Herederos del Marqués de Riscal Reserva Rioja 2014 – Day 11 of the 12 days of Wine 2020

Dec 23, 2020

It’s time to do a virtual visit to Spain. This next year, I’m looking forward to being a part of the new #WorldWineTravel group of writers. This first year we will be focusing on Spain. I thought I would get a little head start and make sure we included a Spanish wine in our 12 Days of Wine 2020 celebration. Where better to begin than Rioja?

Rioja

This is undoubtedly the most famous region for red wines in Spain. Rioja is known for its outstanding Tempranillo based wines and produces almost 1 sixth of the countries DO level wine. They became Spain’s first designated DO region in 1925 and were the first region elevated to its Calificada status as a DOCa status in 1991.

Map of Spain with the Region of Rioja highlighted – map via Adobe Stock

The region is in north-central Spain in the Ebro River Valley. Most of the region is within the Province of La Rioja, but some vineyards cross over into the Provinces of Navarra and bits of the Basque Region.

Winemaking dates back 2000 years in Rioja, but it was not until the late nineteenth century when new techniques were introduced to the region and then the French came south trying to escape the grasp of phylloxera and the Bordeaux style of aging became prevalent in the area.

There are 3 regions in Rioja, Rioja Alta which is the furthest west and higher in elevation, Rioja Alavesa which sits north of Rioja Alta and mostly north of the Ebro river that runs through the entire region. Rioja Oriental (or Rioja Baja) sits to the east of the region in a much lower area.

Styles of Rioja

Yes, there is white and rosé made in the area. Viura being the primary white wine. But by far Tempranillo is the star of the area.

Spanish wines are broken into 3 quality levels by aging requirements. Rioja ups the ante on this:

Crianza: Minimum 12 months in barrel and 24 months total aging (up from 6 months in barrel for other Spanish red wines)

Reserva: 12 months in barrel and 36 months total aging (this is the same as other Spanish reds)

Gran Reserva: 24 months in barrel and an additional 36 months in bottle to total 60 months of aging before release. (This is up from the 18 months barrel time for other Spanish reds).

Most are aged in American Oak, although some producers are using French oak. French oak is noted for higher tannins while American oak imparts flavors of vanilla, coconut, and dill. American oak is denser also (a board can weigh twice as much as the same size French oak board)

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal

Perhaps you’ve seen photos of their City of Wine, the centerpiece of which is the spectacular building by Frank O. Gehry that swirls in pink and gold and silver in Elciego. The Spanish do love to dot their landscape with innovative eye-catching architecture and this building is spectacular.

The winery itself has been around since 1858 and is now found in over 110 countries. It is perhaps the most easily found Spanish brand of wine in the world.

This is a winery with a history of high-quality international award-winning wines. Those awards started rolling in, soon after its inception. You can read more about their history and see their spectacular City of Wine here.

In addition to their Rioja wines, they also produce wines from Rueda, Castilla y Leon, and Getariako Txakolina.

But, perhaps their most well-known wine is…

Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva D.O.Ca. Rioja

This is one of the most famous wines of Spain. It is still wrapped in its gold metallic mesh, the Malla originally added to prevent forgery. The cork could not be removed from the bottle without cutting the net.

This one wine can be found in over 100 countries. It has been praised over the years by such legends as Ernest Hemingway and Salvador Dalí.

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal El Ciego (Alava) Rioja 2014 Reserva

Our vintage of this Rioja was 2014. This year the blend was 90% Tempranillo, 7% Graciano, and 3% Mazuelo. Most of the Tempranillo is old-vine (over 50 years old). This wine spends about 2 years in American Oak and then another year rounding in the bottle before release.

Around 4.5 million bottles produced, 14.1% abv SRP $18.99

My wine notes

Medium garnet in color, the nose has a medium intensity with notes of warm berries, spice, pine resin, red plum, black pepper, carob, and light leather.

It is dry with medium tannins and body, with pronounced flavor and high acidity.

Flavors of black cherry, licorice, spice, cranberry, and pomegranate, and a long finish.

Suggested pairings include mild cheeses, ham, poultry, grilled red meat, and roasts. They caution not to pair with anything too spicy. We opted for…

Mojo braised pork tacos with red and white cabbage, pickled red onions, and salsa verde

I did leave out the chile flakes to keep the heat down for pairing with the wine.

The braised pork was cooked and then a marinade of orange & lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, onion, and cumin was added.

We served this with warm corn tortillas and topped it with pickled onions, cabbage, and salsa verde.

This paired great with lunch, pulling forward the fruit notes in the wine and accentuating all the flavors in the food.

Marques de Riscal Rioja paired Our chocolate nests with black cherry ice cream

Chocolate nests with chocolate branches

Okay, the full title is “Chocolate nests with chocolate branches. Pistachio soil, walnut cake soil, and chocolate, anise, cinnamon soil. With quenelles of black cherry ice cream, blackberries, and mint.”

I know, that’s a long title. It’s a bunch of stuff, compiled to make a composed (fancy-schmancy) dessert dish. If you have been following the 12 Days of Wine 2020 you will recognize parts of this dish. Yep, that the black cherry ice cream leftover from the black cherry ice cream sandwiches and the walnut cake soil is from the Hungarian Nut Cake that my mother so loved. Bottom line, I saw a photo on Pinterest and felt the need to recreate the feel of the dish. It was a tiny chocolate nest with a quenelle of ice cream. It was so pretty it looked as if you had just come upon it in the forest. So taking what I had available, I set out to create something similar.

I tempered chocolate (the easy way in the microwave this time), made some nests, piped some branches, and then assembled my dish.

It was delicious and many of the flavors in the dish crossed over to the wine.

checkout the recipe

Well, folks, there is just one day left in our 12 Days of Wine 2020 celebration. Join us tomorrow as we wrap things up and celebrate Christmas Eve!

12 days of wine with Crushed Grape Chronicles Holiday Edition 2020

Sources and Resources

More on Rioja and Tempranillo from Crushed Grape Chronicles

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Robin Bell Renken I have always loved people’s stories. I spent a career in Theatre helping to tell stories, as a Stage Manager. Daily enabling artists to freely and safely tell stories through their art. Then I fell in love with wine. There are so many details, so many nuances, not just in the glass, but in the vineyard, the region and the people. As I met winemakers and vineyard owners and even the people in the tasting room excited to pour me a glass and tell me the story of this wine, I knew these were stories I wanted to share. I completed my study and became a Certified Specialist of Wine and continue learning daily as I meet and interview people in this industry.

Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Angullong in Millthorpe – Wine, Welcome to Country, Indigenous Dances and bush Tucka in Orange NSW

Oct 13, 2020

Last spring, we found ourselves in Australia for the Wine Media Conference held in the Hunter Valley. Well really, last fall for us in October, but it was spring in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.

After the conference, we attended one of the sponsored post-conference tours to the Orange wine region. You might have seen our overview of this trip “2 days in Orange? Too little time for this beautiful Australian wine region!”

After arriving in the Orange region, our first stop was at Angullong Cellars in the village of Millthorpe. Our group was set up in the garden behind the historic bluestone stable that is now their tasting room and we were greeted with sparkling wine.

History of Angullong

Angullong was established in 1950. This family-owned wine company has vineyards on the southern lower slopes of Mount Canobolas. This ancient volcano is the highest point in the region. If you head west, everything gets lower and flatter out to West Australia. Ben told us the next highest peak to the west is in South Africa! The Angullong property has steep undulating hills that quickly descend to meet the Belubula River.

Ben & his brother James are the third generation of their family managing this property that at one point grew wheat and raised cattle and sheep. They still raise cattle in addition to growing wine grapes on the 5000-acre property.

Ben greeted us in the garden, welcomed us to Millthorpe, and filled us in on the Orange region.

The Orange Wine Region

The wine region is named for the city of Orange, and vineyards must be at a minimum of 600 meters (1968 feet) above sea level. They sit just west of the Blue Mountains. This area is considered “Central West New South Wales” or the “Central Ranges”.

Originally known for its orchards of apples and pears the region has now added wine grapes. Over the last 30 years or so around 30 vineyards have been planted in the area, of all sizes.

The region is known for having all 4 seasons. But at the time we were there, the region was in a drought. This is the drought that led to the horrible fires in January. They are in better shape than areas east of them, as we could attest to driving in from the Hunter Valley, where dams are empty, and lakes are dried up.

Currently the Orange region was green with blossoms on the trees and the bright green of trees just leafing out. Spring was in the air.

This is considered a cool climate region to the altitude. Most of Australia’s other cool climate regions are in maritime climates to the south.

They get a bit of snow. In fact, there had been snow on Mount Canobolas the previous weekend. It was brief, and high on the Mountain. Spring at this point had sprung with the vineyards in bud burst. During the summers temperatures can get to the high 30’s typically (100-102 degrees Fahrenheit).

With a long winter and late budburst, their growing season pushes into late summer and fall. The fruit ripens in late summer and then has a long slow ripening into fall that gives them better color in the reds and allows the grapes to retain their natural acidity as well as intensity of flavor.

The Angullong Vineyard

Angullong Vineyard in Cellar Door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW

The Angullong vineyard straddles the Orange Region and the Central Ranges with vineyards from 550 meters to 650 meters (1800 to 2100 feet). The vineyard is about 30 km from Millthorpe in Panuara and is one of the larger vineyards in the area with 200 hectares (almost 500 acres) of vines.

The property is diverse with a good supply of water due to being on the Belubula River. They have a high-security water license that allows them to pump out of the river, which is a very fast-moving river.

Climate change

While they have only had grapes here for 20 to 30 years, crops have been grown here much longer. Farmers say cereal crops have come forward almost a month (a day per year) over the past 30 years.

“As farmers in Australia, we are on the receiving end of the global damage.”
Ben Crossing, October 2019

Angullong Cellar Door in Millthorpe

They moved their tasting room into this old bluestone stable about 10 years ago.

Angullong Vineyard Cellar door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Angullong Vineyard converted stable into Cellar door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Ben Crossing and brother James in picture Angullong Vineyard at the Cellar Door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Angullong Vineyard converted stable into Cellar door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Angullong Vineyard Cellar door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Welcome to Country

At this point we stopped as Michael Newman gave us a First Nation welcome in the Wiradjuri tongue which he then translated to English.

He began by teaching us the greeting “Yamandhu marang” which translates roughly to “are you well?” He gave us a traditional Welcome to Country greeting. This begins with extending respect to the Wiradjuri elders as well as beyond to elders of other nations that call this area home.

He then spoke his welcome in the Wiradjuri tongue, then at the end translated for us.

“Ladies and gentlemen, young men, young women, and distinguished guests, First I want to pay my respects to Wiradjuri elders both past and present. By acknowledging that I pay my respects to other elders of other nations here today, I want you to remember, you are on Wiradjuri land today.
Our people lived and cared for this land for a long time. Our people have lived and danced for a long time on this land.
Our land the Wiradjuri land is known as the land of the three rivers, the Lachlan, the Murrumbigee, and the Macquarie. You must respect and honor, all people, and all part of country.
Give honor, be respectful, polite, and patient with all, then the people will respect you. Hold fast to each other, empower the people, respect everything living, and growing. You look after the land and rivers and those land and rivers; they’ll look after you.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s wonderful to see that our footprints are side by side in the soil on Wiradjuri land, that indicates that our people are walking and talking together, so let’s work together to make everything good for all people.
So ladies and gentlemen my name is Michael Newman, I’m proud to be Wiradjuri, I’m proud to be on Wiradjuri land, I thank you very much and Welcome!”
Michael Newman, Proud Wiradjuri Man

Indigenous Dances

We then moved into our welcome through dance. The indigenous dance troupe performed several dances.

Welcome Aboriginal Dance

The first dance symbolized the indigenous peoples first meeting with the settlers. Wary of these new people they would begin spears drawn, checking the new people’s energy, and seeing what kind of respect they had for the people and the land. The greeting went well, and the spear were stuck safely into the ground.

Dances to tell the story of a people

These dances told us about the history of the Aboriginal people, and welcomed and cleansed us. A fire was lit, in the traditional way and gum leaves were put on it to create the smoke which was used in a cleansing dance. The dancers used branches to wave the smoke out to cleanse the area and the people and sang out to the ancestors to join & bless us.

This is a reminder of how we are connected. The earth is the Mother, and the trees are part of the earth, so when the elders pass, they return to the earth and so they are part of the trees and these branches. This theme of being connected with the land continued. The next dance began on the ground to connect their souls to Mother. The dancers jumped up to draw in our energy and connect that to the earth, this earth that they then paint their bodies with. The earth and ochre, the original paint has been used by people around the world for thousands of years.

We move to a bit of creation story, To a dance symbolizing 4 animals that connect to their creation story. They begin with Goanna the ancient one (monitor lizard) who has been here since time began. They then move to the kangaroo, and the emu who both move forward, which is important, as these are two very different animals, but like all of us, they move forward together. Lastly the echidna who when confronted, digs in and stands his ground.

Mother Earth Dance

The next dance was introduced by reminding us of the drought. There are places in New South Wales that have been without water for over a year now. Rivers are empty, and while the country is always dry, none of the elders have ever seen the rivers run dry before. The rivers here are a life source and not just for the aboriginal people. Mother is suffering, her energy pulled out but not replenished.

This dance sends vibrations into her, to let her know that we are here, and mean her no harm. They then request a bit more energy of those of us there, pulling that back and returning it to Mother. Typically this dance is done on dirt (they were on grass here). The idea is that the dance kicks up dirt from Mother, uniting her with Father in the sky. This dance is their Mother Earth dance.

Personal stories through ancient dance

The last dance The Eagle gives respect to the dance troupe leader’s totem. It creates a spirit connection with his Grandfather, whose shares the eagle as his totem. He says that often when he dances it, his grandfather will call him and say he felt it.

These connections, to history and heritage are so important. These stories remind us that however different we are, we all move forward together.

Indigenous Cultural Adventures – and Bush Tucka

Gerald tells us about the Indigenous foods we are about to taste here in Millthorpe Australia

Kangaroo, Emu and Crocodile on the menu at Angullong Cellars — Gerald tells us about the Indigenous foods we are about to taste here in Millthorpe Australia

Gerald Power of Indigenous Cultural Adventures speaks next, they have set up a spread of bush tucka for us to enjoy.

Gerald introduces himself, beginning with his Mob. He is from far North Queensland the Djiru Mob with is from around the Whitsunday area and the Kanaka who were South Sea Islanders brought to Australia in the 1800s. He is part of the Vanuatu people as well as Aboriginal.

He explained that we were now going to tuck into some of the animals the dancers had portrayed. These are foods that the people on this land have consumed for over 60,000 years. They share their journey because the aboriginal history is not taught in the Australian system, so it must be shared by people like Michael Newman, the dancers like Luke and his family and Gerald with the food.

We tasted bites of Emu with Warrigal Pesto on Wombok, Emu Kofta w/smoke bush tucka dressing & Johnny Cakes, Crocodile with Lemon Myrtle Sweet Chili Sauce, and Kangaroo skewers with bush tomato relish and paired them with the wines.

Ben Crossing and the wines of Angullong

Vineyards in Orange are relatively young. 30 years ago when the vineyards were being planted, there were a lot of alternative varieties available, so the region is planted with more than Chardonnay, Cab, Shiraz and Merlot. Here you will find Vedelho, Pinot Grigio, Savignon Blanc, Tempranillo and Sagrantino among others.

When they started their vineyard, they contracted with some big wineries like Southcorp which is now Treasury. They sold grapes to them for the export market, but always had their own small vineyard with some alternate varieties.

2019 Angullong Sav Blanc

This is their biggest selling wine, and it leans a little riper in style to find more of those passion fruit notes. This is fresh and zesty $22 AUD

2019 Angullong Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris, is being made into multiple styles in the Orange region. At Angullong they lean a bit more to the Italian style which is why they call it Pinot Grigio. They do several picks to get that acidity, then a few later to bring in the flavor. This wine has one a Trophy as well as several gold medals. . $22 AUD

2018 Angullong Chardonnay

Grown at the Angullong vineyard at about 600 meters, this Chardonnay is a modern wine with layers of citrus and stone fruit and balanced oak. $22 AUD

Angullong 2017 Shiraz Vionier and Angullong 2017 Tempranillo at Angullong Vineyard in Cellar Door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Angullong 2015 Crossing Reserve Shiraz at Angullong Vineyard in Cellar Door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Angullong 2017 Tempranillo and 2016 Sagrantino at Angullong Vineyard in Cellar Door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Angullong 2019 Vermentino at Angullong Vineyard in Cellar Door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

Angullong 2019 Verdelho and 2019 Pinot Grigio and 2019 Savignon Blanc at Angullong Vineyard in Cellar Door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW

Angullong Rose and Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut at Angullong Vineyard in Cellar Door in Millthorpe, Orange NSW Australia

2018 Fossil Hill Chardonnay

From the higher altitude Balmoral vineyard which sits at 850-950 meters, this Chardonnay has some barrel fermentation with 20% new French oak. You get more citrus with the higher altitude compared to stone fruits in lower altitude vineyards. $26. AUD

2019 Fossil Hill Vermentino

Vermentino is one of the alternative varieties that you don’t see grown often in this area. Planted on a rocky ridge with lots of sun, its thick skin holds up to the exposure and sunburn, without getting too phenolic. It requires some major canopy management to prevent too much sun in these high altitudes where the UV is higher. They have been using kaolin the clay-based product which coats the grapes to protect from sunburn and coats the leaves, so they reflect the heat and keep the temperature of the vine lower. While this vermentino gets pretty ripe it still holds its acid and has notes of nectarine. $26 AUD

As we got into tasting the Sangiovese, Ben’s wife Heidi came around with cheese biscuits made by Ben’s mom.

2018 Fossil Hill Sangiovese

They originally planted sangiovese back in 1998 and keep planting a little bit more, because it is so successful. They moved to Brunello clones which have more fruit intensity and use original Sangiovese now mostly for their Rosé. This wine is still a harder sell. Aussie palates are tuned to Shiraz, and that is only beginning to change in the past 15 years or so as they see an increase in imported wines. $28 AUD

2017 Fossil Hill Barbera

This is just the 2^nd vintage of Barbera made from vines they planted in 2010. Barbera is late ripening, but it has thick tannic skins. They are right on the margins for growing it here. Any cooler and it would not grow. This wine holds its acidity and is beginning to soften in the bottle. Ben suggests this wine would be great with a great big steak or perhaps some kangaroo. $28 AUD

2015 Crossing Reserve Shiraz

This Family Reserve is the highest of the 3 tiers of Shiraz they produce. This comes from barrel selections from low yielding vines that are dry grown. It is aged in first and second year oak, so it needs a little time. $48 AUD

Exports and the Australian Market

They export a bit to Germany, and they used to export to the UK, but since the Australian dollar and American dollar hit parity it’s hard to get things to the US. China is a big market for them.

There are pros and cons to the import market. While it exposes Australians to a wider variety of wines beyond, Cab, Merlot, Shiraz and Chard, it is still competition. It breaks Ben’s heart when he is in Sydney and see’s wine lists filled with imported wines.

Plan your visit to Angullong

After a wonderful afternoon, learning so much about the Wiradjuri culture and the wines of Angullong. We set off for our next adventure.

If you want to visit them, you can find them in Millthorpe, jusst 15 minutes from Orange. They are in the Old Bluestone Stables at the corner of Park and Victoria Streets. Be sure to call ahead for a booking. During these times of COVID appointments are necessary to keep their beautiful but small tasting room safe for everyone.

Phone: +02 6366 3444

Email: [email protected]

You can also visit the Links below for more details on Angullong, the Orange Region and New South Wales.

Sources & Resources

For more on our Aussie Wine Adventure, check out these articles!

Oak Mountain Wine, Music and a view

Mar 15, 2013

Oak Mountain Winery sits high on the North side of the De Portola Wine Trail with great views of Oak Mountain. You can’t miss the entrance with it’s buckboard wagon emblazoned with the winery name. This winery houses both Oak Mountain and Temecula Hill Wineries. Temecula hills is way down De Portola and does not have a tasting room.

Oak Mountain patio Ent

Every weekend they have live music in their Pavilion next to the tasting room.

Oak Mountain patio

Oak Mountain pizza

We stopped by and the Pavilion was busy and enticed us in with the sign out front advertising gourmet pizza inside.

There was a duo playing and lots of 8 top round tables filling the space. The band was at the front corner, backed by the great view. We headed straight for the pizza which was made to order. They also had a table set up with jewelry and crafts for sale. Michael took a seat and I went to the tasting bar at the back. The line was long and they had wines by the glass and wine margaritas in addition to the tastings. All the wines here were reasonably priced. We tasted through the 2011 Muscat, 2011 Zinfandel Blanc Noir, 2011 Savignon Blanc, 2008 Grenache Noir, 2009 Merlot, 2009 Tempranillo and a Durif. We enjoyed our pizza, the music and the view.

In addition to their weekend music they have monthly events that include cooking classes or blending classes.

Pictures

Oak Mountain Merlot

Oak Mountain path

Oak Mountain patio Ent

Oak Mountain pizza

Oak Mountain patio

Europa Village, at Temecula CA

Mar 5, 2013

Europa Village winery endeavors to take you on a quick trip to Europe to enjoy the wines of France, Italy and Spain. The gardens here are lovely and they have added a covered patio for large groups. They have a tasting room set up in a French café style plus a room set up like a cave for events. The wines are under 3 separate labels C’est la Vie Chateau for the French wines including Syrah, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier and Savignon Blanc as well as En Vie which is a Rhone Blend of Grenache, Syrah, Counoise, Cinsault and Mourvedre. Bolero Cellars has the Spanish wines including a Muscat Canelli and Albarino and the Libido which is a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Tempranillo. Lastly Vienza brings you the Italian varieties which include Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, a Grenache Rose, Barbera, Primitivo and the Tuscan style blend Primazia which is Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Europa Village Patio

Cave Music Event

There are no shortage of events here at the winery with Music on Friday nights, dinner plays, art events where you can learn to paint while sipping away, culinary classes with the chef from The Inn at Europa Village and wine pairing dinners. We stopped in to see “Lady Truth” play the last time we were in Temecula. Due to the cold weather everything was set up in the cave and they had wine by the glass or bottle plus there was a tent outside with a Panini vendor that you could order from. When it is warmer I am sure that the patio makes for a stunning venue!

Europa Village Inn

The Inn boasts 10 stunning rooms named after their wines, with most rooms enjoying a view of the winery below as well as a two-course gourmet breakfast each morning. The Inn’s patio includes a fire pit and an eight person Jacuzzi. You can wake up in the morning to watch the balloon tours float overhead, or get up a little extra early and take one of the Balloon rides yourself as they depart from the winery each morning.

This is a great place for a romantic getaway. Watch for Video Blog Entry coming Soon!

Monte de Oro – “Vines, Wine, People”

Feb 25, 2013

This Temecula Valley winery is impressive as you drive up toward the end of Rancho California Road. The building sits on a rise and is expansive and inviting. In the early mornings there are typically balloons taking off from here making for picture perfect morning shots with their vineyards out front.

Tasting Room Window View

The Monte de Oro winery is owned by OGB (One Great Blend) Partners, which is a collection of 68 family owners from across America, South Africa and the UK.

The Vineyards are located around the valley. The first, Vista Del Monte was planted in 2002 with 18 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. They added 18 acres at the DePortola vineyard and 23 acres at the Galway vineyard in 2003 planted with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Zinfandel, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat Canelli.

In 2007 they broke ground on the winery and in 2008 planted their 4^th vineyard at the winery growing Cinsault, Mourvedre, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Tempranillo.

Monte de Oro Underground Cave

Committed to sustainability the winery created a basement wine cave under the winery rather than building a barrel room above ground that would need to have a system for climate control. One of the most impressive sites in the building is walking across the glass floor that allows you to see down into the barrel room. They are also planning to build a gravity flow winery which reduces the energy needed to pump the wine as well as being gentler on the grapes, and they are looking to add solar panels to supply energy in the future.

The tasting room here is huge with beautiful views of the patio and beyond that the valley. They offer a variety of tours and private tastings that you can schedule in advance in addition to the Standard and Black Label Tastings available daily in the tasting room. Also open on the weekends is the MDO Bistro offering a Bistro menu Friday thru Sunday from 11-4.

Monte de Oro patio

When we visited the winery was busy and it was towards the end of the day. We tasted through a wide variety of their wines, most of which they produce about 250 cases each. All of the wines are very affordable running from $18 to $33 per bottle. watched a group head out for a tour while we were there and I would like to return to do a tour and learn a little more about their wines.

Wiens, Barrel Tasting Room

Feb 6, 2013

We have long been members of Wiens Wine Club.

Wien’s Barrel Room from main room

On our first trip to Temecula it was the last stop of our second day and we loved their wines. Not trusting ourselves, we went back the next day in the morning to be sure that our consumption of wine the day before had not swayed our thoughts and were reassured that these were wonderful wines. So…we stop by whenever we are in Temecula but of course we are always there through the week and never had the opportunity to taste in the Barrel Room whichis open exclusively for members on the weekend. So….since we had a weekend…..

Wien’s Barrel Room

The barrel room is stunning, it is warm and intimate and Susan who poured with us felt free to give us lots of information. We began our tasting with their new sparkling wine done in the traditional medod. The Chanson de Soliel (Song of the Sun) is a beautiful Blanc de Blanc that is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir and it is done in a Brut style. I got citrus and lime and a little yeast. This is leaps and bounds above their Amour de L’Orange in style and sophistication.

Next we tasted the 2011 Solace which is a white blend with Roussane. It had a dusty nose and nice acid. They mention camomile and lemon grass in their description and I definitely got that.

Now on to my favorite…the 2011 Verdelho. Another one of those wines that you hear multiple pronunciations of it’s name. I had been pronouncing it ver-DEY-ho but Susan said ver-DEL-oh, so I guess this ranks right up there with my learning curve for pronouncing Paso Robles (it’s ro-buhls), I was getting too fancy for myself. Maybe that was just the tricky little joke that this wine started me out with to prime me. This wine has all the tartness of a Savignon Blanc on the nose and lots of grapefruit ont he palate and it is completely “playful” as Susan put it and unexpected. This wine also has pear on the nose and it is not overpoweringly tart or sweet. When you take a sip it rolls up the center of your tongue and dissipates in the back of the palate. It was enchanting and made me giggle! I am infatuated with this wine.

We moved on to the 2011 Pinot Noir which is loamy on the nose like soil, green and earthy with good pepper and silky tannins. It was cool in the mouth with cranberry and tart red fruit. Yumm…

The 2011 Tempranillo-Petite Sirah Blend was plummy with strawberries and earth. It was very smooth but had a thick mouth feel. This is a lovely sipping wine that is warm in the mouth without being hot. Complex with what felt like low tannins.

Now on to the Crowded (always one of my favorites) and the Reflection. The 2010 Crowded is a blend of 38% Zinfandel, 26% Barbera, 18% Pinot Noir, 9% syrah, 6% Sangiovese, 3% Petite Sirah. This leans Italian and is cool and smooth. The Reflection Michael tasted more tannins. I really enjoyed the Reflection (and look forward to drinking the 2 bottles that just arrived with the last wine club shipment).

Even though we were already feeling very VIP (there was a cheese tray on the side for everyone and Susan was taking very good care of us) Susan then went to pull a Cabernet Franc for us to taste. This was cool with fresh black fruit and very soft tannins. Like a well behaved Cab Franc this wild beast likes to nestle in velvet.

When we had entered the barrel room there were just a few people, by the time we left it was full, but still quiet and thoughtful. Filled with people who really wanted to taste the wines and learn about them. The public tasting room outside was packed when we left filled with people, who, if they like good wines, will soon be joining us as members.

Wines that I can’t forget, part one

Oct 24, 2012

Michael and I do quite a bit of wine tasting on our vacations. As you know if you have read our blog before, we love to visit wineries taste and get the feel of a winery. Often you can get caught up in the moment (and the wine) and join a club or buy several bottles to take home. On other occasions if you have flown in and it’s the wrong time of year to have wine shipped, you go home empty handed. Today I want to explore the wines I remember and still want and maybe some of the why’s to that. Was it the location, the people, the wine itself or a combination.

I started this by just going through by memory of some of the wines that as we traveled and tasted stood out to me. Wines that I want to drink again.

Stoller Tempranillo, Lange Pinot Noir, Hart Family Vineyards Syrah and Chardonnay, Argyle Black Brut, Longoria Lovely Rita, Grgich Hills Fume Blanc, Carhartt Pinot Noir, Tablas Creek Vermentino, Terry Hogue Syrah, Vino Robles Petite Sirah, Lone Madrone The Will, Veritas Cabernet Franc, Wildhorse Unbridled Bien Nacido Pinot Noir and Trisaetum Riesling.

As you can see the list is long and this is just me quickly running through this in my brain, not going back (as the wine geek in me so desperately wants to) and scanning all the wineries that we have tasted at in all the different areas we have tasted. You will also note that I didn’t include years. I’m trying to keep my list short and I would have to research to remember the years and that would make my list grow! So we will try to keep this simple. I have a list of 15 wines that off the top of my head I loved and want to drink again. My list leans toward Syrahs and Pinots and then expands to many different varietals and includes a blend. So….with a list this long I will break it up into groups of 5 (cause I will want to wax poetic on each and you don’t want to be here reading all day!).

Stoller Tempranillo

Stoller Vineyard Circa 2011 Dundee Hills Oregon

Stoller is located in the Dundee Hills in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Tempranillo is definitely not the first wine you would think of there. I was a bit taken about when I heard they grew it right there by the winery. The climate is much cooler than you would expect for a Tempranillo. It was enchanting. Dark and rich and a big contrast to the lighter more delicate Pinot Noirs we had been tasting. Also my friend Adam was with us and he knew the person doing our tasting. She was talking about her boyfriends new restaurant that he was opening and telling us about the bee hives they had in the blackberry patch in the middle of the vineyard and the blackberry honey they looked forward to getting. So….the atmosphere had me pretty enchanted also. Adam left with 3 bottles of the Tempranillo, so I will have to check with him to see if the wine lives up to the memory I have of it.

Lange Vineyard, Oregon 2011

Lange Pinot Noir

Jack the Vineyard Cat at Lange 2011

This particular Pinot that I remember was a blend of several vineyards and had a smokiness that I love. I had researched Langebefore going there and was exited to see Jack the cat. He actually greeted us at our car. There had been a blog post about Jack who they had adopted as a stray and named Jackie, only to find he was really a Jack. They had won Snooth’s winery of the year distinction earlier that year and I was excited to see the small family winery that I had heard so much about. They are again in the Dundee Hills.

Hartford Family Syrah and Chardonnay

In my research for our trip to Napa/Sonoma I had come across Hartford Family Vineyards who were doing a fund raiser while we were there for a local food bank. They were serving an appetizer to pair with their chardonnay and the proceeds from the appetizer would go to the food bank. Great food and wine pairings and for a charity? I was in. So we stopped by on a rainy December day to their beautiful Estate and had the crab cakes paired with their coastal Chardonnay. The pairing was perfect…the wine seemed to have a slight salinity that spoke to the crab cakes. I actually tried to order this wine once when I found it on a wine list to pair with seafood, only to have the waiter come back and tell me they were out! In addition we had a wonderful Syrah that smelled like bacon in the glass. I was enamored. One of the guys working in the tasting room was full of fantastic information and was so passionate speaking about the wine…I felt sure that we were looking at a future superstar winemaker. We did leave with a bottle of the Syrah and I long for more.

Argyle Black Brut

Argyle Tasting room Dundee Hills Oregon 2011

Michael does not like champagnes or sparkling wines usually. He says that the effervescence mutes the flavor for him and he has been known to allow a sparkling glass to sit and go flat before tasting it. Me…I like my bubbles. So Michael tasted Pinots and Chards and I tasted the bubbly when we got to Argyle. Argyle has great appeal because Rollin Souls is just so cool! He is microbiologist who was roomates with Lyle Lovett in college. The tasting room is lovely with a big wrap around porch and the tasting room staff were down to earth. When they poured the Black Brut for me I was in heaven. Think cherry cola elevated to an extreme. I still dream about this deep dark sparkler.

Longoria Lovely Rita

Santa Barbara and the Santa Rita Hills are known for great Pinot Noirs and Longoria makes some of the best. This tiny tasting room in Los Olivos is in a historic building. I had read about Richard Longoria in Steve Heimoff’s book, “New Classic Winemakers of California”, so my expectations were high. I was surprised when I enjoyed the Lovely Rita more than the vineyard designated Pinots. We left empty handed since we had flown in but this is one wine that is on my list to order and have shipped to me this fall!

Okay….that’s a start. If you enjoyed this and are interested in the other wines I can’t forget, stay tuned for the next couple of posts!

Tempranillo

Rioja

Styles of Rioja

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal El Ciego (Alava) Rioja 2014 Reserva

Mojo braised pork tacos with red and white cabbage, pickled red onions, and salsa verde

Chocolate nests with chocolate branches

Well, folks, there is just one day left in our 12 Days of Wine 2020 celebration. Join us tomorrow as we wrap things up and celebrate Christmas Eve!

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