Jackson Free Press

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I have just returned from what I believe to be one of the finest trips to wine country anyone has ever taken. One of the perks of having a career in wine is that you end up having some pretty good connections, and connections are what make the difference between a winery tour with a big group led by a guide and a winery tour with the winemaker, carrying a glass and a pipette for extracting wine straight from the barrels to taste. And that, my friends, is "what I'm talkin' about."

On our first night, we enjoyed a humble dinner at Roger Roessler's new restaurant, Cuvee, with a couple of nice folks, namely Bartholomew Broadbent, Nils Venge (winemaker for Saddleback) and Roger Roessler himself. The meal was amazing, and the 35 wines we tasted were equally wonderful. Strangely enough, my No. 1 favorite that night was the brand new vintage (2006) of the Aresti Sauvignon Blanc (about $8) imported by Broadbent. Usually, Chilean Sauvignon Blancs are a bit grassy and herbal with over-the-top citrus and acidity. This vintage, however, is the first vintage Aresti has had from their new winemaker from New Zealand, and the results are amazing. This wine is delicate and floral with ripe, fresh tropical fruit, well-balanced with just the right amount of acidity.

The "interesting, but no cigar" award for that evening went to the bizarre Chinese (yes, you read that correctly) Cabernet Sauvignon Broadbent, brought just for kicks. Basically, it smelled like green beans and bell peppers and tasted like wine I wouldn't buy. But now I can say that I have tasted Chinese wine.

We spent the next afternoon visiting Plumpjack and tasting some of their incredible stuff. The reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was the superstar, as well it should be, at over $200 per bottle. The main guys at Plumpjack, winemaker Tony Biagi and general manager John Conover, are currently working on a new project on Howell Mountain called Cade Winery. They took us there to see the caves being bored out. I learned that cave-boring equipment is not unlike the vehicles used in the "Mad Max" movies … really menacing! I'll definitely be on the lookout come 2008-ish for Cade wines to start showing up.

Later, we took Nils Venge up on his invitation to visit him at Saddleback Cellars. The big surprise was that Saddleback, with all its fancy awards and high scores, was really nothing more than a big garage. There was no tasting room other than some picnic tables out next to the vineyard, and the souvenir shop consisted of a few t-shirts on wire hangers hooked onto the side of an industrial shelving unit. I thought it was awesome. Nils is such an unassuming, laid-back guy. In fact, he seemed more like a guy taking a tour than we did. With every barrel sample, he would gleefully say, "Wow! Would you just look at that? Isn't that beautiful?" It was as if he had never laid eyes or palate on his own wines before. It's really refreshing to meet a guy who is among the most respected and sought-after winemakers in California but who acts like a kid in a candy shop in his own winery. My favorite was the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (around $40), but I was really impressed with his Viognier, which I had never tried before. I don't know if it will be available in Mississippi, but if you ever see it, grab it.

On our last day, we had a private tasting at Paul Hobbs, with Matt Hobbs. Before I say even one thing about the wines, I must talk about the winery itself. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a passion for contemporary furniture and architecture. The Paul Hobbs Winery is among the most incredible examples of modern architecture I have ever seen, and it was packed with furniture that would bring my pal Jimbo at Article to his knees. Oh, and the wine was good, too.

Paul Hobbs has acquired a bunch of property in Argentina, where they are making some tasty stuff. The only one we tasted that's available here was the El Felino Malbec (around $17) from the Nativo collection. Malbec is a varietal used pretty much only for blending in France and California, but is a stand-alone gem in Argentina. It's robust and spicy with gobs of really ripe black fruit flavors.