AWARD TOUR

It's Friday I'm feeling pretty good, so why not run some ATCQ?

Two from the Arbois at Terroir

(fun Dive Bouteille promo image, yes?)

Last night I accomplished what had previously been considered impossible (well, at least by the girlfriend anyway): go to Terroir Natural Wine Merchant and Bar, consume a couple of glasses of wine, and then leave after about an hour and a half. Since I seldom go out drinking, when I do, I usually like to hang out for a while. Last night, however, was a successful experiment in the quick stop-in at Terroir, and since it worked out great I plan on future visits of shorter duration, combined of course with the occasional all nighter.

After being gently chided by Luc for my extended absence from San Francisco's greatest wine bar, coolest low-key hangout, and home of a few champion arbiters of vinous and musical taste, I settled in with a welcome glass (thanks, guys) of Vouvray Petillant from Catherine & Pierre Breton - crisp, appley, with great earthy and mineral Vouvray typicite, while still coming across clean and focused. Next was an '04 Domaine de la Tournelles Poulsard. Bright, red fruits, just a shade animale on the mid-palate and finish. A nice quaff, but enough complexity to make it more than just 'nice.' Sorry, it's clearly a limited vocabulary day here for me. Next, an '04 Savagnin (the Fleur de Savagnin, I believe) from the same domaine, run by Evelyne and Pascal Clairet. Luc told me that the whites are where it's at with these guys. They are more serious, more chiseled, more nervous. Well he didn't say all of those things, but it is what I inferred and he is definitely correct. The wine, especially for a not so pricey ($12 or $13) glass pour, is off the charts, ridiculously good. Lemon oil, green figs, excellent texture and structure on the palate, with just the barest oxidative nuttiness perceptible on the finish.

Now let me pause for the cause here a moment, to quickly editorialize. Savagnin is better chardonnay than chardonnay. Now, I recognize that I'm generally a huge hater of chardonnay, but even white Burgundy fans must admit that good Savagnin can deliver the goods in a way Chardonnay often can't, for much less money.

Let's see...oh I tasted the '06 Binner Pinot Noir (if you're counting, I'm up to two and one half glasses, the Binner was just what my girlfriend was drinking). Very nice. Sort of like a lighter Hautes Cotes de Nuits or Fixin. There was good cherry PN fruit, damp earth, a touch of a floral aspect. Surprisingly good, well actually not so surprising as the other wines I have tried from this Alsace producer have been pretty solid, lively, interesting efforts.

Happy Friday everyone, and thanks Guillhaume and Luc for the continued good times.

Geuze is Good (especially Drie Fonteinen)

A few months ago, I started a Thursday night post work tradition: beer on Caltrain. You see, a few times a week I take the train from San Francisco into work in Redwood City, and towards the end of the week I do enjoy a beer on the train ride home. While I'm generally an equal opportunity imbiber, I occasionally prefer a sour, slightly funky geuze. For a while, I was getting my geuze fix courtesy of Hansen's Oude Geuze, a very tasty brew with good acidic bite and just enough of the characteristic, meaty brett savor you get from 1, 2 and 3 year old spontaneously fermented Belgian lambics blended together. While I'm sure I will come back to Hansen's sooner or later, I recently had a beer that superceded the quality of Hansen's, and in my mind, even Cantillon's geuze.

Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze is a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year old lambics aged in old oak. It is, without a doubt, the finest geuze I have yet to drink. Citric aromas, with a touch of noticeable old barrel spice (think white burgundy with several years of bottle age) lead to a bright, snappy palate of bitter, pithy citrus fruits. There is also a toasted bread and meaty savor from the barrels and use of brettanoymyces in the fermentation, which characterize the brew. The champagne of beers, I definitely recommend that you try a good geuze, especially if you enjoy all things funky and/or slightly tart when it comes to your food and wine/beer consumption. Imported by Shelton Brothers, the boutique beer importers located in the heart of Massachusett's Pioneer Valley, Belchertown. Belchertown, MA...it's more than just growlers of local porter.

Black Uhuru - RED

While Jamaican reggae trio Black Uhuru was primarily the songwriting outlet for singer/songwriter Michael Rose, it also provided the foundation of a most productive career for production team and rhythm section par excellence Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. They were the musical force who helped to formulate the band's sound, engaging Rose's songwriting expertise and propelling the band to international stardom. Of several solid early 1980's albums, Red remains the most impressive and the definitive work, showcasing Sly, Robbie and their expert ensemble of musicians at their tightest, funkiest and most innovative, while also revealing Michael Rose, Duckie Simpson and American Puma Jones' penchant for unique, soulful harmonies. Sinsemilla might have been more classically reggae, Chill Out ushered in a cool synth and syndrum influenced approach, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner contained the classic title track. But none hit with the consistent urgency of Red. Song after song, it's as though you can witness the struggle to make ends meet in Jamaica, sense the desperation in the streets of Brooklyn, and generally observe the difficulty of living life in 1981.

Opening the album, 'Youth of Eglington' represents Rose's plea to put down the pistol, swear off the gangster life and join together for the greater good. Sly and Robbie lay a sparse, simple, uptempo, marching backbeat, strengthened by steady, blues inflected piano (played by Keith Sterling or Robbie Lynn), propelled forward by Sticky Thompson's percussion, and made funky courtesy of some tasefull riffing by Mikey Chung.

'Sponji Reggae' to this day will fill up the dance floor. It's a perfect, Channel One style, cool and deadly riddim. Puma's distinctive falsetto sweetens the chorus, as does some beautifully laid out instrumentation, in particular the glockenspiel which re-inforces Michael Rose's melody. Lyrically another strong tune, Michael Rose outlines his intense desire to succeed as a singer, "My fingers are shaking as the day start breaking/ I could a never keep it no longer/I had to tell it to one another." A scorcher, yes, but clearly a very personal look at one man's refusal to give up his dream of making it in the competitive world of Jamaican music.

Moving on to the B side, 'Utterance' competes with the two tracks above for my favorite song on the record. It boasts some amazing fills on the drums, understated, perfectly phrased bass playing, an infectious, repeating staccato rhythmic guitar phrase, and once again Black Uhuru's signature harmonies.

'Puff She Puff,' another song written by Michael Rose, berates the absentee mother, "So no bother come, gwaan bout you tough/a nuff you nuff.' Translation - you think you're a strong woman, and you're not even around to help raise your kids? Why don't you get lost, I'll take care of things myself.

While the one Duckie Simpson track, 'Journey,' and the two tracks jointly written by Simpson and Rose ('Sistren' and 'Rockstone') still sound good today, adding to the cohesive whole of the album, these songs just aren't quite as memorable as Michael Rose's efforts.

'Red' captures the formidable talents of a band and a production duo at the height of their collaborative powers, creating an LP which would be one of the defining records of reggae's golden era. Today, twenty eight years on, the album sounds as fresh and vital as ever.

Guess the Attendance: Alsace/Loire Valley in-store tasting edition

We probably had one of the more interesting line-ups for a Saturday tasting that we've had in the store for a long while. We were pouring '07 Huet Le Haut Lieu Sec, '07 Gerard Boulay Sancerre Clos de Beaujeu and even an '89 Vouvray demi-sec.

Care to play the good old stadium scoreboard game of 'guess the attendance?'

It may be helpful to know that we average about 30 people for Saturday in-store tastings.

Was the attendance:

A.) 7
B.) 15
C.) 25
D.) 32

New to OWOS: ALBUM REVIEWS!

I'm just pleased as punch announce that I will soon be writing album reviews on this site. In keeping with the general theme and aesthetic of Old World Old School, most of these reviews will be for classic records with at least twenty years of age. A notable exception would be hip-hop records, which will likely include reviews of classics from 10 years and older.

It's about time that the music component to this site go beyond re-posting other people's youtube videos. Besides, the old adage that everyone's a critic doesn't just apply to wine, now, does it?

The idea is to post one review a week. Hope that you enjoy them and as always, I encourage you to weigh in with your opinions. Also, feel free to spread the word to any of your music geek friends.

As the inaugural review will be for one of my favorite records of all time, here's one of the tracks off this LP to whet the appetite.

The Whisky Review Vol. II number 2: Glenrothes

Founded in 1879, (exactly a century before the year of my birth), Glenrothes produces some of the finest single malt whiskies around. The distillery is located in the Speyside town of Rothes, which is also home to Glen Grant, Speyburn, Glen Spey and Caperdonich. Long known amongst master distillers as a source of terrific blending whisky, Speyside distilleries eventually struck out on their own and began bottling their own single malts, a trend which Glenrothes would follow and eventually, with some help from famed London wine merchant Berry Brothers & Rudd, further refine by producing vintage dated single malts. Unlike other houses who seek a consistent product for each level of aged single malt (10 year, 15 year, 18 year, etc), Glenrothes chose to highlight the variations which distinguish the best vintages. A master distiller checks the barrels' progress, and when he feels they are ready, they are bottled and then released. As in the case of port and champagne, not every vintage is declared.

Wood plays a pivotal role in producing a single malt's characteristic flavors. Oak is preferred, usually in the form of a used sherry or bourbon cask (it is now popular to use wine barrels from particularly well-known producers, but that is a relatively recent phenomenon). Glenrothes uses mainly oloroso sherry casks. More expensive than Bourbon, but a key element in producing the sort of rich, sweet flavors and velvety mouthfeel you get in the best Highland and Speyside single malts.

Glenrothes Select Reserve Single Malt Whisky

This would be the equivalent of a 10 year. Very classic Glenrothes, with a round texture, fairly rich, malty character on the mid-palate, and a mellow, balanced character. Just a wonderful house single malt, and a terrific introduction to the joys of Speyside whisky.

1985 Glenrothes Distillery Bottle Single Malt Whisky

Of the dozens of whiskies I have tasted over the past year or so, this one stands out and just might be my favorite. Originally release in 1997, this was recently re-released after some additional time in cask. It has the intensity of flavor and presence that only long, careful cask aging lends a spirit. Toffee, candied orange, vanilla, and spices are all there, as well as a gently floral finish and that impeccable Glenrothes balance. I don't use the word value and $100 together often when describing a bottle of anything, but this is absolutely a value and one to contemplate on your own or in the company of a few close friends.

Until the next chapter in dram-ology, be well, and don't forget your single malts!