A Night in The Veranda Room, Casa del Mar Hotel

What a great way to take the edge off the workweek. Denise and I met Mark and his friend Marina at the Casa del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica.  It was in the Veranda Room, my new favorite bar.  The beautiful ocean views faded to black with nightfall, but sax player Plas Johnson and band kept it ively.

I enjoyed the William Fevre Chablis along with a killer cheese plate.  the Chablis was loaded with minerals and a great lemon zest flavor.  Lovely acidity made the match with the cheese just about perfect.  A great start to a great evening.

Later Mark joined me in a Boxcar Syrah, from the Red Car Wine Company.  What doesn't go into their high-end Syrah, goes here.  It has a great sense of earth about it, and a good nose full of blueberry jam.  Peppery notes highlight the satisfying finish.  I met Carroll Kemp, the owner of  Red Car Wine Company, at a tasting in West Los Angeles a while back.  He's a great guy who makes some great wine. 

Chateau Saint-Cyrgues Cuvée Anna Costières de Nimes 2006

I asked Denise to smell this wine for me.  I do that when I can't quite pinpoint what I'm smelling, or if I need help identifying a particular aroma.  She has great olfactory senses, while mine leave a bit to be desired.  In this case she sniffed it and said, "ugnhngh."  I don't know if I spelled it right, but the unmistakable impression was not good.

I, however, found the aroma a bit more favorable.  I rather liked it, even though my initial reaction was very much like Denise's.  The nose is a bit funky - you might call it barnyard - but there is also a strawberry note that comes across rather forcefully and some raspberry a little further back.  The palate was quite funky also, with the same fruit in Sweet Tart fashion - not sweet at all, but quite tart.  The wine was open and refrigerated a couple of days when it took on a sort of tobacco leaf taste.  This description may not fully convey that I actually liked this wine, and for that I am sorry.  It is a dry rosé that I feel would not suit everyone's palate.  It certainly suits mine, though.

I first sampled this wine unchilled - as is my custom - and found it a lot more agreeable chilled on its third day after opening.  The color, by the way, is a little darker than I like my rosé, but it is a pretty shade of red.

Costières de Nimes  is located between the Rhone and Languedoc regions.  It seems to owe a lot more to the Languedoc than the Rhone.

Variety:  Syrah, Grenache 

Appellation: France > Rhone Valley > Costières de Nimes 

Vintage: 2006 

Alcohol Level: 13.5% 

Price: $7 

Acquisition disclaimer: Purchased by the author

 

Summerland Winery Orange Muscat 2008

Summerland Winery, just east of Santa Barbara, is better known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay than Orange Muscat, but after tasting this one in their tasting room I had to bring a bottle home.  The tasting room is "seaside cute" on the outside, and "Santa Barbara rustic" on the inside.  Summerland Winery is the easternmost point on Santa Barbara's Urban Wine Trail, and is well worth a stop when you're passing by on your way to some other place.

The Orange Muscat's clear bottle has a label full of sunflowers, giving the look of a perfect invitation to summer.  The nose features apricots, or maybe a basket of overripe peaches.  It's lush, but not overly sweet.  Floral notes abound on the nose and the palate, with some honeysuckle and oleander. 

I know I'll be back in Summerland sometime during its namesake season, and I'll be looking for this great summer wine when I'm there.

Variety:  100% Orange Muscat
Appelation:  California > Central Coast > Santa Barbara County
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol Content:  12.5% abv
Price:  $17
Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

"They Got This Recession On" Wines, Part 13

Viñas Chilenas Reserva Merlot 2009 

Viñas Chilenas is a Trader Joe brand produced and bottled by Videma S.A.  From Chile's Valle Central area.   It rings up at the register at a paltry $2.99.  Will this wine beat the recession for us?  Let's sip it and see.

First, a look-see shows a dark purple hue I can see through, with some red at the edges.  The nose is a bit tight, but I smell berry and currant, along with a very slight smokiness.  The first sip is a bit tannic, but things smoothed out nicely after just a few minutes.  There's blackberry, cherry and raspberry on the palate.  It's a nice taste, a medium mouthfeel, maybe a little thin for me, and a bit uninspired.

Anything more than a cursory description, I feel, will be damning the wine with faint praise.  It's a decent enough drink, just not very interesting.  For three dollars, I expected less than that.  I generally spend well over that amount on a bottle of wine, so I don't have to settle for a "decent enough drink."  And in the future, I won't.  But if you're trying to stretch your wine dollar as far as possible, you could do worse.

Variety:  Merlot

Appellation:  Chile > Central Valley > Maipo Valley

Vintage:  2009

Alcohol Level:  13.5%

Price:  $3

Acquisition disclaimer:   Purchased by the author

Frei Brothers Chardonnay 2007

Denise and I were out running errands on a particularly busy Friday.  I had the day off from my normal routine, which is not all good news.  I remember there was a lot of driving and a lot of spending on things we really didn't want to be buying.  All that aside, we broke for lunch at Luna Park, on La Brea just north of Wilshire.  We have always enjoyed their food.  Lately the music had gotten rather loud for our dinnertime tastes, so we haven't been back in the evening for quite a while.  Unfortunately, on this lunch visit, it's a virtually empty disco with Huey Lewis blaring at dance floor volume.

I've gotten off the track before I even started, it seems.  This is supposed to be about tasting wine.  So let's get to the good stuff.

I had Frei Brothers Chardonnay.  The nose was like Champagne, with a bit of a toasty twist on the fruit.  On the palate, it has a very well-rounded mouthfeel and the flavor of pears.  It's full of minerality, crisp as a green apple.  There's just enough oak to lend a hint of wood, coming nowhere near "overoaked" status.

Variety:  Chardonnay

Appelation:  California > Sonoma County > Russian River Valley

Vintage:  2007

Alcohol level: 13.8% 

Price:  $8/glass

Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Ridge Lytton Springs 2006

It was the first nice looking Saturday we'd had in a while, so Denise and I did something that had been on the back burner for several weeks - lunch at The Lobster in Santa Monica.  You really want lunch at The Lobster on a gorgeous day.  The view can't be beaten.  Up and down the beach between Malibu and Marina del Rey, this is the view we want on a bright sunny day.  So, even though it was a bit chilly, and even though a friend of ours emailed of snow on the Grapevine, we hit the road for the Pacific Ocean.

The Lobster has been at the foot of the Santa Monica Pier since 1923.  Wait, maybe they've been there longer than the Pier.  I don't know and I'm not looking it up.  At any rate, they've been there since the days when the entire restaurant was contained in the four walls of what is now the entryway!  Walk up a few steps and you have a magnificent view of the Pacific, the Pier and all its modern playday glory.  Love that ferris wheel - from a distance.

To cut to the chase, she had lobster, I broke "scallops tradition" and had the BBQ salmon.  She opened with a crab salad, I started with a plate of hummus and olives.  And I had some wine.

The Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs Zinfandel was billed in the wine menu as a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Grenache.  Looking around since then, I suspect the restaurant may have left out a mention of Carignane in their "page talker."

The smell of this wine is absolutely stunning.  Huge grape jam dominates the nostrils, reminding Denise at first of Jello, before it has set in the fridge.  I picked up some meaty notes, too.

The taste is quite forceful.  It doesn't just roll over your palate, it marches across it.  It's a dark, strong tasting wine.  The jammy "Welches" streak runs through it as it did on the nose, with spiciness and licorice to boot.  A pretty hefty touch of leather comes over, too.  It is quite dry - muscular, you might say.  The wine is well structured, but not a lightweight at all.  Not even a middleweight.

Panky Rose 2008

With the weather hopefully turning a little warmer, I'd like to revisit a very nice rose I discovered last spring.  It's another winner from the Santa Ynez Valley.  This pink wine really impressed me.  If you're looking for a great find for summer, Panky certainly qualifies.  It was a little difficult to find last year, but it's worth the trouble.  Panky is produced by Fontes & Phillips Wines in the Happy Canyon region of the Santa Ynez Valley  Their website said "coming soon" when I last checked it, but the email address worked when I wanted to find some Panky for myself.   There's also a Facebook page.  I also understand Panky can be found at several retail outlets in the Santa Barbara area. 

A clear Rhone-style bottle reveals the salmon color that seems tinged with gold in the light. It's quite impressive visually. The Happy Canyon pink consists of 38% Syrah, 36% Cinsaut and 26% Grenache. I could not find an alcohol content number on the label, but I would not guess it was much over 13.5%. The label is rather plain, save for the name. "Panky" is printed in mixed-font "ransom note" style. I was told this was produced by Fontes and Phillips, but the label shows that it is bottled by the "Kerr E. Nation Wine Company - Buellton, CA." To find it, you may have to "axe" around.

A very fruity sniff awaits you, especially if the wine is not overly chilled. Grapefruit and apricot lead the way, but there seems to be a lot at work in the aroma department. Very interesting.

Panky is not extremely dry, but it's certainly not on the sweet end of the spectrum. There is a buttery texture on the tongue, but it's not overplayed. I find a creaminess that's almost trying to hide. Vanilla notes play against an orange peel tartness. I thought it was a complicated wine the first time I tried it, and I still think so. There is a very good acidity level and Panky goes well with salads, fish...probably an omelet, too.

Tangent Ecclestone 2007

Spring starts on March 20th this year.  That knowledge plus the weather turning a shade warmer in Southern California today put me in mind of some of the wines I thoroughly enjoyed last spring and summer.  And autumn, for that matter.

Ecclestone, from the Tangent Winery in California's Edna Valley region, is one of my favorites for when the last vestiges of winter have gone away for a while.  Tangent is an offshoot of Baileyana Winery.  You might expect a winery which specializes in white wines - and which has "tangent" as its name - to vary from the mainstream occasionally.  They do.  This "alternative white wine" utilizes so many varieties, it could be named "Pinot Kitchen Sink."  Pinot Gris, Viognier, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Muscat and Albarino all combine to produce this unique and fascinating wine.

There is a very modern flair to the label with clean lines a crisp design. Remember those descriptive words.  They'll come in handy later when describing the wine.

Ecclestone's nose is gorgeous.  It's full of flowers.  It has one of the most intensely floral bouquets I can remember.  Orange blossom is billed, but to my nose it's more like honeysuckle with a splash of orange.  If you recall the intensity of the smell when walking near a honeysuckle, the first sniff of this wine is much like that.  Try to serve it only moderately chilled, as those floral notes really explode when not fully refrigerated.

The flowers don't quit after you smell them.  There is a floral carpet laid upon the palate as well, one which I welcome each time I experience it.  Citrus notes are here, along with a clean and crisp minerality that braces and refreshes.  There's a stony quality to the minerals that comes through, as opposed to chalky.  I love this wine on the deck on a nice warm afternoon.  It refreshes in much the same way a cold, hoppy ale does.  It just seems made for the sunshine. The acidity is certainly there, too, so don't think this is just a sipper.  Serve it with salads, Kalamata olives, mild cheddar or a nice plate of scallops.

Variety:   Pinot Gris, Viognier, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Muscat and Albarino
Appellation: California > Central Coast > San Luis Obispo > Edna Valley
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol Level: 13.5% abv
Price: $20
Acquisition disclaimer: Purchased by the author

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

Hospice du Rhone Celebration 2010

There are too few places like Paso Robles. The residents throw everything they have behind their wine industry and support it with gusto. One happy result of that attitude is, they can't seem to stop having celebrations! On the horizon at the end of April comes one of the biggest of them, the Hospice du Rhône Celebration 2010.

This annual event - in its 18th year - celebrates the varieties of the Rhône Valley and those who make wines with these wonderful grapes. It begins with bowling and ends with a barbecue, and in between is the entire world of Rhône-style wine.

The festivities begin on Thursday April 29th and continue with barely a moment to catch your breath through Saturday May 1st. Paso Robles gears up for this event in a major way. There are many highlights on the event schedule, but the two major tasting events - Friday's Rhône Rendezvous and Saturday's Grand Tasting - are events they say you'd need a passport and a long vacation to duplicate on your own.

You can attend seminars, lunches and tastings with winemakers from all over the world who share a passion for the 22 Rhône grapes, from Bourboulenc to Viognier and Ugni Blanc to Mourvedre.

A weekend pass runs nearly $800, and you can select ala carte from the list of separate events, most for $100 per ticket. If you’re a fan of those Rhône grape varieties, it will be worth every penny.

Hospice du Rhône Celebration, 18th Annual
April 29, 2010 - May 1, 2010
Paso Robles, California

"They Got This Recession On" Wines, Part 12

Clay Station Viognier 2007

I discovered this wine at an Indian restaurant Denise and I frequent.  It was a restaurant that had traditionally offered only beer as an alcoholic beverage.  The proprietor - a young Indian man who is hip to the fact that wine has become seriously mainstream popular - decided to branch out.  I saw the wine list and expected, hoped, to find some treasures of the burgeoning Indian wine industry.  They were there, indeed.  But also calling my name was Lodi, California.

Anytime I see a wine from Lodi on a wine list, I am compelled to try it.  I love the mineral-laced wines made from grapes grown in that clay earth.  The whites from Lodi have a mineral profile that is hard to match.  The old stagecoach stop - Clay Station - is memorialized in the name on the bottle.  That dirt itself is even in the name.  It makes me think of that John Fogerty lyric, "stuck in Lodi again," and imagine that it may not be such an awful place to find oneself anymore.  At least if you've got four dollars for a bottle of Viognier.

Clay Station Viognier is one of those not-so-rare finds at the Trader Joe's grocery chain.  If you can only buy really inexpensive wine, buy it at Trader Joe's.  They have a store full of genuinely good wine at prices that are sometimes jaw-dropping.  And if you're trying to bust a recession, what better way to do it than with a $4 wine that's actually pretty good?

The nose is floral and aromatic, with a good sense of the minerals coming forth right away, too.  On the palate, the wine is viscous and fruity, but again the minerals act as a traveling companion.  Peaches is what the taste reminds me of, but not sweet, drippy peaches served in the summertime with homemade vanilla ice cream.  These peaches are a bit short of fully ripe, with just a hint of crunch to them.  The acidity is quite nice and the finish long.  It was great with Indian food, by the way.  At home, we paired it with cabbage and red onions sauteed in olive oil, and it made us glad we didn't go out to dinner. 

Variety:  100% Viognier

Vineyard:  Clay Station Vineyard
Appellation:  California > San Joaquin County > Lodi
Vintage:  2007
Alcohol Level:  13.5% abv
Price:  $4
Acquisition disclaimer: Purchased by the author

Las Colinas del Ebro 2008

Las Colinas del Ebro is a Grenache Blanc made in the Spanish highlands of Terra Alta in southern Catalunya.  It is said to be made from grapes that are hand-harvested from 100 year-old vines, some of the oldest vines in the nation.  Stainless steel fermentation promises a crisp and clean taste.

The nose certainly smells fresh.  There's a good, clean whiff of minerals, but along with that comes a fruity and flowery aroma profile.  It's actually sweet smelling - not sugary sweet, but rather like honeyed fruit.

The palate shows that fruit well.  I imagine honeydew melon mixed with nectarines.  A good sense of minerality comes along about halfway through and delivers a very nice tang.  I initially felt the acidity could be a bit higher for me, that despite all the good things happening aroma- and taste-wise, the wine fell just a tad flat for lack of a backbone.  However, remembering the Argentine chicken and zucchini in the refrigerator, I decided to give it a shot.  Rather surprisingly, the wine paired quite well with the dish - as well as with a few stray sauteed mushrooms.

It's quite possible that Las Colinas del Ebro could very well have a spot on my deck all summer long - and at my table year-round.

Winemaker:  Luis Marin

Variety:  100% Garnacha Blanca (Grenache Blanc)

Appellation:  Spain > Catalunya > Tarragona > Terra Alta

Vintage:  2008

Alcohol Level:  13% abv

Price:  $12, but it appears it can be had for $9 in a lot of places

Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Fess Parker Syrah 2006

Santa Barbara winemekers seem to have a way with Syrah.  And Santa Barbara wine lovers are proud of that.  I attended a wine tasting event in Santa Barbara last year and had a conversation with a lovely grandmother out for a little vino in the sunshine.  I told her about my website, and she seemed genuinely offended at the name, Now and Zin.  "Why not Syrah?" she asked with a fair amount of incredulity showing.  So, just for her, we'll call this site "Yes, Syrah, That's My Bottle" today.  Just this once.

One of the many fine wineries in Santa Barbara County is Fess Parker.  The actor who played Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone made quite a name for himself in other fields, too.  Real estate, for one - check out how much of the coastline has his name on it in Santa Barbara.  Wine for another.  His winery has not only some of the most beautiful grounds on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, but some of best wines, too.

In a brownish Syrah bottle, Fess Parker's 2006 vintage is a stout drink at 15.5% abv.  There is little else on the labels except for a small blurb thanking me for buying the wine and a brief description of the flavors I'm likely to encounter while drinking it.  Oh yes, and a tiny little coonskin cap.

There is a strong nose of currant, some black cherry (or maybe even wild cherry cough drops) and a good deal of spiciness.  Lots of alcohol is apparent, too.  The wine really should be decanted for an hour or so.  I waited thirty minutes after nearly getting a buzz on the first sip.  It wasn't long enough.  Although the wine had tamed a bit by the third night it was open, I still caught a significant alcohol aroma.   Despite the strength of the wine, the flavor really delivered.  The peppery spices are abundant and the fruit was not a bit bashful.  Blackberry and currant are what stand out for me.  It tasted very nice when just a bit of it was taken with a bite of baked ziti.  A mouthful might have overwhelmed the delicate marinara sauce and mozzarella.  I would think a steak charbroiled over a rosemary grill would be more in line with what this wine wants as a partner.

Variety:  100% Syrah
Appellation:  California > Central Coast > Santa Barbara County
Vineyard:  84% Camp Four, 16% Rodney's Vineyard
Vintage:  2006
Alcohol level:  15.5% abv
Price:  $25
Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Reserve Carmenere

Chile has been in my thoughts.  First, there is the massive earthquake on February 26, 2010.  Here's wishing the best for those affected by the disaster.  Second, a dear friend of ours, David Stanley, has been traveling in South America.  As soon as we heard about the quake, Denise and I thought of him.  We had just read his journal accounts of the great time he has been having  while living in Santiago for a couple of months, and of an ice-walking trip to Patagonia.  His travel blog makes for a wonderful read, by the way.

Anyway, a quick call to his mother confirmed that he was already safely in Buenos Aires.  Whew.  Relief turned to more consternation, though, as we thought about all the wonderful friends he had made in Chile.  We hope they are alright.  Also, as I tried to link up the Concha y Toro website, I was informed that the link appeared to be broken, or that the server was down.  I understand from a post on the Dr. Vino blog that a lot of damage has been incurred in the Rapel area.  Our thoughts are with the people of Chile.

Inspired, I dug around a bit and found some notes I had made about a bottle of Chilean Carmenere by Concha y Toro.  This is probably from about a year or so ago.

"From the "Cellar of the Devil", eh?  Well, the Casillero del Diablo is supposedly where Don Melchor de Concha y Toro kept his best wines stashed 100 years ago.  This wine is from the Rapel Valley, south of Santiago, and on the label the winemaker promises "chocolate, coffee and spice combined with raspberries and blackberries."  It sports a 13.5% abv number and it pours up dark and inky in the glass.

"The nose features Very dark fruit, and a promise of some intense minerals.  It's a powerful aroma of blackberries and maybe some licorice. Very nice.

"Let it sit about 10 minutes after pouring.  This is a very intense wine, full of spices - clove, a little cinnamon, pepper - and a strong sense of the earth.  Not a meek or mild wine, this Carmenere is brash and sinister.  Good tannins and ripe fruit are prominent with the cholcolately flavors underneath.  I don't really get the coffee that was promised, but that's okay.  There's enough here to prevent me from complaining.  It does go great with a piece of chocolate and it complemented a dish of blackened bar-b-q beans very nicely.  I would imagine it goes well with any sort of meat, particularly game."

Rosenblum Cellars California Zinfandel Vintner's Cuvee XXXI

This is a wine with a long name.  People with attention deficit disorder may lose interest in it before they finish reading the label.  But it's well worth investigating.  Rosenblum Cellars does some pretty wonderful things with the Zinfandel grape.  It's no surprise that winemaker Kent Rosenblum is known to many as "The King of Zin."

This blend of Zinfandels hails from 15 different California growing regions and over 80 different vineyards (!) from Sonoma to Napa to Lodi to Lake County to Paso Robles, wherever the four winds blow.  Its time in oak was split: 40% French oak barrels, 60% American wood.

It's a very dark wine, a purple ink color I can barely see through.  On the nose, the fruit comes first.  Blackberry and raspberry figure huge in the aroma scheme, and then a vanilla note comes through, with a peppery trace around it.  The palate shows extreme fruitiness, with a really nice cherry cola effect.  The medium body sits comfortably on my tongue and a good acidity means "food friendly," as if there were any doubt about it.  The finish lingers nicely.  The tannins are firm - it's a dry wine - but, surprisingly, the wine is quite smooth considering the elevated alcohol level.  The smoothness increased noticeably after the wine had been in the glass for about twenty minutes.

Rosenblum's Zinfandel Vintner's Cuvee XXXI is a great $12 wine.  So much the better that I picked it up for $9 at Wally's tent sale.

Winemaker:  Kent Rosenblum

Variety:  Zinfandel

Appellation:  California

Vineyard:  numerous

Vintage:  NV

Alcohol Level:  14.6%

Price:  $12

Acquisition disclaimer: Purchased by the author

Santadi Vermentino 2008

Denise and I recently had lunch with our friend Guido at Sprazzo on Westwood Boulevard.  Well, that was the plan, anyway.  The wires got a little crossed, and when Guido didn't show in his usual timely manner, we started without him.  Guido arrived about the time we were getting up to leave, so we hung around and watched him eat a Caesar salad.   It worked out fine for me - I got to have lunch with my wife, visit with our pal, and have one of my favorite Italian grapes.

Vermentino is a specialty of the island of Sardegna, and Santadi is a winemaker's co-op there.  The wine is a beautiful golden color with a greenish tint.  It looks wonderful in the glass.  It smells great, too.  There's a floral scent that is laced with an overriding minerality, sort of like flowers that have been trod into some wet rocks.  Pears and melons are on the palate, but again it's the minerals you really notice.  The taste is almost salty or briny.  Perhaps that's only to be expected from grapes grown in Sardinia.  Their seafood staples are a natural match for this wine.  I had it with a salmon salad but would imagine it's even better with marinated calimari or scungilli.

If you've never tried a Vermentino with seafood, you really should do yourself a favor.  You'll be pleased.

Winemaker:  Cantina Santadi
Appellation:  Italy > Sardinia > Vermentino Di Sardinia
Vintage:  2008
Cost:  $11 per glass at Sprazzo
Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Temecula's World Of Wine Barrel Tasting Weekend 2010

I love day tripping to the Temecula Valley for some wine tasting.  It's not too far from Los Angeles, the countryside is beautiful, the wine trails are really simple, the wines are often award-winning, and the quality is always high.  If you've never been to Southern California's wine country, early March brings about a great way to get an introduction.

The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association has a world of wine to offer over their Barrel Tasting Weekend, March 6th and 7th.  Their two-dozen-plus member wineries will swing open their cellar doors and invite you in to sample tank and barrel tastings of future vintages along with tastings of finished wine.  The event is even catered.  Each winery will have food selections specially paired with featured wines.

You can start almost immediately after exiting the 15 Freeway.  Take Rancho California Road or the De Portola Trail to get started on your self-guided tour.  At your first stop you'll get a winery map with menu listings, a passport ticket and a souvenir logo glass.  Take a few minutes to map out the wineries you want to visit - if you haven't already done so - and get started.  You may be surprised that you'll find some new favorite wines as a result of your visit.  I know I was.  I found several new favorites at Hart Winery on my first visit.  Also try to make it by South Coast Winery Resort and Spa.  It is the jewel of the valley.  It was the first Southern California Winery ever to win the coveted Golden Bear Award at the California State Fair as “Best Winery in California.”  They followed up that success by winning the award again.

The World of Wine Barrel Tasting Weekend runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.  Tickets are $89 per person.  Sunday Only and Designated Driver tickets are available at a discount.

"They Got This Recession On" Wines, Part 11

Chariot Gypsy 2008

I was all set to knock off the cheap wine bit for a while and give this series a rest.  But as Denise and I strolled into Trader Joe's my eye was grabbed by a stack of unfamiliar wine bottles.  I inspected the new material and found Cab, Petite Sirah, Zin and Sangiovese involved.  My favorite suspects.  A five dollar sticker meant that even if it turned out to be horrible, it would be no big loss.

Perish the thought.  Chariot Gypsy is a very nice wine.  Yes, it's an everyday wine.  That doesn't mean it can't be good every day.

First, it pours up as a deep, inky purple.  I can barely see through it.  There's raspberry on the nose along with some bright cherry and a smokey element.  The palate features tons of fruit - blackberries and blueberries - in a rather dark but accessible fruitiness that is right up front.  Fruit bomb?  Yes, thank you.  But there's enough going on to make it an interesting explosion.

The wine has a nice acidity, but it's not overdone. Firm tannins provide plenty of backbone for food pairing.  It tasted great with chicken sausages with onions.

Chariot Gypsy is available exclusively though Trader Joe's.

Winemaker:  Jeff Hunsaker of Jim Neal Wines

Variety:  Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese

Appellation:  California

Vineyard:  various in Napa, Sonoma, and Monterey counties

Vintage:  2008

Alcohol Level:  13.5%

Price:  $5

Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Zinfandel Festival Paso Robles 2010

Zinfandel is considered by most to be the "national wine grape of California."  It was one of the first grapes planted by immigrant winemakers in the nineteenth century, and many Zinfandel vines from that era still exist today.  "Old vine Zin" is, in fact, a phrase that is nothing short of beloved in certain wine circles.  How fitting to have a celebration of that grape in one of the places where it grows best, Paso Robles.

The weekend of March 19 - 21 will offer Zin lovers the opportunity to wallow in it - an entire weekend devoted to the Zinfandel grape and the astounding wines that are produced from it.  The Zin Tasting on Saturday will feature the Zinfandel and Zin blend wines of over 50 wineries from the Paso Robles area, along with cuisine from some of the area's finest restaurants.  The Wine Country Auction, according to the website, supports " the vineyard worker population who play a major role in bringing the spirit of Zinfandel alive. A portion of the funds raised will be donated to health, education and greater community programs for the local vineyard workers and their families."

There are also scores of events at individual wineries in the Paso Robles area, giving you ample opportunity to discover the treasures of the AVA.

One of the highlights of the annual event is the release of the Collaborative Zinfandel Blend.  Each year a Zinfandel Festival Blend Master is selected, and it is that person's responsibility to create a Zinfandel Blend from the finest Zins available in Paso.  The 2010 Blend Master is Mike Giubbini of Rotta Winery.  His special blend will be available for purchase at the Wine Country Auction, as will verticals from previous years.

Tickets to the Zin Tasting and Wine Country Auction are priced at $60 and $85.  Individual winery events are separate.

The Central Coast AVA of Paso Robles offers warm days, cool nights and lots of hang time, elements crucial to the proper cultivation of Zinfandel.  There's plenty of exploring to be done over the course of this event, with over 180 wineries in the AVA from which to choose, so be sure to plan some time to visit a few great Paso Robles wineries.

Two Angels High Valley Divinity 2006

I've been looking back over my notes on some wines I really liked during the past year or so.  I had this High Valley wine in the summer of '09, and at the time I was not keenly aware of the Lake County appellation.  Having enjoyed other wines from that region since, I'm a believer.  Here's what I thought about Two Angels Divinity at the time:

"A classic Rhone bottle with a lovely piece of artwork by Jacob DeBacker, done in 1591. The two cherubs in the piece are said to represent the two sides of wine - happily inebriated and sadly remorseful. I'd like to think that I rarely go to either of those extremes. I'll take the art as a word of warning, however, and try to stay in the middle ground. Very little else about the wine is learned on the label, save for an ABV number of 14.1%.   To the internet I go, to find the makeup of this wine. It is a Rhone blend of 52% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 6% Petite Sirah. $25.

"The aromas are rich, if not pungent. Much dark fruit and a spicy, leathery component make for a complicated smell. I get blueberry, plum, some pepper and licorice. It's dark, but invitingly so.

"It drinks a bit on the hot side if you rush it. Better let this wine calm down quite a bit before imbibing, or the tannins will have their way with your palate. Once you're past that, it's a brooding drink. Sit the glass on the table and walk around the room a bit. Watch television for a spell. Then turn it off and go back to the glass, perhaps sneaking up from a different angle. Take your time, and the joy will begin. This is a good wine, a very good one. But it's not something to bring to a party. I drank it without food, and enjoyed it. I do think it would go very nicely with a charcoal-grilled steak, even a hamburger right off the grill. Beef Stroganoff, perhaps. But the food just might shift the focus away from a wine that clearly wants every bit of your attention. And deserves it."