It has been a very interesting year in baseball. I could very well have called my blog baseballs, guitars and grapes and it would have been quite accurate. Although I grew up in Pittsburgh and Chicago and favored the Pirates (Clemente, Hebner, Parker and all) and later the White Stockings (Melton, Dickie Allen, etc.) I have absolutely no allegiance to those teams. In fact, I enjoy rooting against the Black Chickens and only rooted for them a little bit when the made the Series just to shut up the Chicago fans predicting doom and so I would not have to hear about the Black Sox curse any more. Now if we could only kill the Goat (er, Ghost) of Wrigley. And the Pirates have sucked for so long who could root for them from afar.
When we moved to California in 1977 I did not really have a baseball team any more. I kind of rooted for the Pirates when the won the series, '79 and '82, if memory serves. But after that no real allegiance until I started going with my college roommate to A's games in the mid-80's. This was not too long after their phenomenal run of the early '70's and Rickey Henderson was swiping bases every which way but loose which was kind of fun. When Cansucko and JuiceGwire came up about this time, I kind of got hooked on the Bash Brother thing, although I hated Canseco and still do. Once, when he was playing for Texas, I almost got into a fight with a September call-up when I was yelling at him (he was playing right field) during a game. Canseco had been down to Triple A to rehab that year and the punk ass Triple A call-up who had played with Sucko didn't like that I was screaming shit at him from the stands. He told me to shut up and I told him where to go. Fortunately, my wife stepped in and shut me up. The beer talking, I think.
My wife and I literally were in the first row of seats right at the end of the visitor's bullpen and I used to try to talk to the players all the time. In later years we moved about three rows up above the A's bullpen on the other side of the field and got to see Eckersley warming up all the time. He was an odd character. He would come out to the bullpen late in the game, never acknowledging the fans, never looking up. I can assume that he was focused on the job ahead, but I also heard that he was kind of a dickhead. Some of the younger players used to complain that he made the A's clubhouse pretty tough in those days.
Now I will never forgive Eckersley for giving up the Gibson homer in '88. No way should they have lost that series although I think Tony Larussa has shown multiple times that he is the worst big series manager in history. Tony's one game at a time strategy, win every series works in the regular season. But you need Tommy Lasorda type emotion to win in the playoffs. Luck helps too. When dumbass Canseco and his wife got into it with Larussa in '90 and basically cost the team that series (again, Cincy played with emotion, the A's not) and the team was sold to Mr. and Mr. Fugal (Hoffman and what's his name, his partner) when the owner died (Walter Haas, former CEO of Levis, if memory serves)and I moved to Illinois, I kind of lost my fervor for the A's. And they sucked so bad in the mid '90's who could really like them?
Any how, as they got better in the late '90's and early '00's and I got DirecTv I became a fan again. I continued to be a fan even though they continued to break my heart ... always the bridesmaid but never good enough to win. I mean for God's sake, slide Jeremy dumbass Giambi. And Chavez, how about making at least one defensive play in Boston. And swept at home by the Yankees after winning both games in their ballpark. Give me a break.
And I am not sure about Billy Beane. Is he really that good a GM? I think his ego is too big and he needs to shut up and at least accept some of the tried and true ways that baseball has been won through the last 100 years. Things like stealing a base occasionally, scoring a run without a homer, manufacturing runs. Beane is not that smart, baseball wise or otherwise, to throw 100 years of baseball facts and figures out and expect to win using his own theories.
Which makes this year's A's team so interesting. Second to last in hitting in the majors, hit into more double plays by far than any other team in the major, pathetic on-base percentage and up by 7.5 games with 29 left to play as I write this. I am beginning to believe that this year may be the year for the A's. What makes this year different is that they are not only taking their walks but they are manufacturing a few runs and stealing some bases. They have their flaws but so do all team, even Steinsuckers Yankees (all $250 million worth of payroll). The A's are also playing with more swagger than I have ever seen them. And dummies like Bradley and Kendall are bringing some previously unseen emotion to the team. Bradley yelling at fans and flinging his bat all over the diamond, Kendall fighting that jackass John (I am your) Lackey from the Anaheim, California, Los Angeles we don't know where we play Angels. Yeah.
And this has been one of the most weird years I have ever seen for injuries in baseball. The A's have used the DL 15 times this year, Boston 16. We all know that the Yankees have something like $100 Million worth of payroll on the DL in guys like Sheffield, Matsui and Pavano. How about Boston without Manny or Big Crapi. But the A's, at various times this year, have been without several starting pitchers (including Harden who is truly their best when healthy), multiple relievers, their starting shortstop, center fielder, third baseman, Hall of Fame DH'er, closer, etc., etc., and they keep finding a way to win. Most importantly, someone different steps up every game. This is important. Teams that win the World Series have multiple ways to beat you because you can truly shut down certain players in the playoffs. For example, Bonds almost never hit the year that the Giants lost to the Angels in the Series. And all players go through slumps. But when guys like Bucky Dent hit homers to win games, you know you are getting contributions throughout the lineup and that is how you win in the post season.
In addition, the A's are number two in pitching and number three in defense in the majors. So these things, combined with their attitude this year, makes me think good things are to come. I mean, look, the Mets are playing in a league where like one entire team is above .500, them. They are okay but not a great team, just playing in a shitty league. It worries me a little that they A's have feasted on the Mariners this year. Without the 19 straight wins against them, they are not in first place. But they have held their own against the very best this year...7-3 versus Boston, 6-4 (I think) verses NY, 4-5 vs. Detroit (with more games in their park). The White Sox are just okay, Ozzie Butthead burned out their starters last year and I am convinced that Detroit was playing way over their head through the first two-thirds of the year. The gnashing of teeth following their recent 3-7 slide make me wonder if they will not fall out of the playoffs. I think they have been doing it with smoke, mirrors and rookie pitchers this year. With rookie pitchers, they often win early until the league gets to see them a couple of times. Then they will often have a series of quite poor starts until they adjust to what the hitters have adjusted to.
As for the A's, I am starting to become a believer.
Now if we could just get some fans to go to the game to support the team. I would go if I lived anywhere near Oakland. So you Bay Area fair weather fans, get going, the weather could not be more fair and if you don't start supporting that team they are going to end up in Las Vegas, Sacramento or San Jose.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Visiting the Napa Valley - Day Trips
Okay, so now that you have taken a mudbath (are you still finding peat in your personal hair?), visited the wineries in the Napa Valley, eaten at The French Laundry and visited Dean and deLuca just for fun, its time for a few day trips to round out your experience. One trip I highly recommend is the trip north on Hwy. 29 to Hwy. 128 up to the Alexander Valley across winding roads and into Northern Sonoma and the town of Healdsburg. I am not so enamored of the Alexander Valley wineries but AVV is probably worth a stop. Hanna, Sausal and Stonestreet are others in the area worth visiting. Continue on to Healdsburg where you have made an appointment to visit Jordan. I don't like their wine but some people pay big bucks for it so it is probably worth a visit. Continue on to Simi, one of the best wineries in the area, a great tasting room and tour and underappreciated wines. Travel into downtown Healdsburg and visit Rosenblum and Seghesio.
A detour worth taking from here is north of town to Lytton Springs Road where you will find the great wines of Ridge along with the decent wines and top notch tasting room at Mazzocco.
From Lytton Springs, heading back across 101 into Dry Creek Valley which in itself can be a full day of tasting. At this point, your day trip is probably turning into a two day trip. Find a great restaurant in Healdsburg or head back along 29 and 128 to one of the fine Napa restaurants to end your day.
A detour worth taking from here is north of town to Lytton Springs Road where you will find the great wines of Ridge along with the decent wines and top notch tasting room at Mazzocco.
From Lytton Springs, heading back across 101 into Dry Creek Valley which in itself can be a full day of tasting. At this point, your day trip is probably turning into a two day trip. Find a great restaurant in Healdsburg or head back along 29 and 128 to one of the fine Napa restaurants to end your day.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Where to Napa Valley - The Wines
Okay, now it is onto the good stuff...The wine. Before I move on to day trips that you can do over to Sonoma County, let me cover some of our favorite wine stops in the valley.
I guess I would have to rate Cuvaison as my number one wine tasting destination in the valley. Located right outside of Calistoga, it is a great place to go after the aforementioned mudbath...don't forget the pre-bath brazilian. It is an intimate tasting room with nice people. A good place to eat your sandwiches can be found on the grounds. I have been a long time Club Cuvaison member so my tasting is free unless I want a new tasting glass to take home (which I do not). They have good wine at decent prices and the tasting room is low key, unlike many of the valley rooms. It'll still cost you to taste (which sucks, in my opinion, but paying for tasting is now pretty much universal in all California wine areas) if you are not a Club member. And do not forget that a pre-tasting mudbath will make the wine hit you that much quicker.
An interesting tasting room can be found around the corner at Clos Pegase. This wine room has millions of dollars worth of art from the collection of the rich dude that owns the winery. I do not have an opinion of the wine because I have not drunk enough CP to know.
Also on the north end of the valley is Chateau Montelena. This winner of the famous Paris tasting of 1976 (for the Chardonnay) is considered to have one of the best, longest aged cabernets in CA. The winery has been downgraded recently due to an outbreak of brettanomyces in the winery and I found them to be very full of themselves. But it is worth the trip to see the beautiful grounds.
Consider taking the drive north to Guenoc. This interesting trip on sometimes treacherous roads over the old volcanic territory is rewarded by a tasting at one of the more unique and underappreciated wineries in the area. The winery is located in the middle of nowhere but offers a fine selection of wines across various price points. Try the Langtry Meritage (pronounced like Heritage) or Bella Oaks Reserve wines if they are serving them
Many people think Sterling, the famous winery on the hill that you have to take a ski tram or bus to get to, is worth the visit but I say no way. I have hated every bottle of Sterling wine that I have ever tasted so you can take the tram if you want, but only do it on a nice day to experience the view. Vinophiles will hate the wine.
I used to like Beringer a lot but now that they are part of Beringer Blass Fosters Lager whatever the hell they are, I am hesitant to recommend them. But they used to have a fine tour and I still think Ed Sbragia, their winemaker, is brilliant. I just think the corporate beancounters have castrated old Eddie and it really pisses me off how they have continued to raise the price of their Beringer PR Cabernet to the point where I will not buy it again. At $50 it was pretty good deal but at $100 they can suck my you know what.
South on Hwy. 29 south of St. Helena is Flora Springs tasting room. The Komes family are owners of the aforementioned Rancho Caymus Lodge, and the nice tasting room is worth a look for the breadth of their offerings and the nice people (including a Komes family member) running the joint. Plus they are right next door to one of my favorite gourmet stores of all time, Dean and deLuca. You should plan a trip so that you pick up lunch at D&D. Their selection of meats, cheese, condiments, tools and other stuff dwarfs Zingermann's (Ann Arbor, MI) plus they have a world class collection of wines you can poach from to take to your dinner at one of the restaurants in the area with reasonable corkage charges (most are less than $20). Just make sure to inquire about corkage before hand.
When Niebaum Coppola was Inglenook Napa Valley, it was my favorite winery in the valley. When Francis bought it, the wine got shitty and overpriced and he turned the beautiful, old visitor area into a shrine to his often just as shitty movies. So I my few visits since he took over the winery have been met with major disappointment. Film buffs would probably pee their pants with his collection of film stuff but from the second you walk in the door there they will try to sell you lots of crap with his wine or a films' name on it. The winery just seems to exist to sell you shit with Copolla name on it so he can get more rich. F... that.
b
Other wineries worth visiting include Caymus (but don't expect to taste much, 'lil Chucky Wagner seems to only have one or two wines available for tasting and I always wonder why he bothers to have a "tasting room" anyway). Other notables include Domaine Chandon, Spring Mountain, Newton, Phil Togni, St. Clement, Freemark Abbey, Whitehall Lane, Folie a Deux and look for some of the smaller, new or old producers you may not have heard of. Also, there are some excellent wineries on the east side of the valley off of Silverado Trail. Stags Leap, Pine Ridge, Cakebread, Clos du Val, Villa Mount Eden/Conn Creek and Rombauer are worth a visit if you have the time or find yourself there late in the day and needing a glass of wine. Check to make sure they are open and are not "by appointment only". I forget which ones require a call ahead.
I have also read that the Pope Valley is an up and coming area but I do not know what if any wineries have tasting rooms up there. Finally, Mount Veeder is home to several wineries including Hess.
Just remember, when all is said and done, you are just starting your California wine country visit. Day trips to Sonoma city, central and north Sonoma County and the Alexander Valley are yet to come. You cannot visit without a day trip to Ridge, Chateau St. Jean or Alexander Valley Vineyards or a day trip over to the quaint towns of Sonoma (south end of the Sonoma wine trail) and Healdsburg or a full day in the Dry Creek Valley or the Russian River wineries. So go, plan a week of visits and don't forget to designate a driver.
A votre sante - Joel
I guess I would have to rate Cuvaison as my number one wine tasting destination in the valley. Located right outside of Calistoga, it is a great place to go after the aforementioned mudbath...don't forget the pre-bath brazilian. It is an intimate tasting room with nice people. A good place to eat your sandwiches can be found on the grounds. I have been a long time Club Cuvaison member so my tasting is free unless I want a new tasting glass to take home (which I do not). They have good wine at decent prices and the tasting room is low key, unlike many of the valley rooms. It'll still cost you to taste (which sucks, in my opinion, but paying for tasting is now pretty much universal in all California wine areas) if you are not a Club member. And do not forget that a pre-tasting mudbath will make the wine hit you that much quicker.
An interesting tasting room can be found around the corner at Clos Pegase. This wine room has millions of dollars worth of art from the collection of the rich dude that owns the winery. I do not have an opinion of the wine because I have not drunk enough CP to know.
Also on the north end of the valley is Chateau Montelena. This winner of the famous Paris tasting of 1976 (for the Chardonnay) is considered to have one of the best, longest aged cabernets in CA. The winery has been downgraded recently due to an outbreak of brettanomyces in the winery and I found them to be very full of themselves. But it is worth the trip to see the beautiful grounds.
Consider taking the drive north to Guenoc. This interesting trip on sometimes treacherous roads over the old volcanic territory is rewarded by a tasting at one of the more unique and underappreciated wineries in the area. The winery is located in the middle of nowhere but offers a fine selection of wines across various price points. Try the Langtry Meritage (pronounced like Heritage) or Bella Oaks Reserve wines if they are serving them
Many people think Sterling, the famous winery on the hill that you have to take a ski tram or bus to get to, is worth the visit but I say no way. I have hated every bottle of Sterling wine that I have ever tasted so you can take the tram if you want, but only do it on a nice day to experience the view. Vinophiles will hate the wine.
I used to like Beringer a lot but now that they are part of Beringer Blass Fosters Lager whatever the hell they are, I am hesitant to recommend them. But they used to have a fine tour and I still think Ed Sbragia, their winemaker, is brilliant. I just think the corporate beancounters have castrated old Eddie and it really pisses me off how they have continued to raise the price of their Beringer PR Cabernet to the point where I will not buy it again. At $50 it was pretty good deal but at $100 they can suck my you know what.
South on Hwy. 29 south of St. Helena is Flora Springs tasting room. The Komes family are owners of the aforementioned Rancho Caymus Lodge, and the nice tasting room is worth a look for the breadth of their offerings and the nice people (including a Komes family member) running the joint. Plus they are right next door to one of my favorite gourmet stores of all time, Dean and deLuca. You should plan a trip so that you pick up lunch at D&D. Their selection of meats, cheese, condiments, tools and other stuff dwarfs Zingermann's (Ann Arbor, MI) plus they have a world class collection of wines you can poach from to take to your dinner at one of the restaurants in the area with reasonable corkage charges (most are less than $20). Just make sure to inquire about corkage before hand.
When Niebaum Coppola was Inglenook Napa Valley, it was my favorite winery in the valley. When Francis bought it, the wine got shitty and overpriced and he turned the beautiful, old visitor area into a shrine to his often just as shitty movies. So I my few visits since he took over the winery have been met with major disappointment. Film buffs would probably pee their pants with his collection of film stuff but from the second you walk in the door there they will try to sell you lots of crap with his wine or a films' name on it. The winery just seems to exist to sell you shit with Copolla name on it so he can get more rich. F... that.
b
Other wineries worth visiting include Caymus (but don't expect to taste much, 'lil Chucky Wagner seems to only have one or two wines available for tasting and I always wonder why he bothers to have a "tasting room" anyway). Other notables include Domaine Chandon, Spring Mountain, Newton, Phil Togni, St. Clement, Freemark Abbey, Whitehall Lane, Folie a Deux and look for some of the smaller, new or old producers you may not have heard of. Also, there are some excellent wineries on the east side of the valley off of Silverado Trail. Stags Leap, Pine Ridge, Cakebread, Clos du Val, Villa Mount Eden/Conn Creek and Rombauer are worth a visit if you have the time or find yourself there late in the day and needing a glass of wine. Check to make sure they are open and are not "by appointment only". I forget which ones require a call ahead.
I have also read that the Pope Valley is an up and coming area but I do not know what if any wineries have tasting rooms up there. Finally, Mount Veeder is home to several wineries including Hess.
Just remember, when all is said and done, you are just starting your California wine country visit. Day trips to Sonoma city, central and north Sonoma County and the Alexander Valley are yet to come. You cannot visit without a day trip to Ridge, Chateau St. Jean or Alexander Valley Vineyards or a day trip over to the quaint towns of Sonoma (south end of the Sonoma wine trail) and Healdsburg or a full day in the Dry Creek Valley or the Russian River wineries. So go, plan a week of visits and don't forget to designate a driver.
A votre sante - Joel
Wine Spectator Rants Redux
Well you have to love the Wine Spectator...as if. I have ranted in the past about what a misnomer their name has become. Today they are no longer the "Wine Spectator". Instead, they are the "Lifestyle Spectator". And wouldn't you know it, this issue has done it again. Their "second annual" food issue was out this week and they have managed to spend over 70% of the article material on this issue on anything but wine. Cheese, spices, meats whatever they could come up with but nary a drop of wine to talk about. Come on. If you are going to call yourself the Wine Speculator, speculate about wine, not about every other darn thing on earth.
Then both Jimmy Laube and Matty Kramer discuss the ridiculous state of Bordeaux futures. Much to my surprise, Laubeeee gets closer to my previously stated views on this than Kramer, with whom I am usually in much more agreement. Laube sort of dances around the issue of the greed of the Bordelaise and kind of makes the point that those buggers are trying to upcharge to get the auction price on the wine before it goes to auction. He does seem to indicate he agrees with me, there is a real risk of those people who are buying on futures may not be able to sell at auction at a higher price because the wineries raised price to capture that markup before auction.
Kramer, on the other hand, seems to indicate he believes the wines are a deal and will appreciate by the time they are released. Further, he does not take the greedy pigs to task for overcharging, like Laubeee sort of does.
But both of these knuckleheads miss the point to a certain extent. Have you ever heard of Internet Capital Group? How about any of the other of those internet companies that crapped all over greedy investors at the end of the last century. I think '05 Bordeaux is an internet stock purchased in 1996. I heard from an employee of Wine Discount Center that a few of their customers asked for as much '05 Bordeaux as they could get, ostensibly so that they can turn around and resell it after release. Problem is, there is no guarantee they will ever be able to sell it for a profit, at least in the short to medium term. And what kind of asshole buys a consumable product meant to be enjoyed as an investment, especially untested (or untasted) years before it is available. Two kinds, rich guys who probably will never drink it but will never bother to sell it either, and greedy, stupid bastards with more greed than money who I hope lose their shirt.
If you buy futures, buy them to secure supply and save money (prepaying should save you money) and drink the wine when it shows up, like I do with Ridge Monte Bello.
And for the Speculator, they have done it again. Decided to be a lifestyle magazine and refusing to call the bluff of their advertisers (the Bordelaise).
Then both Jimmy Laube and Matty Kramer discuss the ridiculous state of Bordeaux futures. Much to my surprise, Laubeeee gets closer to my previously stated views on this than Kramer, with whom I am usually in much more agreement. Laube sort of dances around the issue of the greed of the Bordelaise and kind of makes the point that those buggers are trying to upcharge to get the auction price on the wine before it goes to auction. He does seem to indicate he agrees with me, there is a real risk of those people who are buying on futures may not be able to sell at auction at a higher price because the wineries raised price to capture that markup before auction.
Kramer, on the other hand, seems to indicate he believes the wines are a deal and will appreciate by the time they are released. Further, he does not take the greedy pigs to task for overcharging, like Laubeee sort of does.
But both of these knuckleheads miss the point to a certain extent. Have you ever heard of Internet Capital Group? How about any of the other of those internet companies that crapped all over greedy investors at the end of the last century. I think '05 Bordeaux is an internet stock purchased in 1996. I heard from an employee of Wine Discount Center that a few of their customers asked for as much '05 Bordeaux as they could get, ostensibly so that they can turn around and resell it after release. Problem is, there is no guarantee they will ever be able to sell it for a profit, at least in the short to medium term. And what kind of asshole buys a consumable product meant to be enjoyed as an investment, especially untested (or untasted) years before it is available. Two kinds, rich guys who probably will never drink it but will never bother to sell it either, and greedy, stupid bastards with more greed than money who I hope lose their shirt.
If you buy futures, buy them to secure supply and save money (prepaying should save you money) and drink the wine when it shows up, like I do with Ridge Monte Bello.
And for the Speculator, they have done it again. Decided to be a lifestyle magazine and refusing to call the bluff of their advertisers (the Bordelaise).
Monday, August 14, 2006
Where to go Napa Valley
So as a former (and hope to be future) Bay Area resident, I thought it would be worthwhile to write about my wife and my favorite places to go in wine country. First let me say that while I like Sonoma and have stayed over there in the past, for non-residents, you have to home base it in the Napa Valley. You can base there and do day trips over to Sonoma, but really, if you are not a frequent visitor to No. Ca. wine country, the world has to start in Napa.
So a trip to Napa for me begins with my hotel destination. We like Vintage Inn and its sister hotel Villagio in Yountville. Pricey like everything in Napa, but look for a deal and they give you a nice breakfast spread every morning that makes lunch optional. Other nice places to stay include Rancho Caymus in Rutherford and Mount View Hotel in Calistoga. Rancho is nice but we ate a La Toque, their "award winning restaurant" which is actually not run by the Rancho people, I think, and the people at La Toque were jerkoffs. My money is as good as anyone else's so I say take their snooty noses and stuff them up their own rear ends and sniff real hard. So the hotel...good, the restaurant...sucks. Mount View is old but has been recently renovated so is worth a try. For my money, Yountville and Calistoga are the two most interesting towns in the valley.
Okay, so one of the local secrets, sorry Rutherford, is the Rutherford Grill located right next to BV Winery and in front of Rancho Caymus. NO CORKAGE FEE, A GOOD WINE LIST AND GOOD HEARTY STEAKS, SEAFOOD AND OTHER HEARTY FARE. You can buy a bottle of aged reserve at one of the wineries on your trip and pop it there for free. What a deal. But I do not think they take reservations, like many places in the valley, so go early or be prepared to wait.
So let's back up and go back to Yountville. The general progression of your days will follow the geography of the valley. Yountville is the first city basically in wine county, in my mind. With the imposing mission style California Veteran's Home and Hospital on the west side of Hwy. 29 and the town on the right, it probably just edges Calistoga for interesting places to visit and good eats. And of course it is home to the most famous restaurant in the United States, The French Laundry. I have eaten at the Laundry twice and found it overpriced and pretentious. But the food is good with many small courses and the wine list speaks for itself. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law love the place and they probably are only slightly below me when it comes to eating and drinking so I trust their opinion. So it is one of those gotta-do-it-once places but, like Charley Trotters here in Chicago, if you ain't a billionaire, consider it a once in a lifetime experience.
Our favorite thing to do in Yountville is visit the art galleries. Nancie at Images is about as good a host as you can ever find. We have purchased a good deal of artwork from her through the years and while I know her job is to make you feel comfortable and sell you shit, she does seem sincere and I like her. Most importantly, she will not pressure you and you can browse away without being hassled, which I always like. Check out the glass shop next to Images North for some pricey but really interesting glass Objet d'Arte.
You could eat all week at the restaurants in and around Yountville and not be disappointed, so give them all a try if you like. One experience is Bistro Jeanty, which is a real French bistro located in the heart of Napa Valley. Like organ meats, they got 'em. How about a full plate of raw beef like I had in Paris so many years ago. I saw a kid trying to impress his girl by eating a whole plate of the stuff and I bet he was barfing all night. Worth eating there just for the show. If you cannot get into the Laundry, try his more casual bistro Bouchon, which I actually prefer because they are not trying to charge you $50 for corkage if you bring your own wine and they are not nearly as snooty as the Laundry. I mean when the Laundry is charging $50 for corkage, they are telling you that they expect to make a minimum of that for each bottle of wine you buy from their wine list. That, my friends, is obnoxious and obscene. I have a real hard time paying a $50 upcharge on any wine at a restaurant, I could care less what the restaurant is. So shame on them.
Brix, Domaine Chandon and Hurleys are among the other choices in the area, with Mustards not too far down the road either. Of course there is also the seminal Napa Valley Grille, a place that I remember 20 plus years ago when California Cuisine was little more than a twinkle in Alice Waters eye. I am not sure if this is the same place as I visited so many years ago, but I have heard good things and it is worth a shot.
Okay, so enough eating in Yountville. How about St. Helena, the next major stop north of Rutherford on Hwy. 29? Of course the overhyped and mediocre Travigne is one major stop in town. But I prefer Terra and Martini House. When you start doing American Express commercials like Travigne, you know the quality suffers and the idiots come out just say they went there. Asian inspired Terra (which I heard lost a lot of their wine in a fire or some other disaster) has been a winner for us and they are a favorite of the vegetarian crowd. I visited Martini House several years ago just after it opened. The service was a little spotty and the food was just okay, but we had nice bottle of Italian Merlot, Falesco Montiano and the surroundings were really neat so it is worthy of another try.
Now onto Calistoga. One of the best and most disgusting experiences of my life was taking my first mud bath at Dr. Wilkinson's in Calistoga. My old psycho, pyro friend, Jim Antaki, introduced my wife and I to mud bathing 20 years ago or so. Jim and his wife Jan's anniversary is the same day as ours (or maybe a day or two before or after) and for a couple of years we would go to the valley with them to celebrate. Jim always got a mud bath and massage and he talked us into it. We usually go to Dr. Wilkinson's because they have separate men's and women's sections (rather than couples sections) and you are going there to get loose, not have sex. Plus, they seem to have about the best hygiene of any of the spas in Calistoga. For those of you who do not know, Calistoga is located over an underground natural thermal springs. As I will discuss below, the area was once (and probably still is) volcanically active. The spring is the source of the famous Calistoga Mineral Water and the spas in the area tap into the source for water and heat for their mud baths and saunas.
Mud is a misnomer, it is really peat moss mixed with volcanic ash from the surrounding hills. The peat and ash mix get a little ripe because they only change it once a week or so and since you sit in it and it pulls the sweat out of your body (along with the wine you had last night and other toxins in your system), you are basically sharing sweat with everyone else who used it before you. Now they steam the stuff before you get in, but it still gets a little ripe. There are two really gross things about it you have to get over in order to enjoy the experience. First, when you get in you have to literally force yourself down into the goop. This is pretty gross and if they screw up and do not get the temperature of the mud down before you get in, you can get a real shock to your system. The grossest thing is how the mud clings to every hair on your body. When you exit the tub, you are coated with wet peat moss and ash that you have to spend 20 minutes removing via shower. It is a good reason to get a Brazilian wax (men included) prior to going there. Because believe me, getting this stuff out of your butt crack, pubic hair and scrotum can be hell. I shutter to think what the ladies go through. Believe me when I tell you pieces of peat will show up in unexpected places (behind your ears, various folds of fat) for about 3 days after the bath.
But after a mud bath, whirlpool, sauna blanket wrap and 30 or 60 minute massage, you are absolutely jello. Really, it is a great way to remove some of the stress from your life. I always get impatient, especially during the blanket rap, so you should try to go in with a relaxed mental state to get the full enjoyment.
I have to admit, we have almost never eaten in Calistoga, so I am not sure where to go should you be up there. I believe the Mount View has a good restaurant and there are a few others in town that look good from the outside. Yountville, St. Helena, Rutherford and Napa are better known than Calistoga for their restaurants so I say eat lunch instead of dinner there. There is a "market" across the street from Dr. Wilkinsons, I forget the name, which has awesome selections of cheese, cold cuts, sandwiches, salads and the like. My recommendation, get a fairly early mud bath, get some lunch in Calistoga and spend the rest of the day visiting the shops in town. Or go wine tasting, which I have not even gotten to yet.
So this is the first installment of Joel's Napa Valley Visit. Stay tuned for future installments when I get to the good stuff, the fermented grape juice thing.
So a trip to Napa for me begins with my hotel destination. We like Vintage Inn and its sister hotel Villagio in Yountville. Pricey like everything in Napa, but look for a deal and they give you a nice breakfast spread every morning that makes lunch optional. Other nice places to stay include Rancho Caymus in Rutherford and Mount View Hotel in Calistoga. Rancho is nice but we ate a La Toque, their "award winning restaurant" which is actually not run by the Rancho people, I think, and the people at La Toque were jerkoffs. My money is as good as anyone else's so I say take their snooty noses and stuff them up their own rear ends and sniff real hard. So the hotel...good, the restaurant...sucks. Mount View is old but has been recently renovated so is worth a try. For my money, Yountville and Calistoga are the two most interesting towns in the valley.
Okay, so one of the local secrets, sorry Rutherford, is the Rutherford Grill located right next to BV Winery and in front of Rancho Caymus. NO CORKAGE FEE, A GOOD WINE LIST AND GOOD HEARTY STEAKS, SEAFOOD AND OTHER HEARTY FARE. You can buy a bottle of aged reserve at one of the wineries on your trip and pop it there for free. What a deal. But I do not think they take reservations, like many places in the valley, so go early or be prepared to wait.
So let's back up and go back to Yountville. The general progression of your days will follow the geography of the valley. Yountville is the first city basically in wine county, in my mind. With the imposing mission style California Veteran's Home and Hospital on the west side of Hwy. 29 and the town on the right, it probably just edges Calistoga for interesting places to visit and good eats. And of course it is home to the most famous restaurant in the United States, The French Laundry. I have eaten at the Laundry twice and found it overpriced and pretentious. But the food is good with many small courses and the wine list speaks for itself. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law love the place and they probably are only slightly below me when it comes to eating and drinking so I trust their opinion. So it is one of those gotta-do-it-once places but, like Charley Trotters here in Chicago, if you ain't a billionaire, consider it a once in a lifetime experience.
Our favorite thing to do in Yountville is visit the art galleries. Nancie at Images is about as good a host as you can ever find. We have purchased a good deal of artwork from her through the years and while I know her job is to make you feel comfortable and sell you shit, she does seem sincere and I like her. Most importantly, she will not pressure you and you can browse away without being hassled, which I always like. Check out the glass shop next to Images North for some pricey but really interesting glass Objet d'Arte.
You could eat all week at the restaurants in and around Yountville and not be disappointed, so give them all a try if you like. One experience is Bistro Jeanty, which is a real French bistro located in the heart of Napa Valley. Like organ meats, they got 'em. How about a full plate of raw beef like I had in Paris so many years ago. I saw a kid trying to impress his girl by eating a whole plate of the stuff and I bet he was barfing all night. Worth eating there just for the show. If you cannot get into the Laundry, try his more casual bistro Bouchon, which I actually prefer because they are not trying to charge you $50 for corkage if you bring your own wine and they are not nearly as snooty as the Laundry. I mean when the Laundry is charging $50 for corkage, they are telling you that they expect to make a minimum of that for each bottle of wine you buy from their wine list. That, my friends, is obnoxious and obscene. I have a real hard time paying a $50 upcharge on any wine at a restaurant, I could care less what the restaurant is. So shame on them.
Brix, Domaine Chandon and Hurleys are among the other choices in the area, with Mustards not too far down the road either. Of course there is also the seminal Napa Valley Grille, a place that I remember 20 plus years ago when California Cuisine was little more than a twinkle in Alice Waters eye. I am not sure if this is the same place as I visited so many years ago, but I have heard good things and it is worth a shot.
Okay, so enough eating in Yountville. How about St. Helena, the next major stop north of Rutherford on Hwy. 29? Of course the overhyped and mediocre Travigne is one major stop in town. But I prefer Terra and Martini House. When you start doing American Express commercials like Travigne, you know the quality suffers and the idiots come out just say they went there. Asian inspired Terra (which I heard lost a lot of their wine in a fire or some other disaster) has been a winner for us and they are a favorite of the vegetarian crowd. I visited Martini House several years ago just after it opened. The service was a little spotty and the food was just okay, but we had nice bottle of Italian Merlot, Falesco Montiano and the surroundings were really neat so it is worthy of another try.
Now onto Calistoga. One of the best and most disgusting experiences of my life was taking my first mud bath at Dr. Wilkinson's in Calistoga. My old psycho, pyro friend, Jim Antaki, introduced my wife and I to mud bathing 20 years ago or so. Jim and his wife Jan's anniversary is the same day as ours (or maybe a day or two before or after) and for a couple of years we would go to the valley with them to celebrate. Jim always got a mud bath and massage and he talked us into it. We usually go to Dr. Wilkinson's because they have separate men's and women's sections (rather than couples sections) and you are going there to get loose, not have sex. Plus, they seem to have about the best hygiene of any of the spas in Calistoga. For those of you who do not know, Calistoga is located over an underground natural thermal springs. As I will discuss below, the area was once (and probably still is) volcanically active. The spring is the source of the famous Calistoga Mineral Water and the spas in the area tap into the source for water and heat for their mud baths and saunas.
Mud is a misnomer, it is really peat moss mixed with volcanic ash from the surrounding hills. The peat and ash mix get a little ripe because they only change it once a week or so and since you sit in it and it pulls the sweat out of your body (along with the wine you had last night and other toxins in your system), you are basically sharing sweat with everyone else who used it before you. Now they steam the stuff before you get in, but it still gets a little ripe. There are two really gross things about it you have to get over in order to enjoy the experience. First, when you get in you have to literally force yourself down into the goop. This is pretty gross and if they screw up and do not get the temperature of the mud down before you get in, you can get a real shock to your system. The grossest thing is how the mud clings to every hair on your body. When you exit the tub, you are coated with wet peat moss and ash that you have to spend 20 minutes removing via shower. It is a good reason to get a Brazilian wax (men included) prior to going there. Because believe me, getting this stuff out of your butt crack, pubic hair and scrotum can be hell. I shutter to think what the ladies go through. Believe me when I tell you pieces of peat will show up in unexpected places (behind your ears, various folds of fat) for about 3 days after the bath.
But after a mud bath, whirlpool, sauna blanket wrap and 30 or 60 minute massage, you are absolutely jello. Really, it is a great way to remove some of the stress from your life. I always get impatient, especially during the blanket rap, so you should try to go in with a relaxed mental state to get the full enjoyment.
I have to admit, we have almost never eaten in Calistoga, so I am not sure where to go should you be up there. I believe the Mount View has a good restaurant and there are a few others in town that look good from the outside. Yountville, St. Helena, Rutherford and Napa are better known than Calistoga for their restaurants so I say eat lunch instead of dinner there. There is a "market" across the street from Dr. Wilkinsons, I forget the name, which has awesome selections of cheese, cold cuts, sandwiches, salads and the like. My recommendation, get a fairly early mud bath, get some lunch in Calistoga and spend the rest of the day visiting the shops in town. Or go wine tasting, which I have not even gotten to yet.
So this is the first installment of Joel's Napa Valley Visit. Stay tuned for future installments when I get to the good stuff, the fermented grape juice thing.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Wine Pricing, the Sky is Falling
I have watched with curiosity as 2005 Bordeaux futures have stretched to the most ridiculous heights ever seen due to speculation by jerkoffs who will try to sell these at auction in a few years to make money. How anyone can speculate on a consumable, fragile item like wine is beyond me. But there is absolutely no way that first growth Bordeaux's should be going for $700, $800 even $1000 a bottle two years or more before they will even be released to the market. What a freakin' joke.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have purchased fabulous wines like 1998 Terrabianca, 2002 Rieslings and Gruner Veltliner from Birgit Eichinger, 2004 Shiraz and Cabernet from Marquis Phillips and other wines on closeouts at literally half or less of their original price. At the prices I paid, the QPR (quality to price ratio) was huge. I doubt if the same will ever be said by those fools paying for the '05 Bordeaux en primeur.
So what is going on? On one end of the spectrum you have the Bordelaise screwing people and on the other end you have many wineries and distributors dropping their pants just to get people to buy their wine, and these are pretty tasty wines. From what I see, there appears to be two main contributors to this closeout phenomenon. First, there seems to remain a glut of juice flowing about in this global wine market. No wine producing area in the world seems to be immune to this price war. I have heard stories of wineries around France shuttering or being purchased at pennies on the dollar because they just cannot sell their juice...not enough demand.
Now the second thing going on, and I have been bitching about this for years, is that wine is just too damn expensive, 24-7-365 across the board. Those guys selling their wine at half or less of the original price would not be doing so if they priced it right to begin with, now would they? They always say the key to selling a house is setting the price right. Why would wine be any different?
And the fools buying '05 Bordeaux futures, well, I predict that they will be sitting on some good juice that does not appreciate in the next 10 years. It will not be the investment those greedy bastards hope it will be because wine demand will slow with the slowing economy and continued plantings of grapes throughout the world. More competition and a softening economy, embroiled in war and gas at $4 per gallon (in the US) will spell disaster for this industry. And the high priced gougers like Margaux, Mouton, Cheval Blanc and the lot will potentially suffer the most...or not. Maybe rich idiots will still covet this stuff for the name, even though they have no idea what they are buying. I, for one, hope the people hogging up these futures and driving up the price, end up with the same situation we saw during the internet stock crash in the late '90's. Sure they will have great wine to drink, but I hope they are forced to drink it because they cannot sell it for what they paid for it. Boo hoo, I have to drink my wine instead of trading it like a commodity.
So I say to the big corporations running the wine game and also the individual producers, price your wine fairly and we will buy and drink it. Wine is a consumable beverage meant to be enjoyed and you are ruining the fun for 95% of us drinking the stuff. I am a capitalist, so make a good profit. But quit screwing us consumers, who do you think you are, ExxonMobile?
On the other end of the spectrum, I have purchased fabulous wines like 1998 Terrabianca, 2002 Rieslings and Gruner Veltliner from Birgit Eichinger, 2004 Shiraz and Cabernet from Marquis Phillips and other wines on closeouts at literally half or less of their original price. At the prices I paid, the QPR (quality to price ratio) was huge. I doubt if the same will ever be said by those fools paying for the '05 Bordeaux en primeur.
So what is going on? On one end of the spectrum you have the Bordelaise screwing people and on the other end you have many wineries and distributors dropping their pants just to get people to buy their wine, and these are pretty tasty wines. From what I see, there appears to be two main contributors to this closeout phenomenon. First, there seems to remain a glut of juice flowing about in this global wine market. No wine producing area in the world seems to be immune to this price war. I have heard stories of wineries around France shuttering or being purchased at pennies on the dollar because they just cannot sell their juice...not enough demand.
Now the second thing going on, and I have been bitching about this for years, is that wine is just too damn expensive, 24-7-365 across the board. Those guys selling their wine at half or less of the original price would not be doing so if they priced it right to begin with, now would they? They always say the key to selling a house is setting the price right. Why would wine be any different?
And the fools buying '05 Bordeaux futures, well, I predict that they will be sitting on some good juice that does not appreciate in the next 10 years. It will not be the investment those greedy bastards hope it will be because wine demand will slow with the slowing economy and continued plantings of grapes throughout the world. More competition and a softening economy, embroiled in war and gas at $4 per gallon (in the US) will spell disaster for this industry. And the high priced gougers like Margaux, Mouton, Cheval Blanc and the lot will potentially suffer the most...or not. Maybe rich idiots will still covet this stuff for the name, even though they have no idea what they are buying. I, for one, hope the people hogging up these futures and driving up the price, end up with the same situation we saw during the internet stock crash in the late '90's. Sure they will have great wine to drink, but I hope they are forced to drink it because they cannot sell it for what they paid for it. Boo hoo, I have to drink my wine instead of trading it like a commodity.
So I say to the big corporations running the wine game and also the individual producers, price your wine fairly and we will buy and drink it. Wine is a consumable beverage meant to be enjoyed and you are ruining the fun for 95% of us drinking the stuff. I am a capitalist, so make a good profit. But quit screwing us consumers, who do you think you are, ExxonMobile?
Wherefore art thou, Floyd Landis
Well, it's time to say, Floyd needs to put up or shut up. No more fake excuses, no more supposed guessing about whiskey and beer. Look Floyd, if you did it, face it like a man. If you did not, then fight it for real, like your former boss Lance would have.
I have no problem believing that Landis was sabotaged somehow. Let's face it, the drug testing program in sports is joke and the lab that originally found Landis' abnormal result is, at best, terrible with protocols, at worst a sham lab that would try to hurt an American (they tried with Lance) by any means possible. It is not really believable that Landis would take steroids for one stage of a race, they do not work that way. But it is completely believable that he is just an idiot athlete who got bad counsel that he could take the steroid, get a short term benefit and not get caught. I am pretty sure he is not a brain wizard or he would not be riding 20,000 kilometers to prepare for a 20 day race. That, most intelligent people would agree, is just stupid. Sorry Lance.
I suspect Floyd got something that caused this test, perhaps through another unknown source. Could have been a massage cream, drink, shot for his hip, whatever. Could have even be something that the Tour had approved. I heard a commentator claim that they take testosterone patches used to dispense testosterone around the clock to patients, and put them on for a couple of hours to supposedly get a benefit. Could he have done this?
Anyhow, if he is guilty, Floyd must admit it and take his medicine like a man. If he continues to maintain his innocence, I will believe him, but based on the commentaries I have read in various papers from around the world, no one else will. At the end of the day, the cycling bodies in the US and the world athletic congress will make the ultimate decision.
I have no problem believing that Landis was sabotaged somehow. Let's face it, the drug testing program in sports is joke and the lab that originally found Landis' abnormal result is, at best, terrible with protocols, at worst a sham lab that would try to hurt an American (they tried with Lance) by any means possible. It is not really believable that Landis would take steroids for one stage of a race, they do not work that way. But it is completely believable that he is just an idiot athlete who got bad counsel that he could take the steroid, get a short term benefit and not get caught. I am pretty sure he is not a brain wizard or he would not be riding 20,000 kilometers to prepare for a 20 day race. That, most intelligent people would agree, is just stupid. Sorry Lance.
I suspect Floyd got something that caused this test, perhaps through another unknown source. Could have been a massage cream, drink, shot for his hip, whatever. Could have even be something that the Tour had approved. I heard a commentator claim that they take testosterone patches used to dispense testosterone around the clock to patients, and put them on for a couple of hours to supposedly get a benefit. Could he have done this?
Anyhow, if he is guilty, Floyd must admit it and take his medicine like a man. If he continues to maintain his innocence, I will believe him, but based on the commentaries I have read in various papers from around the world, no one else will. At the end of the day, the cycling bodies in the US and the world athletic congress will make the ultimate decision.
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