Bring on the Bubbles!

I'm a year-round Champagne drinker, but this time of year, I am not alone, especially with New Year's Eve just a few days away. Between friends and family and holiday parties, I have been enjoying my fair share of sparkling wine, Prosecco, Cava, and, of course, the real deal from the Champagne region of France. I have my favorites in every category, but one of my favorite "special occasion" sparklers from California is Schramsberg.

Tucked away, on a narrow driveway off the Highway that connects St. Helena and Calisotoga (you've probably passed it without even knowing it!), Schramsberg is home to the oldest caves in the Napa Valley. The tour I took with a friend back in March was educational and thorough, and as pleasant as the wines.

Our tour guide shared the history of how Jacob Schram started the winery in 1862 and how Schramsberg has evolved into a modern day sparkling wine powerhouse. As we walked through the caves, we stopped every so often to taste a different wine. Collectively, we tasted the 2005 vintages of the Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay), Blanc de Noirs (100% Pinot Noir), and Brut Rose and the 2002 J. Schram. Curiously, Schramsberg does not make a non-vintage (NV) sparkling wine. All of their wines are vintage dated.

Older Champagnes often take on a yeasty bread and nutty flavors. But the 2005 Blanc de Blancs was still crisp and clean with notes of baked brioche, Granny Smith apple, citrus, and a lovely finish. This is a fantastic bubbly to serve by itself or to accompany oysters, fresh crab, or French cheeses. Because each vintage is different, these wines all have their own personalities and differ slightly year to year. This is a style of sparkling wine that one could never tire of!

A Zin that's pure Gold

With Christmas shopping, countless trips to the grocery store, decorating the house, and wrapping presents, I haven’t had enough time to go wine tasting. That being said, I would be neglecting my duties as a wine consumer and Napa Valley resident if I didn’t take the time to enjoy a little wine after a long day’s work.

During one of my visits to Whole Foods earlier this week, I picked up a block of aged cheddar cheese from Vermont; this wasn’t just any old cheddar, it was made with bits of cranberry.

Although I enjoy dried cranberries throughout the year, the idea of cranberry cheddar seemed particularly festive. I sampled it at the store; it was creamy and slightly tart with a sweet finish. My wine-pairing gears started shifting; this cheese would be the perfect complement to the 2006 Gold Series “Back Barn” Zinfandel from producer Michael Pozzan.

My instincts were right on. The Zinfandel, which is named for the parcel of land behind the Pozzan’s Yountville home where there was a barn before there was a vineyard, is ruby red in color with a medium transparency. (A dark, full-bodied wine would have killed the delicate flavors of the cheese.)

After giving it a good swirl in a stemless “O” glass, the nose really opened up, so much so that the aromas of ripe cherry, raspberry, and pomegranate escaped the glass and perfumed the entire room I was sitting in. The palate is just as powerful, offering juicy red fruits balanced by sweet oak and clove. But this is not your typical jammy Zin; it is polished and elegant, with super smooth tannins and a long, fruit-driven finish—and it’s a great value wine at $22 a bottle.

Michael Pozzan Winery produces over 100,000 cases; the wines are featured in the tasting room at the Napa Wine Company and at BevMo stores throughout California. I also highly recommend the Marianna Bordeaux-style red, the Sonoma County Chardonnay, and the Napa Valley Cuvée #13.

The new website will be up and running in the New Year; check it out at www.michaelpozzanwinery.com

T-Vine is dee-vine

Wow, it's the last month of the year, and it has proven to be a very busy one already. It's only Wednesday, but I feel like I've already put in a week's worth of work. With our December Wine Club fully processed and the online orders from our holiday promotion racking up our daily sales, I told myself I deserved to give my eyes a break from the computer screen and have a nice lunch.

A new wine on the menu at the Rutherford Grill caught my eye. It was the T-Vine Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County for $11 a glass. With such positive and mouth-watering memories from our tasting at the T-Vine winery in Calistoga, I ordered a glass to wash down my burger.

It was a youthful and juicy Cab that will probably be better in a year, but it was tasty and left a lingering hint of blueberry on my tongue. 

The T-Vine winery itself is far off the beaten path, thus they don't get many visitors (which is a shame, because their wines are delicious and exciting!). Without a formal tasting room, Matt and I hung out in the barrel room one morning this past summer and tasted barrel samples of the Grenache, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah.

 

My favorite wine (and the reason for our trek up

 to Calistoga) was their Grenache, which I was introduced to at Mustard's, where it was on the wines-by-the-glass list last year.  If you happen to come across their Grenache, it's a steal for the quality and drinkability ($30 a bottle; the Monte Rosso Cab is $50). 

This is a big and ballsy Grenache, with the tannic structure of a Cab but the finesse of a Merlot. It is heavily perfumed, with a full body of dark, ripe fruit and sweet oak. This is a wine that will hold up to any steak, lamb, or chop, but it is polished and complex enough to be enjoyed on its own. 

Surprisingly, the 2007 Grenache and the 2006 Zinfandel are sold at the Whole Foods in Napa. I need to add these to my grocery list!