Family Winemakers Tasting in SF

Wine tasting events at Fort Mason in San Francisco are always fun, crowded, and loud. And the 2012 Family Winemakers Tasting held this past Sunday, September 9^th was no exception!

There was a terrific mix of large, established wineries and small, newer producers. I tasted some wines from wineries with which I was already familiar—including the exquisite 2008 vintage from Ladera, the new Grenache-based wine from Orin Swift, and Rhone blends from Tablas Creek—as well as a lot of unfamiliar stuff.

I reviewed the list of participating wineries before I arrived at the tasting, making note of a few wineries in particular that I wanted to get to. Main Street Wine Bar carries the 2011 Enkidu Tin Cross Vineyard Chardonnay ($30/bottle), so I was eager to try that wine. It was light and refreshing with crisp acidity and mild citrus notes.  Enkidu’s winemaker was pouring about 7 other wines, so I tried a few a more. I also really enjoyed the 2008 Humbaba [red] Rhone Blend ($28/bottle) and I was very impressed with the two Cabernet Sauvignons. The 2009 Napa “E” Cab was complex and fruit-forward with integrated tannins (and only $24/bottle!). The 2009 Sonoma Valley Cab was equally delicious ($45/bottle). Enkidu produces more than 10 different wines but no more than about 3500 cases total; their tasting room in Kenwood is open daily.

The best Pinot Noirs of the day were from a small, brand new producer called Ten Acre. The wines came highly recommended by a friend from Napa (otherwise I might have missed these cool-climate gems). The winemaker was pouring a selection of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. I tasted four different vineyard-designate Pinots from the Russian River and Sonoma Coast ($35-$65/bottle). They were elegant, juicy, and focused. I don't know if these wines are in distribution yet, but you can taste them at the Bella Vineyards tasting room in Healdsburg (which I suggest you do!).

The Hook and Ladder wines were also quite tasty. They were being poured at a booth down at the far end of the pavilion and by the time I got there, the entire place was packed. (This is the unfortunate aspect of such large tastings—you don’t get much time to get acquainted with each wine and it’s so loud it makes conversation extremely difficult.) So, although I didn’t get to hear the story about Hook and Ladder Winery, I sampled a few of their wines. These wines are extremely well-made and a great value. The 2009 Tillerman Bordeaux-style blend was awesome! When I asked for the price, I heard $70—but it was actually only $17. I definitely look forward to tasting these wines again.

A few other wines of note were the 2007 Kelleher Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2009 Inspiration RRV Pinot Noir and the Gregory Graham wines from Lake County.

Thank you to the Family Winemakers of CaliforniaOrganization and the participating wineries for such a great event. I would definitely recommend this event—and I plan to go again next year (but I will go as early as possible to try to beat the crowds). Cheers!

Cabernet deserves more than one day

After attending the Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland during August 17-21, I was rather “wined” out. But that didn’t last long. This past week, I started jonesing for something full-bodied and rich—it also happened to be #CabernetDay this past Thursday.

In the month of August, I tasted quite a few Cabernet Sauvignons that I didn’t get the chance to blog about. Here’s a re-cap of the highlights…

2010 Nadia Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Barbara, $35/bottle): blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The palate expresses sweet blackberry jam and vanilla with hints of clove and tobacco. Solid tannin and structure, though young and tightly coiled. Aged 20 months in 100% new French oak. For the price, this wine is made extremely well. It shows great potential and it will most likely improve within 6 months to 1 year or more. This bottle was received as a sample courtesy of Laetitia Vineyards for review purposes.

2008 Ehler’s Estate One-Twenty over Eighty (Napa Valley, $45/bottle): smells like boysenberry jam with a hint of white pepper and tar. On the palate, this Cabernet Sauvignon delivers jammy, mouth-filling flavors of blackberry pie, toast, dusty cocoa, and vanilla. The wine finished with notes of lavender and tobacco. It was probably one of my favorite wines this last month; I wish I had another bottle to drink tonight!

2007 Hartwell Misté Hill Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, $49/bottle): black currant, tar, black licorice, and roasted coffee. Velvety mouthfeel. I was told on a recent visit to the Hartwell Estate that this wine is designed to be enjoyed within 1-2 years of release. This particular vintage is starting to lose its freshness and the fruit flavors are fading, but it’s still drinkable. The 2008 vintage is drinking beautifully (as I’m sure th current vintage [2009] is as well!).

2007 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley, $63/bottle): a delicious organically grown wine with cherry cola, exotic spice, mocha, and the faintest whisper of blueberry pie. Very aromatic and concentrated in the glass. Ready to drink. 

2008 Tamber Bey Deux Cheveux Vineyard Yountville “Rabicano” (Napa Valley, $48/bottle): Bordeaux-style blend with flavors of cherry cola, blueberry, pomegranate and clove. Very dark in the glass with rich and refined tannins. This wine could definitely hold for another 1-2 years.

2003 Divot Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, price N/A): this wine showed it’s age in the glass; it was transparent with a brown rim. I was surprised that it smelled of sweet berries. Unfortunately, one sip convinced me that this wine was past its prime. The aromatics were misleading; the palate was a savory mix of dried herbs, earth, and mushroom.

2007 Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($41/bottle). In case you missed it, please read Tuesday’s blog post for a full review of this amazing wine.

On a sidenote, if you happen to be in the Tiburon neighborhood in Marin on a Sunday or Monday, please come visit me at Prima Palate (soon tobe Main Street Wine Bar). I have also been hired to manage the wine bar’s social media marketing efforts [yes, that is a shameless self-plug for my freelance/consulting business]. Thank you reading Sip Swirl Savor and cheers!

Ladera Cabernet at it's peak

Until I went through my entire list of past blog posts just now, I was sure that I had featured Ladera Vineyards at least once within the past three years (it doesn’t happen often, but I was wrong [haha]).

My first visit to Ladera, which is located on Howell Mountain (northeast of St. Helena) was back in 2009 (perhaps before I started my blog). The tour was amazing; we sipped wine as we walked around the historic winery and into the caves. We probably tasted 6 or 7 wines in total, including a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, vineyard-designate Cabernet Sauvignons, and a Malbec.

Last time I checked, I had 2 bottles of the 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($41/bottle), 1 bottle of the 2006 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($75/bottle), and 1 bottle of the High Plateau Cabernet Sauvignon ($65/bottle). Wines like Ladera Cabs should be aged, but I am guilty of letting the price of these bottles scare me away from opening them.

I never hesitate to open a bottle of wine that’s under $20 a bottle. Even if I’m planning on having just one glass. But when I’m dining solo and I might not be home the following evening for second-day leftovers, I don’t want to waste the good [expensive] stuff. I try to avoid thinking about wine in this way, because life is short, and wine is only wine. And it’s quite possible to wait too long.

(Last night, I actually opened two bottles of 2007 Cab from another producer that were—sadly—past their prime, before I pulled the cork on the Ladera.)

After one sip of the 2007 Ladera Napa Valley Cab, I was grateful for opening it (and I fully intend to enjoy it again tonight). In my opinion, this particular wine is at its peak.

The wine is intensely perfumed with cherry cordial, fig, leather and tar. The palate expresses pure mountain fruit flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cassis and sturdy tannins. There are undertones of oak and wet earth followed by a long-lasting finish that is berry-licious.

I enjoyed this bold wine with a delicious duck cassoulet; it would also pair perfectly with lamb, filet mignon, short ribs, spaghetti Bolognese and mushroom risotto. 

As I write this, it makes me wonder if the 2007 vintage as a whole is peaking earlier than critics predicted…

Like the 1997 vintage, 2007 was a phenomenal year for grape growers. But nothing stays fresh forever. If you prefer to drink wine that more fruit-focused and fresh, pop the corks on those bottles of 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon you may have—now. Better to drink a wine before it peaks than once it has gone downhill.

(And stock up on Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet—it’s a value for the quality. It also comes in half-bottles!)