Month: February 2022
2019 Acquiesce Bourboulenc and Fresh Dungeness Crab
What is Bourboulenc?
This varietal comes from southern France, primarily the Languedoc and Provence appellations. Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards claim to be the first winery to release this fascinating and somewhat obscure varietal in the USA. The variety first mentioned in literature goes back to the 16th Century. While the grape is known to be native to Provence, Bourboulenc has a Greek origin where it was known as Asprokondoura. Bourboulenc is often used in blending with Grenache Blanc and Clairette. Bourboulenc is a white wine giving off intense floral aromatics, with a tremendous mouthful feeling of citrus, smoky and soft spicy notes forming a complex finish.
California’s total wine grape acreage is 620,000 as of the end of 2020. Compare that to just three acres planted in Bourboulenc! That is .0000048% of the total acreage is planted in California for this unique grape.
Acquiesce Winery
There is so much to state about Susan Tipton, owner and winemaker of Acquiesce Winery. The key takeaway is that she established her winery in Acampo (just north of Lodi) with the expressed purpose of bringing French white wine varieties to market. Lodi had been primarily known for red wines, but she turned heads with some of her unique wines such as Picpoul, Clairette Blanche, Bourboulenc, Ingénue (blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Bourboulenc and Picpoul), Roussanne and more. Here are some reviews of her wines and impact:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2020/10/31/acquiesce-winery-vineyards-finding-a-niche-with-unique-white-wines/
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2020/09/20/2018-acquiesce-vineyards-picpoul-blanc/
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2020/08/30/2018-acquiesce-ingenue-french-and-more-french/
The Wine – 2019 Bourboulenc
The first thing you notice is the golden color in the glass, and the wine possesses a medium heavy viscosity. Intriguing and frankly startling, was the bouquet of aromatics. On the nose were diverse and numerous floral notes. Over temperature they range from stone fruit, almond, pineapple, honeysuckle, orange blossoms, tropical fruits and stone fruits. Once on the palate, they engulf and dance amusingly in the mouth. All these flavors came forward to introduce themselves and left you with a rich textured enchanted mouth feel with sufficient acidity. The finish provides a polarizing effect of softness and minerality at the same time. The wine won both at Gold and Silver Medal at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition the last two years. It goes for $32/bottle.
The Food and Wine Pairing
Last night with a local Rotary Club fund raiser, but due to Covid restrictions, rather than a typical hall crab feed, everyone picked up their boxed crab to take home. We were guests at a friend’s house to enjoy the crab. Shrimp with pasta, a fresh garden salad, French bread and a lemon pudding were all additional dishes brought by the attendees and host. While several wines were tasted (Chardonnay’s), two were outstanding with the crab. The first was a Cava from Spain, Las Falleras Cava Brut, D.O.P. The second was the 2019 Acquiesce Bourboulenc. Both were spot on with their aromatics and minerality with the crab.
Sláinte,
Michael
Great Food, Wonderful Friendships and Some Very Nice Wines!
The “informal Friday Night Wine & Dine Group” met last night at Vine18 for dinner. Great food, wonderful friendships and some very nice wines: 2017 Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019 Borjon Barbera, 2013 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019 Wood Family Bourbon Barrel red wine (story coming out on it soon), Lavender Ridge Vineyards Roussanne and a 2017 Justin Isosceles. See this story for more details: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2022/02/05/2019-lavender-ridge-vineyards-roussanne-a-must-try-wine/
Sláinte,
Michael
2019 Lavender Ridge Vineyards Roussanne, A Must Try Wine!
The Winery
Lavender Ridge’s Roussanne has made my Best Wines Tasted for the last 3 years in the under $50 category. This week I sampled their 2019 and immediately bought a bottle to enhance our meal Friday night. Here is a previously written article on Rich and Siri, owners of Lavender Ridge located in the town of Murphys in the lower Sierra Nevada foothills.
The Wine
Roussanne is a white grape grown originally in the Rhone wine region in France. More recently it has done well in the United States in California, Washington and Texas. The berries are distinguished by their russet color when ripe. It can be a difficult grape to grow due to mildew and not flourishing in drought conditions. While this particular Roussanne is 100% Roussanne, often Marsanne is blended with this grape.
Roussanne is powerful with floral aromatics, with hints of peaches, pears and with a rich and silky smooth mouthful texture, almost creamy. Roussanne on the eyes is a light golden straw color with medium to medium heavy viscosity. On the nose floral aromatics, hints of pear, apricots waft into the senses. On the palate, you are treated to a silky smooth mouthful texture. The finish provides a soft nutty almond, compounded with a hint of honey and distinct minerality. This wine retails for $28.
The Food and Wine Pairing
Last evening our “informal Friday Night Wine & Dine Group” met at Vine18, which many partook in their weekly special catch of the week. Last night was a sesame crusted tuna with a winter salad (spinach, fennel, beets, chickpeas, carrots, pickled red onion with a ginger wasabi vinaigrette). The meal was spectacularly delicious. The Roussanne was an excellent choice to pair with the meal.
The Sous Chef by special request prepared a caramel bread pudding with pecans. What a great finish for the evening.
Sláinte,
Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
This man would enjoy tasting the 2011 Trespass Vineyard Cabernet Franc
Pulled this 2011 100% Trespass Vineyard Cabernet Franc wine from the cellar the other night. They are in the top twenty-five wineries making Cabernet Franc in Napa Valley (IMHO). It possesses the typical aromas of raspberry, bramble and bell pepper (pyrazines). The bell pepper can range from sharp and almost obtrusive to a sweeter roasted pepper or a spiced chocolate. A dark deep red/purple on the eyes with a medium body. On the nose, aromas of cherry, wood and black pepper are prevalent. On the palate, the fruit is strong with black cherry and an earthiness. The tannins are kept in check with a soft vanilla finish. The wine is bottled unfiltered and un-fined. Kirk Venge, along with Don & Dana Gallagher, collaborate in the winemaking process. An excellent example of Napa Valley Cabernet Franc. 100 cases of the 2011 were produced and the current vintage is 2018 and sells for $110/bottle.
As an aside to the wine itself, two items have always caught my attention. First it is the label which is a beautiful water color of the vineyard at the base of Spring Mountain in Saint Helena. The second item is the statement on the back of the bottle which reads “Now and again one comes across a place so extraordinary it captures the imagination, yet you are not allowed to enter. We invite you to TRESPASS”. A very nice play on the wording with the picture on the front of the bottle.
Now if we could only get Donny to enter the Cabernet Franc Celebration!!
Sláinte,
Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
https://trespassvineyard.com
2017 Hunter Glenn Cabernet Franc is an excellent wine!
The Winery
To start out who is Hunter Glenn? It is a sister/brother duo of Caroline Shifflett and Jeffrey Shifflett, Jr. The name came about as Caroline’s middle name is Hunt and Jeffrey is Glenn. Changing the name to Hunter made more sense than “Hunt Glenn”!! The family has a long history in Napa Valley. It started in 1942 with the purchase of 120 acres in the foothills of the Mayacamas Range. Originally used for farming and later for cattle grazing, but in the late 1970’s they planted 60 acres of grapes. In 1981 the first Chardonnay was planted and from that point albeit with a few bumps in the road like Phylloxera, Pierce’s Disease and weather variables, they have endured to produce some outstanding wines over the last 30 years. Today they produce Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, a red blend and Cabernet Franc.
The Wine
A deep royal purple on the eyes and medium heavy viscosity. On the nose aromatics of blueberries and raspberries awaken the senses. On the palate, a round and soft Cabernet Franc, still with tannins but caressing instead of a sharpness or edginess. The finish has a hint of pyrazines (green bell pepper) and is mid-length. This is an easy drinking Cabernet Franc with or without food. The wine is aged 21 months in 50% new French oak barrels and only 81 cases were produced. The wine sells for $80.
The Food Pairing
Paired last evening with a beef noodle stir fry with Udon noodles with a homemade sauce. The ingredients consisted of beef top sirloin filet thinly cut, olive oil, sliced cremini mushrooms, broccoli, diced carrots, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, grated ginger, garlic, sesame oil, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper. After dinner and enjoying the second glass of wine, this proved to be extremely enjoyable and tasty with or without food.
Also other stories on Hunter Glenn Estate Vineyards wines can be found at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2020/01/22/hunter-glenn-2017-chardonnay-2016-syrah/
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2020/12/08/2018-hunter-glenn-chardonnay-understated-elegance/
Sláinte,
Michael
Foothill Wine Fest – Folsom, California- April 2nd
Pleased to be asked again to judge at the 2nd Annual Foothill Wine Fest event in Folsom this year. The wine competition event is being held on March 5th. The public will be able to experience tasting of approximately 450-500 wines on April 2nd, 2022. Tickets will be going on sale shortly and can be purchased at https://foothillwinefest.com .
Here is a picture from last years’ inaugural event at the Folsom Palladio Shopping Center outdoor parking area (covered). The event includes food, music and excellent wines. More information and details in the coming weeks!
Sláinte,
Michael
Time is running out to enter the International Cabernet Franc Celebration – Deadline March 1, 2022
Just a little over 3 weeks and the registration ends.
You can register by clicking on the link below at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com at the top of the page.
Four separate events will transpire at the Celebration:
*Blind Wine Competition with Professional & People’s Choice Judges
*Wine Tasting and Appetizers from previous eight winners (Wednesday night)
*Keynote Speeches from some of the leading Cabernet Franc producers: Pam Starr (Crocker & Starr, Napa), Steven Kent Mirassou (L’AUTRE CÔTE, Livermore Valley) and Michael & Lori Budd (Dracaena Wines, Paso Robles) (Thursday night)
*Wine maker’s dinner featuring the Cabernet Franc wine from Crocker & Starr, L’AUTRE CÔTE and Dracaena Wines. (Thursday night)
To attend any of these events signup at:
Should you have any questions please contact Michael Kelly at mkellywine@gmail.com
- ← Previous
- 1
- 2