The Corkdork - Wine and Food Musing

Wine Blogging Wednesday #54: A Passion for Piedmont

I'm thrilled to be a part of this month's WBW because I just acquired a small stash of this the 2000 Cantina Vignaioli Barbaresco "Marcarini" (Elvio Pertinace) and have been dying to try it. To me, wines of the Piedmont, especially those from the noble Nebbiolo grape. Barbarescos are often seen as having a gentler personality than Barolo due to planting on less steep vineyards, but their wines can be just as rewarding. Barbaresco is made in only three villages, Barbaresco, Neive, and Treiso (home to Marcarini).

I remember back in the 1980s, you had to have fortitude of steel to drink Barolo and Barbaresco that hadn't been aged for at least 15 years. Up until then, winemaking practices in the region exacerbated the tannic qualities of Nebbiolo by extended fermentation time, thereby extracting more tannin from the skin, and very long barrel aging. Modern techniques and modern buyer preferences for drinking younger wines have forced a lot of winemakers to adjust by using temperature controlled fermentation tanks and judicious use of oak time. 

As for the 200o vintage, I've seen ratings overall from the 94 range to 100 points and notes of it being an early ripening vintage.

Tasting Notes:

2000 Cantina Vignaioli Barbaresco "Marcarini" (Elvio Pertinace)

First, I read some not-s0-nice things about bad corks in this batch imported, but though my cork is very wet, the wine seems to be in fine shape with no trace of TCA. The scents that first arise are those of brandied prunes, lavender-like herbs, chocolate-covered raspberries, and saddle leather. It is medium colored, but hugely mouth-filling and lush. There are some grippy tannins on the palate but the wine is immediately likeable and delicious. Give it time in the glass and the wild herbal qualities come through. Recommended.

Sonoma County Visit (part three)

One of the main reasons for my trip was a visit to Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines. At Pinot Days, I was taken by her wines and her earnestness about being a steward of her vines. Her Pinot Noir clones 777, 667, 115, and 114 and Pinot Gris clone 146 vines were planted 9 years ago and already, have a keen sense of place and the earmarks of the Russian River Valley minerality. She's been focused on organic treatments of her vines and has been using food scrap compost from San Francisco Restaurants since 2002. I'm not sure if I can taste the organic treatment in her wines, and I wouldn't expect to, but what you can really taste is the care put into each bottle and that's palpable.

 We sat, tasted, and chatted about wine and her methods and philosophy but then there was a moment when I think we both realized that we could also talk as friends and talk about our kids and cooking and recipes and anything else. It is just these kind of moments that keeps me driven to find producers I connect with and wines I feel I need to bring attention to.

Once again, I have to apologize to my readers without easy access to small production wines. I you can, just buy direct from Kathleen.

Here are the wines I tasted and I really liked all of them. I went home with a whole bunch of 'em.

2007 Inman Family Pinot Gris
This has lovely minerality and isn't over-ripe. It has a refreshingly low alcohol for a Pinot Gris, with characteristic body and weight. Recommended.

2006 Inman Family Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
This wine from their Olivet Range property and Thorn Ridge Ranch has gobs of dark cherry fruit and enough generous tannins to last for the long haul. She also bottled a limited bottling for charity named after her daughter labeled as "Meredith". Someday, I'm sure these will become collector's items. 

2006 Inman Family Thorn Road (Ridge) Ranch Pinot Noir
This bottling is pretty well extracted with very racy acidity to match. It's wild and game-y but still made in what I can only descibe as the feminine style of a Pommard - powerful velvet. 2800 cases only so seek this out. This wine was harvested with a touch of botrytis but skillful winemaking prevailed and this wine is earthy but clean.

2006 Olivet Grange Vineyard (OGV) Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
This wine absolutely pops with spicy hits of cloves and has a super clean finish. Remarkable and delicious.

2005 Olivet Grange Vineyard (OGV) Pinot Noir,  Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
This is one of those magical wines from the Russian River Valley that has the lightness of a young Burgundy with the powerful depth of flavor of Sonoma. This is Kathleen's current favorite and mine too.

BTW, Kathleen's also a blogger and her tasting room is in Windsor, off the beaten-track and well worth the call and visit.

Sonoma County Visit (part two)

Next stop of my mini-tour was Pellegrini Family Wines, very close to Lynmar Estate. One of their bottlings, the Olivet Lane Pinot 2005 showed very well at Pinot Days last year and I was excited to get a tour of this pioneering family estate. The Pellegrinis had a fascinating beginning that most of us probably never thought of, but it was clever enough to jump start the business and keep it alive some 75 years later. They started during prohibition as grape distributors. Anyone was able to make 200 gallons of wine for family consumption during prohibition and many immigrants knew how to make their own wine but had no source for grapes. After the repeal of prohibition in 1933 they officially started the winery. There is lots of history in their tasting room, so make a point to stop by next time you're in the Russian River area.

Here were my favorites from my tasting.

2007 Pellegrini Sauvignon Blanc, Leveroni Vineyard, Lake County
Lots of tangerine peel and hints of grapefruit within a pretty, creamy wine. Very good acidity and all steel aging.

2006 Olivet Lane Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley
1/3rd new oak on this added some nice body and scents of vanilla. Good value at around $US24.

2005 Olivet Lane Estate Reserve Cuveé Chardonnay
This is full and has an unctuousness to it that I really liked. Scents of pear crisp.

2006 Olivet Lane Estate Pinot Noir,  Russian River Valley
This has big up-front flavors of ripe cherries and spice. Medium bodied with a smooth texture.

2005 Cloverdale Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon - Alexander Valley
Lots of spicy green pepper, eucalyptus, and wild herbs. Very good balance of old and new oak and an absolute bargain at $US28.

 

Sonoma County Visit (part one)

I wanted to check and see how some of my favorite Pinot producers from Sonoma County were doing, as a follow-up to my Pinot Days 2007 post, so I made some calls and off I went. I had only a few appointments, but let chance take its course a couple of times when I had time in-between visits. The first chance encounter that frankly blew me away was Lynmar Estate. I was very familiar with their Russian River Chardonnay, which is a fabulous wine at around $US25 but I had long wanted to taste their high end Chardonnays and Pinot Noir.

The top of the heap Chardonnay, is the 2006 La Sereinité Chardonnay and you can find this around $US62. It's in the upper eschelon of Chardonnays as far as price is concerned, but is as rewarding as a comparable White Burgundy with layers of green apples, peach skin and restrained toasty oak. This is very Burgundian in style, but with the density that says California. Just delicious and highly recommended.

The 2005 Quail Hill Chardonnay also has balanced, restrained oak, but does have more vanilla cream, with floral highlights.

2006 Russian River Pinot Noir - Delicious lift of cherries inside a dense, ripe Pinot. Recommended.

2006 Quail Hill Pinot Noir - beautiful minerality and scents of wet stone and pencil. It's light body shouldn't fool you; the big fruit pops through and rewards.

2005 Five Sisters Pinot Noir - Almost a combination of the two Pinot styles mentioned above with a huge nose of cloves and spice. A super-concentrated Sonoma blockbuster. Recommended. Buy this now as there will not be any 2006 and the 2007 hasn't been released yet.

The Lynmar Estate tasting room is a must visit for anyone going to the Russian River area. It's elegant and modern with a stunning terrace.

ZAP 2009 Round-up

Once again, ZAP, the  18th annual mega-tasting of Zinfandel hosted by the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, was teeming with activity and people, despite the economic woes and this year's slightly higher ticket price. I was in the press tasting at 10 a.m. sharp, sipping and spitting my favorite breakfast beverage, Zinfandel. What I usually do for big tastings like this, is figure out ahead of time which are essential tables to hit from past experience (this was my 12th ZAP) then ask around for other tasters and winemaker's favorites. Then, I always make a point to taste some random wines before retreating up to the press area once they open the doors to the general public. In the press area they put a very generous selection of Zin, carefully separated by region, which for me is key. There are so many Zins there, that I try to hit as many of the top wines from my favorite regions, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, and Napa. There are usually some surprises from Amador, Lodi, Paso Robles, and this year especially, Alexander Valley.

Here are the stand-outs. Any should be considered valuable to look out for in your local wine shop.  I tend to look for Zinfandels with lots of varital character (spice, black fruit) combined with excellent winemaking practices. Often I find that the things I like are very small in production and may be tough to find in your area but try your favorite online resellers if you strike out.

Tasting Notes:

Acorn Winery/ Alegria Vineyards, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
2005 Heritage Vines, Alegria Vineyards - if I had a "hall of fame" for zinfandel, this would be at the top of the heap. Always excellent, clean and unctuous, gushing with Russian River fruit. Betsy and Bill have a magical plot of land that is field blend-planted and the outcome is consistently awesome. The 2006 was good too, but full of youthful tannins and tense energy right now. If you can find the 2005s or anything older...grab 'em.

Adobe Road Wines, Sonoma
2005 Sonoma County - thick with bright fruit and a deep center. Focused and excellent. For the big-Zin lover.

August Briggs Wines, Napa
2006 Old Vine, Napa Valley - Deep and dark. A good clean example of the 2006 style, ripe and forward tannins.

Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves, Sonoma
2006 Big River Ranch, Alexander Valley - Slightly greener than last year's offering, but worth seeking out anyway. The touch of Petite Syrah in it gives it color and grip. Good for putting down for a couple years for sure.
2006 Dry Creek Valley - More raspberry lift to this one due to some Syrah added instead of Petite Syrah and it really works. Just delicious and everything I expect from Bella, who always rises to the top of my list these days. 

Benessere, Napa
2006 Black Glass, Estate, Napa Valley - Lots of spice- even a hit of Cardomom, I swear. Very good.
2007 Black Glass, Estate, Napa Valley - Fresh and lovely. Shines bright among the 2007s. Yum.

Bradford Mountain Winery, Sonoma
2005 Grist - Still fresh, big, and lovely. Was good last year, even better now.

Brown Estate Vineyards, Napa Valley
2007 Napa Valley - Glad to report they are back on track and the 2007 has a firm, dark mid-palate and lots of sauvage flavors. Has some animal on the nose that I'm sure will dissipate with time. Delicious.

Chase Family Cellars - Napa Valley
2005 Hayne Vineyard - Very dense and multi-layered. Very generous and in a heavier style than the famous Turley Haynes.
2005 Hayne Vineyard Reserve - This is the same price as the Turley Hayne, and it's a more syrupy extraction. Rich and delicious. This reminds me of the late-pick Zins from Sky back in the early  90s but with lower alcohol. Delicious and perhaps best on its own or with a steak au poivre.

Chateau Montelena Winery - Calistoga, Napa
2005 Estate, Napa Valley - Beautiful Napa Zin, round and balanced. Ready to drink now.

Dashe Cellars, Sonoma
2006 Louvau Vineyard, Old Vines, Dry Creek Valley - very spicy, clean and lean. Different than a lot of the more extracted 2006s.
2006 Todd Brothers Ranch, Old Vines, Alexander Valley - exceptional with a lovely mid palate and clean finish that lasts.
2006 Forence - From a vineyard near Preston - great perfume on this, rich and ripe

D-Cubed Cellars - Napa
2006 St. Helena Korte Ranch, Napa - balanced and polished
2006 Napa Valley - Blend of Korte, Howell Mt., Pope...very big and chewy. Delicious.

Downing Family Vineyard, Napa
2006 H&H Fly-by-Night, Oakville - has a distinctive dustiness from Oakville. Another explosive Zin.

Folie a Deux Winery, Napa
2006 Folie a Deux, Amador County - Surprisingly clean, simple, and not-over-ripe for Amador.

Frank Family Vineyards, Calistoga, Napa Valley
2006 Napa Valley - This was a great visit. They were using an Aerator made of glass to give the aromas a boost which really helped. Clean 2006 with no herbal overtones. Big hit of cloves. Has 6% Petite Syrah and 3% Syrah to pump up color and aroma.

Girard Winery, Napa
2006 Old Vine Napa Valley - Nice! Lots of black fruit.

Hartford Family Winery, Sonoma
2006 Russian River Valley - Huge aromatics of boysenberry pie. Exceptional.
2006 Highwire Vineyard - Earthier and delicious

J. Rickards Winery & Vineyards, Sonoma
2005 Voigt Family Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley- Huge, with beautiful balance of acid and fruit. An amazing find, thanks to Alder.

John Tyler, Sonoma
2004 Bacigalupi Vinayard, Russian River Valley - Very complex with great spice and dark black fruit
2005 Bacigalupi Vineyard, Russian River Valley - Very tasty blend of Zin, Petite, Carignane, Mataro, Alicante, and Muscat. Lots of stuff going on with the nose. Interesting and worth seeking out.

Maple Vineyards, Sonoma
2006 Dry Creek Valley - I gave this super high marks. Ripe and rich with no signs of being stewed. Balanced with beautiful food-friendly acids. Top pick.

Mara Winery, Sonoma
2006 Reserve, Dolinsek Ranch, Russian River Valley - another new discovery for me this year and I heard through the grapevine at the show that this was showing beautifully last year as well I missed it. Never again. Just killer. Ripe but moderate alcohol levels too. Top pick.

Miraflores Winery, Sierra Foothills
2006 Estate, El Dorado - My favorite from the Foothills with good blackberry fruit. Pretty high alcohol though, at 14.9%

Ottimino, Sonoma
2005 Rancho Bello Vineyard, Russian River Valley - delicious expression of Green Valley AVA. Great spice.

Rosenblum Cellars, Alameda
2006 Lyons Vineyard, Napa Valley - a light-bodied wine but just explosive on the nose.
2006 Monte Rosso, Sonoma Valley - pretty and balanced
2007 Harris Kratka, Alexander Valley - my favorite of the three. Big without being over-extracted. Yum

Storybook Mountain Vineyards, Napa
2007 Mayacamas Range Estate Wine, Napa Valley - just delicous. Super rich and spicy. Great expression of Zin fruit. Classic.

Tin Barn Vineyards, Sonoma
2005 Glisson Vineyard, Russian River Valley - settled very nicely since last year. Has a slight but not-unpleasant herbal quality
2007 Dalraddy Vineyard, Napa Valley Chiles Valley - Earthy wonder. My favorite of the three poured. Look for this soon upon release. It'll go soon.

Tofanelli Family Vineyard, Calistoga, Napa Valley
2006 Estate, Napa Valley - had an amazing charred, dark, black pie fruit aroma. Very good.
2007 Estate, Napa Valley - This has a bit of Petite Syrah in there to punch up the tannins and it works very well. Quite a bit different than the usual Tofanelli, with more aromatics and less big body.

Turley Wine Cellars, Napa
2006 Hayne Vineyard - Another massive expression of Hayne. Lots earth and smoke, firm tannins but balances out the fruit perfectly. Ready to go.