With the end of the year drawing ever so closer with every tick of the second hand, I felt it was appropriate to list my personal list of the top 10 wines of the year. These wines did not always score the highest, and I am sure Robert Parker’s list would look considerably different than mine. However, they each wine has a reason for being on the list.

Happy New Year, and enjoy,
Haydn Adams

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Wine: 2007 Mourvedre from Quivira Vineyards
Appellation: Dry Creek
Alc.: 14.7%
Haydn gives this wine: 91 pts (after it’s been open for a day)
Price: $32
You can buy this wine: at Quivirawine.com

It’s not everyday that the recommend food of a wine ends up on the bottle. But such is the case with the 2007 Mourvédre from Quivira (as well as the 2006 vintage). Each bottle by Quivira dawns a various animal that corresponds with the wine. With the Mourvédre, it has to do with the wild turkeys strutting their stuff around the Mourvédre grape. However, and I wonder how coincidental, that this wine would pair so well with Ben Franklin’s favorite bird.

The Biodynamically certified Mourvédre’s nose is spotlessly clean. No sharp spikes or jolts in the initial whiff. While some wines hit you right off the bat, almost yelling at you, this one whispers quietly, almost inviting you, no, more luring you to taste it. There’s a reason for that. In the words of Steven Canter, winemaker, “No new oak was harmed in making this wine”.

The Mourvédre is not an easy wine to quickly pick up. Cabs and Pinots (both old-world and new-world Pinots) have a distinct characteristic. Yet the Mourvédre is a little of a hodgepodge when it comes to flavor profiles.

On the nose, you’ll find hints of molasses and plums (I know it doesn’t visually sound appealing, but go with me here). And behind those are blackberries and even a little blueberries. The taste continues when you get the chance to answer the beckoning whisper of this Mourvédre. The plums continue on as the blueberries get bigger, and the sweetness of the plum gets a bit earthier. It’s as if the plum ripens from sniff to taste. There’s some meat in this wine. While you could drink this solo, I’d recommend a good, big cheese or say, a turkey!

Leave the job of paring big red meats to the big boys: Cabs, Syrahs and Bordeaux / Bordeaux blends (of course all dependent upon the sauce). Mourvédre’s sit comfortably in the middle when it comes to heaviness. Pinots (New World), Grenaches and Beaujolais would round out the lighter side. So it makes sense that a fairly meaty bird would compliment well with a fairly meaty wine. I can almost smell the turkey, lightly paired with the cranberry suace and a little bit of gravy round out this pairing (can you tell I’m starting to drool over the idea that Thanksgiving is less than a month away?).

This wine’s just a baby and it took nearly a day to fully open up. Decant, decant, decant, and then wait a while. The wine’s begging you to drink it—take your time and you’re patience will pay off.

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

2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay
Appellation: Napa Valley
Price: $37
ALC: 14.5%
Haydn gives this wine: 93pts
You can buy this wine at: cakebread.com

A staple in the Napa Valley, Cakebread recently released a new Chardonnay into their wine portfolio. The 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay (they also make an Anderson Valley Chardonnay) was recently bottled and is now available to the world.

The beauquet on this wine is beautiful. I’m delighted that the acidity is a bit higher than what you’d normally expect out of a California (let alone a Napa Valley) Chardonnay. The butter bandit, if he is there, is hiding out on the nose. My initial thought when I took a quick whiff was apples and pears, with a little butter, but not much at all. I imagine this well-balanced nose is due to the nearly 10% of the wine going through a stainless steel fermentation.

The mid-palate displays the typical butterness sensation, but without the characteristic oakiness. The butter is still very mild and melts easily on your tongue. A slight amount of tannins, however they are very very weak. This is partially due to the fact that Cakebread ran the wine through both neutral & new french oak. The oak is needed, but it’s not over the top.

If you’re looking for a great Chardonnay to have before dinner or with a good friend, this wine is for you. You can easily drink this solo, or with food. Closing my eyes, I could see a Fettuccine Alfredo, or any other dish with a cream sauce; possibly cooked oysters with a clam sauce. The small amount of acidity is what works with the thicker sauces.

This wine could use a little more time to lay down. The small amount of tannins present will dissipate in about 6-8 months I’m guesstimating. However, the wine is still ready to drink now.

Enjoy,
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

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

Scheid Vineyards 2006 Rosé
by Haydn Adams | Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog

Appalachian: Monterey
Alc: 14.4%
Haydn gives it: 86pts

Summer is right around the corner. It’s the time to dust off the picnic basket, find a park with a bit of light shade and uncork a Rosé. The rosé for me has been my answer to drinking a cool red wine in the summertime. With temps out here in Marin hitting 90-95 degrees in the summer, the chilled whites seem to get billing in addition the Rosé.

The rosé in the spotlight today is the Scheid Vineyards 2006 Rosé. This wine is plain and simple, with a great basket of strawberries in the palate, the nose and just about everywhere else. There is a sweetness to this one, so think about pairing it with a dryer or coarse cheese to balance it.

Aside from the strawberries, the rosé is a wonderful palate cleanser. While this wine comes in at 14.4% when it comes to alcohol content, which is fairly high for the rosé market (yet on par for California standards), the abundance of alcohol is light and at first I had this wine pegged at around 13.2 – 13.5%.

The rosé did its trick— it was opened on a warm spring time afternoon, sitting outside on the balcony with a great friend. I was also happy to see a screw top, as the past few wines have been corked.

The 2007 rosé by Scheid is made from Syrah grapes with a kick of Cab. The best part about this wine is 1) the alcohol content lowered to 13.4% (I tend to lean towards the lower alcohol content on a hot day, as you’re already losing hydration from the heat, and a high alcohol content furthers the feeling of intoxication) and 2) the price point of $16.

You can buy this wine directly from Scheid’s vineyard at: scheidvineyards.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. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com