No Oscars for Poor, Poor Franciscan Merlot

Do you remember when everyone just loved Merlot? It was THE red wine of choice for years. It was the wine of choice of everyone’s lips for quite a few years in the 1990s. Red wine consumption, in general, increased due to the potential health benefits of wine. The popularity of Merlot stemmed from it softer, fruity profile that it made more approachable to some wine drinkers. Even wine newcomers would rush to order Merlot. Still in the restaurant industry at that time, I had to caution my staff not to laugh when customers would request to “try a bottle of that mer-lot”.

Winning Merlot Lead the Way

Of course, merlot was more than just trendy. It was really very good too. Franciscan has its roots deeply embedded in the soil of Napa Valley. Founded over three decades ago, wine industry revolutionaries Raymond Duncan and Justin Meyer,  with renowned vintner Agustin Huneeus taking over the reins in 1985, leading the winery to greatness through innovation and a commitment to small-lot winemaking.

Merlot was hot! Franciscan Winery was hot! Everyone was loving and drinking both Washington and Napa Valley Merlot. And then, came the movie, Sideways. (more…)

An Old Vine Spanish Wine

Grenache is the main grape in many Rhone blends that yields soft, lightly colored yet full wines endowed with deep notes of strawberry and raspberry. The 2008 El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa follows along with that and lives up to its expected flavors and strong fruits in a most delicious way.   

Grenacha from Old World Spain

The Grenache is one of the world’s most widely-planted grapes, producing unique expression where ever it is planted and is particularly common in many Spanish Red Wines, What is nice about the El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa is, of course, the concept of old vines and a pure Granacha.

El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa pours with a very bright ruby color.  It seemed to be a wine that needed  time to open up. An extremely rich nose displays black raspberry, plum and flowers  and then developed to a spicy, somewhat peppery raspberry.  

All the fruit comes to life on the palate. The palate had raspberry liqueur, stone, plum, and floral notes, a bitter chocolate, too.  Juicy dark berry flavors are liqueur-like in depth and power but given lift by zesty minerality The bright cherry and jammy raspberrries suit the New World palate, but the earthy tones keep this wine grounded to its place. 

 The mouth fell is ideal with a respectable finish. Finishes with expansive red and dark berry flavors and excellent persistence of black raspberries. It is a  fruit-driven Garnacha well beyond it’s price point would indicate. Clean fruit, good balance. 

Great Value in 2008 El Chaparral

The 2008 El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa is a  joy with food. It’s amazing that this can sell for under $30, much less the Wine on the Way price of $13. This is a consistently outstanding value a  fruity flavorful granache, but very balanced earning a true 90 point rating form the Wine Cellar.

A Chardonnay to join Pinot Noirs from the Patz & Hall Winery

Inspired, and jealous, by Gigi’s meeting of “the” Donald Patz himself; it seemed a good time to review the 2007 Patz & Hall Dutton Ranch Chardonnay.  It was great to read about the personalities of the real people behind the wines!  Of course, no matter how cool the buffalo coat makes Donald Patz, it is the personality of what is IN the wine bottle that really makes Patz & Hall so darn tooting excellent.

Patz & Hall are known for crafting some pure gorgeous single vineyard wines. There is true level of simplicity in style, of elegance, of richness; that reflects in all that they do from their website, to their labels and right on through the wines themselves.  Quiet and assured in who they are and what they produce, they need not be loud or flashy, or even a huge brand. I liken them to a small boutique of hand crafted jewels just waiting for that moment in the sun. The bottle is opened and the light hits just right and a wash of pure taste bring you in its embrace.

Falling in Love with Patz & Hall

I’ll openly admit that I adore what comes out of the Patz & Hall vineyards.  I forget what made them first come into my view quite a few years ago. I want to say it was a wine tasting at the restaurant I was working at?  It was a Pinot Noir and I fell in Wine Love. (more…)

Don’t Forget the Best Romantic Wines, oh Valentine!

Valentine’s Day gift ideas are often hard to come by. The traditional “romantic” Valentine’s Day present ideas of flowers and chocolates can sometimes feel a bit boring. For someone special, we often want to really DO something special to show them how much we care.

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Men

Don’t dismiss the Valentine’s Day idea of a romantic dinner! They say the path to a man’s heart is through his stomach. This does not need to be scientifically proven since our grandmother’s have been heard saying it for generations! Plus it’s very logical:

• Cooking is a caring and nurturing task
• It takes time and thought and preparation
• A full stomach on top of delightful taste sensations equals a very satisfactory situation. (more…)

A Willamette Valley Oregon Chardonnay Surprise!

While the California Chardonnays might have the captured main stream Americas attention, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has a nice surprise in store for wine drinkers. With Chardonnay clones directly from Burgundy we find this to be an excitingly rich Chardonnay with next to no oak influence at all.

The History of Chardonnay in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

Adelsheim co-founder, David Adelsheim, noticed while working in Burgundy back in 1974 that the Chardonnay grapes in Burgundy ripened at the same time as Pinot Noir grapes while in the States the Chardonnay in Oregon which came from several California selections ripened 2-3 weeks later. This motivated him to assist with the difficult process of mandatory quarantine and such to bring the Chardonnay “Dijon” clones directly from Burgundy. The bonus to that move was that the Dijon Clones have fewer and smaller grape clusters, and thus are a better match for Oregon’s long, cool growing season.

The Oregon Chardonnay Grapes in Willamette Valley Create Magic

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 Keeping Pinot Noir Cool in Chile with Leyda

At the Las Brisas Vineyard in Chile, Leyda Pinot Noir grapes are already situated to develop slowly. The name of the vineyard itself, Las Brisas, means the breeze in Spanish and reflects on the cooler ocean breezes that play across the southwest slopes of the vineyards and helps to keep the grapes nice and cool.

Early Vintage reports from Chile** told of cooler than normal temperatures anyway, so keeping the Leyda Pinot Grapes growing slowly was not going to be the issue. Leyda experienced many days in spring with the temperature lower than 10°C during Pinot Noir flowering. This resulted in the vines producing small and large berries within the same bunch, known as millerandage. This came after an already difficult and dry winter rain cycle that created a handicap for the vines. Drier years can create difficulties for the balance of the vine.

Chilean Weather, Chilean Pinot Noir

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An Australia Shiraz Wine Review

Peter Lehmann’s 2006 Barossa Shiraz is the third in a consecutive of great vintages from this Barossa wine producer following the earlier years of 2004 and 2005. The 2006 Shiraz has been given a 91 point rating form Wine Spectator and has also been given the #54 spot in the best 100 wines of the year.

Australia’s Barossa; Meant for Shiraz Wines

The Barossa Valley of Australia is one of the world’s great wine regions; revered alongside Bordeaux, Napa and Tuscany with good reason. With consistently outstanding vintages over the past 150 years, six generations of grape growers and winemakers have established the Barossa as Australia’s leader in crafting wines. Peter Lehmann once said that when God created Shiraz, he did so with the Barossa in mind as both the soil and climate are ideal for producing full flavored, fruit filled Australian Shiraz wines.

Indeed, God has shine upon the Barossa. The direct descendents of Rhone Valley cuttings have lived on in Barossa since the 1840’s. When so much of the great vines of the world were destroyed by phylloxera, Barossa was spared. When asked why the Barossa could make so many different wines, Peter Lehmann replied, “Because we can!”  and, it’s safe to add, that he should.

Peter Lehmann 2006 Barossa Shiraz Tasting Notes

When poured into my glass, the color literally made me gasp. Here is the most beautiful dark red that I think I have ever seen. So dark, almost black within its depths, but then the riches ruby red shines along the rim. If I could get my hair this color I would be the happiest person in the world. Seriously, someone should tell Clairol.

The nose is a bit strong in the alcohol content at first, but deeper fruits shine through; black fruits, dark plums, some bittersweet chocolate, and the oak. Makes sense as the wine has been matured in French and American oak hogsheads for 12 months prior to bottling.

The 2006 Barossa Shiraz is a robustly structured wine, with mouth-filling generous fruit. It finishes firm with powdery tannins that continue to soften when it is allowed to breath. Not for the more delicate of food paring, this Shiraz needs something strong and bold to compliment. I have a strong urge for a gorgonzola stuff rack of lamb and am thinking that my mere lunch salad will not be what I am looking for.  The winemakers site recommends rich meat casseroles, steak and roast beef and wonderful with an aged cheddar or pecorino to which I would concur.

Beautiful, strong and rich, yet soft and fruitful; give it some time to open and breath to get the full enjoyment from this ruby delight. It would look just smashing in an antique glass decanter. Wine on the Way is thrilled to be able to offer you Peter Lehmann 2006 Barossa Shiraz on sale for $12.00 a bottle.

And Clairol, take notice; I will be looking for a special read called Barossa!

Viognier, a Great & Rare Rhone Grape, Perfected by Australia’s Oldest Family Winery

Viognier has long been considered one of the great grapes of France’s Rhone Valley. Less than a decade ago, this variety was considered one of the wine world’s rarest, but most intriguing varieties. In fact, outside of the Rhône, Viognier was virtually unknown to the rest of the world’s vineyards until more recently. Now, Viognier is arguably the most en-vogue white varietal tease show in California today and it is one of California’s most expensive wine crops.

The Yalumba Winery is the source of Australia’s first commercial Viognier plantings from back in 1980 long before there was the same level of interest as today.   Yalumba continues to be the largest mature Viognier resource in addition to being Australia’s oldest family winery. Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith a British migrant and English brewer.  After buying 30 acres of land, Smith and his son began planting the first vines by moonlight. Samuel named his patch “Yalumba” an aboriginal word for “all the land around”. Six generations and more than 150 years later, Yalumba is doing the world a great kindness with their work in Viognier.

A Rare and Vibrant Treat in Viognier

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A Tasty Spanish Wine from Castilla Leon

According to the website, Finca Resalso is the name of the winery’s first vineyard that was planted in 1932. The Spanish wine version of the Tempranillo grape is known as the Tito Fino varietal, and is considered the purest clone of the grape and has been used to graft all the vine plants in the winery.  The wine bottle, however, is remarkable attractive, definitely not a left over from 1932, and seems to have more character than a mere clone could produce.

As 100% Tinto Fino, the rich dark ruby color is to be expected and the 2007 Resalso does not disappoint. I After spending  about 4 months in French oak, it’s made to be drunk young. Though the cloned vines range from 5 to 15 years old, the wine itself gives off a youthful presentation with red and black fruit nose, there are underlying hints of tobacco and, could there be a hint of pine I detect?

True Love from Spain in the 2007 Finca Resalso

Very drinkable, almost velvety, with a chewy-ness of tannins leaving a nice mouth feel; the fruit does not overpower, but leaves room for the subtle flavors. Close your eyes and taste the dark chocolate, rich espresso, bits of spice. Though young, it does not have that overpowering heat of too much alcohol. So while on the higher side at 14.5%; it’s still constrained and does not overpower the taste.

There is an earthy flavor, nice mineral tastes and a savory finish. Alas, avoid the chocolate while sipping, but it would add nicely to a meal of spicy poultry or even a heavy winter paella. 

If you don’t know Spanish wines, then the 2007 Finca Resalso is a great bottle to introduce your palette to. After the first sip you understand why this Emilio Moro Finca Resalso 2007 from Ribera del Duero is a fantastic red wine and deserves it’s Wine Advocate 90 point rating, though you might have to look twice at the price of only $13.00.

Don’t second guess, just buy a few as it will cellar nicely over the next four years!

Santa Cruz Mountains Wine for The Colder Months

Mount Eden Chardonnay has one of the longest bottling lineages in California.  This full-bodied California Chardonnay wine is perfect for the fall and winter months.  Vintages such as this Mount Eden Chardonnay 2006 also make for a wonderful gift that can easily be enjoyed years later – something to keep in mind as we make our holiday season rounds to see friends and family. 

Rich History of Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay

Before delving into the more subtle details of this Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay, let’s take a moment to appreciate the rich history of Mount Eden vineyards. Since the founding of Mount Eden vineyards in 1945, they have embraced the idea of allotting small areas of land for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Mount Eden Vineyards is known as one of the first “boutique” wine estates in California.  The production yields significantly less cases than vineyards that make California Chardonnay wine, however it is at wineries such as this that you can often find top-notch wine production in the making.

Mount Eden Chardonnay Wine Review:  Hold On for the Zest!

And now on to the 2006 Mount Eden Chardonnay wine itself.  After allowing a few minutes to breath, the bouquet proved to be quite an interesting experience.  Upon first taste, there were hints of apricot in this California Chardonnay wine and then all of a sudden, an interesting spurt of cardamom!  There was definitely a certain sweetness, not overly fruity, more of a lemon essence.  The full-bodied flavor and lemon zest lingers for a few moments, leaving a refreshing sensation in your mouth.  If you enjoy Thai food, Mount Eden Chardonnay 2006 may be the perfect accompaniment.

In order to evolve these interesting flavors, the Mount Eden Chardonnay grapes are pressed and then allowed to remain in French Burgundy barrels before being aged for 10 months.  Prior to bottling, the wine is filtered and then placed in the cellar for two years.  Sometimes knowing the intricate history behind the bottle of wine that you are about to enjoy makes the experience that much more gratifying.  Especially in the case of Mount Eden Chardonnay 2006, whose long history compared to other California Chardonnay wines makes it a noteworthy selection as a gift or on a cold winter’s night.