The first half day is in the books for our Sonoma trip.  Half day as in we enjoyed a half day actually in Sonoma, some of us were up as early as 3:30am EST to start the day of travel, so by the time we got to dinner around 8pm PST, we were quite a subdued bunch.  Luckily, there were no serious travel issues and I don’t even have a crazy or quirky story about it to share, other than the movie, Informant!, was not what we expected.  But, who cares really about that?  Let’s get to Sonoma.

Getting to the town of Sonoma was, again, fairly easy without event, and we arrived a bit ahead of schedule.  Was this an omen?  I had hoped so.  We were all hungry and in a great mood already!  Sondra (@figgirl) from the girl & the fig was instrumental in helping assure our party of 6 had a table when we arrived as they are a small, quaint, cottage-like restaurant with a bar and patio in the back that I knew was very popular.  Everyone raves about this place and now I know why.  The service was fantastic and the food was phenomenal.  There are plenty of local options including several sheep, goat and cow cheeses from their Salon de Fromage that we sampled.  Being in a Spring-like atmosphere, as the sun was shining outside and seeing how the foliage growth was much further along over here when compared to Atlanta where it is still brown and cold, we opted for a Marsanne and a Viognier to some wine in our blood.  The waiter wrapped things up by bringing us some chocolate-covered figs with some candles, which was a nice little touch that was noticed and really goes along way.

By this time, it was time to move on to Bartholomew Park or “Bart Park” as many call it.  Unfortunately, we had so much fun at lunch, our schedule had gotten a little tight and had to shorten the planned tour if we were going to make it to Santa Rosa and then on to Healdsburg to meet the owners of our rental cottage.  “Bicycle Bob,” our tour guide was fantastic.  He iterated the importance of knowing/learning what you like and not worry about all the pretenciousness that can come with wine.  After a great introduction into some Sonoma wine history and the fact that Bart Park used to be an old hospital, we tasted some fantastic wines blind and enjoy trying to pick the grapes, choose our favorites and what we might eat with them.  The 2006 Zinfandel was my choice, while others really connected with the Sauvignon Blanc.  We definitely need to make more time for this one the next time we are in the area.  Thanks to Steve (Manager) and Bicycle Bob for being accommodating and flexible.

Jonjie, Kevin, Hardy and Ed

We then worked our way up highway 12 to Santa Rosa where we visited Salinia Wine Company situated in a little warehouse-style office park well away from rolling hills and scenic vineyards, but don’t be fooled.  We enjoyed tasting from barrels of natural juice, nothing like we’ve ever tasted.  Fermenting Sauvignon Blanc on the skins? Who does that?  Not flipping the nose at the status quo or methodologies learned at UC-Davis, the winemaker, Kevin Kelley, comes from a background as a history buff having learned about 8000 years of winemaking and felt there was more weight to that history and knowledge than just the last 50 years of wine study and technology as many have now come to know it.  He uses what we has learned from the chemistry and microbiological perspective to give him confidence in what’s he’s doing and how he’s doing it.  The results are simply amazing or and at the very least brazenly different for many people.  I have been in the middle of a few debates about commercial vs. natural winemaking, but you really need to experience the end result to make a decision for yourself.  These are the same folks who form The Natural Process Alliance (NPA).  Thanks to Kevin and Hardy for opening up their shop to us.

Lorraine, Sean and Cyndi working the thief

Finally, wrapping up our travel day we ascend the Dry Creek Valley to meet our gracious hosts Dale and Lorraine at their rental property aply named Casa Privata.  It sits on 9 acres of which 3 are planted to vine as Dale has been making his own wine for 15 years.  Casa Privata is also literally right next door to Montemaggiore winery and surrounded by other neighbors who also manage their own vineyards.  As guests, we also have unrestricted access to barrels full of some 2006 Cabernet from the vineyard.  A great after-breakfast treat, or anytime really.  The Casa was purchased and renovated about 4 years ago and is in a nice secluded cranny of the mountains, so you can enjoy some peace and quiet and admire the wildlife.  We were informed that a mountain lion had been seen with a cub fairly recently, which made early morning strolls somewhat of an adventure.  As of this writing, we are all still alive.  If you don’t hear from me in another day or so, send a search party.

Cheers!

Planning a vacation can sometimes be tough, frustrating and nerve-racking.  Once you decide where you want to go you then have to decide what to do next. What to see?  Where to sleep?  Who to visit?  Where to eat?  The list goes on.  Lucky for me, I have a wife who is very organized and loves to plan and when we put together an itinerary for wine country we balance the duties quite perfectly as I get to focus on the wine aspect of the trip.  Having travelled quite a bit and having some recent wine country visits under our belt specifically too, I offer a few pointers that I believe will give you a great chance of a lot of fun on your vacation.  Thanks to several of my online wine friends who offered some of their insights as well on a recent Facebook thread about this topic.

1. What’s your main focus?  Are you an art person, a foodie, or a wine connoisseur like me?  What is going to be your “homebase,” if you will (don’t you just hate it when someone uses “if you will”?… good), on your trip, the one thing that you must do, see or experience?  Raelinn of Wine Ophelia starts with art, food and music and looks for something authentic for the local region.  I liken this to the proverbial “when in Rome doe as the Romans do” and make sure you have identified what is a must do, want to do or just niceto do to help in prioritizing your itinerary otherwise you will get overwhelmed quite easily.  In my case, we are going to Sonoma to focus on enjoying some great wine while chilling with long-time friends.  The bottomline is to “start with one place and build your plan around it,” as Hardy succinctly puts it.  If you are having a hard time with nailing that down, maybe you could start with a place where there’s bacon.  Thanks to Rick Bakas for that tasty tidbit, though I thought his new year’s resolution was to get off of bacon?

2. Along the lines of “when in Rome…” I find the best way to learn about places to go and things to see is to get insider information from locals or friends.  Sure, you can buy that Fodor’s book for $14, but they have an obligation to put a lot of various stuff in there that will only make things that much more complicated.  Besides, the probability of finding what you want and having a great time is going to go up when you talk to your friends or people you trust who have experienced the trip already, or better yet, live there.  Word of mouth always wins.  Gee, where have I heard that before?  For example, using Twitter, I was able to get the proprietor of a restaurant to take a reservation for us when OpenTable couldn’t due to our party size.  A plus is that now she knows who I am vs. some reservation in a system.  One of the important things we learned by talking with locals is that this weekend is Barrel Tasting weekend hosted by Wine Road, which is a great event.  While we enjoy tasting wine from a barrel and trying to determine what it will be when it grows up, we also knew that it meant very busy wineries with people shoving glasses towards the tasting room staff like baby birds insisting on being fed.  If it was just the two of us, that would be fine, but since we were with friends and celebrating we wanted less stress and more focus.

3. Think about locale.  Once you have determined the types of things that interest you the most and which places to go, we find it a must to find lodging that is central to the majority of the trip if geography allows. Think about how close everything is to each other and maybe divide them into areas that allow you to group them and cut down the daily driving distance, especially when wine tasting is involved.  Limo services are available but pretty expensive.  So, unless you’re rolling in that kind of coin, you may consider opting for the middle ground like we did and hire a driver who will drive our rental car around at a much lower cost.  But, if you insist on driving yourself, mapping the trip with shortest trip time in mind will pay off.  For this trip, each day is broken down by “zones” around Healdsburg, which is where we will be staying (Casa Privata): Dry Creek/Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley – South and Russian River Valley – North.  Tools like Google Maps and Google Earth were very instrumental in helping me develop a daily driving plan for the most efficient use of our time.

4. Talk to the wineries.  Since the focus of our trip is visiting wineries, we feel it necessary to reach out and find out about the best way to experience their wines and vineyards, if applicable.  If you’re into art or restaurants, I think you could do the same thing.  We will be visiting a couple of wineries that took the time to reach out to me via Twitter and via relationships I have developed in various social media channels and real-life.  As you may know many wineries are starting to adopt social media avenues as a way to reach would-be customers and visitors and it works for people like us.  Once I made it known on Twitter and Facebook that we were heading to Sonoma, I was approached by several local businesses, most of which were wineries, restaurants and lodging offering to share their experience with us.  Some wineries may even offer a special deal to twitter connections much like St. Superyin Napa, where tasting fees are waived if you heard of them via Twitter.

5. Leave some room in the schedule for spontaneous shifts in plan.  Make sure you do not over book your plan and allow time for reflection and being flexible to “stumble across unexpected adventures, ” according to Rick Bakas.  Lot of times these will be the most memorable.

If you are in the area March 4-8 feel free to shoot me a tweet @winetonite.  If you are interested in reviewing my resulting itinerary, please feel free to email me.  Cheers!

just some places we'll visit

Keeping the theme of Washington wines going, we hosted our local wine club tasting for January and asked everyone to bring a favorite red from the state.  Initially, we expected a few Merlots, since Washington had become somewhat known for this varietal before the-movie-which-cannot-be-named put a halt to such stardom.  Or maybe even a few Syrahs.  Check out DrinkNectar’s poll here where in which Syrah edges out Merlot as the variety Washington is best known for.  We will see what us Georgia folk know about it.

A Little Background

Washington is a distant second behind California in domestic wine production.  The Cascade mountains divide the state into two very distinct climates: evergreen rainy hills to the west and dry sunny desert to the east.  It is interesting to note that the state is at roughly the same latitude as Germany which produce very cold winters.  As you might then expect, Riesling and Gewurztraminer do quite well here.  Because of its more northern latitude, it has longer days that lead to more than 2 hours of more sun than Napa which allow Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah to be very successful as well.  Some of the more popular AVAs in Washington include Walla Walla, Red Mountain and Yakima Valley.

The Wines

* Thanks to our buddy Gregg Twadell, we have added some funk and jazz titles to pair with each wine just for shits and giggles.

2004 Buty Merlot/Cabernet Franc – Our entry into the contest was a bold wine and won out against a whole slew of others we tasted on our own leading up to this event.  But it would not fair well on this night.  The nose was subdued, light fruit, maybe prunes on the nose.  The velvetyness of the Merlot came through and there was some spice on the end.  This was certainly a “Brick House” by the Commodores.

2005 Apex Cabernet Sauvignon – Black cherry nose, medium level of tannin but a short finish.  This wine scored well and finished just above the middle of the pack.  This one is “Cherry, Cherry” by Neil Diamond.

2006 Bridgman Syrah – Ok, so one Merlot and now one Syrah on the evening, not bad.  This was a little green and vegetative, maybe even some asparagus from some of the tasters.  Definitely strong with some black fruit, black pepper and a longgg finish. This was like a “Love Rollercoaster” by, take your pick, The Ohio Players or Red Hot Chili Peppers.

2003 D2 Delille Cellars Bordeaux Blend – The breakdown is 45% Merlot, 36% Cab Sauv, 9% PV, 8% CF and ended up the winner this evening due to our second entry (04 Januik) not being eligible.  Nice red fruit (strawberries), light and a little vanilla on the nose.  Velvety mouthfeel, medium finish like whip cream.  This led Gregg to call upon “Strawberry Letter No. 23″ by Brothers Johnson

2005 Apex Merlot – Ok, so by this point we are seeing a lot more Merlot in the lineup.  This guy did not fare well with a vegetal nose with a little chocolate and green pepper.  Acid seems a little high and the spicy finish smooths out over time.  This one is definitely a “Shame” by Evelyn “Champagne” King.

2005 Terra Blanca Cabernet Sauvignon – This was a little grapey on the nose and palate, leading many to believe it might have been Merlot.  This one just did not do well against the rest of the bunch and was pushed to the back of the line leaving Gregg to lament it got the “Shaft” by Isaac Hayes because not only did he bring it (Gregg, not Isaac) but because it was a bad mutha f – shut yo mouth!  But, I’m talking about Shaft!?

2004 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon – Definitely a “Smooth Operator” by Sade, this one got a standing ovation from the crowd, but as I mentioned earlier it was not eligible since we are the hosts and we threw it in at the last minute.  Chocolate and vanilla on the nose with blackberries and black cherries on the palate with a tremendously smooth mouthfeel.

2007 Bridgman Cabernet Sauvignon – This wine had to hold Kumate’ against the Delille D2 for the top spot and lost out unfortunately, left to “Pick Up The Pieces” by the Average White Band.  It was lighter in color, blueberries on the nose and palate and very, very smooth.

In the end, it looked like Cabernet Sauvignon shined brighter than the Merlot and Syrah.

The Tasting Sheet Template

Throughout the past couple of years of meshing our lives more closely with wine and all the experiences that go with it, I am always humbled by the generosity, camaraderie and great relationships that are seeded and continue to blossom.  This story is one that really stands out because it’s categorized as one of those “random acts of kindness.”  But, in this case there is nothing random about it, only that a group of people who didn’t know each other previously were brought together because of kindness and a shared loved of wine.

One of my resolutions for 2009 was to learn more about and taste more sparkling wines.  I did fine in getting educated in regions, types of sparkling wines and the various processes as part of my CSW certification, but I did not do well in tasting more of them.  In addition to that, my wife had not been exposed to a Champagne or sparkling wine that she liked to date which made her hesitant to try more, though again it’s not like we tasted all that were available.  One day, on either Twitter or Facebook, I made the comment that I was saddened that my wife had not experienced something she really liked and could have on a regular basis and that I had not helped that fact.  And that’s when it happened.  Alva Johnson, local Atlanta socialite, large-scale event-coordinator extraordinaire and fizz lover reached out to me and offered to help us find some bubbly that she just might enjoy.  Wow.

And so she did.  We had a little tasting at the house and invited along fellow Atlanta baron von bubbly, Kevin Glowacki of www.atlantawineguy.comfame and we had a wonderful evening.  It’s important to note here that while Alva doesn’t claim to be an expert, she certainly knows her fizz and has put that energy into an organization she co-founded called The Independent Champagne and Sparkling Wine Invitational which is having it’s inaugural conference April 15-18th in New Orleans.  Check it out.

The wines:

H. Billiot Fils Brut Grand Cru Rose’ – We started off with this rose’ paired with ribs from the Pig ‘n Chick.  This is a Champagne from the 5-ha Billiot estate in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay that is planted mostly with Pinot Noir. Both Alva and Kevin agree that pink fizz seems to pair perfectly with pork at all times.  The color was like salmon and bright with aromas of “sweet” yeast and strawberries.  I tasted citrus and what I describe as pineapple and had a great finish.  This was our favorite of the night.

Fleuron 2000 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Brut Premier Cru (Blanc de Blancs) - 100% Chardonnay and is a blend of different soils in the area that they feel best represents the vintage though I could not find the proportions for 2000.  This one was paired with fresh raw oysters, popcorn and cheese.  We had both Gruyere and Ermitage Brie cheese to try.  The wine light golden color and also had a yeasty nose, but just a hint if compared to the H. Billiot.  A lot of citrus tasted on the palate with a velvety/creamy texture in the mouth, which was accentuated when paired with the oysters.  There is more to tasting wine than just aromas, taste and flavors… you must pay attention to the texture in your mouth as well.

Renardat-Fache Bugey du Cerdon- Sparkling Gamay – This one was a leftover from the Popeye’s challenge back in November, so I added it to the lineup and paired with, what else?, Popeye’s spicy chicken.  This wine came in at only 7.5% alcohol, but while there was a good bit of residual sugar, I never felt it was too sweet since it seemed balanced by a good level of acid and even less so when tasted with a piece of chicken.  The sweet and spice really balanced out.  This wine had a darker pink hue and was full of strawberry jolly ranchers and the flavor burst in your mouth much like Fresh n Up gum, which I learned is actually still available… go figure.

2003 Kreglinger Brut - Lastly, Alva brought on a sparkler from Tasmania.  So far, every one of her friends she had shared this with (she had been given a whole case) thought it was the bomb.  We agreed.  Much different from the other 3, this one was more “classic” in that there was more crispness, and freshness and included green apple and honey notes.  The finish exposed more lemon and mineral for a long finish.  Kevin felt this was “green & minty” on the nose too.

Alva learned that she didn’t have to wait for special occasions like weddings and New Year’s to drink sparkling wine.  She walked into a store one day, particularly to de-stress, and discovered bubbly is available to us anytime we want.  She is a fan and now a great friend.  Here’s to celebrating life more often.

Cheers!

What type of wine tasting participant are you?  Do you grab something you’ve never had before on your way to the tasting OR are you anal-retentive like us an perform your own week-long tasting competition just amongst yourselves to pick the “perfect” bottle for the party?  Sure, there’s often some praise or prize for the “winning” wine of the night, but that’s not what we’re generally after.  Hell, I can’t even remember the last time our wine scored the highest, if at all.  But, that’s ok because everyone’s tastes are different and part of the fun is seeing how everyone reacts to the wine and how the wine performs when tasted next to other wines instead of by itself when you last had it and thought it was the bomb.  Ok, it’s also fun to see who’s stumblin’, ramblin’ drunk at the end of the night too.  Just 2 ounce pours people!!

The theme for January’s event was Washington Reds, encouraged by the fact we will be visiting Washington wine country this summer.  Using Paul Gregutt’s essential guide to Washington Wines & Wineries we set about with a list of WA producers and tried to find what we could here in Atlanta.  We were able to find several!  These are the results in order of best to least favorite:

2004 Buty Merlot/Cabernet Franc – This was our winner to take to the tasting.  It was very fruit-forward, with aromas of chocolate and coffee beans.  Abundant black fruit, vanilla and hint of spice on the palate.  We thought this would rock some worlds at the tasting, especially since we knew many of our friends are big red lovers.  Stay tuned to find out the reaction…

2004 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon - Herbs, black fruit and hint of eucalyptus on the nose. Blackberries, raspberries on the palate w/ great velvety mouthfeel. Great find.

2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle Col Solare “Shining Hill” - Recommend decanting. Chocolates, cassis and raspberries on the nose. Black fruit and spice on the palate with a long finish. Very tasty and blossomed throughout the evening.

2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay Indian Wells - OK!  This is NOT a red, obviously, but during the week we wanted to mix it up a bit and we’re glad we did – Great Chardonnay. Vanilla, apples and slight toast on the nose. Very well balanced with apples and citrus on the palate and a good finish.

2005 L’Ecole No. 41 Merlot Columbia Valley - Nose of hints of coffee and black fruit. Blackerry on the palate and good mouthfeel. Very fruity.

2006 Woodward Canyon Merlot - Coffee bean and vanilla on the nose. Cherries and blackberries on the palate and medium spice.

2004 Januik Merlot Columbia Valley - Funk, prune and hint of chocolate on the nose. Hard time getting this wine to open up. Good mouthfeel and black fruit on the palate with medium finish. Not that exciting.  However, we didn’t finish the bottle this night and the 2nd night brought more distinct aromas of coffee and chocolate.

2006 Columbia Crest Merlot H3 - Very funky, wet and mushrooms on the nose at first but eventually blew off to smokyand slight black fruit but not much else. Blackberries and blueberries on an otherwise uneventful palate.

2006 Barnard Griffin Merlot - Tight nose somewhat smoky.

 Next, I’ll talk about how the tasting went down and what else was brough to the party.

Cheers!