Another one bites the dust. Citing the "tainted cork controversy" but making no mention of the Iberian Lynx, Willakenzie Estate announced Wednesday it was releasing the first U.S. Pinot Noir with a screw-cap closure. As with its Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc wines, the Yamhill, Ore. winery is marketing the wine with both a cork and a screw cap to give consumers choice. In Sept. 2001, the eight-year-old winery hosted 400 customers at a seminar on trichloroasnisole (TCA) where - guess what - a majority preferred wine without any taint. "I have seen anywhere from 3 to 10 percent of my wines affected by cork taint," said Willakenzie's Thibaud Mandet. "We are putting all this effort into the vineyards and throughout the winemaking process, and it's very frustrating not being able to guarantee that every bottle is consistent in quality."
 :: posted by John Biers at 12:13 AM
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The beginning of the end of idiotic interstate wine laws? In an effort to stamp out anti-competitive state laws, the Federal Trade Commission has created a task force to examine various state rules restricting Internet commerce, including the interstate shipment of wine, reports the Wall Street Journal. The agency's efforts gibe with the overall philosophical goal of conservatives of lessening government intrusion in the market, according to the WSJ. Unfortunately, the article suggests a key test case - which involves a gasoline patent - stands on pretty shaky legal ground. The article quoted Daniel McFadden, a California vineyard operator, Berkeley economics professor and Nobel laureate: "The history of government regulation of markets is littered with examples of restrictions, ostensibly adopted on behalf of consumers, that instead protect concentrated economic interests."
 :: posted by John Biers at 11:01 PM
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January results: Wines from California’s Central Coast.
We found some great values from this emerging region. All wines were purchased at the new Cork & Bottle store at the American Can building on Orleans. Belated thanks to Delia and Terri for the wine, Eliot and Laura for the yummy food.

1) “Technique”: 2001 Rock Rabbit Syrah, Santa Barbara County, $12.99. Ave. score 14.1, range 12-16. The winemaker calls this a “big, luscious, sexy and hedonistic wine,” and we totally grooved on it. Described as spicy, inky, and warm, we found notes of black plum, lemon, cardamom and turmeric. Chip called it an elliptical wine that’s “looking for a hunk of meat.” Your guest scribe craved beef stew, which is not something she usually craves. Note: This is the only wine that Rock Rabbit makes.
2) (tie) “Tootie”: 2001 Wild Horse Malvasia Bianca, Monterey, $13.99. Ave. score 13.3, range 11-15. This strange but refreshing, viognier-like wine might have scored even higher had it not come first in the line-up. Floral, herbal and fruity, it’s strong-flavored but light-bodied, perfect for a hot day, someone said (or a hot date, someone else added). John got kiwi, Delia orange water, Eliot pineapple. Pam wanted to drink it with spicy food, which the winery’s web site suggests. Not everyone liked the nose: Dante thought it smelled of Krispy Kreme donuts (or maybe that was a compliment?), and Becky was reminded of overripe grapefruit with rubbing alcohol overtones.
3) (tie) “Closer”: Rex Goliath Free Range Merlot, Central Coast (Monterey County), no vintage. $7.49. Ave. score 13.3, range 8-17. Confusing but intriguing, this wine tasted of menthol, tobacco, black pepper and chocolate, with a minty finish. The nose reminded us of leather, lavender, pickled okra and mothballs. More than any other wine, it inspired the menu planners among us. Suggestions included flank steak, tortellini, or a big bucket of spaghetti with pork, beef and green pepper meatballs (that was Pam channeling Joan). Note: This wine was named for a 47-pound rooster.
4) “Vanity”: 2001 Hangtime Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, $12.99. Ave. score 13.2, range 10-16. Given the group’s general indifference toward California chardonnays, we liked this one quite a lot. Most everyone described it as smooth, pleasing and reliable, if not exciting. Buttery (but not too) like a chardonnay, yet citrusy (again, not too) like a sauvignon blanc, a few people thought. Note: Hangtime is made by Byron, which charges much more for its name brand wines.
5) “Movement”: 2000 Stephan Ridge Syrah/Cab blend, Paso Robles, $24.99. Ave. score 12.0, range 8-14. This could have been the ringer of the night, made by one of the most talked about winemakers in Paso Robles. Maybe it was truly overshadowed by the bargains that came before, maybe it just suffered from its place at the end of the tasting (Dante: “I thought it was very wine #8ish.”). We got tobacco and chocolate from the nose, dark fruit, wood and earth on the tongue. A few people thought it was kind of sweet, like holiday candy or fruitcake. Eliot liked the long finish and thought it would go well with duck, others thought beef or lentils.
6) “Jackson”: 2001 Mark West Pinot Noir, Edna Valley, $12.99. Ave. score 11.7, range 8-14. A musty pinot with notes of mushroom, pepper, peat, licorice and eucalyptus, this wine really annoyed some of us. Becky found it sawdusty, like being licked by a cat. Pam thought it simply evaporated. Kate called it a “capricious little whine.” Others thought it held some promise. Dante said he liked it, although he found it “a bit bound up and taut.” Eliot said he’d buy it and keep it for a while. Still others (okay, me), enjoyed it and thought it's one of the better inexpensive pinots on the market. Note: Several of us downed two bottles at Dante’s Kitchen recently and loved it (try it with the duck, goat cheese and arugula salad).
7) “Mum”: 2001 Edna Valley Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo, $15.49. Ave. score 10.6, range 8-16. The second chardonnay of the tasting and the third white, we met this wine with a great big yawn. A textbook chardonnay, some thought. Pam called it “crisp with no purpose, a non-descript picknicky wine.” Still, most of us liked it okay because, hey, it’s wine. Someone thought enough of it to give it a 16, but I didn’t write down who or why (feel free to post a comment, whoever you are).
8) “Pug”: 2000 Justin Cal/Ital Blend (Chianti & Nebbiolo), Paso Robles, $19.99. Ave. score 8.5, range 5-13. Ouch. Very bad night for this wine, which comes from a very well-regarded winery. We found it vacant and biting. Wayne: “There’s nothing to it.” The color reminded Laura of beaujolais nouveau, which is not necessarily a good thing. Delia disliked it more with each sip. Note: Your guest scribe bought a bottle of Justin’s pricey Super-Tuscan blend on her recent trip to California, and is now regretting it.

 :: posted by Stephanie Grace at 11:11 AM
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Wine and politics? I don't want to start a debate on Iraq here, because it's a serious issue that's best handled elsewhere. But it is interesting to me that wine is being drawn into the fray. One Pennsylvania legislator wants to remove French wine from the infamous state liquor stores, and German wines presumably aren't far behind. ("First, they came for the Gewürztraminers.") Another proposal would slap warning labels on the small number of French wines that are clarified with bovine blood. Meanwhile, this Web site hopefully suggests that maybe Americans will give up Bordeaux and Burgundy in favor of Bulgarian wine. And who knows? Maybe the anti-war side is boycotting wines from Spain, Italy, Australia and the U.S.
     My question is, at what point does politics -- or principle, some might say -- trump connoisseurship? When I was in college I briefly drank Pepsi, which I hate, because somebody told me Coke did lots of business in South Africa. What would it take for you to drink Eselsmilch from Targovishte?
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 12:41 AM
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Good news for Chris Gray? A poster on Metafilter linked to this story. (Not from the Inky, alas.) But I assume you're still limited to the Soviet-style selection available at state stores?
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 1:03 PM
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Corked wines Believe all the hype about storing wines correctly: last night I discovered that a couple of my nice wines have indeed corked, including a 1996 Belvedere Syrah and a 1997 Renwood Jack Rabbit Flat Zin. Maybe I should have drank them before I drove them across country in my trunk last winter. A 1995 French burgundy was still drinkable, but I'm very afraid for my three bottles of Cakebread Rubyiat....I may have second thoughts on those Iberian lynxes.
 :: posted by Chris Gray at 2:10 PM
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