Boz Scaggs in Napa Valley
One of my favorite singers is also a winemaker – who knew. A career that began with moderate success, Boz Scaggs hit the big time when he teamed up with Toto in 1976 to record the smash album Silk Degrees.

Today, Scaggs is touring the US with Michael McDonald and Donald Fagen. The trio will be at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on September 29th. When he’s not performing, the singer is busy overseeing operations at the Scaggs Vineyard.

From the Napa Valley Register:
Scaggs and his wife, Dominique, launched Scaggs Vineyard wines — a rosé and a blend of aromatic Rhone varietals — at a recent celebratory wine dinner hosted by Bardessono executive chef Sean O’Toole. The wines are made by a respected member of the local wine industry, Ken Bernards, the force in the cellar behind Ancien.

The two wines are made from Rhone varietals planted on 2.5 acres at the northernmost reach of Mount Veeder along the Mayacamas Ridge, at an altitude stretching from 1,100 to 1,400 feet.

Planted over a period of three years starting in 1998, the hillside vineyards contain syrah, mourvedre and grenache. In 2007, the couple added a small amount of cunoise. Since 2005, the vineyards, fruit and olive orchards at Scaggs Vineyard have been certified organic.

At the recent Bardessono dinner where the two wines were launched, Boz said his intent was for both wines to be “New World expressions” of classic Rhone wines.

The elegant Scaggs rosé has lovely floral notes, alternating aromas of roses and strawberries, and offers both strawberries and spice on the mid palate, finishing with a hint of Bosc pear. Production was 120 acres, with a retail price of $25.

The heady Scaggs Rhone blend features a mouthful of ripe blackberries, with hints of both blueberries and raspberries on the delightfully long finish. It retails for $75. Production was 250 cases.

Additional information about the wines and purchases is at scaggsvineyard.com.

The Summer That Wasn’t
Here on the west coast of  California we’ve had a cool summer. It happens every so often. I remember the summer of ‘73 was cooler, yet. Anyway, we’ve been wondering how this will effect this year’s harvest.

Growers will try to keep their fruit on the vine as long as possible to allow for maximum ripening which results in optimal sugar. Areas like Napa, that are known for fruity, high alcohol wines are already planning to pick grapes at lower brix.

The cabernets from Napa this year will probably be more old world style – more earthy and lower alcohol content. Not a bad thing at all. California will prove it can produce more sophisticated wines with higher acid and more varietal flavors from the smaller fruit.

Usually when we have a cool summer we have a wet winter. Only time will tell. In the meantime, we are looking forward to the 2009 releases, which are said to be exceptional.

“It was a one in 10-year kind of harvest,” said Joe Norman, assistant winemaker at Heitz Wine Cellars in Napa Valley.

“If winegrowers were judicious in their farming practices, it was an ultra premium year for Lodi.” Gary Eberle of Eberle Winery in Paso Robles.

In the meantime, we’re still working on finding good, affordable 2007 cabernets to add to our little collection.

2007 Chappellet “Signature” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Pushing the limit on what we call “affordable,” this wine is a great value. The kind of wine that gets better as it sits in the glass.

A blend of Cabernet, Malbec, Petiti Verdo, Merlot and Cab Franc. Aromas of chocolate, dark cherry and vanilla, with hints of smoke and spice. Flavors of dark cherry, plum and dark berries, with hints of chocolate and coffee. Decanting or using an aerator is recommended to smooth out the tannins. Long, smooth finish. Will cellar for 10+ years. $39 at K&L

2008 Kendall-Jackson Monterey County Riesling Vintner’s Reserve
California State Fair Double Gold winner – Best of California Riesling! 98 Points. One of the few winners that is still available to buy.

Tasting Notes:
Aromas of honeydew and peach with hints of citrus and apple. Flavors of apricot, pear and orange blossoms with hints of pineapple. Full bodied and balanced with an off-dry, crisp finish.

Great to sip or serve with chicken in a white wine sauce with noodles and mushrooms. Found it at BevMo for $10.

White Wines That Are Better with Age
Usually when we think of wines that age well we most often think of cabernet sauvignon, Barolo, Brunello di Montelcino and fortified wines like Port and Madeira. But, there are white wines that are better with age.

Red or white, there are certain conditions that allow some wines to age well. Location, vintage – ideal weather conditions, fermentation process and even certain yeast used in fermentation.

Red wines get their tannins from contact with the skin and stems. High tannins allow for greater aging capacity. White wine, which normally don’t have tannins because they rarely have contact with the skin, need to be higher in sugar and acid to age well.

So which whites age the best?

German Rieslings, because they are high in sugar and acid, will age as well as a cabernet.

Burgundy-style Chardonnays because they have good acidity and minerality, Most California Chardonnays are low in acid. The lack of acid makes the wine rich and buttery but it won’t age well.

Sauternes and late harvest wines can take years to come to full maturity because of the high sugar levels and botrytised fruit.

Chablis age well because of the acidity.

A couple of examples of well-aged whites that we’ve tried:

Michaud Vineyard Chelone Appellation Chardonnay 2002
Michael Michaud’s vineyard in Monterey is considered a California Grand Cru vineyard. Former winemaker at Chalone, Michaud started his own winery in 1998.

Gold straw color.Aromas of peach and apple with a hint of vanilla and butterscotch. Flavors of pear and lemoncella with nice minerallity. Balanced and well structured with a long smooth finish. As it sits in the glass, aromas and flavors continue to surprise and delight. Drink now. At Wine Exchange $20

ZD 2006 Reserve Chardonnay Napa Valley
This is the one with the black label. Gold color. Aromas of pineapple, pear and orange blossom with a hint of white flowers. Flavors of lemon, pear with a hint of vanilla and oak. Full bodied, balanced with a long, rich finish. I love this wine. Will cellar well for 8 to 10 years. The extended barrel aging -15 months contributes to the longevity of this wine. Multiple gold and double gold medal winner. 90 points from Wine Spectator. $45 dollars at K&L.

State Fair Medal Winners
The California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition is the oldest and most prestigious wine competition in North America. Each year, thousands of California wines are entered into the competition for the chance to win one of many coveted awards from the State Fair’s panel of expert wine judges.

After the competition, you can go online and they will have posted all the gold, double gold, silver and bronze medal winners in each category. We like to check out the winners and try as many as possible. If you wait too long to try certain wines, you’ll find they are sold out. These awards are a big deal and are watched by wine lovers around the world – so you have to move quickly.

At the State Fair Wine Garden you have an opportunity to taste the award winning wines from the competition as well as the wine of the day. Cheeses, fruit and bread are available to complete your wine tasting.

Each year, in addition to the wine competition, the California State Fair Commercial Wine Program recognizes a California vineyard which has consistently – over several growing seasons – produced grapes that have contributed directly to wine of superior quality and marketability within commercial sales systems and among fine wine judging. This year’s “California Vineyard of the Year” award winner is Bien Nacido Vineyards® of Santa Maria. Bien Nacido grows some of the finest grapes in the state.

Although Bien Nacido doesn’t produce its own wine, it is the source of fruit for many top California wineries.

2008 Fess Parker Bien Nacido Chardonnay
Light straw color. Aromas of pear, baked pineapple, cinnamon and apple, with a touch of graham cracker and vanilla. Flavors are clean and bright with hints of citrus, lemon creme and apple combined with spice and subtle oak. Well balanced with good acidity and a nice creamy, mineral finish. Wine Enthusiast gave it 96 Points! $34

Rainy Day Wines
It’s been raining, on and off, for a couple of days, and for some reason rain and soup just seem to go together. They had some nice leeks at the store so I decided to make leek & potato soup. It’s pretty simple to make and goes perfectly with European style chardonnays. With a rotisserie chicken and  some crusty bread, we had a great meal while watching the rain. (The soup recipe is after the fold.)

Two wines that go well with the meal:

Louis Latour 2008 Pouilly Fuissé
Light golden color with a touch of green. Aromas of peach and apricot. Flavors of pear, lemon and green apple with slight minerality. The balance is good with a smooth, satisfying finish. Drink  now or hold a few years. Excellent value. Costco has it for $16

Laetitia Estate Chardonnay 2007
This wine was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of their 12 best wine buys of 2009.
Golden yellow color. Aromas of lime and orange with hints of pineapple and cantaloupe. Flavors of pear, pineapple and lemon with the slightest hints of oak and melon. Buttery texture, good balance. Smooth medium finish. Another great value. Wine House on Cotner Ave. in west LA has it for $11

Leak & Potato Soup Recipe:

Leek & Potato Soup
Ingredients:
•    ½ lb leeks
•    2-3 medium Russet (or other starchy) potatoes
•    2 Tbsp unsalted butter
•    1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
•    1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
•    ½ cup dry white wine
•    1 qt chicken broth – canned or homemade
•    Kosher salt, to taste
•    Ground white pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Cut white part of leeks into half inch slices

Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces about the same size as the leeks.

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the butter over a low-to-medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic and leeks and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.

Add the wine and cook for another minute or two or until the wine seems to have reduced by about half.

Add the broth and the potatoes. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough that they can easily be pierced with a knife. Don’t let them get mushy, though.

Remove from heat and purée in a blender, working in batches, using pulse mode.

Note: Make sure lid is on blender and don’t fill with more than 1/3 with hot liquid.

Pour puréed soup into another pot and bring to a simmer again, adding more broth or stock to adjust the thickness if necessary.

Season to taste with Kosher salt and white pepper.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Peggy Fleming
San Jose native, Peggy Fleming and her husband, Dr. Greg Jenkins are serious about wine. In 1999 they planted an acre of Chardonnay in their Los Gatos backyard in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Four years later, the newly formed Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery produced its first vintage – Chardonnay from their backyard and two Syrahs with grapes sourced from a family vineyard near the Pacific Ocean and former Oakland Raiders’ coach John Madden’s Livermore ranch.

Now they produce 2,000 cases a year, including Choreography, a red blend they make with five Bordeaux grapes from Napa Valley, and Victories Rosé, created so the couple can donate $2 from every bottle sold to breast cancer research. Fleming is a breast cancer survivor.

Fleming Jenkins 2006 “Choreography” Napa Valley Red Wine
A blend of four classic Bordeaux varietals — 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.

Dark ruby color. Bouquet of dark cherry, blackberry and crème de cassis with hints of vanilla, molasses and chocolate. Flavors of red and black fruit  with hints of clove, vanilla, cinnamon and cocoa. Balanced finish. Should drink well for 5 to 7 years. 643 cases produced. $50 from the winery.

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!

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

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