Snooth partners with USBWine to offer wine downloads

posted by philip in Wine Industry

Chateau Pontet Canet have managed to create a stir with their Wine Bottle USB Drive. For $50 you get this 1Gb drive which comes pre-loaded wth a bunch of wine paraphenalia, including:

• Ringtones for your mobile
• Open Cellar, manage your wine cellar
• Bewineconnected Club
• Screensaver & Windows Desktop
• Wine Tasting by Michel ROLLAND
• Vademecum, a guide by Tastet & Lawton
• The 4 Seasons at Pontet-Canet, video

I’ll admit that it does look, rather cool, but its $50. And there are alternatives, and thats why we’re pleased to announce our partnership with USBWine.com, where for only 9.95 Euros (sorry, I cant find the euro sign) you can get this USB device allowing you to digitally download samples of the wines you want to try.

Really, the video speaks for itself (link to version with English subtitles here). Take that Star Trek replicator…

Thanksgiving Updates

posted by mark in Website Updates, Snooth

It’s getting close to the time when even those of us here at Snooth headquarters are going to turn off the lights and go stuff ourselv… err… go see our families. I’ve got a lot to give thanks for this year — and I’ll toast it all with a glass or three of delicious wine. (Look for my ratings on the site come tomorrow.)

Before we take off I wanted to give a quick report of what we’ve been up to. Recently there was an upgrade to Flash (version 10) that unfortunately broke our image/feed uploader. We’ve gotten many reports from users to this effect, and even more unfortunately the fix for this required a major retooling of the Javascript across the site. Well, not to be daunted by such a daunting task, we set to it. I understand we might not all grok completely what this Javascript nonsense means… To put it somewhat in perspective, let’s take the oft-used house building/software development analogy.

Let’s say you’ve got a house, and you’ve decorated it to your tastes, everything looks exactly the way you want it, and you’re living happily. Suddenly you realize that the contractors walled up the door to your wine cellar (horrors!). And it gets worse — if you take down the wall, your second floor office is going to fall through the ceiling, and all of the trim in the house is going to fall down, and the carpets will catch fire. Admittedly, this is a weak analogy at best, but the point is you really need to get into that cellar (upload your profile image), and it’s going to take a while to tear down that wall without breaking all of the Javascript.

Point is — uploading should be fixed now. Thanks for your patience!

We’ve also put in place a few other upgrades. On the account page, our international users can now type their zip code in directly to set their location. We’ve gotten some confused questions as to why this was for US only, and to be honest we were a little ashamed of ourselves. This should be better for everyone, and I bet we’ll have a ton more exciting location based features soon enough.

Finally, we’re not much on turning away good data, so it seemed wrong to only allow one person to write a description for a Snooth group page. So now, we accept multiple descriptions, all credited to the original author. We hope you’ll all flex your editorial muscles and write some great content for your friends and fellow users. I have to say — I’ve read a bit of what you’ve already uploaded and it’s great, so keep it coming!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Snooth! Come back and let us know what you tasted over the holiday.

Snooth iPhone site

posted by philip in Website Updates, Snooth

We quietly released the Snooth iPhone site last week, and although we mentioned it on the blog, we’ve been quiet about it while we collected feedback and made a few last tweaks.

We’re excited about this, as mobile apps (there will be others coming) have been one of the most requested feature. Here’s a quick rundown of how you can use the application:

• Location based shopping - this is the killer feature. Type in what you are looking for “spicy shiraz”, “chardonnay under $20 for fish” or whatever and your zip code (US only for now) and we’ll give you wines in-stock and in your neighbourhood. One click to then call the store to hold the item, or to get directions.
• Mobile access to your Snooth Wishlist - when you’re in the store and you know you’re looking for an old favorite, you can call up your wishlist right then and there
• Review and rate the wine while you are out and about. I tried this at dinner on Friday, and have never found it so easy to take notes about the wine I was drinking.

The app is very easy to use and taps into the same huge database that powers Snooth. This means that what you are looking for is probably already on there, and you don’t need to waste time typing it in. Also, anything you do on the iPhone version of Snooth is seamlessly integrated with what you do on the website.

To try this new site out, just use your iphone to access www.snooth.com

We hope you like it, and look forward to hearing how you use it.

Wine’s for family fun that won’t make you flip your bird.

posted by Callie in Snooth, Wine, Guest Bloggers

The Thanksgiving family event always consists of a combination of family fun, exciting conversation, diverse cooking styles, and personal preferences.  Typically each family member will be held responsible for their specific specialty.  This year let the wine be your specialty.  You can’t always guarantee the quality of others cooking, and certainly can’t guarantee other’s tastes in wine but here are a few suggestions and guidelines to go by when choosing a perfect pairing for your bird.

When choosing a wine for a holiday event there are a few key factors you need to take into account; a. the meal, and b. your family’s tastes.  These are times when picking a crowd pleasing wine is best, you may want to save your all out wine geek for a different occasion where the wine can play a central role, because these days its all about the turkey.

So, as expected we’ll be focusing on wines that pair well with white meat and all the trimmings. Typically, I’d recommend sticking with white wines that could be considered off dry, or something that has sweeter notes, like a Reisling or Chenin Blanc. However, if you’ve got a family of red wine drinkers (like myself), stay with lighter, earthier red wines such as Pinot Noir or Beaujoulais so that won’t the taste of the wine won’t overpower your dinner.  Remember,  it’s all about balance.

Here are some suggestions that will pair nicely with the any thanksgiving meal.

Billecart Salmon NV Brut     $48
A great way to start any meal; let your family shake off that first uncomfortable moment of silence with some celebratory sparkles, from the top privately owned Champagne estate.  The blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier for the NV Reserve has remained unchanged since 1945: grapes from three different years from the best sites of the Marne.

Huet 2006 Vouvray Le Mont Sec    $37
Vouvray is an underappreciated wine, made from Chenin Blanc, Vouvray has flavors of vanilla and melon so will satisfy the sweet wine drinker.  Specifically the Le Mont lies on the slopes of the Loire, and the soils are very stony, which creates a mineral driven undertone to satisfy the serious wine drinker.

Lafarge, M. 2005 Passetoutgrain L’Except    $26
Made in Burgundy of Gamay and Pinot Noir, Burghound suggests that “There is a bit more of everything here including aromatic refinement with equally ripe red berry fruit and earth notes that continue onto the rich, full and velvety flavors that are a bit rustic on the backend” In other words this wine will agree with your family not just the meal.

Chateau Thivin 2006 Cote de Brouilly    $21
If there is a wine that screams fall and Thanksgiving dinner it’s Beaujolais.  Cote de Brouilly is one of the 10 Crus of Beaujolais, and will offer fresh red berry and cherry pit aromas that are complicated by tangy minerals and a subtle spice.  A linear, brisk, classic Beaujolais that would be good with a light chill.

Have a wonderful holiday.

Callie Exas has just launched her wine career at New York Wine Co. in Manhattan. So far so good!

Wine for Thanksgiving - Snooth Blind Tasting of West Coast Pinot Noir

posted by Gregory in Snooth, Wine

What Wine for Thanksgiving – Snooth Panel Tasting Program blind tastes West Coast Pinot Noir.

Wines tasted for this report;
Flight 1
A)    2006 Ponzi A Tavola Willamette Valley – 13.5%
B)     2006 Willakenzie Willamette Valley - 14.2%
C)     2006 Benton Lane Willamette Valley – 14.1%
Flight 2
A)    2006 Elk Cove Willamette Valley 14.5%
B)     2006 Duckhorn Migration – Anderson Valley – 14.5%
C)    2007 Wild Horse Central Coast – 13%
Flight 3
A)    2007 Holdredge RRV 14.3%
B)    2006 Davis Bynum RRV 14.9%
C)    2007 Rodney Strong RRV 14.4%
Flight 4
A)    2007 Alma Rosa Santa Rita Hills 14.5%
B)    2006 Stoller JV Estate Dundee Hills – 14.5%
C)    2006 Saxon Brown Parmelee Hill Son. Valley – 14.5%

Just in time for Thanksgiving I convened Snooth’s blind tasting panel to take a look at what may very well be the most recommended wine for Thanksgiving:  West Coast Pinot Noir. I have posted my impressions separately and have just added a few comments in the group round up notes that follow.  Members of this week’s panel:

Jeanne - Wine enthusiast
Elizabeth - Retail wine sales
Greg - Wholesale wine sales
Stephanie - Retail wine sales
Ali - Retail wine sales
Jeff - Restauranteur
Justin - Wholesale wine sales
Jamie - Wine enthusiast

While I personally prefer a good bottle of Zin for Thanksgiving, as illustrated by last week’s email, the appeal of Pinot Noir in undeniable.  We assembled a selection of wine in what might be characterized as the middle price point. One of the problems with Pinot is that demand continues to outstrip supply, though thousands of recently planted acres will be coming into production over the next year or three so that situation may change. Regardless the price for Pinot today includes a demand premium making these wines a bit on the pricy side.

I made this a West Coast pinot tasting since there really is a difference between say, Oregon Pinot and Russian River Pinot.  Not only does the climate produce different wines, not to mention the soils, but there are also different wine making schools of thought out on the west coast. Light elegant Burundian Pinots deliver a very different experience than say, full on fruit bombs from the Santa Rita hills.

This Panel tasting was among the most interesting we have had since the distinct attributes of Pinot had very polarizing affects. The high acidity of many of these wines was off-putting to many but makes them very food friendly and refreshing to drink so your experience at the dinner table could be far different from our experience with saltines in a blind tasting.

The other factor that proved to be crucial in determining one’s preference among this admittedly limited selection of wine was the earthy, funkiness that some producers strive to capture. Some people simply prefer big, ripe, clean fruit and for these people some of the attempts at producing a Burgundian style of Pinot just do not, and never will, appeal.

Fortunately there seems to be a wine and a style for everyone. While opinions diverged on many wines in this tasting I was surprised at how closely the panel’s results mirrored my own. The opinions on the top 6 wines were pretty universal and overwhelmingly positive.   This was a strong group of wines and I was delighted to see that people ranked elegant examples as highly as they did some of the more assertive wines.

With two vintages to try, most of the wines on the market today are the current 2006’s and a smattering of 2005’s and just released 2007’s, it’s useful to just touch on the character of each. 2006 was a hot growing season in Oregon and produced big, ripe wine. In many cases production was very high and that helped ameliorate the elevated levels of alcohol that could have been produced but none-the-less the vintage produced unusually robust, exceptional wines through much of Oregon. California on the other hand was a challenging vintage with some decidedly bright spots, like the Russian River Valley where fruit forward wines were produced. But if one would have to generalize the vintage was spotty and produced a large number of wine that are more reserved than normal with an unusual touch of austerity to them. Many people may find this to be to their liking however.

2007 On the other hand looks to be very promising for California’s Pinot Producer. A long mild spell of weather during harvest allowed  slow, even ripening of the fruit producing complex and balanced wines. Yeilds were down from the highs of 2006 but so was ripeness so resultant wines have a bit more structure and a bit less alcohol. The cool spell during harvest allowed for fairly elegant wines to be made. Oregon suffered from significant rain during harvest but the cool weather, it had been a fine cool season all along, allowed grower to wait for the grapes to loose some of the accumulated water without having to worry about rot, mold, or excessive ripening.  The wines have lower alcohol than their 2006 counterpoints with brighter structure, much like the Californias but relying more on the bright acids than richer tannins.

That’s the long of it, the short of it is that both vintages produced great wines with each playing into the  strengths of one or another group of wine makers. With so many great bottles on the shelf it’s no surprise that retailers will be pushing Pinot with a vengeance this Holiday season While we at Snooth agree that it can be a very strong choice we hope you will be able to use the limited sampling of our tasting for some guidance. Some of the wines we tasted, particularly the 2007’s, have just been released on the market. They may not yet be widely available but should you see a bottle of back vintage Holdredge or Wild Horse on the shelf you should feel comfortable trying it if that seems to be the style of Pinot that suits you. This tasting was as much about the character of the vintage as it was about the house style of each winery. Recommending Pinot is sort of like recommending shoes. There are a lot of them out there that do the same job but finding the style and the size that suits you takes some trying  on. So without further ado let’s try on some Pinot Noir.

     Group’s 12th/my 12th - 2007 Rodney Strong  RRV 14.4%             $20
Greg captured one issue with this wine when he stated, “this really pissed me off, there’s just too much sulfur here, it could be a good wine but this shouldn’t be for sale”. The sulfur did dominate the wine and with time blew off a bit revealing some good raw materials, as Justin said, “this is weird and chemical but lurking there is a lot of fresh, pine forest”. Elizabeth noted that it was “ crisp with toasty wood and super-ripe fruit”. But in general the mood could be characterized by Jamie’s “I didn’t hate this” or Stephanie’s “meh”.

     Group’s 11th/ my 9th -2007 Alma Rosa Santa Rita Hills 14.5%             $40
Elizabeth was the most complimentary regarding this wine noting that it had “plummy fruit with a spicy mushroom edge, it’s fairly decent but kind of simple”. Greg also enjoyed it’s core of “ dried leaves and tea” and the mouthfell, though felt it was “ very high in acid and fairly lean”. On the other hand Jeff felt this was “horrible” and Stephanie did not put it in her mouth after smelling “armpit and not with fresh sweat” on the nose. This was not well received.

     Group’s 10th/ my 11th - 2006 Benton Lane Willamette Valley – 14.1%         $25
There were a range of opinions on this wine running from Stephanie’s “inoffensive” to Jeanne’s “tilted and off balance” and Greg’s “ a little short but complex”. Both Ali and Elizabeth round violet and black pepper notes here with Elizabeth feeling that they were a touch candied, a sentiment shared by Justin and Jamie who noted “this smells like a cold Jolly Rancher”. I think Ali and Jeff got it right when the both said, “it’s a little simple”.

     Group’s 9th/ my 7th    -2007 Wild Horse Central Coast – 13%             $22
Justin couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for this wine saying it tasted “weird and disjointed, I can’t get into it”. Greg felt this was “ grapy with some mocha coffee going on and finishes pretty long with raspberry/cranberry fruit”. Ali had the most complimentary take on this wine noting “ it’s got pretty floral notes with cinnamon and balsamic notes and in the mouth it’s got sweet fresh fruit with a kind of orange thing going on. “ Jamie though it was a bit simpler adding, “cherry coke, it tastes just like cherry coke”. This was certainly fruit driven but it played that riff very well.

     Group’s 8th/ my 10th  -2006 Duckhorn Migration – Anderson Valley – 14.5%        $32
Justin welcomed this wine noting, “it’s floral and earthy and a welcome relief. It’s restrained and elegant but it does suffer from a hint of dilution on the mid-palate.” Elizabeth agreed noting the “rather complex nose with eucalyptus and mixed floral bouquet but there’s not a whole lot of flavor”. A sentiment shared by Ali who felt the nose was “pretty complex with roots, bark, and white chocolate but it’s lacking structure, it’s flabby and round.” This didn’t generate much enthusiasm but at the same time no one really hated it. A solid middle of the road performance.

     Group’s 7th/ my 8th - 2006 Davis Bynum Russian River Valley 14.9%                 $32
This was perhaps the most obviously oaky wine of the line-up with virtually everyone commenting on the wood from Greg’s “obviously woody with lot’s of sweet vanilla” to Justin’s “too oaky for me”. A comment that may have been supported by Stephanie’s contention that this wine tasted of “cherry wood, this tastes like a Spanish wine with all this wood”. Jamie concurred with the notion that this tasted as though it could have been Spanish adding “ this confused the hell out of me, it’s really concentrated and I even get olives on the palate”. Jeanne went down a similar path adding “ I wouldn’t have any idea that this Pinot Noir” . Ali liked the wines unique character noting “I love this, it tastes really old and tarry, like an old Nebbiolo with wet leaves, tea and drying tannins on the finish.”  While atypical this was undeniably well made.

     Group’s 6th/ my 6th -2006 Ponzi A Tavola Willimatte Valley – 13.5%         $25
This was met with universally positive response with Stephanie noting the “tree bark, clove and black cherry fruit on the palate with a soft feel and a pleasant finish. A view virtually mirrored my Ali experience which she described as “ Cherry, cola and earth in the mouth and the nice acid gives this a really juicy finish.” That acid was a bit off-putting to Greg who found the wine “too acidic”. While this was, as Jamie pointed out “ not very fruity” It did “ hang around in the mouth” with fine length ad Jeanne noted. I thought the acidity was just fine and lent freshness to this easy drinking wine that’s just perfect for Turkey day.

    Group’s 5th/ my 5th  -2006 Willakenzie  Willamette Valley - 14.2%        $30
The rather organic smelling nose of this wine caused a bit of controversy with Jeff commenting on it’s “gamy Character” which Jamie noted “smelled like dirt at first but then more like barnyard” adding “ I like it a lot!” Jeanne added what I think may be a common response to this wine when she commented “This tasted differently than I expected it to taste based on the nose. I didn’t like the nose.”  There was plenty of ripe fruit on the palate with this wine but the funky aromatics makes this a love it or leave it kind of wine. The only wine of the tasting that honestly could be called Burgundian, and that is your style this is a winner.

     Groups’ 4th / my 3rd - 2006 Stoller JV Estate Dundee Hills – 14.5%         $30
While Justin though this was “not very Pinot Noir like” that didn’t dissuade Ali from commenting “ I really like this, it’s really floral and earthy with sweet fruit and spiced with cinnamon” Jamie also got the floral tones adding “ it smells sweet but more bitter chocolate kind of sweet than fruity sweet.” Jeff really enjoyed this, saying it “ was really very well balanced, I like the way the fruit and acid play of each other” In addition to the cinnamon spice both Elizabeth and Greg found a mushroom edge on a nose they both characterized as very ripe. This seemed to have something to appeal to each palate and I really enjoyed its fine balance and transparent fruit. A new producer for me, and a great surprise.

     Group’s 3rd / my tie for 1st - 2006 Saxon Brown Parmelee Hill Sonoma Valley 14.5%     $40
Ali was not a fan here “I hated this, green, mint and geranium, uhg” Jeff was more of a fan adding “I liked this a lot, it’s a bit over-oaked and the killed the fruit a bit but it’s still intense and balanced”. That intensity appealed to Elizabeth who noted on the “ red, dusty fruit, this is very expressive. It’s really, really ripe but elegant with earthy dirt on the complex nose”. Greg felt “it smelled better than it tasted” though Jeanne added, “ I enjoyed this wine more than most of the others” and Justin Appreciated the “floral and raspberry fruit on the nose, this is tightly wound but there’s really good length here and it’s got real minerality.” This is a fuller style but is made in a seamless style that seems to conceal some of the sheer weight here.

     Group’s 2nd / my 4th- 2006 Elk Cove Willamette Valley 14.5%             $30
This really created divergent opinions among the panel. Justin found this wine to be “over-ripe and too alcoholic with Tina Turner legs. Just brutish” while Jeff really liked it, adding” it’s very soft but really well balanced with a sense of terroir”.  Jamie felt this was “ a really cool wine, not typical pinot but with creamy fruit yet herbal and wet pebble notes keep it spicy and stony.” Jeanne didn’t agree and characterized the wine as smelling like “ a dirty rag” adding “ I feel like I’d get heartburn if I drank this”. Greg noted that the nose was really ripe but he was “totally disappointed with the palate. Ali also got a lot on the nose calling it “really concentrated with blackberry and truffle but this is super freaking hot in the mouth!”  I can’t account for the divergent opinions here as I found this complex and elegant, classic Oregon Pinot.

     Group’s 1st/ my tie for 1st  -2007 Holdredge Russian River Valley  14.3%             $40
A wine that caused some controversy at first due to its noticeable oak on the nose. Ali called it “charred oak, new oak, cinnamon and oak on the nose” while Jamie characterized it more as “cocoa and dark chocolate and a little woodsy”. Elizabeth felt it was “ easy and pleasant to smell with medium body and very crisp acidity”. Acidity that was appreciated by Justin Who felt it was “ very acidic but an enjoyable acidity adding crisp, zingy forest notes to the wine” Jeff disagreed feeling the wine was “out of whack with this intense acidity”. Ali got past the oakiness on the nose and found the wine to be “ tart and tangy with a ripe raspberry sweetness”.  This is a bit young yet and really benefitted from its time in the glass. This was the overwhelming favorite today and should only get better.

Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at  Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan.

Wine Friday, Nov 21st

posted by Mike in Snooth, Wine

For today’s Wine Friday we sampled a 2003 Pietra Santa Cabernet Sauvignon. According to the winemaker, “This wine has rich flavors of black cherry and blackberry with undertones of dark chocolate and cedar. The wine has a silky texture and soft tannins.” According to us, it was pretty delicious. Check out the link to read more.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Have an iPhone? Like wine?

posted by philip in Snooth

Visit http://www.snooth.com on your iPhone for more…

Sh*t I am Diggin.

posted by Dan in Snooth, Wine, Guest Bloggers

My favorite street art website hails out of New York and it is called, Wooster Collective.  Their daily e-mail touts “Fresh Stuff” “Seen on the Streets” and “Shit we’re Diggin.”  The photo posted at right is by an artist named Ludo and is part of his Nature’s Revenge series.  The image hails from the streets of Paris.

I received the Wooster e-mail with this photo on October 8 and I found it a fitting artistic representation of Harvest 2008 - the struggle of a difficult and challenging growing season with grape yields frighteningly low.  Mother Nature took her revenge this year.  And in Ludo’s own words describing this series: “[it represents] nature’s mutations to face every day human aggressions and pollutions. What kind of morphology would adopt the plants as a self-defense for our disrespectful technology and modernism against the environment?”  Please note that the up and down weather extremes we saw this growing season has prompted me to join the Napa Valley Vintners Climate Study Committee.  It is too early to talk about what we are doing to help the future generations of grape growers here in California; I will in the future but for now let me switch gears as I had no intention to dwell on the negative in this post.  I want to talk about “Shit I am Diggin” at the moment.  Last time we did a little survey of Snooth wine drinkers, this time let’s have fun and talk about the things wine (or not) that we are into at this moment.  I’ll start….

The Underpriced gem on the wine list.  Sometimes wines on wine lists at restaurants get overlooked, the wine sits properly stored and the price on the list never changes.  I was fortunate to encounter this twice in one week.  First time it was the 2005 Rudd Sauvignon Blanc for $32/bottle. The current release of this wine retails from $32 or more in select stores.  Then there was a 2003 Larkmead Cabernet. The current release of our wine is $55/bottle retail.   The 2003 on the restaurant wine list was $90/bottle.   I find that to be a steal considering potential markups at restaurants.

Very Short List.  Another daily e-mail newsletter that presents “great discoveries [of] high and low culture [in a] short, sweet e-mail.”  They’ve expanded to produce daily “Science” and daily “Web” e-mail blasts.  A friend and former colleague works there and if he reads this shameless promotion for his site, maybe he’ll be excited about creating a “VSL Wine” e-mail.

Sergio Esposito from Italian Wine Merchants weekly e-mail newsletter.  Especially a recent mail where he compares Ella Fitzgerald and Alicia Keys to a Conterno Barolo and a La Spinetta Barbaresco.  Sergio must have stumbled upon fellow blogger, Adam’s wine and music posts.

Hulu.com.  Free movies and TV shows with limited commercial interruption on your computer.  Since I am an Apple user with no real sense of how to make my computer Windows friendly to instantly download Netflix movies, I turn to Hulu.  Most recently I watched The Fifth Element and the now defunct television sitcom series based on Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential.”  Next up, WKRP in Cincinnati.

The A16 Food + Wine cookbook.  Hands down one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco.  Named after Autostrada sedici (A16), the restaurant focuses on southern Italian food and wine starting in Naples where the Autostrada cuts through Campania to Puglia.  A16 owner and wine director, Shelley Lindgren will be in NYC at Vestry Wines in Tribeca signing copies of the book and walking you through a tasting of Southern Italian wines.  Check it out. I will be jealous if you do.

Barrett’s Mixology.  The young folks at the Darmouth Review have a special section called Barrett’s Mixology which takes a J. Peterman catalog approach to mixing a fine cocktail.  The archive can be accessed after the jump.

What else am I diggin’ this days…. A beautiful girl in Sacramento.  The end of Harvest.  North Eastern Italian white wines (just had an awesome bottle of Oriel Portia made by Giorgio Venica (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Tocai). Kirstin’s Vin de la Table food and wine blog.  And Snooth Pulse, and Groups of course.

How about you?

Dan Petroski is Assistant Winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa Valley. Dan has an MBA from New York University and worked as an Ad Exec in New York for several years, before switching it up and trading his suit for a move out west.

Snooth Panel Tasting Program explores Zinfandel

posted by Gregory in Snooth, Wine

Wine flights for this blind tasting.

Flight 1- Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
2006 Pedroncelli Mother Clone
2005 Quivira
2006 Holdredge

Flight 2 – Dry Creek Valley Single Vineyards
2006 Dashe Cellars Florence Vineyard
2006 Dry Creek Vineyard Somers Ranch
2005 Carol Shelton Rocky Reserve Florence Vineyard

Flight 3 – 100 years and what do you get?
2006 Terra d’Oro Deaver Vineyard 100 year old – Amador County
2005 Kunde Century Vines Shaw Vineyard Reserve – Sonoma valley
2006 Sausal Century Vines– Alexander Valley

Flight 4 – The big, the bold and the beautiful
2005 Howell Mountain Vineyards Beatty Vineyard Napa Valley
2005 Cakebread Red Hills Lake County
2005 Sky Vineyards Mt. Veeder Napa Valley

Snooth’s Panel Tasting Program met this past Sunday night, just in time for Thanksgiving, to do a blind tasting of that all-American wonder-grape, Zinfandel. We had a solid panel, which I lead and included:

Karl – Professional chef and blogger
Stephanie – Sales manager for Astor Wines & Spirits
Greg – A representative for Frontier Wine Imports
Natali – A wine enthusiast
Clayton – A wine enthusiast
Elizabeth – A wine salesperson with Astor Wines & Spirits
Julie – A wine writer and blogger

While technically not American, it is after all the Croatian grape Crljenak Kastelanski,  Zinfandel has certainly risen to fame on the merits of the wines produced in Northern California. A true chameleon of a grape, Zinfandel has been used to produce everything from the ubiquitous White Zinfandel, to  everything from nouveau styles through some of the biggest, meanest, monster fruit bombs ever to emerge from the west coast.

Most Zinfandel however could historically have been characterized as falling within two categories: the restrained elegant Bordelaise style or the rich, jammy fruit driven style that is probably the most typical and representative expression of Zinfandel.

A bit of a quirky grape, Zinfandel require a long, slow growing season due to it’s unusual ripening, prone to having both raisins and green berries on the same bunch. While producing what undoubtedly seem like warm climate wines, Zinfandel actually prefers a bit of a cooler zone in order to limit this problem and promote more uniform ripening.

In general regions where Zinfandel has enjoyed success have been viewed as areas less conducive to the production of more prestigious wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon. The Dry Creek Valley region of Sonoma county has long been one of the hot beds of Zinfandel production and is a source of some of the greatest old-vine vineyards in the state.

The more northern areas such as Lake County and Mendocino County in addition to Amador County and some of the other areas of “gold rush” country have also proven to be ideal regions for the production of Zin. Napa valley in general is too viewed as too warm though some exceptional wines have come from the valley, in particular the cooler, mountain regions such as Howell Mountain and Atlas Peak.

At its best Zinfandel is a richly fruited wine full of black berries and spice with subtle soil tones and finely integrated structure. These are not shy wines with alcohol rarely below 14%, and more frequently close to, if not above, 15%. They are wines that can be flamboyant, though many producers have pushed the limits of what this grape can do and produced wines that were terribly alcoholic, jammy and packed with so much oak that while impressive to taste, were virtually undrinkable.

In an effort to discover wines suitable for the Thanksgiving Day feast I selected a dozen wines that I felt would range within the classic style of Zinfandel though give expression to the full scope that this range is capable of.

All of the wines were opened around 2pm and tasted by me at that time. The Panel Tasting went from 6-8pm and thus the wines saw between 4 and 6 hours of air during that time. The wines performed well and while there were some absolute stars all the wines had their virtues.  Each flight had a theme and tasters were asked to contribute their opinions for each wine and then choose their favorites.  The following begins with the least favorite and ends with the wine crowned ‘Best of the Night”.

12th place - 2005 Sky Vineyards Mt. Veeder Napa Valley 13.5%            $30

This was a controversial wine and the lean style and slight volatility provoked pretty visceral reactions from Karl’s “vinegar and pine-sol” to Greg’s “acetic and latex” and Clayton’s characterization of the wine as smelling like a “cheap hotel room”. No one was a particular fan of this wine though I would have to say that it was much better when I did my initial tastings. My ninth place wine.

11th place - 2006 Sausal Vineyard Century Vines – Alexander Valley 14.7%    $30

This wine didn’t illicit much emotion with Clayton feeling it was “good for the mass market” and Julie considered it “ nice, easy and accessible” On the flip side Elizabeth noted that it’s “not excessively aromatic” nnd Julie commented on it “easy, soft finish”. That pretty much summed this wine up for me. The mouthfeel was very appealing but there was much there there. My twelfth place wine.

10th place - 2006 Dry Creek Vineyard – Somers Ranch Dry Creek Valley 15.0%        $24-26
There was a marked difference of opinion with this wine. Natali liked the “strong berry and pepper notes” on the nose while Karl felt it was “intense, and not in a good way”. Greg disliked this wine feeling that it was “grassy and earthy and totally out of balance with alcoholic heat and bitter tannins”. Elizabeth also felt the wine showed it’s alcohol but enjoyed the” jellied rather than jammy fruit and Christmas pudding spices”.  I think this was an intense wine that was a bit heavy and dark and that may have been off-putting to some. My sixth place wine.

9th place - 2005 Quivira Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 14.9%        $15-20
While also provoking controversy this wine at least was fairly consistently viewed. The dark character of the wine was characterized by Stephanie as “ full of Christmas spice, coffee, and chocolate and even a little farty” Karl also found the fruit “dark and pruny” and Natali took the characterization one step further by noting the “nose lacked freshness”. Clayton enjoyed the “dark, oaky flavors” as did Greg who found the wine “a little funky but very cherried”. A solid middle of the road performance. My eleventh place wine.

8th place – 2006 Terra d’Oro Deaver Vineyard 100 Year Old – Amador 15.5%    $25
With this wine we move from wines that were mostly criticized to wines that garner more praise than complaints. While Greg felt this smelled “weird, like a coffee soufflé” Julie liked the “ bright puckery Jolly Rancher fruits” on the nose and Natali was also enthusiastic proclaiming this to be “quintessential Zin” though she did add it tasted “acidic almost to the point of saltiness” Both Elizabeth and Clayton noted the rather intense spiciness of the wine, Clayton even commented that he felt Like “ a big steak to pair with the spicy flavors” but went on to fault the wine for a short finish.   My seventh place wine.

7th place - 2005 Cakebread Red Hills Lake County 15.1%            $40-42
There were many points of agreement on this wine with both Greg and Julie finding a caramel element and Stephanie and Clayton both commented on the vanilla notes. The oak was noticeable to all and Julie saw it more through it’s expression as star anise and spice. Beyond the sweet oakiness of this wine everyone was unanimous in noting the spicy, fruity though somewhat anonymous character of the wine though Karl felt this would be an ideal match for “Peking duck which would tame the wines acid and tannin”.  My eight place wine.

6th place - 2006 J. Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 14.4%   $12-15      
This was a bit of a surprise being our value leader, it was an impressive showing.  People were all over the board in commenting on the nose from Stephanie’s “soft violets and plums” to Natali’s “ dark chocolate and light fruits” and Julie’s “peppery black fruit”. The theme of black spice was echoed by Greg who felt the wine had “ a strong licorice bitterness and spiciness but it’s finishing too short” a sentiment shared by Stephanie. None-the-less everyone found this to be perfectly decent if not distinguished. My tenth place wine. BEST BUY

5th place - 2006 Holdredge Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 15.3%             $20
With this wine we really moved up a notch to wines that had more universal appeal though both Karl and Stephanie enjoyed the nose more than the palate with Stephanie commenting on the wines “great notes of earth, tar and smoke” which Greg characterized as “ the most complex of the flight, spicy, earthy, with pencil shavings and a bit of herbalness”. Clayton preferred the palate to the nose commenting on the “bitter cherry fruit”.  My fourth place wine.

4th place - 2005 Carol Shelton Rocky Reserve – Florence Vineyard – Rockpile
Dry Creek Valley 14.8%         $30-35
This wine elicited some unusual descriptor though both Stephanie and Greg found black tea aromatics with everybody commenting on the “sharp”,” Acidic” or “citrussy” component of the nose. Natali enjoyed it and felt “ it was great but blunt, over quickly” While Julie liked it’s “ funky, blackberry and pepper” qualities. Everyone also commented on the tannins with Stephanie summing it up as a “super-tannic Zin” My second place wine.

3rd place - 2005 Kunde Century Vines Shaw Vineyard Rsrv – Sonoma Valley 14.9%   $30                                                                                                                                                                                
Many felt this wine showed some obvious alcohol but everyone commented on the nose with Julie commenting on it’s “interesting” nose and Elizabeth finding “jammy and menthol tones” while Stephanie noticed the “dried chile and dried blackberry fruit” qualities. Clayton also found the “aromas are strong and the wine has real staying power”. Natali liked the “creamy, low alcohol feel and vanilla and cinnamon flavors” while Greg felt the toasted marshmallow and sweet cherry fruit on the nose delivered more than the palate. My first place wine.

2nd place - 2006 Dashe Cellars Florence Vineyard – Dry Creek Valley 14.5% $30-35
While several tasters felt the nose here was a bit hot many had very positive things to say about it from Julie’s comment that’ it smells like apple pie baked by Grandma Rose” to Natali’s comment on it’s dry, dark chocolate, almost like a mole” notes and Stephanie’s comment on the “waxy kind of blackberry fruit”.  On the palate it was liked though Karl felt I was “not a deep wine but jammy in a good way” Elizabeth found it “friendly and approachable, very jammy with obvious sweetness”.  Both Greg and Stephanie commented on its vanilla laced jammy fruit. My third place wine.

1st place - 2005 Howell Mountain Vineyards Beatty Vineyard Napa Valley 15.6%        $35-40
This was our winner by a fairly wide margin.  Everyone had something positive to say about the nose from Karl’s “ Leathery and strong, this smells delicious” to Julie’s “smells like complex, dark fruit cake”. Stephanie found “bark and soil tones” while Natali noticed a “smoky, cinnamon thing going on”.  In the mouth Clayton found this to be “ accessible with nice spice and earth, well balanced” while Greg commented on the “core of deep red cherry fruit” and Julie capped off the discussion with the succinct comment “ this warms you up!”.  My fifth place wine.

And that was all we had to say. We brought the remainders with us to dinner and they went very well with our fine Cuban meal. Another successful, enlightening and, dare I say it, warm evening spent with the fine people that makes Snooth Possible.

As we look forward to the Holiday season and beyong keep an eye out for our coming Panel tasting featuring California Syrah, Chianti Classico Riserva, and Wines from South Africa and Australia! If you are interested in participating in the next Snooth Panel Tasting please shoot me an email or check out the Events page on the Snooth forum. Until next time!

Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at  Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan.

Snooth and Chambers St Wines Rocche the house!

posted by Gregory in Snooth, Wine, Partnerships

It was great to see so many of you turn out for the great tasting we had this past Saturday! Our friends at Chambers St. Wines really know how to put on a tasting and we all pulled out all the stops pouring an amazing line-up of wines from the great Nebbiolo grape.

We began with a fine 2004 Ferrando Carema from the northern reaches of Piedmont. Ferrando is the star of the zone and while this white label bottling is his entry-level wine I prefer it to the more expensive, as well as more heavily oaked and extracted black label. This had lovely floral tones, crisp red fruits and elegant structure. A great way to ease into Nebbiolo.

From there we went on to a mini vertical of 2004 Barolo. We sampled the base level bottlings from three producers in this wonderfully elegant vintage. Brovia’s wine, from Castiglione Falletto, was restrained with great balance, very typical of the village and the producer, it has calmed down since I last tasted it in the cellars in May but looks to be evolving into a classic bottling. Massolino’s was more powerful and extracted marrying Serralunga’s darker, more masculine fruit with a more modern winemaking bent.  Finally Oddero’s wine was a wonderful blend of the lush fruit of La Morra with the elegance and structure of Castiglione. It looks like I under-rated this wine when I tasted it in the cellars last summer. The rest of their line-up was so compelling that I feel I gave this short shrift. It is a brilliant bottle of wine and was the value of the tasting!

We then stepped it up a notch with two wines from the problematic 2003 vintage. While the vintage may have had it’s problems these two wines, from two of the most talented producers in Serralunga, if not Piedmont, were exceptional. Both beg for time in the cellar. Cappellano’s Rupestris bottling had an intense nose of raspberry liquor that was captivating and was rich, if tannic, in the mouth. Conterno’s Cascina Francia is one of my absolute favorite wines and this was one of the top 2003’s that I’ve tried. Rich and complex with admirable freshness, it’s a wine I am willing to wait on.

We ended the tasting with three aged beauties. The 1982 Brovia Rocche from magnum was very slow to evolve, fantastically mushroom and truffle filled on the nose,,it took 7 hours for the fruit to really gather steam and this magnum looked to be capable of improvement for 7 hours more. It’s a wine just coming into it’s own. I can’t wait to try it again, but I will wait 5 years, just to be safe.

The next wine was the wine closest to its peak. Coming from the arch-traditional producer Francesco Rinaldi, this 1970 Barolo still had hard acidity but the tannins had fairly melted away leaving behind a lovely core of sweet fruit. It faded somewhat over the course of the tasting but was a beautiful expression of Nebbiolo.

The final wine was the 1967 Oddero Barolo. This illustrated the evolution of Barolo so well as we moved from the fruity but evolved Rinaldi to this wine, full of tertiary notes and looking a bit like cognac with only a hint of rosy red remaining. It was none-the-less an engaging example of old Barolo and a good learning experience for those who had never had the opportunity to try wines at this stage of their development.

All in all it was a great event and I want to thank the folks at Chambers St for having us, and for inviting us back! I hope to see you all soon, maybe back on Chambers St.

Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at  Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan.