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The Bernard Roth Archives

The Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium presents notes of Bernard Roth who always has something to say, particularly about wine and food.

We happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from February 28, 1998:

TNs from dinner at David's in Redondo Beach, CA following the Aussie-CA Rhone Varietal tasting on 28 February 98.

Dinner at David's

As usual, David put out a fine multicourse meal. My favorite dish was chicken potstickers with tomatillos and corn, on mashed potato, an apple-cauliflower sauce, and  shoestring Peruvian potatoes on top. Divine with the semillon. I also enjoyed a wild mushroom and artichoke soup that went well with the Echezeaux. A Jamaican jerk chicken with rice and beans was a good match to the Rioja. Other dishes included: a tuna, salmon and trout tartare on  nachos with capers and mustard sauce; NY steak sliced with quail egg, port reduction, rice, and green tomato (not particularly successful); Homemade ice cream sampler; Coconut creme brulee; and vanilla souffle with milk chocolate. The Quarts de Chaumes matched wonderfully with the creme brulee.

The wines:
 
96 L'Ecole No. 41 Semillon Fries Vineyard Wahluke Slope--  Lemon zest, honey, hay, mineral nose. Very well balanced, good acidity. Petrolly mid-palate with citrus and melon. Good finish. 92+/100

92 Ferrari-Carano Reserve Red Wine (5 varietal Bordeaux Blend)-- Modest fruity nose. Smooth, fine soft tannins, short finish. Not too complex. 88

94 San Vincente Rioja-- Medium red violet. Red berry nose with some oak. Smooth, fine tannins. Refined oaky mid-palate and finish. Cherry, cedar and loads of vanilla. Could have more fruit intensity. Some tar and burnt rubber. 90

85 Gaiun Martinenga Barbaresco (Marchesi di Gresy)-- Dark red, no browning on rim. Beautiful nose. Cherry, violets, leather. Very good concentration, still tannic. Good fruit, minerals. Fine Barbaresco typicity. Intense, long finish. 93+

94 E. Rouget Echezeaux-- Medium ruby color. Very open bouquet. Sweet black cherry, roses. Gunpowder, earth. Balanced, classy. Good acidity. Lavender, earth. Slight herbaceousness. Light weight. 90 for a pinot, 87 for an Echezeaux. Lived up to my expectations for the vintage.

90 Caymus Special Select-- Very deep red violet. Sweet black cherry nose. Rich, intense, smoky. Very intense concentration, impeccable balance. Good finish. Very oaky. A world class wine. 97 for oak lovers, 93 otherwise.

95 Baumard Quarts de Chaumes (Chenin Blanc)-- A bit closed aromatically. Great integration of acidity, moderate sugars. Honeydew. Very complex. Luscious. Can't stop drinking this stuff. Pristine clarity and delineation of all the components. Acidity provides the structure. Intense fruit concentration shows in the long finish. This is a complete package that will continue to improve. 98 points now, could be perfection in 20 years. WS nailed this last year.

(Incidently, I had the opportunity to taste Baumard's 96 Coteaux du Layon Cuvee St. Catherine at my locker a couple weeks ago. This was brought over from the domaine and has not yet been released. It is a fabulous wine, approaching the level of the  Quarts de Chaumes, though a bit less structured. 96 seems to be a great vintage for chenin blanc, and based on barrel samples, the word is that 97 is better,  and could be the best vintage since 1947. If you have the chance,  buy this wine the Quarts de Chaumes or the other Baumard chenins from any of these 3 vintages.)

94 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Goldert Grand Cru VT-- What would a meal with Todd Serota be without a Z-H? Only this time, thanks go to Shelby Wilson for providing the bottle. Classic, intense GWT nose with all the usual aromas, but BIGGER! Viscous, minerally, lime zest, mandarin orange, almond. Oily. Spicy. Bitter finish. Long. 95+.

(I'm glad I have some of this in my locker. It is an intense drinking experience because of the power and concentration, and the wine should continue to improve for the next decade. It's a tough chore for any wine to top a Z-H VT, BUT, this was overshadowed by the Quarts de Chaumes which had more finesse and an ethereal quality.)

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