Curtis Viognier 2006

Even though it seems like ages since I have been there I've always had a warm spot in my heart for Curtis Winery, a boutique purveyor of Rhone-style wines in the Santa Ynez region, so tonight I was happy to find a bottle of their 2006 Viognier in my collection. The wine has held up well though it's probably cresting its peak now. The wine is clear and pretty in the glass, lemony-yellow and bright. The nose is still lovely with notes of honeysuckle, apricot, and a touch of citrus just as one expects. The wine in medium-bodied, somewhat round but still with a touch of zing of acid that helps deliver apricot, pear, and a touch of pineapple to the mouth and delivering a solid medium-length finish. It's a nice visit from an old friend.

Number of wines reviewed in 2011: 8

A Couple Of Old Friends: Curtis Crossroads and Leonesse Melange de Reves

As the weather gets cooler my palate yearns more and more for red elements (but don't worry white lovers, there will more postings of those lovely wines as well). But cooler weather makes me think of the reds of Bordeaux, but perhaps even more these days the Rhone-styles. I pulled out two old friends to help with this transition, both from Southern California. The first is the lovely little 2006 Melange de Reves from Leonesse Cellars in Temecula. This wine is a blend of Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre, and Grenache that produces a medium body wine of fantastic aroma and taste. The nose hints at pepper, spice, berries and just a touch of tobacco ina warming combination perfect for my balcony-sitting in the evening. The taste is well balanced with a nice little touch of heat, good fruit, firm but not demanding tannins and good acidity that yields a nice medium-length finish.

Continuing with the same theme I decided to open a bottle of Curtis Winery's 2005 The Crossroad - Santa Ynez Valley. This tasty offering is another Rhone-style blend, this time of Grenache and Syrah. Curtis is a Rhone-style specialist boutique winery in the best sense of the word. From the get-go the nose is teased with clove, black fruits, and just a touch of sandalwood. I swear I spend quite a minutes just letting the aroma linger before even tasting. On the palate we get lovely black cherries and vanilla with fine acidity and good tannins that carry the event to a tasty lingering finish.

Wines reviewed in 2009: 214

Curtis Mourvedre 2005

I've always enjoyed the product of Curtis Winery. Tonight I had to work rather than attend the Mardi Gras festivities in Hillcrest so I selected a bottle of their 2005 Mourvedre. Mourvedre is best known as a blending grape of the Southern Rhone valley and even this offering is a Mourvedre/Syrah blend (85%/15%).

The wine is a beautiful deep cherry red in the glass and leaves lovely legs when you swirl. The nose is pleasant, a combination of violets, blackberries, hints of cherry and smoky oak and just a tiny touch of gaminess that one often gets from French Rhones. The mouthfeel is nice, good acidity and solid but not harsh tannins combine with the fruit to make for an enjoyable medium length finish.

Sadly, no one to toss beads at me... oh well, there's always next year. This year I will just enjoy the wine.

Wines reviewed in 2009: 123

Return To Santa Ynez Wine Country - Part Three

Our final day in the Santa Ynez wine country found us having breakfast at Paula's Pancake House. After a quick walking trip through Solvang it was off to the last of the two "free" tastings along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail.

First up was Curtis, an old favorite of mine. Here we tasted 10 wines, four of them not on the tasting menu:

2006 Viognier: This is 100% Viognier, two-thirds aged in stainless steel, one-third aged in oak to add just a hint of creaminess. Beautiful bouquet of honeysuckle and apricot with come citrus at the finish.

2007 Heritage Blanc: This vintage is a traditional Rhone-style blend of Viognier (55%), Roussanne (27%) and Marsanne (18%). I detected hints of pineapple and peach on the nose. Good acid, has a little bite in it, fresh and clean tasting.

2005 Crossroads Grenache: I have to say, a little disappointed in it. Tobacco and blackberries on the nose but not much fruit on the tongue. Good tannins and acid but the fruit just didn't produce for me.

2005 Heritage Cuvee: Another classic Rhone style, this time red, of Grenache (50%), Syrah (19%), Mourvèdre (18%) and Cinsault (13%). My notes read light spice/peppery, "jammy" black fruits, soft tannins, good acid, nice medium-length finish. Excellent wine for everyday enjoyment.

2005 Syrah, Ambassador's Vineyard: Yummy! Peppery and floral on the nose, flavors of black cherries and blueberry with a long, lingering finish make this one a keeper!

2005 Syrah, Rock Hollow Vineyard: When the Firestone Winery was sold, Curtis and Rock Hollow (Adam Firestone's little patch of heaven in the area) combined and we tasted one of the remaining bottle of the Rock Hollow Syrah before they become totally assimilated into Curtis. Beautiful Syrah, big aromas of raspberry and red fruit with just a touch of pepper giving over to bold fruit, chewy tannins, and a lingering finish.

Off the menu we tasted...

2007 Roussanne: Barrel aged in French oak and some malolactic fermentation gave this nice little wine some needed weight. Not bad, didn't do much for me.

2005 Cabernet Franc, Rock Hollow: Our second pour from Rock Hollow and it was lovely. Chocolaty flavored red and black fruits, good acid backbone and tannin structure made this a delicious little Cab Franc.

2005 Cabernet Syrah: First time I have tried a Cab blend from Curtis. Very nice. Deep color, spicy plums, a hint of smoke with a lingering finish. Wish they were producing more of this.

Jarhead Red: I've seen it, even bought a bottle for a gift (loved the name and the label) but never tasted it. I would call it a decent everyday red wine. A tad thin for me but not bad at all.

Our final stop of the wine club wineries was Fess Parker. Every time I have been to Fess Parker I have come away more impressed than then last time and this time was no different. Here we tasted seven wines:

2006 Chardonnay "Ashley's": 100% Chardonnay with 10 months in oak produced a lovely Chardonnay with good apple and pear on the nose and green apple, sweet oak and touch of butter on the tongue.

2006 Viognier, Rodney's Vineyard": Aged 9 months in oak this pleasant little wine brought hints of peaches and lychee with just a touch of cinnamon to the nose and a clean taste of peach and honeysuckle with a nice bit of minerality packed into the finish.

2007 White Riesling, "Santa Barbara County": nice tropical fruit and floral notes on the nose with a hint of gasoline (don't worry, this is somewhat traditional for Rieslings) delivering melon and a little citrus flavor for this taster. Sweet, but not overly so.

2006 Pinot Noir, "Ashley's Vineyard": Beautiful pinot, all smoke and black cherries with moderate tannins, solid acidity and a long finish. The 15 months in oak brings a little weight which makes this a fantastic wine.

2005 Syrah, "Santa Barbara County": One word... BIG! Black cherry, plum, black pepper and hints of chocolate. Indication of being "hot" on the nose but it wasn't in the throat which was a delight. Well made wine!

2005 Syrah "The Big Easy": Robert Parker gave this one a 91 and I know why. Rich, smooth, hints of game, smoke, violets, vanilla and pepper make your mouth water as the elixir brings flavors of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and light chocolate to the palate with a finish that just goes on and on.

2005 Syrah, "Rodney's Vineyard": Rodney's Vineyard is where the attention is today and with good reason. Smoke, spice, plum, and even a little tar on the nose with luscious dark chocolate, cherry, vanilla and a little "fat" on the tongue. Another Parker high scorer.

To make this a true adventure we decided to make one more stop. Following Matt Kramer's advice we decided to hit Foley Estates towards Lompoc (Tio Ely claims I was calling him a Lompoc but nothing could be farther from the truth). It definitely wasn't a bad selection and it came with an added bonus... by joining Foley I gained "free" tastings at three wineries! Can't beat that. We tasted a few wines, I will write about the ones that stood out to me:

2006 Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay, Rancho Santa Rosa. I really enjoyed this Chardonnay. Aged 10 months in French oak, 100% barrel fermented, 100% malolactic fermentation... everything said not to like it but dang it I did. Hints of tangerine and grapefruit rather than the green apple I usually got along with creamy texture and a mineral finish made this a pleasure.

2006 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Barrel Select: Yum! Powerful wine yet not heavy. Lovely hints of cherries and spice with an underlying touch of vanilla, fuller mouthfeel than one expects but lovely texture and beautiful acid with a touch of "Pinot sweetness". Excellent balance and lingering finish made this a joy.

2006 Santa Rita Hills Syrah, Rancho Santa Rosa: Bold. Deep color, rich aroma of blueberry and spices delivering a mouthful of bursting fruit, strong but not raw tannins and excellent acid.

So, there you have it... our little adventure in a nutshell. Seven wineries, about 53 wines (sorry, left a few off), and two fun days with friends.

Curtis 2005 Syrah Vogelzang Vineyard

I love the Curtis Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. Nestled in the hills around Los Olivos and in the shadow of their once "cousin" winery Firestone Curtis truly is a gem if you love Rhone varietals. After having dinner with my beau I wanted something yummy and full so I decided on their 2005 Syrah Vogelzang Vineyard and within minutes of opening the bottle I knew I made the right choice. If you check the Curtis site you'll find that this vintage garnered several medals and scored an "88" from Wine Spectator making this a well-accepted wine (though I don't quite get the same nose and fruit that those at Spectator found). The wine is rich and deep in color with an aroma of red fruits and spice with a hint of vanilla (18 months in French Oak according to the fact sheet). Once in the mouth I get the expected cherry and strawberry blend and slight hint of clove with well-balanced acidity and soft tannins whose combination makes my mouth water. A good way to spend my time studying for my next MBA test on emerging technology (an even better way to continue with my AW certification studies).

If you come across anything from Curtis (but particularly a Syrah) buy it!