Why I love Bollinger Special Cuvee

Number 1: Its delicious. The predominant grape is pinot

Number 1: Its consistant. Being a bigger house it has access to a larger amount of reserve wines

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, AKA: Old Faithful

The more I open wine for guests at the restaurant the more I realize that Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the most consistent and accessible of all the wines on my list. It’s deliciously spicy and brimming with sweet red fruit in its youth. Its funky, furry, rich, and without total shutdown of fruit in its mid-term. And it’s soft, earthy, sweet and nuanced in its maturity. It is a wine that in any stage of its life can be enjoyed and purchased with little trepidation on a restaurant wine list. And the best part is that the wines are usually very well priced considering their quality. My favorite Chateauneuf on the list at the moment is the 1997 Domaine de Pegau “Cuvee Reservée”. Not a great vintage but drinking so nicely at the moment that you could really care less what the critics say. It’s open and sweet with funky barnyard aromas (a good thing) and such deliciously soft Grenache flavors that would pair nicely with beef, lamb, chicken or duck. A truly versatile restaurant wine. If I had to say one critical thing it would be that it lacks a bit of structure and can be a little too soft, but considering the vintage this is an excellent effort.

Fartman Drinks my Wine

Howard Stern and his stunning lady came in the other day. Both as tall as sycamore trees. This is whats great about being a sommelier. Not so much meeting the people but interacting with them and turning them on to great wines. I figured Howard to be a wine lover. "What would he like with his Halibut", I thought. Surely he knows Burgundy and the '69 LaTache would work like a charm. I approached his table with the decision already made (in my mind). We had a bit of banter and he quickly said he was feeling a little tired and only wanted a glass. 2 glasses of Cali Cab of the list for he and his woman. Bummer.

Bad Poetry

’05 Cuilleron Condrieu “la petite cote”. Young and overweight and very handsome. You wear your oak like a pair of husky jeans from sears. Its easy to mistake you at the moment for a flabby and fat chardonnay but I’m paying attention to you. And Im listening. I feel your obvious thickness but I’m looking deeper. And I listen. And I hear you. That little scream and burn of length is quite small at the moment. But I know it will get louder. And Im going to let you. You need to figure this world out for yourself. All I can do is give you a roof over your head. Ill check in on you in about 10 years.