Patz & Hall: Palate or Points?

Patz & Hall put on a focused tasting tonight at Patricia Hook's Firecliff Restaurant in Palm Desert. Three Chardonnays, three Pinot Noirs – all different enough to challenge a roomful of palates.

Founded in 1988 by four wine-dedicated friends Donald Patz, James Hall, Anne Moses and Heather Patz, Patz & Hall winery turns out single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Their wines are sourced from fruit grown in diverse terroirs centered in Sonoma yet tapping into bordering Napa with its Hyde Vineyard releases, Mendocino to the north and, with its Pisoni Vineyards wines, Monterey County's Santa Lucia Highlands to the south.

Anne Moses kicked off the tasting by introducing the premier of the winery's 2008 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, an easy-drinking cool-climate chard with fresh stone fruit aromas and flavors braced by crisp acidity and minerality. Think fresh and food-friendly.

Next came our tasters' favorite: 2007 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard. Rich with exotic fruit yet refreshing for its minerality and cleanliness on the palate, we enjoyed its elegance without overkill. As it turns out, wine critic Robert Parker agreed. He awarded this wine 94 points, the highest of all the Chardonnays tasted.

The last white was their 2007 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard, a richer, more full-bodied chard with toasty oak and candied fruit. Not our style but still a Parker 93-pointer. Patz & Hall cognoscenti advised us to hold on to this one at least another year or so to enjoy it even more. We believe!

On to Pinot Noir after a bite of Patricia Hook's mushroom crostini that kept us going. We started off with the 2007 Hyde Vineyard, the Carneros vineyard site that delivered our favorite Chardonnay. Once again, it was Hyde: a deliciously full-bodied wine with dark cherry and wild berry fruits laced with cinnamon, spice and a savory finish. What, only 92 points? Who cares, we thought.

Next, the 2007 Pinot Noir Chenoweth Ranch. This beauty from the Russian River Valley was deep, with more brooding fruit and a spiciness that pushed this taster's envelope. The Spectator gave it one more point than the Hyde.

The closer was the complex 2007 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard from Monterey's Santa Lucia Highlands. The full-on mouthful was rich with chewy black and red fruits, definitely the power-Pinot. The Wine Spectator agreed with its 94-point anointment.

Blind to prices and points, this taster favored the Hyde Vineyards' Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but knew the Pisoni would win out when served with a perfectly paired pork tenderloin dish. Other tasters compared the spicy Hyde and Chenoweth Pinots to Zinfandel – Zinfandel?! Ouch. Goes to show it's all about your palate, your taste – points and tasting notes be damned.

Thanks to all who made this happen: Patz & Hall, Patricia Hook and her Firecliff staff, Patrick and the gang at LA Wine Company and all the interested wine lovers who took the time and pleasure to taste, compare notes and share.

You'll find Patz & Hall wines on better wine lists around the valley. Seek them out, try them all. There's not a mediocre offering among them. Treat yourself.

Open That Bottle

The time had finally arrived to open the 1999 Solaia. After holding its corner spot in the wine cabinet for years, we were ready to uncork the Marchese Antinori super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. We'd held firm over the years to follow the winemaker's and experts' tasting notes that advised an optimum drinking time between 2010 to 2020. No way we were waiting a month longer.

Dinner was planned to perfection: tender, rare rib-eye steaks with shallots in balsamic glaze and a dollop of Parmesan butter, all atop a bed of lemon-splashed arugula. The cork had a crumbly mid-section but came out whole and well stained. We held our breath and felt a twinge of disappointment when the wine poured brownish red. Just an Italian thing, we hoped.

Some air and time brought it back to life as the wine delivered lovely blackberry fruit, silky tannins and a complex earthy finish with eucalyptus that gave way to floral tones as it evolved in the glass. Delicious? Yes. Worth the wait? As much as we hate to say it, no.

Maybe we should have jumped the gun those couple of times we were tempted to bust it out. Perhaps it would have shown that freshness, that powerful, brooding fruit or je ne sais quoi that makes Solaia such a knockout wine. We'll never know.

What we will be doing, however, is opening more wine. Sure, many Euros and higher-end wines need time in the bottle but we don't want to miss another Solaia moment. Ideally, we'd buy three bottles of our favorite age-worthy wines and open them in stages to better determine optimal cellar time for our tastes, our environment.

For now, we'll take up the call of departed Wall Street Journal Tastings columnists Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher: drink your wine. With all the wine deals around at every turn, there's never been a better time to restock.

New Decade, New Wines

Vintners took wine-making smarts and artistry to new levels in the past decade. With help from Mother Nature, New World producers from Chile to Washington State and beyond served gold-medal notice to wine lovers with one great vintage after another. The Old World rang in a decade of wine bliss with the 2000 Bordeaux vintage, echoed by that year's Oregon Pinot Noir half a world away.

Here are a few notable vintages of the decade to seek out or uncork now:

2001: German Riesling
2002: Oregon Pinot Noir
2003: France, Northern Rhone
2004: California Chardonnay, Sonoma
2005: Spain, Ribera del Duero
2006: Tuscany (Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri, Maremma)
2007: Washington State reds
2008: New York Riesling (Finger Lakes)

We made room for a new decade of wine by saying good-bye to these fallen soldiers during our December bacchanalia. Thanks for the ride.

Alban Vineyards, Reva, Alban Estate Syrah 2003, Edna Valley
Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Le Mistral 2005, Monterey County
Otis Kenyon, Merlot 2006, Walla Walla Valley
TIKAL Malbec, Altos de Mendoza 2006 Amorío
Caymus Special Selection, Napa Valley 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

December Holiday Wines

Remember the big Cabs and lush whites we asked you to skip at Thanksgiving? Well, it's late December and it's official: Loosen your wrists and pop those corks.

This month's holiday celebrations typically center about heartier winter fare such as rib roasts, duck and lamb. Pasta-centric Italian families dish out meat lasagne, ragù with rabbit sauce and elaborate veal dishes. Even fish dishes are sauced with a heavier hand this time of year, from beurre blanc to rémoulade. Having chest pain yet?

All these foods scream out for bigger wines. As with Thanksgiving, we suggest at least two wine choices for your holiday guests. Lead off with a lighter-bodied or higher-acid wine to tickle taste buds instead of hammering your guests' palates with the powerhouse red you've been aching to open all year long.

Check out these wines we've spotted around town to help get you through holiday meals with grace and good taste. Starred wines are value-priced at less than $15-20 a bottle at Dan's Wine Shop, LA Wine Company, Cost Plus World Market, Costco or grocers Vons, Albertsons and Ralph's.

Lighter whites: Dry Riesling (Pacific Rim°, Chateau Ste. Michelle°)

Medium-bodied whites: White Burgundy (Mâcon Villages, 2006°), McManis Viognier°

Powerhouse whites: Chardonnay (Trinitas°, California; Luca°, Argentina)

Ligher reds: Dolcetto D'Alba, Pinot Noir (Cambria, Julia's Vineyard 2006°; Becker Estate 2007°, Germany)

Medium-bodied reds: Monte Antico° (Sangiovese-based blend, 2006. Italy), Volver° (Tempranillo, 2007, Spain), Robert Hall Syrah° and Rhône de Robles° 2006, Perrin & Fils Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007°

Powerhouse reds: Orin Swift's The Prisoner (Zinfandel-based blend, California), Robert Mondavi Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, Cannonball 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon°)

Do you have a special bottle you've saved for your holiday celebration? Stay tuned for a few of our fallen soldiers in the weeks ahead.

Place Your Bids: Menu for Hope Fundraiser

For only $10, you can support a great cause and take a chance at winning gifts sure to make your New Year bright. How about a weeklong Brunello experience for you and three friends in the heart of Tuscany at a private villa and winery? Closer to home, perhaps a two-night stay at the 4,000-square foot four-bedroom Koehler Estate Vineyard House that includes a private tasting with the winemaker and six bottles of Koehler Estate wines? Just want wine? A gift box of eight awesome Andrew Rich wines would hit the spot.

You can bid on these and other fabulous wine-themed gifts to benefit Menu for Hope VI, a charity begun in 2004 by food and wine bloggers to aid tsunami-relief efforts. All of last year's $60,000 raise went to the people served by the United Nations World Food Programme, the world's largest food assistance agency. This year, we're asking you to help us do even better.

It's easy and secure to start submitting your bids. First, check out wine-themed raffle items hosted at Vinography.com or the full roster including foodie items, trips and international destination prizes at Chez Pim. Note each bid item's assigned codes - you'll need them to do your online bidding.

Every $10 you donate gets you a virtual ticket to use towards the raffle item(s) you select. You can even choose to have your company match your donation by filling in that section of your bid.

Donate $100 and you'll have ten chances to win one or more raffle items; $1,000 gets you a hundred and so on. You can holiday shop for friends who don't need one more "thing" and help this tremendous cause at the same time.

Start spreading the news and then check back here and at Chez Pim on Monday, January 18th for results.

Here's all you need to do:

1. Review the raffle items and note the bid codes of the ones you want. They're posted on Vinography and at Chez Pim. (Example: WB17 is the bid code for the WinewomenPSP package.)

2. Go to the donation site at Firstgiving and make your credit card donation.

3. When you enter your donation amount, be sure to specify which item(s) you're bidding on in the 'Your Comment' (personal message) section of the donation form. You must write-in how many tickets per bid item using the item code.

Each $10 you donate gets you one raffle ticket toward a bid item of your choice. Please use the format "number of tickets" x "item code." For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 plus 3 tickets for EU02 so you'd enter: 2xEU01, 3xEU02.

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so Firstgiving can claim the corporate match.

5. Please enter your e-mail address so you may be contacted if you win. Your e-mail address will not be shared with anyone. (We suggest you do not check the 'hide' box.)

Now get busy and good luck! Drop us a comment if you have any questions.

Holiday Wine Book: A Keeper by Kevin Zraly

Go beyond the sensory pleasures of the vine with a literary treat for your wine pals this holiday season. Gift books are sure to bring barrels of pleasure to the wine lovers on your list. Besides those already listed on this blog, Kevin Zraly's latest book, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course 25th Anniversary Edition (Sterling, 2009) is one that belongs on every wine lover's shelf. Like a favorite bottle of wine, readers will want to keep going back for more.

Zraly was cellar master at Windows on the World, the iconic restaurant on the 107th floor of Tower One at New York's World Trade Center. Today, the master wine educator continues the wine school he founded at Windows in Times Square at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

The 338-page hardcover anniversary edition gives structure to the world of wine. Novices and wine sophisticates alike will enjoy its lively pace and juicy sidebars packed with entertaining and betcha-didn't-know nuggets of wine information.

Region-focused chapters spirit readers off on a condensed tour of regional history, terroir, major grapes, producers and specific wines that are Zraly favorites or benchmarks. For a DIY experience, the author suggests wines readers can choose to taste along the way to train their palates and understand defining characteristics. Chapters end with questions that simulate a wine course but no angst necessary – Zraly gives reference pages for the answers. Color illustrations include regional maps, wine labels, tables and those fun sidebars that make review a challenge and the book a pleasure to read.

Tips, FAQs and wine-buying strategies round out the last few chapters. The book ends with the author's personal history of the landmark Windows, tragically gone but never forgotten.

We've added this book to our favorites and hope you will too. For only $27.95, this book will bring a world of wine pleasure to wine lovers on your holiday list. Watch this blog for more gift-giving ideas coming soon.

Saturday Sips Around Town

Just because we're partial to WinewomenPSP events doesn't mean there aren't other wine haps in town worth a sip. If you're looking to get wet before our December 10th event at The Art Place, you can enjoy two valley tastings this Saturday, December 5th.

Jensen's in La Quinta hosts a tasting of Byron wines from 2-5 PM. For only $5, you'll taste Byron's 2007 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley vineyards. Compare that Pinot to the 2006 Bien Nacido or find out how lovely Pinot Blanc can be. You might find a new favorite from this Santa Barbara County winery. Aubrey and his staff will roll out cheese and olive snacks, too. Reservations are not needed so just show up to their store at the corner of Washington Street and Highway 111 with your five-spot. Information: 760.777.8181.

Dan's Wine Shop in Palm Desert is also having a $5 wine tasting Saturday from noon to 5 PM. RSVP by e-mail to danswineshop@aol.com or by phone at 760.674.0305.

At Dan's you'll belly up to three totally different whites: Alexander Valley Vineyards Dry Gewürztraminer, Napa Cellars Chardonnay, and King Estate Pinot Gris. Like red wines too? Taste three more styles in Bearboat Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Folie à Deux Amador Zinfandel and Earthquake Cabernet Sauvignon.

Find Dan's at 73360 Highway 111 on the north side of 111 opposite the Palm Desert Jensen's. Be sure to call or e-mail ahead to reserve.

Remember, Monday December 7th is reservations deadline for our WinewomenPSP holiday spirit event at The Art Place on Thursday, December 10th in support of Mourning Star Center. Wear your comfy shoes and come party!