Red wine..not too dry

March 31, 2017

I often have friends come and ask me for wine recommendations. Mind you, I love wine, but I am not a Somm. My thoughts and recommendations come from the wines that I have tasted and most of those come from places I have traveled. And for me, the story behind the wine is part of what makes it taste special to me. But when you just need to go out and pick up a bottle and you don’t have the luxury of being anywhere near a vineyard as you are landlocked in Las Vegas…well, you have to look at this in a different light.

Most often people tell me that they like red wine, and quite often I also here that they don’t want it too dry. For me of course dry is the opposite of sweet in a wine, but I think they often mean more than just that. Often they are talking about astringency and tannins that “dry” your mouth out. So, I’m hear to brainstorm on what type of wine they would like. I know they often wish I could give them a name of a bottle to search for at the wine or liquor store, but usually I end up giving them a grape variety to look for. California wines were where I first started delving into my wine education, so grape varieties are my way into deciphering what a wine will taste like.

From dirt to glass, Conversations with…

Tobin James Zinfandel and Scents

Yep, a little @blairfoxcellars is my glass tonight!

Deep rich smooth..@vinarobles 2008 Petite Sirah. Channeling a little Paso tonight.

Deep rich [email protected] 2008 Petite Sirah. Channeling a little Paso tonight.

The 2010 and 2011 Dedication Syrah from Larner Vineyards and Winery

Zinfandel

Typically I start with Zinfandel. California grows alot of Zinfandel. Paso Robles Zins can be warm and jammy (and likely high in alcohol) with blackberry jam, chocolate and smoky tobacco. It is big and fruity and a crowd pleaser, medium bodied, but it does have medium tannins, so I thought I would dig deeper to find a few other suggestions.

Gamay

There is Gamay for a lighter fruitier wine, with berries on the nose this is the primary wine from Beaujolais in France and you can find this almost anywhere.

Barbera

Into medium bodied wines Barbera is a good bet. It can be rich with cherry, blackberry, plum and licorice. If it has been aged in oak you will also get some chocolate in there. Of course the oak may strengthen the tannins also. If you like all that big fruit, go with a Barbera from a warmer climate like California or Argentina.

Malbec

When you move into fuller bodied reds most have pretty heavy tannins. Malbec often is a little lower in tannins and has delicious red plum, blackberry and blueberry notes. Look for these with little to no oak aging to keep them juicy. Most of the Malbec in the world comes from Argentina, and much of that from the area around Mendoza. Higher end Malbecs “Reserva” will have time in oak and you will get chocolate, darker fruit and tobacco notes on these. I say grab one of each style and try them together! See what you think!

Petite Sirah

I often mention Petite Sirah, which yes, can be high in tannins, but it’s just so tasty! The blueberry and chocolate notes blend with black tea and make such a delicious wine to pair with cheese. I say take the plunge, see if you like it! And those tannins are healthy and full of antioxidants! If you are looking at a big wine store (big box wine store), you will likely find these with “alternative reds”. I had an amazing Petite Sirah in Paso at Vina Robles. If I close my eyes I can still taste it!

Syrah

Now onto Syrah. This wine can be made in so many different styles (see our series on the multiple styles of Syrah in Santa Barbara County) It is typically lower in tannins and a warm climate Syrah is rich and jammy. You can find many of these from California, Argentina and then of course the Shiraz from New Zealand.

There are lots of wines out there. Dive into the comments and give me your suggestions for your favorite “red wines that are not too dry”.

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Shale Oak – a holistic sense of sustainability

August 26, 2013

In researching for our trip to Paso, I came across CellarPass. Cellar Pass provides online reservations for tastings at wineries. I found Shale Oak through them and scheduled a 10 am tasting.

This stunning tasting room is off of 46W on Oakdale road. The winery released it’s inaugural vintage in May of 2011, and opened their tasting room later that year. This winery was built to be sustainable and the building is LEED certified. At least 1/3 of the wineries energy needs are supplied by the solar photovoltaic panels on the building. The redwood used on the building is 100 year old reclaimed wood from Vandenburg. All the items in their gift shop are repurposed items.

The owner Al Good was raised in Virginia and is an entrepreneurial farmer. He has developed a holistic approach to the agriculture business. The sense of land stewardship is what drives Shale Oak. Their winemaker Curtis Hascall is in his early 30’s and grew up in Watford England. He graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in food-science. He worked with Consulting winemaker Kevin Patrick Riley before coming on board with Shale Oak. Consultant winemaker Kevin Riley is well know in Paso and consults for several wineries as well as owning and running Proulx with his wife Genoa. His adventure style shows in the wines.

Before we began our tasting our pourer got us each a small glass of a palate cleanser called evo that was developed by a couple for their senior project at Cal Poly. The pH is the same as wine, so it is better than crackers or water. Our tasting began with the 2011 Sui. Sui is the second element in Japanese philosophy and represents water, fluidity, magnetism and suppleness. This blend of Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Albarino, Pinot Grigio is bright and clear with honeydew melon and a nice minerality. We next moved on to the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. I know…Cabernet as the first red on a menu? Seems a little out of order doesn’t it? But this is a lovely approachable soft cab with just a little petite Verdot. The Cab has a very interesting nose. It is deep rich and smoky. On the palate it is lighter bodied almost with a Pinot Noir mouth feel, but still a very deep nose.

The 2009 Syrah had berries on the nose and was meaty and smoky on the palate. This is a fruit forward new world style wine.

The 2009 Petite Sirah has a sense of caramel, this is a bigger wine, but very approachable. You get violets on the nose. Unlike many Petite Sirahs this is not heavy or inky. It has great aromas and flavors but is lighter on the palate. They once did a pairing of this with an ice cream with a caramel ribbon (yum).

The 2009 Petit Verdot is dry but not as dry as a typical Petit Verdot. You get a burst of raisin with this. This one sits at 16% alcohol but is not hot.

The Cabernet and all of their whites are grown on their Pleasant Valley Vineyard on the East side. Here on the property by the winery they grow Syrah, Grenache and Zinfandel. The Zin is young and not producing much yet so they supplement their Zin by buying fruit from Willow Creek Farms right down the road. Willow Creek is owned by Kevin Riley.

Their white wines are aged in stainless, and the reds in oak. Their 2012 Zin is currently aging in New Oak.

The tasting room is stunning with vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows on the front, clean lines and a sense of peacefulness.

They have a beautiful patio where they have music on the last Sunday of each month. They sell wine by the glass and encourage people to bring their lunch and enjoy the patio.

Really this place is stunning and the wines were really wonderful.

If you need a little Zen time, this is the place to come. Bring a snack, get a glass of one of their wines and relax and rejuvenate on the serene patio with the beautiful water features.

Sculpterra Wine & Art – Roaming the sculpture garden

August 22, 2013

Sculpterra is located on the East side of Paso off of Linne Road. This unique winery greets you with a magnificent sculpture garden. Surrounded by gorgeous iron fencing by master black smith Robert C. Bentley the garden itself is filled with the beautiful sculpture work of John Jagger.

Dr. Warren Frankel bought this property back in the 1980’s and moved his family there in 1990. Paul his son is the winemaker, a graduate of Cal Poly in Viticulture and Enology. Paul is more than just the winemaker, he also manages the vineyards, deals with fruit and juice sales and occasionally can be found pouring in the tasting room.

As we were here on a Saturday, the winery was busy and had an accordion player playing live in the tasting room. In addition to making their own wines, they also sell bulk fruit and juice to small independent winemakers. They do a wide variety of wines here, including Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Grenache, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Mourvedre, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wines are lovely and it is a wonderful place to come grab a glass of wine and wander the sculpture garden for a little art fix.

Enjoy a virtual stroll through their amazing sculpture gardens…you’ll have to provide your own wine, I recommend a rose.

Frangipani, a piece of paradise on the De Portola Trail

March 6, 2013

Frangipani…for me I immediately think of the musical “South Pacific”. Frangipani is the word they use for plumeria the island flower that I grew up making leis with in Hawaii. So…I envisioned a tropical paradise. I thought, this winery must be owned by someone creating their own paradise. Well…it’s a bit simpler than that. The owner/winemaker is Don Frangipani. He has however created his own piece of paradise here on the De Portola Wine trail.

We stopped by Frangipani on our final morning in Temecula on our last trip. They had Sunday Brunch advertised on their website and it seemed like the perfect way to wrap up our trip.

Frangipani Dog Frannie

We were greeting in the parking lot by “Franni” dog and greeter. After getting a good scratch he led us to the door. We were early (as usual) and it was pretty quiet when we arrived. JoAnn Frangipani, Don’s wife set us up with Mango Mimosas with their house sparkling and pointed us to the buffet. There were fresh muffins and pumpkin bread as well as bagels with lox. The cook made us fresh pulled pork benedicts and we enjoyed the granola fruit parfaits while we waited for that to finish. Several groups came in while we were there.

Frangipani Patio

They have an outdoor patio with a great view and bocce ball courts. JoAnn says the patio stays pretty full in the summer. We didn’t taste here as we were getting on the road to head home. I look forward to coming back, tasting and enjoying the patio. The atmosphere here is warm and friendly and JoAnn immediately makes you feel welcome and at home.

Frangipani View

Don began working with wine in 1995 at Cilurzo Winery in Temecula. He opened Frangipani in 2003. He loves red wines and mixes classic French varieties of Petite Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with old world Italian styles. They grow Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petite Verdot, Sangiovese, Grenache and Petite Sirah on their estate.

Monte de Oro – “Vines, Wine, People”

February 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.

Wilson Creek, so much more than Almond champagne

February 19, 2013

I will admit to a bit of snobbery. I really had no desire to go to Wilson Creek in Temecula. I mean you find bottles of their Almond champagne in Long’s Drug Stores (well you did when they were around). I figured how could they be creating wine I would like to drink? Well… there is a lot more to them then the Almond champagne.

Wilson Creek is located at the far east end of Rancho California Road and it is rare that you will get there and find the parking lot not full. While the grounds are huge and beautiful, a favorite for weddings and the buildings and event center large and impressive, this is still a family affair at heart.

Wilson Creek View

Gerry and Rosie Wilson acquired the 20 acre vineyard in 1996 with the simple intent of running a fun family business and making great wine. With the entire family, children and grand children as well as 5 golden retrievers who can be seen often on property, they have succeeded in making this a family affair.

The Lower Garden is open to parties of 10 or less for picnicing. They just ask that you don’t come to camp! No tents or shade covers, ice chests or animals and no outside alcoholic beverages.

The Creekside Restaurant offers a menu for lunch that can be enjoyed around the grounds. You place your order at the Concert Stage and it will be delivered to you in the upper garden. You can enjoy this in the lower garden also, but you will need to pick up your order. The menu includes a variety of lunch items as well as a full wine list, beer and other beverages.

With their Event Center Wilson Creek stays busy with Corporate Events and private parties. The Event Center includes 3 spaces that can accommodate 50-300 people each with a dance floor. In addition they have two stages that can accommodate up to 400 guests. Really this place can be party central for 6 or 7 large parties at time!

Bill Wilson is the son and owner. He works with his Mom & Dad, Brother & Sister, Wife, brother in law & sister in law. (Did I mention that this was a family affair?) Bill’s Mom and Dad can often be seen on the grounds with their two golden retrievers. They have 92 acres and grow 12 varieties on the estate and then source some grapes. The varieties used in their wines include: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Muscat, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Syrah and Zinfandel. They also . When you listen to Bill you know that you are not dealing with a corporation, this is a joyful family affair. They incorporated what they loved about the wineries they visited when they created Wilson Creek. And it’s not just about their winery, they want to promote Temecula and encourage people to come and taste, enjoy and learn. Listen to the great interview with him at http://www.temeculawines.org/videos/ and see exactly what I mean.

I didn’t think it was possible that Wilson Creek used Methode Champenois for their almond champagne, and I was right. There is no way they could do that and sell it at that price! What I was surprised by, was that they do use the Charmat method which is fermenting the wine in bulk in stainless steel tanks! The final method they actually refer to as “cheating” on their site. In this method CO2 is injected into the wine. Typically this method causes very large bubble that can cause Huge headaches! They do not cheat at Wilson Creek. They do, by the way have a wonderful section of their website on wine education called Wine 101 that Mick Wilson put together with fascinating information on Barrels, Port, Champagne, Wine Varietals and much more. http://www.wilsoncreekwinery.com/Wine-101/Default.aspx

Wilson Creek Picnic View

The next time you are in Temecula, drive all the way out Rancho California to Wilson Creek, taste some wine, stroll the grounds and say hello to the Wilson’s. You will know them by the golden retrievers at their sides!

Wines that I can’t forget, part one

October 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!

Crushed Grape Chronicles

Adventures in Wine Exploration

Petite Sirah