Simple Hedonisms

Posts Tagged ‘chardonnay’

Clouds Restseems to be catching the wave in their reputation as a cult small, higher end,  Pinot Noir producer. Any event I have seen them pouring at, from SF Vintners Market to Pinot on the River re-affirms that, as the line to get a

Courtesy of Clouds Rest Facebook page

pour is usually a few persons deep.

I personally feel  its a good idea for a wine producer to have  a white wine to compliment their red portfolio, so was pleased to taste their Chardonnay. (Turns out they have a Sauvignon Blanc as well, who knew.)

Tasting Notes – Clouds Rest 2009 North Coast Chardonnay

To The Eye: Clear, medium  yellow straw.

On The Nose:  Tropical notes of pineapple, lemon, citrus, and some  toasted coconut

In The Mouth: An elegant, balanced, Chardonnay. This represents an excellent balance between a high acid, bright, unoaked Chardonnay, and a over oaked classic California butter bomb. Good mouth feel, some minerality,  and good acidity, this wine asks  for a food pairing of seafood, roasted chicken, or pasta with cream sauce. A good crowd pleaser too for the upcoming Holiday’s.

Recommendation: Buy and drink or hold. This Chardonnay drinks very well at present, but has the acidity and structure to gain some complexity with cellaring – I would recommend  laying a few bottles down, as a properly made Chardonnay with a few years of age can be beautiful thing. If you like your Chardonnay with less detectible oak,  its presence (not overwhelming by any means)  will integrate further in the next 12 months.   90 Points.

Where to Buy: Online.  $45. (Media Sample.) Clouds Rest wines are also available in California restaurants and retail shops including John Ash, Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, the Healdsburg Wine Shop, Draeger’s, and more. For a full list, click here.

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/CloudsRestWine

It seems I am forever playing catchup on giving wineries the recognition they deserve on Simple Hedonisms. Certainly I do a lot more mentions in the social media realm of Twitter and Facebook, to my active following, but they are long overdue for a review.

About Jordan Winery: Showcasing Sonoma At It’s Finest

Jordan is an extraordinary winery in many ways, and a rare breed in many as well.

Focus: Jordan only makes two wines, something incredibly rare for a winery of any size. An elegant Chardonnay, and a ‘less masculine’ Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tradition: Founded in 1972 by Tom Jordan, now run by son John Jordan, the winery has a well earned reputation for its elegance,

Photo courtesy of Jordan Website

world class wines, and customer service. Its also one of the rapidly disappearing ‘medium size wineries. Not a boutique winery making 5000 cases, and not a giant making 1 Million cases a year, but the difficult ~90,000 case range that has a unique set of challenges competing on either side.

Wineries in this size category continue to sell and merge, or in some cases over the years, dramatically downsize and spin off.  Jordan continues to adapt, innovate, and do well.

Innovation: Jordan is a winery to watch for their innovative marketing, writing, and award winning video blog. John Jordan has done a noteworthy job hiring and enabling Lisa Mattson, Executive Director of Communications.

Lisa blazes a trail for the rest of the industry to follow. (Why wineries don’t recognize marketing staff on their ‘people page’  still eludes me.)

Do read and follow: http://blog.jordanwinery.com/

Hospitality: I have witnessed the Jordan experience both as a consumer and wine industry/trade, and its always warm, impeccable, and high class, but lacking ‘other valley’ pretention – aka Sonoma at its finest. I am fortunate enough to receive media invitations several times a year to Jordan events, and even in a world where these eventually can become a bit tedious, am grateful for the invitation, and look forward to the experience. Jordan’s kitchen, and Todd Knoll Executive Chef are amazing – you are in for a treat if ever here for a meal.

See: Jordan Winery Glampire Ball; Cool Halloween (And other Holiday) Cocktails

In Defense of Chardonnay

It’s a bit ironic that as a person noted for his love of Rhone and off the beaten path varietals, that I have championed chardonnay. Why? I actually respect and like almost all wine varieties, and think we have sometimes lost our way, or forgotten how diverse wine can, or should be.  Few varietals express such a wide range of diversity as chardonnay – you need only be open mind, look around a bit, and taste more  - its worth the adventure.

There are Other Options

Yet, I had to drag people, including industry professionals, to my chardonnay tasting  this summer (at which Jordan poured.) At the tasting, by design, I featured non traditional California chardonnay – that classic bigger oak & buttery chardonnay made popular by Kendall Jackson, Rombeur and others. Without a doubt , this style appeals to the masses and dominates chardonnay sales. However, it represents only one possible style of many that chardonnay is capable of, and not only produced in Burgundy and Chablis, France, but by many small vintners here in California.

For more on Chardonnay, and how people CAN change their opinions see:

Seeing California Chardonnay in a New Light: #Chardonnay Day Greenhouse Tasting, Attendees Top Picks. 

Wine Review: Jordan 2009 Russian River Valley Chardonnay 

To The Eye: Clear pale to medium yellow.

On the Nose: Green apple, Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, pineapple

In The Mouth: – A delight. Great acidity, clean crisp mouthfeel with good weight mid palate. This chardonnay delivers as a stand alone, or paired with white meats and fish, salads, and cheeses.

Recommendation: Highly Recommend. Not your standard California ‘cougar juice’ (a term used to refer to Rombauer like oaky, buttery chardonnay) and also not as bright as an unoaked chardonnay – thus a more versatile wine overall. Buy and consume, (especially during Holiday season, pairs great with turkey.) Or cellar a few bottles as well, a well made chardonnay, with good acidity will age well.

92 Points, Outstanding.

Where to Buy: Jordan has distribution throught the country in wine shops and restaurants. You may also buy it online at http://store.jordanwinery.com/ . $29 retail. Media Sample.

Vinification Notes:    Chardonnay is a extremely diverse wine grape with huge variation in results based on winemaking tools. Learn to identify what’s been done and what you like, to better appreciate this varietal.

Cold fermentation occurred in French oak barrels (with one quarter in stainless steel). After three months of sur-lie aging and batonnage, the wine underwent only 36% malolactic fermentation  to retain its bright acidity. With a portion resting in stainless steel, the remaining 72% of the wine was aged in 100% French oak (56% new) for 5.5 months

Wine Geek Info:

• APPELLATION: Russian River Valley
• BLEND: 100% Chardonnay
• PH: 3.35
• ALCOHOL LEVEL: 13.8%
• BOTTLING DATES: July 19 – August 5, 2010
• RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011

2009 Jordan Chardonnay Video Tasting Notes

Great video! Look for the notes on  ”holding back on the oak” “more minerality” – which contribute to the success of the wine, in my opinion.

Related Articles

Jordan Winery Glampire Ball; Cool Halloween (And other Holiday) Cocktails

Seeing California Chardonnay in a New Light: #Chardonnay Day Greenhouse Tasting, Attendees Top Picks. Up Next – Aug 18 Pinot Day

 Chardonnay regains respect – now to maintain it (SF Chronicle – Jon Bonne’)

May 26th was international #Chardonnay day, organized by wine social media entity  Rick Bakas. I am a believer in the varietal focused Live tastings, so to support of this, I held a private tasting of selected, 12 distinct producers, showcasing a variety of regions.

The Impact of Social Media Twitter Tastings

Rick did an excellent job covering the results in his article recap. Some highlights:

• Reach was over 4 million people.
• 29 MILLION impressions
• 12,000 related tweets

So…as a chardonnay producer, why didn’t you take part?

Combating Chardonnay Backlash

As this event drew near, I was observing some murmurs of backlash. One wine writer/blogger whom I respect and consider more knowledgeable than myself, reacted on Twitter by saying “celebrating Chardonnay day was like celebrating McDonalds.” Wow, jaw dropping, how did we get here? Even if you took the opinion that California produces no good chardonnay (somehow out of the thousands of Vintners)….you are writing off this varietal and all of the amazing French, widely varying styles? The Grand Cru white Burgundies? Steely, minerally Chablis? Really?

If there is one thing I stand for as a wine writer, its pursuit of assisting others in their wine education by exposure, and ending some of the inane myths. Calfornia chardonnay has come a long way, as highlighted by Chronicle wine writer Jon Bonne’ in Chardonnay regains respect – now to maintain it.

It’s slightly ironic – a wine writer & evaluator who often expresses support for lesser known varietals, rushing to the aid of Chardonnay? The ‘Rhonehound’ himself battling against the ABC (anything but chardonnay) crowd? The United States Number One white varietal hardly needs my help, right? Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand vineyards in Europe have ripped out traditional unique varieties to plant this chardonnay.  I scratch my head at very hot regions growing chardonnay, when the vineyard would do so much better with whites intended for warm climates.

But, this reaction, and some of the feet dragging I was also getting from industry friends in supporting the tasting, made me all the more determined to provide some perpective. Much of the ‘ABC’ backlash, in my experience, comes from exposure to only the big California, oaky butter bombs, like the  popular Rombeur chardonnay. This style has earned the term ‘cougar juice’ – its a  valid style, and if you like it, great. But what a shame to write off one of the most diverse white wines there is, just because of one style.

Chardonnay is like a blank canvas, and responds, expresses well the many options available to a winemaker from fermentation vessels (new oak, neutral oak, concrete, stainless), aging vessels (same), primary and secondary fermentation options, climate, ripeness, clone selection and so many other variables. If you like a steely sauvignon blanc, or a modest Rhone white blend, odds are there are styles of Chardonnay you will like.

If you are one of those “real wine drinkers don’t drink white” or “I don’t drink white” …your journey of exploration and awareness has far to go. Once you truly open up the world to white wine and its hundreds of varieties and styles, globally, and its more subtle nuances, your world is forever changed. Never stop trying, tasting, or exploring.

The Producers I Gathered

At first, not knowing how many  I would get for this tasting, I extended offers to friends and producers I liked. As word got out and the day got closer, last minute requests flooded in, and  I had to say no to some, not because I didn’t like the wines, but I had space constraints, keeping the audience to around 80 people, wanted focus, and most importantly, diversity, by region and style. I had originally planned only six producers.

This is the great lineup I ended up:

• Rivino Winery from Mendocino poured their stainless/no ML chardonnay.
• kopriva – 2009 Carneros unoaked Chardonnay paired with Hog Island Oysters.
• Inspiration Vineyards -  2008 & 2009 Russian River for comparison
• VineCrowd (representing k. furtado & Hirsch) VineCrowd is a new site that provides wine drinkers with the opportunity to connect directly to a handfulof cutting edge, independent wineries through a user-friendly social web driven website. Poured the  2009 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay and the k. furtado Bien Nacido Chardonnay.
• Donelan Wines poured their  2009 Donelan Nancie Chardonnay (also with Vinecrowd.)
• Gloria Ferrer – Started with a splash of Blanc de Blanc bubbles, then their new release 2008 Carneros Chardonnay.
• Old World Winery 2008 Chardonnay, Tweek Block.
• Jordan 2008 & 2009 Chardonnay.
• Vintage Wine Estates Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast Vineyards, and Windsor Vineyards RRV.
• Chamisal Vineyards from San Luis Obispo: -Chamisal Vineyards (Edna Valley) – 2010 Stainless Chardonnay and 2008 Estate Chardonnay-Pine Ridge Vineyards (Napa Valley) – 2008 Dijon Clones Chardonnay (Carneros)

You can view a more detailed 2 page spreadsheet that attendees received that have more notes on each wine, here on Google Docs.

Event Feedback – A Huge Success

I have been writing and discussing regularly that wine tasting events need to evolve to new formats.  Based on feedback both from attendees and producers, and we may have hit on one here. Since the event was private and went to mostly friends, most of the crowd was very knowledgeable, with a heavy mix of industry.

Feedback was gushing next day. A  PR wine veteran shared they had been reluctant to come and came away with a completely fresh perspective on California chardonnay. Many echoed similar. Producers expressed they were very happy with the very high level of enthusiasm and sincere interest. The greenhouse was abuzz with energy and excitement. It was one of the most lively tastings I had observed in some time. Most of the  photos are courtesy of Damon Mattson Photography – you can see the whole Facebook album here.

We couldn’t have fit any more people inside. I had expected people to come in waves, but for the most part they clustered around the same time. Space got a bit tight, and noise a bit loud, but neither became unmanageable. To accommodate more people – additional space outside the greenhouse, and/or two different times would be needed. I am examining a number of tweaks for the next event.

The Top Picks By Attendees

With 12 producers and 17 wines, not everyone tasted through them all. (Self included.) There were several surprises for me, and some wines I really liked I  had not had before. My personal favorite of the ones I tried was the Donelan 09 Nancie. Twenty four hours of skin contact gave great aromatics and texture, the wine maker Tyler exercises restraint with oak, and produced and elegant, unique expression of Chardonnay. I was pleasantly surprised with the new 2008 Gloria Ferrer. Their still wines are made for food pairings, and thus their Chardonnay is often more robust, but this year had greater balance than previous vintages, and I thought was an excellent value. The Rivino stainless, no malo chard was also a standout. Unoaked chard can sometimes be a bit too bright and austere, but this had excellent round fruit and weight.

I hope to do a review of all the wines, as I only got to about half, and had little time to really focus. Each producer donated a bottle to that effect.

Below is a chart of the attendee picks. I almost hate to publish top picks, as by design, these were all quite different, and feedback from attendees was that it was hard to pick.

For this ‘contest’ attendees picked their top 3. Not everyone voted, (only about 35% did) and as mentioned, not everyone tasted through all 17 wines poured. I will streamline consumer feedback for the next event with improved handouts, and perhaps may use simple  scores of 1-10.

The chart is simple: it shows the number of votes each wine received as an attendees’ #1, 2 or 3 vote. As you can see, the votes are very spread out, with all wines receiving some votes.

‘Total Score’ is the unweighted total number of votes. The ‘Winner’ was determined by the ‘Weighted Score;’ 3 points for a #1, 2 Points for #2, 1 point for #1. I also highlighted in gray, the top 3 in each ranking.

The Winners

1. kopriva :  No matter how you slice the data kopriva was the favorite of the day. (I have always been a big fan). This wine is a direct opposite of a California cougar juice. The kopriva team were also brilliant to pair it with Hog Island oysters, who’s briny minerality make it shine. Indeed, in bragging about to kopriva to a friend once, she thought it was decent, but a bit plain for her. We then paired it with some oysters, and she fell in love too.

kopriva garnished 22 percent of the #1 picks, as well as the highest #2. Weighted or unweighted, they had the top overall score – bravo!

2. Donelan 09 Nancie chardonnay:  Their inaugural release, inched out a  #2 choice. The 2nd highest weighted score.

3. Hirsch 09 :  The Hirsch 2009 had the 3rd highest weighted score.

From here the numbers quickly clump, again reflect a wide like factor of all the wines. Pine Ridge, Chamisal, Rivino, and Gloria Ferrer also did well.

What’s Next – Pinot Day, August 18th – Taking Applicants

I am a co-host for Ed Thralls of Wine Tonite for the 2nd Annual #PinotSmackdown. Pinot’s from various regions will be compared and people will vote for their favorite region during this live tasting.

As I did with Chardonnay, I will be seeking a certain profile of Pinot. There has been moderate wine press recently by Jon Bonne’, Jancis Robinson and others, discussing Pinot Noir starting to return to its more elegant form. Over the years Pinot has crept up in color and alcohol, over ripened and over extracted, chasing the new World Palate, and trying to lure less knowledgeable drinkers weened on Cabernet, who think there is something wrong with red wine that is light in color.

I am looking for Pinot that is more reflective of the vintage, terroir, and is balanced, with good acidity. If you are a Pinot producer that fits this, and would like to pour, or have someone represent you and pour, please contact me. If I am not familiar with your wine, I may request a sample prior to accepting. Right now we are focused on OR and CA, but I would love Pinot from any region and importer that fits the targeted intent.

I also intend to lead and organize a Rhone varietal tasting this fall, on behalf of the Rhone Rangers.

Next Event – Venue Tweaks

During the event, I thought there were a few glitches and areas of improvement:

Parking: Thanks to last minute unexpected rain, one side of the road was bad for parking, and despite warnings in the email update, AAA pulled out 4 cars! Winter tastings and parking will be a challenge in the winter I will need to address, as both sides of the road become unparkable in wet season.

Temperature: Luckily we had a normal Russian River summer evening and the weather cooled down. That is normally the case, but a summer heat spike out of the norm, could impact our Pinot day tasting.

Twitter Coverage: All in all things came out well, but there is always room for improvement.  I had a lot to do to pull this off and get my place ready, and I ran out of time on a few things I had planned. Technical glitches prevented me from projecting the Twitterfeed. AT&T works poorly on the farm, so I had extended wifi coverage to reach the Greenhouse, but many people were not aware. One producer shared disappointment, they only saw their brand mentioned once. I was so busy, and I think people were so engaged, social media coverage became secondary to face to face interaction. Personally, I only had time to Tweet twice! There is also the challenge that people know the hashtag, secondary hashtag, and your Twitter handle. I will improve signage and communication next time, but people don’t often read details. More check-in help would also be useful.

Wine Sales: I’d like to explore permits so wineries could take orders. Again, the cost must be low. Wineries don’t want to pay table fees, and consumers don’t want to pay high entry fees; so keeping costs low is a part of this. Even just selling a small amount of wine, helps offset the ROI for the winery for the event. (Time, travel, wine.)

Crowd Breakdown: I’d like to perhaps divide the tasting into two times and groups, and perhaps start with a Trade (Retail, restaurant, distribution) and Media Tasting, and then an everyone else. Part of the problem is that despite all the events I host; I haven’t done a good job creating a trade list – something I will need to work on.

Thoughts and Feedback

I’d love any comments, ideas and suggestions. Also if you were one of the 80 attendees or 12 producers pouring, share your thoughts and comments.

cheers!

Related Articles:

May 26th is International #Chardonnay Day. Here’s how to follow, participate, celebrate

#Chardonnay Day Recap

Wine Tasting Events Must Evolve

2nd Annual Pinot Noir Smackdown – August 18th, 2011

Pinot Noir eyes a new era of restraint

There is a growing new phenomenon that combines  wine tasting and social media  – virtual tastings.  There are numerous ways to do these, but the concept is consistent.  People all over the state, country, even the world, participate in sharing wine. Sometimes its via the same producer, with samples sent to media, sometime its for a winery sales training or wine club, sometimes its recognition and celebration of a wine variety.

Generally someone takes the lead as organizer, sets the stage, and people join in, as co-hosts, or participants. The social media platform Twitter, is generally the platform used to share tasting notes, comments etc, especially by trade, media, bloggers, and passionate consumers. In my experience the stronger and social media adept the leader, the better the event. And vice versa. This one is led by Rick Bakas, one of the earliest leaders of wine social media, and very adept at this venue.

Why Wineries Should Care – And Participate

Rick will share the final stats, but the pre-event mentions, views, and impressions are very impressive, already surpassing millions, and for much of the world the event hasn’t kicked in yet. (It is drinking time in Australia.) Its a great way to promote your flagship varietal, release and brand, and be a part of the virtual community. AVA’s and Growers should care too.

Or just sit on the sidelines and watch…this whole social media thing is a fad, right? Kinda like what they said about the Internet. Facebook doesn’t really have 500 million users, 200 million mobile (excludes China) and is the number one website in world…really.

What the heck is the # In Front of Chardonnay?

Its Twitterspeak. It’s called a Hashtag. Nothing to do with Amsterdam. Its basically a sorting mechanism. If you go to Twitter main page or to http://search.twitter.com/ and type in something with a the hashtag, you can see all the latest “Tweets’ that have mentioned that hashtag.

It may be a common one like #fail or #followfriday or #nascar. Some are just made up and silly, others are created speficically for an event by the organizer. Since Tweets only allow 140 characters, and are suggested to stay at around 120 (except for Robert Parker, who can’t stick to 140.) generally we keep them as short as possible. Wine Road Barrel Tasting = #WRBT. Rhone Rangers San Francisco Tasting= #RRSF. Sometimes the year is added like Taste Alexander Valley = #TAV11.

So I am not on Twitter, Does that Mean I Am excluded?

By no means. First of all I always encourage the SOCIAL in Social Media. Get the heck off your phone and PC and go interact with live human beings. There are many wineries offering tastings, gatherings and more.  You can find information in several places including http://chardday.eventbrite.com/ as well as Meetup.com/Chardonnay.

Rick Bakas,  wrote an excellent summary article: “Everyone is Invited to the Virtual Tasting Table.”

You can also follow just by using your web browser, regardless if you are on Twitter. Just go to Twitter.com and in the search field type #chardonnay or click here.

Look the Aussies are already at it!

Personal Event: Hosting 11 Special Producers for 80 Attendees – Greenhouse Tasting

My new 1.4 acre small farm, soon to be new vineyard ,in Russian River Valley has a greenhouse that I have been using for wine tastings.

As my own contribution, I have gathered 11 producers of many different styles, and areas: Russian River, Napa Valley, Central Coast, Mendocino, Sonoma Coast and styles; medium bodied California, unoaked/stainless ‘naked’, neutral oak French/Burgundian.

California Chardonnay fought for years with a bad reputation,  and has finally earned a respectable position, by steering away from the heavy oak, Malolactic butter bombs, affectionately also known as ‘cougar juice’ in many circles. (If that needs more explaining, let me know in comments.)

The secondary hashtag for my event, in addition to #chardonnay is #NOCG (no cougar juice.)

I was one of those “ABC – Anything But Chardonnay” people for years until I discovered the incredible wide range both in California, and especially globally. Since no-one would fly in from France or Australia, we are sticking to California.

A Special Lot of Producers for the Greenhouse Tasting.

If I may say so myself, we are damn lucky to have such a range of producers, many small and hard to find, all of high quality.  These include:

• Rivino Winery from Mendocino will pour their stainless/no ML chardonnay. 
  

• kopriva – Pouring their Carneros unoaked Chardonnay paired with Hog Island Oysters.

• Inspiration Vineyards -Will pour their 2008 & 2009 Russian River for comparison

• VineCrowd (representing k. furtado & Hirsch) VineCrowd is a new site that provides wine drinkers with the opportunity to connect directly to a handful of cutting edge, independent wineries through a user-friendly social web driven website. http://VineCrowd.com. Pouring the 2009 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay and the k. furtado Bien Nacido Chardonnay. They will also have producer Donelan Wines will be pouring their  2009 Donelan Nancie Chardonnay

• Gloria Ferrer – Start with a splash of bubbles, then taste their 2008 Carneros Chardonnay – New Release. Paired with mini quiche

• Old World Winery Pouring their 2008 Chardonnay, Tweek Block.

• Jordan Pouring their 2008 & 2009 Chardonnay.

• Vintage Wine Estates Will be pouring Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast Vineyards, and Windsor Vineyards RRV.

• Chamisal Vineyards from San Luis Obispo will be pouring:
  -Chamisal Vineyards (Edna Valley) – 2010 Stainless Chardonnay and 2008 Estate Chardonnay-Pine Ridge Vineyards (Napa Valley) – 2008 Dijon Clones Chardonnay (Carneros)

Most tables will also have a simple food pairing to showcase their wine. $5 donation requested to offset costs.

We are also fortunate to have Rick Bakas, being based in Marin, to attend.

We had a few cancellations from attendees, and will also waitlist. Please RSVP on Eventbrite at http://greenhousetasting.eventbrite.com.

If we are at room capacity, and you have not RSVP, you may be turned away. Check in and name tags are also streamlined via RSVPs.

More Coming

Based on enthusiasm both by producers and attendees I think I may be onto something. Look for an upcoming #Pinot day in conjunction with Ed Thralls, as well as a Rhone variety day, on behalf of the Rhone Rangers, and perhaps teamed up with another organization. Additionally I have held a few private wine maker tastings and look to more, as well as a few ‘secret’ dinners by guest chefs.

I have several other significant updates for readers and the industry, but those will have to wait until next week – until then, enjoy #chardonnay day, and cheers!

It’s funny how one’s palate changes over time with wine given enough exposure and diversity. A decade ago I was a solid “ABC” wine drinker – ‘Anything But Chardonnay.” Like many I was stunted by the low end California oak and butter bombs, best served near freezing if possible.

Over time I discovered what diversity chardonnay has, and learned to appreciate styles from other countries such as Australia, and of course France, whose diversity of chardonnay styles is almost overwhelming, and few others resemble the old California style. I also became a fan a few years ago of unoaked or ‘naked’ chardonnay – when done right, such as Kopriva.

I have to admit I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Folie à Deux sample I received over the Holidays; a sub $20 fairly  distributed wine, with I believed was a  large production. I later  read the data sheet and saw only 25,000 cases were made.) I was assured there was no pressure or expectations with the samples – enjoy them; writing was optional.

For those of you less fluent in French (like me) ‘ Folie à Deux’ is named for the French term meaning ‘shared fantasies’ and  ‘represents the fulfillment of a dream to create a beautiful dance of flavors and true varietal expression.’

Folie à Deux 2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay

The fruit for was sourced from Napa Valley vineyards in the Northern part of Chardonnay territory including Oak Knoll, Oakville, and Atlas Peak.  Part of of the juice fermented in stainless steel tanks, the  balance of wine fermented in small oak barrels to help round out the finish. After fermentation, the wine was aged in French and American oak for 6 months.

To the Eye: Clear, vibrant yellow straw

On the Nose: Green apple, tropical fruit, vanilla, hint of coconut

In The Mouth: Rich mouth feel. Citrus, pineapple, peach. Good mid palate, and lingering acidity at finish. Oak is present, but modest. (A tad surprised since was some American oak.) Good balance.

Where to Buy: Website, Some distribution. $18 on Web.  Media Sample.

You can also visit their Napa tasting room.

Food Pairing: Pairing mine tonight with my seasonal favorite dungeness crab. Try crab cakes, chicken or pasta with cream sauce. 

Recommendation: This wine is <$20, and possibly ~$15 retail. This is a very drinkable chardonnay for under $20, that will please many, not embarrass you, and not break the bank, as well as pair widely with a good variety of foods. I’d have no problem picking this up on the run and taking it home, or someone’s house. Recommend.

(p.s. I love the suggested ‘song pairing’ “Suggested Song Pairing: “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,”by  Otis Redding.)

Wine Geek Info:

• Alcohol: 14.2%
• T.A.: 0.57g/100ml
• pH: 3.58
• R.S.: 0.28 g/100ml

The Russian River Valley (RRV) has emerged over the last decade as a world renowned region of wine growing. It’s especially recognized for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but many great varietals from Rhones like roussanne and cool climate syrah, to cool climate zinfandel are produced here.

This weekend, August 20-22 is the showcase event for RRV, the 15th Annual Grape to Glass.

Friday August 20th

There are several great events to choose from Friday:

CELLARPASS WINERY SENSATIONS PASSPORT:

Your very own VIP CellarPass to tour our many participating wineries and discover what makes each sensational. Hosted by CellarPass, an online reservation tool for planning and booking wine country events, wineries will open exclusive bottles and surprise you with their own special attraction. Visit at least four participating wineries and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a return trip back to the Russian River Valley in 2011.  11 a.m. – 430 p.m. $45

IN CONCERT WITH THE ARTISANS

Taste an amazing array of the best of Russian River food and wine, hosted at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa.

The Evening’s Schedule:
6:00pm – 8:00pm Russian River Valley Varietal Hosted Garden Tasting
8:15pm – 9:45pm Concert with Nick Palance – No Host Bar, No Host Small Plates
10:00pm – 10:45pm Nick Palance Reception & Signing, No Host Bar

Tickets start at $85

Saturday August 21st

Saturday features a wide array of activities and seminars: everything from Kayaking the Russian River, to Seminars on Green Farming, or touring Pinot Noir Neighborhoods. No matter what your interest in food and wine, there is something for everyone; for the complete list click here. Events have limited space so don’t wait too long!

The amazing day wraps up with the spectacular HOG IN THE FOG ~ Festival of Plenty, hosted at the fabulous Richards Grove in Saralee’s Vineyard, in Windsor, a venue open only a few times a year for events.

The Russian River Valley Winegrowers annual Hog in the Fog ~ Festival of Plenty BBQ is a perennial favorite with its TasteFest and auction. This year add’s live music, art by our vintner artists, and a surprise guest chef known for firing up great BBQ recipes.

The event features more than fifty Russian River Valley wineries, small-bites produced from our region’s fabulous food products, silent auction items, and arts created by our versatile and talented vintners. Grape growers will be prepare the evening’s plentiful BBQ feast.

Dinner will be paired (of course) with Russian River Valley wines.  Vintners and growers will roll up their sleeves and make the rounds with great bottles.  The evening commences with a live auction featuring rare library wines and lifestyle packages.  $115/person.

Sunday August 20th

What better way to spend a Sunday, with Bubbles and gorgeous views at the BUBBLES & PIXELS ~ A Sparkling Pink Finish at Iron Horse Vineyards, a personal favorite. 

Set on the Sterling family’s stunning 350-acre estate, Bubbles & Pixels will feature the Sparkling & Pink wines of the Russian River Valley.  Wines are served with a family-style brunch, created by a top wine country chef and featuring local produce and artisan food products.
A panel of judges will announce the winners of the TasteLive Photo Contest. 10:30 a.m.  – 12:30 p.m.  $80

Have a GREAT Weekend, the Weather looks to

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.

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

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.

?

Welcome to the Inaugural post of “Question of the Week.”

This week’s chosen question is week from a Facebook follower/friend Janey Patton Russell who enjoys wine, and learning. (One of the things I love about wine, is you are never done learning.)

I have a chardonnay question for you. You will laugh or may think my every day choice of chardonnay wine is gross.  I really enjoy Clos Du Bois for my “everyday” wine sometimes I step it up to Rombauer or Sonoma Cutrer. That said do you have a suggestion for me for a nice, dry chardonnay? I like Sonoma, Russian River Valley.  Tried Toasted Head here and there but over that.  Prefer  dry, a little buttery,  but certainly not a lot. Come to think of it I like it dry and oaky!

Great questions. Long time friends of mine may find it ironic I am doing reviews of chardonnay and being asked questions. Until the last few years, I generally shunned chardonnays, my palette not enjoying most of the US made highly oaked, buttery styles. As I have dove headfirst into exploring whites, (especially Rhone varietals) I have learned more and more to be open minded, and explore more styles and countries.

Explore and Branch Out: The many names of chardonnay

I am hardly a Franco-phile, but I have been embracing French wines more (don’t worry Sonoma County, my heart is yours forever), especially white wine from Burgundy…..which is chardonnay. You may hear or see “white burgundy” or “chablis” or “pouilly-fuise” – don’t be confused. All of these are chardonnay, the latter two being appellations (regions) of Burgundy, France. Unfortunately many people hear ‘white burgundy’ or ‘chablis’  still have memories of low quality white jug wines from decades ago, in a travesty of marketing.

How to Pick a Wine, Where to Buy

One of the challenging things of recommending wine to the average consumer outside of this area, is there is little consistency, even in a national chain, of what you can buy. Even Costco varies what they offer by location. There are certainly a few brands you can find many places, but I have to say as a general rule, I shy away from a bottle of wine that had one million cases made. I am buying and tasting more larger production wines for review (my personal cellar still stays mostly small producers) to assist with this, but it will always be a challenge.

(It is worthwhile to note that even the million+ case wineries will bottle a release in much smaller scale. I was amazed at a visit to the La Crema winery (not the tasting room) to taste through 5 pinot noirs and 5 chardonnays. I knew of their massive scale releases, but was pleased to enjoy bottles of limited small lot production as well.)

So when asked, in addition to exact bottle/wine recommendations, I am will often give you some broader guidelines.

My answer to this enquiry:

” I generally drink a newer style of chard, which is unoaked and non ML (not buttery)…odds are you won’t find many of these in a every day retail store. Rombauer and Sonoma Cutrer are definately higher end better chards. If you ever see say, a Lynmar or Hartford Court (won’t be at Safeway) try them, although more pricey. They will have the oak and ML components, but be beautifully balanced.

One you could try, that should be easily found, is La Crema…they have several mass produced chardonnays that are widely distributed and decent, and they also have some great ones here that don’t make mass market. I haven’t tasted through Kendall Jackson’s chardonnay releases entirely, but enjoyed some of their whites at the Heirloom Tomato Festival this fall.

My best suggestion – try your local wine shop. Explain your tastes, and what you like, and what you want to spend. for the same money you will get something from a smaller winery. Let them recommend a few and buy 2-3 of those for comparison.

Be opened minded to other countries as well:  French, Australia, Chile. I shunned France for years, but have re-opened that, especially now that I drink more chardonnay. Chardonnay from Pouilly-Fuissé region of Burgundy tend to be reasonable. I had one last night actually that I really enjoyed, I picked up at K and L Wines.

Don’t apologize for drinking chards, its one of the world’s most planted and consumed varietals, and the French still make really great, original style. The bad name came from the over oaked US garbage. Instead embrace it, and see what you can learn about styles, different areas. Australians’ make good chards as well.

My friend responded back with one more comment I thought worth sharing.

Thanks so much! I will try your suggestions. I had a feeling you being a real wine person would not drink chardonnay. I was told by a guy at the store to try this one French but I did not….I will go back and ask him again what it was. I’m going to embrace my love of chardonnay and learn as much as I can. Thanks for the boost of confidence! I’m told by my wine  friends that real wine drinkers don’t drink anything bit reds.

I’d tell her the wine friends are clueless, but frankly I was one of those for 12+ of my 20 years drinking wine.  It took some pushing and exploration at first, but once my mindset and palette cracked, and I discovered gems like Viognier, Torrontes, Rousanne, Marsanne, and now some chardonnay, pinot gris, chenin blanc and more – my experience and enjoyment of wine has increased many fold – so many more options, things to learn, and tastes, aromas to experience. Open your minds and palettes, try things, wine is a never ending journey, or should be.

And as I will constantly repeat, do not drink your white wine overchilled. (Unless its not very well made, then by all means drink it right from the fridge.) You can not experience the aroma, mouthfeel, and nuances of a wine if you drink it out of the fridge at 52 degrees.

Hope you found this useful, I’d love comments. You can also reach my on Facebook, Twitter, or the Contact Me, tab.

cheers!