Satisfy your senses at Domaine Chandon with amazing food and wine!

Although I have been to Domaine Chandon in Yountville quite a few times, this past Sunday was my first experience at étoile, the restaurant on the property. Seated with a unique group of authors, journalists, and wine industry folks, the lunch began with a bottle of Domaine Chandon 40^th Anniversary Cuvée Rosé ($40/bottle). This pretty pink sparkler has ripe strawberry and rose petal notes with bright acidity. It was enjoyed with lively conversation as the six of us got to know one another.

On pearl plates with a matching incandescent spoon, caviar was soon served and accompanied by fluffy blini and crème fraiche. The presentation was absolutely exquisite; the saltiness of the caviar paired impeccably with the slight sweetness of the sparkling wine.

For my main course, I enjoyed the artfully prepared arctic char, which was cooked to perfection and served over colorful beets and slivers of blood orange. This amazing dish was delicious with the bubbly!

The luncheon preceded my very first book event of 2014. Along with Lisa Mattson, author of The Exes in my iPod: A Playlist of the Men that Rocked me to Wine Country and Marketing & PR Manager at Jordan Winery; and Emily Brown, author of Stories of the Sisterwives: How I Survived Dating a Sociopath; I participated in a book chat led by Ian White of 7x7 Magazine.

With the exception of Ian, Howard Yune of the Napa Valley Register, and Emily Brown’s boyfriend, it was an all-female crowd. This came as no surprise; all three of the featured books are women’s fiction. Somehow, Lisa convinced Ian to read them and moderate the Q&A. Regardless of the genre, Ian enjoyed reading my novel and left a 5-star review on Amazon!

Coverage of the event was featured in the Napa Valley Register, which is the first time my book has been mentioned in print (yay!!). Read Howard Yune’s article here: bit.ly/1aO4zpx

After the book signing portion of the event, I wandered into the tasting room for a sampling of more sparkling wines. (I am partial to the Etoile Brut and Etoile Brut Rosé sparklers, which are always lovely). Between the beautiful lunch, an enthusiastic attendance at my event, and the delightful wines, this was an incredible visit that has left a lasting impression on me.

The next time you’re in Napa Valley, I strongly recommend that you plan to spend a couple hours dining, drinking, and taking in the views at Domaine Chandon; it will satisfy all of your senses!

Book signing recap at Cornerstone Cellars

We had a great turnout for my first-ever book signing party at Cornerstone Cellars in Napa Valley this past weekend. In my novel, Where I Want to Be, the main characters visit the Cornerstone tasting room in Yountville. It was the perfect venue for my event!

In between chatting with my Wine Country friends and answering questions about my book (no, it’s not autobiographical!) to new fans, I took the chance to taste through the current line up of Cornerstone wines:

2011 Stepping Stone Napa Valley Riesling ($20/bottle): Yes, it’s a dry Riesling! This wine has a fresh and lively attitude with bright citrus notes and an alluring finish.

2011 Willamette Valley Chardonnay ($40/bottle): Lots of Meyer lemon on the palate with a kiss of vanilla and a long finish citrusy finish. This would be an amazing complement to fresh crab. Mmmmm….

2010 Stepping Stone Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($35/bottle): This delightful Pinot Noir is young and fruity with notes of ripe raspberry, cranberry, and juicy strawberry. Vanilla and spice are super-subtle on the finish. Very easy to drink!

2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($65/bottle): This brand-new release has “drink me” written all over it. The rich and complex palate offers delicious notes of dark red berries and dark chocolate supported by velvety tannins. (I went back for seconds of this one!)

2010 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($80/bottle): This wine has such a gorgeous perfume that becomes more pronounced with every swirl. Think blackberry jam, fresh sage, and black licorice. On the palate, a mélange of ripe dark fruits charms the taste buds with a finish that lingers seductively until your next sip. A little age on this wine will help smooth out the sturdy tannins. I tasted the 2009 vintage of this wine on Sunday night and it is divine. But it is also quite youthful; it was even better the second day. Don’t forget to decant!

If you're going to be in the Napa Valley this weekend, please visit the Hill Family Estate tasting salon on Saturday, 12/7 from 2-4 PM for my second book signing event!  Click here for more info.

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!

Wine & Women's Fiction: the Perfect Pairing!

Over the past 18 months, I have written—and self-published—a novel about life in Wine Country. It started as a collection of dating stories with a bunch of wine references (because blind dates are better, or at least funnier, when wine is involved). I started referring to these wine-fueled musings as a novel when the page count hit 200 (and I wasn't done yet).

I've always known I would be a novelist. In the Creative Writing program at USC, the lesson plans focused on writing short stories, poetry, essays or journalistic articles. But even after graduating with a B.A. in Creative Writing and getting lots of writing experience (including penning a weekly wine column for the Daily Trojan), I felt unprepared for what I really wanted to do. All my professors told me to "write what you know", but I didn't know how to write a novel.

So now that I’ve finished my first novel—and begun working on the second one—everyone wants to know about the process. Maybe they didn't teach novel-writing at USC because it comes down to two simple things: a few great ideas and lots of hard work.

Oh, and a good editor, supportive friends, and many bottles of wine...

The easiest part of writing Where I Want to Be was deciding which wines to mention. I looked back at four years’ worth of blog posts and picked out the most memorable ones.

After writing about eight drafts and proofreading until my eyes hurt, I am thrilled with the feedback from fellow wine bloggers and friends! And although this novel is “women’s fiction”, I know one guy who read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Click here to check out Alana Gentry’s review on girlwithaglass.com.

I hope that you will buy my debut novel on Amazon today and enjoy it too. Preferably with a big glass of wine!

Cheers,

Cortney

Stepping Stone Rosé dances to its own beat

For my sister’s birthday party last weekend, I was assigned the task of bringing wine (it should come as no surprise that I insisted on this responsibility). It’s something I always do, whether I’m asked to or not (sometimes if only to guarantee there will be wine worth drinking). I brought six bottles to the party: two whites, two rosés (one sparkling), and two reds.

           

With its pretty pink hue and lively label, the 2012 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone “Corallina” Napa Valley Syrah Rosé ($20/bottle) was a huge hit. The name is a mouthful and so is the wine itself!

Gorgeous raspberry and wild strawberry scents burst from the glass with the same incredible intensity the acidity has on the palate. Juicy, ripe strawberry and red currant flavors dance delightfully along the taste buds. That being said, the painting featured on the label is called “Wine Dance”, by artist Janet Ekholm; the joyous energy it evokes and its bright colors match what’s inside the bottle perfectly. It might make you feel like dancing! 

Aged for five months in neutral French oak, this tasty wine is both complex and refreshing. The Corallina is quite unique in that the Syrah grapes are farmed with the intent of making a Provençal-style rosé; it's not a pink wine by default. It finishes bone-dry and you’ll notice a lingering desire for another sip.

Corallina makes an excellent party guest! (Even if she isn't around for very long.) This coral-colored wine was phenomenal with everything from the grilled chicken and vegetables to the fresh burrata cheese and balsamic-glazed asparagus as well as the tri-tip. It would also be terrific with seafood. I love rosé for it’s pairing potential, even when enjoyed with nothing more than a sunny afternoon and a comfortable place to sit.

This wine was received for review purposes from Cornerstone Cellars. Please order your Corallina Rosé here (it's on sale through 5/31/13 for only $16/bottle). Cheers!

Classic California Sparkling from Calistoga

As much as I love Champagne, California bubbly is oftentimes a better value and just as tasty, especially when it comes from Schramsberg Vineyards. If you’ve never toured the Schramsberg caves in the northern Napa Valley (Calistoga), I highly recommend it!

 

The 2010 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs ($37/bottle) is a fresh and delightful sparkler with pronounced notes of juicy white peach on the palate. It has celebration written all over it, with a price tag that in my mind that reads “any weekday occasion will do”. That being said, I felt the need to celebrate this glorious, summer-like weather and my expectant departure from my day job (soon I’ll have more time to write, yay!).

Made in the méthode Champenoise, this bubbly is made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. It exudes a slightly yeasty character and sexy, subtle nuances of almond skin, toast, and something tropical that I can’t quite put my finger on. It finishes with an air of complexity, a whisper of green apple, and a kiss of fresh-baked bread. This sparkler has a delicate effervescence that makes it an excellent aperitif and also a terrific pairing with a light meal. Schramsberg makes some of the best bubbles in the Napa Valley. But don’t take my word for it! Get yours here and let me know what you think. Cheers!  

A sensible Sangiovese from the Napa Valley

Italian grape varieties are fairly uncommon in the Napa Valley. That being said, the few Napa Sangioveses I've had in the past have tasted less like their Italian counterpart and more like a Napa Cabernet. Which made me wonder why a Napa winery would even bother making anything besides Cab. And yet, Castello di Amorosa has committed itself to producing Italian-style wines from Napa-grown grapes. 

Charmed by the architecture and the chickens roaming the landscape, I felt transported to Tuscany when I visited the Castle in Calistoga for a brief tasting in 2010. Since then, the winery has hired a new consulting winemaker and the vineyards have matured in ways that do the Tuscan varieties justice.

I recently opened a bottle of the 2009 Castello di Amorosa Napa Valley Sangiovese ($30/bottle). Upon my initial quaff, the wine was tight and restrained. I poured a little more through a WineSoiree and swirled it around in the glass while my eggplant parmesan warmed up in the oven. It wasn't long before this wine started singing a beautiful tune.

The perfume of rose petal, dried herbs and red cherry hits a very similar note to that of Chianti Classico. On the palate, notes of cranberry and currant shine alongside excellent acidity and dusty tannins. Despite it's Calistoga birthright, this wine definitely has an Old World sensibility.

The wine’s high acid was the perfect match for the tomato sauce with my eggplant parmesan. It was a delightful pairing that continued to get better as the wine continued to flourish. By the end of my meal (and my second glass of wine), sweet aromas of black cherry and ripe plum dominated the nose of this medium-bodied Sangio. Rhubarb and cocoa became more pronounced on the palate, and the finish lingered with juicy cherry and spicy vanilla.

This bottle was received for sample purposes. Please visit the winery’s website for ordering information and to plan your next Tuscan-inspired tour!

Get your hands on this Guy, a delicious Napa Valley Cab

All of the wines served at the holiday party I went to last night were selected from Stash, an online wine retailer that offers super-limited releases from small producers around the world. There was a tasty Italian sparkler and many bottles of delicious red wines...

The one wine that really stood out was the 2007 Guy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($60/bottle).

This Guy has a gorgeous scent; a heady mix of ripe blackberries and gentle notes of licorice and tobacco leaf. Black fruit dominates the palate of this wine and it finishes with a kiss of sweet oak. The firm tannins give this wine a sturdy backbone and a bold attitude, but this Guy isn’t Rico Suave. It’s a little rough around the edges, a little immature if you will (like a lot of guys out there, haha). 

This wine will cellar well for the next 3-5 years and will pair nicely with a filet mignon. But if you can’t keep your hands off this Guy, a plate of ribs would be a killer pairing. Decanting this wine would also help loosen up its tight tannins. 

As you can imagine, the name of this wine provided lots of jokes at the party. A few of the funny comments included:

“I want to spend all night with this Guy.”

“This Guy is so good.”

“I love this Guy!”

Only one barrel of this wine was produced; the fruit was sourced from the Godspeed Vineyard on Mt. Veeder and the Neal III Vineyard in St. Helena. Winemaker/owner Guy Riedel is also a movie producer, which includes two of my favorite movies of all time (“Office Space” and “Wedding Crashers”). He has been dabbling in the wine industry since 2005. Buy his wine here and get to know this great Guy!

Wine of the Week: Stepping Stone Napa Cab

Now that the temperatures are cooling and the time has officially changed, it is definitely Cabernet Sauvignon season...

When I was asked last night what my favorite wine is, I prefaced my answer by saying that I drink all different kinds of wine—but it's true. What I most enjoy drinking is usually determined by my mood, what I'm eating, the time of day/year; thus my "favorite wine" is changes by the week. All that aside, I'm a Napa Cab kind of girl.

And I don't make any apologies for my wine preferences. I'm a California native who is very proud of the wines we make here. Yes, I like French wines, Argentine Malbec, and Spanish Rioja, but I will always support California producers first and foremost. 

Last week I tweeted about being accused of having a palate “tainted” by California wine. I found this comment both patronizing and condescending—and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Criticizing someone's wine palate is just as bad as saying you don't like their new hair cut or their butt looks fat in those jeans. If you don't have anything positive to say, don't say it all. (Which is why I only blog about wines that I like and recommend to my readers.)

On that note, I have nothing but positive things to say about the 2010 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($35/bottle). It was definitely my favorite wine of the week!

This new release from Cornerstone Cellars is bursting with bright red fruit. Aromas of red currant, raspberry, and black cherry leap from the glass. It is deep red in color with good concentration. With the first sip, flavors of pomegranate, mocha, and mint leaf entertain the palate. Tannins are lush and well-integrated; the rich mouthfeel is balanced by good acidity. It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon that is approachable and lively, with a long lingering finish of blueberry, vanilla, and cocoa. Blended from four vineyard sites including Howell Mountain and Rutherford with a small percentage of Merlot from Oakville and Carneros districts.  

I shared this wine with a friend this past Thursday night; we enjoyed it with a lovely home-cooked meal of risotto with pancetta, roast chicken, and arugula. (Thanks again for cooking, Danielle!) Delicious dinner, dynamite wine!

Sample received for review purposes from the winery.

Smith-Madrone on Spring Mountain

Spring Mountain is one of my preferred sub-appellations of the Napa Valley (along with Howell Mountain and Stag’s Leap District) and there are many wineries worth visiting up there. If you only have time to visit two, I highly recommend Terra Valentine (a long-time love of mine) and Smith-Madrone (a new favorite), which provide two totally different experiences.

I recently had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with Smith-Madrone founders and brothers, Stu and Charlie Smith.

The tour starts in the vineyard with Stu. Perched 1900 feet above the valley, the sweeping views from Smith-Madrone are amazing. The rows of Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon zigzag over the landscape. As Stu explains, they have been laid out to maximize sun exposure for early ripening. He discusses the challenges that come along with growing grapes on a steep hillside and the difficulties they had clearing the space almost 40 years ago. They now have a total of 38 acres planted to vines; the rest of their property is still covered in forest, densely populated with Douglas Fir, Manzanita, and oak trees.

Stu points out the large single madrone tree in the middle of the young Riesling vineyard and explains that this tree was the inspiration behind the name of the winery. He and Charlie wanted to put their name on the label, but they also wanted something more original than “Smith Winery” and “Smith Brothers” was already synonymous with cough drops. So they settled on Smith-Madrone (admittedly, it has a better ring to it than Smith-Douglas Fir or Smith-Manzanita).

From the top of Spring Mountain, the valley below looks so peaceful and quiet below, which is not really the case at least this time of year. Most wineries are currently in the throes of harvest right now, with traffic congesting sections of Highway 29, but the Smith brothers are calm and relaxed—they have already picked the last of their estate-grown grapes and they don’t source additional fruit from any other vineyards.  

Stu leads us back down to the winery and inside the barrel room, where we are handed wine glasses and introduced to his older brother Charlie. An old oak barrel turned upright serves as a table as we taste through the estate-bottled current releases.

Clinking glasses with Charlie!

The 2009 Chardonnay ($30/bottle) is a refreshing delight (it was about 95 degrees the day of our visit). It is crisp and clean despite going through 100% malolactic fermentation. No buttery or popcorn flavors in this glass! A pale straw hue, this wine has mouthwatering acidity with zesty citrus and tropical fruit aromas. The entry is alive with flavors of Meyer lemon, pear, and minerals while the mid-palate offers richer notes of crème brûlée, sweet cream, and stone fruit. This Chardonnay, although particularly light in body, would pair nicely with many types of foods.

The 2006 ($45/bottle) Cabernet Sauvignon is a dark, brooding beauty. Blended with 9% Merlot and 6% Cab Franc, it is still very youthful with tight tannins and the promise of more to come. Smelling this wine is like sticking your nose into a bag of dark chocolate-covered cherries! Yum. On the palate, flavors of bright red currant, cherry cola, and black plum are complemented by savory notes of tar and exotic spice. The finish is ripe and brimming with impressions of blueberry and juicy black fruit.

With lower alcohol, the Smith’s design their wines for longevity. The 2006 Cab has only 13.9% abv, which is relatively low compared to most Napa Cabs. That being said, I found the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (to be released soon!) very approachable. With blue and black fruit aromas and a velvety mouthfeel, I would probably drink the 2007 sooner than I would the 2006. I was surprised to hear that Charlie had recently tasted their 1984 Cab and it was holding up very well.

There wasn't an extra bottle of that vintage around for us to sample, but we did try one more wine. The 2011 Riesling ($27/bottle) at 12.6% abv, is a terrific wine to enjoy at lunchtime or as an aperitif. The perfume is effusive and reminds me of Juicy Fruit gum with kumquat, mandarin and grapefruit. Light and delicately flavored, this wine would be the perfect pairing for Asian cuisine, salads, and on its own!

For what started as a hobby, the Los Angeles-born Smith brothers have achieved great success in crafting unique small-production wines from their Spring Mountain estate vineyards. You won’t find an art-filled tasting room or chef-endorsed food pairings at Smith-Madrone; the experience is rustic and replete with old-Napa charm—and that’s what makes it so wonderful.

Like most of the wineries on Spring Mountain, make an appointment first. And enjoy the drive!

To age or not to age?

Obviously the title of this post refers to ageing wine.

Over the past month, I have gone through about half of my wine collection. Mainly because a lot of what I opened was past its prime. There were nights when I would open three bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley just to find one that was drinkable. It was very disappointing to learn that so many of these wines—which I was told would improve with age when I purchased them—did not live up to my expectations.

But it wasn’t all disappointing. The 2006 Crocker &Starr St. Helena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (purchased in 2009; $90/bottle) was incredible and well-worth the wait! A sexy stunner with loads of blackberry, black currant, mocha, and black licorice. The palate was silky smooth with well-integrated tannins. I recently tasted the 2008 vintage of this wine, which I probably will enjoy a year from now—if I can wait that long!

The 2007 Lava Vine Pritchard Hill [St. Helena] Cabernet Sauvignon ($110/bottle) was good. But when I purchased this wine in 2010, I recall it being full-bodied with firm tannins and gobs of dark fruit. After two years in the cellar, the tannins had broken down considerably and it negatively impacted the mouthfeel of the wine. It had a medium weight with a short finish and predominant spice notes. It was drinkable, but I prefer how this wine tasted two years ago.

Other wines that I wish I had opened sooner include the 2005 Volker Eisele Vineyards “Terzetto” and the 2004 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon. I recall these wines as fruit-forward and balanced upon release, but when opened recently, they expressed non-fruit savory flavors of black olive, dried herbs, and earth.

I opened three bottles of the 2006 Ghost Block last month and each bottle was particularly underwhelming. But the current vintage is delicious and lush, which tells me it’s just not a good candidate for cellaring. I sold this wine at Napa Wine Company in 2009 and we assured our customers that the Ghost Block would improve with 3-5 years of age. I thought this sales pitch about ageing potential referred to the release date (which, for the 2006 vintage was May 2009); I realize now that it would have been more accurate to tell people to enjoy this wine within 2 years of the release date or 3-5 years from the vintage date. How confusing!

It would be unfair to say that it’s not worth it to age expensive wines [because I’ve had some great experiences with older wines, like the 1998 Honig Cab, the 2001 ZD Cab], but I have a new stance on the practice. If you like a wine when you taste it, don’t worry about whether it could improve with ageing. If you like it as is, drink it within 1-2 years! (That’s my plan.)

I think our culture places too much value on the “if” and “when” aspect of cellaring wine, and overlooks the fact that if we really like the wine upon release, then it makes sense that perhaps we won’t enjoy the wine anymore three years later. In fact, we could very well not like the wine after three years. And thus, the downside of ageing—pouring those once-beautiful $65+ wines down the drain.

If you are sitting on bottles of 2004, 2005, 2006, or 2007 Napa Cab, I would suggest opening them soon. And let me know what you think. Do you agree that these Napa Valley vintages are now ready to drink?