Just when you thought it couldn't get any dumber, this wine is now being marketed in US as "L'original French Kiss", presumably since Chateau Julien in the Carmel Valley has been producing a wine with a "French Kiss" label for years.

I had the pleasure of meeting David Lett during a business project around 2004 or 05. I spent an afternoon at his house during which we tasted through some verticals he selected from the library. It was an eye opener for me, since my Pinot palate was being shaped by the fruit-forward, extracted Russian River style that was then emerging. To me, David's wines were shockingly light in body, but so elegant. To use your words, fragrant, ethereal, floral, compelling. I remember him lamenting that many people (especially in the trade) didn't understand his style and just wanted fruit bombs. I hope these unique wines are now getting more of the recognition they deserve.

Seriously? He was kidding right? Sulfites in wine (whether they're added or are from yeast fermentation) are metabolized via our digestive enzymes when we drink the wine and don't have anything to do what what does or doesn't grow in our "innards". Geez.

FYI, 2010 Trinch! available from Kermit Lynch in Berkeley and also very delicious.

You don't need to be a sommelier or wine writer to see that Bordeaux has steadily declined into a self-imposed funk over the past few decades. Classified growths are now priced far beyond the means of actual wine drinkers/appreciators, and much of the rest of the region's product has become increasingly new world-like, extracted and fruit forward in style. It's just incredibly boring, especially compared to other regions in the world that being so innovative. I guess there must be cool people in Bordeaux who are going in a different direction, but is anyone watching or writing about them?

As someone who has followed the craft beer industry closely, I always try to read between the lines on these pronouncements from brewers. Boulevard has been around for 20 years and is now producing about 175,000 barrels annually. They are in a tier of the craft industry that I think of as the "super-regionals" - not yet truly national like the big 3 (Boston Beer, Sierra Nevada and New Belgium), but they have expanded successfully from their home base (Missouri) into multiple other states. As such, and with the rapid proliferation of new brands all around them, they find themselves somewhat between the rock and the you-know-what. Too old and too big to be "exciting", and too small to match the distribution clout and cost advantages of the national guys. Not unlike wine, there's a whole segment of craft beer consumers who thrive on experimenting with new brands and innovative brews. Those are the people Boulevard is losing. But it's more satisfying to blame it on the restaurant and bar operators.

An update on Flash Detente from the Northbay Business Journal - industrial processing moving upscale in Sonoma? Flash Wine Technologies (707-310-4925, flashwinetechnologies.com) is targeting smaller-scale flash détente wine processing services with a new company based at Kunde Estate Winery in Kenwood. In the past two years, Carneros Vintners and Lodi Vintners have been installing such machines with capacity for 20 tons of grapes. Flash Wine Technologies targets Northern California wineries with grape lots as small as 10 tons. Della Tofolla USA of Windsor is supplying these units. Flash détente has been used outside the U.S. for two decades to greatly improve wine flavor, color and overall quality. The process uses extreme heat followed by rapid cooling in a vacuum chamber, literally exploding grape berries and the cell walls that contain pigments and flavonoids. Flashing the grape must — fresh juice with skins, seeds and stems — can correct viticultural problems, such as shaded vineyard sites, north or west facing slopes, heavy soil sites or vineyards with declining health or virus issues. The processed must can be pressed immediately to ferment as juice or left on the skins.