2012 La Crema Chardonnay Monterey

2012 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

La Crema – The right wine makes the party

Overview

I was lucky to be selected in an online tasting of wines from La Crema Winery that was sponsored by Snooth. This event featured four wines from La Crema. There was two Chardonnay wines and two Pinot Noirs. In both cases the wines were the winery’s Monterey and Sonoma Coast appellation wines.

I want to thank La Crema and especially Gregory Dal Piaz of Snooth for allowing me to participate in this event.

The Winery

For more than 30 years, La Crema has explored California’s coastal appellations, a voyage of varietals that started here at our estate in the foggy vineyards of the Russian River Valley. On our journey, we have found exciting cool-climate vineyards north in the rugged hills of Mendocino, and south along the wind-swept slopes of Los Carneros. Most recently, our exploration has taken us to the wind-swept hillside vineyards of Monterey. Centered always on the dual lens of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, we look for one unifying factor at these exceptional sites: coastal wind and fog that allow the grapes ripen slowly on the vine, developing intensely complex aromas and flavors while retaining firm acid structure.

Naturally, our winemaking team seeks to express the essence of the terroir in our wines, capturing the unique personality and flavor profile of the vineyards. Elizabeth Grant-Douglas infuses our winemaking regime with a highly personal touch that combines the best of traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques with a contemporary California style.

Much more information is available on the winery’s website.

Snooth

Snooth is a community for wine lovers.

Whether one is just a beginner, or a total pro, Snooth offers its 1 million+ users countless opportunities to learn, taste, share and shop in the world of wine.

Members are able to interact with wineries, stores, fellow wine lovers, and wine professionals from all over the globe with Snooth’s daily newsletters, wine search, social forums and interactive media tools.

Since its launch in June 2007, Snooth has become one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive online wine destinations, featuring millions of price listings and wine reviews. Snooth also powers wine & food pairings for major sites including Epicurious.com (Conde Nast) and myRecipes.com (Time Inc).

Why drink alone? Grab a glass and join the fun!

There is a ton of great information available on the Snooth website.

My line up

Even though there were four wines discussed at this online chat, everyone received just two of the wines. Here is my line up for the event:

2012 La Crema Chardonnay Monterey – SRP $20

This 100% Chardonnay uses grapes from various vineyards in the Monterey region. The vineyards of Monterey are deﬁned by persistent ocean winds that are funneled down a 90-mile-long valley running north to south between the Santa Lucia and Gabilan Mountains.

The bottle is sealed with a Diam cork, which is made from pieces of shredded cork that is compressed and molded into shape.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden yellow color. The nose has apples, pears, crème brulee, baking spices, minerals, lemon zest, orange blossom and pineapple. On the palate the wine has a creamy texture with nice acidity and a medium body. On the palate apples, vanilla, spice and lemon zest steal the show. The finish is a touch short but flavorful. (87 pts)

2012 La Crema Chardonnay Monterey

2012 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast – SRP $25

This 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from several vineyards in the Sonoma Coast region. The coastal region’s boundary begins at the Mendocino County border, continues along the western coastal edge of Sonoma County through the mouth of the Russian River Valley; and extends to the Los Carneros region on the southern Sonoma/Napa

border.

The wine has 13.9% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light to medium ruby color. The expressive nose has cherries, baking spices, minerals, raspberries, slight herbal note and cola. This has a medium body, soft to moderate ripe tannins and nice acidity. On the palate tart cherries, spice and minerals carry the majority of the load. There is good length on the finish with some earthiness coming into the picture. (88 pts)

2012 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Conclusion

These wines are made in an easy drinking style that will appeal to most wine drinkers and would be perfect for a party. The wines have lower acidity which would make them a good choice where the wine won’t be expected to take center stage, but instead serve as a means of getting people to socialize over appetizers or casual meals.

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two. Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets. I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

Cheers!

* Shameless Self Promotion *

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

Breaking news from Klout:

Remember to support your local wine store!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

Cliff's Wine Picks