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Barolo and the White Truffle Season: Monprivato vs. Cascina Francia, 2008

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A Focused Comparison Over Alba White Truffles at Donato Enoteca Barolo is often called the “king of Italian wines,” but not because it’s big and heavy like Cabernet or Syrah. In fact, Barolo is closer in body and texture to Red Burgundy or Etna Rosso—pale in color, high in acidity, intensely aromatic, and built on tannin rather than weight. Made entirely from Nebbiolo in the Langhe hills of Piedmont, Barolo combines red-fruited lift with earthy, leathery depth, giving it a structure that’s firmer than Burgundy but far less dense than the Bordeaux or Rhône varieties often associated with “full-bodied” reds. With age, Barolo and Burgundy actually grow more similar: both develop sous-bois, dried flower, and savory complexity, though Burgundy generally remains gentler while Barolo keeps a bit more grip and spice. Both pair beautifully with truffles, but in Piedmont there’s no debate— Barolo is the traditional and definitive match for Alba white truffles , thanks to its perfume, acidity, a...
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Raveneau & Oysters: A Symphony of Sea and Stone

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Dinner last night was as close to perfect as it gets. Perfect in its simplicity, when the wines are allowed to shine, and the oysters have never tasted this good! Fresh Hog Island oysters — Atlantic, Sweetwater (Pacific), and Kumamoto — cold, briny, crystalline, and clean, it felt like drinking from a glacier. I slowly ate a whole plate and drank the liquor straight from the shell, pacing back and forth between the oysters and the wines. The pairing: Domaine Francois  Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Monts Mains 2020 and 2022 , side by side. The vineyard sits on classic Kimmeridgian limestone on the left bank of the Serein — pure, saline, stony Chablis. Raveneau lets the site speak: hand-harvested fruit, long lees aging in old barrels, no makeup, no flash. 2020 showed as calm and complete — rounded fruit, a hint of mint and white flowers, supple texture, slow-building depth. 2022 was brighter, more citrus-driven and energetic — a bit brash in youth, but with the same mineral backbone...
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Wine Character

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High-quality wine, also called fine wine , is distinguished by complexity, depth, and purity of flavor, where all components such as acidity, tannin, sweetness, and alcohol are in harmony. Additionally, high-quality wines often have the potential to age well, developing more complex flavors over time. These wines are crafted with careful attention to viticulture and winemaking practices, aiming for the highest expression of the grape's and place of origin's inherent qualities. Yet, for an aficionado like myself, that high-quality badge is just the beginning of the story. It's the character - the wine's quirky personality traits that captivate me the most. Think of the earth & tobacco undertones in a classic Bordeaux, the leafy, vegetal notes of a Loire Valley Cab Franc from Chinon, the stony notes of a Mosel Riesling, or the floral bouquet of a Provence Rosé. For me, character is the most intriguing aspect of a fine wine. It’s what reminds me of the wine’s identity,...
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Beyond Wine Ignorance: Embrace Discovery

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Years have passed. The love and the journey continue, but the passion and the excitement of the senses have become more cerebral and serene. Funny how this works. With each passing year, I find that the fervor of my heart has settled into a profound appreciation, one that speaks more through silence than through words. The love is there, unyielding, but it has grown deeper, more introspective. I post my wine impressions and notes on Twitter , it's quick and easy, the so-called "short form". What about essays, let alone epics? Perhaps one day soon. But let me try a " thought form "... a paragraph or two expressing a single thought or emotion... In the vibrant, bustling San Francisco Bay Area, home to countless wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs, I often find myself amidst individuals who, despite their self-proclaimed liking or even love for wine, possess a rather surface-level understanding of it. This observation is not meant as criticism but as an invitation to...
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Twitter

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I have shifted much of my publishing to very frequent short posts via Twitter. My Twitter stream is always accessible at twitter.com/ironchevsky . I will continue to publish more involved stories here on the blog, but for quick takes, photos, tasting notes and opinions, I find that Twitter provides a more natural medium. Nearly every single one of my wine and worthwhile foodie experiences can be followed there. Many wine experts I know have shifted to Instagram for broadcasting their activities, as well as Cellartracker for writing wine notes. There is also significant traffic on WineBerserkers.com forums , as well as in some relatively recent Facebook groups . I visit and enjoy all of the above, but for now, I am sticking with Twitter for most of my short-form updates. Please follow me there ! Tweets by IronChevsky
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Protege Opens in Palo Alto with Michelin-Star Aspirations

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Finally, a fine dining, foodie restaurant opens in Palo Alto. There is no shortage of restaurants in this town flush with Silicon Valley millionaires (and billionaires), but finding an avenue that satisfies a truly discerning palate is a tough call.  Protege  is located at 250 S. California Ave. They soft-launched last week aspiring to fit that bill, and it mostly delivers. Founded by ex-French Laundry culinary and vinous experts Anthony Secviar (chef) and Dennis Kelly (master sommelier, a very elite designation of wine expertise), the food is high-end, yet manages to avoid a stuffy/snobby feel of a formal Michelin-star establishment. The room is divided into a "no-reservations-accepted / first-come-first-serve" a la carte section, which based on the review from a trusted source is fantastic, and the more formal "prix-fixe" reservations-only (reservations are taken exactly one week in advance) where you get to choose a 3 or 4 course (mix-and-match, i.e. you ca...
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2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Horizontal Tasting

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Produttori del Barbaresco is the benchmark producer of Barbaresco. Always reliable in quality, they represent remarkable value too. And with their 9 single-vineyard riserva cru's, you get a look at the nuances of the various terroirs of Barbaresco. Though 2011 was a warmer than ideal year, it is considered a good vintage in Barbaresco, with wines on the riper, richer, darker, sexier end of the scale, but with good tannic structure and sufficient acidity, giving them serious ability to age. The fruit is by no means roasted or raisiny, as may happen in hot years. In short, 2011 vintage in Barbaresco is a vintage of considerable early appeal, but with serious capacity to age. Here are my impressions of the 2011 line-up from Produttori del Barbaresco, in the order I tasted them. There was a clear familial similarity among all the wines, including the Normale bottling. They were suave, rich, ripe, and tannic, shifting from red berries to blueberries and plums, hints of herbs and spi...
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