The best of the rest

I try to do more than just blog tasting notes, but I've amassed a few over the past month on wines I've not otherwise blogged about. Several of the wines are very nice, so I thought I’d combat writer’s block by dedicating a post to these notes!

~Arrowood 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale, SonomaCounty – Aromas of plum, earth-slate, and currant with deep black fruit on the palate with tobacco, cedar, and blue-floral notes. It’s balanced and rich with round polished tannins and a full finish. Nicely developed and still tastes young. $68.

~Cakebread 2009 Chardonnay, Napa Valley – Touches of mineral, honey and butterscotch, along with stone fruit. It adds subtle notes of citrus on the palate, with polished feel, good acid, solid structure, and a decent finish. Drinking well. $38.

One of the highlights

~Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2007 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley – Popped and poured with Thanksgiving leftovers. Clear ruby and medium body in the glass. Aromas of black tea leaf, red curry, sandalwood and fresh fig. Beautifully expressive palate of open red fruit, melted stone, red florals and flourishes of spice. It’s polished in feel, elegant, and fleshy throughout with balanced acid and fine tannin. It finishes long with nice black peppery fruit. Excellent, really drinking well right now. $38.

~Firestone 2010 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County – Nicely expressive strawberry and cherry fruit throughout with subtle spice and earthy depth. Silky and rich with elegance, roundly structured with good acid-tannin balance. Decent finish. Very good value. $24

~Firestone 2009 Malbec, Santa Ynez Valley – Black and blue fruits dominate with secondary black peppery notes and hints of oak. Full fruit, round on the palate, easy drinking style with fleshy tannins. Good. $24.

Firestone Vineyard in the Fall

~Firestone 2007 Chairman Series Merlot, Santa Ynez Valley – Cedar and leather on the nose draping the fruit. The flavors are black cherry and blackberry with subtle oaky vanilla and mocha notes along with hints of dried herb. Dry firm finish with decent length. Nicely done. $42.

~Firestone 2009 Chairman Series Cabernet Sauvignon, SantaYnez Valley – Plenty of cassis and currant aromas along with dried herb. Cassis and red fruit flavors on the palate nicely integrated with subtle medicinal herb along with oak notes of cedar and espresso. Fine firm tannin and a full finish. Very good. $42.

This big boy needs a little time and TLC!

~Firestone 2009 Proximity Twenty Six, Santa Ynez Valley – Bordeaux blend- mostly Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Red currant, cedar, cherry and licorice are on the bouquet. There’s tons of oak on the palate, with flavors of coffee and cedar with currant, cassis and brown spice. Round and lush with silky tannins and a spicy long finish. It needs time for the oak to resolve. $75.

~Perrier-Jouët Champagne Cuvée Fleur de Champagne Blanc de Blancs – Tasting out of Bordeaux glass so not a great display for the bubbles. Plenty of yeast, toast and brioche notes on the nose. It’s bright with lively citrus on the palate with mineral notes to accent the bready yeasty depth. Slightly honeyed flavors with a deep and long expansive finish. Excellent. $230.

~Tenuta Sant’Antonio Scaia, Veneto IGT – Garganega/Chardonnay. Light straw color. It’s very Sauv Blanc-like on both the nose and palate with tons of gooseberry and grapefruit and very subtle depth. Round and bright on the palate with full body and a crispness to the finish. This is a bright and pleasant casual drinker with an odd similarity to new-world Sauvignon Blanc. $12.

~Sea Smoke 2010 Southing Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills – Aromas of rhubarb, earth and plummy fruit. Well balanced on the palate, showing nice mineral, earth, tea, and dark floral notes that temper the darker fruit. Silky feel on the palate with sharp acid and fine tannins. Medium-long finish. Nice complexity. Very well done. $60.

~Siduri 2010 Sonatera Vineyard, Sonoma Coast – Popped and poured with dinner. Nice bouquet of tea leaf, wild mushroom, white pepper, Christmas spice and cherry fruit. It’s ripe and aggressive to the palate with black cherry and fig jam along with piney, earthy and herbal depth. Fine and polished in tannin with seemingly good acid and a decent finish, it's just not very graceful or balanced with this tasting. The fruit awkwardly sticks out like a sore thumb. Not how I remembered it, perhaps it just needs some time to mature back into balance. Day 2- Much improved with the fruit integrating and adding nuances of cedar and sandalwood. Shows balance and elegance. Nice mouthwatering acidity and fine tannin on the finish. Good on the second day- air it out before drinking or hold. $48

~Silverado 2006 Merlot, Napa Valley – Notes of cigar box, black currant and leather on the nose. This is densely structured palate of cassis, cedar, tobacco and black cherry. It’s broad on the palate, nicely polished, and with big chewy tannins, along with hints of mineral and earth on a full finish. Drinking well. $29.

~Stag’s Leap 2009 Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – Plummy aromas with anise, currant and cedar notes. Black fruit on the palate with stony, black-floral, and ashy-mineral notes. Integrated oak. Elegantly structured with fine tannin and full finish. Very nice. $45.

THE SEARCH IS OVER! (for your next "interesting white")

Renegade Wines is one of the more unique wine stores that I've been to. It’s like the underground speakeasy of wine shops – unassumingly located in a warehouse complex in Santa Barbara. They offer a smart selection specializing primarily in California and French wines – as well as little idiosyncrasies like maybe or maybe not being there when you drop by (they’re sometimes off making local deliveries). But when you can get in the door, you’re sure to have an interesting conversation about wine and be turned on to some cool stuff.

Last week was their monthly Friday tasting, which featured Spanish, French and Italian wines from an area wine distributor. While there was a nice assortment of quality wines at attractive price points throughout the selection, what really stood out to me was a vibrant white from the Apulia (the heel) region of Southern Italy. This Apulia white comes from the Verdeca grape, a varietal native to Southern Italy that shows vibrant mineral and acid alongside its fruit despite it thriving in the warmer climates of Southern Italy.

While Apulia may not have the same caché that Italy’s regions to the north and northwest have, it does produce more wine than any other region in Italy. It is known more for its reds than whites – namely the juicy reds made from Primitivo and the more structured reds made from Negro Amaro. And while whites take a back seat to reds in almost every region of Italy (with the exception of Pinot Grigios from Alto-Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia), I believe that Italy is a treasure trove for those wines you often see listed as “interesting whites” on wine lists and in wine shops.

Masseria Li Veli’s 2011 Askos, Valle d’Itria IGT comes from eastern oriented 1000+ feet elevations in the Salento region of Apulia, between the Ionic and Adriatic Seas. The maritime location allows for a cooling evening influence tempering the hot dry summers. It comes from 32 year old vineyards and calcareous & sedimentary soils. Fermentation is on the skins and takes place in cold temperature-controlled tanks with malolactic fermentation inhibited.

The profile is bright, full and lively – with floral, honeyed and tropical aromas. There are vibrant tropical and citrus flavors on the palate. It’s crisp with strong mineral notes, and fully textured with a juicy finish. It has the vibrancy for mussels, but the weight for heavier seafood pasta. It doesn’t need food though – it has plenty of pure bright tropical fruit to sit and enjoy. The retail is about $25, and it certainly hits the mark as a white bringing something special and different to the table.

If you can’t find the Masseria Li Veli Askos, do a little research on some other good options from the Verdeca grape in Apulia. It’s an obscure Italian white worth seeking out.