Artesa 2001 Elements Red Table Wine

The Artesa 2001 Elements Red Table Wine is a blend of predominantly red Bordeaux varietals with 79% of the grapes coming from Sonoma County and 21% from Napa County. It was aged for two years in 50% new and 50% used French oak.

This wine shows a dark red ruby color with a purple nuance. There are tons of ripe, heavy, dark fruit on the nose with earthiness, an aroma of salty ocean, and vanilla.
On the palate the ripe fruit follows through with dark cherry, plum, black currant accompanied by firm tannins and firm acidity. Both of them crucial to balance this very plush and ripe wine. All in all nothing to write home about but neither is it a bad wine. Big and ripe with ok balance, but lacks in complexity.

Find this wine at WineZap.com from $ 17.69. For a decent, California-style, easy-to-drink, Bordeaux blend: not to shabby.

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Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay

We had the Rusack Pinot Noir not to long ago and really enjoyed it , so when I saw the Chardonnay the other day in the store, I just had to grab it to give it a try.

The grapes for the 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay comes from Bien Nacido and Goodchild Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, and Huber Vineyard and Rancho Santa Rosa in Santa Rita Hills. Both are cool climate appellations with maritime influence. It went through partial malolactic fermentation (70%) and was aged 9 months prior to bottling, in 32% new and 68% older French oak.

This wine has a golden straw color in the glass. On the nose ripe apple, citrus and pronounced oak. Tasting it, the apple and citrus steps out again with some light tropical fruit and the buttery creaminess from the malolactic fermentation and oak. It has a round soft mouth feel, and moderate acidity. I wish it had some more to stand up to the buttery creaminess. Our neighbor on the other hand who prefers her Chardonnay in this style thought it was very nice and well balanced. As always, it is all about preference...

Conclusion: Although nice fruit and good acidity I thought it was a little bit to oaky and creamy for my taste, but just slightly. So, if you like the round, buttery, creamy chardonnays (just for your comparison it is not as oaky/creamy as a Rombauer Chardonnay) I think this would be a great wine for you. It has a good price as well, only $18.88 at Wine-Searcher.com. For that price it is certainly a good deal for a good quality Chardonnay.


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Kenneth Volk Vineyards 2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

I thought we would try a, to us, new winery tonight. The 2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir from Kenneth Volk Vineyards seemed like a good candidate on the shelf in the grocery store.

This wine is a blend from several vineyards from Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills. It was aged in 60% new, 20% one year old, and 20% three to four year old French oak using barrels from several different coopers.

A clear dark ruby color with a touch of purple reflects in the glass. On the nose, red cherry, raspberry, blueberry, light strawberry and traces of oak. Moving to the palate blackberry and cherry are the main components, with raspberry and oak in the background. This Pinot has good acidity and firm tannins, that together with the pronounced fruit makes for a great balanced wine with very decent complexity and a medium body.

I got this at my local "natural food" market for $ 23.99 and I think that was a good price for this very nice wine. Finding it online for only $17.99 at Wine-Searcher.com, it is a really good deal.

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L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen in Sacramento

The L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen on 1801 L Street in Sacramento opened about two months ago and finally last Friday we got to try it out.
The owners Marcus and Kolea Marquez has opted for a very chic, contemporary design of the space that fit the new complex it is located in. The space consists of a wine bar, tables for dining at two levels and an outdoor patio area for summer nights. We sat at the patio to enjoy the courtyard and it's sleek architecture.
The wine list is relatively short but well composed and the menu is set up of an array of small plates to match and share. I love this kind of eating as you get to try so may things from the menu. The chef is Ame Harrington, formerly at The Kitchen, and she has done a great job selecting items for the menu.

We started of with the Three Cheese Plate. A goat cheese, a hard cows milk, and a soft cows milk was accompanied by olives, Marcona almonds, peach slices, dates, fig cake, preserved whole walnut (interesting item that I have never seen before), and bread. A great start to our meal!
After that we ordered several items to share at the table.

Flat Iron Steak with jus, fresh porcini mushrooms, and some other mushrooms (that I did not recognize). The steak was incredibly juicy, tender and flavorful. A great dish.
Pan Seared Pizzetta came in two versions and we picked the one topped with a goat cheese spread, eggplant and basil. Perfect to satisfy our craving for carbs. I am not usually a big fan of eggplant but this creation from Ame was fantastic.
Last but not least we had a total of three plates (yes you heard it right) of Slow Roasted Babyback Ribs. These were the best ribs any of us had had in a long time. There was plenty of meat at the ribs and it was extremely succulent and fall-of-the-bone tender. They had a really interesting seasoning to them and Ame was kind enough to share the rub with us: juniper berry, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, salt and pepper. I will have to try my hand on this at home. On the side a grated mango salad with cilantro. Perfectly refreshing and it paired great with the seasoning of the ribs.

We tried two different wine from the wine list. Our group of four that went out that night are all pinot noir fanatics and we started out with the August West 2005 Rosella's Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. We all loved this big, fruity pinot with plenty of acidity and tannins to stand up to the dark fruit and berries.
Second bottle was the Hatcher 2004 Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir. A more cool climate slightly more elegant pinot noir that we should have given the benefit to be the first bottle. Altough this was a nice bottle too, it had a hard time to stand up to the August West and we were therefore a little bit disappointed... We'll know better next time.

The wine list over all has a very reasonable mark up and I have to applaud the owners for that. The August West set us back $62, and in my local wine store the price is $45. I say that shows a pretty fair price for the restaurant.

If you live in the area or are passing by pay this new, modern lounge and restaurant a visit. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Check back soon as I will review the August West in more detail in the near future. I had to order half a case from my wine store the next day and it is coming in not to long...


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Byron Vineyard and Winery 2003 Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay

This Chardonnay from Byron was aged 10 months in 25% new and 75%older French oak. 93% of the grapes are from Nielson Vineyard and 7% from Sierra Madre, vines being between 29-39 years old. The growing season here is one of the longest in California.

The color in the glass is a golden, medium yellow, straw. Sticking my nose in the glass citrus, ripe Golden Delicious apple, tropical fruit, and white floral meets me with oak notes. Tasting, it shows a pretty heavy texture with, again, the citrus, tropical fruit, and oak. Medium acidity and medium length finish. This is a slightly more heavy white then I expected and I suspect it might be due to it being past prime.

I have had the Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay from Byron several times in the past of different vintages and it never seemed this heavy to me. It has always been more refreshing with great acidity and more light fruit. I suspect that was what the 2003 had to offer a year or more ago...

I do not recommend buying the 2003 vintage, as it seems to be past prime, but if you find a more recent vintage, grab it. This wine has a reputation of being of high and consistent quality.

Find it a Wine-Searcher.com from $16.99.

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Mossback 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

The Mossback 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is made from grapes from the Cameron and Balletto Vineyards and consists of 95% Pinot Noir and 5% Syrah.

It has a beautiful, clear, garnet color in the glass, and displays big perfume on the nose upfront. With it black cherry, dark raspberry, pronounced oak with a slightly smokey quality, earth, and a hint of thyme shows nicely. Swirling it in my mouth the big, soft black cherry and dark raspberry sticks out. In the back ground again the oak and a medium spicy quality.

This is a overly smooth, soft Pinot Noir with moderate plus acidity and plush tannins with a slight edge. The finish has a slightly spicy bite at the end mingling with oak and soft, lingering fruit.

Overall this does not really have the true characteristics to a Pinot Noir, to me, although it is a nice, decent wine... It is more like a Syrah without the spiciness and bite a Syrah brings...

I found this at my local grocery store for $24.99, which I realize was a good deal when looking online and finding the best deal at Wine-Searcher.com for $24. However, there are better Pinot Noirs out there in that price range and next time I will pick another bottle.

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Pied Violet 2002 Central Coast Merlot

Pied Violet literally means "purple foot" in French and refers to the old tradition on stomping grapes for the crush.

This 2002 Central Coast Merlot shows a dark red/purple color in the glass. On the nose dark cherry and plum with a whiff of spicy oak leaves an impression. Taking my first sip red and dark cherries with plum, spice and a touch of cranberry, hits me. Moderate acidity and soft, smooth tannins makes this wine extremely accessible and drinkable. Great on its own or pair it with some summer BBQ, like a pork tenderloin, not to spicy sausage, or a flank steak.

We received this wine as a gift (thanks Mindy!) and there is only one site online where I could find it available, WineShopAtHome.com. You can find it there for $15.50. When taking price into account I think this is a great soft/smooth, easy-to-drink, summer red, no greater complexity to it but not in any way to thin, that will prove to be a great crowd pleaser at any event.

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The Ojai Vineyard 2001 White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah

The Ojai Vineyard 2001 White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah has an incredibly dense, dark red/purple color in the glass, promising me serious fruit.

On the nose it displays blackberry and hint of oak and a floral note I would describe as violet. I expected more heavy fruit on the nose but at this stage I get the feeling that we are dealing with a Syrah made in a slightly more elegant style.

Blackberry, dark cherry, and spice shows beautifully on the palate with some smokey wood at the very finish. Great acidity and perfectly firm, well integrated, tannins gives this medium to full-bodied wine a great balanced feel in the mouth and a long lingering finish. At this point I can confirm that even though is shows plenty of fruit on the palate they are of the slightly more soft and restrained type as this wine turns out to be made in a more elegant style.

This wine was perfect to sip with a few pieces of dark chocolate in front of the movie we watched Sunday night. I wish I had another bottle or two. Looking for it online I actually found a really good deal at Wine-Searcher.com for $33.99 (as I remembered paying $45 for it back in 2004). Try it and let me know if you love it as much as I do.

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Foxen 2002 Foothills Reserve Santa Ynez Valley

The Foxen 2002 Foothills Reserve Santa Ynez Valley is a Bordeaux style, red table wine, made from 44% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

It has a deep, dark, red/purple color in the glass and provides dark cherries and currant with spice on the nose. On the palate, dark cherries, prune, black currant, and a hint of lingonberry and peppery spice shows off. Moderate acidity and firm tannins carries the dark fruit and berries into a long finish. It shows great fruit throughout but also has a nice structure.

A good effort from Foxen! I had this bottle with friends and we all enjoyed it. I thought it would be hard to get a hold of but there are several web sites that carries it. Best deal was at Wine-Searcher.com from $31.05.


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The Hungry Cat in Santa Barbara

Last time we were down in Santa Barbara me and Anki, my cousin who lives there, went out to dinner at The Hungry Cat. They specialize in handcrafted cocktails, and a seafood and raw bar menu. We had been there once before for a short stop to try a drink and appetizer. We were really impressed by the hand crafted drinks and the fresh seafood and decided to soon come back for dinner. So said and done, here we were again.

We started with sharing the Tuna Tartare ($14) that consisted of fresh tuna, cilantro, preserved lemon peel, olives, black pepper and a side of water crass, red onion and flaky crackers. Super fresh, light and delicious!
I had the Scallop with Braised Oxtail topped with Almond, Italian Parsley, surrounded by Red Wine Poached Cauliflower in a Curry Beef Broth ($24). The scallop was incredibly fresh and tender and all the other ingredients worked in perfect harmony with it. A new take on scallop that work out very well.
Anki had the Home Made Papardelle with Spring Onion, Pancetta, and Morel Mushrooms ($16). The fresh, handmade pasta, cooked perfectly, were a perfect match with the smokey pancetta and the earthy morel mushrooms. A beautiful, tasty, and satisfying dish.

For dessert we shared the one and only dessert that was featured (they have one dessert per night), a Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with Bruleed Topping. So soft and flavorful with a torched sugar crisp top and decadent liquid chocolate on the bottom of the dish. A perfect ending to our meal.

At The Hungry Cat they serve up high quality fresh food with, to a certain level, unexpectedly paired ingredients, that always seem to hit the spot. I will for sure be back here soon to enjoy another great meal at a very decent price.


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Foxen 2002 Sea Smoke Vineyard Blocks Q & U - Clones 667 & 115, Santa Rita Hills, Pinot Noir

Yeah... Tonight we popped open a bottle of Pinot Noir from one of my favorite wineries in Santa Ynez Valley, Foxen. I only purchased 2 bottles to start with and the first one we consumed back in December of 2004, and we were semi impressed and decided that it seemed like it would improve with age. Tonight it was time for bottle number 2, and what an improvement it was!

The Foxen 2002 Sea Smoke Vineyard Blocks Q & U - Clones 667 & 115 Pinot Noir was aged in 70% new French Oak for 16 months prior to bottling, unfined and unfiltered. 230 cases made.

It has a beautiful dark red/purple color in the glass. On the nose a complex array of amazing red and black cherry with blackberry, raspberry, and a touch of tobacco hits you. Taking your first whiff and then tasting it the wine express red cherry, dark raspberry and nice touch of spice on the palate. The acidity is plentiful and the tannins are soft with that nice edge to it to make sure you notice it's presence. For being aged in 70% new oak I can't really say that the oak is a major component of the wine, and that suits me perfectly.

I REALLY think this is an outstanding bottle of Pinot from the Santa Rita Hills. I wish I had another one or two. Unfortunately I can not find a single site online that carries it... But just so you have an idea about the potential cost, I paid $60 for this bottle in 2004. If you have the good fotune to come across a bottle, grab it and run!

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