wine on Palo Alto's California Ave threw their 25th anniversary party "La Paulee" style. Never mind the pouring rain, never mind Sunday family chores, or the NFL Sunday games, or having to dig up a dear bottle of your own to share with the crowd - none of it seemed to contain the amplitude of the festivities that pulsed at VVW. Hors d'Oeuvres that interplayed uncannily with the wines, folks who've been coming there for years if not decades, the atmosphere was positively New Year's-like. The "La Paulee style" is based on an old Burgundian tradition called La Paulée de Meursault where wine folk got together once a year to share their choice bottles with others in a 3-day "orgy" of fine wine drinking, eating and story-telling. The original event in France has always maintained a neighborly feel, while the grand affair pu...

Yesterday was my first time ever at Pizzeria Delfina . Unthinkable that this San Francisco Italian legend by which all other pizzerias in the Bay Area are measured has evaded me all this time. Opened in 2005 in an attempt to re-create the spirit of Naples, the place seems to be packed every minute it's open. In one word, simply AWESOME! Tiny space, adjacent to the Restaurant Delfina proper (open since 1998), 4 chefs running like hamsters, churning out perfect pizzas, and other delicious accoutrements non-stop all day long. Sitting at the counter in front of the little space they call kitchen, I felt jealous of the business these guys have, and yet I don't think I would want to work like that - these guys are athletes, man! Their Salciccia (sausage) pizza was simply the best sausage pizza I'd ever had. Housemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, mozzarella - perfect crispy thin crust, bright, fresh tomato sauce, super fresh melt-in-your-mouth clumps of sausage -...

Another visit to the Old Port Lobster Shack - another delightful meal. Last time , the expensive Jose Dhondt Champagne disappointed me as a compliment to the divine lobster rolls they serve in this Redwood City institution. So this time I tried out a Greek wine - 2008 Santorini from Boutari , one of the top producers of Assyrtiko-based wines from Santorini island in Greece. Rona was craving lobster bisque and steamers, and there is no better place on the SF peninsula for that kind of fare than the Old Port Lobster Shack. We ordered the naked roll and the dressed roll (with a little mayo and green onion) - both delicious, melt-in-your-mouth, buttered and grilled perfect buns, well-executed fries, and incredibly satisfying lobster bisque - perfectly balanced between creaminess, lobster bits, and liveliness! The Assyrtiko really cut through the richness of the bisque. It was a bit heavy for the rather average clams (though they came with a deeply delicious broth). The wine was a great ma...

I haven't been to Bott tastings in months . Busy at work, not into Ross' recent wine themes, whatever the excuses. But this time, I decided to come on the spur of the moment because Craig Haserot was pouring his culty Sojourn wines. I'd met Craig before at a friends-only Burgundy dinner. Him being a huge Burgundy buff gives him hell of a lot of credibility pitching his Sonoma Pinots. So I came. The place was packed, Craig larger than life dude, imposing both physically and in personality. To celebrate such a cool guest, we had 2 pre-flights, all Cabs, some from Bordeaux, some from California. 1982 Chateau Lynch-Bages (legendary Bordeaux Grand Cru) and 1982 Diamond Creek "Red Rock Terrace" Cab (venerable Napa Valley stalwart) were noteworthy, but hardly exciting. As an aside, I have a love/hate affair with blind tastings (which Ross' always are). Case in point: blind - I preferred Diamond Creek, but when unveiled - I liked Lynch-Bages. Go ahead, raise eye-brow...

S.L.V. estate vineyard of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, adjacent to Fay. The harvest was done quickly - from start to finish in the first half of October. Much later than the normal late August through late September picking. 2010 has been unusually cool and extended growing season in Napa. That bodes well for the complexity that will develop in the wines. At Stag's Leap Wine Cellars , they are already oogling over what's to come. Standing in the Fay vineyard with Nicki Pruss , the winemaker since 2005 and assistant winemaker since 2000, we taste a cluster of Petit Verdot grapes doomed to die on the vine, as the primary fruit has been brewing in the barrels for a couple of weeks now. Nicki Pruss' journey into wine was somewhat circuitous. An American of Irish, Austrian and Eastern European descent (Pruss used to be Prussetski), a podiatrist by trade, and an avid beer-brewer hobbyist, her bicycle trek across France in 1995 changed everything. She came back to the States and ...

Wine & Spirits Magazine is a venerable publication that's been around since the 1970's. "Spirits" is in the title, but today it's primarily about wine. While not as widely known by consumers as the Wine Spectator, the publication manages to do a great job influencing wine professionals who in turn influence consumers. Second year in a row I had the pleasure and privilege of covering the Wine & Spirits Magazine's Top 100 Wineries of the Year tasting. Last year's article was showcased on August 12 to their 10K+ Facebook fans, and it also led to a launch of the quite successful Ridge blogger tasting program . Let's see what this year brings! "Never let work get in the way of wine!" That ought to be the motto. Alas, I spent all day in a YouSendIt Quarterly Business Review, doing my "executive duty", and by the time I got to the event in the city, the Leflaive's 2007 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Gru White Burgundy ($550...

In case you have some spare change... 10. $5,000 – Courvoisier L’Esprit Decanter Made from a variety of blends, some which date back to Napoleon I, Courvoisier’s L’Esprit is smoky and rich, with fragrances of cinnamon and dried apricot flowers. The flavor is initially powerful but has a mellow aftertaste. 9. $5,500 – Jenssen Arcana Aged 98 years in Oak barrels, Jenssen’s Arcana is powerful, “extraordinarily” concentrated and only bottled, sealed and certified upon request. 8. $6,000 – Hine Triomphe Talent De Thomas Hine Crystal Decanter Each bottle of Hine’s high-end Talent de Thomas is bottled in a Baccarat decanter and placed within an actual cigar humidor made from Maccasar ebony and Honduran Mahogany which helps preserve the spirit’s delicate floral bouquet. 7. $6,400 – Frapin Cuvée 1888 A rare blend of Cognacs from Frapin’s reserves, the Cuvée is bottled beneath a 24-karat gold stopper in a twisty crystal decanter that looks like a prop from a community Shakespeare staging. Flower...