2011 Wine Travels- Napa/Sonoma "Lucky 13"

Spending three days of the trip throughout Napa Valley and Sonoma County, there were plenty of sensational wines to be tasted. Standing out were 2008 Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley, as well as some outstanding 2008 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from Littorai's Petaluma Gap area vineyards (south of the areas affected by the wildfires).

In Napa Valley I visited Schramsberg, Chappellet, Pride, Spottswoode, Black Sears, Anderson's Conn Valley, Reynolds Family and White Rock. I was mostly in Northern Sonoma- visiting Littorai, Wind Gap, Joseph Swan, Porter Creek, Jordan and Pezzi King.

For your reading pleasure, below are my "Lucky 13" favorite wines from the 2011 Napa/Sonoma wine trip tastings. I've included any available links to each wine for further pricing and technical info. Cheers!

2008 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, St. Helena, Napa Valley

Winery tour tasting. Loads of aromas- cherry, tobacco, leather, cracked pepper, cedar, red currant, with subtle spice. Profoundly elegant flavors and mouthfeel- silk, tea, black currant, black cherry, leather, cigar box. Seamlessly layered balance. perfect weight and presence. Fine tannins that are firm and gripping. Long finish. Awesome to taste now, but I won't touch this for many years. (I loved+++!)

2010 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

Winery tour tasting. Alive on the nose with Meyer lemon, wheat straw, and fresh green apples. Rich and silky on the palate, apple butter, subtle caramel notes, and lime. Nicely structured- just the right acid balance. Long finish. Really vibrant and distinct flavors- excellent. (I loved!)

2008 Chappellet Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard HillEstate Vineyard, Napa Valley

Tasted at the winery. Deep aromas of slate, cherry, tobacco, shoebox leather, and anise. Seamlessly complex palate of leather, allspice, blueberry, cherry, curry, black tea. Silky, round, and voluptuous tannins, tightly stitched and well structured. Very long finish. Very outstanding... (I loved!)

2009 Chappellet Vineyard Chenin Blanc Dry, Napa Valley

Tasted at the winery. Lemon, slate, creme fraiche on the nose- with rich honeydew melon, and nutty and tropical notes. Round and silky with a beautiful finish. (I really liked!)

2008 Littorai Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard, Sonoma Coast

Tasted at the winery. Curry, clove, vanilla, and red fruit on the nose. Red berry, tea, and silk; with velvety tannins and long length. Outstanding feel, flavor, and balance. (I loved!)

2008 Littorai Pinot Noir Pivot Vineyard, Sonoma Coast

Tasted at the winery. Smoky, earthy, spicy fruit on the nose. Silk and tea on the palate, with sweet and eastern spice and bright fruit. Silky round tannins and a long finish. (I loved!)

2008 Littorai Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast

Tasted at the winery. Mineral, lemon, and honey on the nose. Silky feel, with subtle cream notes and bright apple and citrus fruit. Rich finish, good weight and balance, good length. (I loved!)

2008 Wind Gap Wines Syrah, Sonoma Coast

Tasted at the winery. Great Syrah nose- gamey, bacon fat, pepper, and black olive were all there. Explodes on the palate with juicy red fruit, along with spice and savory notes. Finishes long with silky tannins and notes of black tea. (I loved!)

2008 Anderson’s Conn ValleyVineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve, Napa Valley

Tasting room pour. Shoebox leather, cedar, black pepper, and earth throughout; with emerging black currant and cassis. Silky, with round and firm tannins. Slate and emerging fruit on a lingering finish. This is a huge wine with layers of savory flavors. As the fruit fills in this could be a blockbuster. (I loved!)

2005 White Rock Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Laureate, Napa Valley

Tasted at the winery. Vanilla, cedar, toffee, minerals, currant, and cassis are introduced on the bouquet. A beautiful satiny feel in the palate, with added notes of black tea, iron, red currant, and cherry. Nice weight throughout. Firm, gripping tannins. Big finish with spice and currant. Multi-layered, it's outstanding now and but will continue to benefit with time. (I loved!)

2010 Black Sears Winery Zinfandel Estate, Howell Mountain,Napa Valley

Tasted from barrel at the winery. Notes of vanilla, mineral, and blueberry on the nose. Mineral, black tea, blackberry, and pepper on the palate; along with a pleasing silkiness. Round grainy tannins and full finish. (I loved!)  ***link notes are for 2009, 2010 not yet released.

2006 Joseph Swan Zinfandel Zeigler Vineyard, Russian River Valley

Dark fruit and subtle spice on the bouquet. Very balanced rich dark fruit with integrated clove and vanilla notes. Round tannins and nice finish. Drinking very nicely (I really liked!)

2007 Joseph Swan Pinot Noir Saralee’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley

 --lost my notes. This was an excellent example of Joseph Swan’s style of bright fruit with nuanced spice, earth and floral notes. It was my favorite of an enjoyable lineup of Swan Pinot Noirs that I tasted (I loved!)

Photos-
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

2011 Wine Travels- Paso Robles Top 10

Onward and upward. The same trip in May produced a wonderful afternoon strolling around the Westside hills of Paso Robles. If you've never taken a ride on Vineyard Dr, it's truly one of the great scenic wine country drives in California.

The day included stops at Turley, L'Aventure, Denner, Tablas Creek and Adelaida. Through the day I enjoyed a nice variety of Westside Paso wines and caught plenty of highlights of what the area does well- Syrah, Rhône blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel- below were my 10 favorites:

Click the links for more info on the wines

2007 Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Viking Estate Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Mineral, tea, floral, and red fruit on the nose. Additional red fruit, tea, lavender, and cedar notes on the palate. Well structured with good weight and feel, grainy tannins, and a long finish. (I really liked!)

2008 Adelaida Syrah Anna’s Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Meaty, floral, and blue fruit notes on the nose. Plush fruit, floral, gamey flavors- with lush round tannins and long fruit notes to finish. (I really liked!)

2008 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Cherry, fruitcake, herb, and spice notes on the nose. Beautiful silky feel on the palate with red fruit, mineral, and peppery notes. Firm-fine tannins and a long finish. A lot more to this than tasting room notes can indicate. Outstanding and should develop nicely. (I really liked!)

2010 Tablas Creek Rosé, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Rich red fruit and toffee on the nose. Strawberry and cherry fruit, rich and full, with a nice finish. Excellent rosé. (I really liked!)

2008 Tablas Creek Mourvedre, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Meaty, mineral, red & blue fruit on the notes. Notes of tea, red fruit, and light spice on the palate. Firm round/ripe tannins, and a lengthy finish. (I really liked!)

2009 Denner “The Ditch Digger”, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Tight aromas- mostly cherry and red currant. The palate gives black cherry and mineral notes with rich spice and round tannins. Finishes long. (I really liked!)

2010 Denner Theresa, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Stone fruit and floral nose. Leesy and rich fruit through the palate with a lengthy finish. Very nice. (I really liked!)

2008 L’Aventure Estate Cuvée, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Mineral, tea, black currant, and cherry notes in the bouquet. Full dark fruit along with mineral and toffee notes on the palate. Round firm tannins and good length. (I really liked!)

2005 L’Aventure Optimus, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Cracked pepper, cherry, and dried herbal notes on the nose, leading to darker currant, leather, and graphite notes on the palate. Great feel and structure. Gripping round tannins and a long finish. (I loved!)

2009 Turley Zinfandel Dusi Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Blackberry, cherry cola, and spice on the nose. The palate shows additions of red fruit and black tea, with a nice satiny feel. Tannins and round and fine with spice and fruit lingering on the finish. (I really liked!)

Click for more Paso Robles pictures

2011 Wine Travels- Santa Barbara Top 10

This past May I traveled to California and toured multiple areas of the Central and North Coasts. In September I did a second stint out west to the Willamette Valley and Eastern Washington.  I carefully planned producers to see and mapped my areas of interest. The end result was getting to taste some spectacular wine along the way.

As the year ends and I prepare to move from Atlanta to California, I'd like to take a little stroll down memory lane and list my favorite wines from each region that I visited in 2011. These are all wines tasted and notes written while on the road

Starting things off is Santa Barbara County. In Santa Barbara I visited Melville, Fiddlehead, Qupe/Verdad, Foxen, and the Bien Nacido Vineyard. It was a great day that saw my friends and I completely circling Sta. Rita Hills before heading into Los Olivos via Ballard Canyon Road, and then heading up Foxen Canyon Road to Santa Maria Valley. It's interesting that 2011 ended up being such a cool vintage for California, it was very hot in Santa Barbara in early May while I was there, even in the cool-climate Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley areas.

As you can see from the list there were lots of great Syrahs, and the 2009 Pinot Noir vintage was looking pretty good.

My 10 Favorite Santa Barbara wines from the trip-

2008 Foxen Pinot Noir Black 8 Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

Tasted at Bien Nacido. Pungent bouquet with black fruit, mushroom, and cola. Very bold style continues to the palate. Black fruit, red fruit, mushroom, mineral, cola. Silky but a little hot. Gritty tannins and bold finish. Aggressive but somehow pulls it off- drinks and tastes like Pinot Noir. It's wild- I could see this being profound if it mellowed a little with bottle age. ( I really liked!)

2009 Tyler Pinot Noir N Block Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

Tasted at Bien Nacido. Cola, plum, apple-cherry, spice- expressive bouquet. Mineral, red fruit, and spice- beautifully balanced with a silky feel, fine tannins, and a long finish. (I really liked!)

2005 Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Hillside Estate, Santa Maria Valley

Tasting room pour. Gamey nose with plum, raw meat, leather, and olive- awesome. Black peppery fruit with plenty of mineral and savory depth on the palate. Firm tannins and long finish. Excellent. (I really liked!)

2010 Verdad Rosé Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley

Tasted at the winery. Strawberry and peach aromas and flavors throughout. Leesy and rich with good finish. Very nice. (I liked!)

2008 Fiddlehead Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Happy Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley

Tasted at the winery. Lemongrass, apple, toast on the nose- rich and leesy style bold fruit and a long finish. Very nice. (I liked!)

2009 Melville Pinot Noir Carrie's, Sta. Rita Hills

Tasted at the winery. Lots of perfume and floral aromas along with cola, spice, and red fruit. Bright flavors on the palate- fruit, well-integrated spice, subtle earth notes. Great feel. Tannins firmer than past vintages. Big finish. It's all there- can't wait to spend a little more time with this and delve deeper. Very excellent. (I loved!)

2009 Melville Pinot Noir Terraces, Sta. Rita Hills

Tasted at the winery. Aromas are marked with cola, mushroom, earth, and black cherry. Balanced earth, spice, and fruit flavors- bold & intense & elegant at the same time. Lithe structure and feel, fine tannins. Long finish. Excellent. (I really liked!)

2009 Melville Chardonnay Clone 76 Inox Estate, Sta. Rita Hills

Tasted at the winery. Creamy melon & honey aromas. Hits the palate with brightness and strong acid. Lots of green apple/pear/melon, and leesy richness, along a lengthy finish. Very nice. (I really liked!)

2007 Qupé Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley

Tasting room pour. Gamey, leathery, peppery fruit on the nose. Black pepper, black olive, and lush black fruit fill the palate. Smooth silk feel, round tannins, and long finish. Excellent.  (I really liked!)

2009 Foxen Syrah Dry Farmed Tinaquaic, Santa Maria Valley

Tasted at Foxen tasting room. I lost track of my notes for this one, but you have to know it was a big gnarly savory monster- totally awesome. (I loved!)

Link to the photos-

Calluna Vineyards Revisited- Aux Raynauds Merlot

In May of 2010 I visited Calluna Vineyards in Chalk Hill. Owner/Grower/Winemaker David Jeffrey showed me around the vineyards, detailing his goal to create wines from his new site in Chalk Hill sharing as much with Bordeaux as California. It was great at the time to visit such a unique site, seeing something cool and new. I liked all of the wines very much, and it was clear to me at the time that the 2008 Calluna Aux Raynauds Merlot, Chalk Hill was something special.

I guess Merlot's not the most prestigious grape being grown in California these days, but I think it's suffered an unfair decline in popularity. No one is penalizing California Cabernet, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir for the sins of their bulk commodity producers. Merlot however has developed the reputation of soft and jammy; a quaff-able crowd pleasing red that doesn't require the serious attention and scrutiny of other more distinguished varietals.

The Calluna Aux Raynauds would have none of that. It was a young wine of serious structure and depth- coming from Jeffrey's Raynaud vineyard, named for Alain Raynaud of Chateau Quinault in Saint-Émilion whom he worked harvest in 2003 with. It exhibited a Right-Bank style in its profile and blend (Merlot with 4% Cabernet Franc). Aged in 50% new French oak and with only 60 cases made, I was pretty stoked about the level of this wine for $40.

Fast forward a year and a half, I opened a bottle and enjoyed over the course of my Friday night: Decanted, with a dark black-garnet color of slight clarity. In the bouquet I picked up aromas reminding me of cassis, rose hips, white pepper and blackberry. Full and open on the palate with big dark fruit flavors- currant, black cherry and blueberry. The fruit is melded in a range of notes- tea, mineral, cracked pepper, tar, spice. Silky in feel with firm fine-grain tannins and juicy black fruit and peppery spice on a generous finish. Seems to be at the beginning of a long ascent. (I really like!)

I'm starting to see some nice reviews for the Calluna wines in Wine Spectator and Wine & Spirits. They are well deserved. This is still a small project in its infancy, so look them up online and check it out!