I want to fall from the stars.

[H&M lace vest + squash blossom necklace + Made with Love bracelets + A Wang tee + J.Crew cords + Joie lace up boots + Gorjana bracelet and pendant.]

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Put a hood on it.

[Mara Hoffman hooded caftan top + Alice & Olivia leather leggings + Dannijo bag + Sam Edelman booties + Banana jacket + Shopbop hat + YSL ring]

If my potential hoarding tendencies had to manifest themselves in any way, I’d prefer it be the hoarding of Mara Hoffman pieces. This short caftan is so brilliant—the hood is genius, and her prints are always fantastic. I remarked that her past season looked sort of space/tribal influenced; whatever season this baby hailed from was definitely Aztec/Candy Express. I love it.

Did you ever see that documentary where the woman fell in love with bridges, and married one? And waited until the cloak of night to fornicate with it? I don’t love it quite that much.

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The art of wine drinking.

This is something the guys can understand—bare feet, a pair of tight jeans or corduroys, undone hair and a comfy sweater on your lady. Sexy. Add an oversized wine glass holding the last splash of something special, and the photo lights are destined to start warming.

This is my kind of outfit post.

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Wine Review: Bedell Cellars · Merlot Reserve · Long Island, NY

[To see the below wine as it resides in an awesome collage about Montauk, check out this post at Holier Than Now I was commissioned to help out with.]

Just a 2-acre plot behind the Bedell winery, on the craggy-looking North Fork of Long Island, is the unlikely source of a world-class Merlot.

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Wine Review: 2007 · Anthill Farms · Syrah · Windsor Oaks Vineyard · Russian River Valley, CA

The departure Syrah. The summer Syrah. The Pinot Syrah.

Yes, this is all true, and it’s getting credited as such. I once had a great Zinfandel from a very exciting cult Napa producer—the problem was, it was a Sangiovese. But, you would have never known—this is a undesirable departure. What Anthill accomplishes with their ’07 Windsor Oaks is much different—the flavors are distinctly Syrah, but the texture and mouthfeel is daringly lean.

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Wine Review: 2005 · Steele Stymie · Founder’s Reserve · Merlot · Lake County, CA

Stymie was one of the most famous race horses in American history. Once Stymie gained a lead, he would never relinquish it. So dramatic was his racing style that his name became an official word in our vocabulary. To “stymie” someone is to never let them advance. It was a winning wager on Stymie by my father that gave him the wherewithal to move our entire family from New York City to San Francisco when I was a small child. The label STEELE-STYMIE is reserved for our rarest, small production wines of the highest quality.

-Jed Steele (Owner/Winemaker, STEEL Wines)

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Wine Review: 2005 · Pali Wine Co. · Turner Vineyard · Sta. Rita Hills · Lompoc , CA

Pali Wine Co. is a fairly new winery—2005 was the first vintage. They brought a diverse field of single vineyard Pinot Noir to the market under the expert winemaking oversight of Brian Loring (Loring Wine Co.). The wines were released at a price that was considered very competitive, perhaps unheard of, for some of the more sought after vineyard sites. The ’06/’07 vintages were expansive, covering every Pinot hotspot on the west coast, all released in limited numbers, some no more than a few hundred cases.

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Wine Review: 2006 · Monsanto · Chianti Classico · Riserva

We are entering Carey’s territory. I discovered that Castello di Monsanto was where she drew comfort when I was out of town working in the early days of our engagement. Just her, Eli, rented Anime movies (this was another revelation), and—most likely—her since discarded, threadbare Greenbrier robe.

A trip to any one of the 4 closest wine stores in Saratoga, and there you will find it: Monsanto. Easy access—and this may have been how the routine started. 

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Wine Review: 2006 · Siduri · Sonoma County · Pinot Noir · Santa Rosa, CA

$30. The price point at which California and Oregon Pinot Noir buyers can generally expect to find the most accelerated shift upward in quality—the transition point from the minor league to the big league. So it’s a small victory when you come across a $20 Pinot Noir that truly drinks above its price point and manages to jump that theoretical mark.

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Wine Review: 2007 · Groth · Sauvignon Blanc · Napa Valley, CA

Groth’s consummate workhorse, their Sauvignon Blanc—the only white wine Carey and I brought home from our Napa honeymoon. I was only going to be purchasing 2 cases—one to be mailed and the other to ride home with us under the plane. So I even surprised myself when I dedicated 3 precious slots in my stable for a white varietal I drink very little of.

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Wine Review: 2002 · HDV · Syrah · Carneros · Napa Valley, CA

I managed to get past the inconsequential water-stain on the label of an HDV Carneros Syrah thus securing, as the lone bidder, a wine that is still selling in some locales for over $60 a bottle. Just $20—a wine with a 92 Spectator rating. I have to be honest, though—the label did look odious while I sipped the most exotically spiced Syrah I’ve had in a very long time. But ultimately I wasn’t irked by the phantom slug trail.

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Wine Review: 2007 · Vista Hills Vineyard · Marylhurst · Pinot Noir · Dundee Hills · Willamette Valley, OR

When Carey and I last visited Vista Hills in March, vines throughout the valley were spottily coming to life, prematurely coaxed by the warm weather. The threat of a freeze with much of March still left on the calendar was a concern, but that fortunately did not come to pass, and a world of change has since occurred in the vineyards at Vista Hills we are thrilled to hear.

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Inside Willamette Valley Vineyards.

I’ve been sitting on this post since we returned from Oregon. Why the delay, you might ask? Sadly, we had a bit of a tragedy with the pictures, resulting in me losing the majority of them. There was an error in the camera settings that gritted and grained out the shots, especially anything from a distance, sparing only those where my hand was at its steadiest. I was devastated—and I needed to set it aside for while and regroup.

Willamette Valley Vineyards has been one of C+C’s closest friends and supporters. Not to mention, the enthusiasm for their wines, family-like teammates and coworkers, and environmental awareness is contagious. They are not about putting on a show. They hold high standards for themselves and their wine, and bring it to the public at a great price. Although, they do look pretty damn good at the top of that hill.

[The bottling line, tanks, and cellar on-site at WVV.]

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Wine Review: 2004 · Wild Hog Vineyard · Nova Vineyard · Petite Sirah · Dunnigan Hills, CA

My first experience with this small Sonoma producer came as a result of a conversation with a family friend and fellow wine lover. I was drinking a lot of Zinfandel at the time, and while not his forte, there were bottles of Wild Hog in his holdings. After receiving a half-case of the Porter-Bass Zinfandel from him as an engagement gift, I jumped on the Hog train myself and turned tracking down loose bottles of past vintages into a bit of a hobby—my latest find, an ’04 Petite Sirah from the Dunnigan Hills AVA in Yolo County, CA.

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Wine Review: 2008 · Dancing Coyote · Petite Sirah · Clarksburg, CA

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as part of a sample from Dancing Coyote*

Carey was incredibly excited when I’d told her that I had found a Petite Sirah advocacy organization online. “I wanted to become a member, but it cost $500,” I said hurriedly. Actually, she was confused. Well, pestered might really be a better word. Not that I can blame her, she had been sound asleep—one of her 20-minute power naps that had stretched into 40 because I wasn’t watching the clock—just enough time to execute a little photoshoot and find the aforementioned website: P.S. I love You, A Petite Sirah Advocacy Organization.

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Wine Review: 2007 · Kermit Lynch · Côtes Du Rhône · France

I wish I had a better sense of Kermit Lynch. Some intimate knowledge that I could share with you of one of the most revolutionary wine importers—something that would make you run out and buy his book. The same book I am only 20 pages into, but completely captivated by. One of the most real books about wine ever written.

Over 20 years has past since Adventures on the Wine Route, A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France was first published—and while I had every intention of pulling it from my shelf for the last 10 months, my biggest hesitation was in regard to its relevancy to the wine industry today. In an industry that seems to be in a constant state of flux, either Kermit was remarkably ahead of his time, or far less change has really occurred. I’d put my money on the former.

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Dinner + Wine Review: 1996 · Castello del Terriccio · Lupicaia · Castellina Marittima, Pisa, IT

Carey and I got the opportunity to sample an exceptional wine this weekend: a wine that I have picked up many times, spun around in my hand, brushed the dusted off of, acknowledged the cool, tribal sun and soil-matching rusty/brown bars, but inevitably set back down and moved along. So you can imagine my surprise and joy when I was presented with this celebrated Super Tuscan by a generous friend and fellow wine lover.

Lupicaia is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, vinified from only the best of the carefully selected grapes, and aged for 18 months in new French Allier barrels.

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Wine Review: 2007 · Clos La Coutale · Cahors Table Wine · Cahors, France

Enjoy the generosity of 80% Malbec combined with the finesse and roundness of 20% Merlot. -Kermit Lynch

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Seghesio Personal Tasting Flight.

Combine the personal tasting flight from Seghesio with a triangle of triple cream brie, a baguette, a jar of fig jam, numerous sheets of prosciutto di Parma and I guarantee you will get one hell of a night—and in our case, 3 full memory cards’ worth of absurd video footage.

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C+C on Dancing Coyote Wines.

Corks + CRAFTans, represent! ha, ha.

Over the next couple weeks, Carey and I will be tasting and writing our way through a nice selection of Dancing Coyote’s wine. DC has a corner on the “anything-other-than-oaked-chardonnay” market. Composed of varietals largely unknown to the average consumer in the United States, their white wines cover a spread of regional royalty, showcasing some of the most successful grapes internationally.

Albariño, thanks largely to a few American producers and ardent supporter Gary Vaynerchuk, is thought to be the next rising star in the United States. Therefore, that is where we started with our first review.

Stay tuned for more DC reviews, including the latest Petite Sirah. And we’ll try and figure out what ‘craftans’ are.

Enjoy!

-Rob

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Wine Review: 2008 · Domaine Skouras · Saint George/Cabernet Sauvignon red wine · Peloponnese, Greece

The next time you are browsing through a wine store—most of which are arranged by varietal and/or country or region of origin—bypass the typical “Cabernet,” Chardonnay,” or “Bordeaux” sections and head straight for the rack labeled Agiorghitiko. Reaction? Are tears streaming out of your eyes with laughter? Because if I was an all-things-vino stand-up comedian this would certainly be the joke I would come in with to soften-up my serious-as-suicide audience.

For three years I have combed every rack inside my favorite Saratoga wine store, Purdy’s, and never once noticed the Greek section. I asked my favorite Purdy insider what was new, interesting, and/or worth trying.

“We have a very tasty and inexpensive red that just came into the Greek section.”

“Oh, you have a Greek section?”

“Yes, it’s pretty pathetic though.”

“Pathetic? Compared to what? All the other non-existent Greek sections? I’m actually pretty impressed that you have something official—an actual designation with multiple offerings rather than a lone dusty in a section marked ‘other’.”

So today I purchased my first Greek red. 95% Agiorghitiko (Saint George to the Amerikaner) and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. From what I could gather from the poorly translated website. This is an oak-free red that went through a partial carbonic maceration process—like a Beaujolais Nouveau. This wine is young, and meant to stay that way, spirited, and spiced with nutmeg-like characteristics.

Bakery notes on the nose initially, a touch yeasty perhaps, with very ripe strawberry and cherry aromas. Sweet cola, copious amounts of nutmeg, a touch of generic earth, and gym floor round out the flavor profile. I accidentally did taste a gym floor once—it’s much like it smells. Incredibly soft mouthfeel—light on tannins. I would compare this wine to Gamay, the grape Beaujolais Nouveau is made from. Very deep garnet and purple tones—that is where it differs. At $10, I would buy this wine again in a heartbeat. I’d pull it out at a party too!

Enjoy!

-Rob

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Wine Review: 2007 · Seghesio · Defiant · Sonoma, CA

I am excited to announce that C+C is going to be upgrading the photo portion of our blog in the coming weeks. We are on our third (and final for a while) camera since our first post—the best decision we ever made. But, we have made a hobby out of chasing light across a wall to position a wine bottle, or across town for Carey to strike a pose. My solution: 2000 watts of wine-destroying light that will transform the majority of our unphotogenic (read: dim) home into an instant photo studio.

I thought about getting some smaller, imitation photo lights in lieu of the real thing—that was until I got a chance to use the photo studio at Carey’s work. I was sold. C+C is getting lit.

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Corks + Caftans featured on BeautifulStranger.tv!

This is so awesome and also hilarious:

We were fortunate enough to run into the most amazing, energetic, and hilarious girl from BeautifulStranger.tv before we bailed on the Chictopia conference. (Sorry, dudes.) She did a quick interview, asked us what we were wearing, inquired what our must-haves were for Spring (real quick: can you imagine Rob answering a question about his fashion “must have” for Spring? Neither can we, which is why we’re cracking up), and took a quick picture of us outside in the whipping, freezing air. We had all but forgotten about it!

Thanks, BeautifulStranger! We’re so excited and quite humbled. You guys are awesome.

-Carey + Rob

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Birthday Dinner!

I have an amazing wife—one who currently is sleeping on the couch under a blanket, under Eli, wearing a crazy Aztec-looking shirt, with cucumber slices over her eyes—no doubt dreaming of crash-free adventures on her new bike. I vetoed her idea of wearing a pith helmet in lieu of the nerdy ones that, quote, “remind her too much of Wheelers.” We settled on a horseback riding helmet: horses are higher up and go faster, so they must be safe enough. No crop though, it  could get caught in the spokes.

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Wine Review: 2001 · Bonny Doon Vineyard · Old Telegram · 100% Mourvedre · Santa Cruz, CA

Mourvédre, or Monastrell as it’s called in Spain, is a grape we don’t usually get to enjoy without accompanying grapes—like a good friend who never rolls alone.

Very important as a blending associate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and other Rhône blends and accessible for a good price out of Spain, especially the Jumilla region, with its new-age, contemporary wines and labels that perform very well at parties. I can only recall trying one other 100% Mourvédre wine from California—an Ancient Vines from Cline. Where the Cline steers more toward the Spanish model in concentration and intensity, Bonny Doon’s Old Telegram no doubt skews Rhône.

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