Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/29638
($75) Silky smooth and elegant with ripe blackberry, blueberry and spice; generous and lush with sweet oak and a long, complex finish; supple and intense. Boz has another hit! Organic. 91 Tempranillo, King Valley, Australia ($20) Smooth and juicy with bright acidity and ripe raspberry fruit; lively, fresh and tangy with balance and a good, long finish. IMPORTS 90 Robert Oatley 2009 Brahm Callahan of Boston’s Post 390. Giulia, Italy ($19) Bright and juicy with fresh citrus fruit and lively acidity; clean, snappy and balanced. 88 Friuli, Italy ($20) Lush and bright with notes of peach and rich minerals; creamy and bright with almonds and soft spice; 100% Tocai Friulano. 89 DARK STAR IMPORTS 92 Peregrine Wines 2008 Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand ($32) Bright and racy with snappy, fresh cherry and lively acidity; lean and pure with lovely structure and style; no fat, just pure Pinot from one of the most exciting wine regions in the world. VINEYARD BRANDS France ($35/500 ml.) A late-harvest release from the Dillon family, owners of Haut-Brion; silky and smooth with juicy fruit and sweet notes of honey and vanilla; 80% Semillon, 10% Muscadelle, 10% Sauvignon Blanc. 89 ADVENTURES IN WINE Clarendelle 2003 Amberwine, Monbazillac, VINDIVINO Bastianich 2009 Adriatico Friulano, Colli Orientali del Giovanni Puiatti 2008 Sauvignon, Zuccole, Venezia T HE TASTING PANEL checked in with Brahm Callahan, Beverage Director at Post 390, a modern urban tavern in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. The 27-year-old wunder-somm has a Master’s Degree in ancient history, but his palate is firmly planted in what’s hot today. “I thought I would become a professor,” Callahan notes of his former studies, “but now I get to be a teacher of wine.” Holding weekly classes and tasting seminars for his staff allows the crew at Post 390 to hand-sell wines and further a major cause for our industry: educate the customer. Having passed the advanced exam for the Court of Master Sommeliers this year, Callahan also helps the “cause” by not selling his wines with traditional mark-ups. “I’ll buy a wine for $100 and sell it for $150,” he insists. With 200 domestic bins (out of the restaurant’s 500-bin collection), California represents at least 40 percent of his stock. “California wines became more affordable—that makes a difference to our bottom line. Our list changes every ten days. We sell a lot of wine.” Introducing Roth Estate Chardonnay The Roth Estate 2009 Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast represents the balance and finesse that I have come to expect from this spectacular growing region. Fermented entirely in French oak, this Chardonnay has the structure to age well, and with a bal- ance of fruit and minerality, it is extremely food-friendly and pairs particularly well with Post 390’s jumbo lump and Maine crab cakes served with fingerling potatoes, haricots verts and bacon aioli. I enjoy this wine because it speaks to where the variety is from, while staying true to its California roots. A cool climate like the Sonoma Coast has the potential to produce world-class Chardonnay, and the quality of the Roth Chardonnay is a great indication for the future of not just the Sonoma Coast, but all of California. —Brahm Callahan, Beverage Director, Post 390 Roth Estate is available through Wilson Daniels. april 201 1 / the tasting panel / 57 Scaggs Vineyard 2008 Mount Veeder Montage, Napa Valley Meet Brahm Callahan photos by Michael Quiet