Jeff Clavier's Buzzlog

I finally managed to taste South African Stormhoek's wines last night, at the TechCrunch 5 party. These wines have been marketed through blogs, with the help of uber-blogger (and master cartoonist) Hugh McLeod, and are just about to enter the US market.
I am a big fan of South African wines since I visited the country ten years ago, and always found them under-represented in France or in the US, besides their quality and very competitive pricing.
About the wines: I had a quick sip of the 2005 Pinot Grigio (or Pinot Gris), the 2005 Sauvignon Blanc and the 2004 Shiraz.
Both whites were fresh and pleasant, the Pinot Grigio being off dry and the Sauvignon Blanc having the dry and floral typical characteristics of that varietal. The Shiraz had a nice palate taste, but was served so cold (it remained in the cold outside for hours) that…

Just got an email from K&L Wine, one of the best wine retailers in the Bay Area, offering truely exceptional Leoville Las Cases vintages. If you can afford them, go ahead...

Direct from the property - These wines are being sold on futures basis and are due to arrive in December.

Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien "100-point Dream Case"
Price: $2499.00 (Six 750ml bottles)

A set direct from the Chateau containing 2 (750 ml) each of 1982, 1986, and 2000 vintage Leoville Las Cases-all 100 point Robert Parker wines. Special wood box-must be sold as a set. The perfect dream case-very limited availability.

Léoville-Las-Cases, St-Julien "100-point Dream Case"
Price: $4999.00 (Six 1.5L bottles)

A set direct from the Chateau containing 2 magnums (1.5L) each of 1982, 1986, and 2000 vintage Leoville Las Cases-all 100 point Robert Parker wines. Special wood box-must be sold as a set. The perfect dream case for the…

I had brought the Monopole "Blue Top" from France, and really liked it. Since I could not find it during our last trip, I tasted this amazing "Gold Top" which is the vintage version, that they release when asssembly wines are worth it.
I am not sure if this can be found in the US, but if you get your hands on a bottle, have a taste, I don't think you'll regret.
PS: This one was drunk in honor of my friends of Buzznet.

This amazing wine was served to us in a double magnum (thanks again Oren for sharing this with us). It took a bit a of time for the wine to open up, even after being decanted, but after a couple of hours, it was really a great experience. A very typical californian cab.

Wine selection at the BA (First) lounge at Heathrow airport. I am having a Brunello 1998 from Banfi. VERY nice.

I am attending the French Technology Showcase, an event which promotes French innovation and the concept that there are a lot of opportunities for US investors. 40 French startups will be pitching to the audience over the next couple of days. Many of them are here to initiate discussions about their next round of financing.
The event is a mix of short panels, and 20' company presentations.
As I walked through the door, I have been asked to join the VC Investing panel that took place one hour later. Sort of a record to date.

Drinkable, but nothing to brag about.

That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is one of my favorite dry white wines. The Coulee de Serrant is one of three (?) French wines to have its own "appellation", and is grown using biodynamics principles.
The wine is made of Chenin Blanc, a grape widely used in the Loire Valley. Vines used for the Coulee are at least 30 years old, and that shows. More about technical data here.
Even though it is almost 10 years old, the wine was showing a lot of structure and character, and was decanted for about one hour before we drank it. A renowned sommelier once told me that he was advising his clients to call 24 hours ahead of their coming to his restaurant so that he can open the Coulee in advance to let it breathe. Earthy, bit of lemon, still unbelievably long, a great moment.
My friend Susan treated us with an…

Disclosure: I actually wanted to pick up the Viognier from that winery, not the Chardonnay and I mixed bottles up as I was rushing through Safeway. And horror, I realize that I have not blogged about the Viognier, which is very nice and cheap.
This Chardonnay is decent, typical Californian, though not too oaky, buttery, etc. I think that I paid $8 or $9 for it, so not a bad deal.