East Bay Vintner's Alliance (Or what I did while yous guys was MoCoolin'.)

<table><tr><td colspan="2">If for no other reason, I made the treacherous journey from Martinez to Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda to meet Steve Edmunds and to finally get to try several of his wines. Steve was cordial and his wines were great. I tried the '04 Rousanne, </td></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top">the '04 Bone-Jolly, the '04 Rocks and Gravel, and the'01 Syrah "Wylie Fenaughty." They were all extraordinary. These wines just sing of the grape and the ground in which it's grown. (But for some reason, Julia, Steve offered me a cigarette after I tried the Bone-Jolly. That must be a Berkeley thing, eh?)

There was another dozen vintners there at this outdoor tasting event, all of them part of a relatively new organization called the East Bay Vintner's Alliance. The short explanation is that all these folks have their wineries in the San Francisco East Bay area, i.e. they stretch along the San Francisco Bay and Oakland Estuary from Berkeley to Oakland. Represented were Aubin Cellars, Blacksmith Cellars, Broc Cellars, Dashe Cellars, A Donkey and a Goat Winery, Edmunds St. John, Eno Wines, Harrington, JC Cellars, Lost Canyon Winery, Periscope Cellars, Rosenblum Cellars, and Tayerle.

Aside from Steve's wines, I enjoyed the pinot noirs from Harrington and the Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignon from Dashe. One winery from which I expected more, gave less. But there was promise in everyone there.

There was also plenty of food and some great music. If you'd like to see a few snapshots of the event, please follow this link to East Bay Vintner's Alliance Pictures.</td><td align="right"></td></tr></table>

That all looks pretty cool there Gary and a great posting! When can we expect some detailed tasting notes!!!!!

That all looks pretty cool there Gary and a great posting! When can we expect some detailed tasting notes!!!!!

I was busier yakking and taking pictures than I should have been, Bob, to actually take detailed notes. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

[James Roscoe]

Sounds like you made up for not missing McCool. Nice posting.

As an aside, people are always making fun of Steve's age here. He doesn't look that old to me. Anybody born on my bithday can't be too bad, although I know of at least one famous personage I would prefer to have been born on a different day.

Dang! Wish I'd known about this. Thanks for posting, Gary - I'll know to go to the next one.


Mike

Dang! Wish I'd known about this. Thanks for posting, Gary - I'll know to go to the next one. Mike

Next time there's something going on in my neighborhood, I'll let you know. You can also go to the Edmunds St. John website and sign up for the Organolepticians Newsletter. I found out about this particular event from there.

Cool! Rosenblum brought some reserve Zinfandels to my favorite local Solano County grocery store (Nugget Market helped create THIS wine geek!) I likked the Snow Lake (Lake County) Zinfandel enough to pick up a bottle, and I'm more of a cab person.

(But for some reason, Julia, Steve offered me a cigarette after I tried the Bone-Jolly. That must be a Berkeley thing, eh?

You must have pounded on the table crying, "yes..Yes..YES!!!!" too, huh Gary?

JB

Dang! Wish I'd known about this. Thanks for posting, Gary - I'll know to go to the next one. Mike

Next time there's something going on in my neighborhood, I'll let you know. You can also go to the Edmunds St. John website and sign up for the Organolepticians Newsletter. I found out about this particular event from there.

Thanks! I'll keep an eye on the newsletter.

Mike

You must have pounded on the table crying, "yes..Yes..YES!!!!" too, huh Gary? JB

That intense sensuality must simply run in the family, eh, cuz? I bought a mixed case, to include four bottles of Bone-Jolly. I guess I had better drink them alone.

When he asked me about your post, I found myself missing you. That picture from MoCool just doesn't make it happen, mon cherie...

Steve, we'll always have Kentucky.


JuliaB

When he asked me about your post, I found myself missing you. That picture from MoCool just doesn't make it happen, mon cherie...

Ma cherie for ladies, mon cherie for guys!!!!!!!

Bob; Actually, I think it's mon cher, the ending on cherie is feminine, too.

Julia: Good thing Bogart and Bergman met in Paris (in Casablanca); if they'd met in Lexington that movie never would have made it.
"Of all the gin joints in Kentucky and she walks into mine..."
Do they have gin joints in Kentucky?
Here's lookin at you kid

I brought this back up to the top because of a related article I found in the San Francisco Chronicle. You can read it here: East Bay rising. Winemakers find fertile ground in the urban environs of Alameda County.