It truly is amazing how many different types of glasses there are out there to help ensure you enjoy your beverage of choice to the max.  I was reminded of this in a very abrupt fashion this past week as my wife and I began the arduous task of cleaning out unnecessary and unused crap throughout the house as we prepare for (hopefully) an impending sale on our house soon.  As we moved into the kitchen we approached the 4-door cabinet with glass panes that allow you to see through to the museum of glassware and stemware we had collected over the years.

Drinking vessels ranged from the large and expensive Riedel Vinum XL series down to the free tasting room stemware collected over the years from many trips to U.S. wine country destinations.  Why did we choose to keep these and lug them around in our travel baggage in the first place?  I cannot recall and I can’t recall the last time we actually pulled one out and drink any wine from them.  Then in the bottom right of the cabinet, there is still space for my scotch glassware, which has collected cobwebs of late as I have been more devoted to the fermented grape juice in recent years.

Recently, I obtained some samples of The One (the Red) stemware collection by Andrea Robinson as well as Eisch Glaskultur (Alert! Obligatory disclosure statement inserted here that I, indeed, received these glasses free of charge and, yes, I am about to give them a review herein).  So, with these new arrivals to our collection and our desire to determine which stems will stay with us and the rest packaged and delivered to charity so that others may enjoy fine wine in something other than mason jars and plastic cups, we decided to perform a little test.

To help with this test, I have decided to open a bottle of 2008 Blackstone Merlot and 2008 Blackstone Zinfandel (yessiree, another set of free samples I received… consider this bit of information disclosed as well).  The stemware lineup:  Eisch, Eisch Sensis plus, Riedel Vinum, The One, and Vinum XL.  While some can make the argument that many of these stems like the Vinum are considered best for Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon, it is my opinion that they are generally used as generic “red” wine glasses in most households and are even described generically that way by Eisch and The One.

The Stemware

When tasting the Merlot, the Sensis plus and Riedel Vinum were best at facilitating more intense aromas and made it particularly easy to pick out the rosemary or eucalyptus herbaceousness of this wine, which was almost undetectable in the stems.  Additionally, these two glasses allowed more fruit to permeate the olfactories bringing forth blueberries and other red fruits.  The Vinum XL was the most subdued while the Eisch let much more spice and oak through battling with the fruits.  On the palate, the Vinum and The One resulted in more fruitiness and velvety texture, with the Sensis plus right in the mix.

I score the Zinfandel tasting almost identically with the Merlot as the Sensis plus was much more expressive with the Vinum and The One right behind.  The Vinum allowed the black fruits and raspberries to shine through, but the Sensis mixed in the anise, vanilla and some tar for a more expressive set of aromas.  The One allowed me to detect the fruit, vanilla and spice as well.  Eisch performed much better in this tasting, but again the Vinum XL was bringing up the rear.  This bummed me the most because I notoriously use the XL stems when I am lounging around the house.  Little did I know how much I was missing evidently.

One thing I’d also like to mention here is that according to Andrea Robinson, The One Red performed best with Pinot Noir during their lab tests and we recently used these stems at the global Pinot Noir Twitter tasting last month and I felt all the wines in our lineup were presented well in these glasses.  You’ll just have to give it a try yourself.

So, to summarize, my stemware rankings in this particular test:

1. Eisch Sensis plus
2. Vinum Bordeaux
3. The One (for Red)
4. Eisch
5. Vinum XL Cabernet Sauvignon

The Wine

2008 Blackstone Merlot – $11 – Clear, bright, purple color with blueberries, eucalyptus and spice on the nose.  The palate presented red and black fruits, velvety smooth mid-palate and creaminess with medium spice finish.

2008 Blackstone Zinfandel – $12 – Clear, bright, ruby core color to a clear watery halo at the edges with blackberries, raspberries, vanilla, anise and tar on the nose.  The palate presented black fruits, raisins, medium level of oak tannins with a medium black pepper finish.

These are two well-made and balanced value wines with price points you just can’t pass up these days.

So, what are you drinking and in what kind of vessel?

Everyone else has a Top X list for the year, so I didn’t want to feel left out.  2009 was a year of great growth for me as it relates to wine and I have really enjoyed sharing those experiences with friends and family including those who stop by now and again to read my musings here at Wine Tonite!  I committed to immersing myself in the world of wine including drinking from a fire hose (filled with wine, of course!) to begin learning the history, the culture, the process, the geography and the fruit by starting off the year obtaining my CSW credentials.  It’s been a wild ride from the very beginning and I can definitely say I consumed the most wine in 2009 than I ever have before. 

I was also lucky to be a part of a wonderful experiment by Murphy Goode winery to initiate a job search for a wine country lifestyle correspondent requiring applicants to submit videos and display their social media marketing skills and was selected to the Top 50.  The best part of that opportunity for me was meeting and engaging with so many wonderful people in and around the wine business and those who just love to drink it too!  Several of those new close friends now have jobs in the Napa/Sonoma wine country and serve as inspiration to many of us who teeter just on the outside of the envelope looking in.  Three other wine-related events I really enjoyed and have been instrumental in my continued growth as a wine connoiseur and as a person were the 2nd Annual Wine Blogger’s conference, the St. Supery Tweetup in Atlanta where I co-hosted with Rick Bakas and the wine tasting I hosted for the ERLSA fundraiser to help families in Nicaragua without clean drinking water.

There were so many good wines I enjoyed in 2009, it is very hard to narrow them down to such a short list of favorites.  And please note this is a not a “Best of” list, just some wines of note that stood out to me, so feel free to comment if you like/dislike my picks.  Not to mention, one of my new year’s resolutions for 2010 will be to be more organized with my tastings notes.  Cellartracker.com and their iPhone app, Cor.kz, have helped me tremendously in this regard lately andI will continue to use them going forward.  Note: these are in no particular order.

2007 Lioco Indica – Aside from the little trivia tidbit I got about Indica being a type of mary-jane (yes, that’s code for marijuana) plant, which shouldn’t be a surprise from this Mendocino county wine, this was just “Booya!” in your mouth.  Thanks to Chris Gaither, local wine guru and mixologist, for showing me this one.  This radical red is 78% Carignan, 10% Petite Sirah, 9% Mourvedre and 3% Grenache.  Blackberries, violets and caramel on the nose with more black fruit and spice on the palate.  Duuuude… I got the munchies…

2006 Alto Moncayo Campo de Borja- Just the facts here: Vanilla/caramel nose and a bit smokey, smooth velvety on the palate, licorice and big mouthfeel.  Nose: Awesome! Caramel, vanilla, oak… not a hint of hotness from the 16% alc.  Taste: fruit-forward, spice, vanilla and smooth.   WS 92, WA 94

2006 Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon from Darioush in Napa Valley.  Big black fruit up front, with some vanilla and chocolate but, again, not the huge oak bomb one comes to expect from the region.  It was well-balanced, velvety smooth with good tannins and spice at the end and really set the mood for the evening and meal.  A very nice second label offering that I felt was a steal at $39 listed restaurant menu price (Abattoir).

2006 Miolo Sparkling (Brazil) - One of the wines I brought to the ERLSA fundraiser, with assistance from Ryan Mullins of Quality Wines, this sparkler is produced using the traditional method (methode champenoise)  and contains a 50/50 split of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Did you know 25% of fine wine made in Brazil is sparkling?  No, me either.  Vines were first introduced in the early 1500’s by the Portuguese but didn’t really become established until the late 1800’s thanks to Italian immigrants.  The dry sparkler was fresh with citrus and good acid and would be a nice change of pace to the Rustico Prosecco I often serve to start a party.

Renardat-Fache Bugey du Cerdon- Sparkling Gamay - This is on the list mostly because it was probably the most unique wine I had during the year and can barely pronounce.  Yet, it was memorable in that I hadn’t tasted anything like it either, certainly never a “sparkling” Gamay.  Stewed veggies on the nose with a fizz strawberry explosion on the palate that countered the spicy Popeye’s chicken we were pairing with it for the infamous Popeye’s Wine Pairing Challenge by Hardy Wallace.

1999 Clos Ste Hune Riesling – Thanks to @rowdyfood for this wonderful house gift that I most certainly did not deserve.  After having started my wine journey with Riesling back in 1994, I have neglected to return to the distinct grape until this year thanks to some local wine friends like Matt and Hardy.  This summer I attended a tasting of 20 Rieslings from NY which was quite an eye opener.  This has a bright, yellow hue with citrus and petrol on the nose and maybe a little honey.  The palate displayed lemon, orange peel, acidic and mineral.  A great wine.

2007 Donatiello Floodgate Block 15 (667 clone)- As self-proclaimed pinotphiles, we have to have a couple of Pinot Noirs on the list and this one was the most memorable during my visit to the 2nd annual Wineblogger’s Conference in Sonoma.  Chris Donatiello is doing some great things at his winery include the Floodgate with bold, fresh cherry fruit and some old world funk on the nose.  Another great representation of RRV fruit.

2006 Halleck Pinot Noir Three Sons Cuvée - I had an opportunity to hang out with and break bread with another Pinot Noir winemaker from the Russian River Valley, Ross Halleck.  Ross was in Atlanta for a week back in September and he was gracious to hang out with us at my wine pal Jack’s house since he is a club member, then we attended one of his tasting’s at Murphy’s and then wrap the week up at my house for a BBQ.  These are the experiences that really do it for me as a wine lover.  Other wineries can learn from Ross in how to share the wine experience instead of simply peddling their wares.  This favorite showed a little heat early on that burns off eventually and reveals beautiful black cherry, allspice, cinnamon, all delivered in a smooth, velvety conveyor belt to the nice finish.

1977 Ridge Zinfandel Shenandoah Esola Ranch vineyard- Purchased this bottle at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa. Nose: medium-high toastiness and rich caramel and toffee releasing after half hour of being opened. Chewy Zin mouthfeel became more pronounced and satisfying after an hour with pralines becoming present later on. Somewhat subtle blackberry fruit and spice rounded out throughout the meal and was just delicious!

2005 Ch. Du Glana- This was probably the value wine of the year.  This little Bordeaux beauty was hanging real tough against some serious competition at Jack’s Bordeaux Madness party back in March.  I mean, it was up against the likes of ’85 Ch. Troplong Mondot, ’85 Ch. Palmer and ’79 Margaux to name just a few.  Here are my notes, which can be seen with all these wines (click here)…”certainly this year’s Arizona, the youngest of the bracket, but held it’s own to make the final four.  Nice ruby color with cherry, cedar/oak and pencil nose.  Black cherry, violet and light spice on the palate with a medium to long finish — the crowd favorite!  WS gave this a 90 and it’s terroir is same/similar as Ducru-Beaucaillou, so it’s gotta be good.”  This is the one 2005 Bordeaux I had this year that really came through on the promise of how phenomenal 2005 was going to be for the famous wine region.

So, there it is … read it and weep… another year gone by… may you have calm seas and following winds in 2010… Cheers!

I received some samples from the folks representing a new venture started in 2006 called Chronicle Wines.  To kick the venture off right, the owner, Mike Hengehold, sought out two of the best Pinot Noir and Old Vine Zin winemakers in the North Coast: Ted Lemon and Dan Cederquist.  If I was to start a wine business, this is one great way to get started, though I am not sure how economical it is to hire two seasoned veterans like these.  However, chances are in your favor that there is going to be some pretty good wine produced.

Most probably know Ted Lemon is owner and winemaker of Littorai Wines in the Sonoma Coast.  I had the pleasure of recently tasting some Pinot Noirs from Littorai that were made from Mendocino and Anderson Valley fruit and they were phenomenal.  Let’s not overlook that Ted studied in Burgundy and was the first American to become a winemaker of a French winery.  You know the Pinot is going to be good and be reflective of the vineyard.  Dan Cederquist started at Stag’s Leap and then moved on to DeLoach, becoming an expert of Old Vines Zinfandel, which is exactly what Chronicle was looking for as well. 

 Here’s the order in which I drank these, somewhat driven by the price points, which were surprisingly high having received them as samples, but then when I got down and dirty with each, it all became clear.

2006 Chronicle Old Vines Zinfandel ($28)- this was only “disappointing” bottle of the bunch as there was not much I could get beyond the heat on the nose.   Blended from 3 different sites in the Russian River Valley, the heat (alc 14.7%) took over most of the nose on day 1.  Day 2 was able to get more of the blackberry and candied fruit aromas, followed by black fruit and sandalwood on the palate and a mid-level of tannin.  I would enjoy more complexity and more pronounced fruit like I’ve recently experienced from Dry Creek Valley Zins, but if you like spice and bramble with your steak, this will work well.

2006 Bacigalupi Zinfandel ($36)- Now we’re hitting on all cylinders.  This Zin was the bizz-omb!  This wine was much more fruit-forward with big black fruits, including black cherries, on the nose followed by a good amount of spice on the palate with a just a hint of vanilla.

2006 Chronicle Cerise Pinot Noir ($48) - Bringing on some funk (forest floor), cherries and maybe even some meaty notes  on the nose while a little heat blew off early one.  This had a good bit of tannin for such a delicate varietal and finished strong with some spice.  This is not your velvety smooth Burgundy and was made from Anderson Valley fruit.

Good Luck to Mike and the folks at Chronicle!

Lodi is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the Central Valley of California and is known for big Zins.  Zinfandel grapes generally like cool temperatures but most of the Central Valley is warm with consistent sun throughout the growing season.  However, Lodi is special due to its location directly east of the San Francisco Bay because of the fact that the bay breaks up the coastal range and allows cool breezes to penetrate the region and produce more moderate temperatures.  We received a mixed case of various “Old Vines” Zinfandel from wineries throughout Lodi from the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission and hosted a BBQ to enjoy these wines.

Right off the bat I noticed that most of these wines had very high alcohol levels (8 of the 12 were over 15% ABV) and most possessed a spicy character, as opposed the more jammy, fruit-forward Zins I recently tried from Sonoma.  One bottle was actually from an Oregon winery (Eola Hills) who had sourced their Zinfandel fruit from the Lodi region.  There were some cool labels like the old-timey scene on the 2007 Bargetto as well as the aptly named 2006 Gluttony that hit the ceiling at 16.5% alcohol.  Since there is an allowance of +/- 1% on stated alcohol levels, it’s quite possible this was actually 17+%!

To go along with our plethora ‘o Zin, we chose to burn some animal flesh in the form of smoked boston Butt (pork), grilled leg of lamb as well as some Indian lamb kabobs and ancho chile flank steak created by foodie blogger Jimmy (@jwsobeck) of Eat It, Atlanta.  It was quite a smorgasbord with way too much food… but, hey, it was a party!  We were joined by other bloggers including David Aferiat (@atl10trader), Broderick (@savoryexposure) and Joe (@suburbanwino).  Additionally, our new friend Ross Halleck of Halleck Vineyardsstopped by before he headed to the airport after a long week of wine business in Atlanta.  Getting back to the food… BBQ is a great match for Zinfandel and the peppery notes of many of these wines paired well with the dry rub of the pork and the spices of the Indian kabobs.  The leg of lamb was marinated in a Zin sauce overnight and included the following ingredients:

1 bottle of Zinfandel, 1/4 c. red wine wine vinegar, 1/4 c. rice vinegar, 1/4 c. olive oil, 2 tbl sesame oil, fresh rosemary, ground pepper

Thanks also to the wine twitterati for some great recommendations for cheese that would pair well with Zin including roqueforte, cheddar, point reyes, smoked gouda, piave and asiago.  We chose gouda, point reyes and drunken goat cheese as appetizers.

Wines that really stood out as having less overbearing heat, good spice, smooth and balanced palate and some fruit-forwardness included the 2007 Macchia “Oblivious”, 2006 Mettler “Epicenter”, and the 2007 Van Ruiten which were the wines folks really enjoyed the most.

I hope you get a chance to try some fantastic Zinfandel wines from this unique region and let us know what you think!

Yes, I am talking about Zinfandel.  Many people don’t realize that Zin is often considered the “workhorse” of California vinifera grape varieties, even though it takes a back seat to the better known Cabernet Sauvignon.  Certainly, Zin is not native to the area as its roots go back to Slovenia and the Crljenak grape and is the cloned cousin of the Primitivo grape of Italian fame.  Zinfandel is all about Impact and supposedly enjoys abundant sunshine in preferably cool climates, though I heard some conflicting information on this throughout the tasting tonite hosted by Zap (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers).  p.s. I am not an official writer/publisher for this event or represent ZAP in any way… I just really liked the event.

The ZAP event was held in the Piedmont room of the Park Tavern with a wonderful view of the city skyline.  This tasting was more about the wineries and distributors sharing their wines vs. the normal intimate tastings we host, attend and write about.  The room was a buzz, which made it hard to hear, but a blast to be a part of and everyone was nice as could be… why not? we’re drinking wine for cripes sake!  After waiting in the lobby with glass in hand like we were at the starting line of the Boston Marathon, the crowd broke free and the fun begain.  Here are my thoughts on the favorites of what we tasted, though we couldn’t taste them all, unfortunately.

I have to agree with Hardy (Dirty), yes my competition for Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent, on the recommendation of the 2006 Lamborn Family Vineyards from Howell Mountain… this wine rocked the night as 100% Zin, big, ripe black berry fruit with smooth velvety mouthfeel and spice finish.  We learned the 2007 vintage would be better, as 2006 in general was not good to the area, and a “sneak preview” would be available soon directly from the winery.

After that, we (the wife and I) felt The 2005 Heritage Vineyard being offered by the Atlanta Wine School, and the only wine we saw actually decanted, was the biz-omb.  The vineyard is part of the UC-Davis Oakville research station in Napa Valley and ZAP began making this wine in 1997.  This was standard Zin with blackberries and plum very distinctual with some pepper.

Finally our favorites are rounded out with the 2005 Alexander School Old Vine Zinfandel from Alexander Vineyards.  I think I recall these were about 50 year old vines (not 100% sure), but the Dr. Pepper cola characteristic really grabbed my attention on this one in addition to the expected blackberries and plums once again.

Overall, several wines were over extracted, too jammy and oaky and were even purple (like Malbec), which follows much of what many no longer like from California these days.  If you should ever be true to the fruit with a variety, give Zin the love it deserves, in my opinion.  I saw many very light, ruby, ripe blackberry, cherry, plummy, fruity Zin that really were smooth and delightful that I am refreshed the old workhorse lives on.

Notables:

Murphy-Goode 2003 Snake Eyes, Alexander Valley

C.G. DiArie 2005 Southern Exposure, Shenandoah Valley (CA)

Fritz Winery 2006 Reserve, Dry Creek Valley