There’s a New Baby Wineaux in the House! WDW, Paso Robles meets NYT, Pinot at Steak, Khoury’s Scores a Coup - Whew!

I really don’t know where to begin!

The festive news is that Elliot had a baby! Well, not exactly *Elliot* (he was just the coach), but he and his wife Kari are the parents of a new baby girl, 7 lbs, 10 oz of healthy sweetness. Her name is Siri, and please join me in congratulating the Pembertons on their new arrival! Great job, Kari!

Elliot is the owner of Pemberton Distribution Company and son-in-law of Jim Stanley of Stanley Lambert wines of Australia. So, yeah. The kid has wine running through her veins.

I had another GREAT time at the last Wine Down Wednesday of the year! As usual, the appetizers were wonderful and the wine was flowing. Last week’s wines – for those of you who missed it – were Rosenblum. The Viognier, Syrah, and Zinfandel were the stars of the evening. Wine Down Wednesday is on hiatus for the holiday, but watch here or on the KSNE website for upcoming dates!

I was surprised to receive a nice note from Monica Villicana (Villicana winery in Paso Robles) regarding an article that had been written in the New York Times about the Next Great Wine Region in California. The Villicana’s winery had been mentioned briefly (hey! It’s still publicity!), and they were stoked that the region had been recognized by such a global presence. I read the article and was jumping for joy, too! As you may know, Robert Parker glowed about the area in the October issue of Food & Wine, and it’s been steadily uphill ever since. Paso Robles is a region that has been long in the shadow of the Napa/Sonoma juggernaut, but I’m happy to see that their wines are gaining the respect that they so richly deserve. Click here to read the article (you may have to sign up for a free account – it’s worth it!) and rejoice with me!

If you haven’t had an opportunity to enjoy one of the tastings at Steak in Henderson, then you’ve been missing out on a real treat. David Droz, the owner, chooses which wines to pour at any given Saturday, and they’re always good. This week’s offerings were the Pinot Noirs of Siduri Winery and two Syrahs from Novy Winery. Siduri has received accolades for its Pinots, and it was easy to understand why. David poured five, including the Terra de Promissio, Van der Kamp, and their much-heralded Gary’s Vineyard. Although the Gary’s was stellar, I liked the Van de Kamp just a tad more, with its almost ethereal silky mouthfeel, a bit more body, and a bit more fruit on the nose. The Novy Syrahs – one from Sonoma and one from Napa – were delicious. I preferred the Napa Syrah over the Sonoma.

After leaving Steak, I headed up the road to Valley Cheese and Wine who has tastings from noon to four. Bob loves French wines, and was pouring five (I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m wrong). The standout of the group for me was the Chardonnay, which at $16.00 easily rivaled anything more expensive out of Napa. And, no, it wasn’t a white Burgundy! I will contact Bob to get the particulars on this wine, but it was delicious!

Khoury’s has Susan!! Who’s Susan, you ask? She is the Wine Diva/Goddess of Las Vegas. Susan worked for years for Lee’s Discount, and I discovered early on that she has incredible, magical knowledge of wines. Well, she was moved from the Lee’s at Buffalo and Lake Mead to the one at Flamingo and Ft. Apache and I didn’t get to see her as much. When they moved her to the main warehouse, well, wine life without Susan’s vast knowledge just wasn’t fun.

So a Sunday visit to Khoury’s to set up CSE classroom space turned into a news flash when I learned that Issa’s new employee is Susan! Woo hoo! She will be dividing her time between the two stores. As I get more information, I will share it. And for those of you who are asking, no I don’t know Susan’s last name (actually I *did,* but it slipped out of my brain cell) but will be sure to update you as soon as I can. I can just *feel* an interview coming on!

Here's another reminder to Friend Me Up! I have had some amazing things happening on MySpace, and I'd love to see you there! I will tell you more (yes, this is meant to be mysterious!) next week.

In the meantime, may you all enjoy a great Holiday Season. Stay safe, and tune in next week when I’ll be writing about a very special event!

UPDATE!!

I stopped by Khoury's Durango this afternoon ("Madhouse" can be a verb when we're talking about Christmas Eve), and who should be there but Susan! Of course we screamed, hugged, etc. She's very happy to be at Khoury's and loves the atmosphere, the caliber of the wonderful wine customers, and couldn't be happier!

By the way, her last name is Kaumans. Pronounced "Commons." When you're in the area, stop by and ask for Susan and meet one of the nicest, most knowledgeable wine folks you'll ever see!