Calina Reserva Merlot 2007

A while back Gary Vaynerchuk talked about the Merlots from Chile being good and exciting enough to bring interest in that varietal to him and ever since I have been on the watch for Chlean Merlot. Both Chile and Argentina are great places to get excellent value for the wine produced, but imagine my surprise at finding a $7 Merlot at San Diego Wine Company. Come on now, I know what you're thinking... a $7 Merlot? How good can it be? Well in this case pretty darned good. Is it a keeper? Naw, I wouldn't make room in my smaller cellar area for it, but for a friendly, fruit forward wine to wet your whistle it fills the bill quite nicely.

If you like fruit you'll love this wine. Deep purplish in color, very clear (looks quite pretty in crystal). Lovely cherry and blackberry on the nose and tongue with just a hint of vanilla. Very soft tannings, nice acidity (makes the mouth water), short finish. A great little wine to take to a party for those who "don't drink red wine".

Wines reviewed in 2009: 105

Folie a Deux Menage a Trois Red 2006

Being home alone tonight I decided to look through my wine collection. I had been watching Bottle Shock (lovely follow up to the morning's Cabernet Sauvignon tasting) and much to my surprise I am terribly Rhone heavy with respect to reds. My home collection is not huge (coming in at a little over 100 bottles) but a good 65% are Rhone varietals (Syrahs and said blends, etc). However, I was still in the mood for a Bordeaux red (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, etc) when I found a bottle of Folie a Deux Menage a Trois. This is an interesting little wine, a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. In many ways it is to me the typical California "drinking" wine (not meant in any way disparaging)... lots and lots of blended jammy red and black fruits, little hints of spice, low tannins and moderate acid, a combo that someone just wanting a red wine to drink would have fun with. This is not in any way, shape, or form an "intellectual" wine, but it is a fun wine and I'm glad I found it. If you're wanting something that says "fun" that almost anyone will enjoy I recommend it (the modest price makes it a great buy).

Wines Reviewed In 2009: 104

Upscaling It A Bit

This morning being a grass widower today I decided to go to the weekly Saturday tasting at WineSellar & Brasserie, one of the best restaurants (and wine merchants) in San Diego. Today's tasting was "Cabernet Confidential" and featured six lovely wines that you can purchase on site. If you haven't been, they pour the wines blind and give you tasting descriptions of the wines so you can play a guessing game of which wine is which on the list. Here are the wines not in pour order or price (just for the record, the most expensive was the one I liked least but it just needs time) but in the order that I liked them:

Camellia Cellars 2002 "Dry Creek Valley": Deep, right color. Nose a little closed at first but opens to a lovely bouquet. Juicy, deep flavors, soft tannins fantastic acidity with a lovely long finish.

Laird 2006 Estate: Fruit-forward nose, deep purplish color. Smooth. Black cherries and currnts, dusty tannins, nice acide blending to a medium-length finish. Lovely.

Old River Road 2005 "Ponderossa Vineyard": A little lighter in color than the others, strong but pleasant cherry on the nose. Lovely hints of cherry and herbs in the mouth, almost explodes in the mouth with flavor.

Fontella 2006 "Napa Valley": Something "old world" on the nose that was absent from the others. Good black and red fruit blend with soft tannins making this a pleasant drink.

Fritz 2005 "Dry Creek Valley": Nose not as proniyubced as some of the others but nice. Blackberry, cassis and coffee with firm tannins and moderate acid. This one is a blend with Malbec (not sure of the percentages).

Caymus 2006 "Napa Valley": Powerful, definitely needs some time to rest. Deep rich color, seductive nose of blackberry, cherry, and rose petals. Low acidity, very firm tannins. Nice now but not at its peak.

Wines Reports On In 2009: 103

Back To Cafe Bleu

At five bucks a glass during happy hour can you blame me? Didn't think so. Kept it easy as this really was by the glass and not a tasting. The crowd was smaller this time which was to be expected since it was a Tuesday night around 6. For the evening's libation I chose the following:

Cantina di Soave 2007: Nice, straightforward offering of this Italian wine. Lightly floral nose, tasted like a non-sweet Jolly Rancher. Good acidity, light mineral finish. Very nice opening wine.

Costa Azul Grenache 2006:From Baja California, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico. Jammy strawberries and raspberries on the nose and palate. Tannins seems a little rough, might have stood decanting or given more time to breathe as they did soften over time.

Wines Reported On In 2009: 97

Tasting In Style - Escondido and Temecula (Part Two)

The next stop was a favorite of mine Alex's Red Barn. I've written about them before and nothing has changed. They produce some of the cleanest, more "fruit-speaking" wine in Temecula. While it's tough to go wrong with any of their wines some of my favorites are:

Viognier: Very elegant, beautiful floral nose with hints of the apricot and peaches to come. Wonderful acidity, almost worth the trip to Temecula itself (and this from a "red wine" guy).

Old-vine Johannisberg Riesling: Slightly sweet, lovely fruit (apricot and peaches) along with mouth-watering acidity makes this a favorite of mine.

Solera-Type Cream Sherry: Lovely Sherry made from the Palomino grape. Full-bodied and as they say "candy in a glass". A lovely after dinner drink.

Last on the list was another new winery for me, Hart Family Winery. Loved the little tasting room, reminded me a bit of Foxen in the Santa Ynez area. During this the inaugral visit to Hart some real finds I tasted were:

2005 Viognier: Lovely floral nose, hints of oak, nice acidity. Nice, but not something I should have had after Alex's offering but nice for the price.

2006 Sauvignong blanc: Nice offering, floral nose, fresh fruit and good acidity makes for a mouthweatering finish.

2005 Syrah: Lovely peppery spice and fruit on the nose, lovely mouthfeel, good tannins and acid leading to a medium-long finish

For the price, Hart shows some excellent value for the wines offered. Definitely worth a try.

So I really enjoyed our outing to Temecula... not just the wines and the limo, but spending time sharing with friends. I think this is the real spirit of wine.

Wines Reported On In 2009: 95

Tasting In Style - Escondido and Temecula (Part One)

Of course, by "in style" I mean with friends (though the limo rented by my beau didn't hurt either). On this the day after my birthday (and the day before Cory and Elbert's anniversary) Sarah, Elbert, Cory, Heather, my beau and I spent the day sampling local vino offerings.

The day began with us all meeting at Orfila, a local award winning winery in Escondido. To be honest, for all of its accolades I have never had one of their wines and I now regret this oversight. Their method of tasting was basically you get to pick six of anything they offer for an exceptionally reasonable price. I have to say, nothing disappointed me which makes me so happy they are close to home! For this outing I tasted the following:

Estate Viognier "Lotus" Lot 67: Nice light gold tint, floral notes with a hint of vanilla. Crisp, lovely balanced furit and acidity providing a lovely medium-length finish.

"Bien Nacido" Chardonnay 2007: Orfila offered a couple of Chardonnays and I decided to go with their "no oak" offering. Stainless steel fermentation really let the fruit shine. Greenish-yellow tinge, loads of melon and green apple, very crsip with a lovely citrus finish makes this something I intent to have on hand this summer.

Pinot Noir Lot 37: This wine is made from grapes grown in SLO. Deep lovely red in color and a nose of cherries and raspberries and just a hint of vanilla delivering the fruit on a beautifully balanced acid/tannin backbone. Very classic Pinot Noir.

Estate Sangiovese 2006: Nice raspberries on the nose and tongue. Tannins were a little rough, good acid though. I think this wine shows great potential but needs to rest another year before its beauty really show through.

Merlot 2007 - Barrel Sample: I love getting barrel samples and this one filled my expectations of what I was coming to learn about Orfila. Purplish youth, fruit forward, young tannins. Good now, will be very good with a little more time to rest.

"Seasons" Syrah 2005: A nice "everyday" Syrah. Hints of pepper and black fruit, good tannins and acid. Not a cellar wine but definitely good to pick up this year.

Estate Heritage Syrah 2005: A limited selection offering showing some excellent wine making. Cherries and blackberries, solid tannins, long finish. Very good now, shows potential for drinkability over the next 5 years or so, but why wait???

With near perfect timing the limo that my beau reserved for us arrived and off we went to Temecula. Along the way we "sampled" two Cabernets I had pulled from my collection to help pass the time to our first destination, Leonesse. I enjoy Leonesse, it is the first winery in Temecula whose wine club I joined and this visit simply reinforced the reasons. On this trip down to the "member's tasting area" I tried:

Viognier 2007: Lovely honeysuckle and orange blossoms, crisp acidity. This was my palate cleanser for the rest of the tasting.

VS Chardonnay 2006: This is their "Vineyard Selection" Chardonnay offering. Hints of oaky spice, melon and apple, nice acidity but I would let it rest just a little longer, perhaps another 6 months (just in time for summer)

Riesling 2007: Classic Riesling, clean, notes of petroleum on the nose unlying the floral and peach smells with lovely fruit and acidity.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2006: Hints of pepper, spice and currants all blended together. Lovely structure ending in a soft, medium-long finish.

Zinfandel 2006: Nice offering from a Temecula winery. Black pepper, blackberries and hints of clove makes for a lip-smacking wine with a long finish.

Back up the hill, we loaded into the limo and headed to another place I have not been, Oak Mountain Winery. It had gotten good reviews and I did find some offering that I enjoyed. For this tasting I had the following:

"No Oak" Chardonnay 2005: Another nice stainless-steel offering. Greenish tint, hints of green apple and melon on the nose and tongue with lovely acidity. I got some light spice on the finish, not sure where it comes from but it made for a lovely ending.

Sauvignon Blanc 2006: An off-dry Sauv blanc with pretty peaches on the nose and nice slightly-sweet fruit on the tongue with decent acidity. Made me want some spicy Thai food.

Miscela di Sangiovese 2005: This is a "Super Tuscan" blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc. Spicy strawberry and cherry, excellent acidity and nice tannins made me look for some tomato-based pasta offering around the area (alas, there wasn't any). A very good offering.

Cabernet Franc 2005: Deep, clean ruby colored wine, loaded with cherries and black fruit. Tannins were pretty powerful, might let it rest a little longer but there is potential here, definitely not a whimpy Cab Franc.

Brut Champagne: Not sure if I would classify it as a brut, seemed more dry to me. Nice, lively, good sipping bubbly. I prefer it to most of the other local sparklings.

Thus ends part one of the trip. I'll write about the remainder tomorrow when I again get to talk about my other overall favorite winery in the area...

Wines Reported On In 2009: 89

Birthday At Cafe Bleu

Last Friday was my birthday and since my beau was out of town my friends Cory and Elbert took me out for drinks and dinner at Cafe Bleu. As I got out of work earlier than they did I arrived for happy hour and decided to add to my tastings count while waiting for them. I have to say, I enjoyed every wine I tasted:

Brandal Albarino 2005: From the Rias Baixas region of Spain. My notes from the evening: Floral nose. Bracing acidity. Grapefruit. Hints of minerality leading into a nice medium-length finish. Tasty.

Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2007: Another tasty little offering from Chile. My self-texted notes read "Cherry color. Earth, asphalt, cherry fruit on the nose. Lean. A touch young but won't cellar long but very drinkable now"

Les Jamelles Pinot Noir Vin de Pays d'Oc 2007: Ah, France. Even "country wines" can be fun. My quicky texted notes read "Dark color with ruby tints. Red berries on the nose, hints of oak (vanilla?). Jammy blackberries and cherries, nice tannins, smooth for a "country wine".

As I tasted I watched the staff who were very attentive to those at the bar and at the increasingly busy restaurant area. Cory and Elbert arrived and we were immediately seated. The ambiant noise level was a little high, the place showing good energy. For an appetizer we ordered calimari (my beau's favorite) and it quickly arrived hot with two dipping sauces. Nice texture, very yummy, hints of herbs and lemon and a great food to eat while chatting.

Time to order dinner. Cory and I ordered the same thing, Coq au Vin, "Chicken with wine" while Elbert selected their Bleu Burger, an 8oz Kobe beef burger with bleu cheese (Tio Ely has an interesting story around his selection, ask him about it when you see him). The dishes arrived and I loved the Coq au Vin. The wine-braised meat was soooo tender it fell off the bone, the veggies showing the proper resistence to the bite while the "pomme souffle" was pretty fluffy for potatoes. During the meal Heather arrived and as good friends do only added to the enjoyment of the evening.

I enjoyed my birthday (the enjoyment only increased when my beau came home that evening). I know that I will definitely go back to Cafe Bleu to explore more of their wines and their lovely food.

Wines Reported On In 2009: 72