Latest Updates and Scribblings
March 27, 2009   I recently read A Vineyard in Tuscany, a moving and witty tale about wine, vineyards, love, and life. See the review of it on this page to the right. Don't miss the  The Terraces 06 Zinfandel on the Zinfandel page. This is one of the sexiest Zins around, and definitely one I am adding to my cellar. The Terraces 2007 Chardonnay is also outstanding. See the Chardonnnay page for details. More Claiborne & Churchill wines to be added shortly. A great winery that I'm hoping you have a chance to become familiar with. I am methodically going through the site to update all of the pages and recommendations regarding the most recent vintages. Stay tuned for more news.......... Cheers, Evan     January 31, 2009 Until last week I had never heard of Laely Heron or her company, Heron Wines. But at the Vin Sauvage tasting in Las Vegas, I happened across her table, and tasted her amazing 2007 Chardonnay. This is an elegant, sophisticated, extremely well-balanced wine for a ridiculously low retail price of $12.   I have subsequently taken a bottle into two of my favorite gourmet restaurants in Las Vegas and passed around tastings to the staff. The chef at one of them took about fifteen seconds to decide to put it on his wine list. The sommalier at the other told me on my way out, "Don't be surprised if the Heron is on our list next time you come in." I am telling you folks, for $12, this is a steal. See the write up on the home page for more details, and where to buy. Cheers, Evan January 25, 2009 I've begun a complete reconstruction of PointlessWines.com. These pages will be updated over the next few weeks to include some of the latest releases that are worth getting really excited about. I will be concentrating almost exclusively on wines from California, Oregon, and Washington, since it is easy for many readers throughout the United States to order these directly from the winery if they are not available through local wine retailers. In some cases, they are in small production, so the only way to get them is to order direct from the winery. On my last trip to Napa Valley last month, I found the Elizabeth Spencer 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, which is one of the best SBs I've ever had from California. And for $20 it is a ridiculously good value. See more on the home page. And just earlier today I ran across the Poppy 2007 Pinot Noir, another amazing value wine from Monterey County, also featured on the home page at the moment. It is tough to find Pinot Noirs that are this refined and balanced, but given its $15 price, it is a great deal for these hard times.   More notes to come... Evan	Mondovino This fascinating and controversial documentary is a must see for any wine enthusiast. Some films just resonate with a beauty that is greater than the sum of its parts. This one certainly does for me. The cast of characters includes many well-known luminaries of the wine world -- Robert Mondavi and sons, Robert Parker, Michel Rolland, Neal Rosenthal, Michael Broadbent, and a host of others from France, Italy, California, and South America too numerous to mention. The movie is fascinating if for no other reason than to hear and see these folks talk about controversial wine issues they are passionate about. The film does have a liberal orientation, in that it champions the little guy and the independent winemaker over the large corporate interests. It also promotes the quaint notion that wine should be celebrated as a diverse art form rather than treated as a mass consumer product to be engineered to appeal to the mass palate. Some of the featured characters are not shown in the best light--Robert Parker comes across as surprisingly declassé to say the least, and the Staglin family seems uncomfortably impressed with their wealth and status. Some of the interviews are hard to watch. You wonder whether the director really needed to make some of these folks look as ridiculous as they do. But in the end, they make themselves appear absurd by saying what they do on camera. The camera work is, in a word, weird. There is a lot of rapid movement and camera shake, as if the work was being videotaped by an amateur who did not know how to operate the camera. But as odd as it sounds, this ends up working to the film's advantage. The viewer is left with the impression that the interviews are being conducted by a casual tourist, rather than by a director with a political and artistic statement to make. Yet despite its technical flaws and uncomfortable absurdities, Mondovino is ultimately a thing of beauty. Hearing so many people speak with such love and passion for wine, for their wine-making style, for the vineyards and their relationship to the earth, is ultimately a magical experience that you can't get in any other way than through such a remarkable documentary. Neal Rosenthal's commentaries  about the chronic over-oaking of wine, both in the main film and in the bonus material, are well worth the price of admission. If you want to immerse yourself for two hours in the people, passion, controversies, politics, business, and art of wine-making around the world, Mondovino is a treasure you won't want to miss.	A Vineyard in TUSCANY by Ferenc Maté A romantic tale of one couple's journey to build a home, a vineyard, and a dream. Book Review by Evan Powell: Heny David Thoreau famously wrote in Walden, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life..." A Vineyard in Tuscany is a fascinating and joyful memoir by Ferenc Maté that recounts how he and his wife Candace acquired an old, dilapidated ruin on an estate in Tuscany and literally built a living dream from scratch. Maté writes with whimsical humor and wit about the mundane challenges of rebuilding the home and planting new vineyards. But every page reflects a profoundly passionate love for his wife, for humanity, for the earth, and for life itself.  As it happens, the wines that winemaker Candace Maté produces have become award winners, earning praise and respect around the world. Yet one comes to understand in Ferenc Maté's beautiful prose that their beloved vineyards and the wines they make are merely connections to deeper meanings in life. They are part of the tapestry of two lives lived deliberately in the spirit of Thoreau. A Vineyard in Tuscany is at its core a humorous, compassionate, joyful love story about people, our relationships to one another, and to the earth. As we begin to glimpse the beauty and meaning of life as seen through the eyes of Ferenc Maté, we cannot help but stop to reflect on the things that matter most in our own lives as well.
Frazier Winery 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon $55   Pretty, soft, coy, flirtatious, and ultimately seductive. A perfect Cabernet for those who think they like Merlot because Cabernet is too big. Beautiful blueberry and spice nose, with minerals, mint, and just the perfect touch of vanilla oak. Rich fruit on the palate with lovely soft, drying tannins. A complex, but reserved and food-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon that is an ideal complement to rack of lamb. An elegant wine for a dinner party that will be enjoyed by anyone from novices to experienced wine lovers. Order direct from Frazier Winery	Honig Vineyard & Winery 2003 Bartolucci Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $75 From the Bartolucci vineyard, which for many years was the source of Caymus Special Selection fruit. A lush and seductive Cabernet made in the classic California style. Thoroughly balanced from end to end, with black cherry, plum, raspberry, chocolate, and just the perfect complement of French oak. Long lingering finish and lovely tannins. This wine is a hedonistic experience. $75 is a bargain for this one--you can pay twice as much for Napa Cabs that aren't as perfectly crafted. Our compliments to winemaker Kristin Belair for a sensational accomplishment. Order direct from Honig Vineyard & Winery.	Corison Winery 2002 Kronos Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $98 Cathy Corison makes wines that are built to last. Most of the highly acclaimed 1997 Cabernets have long since withered and died, but the 1997 Kronos Cab is just now hitting its stride. The 2002 is made in the same style. Elegant fragrance of blackberry fruit with spices, cedar and anise; full bodied and smooth with delicious velvety tannins. It can be enjoyed now with at least an hour in the decanter prior to service. But this is a young wine that should develop beautifully with time as Corison's previous wines have done. If you have the iron discipline to keep your hands off it, let it rest and mature in your cellar for at least five to seven years as a spectacular investment in your future. Buy direct from Corison Winery
Longfellow 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon $60 The Longfellow Cabernet is from Coombsville, the new growing area east of Napa. A dramatic wine with a distinctive character and a nose more reminiscent of Bordelaise styles than classic Napa cabs. Rich anise and licorice notes blend with ripe black cherries and figs. New and used French and American oak are used to produce a perfectly integrated oak component. This magnificent and sensuous Cabernet pushes the bounds of decadence. How can Napa's cult Cabs command such absurdly high prices when this is only $60? Don't miss it. Order online from Vintner's Collective.	Piña Napa Valley 2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 D'Adamo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Yountville-Wolff Cabernet Sauvignon $72 Very limited production single vineyard Cabernets. Everything Piña makes sells out long before release. Available on futures purchases only. Barrel tastings are available by appointment. Having tasted the 2005's, we are motivated to make this unusual posting for this site. It is a recommendation to become familiar with Piña Napa Valley on your next visit to Napa. Collectors--get on their mailing lists before they close out, and prices escalate to cult wine levels. Visit Pina Napa Valley	Lucas & Lewellen 2002 Valley View Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $25 Excellent value in Cabernet Sauvignon, featuring beautifully balanced and integrated oak and a moderate 13.7% alcohol. Enticing aromas of cherries, plums, and spices on the nose, with flavors of plum and currant on the palate. Full bodied and round, but with sufficient tannins and acid to give it superb depth and structure. It is hard to find satisfying Cabernets in this price range, and this one is highly recommended. Order online from Lucas & Lewellen.