The Eighth Annual Wine Aficionado Dinner benefiting the Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program will take place on Thursday, May 13th at the spectacular new W Hotel, located near the world famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine. Titled “Hollywood and Wine: The Biggest Stars in Wine Today”, the dinner will showcase some of the world’s finest wines paired with a four-course dinner. Wine service will be overseen by several LA sommeliers. The evening concludes with an exciting live auction featuring one-of-a-kind lots. more information

The ‘Cailloux’ (pronounced ‘ki-yoo’, plural for ‘stone’ in French) is a complex and wonderfully plush bend of dark fruits, minerality and spice. Hints of olives, white pepper, orange peal and earth. Cherry and blackberry along with a rather exotic tropical notes. The finish is 45 seconds plus. This wine has everything going for it with purity, rarity, winemaker Christophe Baron truly understands this varietal. A waiting list of thousands make any Cayuse nearly impossible to obtain even in tough economic times. Perhaps the the finest wine made in the state of Washington. Collectable

price: $79.99
drink 2011 to 2020

This is the gold standard for Pinot Noir from California. A rich and opulently fruited wine with aromas of spice and lush blue and black fruit. Very complex, with a cool tone. Garrigue, raspberry, cherry and other floral components lead to a lush and lengthy 20 sec plus finish. Rare and worth every penny! Just 75 cases produced.

price: $125.00 +
drink: 2010 to 2015

 The Central Market and Chef Tony Najiola provide an eclectic, seasonally varied menu in downtown Petaluma. Well versed in slow food concepts, I fully enjoyed the sophisticated “big city” vibe. Almost everything here is made from scratch and many dishes are cooked using the large wood fired oven in the center of the restaurant’s central kitchen. Pictured here is a wood fired pizzetta with shaved mushrooms, roasted garlic and fontina. Good wine list with a local focus. Open seven nights a week.

otv rating:
food: 16
service: 15
vibe: 15

42 Petaluma Blvd. North
Petaluma, California
(707) 778-9900

Winemaker Ray Einberger (Mouton-Rothschild, Clerc-Milon & Opus One) sources this Bordeaux-style 100% Merlot from the Wahluke Slope, the Cold Creek area and the Horse Heaven Hills. The fruit is hand picked and sorted from their finest vineyard blocks and is cold soaked and 30% whole cluster pressed. The wine offers blackberries and a touch of garrigue on the attack. The soft palette is infused with blue fruits and milk chocolate. Small grained tannins make this wine quite accessible. The wine will continue to evolve gracefully for several years. This is an impressive effort for the price point. The wine was aged for 25 months in 7o% new French oak. 3000 cases were produced.

price: $22.00
drink: 2009 through 2014
online

 The Cheese Board Collective was founded in 1967 and comprises two collectively owned and operated businesses: a cheese shop/bakery commonly referred to as “The Cheese Board”, and a pizzeria known as “Cheese Board Pizza.” The Cheese Board is located at 1504 Shattuck Ave (near Vine St.) and Cheese Board Pizza is located two doors down at 1512 Shattuck Avenue. Get there early as the line forms at 11:30am.

Imported raw goat milk, along with a wonderful selection of Italian, Spanish and French mountain cheeses, top the list at the Cheese Board. The shop is open Monday through Saturday. Hours vary, so check the website: www.cheeseboardcollective.coop.

1504 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, Ca (510) 549-3183

From the master Nils Venge comes this barrel-select 100% single vineyard Merlot from Atlas Peak! Grown on the super steep Coliseum Block by Henry Hossfeld. Sweet fruit, black cherry and vanilla with rich, fine grained tannins. Hints of saddle and woodsmoke. Good weight and structure. This one should pair well with grilled or roasted beef, duck, braised or grilled chicken and pork loin. Only 57 cases were produced.

price: $45.00
drink: 2009 through 2015