A Greek Feast, 2005 Amethystos & 2006 Kouros

Whipped Caviar Tarama, Yogurt Tzatziki, Eggplant Melitzanisalata, Fassolia Beans, Manestra Pasta, Kalamaria, Dolmathes, Keftethes, Spanakopita, Pastitsio,…

These were some of the wonderful Greek dishes I had with my family in the later half of yesterday. Not exactly a traditional Independence Day fares, which usually involve lots of BBQ’s, beers and red Californian zinfandel. Let's just say we celebrated the 4th of July the Greek-American way at a popular local Greek restaurant not more than 5 minutes from where we live, called The Great Greek.


A bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champage got our appetite going as a starter beverage. And then a red 2005 Amethythos and a white 2006 Kouros accompanied the sumptuous Greek feast we had.

The non-vintage Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin is a nice standard fare Champagne…toasty, yeasty, with fine bubbles. It hit the spot well.

The 2006 Kouros, a white wine made from Rhoditis (aka: Roditis) grape variety, is from the southern part of Greece near Patras. This wine tasted dry and a bit citrussy, which went very well with the first course dishes of Greek salad, various creamy, whipped dips and other meze. It reminded me of a simple but pleasant Californian Sauvignon Blanc table wine. 2 stars (quite good).

The 2005 Amethystos from Adriani, Drama, is a blend of local Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Limnio, an indigenous Greek red wine grape variety. This wine apparently was aged in large, 225 litre French Limousin oak barrels for a year before being released. Lots of blueberry, some earthiness, talcum, and a bit of good funk. The tannin is quite pronounced, and the oak soft and judicious. Quite delicious. 3 stars (good, recommended).

I ended the meal with a plate Galaktobouriko, which personally was a bit too runny and salty for a dessert. A cup of super concentrated Greek coffee with a side of sticky sweet compliment called Loukomi ended the meal.

But what is a Greek feast without some live music and dance…

Mother's Day Champagne

We celebrated Mother's Day by dining at Saladang Song, a trendy Thai restaurant in Pasadena. Its decor is uplifting, the food delicious, and best of all, the place is relatively family friendly (we had 3 naughty toddlers with us). The weather was perfect and so the 12 of us sat in the restaurant's patio. We all had a wonderful time, albeit the kids were running around being curious about everything.

Afterwards at home, I popped open a 1996 AR Lenoble blanc de blanc Champagne (Grand Cru -- Choully) for my lovely wife. The wine was wonderfully yeasty, toasty, lush and supple. It is full of sweet tangerine and ripe Granny Smith apple nose and taste. Its mousse is soft and mouth filling. A very good bubbly that is ready to drink now. 4 stars (vg).

Photos: Google, Flickr Creative Commons and Wine Spectator Magazine

Happy New Year 2007!

Happy New Year everyone!

Since I last updated this blog, I enjoyed some excellent as well as not so satisfying teas and wines.

1997 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, Napa Valley ($100)
It seemed like this wine had gone over the hill -- though still palatable -- like the previous 2 bottles I opened in 2005. It was oaky and only a shadow of the fruits remained. I was quite dissapointed, again. Either this wine was improperly stored by the supplier, by Costco -- where I got 3 bottles from in 2004 -- or that this particular vintage and bottling was short-lived by nature or by craft, despite coming from a very good year. 1-2 stars.

2004 Seghesio Old Vines Zinfandel, Sonoma County ($26)
Nice. Lively acidity with good flavor intensity of red/black fruits and that classic zinfandel's peppery finish. It's still a bit too primary (young) and the tannins was tight. In 2 years or so this wine should sing better. I think its 2001 and 2003 siblings were slightly better, but the 2004 was delicious, too. 3.5 stars.

N/V Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne ($55)
As always, a delicious and classy rosé Champagne. When in the mood for a good and [relatively] affordable rosé bubbly, you can't go wrong with this baby. Yum! 4 stars.

Magnum of N/V Dampierre Cuvee de Ambassadeur, Champagne ($75/magnum)
Also a good bubbly that had a talcum-like taste and texture. Fine mousse and bubbles. 3 stars.

I had these excellent teas:

Anji Baicha
Despite the word “Bai” (白: white) in its name, I've been told that it is technically a roasted green tea. Anji Bai Cha hails from the Anji county in Zhejiang province.

I love this tea! The thin grass-like leaves are full of life and health. Its bright green color is almost luminous and lend it a delicious appearance. Surprisingly, it manages to not smell grassy. This tea is vibrant with aromas of white flowers, sweet almonds and a hint of basil undertones. The aroma of the brewed liquor reflects fairly the aroma of the dry leaves. Its excellent mouthfeel is subtle, yet round, supple and mouth watering. Finishes with an impressive sweet aftertaste that lingers on. 4 stars (vg)

Parameter: 165 – 175 F spring water. About ¼ full of dry leaves in a gaiwan. Start with 30 seconds then adjust to taste.

Anji Baicha (a slightly higher grade than the one above)

Dry leaves are of medium to dark green with some yellow tint. When steeped, each shoot opens to reveal a one-bud-one-leaf or one-bud-two-leaves system. The liquor gives a sweet taste and a pleasant floral, peanut, honey, and fresh cut grass aromas. This tea somehow reminds me of a fragrant rice / mealy concoction. It finishes sweet in the back of the throat with a long lasting hui gan. The rice-y character becomes more pronounced with each subsequent brew up until the 4th or 5th, when the leaves are spent. Medium bodied with a smooth and sweet finish. 3.5 stars (g – vg).

Parameter: 165 – 175 F spring water. About ¼ full of dry leaves in a gaiwan. Start with 30 seconds then adjust to taste.

Zhenpin Lu Xue Ya

The dry leaves look very appealing and are similarly shaped to the bamboo tea leaves of Mount Emei (aka: Emei-shan Zhuyeqing), except that the leaves of this Lu Xue Ya are slightly larger, darker and meatier. Some are coated neatly with white down. This tea’s mealy characteristic along with bamboo, oatmeal, honey, hay, and sweet floral aromas is wonderful! The soymilk-like texture of the liquor and its wholesomeness add to the complex beauty of this tea. A pleasure to drink! 5 stars (outstanding).

Parameter: 165 – 175 F spring water. About ¼ full of dry leaves in a gaiwan. Start with 30 seconds then adjust to taste.

And a tea that I wished I could enjoy:

1989 Menghai #7542
aka: "88-Ching Beeng" #7542
10gr sample from Houde Asian Art

The 1989 "88-Ching Beeng" pu'er is regarded as a benchmark of excellence among quality "older" pu'er that have been stored under the so called "dry storage" environment. The story goes that Mr. Chan of Best Tea House in Hong Kong was offered a boatload of this tea at an affordable price, he took them and store them in a dry-condition warehouse (read more). At US$450 per 357gr, I expected it to live up to its reputed good taste. Unfortunately, however, I didn't find it enjoyable. Whether it was due to my personal taste or other reasons, my 2 attempts to brew this tea -- each time with a different parameter and water -- did not produce something that I could regard as enjoyable.

For my first attempt, I used Glacier filtered water and the following parameter: boiling water, approx. 5 grams of dry leaves in a 100ml gaiwan, 10 sec rinse, 30 sec rest, then 15s, 10s, 15s, 15s, 30s, 1m, 2m.

The wet leaves were pleasantly and vividly woody with some white pepper aroma. Exceptional liquid clarity. Taste wise, there was some of mustiness that dissipated by the 3rd brew. The aroma of tobacco / cigarette smoke and a slight metallic taste was quite offputting. They were mostly gone by the 6th brew. By that time, however, it was already rather difficult to enjoy or think positively of the tea. The overall body was between thin to medium. The aftertaste was generally that of cigarette smoke / tobacco. Tannins, though present considerably, was more sateeny than dusty.

For my second attempt, I used Volvic spring water and approx. 5gr of dry leaves in a 100ml gaiwan. 10s sec rinse, 30 sec rest, then 5s, 8s, 8s, 15s, 30s, 30s, 1m, 2m.


As in my first attempt, the smell of the wet leaves was appealingly woody and peppery. My tasting note from this session was mostly consistent with the note from the first session, except that (1) Volvic water provided a slightly better mouthfeel and body and (2) by the 6th brew, when the aromas that I didn't enjoy had mostly dissipated, the tea gave a hint of sweet aftertaste.

Overall, however, I felt uneasy and unsatisfied throughout the 2 sessions with this tea.

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PS: I have shortened the title of this blog. Though the intended meaning might have changed somewhat, I thought the shortened title sounds more concise and it still retains the gist and focus of this blog.

Trip to San Diego

Sorry for the recent lack of update. The blogger beta just went nuts on me for the past few days and it still is. The formatting feature is gone, somehow, so I'm posting this using html, which requires a bit of a learning curve on my part.

The family (me, my wife, baby girl, and wife's parents) spent the Thanksgiving week in San Diego, which was nice. The weather is slightly cooler this time of the year in SD, but it could still pass as beach weather all the same. It was a casual trip with no preconceived mission for wine / tea drinking or any serious tasting notes.

On the way to our hotel in Pacific beach (next to the famous La Jolla beach), we stopped by Carlsbad to lunch at the Bellefleur Winery and Brasserie. The restaurant is also a bonded winery that makes wines under their own label. Since I was driving, I didn't order or bothered to buy any of their wine to go. The restaurant/winery was serving their Sunday Champagne brunch buffet, so they poured for us refill after refill of semi sweet (oxymoron alert!) Californian Champagne. Technically, it was a Sunday Californian sparkling wine brunch, but that doesn't sound as catchy, does it? At first I didn't get why the waiter poured the "Champagne" only halfway the flute, until the unannounced orange juice came. Aha...Mimosa! Go on ladies and gentlemen, load up on sugar and alcohol before you head to the buffet tables! The buffet selections were wide and varied. At $20/head I thought it was quite a good deal...a buffet like this in Las Vegas would probably have cost more.

We rented 2 cottages at the historic Crystal Pier Hotel where we literally slept above the lapping waves. The view from our private patio was just amazing, especially at sunrise and at sunset! The cottages are nice, too. Everything is clean and feel newly renovated with a comfortable large bed. The feature we liked best as young parents traveling with a kid is the full size kitchen. We could make food for our daughter in the comforts of our cottage before heading out to tour the city. And did I mention the view was great?

(Click to enlarge picture of the view from our patio. My baby and dad-in-law.)

I decided not to pack my tea set with me but just bring along 3 types of tea in stainless steel canisters: the Hong Shui oolong from Houde, the Spring 2006 Da Hong Pao from Teaspring, and the jasmine dragon pearls that my wife so loves. Since I brought with us a few bottles of wine in an ice box, and that we are not light travellers, the tea set had to give way, unfortunately. I should probably buy a small travelling set. It wasn't ideal, but I was able to improvise and managed to get decent cuppa every time.

On one cool, foggy night we dined at a Thai restaurant called Karinya nearby our hotel. The food was good and the spices was just what we needed to warm up our bodies. Every dish had a touch of homemade feel to it, which I appreciated. The price is a tad high since they are located in a high rent district (on Garnett Street, which is the main retail and commercial vein leading to the Crystal Pier). I forgo ordering from the wine list, though the Ch. Ste. Michelle Gewurztraminer would be a good match for the dishes we had. Instead I just asked for a large pot of hot water for brewing the Hong Shui oolong that I brought along in my backpack.

For breakfasts in our cottage, I brewed mostly the Da Hong Pao in the hotel's coffee pot. As long as I was careful not to overbrew it, the tea was quite good. Everybody liked it and I thought the tea went quite well with the eggs, cheese, sausage, bread, jam and tvorak (a sort of Russian cottage cheese). Fellow tea purists, please don't crucify me for brewing DHP in such a way and for drinking it with food. :)

After coming back from the zoo, the Sea World, and what not (yes, this trip was about entertaining and showing our baby "the world"...not really for the adults) we usually spent the rest of the day at the beach below our hotel or just hang out in our private patio with a glass of wine (or two or three). I'm glad to have brought the wines myself because we do spend a fair amount of our time in our cottage, with the little one's nap and meal schedule. I just didn't have time to look for a proper wine store in the area. Some of the wines I brought and opened:

N/V Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne
($40) Fine mousse and bubbles. The nose is of sharp citrus and grapefruit. A little tight and needed decanting to soften it a bit, but I didn't have any workable decanter with me. The taste reflects the nose plus a hint of green apple. It's a mezzo-soprano of a Champagne. The finish is rather swift.








2004 Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
($15) We opened this one night while watching The Da Vinci Code on DVD in our cottage. Both the movie and the wine came up short. This Malbec bottling was mellow and rounded but lacked acidity, so it tasted flabby. An overall earthy wine with a somber note of blackberry. Rather depressing, actually, despite that it came highly recommended by some Winexilers.





2003 Joh Jos Christoffel Riesling Spatlese, Urziger Wurzgarten, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
($25) Simply lovely! All the characters of a balanced Mosel Riesling in play: yellow fruits, rocky slate minerality, acidity and sweetness. A polished, detailed, juicy and delicious wine. The sweetness is a bit high for a Spatlese, which is a typical character of the hot weather in 2003.















On the way home to LA, we lunched at an upscale looking white-linen restaurant called The CrabCatcher. The restaurant looked very nice and expensive, and it came complete with a snobbish lady maitre'd (perhaps because I had a little baby with me...a sign of potential mess and noise, which exactly what happened). Anyways, we were sorely disappointed with the quality of the food given the price, location and the manicured look of the restaurant. We ordered the crispy calamari as an appetizer, and for the entree we had the shrimp scampi, a $10 burger, the fish of the day (sea bass) cooked with a spicy salsa-like sauce ($24) and the Cioppino. The premium pricing was expected given the ambience and location of the venue...too bad the food didn't live up to the expectation that they themselves created, however. The service was gracious, I should note, so I still at least left them a generous tip at the end of our meal.

Their wine list was OK...they seem to have chosen their CA Pinot Noir and CA Cabernet Sauvignon selections with the recent trend in mind (Williams Selyem, Sea Smoke were 2 PNs I remember seeing on their list). The Champagne choices were good, too. Everything else other than those three wine categories felt like they are there only for the sake of having something on their wine list...not particularly exciting. As on the way to San Diego, I didn't order any wine again since I was the driver (I really wanted to order the Sea Smoke Pinot Noir, but nobody felt like having wine with their lunches, and it didn't come by the glass). So I just had two glasses of Anchor Steam beer, which was nice. After the dissapointing lunch, we walked around La Jolla a bit until the alcohol effect subsided before we headed back home; a journey that involved an excruciating 7 hours of heavy traffic.

To be continued...Thanksgiving dinner and a picnic with friends.