Going Old World!

Posted on June 21, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

Brief history of the Châteauneuf du Pape region:
Châteauneuf-du-Pape translates as “New Castle of the Pope”

To distance himself from the bustle of wars that raged in Italy at the time Pope Clement V took residence at Avignon, France in 1304. His successor, John XXII, restored and enlarged the old Episcopal residence of Châteauneuf. It was he who ordered the first grapevines to be planted in the year 1318. Initially intended as a confidential production, wine growing gained predominance as the years went by. The true renown of Châteauneuf du Pape wines date from the 13th century. — From Domain Font de Michelle website

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the southern Rhône wine region. Unlike its northern Rhône neighbors (primarily Syrah & Viognier), Châteauneuf-du-Pape permits thirteen different varieties of grape; the blend is usually predominantly Grenache. In recent years, the trend has been to include fewer varieties rely more heavily on blending the Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah.

A little history of the Domaine Font de Michelle:

Domaine Font de Michelle is owned and operated by the Gonnet family who has been in the region since the early 1600’s. The farmhouse which now serves as the company headquarters was built back in 1880 by Jean Etienne Gonnet. His grandson, Etienne Gonnet, created Font de Michelle in 1950.

The Wine: 2006 Domaine Font de Michelle Châteauneuf du Pape 14.5% ABV $55

In the glass the wine has a nice dark purple color which turns slightly ruby around the edges. On the nose I get herb garden, rosemary, mint, woodsy and smokiness. On the palate I get hints of floral, earth, mint and a touch of cola dancing around on top of the tannins. This wine has full tannins and a medium – full bodied finish. On my video blog I said that this wine blew me away and it does. It has so much going on in the nose and the on the palate which up until now I was unfamiliar with. This is a thought provoking multidimensional wine!

This was the first time that I had tried a French wine, not from lack of desire but rather a lack of knowledge. I will readily admit that I was a bit overwhelmed and intimidated when it came to trying to figure out a “good” French wine vs. a “bad” one. I have to say that I am very fortunate to have an extremely knowledgeable and patient staff at my local wine bar who know my tastes and helped point me in the right direction.

French, Wine

Organic And Alternative

Posted on June 13, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

Yellow + Blue wines is a relatively young company (founded in 2007) who is focusing on making organic wines at reasonable prices. The company approaches their packaging differently than most wineries around than world, in that they use an alternative packaging called a Tetra Pak. The Tetra Pak isn’t a bottle or a box, it’s the same type of package that you find juice or chicken broth sold in at the grocery stores.

2009 Y+B Wines Sauvignon Blanc Central valley Chile

This comes in at 12.7% ABV and costs around $13/liter *note* this was a sample provided by the producer.

Nice yellow color in the glass. Nose has notes of floral and tropical fruit. On the palate this wine has good body and slightly creamy texture to it. You can sense that this was done in a stainless steel tanks. This is not as acidic as an Australian or New Zealand Sauv Blanc.

I really liked this wine and think that it would be excellent choice on a hot Arizona day sitting by the pool

Would I buy/drink this wine again?
I would have no problems buying this or suggesting this to friends and thus give this wine 3 out of 5 corks

2008 Y+B Wines Malbec San Juan Province Argentina

13.5% ABV and also costs around $13/liter *note* this was a sample provided by the producer.

Light purple in the glass. On the nose I got earthy, cherry and not much else. The palate (to me) was even more nondescript. All I was able to get was a touch of chocolate and almost a metallic flavor to it. This was a light-medium bodied wine with medium tannins.
After tasting the S.B. first, I had higher expectations for this wine but unfortunately I was disappointed with the Malbec

Would I buy/drink this wine again?
This isn’t a bad wine, it just doesn’t work for me, because of that I would have to pass.
I give this wine 2 out of 5 corks

Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Wine

8 Rules For Visiting Tasting Rooms

Posted on June 1, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

I read a great post today by Steve Paulo who has his own blog “Notes From The Cellar“. He was writing about the Do’s and Dont’s while visiting tasting rooms and I thought that he was really on to something, so I would sahre it with you. the following is directly from his blog;

There are unwritten rules about visiting winery tasting rooms. Living a few miles south of Napa/Sonoma, a hop-skip-and-a-jump north of the Livermore Valley, and within a day’s drive to the vast majority of the wine made in California has lead me along to many a tasting room. And there are rules. Unwritten rules, but rules nonetheless.

Unwritten, that is, until today.

“Don’t Be That Guy” (or “Gal,” don’t want to be sexist and infer that women can’t also be drunk idiots) is a great way to learn about life and to learn as you go through life. There are cautionary tales all around us, we need only open our eyes. It is with that in mind that I came up with the following–now written–rules.

The Rules Of Wine Tasting

1. Don’t pregame — Seriously. You’re not in college. Stop it. And even if you are in college, stop it! In case you don’t know, “pregaming” is drinking before you drink. Back in college, if we were going out to a bar, we’d “pregame” at someone’s house or apartment in part because it’s cheaper to drink outside of a bar setting, and in part because the bars were boring early in the evening and we had nothing better to do. I remember being in Sonoma for some wine tasting with friends, and seeing a party bus pass by us while we picked up sandwiches and water. Clearly visible through the window was a case of Coors Light. Coors Light, for pete’s sake!

2. Bring food and water — Speaking of which, it’s a lot easier to keep from making a damn fool of yourself if you have some water to sip between wineries, and some food to put in your belly. And no, the table crackers or breadsticks or whatever offered at many wineries don’t count. Bring or buy something substantial.

General Info, Wine

My Search For A Bigger Merlot.

Posted on June 1, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

I found this wine at our local wine shop while my wife and I were out grabbing lunch one afternoon. Seeing that it was mid-afternoon, we didn’t want to go with our typical “big” Cabernet; we also wanted to find something at a more reasonable price.

A Bold Merlot

The Napa Cellars Merlot is a blend of 93% Merlot, 5% Syrah, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. In the glass, the wine has a nice dark ruby color to it with just a hint of transparency to it. On the nose are nice aromas of plum, cherries and spice. The palate has dark fruits, chocolate and the spice is still present. This merlot has nice even tannins and a medium finish.
I usually am not a merlot fan as I have found that most merlots are too “soft” for my liking. This merlot, however, is different. I really enjoyed that hint of spice which was present on the nose and palate. The other thing that I liked about this wine was that even though it comes in at 14.7 % ABV, you really don’t notice the higher alcohol content. It has a bigger mouth feel, which I would attribute to the addition of the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Would I buy/drink this wine again?
So far, I have enjoyed the other wines that I have had from Napa Cellars and think at $16, this would also be a nice addition to your cellar.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 corks.

Merlot, Wine

The Wine Whisperer: What you need to know about Merlot

Posted on June 1, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

I wonder why there is still some misunderstanding about the wonderful red wine grape Merlot. I think that this worldly and elegant wine was so bashed by Paul Giamatti that it might take a generation for Merlot to get “up to speed” and grab its rightful place, once again, in winedom.

Here is what we know about wine made from Merlot:

First, let me give you a very brief history of red and white wine production in California. Many of the “big oak” Cabernet Sauvignon produced in California in the late 1960s until the middle 1980s suffered from being way overdone and the wine production message in the state was “more is better” in just about all of the winemaking during these 25 years.

Oak, skin contact and pressing was dominant in the minds and cellars of many winemakers at that time. Even the Chardonnays were suffering from over extraction and hideous amounts of oak. It got so bad in the middle 1970s that I remember a “blind” tasting of white wine (all of which turned out to be Chardonnay) where none of the judges could tell what the wines were because the heavy-handed use of oak in the production masked the varietal!

Wine ,

What does one do in order to survive through 2 hours of “The Bachelor”?

Posted on May 13, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

Taste a new bottle of wine, of course!  This is one of my stipulations for me to sit and watch “Trash TV” with my wife.  Not a bad trade off if you ask me, seeing that I would probably have to sit there and watch it anyway.  At least this way I get to enjoy some good wine and do “research” for my blog.

Last night’s adventure was the 2006 Girard Artistry from Napa Valley.  I have previously tasted the Girard Petite Sirah and enjoyed it, but did not know what to expect from the Artistry.  Let’s just say that I was pleasantly surprised!

The Artistry is a blend of five Bordeaux-varietal grapes which is made up of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 13% Petite Verdot, 8% Malbec and 7% Merlot.  I will admit that I am not a huge fan or Petite Verdot or Merlot, but it all works in this blend.  The nose gives off hints of ripe fruit that invites you in.  I typically prefer to decant almost all of my red wines, but this one was near perfection right out of the gate.  My first impression that this was a very approachable wine that was ready to be had right now.  Kind of like your date on prom night!!!  The palate offers nice structured texture with flavor of currants, chocolate and blackberry.  The tannins are very well integrated and not overpowering which leads into a medium velvet like finish.  Even though I do not feel that this wine needed to be decanted, I did let it breathe in the glass for about 10-15 minutes and it kept getting better.

Would I buy/drink this wine again?  At $30, which is what I was able to find this at one of our local big box wine shops, your damn right I would!  I think at $30 – $40 this is a must have for an everyday don’t break my wallet drinking wine.
I would give this wine 4 out of a possible 5 corks.

Wine

TrashTV: A Cruise Down Whitehall Lane

Posted on May 1, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

Seeing that this is called TrashTV, let me start by venting a little. Are you friggin kidding me? Is it just me or is this a flash back to last season when Ed had to leave because of his job only to come back a few weeks later? While I don’t think that Ali will be back on the show, I’m going to go out on a limb and make my prediction on how the rest of this is going to play out. Jake is going to narrow it down to Vienna and Tenley and the dumb ass will pick Vienna. After the final rose has been handed out and the show is over, it will be revealed that they have broken up and he will eventually end up dating Ali. There, I said it on the record. BTW, I have to send a big thank you to the Olympics, because of them I will get a two week reprieve from the madness of “The Bachelor”.

Now on to the juice!
This week’s pick was the 2008 Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc which is 90% Sauvignon Blanc 10% Semillon. This wine generally costs around $16 a bottle and comes in at 13% ABV. I was able to find this at a local grocery store for under $14. According to www.whitehalllane.com, this Sauvignon Blanc has a cork free closure (A.K.A. a screw cap).

The Whitehall Lane shows a light straw color in the glass. Kind of the typical sauv blanc color. On the nose I get some apple, grapefruit and a hint of banana. I get some nice floral, citrus notes in this wine. On the palate I get a lot more citrus flavors, grapefruit and green apples. This wine has a bit of tartness almost like a sweet-tart. I thought that this wine was more reminiscent of a sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region. The finish is light and crisp.

Would I buy/drink this wine again? I’m not crazy in love with this wine, but I don’t hate it either.
I give this wine 2.5 out of 5 corks!

Wine, Zinfandel ,

Beginner’s guide: What wineries should I visit when I go to Napa? Part 1

Posted on May 1, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

Friends are always asking me what wineries they should visit when they go to Napa, I always tell them the same thing.  “That depends on you”.  Are you new to wine?  Have you ever been there before? What type of wine do you like?  These are just a few of the things that go into deciding what wineries to visit.  Some of these go hand in hand with each other, so your answer to any of these may result in different outcomes.

If you’re new to wine then you will probably want to go to some of the bigger production tasting rooms on your first trip.  These are wines which are readily available at your local supermarket.   These types of wineries are good for the new or casual wine drinkers because they typically have a wide variety of wines to taste, thus allowing you to get a feel for which varietal (the grape from which the wine is made) best suits your palette.

Another appealing thing about visiting this type of winery is that you get a larger selection for your tasting fee (around $10).  The tasting fee is the wineries way of covering the costs of the staff and wine should you not chose to buy any wine from them.  Some of the wineries will waive the tasting fee if you make a minimum purchase, usually one or two bottles.  Others may give you commemorative glasses in lieu of waiving the fee.   Also, these are typically priced more appropriately for the beginner’s wallet.  Usually at the larger production wineries you will find wines in the $15 – $40 range.

A few examples (in Napa) are Markham Vineyards, Rubicon Estate (aka Niebaum-Coppla) and Sterling Vineyards.  Again, these are only a few of the examples.  If you are looking for a nice place to have lunch and wine tasting try V. Sattui Winery.  Looking for a map of the Napa Valley wineries?

Wine

2008 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc

Posted on April 1, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

This wine is light in color, but not in nose or flavor.  The nose is that of sweet tropical fruit, slight citrus and starburst candy.  Very nice refreshing flavor with fruit front end and tapers off to a very light hint of oak after it starts to breath or warm up.  This is not my favorite Sauvignon Blanc, but I did enjoy it.  It is a refreshing, clean and light wine to enjoy on those days when your not wanting a big, heavy red.  I found this wine at a reasonable $18 – $20 at one of my local wine shops. I would give this wine 2.5 out of a possible 5 corks.

Sauvignon Blanc, Wine

Build a Wine Cellar the Easy Way

Posted on March 23, 2010 by admin Leave a comment

Looking to increase your wine collection? It’s really easy! Here’s how: Determine how many bottles you’re going to consume in a week. For the sake of example, let’s say it’s three. When you visit your favorite wine shop, buy one more bottle than you’re going to need. Drink your normal amount during the week & save that extra bottle. Easy, right?

The best part is this approach works whether you’re buying on a tight budget or you’re a big-money baller. Just buy one more bottle than you’re going to need & put it away. Do that the next time & the next & the next. Soon enough you’ll have a nice little cellar built up!

General Info, Wine