Maybe he's merely trying to curry favor with me, but am I the only one who finds a little to much overlap for comfort in Robert Parker's recent listing of his
favorite California pinot noir producers?
Our short lists both include
Hartford Court and
Martinelli; he is also a fan of Rochioli, which I include in my list of
Russian River tasting suggestions. Herein lies the one crucial difference between Parker and yours truly: access to great wines from the small superstar producers. You can taste some of the larger production wines at the Rochioli tasting room, but, last I checked, they had a waiting list of six years to get access to their premium wines. Parker's two other Russian River favorites,
Kistler and Marcassin, are similarly difficult -- and expensive -- to come by. If you have $300-525 lying around and want to take a flyer on Marcassin pinot,
you can find some of them on the Web, if you search diligently.
Unlike Parker, I am still waiting for an invitation to taste
16 Marcassin wines at one sitting.
