The California Trip, Part 3

Slowly but surely, I'm making my way through the trip recap. Wednesday was our departure from Sonoma and across to Napa Valley. Coming across into Calistoga, we began the day in the north end of the valley at Chateau Montelena. This was a different stop than most of those on the trip, but we all had seen the movie "Bottle Shock" and wanted to at least see the famous winery.

We began with a pair of whites, the 2009 Riesling and the 2008 Estate Chardonnay. We then followed with the 2008 Estate Zinfandel before a pair of Cabs, the 2006 Cabernet and the 2007 Estate Cabernet. Not surprisingly, the 2007 Estate Cab was the best among the reds. We then finished with a bit of a treat, thanks to the popularity of "Bottle Shock" - one day a week they open an older vintage Chardonnay in the tasting room, and we were there on the appointed day to taste the 1986 Alexander Valley Chardonnay, which was still quite nice.

From Montelena we then went just back up the road toward the Sonoma County line to visit Storybook Mountain Vineyards. Loudoun and Ashley had visited before and promised an interesting visit, and they were right. A smaller family-run operation, Storybook is known for its Zinfandels, but they are now producing a limited amount of other wines. The vineyards are quite picturesque along steep hillsides, and their caves are over a century old, dug straight into the mountainside. We had a great tour, and the tasted four wines in the caves. First up was the 2008 Mayacamas Range Zinfandel, followed by the 2007 Antaeus blend. We then had two Seps Estate label wines, which are the non-Zinfandel wines. First was the 2007 Seps Estate Cabernet, and it was followed by the 2009 Viognier. The wines were solid, but the overall visit was definitely one of my favorites of the week.

After a great lunch stop at the famed Gott's Roadside (formerly Taylor's Refresher), our afternoon appointment was at Failla, the home winery of Turley winemaker Ehren Jordan. My friend Larry had set up this visit for us, and promised that their wines would impress. I was not disappointed, as these were definitely some great wines, very different from the Turleys, but great in their own way. Though located in Napa, Failla's wines are all from Sonoma, so it was back cooler climate wines like many from the previous days. After starting with the 2010 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, we moved on to the Pinots, Failla's specialty. We had the 2009 Whistler Pinot Noir, the 2009 Hirsch Pinot Noir, the 2008 Occidental Ridge Pinot Noir, and the 2009 Occidental Ridge Pinot Noir. All were excellent in their own way, but to me the 2008 Occidental Ridge stood out. Finally, we finished with the 2009 Syrah before taking a quick tour of the facilities, including their cave. It was another enjoyable visit, and great exposure to a winery I was not familiar with prior to this trip.

As we headed south toward the city of Napa and our hotel, we decided to make one final stop for the day at the sparkling wine house of Mumm. Here we each got to choose a 3 wine flight, and I had the 2006 Blanc des blancs, the 2006 Brut Reserve, and the NV Santana Brut. We sat in the tasting lounge overlooking the vineyards, and enjoyed some cheeses as we concluded our third day of tasting.

From there it was off to the hotel to regroup and prepare for dinner at Mustard's Grill in Yountville. Mustard's lived up to all the recommendations I had received, as my dinner of roast duck was amazing (and huge). Also great was the wine, a 2009 Outpost Grenache. Of course, Outpost was to be our first destination Thursday, so it was a great preview of what was to come next.

The California Trip, Part 2

Our second day in Wine Country brought us trips to three wineries south of Healdsburg, and one final trip up into the Dry Creek Valley.

We began the day at Hartford, which had been highly recommended by a friend here in Atlanta. We were not disappointed at all, as we had a fantastic tasting. We did not have an appointment, but by going early in the morning were able to get plenty of attention in the tasting room, which made the visit even better. Our tasting began with a pair of whites, the 2009 Four Hearts Chardonnay and the 2009 Fog Dance Chardonnay. Both were good, with the Fog Dance being one of the more impressive California Chardonnays I have tasted. We then moved on to the reds, with a trio of Pinot. First up was the 2009 Lands Edge Pinot Noir, followed by the 2009 Velvet Sisters Pinot Noir Mendocino, and finally the 2008 Arendell Pinot Noir. Moving up in intensity, we tasted the 2009 Russian River Zinfandel and the 2009 Highwire Zinfandel, followed by the 2007 Outer Limits Syrah, before completing the tasting with the 2009 Port. Overall, it was tough to find a disappointing wine in the entire lineup. Every wine was impressive in some way, and I don't think any other visit surpassed this one in quality throughout the entire lineup. It's definitely a visit I will recommend to others, and I will also be a buyer of their wines.

Our next visit was at Copain, where we were supposed to have a picnic lunch tasting. However, there had been a mixup and we were not able to have the picnic lunch, though still a very good tasting. Once again, we started with a white, the 2009 James Berry Roussanne. We followed with three Pinots again, the 2009 Les Voisins Anderson Valley, the 2009 Wentzel Pinot Noir, and the 2009 Monument Pinot Noir. We followed with a pair of Syrahs, the 2009 Les Voisins Yorkville Syrah and the 2007 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah, before then having a Rhone blend, the 2007 Les Copains James Berry. We then finished off the tasting with another white, the 2009 Tous Ensemble Viogner. Overall, it was a pretty good tasting, but not quite as impressive as I had hoped from Copain. Certainly the mixup played a part, but the wines, while solid, didn't wow me quite like many others we had on the trip.

After a nice casual lunch at Willow Wood Cafe in Graton (recommended by the folks at Copain) we continued on to Martinelli. We were lucky enough again to have a fairly empty tasting room (we hadn't made an appointment here either) and a diverse lineup of wines. Once again, we led off with some whites, the 2007 Charles Ranch Chardonnay and the 2008 Zio Tony Ranch Chardonnay. Once again, a trio of Pinots followed, with the 2009 Bella Vigna Pinot Noir, the 2008 Moonshine Ranch Pinot Noir, and the 2008 Lolita Ranch Pinot Noir. We then moved on to the 2007 Red Barn Red, a Rhone-style blend, and the 2006 Zio Tony Ranch Syrah before going on to the Zins. We tasted a pair, the 2008 Vigneto di Evo Zinfandel and the 2009 Vellutini Ranch Zinfandel, before finishing with a dessert wine, the 2009 Jackass Hill Muscat. Overall, the Martinelli wines were much as expected, bigger in style than most others we'd have, but still showing that they are well made with good fruit. I think my palate is moving in a different direction, but I still enjoyed the visit and the wines.

We had finished our planned stops for the day at this point, but it was just mid-afternoon so we decided to find another stop. Heading back north, we decided to venture out Dry Creek Rd again, all the way to the end of the valley by the Lake Sonoma Dam, where Sbragia Winery is located. Sbragia offers some of the best views in Sonoma, and also some really good wine. We were able to pick and choose our selections for tasting, so I was able to have two Zinfandels and two Cabs. First I tried the 2008 Gino's Vineyard Zinfandel and the 2008 La Promessa Zinfandel. Both were good, but we preferred the Gino's and actually bought a bottle to enjoy out on the terrace after finishing the tasting. For the Cabs, I decided to try Sbragia's two 2007 efforts from Howell Mountain, the 2007 Rancho del Oso Cabernet and the 2007 Cimarossa Cabernet. Both were excellent examples of the good work being done on Howell Mountain (which we would visit Thursday), but I had a slight preference for the Rancho del Oso when tasting side by side. Overall, this was another impressive tasting from a producer I had read about but not tried before. I will definitely be on the lookout for the Sbragia wines in the future.

Tuesday night in Healdsburg we went for a much more casual dinner at Willy's Seafood and Raw Bar, with a great lineup of tapas. After dinner, we ventured to Spoonbar at the H2 Hotel for cocktails. The bartender there Scott Beattie is well-known for his mixes, and though he wasn't behind the bar the evening, I still enjoyed a very interesting take on a Negroni, using a Gran Classico bitter and Orange Zest instead of Campari. It was a nice conclusion to our two days in Healdsburg before heading to Napa on Wednesday.

The last summer Friday at Bin 75

The weekend before I went to California was my last Friday night tasting at Bin 75 for the summer (when I have a chance to get home for a while before heading out to taste). It was another solid night, with a highlight for me coming late in the tasting. Our first wine of the night was a solid start, the 2004 Gouges Nuits St Georges Clos des Porrets. The table was actually divided as to whether it was a Burgundy or a Chateauneuf du Pape, and I sided with the CdP group. Overall, it was a very good wine form a producer I've come to admire, though not quite the level of the best I've had from him.

Our next wine was very much the opposite of the spectrum, the 2004 Altamura Cabernet. Most of us were actually stumped, thinking this California Can was actually and Australian Shiraz. It was still oaky with jammy fruit that was almost too much, especially coming after an elegant Burgundy.

The next spot was actually not a bad time for my wine to come up, as it was the 2001 Brigaldara Amarone. The wine was quite nice, very much what I expected, and typical of a good aged Amarone. Not surprisingly, most everyone was able to figure out what it was. That was followed by the 2006 Il Poggione Brunello, which is very young but already showing typical Brunello character and some real elegance for its youthful age. Most everyone was able to identify it as Brunello, as did I, though I thought it was a 2004.

Next up was the 2004 Sabon Prestige Chateauneuf du Pape, which seemed to just be emerging from the dormancy most CdP's go through after a few years. I actually guessed it to be a 2006. Our next wine was a CdP as well, but fooled everyone into thinking it was a Burgundy (especially after the Gouges earlier). Instead, it was the 1996 Beaucastel, which was drinking incredibly well. I've had several bottles of the 1996 Pignan, which has also been very Burgundian in character, and this wine reminded me a lot of that one.

Our CdP run continued with the 2005 Raymond Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape. I eventually identified it as a CdP, and in fact this was the bottling I thought the Sabon was. It is still a young wine, with a lot of acidity that makes me believe in another few years it will really be better.

After several French wines, it was only natural that we went back to Italy, starting with the 1998 Antinori Guado al Tasso. I actually thought this might be a Barolo as I got some sandalwood, though most everyone else thought it was a Supertuscan (though no one was close on the age). The next wine was a Barolo, the 2003 Schiavenza Perno. I actually thought it was a 98 Barolo, so for a 2003, it wasn't bad.

Our next wine was quite controversial, the 2006 Ricasoli Casalferro, a Supertuscan Sangiovese-Merlot blend. I thought there was something wrong with the wine, but others disagreed. I stood by my opinion and feel it's unfair to give a real report on it. Thankfully, we followed that with another Nebbiolo, this time the 2006 Batasiolo Barolo. Most everyone was able to figure out it was a young Barolo, though in truth it was really too young to be drinking.

With the regular lineup complete, a couple of the group went next door to grab a few more wines to finish. We stayed in Italy, and the next one was a wine I knew soon after tasting. It was the 2000 Quintarelli Valpolicella, and I made that exact call. Having had the wine several times during this year's Vinitaly trip, I easily identified the style and elegance of the wine. We followed that with the 2004 San Felice Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico. I actually thought this was another 06 Brunello, as this wine was pretty big and young, though obviously Sangiovese.

Overall it was a good night, and would hold me over for several weeks before I could make my return to the Friday night group.

The California Trip, Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, I made my first-ever trip to California, spending a week in San Francisco, Sonoma, and Napa with my friends Loudoun and Ashley. Over the course of two days in Sonoma and three in Napa, we tasted over 100 wines, met some great people, and had several fabulous meals.

Our wine country experience began Monday morning with the drive up to Healdsburg from San Francisco. We had a 10:30 appointment at Seghesio for a tasting at their Chef's Table. We actually began with a couple of wines in the tasting room and more on a tour of the winery before the main event, which paired several small plates with some of Seghesio's best wines. Our tasting room wines began with the 2010 Pinot Grigio, followed by the 2009 Pinot Noir. We then had the 2009 Grenache before getting to the winery's specialty, Zinfandel. The two new releases we had were the 2008 Cortina and the 2008 Rockpile, before our final wine on the tour portion, the 2008 Omaggio, which is a blend of Cabernet and Sangiovese.

We then moved on to the food and wine pairings, which were excellent. The first dish was a Shrimp and Corn Ravioli, which was paired with a 2004 Home Ranch Zinfandel. That was followed by Chicken Pietro with the 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel, and Meatballs with the 2004 San Lorenzo Zin. We then had Flank Steak paired with the 2006 Home Ranch Petite Sirah before finishing with Rogue Creamery Blue Cheese paired with the 2005 Dionigia dessert wine. We then moved out to the terrace where the sun was shining after a foggy morning and finished with the 2008 Chianti Station Sangiovese. Overall, it was a great tasting and a wonderful way to kick off the week.

From Seghesio, we headed out Dry Creek Rd and made our way to the Family Wineries of Dry Creek tasting room, with the goal of tasting the latest wines from Dashe Cellars. The setup of the tasting afforded us a chance to sample some other wineries products as well, so we ended up tasting wines from four producers. The others we had were the 2009 Philip Staley Russian River Grenache, the 2007 Mietz Pinot Noir, and the 2006 Collier Falls Petite Sirah. None of the wines were particularly outstanding, but the Dashe wines were impressive. From Dashe we were able to taste the 2009 Dry Creek Zinfandel, the 2008 Todd Bros Ranch Zin, and the 2008 Late Harvest Zin, a sweet dessert wine.

Our third and final stop of the day was Ridge, where we were given a tour of the Lytton Springs vineyard and production facility before a private tasting. It was great to be able to step into the vineyards, and the wines were all pretty outstanding, especially the finish. We began with the 2009 Mikaluko Chardonnay before diving into the reds with the 2007 Mazzoni Home Ranch Zinfandel. That was followed by the 2009 Lytton Springs, the 2009 Pagani Zin, and the 2005 Lytton Estate Grenache. Finally, we were able to taste the 2007 Monte Bello, which was my first experience with the famous California Cabernet blend. I must say I was quite impressed, as it was very elegant with a lot of the earthiness I expect from wines of Bordeaux. It was a great way to finish off our first day of tasting before heading to Healdsburg for one last memorable experience that evening.

For dinner Monday night, we were able to get a reservation at Cyrus, the Michelin two-star restaurant in Healdsburg. We all opted for the eight-course tasting menu with wine pairings, and the 3+ hour dinner was quite a dining experience. Along with the eight courses listed on the menu, there were many other treats thrown in, impeccable service from start to finish, and some amazing food that stretched our boundaries and let us experience flavors and combinations I'm don't think any of us had tried before. All in all, it was an incredible first day, and an amazing way to kick off the trip.

Re-starting the Friday night series

I'm finally getting back to what I intend to be one of the regular features of this blog - my reports on Friday night blind tastings at Bin 75. Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to try a lot of great wine, and have learned so much by being able to taste blind. My last post on 1993 Bordeaux was all garnered from several Friday tastings, but now I plan to try to recap most of the tastings overall. Having been each of the past two Fridays, I'm hoping to write about both of those this week, and thus begin with the notes from Friday, August 5.

Our first wine of the night had me fooled a bit. It definitely had an Italian profile, and a softness that led me to guess it was a Supertuscan. Instead, it was the 2006 Vietti Barbera d'Alba Scarrone. I've had the 2007 in the past several months, and while it was still too young, this 2006 is really coming into its own. This is a serious, top-quality Barbera.

Up next was my wine, the 2001 Angelini Val di Suga Brunello. I was actually thrown off that this was mine initially because of the color - a lighter profile that suggested something older. However, on the palate the wine still had plenty of fruit and even a a bit of tannin that showed it wasn't as old as the color suggested. Overall, it was a very good wine, and a re-taste later in the evening confirmed that.

The next wine was also from Montalcino, but slightly older, the 1999 Pietranera Brunello. I thought this wine was definitely from a riper vintage, and it was definitely older and fully mature (I figured 1997). It also had a little funk on the nose, but was still a nice wine.

After three Italians, we made a definite switch with the 2004 St. Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet. This was not an over the top Aussie Cab, but actually quite restrained. It had good fruit, but was balanced, and only missing some earthiness that could have made me think it was Bordeaux. I actually thought it might be South African.

We moved on the France with our next wine, the 2003 Clos St. Jean Combes des Fous Chateauneuf du Pape. I thought this wine was really coming together nicely, and much better than I would have expected for this wine in such a hot vintage. As I will note in the notes from the most recent Friday, several 2003 CdP's are actually nicely balanced now and drinking well.

We then moved back to Italy for our next two wines, starting with the 2004 Camerano Barolo. This was definitely a younger, understated Barolo. I initially thought it may be from Burgundy before moving to Barolo. I also was thinking it was a 2005 as it seemed young, but not quite as young as a 2006 and not quite as filled out as I thought a 2004 should be.

Following that, we were back in Tuscany for the 2003 Petrolo Galatrona. This wine is still very, very young, and definitely made in a more modern style. I actually thought it might be a 2007 California Cab. I'd definitely wait longer on drinking these wines.

Suddenly, we had a quick interlude of white wine, a 2004 Weinbach Schlossberg Riesling. I've actually had a couple of Schlossbergs, and they are very nice wines that I am definitely impressed with.

Getting back to the reds, we were in France again. This time, it was the 2007 Domaine Tempier Bandol. Keith actually nailed the wine, while I venured a guess a little further west in Languedoc. The wine was still very young, definitely from a hot climate, but also quite interesting. I'd love to taste it in 5-6 years.

Staying in Southern France, we had the 2007 Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape. I actually thought this might be a little older, guessing it was a 2005 CdP. It definitely had some characteristics of a hotter vintage, but seemed to be coming into balance. I'm definitely happy to see some of these 2007's begin to settle.

After all of these very good wines, we were bound for disappointment, and it came from the 2007 Orin Swift Papillon. This wine was way over the top, a fruit bomb that none of us really cared for. I was actually surprised that the blend was mainly Cab, figuring it for something like Aussie Shiraz or a modern Spanish Garnacha.

We weren't going to end like that though, so the final wine gave us something to go home happy about. The 1994 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was quite nice, showing many traits of well-aged Bordeaux. I actually thought it was a slightly younger, guessing a 96 St. Julien. It was definitely a good way to finish off a very nice night.

Overall, it was a very good night, one of several we've had lately. As for my wine of the night, it was a tough call. The Pichon was a great way to finish, but the two Chateauneufs were enjoyable, as was my wine, the 01 Val di Suga. As I said tough, outside of the Orin Swift, there really wasn't a poor showing in the lineup.

How an "off" vintage of Bordeaux won me over

I will soon start recapping my regular Friday night tastings at Bin 75 again, but first I wanted to write about several wines we've had over the past two months which may have finally convinced me of the greatness of Bordeaux. The thing is, this isn't about some first-growths, or great modern vintages like 1982 or 1990 or even 2000. Instead, I have been wowed by multiple wines from 1993, a vintage generally overlooked and considered below average and early-maturing. However, over the past few months, our group has now had four different wines from 1993, and most of them have been fabulous examples of classic aged Bordeaux.

The least impressive of the group was actually the most recent, this past Friday's Gruaud-Larose. While not a bad wine, this wine was one that did seem to be fading a bit. After a fantastic classic Bordeaux nose, when tasting the wine it left a little to be desired. There was still some good earthiness, and not any soy characteristics creeping in, but the fruit was fading and the finish was short. Still, for a wine that was rated 86 points by Parker, it has held up remarkably well for an 18 year old wine.

Now onto the wines that really inspired this post. First was the 1993 Angelus, which was considered one of the better wines of the vintage. When we had this wine, it was showing off all the great characteristics of classic Bordeaux. There was a great nose, great balance on the palate, hints of earthiness, and a fairly long finish. Tasting blind (as we always do on Fridays) we all thought it could be a top wine (such as Angelus) but from a top vintage like 1990. When we saw it was 1993, we were all quite impressed at how well the wine had aged.

Perhaps inspired by this wine, others began showing up with wines from the vintage. Out next experience was the Pichon-Longueville-Baron, a wine that wasn't considered among the best of the vintage, nor anywhere near the best wines from this producer. However, this wine was just as impressive as the 1995 and 2000 Pichon Barons we've had recently. I'd probably even rate it above the 1995 (my notes on the 2000 are skewed, as the night we had it, the wine came several sports after the 1990 Montrose, which blew it and all others that night away). Once agin though, I was really wowed how a wine from such a sub-par vintage had turned into a classic after 18 years.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago we had the 1993 Tertre Roteboeuf. Perhaps showing (along with the Angelus) that the Left Bank was more successful in '93, this wine was again firing on all cylinders. It didn't quite have the depth and complexity of the Angelus, but it was still a really good wine. I don't know that it has that much life left in it, but right now this wine is still showing its stuff.

Overall, these 1993s may have finally convinced me of why so many feel that Bordeaux is the king of wine regions. While I still feel that other places can make great wines, it is rare for an off vintage anywhere else to produce such classic wines that can age for up to 20 years. I've sampled some great Hermitage from lesser vintages, but with only a handful of prodcuers to begin with, even they can't compete. As someone who has very little Bordeaux in my cellar, I feel a bit dismayed by prices for the new "classic" vintages, knowing I really can't afford much. But judging by these wines, I now have faith that if I search out some great producers in lesser vintages, there could be some great deals in age-worthy wines, and to me that is something I thought was gone for Bordeaux.

The state of Greek wine

While Greece struggles with many issues in their government and economy, one industry that continues to improve is wine. My recent trip allowed me a chance to check in on some of the latest releases, focusing on the indigenous varietals that many Greek winemakers are putting more focus on. Most of these wines are still more of the everyday drinking type, but there is certainly one winery that I think is capable of making some world-class reds.

To begin with, there was one very different wine we tried, the Domaine Tselepos Amalia Brut, a sparkling wine made from the Moschofilero grape. This wine won't make anyone forget the great Champagne houses, but it was a very enjoyable effort, and something I didn't know was being produced in Greece. Kudos to Tselepos for this work, which is impressive.

Among the entry-level red wines, I was very impressed this year with the Boutari Naoussa 2008. This has always been a standard table wine in Greece, but it is clear that Boutari has raised the quality of this Xinomavro-based wine. Available in the US in many places, it is a nice $10-$15 wine here. Boutari's 2004 Grand Reserve was also quite tasty, though not necessarily worth the extra cost.

Another winery from the north is Domaine Porto Carras. Among their highlights was the 2008 Limnio, an ancient varietal grown on the Chalkidiki peninsula. We also tried their Limnio-Cabernet blend, but I preferred the straight Limnio.

Katogi is a winery getting some good press here in the US for their Xinomavro, but in Greece we drank the 2008 Averoff, a blend of Agioritiko and Cabernet Sauvignon from northern Greece. It is another wine I've had many times over the years, but this was one of the stronger efforts I can recall.

Skouras is another winery that has made some inroads in the US market with their Agioritiko and Megas Oenos blend. We didn't try any of their higher-end cuvees this year, but the entry level Erythmos (90% Agioritiko and 10% Cab) was a solid wine for the price (6 euros at the local market).

Another of the bigger Greek wineries is Hatzimichalis, which has been known for their international varieties. This year, it appears they have a new effort with a line of wines that blend these varietals with the indigenous grapes. I actually don't have the notes on the wines we had, but they were solid efforts that I think were an improvement over the straight varietals like Cab or Merlot.

Finally, we come to my favorite winery in Greece, Papaioannou. This winery from the Peloponnese specializes in the Agioritiko grape with their red wines. This year, I was lucky enough to have their entry-level Agioritiko, the Ktima Papaioannou that is their single-vineyard selection, and finally the Old Vines Selection. We actually had a 2003 vintage of the entry-level bottling, and was still fresh and full of life. The single-vineyard wine steps up the quality to a level few other Greek wines reach, but the 2004 Old Vines selection was truly a special bottle. To me, this is the red wines all other Greek reds should be measured against. It has several qualities that reminded me of an aged Sangiovese, with notes of red cherry and almost a hint of sandalwood. I truly believe that if more Greek wines begin to reach this level, the industry will achieve a breakthrough in the international market.

Overall, while there were very few thrilling world-class wines I tasted, I came away impressed this year with the overall quality level of many of the entry-level Greek wines. These wines are quite inexpensive in Greece, and many that reach the US are still affordable as well. If Greek wines can reach the homes of consumers at this level, I think it will give them a chance to make future investments that lead to even higher quality wines that a few producers are already proving can be made.