Wine of the mid-week- MontGras Reserva Cab Franc

A Monday jaunt into BevMo to pick up beer netted nice results.

MontGras is a reliably good Chilean producer - their wines are widely available, good quality, and generally well-priced. A great portion is estate-grown in Chile's Colchagua Valley, a grand valley nestled between the coastal ranges near the Pacific to the west and the Andes Mountains to the east. There the abundant valley warmth coupled with the coastal influence, along with the clay loamy soils, make for friendly ground for Bordeaux varietals.

The MontGras 2010 Reserva Cabernet Franc comes from the Colchagua Valley. Online it appears to be a BevMo exclusive - there's little info about the wine online other than references to BevMo. Typically the red wines of the MontGras Reserva line are hand-harvested with about half their blends aged for 8 months in French & American oak. This yields wines that show generous fruit along with nice varietal and regional character.

The Reserva Cab Franc is more than that. It's dark ruby color in the glass makes way for notes of rose petal, mossy earth, black tea, and generous black currant and cherry. On the palate it shows ample fruit and body with nicely integrated depth, and just a hint of the oak. Nice silken tannins and juicy acidity highlight the finish. The regular retail is $17.99, but this was on sale for an amazing $10.79. It's good either way, but crazy good at $10.79. Definitely a standout from this producer.

The Garagiste Festival hits Santa Barbara wine country

Small-lot producers of wine - often on the vanguard of winemaking and marketing trends - remind me of my passion for following new music. So I can think of no better venue for a group of "garagiste" wine producers than a veteran's hall. Longtime "DIY" venues for aspiring underground rock musicians, the veteran's hall is quite the utilitarian setting to help grow a network. The Solvang Veteran's Memorial Hall in Santa Barbara's Santa Ynez Valley will be the site for the Southern Exposure festival on Saturday February 16th, put on by Garagiste Events.

Garagiste Events began as a group of new winemakers and enthusiasts based around Paso Robles. Their Garagiste Festival grew to become a notable and important event on the California wine landscape. The idea was to promote the innovation of up-and-coming California winemakers by providing a dynamic venue for their exposure. They now operate as a non-profit benefiting the Cal Poly viticulture program, and are expanding their footprint beyond Paso Robles into Santa Barbara County.

The festival features many new names, as well as burgeoning Santa Barbara producers such as Baehner Fournier, Kessler-Haak, La Fenêtre, Piedrasassi and Tercero. The aforementioned alone representing a great cross-section of Santa Barbara County terroirs - from cool-climate Pinot and Chardonnay sites throughout the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley, to the many Rhône varietal sites throughout the county, all the way to Happy Canyon where Bordeaux varietals are taking root.

So if you're looking for a reason to get out to Santa Barbara wine country, then mark your calendar. This looks like a great beginning to the 2013 wine season.

Tasting Sonoma County in a virtual tasting room

I looked forward to working on this post for two reasons. First, I've been interested from afar in the TastingRoom.com product and packaging. Additionally, I had a lineup of Russian River and Alexander Valley wines to taste through. Trione Vineyards & Winery put together a tasting kit of their current release wines through the TastingRoom.com packaging system (disclaimer- I received as a press sample).

I recently saw a Twitter post about TastingRoom.com, and have been curious about the concept. Basically they repackage wine into 50ml and 100ml bottles, to then market themed tasting kits (50ml), and by the glass bottles (100ml). The ultimate goal is to sell the featured wines at full retail, but to me the value of the program is in the tasting kits. Wines sold on the site cover a range of price points, and there are plenty of well-known and premium brands. Most of the wine is domestic, with some international available as well.

The Trione kit came in a black recyclable box. The 50ml bottles are glass with high-quality re-creations of the labels. The transfer of the wine happens in an anaerobic chamber, and the bottling date is listed on the label. Basically the wine is packaged well and the integrity of the wine is intact.

Yes, that's a Pac Man lunchbox in the background

Trione’s wines come from their estate vineyards in the Russian River and Alexander Valleys. Previously growers in Sonoma County dating back four decades, the family began producing wines beginning with the 2005 vintage. I tasted four Russian River wines, all from the clay loamy soils of their River Road Ranch vineyard located in the middle reach area of the valley – 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Chardonnay, 2008 Pinot Noir and 2008 Syrah. The red Bordeaux varietals are grown in their vineyards in Alexander Valley. The 2007 Block 21 Cabernet Sauvignon features Cab grapes from a single block at Cloverdale Ranch, with small percentages of Merlot, Petite Verdot and Malbec coming from Geyserville Ranch. The 2007 Geyserville Ranch Red is a blend of Bordeaux grapes.

If there’s a thread that runs through these wines, it’s accessibility. The whites are nicely balanced with ample fruit, richness and acid, along with good Sonoma character - well priced too. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Geyserville Ranch Red are like big bear-hugs of wine - ripe and mellow dark fruits with roasted coffee, anise and cocoa notes across a stately warm & welcoming structure - totally Alexander Valley. The Russian River Syrah is a smooth drinker of ripe dark fruits along with nice-enough cool-climate savory notes. Click here for individual notes on all the wines.

However, the standout of the group is the Trione 2008 River Road Ranch Pinot Noir, Russian River. This is a blend of clones 115, 667 and 777. It’s made using traditional techniques such as open top fermentation with partial whole clusters and daily hand punch-downs. It’s pretty prototypical Russian River Pinot on the nose with fruitcake aromas of cherry, raspberry and plum. Things get interesting as this hits the palate with darker fruit, earthy forest and mushroom notes, and just hints of spice - all well balanced and nicely layered. It’s sharply textured with fine tannin and nice length on the finish. This is really enjoyable Russian River Pinot with good depth and interest priced below $30 – highly recommended!

Thinking about a wine trip

Planning a good wine trip is something that gets me going. Deliberation of AVA's and interesting producers to visit are just part of the process. There's also the networking to get good appointments, then letting the logistics fall into place from there. Like any great vacation, the planning is a part of the process and can really extend the excitement and anticipation.

My wine tasting companions Justin and Jon are also a key part of the process. We've taken several trips over the last few years, and our three-man comedy show has become as much of a part of things as the wine itself. From grape-stomping competition strategies, to making fun of stupid questions at the wineries, to challenging Jon to spend too much of his money - these are memories to rival the great wines and scenery.

Fortunately it looks like my crew is available this Spring to tour the Santa Cruz Mountains, Napa, Sonoma and maybe Mendocino. I look forward to writing about it later this year.

Chateau Champoux 2011 Grape Stomping Champions

I recently recommended some wine touring stops in Santa Barbara County to Mike of the 10milewine.com blog. The visit was late December and the results were mixed. It looks like in December many producers are sold out or have not yet released their single vineyard wines.  If you're coming to Santa Barbara County and want to taste specific wines, i.e. the higher-end Pinot Noir and Syrah, I recommend contacting specific producers of interest to verify what they're pouring. Places like Melville or Foxen don't always have their smaller production wines available in the tasting rooms. And a must-visit place like the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, with it's amazing list of producers, is mostly closed through the week; so plan accordingly there as well. As non-wine country as the vaunted industrial park behind the Home Depot is, it may be the best concentration of Santa Barbara County wines available for tasting.

What also makes Santa Barbara County a challenge is that there are still many of the newest and most dynamic producers who do not offer tastings. Hopefully producers like Tyler, Paul Lato and Chanin will in the future add to the depth of what the area has to offer. Areas in the North Coast have such a depth of great wine that you think more about where you can taste rather than where you can't. In Santa Barbara County a few misses may leave you wanting.

If you're planning your own wine trip this year, drop me a line. I enjoy getting new tips for my future endeavors!

Grower Champagnes at Le Caveau

Ahhh, a little more Champagne was in order at a pre-New Years Eve visit to Le Caveau in Atlanta. Le Caveau is quite the old world-focused wine shop, featuring smart selections from all of the high-points of France, Italy, Spain & Germany, among others. They have a tasting counter as well, which was a great place to imbibe in some of the shop’s grower-producer Champagne (courtesy of my part-time boss at Arcadian Winery, Joe Davis- thanks Joe!)

Three Champagnes at Le Caveau

Of the three wines, the Laherte Frères Grand Brut Ultradition NV (formerly Brut Tradition) was probably the most well-rounded – featuring sharp and bright fruit and mineral notes throughout with an underlying yeast and wheat complexity. This is a very nice and easy-going Champagne, but with enough depth to make it something more special.

The wine is estate-grown and comes from a blend of parcels spanning ten different villages; all farmed either organically or biodynamically. According to Peter Liem in ChampagneGuide.net, the estate most represents the terroir of the Coteaux Sud d’Epernay, an area south of the town of Epernay falling between the Côte des Blancs and the Vallée de la Marne featuring a notable mix of soft chalk soils and clay. The blend is 60% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Noir, with 40% coming from reserve wines. The still wine is partially barrel-fermented and undergoes partial malolactic fermentation prior to bottling.

With retail prices averaging in the mid $30 range, this is economical as far as Champagne goes. I recommend it, and Le Caveau as well!