Reds

pinot noir, a to z
oregon 2005 - $40

pinot noir, elk cove
willamette valley, oregon 2005 - $52
elk cove was voted northwestern winery of the year for 2007 and with good reason. great pinot noirs are generally very expensive and if they were not so good, they would be grossly overpriced. then along comes elk cove producing awesome oregon pinots at very reasonable prices. this wine has the earth that marks great oregon pinots and really wonderful bright and expressive fruit.

pinot noir, cristom “marjorie vineyard”
willamette valley, oregon 2002 - $88

pinot noir, ken wright cellar “carter vineyard”
willamette valley, oregon 2005 - $86
willamette valley, oregon 2005 375 ml - $44
willamette valley, oregon 2005 5 liter - $480
as you might be able to guess we are big fans of ken wright and his whole philosophy of making wine. ken wright shows how good oregon pinots can really be and does it by letting the terroir really speak. we brought in all of the half bottles so that we could start teaching ourselves about the different vineyard sites of the willamette valley. the carter vineyard is one of my favorites. it is a firmer wine with some nice tannins but it is suprisingly soft and sexy and incredibly balanced. this is one of the royalities of oregon pinots.

pinot noir, ken wright cellars “canary hill vineyard”
willamette valley, oregon 2005 - $86
willamette valley, oregon 2005 375 ml – $44
canary hill is a little bit softer than the carter and a little more feminine. the wines from this vineyard are generally very forward with hints of cola and black cherry.

pinot noir, ken wright cellars “elton vineyard”
willamette valley, oregon 2005 375 ml - $44
elton vineyard will soon be unavailable as a corporate winery has taken control of the land, they say they will honor all leases and contracts on the property until they expire, but who knows? either way, soon they will keep all the grapes for themselves. the wines from this vineyard always have a pronounced candied cherries and firm structure.

pinot noir, ken wright cellars “savoya vineyard”
willamette valley, oregon 2005 375 ml - $44
the savoya vineyard is located in the yamhill-carlton district and was the first vineyard directly owned and developed by ken wright. this is an intense wine with deep black fruit, seared meat, cedar and anise.

pinot noir, ken wright cellars “abbot claim vineyard”
willamette valley, oregon 2005 375 ml – $44
the abbot claim vineyard lies in the yamhill-carlton district and has very deep rich soil. Wines from this vineyard tend to have deep color and are very dense and lush. the fruits tend to be darker such as cassis, plum and black cherry.

pinot noir, ken wright cellars “mccrone vineyard”
willamette valley, oregon 2005 375 ml - $44
the mccrone vineyard is also located in the yamhill-carlton district and has wonderful soil of old fossils that drains very well and promotes early ripening. the wines from this vineyard tend to be very intense, powerful and deeply colored with the fruits tending to be very dark, black cherries. cassis and minerals.

pinot noir, castle rock
sonoma coast, california 2005 - $24

pinot noir, j wine company “nicole’s vineyard”
russian river 2004 - $78
this is the most feminine and elegant pinot produced in california. the wine is just sexy with light extraction and pronounced bing cherries and a super cool chinese five spice lingering on the palate. sweet spice, good tannins and cherries. super awesome!!

pinot noir, echelon
central coast 2004 - $34

pinot noir, siduri
santa rita hills, santa barbara 2004 - $46
siduri winery produces 21 different pinots every year, making it the single largest pinot focus of any californian winery. only in the last couple of years did i come to know these wines and i am amazed by the wine they are making and the press they are receiving. siduri makes big pinots, with deep spice, and earth in an oakey style that can stand up to serious cuisine.

pinot noir, seasmoke “ten” santa rita hills
santa barbara 2004 - $120

merlot, houge “genesis”
columbia valley, washington 2002 - $38

merlot, lapis luna
california 2003 - $24

merlot, pine ridge “crimson creek”
napa 2002 - $64

merlot, corte riva
napa 2003 - $92
corte riva is one of the awe inspiring, boot strap stories that make you believe that anything is possible. lawernce cortez and romel riva immigrated from the phillipines in the late 1970’s and found their way to napa and over time have worked their way up to cellar master and assistant wine maker at pride mountain. with the help and advice of pride mountian’s head winemaker, robert foley, they have begun to produce their own label to some fairly high praise and even higher scores. intense blackberry, black cherry and plum with deep flavors of vanilla and chocolate mocha. 600 cases produced with 92 wine advocate rating.

merlot, pahlmeyer, oakville
napa, california 2003 - $138

merlot, mutt lynch “merlot over and play dead”
sonoma 2003 - $52

merlot, rancho sisquoc “flood family vineyard”
santa barbara, california 2000 - $48

syrah, heron
california 2003 - $34

syrah, t-vine “duarte vineyard”
contra costa county 2002 – $86

syrah, qupe
central coast 2005 - $38

shiraz, echelon “esperanza vineyard”
clarksburg 2001 - $34

syrah/petite syrah/touriga/tannat, vina robles “huerhuero”
paso robles 2004 – $40

petite syrah, foppiano
russian river 2003 - $46

counoise, mccrea cellars “clos du cheval”
red mountain, washington 2004 - $64
susan mccrea is a great winemaker and a wonderful friend of livingston and the bistro. mccrea cellars is based on producing rhone varietal wines in washingston state. Counoise might be unknown in the states, but it is fundamental in the production of chateauneuf-du-pape wines and chateau la nerthe. couniose produces wines with a medium body and spicy character with flavors of anise, strawberries and blueberries.

merlot/syrah/cab, reininger, helix “pomatia”
washington 2003 – $42

cabernet/merlot/syrah, magnificent wine company “house wine”
columbia valley, washingston 2003 - $28

grenache/syrah/zin/mourvedre, quivira “steelhead red”
dry creek 2004 - $42

bordeaux blend, pahlmeyer “jayson”
oakville, napa 2003 - $92

claret, robert foley
howell mountain, napa 2003 - $170

charbono, robert foley
howell mountain, napa 2004 - $72
robert foley has been called the best winemaker in america and although it is hard to separate hyperbole from reality in the world of wine, he is without a doubt a true blue chip performer. his 2003 claret was a 100 point wine and considered by many to be the wine of the vintage. charbono is a super cool grape that few people play around with. it was imported into california in the 19th century and was used primarly as an intensifier for early napa cabernets. when crafted by a great winemaker, like bob foley, this grape produces a deep, inky, juicy wine that is profoundly expressive.

cab/sangiovese/petite syrah, bacio divino
napa 1999 - $80
i was introduced to bacio divino “the divine kiss” here in livingston and fell in love with it, especially the 1999 vintage. parker gave it 92 points and it has an amazing palate of blackfruit, leather, charcoal, and herbs. A hedonistic wine, multilayered and complex.

cab/sangiovese/petite syrah, bacio divino
napa 2000 - $80

cabernet/syrah, l’aventure “optimus”
paso robles 2004 - $74

cabernet/merlot/cab franc, zenaida cellars “zc red”
paso robles nv - $38

rhone blend, garretson “big sky cuvee”
central coast, california 2003 – $46

cabernet, andrew will “champoux vineyard”
washington 2000 – $68

cabernet, three rivers winery “champoux vineyard”
washington 2003 - $62
i became fasinated with the champoux vineyard years ago and it still holds a special place for me, i can almost always pick out a wine from the champoux vineyard, the place has terroir. while “terroir” in american winemaking is rarley more than a hollow marketing tool, the champoux vineyard has a signature or identity that really definies washington state cabernets.

cabernet, mount eden vineyards
santa cruz mountains 2002 - $70

cabernet, whitehall lane “reserve”
napa 2003 - $140
I am always amazed that more people don’t know about whitehall lane. pound for pound, year for year they have received more 90+ point ratings than almost anyone else. super consistent, year after year. they are also pushing the envelope as far as bottle closures go, with thier new glass cork or “vino-seal”, pretty cool stuff.

cabernet, corison
napa 2002 - $96
cathy corison has been making wine in napa valley for more than 25 years and her wines are always very, very consistent. she knows what she wants from her grapes and it is this vision in winemaking that has made her one of the most consistent winemakers in california through good and not so good vintages. she only deals with cabernet sauvignon and creates a signature wine that she describes as “walking a line between power and elegance”. we are huge fans of cathy and her wines.

cabernet, st. clement
napa 1999 - $68

caberent, lewis
napa 2003 - $160

cabernet, long meadow ranch “ranch house red”
napa 2005 - $48

cabernet, clos du val
napa 2004 - $56

cabernet, chateau montelena
napa 2003 - $62

cabernet, jordan
sonoma 2002 - $70

cabernet, justin
paso robles 2004 - $54
paso robles is my personal favorite region in california, simply beacause I like so many of the wines and the people that come from there. Justin makes a super sexy cabernet, very easy to drink and pairs well with lots of cuisine.

cabernet, eberle “vineyard selection”
paso robles 2004 - $38

cabernet, barnwood “elevation 3200″
santa barbara county 2004 - $38

zinfandel, rosenblum “vintners cuvee xxvi”
california nv - $28

zinfandel, robert biale “pioneer series, grande”
napa 2003 - $80

zinfandel, robert biale “napa ranches”
napa 2004 - $64

zinfandel, mutt lynch “canis major”
dry creek, sonoma 2004 - $58

zinfandel, mazzocco
dry creek, sonoma 2001 - $28

zinfandel, carol shelton “wild thingold vines”
mendocino 2003 - $60
carol shelton’s wines have won more medals at major tasting competitions than any other winemaker, leading her to be named “most awarded winemaker in america”. so why has no one ever heard of her?? well, that is a good question. this wine is made from old vine zinfandel, planted in 1956 and is is not innoculated with commerical yeasts. the only yeasts used are naturally occuring on the grape skins. really cool stuff!!