The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

2006 Robert Foley Pinot Blanc, Napa Valley

2006 Robert Foley Pinot Blanc, Napa Valley

First off, this is one of the most expensive screw cap whites I have had at around $23, but I would expect to pay this much for one of Robert Foley's wines. Known primarily as the man behind the superb Pride wines and his excellent eponymously named Charbonos, Foley wines are always noted for their balance between extraction and acidity, with big aromatics on both red and white wines.

If you're expecting green grapefruit-y Pinot Grigio, you're in for a big surprise. Wrong wine for that.  This is a medium to full-bodied, big wine with a very European oily-ness to it that is instantly appealing. Without being quite as pungent and floral as an older Kuntz-bas Pinot Blanc,  it has a a lot of aromatics in it, most of which vaguely reminiscent of a Rousanne or Marsanne.Its bracing acidity makes it very food friendly, while the fullness of the Napa fruit rounds it off. Recommended.

Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé Party

The other night I was invited to a party celebrating Domaine Carneros (by Tattinger) Brut Rosé at a very cool bar called Harlot. The scene was an interesting mix of the geek and the glamorous, and made me glad I was a guy --I didn't have to wear a bustier!

A close look at the label's homage to Madame Pompadour and you can see that this is clearly geared toward knocking a few bottles of Veuve Clicquot Rosé off the shelves. It is a very different wine, however, (not the typical French yeast/bread notes). --and about $20 cheaper.

Tasting Notes:
It has the generous fruit of a California sparkler, with an interesting blend of Pinot Noir and some Chardonnay for body and color balance. A nice tartness and faint wild strawberry nose makes this very pleasing with food, and the color is very appealing. The finish is largely Pinot darkness. This would be particularly good with a rich cheesy first course.

Book Brief: Hip Tastes by Courtney Cochran

If you're reading this blog with any regularity, you probably don't need this book yourself, but know someone for whom it would be a perfect gift. How many times do you get asked a wine question that is so broad that an answer would fill a whole book? Well, this is the book.

Courtney Cochran is a certified sommelier and has a business called "Your Personal Sommelier" and holds events under the "Hip Tastes" brand in San Francisco. She has put together what looks on the surface a very basic book about how to get started learning about wine, but a deeper look into the book reveals some extremely thoughtful touches: a good pronunciation guide of essential terms, a wine place-names appendix with a good sampling of which grapes are associated with which region in Europe, and another appendix with world wine regions, sub-regions, recommended producers, and recent top vintages. She's also included a guide to yearly wine festivals around the U.S., and some good wine tourism web addresses.

But beyond the resources in the back of the book, there are some other excellent topics I haven't seen many other places, like winery etiquette and how many wineries one should hit for the non-spitting crowd. Wine pairings are pretty basic, but a good beginning for someone trying to make sense out of a new wine list.

Really, the most remarkable thing about this book is that she avoids the endless name dropping that is so easy to do when writing a basic wine book. Instead, she focuses on elemental knowledge and does it in a fun,  Generation-Y kind of writing style. The shape of the book looks like it's intended to live next to the Food & Wine guides, or Oz Clark's guides, or in the supermarket checkout line where it would work well for the female wine buyer market. (BTW, women buy LOTS of wine, both supermarket and boutique wines.)

So, if you have someone who really wants a "Cliff Notes" starter book for wine, don't have them begin with the Wine Bible, but rather with something like  Hip Tastes. 

Full disclosure: this was a press sample.

Gin & Tonic, and a Shine? Intrigued?

New Yorkers!  Hendrick's is doing a free event where you can sip a free G&T made with Hendrick's, of course, and get your shoes shined. Sounds pretty fun. I would wear two or three pairs of shoes if I were you. Alas, I am out on the West Coast, so I'll just take your comments whence you've returned with shiny shoes and a shine on.

Pete’s Tavern
129 East 18th Street (Corner of Irving Place)
New York, NY 10003
7PM – 9PM
Thursday November 1, 2007

On Bien Nacido Vineyards 2007

There are those vineyard names in the U.S. that should immediately trigger the buy-response: Hirsch, Savoy, Hayne, Alegria, Dutton Ranch... and at the top of the list should be Bien Nacido Vineyards.

Recently, I had the rare privilege to get an all-morning tour of Bien Nacido Vineyards, as well as a great sampling of what world-class winemakers can do with her wares. Bien Nacido consists of more than six-hundred planted acres of Santa Barbara County's finest vineyard property, most on a slight slope, with some prizes, like the famous "Q", "Y", and "Z" -blocks perched upon the surrounding hills.

In amongst the vines are the winemaking facilities that first put Bien Nacido on the map --Au Bon Climat/Qupé as well as the relative newcomer,  Ambrullneo.  ABC's Jim Clendenon and Qupé's Bob Lindquist were early pioneers with BN fruit, as Jim's wonderful "30th Anniversary Bien Nacido Pinot" moniker attests. It is also the far-sighted planning of the Miller family, who own the vineyards, that early-on created the infrastructure for the incredible success of her grapes. Even back in 1969, when the first grapes were planted here, things like metal trellising and galvanized irrigation that would resist rot were installed. While vine space philosophies are still being refined, these early decisions were key to the vineyard's success and longevity.

First and foremost, the Bien Nacido Vineyards name resonates with quality. I would urge anyone unfamiliar with these wines to start with some of my favorites below, some of which I bought recently and some of which were given to me as press samples.

A Sampling of Current Bien Nacido Vineyards Offerings

2005 Whitcraft Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley, Bien Nacido Vineyards "Q-Block"
Scents of cloves, licorice, and wild strawberries hit you after moments of herbal woodiness (burnt straw) blow off. This wine has a huge mouthfeel and viscous thickness and is made in an intense, driven style. The flavor is peppery and smokey with a beautiful long finish. One of my favorites from this tasting.

2006 Qupé Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley, Bien Nacido "Y-Block"
At the first pop of the cork, the scent rising from the bottle was Chassagne Montrachet --my current white obsession. 30 minutes and 1/2 a bottle later, the reminder is still there--honey, white truffles and light-toasted oak. The body is medium-full and a touch oily. The balance between the oak and fruit is textbook-correct. This generous wine is one of the finest American chardonnays I have tested in the past few years and I can't wait to find more. Highest recommendation.

2005 Lincourt Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley, Bien Nacido Vineyards
I've long been a fan of this second-level offering from Foley, and this is no exception. This smells of lime peel and pineapple/tropicals. It's clean and dry, without being too tart, medium bodied with a super long finish. This great all-around chardonnay has near perfect balance between fruit and wood.

2005 Au Bon Climat Pinot "Knox Alexander", Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Vineyards
Earthy and ripe, this great example of BNV fruit shows spice and raspberries on the nose, great body and some of the magical Burgudian funk that Jim gets in his Pinots. Wonderful.

2002 J. Wilkes Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyards, Block Q
This is a great example of what 5 years of aging does to wines from Bien Nacido Vineyards. This superb pinot is mature and already a tad brown on the edges, with a very nice weight to it. Tastes like a Burgundy, full-stop. Classic and classy, gracefully matured but still has a youthful expression of fruit. Highly recommended.

2005 Qupé Syrah Santa Maria Valley, Bien Nacido Vineyards
Classic Santa Maria terroir with stoney minerality. This wine is intense and explosive with brambly blackberries on the tongue. The lean is toward the brooding side rather than the sunny side. The super long, clean finish says that in a few more years, this will be a wonder.

From another Miller family holding in Paso Robles, the French Camp:
Barrel 27 "High on the Hog" Rhone-style white. 42% Viognier, 34% Rousanne, and 24% Marsanne. This is a white with a huge voluptuous body, weighing in at 15.1% alcohol. Very oily and fragrant, mostly of viognier. Deep with roasted pineapple and vanilla scents. This wine is not off-dry, but is so heady that it's sweet aromas may fool you into thinking it has some residual sugar. Best on its own.

For those who are new to Bien Nacido Vineyards, and Santa Maria Wines, the newly formed Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association will be hosting a passport event on Saturday December 1st. This will be a great opportunity to taste Bien Nacido wines from such wineries as Foxen, Kenneth Volk Vineyards, and Wild Horse, and tour the tasting rooms of the Santa Maria Valley for one price upfront. For more information, please visit the Santa Maria Valley Wine country website.

Grange Opening: New Tasting Room in Sonoma

I have to admit, I rarely go to tasting rooms. More often, I find myself tasting in the cellars, tank rooms, barrel rooms and kitchens of wine makers and at large formal tastings. This weekend though, I was invited to an opening of a tasting room featuring a new collective of boutique wine makers.

Grange Sonoma is located right on Hwy 121 opposite Gloria Ferrer in the Cornerstone Place shopping center, near Roshambo. Each of the present members of the collective makes such small quantities of wine, that I hope they don't sell out of everything too soon. All are pretty extraordinary wine makers and I was blown away by the quality of almost everything I tasted. Also, kudos to their PR agency (or was it just 8 email lists combined?) for having the place absolutely packed on opening day. I was invited by Sasha from Eno, and was familiar with Harrington wines, but everything else was brand new to me.

Here are the wineries tasting now at Grange: Carcia, Derbès, Dutch Bill Creek/Heinz, Enkidu, Eno, Harrington, Mantra, and Tallulah.

And my favorites: (I bought nearly a case of mixed wine):

2003 Derbès Carneros Chardonnay - plenty of acidity balances out the tropical notes.
2005 Mantra Sonoma Cabernet - Nice scents of Dry Creek spice - great value at $25
2003 Mantra Revelations Reserve Caberneet - Round and huge, extracted without being stewed. Great at $35
2006 Enkidu "Tina Marie" Russian River Pinot Noir - beautiful ripe tannins from Green Valley AVA.
2006 Harrington "Wiley" Pinot - Super clean and fruity from the deepend of Anderson Valley
2006 Harrington "Cap's Crown" Pinot - Really great, round and light colored, from Petaluma Gap.
2006 Harrington " Iund" Pinot - On the peppery side with a long, long finish. Very lovely.
2006 Harrington "Gallante" Pinot - Bigger expression of fruit with great balance of finesse and muscle.
2005 Dutch Bill Creek Sonoma Coast Chardonnay - lovely beeswax scents, nice clean flavor.
2006 Dutch Bill Creek Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - Bright with a super long finish. Good value.
2006 Heintz Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir - One of the high points. Peppery and round, clean finish goes on...
2006 Tallulah "Femme d'Argent" Sauvignon Blanc - Ripe and rich, no grapefruit or cat pee, just fruit. Yum.
2004 Tallulah Sonoma Coast Syrah - Highly perfumed and elegant. The lightest of the Tallulah Syrahs.
2004 Tallulah "Del Rio Vineyard" Rogue Valley Syrah, Oregon - smokey. Best Rogue Valley wine I've had.
2004 Tallulah Mt. Veeder Syrah - Huge mouthful of dark delicious fruit from dry farmed, 2000 ft. elev. vines.
2005 Eno Eaglepoint Grenache - lighter in style than his '04, just the right amount of extraction. Very good.
2005 Eno "P5" Pinot- round with a touch of sweet fruit, lovely balance of acids from Santa Lucia.
2005 Eno Old Vine Zinfandel - Peppery but lighter in style with scents (not mass) from 6% Petite Syrah.
2005 Eno "S5" Syrah - Smokey but elegant, nice complex aromas of olives and earth. 10% whole cluster

Honestly, you can make an afternoon of just this tasting room, Roshambo, and some great shops. (I especially like "Zipper"). Plan on it next time you're heading up to Sonoma.

WBW #39 Announced: Silver Burgundy

The Brooklyn Guy is taking the reins for next month's Wine Blogging Wednesday. You taste the wine, post on your blog, and write to our generous host on November 14th, 2007 and  be included in the round-up of this month's theme, "Silver Burgundy".  We're not talking about the Gold Coast (Côte D'Or) but rather, the more affordable areas like the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais.

Look to the villages within these, such as Mâcon or Mâcon-Villages, or Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny. There are plenty of easy to find wines and good values to choose from. I'm looking forward to this one. Coincidentally, tonight I have a glass of Premier Cru Montagny in my hand as I write this, and I have quite a few to choose from. Those in the Bay Area should really consider heading over to the Wine House on Carolina Street & 17, my choice spot for good values in Burgundy.

Best Wine Bar and Wine Shop in Santa Rosa

I was in Santa Rosa in January and saw this wine shop and bar in Railroad Square and alas, it was closed. I went in last night and was really blown away.

Wine Spectrum
123 Fourth Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
707-636-1064

Not only are there are hard to find California wines, there are tons of the best of the Old World as well, and at very good prices.  The by-the-glass list is full of great treats as well, and is in a very comfy scene. 

Perhaps this place struck me, as it had practically the same stuff as in my cellar...loads of great Rhones (Autard, Beaucastel) and Burgundies, Italian Nebbiolos, and cult-Cal Chards(Hanzell) and Cabs.

Make a trip next time you're in Santa Rosa. (Before dinner at Zazu) Highly Recommended.

Wine Blogging Wednesdays #38: Portuguese Reds

This post isn't going to start on the wine, rather starting with the lack thereof. I live in an area where you can get Krug at my local supermarket, but it took 5 local stores to find a Portuguese wine that fit the bill. I started in my local specialty shops, those filled with tasty treats from nooks and crannies all around the world, but nothing to be had other than vintage Port.

You see, for this one I was most interested in seeing what was out there. Besides the two reviewed below, I found only one other dry red, and it was nearly $70 from a boutique winery in Portugal that I was unfamiliar with. It took good ol' Cost Plus to have the biggest selection of Portuguese red wines...three to be exact.

So one thing is that our hosts, at Catavino, (Iberian specialists), got out of this is me running around complaining to all my merchants to get more Portuguese wines!

Another fascinating thing is that two of the three I found at Cost Plus from from international wine moguls, Freixinet and Domaine Baron de Rothschild. I thought I would try the Baron's and another, Adriano from Adriano Ramos Pinto.

Dom Marthinho 2003  Vino Regional Alentejano (Domaines Baron De Rothschild)

Medium in color and quite fragrant, largely of Cabernet. This is a blend of Aragones (tempranillo), Cab and Syrah. The Syrah gives is it a certain spiciness which is very appealing. This is made in the style something like a super-Tuscan with lots of clean toasted new oak. I say toasted because it has a distinct smokiness to the nose, along with a fresh earthiness. There is also some typical raisin-like aromas of many Tempranillos. A good value for under $15.