Eve's Wine 101

Reviewing the New Smith-Madrone 2018 Riesling

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Before tasting the latest Riesling from Smith-Madrone I was reminded of a time years ago when I attended a Riesling class and food pairing. The wines were from one winery in the Mosel region of Germany (grown on steep hillsides similar to Smith-Madrone) and I remember that only the last couple of wines we sampled could be described as sweet. It was eye-opening for me at the time as I had assumed all Rieslings to be sweet, prior to taking my first wine certification classes, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was wrong.

I was equally – and very pleasantly – surprised when I had my first Riesling wine from Smith-Madrone. The 2017 Smith-Madrone Riesling review of mine is here and here is the fact sheet for the 2018 that I’m tasting with you today. Below are my tasting notes and below that is information from the winery.


2018 Smith–Madrone Riesling Tasting Notes

13.3% alcohol, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley

The wine is the color of pale gold, and sparkly, making it very appealing. On the nose, which I detected from about three inches away, I was reminded of sweet Meyer lemons, ripe grapefruit, wet pebbles in a stream, a touch of pineapple, talcum powder and Golden Delicious apples. I was anxious to taste the wine and immediately noted its rich mouth-coating viscosity, a lot of that Golden Delicious apple I found on the nose, as well as more pineapple, less lemon, with a mild to medium acidity that held on for a nice long finish. It wasn’t bone dry or sweet; instead it had a nice sweet spot that I thought would pair well with a cheese board, pasta in a cream sauce, fried chicken or all by itself!

From The Winery

The wine is all estate Spring Mountain District fruit, 100% Riesling, grown at an elevation of 1,300-1,900 feet, with slopes angling up to 34%. The vineyard is partially dry-farmed and most of the Riesling was planted on its own rootstock…the same hands cleared, planted, tend and make the wine…for the last fifty years.

Only 1,611 cases made. SRP is $36.00.

Winemaker Charlie Smith describes the wine: The 2018 Riesling opens with abundant floral notes buttressed by underpinnings of lime, lemon and exotic oranges. This delicate, fetching aroma leads one to expect a wine on the lighter, more delicate side and, when tasted, this expectation is confirmed. On the palate the wine is stylish and elegant, demonstrating a brilliant acidity that is at once fine and lively, tasty and fun and not the least off putting. The acid feels just right; it’s very much like biting into a delicious, crunchy Riesling flavored apple. For a wine of this delicate construction, it still manages to retain a solid core of vibrant fruit. It’s svelte and elegant, it’s drinking beautifully now and shows great promise for the future.

Smith-Madrone was founded partly on the premise of making great Riesling (i.e., not to dis the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay!), given its mountain site and steep slopes. Stu Smith describes the effort to market Riesling as Sisyphean…and to that point beginning with the 1983 Riesling vintage Smith-Madrone went where no other American winery would go for the next 17 years – changing the label from Johannisberg Riesling to “just” Riesling, and essentially outlasting the BATF and prevailing with that name.

Smith-Madrone’s Riesling is one of perhaps less than ten Rieslings grown/made in the Napa Valley.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Vintage Eve Circa April 2017: Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker, Reviewed by Wine Geek Eve

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My first thought when I picked up Bianca Bosker’s Cork Dork tale was oh boy, I was going to learn some new tricks here. Three hundred pages later I not only learned a cellar full of tricks but also felt a whole lot better about being a wine geek myself. Bosker’s cork dorkiness went way past mine because in one year to my ten she had risen from novice to passing the Certified Exam given by the Court of Master Sommeliers, one of if not the most respected sommelier certification programs available in the world.

Cork Dork, photo from Copperfield’s Books.

As my wine 101 columns have covered some of what Bosker writes I will limit what I share to what may be new to readers, especially those interested in being a cork dork/sommelier:

  • Share time with a wine mentor, someone with greater knowledge than your own, to learn from.
  • Wait for that epiphany moment, Bosker’s was in watching a blind tasting and being taken aback in all that can be determined such as a new vs. old world wine, the varietal, vintage year and grape(s).
  • If you are interested in Court know that there is no class – you are given a reading list of 11 books to study. Three of the 11 are wine encyclopedias. There are 17 steps alone that are needed to successfully pour a glass of wine…and 95% of people fail their first try at the exam.
  • Developing a “sense memory” is something I’ve already done, but Bosker explains new ways to develop your senses beyond sniffing your spice rack or garden.
  • Assign words and make associations to aromas to help you recall them.
  • You will learn that viscosity comes from sugar, acidity produces saliva on the tongue, alcohol leaves a burn…and so on.
  • You may need to adjust your habits for wine tasting. Brushing your teeth and drinking your coffee several hours before tasting wine is logical, but rinsing your mouth with a white wine may be less obvious.
  • There is a long list of “don’ts” imposed by the Court. Those can be adjusted, logically, depending on the type of establishment you will be working for. Restaurants have their own rules.
  • If you are interested in all things olfactory and the importance of detecting aroma, Bosker covers this at length, including scientific study. Olfactory training is just as important, if not more so, than detecting flavors. We read about the Aroma Wheel invented by Ann Noble, wine tasting that is taught in primary French schools, paying $800 for an olfactory seminar and putting a sample, say a pineapple spear, directly into a glass of white wine – all for the sake of wine education.
  • Of course a sommelier has to be aware of wine prices. Not only because they may have never afforded the same wine they may find themselves trying to sell – and have to know everything about it anyway – but also to gauge the comfort zone of diners. (There seems to be a lot of “wine profiling” going on behind our backs when we go out to dinner!)
  • If you can attend free events as a budding somm, or a writer, do it. This is training at its best. If you can get into a wine “orgy” like the La Paulee Burgundy fest that Bosker scores, you may see so much decadence – drinking rare and/or high dollar wines to excess while taking “wino selfies” – that you will gladly return to the freebie tastings that truly let you sit back, relax and educate your palate.

In conclusion, after her year Bosker submits to a type of MRI where she tastes wine via a tube – no color and no odor can be detected. Her MRI results, showing high levels of brain activity – were common to other sommeliers while the test group – the novices – were not as active. Read the book to see what this proves. But suffice it to say, I’m going to keep studying wine to try to get where Bosker and her colleagues are.

From Press Release

Amateur drinker and professional reporter Bianca Bosker didn’t know much about wine until she infiltrated a group of New York sommeliers who could, after a single sip, identify the grape a bottle was made from, the year, and where it was produced, within acres. Impressed by their sensory powers, she set out to discover what drove their obsession and whether she too could become a “cork dork.”

Her hedonistic journey, recounted in CORK DORK: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste (Penguin Paperback Original; March 28), takes readers inside Michelin-starred dining rooms, blind tasting groups, a mass market wine factory where flavor scientists reign, wine “orgies,” and Bianca’s brain (via an fMRI machine), answering: What’s the big deal about wine? Are palates born or made? Can tasting better lead to living better?

Bianca Bosker is an award-winning journalist who has written about food, wine, architecture, and technology for The New Yorker online, The Atlantic, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and The New Republic. The former executive tech editor of The Huffington Post, she is also the author of Original Copies: Architectural Mimicry in Contemporary China (University of Hawaii Press, 2013).

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Blatty Wines…Take Me Away

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I first met Mark Blatty of Byron Blatty Wines (same person but I understand he prefers to go by Mark) at Assistance League’s wildly successful Sunset in the Vineyard 10th Anniversary event last November. His tasting table was adjacent to the Pulchella Winery table and I quickly learned that Mark had joined other local winemakers at the Pulchella crush pad.

BlattyThen I tasted his wine and noted, I had to have more. In January I did a round up on what happens in our wineries in January and February for Elite magazine and Mark wrote, “In February Byron Blatty will be bottling at least two brand new wines for their spring release. A Rosé of Grenache that’s 100% LA County fruit as well as at least one new red blend that is Grenache, Syrah and Merlot (also LA County). It’s their unorthodox take on a GSM.” The “their” included winemakers Steve Lemley, Nate Hasper and assistant winemaker Joey Perry. (See below under “website” to learn more about the winemaking team.)

Those wines Mark referenced would prove to be the two wines I would be tasting for this article, and readers would also have a chance to maybe try them too at Wine On The Roof set for May 17.

Tasting

2017 Rosé, Los Angeles County

100% Grenache

14% alcohol

With an inviting color of rose gold I was drawn in to find aromas of ripe raspberry, lemon and lime zest, yellow peach and tropical fruit – made me think of Hawaii…and a beach…and a much needed vacation. Okay, back to the wine, I dove in (not to the ocean) for a taste. Luscious mouth coating viscosity and a hell of a lot of fruit, same as on the nose, lightly crisp and with medium acidity. As the length just went on and on, I thought how nice this would be in between bites of…just about anything that sounds good with a Rosé wine. 90 Eve pts.

 

2016 Tremor, Los Angeles County

65% Grenache, 30% Merlot and 5% Syrah

15.5% alcohol

Aged 18 months in French oak barrels

Dark garnet in color, with a honeyed edge that may be indicative of the time spent in oak, was my first observation. Then the spices on the nose hit me like a ton of bricks, well maybe not a ton of bricks, but the full spice rack! Along with dark plums, chocolate, red berry, blueberry – and then the two, the spices and the fruit, just melded perfectly together. Itching for a taste, you guessed it, I dove in again. A very full mouthfeel of pleasantly blended fruit, spice, a mild but welcome heat from the alcohol, toasted oak, length and a style that I wasn’t really familiar with. Maybe it was the blending Rhône with Bordeaux grapes that got my attention but I don’t care what it was, this renegade of a wine was delicious! Betting even better with a little aging or decanting. 92 Eve pts.

From The Website

Mark & Jenny Blatty, Proprietors – Mark and Jenny founded Byron Blatty Wines in 2014, after a visit to Napa Valley. Inspired by the story of Napa’s original vintners, who challenged the French with their determination to create world-class wines in a previously unproven region, the Blattys had only one rule that would guide them on their endeavor to start a commercial winery: The wines had to be from their hometown of Los Angeles. Initially they intended to plant a small vineyard on their hillside property, but soon realized that the space was not large enough, nor was it right for the varietals they had in mind. Undeterred, they began to search for vineyards in LA County from which to source their grapes. Despite the area’s rich wine history, established vineyards in LA are few and far between, and it took the couple nearly a year to discover just the right sites, tucked away in the far corners of the county.

In addition to being vintners, the Blattys also have careers in television. Mark is a Los Angeles native, and Jenny relocated from Chicago in 2001. Their first child, Oliver Byron Blatty, was born in January 2017.

Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper, Winemakers – Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper are the winemakers for Byron Blatty Wines. With more than thirty-five years of combined winemaking experience, as well as formal training at UC Davis, the pair melds a deep knowledge of modern techniques with the finesse and feel one only acquires through firsthand experience with multiple vintages. With an almost fanatical approach, they work hand in hand with our growers and in the winery to push the fruit to the absolute limits for maximum flavor and color extraction, while retaining each varietal’s nuances and subtleties. The result is bold, powerfully styled wines that stand out from the crowd.

Joey Perry, Assistant Winemaker –Joey Perry became Byron Blatty’s assistant winemaker for the 2015 vintage—his third overall—and he manages all winery operations for Lemley and Hasper. The SoCal native got his MBA from the University of Laverne and had his sights set on a career on Wall Street before a wine course at College of the Canyons in Valencia altered his path. Perry decided the trading life was not going to be for him and instead immersed himself in wine, going to work full time for Lemley and Hasper after graduation. He married his wife, Kristine, in 2015 and lives in Santa Clarita with her and their two dogs.

Website: http://www.byronblatty.com

Email: info@byronblatty.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byronblattywines/

Instagram: @byronblattywines

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Perlis Picks: From Abe Schoener — Wine Study in the Loire: Lessons in the Foundation of Winemaking – Part Three

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A Continuation of Abe Schoener’s [The Scholium Project]…

A NEW LESSON IN THE MORAL NATURE OF WINEMAKING: LES JARDINS DES ESMÉRALDINS

The Wines: Transcendental and somehow Historical at once

abe schoener you tube

Abe Schoener via YouTube

When we taste, he is very eager for our impressions, our reactions. He watches our faces, especially our eyes, carefully. He is clearly proud of how old the wines are: 2004– it was so fresh; I knew that it was not a 2016 from barrel, but perhaps a 2015? No, 2004; bottled in 2010. Totally fresh, punchy, dense but light on its feet at once.

  1. Bottled in 2008. Equally fresh. Showing the beginning of what you could call bottle age. Then, he pulls out and pours a wine that is slightly golden by comparison– 1999. “The first wine that I ever made.” We cannot believe that he is sharing a bottle with us.

This wine too is absolutely fresh, vigorous, even electric. The wine is perhaps more viscous than the others, and more golden to the eye– but not tired or even maturing in the mouth. The wines are complete and developed– and in this sense, mature– but there is no sense that the first two wines have aged at all, and it is hard to place the bottles in time in any way. They are, in this respect transcendental, which is difficult for wine– but they have dates. 1999 was the first year that I made wine too; it is hard for such a wine not to seem historical in this respect. How can a winemaker’s first wine not be historical?

We taste a red wine from 2004 and another early white, from 2001, that finished primary fermentation in bottle (by surprise). Both wines were very good, even great in some way– but it was so hard to come back and down from the 1999, the wine of origin. He calls all of the wines: “Genèse”– Genesis. The winery is the Gardens of Emeralds; the wines are Genesis White and Genesis Red.

All of the wines have intensity– particularly in what you might call “minerality.
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” They are saline and have the body and density that comes from fruit– but they do not taste or smell of fruit. Nor do they smell of yeast, in spite of their long lees contact. Nor do they seem oxidized. Even the 1999, opened 15 days ago, was fresh and yellow– no more golden than many Chenins only a couple of years old.

You could say that the wines are rocky– but you must somehow also mean that they are graceful. You could point to nuts and nut skins, and high-acid, young champagne, but you would have to be careful not to simplify too much. It is also worth saying that the wines taste and smell reduced, but that this is not an overwhelming sensation; and that there is no trace of VA at all, or, at most, perhaps one senses some acetic in the mouth, but nothing else, and certainly nothing acetate-y. The wines do not have the markers of wines that stand out as “natural” and seem utterly classical in spite of their unconventional origins.

Lastly, the wines have no typicity for me. I cannot identify the whites as Chenin (though they are not so far from what Eben Sadie sometimes accomplishes by rather different means). I cannot place them as Loire wines.
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This does not bother Xavier at all. He is in fact proud of this. Even though he is a super careful farmer, he is not interested in revealing or somehow representing the vineyards. There is clearly an unbroken continuity for him between the vines and the wine, but he nonetheless does not feel that he respects this continuity by seeking typicity, or by making single vineyard wines. Neither holds any interest for him.

He suggests, with both pride and mischief in his eyes, that the wines would be hard to identify in a blind tasting. When I agree and tell him that the 1999 reminds me of old first growth Bordeaux, he is clearly pleased– not because he cares at all about old Bordeaux, but because my mind roamed.

To be continued…

Vintage Eve Circa 12/2013: Visiting Phifer Pavitt

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Wowza – Suzanne Phifer Pavitt continues to blow us away!  Greeting us – on crutches from a recent surgery – we climbed up to see the brand new second story tasting room. (Last year when we visited it was under construction.) It was the perfect backdrop for us to visit, and taste the latest vintages of her award winning DATE NIGHT Cabernet Sauvignon and the second vintage of winemaker Gary Warburton’s Sauvignon Blanc.

Suzanne explained that the Sauvignon Blanc had some residual sugar, besides a few other surprises, so she suggested we taste the Cab first.  As Suzanne’s gut instinct about most things are dead-on correct, we switched up our usual routine and tried the Cab.

I was a wee bit distracted by the tasting notes provided by the winemaker, Ted Osborne, so I circled some of his that I found and added a few of my own:

Eve, Suzanne Phifer Pavitt, Photo credit Ed Bushman (2012 visit)

Eve, Suzanne Phifer Pavitt, Photo credit Ed Bushman (2012 visit)

2010 DATE NIGHT Cabernet Sauvignon

Osborne and I both found Cinnamon, tannins, chocolate. I also noted cinnamon toast, plum jam, spicy dark chocolate, and a perfect balance of fruit and tannin.

2012 Sauvignon Blanc

100% Sauvignon Blanc, 100% stainless steel.

This is their second vintage.

Aromas of Sprite soda, green apple, sweetened grapefruit and a bit o’ honey. Flavors of crisp Ambrosia apples, apricots, pleasant mouth-coating viscous honey, and a long death-defying finish. (Tasting the wine it reminded me a little of the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc for its nut fruit and low acidity.  However, Warburton’s work was better!)

More About Suzanne Phifer Pavitt

Phifer Pavitt, prompted by Cub Reporter/My Husband Eddie Bushman, told us more about her work during our leisurely tasting.  She had recently returned from DC where she was honored, along with only six others, for being Fortune’s most powerful women in business.  One of her anecdotes was meeting Warren Buffet.  With her long, slim hand she reached through a crowd of ladies to shake his.  Then she introduced herself.  Buffet was intrigued by her boldness even further when she said, “Sixty-six percent of luxury goods are purchased by women, but not wine” and then vowed to change that.

“How will you change things?” asked the cub reporter, to which Phifer Pavitt said that one way was through “A Woman’s Palate” online magazine that has a campaign geared for executive women called, “Don’t Give Up The Wine List.”  Through their Wine Boot Camp a woman can be more confident about taking charge of a dinner she is hosting as well as she does the boardroom.  The program was started by Susan Citron and Sharon Harris – with Phifer Pavitt.

Phifer Pavitt’s goals, besides helping other women traverse the wine world with ease, is to remain true to her own: Never sell more than a case of wine to anyone.  This way when someone tells a friend about the winery, and that person tells their friends, not only will there be more people discovering Phifer Pavitt, they won’t run out of wine!

Conclusion:  Can’t wait for my annual lunch with Warburton to pick up the bottles I bought and hear more about his work in Calistoga!  And a possible DATE NIGHT Bubbly???

http://www.phiferpavittwine.com

Napa Valley November 2013 Facebook Album Link

Vintage Eve Circa 8/2013: Tasting, and Learning, from Louie Lucas of Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards

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Vintage Beacon Circa 5/2011: Two-Bottle Benessere Post

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In reviewing two bottles of Napa Valley wine, from the same winemaker but two different varietals, I expected to find no similarities. But, in looking over my tasting notes for today’s column, I found one: Both wines developed, ripened, blossomed and smoothed out after ten minutes in my glass. I found myself returning to my Eve Point Scale and upping each by 2-3 points. So, what does that tell us? Every wine has a story to tell, and it isn’t going to be found on the first page.

BenessereVineyards Before I began the first bottle I had opened a Merlot someone had given me as a gift. I won’t tell you the name of the winery, as the results were probably not their fault, but this 10 year-old bottle had undoubtedly been stored improperly, as it smelled bad the moment the foil was off just the top of the cork. I was betting that it was sitting in a nice window for 8 years. Please, store your wines in a cool place! And, buy your wines at a reputable wine shop that does the same!

Now, onto the Benessere:

06 Phenomenon

Cab, Sangiovese, Merlot and Syrah blend

Appearance: Clean cork, clear, garnet hue.

Aroma: Black pepper, spice, floral, some vegetation-bell pepper maybe.

Taste: Med-high tannins, which produced the expected mouth-watering effect, dry, black pepper, mature dark fruit, light viscosity.

With food: No change.

Finish: Long.

87 Eve points at first taste, 90 points after 30 minutes.

From website:

2006 marked the seventh release of our “Super-Napan” estate blend called Phenomenon. The blending of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Merlot and Syrah is an unusual creation, although these varietals often are the basis for the finest blended Super-Tuscan wines in Italy.

It possesses distinct aromas of black cherry, sweet oak and essences of black olive, leather and vanilla. On the palate, the flavors are pure, sweet and lingering. It is a most age-worthy wine and substantial enough to pair with most full flavored meats and sauces, for the elegant dinner or the outdoor patio, dining al fresco.

Technical Notes:
Vineyards – Benessere Estate, North St. Helena
Blend Composition – 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, 2% Syrah
Finished pH – 3.60
Finished TA – 0.59 g/liter
Alcohol – 14.2% by volume
Production – 494 cases

07 Sangiovese

Napa Valley Estate

Appearance: clean cork, clear, garnet color with honey-hued edges.

Aroma: Sweet earthiness, sweet oak, vegetal, ever-so-slight mint, white pepper, clove, faint orange.
Taste: Dry, medium tannins but a light body, black pepper, coffee grounds, mild welcome slight bitterness.

With food: Same.

Finish: Long and peppery.

85 Eve points, 87 after ten minutes in my glass becoming very smooth and highly drinkable.

From website:

Gentle treatment is paramount to the production of fine Sangiovese, and we spare no expense in the hand sorting, manual punch-downs of the cap during fermentation and gravity decanting during the life of this wine.  Fining and filtration are unnecessary and leave more flavor and color in the wine.

Benessere continues to craft an elegant and beautiful wine with this extremely fickle and delicate varietal.

Technical Notes:
Vineyard – St. Helena Estate
Harvest Date – September 9 – October 3, 2007
Brix at Harvest – 24.6 – 26.4
Finished pH – 3.54
Finished TA – 0.63
Alcohol – 14.4% by volume
Production – 1236 cases

http://www.benesserevineyards.com

Vintage Beacon April/2011: Goddess Night

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There was more than one Goddess braving the SCV cold in nothing but a toga and a ceremonial grapevine headdress on one recent Friday night.

Me, as the temporary Goddess for Circle of Hope’s Vine 2 Wine event in June, and the Goddess of Wine, a fellow-wine blogger, wine educator, WSET Level Two Certified, lucky-for-me-she-lives-in-Burbank-and-can’t-take-my-peeps-home-with-her, buddy Denise Lowe.

971072_10152267819985340_809442161_n No, we weren’t really wearing togas. But I can tell you that we both carry waiter’s corkscrews, business cards, notepad and pen, wherever we go.

I’ve interviewed Denise before for the Beacon. While we both have blogging and the WSET certification in common, she does much more wine education and traveling than I do while I do more writing and marketing than she does. We learn a lot from each other, and we keep each other motivated. She also drives up, with her affable husband John Dickey, “JD”, every month to attend our Grape of the Night meetings.

This time, instead of an interview, I invited my pal to visit some of the wine bars in our fair city.

As we had taken our WSET classes at The Cellar together, and we attend Grape of the Night at Valencia Wine Company, I tried to squeeze in visits to some the wine bars she hadn’t been to.

So, with that in mind, I asked her to come to my house by 4:30 p.m. to get started. (I think she MAY have been motivated to see the new kitchen too!) From my place we drove over to Vino 100 Valencia for a tasting from Toolbox Wine Company that was set to start at 5 pm. And, as I had advertised the event on Facebook, and rsvp’d to a meet-up of “Wine-y Women”, I was sure to run into a few peeps to introduce Denise to.

Kathy Lockhart, the organizer for Wine-y Women had written this in her invite:

Toolbox Wine Company was created by three Napa Valley girlfriends who share passion and expertise in all facets of the wine industry. Their vision is to offer excellent (and fun) wines while raising awareness and money for Habitat for Humanity. With their catchy label, they prove that you cannot “judge a book by its cover”. They have successfully produced some wonderful, fun wines that are high quality and affordable.   Meet Katie Hamilton Shaffer, co-founder of Toolbox Wine Co., who is looking forward to sharing their story and passion for wine. Enjoy tasting several of their newest releases. Light, tasty appetizers will also be served.   HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US!

By 5:05 pm, we were well into the tasting and Denise had met both Lil LePore and Shari Frazier, the owners of Vino 100, some of the Wine-y Women (Kathy Lockhart, Rhona Jukes, Denise Van Arsdale-West, Kat Kombrinck, Pam Ingram…) and some pals of my own (Shipwreck Bob Schwemmer, Beth Greenwald, Kym Pease Cappi, Ray Tippet, Judy Penman, Shawneen Rubay…)

Of the line-up that was poured, the 09 Clarksburg Pinot Grigio, with .2% Muscat, was my favorite. The nose was a lovely mix of pineapple, apricot, lemons and lime. The taste, bringing some of that fruit forward, had high acidity with a nice mouth-coating viscosity. Short finish that just made me want more. We also enjoyed:

07 Oak Knoll District Napa Valley Chardonnay – Pale honeyed-yellow color, aroma of oak and green apple, with medium acid and a medium finish.

07 Napa Valley Merlot – 10% Cab and 90% Merlot, “Chianti-style” per co-founder Katie Hamilton Shaffer. Very dark edge on the color and opaque throughout, the aroma had tons of black fruit with a surprising blueberry-sweet nose. And the taste was dry, medium tannins with blackberry jam and a medium finish.

07 Cabernet Sauvignon – Plum color, fresh berries and pine on the nose, ripe berry flavors, dry with a medium length.

From there we moved onto Lee’s Wine Bistro for dinner. Denise selected a wine that is meant to be savored with a meal: 2006 Villamedoro Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Owner Lee Yoon was able to come over to say hello and chat, but not for long, as it was soon growing into a busy Friday night.

Denise seemed to enjoy the place, as our laughter grew louder and louder to be heard over the music and other guests.

From there I drove across the street to Wine 661 to introduce Denise to Tanya Green, the owner, and to computer whiz Tony Wire, her boyfriend that is always at her side. Now it was time to order a wine by the glass, as we needed to slow down. We both had a blend by Trinitas Cellars in Mendocino. And, true to form, Tanya swirled the wine she poured into our glasses, making sure that our wine was ready for tasting. I also requested Tanya’s spa water – iced water infused with fresh cucumber – to cleanse our palates, and, eventually, move us Goddesses over from wine to water.

As we sipped and listened to the band, four last peeps made their entrance and met Denise. Tim and Erin Dixon, and, Mark and Ann Drexler, had stopped by to purchase a bottle to take home with them.

Funny, Denise lives in Burbank, as I mentioned earlier, and we have more wine bars in one small area that she does in her big city. It’s a wonder. Or, is it just our growing infrastructure, or demographics, meeting our needs? It doesn’t matter. When it comes to wine, it’s all good for Goddesses.

Vintage Beacon Circa 3/2011: One Bottle Post, 08 Clos de los Siete

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I haven’t done a “One Bottle Post” in awhile because I had so much to write about from my Paso Robles trip. So, it was nice to segue from California to Mendoza, Argentina, to use my WSET education and take my time to evaluate a Malbec blend I had never had before from winemaker Michel Rolland.

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08 Clos de los Siete

From the Uco Valley, about 120 Km South of the city of Mendoza in Argentina.

56% Malbec, 21% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Syrah, 2% Petit Verdot.

 

Color: Clear, dark ruby, with a viscosity that coated my glass with voluptuous legs.

Aroma, in order of appearance: Cherry, bell pepper, mint, possibly some mushroom. Quite a delight to linger over and contemplate.

Taste: Coating my mouth, as well as it did my glass, with a nice viscosity, then giving way to a pleasant balance of tannin and fruit that made me question the vintage year – it tasted a wee bit older than an 08. From there I was treated to deepened fruit, more blackberry. And with a long, pleasurable finish, I could count to at least ten before I just had to add more to my wanting palate.

90 Eve points.

A funny note on the foil, cork and bottle: I don’t usually spend a nanosecond here but, the foil capsule was loose enough to pull off without the use of the serrated knife on my corkscrew. (Does anyone know if that means anything?) Regardless, I paid closer attention than I usually do to the cork, expecting it to be dried out, or just plain difficult to remove. The cork came out cleanly, a little tight, but the opening on the bottle was slightly narrower than most. I only know that for sure as it was difficult to slide my wine pourer/stopper into the bottle. I’ve never encountered this in an Argentinean wine before either…

I asked a brand representative about the foil and was told, “Interesting note on the foil – the bottle is a Bordeaux style bottle, which is where its unique shape comes from.  While the foil is not taught as you might find on some bottles, it shouldn’t interfere with the quality of the bottling and, in turn, the wine.”

I had to agree – it certainly didn’t effect the quality of the wine! So if your bottle looks like this you now know why!

Excerpts from the technical sheet:

Location: Canton de Tunuyan (120 km south of Mendoza)

Climate: Continental with low rainfall.

Soil: Sand and clay with large pebbles.

Altitude: 1000 m

Transport: Gravity, no pumping.

Maturing: 11 months with 1/3 in 100% new French oak barrels, 1/3 in one year old barrels, and 1/3 in vat.

No fining, no filtration.

Wine Spectator: 08 Clos de los Siete Mendoza 89 points, $19: Quite ripe, but focused and juicy, with blueberry, açaí berry and bramble notes laced with fruitcake and spice hints. A nice briary edge keeps the finish honest. Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot. Drink now. 50,000 cases made. –JM

(Disclosure: I didn’t pay for the wine, it was sent to me for review.)

The Remarkable Wines of the 2015 Chardonnay Symposium

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“This will probably be 2015’s most exciting wine event featuring the world’s most popular wine. TCS was started about six years ago by the Santa Maria AVA folks, featuring local notables like Jim Clendenen, Adam Tolmach, Jonathan Nagy… It was basically a couple simultaneous panels with a Grand Tasting afterward. Over the years it attracted panel leaders like Steve Heimoff and Karen MacNeil and then last year moved to Pismo in a slightly smaller format, with Matt Kettman as panel leader. This year it seems to have exploded into an international event with the edginess of In Pursuit of Balance and the comprehensiveness of WOPN. There are Grand Tastings both Friday and Saturday; intriguing dinners both nights and seminars that will appeal to everyone from the Interested Consumer to the Over-Achieving Professional…” Santa Barbara Photographer, Bob Dickey.

IMG_2888Tasting

Thanks to Bob Dickey I had this great precursor to The Chardonnay Symposium (TCS). I was looking forward to my full-throttle education of all things Chardonnay, already knowing that the best way to learn about a varietal is to taste from different AVAs and winemakers. After experiencing TCS for the first time, I hope that more wine event planners move away from the “drunk fest” and into this arena as we, as attendees, not only learn more that way, but our winemakers are met with the truly interested and not just those out for a buzz.

I attended both the Friday and Saturday grand tastings. (See the story in photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205711364290787.1073741919.1455706632&type=1&l=e289a928f1) as well as a killer tasting of older Chardonnays in a seminar lead by Master Sommelier Fred Dame. (More on that below.)

All of my notes are from the class (as that’s where I could sit and type on my mini) but I thoroughly enjoyed the two tastings too. If you scroll down to the bottom of this post I have highlighted my favorites in bold.

Hanzell Mount Eden Retrospective Tasting

Just check out the years of these wines – a “historic tasting” from 2011 back to 1994! If you haven’t had an older vintage chardonnay, or even if you have, there is something to learn from what a little age can do to a wine varietal not commonly aged.

Fred Dame, MS, led our seminar. He started with a story of when he drank a 1929 Montrachet – a Chardonnay – that stayed perfect throughout a dinner. Dame said that we don’t cellar our wines, homes aren’t built with cellars and the average aging time for a wine is 8 hours. This may have been a jest but we all understood that the average consumer does not hold onto their wines for very long. They are usually purchased to drink now.

Fred Dame, MS, in one-liners

Dame said, seeing us salivate, that this experience “is too dry” so let’s get started with the tasting.

Original Chardonnay was called Pinot Chardonnay in the states.

Martini planted Chards in the 50s and 60s.

Most back then were fortified wines, and the vines were in mostly Riverside.

The wines we have today are really newcomers.

There are ongoing experiments using high elevation, and the older ones are doing really well.

These two, Hanzell and Mount Eden, sell most if not all wine to members.

First read on a plaque at a golf course, Dame shared, “Gentleman stand back a moment, you are one of the privileged few to have this experience” which we all found truly apropos for today as well.

Hanzell Vineyards

Winemaker Michael McNeill said that their wines are made based on their ability to age in the cellar. Hanzell built the first stainless steel fermentation tanks in the world. “A quantum leap as to what was done before” McNeill said. They “pioneered the use of inert gas” and wanted to use French oak to follow what was being done in France. (The new winery is now all from scratch, Dame added. The original Heritage winery is now abandoned.) McNeill’s first vintage would be the 2008 we were going to taste today.

Mount Eden Vineyards

Along with Stoney Hill, these three (Hanzell and Mount Eden) were early big wineries, according to winemaker Jeffrey Patterson. Martin Ray, while recovering from a nervous breakdown in his 30s, bought Masson from Paul Masson – though Masson was sure he’d be successful if Ray bought and planted his own vineyard. Ray owned Masson for six years before he sold it to Seagram in 1943. Then Ray, heeding Masson’s original idea, bought the property right next door and planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Patterson believes that his white burgundy (chardonnay) is comparable to a grand cru classic burgundy. First vintage was 1972 and Patterson has been there since 1981.

Tasting – aromas and flavors separated by ;

2011 Mount Eden

There was a winter storm in the middle of bloom, following a cold winter, which made the crop small and the wine more ripe and concentrated.

Pineapple, honey, lemonade; lemon, grass, low acid, medium finish.

 

2011 Hanzell

Light and clean, apricot, steely; tart apple, lime, nice mouthfeel, medium acid and finish.

 

2008 Hanzell

A warm vintage, especially during harvest, which was done in about 10 days.

Toast, sweet citrus fruit, warm ceramic tile – if you can imagine that; really good fruit, balanced acid, lingering viscosity.

 

2006 Mount Eden (from magnum)

One of three years where harvest was relaxed with moderate weather. Patterson picked it for us to have today because he liked it.

White pepper, cigarette, pears in light syrup; very balanced, and a nice rich finish.

 

2001 Mount Eden (from magnum)

Patterson said this was his worst vintage, and the wine got remarkably better with age.

Cheddar cheese, some bark, peach; huge in the mouth, both the fruit and a backbone of smoke, could be described as both fine and intense. My favorite so far…

 

2001 Hanzell (from magnum)

Anise, Brie, ripe pineapple; tastes like the same profile of a younger wine, very crisp, acidic, extremely long finish.

 

1996 Mount Eden

Patterson used cross cultivation, no weeds, square grid and a 10 by 10 spacing, and that was the last year to use old vine fruit.

Honey, jasmine, cling peaches; not that sweet on the palate as it was on the nose, creamy, beautiful fruit, clinging to my tongue but still craving more. Remarkable.  My second favorite of the tasting.

 

1994 Hanzell (from magnum)

McNeill said that fine wine is incredibly inspiring, and these older wines show what Chardonnay can be.

The most honey-colored of the older wines. Smells like a dessert wine, honeysuckle, very fresh, honey, hard candy; creamy, again not as sweet on the palate, but a perfect balance of fruit and acidity with a staggeringly long finish. Another learning experience, I agreed with McNeill, this is what Chardonnay could be.

My Conclusion

Between the seated and walk-around tastings I kept thinking, these are all very fine, whether the winemaker chose to use no or some oak contact; and 100% of the cellared older vintages were really interesting. I generally felt that the fruit and mouthfeel lingered quite pleasantly on the older wines, which was a new discovery for me. So I’ll be holding some in cellar from now on. And I gotta buy some magnums to do it! Maybe a 1995, our daughter’s birth year, would be a good one to seek out.

Participating Wineries

ADELAIDA Cellars

Au Bon Climat

Beauregard Vineyards

Bodega Catena Zapata

Byron Winery

CALDORA

Calera Wine Company

Cambria Winery

Capensis

Center of Effort Wines

Chamisal Vineyards

Clos de Chacras

Cotiere

Cuvaison Estate Wines

Edna Valley Vineyard

Falcone Family Wines

Fog Crest Vineyard

Foxen Vineyards

Gainey Vineyard

Grgich Hills Winery

Hanzell Vineyards

Hugo Casanova

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

J. Wilkes

Jack Creek Cellars

Labyrinth Winery

Laetitia Vineyards & Winery

Liquid Farm

Mattina Fiore Wines

Melville Winery

Migration

Mooney Family Wines

Mount Eden Vineyards

Neotiants USA

Niner Wine Estates

Niven Family Wines

Patz & Hall

Paul Lato Wines

Poseidon Vineyard

Presqu’ile Vineyards

Sinor-LaVallee

St Francis Winery

Stephen Ross Wine Cellars

Swanson Vineyards

Talley Vineyards

Thomas Fogarty Winery

Toad Hollow Winery

Tolosa Winery

Tooth & Nail Winery

Tudor Wines

Wente

Wine Australia

Wolff Vineyards

Wrath Wines

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years.  She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition.  You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com