June 2017

More Random Dribblings

ALLOCATION-THE ‘A’ WORD

“I recall trying to explain the ‘allocation’ model to my late father-in-law who owned pharmacies. Usually he couldn’t get past the part where you just couldn’t buy what you wanted.”

This was one of the most powerful words in the wine business at one time. For some parts of the industry it still has significant meaning. Back in the day when there weren’t thousands of wines and unlimited information, certain wines achieved a popularity that outran the supply. For those certain labels, the solution to trying to keep as many people happy as possible was to come up with a reasonable way to apportion what there was among the various accounts/people that wanted it. Sounds simple on the surface, and one could make the assumption that it is a somewhat fair and legitimate process with regards to its execution. That assumption, of course, is based on an understanding of the criteria and we can tell you wineries do not likely have the same agenda in mind as you might.

I recall trying to explain the ‘allocation’ model to my late father-in-law who owned pharmacies. Usually he couldn’t get past the part where you just couldn’t buy what you wanted. Unless there is some crisis, the idea of ‘rationing’ (that’s what it is, really) does not come up in virtually any other business. The object of most businesses is to sell as much as you can. But the wine business is unlike others in that you have finite amounts of goods that cannot be reproduced or exactly replaced. Given this unique situation, the wine industry not only sort of invented the idea of apportioning sales via ‘allocation’, but has also figured out a number of ways to use it to their advantage, as well as a few ways to muck it up and abuse it.

The original program was to first decide how much to give to restaurants and retailers, and then divvy it up between the various accounts within those categories that are deemed worthy. Why go to so much trouble to sell what you are going to sell anyway? The concept is to try and keep as many people involved with the label as possible so the wine/winery can maintain the largest possible audience for the future. If production increases over time, there presumably will be a waiting clientele. The allocation ‘lock-down’ allows the winery to micro-manage the distribution and prevents evil merchants (yes, like us) from taking down huge chunks.

It certainly helps the allocation process to have wines that people want to buy. But not everybody likes the same things so an allocation for someone who doesn’t care about the wine seems a pointless exercise. But it happens all the time. There was a ‘brand manager’ for a wholesaler not long ago who somewhere along the line decided that restaurants were the key to his ‘brand building’ plan. In this case, the importer’s book was centered on value-driven Spanish and French wines which routinely got great reviews and were enormously popular at forward-thinking retail establishments. There was a built-in audience for these wines and the wholesaler had to do some ‘allocating’ to keep as many high performing accounts as possible as happy customers.

This ‘guru’ decided that it was important to establish these wines in restaurants even though they were selling well already on a retail level, and weren’t obvious plays in most restaurant programs. To that end, this individual ‘allocated’ the wines to ‘restaurants only’ who proceeded to not care a lick. Very salable wines sat at the wholesalers for months while this individual was out trying to sell them to eateries. In one particular instance the wholesaler was sitting on 100 cases of a highly reviewed Spanish wine that was ‘allocated for restaurants’. After four months, there were still 96 cases left to serve the Southern California market. The wholesaler finally called ‘nonsense’, the stock was released (it sold out immediately) and the ‘brand manager’ was relieved of duty.

In most businesses people are happy to sell things. In the wine biz, people feel the need to have input on where their wine goes. Whether you think that is a reasonable premise or not, many times the restaurants (or whatever) on the receiving end of an allocation don’t necessarily want it. In most cases they simply can’t use the wines. Most restaurants don’t necessarily need another $200 Cabernet that would sit on their list at $600. They don’t necessarily care about a high scoring Spanish wine at a French eatery. So allocations, intended to simultaneously give an air of exclusivity to the wine and make the recipient feel special about being included in the ‘club’, are often an exercise in futility at that level.

Finally, you have the case of the winery/distributor/importer, who may have been allocating you a singular particular wine for quite some time, suddenly create/import a new wine…or, worse yet, have some leftover stock of something else. They might include some of those ‘not-quite-so-scarce-or-in-demand’ items ‘bundled’ in your ‘allocation’, with the tacit understanding that you are expected to take your whole allocation or potentially lose the wines you really want down the road.

Yeah, we’re not huge fans of the A-word. If we were, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t have that special bottle of wine in your cellar that you’ll be enjoying this weekend. Make it a great one…

The Eye of the Chicken

Now for something completely different. This is one of those cases where we have to explain what it is before we get into the specifics. But it is unique things like this are what make the wine business interesting. There are a lot of folks in this industry that think they can ‘reinvent the wheel’. But once in a great while, it happens. This is one of those times.

This wine comes from Jerez, Sherry country, from one of the elite houses in Valdespino. But it is a completely new concept for anyone from the region and one of the more intriguing offerings from that part of the world that isn’t Sherry. This sees no oak, spends no time under flor and is not fortified, which immediately separates it from most everything else that comes from here. A brisk, appealing white in a fresh, unfettered style.

The folks at Valdespino decided they wanted to step out of their traditional realm to produce this dry white. The winery has been vinifying different parcels of the Macharnudo Vineyard to see which parcel would make the best unfortified still wine and they found it in the particular parcel named ‘Ojo de Gallo’, or ‘Eye of the Chicken’ literally translated. This section is included in the top part of the vineyard, which is wholly owned by Valdespino. The soil is pure chalk (albariza en Espanol) planted to 100% Palomino, the traditional grape of the region (along with the more dessert focused Pedor Ximenez). The vinification is done with

The ‘sales sheet’ said ‘think Chablis from Cadiz’. We’d actually lean a little more in the direction of super-Rueda with fine citrus, quince, and pear fruit, maybe a hint of roasted grain, sleek underlying chalky minerality, just the right pop of acidity, and a twinge of that sherry-like nuttiness without the corresponding oxidative note. Bright, crisp, intriguing, there’s mid-palate volume and cut to the finish. It’s cool and geeky, to be sure, but there’s plenty to appreciate on a hedonistic level as well with the Valdespino Palomino Fino Ojo de Gallo 2016. As to what we would compare it to, there isn’t really anything quite like it though you probably figured that out from the back story.

BRIEFS BLANC

BRIEFS

It’s time, actually perhaps a little past the time to still get in on the 2014 White Burgundies. This is the best vintage w have tasted since 2010, and definitely more on point and well delineated than the 2015s that are now hitting the market. We are still scouring the countryside for late arriving 2014s and suggest you take this opportunity to grab a few more things while you still can. The new Chateau de Meursault Clos du Chateau 2014 is one of the best we have tasted from a series we have followed for years. This beautifully situated little insiders’ gem just outside the village definitely plays at a high 2014, with a complex nose of mineral, honey, flowers and salt caramel. In the mouth it delivers citrus, toast, grilled nuts, peach and pear with a deceptively rich midpalate and finishing lift. We’re also getting final reloads on 2014s of value favorites Albert Bichot Bourgogne Chardonnay Secret de Famille 2014 ($19.98) and Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Setilles 2014 ($19.98). If you’re feeling flush there are a few bits left of the epic 2014s from Domaine Leflaive.
We probably don’t spend enough time talking about California Chardonnays. But honestly there is a lot of homogeneity stylistically and it seems to be one category where people are more brand conscious and less willing to listen. So finding things we think are worth talking about and then choosing our ‘battles’ doesn’t allow for many opportunities. We got quite excited about the Alma de Cattleya Chardonnay a while back from dynamic young winemaker Bibiana Gonzalez Rave, but hadn’t been significantly moved in a while since. That being said, a couple of ‘old guard’ names got our attention recently. The name Truchard has been on other people’s labels as well as their own, but often their own wines might have been a touch too restrained for their own good. We appreciate the old school, sort of euro, less-fussed with style that we all grew up with, but there is a thin line between ‘sleek’ and ‘boring’. The Truchard Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley 2015 had just a bit more stuffing in the mid-palate than other versions we have tasted, and that little went a lot way to kick this wine to a new level. Classic Carneros apple/citrus, deft oak, and ripe but fresh flavors with a little more carry, this works. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what was different about the Chappellet Chardonnay Napa Valley 2014, which is often overlooked in favor of their reds and even their Chenin Blanc. This one got our attention right away, with what is aptly described in the wine Spectator review, “Pure, rich and graceful, centered on a core of green apple, pear, melon and spice… A classic old-school Napa Chardonnay.”
If you had told us 20 years ago that the Cotes de Jura would be one of the hippest appellations around sporting several sought after whites that sold in the $50 range, we would have thought you were from an alternate universe. Yet that is the case, and some of the things coming out of there these days, like those from the Jean Francois Ganevat, have created quite a stir. This estate is clearly looking like the ‘next big thing’ from this area. Thanks to the serious folks behind it (Burgundy legend Marquis d’Angerville started here in 2012) suggests this wine will get media attention and clearly, from the juice, they are aiming high. The Domaine du Pelican Savagnin Ouille Arbois 2014 is a riveting wine, this indigenous varietal showcasing driving flavors and deceptive length. Also, for those of you that think Jura is too oxidative, this one is ‘ouille’, which means ‘topped off’ so they keep the barrels full to control the ‘sherry’ notes. The descriptors from a 2013 review hit home, “very subtle aromas of peach skin, oyster shell and white flowers. Crisp on the attack, showing a salty tension that animates the quince and herbal flavors on the palate.” Serious juice, superb with food and well worth the freight. Their Domaine du Pelican Chardonnay Arbois 2014 is a fine specimen of the more traditional ‘flor‘ style as well.

Random Dribblings

So, we walk into a local restaurant not long ago and see a sign at the reception desk announcing that a 3% fee will be added to the bill to compensate the cooks for the discrepancy in wages between them and the wait staff. It goes on to explain, that while the wait staff brings you your food and receives gratuities, the cooks prepare it and, therefore, deserve a slice of the pie. Now fair compensation is not the issue. Every entity has to work out exactly what that means in their situation, and act accordingly. The question is how that is supposed to come about.
One might muse that, if the cooks are indeed doing the job they are paid to do, why they would be entitled to an extra ‘spiff’ on the side. Also, this little entitlement is automatic, whether your food was prepared well or not. That’s like that mandatory ‘20% gratuity’ added for ‘parties larger than six’. What is the servers’ motivation to not just ‘phone it in’ if they are going to get the same money anyway? And all of this is in the face of an escalating minimum wage (the discussion of which would fill many pages with macro-economic arguments and be way too boring on a Sunday morning, or any time for most folks).

Is the Bay Area-styled entitlement mentality spreading south like some sort of airborne virus? Is this kind of thinking one of the early signs that the ‘participation trophy’ generation is taking over? What’s next, an add-on for their 401K? Why restaurants think this is OK in the first place is the baffler, and where does it end? A night out can rack up pretty fast already without all of the ups and extras.

Why don’t the servers divide their take with the kitchen? The servers benefit when the food comes out on time and well prepared. The customer is merely getting what he is paying for. Why not just have a city tax on top of that because the city would like a little more money, too? Then it can be like hotels where that $120 room you snagged on Expedia ends up costing you $180 after all the taxes and fees.

Long ago some angry restaurateur took out a billboard ad on the Long Beach Freeway that read, “If you can’t afford to tip, don’t eat out.” Of course, our first response was why is it up to us to compensate your help? The whole idea of tipping used to be tied to service where, if someone gave you a good experience, you tendered a little something extra. Now there are bills that come with the tips at various percentages calculated for you, essentially shaming you into picking one of the options. And if there are six or more of you, you don’t have a choice even if your service is lousy.

Nothing against the restaurant or their cooks, but this is a precedent that seems to be proliferating and there seem to be no natural boundaries. Does any of it ensure a better experience for the consumer? Oh yeah, them. What happened to people simply doing the job they were paid to do to the best of their ability? Or is that not a ‘thing’ any more?

KEEP ON TROCKEN? PLEASE, NO

We just had our first exposure to the 2016s from Germany. We’ve been telling you for to a while now to buy up the 2015s as it is a great vintage, one of the best in recent memory. Not having a firm impression of the 2016s, we were pleased with the opportunity to work through 80-100 of them. Our takeaway thus far? Buy up the rest of the 2015s!

The wines (mostly Rieslings) showed a bit here and there, and lacked the characteristic zip that pulled many of those 2015’s together at the finish. In other words, it looks like our participation in the vintage will be sparse at best. There are always a few winners in every vintage. But given what is out there from 2015, and a more few late 2015 releases coming from top sources hitting recently, 2016 looks to be a potentially minor play with, as always, a few stars, though we still have another 100+ wines to taste, including, in all fairness, many of the top Kabinett and Spätlese wines.

Frankly, we are pretty tired of every German importer telling us how important trockens (dry) are in German restaurants. The Germans like to drink their own stuff, we get that. But this isn’t Germany. Here we have all kinds of cuisines, particularly Asian (Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese to name a few) that go beautifully with a crisp, classic kabinett or spätlese, the little bit of sweetness playing nicely against ginger, garlic, curries, and other spices. No other wine pairs as well and as broadly across a multitude of dishes.

Plus, if you want to drink dry Riesling, the Austrians, Australians, and the folks in Alsace are making better examples and have been doing it longer. And that’s just Riesling! There are all kinds of other dry whites that will offer excellent choices…Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays, Grüner Veltliner, and so on. We understand the Germans responding to trends in their own back yard. But aside from Germans drinking German, we can’t see why the vintners are so intent on competing in an arena where they are at a distinct disadvantage outside their borders Most trockens are sadly undernourished and lean, and far too many are simply not pleasurable.

There are those that will point to the GGs (Große Gewächse), the relatively new category of dry wines from ‘Grand Cru’ sites, as the example of elite dry German wine. Alright, sure, some of them are pretty good but they are also rather expensive for what they deliver, many in the $50-80 range in stores and much more on wine lists. There are certainly many more exciting choices for less money. Yes, there are places like Baden and the Pfalz where dry wines have been the tradition for a long time. But the Mosel’s delicate, racy demeanor does not translate well into trocken. They are a little better in exceptional, warmer vintages, but rarely ‘great’. The persistent question is ‘why?’

Given over 1000 years of viticulture in these places, where certain styles developed because of the terroir of the region, we have to wonder who came along and decided all of that was nonsense. One of the great discoveries of modern winemaking is that, no matter how much technical wizardry one can employ, the most successful wines are the ones that are true to the place that they come from…essentially the same thing the monks figured out all those centuries ago. They drink a lot of spätburgunder in Germany, too. Doesn’t mean we’re obliged to do so.