by Fred McMillin
for October 7, 1999

For Golfers Only

I poured a $30 Bruce Pinot Noir wine for professional golfer Warren Chancellor. He swirled, sniffed and sipped. "That's the best wine I ever tasted. It is EXCELLENT."

I responded, "Speaking of excellence, I hear you have been nominated for the University of Texas Alumnus Athlete of the Year. What year were you the team captain?"

After another silky sip, Warren smiled, "Believe it or not, I NEVER was captain. You see, I had two teammates named...Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw!"

Bruce's Juices

I have another excellent $30 Bruce Pinot waiting for Warren's next visit. It's from the Russian River Valley, which can be dangerously cool. In fact, a few years ago Dr. Bruce told me his Russian River grapes were in BIG TROUBLE...November rains were due, and the grapes were far from their peak. However, the tale had a happy ending. There was a burst of heat. So, David made a white-knuckle drive up to the vineyard, and he could hardly believe his taste buds. The grapes were ready! The pickers then beat the rain, BARELY!

Anyhow, here's Warren's next Pinot, which probably IS the team captain , since it's won a couple of GOLDS.

1996 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
David Bruce Winery, Santa Cruz Mountains
Winemaking—No fining or filtering, to avoid any loss of those precious berry-cherry flavors.
Food—Lamb and ham...and even smoked turkey sandwiches.
Contact—(800) 397-9972, FAX (408) 395-9548
Price—$30

Note—For more about Stanford Med School's most illustrious vintner, see the WineDays titled "The Wine That Was Too Good" (a Chardonnay), Oct. 7,1997 and "A Prodigious Pinot", January 20, 1998.

About the Writer Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College. In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded to American wine writers.

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