Santa Barbara Wine Country is just a couple of hours up the coast from me so I try to get up there several times a year. My wife and I just got back from our latest visit. I’ve got a lot to write about from this trip so I’ll release this report in three parts.
Since we were only there for two days we didn’t get to visit all of the wineries that we hoped to visit. The wineries we were able to visit were Stolpman Vineyards, Foxen Vineyards, Fess Parker Winery, Andrew Murray Vineyards, and Koehler Vineyards. We also had a good bottle of Hitching Post pinot noir and one great bottle of pinot noir from Ojai Vineyards. We were within a stone’s throw of the Consilience and Epiphany tasting rooms in Los Olivos around closing time on Monday, but we just ran out of time.
Here’s a quick rundown of the wines we had at Stolpman and Andrew Murray:
Stolpman Vineyards:
This is probably my favorite winery in the Santa Ynez Valley right now. I just love the wines they’re producing. Stolpman specializes in Rhone varietals, but they also have a fondness for Italian varietals. They combine the two in the wine that was one of my favorites from this trip. The 2006 La Croce is a 50/50 blend of syrah and sangiovese. At $60.00 a bottle it’s expensive, but it is a superb wine.
We also sampled the 2006 Hilltops Syrah, a 100% syrah grown on mountain slopes in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Another Stolpman wine that we tried was the 2006 Estate Syrah, a blend of 85% syrah and 15% viognier. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate rated both the Hilltops and the Estate syrahs at 93 points. It’s hard to pick which one is better, but I probably preferred the Hilltops syrah just a tad. The Hilltops syrah retails for $45.00, while the Estate syrah retails for $30.00.
The 2005 Stolpman Malbec was an unexpected treat. While Argenitna is still the king of malbec, Stolpman did a great job with this wine. The 2005 Malbec is the last that Stolpman will produce. I talked with Tom Stolpman, the owner of Stoplman vineyards, while I was up there last week and he told me that the only reason they made the wine was that another winery who had ordered the grapes reneged on the order and left Stoplman with a lot of malbec grapes they hadn’t planned for. Winemaker Sashi Moorman did an excellent job for Stolpman with this one-time effort.
Stolpman also does great with white grapes. We sampled their 2006 L’Avion, a 90% roussanne, 10% viognier blend. It is one of the two or three best white wines being made in the Central Coast of California right now. It retails for $35.00.
The 2005 Angeli Blanc is a 100% roussanne aged for 22 months before release. It would be a superb wine to serve with a cheese and fruit course. It retails for $50.00. Of the two, I preferred the L'Avion.
One other word about Stolpman. While my wife and I were in their tasting room, one of the pourers opened a bottle of the 2006 La Croce. He brought it over to Tom Stolpman, who was talking with me and my wife. The pourer whispered that the wine was "corked" (a term for wine that, typically, has suffered a TCA contamination from improperly cleaned cork). Most wineries would have hidden the bottle and told the employee to just open another bottle so as not to hurt sales. What did Tom Stolpman do? He asked the room how many of them knew what a "corked" wine smelled like? Almost no one in the packed tasting room raised their hand. He then poured some wine into a glass and walked around the room letting his customers smell a "corked" wine. He told them if they ever got a wine that smelled like that they should send it back. He made no excuses, and turned the moment into a teaching opportunity.
Only a man who loves wine more than he loves the bottom line would do that. I was duly impressed.
Andrew Murray Vineyards:
I only sampled two wines at Andrew Murray: the 2005 Syrah Santa Ynez Valley, retail $25.00 and the 2005 Roasted Slope Syrah, retail $34.00. Andrew Murray is a pioneer in syrah in Santa Barbara County and the quality shows in their wines.
The 2005 Santa Ynez Valley Syrah is comprised of grapes grown on their old estate (70%) and grapes grown at their new Oak Savanna Vineyard (30%). It is a full-bodied wine, very dark in color, and loaded with red-fruit flavors and aromas of cherries, cranberry, and cassis and spicy notes of vanilla, pepper, and caramel.
The 2005 Roasted Slope Syrah, probably their most famous wine, is sourced 100% from a 14 year old Syrah vineyard that Andrew Murray himself planted. The vineyard has 5% Viognier inter-planted amongst the Syrah vines. Accordingly, the wine is a Cote-Blonde style blend of Syrah and Viognier that were picked and fermented together. This particular vineyard is a very shy bearer of fruit, with the average yield over the last few years being right around 1 ton per acre. The 2005 Syrah Roasted Slope is very dark in color, with complex aromas of black cherry, spices, white pepper, toasty oak and violets (from the Viognier). The co-fermentation of the Viognier with the Syrah yields a wine that is slightly softer and smoother for its young age, with the wonderful perfumed highlights of Viognier in the nose. The Viognier also brings out the elusive candied-violets aroma in Syrah. This is a very rich and full-bodied Syrah that could be consumed now, but will benefit from several more years of aging.
Sadly, the winemaker informed me on this trip that the 2005 vintage of the Roasted Slope will probably be the last of its kind since the particular vineyard that was the source of grapes for this wine was sold (by Andrew Murray's parents!) after the 2005 vintage. Unless the grapes are eventually sourced back to Andrew Murray, their signature wine will be no more.
In part 2, I'll write about Fess Parker, Foxen, and Koehler.
In part 3, I'll write about the food and wine experiences we had in the area this time.
Friday, February 20, 2009
California 2008 Wine Grape Crush Totals Down 6 Percent
Red Wine Grapes Down 9 Percent
In the preliminary crush report released today, the California Agricultural Statistics Service said the 2008 wine grape crush totaled just over 3.05 million tons, a significant decrease when compared to the 3.2 million ton 2007 wine grape crop. The 3 million ton total was not seen as a major surprise, though it was a bit higher than some industry observers had expected.
Tonnage of major wine grape varieties other than Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio was down. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,709,040 tons and fell 9 percent compared to 2007.
The 2008 white wine variety crush was essentially flat. It totaled 1,345,112 tons, down 2 percent from 2007, CASS said. Most of that decrease was for Chardonnay, which fell by about 20,000 tons statewide.
"I don't think this changes the direction we were going in," Steve Fredricks of Turrentine Wine Brokerage said of the preliminary crush report. "The light crop will keep things in balance at a time that we're in a recession. But we don't have a lot of new acres to support growth, nor can people afford to put in new acres."
John Ciatti of The Ciatti Company said the report was in line with what players in the industry thought it was going to be. "In the short term, I think we're fine," he said. "If we had a long vintage in this economy it would not be good. Long-term there are some concerns about where some of the grapes are going to come from."
Ciatti noted that at 3 million tons, the industry has roughly the same supply that it had on key varietals in 2002 and that some large wineries have since gone offshore to source grapes for certain generic and less expensive wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon was off 24 percent or roughly 100,000 tons. "That's 84 million bottles," Fredricks noted. "That was spread across all regions and that is one of the most sought after varieties."
Merlot was down 26 percent. Fredricks noted that the Merlot crop was almost half of what it had been a few years ago.
Zinfandel tonnage increased only in areas where it is primarily used for white Zinfandel.
The one red variety that was up statewide was Pinot Noir, which increased 17,000 tons statewide. Much of that increase came from new plantings in the Central Valley, Monterey and Santa Barbara. Surprisingly, Pinot Noir was little changed in Sonoma County, despite considerable frost challenges.
Chardonnay statewide was down by four percent amid tightening inventory and steady sales growth. Though it was down throughout the state, the Chardonnay crush did increase by 13,000 tons in Monterey County, and in the South Central Valley it rose almost 11,000 tons.
Pinot Grigio was up and most of the increase came from the Central Valley. The overall crush was 3,665,375 tons, down less than 1 percent from the 2007 crush of 3,674,453 tons because the raisin and table grape varieties were up sharply from the previous year.
California grape growers received prices in 2008 for red wine, white wine, raisin and table grapes that were, on average, above the 2007 prices. The 2008 average price of all varieties was $544.18, up 4 percent from 2007. Average prices for the 2008 red wine grapes were $642.87, up 3 percent and the average price for white wine grapes was $538.74, up 12 percent.
Chardonnay accounted for the largest percentage of the crush volume with 15.4 percent. As usual, grapes from Napa County received the highest average price, which was $3,390.64 per ton in 2008; up 4 percent District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest return of $2,235.30, up 7 percent from 2007.
The state-wide 2008 Chardonnay price of $815.00 was up 14 percent from 2007, and the state-wide Cabernet Sauvignon price was $1,098.47 was up 11 percent from 2007. The 2008 statewide average price for Zinfandel was $459.53, down 2 percent from 2007, while the overall Merlot average price was up 9 percent from 2007 at $646.52 per ton.
"We've been growing and consumption has continued to grow," John Ciatti said. "We feel somewhere out there we will need to be planting in key areas and key varietals. That's tough to say today."
Click here for the full report and summary tables:
http://http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Grape_Crush/Prelim/index.asp
In the preliminary crush report released today, the California Agricultural Statistics Service said the 2008 wine grape crush totaled just over 3.05 million tons, a significant decrease when compared to the 3.2 million ton 2007 wine grape crop. The 3 million ton total was not seen as a major surprise, though it was a bit higher than some industry observers had expected.
Tonnage of major wine grape varieties other than Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio was down. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,709,040 tons and fell 9 percent compared to 2007.
The 2008 white wine variety crush was essentially flat. It totaled 1,345,112 tons, down 2 percent from 2007, CASS said. Most of that decrease was for Chardonnay, which fell by about 20,000 tons statewide.
"I don't think this changes the direction we were going in," Steve Fredricks of Turrentine Wine Brokerage said of the preliminary crush report. "The light crop will keep things in balance at a time that we're in a recession. But we don't have a lot of new acres to support growth, nor can people afford to put in new acres."
John Ciatti of The Ciatti Company said the report was in line with what players in the industry thought it was going to be. "In the short term, I think we're fine," he said. "If we had a long vintage in this economy it would not be good. Long-term there are some concerns about where some of the grapes are going to come from."
Ciatti noted that at 3 million tons, the industry has roughly the same supply that it had on key varietals in 2002 and that some large wineries have since gone offshore to source grapes for certain generic and less expensive wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon was off 24 percent or roughly 100,000 tons. "That's 84 million bottles," Fredricks noted. "That was spread across all regions and that is one of the most sought after varieties."
Merlot was down 26 percent. Fredricks noted that the Merlot crop was almost half of what it had been a few years ago.
Zinfandel tonnage increased only in areas where it is primarily used for white Zinfandel.
The one red variety that was up statewide was Pinot Noir, which increased 17,000 tons statewide. Much of that increase came from new plantings in the Central Valley, Monterey and Santa Barbara. Surprisingly, Pinot Noir was little changed in Sonoma County, despite considerable frost challenges.
Chardonnay statewide was down by four percent amid tightening inventory and steady sales growth. Though it was down throughout the state, the Chardonnay crush did increase by 13,000 tons in Monterey County, and in the South Central Valley it rose almost 11,000 tons.
Pinot Grigio was up and most of the increase came from the Central Valley. The overall crush was 3,665,375 tons, down less than 1 percent from the 2007 crush of 3,674,453 tons because the raisin and table grape varieties were up sharply from the previous year.
California grape growers received prices in 2008 for red wine, white wine, raisin and table grapes that were, on average, above the 2007 prices. The 2008 average price of all varieties was $544.18, up 4 percent from 2007. Average prices for the 2008 red wine grapes were $642.87, up 3 percent and the average price for white wine grapes was $538.74, up 12 percent.
Chardonnay accounted for the largest percentage of the crush volume with 15.4 percent. As usual, grapes from Napa County received the highest average price, which was $3,390.64 per ton in 2008; up 4 percent District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest return of $2,235.30, up 7 percent from 2007.
The state-wide 2008 Chardonnay price of $815.00 was up 14 percent from 2007, and the state-wide Cabernet Sauvignon price was $1,098.47 was up 11 percent from 2007. The 2008 statewide average price for Zinfandel was $459.53, down 2 percent from 2007, while the overall Merlot average price was up 9 percent from 2007 at $646.52 per ton.
"We've been growing and consumption has continued to grow," John Ciatti said. "We feel somewhere out there we will need to be planting in key areas and key varietals. That's tough to say today."
Click here for the full report and summary tables:
http://http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Grape_Crush/Prelim/index.asp
A review of Famiglia Bianchi 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
This is an Argentine wine from the Bodegas Valentin Bianchi winery in Mendoza, Argentina. I've been drinking this wine for over 20 years and it is consistently good from vintage to vintage. I lived in Buenos Aires for five years back in the late 80's and early 90's and I can tell you that Bianchi is one of Argentina's most respected wineries.
Malbec is usually considered to be Argentina's best red wine and the malbecs from Bianchi are very solid, but supposedly Bianchi winemaker Francisco Martínez “loves Cabernet” and I think it shows in the wines they release.
The 2005 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal. The wine spent 12 months in oak, one third of the wine in new oak, one third in one-year old oak, and one third in two year old oak before blending. This 2005 Cabernet’s nose is loaded with berry, casis and mocha notes. The first sip reveals a lot of spice characteristics, which stay with the wine from beginning to end. This is a rich, fairly big wine and should be paired accordingly. Red meat, mushroom based dishes and red sauce pasta dishes are all safe bets. I served it with lasagna last night and it paired very nicely. The oak on this Cabernet is apparent but well integrated and unobtrusive. This is smooth, elegant and well balanced for a Cabernet this young and at this price point. It has good complexity and enough structure for near-term aging. A Napa or Sonoma Cabernet of this quality would easily fetch twice the price.
The Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon is widely available for around $16. If you like well made Cabernet at a more than reasonable price, this one is for you. If you can find it at $16 it's a steal.
According to Wine Spectator: "Has a solid structure, with coffee, plum and currant flavors backed by bittersweet cocoa on the finish. Drink now. 6,000 cases made."
Malbec is usually considered to be Argentina's best red wine and the malbecs from Bianchi are very solid, but supposedly Bianchi winemaker Francisco Martínez “loves Cabernet” and I think it shows in the wines they release.
The 2005 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal. The wine spent 12 months in oak, one third of the wine in new oak, one third in one-year old oak, and one third in two year old oak before blending. This 2005 Cabernet’s nose is loaded with berry, casis and mocha notes. The first sip reveals a lot of spice characteristics, which stay with the wine from beginning to end. This is a rich, fairly big wine and should be paired accordingly. Red meat, mushroom based dishes and red sauce pasta dishes are all safe bets. I served it with lasagna last night and it paired very nicely. The oak on this Cabernet is apparent but well integrated and unobtrusive. This is smooth, elegant and well balanced for a Cabernet this young and at this price point. It has good complexity and enough structure for near-term aging. A Napa or Sonoma Cabernet of this quality would easily fetch twice the price.
The Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon is widely available for around $16. If you like well made Cabernet at a more than reasonable price, this one is for you. If you can find it at $16 it's a steal.
According to Wine Spectator: "Has a solid structure, with coffee, plum and currant flavors backed by bittersweet cocoa on the finish. Drink now. 6,000 cases made."
It's a buyer's market in wine these days.
Although people may not be buying as many expensive bottles as before, they're still seeking out quality wine. And retailers are responding with specials.
Perhaps more than at any other time in the last five years, this is an opportunity for consumers to not only drink really good wines, but also to drink better for less. This is true in nearly every price category, and in nearly every region; for the truly savvy, this could be one of the more exciting periods in recent years for wine lovers.
This is a buyer's market for retailers and consumers alike. Wine shops are scouring distributor catalogs for bargains and actively recalibrating their stock for the new economic reality. In many parts of the market, deals are there for the taking.
Most retailers agree that, in terms of a retail "sweet spot" -- the price that regular customers feel most comfortable spending -- $25 has become the new $40. Whether it's a village Burgundy or a new Syrah from Walla Walla, Washington, people are comfortable spending $25 but get balky if the price rises much above that.
At least some of the deals are coming from distributors, whose warehouses are full of inventory accumulated in better days and who are striking deals to move it out. A store like Wine Exchange is large enough, and has sufficient clout among distributors, that they can leverage even better margins above already discounted offers. Whereas in the past they may have gotten a 30% discount, they may now be getting a 50% discount for buying in large up large inventories. That's the sort of bargain they can pass on to the consumer. Not every shop has this sort of leverage, but most stores have taken advantage of closeouts, end-of-vintage or end-of-year specials.
Meanwhile, the new $25 sweet spot is crowded with value. After a string of good vintages in the Beaujolais, Loire and Rhône valleys, even the most modest bottlings from those regions are drinking beautifully. The 2007 vintage in the Piedmont will one day yield some exquisite Barolos and Barbarescos; but the inexpensive Nebbiolos from Alba and the Langhe -- not to mention a bumper crop of excellent Dolcettos and Barberas -- are marvelous right now. In Spain, 2007 wasn't quite the same quality vintage as in France and Italy, but the values from places like Montsant, Rueda and Bierzo are as strong as ever.
Every retailer I speak with mentioned the exceptional Malbecs of Argentina, which continue to outperform for their price. Not only do they get better with each vintage, but they also stay inexpensive -- almost all of them are under $20. And most retailers predicted that Australia's crowded tier of premium Shirazes and other reds -- wines that came into the market at $40 or more -- is almost certainly going to be discounted for tremendous bargains.
Perhaps more than at any other time in the last five years, this is an opportunity for consumers to not only drink really good wines, but also to drink better for less. This is true in nearly every price category, and in nearly every region; for the truly savvy, this could be one of the more exciting periods in recent years for wine lovers.
This is a buyer's market for retailers and consumers alike. Wine shops are scouring distributor catalogs for bargains and actively recalibrating their stock for the new economic reality. In many parts of the market, deals are there for the taking.
Most retailers agree that, in terms of a retail "sweet spot" -- the price that regular customers feel most comfortable spending -- $25 has become the new $40. Whether it's a village Burgundy or a new Syrah from Walla Walla, Washington, people are comfortable spending $25 but get balky if the price rises much above that.
At least some of the deals are coming from distributors, whose warehouses are full of inventory accumulated in better days and who are striking deals to move it out. A store like Wine Exchange is large enough, and has sufficient clout among distributors, that they can leverage even better margins above already discounted offers. Whereas in the past they may have gotten a 30% discount, they may now be getting a 50% discount for buying in large up large inventories. That's the sort of bargain they can pass on to the consumer. Not every shop has this sort of leverage, but most stores have taken advantage of closeouts, end-of-vintage or end-of-year specials.
Meanwhile, the new $25 sweet spot is crowded with value. After a string of good vintages in the Beaujolais, Loire and Rhône valleys, even the most modest bottlings from those regions are drinking beautifully. The 2007 vintage in the Piedmont will one day yield some exquisite Barolos and Barbarescos; but the inexpensive Nebbiolos from Alba and the Langhe -- not to mention a bumper crop of excellent Dolcettos and Barberas -- are marvelous right now. In Spain, 2007 wasn't quite the same quality vintage as in France and Italy, but the values from places like Montsant, Rueda and Bierzo are as strong as ever.
Every retailer I speak with mentioned the exceptional Malbecs of Argentina, which continue to outperform for their price. Not only do they get better with each vintage, but they also stay inexpensive -- almost all of them are under $20. And most retailers predicted that Australia's crowded tier of premium Shirazes and other reds -- wines that came into the market at $40 or more -- is almost certainly going to be discounted for tremendous bargains.
A review of Ferrari-Carano 2007 Fume Blanc
This is probably my favorite American sauvignon blanc. It's certainly the one I serve most often in my home. Even though I like the 2005 and 2006 a little better than the 2007, this is still a consistently good wine from vintage to vintage.
The 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc is 100% sauvignon blanc, made from a blend of vineyard lots from various appellations of Sonoma County: Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley. The taste of this wine is refined and elegant, with bright notes of fruit, good balance (between fruit and alcohol), and enough acidity to balance out the fruit. There's also just a touch of the grassy note that is often characteristic of California sauvignon blancs. When you smell the wine you'll detect aromas of grapefruit, citrus and ripe honeydew melon.
Ferrari-Carano calls their sauvignon blanc "Fume Blanc" because it spends some time in oak. Fume is French for "smoke," and the idea is that the time spent in oak imparts a smoky quality to the wine, as well as adding complexity and depth to the finished product. For those of you who care about such things, the wine was aged partially in stainless steel and older French Oak. Of course, the older the oak is the less oak taste it imparts. This is not a wine where you'd want a heavy influence of oak and the winemaker achieved a good balance.
The 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc pairs well with just about any seafood dish you can imagine. I've had it with lobster, breaded crab with herbs, broiled fish, and shrimp sautéed in olive oil with Creole seasoning and lemon. You could also serve it with roast chicken, pork chops or pork medallions, and veal. This is an incredibly versatile wine. I wouldn't hesitate to pair it with spicy Asian cuisine (especially Thai, Vietnamese, and Burmese), Mexican food, and Cajun dishes. From vintage to vintage, I serve the Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc in my home and it is consistently a hit with those who try it.
If you're tired of chardonnay, give this wine a try the next time you need a good white wine. You probably won't find a better American white wine for under $15.00.
One other thing that I love about this wine is that it comes with a twist-off cap. I'm really tired of getting bottles of corked wine (ie wine that has TCA contamination from bad cork) and that never happens with twist off caps.
I highly recommend this wine.
FYI: Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 90 points.
This wine retails for around $15.00.
The 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc is 100% sauvignon blanc, made from a blend of vineyard lots from various appellations of Sonoma County: Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley. The taste of this wine is refined and elegant, with bright notes of fruit, good balance (between fruit and alcohol), and enough acidity to balance out the fruit. There's also just a touch of the grassy note that is often characteristic of California sauvignon blancs. When you smell the wine you'll detect aromas of grapefruit, citrus and ripe honeydew melon.
Ferrari-Carano calls their sauvignon blanc "Fume Blanc" because it spends some time in oak. Fume is French for "smoke," and the idea is that the time spent in oak imparts a smoky quality to the wine, as well as adding complexity and depth to the finished product. For those of you who care about such things, the wine was aged partially in stainless steel and older French Oak. Of course, the older the oak is the less oak taste it imparts. This is not a wine where you'd want a heavy influence of oak and the winemaker achieved a good balance.
The 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc pairs well with just about any seafood dish you can imagine. I've had it with lobster, breaded crab with herbs, broiled fish, and shrimp sautéed in olive oil with Creole seasoning and lemon. You could also serve it with roast chicken, pork chops or pork medallions, and veal. This is an incredibly versatile wine. I wouldn't hesitate to pair it with spicy Asian cuisine (especially Thai, Vietnamese, and Burmese), Mexican food, and Cajun dishes. From vintage to vintage, I serve the Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc in my home and it is consistently a hit with those who try it.
If you're tired of chardonnay, give this wine a try the next time you need a good white wine. You probably won't find a better American white wine for under $15.00.
One other thing that I love about this wine is that it comes with a twist-off cap. I'm really tired of getting bottles of corked wine (ie wine that has TCA contamination from bad cork) and that never happens with twist off caps.
I highly recommend this wine.
FYI: Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 90 points.
This wine retails for around $15.00.
A review of Chateau St. Jean 2007 Fume Blanc
Chateau St. Jean is a well respected California winery from Sonoma County. While they produce both red and white wines, they are best known for their white wines. Fume (which means 'smoke') blanc is the same thing as sauvignon blanc. Robert Mondavi came up with name "fume blanc" in the 60's when he started aging his sauvignon blanc in oak. He felt that the time spent in oak gave the wine a smoky characteristic, and the name was born. Several other wineries now use the term fume blanc instead of sauvignon blanc as well. This wine retails for $13.00, but can often be found for around on sale for around $10.00.
This is a wine that I buy often. It is consistently good from vintage and is an excellent value for the price. You won't find many better white wines in this price range. This wine pairs perfectly with chicken, fish, seafood, and light pasta dishes. The 2007 Chateau St. Jean was blended with a small amount of Semillon and Viognier. It is crisp and refreshing, offering aromas of melon, pear, and hints of spice. On the palate you'll detects flavors of citrus and apricot. As the "fume" part of the name implies, there's also a nice touch of smoke from the time spent in oak.
The wine is nicely balanced between acidity, fruit, and alcohol. For what it's worth, Wine Spectator rated it 90 pts. The Wine Advocate rated it 89 points.
It's a shame that more people aren't drinking sauvignon blanc. While it remains a relatively popular varietal, it has not seen expansive new plantings in California like Chardonnay has. The reality is that in most California viticultural areas, planting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon will return more money to the grower. The good news is that there are still some excellent Sauvignon Blanc wines being made in California. The 2007 Chateau St. Jean is certainly one of them.
I recommended the 2007 Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc as both a good wine and a good value.
FYI: Sauvignon blanc is the grape in France that is used, alone or with a touch of Semillion, to produce both dry and sweet wines in Graves and Sauternes.
This is a wine that I buy often. It is consistently good from vintage and is an excellent value for the price. You won't find many better white wines in this price range. This wine pairs perfectly with chicken, fish, seafood, and light pasta dishes. The 2007 Chateau St. Jean was blended with a small amount of Semillon and Viognier. It is crisp and refreshing, offering aromas of melon, pear, and hints of spice. On the palate you'll detects flavors of citrus and apricot. As the "fume" part of the name implies, there's also a nice touch of smoke from the time spent in oak.
The wine is nicely balanced between acidity, fruit, and alcohol. For what it's worth, Wine Spectator rated it 90 pts. The Wine Advocate rated it 89 points.
It's a shame that more people aren't drinking sauvignon blanc. While it remains a relatively popular varietal, it has not seen expansive new plantings in California like Chardonnay has. The reality is that in most California viticultural areas, planting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon will return more money to the grower. The good news is that there are still some excellent Sauvignon Blanc wines being made in California. The 2007 Chateau St. Jean is certainly one of them.
I recommended the 2007 Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc as both a good wine and a good value.
FYI: Sauvignon blanc is the grape in France that is used, alone or with a touch of Semillion, to produce both dry and sweet wines in Graves and Sauternes.
About this blog
1. My main objective for this blog is to review wines. My plan right now is to review at least one wine per week.
2. I'll try to strike a balance between red wines and white wines. The balance won't be 50/50; there will be more red wines reviewed than white wines simply because I drink more red wine than white wine. However, I'll try to make at least one third of the reviews about white wines. When most people think about white wine they think of chardonnay, but there are some other great white wines out there like sauvignon blanc, viognier, torrontes, and Rhone-style blends from the Central Coast of California that some of you may not be familiar with. I hope to expose you to those great wines, as well as some good value chardonnays.
3. As for price, I'll try to strike a balance there as well. I know that most people don't want to spend a fortune on wine, so I'll try to review as many wines under $20.00 as I can. I also know that most people will occasionally splurge when buying wines for special occasions, so I'll be reviewing more expensive wines from time to time as well.
4. I plan to keep the reviews fairly simple, basically telling you whether or not I liked the wine and if I didn't like it, why I didn't like it. I'll try to avoid the pretentious wine-speak that turns most people off. Also, since for me wine is a beverage best enjoyed with food, I'll give you some suggestions on what kind of food would pair nicely with the wine.
5. From time to time I'll write about issues like food/wine matchups, how to store wine, tips for buying wine, how to read a wine label, understanding wine terminology, etc. .....
Wine is one of the great passions of my life, and has been for over 25 years. I'm glad to have this format to share that passion with you.
L.A.
2. I'll try to strike a balance between red wines and white wines. The balance won't be 50/50; there will be more red wines reviewed than white wines simply because I drink more red wine than white wine. However, I'll try to make at least one third of the reviews about white wines. When most people think about white wine they think of chardonnay, but there are some other great white wines out there like sauvignon blanc, viognier, torrontes, and Rhone-style blends from the Central Coast of California that some of you may not be familiar with. I hope to expose you to those great wines, as well as some good value chardonnays.
3. As for price, I'll try to strike a balance there as well. I know that most people don't want to spend a fortune on wine, so I'll try to review as many wines under $20.00 as I can. I also know that most people will occasionally splurge when buying wines for special occasions, so I'll be reviewing more expensive wines from time to time as well.
4. I plan to keep the reviews fairly simple, basically telling you whether or not I liked the wine and if I didn't like it, why I didn't like it. I'll try to avoid the pretentious wine-speak that turns most people off. Also, since for me wine is a beverage best enjoyed with food, I'll give you some suggestions on what kind of food would pair nicely with the wine.
5. From time to time I'll write about issues like food/wine matchups, how to store wine, tips for buying wine, how to read a wine label, understanding wine terminology, etc. .....
Wine is one of the great passions of my life, and has been for over 25 years. I'm glad to have this format to share that passion with you.
L.A.
Three more white wine reviews (including one WWSO)
Crios 2008 Torrontes (Retail: $15.00)
Torrontes is an Argentine white wine varietal. I used to drink it all the time when I lived in Argentina, but I've not been impressed with the torrontes wines that Argentina has released for export. Until now. This is an excellent wine, and quite a bargain at its suggested retail price of $15.00. I found it at Costco for $11.89, which in an incredible value. Torrontes has a very floral aroma, similar to a New Zealand sauvignon blanc or a viognier. This is a light, charming wine that you'll find to be be very versatile when pairing it with food. I served it last night with some rotisserie chicken topped with chives, hoi-sen sauce and served in corn tortillas. It was an excellent match. You could serve it with most dishes that you normally think of when you serve white wine. In Argentina I actually used to drink it with steak sometimes, and some of my Argentine buddies told me they did the same thing. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 91 points. That sounds just about right to me. The winemaker at Crios, well respected Susanna Balbo, hit a home run with this offering. ***This is a wine worth seeking out (WWSO)
Edna Valley Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay (Retail: $15.00)
Edna Valley is a fairly large winery in the San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles area of north of Santa Barbara in California. However, they consistently turn out one of the best values in California chardonnay. In fact, this wine is one of about three white wines that I always keep on hand to serve as a sort of house white wine. I can usually find it on sale for around $10.00, and I buy several bottles at a time when I do. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 89 points.
Meridian 2007 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County (Retail: $12.00)
Honestly, this is not a wine I would normally buy. But I had a little chicken salad left over the other day and while I was at Wal-Mart I thought I’d buy a bottle of inexpensive white wine to go with the sandwiches. I believe this wine retails for around $12.00, but I got it at Wal-Mart for $7.74. It was certainly worth that price, although I don’t think I’d pay much more than that for it. The wine is well balanced (between fruit and alcohol) and medium bodied. In its price range it’s not a bad buy.
Torrontes is an Argentine white wine varietal. I used to drink it all the time when I lived in Argentina, but I've not been impressed with the torrontes wines that Argentina has released for export. Until now. This is an excellent wine, and quite a bargain at its suggested retail price of $15.00. I found it at Costco for $11.89, which in an incredible value. Torrontes has a very floral aroma, similar to a New Zealand sauvignon blanc or a viognier. This is a light, charming wine that you'll find to be be very versatile when pairing it with food. I served it last night with some rotisserie chicken topped with chives, hoi-sen sauce and served in corn tortillas. It was an excellent match. You could serve it with most dishes that you normally think of when you serve white wine. In Argentina I actually used to drink it with steak sometimes, and some of my Argentine buddies told me they did the same thing. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 91 points. That sounds just about right to me. The winemaker at Crios, well respected Susanna Balbo, hit a home run with this offering. ***This is a wine worth seeking out (WWSO)
Edna Valley Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay (Retail: $15.00)
Edna Valley is a fairly large winery in the San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles area of north of Santa Barbara in California. However, they consistently turn out one of the best values in California chardonnay. In fact, this wine is one of about three white wines that I always keep on hand to serve as a sort of house white wine. I can usually find it on sale for around $10.00, and I buy several bottles at a time when I do. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 89 points.
Meridian 2007 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County (Retail: $12.00)
Honestly, this is not a wine I would normally buy. But I had a little chicken salad left over the other day and while I was at Wal-Mart I thought I’d buy a bottle of inexpensive white wine to go with the sandwiches. I believe this wine retails for around $12.00, but I got it at Wal-Mart for $7.74. It was certainly worth that price, although I don’t think I’d pay much more than that for it. The wine is well balanced (between fruit and alcohol) and medium bodied. In its price range it’s not a bad buy.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Just crushed grapes?
I was talking with a guy recently about wine and he told me he didn't see what all the fuss was about. "After all," he said, "it's just crushed grapes." His implication, of course, was that all wine is created equally. My response was to ask him if he can tell the difference between the ground beef patty on his Whopper at Burger King and a prime cut filet mignon at Ruth's Chris Steak House. "After all," I said, "they're both just butchered cow."
A number of factors enter into the equation of what makes a great wine. Climate, soil, the grapes themselves, and the winemaker. Perhaps chief of all is mother nature. Is the climate right for the grapes the winery is growing? Or are they growing grapes ill suited for their terroir simply because they want to cash in on the latest "hot" wine. Lots of wineries planted pinot noir in the aftermath of the "Sideways" phenomenon, and unfortuantely many of them were ill suited terroir-wise to grow pinot noir. Is the soil right for the grapes being grown? Is the winemaker passionate about making great wine, or is he primarily a CEO running a business? Sashi Moorman, head winemaker at Stolpman Vineyards, says that there are no talented winemakers, only passionate winemakers and those who are not passionate. He means, of course, passionate about making great wine instead of decent wine. What is the tonnage per acre that the winemaker is trying to achieve? Is the quality that lower yielding vineyards would bring being sacrificed to higher yields resulting in a diluted product? How involved is the winemaker with the actual making of the wine? Most winemakers at large wineries have little to do with actual winemaking, spending most of their time filling out order forms and over-seeing the operation of the winery. And after all is said and done, how much did mother nature cooperate in a given season? Was there a late frost? Not enough rain? Too much rain? Were the temperatures just right? Did mother nature allow the grapes to be picked at the optimal moment, or was it necessary to harvest the grapes before they fully ripened? 2007 looks to be a banner year throughout most of California, but a late April frost wiped out as much as 90% of the fruit in some vineyards in Santa Barbara County. Quality will be up, but quantity will be down. That means that prices will be up as well.
Just crushed grapes? Hardly.
A number of factors enter into the equation of what makes a great wine. Climate, soil, the grapes themselves, and the winemaker. Perhaps chief of all is mother nature. Is the climate right for the grapes the winery is growing? Or are they growing grapes ill suited for their terroir simply because they want to cash in on the latest "hot" wine. Lots of wineries planted pinot noir in the aftermath of the "Sideways" phenomenon, and unfortuantely many of them were ill suited terroir-wise to grow pinot noir. Is the soil right for the grapes being grown? Is the winemaker passionate about making great wine, or is he primarily a CEO running a business? Sashi Moorman, head winemaker at Stolpman Vineyards, says that there are no talented winemakers, only passionate winemakers and those who are not passionate. He means, of course, passionate about making great wine instead of decent wine. What is the tonnage per acre that the winemaker is trying to achieve? Is the quality that lower yielding vineyards would bring being sacrificed to higher yields resulting in a diluted product? How involved is the winemaker with the actual making of the wine? Most winemakers at large wineries have little to do with actual winemaking, spending most of their time filling out order forms and over-seeing the operation of the winery. And after all is said and done, how much did mother nature cooperate in a given season? Was there a late frost? Not enough rain? Too much rain? Were the temperatures just right? Did mother nature allow the grapes to be picked at the optimal moment, or was it necessary to harvest the grapes before they fully ripened? 2007 looks to be a banner year throughout most of California, but a late April frost wiped out as much as 90% of the fruit in some vineyards in Santa Barbara County. Quality will be up, but quantity will be down. That means that prices will be up as well.
Just crushed grapes? Hardly.
Monday, December 22, 2008
A few wines I've tried lately
Ferrari-Carano Sienna 2006: Retail: $38.00. This is a blend of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, and malbec. Ferrari-Carano is better known for their white wines, but this wine was excellent. I got it at a restaurant in Reno, Nevada on the recommendation of the sommelier. The wine is young, but opened up nicely within minutes. Very good.
Rombauer Merlot 2005: Retail $40.00. I've never had a bad wine from Rombauer, and this was no exception. The movie Sideways scared a lot of people off of merlot, with most of them not knowing why they shouldn't order merlot. Of course this is nonsense, as there are many outstanding merlots on the market. Also, the world class Pomerol, from France, is 100% merlot, but I digress. This Rombauer merlot was pared with a prime beef ribeye, and it held up very well. One of the better California merlots I have tried.
Fess Parker Ashley's Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2005: Retail: $55.00. Fess Parker is one of my favorite wineries right now. This is the best pinot noir I have tasted in years, and one of the best ever in my 20-plus years of being a wine fanatic. Do not confuse this wine with the entry-level Fess Parker "Santa Barbara County" pinot noir, which retails for around $20.00. That's not a bad wine at all, but the Ashley's Vineyard Pinot Noir is light years ahead in terms of quality. Very highly recommended, although the price tag might scare some people off.
Edited to add this note: I tried this wine again today (12/24/28) and it is still very young. I opened the bottle it about an hour before serving the wine and it was still tightly wound when dinner began. During the meal, however, it unfolded very nicely. This is just a beautiful wine, very typical of the top pinots being produced in the Santa Rita Hills appelation of Santa Barbara County.
Fess Parker Rodney's Vineyard Syrah 2005: Retail: $45.00. I'm a big fan of Santa Ynez Valley syrahs, and this is an excellent example of what that area can produce. Again, this is not to be confused with Fess Parker's cuvee level syrah, which retails for around $20.00. I like that wine, and serve it often, but the Rodney's Vineyard Syrah is in a different league. If you like syrah, this one is worth the $45.00 it will set you back.
Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Retail: $70.00. This wine was rated 96 points by both Robert Parker (Wine Advocate), and the Wine Spectator, but it is not ready to drink right now. I bought two bottles, one for now and one for later. It is very good, but it is still too tightly wound to really appreciate. Give it another year or two at least, preferably more.
Rombauer Merlot 2005: Retail $40.00. I've never had a bad wine from Rombauer, and this was no exception. The movie Sideways scared a lot of people off of merlot, with most of them not knowing why they shouldn't order merlot. Of course this is nonsense, as there are many outstanding merlots on the market. Also, the world class Pomerol, from France, is 100% merlot, but I digress. This Rombauer merlot was pared with a prime beef ribeye, and it held up very well. One of the better California merlots I have tried.
Fess Parker Ashley's Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2005: Retail: $55.00. Fess Parker is one of my favorite wineries right now. This is the best pinot noir I have tasted in years, and one of the best ever in my 20-plus years of being a wine fanatic. Do not confuse this wine with the entry-level Fess Parker "Santa Barbara County" pinot noir, which retails for around $20.00. That's not a bad wine at all, but the Ashley's Vineyard Pinot Noir is light years ahead in terms of quality. Very highly recommended, although the price tag might scare some people off.
Edited to add this note: I tried this wine again today (12/24/28) and it is still very young. I opened the bottle it about an hour before serving the wine and it was still tightly wound when dinner began. During the meal, however, it unfolded very nicely. This is just a beautiful wine, very typical of the top pinots being produced in the Santa Rita Hills appelation of Santa Barbara County.
Fess Parker Rodney's Vineyard Syrah 2005: Retail: $45.00. I'm a big fan of Santa Ynez Valley syrahs, and this is an excellent example of what that area can produce. Again, this is not to be confused with Fess Parker's cuvee level syrah, which retails for around $20.00. I like that wine, and serve it often, but the Rodney's Vineyard Syrah is in a different league. If you like syrah, this one is worth the $45.00 it will set you back.
Concha y Toro Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Retail: $70.00. This wine was rated 96 points by both Robert Parker (Wine Advocate), and the Wine Spectator, but it is not ready to drink right now. I bought two bottles, one for now and one for later. It is very good, but it is still too tightly wound to really appreciate. Give it another year or two at least, preferably more.
Some white wine recommendations
Bodega Norton (Argentina) 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. An excellent wine that retails for around $9.00.
Fess Parker 2006 or 2007 Viognier. Aroma and taste of ripe peach and orange marmalade. Retails for $22.00. When you want something a little different.
Zaca Mesa 2007 Viognier. A great bargain at Costco, selling for around $13.00 right now.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2007 Chardonnay (Washington state). A very pleasant wine, and a good bargain. Retails for $13.00.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 or 2007 Pinot Gris. Same winery as above. Pinot gris and pinot grigio are the same thing. One word (grigio) is Italian, the other is French. They both mean "gray." This is a very nice wine. Nothing complicated, but goes well with Chinese food. Retails for around $13.00.
Edna Valley 2007 Chardonnay. From the Paso Robles region of central California. A very nice wine. Retails for around $15.00.
Kim Crawford 2007 or 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is from New Zealand. It is excellent. Very floral; the smell almost reminds me of kiwi. Retails for around $17.00.
Villa Maria 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. Another New Zealand wine, where the best Sauvignon Blancs in the world are being made at present. A little cheaper than the Kim Crawford, but just as good, if not better, in my opinion. Retails for around $13.00.
Chateau St. Jean 2007 Fume Blanc. A well respected Californa winery from Sonoma County. Fume (which means 'smoke') blanc is the same thing as sauvignon blanc. Robert Mondavi made up the name in the 60's when he started aging his sauvignon blanc in oak. Retails for $13.00.
Ferrari-Carano 2007 Fume Blanc. This is a consistently good wine from vintage to vintage. Retails for $15.00.
Fess Parker 2006 or 2007 Viognier. Aroma and taste of ripe peach and orange marmalade. Retails for $22.00. When you want something a little different.
Zaca Mesa 2007 Viognier. A great bargain at Costco, selling for around $13.00 right now.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2007 Chardonnay (Washington state). A very pleasant wine, and a good bargain. Retails for $13.00.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 or 2007 Pinot Gris. Same winery as above. Pinot gris and pinot grigio are the same thing. One word (grigio) is Italian, the other is French. They both mean "gray." This is a very nice wine. Nothing complicated, but goes well with Chinese food. Retails for around $13.00.
Edna Valley 2007 Chardonnay. From the Paso Robles region of central California. A very nice wine. Retails for around $15.00.
Kim Crawford 2007 or 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is from New Zealand. It is excellent. Very floral; the smell almost reminds me of kiwi. Retails for around $17.00.
Villa Maria 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. Another New Zealand wine, where the best Sauvignon Blancs in the world are being made at present. A little cheaper than the Kim Crawford, but just as good, if not better, in my opinion. Retails for around $13.00.
Chateau St. Jean 2007 Fume Blanc. A well respected Californa winery from Sonoma County. Fume (which means 'smoke') blanc is the same thing as sauvignon blanc. Robert Mondavi made up the name in the 60's when he started aging his sauvignon blanc in oak. Retails for $13.00.
Ferrari-Carano 2007 Fume Blanc. This is a consistently good wine from vintage to vintage. Retails for $15.00.
Some red wine recommendations
Columbia Crest 2004 or 2005 Merlot Grand Estates (Note: Not to be confused with the Columbia Crest Two Vines, a lesser wine) This is a Washington state winery. One of the best red wine values on the market right now. The 2004 made Wine Spectator's list of the top 100 wines for 2007. Retails for around $13.00.
Fess Parker 2003 or 2004 Santa Barbara County Syrah. The 2003 is better, but harder to find. I like this wine a lot. Retails for $20.00.
Famiglia Bianchi 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an Argentine wine. I've been drinking this wine for over 20 years and it's always good. Retails for around $17.00.
Norton Malbec Reserva 2004 or 2005. Another Argentine wine. Malbec is Argentina's top red wine, and it produces a world class wine from some of Argentina's top wineries. Retails for around $17.00. I like the '04 better than the '05.
Norton Malbec 2007 (or 2006 also). This is the regular entry level (cuvee) from Norton, and it is very good, and cheaper than the Reserva. Retails for around $9.00.
Catena 2005 Malbec. Another Argentina malbec. A very good wine at a decent price. Retails for $20.00.
Pascal Toso 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva.
*and*
Pascal Toso 2006 Malbec Reserva. These are two very good wines at reasonable prices from an old Argentine winery. Both retail for $20.00
Pascal Toso Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 or 2006. This is the entry level (cuvee) cab from Pascal Toso and it is very good as well. The 2005 is better than the 2006, but both are good. Retails for $12.00
Cocodrilo Vina Cobos Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. This is an Argentine wine made by the American winemaker Paul Hobbs, who runs his own winery in Argentina. A great wine for the money. Retails for $16.00.
Castle Rock 2005 Pinot Noir. From Sonoma County in California. A very good bargain at $13.00.
2 Up Shiraz 2006. A good shiraz (syrah) from Australia. Very nice with grilled beef. Retails for $13.00.
Penfolds 2006 Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon "Koonunga Hill." This Austrailian shiraz-cabernet blend is a good wine and an excellent bargain. By the way, "shiraz" and "syrah" are the same grape/wine. The name difference is strictly a geographical preference in Australia. Retails for $12.00.
Marques de Casa Concha Syrah 2005. A very good wine made by the Concha y Toro winery in Chile. Shows what syrah is capable of. Retails for $20.00.
Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. An good wine from the same producer (Concha y Toro) as the one above. Will rival or surpass most California or Bordeaux wines in the same price range. The same is true for the Syrah above. Retails for $20.00.
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. ***and***
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre 2004 Syrah. Both of these wines are good. They're not as good as their wines from 2001-2002, but they're still good. From Chile. Retail for around $20.00 each.
Artesa 2004 Merlot. This is a very good wine, with part of the grapes coming from Napa Valley and part coming from Sonoma. The 2003 was excellent, but I don't think you'll find it on the shelves any longer. Retails for around $18.00. My brother and sister-in-law came out to L.A. to visit from New Orleans last year and this was my sis-in-law's favorite wine out of the ones she tasted at our house, for whatever that's worth.
Fess Parker 2003 or 2004 Santa Barbara County Syrah. The 2003 is better, but harder to find. I like this wine a lot. Retails for $20.00.
Famiglia Bianchi 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an Argentine wine. I've been drinking this wine for over 20 years and it's always good. Retails for around $17.00.
Norton Malbec Reserva 2004 or 2005. Another Argentine wine. Malbec is Argentina's top red wine, and it produces a world class wine from some of Argentina's top wineries. Retails for around $17.00. I like the '04 better than the '05.
Norton Malbec 2007 (or 2006 also). This is the regular entry level (cuvee) from Norton, and it is very good, and cheaper than the Reserva. Retails for around $9.00.
Catena 2005 Malbec. Another Argentina malbec. A very good wine at a decent price. Retails for $20.00.
Pascal Toso 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva.
*and*
Pascal Toso 2006 Malbec Reserva. These are two very good wines at reasonable prices from an old Argentine winery. Both retail for $20.00
Pascal Toso Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 or 2006. This is the entry level (cuvee) cab from Pascal Toso and it is very good as well. The 2005 is better than the 2006, but both are good. Retails for $12.00
Cocodrilo Vina Cobos Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. This is an Argentine wine made by the American winemaker Paul Hobbs, who runs his own winery in Argentina. A great wine for the money. Retails for $16.00.
Castle Rock 2005 Pinot Noir. From Sonoma County in California. A very good bargain at $13.00.
2 Up Shiraz 2006. A good shiraz (syrah) from Australia. Very nice with grilled beef. Retails for $13.00.
Penfolds 2006 Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon "Koonunga Hill." This Austrailian shiraz-cabernet blend is a good wine and an excellent bargain. By the way, "shiraz" and "syrah" are the same grape/wine. The name difference is strictly a geographical preference in Australia. Retails for $12.00.
Marques de Casa Concha Syrah 2005. A very good wine made by the Concha y Toro winery in Chile. Shows what syrah is capable of. Retails for $20.00.
Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. An good wine from the same producer (Concha y Toro) as the one above. Will rival or surpass most California or Bordeaux wines in the same price range. The same is true for the Syrah above. Retails for $20.00.
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. ***and***
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre 2004 Syrah. Both of these wines are good. They're not as good as their wines from 2001-2002, but they're still good. From Chile. Retail for around $20.00 each.
Artesa 2004 Merlot. This is a very good wine, with part of the grapes coming from Napa Valley and part coming from Sonoma. The 2003 was excellent, but I don't think you'll find it on the shelves any longer. Retails for around $18.00. My brother and sister-in-law came out to L.A. to visit from New Orleans last year and this was my sis-in-law's favorite wine out of the ones she tasted at our house, for whatever that's worth.
Buying wine
A friend of mine told me recently that he never pays less than $10.00 for a bottle of wine. He feels confident that if he pays at least $10.00, he'll get a good bottle of wine. Is he right? Of course the answer is, it depends on the bottle of wine he's buying for $10.00. Some ten dollar bottles are lousy, while others are great values.
That's not to say that price is meaningless. If I served you 20 wines in a blind tasting, 10 costing about $40 a bottle, and 10 costing around $10 a bottle, and then asked you to pick your 10 favorites wines from that group of 20, assuming you have a fairly well developed palate, you would probably choose maybe 8 from the $40 bottles, and 2 from the $10 bottles.
So obviously, when you're shopping for wine the trick is in knowing which $10 bottles to buy. And it changes from year to year, and from grape to grape. In California, 2005 was a great year for Chardonnay, but a bad year for Zinfandel (red). 2003 was a great year for Syrah. 2002 was one of the best years in two decades for Cabernet Sauvignon. It's like anything else: you have to do a lot of research. This year I travelled twice to Santa Barbara. Traditionally strong wineries like Cambria, Byron, Zaca Mesa, and Au Bon Climat released some very mediocre wines this past year (mostly 2004-2005 vintages). On the other hand, from the same region Foxen, Stolpman, Fess Parker and Beckmen had outstanding years. What I'm trying to say is that you really have to keep up with it to know what's going on in a given year.
One rule of thumb right now is that pinot noir is a bad buy almost across the board. Due to the popularity of the Sideways movie a glut of really bland, thin, insipid pinot noirs have flooded the market. Every winery looking to make a quick buck is planting pinot noir grapes, whether or not they have the right soil and/or climate to grow the grape. The result? A LOT of crappy wine out there selling fror $25 and up.
Syrah, on the other hand, especially from Califfornia's Central coast (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Paso Robles, Santa Ynez, etc) is an excellent value these days. I guarantee you that a $20 bottle from that area will be better than any $20 bottle of pinot noir right now.
One other point about buying wine: I almost never pay full retail price for wine. There's just no need to do so. Figure out what you want and look for those wines on sale. If it's a wine that you like buy several bottles at a time when it's on sale. Sometimes stores will put a wine on clearance because it's not selling well. Again, if you know you like the wine, stock up. Even if I'm trying a wine for the first time I still won't buy it if it's not on sale. Of course, I keep a lot of wine in stock at my house (I have an outside fridge as a wine "cellar"), so I never have to go out and buy a bottle ASAP, and I can afford to wait for sales.
Here's an example. I found a Castle Rock 2005 pinot noir on sale at Ralphs for the absurd price of $5. It normally sells for $13. This is not a wine I would have bought normally, but at that price I figured what the heck. It was actually quite good. Even at $13 it would have been good, but at $5 it was a steal.
That's not to say that price is meaningless. If I served you 20 wines in a blind tasting, 10 costing about $40 a bottle, and 10 costing around $10 a bottle, and then asked you to pick your 10 favorites wines from that group of 20, assuming you have a fairly well developed palate, you would probably choose maybe 8 from the $40 bottles, and 2 from the $10 bottles.
So obviously, when you're shopping for wine the trick is in knowing which $10 bottles to buy. And it changes from year to year, and from grape to grape. In California, 2005 was a great year for Chardonnay, but a bad year for Zinfandel (red). 2003 was a great year for Syrah. 2002 was one of the best years in two decades for Cabernet Sauvignon. It's like anything else: you have to do a lot of research. This year I travelled twice to Santa Barbara. Traditionally strong wineries like Cambria, Byron, Zaca Mesa, and Au Bon Climat released some very mediocre wines this past year (mostly 2004-2005 vintages). On the other hand, from the same region Foxen, Stolpman, Fess Parker and Beckmen had outstanding years. What I'm trying to say is that you really have to keep up with it to know what's going on in a given year.
One rule of thumb right now is that pinot noir is a bad buy almost across the board. Due to the popularity of the Sideways movie a glut of really bland, thin, insipid pinot noirs have flooded the market. Every winery looking to make a quick buck is planting pinot noir grapes, whether or not they have the right soil and/or climate to grow the grape. The result? A LOT of crappy wine out there selling fror $25 and up.
Syrah, on the other hand, especially from Califfornia's Central coast (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Paso Robles, Santa Ynez, etc) is an excellent value these days. I guarantee you that a $20 bottle from that area will be better than any $20 bottle of pinot noir right now.
One other point about buying wine: I almost never pay full retail price for wine. There's just no need to do so. Figure out what you want and look for those wines on sale. If it's a wine that you like buy several bottles at a time when it's on sale. Sometimes stores will put a wine on clearance because it's not selling well. Again, if you know you like the wine, stock up. Even if I'm trying a wine for the first time I still won't buy it if it's not on sale. Of course, I keep a lot of wine in stock at my house (I have an outside fridge as a wine "cellar"), so I never have to go out and buy a bottle ASAP, and I can afford to wait for sales.
Here's an example. I found a Castle Rock 2005 pinot noir on sale at Ralphs for the absurd price of $5. It normally sells for $13. This is not a wine I would have bought normally, but at that price I figured what the heck. It was actually quite good. Even at $13 it would have been good, but at $5 it was a steal.
My trip to Santa Barbara County wine country
Here are my 10 favorite wines from the trip (and 8 others that came close to making the list):
1. Foxen 2006 Syrah "Toasted Rope"
2. Stolpman 2006 La Croce (50 syrah 50% sangiovese blend)
3. Stolpman 2005 Syrah "Estate"
4. Fess Parker 2006 Pinot Noir "Ashley's Vineyard"
5. Foxen 2006 Syrah "Williamson-Dore Vineyard"
6. Stolpman 2006 Syrah "Hilltops Vineyard"
7. Fess Parker 2005 Syrah "Rodney's Vineyard"
8. Fess Parker 2005 Syrah "The Big Easy"
9. Stolpman 2006 "L'Avion" (a 90% Roussanne-10% viognier blend...my favorite white of the trip)
10. Koehler 2005 Magia Nera (67% sangiovese and 33% cabernet sauvignon blend)
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11. Beckmen 2005 Syrah "Purisima Mountain Vineyard Block Six"
12. Koehler 2005 Syrah "Estate"
13. Epiphany 2005 "Revelation" (Rhone-style blend)
14. Epiphany 2007 Grenache Blanc (my second favorite white of the trip)
15. Ken Brown Pinot Noir 2006 "Santa Rita Hills"
16. Beckmen 2006 Grenache "Purisima Mountain Vineyard"
17. Beckmen 2006 Grenache Blanc "Purisima Mountain Vineyard"
18. Koehler 2007 Riesling "Estate"
1. Foxen 2006 Syrah "Toasted Rope"
2. Stolpman 2006 La Croce (50 syrah 50% sangiovese blend)
3. Stolpman 2005 Syrah "Estate"
4. Fess Parker 2006 Pinot Noir "Ashley's Vineyard"
5. Foxen 2006 Syrah "Williamson-Dore Vineyard"
6. Stolpman 2006 Syrah "Hilltops Vineyard"
7. Fess Parker 2005 Syrah "Rodney's Vineyard"
8. Fess Parker 2005 Syrah "The Big Easy"
9. Stolpman 2006 "L'Avion" (a 90% Roussanne-10% viognier blend...my favorite white of the trip)
10. Koehler 2005 Magia Nera (67% sangiovese and 33% cabernet sauvignon blend)
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11. Beckmen 2005 Syrah "Purisima Mountain Vineyard Block Six"
12. Koehler 2005 Syrah "Estate"
13. Epiphany 2005 "Revelation" (Rhone-style blend)
14. Epiphany 2007 Grenache Blanc (my second favorite white of the trip)
15. Ken Brown Pinot Noir 2006 "Santa Rita Hills"
16. Beckmen 2006 Grenache "Purisima Mountain Vineyard"
17. Beckmen 2006 Grenache Blanc "Purisima Mountain Vineyard"
18. Koehler 2007 Riesling "Estate"
Two good, inexpensive white wines
Two inexpensive white wines that I tried recently that are worth mentioning.
1. Chateau St. Michelle 2007 Pinot Gris.
Chateau St. Michelle is a Washington state winery that made its reputation with white wines. They're known in particular for their Reisling. They also make a chardonnay that is usually a good wine for the price. Anyway, I tried the 2007 Pinot Gris today with some Thai food and it was very good. I've had the 2006 pinot gris and liked it a lot, so I was pleased to see the consistency from that vintage to this one. Pinot gris (or pinot grigio) is not really a complex or exciting wine, but I think it goes great with spicy food specifically because of the lack of complexity. I think this wine retails for around $13.00 or so, but I got it on sale for $8.00 at my local grocery store here in Los Angeles. Highly recommended for what it is: a good, uncomplicated white wine that will go great with spicy food, Chinese food, etc.
2. Kirkland 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay.
Kirkland is the store brand label for Costco. They sell a number of wines under their own label, like shiraz from Barossa, Australia, cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley, pinot noir from Santa Barbara County, and now this chardonnay from Napa Valley. I'm not sure if they buy up excess wine and bottle it, or buy excess grapes and actually make the wines themselves (like Cameron Hughes), but whatever they do this wine is a winner! I paid $7.99 for it at Costco and it is worth twice that much. I noticed last time I was in the store that the 2007 vintage for this particular wine is out so I'll be giving that one a try soon. This is very good wine, regardless of the price. At $7.99 it's a great value as well.
1. Chateau St. Michelle 2007 Pinot Gris.
Chateau St. Michelle is a Washington state winery that made its reputation with white wines. They're known in particular for their Reisling. They also make a chardonnay that is usually a good wine for the price. Anyway, I tried the 2007 Pinot Gris today with some Thai food and it was very good. I've had the 2006 pinot gris and liked it a lot, so I was pleased to see the consistency from that vintage to this one. Pinot gris (or pinot grigio) is not really a complex or exciting wine, but I think it goes great with spicy food specifically because of the lack of complexity. I think this wine retails for around $13.00 or so, but I got it on sale for $8.00 at my local grocery store here in Los Angeles. Highly recommended for what it is: a good, uncomplicated white wine that will go great with spicy food, Chinese food, etc.
2. Kirkland 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay.
Kirkland is the store brand label for Costco. They sell a number of wines under their own label, like shiraz from Barossa, Australia, cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley, pinot noir from Santa Barbara County, and now this chardonnay from Napa Valley. I'm not sure if they buy up excess wine and bottle it, or buy excess grapes and actually make the wines themselves (like Cameron Hughes), but whatever they do this wine is a winner! I paid $7.99 for it at Costco and it is worth twice that much. I noticed last time I was in the store that the 2007 vintage for this particular wine is out so I'll be giving that one a try soon. This is very good wine, regardless of the price. At $7.99 it's a great value as well.
Three wine reviews
Here are a few relatively inexpensive wines that I tried lately.
1. Norton 2005 Malbec Reserva
I lived in Argentina for five years back in the late 80's and early 90's and I've been a fan of Norton for a long time. Malbec is Argentina's best red wine, with some of them reaching world class heights. This particular wine isn't one of them, but it's not bad at all. Wine Spectator rated it 88 points and that seems about right to me. I served it with some beef empanadas that I bought at an Argentine restaurant in my neighborhood and a green salad. It was the perfect wine for that kind of simple meal. The cost of the wine is about $13.00 at both Costco and World Market. Btw, Norton makes a regular malbec that sells for around $9.00. I'm not sure that the Reserva is worth the extra money. It probably spent a little more time in oak before being released, but the regular Norton malbec is usually a good wine and a real bargain.
2. Screw Kappa Napa 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and Screw Kappa Napa 2005 Zinfandel.
Screw Kappa Napa became popular some years back by, as the name implies, using screw top caps instead of corks. At the time they were one of the few USA wineries that did so. They also (supposedly) made some good wines back then, but these two wines were very disappointing. I tried the zinfandel first and thought it was mediocre at best. Then I tried the cabernet sauvignon and it was even worse. The cab had a very vegetal taste, as though the grapes had been harvested while not yet ripe. These wines retail for around $15.00, but I got them on sale at Ralphs for $8.99. Even at $8.99 I was disappointed.
3. Marquis Phillips 2006 Shiraz.
I saved the best for last. This is an excellent wine, made by one of Australia's leading producers of shiraz/syrah. I'm a syrah fan, so this wine was right up my alley. This has all the fruit and spice/pepper you would expect from a top notch syrah. Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) rated this wine 92 points. The real shocker is the price: I got this wine at Costco for $11.89 a bottle! It just might be the best red wine value I saw all year. I bought a case earlier in the year after trying a bottle. Btw, the 2007 is out now and I have not tried it yet. If you can find the 2006 I recommend you buy it over the 2007, but you may not be able to find any more 2006's.
1. Norton 2005 Malbec Reserva
I lived in Argentina for five years back in the late 80's and early 90's and I've been a fan of Norton for a long time. Malbec is Argentina's best red wine, with some of them reaching world class heights. This particular wine isn't one of them, but it's not bad at all. Wine Spectator rated it 88 points and that seems about right to me. I served it with some beef empanadas that I bought at an Argentine restaurant in my neighborhood and a green salad. It was the perfect wine for that kind of simple meal. The cost of the wine is about $13.00 at both Costco and World Market. Btw, Norton makes a regular malbec that sells for around $9.00. I'm not sure that the Reserva is worth the extra money. It probably spent a little more time in oak before being released, but the regular Norton malbec is usually a good wine and a real bargain.
2. Screw Kappa Napa 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and Screw Kappa Napa 2005 Zinfandel.
Screw Kappa Napa became popular some years back by, as the name implies, using screw top caps instead of corks. At the time they were one of the few USA wineries that did so. They also (supposedly) made some good wines back then, but these two wines were very disappointing. I tried the zinfandel first and thought it was mediocre at best. Then I tried the cabernet sauvignon and it was even worse. The cab had a very vegetal taste, as though the grapes had been harvested while not yet ripe. These wines retail for around $15.00, but I got them on sale at Ralphs for $8.99. Even at $8.99 I was disappointed.
3. Marquis Phillips 2006 Shiraz.
I saved the best for last. This is an excellent wine, made by one of Australia's leading producers of shiraz/syrah. I'm a syrah fan, so this wine was right up my alley. This has all the fruit and spice/pepper you would expect from a top notch syrah. Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) rated this wine 92 points. The real shocker is the price: I got this wine at Costco for $11.89 a bottle! It just might be the best red wine value I saw all year. I bought a case earlier in the year after trying a bottle. Btw, the 2007 is out now and I have not tried it yet. If you can find the 2006 I recommend you buy it over the 2007, but you may not be able to find any more 2006's.
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