Quick, can you give me the taste markers for Napa Cabernet? How about Zinfandel, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Of course you can. Now try again for California Syrah? Gotchya! And that in a nutshell is why California Syrah continues to lag behind the so called experts expectations for the variety.
Last week at the Artisano event held outside of Santa Rosa, I had the opportunity to taste two Syrahs that may help change all that; Valdez Family Winery and Acorn Alegria Vineyard, both from Russian River Valley.
Most CA Syrahs are fruit bombs that have so much roasted meat on the nose, that in the words of Crystal McCauley, one of my instructors at CIA, it smells like you are outside a BBQ joint in Texas. These two do not have any of that. They are clean and have noses reminiscent of a Cote Rotie or Croze Heritage. Not to say there is not smoked meat on the nose, there is. But bright cherry fruit and earthy tones are also there giving them both great balance.
The Valdez is 100% Syrah and is available on their website for $50.00 per bottle. A little pricey, but one of the best Syrahs I've tasted from California. The Acorn Alegria Vineyard is a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% viognier as is $33 per bottle. Both are outstanding and worth seeking out.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Wines From the Costco Front Lines
For those who may not know, Costco is the world's largest wine retailer. They are also the largest purchaser of Bordeaux futures. In other words, when it comes to volume sales, no one beats Costco. They may not have the latest boutique winery, but when it comes to upscale brands, they probably are the best source of wine going. You find outstanding deals on Chateau St. Jean, Beringer, Provenance, and a host of old and new world brands that are distributed by some of the largest importers in the country.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a tasting sponsored by the Wines From Italy institute. Among the stand outs were the single vineyard Barolos and Barbaras from Pio Cesare, which were the best in show. The Barolo was spectacular, lots of plum and dark fruit with that refreshing acidity that makes Italian reds so food friendly.
So what does that have to do with Costco? While perusing the wine section I stumbled upon Pio Cesare's 2006 standard Barolo bottling for $40. Parker rated this bottle 95, the Spectator 92, and it is young with the recommended consumption at 15-25 years! It was a no brainer and into the cart it went. Then next to this outstanding bottle was the 2007 Antinori Tiganello at $75. One of the world's great wines, available at $50 under its release price. It also fell into my cart. Now how to I tell my wife that I spent $115 on wines? Believe me, when they are opened and enjoyed, she will inevitably ask "Where did we get great wines?" The answer is Costco and it is why I always shop their wine section.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a tasting sponsored by the Wines From Italy institute. Among the stand outs were the single vineyard Barolos and Barbaras from Pio Cesare, which were the best in show. The Barolo was spectacular, lots of plum and dark fruit with that refreshing acidity that makes Italian reds so food friendly.
So what does that have to do with Costco? While perusing the wine section I stumbled upon Pio Cesare's 2006 standard Barolo bottling for $40. Parker rated this bottle 95, the Spectator 92, and it is young with the recommended consumption at 15-25 years! It was a no brainer and into the cart it went. Then next to this outstanding bottle was the 2007 Antinori Tiganello at $75. One of the world's great wines, available at $50 under its release price. It also fell into my cart. Now how to I tell my wife that I spent $115 on wines? Believe me, when they are opened and enjoyed, she will inevitably ask "Where did we get great wines?" The answer is Costco and it is why I always shop their wine section.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
90 Point Zin for $10?
As I work in the same tasting rooms all the time, I decided to expand my blog to feature all interesting wines that I encounter. My other Blog, Marty's Random Wine Thoughts will be where I muse about food and wine and other subjects that interest me. On to the wine!
Last weekend Jessica in conjunction with our bi-annual Williams Seylem pick up, we attended the Sunday part of Food and Wine on the Wine Road. This event brings wine lovers to the Russian River Valley to sample interesting wine and food pairings along with some interesting specials on wine purchases. Generally speaking, we do not pick up wine on these weekends, but file our tastes for future reference.
Not this time. At VML winery we sampled several good wines, and then a spectacular one. Bradford Mountain has been around for several years, but for the life of me, I cannot remember where I tasted it before. They were pouring the 2007 Dry Creek Zin and it was sensational. Jam and berries in the nose, some nice smoke and sandalwood with great acidity for a zin and a long, lingering finish. This was what Dry Creek zin is all about. At $120 per case, it was too hard to resist. It was the type of wine you can pour all day, and enjoy it with your non wine drinking friends.
At home, I looked up the wine on Parker and Wine Spectator and fell out of my chair as they both rated it 90 points. Great stuff, and a must buy. To find this great deal, you'll probably have to call the winery, VML on West Side Road in Healdsburg.
Salute.
Last weekend Jessica in conjunction with our bi-annual Williams Seylem pick up, we attended the Sunday part of Food and Wine on the Wine Road. This event brings wine lovers to the Russian River Valley to sample interesting wine and food pairings along with some interesting specials on wine purchases. Generally speaking, we do not pick up wine on these weekends, but file our tastes for future reference.
Not this time. At VML winery we sampled several good wines, and then a spectacular one. Bradford Mountain has been around for several years, but for the life of me, I cannot remember where I tasted it before. They were pouring the 2007 Dry Creek Zin and it was sensational. Jam and berries in the nose, some nice smoke and sandalwood with great acidity for a zin and a long, lingering finish. This was what Dry Creek zin is all about. At $120 per case, it was too hard to resist. It was the type of wine you can pour all day, and enjoy it with your non wine drinking friends.
At home, I looked up the wine on Parker and Wine Spectator and fell out of my chair as they both rated it 90 points. Great stuff, and a must buy. To find this great deal, you'll probably have to call the winery, VML on West Side Road in Healdsburg.
Salute.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Simi Dry Creek Valley Petit Sirah 2008
Simi Winery is a large production house that is know for it's Alexander Valley Cabernet. What Simi does right is present a full range of well made and will priced Sonoma County wines. They do have some real sleepers buried in their tasting room menu.
The 2008 Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah is one of them. While I usually find wines from this grape to be very inky, dark, brooding with a lot of tannins, this one is an exception. The dark raspberry rings through the caramel and mocha nose. The pallet is a wonderful panache of earth and wood with a long smooth finish. There is just enough acid under the tongue to keep it lively. And the tannins are fully integrated with the fruit. And at $30 per bottle it provides a wonderful accompaniment to roasts, stews BBQ and pork. We had it with grilled pork chops and it was superb.
Another Simi gem to look for is their Cuvee, a blend of Muscat and Gewurztraminer. Now muscats are now very sexy, and they have been traditionally very large selling wines out of tasting rooms. This one is something more, it is a sophisticated blend that goes very well with any assertively spiced food you can name, Cajun, Moroccan, Indian, Southwestern, Szechuan Chinese, etc. The nose is pure orange blossom and honeysuckle with a base of grapefruit pith. On the pallet, these flavor have a delightful acidic structure that allows the slight sweetness of the wine to warm up the tongue. The finish emphasizes the grapefruit pith and mixes with any spice you might think of. At $20 per bottle, this wine is a real sleeper.
Both of these beauties are available at the tasting room and on their web site. They are both worth seeking out.
The 2008 Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah is one of them. While I usually find wines from this grape to be very inky, dark, brooding with a lot of tannins, this one is an exception. The dark raspberry rings through the caramel and mocha nose. The pallet is a wonderful panache of earth and wood with a long smooth finish. There is just enough acid under the tongue to keep it lively. And the tannins are fully integrated with the fruit. And at $30 per bottle it provides a wonderful accompaniment to roasts, stews BBQ and pork. We had it with grilled pork chops and it was superb.
Another Simi gem to look for is their Cuvee, a blend of Muscat and Gewurztraminer. Now muscats are now very sexy, and they have been traditionally very large selling wines out of tasting rooms. This one is something more, it is a sophisticated blend that goes very well with any assertively spiced food you can name, Cajun, Moroccan, Indian, Southwestern, Szechuan Chinese, etc. The nose is pure orange blossom and honeysuckle with a base of grapefruit pith. On the pallet, these flavor have a delightful acidic structure that allows the slight sweetness of the wine to warm up the tongue. The finish emphasizes the grapefruit pith and mixes with any spice you might think of. At $20 per bottle, this wine is a real sleeper.
Both of these beauties are available at the tasting room and on their web site. They are both worth seeking out.
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