Unauthorized

An extravagant preparation of paella, loaded with the finest shrimp, lobster, mussels, and the highest quality saffron money could buy was accompanied by a range of wines showcasing the brilliance of Manfred and Elaine Krankl’s Sine Qua Non winery. The two whites provided a wonderful competition, with half of the diners preferring the 2006 Hoodoo Man and the other half, including me, favoring the 2007 Body and Soul. Both are a blend of Roussanne, Viognier, and in the older vintage, some Chardonnay (which is now being eliminated completely from the final blend). Both are full-bodied and, in short, the finest examples of white Rhône Rangers that exist in California. In fact, they are among the finest dry white wines made in the world. I find that some vintages age for 10-15 years, while others are best drunk in their first 3-4 years, but it is always impossible to tell which ones are going to last. The 2000 Incognito Grenache gets my vote as the best Grenache ever made in California. At the magical peak of perfection now, it’s hard to believe it will get any better. Great notes of meat juices, kirsch, lavender, spice box, sandalwood, and pepper are followed by a voluminous, textured, full-bodied wine with silkiness and lusciousness. It is a fabulous example of Grenache, which is certainly the hardest grape to produce into something like this in California. The 2002 Just For The Love of It Syrah is still an infant. Dense purple with notes of camphor, crème de cassis, blackberry jam, licorice, and a bit of barbecue smoke, the wine is still full-bodied, opulent, and needs a lot of aeration for it to strut its stuff. It just got better and better as the night went on. One of the two other wines we had (my third bottle in ten days) was the nearly perfect Pierre Usseglio 2003 Châteauneuf du Pape Mon Aïeul, Like the other ones, it displayed blueberries and flowers, a voluptuous texture, and amazing richness, but it was intriguing to taste it next to the 2000 Incognito, as the Grenache character in both wines screamed. Still tight, young, and needing more time, the Guigal 2003 Côte Rôtie Château d’Ampuis was dense ruby/purple, very ripe, rich and full-bodied by Côte Rôtie standards, but needing another 3-4 years of age.