Wine Adventures
2009 Wine Project
We're going to make wine again this year after taking last season off. We're really hoping to find some good grenache and either sangiovese grosso or a carignane or zin.
We're renovating the wine 'cave' :) and getting ready for additional storage. We'd like to add some hot and cold taps in there too to make the entire process more exclusive to the patio/cave area.
Wine Picks
Favorite White over $20 would have to be Crinella Sauvignon Blanc
2006. I don't often drink white wines, but have this one more frequently
than others. I
have to say the citrus and fruit nuances in this wine really make it easy
to drink. It is very dry as I think whites should be and goes incredibly
well with any food. It stands up to dishes like beef pot roast as well as
pizza. It also works well with citrus or cheese appetizers. Even works
with sweets. I guess it's because I so rarely drink white, that this wine
makes the top of my whites list. www.crinellawinery.com
No Favorite White under $20
Favorite Dry Rosé is fun. (dry means 'not sweet') I like so many it's tough to pick a
favorite. These wines don't fit into whites or reds in terms of
traditional descriptions. How about several great things to try? I had again the Unti
which is Grenache and Mouvedre and is abolutely delicious. I don't really
know the price range, but probably $15-$18 - very dry with amazing
aromas. My absolute favorite (could drink it everyday) is ultra-dry and is Cotes du Ventoux Ferme
Julien. It is a fabulous everyday wine, price range around $5-$6. Another
I enjoy is very different, yet interesting from Hop Kiln. The grapes are Grenache
from the Lodi region and it's less dry than any others I've tasted, but
still qualifies as a dry rosé. Genuinely has strawberry nose and
delightful to drink. It is among the higher priced rosés at $20.
Favorite Red over $20 is awfully hard. I adore red table wines and
have much less fondness for most of the finer wines most people enjoy. I
guess I'll say my favorites would be from David Coffaro, although they're
just barely over $20. I always like the
ZP2C and Escuro. www.davidcoffaro.com
Favorite Red under $20 is so much fun! Ferme Julien Rouge. Just try
it and see...
Favorite Sparkling Champagne or otherwise is still Gloria Ferrer
Sonoma County Brut. Always $12 at Bottle Barn.
Barrel Tasting Weekends 2009
Well, we definitely 'worked' this year. We were out 5 of the six event
days! We did have a great time and found a few real gems.
Our Picks
So, you probably know I've been intrigued by the french
style of dry rosés ever since our 2005 trip to Paris. While in
France, we only had one bottle of red wine; the rest of our wine
adventures were the amazing dry Rosés they do there. I like them so
much better than white wines. They have more and different fruit in the
aroma and on the palate than any of the very dry whites. They are nearly
all VERY dry, which is a big plus to me. If you like a fruitier or sweeter
wine, these are not the ones to try. On our first day out this year, we
found ourselves meandering (which you know we never do). We wound up on
Westside Road and having never stopped in at Hop Kiln, we decided we
should have it in our repertoire so we can make appropriate recommendations to guests at
the rental. We discovered they are doing a Grenache Rosé and after
tasting - lovely strawberry - decided to add some to our collection.
On our third day out, we decided we had to stop in at Matrix. If you
recall, this is the old Rabbit Ridge facility. The only barrel samples
they had were Pinot and Zin (our zin day was the next Saturday so I
skipped that one) and we don't like Pinot much. On the other hand, they
were on my list for Bordeaux style blends and so I tried the 2002 and 2005
Matrix blend. Wow! The 2002 is amazing with an incredible blackberry and
high notes that work for me. The last time I had anything so lovely was
one of Frank's father's Stags Leap Cabs. We definitely picked up some of
this wine.
We also had to stop in at Porter Creek - this one is going on my dive
winery list as one of our favorites - for a sample of the Carignane. Again
a winner so this was the last of our selections for the cellar. They have
changed vineyards so it will be interesting to see how the wine shapes up
this year.
Other Notables
Although we didn't purchase any, there is no question the best wines we
tasted were at Michel Schlumberger. The Cab Franc is out of this world and
the Deux Terres is a smooth and impressive blend. I consider Michel
Schlumberger to be one of the best overall winery experiences from a
sensuous standpoint.
We also loved Murphy Goode Petit Verdot. I have to comment here about how
frequently we came across places offering Chili with their wines. Yes, it
may go very well with a specific wine, but the elements that make great
chili certainly would dull the palate. Maybe it's intentional. Ruin you
for any other wine you taste, so you'll come back and buy theirs?
Oh, and Topel has the best Super Tuscan I've tasted from Sonoma County.
It's really impressive when wines are not over-oaked.
Bottling for 2008
Hmmm...we bottled Ira's Melody, Tucker Merlot and Petite Sirah
Below are the labels we used
We also bottled the Mendocino Cab, but haven't finished the label. ---
Oh wait! Here it is...
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