New World Sangiovese

Just for fun, I tried a bottle of Pride's sangiovese (2006.) I've really only tasted Italian sangioveses, but given my experience with Pride's other wines, it was very much what I expected. Ripe but not too ripe, very rich oak and dark fruit flavors to bump up the wine's intensity (given the varietal) and certainly the inkyest sangiovese I've ever encountered. So there ya have it. I think cabernet stands up better to their style of winemaking.

Willamette Valley Pinot Find (under $40)

I love a lot of the Oregon pinots. They usually showcase the varietal and are balanced (or even have acidity at all.) Picked up this wine recently at Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa and it simply made me smile. All the components of a lovely pinot were there - the berries, earth, delicate oak and integrated alcohol - and my husband and I had sipped away the bottle before we knew it. Here's the info if you want to check it out :)

Anne Amie, 2009
Pinot Noir (in all its glory!)
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Vineyards: 41% Anne Amie Estate, 28% Boisseau, 11.5% Gran Moraine, 8% Rainbow Ridge, 5% Alloro, 4% Louise, 2.5% Zena Crown
Clones: P4, 114, 115, 667, 777, 828
Oak: aged 10 months in French oak, 21% new, 20% 1 year, 59% neutral
Soils: Willakenzie, Laurelwood, Ritner
Alcohol: 13.9%

OakJamNapaCabFest

Cimarossa, 2007
Riva Di Ponente Vineyard
Howell Mountain
Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine was just too much for me. I want to write about it so I remember to not buy it again and stop trying  different Napa cabs when the style of 95% of them is just TOO jamberry syrup and woody for me. 

Cozy Fall Cabernet

Thanksgiving came to an end. I'm completely turkey and pinot-ed out and left with a craving for a sultry cab, reserve gouda, roaring fire and spanish guitar.

Popping a Fontanella Family Winery 2009. Premiere Napa Valley. Auction 15 Lot 124, Melanson Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon...Bottle 14 of 60. Not exactly sure what every detail means (except that this juice sounds pretty darn special) but also not in the mood to be a student tonight...just ready to drink something intense and tasty. That I got...

- Stains the glass a brickish purple

- Red rose on the nose, prettypretty

- Dense fruits: red and black but not pure jam, acidity is present with a youthful freshness

- Some oak on the finish, alllllllmost too much (others would hardly detect but I'm supersensitive to wood in my wine)

- Very silky tannins

- Leather, leaves, and a mellow dustiness/extra dimension

- Pleasant grip on the finish

- Ubercab

c o l g i n (napa cult syrah)

I know what I like and don't like. While I can appreciate how well made this wine is, the wine's meaty, smokey and herbal qualities stand out way too much. Those on top of the high alcohol (15.8%) start to mask the fruit which I'm sure is of the highest quality. Wanted to write again to remember this wine's first impression on me. Have a few more entries to make - have had a few noteworthy bottles recently.

Colgin, 2007, Syrah, Napa Valley (IX Estate)

West Coast Pinots

Two to recommend. Maybe more to come...it's fall and the perfect time for pinot noir. This season, I want my pinots reliable (bye bye Burgundies under $65), modern with traditional inspiration (sturdy fruit with balanced alcohol and good acidity), and velvety (melt in your mouth tannins). So, classically sexy, I guess.

Walker Station
Leslie
Russian River Valley, CA 2009
14.8% abv
~$65

Sineann
Resonance Vineyard
Yamhill-Carlton District, OR 2009
13.8% abv
~$45

Sippin' Pretty

Tried these wines recently and was pumped. All reasonably priced and very tasty. Trackem down and enjoy :)

Sebella, Chardonnay, 2007
Sonoma Valley, California
Grown, produced, and bottled at the winery by Hanzel Vineyards
- bright, nice acid and subtle oak, a very drinkable new world chard that brings some complexity to the table

Castello Romitorio, Rosso di Montalcino, 2007
Montalcino, Italy
- an artist buys a winery and what do you get? a gorgeous label and a beautiful wine. roses, red fruits, potpourri, low alcohol and tannin, integrated acidity...baby brunello...classic italiano

Triton, Prieto Picudo (Old Vines), 2008
Castilla y Leon, Spain
- those old vines make for a very concentrated wine, lovely. dark fruits, licorice, chocolate, and baking spices, french oak adds another layer to what sounds like candy juice. it's not though, just dense and delightful

Pinot Days, SoCal 2010

Yesterday was my first time attending "Pinot Days", a New World pinot noir tasting, focusing on producers from the glorious west coast of the United States of America. I can be...hmmm...picky (to say it nicely), when it comes to New World pinot noir, liberally using adjectives like "hot," "thin," and "poor value." This tasting offered up the opportunity use some new adjectives. Many of the wines were from the acclaimed 2007 vintage. The single varietal element of "Pinot Days" let me focus on the terroir and style of winemaking for the day's showcase of producers. I was generously granted a trade ticket (thank you!) and took advantage of the extra time I had to take thorough notes. Hope to participate in this tasting for many more years!

With that intro...here goes :)

B E S T

I N

S H O W

Baxter

California, Mendocino, Oppelander Vineyard

Vintage: 2007

Notes: fresh bing cherries, violets, roses, integrated acidity and alcohol, well balanced Richebourg-ish wine of great character and intensity

Comments: The "Phils" (father and son winemaking team) were awesome. Wish I could drink high quality pinot like this more often. I'm looking forward to visiting the estate and getting to know Phil and Phil Jr. better!

Pisoni

California, Santa Lucia Highlands, "Estate" label

Vintage: 2007

Notes: red and dark fruits - tart, dried, and ripe, roses (again!), subtle tea, captivating balance of fruit, alcohol, acidity, and damn fine tannin

Comments: A graceful, yet bold, wine from start to finish. Dances its way across the palate, not missing a beat. Just lovely. Gary and Ed, pleasure to meet you. Gary, thank you for loving and studying Burgundy. Your wine reflects great attention to detail in your vineyard and appreciation of terroir.

George Wine Company

California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, "RRV V"

Vintage: 2007

Notes: raspberries, red currants, tea, bramble, leaves, potpourri, great balance and palate-forgiving (relatively) low alcohol: 13.5%

(Pause for analogy: George's RRV V is the quiet girl at the party with no makeup. She's polite. She listens, smiles sweetly, and watches the guests' interactions. At the end of the night, you get the guts to talk to her and now you're the one who's speechless.)

Comments: I loved George wines after my first taste at Marche Bacchus when I was living in Vegas a few years ago. At the time, I didn't study or write about wine. I just disliked, liked, or loved what I tasted. I am still loving George's pinots and enjoyed putting a name (and label) with a face at the tasting! Thank you for making a pinot with elegant restraint. There is a delicate, intriguing fruit/earth and young/wise tension in your wines that is always a treat.

P I - N O T A B L E S

(yes, I am a dork)

Arcadian Winery, Jill's Cuvee (2006)

California, Santa Maria, Solomon Hills

Pfendler Vineyards, Sonoma Coast (2007)

Sonoma County, Petaluma Gap

Archery Summit, Red Hills Estate (2006)

Oregon, Dundee Hills

Belle Pente, Belle Pente Vineyard (2006)

Oregon, Yamhill-Carlton

Sojourn Cellars, Sonoma Coast label and Sangiacomo Vineyard (2008)

California, Sonoma County

P L E A S A N T

S U R P R I S E S

A white! (shhhh)

Zotovich Family Vineyards '07 Chardonnay - a delightfully pleasant (and quite well-made) break from pinot

A baby!

An '08 barrel sample from Fess Parker's Ashley's Vineyard (pommard clone) - fresh and tasty :)

A kiwi!

Alana Estate's pretty pinot from Martinborough, New Zealand

A Humphrey Bogart!

Cono Sur's "20 Barrels" '07 pinot noir from Casablanca Valley, Chile - poured by Steve from Wine Exchange (love the OC representation!)

World Buckets (Old & New)

Rule of Thumb:

Old World wines come from the "classic wine making regions" aka Europe. New World wines come from "not Europe" aka anywhere else in the world wine is made.

Break It Down:

Old World: 

France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain

New World: 

Latin America, Australia, America, South Africa, and New Zealand

I love using maps when I'm studying wine. It helps me remember things. I also tend to write all over them. When I read about a wine growing region like the Mosel in Germany, I can write a bunch of things on the map next to "Mosel" like Old World, cool climate, riesling, and some top wine makers/producers (names I could recognize in the future on wine lists or at tastings). Or if I was working on a California map, for Paso Robles I'd note that it's considered part of the Central Coast and is recognized for its rhone blends and zinfandels.

Here is an example of a world wine map for this high level New/Old World exercise. When you start learning about specific regions, just work with regional maps!

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 2005

I had the treat of drinking this young rhone with a friend over three hours. It's taken me some time to write about it, but now I'm ready so here's my review:

The wine started very tight. The alcohol and tart notes pushed everyone else out of the way. The wine carried its density elegantly. After a half hour or hour decanted the wine began to catch its breath. The nose evolved to show off more fruits (dried and ripe) and a hint of smoke and bacon. Very satisfying palate journey and finish. I recommend buying this wine and decanting two hours before serving. The wine will also age well, so you may choose to cellar. Whenever you decide to open this wine, it will be a quite a different experience for those used to drinking New World rhone blends.

Here is Wine Spectator's review and rating:

(Wine Spectator 96 & TOP 100 2008)

"One of the largest estates in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, this property is owned and run by the Perrin family. In 2005, they produced their best regular cuvée since 1989 (Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in 1991). The Beaucastel vineyard produces dense and explosive wines from a collage of 13 different grapes, most notably Grenache and Mourvèdre. Each is fermented separately in concrete or wooden vats. The third year of drought, 2005 only intensified the concentration and structure of this ageworthy red."

Family Winemakers of California

This was my first experience at Family in  San Francisco at the Fort Mason Center. It was a great one thanks to...

1) My friend (and international distributor) JB Moresco who was no rookie. Our plan of attack was to explore spontaneously and taste more thoughtfully Day 1 and hit the destination producers we missed Day 1 plus a few extras, recommended by trusted palates, on Day 2.

2) Eating a full lunch at Greens (awesome vegetarian cafe around the corner from the Tasting in Fort Mason Center) prior to tasting both days: http://www.greensrestaurant.com/

3) Spitting everything. If you can't do this, cut the tasting short and go back to your favorites to "drink" a second pour over the last hour. Grab some bread or cheese and crakers to enjoy these sips.

4) Drinking water in between producers. A couple ounces is enough. This will keep you going when fatigue sets in from tasting, talking, standing, and fighting to maintain a healthy core body temp in the Fort Mason Center.

Summary (IMHO):

A LOT of wine and only a handful of standouts. High (unbalanced) alcohol, no mid/back palate, and green tannin showed consistently. And, sadly, in some renowned wines which I really looked forward to tasting. I've listed my "Best in Show" below. These are wines with above average complexity and balance (fruit, acid, alcohol, ripe tannin, oak positive), among their neighbors in CA. However, on an international scale, I can't commend them all on value (taste per dollar). But this is just the voice of one palate, which lacks a respectable wine budget and was trained on almost all Old World wines. 

I believe that there is high demand in the market for the style wine I tasted the past two days, at a lower price. "For the love of the game", I hope these wineries do well. And just because you don't LOVE all of the wines at a tasting doesn't mean it's a bust. I will always go to trade tastings because of the opportunity to meet the winemakers and sales/mkg peeps who are crazy passionate about their juice. Regional tastings showcasing hundreds of wineries are one of the best ways to exercise your the palate and build on your mental inventory of producers, appellations, and specific vineyards*.

(drumroll please)

B E S T   I N   S H O W . . .

Chardonnay

Arcadian, (Dierberg Vineyard) Santa Maria Valley, 2006

Fog Crest Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 2005

ZD Wines, Reserve, Napa Valley, 2007

Rose

Lynmar Estate, Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, 2007

Pinot Noir

Arcadian, (Fiddlestix Vineyard) Santa Rita Hills, 2005

Ladera Vineyards, Russian River Valley, 2006

Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills, 2007

Cabernet Sauvignon

Parallel Wines, Reserve, Napa Valley, 2006

Kelleher, (Brix Vineyard, Oakville) Napa Valley, 2005

Peirson Meyer, (Versant Vineyard on Pritchard Hill) Napa Valley, 2005

Cabernet Franc

Pride Mountain Vineyards, Sonoma County, 2007

Cass Winery, Paso Robles, 2005

Petit Sirah

Robert Foley Vineyards, Napa Valley, 2006

Sirah

Enkidu Wine, Odyessy, Russian River Valley, 2006

BLENDS

L'Aventure, Cote-a-cote and Estate Cuvee, Paso Robles, 2006

Paloma, Merlot (15% Cabernet Sauvignon), (Spring Mountain) Napa Valley, 2007 (buy 2006)

X Winery & Amicus, Amicus Special Blend (51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot,10% Cabernet Franc), (Spring Mountain) Napa Valley, 2005

BEST VALUE Portfolio ($12-$20!)

Owl Ridge Wines, Dry Creek Valley/Sonoma Coast/Sonoma County/North Coast 

PARTYINMYMOUTH 

La Sirena Winery, Moscato Azul - Dry Muscat Canelli, (Calistoga) Napa Valley, 2007

Navarro Vineyards, Estate Dry Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley, 2006

*and cement my love for the Old World. Much has to change over here before that foundation starts to crack :)

M E S A grill

Had a lovely Sunday dinner with the girls at MESA in Vegas last night. Accompanied by some nice chardonnays...the 2004 Sonoma Cutrer 'Les Pierres' and the 2000 Daniel-Etienne Defaix's Cote de Lechet (Premier Cru Chablis). I picked the white burgurdy to exhibit the richness even Chablis can achieve to chard lovers in the New World comfort zone. Defaix makes his wines in a traditional style - without the use of new oak - fermenting and aging in stainless steel vats with significant time spent ‘on the lees’ (the skins, dead yeasts and other such physical matter of the grapes). This infuses his wines with phenomenal richness and complexity, while still allowing the freshness and minerality of great Chablis to shine. They loved it and I hope more of my family and friends start trying older Chablis when they see them on wine lists and in shops! 

Tasting notes: wines undergoes malolactic fermentation, driven midpalate, lemon, citrus, caramel, honey, hazelnut, medium plus acidity, subtle minerality

Emeritus: To Earn By Service

Last night was the first time I've had Emeritus. It's a more masculine pinot than the Poppy. The 2006 Estate Bottle Russian River Valley pinot is a nicely concentrated wine with refreshing acidity. It clocks in a little high in alcohol (14+%) but that blows off and the rich fruit notes of black cherry and ripe raspberries step into the spotlight. This well balanced wine has the autumnal backdrop I am always looking for in a good pinot. Integrated, subtle New World pinots can be hard to come across.  You can tell Emeritus is made with the Burgundian appreciation of terrior and a graceful style in mind. Well done. 

Here is some info from their website:

The Emeritus Team farms the vineyards to exacting standards with only one goal: To produce a Pinot Noir of great distinction, a wine that reflects its vineyard heritage and embodies the spirit of the people who put the best of themselves into their work—a noble wine.

EMERITUS. (ē–mer´–i–tus), Latin, past participle of ēmerērī,to earn by service. The Emeritus Team has embarked on a quest for the quintessential Pinot—a new direction in California Pinot Noir.