crawl log chrono

13.04.27 comprehensive wine list

easy, safe way to get around to wine tastings
http://www.SDbeerwine.com

prioritized in order of tasting events.
http://www.sandiegowineandculinary.com/
http://www.the3rdcorner.com/
http://villagevino.com/
http://shop.vintagewinessd.com
http://proprietorsreserve.com/
http://sandiegowineclassic.com/
http://winesellar.com/
http://www.holidaywinecellar.com/
http://sandiegowine.net/     no-nonsense in-store Saturday wine tastings
http://www.bineandvine.com/   no tasting license yet but worth keeping abreast of.
http://knbwinecellars.com/events/   bit of a zoo scene - very popular. They do a wide hodge podge of events, and are the new high end liquor store in town with something to prove via their tastings.

some big local wine events in my order of preference
http://familywinemakers.org/ 2012 second weekend in March
http://www.julianca.com/media/grape_stomp.htm Labor Day Saturday
http://www.sdfair.com/index.php?fuseaction=festivals.wine_festival

Julian in order of preference
http://thebluedoorwinery.com/
http://www.witchcreekwinery.com/julian-location
http://jenkinswinery.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Menghini-Winery/334699435773

essential stops on the way back down the mountain
http://jeremysonthehill.com/    Wynola
http://www.countrycellars.com/    Wynola
http://www.orfila.com/tasting-julian.html    Wynola

http://milagrofarmwinery.com     north of Ramona on main highway across from camel dairy
http://turtlerockridge.com    Ramona on the old highway road
http://www.yelp.com/biz/southern-california-wine-company-Ramona    north end downtown Ramona on the highway

Ramona AVA & greater SD.
http://www.ramonavalleyvineyards.org/
http://sandiegowinecountry.wordpress.com/

in general order of preference
http://www.christophersoncongress.com/    possibly the best wine bar in San Diego
http://cafeparissandiego.wordpress.com/
http://www.farmhousecafesd.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bon-Vin/259064214131582
http://mosaicwinebar.com/
http://www.sandiego.andaz.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/AndazWineBar.html
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/menu-restaurants/100-wines-hillcrest/
http://www.sognodivinosd.com
http://www.thewineencounter.com/
http://www.wetstonewinebar.com/
http://www.bacchuswinemarket.com/
http://www.sdwinery.com
http://www.winestealssd.com/our-locations/point-loma-location
http://fiftysevendegrees.com/
http://www.counterpointsd.com

notes on Valle de Guadalupe Baja wine trail.
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-vBl80sm4Q4WUlLc0Y5R190Zmc&usp=sharing
With a native speaker at the wheel of his vehicle, start at the south end as far as you plan to go and work your way back north. The Bibayoff winery is an essential midpoint stop.
http://www.bibayoff.net
Closest Mexican winery I know, Cava Garcia, still no small safari.
http://www.descubrebajacalifornia.com/2012/index.php/vinedos-y-vinicolas/item/cava-garcia

Possibly the most obscure wine event in San Diego, fundamentally a charity fundraiser.
http://www.barriologanwinery.com/grape-stomp.html

= = =

12.8.29 Uni Ave

A bad idea to blog on first blush still dizzy from delights but merit must not be denied, so, while the iron is hot, heretowith

100 Wines 1047
Superb yet delicate, nonetheless fiery & lengthy finishing Cerbos Armagnac VSOP at a quite favorable price. Second tier brand Blandys bual malmsey yet untried. Dios Baco olorosso shaming all the treacle drunk by that Jerez designation of late. Grenache Noir banyuls - agreeably tawny ruby port, astoundingly uncommon inky banyuls. Drink this quick before you never see it again. And the pour of each was obscenely generous so the price is delicious.
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/menu-restaurants/100-wines-hillcrest/

Il Postino 3955 30th
It is painfully difficult to stop bouncing off the ceiling when I see a shelf like this. The bottle list is gargantuan. By the glass provides more than one interest. But the ports are possibly the finest I have seen yet anywhere as a group. The most compelling are not cheap. Their pour is the price of the finest scotch or brandy. Screwing up the courage of my wallet has yet to match my boundless palate.
Two curiously labeled scotches were pique of interest that just escaped drawing blood. Praise Dionysis for a wingman with yellow-card prudence stronger than my own. The scurrilous cur at least could have propositioned the barkeep for a small flight of the pair if his wits so outmatched mine.
Like Lion's Share, a rare venue demanding reprise for sake of the fare.
http://ilpostino-sandiego.com/

~ ~ ~
121211 jibe to the wingman

Couldn't wait for you. Saw in this past week's UT
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/06/tom-hams-lighthouse-to-get-35-million-facelift/
 that Tom Ham's Lighthouse (north end of Harbor Island, opposite end from Island Prime) is closing for name changing renovation at the first of the year, so I went there tonight to give them their 45 second survey.
The bartenderess of 30 yrs at that location was spread thin tending all the tables sent upstairs to the bar because the dining room downstairs was taken with some corp. Xmas party. I ate the signature sea bass & vegetables steamed in brown paper and a glass of '08 CabSav, then a dark rum I've never seen, http://rumandreviews.com/2011/12/01/brugal-1888-panel-review/
prior to sniper targeting the obscured labels on the back of the top shelf.
End result, I caught her unawares and she quoted me the $10 price for Hennessey VSOP when I asked for the XO in a leafy vine & grape cluster embossed bottle, priced $39 according to the dessert menu.
She recognized her error after already pouring the last of the bottle, but honored her initial quote.

~ ~ ~

1.15.13 So many stops uncited that it is difficult to even recall high points since last post.

Urban Solace 12.29.12  30th Ave, south of University
 ~ Smooth Ambler independent bottling of legacy sourced bourbon. 100pf absolutely required ice. 6yr still plenty good quality. Tried to find bottle : BevMo La Mesa sold out, no shelf listing BM Pt Loma & Mission Valley, scored last bottle of discontinued Brugal 1888 sherry finished rum at BM Mission Valley. 6yr Smooth Ambler at Wine Time in La Jolla for $50,
Need to see if 7G has an older iteration of this brand.
13.02.26 update ~ Two fifths of last bottle remaining at USolace : Batch #4 dated 2.4.12 "Sarah". Same day, received home delivery of same product from Astor (NYC), Batch #17 12.6.12 "NiK", 13 addtional batches of 6yr from a negociant label in 10 months.
When a broker can put this volume into the supply chain in that period, the hyped "whiskey drought" au currant looks suspiciously manufactured rather than a result of snowballing demand.

Marine Room 1.13.13 La Jolla
 w/ Z distaff crew less one & Julian duchess.
 ~ Rare Wine Co. New York Malmsey Special Reserve $11 2 oz + pour, Great bargain, http://www.rarewineco.com/html/rwc-hist.htm
Also on shelf, but unsampled, Sandeman Royal Ambrosante 20yr PX $14 pour http://www.rarewineco.com/html/rwc-hist.htm
 ~ 2010 Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyards "Nadia" cabsav
Pricey at $16 for 5 to 6 oz pour, but quality is equal to the cost. Much better half hour of air after pouring, 
 ~ 2010 Pierre Henry Gadais muscadet (Loire).  Bargain $10 pour.
I am no particular fan of whites, let alone "mineraly" ones, often flavor profile code, as in the case of every marsanne I ever tried, for flavorless. But I give big props to the MRoom's madame sommelier for her bravery in putting a young, presumably unaged muscadet on the too short by-the-glass menu. At least as broad in flavor as a decent muscat, but not at all cloyingly syrupy, the wild grape aromatic funk I expect from a muscadet is fully present without being overwhelming as can too often be the case with this varietal. As a starter glass at this venue, this choice is automatic.
~ 2009 Bon Niche "Fenetres" Petit Verdot (Paso Robles) $59. Not one I'll buy again. Am alway eager to see what can be done with this varietal as a stand alone, but it would have needed 4 hours of decanting to see if there was hidden treasure in this otherwise acceptable but not especially notable curiousity. At least it wasn't one of the many three figure priced bottles on the list.
 ~ The food, as ever each time I've eaten here, is distinguishably superior, regardless of the dish. After this visit, I can opt for the MRoom with complete confidence that dining here is guaranteed to be a great choice. Just be sure to make a reservation early enough to catch the view before & during sunset. After dark, the location's greatest asset is lost.
The details of preparation on all the menu items are also so meticulously elaborate that Net research & review aforehand of their oblique gastronomic description makes their appreciation decidely greater.

Bobeau Kitchen 1.5.13 Ocean Beach
 w/ full Z distaff crew incl international diva, Julian duchess, and both grand-spawn.
 ~ Vin doux menu a noteworthy effort. Good tawny port, don't recall the brand, affordably priced. Decent sauterne, also affordably priced. By the glass wines lackluster or worse, depending on price. Cofermented three grape red blend a good bargain, but, as always, order it early and air it out to get the best from it.
 ~ Food better than expected.
 ~ Still prefer the bar across the street at 3rd Corner, but they were out of the St. Aubins armagnac that was so revelatory a discovery last (first) time there that I bought a bottle for my own shelf. The calvados was only spirit of interest, a label I didn't recognize across a crowded bar rail. It was a little harsh but still appreciable quality & fair price. Kept the diva in tow quiet with a pour of Whiskers Blake 8yr Australian tawny port. Given the great price on this stalwart product, I can't understand why it isn't on every bar in town instead of a very few.
 ~Need to dine here to test the kitchen.

Lupi Vino Cucina 12.31.12 Bird Rock w/ LM & RP
No real reason to go back here. The wine on the list I wanted was unavailable. Prices quite affordable so a good venue for cost containing a second or third stop of the day in La Jolla. Warm pear compote very tasty but not especially exotic in its prep.
The find here, like Bobeau, is the insane hidden treasure across the street, Maitre D. The owner said they've been there 31 years, but I never heard of it, nor any lifelong local to whom I've mentioned it. #1 priority on my must dine list. Much too upscale to give it the 45 second peruse for liquor shelf pre-qualification I typically apply to unknown places. Abalone "sauteed amandine" both as $30 hor d' oeuvre & $65 entree vs. $80 Fish Market Seaport Village http://www.maitredlj.com/Menu.htm

Westgate Hotel Fountainbleu 12.25.12 w/ LM & RP
Mercifully, they still served the Xmas eve prix fixe, a gloriously good five course.
Two good dessert wines and a 2yr aged Zin & PS three or four varietal red blend by the bottle.
Bar was not open for lunch, available after 5pm. Must revisit to survey liquor shelf.

Village Vino 12.12.12 Kensington
A no-nonsense proprietress with a ferocious list, incl a 15yr old tawny by the glass. Flatbread & epicure finger food of high caliber. Split a bottle of nebbiolo with a late arriving regular for my third glass who riffed graciously & engagingly on my usual bullshit rap. Always amazing to me how my sincere and enthusiastic engagement of fellow customers elicits a pursed grimace & scowl in short order from tavern keepers, regardless of whether I stay on topic with libation discussion or try to match my eccentric obsessions to their interests.
VV definitely deserves to be a default waystop on my regular rounds, particularly with Bleu Boheme & the newly opened liquor store wine tasting room a very short stroll across the street.

Baypark Fish 12.8.12 just off Morena Blvd beside I-5
Fair priced good quality food. Limited tolerable wine list, but make the effort to air out the reds early because dining here is too quick paced for the decanting necessary.
 ~ Started at the bar on the corner with an acceptable Ramos Pinto port RP10. Had to scream bloody murder at the bartender to get him to stop overpouring the horrible house labeled grappa which was attributed to Jacobo Poli and distributed by Mondavi.
 ~ Swung by Old Trieste afterward for a fast assessment. Scary sepulchral lighting and weird sad vibe, but did make a highly notable booze find of so far unattainable armagnac http://www.empirewine.com/liquor/castarede-armagnac-vsop-10yr-750ml/

Baci's 11.30.12 Morena Blvd beside I-5
Not inexpensive at all but astoundingly good food. Best of all, we killed a bottle of fantastic baked cream sherry, no longer commercially available, that had been on the shelf for 10 years per the proprietor : Rotta Winery (Templeton, Paso Robles) "tawny port" (mission grape varietal)

57 Degrees 11.8.12 Washington west of I-5
Bleak & all but empty at Happy Hour on Thu. Acceptable but unnoteworthy pricey food, young wine, tame overpriced dessert wines from safe label names. The draw here is serious tipplers schooling themselves by the glass for their bottle purchases. If they'll talk to you, take notes.

SD Culinary Institute 11.1.12 along the trolley track west from 5th St downtown SD
Gitana sherry tasting with paired amuse bouches by a New Mexico big name chef doing a hurried delivery. Learned a fair amount but overpriced at $65 for shoehorned seating and rushed presentation for a bare bones, second tier, commercially common product line hawked by the distributor. 1) Manzanilla aka fino is nothing but brined white wine 2) Amontillado is customarily very dry 3) Olorosso is preferable to overly syrupy, more expensive PX 4) cream sherry is olorosso base with PX blended in.

Small Bar 10.30.12 Park Ave
Pricey burgers not worth a repeat. Prefer to eat across the street at Park Blvd Wine & Pizza, straightforward flatbread with upscale ingredients. Parker's Heritage by the shot, $20+ as I recall, but an early limited edition you will never see again in your life. Oodles of long aged scotches, several uncommon independent bottlings, some effort at a notable bourbon selection. The key here is that the best of the liquor is essentially the choice of the proprietor, not some bar manager stocking what his wholesaler tells him is best for his customer base.

Italianissimo Trattoria 10.23.12 downtown Chula Vista
One of the very few upscale places in CV. I have always found the food to be enough of a cut above in quality to justify the price, but the wing man thought the ciopinno was inferior. A limited wine list with some priced by the label as much as the bottle contents, but one or more dessert wines of mild note.