pinot noir

A Plethora of Pinot

Early in September, my friend and fellow blogger, Chris Oggenfuss of Vintuba and also Benziger Family Winery tweeted something about a day of pinot up at the farm (winery). Far be it for me to miss a pinot party, so off I went to Glen Ellen to visit Benziger, something I hadn’t done in many year s.I must say, in the past I had been somewhat disappointed in their winemaking efforts, being one of the stops I’d always take out of town visitors. Sure, the tram tour was cool adn the garden was delightful, but there was something just off about the wine. Fast forward 10 years and WOW! I had NO idea that they were up to some awfully good tricks up on that hill past Jack London State Park!

The Spotlighton Pinot Event focused on 5 premier offerings of pinot from Benziger, paired with some simply divine cheeses. Chris generously comped me my tasting tickets, and the staff were gracious and welcoming and poured and poured and poured!

The star of the event was Signaterra, Benziger’s new project headed by Rodrigo Soto, a Chilean import who is working wonders. Signaterra wines are the next step for Benziger’s farming philosophy (more on that in another post) and new journeys in wine from premier Sonoma-appellation vineyards. Signaterra’s magna carta is about integrating the right resources of the Earth, the inescapable forces of Nature, and the attentiveness of Man into a distinctive wine.

2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – The cool climate of the Sonoma Coast and Carneros vineyards kept sugars low and complexity high, while a long growing season stretched the harvest over three months. The net yields were lower, with more concentrated flavors of bright juicy raspberry, dark spicy notes of cola bark and spicy earth with stewed figs. There were also lovely flavors of deep dark cherry. I also felt a slight spritz that needs to mellow slightly, and it looked like it was unfiltered. I really enjoyed this wine and for $26 it has fabulous QPR and is an absolute BUY.

2007 Signaterra Giusti Ranch Pinot Noir – is from the Russian River Valley, and earned my #1 spot in this tasting. It was rich and luxurious, with dark figs and black fruit, followed by black cherries, black raspberries and cola syrup. The rich fruit had a back note of cinnamon, and a hint of mushroominess forest floor. It was $49, but wroth every penny and is a STRONG BUY.

2007 San Remo Vineyard Pinot Noir – is another Russian River example. This vineyard is in the heart of the Russian River region, and this area is known for it’s bold and elegant pinots, and the cool climate is perfect for Pinot. The granite soils offer excellent drainage, and is currently practicing sustainable farming techniques. The winds that sweep through the valley reduce the vigor of the vines, and keep the yield low, producing intense clusters. This wine had a lot of bright cherry, earthy mushrooms, bright red fruit, and nutmeg, with a tinge of rhubarb and cranberries. It was a big pinot but still delicate, and a slightly bitter finish of nutmeg. This wine was completely different than the Sonoma Coast Pinot, and it was my 3rd place wine. If you are feeling a splurge, go BUY this at $49.

2007 Bella luna Vineyard Pinot Noir – is a classically cool climate pinot. It had bright raspberry fruit, a dusty layer of spice, and an earthy finish. Bella Luna is in the redwoods, and is a cool region. It’s on the extreme Sonoma Coast, less than 10 miles from the pacific, which keeps the acids in check adn guards against the high temperature swings inland. This wasn’t my favorite, but you should try it for your self.

2007 De Coelo Terra Neuma Pinot Noir – more of a classically Burgundian wine, this was the last of the pinots I tasted. It was quite a departure from the bold cherry juice of the Signaterra, and the bright raspberry spice fo the Sonoma Coast, and is Benziger’s flagship reserve wine. The rocky soils that are spitting distance from Bodega Bay are idea for Pinot Noir, which loves the cool foggy temperatures. in the Terra Neuma, i tasted sweet Bing cherries, a touch of rosemary, nutmeg and bright red fruit all with a subtle earthiness and mroe restrained flavors. this wine is a splurge, but if you’re upf rot eh $69, it would be a great wine with cranberry sauce at your Thanksgiving Table. BUY

The lesson here of course, is have an open mind – go back and visit a winery you haven’t been to in a while. Try the wines again. Things change, things mature. The focus on the Benziger efforts after the sale of the Glen Ellen label, have produced outstanding results. I can’t wait to go try some of the other wines and this will be a regular stop (avoiding the busses of course!)

Thanks again to Chris and Benziger for a fun filled Pinotlicious day! For more on Benziger, Signaterra, and thier wines, stay tuned for The Benziger Blogger Follies!

A smattering of tastings – WBC Day 1

Aug 1st, 2009

by winebratsf.

2 comments

Where does the time go? The Second Annual Winebloggers Conference has already come and gone, and I am left wondering “what the heck was that bus that rolled over me “.As one of the voices behind the curtain of the WBC Scholarship, and as a huge cheerleader, proponent and fan of the WBC, I am pleased, shocked, elated, bummed, and catching my breath after the weekend.

On our first day, the rag tag Twisted Crew (@sonadora, @thebeerwench, @winehiker, @eljefetwisted, @ryanopaz, @gabriellaopaz, @houstonwino, @winewonkette) and I pulled up to the Flamingo after fighting what seemed to be an eternity in Central Valley and Infinion drag racing traffic followed by the usual Friday flow in to Santa Rosa. Arriving at 12:30 or so, I didn’t spend much time with the sponsors, something which I regret doing. Partially because many of them were familiar to me, partially because I was just plain exhausted due to unfortunate events the day before, I found my fellow people and sat down to eat some lunch.

I was excited to see so many of my friends, both those that I know in person and those that I knew only online, as new recruits tot he WBC posse. After catching up, albeit breifly, with some regulars, I was circulating the room trying to spy new faces while inspecting their name tags without looking like I was completely crazy. Fortunately, I caught up with a few new regulars.

After lunch, we attempted to do the speed tasting sessions, but well for reasons so many have discussed, it failed. Miserably. Like died on the operating table failed. In its stead, we heard about the Wine Blogger Awards. Unfortunately, I had purposely planned to skip this male dominated prom king style popularity contest, and moving it up unfortunately resulting in people not being there to accept thier awards. Eventually the wireless supposedly turned back on but as I tried to tweet my tasting notes, the wireless only stayed up for 10 seconds at a time, I gave up and just enjoyed the wines. Sorry folks, no tasting notes from me.

After the speed tasting, we beat a hasty retreat to our short but sweet annual Anti-Conference BYOB session in the small space at the front of the hotel. We did get to enjoy a large plethora of wines from attendees, and I really look forward to this time to meet new folks, try new wines, and just have a good time in an unstructured way.

Not wanting to miss a beat, we then made our way out to the pool for a very crowded very crazy Sonoma Grand Tasting. Not wanting to get crushed in the milee I pretty much avoided this, and found a spot at a table with Wine Biz Radio’s Randy Hall, his wife Jen and her amazing goat cheese, as well as some fellow bloggers. There, we shared some wine, I opened some wine,

Chritophe (@cork_dork) from Titus opened some wine, and we made our own tasting. PS for next year, PLEASE do no try to squeeze 250 people in to a space meant for 50, it just doesn’t’ work. I am sorry I missed many great wines, but I count myself lucky that I have tasted many before so didn’t really feel like I was losing out. It was just too much of a mosh pit to really enjoy your self and so instead, I opted to find an empty poolside table and sit with my buds catching up. Jen, Randy Hall’s wife, had brought some of her homemade goat cheese to share and with some wine to sip on, we snacked and chatted the afternoon away.

Oh – I forgot to mention. During all portions of the Speed Tasting and Sonoma Grand, I was readily accosted for my unusual jewelry of Wie BLogger Bling. It looks like my ribbons and charms were a hit, yet again! Yes, t

his was the idea, and I am pleased that so many of you enjoyed the camradierie of being a Naughty Wine Minx or saying tot he world Screw It! More WIne! That was the intention behind the blogger bling, as there were so many people I didn’t know and knew I wouldn’t get a chance to meet; I was pleased that it afforded me the opportunity to have random strangers become aquaintances via a common love of all thing wine and silly.

After the Grand Tasting, we made our way in to the dinner session, where I had a tizzy of a time finding not only a seat, but a seat at a table where I at least recognized one face. I know i know, I was going to mingle, but even this cowgirl gets the “I’m shy” blues and wanted a friendly face. I sat down with my favorite Cellar Rat Alan Baker, and we had a great time trying our wines and catching up, while I went table hopping to poach different wines. The table layout was that most tables were hosted by a winery, and we had a few of their wines plus others on our tables. Since I wanted a variety, I found Brad Cooper’s table (@bradinator) and poured a nice big taste of his Black Cloud Pinot Noir. WOW! Who knew such beauty came out of of British Columbia in a bottle! (Hey, @winebard stop throwing things at me).

Even though I was operating at 45% sanity, both physically and mentally, after dinner I wandered in tot he after hours tasting hosted by Russian River Winegrowers. I was please to see many wineries I knew here, and was able to taste some more treats, and chat with the locals on what was new. In there, I met up with Julie from Windsor Oaks, whom I’ve written about before here. Julie is a pioneer in the industry and is working hard to make sure that she is in tune with not only bloggers, but with what her customers want and need. I was so pleased to get a gift of their Unoaked Chard, which is just a lovely treat. Anyone in the area, MUST stop by and try their wines! They will welcome you as one of their own, and the wine is pretty good too .

I tried and tried to stay up for the after after after party but I just couldn’t do it. My body and my brain gave out. I’m sure I missed out on a lot and I’m bummed, but well, Saturday was another day!

(How long til WBC 10?)

Pinot pinot pinot!

Jun 17th, 2009

by winebratsf.

5 comments

A while back, I expressed my frustration at the lack of a Press & Trade portion of the Annual Pinot Days Celebration in San Francisco, coming up on June 28th. I am happy to be able to eat my words, sort of. Even thought they producers of the event were not willing to participate in an additional session, the event organizers were able to convince the some odd wineries pouring that the trade should be allowed to attend gratis.

Thankfully, I will be attending Pinot Days this year, cost or not cost – so I am happy to be able to feel good about announcement it again.

Pinot Days San Francisco Assembles Hundreds of Pinot Noir producers, and even more wine, for an exclusive wine tasting experience in
San Francisco. Over 600 pinot noirs will be poured at the 5th Annual Pinot Days, a four day event that takes place from June 25th to June 28th.

Kicking off the week of festivities will be a tasting at The Jug Shop, focusing on Sonoma and beyond. The Tour de California will showcases pinots from some of my favorite producers, including Eno Wines, Fort Ross, Kendric and Olsen Ogden. This tasting is $10, and is from 6-8 on Tuesday, June 23rd. The Jug Shop is also offering 10% off Pinot Days Grand Tasting tickets, which is a great deal if you can get it. Just enter promo code JUGSHOP for your discount when buying tickets.

On Wednesday, June 24th, Ed Kurtzman will be spotlighted in a producer tasting at Ft Mason from 7-9pm. The cost for this is $100.

Also on Wednesday, 16 16 Young Turks of the pinot world will show of their hard work at the Golden Gateway Room in Ft. Mason.
Come hear their stories and enjoy the fruits of their labor. You will taste 16 different pinots in flights of four, and you will taste them blind. This is a rare chance to discover the next great pinots, and to spend time with these winemakers as they ascend to great heights.

On Thursday, June 25th, there is a Winemakers Table Hop Dinner at Pres a Vi, where over 20 producers will be pouring Pinots paired with Chef Kelly Degala’s wine-friendly cuisine, infusing each dish he creates with flavors and from around the world, including Spanish, Filipino, French, Italian and Latin American influences. The table hop dinner is $150.

On Friday, June 26th, C. Donatiello Winery in Dry Creek Valley is hosting a Pinot Days Summer Concert at their winery. They specialize in premium single vineyard pinot noir, and you can enjoy a day of exquisite pinot along Westside Road, culminating in a concert, tasting and barbeque. Your bus tour will include special tastings at Arista, John Tyler, Gary Farrell, and the new Thomas George (at the spectacularly remodeled Davis Bynum Winery). You will then enjoy a special tour and tasting at C. Donatiello Winery, followed by a barbeque and concert. During the barbeque you will enjoy the wines of three additional Westside Road wineries: Black Kite Cellars, Hop Kiln and Matrix Winery. The concert is $110.

To purchase tickets for any of these events, or to see details, check out Pinot Days on line!

I’m a mom!

Jun 6th, 2009

by winebratsf.

7 comments

Ok well, no not really, but I made you look right? Seriously though, I have my own baby! My own little baby itty bitty delicious not yet fruit bearing vine!

At the graciousness of Hahn Family Wines, a group of bloggers got together and planted The Bloggers Block, at Hahn Family Winery in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The good folks at Hahn dedicated 1.5 acres of prime Santa Lucia Highlands land to the Bloggers Block, proving themselves as a shining light in the dark path of new media adoption in the wine business.

Soledad is about 2.5 hours south of San Francisco, so I got myself up nice and early on a Saturday and heaviliy caffinated myself. I stopped by to pick up a Winehiker (no no not a HITCHhiker!) and we hightailed it down 101, through the rolling hills of San Benito County, and through the lettuce fields of Salinas. As we drove through the flatlands of the Salinas valley, I was struck with how litlte it has changed since East of Eden.

The cool foggy overcast was driving inland, and I wasn’t entirely convinced we’d have sunshine for our day in the vineyards. Finally, as we popped in to the Santa Lucia Highlands, the sun came out. Past veggie farms and up to the west side of the valley, we found the Hahn driveway and slowly drove up the hill. Every few feet I had to stop and say “ohhh lookie!” because it was so stunning. Finally, at the top of the hill, we found a little yellow house at the top of a vineyard, which is now the tasting room. Being the first to arrive, we stopped to breathe the fresh air and look at the view before being enthusiastically greeted by Philip Woodrow, Hahn Family Wines Director of Marketing and Communications.

Philip has only been in this role for a few months, but he has taken it on with a gusto and has made blogger a welcome and integral part of the Hahn family. Once inside the tasting room, Philip pointed out our snack of Huntington Sauvignon Blanc, one of my personal faves, and Hahn SLH Chardonay, paired with some lovely cheese and nibbles. We waited for our posse to arrive, Russ and I chatted with Andy Mitchell (Director Vineyard Operations) and Paul Clifton (adorable winemaker at Hahn Estates), as well as Philip.

From there, we went down to the Bloggers Block, which is at 720 feet, and we were planting some delicious Pinot Noir, clone 828. We even got the exact location of the block, so we can keep track of it on Google Earth! Yes, we are geeks. You can keep track too, with the flyover file here. In the dirt, the vineyard manager explained to us that the vines we were planting were on 3309C rootstock. We were given specific instructions to dig our holes 12 inches deep, where we would then drop a nutrient teabag in the bottom, and stick our vines in – with about 4 fingers left above ground. Luckily for us, the nice boys had pre-dug our holes, so we really didn’t have to work that hard .

After we filled the holes back in, we had to protect our babies from critters, birds, and other elements, by covered it with what looks like a fancy milk carton, which we twist tied to the stakes to hold them down. Once all the vines were planted, the drip irrigation turned on, and we could see the vines relax in to their new homes.

After we played gardner, we gathered for a lunch under the trees near the tasting room, and enjoyed the full lineup of Hahn wines. I’d have to say, th

e 2006 SLH Syrah was amazing, as were the Lucienne Pinot Noirs. Given the price point for all of these wines, they really are excellent QPR. At lunch, we

had the chance to talk to other bloggers, and pick the brains of the Hahn folks about the wines and our block in particular. After lunch, we headed up to the winery itself to take a tour and learn about the winemaking process. There, we got to taste some barrel samples of the finished Lucienne that were able to drink with our lunch.

All in all, a totally awesome day! In a nutshell, Hahn gets it. They understand the importance of bloggers and how they can make themselves stand out from the crowd. In the words of Hahn’s President William Leigon,

I believe that the blogging community is a vital part of the future of the industry. In the many debates of what is or isn’t ethical in regards to the winery/wine blogger relationship what seems clear to me is that the best, most ethical thing we as a winery can do is provide the blogging community with quality products, quality information and quality wine experiences regardless of race, sex, color, creed or brand of wine. We are using our vineyards because that’s who we are. I believe that the more the blogging community learns about wine, the better it is for all of us.

It is a vital connection; just like the winery/wine writer connection; the winery/wine buyer connection; and of course the winery/consumer connection. It does us no good to create great wines if no one knows about it. I just can’t drink that much. The wine business is a relationship business. We must create an emotional connection to our consumers. We do that through many means and I believe Social Media is a major part of creating that connection.

The internet and Social Media allow you to do that only it accelerates the number of people you can reach to a degree that I can’t even comprehend. It allows me to establish a relationship and an emotional connection to someone in Germany that I have never met face to face. It allows me to create connections with multiple people in multiple countries simultaneously and in a very personal way.

As you can see, Liza and I were very happy campers.

Cheers!

A pinot that doesn't fail!

Jun 3rd, 2009

by winebratsf.

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I first found MacPhail Wines at a tasting held at San Francisco Wine Trading Company last year, at the recommendation of my friend. Since i know he is a bigger wino than I am – NO! It’s true Alex you are! – I couldn’t miss it, and I knew that I would be blown away. BOY was I not wrong! At the time, I was pinching the employment pennies and only walked out with one bottle of the Sonoma Coast which I am treasuring like a pot of gold.

Recently, my wino friends Jim, Shana, Vicki and Lil and I snuck in an impromptu visit with James and his dog, Zuni. I am in love. Pure, magical, pinot love. One was better than the last, and the last was better than the first!

MacPhail Family Vineyards was founded in 2002, with a directive to create passionate Pinot Noir from the best Sonoma and Mendocino County sources. To that end, here are my yumyumyummy notes from our visit!

2008 Rose of Pinot Noir was a deep rose hue, and smelled of rose petals, hibiscus and cranberry. I tasted the cranberry and hibiscus as well, along with red ziner, rich red fruit, and grapefruit.

2007 Sonoma Coast is a blend of two vineyards, the Pratt Vineyard and the Goodin Vineyards, both of which are located in Sebastapol. These wines were vinified separately, and then hand picked for the single vineyard wines. The remainder was blended in to this treat, which showed spicy clove, dusty cherry, black cherry, even a touch of blackberry, followed by Dr. Pepper, and dark rich intense flavors.

2007 Anderson Valley Toulouse Vinyeard is a combination of a the Dijon clones 115, 667, 777, and 2A. MacPhail is one of the premier examples of a Toulouse pinot, and one of the first. This is a big pijnot for Anderson valley, and was full of bright strawberries, salty creamy berryies, lots of earthy bark and cinniomn. It had a lighter body and color and was zippy.

2007 Sonoma Coast Goodin Vinyard had a rich, deeper color. I loved the rich, spicy earth flavors. Lots of Dr. Pepper and black cherry. Dark delicious ruit.

2007 Anderson Valley Vagon Rouge was a very special wine indeed! Only 8 barrels were made, and it had wild strawberry, rich intense fruit and bright red berries with a nice balance.

Strictly speaking, I loved ALL of these wines. I left with 3 bottles to add to my 1 at home, and I will remember my visit for a long time. I look forward to coming back and tasting again next year!

A Grape Stomp!

May 10th, 2009

by winebratsf.

4 comments

I first met Uzi Cohen, and his wife Kathryn, at at event at Crushpad about a year ago. After spending some time talking about the wines we were drinking, I came to learn that he actually made wine himself. Lo and behold after much planning and anticipation, I finally got to do some barrel tasting of his amazing pinot noirs!

After meandering my way through Berkeley, I finally found their tasting room, or rather their beautifully furnished basement. We were warmly welcomed by our hosts, and we proceeded to taste through some of the best Pinot Noir I’ve had. Sadly, two of the tasty delights were Uzi & Kathryn’s personal homemade wine, so they are not for sale, but if these are any indication of their talents, I see a brilliant future in wine!

The two commercially produced wines under the Stomping Girl label are from two vastly different regions in California: Santa Lucia Highlands, and Sonoma Coast. This gives the taster an excellent opportunity to taste two different terroirs side by side. Both of these pinots are single vineyard selections. Both of these wines will be released early next year, so I have to be patient!

Lone Oak Pinot Noir The 2008 Lone Oak Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir comes from the Lone Oak Vineyard, which is in the northern part of the larger SLH appellation. The location of the vineyard provides a great foundation for Pinot Noir, where the soil is rocky and the fog is cool. The Lone Oak fruit was hand sorted, something I myself have done – and the source of great amusement to my friends – and then cold soaked and punched down several times a day. It was aged in a mixture of new and used French oak, which gives it the depth of character of oak aging without overwhelming the delicate fruit. This wine showed flavors of bright cherry cider, spices, juicy strawberries and raspberries with nice earthy undertones of mushrooms and bark.

Split Rock Pinot Noir The 2008 Split Rock Vineyard, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir comes from the Gaps Crown vineyard, in the southern Sonoma Coast appelation. Again, this area has the cooling influences of ocean fog, but the Sonoma Coast appelation provides a different flavor structure. The Split Rock section of the vineyard is planted between 300-800 feet, in rocky soils. Another personal favorite from Gaps Crown is the Humanitas Gaps’ Crown Pinot, and i plan on doing a side by side when the Stomping Girl gets released! I found this pinot earthly, with tons of sour cherry and Dr. Pepper flavors.

I hope you’ll get the chance to taste these great wines, and get to know these lovely people! Enjoy!

Pictures by Maureen Sullivan

It's the PINOT stupid!

Apr 13th, 2009

by winebratsf.

3 comments

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend the 7th Annual Passion for Pinot Summit. This was an opportunity for the Pinot Noir lover, Press & Trade to get together and have a Pinot Noir Taste-Off.

This is a unique event that really pulls the lid off of wine judging, and allows the average Josephine to become a wine judge for a day. While the officially judges taste 32 wines each day for an eternity until the contenders were whittled down, the attendees at the Summit were given the top 44 wines to taste blind in The Final Showdown. Additionally, the attendees at the Pinot Summit got to vote on our top 3 wines, in a Girls vs. Boys challenge, that shows us that there really is a difference in biological palates.

Below are my tasting notes from my favorites, plus the group winners by gender, and the over all judges winners for kicks. I’ve also included some tasting notes, just cuz, well, they help! Here are my 90+ pointers.

Color	Points	Tasting Notes	Wine Name
Lilac	92	Rich spices, black raspberry. Dr Pepper, lavender. Herbs	Fort Ross 2005 Estate Reserve
Black	92	Brick color. Cherry, chocolate, black cherry	Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2005 Freestone Hills
Red	92	Deep dark rich red. Bright red fruit, cherry cola. Brown sugar, raspberry jam. Black cherry. Baking spices.	Left Edge Winery 2007 Bodega Rdige Vyd
Chartreuse	92	Pale, light, cola. Very light, dried oranges.	Bargetto 2006
Dark Red	91	Pomegranate, red zinger tea, strawberry jam	RN Estate 2007 Fiddlestix Vyd
Khaki	91	Cherry cola, slight barnyard that blew off. Pomegranate, bright cherries, bark, mushrooms	Segue Cellars 2007 Filligreen Vyd
Coral	90	Back cherry, dark earth. Roses & lavender. Herbaceous. Zesty.	Heart O’ The Mountain 2006 Estate
Blue/Green	90	Light juicy, cloves & spice, mince meat	Adobe Road Winery 2006
Blue	90	Big spicy fruit. Dr Pepper.	Vision Cellars 2007 Coster Vyds
Deep Purpple	90	Bronze red. Rhubarb pie, spicy smoke	Londer Vyds 2006 Paraboll
Periwinkle	90	Very light. Nice balance, light spice. Cherry.	Claiborne & Churchhill 2006 Twin Creeks
Pumpkin	90	Raspberry, cranberry, hibiscus, great with food.	Brutocao Cellars 2006 Estate Bottled
Purple	90	Big rich syrah like. Blackberry Jam.	David Brucie Winery 2005 Reserve

Once the business was out of the way, the wines were unveiled, and we were invited to the Grand Tasting reception. This was when we matched our favorite wines, previously only identified as colors, to their names. This was also when we could see the medal winners from the official competition, as well as try some other offerings from the participating wineries.

Here’s how my top three compared to the rest of the attendees:

Summit Men	Panel Men	Summit Women	Panel Women
Purple- David Bruce 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast	Red- Left Edge Winery 2007 Bodega Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noit, Sonoma Coast	Red - Left Edge Winery 2007 Bodega Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noit, Sonoma Coast	Turquoise - Bohemian Vineyard 2007 Freestone Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River
Periwinkle- Claiborne & Churchill 2006 Twin Creeks Pinot Noir, Edna Valley (Periwinkle)	Coral- Heart O’ The Mountain 2006 Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains	TIED FOR SECOND: Orchid - Lucienne 2006 Lone Oak Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands AND Purple- David Bruce 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast	TIED FOR SECOND: Khaki - Segue Cellars 2007 Filligreen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley AND Black - Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2005 Freestone Hills Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Red- Left Edge Winery 2007 Bodega Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noit, Sonoma Coast	Purple- David Bruce 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast	Pumpkin- Brutacao Cellars 2006 Estate Bottled Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley	Periwinkle- Claiborne & Churchill 2006 Twin Creeks Pinot Noir, Edna Valley

I love how I get to compare my pallate to the “official judges” pallates, and see the results. Looks like

Purple, Red, Coral, Khaki, Black & Periwinkle all ended up on both winners plates!

Thanks much to Affairs of the Vine for the invitation and the fun day! I hope everyone goes out and buys Pinot. There are great finds at every price point, and it’s a very versatile beast.

Happy Drinking!

(more…)

Show me your juice, and no one gets hurt.

Mar 26th, 2009

by winebratsf.

3 comments

PINOT! PINOT! PINOT!

Pinot Noir, the heartbreak grape. It’s a picky little woman, but when you get it right, you get it SO very right! Pinot Noir is also a very seductive grape, and one that I go back to over and over again. The beauty of this wine is that it is extremely susceptible to the local terroir, and I can really taste the differences between Carneros, Russian River Valley, and Santa Lucia Highlands. Each growing area has tell tale flavor profiles, while adhereing to the beautiful baseline of earth that drives Pinot. After the release of Sideways in 2004, a huge resurgence in Pinot lovers emerged. Now, there has been some backlash against that, but I still love it. Pinot Noir seems to be a more mature wine in many ways, and for me – a more experienced palate can appreciate it. I still love Zin, but more often than not I reach for a bottle of pinot.

Affairs of the Vine is once again presenting the 7th Annual Passionate about Pinot Noir Summit. This year’s event takes place on April 5th, at the Marin JCC. The 7th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout will showcase Pinot Noirs from near and far, including Chile, France, Australia and of course, California and Oregon.

The Summit is our unique opportunity to taste the top 40 finalists in the shootout blind. We then get to compare our results to the judges results! After the Shootout – Final Showdown, attendees are invited to attend Pinot specific seminars such as Food & Pinot Pairings, A Question of Style, Discovering New Stars and more. Finally, at the end of the day, there will be an unveiling of the blind tasting, as well as an award ceremony.

Having attended this event last year, I can tell you it was not only extremely enjoyable, but VERY educational. In fact, this is where I first met, and inspired my friend Liza (@brixchick_liza) to start her illustrious blog, BrixChicks! If that wasn’t worth it, I don’t know what is. I hope you can join myself, Valerie (@winedog), and Shana (@sharayray) for some Pinot Passion!

Tickets are $100, but discounts can be obtained HERE. You can purhcase tickets HERE. For complete details about this event, please see the Affairs of the Vine webiste.

Happy Drinking and I look forward to a full post event report!

PINOT! PINOT! PINOT!

I've got it! Passion! For Pinot that is…

Mar 11th, 2009

by winebratsf.

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Wow! It’s that time again. Twitter Taste Live! This time, the good folks at Twitter Taste Live & Wilson Daniels are bringing us a delicious trio of Pinot Noir. This TTL is dedicated to the love of Pinot, particularly since Jordan Mackay, the author of Passion for Pinot, will be in attendance at The Jug Shop to show off the book.

“Jordan Mackay has devoted the last eight years exploring, understanding, and writing about wine. Formerly a writer for Texas Monthly and wine columnist for the Austin American Statesman, he became Wine and Spirits editor for San Francisco’s 7×7 Magazine, and a contributing writer to Wine and Spirits. He has written about food and wine in publications ranging from Food and Wine, Gourmet, Decanter, and Wine Enthusiast to the New York Tim

es, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle.”

For this event, we have several groups getting together. I will in Healdsburg with a posse of wine bloggers, including Matt (@mmwine), Shana (@sharayray), Amy (@winewonkette) & Joe (@houstonwino). After enjoying a day of Barrel Tasting in Dry Creek, we will settle down for dinner and pinots. Having been one of the elite pre-tasters with Agent Red at Wilson Daniels in January, I am anticipating this live tasting event more than others.
We will be tasting the following line up on Saturday, March 14th at 5pm PT:

If you have any trouble finding the “official” wines, just grab your favorite pinot and taste along! Hope to see you in the Twitterverse.

Pinot Pinot Pinot!

Feb 12th, 2009

by winebratsf.

1 comment

Yes it’s true. It’s another post about Pinot Noir. What can I say? I love it! Recently, I was invited to participate in a tasting selection committee for an upcoming Twitter Taste Live. The illustrious Wine Spies, and the luxury wine company Wilson Daniels were our hosts, as we tasted our way through 6 premium Pinots from California and Oregon.

Since this tasting was blind, I will review them blind and then reveal the secret at the end including what we will be tasting on March 14th, for the Passion for Pinot TTL. I hope you will join us as we taste wines A, D, and E live across the country!

Wine A – I love Pinot Noir. I mean i REALLY love pinot. This 2005 Sonoma Coast example was no disappointment. This juicy little number had a bright cherry nose, with hints of Jolly Rancher, a bit of spice, and characteristic cherry cola aroma. I also found a slight vegetal & herbaceous quality, which had a touch of mint & ceder on the initial sniff, but opened up in to bright fruit and mushrooms. I tasted bright strawberries, cherries, and raspberry juice, and really liked the long lingering finish with baking spices tingling my tongue. A tasty delight that I will seek out and buy again! I gave this wine an A-, high praise from this lush since I am a picky pinotphile.

Wine B – Pale ruby purple color, with candy apples and strawberries on the nose. A floral, spicy wine that tasted a bit hot, with a ton of pepper and spice on the finish. I detected a hint of smoke, and black raspberries along with dusty earth. B+

Wine C – Minty fresh,

like toothpaste, on the nose. The palate seemed to have less fruit than A & B. Lots of evergreen and eucalyptus aromas. Earthy and forest floor, with a sweet note on the finish. Finish was not as long as the others, but still enjoyable. It seemed a bit sharp. B

Wine D – Nose had a classic cherry cola and baking spice smell. Almost like a mince meat pie at Thanksgiving. The palate tasted slightly flat to me, with dust and earth. A lot of dusty pepper. There were tons of dark baking spices in the palate, which I normally like but this had a lot of alcohol that was obvious in the taste. There was a bright berry profile underneath. C

Wine E – Cherry co

la, strong berry and cheery flavor with strawberry and raspberry. White pepper and spice, with a slightly dull finish like dusty nutmeg. B+

Wine F – Deep reddish purple color, with rich spices and black cheery aroma. The palate has rich black cherries and bark in the background, with notes of Dr. Pepper and oaky spice. I detected a slight sour cherry finish but mainly enjoyed the dark cherry cola. B

In our crew of tasters, wine A came in first place, followed closely by wine E and D. I am excited to taste these again with our friends at the Twitter Taste Live Event!

Now for the reveal:

Wine A – 2005 Sonoma Coast Vineyard
Wine B – 2007 Willakenzie Estate Cuvee (Willamette Valley)
WIne C – 2007 Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Vineyard
WIne D – 2006 Gainey Santa Rita Hills
Wine E – 2006 Willakenzie Pierre Lyon (Willammette Valley)
Wine F – 2005 Sonoma Coast Freestone

If you need help locating any of these pinots, wander on over to Vinquire for some search help. I was on the ball, and grabbed the 2005 Sonoma Coast from The Wine Spies, but will be seeking out the Gainey and Willakenzie for future imbibing soon.

One of the interesting things I discovered from this exercise is that, YES, i actually DO like Oregon Pinot. I had a suspicious this was true a while ago, but I have had so many examples that are not my style, that I was wary every time someone said “Willamette”. I am pleased to report that there are some delicious examples that even I enjoy!

Cheers!

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