Tempranillo

The Scenic Route Part 6 – Visiting Rioja in Washington and dinner at a gas station in Walla Walla

September 11, 2019
Valdemar Estates in Washington's Walla Walla AVA

It was a quiet morning as we drove south of Walla Walla toward the Oregon border. Pulling off Peppers Bridge Road into an area with several large wineries, we headed to the one that stood out architecturally. This was Valdemar. Bodgas Valdemar is known in the Rioja region of Spain, and has ventured to Washington to explore making wines of place here.

Valdemar Estates in Walla Walla

  • Valdemar Estates Winery and Tasting Room in Walla Walla Washington
    Valdemar Estates Winery and Tasting Room in Walla Walla Washington
  • Entrance to Valdemar Estates Winery and Tasting Room
    Entrance to Valdemar Estates Winery and Tasting Room

Modern with clean lines the building evokes the feel of the modern architecture seen in Spain. There were few cars here at this point and we headed to what we thought was the front entrance, an immense door that stood a full story tall. Natasha let us in and we met Kaleigh Vrapi, the Valdemar Estates Hospitality Director. We were led upstairs around the stunning space as things started to open up for the day. After a stop in the tasting room, we headed out to the patio next to the fountain with a beautiful view of the Blue Mountains for our interview with Kaleigh.

  • Basket Press at Valdemar Estates in Walla Walla Washington
    Basket Press at Valdemar Estates
  • The Barrel Room at Valdemar in Walla Walla Washington
    The Barrel Room at Valdemar

The sparkling winery

After our interview, which we will share with you later, Kaleigh led us through the rest of the space in this beautiful facility. Down the open stairway that spans the full height of the space, past the antique basket press, into the barrel rooms and finally into the winery, to meet Assistant Winemaker Devyani Gupta. Devyani was awaiting the crane to install new fermentation tanks that morning. As the truck had not yet arrived, she took a few moments to show us around the sparkling facility.

The Working Winery at Valdemar Estates in Walla Walla Washington
The Working Winery at Valdemar Estates

Flights of Rioja & Washington

Kaleigh then led us back up to the tasting room and took us through a tasting. Tastings here are done as flights and we began with a couple of flights from Bodegas Valdemar beginning with their rosé of Garnacha & Viura, followed by their barrel fermented Viura and then into the reds, which as you would expect…are Tempranillo based.

  • The Valdemar Estates Tasting Room
    The Valdemar Estates Tasting Room
  • The Tasting flights at Valdemar in Walla Walla Washington
    The Tasting flights at Valdemar

Now it was time to move on to the Vlademar Estate Wines, which are labeled as “Component Trial” . This exploration into the wines of this region features labels are perfect for the geeky wine nerd, listing vineyards by percentage, as well as the harvest notes etc.

Valdemar Estates Component Trial 2017 Syrah Walla Walla Valley
Valdemar Estates Component Trial 2017 Syrah Walla Walla Valley

All of their Washington wines are Syrah. The first of these is their Blue Mountain Syrah from the Walla Walla Valley, then they have 2 from Red Mountain. The Red Mountain Syrah is a blend of syrah from Kipsun and La Coye vineyards and then they have a vineyard specific Klipsun Syrah.

This is the perfect place to come and explore wine and food pairings. Find a comfortable spot with a view, chose a flight or two, then ask your server for suggested pairings from their Tapas and Pinchos menu. They are all about hospitality here.

A stroll in Walla Walla

  • downtown Walla Walla
  • Kontos in downtown Walla Walla
  • Cayuse in Downtown Walla Walla
  • Browne in Downtown Walla Walla
  • Truth Teller in downtown Walla Walla
  • downtown Walla Walla

We headed back to Walla Walla and after a stroll, stopped in to the Cadaretta tasting room. In October with WBC18 we had been treated to an extraordinary dinner at Cadaretta’s glass house. We needed to get back and explore some more of their wines.

Cadaretta Tasting Room

Cadaretta Tasting Room in Walla Walla Washington
Cadaretta Tasting Room in Walla Walla Washington

In the tasting room, Greta was a friendly face! We had met her at the Glass House. She took us through a tasting and we left happily with a bottle or two.

My Dinner at Andrae’s

(Can anyone give me a shout out for that movie reference?)

Now we were ready for dinner and dinner had a plan! At our dinner at Doubleback back in October, Chef Andrae of Andrae’s Kitchen had put together a spectacular meal. Thaddeus Bugs of the Minority Wine Report had gushed about his food when we arrived and asked if we had been to the gas station? What? Well, now were were back to do just that.

Andrae's Kitchen at the Cenex gas station on Rose Street in Walla Walla Washington
Andrae’s Kitchen at the Cenex gas station on Rose Street in Walla Walla Washington

Chef Andrae Bopp has a resume filled with work in restaurants like Balthazar and Le Bernardin. His current restaurant and catering business run out of the Cenex Gas Station on Rose Street in Walla Walla. His food is impeccable, but he keeps it real. Unsure of what to expect, we pulled into the Cenex, but the sign over the door let us know we were in the right place.

I stood back to peruse the chalkboard menu for a bit. It was a tough decision, but we settled on AK’s Corn Salad, Poutine and a combo of tacos. The kitchen runs like a well oiled machine. The staff are polite, attentive and obviously in love with the food they are making. We kicked back at table up front to wait while they did their magic. Chef Andrae came in while we were there to check in. We grabbed our to go order and headed back to the hotel to indulge in some deliciousness to end our day and our stay in Walla Walla.

Rest for another day…

Tomorrow we would spend a good deal of the day driving. First it would be back to Sunnyside in the Yakima Valley to meet Kerry Shiels and visit her Du Brul vineyard and a stop to see Co Dinn at his Sunnyside tasting room. Then we would drive back to the gorge through Hood River and up to Hiyu with their stunning view of Mt. Hood. We would finish our day with views of Mt. Hood as we headed back to Salem Oregon for the night. Join us for more!

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Elements of a great Sangria Party

May 2, 2018
Sangria party set up

A while ago we posted about white sangria. We were testing out a few recipes for a Sangria Party we were hosting. We found our winner for our white sangria, a sauvignon blanc based sangria with honeydew melon, limes, cucumbers and mint.

Glass of white Sangria

Glass of the white sangria with sauvignon blanc, triple sec, honey dew melon, lime, cucumber and mint.

Sauvignon Blanc Sangria

White Sangria with honeydew, cucumber, lime and mint, just waiting for the sauvignon blanc

You can find the recipe and instructions here.

red sangria

Red Sangria with the fruit soaking overnight

We also made a red sangria from a family recipe from my friend Victoria. She is from Madrid, so this recipe is authentic! This recipe called for a Rioja or Merlot (we used a Rioja ie. tempranillo), rum, brown sugar, lemons and peaches. It sat in the fridge overnight melding, before we added ice to serve it.

Setting up a Sangria Table

Sangria is more than wine and fruit, it has multiple elements that you can put together in a million different ways. The basics are, wine, another alcohol, a sweetener, fruit or vegetable and possible herbs, sometimes juice and then something sparkly. Depending on the wine and fruit you may or may not need to let it set over night. Our red sangria we let soak for 24 hours, the white we made that morning. The sparkling addition should wait until serving to preserve the bubbles.

Sangria party set up

Red Sangria with fruit to add and sparkling water to add a bit of fizz

1st things first get clear or partially clear glasses for serving. Sangria is pretty and you want people to see it.

2nd, set out some fresh fruit. It is easier than having people try to scoop out of the container. Now if you have a big punch bowl you might be okay, but I really think, to avoid the mess you should go with a dispenser and then fresh fruit on the side. Choose fruit that will accent the flavors in the Sangria. With our red sangria we had blackberries and lemon slices, with the white, cucumber slices, lime slices and fresh mint.

3rd have several bottles of sparkling water on ice next to the sangria. Guests begin by dropping some fruit in their glass, filling halfway with sangria and topping off with the sparkling water. Sangria can be potent and addictive. All that fruit makes you want to go back for more, but you have all that wine and additional liquor, so the addition of sparkling water is good to add the fizz and cut down on the alcohol so your guests aren’t falling over. This is especially important if your party is outside in the summer.

Food pairings for Sangria

Food pairings will be similar to the wine pairings that you would do with these wines. With the tempranillo, we wanted albondigas to pair with the wine and we went with a goat cheese log to pair with the sauvignon blanc. There are so many options, and the pairings don’t need to be as specific as when you are just pairing with the wine, the added fruits will change and brighten the character of the beverage.

We wanted things to be low effort on the day of the event, so that we had time to spend with our guests. I prepped ahead making two types of hummus the day before; a plain hummus which we garnished with olive oil and paprika and a beet hummus which we topped with lemon zest for brightness. Michael also baked the cookies and the Torta de Santiago the day before so the kitchen would not get too hot that morning. Typically Torta de Santiago is made in a pie shape, but he doubled the recipe and made it in a larger pan to accommodate the number of guests. Torta de Santiago or Tarta de Santiago, as it is known in Galacia is a spanish almond pie or cake that originated in Galacia in the middle ages. You find it in Santiago de Compostela, the area where the remains of the apostle Santiago are believed to be buried.

The morning was spent with Michael making the baguettes and me prepping vegetables and then we made the albondigas. These are Mexican meatballs and you can find a variety of recipes for them. We chose to use rice as a binder in them rather than breadcrumbs as an ode to arancini. Michael mixed beef and chorizo for the meats. After forming the balls, we browned them to get them to hold together and added them to a crock pot full of a secret sauce Michael put together. Then they slow cooked all morning.

I made the goat cheese logs which are pretty simple. Chop up some pistachios, roll the goat cheese logs in them and then drizzle with honey and a bit of warm fig jam. My friend RuBen has found a new favorite food in this!

We laid out some Manchego and Iberico cheese as well as some bleu cheese and parmesan and then thinly sliced prosciutto and other meats. We added almonds, of course, and pistachios and some berries. All that was left was to add the people and conversations. We are very lucky to know some amazing people with eclectic backgrounds so their was lots of amazing conversation. The party started while the sun was out and slowly wound down with a few people gathered on the roof top deck enjoying the stars.

Watch for recipe videos and other great wine events coming up as we continue to explore all things wine here at Crushed Grape Chronicles.

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Spanish Wines via the Grocery Store

July 27, 2016
Spanish Wine guide

I have dreams of Not being a grocery store wine buyer, but….when Michael and I pick up a bottle at a winery, it’s special and I won’t open it without him. Unfortunately due to our schedules we typically can only enjoy a bottle together twice a week. If I have time off and he is working, I want to enjoy a glass anyway, hence grocery store wine buying.

Now typically we are Trader Joe’s people but sometimes we run into the local Smiths to pick up something quick and on one trip we found a huge Taste of Spain display. Intrigued, we picked up a selection of 6 of the Spanish wines they had and a pairing guide. I will applaud Smiths for this. I know that these will be larger exporter wines and might possibly be geared toward the typical American palate, but I am more than willing to give it a go. So…join me (and sometimes Michael) on a little Spanish Wine journey!

Spanish Wine guide

A Taste of Spain guide

Here are the wines we picked up:

The Spanish Wines

Bella Conshi Brut Rose

El Pensador Tempranillo

Las Rocas Garnacha

Martin Codax Albarino

Tablao Tempranillo

Val de Vid Verdejo

So… 3 reds, 2 whites and a sparkling wine.

Pairings

Within the guide it gave basic tasting notes as well as Cheese pairings. Suggesting Garrotxa and Mahon with the White & sparkling wines and Drunken Goat or Queso Iberico with the Garnacha. With the Tempranillo they recommended the Drunken Goat and a Young Manchego. You can expect that I will set out to pick some of those up this evening.

The flyer also has some recipes, including Albondigas with a Spicy Tomato Sauce meant to go with the Marque de Caceres Red or Garnacha (yes, these are not wines we picked up, I may try to remedy that when I get the cheese), Steak with Quince paste on Toast to pair with the Marques de Riscal Reserval (yep yet another), Jamon with Goat Cheese with the Val de Vid Verdejo (yep got that one!), Garlic Shrimp with the Pazo de Senorans Albarino (we might just do this with the other Albarino) and Patatas Bravas to pair with the El Pensador Verdejo (we will see if I pick up a bottle of that). Are you wondering what some of those things are? Me too, we will discover together.

And, did you think I was just going to recite what you might find in your local Smiths? Are you kidding? This is Crushed Grape Chronicles! We will explore details on the wines and regions, California wineries and their variations on these grapes, and expand our pairings immensely!

 

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Bella Luna Winery

August 8, 2013
Bella Luna Winery

Ages ago we had tasted some of the Bella Luna wines at a tasting at Vino 100 here in Vegas. Their Fighter Pilot Red as well as the guy pouring Kevin Healy were both memorable.

Bella Luna Trucks in Yard

Bella Luna Trucks in Yard

On our last trip to Paso Robles we were driving the east side early in the morning for some great photos in the rolling hills and decided to stop by.  The winery is located in Templeton off of Templeton Road.  We drove up to the tasting room.  This looks like a 2 car garage with an apartment above.  The tasting room is downstairs and upstairs is the winery loft apartment.  Members of their 6 or 12 bottle clubs get one or two nights free stay here. You will typically find one of the owners Kevin Healey or Sherman Smoot pouring.  This morning it was Sherm.

Bella Luna Winery Tasting Room

Bella Luna Winery Tasting Room

When we arrived at around 10 there was already a quartet of people in the tasting room.  These were wine club members and they were tasting through their next shipment.  Before we jumped into tasting Sherm asked if we had left our car windows open.  Evidently the vineyard cat loves to nap in cars and more than a few guests have gotten a ways down the road and had a little cat head pop up in the back seat!  We had a chuckle, assured him our windows were closed and set about tasting.

Their Estate Vineyard is Carly’s Vineyard, named for Sherm’s daughter.  This 5 acre estate gets cool moist evening breezes from the Templeton Gap.  The 5 acres also has 4 different soil types.  “Rock Pile” is alluvial river bottom soil with lots of rocks and this section produced the most intense fruit.  There is an area of clay loam that holds the most moisture, and then sandy loam on their southeast hill, where the Cabernet seems to grow best.  In the bottom you find loamy soil, the Cab likes this too and does well because in the bottom they get later frost protection.  They dry farm organically and head train both their Sangiovese and cabernet.

They are working on being greener,  having recently added solar panels to generate power for the winery.

This is a family affair with Sherm, Kevin and Sherm’s son, Jimmy working as the winemakers and Kevin’s Daughter Nicole their Enologist and Viticulturist.

Bella Luna Fighter Pilot Red

Bella Luna Fighter Pilot Red

Their wines are meant to go with food in the fine Italian tradition. We tasted through the 2012 Estate Dry Rose, the 2009 Estate Riserva which is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Sangiovese blend, the 2010 Estate Sangiovese, the 2011 “Fighter Pilot Red” Zinfandel, the 2009 Lot One Barbera and the 2009 Tempestuous Tempranillo.   The Fighter Pilot Red, that I remembered tasting before was still beautiful in this vintage.  As the wines are in the Italian Style and are meant to go with food, they tend to lean toward acidic.  This is the place to come for a wine dinner or pairing, these are beautiful food wines.

 

Oak Mountain Wine, Music and a view

March 15, 2013
Oak Mountain Winery

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

Oak Mountain patio Ent

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

Oak Mountain patio

Oak Mountain patio

Oak Mountain pizza

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 pizza
Oak Mountain Merlot
Oak Mountain path
Oak Mountain patio
Oak Mountain patio Ent

Europa Village, at Temecula CA

March 5, 2013
Europa Village corks

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

Europa Village Patio

Cave Music Event

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

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”

February 25, 2013
Monte De Oro depcicted in oil

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.

Monte De Oro Tasting Room Window View

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 4th vineyard at the winery growing Cinsault, Mourvedre, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Tempranillo.

Monte de Oro Underground Cave

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

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

February 6, 2013
Wien's Front Entrance

We have long been members of Wiens Wine Club.

Wien's Barrel Room from main room

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

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.

Masia De Yabar, A Stunning Location

January 4, 2013

Masia de Yabar has a stunning location for a winery on the De Portola wine trail. Wilmer and Silvia Yabar came from Peru with ancestry in Spain and have wine-making in their blood.  In 2004 they planted vineyards in Argentina with about 50 acres of Malbec and Torrontes and family members take care of the vineyards there.  In 2007 they purchased the property in Temecula and planted Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Tempranillo, Muscat, Cabernet Franc and Syrah Rose de Peru.  The patio wraps around the property showcasing the stunning view.  There was live music in the tasting room on the Saturday that we stopped by and the tasting room was busy but not completely full with lots of people out on the patio.  They do have quick deli snacks available also.  I did a tasting of their Rose, Tempranillo which had strawberries on the nose and the fruit warmed up in your mouth.  The 2011 Tempranillo had tobacco on the nose and a touch of sweetness behind it.  The tobacco rolls downs the side of your mouth. The 2008 Garnache had a lighter more floral nose with a warm influence and a hint of licorice, which was different and hard to pinpoint.  I also got hints of herbs and white pepper and it had a medium soft finish.  We then did a vertical of their Merlot’s.  The 2011 was very smooth with herbs on the nose.  This wine tasted young but has potential. The 2009 was richer darker and jammier. These seemed like 2 very different styles of Merlot. They also had sangria available by the glass.  This is the perfect spot to return to in the summer and enjoy some sangria on the patio. Check them out at Masiadeyabar.com

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 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.

View from Lange Winery

Lange Vineyard, Oregon 2011

Lange Pinot Noir

Jack_the_cat_at_Lange

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 Winery Dundee Hills Oregon

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

Longoria Tasting Room

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!