Introduction
Now that the holidays are over we are back with more Salon Saturday shows. Why is it that the last couple of weeks in December go by so fast? And here we are in a new year and I’m already putting 2023 on my checks. Here is what was on tap on last week’s show.
I guess more Christmas movies are out of the question so we segue to film noir. So we aren’t reminded of being in the depths of winter our wine trip will be to Australia where summer still reigns. Since I just ordered the complete set of Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles thrillers I plan to cover the series. Sergei Prokofiev is one of my favorite Russian composers. In part because he thumbed his nose at the commissars and dared to create his music. And exciting wine events are coming up you don’t want to miss.
Warming Up Down Under
While many wine lovers focus on Australia’s Shiraz and Chardonnay wines, we’re going to explore another notable grape the Aussies know how to craft into fine wines; Riesling. It’s summer down under as I can testify having taught computer science classes in Melbourne in late December in the 1990s.
Australian Riesling subregions:
While many areas within Australia are making excellent wines we focus on the Clare and Eden Valleys as wines from these subregions are readily available in the US. While the style is mostly bone dry (and occasionally off-dry) with rapier-like acidity, bright fruit and the ability to age for years, each region influences with its own unique terroir.
Clare Valley: Southern Australia
Above Adelaide, Southern Australia’s principal city is where both valleys are situated with Clare Valley above the Eden and Barossa Valleys. Barossa Valley is world renowned for its Shiraz. The higher elevation of both valleys and the coastal influences that permit longer growing seasons help retain the acidity or crispness that world-class Riesling requires.
The Clare Valley’s vast day-night temperature variations, which can plummet more than 70 degrees Fahrenheit overnight during ripening, as well as elevations as high as 2,000 feet, allow Riesling to flourish with gorgeous tension and laser-sharp acidity. It would appear that if one is out late in the valley they should have multiple layers of clothes handy.
Jeffrey Grosset is the unofficial Riesling king, who has championed the variety and the Clare Valley since 1981. His vineyard Polish Hill is on slate and Springvale is on soft rock or limestone. “I noticed the profound difference due to these two opposing profiles more than three decades ago and have since planted vineyards that exactly mirror in shape the profile below the topsoil, to ensure the expression of these profiles is maximized.”
Grosset Polish Hill 2022, $75
Bright and potent with intense lime juice aromatics that commands attention, this wine has a wonderful lime, lemongrass core; intensity and power yet with balance in the mid-palate. There’s a purity which thrills: it’s tight and fine before a long limey finish and a whisper of minerality. So attractive and persistent in its youth, it has the depth, power and balance to enjoy now or in 20 years. Top Riesling wines can be a bit pricey, but there are a number of very good ones in the $15 to $25 range as well.
Eden Valley: Southern Australia
Eden Valley is in the Mount Lofty Ranges, about 75 miles southeast of Clare Valley. Some of the world’s oldest Riesling vines are here enjoying overnight temperatures often cooler than Clare Valley and significantly brisker than the bordering Barossa Valley.
Elevations range from over 700 feet in the northern part of the valley to over 2,000 feet in the south. This windswept slice of exposed hillsides often contains loamy sand, clay and gravel soils that produce lithe Rieslings with bright fruit and delicate floral notes, paired with a talc-like texture. Over time they evolve into more complex, toasted, beautifully waxy wines with age. Wax and talc are positive indicators in case you wondered, and refer to mouthfeel.
Yalumba Y Series 2022 Riesling, 11.5% ABV, $15
Aromas of orange blossom and old-style lemonade with subtle notes of quince and river rock minerality. A bright palate with grapefruit and preserved lemon lead to a zesty finish.
While local Total Wines did not list one Aussie Riesling they do offer a good selection of New Mexico Riesling from Milagro, Black Mesa, Ponderosa and Vivac.
Classic Film Noir Movies
Film noir isn’t for everyone since they often paint a nihilist picture of life, but they also reveal the circumstances that can lead to ruin. So we have anti-hero men and femme fatale women leading us down dangerous paths. Let’s begin with a definition:
A style or genre of cinema marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. The term was originally applied (by a group of French critics) to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54 and to the work of directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and Billy Wilder. That time period has been stretched by many that wish to include films outside that range.
Or; film noir, (French: “dark film”) style of filmmaking characterized by such elements as cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, frequent use of flashbacks, intricate plots, and an underlying existentialist philosophy. The genre was prevalent mostly in American crime dramas of the post-World War II era. Note that many crime dramas are not film noir.
If we then go to the IMDB website, where I spend a fair amount of time, they list 985 titles, which are a lot more than I thought existed. Then I noticed some of the dates were long before 1944; before the film noir era and many are more commonly called crime dramas or detective films, or hardboiled mysteries. There have been many names associated with this type of film, including directors Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder and actors Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, Gloria Grahame, and Lauren Bacall. Here is my list of the top ten, listed chronologically.
The Maltese Falcon (1941): Dir – John Huston with Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor
San Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered. I think having one of the prime film noir actors and a Dashiell Hammett novel as source material made this a retroactive choice.
Shadow of a Doubt (1943): Dir – Alfred Hitchcock with Theresa Wright and Joseph Cotton
A teenage girl, overjoyed when her favorite uncle comes to visit the family in their quiet California town, slowly begins to suspect that he is in fact the “Merry Widow” killer sought by the authorities. The town of Santa Rosa, California has been the site of many movies because of its small town America feel. For me it’s more about the cluster of Russian River wineries that flank the town that that has me always coming back.
Double Indemnity (1944): Dir – Billy Wilder with Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson
A Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator. If Stanwyck’s turn as a vamp and psychopath chills you consider this: Stanwyck had been reluctant to take the role, confessing to the director: “I was a little frightened of it.” Wilder asked whether she was an actress or a mouse. When she asserted the former, he shot back: “Then take the part.”
Notorious (1946): Dir – Alfred Hitchcock with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains
The daughter of a convicted Nazi spy is asked by American agents to gather information on a ring of Nazi scientists in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them? We’re never quite sure of Grant’s character in this film which makes it all the more delicious. Rains wine cellar reveals more than wine, but the Bordeaux faux label with the vintage date all too blatantly revealing where the heavy metal casing are stored is too obvious if you ask me.
The Big Sleep (1946): Dir – Howard Hawks with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he’s seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love. Well yeah, love with 20-year old Lauren Bacall. They defined the term screen chemistry. A classic Raymond Chandler novel becomes a classic film noir.
Out of the Past (1947): Dir Jacques Tourneur with Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas
A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.
From the Guardian: No one ever smoked and brooded and loomed like Robert Mitchum. And he never did it as definitively as he does in Out of the Past, a stylish and devastating noir that was one of a hat-trick of perfect genre pieces directed by Jacques Tourneur in the 1940s (along with Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie). I’m a big fan of those movies as well. Tourneur was famous for revealing little of his dark creatures, relying on our imagination to create the images he didn’t show.
The Third Man (1949): Dir – Carol Reed with Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton
Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime. The setting of post-war Vienna added all the atmosphere one could wish for. The play of light and shadow were on full display.
Director Steven Soderbergh’s description of the film is a good one. “Disillusion, betrayal, misdirected sexual longing and the willful inability of Americans to understand or appreciate other cultures — these are a few of my favorite things, and The Third Man blends them all seamlessly with an airtight plot and a location that blurs the line between beauty and decay.”
Sunset Blvd (1950): Dir – Billy Wilder with William Holden and Gloria Swanson
A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. We know we’re in film noir territory when we first meet our lead floating face down in a swimming pool. When Gloria is ready for her close-up we’ve seen enough. Also made into an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical I saw in London in the 90s. It was weird as a musical!
The Night of the Hunter (1955): Dir – Charles Laughton with Robert Mitchum and Shelly Winters
A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid the $10,000 he’d stolen in a robbery. Mitchum was chilling and so was the scene where he tracks the two children along a dark and foreboding river. An amazing turn for Mitchum who stated Laughton was the best director he ever worked with. Other than completing one film in 1949 for which he received no credit; this was the only film Charles directed.
Touch of Evil (1958): Dir – Orson Welles with Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich
A stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in a Mexican border town. Welles candy-eating corrupt sheriff has more than a touch of evil. Heston’s turn as a Mexican detective with makeup applied to make him appear Mexican did create interracial tensions as his new wife, Janet Leigh, was white. Interestingly that is not what would bother the audience now. More likely the complaint would be; “why didn’t you hire a Mexican actor?”
The establishing shot in the opening of the film is one of the delights of this border-town filled with corrupt men and women of easy virtue.
Films made after this period were identified as neo-noir; expanding on the concept, but usually in color versus black and white and moving the story into sociological areas. That will be our focus next week.
Local Wine Events
Vine in the Pines Wine Festival Sat, Feb 18, 12 PM – Sun, Feb 19, 6 PM
Where: Ruidoso Convention Center, 111 Sierra Blanca Dr, Ruidoso, NM
Vine in the Pines Wine Festival: New Mexico Wine and Beer Tasting, Arts and Crafts Food. Tickets at the door and early-bird discounts at Eventbrite.
The Ruidoso Convention Center welcomes back Vines in the Pines! This is a great opportunity to indulge in some New Mexico Wine tasting while enjoying local art, crafts, food, boutique vendors and local brews available for those who aren’t wine drinkers. Fun for everyone! Ticket prices include entry, complimentary wine glass, and tastings from 12 wineries!
My wife and I were here in mid-November for A Christmas Affair at the Ruidoso Convention Center, which we first attended in 2008. This is a very good venue for events so check it out if you are heading there.
The Taos Winter Wine Festival: January 26 – January 29
The Taos Winter Wine Festival is an annual four-day weekend of events featuring the culinary artistry found in Taos, New Mexico’s many excellent restaurants coupled with the sophistication and wines of national wineries. A celebration of food and wine in the winter wonderland of Taos & Taos Ski Valley.
30 of our favorite winery partners return to show you their best wines, starting with the Opening Night Reserve Tasting at the Sagebrush Inn in Taos on Thursday January 26th. The action flows up to the Taos Ski Valley on Friday and Saturday where we will feature our winery and restaurant partners hosting two unique on-mountain al fresco luncheons. We are excited to announce the return of the Grand Tasting inside the Taos Ski Valley Resort Center on Saturday afternoon January 28th. Daily wine seminars and nightly wine dinners at our favorite Taos restaurants are included.
Sergei Prokofiev and the Lt. Kije Suite
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was born April 27, 1891 and died March 5th, 1953). A Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who spent several years in Paris, but later worked in the Soviet Union. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous music genres, he is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century. His most popular works include:
- The Love for Three Oranges; a satiric opera
- The film scores for Lieutenant Kijé (1934) and Alexander Nevsky (1938)
- Music for the Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella ballets
- Peter and the Wolf, a “symphonic fairy tale for children”, which identified various concert instruments as characters, complete with narration.
In all he composed seven completed operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a symphony-concerto for cello and orchestra, and nine completed piano sonatas.
Sergei Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite was originally written to accompany the film of the same name, produced by the Belgoskino film studios in Leningrad in 1933–34 and released in March 1934. It was Prokofiev’s first attempt at film music, and his first commission.
After the film’s successful release, the five-movement Kijé suite was first performed in December 1934, and quickly became part of the international concert repertoire. It has remained one of the composer’s best-known and most frequently recorded works. Elements of the suite’s score have been used in several later films, and in two popular songs of the Cold War era.
I first heard this work in 1960 at a high fidelity shop as it was acoustically perfect for displaying the tonal and dynamic range of Hi-Fi equipment. Later I purchased the vinyl of this and other works including the film score for Alexander Nevsky. Later I saw the Sergei Eisenstein film and was entranced by the imagery and how well Prokofiev’s music enhanced its atmosphere.
Tess Gerritsen and the Rizzoli & Isles Series
Detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr Maura Isles are the creations of bestselling crime thriller writer Tess Gerritsen. Thus far, thirteen gritty and gruesome titles have been published in the Rizzoli and Isles series. That includes two short stories. The most recent novel being Listen To Me in 2022. Written with the kind of detail only a physician-turned crime novelist could create. Since I began with number 6 in the series, I knew there were back stories I needed in more detail.
Rizzoli & Isles Series
- The Surgeon (2001)
- The Apprentice (2002)
- The Sinner (2003)
- Body Double (2004)
- Vanish (2005)
- The Mephisto Club (2006)
- Keeping the Dead (2008)
- Ice Cold (2010)
- A short story: Freaks (2011)
- The Silent Girl (2011)
- A short story: John Doe (2012)
- Last to Die (2012)
- Die Again (2014)
- I Know A Secret (2017)
- Listen to Me (2022)
The Mephisto Club: On tony Beacon Hill, the club’s acolytes devote themselves to the analysis of evil: Can it be explained by science? Does it have a physical presence? Do demons walk the earth? Drawing on a wealth of dark historical data and mysterious religious symbolism, the Mephisto scholars aim to prove a startling theory: that Satan himself exists among us. With the grisly appearance of a corpse on their doorstep, it’s clear that someone – or something – is indeed prowling the city. Soon, the members of the club begin to fear the very subject of their study. Could this maniacal killer be one of their own – or have they inadvertently summoned an evil entity from the darkness?
Reading this novel and loving it, I bought the entire series of 12 novels which just arrived, late as happens, so I can go back to the first in the series. Maybe I’ll catch Rizzoli & Isles on TNT since there were seven seasons beginning in 2010.
The Wine Report: Wines worth Having
In this case it’s a dinner worth having, but with a good wine list.
Dinner for Two is a locally owned restaurant in the heart of Santa Fe for the last 20 years. What defines Dinner for Two is great food and service in a fun environment. Their emphasis on fun and amazing cocktails made it a standout on the Santa Fe restaurant scene. They’re known for great steaks with fantastic marbling, well-seasoned and charred on a white-hot Grill for their signature flavor.
They are located in downtown Santa Fe at the southwest corner of San Francisco and Guadalupe Street, convenient to the Plaza and downtown hotels. Barbara and I walked the 0.4 mile through a chilly night, but warmed up as soon as we entered. Since we’d been there with friends previously we already knew we were ordering one of their table-side preparations, which is a specialty of the house. Caesar Salad, Chateaubriand, & Bananas Foster are prepared table side for 2 which makes for a special dinner. Our Caesar was loaded with garlic and anchovies as per our request.
I began with a perfect Grey Goose vodka martini followed by a Paul Hobbs Sonoma Chardonnay to go with the Caesar and another to go with the Bay Scallops ala Fettuccini. I’m from the east coast and these scallops were as good and fresh as any I’d find there. The restaurant does have some fascinating cocktails. Below is a short happy hour list. I think we’ll try that next. One does need reservations, such as Open Table.
- $8 Little Dickle do ya Old Fashioned
- $8 Love Bubble Margarita
- $5 Crown and Coke
- $8 Unicorn Tears (incredibly rare I’m sure)
- $8 Hello Kitty (Passion fruit, pineapple Tiki Drink)
Salon Saturday airs every Saturday at its new time; 9am. 1600AM on the Rock of Talk.
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