Category Archives: red wine

Review of the Route 128 2006 PeLu Rouge, Opatz Family Vineyard

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Route 128 PeLu Rouge bottleRoute 128 2006 PeLu Rouge, Opatz Family Vineyard
Appellation: Nestled in a mountain pass between Alexander Valley and Anderson Valley
Alc: 14.8%
Price: $34
Haydn gives it: 90pts
Total production: 1 barrel
You can buy this wine at: route128winery.com

PeLu Rouge, Opatz Family Vineyard

PeLue Rouge’s name simply comes from the names of the two owners— Lorna (Lulu is her nickname) and Pete. The husband and wife tag team opened up Route 128 a few years back in the Alexander Valley on the main street of Geyserville. A delicious wine, it is silky smooth with hardly a touch of tannins to speak of. There is a bit of blackberry mixed with a bit of black pepper, but it was as if the pepper’s strength had been turned way down to be a little bit more than a garnish rather than a main course. At a total production of 1 barrel, I don’t expect this wine to be around for too long. At that small production, and the beauty of the wine, it’s going to go fast.

Lulu explained to me, on a recent trip to their tasting room, that by giving it a proprietary name, they were able to be more flexible with the blending. They wanted this label to change up yearly, and by giving it the proprietary name, they were allowed to do that. This years’ blend is a co-fermentation of estate grapes, 65% Syrah, 25% Zinfandel & 10% Viognier. All three work together extremely well. While I wish all wines could stay the same forever, I also will be looking forward to the next vintage of the Lulu Rouge.

Keep up the great work, Route 128.

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.

2006 Ventana Rubystone – Red Blend

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2006-rubystone2006 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

Grenache and Salmon, a perfect pairing

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When someone asks you what wine you would drink with fish, I’m willing to put down a good sized bet that you’d jump to either a Chardonnay or a Savignon Blanc. Judging by the abundantly larger white wine lists in fish houses, the sommelier would tend to agree. Those two wines are safe bets. One is more acidic and one is more creamy and buttery.

However, I would imagine the question would become a little bit more difficult if I said that all of the whites were corked and all we have are reds. Thankfully, there is Grenache out there.

Grenache is an under-the-radar kind of wine. It is one of the most widely planted red grapes in the world*, but its usage is more for blending then for standing entirely on its own. Lately, more and more wineries have been combining Grenache with Syrah and Mouvedre (GSM) to give it a Rhoné inspired earthy feel. But let’s get back to fish here. The last thing you’re going to want is a super-heavy dirt-inspired red blend to muddle the taste of the fish. We’re talking 100% Grenache here.

And almost no other fish goes better with a pure Grenache than salmon. It was if they were made for each other. Salmon works well in this case because of its less-then-fishy characteristics. It has less acid, has a decently bold flavor and most marinades hold up well in the fish. My marinade of choice when serving a salmon to go with a Grenache is a light teriaki sauce. I also, at times, throw a small amount of garlic in (more for light seasoning) to perk up the teriaki sauce. I’m a big fan of Soy Vay for the salmon. The little bits of seasame play well with the fish. Also, I’m generally doing a baked salmon. Barbeque will end up charring parts of your fish and it will muddle the Grenache (and then you’d be wise to pour a Merlot or Tempranillo). Baking the salmon with the marinade will help the sauce slowly blend into the fish.

During my latest pouring, I uncorked a Grenache from Quivira Vineyards in Dry Creek. The hot weather in the Dry Creek region makes for ideal growing conditions for this grape. With light tannins, I opened this wine and let it sit out for about 40 minutes to help quell any tannins still lingering in the bottle. The light teriaki sauce blossomed when I sipped the wine after taking a bite. There was a little earthy component in the initial taste, but it soon gave way to a more fruit forward mid-palate with light strawberries dancing over my tounge. Overall a happy combination.

If you are feeling brave, head out to your local wine store and seek out a Grenache. Just be aware, if you are going to pair it with salmon, that the wine is 100%. Remember that any wine with a single variatal over 75% can be named solely that grape on the bottle, regardless of the other blending agents. If you are unsure, check the back of the bottle, as most wineries will list the breakdown, or ask the manager if you are in the wine specialty store.

I hope that on your next trip to the market, you’ll pick up these two wonderful indgrediants and see the power of Grenache and salmon first hand.

!Salud!

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*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenache

Frontier Red

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I discovered this budget wine while tasting at Woodlands Market. Sandwiched between a Cakebread Cellars and a few Bordeauxs sat Frontier Red.  It’s a powerful wine, at 15.5%, but a wonderful value at $10 or under (Woodlands had it listed for under $7).