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Kalin Cellars

Could any other winery in the world count among its current releases two sparkling wines from 1988, a semillon and a chardonnay from 1993, and a pinot noir from 1980? "When it tastes good we release it," was Terry Leighton's Confucian pronouncement over a dish of Szechuan spicy crab at Uncle Yu's in San Ramon, CA, where he was pairing his various new offerings with a range of Chinese dishes. (The restaurant's food, incidentally, is worth a detour, and its wine list is as good as that of any Asian restaurant of my experience with the exception of Tan Dinh in Paris.) More than once during our meal and tasting, Leighton and his wife Frances, who also own a couple of parcels in Burgundy and recently began making wine there, bemoaned the heavy, high-alcohol, oak bombs from California that overwhelm rather than complement food. "If anything, alcohol levels are going higher today," said Leighton. "Going for bigger wines here is like telling Shaquille O'Neal to work on his slam-dunking."

From Focus on California (May 2000) by Stephen Tanzer

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1980 Pinot Noir Cuvee Jl Sonoma

Color: Red

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