Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Our flight from JFK to LAX was among the last to leave before the nasty blizzard struck last Sunday, so Marcia, Olivia and I were able to launch our weeklong family (i.e., not wine oriented) visit to the golden status.
On Monday we did lots of touristy things (double decker bus tour, Norton Simon for the Zurbaran Still Life, and Universal Studios, whew) and went to dinner at Lou on Vine. Its in an ugly strip mall, but walking through its door is like crossing a portal into a different dimension. The ambience is ideally casual, attractive without pretense. The wine list is aggressively quirky, with lots of wines Id love to try (the only name I disapprove of is Marionnet). The three of us had the three-course wine tasting supper offered every Monday (sans wine, of course, for Olivia), and it was very good. If I lived in LA, I would frequent this place, frequently. Wines were:
2006 Domaine Rolet Arbois Ctes du Jura Chardonnay
White flowers, almonds, oily citrus. More sweet than acid, good weight, lightly bitter finish; plump but attractive.
2009 Domaine Les Clapes "Fesquier" Ardche Grenache
Leafy, herbal, with rosewater, tea and strawberry. Good acidity, soft but present tannins. Liked but did not love. A deadringer for Bandols Domaine lAnglore Pierre Chaude.
2002 Gerard Villet Vin de Paille Jura blend of Savagnin and Poulsard
Almonds and orange peel. Lovely texture, perfect acid/sweet balance. Loved this.
I asked the friendly and knowledgeable waiter where the vin de paille was from and the conversation went like this, as I heard it:
F&KW: its from the Jura, a blend of Poulsard and Savigny
Me: Savigny???
F&KW: Yes, Savagneen, its a grape.
Me: Oh, Savagnn?
F&KW: Yes, Savagneen.
On Tuesday, after some more touristy things (La Brea Tar Pits, California Science Center, Getty Center), we went to dinner at Palate, recommended by Eden. Food was good but a bit precious, and I didn't like the long and narrow ambiance so much (really picky about volumetry). The wine list, while extensive, is less interesting than Lous. The whites were more desirable at our price points, so we went with two:
2006 Julien Courtois l'Originel
Blend of menu pineau and romorantin. White flowers, citrus, metallic edge; battery level acidity, good body and texture, nice final bitterness. A wine with tons of character, I loved.
1995 Zilliken Rausch Spatlese
Very floral, with jasmine, petrol and grapefruit. Excellent texture, very enjoyable.
After Marcia and Olivia were sound asleep, I slipped away for a tryst with WD demi-goddess Eden Myslunch. Eden picked me up in a racy two-seater Volvo and took me to a wine bar called Salute, where I had a 2006 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir that was educational (she had a much tastier zin, unrecorded). It was quite the privilege to meet this icon of our culture subset, and in the flesh, too. I didn't make much headway other than conversationally, so I chose to interpret Eden's considerable chemistry with Nicole, our attractive bartender, as a sign that perhaps her proclivities lie more in the direction of the Greek Isles. The chat was all too short, the both of us being on our last legs, but 'twas a beginning.
Driving up to Hearst Castle (where they actually make a range of wines) on Wednesday, we had an excellent lunch at Big Sky Caf in San Luis Obispo. 2008 Ortman Vineyards Paso Robles Sangiovese was a jammy and sweet with unintegrated acidity and the 2006 Zaca Mesa "Z" cuvee Santa Ynez (Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah) was soft, balanced and agreeable. Then off to Monterey.
Next: part II, including New Year's dinner at Caf Panisse.
On Monday we did lots of touristy things (double decker bus tour, Norton Simon for the Zurbaran Still Life, and Universal Studios, whew) and went to dinner at Lou on Vine. Its in an ugly strip mall, but walking through its door is like crossing a portal into a different dimension. The ambience is ideally casual, attractive without pretense. The wine list is aggressively quirky, with lots of wines Id love to try (the only name I disapprove of is Marionnet). The three of us had the three-course wine tasting supper offered every Monday (sans wine, of course, for Olivia), and it was very good. If I lived in LA, I would frequent this place, frequently. Wines were:
2006 Domaine Rolet Arbois Ctes du Jura Chardonnay
White flowers, almonds, oily citrus. More sweet than acid, good weight, lightly bitter finish; plump but attractive.
2009 Domaine Les Clapes "Fesquier" Ardche Grenache
Leafy, herbal, with rosewater, tea and strawberry. Good acidity, soft but present tannins. Liked but did not love. A deadringer for Bandols Domaine lAnglore Pierre Chaude.
2002 Gerard Villet Vin de Paille Jura blend of Savagnin and Poulsard
Almonds and orange peel. Lovely texture, perfect acid/sweet balance. Loved this.
I asked the friendly and knowledgeable waiter where the vin de paille was from and the conversation went like this, as I heard it:
F&KW: its from the Jura, a blend of Poulsard and Savigny
Me: Savigny???
F&KW: Yes, Savagneen, its a grape.
Me: Oh, Savagnn?
F&KW: Yes, Savagneen.
On Tuesday, after some more touristy things (La Brea Tar Pits, California Science Center, Getty Center), we went to dinner at Palate, recommended by Eden. Food was good but a bit precious, and I didn't like the long and narrow ambiance so much (really picky about volumetry). The wine list, while extensive, is less interesting than Lous. The whites were more desirable at our price points, so we went with two:
2006 Julien Courtois l'Originel
Blend of menu pineau and romorantin. White flowers, citrus, metallic edge; battery level acidity, good body and texture, nice final bitterness. A wine with tons of character, I loved.
1995 Zilliken Rausch Spatlese
Very floral, with jasmine, petrol and grapefruit. Excellent texture, very enjoyable.
After Marcia and Olivia were sound asleep, I slipped away for a tryst with WD demi-goddess Eden Myslunch. Eden picked me up in a racy two-seater Volvo and took me to a wine bar called Salute, where I had a 2006 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir that was educational (she had a much tastier zin, unrecorded). It was quite the privilege to meet this icon of our culture subset, and in the flesh, too. I didn't make much headway other than conversationally, so I chose to interpret Eden's considerable chemistry with Nicole, our attractive bartender, as a sign that perhaps her proclivities lie more in the direction of the Greek Isles. The chat was all too short, the both of us being on our last legs, but 'twas a beginning.
Driving up to Hearst Castle (where they actually make a range of wines) on Wednesday, we had an excellent lunch at Big Sky Caf in San Luis Obispo. 2008 Ortman Vineyards Paso Robles Sangiovese was a jammy and sweet with unintegrated acidity and the 2006 Zaca Mesa "Z" cuvee Santa Ynez (Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah) was soft, balanced and agreeable. Then off to Monterey.
Next: part II, including New Year's dinner at Caf Panisse.
