Release Party Round Up

On October 5th, I threw myself a party in honor of the release of my new ebook, Where I Want to Be: A Wine Country Novel. This is the first of four novels in the Wine Country Series and it contains many real wine and winery references. If you have been reading Sip, Swirl, Savor for any length of time, you know I only promote wines that I am passionate about. The same goes for the wines I mention in the novel—they are my favorite wines and places to visit. Naturally, I sourced the same wines for the party!

You can’t call it a celebration without bubbles, so we popped the cork on a bottle of J Cuvée 20 Brut NV ($28/bottle) right off the bat.  As always, this J sparkler was a crowd pleaser. A blend of 50% Chardonnay, 49% Pinot Noir and 1% Pinot Meunier, this Russian River Valley bubbly is elegant and sumptuous. It offers zesty citrus notes and yeasty aromas with flavors of pear, toast, and almonds. It was spectacular to sip on it’s own but it was also quite lovely with a variety of cheeses, olives, and Marcona almonds.

The Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs NV ($22/bottle) is what we toasted the success of my ebook with. (It’s a delicious wine, let’s hope it’s a lucky one too!) This pale-pink bubbly is 82% Pinot Noir and 8% Chardonnay, all of which is hand-harvested from the 340-acre estate in Carneros (Sonoma). With lots of bright strawberry and bright acidity, this too is a wine that is great with ripe cheeses or duck liver mousse, ahi tuna, or smoked salmon.

The 2012 Stepping Stone Napa Valley Pinot Gris ($20/bottle) is a brand-new release from Cornerstone Cellars. This fresh and lively white wine with its colorful label was the perfect accompaniment to the joyous energy of the celebration. With crisp fruit flavors and great acidity, this is a terrific warm weather wine and great with appetizers of all kinds!

Side note: Interestingly enough, the three wineries above just recently debuted beautiful new websites! After launching my new Author Cortney website, I can appreciate how much effort goes into this process. I love the new look at Jwine.com, GloriaFerrer.com, and Cornerstonecellars.com!

Another white wine that attendees sipped while I read one of my favorite excerpts from the ebook was the 2012 Honig Sauvignon Blanc ($17/bottle). It’s a white-gold color in the glass with subtle aromas of mango, lime and lemongrass. On the palate, it has zippy acidity with bright tropical fruit flavors. This wine is very refreshing and such a great value. Ten percent is aged in neutral oak barrels and it is blended with 2% Semillon and 1% Muscat. Yum!

After the party, a small group of us went to the Tiburon Tavern for dinner where we enjoyed the 2011 Sojourn Cellars Wohler Vineyard Pinot Noir ($48/bottle). This is one of my favorite Sojourn wines. About 500 cases were produced from this small Russian River Valley vineyard. It has that classic cherry cola flavor along with a super-smooth mouthfeel and moderate weight. It paired perfectly with the lamb sliders!

If you like reading this wine blog, check out my new ebook, which is available exclusively on Amazon. Where I Want to Be started as a blog post, and then got longer and longer until I started referring to it (and self-published it) as a novel. Although it’s women’s fiction, quite a few men have already read it (and enjoyed it!). I hope you’ll enjoy it too. Cheers!

Carneros Appellation Recommendations

Many people don’t realize how many fantastic tasting rooms there are halfway to Napa! Less than 30 miles from San Francisco, the Carneros appellation provides lots of places to whet your palate...

On a recent trip to celebrate a friend’s thirtieth birthday, our first stop was Gloria Ferrer. Sitting outside on the terrace is a wonderful experience on a clear, sunny day. Instead of ponying up to the counter, you can sit back and enjoy the views while the hospitality staff delivers your choice of a tasting flight or glasses table-side. I highly recommend the 2004 Royal Cuvée ($32/bottle). A blend of two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay, this delightful sparkler offers citrus and stone fruit notes balanced by toast and rich yeasty aromatics. The 2007 Blanc de Blanc ($32/bottle) is also very pleasant with refreshing green apple flavors and crisp minerality!

Less than a mile down the road is the tasting room for Anaba Wines. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve driven by this tasting room a thousand times as I speed up the Carneros Highway (Route 12) to downtown Sonoma or Napa.

With no appointment necessary, I popped into the Anaba tasting room last week a few minutes after 5 PM (yes, they stay open until 5:30!). The tasting menu features many vineyard-designate Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs as well as Rhône varieties and blends. I was very impressed with the variety!

I highly recommend the 2010 Anaba Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($32/bottle). It is a deliciously drinkable wine with lots of lovely dark fruit and subtle complexity. A blend of fruit sourced from the famed Gap’s Crown Vineyard and Sun Chase Vineyard (both sites are part of the Petaluma Gap), this Pinot is aged in 35% new French oak barrels. With a whisper of oak and silky dust-like tannins, you can enjoy this wine on its own, with salame and cured meats, pizza, roast chicken or even fish like salmon and tuna. This wine can be ordered direct from the winery, enjoyed by-the-glass at Restaurant Picco, or purchased at Main Street Wine Bar.

Other tasting rooms worth checking out in Carneros include Domaine Carneros, Cline Cellars, and Nicholson Ranch. There’s also Schug, Etude, and Acacia (which I haven't visited yet but they are on my list). Cheers!