The Oenofiles Wine Blog

2005 Marquis Philips "The Grail of Lisa"

My distributor alerted me about this wine last week. I took the plunge and ordered a three-pack to try. I decided to find out if it is any good and took it to dinner on Satursday night . I am guessing the name is to pay hommage to Marquis Philips's winemaker Lisa Wetherell. Supposedly, Marquis Philips produced this wine as a reserve level wine that can rival the Marquis Philips Shiraz 9 and Shiraz Integrity. Here is the information that I have found so far directly from Grateful Palate Imports:

Vintage:

2005

Region(s) Of Fruit Source:

74% Langhorne Creek, 17% McLaren Vale and 9% Padthaway

Soil:

Langhorne Creek - shallow grey sandy loam, McLaren Vale - well drained loam overlimestone, Sellicks Hill subregion - Biscay soil, Padthaway - shallow soil over limestone

Trellis System :

Vertical shoot positioned and Scott Henry

Varietal blend:

100 % Shiraz

Winemaker(s):

Lisa Wetherell

Alc/vol:

16.4%

Age of Vines:

10-15 years old

Yield per acre:

4 tonnes per acre

Wood Treatment :

Matured for 24 months in new American oak hogsheads

My tasting note is as follow: " This wine style reminds me a lot of the Henry's Drive Shiraz. It has lots of Blackberry, White Chocolate, and Coconut Oil. The latter two are using descriptors that I found coming from American Oak. The fruit is ripe but its structure is quite restrained which helps to balance out the 16.4% Alc. Overall, it is an outstanding wine. My score range is 92-94 points."

"Why do you like wine?"

I frequently visit the erobertparker bulletin board to check out the latest thread from fellow wine enthusiasts. Last Friday morning, I was in front of my computer surfing the bulletin board when I saw this thread "Why do you like wine?" posted by someone named Charles Johnson. Several people responded to the thread and Mr. Johnson posted a reply quoting a piece of writing by James B. Sanders, a founding legend in Atlanta wine. I was so touched by this piece of reading that I thought I will share this with you.

IN VINO VERITAS
Reflections on a Glass of Wine
by James B. Sanders

The silver-haired gentleman gazed at his glass of rare old Chambertin so hard and long that the young American wine enthusiast who had traveled far to drink and talk with this world-renowned authority on all things vinous and gustatory finally asked, "What do you see?"

Continuing to swirl and stare at the brick-red liquid, the venerable wine sage replied, "When I look at a wine of this one's quality, charm and provenance, I get a glimpse of the best of man and his struggle through civilization for wine is older than any record of man's existence on earth, but as young as the next harvest."

"I see an unfolding panorama of history and the people who made it. Cave dwellers sketching vintage scenes on the walls of their grottoes, great pharaohs being interred with amphorae of wine for refreshment in future life; Noah planting the first commercial vineyards; Jesus turning water into wine as His first miracle and the disciples gathering for the Last Supper."

"I see Julius Caesar and his legions teaching the semiferal Gauls and Teutons to row grapes and make wine; busy alchemists working with wine in their primitive laboratories and practicing the only science known at their time; and fervent young Crusaders marching off to the lands of the Saracen and bringing back the grape varieties that distinguish so many fine wines."

"I see Cortez and his conquistadors decreeing that wine should be a principal endeavor of the New World; Jesuit and Franciscan brothers spreading the grape and their version of the word of God throughout the new land of California and the Hungarian nobleman, County Haraszthy, bringing European grapes to the sunny West Coast to found the American wine industry as we know it."

"I see men and women of destiny - George Washington amassing one of the finest collections of ports, sherries, and Canary Island wines ever assembled. Thomas Jefferson journeying through the famous vineyards of Europe to assess their quality and devising the dumb-waiter to convey his wines from cellar to dining room at Monticello. Benedict Arnold, incidentally, was never known for his love of wine."

"I see Marie Antoinette crying because Louis XVI would not give her Chateau Lafitte; Talleyrand gaining favor with his diplomatic adversaries by serving his Chateau Haut-Brion at the Congress of Vienna, and Napoleon Bonaparte lugging barrels of Chambertin along on his marches to Moscow and Waterloo."

"I see an obscure wine chemist in eastern France seeking new techniques to aid the struggling winemaker and thereby discovering pasteurization and the germ theory of disease."

"I see Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sharing many classic bottles at their momentous meetings at Casablanca, Teheran and Malta while their Nazi and Fascist counterparts practiced teetotalism."

"I see great celebrations, the launching of a thousand ships, the liberation of countless French villages in two world wars, victory parades down the Champs Elysees, joyous greetings of the ever-promising New Year, and the wedding parties of millions of pairs of lovers."

"I see generations of Jewish fathers conducting seders at Passover, and the first and last communions for untold generations of other faiths."

The old gentleman paused and took a sip of his wine. "Forgive me," he said, "I ramble. But, if you will pardon my verbosity, I'll continue."

"One should never believe that the glory of wine is all in its past. The best is now and yet to come."

"I see modern-day wine lovers gaining greater joy from life through the pleasures of the glass and achieving the desirous habit of moderation for these nectars map out the surest most pleasurable route to temperance."

"I see young couples learning to dine - rather than simply eat - because of the bottles of wine on their tables. And as they share intimate moments over wine, I see them learning to communicate with each other - an art I'm afraid is lost to those who limit their imbibition to hard spirits."

"I see a greater appreciation of the gifts the Lord has given us. Since wine sharpens all our senses, music sounds fuller and richer, literature is more potent, great paintings gain dimensions, friendships are fonder and there is deeper meaning to the touch of a loved one's hand."

"When I look at this fine old Burgundy, I see a most valuable contributor to civilized living and gentility."

"I see the Good Life."

Moet Hennessy Portfolio Tasting

Just attended the Moet Hennessy tasting at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The evening's lineup includes both the wine and spirits portfolio of Moet Hennessy, but I am not a spirits person, so I will only mention the wine portfolio of the tasting.

There were many good to outstanding wines in the tasting. The notable participants are:

Dom Perignon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau d'Yquem, Case Lapostolle, Cheval des Andes, Chateau La Nerthe and Newton Vineyard.

In my opinion, the best wines for the evening are:

The Best Champagne of the tasting: 1996 Dom Perignon Rose (94 points)

The Best Red Wine of the tasting : 2005 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta (95 points)

Other notable mentions:

2004 Cheval des Andes (94 points), 2005 Casa Lapostolle Borobo (93 points), 2002 Newton The Puzzle (91 points), 2003 Chateau La Nerthe CDP Cuvee des Cadettes (91 points) & 1995 Chateau d'Yquem (90 points).

I will post my tasting notes of these wines later. But for those who want to get a jump start on finding out which of these wines will do well, they should go and seek out the Clos Apalta, Borobo and Cheval des Andes. These three are my favorites of the evening.

A Seriously Great Discovery

"Creamy, floral, aromatic, juicy, sweet, slightly acidic, with buttery and slightly gritty finish.". Hmmm, these sound like pretty good descriptors for a bottle of wine? Actually they are the descriptors for the Anjou Pear, a pear that is thought to have originated in the early to mid-19th century in the vicinity of Angers in central France, also known as the Anjou province today. Honestly, as a chef, I know more about the Anjou pear than the red wines from Anjou. But a chance encounter last week forever changed my perspective on these fabulous reds from the Anjou province of the Loire Valley.

Last week, I had a scheduled tasting appointment with Dan Lavorel of TGIC Importers. He brought with him a usual list of good wines from Argentina, California, & Australia. But he also brought two red wines from the Anjou province from a producer called Domaine Philippe Delesvaux. Prior to this tasting, I had little exposure to Loire Valley reds. Most of the Loire Valley wines that I have tasted are mostly dry whites or sweet wines.(I actually cannot remember the last time I had a bottle of red wine from the Loire Valley.) But if you are a curious drinker who is looking for a great value import wine for everyday drinking that is rich, robust, and age worthy, you may want to expand your horizons and try a bottle of these wonderful red wines from Philippe Delesvaux.

2005 Domaine Philippe Delesvaux Anjou Rouge "La Montee de L'epine" - $20 a bottle (100% Cabernet Sauvigon) Opaque, inky, black purple color with nose of blackberry liquor and cherry. The mid-palate is rich, dense, thick with great purity. The acidity is modestly high (13.5% alcohol). The finish is a bit dry and short. Otherwise, this is a seriously great wine. (92+)

2005 Domaine Philippe Delesvaux Anjou Rouge - $18 a bottle (100% Cabernet Franc) Dark Purple with rich trim. The nose shows more blackberry liquor, red currant and roasted meat. The mid-palate delivers nice minerality and richness (13.2% alcohol). The finish has a bittersweet chocolate note but it is relatively short. (91)

As a self-described "explorer", I am excited to try new wines from lesser known regions. I was pleasantly surprised to discover these two wonderful red wines. At less than $20 a bottle, they are a great everyday drinking wines. The real challenge is to find a place that offers them.

Wine: 2005 Philippe Delesvaux Anjou Rouge "La Montee de L'epine"
Current Score (Future Potential): 92 (94)
Region: Anjou, Loire Valley
Vintage: 2005
Varietals: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Date Reviewed: 12/19/2007

Wine: 2005 Philippe Delesvaux Anjou Rouge
Current Score (Future Potential): 91 (92)
Region: Anjou, Loire Valley
Vintage: 2005
Varietals: 100% Cabernet Franc
Date Reviewed: 12/19/2007

Note: I am passionate about what I do. I taste wines daily and evaluate them based on my own knowledge. The opinions above are solely my independent views. My numerical score is my snapshot assessment of the wine at the time of my evaluation and it may change as wines tend to evolve or develop in the bottle. My written evaluation of these wines are solely my expression of my opinion.

A Water Cooler Tip

I recently read a blog posted by James Suckling of Wine Spectator Magazine discussing his thoughts from tasting the highly anticipated 2005 Bordeaux in his hotel, Les Sources de Caudalie, in Paris. He mentioned that he tasted close to 900 bottles of Clarets during his 12 days trip in Bordeaux. It was interesting to read about his experience in Bordeaux but more important, it was about deciphering his hidden message in his blog to find out if there were certain wines that he really liked before he publishes his final in-bottle ratings of the 2005 Bordeaux next Spring. In his blog, he mentioned two first growths by name that he really liked - 2005 Margaux and 2005 Haut Brion. He also mentioned that he thought the Margaux appellation came across particularly strong. Then, there was a message from his blog on December 3rd where he described he already scored a few of the wines a perfect 100 points. So, if you put all these clues together, this is what I think he will rate these wines:

2005 Chateau Margaux - WS 100

2005 Chateau Haut Brion - WS 100

2005 Chateau Leoville Las Cases - WS 98 -100 but at the least 98

2005 Chateau L'Eglise Clinet - WS 98

2005 Chateau Cos d'Estournel - WS 98

Why is this important? The sad truth is most of these wines are already priced out of any average wine drinker's budget. Currently, a bottle of Chateau Margaux as a wine future is selling for over $1000 a bottle. The people who are buying these wines are either extremely wealthy individuals (No, I am not talking about millionaires either) or most likely, wine fund managers who are buying the wines as an investment. So, consider this a water cooler tip. If you happened to have an extra hundred thousand dollars laying around and you want to make a quick return on investment within a year, you may want to check and see if you can purchase these wines at some reasonable price. But then, I also have an island for sell cheap too.

Tasting with Michael Keenan

It is always a surprise to see Michael Keenan. I received an email this morning to see if I was available to do a quick tasting. 30 minutes later, he is at my restaurant ready to roll. We start the tasting with the 2005 Keenan Carneros Merlot. The fruit of this merlot comes from Andy Beckstoffer's Las Amigas Vineyard in Carneros. Michael uses some of the fruits for his own Napa Valley Merlot. The rest of the fruit goes into this bottling. Therefore, this wine is not made every vintage. The 2005 Merlot has a deep purple color with notes of rhubarb pie and Darjeeling tea. It is soft and rather elegant in style. (Score 86)

Next, we re-taste his 2003 Keenan Napa Valley Merlot. It is fascinating to re-taste this wine after it has more bottle aging. A blend of 80% Estate fruit and 20% Carneros fruit, this wine shows much more of the forest floor and primary fruit quality. Another interesting development of all his wines is the improvement of mouth feel with additional bottle aging. (Score 90)

The show stopper of the day belongs to the 2004 Keenan Mailbox Reserve Merlot. This Merlot is made with 100% estate fruit from the mailbox vineyard. It exhibits great depth and complexity in the glass. Dark purple in color, the wine opens itself with telltale Mocha and Blueberry notes. As it sits in the glass, it opens with secondary profile of dried tea leaves and tobacco note. The tannin in this wine is huge. This is a classic Spring Mountain Merlot that needs time in the bottle to develop. (Score: 93)

The last wine in the tasting was the 2003 Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon. As with all of his wines, the Keenan Cabernet really benefited with additional bottle aging. This wine, a blend of 70% Estate Cabernet, 25% Cabernet from Pope Valley, and 5% Carneros Merlot, opens up to classic creme de cassis, pencil lead, and a touch of cinnamon. According to Michael, 5 different clonal selections went into this Cabernet (Bordeaux 337 and 15, Davis Clones 4, 7, and C).  I was very impressed with the lush month feel of this wine. I remembered when I first tasted this wine at release, it was very tight. Now it is a completely different animal. I upped my rating from 89 to 91 points.

It is always a pleasure tasting wines with Michael. When you catch him at the right moment, he will go on and on about all the blending trials that he conducts each year to find the right combination for each of his wines. As such, you never know what to expect from his wines each year. One thing for sure, his red wine program can rival that of any premium cabernet producers in Napa Valley.

Wine: 2005 Keenan Carneros Merlot
Current Score (Future Potential): 86 (86)
Region: Los Carneros, Napa Valley
Vintage: 2005
Varietals: Merlot
Date Reviewed: 09/06/07

Wine: 2003 Keenan Napa Valley Merlot
Current Score (Future Potential): 90 (91)
Region: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2003
Varietals: Merlot
Date Reviewed: 09/06/07

Wine: 2004 Keenan Mailbox Reserve Merlot
Current Score (Future Potential): 93 (94)
Region: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2004
Varietals: Merlot
Date Reviewed: 09/06/07

Wine: 2003 Keenan Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Current Score (Future Potential): 91 (91)
Region: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2003
Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon
Date Reviewed: 09/06/07

Disclaimer: I am passionate about what I do. I tasted wines daily and evaluate them based on my own experience. I recognize and respect that making wines is a very hard work. It takes passion, huge financial risk, patience, and vision. Unfortunately, not every wine is a star. I tried to evaluate wines as objectively as possible. My score is my snap shot assessment of the wine at the time of my evaluation and it may changed as wines tend to evolve or develop in the bottle. My written evaluation of these wines are solely my expression of my opinion.

Renaissance of a Napa Valley Icon - Beaulieu Vineyard

It is hard to dispute the iconic influence of Beaulieu Vineyard in the history of Napa Valley wines. Beaulieu Vineyard is one of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley, dating back to the early 1900. As a matter of fact, founder of the winery, Georges de Latour, was credited with saving Napa Valley from a vine-destroying louse called Phylloxera in 1910s. Thanks to Georges’ knowledge of the cure for phylloxera - resistant rootstock that he would import by the millions over the next decade - prosperity returned to Napa Valley.

But what brought BV to the fore front of the Napa Valley wine scene was in 1938 when Georges de Latour, realized that he needed a winemaker who understood European standards and knew how to make world-class wine, went to the Bordeaux region of France in search of a man who could make his dream of world-class wine a reality. By chance, he found that man working in Paris at the Institut National Agronomique — a Russian-born émigré named André Tchelistcheff. Tchelistcheff listened to de Latour’s request to work for him in California. In September 1938, Tchelistcheff arrived in California and the rest is history. Under the guidance of Tchelistcheff, dubbed the "Maestro", from 1938 to his retirement in 1973, BV made numerous legendary wines. However, starting in the early 90s, similar to many matured businesses, it started to go into a steady decline. Its flagship wine, George de latour Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has changed in style to a more polite and elegant tone. Even in vintages like the 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2002 where Napa producers were making rich, opulent, powerful Cabernets, BV George de Latour has always come across as lean, soft and restraint. Then, in 2002, a certain wine critic openly criticized BV wines and claimed that many of the BV wines, dated as far back as 1997, were tainted with TCA. At first, it was thought to be just an unusual batch of tainted corks. Then, in September 2002, after facing mounting pressure from the wine industry, BV finally admitted that they have isolated the TCA taint to one humidified red wine cellar. However, its reputation has already been damaged. BV may have reached its low point when its 2001 George de Latour Reserve Cabernet got a 69 points rating from the Wine Spectator magazine. All these seem to lit a fire under this sleeping Giant. Starting in 2002, BV began a renaissance champaign to reinvigorate people's perception of its winery and its wine making philosophy. It invested millions of dollars in upgrading its wine making facility. New state-of-the-art equipments were brought in to improve the quality of the wine making process from start to finish. Simultaneously, they begin to change their wine making philosophy of trying to produce a bigger, richer style of wines. I started noticing the stylistic change with the 2003 vintage.

This morning, I sat down and tasted through the three newly released BV red wines from the 2004 vintage. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of these wines. They all have the telltale richness from the 2004 Cabernets from Napa Valley. Two of them merit a good to outstanding rating. I have high hope that BV may be ready for a second renaissance of its past glory.

2004 Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Dulcet - This wine is composed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Syrah. The Cabernet fruits are selected from Rutherford BV Ranch 1 and BV Ranch 2 blocks. Both of these blocks offers the Cabernet a softer tannins and fruit forward expression. The wine is aged for 20 months in 50% French & Hungarian Oaks and 50% American Oak, in which 40% is new. I tasted this wine and found that the wine has a split personality. Blackberry & toasty oak came thru in the front like a typical Napa Valley Cabernet but roasted meat and black pepper notes finished in the back palate like a cool climate Syrah. Somewhere in between, I lost the connection. (87 points)

2004 Beaulieu Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - Opaque inky purple in color, this wine is rich, thick and opulent right out of the bottle. It is derived from the best fruit primarily from BV owned vineyards in Rutherford. The Clones in this wine is typically 4, 6, & 337. There is noticeble notes of Mocha, Black Currant, Blackberry, Loamy Soil, and Spices. It is rich, chewy and almost overwhelming. As I mentioned earlier, this wine is completely different than what I have tasted from previous vintages of BV Georges de Latour. Fruit & Power are what you get. If you are looking for balance, structure and complexity, this is not the wine. (90 points)

2004 Beaulieu Reserve Tapestry - Tapestry started in the 1990 as a complement to Georges de Latour Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. In a way, it is to pay hommage to Andre Tchelistcheff for his bordeaux root as this wine is really a bordeaux blend. In 2004, this wine is, to my surprise, the biggest and brawdiest of all BV wines and it is distinctively California in style. It is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Rich, black purple in color, it smells mocha, chocolate, blackberry and cedar oak. The attack is aggressive and the tannins are chewy. This is ,by no imagination, a shy wine. (88 points)

Wine: 2004 Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Dulcet
Current Score (Future Potential): 87 (89)
Region: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2004
Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah
Date Reviewed: 09/20/07

Wine: 2004 Beaulieu Vineyard George de Latour Reserve Cabernet
Current Score (Future Potential): 90 (92)
Region: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2004
Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon
Date Reviewed: 09/20/07

Wine: 2004 Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Tapestry
Current Score (Future Potential): 89 (90)
Region: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2004
Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec & Petit Verdot
Date Reviewed: 09/20/07

Disclaimer: I am passionate about what I do. I tasted wines daily and evaluate them based on my own experience. I recognize and respect that making wines is a very hard work. It takes passion, huge financial risk, patience, and vision. Unfortunately, not every wine is a star. I tried to evaluate wines as objectively as possible. My score is my snap shot assessment of the wine at the time of my evaluation and it may changed as wines tend to evolve or develop in the bottle. My written evaluation of these wines are solely my expression of my opinion.

Dinner with Friends at Home

My wife and I invited three of our closest friends to have a casual dinner at home while watching the Cal/Tennessee game on our High Definition TV. To make it simple, we asked them to bring a couple of pizzas from the Cheeseboard Collective in Berkeley. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of trying their pizzas, let me assure you that they have the best pizza in town, bar none, period. They only make one type of pizza each day and usually you will see a long line out the door waiting to buy their pizza. We had a simple goat cheese & mushroom pizza but the ingredients just worked perfectly together. Drizzled some EVO on top when it is hot out of the oven and it is heaven.

For my part, I asked my kitchen staff to prepare some fresh pasta sheets so that I could make some hand-cut pasta. I also made a pot of Bolognese Sauce out of ground Kobe Beef Chuck and fresh Vine Ripe Tomatoes. We also sauteed some organic summer squashes from our local farmer's market.

The wines that we tried were 2002 Jericho Canyon Vineyard Proprietary Red  (14.7 % Alc) and the 2004 Gary Farrell Redwood Ranch Sauvignon Blanc (13.8% Alc.). Jericho Canyon Vineyard is a small family operated vineyard at the base of Napa Valley's Mount St. Helena. The 2002 vintage is a classic Bordeaux-Style of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc. The 2004 Gary Farrell Sauvignon Blanc is made from fruit out of Redwood Ranch, Sonoma Coast. Here are the tasting Notes:

2002 Jericho Canyon Vineyard Proprietary Red - Dense purple in color, aromas of Blackberry, Cassis, and Toasty Oak Note. Tasted extremely ripe. Hence, high alcohol, typical of the 2002 year out of California. This full-bodied, rich, full-throttle, nicely-textured, tannic 2002 drinks well now. Good mouth feel, well integrated tannin. No hard edges. Finish a bit dry because of the alcohol in the back of the mouth. (92 points)

2004 Gary Farrell Redwood Ranch Sauvignon Blanc - Golden canary color. Noticeable note of Guava and tropical fruit. No grassiness at all. Soft and velvety. Rather big in style for a Sauvignon Blanc. (87 points).

Between the 5 of us, we finished off two bowls of fresh pasta, and one and a half Cheeseboard pizzas. Of course, we easily finished off the two bottles of wines. On top of that, we watched Cal dismantled Tennessee 45-31 on national TV. Go Bears!!!!! Most important, we had a delicious dinner with our close friends and enjoyed great conversation. Life is good.

Wine: 2002 Jericho Canyon Vineyard Proprietary Red
Current Score (Future Potential): 92 (92)
Region: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2002
Varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc
Date Reviewed: 09/01/07

Wine: 2004 Gary Farrell Redwood Ranch Sauvignon Blanc
Current Score (Future Potential): 87 (85)
Region: Sonoma, North Coast
Vintage: 2004
Varietals: Sauvignon Blanc
Date Reviewed: 09/01/07

Disclaimer: I am passionate about what I do. I tasted wines daily and evaluate them based on my own experience. I recognize and respect that making wines is a very hard work. It takes passion, huge financial risk, patience, and vision. Unfortunately, not every wine is a star. I tried to evaluate wines as objectively as possible. My score is my snap shot assessment of the wine at the time of my evaluation and it may changed as wines tend to evolve or develop in the bottle. My written evaluation of these wines are solely my expression of my opinion.

Plunging into Unchartered Territory - Confession of an Oenophile

Oenophilia (IPA: /ɛ.noʊ.ʼfi.li.a/), originally from Greek, is the love (philia) of wine (oinos). An oenophile is a lover of wine.

In the strictest sense, oenophilia describes a disciplined devotion to wine, accompanying strict traditions of consumption and appreciation. In a general sense however, oenophilia simply refers to the enjoyment of wine, often by laypersons.

OK. I am finally getting the courage to start my first wine blog. I have thought long and hard about what to say in my first attempt at blogging. How about a quick introduction about who I am and what I do?

My name is Sam Chen and I am a wine handicapper. I have been in the food and wine industry for over 14 years. My brother and I started our own restaurant in 1992. I have a BS degree in Construction Engineering from University of California, Berkeley and I also hold an Associate Degree in Culinary Art from the California Culinary Academy. In 1994, my brother and I started getting into collecting wines out of a hobby. At the time, our wines of interest were strictly California and Bordeaux. Coincidently, that was also the time when California was blessed with multiple classic vintages from 1994 to 1997. Collecting Cult California wines was, all of a sudden, a hobby of many wealthy dot-comers. Our hobby quickly turned into a passion, then an obsession. We would gather all the printed articles and read them late at night to try to get a better understanding of the wine collection market. We religiously studied Wine Spectator magazines and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. We analyzed what were the hottest up-and-coming wines coming to the market and try to secure favorable allocations before everyone else. Soon, we found that there are many people just like us who are interested in wines but didn't have a forum to buy, sell, talk or trade wines. Seeing that there was a niche to fill, we started building our contact with other wine enthusiasts around the country. Slowly and through words of mouth, people started coming to us with their wine needs. We started writing a twice-a-week newsletter devoting to offering these people the opportunity to find out about up-and-coming wine stars as well as the opportunity to purchase these wines at a good price. Soon after, our newsletters were circulating from one person to another that we had customers everywhere. Now, our newsletter reaches around 3000 people and it is closed to new clients except for current client's referral.

On November 17, 2005, my brother passed away at the age of 42 because of a sudden heart attack. I was left with the enormous task of continuing with our twice a week newsletters as well as overseeing the restaurant. It was also during this difficult time that I suddenly realized that I have the gift of being a great wine taster. It is as if I have unlocked a part of my sensory organ responsible for connecting what I smell and taste to the part of my brain that process these sensory information into verbal form. I can smell, taste and describe the wine at the same time. Every wine that I tasted was very clear to me. Color, Aroma, texture, mouth feel, finish.......Moreover, I clearly understood what the critics were talking about in their tasting notes. I said to myself,"Hey, I can become a wine evaluator too."

On December 2005, I officially launched Echelonwines.com, a private website devoted to offering wine resources to my private clients. Now, I tasted wines on a daily basis and I evaluate wines and offer my assessment of the wines to my clients before they are reviewed by other influential wine critics. This blog is my voice.

Disclaimer: I am passionate about what I do. I tasted wines daily and evaluate them based on my own experience. I recognize and respect that making wines is a very hard work. It takes passion, huge financial risk, patience, and vision. Unfortunately, not every wine is a star. I tried to evaluate wines as objectively as possible. My score is my snapshot assessment of the wine at the time of my evaluation and it may changed as wines tend to evolve or develop over time. My written evaluation of these wines is solely my expression of my opinion.