I used to champion West Coast wines, calling the Frenchies stuffy, snooty and bo-ring. Now it's all France, all the time. Even though I've come to recognize, reluctantly, that it's just easier to find well made French wines that are interesting and well priced, I still love California and Oregon. But not enough to spend $30 on a cherry-berry-burst Zinfandel or a toothpaste-y Pinot Noir. For Christmas I drank a white Burgundy from St. Aubin, a Brouilly and a ridiculously good 100% gamay from Anjou that was bright, fruity, earthy and hella gamey, dude. Also, organic and biodynamic, and made by Olivier Cousin, a maniacal winemaker who handcrafts amazing stuff.

Tony (above) and Phil Coturri are America's version of Olivier Cousin. For one, they're total hippies - Eric Asimov once quoted someone who described Phil as "second runner up in a Jerry Garcia lookalike contest." Coturri Winery is the kind of place that perfectly blends the free spirit of the West Coast with traditional European winemaking practices. The Coturris have been making wine in California for three generations now, since the pater familias Enrico arrived in San Francisco at the turn of the (20th) century with $10 in his pocket. Go to their website and read the whole history -- I want to talk about the wine.

I drank a bottle of their 2005 Albarello last night and mmmmm child, what an amazing wine. Mostly Zinfandel and Petite Syrah with some other blending grapes thrown in, this wine is the result of a mixed grape vineyard in Sonoma that was planted to produce a full-bodied table wine. The Coturris don't irrigate, they hand prune and they use only naturally occurring yeasts, so the wine really expresses the character of where it was grown. And what did Sonoma taste like in 2005? Fresh raspberry juice, bright tannins and loamy earth. Let it breathe, maybe even decant it (there's LOADS of sediment) and you have a warm California hillside in a glass.

Labels: californian, french, organic/biodynamic, reds, zinfandel

It's August. It's hot and it seems like everyone I know is too broke to go on that vacation or long weekend they planned earlier in the summer. What to do?

Treat yourself right with a fancy bottle of wine. Not pretentious fancy. Not break-the-bank fancy. Just something you haven't tried before that costs a little more than you would usually spend. Make a night of it. Buy some cheese and bread and bottle (or two) of wine and have yourself a little "I'm broke (tired of summer, sick of my job, irritated with my significant other, freaked out by the world), but I still treat myself right" party. Invite friends. Have everyone bring a bottle of wine and something fancy to eat. The funny thing is, you'll probably spend less than if you went out to a bar, had three drinks and took a car service home.

What to get?

At $15.95 Flying Cloud Pinot Gris from San Luis Obispo County in California is an affordable luxury. This crisp white has lovely notes of Asian pear and a long clean finish. Perfect chilled with a soft ripened goat cheese like Le Chevrot or Lingot de Quercy.

What else?

Try Bandol Rose from Domaine la Suffrene. A full bottle will run you $20.95. It's also available in half bottles for $10.50. Bandol is a wine making region in Provence, on France's Mediterranean coast. Mourvedre, Grenache and Cinsault are the main grapes in this rose, and, with the addition of Syrah, of the Bandol region as well. It's a sturdy but supple rose, with nice raspberry lushness and sprightly lemon notes. Get yourself some aged sheep cheese from the Pyrenees like Abbaye de Belloc, Ossau Iraty or Vermont Shepherd (admittedly, from Vermont but in the Pyrenees style). Better yet, get some Brin D'Amor - an herb covered soft sheep cheese from Corsica. You will be in heaven.

Feeling really fancy? Want a wine with some real substance?

Crank up the ac and get yourself a bottle of Domaine Ligneres Notre Dame. It has a sleek modern label, is from Corbieres, France and if I was made of money I would drink a bottle of this wine twice a week. At $29.95 a bottle it's not an everyday wine for most of us, but worth every penny and more. The Notre Dame is big and silky with a beautiful warm, round fullness. Really go for it and buy yourself the most gooey, stinky, delicious cheese you can find. Brie de Meaux or Brie de Nangis would do it. A triple cream would also be appropriate. Invite someone you love, or think you might like to love, to drink it with you. You know those blizzard babies? Consider yourself warned.

Labels: american, californian, food, french, reds, rosé, whites