Good June to you nice people, Norwegians and non-Norwegians alike, and what a lovely month it is—Juno, the month of Father’s day, Flag day and the Summer Solstice; June is National Rivers month, Rose month and Dairy month, as well as International People Skills (?) month, so it is definitely not Jim Barr’s month.
Speaking if Mr. Barr, we wish him well with his recovery after surgery to remove an ugly growth. I know what you are thinking, and so did the doctors. They began to remove his head until they looked at his chart and realised it was Jim’s foot they needed to work on.
I have port. I know it is warm outside, but you can save it for a rainy day, because it is worth it. The 1985 Quinta do Noval ($64.99) is ripe and supple, and is absolute perfection at 22 years of age. The port market has been lean of late, and we just don’t see deals like this very often.
A warm welcome: K&L has a few new employees of note, and we wish them a long and prosperous “probation period”: Joe Manekin, Keyboardist and Pinot Blanc aficionado; Doug Davidson, former airline pilot (you are now free to move about the wine shop Doug); Bryan Brick, the pride of Hayward and loyal subscriber to the Meat Of The Month Club; and Gary Lai, professional boxer and critic of Chinese drivers. Gary is Chinese.
Cronin update: There are still many fabulous wines to choose from this late, great producer. Duane Cronin was a Santa Cruz Mountains winemaker extraordinnaire and a neighbour to boot. Selections from this artisan winemaker include the 2000 Chardonnay from the Sleepy Hollow vineyard (made famous by the Talbott winery), the 1999 Syrah/Zinfandel/Grenache blend, in an exciting Provence style; the 97 Zin/Grenache, spicy and racy. Also featured are the ’99 San Ysidro Merlot, the perfect blend of the new and old world styles and the 98 Central Coast Pinot Noir, showing an abundance of Ranier cherry fruit. This is perhaps the best value Pinot Noir in the shop. All of the above wines will set you back only $9.99 per bottle.
—Joe Zugelder