I've always thought of wine as the ultimate interpreter. As interpreter par excellence of place, of people, of culture. I think there are other things that also capture time and momentum and the spirit of of an era. Film and music come to mind as the clearest examples of this ability of one thing to encapsulate so many different things cultural and temporal.

But wine, in its abstractness, like art becomes a sort of kaleidoscopic lense to view the world it comes from. What you get from wine, then, is not a pure reflection of things but instead a refracted, reinterpreted and ultimately more adventurous view of reality, one where ordinary things take on extraordinary qualities, and the sum of a thousand tiny influences takes on a new identity at once familiar and totally unique. And you can experience all this in a single glass of wine.

* pictured: Medlock Ames marketing guru Kenneth Rochford, as seen through my glass with the winery in the distance

You must know, of course, that I'm talking about good wine here. Only in good wines made with excellent fruit, careful attention to detail, minimal interference and totally sound vineyard practices can you find this lovely reinterpretation. Without all this, all you've got in your glass is some wine.

Fortunately for me, I lately visited a place in Sonoma's Alexander Valley where the lense is in full kaleidoscopic effect. That place is Medlock Ames. You may have read about them in my earlier account of the green wine trend. Medlock Ames is a quiet operation going about its work of making really lovely wines with very little fanfare.

Very little fanfare yet, that is. These guys are brand spanking new (their first vintage was 2001) to the wine business and, based on what I've tasted thus far and my incredibly pleasant interactions with their staff, these guys are about to fast-forward to some serious recognition. I'm sure, however, that, when this happens, they'll keep their eye on the prize - the lense - and keep on making wines that are beautiful and make you think about much more than just the liquid in your glass.

Here are some pics from my recent visit to Medlock. I highly recommend that you check out their website, quite possibly the coolest site I've ever seen. If you don't get off on playing with the squiggly top nav bar, there's something wrong with you. Or maybe I just have ADD and there's something wrong with ME. Does it matter? Just check it out.

My visit to the winery started with this absolutely lovely spread of cheese, fruit and tomatoes from the winery's garden. The guys aim to create an environmentally sustainable farming environment, so everywhere possible efforts have been taken to use organic ingredients (they'll become Certified Organic next year) and methods, recyclable materials and minimal energy.

They're currently raising baby geese with the hope that they'll eventually eat the algae that grow in their irrigation ponds. And, they've used sheep in the vineyards to keep cover crops in check and fertilize the fields.

A gorgeous shot of their totally state of the art winery. Gorgeous grounds, huh? Good vibes AND good taste.

I took a walking tour of the vineyard with Ames Morison, the operation's co-owner and winemaker. Ames is a soft-spoken guy who couldn't be more sincere and passionate about what he's doing.

It's been such a pleasure to get to know him. And, as I mentioned in an earlier blog when I met the guys at the Taste of Sonoma event in SF, he sports these very cool frames .

Ames came to winemaking after stints in the Peace Corps in Guatemala, where he helped folks revive ancient farming methods, and teaching Spanish and ESL in the Bronx.

Pictured, grapes on the vine pre-veraison and evidence of green harvesting (the cluster I'm holding in my hand). For those of you wondering what this is, a green harvest is when folks intentionally lop off clusters of perfectly good grapes in order to deliberately thin their crop.

The vines then put more energy into fewer clusters, making better quality fruit - although less of it. It's essentially quality control, and it's a very good thing.

We toured the winery next, where I loved this shot of the oak tree outside visible through the glass. I thought it captured perfectly Medlock Ames' commitment to nature and creating a harmonious operation where machinery, man and the surrounding land coexist fluidly and peacefully.

I know that may sound a bit zen to you, but it works. It really does. It just FEELS good there.

Now, the good part: tasting the barrel samples. Here I am with Ames, getting in on the good stuff. I continue to love their Merlot, which is tasting beautifully out of the barrel, and I also really enjoyed the newer Cabernet, which is gaining in complexity as the vines are getting older.

And, another great story from the visit is the winery's latest adventure, the creation of their "Red" wine, a blend made by "environmentally sustainable" methods and packaged with this very cool brown and red label. It'll be released later this year at a more approachable price point than some of their other wines (although I personally find the 2001 Merlot a steal at about $35).

It's the ultimate good vibe wine, and - most importantly - has so much going on in terms of aromas and flavors you can't help but think beyond the wine itself. When sipping it one night recently I couldn't help but think about the land where it's grown, the people who put it together, and what must have been going on in their lives at that time. It truly captured the spirit of people, place and an era, and that interpretive power is exactly what makes me love wine.

www.medlockames.com

Posted by Courtney at 09:09 AM • Comments (1)

I visited cult Cab producer PRIDE recently in my ongoing quest to learn more about the somewhat mysterious Spring Mountain appellation. Situated literally on the crest of the Mayacamas Mountains, the range that splits Napa County from its neighbor Sonoma (the break in vines in this pic is the actual county line!), Pride is a bit of a study in dualities. With 52% of its land in Napa, technically speaking, and the remainder in Sonoma, the folks at Pride understandably seem a bit torn between two opposites - the high point-scoring realm of Cult Napa Cabs and all the hoopla that comes with it, and the down-home "aw shucks, we're just farmers" MO of Sonoma-ns.

And that's just fine, far as I'm concerned. On this same outing I logged time in both Napa and Sonoma and, much to my surprise, found both utterly delightful, for mostly different although sometimes startling similar reasons. More on that later (see my upcoming "A Tale of Two Counties" account).

Back to Pride. The day - last Wednesday, July 12 - was utterly stunning. I couldn't take a bad picture at Pride, and believe me I'm no Ansel Adams.
The mountains were gorgeous! Here are some shots of the property, looking from the "top" of the Mayacamas back eastward towards Napa Valley (which is below the vineyards, out of sight) and the mountains beyond. Oh yes, it was THAT good. What were YOU doing at 10AM on the 12th?

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Anyway, I took the tour with Russell Batt, who mans the tasting room at Pride, and several other folks who were visiting from Florida. Here we all are before getting down to business. Russell was telling us about how the winery was originally established in 1890 but was out of commission for a time during Prohibition; that there are 90 THOUSAND vines on the property, all of which are hand tended; that there are 10 THOUSAND people on the waiting list for some Pride wines; and that the winery can't put the "estate" indication on their bottles due to being split being the two counties (it's a logistical glitch in the laws).

But enough of all that. Let's look at some vines. Here's a shot with some newly planted vines in the foreground. On this four acre parcel of new vines they're experimenting with 4 different clones and 2 rootstocks. Very ambitious of them! Russell explained they're trying to figure out which combinations will yield the best expression of the property's terroir. Nice.

Next: a view of Carolyn's Cabernet, a parcel of Cab yielding a wine influential critic Robert Parker calls "almost perfect." Note also the red volcanic soil that looks VERY similar to that seen at nearby Smith Madrone! Apparently this particular plot makes great stuff because the vines are perfectly situated on top of the mountain with ideal sun exposure. Which basically means they ripen superbly.

Here's another shot of the ripening grapes with Russell's hand in the frame. He was doing a great job explaining the vineyard cycle, where we are currently (we're not yet at versaison, when the grapes take on their final color) in that cycle, and more. He did a great job.

Now, a brief fashion moment. Check out how perfectly my cami Pumas blend in with the ground here. Until this moment I'd always felt the print was just sort of an urban hoax - like, when would I ever blend in on the mean streets of San Fran wearing these kicks? Apparently I was meant to come up here to Pride, in these shoes. A confluence of good weather, fabulous wine and affirmation of my fashion sense - what more could a girl want?

Here we are winding up the tour at the infamous picnic table vista. I call it the "infamous picnic table vista" because apparently a certain sommelier from a very famous restaurant in Napa said on his blog that this very spot is the ultimate picnic spot in Napa. The folks at Pride didn't understand why limos and buses suddenly appeared by the, well, limo-load, with folks just sauntering over to these tables to grub and gape. You see, due to zoning/permitting issues, Pride has very strict rules about visitors at the property. You can only come by appointment, in other words, and it's not exactly a bus-type of place (you'll know what I mean if you ever take the drive up Spring Mountain). I think they got wind of the blog post and asked the guy to take it down.

Which brings me back to the amazing views to be had from this spot. I definitely think the guy had it right. It was breathtaking. Here's a ZOOM'd view. Made me want to have a special someone by my side, but in the end I had to settle for the awe-struck Floridians.

Here are a few more shots of the new tasting room, currently under construction but opening soon, and some big bottles of the yummy stuff. I tasted several wines while there. My favorites were the 2004 Chardonnay, which had lovely tropical fruit flavors including banana as well as macadamia nut and is the only Pride wine made from off-property fruit (Carneros); the 2004 Merlot, which had candied fruit flavors and a really pretty hazelnut/toast thing going on; and, of course, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, which featured creamy cassis, coffee, caramel, and toast.
Like the Cain Cab I really enjoyed at that winery, this Cab was just beautifully smooth, integrated, balanced and totally pleasant. It's easy to see why these wines fetch the prices they do.

Back to the Napa/Sonoma thing. The winery had surprisingly few bells and whistles. The new tasting room looks great, but it's not ostentatious in any way. And, you could tell by the way Russell talked about their hands-on vineyard management that their hearts are in the vineyard, not in the point scores. Cheers to Pride.
A little bit of both worlds on top of Spring Mountain, and that's a good thing.

Pride Mountain Vineyards

Posted by Courtney at 10:41 PM • Comments (0)

Everyone, meet Jen Cohen, my long time BFF and soon-to-be Harvard MBA (Class of 2008, baby). There are oodles of reasons she's a Hip Taster, but the main one is that Jen has never, ever turned down an invitation from me to drink some good wine. Heck, I'll even go out on a limb and let it be known that she's enthusiastically downed tons of totally sub-par vino with me (JC - remember that case of Two Buck Chuck?)

And, besides being obviously very bright and an excellent partner in vinous crime, she happens to have a fantastic sense of humor and general joie de vivre that makes her a perfect Hip Taste-r. Check out this very cute pic of her wearing her Harvard sweatshirt and clutching a glass of vino. She's come a long way since the time back in college when she asked me if they "really put strawberries" in a wine we were drinking.

From time to time I fondly recall the time she asked me in all earnestness if the wine I'd just described as having aromas of nutmeg and strawberry really contained the berries. It seemed absurd at the time that anyone might actually think this (let alone a very bright person who was working for one of the top strategy consulting firms in the country), but then again that's just the thing about wine: it's freaking confusing! It doesn't matter if you've got your doctorate, an amazingly high IQ or a Harvard MBA - if you don't know much about wine it can seem overwhelming at times.

Fortunately for Jen, she's come a long way since she asked me that question. Many shared bottles later, I'm proud to say she understands the rudimentary facts behind vinification (namely, that the only thing they add is the actual grapes, plus some yeast and a little sulfur). She's also graduated to some much better wine than 2 Buck Chuck - case in point: she's accompanying me to Bordeaux and the Rhone for a week of wine wanderings later this summer. First stop: Chateau Margaux. Certainly a big improvement over our previous plonk. Here's another pic of her hamming with my sister and, ahem, a glass of wine.

Naturally, we'll also be hitting St. Tropez, Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo on this trip for some apres-tasting festivities. After all, Jen can use a little nightlife before beginning the grind at HBS this fall. I'll be sure to post a healthy dose of pics of both the wine tasting and partying because, at the end of the day, JC's a hoot in the clubs as well as in the tasting room. Stay tuned.

Posted by Courtney at 08:53 PM • Comments (1)

Tired of aimlessly wandering the aisles of your local wine store like a bargain hunter at a played-out sample sale? Know your Two Buck Chuck from your Opus 1, but everything else in between seems...the same?

No more! It's time to feel fabulous about every bottle of wine you crack open, something the new HIP TASTES Wine Club makes possible, whether you live in San Fran, NYC or Wanker's Corner (yes, this place actually exists, in Oregon; we can currently ship to 30 states including CA, NY and OR). Take your pick from shipments of 2, 4, 6 or 12 bottles and get ready to start drinking more adventurous wines, which'll be delivered right to your door regularly so you have to do nada, natch.

Besides fabulous wine selections hand-picked by yours truly, each shipment includes detailed tasting notes, suggestions for dynamite food pairings and wine-themed party ideas penned by moi, just for club members.

Each shipment will include a balance between reds and whites, with the occasional bubbly, rose and dessert wine thrown in for good measure. And, if you'd like to receive shipments less often (on that new low alcohol cleanse? PS they never last!) you can even elect to receive quarterly shipments.

No matter how often you choose to receive, each package will include the aforementioned tasting notes, party ideas and food pairing suggestions enclosed in an attractive velum mailer those fond of cute packaging will love. After all, it's the HIP WINE CLUB! I know you expect nothing less.

And, thanks to our new partnership with Bottlenotes.com, HIP TASTES club members can take advantage of some very cool online features including tasting note storage, a personal wine wish list and even a social network of other tasters. It's sort of like MySpace meets Wine. As soon as you sign up you can log on and start comparing notes and networking with other tasters. Like MySpace's ubiquitous Tom (who I know personally, BTW!) I will be your first "friend" and kick start your online wine journey. Just like a big family. A hip, wine drinking family, that is.
Learn more and sign up here.

About the Hip Tastes Wine Club & Hip Tastes Packs (coming soon!)

My goal with the Hip Tastes Wine Club and associated a la carte offerings, Hip Tastes Packs, is to introduce savvy folks like yourself to new and exciting wines on a regular basis, much like I do at my stylish HIP TASTES wine tastings in San Francisco. Because hipsters with a hankering for good wine - including those who may not be lucky enough to live in San Fran - shouldn't have to wait around for a HIP TASTES event to get their fix.

About Bottlenotes.com

Bottlenotes is a customized wine club service and wine retail website featuring wines from some of the best producers around the world. With its cutting-edge matching technology - which helps people learn and keep track of what styles of wine, varieties, and regions they truly like - Bottlenotes strives to be the Netflix of wine. I am proud to be working with such an exciting and forward-looking company in bringing the HIP TASTES Wine Club to life.

Posted by Courtney at 07:53 PM • Comments (1)

As an English major in college I was prone to long windedness. Fortunately, they looked fondly on that so long as you got your message across at the same time. Detailed descriptions, colorful but precise verbs and well chosen metaphors were preferred to, say, just saying something. Although a simple phrase like "The woman wept" may have been completely true, penning it as such would never get you Latin Honors at graduation. Instead, you might say something like "having cast off her youthful naivete and accepted that her love would never be requited, the lonely woman wept; in doing so she demonstrated both her vulnerability and her transition to the hard but all-comprehending world of adulthood."

Ok, so maybe that's a little overkill, but you get the point. Along these lines, one of my favorite things about wine is that it, too, can provoke long windedness. And I don't mean the kind that'll annoy your lit professor and provoke widespread eye rolling amongst your companions.

I'm talking about 'GOOD WINE long windedness', a special kind of verboseness that is - and I know I'm taking a risk in saying this - a good thing for everyone involved. Because, you see, wines that lead to much discussion and description are by nature damn good wines. I know because I'm someone who fights a constant urge to over-explicate everything I come across, and, fantastically, folks don't seem to mind when I go on and on about wine. Which means I'm either in the right profession or everyone I know is humoring me.

Assuming the former is the case, I hope you'll listen as I rhapsodize a bit about the absolutely fabulous wine that's in my glass right now. I'm currently enjoying an unreleased wine simply called "Red Wine" from one of my favorite new wineries, Medlock Ames. Here are the dets:

Name: Bell Mountain Ranch Red
Producer: Medlock Ames
Variety: 75% Merlot, 25% Cab
Vintage: 2002
Region: Sonoma's Alexander Valley
Release date: Aug-Sept 2006

The wine ispired me to jot down this entry about long windedness because there is simply a TON going on in the glass - especially on the nose - and the whole is so harmoniously integrated and smooth and appealing that I wanted to share. Before I go too long down the road of describing the wine, however, I want to note that this wine is ORGANIC - meaning it's both been farmed by organic methods and "raised" in the winery by similar methods.

Medlock Ames is an exciting pioneer in very cool "green" methods including the use of birds of prey and sheep in the vineyard instead of pesticides to ward off pests. They also use gravity flow winemaking - a process by which the wine flows continuously downward in the winery during the winemaking process rather than being artificially "pumped" around, which can damage the wine - and native yeast fermentation in the winery. All of which is time-consuming, expensive, and...totally worth it!

The glass in my hand is proof of that. It's got an incredibly complex nose as multidimensional as some of the best old-world wines I've tasted. I'm convinced this results from the hands-off way the grapes are grown and the wine is made. I'm tasting the WINE, not what's been DONE to it. Wine is a highly volatile substance - which is why we smell so many things coming off of it. Most of the time, I believe, much of that complexity is masked by sub-par farming practices and interventionist winemaking.

And so cheers to Medlock for unlocking this wine's potential. Maybe it's time everyone went green?

Check back soon for a photo-filled account of my visit to the winery, where I'm headed next week.

Here are the Tasting notes:
color: lovely deep ruby color
nose: aromas of very ripe red-black fruits including plum, dark cherry and blackberry. Also dehydrated fruits including fig, prune and date. Then, cocoa bean, licorice, and coconut. Toast and some butterscotch; a little stone and flint. Finally: smoke.
palate: dry, moderate acid and tannin; youthful flavors of ripe red and black fruits including cherry, cassis and plum. Some baking spices. Also cocoa and toffee. Length is really impressive and finishes with ripe fruits and a hint of fig.

www.medlockames.com

Posted by Courtney at 04:57 PM • Comments (2)

Who knew that Turtle, the unofficial "house manager" of the LA mansion housing the stars of this hit HBO show, could sniff out "lead pencil" in a glass of red wine? I almost fell out of my chair when Jerry Ferrara, the actor who plays Turtle, let this descriptor slide during the show's most recent episode, "Guys and Doll".

The best part was that the rest of the guys were totally oblivious - per usual - to Turtle's subtle genious. You see - Turtle's got a lot going on, he just doesn't get a lot of cred for it amongst this crew.

The bumbling but somehow still cool Entourage foursome was at the Santa Barbara mansion of a top movie producer when the wine banter started. Apparently the producer had made some of his own wine and they were sampling the goods. Drama (Kevin Dillon) started it when he waxed "I get toffee, mocha...and a hint of terra firma."

To which E (Kevin Connolly) replied "Terra firma's dirt, Drama." The retort went like this: "Yeah, well wine COMES from dirt, E." Oooh, drama from Drama!

Turtle chimed in at this point with "Kinda smells like lead pencils to me." Typically, nobody noticed, and the action continued in another scene involving "major player" Vince (Adrian Grenier) the actor the entourage tools around with.

Thing is about Turtle - the guy isn't that far off. Lead pencil, after all, is a classic descriptor of Cabernet Sauvignon. Whether or not they were drinking Cab I don't know, but I DO know this: It's time for a little respect for Turtle, at least when it comes to his beverage choices.

Visit the Entourage Web Site

Posted by Courtney at 12:31 AM • Comments (0)