Tag Archives: John Yelenosky

Bertani 1986 Amarone della Valpolicella, that’s what friends are for

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Tracie P was just reminding me of a time in my life, not so long ago, when I needed a little help from my friends. Well, last night one of those friends, Yele, needed a little help from me and Erickson… I mean, you can’t drink 1986 Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella by yourself, now, can you?

What a mind-blowingly amazing bottle, with such bright acidity in a wine more than two decades old! Drank a lot of great, old wine in 2010 but this bottle is a real stand-out: it had that unforgettable “nerviness,” that “backbone” of acidity that Italians use in their canon of wine descriptors. I would have always reached for the 88 with Bertani (also a great and unforgettable wine, tasted most recently in February 2009), but the 86 was better IMHO.

The best part, though, was that wide, familiar, contagious grin on Yele’s face when we were perusing the cellar at Third Corner in Ocean Beach, California, and he pulled me away from the 02 La Turque to show me his find. That’s what friends are for, right? 01 Musar white was stunning as well and the grandfathered retail sales program and corkage policy at Third Corner always make a splurge like this so much more palatable.

Keep smilin’, keep shinin’
Knowin’ you can always count on me, for sure
That’s what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I’ll be on your side forever more
That’s what friends are for

In other news…

Just had to share these images from clients and friends Dan and Chrissa who invited me in for some holiday cheer when I dropped off their Do Bianchi Christmas Six-Pack.

Chrissa’s wonderful zuppa maritata (named, btw, not because it is served at Italian weddings, a folkloric etymology, but rather because it is a “marriage” or pairing of ingredients).

Dan’s homemade pork sausage for the meatballs.

Chrissa’s homegrown escarole for the soup.

Chrissa’s lemon cake. Damn, those two can cook!

Rockin the Riviera Supper Club

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Tracie P and I capped off our holiday weekend in San Diego with a drive out to La Mesa (quite-a-place-a) to the Riviera Supper Club for some excellent old-school rhythm and blues by the Fairmounts (above).

Really groovy stuff with Jon from Jaynes Gastropub on guitar… Bass player Tom and I figured out that we actually played a bunch of shows together when I was living in NYC and playing with the [CANNOT BE MENTIONED FOR LEGAL REASONS] old French band (remember them?) and he was playing with the Dansettes.

It can be painful to play the blues but I sat in on a number. SO MUCH fun to be playing music again…

Tracie P and Jayne were having some fun, too!

John Yelenosky’s birthday is tomorrow. I love that dude… so many good times and great wines opened together, so many great memories from high school… happy birthday Yele!

The Grapes at Zenbu (La Jolla) Thurs. Sept. 2

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Just a quick post this busy Friday morning to let ya’ll know that my band The Grapes will be playing in La Jolla at one of my favorite restaurants in the world, Zenbu.

We’ll be rocking some old-school Americana, roots, and blues, with a touch of British invasion — featuring my BFF John Yelenosky on his fav Kinks tunes and me on my fav Beatles. Justin Richert, another high school buddy, will be sitting in on lap steel (!!!).

The show is free and the sushi can’t be beat…

Hope to see you there!

Buon weekend, ya’ll!

Vajra Wire! and killer wines I drank in San Diego

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Wow, everybody was at Jaynes last night for our fantastic Piedmont tasting and a great tavolata afterward. That’s my super good buddy John Yelenosky, with his “Barolo King” t-shirt by Mouton Noir (John and his lovely wife Megan brought 2004 Asili by Produttori del Barbaresco. YES!). I’d like to thank everyone for coming out and taking the time to taste and chat with me about wines I truly love.

Above: 1999 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo by Valentini and scallop ceviche? Hell yeah!

Between me, Jon of Jaynes, and Whitney of Brunellos Have More Fun, nearly half of the Barbera 7 was also there! @Whitney so great to see you and get to taste together again!

I also wanted to thank my good friend Anthony Wilson, who made the trip down from Los Angeles to make the tasting. So good to hang with you, man. You make one Puro? Czak czak! ;-)

Above: My friend John Rikkers brought a magnum of 2006 single-vineyard Barbera Falletto by Giacosa… sheesh! good stuff…

I also wanted to thank everyone for all the thoughtful comments about yesterday’s Vajra post. If you have a Facebook, check out the comments I got over there: Roberto Paris, Ed McCarthy, David McDuff, Kyle Phllips, Colum Sheehan… wow, a heartfelt thanks to all of ya’ll for taking the time to read my posts and weighing in on Aldo’s remarkable Riesling. I felt like a celebrity with all this star-power! (Btw, if we’re not friends on Facebook, you can find me here.)

Above: Grand cru Chablis from 2002, anyone? Woooooooowwwww… THANK YOU ROBIN! :-)

I don’t really have time to post today and so my Italian fan, the one who expressed his “burning disappointment” that I haven’t finished posting on our February trip to Piedmont, will just have to wait.

Above: Top San Diego sommelier Brian Donegan is the KING of German Pinot Noir. Killer wine…

I’m going to be taking tomorrow off from blogging: tomorrow is the first day of the Passover and tonight we’re doing the seder at brother Micah’s house.

Above: Jayne let me try the new Pimm’s cup at Jaynes. Tennis, anyone?

So I’ll see you day after tomorrow. Thanks for reading in the meantime!

One note before I go… The 2005 Vajra Barolo Albe showed BEAUTIFULLY at the tasting yesterday. I noticed that a lot of folks have trouble pronouncing Vajra. It’s easy… It’s pronounced just like my middle name, Ira.

Hag sameach, ya’ll!

Si parla l’italiano a San Diego

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This morning, Tracie B and I arrived early for our appointment to get our marriage license in downtown San Diego and so we popped over to the newly revitalized Little Italy neighborhood of America’s Finest City for some breakfast. There was a group of men sitting — kibbitzing, you would say in Yiddish — outside Pete’s Quality Meats (above) and so we stopped and chatted with them in Italian. Their Sicilian faces were tan and furrowed from their years working on the San Diego tuna boats.

“Auguroni! figli maschi!” they called out as we said goodbye (“Best of wishes! May you have many male children!”).

It was wonderful to hear the sun-baked rhythms of their Sicilian cadence, a relic and a trace of the era in which they immigrated to the U.S. bringing theirs skills in tuna fishery (probably in the 1960s, gauging from their language).

Si parla l’italiano a San Diego…

In other news…

I think the Rueben has officially usurped the special place in my heart once reserved solely for the Jaynes Burger at Jaynes Gastropub, where a bunch of folks gathered last night to celebrate our upcoming wedding. It paired exceedingly well with the 2007 Dolcetto d’Alba by Cavallotto by the glass (one of me and Tracie B’s favorites).

My high-school friend and bff John Yelenosky and his wife Megan (both wine professionals) treated us to a bottle of 2000 Gaston Chiquet Champagne. Wow, I love that wine.

“I know how much you like Gaston Chiquet,” Megan teased me. “‘Cause I read your blog!” ;-) Sooooo gooood… and so sweet to drink in celebration! Thanks, Megan and John!

John is going to “stand up with me” at the wedding this weekend.

O, and, btw, the marriage license? CHECK! :-)

La Jolla High Homecoming 2009: Billecart-Salmon Rosé

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billecart salmon

It’s that time of year for graduations, commencements, and homecomings and Tracie B and I felt like homecoming queen and king Friday night at Jaynes Gastropub in San Diego where our friends lined up a pretty spectacular flight of wines to welcome us back. It’s only been a few months since our last visit but it was just a thrill to see everyone and catch up. Jaynes has always been great and chef Daniel Manrique has really taken the menu up a notch. The food was excellent: I had my favorite, the Jaynes Burger, rare, topped with brined red onions, and Tracie B had the shepherd’s pie (it warmed our bodies on a mild evening during San Diego’s “June gloom,” which generally sees cooler-than-summertime temperatures).

jaynes gastropub

Above, from left: John and Megan Yelenosky, Jayne Battle and Jon Erickson, and Tracie B and me.

My highschool bud John Yelenosky (top San Diego wine professional) and his wife Megan (one of the city’s leading sommeliers) treated us to a stunning bottle of Billecart-Salmon rosé (on the list at Jaynes). The nose on this wine was so thrilling you almost didn’t want to drink it.

Cerbaiona 2002

Above: I was surprised at how well the 2002 Cerbaiona showed. Not a lot of Brunello producers bottled their wine as such in the rainy 2002 vintage but the “Pilot’s Brunello” tasted like Sangiovese through and through.

One of the surprising wines was a 2002 Cerbaiona Brunello di Montalcino. I used to sell those wines back in the day in NYC. They’re one of my “guilty-pleasure” wines: they’re expensive, they lean toward the modern in style, but they can also be lip-smacking delicious. The wines showed nicely with my Jaynes Burger.

Selvapiana

Above: The Selvapiana Chianti Rufina 2007 by the glass at Jaynes is awesome.

But the wine that really impressed me that night was the Selvapiana 2007 Chianti Rufina: still a little green around the edges but so powerfully tannic and rich. Similarly to the 2007 bottling of Langhe Nebbiolo by Produttori del Barbaresco, Selvapiana’s “entry-level” or “gateway” wine nearly transcends its designation. I haven’t tasted a lot of 2007 from Tuscan yet but anecdotal reports indicate it’s going to be a great vintage for the region, a harvest in which a lot of winemakers were able to make larger quantities of great Sangiovese. It will be interesting to see what this baby does in the bottle.

On deck for tomorrow: CEVICHE PORN!!! Stay tuned…

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Jaynes bids Jar adieu

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Above: Erik (Benoit), Nicholas, and Jon Erickson (co-owner with his lovely wife Jayne), at the bar at Jaynes Gastropub in San Diego — my “habitat” for the last 12 months. Benoit wrote me this beautiful “farewell” post at his excellent blog, AntiYelp.

Following my 3-day Dantean solo drive halfway across the country (think Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, George Jones, a little Paul Simon, a lot of Willie, and the obligatory Gram — all set to a desert landscape), I am posting today from Austin, Texas, my new home.

On Friday night, I completed my last shift at Jaynes Gastropub in San Diego (although I’ll surely make a cameo appearance or two in 2009).

When I clocked out, a few friends joined and they threw me a lil’ going away party (fyi, all of my friends in music and in San Diego call me “Jar” or “the Jar,” my nickname since junior high days)…

In her quest to get me to love Bordeaux, Robin Stark brought this excellent 95 Angelus. We decanted and tasted about an hour later. I was impressed by the wine’s bright acidity (not what you see in modern-style bored-oh). Thanks, Robin!

My high school friend John Yelenosky brought this 99 Poggio Salvi Brunello di Montalcino, which showed beautifully. (Click here and scroll down to see our high school senior pics.) John and I had a great 2008 playing music, drinking Produttori del Barbaresco, and just hanging out — like in the old days… Gonna miss you, bro!

That’s me with Jayne’s dad, the inimitable Frank Battle. In September, I officiated at his daughter’s wedding to my good friend Jon Erickson. Mr. Battle, you’ve got a lovely daughter.

Jayne and Jon and everyone at Jaynes Gastropub: I’m gonna miss you! Thanks for helping me get my pour and my groove back on in 2008!