Wine events flocking to Santa Barbara... and good inexpensive Pinot Noir

Holy Goleta! The wine events are rolling into Santa Barbara County in 2014.

This month, it's been announced that the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference will be held July 11-13 in the Santa Ynez Valley. I've attended two Wine Bloggers Conferences, and if there's a strength to the event, it's in its showcasing of compelling wine regions. With Santa Barbara's unique east-west traversing valley and variety of terroirs, it's going to be a great insider's view of the region for wine bloggers. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to delve deeper and to learn even more about my "home" wine region.

Also, the 2014 World Of Pinot Noir event is moving from Pismo Beach to the illustrious Bacara Resort in Goleta. This is a premier event for a premier varietal, featuring seminars and tastings of Pinot Noir from around the world. Maybe not so coincidentally, 2014 is the 10 year anniversary of the Sideways film...

If you're on the Central Coast and looking for a wine event this summer, Santa Maria Valley's annual Chardonnay Symposium happens July 19-21. In its fourth year, the event brings over 50 California Chardonnay producers together to enlighten and educate on the variety and quality of Chardonnay being produced throughout the state. Educational panels, celebrity chef events, wine dinners, and a grand tasting will all commence.

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If you need an inexpensive, simple, and most importantly, good Pinot Noir for summer barbecues, hanging out by the pool, or sitting in your sweat box - 24 Knots is a Pinot Noir brand producing a balanced and lively inexpensive Pinot Noir from Monterey. The 24 Knots Pinot Noir, Monterey is notable for its fig, earth, pine needle and spice; along with nicely integrated flavors and good texture, acid, grip and presence for its price point. Serve it with a slight chill. It's around $16 and shouldn't be too hard to find. (I received this as a press sample from the winery)

Three sides of Sonoma

There are many things to love about Sonoma County wine, and variety is definitely one of them. It was the theme of the final day of wine tasting in California’s North Coast regions in April 2013. We visited three very different producers – beginning in Santa Rosa at the Punchdown Cellars facility to visit Ceritas Wines, on to Chalk Hill and Calluna Vineyards, and finally into the heart of the Russian River Valley to Scherrer Winery in Sebastopol.

Ceritas Wines is the brainchild of John Raytek and Phoebe Bass. Their mission is to produce site-specific Chardonnay and Pinot Noir most notably from the family vineyard – The Porter Bass Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, just 8 miles inland in Forestville. There the vineyard rolls along slopes situated between ridge lines, benefiting from gentle fog, bright sunshine and cool nights. They sort grapes in the vineyard prior to harvest. In the cellar fermentation begins naturally without inoculation, and the wines are made without acid-addition. They avoid a cold-soak of the Pinot Noir, and ferment with 25% to 75% whole clusters.

Ceritas

We tasted three 2011 releases, as well as two barrel samples of 2012 Pinot Noir. My standouts included the 2011 Ceritas Peter Martin Ray Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, which shined with bright citrus and floral notes, along with underlying depth of earthy minerals and dried herb – showing a dynamically rich structure with plenty of nervy tension. Very nice. The 2011 Ceritas Coastalina Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast showed clean tart fig and raspberry flavors along with deep notes of pine needle, tea leaf, and earth and brown spice – fine, silky, vibrant and complex. The 2012 Ceritas Porter Bass Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast from barrel was deeper and darker with black cherry and fig notes along with earth, forest, and savory spice that framed beautiful high-toned juicy mineral notes through the palate.

Calluna Vineyards

I first wrote about Calluna Vineyards after a visit three years ago. The vineyard was planted by David Jeffrey in 2003, and his moderately cool-climate site for Bordeaux varietals is producing balanced, powerful, and graceful wines – full of pleasure and sophistication. We tasted the current 2009 and 2010 releases.

Jon and I in the vineyard with David Jeffrey (photo by Justin)

My favorite was the 2010 Calluna ‘Aux Raynauds’ Merlot, Chalk Hill – showing plenty of mineral, floral, cedar, lead and leather sophistication, along with ripe currant fruit, all seamlessly layered and velvety on the palate, and finishing with plenty of brightness and firmness. What an awesome wine, it really shows the seriousness and sophistication that Merlot is capable of in California. I also really liked 2009 Calluna Vineyards Estate, Chalk Hill – this is a blend of the five Bordeaux varietals featuring Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot most prominently in the blend. This showed cassis and currants, with tea, floral, cedar, tobacco and black pepper notes, layered with big supple/firm tannins and juicy acidity on the finish. Also, look for the relative value of the 2010 Calluna ‘CVC’ CallunaVineyards Cuvee, Chalk Hill. This is another Bordeaux blend, that shows really well at a lower price point.

Scherrer Winery is located in an old warehouse building out on the far side of Sebastopol. Fred Scherrer produces wines from his family’s estate vineyard in Alexander Valley, as well as from numerous other sites in Sonoma County. It’s not a program that focuses solely on Bordeaux, Burgundy or Rhone varietals – instead it’s all of the above, along with Zinfandel too. Fred built production through the late 1980’s while working at Dehlinger Winery, finally moving into his own facility in 1997. Today production is between 4000 and 5000 cases. Fred’s winemaking philosophy often centers on minimal handling and non-interventionist techniques, and varies by varietal.

Fred Scherrer pouring for Justin

We tasted through a broad range of wine, with favorites ranging from the 2009 Scherrer Old Vine Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel, Alexander Valley – a broad and brambly dark fruited Zinfandel with lots of cola, spice and cedar depth, polished and rustic with a nice finish. A trio of 2008 Pinot Noirs shined- 2008 Scherrer Pinot Noir, Sonoma County and 2008 Scherrer Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley both showed nice, forward, spice-laden red fruit with earthy rhubarb notes. The 2008 Scherrer Platt Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast showed similar flavors with more depth and a more bracing structure. A 2005 Scherrer Cabernet Sauvignon Scherrer Vineyard, Alexander Valley showed the warm friendly dark fruit of Alexander Valley with plenty of cedar, leather, dried herb, and vanilla notes, along with a rustic feel and sweet ripe tannins. Finally, the sleeper of the lineup was the 2008 ScherrerTimbervine Vineyard Syrah, Russian River Valley – showing beautiful crushed rock, tobacco and cedar, along with robust blackberry and savory earth on the palate. Elegant and balanced and very nice.

In many ways Scherrer’s wines embody Sonoma County. Not just in the variety and flavors in the bottle, but also in the down-to-earth workmanlike aesthetic of Fred and the winery. Fred’s even got a band room off to the side in the winery – jammed full of big amps and drums and guitars.

This was a fine lineup of three very different producers - click here to see all tasting notes from the day. It’s always a little sad to leave Sonoma County. Until next time!

Pinot and Mead- Russian River to Anderson Valley (Day 3 of April 2013)

April 2013 wasn't all Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon. My traveling wine-tasting committee spent the next day working our way up from the Russian River Valley and Healdsburg, to Anderson Valley and Boonville. 

sidewalk bbq chicken tacos in Healdsburg- photo by Jon

Highlights included a stop at Holdredge Winery in Healdsburg to taste their wines and to meet with Ed Thralls of Thralls Wine. We met Ed the prior evening to try his initial bottled releases – a 2011 Thralls Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, and a 2008 Thralls Alder Springs Syrah from Mendocino. Ed, who was a wine blogger in Atlanta, made the Syrah at Crushpad in San Francisco while still living back east. After moving to the west coast in 2010 he further honed his winemaking skills in the cellar at Holdredge, producing his first Pinot Noir. 

The 2008 Alder Springs Syrah I thought was excellent – showing bright blackcurrant fruit along with integrated notes of violet, white pepper, and beef-marinade; with firmly structured tannins and bright acidity. The 2011 Pinot Noir comes from the Prodigy Vineyard near Occidental. It showed lots of funky green earth notes with plenty of tart bright cranberry & cherry fruit, polished mid-palate weight and fine tannins, along with a juicy finish – a solid first Pinot Noir effort.

Ed doling out the samples- photo by Justin

What really impressed me though were Ed’s 2012’s in barrel. Four single vineyard wines (Saralee’s and Bucher from Russian River, Roma’s from Anderson Valley, and Occidental from Sonoma Coast), and a Sonoma Coast blend – all were exhibiting nice bright fruit and rich depth. My early favorite was the Thralls 2012 Roma’s Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley- which showed nice earth, floral and fig notes over a nice vibrant and polished frame.

Holdredge Winery specializes in Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. The lineup was mostly 2011 vintage – a cool year that brought out little extras in the cellar – saignee, pigeage, and longer cold-soaks. This added an apparent depth and richness to the mid-palate that I appreciated throughout the lineup. These wines showed a bright elegance that made way for a rich hedonistic side, exhibiting balance throughout. My favorite was the 2011 Holdredge Selection Massale Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley- a blend of 9 different clones, showing savory spice, violet, dark fruit and earth throughout with a richly layered palate of polish and brightness.

photo by Ed Thralls

Pinot Noir wasn’t the only thing flowing at Holdredge. We tasted Monks Mead, a brand that Justin produces back in Atlanta. Mead is wine fermented from honey. Monks is inoculated with a Champagne yeast and fermented to drink like a beer, resulting in a carbonated beverage with bright and slightly sweet notes, finishing crisp and clean, and with a lethal 12.9% ABV. Justin and his fellow mead-maker Martin sell Monks on draught and in growlers back in Atlanta.

The road to Anderson Valley from Cloverdale takes you through green forests and over pastoral foothills before landing in the narrow valley that’s home to the many up and coming Pinot Noir vineyards and producers. The Drew tasting room in Philo was a good introduction to the valley with a nice lineup of wines, and an interesting host named Susan Robinson. Susan’s a writer and exile from LA who writes a blog that educates and enlightens on the subject of GMO’s in food. She also makes some killer bread.

Jon & Justin with Joe from Foursight

Anderson Valley was highlighted by an epic tasting with winemaker Joe Webb of Foursight Wines in Boonville. Foursight produces Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from their estate Charles Vineyard. Joe makes his Pinot Noir with native yeast fermentations, using partial whole-clusters, and bottles unfined and unfiltered. Aging takes place in new and used French oak barrels from the Allier, Troncais, and Bertranges forests.

I thought this was a stellar lineup of wines. The 2011 Foursight Charles Vineyard Semillon, impressed with bright tropical fruit and savory white pepper and earth tones, along with a richly polished structure. But this was all about Pinot Noir. We tasted wines split between the cool weather 2009 and 2010 vintages. The 2009’s showed massively bright high-tones that brought an expanded fruit profile – think red apple and tropical on top of fig and cherry mineral notes. I loved both the 2009 Foursight Charles Vineyard Zero New Oak Pinot Noir and the 2009 Foursight Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir. The former showed gleaming bright fruit along with slate and earthy spice, on top of an elegant structure. The latter added more floral & mineral depth and richness to the bright high tones. In contrast the 2010’s were more about darker cherry and fig notes and earthy spice. The 2010 Foursight Charles Vineyard Zero New Oak Pinot Noir showed both sweet and savory spice notes, along with tea leaf and sagebrush on top of fig and cherry fruit, with richly layered structure. The 2010 Foursight Charles Vineyard Pommard Clone 5 Pinot Noir was massively layered with pine & eucalyptus earthiness, tea, fig and sandalwood – good acidity and long fine tannins. Quality to price – these estate single vineyard Pinot Noir bottlings are screaming values.

The drive back to Sonoma County passed through the Mendocino Ridge AVA and down the coast. Click here for a full list of tasting notes from this epic day of coastal wines from Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. 

Was freezing my open wine a good idea?

I recently ran across a Cellartracker tasting note mentioning freezing opened wine for later consumption. Intrigued, I posted a note on Wineberserkers.com getting several interesting responses and decided to give it a try.

A quick Google search reveals several sources of information regarding the trial and error and the science of freezing wine. Basically, at common household freezer temperatures the water component of the wine will freeze leaving traces of unfrozen liquid with highly concentrated alcohol. In the short-term the wine remains largely uncompromised, although you might see some sediment from tartaric acid falling out of solution.

In unopened bottles the expansion of the freezing liquid and ultra-low humidity can push out or dry out corks or even crack the glass, so there doesn't really seem to be a practical application for freezing wine unopened. As for storing an opened bottle for later consumption, what I read considered this viable although there were varying opinions on the length of time you would want to leave the wine frozen (or how much the structure might be affected).

I opened a bottle of Melville 2008 Pinot Noir Terraces, Sta. Rita Hills. Out of the bottle and over several hours the wine was showing a full bouquet and drinking with ample bold red fruit along with big spice notes, hints of earth, and richly textured integrated structure, along with some heat on the finish.

Straight from the freezer

With just under half a bottle remaining, I decanted the wine into a 375 ml bottle that I use for storage and placed it diagonally in my freezer. Upon removing the bottle the following day, the mostly frozen wine remained diagonally suspended. I left the bottle on my counter until the liquid leveled out, then placed it in lukewarm water in my sink to finish thawing. After about an hour the wine was at a good approximate 60 degree temperature for drinking Pinot Noir.

In drinking the previously frozen Melville Terraces, whatever affects freezing a wine may have over 24 hours may have were imperceptible to me. I might have said that the structure of the wine had softened ever-so-slightly, but I couldn't be certain. The flavor profile was identical to me, and there was no oxidation. Basically as far as I could reasonably tell I was drinking an identical glass of wine to the one I had decanted 24 hours earlier. Next time I'll try the freezing for a longer time frame.

With mixed results I've pumped, gassed, and dropped little plastic disks into my wine bottles. The only question that remains for me is why this isn't the consensus for saving an opened bottle.

Quick highlights- World of Pinot Noir Grand Tasting

The connection to Arcadian Winery served as my ticket to the World of Pinot Noir Grand Tasting. Friend and fellow blogger Liz D. and I were the friendly faces proudly pouring 2007 vintages of Arcadian Pisoni and Arcadian Fiddlestix Pinot Noirs to the masses - great wines to set the bar for my opportunity to get out from behind the table to taste.

Armed with my phone (camera), a pen, scrap pieces of paper and a WOPN pinot glass, I set out to rapidly taste the chosen producers that I could get to. I tend to prefer the balance/lower alcohol/higher acid/stemmy style of Pinot, so many of the favorites reflect these preferences, however I did try to get to a variety of regions and styles.

Starting with Sta. Rita Hills, Raj Parr was offering a preview of Sandhi's 2011 Pinot Noir Wenzlau, Sta. Rita Hills from magnum. The south-facing vineyard is located high in the hills overlooking the Santa Ynez River, between the Sea Smoke and Mt. Carmel vineyards. The wine is completely whole-cluster fermented, aged in mostly neutral barrel, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The stems were alive with pine-forest and fennel notes along with bright cherry, anise and mineral notes through a long fine structure. As the stems integrate and weave their complexity within the wine this will be one to love.

Paul Lato action shot!

The vaunted Pisoni Vineyard of Santa Lucia Highlands was wonderfully represented by a pair of divergent Pinot Noirs. While his lineup centered around Santa Barbara County, the Paul Lato 2009 Pinot Noir Lancelot Pisoni Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands amazed with its incredible depth and elegance along with seamless layers of earthen spice, florals and bright berry notes throughout. On the other side of the coin the Pisoni Estate 2010 Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands brought a huge profile with pipe-tobacco, black tea and cherry cola over a deep foundation of earth and spice. The tannins were ripe, the acid was integrated and the finish was huge - an epic wine. 

I was quite smitten with two wines from the new Fort Ross-Seaview AVA in the far Sonoma Coast. Flowers 2010 Pinot Noir Sea View Ridge, Sonoma Coast was seamless in its deep layers of dark earthen spice and dried cherry and fig. The wine comes from soils of schist, sandstone and shale and is grown at elevations upwards of 1875'. Fermentation employs partial whole clusters. Failla's 2011 Pinot Noir Whistler, Sonoma Coast is similar in its deep notes of dark earth and spice and fig with firm acids and fine long tannin.

Copain's 2010 "En Haut" Kiser Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley comes from the cool "deep end" of Anderson Valley. The upper parcel of the Kiser Vineyard is notable for the schist and sandstone soils. This was showing beautiful earthy mineral, floral, savory spice and tea notes throughout, highlighted by sharp red cherry and laid out on a beautifully elegant frame. Awesome stuff.

Oregon was well represented with a couple of standouts from Soter & Bergström. The Soter 2010 Pinot Noir Mineral Springs Ranch, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton is grown in sloping south-facing siltstone soils and destemmed prior to fermentation, with the resulting wines aged in 30% new French oak barrels. The profile showed a melange of savory spice notes to go along with sous bois and bright fig, stitched with a tightly-wound elegant structure. The 2011 Bergström 2011 Pinot Noir De Lancellotti, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains in contrast highlights a bright minerality of chalk and limestone to go along with rich fig fruit and great depth of violet, mushroom and spice notes wound in a silky rich structure. 

These highlights represent what was on balance a fine grouping of exciting Pinot Noir producers that I tasted through. Click here for notes on all of the wines I tasted.

Tasting highlights- Garagiste Festival, Southern Exposure

Southern Exposure, the Garagiste Festival previewed last month, was an exciting and eclectic mix of Santa Barbara County wineries. Ranging from the small and well-known to the smaller and more obscure, the festival grand tasting provided a one-stop shop opportunity for exposure to new Santa Barbara wineries and vineyards.

Among the new and interesting favorites were Altman Winery. The winery is so small that the website is a Wordpress blog and I had to manually input the wines on Cellartracker. Proprietor Mike Altman produces a pleasant and inexpensive Santa Ynez Valley Chardonnay and Rosé, but what really shined was a pair of Petite Sirahs from the Sunset Ridge vineyard in Paso Robles. Both the 2008 and 2009 Altman Petite Sirah Sunset Ridge showed bright wild blue fruit, violet, and tangy mineral notes - with the 2009 adding firm complexity to the structure.

Baehner Fournier Vineyards is located in the eastern hills of the Santa Ynez Valley. The Baehners decided to plant Bordeaux varietals on their property and are now bottling quality Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot from hillside fruit. Their 2010 Baehner Fournier Estate Merlot is grown in gravely clay on sloping northeast-facing blocks. The wine is cold-soaked and fermented in small open-top fermenters with aging for 19 months in 20% new French oak. It's got a pleasing leathery cedary blueberry nose, with balance and layers of flavor, and lingering polish on the finish.

Living near the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, I often drive by the Kessler-Haak vineyard. Planted in 2005 and next to Clos Pepe, it's an organically farmed vineyard on rolling hillsides and sandy loam soils. I had yet to try their wines, but it's a no-brainer that the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay would be as good as they were. I enjoyed the entire lineup, with the highlight being the 2010 Kessler-Haak Vineyards Pinot Noir Clone 2a. It towed the line between brooding dark fruit & earth, with brighter mineral and floral notes building tension and complexity- a very nice wine. With the vineyard at only 8 years of age, it will be fun to watch these Pinot Noirs develop complexities in future vintages.

Josh Klapper's La Fenêtre Wines come from multiple vineyard sites throughout Santa Barbara County. The specialty is bright and elegant Burgundian Varietals, along with Syrah. Josh's Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah from Santa Maria Valley were shining on this day. The 2010 La Fenêtre Chardonnay Bien Nacido shows beautifully bright lime and slate notes that counter a subtle toastiness. The 2010 La Fenêtre Pinot Noir Presqu'ile shows depth with rich dark fruit notes complimenting the floral earth and cherry elegance. One of the biggest and baddest Syrahs that I tasted at the event was the 2009 La Fenêtre Syrah Z Block Bien Nacido, showing wet-earth, sandalwood, cured meat and black currant, highlighted a bright mineral-acid streak and stitched together with huge structure- epic stuff.

Long a key vineyard in the new Ballard Canyon AVA, Larner Vineyard began producing its namesake wines in 2009. Ballard Canyon is known primarily for richly elegant Syrah and other Rhone varietals grown in the moderately cool hillside slopes in the center of the Santa Ynez Valley. The 2009 Larner Vineyard Elemental, a Grenache/Syrah blend, is hugely deep and expressive with mint, cherry, blueberry, earth and spice notes - quite a beautiful wine. The 2009 Larner Vineyard Syrah shows beautiful mineral, earth and floral notes that compliment the spice laden dark fruit. 

These aforementioned highlights capped off an enjoyable day of new Santa Barbara wine discoveries. Click here for a full list of 33 wines tasted at the event.

Quick impressions from the 2013 Pasadena PinotFest

Happening annually in February, the Pasadena PinotFest is surely a highlight on the Los Angeles-area wine lover's calendar. Benefiting local charity, the events run for several weeks before culminating with a Grand Tasting held at the Altadena Town & Country Club overlooking the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains - a beautiful setting in which to showcase new and top producers of California Pinot Noir. Like last year's tasting the producers in attendance were mostly Central Coast, although there were a few North Coast producers represented. I worked the event for Arcadian Winery, but a few moments in the crowd provided highlights and exciting new discoveries.

A trio of 2011 Sonoma Coast beauties from Sojourn Cellars. Impressive for their opulent balance- rich and pretty. The Sangiacomo vineyard bottling was my favorite.

Gypsy Canyon's estate vineyard is located in the northwest corner of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The 2011 Trois was filled with intensity of fruit, florals, and earth. The amazing packaging is a lightweight hand-blown glass and is capped with beeswax.

Randy Rozak's wines come also come from the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills. Deep and brooding with tons of earthy complexity, wines such as the Rozack 2006 C Block from the Rozak Ranch are notable for their youthfulness as well as value.

Other highlights included 2009 Zotovich Estate, 2010 Alma Rosa La Encantada, and 2008 Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Julia's Vineyard. Click here for tasting notes on all of the above wines.

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!

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.

Burgundy-Arcadian tasting at Opal in Santa Barbara

The view from the frontline

Last week I had occasion to attend a tasting put on by a group of Burgundy enthusiasts in Santa Barbara. I work part-time for Arcadian Winery, and my earlier communication with the group’s organizer through www.winebeserkers.com helped to get the ball rolling.

In essence, we blind-tasted select 1er Cru & Grand Cru Burgundy alongside several Arcadian wines over a dinner of food-pairings matched for the occasion. The restaurant was Opal in Santa Barbara. I can’t say enough good things about their hospitality, service, as well as the wonderful food!

Joe Davis of Arcadian paired the wine flights. We then brown-bagged them for the tasting and the evening was then off and running. Joe presided over the tasting while sharing his love of Burgundy and his thoughts about winemaking and viticulture.

The evening was a real treat. I appreciate the opportunity to have been involved. As much as I love tasting and drinking Burgundy, it’s still a not-often-enough kind of treat for me at this point. Click the link to read the menu, wines and tasting notes- written by Blake Brown, who was the event organizer.

My four favorite wines of the night (Arcadian excluded of course):

2006 Virgile Lignier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Cuvée Jules" 

Tasted blind. Brambly aromas of earth, herb, anise and cherry fruit. Densely complex palate with fig, sandalwood, mineral, licorice, spice and earth. Fine and firm structure, silky through the palate and a long finish. Very nice. 

2007 Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux

Tasted blind. Aromas of cola, fennel, fig and violet. Juicy red fruit on the palate with nicely layered spice, tea and floral depth. Fine, round and polished with a full expressive finish. Very enjoyable at a quick glance. 

2003 Lucien Le Moine Pommard 1er Cru Les Épenots

Tasted blind. Dark aromas of espresso, black cherry, sagebrush and earth. Brighter on the palate with tea, cherry, spice and mineral notes. Silky fine tannin with juicy acid. Full fruit notes on a lengthy finish. Nice and accessible at this juncture.

2001 Gros Frère et Sœur Grands-Echezeaux

Tasted blind. Savory bouquet- earth, mushroom, sage, cola and fig. More fig on the palate with darker fruit notes, along with anise, tea and earth notes. Juicy acid with polished feel and fine tannin. Full finish.

The architects

Cadre Vineyards 2008 Pinot Noir The Architects, Central Coast

I received a bottle of Cadre Vineyards 2008 Pinot Noir The Architects as a gift from a friend. This is a wine project showcasing four pioneering Pinot Noir vineyards in the four primary AVA's for Pinot Noir in the southern Central Coast of CA. Firepeak Vineyard (Edna Valley) and Laititia Vineyard (Arroyo Grande Valley) are represented from San Luis Obispo County, while Bien Nacido Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley) and La Encantada Vineyard (Sta. Rita Hills) represent Santa Barbara County. 

On the 2008, the Santa Barbara vineyards make up about 60% of the blend. After fermentation the wine is aged for 10 months in one year old French oak barrels from a variety of coopers. Retail from the winery is $50 although the average Cellartracker value is closer to $40. 

Overall this is a moderately ripe style with good acid backbone. I aerated with Vinturi and made the following note- dense garnet-brick color. Complexity on the bouquet with aromas of sandalwood, lavender, fig, slate and savory spice. Silky on the palate with fig/cherry and more mineral and earthy depth shown on the bouquet. Firm acid through the palate with fine tannins. Medium- 30 second finish. Still compact- should develop nicely over the next few years. Very good.

I liked the wine- a nice representation of the Central Coast Pinot Noir with little unique flourishes of each region. More Santa Maria and Edna Valley on the bouquet with a little more Sta. Rita Hills on the palate. It's not so much in the profile of Pinot Noir that I normally buy (I'm a sucker for single vineyard Pinot), so it was a nice discovery.

Catching up with veraison.

Entertaining out of town guests gave me the opportunity to capture a couple of veraison pictures in Santa Barbara wine country. The top picture is Pinot Noir at Melville in Sta. Rita Hills. The bottom is Pinot Noir at Cambria along Tepusquet Rd in Santa Maria Valley. The Melville picture is valley floor fruit and the Cambria is benchland fruit. I suspect the sloping and higher elevation vineyards, especially in Sta. Rita Hills, are a little further behind.

The 2012 vintage in Santa Barbara County has been sunny, dry and cool. In Sta. Rita Hills it's been mostly under 80 degrees in the afternoon with cool foggy mornings. It will be interesting to see if things remain on such an even keel the rest of the season.

On a side note, I visited Sanford Winery for the first time today. I've respected the history of Sanford, but figured I'd missed out on its heyday. What I found was an exceptional lineup of wines showing bright full fruit along with elegance and balance. The trio of single vineyard Pinot Noirs were outstanding. I found them overall to be pure, deep and balanced. They were the 2009 La Rinconada Pinot Noir, the 2009 Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir and the 2009 Dominio Del Falcon Pinot Noir.

Day 2- A Sunday in Northern Sonoma

Day 2 of my Napa/Sonoma weekend junket saw me in Northern Sonoma tasting a variety of wines from a variety of appellations. 

Sunday ended up as a trip from Siduri's Santa Rosa winery, throughout the Middle Reach area of the Russian River Valley at Copain and Porter Creek, and up to Ridge-Lytton Springs in the Dry Creek Valley. Aside from plenty of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it was a great day to taste varietals ranging from Viognier & Pinot Noir Blanc to Zinfandel, Syrah & Carignane.

Siduri is located in an industrial complex in Santa Rosa- a large open warehouse space filled with fermentation tanks, barrels and cases- with a tasting area carved out within and plenty of variety to be had. Their Novy Family wines featured Chardonnay, a white Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Syrah, Zinfandel and a late-harvest Viognier- most of which were single vineyard. Overall the Novy wines were distinctive and terroir-driven with good value. Among the Siduri Pinot Noirs were four new 2010 releases including three single vineyards- 2010 Chehalem Mountains Willamette Valley, 2010 Sonatera Sonoma Coast, 2010 Ewald Russian River Valley & 2010 Cargasacchi Sta. Rita Hills. The Sonatera and Cargasacchi were highlights for me.

Copain was a magical and lustrous spot perched up on a hill along Eastside Road. The winery and tasting room overlooks their estate vineyard on one side, and the greater expanse of valley floor vineyards on the other. It's a nice showcase for the wines, which were pure and focused with deft balance and elegance. Tasted were current release "Tous Ensemble" and "Les Voisins" wines from Anderson Valley (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah) as well as a single vineyard Pinot Noir- 2009 "En Bas" Kiser from Anderson Valley. Overall a beautiful assortment of wines. 

The Ridge tasting room at Lytton Springs is a great place to view 100+ year old Zinfandel vines as well as taste a full assortment from of Ridge wines- from the Monte Bello wines in the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Zinfandel and blends from Sonoma. Lastly, Porter Creek has a cool little tasting room along Westside Road overlooking their organic vineyards on one side and a MacMurray Ranch vineyard on the other. Their wines overall show bright fruit with balanced Russian River spice and earth along with a hint of rusticity.

Below are my favorite wines from the day (click the link for price and tech info as available).

Siduri 2010 Pinot Noir Sonatera, Sonoma Coast-

Compact aromas of spice, sagebrush, sandalwood and fig. Interesting red notes on the palate- spice, dates, fig and sarsaparilla. Nicely weighted and smooth fine tannins. Full breathy finish. Very nice.

Siduri 2010 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi, Sta. Rita Hills- 

Dense all the way through. Aromas of sage, plum, mossy earth and violet. The palate featured densely layered red and dark fruit, eucalyptus, earth and mushroom. Smooth and lithe through the palate with fine tannins and a lengthy breathy finish. Very nice, needs a little time.

Novy Family 2009 Syrah Rosella's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands-

Aromas of tea leaf, olive, black pepper, violet & bacon fat- with blue fruit and cassis on the palate accented violet and white pepper. Fine grainy tannins and full breathy finish. Very nice.

Novy Family 2010 Viognier Oley Late Harvest, Russian River Valley-

Aromas of slate, honey and apricot- shown with focused baking spice and gingerbread depth on the palate. Nicely balanced and intense. Full finish.

Copain 2010 Chardonnay "Tous Ensemble", Anderson Valley-

Bright aromas- Meyer lemon, riverstone and spice. Similar notes on the palate, very bright fruit with mineral accents and toasty lees. Rich and silky and bright throughout with a full finish. Very nice.

Copain 2009 Pinot Noir "LesVoisins", Anderson Valley-

Bouquet of clove, eastern spice, fig & sandalwood. Bright raspberry & fig with earthy spice depth on the palate. Elegant textures, fine tannins and a full plush finish. Very nice.

Copain 2009 Pinot Noir "En Bas" Kiser, Anderson Valley- 

Complex and dense bouquet- bright raspberry & fig paste with a myriad of spice and floral aromas. Beautifully layered and textured fruit with earth, spice and wood depth- woven and seamless and still tightly wound but very pretty. Fine smooth fleshy tannin with lingering depth on finish. Needs a few years. Outstanding.

Copain 2009 Syrah "Les Voisins", Yorkville Highlands- 

Plump aromas of black pepper, black olive, marinating beef, violet and plum. Pure fruit and savory depth on the palate- seamlessly woven with fleshy feel and fine firm tannins and full finish. Deft balance. Excellent.

Ridge 2010 Geyserville, Alexander Valley- 

Tasted at Lytton Springs. Aromas of black pepper, blue fruit and wild earth. Juicy and ripe fruit on the palate with savory like leather and spice. Roundly structured and an ample finish. Very good.

Ridge 2007 Syrah Lytton Estate, Dry Creek Valley-

Expressive aromas of anise, savory spice, blueberry and lavender. Peppery dark and red fruit on the palate with accents of blue flowers, licorice and cola. Round smooth tannins and a breathy juicy finish. Very nice.

Ridge 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains- 

Notes of cedar, tobacco, cassis, berry and leather. Layered and complex and elegant. Juicy with nice depth and feel. Fine firm tannins and a medium finish. Very nice.

Ridge 2007 Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains-

Big savory notes on the bouquet- tobacco leaf, earth, shoebox leather; rich and deep with cassis and currant peeking through. Rich and fine on the palate with layered fruit and depth- still very dense and tightly wound. Fine tannins and lengthy finish.

Porter Creek 2010 Old Vine Chardonnay, Russian River Valley- 

Notes of slate, lemon and stone fruit. Rich and balanced on the palate with stone fruit, spice and traces of mineral notes. Medium finish with lingering spice.

Porter Creek 2009 Pinot Noir Fiona Hill, Russian River Valley- 

High pitched spice and plum on the bouquet. The palate led with plum and cherry along with mulled spice and rocky mineral notes that were balanced and integrated. Nicely layered structure with fine tannins and a pleasing finish.

Porter Creek 2009 Zinfandel Old Vine, Sonoma Co- 

Blue fruit on the nose with subtle mulled spice. Red cherry and red currant notes on the palate that are jammy and juicy, along with notes of earth and cracked pepper. Juicy fleshy tannins and a nice long finish. Very nice.

Porter Creek 2009 Syrah Timbervine Ranch, Russian River Valley-

Huge Syrah nose of green olive, bacon fat, cracked pepper and black currant. On the palate is grainy black fruit with savory herb and pepper notes. Nice depth. Coarse tannins with a nice richness on the palate. Breathy finish. Very nice.