Uncategorized
It Was National Zuidema Day Yesterday! (While Almost)
Pulled two of Rudy Zuidema’s spectacular Grenache wines last evening from the wine cellar. Wanted something fruity, spicy and a medium body. The 2014 was ready to drink and was a very good wine. However Rudy Zuidema’s 2016 Grenache was spectacular! You can read more on the background of his project at:
His Clone 515 Grenache from Chateauneuf du Pape heritage continues to produce a delightful summer and fall wine. Minerality and a rustic flare still persists in the wine and the 2016 is aromatic with black cherry and as Rudy states “notes of cocoa and fig newton”. Add to this plum with soft tannins, it engulfs and surrounds the palate with fruit and spice. A wine very worthy to have in the cellar for any evening or occasion. This has made My Best Wines of Year, 3 straight years and his 2017 Grenache will also make the 2021 Best Wines of the Year List. To get such aromas and character from an old world meets new world Grenache, at $42, made this even more enjoyable. His current release is the 2017.
Sláinte,
Michael
Jessie’s Grove Winery 2015 Carignane Reserve
This wine comes from some of their 118 years old vines in Lodi, California! This is perhaps the fullest and most worthy tasting Carignane in the New World. Carignane originated in Spain and is commonly found in French wine. Historically used in blending due to high volume per acre at 11 tons and with its agreeable personality. Not “advertised” in writing in the tasting room, but told after tasting the wine for the first time, it had won Double Gold at the 2018 S.F. Chronicle Wine Competition.
For more info on Jessie’s Grove Winery you can read a story at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2018/04/26/jessies-grove-winery-and-vineyards/
The Wine
Their 2015, 100% Carignane provided an excellent nose and on the palate a rich fruit spice and even a tad hint of “earthiness”. This Carignane Reserve was intense with freshly crushed berry & cherry aromas. Flavors seem to light up this full-bodied, bold and ripe wine. The fruit flavors were focused and pure and the texture was vibrant, giving the wine a lot of vivaciousness. Tremendous cherry flavors burst in the palate.
The Food and Wine Pairing
Paired with a fresh taco salad of ground beef, lettuce, freshly halved tomatoes, purple & green onions, and topped off with cheddar cheese and salsa. This fruit forward Carignane enveloped the spiciness of the meal.
Sláinte,
Hindsight Cabernet Sauvignon 20/20 – Unlocking A Priori and Posterior Knowledge!
The definition of hindsight is “understanding of a situation or event, only after it has happened or developed”. And knowledge as defined in philosophy is either “a priori” (knowledge that is acquired independently of any particular experience) or “a posterior” (derived from experience). You the reader of this article get both a priori and a posterior knowledge of this remarkable wine!
Tasting Hindsight’s 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon 20/20 was similar in that you can obtain knowledge of this wine independently of your own of experience. It is always noteworthy to try a wine you have heard about but have not experienced. It is even more pleasing to taste the wines and be impressed! Last night, pulling this wine from the cellar to enjoy with a meal was for a lack of a better phrase, breathtaking! I had tried the Hindsight 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon 20/20 and rated it highly. But the 2017 far surpasses the 2015.
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon 20/20 from Napa Valley earned 95 points in the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It is 100% Napa Valley fruit, and 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes came from Southern Napa Valley, Rutherford, and Spring Mountain AVA’s. The processes of the grapes were in small lots and cold soaked prior to fermentation for five days for maximum extraction of color and flavor components.
This produced a beautifully dark red/crimson coloring on the eyes. On the nose, black and blue fruits wafted into the nose with elements of subdued violets. On the palate the predominate flavor of blueberry, with secondary flavors of soft vanilla, pipe tobacco and a hint of black licorice. The tannins were softly rounded and smooth but structured enough to make this a solid Cabernet Sauvignon finish. Now here is the key to “a priori information”—it is listed for $39.98/bottle on their website. So without experiencing this wine, I can attest that it is a phenomenal wine for the price point! I have tasted and sipped many wine with these characteristics from $50 to $75 and up. If you want to get some foresight, than Hindsight Cabernet Sauvignon 20/20 is your wine. The 2017 just made my Best Wines of 2021 for two reasons: first the flavor profile is exquisite and secondly the unbelievable price point.
The Food and Wine Pairing
The food for the wine was a favorite Carne Asada recipe. A marinated flank steak was marinated for 24 hours in advance. The marinade consisted of fresh cilantro leaves, olive oil, trace of reduced sodium soy sauce, juice from an orange, juice from a lime, minced garlic, diced jalapeno (changed from recipe calling for seeded and one to two and included seeds!), ground cumin and Kosher salt/black pepper. It was quickly seared on the BBQ to medium rare. Plated and garnished with additional marinade (that was not in touch with the raw meat) and fresh lime wedge drizzled over the meat. Accompanying the meal was a Spanish rice with tomatoes and fresh Beefsteak tomatoes. The wine cut the protein of the flank steak beautifully and the fruit of the wine enveloped the spiciness of the Carne Asada. Another wonderful meal and wine combination.
Sláinte,
Michael
2018 Acquiesce Ingénue – The Sum Is Greater Than The Parts
Last night’s wine featured a combination of French varietals combined in Susan Tipton’s 2018 Acquiesce Ingénue. Don’t let the name fool you as its definition states “an innocent or unsophisticated young woman, especially in a play or film”. This is a unique white blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Bourboulenc and Picpoul Blanc. The gestalt of this wine, when you combine the Grenache Blanc (pleasant minerality with hints of green apple and apricot), Bourboulenc, a rare varietal in the United States with as Susan states “…beeswax on the nose, citrus flavors of orange and key lime…..with a honeyed finish”, Picpoul (with pineapple, lemon custard and floral nose) and Clairette Blanche (again an uncommon varietal in California) with a medium-heavy viscosity, mild grapefruit and a floral bouquet, you have an exquisite and one of kind experience. Each of the varietals received an award winning Gold or Double Gold in various competitions. The Ingénue won Best of Class & Double Gold at the 2019 International Women’s Wine Competition plus Best of Class in the 2019 Sunset International Wine Competition. A great uncommon find and worthy of honor in any cellar! This wine sells for $34/bottle.
The Components In Detail
Clairette Blanche – Clairette Blanche is a widely planted white grape in the south of France. “Clairette”, which means light one in French, is due to its grape skin color. Only 2% of worldwide production is done in the USA. Acquiesce Clairette Blanche holds a tremendous complexity of floral aromas of honeysuckle and jasmine. The flavor profile is one of both sweet and lightly roasted almonds. Residing in the background is pineapple, lime and lemongrass. A perfect wine targeted for fish and shell fish. It has already won a Double Gold Medal at the 2020 American Wine Society Wine Competition.
Bourboulenc – 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.
Picpoul Blanc – Visually this varietal is faint in color and almost translucent with a pale yellow hue. On the nose pineapple was the predominate scent coupled with minerality. Picpoul means to “sting the lips” yet this wine was much more embracing and had a disguised light sweetness. The finish produced a full mouthful of wonderment. This wine was made to pair with oysters in Europe. Susan Tipton also believes in the New World, it is excellent with spicy Thai food and dishes with cilantro. In 2017 only 220 cases were produced and all going to wine club members. In 2018 based upon expected yields, she increased that number to approximately 350 cases. As an aside, only 40 acres were planted with this grape varietal in the USA in 2017!
Grenache Blanc – A varietal with lively minerality with hints of green apple and pear.
The Food and Wine Pairing
Paired with a chicken and Bok Choy stir fry last evening. The stir fry used boneless chicken, cornstarch, Canola oil, dark sesame oil, sliced uncooked onions, grated ginger root, minced garlic sliced uncooked Bok Choy, water and a touch of low sodium soy sauce. Accompanying the meal was short & long grain wild rice and a fresh garden salad. With this wine, the stir fry combination was both glamorous and exhilarating. The wine and food enhanced each other and provided a sum greater than the parts.
Sláinte,
Michael
A Remarkable Food and Wine Pairing Tonight With Wood Family Chardonnay
Literally at the last minute pulled a bottle of Wood Family Vineyards 2018 Chardonnay to have with some chicken dish for dinner. No idea my wife was about to cook one of the best meals of the year! It is called “Asian Chicken Wraps (better than P.F. Changs!)—that is the name of the recipe from https://joyfoodsunshine.com , with a few modifications.
The Wood Family 2018 Chardonnay is a regular stable with many meals so grabbed this out of the cellar to have with our Chicken Wrap. We typically don’t use Bibb lettuce leaves and prefer to use cut Romaine lettuce as the bed. The meal included ground chicken, ground sausage, peanut oil, diced water chestnuts, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, peanut butter, honey, sweet chili sauce and minced garlic. Crushed peanuts and sliced green onions served as toppings.
Turns out the Wood Family Chardonnay was perfect with the meal. Wood Family Vineyards 2018 Para Mas Amigas Chardonnay was a Double Gold Medal Winner from SF Chronicle Wine Competition in 2019. Not too “oaky”, this wine burst with lemon and pear, followed by butterscotch and as Rhonda Wood states “crackerjack flavors”. Not an over the top buttery Chardonnay like Rombauer, but just enough to provide a light buttery caramel and texture in the mouth. First on the eyes, a golden hue and medium viscosity is obvious. On the nose and palate, the wine has lingering tropical fruits, peach and pear in the palate. A portion under goes 100% secondary malolactic fermentation, but allows a final mix, to allow old world and new world Chardonnay to coexist in harmony. In a recent conversation, Rhonda stated she blended her Chardonnay from both “tightly grained barrels and loosely grained barrels” into the final production wine. This why her Chardonnay makes my Best Wines of the Year three years in a row! The current vintage, 2019 sells for $30/bottle.
The wine with the food took on a unique quality of both fruit characteristics and lush mouth filling Chardonnay. Together it created perhaps the most radical and delightful taste transformations I have experienced in a positive way!
The wine has always been a versatile wine, but this was extraordinary experience.
Sláinte,
Michael
2020 Hindsight Sauvignon Blanc, From a New Winemaker at Hindsight!
The Winery
Previously I have written about the Hindsight Winery in Calistoga and their excellent red wines, especially their Cabernet Sauvignon’s. About six months ago their long time winemaker, Jac Cole retired. Now some excellent news—they hired Michael Weis, who was the head winemaker at Groth. He is well known for making spectacular wines and I believe he received 100 points from Wine Spectator for one of his Sauvignon Blanc vintages. Additional reading on the winery and ownership can be found at:
The Hindsight 2020 Sauvignon Blanc Wine
Their inaugural Sauvignon Blanc release under Michael Weis was handcrafted with an artisan touch. First on the eyes it is a golden straw color and medium viscosity. On the nose, floral aromas waft into the senses, along with green apple which is most prominent. On the palate, citrus accents of lime and lemon come into play and are kept in check with flavor but not overpowering. The finish provides a mouthful feeling of a much heavier wine rather than a “light Sauvignon Blanc”. This is most likely due to the addition of nine percent Viognier. This also helps lower the acidity. This wine goes for only $25.99!
The Food and Wine Pairing
This evening meal was a stir fried chicken cooked in a tangy sweet chili orange sauce from Thailand, topped with slices of green onions and sesame seeds. Accompanying the meal was a mix of short and long grain rice and a fresh garden salad. The interplay between the wine and orange sauce was off the charts delicious and extremely refreshing with the Sauvignon Blanc.
I can hardly wait to see what Michael Weis does with the Cabernet Sauvignons!!
Sláinte,
Michael
Bella Grace 2018 Reserve Chardonnay
Wrote a story back in May as it was the first time I visited Bella Grace Winery. Being impressed with their 2018 Reserve Chardonnay on the visit, I purchased a bottle to review with food down the road. The visit and background on the winery and owners can be found at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2021/05/21/bella-grace-vineyards-finally-visited-last-weekend/
The Wine
Last evening it was pulled from the cellar for dinner. The 2018 Reserve Chardonnay. This was the wine which my friend Andy Harris had many posts on and I wanted to taste it with food. Sure enough Andy was spot on with his high praise of this wine. First a light golden color on the eyes and medium viscosity was tantalizing. I was pleasantly shocked that the grapes came from the Los Carneros region of Sonoma County AVA. On the nose, it was a combination of Old World meets New World Chardonnay, you had the lemony flavoring and brightness combined with the crispiness of the Old World. Yet while on the palate, honey and just a slight soft and sweet butter appeared showing its New World traits. Due to the fires in California this Chardonnay spent 15 months in 30% new French oak barrels, 50% in one year French barrels and 20% in stainless steel. This produced notes crème brûlée and lovely vanilla notes in the mouth and finish. 324 cases were produced and it sells for $36 a bottle. Now I wished I had purchased a few more bottles!
The Food and Wine Pairing
The dinner started with uncooked shrimp in a unsalted butter cream sauce with Bucatini pasta combined with fresh spinach and a light touch of Portuguese dried peppers. Topped with fresh Parmesan cheese. The butter with the wine was excellent and the lightness of the Chardonnay was a perfect with the shrimp and pasta.
This wine was a solid addition to the cellar and will coordinate a visit back to pick up some additional Chardonnay.
Sláinte,
Michael
2016 Twisted Oak Graciano
Did a story in June 2021 on Twisted Oak and picked up a few bottles of Graciano. Liked it while tasting and having a conversation with owner Jeff Stai and bought a couple of bottles. Read more about Twisted Oak and their operations at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2021/06/24/twisted-oak-winery-a-paradox-of-sorts/
Opened up the cellar last night looking for a solid wine to go with a seared BBQ’ed tri-tip steak and felt the 2016 Twisted Oak Graciano would be perfect. It was spot on!
The Wine
First Graciano, is a black skin grape primarily found in Rioja, Spain. It thrives in arid and warm climates. The Sierra foothills possess both of these temperature qualities. Graciano is used in your classic Rioja blend with Tempranillo and Garnacha. This is 100% Graciano. On the eyes a dark purple and crimson red color and medium heavy viscosity. On the nose blackberry aromas, faint violet waft into the nose. On the palate, cedar, oak and vanilla swirl and form a lovely concoction showcasing an old world characteristic. On the longest finish, clove is dominate along with cinnamon and black pepper. It is listed on their website for $43/bottle.
The Food and Wine Pairing
Paired with the seared BBQ’ed tri-tip to medium rare and side dishes of quick roasted asparagus and sliced roasted potatoes was perfect. Also a Caesar salad with fresh parmesan cheese was a great addition.
This may be my best new wine for the cellar in 2021 as the possible food pairings are endless and the flavor unique and mouth filling.
Sláinte,
Michael
A Great Find In Blairsden, California – The Vyne
Only the second time I have written about a wine bar! When we came across The Vyne in Blairsden, California (population 18), we were initially shocked. Who would open a wine bar in such a small village but in a resort area. We stopped and were we amazed on so many levels.
First The Vyne was an indoor/outdoor wine and beer garden serving tapas. Secondly, we were amazed at the number of wines offered from New Zealand to Italy and everywhere in between.
Thirdly the owner, Nathan and staff were beyond friendly and helpful about the food and wines and frankly the entire area.
I had the Vyne Caprese appetizer with sliced Mozzarella, Heirloom sliced tomato, fresh basil and drizzled with Balsamic. The second dish was a grilled sausage of elk with pear & apple and served with three dipping sauces: Brown Ale Mustard, BBQ and Chimichurri. All were beyond delicious. My wife had a Caesar salad with grilled chicken and a light heavenly dressing.
While eating out on the patio with a choice of umbrellas or sun shades, we were able to bring our dog Jameson. We ordered a bottle of Montepulicano d’ Abruzzo to go with our meal. It felt like dining along the backroads of Italy. Jameson gave the experience a solid 5 out of 5 tail wags!!
Such a wonderful find and treat. We are planning on returning tomorrow!
Sláinte,
Michael
Garré Vineyard and Winery – So Much More Than Just Good Wine!
At the National Cabernet Franc Wine Competition held December 2nd, 2020, Garré Vineyard and Winery two awards for their 2017 Cabernet Franc!!! They earned a Bronze Medal Award from the Professional Judges and a Silver Medal Award from the People’s Choice Judges. This was their first year entering the competition and expecting even more awards in the future. You can read more about the event at:
The Winery
Located in the north eastern portion of Livermore, Garré Vineyard and Winery has just about everything needed “under one banner”! It is a vineyard and winery plus a lot more such as Bocce ball, restaurant and event venues. Bob Molinaro along with his daughter Gina have made so many improvements from the winery to the recently constructed Bella Rosa wedding facility and the Martinelli Event Center. Both venues are in constant demand and use.
Today they offer some eighteen red wines beyond their award winning Cabernet Franc such as Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Syrah, Touriga, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Primitivo, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir and various proprietary red blends. For whites their two offerings are Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. They also have a sparkling. A diverse assortment for any palate.
The Wine
On the eyes a radiant purple hue with a red core and medium viscosity. On the nose, predominate aroma was cherry and a hint of raspberry. On the palate a besides the cherry, a wonderful cranberry coated the mouth. Secondary flavors followed with soft pipe tobacco. The typical pyrazine flavor (bell pepper) was replaced with a slight basil leaf displaying the “green characteristics” of Cabernet Franc. The finish was medium long and provided a great compliment to the meal. The wine was 90% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petite Sirah. Currently it goes for $33 a bottle.
The Food and Wine Pairing
Paired with a seared rib eye steak BBQ’ed to a perfect medium rare and a baked Russet potato. The wine was strong enough to stand up to this excellent piece of meat and the meat did not overpower the wine. A very good food/wine combination this evening.
Should you want find yourself in Livermore Valley, stop by Garré Vineyard and Winery for wine tasting, Bocce ball, a meal at Garré Café or just take in the beauty of the grounds.
Sláinte,
Michael