Posts belonging to Category Petite Syrah

Summertime is party time in Southern California. Each holiday is like a stop on the social road map. The 4th marks the middle of the long hot tour. Anything goes when the sun roars above, the swimming pool beckons and the grill begs for more meat and veggies to roast. Keep the food simple and bring something interesting from your cellar. If you like that recipe then you will probably like the wine list below. (more…)

Let me get this out of the way at the very beginning‚ÄîI was not the guy to send to the Rhone Rangers Los Angeles tasting on August 8. I have written about my skepticism regarding the quality and style of these almost exclusively Central Coast wines, and how my palate leans towards wines that are delicate, nuanced, more ‚Äúfeminine‚Äù. No jammy blockbusters here! [ed. Dotor√© graciously agreed to report on the LA Rhone Rangers Wine Event so tBoW might lounge elsewhere guilt free.] (more…)

LA the city as brasserie. Flames fan the hills. Corks get pulled. Once for Dotor√©’s 60th. Again for RB’s departure. Friends mix, barely familiar. Zins and Cabs here. Pinot Noirs there. Fruity whites cross all snob lines. Wine greases the wheels. Everyone loosens up. Even the tighties. Almost everyone. Birthday boy pulls the cork on two Melville bad boys. tBoW pops a double mag and a 26 year old port. Different fet√©s. Same classic soul mix with 60’s thrash. Dotor√© and tBoW the only fans.
So what got poured…it’s all right here. (more…)

The Perseid meteor shower in mid August seemed like a great excuse to return to the Villa del Valle in Guadalupe Valley, rest a bunch, watch the llueve de estrellas and shop in Ensenada and Rosarito. The Missus conspired to visit wineries we had missed the first time…and tBoW was impressed! This is harvest time so the vines are heavy with fruit. (more…)

Richard Belloff is a pioneer in Westlake. He opened his cozy wine bar/restaurant Bellavino in Westlake CA in 2003. He has gone through several chefs and enough personal re-tooling to test anyone’s survivability. Yet here he is with his very warm dining establishment, a terrific chef, a wine director, an outrageously attractive Monday night $30 three course special…and a superb wine list. (more…)