Vinfolio.com

As we come to a close here in 2006, this is likely my last blog post of the year. One of the postings I made earlier called The wine periodical rant (aka 3 guys in a room) from November 4 dealt with the phenomenon of wine drinkers who regret having passed up on a wine when it was available, only after seeing a major reviewer taste the wine later on. They want it more and they will sometimes go to great lengths to find it now that it has been "blessed". Some people however don't pass up a wine, insteadpurchasing it based either on a personal tasting experience or a recommendation. They are then in a position to sell it at auction or through Vinfolio when they choose.

My reviews for Vinfolio are primarily written for our clients, but because of the reach of the web if you do a google search on Doug Wilder + Vinfolio or Wilder Side of California, you will see that my opinions are out there. They wind up in some pretty surprising places; the wineries use them frequently and more retailers are now using Vinfolio reviews than ever before, but also individuals selling wine on auction sites use what we write to help sell their lots. I noticed an on-line community auction site recently was offering our Wine of the Year, 2005 Auteur Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard, at the price of $100 a bottle, available only in a three or six pack. If you wanted to buy it straight out you could just pay an average 0f $125 per bottle. Keep in mind this wine retailed at Vinfolio for $62.00 less than a month ago. The interesting thing is the subject line of the Auction lot proclaimed it as Vinfolio's Wine of the Year 100 pts.

Just last week, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate gave a 98 point score to the first vintage (2003) of Scarecrow, made by Celia Masyczek. This occurence is notable for several reasons. The wine which we offered in April for $100 a bottle is now commanding three times the price on the secondary market. We gave the wine a score of VF 97, which in comparison with The Wine Spectator giving it 88 points in late summer, may have dampened the market a bit. The Parker score has brought the market up quickly.

The most important point to note is that Celia Masyczek has impressed me for years, and I tabbed her as one of six California winemakers to watch in wsc #1 (March 11, 2005)

The last issue of The Wilder Side of California, Issue 84 published tomorrow will look at the ratings of The Wine Advocate published December 22 in context to Vinfolio reviews and recommendations over the last few months. Other merchants are scrambling around to bring these wines in to satisfy demand now.

Update: The winning bid on the auction site for 2005 Auteur Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard was $321 for a three pack!

There are a couple points I want to make with today's post but first I need to give you some background.

On my regular visit to the eRobert Parker website yesterday, I saw an article in the daily news that caught my interest entitled Dr. Strangelove, or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the 100 point scale, written by Mike Lynch and published at Wines & Vines. In the article he describes how as a retailer years ago he greatly disliked the system [of a 100 point scale] and the publications that supported it. His apparent attempts to dissuade his customers from relying heavily on scores from publications seemingly went unheeded.

It was only after he went out of business that his attitude regarding the 100 point scale began to change. Joining a PR firm that helped market wines around the country put him in direct contact with some of the same writers whose critical analysis he had come to disdain. When one of his wines received a 90+ rating he decided that possibly he may have been wrong about the "evil" system. Later when he became a traditional retail shopper he realized the value in referring to these same critics and when he ran his finger down the numerical list of their reviews he would stop when he reached 89 points. He had found his level of acceptance in wines and now fully embraced the idea and value of a rigorous scale that seemed to put some order to evaluating wine.

He concludes by pointing out all of the reasons why the 100 point scale was superior to any other system and he seems to justify it by stating his cellar only has wines rated between 90 and 100 points by Robert Parker, Wine Spectator, Wine Ehthusiast, and Wine & Spirits.

It is in this last statement that I had to pause. Since his buying decisions seem to be based on scores in publications I would be curious if his cellar has lots of single bottles, or he paid market rates for the wines (a premium over retail). Since he is no longer able to have access to the inside track when he was in the wine business, he is just like everyone else, responding to a review months after the wine is released.

I'm surprised he didn't make the conclusion considering his unique full circle experience that if he had known as a retailer what he knows now he may never have gone out of business. And I don't mean just because he could point out a wine was a "Spectator 94", but to rigorously calibrate his palate against them so that in the future when he tasted something he thought was excellent, he could apply one of his stated attributes of the 100 point scale which is "It encourages wine critics to take a stand rather than equivocate".

Change the word "critics" to "professionals" and you basically get to what The Wilder Side of California brings you every week; A measured offering of the best wines I tasted that scored 90 points or higher. I have been formally reviewing and rating wines I sell for nearly 10 years. I have yet to encounter a customer who would accuse me of scoring a wine high just to sell it. It doesn't mean other reviews that follow are neccessarily in synch but overall with 50 random wines there is relative convergence.

As a retailer it is a responsibility to our readers that the stated reviews and ratings are as accurate and repeatable as possible, otherwise we have no business doing what we do. What you get from Vinfolio is a forward looking viewpoint into the core of the new releases as well as access to winery libraries. The VF100 point scale has gained substantial credibility since there are many more wines I rate at the 90 - 92 range than there are in the 95+ range. Conservatism is built in. There has been only three wines to receive a 100 point score from me:

2004 - 2002 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 - 2003 Scholium Project The Sylphs
2006 - 2005 Auteur Pinot Noir shea Vineyard

I find that sometimes when I publish review on wines scoring 90 to 92 points they may get overlooked in favor of the higher rated wines. Perhaps it is a good time to outline my score selections and what they mean.

< 90 points; not reviewed
90 to 92; Very well made balanced wines I would be proud to serve at anytime
93 to 94; Showing special qualities that add substantial interest
95 to 96; Excellent examples showing concentration and complexity
97 to 100 The unequivocal best available, period.

I do find the 100 point scale is an utterly valuable tool but is worthless unless viewed in context with a descriptive review.

I have another posting in mind how language relates to points I hope you enjoy.

But now for my question: How do you feel about the 100 point scale? Do you use it as an unwavering guideline from critics or us, or do you think it is a figment of wine marketing that has no usefulness in determining what you drink?

I've been wanting to write about this for the longest time and yesterday I had a tasting that put me over the edge. The title may be a little misleading, you could interpret it to be discussing the likes of Scholium, Auteur, Harlan, Colgin or Screaming Eagle that Vinfolio presents on a frequent basis. What I mean is entirely different, it involve usage of initials or numbers in the name of the wine. Take these for example:

A. P. Vin: A new producer of limited vineyard designated wine who has set up his winery in the Potrero Hill neighborhood near Vinfolio.

CL: A brand partnership between Craven and Lattin

Why do I cite these? It is because when you use the web to search for them, you may not neccessarily get the exact information you are looking for.

To retrieve information from most any database you type in a search string of the first few characters of the name, in most cases 3 or 4 is enough to narrow down your search. Anytime you introduce punctuation or spaces, all bets are off. For example: type the word "Mondavi" into a search window and you will get lots of returns, but they will all include "Mondavi" somewhere. In the instances of A P Vin, and CL, there isn't enough information in the name to return the anticipated results.

The bottom line when creating an identity for a product is to make it easily recognizable to allow it to be found later. Vinfolio currently has the A P Vin and CL wines in stock. I highly recommend the CL for its value. $16.00 and VF94 score, and the few bottles of A P Vin will make a collector pretty happy, but because of their names they may be tough to locate. If you know the varietal or area of origin, you can use the VinCellar search functions to narrow down the choices.

Oh yes, I mentioned numbers too. Some work better than others. For instance if you are looking for 2480, the wine produced by Hollywood & Vine, or David Arthur's Elevation 1147, the numbers seem to work just fine to narrow down the selection. Here is your homework assignment for today (Hint, this is the wine that put me over the edge yesterday. It was tasty, good price, and plenty of it is around.)

Locate a bottle of 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley on-line. Not so fast, 1975 is not the vintage, but the name.

Happy hunting!

I'd be interested to hear what methods readers use to narrow down searches for wines. Do you use varietal, vineyard designation, price? Have you ever just given up looking for a wine on-line because your search kept hitting dead ends?

Advice to wineries, You put great juice in the bottle - keep the names simple to remember but also simple to find.

What is it with the individuals who get recognized as my Winemakers of the Year? They are not the heralded handful you have read about in every wine or lifestyle magazine at some time or another. With all due respect that is yesterday's news. My intent is to bring the emerging artists to prominence and introduce all of you to the phenomenal wines they are responsible for. Every year it seems that the stars align pointing to a particular producer that likely you have never heard of before.

• In 2000, Andy Smith made his first wines at DuMOL and I tabbed him as a winemaker to watch , two years later he posted 5 wines in the Top 20, repeating the feat the following year. He is now recognized by Robert Parker as "a new discovery". The mailing list is very difficult to penetrate.

In 2005, the virtually unknown Abe Schoener more than established his credentials by following up the 2002 and 2003 Maldonado Chardonnay with the mind-bending SCHOLIUM PROJECT that introduced winemaking theory that bordered on heretical. The proof of the quality was recognized with excellent reviews from Vinfolio and just recently by Stephen Tanzer. The mailing list sells out nearly as soon as an offer is made.

In 2006, Vinfolio's Winemaker of the Year is Ken Juhasz of Auteur Winery. He emerged on the scene last year with a couple bright spots; two vineyard designated Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. One of them possessed the excellence to claim the first spot for a non california wine in my annual top wine list although it was the #25 wine. in 2006 the wines from Auteur came to me in the following order:

2005 Chardonnay Donum Vineyard, Los Carneros; VF 92

2004 Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard, Willamette Valley; VF 93

2005 Pinot Noir Sonoma Stage Vineyard, Sonoma Coast; VF 96

2005 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard, Willamette Valley; VF 100

With the steady escalation of scores throughout the year you may ask where do we go from here? The answer is that Juhasz is fine-tuning sources and increasing production from the benchmark sites. Shea will increase to 300 cases in 2006 from 172 in 2005 and there may be a Pommard bottling from Shea.

Juhasz' philosophy is to use only fruit from designated cool climate vineyard sources in California and Oregon allowing him to create wines that exhibit both masculine and feminine characteristics. I am extremely impressed by the devotion to quality and excellence here and look forward to more of the same in the coming months.

Nearly a year ago, I caught wind of the existence of an extremely rare wine from one of our favorite producers. In the three vintages this winery has produced a wine, they have not received a Vinfolio rating below 96 points and have been in every one of the year end Top 25 lists I have published here. That wine is Maldonado and the currently available 2004 Chardonnay scored a very solid VF 98. So you can probably imagine my excitement when I was told of the Reserve. How could it possibly be any better than what we already loved so much? In January of this year while visiting Abe Schoener, Maldonado's winemaker, I got a chance to try the wine while still in barrel.

I was immediately entranced by the riveting intensity in this young wine already displaying excellent integration. It showed the textbook golden amber hue that Maldonado is known for but there was less of the approachable fruit characteristics familiar to the regular. In a recent conversation, Abe referred to it as mineral and metal; gunpowder and firecracker. In a word: marvelously complex. How rare is it? The total production of the wine is a mere 40 cases. It is comprised of one barrel from grapes grown in the Secret Garden Block of the estate and a single barrel selection from six barrels that had been set aside for consideration. The barrels were not topped prior to blending.

I have been patiently awaiting this wine for a year. It is likely only going to one or two accounts as well as the French Laundry. For the time being, you will only hear about it in Free Run Juice. Please follow the link to to order 2004 Maldonado Chardonnay Reserve now. This wine is another Schoener made classic Chardonnay with quality along the lines of the 2002 SCHOLIUM PROJECT The Sylphs, which was a VF 100 wine.

Maldonado Chardonnay has already been talked about in the same league as Aubert, Kistler and Marcassin. The 2004 Maldonado Reserve with its miniscule production takes the already extraordinary experience to another level. It will likely never get widespread exposure beyond people who are already familiar with the brand.

Be the first to get this wine but please limit your order to no more than three bottles. It is extraordinary. VF 99-100 (barrel)

Well it seems like a month since I started announcing the Top 25 list for this year. We did the first set of wines #16 through #25 the week before Thanksgiving and then covered the #6 through #15 wines last week. Tomorrow will unveil the Top 5 wines and they will all be available at Vinfolio. You will need to use a special link to view the entire list and I have included it here: Vinfolio Top 25 List of 2006

People who want the entire Dream Suite priced at $1323.00 which is one of everything are advised to begin building your order from the listing of 20 wines already published and then fill in the top 5 once they are revealed. Be sure to act promptly though as I expect the Top 5 to sell quickly.

Here are a few other suggestions if you want to put together some excellent selections for yourself or as a gift.

Great Oregon Pinot Noir Case $544.00 contains 4 bottles each
2003 Chehalem Reserve, Willamette Valley, VF 94 $60.00
2004 Serene Yamhill Cuvee, Oregon, VF 94 $31.00
2004 Auteur Hyland Vineyard, Willamette Valley, VF 93 $45.00

Great California Pinot Noir Case $402.00 contains 6 bottles each
2004 Hansel Pinot Noir Cahill Lane Vineyard, Russian River Valley, VF 96 $30.00
2004 Dierberg Pinot Noir Estate, Santa Maria Valley, VF 96 $37.00


Exceptional Southern California Case $420.00 contains 3 bottles each
2005 Garretson Grenache Blanc, Paso Robles, VF 97 $29.00
2004 Garretson Syrah, Mon Amie, Paso Robles, VF 95 $52.00
2005 Margerum Sauvignon Blanc, Purisima Mountain Vineyard,Santa Ynez Valley VF 94 $22.00
2004 Dierberg Pinot Noir, Estate, Santa Maria Valley, VF 96 $37.00

Napa Valley Cabernet Case $752.00 contains 4 bottles each
2003 Diamond Terrace, Diamond Mountain, VF 95 $55.00
2004 Philip Togni Tanbark Hill, Spring Mountain, VF 94-95 $55.00
2003 Harris Estate Jake's Creek Vineyard, VF 95 $78.00

Pick seven and add the Top 5 *As low as $682.00 for the case.
Order any seven selections priced at $400 or more from the list of wines #6 through #25 and then add a bottle each of the Top 5. The value of the Top 5 is $282.00.
While supplies last.

If you thought there may be clues to the Top 5 this week, you will just need to trust me that they are worth keeping a secret. OK, one clue - they have all appeared in previous issues of The Wilder Side of California!

This last weekend was filled with one of a kind wine events and had me running around both valleys. The first was the annual Siduri Open House on Saturday which features all of the wines from Adam and Dianna Lee (Siduri and Novy too). The theme was 70's fashion so since we both know a bit about that era, we fished through the closets and came up with a combination of Woodstock Hippie Chick and Studio 54 Lounge Lizard. My favorite of what they were pouring was the 2005 Sonatera Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast followed closely by the 2005 Rosella's Pinot Noir being poured by Adam himself (perched high on his "goldfish platforms" and resplendent in blue polyester). I also took the opportunity to sample the barrel of 2005 Ewald Vineyard I purchased for Vinfolio in the Spring. Tim Lesko, Siduri's Cellarmaster pulled a thief for us and it was tasting extremely well. The fruit, acid and barrel continue to adjust to each other and I am confident this will be a special wine when it is bottled soon after the new year.

The other event was the invitation only 20th Anniversary celebration for Ray and Nancy Coursen's Elyse Winery, producer of consistently some of the best put together wines coming from the Napa Valley. It was an extremely lively event with Dean Sylvester (Winemaker for Whitehall Lane) leading his band on stage. There seemed to be no limit of Elyse and Jacob Franklin wines to sample throughout the night and I especially liked the 2005 Jacob Franklin Petite Sirah Hayne Vineyard due to be released in January. Lots of friends from the trade to catch up with too.

Every time I see Dan Kosta we have a great chat. I think he talks to me because I don't try to pump him for wine that he doesn't have. I respect that he has developed a great following for his wines and know he has precious little to spare. Imagine how surprised I was when I received an offer for the 2004 vintages of his Pinot Noir from Koplen (Wine Spectator 96) and Cohn (Wine Spectator 97) vineyards.

Check them out, they are on the Vinfolio Site.

They won't last long.