Showing posts with label California wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label California wine. Show all posts

Monday, April 1, 2024

Bubbles From Cricket Farms

The Shannon Family of Wines has just gotten underway with their Certified Organic Luxury Sparkling wine program. Proprietor Angie Shannon says their Cricket Farms Sparkling Brut and Rosé are both estate-grown in Lake County with no herbicides or pesticides used. The wines are low in calories - less than 100 - and in alcohol - only 10.5% abv. They retail for $38. By the way, Cricket is the name of the family's beloved border collie, an integral part of the Shannon heritage. 

Cricket Farms Sparkling Brut

This wine has a pretty yellow tint and gives off the bubbles in a big way. The nose brings a blast of citrus, like lemon, lime and orange. There is also a bit of a toasty smell in there. The palate is bracing and fresh, with high acidity to carry the fruit and mineral notes. A yeasty trace is noticeable, but not dominant. It's a fun wine that is low in alcohol so it can be enjoyed more freely. 

Cricket Farms Sparkling Brut Rosé 

This wine is much the same save for a light onion skin color. The bubbles may actually be more plentiful than in the brut, if you're looking for something festive. 


Follow Randy Fuller on X

Monday, December 19, 2022

Sonoma Zinfandel Specialists Make Four-Grape Bubbly

The small, family-run Zinfandel specialists Bella Winery make a sparkling wine, too. The Ru Blanc de Noirs utilizes a fairly standard grape recipe, with a twist. In addition to the main component of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier - 73% and 17% respectively - and a splash of Chardonnay, there is a 6% helping of Pinot Gris grapes. I don't believe I have ever had a sparkling wine with Pinot Gris grapes in it, but there is a first time for everything. All the fruit was grown in Sonoma County.

Ru Blanc de Noirs is a Traditional Method sparkler, a non-vintage bubbly from one of California's top wine regions. Alcohol sails in at 12.1% abv and the price is $48, but it is listed as being sold out on the Bella website.

This wine pours up bubbly and with a very slight copper-tinted hue. The nose offers a wealth of cherry, apricot and lemon aromas, but in a savory framework of salinity. There is a yeasty touch as well. On the palate, the fruit leads the way, but an amazing acidity really steals the show. This wine is as fresh and lively as they come. Pair it with just about anything - that's the real beauty of a sparkling wine, its versatility. 


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter


Monday, September 26, 2022

A California Pinot Grigio You'll Probably Like

Bread & Butter's 2021 Pinot Grigio is described as a "California Pinot Grigio," but the Napa location is more prominently displayed on the Bread & Butter label. Is this a ploy to make the buyer think they’re getting a Napa Valley wine? Is this a mostly Napa Valley wine? As the company's website says, "Don’t overthink it." Bread & Butter winemaker Linda Trotta says if you like it, it's a good wine. A lot of people are going to like this one. No matter where the grapes were sourced. Alcohol hits 12.5% abv and it retails for about $15.

The wine shows pale yellow in the glass and smells of stone fruit and flowers, with a slight nuttiness to the nose. The palate has a nice bit of minerality and salinity to go along with the peach and apricot flavors. The acidity is a little tame, so sip it or pair it with a salad. 


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter


Wednesday, August 17, 2022

What Bubbles The Future Holds

This California sparkling wine is named after a card from the tarot deck, the one symbolizing harmony, joy and contentment - perfect for a nice bottle of bubbly. Banshee Wines makes an assortment of wines in Healdsburg, where they can be nearer to the Sonoma County vineyards where they source the fruit.

This non-vintage brut was made in the Méthode Champenoise, with secondary fermentation happening in the bottle. It was aged on the yeast for two years or more.  The grapes involved are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, with alcohol sitting at 12.5% abv and a retail price of $30. 

This wine presents a thick, white froth upon pouring - and the fine bubbles stick around awhile. On the nose, green apples, pears and white flowers abound, with a healthy dose of minerals along for the sniffing. The palate also shows off a ton of the aforementioned fruit and some citrus minerality as well. The wonderful acidity will make this a sparkler that can do more than host a toast. You may want oysters or lobster with it. 


Monday, February 28, 2022

Cabernet Sauvignon From Josh Cellars

Joseph Carr worked his way up in the wine world through the restaurant business as a wine steward and sommelier.  In 2007, he followed his dream to make wine in California by founding Josh Cellars, named to honor his father.  He started as a hard-working garagista, making only one Cabernet Sauvignon in limited quantities.  Today, Josh Cellars bottles many more grape varieties, and more Cabernet Sauvignon styles.  It is a negociant winery, with grapes sourced from a variety of California growing locations.  Joseph Carr is an executive in the wine biz now, and winemaker Wayne Donaldson gets the purple under his fingernails

Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

California is on the label and the winery says they source grapes from "all around the state" for this wine.  It was aged in 20% new oak barrels, but little other info is available on the tech sheet.  Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv and it sells for $17.

This wine is medium-dark in its purple color.  The nose is a jammy black-and-blue berry festival with notes of the oak aging it underwent - vanilla, cinnamon and cedar.  The palate is juicy and full of cherries and berries.  It is sipping very nicely, but the tannins are firm enough to welcome a steak or pork chop.  


Josh Cellars Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
  

Paso Robles is one of my favorite regions for Cab, not only because I love the flavors that grow from that limestone soil, but also because the price is usually far less than in certain other Cab regions of the Golden State.  This wine spent up to two days in cold soak, then was fermented for a couple of weeks.  It was aged in French oak, a fifth of which was new.  Alcohol tips in at 14% abv and the retail price is $22.

This reserve Cab has a savory nose featuring coffee, mocha, anise, mint and just a hint of that Paso Robles chalkiness.  The minerality comes on strong on the palate, where a boatload of black fruit also appears.  The tannins are firm but not overbearing and there is a fresh acidity to the wine.  I love to pair a dark, savory wine like this one with a juicy piece of beef or a pork shoulder.


Josh Cellars Reserve North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon
 

These grapes came from the North Coast appellation, a huge area which includes six counties north of San Francisco, including Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake.  Aging employed 25% new oak.  Alcohol hits only 14% abv and the bottle retails for $22.

This dark wine’s nose is bursting with blue fruit, violets, vanilla and clove.  The palate is rich and layered with black currant and cherry, anise, pepper and oak spice.  The tannins are smooth and the acidity is lip-smacking.  The sip finishes long and fruity with a savory edge.  It will pair nicely with steak, sausage and tomato sauce dishes. 


Josh Cellars Bourbon Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon
($21.99) 

This wine gets the California appellation, probably due to the fact that grapes from several regions were used.  The winery explains that the wine is aged for three months in "recently emptied bourbon barrels."  Alcohol gets up to 14.5% abv and the retail price is $22. 

The nose shows plenty of dark fruit - blackberries, cassis, blueberries - but while I was expecting a healthy dose of bourbon-soaked wood, it doesn’t seem to be there.  I get just a faint sense of bourbon, nothing more.  That’s actually fine with me, because I don’t want my wine to smell like bourbon.  A little stronger note of cedar comes on the palate, along with the forceful fruit, but nothing that would turn me off of the wine.  After sipping a bit, I notice a very slight flavor of bourbon, but it is way in the background. I feel the labeling is a bit misleading.  If you’re advertising bourbon, there oughta be some - whether I like it or not.  However, it is a fine wine nonetheless. 



Thursday, June 10, 2021

Two New Releases From Cameron Hughes

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 down low 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.

Cameron Hughes Lot 811 Zinfandel Lodi 2019

Lot 811 is made completely from Lodi Zinfandel grapes.  The Lodi appellation has come on strong in recent years, especially with respect to the Zinfandels being produced there.  Most of the growers in Lodi are families which have been growing those grapes for generations.  Many of them have only recently begun making their own wine instead of selling the fruit to other producers.

This wine checks in with alcohol at 14.5% abv and a retail sticker of $13.  Yes.  Great Lodi Zin, for thirteen dollars.

The wine is medium dark in the glass.  The nose is perfumed with plum and blackberry aromas, with a hint of black pepper and campfire smoke.  An undercurrent of lilacs sets off the more savory aspect.  On the palate, there is amazing fruit - cherry, blackberry, cassis - along with some fairly awesome peppery notes.  The mouthfeel is full, yet lean, with tannins firm enough to do a job but soft enough to stay out of the way when they are not working.  I don't get a color reference very often on the palate, but this wine tastes purple to me.  The finish is medium at best, but full of the aforementioned fruit. 


Cameron Hughes Lot 825 White Meritage Napa Valley 2020

Lot 825 combines 70% Sauvignon Blanc grapes with 30% Semillon, a blend found more famously in the Bordeaux region of Graves.  These grapes were grown in the Napa Valley, where ripeness never seems to be a problem.  Alcohol tips only 12.9% abv and the retail price is $16.

This wine is lightly tinted yellow.  The nose is full of citrus and minerals - that smell of a wet sidewalk is in there.  There is also a trace of apricot and a hint of an herbal note - not full-blown grassiness, but edging in that direction.  The palate is very clean and lean.  The citrus takes center stage with the minerality staying close.  I usually think California SauvBlanc is riper than anywhere else in the world, but this example does not follow suit.  It is a bit tart, but with the usual Sauvignon trappings quite muted.  I suppose the Semillon helps out in that area.  The acidity is light enough for easy sipping, yet strong enough to handle some non-demanding pairing jobs.  I think this is actually a pretty good Sauvignon Blanc for people who think Sauvignon Blanc comes on too strong.


Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Two Tastes of Paso Robles

One of California's best and biggest wine regions is ready to do business again.  Paso Robles put their best feet forward in a webinar, held in celebration of the state's impending reopening, after the lengthy pandemic restrictions.  

Stacie Jacob of Travel Paso said a road trip is just what everyone needs right now, especially a road trip to Paso Robles.  She assured those on the Zoom meeting that when they are ready to travel, Paso Robles is ready to welcome them.  She pointed out that Paso Robles gets things most communities of 30,000 people don't get - world class wine, world class beer, world class restaurants and world class accommodations among them.

Mike Dawson, also of Travel Paso, promoted "girlfriend getaways" and the fun of a summer trip to the wine region that lies about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.  He called Paso the "wine country with beach access."

Jason Haas, of Tablas Creek Vineyard, said he likes the small town feel in Paso Robles.  He recalled that when he moved to Paso, the big news on the police blotter was a swarm of bees on Spring Street.  Haas, whose father was a co-founder of Tablas Creek, talked about the difficulty of maintaining social distance during wine tastings in the time of COVID.  They are renovating the tasting room with bar seating inside or an outside table available for guests.  He said the new use of outdoor areas was one of the silver linings of the COVID era.

Matt Brynildson, of Firestone Walker Brewing Company, made it clear that there is nowhere he would rather be than in Paso Robles.  A music fan, he commented that there is no shortage of live music in Paso.  My box of goodies for the webinar included Firestone Walker's Anniversary Ale, but he said they also have a hazy IPA, Mind Haze, among many other brews.

Eva Peck, of Stables Inn, spoke of her boutique accommodations, which are the smaller sister project of the more established Hotel Cheval.  Peck said Cheval's owners are avid equestrians who refurbished an old building, turning it into a funky hotel with beautifully appointed rooms.  Stable Inn was recently named one of the best new hotels in the world.  Cheval is now preparing to expand across the street, and Peck is looking forward to a more relaxed time when visitors can enjoy the travel experience much more than they have over the past year and a half.

There were comments made during the online event that it would hopefully be "the last Zoom meeting" for Travel Paso, but I hope it won't.  The folks in Paso Robles have done several webinars designed to keep people in the loop, and they've done a fantastic job with them.  They are quite informative - so much more than a simple sales pitch - and I would like to see their online presence continue.


Firestone Anniversary Ale XXIII

The slogan for Firestone Walker Brewing Company is "Beer Before Glory," which sounds so much better than citing the famous last words, "hold my beer."  During the decades they have been in operation, Firestone Walker has grown into a major player in the beer industry.  Brynildson indicated that his crew loves beer and loves making beer.  Their Anniversary Ale XXIII is very dark, like a porter, and carries an alcohol level of 11.5% abv.  The nose is extremely nutty, with a mountain of malt.  The palate is chocolatey, but savory instead of sweet.  Notes of vanilla, caramel and brown sugar also appear.  Several dark beers were aged in liquor barrels for a year, and a dozen winemakers participated in the blending process, what Brynildson called "organized chaos."  He feels the beer fits in well in the artisan community that is Paso.

Tablas Creek Vineyard Côtes de Tablas 2019

Tablas Creek Vineyard was founded "in the limestone hills of western Paso Robles" by the Perrin Family of Château de Beaucastel and the late Robert Haas of Vineyard Brands.  The winery is dedicated to sustainably farmed grape varieties of the Rhône Valley.

The 2019 Côtes de Tablas features 44% Grenache grapes, 30% Syrah, 17% Counoise and 9% Mourvèdre.  Each variety was harvested and vinified separately, then blended together in the spring before being aged in neutral oak for a year.  Alcohol tips 14% abv.

The 2019 Côtes de Tablas is medium dark in the glass, ruby red with a nice violet tinge.  The nose delivers lots of fruit - strawberry, cherry, red currant - and delivers it in such a fresh manner.  The fruit of Grenache, the power of Syrah, the structure of Mourvèdre and the wildness of Counoise work together splendidly.  The flavors are fresh and bright, almost as if there had been no oak involved.  It is almost surprising, considering the muscular grapes in the blend, that the wine has a light and elegant feel.  The tannins are firm but not a bother, so pairing is easy without losing the sipping factor.


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter


Thursday, May 27, 2021

Best California Counties For Wine?

Let's go to the second-best county in California for wine country!  Stanislaus County, here we come!

What?  Never heard of the place?  Well it's right up there with Napa County (#1) and Sonoma County (#3) according to a recently released compilation.  San Joaquin and Yolo counties round out the top five.  Lodi is in San Joaquin County, so I can understand a fairly high ranking in that case.  However, Yolo County, just west of Sacramento, has only a handful of wineries.  Stanislaus County's claim to wine fame is Modesto, which you may recognize as home to corporate wineries like Gallo and Bronco.  Modesto should be thought of as lettuce country, not wine country.

The counties were weighted based on different metrics, and having a large city within the borders actually punished them.  The compilers say that's why you don’t see San Diego County until #16 and Santa Barbara County until #18.  

Now, when you are traveling around the huge expanse of Santa Barbara County, most of it is so rural you may not even realize there is a big city nearby.  The wines produced there rival anything Napa and Sonoma have to offer.  And, in my humble opinion, they are even better than the wines of Stanislaus County.  Plus, the countryside is gorgeous.  #18?  C'mon.

When I was writing news for the radio, I was inundated daily with "top ten" lists generated by a personal finance website.  No matter that personal finance has little to do with the Top Ten Beaches In America, the lists were intended solely to attract clicks on the site.  This California Wine County list seems to work the same way.  It was published by Lawn Starter, a website which aims to help people get their grass cut.  The connection to wine country is just as feeble as those of the personal finance website.

In case you are interested, here are LawnStarter's Top Ten Wine Counties in California:

1. Napa County

2. Stanislaus County

3. Sonoma County

4. San Joaquin County

5. Yolo County

6. Solano County

7. San Luis Obispo County

8. Alameda County

9. Sacramento County

10. Marin County


Happy travels this summer.  Wherever your love of wine takes you, I hope you enjoy it to the fullest.  Even if it's Stanislaus County.


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter


Monday, May 4, 2020

Lip Stinging White Wine From Bonny Doon

If you're looking for something a little different, a glance in the direction of Bonny Doon Vineyards is always a good idea.  Bonny Doon's 2019 Picpoul was made entirely from Picpoul grapes, of French origin but grown in California's Arroyo Seco AVA, in the Beeswax Vineyard. 

More closely aligned with France's Languedoc region, the Picpoul Blanc grape has taken root in Monterey and Sonoma counties, as well as in places like Texas, Arizona and Washington state.  The grape's name has been said to mean "lip stinger" in French, a nod to its high acidity.

Winemaker extraordinaire Randall Grahm says, "Beeswax Vineyard produces white grapes with the scent of, well, beeswax."  He says that fruit imparts a "unique savoriness, discernable brininess" to the wine.  Graham calls the Picpoul "super-savory, nay almost waxy/salty, with perhaps a bit more weight than in previous vintages."  He says the 2019 may be his favorite BDV Picpoul to date.  He also notes a floral quality in his recent Picpoul vintages which he feels is often missing in versions from the Old World.  The wine lays back at only 11% abv and retails for $15.  Wendy Cook did the label art, which has a graphic pronouncer for Picpoul.

There is a huge citrus aspect at play on the nose, limes, lemons, oranges, the works.  That floral quality has a lot of competition in the sniff.  The palate offers up a fabulous acidity, with salinity and minerals to join the aforementioned fruit.  This is a serious white wine that can serve as so much more than a sipper with salad.  It's a perfect wine to pair with with crustaceans and mollusks. 


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Lodi Cab Is Quick On The Draw

The Delicato family named their Three Finger Jack Cabernet Sauvignon after an outlaw from California's Gold Rush days.  The Lodi wine's label proclaims that the juice inside is "outlaw by nature."  There's no confirmation that Jack Dunlop had a three-fingered hand, but it's true that the former Texas cowboy found robbing banks and trains to be more lucrative than corralling dogies.  It also proved to be his end, as he died from a gunshot taken in his last heist.

There appear to be no outlaws in the Delicato family tree, though.  Their website says the winery's founder, Gaspare Indelicato, "came to America more than a century ago and planted a vineyard just south of Lodi," which reminded him of Sicily, his grape-growing home.  The family still runs the business, now training a fourth generation to take the reins. 

The 2016 Three Finger Jack Cabernet Sauvignon is made from grapes grown on Lodi's East Side Ridge, at the foot of the Sierra Mountains, in low-nutrient soils which stress the vines and make for a more intense wine.  Part of the wine was aged in French and American oak, while the remainder was aged in steel tanks.  Alcohol hits 15% abv and it sells for $22.  The squatty bottle stands a good three inches shorter than a typical wine container, but holds the standard 750 ml.

This wine plays the outlaw image to the hilt.  Lodi Cab faces off in a dusty street against Napa Cab, the fastest gun in town.  They both shoot straight, but in different directions.  Three Finger Jack has a nose of rustic black fruit, tar, forest floor, with only a hint of graphite.  The palate leans in a more elegant direction, but still stands its ground as an "outsider."  It's a delightful drink, with plenty of pairing power and the tannic structure to prove it.


Friday, August 23, 2019

Worlds Collide In Livermore Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker Robbie Meyer took to Snooth some months ago to discuss the latest vintages from Murrieta's Well, in California's Livermore Valley, including a Sauvignon Blanc that knocked off my socks.

The vines of the Murrieta's Well estate vineyards were first planted in 1884 by Louis Mel with cuttings from Chateau d'Yquem and Chateau Margaux, says the winery.  Mel sold the property, lock, stock and wine barrel, to Ernest Wente in the 1930s, and it's still part of the Wente Family estate.  Today, Meyer personally selects grapes from all over the five hundred acres. 

He says there is "nothing quite like growing fruit in the vineyard, caring for it in the winery and crafting it into something people can enjoy."  Through the growing, the harvesting and the fermentation, Meyer says blending is where he sees the real art of winemaking.

Murrieta's Well Sauvignon Blanc 2017

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc wine from California's Livermore Valley was fermented in neutral French oak, aged there sur lie for four months.  Alcohol tips at 14.2% abv and it retails for $35.  Thirty barrels were produced.

The wine offers a nose of soft herbal notes and a floral accent, a sort of old-world-new-world combo.  On the palate, there is a ton of acidity along with an ocean of salinity.  The citrus and mineral flavors linger long after the sip. 


Follow Randy Fuller on Twittter

Friday, August 2, 2019

Viognier Tames Lodi Sauvignon Blanc

The little hamlet of Murphys, California is home to one of the nation's biggest wineries.  Ironstone Vineyards is located east of Lodi in Calaveras County, in the Sierra Foothills.  It may be an out-of-the-way stop, but there's a better than average chance you've had some of their brands, or at least seen them on the supermarket shelf.

The Kautz Family are fourth-generation growers, not unusual in that part of the state, and the family-run winery's corporate officers are known simply as John, Gail, Kurt and Jack.

Ironstone Sauvignon Blanc Lodi 2017

The grapes for this white blend were grown in the Mokelumne AVA in southwest Lodi.  The label shows a "sweetness meter" which points to "medium-dry."  That is less surprising when you know that the wine is only 88% Sauvignon Blanc, with a healthy 12% portion of Viognier mixed with it.  Alcohol is somewhat restrained at 13% abv, and the wine retails for $14.

This pale Lodi Sauvignon Blanc has a nose featuring earthy minerals and apricots.  The palate shows citrus - mainly lemon and grapefruit - with a sweet edge.  A great acidity goes along with the easy-sipping flavors.   Pair this wine with with seafood, pork, chicken and bean dishes, or have it as an aperitif.


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Another Great Wine From Bonny Doon Vineyards

Randall Grahm uses his Bonny Doon Vineyards as a pulpit from which to preach, proselytize and promote about grapes that are off the beaten path, growing on underappreciated vines located somewhere "right doon there."  The 2018 Beeswax Vineyard Picpoul grapes are included in that group.

More closely aligned with southern France's Languedoc region, the Picpoul Blanc grape has taken root in California's Monterey and Sonoma counties, as well as in places like Texas, Arizona and Washington state.

The grape's name has been said to mean "lip stinger" in French, a nod to its high acidity.  However, a blogger named Miquel Hudin picked a bone online about that translation.  The grapes in this wine were picked in the Beeswax Vineyard, in the Arroyo Seco AVA of Monterey County.  Grahm says his grapes are slightly riper, less austere, and more aromatically developed than the French fruit.

Skurnik Wines writes that although it's impossible to smell the sensation of saltiness, the nose of the Bonny Doon Picpoul is "maritime, coupled with a discreet suggestion of peaches, wildflowers and the (we really can’t help it, but it's in there) ubiquitous fragrance of beeswax.  This wine is utterly brilliant with the briniest oysters you can find or Dungeness crab."  Savory salinity is a calling card in many of Grahm's wines.

There's some pretty cool label art on the bottle, done by Wendy Cook.  Alcohol is remarkably restrained at 1% abv and the wine retails for $16.

This Randall Grahm wine gives a pale straw color in the glass.  It smells like apricot and key lime, with minerals and salinity battling for attention.  The palate brings citrus and apples to a savory backbone structured with earth and acidity.  Oysters, crabs and calamari go well with it, but I've always liked the Picpoul grape with a ham and cheese sandwich. 


Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Chenin Blanc From Lodi

The little hamlet of Murphys, California is home to one of the nation's biggest wineries.  Ironstone Vineyards is located east of Lodi in Calaveras County, in the Sierra Foothills along Highway 4 north of Douglas Flat, Vallecito and Angels Camp.  It may be an out-of-the-way stop, but there's a better than average chance you've had some of their brands, or at least seen them on the supermarket shelf.

The Kautz Family are fourth-generation growers, and the family-run winery is exactly that, where the corporate officers are known simply as John, Gail, Kurt and Jack.

Ironstone Chenin Blanc California 2016

This sustainable California Chenin Blanc is medium dry, but leans a bit to the dry side. The Lodi fruit was vinified in stainless steel tanks.  Most of the grapes came from the Sloughhouse sub-appellation, with a small portion hailing from just west of the river in the Delta within the Clarksburg appellation.  It tips the alcohol scale at 13.5% abv and it retails for $14.

The wine has a light greenish tint and offers a pleasing nose of peaches, cantaloupes and flowers.  The palate follows suit, with stone fruit and melons and an easy acidity.  The wine finishes sweet but crisp.  This Chenin Blanc makes a great sipper for a summer on the porch, but also can pair with lighter fare like salads, seafoods and pasta dishes.


Friday, April 19, 2019

Rosés For Spring: Vin Gris De Cigare

Hey, is it rosé season already?  Maybe it creeps up on me because it's always rosé season at my place.  We are taking a couple of weeks to spotlight some worthy pink wines which will help get us in the swing for spring.

Bonny Doon, the Santa Cruz-based winery that's on a self-described "adventure to make naturally soulful, distinctive, and original wine," is heading into spring with another vintage of its beautiful rosé.  Randall Grahm calls his Vin Gris de Cigare the "pink analogue of  Le Cigare Volant," the flagship wine of the Dooniverse.

The 2018 vintage, maybe the 35th or so, is made from 38.5% Grenache grapes, 30.5% Grenache Blanc, 12.5% Carignane, 10% Cinsaut, 6% Mourvèdre, 2% Picpoul and a dash of  Vermentino.  For me, it's a rite of spring, and a rite I would love to have on Thanksgiving, too, if I could hold off that long on opening the bottle.  Grahm says the pink wine will improve in the screw-top bottle for several years, by the way.  He sorts the grapes this way:

"The Grenache for our Vin Gris came in large part from bespoke sections of the Alta Loma Vineyard, a cool climate site in the Arroyo Seco region of Monterey County that gives us grapes with a distinctive black currant character.  The Carignane, responsible for the fundament of the wine, derived from very old vines from Antioch in Contra Costa County.  A substantial percentage of the wine is composed of the elegant Grenache Blanc variety, adding a lovely richness and foundation to the '18 vintage.  The Cinsaut,... ah, a delicate cherry top note."  He also notes that the lees were stirred to give a creamy mouthfeel.

The '18 Vin Gris de Cigare is very pale pink in the glass, quite lovely in fact.  The nose shows red fruit and a light floral note with a savory mineral edge.  The palate displays cherries and apples, with a very light and creamy mouthfeel, yet with a wonderful acidity.


Monday, April 8, 2019

Amador County Zinfandel

Bella Grace Vineyards is located in the Sierra Foothills region of Amador County.  Run by Michael and Charlie Havill, their vineyard sits on 20 acres in those granitic rolling hills.  The winery says Michael is "one of the few elite female winemakers in California," while husband Charlie is credited with being the mastermind behind the vines.  The winery was named for their two grandmothers.

The Havills grow Primitivo, Zinfandel, Grenache, Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Mourvedre, sustainably without pesticides, as well as three types of olives.  Nearly seven acres of the estate are devoted to four different clones of Zinfandel grapes.  This one is not an estate wine, but the 100% Zinfandel grapes all hail from Amador County.  It rings the alcohol bell at 14.2% abv.  It's a Double Gold winner in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The 2016 Bella Grace Zinfandel is dark garnet in color and smells of blackberry, plum, slight cranberry and a healthy dose of bramble, with a layer of sweetness as counterpoint.  On the palate, deeper dark fruit and raspberry comes across in a rustic fashion with a zing of oak.  The wine drinks smoothly, with fine tannins and a medium mouthfeel.  Earthy, dark fruit lingers on the finish.


Wednesday, March 27, 2019

A Pretty Good Nine-Dollar Cab

The little hamlet of Murphys, California is home to one of the nation's biggest wineries.  Ironstone Vineyards is located east of Lodi in Calaveras County, in the Sierra Foothills along Highway 4 north of Douglas Flat, Vallecito and Angels Camp.  It may be an out-of-the-way stop, but there's a better than average chance you've had some of their brands, or at least seen them on the supermarket shelf.

The 2017 Leaping Horse Cab is one of those brands, a subset of the Obsession label.  They make a handful of styles, including a California Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes are 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 3% Tannat.  Aging took place over only four months in new French oak barrels.  Alcohol clocks in at 13.5% abv and the wine sells for about $9.

This very dark wine offers a jammy plum nose with oak spice and pencil lead.  On the palate, there are black plums, currant, vanilla and tobacco.  There's a very savory, and rustic, finish.  I didn't have very high expectations for a nine-dollar Cab, but this one actually beats them.  It's nothing to write home about, but that didn't stop me from posting here.


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter

Monday, March 25, 2019

Perfect Wine For Spicy Foods

The little hamlet of Murphys, California is home to one of the nation's biggest wineries.  Ironstone Vineyards is located east of Lodi in Calaveras County, in the Sierra Foothills along Highway 4 north of Douglas Flat, Vallecito and Angels Camp.  It may be an out-of-the-way stop, but there's a better than average chance you've had some of their brands, or at least seen them on the supermarket shelf.

Obsession is one of those brands, and the thrust of the label is the semi-sweet wine made from Symphony grapes.  Symphony is a California-bred cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris, which produces a rather simple wine with low acidity, perfect for spicy dishes like those found in Thai and Indian cuisines.

The grapes were grown by the Kautz Family in the Lodi and Sierra Foothills AVAs.  They are fourth-generation growers, and the family-run winery is exactly that, where the corporate officers are known simply as John, Gail, Kurt and Jack.  Alcohol in Obsession Symphony  is fairly low at just 12% abv and the wine retails for about $14.

The 2016 Obsession Symphony has a pale green tint with a nose of white flowers, peaches and nectarines. The mouthfeel is medium, while the flavors are semi-sweet renditions of the same sort of fruit.  A very light acidity makes for the spicy-food-friendliness, and the sweet finish is pleasant, but not long-lasting.


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter

Monday, February 18, 2019

Millennial Winemakers From West Side Paso Robles

We have a guest today, Patricia Applequist, who writes about the Central Coast and Bay Area out of Paso Robles.  You can visit her at her blog, A Day Off Now.

The Paso Robles tasting room on Pine Street at 13th, just west of the 101 Freeway, is unassuming, but it's a doorway into a new generation of winemaking.  The building has housed many before Serrano Winery filled it with their wares, but it's now all about the wine.  Millennial winemaker Sarah Garrett and husband and self-described vigneron Brice each have specific roles to play, but they dabble in each other's areas a bit, too.

They make wines from grapes which are grown in the rolling hills of Paso's cooler West Side, in the Willow Creek District.  The Garretts say the soil is chalky and rocky, full of fractured shale, rocks and even fossils from the area's time as an ancient seabed.  The Russell Family Vineyard is 1,800 feet above sea level now.  Vineyard owner Erich Russell is described as a careful and specific planter, who researched the area fully before putting the vines into the ground in 1996.

The Serrano Wines feature individual grapes and unique blends to appease the tannin resistant tongues of new wine drinkers.  Their 2017 Viognier has the softest citrus nose and follows through on your tongue.  In their 2016 Pinot Noir the grape shines in the glass with a crimson color that translates to a nice pepper-berry mouthfeel.

Sarah and Brice were curating the vines when I visited in January, pruning as their dog, Sam, supervised.  The Pinot Noir grapes enjoy the fog layer on cool mornings and the heat of the noon sun, even in winter.  This two person team utilizes a strong work ethic that started when they trekked across the country and created Paso Pure gourmet beverages for Rabbit Ridge in 2015.


Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter



Friday, January 11, 2019

Pinot Gris With Pluck

The lion on the Hess label represents the winery and its founder Donald Hess.  With estates in Argentina and South Africa as well as Napa Valley, this winery really gets around.  Hess staked out a claim on Napa's Mount Veeder in the 1970s, when there was still room to move around.  He retired in 2011 and passed the torch to the 5th generation of the family to carry on old traditions and forge new ones.  Dave Guffy is only the second person to lead the winemaking team at Hess. 

For the 2017 Hess Select Pinot Gris, the winery promises the best vineyards are used in sourcing the grapes, but the California appellation means they were not all in the same region.  The Hess Select Pinot Gris was fermented in stainless steel tanks and never touched oak.  That helps keep the fruit in the forefront.  Winemaker Guffy's team stirred the lees, the spent yeast cells, periodically to add body to the finished wine.  Alcohol is pretty rich, at 14.2% abv, and the wine retails for $13, but is sold out on the website.

This is a delightful white wine.  I'm usually not wowed by fruity, floral whites.  I like 'em with salt and savory as the lead players, but this one wins me over.  Flowers burst from the nose, but there's an underlying earthiness that grabs me.  Peaches and apricots hit the taste buds with a very faint sense of citrus to hold the reins.  Nice acidity, nothing too abrasive, but very refreshing.  I had mine with a mix of roasted nuts and it was very tasty.  I was able to sip and not think about it too much, which is fine sometimes.