Winery Visit: Barnett Vineyards, Spring Mountain

With friends visiting from the East Coast, I was very excited to take them up Spring Mountain, to what I consider a special place away from the bustle and glitz of the valley floor. A place of dazzling vistas, where small to mid-size producers make intense wines from mountain fruit, and welcome guests with a hospitality that let's you know they're glad you made the effort to get up the mountain.

With lots of favorites to choose from -Pride, Keenan, Smith-Madrone, Terra Valentine, etc, I decided to take my guests to Barnett Vineyards - a place that I had long anticipated going to, but for one reason or another, never have. Barnett is known for perhaps the most breathtaking view in the valley, as well as one of Napa's iconic wines - their Rattlesnake Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.

Looking on their website, I was promised an intimate, personal, and informative look at their wines, grounds, and an educational discussion on Sring Mountain viticulture and terroir - for a fee of $35, waived with purchase.

We arrived for our appointment on a day of 100-plus degree heat, and being at the top of Spring Mountain made us feel even closer to the sun. We entered the barn-like barrel room to find the party before us still being served by the only person attending to guests that day. They were ushered out to the cave and the server returned and proceeded to quickly guide us through what I can only describe as the most abbreviated and least informative tasting I have ever experienced, with the fans in the barrel room going off the whole time trying to keep the barrels cool. After hasty tastes of Chardonnay, a couple Pinots, and a couple Cabs, we were given a small taste of the Rattlesnake Hill. The next party had already arrived behind us, so we were hustled into the wine cave, led through to the far end and turned loose to "wander the grounds for as long as we liked." We went outside and sipped the $125 Cabernet in the 105-degree heat - and needless to say, it did not show its best. We then wandered around and up to the observation deck to behold one of the most profound and visceral views of the Napa Valley I have ever seen. But the brevity of the entire experience, and the rapid-fire run through of the wines - in short, the stark contrast to what was promised on the website - left us with a bad taste (despite the Rattlesnake Hill's 45+ second finish). We kind of felt trapped into purchasing four bottles just to waive $140 in fees that were pretty much for nothing.

Full disclosure: this visit was so disappointing that I followed up with the winery and was told that someone had called in that day - they were indeed short-staffed, and didn't charge any fees, purchase or no (though we were not told that at the time). To be fair, Barnett may be a fine visit in comfortable weather, when they are fully-staffed and it is not a harvest-time Saturday. But despite some very good (if pricey) wines, and an absolutely heart-stopping view, I don't think we will be back. Not when you can taste or tour for free right down the road at Smith-Madrone, Keenan, or Pride, enjoy sit-down hospitality at Terra Valentine, or an extensive guided tour at Spring Mountain Winery, etc.

Artesa Winery 2005 Cabernet Franc "Ridgeline Vineyard"

This is another satisfying red wine from the Artesa Winery in the Napa section of the Carneros AVA. Fruit for this 100% Cabernet Franc was grown on their Ridgeline Estate Vineyard in the Alexander Valley. The fruit was whole-berry fermented in a mix of open and closed-top containers, and pressed to French oak barriques, then aged for 18 months before bottling.

This wine is a deep garnet color, with a nice nose full of cassis, black cherry, and blackberry fruit, touched with lavender, smoke, bittersweet chocolate, and mild spices. The attacky is smooth, and leads to a full, velvety mouthfeel reminescent of a big Merlot. The flavors are of ripe Cab Franc, however, with plenty of chocolate-robed dark fruits, nutmeg, cloves, smoke, and vanillin oak. Ripe and fruit-forward, but polished thanks to decent acidity and fine, ripe tannins. The structure holds things together through a solid finish of black cherries, cocao, violets, and toasty oak.

This is a fine example of California Cabernet Franc, with all the chocolatey fruit you could ask for, but plenty of refined structure and no rough edges. Could definitely benefit from a little more time in the bottle, but it is drinking nicely now after a good decant. Great with a boldly flavored steak, like a cocao-crusted filet mignon. Vella's cocao and oil-rubbed dry jack is also a good match here - see a pattern forming?

$40 at the winery is not cheap, but for Napa, this is solid QPR.

Domaine de Bonserine "La Sarrasine" 2003 Cote Rotie

This is a relatively young but accessible, classic Cote-Rotie from Domaine de Bonserine. La Sarrasine is comprised of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier. The wine was aged for 18 months in French oak, 1/3 of which was new.
The wine is a very pretty deep garnet color, with a ruby edge. It offers an expressive bouquet of kirsch, blackberry, and red plums complexed by floral notes, garrigue, olive tapenade, and flinty minerals. The attack is smooth, and the mouthfeel is almost deceptively light - as the flavors are deep and intense. Indeed, the wine is almost Burgundian in the way that it balances lightness and intensity. Red plum, cherry, and dark berry are focused by a bright core of acidity, and joined by complex nuances of herbs, baking spices, iron filings, and floral pastille. Flavors are consistent through the long, layered finish, riding the brisk beam of acidity to a clean close.
I've been drinking a lot of Aussie Shiraz of late, and not a few CA Syrahs. From start to finish, this wine leave no doubt that you have returned to the literal and spiritual home of the varietal, in the Northern Rhone. Not a big, blockbuster Cote-Rotie, this one is decidedly feminine, medium-bodied, and a bit ethereal. And a ridiculous value for $18.99. That's right - a Cote-Rotie for $18.99!
Good food-pairing versatility here - try it with roast pork or lamb rubbed with herbs.

Robert Keenan Winery 2004 Merlot, Napa Valley

Bang for the buck, Keenan's Napa Valley Merlot is one of my favorite CA Merlots vintage after vintage. The 2004 is a fine iteration of this wine to write about. The Napa Merlot is comprised of 68% Merlot grown at the Keenan Estate high up on Spring Mountain above St.Helena, with the remainder being cooler climate Merlot from Carneros. The wine spends 18 months in French oak prior to bottling.
This well-extracted Merlot has an inky purple core with a dark garnet edge. The nose is a potent combination of dark plums, warm blackberry compote, and black cherry fruit, with lovely and complex notes of roast coffee, cocao, olives, chalky minerals, and oak toast. The attack is velvety smooth, but the wine comes across plenty big on the palate. Lots of ripe fruit here, and if the acidity is modest, the minerality and fine, supple tannins make up the difference. Gobs of dark fruit in the guise of plums, blackberry/blueberry pie, and black cherry mix with mocha-espresso roast, hints of roast herbs and cloves, and a solid-but-balanced dose of toasty oak. The mouth-coating wine closes with a long, fruit-stained finish, with chalky tannins providing pleasant, supple grip.
A particularly nice vintage of a consistently great example of CA Merlot. The Napa bottling is a nice foil to Keenan's Carneros Merlot, which is a cooler climate, bright, medium-bodied, red-fruited wine. The Napa is a big, lush, and forward Merlot, full of dark fruit - but with great balance and complexity. The Carneros bottling could be said to have more food-matching versatility, but the Napa is an absolute guilty pleasure next to a a broiled tenderloin steak topped with gorgonzola and drizzled with a Port balsamic reduction.
If you like CA Merlot, this is a must-try for under $30.

Livermore Valley Cellars "Hansen Ranch" 2006 Zinfandel

The Hansen Ranch Vineyard is a maturing vineyard in the Livermore Valley, not far from this small producer of top-flight Zinfandels. Per the winery, this wine is a blend of Primitivo, Mendicino, and Hambrect clones of Zinfandel. They call it "Hamintivo".
This wine is a a medium garnet color, with a bright edge. Offers a nice nose of dark berry and cherry fruit, with some peppery spice and toasty oak. Smooth on the attack, ripe and juicy on the palate, with jammy blackberry, raspberry, and black cherry flavors nuanced with briar, earth, and white pepper. Moderate acidity and mild tannins frame the fruit, oak, and spice flavors. A juicy finish of modest length wraps things up with a considerable dollop of oak.
A straightforward, decent Zinfandel here, especially for $16. A little too much oak-to-fruit on this one for my taste, and does betray its solid dose of alcohol by throwing a little heat, but still very enjoyable. Doesn't have as much character as the LVC "Caboose" Zin, with its almost Port-ish intensity, or the classic berry-and-spice LVC "Kestrel Ridge" - but worth a try, tastes vary.

Trefethen Family Vineyards "Double T" 2003 Red Wine

This wine is Trefethen's Bordeaux blend, with all five Bordeaux varietals present, supporting Cabernet Sauvignon in the lead role. The wine spends 12 months in mixed French and American Oak.
The wine is a deep garnet color, with bright ruby on the edge. The nose is a nice mix of plum, cherry, and distinct red apple-skin aromas, with cloves and red floral nuances, and faint saddle-leather. The attack is smooth, and introduces a medium-bodied wine with good intensity to the flavors of red plums, currants, strawberries, and persistent apple-skin. Chocolate and briary notes emerge on the mid-palate, along with echoes of faint earth and leather. Tannins are gentle, and fine-veined. The finish is of good length, with those apple skin flavors joined by a floral pastille and a faint hint of oak. Closes with refreshing red fruit lingering on the cheeks.
This is a nice wine, for when you don't want to walloped by a hugely extracted, tannic, full-bodied red, but still want to stick with Bordeaux varietals. The red apple skin flavors are distinct and interesting, and the medium-body, balance, and apv % of 13.5% are refreshing, rather than exhausting. There are echoes of Bordeaux in the hints of flowers, saddle leather, and earth - could be a lesser-pedigree Bdx Superieur, if it weren't for the obvious effects of the CA climate. Lots of versatility with food here too - was great with a spice-rubbed pork tenderloin.

David Coffaro Winery "Fresco" 2006 Sonoma County Red Wine

This is yet another eclectic blend from the David Coffaro Winery in Dry Creek Valley. Fresco is a blend of 22% Alvarelhao, 21% Tempranillo, 21% Tinto Cao, 20% Peloursin, and 16% Carmine. At the winery, I joked with David about it being a "Cali-Rhone-Douro Red".
The wine is a bright garnet, around a dark core. There is an interesting mix on the nose of sweet red berries and sour cherry, with a bit of anise, and faint spiciness. The attack is full of juicy fruit and tart acidity, with raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate, and Morello cherries all coming to mind. Not much evolution across the palate, just a tart, fruity, and forward drink of wine. The moderate finish betrays no rough edges and barely a hint of oak.
Nothing fancy here, just an interesting mix of grapes vinified to make a good, uncomplicated table wine with pure fruit and some very food-friendly acidity. This is a fine pizza or pasta wine, and we enjoyed it with chicken tossed with penne arrabiata. $15/bottle at the winery, or $99/case. Do the math - it's a fine deal!

Artesa Winery 2005 Tempranillo "Reserve", Alexander Valley

I am finally getting around to posting notes on this very fun bottling that is reasonably priced, and consistently enjoyable, vintage after vintage. This 2005 bottling is 100% Tempranillo from Artesa's Alexander Valley estate vineyard. The wine is aged for 24 months in French oak barriques.
This wine is a deep, inky-purple color with a bright edge. It offers a nice bouquet of ripe blackberry and cherry fruit, with shades of white pepper, clove, leather, and smoke, and a subtle minerality. It is full-bodied, but soft and accessible on the palate, with good concentration to the dark fruit notes of blue and black berries and cherry. Gentle tannins build on the back-palate, framing the fruit with toasty pie-crust oak notes and mineral. A decent, fruit-stained finish wraps things up with a tasteful dollop of smoky oak.
This wine is a fine illustration of how Old World varietals find new expression in the CA sunshine, but still retain some roots. This wine is no traditional Rioja - it is more ripe, higher in alcohol, accessible in youth, and not built for the long haul. That is what Tempranillo grapes get from long, hot days in the sun. But there is lots of great fruit to this wine, and varietal correctness in the leather and smoke nuances - and (perhaps it is just in my head) the faint mineral imprint that suggests the quartz-inflected licorella soils of Rioja, which I know are 5,000 away from the Alexander Valley. Bottom line is that this is a different and very fun bottle of big red wine - a solid deal for $24 at the winery. Great with beef tenderloin skewers and chimichurri.

Penfold's Winery "Bin 128" 2006 Shiraz, Coonawarra

This is 100% Shiraz from one of Australia's most iconic wineries. Fruit for Bin 128 is sourced entirely from the "Terra Rossa" of the relatively cool-climate Coonawarra region of South Australia. The wine is aged for a year in 100% French oak barrels before bottling.
This Shiraz has a deep purple core with a bright garnet edge. It offers a solid and refined Shiraz bouquet of violets, blackberry, black cherry, and plum, with accents of pepper, chalky minerals, and oak toast. A smooth attack is followed by a medium-bodied mouth feel, with very nice acidity, moderate and supple tannins, and an underpinning of minerality. Generous, poised flavors of black cherry, blackberry, raspberry, and plum fruit are complexed by white pepper, green peppercorn, earth, tar, and game. Restrained but present toffee oak picks up on the back palate and follows through a moderately long finish of dark fruits framed by chalky tannins.
This is a solid Shiraz, a fair value for $24. For a genre characterized by big, jammy, and intense wines, this bottling scores points for its restraint, refinement, and poise. Decidedly medium-bodied, with a tasteful regimen of 100% French oak, this is an Aussie that can tread where Rhone Syrahs go so well - Provencal roast meat dishes, cassoulet, osso bucco, etc.

Cockburn's "Special Reserve" NV Porto, Douro

This "vintage character" NV Ruby Port from Cockburn's is advertised as "the world's most popular premium Port". This is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cao, Tinto Roriz, and Tinto Barroca. A significant amount of older wines contribute to the blend to create a complex and layered wine.

This port has a deep ruby color with a bright edge. It offers potent aromas of raisiny plum, dried cherries, leather, and cedar, with the grape spirits annouced by a bit of heat. Mouthfeel is layered and complex if a little thin. Flavors of briary berry, dessicated plums, and cherry liqueur are spiritous, with hints of chocolate and oak. Grippy tannins come into play from the mid-palate back, with lots of fruit, interesting accents, and a little heat carrying through a sweet fininsh that lingers.

This is a decent NV Port for about $18. The "vintage character" is evident in the solid structure - could definitely use a little more time in the bottle, though it is fairly accesible now with some air. This one leans toward a more liquer-ish style, and the apv % is evident in a little heat throughout, though it is far from flawed. Mouthfeel is a little thinner than I prefer, and the style a bit more more boozy, but this is an enjoyable finisher for the money - especially with some stilton and candied walnuts or dark chocolates.

Sbragia Family Vineyards "Schmidt Ranch" 2008 Sauvignon Blanc

Sbragia Family Winery is the personal project of Ed Sbragia, former long-standing master winemaker for Beringer. This medium/small family operation at the north end of Dry Creek Road in the Dry Creek Valley now focuses on single-vineyard varietal wines from Sonoma and Mendocino. The Schmidt Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is 100% SB from Dry Creek Valley, fermented and matured entirely in stainless steel.

The wine is a brilliant pale gold, with a great nose of nectarine, pineapple, citrus and minerals. A brisk attack is followed by a rich mouthfeel framed by zippy acidity. Generous flavors of tropical fruit like pineapple, guava, and lychee are paired with nectarine, apple, pear, and faint spiciness. A little waxy/lanolin character comes in to play on the palate, but the roundness is matched on all sides the crispness of fresh, pure fruit. Finishes with a flourish of tropical fruit and palate-cleansing acidity.

My taste in SB has wandered from the grassy-herbaceousness of the New Zealand benchmark to Sancerre and Bordeaux Blanc. Presently, I like a little more ripeness and roundness in my SBs than is usually found in the Kiwi and Loire Valley offerings at the value price points. When that roundness is acheived without compromising the varietal's signature food-friendly acidity, it hits the bulls-eye, and this SB is all there. Clearly made from from riper grapes grown in warmer climes like Dry Creek, this wine exhibits luscious tropical flavors and fruit-driven richness without sacrificing the crispness that makes Sauv Blanc such a no-brainer with food. This one is a treat with seared sea bass beurre blanc or grouper meuniere, and made for a great picnic wine with a caprese sandwich on Sbragia's lovely deck!

Concannon Vineyard 1999 Petite Sirah "Reserve"

This bottle was purchased at a library wine sale at the Concannon Winery in the Livermore Valley. I guess this was kind of an experiment to see how a well-crafted CA Petite Syrah fares after a decade of bottle aging. This wine is 100% Petite Sirah from the winery's Livermore Estate Vineyard.

The well-settled wine threw a good deal of sediment on pouring, but showed a nice inky purple color in the decanter, with the slightest fade at the edge, and no "bricking". In the glass, the wine offered an expressive bouquet of raisined plum and ripe berry fruits, with loamy earth, leather, and peppery spice notes. The soft attack, mellow fruit, and relaxed tannins that the wine exhibits are a testament to being well-aged - not the big, young, grippy Pets that I am more used to! This one was supple, with an almost Bordeaux-like quality of restrained fruit allowing earth, coffee, roast meat, and pepper notes to show through - but still enough juicy plum, blackberry, and raisin fruit left to betray its provenance. The smooth, silky texture follows through to a solid finish where the faintest hints of oak and gentle tannins mingle with the fruit.

This one is definitely not going to improve with further aging, but the decade in the bottle didn't do any harm. Fans of big, jammy, and tannic young Pets would do well to pull the cork much sooner in the wine's development, but this library sale gave us an interesting oppotunity to see how the varietal presents after settling into a mellow 'old age'. Still a quality, enjoyable Petite - a fair deal for $26, and a good partner for roast beef au jus.

David Coffaro Winery "ZP2C" 2006 Sonoma County Red Wine

David Coffaro is a small operation along Dry Creek Road in the Dry Creek Valley just nortwest of Healdsburg. case production on current releases ranges from just 147 cases to 774 cases per bottling. They specialize in unique blends, and make wines from 21 varietals, including: Peloursin, Carignane, Tempranillo, Malbec, Tinto Cao, Tannat, Alvarelhao, Carmine, and other CA obscurities. This bottling is comprised of the leftover 10% of the wine from all barrels after racking. Seriously. Equal parts of all 21 varietals, even including Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc!

The wine is a medium purple-garnet, with a nose of tart fruit like morello cherries, cranberries and pomegranates, with a bit of leather and oak. The wine has a soft attack and is pleasantly light and juicy on the palate, with mild tannins and a solid dose of fresh-fruit acidity. Has some Zinfandel character of raspberry and cherry, with strawberry and some grapey fruit that reminded me of a Charbono (which is not in the blend). Subtle accents of earth, leather and oak add interest. The finish is a bit abbreviated, but closes tasty and clean with lots of fruit and gentle tannins. The overall impression is one of a juicy, casual food wine.

Casual but quality makes for a fun package here - a fair deal for $22. Had a discussion with the server at the winery about the "science" of blending - where precision can make the finished product greater than the sum of its parts... Or, in this case: "10% of everything good all blended togethr equals good!" Somehow, it is hard to argue with that logic. A good partner for a chicken and penne Arrabiata. A perfect pizza/pasta wine.

Bodegas Sierra Salinas "Mira Salinas" 2005 Alicante Red Wine

Bodegas Sierra Salinas winery is a joint venture of Bodegas Castano (of the Yecla D.O.) and the Swiss Niehus family. The project began in 2000, with the goal of producing a quality wine for export from the old Monastrell vineyards in the Sierra Salinas valley of the Alicante D.O.

This wine is 65% Monastrell, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Garnacha, aged for 20 months in French oak, 60-70% new.

The wine is a deep, glass-staining garnet hue, with brooding aromas of black cherry liquer, blackberry, plum, roast meats, creosote, baking spices, and minerals. It has a bold attack and comes across full-bodied on the palate, with excellent structure in the form of solid acidity and firm-but-ripe tannins - in fact, it took a decent decant to get everything to meld and mellow. Once it did, the wine was a powerhouse with plenty of refinement. Definitely aimed at the international market and some big "Parker Points", this big red offers copious amounts of kirsch, plum, blackberry, and blueberry fruit, amply complimented by oak toast, baking spices, charcoal, minerals, and that unmistakeable Monastrell gaminess. An iron fist in a velvet glove - this big, rustic wine still feels somewhat elegant due to the pedigree and fine structure. The finish is quite long and mouthstaining, with a nice balance of pure fruit and oak.

This is a very nice buy for $24 - kind of a ripe, rustic, Spanish take on a Bandol Rouge. This wine wine screams for strong, aged cheeses, or similar strong flavors like grilled beef or a Bolognese sauce pasta.

Papapietro Perry Winery 2006 Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir

The Charles Vineyard is located in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley. The blocks are planted to several Dijon and Pommard clones. Ben Papapietro cold-soaks the crushed fruit for several days before fermenting in open-topped containers with select yeasts. After pressing, the wine is aged for 12 months in French oak, 50% of which was new.

This wine is a brilliant ruby color in the glass, with an expressive bouquet of rose petals, nutmeg, cloves, and plenty of red plum and forest-berry fruits. It is light but intense on the palate, with a layered, silky mouthfeel. Flavors of cassis, raspberry, and strawberry are complexed by baking spices, cloves, saffron, and forest floor notes. These flavors are brightened by fine acidity that comes through in a cranberry guise. Fine, sweet tannins and a tasteful touch of smoky oak add structure and depth. The finish is long and harmonious, full of sweet fruit, fine-veined tannins, and a bit of oak toast.

This is yet another vituoso performance by "PPPP". This tiny boutique producer in the Dry Creek Valley really knows their Pinot Noir (and Zinfandel!). This one combines the sweet fruit and concentration of "West Coast" Pinot with the lightness, complexity, and finesse of a more "Old World" style - a hybrid style that has really become a favorite of mine. A guilty pleasure with cedar-planked salmon, but more than robust enough to step it up to braised pork chops or beef Bourgignon.

Eric K. James Vineyards 2005 Syrah, Sonoma Valley

This 100% Syrah is sourced from an old-vine Sonoma Valley vineyard planted to several cones of Syrah. The wine is produced by the vineyard's owners, working with the Napa-Sonoma Vineyard Group - an organization that provides management and development services for wineries and growers in the area. This wine was aged for 14 months in French oak before bottling.

The wine is a deep purple color, with a garnet edge. Upon opening, the wine seemed a little backward, with aromas of pine sap, menthol-eucalyptus, and chalky minerality overlaying cherry, plum, and blueberry fruit. With time in the air, and especially overnight, the wine opened up to reveal an nice bouquet of black cherry, plum, and blueberry pie, with hints of violets, dark chocolate, orange rind,and limestone minerality. The pine and herbal notes of the first night remained present, but assumed an appropriate place in the background. Good acidity, and fine, gentle tannins make for a soft, smooth mouthfeel that coats the palate with flavor. The finish is of decent length, with lots of black cherry and plum fruit and faint spicy oak.

This wine really came around. The experience reminded me of a conversation I had with the winemaker at Balletto Vineyards who was telling me that Syrah is the most nerve-wracking wine to ferment and age - because "you open the tank one day and it smells like dark fruit, flowers, and heaven, and then a week later you check it and it smells like sweatsocks. You really never know what you're gonna get until it's done." In this case, even after the winemaker is done. This wine was actually enjoyable at first, but in a more "what if the secondary flavors took over?" kind of way. As it integrated, it revealed itself to be a very nice, correct, and interesting expression of CA Syrah - twice the wine on night two!

Definitely a candidate for a little more bottle age or a long decant, but a fair value for $22. This one would be nice with a hearty stew or a lamb cassoulet.

Hendry Ranch Winery 2006 Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir is sourced from three vineyard blocks planted to Dijon, Joseph Swan, and UC Davis clones, on the Hendry Ranch Winery estate just west of Napa in the Mayacamas benchlands. The wine was fermented using natural yeasts, and aged for 11 months in French oak barrels, 50% of which were new.

This Pinot is well-extracted, with a bright ruby color and a garnet core. The bouquet offers ripe Pinot aromas of red currants and plums, with an array of baking spices, cloves, and a tasteful dose of toasty oak. The wine is rich and velvety smooth on the palate, with a layered mounthfeel, and fine-veined tannins. Sweet flavors of plum, cherry, and berry fruit are complexed by forest floor notes and plenty of baking spice, clove, and brown sugar accents. Solid acidity keeps the flavors bright and focused through a long finish of sweet fruit, supple tannins, and hints of oak.

This is a very nice, big, "New World" Pinot. The Mayacamas benchlands are warmer than Carneros to the south, and it shows in the ripe, sweet fruit of this wine. With the extraction, apv % around 14.4%, and forward fruit, this may not be for Burgundian Pinot purists - but if you like lush, forward Pinot, with solid structure and complexity, this wine is just right. Tasteful oak influence, nice balance of fruit and acid, supple, ripe tannins, and the briary forest and baking spice notes to add layers of complexity to the sweet fruit - good stuff! An excellent partner to the pork tenderloin rubbed with oil and herbs-de-Provence.

Wolf Blass Wines "Gold Label" 2006 Shiraz, Barossa Valley

It is sometimes easy to scoff at large-production wines and wineries and pass them off in favor of more boutique fare. But once in a while you have to check in and see how the 'big guys' are doing with economies of scale in producing value-priced wines that are hardly expressions of terroir, but represent solid quality/price rapport. Wolf Blass Wines is part of the multi-national Foster's Wine Estates. They made this 100% Shiraz with fruit sourced from select vineyards throughout the Barossa Valley. The wine was aged for 15 months in mixed French and American Oak.
This Shiraz is a nice, deep garnet hue, with a purple core. The bouquet offers a good dose of jammy-but-refined Shiraz fruit - blackberry preserves, plums, and blueberry pie, with herbal hints of anise and eucalyptus, and a solid whack of creamy oak. A smooth attack is followed by a juicy, fruit-driven mouthfeel framed by my modest, supple tannins and decent acidity. A hint of chalky minerality comes through on the mid-palate, which also helps to balance the ripe fruit notes of dark berries, plums, and toast. Finishes with fair length, and a good balance of fruit, oak, and restraint.
Straightforward, mainstream Barossa Shiraz here. Due to stiff competition in the Oz-Shiraz market, this one is not a steal at $15 - but it is hardly a disappointment. Large-production should make it an accessible find, and it does deliver nice, jammy fruit, with a fair attempt at balance and refinement. A good choice for a summer barbecue, or as a stand alone - perhaps with some clothbound cheddar!

Sequoia Grove Winery 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

This bottling from a highly-regarded family-owned winery right on Hwy 29 in Rutherford is consistently considered one of the better values in the Napa Cab marketplace, vintage after vintage. The 2004 is comprised of fruit from Rutherford, Oakville, Atlas Peak, and Napa, in a vintage noted for low yields and intense fruit. The wine was aged for one year in American oak, 45% of which was new.

The wine is a deep garnet color with a slight fade at the edge. It possesses an expressive bouquet of black cherry and blackberry, complexed by espresso roast, cocao, pencil shavings, and spice notes of cloves and cinnamon. The attack is smooth and is followed by a rich but refined mouthful of wine, with bright acidity and fine, ripe tannins. Lush flavors of cherry, blackberry, and dark currant are woven through with Bordeaux-esque notes of cigar box and graphite, mocha and toast. The wine is poised and well balanced, and maintains intensity from the mid-palate back, with layered flavors rippling through a very nice finish of solid length and grip.

Like Raymond, Sequoia Grove is one of those reliable, "go-to" producers of quintessential Napa Cabernet at a fair price. The 2004 is no exception. Paid $28 for this bottle, and am completely satisfied. A nice combination of ripe Napa fruit with more than a bit of Old World complexity. Plenty of structure to age and improve for several more years. And - a great steak wine!

Monticello Vineyards 2006 "Presidential Syrah"

Monticello Vineyards is a small, family winery in the Oak Knoll District of the Napa Valley, just north of the town of Napa. They are known for their award-winning Cabernets and Bordeaux blend, and production is in pretty limited quantities, so how this Syrah ended up at Grocery Outlet I don't know. But, for $14.99, one has to try...

The wine is a deep purple in the glass, with garnet at the edge. The bouquet offers classic Syrah aromas of black cherry, plum, and blackberry fruit, with violets and hints of earth. The attack is soft, and the mouthfeel is gentle and smooth - I would have assumed that this wine had seen more bottle age for how mellow it is. Nonetheless, there is plenty of dark fruit in the guise of cherries, berries, and plums, with violets, nuances of bacon fat and white pepper, and just a hint of oak. The wine is supple and round, but has fair acidity, and gentle, chalky tannins that provide adequate structure. The finish is of decent length, closing clean, mainly on pure fruit.

A little one dimensional, but there is plenty to like here for $15. True varietal character, albeit in a suprisingly soft and smooth guise. If you are looking for an intense, knock-your-socks off Syrah/Shiraz, this isn't it (perhaps try the '06 Teusner below), but there are full fruit flavors and no rough edges here that make for a pleasant and easy drinking wine. Very accessible right now. Paired well with a roast pork tenderloin - would also be a great pasta wine.

Caves-de-Lugny "Les Charmes" 2007 Macon-Lugny

"Les Charmes" is a bottling of 100% Chardonnay from a large, south-facing, old-vine vineyard near the Burgundy village of Lugny. The wine sees either no oak or very neutral oak, as evidenced by the crisp, pure fruit. This readily available, affordable, and very food-friendly wine is another good example of the value to be had in Maconnais white wines.
The wine is a brilliant pale gold in the glass, with a nice bouquet of grapefruit, green apples, Meyer lemon, wet stones, and a bit of iodine. The attack is brisk and racy, as the wine expresses crisp acidity and minerality right from the start. Very nice, pure Chardonnay flavors open up on the palate, with nuances of grapefruit, quince, pear, apple, and lemon, accented by pervasive minerality and hints of fresh-mown hay. No tropical notes here - this chard is all about peak acidity, pure fruit, and minerals. The crisp, dry finish cleanses the palate, making this a perfect wine to pair with summer meals.
Another fine bargain from the Macon region, this nice little Chard is a great deal for $8.99. The acidity was an excellent foil for crostinis with chevre to start, and followed up very nicely with sole in a mustard-citrus sauce. Very nice expression of pure Chardonnay fruit-driven richness with little or no oak and malolactic enhancement.

Mini-Vertical: Teusner Wines "The Riebke" 2005 & 2006 Shiraz, Barossa Valley

This was an interesting juxtaposition of two very different wines, both comprised of 100% Shiraz from the same vineyards in the Ebeneezer District of the northern Barossa Valley. Similar vinification practices were used, and both wines spent about twelve months in American oak hogsheads before bottling - so this is a study in pure vintage variation.

The Riebke 2005

This wine is a deep, inky purple with a garnet edge. The nose offers aromas of dark plums, blackberries, and cassis, with tar, sweet oak, and Rhone-ish notes of bacon fat, garrigue, and graphite. It is soft and supple in the mouth, medium-bodied, with pure fruit, sweet tannins, and present acidity. This is a well balanced Shiraz that matches the ripe fruit flavors of blackberry, cherry, and plum, with interesting notes of roast/smoky meats, herbs, earth, and minerals. Plenty of toasty vanilla oak is in the mix as well, but doesn't dominate. The wine is layered through a very nice finish of pure fruit, oak, and gentle tannic grip. A very urbane expression of Barossa Shiraz that pays tribute to the grape's Rhone origins - and an great value at $14.99! Unlike many Aussies, this one is refined enough to pair with roast meat dishes and hard cheeses, etc.

The Riebke 2006

Teusner went from urbane in '05 to "octane" in '06, as the 2006 Riebke is a rip-roaring, full-throttle Barossa Shiraz of the first order! The wine is also a deep, inky purple in the glass. Intense, almost forceful aromas of cherry liquer and blueberry pie erupt from the glass, heavily accented by scorched earth, graphite, oak toast, and faint spices. On the palate this wine is just as brash - full-bodied, plush, jammy, and huge. But I should point out that it maintains serious structure in the form of solid acidity and fine, supple tannins. This is no simple fruit bomb, it is an opulent and intense expression of high-end Aussie Shiraz, with no significant Rhone-ish trappings. Flavors in the mouth are consistent with the nose, gobs of kirsch, blueberry pie, blackberry and plum fruit, with glycerin, scorched earth, tar, white pepper, pain grille, and a hint of eucalyptus. The finish is long and mouth-staining, with plenty of toasty oak and sweet fruit that clings to the cheeks for a long, long time.
This is not a Shiraz for the faint of heart - we actually exclaimed profanities several times while drinking it. It is an apt description - this is a @#$%#$ of a Shiraz!
If you are looking for straight-down-the-middle, hedonistic Barossa fare, it would be hard to beat this wine at any price point. Its no Grange, but at $16.99, it is an absolute steal.
This wine would overpower most foods, except for grilled meats and strong cheeses like dry jack or a bandaged cheddar.

J Vineyards 2007 Pinot Gris, Russian River Valley

There are some instances in selecting wines for purchase where one feels like they are using the "ask the audience" lifeline on 'Millionaire'. I have long wandered by the label for this perpetually sold out wine in Safeway, wondering: "can that many people really be wrong about a $16 Pinot Gris?"... And alternately wondering: "or is this just one nut with some kind of weird obsession for this wine?"... Well, passing by to actually find a bottle on the shelf gave me the chance to see for myself...

This Pinot Gris is sourced from various vinetards in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley. Each vineyard lot is fermented separately in 100% stainless steel, with no malo-lactic fermentation being employed. The wine is cold-stabilized, and then the blend is assembled.

The wine is a clear, straw-gold in the glass, with a very nice bouquet of orange blossoms, white peach, pear, apple, minerals, and a touch of honey. A smooth attack leads to a full-bodied mouthfeel, with tremendous richness for a non-malo, unoaked wine. The richness is matched from start to finish by racy fresh-fruit acidity that makes the flavors really vivid. The white peach, apple, pear flavors are joined on the palate by round and tropical notes of melon, lemon meringue, and mango, with plenty of floral overtones of jasmine and honeysuckle, as well as mineral and fresh-mown hay notes. The vinish is solid, leaving a waxy-viscous coating of white grape and honey on the cheeks, but cleansed by the zippy acidity to close crisp and dry.

The audience is on! This is a great CA Pinot Gris, a fine example of why the Alsatian style of rich-but-crisp Gris is becoming my favorite white wine. I love the melon and hay notes, and the purity of the unoaked fruit. With no invasive oak or malo, this wine still has plenty of stuffing to pair with curries or thai, chicken or pork. Worked very well with miso crusted halibut with stir-fried vegetables.

Hendry Ranch Winery "Block 28" 2005 Zinfandel, Napa Valley

Located in the benchlands south of the Mayacamas Mountains, Hendry Ranch Winery is right between the Carneros, Oak Knoll, and Mt Veeder appellations, and as such is subject to a moderate maritime climate that is a mixture of the climates you would find in those three AVA's. Though, as George, the owner likes to say: "the American AVA system is pretty meaningless - we have way more interesting things to put on our labels". The climate and stony "boomer series" soils are perfect for turning out top-notch Zinfandel.

The Block 28 Zin was havested on Oct 2, 2005, saignage was employed to gain the right sugar levels, and the wine was fermented to dryness at 15.2% apv. The wine was the aged for 15 months in French oak, 65% of which was new.

The wine is deep, dark garnet in the glass, with a ruby edge, and brooding aromas of spicy, briary berries, currant, anise, white pepper, earth, and toasty oak. The Block 28 is a big Zin - concentrated, but poised with a smooth attack that then explodes on the palate in a swell of juicy berry and spice flavors. Raspberry, boysenberry, and mulberry are in the fore, with black currant, licorice, bittersweet chocolate, and any array of complex spice notes. The torrent of flavors carries through to a long and saturated finish, never betraying the heat of the immodest apv %. Acidity is solid, and the tannins are sweet and ripe - very good structure for a 100% Zin.

This is great Zinfandel, combining the best of the "classic" style of juicy berries & spice and bright acidity with the more "Turley-esque" style of high octane and intense, ripe fruit. $30 at the winery, and well worth it - this wine screams out for slow cooked ribs - or as George says, artichokes!