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2011 Was A Good Year For Wine (Events)
2011 was a good year for wine. Well, it may be too soon to tell if it’ll be a good vintage, but it was certainly a good year for memorable wine events for me. Below are my Top 4 favorite wine discoveries from 2011.
Number Four: The Paso Robles Pioneers
Meeting three of the “Paso Robles Pioneers” (Justin Baldwin, Jason Haas and Janell Dusi) at The Taste Wine Tasting in Los Angeles last Summer was “sweet”!
First, Justin Baldwin, Founder of JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery. Since I’ve appreciated JUSTIN’s Bordeaux blends – especially the JUSTIFICATION and ISOSCELES wines for a long time, it was a real treat to meet its founder Justin Baldwin. Later, when I met him again at another event, Learn About Wine‘s “Stars of Cabernet”, he gave me a lesson on how he goes about tasting wine:
Meantime, it was nice meeting Jason Haas of Tablas Creek (Rhone grape varietals). Because I love Chateauneuf du Pape, I appreciate the fact that his winery is operated with the Perrin family who run Château de Beaucastel in France. I also think it’s really great that Jason serves on the board of directors of the Rhone Rangers and writes a popular wine blog, the Tablas Creek Blog.
Finally, I really enjoyed meeting Janell Dusi, Owner & Winemaker of J Dusi (Zinfandels). I love Janell’s deep family history in the winemaking industry. She began making wine with her grandfather, Dante Dusi, and launched her own label in 2006. Their focus is Zin, one of my favorite varietals which I typically like to pair with spicy foods. I’ll be attending the upcoming ZAP Zinfandel Festival in San Francisco at the end of the month and am hoping to see Janell and J Dusi there as well as some of my other favorite Zin wineries like Cline and Turley.
Number Three: Wine Rapper Justin Warner
I met the oeno-rapper at The Taste in LA. He’s become known as the “Wine Rhyme Enthusiast” and is chef/owner of Do or Dine in Brooklyn. 2011 was a big year for him as he was placed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list – Food and Wine. Here’s one of my favorite DeathbedFoodTV videos from last year, where Justin raps about my favorite varietal, Chateauneuf du Pape:
Number Two: Rediscovering Jordan
In September, I went to an extraordinary Jordan Wine Dinner at the Peninsula Beverly Hills where The Belvedere’s Executive Chef James Overbaugh created a six-course menu paired with Jordan Chardonnay or Cabernet wines. Chef Overbaugh’s food is, in my mind, one of the better kept secrets in LA. Each of his six courses, including Braised Wagyu Short Rib and Roasted Lamb Rib Eye, was simply divine. The dinner reminded me of how great Jordan wines can be. So, in October, I made my way up to their winery and was treated to a Harvest Lunch. I have to say that their real-life hospitality matches their social media community building with their award-winning blog (The Journey of Jordan) and frequent engagement on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
And, finally, Number One Goes To …
Bouchon Beverly Hills’ Burgundy Wine Dinner
And, coming in at #1, Bouchon’s dinner came close to my French Laundry experience in 2006. It was really like taking a Master Class in Burgundy with guest Virgile Lignier of Domaine Lignier-Michelot (who traveled all the way from Burgundy); Paul Wasserman (who’s mother, Becky Wasserman, was called by the WSJ, “the American-born Earth Mother of Burgundy”); Importer Ted Vance; and Bouchon’s Sommelier Alex. Plus, Executive Sous Chef David Hands really pulled out all the stops with the food including his celery root soup with black truffle croquettes (DeathbedFood!). Between the lively discussion, educational value, and incredible dining experience, I’d do this again – and hopefully can, soon!