Christina Waters

The infamous Le Cigare Volant, now in its 21st vintage, was the wine that launched Rhône Ranger Randall Grahm into the oenological stratosphere. A brilliant riff upon the Châteauneuf-du-Pape blend of grenache, syrah, mourvedre and a few dabs of this and that, the Cigare has always proved reliable, classy, and in some years, great. 2004 — the year of the latest Flying Cigar release - might be one of the great ones. Weighing in at a highly drinkable 13.5% alcohol, this garnet red elixir is dense with roses and licorice, a hint of cassis, spice and a beefy center. Minerals haunt every sip of this blend of 50% grenache, 24% mourvedre, 22% syrah, and a bit of carignane and cinsault.

This cuvée’s grapes hail from Gilroy and San Benito, as well as the mighty Bien Nacido vineyard down in Santa Maria. The Bonny Doon Vineyard flagship is a lovely creation, about as good as $30 gets and a sensational partner to that festive rack of lamb you’ve been planning. Best on Day Two, so open it now! Le Cigare Volant — life’s too short not to indulge.

Wine lovers will hit the trail on Saturday, September 13, Noon-5pm, for the vineyard pub crawl known as the Corralitos Wine Trail.

At this popular event, inquiring oenophiles can visit all four Corralitos award-winning wineries Alfaro Family Vineyards, Nicholson Vineyards, Pleasant Valley Vineyards and Windy Oaks Estate Winery , taste barrel samples, walk the vineyards, and talk to the winemakers. One ticket covers all tastings, food, and fun.Check the Wine Trail website for all details. (Wine Trail poster boy Richard Alfaro is shown pouring some of his luscious Alfaro Family Vineyards pinot noir at Hollins House last month.) More…

Four of us worked our way through some charismatic Italian wines last night, accompanied by a little food — at La Posta, where the ceiling baffles and rustic carpets are definitely taking the edge off the noise level. With chef Chris Avila at the helm, we sampled a stupendous salumi plate — all, save the duck prosciutto, were house-made examples of dried, cured meats at their best. The range was vast — it might have been a night in Genoa.

Fresh spring salads laced with infant white turnips, haricots verts, snap peas and fresh mint provided a terrific foil for the rich meats. A pizza showed off the wood-burning oven and the chef’s way with an ultra-thin, delicious crust. And dessert of More…

The irrepressible Randall Grahm, winemaker of Bonny Doon Vineyard will lead gastronomes through a memorable evening of wine and cuisine at Manresa, in Los Gatos, on September 7. Chef David Kinch will prepare a four-course dinner at his Michelin-starred landmark, inspired by the wines of Bonny Doon, and the unique terroir of our Central Coast. Think “ultimate wine dinner.” Long famed as an innovator, Grahm is easily one of the most brilliant eno-raconteurs available. He’s the mind behind such coveted Rhône-style wines as Le Cigare Volant, Le Cigare Blanc and Vin Gris de Cigare, as well as the biodynamic estate wines of Ca’ del Solo Albariño and Ca’ del Solo Muscat.

Both David Kinch and Randall Grahm are tireless fanatics about biodynamic farming practices in our growing region. Their culinary collaboration at this event should be sweet, to say the least. Join Randall Grahm at Manresa on Sunday, September 7 — wine reception at 5:00 p.m. and dinner at 5:45 p.m. The cost is $250 per person, (tax and gratuity not included). Reservations are available only at 408.354.4330. Pick up the phone. Now!
(photo:Alex Kraus)

Wondering what to have with that grilled lamb burger? Wonder no more. Help is available in the form of Gatos Locos 2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah. Big, but not too big (13.8% alc.), spicy but not whimsical, this luscious red wine offers a center of leather and plums. Part of the sumptuous line of Wines of Vine Hill, it’s available at Shoppers for $19.95, or up at the Vine Hill winery — worth the spectacular drive up behind Branciforte — it tastes even better on Day Three (though it probably won’t last that long).

Four years ago legendary wine pioneer Ken Burnap sold his Jarvis Road estate - site of the oldest wine grapes planted in the Santa Cruz Mountains - to a group of wine entrepreneurs led by Nick Guerrero. Under the Wines of Vine Hill mantle, Guerrero’s group has been making increasingly interesting wines — so far using two labels — from a variety of California grapes. Winemaker Salvador Godinez, most recently from Saintsbury in St. Helena, is the man responsible for a distinctive 2005 Pinot Noir, from Corralitos’ Raffaelli Vineyard. Under the Cumbre label, this hard-to-find gem makes me eager to see what will happen with Godinez harvests the Vine Hill estate pinot grapes - in two years time.

All of the ridge-top estate grapes from the late 60s (planted by Santa Cruz Mountains wine pioneer, David Bruce) were torn up and replanted with 6.5 acres of pinot noir, and 1 acre of Syrah, by vineyard manager Rachel Ormes, a UCSC Agroecology program graduate. The young vines will be ready for their first vintage in a few years, but meanwhile Godinez is working with pinot noir from Hicks Vineyard and Raffaelli. More…

Starting Wednesday, June 25, Soif is open for lunch. See my post at the top of the page. That’s right, wine fans. Now you can enjoy chef Chris Avila’s lunches, Wed - Sat, from noon to 2, at Soif, located at 105 Walnut Avenue, in downtown Santa Cruz (831-423-2020)

Be the first on your block to sample salads, soups, sandwiches with your favorite wine.

From the volcanic soils of Tenerife - largest of the Canary Islands - comes this seductive white wine. 2006 Tajinaste Valle de la Orotava Blanco, Spain, is the official label - but actually it’s magic realism in a bottle. The grape is Listan blanco, the flavor is salty peaches, wet stones and ozone. Laced with minerals and citrus, but mysterious primal elements as well. (At 11.5% alcohol, this could be breakfast.)
It can be found at Soif for under $20. And besides, when was the last time you tasted a wine from the Canary Islands?

Judy Schultze of Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards emailed to remind me that the charmingly rustic facility — which just squeaked through the recent south county fires unscathed — will be open during the rest of June (hurry!) for tastings of what many argue is one of the top Pinot Noirs in California. More…

May 31 & June 1 - West side of the SC Mtns, and June 8 & 9, Eastern side of the SC Mtns.

Don’t miss two weekends of self-guided tours of small, artisanal wineries on both sides of the scenies Santa Cruz Mountains. Especially since our heroic small wineries emerged from the recent Summit Fire with their vineyards intact! And especially don’t miss the chance to soak up the ridgetop ambience at Silver Mountain Winery (see image left). Jerold O’Brien and Tony Craig are making some of the finest pinot noirs in the area up at the facility - and it’s rarely open to the public. More…