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THE MESSAGE 16 / the tasting panel / july 2015 THE MESSAGE New in Town W e stopped by for a look at new wine bar Augustine in L.A.'s Sherman Oaks neighborhood. The stylishly retro venue is another project from Matthew Kaner, whose Bar Covell in Hollywood has been drawing local enophiles for several years now. David Gibbs, a local wine collector and fan of Covell, partnered with Kaner to create a "Covell in the Valley"—much needed in this part of town. By-the-glass offerings include rare and hard-to-find items, such as cultish El Molino Chardonnay and Valserrano Rioja Blanco, as well as craft beers and a wine-friendly bar menu. —David Gadd PHOTO COURTESY OF AUGUSTINE Royal Salute Proposes a Toast to History I n honor of British Polo Day, we stopped by Cavatina at the Sunset Marquis Hotel to sip Chivas Regal Royal Salute Scotch Whisky on a recent May evening. Both a reflec- tion of the ages of the blended whiskies, and a nod to the 21-gun salute reserved for dignitaries and royalty, Royal Salute 21 Year Old Scotch Whisky rose to the occasion. The Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny is housed in a delicate porcelain flagon, contrasted by a sturdy 24 karat gold-plated Scottish warrior crest adorning the outside; unplugging the 24 karat gold stopper modeled after a late medieval two-handed Scottish broadsword is quite literally pulling the sword from the Stone. The real Stone of Destiny, last used at Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation, weighs more than 300 lbs. There's something marvelously humbling about drinking something that's got a decade on you. Perhaps I have something to learn from it.—Becky Tsadik Good Grammar, Great Wine T he last thing one may expect to hear about during an evening of fine food and drink is the importance of the apostrophe. Yet the grammatical mark was a key talking point during the Stags' Leap Winery wine dinner, held at the remark- ably chill restaurant/wine and cheese shop hybrid The Cellar in San Clemente, CA on June 1. It had to be, given the potential confusion behind the historic Napa Valley estate's name. "The apostrophe helps consumers distinguish Stags' Leap Winery from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars," explains Scott Bowden, Treasury Wine Estates' Southern California District Manager, in reference to Napa's similarly-named winemaking venue. "Our apostrophe is to the right of the s, and theirs is to the left. It's a great thing to remember when you're ordering at a restaurant." (The Stags Leap District AVA, mean- while, avoids the issue by not using an apostrophe at all.) This lesson in punctuation punctuated a five-course meal built around wines designed to create what Bowman dubs "sensory explosions," including a new Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Petit Syrah blend dubbed The Investor. The new selection is a reference to Horace Chase, who founded the winery back in 1892, and its nuanced fruit-driven profile speaks to nature of the Stags' Leap winemaking process. "Stags' Leap does not make wine for its own ego," says Bowden. "It makes wine to express grace, balance and structure." —Rich Manning New Los Angeles wine bar Augustine. (inset) Co-owners Dave Gibbs (left) and Matt Kaner. New Los Angeles wine bar Augustine. (inset) New Los Angeles wine bar Augustine. (inset) Co-owners Dave Gibbs (left) and Matt Kaner. grammatical mark was a key talking point during the Stags' Leap Winery dinner, held at the remark ably chill restaurant/wine and cheese shop hybrid The Cellar in San Clemente, CA on June 1. It had to be, given the potential confusion behind the historic Napa Valley estate's name. Stags' Leap Winery wine dinner, held at The Cellar in San Clemente, CA. PHOTO: MAX WONG