Bennett Valley & Chalk Hill

posted by John in Snooth, Wine Industry, Wine, Guest Bloggers

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog on Snooth.  It also has been a while since I’ve done anything with the pages I curate.  If you don’t know I curate the Sonoma County and Sonoma Valley webpages.  One way to address both of these pages and get a blog in is to talk about two of the smaller, lesser known sub-appellations in the region.  I give you Chalk Hill and Bennett Valley.

Bennett Valley is a sub-appellation of Sonoma Valley and is located in the Sonoma Mountain chain that leads up towards Santa Rosa.  It is almost an extension of the Sonoma Mountain sub-appellation.

Chalk Hill is a sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley.  It is at the east end of the appellation running up against the Alexander Valley appellation and Knights Valley appellation in the Mayacamas Mountains.

I’m going to tell you a little bit about both.

Bennett Valley

History
Bennett Valley is one of the newest appellations in Sonoma County.  In fact, it is one of the newest California appellations.  The application for the appellation was filed in October of 2001 by the CEO of Mantanzas Creek.  Mantanzas Creek is the ‘anchor’ winery of the appellation.  The appellation was granted in December 2003.  I don’t know for sure if that is a record but it is very fast.  According to information I read, there was on opposition.

The area shares a lot of it’s formative history with Sonoma Valley and Sonoma in general.  Grape growing recorded as far back as mid-1800s.  Many of the original vineyards farmed by immigrants and used for local wines.

Geography

Bennett Vally is, well, a valley.  It is one of the smallest AVAs in the Sonoma County with only 650 acres currently planted out of 8,140 acres available.  For comparison, Sonoma valley has about 60,000 acres planted.   It is a valley that is part of the Sonoma Mountain chain that runs along the west side of Sonoma Valley.  It is surrounded by three different mountain peaks: Taylor Mountain (west), Sonoma Mountain (south) and Bennett Peak / Bennett Ridge (east).  Finally to the north is the city of Santa Rosa.

Bennett Valley, like a lot of the area, around it has volcanic type soil and is a cool weather climate.  It’s unique feature, which separates it from the surrounding areas, is cool air is  channeled into the valley from the north by the peaks via the Crane Caynon / Grange Road wine gap.  The air has no where to go but settle in the valley.

Grapes, Wines & Wineries

You would think with a small amount of land planted that there wouldn’t be a lot of variation of in the grapes being grown.  If you did think that, you’d be wrong.  It planted mostly with Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, with lesser amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Barbera, Grenache, and Sauvignon Blanc.  You can even find a bit of Petite Sirah, Sangiovese and Zinfandel.

Why should you care?

Bennett Valley is one of those lesser known special places.  It is one of those places that is coming into it’s own.  It is home to a well known and respected winery in Mantazas Creek and a lot of smaller family owned wineries. The growers there provide grapes to some of the best known California names including: Stag’s Leap Cellars, DuMol and Caymus.

Links

Bennett Valley Grape Growers Association

Bennett Valley @ Appellation America

 Bennett Valley @ Wikipedia

Bennett Valley @ Calwineries

Chalk Hill
When people say the name Russian River the first thing that comes to mind is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  That is a fair assessment as that is what the Russian River Valley is known for.  So, when people hear that Bordeaux style wines are being made in Russian River Valley they think someone is smoking some funny cigarettes or they just made a mistake.  The truth is, it is being done in a sub-appellation called Chalk Hill.

History

There isn’t anything outstanding about the history of Chalk Hill.  It wasn’t one of the first places that grapes were grown in California or even in Sonoma County.  It has, like a lot of places in Sonoma, growing grapes.  The Chalk Hill AVA was founded in 1983 when people realized this wasn’t Russian River Valley.

Geography

The Chalk Hill AVA covers about 33 square miles (85 square kilometers) and is situated at the eastern side of the Russian River AVA.  It has about 1,600 acres (650 hectares) of planted vineyard land with about a 1000 of that planted.  It is mostly rocky volcanic ash based soil and the elevation slopes upward the farther east you go.  The AVA ends on the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain. The elevation of the AVA ranges from a low of 200 but is as high as 1300 feet.  Unlike the rest of the Russian River Valley AVA, the Chalk Hill region is relatively warm due to the influence of a thermal belt that runs through the area.  Harvest time in Chalk Hill often takes place in September while harvest in the surrounding regions usually takes place in October.

Grapes, Wines & Wineries

Chardonnay is still the most grown grape in Chalk Hill.  But there is an increasing amount of Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot.  Like many regions in California people experiment by growing different grapes, other grapes that are grown in Chalk Hill include: Pinot Gris, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc.  With the warmer climate and big variation in altitude it is possible to find an area suitable to a lot of different grape varieties.

So what wineries are in Chalk Hill that you might know?  How about J Vineyards and Rodney Strong?  Yes, they are both in Chalk Hill with, of course, Chalk Hill Estate.
Why should you care?

Like Bennett Valley, Chalk Hill is one of those stealth AVAs.  It is an AVA with great grapes and wineries.  If you are the type of person that knows a secret that other people don’t you want to know about Chalk Hill.  The great thing about it is that you can find all wine in one area.  It produces a bit of everything, Burgundian and Bordeaux wines in 33 square miles.  Oh yeah, don’t forget the sparkling wine courtesy of J Wines.

Links

Chalk Hill @ Appellation America

Chalk Hill @ Wikipedia

Chalk Hill @ Calwineries

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Russian River Valley

posted by John in Wine, Guest Bloggers

The movie Sideways did as much to promote California Pinot Noir as it did to vilify Merlot.  Some people would argue that Pinot was already on a rise but a little advertising doesn’t hurt.  One region that has really benefited from the rise in popularity of Pinot Noir is the Russian River Valley.  For many wine enthusiasts Russian River Valley is synonymous with Pinot Noir.  While the Russian River Valley has its own style it could be said that the Russian River Valley is the Burgundy of California.

Geography 
As the name suggests, the Russian River Valley Appellation is an American Viticulture Area defined predominantly by the depression created by the flow of the Russian River.  The river is the flows southward from Mendicino County parallel to Dry Creek Valley, through the town of Healdsburg and finally turns westward where it flows out into the Pacific Ocean.   The AVA is characterized by rolling hills with some deep valleys.  The slopes face a number of different directions which means the amount of sunlight can vary dramatically.  This creates pockets of unique geography.  Now there is a condition where the cool breezes that flow in from the Pacific Ocean each night (thoroughly explained in Sideways) are easily felt.  The AVA is a mere 10 miles from the Pacific Coast at its closest point.  Combine the terrain and the cool breezes and it becomes clear why a person will experience significant changes in temperature within a few miles of each other.  As we like to say in California the region blessed with numerous microclimates.

Russian River Valley AVA

As many regions in the US, the wine growing history is divided into pre-prohibition and post-prohibition.  The pre-prohibition history has the area producing as much as 500,000 gallons of wine.  While it cannot be determined exactly when the first grapes were planted and harvested it is well documented by 1870s the region was known wine production with more than 7,000 acres planted with grapes.  The region was moving along nicely until prohibition was instituted.  Prohibition basically halted all wine production in the area.  It wasn’t until the 1960s that wine production in Russian River Valley really started up again.  It was then that Bob Sisson, the University of California Farm Advisor for Sonoma County, urged many of the local farmers to start planting grapes.  In fact, we could call Bob the father of Russian River Pinot Noir as he was the one encouraged the local farmer to plan Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, cold weather grapes he believed would flourish in the region.

The Russian River Valley AVA was created in 1983 and has been adjusted in 1987, 2003 and 2005.  Unlike Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley, the Russian River Valley isn’t as well defined geographically.  The AVA is bordered on the north end by the Russian River and its valley.  To the north the AVA is Dry Creek Valley.   The east border is the Mayacaymus Mountains (Knights Valley AVA and Alexander Valley AVA).  The west border is coastal mountains (Sonoma Coast AVA) and the south border is the town of Sebastapol (Sonoma Coast AVA).

Sub-appellations include Chalk Hill, which is warmer and dryer than most of Russian River Valley, to the far east of the appellation and Green Valley (or Sonoma Green Valley or Green Valley of Russian River Valley), located in the southwest corner is of Russian River Valley, is the coolest and wettest part of the region.

Grapes and Wineries of Russian River Valley

According to the Appellation America website there are at least 40 varieties of wine grapes grown in Russian River Valley.  However, the ones that are the most important and most well known for the region are: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Zinfandel.  Because of the numerous microclimates it is possible to grow a wide variety of grapes.  In fact, in Chalk Hill sub-appellation you are more likely to find Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc than Pinot Noir.

Again, according to Appellation America website, there are 170 wineries based in Russian River Valley and 353 wineries producing wines with the Russian River Valley appellation.  There is a approximately 15,000 acres planted in the region and it keeps expanding.

Why should you care about Russian River Valley?

Russian River Valley is as important to California as Napa Valley.  While Napa established California as a competitor to French wines, Bordeaux in particular, Russian River Valley has show that California can produce Burgundy wines as good as the French.  Is the Russian River Valley the Californian equivalent of Burgundy?  Not exactly.  The major grapes are the same but the styles are different.  Red Burgundies display significant earthiness and acidity whereas Russian River Pinot Noirs display perfumed aromas with delicate red cherry flavors.  White Burgundies and Russian River Chardonnays are more similar than the reds but differ in the ability to age.  Although, this is a broad generalization Russian River Chardonnays are better in their youth and White Burgundies can age much more gracefully.  However, the thing that really separates Russian River Valley from Burgundy is the fact that Russian River Valley also produces elegant wines produce from Syrah, Zinfandel and also produces very high quality sparkling wines.

If you are in California and want to experience something a little different than Napa you should consider a trip to Russian River Valley.  There are a large number of great wineries and restaurants.  If you want to make a trip, drop me a line and I’ll share some of my recommendations with you.

Websites:

Russian River Valley Wine Growers

Northern Sonoma Wine Road

Russian River Travel

Appellation America

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Sonoma Valley Barrel Tasting Weekend

posted by John in Snooth, Wine, Guest Bloggers

This past weekend was a very special weekend in Sonoma Valley.  It was Heart of the Valley Barrel Tasting.  Barrel Tasting weekend is the biggest single event in Sonoma Valley.  The only other event that even comes close is the Holiday Open House right after Thanksgiving.  The number of visitors in the valley triples and the normally calm and pleasant tasting rooms take on a more festive atmosphere.

What’s the big deal?  Well, for Sonoma Valley wine lovers this is a time to get be treated as a VIP without having to write for an internationally distributed wine magazine.  All the participating wineries will make barrel samples of an upcoming release available for people to taste.  On top of that, most wineries will sell futures for those wine and pair their existing wines food.  Barrel Tasting weekend always happens over the third weekend in March every year and it is a very hectic, energetic weekend.

In Sonoma Valley there are two main associations of influence; The Sonoma Valley Vinters & Growers Association and The Heart of the Valley Association.  The first association includes all the wineries and vineyards in Sonoma Valley and extends south of Sonoma Valley into the town of Sonoma and into the west end of Carneros.  The Heart of the Valley Association is concentrated in Sonoma Valley proper starting at the north end of the town of Sonoma and extending northward to include the towns of Glen Ellen & Kenwood and ends at the south end of Santa Rosa.  Sonoma Valley Barrel Tasting is hosted by the Heart of the Valley Association.  All the wineries up and down Highway 12, the main and only road that runs the distance of the valley, join in the fun.

We at Loxton Cellars take a lot of pride in making sure this event is very well managed and that people that visit us have a very good experience.  Our tasting room is also our barrel storage room.  Normally, 10 people in our tasting room would be a lot of people, during barrel tasting we average more than 50 people in the same space.   This often means a line forms out the front door for entry into our winery space.  However, we are often told that it is worth the wait.  People compliment us on our organization for the event and, the thing we like the most, is that comment on how much we seem to be enjoying what we are doing.  I can honestly say we do.  What makes it so enjoyable is that we have a lot of ‘friends of the winery’ that volunteer to help.  We only have 5 ‘real’ employees at Loxton Cellars but on barrel tasting weekend we suddenly have triple that number.  In a way, it is like a family reunion.

This year was a very special event for us.  The Loxton Cellars tasting room opened five years ago on barrel tasting weekend.  The owner and winemaker, Chris Loxton, made two special wines available for barrel tasting.   A special syrah cuvee named Cuvee Ellen after his grandmother and Cabernet-Shiraz blend, called Grandfather’s Cuvee, to celebrate the traditional Australian blend and the grapes grown on his family’s vineyard in Australia.  That vineyard has been in his family for more than 100 years.  Both wines were from the 2007 vintage which many people in Sonoma are considering to be one of the best vintages in 20 years.

The 2007 Cuvee Ellen Syrah blend (multiple vineyards in Sonoma Valley) shows some uncommon power for a Sonoma Valley Syrah.  The wine has nice rich black fruit aromas with a bit of smoke and the taste has strong blackberry and plum flavors.  The acid was still high and tannins were bold but this is expected from a barrel sample but will mellow out by the release.  This wine will be bottled soon and will be released in the next six months and, based on what I tasted, this wine will age gracefully for the next five to eight years easily.  The cabernet-shiraz blend was simply outstanding.  This is a wine that has incredible balance and power.  We will keep this one in barrel for another 6 months (total will be 18), we’ll bottle it and then keep it in bottle for at least another 10 months in bottle before release it.  Again, based on what I tasted, this wine will age nicely for the next 10 years.

Barrel Tasting weekend can be hectic, it can be very, very busy but there is a lot of value to it for both the producers in and consumers.  The producers get to show case their wines, generate excitement around new releases, generate revenue through the sales of futures and create a lot of new customers.  For the customers, they get access to wineries and wines that might not be normally be available.  There is opportunity to taste the wines with food as many winemakers intend but the real draw is the wine from the barrel.  Many people will purchase futures based on the barrel samples.  If you can handle the crowds, it is well worth doing.  Join in Sonoma Valley for Barrel Tasting next year … mark your calendars now, it will be March 20th and 21st 2010.

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Sonoma Valley

posted by John in Snooth, Wine Industry, Wine, Guest Bloggers

When the guys at Snooth recently introduced the concept of page ownership on the site, I felt that I should step up and take on the ownership of Sonoma Valley. It is a very cool feature (find more info here) which, I believe, will help people understand what the region brings from the basis of what Snooth is about … a community based review. As the curator of the Sonoma Valley I thought I should share with you what makes Sonoma Valley special.

Sonoma Valley History

The thing that surprises me the most about Sonoma Valley or Sonoma particularly, is that no one knows the origin of the word ‘Sonoma’. Some people suggest that it originated from a Native American word. The Native Americans that resided in the area referred to Sonoma Valley as the Valley of the Moon, which, Sonoma Valley is often referred to and there is a winery using the name (Valley of the Moon Winery). In fact, using the name Sonoma as place you are going to visit could mean three different things:

1. Sonoma County – which is a huge region that incorporates a number of great wine regions including Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Valley and more

2. Town of Sonoma – which is a fun little town that is very much oriented to the wine business. In fact BottleShock was filmed in the town of Sonoma because it resembles Calistoga in 1976 more than Calistoga does.

3. Sonoma Valley – which is an incredible diverse wine appellation with a great number of wineries.

According to a number of websites Sonoma Valley was one of the first areas in California to be planted with grapes. Franciscan monks were the first to do so in 1823. One of the first commercial wineries in California was also started in Sonoma Valley, Buena Vista Winery, in 1853. Buena Vista is still around today but source most of their grapes from what is Carneros now.

Where is Sonoma Valley?

Sonoma Valley is just 45 miles north of San Francisco. It borders Napa Valley (to the east) and in many ways Sonoma Valley resembles Napa Valley in many ways. Both Sonoma and Napa are long narrow valleys that are bordered by mountains to the east and west. Mayacaymus Mountains to the east and Sonoma Mountains to the west for Sonoma Valley. The both valleys open up to San Pablo Bay in the south and in the north they both open up into other valleys, Russian River Valley for Sonoma and Alexander Valley for Napa. Sonoma Valley is protected from excessive coastal rainfalls by the Sonoma Mountains but gets substantial cool air and moisture from the bay. I can personally vouch for the temperature drops as I have ridden my motorcycle home from work on summer’s evening and felt the chilling air. The mountains and valleys and air channels allow for a large number of microclimates to exist. The weather from one end of Sonoma Valley to the other is often very different.
From an appellation stand point:

• Sonoma Valley is part of the Sonoma County appellation

• Borders with Napa Valley Sonoma Coast and Carneros

• Sonoma Valley actually has three different appellations:
o Sonoma Valley
o Sonoma Mountain
o Bennett Valley

• Sonoma Valley extends into the west end of Carneros

What does this mean? Well, simply, there is a ton of diversity in Sonoma Valley. There are 25 different varieties of grapes grown in Sonoma Valley including: Alicante Bouschet, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Chardonnay,Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvedre, Muscadelle, Muscat Canelli,Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Silvaner, Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier, Zinfandel.
This shows is a wide diversity in climates and soils that permit so many different grape varieties to be grown. The soil content varies dramatically throughout the valley but is mostly a volcanic base. Unlike European laws, there is no restriction to what can be grown in Sonoma Valley and the vineyards in the area take advantage of that to see what works.

What makes Sonoma Valley Great?

Each region in California has something it excels at; Napa is known for Cabernet, Russian River for Pinot Noir, Dry Creek for Zinfandel, and, for me, and the thing that Sonoma Valley excels at is diversity. There are great Cabernet vineyards like Monte Rosso. There are great zinfandel vineyards like the Pagani Ranch (planted in the late 1800s) and awesome Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Syrah from Les Pierres, Durrel Ranch and Parmalee-Hill. The remarkable thing is that all these grapes are grown within 5 miles of each other.

There are two main events in Sonoma Valley each year. There is the Holiday Open House which happens the two days after Thanksgiving and there is Barrel Tasting Weekend which takes place the third weekend in March. The first event is very much like a celebration of the year’s harvest as well as a celebration of Thanksgiving and Christmas. The second is a celebration of the New Year and new wines. The wineries will have barrel samples available to try and a chance to buy futures on those wines. Both events are highly attended and a lot of fun.

Working in Sonoma Valley I have a true affinity for it and I truly believe that Sonoma Valley has something for everyone. There are wineries and wines that appeal to everyone. The valley is anchored by a few big producers and supported by numerous small and medium producers. It is not unusual that the wine maker of will be pouring wines in the smaller tasting rooms. It is home to numerous great restaurants and lodgings. There is diversity and character. It is a lot slower passed than some of its neighbors. It can offer a much different experience. To me best of all, when you visit Sonoma Valley you feel like you are a part of the family, a local and not just some visiting.

To find out more, consult the websites below or simply drop me an email.

Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau
Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce                                                                                                 Sonoma Valley Vinters & Growers

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Busiest time of the year for a wine consumer …

posted by John in Snooth, Wine Industry, Guest Bloggers

As it turns outs the busiest time for a wine consumer like me is not around the holidays or any other special event.  The busiest time of year is during the winery offering periods.  This is the time where the wineries that sell their wines through allocation make them available to their mailing lists.   It usually happens twice a year.  Once in late winter (prior the spring releases) and late summer (prior to the fall releases).  However, right now I’m in one of those most difficult of periods as a wine consumer.

What is a winery allocation?  Is it different than a wine club?  Yes they are different but in ways they are the same.

•    A winery allocation is permission given to an individual to purchase wine.  The amount of wine is that can be purchased is limited to certain number or allocation.  An allocation is not guaranteed and you don’t have to buy your full allocation.

•    A wine club reserves wine for people that are members.  They generally ship what the winery wants to send and wine is not offered … just delivered.

•    For more information, I have blogged about wine clubs and mailing lists before: http://www.snooth.com/talk/#http://www.snooth.com/talk/topic/wine-clubs-1/

To date I have received email and regular make from more than a dozen wineries letting me know that there spring releases are now available for purchase.   They are from wineries like:

• Bond Estate
• Williams Selyem
• Kosta Browne
• MacPhail
• Lancaster Estate
• Peay Vineyards
• Loring Wine Company
• Scarecrow Wine
• Arista Winery
• Paul Hobbs Winery
• Pahlmeyer

• Flowers Vineyards & Winery

Most of these are smaller producers.  Some of these are considered cult wine producers.  This means there production is limited, the allocation offer is time encapsulated and the prices, well the prices are usually higher.  With some of the wineries, where allocations are small and my future allocations will depend on what I buy now.  Throw in that allocations are not guaranteed as mentioned above and my stress level rises.  There are so many good wines but not enough money for me to make purchases.

With a tight economy and sales of high end wine suffering it would seem that now would be a great time for bargains.  However, with these wineries that does not seem to be the case.  These high-end, smaller production wineries have waiting lists for their wines that are often 4 to 5 times the size of the list that actually gets allocation.  Usually, this means waiting multiple years before you get onto the main list.  It also means that to get on the main list one of two things must happen:

1.    A production increase or

2.    Someone drops off the list.

Only then can someone move up the list.  The economic conditions may not have created the deals I was expecting but has caused more people to be drop out of these winery mailing lists.  This is what has happened to me.  I had not expected to get allocations from some of these wineries but now I do.  I’ve been bumped into the mainstream list and I have tough decisions to make.  Where do I spend my money and how much?  It is definitely great to have so much great wine available to me.  I just wish I had the money to take advantage of it.

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Labels that work … for me

posted by John in Snooth, Wine Industry, Wine, Guest Bloggers

I’ve been known to pick up a bottle of wine and get it just because I found the label interesting.  I can’t help it, if the label appeals to me I’ll look closer at the wine to see if it worth buying.  I have also been known to disregard a wine completely because I think the label is horrendous, disturbing or just stupid.
Shopping for wine in a wine store often means evaluating a lot of labels.  Before I knew much about wine I made decisions primarily on label.  When I was in a wine store the label was the first thing that attracts me to wine.  While I like to think that I purchase wine based on quality now labels still play a big part in my decision.  Some examples of labels I like are:

They are simple and easy on my eye.  The Continuum and Ovation are elegant and classic.  Whereas the Boarding Pass, well I think it is clever, the overall packaging is unique and as a traveler it works for me.  Simple, elegant get me.  Cutesy, wanna-be-clever and avant-garde don’t work for me.  It is like someone is trying too hard to attract my attention.  Here are a few that don’t work for me:

I understand that with so many choices available to a consumer many wineries will do a number of things to make themselves stand out.  It is a about building a brand and keep that brand in the front of a consumer’s mind.  Labels are definitely a way of creating that immediate attention but not the only way.

I am curious though.  Are people affected by the label as much as me?

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Dinner with a wine maker …

posted by John in Snooth, Wine, Guest Bloggers, Food

I admit it; I love to go out for dinner.  I love it even more someone else pays.  So when it came time for the annual Loxton Cellars winery dinner, I made sure I was available.  I get the best of both worlds, I get to go to a good restaurant, the El Dorado Kitchen in the town of Sonoma and the winemaker paid.

Not only did he pay, he pulled some wines from his personal collection to pair with what we were going to have.  In addition to great food, we were going to sample the great wines listed here: 2004 William Selyem Hawk Hill Chardonnay, 1992 Galah Sparkling Shiraz, 2002 Rochioli Estate Pinot, 1985 Bordeaux & 2006 Peller Estates Riesling Ice Wine.

Pre-Dinner: 2004 William Selyem Hawk Hill Chardonnay.

While we were winding down the day in the tasting room we opened a bottle of William Selyem Hawk Hill Chardonnay.  What was very intriguing about this wine is the fruit is sourced from a vineyard we get Chardonnay from as well.  The styles are different but similar … if that makes any sense.  The Hawk Hill Vineyard is very close to the Pacific Ocean which means a long growing season.  Typically these grapes are harvested in November, much longer after a lot of red varietals are harvested.  What does this mean?  A lot of sugar.  High sugar means high alcohol.  And with the William Selyem example … this is true … 15.1%.  This high level of alcohol was exhibited in a lot of heat in the wine.  It didn’t feel very balanced and the finish was a bit odd.  Knowing William Selyem to be a high quality producer I had to wonder (out loud) how this could happen.  It appears for this particular year, the wine maker was in Baltimore when the grapes should have been harvested resulting the grapes were picked too late resulting in very high alcohol.  After the Chardonnay, we closed up the winery and headed out to the El Dorado Kitchen.  5 people squeezed into my little car and off we went.

Appetizers: 92 Galah Sparkling Shiraz

Sparkling Shiraz is definitely an Australian specialty.  Yes, other countries do sparkling red wines but for some reason, for me, I associate sparkling red with Australian.  I can honestly say that this wine was probably the hit of the night.  All the sparkling Shiraz I have tasted had some sweetness like a demi-sec champagne.  This wine was big and bold.  Apparently, it had been aged for five years and an 8 year old port was used for the dosage.  The wine had a big mouth feel, tannins, and lots of flavor.  For an aged sparking wine it showed incredible structure and paired incredibly well with appetizer we had.

house made charcuterie

smoked paprika cured pork loin - meyer lemon, shaved parmesan
cabernet sauvignon cured beef eye of round - caperberries, pickled red onion
fennel sausage - olive & pepper tapenade, fennel pollen
pork terrine - cornichons, whole grain mustard
duck rillette - endive & orange marmalade
crispy baby artichokes - onion rings, garlic confit, meyer lemon, sweet carrot puree, fines herbes aioli

Second Appetizer: 2002 Rochioli Estate Pinot

Next up was a great wine from one of the greatest cult wine producer in Sonoma.  We had a nice aged estate example.  The estate wine is a blend of the different vineyards and blocks.   Once again I had high expectations which weren’t quite met.  It was a very good wine but not great.

prince edward island steamed mussels - creamy sauvignon blanc broth, tarragon, crispy fries

Main Course: 1985 Bordeaux

Okay, I know I should have taken better notes but I forgot.  All I can remember it that this 85 came from a super second (growth).  Had a great aroma that got better as the wine opened up.  Leather, cedar and smoke.  It was robust with great tannin.  One problem with having one wine to try and pair with every main course is that it doesn’t work.  Below are the entries that were ordered.

red wine braised short ribs - truffle fries, horseradish crème fraiche
liberty duck trio - seared duck breast, leg confit, pate, sunchoke, fresh organic huckleberry sauce, benziger family ranch biodynamic braised greens
bacon wrapped pork tenderloin - spaetzle, brussels sprouts, whole grain mustard sauce

Since the Bordeaux was aged nicely it had softened up quite a lot but it still have some strength.  The surprising thing was that it didn’t hold up to the short ribs.  It didn’t overpower the pork or the duck.  It actually complimented very well.

Dessert: 2006 Peller Estates Riesling Ice Wine

By this time there wasn’t much room for dessert … but I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass me by.  I really wanted to try the ice wine / crème brulee paring.  I picked this one:

orange crème brulee - infused orange peal, chocolate shortbread

As it turns out, this works pretty damn well.  The acidity in the wine balanced off the creaminess of the dessert.   I am very happy that I made room for dessert.  And just like that, the night was over.

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Wine Year in Review

posted by John in Snooth, Wine, Guest Bloggers

As the year draws to a close it is time for me to reflect on the year that has past.  There were many, many events in my life that were of significance.  As I sit and recall through them I can’t help but think about the significant events that have happened to me involved wine.  Many of them were firsts for me this year and I thought I would share some of them.  Consider this my 2008 year in (wine) review.

The Year of Snooth!

It is hard to believe that I have only been part of the Snooth community for less than a year.  It has been a great find for knowledge, competitive pricing and a great community. Like many of you, I’ve become hooked and can’t stay away.

-    Blogging for Snooth – This was probably one of the most surprising events for me.  While I can say that I have a passion for wine and that I may know more than the average bear about wine, I don’t consider myself an expert on wine at any level.  I have a passion for wine and have access to information but I am no expert.  I am very happy to be blogging for Snooth and hope that my contributions have helped to develop the community.

-    Attended Snooth Panel Tasting – I love being in Manhattan for the vibe, the energy, the food and people.  Now, I have another reason to love Manhattan.  There is always a potential to participate in a Snooth Panel wine tasting.  This is something that I highly recommend to every Snooth member that has an opportunity to participate.  The panel tastings give you an opportunity to try a lot of wines, experience what a panel tasting is like and see how other people perceive the same wines.  Click here for Greg’s summary of the night of the panel tasting I attended.

Wine, Travel & Me

If you had told me at the beginning of this year that I’d have travel to three continents and have time to visit wine country in each area I would have jumped for joy.  As I look back I am still amazed that I was able to do what I did.

-    Visit the Willamette Valley – The first wine trip of the year for me was to the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  If you are looking for diversity in varietals then Oregon is NOT for you.   Pinot is king and I’m not talking about Pinot Gris.  The Pinot Noir produced here ranges from the floral, cherry styles reminiscent of the Russian River Valley in California to earthy, elegant styles that draw comparisons to Burgundy.  It is just a short flight from the Bay Area to Portland (or a long drive) and if you are a lover of Pinot Noir (like I am) this is definitely a wine destination.

-    Visit to Champagne – This was somewhat of a pilgrimage for me.  I managed to squeeze a few days in France with a trip I had planned to Italy for a friend’s wedding.  Over the past few years I’ve grown to love sparkling wines and have long wanted to visit Champagne being the birth place of this style.  Now that I have I am able to check off an item on my ‘must do list’.  It was everything I expected and I can’t wait to return.  I blogged about here and here.

-    Visited the Yarra Valley – My trip to Australia was somewhat unexpected but, my full time job made this a reality.  Yarra Valley is a less heralded wine region in Australia but one that shows that it is a mistake to stereotype a country’s wines by the style they are most known for.  There is more to Australia than Shiraz.  Yarra Valley has a number of great wine finds and is on my highly recommended list.  Check out my thoughts about the Yarra Valley here.

The Wine Virgin
A friend of mine here on Snooth, RBoulanger, sent me a link a little while ago.  It was a link to the Wine Century Club, a club where you can become a member if you have tried wines from a 100 different varietals.  I downloaded the form and filled out as many varietals that I have tasted … 45.  So, as much as I know (or think I know), I’m still a wine virgin.

-    Tried Sauternes for the first time – Sauternes had always been a mystery for me.  I couldn’t understand how a sweet wine could command so much money on release.  I couldn’t understand why people would buy so many futures of a sweet wine.  Lastly, I couldn’t understand how a wine, derived from a mold infestation, could be considered one of the worlds wine treasures.  And then, I tried one.  WOW.  I know understood.  A good Sauternes shows depth, complexity and character.  It has balance between sweetness, acidity and fruit flavor.  If you haven’t tried a wine from Sauternes it is something I highly recommend.

-    Bought my first $200 bottle of wine – Okay, I’m not sure in this economy that this was such a good idea but I had an opportunity to get a bottle of 2004 Joseph Phelps Insignia.  Many of the wines I buy (and, most people) are consumed within a short time of the purchase.  So buying a $200 wine is my first purchase of an ‘age’ worthy / collectable wine.  I’m not sure if I’ll keep it for 20 years but I won’t be drinking it next week.
A little knowledge goes a long way.

It is fair to say that wine can be a little intimidating.  There are a hundreds of grape varietals, tens of thousands of producers and a mind boggling number of rules and laws that govern production.  For the new wine enthusiast it can be bit overwhelming so it is natural to gravitate to a person or a publication that can help to guide the way.

-    Started a wine tasting group – One of the best ways to learn more about wine is to share your interest and passion with others.  I’ve found a great way to do that is to participate in a wine group.  I’ve gathered a number of my wine enthusiast friends together to form a wine tasting group.  The themed events allow for us to try new wines.  If you are thinking of starting a wine tasting group you need a strong leader and idea person.

-    Became the wine steward for my mortgage-paying job – It was a bit of surprise to me that my passion for wine became widely known through my company.  The result has been requests for wine tour itineraries, wine recommendations and in general, a lot of questions.  I’ve become the ‘Go-To’ guy for wine knowledge in my company.  I’m still not sure if it is a good or bad thing but it has helped me dig deeper into my passion.

As I look back, this year has had a lot more wine related significance than I had thought.  I can see now that wine has become an integral part of my life and not just a hobby.

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Ice Wine

posted by John in Snooth, Wine Industry, Wine, Guest Bloggers

° ° Recently one of our other bloggers here on Snooth, Callie Exas, posted a blog on dessert wines.  This is a great blog that outlines what to expect from dessert wines and what they are.  However, (no offence Callie) I felt a little bit snubbed.  You see, I am Canadian and one of the sources of national pride for Canadians is Ice Wine.  Okay, it follows right after hockey, beer, beavers and Michael J. Fox but it is still a source of national pride.  So to make sure that ice wine does its fair share of ‘Snooth Time’ I’m taking this chance to give you the 411.

So what is an Ice Wine?  Using Wikipedia for a concise definition you get this:

According to Wikipedia, the first ice wines were produced in Germany in 1794.  However, ice wines have a much shorter history than that.  The modern history of ice wine begins in 1984 with the first ‘intentional’ production.  It was first produced in Canada by a winery called Inniskillin.  The market grew strong domestically and stared with a white grape called Vidal (or Vidal Blanc).  Other than in ice wine, Vidal’s natural acidity makes it suitable for a wide range of styles, from light and crisp with racy acid, to slightly off-dry.  As the popularity grew, more wineries started to produce ice wines and started use grapes other than Vidal.

What makes an ice wine different from other dessert wines is the fact that the grapes must ‘freeze’.  That is they need to experience three days straight of temperatures below   0° Celsius or one day of -8 ° Celsius.  Additionally, the grapes should be picked at high level of sugar; at 35 ° Brix (normally table wines in California are picked at 24 to 26 Brix).  In contrast, late harvest wines are wines created from grapes picked later in the season with higher than normal Brix.  Sauternes, the famous French dessert wine, comes not from cold but a fungus called botrytis.  However, all of them are known for sweetness and high alcohol.

For me ice wines that are made properly and with care are some of the best dessert wines in the world.  They display depth with multiple layers of flavor.  There is great acidity that allows it to be paired with rich foods like Foie Gras.  Personally, a good Riesling ice wine pairs incredibly well with cheese cake or crème bruelee.  They are definitely worth a try.  Here are a few of my pics:
°
Peller Estates Riesling Ice Wine

Peller Estates Cab Franc Ice Wine

Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine

Inniskillin Riesling Ice Wine

Stratus Riesling Ice Wine

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Thanksgiving, Airlines & Wine

posted by John in Wine, Guest Bloggers

By the time you read this those of us in the United States will be through half way through our Thanksgiving weekend.  We’ll be stuffed with food and some of us will be crazy enough to battle through the Black Friday sales.  I’ll be happily working through Black Friday at Loxton Cellars for Sonoma Valley’s Annual Holiday Open House.  While this would make a great topic to write about one thing that Thanksgiving reminds me of is travel.  For many people in the US that means air travel.  Today travel by air is usually met with thoughts and experiences of long lines, invasive security checks, delays and high costs.

It is not often that you think wine and airlines in at the same time.  It seems like decades ago when we were able take bottles of wine as carry-on luggage.  Now we’re restricted to 3.5 fluid ounces in our carry-on luggage.   The thoughts of most weary airline passengers vary from “Are we there yet?”, “Why are these seats so small?” and “I hope my return flight is better”.  However, if you manage to get yourself into business class or first you might be amazed at what you find!

Many airlines are stocked with some impressive wines.  These are wines that you would be very happy to have in your collection.  Take Qantas for example, their first class wine offerings would rival that of a five star restaurant in Sydney City Central.  To get an idea of the breadth and quality of their offerings click here.  Some of the highlights for me are:

Whites:
•    2007 Brokenwood Semillion – Hunter Valley, NSW
•    2006 Giant Steps Trafford Vineyard Chardonnay – Yarra Valley, Vic
•    2007 Mesh Riesling – Eden Valley, SA
•    2006 Tyrrell’s Wines Vat 47 Hunter Chardonnay – Hunter Valley, NWS

Reds:

•    2006 Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz – Huner Valley, NSW
•    2006 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir – Yarra Valley, Vic
•    2004 Heathcote Estate Heathcote Shiraz – Heathcote, Vic
•    2003 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon – Eden Valley, SA

And there was one that really shocked me:

•    2001 Penfolds Grange – Barossa Valley, SA

Having recently flown Qantas I must say that there first class wine selection is impressive.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to fly first class.  I was stuck in economy and my selection (3 choices: sparkling, red or white) was very limited.  However, they were better than I expected:

•    2007 Yering Station Chardonnay
•    2007 Taylors ‘Promised Land’ Cab-Merlot
•    NV Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Chardonnay

Despite the small size (187 ml) and plastic bottling I have to say I was quite impressed by these wines.  They all seemed very young but did the job.  The packaging was obviously done for Qantas specifically and had a peel-away fact sheet to help consumers remember the wine.

This experience on Qantas inspired me to look to other airlines and see what their offerings are.  To my surprise many airlines are doing their best to please the wine drinker.
•    American Airlines takes a different approach to wines than Qantas.  Qantas focuses on national wines and American focuses on wines of the destination.  For a sampling of their wine offerings click here.
•    As you might expect Air France has an extensive wine selection including premier cru Champagne and first growth Bordeaux.
•    Singapore Airlines retains 3 of the planets most influencial wine personalities to help them select wines for their flights: Karen McNeil (USA), Michael Hill Smith (Australia) and Steve Spurrier (UK).

It is clear that fine wine and flying is something that has stuck with the airlines.  The disappointing fact is that the difference in wine served in First Class to Economy is huge.  I guess you can say that this would be a reason to fly first class but it seems for me I’ll be stuck with the thoughts of, “Are we there yet?”

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.