Bonny Doon delights...!

Last night while hanging out at Main Street Wine Bar in Tiburon and sipping Champagne, the topic of my blog came up in conversation. If someone asks me what I do, wine-blogging is part of the answer.

When I started my blog in 2009, my premise could be easily summed up in a single sentence—review the experiences at various tasting rooms around the Napa Valley and attempt to visit all 450+ of them. I now blog about whatever wines please my palate, including current releases, dusty older bottles from my “cellar” (a fancy word for the storage unit at my sister’s place where I keep my overflow), and international selections that I come across in my pursuit of something worth savoring.

In describing my review-style last night, I mentioned that I don’t publish anything negative about a wine. My blog is a collection of recommendations and personal favorites. It’s not that I can’t write objective wine reviews, it’s that I don’t want to. To be honest, they can be a bore to read. I’m a storyteller who prefers happy endings. If you read about a wine on sipswirlsavor.com, it’s because I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope you will too!

So, speaking of what I’ve enjoyed recently…

There has been a lot from Bonny Doon in my wineglass. With an appetizer of smoked salmon and avocado on toast last month, I enjoyed the brightness of the 2011 Le Cigare Blanc ($28/bottle). A blend of 62% Grenache Blanc and 38% Roussanne, this wine smells fresh with vivacious acidity, grassy notes, lemon curd, and a finish redolent with lime peel. It is very refreshing and would pair beautifully with fish, shrimp, or light salads.

With crispy pork cutlets, the 2010 Le Cigare Blanc Reserve ($50/bottle) was outstanding! This blend of 56% Roussanne and 44% Grenache Blanc reminds me of an opulent Chardonnay with a rich vanilla character and yellow apple and citrus flavors. A golden straw color in the glass, this wine is allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. Full-bodied but decidedly balanced, this wine can hold up to heartier fare and anything creamy. Less than 500 cases produced!

A Rhone-style blend that changes vintage to vintage, the 2008 Le Cigare Volant ($38/bottle) is a delicious wine with bright raspberry notes and a white peppery finish. A week after enjoying the Blancs, this pretty ruby-colored wine was a smashing companion to rabbit, but you could also pair it with duck, roast turkey, or spicy sausage. A balanced blend of 45% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 13% Mourvèdre, 7% Cinsault, and 5% Carignane, this medium-bodied wine of about 3K cases has gentle tannins and lovely depth.

The 2008 Le Cigare Volant Reserve ($65/bottle) was a little too smoky for my preferences, but my dinner companions thoroughly enjoyed it. An empty bottle is always a good sign.

One of my favorite Bonny Doon wines is the Vin Gris deCigare ($16/bottle). This pale pink wine smells like wild strawberries and offers mouthwatering flavors of watermelon, strawberry, and citrus. With exciting acidity, this dry rosé is made with both red and white grapes, primarily Grenache and Grenache Blanc. This wine pairs significantly well with spicy foods like Mexican food. The screw-top closure is key for picnics and more!

The "Le Cigare" wines were received for review purposes. Please purchase yours from the Bonny Doon website. As always, I look forward to your thoughts. Please post comments on my Facebook page. Thank you and cheers!

Recommendations from the Rhone Rangers Tasting

When I think of wines from the Rhône Valley, I think of juicy Grenache, meaty Syrah, and complex GSM blends. But the first wine that wowed me at the 16^th Annual Rhône Rangers Grand Tasting event in San Francisco this past weekend was a white wine. It reminded me of how tasty the white Rhône varieties are—and with the weather warming up, this was a helpful reminder!

When I arrived at the Fort Mason Pavilion on Saturday afternoon, I didn’t have a plan of action. The wineries were organized alphabetically so I started at Andrew Murray and strolled down to Davis Family Vineyards, a booth that was crowded and a winery I'd never heard of before.  

I was very impressed with the Davis Family 2009 “Cuvee Luke” ($26/bottle). Named after their grandson and sourced from vineyards in the Sierra Foothills, this refreshing white is a classic blend of Marsanne, Roussane, and Viognier. It is opulent yet balanced with ripe fruit flavors and lively acidity. The Davis Family Tasting Room is in Healdsburg and also offers quite a few red wines including Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Syrah.

I discovered a scrumptious Grenache from Mounts Family Winery, another Healdsburg-based winery. Their 2010 Grenache ($30/bottle) is estate-grown in the Dry Creek Valley. It is medium-bodied and luscious with plenty of red fruit on the palate and a finish that tastes like strawberries and spice.

My next stop was for the famed 2011 Grenache Blanc ($24/bottl) from Two Shepherds Vineyards. Recently recommended by Jon Bonné in the SF Chronicle, it is a delicious and super-limited production sourced from the Santa Ynez Valley. Aged on the lees in a combination of neutral oak and stainless steel, this white wine is abundant and persistent on the palate with citrus. stone fruit, and excellent acidity. Winemaker and founder William Allen uses an Old World, hands-off approach as he gently “shepherds” the grapes from the vineyard to the bottle. His Grenache ($32/bottle) and Syrah ($35/bottle) come from Russian River Valley and are very tasty with bright fruit and delicate tannins.

The best Mourvedré I tasted was from Kenneth Volk Vineyards. From the Enz Vinyeard in Lime Kiln Valley (San Benito County), the 2009 Mourvedré is rich and succulent with notes of black cherry, licorice, and blueberry. If you’re into “heirloom” wines, definitely check this winery out—they produce wines that are not usually farmed in California, including Torrontes, Aglianico, Negrette, and Tempranillo.

As I approached the end of the alphabet, I arrived at Zaca Mesa, a winery in Los Olivos that I visited about eight years ago. From the vibrant 2010 Viognier (only $16/bottle!) to the tasty 2008 “Z Cuvee” ($20/bottle), the wines were just as enjoyable as I remembered them. Current winemaker Eric Mohseni even poured me a little something special—the 2009 Black Bear Block Syrah ($60/bottle), which stole the spotlight. It was powerful yet elegant with flavors of blackberry, plum, and licorice. The Black Bear Block was named for the black bears that live nearby; it is the oldest remaining Syrah vineyard on the Central Coast and was the first planting of Syrah in the Santa Barbara County. It was truly a grand finale!

If you didn’t make it to the Rhône Rangers tasting this year, I hope you can make it next year. It was a great event with so many fantastic producers. Thank you to the organizers and all of the participants! There are RR events coming soon to Los Angeles (June 23^rd) and Chicago (September 11-12^th).

Are you a fan of Rhône varieties? Who are your favorite producers of American Rhône wines?

Stepping Stone...these wines totally rock!

Earlier this week, a friend of mine posted the following question on Facebook: “What is your favorite tasting room and why?” She has received 18 comments so far…

One response was Schramsberg because of its “historical and haunting” beauty; another said Buena Vista because the outdoor area there is “beautiful and quaint”; and a few people supplied the name of a room in their own house (maybe they don’t live near a bunch of terrific tasting rooms?). I noticed how these answers had more to do with the location and setting of the tasting room, and there was no mention of the wine. Hmm.

There are many variables to consider when answering this question, including wine selection, price (tasting fees and the cost of the wines), ambiance and setting, timing (do you have to make an appointment or go for a tour?), and location. I have a different “favorite” for each of these criteria!

Although I love destination wineries with beautiful views and a relaxed atmosphere (like Terra Valentine or Pride Mountain), my favorite tasting rooms are the ones that are easy to get to, don’t require an appointment, and offer a good mix of wines (both in price and style). If this is what you’re looking for in a tasting room, then Cornerstone Cellars is the correct answer!

Cornerstone Cellars is on the main drag in Yountville, centrally located in the Napa Valley. There’s no need to make an appointment; you’re not forced to take a 90-minute tour; the staff is super-friendly; and the wines (which range in price from $18-$125) are fantastic. Plus, when you’re done, you can hop across the street to the Hope & Grace tasting room (another one of my favorites) or go for a bite to eat at one of Yountville’s award-winning restaurants (without even having to get back into the car!). There are actually 6 different tasting venues along Washington Street—you could easily spend a few days wine tasting [on foot] in Yountville alone. (How’s that for minimizing your carbon footprint on your next trip to Napa?!)

Since my first introduction to Cornerstone Cellars at the Pinot Days event in SF, I have loved every single Cornerstone wine I’ve tasted including the Corallina Rosé, the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, and The Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon.

Most recently, I enjoyed the Stepping Stone Rocks! White and Red wines. For $18 a bottle, these wines are incredible! Designed as “house” wines, the blend is different each year, and the exact composition is kept secret. In fact, I did not read the tasting notes prior to writing this post, so I was curious to see what varietals were used in each wine.

When I sampled the 2011 North Coast White Rocks! over the weekend, the fragrant perfume of this wine was suggestive of an aromatic variety that you don’t see that often in California. This particular vintage is a blend of Gewurtraminer and Chardonnay (a blend that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before). The Chardonnay brings depth and tropical fruit flavors while the Gewurz adds crisp acidity, melon, and spice notes. This is an awesome wine to sip with spicy appetizers (it would also be great with Mexican dishes).

The 2010 North Coast Red Rocks! drinks like a Super Tuscan-style blend twice its price. So I was surprised to read just now that it’s a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Merlot (so much for my blind-wine tasting skills, ha). Syrah is very pronounced in the nose, which offers savory aromas of roasted meat, spice, and berry compote. The palate is full and luscious; black cherry, vanilla, red currant and white pepper components intertwine seamlessly. With smooth tannin and good acidity, this wine was the perfect match last night for ratatouille and it would be an ideal wine for pizza.

All of the Stepping Stone by Cornerstone wines offer great value ($18-$35/bottle). I received mine as samples from the winery, but they are available to taste and purchase [alongside the eponymous wines] at the Cornerstone Cellars tasting room. They’re open 10-7 everyday, so go visit them and tell them I sent you.

Maybe it will become one of your favorite tasting rooms, too!

Intro to WBC

The 5^th annual Wine Bloggers Conference was held this past weekend in Portland, Oregon. It was jam-packed with wine tasting activities, educational sessions, and socializing opportunities with the other 375 attendees. (I had no idea there were so many wine bloggers!) The hashtag #WBC12 was at the top of the Twitter Trends list all week long.

The conference didn’t actually begin until Friday morning, but when I saw that the Welcome Reception was planned for Thursday evening, I flew in early.

The preliminary event was more “overwhelming” than it was “welcoming” (but don’t read that as a complaint). I was expecting a low-key gathering with a few unfamiliar wines and a few new faces; there were about 50 different wineries pouring upwards of 200 wines (needless to say it was anything but low-key).

The event was sponsored by the Oregon Wine Board; the participating wineries were from all over the state.

The largest wine growing area within Oregon is Willamette Valley (the second and third syllables of Willamette rhyme with ‘damn it’), which was well-represented.

I’ll be honest, I’m not very familiar with Oregon wine-growing areas or it’s producers (which is one of the reasons I wanted to attend the WBC in Oregon in the first place), so I tried a lot of new wines on Thursday evening.

 

As I made my way through the room, I recognized the familiar face of Craig Camp, owner of Cornerstone Cellars (who I met at the Pinot Days event). The 2010 Stepping Stone Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($30/bottle) was a fresh and lively wine with bright fruit flavors and good acidity. Tony Ryders is the winemaker for the Cornerstone Oregon wines, but I didn’t know that Tony also has his own label. When Craig suggested I check it out, I didn’t need much convincing. 

Ryders gained experience and notoriety at Domaine Serene before branching off on his own. Under the name of Tendril Wine Cellars, he produces super small quantities of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. The 2009 White Label Pinot Noir ($48/bottle) showed red berry fruit flavors, with a hint of white pepper and rose petal; silky smooth and delicious. The 2010 Tight Rope Pinot Noir ($64/bottle), only about 50 cases produced) will be released later this year, and it is the kind of Pinot that will benefit from a little aging. It is rich and powerful with flavors of cassis, violet, and spice. Contact the winery directly for availability and purchase info. 

Red Hawk Winery was represented at the table right next to Tendril, otherwise I might have missed the value-priced Pinot Noirs they were pouring. The 2009 Grateful Red Pinot Noir was only $15; light and very easy to drink! The 2010 Estate Pinot Noir ($22/bottle) was more complex and concentrated with ripe, juicy red fruit flavors. Yum!

From there, I jumped across to the Cowhorn Wine table. As a big proponent of Rhone varietals, I was eager to taste their Grenache. The 2010 Cowhorn Grenache ($30/bottle) was lush but balanced, offering aromatics of plum and raspberry with ripe strawberry flavors underscored by savory spice. The Syrah was quite delectable as well.

Another Syrah that I really enjoyed was the one poured by Big Table Farm. The 2009 Syrah ($48/bott) with a picture of silverware on the label (drawn by the winemaker’s wife) was bold and full-flavored, with intense flavors of blackberry, cinnamon, and black licorice.

I also enjoyed the Domaine Drouhin and Brooks wines before the event started shutting down. It was a terrific tasting and a wonderful introduction to so many fantastic Oregon wineries. I’ll post more about the Wine Bloggers Conference over the next couple of days. Stay tuned!

Rosé-tinted glasses

Now that it's officially summer, it's time to start opening easy-drinking wines that are better suited for warm weather (if you haven't started already!). A dry rosé is always my first summer sipping choice.

Stepping Stone by Cornerstone makes an excellent coral-colored wine appropriately named Corallina. This rosé made from Napa Valley-grown Syrah grapes has elegant aromas of rose petal, lavender, and berries. The palate offers flavors of ripe strawberry, cranberry, and currant with vibrant acidity. This rosé finishes dry with a lingering note of tangerine and red fruits.

Rosé can be paired with many summertime dishes; in fact, I think it's more of a food wine than white wine.

The 2011 Stepping Stone Corallina Syrah Rosé is robust enough to stand up to red meat (such as burgers and ribs), duck or grilled salmon--I recommend you have some on hand for your next BBQ. This wine also paired beautifully with a salad I made last night of mixed greens, avocado, fresh figs, and goat cheese with Brianna's Honey Mustard vinaigrette. The pairing possibilities are endless.

Fewer than 500 cases of this wine were produced so it's bound to sell out quickly. Available for purchase at the Cornerstone Cellars tasting room in Yountville or from the website for $20/bottle. Sample received courtesy of Cornerstone Cellars for review purposes.

Don't take my word for it....pour yourself a glass of rosé and see your summer through rose-tinted glasses (they're better than beer goggles haha). Cheers!


  

Charming Chardonnays at Hyde de Villaine

On a "Wine tasting Wednesday" with my industry buddies last month, we visited a few phenomenal wineries including Kenzo Estate and Futo Wines. Unfortunately, the Kenzo wines were way beyond my price point and too restrained for my likes, and the Futo wines were already sold out to their mailing list. At over $250 a bottle, I told myself it was for the best.

That brings us to the sunny patio at Bouchon in Yountville, where we promptly ordered croque madame sandwiches with frites and a bottle of the 2009 De La Guerra Chardonnay.

Produced by Hyde de Villaine, a partnership between Larry Hyde (who owns vineyards in Carneros) and Aubert de Villaine (of the famed Domaine Romanee-Conti in Burgundy), this Chardonnay is crisp and clean with elegant green apple flavors, mineral, slate, and a slight nuance of citrus zest. With the rich, buttery sandwiches, it was an exceptional pairing.

When I tasted it again with Eddy in the Hyde de Villaine barrel room in Napa, this Chardonnay was just as delicious as I remembered it (after a full day of wine tasting, sometimes our taste buds and memory can become skewed). And it is easy on the wallet, too, at $40 a bottle.

The 2008 HdV Chardonnay is the fuller-bodied older sister to the De La Guerra. It is made from 19- to 29-year-old vines and aged in more new French oak. It is Burgundian in style, with more opulent tropical fruit flavors and a creamier mouthfeel.

To my surprise, HdV also produces red wines, too. We sampled the 2007 Californio (not a spelling mistake), which is a fruity Syrah, and the 2007 Belle Cousine, a Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

I am thrilled to report that I enjoyed all four of the wines. Eddy was an informative and very hospitable host. Even if you're not a Chardonnay fan, HdV is definitely worth a visit.