The Letter A! You remember those closing credits on Seasame Street right? “Seasame Street is brought to you by the letter…”?  Well my friend Amy @educatedpalates, told me about the Alphabet Challenge that she was participating in with some other bloggers.  The Alphabet challenge pushes us to try wines frmo every letter of the alphabet.  you could go crazy and do it all by varietal, A to Z, but I’m not sure I know of any Z grapes I’d want to try, and i’m certerain that I do NOT want to try white Zinfandel. Most of the others who are participating are doing it out of order, but I thought it would be more of a challenge, as well as a push to get some more Century Club grapes under my belt, if I did it starting with A.  I could start with Albarino, because I have some in the cellar, but given the chill in the air and the misty fog, I’m not much in the mood for a chilled white.  So i will start with A is for Audelssa. So I am going to try to Producers and Varietals, starting to with the letter A. A is for Audelssa, that makes my mouth sing. A is for awesome, cuz that’s just the thing. A is for audacious for that is what i found A is for Audelssa, who makes Glen Ellen Proud. On my recent visit to Audelssa, I tasted through thier current releases with Amy aka @educatedpalates.  I had never been there and I was excited to try out the juice.  Audelssa focuses on artisinal wines in the Bordeaux tradition, and is also releasing Rhone blends this spring.  I must say, I particularly enjoyed their Bordeaux blends Summit and Summit Reserve, and am looking forward to the Rhone. The 2007 Summit is a Right Bank style belnd of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 12.5% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec, and 4.5% Petite Verdot.  I found it earthy, rich and chewy with a flavor of underripe blackberries and a floral aroma.  At $52, while it was interesting, I’d like to wait to see how ti develops in the next couple of years.  HOLD My favorite of the tasting of 5 wines was the 2007 Summit Reserve, which is 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc.  Only 100 cases were produced, and it was a deliciously rich blend with plum & blackberry flavors followed by cloves and spice.  The lush wine was complex, with really nice blue & black fruit but a nice backbone and finish.  It’s a bit pricey at $125, but I’d say it’s worth the splurge for a special occasion.  If you have deep pockets, BUY this wine. Stay tuned for B-Z and thanks to all our group participants! Google