Those of us who great up in the 80s will appreciate Morty’s summer camp trip on the lake at the end of the summer, Wudy da Wabbit’s run through the woods, and Tripper & Roxanne’s canoeing as they sang Let’s Walla Walla down by the mango tree.
This summer, I will be doing a lot of Walla-ing, and this is just a sneak peak at one of the wineries. L’ecole No. 41. resides in a 1915 schoolhouse, just outside of Walla Walla. The first wine I am sampling from them is the 2006 Perigree, a Bordeaux blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. The name has an interesting history as Perigee is the point at which the moon is closet to the earth. the winery uses this name to express their wish to be close tot he earth, and to reflect the earthy character of the wine.
When I first opened the wine, I got a lot of dark blue and black fruit, including black cherry, blackberry and fig. Then the power went out. Suffice it to say, I couldn’t continue my tasting notes, and I did continue drinking. This was a very pleasant wine, with lots of fruit adn medium body. I rather enjoyed it but I’m not sure about the $49 price tag. I look forward to getting to know more of their wines, as they sent me a large selection of current releases.
While my summer camp beared no resembleance to camp North Star, we did sing. Just not in canoes. And I was a CIT for one summer, but they CERTAINLY had more fun than I; thank you to L’ecole no. 41 for the tasty treat i enjoyed while plunged in to darkness. No thanks to PG&E for the darkness.
The other day, I was sitting at home after a typically whacky day at work, trying to decompress, when the nice UPS driver popped by. After I got over my shock and amazement at the fact i was actually HOME at the time, since this is against UPS edict in my world, I was pleasantly surprised to find a “tweet” of ZoninProsecco waiting for me.
What is a tweet of Prosecco you ask? In this case, is it a 187ml bottle of Zonin Prosecco, packed up by an enterprising creative team at Benson Marketing Group. my happenstance, and happy coincidence, the sender was actually another Thea, which makes this bubbles from Thea to Thea.
Prosecco is one of the Italian sparkling wines, which has grown over 15% in market share since 2009. At $4 for the split, and $15 for the bottle, this is a great alternative to champagne in these budget conscience times.
The Prosecco OG Brut is the palest of straw colored, and is 100% Prosecco. This is one of several Italian sparklers, and is the best selling sparkling wine in Europe. Prosecco is typically off-dry, so it a great brunch wine, aperitif, or anytime treat when you don’t care for the Extra Brut offerings elsewhere. This wine was made in the Charmat method. This is the typical Italian way of making sparking wine, in which the wine undergoes its secondary fermentation in tanks, instead of in the bottle. the resulting sparkling wine is then bottled under pressure.
On the palate, I taste brioche grand marnier french toast, apples, and marzipan, while I smelled apple blossoms and ginger. Considering that this is only $15, my Prosecco snobbery has been broken. Gone are my thoughts of sweet, cheap sparkling wine, and in are my mm mm good tweets! You can follow Zonin at @zoninprosecco.
See that little logo to the right? Notice the CLIF name and image? That’s right, those crazy people that essentially created the energy bar are back and they are in bottle! I was so excited when I recieved these wines, because several blogger friends had already had the opportunity to sample them and were raving.
First, a little back story. The Clif Bar Company began in 1992 for the passion of Gary Erickson & Kit Crawford, who were striving to create nutritious, organic foods & drinks. I personally love Luna Bars, and spent many a breakfast in my car with a very large coffee and a bar as I battled traffic down to Silly Cone Valley in years past. From this passion for food, a natural progression was made to a passion for wine in 1997 when Gary & Kit bought a farmstead in Napa where they could raise animals, and maybe plant a few vines. Fast forward to 2010 (or 2009 if I were more effective at timely drinking) and we have Clif Family Winery & Farm.
I love the message that the Clif Familyprojects, one of balance and joie de vivre, as we are reminded to slow it down and enjoy life. Their goal, and one very close to my heart, is to create unique, regionally specific wine and foods that use careful management of the land, including organic growing techniques. on the farm, locally gorwn foods and the support of family farms raises turkey and chickens as well as fruits and vegetables. There are some historic 85 year old olive trees on the farm, and recently more were planted. Soon, we will have delicious extra virgin olive oil to pair with theh wines! The farm runs 100% on bio-diesel, and all of the produce is 100% organic, with a CCOF certification.
While the wine is currently not made from estate fruit, the future plan is to be 100% organically sourced fruit from the Farm. Meanwhile, the wine is made from sourced fruit by Sarah Gott, who rose to fame at Joseph Phelps and Quintessa, before starting her own label with her husband, Joel Gott. Being a rockstar winemaker has its perks, and she is now a consulting winemaker at several NapaValley wineries.
The first wine i am trying from Clif Family is the 2006 Gary’s Improv Syrah. On the nose I found black pepper, blue and black berries. In the mouth, the rich aromas are followed by a juicy mouthful of ripe plums, dark red fruit, and currants followed by bittersweet chocolate and espresso. It’s medium body is a refreshing style of syrah, in the French tradition, as it is not a big meat grinder, but rather a juicy, nicely balanced, food friendly wine. On the finish, there is a touch of black licorice, and just a hint of smoked meat. This is a great syrah for dinner and at $35 I suggest you go find some. that is a BUYin my book. Like now.
These wines were graciously provided by Clif Family Winery. Clif Bars were not included, but how does one pair energy bars with wine anyway? Although there’s a thought.
Recently, I was invited to take part in a very important and prestigious wine judging event. Fortunately, my trusty sidekick was availablet o capture this moment on video!
We all know about the Judgement at Paris. But have you heard about the Judgement on Silverado Trail? A few weeks ago, we sat, we tasted, and we judged.
Please, watch and judge for yourself!
And oh. Drink Judd’s Hill and watch The Enormous Wine Show!
And buy a copy of Merlove, which shall be reviewed right here, very soon!
Ok so Dry Creek is a region, but I wanted to be sure that everyone knew about passport. Technically, it’s also a wine, so I’ll also tell you about Dry Lands Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.
First, the Passport to Dry Creek is coming up in April. 46 wineries open their doors wide, and showcase their best wines and hospitality. Passport is a unique event, since there are limited ticket sales, and all of the wineries have amazing themes, food, and wines to share. There will be themes galore including Alice in Wonderland, Western, Mardi Gras, Circus, and Belly Dancing. Most wineries feature live entertainment!
Tickets for the weekend are $120, and Sunday only tickets are $70. While it seems spendy, the exclusivity of the event coupled with the small wineries that are open just fro the event make for an amazing weekend. I went last year, and was delighted by the event. this is a great alternative to the larger Wine Road events, as it is more limited and there are fewer crowds. I hope I’ll see you there!
Next up is the 2009 Drylands Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. We are having a touch of false spring here in the Bay Area, and it’s nice to have a crisp white to put me in the mood. The wine smells of gooseberries and 7-up, and has ripe citrus flavors, and lime zest. There is a touch of New Zealand grassiness, but it is very subtle. I am really enjoying this wine, and at $16-19, it’s a great priced summer sipper. I hope you go out and enjoy this as well! STRONG BUY
I love Dry Creek, and I would pay any amount of money to enjoy my time there. The wine however, was graciously provided by my friends at Benson Marketing. Thanks!
If you’re like me, you have a lot of wine in the cellar. Maybe it’s organized, maybe it’s a mess. I’m a bit of both, with racks of wine mostly organized by varital, but also with stacks of wine in boxes all around the cellar.
So, when Vino Finder recently contacted me and asked me if I’d liket o check out a sample of their winetags, I was – at first – not sure what to expect. Then the box came, and when I saw what was inside, I was very excited. The Vino Finder tags are ultra thin wood, which has been laminated. They are so thin that they are very flexible, and really aer like a thick piece of paper. The coolest part about these tags is that because of the laminate, you can use dry erase markers to write on them, and reuse them over and over again. Further more, you can order them in several wood finishes to match your cellar, and they can be customized with your cellar name. There are several style to choose from, including some with spaces for vintage, varietal, and producer.
The good folks at vino Finder even sent me customized examples for Luscious Lushes, and now I think i might have to order more!
Passion for pinot that is. As a judge for the 8th Annual Pinot Noir Summit, on Feburary 27th, I am able to offer you my dear readers a 20% discount off of the ticket price.
I hope you will take advantae of this offer, and join me in San Rafael in two weeks for a day of Pinot Passion!
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Bar Bingo that is. Have you ever been in a total useless meeting or concall at work and wish you had an escape? Many of us who came of age during the digital revolution got our feet wet on Bullshit Bingo for our Palm Pilots in the 90s and early 00s.
Well, now there is Bar Bingo. Happy hour just got a lot happier with this silliness. Drink one of each of the drinks – 5 in a row and POW! You win! It’s actually pretty hilarious, especially if you’re game for a mix of drinks.
Did you get picked up? B!
Wear your sunglasses inside because you’re so cool? I!
Well the N is free so…
Text your future ex husband? Or girlfriend? G!
And finally, did the bartender show his flair with a shaker? O!
You win! Play with your friends in the bar and buy each other rounds. Makes for a very interesting evening to be sure.
I have one of these Bar Bingo pads to give away, just comment on why you want to play bar bingo and I’ll pick a winner in the next week!
They also have Rate That Wine! which is a great tool for the beginner wine drinker to learn about some of the common attributes of wine when rating it.
This really is an event that I can get my heart behind. Make a wish grants wishes to critically ill children, and this charity wine tasting and dinner promises to be a fantastic evening. I am blessed for my (mostly) good health, and for those that are not – please consider donating to help this wonderful cause!
Focusing on the best talents the culinary world has to offer while
celebrating and supporting the powerful impact that a magical wish has
on a child, the event is located in the dramatic and unique setting of
Treasure Island. Wine and Wishes highlights extraordinary chefs
and winemakers, and provides culinary enthusiasts with an exceptional
experience. This has become the hottest ticket with the Bay Area
culinary set.
Highlights:
The evening is divided into two events:
Gourmet
Food & Wine Tasting5:00 – 7:30 pm, with over 60
tasting stations featuring Michelin chefs and coveted wineries.
Winemaker
Dinner 8:00 – 11:00 pm, an elegant dinner with each
course masterfully prepared by two different award-winning
executive chefs.
Special
Guest: Wish Ambassador, 17-year-old Oliver Banham
Fees:
Tasting tickets: $150
per person
Winemaker Dinner: $350 per person or $6,500/table of 20
VIP Privately Hosted Table: $1,000 per person or $10,000 for a
table of ten. Includes limo, opportunity to
select which wish to “adopt”, premium seating, etc.
C is for Cellar Rat, Craggy Range and Cobb. All pinots, and all very different. I’ve reviewed the Cellar Rat before, but every time I open a bottle I like it more. On this night, I was at my friend Amy’s house, who was serving pork butt, and what goes better with pork than pinot?
It was the perfect way to start the evening as we sat around chatting about the ins and outs of pork and wine. As the others started to arrive, we opened the 2006 Craggy Range from Central Otago. Keeping in mind that the 2006 is actually 6 months older than our 2006 due to the southern hemisphere flip, this was a huge wine with lots of cherry, berry and cola flavors. I enjoyed this one as well but was a complete departure from the Cellar Rat.
Our final pinot of the evening, but certainly not our final wine, was the Cobb piont. I tasted this again yesterday along with two other single vineyard pinot noirs from Cobb, and was duly impressed; I was able to discuss the wines with the winemaker, and had the added delight of meeting the new vineyard owner of Jack Hill as well.
2007 Jack Hill – This is the first commercial release of this wine from a 2 acre vineyard near Occidental. It was big but not overwhelmingly dark pinot reminiscent of a Russian River Valley pinot without the overwhelming cola-berry characteristics. I tasted blood orange juice, cranberry, raspberries and mild bits of earth. There was just a touch of mushroom at the end, with a hibiscus finish that lingered.
2007 Emmaline – is located closer to Sebastopol, but is still influenced by the ocean air. I found it bigger than the Jack at first, with more of the classic RRV cola and cherry flavors.
2007 Coastlands - This is Amy’s favorite, and she did try to convince me I liked it best. Yes, I loved it but I’m not sure I could pick a favorite! I loved them all. Coastlands was first planted in 1989, before Pinot Noir when crazy. This tiny 1.5 acre vineyard gave me big bold baking spices, cranberry, strawberry and white pepper. There was also more earth to this wine than the previous two, and there were notes of mushrooms and herbs.
All in all, I loved all of the Cobb wines and can’t wait to try them next year (if not sooner!)
C is a great letter for Pinot Noir lovers like my self!
Those of us who great up in the 80s will appreciate Morty’s summer camp trip on the lake at the end of the summer, Wudy da Wabbit’s run through the woods, and Tripper & Roxanne’s canoeing as they sang Let’s Walla Walla down by the mango tree.
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