Wine Pick of the Week: November 12, 2015

Justin Vineyards & Winery 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

Continuing with the Paso Robles tour, I tasted this Justin Cab and found it much fruitier than I expected. Justin Vineyards and Winery has been in Paso since 1981 and pattern their wines after the Bordeaux style. Justin was recently named Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 2015 Winery of the Year.

This Cabernet is a dark ruby color with just a tinge of brown. The nose is full of cherry fruit, then wood and leather.

The first taste is cherry, then spice—black pepperish—which transitions to leather and finishes with coffee and cherry and is slightly dry. As mentioned, the wine is a little lighter-bodied and fruitier than some of the Bordeaux Cabs, which might be attributed to the Paso microclimates.

It’s a wine that you can sip or would be a good partner for a juicy beef burger with bleu cheese. It would also be good with beef tips in a wine sauce or chopped sirloin. I don’t think it’s full-bodied enough to stand up to heavier meats.

Next week, a Paso Robles Malbec. 

Wine Pick of the Week: November 5, 2015

Project Paso 2011 Lonely Oak Red (California)

This time last year, I was just about to embark on a cross-country trip with a friend of mine. She was moving back to California and asked me to drive the UHaul truck for her. We decided to forgo the jaunt to Las Vegas and head to Paso Robles instead. This month I’m going to re-visit Paso through four weekly wine picks.

The first is a mainstream red blend, Project Paso 2011 Lonely Oak Red, around the $10-$12 mark. This label is a Sebastiani Family product that features grapes from Paso Robles vineyards. The 2011 blends Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Tempranillo, Valdiguie and Grenache.

It looks and sounds heartier than it tastes. The nose is fruity with cherries and berries, the color ruby with a tinge of purple. The first taste note is heavy spice (some black pepper) which transitions right away to tart cherry and berries. There isn’t much more too it—it’s not a “sit and ponder” kind of bottle. Definitely more sweet than dry, but some tannin steps in for an appearance about the same time as the tart cherry.

Drink it with food, particularly grilled pork or pulled pork. Turkey and cranberries would also be complementary because of the tart fruit aspects. 

Wine Pick of the Week: October 28, 2015

Apothic Dark 2014 Red Blend (California)

For dark and stormy nights—or Halloween—this blend is just the thing to turn heebie-jeebies into warm fuzzies. The color is a deep, inky purple that shows highlights of ruby when held to the light. Blackberries and blueberries rise to the nose, a waft of leather and—what’s that? Ahh, cinnamon, a little chocolate.

Fruity transitions to off-dry with a slightly tannic finish. Coffee, spice, blackberries, jammy with a hint of plum—dark flavors swirling around your mouth, then smoothing out. The grapes are part of its mystery but most likely include Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hearty without being monstrous, Dark is drinkable on its own, but would also pair well with a burger, grilled medium rare, maybe with some sautéed mushrooms that crept up from the earth or with some melted bleu cheese, crumbly with moldy veins.

Don’t be afraid to try this one. And at $10-$12, it’s safe to stock up, because once your friends have a sip, you won’t be alone. There’s nothing scarier than running out of wine.  

Wine Pick of the Week: July 27, 2015

DaVinci Wines 2013 Chianti

Maybe Chianti isn’t the quintessential summer wine, but this weekend was the local Italian festival, and my friend Diane Conroy took first place in two categories, “Red Sauce” and “Meatballs.”  She’s awesome.

Anyway, I wanted to drink something Italian besides Prosecco and am revisiting this book I read years ago on creative thinking. The DaVinci Chianti was on sale, so there we go.

Chianti is a dry wine produced in central Tuscany, this near the town of Vinci. In the mid-1800s, Baron Bettino Ricasoli, who later became prime minister of the Kingdom of Italy, determined the recipe for Chianti should be 70 percent Sangiovese, 15 percent Canaiolo and 15 percent Malvasia Bianca, but today’s Chianti is made with a far lesser percentage of white grapes, if any at all. It must, however, include at least 80 percent Sangiovese.

This DaVinci (www.davinciwine.com) is made with 90 percent Sangiovese and 10 percent Merlot. The cooperative Cantine Leonardo da Vinci is made up of 200 local growers, many of which are multi-generational farmers. This offering has cherries on the nose, and I get a sense of leather books. Tasting is fruit up front—more cherries, slight tobacco, hint of leather. It’s hearty and ends with plum jam.

While this bottle isn’t the most complex of wines, it’s nice and is meant to stand up to Italian red sauce pasta dishes and pizza and salumi and country stews of the region. Yum. On a cool fall night, I can see myself sipping a glass in a villa den, surrounded by walls of books, curled up in a chair by the fireplace. 

Wine Pick of the Week: July 6, 2015

SakeOne "G" Sake/Genshu Unfiltered (Oregon)

While packing the other day, I ran across this bottle of “G” Sake. I’d visited SakeOne outside of Portland a few times for tastings. Visiting and tasting the variety of rice wines there, by the way, is a very interesting and informative way to spend an hour or two. I liked the wine, and I have to admit this is one instance where I did buy the bottle in part because of the graphic label with my initial. Their nicknaming the wine “Joy” cinched it, and here I am shaking the "Wine Pick of the Week" up a bit. 

The 18 percent alcohol does hit the nose, so it is more of a food wine, though that mellows a bit sitting in the glass. But at the start I picked up a hint of almond, water chestnuts and a slight smokiness, too. The light straw color is very pretty. Flavors include ginger, then toast, and, as it sits in the glass, a bit of a honey finish. It would be excellent with sushi, a seared tuna steak with sesame crust or a nice Asian-style salad.

Overall, I like it, but it’s a different experience--and a nice change--from grape wine. 

Wine Pick of the Week: June 21, 2015

Field Recordings 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Hinterland Vineyards/Paso Robles (CA)

I’m treating myself tonight after a long weekend of cleaning and clearing closets, drawers and boxes, and it’s the summer solstice, too.

Field Recordings is a special project by young winemaker Andrew Jones, who spends most of his days assisting Central Coast vineyards cultivate their best possible vines. Sometimes they offer him fruit, and he creates small production lots from some of the best grapes in the region, in this case 280 cases.

The Cab is very dark ruby with violet tones—darker than it appears in the photo--smells like you’re walking through berry bushes: a little earth, a little wood, overridden by sweet berries like blackberries, raspberries and huckleberries.

The first taste is some black pepper and some heat from that spice and 14.9% alcohol, but it’s silky and turns to plum and berries with a slight woody, dry-ish finish.  At first there was a little acid to it, but letting it sit has calmed that down.  I’m sure it will develop more over the next couple of years in the cellar. 

The blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. 

I would pair it now with sweeter rather than spicy charcuterie, brie with cherries, grilled steak with black pepper, or bleu cheese with walnuts and blackberries. 

Wine Pick of the Week: May 31, 2015

Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence 2014 Rose  (France)

While in upstate New York this weekend, I visited Ryan’s Wines & Spirits in Canandaigua and picked up this little rose on sale for $11.99/bottle. It’s a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Mourvedre. The nose starts with some faint strawberries and a touch of vanilla. Like many French roses, it’s off-dry and not too sweet. Tart flavors begin with minerals, develop to strawberries and progress to a hint of lemon.

This would be a nice porch sipper, but would also pair with spring mix salad greens, a light chicken salad and crudités. 

Wine Pick of the Week: May 17,2015

2006 Pouilly-Fume Domaine Masson-Blondelet Les Angelots (France)

I decided to get reacquainted with Pouilly-Fume this week. I’ve had this for awhile, and apparently stored it properly because it’s drinking very well.  The nose is flowers, flowers, and the characteristic hint of smoke/gun flint. There is a slight tartness, maybe a little lemon, nice full body. You can taste the flint, too.

It was like sunshine in a glass—or sunflowers in a glass. It’s 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc and was produced by the Romans 2000 years ago and Benedictine Monks in the Middle Ages.

Pair this with heavier fish like cod, grilled salmon, grilled tuna, roasted chicken, and goat cheese.  

Wine Pick of the Week: May 10, 2015

Karmere 2012 Kade du Rhone (California)

This is one of my favorite wines of the year. I tasted it at the Amador County winery in November and brought back two bottles with the intention of ordering more.  Karmere’s Kade du Rhone is a GSM—Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre. The ruby color is beautiful, and the nose evokes the berries in the Grenache and Syrah. The Mourvedre comes through with a hint of earth and chocolate. It has just enough sweetness.

Flavors include the berries, plum and raisins going to tart cherry and finishing with black pepper and a breath of oak. It has a nice, full body, is slightly tannic and is dry on the center of the tongue.

I think of beef steak on the grill when I taste this wine. It would also go with Italian sausage, salami and not-too-sweet dark chocolate. 

Wine Pick of the Week: May 3, 2015

Bonterra Vineyards 2012 Chardonnay (California)

The beautiful weather this weekend put me in a summer frame of mind, and summer makes me think of Chardonnay.

This one from Mendocino County is made from organic grapes and has a nice, sunny, light gold color. There are flavors of apples, some citrus and a hint of pineapple with a touch of butter and oak as it develops in the mouth. The finish has just a bit of heat. After 3 or 4 sips, the apple lingers nicely.

Pair this with grilled chicken and grilled or roasted pork loin, white fish, halibut, and salmon with lemon. It would go well with Parmesan cheese, brie, brick or Muenster. For dessert, try an apple dumpling, tarte tatin, or a lightly flavored lemon cheesecake. 

Review: Adams County Winery (Pennsylvania)

Pennsylvania isn’t the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of wine, and probably isn’t the second or third place either. The truth is the first vinifera were planted there before 1650, and 200 years later Pennsylvania was the third leading wine producer in the United States. Its climates are actually conducive to a wide range of grapes.

While other states’ wine industries recovered and thrived after Prohibition ended, Governor Gifford Pinchot, a Prohibitionist, established the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board intending to “discourage the purchase of alcoholic beverages by making it as inconvenient and expensive as possible.” In 1968 lawmakers finally passed the Limited Winery Act, allowing wineries to sell their own wines instead of selling through the LCB or out of state.

Today there are over 200 licensed Pennsylvania wineries (#7 in the United States) and it is the fifth largest grape producer in the country.

My introduction to Pennsylvania wines begins with Adams County Winery. A friend of mine, Chris Hughes, has a blog called CUontheRoad.net about her family’s travel adventures in an RV. They’ve used a hospitality program called Harvest Hosts to stay overnight at participating wineries and farms, and one of those is Adams County Winery near Gettysburg. Chris invited me to do a wine review in conjunction with her travel review. If you are thinking of visiting the Gettysburg area, do check out her blog.

Located in the fruit belt of south-central Pennsylvania, ACW, aka Gettysburg Winery, was established in 1975 and is one of the state’s oldest wineries. The 15 acres of estate grapes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Lemberger, Chambourcin, Vidal, Traminette and native Niagara. There is a website that is under construction, so it has limited information, but the staff is very friendly and accommodating and can email a complete wine list for orders.

I ordered three wines to taste: Tears of Gettysburg (white,) Metrose (rose,) and Turning Point (red.) Each label has a story.

Tears of Gettysburg, a Niagara/Vidal blend, was originally released in 1988 and is their top award-winner. It has the unmistakable Niagara nose. The expected strong Niagara sweetness, though, is tempered by the Vidal and gives it a clean finish. In the mouth, it is full and tastes of flowers, honeysuckle. There is also a slight buttery flavor and hint of oak as it progresses.

I would pair this with a buttery cod dish (or Pacific Northwest black cod,) tuna with sweet pepper salsa or pork tenderloin with sweet corn salsa. It’s kind of a sweet wine for the tartness of citrus, though grilled green apples with grilled chicken breast might be nice, too.

Turning Point was quite good. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin, it's packed with flavors of spicy blackberry that develop into plummy cherry. It has a pretty, dark garnet color but isn’t heavy like a Zinfandel. There is just a hint of chocolate in the nose. The wine’s fruit gathers around the sides of the tongue, and the finish is dry in the center of the palate.  

The Chambourcin grape is a French-American hybrid. Its origins are hazy, but it has been used since 1963 mainly for blending. It grows in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest of the US, and in Canada, Australia, Portugal and France.

I did pair Turning Point with mild Italian sausage and whole grain pasta with tomato sauce. This turned up the spice, the heat and the plum flavors, and the finish wasn’t as dry.

Both of these wines—as well as the Rebel Red and Traveller--are part of ACW’s Historic Gettysburg Collection which commemorate aspects of the battle there, according to Dan Baumgardner, retail manager. He says the label on Tears of Gettysburg depicts a canon located outside of the Soldier’s National Cemetery, near where President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. Turning Point’s label depicts the 72nd Pennsylvania Monument, where Pickett’s Charge took place, and which is said to be the turning point of the Civil War.

Metrose is very fun. This is not a sweet, 1980s-style pink wine. The salmon-y pink color is luscious, and it’s a blend of 80 percent Pinot Noir and 20 percent Chambourcin. While it bathes the mouth in strawberries, it has a touch of cinnamon and a semi-dry finish. Open one bottle for a nice sipper, and pair a second bottle with charcuterie, grilled sausage, summer salads, and strawberries.

The horse on the label is Metro Meteor, a Belmont and Saratoga racer who retired to a career in painting abstracts. Every bottle sold makes a donation to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption program—another reason to buy two bottles of this wine. 

Thanks so much, Chris, for this opportunity to explore new territory (or terroir.) I'm looking forward to learning about and visiting more Pennsylvania wineries. 

Wine Pick of the Week: April 12, 2015

Deaver Vineyards Barby Port NV (California)

After an odd but productive weekend, I decided to treat myself. Even though it’s 70 degrees and sunny right now, this sweet, heady California Port was calling out to me as I vacuumed the cellar. Deaver Vineyards is an uber-friendly winery in Amador County on the Steiner Rd. trail. This 100 percent Barbera Port-style wine was on the tasting list the day I visited.

Raisins everywhere, sweet and warm. With some alcohol in the nose and mouth, its legs saunter down the glass. It’s warm in the throat with the faintest spice.

I decided to have a taste with triple cream brie, and it neutralized the alcohol and kept the raisin flavors. With some top round beef pastrami, it neutralized the alcohol and brought out a little black pepper with the raisins. I also tried the Barby with Milano hard salami. This was good, too, but kept a little of the alcohol with the raisins, then finished with caramel. Overall, my preference would be the pastrami pairing.

Other food matches might include a stronger cheese like Pecorino Romano, other Italian sausages, grilled pork and a caramel dessert or crème brulee.