What should I talk about this week? How about Chardonnay?
At this time California Chardonnays are going through an evolution. Winemakers are dialing back on the oak a bit, and letting the Chardonnay fruit show through. A few tasty ones to consider are MaCrostie, Zaca Mesa, and Saintbury.
MaCrostie comes from the southern end of the Sonoma Valley, in the Carneros region. The Carneros region spans both Napa and Sonoma. It forms a crescent around the top of San Pablo Bay. This Chardonnay has a nice citrus note to go along with a kiss of oak. It is a very well balanced Chardonnay, with just the right amount of acidity.
Zaca Mesa is located in Santa Barbara County… I suppose, I should have written up the Sainstbury next. Why you ask? Because Saintsbury is located on the Napa side of Carneros. They are only a few miles apart. But I am a rebel and I will write up the Zaca Mesa next (Imagine the song “Born to be Wild,” playing as you read the above.). The Zaca Mesa Chard is showing a lemon- lime quality with hints of vanilla and coconut, coming from the American oak barrels the wine is aged in.
Saintsbury Chardonnay is the biggest of the three wines. Remember, we are back in the Carneros. It is the most buttery flavored, which means it spent the most time in oak barrels. The Napa side of the Carneros. This wine also contains citrus, and even a trace of pineapple flavors. Have this one with a meal.
JFS
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Two to find
We have a couple of nice wines for you to try. The first is the White Knight Viognier (every time I say White Knight, I have the Jefferson Airplane going through my head. “The White Knight is talking backwards and the Red Queen”… now it is stuck in your head). This is an affordable Viognier, not something said about Viognier for the most part. The bouquet of the wine is redolent of flowers and honeysuckle (is honeysuckle a flower? If so, I am being redundant) even a hint of apricot. On the palate it converts these aromas into flavors that linger. I think you will like this wine as an aperitif or with light dishes. At $11 it is a great deal for this interesting varietal.
The next wine is Spanish red wine known as Wrongo Dongo. Now don’t ask me what that means, I have tried to get an explanation but have not got a good one. If anyone knows, let me know. Back to the wine. Wrongo Dongo (it does sound vaguely obscene) is a Mourvedre based wine. It has a rich raspberry character, a supple mid-palate and a long finish. A little tannin sneaks in on the finish. What more do you want for $9. For those of you who have purchased Wrongo Dongo in the past the label has changed. It no longer has that hideous yellow label.
“And remember what the doorman said”
The next wine is Spanish red wine known as Wrongo Dongo. Now don’t ask me what that means, I have tried to get an explanation but have not got a good one. If anyone knows, let me know. Back to the wine. Wrongo Dongo (it does sound vaguely obscene) is a Mourvedre based wine. It has a rich raspberry character, a supple mid-palate and a long finish. A little tannin sneaks in on the finish. What more do you want for $9. For those of you who have purchased Wrongo Dongo in the past the label has changed. It no longer has that hideous yellow label.
“And remember what the doorman said”
Wine and Architecture
In this space you have been subjected to some of my rants on architecture. I have railed against Gehry’s Disney Center, as a building without context. I have compared Green & Green’s Gamble house, to a fine Pinot. The Gamble house is the antithesis of Gertrude Stein’s Oakland, there is more there there, with the Gamble House.
If Frank Lloyd Wright had only created the liquid elegance of Falling Water he would have been heralded as a genius. But remember, he also created the bombastic Grady Gammage auditorium. I think my comparison to Grady was an overripe alcoholic Cabernet. One could say I am throwing rocks at a Nuetra house.
What does this have to do with wine? You can learn about a wine by looking at the winery. Let me explain. The wine Opus One is created in a large nouveau French Chateau set down in Napa Valley. The Chai is covered in marble. It seems like every surface is covered in marble. Everything about this winery is expensive, the wine is expensive. If the wine is expensive it must be good. Right? Well….
Just up the road from this palace of excess is ZD. ZD is in a simple two story building. It blends into the scenery. It does not try to overpower the site. The winery is located on the first floor. The building makes the statement of restraint. This is a family owned winery. This is a family enterprise that cares about what is in the bottle and the winery is a reflection of this.
Over the hill from Napa, in the Sonoma Valley, is Ferrari Carano. Ferrari Carano is a Faux Tuscan villa in the Dry Creek area of Sonoma. It is massive and dwarfs the hillside it is perched upon. You would not be surprised to find out that the owner of Ferrari Carano also owns casinos in Reno. The building lacks a sense of balance. Not unlike their wine. If you like oak, theirs wines will give you splinters.
In the shadow of the monolith, that is Ferrari Carano, lays Seghesio Winery. The Segehsio winery was built in the 1930’s. It is a simple, yet classic California Ranch building. It blends perfectly into its tree filled setting. The building has a nice balanced feel. Not surprising they make, in my view, the most balanced Zinfandels on the market. The wines are not in your face aggressive. They reflect the winery and the Seghesio family.
If Frank Lloyd Wright had only created the liquid elegance of Falling Water he would have been heralded as a genius. But remember, he also created the bombastic Grady Gammage auditorium. I think my comparison to Grady was an overripe alcoholic Cabernet. One could say I am throwing rocks at a Nuetra house.
What does this have to do with wine? You can learn about a wine by looking at the winery. Let me explain. The wine Opus One is created in a large nouveau French Chateau set down in Napa Valley. The Chai is covered in marble. It seems like every surface is covered in marble. Everything about this winery is expensive, the wine is expensive. If the wine is expensive it must be good. Right? Well….
Just up the road from this palace of excess is ZD. ZD is in a simple two story building. It blends into the scenery. It does not try to overpower the site. The winery is located on the first floor. The building makes the statement of restraint. This is a family owned winery. This is a family enterprise that cares about what is in the bottle and the winery is a reflection of this.
Over the hill from Napa, in the Sonoma Valley, is Ferrari Carano. Ferrari Carano is a Faux Tuscan villa in the Dry Creek area of Sonoma. It is massive and dwarfs the hillside it is perched upon. You would not be surprised to find out that the owner of Ferrari Carano also owns casinos in Reno. The building lacks a sense of balance. Not unlike their wine. If you like oak, theirs wines will give you splinters.
In the shadow of the monolith, that is Ferrari Carano, lays Seghesio Winery. The Segehsio winery was built in the 1930’s. It is a simple, yet classic California Ranch building. It blends perfectly into its tree filled setting. The building has a nice balanced feel. Not surprising they make, in my view, the most balanced Zinfandels on the market. The wines are not in your face aggressive. They reflect the winery and the Seghesio family.
A Command Performance
Now, I want to talk about Elderton Winery. Elderton is located in the Barossa Valley in Southeastern Australia. It is without question one of the finest wineries in all of Australia. Recently, actually last night, I guess that is recent, I was able to taste 16 wines from the Elderton Winery at Mario’s Place in Riverside. It ranks as one of the great wine dinners I have attended.
The dinner began with the Elderton Chardonnay as the aperitif wine. This wine was fruit forward with a crisp finish. This wine showed daps of minerality and apple fruit. A very nice way to start the dinner.
We then moved into a pairing of Shiraz and a couple of Cabernet, Shiraz Merlot blends. The 2005 Shiraz was an elegant wine. A mouth filling wine, with a great texture. The finish was long and very pleasing. The 2006 Shiraz was a bit more hedonistic. It is more in your face with ripe fruit.
We then had the 1999 CSM that stands for Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot. The wine is called Ode to Lorraine. Lorraine is the mother of the current winemaker. As fate would have it this was either corked or oxidized. The worst part is this wine came from my cellar. Oh, the humanity!
The 2005 CSM was youthful, and complex. It had many layers of flavor and a very long finish. All of these wines had excellent finishes, a good sign for those who cellar wine. I really enjoyed this wine
Our next flight of wine was predominately Cabernet Sauvignon based wines.
This is a Shiraz Cabernet blend. This is a very typical blend in Australia but is not done too often state side. It had the sweet cherry fruit of a Shiraz as it crossed the tongue the black fruit nuances of cabernet dominated the finish.
The 2004 Estate Cabernet is lively and rich. It has some tobacco, sage and cedar elements on the palate. It has a long and pleasing finish. This is really a first class cab. The grapes come from 45 year old vines.
As good as the 2004 Estate Cabernet was the 2006 Ashmead Cabernet is spectacular! This is mammoth wine, yet not a tannic wine. The fruit flavors just want burst from this wine. The vines for this single vineyard wine were planted in 1944. If you like big, bold Cabernets, you will love this wine.
The last flight was the Command Shiraz. The Command is one of the great wines of Australia. If you go to Australia they talk about their Iconic wines. They would be Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, Jim Barry the Armgh and Eldertons Command. These are wines with a track record of greatness. This group of wines did not let us down.
We began with the 1997, a beautifully balanced wine. Delicious, ripe berry fruit slip across the palate and a cranberry flavor sneaks up in the finish. Next up was the 1999 vintage; this wine was chosen by a few as their favorite. It was a little more complex than the 1997. It did offer many of the same fruit flavors. The 2000 was a bit different in the nose then many of the other Command wines. It had notes of bacon and roasted meat, very Rhone in style. The 2002 offered some notes of sage and coriander. It had a rich berry fruit flavor on the finish. The 2004 was another outstanding wine in a group of stellar wines. It had layers of flavors, a touch of smoke and that long lasting finish. The 2005 is the current release of the Command Shiraz. It is a humongous wine. Rich and deep in flavor and a long lasting finish. It is rare to have a wine so young and structured but still eminently drinkable. In ten years this may turn out to be the best Command.
One member of our dinner party said the group of Command wines was the best group of wines he has ever drunk.
With our dessert we had the Botrytis Semillon from 2003 and 2007. I admit I have a sweet tooth. In my cellar I have more than my fill of sweet wines, actually the 2003 came from my cellar, and theses two hit the spot. A delicious finish to an amazing dinner.
The dinner began with the Elderton Chardonnay as the aperitif wine. This wine was fruit forward with a crisp finish. This wine showed daps of minerality and apple fruit. A very nice way to start the dinner.
We then moved into a pairing of Shiraz and a couple of Cabernet, Shiraz Merlot blends. The 2005 Shiraz was an elegant wine. A mouth filling wine, with a great texture. The finish was long and very pleasing. The 2006 Shiraz was a bit more hedonistic. It is more in your face with ripe fruit.
We then had the 1999 CSM that stands for Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot. The wine is called Ode to Lorraine. Lorraine is the mother of the current winemaker. As fate would have it this was either corked or oxidized. The worst part is this wine came from my cellar. Oh, the humanity!
The 2005 CSM was youthful, and complex. It had many layers of flavor and a very long finish. All of these wines had excellent finishes, a good sign for those who cellar wine. I really enjoyed this wine
Our next flight of wine was predominately Cabernet Sauvignon based wines.
This is a Shiraz Cabernet blend. This is a very typical blend in Australia but is not done too often state side. It had the sweet cherry fruit of a Shiraz as it crossed the tongue the black fruit nuances of cabernet dominated the finish.
The 2004 Estate Cabernet is lively and rich. It has some tobacco, sage and cedar elements on the palate. It has a long and pleasing finish. This is really a first class cab. The grapes come from 45 year old vines.
As good as the 2004 Estate Cabernet was the 2006 Ashmead Cabernet is spectacular! This is mammoth wine, yet not a tannic wine. The fruit flavors just want burst from this wine. The vines for this single vineyard wine were planted in 1944. If you like big, bold Cabernets, you will love this wine.
The last flight was the Command Shiraz. The Command is one of the great wines of Australia. If you go to Australia they talk about their Iconic wines. They would be Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, Jim Barry the Armgh and Eldertons Command. These are wines with a track record of greatness. This group of wines did not let us down.
We began with the 1997, a beautifully balanced wine. Delicious, ripe berry fruit slip across the palate and a cranberry flavor sneaks up in the finish. Next up was the 1999 vintage; this wine was chosen by a few as their favorite. It was a little more complex than the 1997. It did offer many of the same fruit flavors. The 2000 was a bit different in the nose then many of the other Command wines. It had notes of bacon and roasted meat, very Rhone in style. The 2002 offered some notes of sage and coriander. It had a rich berry fruit flavor on the finish. The 2004 was another outstanding wine in a group of stellar wines. It had layers of flavors, a touch of smoke and that long lasting finish. The 2005 is the current release of the Command Shiraz. It is a humongous wine. Rich and deep in flavor and a long lasting finish. It is rare to have a wine so young and structured but still eminently drinkable. In ten years this may turn out to be the best Command.
One member of our dinner party said the group of Command wines was the best group of wines he has ever drunk.
With our dessert we had the Botrytis Semillon from 2003 and 2007. I admit I have a sweet tooth. In my cellar I have more than my fill of sweet wines, actually the 2003 came from my cellar, and theses two hit the spot. A delicious finish to an amazing dinner.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Value
This may a good time to write a little bit about value. Our present economic condition is making many of us rethinking our wine purchases. What is a value wine? Is it just a cheap wine? I don’t think so. I have had many $5 bottles of wine, that I thought were worth ….$5. There was no value in many of these wines. For me a value wine is one that delivers more taste then the price would dictate. I have a few wineries that I think offer good value.
Bogle Vineyards are considered one of the best value brands in the market. Don’t take my word, the Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate, all have proclaimed Bogle as a great value brand. Bogle produces a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet and an Old Vines Zinfandel. The latest addition to the Bogle line is a Riesling. This is an intensely fruity wine, with just a kiss of sweetness on the finish. The Bogle wines are all around the $10 price point. I would compare these wines to other brands priced in the $20 range.
Another winery, I think gives good value is Rutherford Ranch. Rutherford Ranch is a Napa Valley producer. There is not a lot of value that comes out of Napa Valley. There is a lot of ego that keeps prices high. Rutherford Ranch has been in the grape business for 70 years. They are not concerned about putting their name on the bottle. They are concerned about putting good wine in the bottle and charging a good price for the wine. Rutherford Ranch wines are in the $12 - $18 a bottle. Their Napa Valley Cabernet is a particularly delicious wine. They also produce a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel, all well worth the price.
I think you cannot go wrong with either one of these brands. You will fine quality in these wines that you would normally find in wines double the price.
Now go try them!
Bogle Vineyards are considered one of the best value brands in the market. Don’t take my word, the Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate, all have proclaimed Bogle as a great value brand. Bogle produces a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet and an Old Vines Zinfandel. The latest addition to the Bogle line is a Riesling. This is an intensely fruity wine, with just a kiss of sweetness on the finish. The Bogle wines are all around the $10 price point. I would compare these wines to other brands priced in the $20 range.
Another winery, I think gives good value is Rutherford Ranch. Rutherford Ranch is a Napa Valley producer. There is not a lot of value that comes out of Napa Valley. There is a lot of ego that keeps prices high. Rutherford Ranch has been in the grape business for 70 years. They are not concerned about putting their name on the bottle. They are concerned about putting good wine in the bottle and charging a good price for the wine. Rutherford Ranch wines are in the $12 - $18 a bottle. Their Napa Valley Cabernet is a particularly delicious wine. They also produce a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel, all well worth the price.
I think you cannot go wrong with either one of these brands. You will fine quality in these wines that you would normally find in wines double the price.
Now go try them!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
In the last few weeks I have had several wine tastings with my friends. It has made me realize how important wine has been in my life. Almost every one of my friends, became my friends, do to our mutual interest in wine. These friends come from many different backgrounds. If not for our interest in wine, our paths might never have crossed. That would have been sad.
As many of you know I have a Pinot Noir club. We started in 2001. The plan was to have a group gather and discuss wine. We would try to form a lexicon on wine. This way we would know what each other was saying, when we described what we tasted. Well, eight years later we still don’t know what the other guy is talking about. But you know, it does not matter. What has happened is a bunch of guys have become good friends. These friends get together monthly; we laugh and tease each other unmercifully. Most of the time is spent talking about things other than wine.
When I think about it, I would not want it any other way.
As many of you know I have a Pinot Noir club. We started in 2001. The plan was to have a group gather and discuss wine. We would try to form a lexicon on wine. This way we would know what each other was saying, when we described what we tasted. Well, eight years later we still don’t know what the other guy is talking about. But you know, it does not matter. What has happened is a bunch of guys have become good friends. These friends get together monthly; we laugh and tease each other unmercifully. Most of the time is spent talking about things other than wine.
When I think about it, I would not want it any other way.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I have been hearing from several sources how good the 2007 vintage was in Spain. They are calling it the best in 30 years. I always take this with a grain of salt. Wine makers tend to be in love with their latest vintage. Then the wines started to come in and the fact is, they are delicious.
One of the tasty ones I have had is Nekeas El Chapparral Grenache. This wine comes from the Jumilla region of Spain. This wine has a bright ruby color. It has an extremely rich nose with wisps of black raspberry, plum and flowers. You call this wine juicy, with a hint of pepper on the palate. The wine finishes with red and dark berry flavors. If you like big, bold, red wines you will love this wine.
One of the tasty ones I have had is Nekeas El Chapparral Grenache. This wine comes from the Jumilla region of Spain. This wine has a bright ruby color. It has an extremely rich nose with wisps of black raspberry, plum and flowers. You call this wine juicy, with a hint of pepper on the palate. The wine finishes with red and dark berry flavors. If you like big, bold, red wines you will love this wine.
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