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?