Wine freezing fallout, rosé tasted blind, & a nifty Mersault pairing

It's been a busy week at the world headquarters of Wine I Like! I think I bummed some folks out on Linked In with my wine freezing... My three commenters there seemed genuinely offended, although I'm not sure they actually read the blog post or checked the links. It's funny what gets people riled up.

Elsewhere, I participated in the latest installment of the Central Coast Wine Press Tasting Panel. We enjoyed  a couple of rosé wines tasted blind and paired with cheeses, charcuterie and pulled pork. One was Central Coast and the other Provence. The group opinions were mixed, but I definitely leaned toward the 2012 Domaine de la Fourquette Cotes du Provence Cuvee Rosee d'Aurore over the 2011 Carhartt Grenache Rosé Santa Ynez Valley. It was a contrast in styles - crisp, dry and aromatic newly released Provence vs round, full and luscious Central Coast with a year of bottle age. At any rate it was great fun with good folks. Click here to read Laurie's full notes on the evening.

Finally, I decided it was time to "close the deal" on a purchase I made from Wines 'Till Sold Out two years ago. I wanted to open my second and final bottle of 2007 Louis Latour Mersault-Blagny 1er Cru Château de Blagny ($37 each with free shipping), so I decided to search on Google for good Chardonnay pairings. What I found was a simple recipe of chicken leg quarters roasted in white wine, marjoram, cream & butter that was recommended for "medium oak-influenced Chardonnay" - the rich dark meat of the chicken alights the fruit and richness of the wine. It was a solid pairing and the wine showed well otherwise- Austere and nutty upon opening, it really came alive after an hour or two. Light gold in color with aromas of toasted almond, river rock and lemon zest. Bright citrus and stone fruit flavors framed with dried herb, mineral and nutty notes. Richly layered and brightly polished, with a full 45 second finish of spice, herb and citrus. It continued to improve until the end of the bottle. Very nice. Drink/short term hold. It was so good I didn't even have to freeze it!

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-