Magical Golf Week

Lake Buena Vista - It's the last PGA Tour stop of the year and I arrive at Orlando International for my magical golf week playing in the Children's Miracle Network Classic for the 2nd year in a row.

6 day until show time so there's plenty of time to get in a little golf practice in the DisneyWorld area.

Saturday my buddy Bob joins me for a round at Lake Buena Vista and I break 90 - we're off to a good start.

Sunday there is a chill in the air and my caddy Jeff who plays on the Golden State Tour joins me for a wonderful round at the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club - voted one of the Top 3 clubs you can play in Florida. First tee Jeff snap hooks one into the weeds and I hit a beautiful draw down the middle - who's the pro here? Driver, Gap Wedge, easy par, easy game. This course starts you off easy and then hold on...shoot a 93 in the wind.

Monday back to Lake Buena Vista and we play it from the back tees and I break 90 again, feeling good about my chances in the Pro-AM.

Tuesday we're signed up for practice round on Disney's Magnolia course - this course just looks right to my eye, big fairways and big greens. We zip through the front 9 and we see Rich Beem cut in front of us on 8 and the whole course backs up. PGA Tour Member Jerry Kelly who had been playing behind us catches up to us on the 10th tee and we tell him about Rich and Jerry says; "Those damn pro's think they can cut in anywhere..." And we immediately love Jerry. He says if its slows down he'll wave us up. We had already teed off, so we watch Jerry blast one down the middle, ride out and hit his next shot to the middle of the green. Jerry is practicing putts from all over the green and waves us up. Well I just couldn't aim at him so I'm in the left bunker. I get up to the green and enter the bunker and Jerry goes; "What are you waiting for? we're going to play the back nine together..." Jeff and I play excellent golf with Jerry on the back nine to the point on #16 after we both put our par 3 shots inside his and he goes; "I'd be in trouble with this group..."(as in he'd be losing $$ if he was giving us strokes)"

Have to say that was one of my most enjoyable nine holes in my life and just the right amount of pressure I needed to be ready to play in the Thursday-Friday Pro-AM inside the ropes. We take pictures after the round and hope to pick him in the pairings party tonight, after all last year we played with Troy Kelly (no relation) but think that's our destiny.

Tuesday night at the pairings party we pick 7 from last and choose Dean Wilson and Alex Cejka. (editor's note': In hindsight Roland Thatcher was still available and he shot 63, 64 in the 1st two rounds but we played with him the year before and he shot 75 and missed the cut...so one of my friends joked he plays a lot better without me...very funny)

Wednesday practice round on the Palm course and almost have a hole in one on 16 so I'm feeling good about my game.

Thursday showtime on the Palm course with Dean Wilson my partner for today and Spencer Levin also in the group. I go the putting green for 40 minutes, off to the range, bunker, shot game practice and more putting. We get to the tee and because of the fog tee times are delayed by an hour. So its back to the putting green. Finally its our time to tee off. "And from New York, New York its Brian Thomas" We start on #10 and hit my 3 wood remembering there's a lot more room down the left side and we're off...when two of the ladies from the Chrildren's Miracle Network Telethon's yell "We Love You Brian..."and Dean Wilson makes a joke that I have a bigger gallery than him. On the Palm course the only hole I'm worried about is our 3rd of the day the par 3 #12 180+ yards that the day before a PGA Tour official is on the green trying to determine pin placements and I shanked two off into the woods in his presence. I hit my 4 iron over the flag to the fringe and I am relieved...chip up and make my 3 for 2 and I'm ecstatic. So the adrenline is flowing so much that on the par 5 #13 over 2 lakes I hit my biggest tee shot of the week just in front of lake #2. I'm left with 177 yard all over water and just to be safe hit the 4 iron and WOW! I cleared the lake and the ball rolls up on the fringe pin high. There in 2! Putting from the fringe and just miss tapping in for Birding just missing the natural Eagle, but it's still a 3 on the score card and we're in the red numbers. On the par 4 #14 I hit a big shot into the wind but land in the left fairway bunker with my ball right against the lip on the left side. I'm 205 out into the wind and I can't stand in the trap, so I bend my knees and take a big swing and put my ball on the green...and I'm thinking to myselft"I don't know whose this guy is but I love his golf game..." You know its a good day when I didn't lose a ball until after14 holes. Dean Wilson looks back and says Wow! I end up at -4 under par and Dean is EVEN par. Since Dean is Hawaiian he likes my joke about my idea for Mexican/Hawaiian restaurant called "Mucho Mahalo" much better than he like his game on Thursday and Dean fails to make the cut.

Friday its an early tee time on Magnolia, but my Pro AM partner Alex Cejka withdrew from the tourney. This take a lot of steam out of my effort on Friday, but we get to play with Mike Hulbert from the Champions Tour and have a great round. Missed another Eagle and lots of birdies on Friday. Funny the other pro Greg Owen and I are both wearing the same Adidas Aqua colored shirt. Sorry Greg.

Final tally I finished 7th...seventh from last. But did so much better this year.

Some of the restaurants of the week:

Narcoosee's at the Grand Floridian - great steaks and wine list and view of the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom.

California Grill - atop the Contemporary Hotel - amazing food and a wine list I love with lots of my faves from Napa.

But the one that stands out is Flying Fish Cafe in Disney's Boardwalk area. Their seafood is amazing including the
Signature Flying Fish Cafe Potato-wrapped Red Snapper - Served with Cream Leek Fondue, Veal Glace and Red Wine Butter Sauce. - $36.00
Signature Flying Fish Char-crusted New York Strip Steak - Served with Wilted Greens, Grilled Asparagus, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Classic Sauce Foyot - $42.00
But the real highlight was the wine. "Pahlmeyer Flight"

1. Jayson by Pahlmeyer Chardonnay '07. The second label of the winery. 100% native yeast, barrel fermentation, followed by malo-lactic fermentation.
2. Jayson Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir '06.
3. Jayson Napa Red '05. A Merlot based Meritage blend.

And on Sunday there was time for one more last round of golf and we had the Palm course all to ourselves and my playing partner was John Schneider - yes that one from Dukes of Hazzard. What a great guy I would tee it up with him anytime.

So I'm a miracle maker for another year but real special thanks goes Al, Craig, Steve, Bill, Pat and everyone at the Children's Miracle Network working together to make a difference in the lives of Children. This year with radio station WCBS-FM in NY we raised over $250,000. Kevin at Disney Golf, Carrie Bronson at WDW Fishing excursions who was our cute guide on Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. And to my caddy Jeff Wade - who plays on the Golden State Tour - hope you make it on the big tour one day!

It was a very magical week in Orlando and hope I get the opportunity again next year...

-Brian

Grand Tour 2010

Manhattan – This is Wine Spectator’s 9^th annual Grand Tour event and this was my 4^th year in a row in attendance. The event is at the Marriott Marquis which is just steps away from where the car bombing attempt was last weekend.

And this year my old boss Chad and former co-worker Glen joined me after a huge base meal over at Virgils.

Our first taste of the night is Chateau Mouton Rothschild, than Chateau Lafite Rothschild what a way to start.

Here are the wines in tasting order:

1) Chateau Mouton Rothschild – Pauillac 2003

2) Chateau Lafite Rothschild – Paulliac 2004 (Almost too smooth – liked it better than Mouton)

3) Chateau Pinchon Longueville Baron – Paulliac 2006 (no battle to the 1^st two Chateau’s)

4) Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley Reserve 2006 (This is a huge wine and will be amazing in 3-5 years)

5) Chateau Pontet Canet – Paulliac 2006

6) Bennett Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2006 (My friend Keith is pouring and this vintage is amazing! One of their best will easily get a rating over 90pts) www.bennettlane.com

7) Turnbull Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Weitz Vineyard 2006 (very nice)

8) Chateau St Jean – Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Co Cing Cepages 2006 (big fruit and a milder finish than the Mondavi or Turnbull

9) Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Special Selection 2007 (big wine)

10) Chateau Hau Bailly Grand Cru Classe – Pessac-Leognan 2007

11) Ten tastes in and we revisit the big Chateaus #1 and #2 again – this time I like the Mouton better.

12) Same as #2

13) Bodegas Caro – Mendoza 2006 made by Barons de Rothschild (Lafite)

14) Rubicon Estate Rutherford 2006 (nice Bordeaux Blend)

15) Penfolds Shiraz Barrossa Valley RWT 2006 (this is huge)

16) Torbreck “The Factor” Barossa Valley 2006 (huge Shiraz blend)

17) D’Arenberg Shiraz McLaren Vale “The Dead Arm” 2006

We take a bathroom break and head up to the 6^th floor and we’re not even a full hour into event.

18) Chateau Haut Brion - Pessac Leognan 1999 (This is the first big WOW of the night and might be the best wine of the night – some other would give this a run for the money if we were comparing same vintages)

19) Chateau La Mission Haut Brion – Pessac Leognan 1999 (Nice but #18 was so much better)

20) Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2006 (and what surprised me years ago this Latour no relation to the big French chateaus)

21) Chateau Brane-Cantenac Margaux 2000

22) Chateau Palmer Margaux 2001 (always one of my faves, just a hint of coffee grounds on end of taste – like sprinkles in the your ice cream)

23) Chateau Margaux 2001 (2^nd big wow of the night)

24) Chateau Lynch – Bages Pauillac 2005

25) Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley 2006 (my favorite wine year in and year out – rumors flying that the 2007 could rate 100pts)

26) Gemstone Tenth Anniversary Yountville 2006 (This is our sleeper pick as a future cult wine – for this wine to taste that good after the Margaux and Insignia – this wine rates!)

27) Chateau Lagrange St. Julien 2006

28) Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Private Reserve 2006 (last year they were pouring the ’95…this one needs a few years)

29) Ferrari Carano Tresor 2006

30) Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2006 (very nice huge cab)

31) Agricola Punica Isola dei Nuraghi Barrua 2006 (Italian pick from Chad)

32) La Spinetta Barolo Vigneto Campe 2005 (Another Italian pick from Chad)

33) Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2004 (Chad pick, but is all prunes up front on the taste)

34) Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Klopp Ranch 2007 (Another wow, maybe one of the nicest pinot’s I’ve ever had – touch of flat cherry coke taste).

35) William Selyem Sonoma Coast Pinot 2007 (very nice)

36) Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2008 (This is huge!)

37) Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay 2007 (one of my favorite chards, we drank this trying to help our purple teeth to no avail…LOL)

38) Schramsberg Reserve North Coast 2002 (Amazing California Sparkling wine)

39) Louis Lator Corton Grand Cru – Charlemagne 2007

40) Frogmore Creek Pinot Noir Tasmania 2006

41) Aldo Conterno Barolo 2005 (very nice)

42) Paolo Scavino Barola 2005 (nice)

43) Roberto Voerzio Barolo 2005 (a 99pts wine)

44) Symposium Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2003

45) Bodegas Colome Malbec 2007

46) Another taste of Chateau La Mission Haut Brion – Pessac Leognan 1999

47) Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Mt Veeder 2006 (will have to remember this one – nice wine)

48) Cliff Leade Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Poetry 2006 (nice)

Back to the 5^th floor

49) Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2007 (another Italian pick from Chad)

50) Dow’s Vintage Port 2007 (Arnold the NE rep from Premium Port Wines is on hand – he has some great Ports www.premiumport.com ran into him a few months ago over at Javitts center tasting where he was pouring Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port – good to see him again)

51) Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma Co Old Vine 2006

52) Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2007 (I know we’re at taste #52 but this is a huge thick and juicy wine)

53) St Clement Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Oroppas 2006 (that’s Saporro spelled backwards)

54) Then we head back to hang out with Keith from Bennett Lane and enjoy more of his Bennett Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve www.bennettlane.com and we head home with a few bottles as door prizes – Thanks Keith and today is Cinco De Mayo so the party continues…Muey Bueno!

-Brian

1

Masters Merlot Challenge

Final round of the masters has been very exciting...Phil Mickelson took the lead and some of my La Quinta neighbors were making it interesting - Anthony Kim (LQ County Club) charging and 50 year Freddie Couples (Madison club) could have been a contender without a bogey and double bogey on the back nine.Tiger up and down round - still exciting to watch.

Its a nice day in the 70's in the NY and to make today's Masters Coverage even more interesting - put a few Merlots into the mix.

1) Duckhorn Decoy Merlot - 2007

2) Robert Mondavi Merlot - 2006

3) Franciscan Oakville Estate Merlot - 2003

Day in and day out for the price hard to beat the Franciscan - always has a nice crisp oak finish.

Duckhorn for being the newest of the bunch is very tasty.

And have to say over the years have become a fan of the Mondavi - its actually the biggest of the 3 and I suspect some Cab is in the mix too.

Phil still has the lead and after the year with his wife Amy& his mother both having breast cancer it would be great to see him win again - Green Jacket #3. We'll see what happens.

It would have been great to see Freddie a member of the 50+ crowd to win.

-Brian

4th Annual Taste of Hope

This will be my 3rd year sponsoring the wine for a table at the "Taste of Hope" benefiting City of Hope. I've enlisted some help from Joe to help with the French wines because this year's theme is based on the movie "Bottle Shock" which I'm calling:

Paris Wine Tasting– Pt. Deux in NYC

The movie “Bottle Shock” tells the tale of the “Paris Wine Tasting of 1976" with French judges and a blind tasting of Chardonnay & Cabernet Sauvignon from California and France. California wines won the competition! On Wednesday night 3/24 we offered some new battles! California won a lot again!

Opening Toast - Champagne vs. California Sparkling Wine:
NV - L. Aubry Fils Brut Champagne – 91pts WS
NV - Schramsberg Brut Rosé Mirabelle North Coast – 93pts WS

Chardonnay vs. Burgundy (White):
We have 3 of the top 4 from Paris Wine Tasting including the winner!
2007 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, Napa – 90pts WS
2007 Chalone Estate Chardonnay, Napa – 92pts WS Wow!
2005 Girardin Puligny Montrachet – Les Folatieres – 93pts WE
2007 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault Premier Cru – Les Charmes 92pts WS Nice!

Pinot Noir vs. Burgundy (Red): Not in PWT
2002 Cakebread Pinot Noir – Carneros 89pts WS Surprised everyone!
1993 Laurent Nuits St. George – Les Vaucrains 96pts RP

Rhone:
2006 Joseph Phelps Le Mistral – 92pts WS Another Wow!
2003 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape - 94pts WS

Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon:
We have 3 of the top 5 from PWT including the winner!
1996 Stag’s Leap Fay Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa – 92pts WS
1997 Ridge California Monte Bello – 91pts RP Very Nice
1988 Leoville Las Cases – 95pts WS My Fave
1998 Chateau Quinalt - L’Enclos – 94pts RP

Vertical Jump 10 years - Meritage: Joseph Phelps Insignia
2005 Insignia 92pts WS Amazing!
1999 Insignia 91 pts WS
1995 Insignia 94pts WS - Excellent!

Desert!
1983 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port – Portugal – 94pts RP

Discovering Wines on Moving Day

What's funny you can live in Manhattan, pay 3.5% city tax and look at New Jersey or live in New Jersey and look back towards New York.
Spend the last year in Jersey City on Hoboken side of the tracks and I mean right on the track...just moved to Jersey City-Newport area right on the water.
Before and After...

I like trains a lot, but not so much when you live on the tracks...that's just a little too much Cho-Cho.
And my first love is the water, so having the Hudson River in your backyard is hard to beat.

Good news on moving day I found a bunch of wines I didn't even know where there...

• Nice vertical of Whitehall Lane Cabernets 1999, 2001, 01 Reserve and 2002 Reserve.
• Flora Springs Rutherford Hillside 1999, 2001.
• A vertical of Flora Springs Trilogy - 3 years.
• Vertical of Magnificat back to 1999.
• Vertical of Mt. Veeder Cab back to 2001.

And a lot more wine I need to drink now. Everyone should clean out their cellar every so often - bet there are bottles you don't even know you have are in prime years for drinking.

Finally peace and quiet while working in New York - now I wake up to the sounds of Geese. Whew!

-Brian

Fresh Night of Wine for Women at City Winery

CBS Radio invites you to a "Fresh Night of Wine" for working women next Thursday
3/11 at City Winery, 155 Varick Street SoHo Manhattan.

Tastes Amazing Wines from France, Italy and California paired with a tasting menu from c
celebrity chiefs ANNE BURRELL and LEE ANNE WONG.

Celebrate for the all inclusive price of $75 and guys don't worry you're invited too.

It's a Fresh Night of Wine for Working Women, Next Thursday 6PM at CITY WINERY on Varick in SoHO MANHATTAN

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW AT http://www.divinale.com/

Wine Spectator's "GRAND TOUR" in NY 5/4

Wine Spectator puts on two event a year in Manhattan and this is the one you don't want to miss.

WINE SPECTATOR's Grand Tour describes as tasting event you will remember for a long time to come. Read about last years event below where Harlan Estate Cab was my favorite wine of the night.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010Marriott Marquis 1535 Broadway7—10 pm Order Tickets Now

• All wines are Wine Spectator's top-scoring selections
• Meet and mingle with many winery owners and/or winemakers
• Taste wines that are hard to find—discover new favorites
• Includes a light buffet to complement your evening
Tickets are $200 each

You will never have the opportunity to taste so many of the world's finest wines side by side by side. So how does Joseph Phelps Insignia stack up agaist Chateau LaTour go and you'll know...see you there.

-Brian

Walt Disney World Visit

Lake Buena Vista, FL - We're at Walt Disney World for a live broadcast with NY Radio station Fresh 102.7.

And also had some great new restaurants like Kouzzina a new restaurant at Disney's Boardway from celebrity chef Cat Cora featuring Mediterranean style cuisine and one of the highlights was her wine called "Coranation" this is a joint effort with Cat and Marco DiGiulo of Girard Winery. She is producing a Russian River Chardonnay and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - both wines are fantastic and affordable too.

And traveled across town to Winter Park for "The Wine Room on Park Avenue" this wine bar features the enomatic wine serving system so you can sample different wines from around the world including Screaming Eagle for $75 2oz taste. Why not?

And of course we found time for rounds of golf at Shades of Green course Palm and Magnolia. Morning man Jim beat me by 1 UP in matchplay over 15 holes and family friends Ken & Cheryl joined me on a unseasonalby cold Saturday morning where Ken was nice enough to let me win. The sun finally came out at noon and we went over to Osprey Ridge for a great lunch.

The Orlando area sure has changed from my days there in the 80's. One of the highlights was stopping at the outlet malls where visiting the Adidas store I purchased every color of mock turtle necks for my return to NYC.

Next working adventure is off to Sandals in the Bahamas in April...can't wait its snowing again in NY...brrrrr.

-Brian

Arnie at Luna Wine Tasting at the Cellar in Old Town La Quinta

Even though it was pouring outside - everyone was in good spirits, after all it was Bob Hope Classic week in La Quinta and Arnold Palmer was on hand for a Luna Wine Tasting at The Cellar in Old Town.

Luna produces some fine wines including Sangiovese and a Arnold Palmer Reserve Cabernet.They also have a line of wine with Arnold Palmer's name and it is the house wine at his restaurant "Palmers" in La Quinta.

It's a great week when you meet Arnold, break 90 a few times and even see Big Horn Sheep at the Palmer Private course at PGA West.

Old Town La Quinta is a great spot with Hog's Breath Inn, Devanne's, Desert Sage and El Ranchito all with in a few blocks of each other...-Brian

New York Wine Experience

Manhattan – Marriott Marquis

Sponsored by Wine Spectator and benefits the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation which awards grants to students pursuing careers in the wine industry.

The 2009 Critic’s Choice Grand Tasting International Wine Tasting had 256 wineries for tasting and they all scored over 90 points in Wine Spectator.

You rarely have the opportunity to taste the best wines in the world side by side. This really gives you the opportunity to fine-tune what you really like and come up with some new favorites.

Do you really like the big French Bordeaux or the California Cab and blends? For me that is a tough choice – my taste buds are all California, but I really appreciate the French wines which are amazing when you get to taste an older vintage. This was evident when my old boss opened up a 1968 Chateau de Beaucastel – that goes in my all time top 10.

And when you get to sample fines wines like this – you’ll know you already like them if you decide to spurge at dinner

Here’s my Top 15 favorites in order of preference from Friday night, October 23:

1) Harlan Estate ’05 Napa Valley blend of Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. Two words ‘ Wow Wow
2) Chateau Mouton Rothchild Pauillac 2005
3) Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley 2006
4) Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 2003
5) Beringer ’95 Napa Valley Cabernet – This has an old style French taste – amazing.
6) Chateau Latour ’95 Pauillac
7) Chateau de Beaucastel ’07 Chateauneuf-du-Pape – Nice now but will be amazing in about 5 or more years.
8) Paul Hobbs ’06 Oakville Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet
9) Dalla Valle – ’06 Napa Cabernet – this is special and very limited – want to revisit in 3 years.
10) Pahlmeyer Napa Valley 2006
11) Chateau Margaux – Grand Cru Classe 2001 – one of my favorites
12) Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 2006
13) Taittinger Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne 1998
14) Chateau Palmer Margaux 1999
15) Louis Roederer Brut Champagne Cristal 2002


California Faves
Shafer Stags Leap District Napa Cab Hillside Select 2005
Caymus ’03 Napa Cab – Special Select – always one of my favorites – never turn down the opportunity to drink this!
Cliff Lede “Poetry” Stags Leap Napa Cab 2005
Patz & Hall Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006
Hall ’06 Napa Cab – Kathryn was on hand and looks as good as the wine tastes
Bond ’05 Napa Cabernet – very nice.
Dominus Estate ’06 Napa Valley
Diamond Creek ’04 Napa Valley Volcanic Hill
Etude ’05 Napa Cab
Snodew Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2006
Robert Mondavi Cab Napa Valley Reserve 2006
Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon St Helena Family Estate Grown 2006
Far Niente ’02 Napa Cab
Opus One Napa Valley 2006
Ferrari-Carano Tresor 2006 Sonoma Cab blend
DuMol ’07 Russian River Pinot Noir
Duckhorn ’05 Napa Cab
Heitz Wine Cellars – ’04 Napa Cab
Dolce Late Harvest Napa Valley 203
Lewis Cellars 2006 Napa Valley Reserve Cab
Pride Mountain Sonona-Napa Counties Reserve Cabernet 2005
Ramey Napa Valley Cabernet Annum 2006
Rubicon Estate 2006
Silver Oak ’05 Alexander Valley bonus taste of Twomey Pinot Noir
Stags Leap SLV Napa Valley Cabernet 2000
Twomey – Pinot Noir bonus taste at the Silver Oak table – absolutely amazing!
Chateau St. Jean – ’01 Cinq Cepages Sonoma Cab – Big fan of this wine and winery on Hwy 12 in Sonoma – they make great Chardonnays too.

France:
Chateau Haut-Brion 2003
Perrier Jouet Brut Champagne Fleur bottle 1999
Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne ‘07
Chateau La Fleur – Petrus 2005
Pol Roger Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne 1999
E. Guigal Cote-Rotie 2005
Chateau La Mission Haut – Brion 2003
Krug Brut Champagne

Others:
Cloudy Bay ’08 Sauv Blanc – great wine, but I really like their Chard better – my taste.
DeLille Cellars – ’05 Red Mountain Cabernet – one of the best from Washington.
Dow’s Port ’07 Vintage Port
Gaja SPERSS – 2004 blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera
Graham’s Port
Penfolds Shiraz RWT 2006 which I can remember Real World Taste

Ron Parker attended the event with me and we both tasted over 50 wines. The big sushi dinner before the event followed by turkey burgers and kareoke at Mr Biggs helped.

And the best part a lot of the entry fee is tax deductible.

Can't wait until the next one...

-Brian

Family Winemakers at Ft Mason in SF

Here are the details on one of my favorite events to attend and its all California wine!


Celebrate Wine With Family Winemakers Of California Festival Pavilion
Wine lovers have reason to rejoice this summer when Fort Mason Center hosts a distinctive celebration of viticulture. August sees the return of the Family Winemakers event.
Attend any Family Winemakers tasting event and you'll see happy faces above glasses of red and white wines produced in small lots by independently owned wineries, many run by multigenerational families. The reason for all the smiles is that the wines are quite good and the atmosphere is very welcoming as wine enthusiasts gather to celebrate another year of the vines.
Family Winemakers is an association of more than 700 small wine producers, vineyards, and wine industry suppliers throughout California. Many of the members participate in the annual tasting events, sharing samples of their best varietals with members of the wine trade, the media, and the public.
The Family Winemakers tasting event is open to the public on Sunday, August 23, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and has additional tasting hours and dates for the trade on Sunday and Monday, August 24. For more information on admission and the wineries, visit www.familywinemakers.org or call (916) 498-7500.

Magnificat Birthday Weekend

It was nice for Franciscan to schedule their Magnificat release party on my birthday, so I put together a nice balance of fun for a long weekend in Northern California.

Starting off day 1 of my birthday weekend with a round at Pebble Beach on Thursday - its an up and down round, but par a bunch of holes.

Stop by Petar's in Lafayette to see my friend - Dave that is still performing there after all these years. They did a nice remodel on the restaurant. But the St. Mary's crowd has taken over.

Friday morning its a round of golf at Pittsburg's Delta View - front nine was a little shaky but play 5 over on the back nine. My buddy Gary beats my score by 10.

For my birthday - Gary brings over a bottle of Joseph Phelps Bachus - 2004, we pay the corkage at Grissini's and have a great Italian dinner.

Now its time to still check Friday wine tasting at Wine Thieves (http://www.winethieves.com/) Jim and Ben are there, but the tasting doesn't come close to the Bachus we had earlier. I purchase a mixed case to fill some gaps in my current collection.

Saturday making a change by having a big breakfast for a change before heading up to Napa.

1st stop in Napa - Robert Sinsky on Silverado Trail. Love their Cabernet Franc and their Marcein red blend.

I have worn out my Joseph Phelps vest - so a quick stop to buy a new one, but what the heck - let's taste some wine too. Chardonnay, Pinot and a Merlot was on the tasting which they hadn't made since 2002. Normally the Merlot is reserved to blending in the Insignia. They were also pouring the 2006 Cabernet and of course Insignia. As a bonus we get a taste of 2005 Bachus.

Now its time to head over the Franciscan - we zip over on Zinfandel lane back to Hwy 29 and we make it on time. There was a private tasting with Janet Myers which I scored by being one of the 1st to register for the Magnificat tasting. Which is their Meritage blend.
Janet speaks to us about oak and its effect on wine. We get to try the recent vintage of Cabernet that is in Light, Medium and Heavy toast. Most of us like Medium toast the best. But we also mix all three to create own blend before heading into the library for the 2006 Release.
They are pouring 5 different vintages of Magnificat today. I like to drink Newer to Older, but speaking with Janet Myers she like to do the opposite. For me my taste buds have to warm old to the older vintages. Janet said the fruit in the newer vintages can over power the older vintages.
I start with the 2006 - still a little tight for me today, but then I decide to take her advice and jump over the 2001 and its amazing and better yet one of my favorite wine hosts is working the room with the '01 - Tom...who years ago we called Bob all day before realizing the mistake. He's a midwest guy and normally only works on Sunday. He's one of the best in Napa.
I jump over the 2003 which was in little 375 ml bottles and learn that the wine ages faster in smaller bottles. The '03 is fantastic too. Back into the limited access and there is music - two woman playing violins, great food - the Kobe beef sticks and the Salmon are very tasting with Franciscan's blend. The last vintage I taste is the 2004. Very nice, but you can't beat the 2001.
But then we find out that a wine club member brought in a 1989 Magnificat...you had to go into the 2006 room and say; "I heard a rumor..." Gary and I get the last two tastes of the '89 from the decanter. It has been well cellared, the cork looks good and how many times do you ever get to taste a 2o year old Napa blend. But now that's gone it back to see Tom with the 2001 and I camp out there for the remainder of the afternoon. Normally I like wine 3-5 years old, but the '01 is perfect with an amazing finish.

We were going to stop at Auberge for a burger, but we had some much food at Franciscan we head back to the East Bay.

It's Saturday night, but I'm too tired to head out.

Maybe golf in the morning.

It's been a great birthday - year 49 is off to a good start.

-Brian

MORE NAPA SUMMER FUN

ROBERT MONDAVI SUMMER CONCERTS

6/27 B-52s
7/4 Preservation Hall Jazz Band with fireworks
7/11 Ozomatli
7/18 Natalie Cole with Napa Valley Symphony
7/25 KC & Sunshine Band
8/1 Smokey Robinson

FRANCISCAN MAGNIFICAT TASTING

coming up on 7/18 www.franciscan.com

NY Summer Hot Spots

The Pony - American Beer Bar 44th & 10th Ave in Hells Kitchen. Rotating american beers on tap. Sister restaurant to Lansdowne Road. Another reason to party in the old neighborhood. Say Hi! to Dan for me! And keep track of your beer tasting - free shirt after 100 beers (not in one setting please)

Just opened NY's Largest Beer Garden "Studio Square" huge outdoor space and grill 20 beers on tap. 35-33 36th Street, LIC, NY http://www.studiosquarenc.com/

McGarry's Pub grand opening of Summer Beer Garden with $20 mix buckets of Mexican beers. Weekend brunch $11.95 417 9th Ave 212-810-2115

Hoboken Bar & Grill: On Washington - over 60 beers - taste them all and you make their hall of fame. Fantastic Food and outdoor seating. Yours truly 1st member of beer club...but still have some beers to consume.

Dog's Ear Bar: On Hudson in SoHo - new restaurant and bar opened right next door to our new CBS studios. They must have known about us moving down...nothing on tap yet, but good beer selection. Excellent Bacon Cheeseburger, Cobb Salad, Salmon, Fish & Chips and more. Very nice setting.

Water Taxi Beaches: they're expanding with one on Governor's Island (7/4 opening) and South Street Seaport at the north end of Pier 17 - opening May 10. Great concept and a lot of fun. Bring the beach to the city!

Summer Events in Napa

Napa Valley Festival Del Sole - July 17-25 Music fine wine art and more at spectacular Napa Wineries http://www.fdsnapa.org

Ravenswood Release Party - Saturday Aug 29 The home of No Wimpy Wines is releasing the 2007 Vineyard-Designate wines. Single vineyard Zins. Ravenswood also offers Morning Tour & Tastings at 10:30 - see who says it has to be noon? Or Afternoon Vineyard Wine & Cheese Tour at 3pm. Weds 5:30 - 7:30 - after hours with Uncle Bob - Ravenswood wines with snacks and Bob! www.ravenswood-wine.com

More events as they come in...put them on my blog so I can find them again.

-Brian

Taste of Hope Wine Dinner

April 16, 2009

Tribeca-Manhattan, NY. - The Hope’s 3rd Annual "Taste of Hope" Dinner and Wine auction to support City of Hope was a huge success last week. Raising a record breaking $225,000 at the event that was easily the heaviest gathering of the entire music and radio business in years with LA Reid, Steve Bartels, Richard Palmese and a couple of former NY Knicks John Starks and Allan Houston were in attendance. Learn about last year's event >>

As a table wine sponsor I lined up what turned to be an amazing evening for everyone at table #16. This was evident when we made a lot of new friend when they heard what we were drinking;

Starting with a nice Champagne Toast from Chad Brown (who hired me in NYC).
We get into Califorinia' Greatest Hits:

1) Champagne Toast - Bollinger Champagne (not from Cali...)

2) Cakebread Cellars – Chardonnay 200 Napa Valley

3) Cakebread Cellars – Chardonnay Reserve 2005 Carneros Napa
Drink now -2011. Consistently scores 90+ pts in WS.

4) Duckhorn – Merlot 2006 Napa Valley
One of the Napa’s biggest Merlots. Drink now – 2009. 90 pts in WS.


A Salute to Robert Mondavi and his Napa Cabs scoring over 90 pts in 2000’s and 1990’s
VERTICAL TASTING – Different Vintages of same wine *bonus taste

*) Robert Mondavi – Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Napa Valley
Best from now – 2018 92 pts in WS.

6) Robert Mondavi – Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Napa Valley
Best from 2008 – 2018 95 pts in WS. Very Nice

7) Robert Mondavi – Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Napa Valley
Best from 2005 – 2012. 94 pts in WS. This was fantastic too!

*) Robert Mondavi – Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 Napa Valley. Best from now – 2011. 90-92 pts in Parker recent tastes& 90pts in WS. Although no considered a great year for Napa this was very nice for 2000 vintage.

9) Robert Mondavi – Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 Napa Valley
Best from now-2012 94 pts in WS. This was spectactular!

10) Robert Mondavi – Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 Napa Valley
Drink now - 2011. 95 pts in WS. This wine has held up well and maybe one of the finest expressions of a big Napa Cab - Thanks Bob!

MERITAGE - BATTLE OF THE BLENDS
(Merit + Heritage) Red Meritage Wines must be a blend of at least two of the following: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab-Franc, Malbec or Petit Verdot. No single grape may make up more than 90%. The price point doubles in each of these bottles. ($60, $125, $240) And people were surprised that Trilogy at that price point holds it own!

11) Flora Springs - Trilogy - 2003!

12) Rubicon Estate - 2002 Rutherford, Napa Valley
A Bordeaux expression in Napa. Co-owned by Francis Ford Coppola. Drink now - 2012. 91 pts in WS.

13) Joseph Phelps – Insignia 2001 Napa Valley
Meritage blend (Cab , Petit Verdot and Malbec. A more recent vintage of Insignia finished #1 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list and the price skyrocketed! Drink now - 2012. 94 pts in WS.

http://www.cityofhope.org/giving/fundraising-support-groups/music/taste-of-hope/Pages/default.aspx

Here's what a typical table looks like...some of the finest wine assembled...

Where's all the food?

Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail 2009

Altoona, Pa - I met up with my parents and good friends Ken, Cheryl, Carl, and Michelle hopped aboard the bus for a tour of the six wineries in the Susquehanna Heartland.
The wineries are all spread out, so we only made it to four.

The Juniata and Susquehanna River Valleys are beautiful even though spring has not arrived yet. Note - The Susquehanna River which actually starts in upstate NY is one of the largest fresh water sources of the Chesapeake Bay. OK enough water trivia…

1st stop was Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery – close to State College home to Joe Pa and Penn State. Starting with the Reserve Chardonnay - $18.99 very clear and has seen very little oak – which is the trend lately to show case more fruit flavors. On to the Reds…Montage $15.99 their version of a Meritage blend. Cabernet Franc $13.99 my fave for this winery and a new grape which I unfamiliar – Chambourcin $11.99. Had the aroma of a Pinot Noir. That’s it for their dry winers – the local favorite is one called Tailgate Red which comes in 1.5 Liter bottled perfect for tailgating at Penn State.
My purchase here was a sweet/sour mustard. http://www.mtnittanywinery.com/

For a point of reference I brought a long a bottle of NY wine –Bedell Taste blend and a & Washington Wine – Northstar Merlot. BTW – no comparison to PA.

According to the arrow Ken seems to think there's a bigger attraction than the wine...

15 minutes later we made it to our 2nd stop Brookmere Winery located in a stone & wood bank barn in the beautiful Kishacoquilla’s “Seven Mountains” Valley.
Start with a Niagara Spumante that’s very tasty, then on to the a nice collection of reds.
Here’s the Chambourcin again $11.00 – dead ringer for Pinot. Autumn Red $10.00 thin, but pleasant. Cabernet Franc $13.50, then 1st red to catch my attention – Carmine full flavor with a nice pepper finish. Than another surprise Alexander Red – blend of their Chambourcin & Cab Franc – very nice at $15.50. The Cabernet Sauvignon was just OK and they had a crazy red called Red Foxx that is sweet & spicy at same time – think hot & sour soup – it was interesting. But the big winner with our group where the fruit wines like “Tears of the Goose”, “Frog Hollow” and their #1 wine is called “Berries Gone Wild” Ken and I realized we’re not in Napa and start to embrace these fruit bomps.
http://www.brookmerewine.com/

Ken and my Dad get into the spirit at Shade Mt. while Brian & Cheryl pose out front.

It’s a longer trip on Rt. 522 to Shade Mountain Winery in Middleberg, PA and somehow a bigger bus has beat us to this winery. Shade Mountain has a nice beautiful deck overlooking 60 acres of vineyards and there are 43 wines to sample – YES 43 at one winery.
Starting with the Reds; Merlot-Dry $10.99 ok but a little chalky finish, Pinot Noir $10.99 not bad but is lacking structure. Sangiovese $9.95 was very pleasant as was the Cab Franc and Cab Sauv both $11.99. Unlike the other wineries no limit on how many you wanted to try here…so Porque No! (so why not?)
Bad Moose Mead – sweet honey wine – that oddly enough was very tasty. Six Dwarf’s Mint Wine – where are my Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies to complement this wine…and by the way – only 6 dwarfs, because one took off with Snow White.
They have a whole bunch of Fruit Wines: Plum, Cranberry, Strawberry, Cherry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry and Smokehouse Apple – very nice.
http://www.shademountainwinery.com/

After 3 wineries somehow I'm the only one who can still read a map...and our driver isn't drinking? The bus driver get us to our 4th winery on the other side of the Susquehanna River - Spyglass Ridge Winery near Sunbury.
There is a live band and damn that huge bus beat us here too, but there are over 20 wines to sample and there is a good food spread.
2005 Chardonnay – pleasant – aged in PA American Oak for 18 months. 2004 Chambourcin – 28 months in oak and is more hearty than the other Chambourcin wines of the day. 2005 Cab Franc Reserve – where they mix in 5% of Chambersin and this wine is almost sold out.
The most requested wine here is one called “Tam’s Red” deep and rich in color with cherry notes – perfect with dark chocolate and only $10.00
Some of the fruit wines were “Tommy Appleseed” which tasted like biting into an apple and “Sour Cherry” a wine they describe like tasting like summer and I agree this would be refreshing on a hot August day.
http://www.spyglassridgewinery.com/

We ran out of time to visit the other two on the trail.

Just south of Spyglass is Benigna’s Creek Winery in Klingerstown. http://www.bcwinery.com/

And farther downriver is Hunters Valley Winery that has been in operation for over 20 years and has just moved into a new building that has breathtaking views of the Susquehanna River. Sit on the porch and watch the Millersburg Ferry cross the river in the summer…good plan. http://www.huntersvalleywines.com/

Ok so it wasn’t Napa, Sonoma, Woodinville or Santa Ynez valley, but with good friends and my parents it was time well spent.
Little did I know there were wineries so close to our family cottage and I’ve been wasting all my time fishing…

-Brian

For more info visit: http://www.pawinetrail.com/

California Wine Experience in NYC

Manhattan - Wine Spectator hosts a few events in New York every year, the earlier one was the Grand Tour.

The California Wine Experience is an opportunity to the best that California has to offer.
Most people will never get the chance to taste this many fine wines in one location. It would take weeks to visit all these Napa wineries.

This time I tried to keep the order of the wines tasted for future reference.

1) Snowden Cab
2) Shafer Hillside Select (first Wow wine of the night)
3) Spottswoode (nice)
4) Silver Oak - Napa
5) Staglin -this is their blend (2nd Wow)
6) St. Clement Oroppas (nice but the other wines were bigger)
7) Joseph Phelps - Insignia (still one of my all time favorites)
8) Pride Mountain
9) Quintessa (very nice blend)
10) Lewis Cellars (for all the hype on this wine I was disappointed)
11) Plumpjack (SF's Mayor Gavin Newsome is one of the founders)
12) Paradigm
13) Opus One (a meritage blend before the name existed)
14) Pahlmeyer (Napa Valley Blend - this is fantastic)
15) Rubicon (best vintage I've tasted from them)
16) M by Michael Mondavi (1st time I've tasted his wine - very nice - lots of fruit up front)
17) Peter Michael (nice)
18) Nickel & Nickel
19) Neiman (blend 1/3 Cab, 1/3 Merlot & 1/3 Cab Franc)
20) Stag's Leap Wine Cellars - SLV
21) Sterling (very nice wine)
22) Chateau St. Michelle - Syrah (odd that a WA wine is at the CA Wine Experience)
23) Domaine Carneros
24) David Bruce - Pinot from the Santa Cruz mountains.

and this was just on the 6th floor, now down to the 5th floor

Rochioli Chardonnay (one of my faves)
Darioush (beautiful tasting room on Silverado Trail)
Duckhorn Merlot
Northstar Merlot (Another WA wine)
Araujo Cab - this is one of Napa's cult wine - fantastic!
Harlan Cab - another big Napa wine.
Barnett
and topped off the night with Kevin from Bennett Lane - they used to call it Primus, but have dropped that moniker from their top of the line Cabernet.

There were some other great wines on the 5th floor that I didn't make it to:

Paul Hobbs, Dunn, Far Niente, Col Solare, Grgigh Hills, Chalk Hill, Groth, Girard, Hall,
Etude, and more.

Emerald Isle Golf

Took my first guy's golf trip to Ireland

Here are my favorite phrases of the week besides: "another Carlsberg beer..."

1) "Just a wee bit left..."

2) "This club will do you no harm" obviously my caddie didn't see me play Port Rush the day before...

3) "I heard a rumor that Irish golf courses actually have fairways"

4) "Have you ever considered playing tennis over here - we might be able to find your ball"

I had a great time and no golf clubs were injured in Ireland, but that might have been a good idea.

It was a trip of a lifetime - 10 rounds of golf on 8 days/7 nights on Ireland's best courses.

Luckily found a direct flight into Belfast:

Day One: Portstewart Golf Club with accomodations at Bushmills Inn.

Day Two: Ballyliffin Golf Club - "Old Couse" for two rounds

Day Three: Royal Portrush Golf Club - "Dunluce Course" for two rounds.

Day Four: can I stll walk? Royal County Down Golf Club - Slieve Donard Hotel

Day Five: County Louth (Baltray) Golf Club - Westin Dublin Hotel

Day Six: Royal Dublin Golf Club in the morning followed by The Island Golf Club in the afternoon.

Day Seven: The European Club

Day Eight: sleep the whole way back to New York.

Can't wait to see how different the golf courses are in Ireland - the weather will be unpredictable and the pubs should be fun - exactly which wine goes with fish & chips?

And I Learned a long time ago not to go drink for drink with the Irish...I think I've learned.


-Brian

Stratus - Niagara Falls VQA

Stratus Winery has one of the best looking tasting rooms you'll see. And the wine was up to par with the new construction.

The have a nice white blend and ice wine too, but I was impressed with "Red" a blend of the 5 noble Bordeaux grapes and a little Syrah which creates a fantastic finish. And this helps take a way that thin taste in most red wines outside of Napa.

"Pretty Good Wine - Eh?"

They also make an impressive Cabernet Franc which flourishes in this region. And make sure you try their ice wine to harvest the temps have to be -7 to -10 for consecutive day, by the way that's Celsius.

And Stratus is the 1st "Leed" certified winery in the world making them eco friendly - more information at http://www.stratuswines.com/

-Brian


note: VQA stands for Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario - Setting the standard for Ontario's premium wines. http://www.vqaontario.com/