Camino Restaurant was opened a year or two ago by Russell Moore who prior to that spent 13 years as produce buyer and in the kitchen at Chez Panisse. That background under Alice Waters served him well. Camino is a simple concept and one that seems sustainable — and probably profitable — in these tough economic times: Have a daily changing menu of just a few items made from locally available ingredients and do it extremely well. A small menu is easier to plan, execute, and manage inventory. But hey, that is just me being my analytical self. One can go to Camino and not even think about business stuff. Just enjoy the delicious, fairly priced fare. Last night there were 6 appetizers and 3 entrees (one vegetarian) on the menu. I’m the kind of guy who ultimately likes trying new and interesting foods but I am often initially intimidated by descriptions of dishes that use ingredients not part of my usual diet. (Sardines come to mind and some Camino dishes use sardines.) But, even with so few choices that often don’t read like I would want them, I have never been disappointed by a dish at my many visits to Camino. The food from their simple, open kitchen and wood burning oven just works.
Our choices:
Sheepsmilk ricotta grilled in a fig leaf with herb salad and almonds $10
Fresh shellbean, beet and greens salads $9.50
Chicken soup with wild nettles and rice $10
Grilled and braised duck with spätzle, cabbage, red wine and duck cracklings $24
Everything was fantastic.
The bar and wine list work the same way. They stock the bar with only the items necessary to make their own, ever-changing offerings of clever cocktails. The wine list is affordable and well chosen. We had a deliciously aromatic 2007 François Chidaine Vouvray Sec “Les Argiles”, Loire ($11.50 glass) with our startest and a rich 2007 Combier Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône ($12 glass) with the duck.
Camino Restaurant
3917 Grand Avenue
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 547-5035

• 2002 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (10/24/2009)
  Wonderfully mature but still vibrant. Golden color. Perfect for the season because it is like biting into a caramel apple without anything getting stuck to your teeth. Touch of lemon pudding, tropical fruit bowl, and mineral notes too. This wine is like a classic book… I feel like each time I would revisit the glass, new complexities would emerge. Drink now, the time is right. It’s really rare for me to score a wine this high, but this is incredible. (95 pts.)

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• 1999 Castello del Terriccio Tassinaia Maremma Toscana IGT – Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Maremma Toscana IGT (10/22/2009)
  Dark and brooding with a wonderful nose of freshly turned earth, ripe plums, and cedar. The wine is refined and tannins smoothly integrated. The fruit, however, seems to be a little too delicate and I wonder if it will last in this wine. I think they’re fading too quickly. Finish is very dry and dusty. I’d drink up. (88 pts.)

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• 2006 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (10/22/2009)
  Not hugely expressive at this time, with aroma of cloves and subtle flavors of lemon peel, green apple, river rock, and roasted nuts. Nicely balanced and delicate now but I suspect a few years in the cellar would be the right call with this wine. Excellent but I wish I had paid retail rather than wine list prices for this wine. (91 pts.)

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• 2006 Vina Pargua Pargua II – Chile, Central Valley, Maipo Valley (10/19/2009)
  Overripe plum with woodsmoke and green herb offer some promise but the finishing tannins turn bitter and disjointed. A few years in the cellar should help. I didn’t hate this wine, but it’s hard to think of when one might use it right now. At almost $20 retail at a LWS, it’s possibly a bit pricey to serve passed at a party or host bar. Right now, I’d put it with a rustic, hearty meal. (79 pts.)
  

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Ouch. Sometimes a wine is just not good and you don’t know why.

• 2000 Château Pavie Macquin – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (10/16/2009)
  Nice cassis aromas but very thin, muted flavors and mouthfeel, short finish. It seemed tired which should not be the case. I could not identify any specific defect but judging by others’ tasting notes, I suspect something was wrong. I’ll withhold a rating for now.
  

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• 2006 Milat Merlot Estate Bottled – USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (10/15/2009)
  It’s easy to miss Milat as you whiz by on Highway 29 south of St Helena. It’s a very small winery and tasting room and often is going to be staffed by a member of the family. But their wines are good and reasonably priced. When folks ask me for a recommendation of where to taste that doesn’t require an appointment, this is one I mention. I like their wines with their Chenin Blanc being my favorite. This Merlot isn’t big or especially complex, but it is charming with sour strawberry pie flavors that make you pucker until the meal starts but then go very nicely with food. Nice value too at about $20. (86 pts.)

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The first shipments of 2006 Baconbrook started shipping this week and I thought I would take a moment to give you some background on this vineyard.
Baconbrook was our second vineyard. We purchased it a couple of years after Butterdragon. It sits on a 40 acre parcel we bought in 2003 from the founders of Oakford Vineyards. They planned the vineyard and it was planted by, and continues to be maintained by, Pina Vineyard Management. Our original goal was NOT to purchase another vineyard — remember this was before we’d ever released a bottle of wine and our last thought was to have more wine to sell — but we really liked the property and wanted the bigger house. The Baconbrook vineyard was a bonus. And oh, what a bonus.
When Cary Gott, our winemaker, saw the Baconbrook vineyard, he gave a little excited exclamation and assured us that we were really going to love that little vineyard. In fact, he told us we would have trouble letting it go if we ever decided to sell the property. (Initially Baconbrook was going to be a temporary investment.) He urged us to make wine from it.
Flash forward to now… Baconbrook is 2 3/4 acres planted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon clone 337. Root stock is 101-14. Pina tells me that they urged the original owner to use a different, drought resistant root stock but he insisted on 101-14 for the quality. It makes a tasty wine, but we’re always worried about getting enough water to the young vines. We had a very small harvest in 04, less than 3 tons but since that time, we’ve discovered that this vineyard can eek out ~6 tons with careful farming.
It is officially Spring Mountain District but that can be misleading since most people think of the wineries up Spring Mountain Road (Barnett, Pride, etc) when they think Spring Mountain. The vineyard sits on a ridge west of St Helena overlooking the town. You can see it from Spottswood and Madrona Ave. Each vintage has had this really big complex character. You feel like you need to brush your teeth after trying the wines when young. Cary’s opinion is that Baconbrook’s wines seem more like Howell Mountain than Spring Mountain. We age Baconbrook longer in barrel than we do Butterdragon — 26 months versus 22. This wine is a monster, but a nice one. If I was to compare to Butterdragon, I’d say Butterdragon is a feminine wine, a romantic embrace from a sophisticated lady. Baconbrook is a wild man, a rogue with rough edges who speaks 5 languages. Most everyone except me has a favorite between the two but there’s no clear consensus. I could never choose.
2006 is the third release from Baconbrook. Production is expected to hover around 200 cases most years. Baconbrook’s label is like the Butterdragon label except instead of blue, it is a rusty red. Baconbrook’s coordinates: 38 29’33.67″N, 122 29’41.71″W. Just paste those coordinates into Google Maps and see Baconbrook from above.
The photos in this post are of some modifications we made this past season to the irrigation drip system. Water is scarce up there and each year our well is not quite up to the task. By the end of the summer, we’re buying truckloads of water. Conservation is important. This year we drilled holes down into the root system of each vine and placed the emitter directly down near the roots. We started with a test of about a 1/3 of the vineyard. The test was successful. We needed much less water in that section as we lose far less water to surface evaporation. We plan to do the rest of the vineyard this winter.

We harvested yesterday at Butterdragon Hill. We brought in just over 6 tons for our own crush. The fruit looked wonderful. Mild weather really paid off and rewarded patience. It was time to bring it in though… rain is in the forecast for next week. My camera was a bit late to the party, but here are a few pics:

I’ve got to admit it. I’m tempted to spend the $20 to order this game.

From plant to pick to press to pour, run your very own French vineyard!
Create the vineyard of your dreams in 10 of the most important wine regions of France. Commanding operations from your very own French chateau, build your winery, plant and tend your vines through all four seasons of the year, and hire staff to harvest and process your grapes. Produce 50 French wines such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Pinot Gris and Champagne from more than 40 different grape varietals, all in the ultimate goal of becoming a wealthy wine baron!
-Wine Tycoon Website.

Please note, I have no connection with nor is this an endorsement of this game.