2007 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
From the same winery that makes Isosocles and The Orphan (See March 2, 2010 Twisting Vines), Justin gets high scores for it’s Cabernet.
Dark red color. Aromas of cherry, plum, spice and leather, with a hints of tobacco and leather. Fruit forward with layers of tart cherries and blackberries. Hint of chocolate and vanilla.
Medium bodied. Balanced. The mild tannins allow you to drink it as soon as you pour it into the glass. Hint of butterscotch on the finish.
“A very nice Cab, on a par with last year’s very fine one and quite as good as the 2002. It’s dry and rich in black and red cherries, red currants, cola and chocolate, with firm, velvety tannins. Beautiful now and for a few more years. —S.H.”, 92 Points. Wine Enthusiast, April 2010. Sold out at the winery. Wine Exchange still has it for $20.
Gallo’s Turning Leaf Gets Makeover
From Financial Times:
Napa Valley, the seat of California’s wine industry, is not exactly a fashion mecca. The pastoral towns dotted around the vineyards are more Buddhist than Burberry, more caps-’n’-culottes than Chanel. So slightly tipsy heads turned from cellars to catwalks when it was recently announced that Basso & Brooke, British designers known for their use of fabric decorated with pornographic prints, had been appointed “designers in residence” to Turning Leaf, E&J Gallo’s traditional wine brand.
Basso & Brooke will create the wrapping for 2,000 bottles, curate a blog, design some limited-edition umbrellas and a retail installation for a London department store.
Turning Leaf could use the help. “This isn’t seen as a fashionable wine, at least in the UK,” admitted designer Christopher Brooke. The winemakers clearly hope that working with Basso & Brooke will change all that. For their part, Brooke says, it’s more about profile-raising and “the press aspect than making it commercially available”.
The bottle of Turning Leaf chardonnay shrink-wrapped in a sleeve patterned on Basso & Brooke’s spring/summer 2010 collection, features snow leopard fur, erupting volcanoes, roses and psychedelic patterns.
Does the bottle make you want to buy the wine?
Tags: chardonnay, fashion, gallo, turning leaf
2007 Titus Napa Valley Zinfandel
A good Napa Valley zinfandel usually costs around $45 to $50. Since we are all watching our pennies, we’ve been enjoying more affordable wines from Paso Robles and Lodi. Well, to my surprise, I found a great Napa Valley zin that I can highly recommend.
The Titus Vineyards is a small, family owned and run winery on the north end of the Silverado Trail that produces a handful of varietals and a few blends.
This wine is made from 86% zinfandel and 15% petite sirah, the grapes come from 30+ year-old vines, grown without irrigation – just like old world winegrowers.
Dark garnet in color with aromas of raspberries and plums with hints of vanilla and spice. Flavors of black cherry, raspberry, chocolate and licorice with a hint of vanilla and spice. The fruit really opens up after sitting in the glass for a while.
Full-bodied with a long spicy finish that will continue to evolve in bottle. We enjoyed this wine with grilled steaks and roasted potatoes and asparagus. Yum!
Recommended drinking time is three to five years from vintage with a maximum suggested aging time of eight to ten years from vintage. This is a great value at Costco for $20!
Tags: California, Napa, titus vineyards, zinfandel
Gallo Wine
E. & J. Gallo is the largest winemaker in the world. Since 1964, we’ve known Gallo for it’s top selling ‘jug wine’ – Hearty Burgundy.
According to Gallo spokeswoman, Kristina Kelly, “The wine was a favorite of winery founders Ernest and Julio Gallo because it was the kind of hearty red wine they were raised on and it went well with their evening meal.”
In 1975, Gallo introduced ‘Carlo Rossi’ wines which come in 12 varietals and still come in the iconic jug Gallo is known for.
In the 1990’s wine drinkers were gravitating toward more expensive wines. Even though the winery had been producing premium wines since the 1980’s, Gallo was still perceived as a low-end brand. The company made the decision to distance itself from the Gallo name by producing varietal wines under new labels. Turning Leaf and Gossamer Bay, produced at the Modesto winery, pushed Gallo into the mid-priced range – typically sold in grocery stores.
Today, Gallo produces excellent wines from Sonoma and from their Louis Martini Winery in Napa.
Gallo Family 2007 Two Rock Chardonnay
A French Chablis style wine with aromas of apple, pear and citrus with hints of blossoms. Flavors of pear and green apple with a hint of lime and flint. A crisp, medium bodied wine with a soft mineral finish. No oak influence. A quality wine for this price point.
From Robert Parker, Wine Advocate:
“…the 2007 Chardonnay Two Rock Vineyard comes from a cool site planted with old Wente clones. Ninety percent is aged in stainless steel and 10% in oak. An outstanding Chardonnay, with a style not dissimilar from a top-class French Chablis, it reveals notes of white corn, quince, powdered rock, wet steel, nectarines and lemon blossoms, medium to full body, and a crisp, fresh, pure style. It should drink nicely for 4-5+ years.” 92 Points, February 2010. $28 at the winery, Wine Exchange has it for $19.
Serve with Chef Charlie Trotter’s Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice & Swiss Cheese Croutons. Also pairs well with with shellfish, lighter pasta dishes, and grilled chicken.
Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice and Swiss Cheese Croutons
INGREDIENTS
4 Vidalia onions, julienned
1/4 cup unsalted butter
6 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chopped herbs (such as basil, chives, tarragon, and parsley)
8 thin slices French bread
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
PREPARATION
Sauté the onions with the butter in a large sauce-pan over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes or until caramelized. Add the broth and simmer for 20 minutes.
Wrap the herbs in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string to form a sachet. Place the sachet in the onion broth and simmer for 1 minute. Remove the sachet and discard.
To prepare the croutons: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of the bread slices with the olive oil. Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until light golden brown, turning once. Lay the cheese over the croutons while they are still hot.
Place some of the wild rice in each bowl and ladle the onion broth into the bowls. Place 2 croutons alongside the soup.
Serves 4
Tags: California, chardonnay, gallo, sonoma
Pinot Noir
Giant Steps is a winery located in Australia’s Yarra Valley. With their first release in 2001, the company focused exclusively on the production of premium, terroir-driven, single vineyard wines. The name was taken from the first solo album by John Coltrane.
The Innocent Bystander label came about when the Giant Steps team decided to produce wines made from fruit of the many great vineyards they came across in the Yarra Valley – and beyond. These wines are made to be drunk while watching the world go by.
2008 Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir
Bright red color. Aromas of cherries, raspberries and a hint of spice.Full flavors of ripe red berries, with a hint of flowers and some minerality. Balanced, with a smooth, long finish. Love the screw cap. A hand-crafted wine at a value price point! Try it before it’s gone! At Costco and K & L for $15.
Check out their website: Giant Steps
Tags: australia, jazz, music, pinot noir
Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
After the devastating Feb. 27 earthquake in Chile, harvesting and wine production came to a standstill. Some winemakers already had their harvest in tanks. Most of those were destroyed. But workers in Chile’s wine-producing region have now begun to return to the fields to bring in this year’s grape harvest.
Much like California, Chile has coastal mountain ranges between great valleys and the Pacific Ocean. The hot days and nights cooled by ocean breezes create the perfect climate for growing great wine grapes. Chile is an up and coming region that is now producing reds that are beginning to take on the great cabernets from Napa Valley. Don’t let the news of the earthquake scare you away from some great wines.
Concha y Toro is the largest winery in Chile and their wines continually rate high scores. The Company’s principal trademarks include Carmin de Peumo, Don Melchor, Amelia, Trio, Terrunyo, Marques de Casa Concha, Gran Reserva – Riberas, Casillero del Diablo, Sunrise, Sandero and Frontera.
Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2006:
From Wine Spectator: A dark, muscular style, with black currant, braised fig, maduro tobacco, bittersweet cocoa and loam notes that all roll together through the dense but polished finish. There’s impressive power for the vintage, along with precision and balance.” – Wine Spectator gave this wine 94 Points.
From Wine Advocate: The 2006 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon is a glass-coating opaque purple with an alluring bouquet of toast, tobacco, cedar, leather, mocha, and blackcurrant. Sweet, voluptuous (but not in a fruit bomb kind of way), layered, and complex already, its superb balance will ensure at least a decade of evolution and it should drink well through 2036.
We found this wine at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA for $49.99. Elsewhere it sells for up to $79.
Tags: cabernet sauvignon, chile, concha y toro
Riesling
Riesling is the most food compatible wine in the world. Because of it’s relatively low alcohol content, fruity acidity and a range of dryness levels, it goes well with a variety of foods. It’s also the fastest growing white wine in the U.S. in terms of sales. Washington State’s Chateau Ste. Michelle, is the largest Riesling producer in the country.
Up until now, unless you’ve tried the wine or heard about it, there was no way to know if the bottle of riesling you were buying would be too sweet or too dry. No more guessing! The International Riesling Foundation has come up with a “Riesling Taste Profile” to be used on the back label of the bottle. The simple chart will help the wine buyer find the style of riesling he/she is looking for:
This spring, Chateau Ste. Michelle will feature the “Riesling Taste Profile” scale on two of it’s new releases: the 2008 Winemaker’s Cabinet Riesling and the 2008 Waussie Riesling.
Dry riesling pairs well with creamy or fatty cheeses like Brie or Munster or salty cheeses like Gruyere or Asiago. The acid in the wine cuts through the fattiness or the creamy cheeses and sets off the saltiness of the saltier cheeses. Chicken and riesling is a no-brainer.
Here’s a tasty recipe for Chicken with Riesling that is easy to prepare and tastes great the next day: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: chicken, recipe, riesling, washington
Pinot Noir
With cool, wet winters, warm dry summers and the marine influence from the west, the coastal Willamette Valley of Oregon is perfect for growing pinot noir grapes.
Dr. Loosen’s Oregon Wine Adventure
The Loosen Family wine estate in Germany is famous for it’s rieslings. Closer to home, Ernst Loosen – one of the rock stars of wine making, currently partners with Chateau St. Michelle in Washington state, to produce the famous Eroica riesling we all love. One of the best food-friendly wines that we always keep on hand.
Now Ernst Loosen wants to make great pinot noir, so he is partnering with Oregon based winemaker, Jay Somers, of J. Christopher Wines, in a new venture, Loosen Christopher Wines LLC.
Currently Somers and Loosen have crafted two pinot noirs:
2006 Appassionata
A finely selected, limited-production Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. To assemble the wine, Ernst and Jay taste through all of the barrels in the J. Christopher cellars and select a distinctive combination of clones, terroirs and cooperages to produce an elegant pinot noir with powerful Oregon fruit and fine Old World structure.
Under the new Loosen Christopher Wines venture, Appassionata will continue to be a top of the line special bottling, eventually coming primarily from estate-grown grapes after the vines on the new vineyard are established. Very New World with a dark purple color. Rich, deep black cherry scents leading to substantial dark fruit intensity, extended tannins and a long, dry finish. Only 99 cases produced, so this is definitely a collector’s item. The vintage will be released for the first time this March and will retail for $75.
2006 Two Worlds
A value-priced Pinot Noir. Originally a blend of German and Oregon grapes, this label will be 100 percent Oregon going forward. Currently, the Two Worlds Pinot Noir is 90% fruit from the sunny Pfalz – contributing purity of fruit and structure – and 10% is a selection from the Oregon cellars of J. Christopher – lending deeper fruit, stronger tannins and a firmer backbone. Two Worlds has a deliciously pure, bright cherry fruit melding with the darker, sturdier structure that often characterizes Oregon Pinot Noir. Two Worlds retails for $16. (Because of all the hype about the wine, the cheapest I could find it was at K & L for $18.)
Check out the J. Christopher website.
Tags: dr. loosen, oregon, pinot noir, riesling, willamette valley
Paso Robles
“There is no question that a decade from now, the top viticulture areas of Santa Barbara, Santa Rita Hills and the limestone hillsides west of Paso Robles will be as well-known as the glamorous vineyards of Napa Valley.”
—-- Robert M. Parker, Jr. June 30, 2005 issue of Wine Advocate
El Paso de Robles – “Pass of the Oaks” in Spanish, is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This central coast wine region is the largest viticulture area in the state. With climate and terrain that mimics the southern Rhone region of France, it is the new frontier for California winemaking. During the past 20 years, the number of wineries has grown from 30 to 250 – and counting. But the land isn’t what first brought people to the area. It was the water.
In 1882, a pamphlet advertised “El Paso de Robles Hot and Cold Sulphur Springs and the Only Natural Mud Baths in the World.”
That same year, commercial winemaking was introduced to the Paso Robles region when Andrew York, a settler from Indiana, planted vineyards and established the Ascension Winery at what is now York Mountain Winery. The family planted some of the area’s earliest Zinfandel vines, making Paso Robles famous for the variety.
In the 1970’s the first large-scale modern facility in the area was built by Dr. Stanley Hoffman. He brought financing and expertise from UC Davis, planting some of the region’s first Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on his 1,200-acre ranch. Cabernet Sauvignon still remains the leading variety for the Paso Robles appellation, and accounts for 38 percent of the region’s planted wine grape acreage.
The 1990’s brought the French. In 1989, the Perrin family (of the Rhône Valley’s Chateau de Beaucastel, revered producer of Chateauneuf-du-Pape), along with American importer Robert Haas, established their international joint venture, Tablas Creek Vineyard.
Since 1989, Paso Robles has seen an explosion of plantings of Rhône varieties. It now has some of the largest acreage of Syrah, Viognier and Roussanne planting in the state.
Worldwide recognition of Paso Robles Wine Country as a premier wine region came in 2000 when Justin Vineyards & Winery’s Bordeaux-style Isosceles was named one of the top 10 wines in the world by the Wine Spectator.
In 1994 Isosceles, Justin’s iconic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, was named “Best Blended Wine in the World” at the London International Wine & Spirit Competition.
You can find a 2007 Isoscelels for around $56 a bottle. Not a bad price for a good wine. But we are always looking for the diamond in the rough, and we think Justin produces such a wine.
2007 Justin The Orphan
Made from leftover juices from the hand-harvested single vintages, the grapes, Cabs, Syrahs, and Merlots, are blended, depending on availability, into that years orphan.
Justin has done an Orphan since 2003 when there was a fire at the winery. The fire caused some damage and disarray of the proprietary barrels in the cellar. Because they couldn’t identify some of the wines, they were blended into a red wine called, “The Orphan.”
Tasting Notes
Bright purple in color with a ruby red hue, the 2007 is our best Orphan offering to date. Aromas of black fruit, raspberry and leather fill the glass. The entry is soft, balanced and layered with fruits, fig and a touch of spice. The mid palate is fleshy and fruit forward, segueing into a finish lightly touched by ripe tannins and nuances of new French and American oak. $15
Tags: California, paso robles, Red wine
3 Wine Price Points – One Great Winemaker
While searching out the next “diamond in the rough” of good, affordable wine, it’s best to take in two considerations: the land the grapes are grown on and the style of the winemaker. One of the top winemakers in the world is 71 year old Aubert de Villaine.
Monsieur de Villaine’s wine-making philosophy emphasizes, above all else, that great wine is made in the vineyards and that the winemaker’s role is to do the minimum necessary to produce the finest fruit consistent with total respect for the individual terroir of each appellation.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti estate in Burgundy, France is considered to be among the world’s greatest wine producers. The wines are also among the world’s most expensive.
In 2001, a lot of seven bottles of Montrachet 1978 from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $167,500, or $23,929 per bottle – an extraordinary price for a white wine, even in the rarified world of wine collecting. At the time it was the most expensive wine ever sold in America. What happened was that two avid collectors were bidding against each other and got carried away, each refusing to yield as the price rose through the stratosphere.
Today, the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is Co-Owned and Co-Directed by Aubert de Villaine. Aubert’s father and grandfather were both Directors of the Domaine. Because he was raised at the Domaine and had intimate familiarity with the day-to-day operations of the winery, he was a natural to become the Co-director in 1974. Learn more: Read
A & P de Villaine
When he isn’t making wine for the great Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Aubert de Villaine and his wife own and run a domain in nearby Bouzeron called A & P de Villaine. This domaine is extensively planted with Aligoté – a white grape used to make dry white wines – similar in style and fruit characteristics to Pinot gris. Aligoté is considered the second most important grape in Burgundy – after Chardonnay.
See: Website
Domaine A et P De Villaine Bouzeron 2007
From the golden Aligoté doré grape, which gives lowers yield and more aromatic wines than its cousin, the Aligoté vert. A lively, fruity wine, but it also has a finesse and roundness. These qualities lend it great versatility. To best appreciate the freshness and fruit, it would be drunk young, within two or three years. To allow the wine to fully develop fullness and “fatness”, age it for up to ten years. It should be served chilled, at about 54°F, as an apéritif, with seafood, or with a number of cheeses (goat cheese, Cantal, Beaufort, Parmesan, Roquefort). $20
Hyde de Villaine “HdV”
If you thought running two wineries would be enough to keep the de Villaines busy, Aubert and Pamela are also involved in Hyde de Villaine (HdV), a highly regarded winery in California’s Carneros District.
See: Website
2006 Hyde de Villaine “HdV” Carneros Chardonnay
“Showing all of the richness and layered complexity that we have come to expect from HDV, this head-turning offering is at once fairly powerful but comes with an uncommon sense of finesse. It smells of well-ripened apples, sweet toast and wisps of roasted grains, and its deep, full-scaled flavors unfold with elements of minerals and spice lifting it above simple fruitiness. Full-bodied and slightly fleshy in feel with optimal acids affording it very fine balance, it is a serious Chardonnay that will take to aging, but it is wholly fascinating now.” – 93 points Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine. $56
Tags: burgundy, carnaros, chardonnay, french wine, value
