The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

The annual tasting of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (abbreviated informally as "CdP") took place in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Imported by Alain Junguenet Selection and distributed in California by Angeles Wine Agency, this is the most prominent CdP tasting of the year in the Bay Area. Granted, some of the biggest names in Chateauneuf such as Vieux Telegraphe, Beaucastel, and Rayas are not in their portfolio, but this is still a formidable and a representative lineup. The focus was on the latest vintage about to hit the streets - 2009. Some producers will begin releasing as early as May 2011. For others, it will take a few more months, or perhaps even a year or so. Those who have read my past articles on the region know that I have an "interesting" relationship with Chateauneuf - I rarely find myself drinking these wines, as they tend to be quite wild and new-worldly for me. Especially in the riper vintages such as the critically acclaimed 2007, they are right th...

At the top of Napa cabs are several cult wineries whose names cause drool from the lips of new world wine drinkers, followed by images of rapidly thinning wallet. Next to the likes of Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate and Bond Estate, Colgin and Bryant Family is Araujo . At 1600 cases of their first wine selling out at $275/bottle without any difficulty, this California darling manages to impress even old-world drinkers, especially when an opportunity arises to sample the goods with James Hayes - Araujo's VP of Sales and Marketing, previously the Wine Director at Thomas Keller's restaurant group (taking over from Paul Roberts with whom I recently met at Bond ), and Francoise Peschon, who has been overseeing Araujo’s winemaking for almost 20 years. All Araujo wines come from a single estate vineyard, called Eisele (pronounced "Eyes-lee") that has been continuously cultivated since the late 1800's. Cabernet vines were first planted in the 1960's. Until Bart and ...

Kosta Browne just shipped their 2009 allocations. I normally ignore domestics. But this time a friend brought a bottle of Sonoma Coast to try. I was impressed. Soft tannins, sensuous mouth-feel, elegant, medium body that doesn't overwhelm the palate yet delivers plenty of flavor, subtle spice, not as acidic or earthy as Burgundy, but not as sweet, fruity, or alcoholic-tasting like a typical domestic. At under $60, one of the best California Pinots I've had. Here is a pairing tip for you -- toss green salad, add balsamic vinegar and some dry berries, and pair it with American Pinot Noir.  Enjoy!

Last year, I was an honored guest at a heart-warming wedding. The two souls had been match-made six months earlier by my dear wife at a wine dinner at Donato Enoteca , and they decided to seal the deal at the same place. That turned out to be a magnificent event, documented here . Now two of my other friends are getting married. An exclusive dinner planned with just the close family, not an extravagant affair for the hundreds. Where? Rona and I took them to Donato Enoteca to check it out. They had never been - what outrage! Of course, they loved it - gourmet yet relaxed, five different spaces available for parties, plus an outdoor veranda which looks gorgeous during Spring cherry blossom season. We asked Donato to cook an "omakase" menu (whatever he likes), and Kate & Scott (who is a gourmet chef himself ) were dazzled. I stuck to a modest order of mushroom/sausage Pizza - Donato makes one of my faves in the Bay Area - and then I focused on the two wines in front ...

San Fran is so big and happening, yet finding a place that hits the spot is not necessarily a slam dunk. As I examine my inner self, I tend to gravitate toward Italian food. It's funny because French and Chinese are my favorites. Yet, for comfort, I want gourmet yet relaxed sort of a place. Italian and Spanish are just right. Plus, any excuse to drink vino Italiano is worth consideration. The other night, Rona and I found ourselves spending four hours at Beretta - in the Mission district. Just long enough to consume respectable amount of vino and still be good to drive! Terrific food, perhaps just a notch below Restaurant Delfina , but then the parking is a hell of a lot easier at Beretta. Get there early (5pm) and call in 45 min beforehand to get on the waiting list. Since our friends were interested in learning about wine, I brought a couple of special selections: a 2008 Roero Arneis from Bruno Giacosa (top Arneis in the world, from Roero area in Piedmonte) and a 2001 Bertan...

For the pre-baby party at Domaine du Chevsky, my friend Chef Hector (technology architect by day, and chef and wino extraordinaire by weekend) cooked up a storm. Two incredible paellas that make me salivate just thinking of them a week later! Seafood - with mussels, squid, shrimp and chorizo sausage. The aromas of ocean and saffron and toasty rice beckoned. Incredible paella. Perfect with a sparkling Italian rosé from De Faveri (we killed almost a case). And the meat paella - with beef shank, pork ribs, and blood sausage. Blood sausage? Hell yeah! Out of this world - amazing! Excellent with a Cotes du Rhone from the ever-reliable St. Cosme (2009, 3 magnums gone quickly). I could have gone all traditional Spanish with wine - with Rioja and such, but somehow sparkling rosé from Italy and a deep Cotes du Rhone from Southern France felt more festive. But for purists, Riojas and Vinho Verde were on hand ("under the counter"). I poured the Cotes du Rhone blind, and the cr...

This young winery with vineyards running along Skyline Blvd., overlooking Silicon Valley from the heights of the Santa Cruz Mountains, doesn't really feel like wine country. World-renowned hot-bed of high technology, these lands are not exactly a destination of wine tourism. But legendary Santa Cruz Mountains names such as Ridge Monte Bello have long been on the map of California's wine history. Just minutes drive from swanky Palo Alto, but high enough for snow to form, founded by a high-tech entrepreneur in the early 2000's, Rhys has caught an eye of Burgundy wine geeks. The entire Rhys winery operation is located under-ground, dug out from the rocky guts of the mountain. The winery generated even more buzz when Allen Meadows (aka "the Burghound") - one of world's greatest authorities on Burgundy, gave the 2008 Horseshoe Vineyard Pinot Noir his highest ever score for a domestic Pinot - 95 points. Other wine authorities have been complimentary as well. Throug...