Christina Waters

That would be 2007,(at least in the Corralitos region of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA) and proof was offered of this last week at the Alfaro tasting room. Richard poured tastes of two (of his ten!) pinot noirs, for me and viticultural consultant Prudy Foxx, made from the Lester Family Vineyard pinot noir estate grapes. Foxx is the viticulturist for the grapes that went into both the 2006 (shown here) and 2007 vintages.

The difference was stunning, though both wines still have miles to go before their full resolution. 2006, from a notoriously wet year, was rounded and earthy. Spherical. Loaded with fruit. The 2007 was angular and intricate, even in its extreme youth. Refreshing and edgy, it offered a more interesting ride, showing yin and yang - muscle and sinew. Bay leaves and aged copper.

You bet! And that’s just what we had last Friday at the biodynamic cafe attached to the Bonny Doon Vineyard tasting room. Fresh from the oven came the pizza du jour, a feisty creation of roasted cauliflower, wild nettles, mozzarella, ricotta and sea salt. Thin crust, done ala Romana, which is my highest compliment. Seriously terrific pizza, it was miraculous paired with Le Cigare Blanc, a white Rhone-style beauty that is currently on the tasting room flight.

Changes are afoot chez Doon, and you can expect a knock-your-socks-off unveiling of all-new menu, all-new kitchen, all-new chef at Le Cigare Volant Cafe right around May 15. Stay tuned!

And check out the recent NYTimes piece on the reinvention of Randall Grahm.

“A perfect storm” (ridiculous cable news addiction)
“Due diligence” (are we a nation of accountants?)
“24/7″ (Lose this fast!)
“Worldclass” (puleeze!)
“We’re on it.” (of course you are)
“Well, good for you!” (said about anything - this is a mindless phrase!)
“I’m all about ——-” (lazy use of the English language)
“Have a good one!” (I loathe this one - lazy beyond belief)
“It’s all good.” (mindless pothead jargon)
“Totally!” (on the other hand, I can’t live without “Whatever!,” said ironically.)

That’s my short list. Have I missed any?

So many terrific clichés submitted by readers. You all have media-driven phrases you hate, despise and loathe. How could I have overlooked . . .

“At the end of the day” (thanks Dee)
“Power down” (gracias Wally)
“In harm’s way” (courtesy of Facman)
“How goes it?” (care of db)
“Have a nice day!” (from Kate)
“I’m a —– person.” (Angie)
“Sea change” (Eleanor H.)
“That said,…” (ditto)
“Entitlement” (from Dr. H)
“The best of the rest…..” (language in a coma)

To all of you who submitted these hackneyed phrases, and so many more: Thank you for sharing. (At least we don’t have to listen to that cliché anymore.)

Help keep those path-breaking apprentices down on the Farm — by sharing in the many local and Bay Area Grow a Farmer events all focused on building residential cottages for those who come to study at the UCSC Center for Agroecology.
The romantic tents nestling along the tree-lined fence are about to become things of the past. (more…)

I just wanted to use that title (say it slowly). Actually the newly-released Martin Alfaro Lester Family Vineyard 2007 Pinot Noir is a pinot to be reckoned with. And those of you wandering the atmospheric south county vineyards at the May 9 Corralitos Wine Trail will be treated to a pour at the very spiffy tasting room at Alfaro Family Vineyards. (New tasting deck at right.)

The 2007 is already showing the stuff that winemakers live for. Enough fruit at the start to capture anyone’s attention, but enough minerality and structure to arouse pinot envy in colleagues of winemakers Joe Martin and Richard Alfaro. I’m finding hints of northwest rainforest, sassafras and dried plum in the center. Potentially great, already wonderful.

Available for sampling and purchase at the Corralitos vineyard crawl next weekend. Be there.

Tandy Beal joins her old friend, Bobby “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” McFerrin in Abu Dhabi late April/May– thirteen time zones away! She will dance with him in performances at Al Ain and the Emirates Palace. She will also stage several local dance groups for the performances. What an adventure in cross-cultural art-making with Arabic singers and dancers-and Bobby’s American magic!

And kudos to Beal & Company awarded $15,000 by the National Endowment for the Arts  for an upcoming full-length production with dancers, actors and video.

Especially in this fiscal climate, making art is always the best revenge!

Armed with a hefty Zagat rating - 24 no less - and a streamlined lunch concept, Tues-Sat Zuni-style non-gooey pizzas and salads - Gabriella continues to showcase the skills of chef Brad Briske in an effort to conquer the culinary world.

Former UCSC Chancellor Bob Sinsheimer has recently been seen grinning broadly after polishing off one of Gabriella’s new pizzas. And if you need more nudging, the delicious plein air paintings of Charles Prentiss go on display inside the dining rooms starting July 1. (This one’s titled Highway 129.)

Bradley Brown, winemaker up at Big Basin Vineyards, covered himself in media glory not too long ago with his wild-at-heart, terroir-driven Syrah from Rattlesnake Ridge. And now I know why.

This supple 2006 New World Rhônesque beauty unfolds for miles. From a spice and plum opening, it slides into a meaty center filled with tart and savory mysteries. Bay leaves, cardamom, huckleberries, cassis. The mineral foundation works almost invisibly to support this wine’s rich, smoky center. An Easter meal involving rack of lamb provided the perfect occasion to take this robust, almost feral creature out for a spin.

Soft where you don’t expect it, dynamic through and through. (more…)

Winemaker’s Dinner at Three Degrees with Burrell School Vineyards
April 23rd 2009 7pm

Join Burrell School proprietors Dave and Anne Moulton for a very affordable 4-course dinner, paired with memorable wines, for only $65 on April 23, at Three Degrees restaurant in the Toll House, Los Gatos. (more…)