Looking for sushi around San Francisco’s Union Square? We really enjoyed Sanraku last night. The sushi was fresh and creative. The service was outstanding with servers ready with thoughtful and useful recommendations. Our server was particularly helpful with her knowledge of the varied and fairly priced sake list. The wine choices, while few, were respectable, especially considering that often wine options are an afterthought in sushi restaurants.

The picture to the left (sorry for the poor quality, blame my phone) is their Harvest Celebration platter which is available only a few weeks a year. At $37, it’s expensive for six pieces of sushi but it was delicious and is a work of art on the table.

I recommend making a reservation. The Sutter Street space is small and it was packed on a Thursday night. They also have locations in the Metreon and Four Seasons Hotel.

Sanraku
704 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
415-771-0803

It was our very first release. It was dedicated to my late father-in-law. We started with 500 cases but only a few are left which we’ve been storing for personal use. It hasn’t been available to the public for years, but I’ve managed to grab 10 cases for this offer. I’m pleased to make this final holiday offer a rerelease of our 2002 Match Vineyards Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV was “completely blown away” by this wine and scored it 96+.
Wine Spectator Magazine said the 2002 Butterdragon Hill is “[r]emarkably plush and opulent, impeccably balanced, with rich, soothing layers of ripe currant, blueberry, blackberry and plum, scents of cedar, anise, herb and dusty berry. The tannins are ripe and polished and the finish sails on and on.”
We just say yummy.
With the exception of our personal library, the initial release of this wine sold out at $72 a bottle. We are offering these 10 cases at our new, lower price of $60. Plus, for shipments of six bottles or more, we’ll pay for shipping. Eligible repeat customers may use their individual discount. This offer expires midnight PST 12/4/2009.
Download Order Form

• 2005 Papapietro Perry Zinfandel Pauline’s Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (11/17/2009)
  Light in color and in body. Typical Zin character with brambly berry flavor and zesty black pepper, without being overbearing despite alcohol above 15%. Still, the wine comes across as uninteresting and while adequate, it doesn’t show cause for pause. I have one more bottle that in my opinion I should drink sooner rather than later. (84 pts.)
  

Posted from CellarTracker

• 1970 Château Kirwan – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (11/27/2009)
  This bottle was from the collection left to my wife and her sister by their late father, a man with excellent taste in Bordeaux. However, we’ve been running at somewhere around 1/2 the bottles being just shadows of what they must have been in their prime. We try to keep our hopes under control when cracking one. The cork broke as we attempted to remove it but we were able to extract it with an Ah-So opener. We gently decanted just a few minutes prior to serving. The color was amazingly youthful for a wine about to celebrate its 40th birthday with a pale crimson body and just slight bricking on the edge. Initial aromas reminded me of walking in to an old library full of leather bound, dusty books. After about 5 minutes, a lovely, delicate raspberry and mint showed itself with a finish of mushroom, soy, and oiled leather. The charm was short-lived with the glory fading within 30 minutes, but what a wonderful half hour that was. Aged Bordeaux may not make the biggest splash, but it definitely gives pause for thought on the intricacies of the wine and sharing memories of the vintage that was and the one who collected it. It’s like finding a good book in that old, dusty library and being taken to another place for a while. You eventually must put the book down and return to your surroundings, but for a brief time, an 88 point wine becomes a 98 point experience. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV scored our 2005 Butterdragon Hill 93 points when I was a guest on the WLTV Thunder Show. We’re not big in to points, but 93 sounds good to us, so for this Holiday Special we’re offering magnums of 2005 Match Vineyards Butterdragon Hill Cabernet Sauvignon for $93. That’s $67 off the original release price!
Tasting notes on Cellartracker.com indicate that with a few hours in the decanter, this big bottle will be a great addition to your holiday table.
This offer expires Midnight PST on 12/4/09 or until the small supply is gone.
No additional discounts apply.
Download Order Form

We’re going to do a little test of social media. Let’s see what kind of response we get to some very special offers which last only a extremely limited time. These deals will be promoted via Twitter, our Facebook fan page, and Facebook advertising. The rest is up to you. Please spread the joy.
Holiday Special #1: three 2004 Butterdragon Hill for the price of two AND free ground shipping. That works out to $40 bucks a bottle delivered to your door, BUT it only lasts until midnight PST on Friday, 12/4/2009. Orders placed now will be delivered prior to the holidays.

Download the Order Form
If you’d like to know how the 2004 Butterdragon is drinking, check it out on Cellartracker.com
Limit 4 three packs per customer.
Eligible repeat customers will receive their appropriate discount as well.

• 2005 Peay Vineyards Chardonnay Estate – USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/18/2009)
  Honey suckle and other floral aromas start off the party. Creme brulee and an extreeeemely long citrus finish. Pineapple, lime, buttered toast with orange marmalade. Even some mango in there. Peay Estate is one of my favorite domestic Chards and in my opinion well worth the $45 mailing list price. (90 pts.)
  
• 2006 Peay Vineyards Roussanne/Marsanne Estate – USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/16/2009)
  Quince, melon, and oily petrol. I find this Roussanne/Marsanne, and I guess most white Rhone blends, a bit distinctively stinky. Not awful, I think this is how they are supposed to smell, but also not my particular cup of tea. Not rated due to my lack of sophistication with this blend.
  

Posted from CellarTracker

The 2010 Napa Uncovered Calendar is now available. From their website:”it is a 12 month calendar featuring Napa Valley farmers and ranchers as you have never seen them. The proceeds from this cleverly revealing calendar will support the efforts of Napa County Farm Bureau to protect the agricultural land that provides a high quality of life for all rural and urban citizens of Napa County.”
I’d like to support the Farm Bureau, but am not sure I am secure enough to start using the calendar.

Last weekend we dined for the second time at JoLe Restaurant (Calistoga). Both times it has been great. It’s currently one of our favorite Napa Valley restaurants and certainly ranks as one of the best up Calistoga way.
Highlights included:
Chicken Livers with medjool dates and Point Reyes blue cheese ($9)
Crispy Pork Belly with quince, ginger, soy & apple cider ($13)
Half Roasted Cornish Hen with collard greens and corn bread stuffing ($15)
Duck Confit with herb spaetzle and huckleberry coulis ($15)
Service started off sputtering but rapidly improved. Our table wasn’t ready until about 20 minutes after our reservation and then after we were seated, it took a an uncomfortable, unusual period before being greeted by our server and then for him to return to take our order. I think there may have been some confusion on who we “belonged” to. Anyway, they caught up and we were treated in a professional and friendly manner for the rest of the evening. Especially of note was outstanding wine service for our BYOB bottles: Burgundy glasses provided for the Kistler Chard, Cabernet glasses for the Arrowood, discussing temperature and decanting needs. This is the type of service I don’t mind paying corkage for. Their own wine list is clever and fairly priced. Many, if not all, of the wines are also available by the pitcher or “pichet” which in this case describes a little decanter that holds the equivalent two glasses.
About the wines:

• 2005 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (11/14/2009)
  A tropical fruit bowl with exquisite balance. Drink now or if you’re like me and love aged Kistlers, hold for years. (92 pts.)
  
• 1997 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale – USA, California, Sonoma County (11/14/2009)
  Restrained and elegant with cassis, tobacco leaf, freshly plowed earth, and cedar. Drink now. (90 pts.)
  

Posted from CellarTracker

Earlier this year, Congress passed credit card reform with the aim of preventing card companies from predatory and unfair practices. The changes were scheduled to take effect February 2010. One can guess why the companies received such a long lead time before the regulations started. They are big contributors after all.
The credit card companies are rushing to jack up rates and tack on additional charges ahead of these new regulations. This week I noticed that both Chase and Citi had jacked my interest rates on personal cards to above 20%. This is in spite of exemplary payment history. In fact, it’s extremely rare that I even carry a balance. Nevertheless, as a business owner, when it gets more expensive for consumers to shop, it hurts me. What a stupid thing as we approach the holiday season when we hope the American consumer is able to return to the stores.
Fortunately, the House of Representatives has voted to rush implementation of some of the regulations and freeze rates by December 1. The Senate should do the same. The Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, has a form letter than you can fill out to be sent to your Senators or you can find your Senator on your own and voice your opinion.. Let him or her know how you feel about the delay in credit card reform and urge them to join the House in pushing up enactment.

And watch your mailbox. Don’t be surprised if you get a little notice from your credit card company that you’re getting screwed too.