LMU 28th Annual Wine Classic

Sunday, February 8, 2009

This annual event at Loyola Marymount University is one of the best tastings around for higher end wines. This is the 5th year that I have attended and it never disappoints me. The only negative about this event is usually the food stations. This year they had two stations and set up ropes so that you had to stand in a very long line to enter, then make your way around the station to put things on your plate. One of the biggest problems was that some people as they were filling their plates, stopped to talk, eat in place and that really held up the line. They seemed completely oblivious to the fact that other people were behind them. I put these same people in with the people that are on their cell phones constantly. At the grocery store, at dinner, where-ever. I wonder what shallow lives these people live that they have this overwhelming need to be in contact with a voice 24 hours a day.

Getting a taste of wine was much simpler than getting the food this year.

I saw about two dozen people I knew or had met someplace. Much more this year than in the past.

The wines I tasted are listed below. I only tasted at about 1/3 of the tables that were set up. I was driving myself so I needed to make sure that I did not get impaired.

Arns, 2004 and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, $75 each

Corison, 2000 Caberbet, $70 & 2005 Cabernet $75

Frazier Family, 2004 Frazier Cabernet, $55, 2005 Frazier Cabernet, $55 & 2005 Memento Cabernet, $110

Miner Family, 2005, The Oracle, Bordeaux Blend, $90

Niner Wine Estates, 2005 Fog Catcher, $50

O'Shaugnessy Estate Winery, 2005 Howell Mountain Cabernet, $75 & 2005 Mount Veeder Cabernet, $ 95

Saddleback Cellars, 2005 Cabernet, $ 54 & 2006 Nils 25th Anniversary Cabernet , $100

Smith-Madrone 2004 Cabernet, $40

St. Francis Winery, 2006 Old Vines, Zinfandel, $22 - Since I had net Chris at a wine tasting in 2008 he remembered me and gave me almost a full glass, which I did not need.

Lane Tanner, 2006 Bien Nacico, Pinot Noir, $33, 2007 Julias Pinot Noir, $36 & 2007 Tempranillo, $24

Kenneth Volk, 2006 Sierra Madre Pinot Noir, $36 ( very good), 2006 Bien Nacico Pinot Noir, $36 & 2007 Negrette, $24 (another grape varietal to add to my list)

William Cole, 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, $150.

All total there were 152 wines being poured and I tasted 22 of them. The other wineries that were pouring that I did not taste were, Astrale & Terra, Barnett, Benziger, Blackford, August Briggs, Cafaro, Cottonwood Canyon, Robert Craig, Falcone, Ferrari-Carano, Foxen, Judd's Hill, Robert Keenan, Karl Lawrence, Krupp Brothers, Lewelling, Livingston, Moss Creek, Ortman, Paradigm, Patz & Hall, Riverbench, Rombauer, Sawyer, Sonador, Spelletich, Talbott, Tandem, Vinoce, White Cottage, White Rock & ZD. A few of these I have have tasted their wines in the last 6 months or so.

This is always a great tasting and I'm really looking forward to next years event.