California cabernet sauvignons wowed the folks in Bordeaux last week when 12 of the state’s wines were tasted by French judges, including representatives of such notable Chateaux as Pichon-Lalande, Cheval-Blanc and Leoville Barton.

This wasn’t a repeat of the 1976 tasting, though — no French wines competed.

Rocca Family Vineyards’ cab from Yountville was rated the top wine, and Caymus Special Selection cab was No. 2. Other Napa Valley wines in the tasting were from O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery, Ramey Wine Cellars, Robert Craig Wine Cellars, Flora Springs, ZD Wines and Palmaz Vineyards. Other wines were from L’Aventure, Wente Vineyards, Ridge Vineyards and Justin Vineyards.

(Maybe the French didn’t compete because they were concerned that it would be a repeat of 1976. Or maybe they just wanted to taste some really great cabs.)

Expensive water

Some folks think Napa cabernets are expensive, but there’s some water being sold by London’s Claridge’s hotel for the equivalent of more than $70 per liter.

The hotel features 30 mineral waters sourced from all around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Italy, Japan and Wales.

It also offers diners “London water” at no charge. Decanter.com quotes a spokesman for Thames Water: “Our (tap) water is of the highest standard and it costs less than a 10th of a penny per liter.”

(I wonder if they have Calistoga water on the menu.)

A vanishing wine

If you’re a fan of Passito di Pantelleria, you’d better stock up on it now. Earthtimes.org reports it may soon be extinct.  

Not that the grapes are dying out — it’s just that it’s so difficult to get to them. Pantelleria is an island south of Sicily, and the hillsides where the grapes are grown are so steep and it’s so windy “that the entire harvest is done on your hands and knees,” said an Italian wine guide editor. The wine is made from zibibbo grapes, in the moscato family.

The head of the winegrowers association said that Passito, described as a “sweet, golden wine,” could vanish in the next decade unless machinery is developed to make harvesting easier and more people develop a taste for the wine. In 1973 the harvest was 45,000 tons, in 1990 it was 24,000 tons and this year it was 2,500 tons.

(Sounds as if it’s really rare, but it’s listed on one Internet site as costing $9.48 for a half-liter.)

New Zealand’s frost scare

New Zealand had a frost scare last week, and about 100 helicopters were called out to fly frost protection missions over the Marlborough region.

Tvnz.co.nz explains that “When you have a radiation frost the heat radiates out from the surface of the earth (and) gets trapped in an inversion layer, and then the wind machine or the helicopter is able to (push) that warm air down and circulate it around the vines.”

The site said it costs up to $3,000 an hour to run a helicopter, “but when your livelihood clings to a grape vine, it pays to go all out to protect it — and pilots answered the call from far and wide.” Growers said it was too early to assess the extent of damage, but hoped the massive mobilization of choppers saved most of the budding vines.

(This could have an effect on the price of Marlborough sauvignon blancs in a couple years.)

Wine-related gift ideas  

The holidays are coming, and with them come all sorts of gift ideas, some kooky and some sensible.

Luxist.com features a few of the kookier items for wine lovers. One is the Silhouette wine glass that has a cut-out shape to provide maximum nasal reach into the glass, so you can stick your nose so far in that the glass touches your forehead. It costs $54 each.

Also featured is a puzzle-like corkscrew composed of 52 pieces made of titanium with a fingertip lever that is 18-karat gold. Even the box is luxurious — it has a unique opener with invisible hinges. The item is made to order and the corkscrew and box can be engraved. Cost is only $71,000.

To watch the corkscrew in action, go to www.sveid.com/4a.tirebouchon.html and click on the photo.

Then there’s a Champagne flute with a diamond ring around the stem for $3,500.  The ring has 36 diamonds and also comes with a white gold chain.

(Apparently the only way to wear the ring is to break the glass.)

Quote of the week

“Reality is an illusion that occurs due to a lack of wine.” — Author unknown

Jack Heeger can be reached at jheeger@napanews.com.