Wine for Normal People

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 38 -- Alphabet Soup…The Business of Wine Certifications

2012-01-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

This week we go inside the wine industry again!

MC Ice and I start with some amazing shout outs from iTunes, Twitter, and Facebook. Thanks for all the positive feedback!

Then we tackle a robust listener question that pulls the curtain back on the wine industry. I share firsthand information about big conglomerates' wines that I learned while working for the big hulking winery! In a nutshell, we address the quality, the marketing, & how to figure out what they own.

Then we cover the certifications that people in the wine industry love to tout, what they really mean, and our take on the pyramid schemes of these certification groups:

The certifications that Pliny the Elder, Ausonius, Thomas Jefferson, and other wine experts throughout history earned/certifications' place in wine history (hint: they didn't have any...this stuff is all very new)
The wine-service-oriented Court of Master Sommeliers and the different levels offered
The Society of Wine Educators and the Certified Specialist of Wine and Certified Wine Educator Exams
The Wine and Spirits Education Trust (and why it's awesome but really price-y)
The Master of Wine

If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes, drop a comment below, or join the awesome conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine!

If you've got a question you want us to answer, post it and we'll include it on the show!

Thanks for listening! We can't wait to hear from you!

Acorn Winery: The Seed of Something Different and Mighty in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma

2012-01-19T14:52:00.004-05:00

Have you ever stepped into a place and felt like you were in the living room of a dear friend's home? Where the people, who you've never met, made you feel like you've known them for years and that they care about you, about what you think, and about how comfortable you are? It's rare to find this anywhere, let alone in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma...unless you go see Betsy and Bill Nachbaur, owners of Acorn Winery. Add insanely good wine to the mix and you've got one of the most fabulous, differentiated places in Sonoma.

After you've tasted all the Pinot, Chardonnay, Zin, and Cab your mouth can handle, go to Acorn for something no one else has...Cab Franc, Dolcetto, and what's called "Field Blends" (a bunch of complementary stuff grown together, picked together, and fermented together to make heavenly wines) and a family feel you won't get anywhere else.

I made an appointment here at the urging of some Facebook fans. When we drove up, the tasting room was full (it only holds about 10 people) and Betsy, harried but enthusiastic, hurried out to tell us that she was running late. We got to poke around in the vineyards outside and after the other group finished (Betsy does the hospitality at Acorn and treats everyone like they are the most important person in the world), MC Ice and I sat down with Bill and Betsy to taste through their amazing line of wines (all reds, so if you're a white wine-only person you may need to opt out) and talk about everything under the sun. Betsy and Bill are smart, insider-outsiders in the wine community (in a REALLY GREAT way) and have perspective.

What do I mean by perspective? The Nachbaurs have had a life outside of wine so they know there's more to the world than just Sonoma and Napa (there are some industry folks who I think have no idea that there is a world outside California Wine Country). Bill was a lawyer in San Francisco and Betsy had a high powered job in business. They loved wine, so in 1990, Bill gave up law and devoted himself full-time to a new venture -- he and Betsy purchased Alegría Vineyards, a property that had been planted with grapevines since the 1880s but was in sore need of care and love. They saved what they could of the old vines and then planted another 17 acres of new stuff, mostly of single varieties to have something different from the heritage vines, which included more of a hodge podge.

For the first four years they sold all their grapes and then decided to make their own wine in 1994. In 1996 the first Sangiovese was released. Today they still sell 50% of their grapes to other high end wineries. They only make 3000 cases of their estate-grown wine. They crush their grapes off site so the operation at Acorn (named because they are small but produce something magnificent: acorn to oak) is largely about farming.

This isn't a corporate place. It's not slick. Betsy and Bill work their asses off farming, making wine, delivering wine, and hosting guests. It's their second act in their careers and they LOVE what they do -- Alegría means "joy" in Spanish, and that's what they feel about farming and making wine. Bill isn't formally trained in wine. He's a really, really smart guy who read books and experimented and figured out how to farm, how to make damn good juice, and he worked with Betsy to learn how to have a business in a crazy industry that probably made no sense from a legal/political/business perspective. The Nachbaurs are fast learners.

Acorn's focus is different from everyone else's in Sonoma, especially in the Russian River Valley where ever place peddles its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which after a while can taste very "same-y." The vineyards aren't perfectly manicured. Bill works with nature and farms the old school way -- using mostly organic techniques and letting the vineyard express itself. Their "thing" is field blends. Letting complementary things grow together make it easier to cultivate the grapes and create unique wines. This method also honors the history of the Italian immigrants who settled in Sonoma, spreading their winemaking tradition. Acorn's wines stand out both because they are made from grapes that virtually no one else is cultivating and because they are freaking delicious.

I don't know if it's because they are originally East Coasters (from Connecticut) or whether they are not so entrenched in wine that they are really well-rounded, but these are some of the most interesting, kind, passionate people I've met in Sonoma...EVER. I love the story, I love the wines and I can't recommend this place highly enough. It's for normal people.

And so, let's get to the lineup...

Wine #1: 2008 Cabernet Franc, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $30
Alcohol: 13.5%

Color: The wine was a crimson color with a touch of brown. I always think Cabernet Franc is kind of like the color of mud, with plums thrown in. This one was spot on!

Smell: EXACTLY what I think of when I think of Cab Franc -- earthy, like decaying leaves and tea, with some black cherry and floral notes.

Taste: Earthy, with cherry and licorice flavors and much fuller than I expected. It had great acid and nice mouth-drying tannin but had enough fruit, earth, and nutmeg/cinnamon spice to keep it interesting. Complex, delicious and would be terrific with earthy food like mushrooms or steak au jus.

Drink or Sink: Drink. What a way to start a tasting. This wine was outstanding. It surprised me. I expected that it would be a little like green pepper (Cab Franc sometimes has that note) or overly fruity (some from Sonoma are) but this was Cab Franc done right -- earthy, spicy, fruity, floral. Great wine.

Wine #2: 2008 Dolcetto (dole-CHET-oh, a grape native to the Piedmont region in Northwestern Italy and rarely found in Sonoma, so this is really cool!), Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $30
Alcohol: 14.1%

Color: A pretty ruby color with thick legs from the 14% alcohol (thick legs = higher alcohol).

Smell: Light cherry with cooked cherry (like the inside of a pie) and a touch of cinnamon. There were some coffee and raspberry smells too that were delicious and different for a Dolcetto. The smell is a little deceptive -- it doesn't reveal the blast of flavor your about to get when you sip the wine.

Taste: Black cherry and cherry pie filling or raspberry jam with cinnamon. This was like a raspberry, mocha cake! The wine tasted like cinnamon French toast stuffed with raspberry preserves. A little bit of tangerine flavor played against the mocha to make it like an orange chocolate truffle.The wine is soft feeling and a little buttery in texture.

Drink or Sink: Drink. I'm a huge fan of Dolcetto. This one was complex, delicious and even better than many of the watery, bitter versions from Italy.

Wine #3: 2008 Sangiovese, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $28
Alcohol: 14.2%

Color: Looked like cranberry juice -- ruby with just a touch of orange to it. Sangiovese tends to get a little orange/brown quickly in the winery and this one had that kind of color. I liked seeing that lighter shade because when Sangiovese is too dark, it's usually the case that the winery left the grape on the vine too long and it ends up tasting too jammy and fruity and loses its earthiness, which is what I like in the grape.

Smell: Typical Sangiovese smells like red cherry with a good hit of rustic, dirty, dusty scents. This held true to form, but was a bit more on the fruity side than the earthy one. The wine smelled like licorice and had a great spice component from the Hungarian oak barrels, which Bill said suited Sangiovese perfectly. I agree!

Taste: Similar to the Dolcetto, the wine had a cherry pie filling flavor -- baked cherry and cinnamon flavors. There was a little bit of black pepper and some kicked-up-dust-on-a-country-road flavor. I loved the texture -- some nice mouth-drying tannins but the contrast of spice, earth, and fruit was the real homerun.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This isn't a fruit bomb but it has a ton of subtle flavor. Very different from Italian Chianti in that it was fruitier and had more spice to it (the Italian version tends to be very earthy), still this would be amazing with pizza. I brought a bottle home and can't wait to have it with the Neapolitan pizza from my favorite local place.

Wine #4: 2007 Axiom Syrah, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $33
Alcohol: 14.4%

Color: SUPER dark -- this was essentially black in color and had super thick legs that stained the glass. I expected a lot of flavor out of this wine -- dark wines usually = fruit bombs.

Smell: Spot-on for a Syrah. Juicy, ripe black plum, with a huge hit of black pepper and cinnamon. There was a peachy, honeysuckle thing going on from the touch of Viognier used and some salty, earthy, woodsy scents that made this wine so complex.

Taste: YUM! Rich, full, fruity and peppery, this was a flavorful wine but not so overwhelming that you couldn't have it with some food off the grill. GREAT wine.

Drink or Sink: Drink. I love a good Syrah and this one fits the bill. Rich, spicy, earthy, this is a knockout. I can't wait to have it with something off the grill -- the fullness of the fruit with the spice and smoke will be insane with the char/grilled flavor.

As an aside, we tried the bottle Betsy had just opened against the one she had from the previous day. I think the one from the day before was more complex, and I'd recommend you decant this wine for an hour or so before drinking it so it really shows its stuff.

Also, we tried the 2008 version of the Axiom. It was similar in color, and it was also 2% Viognier, but I found it much more floral -- like gardenias and carnations. It was a little more earthy smelling than the 2007. It tasted far smokier, and more like earth and blackberries. I actually liked the 2008 better than the 2007 because it was so complex and powerful. Great wine.

Wine #5: 2008 Heritage Vines Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $35
Alcohol: 15%
Grapes: This is a field blend, so it bears mentioning that although 82% of this is Zin, the remainder includes 8% Alicante Bouchet and 8% Petite Sirah and the rest is a mix of 13 other grapes!

Color: Darker than many Zins (thanks probably goes to the dark Petite Sirah for that!), the wine was garnet colored with a brown rim. It had 15% alcohol, so the legs were super thick and dripped down the glass oh-so-slowly.

Smell: This was a bowl of dark fruit -- prunes, raspberry, and blackberry. It was a little bit of a cilia singer -- you could smell the alcohol, but the burn was tempered by the black pepper and clove smells that warmed it up.

Taste: The wine tasted warm and brandied. It was just like it smelled with fruit and black pepper, and clove. It was powerful, fruit, and spicy. This was clearly Zin, but the other components added spiciness and raspberry flavors that were delicious.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is a real showpiece for Acorn. A powerful Zin with tons of flavor -- fruit and spice, but more elegant and interesting than a lot of the Zins from Sonoma. Just what Zin should be. I think Zin should always be made as a field blend -- it makes it so much more interesting!

Wine #6: 2008 Medley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Price: $38
Alcohol: 14.2%

Grapes: This is a different blend every year, that reflect what's in the vineyards. This year it is 33% Zinfandel, 31% Cabernet Franc, 23% Syrah, 3% Cinsault, 2% Muscat, 1% Merlot, and 7% other grapes.

Smell: This was a cool wine to smell -- so different. Oranges, plums, and honey jumped out the glass. There was a black tea smell too and a little bit of black cherry. The fruit, the spice, the honey combined with licorice and earth made this wine heady.

Taste: Flowers, plums and tobacco with some licorice and honey wowed my mouth. The Medley had great mouth-drying tannins and mouthwatering acid. It was so interesting and delicious, and the finish went on and on.

Drink or Sink: Drink. The Medley is knockout! It makes me wonder why more producers don't try this old fashioned method of field blends. What a unique wine! I've never had anything like this from Sonoma and I loved it.

If you can't tell already, I'm a huge fan of Acorn and of Bill and Betsy. Such great wine and TOTALLY for normal people. This is not a place for snobs, it's for nice people who want to sit down with the owners of a winery, learn a thing or two and drink great stuff.

Betsy and Bill, I applaud you both and thank you for making great wine and having no hubris about it. Salt of the earth people! Go see them!

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 37 -- Sherry: A Crazy Good Wine That Few People Drink

2012-01-15T18:42:00.004-05:00

After a bunch of awesome shout outs (thank you all so much) and a listener question about Viognier "blooming" in the glass, we get to it.

In this episode we talk about Sherry -- and let you in on something you need to go out and get, before everyone else figures out how great it is and the prices go up! Here's a top level summary:

We’re on a sherry kick – MC Ice explains why he's a convert
We answer the question -- Sherry: What the hell is it? and discuss how it's not just for bad 70s TV stars
We talk about the "Sherry Triangle" in Southern Spain and how the stuff is made, including the different types and what they go with, food-wise.
We top it off with a note on the best darn dessert combination out there -- Pedro Ximenez Sherry and ice cream (divine!) and wrap it up!

Download on iTunes or listen here!

If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes , drop a comment below or join the awesome conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People Page) and Twitter @Normalwine

Also, if you've got a question you want us to answer, post it on any of those places and we'll include it on the show!

Thanks for listening! We can't wait to hear from you!

Copain: A Mendocino Gem in the Russian River Valley?

2012-01-11T16:24:00.003-05:00

I’ve heard so much about Copain over the years. Most of the people I’ve spoken to say it’s among the best wineries in Sonoma. But I have to admit, in Sonoma, I enjoy the freedom to explore and given that I had heard that Copain was appointment only (only partially true -- it's open on the weekends to all), I felt slightly constrained. I had never visited this property perched on a hill protected by old gnarled trees that provides a fantastic view the Russian River Valley. It is also the site of a gorgeous winery that is simple, tasteful, and elegant.

The story of Copain (which is french slang for "buddies") is kind of cool. Wells Guthrie, the winemaker, actually started his career as a journalist/taster at Wine Spectator in Napa. His job required that he taste between 4,000 - 5,000 wines in his tenure (obviously I love wine but that sounds like a job that could burn you out on the stuff and never allow you to savor anything for too long!). He developed a love for the Rhône Valley and its elegant, yet powerful Viogniers, Syrahs, and Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blends.

Guthrie was a resourceful guy. Rather than attend the famed wine program at UC Davis like all the other aspiring winemakers in Napa and Sonoma, he decided to skip the formal education and learn from a real master - he secured a winemaking apprenticeship with Michel Chapoutier, one of the most famous modern producers in the Rhône Valley. For two years, he learned to farm and to make wine in the French tradition.

He came back to California and after stints at Turley and Marcassin he started Copain in 1999. He took the learnings from those places to heart (which make HUGE wines): his first wines were more like fruit bombs, but a few years ago Guthrie changed his style, getting back to his French roots and aiming for lower alcohol, more balanced wines that are full of subtlety and nuance. Since around 2006 his wines are leading a guard of new wines out of California that show restraint and feature more than just ripe fruit.

Guthrie makes a line that pays homage to Burgundy and the Rhône Valley -- featuring Pinot from the former and Syrah and Viognier from the latter. Most of the grapes come from the cool growing regions of Mendocino -- in this they remind me a bit of Failla. Failla is in the heart of Napa but sources grapes from the Sonoma Coast and Copain is in the heart of Pinot and Chardonnay California gold, the Russian River Valley but sells most of its estate grapes and instead purchases organically farmed grapes (if you want to know more about this, listen to the podcast or read this post) from Mendocino in the north.

Copain produces three tiers of wine. Their "Tous Ensemble," which is their everyday, very affordable (about $20 and amazing value for what you get) wines, the "Les Voisins" series (translates to "neighbors), which they call their "Friday night wine" - nicer and more sophisticated, and the Single Vineyard series, which is top of the line and is serious, serious stuff. I love that Copain does this. It's really democratic and accommodates all pocketbooks. And although there is a difference in the tiers, each one is amazing in its own right

On my visit, I was welcomed in their gorgeous Restoration Hardware-like tasting room by such warm staff. Wells Guthrie himself was in the back scrubbing out tanks. He had given everyone the day off because they had worked nonstop for about two weeks and he wanted them to spend some time with their families. You can never tell how someone really is with their staff, but he seemed like a nice dude and invited me to climb the ladders to look at the Pinot Noir that was fermenting. Very cool.

I wish I'd had more time with him, especially because the "guide" we got was a bit of a cold fish. I've heard from close friends that the hospitality experience at Copain is super hit or miss. It's hard to be unhappy when you taste awesome wines while looking out over the Russian River Valley on a beautiful day, but I will say the guy who was telling us about the wine made it kind of clear that hanging out with me was the LAST thing he wanted to be doing. He made very little eye contact and seemed bored with my questions and he was eager to be done with me.

It was the second experience I had like that in Sonoma that day, only this wasn't anywhere near as bad as the experience at Iron Horse. That said, be forewarned that although Copain has the wine and the view to die for, the hospitality experience is reputed to be lacking and my experience affirmed the spottiness of it. It is what it is and if any of the ladies in the tasting room had taken care of us, it would have been a completely ideal experience.

So to the wines. Not a bad one in the bunch. Wells Guthrie knows how to make wine, there's no doubt about it. If you're looking for what California can do when it's not overdone, here's another example of lower alcohol, cooler climate wines that are unbelievably delicious.

Wine #1: 2009 "Tous Ensemble" Viognier, Mendocino County, California
Price: $20
Alcohol: 13.7%

Color: I look for two things in a Viognier when I look at color, how dark it is (indicates if it's been aged in oak, which happens sometimes in California) and how golden it is (indicates to me how ripe the fruit was when it was picked). This one was bright, golden, and like pear juice but it was still on the lighter side.

Smell: This wine was so aromatic -- a perfect Viognier. It was like honey, orange sherbet, and peaches with a touch of lemon. It was nice to confirm the wine didn't sit in oak. I find when winemakers put Viognier in oak, it strips a lot of the fresh aromas.

Taste: What a great wine. It had the white jasmine flower, honeysuckle, and creamy notes to it, but the lemony acidity kept it very light and bright. It had a touch of bitterness, but the alcohol gave the wine some fullness that offset that green flavor. Apparently the grapes were picked a little early in the cooler area of Mendocino, McDowell Valley -- I wish they had left them on a tad longer to get rid of that stem flavor, but it was still a solid wine.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is such a great wine for sipping, with cheese, or with lighter fish dishes. I love a good Viognier. Although this is a light style, it's still aromatic, has a great balance of alcohol, acid, and fruit, and is excellent value -- far better than a lot of Viognier I've had for double the price.

Wine #2: 2009 "Les Voisins" Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, California
Price: $40
Alcohol: 13.4%

Color: Not too dark, the wine was the color of raspberry juice with a pretty, light rim. It was a great color for Pinot, which I think should be light and transparent, given the natural properties of the grape.

Smell: I totally would have mistaken this wine for a red Burgundy (Pinot Noir). It was like minerals and dirt and farm with a touch of raspberry and strawberry to it. It was what I like to call a "dirty wine," and I loved the smell of the earth and dirt. I liked that you could tell it grew in the ground, as opposed to a lot of other California Pinots, which seem like they were created in a winery.

Taste: The wine had a great raspberry twang -- that slight bit of tartness that's in the berry, with lots of mouthwatering acidity. There was a little bit of orange rind flavor to it and it tasted like soil. It had a very long finish, and lingered. It wasn't too complex or layered, but it tasted like Pinot Noir -- raspberries, earth, and acid were all hanging out together.

Drink or Sink: Drink. An excellent Pinot and what I'd term a typical Mendocino style -- earthy with great acidity and a strong tart raspberry note.

Wine #3: 2009 Wentzel Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, California
Price: $65
Alcohol: 13.7%

Color: A bolder, richer color than the Les Voisins, this wine was like black raspberry juice -- a crimson, violet color.

Smell: A little fruitier than I expected, this was packed with raspberry, and a combo of fresh red cherry and dried cherry aromas. It smelled like earth and fresh brewed coffee too. Yum.

Taste: Fresh raspberry, strawberry, and cherry flavors dominated but this wine was super complex. There were a lot of low notes -- earthy, mushroom-like flavors with smoke, tobacco, and baking spices like cinnamon. There was great mouth drying tannins and mouthwatering acidity that balanced the fruit.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is an outstanding, outstanding wine. Heaven. A great balance of fruit, earth, spice, with tannin and acid. What California Pinot Noir should be -- a tempered, moderate style, where fruit has center stage but doesn't steal the show.

Wine #4: 2009 "Les Voisins" Syrah, Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino, California
Price: $34
Alcohol: 13.9%

Color: A dark plum color, this puppy was opaque.

Smell: Perfect smell for a Syrah, this was like plums and black raspberries, leather, black pepper, cinnamon spice, and smelled a little like a horse stable -- earthy and rustic. There was a saltine cracker smell too -- a little salty and bready thing that was really interesting next to the plum aromas.

Taste: A lighter Syrah in style, this was fruity with a good hit of black pepper. There was a ripe plum taste and the wine had great tannin and acid.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is a simple yet good wine. Whereas the Pinot Noir in this line seemed to be slightly better than a Friday night wine, this one fits the bill a bit more. A good wine, but not a show stopper.

Wine #5: 2007 Alder Springs Syrah, Mendocino, California
Price: $40
Alcohol: 13.5%
Color: Very dark, the color of blackberry or prune juice.

Smell: Wow! This was like crushed raspberries -- fresh but a little bit juicy and acidic. It smelled like blackberries and black plums and then a little bit of cinnamon. I left it for a second and when I went back for another whiff, I got the smell of a Catholic church -- it had this moody, incense and myrrh smell that was INSANE. I loved it.

Taste: A really unique wine. It had subtle raspberry and blackberry fruit flavors but what made it amazing was that incense or myrrh quality that came through on the taste. The wine was elegant, but still had great tannin and acid, and the exotic flavors reminded me of wines I've had from the Northern Rhône Valley, the home of Syrah.

Drink or Sink: Drink. You can really see Michel Chapoutier's influence in this wine. It's so French in style. There's such a balance -- fruit, acid, tannin, spice, alcohol -- it was like a choreographed dance on my palate (more like a ballet, less like the electric slide). Outstanding, especially for the price.

Before I left, we got a sip of the 2007 James Berry Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blend (that's the blend in Chateauneuf-du-Pape from France). They aren't making it anymore, because Guthrie has fully transitioned away from the big fruit style wines, which is what you get when you buy fruit from Paso Robles in the Central Coast of California. It was good, but nothing like the delicate, restrained, and balanced wines I had tasted. I think Copain's new track is heading in the right direction.

Although the hospitality was a little like a wet noodle, at least they weren't rude, and the wines and winery were certainly enough to make up for it. Next time you're in Sonoma, this is a must visit.

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 36 -- Common Winemaking Terms Defined

2012-01-08T03:07:00.006-05:00

To start 2012, we've got NEW MUSIC (so don't be freaked out when you listen!).

If you didn't see my previous post, we were chosen as "Best New Arts Podcast" in Apple's 2011 Rewind! Thanks to everyone for loyal listening in 2011 and we look forward to a great 2012.

After some shout outs and great reviews, we tackle common winemaking terms and define them. A dorky, but fun episode!

Download on iTunes or listen here!

Here are some quick notes on the show:

If you ever wondered exactly what stuff like residual sugar, malolactic fermentation, sur lie aging, maceration, natural yeast fermentation, disgorgement and riddling, and bottle shock are, you are in luck!
We address listener questions on aging Champagne (thanks Larry Rice!) and on sur lie (thanks Sayle Milne!).
The Grape of the Week is Chenin Blanc.

The new music (needed something that was more ME! I didn't love the other stuff, but I'm not 100% sure this is it either) is "Café connection" by morgantj / CC BY 3.0, ©2009 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

Let us know if you like it, and if you're a mixmaster and want us to use your bumper music instead, send it over and we'll give it a listen!

If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes , drop a comment below or join the awesome conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine!

Also, if you've got a question you want us to answer, post it on any of those places and we'll include it on the show!

Thanks for listening! We can't wait to hear from you!

Iron Horse: Great Wines But "Hospitality" That May Make You Cry (literally)

2012-01-04T11:00:00.010-05:00

You know what's frustrating? When you drive up to a winery that's beautiful and appears super laid back -- with a table and a few old wine barrels in a barn for a tasting area and a gorgeous view of the Green Valley of Sonoma -- and the wines are outstanding but the person serving you is so unbelievably snobby that you wish you'd never come. Add on top of that the fact that he nearly makes another patron cry because he's so nasty, and you've got a really BAD start to the day.

I'll admit that in years past, my perception of Sonoma was generally more positive than Napa -- the people are more laid back, the wineries more casual, and the vibe more farm-like. But my perception has changed significantly, both from some great experiences in Napa (Chateau Montelena, Lava Vine, Chappellet, and Frog's Leap to name a few) and from a few visits to wineries in Sonoma. Sadly, Iron Horse proved that folks in Sonoma can be even worse than the snobbiest Napa winery.

First, let me tell you about Iron Horse and why I was so excited to visit: they make some of the best American sparkling wine available. I'm not the only one on this bandwagon -- for the last 25 years, every chef for the President of the US has served this wine at state dinners, starting in 1986 when the Winery created the "Summit Cuvee" to commemorate the "let's end the Cold War" meeting (I was a Poli Sci major in college, so I'd better know it was really called the Reykjavik Summit) between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Started in 1976 by Audrey and Barry Sterling, the Winery has always specialized in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for their foggy, cool, frost prone vineyards. Named for a train that used to stop at the station nearest their property, the Winery has an iron-clad reputation for amazing sparkling, which they first produced in 1980. All their fruit is grown on the estate and their production is pretty small, so they have a lot of control over quality. I've served their wines at some very nice events before and had heard that the property was stunning and very normal, so even though most of their stuff is only available via direct sales/the Internet it seemed like an ideal place to come.

But alas, sometimes the people make the experience. I can't and won't take away from the fact that the wines are terrific, but the guy who helped us was smug and downright rude -- not just to me (I'm a blogger so some people hate having me around) but to everyone else there too. He did the classic wine snob thing -- dropping names of winemakers he knows, bloggers and critics he has met that far outstrip me in repute, and then he starting spouting off clone names for every wine.

I was already a little queasy and then I saw that the show wasn't just for me. He was shunning people's requests for help in directing their tasting (they had about 15 bottles of wine open, way too many in my opinion -- most people only want to try 4 -5 wines per winery and allowing them that much selection isn't helpful), and refusing to do more than offer a one sentence explanation of any wine (and those explanations were far from helpful, since who really needs to know the clone and rootstock selection for each grape? Most normal people don't need to know why a clone or rootstock matters!).

But his most egregious behavior wasn't towards me. It was when the lovely ladies Lynn and Gloria walked up with a voucher from the Hotel Healdsburg (a VERY beautiful, high-end hotel with the most comfortable beds EVER!) for a free flight. Lynn was smart, modest, and nice -- a totally normal person -- and she didn't know what a flight was (a tasting of 3 or more wines. They should call it samples or tastings, but it's just industry jargon!). She thought the voucher was for 2 glasses of wine. Snobby guy shoved the tasting menu in her face and told her to "pick one." She was confused about what "one" meant and tried to ask him but he walked away. The tasting area wasn't that busy, he just didn't want to bother to explain to Lynn what a flight was.

I was taking notes on the wine when I saw this situation right next to me. I didn't want Lynn to feel worse, so I didn't say anything right away but when she saw me tasting and writing, she asked for some help. I told her what a flight was and we talked about wine and what to look for in the glass and she told me how horrible the guy made her feel. She was visibly shaken by the experience and was relieved to talk to another wine person who wasn't mean spirited. We were fast friends -- she and Gloria were lovely normal wine people but their experience at Iron Horse could have really tainted their perception of wine people, had we not had our chat.

I tell you this story as a tale of caution. If you get attitude like this from a Winery or from a wine person, don't let it shake you. I've been in this business a while and I'm a New Yorker with a tough skin, but this is universally appalling behavior and if it happens to you, know that you're not alone. Either ignore the guy and drink what you want or leave immediately. No need for this kind of attitude.

So with that harrowing tale of "hospitality," although I give Iron Horse the utmost credit for making divine sparkling, I can't recommend visiting (or if you do, don't talk to the staff!).

I had asked to review only the four top wines, but the snob kept on pouring, so I'll do just quick hits on the 8 (yes that's right, and I wasn't thrilled) wines he had me try:

Wine 1: 2006 Ocean Reserve, Sparkling
Price: $40
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Quick hit: $4 from every bottle goes to National Geographic's Campaign to preserve and restore the world's oceans. The wine was platinum in color with super small and lasting bubbles. It smelled like green apple and petrol and was über dry. It was lemony, like tart green apples, and very fresh, crisp, and spritzy. The wine was pretty acidic and much more austere than a lot of other sparklers so it would be great with stuff like oysters or chevre cheese (goat). Great bottle.

Wine 2: 2007 Wedding Cuvée, Sparkling
Price: $38
Grapes: 88% Pinot Noir, 12% Chardonnay
Quick hit: This is the largest production of all Iron Horse's wine (nearly 5,000 cases made) and the one you're most likely to find "out there." It's a Rosé sparkler so it was salmon colored (more like lox than grilled salmon), with a very small bead (bubble), which is generally an indication of high quality sparkling. It wasn't very aromatic, but the taste was great. It was like strawberry, raspberry, and pear and punishingly dry -- which I loved. The wine was crisp and a little sharp but really balanced by those fruit flavors. What a refreshing, lovely wine. This is always a winner. A fantastic wine.

Wine 3: 2007 Brut X, Sparkling
Price: $50
Grapes: 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay
Quick hit: This wine is named "X" because it's extra dry. It's very different from the previous two in that the wine was fermented in barrels so even though it's drier, it's also a little more full-tasting and complex in flavor. The wine was more golden than the Ocean Reserve due to the higher percentage of Pinot Noir and oak aging. It smelled spicy and herbal -- like marjoram if you've ever had that or used it in cooking. It reminded me a little bit of the "Clean Cotton" smell from an air freshener -- not in a bad way though. I liked the wine but it was a bit green tasting (like plant stems) and bitter. The acidity seemed very high and even though the alcohol level was the same as all the others, at 13.5%, the wine seemed more alcoholic as well. What made this sing though, was the toasted bread quality of the wine that balanced and "warmed up" the cooler, greener flavors. It's a great wine because of this balance, although I prefer the previous two.

Wine 4: 2003 Brut LD (Late Disgorged)
Price: $85
Grapes: 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay

Dork out note on disgorgement: After sparkling wine goes through its secondary fermentation in the bottle, the wine sits on lees (a nice way of saying dead yeast). If you want the sparkling wine to be clear and not cloudy, you've got to get that stuff out of the mix. This is done by slowly rotating the bottle over months so that the neck is facing down (riddling). In this way, the yeast cells wind up just where you want 'em -- near the mouth of the bottle. Sparkling winemakers are smart. When they put the yeast/sugar in for the second fermentation, they stick a cap inside the wine that will catch all the nasty lees. When the bottle is finally upside down, they freeze the cap with the junk in it and ease it out to make sure the minimum amount of liquid is lost and then top the wine off with a little extra still wine (dosage) and a cork. The process of getting out those lees is called disgorgement. This one was done late, which means the wine hung out with the lees a little longer than the other wines.

Quick hit: With age and more contact with lees, wine gets darker. This one was like gold jewelry. I didn't love the smell of this wine -- it was kind of yeasty (but not bread-like) and a little dirty smelling, like unwashed clothes. Like the others it had great acid, but the flavors were more developed and the wine was less spritzy -- typical of an older sparkler. Instead of a tart green apple, the wine tasted more like a golden delicious apple and it was lemony and like a buttermilk biscuit. That said, there was a bitterness to that I didn't love. It was creamy but almost like sour cream instead of soft heavy cream. Of all the wines this was my least favorite. It could just need more age in the bottle, but for now I wasn't in love.

Wine 5: Russian Cuvée (formerly Summit Cuvée -- this is the one Reagan and Gorbachev enjoyed)
Price: $38
Grapes: 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay
Quick hit: This very pale, platinum colored wine is a little bit sweeter than the others and much fruitier. The wine has more than double the sugar of the others and you can tell. It's really pleasant though. The wine smelled very clean and bready, and a little like fresh green herbs. It was like a bubbly Grüner Veltliner, but a little sweeter. There was a tropical fruit note and a little bit of that white pepper/arugula lettuce character that I always find in Grüner. The only difference -- really awesome raspberry and ripe apple notes were prominent. I loved it -- sugar and all.

We moved on to the still wines next.

Wine 6: 2009 "M" Chardonnay
Price: $48
Quick hit: The wine was pale with a golden rim and super shiny. It smelled like apples, caramel, toasted bread, pineapples, and lemon cookies -- typical of Sonoma Chardonnay, in my experience. To taste, it was a little more like green apples and green herbs, but it had a candied flavor -- like lemon or pineapple candies that I didn't love. It was slightly artificial tasting. Not a bad wine, but I'd rather drink their bubbles.

Wine 7: Native Yeast Chardonnay
Price: $48

Dork out note: This wine is made using just the yeast that occurs naturally on the grape skins, not by motivating fermentation by using lab created stuff. This is an Old World technique and it's risky -- sometimes the yeast can produce uneven fermentation, take longer, and create more "natural" flavors (ie, FUNK) but I usually prefer the taste. It's normally a little dirty.

Quick hit: This straw colored wine had a golden rim, the only indication that it may be oaky (oak darkens white wine). These barrels are bent/shaped using water, not fire, and that's supposed to make the oak influence less jarring. It did...on the palate. But I smelled a nail polish, chemically oak note alongside the green apple in this wine that wasn't really motivating me to pop it in my mouth. That said, it was far better tasting than smelling. It was light, a little herbal, and tasted like green apples and limes -- not the big oak I expected. A nice refreshing wine, but for $48 bucks you could get a Chablis or White Burgundy that would knock the socks off this...(sorry, I have an MBA so I'm always thinking about Opportunity Costs!)

I'm not going to review the 2008 Pinot Noir, which was $50. I don't know whether I was on overload or if it was just not good to me, but my notes are not positive for this one and the final scribble in my book o'wines says "They need to stick with sparkling." That was my takeaway from Iron Horse's wines, so it makes sense!

So to wrap, the gorgeous view and fabulous wines are winners, but I'd stay as clear away from the people serving you the wine as possible -- especially if it's a hipster guy. A place that can nearly make kind people like Lynn cry by being so demeaning and condescending is not a place for normal wine people.

Hotel Healdsburg should probably find another, friendlier place to send its guests for complimentary tastings. That said, if you're shopping at home for an American sparkler, this is an awesome choice.

I dedicate this post to Lynn and Gloria...and anyone else who has been harshed on by terrible wine tasting room staff.

Wine For Normal People Radio Voted "Best New Arts" Podcast for 2011 by Apple/iTunes!!

2011-12-30T16:11:00.003-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it. In my daily life I kind of just do my thing, so it was a huge surprise when a friend of mine alerted me to the fact that Wine For Normal People Radio was chosen by Apple as one of the Best New Arts Podcasts of 2011 in their annual Rewind (and yes, no one alerted me or even so much as sent me an Apple to reward me!!!). The honor was bestowed in early December, but I guess better late than never! Check it out!

Thank you so much for listening and for making us a top pick in 2011. Here's to some great stuff in 2012...including video!

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 35 -- Wine Traditions for New Year's

2011-12-29T16:02:00.000-05:00

Wine Traditions around the world are pretty interesting. In this episode we discuss the coolest ones.

This is a complement to the article I just wrote for Travel Belles so if you want to read and listen...

Here's the link to the article: TRAVEL BELLES

Here's the link to the podcast: Episode 35

And here is what the episode is all about

First we take a listener question from @mjgraves on Twitter about when to drink Cabernet Sauvignon. (Write in or call us and you'll be on the show! Call 800-599-8478 (in the U.S.) or 1-415-226-9105 and dial extension 5 to leave your question for the Wine For Normal People Podcast, and I'll answer it in an upcoming episode!)

Spanish Traditions and Cava
Italian Traditions and Prosecco/Franciacorta
Chilean Traditions and gold rings in the bubbles, Portuguese Traditions and Vinho Verde, Germany and Sekt, French Champagne, English speaking countries = boozing it up and fireworks. Grape of the week: Pinot Meunier

Listen and you'll get why I'll be lugging a suitcase around my block at midnight, while shoving some grapes in my mouth! Happy New Year!

If you like the podcast, please review it on iTunes, drop a comment on the Wine For Normal People blog, or join the awesome conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine!

Chappellet: Excellent Hospitality, Gorgeous Property, and a Napa Cab-Lover's Dream

2011-12-27T00:38:00.011-05:00

Running horribly late, with a car nearly out of gas, MC Ice and I ventured from Chateau Montelena in Calistoga into the heart of the Vaca mountains on the east side of Napa Valley to our next adventure on our wine country whirlwind trip late last fall.

After 10 minutes of climbing and climbing (and the car slowly puttering and lurching forward) we got out of traditional Napa territory and happened upon a gorgeous reservoir. Through switchback after switchback we crept, noticing a striking resemblance to the road to Yosemite or some other cool National Park. Just when we were at the unfortunate juncture of lost and seriously in trouble on the gas front, we saw the sign for Pritchard Hill and for Chappellet.

We arrived to a secluded, breathtaking property nestled at the top of the hill, to none other than Molly Chappellet getting into her car. The Chappellets were having a family party that day and invited me to come tour in spite of it. Ms. Chappellet was leaving to go up the hill to her home. I apologized profusely for being late but said I wanted to at least peek my head in. She was so kind and encouraged us to go up to the tasting room, since a few others were still there. She told us that we could taste a few wines while they cleaned up from the day.

This beautiful property was made all the prettier by the unbelievable hospitality and great welcome we received by people who had worked a full day on a Saturday and still had smiles to give. I hate being "that person" who shows up late and then demands attention so I asked if I could just try one or two of the wines. Instead, Katie (you rock, BTW!) gave us the full-on tour of the picturesque property. This place has style and grace.

A quick history check -- in 1967, Molly and Donn Chappellet bought the property on Pritchard Hill to both live and work in this out-of-the-way paradise. They raised their 6 children here at 1200 feet, and had the distinctions of being some of the first to plant only at high elevation (a risk, since mountains have more volatile weather) and to be the second winery established after Prohibition (after Robert Mondavi. Yes, there was a huge lag between 1933 and 1967, but people were concentrating on drinking booze instead of wine).

Even though they are a mid-sized operation, making 35,000 cases a year (420K bottles), this place is truly a family establishment. Still run by the Chappellet family, you can see Molly and Donn's residence from the Winery and catch a glimpse of Molly's gardens, for which she is famous and on which she has published several books. A few of the kids live nearby and most are involved in the business.

There's something to be said for living on the property -- I'm guessing it makes you not want to mess it up with chemical treatments and fertilizers. And being secluded, you probably want to find resourceful ways of saving on the electric bill too. The Chappellet's have definitely made choices that would indicate a dedication to the land.

90% of their vineyards are certified organic and they have a huge solar farm that powers their whole winery. They use runoff captured in their reservoir for irrigation, have a robust recycling program, and only 16% of their property is planted to vine. And you get the distinct impression that, unlike a lot of other wineries, this isn't done for show or PR purposes, it's done because the Chappellets think it's the right thing to do. It's a source of pride for them, but not because it's great for business. I liked the genuine vibe I got from them -- so different from so many others further west in the Valley.

So, honestly, all this is a very nice story, but if the wines sucked, I would have hoped that I had run out of gas and never made it... Thankfully, that's not the case. Famous for making extremely powerful and delicious Cabernet, this place didn't disappoint at all.

Here's the lineup:

Wine #1: 2010 Chenin Blanc

Price: $30

Color: Dark straw or golden, but that's from ripe grapes and not from oak, since the winemaker uses a small portion of old oak barrels, not new ones that would darken the color. After the swirl the wine showed it's meaty legs on the sides of the glass from the 14.1% alcohol.

Smell: Peach and lemons abounded. It was simple but very bright and light smelling. I was bracing for the cilia singe from the high alcohol, but it wasn't there -- good sign!

Taste: A total surprise. I usually think of Chenin Blanc as having a wooly, wax lips quality, but this was more like peaches, dried apricots, and green grapes. It was pretty acidic and light and fresh. A lot of Chenin Blanc (like from some Vouvray in the Loire Valley of France) tends to be off-dry or lightly sweet but this was bone dry with no sugar. The soft feeling sensation from the alcohol counterbalanced the acid and slight bitterness, so the wine felt kind of lush.

Drink or Sink: Drink. A well balanced wine and super refreshing. Although not a serious Chenin Blanc, in my book, it's still a great sipper and went perfectly with the assorted cheeses they were serving.

Wine #2: 2009 Merlot (with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, 14% alcohol)

Price: $30

Color: Light ruby in color, with a pinkish rim, this wine didn't look overdone or too dark, which is a good sign in Merlot for me. Merlot is a pretty medium grape -- in color, flavor, tannin, alcohol, so when I see something super dark I know it hung around on the vine longer than I'd like. Not the case here.

Smell: The wine smelled like a garden. It was full of roses and violets. On a second sniff it was more like plums and blueberries. I didn't get any spice or earth from the aroma at all, different for a Merlot.

Taste: Wow, the nose completely misled me. This wine was very fruity! It was all black cherry, blueberry, plum, and blackberry. It had some great mouth-drying tannin to balance the fruit and decent acid to make it less heavy, but I can't say there was any noticeable flavor besides fresh, ripe, juicy fruit here and an excellent texture to make it sing.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This wine wasn't really my style, since I like some of the other non-fruit flavors in my wine, but it is such a classic Napa style that I love it for that. What a great representation of what fruit, grown in the proper place and picked at the right time, can do.

Wine #3: 2008 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon (Blend: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 9% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. It's 14.9% alcohol.)
The Chappellets have been making this since the very beginning and it really shows off their style and what Cabernet can do when grown at an elevation.

Price: $49

Color: This was a dark, black plum color. It had a crimson rim. I expected TONS of flavor from the look of this opaque wine with super thick legs from the almost 15% alcohol.

Smell: Fruity and full! Black currant, blackberry, mulberry, and violets were all over this. It was so fragrant! There was a mellow espresso and cinnamon smell too. This smells like what I think a Napa Cab should smell like.

Taste: Whoa. This is a meal, it's so big! The wine was like blueberries, black currants, and juicy, ripe black raspberries. It tasted like coffee and had a little bit of an earthy, almost sulfur note to it. Not bad, just kind of earthy. The tannins on this wine were massively mouth-drying. I was chewing them long after the swallow.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is a GREAT, classic California Cab. Finally! A winery that isn't trying to be something it's not. Napa has a distinct style -- fruity, lush, full, and unabashed. Too many wineries these days (fortunately none that I visited while in Napa a few months back) are trying to alter their styles to make less fruity wines. Although I don't believe in letting the grapes get overly ripe, I think a lot of wineries, in an effort to cater to trends, are not getting enough flavor from their grapes. They should take a lesson from Chappellet and stay true to what Napa can provide...fruit, tannin, and ripeness.

Wine #4: 2008 Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16%
Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec, 14.9% Alcohol)

Price: $135 (Their showpiece wine, and in high demand)

Color: Similar to the Signature Cabernet in color -- it was almost purple and the wine stained the glass when I swirled it.

Smell: It also smelled like the Signature Cabernet but even more like plums and violets. The wine had a cedar and vanilla thing going on and it smelled like cocoa powder. That said, the overwhelming notes in the glass were fruit, fruit, and more fruit!

Taste: Even more than the Signature, this wine was all fruit, oak, and tannin. If the Signature wine went to the gym, you'd have the Pritchard Hill Cab. It's a fruit bomb with blackberry and cola flavors (it tasted a little like Dr. Pepper, but good). The winemaker used 100% new French oak barrels, so the oak notes kind of clobber your palate -- I tasted a ton of vanilla, cloves, caramel, and burnt espresso. The wine had big tannin too, but because it seemed sweeter than the Signature, the tannins seemed to be less harsh.

Drink or Sink: Drink. Another typical example of Napa Cabernet. It was a great wine. This is a Napa Cab lover's wine. My only question: is it really worth $86 more than the Signature. It's better, but maybe only $30 so, not $86.

Thank you so much to Katie and the folks at Chappellet for their outstanding hospitality. I loved the property, the people, and the fact that these are true Napa wines. If you're a Napa Cab lover, look no further than this gorgeous, eco-friendly place.

Need a Last Minute Bottle for that Person You Forgot? Your Go-To Shopping List

2011-12-22T11:22:00.018-05:00

Oh crap! You just remembered that you didn't buy a present for your brother-in-law/neighbor/ cousin/ (gasp!) wife.

If they're wine drinkers, you know the best way to go is wine. It's easy to get, doesn't need to be wrapped (gift bags are cheap and easy) and it's a 5-7 minute errand, if they've got good cashiers at your local store.

It could be even easier if you have something great in your cellar, but beware: MC Ice's co-worker is a self-professed wine snob (evidence: I've been out to dinner with him before and he won't let me look at the wine list. He always orders expensive, oaky California Chardonnay and Cabernet that don't pair with the food. The same brands, every time. Needless to say, I don't go out to dinner with him, ever). He "bought" a "special" bottle this year, which he claimed was an outstanding new vintage (again, perplexed as to how he can give this to MC Ice and not know that I know what's up).

Wouldn't you know? We received the same wine in the same vintage last year from him, and when MC Ice showed it to me I showed him last year's bottle. Yeah, it's a $60 bottle, but it really cheapens the gift if you're clearly trying to rid yourself of a case you don't like and are found out. Be careful.

Enough on that -- you're in a rush, so I won't pussyfoot around. I am not going to list brands (unless I know they're national) because distribution varies, but I'll link to posts where I've reviewed specific wines if available.

Here are 5 wine categories you can get for someone special (or not so special):

Category I: The Big Red Lover
1. For $40+

Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the southern Rhône Valley, which tastes like strawberry/raspberry compote sometimes with tobacco, pepper, and earthy flavors.
Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux (look for something from Pauilliac, St-Julien, or Margaux). Check out this post for details on different styles.
Napa Cabernet Sauvignon -- so many styles and I've reviewed a ton.
Brunello di Montalcino, which is a little more medium in style but ages very well so it's a great gift. Here's a long post on this super versatile wine.
Amarone or Barolo from Italy are also amazing.

2. For $20 - $30

Vacqueryas from the southern Rhône Valley is a good approximation of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but cheaper!
You can still get a Bordeaux in this price range -- look for the '05, or '09 vintages for surefire hits that won't kill your wallet.
Australian Shiraz is unbelievable bang for the buck at this price.
Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is similar to a Napa Cabernet but for a lot less.

3. Less than $20

If you get one for more than $15, it will seem like a $25 bottle! Look for one from Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina.
Wines from the south of Spain like Jumilla or Yecla are full and rich, and affordable!

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Category II: The White Lover

1. For $40+

A white Burgundy is amazing and can age. These can cost bucks. If you want to splurge, Montrachet, Corton, and Corton-Charlemagne are three exceptional places for Chardonnay.
Grand Cru Chablis (from Grenouilles or Valmur are my favorites) is great for someone who loves acidic wines (these are great with food too).
Similar to a Burgundy but from California, Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay is phenomenal at $50.

2. For $20 - $30

You can get a Burgundy from a larger area like Chassagne-Montrachet and it will be like minerals, and green apples and it will rock.
Fuller-bodied Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley of Sonoma is slightly oaky, and creamy, with tropical fruit flavors.
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has grassy, grapefruit flavors, and great acidity.
For a peachy, green apple wine with good acid and some different petrol and slate flavors, try dry Riesling from the Mosel in Germany.
Alsace Pinot Gris is oily, soft, floral, and spicy and great with food.

3. For Under $20

Verdejo from northern Spain or Albariño are both light and great starter or seafood wines.
Torrontés from Argentina is a lush, fruity, yet acidic wine that is great with cheese and terrific for friends and family who like aromatic stuff.

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Category III: Lighter- or medium- style reds

1. For $40+

You can't beat a bottle of Burgundy for a Pinot Noir lover. There is enormous range in style and price...and especially vintage so read up before putting down lots of money.
Oregon Pinot Noir at this price is amazing as well (although at lower price points, not so much).

2. For $20 - $30

A California Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley or from Mendocino in this price point will be excellent.
Lighter style Italian reds are great too -- a Chianti Classico, a Dolcetto, or a Barbera can be very high quality and still refreshing.
A Cru Beaujolais (NOT nouveau) is a fruity, easy to drink wine that people who like lighter reds will be sure to love.

3. For under $20

New Zealand Pinot Noir, even under $20, is outstanding -- a little earthy, a little fruity, and all delicious.
Right Bank Merlot from St-Emilion doesn't have to be expensive to be great. Plenty of great stuff for below $20 and it tends to be on the lighter side at this price point.
Some of the best lighter reds for under $20 are kind of out of the box -- Zweigelt from Austria, and Mencia from Bierzo in Northern Spain are great picks.

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Category IV: Champagne and other bubbles
1. For $40

If you're going to spring for Champagne, go for Dom Ruinart Blanc. Yeah it's $160, but it's so worth it if you're going big time.
I also love Henriot, if you're looking beyond the ubiquitous Veuve Clicquot yellow label.
If you want to do American sparkling wine, Iron Horse makes terrific wines -- the Wedding Cuvee is the most widely available.

2. For $20 - $30

Although you normally can't get Champagne for this price, there are some great sparkling wines (especially from California) in this price that will fit the bill for you. Roederer Estate from California makes terrific bubbly and is owned by the Champagne House in France. Go for the rosé for something special. J from Sonoma in California makes a great sparkling wine that's more affordable and available.

3. For Under $20

Cava is where it's at -- go to Spain and don't look back for the best stuff below $20.
France also has delicious, inexpensive sparklers -- Cremant from Limoux or Alsace are both solid. I just had a bottle of Francois Montaud Rosé, a sparkling wine from France and it was delicious for $10.
Graham Beck sparkling from Australia is also a great wine for less than $20.
Although a totally different (more fruity, bigger bubbles) style, Prosecco is always a fun wine to bring as a present.

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Category V: For something different (prices vary depending on quality)

Whites: Grüner Veltliner from Austria, Verdejo from Spain, Chenin Blanc from South Africa, or Viognier from California are each interesting and unique. Or try a southern Italian white like Fiano di Avellino -- honeyed and minerally but still dry, this wine is a knockout.

Reds: Nero d'Avola from Sicily, Chinon (Cabernet Franc) from the Loire Valley in France, Petite Sirah from California, Priorat from Spain, or Shiraz from South Africa are each special for your red wine lover. - the most versatile white there is and a great present.

And don't forget dessert -- for a chocolate lover, go for Port or, for a cool treat, Banyuls from Southern France. For a special treat Tokaji from Hungary or Sauternes from Bordeaux in France are amazing treats.

Hopefully that helps you select something fabulous for that wine lover you may have overlooked! Happy Festivus (for the rest of us). I know you'll get something great!

Chateau Montelena: A Napa Institution That Still Lives Up to The Hype

2011-12-16T21:17:00.007-05:00

I'm coming to a close on the recap of my Napa/Sonoma trip (5 or 6 more posts after this) and then I've got a bunch of VERY cool things to talk about. Hopefully you're liking this series and aren't bored. If you are, hold tight...international variety is en route.

If you're having Napa ennui from me, let me try my best to spruce it up now and tell you something you rarely hear from my overly honest and, at times, cynical mouth -- sometimes the hype is actually worth it.

After another year and countless more wines tasted, I returned to Chateau Montelena in Calistoga (northern Napa), to see if my opinion had changed from the last vintage. I have to admit that I wondered if my enthusiasm was attributable to my outstanding experience there (although I drink their wines throughout the year and still think they rock so I'm not sure where my self-doubt came from -- if you're a therapist, feel free to analyze). But happily, one taste of these wines and my insecurity faded. I think I may be even MORE into them than I was last year. And if you're bored of California, here's some good news for you -- these wines are closer to European wine styles than any that I've tried from the US (and if you think I'm crazy, consider that about three years ago, the very esteemed Bordeaux Second Growth Chateau, Cos d'Estournel tried to buy Montelena...they saw something here).

Due to an over-scheduled trip, I could only fit the visit in on a Saturday, during the prime visiting hours (and the lush rush, it appeared -- if you don't know what that's in reference to, listen to the podcast with Jim Morris of Michel-Schlumberger), but a crowded room of marginally drunk people looking to taste the famous wines of the Chateau doesn't change the stuff in the bottle. It still kicked ass.

I wrote about the Winery last year, so I'll take excerpts from that post for convenience and then review the newest vintage of the wines after. Here goes...

If you're unfamiliar with Chateau Montelena and why it's kind of a big deal, I'm happy to share! Montelena is famous because its wine won top honors in a 1976 competition between legendary French white Burgundies (Chardonnay) and California Chardonnay (the competition also pitted Cabernets against each other, but that's not part of this particular story). Montelena's wine, tasted blind by French judges, was so wonderful and so close to the historic wines of Burgundy that the competition stunned the wine world and gave California serious street cred.

After this fete, called "The Judgment of Paris," no one could deny that California was capable of making exceptional wine. That's Montelena's unbelievably positive and wonderful legacy -- making California a viable, serious wine region on a global scale.

As an aside, the Winery may also known by some as the basis for the horrific 2008 movie (and I'm sorry if you liked it), Bottleshock, made about that competition. Although the foundation of the story is factual, the movie makes the Winery seem silly, the owners inane, and worst of all, it spreads misinformation about winemaking that I'm sure a lot of people believed. I could barely sit through the whole film but I have managed to Zen it out and separate my dislike of the movie from the Chateau. Just thought I'd mention the flick though, in case you've seen it or were thinking about doing so.

When you drive up to this Chateau (and it is a chateau), way the hell north of Napa in Calistoga, it is imposing and a little intimidating. Bought in 1882 and built up for several years after by a rich San Francisco entrepreneur, Alfred L. Tubbs (BTW, even in the 1880s the story of Napa is the same -- rich dude from San Francisco has dream of setting up winery, spends exorbitant sums, makes it happen...), this place is a class act.

The Chateau made wine in the 1880s, paused for the hell that was Prohibition and started up again afterward. Montelena, named as a contraction of Mount Saint Helena, at whose base it lies, changed hands in 1958 and the owners built a gorgeous Asian-style lake outside the Chateau. Although a little eclectic, it's beautiful and was a good contribution to the property. The current owners (on whom Bottleshock was based) acquired the Winery and made their first vintage in 1972. They weren't at it long before they found success: the second vintage won the Judgment of Paris (1973).

This is an historic and interesting place but the coolest thing about it is the people: Down-to-earth, knowledgeable, super nice, and NORMAL. The first time I came here, I expected stodgy, old, and formal, and I got the exact opposite. It's so refreshing. The people who work here are fun and you'll want to carve out some time to kick it with them if you visit. This is a really different, special place.

And OH the wines. Amazing stuff. Seriously. My mouth was just happy to be there! Here's the lineup:

Wine #1: 2010 Potter Valley Riesling, $25
Color: This was a golden color -- kind of like pear juice. It looked a little richer than a dry German Riesling, for example.

Smell: Super fragrant, and super and fragrant! Loved the smell of this thing. It smelled like a ripe bosc pear (the brown ones, and as aside I find ripening pears to be a huge pain in the arse so this is a very elusive smell for me), peaches, and like white jasmine flowers. The greatest thing -- it was smoky. An excellent twist to this wine. It was richer and better than how I recall it from last year.

Taste: Just like it smelled but with tons of mouthwatering acid. The contrast of the crispness from the acid and the smoke and fruit made this a standout Riesling. It has barely any sugar in it but I detected it -- it was slightly sweet and so delicious.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is a lovely wine. It's so different from last year's version. I liked it better. It had a little more depth and heft compared to 2009's lemon-lime flavors. The smoky quality against the peachiness was tasty. A great sipper but this one could be terrific with light fish or salads (I'm thinking something with raspberries, goat cheese, and carmelized pecans. Yum!).

I don't know whether it was the later harvest (the vintage was tough but the grapes hung out on the vine to reach full maturity), the fact that they bought some grapes from a different grower, or some other X factor, but this year the wine was outrageously good and I hope they keep doing what they're doing, since, as you know, I'm a HUGE Riesling advocate.

Wine #2: 2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay, $50
This is Chateau Montelena's "thing." You want to know why they won that competition in 1976? Try this wine and you'll understand. When you taste other Chardonnay in Napa it's hard to imagine that this style is even possible. Montelena does things with this grape that very few can -- and most of those few live in Burgundy.

The Alcohol: 13.6%

Color: Light, platinum, and pale, there wasn't any apparent signs of excessive oak or over-ripe grapes here (you can usually spot this by the dark color of the wine).

Smell: The smell could have tricked me in a blind tasting. I would surely have called this French. It smelled like minerals, lemon, lime, and white flowers. I didn't smell much oak at all -- just a light hint of spice but nothing overbearing. It had a sharp, crisp smell.

Taste: And this delivered on the smell. It was dry, sharp, steely, and very clean. Great lemon and lime flavors and a sweet green pea note went well with the minerals and acid in this wine. I didn't sense the oak because it was so well integrated with the fruit and acid.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This wine is awesome. It's a Chablis style -- dry, acidic, clean, and restrained. I love it. Why more people in California don't do this style is beyond me. This Napa Chardonnay is proof that something special happens when grapes are in the hands of the right people...and they all seem to be at Montelena!

My only gripe -- they have some description about how this is a "classic California Chardonnay." Couldn't disagree more. If only everyone did Chard this way in California! Most of the stuff I have is more fruity or more oaky or less acidic, but not balanced like this. There are a few others, but I'll agree with the 1976 French judges...this is something different. More expensive than what I normally drink but worth every penny.

Wine #3: 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay, $60

I was so excited to try the same wine in a different vintage. If you ever have the opportunity to try vintage back to back like this, do it! You get to taste what happens to the wine with time. Each vintage is different, but in a really high quality producer, there should be consistency of style. Here's how the 2007 tasted to me...

The Alcohol: 13.7%

Color: With age, this wine was still pale in color but had taken on more golden hues. As white wine ages, it gets darker. After 5 years this was showing its age spots!

Smell: It was a little more mature -- baked apple, sweet lemon, and white flowers jumped out of the glass. There was just a little bit of oakiness to the smell, but it wasn't overpowering at all.

Taste: This was so different from the '09 -- much fuller and richer, as the vintage was a little more consistent and with time the wine had changed to take on different notes. It tasted like ripe apples, sweet lemon, and had some tropical fruit notes (pineapple) to it. The wine tasted a bit like caramel from the oak, but it was all integrated and not out of place at all.

Drink or Sink: Drink. The consistent theme with the '09 -- bright acid that played against the ripe fruit flavors. This was richer, fuller, and the contrast in flavors of ripe fruit and acid made this a total winner. I would have loved to have had a nice piece of halibut in a dill, lemon, cream sauce!

Wine #4: 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $49
Like most of the top Cabernet producers in Napa, this wine is not 100% Cabernet. Merlot and Cab Franc are used to soften the bold flavors of the Cab. 2008 was a tough vintage because of poor weather. Montelena lost a lot of its grapes, but as a result, the ones that were left made FANTASTIC wine.

The Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc

The Alcohol: 14.2%

Color: A little brownish with a beautiful ruby rim, the wine had lots of pigment but didn't look like blackberry juice. I wouldn't expect Montelena to make a super-dark wine, which usually, in a Cabernet blend, hints to me that there will be too much fruit and not much else (not always the case, but often because the grapes got overly ripe, the skins have a ton of pigment and that bleeds into the wine. So dark in a Cab often = fruit bomb).

Smell: This wine has such a strikingly different aroma from any other Napa Cab I've ever had. It's so fresh. The wine is floral -- like roses and violets -- but also has this note of exotic spice, like Chai tea (cardamom), tumeric, coriander, and cinnamon. I know those are kind of random descriptions, because that's the stuff in your spice rack you may never use, but if you eat Indian food, just think of those spices with some flowers and you're there.

Taste: If you like balls-out, big Cabs this isn't your style. If you like medium, restrained, Bordeaux style wines -- here you go. This wine tasted like it smelled, and the sweet cinnamon and nutmeg flavors were prominent from the oak. It was flavorful, yet very fresh.

Drink or Sink: Drink. To me, this is an amazing, amazing, amazing wine. My notes say "stylish" -- and what I mean by this is that it's more than just a fruit bomb or an alcohol bomb. This wine can't be characterized the same way as other Napa Cabs. It's so elegant, so fresh, and so beautiful without being wimpy. It's a wine to think about -- it's got a lot of layers, yet it's so easy to drink and love in the moment. This is a gold star wine for me (and so much more affordable than other wineries' less good wines).

Wine #5: 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $135
The difference between the Napa Valley and Estate wine is where the grapes are grown. For the Napa Valley wine, the grapes come from different vineyards around Napa. The benefit is that the winemaker can get the best of the best grapes with which to make the wine. The downside -- there is less consistency and control over the grapes than if the wine comes from one place. Enter the Estate Cabernet -- all from Montelena's vineyards on the property. This is their baby and their big daddy of a Cab, but the wine is still balanced, just like the rest of their line.

The Blend: 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc

The Alcohol: 14.3%

Color: Dark crimson, almost blood red. It had a brown rim, showing a little of it's age (reds lighten to an amber brown with age. This one didn't show that much age, but it was starting to show it's grey hair).

Smell: This was like wet soil, but still fresh and like violets. There were some tobacco or cedar notes but I didn't smell much fruit. It was like an intense version of the Napa Valley Cab.

Taste: This is a ballsy wine. Full, rich black currant and black raspberry flavors and sweet vanilla and cinnamon ones were awesome complements to one other. The earthy, potting soil flavors tempered the rich fruit and reminded me that this stuff comes from the earth -- love that. The wine had some big ass tannins -- but not the bitter ones, more the mouth-drying kind. This was a powerful, forceful wine. Tons of fruit, earth, and spice.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This wine is an fantastic balance of fruit, earth, spice, and flowers. 2007 was a solid year in Napa and this wine shows that. Still, despite the fact that this wine is much more in your face than the Napa Valley Cab, it is not over-the-top. Everything in moderation...the way it should be.

Wine #6: 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $135
What a treat to try the same wine from another great vintage. Although the extra four years makes a difference, the wine shows a real consistency in style...

The Alcohol: 13.8%

Color: Much more brown or brick red than the 2007. The grey hair was showing here (the wine was paler from age).

Smell: More complex aromas than the 2007 -- time is a friend to Cabernet if it's a well-made one! The wine had the characteristic Montelena floral note and it was earthy, but the stuff had more evolved fruit aromas too. Asian pear (which I call a papple because it's like a pear and apple together), raspberry, black currant, and sweet green herbs (like tarragon or mint) were all over this. Then there was this super-strong and pleasant smell of black tea. If you've ever had or smelled Darjeeling tea, that's what this smelled like. Super complex, super fabulous.

Taste: Another ballsy wine -- this was powerful stuff. Tasted like it smelled and it was so mouth-filling with rich, chewy tannins. There was a tobacco and earth note to the wine against the backdrop of the spices I found in the Napa Valley Cab.

Drink or Sink: Drink. The flavor was significantly different from the 2007 -- the wine had matured into something special. It was evolved. What a treat. Proves that when done right, Cab gets better and better.

What else is there to say? Chateau Montelena makes divine wine. It's a jewel in California's crown. I don't know of other wineries that do what they do or make wines that taste anything like theirs. Go up and down the Napa Valley and I bet you won't find another winery like them. Are they boutique, or little -- the thing that so many people seek out? No. But if you want something different, historic, and consistently phenomenal you can't miss their wine. It doesn't hurt that the people are cool, but even if they sucked, this place does something special.

Thanks to Laura, Joel, and especially for Jamie for having me -- especially on a crazy Saturday with the lush rush in full swing!

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 34--Wine Gift Ideas for Festivus or Whatever Other Holiday You Celebrate!

2011-12-15T02:23:00.009-05:00

And just in time for the holidays: Wine gift ideas!

This week, MC Ice and I talk about 4 kinds of gifts to get for the wine lover/liker/drinker in your life...

Gadgets: The most useful, must-haves (not just random crap you buy just to buy!). Here's a picture of the Ah-so, for reference. Gotta also say that listener Sayle Milne provided the suggestion on wine charms! Thanks Sayle!

Glassware: The three kinds someone really needs and a few recommendations on what to look for and what to avoid.
Books. From Facebook friend Brandon Robinson, we cover books: why I don't love "Fun" wine books, three reference books for real wine dorks, and a shameless plug for the upcoming "Wine For Normal People" book (and shout to my fabulous agent Myrsini!)
And, drum roll...you didn't think we'd cover all this stuff and forget the WINE, did you? We talk about strategies for shopping for wine as a gift -- from in-store selections to wine clubs to the horror of wine shipping laws (thanks to listener Bruce Bowler for the suggestion that we should cover this). I wax a little poetic on the sentimentality of wine...but just briefly.
Then, Grape of the Week...listener Sayle Milne strikes again -- she has requested we cover this for a long time and voilá! Petit Verdot...and why it makes a better supporting actor, than star of the show.

We plan on churning out another episode before the holidays, but we wish everyone a happy Festivus (for the rest of us)...or whatever else you celebrate. Please post any ideas we missed here so everyone can benefit from your genius!

Oh...and if you like the podcast, please review us on iTunes, join the conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine.

We mentioned this, so here goes...call us and you'll be on the show!!! Do you have a wine-related question? Anything goes! Call 800-599-8478 (in the U.S.) or 1-415-226-9105 and dial extension 5 to leave your question for the Wine For Normal People Podcast, and we'll answer it in an upcoming episode!

The Frog's the Only Thing Not Green At Frog's Leap: Tasty, Organic Wines In a Beautiful Setting

2011-12-08T15:29:00.005-05:00

At the suggestions of the awesome normal wine people on Facebook, Frog's Leap was high on the list for my Napa trip this year and I was ready to discover all it had to offer. I'd enjoyed the wines at tastings, and knew the place was touted for its commitment to organics, but I'd never been to visit.

I gotta say, on a number of fronts, I was I happy I made it! Frog's Leap has good wine, a stunning property, and great hospitality. Thanks to all who recommended it!

The Winery is in the Rutherford District of Napa, which is a small area in the middle of the Valley. Because it's so unique, Rutherford is worth a little tangent...so here goes...

More so than any other, this sub-district of Napa is probably the most distinct of all the Valley's American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). Here Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme, and with good reason -- the grape has a balance of fruit, tannin, and earth that you don't see in other Napa AVAs. In a valley where the winemaker often determines flavor, the land seems to rule Rutherford grapes.

People often talk about "Rutherford Dust," a characteristic of the wines that's specific to this area. Although it's brought up all the time, truth is: there's some ambiguity about what that actually means. Some say it refers to the earthy, mineral quality of the wines (that I find to be distinctive, delicious, and great), but others say it's just a term for the winemakers' collective commitment to maintaining good land and soil. Although my mouth tells me the former is true, I'm inclined to believe the latter, since the Rutherford Dust Society, a non-profit that promotes the district's wines and farming, claims that is the case.

All I can tell you (and all that matters to me, at least) is that I taste an earthiness in the wines, so when I think of Rutherford Dust, I think of that quality regardless of the original intent of the phrase. And I think of that as a wholly positive description of the wines.

'Nough said on Rutherford.

Let's leap back to the Frog and address the gorgeous tasting room, which is in a red barn and on the site of the former Adamson Winery, built in 1884. John Williams, owner and winemaker at Frog's Leap, did the renovation in 1994 and has kept it up beautifully.

It was a really busy day for this popular tasting room so after checking in we were seated promptly on the porch which overlooks the valley floor vineyards. Our guide through the wines was Peter Molinari IV, whose ancestor was the first Swiss farmer in all of Napa in the 1880s, and whose family still owns Zinfandel vineyards from which they make a little wine but mainly sell grapes. He was the sweetest, most modest, helpful, and knowledgable person with whom you'd want to spend an hour. In a place with lots of bachelorette parties and family reunions (i.e., Frog's Leap is a little commercial), Peter still made me feel special and relaxed.

Peter shared some facts about the Winery with me. Frog's Leap is mid-sized, verging on large. It makes about 60,000 cases (720,000 bottles) per year. The story is kind of neat and not the "rich guy likes wine, buys winery" story that's so common in Napa. After growing up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, John Williams attended Cornell University, to continue studying dairy farming. But during a work-study, he learned more about wine and decided instead to pursue a Masters in enology at UC Davis in California. in 1981 he made the first vintage of Frog's Leap and hasn't thought about cows or sheep since.

Frog's Leap is pretty awesome in that the wines are made only from organically farmed grapes (check out the post and podcast for more on organics). And in places where Frog's Leap's vineyards abut their non-organic neighbors (of which there are many), Williams and his team plant ample buffers of pomegranate and olive trees to ensure the grapes are protected from nasty pesticide sprays.

Peter explained to us that John Williams is all about natural farming. He and his team nurture his vines, but let them grown on their own and struggle to reach maturity. He dry farms -- which means no irrigation (rare in Napa but saved them an estimated 10 million gallons of water last year). Williams sometimes harvests earlier to avoid the thing for which many Napa wines are criticized -- high alcohol levels, too much fruit flavor and low tannins and acids that occur when the grapes hang on the vine too long and bake in the sun (especially in warmer years). Although the wines go for big bucks, many think these Napa styles are overdone and don't allow Cabernet to show it's kinder, gentler fruit flavors, nuances, and textures. You won't find that in Frog's Leap wines.

If you're a regular blog reader, you know I'm a lover of organics and all things ecologically good, so I've got to say how utterly impressed I was that Frog's Leap walks the walk. They have 1,000 solar panels to power their winery and the farmhouse was the first LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, an internationally-recognized green building certification) building in the California Wine industry, with geothermal heating and cooling systems. These people are serious about caring for the environment, unlike those who pay lip service and call themselves "sustainable," a meaningless term in this industry.

And they've got hospitality down to a science. The folks working there were all so nice. My biggest gripe about the place -- the patrons. There were lots of wine snobs there and I saw them being nasty to our new friend Peter, and to the other hard-working staff. I guess in Napa people feel that they should act a certain way, but I can understand why Peter wanted to hang out with us rather than talk to some of the other people who seemed to think he was their servant. Frustrating to watch...and all the more reason for you to go. You will be one of the good ones!

Now to the wines, which were all understated and tasty...

Wine #1: 2010 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc, $18

Color: Super pale and light with a bit of a golden rim, this looked good. No oak here -- good sign for Napa Sauv Blanc, which always seems to have a touch of smokey, oakiness that I don't think works with the grape.

Smell: Man, this was grassy. It smelled like grapefruit, lemon, and flowers at first. Then a little tropical -- like passionfruit. This was a very typical unoaked Napa Sauv Blanc to smell -- clean, floral, and tropical.

Taste:Just like it smelled -- grapefruit, grass, and tropical fruit stood out. It had noticeable mouthwatering acid and a little weight and silkiness when I rolled it around my mouth. It was refreshing, but medium in body. It has lower alcohol (for Napa) at 12.8%, but it was no powder puff.

Drink or Sink: Drink. A good wine for the porch. Refreshing and light but not overly so. I like that the wine had all the ripe, tropical fruit flavor I'd expect in Napa yet was still on the lighter side. A great sipper on a hot day.

Wine #2: 2009 Napa Valley Zinfandel, $27

A note on this wine before I get into it. This is not your typical Zinfandel on a few fronts. First of all, John Williams and his co-winemaker Paula Moschetti decided to make a more traditional style Zin. What's that? It's a wine that's not 14%+ alcohol, bursting with fruit, and made with nearly raisined grapes. It's one that's a blend of some other stuff, to help fill in where Zin may not be so strong. So...

The Blend: 77% Zinfandel, 22% Petite Sirah, 1% Carignan

The Alcohol: 13.6% (very low for Zin)

Color: This was a really dark color, mostly from that 22% Petite Sirah. The grape has tons of pigment and can darken any wine to nearly purple!

Smell: The wine was like blackberries, boysenberries, and black plums. It was subtle and more perfumed than bursting with fruit. It didn't have the black pepper spice I'm used to in a Zin, it was kind of light to smell.

Taste: Again, a lighter fruit quality. This wasn't a fruit nor an alcohol bomb. It had some ripe black plum flavor and then a good hit of pepper, nice mouth-drying tannin, and great acid to keep everything in check. It was a subtler version of Zin.

Drink or Sink: Drink, but only for comparison to see how a lighter Zin tastes. I generally like subtler wines, but where Zin is concerned I like a little more umph. I was missing fruitiness and spice and felt this was a bit too lightweight for the grape. You'll rarely see a Zin with this little alcohol anywhere, so it's worth trying just for the sake of comparison. That said, it's not one I'll be adding to the rotation.

Wine #3: 2008 Napa Valley Merlot, $34

This is where things started to get really amazing. This wine is 100% Merlot and is farmed almost exclusively around the Frog's Leap estate. While I was sitting and sipping, I was looking at the vineyards of Merlot. It's dry farmed and gets the attention that makes this wine kind of a knockout.

The Alcohol: 12.9% (like a European wine)

Color: The wine was a crimson red with a pink rim. It was mellow in color, so I couldn't tell much about the wine by looking at it.

Smell: And there it is...the Rutherford Dust. This wine just smelled like dust and earth. It had great cherry and chocolate notes, but it was so earthy and herbal (like thyme) that I was completely intrigued. I was excited to taste this. It was decidedly more earthy and subtle than most Napa wines I've smelled, and the alcohol was low so I thought this may be the holy grail -- a true European style wine in California (everyone boasts about this but most of that's crap in my opinion. Plus I'm not sure why you wouldn't just want to be a California wine, when those styles are unique and delicious too!)

Taste: Oh, yeah. Rich chocolate, cherries and dusty, earthy, mineral flavors were prominent. The texture of this wine was amazing. It was both rough and silky at the same time! The tannins dried out my mouth, but the fruit was soft and plump. What a balance!

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is an excellent, understated Merlot that shows what Rutherford Dust really is. If you've written off Merlot from California because of "Sideways" or for some other reason (like a lot of the lower tier stuff sucks, for instance), try this one and it will show you what California could do with Merlot if it made a good go of it. It was great with the Gouda on the cheese plate too!

Wine #4: 2007 Rutherford (small production Cab), $75

The Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc

The Alcohol: 13.6% (very low for Cabernet)

Color: A dark plum color in the center with a rosy rim and kind of thick legs, it seemed like the color was pointing to a flavorful wine, but I had a feeling it would still be restrained, since I was sensing a theme with Frog's Leap.

Smell: More like violets than fruit, this wine had a serious earthy, dusty, green pepper note to it. It was full and rich with black cherry and vanilla notes.

Taste: A full, rich bold wine. It tasted like it smelled -- earthy, perfumed, and more like blueberries than cherries with a subtle hit of vanilla from the oak. More than anything this wine was earthy and fruity yet powerful and flavorful, without being over the top.

Drink or Sink: Drink. There aren't the distractions of overripe fruit or high alcohol that so many other wines in the Valley/District seem to feature. This was a great wine, and would be terrific with food.

Thank you all for suggesting Frog's Leap. Gorgeous place, great philosophy, and good wines...and they're all pretty widely available so you can probably get them where you live, if you're in the States.

And a big thanks to Peter Molinari IV -- don't let those wine snobs get you down. You are great and sweet. Next year, I'm coming up to your family's property and we're going to DORK out on farming BIG TIME!

If you've been to Frog's Leap or had their wines, please add a comment below and let me know what you thought.

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 33 -- The Grape Miniseries, Cabernet Sauvignon

2011-12-07T10:45:00.001-05:00

We are back at it -- the Grape Miniseries makes a triumphant return!

Here's a link to the episode: Episode 33

While drinking a rather skunked and old Napa version, MC Ice and I tackle the King of the Reds: Cabernet Sauvignon. If you like my dork out moments... get ready.

Here are a few summary points:

I geek out on the grape, talking about the history and the viticulture of Cabernet Sauvignon (I get into it -- everything from torrid vineyard love affairs to Pliny the Elder to methoxypyrazines)

We try to cover everything you ever wanted to know about Cabernet from the most famous regions around the world:

o Old World: Bordeaux, Italy, Spain, and other parts of Europe

o New World: California (Napa, Sonoma), Washington, Oregon, Long Island, South America (Chile, Argentina), Australia, South Africa

MC Ice gets really excited about the marriage of Cabernet and food. (the chemical reaction of tannin and filet fascinates him)
And here's the link to the terroir episode we reference! LINK

If you like the podcast, please review us on iTunes, write a comment below or join the conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine!

A Cult Producer in Napa...Of Zin: Robert Biale Vineyards Stands Out in the Land of Cabernet

2011-12-01T00:39:00.000-05:00

I like a place that specializes.Visiting a Winery with a "thing" is really helpful on a number offronts. First, I've got a place to put them in my brain. This may be why I'msuch a European wine lover. The grapes and styles are regulated by thegovernment in large part so you can judge one against another pretty easily.Second and related, I'm tasting things that are in the same vein so it's easierto gauge the style of the winery and what I think of it. If a place makes winefrom every grape under the sun, I question how well they can do any one inparticular.

So I was excited to head to RobertBiale (said like my favorite bagel alternative, "bialy")right on the outskirts of the city of Napa. Zin is their "thing" andthey do it well.

The Winery started as a family farmin 1937. They produced Zinfandel grapes, mostly for sale but the teenage AldoBiale was enterprising and held a bit back for experimental winemaking. He dida great job and shared it with a few friends and customers who bought otherproducts from the farm. It was good stuff so word spread in Napa. But this wasa small time operation so to keep the bootlegging under wraps from thoseeavesdropping on the party line phone the Biales used, those in the know gottheir jug of Zin by asking for a "black chicken." Today,"black chicken" is a wine, a wine club, and an important part of theheritage of Robert Biale.

From 1937 through 1991 the Biales onlysold wine to family friends. Finally, in 1991 Aldo, his son Robert and twoother partners bonded the Winery and started selling wine to the public. Sincethen, they've become a bit of a cult Zinfandel producer. In a valley dominatedby Cabernet (only 3% is planted to Zin), Biale stays true to the heritage ofNapa, which is thought to have produced some of the first Zin in the US.

The Winery has great hospitality andit's conveniently located just outside of the city of Napa. The tasting roomwas lively and welcoming, and the vineyards were so pretty. What a great placeto spend our morning!

One important caveat before I get to the wine: Like some ofthe other places we visited, this is a small production winery and they sellout of stuff quickly (they produce about 20 different Zinfandels and 10,000 casesof wine per year -- pretty small for Napa!). The wine is distributed in someplaces around the US, but if you see it, you better get it while you can.

Here's the lineup:

Wine #1: 2010Pollo Bianco Sauvignon Blanc, $22

Like you, I was thinking - "Hey, I thought Zin wastheir thing!" I was skeptical, but..

Color: A very palewine with a slight golden tint, I was happy to see and hear that it wasn't aFumé Blanc, aged in oak (I'm kind of against oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc because Ithink it takes away from the awesome flavor of the grape. Napa is known forliking it's oak, so this was a refreshing twist).

Smell: Almost like aNew Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, this was spicy -- like a jalapeño pepper -- andhad lots of grapefruit aromas and a strong mineral smell too. It didn't haveany of the light floral aromatics I usually associate with Napa SauvBlanc...and I liked it.

Taste:Thewine was really dangerous. It was so light and refreshing. There was a greenpepper note, and it tasted like green leaf lettuce in a salad. You could easilydrink an entire bottle of this stuff and not think twice.

Drink or Sink:Drink.It was a great, differentiated Sauvingon Blanc. Much more in line with thestyle that I like than the more floral and sometimes oaky styles of other Napaproducers, it was acidic, citrusy, and minerally.

Wine #2: 2009 Southern Trail Zinfandel, $39
Color: Apretty red plum color. It looked like raspberry juice.
Smell: This was a great smelling Zin and just what I like and expect --ripe, juicy plum with smoke, black pepper, and a little bit of fresh shaved oak(like when you get wood cut at Loews).
Taste: The winetasted like it smelled, but it had a lot of texture. It was kind of acidic andthe alcohol was slightly off the chart. I got a burn, similar to taking a shotof vodka.
Drink or sink?: Drink. The wine was good, but I wouldn't call it great. Thealcohol and acid stuck out a little too much and overshadowed the fruit. I wishthe winemaker had tempered these a little bit -- the wine could have beenamazing without these factors. It was hard to find all the nuance under thealcohol.

Wine #3: 2009Aldo's Vineyard Zinfandel, $75

Color: This was adeep, rich almost purple color. It was like prune juice -- a super dark crimsoncenter with really thick legs from high alcohol. When I swirled it, it stainedthe glass. This was going to be a heavy hitter from the looks of it.

Smell: Greataromatics. The wine had awesome plum and black cherry fruit smells and it wasspicy like a pepper mill. It was also a little gamey -- like a farm. I wasliking this more and more!

Taste: Now, this is a Zin. It had a rich plum,raspberry briar (kind of wild and outdoor-like) thing and then a ton of blackpepper spice, nutmeg, and clove flavors. It had a touch of bitterness from thepronounced tannins, and it was an alcohol bomb, but everything was in harmonyso the alcohol didn't overwhelm the wine.

Drink orsink?:Drink. This is a very good Zin. Although a little pricey, I liked the fact thatit wasn't all fruit and alcohol, but had some earth and great spice too. Thisis a huge step up from the previous wine and proves Robert Biale completelydeserving of it's place as a top Zin producer.

Wine #4: 2008Thomann Station Petite Sirah, $55

Unlike a lot of Petite Sirah that's frequently blended withZin, this version is 100% Petite Sirah. Named for the old train station in St.Helena, this was a big-ass wine.

Color: No two waysabout it -- this wine was purple with a purple rim and super thick legs. PetiteSirah is no shrinking violet -- big in every way, including color. This was onthe money for what this wine should be.

Smell: A full, richsmell that was more like dark flowers than anything else. There were blueberryand blackberry notes too, and it burned the inside of my nose -- that'salcohol, for you.

Taste: This wine wassuper concentrated in flavor, really intense and rich in those dark berryflavors. You could chew on the tannins for days -- my cheeks felt chapped fromthem. The flavor stuck around for ages too. This is a ballsy wine and not forpeople that shrink from bold fruit and tannin.

Drink orsink?: Drink.Although I love a subtle wine, you've got to appreciate Petite Sirah for whatit is -- rich, powerful, and in your face. Even more so than Zinfandel, thiswine is brawny and unapologetic for being fruity, tannic, and a little rustic.I don't think I've had a better example than this one. Hats off Robert Bialefor making an ideal Petit Sirah! This was my favorite of the day.

Thanks to everyone at RobertBiale for their hospitality, especially Scott who took a millionpictures for us and Austin who took time to hang out (in a small worldcoincidence, MC Ice does business with his dad! Worlds colliding!). We had agreat time -- good wine and it's such a laid back, pleasant place to mellow outfor a while. If you're a Zin or Petite Sirah fan, Robert Biale is a must!

Have you been here or had the wines?Post a comment here or on Facebook and let me know what you thought!

Thanksgiving Wine Picks: Part II, The Results

2011-11-28T22:15:00.001-05:00

I said I'd report back on Thanksgiving and the wines I picked. I am happy to report that this year, there wasn't a stinker in the bunch. Everything was under $20, proving you can get great stuff and don't have to pay an arm and a leg (or breast or thigh bone, if we're talking turkey) to get it! Here's a recap and why they worked...

Wine #1: Aperitif (Starter) Wine: 2010 Les Lauzeraies, Tavel (Rosé), Rhône Valley, France

The recap: Tavel is a dry, dry, French Rosé. Made of mostly Grenache and a blending grape called Cinsault, it's refreshing and delicious but a little more serious than other Rosés, with more flavor and acid than a garden variety Rosé.

The result: OMG, this was so thirst quenching and festive. A tasty, palate cleansing start to the meal. Everyone was excited for the wine selections after tasting this dry, slightly acidic wine that had a little bit of strawberry and raspberry flavor. A gorgeous color too -- totally perfect for a starter!

Wine #2: Appetizer/Cheese Wine: Non Vintage, Willm Blanc de Blancs, Cremant d'Alsace, France

The recap: Made from 100% Pinot Blanc, this wine should be refreshing, with apple and citrus flavors, but because it's from Alsace it will be more oily and thick than bubbly from other regions. Made in the same way Champagne is made, this wine should be dry, but still a little fruity and bread-like (I've said it before -- Champagne and sparkling wine can taste like toast or a croissant because of the breakdown of yeast, which releases these flavors).

The result: This was unbelievable with cashew nuts, and Manchego and cheddar cheeses. The wine was citrus-y but a little bread-like too and it made the nuts taste creamy and the cheeses seem like they were infused with citrus fruit. The strong acidity lightened up the Brie too (whose seeming lightness made me and MC Ice over-consume). We tried it with the turkey and it was great, although better with the starters, truth be told. I wouldn't classify this one as oily or thick, as I posited in my original post, but I think it's a good Champagne alternative (and for less than $20, who can ask for more?).

Dinner Wines

Wine #3: 2010 Willm Riesling, Alsace, France

The recap: Riesling from Alsace is fuller, kind of oily in texture but still extremely acidic. The peachy, appley fruitiness and the mouth-filling soft texture of the wine should work with creamy mashed potatoes, baked brussel sprouts, green beans with almonds and butter, and savory turkey.

The result: This was awesome with anything green -- brussel sprouts, green beans, and salad. The mouth-filling, oily texture of the wine took any bitter bite out of the greens and the peachy, apple fruit flavors went well with the buttery goodness of the green beans. The big bonus: the fruitiness combined with the candied yams (they were flavored with oranges) to make it all taste smooth, slightly less sweet, yet creamy. I would say this is a MUST for Thanksgiving side dishes.

Wine #4: 2008 d'Arenberg "Footbolt" Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia

The recap: This Shiraz is more on the herbal/spicy side, perfect for the thyme and rosemary in the stuffing and the herbal rub on the turkey.

The result: The herbs in the stuffing were perfectly complemented by the lavender, thyme, and black pepper spice in the wine. We had broccoli and fennel soup with a touch of black pepper. The wine's licorice, pepper, and dark fruit flavors (to my surprise) went perfectly with the fennel and pepper in the soup and didn't clash with the broccoli flavor (usually the case with red wines, in my experience). I think our turkey was a little bland this year, but this wine spruced it up. It's asking a lot of a wine to give flavor to the food, but this one did it. A+ pairing!

Wine #5: Dessert Wine: 2006 Maison Nicolas, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France

The recap: The honeyed, apricot, peach flavors of this sweety should be divine.

The result: AMAZING with the pecan pie. As I said on the podcast, I'm more a baker than cook and I actually made the pie from a new recipe (I don't usually do this, but it's so awesome I have to include the link here. No corn syrup. Pure deliciousness). The nuts, sugar and butter in the pie felt light and pillow-like because of the reaction with the acid in the wine. The rich, sweet, nutty flavors were complemented by the honeyed, nutty flavors in the wine. The pie was sweet, but the wine was sweeter (the most important rule in dessert pairing). This was an inexpensive, but good Sauternes (here's a link if you want to know more about this bit of deliciousness from Bordeaux) so I can't imagine how good the pie would be with something that's higher quality.

Although we're passed Thanksgiving, hopefully this will be useful for Christmas or other savory meals you might have. Please drop a comment and share your best (and worst) pairing stories so we can all learn from your experiences!!!

My Thanksgiving Wine Picks, Part 1: The Purchases

2011-11-23T20:42:00.004-05:00

What am I drinking for Thanksgiving? My family constrained my budget, so everything is under $20. Really tough but given how much we all drink, if we wanted to get lots of variety, we needed to go for budget wines. The special ones will have to wait until Christmas, when it's a smaller group.

That said, here's the planned lineup for tomorrow. I'll report back and let you know how the pairings went...I have a feeling it's going to be a divine meal!

Wine #1: Aperitif (Starter) Wine: 2010 Les Lauzeraies, Tavel (Rosé), Rhône Valley, France
Why did I pick it? Tavel is a dry, dry, French Rosé. Made of mostly Grenache and a blending grape called Cinsault, it's refreshing and delicious but a little more serious than other Rosés, with more flavor and acid than a garden variety Rosé. I was careful when I choose this, because with Rosé the vintage has to be current (Champagne is the exception). The Les Lauzeraies is 2010, so it should still be fresh, fruity, but dry with some acid. With its raspberry juice color, Rosé is beautiful in the glass and should be a great way to begin the festivities.

Wine #2: Appetizer/Cheese Wine: Non Vintage, Willm Blanc de Blancs, Cremant d'Alsace, France
Why did I pick it? Made from 100% Pinot Blanc, this wine should be refreshing, with apple and citrus flavors, but because it's from Alsace it will be more oily and thick than bubbly from other regions. Made in the same way Champagne is made, this wine should be dry, but still a little fruity and bread-like (I've said it before -- Champagne and sparkling wine can taste like toast or a croissant because of the yeast). Should go well with the variety of starters on the menu -- cheeses (the acid should cut through the Brie like a knife), Spanakopita (feta and spinach in phyllo dough can be heavy, but the Cremant's citrus should give it a lift), and some Mediterranean-like dips that will be smokey and tangy and complemented well by the sharp, clean flavors of the bubbly.

Dinner Wines
Wine #3: 2010 Willm Riesling, Alsace, France
Why did I pick it? Like the Crémant, Riesling from Alsace is fuller, kind of oily in texture but still extremely acidic. The peachy, appley fruitiness and the mouth-filling soft texture of the wine should work with creamy mashed potatoes, baked brussel sprouts, green beans with almonds and butter, and savory turkey. Although the wine is dry, its fuller texture should make the buttery green vegetables and the turkey taste more flavorful and moist, and maybe add a little spike of fruitiness that gives the food an extra dimension. The acid in this wine will lift up the buttery dishes, making them feel lighter -- a very positive thing when the table is loaded with buttery food.

Wine #4: 2008 d'Arenberg "Footbolt" Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Why did I pick it? Yes, Australian Shiraz can be over the top with too much fruit and alcohol, but this one is more on the herbal/spicy side, perfect for the thyme and rosemary in the stuffing and on the turkey (smells so great baking!). The licorice/anise note in the wine is going to ROCK with the broccoli and fennel soup (similar flavors), which is heavy enough to stand up to a red wine. The black pepper, leather, and plum aromas and flavors are more restrained in this wine than in a lot of other Aussie Shiraz, which should make it food-friendly but still bold enough for the folks at my dinner who like big wines (and would have hated me if I'd gone all French!).

Wine #5: Dessert Wine: 2006 Maison Nicolas, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
Why did I pick it? I'll admit that this was kind of a risk because it's a cheap Sauternes and usually there is a correlation between price and quality with these sweet wines of Bordeaux. That said, it could be pretty good, just because it was a good vintage and even cheap Sauternes is usually worth the sip. Given that MC Ice and I will probably be the only ones drinking it, we didn't want to go too big. Apple pie, here we come. The honeyed, apricot, peach flavors of this sweety should be divine with the cinnamon spice of the pie. It shouldn't be too shabby with the pecan pie either, as it adds fruity flavors to that nutty, sweet, buttery bit of deliciousness.

So that's our experiment this year. I've said it on the podcast and I'll say it again -- Thanksgiving pairing is tough business. I tried...I'll post tomorrow on how it went for me and I hope you'll share your experiences too!

Have a GREAT holiday if you're in the United States! If not and you have a turkey dinner for another occasion, I hope this will help guide your selections.

Regardless, please let me tell you how thankful I am that you've read this and that you're interested in what I have to say. I love normal wine people! Happy Thanksgiving!

Latest Article on Wine Travel in Travel Belles: 4 Tips to Conquer the Wall of Wine At Home or Away

2011-11-23T14:12:00.004-05:00

My latest article for The Travel Belles was published yesterday!

Hopefully this will be helpful if you're last minute shopping for Thanksgiving wines or if you're going to be picking out stuff for the holidays! We've talked about shopping for wine on the podcast before, but this also addresses the issue of looking for wine when you're on the road...a unique challenge for sure!

Here's the link:
A Bottle for the Holidays: 4 Tips to Conquer the “Wall of Wine” At Home or Away

Enjoy it!

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 32--The Urban Tribe, Food and Wine Pairing Revisited, and Thanksgiving Wines

2011-11-21T02:00:00.006-05:00

Yep, we're throwing it down with the rest of the wine world...but doing it the normal way. It's a family time, so MC Ice and I huddled 'round the mic to share some ideas about Thanksgiving wine.

Here's a link to the 'cast and the show notes are below!

We start out with shout outs from iTunes, Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and email (elizabeth(at)winefornormalpeople(dot)com).

Main topic: Thanksgiving Food & Wine Pairing

It’s a tough holiday for wine, but great to be with Urban Tribe or family (I explain the Urban Tribe, and how it differs from being a Member of the Tribe, of which, of course I am -- urban dictionary it if you don't know what it is)
MC Ice talks about a dessert that he'll never eat again
Wine Pairing Horses of the Apocalypse: Why food and wine pairing is tough for Thanksgiving and why the standard recommendations work
I wax poetic on pairing philosophy -- it's not just about the meat!
The Brass Tacks: We discuss pairings for Thanksgiving and why certain wines should be on the menu. We discuss everything from traditional Thanksgiving food to smoked and fried turkey, to spicy glazed ham, all of which were suggested on the Facebook page.
We offered a sample wine menu for each course from aperitifs to dessert before MC Ice and I jet off to New York, to help my mom shop for wine for our Thanksgiving feast!

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for being part of our virtual Urban Tribe!

Click here to listen!

If you like the podcast, please review us on iTunes, drop a comment on the blog, or join the growing conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine!

Pride Mountain Vineyards: Great Wines and a Stunning Property

2011-11-15T01:29:00.005-05:00

The first time I heard about Pride Mountain Vineyards, my first thought was that it should become THE drink of the best party in every city across the US: gay pride! It would be an ideal pairing of two great things that I love with the same name! Alas, the wine snobs with whom I was sharing the bottle thought it was a horrible idea and made fun of my insistence that it was a missed marketing opportunity, but I digress.

Because I liked the wine I tried it in better company and learned more about it. I found out that Pride is actually the last name of the dude who started the Winery. Jim Pride was a dentist who came from a farming family and even kept up a farm while working in San Francisco as a dentist until he finally traded in white teeth for purple ones.

His million dollar idea was to provide outsourced dental administrative services and when he was getting ready for retirement, in 1989 he and his wife bought what may be the most beautiful piece of land in all of Sonoma or Napa. Jim and Carolyn Pride intended to live a quiet life on this property that had cultivated vineyards since the mid 1800s (under the name Summit Ranch, which some locals still call the property). The Prides wanted to grow grapes and selling them to others. But once they tasted what they were capable of producing, they knew they had to bottle the stuff.

Fast forward to today.

Beyond the beautiful, sweeping vistas from their perch atop Spring Mountain, which straddles Napa in the East and Sonoma in the west (in fact they have to account for winemaking activities that take place along the county line so they can pay proper taxes, hence why they will put exact percentages of where the grapes derive on their labels), the tour that is offered to visitors is fabulous. We arrived at the end of our day and were so happy that we had no other place to be so we could really enjoy it!

I can't believe that my visit was my first to this stunning property. I've always liked the wine, but I had no idea that it was going to be as breathtaking. It goes into the bucket of DON'T MISS. You've got to make an appointment (it's appointment only) when in CA Wine Country.

On our tour through the ridiculously vast caves we stopped at a few stations until finally we got to taste the Cabernet Sauvignon right out of the barrel. It was a great experience and I have to extend a huge thanks to the smart and sweet Katrina who led our tour. She was so helpful, fun, and cool.

That said, I do have to bring up one thing...having had all of these wines in prior vintages, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with them this time around. Except for the Cabernet, I found everything was slightly off its game and I didn't love the wines as much as I usually do. I think a series of tough vintages is taking its toll.

Although the wines were good, I look forward to future, better years (let's keep our fingers crossed for 2012, since 2010 and 2011 were pretty rough) and a return to the amazing stuff I know Pride normally makes.

Here was the line up:

Wine #1: 2010 Viognier, Sonoma County $42
Color: The color of golden apple skin, this was a deep yellow. Viognier does tend to be darker in color, but I had a suspicion the wine saw some oak, which darkens a wine.
Smell: It was peachy, but also a tad musty. I didn't get fresh fruit nor the big, overripe honeyed flavors that I usually expect from Viognier.
Taste: My first impression was that the wine was bitter and a little astringent -- a sign of tannin. But the only oak it saw was 8 year old barrels, which wouldn't impart any tannin. I'm not sure why I sensed this, but it kind of overpowered some of the more pleasant honey, peach, and pear flavors, which was disappointing. Could have been the bottle, or the vintage (since it rained hard during harvest last year, it may have affect these high altitude vineyards).
Drink or sink?: I was really disappointed by this wine. I'd sink this one, but given what I know about Pride, I have to assume it was just the bottle or the year. I need to try it again sometime. That said, you can get a Viognier from Australia or even France for less that I think is better.

Wine #2: 2009 Syrah, Sonoma County, $60
Color: This was almost black or purple with a rose-colored rim. It was really concentrated in color, so I expected BIG flavor.
Smell: Oooo, now this was more of a Shiraz style than a restrained Syrah. Blackberry jam, black pepper, and eucalyptus were all over this baby. It was really lush to smell.
Taste: It tasted like it smelled, only it was a little minerally and almost like salty earth. The blackberry and pepper characters were really great.
Drink or sink? Drink. I think this is one to hold for 3 or 4 years. It was kind of tight to drink (meaning the fruit wasn't as prominent as I think it should be), but I could see where it was heading and in a few years, with an hour of time in a decanter before drinking it, it could be freaking AMAZING. Not at all subtle, but really delicious!

Wine #3: 2009 Merlot, Napa/Sonoma Counties, $58
This is the wine that I know best from Pride, and with good reason -- it's their largest production wine. Every time I've had this wine I've been blown away by how balanced it is. Lots of fruit but still great mouth-drying tannin. It's an ideal California Merlot, but this vintage just wasn't that fab. The wine is 9% Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Petit Verdot and Cab Franc thrown in.
Color: A bricky. medium red color with super thick legs from the 14.6% alcohol.
Smell: The wine smelled much more restrained than in previous vintages. It smelled like plums and black cherry, and a little like dried herbs and violets. I thought, like the Syrah, this was kind of tight and stingy with the aromas.
Taste: Plums and black cherry flavors dominated and it had a warm coffee, oaky flavor. On a second sip, I got a sweet bubble gum thing, which I didn't really like, and the tannins were really overpowering and could use some decanting time.
Drink or sink? I would drink this, but with the caveat that this bottle is not the Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot I know and love. If you've never had this wine before, I'd try the '08 if you can find it. Amazing and better than 09's version.

Wines #4 & #5: Barrel Samples of 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from different vineyards

Yup, right out of the barrel using a siphon! SO COOL! Katrina was an absolute PRO at that...it's no easy feat, either.

The first sample was from a 15-year old estate vineyard. The wine was purple, and smelled floral and a little like a green pepper (typical for Cabernet Sauvignon). The taste was amazing! It was so fruity -- bursting with black plum, blackberry, and black currant flavors. It had a vanilla character to it from the oak and it was very high in tannin and acid, but not so much that they hijacked the fruit flavor. It's going to make a great wine once it's blended with some Merlot to calm it down (I just hope the 2010 vintage of Merlot is better than the '09!).

The second was even better. It was from Carolyn's Vineyard, a 29 year old vineyard that's planted on volcanic soil. This thing was black in the center with a light colored rim. It smelled like strawberries and flowers, and also like a green pepper. I loved this wine. It was the perfect Napa (or Sonoma depending on what side of the mountain it was from) Cab. Lush plums, black cherries, and black raspberry flavors with great baking spice, and then a mineral, earth flavor that was delicious. I could drink this all day long. Wish they'd make this on it's own, but it will likely be blended.

Wine #6: 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, 67% Napa, 33% Sonoma, $66
The wine has 11% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot blended in to help the wine be a less tannic and harsh.
Color: Dark red with thick legs from the 14.8% alcohol. It was like the color of rose petals.
Smell: Like chocolate covered cherries and chocolate, the wine smelled fruity, a little sweet and very bold.
Taste: This was a blockbuster of a Cab but very balanced. The wine was dripping with black fruit -- black plums, blackberry, and black cherries. It tasted like a cup of really great coffee too. And oh, the tannins. They were an awesome balance to the rich fruit -- I needed the astringency to provide a counter balance to all the fruit and smokey coffee flavor.
Drink or Sink? Drink. I've always preferred Pride's Merlot to their Cab, but this wine was so decadent and amazing. It was delicious and everything I want out of a Napa/Sonoma Cab.

Thanks so much to Pride for a fabulous experience. Love the property, love the wines and I can't recommend a visit more.

Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 031 -- Bargain Wines

2011-11-15T01:07:00.002-05:00

MC Ice (normal wine person, husband, and podcast host extraordinaire) and I are back from hiatus this week. We start with a thanks to everyone for their hospitality on our Napa/Sonoma Harvest trip! I'm chronicling it on the blog, so scroll down (and up) for details!

Here's the link: Click HERE

Shout outs from iTunes -- amazing new reviews! And a shout out from a listener to Ellie, the dog (hence the pictures)

Main Topic: Bargain Wines

Thanks to listener Leslie Strolla for the topic!
Defining what we mean: Cheap v. Bargain
The top bargains from Europe: places where people speak Spanish, Bordeaux (yup, that's right), some Southern Italian gems
BAD values...gotta listen to find out!
The top bargains from English speaking countries: 1 part of California, and down under...
White v. red -- which is a better bargain? My take
Some info on the sausage factory (or the bait and switch business that happens in the world of cheap wine...)
Listener question from Emir from Boston: What's the deal with wine clubs?
We want you to Call us!!! Anything wine-related is fair game!

Call 800-599-8478 (in the U.S.) or 1-415-226-9105 and dial extension 5 to leave your question for the Wine For Normal People Podcast, and we will play it on the show!
Grape of the week: Malbec (one of the best bargains around)

If you like the podcast, please review us on iTunes, drop a comment on the Wine For Normal People blog, or join the growing conversation on Facebook (Wine For Normal People page) and Twitter @normalwine!

Across the Café Table: My Favorite Wine Find

2011-11-10T13:17:00.000-05:00

Every second Wednesday, Travel Belles posts a question for their "Across the Cafe Table" section. Since I'm an official Belle (check out my monthly column if you haven't yet!), I'll be posting my response to the question when I've got something good to share!

This week, the question was:

What’s your favorite shopping find from your travels?

I'll admit that I'm not a big shopper for clothes or tchotchkes. I prefer to spend my limited funds on (what else?) WINE. So when I went to Italy, specifically to Montalcino, with MC Ice a few years ago, I was looking for a unique bottle to snag.

My rule when shopping for wine on a trip is that the purchase has to be something I can't get at home. Since more likely than not, I'll be rolling those bottles up in clothing in my suitcase (except when I go to California when I usually come home with a few cases and just check those suckers in baggage!), I have to choose wisely and make sure the stuff is pretty special.
On that particular trip, our guide showed us the facilities that made Brunello di Montalcino for export to the US and UK. Knowing there had to be other kinds of wine made at this place, I sidled up after the tour and in my broken and very rusty Italian, asked him if the Cantine made any wines just for Italians. He said they did, but that I wouldn't be interested since the taste wasn't anything like those with which I was familiar. I insisted, batted my eyelashes a bit, and he showed me and MC Ice to their little tasting room where we popped the local stuff in our mouths and promptly purchased 2 bottles. He was so happy we loved it and we were so happy to have found this secret stash!It was the 2002 vintage (the wine ages for about 5 years before it's released) and it's now almost 2012. So in July of next year the wine should be delicious and we'll drink it to commemorate the 5 year anniversary of our trip and the 7 year anniversary of our first date.

Wine is such a great thing to buy when you're away. I mean, who could ask for more than to find an item that will allow you to transport you back to happy times in your life for the hour you spend leisurely drinking the bottle?!

In many ways, wine is about shared experiences...and to me it's better than spending my money on an awesome purse or sexy shirt. I may not be the most fashionable girl out there, but the ability to get a taste of a great time in my life a few years later certainly makes me one of the happiest!

Have something to contribute to this topic? Add your ideas on Travel Belles!

Failla Wines: A Delicious Taste of Sonoma...in Napa

2011-11-07T22:48:00.005-05:00

On my tour through Napa, I hit up a few newer wineries. Failla (FAY-la) on the Silverado Trail was one of them. I just had to go, since one of the nicest guys in the wine industry, Hardy Wallace (of Dirty South Wine), has been working harvest there and I needed my annual hug from him. I visited him last year when he was working at the Natural Process Alliance, and realized that anywhere he goes is bound to be a cool place, so I was excited for this visit.

An adorable, modest property that we actually drove by twice before finding (keep your eyes peeled if you go, it's hard to spot!), Failla is full of nice people, good wine, and tons of promise. There is one kind of strange thing about it though: most of their wines aren't from Napa.

Failla owns vineyards in the Sonoma Coast, close to the Pacific Ocean, and makes wines from the cooler regions that are best suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Hence, it was similar to a tasting in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma -- those two wine types were all we tried (in fairness, they also make Syrah and Viognier but none was available for our tasting).

For a little background, the Winery got started in 1998 by Ehren Jordan and his wife Anne-Marie Failla (hence the name). Ehren, who started working in a wine shop in DC in the early 90s, helping ABC News personalities select their nightly swill (the shop was right near ABC studios), held various jobs in the wine industry -- sommelier, cellar rat/sales and marketing for Joseph Phelps in Napa, and then really learned his trade by doing an internship in the Rhône Valley.

On his return to Napa in 1994 he helped establish Neyers Vineyards and then worked with Helen Turley on the Marcassin label (she's a big deal in Napa -- all the name droppers LOVE to mention that they know Helen, BTW). Helen then scored Jordan a job with her brother at Turley Wine Cellars (known for BIG, expensive Zinfandel with high alcohol and lots of fruit flavor), before the siblings had an all out brawl and swore hatred for each other, so lore goes. In 1996 Jordan became general manager, winemaker, and viticulturalist at Turley. With the financial security of the Turley job, Jordan and his wife were able to start Failla in 1998 (first as Failla Jordan, but a lawsuit from Jordan Winery put the kibosh on the appended name).

As I listened to this history from Geoff, our mild-mannered, kind host, I had some trepidation about the style of these wines. Turley is known for so much flavor and such a lack of restraint -- factors that are essential in making good Pinot Noir and Chardonnay -- that I had a hard time believing its winemaker could do right by these Burgundy natives. In the hands of the wrong winemaker, the style of these wines could be something I would really despise -- flabby juice with no subtle flavors that smack of alcohol, oak, and too much fruit.

Fortunately, my Facebook fans who suggested I go here did right by me. I was happy to discover that Ehren Jordan is a chameleon and a talented guy. It's not an everyday winemaker that can spend days making huge Zin and nights making subtle, unique, and excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I was impressed.

So to the wines!

If you want to visit Failla, just remember that this is a popular place and it only makes 4,000 cases a year, so check to make sure they have wine to pour! Right now the only wines they presented us were Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It was an appointment only, group tasting where we tried 4 wines. The Winery is small, homey and super cute. Since the weather was great, we drank up in a little grove between the small tasting room and the stone winery -- an excellent setting, especially because they were crushing grapes and that was very cool to see.

Here's the recap:

Wine #1: 2010 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, $34
A little golden and rich looking, the wine seemed to have been sitting in an oak barrel for a while, which darkens a wine. That said, when I smelled it, the impression wasn't really of oak -- it was more like lemon, green apple, and minerals. Although the wine was pretty simple, it smelled clean and had tart, citrusy fruit scents. It was a great tasting wine too -- lemony, mineral-like, with lots of acid. It's food friendly and very refreshing.

Wine #2: 2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, $34
A darker red, almost ruby color, this looked like it was going to be a fruitier, riper, richer Pinot. When I swirled it, the wine smelled like raspberries and cherry -- juicy and fresh. I expected more from the taste but this wine was pretty simple. It was like strawberries, cherries, and raspberries and it was light with a small touch of acidity and tannin. It was pleasant. A good wine, but not too complex.

Wine #3: 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Hirsch Vineyard, $65 Light ruby in color, this was pale and transparent -- it was the color I think Pinot Noir should be. I was kind of taken with the smell. I can't describe it any other way than fresh. It was like newly cut strawberries tossed with sweet herbs and mint. I could smell this all day long. It tasted just like it smelled, but it had some strong mouth-drying tannins to balance out the raspberry/strawberry/fresh mint goodness. The wine hung around in my mouth for a long time. It was awesome. My favorite of the day.

Wine #4: 2008 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Occidental Ridge Vineyard, $65
Just like the previous wine, this was light ruby -- a perfect Pinot Noir color. This wine was so fragrant -- like raspberry, cherry, rose, and then like Chai tea and other Indian spices. It was herbal and fresh like the Hirsch Pinot but had spicy notes that made it more brooding than bright.The Occidental Ridge was bursting with fruit -- like black raspberries and cherries. There was a good amount of mouth-drying tannin and mouth-watering acid too. The wine was a little woodsy and earthy, but it was more about fruit then anything else. A good, well-made wine.

The subtlety and balance in these wines make them total home runs. It's clear that Ehren Jordan is a real talent. The best part is that he's just getting started at Failla. If he keeps it up...and keeps employing hardworking, smart, and dynamic guys like Hardy, whom I saw for approximately 45 seconds when the grape sorting table had a lull -- I think Ehren Jordan will soon be the go-to Pinot Noir producer from Sonoma.

Thanks to Failla and to Geoff for hosting us!

Have you had Failla's wines? Drop a comment here or on Facebook and let me know what you thought!

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 030 Kickin’ It With Jim Morris from Michel-Schlumberger

2011-11-06T00:43:00.007-04:00

Ok, ok, so it's been a while since we've done a new podcast. My bad! As you know, I took a trip to California Wine Country and it threw the sched off. The good news -- I recorded one from there and here it is. It's a new kind of podcast so I'd love to hear you thoughts on it.

This week I sit down with Jim Morris of Michel-Schlumberger in the Dry Creek Valley. We had such a fabulous time. We've known each other for a while but this was our first chance to just chat and dork out on wine.

Let me put your mind at ease on two counts: 1) this is NOT a commercial for the Winery. 2) I really, truly love their wines and wouldn't do a 'cast with them if I didn't think so highly of them.

A blog post on their wines is forthcoming...as are some videos I shot on their gorgeous property!

Here's a link to the podcast: Click Here

And here are the high level show notes:

Jim gives some background on Michel-Schlumberger -- its European roots, its winemaking philosophy, and why it's such a unique place (hint: they are really normal and focus on education -- totally up WFNP's alley!). Jim posits it's his lederhosen that make the wine so great.
We drill down on organic farming in practice. We got our hands dirty, dishing on honey bees, cover crops, and dog on the big wineries, talking about why sustainability should be called sustain-BULL-ity.
Jim talks about the challenges of the 2010 and 2011 vintages.
I put Jim on the spot and get him to tell a wild story about a cross-dresser, and what NOT to do in a tasting room. We discuss the ins and outs of the "lush rush" and why you don't want any part of that
We hug, cheers, and drink some great glasses of Michel-Schlumberger.

Please drop a comment on the Facebook Page.

Dig the podcast? Please review us on iTunes and we'll give you a shout out!

Sullivan Vineyards in Napa: Solid Wines in an Incredible Oasis

2011-11-03T16:00:00.002-04:00

At the suggestion of a Facebook friend who seems to have a similar palate (thanks to John P of CO!), I booked an appointment at Sullivan Vineyards, a small, appointment-only winery in the Rutherford district of Napa that makes between 2,500 and 3,500 cases per year.

Between the main drags in Napa -- 29 and the Silverado Trail, lies this beautiful oasis. As we drove into the parking lot, we saw the hustle and bustle of grapes coming in to the crushpad. A stroll around the corner and there was a gorgeous picnic area between a Frank Lloyd Wright style home and the tasting room/winery (actually John Marsh Davis, who built Chateau Souverain and Joseph Phelps designed it). It's a secluded, serene area and was such a tranquil getaway spot in the middle of Napa.

I was greeted by Sean Sullivan himself, who oversees winemaking and viticulture at the Winery. He was a modest, soft-spoken guy, but was excited to speak about his wines and family. His mother, JoAnna, and his father, Jim, a graphic designer to various music, TV, and book publishers, moved the family from Southern California in 1972 to the Rutherford property to do the wine thing. They have been making wine here since around 1981 and received tons of accolades over the years.

Sean was the lone man holding down the fort when I arrived and he was a bit overwhelmed with guests, so I got only a brief time with him. He told me a bit about his family and Sullivan's winemaking style, which focuses on more restrained, earthy, and less fruity flavors. I learned from the web site that the grapes are and always have been farmed organically and that Sean is making the move to become Biodynamic as well (you can listen to the podcast or read the post on this topic if you want to know more). Very cool.

After I finished the tasting, I got a fabulous tour around the crushpad by Sean's brother, Ross, who is also a winemaker as well. I've got to say, for a small shop, Sullivan is a technologically advanced operation and I was psyched to get a view of the valley from high atop the tanks. Ross even gave us a barrel sample of un-fermented Rosé, which tasted a lot like raspberry beer but was delicious nonetheless. I really appreciated the hospitality, and the impromptu tour and tasting. The people are cool, the property is beautiful and I'd recommend a visit any time.

Here's the lineup:

Wine #1: Red Ink, 2007 $25
This wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. It was a dark red color with a light pink rim. It smelled minerally and light with just a little bit of cherry and blackberry fruit. This is a super light wine for a Cabernet/Merlot blend -- lots of red cherry flavor with some medium mouthdrying tannins, but not a showstopper. It's their best seller, most likely because of the competitive price.

Wine #2: 2008 Estate Merlot, $50
This wine is made with a little bit of Cabernet Franc. It was light in color -- like a rose petal. This was a super aromatic Merlot. It really filled my nose with red cherries and was floral, like fresh violets. The wine was a little more complex to taste. It had a strong red cherry flavor, but also an earthy, tobacco note. On a second sip I tasted a lot of thyme and dried herb flavors. It had medium mouth-drying tannin and mouthwatering acid. By far, my favorite wine at Sullivan...I'm a sucker for a well-made Merlot.

Wine #3: 2008 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $55
Super dark in color, this was a rich crimson and stained the legs when I swirled it around the glass. The nose was pretty -- like black currant and then like a flowery perfume. There was a slightly medicinal or salty note to it, though, that I didn't love. The wine tasted better than it smelled. It was really restrained on the fruit -- juicy black currant and black plums were balanced by good acid and really strong (in a good way) tannin. There was no green pepper flavor to it at all, something I think is rare in a Napa Cabernet. Sean let me try one that was opened the day before and one that was opened that day -- I would definitely say this wine benefits from breathing! The day-old bottle was much more delicious.

Wine #4: 2008 Coeur de Vigne Bordeaux Blend, $90
The wine is 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Rutherford is known for it's "Rutherford dust" or earthy, dusty flavors. I've got to admit that until I smelled and tasted this wine, I wasn't finding Sullivan's lineup to display this unique character. It presented itself in force here and that was a good thing.

The wine was crimson, had thick, stained legs. The smell wasn't strong -- I had to dig to find some character. It was kind of like black cherry, cola, cinnamon, and a bit like a floral soap. To taste, it was extremely dusty and earthy with a cherry flavor in the background. I liked the medium weight of the wine and soft tannins. This was a food wine. I had it with a bit of cheese and thought it shone with that.

Wine #5: James O'Neil Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, $125 (Special Edition)
Named after Sean's dad, and founder of the winery, James O'Neil Sullivan, this wine was the big wine of the day. It was nearly purple with a pink rim and completely saturated in color. The aroma was earthy, and lightly fruity, but restrained, just like the others. Ah, the Rutherford dust made itself known immediately on the taste. The dust almost stuck in my throat and the strong black currant notes were delicious. There was a bit of green pepper flavor and the wine had massive, super mouth-drying tannins. I think this one could use a bit more time in the bottle before drinking -- it was a little rough on the boca to drink. It needs to mellow a bit before it will reach it's full potential, but with the earth, fruit, and great tannin -- it's a bright future at that.

All in all a very positive experience. If you want to visit an elegant, understated, and beautiful property with good wine, I'd recommend Sullivan. Truth be told, the wines didn't blow me away, but they were well made and better than a lot of the big guys. The opportunity to speak to the winemaker/viticulturist/owner/family member isn't common everywhere and when you get ones as nice as Sean and Ross Sullivan, it's a great thing and creates a personal, unique experience.

Have you been to Sullivan? Let me know what you thought!

The Most Exciting Winery in Napa: Lava Vine

2011-11-01T12:24:00.016-04:00

I never thought in a million years that I'd encounter a place like Lava Vine on the Silverado Trail in Napa. I mean, this is the place of tastings that cost $45 and home of some of the brands that wine snobs LOVE to tell you they have cellars full of (Quintessa, Silver Oak, Joseph Phelps, to name a few). But when a very trustworthy friend from business school posted on the Wine For Normal People Facebook page that this was his favorite place, I knew I had to go (thanks again, Chuck!).

As it turns out, this was one of the best experiences I've ever had in Napa. If you want the formal grand tasting room, with staff hovering and mahogany bars, this isn't for you. But if you want to see how an up-and-coming winery with a great product and a down-to-earth vibe is getting started (and I assume you do, since you're reading this blog!), Lava Vine is it. This place embodies Wine For Normal People -- it's not snobby or pretentious, just a place to have fun, drink well, and learn a thing or two.

I should have known it was going to be a very cool and normal experience. The guy at Ladera, who was super corporate and seemed to look down his nose a bit at "Wine For Normal People" was shocked when I told him our next stop was Lava Vine. He boasted that he knew the winemaker well because their kids played soccer together, but when I asked him if he'd ever visited the winery or had the wines, he said no. I got the distinct impression that this place may be a little too indie for him...and man, was I right!

If you head north on the Silverado Trail and hang a left after the (industrial looking) water plant, you'll see a little house that looks more like a general store than a winery. About the only thing that says "Napa" on this property is the gorgeous view of the mountains, and the lovely logo'd sign at the entrance. But once you drive around the back, there's an awesome barn, a pretty veranda, and a vintage Lava Vine mascot truck that makes you realize that un-Napa is a good thing.

Everything had personal touches -- this was clearly someone's place, not a corporate mega-conglomerate.

I was so excited to be there. As we walked up I saw two guys using a hand press to crush grapes. This is a site you never see except in pictures from the 1930s! I peered into the left side of the barn, where there were plastic vats with crushed grapes fermenting. MC Ice and I rolled into the tasting room and were warmly welcomed by Jon, who told us that they don't usually host writers, but that I sounded normal enough to make the cut...what a compliment!

Lava Vine is a tiny operation. It's run by Joe Cabral, a former real estate builder/contractor who got into wine for the same exact reasons I did -- he loved the stuff, and he loved the promise of perpetual learning it offered. I felt a real kinship with him as he told me his background (as did MC Ice, who is in real estate!).

Joe and his family got the opportunity to buy a super-steep 4 acre vineyard in the Franz Valley of Calistoga in Napa in 2000. Although it was a hot mess that needed a ton of work (that could only be done by hand, given the 45% slope), Joe perservered. He became a home winemaker and made wine from the Portuguese grapes growing in his vineyard...as you can probably guess, he started with a Port-style wine.

By 2004, Joe teamed up with another winemaker and started the Lava Vine label. In 2008 he and his wife bought the property on the Silverado Trail and opened the tasting room in October of that year.

Three years later, the place has a ton of fans and sells everything it makes. It's a small shop that focuses on quality, hospitality, and love of wine. I felt like I was hanging out with friends the whole time I was there. Everyone seems to like each other and to be so happy -- what a great work environment!

Joe and his assistant/partner Burroughs took some time out of manually pressing the grapes to talk to us and share the Lava Vine story. Jon, in the tasting room, was so sweet and his passion for wine and food pairings was evident (he gave us some real treats, which I'll share below).

It's rare that you go anywhere in wine country and feel this welcomed and such a part of the experience. I was happy to be there, but I was even happier that the product kicked ass. It would have been a shame if they were nice people making crap wine, but I'm here to tell you -- that's not the case.

Here's the lineup...

Wine #1: 2009 Lava Vine Napa Valley Viognier, $29
Color: This was a light, almost platinum color. A bit unexpected for a Napa Viognier, which I usually expect to be dark since a lot of winemakers like to make use of oak (drowning out the delicious natural flavors, in my opinion).

Smell: The smell was all Viognier, all the time -- peach, honey comb, honeysuckle, and a fresh out of the oven lemon sugar cookie jumped out of the glass.

Taste: Again really unexpected. This wine had some great acid to balance the honeysuckle/lemon cookie thing. It was a very dry, light style but super fruity. I was surprised when Jon said that 10% of the wine was aged in oak to give it more body -- it definitely didn't taste like it, which is a good thing, I think.

Drink or Sink?: Drink...all day long. The wine was a little austere from the acid and I loved it. The contrast of acid and fruit made it tasty and refreshing and one of the best Napa Viogniers I've had.

Wine #2: 2010 Lava Vine Russian River Valley Chardonnay, $35
Color: This was a rich golden color and it scared me. Most Russian River Chardonnays tend to have very ripe fruit flavors and lots and lots of (out of balance) oak flavors. From the darker color I expected an oaky wine.

Smell: The wine had a very typical Russian River Chardonnay smell -- lots of green apple, some pineapple, and then a huge hit of caramel from the oak. Again, I felt trepidation, since I have to admit, although I appreciate the style, I'm not a personal fan of Russian River Chardonnay because I find it a little too much in the big fruit, butter, and oak stuff.

Taste: Damn! This was a great wine. It was so balanced -- it had great tart apple notes, just a touch of oak, and super acid. Jon let us in on a few secrets to their success.

First, the grapes come from DuMOL, a very small production, highly esteemed producer in the Russian River Valley. The raw materials that Joe had to work with were awesome.
Second, the wine didn't go through malolactic fermentation, which makes a wine creamy and buttery and can accentuate tropical flavors. That makes for a crisper, more acidic style.

Special Pairing: I was already sold on the wine, but Jon gave us a Gravenstein apple (popular in Napa, tastes like cider without the sweetness) with Meyer lemon spread (sweet lemon). It calmed down the sharpness of the acid and was a great complementary pairing. Delicious and a great touch to have a food pairing, which changed the wine and made it tastier!!

Drink or sink?: In Joe's hands the grapes made a great wine. If everyone did Russian River Chardonnay this way, I'd be a convert.

Wine #3: 2009 Lava Vine Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $54
Color: A faded garnet color, this was lighter than some of the blood red Cabs that are common in Napa and can taste like prune juice because they are so fruity.

Smell: This is everything a Napa Cab should be -- bursting with red and black cherry and blackberry aromas, with a little bit of tobacco and dried dirt to boot. Apparently a very prestigious producer (who Jon didn't reveal) who owns a vineyard on a Calistoga hillside (it could be a lot of different wineries so I won't speculate) sold Joe the fruit for this wine. Hillsides produce grapes that have great balance between fruit and earth, so it's no surprise that the source is on a slope!

Taste: It was earthy but had great blackberry and black plum flavors. The wine had a meaty quality too -- it was smokey, rich, and full. Even with all that flavor, though, it was a great balance of fruit, mouth drying tannin, and acidity.

Drink or Sink?: Drink. This is a multi-faceted wine where the flavors just keep on coming, but it's not so heavy that one flavor or texture awkwardly stands out over the others. Perfectly balanced and an amazing price compared to other less impressive Cabs in the Valley.

Wine #4 (the one that started it all...) Lava Vine Dessert Wine (Port style)
Like the original, this Port-style wine is made of a blend of different grapes and vintages. It's got some of the Port faves: Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao and then (a little off the menu for Port) Mourvédre and Petit Verdot. The grapes are from the '04 - '08 vintages.

Color: Right on par for a Port, this was a light brownish brick color. It wasn't dark like a ruby Port, but transparent.

Smell: I could tell this was going to be great. It had ripe plum, raisin, and floral smells to it -- an ideal combo. It smelled a little brandied and alcoholic, but in a warm, fruity way. Fortunately the wine didn't smell sugary sweet or artificial, a great sign for a Port-style.

Taste: This kicked serious ass. It was bursting with ripe black plum flavors, but was also a little pruney. It was full, smokey, and mouth filling but then it had such great acid that my mouth felt clean and ready for another sip after it went down. This is what Port is supposed to taste like.

Special Tasting: Jon had a really special treat for us on this one. He broke out unsweetened chocolate, poured on some olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and had us try it with the wine. Holy s*&t. The combo transformed into something like a dark chocolate, plum-filled truffle. It was creamy, fruity, salty, and warm. I could have sworn I was eating a box of Godiva. Heaven. You have to try this!

Drink or sink?: Needless to say, this is a drink.

What else can I say about Lava Vine ? I think this may be the most exciting place in all of Napa right now. If you're heading to California Wine Country, this is a MUST DO. If not, get in their wine club now because I bet it won't be possible in a few years. This is truly a place for normal people who like wine!

Thanks to Lava Vine -- you guys are fabulous Normal Wine People!!!

A Trek Off The Beaten Path is Well Worth The Climb: Ladera on Howell Mountain

2011-10-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

Just returned from Napa/Sonoma and it was a terrific trip. I'll be reporting on the wineries I visited and let you know my impressions with lots and lots of pics!

So let's start at the beginning...

We started with a trek up to Howell Mountain to Ladera Vineyards. It's about 10 minutes off the Silverado Trail on the eastern side of Napa, in the Vaca Mountains. Howell Mountain was the first small area (sub-American Viticultural Area or AVA) carved out of the Napa Valley Appellation because its vineyards were so different from those on the Valley floor. The wines are intense, fruity, and tend to have lots of blueberry notes.

If I may dork out for a minute, let me clarify why the grapes from this mountain (and other mountains) are so unique.

If we think about mountains for a minute ('cause I know that's what you want to do in your free time), these areas are on sharp slopes, at altitude, and, importantly in Napa, above the fog line. This means they get sun hitting the grapes at an angle rather than beating down directly (less harsh light), they benefit from cool breezes higher in the atmosphere, and they get about 2 more hours of light than the vineyards in the Napa Valley, which are blanketed in fog in the early AM and late PM.

In general, mountainsides are cooler and have less dramatic temperature swings so the grapes ripen more consistently. These conditions are awesome for vineyards, because grapes can develop fruit flavor over time, but they won't generally get baked and lose their acid, tannin, or get too high in sugar, therefore alcohol (fermentation turns sugar to alcohol, BTW).

Ok, dork out done...back to Ladera.

Ladera, which means "hillside" in Spanish, is a beautiful, old property. The VP of sales and marketing, led me around and told me some cool facts about the place.

For starters, Ladera farms about 85 acres on this mountain. That's 12% of total production, the most of any producer. He jokingly called them the "tallest midget on the mountain." The Winery has changed hands many times over the years and gone by various names. It was actually started by some guys from Bordeaux in 1886, who sought to grow great mountain fruit in Napa.

In 1999, the current owners, wealthy cattle ranchers from Montana, allowed Robert Redford's "The Horse Whisperer" to be filmed on their ranch, and they took some time to live in Napa. They loved it, and then sold to some rich, prominent, famous Hollywood person (but don't ask who because they won't say) to buy Chateau Woltner, the property on which Ladera lies today. They also bought a vineyard on the western side of Napa Valley in Mount Veeder, which is at 1100 feet rather than 1800 feet.

Sadly at the time the Montana couple purchased it, the Chateau had fallen into disrepair. They rebuilt the Winery, using the original facade and included miles of underground caves. The inner portion of the building was solid wood. They needed to modernize and clean it but rather than trash the wood, the owners kept and warehoused the slats and use them to make tables and other items when needed -- very green and smart!

Ladera's winemaker, Karen Culler (whom I did not meet), seems to be a European style winemaker. She spends a lot of time in the vineyards, and directs the hand-harvesting (gentle on the fruit) each year, deciding row by row, which is ready for picking. The Winery uses pretty natural practices -- gravity to load the grapes into the tank (helps crush the grapes as they rest on their own weight, which preserves flavors), natural yeast that exists on the grape skins to ferment the wine, and they don't filter the wine at all. It's a very non-interventionist way of making wine.

The Winery makes 12,000 cases a year and most of it is sold to wine club members and in restaurants. You have to make an appointment to visit, but the view is magnificent and I bet the new tasting room they have planned for next year will be awesome. The grounds are gorgeous and these people have an incredible aesthetic. Although my tour guide was very corporate in manner and projected a bit of disdain for the whole Wine For Normal People thing (sorry to him, but I gotta be honest), I still had a great time and the wines were good.

Here's my take:

2010 Ladera Howell Mountain, Sauvignon Blanc, $25

Color: Light straw in color, this was a very pale wine.

Smell: It didn't have lush fruit or the floral character (like gardenias or jasmine flowers) that I usually find in Napa Sauvignon Blanc. It was a little herbal, fresh, and like cat pee (very common in Sauv Blanc!).

Taste: They put 10-15% of the wine in an oak barrel, which I could sense in the taste and texture. The wine was a little creamy and smokey from the barrel.

Drink or sink? Drink. Totally refreshing, but it wouldn't be my first choice in Sauv Blanc, especially not for $25.

2007 Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, $39

This wine has 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec added to the Cab, and it represents 50% of Ladera's production. It's from the broad Napa Valley appellation because the fruit comes both from the Howell Mountain vineyard (70%) and the one in Mount Veeder.

Color: It was nearly black and super fragrant.

Smell: It smelled like blackberries, green pepper (from the Cabernet), tobacco, and dark violets.

Taste: This was a very food-friendly Cabernet. It was medium-bodied, tasted like it smelled, and wasn't too complex.

Drink or Sink? Drink. The staff opened a new bottle of this and I would have liked to have some time to let this one get air -- I think the wine could have used a little time to mellow out. It was pretty tannic and the fruit wasn't very lively. Still, a nice wine for the price.

2006 Ladera Lone Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon, $65 From the vineyard in Mount Veeder, this was a totally different wine from the previous one.Color: It was lighter in color than the Napa -- it was crimson with a very pale, watery rim. Smell: It smelled like a ripe blackberry and like black currant. It also had a dirty, earthy smell, which I liked a lot.
Taste: The wine tasted like it was grown in a cooler climate. What does that mean? It wasn't all baked fruit and pie flavors. Although bolder than the Napa wine, this was still pretty restrained. It was earthy and had great mouth drying tannin and good mouthwatering acidity.
Drink or Sink? Drink. A very balanced wine -- again, I think this would be better with food than it was alone.

2007 Ladera Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, $70

Color: Ok, so this wine was pretty much black-purple. It had a lot of sediment in it -- that's where it matters that it wasn't filtered! If you buy this, you may want to run it through a filter before drinking it so you don't swallow chunks of sediment!

Smell: It smelled similar to the others -- green pepper, some blackberry and earthy aromas.

Taste: I expected this to be huge and over-the-top, but it was very restrained. There were some blackberry, black current, and even strawberry and cranberry flavors and a prominent earthiness. The tannins were balanced and the wine was kind of chewy, but still pretty medium bodied.

Drink or Sink? Drink. I liked this because it was moderate, and pretty medium in texture and flavor. If you like big Cabs, this isn't for you, but I really dug it.

All in all, these wines were good, but I would have preferred to try them with food. My impression is that alone, they were in a no-man's land. They were neither unabashed in fruitiness like a lot of Napa Cabs, nor were they really earthy like European Cabs. They were extremely clean-tasting with restrained fruit -- a recipe that goes better with food than alone.

That said, I'd recommend a visit. It's beautiful and the prices for Napa Cab were super competitive. Thanks to Ladera for hosting me!!

Latest Article on Wine Travel in Travel Belles: Visiting Napa Valley

2011-10-27T14:49:00.004-04:00

My latest article for The Travel Belles was published yesterday.

If you've been following on Facebook and Twitter, you know I was in Napa and Sonoma (be prepared for lots of coverage!). This one is particularly personal, since I wrote it from the road!

As a side note, I really adore Margo, the creator of The Travel Belles. She is so kind, supportive, wonderful, and completely NORMAL! I hope you'll poke around on the site. It's full of interesting, well-written articles and it's such a class act. I'm really lucky to work with this first class operation.

Here's the link: http://www.travelbelles.com/2011/10/visit-napa-valley-wineries/

Bordeaux 102: Tasting the Difference in Terroir...

2011-10-19T20:12:00.017-04:00

Last week I went to a tasting of eight red wines from different communes of Bordeaux put on by the Guild of Sommeliers, the professional organization that's affiliated with the Court of Master Sommeliers (through which I'm certified. But I'd like to make the distinction that I'm certified, not certifiable since I have no desire to go through the hell that it takes to be "sculpted" by this fine organization into a Master Sommelier...story for another time).

I knew the event would be haughty, but I also knew it would be worthwhile: the wines were of exceptional quality and it gave me a chance to taste the differences between the areas (AKA communes) of Bordeaux, something that wine geeks talk about all the time.

In the Bordeaux Primer I discuss the geography of Bordeaux, but I don't get into specifics. Here I'll elaborate on why "place" makes such a huge difference in the wine. In other words, if you didn't know about terroir before or why it mattered, keep reading because this is the concept in action.

Let's start with a quick review.

Bordeaux is in the west of France, on an estuary that dumps out to the Atlantic Ocean and it's kind of warm, which allows red grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to flourish.
The famous wines of Bordeaux are on two sides of the river Gironde and its tributaries (the Garonne in the south and Dordogne in the north). In terms of red wines important areas are:

The Left Bank (or south side of the river Garonne, see the map). It has the big daddy, super-famous wines from five really important communes that are included in the famed 1855 classification (see the Primer): Saint-Estèphe, Paulliac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, and Graves.

The Right Bank (north side, see the map). It has two famous areas: Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Saint-Émilion has its own classification and Pomerol doesn't need one because it has Pétrus, one of the most famous and expensive wines in the world.
Red Bordeaux is always some combo of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carménère.
Because of geology, location, soil, and sun, this area has wines that are, in many cases, totally distinct from one another.
A winery is called a Château.
The Bordelaise are OBSESSED with classifying their wines to prove quality and increase prices. The four main classifications are: the 1855 Classification (most revered, only Left Bank Chateaux), the Saint-Émilion Classification (only wines in that area, has faced problems recently), the Graves Classification (again only for Graves), and the Cru Bourgeois (includes about 250 Left Bank Chateaux not included in the 1855 classification).

The event was a blind tasting -- so I didn't know which wine was from where. But even without knowing, each was so distinct that I could pick up on the differences right away. Although from different vintages, most were about the same quality level.

Here are my findings...

Right Bank Wines (mostly Merlot, with few exceptions)

Pomerol
Typical description: Powerful wines that pack a punch of tannin and have a LOT of fruit flavor. They can be brutally harsh without time to age, but with some years in a cellar they can be soft, fruit-filled, and elegant. The most famous wine from here is Pétrus (frequently the most expensive wine in the world).
The Wine: Château Le Bon Pasteur, 2006, Pomerol AOC
About the Château: An excellent wine, cheap for Pomerol. Le Bon Pasteur has the reputation as an up and comer in the region and quality is said to improve every year. It's a good splurge!
Price: $75
The Blend: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
My Notes: This wine had floral notes, it was full of green pepper, plum, and tobacco with medium mouth-drying tannins and noticeable alcohol. This was excellent but it wasn't joking around. A very strong wine with bold fruit and oak flavors, but still elegant. I think this is true to what Pomerol is all about. I want to get a bottle to age for a few years, because I think it would be pretty amazing with time.

Saint-Émilion
Typical description: Wines from Saint-Émilion come in all kinds of styles. The area has diverse soils and land, so it's hard to come up with a single description. Some producers let the grapes hang on the vines getting higher alcohol and fruit content (and making something closer to a California Merlot in style), and some focus on earthy, tannic flavors, which is more classic. The most famous wines of the area are from Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc.
The Wine: Château Magdelaine, 2004, Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Émilion AOC
About the Château: This is one of the finest wines of Saint-Émilion, but is a bit of a sleeper in terms of broad reputation. It's part of the Saint-Émilion classification, and is at the second quality level. It's no slouch and it's a great example of what wines from the area can be when the producer works to make a classic wine.
Price: $60
The Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
My Notes: I tasted this blind, but I knew instantly it was mostly Merlot. It was medium weight, subtle, and very soft feeling on the inside of my cheeks -- I always associate that feeling with Merlot. "Fleshy" is the word some people use. It was earthy, it had medium tannins, and had a great ripe bing cherry flavor. The wine was less about high alcohol and fruit and more about softness, acidity, and good tannin -- classic.

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Left Bank Wines (mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, where all the 1855 Classification Chateaux are located)

Graves/Pessac-Léognan
Typical description: Graves is known for wines with an earthy, gravelly quality with smooth fruit flavors. The most famous Château here is Château Haut-Brion, a first growth (highest quality) in the 1855 classification and the only one in Graves.
The Wine: Château Olivier, 2005, Premier Cru, Pessac-Léognan
About the Château: This is classified in the Graves classification of 1952, but the Château has had some quality issues in the recent past. It seems to be recovering so it's another up and comer. They've got great raw materials and it shows in the wine.
Price: $45
The Blend: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc.
My Notes: This wine seriously tastes like gravel (they don't call it Graves for nothing). It was earthy, stony, and had little fruit flavor to speak of but I loved it. By Bordeaux standards, this is a young wine from an awesome year, so even though there was just a hint of plum and black currant and the tannin was a little harsh, the wine will be amazing in a few years when it mellows out and the fruit starts to show more. For $45 it's worth seeking out if you like that stony, earthy thing.

Margaux
Typical description: This is one of the most famous communes in Bordeaux -- mostly because Château Margaux, a first growth in the 1855 classification, has created a positive halo around the area. The wines of Margaux are known for fresh, floral notes and red fruit flavors, instead of being super powerful, rich, and full of dark fruit. You're going to have to pause to enjoy the subtlety, but it's well worth it.
The Wine: Alter Ego de Palmer 2008, Second Label of the very highly esteemed 3rd growth Château Palmer, Margaux
About the Château: Château Palmer is a third growth but a lot of people think it's as good as the first growths -- so much so that it sometimes garners the same prices. The second labels of these top Chateaux are AWESOME. They are made by the same people with slightly inferior grapes, but inferior is all relative. Second labels are amazing -- seek them out.
Price: $61
The Blend: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot
My Notes: Dark in color, the wine smelled and tasted like potpourri or a floral perfume or flower shop. It tasted like flowers but also a little like minerals or dried dirt, and a pencil (thanks to the soils). It was a bit hot in texture from the alcohol, although this wine is ridiculously young and will mellow out with time.

Saint-Julien
Typical description: The wines from here are not as elegant as those of Margaux, but not as powerful as those of Paulliac (the next commune on the list). They are known for their spicy, fruity aromas, and for the consistency of quality. The most famous wines here are Leoville-Las Cases, Leoville-Poyferre, and Leoville-Barton.
The Wine: Clos du Marquis 2008, Second Label of Château Leoville-Las Cases, 2nd Growth About the Château: Leoville-Las Cases is called a "super second" meaning it's as good as a first growth, but since they can't change the 1855 classification, it is what it is. Clos du Marquis is considered one of the top second labels. I said it before and I'll say it again, 2nd labels are a normal person's gateway to the top wines!
Price: $45
The Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
My Notes: This wine was very different from the others. It was lighter in color than the Margaux and it smelled like baked cinnamon, toasted bread, a little bit of green pepper from the Cabernet, and flowers. There were some black cherry and plum notes too -- it was super aromatic. The flavor was delicious -- it tasted like it smelled, was mellow on the tannins, and it stuck around in my mouth for a long time. Completely different from the Margaux, which was so floral. Since this is from 2008 similar to the previous wines, the comparison between this and the Margaux was striking -- such different styles for places so close together.

Paulliac
Typical description: Paulliac is home of three Premier Crus from the 1855 classification -- Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, and Mouton-Rothschild. That said, it's got first growths and fifth growths and very few in between. Cabernet is the star of this show -- when it's grown here and aged it is powerful, flavorful, and bold. It's known to have aromas like pencils, cedar, and black currant -- which pretty much sums up Cab. For Cabernet lovers, look no further than Paulliac for your fix.
The Wine: Château Grand-Puy Lacoste, 5th Growth, Pauillac
About the Château: It's been around since the middle ages and today is considered a very undervalued property, probably because it has changed ownership so many times in the last century. Now it's got a top guy at the helm (Francois-Xavier Borie), so it's on the rise.
Price: $70
The Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc
My Notes: I don't consider myself a huge Cabernet buff, but this was my favorite wine of the day. EXTREMELY different from the others it was medium in color but so interesting in flavor. There was an Asian pear aroma with black currant and blackberry, then there was the spice. I loved the spice on this wine -- it was like being in India. Sandalwood, tamarind, and cumin were so heavenly to smell and taste. The wine was earthy and the tannins were very strong. I would love to see how this evolves in 10 years, since it's unbelievable now. Much fuller, richer, and spicier than the Margaux or Saint-Julien, this is a wine with cahones.

Saint-Estéphe
Typical description: St-Estéphe is probably the least revered of the famed areas of the Left Bank, but has the best values. Apparently in the past these wines were only for aging because they were so earthy and tannic, and took a long time for them to gel (reminds me of Barolo). But lately producers have stepped up the percentage of Merlot in the wine, making it drinkable earlier. One of the best wines I've ever had is from here -- Cos d'Estournel (which is $100+ but so worth it). Château Montrose is the other really famous place in Saint-Estéphe.
The Wine: Château de Pez 2006, Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, St-Estéphe AOC
About the Château: The property is owned by the Champagne producer Louis Roederer. It's part of a classification that includes Château not inlcuded in the 1855 classification, Les Exceptionnels, with 9 other properties. Château de Pez is the oldest Château in St-Estephe and its wines are pretty fabulous.
Price: $42
The Blend: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
My Notes: This wine was floral and tasted like cloves and cedar. Less exotic and rich than the Paulliac, not as toasty as the Saint-Julien, and not as perfumed as the Margaux this wine still had beautiful balance and the flavors of oak, earth and flowers were delicious.

Haut-Médoc
Typical description: This large appellation varies a lot in quality. Like every place, the larger the area, the less you can pinpoint a style or character. You can be assured of the earthy essence of the wine but whether it's red fruit from Merlot or black fruit from Cabernet depends on the Château. Some are in the 1855 classification, some are Cru Bourgeois, others are just wine.
The Wine: Château Barreyres 2005, Cru Bourgeois Haut-Médoc AOC
Price: $20
The Blend: 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
My Notes: After tasting the lineup, this final wine tasted horrible. My wine dork friend and I actually had to pick up wine from another table where no one was sitting to ensure our wine wasn't off. It tasted like a plastic band-aid and had no nuance or rich fruit flavor. 2005 had great weather, so almost all Bordeaux I've tried from that year have been awesome, but not so much here. Again, not sure if it's the wine or just that compared to the others it couldn't hold a candle.

So to sum up, here are my quick descriptions of each area:

Pomerol: Bold, fruity, oaky
Saint-Émilion: Subtle, soft, cherry
Graves: Gravelly, stony, tannic
Margaux: Floral, perfumed, minerally
Saint-Julien: Earthy, toasty, floral and medium textured
Paulliac: Exotic, spicy, dark fruit, bold, powerful
Saint-Estéphe: Elegant, balanced, floral
Haut-Médoc: Earthy, coarse, simple

I'd love to hear from you! Please drop a comment below or on the Facebook page!

South African Cabernet: Amazing Wine, Amazing Value

2011-10-12T23:18:00.001-04:00

South Africa is at the top of the esteemed list "most underestimated wine regions of the world." For whatever reason, it seems like nothing has gained true traction in the American market and, as a result, the selection of wines from South Africa is not expansive, to put it nicely. My friends across the pond will need to comment and let me know what the situation is there, but my hunch is that it's not too much better (on the BBR web site in the UK, for example, only 24 selections are from South Africa).

Because I've traveled to South Africa and tasted stuff from some of its amazing winelands (although I was in Franschoek, not Stellenbosch, which I'll write about here), I'm a big fan. The country's got a lot of problems, but making wine isn't one of them. They've been at it since 1652, when the first settlement was established by the Dutch to re-stock ships with food and booze on their way from Europe to the Far East and back.

In 1679, a dude named Simon van der Stel set up Stellenbosch, modestly translated as "Stel's forest." Why a forest and what does this have to do with wine? Van der Stel and his crew planted oak trees all over "his" town to absorb the punishing winds that ripped up all attempts at agriculture, including winegrape growing. It was an ingenious plan to fix the problem -- I can attest that the wind is really brutal there (I unfortunately found this out when driving in a friend of a friend's convertible with the top down while my hair slowly turned into a wasp's nest).

Stellenbosch is in the southwest of the country, on the western side of the Cape of Good Hope. Surrounded by mountains, with a Mediterranean climate, Stellenbosch is about 30 miles from Cape Town and is the hub of quality wine production in South Africa.

Today the town is full of students who attend Stellenbosch University (which has a big wine program, BTW). The best sites for wines are either near the town of Stellenbosch, where ocean breezes from False Bay cool the otherwise hot area, or on the slopes of the mountains, where the altitude cools the air and slows ripening.

Although whites, namely Chenin Blanc have dominated for years here, reds are gathering steam. Cabernet Sauvignon is the clear front-runner in the world of South African reds. The ones I've had have been excellent values and really complex and, like many South African wines -- somewhere between a Bordeaux and a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wine I had was a great mix of subtlety and texture. It is nearly the last bottle of a case of wine that I won from the Wines of South Africa, who had a competition for a trip there (I came in second and my consolation was a great case of wine, so I'm not complaining!). It was nice to enjoy my spoils!!!

Waterford was established in 1998, and it may be young, but it's got experienced ownership and winemakers, and it shows. Here's the review:

The Wine: Waterford Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

The Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon (there is probably some Merlot and Cab Franc in it too, but I can't find the info anywhere!)

Where it's from: Stellenbosch, South Africa

Alcohol: 13.5%
Vintage: 2004

Price: $22.00

Color: A 7 year old wine is bound to be a little brown around the edges. This one was a garnet color in the center, then ruby and brown on the edge. It was definitely ready to be sipped...the old girl was starting to show her age.

Smell: A classic Cabernet profile, this smelled like black currant and blackberries -- totally lush. It had a green pepper and green herb quality to it, very common for Cabernet. On the second whiff, there was a very delicate violet/rose smell and then a rich, earthy, wet soil thing, which I was surprised I didn't get on the first sniff. It smelled like a pretty elegant, not over-the-top Cabernet -- totally my style, so I was excited.

Taste: Texture reigned supreme in this wine. It had excellent, chewy mouth-drying tannins. The wine was a medium weight -- not too fruity or heavy. It was dry with a dusty, earthy flavor. I loved the spice -- cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper (I feel like I should try that combo on toast or something, since I love it so much in wine). There was fruit to be had, but it was super subtle. Plums, black currant, and black cherries were kind of lurking in the background behind the earthiness and texture.

Pairing: A lot of Cabernets are huge wines and need really flavorful meats or stews to stand up to them. Not the case here. This wine is elegant and subtle and earthy. It needs medium weight food -- lamb, game, or vegetables or meats in a thyme and mushroom sauce would be great. You don't want to lose the subtlety of the wine, so make sure the food is not over-the-top with flavor or heft.

Drink or Sink: Drink. This is a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon. It's not overdone and it's got all the components I think a Cabernet should have: fruit, earth, spice and amazing texture. If you can find it, drink it...but the real challenge is hunting it down!

Getting Up To Speed On Vintage: Start With 2011!

2011-10-06T14:50:00.002-04:00

I've talked about vintage before, but as harvest time hits in the Northern Hemisphere (remember it's in March/April in the Southern Hemisphere) I've got an opportunity to discuss it again in a useful way.

In the last month or so, the wine press has been going nuts, excitedly reporting on weather, like they were reporters being blown down in the midst of a coastal hurricane. It's amusing to see folks geek out on this, but besides the sideline spectator fun, there's a useful purpose to it. This is an annual event that as wine lovers, we can leverage: here is our opportunity to jump on the train and start learning about vintages. This is NOT so we can parlay with the snobs of the wine world -- it's so we can be good shoppers and get the best stuff from the best years when we see it.

As we know, wine snobs love to recite vintages for high end wines and talk about the extraordinary years for this one and that one, never acknowledging the super boring fact that this is almost identical to me talking to my grandma about how the weather was this year versus last year.

Ruthie (that's her name and I LOVE her!) and I will often discuss how hot the summer was in Brooklyn (where she and much of my family live) or how much rain or snow they've been receiving and how that compares to the last few years. If my grandma and I took it one step further, and related the fact that she needed her umbrella every day she went out in September, to the vineyards on Long Island being waterlogged to the point that mildew and rot were going to start growing on the grapes, we'd be just like the wine rags.

To put it simply, if you can make a note of what you read about the weather in wine areas each year, you'll know a lot about vintage.

The good thing is, you get a chance to start on this project each year. 2011 can be the first time you note something about weather/farming/vintage in wine. Below I've played weather girl and given a quick summary of how vintage 2011 is looking for some of the big places the Northern Hemisphere so far (sources below). Hope this helps!

Europe

Yuck! Most of Europe had crazy fluctuations in weather which means bad things for grapes. In general it was a hot, dry spring, so grapes got riper earlier than usual. Then it got cold and wet, so the berries kind of slowed in their ripening. Following that lovely period, it got ridiculously hot but it also rained again in August and early September so there was a big threat of mold and rot ruining the vines. All over the continent, winegrowers are picking early to minimize the loss of the grapes to rot.

Bottom line: It's going to be the winemaker who determines whether or not the wine is any good. Mother Nature wasn't that kind this year. It looks like 2011 won't be a banner year to collect wines from Europe. This year, pay attention to the producer...the better ones will have selected the best fruit. The not-so-good ones will throw in the crap too.

More specifically:

FRANCE:

In Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Loire, and the Rhone, the story is much the same. The crop will be smaller than in previous years (like 10-30% smaller). Across France they're harvesting early to try to fight the growing issue of mold. This means the wines will have lower alcohol than usual and in some cases, less fruit flavor.

Burgundy is probably going to have much better whites than reds, since Chardonnay is heartier/healthier/less susceptible to rot than Pinot Noir.

Bordeaux is having a tough go of it, with the exception of Sauternes, home of sweet wine, where they are going to have a great year because of the proliferation of mold that is used in making the wine (botrytis).

The Rhône is going to be patchy -- producer will really matter this year in both the northern and southern Rhône, so don't buy 2011 unless it's from a reputable brand.

ITALY

In Italy, heat and drought in the summer sunburned the crop. The Piedmont (home of Barolo) and Tuscany lost a lot of grapes to weather and are experiencing the same issues as France. Sicily, whose grapes, like Nero d'Avola (Planeta is an amazing Sicilian producer, FYI), need heat and dry conditions is going to make great wine this year.

SPAIN and PORTUGAL

In Spain, every place with the exception of Rias Baixas (REE-ahs BY-shuss, home of Albariño) had hot August/ Septembers and low rain, which reduced the crop by 30% in many places. The grapes will have lots of fruit, high alcohol, and low acid. It's not going to be a very balanced vintage unless the winemaker can work magic.

In Portugal, it should be a great year for Port, since they had hot weather but lower rainfall.

The United States

California is having a rough year. Heavy rains in the spring killed off a good portion of crops in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino. Then a cool, wet summer didn't really help the grapes get ripe. It's raining right now in these areas, so winegrowers are picking frantically to prevent grapes from becoming moldy. It will be a smaller harvest than in previous years and quality is anyone's guess.

Oregon had a warm September and should have a great year!

In Washington, they are waiting for the weather to warm up. Without that stroke of luck, they aren't going to get a lot of fruit flavor and the wines may be light on flavor. The jury is still out.

In the Eastern US, Hurricane Irene and the excessive rain up and down the coast mean winegrowers harvested really early to prevent the whole crop from rotting. In many cases, from Virginia to New York, the precaution is going to mean wines with less fruit flavor. Not a great year for the East Coast.

Let me know if this is useful by commenting here or on Facebook. If so, I'll do updates as more info becomes available about how the wines in these areas are shaping up!

Sources: Decanter, Wines & Vines, The Press Democrat, Wine Press Northwest

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 29 -- Just Dessert (Wines, of course!)

2011-10-03T11:20:00.002-04:00

By popular demand, we finally did it. Hopefully you'll feel you got your "Just Desserts..." (cheesy, I know, but I gotta be me).

Here is the link: WFNP: Just Desserts

This is an OVERVIEW (yes, there are some dessert wines we left out...sorry Vin Santo and Australian stickies...we'll get you next time) of some of the major dessert wines available.

Rick and I hit some high level points and, in true Wine For Normal People fashion, we discuss everything from the NASCAR grape (NASCAR is US auto-racing for those of you abroad) to why rot is so awesome in dessert wine...

Here are the show notes:

Port: The big daddy of dessert wine
A shout out to sweet Champagne…en vogue again
Madeira: Thomas Jefferson’s favorite
Sherry: Not an old-lady drink
Vin doux Naturel – not really naturally sweet, but tasty nonetheless
Why moldy grapes make kick-ass wine everywhere from Germany to Hungary
A word on late harvest wines

I would love to hear from you! Write a comment below or on the Facebook Page. And please review us on iTunes and we'll give you a shout out!

A Part of Burgundy You May Not Know: The Côte Chalonnaise

2011-09-29T23:00:00.001-04:00

You could spend a lifetime studying Burgundy and you still probably wouldn't know all the wine areas. Fortunately our goal is just to know enough to buy good wine and enjoy it, so we don't need to worry about studying up.

That said, it helps to know a few basic things so you can pick some delicious stuff from this esteemed area. As I wrote about in the Burgundy Primer, there are 5 areas of Burgundy: Chablis in the north; the Côte d'Or, which includes the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, the most famous wine regions of Burgundy; the Côte Chalonnaise; the Mâconnais, and Beaujolais. Of these 5 areas, the one people talk about the least is the Côte Chalonnaise...and that's exactly why I wanted to try a wine from there and report back on it.

I've heard great things about the Côte Chalonnaise, but frankly I've had a hard time finding wines from there. Since they are less sexy than the famous wines of Chablis and the Côte d'Or, and less well known than those of Macon (think Louis Jadot) they get lost in the shuffle.

The Côte Chalonnaise is just south of the Côte de Beaune but it has different soils and a higher elevation, which means the wines taste different. The grapes are the same as the Côte d'Or so it often is termed "the poor man's" version, but I think it should be evaluated as a place all it's own -- it's not polite to compare siblings, right?

Here, there are 5 communes that make quality wine:

Bouzeron (booze-RAUN), which sounds like a region for martini loving alcoholics (boozers) and specializes in the less known white Aligoté grape
Rully (RULE-ee), which makes mainly high acid Chardonnay and some Pinot Noir
Mercurey (Mare-CORE-ay), the largest area, which makes very highly regarded Pinot Noir
Givry (JHEE-vree), which is the smallest commune and makes light style Pinot Noir, and
Montagny (mont-ahh-NEE) in the south, which is exclusively Chardonnay territory.

The Côte Chalonnaise follows the classification system of Burgundy but it got stiffed when they were handing out the top honors: There are no Grand Crus (the highest quality classification) here. The area did win lots of consolation prizes though -- it has a ton of the next level, Premier Cru vineyards (on the bottle you'll see 1er. This means "Premier" not "one-er" although I like to tell M.C. Ice, my husband, that's what it is for kicks).

The commune with the most Premier Crus is Montagny, known for making quality Chardonnay that are full and rich styles with great acidity. As a testament to the quality, the fairly well-esteemed (yet widely available, which is a bonus) producer, Louis Latour owns a huge proportion of the vineyards in the Côte Chalonnaise, most from top quality Premier Cru vineyard sites.

So when I saw Latour's Montagny 1er Cru, "La Grande Roche" in my favorite wine shop I was excited to buy and try...I served it to my other wine dork friend, an Advanced Sommelier, who came over for lunch, and here's what we assessed...

The Wine: Louis Latour, Montagny 1er Cru, "La Grande Roche"
The Grape: 100% Chardonnay

Where it's from: Montagny, Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France

Alcohol: 13%
Vintage: 2005 (an awesome year for Burgundy, very important when shopping for a European wine, BTW)
Price: $17.99

Color: The wine was a rich golden color. It looked almost like lemon-lime Gatorade. I expected either rich, ripe fruit or lots of oak. Wine is usually this dark from age (this one wasn't quite old enough to darken that much), sugar/ripeness, or tannin/oak.

Smell: This smelled so refreshing. Typical of wine from Burgundy it was like water running over rocks -- like a waterfall. The wine had a light caramel aroma and was a little bit like a pencil (I know this because I chew on pencils and they get a certain smell to them -- terrible habit, but good for expanding your wine repertoire!). There was a little honeydew melon thing going on too. Yum.

Taste: It was MUCH lighter than I expected. My friend said it perfectly when she called it a lunch wine -- light with a little bit of acid, some of that mineral flavor with the oaky/caramel/pencil stuff I smelled. There wasn't any fruit flavor -- just light acid and oak.

Pairing: Because this wine is so light, it's hard to pair with anything except mild-tasting cheese with mild-tasting crackers. We paired panini with mozzerella, avocado, and tomato with it and this refreshing and light sandwich almost overtook the wine.

Drink or Sink: I bought this wine, in part, because 2005 was supposed to be an amazing vintage in Burgundy, and that, combined with the fact that wines from the Côte Chalonnaise are a great value, made me think I'd discovered an amazing find. The truth is, the wine was totally forgettable. It was a snoozer and not really worth seeking out. I'm not sure whether I drank it too late, or too early but either way, I can't say I'll be buying it again!

Please let me know what you think! Write a comment below!

German Gewürztraminer: Good, But A Contrast From Wine Across the Border

2011-09-26T01:04:00.001-04:00

Look, I’m not saying a wine that smells like a box of Indianspices and teas and a bunch of lychees (more on those later) is for everyone,but damn skippy it’s for me.

I’m talking about Gewurztraminer (Gah-VURTZ-trah-mean-ah,with an umlaut over the u if from Germany, none if from France), one of themost underestimated white wines on the market. Translated to “spiced traminer ”(traminer is a grape variety) when it’s made well this wine is a knockout. Fullof aroma and oily in texture, it certainly has an opinion– no neutral,shrinking violet here.

Gewurz, as it’s affectionately called, almost always tastesand smells like a bunch of Indian stuff – think Chai tea, corriander, andsandalwood. It also has the smell/taste of lychee, with which it shares somechemical smell compounds. If you don’t know what this fruit is – it resembles abrain in a jar, is just as slimy, and goes great in a martini. I used to drinklychee martinis like they were going out of style and while eating the lycheesay, aloud, “Brains!” like in a mad scientist movie. They’re pretty widelyavailable, so seek a lychee out so you know what it’s like – it’s part ofbuilding your wine vocab!

(As an aside, recently I was shopping in a wine shop I knowand someone asked the guy working there, with whom I was speaking, about Gewurzv. Riesling. I couldn’t help myself and I chimed in on the differences. Imentioned lychee. After the customer left, the guy told me that he thoughtdescribing the wine as “lychee” was over the customer’s head. I found thisslightly irritating – this is part of learning more about wine. It’s not aboutdumbing down things and having you miss something, it’s about introducing youto new things to expand your experiences and wine vocabulary! Sorry for thesound off, but Urgh).

Gewurztraminer is at its pinnacle when grown in Alsace,France. There it has crazy spice, fairly high alcohol levels, and a silky,melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s a decadent wine and one that can overwhelm youwith aroma and flavor. If you’re not a fan of rich, full whites keep away fromthese babies. But if you’re open to a delicious, exotic flavor experience getto a store and pick up a tall, skinny bottle, chill it down and drink up.

Most of the Gewurztraminer you see on the market is eitherfrom Alsace, or in the US, from Northern California, New York, Oregon, and Washington State, with a small amount fromGermany. I’ve already discussed the perfection that is Alsace Gewurztraminer(I’m kind of shocked at myself that I haven’t yet reviewed the TrimbachGewurztraminer, from Alsace, one of my favorite whites ever. I’ll get on it). Whenit’s from the US, it’s made in an off-dry, or slightly sweet style and I find,can sometimes be a little cloying. The German versions tend to be less spicy, alittle more like citrus than overt spice, and be off-dry too. Given that it’s colderin Germany than Alsace, the wine also has less overt fruitiness and loweralcohol.

Valckenberg, an amazing German wine importer, recently sent me acase of their top brands that included a Gewürztraminer. The wines are highquality and I feel lucky to be taking this virtual tour of Germany.

Valckenberg’s wine is from the Pfalz region, an area thathas a lot in common with Alsace – it’s warmer than most German regions, hassimilar soils, and grows a good amount of Gewurztraminer. That said, this winewas not like an Alsace wine. It had a profile all its own…

The Wine: Valckenberg
The Grape: 100% Gewürztraminer

Where it's from: Pfalz, Germany
Alcohol: 10%
Vintage: 2010
Price: $9.99

Color: The wine looked like a pair of khaki pants – kind ofgolden and ecru in color. It had a little bit of spritz to it, which is typicalof German wines and was super reflective and glycerin-shiny.

Smell: UnlikeGewürz from Alsace which I find to be spicy and exotic, this wine had much morediscernable fruit and was a little lighter in aroma. Peach, ginger, jasmine tea, andlychee (see note above on this…) were there, but it was all very unassuming. The 2010 vintage was a little rough in the Pfalz, hence why the wine was a little wussier than usual, however as a rule the wines are lighter in constitution.

Taste: The wineis slightly sweet, or off-dry so be prepared for that. It was peachy with lotsof orange or tangerine and tang like a zest of a lemon. It did taste likebrains…I mean lychee…too. It had just a touch of bitterness and some stoney,minerality. I know this will sound strange coming from me, who always complainsabout alcohol levels being too high, but I felt like, at 10%, the alcohol inthis wine was a little too low. Gewürztraminer tends to have higher alcoholbecause it’s high in sugar, and usually that adds a kick to the fruitiness thatbalances it out. Although this wine was a pleasant wine in its lightfruitiness, it was almost more like fruit juice than wine.

Pairing: I’dnormally recommend Gewurztraminer with Asian food, but unless the spice in thefood is pretty subtle (which to me, indicates not so great Asian) then I’dsuggest this as a sipper only. I think it may get lost in the food.

Drink or Sink:Drink. If you put a glass in front of me, I’m not going to turn it down, but Iwish it had more going on. That said, it's solid for the price. So, even though I’d take a glass of Gewurztraminer from Alsace,France any day over this one, for $10 I'd sip this on the porch on a fine fall afternoon with no arm twisting.

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 28 --5 Ways to Discover New Wines

2011-09-22T12:35:00.003-04:00

I'm such a wine 'ho. I love trying new things and experimenting in the wine store but it can be a little daunting sometimes.

Well, if you're interested in discovering some new wines based on your taste preferences, and you're not afraid to break the habit of "going with what you know", then this week we have five easy ways for you to discover some new favorites.

Show Notes:

Some shout-outs from our friends who left reviews on iTunes and comments on the Facebook page (thanks for making us smile and laugh!)
Main Topic - How to experiment with new wines:
1. Follow the grape (the "you might also like" method)
2. Regional similarities and differences
3. Discovering similar wines from different blends
4. Using food & wine pairing suggestions from apps and web sites
5. Your local wine shop (but beware of bad advice!!)
Listener Question - Sayle Milne calls in with a question about "corkage" fees
Grape of the Week - Muscat (and Moscato is one of the most popular wines this year!)

Call us and you will be on the show!!! Do you have a wine-related question for Elizabeth? Anything goes! Call 800-599-8478 (in the U.S.) or 1-415-226-9105 and dial extension 5 to leave your question for the Wine For Normal People Podcast, and we will answer it in an upcoming episode!

If you have something to say, I'd love to hear it! Post a comment below or on Facebook Page or on Twitter @normalwine.

Like the podcast? Please review us on iTunes and we'll give you a shout out!

Here's the link to download podcast from iTunes

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 26 --7 Fun Wine Facts

2011-09-16T19:11:00.003-04:00

Oh yeah...this week Rick and I get into some fun, random wine facts. 7 to be exact. Never passing up a chance to be a total nerd, I dork out on wine history and stump Rick on the Latin name for the Grape of the Week.

The show notes...

We start with a few shoutouts to awesome reviews on iTunes and comments on Facebook (thank you for making this so much fun by commenting!)

And we answer another listener question! We want you to Call us!!! Do you have a wine-related question? Call 800-599-8478 (in the U.S.) or 1-415-226-9105 and dial extension 5 to leave your question for the Wine For Normal People Podcast, and we will play it on the show!

Listener Question - from Scott of MA (Rick's home state and Elizabeth's post-college home!)
Main Topic - 7 Fun Facts About Wine
1. Aroma v. Bouquet: What are they...really?
2. Wine History: Paranoia about poisoning -- the origins of "drinking to your health" -- and, the potential origins of the word "toast"
3. More Wine History: We take you back to 7th grade... Hammurabi's Code and a well-deserved penalty for wine fraud
4. California's place in the world of wine: it's kind of a big deal...
5. Wine Grapes: There's a lot of 'em
6. Northern v. Southern Hemisphere: What that means about vintage
7. For Dieters: We tell you about the calories in a standard glass of dry red or white wine and sweet wine...
Grape of the Week - The Blood of Jupiter (Listen to figure out what it is) and why it's so unpredictable

If you have something to say, I'd love to hear it! Post a comment below or on Facebook Page or on Twitter @normalwine.

Like the podcast? Please review us on iTunes and we'll give you a shout out!

Here's the link to download podcast: Ep 027 Top 7 Fun Facts About Wine