Wine: Peju 2007 Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Napa Valley
Alc: 14.1%
Price: $45
Haydn gives it: 90pts

Much like the Carignane grape, the Cabernet Franc can be easily overshadowed by some bigger name varietals. Yet it’s importance and character is crucial in some of the best Bordeaux (blends) around. And while at times it can easily take a supporting role, the wine by itself is easily able to hold it’s own.

Such is the case (no pun intended) with Peju’s 2007 Cabernet Franc from the Napa Valley, grown at the estate’s Persephone Ranch Vineyard located in Pope Valley. The ’07 spent 16 months in barrel and then was given a chance to take a nap for a year. The wine was just released this month (July).

The wine displays lovely notes of tobacco, a bit of smoke, perhaps off of a wooded plank, as well as a bit of black currant. It’s dark, deep, and a tad mysterious due to it’s large tannin structure. Peju is suggesting the tannins will mellow out in a year. If so, the wine will start to roar right around Christmas time. I imagine that once the tannins settle, this wine will truly sparkle. It has a great potential to do so and can turn out to be one stellar Cabernet Franc. Cellar and drink within about 4-6 years.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

Wine: 2009 Grenache Rose
Appellation:  Sonoma Valley, Kunde Estate
Alc: 13.6%
Price: $13.00
Haydn gives it: 88pts
You can purchase this wine at:  Kune Estates

With the exception of San Francisco, it seems like summer is in full swing for most of America. And with summertime comes warm nights and cool drinks. At least for me, my whites department get a bit thin come August. And while I enjoy good crisp New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc like the rest of the kiwis, it’s the rose which is my go to drink this summer for cool wines.

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of discovering a new Grenache rose, from Kunde Estates, located in the heart of Sonoma. The rose is comprised is close to being called a blend, with it being made up of 80% Grenache, 17% Syrah, and 3% Viognier.

The first thing you’ll notice about this wine is it’s color. It almost glows with a deep and bright red, pushing a bit into the purple-violet area a bit. All of the a sudden, the Pinot Noir rose I had next to it seemed to turn more of a salmon color, but compared. For such an overall subtle grape, the Grenache, the color did not hold back.

This wine will make you smile. It speaks to summertime; fresh strawberries, a touch of raspberry along with a little watermelon. The wine is a tad sweeter than some of it’s dryer Grenache rose cousins, thanks in part to a bit of residual sugar.

Summertime and Kunde’s 2009 Grenache Rose are a perfect compliment. It will cool you down and delight your taste buds without breaking the bank with the beautiful price.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

A wine barrel is much more than simply the work of a cooper turning up the heat to medium or high on American or French Oak. It really comes alive when the wine comes into contact with it and stars its metamorphosis during those long months in the barrel room. However, while there is so much care and attention to the storage of the wine during that time, the real energy begins literally at the root level, in the fields. It’s here that the growers spend endless hours watching and cultivating the vines, making sure that the grapes are the best that they can be when they are finally cut, processed and their juices poured into the barrel.

At Dutcher Crossing, it was the growers time to shine this past weekend. The winery held a barrel and tank tasting complete with the growers themselves holding the wine thieves (the tool used to sample wine from a barrel). This was something I’ve very rarely experienced.

I found it immensely pleasurable to chat with the ones who tended to the very grapes that I now have in my glass. They were enjoyable to chat with, learning about how each one cared for the grapes in a different way, depending upon the conditions they were in.

I found it fascinating how the Bernier-Sibary Zinfandel was a true field blend— a replica percentage planting of the grapes. While that is the true definition of the term “field blend”, more often than not wineries are using it more in conjunction to simply indicate a blend.

Some of the wines surprised me, as was the case with the ’08 Cabernet Sauvignon. I would have guessed before even tasting that the tannins would have been charging towards my taste buds faster than a sports car. However, and to my enjoyment, the tannins were immensely subdued, to which the grower also concurred.

A great sampling of tank and barrel sampled coupled with scrumptious food made my wine tasting at Dutcher Crossing one I will not soon forget. If you’re in Dry Creek, take a trip north to Dutcher Crossing. The stories, if not only the wine, will surely excite you!

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

Chocolate is one of the most sensual foods out there in the world. And if you were to say it were to have a liquid counterpart, wine would be it. But with so many wines and so many chocolates out there, pairing them can be harder than one might imagine.

One great combination is Zinfandel and dark chocolate. The medium to dark berries coupled with a bit of spice / pepper (you don’t want too much pepper) are natural compliments to the almost bitter dark chocolate. Pick your Zins from well-known Zinfandel regions, such as Dy Creek, Paso Robles or Lodi. Remember to not have too much pepper on the tongue or the taste of the chocolate will be muted.

When picking out a dark chocolate, try to stay near or above 70%. Too light and the intensity of the chocolate won’t match the strength of the wine. Good friend, and fellow blogger, Kelly Staples of dogs2cents.com (a great read about the life of Lucy in wine country), recently paired a Pezzi King Zinfandel from Dry Creek with blueberries and dark chocolate. The fruit forwardness of the wine and the ample tannins mixed extremely well with both the fruit and the chocolate. Much like a decanter is used to amplify the wine’s notes, so to does the chocolate. A simply Zin turned extraordinary with the help of one extra component.

Have you tried Zinfandel and Dark Chocolate? If you, what’s your take on it? I’d love to hear from you on either the comments here or through twitter @haydnadams.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

There was something for everyone at July’s Crush Barrel Wine Market, from bubbly bruts to earthy Bordeaux blends. The event was set at Fort Mason, in San Francisco, where wine enthusiasts could try and buy, directly from the winery. Here are the top picks of the market:

Best of Show – Stein Family

A new discovery and overall best of show winner was Stein Family Winery. Josh Stein was on hand to personally pour his two wines— a 2009 Los Carneros Semi-Dry Gewürztraminer and his Just Joshin 2007 Tempranillo, from the Sierra Foothills. The Gewürztraminer was beautiful with honeysuckle and rose pedals on the mid-palate with a big of orange and lemon to round it out. A touch of residual sugar adds to this wine, kicking up the acidity a bit and making it a desirable wine for my next outing to a thai restaurant.

The tempranillo further illustrated that, to me, the grape is Cabernet’s baby sister. It ripe and ready to drink now, though you might want to wait a few years for the soft tannins to further settle. There’s a bit of blueberries and red berries mixed with a mocha aspect, further added by a dusting of dirt (terrior). Tempranillos have a higher bit of acidity, making it perfect for your next lamb shank dish.

Here are a few other noteworthy wines of the Crush Barrel Wine Market:

Aver Family Vineyard 2007 Homage (Syrah) – The wine is tasting beautifully right now. The tannins have somewhat resided and what you are left with is a medium spice coupled with a bit of vanilla and dark berries. It’s ready to drink now, though you could lay this down for another few years.

Ricardus Corculum 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon – Using a mixture of new French Oak as well and neutral, Ricardus Corculum has crafted a beautiful Cab. Blackberries can be found both on the mid-palate, along with a cedar plank spice and a bit of mocha. The wine is clean, with good, strong tannins. This is a wine that you’ll want to lay down for 10+ years.

R&B Cellars Fortissimo “Port” Desert Wine – A beautiful wine to finish off the wine tasting. I coupled this with a few chocolates from different tables to really get this port to shine. Tobacco, leather and plum can easily be found in this wine. It’s thick and leathery; simply beautiful.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

Palate Fatigue: The result of tasting just too many wines whereby ones taste buds essentially give up on you.

It can happen to even the best of us. But just how many wines can one taste before their taste buds give up? It really depends on your experience level. The answer is the same as how you get to Carnegie Hall: practice.

I was talking with fellow wine expert, and International Wine Competition panelist, Beth Niles, about this subject. She recalled that her limit is about 20 wines, give or take a few. I’ve found that I can usually get to about 30 wines before everything tastes like a Zinfandel. Even with our super palates, it’s going to happen. The important part here is to know when you hit that limit.

If you’re new to wine tasting, you might not even reach double digits. That is fine. It’s just means that you’re palate hasn’t had enough practice in the wine tasting arena. If you do want to improve the amount of wines you can taste, start investigating new varietals and wineries. It’s safe to drink what you like, but at some point, if you want to get to the higher level, you’re going to have to start venturing out to uncharted varietals.

With practice, over time, you’ll begin to delay that palate fatigue. The crucial part is to know when you’ve hit your limit and head back to the Champagne.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

Indulge Wine Bar
Overall rating: A-
Website: http://www.indulgewinebar.com/

One thing I greatly enjoy doing while traveling is discovering the local wine bars of the area. I enjoy seeing what the wine buyer of the region has selected to round out his portfolio for the restaurant. Is it all Napa-selected Cabs or a mixture of Spanish Tempranillos infused with Argentinian Malbecs? Traveling to Denver on a business trip, I decided to check out Indulge Wine bar, located about 20 minutes south in Highlands Ranch.

The space inside of Indulge Wine bar is beautiful. A large glass cellar awaits you upon entering. A beautiful visual portfolio of wine, labels clearly present and readable, were available for visual inspection. The overall decor is quite modern with a brown hue to the overall color inside. Actually, I’d more closely resemble it more to a darker Bordeaux red/purple that has aged for a good decade. The music inside was a hip lounge sound and the lighting was a bit dim, but made for a more of a romantic tone.

While sitting inside was a good idea, I chose to sit outside and gaze at the sunset over the rocky mountains. Having a warm rosé in my hand, the server for our table brought out an ice bucket and I began chilling the rosy mourvedre. In the interim time period, I selected a glass of sparkling wine to kick off the evening. Within minutes a beautiful sparkling, which turned out to be Prosecco, came out. The temperature was cool, but not overly cold that it chilled my taste buds. Light hints of white almonds mixed with apples covered in a light dusting of powdered sugar were present. A great start to a wonderful evening.

Waiting for the food to arrive and for the rosé to finish chilling, I scanned the wine list and made verbal notes to myself. There was a good selection of international wines, along with a good amount from around the U.S. I especially liked the varietal of the wines by the glass, from a Vourvay (Chenin Blanc) to some big Cabs & Syrahs from Napa.

The waiter was knoweldgable, friendly and attentive at just the right time. The only little issue I had was that the corkage fee was $20. I understand that restaurants need to charge corkage to makeup the difference from you ordering a bottle, but still at $20, especially considering the rosé was purchased for the same price, it seemed a little steep. I was taken a little aback by that, however when your wine’s chilling out in ice waiting to be open, there isn’t a lot one can do at that time. Their website doesn’t disclose the price, either.

Aside from that, and a slight mix-up with our pizza order, I had a splendid time. So much so, that I came back the following night and had the Vourvay. Being at a high altitude, I soon realized that one is more easily intoxicated being 5,280 feet plus above sea level. And so the Vourvay, coming in at around 12.5%, was perfect. The wine bar also features a fully-stocked bar, so if you’re tired of wine, you can switch to a Cognac or Scotch.

Overall, the restaurant is quite pleasurable, the staff is friendly and the wine list is quite bountiful. If you’re in the Highlands Ranch area, stop in and have a glass. Your taste buds will thank you.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

2007 La Joie – 100 Points, Robert Parker, Jr.,
The Wine Advocate, February 2010
http://www.veritewines.com/wines/lajoie.htm

100. triple digits. The apex of the point system. Needless to say I was excited to sample what Robert Parker considers to be a 100pt wine. I’ve had a fair share of 98s and 99s in the past, but I’ve yet to sample a triple digit rated wine.

So was it worthy of 100pts you might ask? The answer is, I don’t know. To me, I’d give it a 95-96. It is a beautiful wine. The complexity of this wine is up there with the Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle. The flavor profiles consisted from wet leather and tobacco to a bit of blackberry and currants. To Robert Parker’s credit, he has had many more Bordeaux (blends) that I have had and with that I feel better in his decision to anoint the 2007 La Joie by Vérité with the highest rating a wine can be bestowed upon.

Apparently, and I’ve yet to fact-check this, it’s the first time a Sonoma wine has received a 100pt rating. If you’re quickly thinking about Ridge, that wine originated from the Santa Cruz highlands AVA, not from Dry Creek.

As Robert Parker suggests, and I’ll agree with him on this one, this wine needs to slumber in your cellar for a good decade, or longer. It’s made to go the distance. Overall I’m beyond satisfied with the way this wine tasted. It’s given me a good benchmark to which I’ll judge Bordeaux (blends) and other wines of this caliber. The tastes buds are happy.

John Hart pouring wine at Family Wineries

What do surfboards, oysters and Spanish flags have in common? They could have all been found in Dry Creek Valley over the weekend of April 24–25th during Passport weekend. Dry Creek rolled out the red carpet again for this year’s Passport weekend. Over two days, nearly 40 wineries open their doors to a countless number of thirsty patrons anxiously awaiting a sip of wine and a delectable food pairing.

The quality of entertainment, amenities and just plain ‘ole fun was over the top. Here is a few snippets from the event:

Surfboards and Snowcones at Michel-Schlumberger Winery

One of the best shows of the day came from the Michel-Schlumberger winery. I love the surfboards that lined the pond in the central courtyard. To further round out the Mexican / Southern California theme (at least that is what I’m calling it), the Carlos Herrera Band played a beautiful latin-style of music. You can hear the music at the bottom of this post.

One of the great parts of Passport weekend is that you’re able to explore new wineries that you had either overlooked or either just haven’t gotten around to coming back to in a while. I’d been to Michel-Schlumberger about a few years ago, but just haven’t make it back since, and so I was excited to try their wines.

Michel-Schlumberger is the only winery in the valley that grows Pinot Noir within the AVA. I was shocked to hear that such a tepid grape can survive the triple digit heat that Dry Creek throws at it. However it does and what resulted was a ripe cherry component mixed with a little bit of pepper (I think there’s osmosis going on with all of the Zins that surround it). But none-the-less it was a very well balanced Pinot Noir.

But the pièce de résistance came with the snow cones topped with either Pinot Blanc or Syrah. On a day where the mercury was pushing past 80, a snow cone was a welcomed sight. To top it off with wine was magnificent. The Syrah tasted splendid on the snow cone and I had the pleasure of listening to the band play all the while soaking up the warm sun and relaxing on the veranda of Michel-Schlumberger

Zinfari at Bella

Bella took thirsty patrons on a zinfari. The winery transformed their wine cave into an African safari, complete with monkeys (not real ones) hanging off of light fixtures. The staff was dressed in safari gear; white shirts and full brimmed hat. An African ban played out on the main lawn while patrons consumed lamb kabobs and sipped rose.

The food & overall entertainment

Everywhere you turned was a food waiting to be sampled. Aside from drinking your way through the wine country, you could now eat your way through as well. Gourmet food pairings abound at nearly every turn. Many wineries had multiple selections for each of their wines—a mini multi-course amuse-boush food pairing if you will.

Jubilation was in the air in Dry Creek. Smiles were abundant and the sun was out in full force. All of the wineries put on a star-studded event. While I do spend quite a bit of time in Dry Creek, this weekend was exceptional. It was quite comical watching cars and limos invent parking spots along the side of the road to get to a few wineries with smaller parking lots. I can’t wait to do it again next year.

Cheers,
Haydn

Here are a few more pictures from the day along with a video of the Carlos Herrera at Michel-Schlumberger winery over passport weekend in Dry Creek.

Barrel tasting with winemaker Kerry Damskey at Dutcher Crossing Winery.

Wine tasting at Kokomo Winery