Simple Hedonisms

Archive for the ‘Wine Reviews’ Category

Earlier this year, Simple Hedonisms reviewed the tasty Long Gamma white blend, so I was quite pleased when I got my hands on a bottle of the Long Gamma red to taste.

Review

I have been a fan of C. Donatiello since I discovered them some 18 months ago, both for their wines, and the gorgeous property.
For those who may not yet be familiar with C. Donatiello or its location, Chris Donatiello, in partnership with Bill Hambrecht, purchased the facilities from Belvedere in 2006, and have morphed it into a world class facility and producer of stunning Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

C. Donatiello’s winemaker is Webster Marquez, also referred to as Web. An affable winemaker,  Web  is focused, committed, and always chasing making his best vintage yet, he comes to C. Donatiello from famous Pinot producer Williams Selyem. (He also has his own small label, Anthill Farms.)

In addition to their winery being a pleasure to visit, renowned for casual yet elegant service, each Sunday from late June through October 3rd they feature live music, with acts from all over the U.S. at no charge. It’s one of my Sunday’ faves, I almost hate to share to keep it smaller, but somethings are too good to keep to your self.

I was long overdue for a full tasting review; and was delighted for an invitation, as well as be one of the first for their new wine and cheese pairing which for $20, is one of the most underpriced, amazing Hedonistic pairings going on in Russian River. More on this in another post, but take my word for it, call for an appointment to schedule one of these.

Review

I have a special interest in this release, having just recently toured Floodgate Vineyard with vineyard manager Warren Burton, and new wine producer Cartograph Wines.

Region/AVA: Block 15, Floodgate Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

Color: Lighter cranberry color, slightly opaque. (A thankful break from the ridiculously dark Pinot’s being produced today by many.)

Aroma: Cherry, Cranberry, with a pleasant touch of Earthiness

In The Mouth: Elegant. Despite the youth of this release, it’s a pleasure in the mouth, with velvet texture, wonderful balance and mouthfeel. Flavors of cherry and red fruit, with a nice finish, and  lingering acidity.

Price: $49 Retail

Wine Geek Info:

• Harvest Date – Sept 4, 2008
• Barrel Program – 10 months French Oak, 35% new
• Bottled – July 22, 2009
• 400 cases produced

Highly Recommend.

I have been trying to spend a bit more time in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon, given my regular travel to the Portland area. I was fortunate enough to spend a half day touring again last month as part of a Pre WBC (Wine Bloggers Conference) Tour, before driving up to Walla Walla. Lynette Shaw of Soléna, organized an entire afternoon for 15  wine bloggers. The highlight of the day was the incredible hospitality we received by the Soléna team, as well as fabulous food pairing and lunch. with their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris.

About Solena Estates

Soléna Estates is owned by the husband and wife team of Laurent Montalieu and Danielle Andrus Montalieu. Laurent brings a French heritage, Bordeaux, not Burgundy, interestingly enough. Laurent took his first steps in the vineyard in Medoc owned by his great grandfather, Joseph Montalieu. His interest in viticulture led him to the Institute of Oenology of Bordeaux, where he studied viticulture and oenology. (Growing wine grapes and making wine.) After graduating in 1987 he worked for Chateau La Tour Blanche near Sauternes, and Domaine Mumm in California’s Napa Valley before moving to Oregon. After seven years at Bridgeview Vineyards in Cave Junction, Laurent joined WillaKenzie Estate in 1995 as partner and winemaker.

In May of 2000 Laurent and Danielle purchased an 80 acre estate as their wedding gift to each other, and with an interesting twist, registered with vineyard nurseries for six different clones of Pinot Noir grafts that guests could by as wedding gifts. (Hmmm maybe marrying again has some benefits.)

In May 2002, they launched Soléna by releasing their first bottling and, shortly thereafter, opening a tasting room in Carlton.

In 2009, they opened a new tasting room, located on their estate property in Yamhill,  now home to the new Soléna and Grand Cru Estates winery.

Review

The Soléna 2009 Pinot Gris is very interesting, and a standout amongst the many fine Pinot Gris releases in Willamette Valley. I opened two different Pinot Gris’ as the time of tasting, the second being from another from a Willamette winery I respect, and the differences were remarkable.

At the time I did the review; the 2009 was about to be released, and specs weren’t published, so I wrote to Lynette with questions. I though I recalled they used no oak or malolactic fermentation (ML) but the texture, density, mouth feel, made me scratch my head and question if (neutral) oak or ML were used during vinification.

Lynette advised neither was used, nor was I the first to be confused. As the illustrious Wine Spectator aptly described: 

Silky, with an almond edge to the apricot and apple flavors, lingering gently.

This balance is achieved by the fruit, that  is sourced  from several vineyards: Stone Ridge in the Chehalem Mountains, ElvenGlade in the Yamhill-Carlton District and Del Rio from the Rogue Valley. The variations are purposefully chosen and blended to offer flavor and structure. Grapes of higher acidity from cooler climate, blended with riper fruit from warm climates, and little manipulation, provide the complexity and differentiation.

Region/AVA: The grapes for this release of Pinot Gris are selected by design from multiple Oregon vineyards, thus no AVA designation.

Color: Pale straw color

What’s your perspective on Chardonnay? Love it? Avoid it? Or do you regularly try new wines and winemaking styles? If you shun Chardonnay as I did for many years, you may identify as an ABC drinker – “Anything But Chardonnay”. Simple Hedonisms has used this term to describe the backlash against overly oaked “butter bombs” popularly known as “California-style” Chardonnay. Whatever your motivation may be to explore, your understanding and appreciation is sure to benefit from trying new wines and styles.

Food Friendly
If you enjoy a crisp, palette-cleansing white wine with your asian spicy dishes, rich or “stinky” cheeses, oysters or seafood – don’t pass up the “new” Chardonnays made without oak aging or malolactic (ML) fermentation. You won’t recognize these wines as Chardonnay if you’ve only been exposed to the heavy oak and butter style. Think of them more like a new white varietal, and a possible alternative to dry whites such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. You may be pleasantly surprised. And, if you are like me, you may begin to recognize an intense varietal character that you can distinctly identify as Chardonnay.

Chardonnay Grapes, Kopriva Vineyards

Kopriva is a family-owned single-vineyard producer of unoaked, no ‘ML” Chardonnay in the Carneros region of Sonoma county. I first wrote about their wine in my blog, VitaeVino. Note: If you’re in the Sonoma area, meet the winemaker and taste Kopriva Chardonnay at Big 3 Wine Bar, 6pm Friday July 16.

The Carneros Region
One of the charms of Carneros is the growers and smaller producers hidden down country lanes, who grace the landscape with their vineyards. Some of the acreage has been in cool climate fruit or grape crops for decades. Despite being one of Sonoma County’s most southerly appellations, Carneros is one of the coolest. It borders San Pablo Bay, and is subject to marine air movement between the Bay and the Pacific Ocean (a phenomena known as the Petaluma Wind Gap). Carneros AVA is home to 75 growers, 22 wineries, and over 7500 vineyard acres. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes flourish in its’ cool climate, resulting in a concentrated fruit said to represent a “true expression of the varietal.”

So what does that mean in plain English? Also known as “un-wooded”, “stainless” or “naked” — unoaked Chardonnay reveals what the grape itself tastes like minus the oak and butter effects. At 13.5% alcohol, Kopriva’s Chardonnay doesn’t overpower food. Yet its bright acid and crisp minerality can cut through the richest cheesy pasta, the spiciest entree or oiliest fish dish.

Hadley Larson in the Kopriva Vineyards

Last week Simple Hedonisms visited the Kopriva vineyard at Cassidy Ranch, and was greeted warmly by Hadley Larson. She and wine-maker partner Myles McMonigle live on the property and perform all duties from running tractor, harvesting and hauling grapes, to marketing and delivering local orders. Myles studied geology and enology and has worked for MacRostie, Domaine Carneros and B.R. Cohn wineries. He is currently Enologist at Groth Vineyards in Napa. His parents purchased the property about 10 years ago. Myles’ father was influenced by an early friendship with the Benziger family (of Benziger, Imagery, and Tribute label fame). At Cassidy Ranch, they maintain the vines using sustainable practices, including minimal tilling of the land to preserve minerals and moisture and allow native cover crops – which return nitrogen to the soil — to thrive. Thus the rustic look of what they call their “shabby chic” vineyard.

The New Unoaked Style
Kopriva started making their unoaked Chardonnay 5 years ago, joining a handful of producers such as Mer Soleil with their “Silver” Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County, and Toad Hollow Vineyards of Healdsburg. It was challenging in those days to overcome the stereotypes of California style. Some restaurant and retail buyers didn’t believe they were tasting Chardonnay. Kopriva resorted to introducing their wine by likening it to Chablis.

About 2-1/2 years ago Kopriva’s task became a little easier as recognition grew for the unoaked style. Acclaim for producers Kim Crawford of New Zealand and Toad Hollow helped build awareness. Coverage in Food & Wine magazine of the new style chardonnay and its suitability for food pairing continues the momentum. There is now a thriving community of unoaked chardonnay drinkers centered around a delightfully irreverent blog dedicated to the style at Unoakedchardonnay.com. The labor of love for these bloggers has resulted in reviews of 68 wines from 10 regions and countries. Readers regularly suggest new wines to taste, which the bloggers promptly seek out. As well, a few wine competitions are introducing unoaked Chardonnay as a category — the Sonoma County Fair is one.

Get Naked
The vineyards aren’t open to the public, but you can taste Kopriva at Big 3 Wine Bar at Fairmount Sonoma Mission Inn. Big 3 focuses exclusively on Sonoma wines — by the taste, glass and bottle. Several, like Kopriva, are not available elsewhere for tasting. A few retail and restaurant outlets, mostly in the SF Bay Area, carry Kopriva (see the website for a list). In and around Carneros, the wine is available at Whole Foods Market in Marin, Napa and Sonoma.

If you’d like to explore this new style further, another Carneros example is Roche Winery’s “Stainless Steel Chardonnay” ($15.99 suggested retail) available at their tasting room on the Sonoma Square. Kunde Estate in Kenwood produces “Chardonnay Nu,” or what they call their “naked” chardonnay — available for tasting at the winery ($15.99 at Bottle Barn). Using grapes from Lodi, CA, an award-winning producer of Chardonnay in the unoaked style is Passaggio ($11.99 on their website or at Valley Wine Shack in Sonoma). Simple Hedonisms writes periodically on this emerging style – search for “unoaked Chardonnay” to find out more.

At under $20, these wines fit the budget — and the menu as well.

Kopriva Chardonnay

WINE REVIEW

Color: Pale metallic straw, mirror clear

Aroma: Citrus, hint of lactic, with a splash of dry straw

In the Mouth: The appeal of this wine is in it’s tactile complexity – fruity at the front, mouth-filling at mid-palette, with a crisp flourishing acid finish at the back. Leaving the wine in contact with its yeast lees (wine sediment) for 4 months gives this chardonnay its pleasurable mouth feel.

Flavors: Grapefruit, pineapple, and hints of other fruits ranging from tangy to tropical, in concert with mineral notes.

Price: Retail $14-19. Wholesale: $120/ case. (media sample)

Vintages: 2008 currently, 2009 launches in Fall 2010.

WINE GEEK INFO
Acres planted: 12
Case Quantity: 299
Harvest: September 11, 2008
Alcohol: 13.52%
Average Chemistry: 3.31 pH, .576g TA
Residual Sugar: 0.033
Fermentation: 100% Stainless steel
Aging: 4 months sur lie
Malolactic Fermentation: 0%

Follow Kopriva Website, Facebook, Twitter

Tonight I am drinking an Anne Amie 2008 Pinot Blanc,  from the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

My HQ office for my (real life) job is just outside of Portland, so I was lucky enough to visit Anne Amie in person recently. The hospitality team there was very friendly, knowledgeable, and  passionate – it’s a stop I highly recommend.

Pinot Blanc is a great summer wine that is very food friendly. It’s higher in acidity, and wine maker styles can vary, so expect some variation as you try various winery’s releases.

• The color is a pale yellow straw, clear and brilliant.
• Aromas of Asian pear, nectarine, light citrus, on the nose
• In the mouth, a pleasant mix of pear, pineapple, citrus, none overwhelming, well balanced.
• The Pinot Blanc was aged on the lees giving it a wonderful mouthfeel and slight creamy texture that combines well with the natural acidity for a pleasant, lingering finish. This combination will pair well with many foods, although its very enjoyable on its own as well.
• The Pinot Blanc also spent time in French oak barrels, thankfully only 10% new, contributing to its subtle complexities, without overwhelming  or masking it.

A well made, versatile wine, at a reasonable price of $20.

91 Points, Highly Recommend.

Lynmar Estate 2009 Lynmar Pinot Noir Rosé

• Vibrant orange/pink  hued salmon color
• A lightly fragrant nose of strawberry, raspberry  and hint of crisp Jolly Rancher watermelon
• Don’t let the flavor descriptors fool you, this is a wonderfully dry Rosé with no sweetness. Nice weight in mouth for a rose, balanced with acidity that will pair well with many foods. Hint of that beloved Pinot Noir silkiness. Watermelon and cherry mid-palette.  Pleasant finish.
• Retail $22. Considering the price and quality of Lynmar Estates wine, this is an excellent Price to Quality Ratio.
• 92 points – Very Good, Strongly Recommend

About Lynmar Estates:

Lynmar is a visually stunning family winery in Russian River Valley, North Sonoma County, producing world class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as limited releases of cool climate Syrah. If you are visiting Sonoma County this is a must visit stop.

Paradise Ridge 2007 Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Nagasawa Vineyard

• Vibrant yellow straw color.

• Hints of tropical fruit, pineapple, lemon on nose.

• Lush tropical fruit, pear and touch of butterscotch on the palette. Pleasing weight, mouthfeel, and lingering acidity on finish. Will pair nicely with many foods.
• This release has spent time on French oak, and has undergone partial Malolactic fermentation. An excellent example of how oak and Malolactic fermentation don’t mean you have to lose the expression of the fruit, or become a  California butter-bomb. Only 225 cases made. Fruit is from their Estate Nagasawa Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County. $27 retail

About Paradise Ridge: Originally opened in 1994 in Santa Rosa, in their California designed tasting room, with a European styled courtyard. The San Franciso Chronicle describes it aptly “The view from the terrace is like a painting, layered with greens and golds, gradually blending into deeper earth tones and finally fading to hazy purple hues at the horizon…..This place has the feel of an insider’s secret…it’s well worth the effort to find.”

Paradise Ridge has also expanded to a second tasting room and art gallery, in Kenwood, off Highway 12.

?

I spend a lot of time each week tasting and evaluating wine that I purchase, as well as the occasional sample provided by a Winery. Most wines are from CA, OR and WA, with some imports, the latter usually acquired via K&L Wines in San Francisco (Their 3 month will call program is my Achilles Heel, I have cases to pick up this week.)

Given the regular time investment, I thought, why not spend a bit more time to capture the notes, and add that as blog content. Wine Reviews was not the original design of Simple Hedonisms, and it won’t become the primary content, but I have received a lot of positive feedback on the occasional ones I have done, so plan to ramp it up a bit. Also, I am pleased to announce that Palate Press, the Online Wine Magazine, will be publishing my reviews.

Feel free to post comments, questions. Contact me for shipping (or local pickup info) if you wish to submit a wine for review.

I also do a fair amount of ‘mini’ reviews on CellarTracker.com, usually via the Cor.kz iPhone app,  and have added a new tab for that. Right now is a manual export, so not updated in real time. Until I can figure out some kind of RSS or other real time linkage, I will update this tab once a week.  Until then, a real time list is available by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy the reviews, and find them useful. Cheers!

Tonight I am swirling in my glass a very interesting white wine blend, that is a project from Reynoso Vineyards, a small Cloverdale grower and vintner.

Long Gamma is a new brand that Reynoso just launched,  a white blend and a red blend; priced to be affordable, very drinkable, made from premium Estate grapes.

The red blend (Syrah, Zin, Petite Sirah) will be released shortly. The term ‘Long Gamma’ is a bit of a mystery, but I believe refers to a Stock Trading term, which given that there are ex-Chicago denizens in this project, may be indicative of careers prior to the Wine Industry.

I was immediately intrigued by Long Gamma white blend when I learned the blended varietals; 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Viognier, 15% Gewurtzraminer.

My taste buds immediately perked up at Viogner, a white Rhone varietal that adds great florals and excellent mouthfeel, whether blended or bottled as a varietal.

Wine Tasting Notes

Color: Bright pale yellow, with a slight green hue. Clear.

On The Nose: I had expected the Viognier to dominate the nose with its typical fragrant, floral aromas, but was clearly able to detect the Sauvignon Blanc. The hints of grassiness, grapefruit indicative of an SB are there, just a bit subdued. Interwoven are the viognier aromas; subtle citrus, peach, honey. Gewurztraminer is also a varietal know for its floral elements; I have to confess I don’t drink Gewurtz as much as I’d like, as I only care for dry Gewurtz, and little is made here in North Sonoma.

In The Mouth: Wow – the 3 varietals meld together splendidly. Layers of peach, subtle lime, green apple. Touch of minerality and wet stone mid palette. Great mouthfeel and excellent balance, that ends in a lingering, slightly mouth watering finish, pleasing acidity. This is a quaffable wine suitable both for standalone consumption or paired with food. For the love of Dionysus do NOT overchill this wine and serve it right from the fridge – you mute all these great flavor profiles. Mid 50s please.

One of the best parts of this great blend – is the suggested retail is $10-12. I just ordered a half case to start, this is one of my new summer house whites.

In a few weeks you can purchase this on a new Long Gamma website, until then you can do so via contacting Reynoso, or as of now at Andy’s Market in Sebastopol, BoardWalk Market in Tiburon, Wilibees Wines in Petaluma, and Farmstead Cheese and Wine in Alameda and Montclair.

I am supposed to be writing about Rhone varietals this week, (in honor of Hospice du Rhone) so of course, tonight’s review is about a Dry Creek Valley Sonoma Cabernet, from Amista Vineyards. ( I am being facetious since Cabernet is a Bordeaux varietal.)

Apologies to Simple Hedonism’s readers for being ‘away’ for a week; the amount of writing for 3 weekends of Barrel Tasting in two areas, and one of my infamous business road trips, 4 cities in 2 countries in 4 days…sometimes drinking wine takes precedence over writing about it.

For you Rhone and Syrah lovers, Amista makes a great syrah; I am writing after a 12 hour day, have a hankering for a cabernet to go with dinner, so it’s cabernet, writers indulgence!

I have to admit, I am a fan of Amista’s as much for their culture and hospitality, as their wines. But then, I have written repeatedly, living in an area with 160 wineries in a 30 mile radius; making good wine is table stakes to survive; you have to do more than just that to distinguish yourself.

Wine is more than a beverage, its an entity, a culture, an experience; and it starts when you enter the winery. I will write a proper review of Amista itself later, but suffice to say they have embraced their name: Amista translates as “it makes friends” – and Vicky, Mike, Ross, and the tasting room staff excel at that, and are growing a strong following of visitors and locals. Hospitality and making people feel welcome is Amista’s forte.

Wine Review Time

Another admirable quality about Amista, as a ‘newer’ winery is that they don’t release wines young, often a temptation. Current release Syrah is 2005, their ‘new’ release Zin is 2006, this cabernet reviewed is 2005. In case you don’t understand wine economics; holding back wine comes at a cost to a winery for storage and inventory costs, and cash flow. So when a more mature release is available at price parity to other wineries newer releases, there is an intrinsic value in that for you, the consumer.

2005 Amista Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley, Francesca’s Terrace

If you are tired of over the top Cabernet releases and long for style of years past; less tannins, good structure, easier to drink, you will appreciate this Cabernet release. Layers of complexity, but approachable and highly drinkable.

Tasting Notes:

Color: A vivid, dark purple hue

On the Nose: hints of blackberry, blackcurrant, plum

On the Palette: Currant, red fruit, clove, berry. Pleasing mouth feel, excellent balance, and a pleasant lingering finish. Very drinkable now, could also be laid down a few more years.

425 cases made, suggested retail $42, a great price for a cabernet of this quality, and age.

I don’t give scores or stars or animal crackers in my wine reviews; but it should be self evident since I don’t publish ‘bad’ reviews, that a wine I am reviewing, from a winery I enjoy, is a ‘buy’ recommendation, at least for my own palette! Stop by and try some before this vintage is gone, and tell em Hi from William. Cheers!