“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

Since we began our Wine Century Club adventure, we have all been more aware of unusual grape varieties. Strolling through a local wine shop the other day, Mom (LaGayle) stumbled across a bottle of 2006 La Quercia Montonico. The shelf-talker got her attention when it referred to Montonico as a rare white varietal and said that this wine is not made in wood. Mom is a huge white wine fan but does not particularly care for oaky, buttery wines that have been aged in oak barrels. She pulled Dad and me aside to show us her find and despite its $30 price tag, we decided to give it a whirl.

We enjoyed this wine with dinner; however, unlike our typical private tastings, this one was not a blind tasting since Montonico was a new varietal for us. I am happy to report that it received a thumbs up from all four Wine Peeps. This wine was the perfect complement to our lobster tail, asparagus, and wild rice meal.

From the back of the bottle:

“Incredibly, this wine is made from vines that are over 200 years old. Two hundred! The quality of the fruit is almost indescribable. The minerals are rich and confident; the fruits alive and appealing; and the body lush without any use of oak. Made from the nearly extinct grape Montonico, there are just a couple hundred cases produced in the world. Enjoy.”

This wine is labeled as a “Small Vineyards Discovery.” It is imported by Small Vineyards in Seattle, who specialize in small vineyard wines from Italy. They aim to be your personal wine detectives in Italy, “Discovering the best hand-harvested, family-owned, earth-friendly Italian wine.”

If you can find this wine, it’s worth a shot to try something different. However, given that there were only 200 cases of this wine made and only 50 cases made their way to the United States, you may have trouble locating a bottle. In that case, I encourage you to keep your eyes peeled for other “Small Vineyards Discovery” bottles. You might stumble upon something new and exciting just like we did.

2006 Vini La Quercia Riflessi Colli Aprutini IGT Montonico (Abruzzo, Italy): Grape: Montonico. Soft gold with slight green tinges. Fresh and crisp with aromas of citrus fruits, primarily lemon, lime, and grapefruit. Very refreshing with pronounced lime and grapefruit flavors on the palate along with some minerality. Smooth, well-balanced, lively but not overpowering acidity, and a pleasant finish. Similar to Sauvignon Blanc but with a bit less acidity which might make it more food-friendly for some.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $29.99 [Imported by Small Vineyards, Seattle]

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

First of all, beware of a restaurant where there are no wine glasses on the table. They probably have a weak wine list and lack wait staff that really knows wine.

When you do order wine at a restaurant, you can save by ordering a less popular varietal, for example, Sauvignon Blanc instead of Chardonnay, or Zinfandel instead of Cabernet Sauvignon. Pinot Grigio and Shiraz are also usually safe, lesser expensive choices.

Stay at the more moderately priced end of the wine list but not at the bottom. Pay no more than two to three times retail for a bottle of wine. You don’t need to have your ultimate wine experience in a restaurant. In fact, it wouldn’t make sense to try because of the high markups on restaurant wine. Keep in mind that there are five glasses of wine in a bottle when deciding whether or not to buy by the glass or the bottle. (Photo by bryce_edwards)

Once you have ordered a bottle of wine, make sure it comes to the table unopened and that it is the name and vintage that you ordered. After it is opened and you have an initial smell (of the wine, not the cork) and taste, if you believe that it is a bad bottle (either corked or oxidized), ask the server if he would have a taste and tell you what he thinks.

By the way, some sommeliers will sniff the cork after they’ve opened your bottle, as if that’s telling them something about the wine. It isn’t, so show your intelligence by not following suit. And if he or she makes some laudatory comment about the aroma of the wine after sniffing the cork, you’ll know it is just part of the show.

One final note: Find out whether yours is a state where it is legal for a restaurant patron to take home any leftover wine that was not consumed in the restaurant.

During the Taste Washington weekend, Colby and I had the pleasure to meet Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. For those of you who have never heard of him, he is from New Jersey and is the host of a very popular video wine blog. He is quite knowledgeable about wine and extremely entertaining.

Gary was in Seattle for Taste Washington and hosted one of the sessions during Education Day on Saturday. On Saturday evening, the Wine Library TV crew hosted a Meet and Greet party for Gary and his Seattle Vayniacs. Colby and I attended the party, mingled with fellow wine lovers, enjoyed some fabulous Washington wines, and had a nice visit with Gary. Given his dynamic, sometimes over-the-top on-camera personality, we were thrilled to find him very down to earth and approachable.

If you’ve never watched Wine Library TV, I encourage you to check it out.

This past weekend was the Washington Wine Commission’s 11th annual Taste Washington event. Over 200 wineries participated, making this their biggest year ever. This is a special event where winemakers and other wine industry professionals come together with their consumers for a huge party. In addition, approximately 75 Seattle-area restaurants were represented, each serving small bites. There were also cooking demonstrations, sommelier taste-offs, talks by prominent wine authors, and much more. It was a wine and food lover’s paradise!

It is the rare occasion that you get so many great wines in the same place at the same time. And many of the wineries have their winemakers on hand to pour samples themselves and talk about their wines.

At such a big event where 200+ wineries are pouring an average of three wines each, it is impossible to taste them all. We decided to focus our tasting on one varietal, Syrah (with a few exceptions). Since Syrah/Shiraz is one of our favorite varietals and we believe that Washington is doing great things with the varietal, we are always on the lookout for new ones to explore from our home state. We wanted to take this opportunity to taste as many Washington Syrahs as possible, especially those that we have heard great things about but had not had an opportunity to taste yet.

We definitely made a few discoveries and look forward to picking up some bottles and adding them to our blind-tasting lineup to see how they stack up against some of our proven favorites. Look for posts on these tastings in the coming weeks and months.

In order to keep these notes from being unwieldy as we tasted 35 different wines, I have broken down the list into Quality rating categories. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with appellation/region, price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Sequel Syrah, Columbia Valley, $55, QPR: 5

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2005 Gilbert Cellars Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $26, QPR: 5
2006 Syncline Syrah, Columbia Valley, $22, QPR: 5
2005 Quilceda Creek Columbia Valley Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $39, QPR: 3
2004 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve, Columbia Valley, $44, QPR: 3
2005 DeLille Cellars “Doyenne” Grand Ciel Vineyard Syrah, Red Mountain, $85, QPR: 1
2003 K Vintners “The Hustler” Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $100, QPR: 1

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Three Rivers Syrah, Columbia Valley, $24, QPR: 4
2005 Seven Hills Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $30, QPR: 4
2005 Gilbert Cellars Malbec, Wahluke Slope, $26, QPR: 3
2005 The Bunnell Family Cellar “a pic”, Wahluke Slope, $28, QPR: 3
2005 Darby Destiny Ridge Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $30, QPR: 3
2005 Seia Clifton Hill Vineyard Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $30, QPR: 3
2006 Walter Dacon C’est Syrah Belle, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 3
2004 Zefina Serience Red, Horse Heaven Hills, $30, QPR: 3
2004 Dunham Cellars Syrah, Columbia Valley, $45, QPR: 2
2006 Icicle Ridge Winery Vintner’s Reserve Merlot, Washington State, $50, QPR: 2
2006 K Vintners Pheasant Run Vineyard Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $45, QPR: 2
2004 McCrea Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Syrah, Red Mountain, $50, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle Boreal, Columbia Valley $30, QPR: 2
2004 Bergevin Lane “Oui Deux” Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $30, QPR: 2
2003 Goose Ridge Vineyards Vireo, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 2
2005 Gramercy Cellars “Lagniappe” Syrah, Columbia Valley, $32, QPR: 2
2005 Januik Lewis Vineyard Syrah, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 2
2005 Seia Alder Creek Vineyard Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $30, QPR: 2
2004 Tamarack Cellars Syrah, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: 2
2006 Betz Family Winery La Serenne Syrah, Columbia Valley, $50, QPR: 1
2005 Gramercy Cellars Walla Walla Valley Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $40, QPR: 1
2005 Heaven’s Cave The Dweller Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $35, QPR: 1
2005 McCrea Amerique Syrah, Yakima Valley, $50, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Ash Hollow Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: NR
2006 Cadaretta Syrah, Columbia Valley, QPR: NR
2006 Charles Smith Wines “Boom Boom!” Syrah, Washington State, $15, QPR: NR
2005 Saviah Walla Walla Valley Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $32, QPR: NR
2006 Walter Dacon C’est Syrah Beaux, Columbia Valley, $38, QPR: NR

After attending the Unique Wines from Around the World program last month, Dad (John) and I became inspired to see just how many different grape varieties we have had through the years. We had heard about the Wine Century Club (if you’ve tasted at least 100 different grape varieties, you are qualified for membership) but had not really given it much thought until that evening. So when we returned home, we went on the Wine Century Club website and printed out a membership application which lists numerous different grape varieties. We began looking back through our tasting notes and marking off the ones that we had already had. At that point, both of our tallies were in the 70’s. Thirty more to go seemed very doable.

When we set our minds to something, we go for it and usually don’t waste much time (I’m sure this is not news to those who know us personally). And so it was with the Wine Century Club. We went online to K&L Wine Merchants and ordered a case of wine, each bottle containing at least one grape variety that we had not previously tasted. Then one evening all four of us Wine Peeps gathered for a Wine Century Club tasting. We put all 12 bottles out on the table and tasted them one-by-one, discussing them as we went, stopping to read the labels to learn more about some of them.

What a fun tasting! Not only did we try some new varieties and mark off some more boxes on our Wine Century list, but we found some wines we’d definitely like to have again and discovered some excellent values as well. Since many of these wines are relatively unknown, you are not paying for a “label.” If you are tired of drinking your stand-by Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot all the time, I encourage you to give one of these a shot (especially one of the top four listed below which are all 5 bangs-for-your buck).

Here’s a rundown of the wines that we tasted (regions listed in parentheses).

Our favorites:

2005 Pasetti Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo, Italy): Grape: Montepulciano. Deep purple with pleasant aromas of blackberry and spice. Exhibits flavors of ripe, black fruits. Very well-balanced and elegant. Lively acidity, bold tannins, and a long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $12.99

2006 Donnafugata Sedara Nero d’Avola (Sicily, Italy): Grape: Nero d’Avola. A bit earthy with hints of buttered popcorn on the nose. Plums, pepper, and spice come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with smooth tannins, and a medium-plus finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $12.95

2005 Madiran Domaine Berthoumieu “Charles de Batz” (Southwest France, France): Grapes: 90% Tannat, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Very dark and dense. Aromas of fresh cut grass leads to flavors of spice and black fruits (especially blackberries and blackcurrants). Big, bold puckery tannins with an extremely long finish. Should be even better in a few years as the tannins soften a bit.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.99

Blandy’s 5 year old Bual Madeira (Madeira, Portugal): Grape: Bual. Dark brown in color. Exhibits some maple syrup and alcohol on the nose. Well-balanced with flavors of caramel, toffee, and burnt wood. Good with dessert or as a dessert all on its own.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.99

Also good wines, just not quite as good as the first four:

2005 Vigne e Vini Schiaccianoci Negroamaro del Salento IGT (Puglia, Italy): Grapes: 85% Negroamaro, 15% Malvasia Nera.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $9.99

2005 De Conciliis Aglianico Donnaluna (Campania, Italy): Grape: Aglianico.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.98

2005 Scacciadiavoli Rosso di Montefalco (Umbria, Italy): Grapes: 60% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, 15% Merlot, and other red grapes.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $18.99

2003 Foradori Teroldego Rotaliano (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy): Grape: Teroldego.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $18.99

Blandy’s 5 year old Sercial Madeira (Madeira, Portugal): Grape: Sercial.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $17.99

The others:

2006 Valle dell’Acate “Il Frappato” (Sicily, Italy): Grape: Frappato.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $18.99

2005 Iby Zweigelt Classic (Burgenland, Austria): Grape: Zweigelt.
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $11.99

2006 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Pineau d’Aunis l’Arpente (Loire Valley, France): Grape: Pineau d’Aunis.
Quality: 1 star (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to buy: K&L Wine Merchants (California), $15.99

Right now, you may be one of those persons who is somewhat uncomfortable when opening a wine menu at a restaurant (especially in front of others whom you wish to impress), accepting an invitation to attend a wine tasting dinner (because you don’t believe that you are a sophisticated enough taster), or even walking the aisles in a wine shop.

Reading this blog on a regular basis should be much like studying a good road map. It is necessary to get you where you are going if you are not familiar with the territory; it will help you avoid some pitfalls and give you some shortcuts, but you will not get there just reading the map. You have to get in the car and go. It is the same with wine. You cannot just read about it and think about it and visualize it. You have to experience it.

The only way to become a really good wine taster is to taste, taste, and taste some more. I read that the novelist Kurt Vonnegut once asked the painter Jasper Johns how you could tell a good painting. Johns said, “First, look at a million pictures.” And so we believe it is with wine. As the late Emile Peynaud, France’s legendary wine authority, said:

“Practically anyone can learn to taste well if he or she is prepared to make the effort: a few years of regular practice are all that is required.”

That’s encouraging, isn’t it?

Wine comes in many flavors, among many brands, representing many different varietals. They can taste dramatically different. We’ll give you some shortcuts to finding good wines and some pitfalls to avoid in this blog…we’ve already given you some. But to discover what you like best, you need to taste a wide variety of wines yourself. You’ll learn something new every time you taste, and we bet the vast majority of your tastings will give you great pleasure.

Also, remember that no one knows all there is to know about wine; a taster’s learning curve lasts a lifetime. There are always new wines to learn about and experience. We hope that you enjoy the journey as much as we do.

“Anyone who tries to make you believe that he knows all about wines is obviously a fake.” –Leon Adams

Some tips for improving your tasting skills:
1. Taste at least one new wine a month.
2. Join a regular wine tasting group.
3. Attend wine tasting events at wine shops, wine bars, restaurants, etc.
4. Host a wine tasting dinner.
5. Visit wine country.
6. And most importantly, have fun!

Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV is our host for this month’s edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday. For those that are not familiar with WBW, it is the monthly event in which wine bloggers come together to all post on the same theme on the same day. Gary selected French Cabernet Franc as our theme for April.

If you are inspired to go to your local wine shop to try some French Cabernet Franc as well, remember that you will not find a bottle of wine that specifically says “French Cabernet Franc.” France, and most countries in Europe, generally does not put the varietal name on their wine bottle labels as we do here in the United States. Therefore, you have to know something about their wine regions to know what varietals you will find there. This can make “Old World” wine buying difficult for those that are just beginning their journey in the world of wine.

French wines made predominately with Cabernet Franc can be found in a number of different regions. However, the most well-known are Chinon and Bourgueil in the Loire Valley. We decided to have one of our private tasting dinners and blind taste a Chinon and a Bourgueil against each other. To be honest, we did not particularly care for either one. The Bourgueil was decent and probably would merit another try sometime down the road, but this particular Chinon was quite disappointing. We were probably drinking both of these wines too early as they should open up and show more complexity with some age.

Cabernet Franc is most often used as a blending grape along with other red grapes, usually Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I personally think it is at its best when used to add another dimension in these blends rather than as a stand-alone varietal. But if you are a fan of earthy, vegetal wines, this could be a varietal for you to explore.

2006 Catherine & Pierre Breton “Trinch!” Bourgueil: Deep ruby with vegetal aromas along with hints of earth, licorice, and a faint note of turpentine. Strawberries mixed with a little earth dominate the palate. Well-balanced with a medium finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $17.99; DrinkUpNY.com (New York), $17.99

2005 Charles Joguet Chinon Les Petites Roches: Dark, dense purple but slightly hazy. Radishes, earth, smoke, and mint are present on the nose. Predominately vegetal flavors, especially olives. Dull and boring. A mercifully short finish since it has a horrible aftertaste.
Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
QPR: NR (not recommended)
Where to Buy: Esquin (Seattle), $21.99; WineChateau.com (New Jersey), $17.59