Cohn Restaurants Newest Addition, Vintana! Meet the Team

Vintana invades North County!

The date is still tentative but the team is in place.   I am talking about the new Cohn Restaurant, Vintana! David & Lesley Cohn and Chef Deborah Scott are going big! It is scheduled to open in May 2012.  It will be situated on the third floor of the largest Lexus dealership on the west coast in Escondido.   If you are driving along highway 15 and you look to the west, you cannot miss it.  It is the only dealership along the highway with a water fountain dancing along to music.

The name Vintana is derived from a play on words, “Vin” meaning wine and “Ventana” Spanish for windows.  Yes the restaurant is surrounded by windows and it will be home to another great wine list.  The best part is that it features two large event rooms and two large patios.  The plan is to have outdoor concerts on one of the decks.  The scoop is that acts such as Chaka Khan and Al Jareau are already booked for the summer.

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On the table tops of the Santa Ynez Zaca Mesa

Zaca Mesa, a pioneer of Rhone varieties in the Santa Ynez Valley

Zaca Mesa is a Pioneer in the Santa Ynez valley, it is one of the first to plant Rhone varieties.  Zaca means “peaceful & restful”.  It is situated 1500ft on a plateau (hence the name mesa, or table top in Spanish) and lies above the fog line and provide excellent drainage. This is Indian land. All the estate vineyards are farmed sustainably.  The vineyards are easy to farm and the plateau allows for even ripening.

Ken Brown was the first to plant Syrah in Santa Barbara back in 1978.  He used vines from Eberle and Chapoutier.  He was one of the original Rhone Rangers at Zaca Mesa, since then many other winemakers passed through the cellar such as Bob Linquist and Lane Tanner.  Today the winery is owned by John Cushman who was an original investor.  What was once 1,600 acres is now downsized to 750 acres with only 200 acres devoted to vines.  Today the focus at Zaca Mesa is in lower yields and quality.  I was very surprised by the result of this tasting. Read Full

The Sommelier, what is the role of the sommelier?

What is the role of the sommelier and why do we even exist?

I will never forget the time I approached a table and one of our guests introduced me, “this is Maurice, he is the sommelier.”  Without batting an eye lash and with the most sincerity, one of the guests looked at me and asked, “what part of Somalia are you from?”  True story. Read Full

San Diego International Wine Competition

The 29th annual San Diego International Wine Competition

I had the honor of judging my first wine competition this weekend, the San Diego International Wine Competition.  The SDIWC is organized by Robert Whitley, a wine writer for creators.com and wine review online.  The judges were a mix of wine makers, wine writers, wine consultants and this year, local sommeliers.  There were over 1700 wines from around the world entered into the 29th annual SDIWC. Read Full

Wine Tasting Notes February 2012

Wine Tasting Notes for February 2012

My intention in posting my wine tasting notes is to give a brief description of some of the many wines I come across over a months time.  Some wines will make the wine list and others will not.  Choosing one wine over another for the list, comes down to what holes need to be filled.  Keeping my notes online allows me to access them for future reference.

I do not want to rate wines on a point system.  There are many flaws with the point system, I merely want to give the reader a description of my interpretation of the wine on a given day.  Wines are always changing, we are always changing and what comes across as unpleasing one day can be enjoyable the next.  I want to give the reader an insight in to what the wines taste like rather than attaching a subjective score to them.  Winemakers and wineries work hard and are very proud of their juice. I will evaluate their product, but I will not trash it.  There are times when I can’t hold back and if I really like something, I will write “Yummy” or “Delicious”.  I hope you enjoy my notes. Read Full