Eve's Wine 101

Ten Year Challenge…With Wine and Spirits

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My husband Eddie has painstakingly categorized our photos by year on our cell phones, so I recently looked at photos from ten years ago to see if any were worth posting alongside a photo taken recently, for the latest #10YearChallenge on social media. As you can guess, most of my photos back then were of wine, so I thought I would take a look back at what I was drinking then.

(I also searched my name, 2011 and photos on Facebook to add to my wine blast from the past.) This is what I wanted to share:

Contributing Editor Michael Perlis, Eve and then contributor Rusty Sly at All Corked Up in 2011.

From Napa

Meeting with winemaker Gerard Zanzonico in the stunning caves at Del Dotto for maybe the first time, wine tasting at 10 am in the private room for club members at Mondavi, having a seated tasting on an expansive patio with incredible views at Joseph Phelps, an underground tour and tasting in the caves at Schramsberg, meeting with the most gracious host/owner Suzanne Phifer Pavitt at Phifer Pavitt, an evening tasting at the downtown Napa PureCru tasting bar with winemaker Mitch Consentino.

From Paso

Blending wine at TH Estate with winemaker and owner Terry Hoage, visiting Cass for the first time, a mind-blowing multi-course Earth Day dinner at Justin, visiting with the now shuttered Edward Sellers, winery tour and tasting with Lawrence Lohr of J Lohr, discovering that Whalebone really does have whale bones around the property and Calcareous has calcareous rock in their vineyards, time spent with the one and only Gary Eberle, tasting wines, spirits and having dinner at Opolo, seeing Sculpterra for the first time, the dry farming at Minassian Young, Niner when it first opened, the first concrete eggs were at Villa Creek, meeting and tasting incredible wines with Janell Dusi at J Dusi, tasting Nuggucciet Cellars made by a local newspaper man and Mystic Hills Vineyard lovingly owned by local friends.

Jamaica

Though not known for wine we were well taken care of on a trip to Jamaica ten years ago with French Champagne, Appleton rum blended drinks and icy cold Red Stripe Beer.

Events
The annual Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux tasting is always not only huge but amazing, and since I love Rhone wines the Rhone Rangers can’t be missed, local have Vine 2 Wine with lots of local support, Garagiste Festival offered drinkers events in LA as well as Paso, Pinot Days up in the Skirball Center, Paso’s Earth Day Food and Wine fest was new, and long-time favorite LA Wine Fest with Yoshi Murakami doing sake classes and Chris Uhde teaching about scotch.

Special Dining

Fontanafredda Barolo at Spago Beverly Hills with fellow wine writers, Martinis at Blue Mermaid Chowder House and Bar in San Francisco on vacation, wine and cheese at Wine 661 for locals, A Taste of Monterey Wine Tasting when I visited Eddie there for Naval Postgraduate School, Iron Horse sparkling that came complements of Bourbon Steak in San Francisco for our wedding anniversary dinner.

Places that no longer exist today

Wine bar/restaurant/wine storage facility – and even live music – at All Corked Up as loved by many, the two brothers that opened Artisan Paso Robles that was a favorite for locals and visitors alike, Chef Daniel Otto was first discovered at the Oaks Grille at TPC, Chef Jason Park at Maru Sushi when it was local on Town Center Drive and many times over drinking wine at Valencia Wine Company with owner Guy Lelarge and also attending all of the wine dinners and events he organized at local restaurants.

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.

One Bottle Post: 2015 Joseph Phelps Syrah, Napa Valley

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We are wine club members with Joseph Phelps and receive about four shipments a year. Of that my husband cellars all of the Insignia and Backus Cabernet Sauvignon blends we receive, I always keep out the Syrah for me and Pinot Noir for that one friend that LOVES Pinot. (We all have one! LOL, it’s a running joke at my house, we have many Burgundy and Pinot loving friends.) Anyway, this 2015 Syrah was quite nice, and deserved a One Bottle Post.

2015 Joseph Phelps *Syrah

Napa Valley

Estate Grown

14% alcohol 

Notes on the Grapes

*Grapes used in the wine are not listed on back label, so that means it could be up to 25% something other than Syrah. I recently learned (at Denner in Paso Robles) that a little bit of a white Rhône might be added in to maintain the color. So I thought this could be one additional grape. But due to the smoothness and dark quality I also guessed maybe some Mourvedre. Hubby was thinking they moved over to a Bordeaux grape or maybe a Petite Sirah. After all this contemplation I googled the wine and went straight to the Joseph Phelps website. Learned that I was right on one part, there was a white Rhône in the mix, “95% Syrah from the Larry Hyde and Sons Vineyard in Carneros and 5% Viognier from the St. Helena Home Ranch.” And I was woefully off base thinking there was any other red in the mix! Still so much fun to guess, I highly recommend you do this with your own tastings.

Tasting Notes

Color: Dark purple, deeper purple on the edge, opaque.

Aroma: Nutrient rich earth, well-worn suede, sweet blackberries, creamy chocolate milk and mellowed spices.

Flavor: There’s the spice I was looking for, front and center on the palate! That same blackberry as well as black cherry, and a little espresso followed it on the finish.

Fifteen minutes later: The aroma held the same tempting earth, fruit, chocolate, spice and now a little tobacco and black licorice. On the palate, and maybe this was because I had been sipping for a few minutes, it seemed rounder. The spices and fruit were in a nicer harmony, and my palate was happy for dark velvetiness.

Pairing: We had already planned on Mexican for dinner: pork and chicken tamales, refried beans and Mexican rice. Figured the spice in the wine would hold up just fine against our mild salsa, and the fruit would soften any heat in the tamales. I was correct, except that the wine eclipsed the food many times over, and I saved a final glass for after dinner sipping. (And in case you are wondering, yes, I’m the type of person that would love to bring wine into a Mexican restaurant, why not? Because hubby has to have his usual Cadillac Maggie.)

Conclusion: 94 Eve pts.

I always feel justified in supporting a winery I like by purchasing their wine or joining their wine club. Sometimes we personally know the owner or winemaker, or just had a great experience.

With Phelps, it’s always been the experience. The Tasting Room overlooks a nice slice of the Napa valley – and their vineyards – it’s a breathtaking view to take in while tasting their long-exalted wines.

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.