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Hot on the heels of Refinery 29’s purple makeup story, our own Katia showed up at the office wearing violet lips. The amazingly flattering shade is Lancome’s Rouge in Love in Violette Coquette. Suffice to say, we’re all planning on running out and buying it ASAP.

Another hot spring trend? Orange. Try BY TERRY Rouge Terrybly in Frenetic Vermilion.

Mary Gorman-McAdams

This week, I had the pleasure of attending a retrospective tasting of Handley Cellars Pinot Noir. Led by the very spirited, down-to-earth and straight talking owner/founder Mila Handley, it was indeed a beautiful thing. I use the word ‘beautiful’ very deliberately, because it was one of the words that kept buzzing in my head, as we tasted through the 12 wines ranging from 2009 back to 1993.

Other words that I noted frequently were firm acidity, floral, elegant, refined, nuanced, finesse, savory and long. It is not everyday that I get to taste Pinot back to 1993. We tasted a 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, two 2005’s, 2006, 2007 and 2009 – all Anderson Valley designated.

One of the many things that struck me as I tasted through the wines, was how savory all the wines tasted from 2003 back to 1993. While the wines had definitely evolved differently, they all expressed a delightful, elegant savory minerality. In contrast, the wines from 2004 up to 2009 collectively showed a more distinctive youthful profile. A second noticeable, and appreciated, aspect of the wines was their marked acidity. Anderson valley, in northern Mendocino County is especially noted for its cool climate and large diurnal swings, which helps maintain acidity in the grapes.

As you can imagine in a room of about 15 wine writers, opinions and preferences abounded and differed. One person favored the oldest 1993 for its mature delicate, yet defined state. Mila herself particularly liked the 1997, a cooler vintage (in an already very cool California region). It really popped and had delicate nuances of salumi and white pepper. Others seemed to favor the 1998 Reserve, more expressive, broader, bigger and more dense. Of the older set, my favorite was the 2002, which was seamless, mouth filling with a mature, alluring perfume of dried flowers. While evolved, it still had a lovely lively freshness and every sniff and sip revealed another nuance of flavor. Of the second flight 2004 to 2009 the two wines from the RSM Vineyard (Mila’s home vineyard, named after her late husband, Rex Scott McClellan) seemed to find most favor - though I have to say, in a lineup that good it really comes down to nit picking to say one is better than another. So we are essentially talking about personal favorites rather than quality distinctions. I favored the younger 2009 RSM Vineyard. While young, it was beautifully integrated, firm, intensely flavored and minerally. I would certainly love to try this again in 10 to 15 years. 

Tasting through these wines today, made me think how seldom we get to taste or even buy older vintages. So if you do see some older Anderson Valley, for sale on Vitis, especially from Handley, seize the opportunity. I certainly will.

By Jamie Sand-Goldberger

Happy Friday everyone! Though I may not have the expertise of our illustrious and accomplished wine tasting team here at Vitis, I do have an opinion or two about what’s going on in the world of wine (and food and entertaining for that matter).  Here is what’s been on my radar this week:

Since I grew up around folks who drank plum brandy (ie slivovitz) as part of many a celebratory toast (some of which was homemade in a bathtub in Hungary!), I was pleased to find that the art of the digestif is coming back in vogue according to the Times Magazine. It inspired me to want to introduce the retro trend to some of my more open-minded friends, and I plan to serve it in some chic vintage glassware that I saw at the Brooklyn Winter Flea last weekend.

I’m also in the midst of planning a springtime trip to Dublin, which will most certainly include the de rigueur stop at the Guinness factory, and London, but I’m try to keep this vacation within my recessionista budget.  That said, I was pleased to find this list of budget-friendly dining tips from some of the city’s top chefs.

Finally, I had the good fortune to meet Emily Cavalier of Mouth of the Border earlier this week, who is a foodie, blogger, social media ninja and event-planning extraordinaire. Her Midnight Brunch concept is a fresh approach to the supper club concept which has resurfaced in recent years, and has a healthy dual emphasis on both cocktails AND food. Plus, doesn’t this video of her slurping noodles just make you wanna be her friend?

Cheers!