2008 Santi Ripasso della Valpolicella Classico Superiore Solane – $11.37

This has been a house favorite when it comes to a low priced, good quality, Italian Ripasso wine.  Granted it’s not as big and rich as most Ripasso wines, but it also doesn’t cost $30 or more.  This packs plenty of quality into an $11 bottle.  This is perfect with pizza or a week night pasta dish.  We’re trying out a new pasta dish tonight and I think this will pair perfectly.

 

The wine is a deep ruby color.  There are earthy cherries, licorice, baking spices, fresh violets, and a touch of dried herbs on the very appealing nose.  This is medium body with soft, ripe tannins and good acidity.  Nice spicy, earthy, fruit dominate the palate with some dried herbs and spicy oak providing nice depth.  Decent length on the finish which again shows a bit of excess spicy oak.  Not the biggest or richest Ripasso out there, but for a touch over $11, this is a QPR keeper.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

We made a Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta dish for dinner.  This is a Cooking Light recipe that is available at http://bit.ly/RXueAr

 

We used a hotter brand of sausage so the touch of richness in the Solane Ripasso held up well to the dish.  By the way, the dish is fantastic and is a very nice way to use any excess fresh tomatoes out of the garden.  As an added bonus, other than cooking the pasta, the dish takes less than 15 minutes to prepare.

 

 

 

2005 Copain Syrah Madder Lake – $25.00

It has been a couple years since I had a bottle of this wine.  Every bottle I had was good, but I always felt there was more “under the hood” and additional cellar time would help bring it out.  This is my last bottle of three I originally purchased.  I sure hope the five year wait was worthwhile.  This was Copain’s lowest priced single vineyard offering at that time.  This is from LakeCounty on California’s NorthCoast.  The 2006 vintage, which I still have in the cellar, was Copain’s last offering from this vineyard.

 

The wine is a medium ruby color with some brick at the edge.  The very nice nose on the wine has smoke, blackberries, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, meat juices, black pepper, and a bit of earthiness.  The wine is medium body with well integrated tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the wine has nice spicy, peppery berries and some earthiness leading into a very nice, lingering finish.  This is in a prime drinking window right now, but should hold for a couple of years.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Treasure Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District – $24.69

This is another wine from the négociant California winery under the 3 Finger Wine Company umbrella.  These are generally very nice, value priced wines.  Most of the grapes are excess purchased from much wineries that were destined to go into more expensive wines.  I had a bottle of this a few months ago and felt it was very nice.  This should go very nicely with some juicy, Saturday burgers, hot off the grill.

 

The wine is a deep, dark garnet to purple color.  The outstanding nose has cassis, dried herbs, cigar box, licorice, minerals, and hints of baking spices, leather, and wildflowers.  This is medium bodied with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice rich fruit and spice with dried herbs dominate the palate with just a touch of earthiness in the background.  This has a fairly long finish full of fruit and spice with the dried herbs lingering seemingly forever.  This is an outstanding bottle of wine that I imagine was destined for one of the big name, high scoring wines from the area.  You can sense the grapes in this wine were grown with the utmost case.  Glad I have another bottle, hopefully I can sit on it for a few years to see how this wine evolves.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

2004 Cellers Can Blau Montsant – $11.99

Needed some red wine to deglaze a pan and to add to a pot roast.  I’ve been wanting to open one of my remaining bottles of this for a while, this should work fine.  I’m actually looking forward to trying it again, I’ve liked the bottles I’ve had over the last several years.  This is a blend of  Carinena, Syrah and Garnacha, or as most Americans know them, Carignane, Syrah, and Grenache.

 

The wine is a fairly dark maroon color.  The nose has earthy berries, pine needles, well worn leather, cherries, meat juices, black pepper, dried herbs, underbrush, and a touch of licorice.  This is medium body with soft, fully integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine has ripe, plush berries with a nice earthy overlay and dried herbs.  The finish is fairly long and very smooth.  This wine has aged very gracefully.  There are no rough edges or any out of balance elements on this well aged, bargain priced red from Spain.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Big Basin Vineyards Odeon Black Ridge Vineyard – $41.00

I’ve loved all the BigBasin wines I’ve had over the last couple of years.  I think they are one big score from one of the big wine publications from appearing on most wine drinkers’ radar.  Bradley Brown’s Rhone grape based reds are usually very big, ripe, and spicy that push the alcohol levels to the limit.  That said, the wines are generally big enough they can easily support elevated alcohol.

 

This is a blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Santa CruzMountains area on California’s massive CentralCoast.

 

This was decanted for about 3 hours.   The wine is a deep, dark, purple color.  The very deep and interesting nose had cassis, blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, licorice, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, dried herbs, minerals, and some toasty oak.  This is full bodied with a nice tannic backbone and good acidity.  The wine explodes on your palate coating it with spicy fruit, dark chocolate, and dried herbs.  There is a some nice, spicy oak providing some background “seasoning”.  The wine has a long, lingering finish with just enough toast oak to add interest without over powering the fruit and dried herbs.  This is a big, ripe, rich wine that perfectly conceals the alcohol.  This wine has years of life ahead of it, but it is delicious today with some air.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

We had the Big Basin Odeon with a very tasty pot roast with rice and veggies.  They tasted fantastic together.

 

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

 

Helioterra

Helioterra is a new discovery for me.  I met the owner/winemaker, Anne Hubatch, when she came back to visit her family in Wisconsin.  We tasted through her whole line up and I was very impressed.  I recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting Oregon winery.  Their next release is coming shortly, for more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q5TmSl

 

 

Elyse Winery

This is Elyse’s 25th year.  You can help them celebrate the momentous occasion.  They are offering 25% off all purchases made through September 25th.  I have been a big fan of the winery since my first visit there in 2000.  They make some of my favorite, mid-priced, red wines.  I think their Cabernets, Zinfandels, Petite Sirahs, and Rhone blends are all very good to outstanding.  Visit http://www.elysewinery.com/25.html for more information.

 

 

Ledge Vineyards

This is one of my latest “finds”.  Mark Adams is the owner/winemaker for this family owned winery.  He releases one wine, and the grapes all come from the family owned vineyard.  The vineyard is about 7 acres currently and is located in Paso Robles not far from Denner and the James Berry Vineyards.  Mark is also been the assistant winemaker at Saxum where he has worked since 2004.  I highly recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting list.  Visit http://www.ledgevineyards.com/index.php for more information or to join the list.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

2009 Domaine Roche Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne – $16.14

There’s nothing, in my opinion, better than a nice Côtes du Rhône when you want something interesting without dropping a load of money.  I grabbed three of these from the local wine store several months ago but until tonight, have not opened one.  This is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah that aged in mostly cement, with a small portion in older barrels.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  There are cherries, licorice, roasted meat, dried herbs, minerals, black pepper, raspberry, and nice earthiness on the open and expressive nose.  This is medium body with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Loads of fruit, spice, and minerals on the palate with some dried herbs and earthiness in the background.  The finish is fairly long and again showcases the spicy, mineral driven fruit.  Very nice today, but will last in the cellar for a few years, at a minimum.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

 2007 Clos La Coutale Cahors – $13.29

I’ve been a big Cahors fan for several years, but due to lack of a decent selection locally, I got my Malbec fix from Argentina the last few years.  I always loved the big and tannic 100% Malbecs from Cahors.  Unfortunately, I was in the minority.  Over the last several years, a lot of the wineries in the region have begun blending in varying amounts of Merlot to tame the tannins and allow for earlier drinking.  This one is 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot.  I took the plunge on this one purely due to the #76 ranking in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2009 and the killer price.  I guess I’ll find out tonight if the risk paid off.

 

The wine is a dark, inky purple color.  On the deep and dark nose there are blackberries, fresh ground espresso, Asian spices, dark chocolate, black cherry, and some nice earthiness.  The wine is medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and zippy acidity.  Not as big and bold on the palate as the nose led me to expect, it is much more restrained and laid back.  There are nice fruit and spice flavors on the palate with the acidity brightening it up considerably.  In the background some dark chocolate, walnut, and earthiness add nice depth.  Decent length on the finish, where I wish it had a bit more length and complexity.  All in all, very nice for the price, but not what the nose lead me to expect.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Novy Family Wines Four Mile Creek – $9.50

I perennial value priced favorite.  In this vintage, it seems to have a bit more oomph than most vintages.  Perhaps there was a surplus of very good grapes from some of the better vineyards or some grapes headed for single vineyard wines were declassified.  Either way, we’re the winners.  This is a jammy, fruity blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah and Nebbiolo.

 

The wine is a deep ruby color.  Blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, licorice, underbrush, with some earth and violets on the very open and interesting nose.  This is medium body with soft, ripe tannins and nice acidity.  Loads of jammy, spicy fruit grab the palate, followed by some toasty oak and earthiness.  Decent length on the spicy fruit filled finish.  Not much complexity but very tasty.  Killer QPR for under $10.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Syncline Grenache-Carignan – $19.94

Just got back home from a business trip and was in the mood for something a little different.  This is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Carignan from the ColumbiaValley in Washington.  I’ve had a couple bottles of this wine over the last year, but felt it would be better with a bit of cellar time.  I guess it’s time to check in to see how it’s going.  As an added bonus, the wine is closed with a glass stopper.  In my opinion the best stopper for wines that will be consumed in three to eight years.  I need to see some research before I can extend the top end of that range.  I think these stoppers are a bit too costly to use on wines meant to be consumed not long after release.

 

The wine is a bit lighter than a medium ruby color.  This has a very nice nose with raspberry, meat juices, cherries, minerals, underbrush, licorice, fresh wild flowers, and baking spices with just a hint of an herbal note lingering in the background.  The wine is medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine has a nice mix of fruit and spices with some earthiness and toasty oak adding depth and some complexity.  Decent length on the finish where the slight herbal/stemmy note reappears.  Not a big, overly ripe, and bold style of wine, but very tasty and refined.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

I was out of town on a business tip most of the week.  Instead of having my wife live without wine, I have a pretty nice selection of 375ml half bottles.  I currently have 20 different wines for her to choose from when I am away.  Here are the wines she enjoyed this week.  2004 Copain Garys’ Vineyard Syrah, 2006 Scherrer Old and Mature VinesScherrerVineyardAlexanderValley Zinfandel, and a 2006 ScherrerRussianRiverValley Pinot Noir.  Sorry, no notes on these wines, all I got from her was, “they were all good”.  Luckily I have at least one bottle of all of these, so maybe I’ll be able to try them the next time one is opened.

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

 

Helioterra

Helioterra is a new discovery for me.  I met the owner/winemaker, Anne Hubatch, when she came back to visit her family in Wisconsin.  We tasted through her whole line up and I was very impressed.  I recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting Oregon winery.  Their next release is coming shortly, for more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q5TmSl

 

 

Elyse Winery

This is Elyse’s 25th year.  You can help them celebrate the momentous occasion.  They are offering 25% off all purchases made through September 25th.  I have been a big fan of the winery since my first visit there in 2000.  They make some of my favorite, mid-priced, red wines.  I think their Cabernets, Zinfandels, Petite Sirahs, and Rhone blends are all very good to outstanding.  Visit http://www.elysewinery.com/25.html for more information.

 

 

Ledge Vineyards

This is one of my latest “finds”.  Mark Adams is the owner/winemaker for this family owned winery.  He releases one wine, and the grapes all come from the family owned vineyard.  The vineyard is about 7 acres currently and is located in Paso Robles not far from Denner and the James Berry Vineyards.  Mark is also been the assistant winemaker at Saxum where he has worked since 2004.  I highly recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting list.  Visit http://www.ledgevineyards.com/index.php for more information or to join the list.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

2007 Stefania Haut Tubee – $18.00

This has been a very nice wine over the past few vintages.  This is a bit of a strange wine in that it changes the blend every vintage, sometimes drastically.  The winery uses left over barrels from their main wines, small lots, or whatever is available to create a unique blend.  This vintage is, per the winery 50% Syrah with Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel, Grenache, and Mourvedre comprising the other 50%.   For comparison, the 2008 vintage is 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Syrah, 15% Merlot, 10% Zinfandel, 2% Grenache, and trace amounts of Mourvedre, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and PinotGris.

The wine is a dark ruby to maroon color.  There are blackberries, cherries, black pepper, baking spices, cedar, licorice, dried herbs, with hints of smoked meat, and earthy notes on the very inviting nose.  This is medium to full body with ripe, integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine is very nice and refined on the palate, loads of fruit and spice with dried herbs and earthiness in the background.  Decent length on the finish which I wish was a touch fuller.  A very nice bottle of wine for under $20.  Probably needs to be consumed over the next year or two at most.  (90 pts)

 

 

2008 R Wines Pinot Noir Permutations – $12.74

This is a Pinot Noir from the Victoria region in Australia.  It’s been a while since I opened one of these, so today is as good a day as any to unscrew my last bottle.  Earlier bottles have shown some bottle variation.  Some have been VERY earthy, others had nice fruit and spice with just a vein of earthiness.

This wine is a shade or two lighter than ruby with considerable lightening at the edge.  There are cherries, raspberry, baking spices, earthy elements and some fresh flowers on the very light and alluring nose.  This is light to medium body with silky tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine has nice, juicy red fruits and spice with a streak of earthiness in the background.  The finish is a touch short, but all in all this is a nice, lighter bodied Pinot for south of $15.  (87 pts)

 

 

2008 Cosa Obra Proprietor’s Blend – $28.80

This is the initial release from this winery.  This wine is a blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache and it is from SonomaCounty.  This was aged for 20 months in 50% new French oak.

I had a bottle about a year ago and it showed a lot of promise, but I felt it needed another year or two in the cellar to pull itself together and to open up.  I guess I’ll see today if my early guess held up.

The wine is a deep, dark, maroon color.  This smells like a fall day with blackberries, charcoal, smoked meat, hot asphalt, minerals, licorice, toasty oak, vanilla, white pepper, and a bit of cherry.  This is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Big, bold, and ripe on the palate but everything holds together in perfect balance.  Nice meaty, spicy, fruit kick in immediately on the palate with just a touch of earthiness in the background.  A fairly long finish completes the package showcasing the fruit and savory elements with a bit of oak peeking in.  No hurry on this one, and another year in the cellar will be rewarded.  (93 pts)

 

 

2009 Grandes Vinos y Viñedos Cariñena Beso de Vino Seleccion – $8.48

I grabbed a bottle of this to try a couple years ago, based purely on a 90 point score by Wine Advocate.  It turned out the 90 points was by Jay Miller and not Robert Parker, so my expectations were greatly reduced.  This was actually a very enjoyable wine, loaded with acidity, and not syrupy and over ripe.  I actually felt it needed some cellar time for the acidity to integrate.

This is a blend of 85% Syrah and 15% Garnacha, briefly aged for 3 months in French oak.

This is a medium to dark ruby color.  There are blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, white pepper, plums, smoke, and vanilla on the slightly reserved nose.  The wine is a medium body, at most, with soft, ripe tannins and tart acidity.  Very bright, tart red fruit on the palate with spices and a touch of oak in the background.  With a bit of air, more spices and pepper also make it to the party.  Decent length on the finish with the tart, spicy, fruit fading a bit too quickly.  Not your typical, slightly sweet, soft, easy drinker usually seen at this price point from this area.  No complexity, but fairly tasty.  (87 pts)

 

 

2006 Franciscan Oakville Estate Magnificat – $28.49

On a whim, I grabbed a bottle of this wine from the local store when they were blowing them out.  I’ve had Franciscan cabernets in the past and they were generally pretty decent, especially if you found them at less then suggested retail price.  This is their top tier cabernet based blend in their “Prestige Wines” line.  As with most of the “Meritage” wines, the varietal breakdown changes every vintage, in this year the makeup is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot.

The wine is a deep ruby color.  There is cassis, crushed blackberries, dried herbs, cedar, smoke, baking spices, black cherry, and a slight herbal note on the soothing and comforting nose.  The nose is not an in your face style like a lot of the current release Bordeaux styled wines coming out of California.  I’m not saying that is a positive or a negative, just different, since I like both styles.  The wine is medium bodied with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine has a nice fruit and savory blend on the palate with a touch of spicy oak peeking through.  Decent length on the finish, I just wish it had a touch more length.  Once again, a touch of excess oak peeks out on the finish.  With some additional cellar time, the excess oak may integrate, but I don’t think there is enough fruit to help it hide out.  (90 pts)

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Helioterra

Helioterra is a new discovery for me.  I met the owner/winemaker, Anne Hubatch, when she came back to visit her family in Wisconsin.  We tasted through her whole line up and I was very impressed.  I recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting Oregon winery.  Their next release is coming shortly, for more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q5TmSl

 

 

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.

Cheers!

 

 

Enoree River Vineyards and Winery

Newberry, SC

 

 

During a recent vacation to South Carolina to visit my wife’s family, I discovered a winery only a few miles away and decided we had to stop in for a visit.

 

I wasn’t expecting world class wines but figured it was worth a visit to a small, family owned winery in the middle of South Carolina.  I try to support all wineries since making wine is a life style I wholeheartedly support.

 

They have two classifications for their wines; the more international styled wines are made from juice brought in from Chile.  They also make fruit based wines and wines from grapes grown on site, Muscadine.  Muscadine grapes are native to the Southern United States from Texas to the Carolinas.

 

After accidently driving past the winery and having to make a U-turn, we arrived at the winery and tasting room.  Their new and very nice looking tasting room had shining hardwood floors, the prerequisite tasting bar, and several tables.  We stopped in on a Thursday afternoon and were the only people there.  We were told they get extremely busy on Saturdays.  As expected, their busiest time of the year is the month leading up to Christmas.  Everyone has to have some alcohol to successfully celebrate the holiday season.

 

I believe we were told they are getting ready for their 4^th harvest of their Muscadine grapes.

 

 

On the day we visited, they had 10 wines available for us to taste for a reasonable $5 fee.  We passed on a couple of the sweet Muscadine based wines, but sampled the rest.

 

1 – Sauvignon Blanc – This was made from juice brought in from Chile and it was very representative of the Sauvignon Blancs I’ve had from Chile and Argentina.  The wine had tart citrus with a nice herbal element.

 

2 – Riesling – Again made from juice brought in from Chile.  I have not had a Chilean Riesling, so I didn’t have a reference point for comparison.  The wine had nice tart apple and citrus.  This was made in a slightly off dry style and would be nice on its own or with some spicy food.

 

3 – Carlos (Semi-Dry) – This was a white wine made with the home grown Muscadine grapes.  Even though it is listed s semi-dry, it was very sweet to us.  This lacked the acidity needed to offset the sweetness so it came across as pretty soft.  This was not our style of wine, but I bet it is very popular to the sweet wine drinkers.

 

4 – Carlos (Sweet) – Based on the sweetness of the semi-dry white, we passed on this wine

 

5 – Noble (Semi-Dry) – This was a red wine made from the home grown Muscadine grapes.  Like the Carlos above, it was again very sweet and lacked the offsetting acidity.  This had a more cherry to berry flavor profile.

 

6 – Noble (Sweet) – Once again we passed on this wine because the Semi-Dry was sweet enough for our tastes.

 

7 – Merlot – This is again made with juice brought in from Chile.  The wine also includes a bit of barrel aged Malbec to add some earthiness, dark fruit, and spice.  An easy drinking style of wine, probably very popular for dry wine drinkers at holiday parties.

 

8 – Red Raspberry – A very nice, jammy style of wine full of, you guessed it, red raspberry.  This as well as the other two fruit based wines would probably be a crowd pleaser mixed with some sparking wine.

 

9 – Blackberry – Obviously made with blackberries, this was again off dry but with enough zippy acidity to help offset the sweetness.

 

10 – Apple – As expected, this was once again a sweeter style of wine full of sweet apples.

 

 

Here’s a shot of the vineyards.  I’m sure the rain they received over the last couple of weeks helped bring back the green color.

 

 

 

Here is a slightly closer picture of their vineyard.

 

 

 

Here are some while Muscadine (Carlos) grapes on the vine.

 

 

 

Here are some ripe Muscadine grapes about ready to be picked.

 

 

 

We bought a bottle of their Riesling and a bottle of their Blackberry wine.  The Blackberry will probably be used to make a very interesting Blackberry Cake from the Winery’s Recipe section of their website.  http://www.enoreeriverwinery.com/Recipies.html

 

The price for a tasting or a glass of wine is $5.00, souvenir glasses are $2, and wines cost $13 a bottle.

 

 

 

If you ever find yourself on I-26 North of Columbia, I recommend stopping by for a visit.  They are only about a half mile off the highway.

 

Their website is http://www.enoreeriverwinery.com/

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch – $22.00

I really liked the 2010 vintage of this wine; unfortunately we killed off the last bottle a few weeks ago.  The good news is we have a decent stash of the 2011.  I joined the Bedrock mailing list to get my hands on Morgan’s red wines, but his whites have been a revelation.

 

The wine is a bright straw color with glints of green and gold.  This has a fresh and refreshing nose full of apples, white peaches, stony minerals, citrus zest, eucalyptus, fresh cut grass, with a nice floral note.  This is light to medium body with crisp, citrusy, acidity.  This is bright and very lively with the fruit, citrus, and herbal notes taking turns enticing the palate.  The finish is fairly long with the eucalyptus making an appearance to lend a savory element to the fruit and citrus.  No hurry on this one, it should easily last a few years in the cellar, but as soon as you finish a bottle you will be drawn to open another.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2001 Boroli Barolo – $32.99

We very much enjoyed the early drinking 2000 vintage of this value priced Barolo.  Now that vintage has disappeared from my cellar, it’s time to check in on the 2001 to see how it is doing.

 

This was decanted for about 2 hours.  The wine is a nice dark ruby color, considerably lighter at the rim and just a hint of bricking.  Black cherries, berries, tar, rose petals, baking spices, and a very slight herbal note on the very elegant nose.  The wine is medium body with velvety tannins and very nice acidity.  This is very civilized on the palate for a youngish Barolo, nice fruit and spice and just a touch of spicy oak pop out in front with some earthiness in the background.  The wine has decent length on the finish which is still a touch ragged with some excess oak and herbal notes popping out.  Give this another year or two in the cellar and drink it over the following several years.  Even today this is outstanding with some upside potential.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Two Hands Brave Faces – $17.09

Two Hands is one of my wife’s favorite wineries and ranks pretty high on my list.  This is one winery that is not afraid to allow their grapes to get fully ripe before picking.  Some of their wines get awfully close to the over ripe and syrupy side of the line, but most of the time they don’t cross that line.  Remember, ripe fruit is not a flaw in a bottle wine.

 

I was able to grab a case of this wine from my local wine store during a blow out sale about a year ago.  To me, this was an absolute no brainer buy for a touch over $17 a bottle.  This is 65% Shiraz, 35% Grenache and 100% BarossaValley.  This is the type of wine that made Australia famous before the mass produced “critter wines” did their best to kill that reputation.

 

This was pretty much a pop and pour tonight.  This is a deep, dark maroon to purple color.  There are blackberries, charcoal, black pepper, smoke, meat juices. vanilla, black cherry, and baking spices on the warm and comforting nose.  The wine is fairly full bodied with velvety tannins and good acidity.  This is locked and loaded on the palate, full of fruit, pepper, and spice.  There is a long flavor filled finish full of spicy fruit.  As with most Two Hands wines, this is full of ripe fruit but it is not sweet or syrupy.  This is in a prime drinking window, drink over the next year or two.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2004 Castle Rock Petite Sirah – $9.49

This is a bottle that slipped through the cracks, I had it marked to drink through 2010.  Even though it’s from the Lodi region, which tends to produce very ripe and high alcohol wines, this one is only 13.5% ABV.  If it’s dead, I have a few tons of other wine to choose from as a backup.

 

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color with just a touch of lightening at the edge.  On the very nice nose are blackberries, blueberries, baking spices, some black pepper, and a bit of earthiness.  This is medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and good acidity.  Nice spicy berries on the palate with just a bit of earthiness coming in on the backend.  The finish is a bit short and some oak is popping out as the fruit fades.  This is on the down side of its life but was still an enjoyable week night accompaniment with dinner, especially for an under $10, 8 year old bottle.  (86 pts)

 

The wine held up and had a nice nose and palate, the most obvious sign of old age was the quickly fading fruit on the finish leaving some excess oak.

 

 

 

2006 Magito Zinfandel Panorama Blend – $13.23

Even though labeled as a Zinfandel, the Blend part of the name is very applicable.  Per the label and website, this is actually a blend of 75% Amador, Napa and Solano County Vineyards Zinfandel, 8% Sonoma Mountain Scopa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Napa Valley Voyager vineyard Sangiovese, 5% Napa Valley Sarco Vineyard Syrah, 4% Mendocino County Merlot, and  2% Napa Valley Jonquil vineyard Petite Sirah.

 

I had a taste of this at the local wine store, and had to grab a couple bottles.  I remember the wine had a fair amount of acidity when I had sampled it a couple years ago.  I’m looking forward to enjoying this one tonight.

The wine is a medium ruby color.  There are brambly berries, black pepper, cherries, dark chocolate, dried herbs, and a touch of smoked meat on the very interesting and intriguing nose.  The wine is barely medium body with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Lively black and red fruit on the palate with some nice spice and dried herbs, there is a touch of earthiness in the background.  Decent length on the finish which does show a touch of excess oak.  A nice zinfandel for a week night dinner, as long as you aren’t looking for a classic zinfandel flavor profile.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

August West Wine

The August West offer hit the inbox on Wednesday.  Included in this offer were the 2011 Pinot and the 2010 Syrah from the RussianRiverValley, 2011 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot, and the 2010 Rosella’s Vineyard Syrah.  Visit http://www.augustwestwine.com/ to sign up for partner/winemaker Ed Kurtzman’s wonderful list.  All wines are very high quality and under $40 a bottle.

 

 

Anthill Farms Winery

The latest offer from Anthill Farms hit the old inbox on Wednesday.  The initial allocations are guaranteed through September 26^th.  This release includes three single vineyard Pinot Noirs, an Anderson Valley Pinot, and one of the best mailing list bargains out there, their 2010 Sonoma Coast Syrah, which is only $18.  For additional information, visit http://www.anthillfarms.com/

 

 

Helioterra

Helioterra is a new discovery for me.  I met the owner/winemaker, Anne Hubatch, when she came back to visit her family in Wisconsin.  We tasted through her whole line up and I was very impressed.  I recommend getting in on the ground floor of this exciting Oregon winery.  Their next release is coming shortly, for more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q5TmSl

 

 

Wind Gap

Pax Mahle’s Wind Gap Winery had their latest offer go live on Thursday.  Included in this offer are a couple I’d love to try.  Included in this release are:

2009 Yuen Chardonnay, James Berry & Brosseau Vineyards, CentralCoast – $36

2011 PinotNoirSonomaCoast – $36

2011 Mourvedre, Bedrock Vineyard, SonomaValley – $32

2010 Syrah Armagh Vineyard, SonomaCoast – $40

Reasonable prices for Pax’s high quality wines.

As an added bonus, they also have some Library wines available.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

2008 One Time Spaceman Moon Duck – $22.79

This is a personal favorite.  This is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 30% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 10% Tempranillo from Paso Robles.  The winemaker is Mark Adams, also the winemaker at Ledge and assistant winemaker at Saxum.

 

This was pretty much pop and pour.  The wine is a deep, dark, ruby to purple color.  This has an outstanding and expressive nose full of blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, licorice, cherries, underbrush, dark chocolate, and some nice earthiness.  The wine is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and nice acidity.  There is nice fruit and spice up front on the palate with layers of additional fruit and savory notes adding tons of depth.  There is a very nice, long, lingering finish full of fruit, spice, and earthy notes.  This is still very young and will reward additional cellar time.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Core Hard Core – $19.15

Core has been a favorite winery in my house for several years.  I used to be able to stock up on trips to Sam’s or Binny’s when I went to Chicago.  I no longer make that trip, so I get by on a few bottles here and there since it doesn’t make it to Wisconsin.

 

This is a blend of 37% Mourvedre, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Syrah, 4% Grenache from Santa BarbaraCounty on California’s CentralCoast.  I’ve been wanting to try this wine for a while, Jeb Dunnuck from The Rhone Report loved the wine (92+ pts) and JL from WS trashed it (82 pts), my palate generally more closely aligns with Jeb’s, so I have no fear in opening this bottle.

 

The wine is a deep, dark, ruby color.  The captivating nose has black cherry, smoked meat, black pepper, cassis, vanilla, dark chocolate, fresh ground espresso, dried herbs, and a touch of earthiness and cedar.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine is rich and spicy on the palate with layers of flavors popping in, including nice dark chocolate and espresso grounds elements.  A fairly long finish full of fruit and dark chocolate with some nice, spicy oak and earthiness adding to the enjoyment.  An outstanding effort that will reward additional cellar time.  (93 pts)

 

 

One oddity was that the label says 2007, but the cork is branded with 2008.

 

 

 

 

 2011 One Time Spaceman MCA Rosé – $15.21

Since it was only a couple weeks ago, I’m copying my post from my August 13 – August 16 blog which is still 100% applicable.

 

I’ve had this a couple times and it’s a very nice, easy drinking, fruity Rosé.  It is a bit softer and shows a touch of sweetness.  This is a Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend from Paso Robles.  The winemaker, Mark Adams, is a rising star in my opinion.  Besides the One Time Spaceman label, he has another label called Ledge.  I recommend doing a Google search for them and joining the mailing list.  Mark is also the assistant winemaker for a small Paso Robles winery you may have heard of, Saxum.  In his spare time, he is also a musician.  Check out his latest offering, Panjanatan, I know it’s available on Amazon, probably other places as well.

 

The wine is a bright salmon color.  This has watermelon, strawberries, white peaches, white pepper, and a touch of earthiness on the soft and pleasing nose.  This is light to medium body with nice acidity and just a touch of sweetness.  On the palate the wine is full of sweet, juicy red fruit with some citrus kicking in on the backend.  This is a nice, easy drinking Rosé, perfect for a casual dinner on the deck or patio or to sip on a hot day.  (89pts)

 

 

 

2007 Turley Zinfandel Tofanelli Vineyard – $34.00

Smoking up some ribs and hot links for dinner, so a big zinfandel was in order.  I had a hard time selecting between a Turley and one from Carlisle.  It’s been a while since I had a Turley, so it won.  As you can see from the bottle, the Turley fought getting plucked from the wine cellar, but I won.  Actually the scrape comes from the slightly too tight a fit in my wine cellar racking system.  It’s not a big deal to me since I buy my wine to drink, not to resell.

 

I generally like the Turley zins from Tofanelli Vineyard.  They usually show nice minerality and loads of pepper and spice.  The Tofanelli Vineyard is in about 26 acres on Dunaweal Lane, 1 mile south of Calistoga, in the NapaValley.

 

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  There are brambly berries, cherries, minerals, fresh ground black pepper, dark chocolate, ground dark espresso coffee beans, and a touch of earthiness on the very inviting nose.  This is medium to full body with nice, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice spicy, peppery, fruit on the palate with some dark chocolate and minerals coming in on the back end.  A fairly long finish which highlights the dark chocolate and briary fruit.  This is in a prime drinking window right now, but should hold for a couple of years.  Delicious!  (93 pts)

 

I smoked some ribs for our Sunday dinner.  Dinner was glorious with the ribs, hot links, and my wife’s macaroni salad.

 

Here’s the rack of ribs with the dry rub:

 

I wrapped these in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator over night.  This allows the seasoning to be absorbed into the meat.

 

Here’s a picture of the meat platter for dinner:

 

The wine was a perfect pairing with the meat.  Both had nice spice and the tannins had softened in the wine enough to cut through the juicy meat but not clash with the spicy rub I use.

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Jean Edwards Cellars

This is the home of some fantastic NapaValley cabernets at unbelievable prices.  Their latest offer includes their 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet and the 2009 Seventy Four – Forty One Howell Mountain Cab came out of Friday.  If you can bribe your way onto their pre-release mailing list, these are 25% off the normal, release price.  As a bonus, they also have a Library Release of their first commercial offering, the 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.  Visit https://jeanedwardscellars.com/ and tell Karen I sent you.  I have an earlier blog here with a review of the 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.

 

Villa Creek Vineyards

Ordering a case from Villa Creek is always a no-brainer decision for me.  Generally, the hard part is trying to keep my order between a case and a case and a half.  This release had two of my favorite wines from Villa Creek, The Avenger and Mas de Maha.  These are both nice blends from Paso Robles.

 

The Avenger is a blend of 50% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, and the Mas de Maha is a blend of 50% Tempranillo, 25% Grenache, 25% Carignan.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

Nice Wine Stuff

A Facebook friend, Heidi McLain, has a very nice product and is looking for some startup funding.  The product is the To Your Taste!® Wine Party Kit.  As an incentive to donate, she has some really nice “pledge rewards” for pledges of as little as $25.  Visit https://www.fundable.com/to-your-taste-for-wine-llc?_s=613 to see the marvelous product or even better to assist in the funding effort.  You can also visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/To-Your-Taste-Wine-Party-Kit/34193039949

 

 

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

 

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.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

This week was a bit light, wine wise.  We left for vacation on Saturday morning, so we dialed down the wine list a bit.  I selected wine we would like but with an eye towards value priced wines.

 

 

2008 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red – $13.29

This wine is usually a house favorite.  This is a kitchen sink blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 16% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Sangiovese, 3% Petite Verdot, and 1% Carmenere.  This is usually a very nice wine with fantastic QPR when you can find it for under $15.

The wine is a fairly dark ruby color.  On the nose, this has blackberries, charcoal, smoke, vanilla, meat juices, earthy underbrush, some cherries and a faint herbal note.  Medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice fruit and savory flavors on the palate which carries no extra heavy extraction or over ripe elements.   Decent length on the finish which again, shows no excess weight.  I think this is a wine most Francophiles would enjoy, to me it seems more styled like a French wine than one from California.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Schild Estate Shiraz – $19.00

This was a very highly rated wine that was a major disappointment when tasted not long after release.  This was very disjointed, syrupy, and tart.  After about a year in the cellar it started to come together.  It’s been several months since my last bottle, time to see if the improvement has continued.

 

This bottle was decanted about an hour.  The wine is a deep, dark, maroon color.  There are blackberries, baking spices, licorice, blueberries, vanilla, pepper, bittersweet chocolate, a touch of cherry, and a slight herbal note on the nice nose.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and tart acidity.  There is a big blast of up front fruit and spice with dark chocolate and herbal elements in the background.  The finish is again fairly tart with some herbal notes over riding the fruit.  This bottle was again a disappointment.  I will either not touch a bottle for another year or allow for a much longer decant.  (85 pts)

 

This wine was number 7 on the Wine Spectator, Top 100 Wines of 2010.

 

 

 

 

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Mourvedre Ode to Lulu Rosé – $18.00

We’re on vacation in South Carolina and it’s a very hot and humid day.  That makes it a perfect time to enjoy a nice Rosé, and this wine is guaranteed to be a perfect way to tame the weather.   This is one of my summer Rosé wines we enjoy.

 

A nice, light, pinkish salmon color. Minerals, strawberry, white pepper, melons, orange zest, and a bit of dusty earthiness on the very appealing nose. Light body with crisp acidity. A very dry rose with nice minerality and fruit with the white pepper and citrus making an appearance on the back end. Nice, lingering, mouthwatering finish. The real deal. Even those who like a crisp French Rose will find pleasure in this wine. (92 pts)

 

** Note copied from the July 30, 2012 To August 2, 2012 edition of Cliff’s Wine Picks. **

 

 

 

 

2007 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon – $19.00

Freemark Abbey was a winery I used to really like, but they seemed to go through a few off years.  Starting with the 2004 vintage they seemed to change course and put renewed vigor and effort into their wines.  The changes were fairly obvious by what they put in the bottle.  To me, they are once again a good, value priced winery putting out outstanding values.

 

This was decanted about an hour.  The wine is a deep, dark, inky ruby color.  Cassis, cigar box, vanilla, dried herbs, cherry, plum, and just a touch of licorice are on the very nice and inviting nose.  This is medium body with fairly solid but ripe tannins and nice acidity.  There are nice berries and spice on the palate with just a touch of oak peeking through on the backend.  This has nice length on the finish which picks up some dried herbs.  This was an absolute steal at $19.  No hurry, a little more cellar time will be rewarded.  (91 pts)

 

 

2008 Stanley Lambert Chardonnay Pristine – $7.13

One of our favorite, inexpensive white wines.  This is an unoaked Chardonnay from the Barossa Valley in Australia.  This wine doesn’t have the greatest distribution network, but luckily it is available in Wisconsin.  I’ve met the now retired winemaker, Lindsey Stanley multiple times and he is the epitome of every Australian stereo types out there.

 

The wine is a yellow to straw color.  On the nose, this wine has apples, pears, orange blossoms, minerals, and orange zest.  This is light to medium body with crisp acidity.  Nice apples and pears on the palate with the citrus kicking in on the backend with some minerality in the background.  This has a nice finish with the orange zest and minerals lingering and slowly fading.  This is still drinking very nicely and for a low cost Australian Chardonnay, there is no hurry on killing these off.  (90 pts)

 

 

2008 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Prologue – $17.09

I took a bottle of this to a friend’s home not long after it was released and it was a bit hit.  We both wanted to load up, but unfortunately it was sold out at the local store.  Luckily, I had bought 3 bottles, so I still had a couple in the cellar.  Tonight is bottle number two.

 

This is from a bottle that had been opened about two hours, but not decanted.  The wine is a deep, dark ruby to maroon color.  A very nice and appealing nose of cassis, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, smoke, dried herbs, and a touch of toasty oak.  Medium body with solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Nice spicy berries and oak influences on the very expressive palate.  One of the best California Cabs I’ve had for well south of $20.  I assume this has some purchased fruit since it is now designated as North Coast instead of Napa.  For the $17.09 I paid, I wish I had loaded up.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

 

Jean Edwards Cellars

This is the home of some fantastic Napa Valley cabernets at unbelievable prices.  Their latest offer includes their 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet and the 2009 Seventy Four – Forty One Howell Mountain Cab came out of Friday.  If you can bribe your way onto their pre-release mailing list, these are 25% off the normal, release price.  As a bonus, they also have a Library Release of their first commercial offering, the 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.  Visit https://jeanedwardscellars.com/ and tell Karen I sent you.  I have an earlier blog here with a review of the 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.

 

Turley Wine Cellars

Turley’s latest release with a dozen assorted zinfandel and Petite Syrahs (their spelling) came out this week.  Am I the only person who loves a nice zin but just isn’t as enthusiastic over a new Turley release?  I may actually pass this time.

 

 

Keplinger Wines

Their Fall Release will open on Wednesday, September 12th at 8:30am PST.

This offer will include the first half of our 2010 vintage wines, all of which hail from our Sierra Foothills vineyards:

2010 Caldera, El Dorado

2010 Lithic, Amador

2010 Sumo, Amador

 

 

#CabernetDay

Save the Date: August 30, 2012 will be the third annual global celebration of Cabernet.  You have a couple weeks to pick out a bottle to open.  Let us know which wine you choose.  #Cabernet Day

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

Nice Wine Stuff

 

A Facebook friend, Heidi McLain, has a very nice product and is looking for some startup funding.  The product is the To Your Taste!® Wine Party Kit.  As an incentive to donate, she has some really nice “pledge rewards” for pledges of as little as $25.  Visit https://www.fundable.com/to-your-taste-for-wine-llc?_s=613 to see the marvelous product or even better to assist in the funding effort.  You can also visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/To-Your-Taste-Wine-Party-Kit/34193039949

 

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

 

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.

Cheers!

 

 

 

This end of the week was a bit light, wine wise.  We left for vacation on Saturday morning, so we dialed down the wine list a bit.

 

 

2009 Girard Petite Sirah Napa Valley – $17.09

This has been a long time favorite of mine.  My consumption has declined over the last few vintages as the price escalated.  My local store loaded up and offered the wine at a killer price via their e-mail list, so I had to “back up the truck”.

 

This was decanted for about an hour. The wine is a deep, dark purple color. There are blackberries, black pepper, smoke, licorice, dark chocolate, dried herbs, underbrush, and some earthiness on the dark and pleasing nose.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  There is a lot of fruit and spice on the palate with just a bit of earthiness coming in on the back end with dark chocolate and black pepper.  Nice length on the finish where the dark chocolate really kicks into high gear.  This is very young but already very nice.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2007 JC Cellars Smoke and Mirrors – $15.19

We’ve had this wine a few times over the last several months.  To me, it has always been a bit of a disappointment.  This is a wine that could really use a big injection of tannins and acidity.  As is, I figured this would be a nice wine to sip in a hotel after 800 miles on the road.

 

This is a deep, dark garnet to maroon color. There are blackberries, blueberries, plums, vanilla, black pepper and smoked meat on the nose dark and brooding nose.  The wine is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and marginal acidity.  This is a bit out of balance on the palate with loads of fruit and tannins but very soft acidity.  This is more of a party/cocktail wine than something to serve with anything more than a cheese/sausage plate.  This is tasty but a bit too flabby.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Clayhouse Vineyard Cuvée Blanc Red Cedar Vineyard – $22.99

I tried this about a few weeks ago as part of my review of a Super Flight Sampler from TastingRoom.com.  To me, based on the taste, this was a wine I had to buy.  Luckily, the Super Flight Sampler included two pre-paid bottles.  I selected two bottles of this wine.  This is a blend of 40% Grenache Blanc, 40% Rousanne, and 20% Viognier from Paso Robles.

 

The wine is a very pale yellow to straw color, just a step or two about water.  This has a very interesting nose of apples, white peaches, minerals, white pepper, pears, orange zest, and a lively floral note.  The wine is medium body at most with very nice acidity,  The wine is initially has a silky, soft, impact on the palate with the apples, spice, and white peach elements dominating, but then the other hammer drops and white pepper and citrus kick in adding immensely.  A nice, lingering finish with all the elements in perfect harmony.  This is a very interesting California version of a French white Chateauneuf.  I like this wine, a lot!  (92 pts)

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Jean Edwards Cellars

This is the home of some fantastic Napa Valley cabernets at unbelievable prices.  Their latest offer includes their 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet and the 2009 Seventy Four – Forty One Howell Mountain Cab came out of Friday.  If you can bribe your way onto their pre-release mailing list, these are 25% off the normal, release price.  As a bonus, they also have a Library Release of their first commercial offering, the 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.  Visit https://jeanedwardscellars.com/ and tell Karen I sent you.  I have an earlier blog here with a review of the 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.

 

 

 

#CabernetDay

Save the Date: August 30, 2012 will be the third annual global celebration of Cabernet.  You have a couple weeks to pick out a bottle to open.  Let us know which wine you choose.  #Cabernet Day

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

Nice Wine Stuff

A Facebook friend, Heidi McLain, has a very nice product and is looking for some startup funding.  The product is the To Your Taste!® Wine Party Kit.  As an incentive to donate, she has some really nice “pledge rewards” for pledges of as little as $25.  Visit https://www.fundable.com/to-your-taste-for-wine-llc?_s=613 to see the marvelous product or even better to assist in the funding effort.  You can also visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/To-Your-Taste-Wine-Party-Kit/34193039949

 

 

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

 

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.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

2009 Soter Pinot Noir North Valley – $27.00

I had a bottle of this last year and liked it but felt it needed some additional cellar time.  It has been a while since I’ve had an Oregon Pinot Noir, so it seems like a perfect time to open another.  This is the entry level Pinot from Soter so I like to enjoy these while my Mineral Springs Vineyard Pinots from Soter sleep in the cellar.

 

The wine was decanted about two hours.  This is a nice, clear, medium ruby red color.  On the open and very sexy nose there are cherries, baking spices, minerals, fresh wild flowers, and a bit of earthiness.  The wine is barely medium body with nice, ripe tannins and very good acidity.  The wine is very elegant on the palate with nice, spicy, earthy red fruit, spice, and just a hint of an herbal note adding complexity.  There is very nice length on the finish which is again highlighted by the spicy, earthy fruit.  This is very tasty today with some air but will reward some time in the cellar.    (91 pts)

 

 

We paired the Soter Pinot Noir with Fettuccini Alfredo with a grilled chicken breast.  This was a marvelous pairing; the acidity in the Pinot cut through the rich Alfredo sauce and added a nice earthy, spicy element to the meal.  This pairing wouldn’t work with a big, rich, California Pinot Noir, but the one from Oregon was top notch.

 

 

 

2010 Villa Creek “White” – $20.80

I’ve had several past vintages of this wine and have loved them all.  Since all my older vintages are gone, it’s time to crack into my stash of 2010s.  This is a blend consisting of 65% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussane from the James Berry Vineyard and 5% Picpoul Blanc.

 

The wine is a pale golden yellow color.  This has hot slate like minerals, white peach, pineapple, apple, lemon zest, and a nice floral note on the fresh, like Summer nose.  The wine has medium body with nice crisp acidity.  Initially rich and smooth on the palate with luscious, juicy fruit and minerals then the citrusy acidity kicks in leading a fairly long, mouthwatering finish.  This is an excellent, California version of a Rhone white from France.  This can be enjoyed over the next few years.   (92 pts)

 

 

We had the Villa Creek White with a simple dinner of grilled, large shrimp that were marinated in garlic olive oil with sautéed green beans with onion.  This was a very nice pairing with the acidity in the wine cutting through the rich shrimp.

 

 

 

2008 Foris Gewürztraminer – $12.32

Another nice, Summer dinner on the deck that calls for a crisp, white wine.  I haven’t had one of these for a few months but prior bottles have been very nice.  Even though it is labeled as being dry, it does seem to have just a hint of sweetness which adds a touch of body and depth.

 

The wine is a pale yellowish straw color.  The fresh and exotic smelling nose has lychee, apple, pineapple, orange zest, nice spice, and rose petals.  This is light to medium body with tart acidity and just a hint of sweetness, even though it is labeled as dry.  An almost oily texture on the palate accompanies nice spicy, fruit laced, lychee with come citrus in the background.  The finish shows nice length with the spicy citrus hanging on and slowly dissipating.  This is perfect for dinner on the patio/deck or with spicy Asian cuisine.  (89 pts)

 

 

We had the Gewürztraminer with a nice version of Crab Cakes that I found a while ago.  Instead of frying them, these get baked in muffin tins.  A little chopping, mixing, and throw them in the oven.  This is a healthier alternative and a lot easier.  The recipe for these Muffin-Tin Crab Cakes from Eating Well Magazine is available at http://www.cooking.com/recipes-and-more/RecPrint.aspx?rid=10238

 

 

 

2007 Rock Wall Wine Co. Rock Star Rouge – $4.75

This winery is partially owned by consulting winemaker Kent Rosenblum, his daughter Shauna, and other wine industry veterans. It is located on the former Alameda Naval Air Base.  This wine is a blend of 42% syrah, 37% tempranillo, 21% cinsault.

 

I’m not sure what the release price is of this wine, but I was able to get a case for under $5 a bottle. This is a VERY serious wine so don’t write it off if you see it being cleared out somewhere.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The outstanding nose on this wine has cherries, baking spices, black pepper, blackberries, underbrush, licorice, smoke, vanilla, and some earthiness.  The wine is medium body, has solid, ripe tannins and good acidity.  There is a nice hit of spice and pepper on the palate before the fruit kicks in.  There is decent length on the finish which adds a slight stemmy element and some spicy oak.  I would have liked the stemmy note and oak to have integrated a bit better on the finish, but for under $5, this is an outright QPR superstar.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Jean Edwards Cellars

This is the home of some fantastic NapaValley cabernets at unbelievable prices.  Their latest offer includes their 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet and the 2009 Seventy Four – Forty One Howell Mountain Cab came out of Friday.  If you can bribe your way onto their pre-release mailing list, these are 25% off the normal, release price.  As a bonus, they also have a Library Release of their first commercial offering, the 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.  Visit https://jeanedwardscellars.com/ and tell Karen I sent you.  I have an earlier blog here with a review of the 2009 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet.

 

 

Shane

Two Bennett Valley Syrahs will be released to their mailing list on August 28^th.  Look forward to being offered the 2009 Judge Vineyard and the 2009 Jemrose Vineyard.

 

 

Villa Creek

The Villa Creek Fall release hit the inbox this week.  This is one of the wineries that I take an automatic shipment and add at least enough bottles to get a case or more.  Two of my favorite wines are in this release, Avenger (50% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache) and Mas de Maha (50% Tempranillo, 25% Greache, and 25% Carignan).  Add to these two, the 2010 James Berry High Road (40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre) and you have a flavor filled release.  Needless to say, I’m in.

 

 

Big Basin

Big Basin’s Fall release is coming on September 10^th.  This release will include a Syrah, a Pinot Noir, and a Chardonnay.  I have not had a Big Basin Pinot or Chardonnay, but their Syrah wines are big, ripe, and bold.

 

 

 

#CabernetDay

Save the Date: August 30, 2012 will be the third annual global celebration of Cabernet.  You have a couple weeks to pick out a bottle to open.  Let us know which wine you choose.  #Cabernet Day

 

 

 

Nice Wine Stuff

A Facebook friend, Heidi McLain, has a very nice product and is looking for some startup funding.  The product is the To Your Taste!® Wine Party Kit.  As an incentive to donate, she has some really nice “pledge rewards” for pledges of as little as $25.  Visit https://www.fundable.com/to-your-taste-for-wine-llc?_s=613 to see the marvelous product or even better to assist in the funding effort.  You can also visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/To-Your-Taste-Wine-Party-Kit/34193039949

 

 

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

 

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.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

We’re leaving for a vacation to visit my wife’s family in South Carolina on Saturday morning.  To me, the hardest part of any trip is picking wines to take.  I travel a fair amount for work, and unless I have a lengthy layover at a hot airport, in the middle of the day, there’s wine in my luggage.

 

This trip is a little easier since we’ll be driving.  I figure we’ll need seven bottles, one per day.  To be safe, I’ll probably just fill up a mixed case with a couple of whites, a few rosés, and the rest reds.  Since there’s always the possibility of hot weather during the drive, I usually take good, but relatively inexpensive bottles.  I usually slip in at least one better bottle and put it in the passenger section of the car instead of the trunk.

 

How can I know on Wednesday what we’ll want on Sunday?  How about next Friday?  This is another reason, I don’t take the good stuff.  Do I really want a bottle of Saxum in the trunk for 1,000 miles, spend a week in a warm house, then endure another 1,000 miles in the trunk only to end up back in the cool wine cellar.  That has to do more harm than good to the wine.

 

When you travel, do you take wine with you?  If so, how do you choose what to take?

 

The wines I’m taking?  The list isn’t done yet, but so far these will get a free, all expenses paid trip from Wisconsin to South Carolina:

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Mourvedre Ode to Lulu Rosé
2011 One Time Spaceman MCA Rosé (Paso Robles GSM blend)

2008 Stanley Lambert Chardonnay Pristine (unoaked from Barossa)
2009 Clayhouse Vineyard Cuvée Blanc Red Cedar Vineyard (Paso Robles, white Rhone blend)

2007 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Prologue
2008 Schild Estate Shiraz
2008 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red (Washington red blend)

 

Cheers!