WBW #45: Old World Riesling

May 04, 2008 |  WineBlogWeds_Posse (2) |  Wine Tasting, Guest Bloggers |  1 comment

I will admit, we have been remiss in not doing more WBW episodes, but we came back with a bang for WBW 45’s Old World Riesling.

It was an interesting evening, which brings to mind the question that I first started to ponder after reading an article on regional / ethnic preferences in wine. The overall consensus of this Bay Area based crew was that these wines were not to our style, but could be enjoyable in specific situations. Is it because we were raised primarily on the New World varieties like the classic California Chardonnays of yesteryear and their heavy, oakey body or the crisp Sauv Blancs from New Zealand that have flooded the market? Or is it simply because we have limited access to some of these Old World varieties, and we haven't’ had the drinking history with them? Nature or nurture, what develops your palate more? There is some evidence to suggest that certain ethnic groups have a natural disposition to certain types of wine, but how much of it is what is readily available? Is living in the capital of the New World wine country skewing our tastes toward those types of wines? I wonder, and will continue to explore the Old World trying to find something that suits my taste as much as a New World red would.

The Top 2

Out of the five wines tried, our favorites were:

2006 Ulrich Langguth Riesling

Hessische Bergstrasse

Germany

Avg rating 89
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Tropical fruit, citrus, lightly sweet with good body, but lacking finish. Effervescent.

2004 Trimbach Alsace Riesling

France

Avg rating 88.7
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We also really enjoyed this crisp Alsatian sample, that we could swear was a Sauvignon Blanc given it’s acidity. Pale, Crisp, light. Grapefruit, apples & lemon show big acid. Scents of hay and green grasses on the nose.

The Other 3

In our opinions, these last three were only mediocre, and not something we would rush right out and spend our economic stimulus checks on.

2004 Rheingau Riesling Qualitätswein

Germany

Avg rating 86.5
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Sweet pink grapefruit & jujubes. Apricots and honeysuckle, very fruity. Funky smell.
A little funk/cheese with some leather and something — maybe. Some white pepper, too.

2004 Grans-Fassian Piesporter Goldtröptchen Riesling-Spätlesse

Germany

Avg rating 85
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Sweet and almost tingling / sparkeling. Tastes a bit like cream soda or honey. Goes well with spicy foods.
Needs to be colder or to have more brawn due to sweetness. Not my style.

2006 Niersteiner Riesling Kabinett

Germany

Avg rating 82
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Very fruity, with mango and spice. Very acidic, lots of green apple.
Tastes like a sparkler or somebody dropped an alka seltzer in it.

— Thea, for the Vinquire WBW Posse

Wine Tasting, Guest Bloggers

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Wine Blogging Wednesday: Petite Sirah

Dec 11, 2007 |  WineBlogWeds_Posse (2) |  Wine Tasting |  5 comments

For Vinquire's first foray into Wine Blogging Wednesday, we recruited nine friends to sample ten California Petite Sirahs. They ranged from very characteristic Petite Sirah styles, to tame, crowd-pleasing California reds, to what some of us found to be Italian-style reds.

Overall, some of us doubted that Petite Sirah could stand on its own. The core flavors were marzipan/licorice, some metallic iron, and a general wildness and disparity of elements—those who liked it call it "savage and brambly", those who didn’t simply called it uneven and inconsistent. Our general opinion by the end: while the varietal has some potential, it clearly doesn’t stand on its own as a classic.

Now the reviews!

Tier 1: Our two favorites were quite clear:

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards Durif, McDowell Vineyards, 2004

Read Reviews, Buy
Avg points 87.4

We felt like this one was the truest expression of the varietal.
Nose: rust, iron, marzipan, soy sauce, smoke
Mouth: Tart, licorice, smoke, heavy bodied, salted plums
Finish: Evolves from licorice to tar

Storrs Petite Sirah, Santa Cruz Mountains, 2004

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Avg points 85

Nose: mineral and blood
Mouth: blackberry and brambly fruits, savage and wild with lots of spice
Finish: a bit hot and burning, with notes of unripened berries

Tier 2: The middle-of-the-road wines:

Huntington Petite Sirah, 2005

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Avg points 84

Note: for 2 of us, this was in the top two!

Concannon Petite Sirah, Central Coast, 2004

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Avg points 83.75

A nice California-style wine, that still had some of the marzipan and licorice that we decided was the Petite Sirah core. A decent everyday wine but with little character.

Bogle Petite Sirah, 2005

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Avg points: 83.75

An easy to drink, fruit forward, with a hint of peppercorn, and generally more consistent wine that most of us agreed stood out: it had a very different, smoother, character than the other wines we tasted.

Amphora Petite Sirah, Dry Creek Valley, Mounts Vineyard, 2004

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Avg points 83

We decanted this for a while, since it was so tight and tannic when we first tasted it. But after two hours, it hadn’t opened up much. It was a very meaty red, inky, blueberry jam and dried overripe blueberries, with a very tight, astringent finish.

Fearless Petite Sirah, Central Coast, 2005

Buy
Avg points 80.66

To some of us, this smelled like a Pinot: vanilla and strawberry, sour cherries, tobacco, leather with notes of herbs de provence.

Stonehedge Reserve Petite Syrah, 2005

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Avg points 79.5

Some of us (notably the person who bought this bottle) tried hard to like this wine—and even they failed! Avoid the 05, we have some positive feedback from the 03 though.

Oak Grove Reserve Petite Sirah, 2005

Buy

This turned out surprisingly Italian-style. Violet, camphor, salty caramel, with smooth mint and a tart finish. No average points … we were apparently getting tipsy!

Inheritance Petite Sirah, 2005

Buy

The dominant note was ether: sweet medicinal. The mouthfeel, though, was watery, and the finish short. What did I say about tipsy?

Wine Tasting

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Livermore Wine Country

Nov 20, 2007 |  WineBratSF (3) |  Wine Tasting, Guest Bloggers |  1 comment

Ahhh Livermore. Windmills, tract houses, nuclear secrets, and…wine? Yep, it's true. Livermore has wine. Who knew! I don't quite know how this happened, but this city girl had never been to Livermore wine country.

Livermore Valley actually outdates Napa as the first wine region in Northern California, which began sometime around the Gold Rush. I guess if you were a European miner, you needed your juice to keep digging. There used to be over 50 wineries in the region, until the Feds put the kibosh on liquor sales with Prohibition in the 1920s. Now, there are about 35 wineries, although they don't all have tasting rooms open to the public and others are best ignored if you value your taste buds.

Our first stop was Steven Kent, by special request. Having never been, I was in for a treat. Steven Kent is on the main wine road, Tesla Road. After driving around in a giant circle in order to avoid both Lawrence Livermore Labs and the rows and rows of giant McMansions, we finally found the winery, much to the delight of the carload of wine lovers. They have a cozy setup, with a house on top, and a tasting room tucked underneath in a nice cool cellar.

The first wine was nothing to write home about, but the 2nd white, the Merrille Chardonnay (Price Search) was what everyone had come for. Now, not being a huge chardonnay kind of person, I didn't have any expectations but since I was the designated drinker (meaning I actually got out of driving), I did my part and took a sip. This was a very interesting wine. It was heavily oaked and very creamy, but wasn't bitter like a certain two dollar variety I will not mention. It had amazing vanilla and spice characteristics, which seem to be a Livermore Valley trend. Even though I was on the rebound from the big, butter whites of yesteryear, this was different enough to find myself enjoying the very generous half glass taste we were poured. The two reds poured were also tasty. For such large pours, the $5 tasting fee was happily spent.

After a poorly chosen detour to a small coop tasting room, we trundled down the road to the granddaddy of Livermore wine, Concannon. This is a big operation, having been in Livermore for over 100 years. I've known about this place for a while, buying their everyday line of Petite Sirah for weeknight drinking frequently. My two standout hits were the Livermore Merlot and the Reserve Syrah. Now, I don't' LIKE merlot! Call me Miles, but…anyway, the Livermore Merlot was very different than the Napa Merlot, and had a silky texture and fruity slightly sweet flavor which was absolutely yummy.

All in all, I would love to go back and explore some of the other wineries in Livermore, because it seems like there is promise in them vines. The prices are not unreasonable and the people are personable, which makes for a nice alternative to the traffic and overpriced tasting rooms of Napa.

Happy drinking!

Wine Tasting, Guest Bloggers

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Fall in Wine Country

Nov 10, 2007 |  WineBratSF (3) |  Wine Tasting, Guest Bloggers |  4 comments

There is something about this time of year, when the weather chills and the colors change…Wait. Strike that. Something is wrong with this statement! It’s late October and it’s still in the upper 70s? And you said global warming doesn’t exist.

Ah well, if you can’t beat it, join it. After enjoying this glorious late summer weather for the last week or so, some friends and I decided to take a day trip up to Dry Creek to enjoy a winery open house and stock up my sadly depleted cellar (ok fine garage). Much to my chagrin, the sunny skies were rudely interrupted by cold damp fog on Saturday morning, making me feel as gloomy as the weather. It was still cold when we arrived at J Vineyards (Price Search), and even colder upstairs in the event room where they were serving their ridiculously overpriced tasting menu. Note to anyone who enjoys the sparklers from this place: either join the wine club yourself, find someone who is a member (like I did), or only go there as a part of an event. I refuse to pay $25 for four sips and a few nibbles like the busloads of out-of-towners who don’t know any better. A tasting fee is fine, but a tasting rip off is not.

From there, we headed up Eastside Road to the Eastside Wineries Fall Fest. This event was new to me, and it was my favorite kind – where wine and food are passed out for free (yes kids, FREE! These things still exist occasionally) from smaller, lesser known wineries trying to encourage visitors. As we drove up the south end of Dry Creek, I am constantly awed that I live here. In the spring, it’s the waves of green and the new grape buds. In the summer, it’s the heat and the bunches of grapes hanging waiting to be picked. And, here we are, in the fall, where these intense flames of red, yellow and rust would make a northeast leaf chaser envious any day.

This is Sonoma County people! This picture was taken on the driveway to Walker’s Apple Farm in Sebastopol. If you want to know what a REAL apple tastes like, check it out!

By the time we got to a very crowded Mietz Cellars (Price Search), on Limerick Lane just south of Healdsburg, the sun had started to come out and we were not quite as chilled as we were earlier. Hmm could that be the sparkling wine and pinot from J having that effect? Mietz is a new winery to me and had some interesting offerings. I particularly enjoyed the Russian River Syrah, but they were too disorganized for me to buy, so we went across the street to Christopher Creek.

Christopher Creek (Price Search) is known for their zins, and rest assured I enjoyed several; surprisingly, the 2006 Sapphire Hill Russian River valley Chardonnay is what caught my attention. This is a light, fruity and fun chardonnay in the French style. I would challenge an ABC drinker to try this wine and then say “I don’t drink chardonnay” because it was GOOD! Not wanting to be left out of the fun, I left Christopher Creek with the chard and two zins, plus two tasting glasses and a spanking new wine club membership. All things considered $60 got me off lightly.

Since the days are shorter and the light is dimmer, this was all we had time for on this trip, but a couple of weeks later, it was time for another adventure. Of course, that is for another day. Happy drinking!

Wine Tasting, Guest Bloggers

4 comments

Sonoma Wine Taste-Off Results & Thank You!

May 30, 2007 |  Vinquire (14) |  Wine Tasting, Events |  2 comments

On Tuesday night the Vinquire team and the San Francisco Wine Enthusiasts Meetup group got together for a fabulous wine tasting with 12 bottles from Sonoma County. Thanks kindly to the wineries for their fantastic contributions as well as to Tom Merle for doing the legwork to obtain these bottles.

Despite running around and not being able to take the proper time to taste, Andy and I both enjoyed the majority of the wines. We tabulated the results from everyone's excellent reviews, and here are the highest ranking wines:

Hook & Ladder Russian River Valley Estate 2005 Merlot

Roshambo Winery "Justice" Sonoma County 2004 Syrah

Deerfield Ranch Ladi's Vineyard 2002 Syrah

Roy J. Maier Sonoma County Mountains 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

Loxton Vineyards Sonoma Hillside Vineyards 2003 Syrah

Alexander Valley Vineyards 'New Gewurz' 2006 North Coast Gewurztraminer

Deerfield Ranch 2003 Merlot Cuvee

Thanks kindly to everyone who participated in the event — your palates helped us determine some solid winners. Feel free to post any comments on the event (both positive and negative) below.

Cheers~
John/Andy

Wine Tasting, Events

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Vinquire + San Francisco Wine Enthusiasts (SFWE) = Fabulous Tasting

May 25, 2007 |  John (12) |  Wine Tasting, Events |  0 comments

Vinquire.com has partnered up with The San Francisco Wine Enthusiasts (SFWE) to throw our next tasting event on 5/29.

This time we'll be hosting the event in SOMA at the Tempura House Restaurant. Our friend and co-sponsor, Tom Merle, has sourced a mélange of bottles from generous wineries in Sonoma, so there should be a varietal for every palate at this event. We'll pool our collective tastes together to determine overall favorites and find some bottles that please all types.... or, at least we'll try :)

The Tempura House will be providing food and facilities, so this time around there will be a $10 fee to cover the munchies and the ambiance. If you're interested, the link below has details and signup info:
http://wine.meetup.com/321/calendar/5785072/

Hope to see some you at the event! Feel free to contact us with any questions -

Cheers~
John/Andy

Wine Tasting, Events

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SF Wine Enthusiasts Meetup.com - Good Times!

Apr 24, 2007 |  Vinquire (14) |  Wine Tasting, Events |  0 comments

Andy and I made our debut at a fairly large meetup.com group last night, the San Francisco Wine Enthusiasts (http://wine.meetup.com/321/?gj=sj5). The theme was widely available wines for under $10 so we knew this event was right up our alley!

Had a great time if anybody from meetup.com is reading today we just wanted to say thanks! Next time I will be taking more notes on the wines, but I do remember a few, including:

Alexander and Fitch Cabernet, 2003

Overall winner from last night. Although this wasn't my favorite, the price was certainly right and I know they are blowing these out at Trader Joe's for $5.99.

Panilonco Carmenere, 2005

My personal fave. Smooth and chalky, with limited fruit but great mouthfeel and smoke coming through on the end.

Kaiken Malbec

(didn't get the vintage) Another South American winner, Andy gave it 87 points and said it was jammy and spicy with a nice finish.

Grove Street Trias

Was picked up at the winery by a meetup.com member for 10 dollars I believe. Great deal. http://www.vinquire.com/reviews/125555/all/ and http://www.grovestreetwinery.com/product/9.

Stonehedge Stagecoach Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003

For $12.99 at Trader Joe's this is an absolute steal! We know it's available at all 3 Traders in SF.
http://www.vinquire.com/reviews/184622/all/

Cheers to everyone and especially Tom for putting on such a great event!

Wine Tasting, Events

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Napa: Cabernet, Traffic, and Magic

Feb 25, 2007 |  Vinquire (14) |  Wine Tasting |  8 comments

So we did the Napa gig this last weekend, and as with anything, there are highs, and lows. We won't waste your time so if you are planning a Napa trip here are the ten commandments (minus 7):

click for winery map

1. Avoid the weekends

I know this is hard, but if you can, try to hit Napa on any day except Saturday or Sunday. Many of the high end wineries aren't even open on the weekend. Additionally, there's traffic and the "disneyland" effect which subtracts from the wine and love of grapes in general.

2. Plan in advance

As in, at least 2-3 weeks out. We thought we had something special going for us, "but .... we're industry!". No matter who you are or who you work for, Napa is becoming (has become?) incredibly exclusive. If you want to taste at the "in" wineries, you need reservations, and you need them at least 2 weeks in advance. Of course many places will take in anyone without a reservation, but if you are a wine nerd then it really makes all the difference to setup an appointment.

3. Bring a suitcase of cash

Napa is expensive, and you'd better bring a friend, like Visa, Mastercard, or preferably something with the word "Platinum" on it. Many places are charging $20 plus for tastings, and if you want to eat at one of the many amazing restaurants, then you need some deep pockets.

Ok, the postives!! Please friends, the facts are in and regardless of money, crowds and cash, Napa delivers. Big time. The cab, the cab and ohhh... the cab! I have a smile on my face just thinking of the tastings .... big, bold, well balanced, and just fun yummy juice. Definately worth it!!

We tasted at Hall, Sawyer, and Honig. Yup, barely scratched the surface.

Hall

This was random. We initially were aiming for V. Sattui, and yet something about the jam-packed parking lot and wal-mart feel made us do a huge u-turn. Upon driving across the street, we stumbled upon Hall. And thankfully ... they proved their worth. We tasted their 3 standard releases, a sauv blanc, merlot , and cabernet sauvignon. Pretty uninspring, but the reserves were a different story. Hall has two reserves to be tasted and we recommend forgoing their 2nd tier wines and going straight for the real deal. Kathryn Hall "Sacrashe Vineyard" Cabernet is it. Smooth yet structured and in general, a fabulous cab. Doesn't need another day of cellaring, just do it, tomorrow. The Kathryn Hall cab was our overall fave of the whole trip. Hall's second reserve cab is a monster, and frankenstien needs at least another 5 years in the lab before he's ready for drinking. Don't get us wrong, it's a winner, but it needs some time.

Sawyer

Defines what Napa used to be and what we all wish it was -- a barn. Down home backcountry and rustic, this converted barn is now serving some quality wines. We weren't blown away, but nonetheless, we had a great time with the ambiance and layed back servers who really care about your opinion and their wines. We tasted their sauvignon blanc, bordeaux blend, and cabernet sauvignon.

Honig

Without a doubt, the most confusing wines the Vinquire crew has dealt with. Honig single-handedly calls into question the entire 100 point scale. While their sauvignon blancs were straightforward (and good!), their cabernet is a personal preference. If you like smooth, oaked, vanilla, easy drinking cabs... then brother, you need to visit Honig tomorrow. However if you crave complex, structured and bold cabs, then give it a miss. It was impossible to score these cabs, tasting notes had ridiculous musings like "88-93 points, do you like yellow tail" on them. Go figure. Maybe give it a go and then let us know what you thought?? Help?

And that's all she wrote. Napa is the new-world's answer to the old-world's wines. Watch out for the traffic and enjoy the ride.

-V

Wine Tasting

8 comments

Santa Barbara County Wine Tasting

Feb 12, 2007 |  Vinquire (14) |  Wine Tasting |  1 comment

We (Vinquire's John and Andy) did a quick stopover in the Santa Barbara wine region last Tues/Weds attempting to re-create some of that Sideways magic. There's a few appellations in Santa Barbara County, but we focused on Santa Ynez Valley because it is packed w/ wineries compared to the Santa Rita Hills or Santa Maria appellations.

We started off in town, doing tastings of dubious value from various storefronts... which quickly proved to be a futile attempt at getting some good juice. Although our host at Alexander & Wayne was kind, gracious, and fresh from New York, the wines didn't stand out. So we trucked on and wound up at the Los Olivos Tasting Room & Wine Shop which is not a winery but does "represent wineries in the area that don't have tasting rooms". Well apparently they don't have tasting rooms for a reason because the wine was horrible as was the service. Onto greener pastures ....

The countryside! So obviously this is where the real juice is, and after we warmed up to that basic tenet of wine tasting, we were off to taste the real stuff.

Tastings of note 2/6/07...

Fess Parker

Was dead when we showed up but quickly rallied a crowd -- coincidence or vinquire mojo?? Had a great time tasting, and the wines were generally of a high caliber. Andy really appreciated their 05 Chardonnay "Ashley's Vineyard", I agreed except it had a bad case of the "vanishing finish". Their 05 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir was excellent as well.

Firestone

We really had a great time here. Snuck in right before the door was closed and had the place all to ourselves. Flashed our not-so-pearly whites and a business card, and our lovely host even poured us the 03 Ambassador, their high-end Bordeaux style blend. Needless to say, it is a stupendous effort and created a wonderful closing to our tasting day.

Morning wine tastings are not always the most enjoyable thing, but with such a limited amount of time, we decided to try and regroup, and do the A.M. sip and spit. We were glad we did...

Tastings of note 2/7/07...

Foxen

Of Sideways infamy, this place has it together. It is pretty much a shack on the side of the road, but they've clearly focused there efforts on what counts. The wine is outstanding. Our host was clearly excited by all things wine, and between hefty pours and inciteful conversation, Foxen definitely was our favorite winery of the trip. It is safe to say that everything on the tasting menu is exceptional -- highly recommended for any Santa Ynez trip.

You could easily spend three days doing tastings across Santa Barbara wineries, but duty called (aka vinquire.com) so we were off. Thanks Santa Ynez for the wonderful Pinot Noirs and hospitality. We will be back soon!

Wine Tasting

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