New Vintages From Sonoma-Cutrer: Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

From the heart of the Russian River Valley, Sonoma-Cutrer is celebrating the release of three new vintages of some of their most popular wines. Newly bottled are the 2022 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, the 2021 The Cutrer Chardonnay and the 2021 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. 

For the first time in its four-plus decade history, Sonoma-Cutrer features an all-female team led by their newest and first female Director of Winemaking Cara Morrison, and Senior Winemaker Zidanelia Arcidiacono. The team follows the company line of combining Burgundian tradition with Californian innovation, always making sure to respect the terroir and the people of Sonoma County.

The 2022 Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay draws fruit from four of the winery's estate vineyards plus some from trusted local growers. All these sites benefit from the coastal fog, the afternoon breezes and the day-to-night temperature swing. The grapes were whole cluster pressed and the juice flowed into tanks, then the wine was vinified in mostly French oak barrels. That is where aging took place over eight months, in a mix of new, one-year-old and neutral wood. There was full malolactic fermentation with the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Alcohol sits at 13.9% abv and the retail price is $25.

This wine has a lovely yellow tint. The nose is full of Meyer lemon, apricot and buttery vanilla. The palate shows more fruit than oak, which is surprising given the color and aroma. Lemon, lime, golden apple and pear dominate the flavor package, with subtle oak spice and vanilla notes. The acidity is fine and the finish is long. It is a beautiful Chardonnay. 

Follow Randy Fuller on X

Stolpman L'Avion Roussanne - So Good

On visits to Santa Barbara County wine country, I always like to come home with a bottle of something special. The most recent excursion took me to Stolpman Vineyards' tasting room in Los Olivos, a little bit northwest of Santa Barbara. There was a special bottle there that I could not resist.

The 2020 L'Avion Roussanne comes from Stolpman Vineyards, Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County. The wine is made from 93% Roussanne grapes and 7% Chardonnay. The Chardonnay was harvested in August, while the Roussanne wasn't taken until October. The Stolpman crew says the Roussanne grapes like to get a good tan, turning a rust color, which is where the name Roussanne comes from.

If you are wondering where the name "L'Avion" came from for this wine, here is how the folks at Stolpman explain it:

"In the late 1930s, teenage cattle rancher Anchor Johnson and his buddies landed their rickety plane down the straight chute where Roussanne is now planted.  The young men would park the plane under the oak tree at the end of the dirt strip.  Roussanne rows now run lengthwise along the old runway, creating the inspiration for the lanes on the L’Avion label."

The Roussanne was vinified in new French oak while the Chardonnay saw neutral French oak. The blend was aged in French oak, half new, half used, for a total of 19 months barrel aging. This wine has 13% alcohol, which is pretty low by California standards, and it cost about $40 at the winery's Los Olivos tasting room. 

This wine has a rich, golden color. The nose offers a bounty of nice things. Lemons, apricots, almonds and vanilla, are all wrapped up in buttery goodness. The palate is earthy, nutty and fruity all at once. If there were such a thing as an "old-line California Roussanne," this would be it. The acidity is fresh and the finish long, with a good streak of salinity staying after the sip. 

Follow Randy Fuller on X

Blood Of The Vines - The Kids Aren't Alright

Pairing‌ ‌wine‌ ‌with‌ ‌movies!‌  ‌See‌ ‌the‌ ‌trailers‌ ‌and‌ ‌hear‌ ‌the‌ ‌fascinating‌ ‌commentary‌ ‌for‌ ‌these‌ ‌movies‌ ‌and‌ ‌many‌ ‌more‌ ‌at‌ ‌Trailers‌ ‌From‌ ‌Hell.‌ This week, we examine a few films featuring young folks who are operating outside the realm of accepted behavior. We have wines to pair with each. 

1981 was a good year for slasher movies. Stuff like Halloween II, Student Bodies and My Bloody Valentine still bring a nostalgic tear to my eye when I think of them. Which, to be honest, is not all that often. And it may have been my allergies, so never mind. 

Dead Kids is really an alias for Strange Behavior, the first New Zealand horror film. A small town's teens are being brutally slain while an undercover mind control experiment has some of them under the power of a control freak. The film was released to mixed reviews but it has acquired a bit of a cult following in the decades since.

The movie delivers what the title promises, and more. A medical procedure performed on a sensitive facial area is better than a stick in the eye in a horror film. Especially when it is a needle in the eye. That's almost as good as Marathon Man dental work. 

For Dead Kids, or Strange Behavior, or whatever you'd like to call it, let's have a bizarre wine. Not one made from snake venom, garlic, avocados or pumpkins. God no, not the pumpkin wine! I'm not drinking any @#$%& pumpkin wine!

Strange Family Vineyards is in the Sta. Rita Hills portion of Santa Barbara County. Besides having a, (ahem), strange name, they make some scary good Pinot Noir. 

In the 1967 British thriller, Our Mother's House, Mom dies and her brood of kids keep it a secret to avoid being parceled off to foster homes. They bury the dear old matriarch in the backyard and cash her monthly checks to keep what's left of the family afloat.

Does it sound far-fetched? Well, it happened in real life just recently when a San Diego woman decided to keep getting her dead mom's Social Security checks. Not to be a spoiler, but she is now celebrating Mother's Day in a federal penitentiary. 

The kids in Our Mother's House also have a deadbeat dad to contend with, but I'll tell you right now, that absentee father is in way over his head with these kids. If you want a nice, happy ending to this movie, sorry. That ship sailed early in the film. The children eventually do the only right thing left to them. Cheers!

Big House Wines gets its name from the nearby Soledad Correctional Facility. They are more attuned to bootlegging crimes, but you also might end up there if you bury mom in the backyard and keep cashing her checks. 

Children of the Damned is the 1964 followup to The Village of the Damned, which only stands to reason. The six young'uns in this one are definitely not alright. They all have highly advanced mental abilities, which separates them from all the other kids on Earth, as well as half of the adults. 

The "stare that will paralyze the will of the world," as the first movie's one-sheet called it, makes the kids do evil things. But are they really evil? The cavalry arrives just in time to spare the world from that stare.

How evil were the looks that kill? Evil enough to murder, evil enough to trick the authorities, evil enough to fill your fridge with White Zinfandel. Let's not go overboard on the evil thing, though. Evil Wine hails from Australia and is a $10 Cabernet Sauvignon. That certainly sounds evil, but the merchants claim it is actually a bargain.

Follow Randy Fuller on X

A Bargain Pinot From The Russian River Valley

California wine négociant Cameron Hughes owns no vineyards and has no official winery.  He sniffs out good wine which has already been produced by established makers, then buys it on the cheap with an agreement not to reveal the source.  He then sells the wine online through his wine club - he calls it a wineocracy - bringing top-shelf wines to lower-shelf wallets.  Hughes says he keeps prices low by removing the middleman, the distributor and retailer through which store-bought wines must pass.

One of his latest finds is a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir from a top Sonoma County estate which discontinued its Pinot program. Hughes says it is one of his best acquisitions of the year. 

Lot 947 Pinot Noir is of the 2018 vintage, carries alcohol at 14.5% abv and sells for $19.

This wine is medium dark garnet. The nose is made up of raspberry and plum aromas, with liberal dollops of clove, tobacco and spice. Expected notes of tea or cola were noticeably absent. A slight cola note appears on the palate, along with ripe, dark fruit and oak spice. The acidity is zesty. This is not a brawny Pinot, but it is a bit too rambunctious to be considered elegant. It is, however, a very nice sip and a wonderful pairing option with meats of all kind.

Follow Randy Fuller on X

Great Beer From Firestone Walker

Beer lovers on your gift list will find that their steins runneth over when they get the box containing the first shipment of Firestone Walker's 2024 edition of its Brewmaster's Collective Beer Club. If you decide to get it just for yourself, we understand.

The Paso Robles brewery now has this year's Brewmaster's Collective available, providing 21 rare and exclusive beers delivered in four quarterly shipments, plus a welcome beer. The hand-curated collections by Head Brewmaster Matt Brynildson features an array of barrel-aged offerings from Vintage and Barrelworks programs in small-batch creations. The collection allows the brewery to continue to push its creativity, innovation, and traditions.

The cost for the entire year of the Brewmaster's Collective is just $399 plus tax, or $425 with five installments of $85. Enrollment is open now and will continue until capacity is reached. You can find out more here: https://www.firestonebeer.com/brewmasters-collective/.

The brewery was kind enough to send me a handful of the new selections. They are:

XXVIII Anniversary Ale - Blended Barrel-Aged Ale

This is the 18th edition of the Anniversary Ale, which this year celebrates the 27th anniversary of the brewery. The blend mixes five distinct ales which were aged in bourbon barrels. 

Brynildson says this Anniversary Ale is the most eclectic. He calls it a "testament to the blending skills of our winemaker friends." The blend is created each year by a collaboration between the brewer and local winemakers. He figures, who knows more about blending than winemakers? 

Brewmaster's Tasting Notes: "The finished blend is deep dark mahogany in color and expresses decadent up-front barrel aromas with notes of toffee and cocoa powder close behind. The mouthfeel is smooth and silky with rich caramel flavors complemented by toasted nut, vanilla and coconut accents. An absolutely stunning barrel-aged beer and a true testament to the winemakers' skill in blending not only for aroma and flavor, but also for texture." 

The five ales:

33% - DDBA Batch 10k – Aged in Wheated Bourbon Barrels - Imperial Special Bitter

29% - Dividing Time – Aged in Wheated and Rye Bourbon Barrels - Munich Wine Made in Collaboration with Private Press

13% - Bravo – Aged in Bourbon Barrels - Imperial Brown Ale

13% - Rip This Joint – Aged in Bourbon Barrels - Imperial Stout Made in Collaboration with Side Project

12% - Velvet Merkin – Aged in Bourbon Barrels - Milk Stout

This beer has alcohol at a wine-like 12.5% abv.

This dark brown beer has a beautiful nose, full of rich coffee, chocolate and bourbon notes. A nice light brown head dissipates over a few minutes. The palate is simply amazing. Smooth and creamy, this looks and drinks like a stout, but with much merrier flavors - mocha, espresso, a hint of anise and nutmeg. It is a wonderful thing to have around the holidays. 

The rest of the sampler:

Apple Jack Flash 2023 Vintage

This is an English Style Barleywine Ale. The brewers say they sourced "freshly pressed apple juice from Gizdich Ranch in Northern California and combined it with English Barleywine before fermentation." They then "matured the beer in AppleJack barrels for 12 months."

I am told that applejack is basically an apple brandy, a beverage which was produced and consumed by the American colonists as early as the late 1600s. Alcohol sits at 12% abv.

This beer has a chestnut color, with cream colored foam made up of fine bubbles. The nose gives nutty coffee notes and sweet caramel, like a custom-made candy bar. The palate has great acidity and a fruity edge to the malty flavor. 

Rip This Joint 2023 Vintage

This is an Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels, which pretty much tells the whole story. Alcohol is even loftier here, at 13.9% abv.

This brew is as black as night. Almost no foam, and what is there dissipates quickly. The nose offers notes of strong, black coffee, chocolate, anise and vanilla. The palate is thick and malty. Those chocolate and coffee notes are here as flavors, too. This is one amazing stout. 

Between Two Grahams 2023 Vintage

Another Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels, this one has chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon in the blend, with alcohol at 11.5% abv.

The wine is dark brown, with a head that dissipates quickly. The nose and palate both offer a mix of spice and sweetness. The flavor makes me think of a cross between a Vanilla Coke and a cup of strong coffee.

Balaton Bones

This is an American Wild Ale fermented with Balaton Cherries. This type of cherry has a sweet-tart flavor and is said to be an exceptional fruit. Alcohol is much lower in this one than in the other beers in the sampler, at 6.3% abv. 

This unusual beer pours up looking cherry-red, but after the pour is complete it has more of a raspberry tint. The nose offers what wine people might call a foxy aroma, rather like a wine made from North American grapes. The more I sniffed it, the more it reminded me of a Muscadine wine. As for the palate, sweet-tart is a good descriptor. It tastes a lot like the candy of the same name. Whether that is a good thing or not depends on your tolerance for Sweet Tarts. This was my least favorite beer of the five in the sampler, but I am not a fruit-in-my-beer guy in the first place. 

The other four beers I tasted were astoundingly good, good enough to justify springing for membership in the Brewmaster's Collective Beer Club. 

Follow Randy Fuller on X

Blood Of The Vines - More Movies You Never Heard Of With Larry Karaszewski

Pairing‌ ‌wine‌ ‌with‌ ‌movies!‌  ‌See‌ ‌the‌ ‌trailers‌ ‌and‌ ‌hear‌ ‌the‌ ‌fascinating‌ ‌commentary‌ ‌for‌ ‌these‌ ‌movies‌ ‌and‌ ‌many‌ ‌more‌ ‌at‌ ‌Trailers‌ ‌From‌ ‌Hell.‌ This week, TFH guru Larry Karaszewski will turn over a few stones and expose movies you never knew existed. While he is doing that, I will try to expose some nice wines to pair with the films.

I have always been a fan of things nobody else knew about. It's fun to feel like you have some inside knowledge. I remember, before everyone could sing along with Van Morrison's Moondance, dropping it onto a party tape now and then. I would put the cassette in the machine and just wait for the oohs and aahs to start. I was a lot like the John Cusack character in High Fidelity, but without the Top Ten lists.

Today, I do that with wine grapes. Everyone already knows about Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. My wheelhouse is something like Picpoul. I can bore you to death with some etymological nonsense about how the grape's name comes from the French phrase meaning "lip stinger," but you’ve been kind enough to read this far, so I'll spare you.

I may suggest to you what to drink, but I won't hold it against you if you opt for a White Zinfandel instead. Just don't hold it against me if I've never heard of your favorite movies and choose to watch Blake Edwards’ S.O.B. Again.

I Start Counting is from 1970. It is described as a coming-of-age thriller in which a teen suspects her brother of being a serial killer. That sort of thing makes you come of age real fast. I'm sure we’ve all suspected a family member or two of being serial killers. No? Too soon? For me it was a distant cousin, and the more distant, the better.

I wouldn't say Counting has a happy ending, unless structural demolition is your thing. At least the ending is merciful.

They say that years of age and glasses of wine should never be counted. That should go double for an old guy who is an actual Hungarian Count. For I Start Counting, let's pair Count Karolyi Grüner Veltliner. Now there is a snobby grape. And a good one, one of which you have possibly never heard. Hear me now, thank me later. Count on Grüner Veltliner. 

From 1970, Sunflower is a sad movie about sad people during a sad time. It is set in WWII. Sophia Loren plays Giovanna while Marcello Mastroianni plays Antonio. The war separates them for longer than either of them could have predicted. It's a real tearjerker, so try not to let your tears fall into your wine glass. It dilutes, adds salt, not a good thing.

Turkovich Winery is in Winters, CA, about midway between St. Helena and Sacramento. That ensures that you'll get the right blend of vineyards and state government. And, those Yolo County sunflower fields are something else. Their top shelf Chardonnay sells for about 40 bucks, but their Roussanne is only $23. You know my choice. 

Shoot First Die Later 1974 was directed by Fernando Di Leo. It is an Italian crime noir, or Spaghetti crime movie, if you will. And we know you will. The story involves a cop who tries to stay mostly on the right side of the law, but ends up on the wrong side of the bad guys. If it were only him at risk, he would be okay with it. But, naturally, other people start dropping like flies around him. Looks like he needs to holster up. 

We want a blood-red Italian wine for Shoot First, and why not look to Sicily? The Donnafugata Floramundi is a Nero d'Avola with a dark undercurrent. Made by a nice Sicilian family. You gonna like it. Buy some. Capiche?

Follow Randy Fuller on X

Jaffurs Wine Cellars In Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara wine country stretches county-wide, and it is a big county. The vineyards north of the city are a great place to hang out, but there is plenty of wine tasting to be done in town. 

Jaffurs Wine Cellars is located in downtown Santa Barbara, an easy walk from the beach and from Stearn's Wharf, close to Trader Joe's and reasonably near to La Super-Rica Taqueria, a great stop for lunch.

They have been making great wines at their facility on Montecito Street for more than two decades, specializing in Rhône varieties grown at some of Santa Barbara County's most notable vineyards. Bien Nacido, Thompson, Larner, Stolpman and Kimsey vineyards regularly contribute fruit to the Jaffurs cause.

I paid a visit to Jaffurs on an October trip to Santa Barbara, one which yielded some bakery stops for the wife and wine tasting for me. It was a great day, in large part because the winery was buzzing when I arrived at 11:00 a.m. Winemaker Stephen Searle explained, while hustling from sorters to destemmers to huge bins, that they had just received a load of Petite Sirah grapes from Thompson Vineyard. The tasting table was set up for me right in the middle of the action. It was all I could do to stay out of the way so the crew could work. I was even offered a taste of the raw fruit, a first for me in all my many tasting sessions.

Here are the wines that were poured for me:

Jaffurs Viognier 2022

Sourced from Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley AVA, this wine was vinified half in oak and half in steel.  The floral nose is beautiful and the marvelous salinity on the palate is breathtaking. There is a very nice acidity level here, too.

Jaffurs Roussanne 2021 

Grapes from Stolpman Vineyard in Ballard Canyon make up this wine. It has a wonderful, nutty salinity to go with the prettier fruit and floral descriptors. It was aged in French oak, 17% of which was new. I am told that the next vintage will come from their concrete tank.

Jaffurs Grenache 2020

This wine got ten months in neutral French oak. The fruit was taken from Ballard Canyon. The graceful nose shows roses and the palate is full of cherry flavor.

Jaffurs Santa Barbara County Syrah 2021

Half the grapes came from Bien Nacido Vineyard, along with half from several other vineyards. Aromas of flowers and cherry lead to flavors of cherry and raspberry.

Jaffurs Kimsey Vineyard Syrah 2019

Done up in new French oak, this Syrah has violets, black fruit and that awesome salinity.

Jaffurs Bien Nacido Syrah 2019

This one is made Côte-Rôtie style, with a little Viognier in the blend. It has a sweet floral and fruit nose and a savory taste.

Jaffurs Petite Sirah Thompson Vineyard 2021

A bold nose here, due to the new American oak in which it was aged. The wine has a beautiful sweetness and gorgeous black fruit. It was presented last in the tasting lineup, as a “dessert,” although it is certainly not a dessert wine.

Follow Randy Fuller on X

How Do You Pronounce Touraine Oisly

The Loire Valley is known in some circles as "the Garden of France." The beautiful area has four distinct wine regions: Pays Nantais, Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine. Each region has its own grapes, appellations and styles. Along the banks of the Loire river are more than 3,000 wineries, more than 103,000 acres of vineyards, 33 appellations of origin and 1 protected geographical indication.

French wine appellations have a reputation for being difficult to pronounce, especially for beginners who don't happen to be French. But even wine lovers with a long Gallic history can have trouble handling the names of the Loire. 

That is why Loire Valley Wines has teamed up with Katie Melchior (also known as @FrenchWineTutor) to create an audio guide to 10 appellations in the Loire Valley.

Just download this infographic map, open in Adobe Acrobat and click the audio icons to hear French pronunciations of 10 appellations on the Loire Valley map, read by Katie herself.

Here is an example of a region that many people might find difficult to pronounce: Touraine Oisly - two-rain owelly. This is a subregion of the Touraine appellation, centered around the town of Oisly. The climate is semi-continental, with drier summers and colder winters than in other areas of the Touraine. The soils are sand over clay, which is the right soil for the Sauvignon grape, which is all they grow in these 50 acres of vineyards.

Raphaël Midoir carries on in his family's tradition as he walks the paths between the vines as four generations have done before him. Alcohol sits at 14.1% abv and the price is less than $20. 

This 2018 Raphaël Midoir Touraine Oisly La Plaine des Cailloux looks beautiful in the glass, with a rich golden color suggesting either age or sweetness. It is definitely not a dessert wine, so it is possible that the five years are showing in the color. However, it is said that the golden color is an identifying feature of wines from the Touraine Oisly. The palate is full of apples and flowers, while the palate has a savory presentation of citrus, apricot and a hint of grapefruit. It is definitely an old world Sauvignon Blanc, with all the elegance that implies. 

Follow Randy Fuller on X

Blood Of The Vines - Bela/Boris Halloween Hangover

Pairing‌ ‌wine‌ ‌with‌ ‌movies!‌  ‌See‌ ‌the‌ ‌trailers‌ ‌and‌ ‌hear‌ ‌the‌ ‌fascinating‌ ‌commentary‌ ‌for‌ ‌these‌ ‌movies‌ ‌and‌ ‌many‌ ‌more‌ ‌at‌ ‌Trailers‌ ‌From‌ ‌Hell.‌ This week, we serve up some leftover Halloween candy in the form of three films featuring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Oh, and we have wine pairings for each as usual.

The Invisible Ray came from 1936, just 38 years after Marie Curie discovered radioactivity. The movie stars both Bela and Boris, with Lugosi as a scientist who tries to cure his friend, Karloff, of radiation poisoning. Script says, a meteorite Karloff touched made him glow in the dark. Ha ha, pretty funny, you say. Well, he also kills anyone he touches, if that toughens up the story line for you. 

No doubt, you expect me to come up with a radioactive wine for The Invisible Ray. Well, grab a bottle from the rack. There. That's radioactive. Scientists say that wine grapes pick up trace amounts of isotopes and are therefore radioactive. So are eggplants, and tomatoes, so don't freak out. Any wine bottled since the 1940s is likely to have those trace amounts of radiation. 

However, I am contractually obligated to provide a specific wine to pair with this movie. Make it an atomic wine. The Atom Half Life Chardonnay won’t give you Karloff's "touch of death," but the California concoction will likely have a nice, buttery flavor.

Karloff starred in 1944's House of Frankenstein, along with Lon Chaney, Jr. and John Carradine. You also have Count Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's monster in the mix here, so there is no shortage of Universal monster properties. 

Karloff plays Dr. Gustav Niemann, who escapes prison and jumps right into a plan to make a new body for his assistant. A parole officer would have been proud. The assistant has a hunchback, by the way, which is the cherry on top of this horror movie sundae. 

And it is the connection to our wine pairing. From Victor Hugo Winery in Paso Robles, Hunchback. You read that right. A wine called Hunchback, from a winery called Victor Hugo which has absolutely nothing to do with the author of the same name. It is a blend of Merlot, Tannat, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel, so there's that. 

1932's White Zombie is credited with being the first zombie movie. Lugosi stars as a zombie master. Listen, if you have to be around a bunch of zombies, it is best to be their boss. His character's name is Murder Legendre, and you three guesses as to whether he is a good guy or a bad guy. The first two don't count. Clue: his name is murder. 

Bela's family keeps his name alive with Bela Lugosi Wines. They happen to make the perfect pairing for this film, White Zombie Chardonnay. It is crafted from Santa Barbara County grapes, which doesn't matter at all to a zombie, but should be important to you.  

Follow Randy Fuller on X

How Do You Pronounce Jasnieres?

The Loire Valley is known in some circles as "the Garden of France." The beautiful area has four distinct wine regions: Pays Nantais, Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine. Each region has its own grapes, appellations and styles. Along the banks of the Loire river are more than 3,000 wineries, more than 103,000 acres of vineyards, 33 appellations of origin and 1 protected geographical indication.

French wine appellations have a reputation for being difficult to pronounce, especially for beginners who don’t happen to be French. But even wine lovers with a long Gallic history can have trouble handling the names of the Loire. 

That is why Loire Valley Wines has teamed up with Katie Melchior (also known as @FrenchWineTutor) to create an audio guide to 10 appellations in the Loire Valley.

 Just download this infographic map, open it in Adobe Acrobat and click the audio icons to hear French pronunciations of 10 appellations on the Loire Valley map, read by Katie herself.

Here is an example of a region that many people might find difficult to pronounce: Jasnières - zhan-yare. This is a tiny appellation, one that once yielded wines that were chosen by a king - Henry IV. Today, fewer than 200 acres of vines remain. Janières is in the northernmost part of the Loire Valley, and so it is also the coldest part.

Pascal Janvier has taken the reputation of Jasnières to heart. The butcher-turned-winemaker is passionate about his wines, and his care shows in the juice.

Two of Janvier's wines are imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. After tasting one of them for the first time and marveling to myself about how good it was, I turned the bottle around and saw Lynch's name on the back label. "But of course," I thought, "it's a Lynch selection." Always a delight. 

The 2022 Pascal Janvier Jasnières is a white wine made from Chenin Blanc grapes. It is fermented and aged for a few months in stainless steel tanks. Alcohol is restrained at 13.5% abv and the wine sells for about $24.  

This wine has a beautiful golden hue and a complex nose. There are notes of guava, white flowers, lime and a soapy streak of salinity. The acidity is bracing. On the palate citrus minerals and an earthy aftertaste, almost soft despite the razor-sharp acidity. Get this for your shellfish, and don't be selfish. Share. 

Follow Randy Fuller on X

How Do You Pronounce Saumur Champigny?

The Loire Valley is known in some circles as the "Garden of France" The beautiful area has four distinct wine regions: Pays Nantais, Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine. Each region has its own grapes, appellations and styles. Along the banks of the Loire river are more than 3,000 wineries, more than 103,000 acres of vineyards, 33 appellations of origin and 1 protected geographical indication.

French wine appellations have a reputation for being difficult to pronounce, especially for beginners who don’t happen to be French. But even wine lovers with a long Gallic history can have trouble handling the names of the Loire. 

That is why Loire Valley Wines has teamed up with Katie Melchior (also known as @FrenchWineTutor) to create an audio guide to 10 appellations in the Loire Valley.

Just download this infographic map, open in Adobe Acrobat and click the audio icons to hear French pronunciations of 10 appellations on the Loire Valley map, read by Katie herself.

Here's an example of a region that many people might find difficult to pronounce: Saumur Champigny. I could tell you it is spoken like saw-MYUR sham-pin-YEE, but it's a lot more fun to hear Katie say it.

The 2018 Domaine Filliatreau (fee-illa-TRO) Vieilles Vignes comes from Saumur Champigny, where the Filliatreau family has been making wine for generations. The Cabernet Franc grapes for this wine came from vines which are 50 to 100 years old. The wine was vinified in stainless steel tanks rather than oak barrels and aged in those tanks for one year. Alcohol clocks in at 14.5% abv and the wine's retail price averages about $28 online.

This Cabernet Franc wine is dark in color, as well as in smell and taste. The aromas are in the red fruit area, but a bit on the dark side. Cherry, black cherry, raspberry and black pepper come forth persistently. On the palate, the darkness continues. Cherry and cassis are joined by herbs and spices and a firm tannic structure. This is a wine that was made to pair with lamb, or so it seems, anyway. By the way, it was vinified and aged completely in stainless steel. 

Follow Randy Fuller on X

An Old Friend, An Old Vine Zin

This site recently published an article about the 2021 Old Vine Zinfandel from Bogle Family Vineyards. Here we have the previous year's vintage of the same wine.

The Bogle family has farmed the California delta region for six generations, 50 years now in the effort of growing wine grapes. Like a lot of farming families in the area, they started out selling their fruit to others, then got wise and started turning their grapes into wine themselves. 

European settlers brought Zinfandel vines to California more than a century ago, and Bogle says they use old vine grapes in this wine to honor those pioneers. The vines in question here are more like 40 to 50 years old, however. Aging took place a little more than half a year in oak. 

Bogle's 2020 Old Vine Zinfandel is made from grapes that were grown in Lodi and Amador counties, in vineyards of longtime growing partners. The wine was aged for only seven months in American oak barrels. Alcohol sits at 14.5% abv and I paid less than $10 for the bottle.

This wine is very dark, inky, in fact. The nose offers blackberry, black cherry and plum notes along with aromas of clove, nutmeg, anise and tobacco. The palate is loaded with dark fruit and oak spice, with firm tannins and a bright acidity. Cook with it, pair it with steak or just sip it and ruminate over it. 

Follow Randy Fuller on X

Napa Legends Led To This Chardonnay

The Charles Krug Winery has been in the Napa Valley for about as long as winemaking has been there. The winery was founded in 1861 by Mr. Charles Krug, a visionary who is seen as the father of Napa Valley winemaking. The Mondavi family purchased the outfit in 1943 and still own it today.

The grapes for the 2022 Krug Carneros Chardonnay were grown in the Peter Mondavi Sr. family estates and turned into liquid magic by winemaker Stacy Clark. The wine was aged on the lees (in contact with the spent yeast cells) and was fermented in about half oak, half steel. Alcohol hits 14.3% abv and the retail price is $26.

This wine has a faint yellow tint in the glass. The nose gives off lemon notes with some minerality and a hint of orange peel and salinity. The palate shows off a lovely array of citrus flavors and a racy acidity that will make food pairing easy. This is a delightful wine, and it offers a lot for the price. 

Follow Randy Fuller on X