The Wines of Atlas Peak

Hill Family Estate, Krupp Brothers, Astrale e Terra, VinRoc, Lobo Wines, Antica Napa Valley, and Alpha Omega all have one thing in common—these producers belong to the Atlas Peak Appellation Association (APAA). Despite a shared appellation designation, the wines grown in Atlas Peak couldn't be more diverse. This AVA offers quite the range of styles! For more information about the area, click here.

The APAA tasting kicked off with a barrel sample of the 2012 Hill Family Estate Atlas Peak Sauvignon Blanc; a blend of 86.3% Sauvignon Blanc and 13.7% Semillon, this barrel-fermented white offers bright tropical fruit on the nose. The palate is full and lush with lots of refreshing citrus notes and a finish with just a hint of spice. Keep an eye out for its release this fall. Also from Hill Family Estate, the 2009 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon ($68/bottle) has beautiful longevity and depth with lingering flavors of blackberry and sage, with just a whisper of licorice.

From the Krupp Brothers label, the 2009 Chardonnay is opulent and full-bodied; it is both fermented and aged in French oak (80% new) for 22 months. It undergoes 100% malolatic fermentation and yet it retains an attractive acidity that complements the green apple flavors and buttery texture. The 2007 Veraison ($67/bottle) gets the same oak treatment and is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cab Franc, 4% Malbec, and 3% Petit Verdot. This sumptuous blend offers bright red fruit flavors and a robust richness on the palate. It finishes with red berries and spice notes. It is delicious now but still has a lot of ageing potential.

Astrale e Terra is a tiny little winery that produces only 1500 cases annually. We tasted the 2012 Syrah Rosé ($22/bottle), which was just lovely. Very pale pink in color, this rosé is low in alcohol and has the tiniest amount of residual sugar to balance out the acid. Light and fruity with cranberry and watermelon notes, it is a perfect poolside companion! The soon-to-be released 2009 Arcturus ($40/bottle) is a blend of Cab, Merlot, Syrah, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot. This bold wine serves up a tasty combination of plum and blackberry flavors with velvety tannins. A great value! 

The 2008 VinRoc Cab ($98/bottle) is 100% Cabernet and accounts for more than one-third of VinRoc’s total production. Aged for 24 months in French oak, the nose imparts aromas of black olive and earth. Structured yet refined, red currant and surprisingly bright acidity round out the palate. It finishes dry with lingering red berry notes.

Lobo is another itty-bitty producer. Only 75 cases were produced of the 2009 Lobo Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($65/bottle); it is brick-red in color with savory aromas and big, mouthfilling tannins. This wine will age well.

We tasted a few wines from the Antica Napa Valley portfolio. The 2011 Estate Chardonnay is perfumed with orange blossom and spice. The palate delivers notes of lemon curd, almonds, and sweet vanilla with refreshing acidity. The 2009 Townsend Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($105/bottle) has a soft, supple texture and a pretty purple color. Restrained and focused, this wine offers dark berry and mineral notes. This is a wine that age wonderfully. Then during lunch, a few bottles of the 2012 Fossino Rosé of Pinot Noir were passed around. It was a refreshing complement to the food and the warm afternoon.   

The last wine in the line-up was impressive and rich, the equivalent of dessert. The fruit for the 2009 Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon ($120/bottle) was sourced from Jan Krupp’s Stagecoach Vineyard. Dark and super-concentrated in the glass, this Cab offers intense aromas of purple fruit and baking spice. Prevailing flavors of coffee and dark chocolate overwhelm the taste buds. Decadent!

Visiting the Atlas Peak Appellation and spending time at the Antica Napa Valley property was a fantastic experience that I encourage you to experience for yourself. If you’re looking for unique and complex Napa wines, this is where you can find them! 

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!

Praise for Lincoln Park (the wine bar, not the band)

There are two new wine bars in San Anselmo (central Marin County). As you know, a bar that serves a large selection of wine by the glass is my kind of place. Especially now that I’m newly single.

When I walked into Lincoln Park Wine Bar (in the old Dream Farm restaurant on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard) at 4:30 on Friday to meet a friend, there was already one couple at the bar throwing back a glass of bubbly. In addition to the 12-seat marble-topped bar with antique-looking wooden chairs, there is leather banquet seating as well as intimate tables. The menu of fresh and seasonally inspired dishes is written on a large chalkboard behind the bar. Although not a large place, they make good use of the space without making it feel overcrowded. I really liked the design and casual, lounge-like ambiance.

The wine list is comprised of small, California producers. The wines are offered by the 4-ounce “pour” or the 7-ounce “more"...

My friend Danielle started with a pour of the 2011 Viandante del Cielo Skywalker Ranch Rosé of Pinot Noir (Marin County). It was a pretty fuschia color with bright cherry and ripe strawberry notes. Very round and full-flavored for a rosé. My first glass was filled with the lemony Jaffelin Cremant de Bourgogne.

By 5:30, there was a lively bar scene (but luckily, the noise level was moderate enough that it was still easy to have a conversation). The food looked delicious, but Danielle was off to dinner in San Francisco with her fiancée and we only had time for another “pour”. We opted to share the 2011 Broc Valdiguie from Green Valley (Solano County), a grape I wouldn’t have guessed grew anywhere in California.

The Valdiguie was reminiscent of a great first date. Young, fun, flirtatious—which also happen to be at least three characteristics I look for in a potential mate…

Almost transparent in the glass, this wine reveals itself to you with good clarity and ruby-red color. It has an alluring perfume and a modest palate; this is not a wine that will mislead you or try to hide anything (don’t you wish everyone was this straightforward?). The dynamic flavors of ripe cherry and red raspberry along with good acidity are like that magical first-date chemistry that you hope will never end. The long, juicy finish is the intimate conversation that goes well into the night.

Before this blog post turns into a long-term relationship, I want to add that the Broc Valdiguie was also very satisfying and easy to drink all by itself (because who really wants to eat on a first date and worry about getting food stuck in your teeth).

I will definitely return to Lincoln Park soon; perhaps on a first date of my own!

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!


  

Think pink and color coordinated

Last night, as I sat down to a simple dinner of roasted Atlantic King salmon and garlicky asparagus, I couldn't help but notice the color of the wine I poured for myself matched the pink hue of the salmon perfectly.

The wine was Mumm Napa Valley Brut Rosé non-vintage sparkling wine ($24 a bottle at the Mumm Napa website). With it's bright strawberry notes and dry finish, it was a tasty compliment to my meal.

And it got me thinking about how I go about pairing food with wine. Unless you are color-blind, my approach might work for you too.

I match the color of the food (or the main element of the dish) to the color of the wine, such as:

white fish like cod or halibut and yellowish foods like quiche, corn, and squash with a white wine pale yellow/straw in color like a Californian Sauvignon Blanc;

green foods like salads, avocado, and herb dips with a white wine that has grassy notes and might be so pale in color it has a greenish tinge like Vinho Verde or Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand;

white/grayish foods like oysters or fried fish served with tartar sauce go well with a minerally Chablis or sparkling brut;

cheesy pasta, roast chicken, or quinoa salad with a deep straw/golden hued wine like a medium-bodied Chardonnay;

pink foods like a summer salad of watermelon, tomato and feta and salmon, shrimp, or pork go nicely with rosé;

red meat, pasta with red wine or red meat sauce, pizza with tomato sauce go well with Bordeaux varietals, Zinfandel, or Italian red wines;

Pinot Noir is great with duck and seared ahi, but I drink it with almost everything.

Spicy curries and multi-colored food like Mexican cuisine often go better with beer in my opinion.

Also, if you are cooking with wine or making a wine reduction sauce, use the same wine you intend to enjoy with your meal. I often make risotto; if I want to drink Cabernet Sauvignon with it, I'll simmer it in Cab. If I want to drink Pinot Noir with it, I'll use Pinot (and so on). If I had used a dry white wine (which is what most risotto recipes call for), the dish would not have paired well with red wine.

Although this color-matching method works for me, the best wine and food pairing advice is to drink whatever makes you happy. And as the singer Pink says, raise your glass!