TUNE IN
Having spent the past three months in book-writing hell, I'm so very glad to finally be back doing regular guest appearances on the Playboy Radio Morning Show (Channel 99, Sirius/XM)
This Friday, March 12th, I'll be appearing live on the air sometime around noon EST/ 9 am PST with special guests Jenna Kulp of Blush.com and LA-based mixologists Aidan Demarest and Marcos Tello, who'll be mixing drinks made with Pernod Absinthe. And, of course, the show's hilarious and sexy hosts, Andrea Lowell (pictured) and Kevin Kline, will be there too.
It ought to be fun. Give a listen.
Cheers!
Dan
This Imbiber exclusive video filmed in England seeks to answer the age-old question, who has the better SoHo, New York or London? Video stars spirits industry rockstar Simon Ford of Pernod Ricard. Enjoy!
An evening with La Fenêtre’s Winemaker, Joshua Klapper @ Pourtal Wine Tasting Bar
Thursday, March 11th from 7 – 9pm (arrive anytime)
One of my favorite winemakers, Josh Klapper of La Fenêtre, will be on hand at Pourtal in Santa Monica to discuss his technique and pour his wines. The evening will present an exclusive occasion to meet one of California’s winemaking stars.
La Fenêtre is a small production label out of the Santa Barbara County with single vineyard Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Cabernet. In the tradition of the legendary Burgundian négociants, Josh purchases the fruit for his wines from growers with exacting standards and extremely high quality, as well as respect for the land and its health in the future. The terroir of the central coast is unmistakable, and the wines from this region possess intense flavor and unique character.
$15 for 3 Wines:
• La Fenêtre 'Bien Nacido' Chardonnay
• La Fenêtre ‘Le Bon Climat’ Pinot Noir
• La Fenêtre’s “A Cote” Syrah
Pourtal Wine Tasting Bar
www.pourtal.com
104 Santa Monica Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-7693
review by Dan Dunn
It was somewhere around hour seven of the Academy Awards telecast that the urge to drink took hold. The inexplicably obligatory annual dance number had just ended and I craved something extraordinarily delicious in the hopes of countering the awful taste that the breakdance tribute to "The Hurt Locker" had left in my mouth. So I opened a bottle of wine that has bedazzled even the most finicky of critics -- a 2006 Cardinale from Napa. Indeed, the vintage was recently awarded an almost unheard of 100 point rating from Wine Enthusiast, the first wine of 2010 to be honored so. Robert Parker weighed in with a 94.
Quite simply, the '06 Cardinale is perfect. Yes, perfect. As in, I could not imagine a more rewarding wine-drinking experience. Hyperbole, you say? Nope. Hyperbole don't hunt here, my friends. I will admit, though, that my palate is decidedly California-centric. That said, I haven't been this blown away by anything since the last time I saw Radiohead in concert (in California, no less)... and I frickin' loves me some Radiohead. In this case, however, the rock star is winemaker Chris Carpenter, who I'll be sitting down with for a liquid lunch later this month... and you can expect video and a full report about that meeting.
The Cardinale is imbued with bold fruit flavor, but it's not at all intrusively big and fruity. You'll taste the earth, too, and no I don't mean a mouthful of dirt. I'm talking about the ESSENCE of the land in the vineyards along the Mayacamas and Vaca ranges that ring the Napa Valley. You want to call it minerality, go ahead. I like earth better. Oh, and the chocolate. That's there, too, nestled between hints of black cherry and smoke. The only disappointing aspect to drinking the wine was that I didn't have a plate of prime rib to go along with it. Okay, so I was also disappointed that Wylie Stateman didn't win the Oscar for sound editing for "Inglourious Basterds," but don't get me started on that.
Some pertinent details: The '06 Cardinale is comprised of 86% cabernet sauvignon and 14% merlot. The grapes were gently crushed (in much the same way Jen Aniston must have been after she read John Mayer's controversial Playboy interview) and fermented in semi-open topped stainless steel tanks that allow for lower alcohol conversion. As a result, Carpenter and his team were able to prolong the harvest to ensure full ripeness, which is pretty damn clever of him, doncha think? The juice was bottled in September 2008 and spent 19 months in new French oak. It was fined with egg whites and bottled unfiltered. Just over 1,500 cases were produced.
Oh, but there's one detail that may bum some of you out -- a bottle of the most perfect wine of the year so far will set you back $200. Not exactly chump change, it it? Ah, but if you really want some, let me know. I'll talk to Chris Carpenter and see if he'll cut you a deal.
And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let those pompous blowhards over at Wine Enthusiast have the upper hand in the Cardinale lovefest, so I'm awarding it our first ever....
(just kidding about the Wine Enthusiast critics... they're not that pompous)
Just returned from an excellent adventure in Mexico with some fellow booze scribes and assorted other media types for Jose Cuervo's annual bash celebrating the release of its Reserva de la Familia anejo tequila. I'd ventured down to Cuervo's factory in the tiny town of Tequila in 2003 for this event, and it rates among the best parties I've ever been to. This latest one certainly didn't disappoint. The Cuervo people know how to entertain -- the food, the cocktails, the music and the beautiful people. The Reserva de la Familia release party had it all. I'll be writing a more complete in the coming days. For now, check out the following dispatches from my pals Eric Rogell of TheBachelorGuy.com and Adriaan Zimmerman of BroBible.com.
Click here to be magically transported to TheBachelorGuy.com
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