Delayed

The rest of my California Wine Fair notes are coming soon (I promise)! My ‘day’ job has kept me busy lately, and my wine notes are somewhere at the bottom of a big pile of papers on my desk.

Hopefully I’ll have them up sometime tomorrow or Thursday.

California Wine Fair Report - Part Two

I will confess that I spent most of my time at the wine fair testing out the reds. I did try four whites, all of which were very tasty. But I was really there for the reds. And there were a lot of reds. So I’ll have to split my red wine report in two.

Also, in case any readers are curious – these are tasting-sized pours. You’re lucky if you get two ounces in your glass, and you’re more likely to get a little over an ounce. I wasn’t tossing back huge mugs of Zinfandel here. In this case, I was at the fair to enjoy myself, but not to overdo it.

Having said that, this kind of tasting is best done on a full stomach. And there are plenty of spit buckets if you wish to avail yourself of them. I’m not a huge fan of spitting great wine out (plus it can look a little unclassy if you don’t do it just right) so I end up just enjoying it. At some trade tastings I’ve been at (especially the ones that start at 9 AM), you don’t really have a choice – it’s literally spit or lose the rest of your day.

Enough rambling. Here’s the reds. I’ll do the Pinot Noirs, the blends and Zinfandels today. Look for the Petite Sirahs, Cabs and Merlots tomorrow.

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel: Another fine product from the Delicato family of wines (also the owners of Clay Station – which you might remember from my first set of notes). This is a well-priced ($17) and very tasty example of just how good a Zinfandel can be. It’s cut with Petite Sirah (14%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (6%).

On the nose, there were buckets of fruit (cherries, blackberries and even a few plums). In the mouth, it was very rich, with the same fruit coming forward. Lots of spice and even a bit of Primitivo-like earthiness to make it interesting. The finish was medium-long but kept my attention. All in all, a good value for a great wine. I hear that the Kenaston Wine Market is considering bringing this one in. If they do, I’ll be first in line to pick this one up.

There’s no link to this on the Delicato website, so if you want more information, you’re on your own.

Earthquake Zinfandel: I have to confess that my long love affair with 7 Deadly Zins is now over. It’s been fun, but I have a new big Zin to love now. The Earthquake Zin is part of the same family of wines (the excellent offerings by the fine folks at Michael David Vineyards). And it is so tasty. The nose is huge. It literally reaches out of the glass and grabs your sinuses. Dark berries and chocolate are the main flavours. In the mouth, it is even bigger and meaner as it coats your teeth and slam dances its was down your throat. Again, it’s berries and dark chocolate, with some well-balanced tannins. But it finishes long and slow, showing an unexpected soft side. I understand it’s going to hit our market around $35-40. Even at that lofty price range, I’ll still buy it.

Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel: I’ve always enjoyed the regular Vintner’s Reserve bottling. And I liked this example from their County Series line too, but I didn’t find it remarkable in any way. Again, it’s blended with Petite Sirah (14%), which is good (in my opinion). It was a bit spicier than the other Zins I tried. But it was a little too soft, and almost tasted flabby in my mouth. The structure just wasn’t there. I picked up some generic jammy flavours, but nothing stood out. The finish almost redeemed it though, being very long and very spicy. It’s a BBQ wine, meant to be enjoyed on a patio during the summer.

I’ll admit that it’s hard to write off a wine based on a 1 ounce glass at a public tasting. I’ll give this another try someday – but it’s not a priority for me right now. There are many other wines to try before I revisit this one.

Greg Norman Pinot Noir: This was a surprise, as the last time I saw Greg Norman wines on the shelf, they were Australian. Come to think of it, that makes a lot of sense. Anyways, apparently he also lends his name to some fine California wines. This Pinot Noir (from Santa Barbara) was very tasty. The nose was a little soft, with not a lot going on (mostly cherries). In the mouth, it really did taste like a good home-made cherry pie. There was an odd molasses taste on the finish which actually helped it out. The finish was shorter than average, but still tasty. This is a wine for a fine dish containing duck of any type.

Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Pinot Noir: Sadly delisted in our province, this is a great wine. Say what you will, but I think the Mondavi family makes great wine. And this is one of their top Pinots. It’s way funkier than the Greg Norman. And although I hate to agree with the winemaker’s notes, there is a lot of plum on plum action going on here. My notes show that the finish was long, the nose was funky and the mouth was plummy. This was one of the last wines I tasted, so the notes were a little (ahem) less thorough. I don’t even remember what vintage this was, or if it was the Reserve (I doubt it).

I did score a great wooden Woodbridge pen from the agent though.

Anyways, think of a perfectly grilled piece of wild salmon and you’ve got the ideal match for this wine. Too bad it’s no longer available through the MLCC. Some private stores may still carry this one, although I haven’t bothered to check.

Smokin’ Mendocino Tusk’N Red : Being a child of the Star Wars generation, when I saw this label – I didn’t think Tuscany. I thought of the Tusken Raiders from Episode IV instead. After a laugh or six at my expense, I quickly realized the error of my ways.

This is a blend of (45.4%) Syrah, (20.5%) Zinfandel, (19.9%) Carignane, (11.7%) Petite Sirah, (2%) Sangiovese and (0.5%) ‘mixed red’. What is ‘mixed red’. Hope it’s not something nasty like Ruby Cabernet.

Biases aside, this is a tasty little number. It’s a little more acidic than I expected (mmm…food friendly) and there are a lot of wonderful fruit flavours to be found. Mostly raspberries, but some plums as well. It’s not really an Italian-style blend, despite the name and the small hint of Sangiovese in there. But it is an easy-drinking wine, and a good break from Bonny Doon’s Big House Red (which is the closest comparison I can make). I don’t know what the final price for this will be, but if it’s around $20, I can see it competing for the same market that enjoys Big House Red.

California Wine Fair Report - Part One

I spent several hours at the California Wine Fair yesterday, and I was very happy with almost everything I’ve tasted. It really is a lot of fun, and a great chance to taste many wines. My notes aren’t too clear (that’s the trouble with balancing pen, paper and a wineglass while standing up), but I’ve posted what I can make out. I’ll start with the whites and a few reds today and will post the rest of the reds tomorrow when I get a chance to write them up.

If there was a theme to this show for me, it was Petite Sirah. I made it my duty to taste every Petite Sirah available at the show (all four of them). Lots of Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs, a few Cabs and one very meaty Merlot rounded out the day.

As far as the whites went, I liked everything I tried (only four, but they were all good). The prices were generally fair (with one exception), and the wine reps were all very knowledgeable and helpful. Most of the whites aren’t on the market yet (another good reason to come to this event), but all the agents assured me that they’re working on bringing them in.

Clay Station Viognier: My favourite white of the show. It’s already available at the MLCC and I think it’s a very good deal even at $18.35. It is extremely rich, with lots of beautiful floral and peach flavours (both in the nose and the mouth). A very long finish (longest of all wines I tasted yesterday) capped it off perfectly. I’d love to serve this one up with a good curry or some richer fish (sea bass comes to mind). And I will be picking this one up soon, I loved it.

Twin Fin Chardonnay: This is a steal – if it reaches our market. It’s all from Monterey County fruit. Lots of nice citrus flavours, balanced out by creamy light oak make this one crisp and drinkable. The oak is well-balanced in the background, so it’s not like drinking a toothpick. I’d call this the perfect Chardonnay for a Winnipeg summer. If it comes into Manitoba, look for this one to steal a big market share for itself. The Stelvin closure helps, and the other two Twin Fins in the market are doing well. Plus the $14 price tag is just right for this one.

Cline “White Truck”: This is a blend of almost everything you can imagine (mostly Sauvignon Blanc, with the balance in Pinot Grigio, a little Viognier and Chardonnay). There’s no oak, so the acidity and crispness shine through. I enjoyed it, and it’s a good crisp summer wine. However, if it’s priced above $15, I don’t see it doing so well. It’s not that much better than similar blends out there and the marketing gimmick will only carry it so far. If they price it under $15, I think it could do quite well for itself.

Sauvignon Republic Russian River Sauvignon Blanc: Wow. That’s the first thing I wrote when I tried this wine. The company (Sauvignon Republic) is producing SB’s from five parts of the world noted for this grape (Russian River, Marlborough in NZ, Stellenbosch in South Africa, Chile and the Loire). All will be made by the same winemaker and the intention is to let the terroir speak for itself. I’m going to keep an eye out for this one and its companions when they hit our market. Anyways, it was a beautiful wine. Richer than I usually like, but the strong grapefruit flavours won me over. There were more herbs than I expect from a California SB, although the finish was a little soft. Still though, I’d recommend this one any day.

(Looks like there’s room for one red as well)

Camelot Shiraz: This was another surprise. It’s on the market already for $13.99, and I’ve previously enjoyed their Pinot Noir. So I thought I’d give this one a try. And I’m glad I did. I now have a new favourite in the under $15 Shiraz category. It’s cut with a tiny bit of Zinfandel and Grenache – just enough to keep it interesting. The nose was rich and smoky (just what I love) and the flavour (mostly cherry with a hint of chocolate) was wonderful. The finish was a bit short, but in the context of the wine, I didn’t mind. Very tasty and well-worth looking for.

Varietal Character Index

While cruising around the wine blogosphere, I came across a link to this site;

Appelation America’s “Varietal Character Index”.

It’s well worth a visit (or six).

I am in total awe of their ability to take wine grapes and assign them both a picture and a personality. And I’m equally impressed that at the same time as you are being entertained, you learn all about the different grapes grown in North America (and they give Canada its rightful place).

In other news, I’m thinking about moving the site off Blogger.com. No real reason, aside from the inherent desire for some form of change.

So does anyone have some suggestions on a better hosting site? Is TypePad any better? WordPress? Any other thoughts?

Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc

From South Africa’s Flagstone Winery comes the Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc (2005 vintage). It will set you back $14.93 plus tax at your neighbourhood MLCC. And it is so worth the price!

First off, I am biased. I love South African Sauvignon Blanc. I’m always willing to go the extra mile for a bottle of the Cape’s finest. And Flagstone ranks up there as one of my favourite wineries. Having gotten that confession out of the way, I’ll go on to say that this wine exceeded even my high expectations.

It’s a wine of many contradictions. Flinty on the nose, yet fruity in your mouth. It gushes with gooseberries, fills your mouth with fresh-cut grass and harmonizes it all with herbs. A full-bodied mouth-feel and a VERY long finish make this one worth tracking down.

As always, it straddled the line between Old World restraint and New World exuberance. South Africa does this so well, and this wine is the perfect example. The nose reminded me of a decent Sancerre, with steel and flint. In the mouth, I could taste Marlborough, with ripe juicy gooseberries – yet it was tinged with a hint of French-style herbalaciousness (yes I made that word up).

We served it up with classic smoked salmon, latkes and Swedish lumpfish “caviar” last Saturday and it was fabulous. And it absolutely kicks the kiwis of any New Zealand Sauvignon under $20. If this is a sign of things to come, South Africa can only get better.