December 9, 2013 – Wine: 2001 Paul Hobbs Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Last May, my wine buddy discovered half-bottles of Paul Hobbs’ wines online and asked if we could coordinate an order to save on shipping.  I agreed (and landed some fantastic bottles) and tonight he decided to open his bottle of 2001 Cabernet.  I had reservations about any half-bottle of 2001 Cabernet performing well by now after the other disappointing bottles I have opened this year.  Still, I approached this bottle with an open mind.  This wine turns out to be built for cellaring.  The nose was fragrant, and the palette was balanced, striking a pleasant mid-point between elegance and power.  Most of the fruit was expressed in the mid-palette, featuring cherries, red currants, leather, minerals, and such, but the surprise was a raspberry core down the back of the tongue during the lengthy finish.  Now I’m looking forward to my half-bottle of 2002.

December 1, 2013 – Wine: Shafer Merlot, a vertical flight inside my head

Recently, I experienced two vintages of Shafer Merlot during the same week.  The first was a half-bottle I brought to my mom’s to thank her for making the Thanksgiving pies from scratch (crust and all).  For that tasting, I opened the 2008 vintage.  Then, tonight I decided to open a half-bottle of the 2007 vintage.  The differences were remarkable and a little surprising.


One would expect that the older of these two wines would be the smoother with less fruit presence than the younger.  But, the vintage comes into play here too, and the 2008 red wines from Napa Valley have all been smoother and better balanced (and more elegant).  By contrast, the 2007 vintage features beautiful fruit more prominently.  These attributes held true for these two Shafer Merlots as well.  The 2007 offered up beautiful, vintage-typical fruits including blackberry and blueberry, but was a little disjointed and rough along the edges, begging for more time in the cellar.  By contrast, the 2008 was better balanced, silky smooth, and the fruits somewhat more restrained.  Of course the real testament to the 2008 was the way that my mom powered through six ounces of it in less than 50 minutes.  The 2008 really was that good, but I have faith in the 2007’s for next year.

Neal Family Vineyards, November 25, 2013

Winery - 5 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Howell Mountain escape hidden from the world.  Cabernets, Zinfandel, and Sauvignon Blanc.  By reservation.
www.nealvineyards.com

The real reason for my decision to return to Howell Mountain was my eagerness to visit this winery.  A recent wine e-mail came across my inbox that featured a Neal Family Vineyards’ Cabernet and I was interested in learning more.  After all, a good Cabernet selling for less than $50 is the kind of wine I want to share with close friends, so I was eager to gauge their quality.  And I was pleasantly surprised.  The winery features its estate Cabernets which it ages gracefully for a few extra years to ensure that the wine you buy is in good form to be drinking.  But the surprise was to find a Zinfandel for under $25 and a Sauvignon Blanc for under $20, both well made.  Of course the best part about this tasting experience is that you are hosted by the winemaker himself.  To encourage folks to arrive on time, the tasting fee is waived unless you miss your appointment (by as little as 15 minutes, so plan carefully).

The Neal Family winery operations and tasting room.

As I was already on Howell Mountain, my drive to Neal Family was a short one, though you need to watch carefully for the turn off of White Cottage Road.  (I blew past the turn doing only 25 MPH.)  Once you drive down Liparita Road to the winery, you find yourself in a quiet retreat from the hustle of Napa Valley below.  The outside of the winery building is a warm brown color, giving it a look of wood and helping it to fit in with the native landscaping selected.  Inside the tasting room is a single counter that can accommodate six people comfortably.  From the tasting counter, you look down a hallway and through glass doors into a room that serves (among other purposes) as a dining area.  Beyond that room is another set of glass doors marking the entrance to the long barrel cave cut into the mountain top.  The cave allows the wine to age in a naturally cool environment free of air conditioning.  One detail to look for on each of the doors is the door handle – each handle is crafted of copper to resemble a wine leaf.  There are other copper fixtures throughout the winery echoing this effect.

The tasting bar inside Neal Family winery.

My tasting flight consisted of five wines.  I started with the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, which seems reasonably priced (under $20).  This was followed by an elegant 2011 Zinfandel.  The flight finished with three Cabernet Sauvignons: the 2010 Napa Valley, the 2006 Howell Mountain Estate, and the 2005 Fifteen Forty.  The 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet is wonderfully made and ready for enjoyment now or cellaring, and it was my favorite of the lineup.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 5 and the wines offered as a 7.

A bench made entirely of copper at Neal Family winery.

November 16, 2013 – Wines for a birthday party (and for the cook)

I decided to throw a dinner party to celebrate my birthday.  The main dish was going to be a pork stew and I needed a lighter red wine to add some flavor and moisture.  The last time I used a Beaujolais that had been open a few days too long and that made the perfect complement to the stew.  This time, I had to find a suitable replacement wine, so I opted for a half-bottle of Pinot Noir to share with the stew.  I have several bottles of 2007 Merry Edwards Russian River Pinot Noir that I have been tracking, so I decided to open another and see what was up.  The wine has started to turn toward elegant and clean, leaving behind its muddied phase of development.  And the stew was tasty too.  By the time the first guests arrived, the Pinot Noir was gone, but I had the following wines ready for guests:

2007 Provenance Three Palms Vineyard Merlot (my favorite)
2008 Shenandoah Vineyards Paul’s Vineyard Zinfandel
2005 Hess Collection Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne

November 3, 2013 – Wine: 2005 Domaine Chandon Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir

It is fun to follow a wine’s development.  I first discovered this wine while tasting still wines at Domaine Chandon in Yountville in 2009.  I was unimpressed with the flight of Pinot Noirs up until tasting this wine.  They were all nicely balanced, but lacked any kind of wow! factor.  Then I tasted this wine.  Its density, richness, and complexity were immediately appealing, as was the clean fruit on the palette.  So, I picked up three bottles to cellar.  I opened the first too young as the wine had started to shut down.  The second was opened for Christmas 2011 and was better, but the fruit was still a little restrained and the texture was a little muddy, albeit tending toward rich.  Today, the last bottle has finally blossomed.  While lacking some of the richness that many 2007 Pinots are now showing, this was delicious, elegant, and well balanced.  On the palette were flavors of pomegranate, baking spices, leather, cranberry, and minerals.  I shared this wine with some friends and family who were all amazed with the quality.

Ladera Vineyards, November 25, 2013

Winery - 5 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Historic mountain-top stone winery building.  Cabernets and Sauvignon Blanc.
www.laderavineyards.com

It had been a long while since my last trek up Howell Mountain (about four years) so I decided it was time to return.  I decided to visit two wineries on the mountain to make the drive up worthwhile.  I started out at Ladera Vineyards to take in the beauty of their historic stone winery operations building.  First completed in the 1880’s, a lot of thought went into its design.  (For example, each floor has direct access to the outdoors and much of the wine flow is drawn by gravity.)  The estate is set back away from White Cottage Road (which is a couple of miles off the main road up Howell Mountain), giving the winery a very peaceful feeling, ideal for enjoying a tasting flight in the warmth of the outdoor sun.  As a navigation note, the main road up Howell Mountain is Deer Park Road.  Unless you are visiting a winery actually located on Howell Mountain Road, you should avoid this longer, twisty route up the mountain.

The historic winery building at Ladera Vineyards

When you visit Ladera Vineyards in pleasant weather (such as today), you will be served your wine flight outdoors at one of their patio tables.  From your table you look across a pasture and out to the rolling hillsides planted mostly with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  Inside the old stone building the air is a bit cool to enjoy your flight comfortably and there is no place to sit.  When it is raining, you will be served indoors.  The stone building was restored around 2000, and the contrast between the 130 year old stone and the gleaming new fermentation tanks is remarkable.  Adding to this contrast are the stainless steel grates used for each of the upper floors of the winery building, allowing more light from above to reach the bottom floor.  Because you are able to see through the floors, you get a better sense of the sheer size of the winemaking infrastructure, more so than at most other operations in the valley.

The contrast of modern fermenting tanks against the old stone walls at Ladera Vineyards

I had come to Ladera Vineyards to enjoy their Cabernets.  But, our tasting flight started off with the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc which impressed me so that I ended up buying a bottle.  Next I was poured the 2011 Pillow Road Pinot Noir (from the Russian River) which could not hold a candle to the Sauvignon Blanc.  The tasting wrapped up with three 2010 Cabernet Sauvignons: the Stile Block, the High Plateau, and the Howell Mountain Reserve.  Of the Cabernets, the Howell Mountain Reserve was my favorite, but I enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc most of all.  This wine shows just how consistently good the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc wines have turned out in Napa Valley.


Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 5 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with my previous visit.

November 2, 2013 – Wine: 2004 Ridge Monte Bello

When I first started looking into acquiring wines and half-bottles, I learned of Ridge’s wine futures program (which morphed into the Monte Bello Collector’s Club).  The program offered a great discount on the Monte Bello wine and was available in half-bottles, so it seemed like a win-win.  I bought the 2004 futures and was able to taste the 2004 vintage from barrel.  It showed all the characteristics of a great wine in the making, and even showed better fruit than the 2002 vintage being previewed at the event.  When my bottles arrived in 2004, I tucked them away on the cellar floor to give them better temperature stability.  Having already enjoyed the 1992, 1994, 1996, 2001, and even the 2000 vintage, my hopes were high for this wine.  Tonight, I yielded to temptation and opened the first half-bottle.  The nose on the wine was good, but the palette was lacking.  There was no Monte Bello richness, the fruit was restrained, and the tobacco and mineral flavors dominated the palette.  On the plus side, the wine retains good tannic structure and is well balanced.  I am hopeful that a couple more years in the cellar will improve this wine.

October 25, 2013 – The five components of Bordeaux Blends: Petite Verdot

Back in 2011, Hendry Winery offered a blending kit for a reasonable price.  The kit consisted of five half-bottles of 2007 red wines, each 100% of a single grape variety.  The idea is that you host a party where each person tries their hand at a blend of the five varietals to see what comes up.  Lacking enough wine-geek friends to drink that much wine in one sitting, I instead decided to open them one-by-one to learn the characteristics of each wine.  In May 2012, when they put it on sale, I decided to pick up a kit. 


Tonight I opened the first of the five half-bottles, a 2007 Petite Verdot.  Most often this wine is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon in tiny quantities, seldom more than five percent of the finished product.   I have had a few other Petite Verdot wines in the past that I have enjoyed, but I have heard that they too were blended some with Cabernet, so I was a little nervous to try this wine.  The only time in the past that I have tried 100% Petite Verdot was at the Ridge Monte Bello component tastings, and those wines were recently pressed and still in barrel, which is not when a wine shows its best qualities.  Still, I was hopeful that this wine would prove to be interesting at the least.  And it was … albeit a bit light bodied and jammy at the onset.  After being open for about 90 minutes, the wine took on a little weight and some structure, making it a very nice wine to drink.  The nose was beautiful, and the palette featured flavors of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, pencil lead, and minerals, all in terrific balance.  I am hopeful that the remaining bottles will perform equally well.

October 24, 2013 – Wine: 2003 Clos Les Lunelles Cotes du Castillon

This was one of my early successful Bordeaux forays.  I bought this wine out of curiosity and rating (92 points) and opened one soon after.  I was sufficiently impressed with the wine’s potential to pick up four half bottles to work through over time.  I opened the next in March 2011 and then another in August 2012.  This wine has improved its balance and integration over the years.  Now it is developing complexity and intensity.  Tonight’s bottle was fairly smooth and well balanced, with flavors of tobacco, black currant, salty mineral, smoke, lead, and subtle notes of cherry on the finish.  One half-bottle remains … next year perhaps?

2003 Clos Les Lunelles Cotes du Castillon 

Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards, November 3, 2013

Winery - 4 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Authentically rustic old-world tasting room.  Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay.
www.savannahchanelle.com

I have been enjoying visiting the tasting room at Savannah-Chanelle since before I started tasting wine.  I would accompany my sister there for wine tasting, but I would merely sample the amazing mustards that they had on display.  Soon after that I started enjoying wine and I returned to sample their offerings.  Since then, I have returned every year to try the latest vintage.  As their winery is on the road returning from the Christmas tree farms in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it makes for a fun place to stop after cutting down a fresh Christmas tree.  Often times I am fortunate enough to stumble upon a terrific clearance deal they have going on in the tasting room, but not this time.  (My supply of party wines is beginning to dwindle, so I had hopes.)  In any event, I was looking forward to the opportunity to taste their latest releases.

The authentic old tasting room at Savannah-Chanelle

The drive to the Savannah-Chanelle mountain winery is an easy drive up Highway 9 from the town of Saratoga.  The turn into the winery’s driveway is tight, so go slowly and be prepared.  The driveway climbs the hillside through majestic redwoods leading up to the old winery operations building.  The barn-like structure seems to be maintained in a state of arrested decay – the building is clearly well-kept, but there is no trace of “new” here.  Just outside the main door to the tasting room a few tables are arranged for enjoying your wine flight in the open air of the mountain-side tasting room.  Inside, the large barn has been set up with two tasting counters along opposing walls, with tables set up in the middle of the room displaying merchandise for sale.  (Check out the funny cocktail napkins.)  Two skylights let in sunlight during the summer months, but no direct light enters the rest of the year because of the hillside and trees.  Just as you enter the tasting room is a grand piano, where the same woman has been playing every weekend afternoon for the past decade.  The tasting room can get very busy on weekend afternoons, so plan around this.

The busy tasting room at Savannah-Chanelle

The tasting menu has six wines on it, but I only wanted to sample four of them.  I started with the 2012 Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay, followed by the 2009 Russian River Pinot Noir.  I next tried the 2009 Insiders’ Club Pinot Noir (which is a selection of special lots), and ended with the 2009 Tondres Grapefield Pinot Noir.  Of these, my favorite was the Insiders’ Club Pinot Noir for its ripe fruits and excellent balance.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 4 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with my previous visits.

October 23, 2013 – Wine: 2006 Carter Cellars Hossfeld Coliseum Red Blend

This wine took a very different evolution from what I had expected.  I bought two half-bottles of this wine during my first visit to the Carter Cellars tasting room in 2009.  At that time, the wine was performing much better than most red wines from the 2006 vintage so I bought these half bottles.  The wine back then was nicely balanced and featured prominent red fruits in a complex recipe of flavors.  In 2011 I opened the first half bottle and found it had retained much of its youthful composition, yet was in need of time to sooth its tannins.  Tonight I opened the last bottle and found it has taken a turn towards fascinating.  The nose is potent, suggesting red roses and baking spices.  The palette is very complex with flavors of pomegranate, leather, baking spices, and minerals, with cherry and currants on the finish.  I was surprised by the level of complexity that this wine delivered tonight.

2006 Carter Cellars Hossfeld Red Blend

2013 Fall Color Almost Gone

Live from Howell Mountain ...

Driving through the valley just an hour ago, I was a little disappointed.  The fall color appears to be on the same schedule as the fall harvest.  It appears that the best of the autumn color was washed off the vines in the last rain and wind events.  While a few colorful leaves still cling to the vines, the vineyards are mostly reduced to stringy stumps.  Don't visit Napa Valley this Thanksgiving holiday to catch the autumn color.  Come instead to enjoy some excellent wines.

Wine Tasting Fees

Originally, wine-tasting was a marketing function of wineries.  If the wine they made was good enough, it would sell on its own when presented to the consumer.  Then a number of party-happy folks from the San Francisco Bay Area learned you could visit Napa Valley and get partied up on wine for next to nothing … and on quality wine to boot!  So, nominal tasting fees were put in place to curb the party goers and save room at the tasting counter for actual customers.  Often, these tasting fees were returned to the customer upon purchase of wine.  Lately, it seems that profit-motivated wineries are now turning to the tasting fees themselves to make a substantial impact on the bottom line and driving up wine-tasting prices dramatically over the past decade.  Rather than a cost of marketing, wine-tasting has become a profit-center in the business of operating a tasting room.  Of course, this leads to more lavish tasting rooms sprouting up around the valley, but that is a point for another discussion.

Let’s look at the financials.  If the average cost per-bottle of wine on a tasting room’s menu is $50, and each bottle can pour 16 samples (at 1.5 ounces each pour), and each tasting flight consists of four wines, then the retail cost to taste those four wines is about $12.50.  Keep in mind that the winery has already made a substantial mark-up on the retail price of the wine, as evidenced by the discounts they offer:  20% off to wine-club members, 30% off to wine industry tradesmen, and 50% off to employees.  When I started visiting Napa Valley back in 2005, the tasting fee for this flight was on average $10 to $15.  Today, the tasting fee at many places for this same flight is about $20 to $25, which represents a mark-up on top of a mark-up.

At some wineries, this tasting fee is actually used to turn folks away.  They only want top-dollar clients coming into the tasting room and then prey on them with vertical tastings paired with gourmet hors’ devourers or designer desserts.  A few years back I tried to visit Quintessa Winery (without an appointment).  At the desk I was told they could accommodate me for a $65 tasting fee, which included a food pairing.  The math suggests that the retail price of the wine offered was less than $25; and for $60, I could enjoy an entire half-bottle of their wine without the tasting room’s pretense.  So, I passed on the opportunity, but I felt like they just didn’t want me (or anyone of ordinary financial means) to have access to tasting their wines.  They wanted to present an air of exclusivity, even though their wines are highly distributed across the country.  To be fair, the 2003 Quintessa Red Wine was an amazing wine in the half-bottle (not so much the 2005).


So, if money is something that you have to work for, and you choose to spend it on quality wines from Napa Valley, it pays to shop around, even for tasting.  Check the tasting fees on winery web sites before planning a visit, or a simple day trip for you and a good friend could end up costing more than $500 in tasting fees alone.  It is possible to plan a trip for two to four wineries for less than $50 if you look around.  And ask if the tasting fee is recovered with a purchase, especially if you find a wine you adore.

October 20, 2013 – Wine: 2007 Bell Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

As I wrapped up a five-year wine-club membership in 2010, one of my last shipments was this 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which I had requested in half bottles.  As I recall, the winery was quite proud of this vintage, even before it started winning gold medals at tasting competitions.  Of course, every winery was releasing amazing wines in 2007, thanks to a near-perfect growing season.  This wine is no exception, and after a few years in the cellar, the wine is living up to its praise.  The wine is well balanced and medium bodied, with delicious notes of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, and tobacco, all finishing with surprising richness.  I think I’ll wait another year to open the next half bottle.

2007 Bell Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

October 16, 2013 – Wine: 2005 Anomaly

Talk about bottle variation …  I bought this wine without tasting it simply because the 2004 was so tasty.  When I opened a bottle back in 2011, its flavors and richness were so wonderful that I immediately sought out more.  (That’s no easy task when looking for half-bottles.)  I opened one last year in September and it was still impressive.  Tonight’s bottle seemed a little shut down and a little awkward.  The palette is medium bodied, not lush, and features flavors of pomegranate, tea, red cherry, nutmeg, and mineral.  (I was hoping for more of the 2005 lushness.)  I should open another bottle in a few more days to see if this is a consistent state or just one off-bottle.

Provenance Vineyards, September 18, 2013

www.provenancevineyards.com

I was hoping to pick up my September wine club shipment, but the e-mail announcing its availability hadn’t arrived (and never would, it later turned out).  Still, I wanted to share my favorite winery with my good friend so that he might also learn about Provenance.  My friend enjoyed all of the wines they offer, but was really impressed with the Cabernet Franc and its value.  I was glad to try a couple of newly released wines too.  As it turns out, the one wine I enjoyed the most would be a part of my September club shipment.  I was a little disappointed that the 2010 Hewitt Cabernet Sauvignon was not yet on the tasting menu, but I will look for it again when I return in November to pick up the September and November shipments.

This visit I wanted to taste some of my favorites.  I started off with the 2010 Winemaker's Reserve, a Bordeaux-style blend including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Next, I tried the 2009 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by the 2009 Beckstoffer TK2 Cabernet Sauvignon (a slection of the better lots from the former), then the 2007 Hewitt Cabernet Sauvignon and ended with the 2009 Hewitt Cabernet Sauvignon .  My favorite of the Provenance wines was the To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon for its ripe fruits and great balance.


A full review was written already about Provenance Vineyards during my visit on February 8^th, 2012.

October 14, 2013 – Wine: 2003 Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon

When this wine was young back in 2006, it sure delivered the wow!  I remember buying two half-bottles speculatively when it was first released (thinking what pretty packaging).  After opening the first bottle, I was so impressed that I sought out a case of half bottles.  Wine Enthusiast’s 94-point endorsement of the wine confirmed my initial impressions of the wine too.  The next few bottles I opened were all wonderful.  Then, the wine went into the oddest state of being thin, off-dry and unbalanced that made it unlikeable.  This continued through four bottles, so I decided to bring one of the remaining bottles to the winery to get their impression.  (One or two bottles is variation, but four bottles makes a trend.)  By the time I got to the winery in 2010, the wine had evolved again into a full-bodied, balanced, complex Cabernet and my point was lost.  The winery was not interested in tasting again three years later so I decided to open the next bottle myself.  I found the wine to be quite complex with fascinating intensity while still maintaining decent balance.  On the palette I noted dark cherry, red currant, baking spices, leather, and minerals.  I am looking forward to opening the one remaining half-bottle of this wine.

2003 Chappellet Signature Cabernet Sauvignon

October 10, 2013 – Wine: 2006 Ridge Lytton Springs

This was probably my least inspiring bottle of this wine (I had bought six half-bottles when released).  In the past, this wine showed lively fruit, great structure and balance, and nice texture.  Of course, the 2006 vintage was unkind to most wines made from Northern California grapes, but this wine had bucked the trend.  Tonight I had opened the bottle too late to give it a decent decant before drinking, and I was penalized for not doing so.  The wine tasted a little thin and suggested it was past its peak – for the first 90 minutes, that is.  Then, the minerals presented themselves and pulled the wine into balance.  I have added a note to my catalog to let this wine open next time.

2006 Ridge Lytton Springs

October 5, 2013 – Wines for a block party

I know … I’m a fast becoming wine snob.  At the block party, my neighbors gracefully offered me a glass of the wine they had brought out to share.  It was a 2011 Forest Glen Merlot, which they bought for under $4.  I tasted it and was surprised that the wine performed better than most of the 2011 red wines I had tried the day before at my favorite wine store, each selling for $15 to $25.  I provided the next bottle (and the two after that) to share the kind of wines that I enjoy.  Of course, I drew from my party wine stack, but even those wines are hand-picked for their quality-to-value delivery.  Each bottle was well received by my neighbors.  Here is what I opened:

2010 Artezin Mendocino Zinfandel: 
This wine has good body and excellent balance, nice structure, and properly restrained Zinfandel appeal.  And at $12 a bottle, I’m wondering why I bought only three.

2009 Provenance Napa Valley Merlot: 
Needless to say, there was no comparison between this wine and the Forest Glen.  This Merlot is structured, complex, ripe, and well composed with a good finish.  The Forest Glen was tasty, balanced, and simple (but nearly elegant).

2009 Savannah-Chanel Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir: 

The poor folks at the winery probably felt this fruit-bomb Pinot Noir would never come around, so they cleared it out at 2/3 the original price.  For $14, this was a fun Pinot Noir in its youth.  Now it is developing some sophistication and the fruit is taking its proper place, which is really making me appreciate having bought a whole case of it.  I’m not yet at the point where I don’t want to share it, but getting close.

November 6, 2013 – A toast to my brother’s life

Yesterday afternoon, I received the news that my younger brother had died.  His death ended a multi-year effort to recover from a serious bicycling accident.  His prognosis was never too upbeat, but recently seemed less so.  The good news that I can take away from this is that he no longer suffers from his injuries or recovery.  My brother had always celebrated life his way.  He stayed connected with his family and attracted many friends.  His death will leave a void in all of our lives that can only be capped with pleasant memories from our lives together.  Tonight, in his honor, my mother and I will raise a glass and toast to his life.  The wine I have selected for this occasion is the 2001 Hewitt Cabernet Sauvignon.  I just left the bottle at my mother’s house for an extended breathe (about two hours or so).

Corison Winery, September 18, 2013

www.corison.com

I had a wine club pickup at Corison as well, so I decided to stop by and try some wines while I was there.  Unlike the comfy confines of the Freemark Abbey member’s tasting room, the Corison tasting experience puts you right in the middle of their operations.  While the grapes outside were eagerly awaiting harvest, new oak barrels had been delivered to the Corison operations building and were standing there, still wrapped in plastic.  It must be the engineer in me that really appreciates the proximity to the operations and seeing the details of how wine is made.  Corison is a great place to visit just after harvest to witness first-hand the winemaking process.

Brand new wine barrels await final preparations before being filled with the 2013 harvest at Corison.

This wine club shipment featured the newly released 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  As I usually do, I like to taste the wine before I decide how many bottles to tuck away in my cellar.  Structurally, the 2010 is very similar to the 2009.  Flavor-wise, the 2010 is earthier and suggests dark chocolate, while the 2009 leans more toward ripe berry flavors.  We were also offered a number of other wines to taste, so I selected the 2004 and 2005 Napa Valley Cabernets to taste.  These are two of my favorite vintages from Corison and tasting them is a pleasure.  The 2005 is my favorite of all that I tasted at Corison today.


A full review was written already about Corison Winery during my visit on April 6^th, 2012.

September 24, 2013 – Wine: 2003 Robert Biale Black Chicken

If only I had started drinking wine a few years earlier, I would have realized just how good the 2003 vintage was for Zinfandel and how rare it is to get a great Zinfandel vintage.  Then I could have stocked up on the stuff.  So, when I recently found this 2003 Zinfandel by a great Napa Valley vintner on sale, I quickly snatched it up.  Alas, there was just the one bottle available, but what a delicious bottle it turned out to be.  This elegant Zinfandel has good body, a sense of richness, good balance, great fruit, minerals, and spices.  

September 22, 2013 – Three Tasty Reds

Okay, so I am combining the tasting notes from three nights into one, but these three wines are all deserving of each other’s company.  The prices and compositions of these wines are dissimilar, but the quality and strength are what brings the consistency.  To pick a favorite would be pointless, but I am leaning towards the least expensive of the bunch.  All three wines featured terrific balance.

2002 Macauley Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This was the first of the three wines and it was the only Cabernet.  I am loving the way that the 2002 Napa Valley Cabernets are turning out, and this wine is no exception.  This wine needed a minimum of 90 minutes to open up on the palette, but once it did, it delivered.  The nose was quite prominent, followed by a nearly rich palette that delivered a delicious complexity of red and dark fruit and minerals.  This wine was the most expensive of the lineup.

2005 Carter Truchard Vineyards Merlot

When I first bought this wine, I had to open a bottle to decide (1) whether to get more, and (2) how long to hold onto the wine.  Well, the first answer turned to “yes!” simply based on the gorgeous nose.  The second answer was “quite a while” as the tannins were monstrous.   When I finally opened the second bottle a year and a half ago I was astounded at how well this wine was performing.  Thanks to bottle variation, this one still has some tannins to resolve (more than the bottle from last year).  But, the flavors have developed nicely (and vintage typical) with cranberry, red cherry, chalk, pomegranate, and minerals.  And the wine still retains its great nose.

2003 Saint Clement Oroppas Red Wine

This wine is actually performing better in the half bottle than in the full bottle.  The full bottle was nice and seemed to be near its peak, while the half-bottle has more structure and tannins to resolve.  Being a blend of Cabernet and Merlot, this wine tends to capture the strengths of both and builds on it with balance and richness.  On the palette, I sensed cranberry, pomegranate, mint, leather, mineral, and a touch of lime on the finish.  Of the three wines, this one was the least expensive and my favorite.  But I would long for any of these three wines again.

Freemark Abbey, September 18, 2013

http://www.freemarkabbey.com/

It was time again to pick up my wine club shipment, so I decided to bring my friend up to Freemark Abbey.  After a quick (and tasty) sandwich in Yountville, we drove up the valley past Saint Helena to the historic Freemark Abbey winery.  Of course, being a wine club member, I am obliged to head for the members’ tasting room to enjoy my wines and pick up my shipment.  While lacking in historic value, the members’ tasting room is by far more comfortable.  The large room has an abundance of natural light and a number of comfortable places to enjoy your pours.  I prefer to stand at the large tasting bar and enjoy the woodwork in the large wine rack along the wall.  The wine rack is not only handsome, but it also provides some temperature stability for the bottles stored there, allowing them to rest gracefully while awaiting a welcoming home to take them.  (Yeah, kind of like puppies.)

The handsome wine rack in the memober's tasting room at Freemark Abbey.

On this visit, I was able to try a number of new wines that I had not yet experienced (plus one familiar wine).  My flight started off with the 2008 Howell Mountain Chardonnay, which was surprising for two reasons.  First, I had never had a Chardonnay from this far up the valley, let alone from up on Howell Mountain.  Secondly, this is one of the older Chardonnay wines being released and it just shows how well white wines improve with a few (2 to 5) years of time in the cellar.  Next, I tried the 2009 Mount Veeder Zinfandel, followed by the 2009 Howell Mountain Merlot, and the 2009 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon.  (In all, a mountainous flight.)  My favorite of the flight was the Merlot.
 

A full review was written already about Freemark Abbey during my visit on December 28^th, 2012.

September 21, 2013 – Wine: 2007 Wind Racer Russian River Pinot Noir

I spotted this bottle sitting on a clearance table at my favorite wine store, and my mind began to wonder.  It was a 2007, which was the same year as the fantastic Gary Farrell I opened recently.  It is also from the same Russian River area and originally priced slightly higher.  This wine was nearly 30% off and that was enough to convince me to give it a try.  Tonight I uncorked it.  The first impression of this wine is vintage-typical.  The flavors included blueberry, cranberry, baking spices, and very subtle mineral, all delivered with incredible smoothness.  But the wine lacked the acidity that typifies a delicious Pinot Noir … until the wine had been open about two-and-a-half hours.  Then the acidity emerged above the smooth fruits bringing the balance needed to make this a wonderful Pinot Noir.  If you have a bottle of this waiting to be opened, be sure to let it breathe two-and-a-half hours.

Waiting for Wine Bought on Futures

A few months ago, I posted about buying wines on futures.  In that article, I talked about some of the reasons you would consider buying domestic wines and import wines using a futures program.  Specifically, buying Bordeaux wines on futures can mean the difference between getting the wines and missing out on the vintage.  It can also mean the difference between being able to afford wines in a good vintage or not.  Of course, buying wines on futures has one noticeable drawback: it requires patience.

I bought 2009 Bordeaux wine futures from three different wine retailers in my area.  One giant has a prominent internet presence, while the other two are smaller operations.  All of my purchases were for half-bottles.  While browsing another site that specializes in half-bottles, I noticed the same 2009 wine for sale that I had ordered from one shop in San Francisco.  When I called to see if my order had arrived, they assured me that it would arrive in the next month.  I waited and it arrived as anticipated.  The same wine (in the same format) sent to different vendors arrived months apart.  Across the bay in Oakland, where I have placed far more futures orders, all but one of my 2009 futures have arrived and been picked up.  In fact, all but one of my 2010 futures have arrived and been picked up.  When I asked about the remaining two wines, I was given exact dates for their anticipated arrivals (both should be in by the New Year).  That leaves one last order from a shop in Berkeley.  Every time I have asked about the delivery date for my 2009 Bordeaux wines, it got pushed out further.  I was originally told in the spring, then the summer, and now the delivery date is sometime in December.  (I will be notified via e-mail when my shipment arrives.)  So, all I can do now is wait.

Americans have been associated with being an instant gratification culture, and when I consider my impatience with the arrival of these wines, I have to wonder if that is not part of what is causing my angst.  On the other hand, there is a great deal of inconsistency of the arrival dates for wines being shipped across the globe.  Much of it depends upon the retailer and the wholesalers they work with.  Of course, I have to remind myself that even if these wines arrive tomorrow, I still won’t be uncorking any of them before 2016.  So, even though I know there is no rush, I’m the type of person that just likes to know.  Are they here yet?

September 17, 2013 – Wine: 2007 Hendry Blocks 7 & 22 Zinfandel

I went to Hendry winery with my wine-tasting buddy back in 2009.  At that time, they poured a couple of 2006 Zinfandels and a 2005 Cabernet.  All three were available in half-bottles and delicious.  By the end of our tasting, we were 20 minutes late for our next tasting and we dashed off quickly with a mixed case of half-bottles of these three wines.  When I opened the first bottle at home, I noticed that I had been given 2007’s of this wine instead of the 2006’s I had tasted.  The wine was a little too tannic, so I let the rest lay down for a few years.  Tonight, my patience was rewarded.  The tannins are still subsiding, but the wine is nicely balanced, with good red fruits and minerals.

September 14, 2013 – Wine: 2007 Boa Ventura Petite Sirah

When my sister and I discovered Boa Ventura winery and their wonderful half-bottles, she stepped aside with the winemaker who led her back to the barrel room.  There, he offered her a sample of their 2007 Petite Sirah in the hopes she would buy some on futures.  I convinced her to get half-bottles and we split the case between us.  Her share was gone within four months of delivery.  Tonight, I opened the last remaining bottle.  This bottle was by far the best from the lot.  The funky taste that is either from the soil or the barrels was gone.  The fruit was delicious and typically Petite Sirah, with black and blue fruits, pepper, tea, and leather.  I enjoy a well-rested bottle of Petite Sirah like this one.

2007 Boa Ventura Petite Sirah

Clos du Val, September 18, 2013

Winery - 6 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Legacy winery in Judgment of Paris.  Cabernets, Merlots, Pinot Noirs, and whites.
www.closduval.com

It had been well over a year since I last visited Clos du Val (they were pouring the 2007 Cabernets then), so I decided it was time to return.  I was treating a good friend to a day trip to Napa Valley and this place served as our starting point.  When we arrived, the tasting room was busy with visitors.  The long tasting bar was occupied, and I was directed to one of a number of free-standing wine barrels set up as additional tasting tables.  This setup was nice because it allowed my friend and me to discuss whatever we wanted (including the wine) with some privacy.  By the time we wrapped up our tasting, the crowd had dwindled to just two or three other small groups and the energy level had dropped.

Entrance to Clos du Val winery

Nestled along the Silverado Trail toward the southern edge of the Stag’s Leap District you’ll find the Clos du Val winery and tasting room.  The tasting room and operations are set back a distance from the road, putting you in the center of the vineyards for your tasting experience.  As you walk into the tasting room, you pass by a number of outdoor tasting tents where a small group of people can reserve a spot at the vineyard’s edge for their tasting experience.  With the spectacular weather we had today, I was almost tempted to do so, but instead continued inside for the tasting room experience.  The exterior of the building is covered in vines (which look like they change color in mid-autumn).  There is a large wooden door welcoming guests indoors.  Inside, one large window admits some natural light, but the room is kept dark by the Burgundy colored paint on the walls.  Cream-colored accent paint highlights the doors, window, and the L-shaped tasting bar.  The tasting bar surface is a soft grey color that works well with the other colors.  The floor is done in a handsome terracotta pattern.  The middle of the room is furnished with four old wine barrels that serve as overflow tasting tables.  Across the tasting room is a double-door with large windows opening onto the operations room where the steel fermenting tanks were likely processing the recently harvested white grapes.

The tasting bar inside Clos du Val winery

There were two tasting flights available.  To experience the broadest selection of wines, my friend and I ordered distinct flights and then shared our pours.  This allowed us to sample a broader cross-section of wines.  I’m glad I did, as I found one of the wines on my friend’s reserve flight worthy of taking home to cellar.  We started with the 2010 Carneros Pinot Noir and the 2010 Petite Verdot, then had the 2010 Napa Valley Merlot and 2010 Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir, then the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap District and the 2009 Yountville State Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, and ended with the 2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.  As a special request, I was given a pour of the 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Of these wines, the 2009 Yountville State Lane Cabernet Sauvignon was by far my favorite for its crisp acidity and ripe fruits, so I bought a bottle to take home.



Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 6 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with my prior visits.

September 13, 2013 – Wine: 2003 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Cabernet Franc

This wine is tremendous.  I first tasted the 2004 vintage while visiting the winery and was entirely taken by this wine.  Then I came upon one lone bottle of the 2003 vintage in my local wine shop and bought it.  When I opened it, I adored the richness, balance, and delicious mountain grown Cabernet Franc fruit.  My mom and sister are also Cab Franc fans and immediately liked this wine as well.  Last summer, I found one more bottle among some sale items at a large Napa Valley distributor and snatched it up.  This evening, it was every bit as delicious as my previous bottle of the 2003.  This rich, smooth, balanced wine offers up nice red fruits, baking spices, and subtle minerals.  Next I have to open the last bottle of 2004.

September 12, 2013 – Wine: 2002 Clark Claudon Cabernet Sauvignon

I offered my wine-buddy the choice of four very nice Cabernets and he picked this one.  I started to worry that perhaps the Howell Mountain fruit would not be ready.  It might be too heavy and tannic and still in need of cellaring.  When I opened a half-bottle of this wine three years back it was heavy and tannic.  Well, after uncorking and letting it breathe about 45 minutes, I quickly learned that my concerns were wasteful worry.  This wine is drinking quite nicely now.  It is medium bodied and elegant, with a terrific nose, excellent balance, and delicious Howell Mountain flavors of cranberry, red currant, leather, and minerals.  I have one remaining half-bottle which I will probably open just after the new year.

2002 Clark Claudon Cabernet Sauvignon

Elizabeth Spencer, August 14, 2013

www.elizabethspencerwines.com

I was entertaining guests who hadn’t been to Napa Valley in a while, so I decided to enjoy the perfect August afternoon weather outdoors on the Elizabeth Spencer patio.  The weather was perfectly warm, but not hot.  And I was curious to taste their 2012 Sauvignon Blanc.  (So many of the 2012 Sauvignon Blancs from Napa Valley are turning out to be amazing wines.)  And what wine would pair better with this glorious weather than a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.  As it turned out, my coworker had some wines to be picked up for his wine club, so I brought those bottles home for him, saving him a trip.

The patio at Elizabeth Spencer Winery

For my flight, I selected four wines.  I started with the 2012 Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc, which was perfectly light.  Next I tried the 2011 Zinfandel, which like most 2011 reds, seems to be lacking in ripeness.  Third was the 2009 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvinon, which has delicious fruits but tannins that will need more than five years to resolve.  I ended with my favorite, the 2009 Napa Valley Special Cuvee, which is better balanced than the Mount Veeder Cabernet right now.  This was my favorite wine of the flight.


A full review was written already about Elizabeth Spencer Wines during my visit on November 2^nd, 2012.

September 8, 2013 – Wine: 2004 Bell Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon

My sister was visiting from Denver so I decided to bring out something special to sip on.  Nobody wanted a lot to drink so I brought a half-bottle of this Clone 6 Cabernet.  I am so glad that I did.  We each had a substantial taste of this wonderful wine, enough to appreciate what was in the glass.  This wine is holding up magnificently and continues to develop.  The balance is spectacular, with great body, good acids, and richness.  I noted flavors of red and black fruits, baking spices, leather, and well-controlled minerals.  While I no longer have any half-bottles, I am looking forward to opening the 750ml in the next year or two.

Elyse Winery, August 14, 2013

Winery - 4 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Small winey on the Yountville bench.  Rare quality Rhone varietals in Napa Valley.  Reservations required.
www.elysewinery.com

This is what’s fun about shopping for wine in Napa Valley …  I was in the Yountville Ranch Market when I came upon half-bottles of 2005 Elyse Petite Sirah.  I had enjoyed a few Petite Sirah wines before (from Amador) and I knew 2005 was a great vintage in Napa Valley, so I bought a bottle speculatively.  I knew the winery was just 1 mile down the road, so I decided to go for a taste.  I enjoyed the wine so much I immediately returned to the market for a second bottle.  There aren’t many places in the world where you can try a product at the source and pick it up at a market around the corner, so I was thrilled with this experience.  On subsequent visits to the winery I picked up some spectacular deals on cases of wine, so it is worth it to return here periodically.  Alas, it had been four years since my last visit, so I decided to head back to Elyse.  … And I was glad I did.

The entrance to the Elyse Winery tasting room

There is nothing spectacular about the Elyse tasting room.  It is cozy, softly lit, and easy to get into and out of.  From the outside, it is hard to distinguish from the rest of the winery operations, except that a vine-surrounded patio door welcomes guests inside.  In front of the tasting room lies a large concrete pad which was empty today, but during harvest is packed full of bins with the harvest’s bounty beginning its transition from fruit to wine.  It can be interesting to watch the process of punch-downs and pump-overs outside, especially when the winery’s dogs lend a hand with the clean-up work.  (The dogs no longer work at the winery.)  Inside the tasting room, a long tasting bar accommodates about eight people along its length, with plenty of room away from the bar for others to enjoy their pour.

The Elyse Winery sign asks for reservations, but they can handle walk-ins on slow days.

The tasting menu usually features six wines, but this time there were two special wines that were open that they shared with us as well.  We started off with the 2010 Chardonnay, then I asked for the 2009 C’est si Bon (a delicious GSM blend).  We followed with the 2008 Le Corbeau (a Grenache blend), the 2008 Syrah, the 2008 Morisoli Zinfandel, the 2007 Cabernet Franc (by Jacob Franklin), the 2009 Petite Sirah (by Jacob Franklin), and ended with the 2007 Morisoli Cabernet Sauvignon.  I nearly bought the Cabernet because it was so tasty and well made, but my budget forced me to fall back to my second favorite (and everyone else’s favorite), the 2008 Morisoli Zinfandel, which I brought home.


Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 4 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with my prior visits.

September 3, 2013 – Wine: 2003 Clark Claudon Cabernet Sauvignon

Wow!  I was not expecting this wine to come out this good.  I have had a good bottle of the 2002 vintage of this wine, and tasted the 2006 at the winery.  But from all the bad-mouthing I have heard about the 2003 vintage, I was simply amazed by how this wine performed.  The nose was good, but the texture was what so surprised me.  The wine offers up plush tannins that suggest a richness to this wine which is what makes it so appealing.  On the balanced palette are flavors of cherry, pomegranate, hibiscus tea, minerals, and leather.  This was my first of two half-bottles, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next.

Hess Collection Winery, August 14, 2013

www.hesscollection.com

I was entertaining company and wanted to visit a winery that offers an impressive entrance, intimate tasting, and well-made wines at a reasonable price.  That, and I just wanted to go back to Hess Collection again.  I really enjoy the gently winding road through the redwoods that takes you to Hess.  While Napa Valley is itself an escape from the urban madness, Hess is a mountainside escape from Napa Valley in its own right.  Built with an eye for art, you will find art installations nearly everywhere you look.  But the art I wanted to see was the barrel room.  The smell of the wine soaking into the oak and the symmetry of the barrels stacked up appeals to me.

The barrel room at Hess Collection winery

On this visit I selected four red wines to try.  I started with the 2011 Artizin Zinfandel, which seems a little riper than most 2011 reds.  Next I tried the 2011 Artizin Petite Sirah, followed by the 2009 Hess Collection Block 19 Cuvee (a claret/meritage bland), and ended with the 2010 Hess Collection Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon.  Of these, my favorite was the 2009 Block 19 Cuvee for its ripeness and balance.

A full review was written already about Hess Collection during my visit on May 12^th, 2012.

August 31, 2013 – Wine: J. Lohr Cabs

I have been holding onto a small vertical of J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon for a few years now, waiting for an opportunity to share them.  Even three half bottles makes for a lot of wine for just two people, so I was waiting for an appropriate event with enough wine drinkers.  Today my sister-in-law celebrated her birthday, so I brought out these three half-bottles.  The first was the 2006, which had become completely smooth but lacked any noticeable structure.  The second was the 2007 which offered plenty of structure, complexity, and tasty fruit.  The third was the 2008, which is still resolving its tannins.  My mom and I favored the 2007, while others preferred the softness of the 2006.  The 2008 simply needs more time.

Follow up on the Break-resistant Champagne Flutes

I just got off the phone with Wine Enthusiast.  What a great experience this is.  I had dallied a bit in ordering the replacement stems that my sister had done in, giving her ample time to demolish the remaining two stems.  So, all four stems now require replacement.  I explained that my sister was using the glasses outdoors and they are now all broken.  It took about half a minute to look up my order, a couple of questions about which shipping address to use, a quick thank you, and we were done.  The only question remains … should I commit the remaining stems to a certain death at my sister’s house, or give them a safe haven in my home and bring them out when she visits?  (If she breaks them again, it will cost $8 a stem to replace, which is not cost-effective.)  What would you do?

August 19, 2013 – Wine: 2008 Boëte Cheval Rouge

While looking for a decent party wine, I stumbled upon this (sub-$20) red blend that was rated 91 points by Wine Enthusiast, so I bought a bottle.  A week later, the wine was part of a tasting lineup at the same store, so I returned to try it.  (I had become skeptical after noticing the Carmel Valley designation, where the consistency of winemakers is not up to the par of better known regions.)  To my delight, this wine was remarkably tasty and well balanced, so I bought a second bottle.  Tonight I opened a bottle to share with friends and everybody enjoyed it.  Although I drank my wine after a palette scorching meal of Thai food, I could tell that it was a nicely balanced fruit-forward blend of red and dark fruit influences, complex, and very easy to drink.  I think I’ll head back to the store for a few more while I can.

2008 Boëte Cheval Rouge

J. Lohr Vineyards and Wine, July 27, 2013

On my last trip to recycle corks at the J. Lohr tasting room near downtown San Jose, I learned that the new 2011 Seven Oaks Cabernet had been released.  While I didn’t have time to taste it that day, it piqued my curiosity until today I finally relented and stopped in.  (I believe two weeks had elapsed.)  I had just finished a tasty lunch at a nearby taqueria and decided to drop in to check out the new lineup.  The weather was perfect and I did not mind the short extra walk to the winery.  The big surprise today was how well the 2011 Seven Oaks Cabernet is performing.  The wine is very nicely balanced, smooth, and ripe.  This is one of the first 2011 California reds that I have tried that actually tastes like it was ripe when harvested.

I started my tasting lineup with the 2011 Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon to experience it with a clean palette.  Next I tried the 2010 Highlands Bench Pinot Noir, then the 2010 Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  I was going to move onto the Tower Road Petite Sirah, but the black-label cuvee wines caught my eye.  So, I opted to try the 2008 Cuvee Pom (a Merlot-based blend) and the 2005 Cuvee St. E (a Cab-Franc-based blend).  I have a couple of the 2005’s still in my cellar and was glad to get a progress report.  Of all the wines poured, my favorite was the 2010 Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet for its richness and depth.

A full review was written already about J. Lohr Vineyards during my visit on March 25^th, 2012.

August 10, 2013 – One White, One Red

When asked if I could bring a white for dinner instead of red, I asked “how about one of each?”  I brought two half-bottles, both from the 2007 vintage.  The Chardonnay was ready to be opened, while the Pinot Noir had been a curiosity inspired by a film made several years ago.  Both wines come from California’s central coast, the Chardonnay from Santa Lucia Highlands (south of Salinas) and the Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County.

2007 Testarossa Castello Chardonnay

This wine is a beautiful golden color in the glass, but I recall it being more pale when I bought it back in 2009.  Once you get past the color, you notice the beautiful bouquet filling the glass.  This wine is far from delicate or light-weight.  It is smooth and balanced, delivering flavors of green apples, under ripe mango, mineral, pears, and a sweet, caramel note on the finish.  I recall tasting this when young and noticing its potential – tonight I got to appreciate that and more.  And for the price, this wine is an amazing deal for the quality it delivers.

2007 Hitching Post Highliner Pinot Noir

Having watched the movie Sideways a few times, you have to wonder about the wine the star chooses to drink when he goes out by himself to the local (Buellton) watering hole.  In this case, he chose the Highliner, a Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County.  A couple of years back I placed an order for an assortment of wines online and tossed in this bottle to satisfy my curiosity.  While lacking the wow! factor of the Chardonnay, this wine was indeed nice and true to its varietal.  I noticed flavors of blackberry, dark cherry, baking spices, minerals, and plums all delivered with good balance and restraint.

An Update on Break-Resistant Stemware

While attending a backyard barbecue at my sister’s home, I accidentally soccer-kicked her champagne glass that was standing on the concrete patio.  The glass faced certain destruction at the hands of my foot.  After sweeping up the chards of glass, I decided to give her a set of the Wine Enthusiasts’ break-resistant champagne flutes.  Since I started using the Cabernet glasses from the same product line in 2009, I have only broken one stem, so I figured she might benefit from these stylish, sturdy stems.  I ordered a set of four to replace the one stem that I had demolished and left the package at her house.


Now, about 1 month later, she has already broken two of the stems.  Each time, the flute was resting on the concrete patio and somebody unknowingly gave the glass a decent soccer kick.  (At least this time it wasn't me.)  So, now I have to call Wine Enthusiast and try to get the glasses replaced.  Their policy allows for one free replacement, while subsequent replacements require that the purchaser pay for shipping costs.  If she breaks any more, I think I’ll recommend acrylic flutes, or perhaps, wrapping the glass flutes in bubble wrap.

August 9, 2013 – Wine: 2010 Uppercut Cabernet

I know the winery that makes this wine.  I was first introduced to the 2007 vintage during a winery visit.  This wine was brought to market to fill the sub-$25 gap that the recession had made popular.  As I started to entertain more, I was kicking myself for not having bought some of that 2007 wine.  Then, last fall I was browsing the Sunset Magazine annual wine list and noticed that this wine scored a gold rating as a terrific value Napa Valley Cabernet, so I bought a few.  Tonight I brought this bottle to dinner, but most of the guests enjoyed a cold beer instead.  I was able to work my way through a couple of glasses and found the wine to be quite nice.  It tasted like it was made from $20 wine grapes, but the signature style of the winemaker was evident in this wine.  Nice balance and a good finish frame the flavors of blackberry, leather, dried cherry, sweet black prunes, and minerals.  Let this breathe for at least 30 minutes to allow the tannins to settle.  I’m hoping another year in the cellar will help this young wine get even better.

2010 Uppercut Cabernet Sauvignon

Gary Farrell Winery, July 5, 2013

www.garyfarrellwinery.com

While traveling in the Russian River area, I had time again for a visit to just one winery.  I know I should branch out and explore more, but when I have time for just one visit, I want a sure thing.  And, the tasting room at Gary Farrell Winery provides a “sure thing” experience.  Of course, another reason to visit is to keep up with the latest vintage of wine and to check out what’s new at the winery.  In this case, the winery has changed its tasting experiences.  In the past, tasters were offered a choice of flights including a standard flight and a reserve flight.  Last year they did away with the standard flight and just have the one.  This year, they added attended outdoor (or indoor at the beautiful cherry-wood tables) tastings for a small premium.  Given the wonderfully warm weather this day, there was plenty of demand for the outdoor tastings, so I opted to taste at the counter inside.  The good news is that inside has nearly the same view of the Russian River valley below as the outdoor tables have.

The handsome cherry tabletop inside Gary Farrell's tasting room

The tasting flight consists of two Chardonnays, two Pinot Noirs, and a Zinfandel.  I started with the 2010 Rochioli-Allen Vineyards Chardonnay followed by the 2010 West Side Farms Chardonnay.  I preferred the sweeter edge of the Rochioli-Allen to the West Side Farms.  Next came the red wines, starting with the 2010 Stiling Pinot Noir, and followed by the 2010 Ramol Pinot Noir.  I was a little uninspired by both, although they were each well made (the Stiling being unusually light bodied).  Then I was offered an off-menu pour of the 2010 Hallberg Pinot Noir, which was bar far my favorite of the day.  (I purchased the 2009 vintage of this wine last year.)  Finally, I tasted the 2010 Bradford Zinfandel, which I gave some serious thought to purchasing.


A full review was written already about Gary Farrell Winery during my visit on July 25^th, 2012.