If you had a hankering for Zinfandel, ZAP’s annual Grand Tasting would have definitely quenched your thirst. Held in two halls at the Fort Mason center in San Francisco, Zinfandel producing wineries lined the room, eager to pour their precious Zin to the next willing wine taster. Here are a few of the wineries I found especially appealing.

Best of Class:

Bedrock Wine Company
Morgan Twain-Peterson is one of the hottest winemakers at this time. His knowledge is clearly evident in his two wines showcased: the 2009 Stellwagen Vineyard and the 2009 Dolinsek Ranch (along the 2008 Heirloom at the Flights! showcase). At a case production of under 200, these micro-produced wines were some of the strongest Zin’s found.

Dasche Cellars
The best description I had for this winery was “calm”. All of their wines flowed easily over the palate and left with a considerable length. Elegant Zinfandels.

Wineries to Watch For:

Brazen Cellars
One of the stronger wines to come out of Lodi, Brazen rounds out their portfolio with a strong Zin from Dry Creek. With price points of $17, they are wonderful.

Klinker Brick
Another strong winery out of Lodi. The “Old Ghost” Zinfandel is still one of the best wines from that region.

Starlite Vineyards
A little gem that is peeking it’s head out from the Alexander Valley. In an area that is known for their Cabs, this Zin shines. Their Zin also was partially aged in Hungarian Oak, giving it beautiful hints of white pepper, a bit of spice and a few berries on the nose. Along with the Zin characteristics, there were even bits of cocoa and plums.

If you were at the Grand Tasting at ZAP, I’d love to hear what you’re favorites were. Feel free to comment here or e-mail me at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

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.

Peju Provence
Appellation: Napa & Mendocino
ALC: 13% (Residual Sugar 1.4%)
You can buy this wine at: peju.com
Haydn gives this wine: 86pts

Yes. I do admit that I drool over beautiful Bordeauxs. Some days I’m yearning for a wine that is more complex then a Mensa application. Other times, I want an easy-drinking thrist-quenching kind of wine. That’s were the Pjeu Provence comes in.

This is one of the most unusual wines I’ve had in a while. While the notes are surprisingly simple, the makeup of this wine is anything but. To start, it’s a blend of both red grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel, and white grapes: Chardonnay and French Colombard. While it may seem crazy, the result is quite delicious.

To cap off the crazy factor, you’re advised to serve chilled. It’s a hard concept at first to comprehend, putting a wine blended with red grapes in the fridge to chill. But the result is great. And I can some up the feeling in one word— sangria!

You heard me. It’s basically Sangria disguised. Closing my eyes, I could easily picture big blocks of ice floating in this glass. The residual sugar would be real sugar if it were a true Sangria.

The wine has hints of bright cherry and cranberries, that make you want to smile while puckering at the same time. It’s a total fruit forward wine. Easy to drink, easy to enjoy.

For all those Bay Area folks, this wine is going to be great for those Indian summer evenings. The days when the sun starts to set sooner yet it still feels like July. It’s a great transitional wine where you can go from total whites in the summer to the luscious and full-bodied reds in the winer.

Naturally you’re going to want this with some sort of Spanish dish. Tapas, empenadas, maybe even a bit of smoked chorizo. Yet this wine can stand on it’s own and simply sipped as a starter wine.

One cool wine from one of the hallmark wineries of the Napa Valley.

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

What wine goes with Ribs?

I love barbecuing on the 4th. It one of the few days of the year when I forego my pescaterian diet (primarily comprised of fish and vegetarian options; hello veggie burgers) and dive into some meet. This year, ribs were on the menu. And my good friend Helen sent me into her wine cellar for a bottle (or two in my case) to drink with the ribs. Here’s what I dug up.

Wine #1: Quivira Anderson Ranch 2004 Zinfandel

I’m going to sound like a broken record, but when in Rome… (I’ll let you finish that line) The same applies to Zinfandel and American food, especially barbecue. WIth the ribs, I was looking for a wine with a slight spice to balance out with the dry rub that was applied to the meat. The Anderson Ranch had just that tad of spice I was looking for, and the slight vanilla aspect really enhanced the flavor. This was one of Quivira’s flagship Zin’s of that year. Aside from the Anderson, I could also see myself sipping on one of their others when it came to ribs. But that was the wine I pounced upon.

Wine #2: Arrowood 2004 Syrah

Syrahs can be tricky to pair because they can range quite a bit depending upon where it was grown. Thankfully Arrowwood does a great job of moving towards the Rhone side when it comes to their Syrah. Again, a bit spicy but not enough to overpower the spices in sauce that was later applied to the ribs. A bit of blackberry could also be found. The wine was so good that Helen switched her decision over what she wanted to drink upon tasting the 2004 Syrah.

The hardest part I found when drinking wine with ribs was exactly how to pick up the glass when your hands were covered in sauce. Thankfully a costco-sized amount of napkins took care of the job.

I’m curious, what did you have / to drink on the 4th? Did the pairing work out? You can leave me a comment here or e-mail me at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

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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. If he is not working in Marin or San Francisco, you can find him roaming the streets of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa, and at times Lodi) looking for that next hidden gem.

I had the chance to check out the latest and greatest Pinots coming out of California at this year’s Pinot Days in San Francisco. Yet one booth turned the whole tasting on it’s head. I’m referring to the New Zealand Pinot booth. Unconsciously I began comparing and contrasting the two worlds. Here is what I was able to deduce.

In California, it’s all about the Clone Wars

This fruit truly never falls far from UC Davis when it comes to California. It seems that every story of Pinot can be rooted back (yes, puns intended here) to the University. And a good portion of vineyards were all too happy to announce that they are using the latest and greatest rootstock.

It was then that I recalled a surprisingly profound quote by Jeff Goldblum from the movie Jurassic Park to which he said, “They were so focused on whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should”. Such is the case with a few of the vintners. I did like the wine, but the sales pitch, at one point, came down to a map showcasing where the various clones were being grown.

Now there comes a time when, say with PapaPietro Perry, that their single clone 777 Pinot Noir simply shines (and for the record they didn’t blare that clone name over the loudspeaker) and is stunningly gorgeous. But there were others where it was not only a blend of clones but a muting of tastes.

In New Zealand, it’s all about the grape

At the New Zealand booth, they were focusing more on growing conditions, regions, the environment. Yes, they did include a map, but only to show the regions of the wine, so a taster could locate Martinborough on the map. The wines were even arranged from North to South. It was a striking difference between the sales pitches of California vineyards and the New Zealand ones.

Which one was better? They both are. Because science can and does help a wine out. Yet there is something to be said about picking a good plot of land, growing the grapes organically and a simple bottle and barrel process. Pinot Noir is a funky grape and while you can spend an eternity rangling it, letting it be on it’s own is sometimes the best formula. And it never hurts to have one of the most goregous vineyards in one of the world’s best Pinot-growing regions to help sell your wine (Rippon Vineyards).

Recommend Pinots from Pinot Days in SF:

PapaPietro Perry 777 Pinot Noir, Russian River ($70)

Skewis 2006 Peters Vineyard, Sonoma Coast ($48)

Winemaker Notes 2006 Laetitia Pinot Noir Reserve ($40)

Mt. Difficulty Roaring Meg (NZ) ($17)

Fort Ross Symposium ($32)

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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

2006 Incognito Rouge
by Haydn Adams | Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog

Appellation: Lodi, California
ALC: Unknown
You can buy this wine at: lodivineyards.com/incognito.htm
Retail price: $19.95
Haydn gives it: 90pts

This has to be one of the cooler labels for a wine. There is something anti-establishment about this. No gold foil. No embossing. Yet it is enticing and a bit mysterious.

This wine proved to be a bit of a mystery. My good friend, and wine expert, Beth and I, spent a good deal of time on this bottle. The reason being was that it had no indication of the exact blend of the wine. Beth and I deliberated for a while with this bottle. The only thing we knew was that the wine was sourced from Lodi. As you can see from the label, nothing else is really known. We assume that it was some sort of blend, and thus the wager began to figure out what was in the bottle.

(If you don’t want to know the makeup and blend, I’d advise you to stop reading here)

With our friend, Berley looking at us like we were a bit obsessed (ok, so I think we are), we really got in to the wine and started picking it apart. Lodi only grows certain wines so we could narrow it down a bit when it came to specific grapes. It turns around that we were both right, as this wine is “a tango of” Mourvedre, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cinsault, Carignane, Tannat, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Grenache. I don’t know if that is in the order of percentages or not.

What you can pick out of this wine is a bit of pepper and smoke, making it indicative of the Rhone varietal, thus the blending grapes (Grenache, Syrah Mourvédre) were there. Yet with the smoky characteristics there were also fruits that emerged. It was as if someone smoke-dried the fruits, so they gained a different taste than from your local farmers market.

The real winner is in the price—$19.95 retail. It was a well-structured wine that probably could have been priced much higher, yet came in at an affordable price. Try this wine if you’re new to the Rhone world, as it’s made to suit normal, everyday palates yet add a bit of complexity for a twist.

Decant and enjoy!

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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

Haythornthwaite 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Sarah
by Haydn S. Ad ams | Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog

Appellation: Martinborough, New Zealand
ALC: 12.5%
You can buy this wine at: haythornthwaite.co.nz/
Retail price: N/A
Haydn gives it : 92pts

I can still remember that afternoon I stepped into the tasting room of Hythronthwaite, a quiet little winery in the town of Martinsborough (no, you read correctly, that’s not Marlborough). We picked the winery because it was one of the few that was open past 5 o’clock in the afternoon. For more information on Martinborough, see “Martinborough, the other “borough” of New Zealand.

The winery was lightly populated with me, my Dad, and two staff members. We went through the few wines that were still opened. And while the region is know for their excellent Pinot Noirs, it was the Sauvignon Blanc, “Sarah” that won me over.

What I liked the best about this wine, aside from the exquisite taste, was that the winery felt more like a home than a winery. To further drive home the, well, homey feel of the winery, each bottle is given it’s own “name”. The Sauvignon Blanc was given the name, Sarah, after the winemaker’s sister, who drank Sauvignon Blanc while living in Seattle to remind her of New Zealand.

One whiff and taste of this wine will instantly clue you into the fact that you are drinking wine made by the kiwis. The traditional lemon/lime and grass components were evident from the first sip. Yet it wasn’t as acidic as some of the other wines I’ve tried from the islands. While some will have a sharp bite, this wine is smooth and doesn’t pack too much of a power punch.

I was drinking this by itself and it held up nicely. As noted in other posts, you can easily pair a Sauvignon Blanc with mostly any fish, with the exception of Salmon. For the salmon, go with a Grenache or a Chenin Blanc.

Here’s the bad news, Americans. As far as I can tell you can only get this wine at the winery or in the surrounding towns. I had to carry this wine back in my suitcase in order to get this gem back into the states.

That being said, this wine speaks volumes in terms of the quality of wines coming out of this small wine region in New Zealand.

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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

You mean to tell me there is another wine producing region of New Zealand that ends in “borough” and is not Marlborough? Holy toledo Batman. How can this be?

I really have been trying to add some Batman reference into this blog for a while. Apparently I succeeded. Ok, now on to Martinborough. Martinborough is located about an hour north-east of Wellington, and some 150 miles from Marlborough (though you’ll have to travel by ferry to get to either as they are literally on opposite islands). It is not the most well-known regions in New Zealand, but some of the stronger wines, such as Ata Rangi, come out of this little area.

The region got it’s start in 1978 when three different grapes: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer were planted. Soon after the year, they discovered that the soil and terrior had similar characteristics to some of the premier wine regions in France. And thus a few wineries began to spring from the ground and the wine rush was on. Just like with the 49ers of California, these wine makers were as green as they made them. Yet, learning from mistakes, their quality grew and grew into what it is today.

Today, over 40 wineries dot the landscape of Martinborough. The town itself is quite charming with the townspeople quite the same. I’ve only had the chance to spend a day in Martinborough, but it was a day I won’t soon forget. It was very enjoyable to literally be able to walk from our bed and breakfast right over to some of the wineries. The buildings on the grounds of the vineyards could have easily been mistaken for residences, had it not been for the “hours of operation” signs.

It was also enjoyable in the fact that it was quiet with no hint or sound of any tour bus. Just a few cars dotting the various streets and passerby’s on foot. If you are heading to New Zealand, I would recommending stopping for at least a day in Martinborough. The slower speed will rejuvenate you and the exceptional wine will make you keep coming back.

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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

Fort Ross 2007 Rosé of Pinot
by Haydn S. Adams | Beyond Napa Valley
June 16th, 2009

Appellation: Sonoma Coast, California
ALC: 14.2%
You can buy this wine at: fortrossvineyard.com
Retail price: $16
Haydn gives it: 89pts

I discovered this wine from a personal invitation from co-owner, Linda Schwartz. I was told by a friend that I had to try their Pinotage. I had had it in the past, and apparently said that I gave it less than a favorable oral review, so I was out to try it again and see what I thought of it. It was in the e-mail correspondance that I found out that she was pouring her wines down the street from me, and I ought to stop in and give it a swirl. I happily agreed to meet her and try a bottle or two.

I will get to the Pinotage in a later review, I promise, but that night one wine really stood out—the Rosé. I knew it was the shining star that night because when I surveyed what I wanted to try again, rosé was the first thing uttered out of my mouth.

On the nose, you’ll get the default strawberry components, but dig a bit deeper and you’re bound to get a bit of watermelon as well. Smelling this wine, images of fresh watermelons being picked right off of the vine came into vision. Just fresh, fresh watermelon.

The wine, made in a dryer style, is very silky to drink and lingers for a while after. I’d serve this wine knowing it is going to take a bit to finish. Call up a good friend you haven’t seen for a while, break out some cheese from Whole Foods and kick back on the balcony. Remember to put it on ice as this wine is served cold.

Overall, the wine is delightful with a great balance of fruit coming out on the palate as well as crispness in a bit of acidity. I wouldn’t cellar this one for more than the summer as it is ready to drink now, and summer is just round the corner.

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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

2006 Ventana Rubystone
Blend: 62% Grenache / 38% Syrah

Appellation: Arroyo Seco (Monterey), California
ALC: 14.9%
You can buy this wine: at ventanawines.com
Retail price: $18
Haydn gives this wine: 91pts

There is something mystious about red blends. There is no way to assume anything. Yes, sure I know relatively how the wine is going to taste, but in no way am I going to bank on anything until that wine hits my lips.

I had the pleasure of attending the LA winefest this past weekend. Numerous wineries were pouring, including Quivira, one of the wineries in my book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley (shameless self-promotion, I know). The wines seemed to range from the California / Oregon border to as far south as Malibu. And with over 40 or so wineries representing nearly double that amount of wines, I literally just picked random booths to try.

One of my first booths to sample was Ventana, hailing from Monterey. Out of the 4 wines being poured, it was their red blend that stole the show.

Grenache on it’s own is very light, and you have do quite a bit to punch it up a bit (that’s wine lingo for, to bring out the characteristics in the wine). Thankfully, the 38% Syrah highened the spice and earth in this wine with a bit of cherry. Indicative to the Rhoné world , I was surprised and delighted that, while missing the Mourvédre, it still held up very well. I kept going back and smelling this wine as the aromas were distinced and delightful, even for a earthy wine. There were a bit of tannins, but give it two years and they’ll be a distant memory.

As I mentioned before, the wine was particularly earthy, with a bit of fruit to round it out. The finish went on for a bit. This wine could go very well with some medium-game meat, nothing too heavy. The wine is not big enough to mount a charge against a t-bone or a filet mignon.

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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

Quivira 2007 Grenache
by Haydn Adams | Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog
June 6th, 2009

Retail price: $26
Appellation: Dry Creek, California
ALC: 14.9%
You can buy this wine: at Quivirawine.com
Haydn gives this wine: 88pts

Grenache is a funky grape. It is one of the lightest of red wines and while is one of the most widely planted, it rarely bottled as a single variety. Grenache in itself is a soft wine. So growing and producing a bottle of 100% Grenache is often overlooked for a Rhoné blend. Quivira does both. And while the Rhoné blend is good, the single varietal Grenache shines.

The color on this clearly states that it is young. Vibrant red tones with a touch of brick can be seen in the wine. The rim is abundantly clear and is fairly deep in color. You can see your hand through the wine, but not by much.

The nose is fruit-forward with hints of a touch of strawberry and cherries. It is no wonder why winemaker Steven Canter calls the Grenache, “Pinot Noir’s Mediterranean cousin.” There is also an underlying touch of some sort of spice to this wine.

The mid-palate is similar with the fruit coming out in full force, yet mixed in a bit with an asian spice. It also feels like the fruit have just been picked, where you can smell a bit of earth on the fruit, straight from the ground (or in the case with the cherries), the tree.

Kudos to the winemaker for putting this wine in mostly neutral oak, as the tannins would attack too much of this wine and overpower it. I gave this wine an 88 because at first the wine comes out a bit hot. At 14.9%, the high alcohol will make you think twice before pouring that second full glass. I’m all in favor of getting a bit of a buzz when drinking, I just don’t want to get it on my 4th sip.

However, don’t let the high alcohol deter you. This Grenache is a shining example of what a good 100% varietal should taste like. No overbearing tannins, no sharp hits to the palate. Just easy-drinking wine.

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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