With many 2004’s still on the shelves and discounts popping up left and right I thought it was a perfect time to revisit some of the best values in 2004 Barolo to see how they’ve fared with an additional year in bottle.

As usual I tasted each wine twice, once immediately apon opening and then again after about 4 hours. As is to be expected most of the wines changed significantly over the course of this time, some for the better and some for the worse.

As a group these lower-priced Barolos, with a single Barbaresco thrown in, were a very elegant and immediately appealing group of wines. They are testament to the vintages early appeal with their relatively silky tannins and integrated acidity. A few wines showed a touch of dilution, which is not uncommon in this vintage of relatively high yields.

All in all I found most of the wines have remained true to their earlier assessments. Marcarini continues to impress with wines that start slowly yet have such wonderful balance that they virtually burst into shape with time in the bottle. Guido Porro makes what is arguable the best value in all of Barolo. Luigi Pira needs to be better represented in my cellar, Franco Conterno too!

The notes pretty much speak for themselves and offer a great glimpse at a set of wines that are just finding their running legs before drifting off to their big sleep. On the note I might add that I think these wines will have a relatively short closed window with few exceptions.

Now onto the wines.

Flight 1

Attilio Ghisolfi Barolo -  Apon opening this had a nice array of tarry, herbal and clay tones that recalled calamine lotion with a touch of lurking roasted strawberry. In the mouth it offered up ripe tannins and balanced acidity with relatively simple cherry fruit tones and a touch of earthy spiciness on the follow through. With air this gained a touch of gamy leatheriness and some smoky, white pepper scented notes of sausages. The fruit turned a bit blacker and gained a light medicinal edge but the wine remained an excellent, very typical straightforward slightly rustic Barolo 88pts

Marty felt “the tannins were a little rough on this one, a little rustic” though Justin “loved the style” and found the wine “harmonious”.

Burlotto Barolo – At first this offered up some simple light cherry in alcohol and sweet earth tones but air caused this to gain a touch of a raw/terpene note. In the mouth this was delicate yet drying with a decidedly savory and spicy character that was a bit chewy and tough with a long, mineral tinged finish. Air did not move this much though it did gain quite a clear strawberry tone to the fruit. It never really seemed to come together and remained uninspiring 85pts

James found this to be “ too fruity, too much strawberry”  though John found the wine to be “fresher, yet it seems disjointed”.

Rizzi Barbaresco Pajore - With a light nose that showed sandy soil tones and dried grass notes this was delicately aromatic right out of the bottle.  Airing brought out some sharp, spicy soil tones and a fine white mushroom/woodsy edge to the bouquet.  In the mouth this was zesty and bright with succulent strawberry fruit and delicious, clean yet uncomplicated fruit and soil tones that gained nice complexity with air revealing a touch of anise and bitter root tones that complimented the wild berry/lingonberry fruit that emerged on the round, polished mid-palate.  89pts

Jim found this to be “like herbal tea, but I wish it was sweeter” while John found “an almost Pelaverga pepperiness” to this wine.

Flight 2

Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis – This smelled big and muscular right out of the bottle and that translated into a rich and smooth mouthfeel packed with fine-grained tannins and fleshy fruit though there was a sense that there was more extraction of matter than flavor here as the red currant fruit was a touch diffuse and short on the finish. With air this gained excellent focus on the nose with tight, high-pitched notes of rosehips and tobacco, and while the palate remained a touch diffuse the seductive red fruit notes with their tinges of roast chestnut sweetness had a lovely texture. Ripe tannins and enough acidity to keep this rather consistent wine interesting. 90pts

Justin found this to be “very floral” while Jim thought it was a bit “ chunky but closed”

Vietti Barolo Castiglione - This was very aromatic apon opening with notes of camphor, chalk and earthy, medicinal herbs framing the red fruit. The entry was smooth, suave and sexy with sweet wild cherry and herb flavors only slightly marred by a hint of wood tannin that grew on the finish. This was mouth filling with excellent balance and finesse and wonderful clarity to the fruit so imagine my surprise when I revisited this and found it to be rather closed and almost mean with some oak showing and a slightly muddy, extracted feel.  This shut down rather impressively with air so either drink this quickly or put it away and hope the fruit emerges with the pristine beauty it originally showed. 90pts based on it’s earlier showing.

Justin found this to be “ dilute, buttery and off-putting” while Jim noted “oaky, oaky, oaky”.

Franco Conterno Barolo Bussia “Munie” – This opened slowly with a touch of torrefaction on the nose over a bed of almost weedy herbal components. With air the weediness took on a decidedly floral note and joined delicate notes of macerating cherry on the nose.  What started as an earthy, chewy, yet short mouthfeel blossomed into a lovely rich mouthful of fruit with big cherry tones and layered complexity that saw notes of herbs, flowers, dried spices and root vegetables join in. The finish was beautiful and precise, riding as much on acid as on tannin and finishing on notes of balsamic church candle and mineral notes. A lovely, complete expression of Nebbiolo. 92pts

Marty found this to be “plummy” as did Jim while Justin found “cherry pit, barnyard and dirty winemaking”.

Flight 3

Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero -  Olives and spicy green middle eastern tones immediately greated the nose with this wine and were joined by notes of hung game, moist tobacco and sweet, candied root, angelica root tones after several hours of air.  This was initially quite bitter and beef bloody with lots of candied raspberry fruit tones that gradually added some vegetal, cucumber like notes and a very big flourish of fresh green herbs that set up the palate for this green/red fruit tension that was very intriguing and lead to a crisp clean finish with some subtle pignoli nut bitterness. After several hours air the big herbal element remained as did a very quinine like medicinal tone that framed the red fruits. The mouthfeel remained both zesty and polished and I appreciated the great complexity and sneaky finish but this is a very distinctive Barolo, something I applaud. 91pts

Mark noted that if served this in a restaurant “I’d send it back!”  Justin found this to be “thinnish and flabby” John likened it to a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir and Marty found it to be the “most aromatic, with a touch of comet cleanser”. Jim called it “Burgundian” and added “I love the nose on this.”

Marcarini Barolo La Serra -  Opening with a classic, slightly seaweedy and camphor tinge that served to support subtle, earthy fruit tones, this  just built on the theme with air adding high toned seashell notes and nori to the sweet fruity tones on the nose.  A soft sweet entry is followed by a whisper of very fine tannins and lean yet transparent yellow cherry fruit with gentle notes of macerated flowers and soft wild strawberry fruit that leads to a finish with sneaky, building tannins.  This remains very taut and sheer with air gaining nuanced mint, tar and anise notes that yield to a bit of beet root on the finish. 92pts

Justin called this “Marcarini La Serra!” Mark added “ this is how I expect Barolo to taste”. Marty felt this had “all the elements” and John called it “tightly coiled”

Marcarini Barolo Brunate -  Deep and filled with roses, this begins a bit monotone on the nose with hints of dry earth, sassafras and beet root. With air this gains a bit or a brownie edge, full of moist earth, hints of game and BO and plump, roasted strawberry.  What begins as a lush, round, seductive mouthfeel turns even more polished with air revealing a touch of spice, white pepper and earth that lays like a blanket over the slightly bitter tannins and wonderfully integrated acidity.  This is well balanced and fresh but turns just a touch muddied on the finish.  91pts

Justin thought this to be “very backward and reductive” while John found this to be “ rustic in a way few of the others have been”. James found ‘something industrial” to this wine and Mark thought it “ was a little hot”.

Flight 4

Guido Porro Barolo Lazzairasco -  Initially deep and dark with baked earth notes and a touch of skunk to the nettles and cactus notes on the nose, this gained a bit of spice and light notes of macerated flowers with air but remained reticent. In the mouth this started off with a sweet entry balanced by a nearly bitter tones that emulated the tension of bittersweet chocolate that was followed by a flood of sweet, wild cherry fruit with a huge medicinal top note.  Air caused this to close down significantly, concealing the fruit and highlighting the formidable tannins. The initial taste revealed a wine with lovely polish to the tannins super acids, just a wonderful mouthful of Barolo, layered complex and with inner mouth harmony yet no shortage of energy and big power on the finish with a touch of aged animal/pork fat 92pts

Marty found this to be “full of cherry and earth.” John thought this was “totally classic but approachable” while Mark felt this was “totally typical.”

Luigi Pira Barolo - This started out quite reticent with subtle menthol and balsamic notes that morphed into a wonderfully aromatic nose redolent of waxy fruits, violets and vegetal undertones. Initially this was disjointed, rich and yet cut in half by the bright acidity that highlighted the red currant and cranberry tones of the fruit. The backend was quite lean and tapered off on the finish. Air brought out the lovely, polished ripe tannins that gave this wine the texture of flannel and helped support deep, rich, chewy red fruits in a rich, tannic style of wine that hag great lingering length.  This will get better and better. 91pts

James felt the “tannins are really drying” while Mark thought the “tannins are sweet”.  Marty enjoyed the “big body and nice full finish” of this wine.

Guido Porro Barolo Santa Caterina - This was wonderfully fresh on the nose with heather floral tones and whisps of wild strawberry emerging with some air yet with time the floral elements took control of the aromatics and added a base of cigarette smoke, oily coffee beans and spearmint that was compelling.  Polished and broad in the mouth with wonderfully fresh strawberry fruit and elegant notes of anise and herbs, this remains lithe and refreshing in the mouth. Air adds to the power here, introducing a touch of pruniness and the fruit turns darker but retains a seamlessness and purity that is very attractive. A wonderful bottle of Barolo 93pts.

John thought this resembled a “Barolo Chinato”

And with that a pretty awesome tasting was ended. I am glad to say I have already laid down all of these wines in my cellar except for the Rizzi and Franco Conterno, which were picked up at their respective wineries. I would love to have additional bottles of both stored away and plan to work on remedying that situation soon! These are lovely wines, approachable by Barolo standards, and real values in today’s marketplace.

So get out there and see what’s lying about on your retailers shelves. With the retail market they way it is I wouldn’t be surprised if you could find these wines for a song, and perhaps a dance!

Gregory Dal Piaz

Community Manager

Snooth

New York, NY (July 7, 2009) — Snooth, the world’s largest wine site, today announced the launch of its Food & Wine pairings application for My Yahoo!, the most popular personalized start page with more than 40 million worldwide monthly visitors.

My Yahoo! users are now able to peruse thousands of recipes from leading publications such as Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Real Simple and Health, among others, and get automatically generated wine pairings based on each individual dish.

The app will also highlight the most popular recipes, pairings, and wines of the day, with links to purchase the corresponding bottle.

For example, for a Tomato-Chicken Pasta dish, Snooth’s digital sommelier recommended “Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2007″ with the rationale, “This mineraly white offers nice acidity with a medium bodied feel, allowing it to partner perfectly with this meal.”

The functionality was hand built using Snooth’s database of the world’s wines and the decades of accumulated wine knowledge among Snooth’s employees, particularly that of Gregory Dal Piaz, Snooth’s Community Manager. Snooth’s expertise in systematically analyzing and categorizing wine data was transferred to analyzing and categorizing recipe data in order to create the complex pairing algorithm.

“This algorithm is an interesting combination of our backend tech functionality, as well as the human expertise of our resident wine guru Gregory Dal Piaz,” said Philip James, CEO of Snooth. “We’re trying to democratize the wine experience and make finding good wine easier, and now everyone has access to a top-tier sommelier with the click of button.”

Since its inception in June 2007, Snooth has grown to be the world’s largest wine site, with over 500,000 users per month, 1 million wines and prices from 11,000 merchants and wineries worldwide. The site currently handles over 2 million searches per month and has over 125,000 registered users.

About Snooth
Snooth is the world’s largest wine site with over 500,000 monthly users. Launched in June 2007, Snooth is a free, highly interactive, social database of the world’s wines, offering both casual and expert wine drinkers the ability to search, obtain personalized recommendations, interact with fellow wine lovers, as well as seamlessly buy from a global network of over 11,000 merchants.

Designed to be easy to use, users have the ability to search by their own personal preferences (bold, peppery, fruity, etc), by a specific meal-pairing, price, or by region or producer. Snooth’s recommendation engine also provides customized selections based on stated preferences and user feedback. The more information a user gives on wines they enjoy, the more personalized and detailed the recommendations become.

Snooth’s massive database of 1 million wines and 2 million reviews, powers many third-party wine applications and functions as a central repository of wine data. Snooth is available on-the-go using its iPhone application.

Snooth was awarded the Model of Excellence by Infocommerce in 2008, and is the recipient of multiple medals from the Wine 2.0 trade organization. Snooth has garnered much press within the tech, wine and food spaces from publications including Forbes, Oprah, Techcrunch, Mashable, the Guardian, and many others.

Snooth’s team is comprised of experts in data management, user experience, and wine. Snooth’s advisors and investors include past and current management of Blue Fly, Price Grabber, Experian, Quigo, Inertia Beverage Group, and Global Wines and Spirits amongst others.

Please visit http://www.snooth.com for more information on the largest wine site in the world.

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You’ve heard it before I’m sure. Anything but Chardonnay, and I mean anything, or do I? I don’t know if you’ve noticed but all the cool kids have left that club and formed a new club. You should come and join us in the Anything But (crappy) Chardonnay Club!

Fortunately in this club we are allowed our dalliances with Chablis and Montrachet, not to mention Hanzell, Stony Hill and Aubert. OK I won’t mention them. While wine snobs have chosen to ignore Chardonnay, perhaps revealing a bit of ignorance n their own part, the wine drinking public has continued to embrace Chardonnay.

I am all for ignoring wines that made in a style that doesn’t suit you but throwing the baby out with the bathwater is just nuts. So much great Chardonnay is made around the globe that it would take several tasting just to touch on all the main regions.

This past week we at Snooth took a look at a few examples of the styles now in the marketplace and came up with a few recommendations for almost every palate. Well that may actually be a bit of a reach.

A funny think happened to California Chardonnay over the years. Chardonnay, like Pinot Noir, came to fame in France’s Burgundy region, a place fart less sunny, warm and hospitable than much of California.

The wines that put California Chardonnay on the map came from places like the Sonoma Hills and Santa Cruz Mountains. Places that had growing conditions similar to those of Burgundy. The fruit of these vines was very well adapted to the traditional techniques used in Burgundy. The use of French oak to add spice, Malolactic fermentation to tame the hard acids of cool climate grapes, and long ageing on the lees with frequent stirrings to impart a creamy texture and subtle layer of complexity to these sleek beauties that rarely topped 14% alcohol, heck many barely topped 13%.

Well once Chardonnay became a viable wine in California vineyard creep set in. That’s that insidious habits growers have of planting grapes farther and farther from their ideal terroir. Vineyards first crept down those hillsides and eventually onto the rich soils of the easy to farm valley floors. Warm, luxurious valley floors were grapes got RIPE, yielding wines that routinely topped 14% alcohol, and 15% was certainly not a stretch.

With these wines, rich, fruity and soft the affects of the traditional winemaking techniques used to such advantage in Chardonnays’ earliest years was to create big, tropical fruit laden, buttery wines with little form, or function for that matter. But people liked them, well some did, while others then began to found their own little ABC clubs.

The tipping point for Chardonnay, not coincidentally, came when it finally established itself as the market leader.  Some say it was an accident, a stuck fermentation that gave the world the first taste of what was to become this nation’s most popular Chardonnay. That stuck fermentation left the wine with just enough sugar to make it taste remarkably fruity without being cloying, and ushered in an era of populist plonk that created a backlash like no one had ever seen. A huge, raucous, vocal backlash that had virtually no effect on the sales of Chardonnay!

So what exactly happened one is left to ask. I guess a few vocal people let off a lot of steam while more and more consumer were lulled into believing those slightly sweet, oaky, spicy, butter chardonnays represented Chardonnay at its finest. A true American original.

Now I am being a bit too harsh here, both on the producers of these wines and certainly on their consumers. I am a firm believer in to each his own and that just barely trumps my desire to like all wine. I think we have gotten to a point in our collective American viticultural experience where the idea of terroir, not necessarily that lands speak through the grapes but rather that certain plots of land are better suited to Chardonnay or Zinfandel ,or even almonds and plums!

We have moved beyond the application of certain techniques as fixed recipes. Winemakers are coming of age with both the fruit grown where it should be and the understanding of the impact of each technique on what will become their finished wine.

Chardonnay is emerging from its angry adolescence, all pimply and oily, covered with cream, and hair gel (or residual sugar and oak chips) in a desperate attempt to hide what it was while it searched for what it may become.

We are witnessing, if we choose to taste with an open mind, the emergence from it’s cocoon of a beautiful new Chardonnay. One capable of being big, bold and buttery on the one hand while remaining cool crisp and composed on the other.

Wine is an art, winemakers are the artists, growers create the paints and history has prepared the canvasses. The question cannot be simply do you like the results. One must first answer the question: Is this the best that could have been done with the raw materials?

That is where we are. We have some of the finest artists working with brilliant raw materials. Join the ABcC Club and experience what Chardonnay can be in its range of expressions, then decide if one is right for you. Perhaps, in the end, you will not find one that is right for you. That is as valid a conclusion as any that can be drawn, but making that conclusion on old experiences, or worse on not much more than a fad or fancy is simply, well, it’s simply stupid.

Anyway, onto the tasting and our notes!

Flight 1 – Better Budget Wines

Good Daughter CA 2007 13.5%                    $14.00

Has some nuanced smoky oak tones light a light lemon curd and cut nectarine fruit tones. In the mouth this is a touch sweet and round with a fleshy, friendly feel. A bit soft but shows a sense of restraint as well. 85pts

Both Cheryl and Evan found this to be a bit grassy though Didi and Paul both found nice citrus tones on the palate.

Michael David Vineyards 7 Heavenly Lodi 2006  14.5%        $15.00
A fairly raw woody nose is a touch blunt. There is good acidity here but the wine needs it to balance out the sweetness. A bit of Fruit Stripes gum, artificial banana flavor on the round palate that turns a bit spicy with a bitter, pithy edge to it on the angular finish. 83pts

Eddie thought this was “over the top” and Cheryl and Paul both found this to be typically oaky and indistinctly fruity.

Toasted Head Russian River Valley 2006 13.5%             $14.00

Not particularly aromatic with integrated spice tones and hints of floral, pear, and pineapple. In the mouth this is smooth and balanced with a touch of mineral cut and a dry leanness across the mid-palate that keeps the subtle fruit and spices tones in harmony. This finishes with a hint of refreshing minerality. 86pts

Several people commented on the stinky aspect of this with Didi noting that it was sulfury and Evan added that the buttery. apple flavors grew on him.

Flight 2 -  Cooler Climates, than Napa at least.

Kunde Estate Sonoma Valley 2007 13.8%                $18.00

Earthy and slightly minerally on the nose with dried apple, pineapple and dried floral tones that have a sage like edge. In the mouth this is focused with a big acid spine that keeps this fresh and juicy but not weighty. The flavors are a touch soft and subtle but recall nectarines and apples in a creamy, creamsicle style that grows on the long finish which has a delightfully sneaky return of sweet orchard fruits. Eminently drinkable 91pts

Everyone enjoyed this wine though Paul wanted to see more acidity  and Didi noted a “chemical” scent the consensus was that this was something to go out buy and share with friends.

Stuhlmuller SV Estate Alexander Valley 2007 14.2%        $22.00

A lovely nose with nuanced honey, toasted wood, nutmeat, yellow flowers and dusty earth tone. In the mouth the texture is just fantastic, bright and balanced with intense yet tense and focused mandarin orange, apricot and fig notes that are framed with just a hint of almond and measured oak notes. The finish is fruity, clean and crisp with refreshing acids and a delicacy to the flavors that makes this a winner for geek and novice alike. 93pts

Cheryl liked the “oily texture” of this wine and both Paul and Evan commented on the ” caramel and hazelnut” oak tones. Didi found it “tinny and metallic”.

Bouchaine Carneros 2006 13.9%                    $20.00

This is laden with sweet fruit aromas but has a raw wood note that adds an acrid edge. In the mouth this is very fruit driven with a hint of wood derived honeyed sweetness up front that yields to a chemical vanilla tone on the diffuse mid-palate. This does gain a little bit of creamy intensity on the backend and has good length but the finish feels a little stripped and spoofed. 85pts

Eddie went back and forth on this one, finding that the wine alternated between ” a bit skunky” and “exotic fruit”.  Cheryl and Evan both noted off aromas but then went on to say that they enjoyed both the texture and the flavors of the wine.

Flight 3 – Napa Valley

Duck Shack Napa Valley 2007 14.2%                 $24.00

A touch of vanilla on the nose but this is driven by lime, apricot, and pineapple fruit tones that seem fresh and bright. Zesty acid on entry is followed by cool, crisp flavors of green fruits, pineapple and peach with creamy vanilla undertones and light wood spice notes. The texture is lovely and shows excellent integration. This is refreshing yet doesn’t lack power or richness and finishes with an absolute flourish of lime, starfruit, and peach fruit salad notes with even a hint of blueberry. Delicious 92pts

Nearly everyone loved this wine, though Didi felt the palate was a let down after the nose. Paul notes that this was a “big lemon bomb” and Cheryl added it”like Goldilocks, just right!”

LaTour Mt. Veeder 2006 14.5%                    $25.00

Very oaky on the nose with buttery, nutty, vanilla candy notes that almost become tarry in the glass. Big and soft with lots of flavor but not much focus. This is not fruit driven and while made and in a way Burgundian, with a touch of rocky minerality on the mid-palate, seems a bit to aggressive and lacks a sense of elegance. In it’s own way it is intriguing with a smoky, hazelnut scented finish that has a certain allure but this is not for everyone. Given time I can see this emerging into something distinct and enjoyable.88pts

Both Eddie and Evan found a lot of oak on the nose here with “coconut oil” and “strong toast flavors”.  Paul found the nose to be “the most complex so far with orange blossoms, fig and fresh cream then oak, oak, oak on the palate.”

Frank Family Napa Valley 2007 14.4%                $28.00

This has a nice dominated by spicy French oak with dried apple fruit and a bit of lemon oil. In the mouth this is very bright up front with big citrus tones that yield to a rich, viscous, powerfully built mid-palate full of pineapple, peach and apricot tones with plenty of acid backing it up yet it still becomes cloying and sticky on the backend. The finish is also sweet with big, pure notes of cinnamon toast with cream and vanilla. A lot of wine that’s not my style but should find many admirers. 90pts

For the most part everyone enjoyed the “rich, oily, full, dense” mouthfeel of this wine but the intensity was off-putting to some as was the “spintry oak that paul found though Didi enjoyed the “caramelized, molasses  flavors.”

Flight 4 – Up and down the coast

Ch St Michelle Caone Ridge Estate WA 14.1%            $20.00

The nose here is subtle and seductive with notes of eggshell, lime leaf, butchers wax, and a wildflower sweetness tat is seductive. A leaner style in the mouth, really taut and focused with intense notes of very fresh orange, peach, pear and papaya fruits that even have a suggestion of red berry. A bit soft on the backend yet with great freshness to the slightly exotic tropical fruit flavors. The finish is a little light with a hint of mineral and hazelnut adding complexity. Very nice stuff 92pts

This wine split the crowd with Eddie noting that this was ” big, full and seductive, caressing and bold like Naginsky.” while Paul felt it was “full of black tea, too simple and no fun.”

Ojai Solomon Hills CA 2007   14.0%                $30.00

This smells very hard yet has intense and pure chardonnay fruit with background notes of saffron, honeycomb, and forest floor. Very bright and full of malic acid in the mouth that supports the intense lemon, peach and grapefruit oil fruits in the mouth. The huge acidity keeps this large scaled wine remarkably focused and highlights the wonderful purity of the fruit. The finish is snappy and as refreshing as can be with a gentle almond tone and a hint of toasted coconut. This retains a tightly coiled feeling and I expect this might get even better in the cellar. Not for everyone but a brilliant style of Chardonnay. 92pts

This was not liked by the group. Paul though it was simply “bad” and Didi felt it had a “strong, bitter, pungent taste.” With time some of the group fund more to like though with Cheryl noting that ” it did a 180 going from dirty and funky to clean and and pleasant with a bite.” Eddie added, “this was probelmatic but ended up tieing for my number 2.”

Stoller Estate Dundee Hills OR 2006 14.1%                $31.00

This smells heavy like white chocolate pudding with lots of caramel notes from the wood and not much fruit. In the mouth this is lush and chewy yet feels a bit to fat with good fruit but not much follow through and finishes with over-ripe tropical fruits and movie theatre popcorn. 86pts

The oak on this wine was noted by all with most tasters finding it to be, as Evan put it, “creamy and spicy.” Paul liked it’s “creamy white raisin and mango” flavors while Cheryl found it to be “  astringent and oaky” but still enjoyed the caramel and fruit flavors.

Well that was it. I was actually very surprised by how much I enjoyed several of these. It’s been too long since i took a look at West Coast Chardonnay and I am glad I took the time to give these a test drive. I found a few for my summertime drinking. How about you? Ready to join us in the ABcC club?

Gregory Dal Piaz

Community Manager

Snooth

The destination was Picchetti Winery, which is nestled towards the bottom of Montebello Rd in Cupertino. Montebello road is a steep and windy, very pretty road that snakes up through the Cupertino mountains, topping out at Ridge Vineyards which I was also able to visit later during my trip.

The hike was to be an out-and-back hike along the trails behind the winery, part of the nature preserve there. The trail was well chosen by our guide as it was kept well, not too steep, and had plenty of great sites along the way. It was about 4 miles in total.

We had prepared a pot luck lunch per our guide’s instructions, but first it was time to work up an appetite. Here we are, ready to start our hike.

We had beautiful weather for the hike, and I noticed that as we walked along the path, the temperature would change from warm to cool, as the sun heated up the hills around us and breezes carried that temperature differential our way. I never felt uncomfortable as a result. It was cool as much as warm. Similarly, the breezes carried some of the smells of the surrounding countryside to our nostrils. I found the aromas along the trail changed as much as the temperature did, so there was always a new sensory combination to appreciate.

Russ gave a great overview of some of the flora surrounding us. From Mugwort plants, the California Buckeye, to Bay Trees, and the Indian Paintbrush and Soap Plant, there were plenty of stories to share.

We all enjoyed seeing this rooster come strutting through, so there was a bit of fauna as well.

I also returned with a number of great photos of the trail and the surrounding countryside. Below you can see a photo I snapped of the trail, and one of the nearby reservoir.

Near the end of the hike, we decided to tackle a hill up to the old Picchetti vineyards. The Zinfandel vines up there were over a hundred years old, very gnarled, and still producing great fruit after all of these years.

And finally we returned to the cars, doffed our hiking gear and hauled out the food. I know by that time I was ready for it. Included was a lovely barley salad and chickpea salad, great breads and cheeses, olives, cherries, and of course the wine came out, we opened a bottle of the Picchetti Zinfandel Belliciti Vineyard. We even had a few folks along without much of a taste for Zinfandel who by the end were singing the wine’s praises.

One of the wonderful things about being at a picnic table outside of the winery is that you can wander into the tasting room afterwards. Picchetti Winery pours a nice tasting of 5 wines for 5 dollars. Everyone opted into that, and we enjoyed a taste of wines made with Viognier, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Everyone was really happy with the Tempranillo particularly, which our pourer (Smiley) mentioned was doing a wonderful job of selling. If you’re interested in trying a bit of that juice, you might need to make it there before too much longer.

If you’re looking for a great way to experience the California countryside, wine, and friends, I highly recommend you call up Russ and organize a hike. He’ll tailor your experience to your fitness level, but he might suggest that wine be involved. I hope that’s okay.

Tell him I sent you.

If I introduced you to the rose bushes in my garden and I called them, Skunk, Vomit and Sulfur, would you really take to them with a walk away feeling of delicacy and charm?  And in that we find wine’s least charming characteristic – the power of persuasion.  Anyone can pull their Pinocchio from the glass and blurt out something rather interesting or silly  and, almost immediately, you will pick up on that same character if you are sniffing the same wine.

How does this pertain to a name?  Well, in launching my new venture I have the inevitable task of naming my wine.  This is a process that I have thought about over the years; even when I had no desire to make my own wine and label it as such.

I could tell you what I like to drink and why; however, unlike the old saying, “the journey is the destination,” in hindsight I have always felt it to be the other way around – the destination (the words and snapshots in your journal, the airline ticket stubs, the restaurant matchbooks) should incite memories of the time spent or the feelings endured.  When you are dealing with a luxury, packaged good (as pricey wine can be categorized) the hope is that the name, the label, the brand identity makes a connection that either brings you to another place or helps you identify with the thoughts and inspirations of the winemaker behind the wine.  [Note: That is just my opinion and aspiration.]

So, I am torn as to how I want to present myself with this wine.  I know in today’s day of Technology ADD, a brand needs to be dynamic and changing; offering its core essence but evolving with the times.  But for me, the dilemma is deeper.  Do I care about keeping up with the Twitterati?  Or do I want to achieve something that is timeless in its place and presentation?

I concede in my willingness to possibly accept the inevitable evolution of a brand identity, and, therefore, I have accepted the fact that the first attempt may not be perfect in all its parts.

For me, at the moment, ideas are swimming somewhere between an Ivy League education reamed of Humanities, Ancient Greek and Roman studies and all their encompassing esotericism, ethereal character and intellectualism with my modern day appreciation of minimalism, simplicity and elegance.

Can one accomplish both while teetering on the imagery of Tiepolo and Richard Serra? I hope so.

But, if you know me, I tend to stand against the pretension (of wine) albeit appreciating the history of the wine and its craftsmanship – from the technical and traditional to the irreverent and risk taking.
So, how does one portray the personality of the product and the varied personality of the person behind the product?  That is the dilemma.

I am 99% certain of the name of the wine brand and the “sub names” of the white wines I wish to create.  However, I would like to hear from you, my faithful and flawless readers, what attracts you to a wine label?  I’d love to gather your thoughts and comment on them and my decision in the next post.  Thanks in advance for your time and generosity of opinion, I look forward to hearing from you.

Dan Petroski is Assistant Winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa Valley. Dan has an MBA from New York University and worked as an Ad Exec in New York for several years, before switching it up and trading his suit for a move out west

Case in point, a few weeks ago I had made plans to meet my brother at my father’s house to make some order. We had a real mess on our hands and some major cleanup  was called for. Long story short, brother didn’t show. so I was stuck cleaning this mess myself.

Now the truth is most of that stuff is my crap. No question about it, ton’s of restaurant equipment left over from my restaurant days but you know it wasn’t easy manhandling the 180lb TEC searmaster grill or ice machine compressor and that 3 door lowboy refer, how was I supposed to get that in the barn? Sheer force of will that’s how. I actually threw out the swoopy black mid-century chair, which was painful but the truth is I found it in the trash so no great loss and we now have two newer, and larger grills so that piece of crap found the bottom of the dumpster as well. It took about 6 hours, and I should have taken a picture of my bloody hands but eventually the yard looked like a yard again and the barn was, dare I say it, organized!

So what does this have to do with wine. Not much except when you consider how beaten I was by the end of the night. I had stopped by the butcher, ok it’s the supermarket but they have a decent butcher there, and got a perfect 1.5lb sirloin steak for myself earlier in the day. That and some mushrooms, shallots and potatoes made for the fixins of a decent meal. All I needed wqas a bottle of wine. What I wanted was something satisfying, with a bright acidic spine. Nothing to complex yet complex enough, aged enough to ring my bell without any effort from me. I ended up choosing a 1982 Gigi Rosso Arione Barolo. Now this should have been exactly what I was looking for.

1982 a great vintage in its prime.

Arione a grand vineyard in Serralunga.

Gigi Rosso an underachiever if there was one but I was hoping that the vintage and vineyard would trump whatever Gig had mastered to ensure mediocrity in his wines.

I was right, barely.

This was no doubt a great bottle of the 1982 Arione. The cork was tight as can be and that near perfect seal held this wine in good stead. Typically pale and borderline oxidized apon opening this freshened up in the glass revealing a moderate core of sour cherry fruit with lovely, subtle tar and anise notes all backed by the mouthwatering acidity I was after.

Truth is it was a perfectly good wine. I scored it a solid 87 points, barely sellable in today’s point beholden marketplace but PERFECT for me this evening. It was exactly what I wanted, what I needed to salve my wounds and nourish my soul and anything better, richer, or more complex would simply have been lost on me, a waste on a wasted man.

I ate my dinner and drank my bottle, exhausted, and now slightly drunk I made my way to bed happy. Oh so happy.

You see sometimes less  really is more.

Sometimes 87 points are better than 90 points.

Sometimes you want to drink the wine and forget about the points.

Ponder that this holiday weekend and have a great Fourth of July!

Yeah that steak is pretty perfectly cooked, thanks for noticing. Hardwood charcoal in the dark, but I used to do this for a living.

Gregory Dal Piaz

Community Manager

Snooth.com

Who pulls Beaujolais from the cellar you might ask. Well I do but I can’t say I’m a leader in that field. In fact several of my friends have rather varied assortments of Beaujolais resting in the deep recesses of their cellars and through their generosity I have come to know the wonder of aged Gamay.

Wines are strange beasts, they start life as one thing and frequently morph into something completely different with age. Gamay in particular seems to really transform itself in the cellar, which is a bit of a surprise as Beaujolais, what most of us think of when we think of Gamay, starts out life as an easy, quaffable, cherry berry delight with little to no promise of improvement.

However, after several years in the cellar wonderful things happen. The fruit both fades and morphs into something gamy and wild with more than a passing resemblance to Burgundy of a certain age.  One of the consequences of this transformation is that the fruit become less flamboyant and more transparent allowing the minerality of the terroir to express itself.

It is somewhat bizarre to think of but Beaujolais with age perhaps expresses its terroir as well as any other wine, maybe even better than any other wine. For me these aged examples of Beaujolais combine the fruit quality of Burgundy with a terroir that recalls some of the finest plots of the Northern Rhone,those granite rich bands through St. Joseph and Cornas in particular.Not a stretch when you consider that Beaujolais lies right in the midst of these two famous wine producing regions.

While I have had Beaujolais older than the wines tasted for this post I think these wine represent the peak along the ageing curve for most of the wines, which is to say about 6-12 years after the vintage. All four wines showed very well with several characteristics in common; a certain Asian spice note, a seamless, delicate texture, transparent fruit and wonderful and refreshing mineral tones.  If this sounds like something that would appeal to your palate do yourself a favors and seek out a few examples of aged Beaujolais to try or just lay down a few of the affordable beauties for your future enjoyment!

Here are 4 examples from my cellar.

1996 Domaine j Chamonard Morgon Le Clos de Lys

Pale dried rose petal color, earthy looking

Funky, earthy, Burgundian nose, intensely smoky with notes of medicinal floral tones, tea and baked wild cherry and medicinal mineral tones, intense stuff! Some dried Asian spiced beef notes dried orange peel

Soft and almost lush with plenty of acid and only a whisper of tannin supporting the dried strawberry fruit. And mandarin orange notes There are nice background notes of mossy earth, tea and Asian spice chocolate on the midpalate with a fresh brisk floral and red berry finish of moderate length.  A very savory and yet curiously fruity wine with solid length. 89pts

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2002 Earl Louis & Claude Desvignes Morgon Cote du Py

dark ruby with a beige cast

A tight noise with a very fine tobacco tone, mineral notes, and a hint of violet all backed up with tight wild berry fruit, opens rather nicely revealing tea, mint,  moss and wild berry tone with some ferrous minerality.

Soft plush and full of gentle fading fruit edged in brown spice and roast fruit tone, some dried apricot up front and still has a nice touch of tannin adding depth, nice and fairly full with earth tone and a brilliantly mineral backend that leads to an almost salty vivid finish the acid here really pops with some air, lifting the fruit like a one pole circus tent and accentuating the earthy front end but this is still a mineral bomb on the back half and into the finish then there is a lovely return of spicy, briary fruit. Killer right now. 92 pts

2003 Duboeuf La Trinquee Julienas

Cedary and woodsy with a touch of zinfandel like briar here, there is a lovely wild cherry jam tone but no too cooked and subtle note of graham cracker and waxy lipstick with a white pepper spice edge.

Soft and sweetly fruity up front with nicely integrated acidity and some very attractive wild red cherry fruit and hints of baking spice and herb. Really mirrors the aromatics. Has some slightly aggressive tannins still that lead to a bit of a woodsy finish that is cut short by an earthy, beet rooty tone which gains traction on the mid-palate after about 30 mins. A touch clumsy at times but still perfectly intact and enjoyable. 85pts

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2003 Coudert Clos de la Roilette

Quite pale and bricky with quite a bit of sediment

Very herbal, and balsamic on the nose with sweet fruity wax lips candy tones and huge notes of macerated flowers, game, earth, violette pastille and stone absolutely captivating aromatics that are sweetly fruited yet savory and earthy and complex.

The entry is almost slick in it’s seamlessness then the structural elements help add some texture with the bright acids adding cut and the fine tannins grab to the earthy, wild cherry, dark toned fruit. There is a lurking spiciness here, almost medicinal and lovely notes of flowers, herbs and exotic fruits like persimmon then this turns a bit lean and austere on the backend but with impressive length and even a bit of drying tannin and mucky cologne on the finale. Really long. Perhaps still a bit young too! 92pts

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So the short of all this is that these wines are wonderful with some age on them and they absolutley defy our expectations. Time to change expectations folks so buy and cellar some Cru Beaujolais. You will be justly rewarded!

Gregory Dal Piaz

Community Manager

Snooth

Bennett Valley is a sub-appellation of Sonoma Valley and is located in the Sonoma Mountain chain that leads up towards Santa Rosa.  It is almost an extension of the Sonoma Mountain sub-appellation.

Chalk Hill is a sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley.  It is at the east end of the appellation running up against the Alexander Valley appellation and Knights Valley appellation in the Mayacamas Mountains.

I’m going to tell you a little bit about both.

Bennett Valley

History
Bennett Valley is one of the newest appellations in Sonoma County.  In fact, it is one of the newest California appellations.  The application for the appellation was filed in October of 2001 by the CEO of Mantanzas Creek.  Mantanzas Creek is the ‘anchor’ winery of the appellation.  The appellation was granted in December 2003.  I don’t know for sure if that is a record but it is very fast.  According to information I read, there was on opposition.

The area shares a lot of it’s formative history with Sonoma Valley and Sonoma in general.  Grape growing recorded as far back as mid-1800s.  Many of the original vineyards farmed by immigrants and used for local wines.

Geography

Bennett Vally is, well, a valley.  It is one of the smallest AVAs in the Sonoma County with only 650 acres currently planted out of 8,140 acres available.  For comparison, Sonoma valley has about 60,000 acres planted.   It is a valley that is part of the Sonoma Mountain chain that runs along the west side of Sonoma Valley.  It is surrounded by three different mountain peaks: Taylor Mountain (west), Sonoma Mountain (south) and Bennett Peak / Bennett Ridge (east).  Finally to the north is the city of Santa Rosa.

Bennett Valley, like a lot of the area, around it has volcanic type soil and is a cool weather climate.  It’s unique feature, which separates it from the surrounding areas, is cool air is  channeled into the valley from the north by the peaks via the Crane Caynon / Grange Road wine gap.  The air has no where to go but settle in the valley.

Grapes, Wines & Wineries

You would think with a small amount of land planted that there wouldn’t be a lot of variation of in the grapes being grown.  If you did think that, you’d be wrong.  It planted mostly with Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, with lesser amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Barbera, Grenache, and Sauvignon Blanc.  You can even find a bit of Petite Sirah, Sangiovese and Zinfandel.

Why should you care?

Bennett Valley is one of those lesser known special places.  It is one of those places that is coming into it’s own.  It is home to a well known and respected winery in Mantazas Creek and a lot of smaller family owned wineries. The growers there provide grapes to some of the best known California names including: Stag’s Leap Cellars, DuMol and Caymus.

Links

Bennett Valley Grape Growers Association

Bennett Valley @ Appellation America

 Bennett Valley @ Wikipedia

Bennett Valley @ Calwineries

Chalk Hill
When people say the name Russian River the first thing that comes to mind is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  That is a fair assessment as that is what the Russian River Valley is known for.  So, when people hear that Bordeaux style wines are being made in Russian River Valley they think someone is smoking some funny cigarettes or they just made a mistake.  The truth is, it is being done in a sub-appellation called Chalk Hill.

History

There isn’t anything outstanding about the history of Chalk Hill.  It wasn’t one of the first places that grapes were grown in California or even in Sonoma County.  It has, like a lot of places in Sonoma, growing grapes.  The Chalk Hill AVA was founded in 1983 when people realized this wasn’t Russian River Valley.

Geography

The Chalk Hill AVA covers about 33 square miles (85 square kilometers) and is situated at the eastern side of the Russian River AVA.  It has about 1,600 acres (650 hectares) of planted vineyard land with about a 1000 of that planted.  It is mostly rocky volcanic ash based soil and the elevation slopes upward the farther east you go.  The AVA ends on the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain. The elevation of the AVA ranges from a low of 200 but is as high as 1300 feet.  Unlike the rest of the Russian River Valley AVA, the Chalk Hill region is relatively warm due to the influence of a thermal belt that runs through the area.  Harvest time in Chalk Hill often takes place in September while harvest in the surrounding regions usually takes place in October.

Grapes, Wines & Wineries

Chardonnay is still the most grown grape in Chalk Hill.  But there is an increasing amount of Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot.  Like many regions in California people experiment by growing different grapes, other grapes that are grown in Chalk Hill include: Pinot Gris, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc.  With the warmer climate and big variation in altitude it is possible to find an area suitable to a lot of different grape varieties.

So what wineries are in Chalk Hill that you might know?  How about J Vineyards and Rodney Strong?  Yes, they are both in Chalk Hill with, of course, Chalk Hill Estate.
Why should you care?

Like Bennett Valley, Chalk Hill is one of those stealth AVAs.  It is an AVA with great grapes and wineries.  If you are the type of person that knows a secret that other people don’t you want to know about Chalk Hill.  The great thing about it is that you can find all wine in one area.  It produces a bit of everything, Burgundian and Bordeaux wines in 33 square miles.  Oh yeah, don’t forget the sparkling wine courtesy of J Wines.

Links

Chalk Hill @ Appellation America

Chalk Hill @ Wikipedia

Chalk Hill @ Calwineries

John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.

Importers are always popping up and going out of business, but there are a number of reputable firms you can look out for. When I walk into a wine store and am looking for a new imported wine to try, the first thing I do is rotate bottles to look at the back label where the importer information is often stored. There isn’t always a logo on the label as there is in this Kermit Lynch example, but the text should be there. In the US, all imported wine must have some designation of what company imported that particular bottle. Different importers may import the same wine into different states or countries and multiple importers may have the right to import a single wine into the same place, so things can get a little confusing.

I’m mostly familiar with the portfolios of California importers, so this list skews towards the left coast of the US but here are a few of my favorites that I look out for. Some of these importers are distributed nationally.

-Chambers and Chambers – a little bit of everything. In Italy, they even use a consultant named Carla Bocchio who travels around helping them find the best producers. I had the chance to interview Carla a while back when she was in town, so will eventually post this interview on the blog.

-Kermit Lynch – French wines. The famous.

-Winemonger – Austrian wines. I’m still learning about Austrian wines, but there portfolio hasn’t disappointed yet.

-Charles Neal Selections – France

-Cape Classics – South Africa. Between these two SA importers, I think they have most of my favorite wine farms covered.

-Vineyard Brands – South Africa

-Domaine Select – a bit of everything

There are a couple of good articles you can read more on this idea of learning the name of an importer in order to discover new wines: Slate and HalogenLife