Domaine Alfred Chamisal Vineyard Syrah Edna Valley 2004

The Edna Valley wine country near San Luis Obispo has been on my mind a lot recently.  It's a favorite spot of mine in California's Central Coast.  There's plenty of beautiful rolling countryside full of vineyards which produce grapes that are made into some pretty incredible wines.


I don't know if this one is even available anymore.  I had a bottle of it several years ago, when the place was known as Domaine Alfred.  The winery has since reverted to their original name of Chamisal Vineyards.  Even though this wine was produced in the Alfred days, the grapes came from Chamisal's namesake vineyard.  Here are my notes on this memorable Syrah:

"A nose of very dark fruit promises only a bit of what ends up on the palate.  A very earthy, pungent taste made up of dark fruit, leather and spices - and a lot of each.  It comes at you like a Grenache, leading with the earthiness, but a powerful spiciness joins in on the taste buds.  There's quite a lengthy finish, too - one that you wish would never end."

Edna Valley Vineyard Islay Peak Petite Sirah 2006

I have had both a Petite Sirah and an Edna Valley wine recently.  I thought I'd combine the two and jog down memory lane to a past visit to one of my favorite wine areas, and one of my favorite wineries there.  Here are my notes on that bottle:

"This is from Edna Valley Vineyard's tasting-room-only series of wines. A $20 purchase in their lovely and busy tasting room, this Petite Sirah from the San Luis Obispo area of California's Central Coast claims 14.5% abv.  There's a beautiful artistic rendering of a vineyard against the hills on the label, but no artist information.  It does look just like Edna Valley, though.

"The aromas here are very pungent, and quite nice.  I get lots of big cherry, leathery notes, licorice, and a dark vibe from the aromas.  A bit of alcohol on the nose burns off after a resting time.  It's a very jammy smell, one that I find very inviting.

"The taste comes on a little hot at first - give it some time after pouring or decanting.  The flavor profile is a powerful followup of what was present on the nose.  The fruit is very forward, and it's a big blueberry fest.  It doesn't appear as dark and forbidding as suggested by the nose.  In fact, it's  very welcoming.  The tannins are a bit strong, but the structure is good and the finish is medium long.  I had this with some Pinches Al Pastor tacos we brought home from the restaurant on Sunset Boulevard.  It fit quite well."

Variety:  Petite Sirah
Appellation: California > Central Coast
Vineyard:  Islay Peak
Vintage:  2006
Alcohol Level:  14.5% abv
Price:  $18
Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author at the winery tasting room

La Fenêtre À Côté Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

One of the treasures I picked up at a recent Wally's tent sale is a Santa Barbara County Cabernet from La Fenêtre.  À Côté is a delicious wine, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Santa Barbara Highlands.  The grapes grow above the fog line, where the Cab gets ridiculous in Santa Barbara County.

Sommelier-turned-winemaker Joshua Klapper did some fine work getting this in a bottle.  The fruit is wonderful, nicely abetted by its time in french oak. 

The nose is all about smokey, leathery, dark fruit up front.  A bit of barnyard appeared to my senses on the second night it was open, but it smoothed out before I had a chance to second-sniff it.  A leathery quality shrouds the fruit on the palate, to my delight.  I taste blackberry and currant strongly.  On the third night, graphite really made its presence known.  Over the span of three nights during which I enjoyed À Côté, I'd say it drank good, then better, then wow.

Winemaker:  Joshua Klapper

Variety:  100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation:  California > Central Coast > Santa Barbara County

Vineyard:  Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard

Vintage:  2008

Alcohol Level:  14.1% abv

Price:  $24

Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Alamos Malbec 2006

I usually write tasting notes here about wines I drink at home.  I like giving a wine several different opportunities to show off its good qualities.  Tasting a wine at home over a three-day span gives me a chance to experience the wine in different settings and different points in its evolution once the bottle is open.  But I do like to have wine when Denise and I go out for dinner.  My note taking is not as detailed in those situations, and I'm only getting one little snapshot of what the wine is like.  Every now and then, though, I run into a "restaurant wine" that really strikes my fancy.

Alamos Malbec is on the list at Wood Ranch Barbecue and several other restaurants we frequent.  I usually like to try something different when I'm out, but I have found myself going back to this Malbec over and over.
 It's a dark purple color and has a very rich nose, full of fruit and some herbal traces.  There's leather, too.  The palate is a real treat, full of ripe fruit, dark berries, cherries, maybe some plums.  This is a very smooth and drinkable wine with almost no tannic edge, and it paired extremely well with a barbecued chicken salad full of tomatoes.  As if all that isn't enough, there's a lengthy and satisfying finish.  The Alamos Malbec is hard to beat, particularly at the price.  It runs about $8 a bottle, and I usually pay about $7 or $8 for a glass of it in a restaurant.  The wines on the list that cost nearly twice that should feel a little bit of competition.


Winemaker:  Alamos Ridge (Bodega Catena)
Variety:  Malbec
Appellation:  Argentina > Mendoza
Vintage:  2006
Price:  $8
Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Vidigal Douro Vinho Tinto 2005

The Christmas season of 2009 was full of hustling and bustling and running about, as most Christmas seasons are.  Denise and I took a break after visiting the Glendale Galleria - which is the perfect time for a break - and stopped to check out a wine store I had not been to before.  At 55 Degree Wine I was met with such a wide assortment of possibilities I felt a bit daunted.  After much evaluation, I managed to pick up a few bottles to take home.  This wine, Vidigal Douro, was one of them.

I felt I had been lax in exploring Portuguese wines of late, and the grapes involved - 60% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinta Amarela - seemed very interesting.  I was familiar with Touriga Nacional.  It's the main grape variety used in making Porto.  The Douro region is where Porto comes from, and you can taste the flavor of port in this wine.  It plays remarkably well without the sweetness of Port.  The wine's earthiness really dominates the flavor profile, so don't expect a fruit bomb with this one, at least not in the California style.  

It's a medium-bodied wine with a dark, inky color you cannot see through.  A ruby red tinge around the edge looks quite lovely.  On the nose, expect black cherry with leathery, cedar notes.  The palate shows the wine to be dry with a distinct lack of sweetness.  It strikes me as a rather prunish taste, but I certainly don't mean that to be off-putting.  The acidity is good and some backend heat dies down after 45 minutes of breathing. 

Vidigal's website lists the Douro as “not currently available in the U.S.”  Obviously, that's not quite true, and I am glad it's not.  We paired this wine with our incredible rib roast for Christmas Eve dinner, and it was a stunning hit.  It seems made for beef.

Vidigal Douro Vinho Tinto 2005

Varietal:  60% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinta Amarela
Appelation:  Portugal > Douro
Vintage:  2005
Alcohol Level:  14%
Price:  $14
Acquisition disclaimer:  I bought this wine.