Alice Feiring....You GO!

I think it's great that the San Francisco Chronicle and the LA Times would give Alice a fairly large stage to bitch and moan about California wine not being to her tastes and the contention that a single, Maryland-based Palate is the reason for her California Discontent.

Alice is in the midst of promoting her new book that takes the art of bitching and moaning into a book length format. Feiring's "The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization" has a whimsical looking cover design that might just as easily be translated to a publishing effort on how pandas and tulips can save the world. But it seems behind the happy cover lies another approach:

"Join her as she sets off on her one-woman crusade against the tyranny of homogenization, wine consultants, and, of course, the 100-point scoring system of a certain all-powerful wine writer."

Just for the record there is no tyranny of Homogenization in the world of CA wine. There is only disappointment that most wines don't appeal to one's palate. It's also true that Alice's call for more "natural" winemaking and "natural" wines is really just a a reflection of her philosophy of life and not a critique of winemaking. It's highly doubtful she or most others could consistently identify wines that are made with and without "natural" winemaking techniques.

Still, I love to see Alice, this artful writer, make a full frontal assault on those wineries and critics who like to drink and make wines that don't appeal to her. There is a passion here that transcends and makes secondary work of the disappointment that is at the heart of her recent screeds and editorials. It's good writing, it's controversial, it engages the reader and it demonstrates that the politics of preference is alive and well in the world of wine.

As I read the good news today that the California Supreme Court overturned the law prohibiting same-sex marriage, I saw similarities between Feiring's position that California wine should be more subdued and natural and the opponents of the California Supreme Court ruling who believed marriage should be what it always was, between a man and a woman. Both Alice and the conservative, anti-gay camp believe there has been some brainwashing going on. But in the long run, both the opponents of same sex marriage and Alice will lose their battles. America is not, and never was, a place where traditions were forceful enough to squash the aspirations of those who choose to simply do what they want as long as it's not hurting anyone.

The big, bold wines that Alice believes are imitations of what real wine should be will be with us forever and will continue to be made because California's climate allows this as does technology, and because other people like them. But she should take take heart. There will always be Cathy Corisons, Steve Edmunds, Stony Hills and many, many others who, if Alice wants to seek them out, will demonstrate that there is no winemaking region in the world more diverse in the style of wines it produces than California.

UPDATE:
Nice review of Feiring's New Book at The Women's Wine Critic Blog.

Some notes taken at a New Years Eve event … in 2006 leading into 2007.

Seppelt Salinger 1994
A slightly better bottle than the last one, this was fresher on the palate. On the nose there were aromas of creme brulee, toast, lime and a dab of oak. Still not amazingly complex on the palate, but the length is good and it is well balanced.
88/100

Moet et Chandon 1999
Green apples and grass on the nose. Very lean palate, acid stands out and this is very simple and short.
82/100

T’Gallant Moscato 2006
A pale salmon colour. Very light spritz. Strawberry, turkish delight and cherry on the nose. Palate has a medium level of sweetness, needs a touch more acid to be refreshing but it is still quite nice.
86/100

Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1994
Honeyed nose with toast and lemon as well. There is an oily texture to the medium intensity palate. No rough edges, this was very nice drinking now.
91/100

Raymond Boulard Cuvee Reserve NV
Apples, some florals and some candy style raspberry notes. Crisp palate, medium length. No elements of great excitement but it is well made and enjoyable.
87/100

Best’s Great Western Chardonnay 1986
Grapefruit, honey and wet wool aromas. Incredibly youthful palate, it was fresh, balanced and long. Seemed as though it could live another 10 years as well.
90/100

Robert Groffier Les Amoureuses 1996
Brilliant, shifting, challenging nose of cherry, earth, violets, spice and fleeting notes of coffee beans. The palate is so delicate and wonderfully poised. the mouthfeel is beautiful with well integrated tannin and acid. Superb.
94/100

Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz (disg. February 99)
Cola, chocolate and a strong horse stable component. The palate is almost sickly sweet. Worst bottle of this that I’ve had.
79/100

Orlando Lawson Shiraz 1991
Dark crimson colour. Sweetly fruited with a touch of mint. Nice intensity to the palate, it is bold without being over the top or losing focus. Very youthful, it will go another 5 years without any trouble and it wouldn’t surprise me if people were saying the same thing in 5 years.
89/100

J. Vidal-Fleury Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 1998
From magnum. Lifted florals, pepper, five spice and red cherries. Savoury palate with good acidity and a medium length finish. Very good.
90/100

Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanee Clos des Reas 1998
Deeply coloured. Very perfumed nose, with florals and light raspberry. Tannins are quite grippy at present, but contribute to the good structure. Well balanced acidity.
90/100

Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello 2001
Briary and tobacco aromas followed by vanilla, coconut and some floral characters. Quite aggressive tannins on the palate, but the length and structure are both excellent. Give this time and you will be rewarded.
91/100

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Brut 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs 1998
Opened to drink at midnight. Corked. Happy new year.
NR/100

Pol Roger Brut 1998
Apples, yeast, toast and some smoke. Good length and balance, with medium flavour intensity. Will be nice to drink over the next 5 years.
89/100

Henschke Cyril Henschke 1994
DMS city with blackcurrant, tinned corn, blackberry and chocolate oaky aromas. Palate is alright, but the wine as a whole isn’t up to the standard of one had a year prior.
84/100

Chateau d’Yquem 1958
An incredibly generous gesture from a friend of Phil’s to bring this along to share. This has been open for a while, the nose was deeply scented and consisted of caramel, burnt sugar, orange peel and almond. Luscious mouthfeel, the acid struggling a little bit to keep pace. I was immensely glad to have gotten the chance to try this.
92/100

Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru Brut NV
Apples, cinnamon, honey and smoke. Dry on the good length palate, with racy acidity and great refreshment value.
88/100