Vinous sabermetrics?

The day after the election, there’s always much to discuss. With Obama’s victory yesterday, who will be the new Treasury Secretary and whether Daniel Shanks will survive in his post as usher in charge of wine at the White House will no doubt be at the top of the agenda. One of the big winners [...]

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Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Autumnal Equinox Edition

Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…

The Power of Intent in Biodynamic Wine

I wrote a heady post in September about Biodynamic wine.  The story is too complicated to summarize here (link to post), but one of the things that I touched on (and that interests me on an ongoing basis) is the notion of “intent” in the vineyard particularly as it relates to viticultural quality and Biodynamic preparations.

They say that you can taste “love” in a food dish, so, while not scientifically quantifiable (at least not yet), it stands to reason that extra attention and loving preparation with BioD preps. might have a positive benefit on the vines and subsequently the wines.

This notion of intent isn’t my idea; I culled it from Voodoo Vintners, Katherine Cole’s Biodynamic-related book published earlier this year (she has a different supposition about ‘intent’ than I do).  A passage from the book notes, “The belief is that the preparations aren’t merely herbal treatments for plants; they’re carriers of the farmers’ intentions, which have been swirled into them through the powerful act of stirring.  While it isn’t a requirement for Demeter certification, intention is that little bit of witchcraft that separates the most committed practitioners from the unbelievers.”

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My point in September and my point now is that “intent” isn’t witchcraft, its science – science that is still emerging and not completely understood.

To that end, I read an incredible, eye-opening, mind-bending article in the current issue of Time magazine about a new technology device called the BodyWave.  An iPod sized device, the BodyWave is based on electroencephalography (EEG), the study of how brain activity excites neurons to emit brain waves that travel the central nervous system and can be measured.

So, here’s the thing.  Not only can this BodyWave device measure the fluctuations in the brain’s electrical activity, but when connected to a computer it can perform functions based on brain waves.

It’s a holy crap moment to realize that by focusing brain activity somebody can shut off a valve in a nuclear power plant, via computer, with the power of their mind, as elaborated on in the article.

The full Time magazine article is subscriber-protected (darn publishers that try to run a business…), but the intro. to the article is available here.

I’m a liberal arts guy, as far removed from science as one can get by education, vocation and lifelong learning interest, but I do have the ability to suspend my disbelief and it seems likely to me that in 10 years’ time the Biodynamic conversation is going to be around an entirely different set of conversational conditions than the current ‘bunkum vs. belief’ precept that we have now.

On Knowledge

I’ve never reconciled the “demystify” vs. “knowledge frees you” debate as it relates to wine.  Many will say that wine is needlessly overcomplicated for the average consumer and the arcane aspects act as a barrier to entry.

Well, sometimes you find defining wisdom in the unlikeliest places.

Scott Adams, the creator of the cartoon Dilbert, noted in a blog post recently what I’ve thought, but have never been able to say quite so eloquently. 

Indeed, you are what you learn.  You don’t have to know much about wine to drink it, but it sure makes it that much more enjoyable if you lean into the door…

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Thanksgiving Wine Recommendation

Thanksgiving is the wine world’s national holiday.  I get that.  It’s my favorite holiday, too. But, the attendant wine pairing articles are exhausting.  Does it really matter what you drink with Thanksgiving dinner?  Nope.  If it did, somebody, anybody would care that I’ll be having Sparkling Rose, German Riesling and New Zealand Pinot, but, really, nobody cares.  At the end of the day, the below picture encapsulates what really matters when picking a wine for Thanksgiving (Hint: Focus on the food).

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It Was a Good Week for Lot18

My eyes bugged out like a virgin at a nudist camp when I saw that Lot18 secured $30M in additional funding.  That money coupled with clarification from the California Alcohol Beverage Control (CA ABC) on some wonkiness in legalities, means the first week of November 2011 will go down as a watershed moment for Lot18.

Perhaps equally interesting to me is a passage noting, “Radical Transparency” in an email sent to Lot18 members from Lot18 (ostensibly founder Phillip James).  The email noted:

As Lot18 moves into its second year of existence, our goal is to ensure that, with more money in the bank and compliance questions behind us, Lot18 can continue to deliver on its responsibilities to our suppliers and to our members alike. We must hold ourselves accountable to ensure we maintain trust with everyone who produces and consumes goods offered by Lot18.

We do this through a policy called Radical Transparency, which simply involves sharing more than was once considered wise. We believe in this because it drives our focus and ensures that all of our employees and our members feel that they have a role in shaping our future. Together we can create a service that will not only help you find great value, but also encourage you to spread the word to friends and family so that they may also share in the delight.

We’re all aware of “transparency” as an online buzzword the last several years.  It’s a word that has been co-opted, commoditized and rendered meaningless, as well.  It seems, transparency is really code word for faux sincerity and empathy and that makes adding the modifier of “Radical” to transparency all the more interesting.

These days, every new business success story comes with hagiographic mythologizing and I wouldn’t be surprised if, in this area, “Radical Transparency” is where Lot18 stakes their claim.  After all, culture and customer service is already taken by Zappos.

Yet, radical transparency isn’t a new concept either.  If you’re interested in seeing how a hedge fund called Bridgewater Associates (founded by Ray Dalio) has codified a brutally honest feedback loop see this profile piece from New York magazine and Dalio’s 123 page “Principles” document (worth the read).

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_autumnal_equinox_edition/

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Sustainability by the wine trade

Everyone uses the term ‘sustainability’ these days, but what it means to everyone can vary enormously. From simple carbon reducing measures, such as using lighter glass bottles and renewable energy, through changes to vineyard practice including organics, and even wholesale regional programmes, the term covers many issues and different levels of commitment. When the issue [...]

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Kurniawan house photos

The Justice Department filed some photos in their wine counterfeiting case against Rudy Kurniawan. Don Cornwell, a collector and attorney who has been actively following the goings-on, posts the six pictures that the government filed in their latest brief to rebuff Kurniawan’s claim that they entered his house illegally. While the stacks of boxes, packed [...]

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First Look: Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House

Since they opened in Boston in 2011, I've been hearing good things about Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House. It's part of the ambitiously redeveloped Liberty Wharf complex along Boston's waterfront in the Seaport District that includes the impressive Legal Harborside, Jerry Remy's, Temezcal Tequila Cantina and the newly opened 75 at Liberty Wharf (same folks as 75 Chestnut in Beacon Hill).

Boston's steakhouse scene has really exploded in the past 10 to 15 years. It used to be just a handful of local joints like Grill 23 and Abe & Louie's but national chains have invaded with some compelling offerings.

But what is Del Frisco's all about? What's it like? What differentiates it from Morton's, Ruth's Chris', The Capital Grille, and Smith & Wollensky? From their website:
Del Frisco?s Double Eagle Steak House planted its roots in Dallas more than 20 years ago. We embody the rich tradition of fine American steak houses, amazing guests through our impeccable chef-driven cuisine, extensive award-winning wine list and unparalleled hospitality. We offer our guests an unforgettable experience in a stunning, energetic atmosphere perfect for special occasions, business affairs or a grand night on the town.

Current locations include Boston, Dallas, Charlotte, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, New York, and Philadelphia. Chicago coming soon.

They're part of the Del Frisco's Restaurant Group with also includes Sullivan's and Del Frisco's Grille (which is coming soon to Chestnut Hill, MA I hear).

Reservations are hard to come by. I've tried on two prior occasions to make a reservation unsuccessfully with a couple days notice. This time, I was able to get a table for 5:30 pm booked the same day via Open Table. A little earlier than ideal but not unreasonably so. The only problem is getting through the South Station traffic at rush hour. (Is there a better way to get to the Seaport area from points west of Boston? Let me know.)

Valet parking is $16. Metered street parking that needs to be fed until 8:00 pm is also available.

The restaurant is gorgeous.

You enter on the first floor to a lobby sort of area and are greeted by a hostess who directs you upstairs. Immediately you'll notice a jaw dropping display of wines behind glass. It looks like the Fort Knox of wine. Definitely worth a peak on your way out.

The theme of the building around glass enclosed wine conveys on the second floor. Behind the hostess stand is a polished, sophisticated bar area with a nice combination of a large bar and low slung seating areas for 3 or 4. A circular outcropping overlooks the harbor.

I've wondered how easy it would be to grab a seat at the bar for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night. From the looks of it on our way out at 8:30: Not easy. The few open spots I saw were marked "Reserved".

We were a few minutes late so we were immediately directed to our table in the center of the dining room on the window with sweeping views of the harbor. It would be even more impressive on a clear night (it was rainy with low clouds the night we visited). Outdoor seating is perched outside the main dining room for warmer months and would be amazing on a late summer evening.

We were immediately greeted by our server Adam and, since it was our first time visiting and we asked, a quick overview of Del Frisco's (the Double Eagle refers to a signature double-thick cut of sirloin) and pointers for navigating the experience.

Their leather-bound wine book drawfs the main menu which is printed on glossy cardstock.

Although this is a wine blog, I'm not one to go too crazy on wine at restaurants. I can't justify the markups in my mind. But complaining about this is like whining about how expensive oceanfront property is. And like oceanfront property - it's fun to look at. So here's what I saw...

First a few benchmark Napa Cabs to orient myself with the average markup. Click to enlarge, but the current releases from Cakebread and Caymus are $155. With a street retail price of $59 that's a markup of about 2.5x. Typical for a steakhouse.

Looking for something a little more special? They've got you covered. Schrader, Scarecrow and Screaming Eagle are ready to go from $795 to $4,995. $1,250 for a glass of wine? I don't think I want to come to terms with that in my lifetime.
The California Pinot section was "okay" I'd say. At $72 for the benchmark Belle Glos Meiomi that's a scorching 4.2x markup over street price.
Some nicer California Pinot Noir options existed as well, but overall markups were insane and I felt they could have gotten a bit more adventurous with producers.
I was tempted by a few half bottles - 2009 Ridge Lytton Springs at $50 seemed fair, and 2009 Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Pinot for $56. But wanting to try a couple different things I went by the glass.
I went for a 2009 Hitching Post Pinot Noir for $16/glass which turned out to be, I thought, a very good wine and a nice start to the evening with the first couple courses.

What I like about some of my favorite restaurants is that every aspect of the meal is something I enjoy. When it comes to steakhouses, it's not just about the steak. I like it when the appetizers, the sides, the desserts -- everything -- are something to look forward to.

The bread they started us off with looked a little plain (I'd like to see more variety offered) but it was tasty. Slightly sweet.

Wanting to compare Del Frisco's to some of our classic favorites we split a wedge salad. A very nice rendition! Not as smothered with bleu cheese dressing as some, it impressed me with its cold crisp lettuce and was particularly well seasoned.
Adam recommended the crab cake and I'm glad he did. It was probably the single most impressive thing we tasted. Baked, not fried, it was again brilliantly seasoned with a little heat and a little sweetness I enjoyed. Spectacular.
On to the steaks. When I first looked at the Steaks & Chops section of the menu it looked a little boring:

  • Filet Mignon 8oz./12 oz. for $39/$46
  • Prime Ribeye 16 oz. for $46. 
  • Bone-In Prime Ribeye 22 oz. $53
  • Prime Strip 16 oz. $47
  • Prime Porterhouse 24 oz. $57
  • Lamb - 2 double cut 8 oz chop $46
  • Wagyu "Longbone" 32 oz. Ribeye $89
The prices seem to be setting the pace for Boston Steakhouses, and I'd say are on par with some of the best steakhouses in the country.

I went for one of the special steaks not on the menu. Three 4 oz. cuts prepared three ways: A red wine demi glace, bleu cheese, and oscar style (asparagus, crab cake, bearnaise). I was interested in exploring their flavors more than just digging into a massive steak. They were well prepared and enjoyable for sure. 

I thought the bleu cheese treatment was a little too salty. It really clobbered the Lobster Mac & Cheese we ordered as a side (the pasta was a little overdone to boot). The red wine demi glace was pretty good. The oscar treatment was probably my favorite. The smaller cuts were interesting but I think I'd go for a more straightforward steak next time. I just don't know which one I'd get.

I had a glass of their house Del Friscos Cabernet Sauvignon. It was said to be made by Robert Foley and the style is what you'd expect: Generously fruit forward and delicious. I thought it went really nicely with the steaks and was good on its own too.

For dessert we went with their highly touted Lemon Cake. A massive slice of cake with a delicious lemon butter cream icing, it got to be a bit monotonous for my taste even when split.

Overall Food

I thought the food was "very good" and several items were "outstanding". I'd call the Crab Cakes a "must order" and I'll look forward to exploring more of their menu in the future.

Overall Service

The service was flawless and a real high point here. Our waiter's enthusiastic, attentive, polished yet down to earth style was just what I look for in a restaurant like this. Supporting staff was also excellent with several different individuals tending to us over the course of the evening but never in a confusing or disruptive way. We never wanted for anything and our table was magnificently tended to the entire evening.

Overall Ambiance

Some of the most impressive build out in a restaurant I've seen in Boston.The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous with a very rich feel to it. Sweeping views of the harbor remind you you're in Boston. There's a certain "New Year's Eve" bling to it that denotes it's a special occasion kind of place, but at the same time I felt comfortable wearing a half-zip sweater and dark denim.

Very comfortable seating and spacing between tables. We felt like we were part of the action yet could have our own conversation. One peculiarity: The dress code for female servers seemed to be tight fitting black with very short skirts. Gave it a touch of a Vegas cocktail vibe for better or worse.

Conclusion & Recommendations

Total bill came to $193 for the two of us, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse should be included in discussions about the best steakhouses in Boston.

93/100 Points WWP: Outstanding

Check 'em out:
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse
250 Northern Avenue, Suite 200
Boston, MA 02210


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Vintage Variation and California Pinot Noir: Is 2009 all it's cracked up to be?

My average ratings from the last five vintages across a couple hundred bottles
How vintage sensitive should we be in our wine purchases?

One of wine's inherent advantages compared to other beverages is that each vintage provides new opportunity for exploration. But winemakers are often tasked with serving two masters: Customers seeking a consistent product year in and year out and those interested in seeing what each vintage has to offer in its purest form.

The best winemakers find a happy medium, producing wines that deliver the house style and are the best possible expression of each vintage. Others take a more dedicated approach on either side of the equation.

The Consumer


One way aspiring wine enthusiasts display their vast knowledge is by memorizing portions of vintage charts from prominent wine publications and ordering wines from "good" vintages while avoiding the "bad" ones. Good and bad are in quotes because true wine geeks revel in understanding and enjoying the differences between each vintage and exploring the way nature shaped what comes to be in their glass.

That said, some vintages are more aligned with what we're looking for than others. So yeah - they're better. At least for each of us.

The Critic


I've often thought about how professional critics determine their vintage ratings. I mean, I know they taste a boatload of wine from each vintage but specifically how do they recognize that one vintage is uniformly better or worse than another when tasting wines from mostly the same vintage?

I imagine it's a combination of expectations set from a variety of inputs, like weather patterns the year the grapes were grown and what winemakers tell them, in conjunction with stylistic traits they detect while tasting - especially in benchmark wines they've tasted over a number of years.

The Vintage


When vintages are good the quality of all wines rise. What this can do, as it did with 2009 California Pinot Noir, is create a sense of invincibility on the part of the wine buyer. There was a point when I didn't think I could open a bad 2009 - even south of $20. I was temporarily lulled into a sense that I didn't need to be selective in the category. That all California Pinot Noir was really good. Even the cheap stuff!

But I found that as I pushed the price points south of $20 things got quite a bit more difficult. Especially in vintages like 2008 and 2010.

So I thought it would be interesting to take a snapshot and see how my ratings of California Pinot Noir tracked across the last five vintages. As consumers, we taste quite differently than the pros. Rather than flights of wines from mostly the same vintage, we bop around and drink from a range of vintages only occasionally doing a side by side comparison of the same bottling from different vintages. I wanted to see if I really did tend to enjoy 2009s more than other vintages, and if so how much more?

Inside the Numbers

Although the magnitude of the swing between the highest and lowest rated vintages isn't as dramatic as I would have guessed it would be, it's likely the affect we see in other ratings comparison studies whereby since such a small portion of the 100 point scale is used small differences have bigger meaning than we might think.

For example, an average difference of 88 vs. 90 isn't a 2 percent difference it's more like a 90 point wine is nearly twice as exciting as an 88 point wine in terms of how we think about it when assigning a numerical rating. More on that phenomenon here.

Putting it to the Test


I had an accidental opportunity to do a comparative tasting between two vintages of Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir recently. It's a $28 release price wine from a well regarded Pinot Noir producer. I bought two bottles of the wine thinking they were both 2009s and later discover one was a 2008. I thought this would be a good opportunity to taste them back to back and compare notes. How much better could the 2009 possibly be? A lot better.

Here are my notes:

It's amazing how much better the 2009 vintage of this bottling is than the 2008. Where the 08 is limited aromatically and falls flat on the palate, the 09 has enjoyable classic CA Pinot markings on the nose and delivers vibrant fruit on the palate. 2009 California Pinot Noir is the real deal.

Conclusion

So where does that leave us in terms of my original question, which was how heavily to bias our purchases towards highly regarded vintages? California Pinot Noir vintage variation is nothing compared to Bordeaux, Burgundy or Piedmont for example. But there are some definite differences to be had even in California.

For me, I'll continue to pay attention to the story behind vintages and yes I'll likely buy more heavily in "good" vintages. But good wineries put out great wines even in mediocre vintages so I'll buy even in "bad" vintages from certain producers.

What do you think? How heavily are your purchases weighted towards better vintages?

Lots more to discuss in this area - like price variation according to perceived quality of vintage depending on region - and how to take advantage of this as a consumer. I'd love it if you SUBSCRIBED to The Wellesley Wine Press so we can keep in touch.


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