2012 Wente Riva Ranch-Arroyo Seco-Monterey Chardonnay

I took far too long of a break between posts in this wine blog and I have enjoyed numerous recommendation worthy wines in the time since but have simply been too lazy to sit down and take the few moments it takes to write about them

So that alone should say something big about this Wente Chardonnay that it has inspired me to share my enjoyment after all this time. This 2012 Riva Ranch is really something special. I found it on sale for around 16 bucks and I must say that it is worth every penny.

I first enjoyed an Arroyo Seco Chardonnay almost 4 years ago when the company I was working for sold Scott Chardonnay. I highly recommend all wines that come from this sub-appellation because they seem to be extremely consistent in their taste profiles. This wine is definitely one for the fans of oak and butter. I do not have the pallet to tell whether this wine came from french oak or was simply done using malolactic fermentation but the end result leaves me without the care. This wine rolls over your tongue and then up over the roof of your palate and back through again hitting every taste bud and lingering long enough for it to make its point clear. FLAVOR! Yes, I believe that flavor is the point that this wine is trying to make. I would of course say that balance has to be its over-riding characteristic since everything seems to go down without anything giving reason to pause for consideration. It was literally on my fourth or fifth drink when I stopped to say, "Hold on. I think they may have something here." And yes, I am the weird guy that says that out loud when nobody else is around just for the effect.

Anyways, the nose on this wine is one that acts like gravity to the glass for chardonnay lovers; apricots, pears, and green apples all blend together to produce that wonderful, classic, oaky buttery chard profile that lets you know what you are getting in for even before the liquid hits your lips. But when it hits your lips oh my!

The flavor seems to be the exact flavor that I remember from both Scott and J Lohr Arroyo Secos and the best that I can describe it (with my amateur taste and expression) is that the nose runs right through the taste. Only as tart as a pear could get and not even as sweet as an apricot but the salient point of this wine is that it maintains consistency in its quality. I do not often buy chardonnays but when I do I am buying with a specific taste craving. And when I saw that Riva Ranch was on sale and that this vintage came from Arroyo Seco, I had to jump all over it. It would have greatly disappointed me if this wine had been done on steel or had any overwhelming expressions in its fruit. When I drink an Arroyo Seco, I remember only the expression imprinted in my memory of Arroyo Seco; and therefore I expect to get that taste when I see the Sub-App on the label.

For anyone who hasn't experienced a wine from this area, I highly suggest starting with this Wente. I love all wines and feel that my palate is broad enough to recommend that if you like smooth chardonnay, you will like this wine. And after this, please confirm my beliefs in this location by trying the Scott and the J Lohr Arroyo Seco Chardonnays as well.

I recommend this wine on its own but it will go wonderfully with any vegetarian dish as well as oily fish or chicken. I would avoid red meats and sugar heavy sauces with this one but go all out with the cream sauces. If I was craving a meal for this wine right now I would probably say Shrimp Scampi or Chicken Dijon. I also have a mind for Pirogis cooked and sauted in butter with onions and peppers. Hot Damn!

Enjoy.

2008 Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia Carmenere. Brilliant!

I am currently enjoying a bottle of the 2008 Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia Chilean Carmenere. Enjoyment doesn't quite speak to how much I love this bottle of wine. I have had Carmeneres before but none have been so distinctive and expressive as this one.

The back label on the bottle reads, "Deep ruby red in colour with a violet tinge, this wine has intense, ripe red fruit aromas and hints of spice. The palate is also fruity; blackcurrant and blueberry are beautifully integrated with flavours from 12 monts of barrel-ageing such as vanilla, truffles and smoky notes. It's a concentrated and smooth wine with a long finish. Best served with red meats or pasta with seasoned sauces."

This is a very good description of this wine. What I would add to it though is the characteristic of carmeneres that shows in a subtle yet elegant way in this bottle and that is the presence of pepper. Most people believe carmeneres to show a strong amount of bell pepper scent and flavor. I usually believe that bell pepper in a wine typically indicates a wine that was vinified too early and the grapes weren't quite yet ripe. With Carmeneres though this is simply a unique characteristic of the grape. My favorite element of this wine though, as well as with the lower-tiered Carmenere in the Santa Carolina line, is the sense that it is not bell pepper in the wine at all but instead a pepper with more spice. I believe it to be some kind of chile pepper, either a Big Jim or an Anaheim. No heat of the chile but plenty of the flavor.

This wine will pair brilliantly with most any red meat and especially a Mexican dish like Carne Asada. I currently am enjoying this wine with a meat-heavy pizza and I could not be more satisfied. I will be surprised if I can muster the will power to not drink the entire bottle in one sitting. It really is that good.

This bottle retails near the 20 dollar range but the rest of the Santa Carolina line hovers in the 10-12 dollar range and truly does not lose quality with the price drop. I highly recommend this wine and has I haven't posted anything in months I think that should speak to how much this bottle has stood out to me.

Best Values in Wine come from Spain

The more and more experience and knowledge I acquire on the subject of wine, the more and more I am finding that the truly great values are all coming from "New World" places. Specifically there are incredible values to be found in Spain; case in point...Carro Tinto 2008. A lovely little blend from Ole Imports, Carro is a beautifully satisfying blend of Monestrell, Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot hailing from Murcia, a region in Zone 8 in southeastern Spain in the town of Yecla. No research needed to find that info with this wine though, or with any of the Ole wines, as the bottle includes plenty of information right on the back of the bottle: Varietals, Description, Location, Soil, and Climate. This a very fun aspect of Ole wines for any who wants to know something about the wine they are drinking. I am sure however, that many whom taste this wine won't really care about the info though; their concerns will be focused on finding themselves a refill. Soft yet expressive with lovely dark berry flavors and a similar nose; this wine would easily sell in the $15 dollar range if it came from California, $20 dollar range if Australian, and maybe even more if French. I like this wine a lot and I highly recommend it to anybody who is making dinner for friends or simply wants a well made wine that doesn't bust the budget. Expect to find a bottle for under $10 dollars at your local liquor store. It is also made in 1.5L bottles for even more value. Enjoy!

Great Austrailian Value

I have found over the past year that different places around the world produce incredibly different tastes in wine. Lately I have been amazed at the value found in places like Spain and Argentina. But I have also been quite impressed by the differences in the Syrah varietal depending on where its grown in the world. From an almost light and minerally tasting version found in southern France to an extremely jammy and almost thick version in Austrailia with a mix of the two showing up all over California and Washington, the Syrah grape produces some truly fantastic wines. The latest of which I have tried comes from the brand Gemtree Vineyards. The Buttery family has been farming grapes in a bio dynamic and sustainable way for years now in an effort to promote and support marshlands in southern Australia and has simultaneously been producing truly incredible wines. I have found that not only in wine but in almost any industry that chooses to go green that the product ends up being sub par when compared with the original. Well this is not the case with Gemtree. I could rave endlessly about Taddy Road or Uncut or Bloodstone and so on but not to disappoint in any way I would like to start at the beginning; the bottom of the chain.

Gemtree's Tadpole Shiraz is a wonderful example of what Australian Shiraz can become. Essentially a benchmark for the grape, this wine is a lovely way to learn about Australian reds, bio dynamic vineyards, and great wine overall. Try a bottle for under 12 dollars and get excited like I am just simply in the know that this is only the beginning. It only gets better from here. 

Best Value Cabernet

McManis Cabernet is, hands down, one of the best value brand Cabernet Sauvignons on the market today. For under 10 dollars you will receive a wine that is not only, the expected: fruit forward, full bodied, well balanced Cabernet that has been on the market for many year now, but also a complex and expressive bottle that you rarely find for under 15 dollars. Raspberries, Oak, and an extremely pleasant nuttiness coat the palate and show off as if this wine wants its consumers to know how special it is. I am not sure what it is about this unique winery from Ripon, CA, but for a non-Napa Cab, this wine is truly a great value. I am rarely a fan of central coast wines or the cabs so often touted from places like Paso Robles but this is one wine that I really do enjoy and strongly recommend for all.

I know nothing about wine pairing

So I was working the other day stocking shelves when a customer came up to me and asked if I could recommend a couple of good wines for her. I asked her what she was looking to spend and she said about 20 bucks a bottle.. She said she is looking for a good merlot and also a good chardonnay or pinot grigio Knowing the price range I took her over and recommended a bottle of Magness merlot. I personally do not drink merlots and went with my knowledge of the shelf tag used at other stores. Magness Merlot was given 92 points by Wine Enthusiast last year. While I never mentioned me ever having tried the wine, the customer was glad to take a bottle of wine with such a favorable rating. I then walked her over to the chardonnay's where I ran into the liquor store's wine manager. As I don't drink chardonnays much either I felt it best to have the wine guy recommend her the second bottle, which he did happily and I thought it was time to go on with my day.

But low and behold, next time I passed the wine desk the wine manager stopped me and asked me to take a test he made. Apparently in order to hand sell at this liquor store one is required to pass this 7 question test. Now I like to think that I know a decent amount about wine. I read books and I drink lots of wine and I absorb everything I can from everyone I can who knows wine. One look at this test told me I know nothing about selling wine. It wasn't the questions about naming the varietals from Bordeau or Piedmont or the grapes used in champagne and sparkling wine. The difficulties came in the questions about how one is supposed to qualify a customer.

Besides me failing to ask how many people will be served or whether the wine will be served with dinner or alone. Even my apparent mistake to use a question of preferred price range didn't bother me to find out. What has my mind boggled is the information that this wine manager uses with customers that I really don't think I will ever know. I never knew that the sauce is the main key in a dish concerning the pairing of wine. It is not enough to pair fish with a sauv blanc. One must know how the fish is prepared. Is it grilled? Poached? Seared? Fried? All of these have different possible pairings.

I just cant make my mind work in a way that makes a bottle of wine a key component of my meal. I know I am young but I love the taste of wine so much that I always put the wine first. It just doesn't add up to me to think "well, my chicken was prepared in a light olive oil sauce, I should probably pick a wine that doesn't stand out too much otherwise it will over power my chicken". I guess I am just not that proud of a cook.

So for now I think I am just gonna have to step back on this situation and let things be. I love my wine for what it tastes like by itself. Should somebody ever prepare a fabulous meal for me I will just let them decide on what wine goes best and start my learning from there.

Great Everday Wines

Over the last few months I have discovered a number of new and quite tasty wines at very reasonable prices. Here are a few...

McManis and Insatiable Petite Sirah: I was reading recently in I believe it was a Wine Enthusiast magazine on starting a wine cellar. Most of the wines were from France or Italy but when it finally did get to California I was very surprised to see Petite Sirah as the recommended collectible from that region. After trying both the McManis and Insatiable Petite Sirah's I am starting to see what so special about this variety. The Insatiable is absolutely a treat. Extremely Spicy with lots of berry flavors. Definitely something I recommend everyone to try at some point. And at less than 10 dollars a bottle it shouldn't be a tough buy.

For what I feel is a little more of a traditional Petite Sirah arount the same price, I recommend the McManis Petite Sirah. The best way for me to describe this is to have you all imagine taking a bite of blueberry pie. Yes blueberry pie. I am not usually a big blueberry fan but this is really a treat.

Other great values from these brands come in their Cabernets, Insatiable's Red Blend, and McManis' Zinfandel.

Other everyday wines I have enjoyed that can be bought for 10 dollars and under include: House Red, Cable Car Cabernet, Grayson Zinfandel, and Chessman Cabernet.

I hope you try these and enjoy. Cheers!