Vinfolio Blog

Recently, I’ve been very curious about the wines of Sean Thackrey. They were recommended to me by a wine guzzling friend of mine as must-trys and frankly, with a URL for his website titled www.wine-maker.net instead of the typical www.yourcompanyname here.com, I had to try it. Luckily, we brought some in to the Vinfolio wine store, so the opportunity was right around the corner.

I purchased the 2007 Thackrey Andromeda Pinot Noir with plans to pair it with a lamb dish I was preparing for the weekend. The lamb was going to be rubbed with Ras el Hanout, a North African spice I have also been curious about ever since it caught my attention on the addictive Top Chef reality television series.

The wine certainly did not disappoint. This is definitely not a wine for those looking for a lighter styled, sub-13% alcohol, elegantly crafted pinot noir. This pinot noir was THAT type of pinot that would cause some to ask – “Is there any syrah in this?”  And while the color would lead you to believe there would be, the flavor of the wine still had the pinot-nicity character you’d expect in a 100% bottled pinot noir. This wine was intensely flavored, mouth-filling, deeply layered, deeply nuanced and downright delicious. There was also exoticness in the flavor that mirrored the exotic character of the North African spiced lamb on the table. If Thackrey’s other wines are as singular and exciting as this one, I will certainly seek them out. If you’re looking for a truly unique and exciting wine, you should do yourself a favor and buy some of his wines. This one is currently sold in our wine store for $41.95.

Last week at the San Francisco Design Center, Wine & Spirits held their annual Top 100 tasting.  The Vinfolio team came ready to taste – both wine and the always fantastic small bites from new restaurants!

With so many producers pouring, it’s not a surprise that it was impossible to taste everything.  I’ll admit running for the 2002 Cristal just as soon as I walked through the door. I’ll also admit not giving it the consideration it probably deserved since time was short and there were foie gras tacos a few tables away.

I’ve been in a white wine groove since May or so, when I pretended summer would start in the Bay Area. It didn’t, but now that it’s October, our heat waves are coming through. Whites that caught my attention included the 2008 Dageuneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly, which was fresh and pure and, despite David Schildnecht’s review, not overly bracing for this taster! The Pur Sang poured next was youthfully tight and mouthwatering; if I had to choose one to drink tonight, it would be the former but I wouldn’t complain if I had to come back to both of them in a few years.

The 2008 Fevre Bougros and Les Clos were lovely too, and Vinfolio has them on pre-arrival so it’s not too late to order!

An interesting post on Dr. Vino's blog yesterday explored the subject of mature wine and, as is usually the case, inspired a number of great comments. The post, entitled "In praise of mature wine," did just that and ended with a challenge to readers to try some mature (10+ year old) wine between now and the end of the year.

The points that received attention in readers comments addressed the challenges in purchasing mature wine: uncertain provenance, availability, and cost. It's difficult to determine the details of purchase, storage, and transport on many older bottles. Buying at auction leaves no recourse for the return of bad bottles, and many retailers won't guarantee these wines either. As time passes, supply on older bottles is diminished, making bottles more difficult to find. And with supply down, cost goes up. No rocket science there. 

Another point that drew comment was the question "why do young people hate mature wine?" In this case "young"is defined as under-40. The point was made by many readers that the challenges listed above really come into play with younger wine buyers who don't have the means to purchase older bottles or the space to store younger ones for decades.

I agree. The challenges make it extremely difficult to purchase and enjoy mature wine. As a member of that "young" group, I've always wanted to drink mature wines. My birth year was a notoriously terrible vintage so that's possibly out, but as Dr. Vino relates, it's fun to take a trip down memory lane with bottles from the almost distant past. In fact, I'll take him up on his challenge to drink more mature wine between now and New Years!

Fortunately, the Vinfolio Marketplace and Wine Store offer plenty of chance for me to find these bottles. Our Buying Team brings in private collections stocked not just with collectibles like First Growth Bordeaux, but with wines I won't feel guilty opening with my friends. California offers tremendous value - older Spottswoode, Dunn, Dominus, Montelena - all guaranteed if purchased through the Wine Store, eliminating the challenge of uncertain provenance!

The Vinfolio Marketplace takes care of the other two challenges. There's a huge selection of mature wines available to purchase from other collectors and I can place a bid instead of paying a set price. My brother is turning 30 this December and even though 1980 was another notoriously terrible vintage, I'm looking forward to finding mature bottles from other memorable years for him so we can take a walk down memory lane later this year.

The title of the Press Democrat story on Chateau Montelena - "The Montelena Way" - sure sounds like a counterpoint to Wine Spectator's much-discussed feature on Helen Turley entitled "The Marcassin Way." The article text keeps up the theme, highlighting the historically "classic" winemakeing style the Barrett father-son duo has stuck to over the decades.

The article is a great reminder of the staying power of one of Napa's historic producers and the virtues of a winemaking style not influenced by the trends of the day.