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Archive for the ‘Wine Reviews’ Category

Sometimes I am not sure what to expect when I see an unusual blend, like this one of  Syrah (46%), Malbec (31%), and Petit Verdot (23%.)

On paper it could work: a Northern Rhone varietal blended with two Bordeaux. Or would it….

I am happy to say they do – wonderfully.

Wine Review: Ancient Peaks Winery Renegade – Margarita Vineyard, Paso Robles

To The Eye: Dark purple.

On The Nose: Dark red fruit and berry

In the Mouth: Soft, dark black fruit, cocoa, dried red fruit. soft tannins.  A nice winter red, comfort wine. Save for the fire, a stew, lamb shanks or short ribs. Pairs nicely with food thanks to good acidity.

Recommendation: Buy and enjoy. If you can, I can’t find it online, it may be sold out. Nice bottle for $21. 89 points.  Media Sample

Wine Geek Info:

Varietal Composition

• Syrah (46%)
• Malbec (31%)
• Petit Verdot (23%)

Harvest Date

• October 3 (Syrah)
• October 7 (Malbec)
• October 28 (Petit Verdot)

Aging Regimen

• 18 months in French and American oak barrels

Final Analysis

• Alcohol: 14.5%
• TA: .69
• pH: 3.70

Cases Produced – 1,014

Welcome to the 1st (Hopefully annual) Sparkling line up. It has been a fun, busy lineup to work through. Because of the many bottles received (and not all reviewed) & purchased I decided to divide the summary into two parts, US and Imports.

Noticeably missing from this line up is ‘champagne’ that is to say sparkling wine that orginates from the Champagne region in France. Even the French are not allowed to call it Champagne if its not from Champagne.

The Champagne Bureau in France declined to send or arrange any samples, but did ask that I make it clear to readers:

“Whatever you recommend, please make sure to note that Champagne only comes from Champagne, France.”

Done. Now onto some (not so) serious business. I love bubbles, but am hardly a snob when it comes to this category. It should be fun and enjoyable.

I tried to focus on bubbles that were affordable and widely available. Its not really much fun for you the reader to hear about something that isn’t available unless you are wealthy or write for wine publication.

Spain & Cava

Spanish Cava represents a huge value in sparkling wines, and the quality and value will surprise you. This summer I toured through out Spain on a media Tour, visiting a number of Cava producers, including Cava kingpin Freixenet. I was blown away by the care and quality of this producer. Hundreds of tons of cava grapes, all hand picked, each year.

N.V. Segura Viudas Cava Brut Rosado – *Top Pick*

A crowd pleaser Cava Brut Rose’, great QPR. Tiny bubbles, excellent mousse. Essence of strawberry, raspberry. Very pleasant in mouth.Grab a bottle, you will be glad. This is a sleeper brand.  ~$10

N.V. Paul Cheneau Cava Lady of Spain

Decent bubbles for price; crisp, nice acidity, green apple  $10

N.V. Freixenet Cava Cordon Negro (Brut)

After 150 years, there is a reason why the ‘Black Bottle’ remains the king of Spanish Cava. Despite the large production all grapes are hand harvested, not machine. Clear pale yellow, tiny mousse (bubbles). Nose has lemon, apple, pear. Crisp dry finish with some minerality. If you have shunned the black bottle because its what your parents drank, try it again. And do take the tour if ever nearby, its impressive. $10 (or less)

N.V. Segura Viudas Cava Brut Reserva Heredad 

If the sexy bottle doesn’t get you, the bubbles should. Vibrant pale color, tight tiny bubbles, nose that is yeasty,pear. Bright citrus, green apple. A step or two up in price from traditional Cava, but unique and complex enough to merit it, and a good bridge flavor profile wise. $20

Italy – Prosecco

Prosecco has become a hot sector in the last few years, and duly earned, the quality of Prosecco coming into the US has jumped up. People avoid Prosecco because it is fermented via the charmat method – meaning it achieves its bubbles in a stainless tank, not in the bottle via méthode champenoise.  My experience with domestic sparkling produced this way is mostly poor, but I have learned from experience not to shun Prosecco because of this, and you should too.

N.V. Valdo (Italy)  - *Top Pick*

New to the US. Nose of pear, green melon, bread yeast. Tiny bubbles. Mostly dry, creamy mouthfeel. Nice finish. An excellent value for $10. Recommended buy. Nice apertif wine easily quaffed.

 N.V. LaMarca Prosecco di Treviso Prosecco (Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Treviso)

Pale yellow, tiny bubbles. Green apple & spice on nose. Mostly dry, Nice citrus, touch of asian pear, green apple. pleasant in mouth, fair QPR. Consumer friendly bubbles, available at Wholefoods, Safeway. Worth putting in the cart and taking home.

France

N.V. Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé *Top Pick*

Wonderful! Pink with a slight orange hue; excellent tiny bubbles. gorgeous nose of strawberry & yeast. Strawberries & Cream, hint of raspberry. Fermented in bottle; 80% Pinot Auxerrois, 10% Pinot Blanc and 10% Chardonnay.  ~$18

2007 Domaine Rolet Crémant du Jura Crémant Brut (France, Jura, Crémant du Jura)

A nice bottle of bubbles for $17 from K&L. tiny bubbles, nice citrus, tart green bubbles, nice clean, lingering.

Look for Part II – Domestic later tonight. (Tomorrow we head to France to tour Burgundy & the Rhone). Cheers!

Prosecco has been making a comeback in the US, particularly in the East Coast. The sweet, poorly made stuff you would scoff now more commonly is an excellent value sparkling. I still find generally Cava, from Spain, to lead slightly, but have been enjoying many Prosecco’s these days, and some decent quality ones are widely available, and fun to grab as an aperitif.

Review: Non Vintage Valdo Prosecco – Brut (2011 review)

Made from 100% Glera (formerly known as Prosecco), bottle aged for 6 months. Imported in the US by Pasternak Imports.

This Prosecco now seems to have good distribution, and is worth looking for.

To The Eye: Pale yellow, excellent tiny bubbles

On The Nose: Pear, green melon, bread yeast.

In the Mouth: Mostly dry, creamy mouthfeel. Green apple and a hint of spice Nice finish.

Recommendation: Buy, Consume. A good apertif wine easily quaffed. 89 points.

Look later this week for the full Sparkling holiday guide, cheers!

It’s time to bring it back home to Russian River Valley, and feature one of our unsung heroines, Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines.

Welcome to our third selection of winery of the month. In keeping with the theme of previous selections, this title is awarded too wineries whose wines  have been epiphany experiences (and often still are) and for outstanding contributions to the wine industry, community, and environment.Inman Family Wines, nearby in Russian River Valley, is overdue for this recognition.

Uncompromising Wine Making Philosophy

Kathleen, on her 10th vintage, has come into her own as a world class wine maker, making Pinot Noir (and a few other treats) in styles she believes in. She isn’t into scores or trend chasing, and never relents in her pursuit of wine making the has an expression of place and vintage, with minimal intervention, making the very best wine that she can.

Kathleen has been rewarded by solid steady growth – while many small wineries have decreased production, Inman continues to steadily expand each year, reaching 3400 cases in 2011.

A Trailblazer in Eco-Friendly Practices in The Vineyard & Winery (Eco-Ethics)

Secondly, Kathleen has been repeatedly recognized for her many industry leading accomplishments in sustainability and green practices, both in the vineyard and the winery. Not because they are sexy marketing buzz words, but principles she has believed in, and practiced, long before they became in vogue.

Rather than re-write them all here, they are captured in several documents on the Inman website, drill down a bit, starting here. I challenge you to find a local winery that has invested more per capita in water reclamation, recycled materials, and sustainability. (And an electric car charging staton to boot!)

I should point out as well that while I say Kathleen, who beyond any doubt is the workhorse of this labor of love – there is a family behind the story, as it seems almost necessary to make it as a small winery. Kathleen’s husband Simon, has stood by, supported and thrown in many hand of assistance, on top of his legal pursuits. Kathleen and Simon have two wonderful daughters they dote on, whom can be found helping out around the tasting room during college semester breaks. One can only hope at least one will eventually get the bug and become second generation. Sadly, I am close to Kathleen’s age, or I’d ask for adoption.

A Foodie At Heart

Kathleen is all about food, and pairing it with wine. Unfortunately ‘food friendly’ has become an overused word in the industry, but Kathleen lives, breathes, and …eats it. Even in the early stages of wine making of a vintage, when doing barrel samples, she is thinking ahead of foods and sauces that will pair well. Her recipes have been published as well as recorded professionally.

You can check out many of her recipes here: http://www.inmanfamilywines.com/Recipes?

Endless Crush

This close family and their support of Kathleen’s pursuit is an excellent start for the story behind the wine of the week, the ‘Endless Crush.’ No its not a horror story about the 2011 Harvest that seemed it would never end, but the love story of Kathleen & Simon.

For their 20th wedding Anniversary Kathleen wanted to make a special romantic wine for Simon, and started making a special rose’ every other year. Kathleen being Kathleen, this was of course a true rose’, not a saignee or juice bleed off. That means that grapes that could go into a $50 Pinot Noir, were instead being used for a Rose’ wine, which no matter how wonderful, can’t sell for that price, thus profit is given up for love.  Endless Crush rose’ is done every other year, is a wonderful wine that quickly sells out.

For their 25th anniversary, Kathleen wanted to start a new tradition that was extra special. She had been studying closely the various methods of making sparkling wine (we are no longer allowed to call it champagne,) and decided to release a special sparkling brut Rose’, from Pinot Noir.

Wine Review: Inman Family Wines 2009 Brut Rose’ Nature “Endless Crush”

There are many remarkable things about this sparkling wine. One is that is unusual for California wine is that no  sugar in the final ‘dosage’ is added. A dosage is added right before final corking, and has a varying degrees of sugar (thus sweetness) depending on the style. The dosage sweetness can come from a variety of things, including the current vintage sweet juice itself.

In this case Kathleen added 2% of barrel aged 2009 OGV Estate Pinot Noir for added complexity and to tint the wine ever so slightly.

This makes the sparkling wine in line with other Kathleen’s other wines, higher in acidity, making them truly food friendly.

To The Eye: Just the slightest tinge of pink.

One the Nose: Lots of strawberry, citrus and a hint of  bread yeast

In The Mouth:  I am not a bubbles snob, but my appreciation has definitely grown the last few years, and this is a gem, not a surprise given how much I like Kathleen’s other wines. Bright in the mouth, great acidity combined with rich texture and mouthfeel, lingering finish and some minerality, this is a unique work of art.

Recommendation: An amazing bottle of sparkling, made by a champion of the earth, with a romantic story behind it. Can there be any greater gift?

93 points. Highly recommended, buy two, one to drink, one to lay down. $56 online or at the winery. For a limited time there is a holiday two pack for $99. 

Food Pairing: Kathleen recommends “The recipe for crab and scallop cakes are a natural with the bubbles”

Happy Holidays & Cheers!

Related Articles:

Part 1 of “The 12 Days of Wine Christmas” – Why not Wine? Some Gift Pack Suggestions

Syrah: one of my favorite red varietals. Syrah has been through some rough times the last few years; overhyped, over production, and economic hard times collided for this poor varietal, before it ever took off in the US, other than the over ripe Kangaroo stuff.

For the consumer, that has meant some excellent value Syrah’s are available. This phenonomenon won’t last for long. As syrah goes through a supply and demand cycle, and as growers and vintners shrink or end syrah programs, in the next few years I predict you will see a shortage, and price increases. Enjoy lower prices and stock up while you can.

Syrah, as I have shared many times, is almost like two varietals, cool climate and warm. It does well in each, but produces two very different wines. My personal favorite is the more elegant, higher acidity, food driven cool climate.  Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley reign as the land of Pinot Noir, but some exceptional Syrah comes from these regions.

Special Reader Offer:

Last week when I reviewed the  Von Holt 2009 Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley Von Holt offered readers, no strings attached, or kickbacks extended, to offer readers to have shipping included with their order of any of their 4 wines.  Use code

VONHOLTHEDONIST

at checkout.  They have now extended this to this Friday, Dec 9th.

This also includes their amazing 2009 Suacci Vineyard Pinot Noir which Chronicle wine writer Jon Bonne’ just picked as one of the top 100 wines of the year – and having tasted it, I agree.

Review: Von Holt 2008 Hoppe-Kelly Vineyard Syrah

A blend of two clones 877 and Alban. The vines are terraced into a very steep hillside, allowing for excellent drainage and struggle in the very shallow, rocky soils.

To The Eye: Inky dark purple. Almost impenetrable to light.

On The Nose: Nose of  violets, blueberry, and a hint of olive

In The Mouth: Black fruit, blueberry, and  spice, Not as austere as some cool climate Syrahs can be, apparently the elevation allows it to ripen a bit more. This is a Sunday night by the fire wine, or over a roast dinner.  It has some layers without being overly complex, and can be simply just enjoyed. Tannins are soft and well integrated. 2008 can be young for Syrah, this wine is ready to drink and enjoy now.

Recommendation: Approachable and affordable –  this may be my new house Syrah. For $20 you can enjoy it and not break the bank. It will please a variety of wine lovers old and new, and pair well with a broad spectrum of foods.  Buy and drink now. It will cellar for a few years as well.

Purchase: Online $20 (media sample)

Wine Geek Notes:

This Albariño from Bonny Doon is not too be confused with their 2009 Ca’ del Solo Albariño, which was one of my favorite Albariño’s at the TAPAS event in San Francisco earlier this year.

This wine derives from two vineyards in the Central Coast:  Ca’ del Solo in Soledad, and Jesperson Ranch in San Luis Obispo.

Wine Review - Bonny Doon Vineyards 2010 Albariño

To The Eye: Bright Clear Yellow Straw

On The Nose: Green Apple, Asian Pear, Lemon Peel

In The Mouth: IMPORTANT – do not drink overchilled. This wine’s nuances are completely lost if overchilled (which I did by accident.) It has a rich texture, mouthfeel and slight oiliness one wouldn’t expect when combined with this acidity and lower (12.5%) alcohol. Must bug Randall or his other winemaker for vinification techniques.

It dances in the mouth with green apple and  citrus and makes you smile, and reach for more. The finish is lingering, and compelling.  This wine drinks wonderfully by itself, and the bottle is emptying fast as I consume it. (Instead of spitting.)

Food Pairing: Bonny Doon recommends pair it with “…pairs beautifully with briny foods like oysters, shellfish, seafood salad, fish crudo (or ceviche), or shrimp scampi with garlic and lemon. It’s a natural with fresh goat cheese, green olives, tomato salads (especially dressed with a drizzle of lemon-infused oil), tempura, and other Asian fare.”  Randall and his team are foodies, so I never doubt them, however tonight’s fare when I am done reviewing is home made turkey soup.

Recommendation: 90 Points. Buy and Enjoy. At $18 this Albariño is an excellent buy, that will both drink wonderfully solo or with food, and can age easily for a few years.  Available online for $18, $15 for club, and right now club members get free shipping on orders $99 or higher.

This Rhonehound is on a Pinot kick, and pleased to share amazing Pinot Noir from Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines, one of my favorite Russian River Valley winemakers.

It’s always a pleasure to discover hidden small gems of producers in the wine industry, and even more so to share them with readers. Thanks to the advent of custom crush, virtual and urban wineries, there are many, small passionate artisans springing up. Sonoma County has become a wealth of these, but you must keep your ear and eye to the ground.

Thanks to networking and social media, I was to meet Peter Alig, who works now with Von Holt.  When he asked if I’d like sample to review, I agreed, always eager to try a new, small producer.

About Von Holt Wines

This is a micro-winery:  a 600-case producer of single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Syrah from the Sonoma Coast and Russian River. Founder, San Francisco native Chris Von Holt, is a retired U.S. Secret Service agent. After traveling the world on the protective detail of the Vice President, and sampling local food and wine along the way, he decided to found his own wine brand upon his retirement. His story is quite fascinating, read more here.  http://www.vonholtwines.com/The-Von-Holts.

You can watch a short video of Chris’ below. He had me at ‘low alcohol, good minerality & acidity.’

The stories of partner/wife Pamela Miller, the administrative master of Von Holt Wines, and John Fones, Winemaker, are also interesting, classic Sonoma wine siren stories, and ones I can relate to all too well.

A Focus on Cool Climate

They had me at the get go with their focus cool climate Pinot Noir and Syrah. Pinot Noir of course naturally prefers cooler climate, and I am most fond of wines from cooler vineyards in Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, Willamette Valley.  Russian River can fit this profile as well, depending on the microclimate and the wine grower.

The 2010 and 2011 vintages have certainly helped this aspect.  Working with vineyards in cooler climates takes some guts, patience, and stamina, I have deep respect for those growers and vintners that focus here.

Syrah does well in both cool and warm climates, and produces great wines in both, but very distinctive. My personal preference, especially for Syrah unblended with other Rhone varietals, is for the higher acidity, leaner wines that cool climates produce.

This review will be focus the Pinot Noir, look for Syrah in a Tasting Note also this week. Sneak Preview: The 2008 Hoppe-Kelley Syrah from RRV is amazing, and a steal at $20. I have tasted both Syrah’s and Pinots and am very impressed, and plan to put some in my cellar.

Special Reader Incentive – Free Shipping, One Week Only

Von Holt has been nice enough, no strings attached, or kickbacks extended, to offer readers to have shipping included with their order of any of their 4 wines. Use code

VONHOLTHEDONIST

at checkout. Expires one week from today, December 5th.

Wine Review – Von Holt 2009 Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley

A blend of Pinot Noir from two vineyards, Suacci and Ketcham.

 To The Eye: Ruby, brick red color. Translucent.

On The Nose: Red fruit leaps out of the glass. Cranberry, cherry, and a hint of earth, and green, like tomato vine.

In The Mouth: Bright and lively. The cranberry carries over, and is joined by pomegranate. Excellent acidity that begs for some food,  combined with pleasant mouth feel mid palate, and a lingering  mouth watering finish. A wonderful Pinot Noir, and proof the Russian River Valley can produce elegant  Pinot Noir that isn’t an over ripe fruit bomb, and compete with the likes of Anderson Valley, Willamette, and Sonoma Coast.

Recommendation:  92 points. Highly Recommend. Buy. If you can, purchase one to enjoy now, and 1-2 more to give an extra year to see how it develops in the bottle. With the acidity this wine should age nicely. $32 online.  Media Sample (although I intend to re-order.)

Wine Geek Info:

How I came upon this wine is a mystery, I have no idea how it ended up in my cellar,. (Now over 1200 bottles, heavy on Rhones of course.)

I don’t recall ever receiving it as a media sample, as I keep that pile seperate and marked, and I don’t ever recall buying it. It may have been a gift in the blur of the Grenache Day tasting and BBash after.

Its possible I also had aquired the year I lived & worked part time in the NorthWest and just forgot to put it in Cellartracker. Whatever it’s origins, I was glad I found it.

Note that 2008 appears to be the  current vintage. I generally don’t review wines no longer for sale, but wanted to share this Rhone find from WA.

An interesting tidbit from the Gilbert Cellars website:

The blend “Allobroges” was named after a Celtic tribe that made its home in the Rhone River Valley in the days of the Roman Empire.  Their capital of Vienne is across the river from present-day wine region Cote Rotie.  The Romans named their wine from the Rhone Valley “Allobrogica” and they were known for being dark, rich, red wines.  Pliny first referenced Allobrogica in his book Naturalis Historia. It had been rumored that “Allobrogica” was an ancestor of modern Syrah, but that has not been proven. 

Review: Gilbert Cellars 2007 Allobroges Red Rhone blend

This wine is 55% Syrah, 31% Mourvedre, 14% Grenache, each from a different vineyard.

To The Eye: Deep purple, Syrah clearly dominating

On The Nose: Meaty, bacon fat, elements of the Mourvedre possibly. Black fruits.

In The Mouth:  A ‘comfort’ wine. It’s not overly complex, and that’s part of its charm. Sometimes you want a wine you can dissect with many layers, some times its fun to just enjoy a glass of something that tastes good, by the fire or ever a simple meal. Its lush in the mouth with out being over ripe or juicy. Nice texture. The wine is well balanced with nice integration of the Syrah and Mourvedre components. The Grenache adds a touch of spice, but is mostly dominated by its bigger brothers.  The finish is long and pleasant. 14.9% alc.

Recommendation. An easy drinking, fun crowd pleaser. Pair with any meat, most grilled fare, or your favorite chair and warm fire. . For ~$20 you can’t go wrong. 88 points

Simple Hedonisms will be doing a special issue on Holiday sparklers, both domestic and imported.

If you’d like your sparkling wine featured, please submit a sample, no later than Dec 5th.

Our readership is over 8, 0000 people a month, and material is also posted on other wine sites.

Data sheets and purchase information appreciated.

Happy Holidays and cheers!