Question: What do you get if you combine the Rhone region of France, with Spain, Germany and the California regions of Dry Creek & Paso Robles? Answer: I have no idea. And that’s the case with Lake Chelan’s wines. It’s still too young to tell what varietal will be king of the region. However that’s not to say there aren’t great wines to be had. You just have to know where to look.

The Lake Chelan AVA is only a year and a half old, officially, and, like sampling wine out of the barrel, one can only give their best estimate to how it will preform once it’s been through bottle shock. That being said, a good winemaker & vineyard manager can give a pretty good guesstimation to what that wine will do. Here’s a recap of my three-day whirlwind tasting through Lake Chelan’s wine district.

It’s new & growing (in a good way)

I must have tried about 15 different varietals over a three-day tasting around the like. All of the Spanish reds were there: Tempranillo & Grenache. There were a few Bordeaux blends present (though the Petit Verdot was MIA), a few Italians made their presence around the sloping waterfront hillsides, and nearly everyone had an Alsacian, a.k.a, a Riesling. In addition, the Pinot grape also made a cameo, alongside a Sparkling. In my thirst (no pun intended) to figure out which varietal does the best per the climate, I came away still not knowing. I figure with a few more years, a few gems will begin to emerge.

Wines by the glass

What through me for a loop was that all the wineries I visited had their wines available by the glass. It was something I had rarely seen in a winery, let alone in all wineries. I took up the offer, and finished off my evening on the first night kicking back underneath the misters at Hard Row to Hoe (and with the mercury pushing 85+ at 6:00 at night, the misters were quite enjoyable). With most wineries offering beautiful vistas of the lake, it’s easily to indulge your taste buds while getting lost in a kodak moment.

Overall Impression

While it is a new AVA, certain wineries could have fooled me into thinking they have been around for a decade or longer (ok, for the record, Lake Chelan winery has been around for a decade). However with scenic vistas of grapes seeming to flow endlessly to the water’s edge, very hospitable staff members, and a myriad of varietals to choose from, Chelan ranks high on the desirability scale when choosing which AVA to vacation in. It is a drive to get to from the Seattle area (or anywhere else for that matter). But trust me. When you get here, you won’t want to leave. It’s just too gosh darn beautiful. Welcome to the big leagues Lake Chelan (AVA).

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

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.

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.

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.

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