Wine Peeps

The wine industry around Chelan, Washington, is relatively new, with a mixture of what I call “foo-foo” wineries and serious winemakers. The tourist industry in the area will probably keep the former in business, while I’m interested to see how the serious winemakers progress as their vineyards mature and they see what works and doesn’t work.

Our first stop was at Chelan Estate Winery, a relatively new winery owned by Bob Broderick and Rich Nestor and their wives. Chelan Estate produces about 2,200 cases per year. Linda Nestor was our friendly and energetic hostess as we tasted five of their wines. Chelan Estate charges a $4 tasting fee, which is refundable with the purchase of wine. Our favorite Chelan Estate wine was the 2003 Chelan Estate Merlot, Stillwater Creek Vineyard.

Our next stop was at Karma Vineyards, a brand-new winery, tasting room, café, and real-estate development. There is obviously big-money behind this operation, but they have a ways to go in the wine department. We tasted a flight of three wines at Karma for a non-refundable tasting fee of $5. None of the three wines knocked my socks off but two were decent, the 2005 Karma Estate Pinot Noir and the 2005 Karma Estate BadKarma “oopsy Daisy” Syrah.

Our third stop at Nefarious Cellars brought a smile to our faces. These are the kind of folks we root for in the wine business. Heather, Dean, their son George, and their dog Lucy are the friendly crew at Nefarious. They have a gorgeous setting for their practical 2,000 case per year operation overlooking Lake Chelan. Dean is a third generation farmer who still owns an orchard operation. You can see how that agricultural experience is paying off in their winery. Nefarious does not charge a tasting fee. Of the four wines that we tasted, our favorite was the 2005 Nefarious Syrah Windy Ridge Vineyard.

Our final stop of the day was at the beautiful Tuscan-style winery, Tsillan Cellars. Tsillan has been in operation since 2000 on a slope overlooking Lake Chelan. Tsillan is owned by dentist/inventor Bob Jankelson and produces about 8,000 cases per year. Tsillan charges a non-refundable tasting fee of $5, although Shane the assistant winemaker waited on us and was kind enough to waive the tasting fee. Of the five wines we tasted, our favorite was the 2005 Tsillan Merlot.

As I said up front, we plan to keep in touch with the wine industry progress in the Chelan area over the next few years, as their vineyards mature and they figure out what grows best. I believe that there are at least several wineries here that will be doing some really good things.

Here’s a breakdown of the Chelan wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2003 Chelan Estate Merlot, Stillwater Creek Vineyard, $20, QPR: 5
2005 Tsillan Merlot, $28, QPR: 5
2005 Nefarious Syrah Windy Ridge Vineyard, $27, QPR: 4
2006 Nefarious Cabernet Franc, $28, QPR: 4

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2003 Chelan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Stillwater Creek Vineyard, $25, QPR: 5
2005 Tsillan Syrah, $29, QPR: 3
2004 Chelan Estate Reserve Red Wine, Stillwater Creek Vineyard, $35, QPR: 2
2007 Nefarious Viognier, Defiance Vineyard, $19, QPR: 2
2007 Tsillan Pinot Grigio, $23, QPR: 2

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Karma Estate Pinot Noir, $25, QPR: 4
2005 Karma Estate BadKarma “oopsy Daisy” Syrah, $17, QPR: 4
2004 Chelan Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir, $30, QPR: 3
2007 Nefarious Consequence (White blend), $17, QPR: 3
2004 Tsillan Cabernet Sauvignon, $31, QPR: 3
2005 Chelan Estate Syrah, $30, QPR: 2

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Karma Estate Syrah, $23, QPR: NR
2006 Tsillan Estate Dry Riesling, $20, QPR: NR

Have you ever been to Chelan? If so, did you visit any wineries while you were there? What was your favorite?

As we continued our cross-country road trip, we visited three Idaho wineries, one in Glenns Ferry and two in Caldwell, Idaho. They all produce their wines exclusively with Idaho grapes, and we found some pretty good wines at each stop. Our first stop was at Carmela Vineyards, in business since 1988. They produce about 10,000 cases a year, almost all sold in Idaho although they will ship out-of-state. Our favorite wine at Carmela was their 2004 Carmela Reserve Merlot.

Our next stop was at Ste. Chapelle Winery, Idaho’s oldest and largest winery, a part of the mammoth Constellation Group when we visited but was purchased last week by Ascentia Wine Estates. Out of the five wines we tasted at Ste. Chapelle, our favorites were the 2004 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Syrah and the 2004 Ste. Chapelle Ice Wine Sauvignon Blanc.

Our third stop was at Williamson Vineyards, where a fourth generation Williamson, Beverly, was our knowledgeable tasting room hostess. The Williamsons have been in the fruit growing business for generations and remain a large producer today but have only been growing grapes, mainly as a diversification measure, since the 1990’s. They are contract growers for some of Idaho’s best known wineries as well as produce an increasing amount of grapes for their own winery operation. We also had the opportunity to meet and visit with Beverly’s father, Roger, who is the winemaker for Williamson Vineyards. While we would not hesitate to recommend any of the five wines we tasted at Williamson, our favorites were the 2005 Williamson Syrah and the NV Williamson Doce Dessert Wine (Ruby style Port). I believe that Williamson is an up-and-coming winery that merits watching. I’d like to come back in five years and see the progress that they have made.

Note: A few days after these visits, we also visited another Idaho winery, Camas Prairie Winery in Moscow, Idaho, but we did not taste any wines. When we entered the tasting room, the owner was serving some other folks so we didn’t expect instantaneous service. But when he finished their tasting, he said he was going to pass them off to the checkout clerks, implying that he would then serve us. However, instead he went over to the checkout with them and continued to visit, totally ignoring us. But the straw that broke the camel’s back for us was when another employee came in, and instead of spelling him at the checkout desk or serving us, she waited on another customer who had come in after us. When that happened, we left. There are too many other wineries with good wine and good service to put up with that. I could not recommend Camas Prairie Winery to anyone.

Here’s a breakdown of the Idaho wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2004 Carmela Reserve Merlot, $25, QPR: 5
2004 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Syrah, $11, QPR: 5
2004 Ste. Chapelle Ice Wine Sauvignon Blanc, $20, QPR: 5
2005 Williamson Syrah, $18, QPR: 5
NV Williamson Doce Dessert Wine (Ruby style Port), $25, QPR: 5

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Williamson Cabernet Sauvignon, $25, QPR: 5
2006 Williamson Late Harvest Viognier, $22, QPR: 5
2004 Carmela Red Meritage, $17, QPR: 4
2006 Williamson Viognier, $15, QPR: 3

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
NV Carmela Cabernet Merlot, $10, QPR: 5
2005 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Cabernet Sauvignon, $11, QPR: 5
2001-02 Carmela Merlot, $17, QPR: 4
2000 Carmela Cabernet Franc, $17, QPR: 4

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2003 Carmela Cabernet Sauvignon, $17, QPR: NR
2006 Ste. Chapelle Winemaker Merlot, $11, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2003 Carmela Pinot Noir, $17, QPR: NR
2006 Carmela Semillon, $13, QPR: NR
2006 Ste. Chapelle Sauvignon Blanc, $9, QPR: NR

Have you ever had Idaho wine? If so, how did you like it? What was your favorite?

“If you can’t describe it in words or talk about it, like ‘It reminds me of gym socks or my mother’s blackberry pie,’ you can’t remember it.” –Karen MacNeil

It’s a good idea to come up with a good buzzword, or descriptor, for each varietal of wine you drink. Obviously, there will be specific descriptors for each bottle of wine you drink within a varietal. But having a few buzzwords that are easy to remember help you know what to expect when you get ready to open a bottle at home, pick one off the shelf at a wine shop, or order in a restaurant.

Here are just a few of our buzzwords for the most popular varietals:

Reds
Cabernet Sauvignon—blackcurrant or cassis, intense, earthy (Old World)
Shiraz/Syrah—peppery, blackberry, bold
Merlot—plummy, smooth
Zinfandel—hot, spicy
Pinot Noir—raspberry, perfumed

Whites
Chardonnay—buttery, oaky
Sauvignon Blanc—crisp, grapefruity
Riesling—fruity, floral, citrus, sweet

What is your favorite varietal and what buzzword or descriptor would you use to describe it?

Wine country began again as we approached the Central Coast region around Paso Robles on Monday afternoon. We planned to visit a number of tasting rooms in the area on Tuesday, but we decided to go ahead and visit the Edward Sellers Vineyards & Wines tasting room since it is closed on Tuesdays. I’m really glad we made the stop because they had some good wines, and Kendall, the hostess, was very informative, not only about their wines but about other wineries in the area.

We tasted five Rhone reds at Edward Sellers, and as a group they were very good, especially for a new winery offering only their second vintage. Our favorite was the 2005 Edward Sellers Le Thief, a Rhone blend of 59% Syrah, 23% Grenache, 13% Mourvedre, and 5% Cinsault. We were also very impressed with the 2005 Edward Sellers Syrah Selectionne. The 2005 Edward Sellers Cuvee des Cinq, a traditional Rhone blend may ultimately be their best wine, but it needs more time to mature. Right now, it comes up a little short of the first two for us. The other two wines we tasted were the 2004 Edward Sellers Grenache and the 2005 Edward Sellers Vertigo, a 70% Grenache blend. Edward Sellers looks like an up and coming winery with a bright future. Right now, their distribution is on the East Coast as well as direct through their tasting room, wine club, and online store.

After leaving Paso Robles, it was on to San Luis Obispo and the ostentatious Madonna Inn, an over-the-top inn that we last stayed in over twenty years ago. Amazingly, it is still in excellent repair and still as gaudy as ever—in a good way. Every room is different with its own theme and décor. This trip we stayed in the Matterhorn Room with a balcony overlooking the mountains.

Monday evening we ate another take-out platter in the room and had a private tasting with two wines in the same price range, the 2005 Novy Christensen Family Vineyard Syrah we bought last Friday at our tasting at Siduri/Novy in Sonoma and the 2006 Mollydooker The Boxer Shiraz from Australia that we brought from home. Once again, the Aussie was the clear winner for us, although both were good wines.

Tuesday morning we drove miles and miles west of Highway 101 in the Paso Robles area through hills and down winding roads before we saw any vineyards. We saw quite a few trees, lots of working cattle ranches, walnut orchards, and olive trees. I kept asking myself, “Where are the vineyards?” Finally we found some but not the grand expanse of vineyards I was expecting. Rather, we found a vineyard here and a vineyard there interspersed among the trees. It was different than just about any wine area I’ve ever visited anywhere in the world.

Our first stop was Justin Vineyards & Winery, where we tasted five wines. The tasting room was nice, albeit remote. Unfortunately, the host was not very knowledgeable and yet quite cocky. Their best wine was the 2005 Justin Isosceles red blend, but we didn’t think it was worth the price at $62. The other four were the 2005 Justin Sauvignon Blanc, the 2007 Justin Chardonnay, the 2006 Justin Orphan red blend, and the 2004 Justin Obtuse, a port-style dessert wine. Justin sells primarily through its wine club and claims production of 80,000 cases per year.

Our next stop was Tablas Creek Vineyard. We were looking forward to this visit because they have a good winery blog, but they weren’t pouring any Syrahs, only percentage Mourvedre blends, so we moved on. A tasting room in the middle of nowhere that’s hard to find, and when you do find it wants to charge a $10 tasting fee yet you can’t taste what you came to taste, does not hold my attention, no matter how good their blog.

Not too far from Tablas Creek was our next stop at Adelaida Cellars. The tasting room had a nice hostess, and they had a couple of decent wines. Our two favorites at Adelaida were the 2005 Adelaida Syrah and the 2005 Adelaida Reserve Zinfandel. The other wines we tasted were the 2005 Adelaida Roussanne/Grenache Blanc, the 2005 Adelaida SLO Pinot Noir, the 2005 Adelaida Version Glenrose Vineyard (Rhone blend), and the 2005 Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon. Adelaida has about 15,000 cases annual production, mostly sold through their wine club and online.

Next we went to Linne Calodo, a relatively new winery with wines we thought were too pricey for the most part. We tasted four wines, all red blends: the 2006 Linne Calodo Sticks & Stones, the 2006 Linne Calodo Cherry Red, the 2006 Linne Calodo Leona’s, and the 2006 Linne Calodo Outsider.

After stopping for a picnic platter lunch, we visited Four Vines, a winery whose Zinfandels were already fairly familiar to us. We were blessed with a very knowledgeable host and tasted two of the best wines of the day, the 2006 Four Vines NAKED (no oak) Chardonnay and the 2004 Four Vines Phoenix (red blend), although we could only justify purchasing the Chardonnay. The other three wines we tasted at Four Vines were the 2006 Four Vines “Heretic” Petite Sirah, the 2006 Four Vines “Loco” Tempranillo, and the 2006 Four Vines “Anarchy” (Rhone Blend). Four Vines produces about 50,000 cases per year (30,000 cases of the NAKED Chardonnay and about 12,000 cases of their Old Vines Zinfandel). The rest of their production is small lot specialty wines like some of those we tasted at the tasting room. It’s obviously been a very successful business model for them.

Our last winery stop of the day was at Cass Vineyards and Winery. Carly, the hostess, was the highlight of the day’s tasting room visits. Friendly, knowledgeable and helpful with directions and suggestions, she is destined for marketing stardom in this business in our opinion. We tasted seven wines at Cass and one was one of our favorites of the day, the 2005 Cass Rockin’ One, a GSM blend. Other Cass wines that we tasted: 2006 Cass Viognier, 2005 Cass Grenache, 2007 Cass Mourvedre, 2005 Cass Syrah, 2005 Cass Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Cass Cabernet Franc.

After our last winery visit of the day, we set out to see if we could find an old friend from our registered cattle business days in Texas, Bill Twist. Sure enough, we found the old Twist Ranch and had a great visit with Bill Twist and Walt Nielsen, his son-in-law. Bill is one of the sharpest 91 year old guys you’ll ever meet. We caught him mowing his yard as we drove up. We also found out that Bill and Walt are now growing grapes on about 30 acres of their ranch, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Wednesday may have been our best day in wine country so far on this road trip. The beautiful hillside vineyards along the Central Coast coupled with many good wines made for a great day. We started off in Santa Maria with a visit to the scenic Cambria Winery & Vineyards. There we tasted four reds and one white wine. Our favorites were the 2005 Cambria Syrah-Tepusquet and the 2004 Cambria Estrella Syrah. We also tasted the 2006 Cambria Julia’s Pinot Noir, the 2006 Cambria Bench Breaks Pinot Noir, and the 2005 Cambria Late Harvest Viognier. Cambria produces about 250,000 cases a year, mostly oaky, buttery Chardonnay in which we had no interest; however, their Pinot Noir has enough production to also be available at retail stores. All the other wines are available through their online store.

Our next stop was Foxen Winery & Vineyard. There we tasted five wines, our favorite being the 2005 Foxen Williamson-Dore Vineyard Syrah. The others we tasted were the 2005 Foxen Chenin Blanc, the 2006 Foxen Chardonnay, the 2005 Foxen Sangiovese Volpino, and the 2005 Foxen Merlot. Foxen produces about 10,000 cases annually, mostly Pinot Noir, with the other offerings in small lots sold at the tasting room or online.

Next we visited the Andrew Murray Vineyards tasting room in Los Olivos. Andrew Murray specializes in Rhone reds and does an excellent job if the wines we tasted are any indication. Our favorite was the 2005 Andrew Murray Syrah Santa Ynez Valley. A close second in our estimation was the 2005 Andrew Murray Syrah South Slope. Other wines we tasted were the 2005 Andrew Murray Syrah Brave Oak Vineyard, the 2005 Andrew Murray Syrah Roasted Slope Vineyard, the 2005 Andrew Murray Syrah Zee Clones, the 2006 Andrew Murray Syrah Tours les Tours, the 2005 Andrew Murray Esperance (GSM), the 2004 Andrew Murray Enchante (Roussanne/Marsanne), and the 2006 Andrew Murray Viognier. Andrew Murray produces about 9,000 cases per year, the vast majority of which are Syrahs and Syrah blends. They sell primarily through their wine club and online. I would suggest that any serious red wine lover consider their wine club.

Down the street from Andrew Murray was Consilience Wines. They were probably the weakest lineup we tasted. The two best offerings at Consilience were the 2005 Consilience Syrah “Rodney Shull Vineyard” and the 2005 Consilience Petite Sirah. The other wines we tasted were the 2006 Consilience Viognier, the 2006 Consilience Grenache Blanc, the 2006 Consilience Pinot Noir, and the 2005 Consilience Grenache.

Further down Grand Avenue in Los Olivos was the Daniel Gehrs Wines tasting room. We tasted seven mostly undistinguished wines. Their best offering was a Daniel Gehrs 10yr Tawny Port. The others we tasted were the 2005 Daniel Gehrs Fireside (Ruby) Port, the 2005 Daniel Gehrs Syrah, the 2005 Daniel Gehrs Zinfandel, the 2006 Daniel Gehrs Vixen Vivant Dry Syrah Rose, the 2006 Daniel Gehrs Riesling, and the 2005 Daniel Gehrs Unoaked Chardonnay.

While we were in downtown Los Olivos, we stumbled upon the filming of a made-for-TV movie, Generation Gap, taking place at the Country Market where we were buying lunch. We were told it is a Hallmark movie. So if you’re watching TV this fall and your eyes do a double-take, yes, it’s us.

Moving on to the Solvang area, we visited Blackjack Ranch Vineyards and Winery which gained notoriety in the Sideways movie. We tasted seven wines at Blackjack with our undisputed favorite being the 2004 Blackjack Maximus Syrah. The others we tasted were the 2003 Blackjack Billy Goat Hill Merlot, the 2004 Blackjack Harmonie (Bordeaux blend), the 2005 Blackjack Double-Down Syrah, the 2005 Blackjack Allusion Cabernet Franc, the 2004 Blackjack Pinot Noir Alix de Vergy, the 2005 Blackjack Chardonnay Wilkening Vineyard, and the 2005 Blackjack Chardonnay Blackjack Ranch Vineyard Reserve. Blackjack produces 6,000 cases per year, mostly sold through their tasting room and also available online.

Our final stop of the day was one of the best, Lincourt Vineyards. They may have had the best combination of red and white wines of any winery we’ve visited so far on our road trip. Our favorite of their wines was the 2005 Lincourt Syrah Santa Barbara County. The other wines we tasted were the 2005 Lincourt Pinot Noir, maybe the best Pinot we’ve had on the trip; the 2006 Lincourt Sauvignon Blanc which according to LaGayle, who prefers New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, is the best domestic Sauvignon Blanc she has tasted; the 2006 Lincourt Chardonnay, pretty good for an oaky Chard; and the 2007 Foley & Phillips Dry Rose.

Wednesday evening we had another take-out meal in our room and had a private tasting between the 2004 Ravenswood Southeastern Australia Shiraz that we bought in Sonoma and one of our all-time favorites, the 2002 Peter Lehmann Shiraz. While the Ravenswood was pretty decent, especially for the price, the Peter Lehmann was still our pick of the evening.

Wednesday concluded our California wine tour. While we always enjoy visiting Sonoma and Napa, our Central Coast tour was a special treat because it was our first visit to the area to taste wine, it is so beautiful in its vineyard settings and quaint small towns not yet overrun by tourists, and the high overall quality of its wines, especially the Syrahs and Syrah blends. If you haven’t been to the Central Coast, you ought to do it before the thundering herds arrive.

In coming weeks, we’ll report again as our road trip continues and we taste wines from other regions of the country. Stay tuned!

In order to keep these notes manageable as we tasted 80 different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. All prices given are winery/tasting room prices. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Andrew Murray Syrah Santa Ynez Valley, $25, QPR: 5
2005 Lincourt Syrah Santa Barbara County, $20, QPR: 5
2006 Four Vines NAKED (no oak) Chardonnay, $14, QPR: 5
2005 Andrew Murray Syrah South Slope, $30, QPR: 4
2005 Edward Sellers Le Thief, $30, QPR: 4
2005 Edward Sellers Syrah Selectionne, $32, QPR: 4
2004 Blackjack Maximus Syrah, $48, QPR: 3
2005 Cass Rockin’ One, $42, QPR: 3
2005 Foxen Williamson-Dore Vineyard Syrah, $44, QPR: 3
2004 Four Vines Phoenix, $64, QPR: 1

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Ravenswood Southeastern Australia Shiraz, $10, QPR: 5
2005 Adelaida Syrah, $26, QPR: 4
2005 Cambria Syrah-Tepusquet, $19, QPR: 4
2005 Lincourt Pinot Noir, $30, QPR: 4
2005 Andrew Murray Syrah Brave Oak Vineyard, $28, QPR: 3
2005 Andrew Murray Syrah Roasted Slope Vineyard, $34, QPR: 3
2005 Andrew Murray Syrah Zee Clones, $34, QPR: 3
2005 Adelaida Reserve Zinfandel, $35, QPR: 3
2005 Cass Syrah, $36, QPR: 3
Daniel Gehrs 10yr Tawny Port, $44, QPR: 3
2003 Blackjack Billy Goat Hill Merlot, $40, QPR: 3
2006 Lincourt Sauvignon Blanc, $16, QPR: 3
2004 Edward Sellers Grenache, $25, QPR: 2
2006 Four Vines “Heretic” Petite Sirah, $40, QPR: 2
2004 Blackjack Harmonie, $35, QPR: 2
2005 Edward Sellers Cuvee des Cinq, $42, QPR: 1
2005 Justin Isosceles, $62, QPR: 1
2006 Linne Calodo Sticks & Stones, $65, QPR: 1
2005 Cass Cabernet Franc, $42, QPR: 1
2004 Cambria Estrella Syrah, $48, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Cambria Late Harvest Viognier, $16 (375 ml), QPR: 5
2006 Andrew Murray Syrah Tours les Tours, $16, QPR: 4
2006 Cambria Julia’s Pinot Noir, $20, QPR: 4
2006 Justin Orphan, $18.50, QPR: 4
2004 Justin Obtuse, $26, QPR: 4
2005 Daniel Gehrs Fireside (Ruby) Port, $36, QPR: 4
2005 Adelaida Version Glenrose Vineyard, $26, QPR: 3
2005 Consilience Petite Sirah, $24, QPR: 3
2005 Daniel Gehrs Syrah, $20, QPR: 3
2006 Lincourt Chardonnay, $18, QPR: 3
2006 Cass Viognier, $15, QPR: 2
2005 Cass Cabernet Sauvignon, $42, QPR: 2
2005 Consilience Syrah “Rodney Shull Vineyard”, $26, QPR: 2
2005 Daniel Gehrs Zinfandel, $24, QPR: 2
2005 Blackjack Double-Down Syrah, $26, QPR: 2
2005 Edward Sellers Vertigo, $30, QPR: 1
2006 Linne Calodo Cherry Red, $55, QPR: 1
2006 Four Vines “Loco” Tempranillo, $40, QPR: 1
2005 Foxen Chenin Blanc, $20, QPR: 1
2005 Foxen Merlot, $32, QPR: 1
2006 Consilience Viognier, $22, QPR: 1
2005 Blackjack Allusion Cabernet Franc, $30, QPR: 1
2004 Blackjack Pinot Noir Alix de Vergy, $48, QPR: 1
2007 Foley & Phillips Dry Rose, $20, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Justin Chardonnay, $19.75, QPR: NR
2005 Adelaida SLO Pinot Noir, $18, QPR: NR
2005 Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon, $30, QPR: NR
2006 Linne Calodo Leona’s, $48, QPR: NR
2006 Four Vines “Anarchy”, $40, QPR: NR
2007 Cass Mourvedre, $28, QPR: NR
2006 Cambria Bench Breaks Pinot Noir, $48, QPR: NR
2005 Foxen Sangiovese Volpino, $30, QPR: NR
2005 Andrew Murray Esperance, $22, QPR: NR
2004 Andrew Murray Enchante, $22, QPR: NR
2006 Consilience Grenache Blanc, $24, QPR: NR
2006 Consilience Pinot Noir, $30, QPR: NR
2005 Consilience Grenache, $28, QPR: NR
2006 Daniel Gehrs Riesling, $19, QPR: NR
2005 Blackjack Chardonnay Blackjack Ranch Vineyard Reserve, $35, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2005 Justin Sauvignon Blanc, $15, QPR: NR
2005 Adelaida Roussanne/Grenache Blanc, $27, QPR: NR
2006 Linne Calodo Outsider, $45, QPR: NR
2005 Cass Grenache, $28, QPR: NR
2006 Foxen Chardonnay, $32, QPR: NR
2006 Andrew Murray Viognier, $25, QPR: NR
2005 Daniel Gehrs Unoaked Chardonnay, $18, QPR: NR
2005 Blackjack Chardonnay Wilkening Vineyard, $38, QPR: NR

Quality: 1.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Daniel Gehrs Vixen Vivant Dry Syrah Rose, $20, QPR: NR

LaGayle and I embarked on a much anticipated, extended road trip this past Tuesday. This weekend, we toured the Sonoma and Napa wine country of California. In the coming weeks, we will be traveling to other wine areas across the country, so check back for updates on our experiences and opinions of wine country USA.

Friday was a great weather day, temperatures in the low 80’s, and it was made even better by some friendly folks and great winery visits. We saw our first vineyard of the trip in Mendocino County, Masuit Vineyards, along Highway 101. Next we passed Bantarra Vineyards with vines just showing bud break.

In Healdsburg in Sonoma County, we had the pleasure of meeting Jim Carlson, who we nicknamed “the Wine Ambassador of Sonoma County,” in the Kendall-Jackson tasting room. We just popped in to see if we could get a map of the area with winery and vineyard locations. By the time we left, Jim had given us several maps highlighted with too many recommended wineries and tasting rooms to count, much less visit, as well as coupons for complimentary tastings at about a dozen tasting rooms. Wow!

Our next stop was the Rosenblum Cellars tasting room where we tried eight or nine wines, including their Reserve Tasting (all complimentary, thanks to Jim). The tasting room folks were very nice and attentive. Our favorites at Rosenblum were the 2005 Rosenblum Planchon Vineyard Zinfandel and the 2006 Rosenblum Paso Robles Zinfandel.

Next we visited the Seghesio Family Vineyards tasting room (again complimentary, courtesy of Jim). The best wine we were able to taste was their 2005 Seghesio Rockpile Zinfandel. Seghesio’s Sonoma County Zinfandel has been a favorite in several of our tasting dinners but was not available for tasting when we were there.

Our final tasting of the day was at Siduri/Novy in a Santa Rosa Industrial Park. They do tastings by appointment only, but they are complimentary. The Siduri label is exclusively Pinot Noir and extremely popular, but once again we couldn’t find a Pinot that really excited us. Their 2006 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir was the best of the lot.

The Novy Family Wines label is primarily Syrah, and we found a couple that we thought were pretty good, the 2005 Novy Christensen Family Vineyard Syrah and the 2005 Novy Sonoma County Syrah.

In our ongoing efforts to find good American Syrahs that might match up favorably with some of our favorite Australian Shiraz, we had a private tasting Friday night in our hotel room pitting the 2005 Novy Sonoma County Syrah against a 2002 Peter Lehmann Shiraz that we brought with us from home. Both wines were good, but by the end of our tasting, both of us agreed that we preferred the Peter Lehmann which also gives you more bang for the buck at $14 versus the $20 price tag on the Novy.

Saturday was another scorcher day with a high of 87 degrees in Sonoma. Our first stop in the morning was at the California Champagne house, Korbel. I wonder how they can use the name Champagne instead of Sparkling Wine. They must be grandfathered since they’ve been in business since 1882. Our favorite was their Brut Champagne.

Next we visited DeLoach Vineyards, which has had a remarkable makeover since our last visit four or five years ago. Upon further inquiry, we were told that Cecil DeLoach got overextended a few years ago and had to sell out to avoid bankruptcy. Fortunately, the new owners have held true to his winemaking tradition while upgrading the facilities, tasting room, and so forth. At DeLoach, we tasted their 2006 DeLoach Russian River Valley Zinfandel, the 2006 DeLoach Forgotten Vines Zinfandel, whose 2004 vintage was the winner of the Zinfandel Olympics in Kori’s post of March 17, 2008, and our favorite of the day, the 2004 DeLoach Gambogi Ranch Zinfandel from century old vines.

Then we made a quick stop at J Vineyards & Winery where I purchased another of their green monogrammed “J” sweatshirts (“J” for John). From our experience, the sweatshirts are the highlight of their offerings.

Then it was on to Mazzocco Sonoma in Dry Creek where we tasted three Zinfandels, the 2005 Mazzocco West Dry Creek Zinfandel, the 2005 Mazzocco Stone Zinfandel, and the 2005 Mazzocco Home Zinfandel. It was disappointing to find out that none of their wines are in general distribution. They are only available at the tasting room and through their wine club.

Next we went back to the Kendall-Jackson Tasting Room in Healdsburg, where we had met the remarkable Jim Carlson on Friday. Unfortunately, Jim was out on a break.

Our next stop was the Valley of the Moon Winery in Glen Ellen. We had heard good things about their Zinfandel, but it did not live up to our expectations. We tasted their 2006 Pinot Blanc, the 2006 Zinfandel, and the 2005 Syrah.

In the city of Sonoma, we visited Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery, one of our favorite Sonoma producers, looking for a Syrah which unfortunately they do not yet produce. We are very familiar with their Cab, Zin, and Secolo, which is one of our all-time favorite wines.

Our final stop of the day was at Ravenswood, where I picked up a bottle of their 2004 Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Shiraz from South Eastern Australia ($11). When we taste it, I’ll share our opinion.

For dinner, we picked up Chinese take-out and ate while tasting the rest of our Novy Syrah and Peter Lehmann Shiraz from the previous night. The Aussie Shiraz extended its advantage over the Novy after both had been open for 24 hours, especially impressive since the Peter Lehmann Shiraz is quite a bit older than the Novy.

I never thought I would be one to complain about the heat, being a native Texan, but 89 degrees in early April is almost too much. After church early Sunday, we headed for the Napa Valley, first to Calistoga to revisit the path Kori and I took last September to take our Certified Specialist of Wine exam. I showed LaGayle The Lodge at Calistoga where we spent the night before the test, the Flat Iron Grill where we had dinner that evening, the Sutter Home Victorian Inn in St. Helena where we took the exam, and the Rutherford Grill where we had lunch after completing the exam.

Intertwined with those stops, we visited Sterling Vineyards in Calistoga, which has one of the most beautiful settings in wine country anywhere in the world. We rode the tram to the mountaintop winery and took the self-guided tour. It’s a shame that their wines are not as good as their tour experience. Many years ago the Sterling Merlot was one of my favorites. Today it does not stack up nearly as favorably as other merlots in its price category. I know I’m not having a good tasting experience when a Pinot Noir is the best of the bunch, but that was the case with their 2005 Sterling Cellar Club Oak Knoll Pinot Noir being the only wine I could recommend.

We were hoping to visit Buehler Vineyards next, one of our favorite Zinfandel producers, but we couldn’t get an appointment. So after our nostalgia trip to Sutter Home Victorian and lunch at the Rutherford Grill, we took in the Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) tasting room. Previous vintages of the BV Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon have done well in our tasting dinners in the past, and the 2005 we tasted yesterday continues in that league. The best wines we tasted at BV were the 2005 BV Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 BV Carneros Pinot Noir.

Our final stop of the day at Domaine Carneros was the most disappointing, not because of the quality of their sparkling wines, which in our experience have been good, but because of the service, or should I say lack of service, in their tasting room. It’s such a waste of money to have that beautiful setting and not wait on customers in a timely fashion. And we weren’t the only patrons being stiffed. I contrast our negative experience at Domaine Carneros with a great tasting experience we had at Mumm Napa last fall.

Last night, we ate in with a wine country platter of salami, cheese, and crackers while enjoying a private tasting of three California value Syrah/Shirazes: 2004 BV Napa Valley Syrah, 2005 Sterling Vintner’s Collection Shiraz, and 2004 Clos du Bois Shiraz.

Today, we’re heading south to the California Central Coast looking for a few good Syrahs. I’ll report what we find later this week.

Here’s a recap of many of the wines we tasted this weekend, in the order we tasted them. All prices given are winery/tasting room prices.

2005 Rosenblum Planchon Vineyard Zinfandel
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $25

2006 Rosenblum Paso Robles Zinfandel
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2005 Seghesio Rockpile Zinfandel
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $36

2006 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $27

2005 Novy Christensen Family Vineyard Syrah
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $29 regular price, $22 sale price

2005 Novy Sonoma County Syrah
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $19.50

NV Korbel Brut Champagne
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $10

2006 DeLoach Russian River Valley Zinfandel
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

2006 DeLoach Forgotten Vines Zinfandel
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $32

2004 DeLoach Gambogi Ranch Zinfandel
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $30

2005 Mazzocco West Dry Creek Zinfandel
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $27

2005 Mazzocco Stone Zinfandel
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $27

2005 Mazzocco Home Zinfandel
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $29

2006 Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2006 Valley of the Moon Zinfandel
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $20

2005 Valley of the Moon Syrah
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $20

2005 Sterling Cellar Club Oak Knoll Pinot Noir
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $28

2005 BV Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $30

2005 BV Carneros Pinot Noir
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $30

2004 BV Napa Valley Syrah
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $10 sale price

2005 Sterling Vintner’s Collection Shiraz
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $10

2004 Clos du Bois Shiraz
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Price: $11

A few weeks ago, we attended a Sideways wine tasting hosted by Ross of the Decanted blog here in Seattle. Ross had put together virtually every wine in the movie for a group of about fifteen of us to taste. It was a great evening. After the tasting, Ross posted a report on the tasting that you might enjoy reading. While there were more Pinots in the tasting than any other varietal, as you would expect in a Sideways tasting, the “Best in Show” wine was a Syrah, the 2001 Blackjack Ranch Maximus Syrah, which got my vote as well.

It was just one night and one tasting, but it reconfirmed my long-held opinion that Pinot Noir may be the most over-hyped, most inconsistent wine from vintage to vintage and producer to producer of any of the world’s major varietals, and most Pinots are overpriced, too. This may be a little over-the-top statement, but I have always thought there might be some truth in the following quote:

“…God made Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas the devil made Pinot Noir.” –Andre Tchelistcheff, pioneer California winemaker

Pinot Noir, unlike Cabernet, Merlot, or Shiraz/Syrah, is rarely offered at a budget price. And when it is, it is usually thin and dull or tannic and vegetal. If you want a reasonably good Pinot Noir, you have to pay the price. So I say, why should I bother? There are so many wines from other varietals that are consistently good, and offered at much more reasonable prices [great QPR].

I rarely believe what the movies say, and the movie Sideways kept that record intact for me when it touted Pinot Noir so highly.

“Pinot Noir may be responsible for a few thousand bottles of great red Burgundy, but Cabernet Sauvignon is the main ingredient in millions of bottles with virtually unparalleled aging potential made all over the world.” –Jancis Robinson, How to Taste

There are just too many great wines out there (Cabernet, Syrah, etc.) to spend more money than we should buying a wine we probably won’t like.