…or else you’ll end up with a bottle looking like this….Yup. I did it. I made a classic ‘impatient wine drinker’ mistake. The company was thirsty, I wanted to impress, I hurriedly reached for a prized ‘06 Archery Summit Red Hills Estate Pinot Noir and yanked it from the fridge.

I knew it was going to happen as I was doing it, but it was too late. Newton’s Law’s of motion were already on display, I watched in horror as the scene in front of me played out in slow motion.

It’s a common problem with today’s Wine Fridge appliance, regardless of manufacturer.  In an effort to try and squeeze as many shelves in a relatively small space, they are stacked tightly together, much like the coach section of most commercial aircraft.  There is generally adequate room for skinny, Bordeaux bottles, and certainly the traditionally slender Riesling and Alsace wine bottles have no problems.  But for those of us that are blessed with more full-figured (I prefer the term ‘curvy’,) Burgundy and Rhone bottles, we are in for a tight squeeze.

Wine fridge shelves are generally made of wood, and have a bit of give.  So by carefully pulling the shelf above your pinot bottle, you can eek out enough room to remove the bottle unscathed.  Carefully being the operative word here.  My lack of carefulness led to the predicament-at-hand; thus this blog post.

Fortunately, a wine’s quality is not affected by the condition of its label. 2006 was a pretty good year for Oregon Pinot, and Archery Summit can generally be counted in to deliver solid results in any year. If you followed WineExpedition in the past you may recall our visit to Archery Summit resulted in some good Pinot being poured, and if memory serves, all of the labels were in excellent shape (apparently they know how to lift a shelf over there).

This Pinot had a nice, vibrant color, and a good nose of spicy red cherries and a hint of sweeter berries (like a ripe raspberry). The palate was substantial yet refined, with rich flavors of wild berries, cherries and a hint of forest-y mushrooms. It was balanced, with a weight on my tongue and a rolling finish. After about an hour, I revisited and was rewarded with an even better experience; the wine had settled and more of the spices came into play. The torn label was quickly forgotten as we finished the bottle, smiles of satisfaction on our faces.

What the label should have looked like…

This afternoon, I took a moment to eyeball my other Pinot bottles to make sure they were placed in such a way as to put as little of the label in contact with the shelves as possible.

Just for fun, I googled the subject of ‘torn labels on hastily removed Pinot bottles’, and I actually found a good quote in a review of a 170-bottle wine fridge onthis online review site. The reviewer revealed: “…most of the shelves (except for one shelf) don’t fit odd shaped bottles such as a Turley Zin, Pinot Noir or Champagne bottles. You have to remove shelves to make those bottles fit; otherwise the labels scratch off…” Hmmm… If only I had read this review sooner.

Considering I have a good half-dozen bottles of Pinot in my fridge, along with four of those damn ‘odd-shaped’ Turley Zinfandel bottles, I need to proceed with caution. The motto here should be: ‘…slow and steady wins the race…’.

By the way, for those of you who noticed a bit of a long spell between posts, I hope to be posting a bit more often. My Wine Expedition is back on track… I’ll explain soon…

Cheers!

I hear it at least once a week:  ” I just had this great Argentinian Malbec!”  Malbec has of course become synonymous with Argentina, though I was recently reminder that like most wine grapes, Malbec isn’t restricted to one region or country.  It has freely traveled the world, without a passport.  It’s a grape that knows no boundaries!

Argentina has embraced the Malbec grape as their own, much like Chile has done with Carmenere.  And like Carmenere, Malbec is originally from the Bordeaux region of France, primarily used as a blending grape.  It’s still grown in Bordeaux where it is known as ‘Cot’ (though in St. Emilion it’s called Pressac.)

Admittedly, I haven’t had the chance to taste many Argentinian Malbecs.  The few I’ve had were decent, and generally reasonably priced.  When my buddy Anthony told me he was opening up a bottle of Malbec this last weekend, I assumed it was from Argentina.  But it turns out this one was from the lovely Santa Lucia Highlands, just a few hours north of Los Angeles.

Anthony had recently returned from a weekend trip to Carmel, and apparently he made a few winery stops along the way.  One of those stops was at the Hahn Winery tasting room, about an hour southeast of Carmel and Monterey, and an hour and a half north of Paso Robles.

The grapes for this wine are grown at their ‘Hook Vineyard’ in the Santa Lucia Highlands, and has historically been used by Hahn as a blending grape in their Bordeaux-varietal wines.  Only in recent years has there been enough crop to make a limited-edition Malbec.

The ‘07 Hahn Estates Santa Lucia Highlands Malbec is made from 100% Malbec aged for 14 months in 70% new French oak barrels.  That oak is evident on the nose of this deep-colored wine, with hints of vanilla swirling amongst the aromas of fresh blueberry pie. The palate is big and rich, with flavors of plum and raspberry (again, I kept imagining a fresh, homemade pie!), with subtle spice and a nice, smooth finish.  This wine has a substantial, creamy mouthfeel, which will never elicit a complaint from me.  It was almost too big to drink sans food, but we’re big boys and we pulled it off.  As I said to Anthony, “this wine is a Steak Night wine”.  Seriously, this wine can handle beef all day long.

For $28, this is solid, and I’m now on the hunt for other California Malbecs to try.  The next time someone tells me about an Argentinian Malbec that they’ve tried, I’m going to tell them to check out the Hahn Estates Santa Lucia Highland Malbec as well.  Why have boundaries?

…I found this bottle of ‘05 all by itself in the Pinot Noir section at Mission Wines in South Pasadena.  It was the last one, and it was only in my possession for about twenty minutes before its contents were in my glass…

There was a time in my younger days when I mistakenly believed that all Central California Pinot Noirs were from the same place, more or less.  I assumed that Santa Maria Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Rita Hills were all sort of in the general vicinity of Santa Barbara.  Ahhh…. youth.

While Santa Barbara County is indeed home to the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills AVAs, the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is further North in Monterey County, and within the larger Monterey AVA.  All of these AVAs are within the massive Central Coast AVA.  And while each of the aforementioned regions produce noteworthy Pinot Noir, there are wide differences in character and style.

The Santa Barbara regions are often affected by fog, but usually get good and hot come the end of summer.  The resulting grapes tend to be sweet and spicy.  Further North in Monterey County, the constant coastal breeze makes for a cooler crop with thick skins and heavy, often earthier flavors.  A lot of California Pinot producers like to blend grapes from the two counties to produce blends (some even adding grapes from the Sonoma Coast or Russian River Valley in Northern California).  Personally, I get a kick out of sampling pinots from the various regions and comparing and contrasting.  Obviously there are factors other than climate (like the winemaker) that shape the final wine, but there’s no question that the terroir of each region imparts its unique influence on the wines

Which brings me back to the ‘05 De Tierra.  The Silacci vineyard is in the Monterey AVA, in the northern-most edge of the Santa Lucia Highlands mountains, just a tad North of the Santa Lucia Highland AVA’s northern border.  According to the winery, “the Silacci is the northern most Pinot Noir vineyard in Monterey and yields the more elegant and old world style of cool climate Pinot Noir.”

Elegant; if I had only one word to describe this wine, that’s the word I’d use.  Fortunately for both you and I, I can use as many words as I like.  (Ok, it may or may not be fortunate for you, but you can skip the words and just look at the pictures if you like.  I’ll never know.)

The wine has a beautiful color; deep garnet with a noticeable intensity.  A few swirls and I got a whiff of ripe red berried and a touch of red rose petals.  One sip and I knew I was in for a fantastic bottle:  the raspberry/cherry fruit was intense, yet somehow balanced by subtle earthy notes and a lush mouthfeel.  Such a substantial tasting experience, yet a real easy drinker; worth every penny at $29.99.

After researching a bit online, I’ve found a few more producers that source grapes from the same vineyard, including Ryan Cellars, Rustique, Miura Vineyards and Alcina Cellars.

After finishing the last drop and before shutting my laptop for the night, I jotted down two ideas that I wanted to pass on for future tasting experiments.  1) Pick up 4 of the aforementioned pinots that are all sourced from the same vines and taste the differences that each winemaker infuses into the wine.  2) Find a producer that makes pinot from several of the Monterey AVA vineyards, or even better, from a couple of the Monterey AVA vineyards and a vineyard or two from some of the other nearby AVAs (Santa Lucia Highlands for example), to see how each of the wines differs.

Until next time…  Cheers!

OK, this deal was so good that we’re emerging from our hibernation to tell you about it…Clos LaChance is in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, an AVA that I hold near and dear to my heart.  Owners Bill and Brenda Murphy started Clos LaChance in their Saratoga, CA backyard in the late 80’s, and have built it up to quite an operation, with three tiers of wines and a plethora of varietals offered each year.

The ‘06 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a solid California Cab…  a nice dark color, dark fruits and berries and a hint of leather on the nose.  Flavors of dark berries laced with with oakey vanilla hit the palate nicely, with a good balance and decent finish.

This wine was originally released at $35 a bottle, but apparently the ‘07 vintage is pushing the ‘06 out the door at just $12.99.  This is seriously a STEAL. It’s almost impossible to find a wine of this quality anywhere close to this price.  It’s currently available at all K&L locations as well as on their website, but at this price it won’t last.  Buy several if you can.

As DEVO once said: “…freedom of choice: it’s what we got. Freedom from choice: it’s what we want…” Let’s face it; there are A LOT of wines to choose from out there. A lot of grape varietals, a lot of regions, a lot of vintages, a lot of wineries and producers, A LOT OF BOTTLES OF WINE. To quote a buddy of mine who recently asked my advice: “…frankly, it’s a bit overwhelming.”Yes it is, yes it can be, but no it doesn’t need to be. We’ll talk about this more in the near future… We’re preparing some guides… some recommendations… a road map if you will. But until then…

In the absence of a road map, what do you do? And don’t say “just figure it out.” I’ve been there before; I was the guy who refused to stop at the gas station and ask for directions. I learned the hard way. Don’t make that mistake. Don’t be that guy.

JUST ASK!!! The great thing about buying wine in 2010 is that there also A LOT of wine retailers & professionals whose job it is to answer questions and sell wine. Any decent wine store in your city will should have a friendly and knowledgeable staff that can answer any questions you have about wine.

“Which wine can I pair with my mother’s chicken stew?” “Can I drink a red wine with a fish dinner?” “I only have ten bucks… what wine should I buy?” All valid questions and all can be answered by the clerk at your local wine store.

Now if your town doesn’t have a good wine shop, I understand your hesitation to heed this advice. The ‘wine personel’ at the supermarket are usually the same people that stock the battery racks and greeting cards and while Costco has a pretty good wine selection, nobody there knows the answer to a wine question (they probably can’t answer your Hi Def TV ‘LCD versus plasma’ question either.)

But don’t fret; we live in the information age… the very same internet on which you have the ability to view this blog, you can also reach out and ask all the burning wine questions you have… Any of the major online wine retailers like K&L Wine Merchants, Wine.com and Bevmo have ‘help’ email and phone numbers to use in order to ‘get more info’. K&L even has a ‘personal sommelier service‘ that you set up, and your favorite K&L staff member will hand-select wines that match your preferences. YOU pick the countries, regions, grape varieties, price range and how many bottles you want. It’s a great service, delivered to your door (asuming you live in a state that allows wine shipments). It’s all too easy.

Heck; you can always reach out to us: contact@wineexpedition.com – we’ll be happy to answer your questions. We LOVE talking about wine!

I recently took my own advice: I had a question and I ASKED!!

After all of the Easter ham talk last week, I decided to make Chateaubriand for Easter. My go-to wine when eating a nice piece of beef has always been California Cabernet; but I felt like mixing it up this time. I toyed with the idea of a nice bottle from Bordeaux, but decided I’d ask someone at my favorite wine store for a fresh suggestion. As it happens, the guy I bumped into was the Italian wine buyer, and after explaining in detail my planned menu, he suggested the Super-Tuscan pictured below – the 2004 Aglieta “Pomo” Toscano Rosso.

Left to my own devices, I would not have stumbled upon this bottle myself. But I ASKED… I WAS REWARDED. What a wine! It was a big, strong Italian red (and it needed to be with that insane piece of beef that came out of the oven. A stoic nose of spicy red fruit was followed by sweet, dark red fruit with a voluptuous mouth-feel, silky tannins and finish o’ plenty. What a treat and what a pairing.

IT PAYS TO ASK.

…as I sit here basking in the glow of the Family Winemakers of California tasting in Pasadena earlier this month, I thought I’d string together a few thoughts on why these kind of events are so cool, and why EVERYONE should go to them as often as possible.

1. GOOD WINE; and LOTS OF IT!

Even if you have a generous allocation in your monthly budget for wine, I don’t know how anyone could be exposed to as many good wines in one place and time as one can at a wine tasting event. I was floored at the Pinot Days tasting; every single Pinot I tasted was amazing- and there were nearly 100 wineries present, most pouring two to three wines. Almost every wine was estate or reserve grade; bottles in the $60-$100 range from wineries like Sojourn, Keller Estate, Cloud’s Rest and Belle Glos. In the course of a couple of hours, one can walk away having sampled and experienced dozens of good wines from countless producers/regions/varietals.

2. EDUCATION/INFORMATION

Aside from the experience of tasting all those wines, the education that goes along with it is mind-boggling. I always bring a pen and a notebook (call it a tasting journal if you like), and I’ll jot down tasting notes, factoids, quotes from the winemaker, etc. Many of the tasting tables will be manned by either the owner or winemaker of the winery, so tasters have the opportunity to get answers to questions, or details and information that can’t be found in magazines or on websites. Honestly, one tasting event can provide more useful information than a stack of wine magazines. By the way, the information you garner at a tasting event includes personal tasting data; I don’t know of a magazine or website that can do that.

3. FREEBIES/DISCOUNTS

Coupon-cutters, pay attention… I’m talking to you! (I can say that because I’ve cut a coupon or two in my day). Tasting attendees will often be given the opportunity to receive special discounts on wine or wine club opportunities not offered to the general public. This is especially true for tasting events that are held at wine stores; the wines being tasted will usually have special sale prices for purchases on the day of the event. And then there’s the schwag… I’ve got a drawer at home to house some of the stuff I’ve brought home at tastings: I have several cork screws, a Wine Spectator mouse pad, a ball-point pen, a t-shirt, two baseball caps and most recently added: a carabiner keychain from the folks at Trek Wine.

4. LIBRARY WINE

A lot of wineries will bring out some bottles they’ve been holding for a while to showcase the aging potential of their wine and the heritage and history behind their name. That’s when it can get really interesting (make sure you get your tasting journals out!) How often do you get the chance to compare an ‘06 Spring Mountain Vineyard estate Cabernet with the ‘87 vintage? I did at the Family Winemakers tasting. The ‘87 was holding up quite nicely, lots of interesting secondary characteristics had emerged, but the fruit was still right there in the driver’s seat. Quite a treat.

5. THE PEOPLE

Now if you see the two guys in the picture above, you should run in the opposite direction as quickly as possible (that’s me and our buddy Adrian, a regular member of the WE team.) But beyond that, there inexplicably tends to be a lot of really cool folks at wine tastings. In addition to the aforementioned winemakers and vintners, there are a lot of enthusiastic wine geeks just like you, and they flock to these things. It can be interesting to compare notes and trade wine tasting war stories (sit next to me at a tasting, I’ll talk your ear off). There are always lots of wine professionals in the room as well, and they can be a great resource for information, tasting tips and possibly even more schwag; (for example, the ‘wine professionals’ in the picture above might have an extra t-shirt or two on their person.)

Bottom line: regardless of what town you live in, there’s bound to be a tasting event of some significance nearby at least once a year- (if not, you need to travel). Take advantage of them. The benefits are pretty substantial and you’ll be glad you did. If you see the guys from Trek Wine, ask for a keychain.

Human beings are creatures of habit, there’s no getting around it. It’s so easy to fall into a rut. I do it myself; as of late I’ve been drinking an awful lot of Pinot. (Though I gotta say, there’s nothing awful about a lot of Pinot!) Every once and I while I shake it up a bit and pick up a bottle of something new… something unexpected… something different. Thus this list: five wines to turn to when you feel the need to mix it up or try something new. (And by the way, this is only the tip of the iceberg; there are so many unsung grapes, producers, regions and styles in the world- there’s really no excuse for getting caught in a rut.)

1. Viognier

Probably the main attraction of Viognier is its rich, complex, floral nose. Despite the sweet aromas, it usually produces a dry wine, low in acidity, generally with rich, intense flavor and a deep, yellow color. Viognier can be as full-bodied as an oaky Chardonnay (though the Viognier usually isn’t aged on much oak, if at all), but have much more distinctive fruit character. Viognier works well with spicy dishes, like taco night at the Maiers house, or Thai-style curry. Also, fruit chutneys and salsas that accompany grilled fish or chicken, can work well with Viognier. In California, Viognier blends have become all the rage- try the The Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas Blanc: it’s pretty ridiculous; and the ever-popular Conundrum, made by Caymus includes a percentage of Viognier, though the exact amount is a closely-guarded secret (and no doubt varies from vintage to vintage.)

2. Grüner Veltliner

I like to think of Grüner Veltliner as Riesling’s lighter-bodied, less sweet, second-cousin. Both varietals hail from Austria, both have naturally high acidity, and both are great food wines- Grüners are great to pair with “difficult” foods such as artichokes and asparagus. Grüners are usually full-bodied dry wines, with a streak of minerality, best served REAL COLD. They’re fun, refreshing and many are inexpensive: the Hofer we featured in a webisode last year was $11 for a liter bottle. If you want to try something even more different, no need to travel to Austria; look no further than Chehalem in Oregon. They make the Wind Ridge Vineyards Grüner Veltliner, which earned a 90 from The Wine Advocate, and retails for under $20.

3. Barbera

Barbera is the second most widely planted red variety in Italy, after Sangiovese. The best ones come from the Piedmont region, with names like Barbera d’Asti, Barbera del Monferrato and Barbera d’Alba. The wines are often bright red, with floral aromas of red fruit and fresh, powerful flavors of berries and black cherries. The fruit is naturally high in acid, with low to moderate tannin content, and like all Italian wine, Barbera is super-food friendly. Many Barberas are easy on the wallet; we tried the 2007 Paitin di Pasquero “Serra” Barbera d’Alba for under $20 and the 2006 Agostino Pavia “La Marescialla” Barbera d’Asti for under $30.

4. Carmenere

We’ve blogged about Carménère in the past, including our summary of the AMAZING Carménère tasting that we experienced care of Wines of Chile. Carménère is often referred to as Chile’s signature grape. In fact, it’s roots are in Bordeaux, as it was one of the original Bordeaux grapes, before phylloxera nearly wiped it out in France. Often used as a blending grape, the wines tend to have a deep red color and aromas found in red fruits, spices and berries. They tend to be medium-bodied, with soft and gentle tannins. When wines are produced from grapes at optimal ripeness, they have cherry-like, fruity flavors with smoky, spicy and earthy notes and a deep crimson color. Those from Chile often have a vegetal thing going on, usually bell pepper. Try the “Amplus One” Carménère from Santa Ema for under $20 or for a step up, the Concha y Toro Terrunyo Carmenere, which consistently scores in the 90’s and retails in the low-to-mid $30’s.

5. Petite Sirah

Petite Sirah is another historically famous blending grape which by the way is not related to Syrah, and truthfully there’s nothing petite about the wines it produces (the berries are small though.) The dark colored wines often taste of plums, blueberries spices and black pepper, and are often quite tannic. I have to admit, I really dig Petite Sirah. Eos in Paso Robles makes a super-crazy reserve called Cupa Grandis Petite Sirah which retails for $60, but the more affordable $25 Estate Reserve Petite Sirah is incredibly tasty.

…and before you say “Neil, I don’t like Petite Sirah…”, do me a favor and try it again. Try a different bottle (try the aforementioned Eos or Stags’ Leap Winery’s offering). And that goes for any wine you think you don’t like- (I challenge anyone who says they don’t like Merlot to take a taste of Chateau Angélus, Duckhorn or Twomey.)

And as I said at the beginning of this blog, there are tons of options beyond these five. If you don’t like any of these choices, then by all means, choose something else, just go outside of your normal routine. If you live someplace where your choices are limited, take advantage of the great selections offered online at sites like K&L or Wine.com. Yes there are shipping costs, but it might just be worth it once in an while if it means getting a chance to try something different and exciting. Be brave… experiment… take a chance! This is an expedition after all; find yourself a bottle… and open it up!

…just a quick post to tell you about 3 bottles of California wine that recently found themselves face to face with my corkscrew…

A few weeks back, my buddy Fernando stopped by the house, and wouldn’t you know, we opened up a couple of Central California wines that I was pleasantly surprised to have found at my local Pavillions supermarket. They’ve always had a decent wine aisle, but as of late some really interesting bottles have been popping up.

The first bottle was the 2007 Qupe ‘Central Coast’ Syrah. Qupe’s owner/winemaker Bob Lindquist always shows up with good grape juice, and this bottle was no exception. Mostly Syrah with a dash of Grenache (2%), the grapes for this wine are sourced from both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County. To quote the winery: “…The wine is essentially a blend of cool-climate Santa Barbara grapes and warm-climate Paso Robles grapes. The cool-climate fruit gives spice, acidity and balanced alcohol while the warm-climate fruit give softness, roundness, ripeness and more up-front fruit flavors and aromas.” I have to say that I definitely got the softness… several Syrahs I’ve had of late have been big and bold, and this one was much more elegant and graceful. Lots of red berry and cherry aromas and flavors, with a hint of pepper buried in there somewhere and oh-so-smooth tannins.

The second bottle that was cracked that night was from the same part of California: the 2008 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. Au Bon Climat is located on the renowned Bien Nacido Vineyard, and owner/winemaker Jim Clendenen is a contemporary of the aforementioned Mr. Lindquist (they share a wine-making facility). This Pinot is simple and tasty- strawberries and plums with a dash of spice; balanced and refreshing. Wine & Spirits gave it a 92.

Speaking of Pinot, just last week I was at my friend Doug’s house, and he popped the cork on this tasty bottle from the Anderson Valley.

The 2007 Drew “Fog Eater” Pinot Noir This little number was NO JOKE. Anderson Valley is the hot spot for Pinot these days, and Jason Drew set up his boutique winery smack dab in the middle of it. The grapes in this one are grown about 6 miles from the ocean, and the coastal qualities shine through. A floral nose of cherries and herbs is followed by layers of flavors: juicy red berries, cherry cola, and exotic spices. The mouth-feel is sublime; silky yet crisp, nice round tannins and a lingering finish. It got a 95 from Wine Enthusiast and 93 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine. We drank every drop.

By the way, you can pick up that wacky corkscrew pictured above for $12.99 from the good folks at ThinkGeek.

You heard me right, I said Washington. It’s a region we haven’t spoken about enough here at WineExpedition. The state up in the Northwestern corner of the country that’s known for its apples and evergreens has been making some noteworthy wine for years. Cabernet and Syrah is what you’ll hear about most, but today I’m gonna tell you about a glass of white wine that recently got my attention. Read on….

With summer right around the corner, it’s time to stock up on good barbecue wines. Sauvignon Blanc instantly comes to my mind – a refreshing, zingy white wine – perfect for a lazy, Sunday afternoon.

But the bottle that came across my desk this week from L’Ecole Nº 41 in Walla Walla Valley isn’t a mere Sauvignon Blanc. As a matter of fact, the ‘08 L’Ecole Nº 41 Luminesce blend is only 30% Sauv Blanc, with the other 70% being Sémillon. Yup; somehow this Bordeaux grape has found its way into the Walla Walla valley, and L’Ecole winemaker/co-owner Martin Clubb is making it his own.

I was curious about this one, which the good folks at L’Ecole Nº 41 sent us a few months ago, but I was saving it for warmer weather (January in Los Angeles can get pretty chilly, and I don’t like drinking white wine whilst bundled up in a hoodie.) So, this weekend I decided to pop the cork and enjoy it as a Sunday afternoon aperitif wine.

The wine has a nice pale yellow hue in the glass, with aromas of sweet pineapples that hit me as I lifted the glass to my nose. On the palate, tropical flavors are everywhere: along with a dash of melon and a layer of creamy peach. The creaminess is a nice surprise, provided no doubt by the Sémillon. Don’t get me wrong, it still has that crisp Sauv Blanc finish that we all know and love, but the heart of the palate is rich and creamy, with hints of honey, mint and spices hanging out on the back of my tongue. If you want to try a white wine with an unexpected twist, the L’Ecole Luminesce is a good call, especially at only $19.

By the way, it’s not just me- Wine Enthusiast scored ths one a 91.

Until next time…