M2 Wines

Last Saturday we went to a wine tasting at our local wine store, featuring M2 Wines. I was not familiar with this winery and excited to try something new. Chris Matheny, owner and winemaker, did all the pouring and was very informative and loved to talk about his passion, and wine in general. Needless to say, I had a great time.

Chris Matheny and Layne Montgomery

M2 Wines got it's name from the first letter in two gentlemen last name, Layne Montgomery and Chris Matheny. The two of them met in 1999 and in 2000 they started making wine as amateurs. In 2004 it was time to go commercial and since 2006 they have their own winery in Lodi. M2 does not own their own vineyards but buys grapes from premium vineyards throughout California. That way they can source the different varietals from the areas where they express the best characteristics.
Chris explained to me that their goal as winemakers are to intervene as little as possible to let the vineyards and grapes express themselves in the wine, showing the essence of the location and the grape varietal. Getting there they use only the highest quality yeast, barrels, etc. Another amazing fact that only proves their commitment to producing great wine is that they actually punch down the cap 2-3 times per day. Far from always the case at many wineries...

On to the tasting:

The 2004 Dos Arkies California Red Wine (named after the fact that they are two guys from Arkansas) is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petite Sirah. Great blend for $18 that is a tad bit low in complexity but easy and pleasing to drink. Red cherry, black berry, and blue berry dominates on the nose. The palate offers red cherry, black currant, some spiciness from black pepper, and smokey oak. Great value for this medium bodied wine that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
The 2005 Singularity Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley($35) is a Cabernet Sauvignon blended with a small amount of Syrah and Petite Sirah. Did not take any tasting notes on this one as I was preoccupied talking to Chris... I do remember that I liked it...
Next up was the 2005 Duality Red Wine Sierra Foothills ($20). A blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah. Again, talking to much with Chris but I do remember the strong impression of the dried, smoked meat and dark berries that hit you big time on the nose. The palate again carried that dark fruit and berries along with mouth puckering firm, high tannins . Big wine, big tannins! This one demands a good BBQ!
The 2005 Row 23 Herzog Vineyard Clarksburg Petite Sirah ($28) was poured next. This wine offered floral/perfume on the nose with dark berries. On the palate vivid, round dark fruit and berries again, with smooth, round tannins. Different at that point from the previous wines that all had more edgy, firm tannins.
The last wine was a surprise as it was not on the tasting list. Chris had pulled a barrel sample that morning from the 2006 Clone 6 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (3-pack for $120) and poured is as a future. This one made me really excited. Only 175 cases produced this will be bottled in March and released in October next year. Straight out of a French oak barrel that morning this wine was bright in fruit with red cherry, black cherry and violet on the nose. The red and black cherry shows up on the palate again with black currant and oak notes. Very high in mouth puckering tannins at this point, I can not wait to see what it has to offer next October when my shipment is arriving.

This is a realtively new, up and coming winery and I am looking forward to follow them as they develop over the years. Their wines are all really nice and leaves a promise of things to come in the future.
Find their wines at their website.


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Easton 2004 Sierra Foothills Sauvignon Blanc

When we went up to El Dorado wine country in April earlier this spring I picked up a bottle of this Sauvignon Blanc at the Terre Rouge/Easton winery. Tonight, beeing Friday night, BBQing in the backyard, I thought this would be a great wine to start with as the food is cooking. I reviewed this wine briefly before, after our wine trip. Today I will go a little more into detail.

This wine was cold fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in neutral French oak on the lees for 9 months. The majority of Sauvignon Blanc are aged in stainless steel to keep it clean and crisp. The oak, in this case, gives this wine a certain creaminess. It did however not go through malolactic fermentation which gives it the characteristic crispness we usually see in Sauvignon Blanc.

This wine has a clear, light straw color in the glass. On the nose light tropical fruit, pear, citrus and a hint of butter scotch vanilla. On the palate there is citrus, light peach and pear, with a slight round creaminess on the mid palate. The finish approaching, a more crisp and clean taste emerges from moderate acidity, with minerals at the very end.
This wine has a nice roundness while still maintaining it's crisp and refreshing qualities. It lacks a little bit in fruit, but overall I enjoyed it.

You can find this wine from $17.99 at Wine-Searcher.com and WineZap.com. Although a couple of other Sauvignon Blanc comes to mind in this price range, that I enjoy more, this is still a fair price.

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Sierra Foothills Cabernet Franc

I have reviewed wines from Mt Vernon Winery before and now it's time for their Cabernet Franc. We opened the Mt Vernon Winery 2003 Placer County Cabernet Franc tonight (this was my first time tasting this variety from this winery). Met with restrained, dark cherries and plum on the nose I expected a conventional California Cabernet Franc and I was not let down on the palate. With dark berries, oak and firm tannins that lingured in the mouth this a pleasing good quality Cabernet Franc. Nothing exceptional or suprising, just solid and good.
At $23 @ www.mtvernonwinery.com it is well worth a try.

Kidnapped to discover a local star

Last Monday I got "kidnapped" by a friend taking me up to a local winery, Mt Vernon Winery, that I had not visited before. Getting up there we discovered that the tasting room was not open that day. Pulling out of the parking lot a man came up to us asking if he could help us. Turns out he is one of the owners, Jim Taylor. His son Ryan was working in the vineyards and immediately came in to open up and pour us some wine. The two of them are the team of winemakers that opened the winery in 1996. In 2002 they opened the doors to the tasting room at the estate, the first one in Placer County since the advent of Prohibition and the collapse of grape growing and wine making in Placer County.
Ryan poured a myriad of delicious wines and after tasting I bought several varieties to bring home, and tonight I opened one of their chardonnays and a barbera.
The 2004 Sierra Foothills Chardonnay, Breast Cancer Research ($18) has pineapple and ripe pear on the nose with medium body, light oak and a creamy finish. Tasty!
The 2003 Sierra Foothills Barbera (only 320 cases produced) has a vibrant dark red/purple color in the glass. You will find sweet berries and black tea on the nose. On the palate discover cherry, spices, nice acidity and medium/large tannins. A great value for a great wine.
The difference with this wine is that it not only tastes good but it feels good to drink as well. The reason?
Dr. Bodai, CEO of CureBreastCancer Inc. and a Kaiser Permanente surgeon, after several years of work to get approval from the Congress and the US Postal Service, asked the Taylor family to put a label looking like the Breast Cancer postage stamp on their bottles. He asked for a 5% donation but the family felt so strongly about the cause they offered 12.5% of the sales price of each bottle. And that is their contribution since 2005.
So drink up. Order more. Feel good. It is all for a good cause.
www.mtvernonwinery.com