Monday, March 26, 2007

Calera 2002 Mills Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir


The story about Calera Wine Company and Josh Jensen starts back in 1975 when he planted his first grapes on one of the highest and coolest vineyard properties in California. Since then he has expanded his vineyard properties and now owns a state of the art wine making facility. Read more about the history of Calera here.
Mills Vineyard was planted in 1984 and is 14.4 acres of Pinot Noir. It sits at 2,200-2,300 feet above sea level on a south sloping hillside.
The Calera 2002 Mills Vineyard Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir has a clear, dark ruby color in the glass. Intense dark plum and black cherries on the nose with a hint of vanilla from aging in oak. Softer dark fruit and berries on the palate with some spice to it. Moderate, well integrated tannins and good acidity. A really good Pinot!
We got this wine from friends and I will certainly have to get a couple of more bottles. Get it from the winery for $43 or from Wine-Searcher.com for as low as $33.97. Rated 89 by Robert Parker and 92 by Wine Enthusiast.


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Sunday, March 25, 2007

Bonaccorsi 2002 Red Monkey Syrah

This is not my first time reviewing a Bonaccorsi wine, one of my favorite wineries in Santa Ynez Valley. Read more about the history and their Pinot Noirs here and here.
The Bonaccorsi 2002 Red Monkey Syrah is made from fruit primarily from the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, with some Fiddlestix Vineyard blended in. It has a a dark red/purple color. At first a burst of plum, cherries and raspberries greets you on the nose. After letting it sit for a couple of minutes, tea and vanilla reveals itself. On the palate not to ripe, dark fruit and berries, with some spice to it. Great acidity and notable tannis, medium long finish.
I am a big fan of Bonaccorsi wines since several years and this wine is no exception. We got several bottles of this wine about 2 years ago for $30 per bottle (a great price for a great wine). We have opened one of them about every six months and today we really thought it was at it's best so far. We have one bottle left and are looking forward to enjoying it in the near future. Today you can find your own bottle from $44.99 at Wine-Searcher and WineZap.

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Thursday, March 22, 2007

Otella Lugana "La Creete" 2005


Otella is a family run winery located in the Lake Garda area of the Lugana region, situated in the Veneto province. This white Italian is made from 100% Turbiano (a clonal type of Trebbiano di Lugana) from 45 year old vines.
It has a pale straw color with a hint of green in the glass. On the nose some white floral with sweet honey apple, and tropical fruit. Still a very refreshing feeling on the nose. Medium bodied in the mouth with tropical fruit, citrus, clean, fresh acidity and grapefruit at the finish. I thought this wine was very good and refreshing. Know that my experience with Italian whites are very limited...
I found this wine at Trader Joe's for $15.99 but you can find it from $13.25 at Wine-Searcher.com.


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Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Valsacro 2001 Rioja

Time for a wine from Spain. It has been a while...
The Bodega Valsacro 2001 Rioja is made from Garnacha, Tempranillo and Mazuelo, and aged in French and American oak for 12 months.
Let it sit in your glass for 5 minutes, and gorgeous black berry and black cherries with black pepper and cinnamon will appear on the nose. On the palate, lush, dark fruit and berries with sweet oak, some spiciness from black pepper, good acidity and smooth tannins. Long, pleasant finish. Overall a very good, nicely balanced wine. And it sells at a good price, from $19.99 at Wine-Searcher.com. I found me bottle at BevMo for $18.99.

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Sanford Winery and Vineyards

We went down to Santa Barbara for relaxation and wine tasting last weekend with friends. Saturday, we visited four wineries, one of them being Sanford Winery.
Sanford Winery and Vineyard was founded in 1971 when the first Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County was planted at Sanford and Benedict vineyard, Santa Rita Hills. In 1976 the first wine was released to the public and received great reviews.
A lot of things have changed over the years, and the winery now makes Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and produces over 40,000 cases per year. The current winery facility is a huge handmade adobe construction, located at La Rinconada Vineyard, containing state of the art wine making equipment. Since 2005 the Terlato Family has the majority of ownership interest (they also own, among other wineries, Alderbrook, Chimney Rock and Rutherford Hill + other wineries around the world). Winemaker Steve Ferrell joined Sanford in 2006 after working at Trefethen Vineyards and Voss Vineyards.
The tasting room is an old, very rustic and charming, converted dairy barn on Rancho El Jabali. It is well worth the visit.



Sanford Tasting Room

Six wines were poured for tasting. The ones that stood out for me were the 2004 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay with some nice crisp apple and tropical fruit on the nose with a round palate not overwhelmed by oak, just making itself reminded in the back ground. Two Pinot Noir were poured, the 2005 Santa Rita Hills and the 2004 La Rinconada Vineyard. The 2005 Santa Rita Hills was indeed a very nice Pinot but when having the second (2004 La Rinconada) it was notably inferior, with not as complex and intense nose and palate. Still well worth to buy at $29. The 2004 La Rinconada Vineyard showed red cherries and vanilla oak on the nose with ripe berries and cherries on the palate sporting supple tannins and good acidity, providing a lingering finish. We really enjoyed this Pinot for $45 at the winery.





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Monday, March 19, 2007

Roasted Beet Salad with Sauvignon Blanc = Great Spring Satisfaction

Tonight I served a Roasted Beet, Fennel and Goat Cheese Salad with the Long Meadow Ranch 2006 Rutherford Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, a match seemed to be made in heaven.
The freshness of the SB went perfect with the sweet roasted beets, the tanginess of the goat cheese, and the acidity of the citrus in the vinaigrette. Mmm...
The 2006 LMR Sauvignon Blanc has a beautiful, very pale straw color in the glass. On the nose, crisp apple and pear. The apple follows through to the palate with some citrus and tropical fruit. This wine is round and full bodied in the mouth but still possesses that refreshing taste you want from a SB. I had the 2005 last year and thought it was great, and the 2006 is right up there with it. A perfect wine with a light seafood dish or salad this summer.
Find it at LongMeadowRanch.com for $18.

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Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Robert Sinskey Vineyards 2005 Los Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir


The philosophy of Robert Sinskey Vineyards is "Farm conscientiously and make wine with minimal manipulation...". The tail starts in 1982, and it's to long of a story to tell here... Read more about it here!
The 2005 Los Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir was a recent gift from friends. I knew I should keep my hands off of it but I could not resist it and tonight it got popped open. Intense ruby red color in the glass with great clarity. At first, earth and spice on the nose with the yeast smell of rising bread at the end. Letting it sit for a little bit, soft red cherries and berries emerges with herbaceous notes. Tart red cherries and raspberry on the palate with pencil lead on the finish. Good acidity and medium firm tannins. A really good bottle at this point, and letting it age for a couple of years I would expect it to improve...
Find it at Wine-Searcher.com or Winezap.com from $31.98.


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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Rudd Crossroads 2003 Sonoma Valley Syrah

Rudd is renowned for their outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon, but did you know the make a great Syrah as well?
The Rudd Crossroads 2003 Sonoma Valley Syrah has a dark, dense redish/purple color in the glass, with tons on ripe, dark fruit and berries on the nose. Beautiful ripe berries on the palate again with some spice and sufficient acidity and firm tannins. We enjoyed this wine with baked spaghetti topped with flavorful tomato sauce and Italian meatballs. Thanks for a great dinner Robyn!
I got it at the winery for $30 last summer, and could not find it online when looking for it tonight. If you can find it it is definitely worth a try.

Prior to the Rudd Syrah we had a bottle of Vigneti Villafranca 2003 Castelli Romani Red Wine. Made from Sangiovese, Merlot and Montepulciano grapes, this wine has a bright ruby red color in the glass. Soft dark fruit and berries on the nose and very velvety fruit and smooth tannins on the palate. This wine is a very easy-to-drink wine and a crowd pleaser. Lacking in structure I wish it had more acidity and firmer tannins. But like I said, it is tasty, smooth and easy to drink and great with the Italian meal we had. Could not find any price info or where to buy online...

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Monday, March 12, 2007

Salomon Undhof 2004 Hochterrassen Kremstal Gruner Veltliner


I haven't had a Gruner Veltliner since I was on vacation in Austria 3 years ago. Yesterday I ran into a bottle at BevMo and picked it up. The Salomon Undhof 2004 Hochterrassen Gruner Veltliner ($12.99) has a medium straw color in the glass. Fresh green apples on the nose with a hint of tropical fruit and citrus. The green apple emerges on the palate again with refreshing minerals, and a good amount of crisp, clean acidity.
An ok wine, but there are better Gruner Veltliner out there. I will be reviewing more of them as summer approaches.
When it comes to food pairing, I think this wine would be a good match with spicy Thai food or other Asian Cuisine. I had it with spicy southern style BBQ. Not a great match...
Let me know what you pair Gruner Veltliner with!


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Saturday, March 10, 2007

Hitching Post and Long Meadow Ranch


Tonight we had two really good wines with dinner. We started with the Hartley Ostini Hitching Post 2004 Fiddlestix Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. I have been drinking Pinots from Hitching Post for about 5 years now but this was my first time trying their Fiddlestix. Dark, dense ruby color in the glass. Jammy, ripe black berries and cherries with a hint of spice. A nice long finish. This is one of the most fruit forward Pinots that Hitching Post makes and I really enjoyed it. Only 220 cases made, you can find it on Winezap.com from $48.95.

The second bottle we open was the Long Meadow Ranch 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Long Meadow Ranch is located in the Mayacamas Mountains high above the valley floor of Napa Valley. They not only produce wine, but also olive oil, grass-fed beef, eggs, organic vegetables etc. Visit their website to find out more.
The 2003 Cab has dark fruit and berries on the nose with some tobacco and tea.
On the plate the dark fruit is more restrained with some black currant, firm tannins and good amount of acidity. This wine is elegant in the fruit but still manages to be powerful. A really nice wine. Find it at Winezap.com from $37.99. A very fair price for such a good quality Napa Cab.

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Thursday, March 08, 2007

Dry Creek Vineyard 2005 Sonoma County Fume Blanc

Today I have a short review, and I have no idea as to it's accuracy. I've got a cold... I opened this wine yesterday and realized that I could not really asses the wine, nor enjoy it. Hoping to feel better today I vacuum pumped to continue the tasting. Unfortunately today is worse and I am not even attempting to try... This is what I what I got out of my notes from yesterday, take it with a grain of salt...
The Dry Creek Vineyard 2005 Sonoma County Fume Blanc is made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and cold fermented in stainless steel tanks to be able to really showcase the grape without any interference from oak.
On the nose crisp apple and tropical fruit with some pineapple. Medium bodied on the palate with tropical fruit, citrus, a hint of minerals, and high acidity. Overall a very crisp, clean and refreshing wine.
You can find it at Wine-Searcher.com and Winezap.com from $9.99 and that is a good price for a good wine. I can see myself revisiting this wine this summer when I am craving something chilled and crisp.

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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Capiaux 2005 Chimera Sonoma County Pinot Noir


After many years experience in the wine making business at several prominent wineries all over the world, Sean Capiaux founded Capiaux Cellars in 1994. Producing exclusively Pinot Noirs he mixes traditional Burgundy wine making methods with more modern techniques to produce the ultimate wines. His wines are naturally fermented, aged in mostly 1-2 year old French Oak (only about 1/3 are new barrels), unfined, and unfiltered, the goal being for the wine to show it's terroire. Later in 2001 he also joined O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery as the winemaker, producing Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Capiaux 2005 Chimera Sonoma County Pinot Noir shows a beautiful dark red ruby color in the glass. On the nose dark plum, cherries and an earthy quality. Tastes of restrained cherries and raspberry on the palate, with firm tannins and enough acidity for this wine to age well for several years to come.
I payed $28 for this wine, but you can find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $23.95.
I really enjoyed this Pinot and think it has a reasonable price for a good quality wine. I am looking forward to try their single vineyard Pinot Noirs (higher in price) in the near future.

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Monday, March 05, 2007

TuTu 2005 California Pinot Grigio

Today I am trying a California Pinot Grigio, the 2005 TuTu, made by Jeff Smith of Hourglass (that has an amazing Cabernet Sauvignon!) I paid $13 for this bottle in Napa Valley, but you can find it at Winesearcher.com or Winezap.com from $9.99.
This Pinot Grigio is fermented in stainless steel tanks and has not gone through malolactic fermentation, to keep it dry and crisp.
At first I got some apple and fresh mint on the nose. After a couple of minutes this changed to soft tropical fruit with a hint of citrus. On the palate it has a little higher viscosity than I expected and a little thin in flavor, but nice acidity. As for the "dry and crisp", dry sure, but crisp (?), I did not find this characteristic in the wine.
I really wanted to like this wine and it started of really good, but then at the end of the palate it just fades away with no real finish to it.
So in short, I enjoyed this wine moderately and do not think I will by it again... On the other hand, I have not had to many California Pinot Grigio and am not quite sure what to expect...
If you've had a chance to try it, let me know what you think!

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Sunday, March 04, 2007

Two boutique wineries: Falcor and Phipps Family Cellars

This Saturday I went to a tasting at my local wine store, Capitol Cellars, where two boutique wineries from Napa Valley were pouring their wine.
Let's start with the larger of the two, Falcor Wine Cellars. Falcor was founded in 1995 by Trial Lawyers Jim Peterson and Mike Bee. They got winemaker Ray Coursen on board, who has been in the wine industry since 1983, created Elyse Winery in 1987 (named after his daughter), and has since then added the Jacob Franklin label (named after his son).
The 2003 Bacigalupi Vineyard Russian River Valley ($33) has some white floral and tropical fruit on the nose. It is very round and creamy on the palate with a good amount of oak and the typical buttery flavor. A very good Chardonnay if this is your style. If you prefer a more light and not so oaky Chard, you need to look elsewhere...
The 2004 Napa Valley Sangiovese ($30) is made in the "Super Tuscan" style with 88% Sangiovese and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. Red cherries and licorice on the nose with an earthy aroma. On the palate, black currant and red cherries with medium firm tannins and medium-low acidity. Nice long finish.
Next up was the 2002 Napa Valley Le Bijou (the jewel in French) ($41). This wine is a Bordeaux style blend with 44% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petite Verdot. This offers the wine several layers on both nose and palate and great complexity. On the nose I initially got a grassy, green vegetable aroma that gave way to a more earthy aroma with black currant, cherries and black berries. It has great, restrained and not to ripe, red fruit and berries on the palate with high acidity and big, firm tannins that all lends this wine a beautiful lingering finish.
Last but not least the 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) was poured. The composition of this wine is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petite Verdot. Lush fruit on the nose with plum, dark cherries with a hint of basil. The great dark, ripe fruit and berries carries through to the palate with good amount of acidity, that gives it some backbone, and big tannins.
I really enjoyed all of the wines from Falcor and thought they were very well crafted.


Andrew and Jennifer Phipps

The second winery was the Phipps Family Cellars. It was founded in 2004 by Andrew "Andy" (has 16 years of experience in the wine and beverage industry) and Jennifer Phipps (also works for Falcor). They hired winemaker Jeff Fontanella who has wine making experiences from Opus One, ZD Winery, Saddleback Cellars, Venge Family Winery and more.
The 2004 is their first vintage with a production of 300 cases.
Their one and only wine so far, the 2004 Sonoma County Ranches Zinfandel ($36), was poured at the tasting, and by no other than Andy Phipps himself! It was a great privileged to be able to talk to the proprietor about his wine, and he also knew the Falcor wines he poured inside out.
His grapes are from three different vineyards. The Zinfandel is 72% from Bacigalupi Vineyard, Russian River Valley, and 18% from Ramazzotti Vineyard Old Vines, Dry Creek Valley, blended with 10% of Petite Sirah from Bacigalupi Vineyard.
This wine has toasty nose with ripe, dark berries and a hint of vanilla. The palate reveals black cherries, dark berries and peppery spice. I was very impressed by the first vintage from the Phipps family and I am looking forward to tasting the upcoming vintages to see how they evolve.

If you are interested in any of these wines you can find them at the winery web site or at the wine store I visited. Just click on the name of the winery/wine store in the body above.


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Saturday, March 03, 2007

Domaine A. et P. De Villaine 2004 Mercurey Les Montots

Domaine A. et P. Villane is located in Bouzeron, Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy. All the grapes at the Domaine is organically farmed and has been certified since 1986 by Qualice-France. They are hand harvested and thoroughly sorted by hand. To truly capture the terroir the vinification is natural, they only use a small percentage of new oak barrels, and the wine is bottled unfiltered. The Villaines are also co-owner of the highly regarded Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.
The 2004 Mercurey Les Montots has a dark red ruby color in the glass. It has green vegetables on the nose that gives way to raspberry and cherry after letting it sit in the glass for 30 min. On the palate: cherries, tart red berries, earth and a kind of gamey taste with great high acidity and medium firm tannins. This wine definitely will benefit from some time in the bottle, or if drinking it now, decant it an hour or so before enjoying it.
I really liked this Burgundy and think the price is fair at $35. After doing some limited research on-line I can not find it through my usual resources. I bought this bottle at Enoteca Wine Shop in Calistoga.

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Friday, March 02, 2007

Dashwood 2005 Marlborough Pinot Noir


I picked up the Dashwood 2005 Marlborough Pinot Noir at Enoteca Wine Shop in Calistoga, Napa Valley. I had not heard of, or had wines from this winery before, but at $9 for 375 ml I figured it was worth trying. Enoteca carries wine from small scale artisinal producers, from all over the world, and they are all hand picked by proprietor Margaux Singleton. Her passion about what she does is obvious as you visit her in the store.
The Dashwood Pinot Noir has a dark red/purple color in the glass. Not the typical color of a Pinot. On the nose I got dark cherries and fruit, and the palate revealed the dark cherries again with a spicy note, medium acidity and soft tannins. This is a fruity Pinot upfront but on the back palate it is thin and has a shorter fininsh than I expected.
This was only an OK Pinot to me, and lacked the traditional characteristics of a Pinot Noir. For the price of $14.99 at Wine-searcher.com, or at Winezap.com you get a 750 ml bottle. This is not a wine I will purchase again though, and for $15 you can definately find a better Pinot Noir...

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