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By the Glass at Gary Danko
They're the toughest Bay Area placements to come by. It's one thing to get appointments with the sommeliers at addresses like Gary Danko, Boulevard and Fleur de Lys. Another to convince the keepers of the city's hottest wine lists to add your wine's name to the list. But it's a different story altogether when the likes of Christie Dufault (while at Gary Danko), Mickey Clevenger at Fleur de Lys, and Rob Perkins and John Lancaster at Boulevard adopt your deep ruby, briary, Woods Estate Vineyard Zinfandel as their own -- and pour it by-the-glass. That's when you know you've hit the big time.
"I was pretty excited when I got that first appointment with Christie," Dan Donahoe told us as he tapped up three Riedel glasses from a stainless steel tank with this dark, brambly 2009 Teira Zinfandel. "But the closer I got to the date, the more I had a bad case of the jitters. I'd aimed for the top -- Gary Danko -- figuring, if I got shot down, what's the big deal? After all, with everyone else who's been rejected, I'd be in good company. But I'd be BS-ing you guys if I didn't say I was nervous."
Dufault, one of the most respected sommeliers on the coast, and the most careful of tasters, took one look at the deep color, took a whiff of the bright red fruit mixed with dried roses, and tasted the fresh raspberry single vineyard core. Then she knocked Dan Donahoe right off his bar stool, ordering a pile of Teira Zinfandel to feature by-the-glass at Gary Danko. Donahoe and Teira were off to the races.
If you're going to San Francisco for a conference sometime soon and you want to know where to eat, you won't need Zagat. Forget about Yelp or TripAdvisor. All you need do is follow Donahoe and his irresistibly juicy Zinfandel around town. But you might have to stay a month or two. After Christie Dufault's endorsement, over forty more followed, beginning with A16, Absinthe, Bix, and Boulevard, finishing up with Postrio, Rubicon and, of course, Gary Danko.
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Tasting Notes
2009 Teira Wines Zinfandel Sonoma County
"Deep ruby color. Luscious aromas of crushed red fruits and dried roses. Deep and darkly concentrated on the attack, full of benchmark Sonoma bramble, still high-toned and fresh. Long and persistent on the back palate without any of the raisin-y flavors that muddle so many Zinfandels these days. Drink now for its primary fruit opulence or age for up to 3 years in a cool cellar."
-- WineAccess Travel Log
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