Tasting St. Supery…again?

June 12, 2020 by evebushman

Haven’t been to St. Supery on Highway 29 in Napa for a while, not since we had a book signing there a few years back for one of the Wine Dogs books I had written an essay for. Last year I wrote about Chef Tod Kawachi, their creative in-house chef for Napa Valley Life Magazine. It’s a welcoming winery with a lovely tasting room and beautiful landscaping. Happy to return, virtually for a tasting of this trio:

2018 Sauvignon Blanc, Estate Grown and Bottled

$22 retail for the 2019 (2018 not available on winery website.) 13.5% alcohol.

Lots of lime, tangerine, white peach and a slight bit of cream on the nose, followed by flavors of limeade, lemon zest, fruit cocktail, some minerality and a high acid allowing for a medium length.

2018 Vertu

Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc

$30 retail, 13.5% alcohol

This may have been my favorite in the tasting. Similar to a white Bordeaux due to the varietals Semillon (sweet) and Sauvignon Blanc (dry) they chose to use. The wine had fresh notes of Meyer lemon, stone fruit, mown grass, wet stones and a bit of creamy Brie cheese on the nose. I tasted fresh citrus, Italian lemon soda, with a nice mild acidity, a mineral-filled long finish, balanced and with a perfectly round mouthfeel.

2018 Rose, Estate Grown and Bottled

Grape unknown

$20 retail for the 2019 (2018 not available on winery website.) 13.5% alcohol

Watermelon in color, I noted raspberry, crushed strawberry, pear and cold wet stones on the nose. In the mouth I got strawberry soda, bruised yellow apple, a mild acidity and pleasant mouthfeel in a medium length finish.

About St. Supery

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery produces 100% estate grown, certified Napa Green wines, focusing on sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, and additional red Bordeaux varietals.

Located in the renowned Rutherford growing region at the heart of Napa Valley, the winery combines French château tradition with Napa Valley terroir – producing the highest quality estate wines and providing exceptional experiences to all guests.

Guests and their well-behaved dogs are welcome 10:00am – 5:00pm, except on a few major holidays. Reservations are preferred.

8440 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford, CA 94573. Winery Phone: 707.302.3488 https://stsupery.com https://www.facebook.com/stsupery/

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 (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Meeting with Winemaker Zak Miller, and All Things Domaine Carneros

June 21, 2019 by evebushman

Love invites to wine and dine with winemakers, and this one was right up there with the best:

Hi Eve,

A day trip to Napa and a leap of faith led Zak Miller, winemaker at Domaine Carneros, on a journey from field research in forestry science to the vineyards of California, Chile and New Zealand to learn all he could about winemaking. And another leap, joining Domaine Carneros over a decade ago, saw his deep respect and fascination for the Pinot Noir grape blossom into a surprising love affair with chardonnay working alongside Eileen Crane, Founding Winemaker and “America’s Doyenne of Sparkling Wine.” As winemaker at Domaine Carneros, Zak oversees the day to day operations of sparkling winemaking.

On behalf of Zak…we’d like to extend an invitation to join him for an intimate dinner of award-winning, estate Carneros sparkling and still wines…at Avra Beverly Hills.

Winemaker Zak Miller

The Meeting

Tucked in the back of the swanky Avra Beverly Hills restaurant, Zak Miller sat alone at a table for five waiting for four ladies of the pen, the wine pen, to arrive. Though the restaurant was a bit high-status, along with Miller’s pedigree, Miller was not. Affable, friendly and open from the moment he stood to say hello to the end of our time together, roughly two hours, I came away armed with plenty of info to share from our “bubbly” time together. (If you just want to see more photos, go here.)

I had received a large file of past and current press releases from the winery and I have abbreviated some of that below. Before that I will share what we talked about and my notes on both the still and sparkling wines we sampled. This is what I learned from Miller firsthand, we absorbed more (in more ways than one – lol) during the tasting:

This is Miller’s 12^th harvest with Domaine Carneros. He had experience winemaking for Saintsbury in Napa, as well as wineries in New Zealand and Chile.

The winery is striving to be 100% Estate Vineyards, they currently have 400 acres. They have long relationships with growers in Carneros for some of their fruit.

It takes roughly 10 years from harvest to release for each vintage.

The “Chateau” in Carneros is a replica of Champagne Taittinger official residence, the Chateau de la Marquetterie. Taittinger founded Domaine Carneros in 1987.

They use up to 13 Chardonnay clones in the sparkling wines.

The Tasting

2012 Le Reve Blanc de Blancs

2012 was a big harvest according to Miller. The bottle, the only one with embossing and a different all over shape, will be hard to find except in fine restaurants. A little over $100 a bottle and made with 100% estate grown Chardonnay. I got aromas of crisp yellow delicious apple, Brie cheese, rye toast and a mild salinity. In the mouth I got that same bright apple, pear, pink grapefruit and plenty of citrus. $115 a bottle.

2015 Brut Cuvee

This wine – 51% Chardonnay, 47% Pinot Noir and 2% Pinot Gris – spent 36 months in barrel. Notes of white peach, cream, white pepper and green grass on the nose with fresh fruit cocktail and hard red apple candy on the palate. $36 a bottle.

2016 Estate Pinot Noir

They make about 12 thousand bottles of Pinot Noir per year. This vintage used 15 of their 16 Pinot Noir clones, all estate. Loved the aroma of black cherry, stems and must as well as the flavor of both red and dark cherry, black currant and toasted oak. Well balanced fruit and tannin. After twenty minutes the wine further improved and showed more of that dark fruit I liked. Nicely done for only about $30 a bottle for a Napa Pinot.

Cuvee de la Pompadour

This blend of 59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay had only been macerated with the skins on for a few days before draining off. Miller wanted the color but not the tannins from the Pinot. He felt that a heavy Pinot influence makes the sparkling “bastardized.” Yellow cling peaches, raspberries, golden raisins and a hint of flint greeted me on the nose, followed by raspberry, red cherry and just a tad of cheddar. $42 a bottle.

From Domaine Carneros (Abbreviated)

Some history: Founded in the Carneros appellation of Northern California by the Champagne Taittinger family, Domaine Carneros is a small grower producer of ultra-premium Carneros Sparkling wines and limited production Pinot Noirs. Thirty years after the winery’s inaugural harvest, Domaine Carneros has become the benchmark for California Sparkling wine, reflecting both the individuality of the Carneros’ terroir and the craftsmanship of its French legacy.

The Chateau: Completed in 1989, the 18th century château-style building was architecturally inspired by the historic Château de la Marquetterie owned by Champagne Taittinger in the Champagne region of France. Situated atop a knoll and overlooking endless rolling vineyards, the elegant property is an iconic Northern California landmark. The château houses the winery’s facilities as well as beautiful salons for visitors and wine club members.

The summer of 2018 marks the completion of the highly-anticipated and beautifully-designed Jardin d’Hiver – a conservatory-style addition to the north terrace of the renowned Domaine Carneros château, which will allow guests to immerse themselves in the beauty of Carneros and surrounding vineyards while being shielded from the weather.

Winemaker Zak Miller: It was his first harvest in Napa Valley at Saintsbury Vineyards that gave him a deep respect and fascination for the ever challenging Pinot Noir grape. Eager to continue learning, he traveled to New Zealand and Chile to hone his craft. Returning to northern California wine country in 2008, Miller joined Domaine Carneros with the goal of continuing to evolve his skill with pinot noir working closely with TJ Evans and his still wine program at the chateau. Or so he thought.

Working alongside Founding Winemaker, Eileen Crane, opened to Miller a new realm of possibility in winemaking – sparkling wines – and he hasn’t looked back since. Through Crane and the Domaine Carneros team, he developed a deep appreciation for the versatility of both pinot noir and chardonnay in sparkling winemaking and the great skill required to craft beautifully balanced, elegant yet complex wines. And through his work as a sparkling winemaker, he grew to love a variety he admittedly didn’t gravitate toward originally – chardonnay – which provides the base for what he feels is its finest expression (and a personal favorite), Blanc de Blancs.

First Augmented Reality (AR) Wine Application in Santa Barbara Wine Country Launched

December 27, 2018 by evebushman

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) – Augmented Island Studios’ CEO, Enrique Sánchez-Rivera, wanted to enhance the wine tasting room experience with augmented reality. Chase Carhartt, from Carhartt Vineyard, has always believed in the value of ground-breaking new technology, especially when it pertains to member interaction. He quickly partnered up with Augmented Island Studios to build Carhartt Vineyard AR – the first ever wine augmented reality experience in the Santa Ynez Valley – Santa Barbara, California’s coastal wine region.

“The wine tasting experience, whether at home or in a tasting room, hasn’t changed in ages, and Carhartt Vineyard AR brings entertainment, interactivity and an additional informational tool to Carhartt Vineyard’s wine club members and fans all across the nation.” – Enrique Sanchez-Rivera, CEO of Augmented Island Studios explained.

Upon launching the Carhartt Vineyard AR app, which you can download through the Apple App Store, a beautiful flyover scene of Carhartt Vineyard’s stunning 11 Oaks Vineyard passes by. The app then instructs you to find a flat surface where you can place the vineyard’s logo in order to click on it. Once you click, an ultra realistic 3D modeled bottle of Carhartt’s 2015 Estate Sangiovese appears right in front of you! You then get to explore different “floating” icons around the bottle and learn about the Sangiovese varietal, Carhartt’s 2015 vintage, and the history of the ranch. Try taking the cork off the bottle with your finger and you will be thrilled to see cherries and rose petals coming out in representation of the wine’s tasting notes while the cork hovers right above the bottle. Don’t forget to put the cork back in its place though!

When asked why a small craft operation like Carhartt Vineyard would be interested in developing an augmented reality experience, Chase explained, “Carhartt Vineyard exists to connect to people and we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to achieve this mission. I hope users have fun using the app and experiencing AR technology, and most importantly get excited to drink our coveted Estate Sangiovese year after year.”

Click here to download Carhartt Vineyard’s new AR app:
Carhartt Vineyard AR

About Carhartt Vineyard:

Carhartt Vineyard is family owned and operated since the early 1950s. The Carhartt’s sell 100% of their wine directly to the consumer which allows them to focus entirely on their farming, winemaking, and guest experiences. You can find the wines in their tasting room in Los Olivos, California, or on their website at http://www.carharttvineyard.com.

About Augmented Island Studios:

Augmented Island Studios is an augmented reality and virtual reality development studio based in California and with development offices in Cali, Colombia. They specialize in offering AR and VR applications at a better value than US or European developers. http://www.augmentedislandstudios.com

Perlis Picks: Taste The World

July 7, 2018 by Michael Perlis

Every two years, trade and media has the opportunity to “taste the world” with distributor and importer Henry Wine Group. In a large ballroom at the Westin Bonaventure filled with wine and a small section devoted to spirits [covered by Eve in a recent article] we got to sample literally hundreds [if one were so inclined] of offerings from a wide variety of domestic and international producers.

Upon entering the event, we were provided with a wine tasting glass and a 158 page book – I told you there were a lot of wines to taste! Here were some of my favorites…

Ancient Peaks – I always love the Renegade and the Oyster Ridge blends, and the 2015 and 2014 of these, respectively, were both excellent.

Andrew Murray Vineyards – Another old favorite, one of the wineries that first got me into Rhones. The 2016 Enchante did it for me today.

Dashe Cellars – They’ve expanded their fun carbonic maceration line and continue to make great Zinfandels, including my usual favorite Todd Brothers Ranch (2015 this time).

Elizabeth Spencer Winery – I wasn’t really familiar with this Mendocino based winery but getting introduced to their delicious 2016 Grenache solved that problem.

Joullian Vineyards – One might not expect great Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Monterey Peninsula, but this winery in the Carmel Valley belies that notion with their 2013 ‘Sias Cuvee’ Zin and 2014 Estate Cab.

Mettler Family Vineyards – I liked all three of the wines this Lodi winery was pouring – the Estate Cabernet, the “Epicenter” Old Vine Zinfandel and especially the Estate Petite Sirah, all from the 2015 vintage.

Mundovino – This importer had a whopping 10 tables at the event. Admittedly, I tend to focus on domestic producers but I wanted to try some Argentinean Malbec. I tasted some very impressive wines from Catena at all price points, especially the 2014 Catena Zapata Alta Malbec and the 2015 Catena Zapata Argentino Malbec.

Pestoni Family Estate Winery – Another new to me winery, I enjoyed everything they poured – 2016 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc, 2015 “1892” Field Blend and the 2013 and 2014 Howell Mtn Cabernet Sauvignons.

Saucelito Canyon Vineyards – Great Zinfandel from the Arroyo Grande Valley? You better believe it. Their 2015 Estate Zinfandel comes from a vineyard that was originally planted in 1880.

Shafer Vineyards – Shafer’s Cabernet Sauvignons are legendary and I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to taste them. Loved both the 2015 One Point Five Stag’s Leap and of course the 2013 Hillside Select Stag’s Leap as well.

Sinor-Lavallee – Bringing this list full circle, this is Ancient Peaks’ Director of Winemaking Mike Sinor’s own project. The Pinot Noirs were great but I was admittedly here for the Syrahs – the 2013 White Label – Bassi Vineyard, 2015 SLO/Estate and 2014 Black Label – Bassi Vineyard were all outstanding.

There was obviously a lot more I could have tasted [158 pages, after all] but I probably spent too much time catching up with various members of the trade who I’ve known over the years. My biggest takeaway from all this is that Henry Wine Group represents some excellent wineries. If you see their name on the label as distributor or importer, you can be assured you are getting quality, regardless of the price point.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

Alta Colina Wins Sunset Magazine’s Travel Award

August 28, 2017 by evebushman

The Paso Robles winery and its vintage-trailer vineyard-camping experience is honored with a Best of the West award in the August issue.

August 2017 (Paso Robles, Calif.) – Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery is pleased to announce it has won a 2017 Sunset Magazine “Best in the West” Travel Award – and is the only winery to be honored this year.

The award – which highlights the wine and its new vintage-trailer campground located on a secluded hilltop in the winery’s estate vineyard – is featured, along with a photo, in the August 2017 issue, on newsstands now.

The Sunset Travel Awards honors the top game-changing and stylish destinations and experiences across the 13 Western states, British Columbia, Alberta and Western Mexico. In addition to being the sole winery honored, Alta Colina Vineyard was the only Central Coast destination in this year’s awards.

The Trailer Pond is situated around a secluded pond nestled in the center of Alta Colina’s organic estate vineyard, and boasts five refurbished vintage trailers by Templeton-based Tinker Tin Trailer Co. Guests wake up to stunning, unobstructed views of Paso Robles’ famous Adelaida District, enjoy coffee among the vines, and savor lazy wine-tasting days strolling through the vine rows.

The vineyard-camping experience – the only one of its kind in California – includes a complimentary tasting of Alta Colina’s Rhône-inspired estate wines, and offers additional tours and experiences, including the Summit Vineyard Tasting , Cellar Door Tasting, and more.

“This one-of-a-kind partnership with Tinker Tin allows us to share, in a wholly unique way, the backbone of Alta Colina’s foundation: our secluded, award-winning estate vineyard,” says Maggie Tillman, Alta Colina co-owner and director of sales and marketing. “We are overjoyed Sunset Magazine has honored us with this award, and hope more people will get to experience our breathtaking views, stylish accommodations, and award-winning estate wines.”

For more information about Alta Colina, and to book your stay at California’s only vintage trailer vineyard campsite, please visit altacolinawine.com.

ABOUT ALTA COLINA
Alta Colina produces world-class Rhône varieties from its vibrant estate vineyard in the Adelaida District of west Paso Robles. With a dedication to organic farming practices, Alta Colina crafts critically acclaimed wines that reflect and honor the land. For more information, please visit, altacolinawine.com, or visit the tasting room at 2825 Adelaida Road in Paso Robles.

Follow Us:

Facebook: @AltaColina
Instagram: @Altacolina, #TrailerPond
ABOUT TINKER TIN TRAILER CO.
Tinker Tin Trailer Company specializes in vintage trailer rentals ranging from the 1920s-1960s used for events, production, camp outs, and more. Their rental collection consists of Vintage Trailer Bars, Vintage Vending Trailers, Vintage Trailer Photo Booths, Vintage campers for overnight stays, as well as Tipis and Tents. Based out of the Central Coast, with USA wide travel- Tinker Tin’s historic vintage trailers are a great addition to any event. www.tinkertin.com.

Perlis Picks – Paso Robles Wine Country Grand Tasting Tour: Part One

August 5, 2017 by Michael Perlis

I realize that the drive from Santa Clarita to Newport Beach is a little daunting. In fact, on a weekday it took almost as long to get there as it does to get to Paso Robles. But once there, Karen and I were presented the opportunity to taste with representatives of 35 Paso Robles wineries…

Adelaida Vineyards & Winery

Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery

DAOU Vineyards & Winery

Eberle Winery

Grey Wolf & Barton Family Wines

Halter Ranch Vineyard

HammerSky Vineyards

HEARST RANCH Winery- San Simeon

Lohr Vineyards & Wines

JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery

Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery

Robert Hall Winery

San Antonio Winery

San Marcos Creek Vineyard

Sextant Wines

Tablas Creek Vineyard

Thacher Winery

The Farm Winery

Treana and Hope Family Wines

Victor Hugo Winery

Vina Robles Vineyards & Winery

Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards

Maybe if you spent a week in Paso, you’d be able to visit all of these. Fortunately, the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance has a traveling roadshow.

And admittedly, I did have another motive.

Prior to the start of the trade and media portion of the tasting, we were invited to attend a seminar on Paso Robles wine presented by Peter Neptune, MS. For me, this was enough to justify the schlep to Newport Beach even without the grand tasting afterwards.

Master Sommelier Peter Neptune is a world renowned wine expert and educator. I’ve often wanted to attend one of his seminars but never had the chance. I was not going to pass up this opportunity.

We tasted through six wines from wineries that are representative of Paso Robles Wine Country today. Mr. Neptune offered his thoughts on these wines, as well as how Paso has developed over the last couple of decades.

[Yes, I realize that I often bemoan the loss of “old” Paso, as recently as a couple of weeks ago. But I do understand that, overall, the wines are better for a host of reasons. Still, 20 years ago, the wines – and winemakers – were special enough to make us fall in love with the region.]

The wines we tasted during the seminar were [with some of Mr. Neptune’s comments noted as PN]…

We first tasted the 2014 Espirt de Tablas Blanc from Tablas Creek Vineyard. A blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc, PN said that that this is one of his favorite whites from Paso Robles.

Then, we moved on to the 2016 Indie Rose of Tempranillo from ONX. PN referred to the wine’s “sunset” color and that it reminded him of a “creamsicle” [in a good way].

Time for the reds, so we started with the 2013 Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah blend from Alta Colina, which PN referred to as a “versatile” wine.

A Paso Robles tasting wouldn’t be complete without a Zinfandel in the mix, so we tasted the 2015 Zinfandel from Ancient Peaks, described with the highly technical word of “yummy” by PN.

Then we had the opportunity to taste two of Paso’s super-premium wines – the 2014 Soul of a Lion from Daou and the 2014 Estate Cuvee from L’Aventure. The Daou was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, which PN referred to as “gorgeous” and the L’Aventure blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot was noted by PN to have “tremendous power and concentration”.

We also discussed the 11 Sub-AVAs within the Paso Robles AVA [American Viticultural Area] and how wineries were labeling their bottles with their specific AVA along with the trend toward estate wines and organic and biodynamic farming.

Peter Neptune’s passion for wine really showed up in the class. His speaking style made a fun seminar even better.

After the seminar we stayed around awhile to taste some of the wines being poured at the Grand Tasting before heading back up to the Santa Clarita Valley. Next week, I’ll let you know our favorites.

Paso 2016: Sextant’s 7th Annual Lobster Boil and MORE

November 4, 2016 by evebushman

The culmination of my recent one-day turnaround trip to Paso was a hands-on Lobster dinner – as in my hands are still feeling a little rough while I type this out – at Sextant winery.

But let me start at the beginning. Wasn’t entirely prepared to crash the 7^th Annual Lobster Boil at Sextant Wines along with dedicated winery club members, though I thought I was.

After taking the winding drive up to the tasting room (thank you Uber for managing that) we were greeted at the doors, checked off a list, handed our wine glasses and proceeded to taste the 2015 Grenache Blanc and 2013 Windemere MacGregor Pinot Noir – both excellent examples of these varietals.

From there we wandered into a salon filled with happy sipping guests. We snagged seats in front of the fireplace while enjoying tray passed hors d’Oeuvres of Pulled Pork Tartlets, Butternut Squash Shooters and Grilled Cheese Bites – all while being poured more tastes of the Grenache Blanc and Pinot Noir.

After the 30-minute pre-event we were asked to descend a twinkle lit staircase down to where we were to have our meal created by Chef Nick Nolan from Society Cuisine. The view: giant pots of boiling water, heat lamps, tables set with red and white gingham napkins, bibs, and black personalized aprons to wear for the hands-on eating.

The meal also included wild Mexican prawns, corn on the cob, fresh cut Ocean Mist artichokes and fresh dug mini fingerling potatoes – and accompaniments such as homemade lemon aioli, cocktails sauce and drawn butter.

What fun! Shellfish flew everywhere as guests cracked into their lobsters. I had two men helping me: one that did my claws while the other instructed me on how to get that lovely lobster meat freed from its shell.

The fun was accompanied by the 2014 Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay, 2013 “Holystone” Zinfandel (my personal favorite) and the 2014 “Kamal” Cabernet Sauvignon (this was the wine that give them a good reason to join Paso’s growing Cab Collective) that was presented to members as a pre-release offering. Rules about fish and red wine be damned at this point, people drank what they liked and the shellfish was the better for it.

While we happily ate and drank we heard some news from winery owner Craig Stoller: Though the crush pad was full, room had to be made for this special dinner. The new winemaker Michael Fay – with a pedigree that included time at Cambria Winery and Duckhorn’s Goldeneye – new expansions, three estate vineyards and a tasting room in Edna Valley as well, were cause for celebration.

And though there was no room for dessert we couldn’t possibly call for our Uber without diving into a Granny Smith apple bread pudding with cinnamon anglaise and the 2013 “Passage” GSM – another pre-release shared. Over-sated, we reluctantly said our adieus.

About Sextant

The true essence of Sextant Wines is found in its roots.

With premier growing grounds along the California Central Coast, proprietors Nancy and Craig Stoller take great pride in planting clean certified Sunridge Nurseries ENTAV/INRA nursery stock. Allowing the rich terroir of the land to nurture the vines ensuring richness and unsurpassed quality which is honored by producing wines that reflect an uncompromised quality.

You can schedule a visit at their Edna Valley or Paso Robles locations here: http://www.sextantwines.com/Contact-Us/Tours–Tasting

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), 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

Visiting Greece, Via Ktima Gerovassiliou

April 29, 2016 by evebushman

Cori Solomon, organizer of #LAWineWriters, recently arranged for our group to meet with Thrass Giantsidis of Greece’s renowned Ktima Gerovassillou all-estate winery. The plan: To boldly go where…wait…to be led through a tasting of his highly-awarded wines along with some small plates at Downtown LA’s Ledlow restaurant.

I did a little research on Ktima Gerovassiliou before the luncheon, and besides learning that they make a wide range of whites (including a Viognier) and reds (hoping to try the Syrah), the winemaker Vangelis Gerovassiliou has created a Wine Museum at the winery filled with all types of tools used in viticulture…including an impressive collection of corkscrews. I was starting to look forward to tasting and learning more.

Greek Wine Lesson

Giantsidis began by explaining a little about the range of climates in Greece. Some vineyards that are close to the sea are in the Mediterranean region (Ktima Gerovassiliou is in this group) while some regions are warm. The land “is mountainous” with 66,000k hectares growing vitis vinifera. However, there are more table grapes than wine grapes being cultivated. It’s just a small portion (3.9 million hectares) of the whole of Greece that is devoted to grape cultivation. And there are more than 300 species of their own native grapes made into wine. (Note: 2.5 acres is equal to 1 hectare.)

Winemaker Vangelis Gerovassiliou saved the Malagousia grape from extinction. It is known for its aromatics. 50% of this grape is in their Estate White blend.

Vangelis Gerovassiliou was with Greece’s Porto Carras for decades.

Domaine Gerovassiliou has 63 hectares of estate grapes.

These wines, a little costlier than other Greek imports, are a quality we may have not yet seen.

The estate is sustainable and all work is done by hand.

A majority of the Greek wineries use indigenous grapes.

All wines have received “lots of distinctions”, according to Giantsidis, and the entire portfolio is estate grown.

The average person visits historical sites such as Athens, however, the wines of Greece are not found in the normal tourist spots.

The North is more red producing while the South makes more white.

Greek Tasting (As usual my notes on aroma and flavor are divided by “;”)

2014 Estate White

Malagousia an Assyrtico

Limeade, pear, Meyer lemon, jasmine, steely; white peach, lemon-lime, lovely mouth-feel, medium acid. Wanted a chilled seafood salad with this. 90 Eve pts.

2014 100% Malagousia

White peach, pears in light syrup, pink grapefruit, reminds me of a Viognier on the nose, honey; mouthfeel, again a medium acid, more lemon, grapefruit, more Sauvignon Blanc on the palate. (This wine had some time in “seasoned oak” which meant that the barrel had been “seasoned” by being filled with wine before. What is also referred to as “neutral” oak. Both distinctions mean that the wine will not have any predominate oak characteristics.) 90 Eve pts.

2013 Fume Sauvignon Blanc

(As this had some time with oak that’s why the word “Fume” is used in its name.) Bruised golden delicious apples, honey, white honeysuckle flowers, toast; fruit cocktail, lemon hard candy, medium acid again and a nice mouthfeel, again. 89 Eve pts.

2014 Chardonnay

(most planted of the foreign varietals in Greece.) About 800 cases per year. Lemon butter, oak, perfumy, white pepper; toasted oak, cream, lemon. 88 Eve pts.

2010 Viognier

Color – golden yellow – that is indicative of some age. Can you say HONEY, wow, I sure could! Smells like a late harvest wine with cling peaches also on the nose; not as sweet on the palate as it is in the aroma, with citrus, tang, stainless steel, medium-high acid. 88 Eve pts.

2010 Estate Red Blend

Syrah, Merlot and Limnio

Dusty, black fruit, black cherry, mushroom, velvety, milk chocolate, pepper; nice tannin structure, my whole tongue wanted more, blueberry, blackberry. 90 Eve pts.

2008 Avaton

Limnio, Mavroudi and Mavrotragano

The wine’s name, Avaton, means “inaccessible and impossible to reach.” This was the first wine that they made with indigenous Greek wines. Also to know, the word Mavro means black. Stewed plums, dried cherry, clove, tri-color peppercorns, mulled wine, charred steak; dark and dry fruit, balance is dead on even with extra firm tannin, oak, same black fruit. Need charred steak to have with this. 90 Eve pts.

2008 Evangelo

Petite Sirah, 92%, the balance is Viognier. Malolactic fermentation, and some oak – 15 months. Gerovassillou explained that the Viognier stabilizes the color and makes it a “feminine wine” style. The whole barn is in your glass! It was rich, thick, earthy, gamey, minty, and with a hint of chocolate covered berries; more youthful on the palate than expected, red to black fruit, spice, tannic, dry. 92 pts.

2009 Late Harvest Malagousia

Caramel covered apple, peaches in heavy syrup, white pepper, Monet’s Garden; huge mouthfeel, lovely long finish, potpourri, and local honey. 91 Eve pts.

About Ktima Gerovassillou

From the website: Deep knowledge and use of up-to-date technology combined with more traditional and conventional wine-making methods lead to the production of high-quality wines with distinct micro-climate (terroir) characteristics. All Ktima Gerovassiliou wines are produced from grapes cultivated in the privately-owned vineyard. Every year the Gerovassiliou wines gain significant international distinctions for their high and consistent quality. 30% of Ktima’s production is exported to other European countries, the USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Australia and Singapore… The efforts of Vangelis Gerovassiliou and his partners’ along with the high and consistent quality of Gerovassiliou wines are recognized with European and global distinctions. Ktima Gerovassiliou is included in the 100 top wineries for six years, Vangelis Gerovassiliou is among the six best wine-producers worldwide and the Gerovassiliou wines receive every year very important distinctions.

http://www.gerovassiliou.gr/

http://www.gerovassiliou.gr/en/shop

http://www.gerovassiliou.gr/en/museum

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 judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. 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

PERLIS PICKS: TURLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON?

December 19, 2015 by evebushman

I think my head may explode…

We all know that Turley Wine Cellars is “all about that Zin”. Okay, and Petite Syrah [spelled Larry’s way] along with a few other varietals. But Cabernet Sauvignon?

Several years ago, when Larry Turley was being interviewed by a major wine publication, he opined that people drink Zinfandel for the taste and they drink Cabernet for the label.

So, a few years ago, when Turley actually did release a Cab, it was called “The Label.” Admittedly, it was very good, but I assumed it was a “one off” or maybe a “two off” and that would be it and my world would not be shaken. But, it wasn’t long before the name “The Label” was dropped and last year Turley released a Turley Wine Cellars Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

What on earth is happening here?

And now with the 2013 vintage, two more Cabernet bottlings have been added to the latest release.

Here, from the Turley website, is information about all three Cabs:

Turley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa Valley

Certified organic, Napa Valley single vineyard, pure Cabernet Sauvignon–not something that can be said by many! This wine has ripe, deeply red Napa Cabernet fruit, rounded out by the savory herbs and garrigue that are the marks of our Estate vineyards. Medium-bodied, with great structure and a solid backbone, which will allow it to age for some time (if you must). However, with its inviting texture and supple, well-integrated tannins, the wine is exceedingly approachable in its youth.

Dragon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Howell Mountain

When we first planted the Dragon Vineyard, the fact that Howell Mountain is hallowed ground for Cabernet Sauvignon did not escape us. Thus, though we filled the vast majority of the site with Zinfandel, we also planted a small parcel with Cabernet Sauvignon. At 2200 feet, the mountain looms large in this wine, with a powerful nose of pepper, game, graphite, and a touch of sweet anise seed. These are echoed on the full bodied palate as well, and together with the formidable tannins that are a signature of Howell Mountain, it’s easy to see why this is such a revered site for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Montecillo Vineyard

Sonoma Valley

Old vine Cabernet Sauvignon is extremely rare; old vine dry-farmed mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is dang near nonexistent. Planted at 1800 feet up Moon Mountain in Sonoma in the late 1960’s, the head-trained Montecillo vines are nearly 50 years old, and the wine they produce is downright mystical. The profound nose pulls you in, with layer upon layer of vivid blue black fruits, India ink, scorched earth and violet perfume. The perfectly proportioned palate balances classic Cabernet Sauvignon structure, mountain tannins, and lush textures, culminating in a lengthy, lingering finish. Montecillo is pure, elegant magic, without any tricks.

My wife Karen and I had occasion to taste these wines and talk with Christina Turley about them.

Christina told us that when the Dragon Vineyard was planted, former Turley winemaker Ehren Jordan convinced Larry 15 years ago that one day one of his daughters might want to make some Cabernet Sauvignon. Ehren was right; one of them does. Actually, she wanted three and that’s what winemaker Tegan Passalacqua has done.

All the wines showed good fruit without any overpowering oak treatments, which is one of my biggest complaints about California Cabernet. “If I wanted to taste wood, I’d eat a tree” or something like that. All drinking nicely now but with structure for aging. Definitely hard to pick a favorite. Karen preferred the Estate Cab. I was on the fence between the mellowness of the Estate and the spicier Monticello until I tasted the Dragon Vineyard. There’s just something about that mountain fruit that hits my sweet spot, especially with Cabernet Sauvignon.

These wines are definitely not just about the [Turley] label, but are about enjoyment and are definitely worthy additions to the Turley lineup.

Limited release, mailing list only, although the Estate Cab is sometimes available in the tasting rooms.

Perlis Picks: The 2015 San Francisco International Wine Competition

October 17, 2015 by evebushman

The San Francisco International Wine Competition has been around since 1980, so they must be doing something right. Headed by James Beard Award winner Anthony Dias Blue and judged by somewhat of a Who’s Who of the wine world elite, this year’s event took place at Hotel Nikko in June.

[Speaking of wine judges, I’m thinking of starting a “Where’s George?” contest so readers can pick out George Skorka’s picture at all the places he shows up. One of SCV’s favorite wine experts, he is seemingly everywhere, and, yes, he was a judge at this event.]

After the competition, they take their show on the road, along with their sister event The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, to showcase for the media and trade the current Double Gold Medal Winners of both events. The tour is national, starting in San Francisco, with stops along the way that include Washington DC, Las Vegas, New York City and Miami. Fortunately for us, the first stop after leaving San Francisco was at Ocean Prime restaurant in Beverly Hills. [“Where’s George?” players please note that he was here at the tasting.]

Eve’s Wine 101’s Eve Bushman focused primarily on the spirits, which you can read about in the SCV Beacon. My wife Karen and I tasted through many of the wines being offered. These were some of the highlights for us…

Cass Winery – 2014 Viognier, Paso Robles, USA. ($24) Karen enjoyed the long smooth finish of this one.

Cholame Vineyard – 2012 Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, USA ($32) This had a good mouthfeel, according to Karen.

TAO Vineyards – 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Los Angeles, USA ($28) TAO, based in the Agoura Hills, was the surprise of the show for me. I’m looking forward to tasting their entire lineup.

Las Positas Vineyards – 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate, Reserve, Livermore Valley, USA ($65) Wines like this one are really improving the reputation of the Livermore Valley.

Vasco Urbano Wine Company – 2013 Grenache, Norm, Marina Ranch, Livermore Valley, USA ($42) Another excellent Livermore winery, part of the Nottingham Cellars group which I enjoyed at the Family Winemakers event awhile back.

LANGETWINS Winery – 2011 Premium Bordeaux Blend, Midnight Reserve, Lodi, USA ($30) I normally think of Zinfandel when I think of Lodi, but this blend of Cabernet, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot was excellent.

Cameron Hughes – 2012 Red Blend, Lot 447, Lake County, USA ($13) Negociant Cameron Hughes has a reputation for releasing tasty wines at good prices, but this blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Syrah is an absolute steal.

Canihan Family Cellars – 2011 Syrah, Exuberance, Canihan Estate Vineyard, Sonoma County, USA ($49) This cool climate Syrah was the star of the tasting for me. A great example of what a Syrah is supposed to taste like.

Even though we were there primarily to report on the wine, we couldn’t leave without trying at least one spirit, the baijiu from Shui Jing Fang, a clear spirit from China. We enjoyed both the taste and the 600+ year history of the distillery.

Thanks to Ocean Prime for hosting and providing the noshes of tuna tartar, shrimp cocktail and braised short ribs.

You can check out all the winners on the website. The big takeaway for me, in spite of my favorite wine being from Sonoma, was the number of winners from less recognized areas like Livermore and, of all places, Agoura Hills. Time to get out of your comfort zone and explore.