OCEANA'S Riesling Of CA. Tasted By Jean Gagliolo Of Capitol Beverages Here July 2009 / 3 Meals - Help Fight Hunger Program W/ Boisset - Cheers!

Being a male artist I immediately liked the mermaid on this blue bottle. It caught my attention immediately.

I also liked the balance and the finesse, the subtle dry flavors of this Riesling that was dry but very smooth and soft dry. It may be sipped all by itself as well as matched with many a meal.



We do not have this Riesling yet but I will talk to both Sam , and Jean and perhaps we can work a tasting of it along with some of the wines from LYETH , and the FRENCH RABBIT. Maybe Jody of Winebow can do a tasting of the DELOACH wines, too. I've got some work ahead of me I can already see. I'm off on vacation next week ( the first week of August, 2009 ) and so I will see what we can all arrange when I return.

In the meantime we do have some of these wines already at Cleveland Park.


I love taking these pictures of the pieces of this puzzle. Study the parts carefully and you will come away with a good idea of what Boisset has organized and in the process of executing over the next few months ( perhaps through 2009 ? ).



I can't avoid taking these types of pictures when I focus and enlarge and rearrange certain parts of any whole. I think it lends a certain weight and gravitas : I do love the red color ink, too.



The reflections in this Reidel tasting glass are quite interesting in themselves. The Capitol Beverage winelist is the white with black ink over which I have put the glass od OCEANA dry Riesling. I love photographing on, over and off a white surface. The gold/sun-enriched color of this Riesling really does show well off this price list.



To better read what I have enlarged and distorted you have but to go back to the poster in one of the pictures above that you first saw. Look at it and then come back to this photo and you will have both closure and enlightenment?!? I hope so : and a broad grin and smile, too.


As you can see here in this photo I was tasting the 2007 OCEANA Riesling ...


I love taking some of my photos of the people behind the wine, too. Here is Jean Gagliolo that brought this bottle for me to taste. I like what the glass and light do to the face and the expressions of those that I photograph. The distortions and accents that both glass and light give to Jean add something special. What do you think?


This picture really reveals the artist in me as it is really about the parts and the way the meld and mold and conform to one another - as well as they way they blur into one : a cream of light and color and soft, rounded shapes that include wood and the fless of my hand as well as the OCEANA Riesling, too. It's a pure artsy photo and I hope in it's abstraction that it really adds to these other photos. Cheers ...



In this picture above you see the blue of the OCEANA cap that I cut off to remove the cork. I picked it up and included it here in this picture to give the name and some color to this picture above of Jean Gagliolo reflected through the Riedel tasting glass here with some of the OCEANA dry Riesling that it holds here.

Here are some more of the photos I took of this most noteworthy progrma by Boisset to help provide three meals per each bottle of the OCEANA, DELOACH, FRENCH RABBIT and LYETH vineyards ) from California and France ).

Enjoy these artsy photos that I like taking to capture time , place, mood, moment, color, texture, contrast, etcetera .... TONY

UVAGGIO, Lodi, CA. Italian Varietals, Dry, Classic Style Wines W/ Deborah Passin & Arielle Monaco Thurs. April 9th, 2009

     Arielle Monaco brought Deborah Passin here earlier today, Thursday, April 9th, 2009 to taste a " new " series of California wines ( reds, a white and a dry rose ) and I fell in love with them all! They are dead-ringers for dry, traditional European wines and I was dumbfounded to be tasting them being made in California, and Lodi at that. Wow, impressive : a dry Vermentino 2007 ( $14.99 ) that really has great body and acidity and minerals, too. I loved it : that got us started right.

     Then Deborah poured me some of the rose 2007 ( $16.49 , a Barbera-based rose I believe ) that I enjoyed because it worked on so many levels and had so many layers of flavor that came into play at different stages : almost as if it had been orchestrated to do this.

     The three reds were two Barberas : a non-vintage " Rosso Vecchio " dry , earthy , pungent, gamey barnyard of warm, damp, dusty-dry-mineral and spice and tar, leather and tobacco flavors. The next which was vintage dated 2005 had more of the same and at the end when I went back to taste them one more time ( twenty minutes later ) I found the non-vintage " Rosso Vecchio " Barbera ( $16.49 ) to have a darker berry/cherry flavor with all the fruit married nicely in sweet, pungent, nice-smelling oak : and the vintage dated Barbera ( $19.99 ) to be a bit more forward with more bright red cherry/berry flavors married in the same oak. They were mirror images of one another and would probably make a great wine if blended together!

     The last one was a Sangiovese blend " Il Ponte " Fra Due Terre  and it was the most soft, bright, elegant and refined of the lot. It was also the most expensive at $32.99 a bottle. I did love it's subtlety and for certain meals it would work best like veal or a delicate pork tenderloin.

     I will buy all of these wines for Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008, sales@clevelandparkwine.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com Tel : 202-363-4265 ). They will arrive in the store the first week of May. I believe firmly that they will be a revelation to many that like really traditional, classic-style European wines. They prices are very fair and I think the quality is excellent. They are great food wines in my opinion.

     I found out that Deborah Passin pictured here with Arielle also sells " new " oak barrels made from Hungarian oak and one other which I forget. For more technical information on UVAGGIO go to : debbie@knoxbarrels.com  Tel : 415-751-6306, San Fransisco, CA. Deborah can fill you in on more about Jim Moore and Mel Knox ( owners - Jim is the winemaker, too ).

     Cheers and come by to check this fabulous, dry, complex, heady, earthy wonders from California out : you will be stunned!   TONY

Jennifer Horsley of CLOS DU VAL/ TALTARNI/NIZAS Vineyards Tastes Her New Vinteges On Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Feb. 24th, 2009

Jennifer Horsley of CLOS DU VAL ( www.closduval.com ) TALTARNI ( www.taltarni.com.au )/ DOMAINE DE NIZAS tastes her " new " vintages Tuesday, Mardi Gras, 2009 with Chrissy Carpenter of Washington Wholesalers. 

     It was both a great visit as well as tasting. It's always wonderful to see someone that you consider like an old friend. Jennifer is one : she's been coming to see us here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits now for perhaps five or so years? Is that right Jennifer?

    Most of the wines that Jennifer brings me now are like old friends, too as the owner and various winemakers and reps have all been here at one time or another. I like that : for me it is always very much a people business.

     On this go-round Jennifer brought me also the sparkling " tache " dry rose from Victoria, South Australia. It's always been a favorite of mine and one that I enjoy matching-up with our customers. It's got such a delicate, refined salmon-peach color as the light is always trapped inside and shining out : and then there's always the steady flow of tiny bubbles to hitch a ride on when you've been/felt submerged enough in all this salmon color and dry rose taste and need a fresh breath of air to add dimension and accent to each sip.

     I really liked the whole group this time : there were only mostly favorites. The Chardonnay is not my style ( and filled out-grown into it's body -  comme un belle poitrine - I know I'll get a lot of grief for that last bit in French, comme un homme qui vient d'apprecie ca cote feminine - je peut dire ca aussi  ) but I liked the way it has developed over the last six months in the bottle since my luncheon with wine-maker Bernard Portet.

     I really liked both the Pinot Noir and the Merlot this time around. Again, both have fleshed-out more of their characters, personalities and sides. It's always great to anticipate what one might discover when one revisits a certain wine from the same vintage. It's even more exciting when one is pleasantly surprised with their discoveries! I was.

     The Pinot Noir and the Merlot both seem deeper and more evolved : the Pinot thicker and more splashy and racy and the Merlot more profound and mystic, like a lagoon on a calm clear dark-skied night where the ripple and the reflection of the heavens stir and stimulate one from one's deep core and spreads evenly, in concentric circles outward - resulting in a mellow sigh and the smooth breaking of a smile or a grin over one's satisfied/amused face.

     The Pinot Noir spoke to me more of fire and vitrol and youth and desire and stimulated me to want to jump around a circle of spouting flames and fire or throw myself into the heavens hoping to be swept up by the grace of Nature so that perhaps I could touch a planet or kiss some stars : and all else failing, at least embrace someone special or that I want to make special in my life.

     The Stags Leap estate-bottled Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 was so mellow and silky this go-round that it did not move me quite as much this time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it's silk, fine round spit-polish like the best wine ; loved it's  wined-bronze-silver-gold reflection and overall presence and mood and demeanor. And yet as it grows in the glass and reveals  more you begin to get an idea that it will slowly break-the-mold of past descriptions and you in a moment of joy and discovery with almost childish glee impetuously  throw it away /fly away with it just as you would the bottle after  thoroughly enjoying it over a meal or special moment ( all yours, precious ) : with family, friends and loved ones and  this delightful Stags' Leap district 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ...

     I think it was just a touch warm when I tasted it and I would really have enjoyed this Stags' Leap district 2004 with some food, just like I enjoyed it a few months ago with winemaker Bernard Portet and owner John Goulet.

     Thanks Jennifer and Chrissy for such a nice surprise on this Tuesday - Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras Day! I later went down to have lunch at Lavandou and continue the celebration.  

     Et Bernard, j'ai une question pour toi : quand tu a fait las connaisance de Steven Spurrier ( l'Anglais ) dans les annees 70 comment tu lui a trouve? Gentil, sympathique, bien?

      I will add more as I go along but I want to get this posted now for you all to enjoy the pictures and stories thus far as I have had time to collect them and process them here for you all! 

     It's now Saturday morning here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits in our nation's capitol on a gray, cold, breezy day at 12:30 PM on February 28th, 2009. 

     Cheers,  TONY

Winemaker Daryl Groom From PENFOLDS, GEYSER PEAK And Now His Own Aussie Winery GROOM, Adelaide Hills & Barossa, South Australia - What A Guy!!

      I just sent Daryl and email. He's in Australia. He emailed me other day in response to my email and said that he needed an infusion badly of some of the Aussie sunshine! I can't blame him and said as much when I just emailed him earlier to wish him a " Happy New Year "! Cheers, Daryl.

     We have currently in stock from you Daryl some of both the GROOM 2007 Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc ( $19.99 ) and the GROOM 2005 Barossa Valley Shiraz ( $39.99 ). We will have to order more of both as we are almost out and I don't want to be out of these excellent Aussie South Australia wine gems.

     It's a pleasure knowing and doing business with Daryl. He actually keeps in touch and responds to emails and I find that both surprising and very much appreciated. It's rare it seems today to communicate and to keeping the lines of communication open : Daryl does both, at least with me.

     I met Daryl years ago at GEYSER PEAK winery in Sonoma, California when I went with the sales staff of Forman Brothers wholesalers ( the Estates and the Vintage divisions ) back in 1996 was it? I can't remember exactly. Emily, the two Johns, Jeff and myself were on this trip. We had one the sales' incentive trip out to California to visit and be wined and dined by the vineyards that we represented well that year. It's always a real treat for me and this was no exception. I did some artwork ( watercolors ) while I was on this particular trip.

     I remember that on this visit to GEYSER PEAK ( the first was with my father back in mid 1995 just as I started working for Forman Brothers. I took the week of August off to go visit my father in San Leandro and to visit some of these new wineries ) that Daryl was on hand to take us on the full tour of Geyser Peak. This was a close-up visit with the winemaker himself to answer any questions that we might have and to tell us more than we might otherwise hear. Daryl was both lots of fun and thorough.

     I remember asking Daryl about all the Syrah ( he called it then Shiraz ) that he puts in each blend? I was trying to get a reaction from him, and reaction I got! Daryl's response was quick, concise and delivered with wit : " I tell them if they don't like it - up their Shiraz ! " I think I got Daryl's point and dropped the conversation after smiling broadly.

     I have a picture here of taken with me and Daryl out front by the front gate area and I've got a glass in my hand  of white wine ( the GEYSER PEAK Sauvignon Blanc or one of their special white blend the Venezia series perhaps?!? ) and Daryl appears to have a beer in his hand. I've got my shorts on and the original red GEYSER PEAK shirt that was given to me I believe on my first visit there with my father. Daryl, what beer would you have drunk back then? I love it, it's so Aussie to see you with a beer. 

     I loved those limited bottlings of the Venezia wines : reds and whites. They were so beautifully presented/packaged. There was so much thought to detail that went into every aspect of those limited-release VENEZIA wines. The wrapping paper was amazing : so rich and lush looking : golds and coppers and brass colors that just spoke of wealth, money, exclusivity, entitlement?!? To simply unwrap one was a treat. I really enjoyed taking the six-pack boxes out and placing them in the stores here in Washington D.C. Even the little neck-labels were done up to max in taste and style. Kudos to whoever did the packaging for those VENEZIA wines.

     Of course the wines were superb as well and such interesting, fun, creative blends to make the mind curious and the taste buds challenged, soothed, cajoled, entertained, enthralled. It's been awhile so I do not remember exactly what the blends were but they were all on the back labels as well as on the neck-wrappers. Cheers to you Daryl and to your team then of very talented winemakers, workers and staff. You guys were creating quality and keeping costs down for all consumers on all fronts. That's easier said than done and yet all you at GEYSER PEAK did it seamlessly.

     It's now Saturday afternoon here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008, sales@clevelandparkwine.com  www.clevelandparkwine.com Tel : 202-363-4265 ) at 2 PM January 3rd, 2009 and colleagues of my wife are now or soon will be at GEYSER PEAK on a tour/special tasting arranged in late December 2008 by Daryl. I wish I were there! That would be a nice treat. Thanks Daryl for arranging this for me. My wife and I both thank you in advance.

     I'm still looking at this picture of Daryl and I as I type. It's been through a lot : it got run over by car wheels in the parking lot of Chevy Chase Wines & Spirits years ago when I still worked for Forman Brothers and was making a sales' cal on owner Buddy Weitzman. I was shocked to see it there by my car door. It must have fallen out when I opened the door. I retrieved it and treated it like a lost treasure, wiped it off and put it back where it belonged. I told this story to Daryl when he came and we laughed and invented many stories to connect to this one. I will try and remember what they are as I type. They were quite playful and creative on Daryl's part.

     Jody Jackman our Winebow rep brought Daryl here perhaps a year or so ago. She called and asked me if it was okay and I was delighted to see Daryl once again. I had such good memories from my two visits there that I really looked forward to catching-up with Daryl.

     I forgot to mention that on my original trip with my father there back in August of 1995 that I had purchased one of the nice oil-and-vinegar blown-glass vials and that I still use it to this day and think of both my father that has since passed away and those times in California visiting vineyards together that were so special. Daryl, I need another small cork-stopper for the vial/pourer, it's falling to pieces ; help!

     Anyway, when Jody brought Daryl here we both laughed like hyenas and broke enough smiles across our two faces to join a continent like Australia or the U.S. Boy did we split our guts! Can't wait till the next visit Daryl. Cheers to you and Happy New Year 2009 to you and to your family. I look froward to selling lots more GROOM this year. 

    The photos of Daryl's visit will follow as soon as I can download them.   TONY