Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going to the Terroirs & Signatures De Bourgogne 2010 wine tasting in San Francisco.  Unfortunately, I only had an hour and half to taste so I had to go into speed tasting mode.  Given I was speed tasting, I was just rating the wine up to 5 stars where 5 is the best but not taking any significant notes.   I only got to 12 out of the 21 producers.  Overall, the wines were very good with only a few of the wines showing “earthy / barnyard” characteristics.  The wines seem to be much cleaner than in the past from the region — excellent fruit characteristics, bright acidity and well balanced (in general).   It seems that the international wine style is starting to creep in Burgundy or is it more modern production techniques cleaning up some cellar issues (not sure but it seems like an improvement to me).  For more information on Burgundy — http://www.Burgundy-wines.fr

The tasting will also be available in Los Angeles  on February 12th to trade only.

Exhibitors Choice Table
4 stars — Maison Jaffelin, 2007 Rully (white)
3.75 stars — Collin Bourisset, 2007 Pouilly-Fuisse
3.25 stars — Domaine ROUX Pere & Fils, 2007 Rully, Clos des Mollepierres [Note: the oak seemed a bit much to me]

Champy
3.25 stars — 2007 Saint-Romain (good minerality and acidity)
3 stars — 2008 Bourgogne (white) (spicy)
3 stars — 2007 Corton-Charlemange (too much oak for my taste)
2.75 stars — 2007 Volnay
3.5 stars — 2007 Vosne-Romanee (light & delicate)
3.25 stars — 2007 Gevrey-Chambertin (heavy and earthy)
3 stars — 2007 Corton (dark fruit and earth)

Chanson Pere & Fils
3 stars — 2008 Vire-Clesse
3.25 stars — 2007 Puligny-Montrachet
3.25 stars — 2007 Beaune 1st Cru, le Clos des Mouches
3 stars — 2007 Pernand-Vergelesse 1st Cru, en Caradeux(white) (flavors seem a bit under developed)
2.75 stars — 2007 Bourgogne Pinot Noir (spicy by thin)
2.8 stars — 2007 Pernand-Vergelesse 1st Cru, Vergelesses (red) (seemed overcropped but has potential in later harvests)

Collin Bourisset
2.25 stars — 2007 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
3 stars — 2008 Macon Villages
3 stars — 2008 Vire-Clesse

Maison Joseph DROUHIN
3.25 stars — 2008 Chablis, Vaudon
3.5 to 3.75 stars — 2007 Puligny-Montrachet
3 stars — 2007 Chorey-les-Beaune (an easy drinking wine)
3.25 stars — 2007 Cote de Beaune
3 stars — 2007 Gevrey-Chambertin

Domaine FOURREY & Fils
2.75 stars — 2008 Chablis 1st Cru, Mont de Milieu (had a musty note to it — would have score much higher otherwise)
3.25 stars — 2008 Chablis 1st Cru, Vaillons

Domaine Pierre GLANTENAY
3 stars — 2007 Volnay
3.5 stars — 2007 Volnay 1st Cru, Santenots
2.25 stars — 2006 Pommard (earthy and some brett)

Maison JAFFELIN — A producer to watch!
3 stars — 2007 Puligny-Montrachet
2.25 stars — 2007 Meursault (too much acidity — flavors are overwhelmed)
3.25 stars — 2007 Rully (white)
3 stars — 2007 Pouilly-Fuisse (good mineral and green apple)
2.5 stars — 2008 Macon Peronne (strong honeyed fruits)
3 stars — 2007 Chassagne-Montrachet
2.25 stars — 2007 Rully (red) (light concentration and quite earthy)
3.5 stars — 2007 Givry 1st Cru, les Grandes Vignes
2.75 stars — 2007 Beaune 1st Cru, Les Cent Vignes
3 stars — 2007 Pommard
3.25 stars — 2007 Nuits-Saint-George

Olivier LAROCHETTE
2.25 stars — 2008 Macon Villages (funky taste)
2.5 stars — 2007 Bourgogne Chardonnay, Vieilles Vignes
3 stars — Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Vieilles Vignes (very soft wine but seemed a tad out of balance)

Chateau de Messey/Domaine BELLEVILLE
3 stars — 2007 Mercury (white) (floral, strong mineral and good concentration)
3.25 stars — 2007 Rully 1st Cru, la Fosse (ripe fruit – apple and mineral)
3.75 stars — 2007 Puligny-Montrachet, les Boudrieres
3.5 stars — 2006 Meursault 1st Cru, la Piece sous le Bois
3 stars — 2007 Aloxe-Corton

Domaine des MALANDES — Outstanding producer
2.5 stars — 2008 Petit Chablis
3.5 stars — 2008 Chablis, Vieilles Vignes, Tour du Roy (50% oak)
3.25 stars — 2008 Chablis 1st Cru, Cote de Lechet
3 stars — 2008 Chablis 1st Cru, Vau De Vey
3.5 stars — 2007 Chablis Grand Cru, Vaudesir
4 stars — 2007 Chablis Grand Cru, les Clos

Domaine PARENT
2.75 stars — 2007 Bourgogne Pinot Noir (good acidity, should improve in the bottle)
3 stars — 2007 Pommard
3.5 stars — 2007 Pommard 1st Cru, les Epenots
3.75 stars — 2007 Corton Grand Cru, Les Renardes (needs many years of bottle age)
3.25 stars — 2007 Corton Grand Cru (red) (violets)
2.75 stars — 2007 Corton Grand Cru (white)

Chateau de VILLARS Fontaine
2.75 stars — 2002 Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, les Jiromees (white)
3 stars — 2003 Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, le Rouard (white)
2.75 stars — 1997 Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, les enevrieres
2 stars — 1993 Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, les Genevries

Last Saturday was the 19th Annual ZAP Grand Tasting at Fort Mason, San Francisco.  I was lucky enough to get into the trade portion of the tasting at 10:00 AM.  The trade crowd is maybe 1000 to 1500 people vs. the general portion which was between 5000 and 6000 people.  The attendance this year seemed much lower than in previous years — it could also be that I left around 2:00 PM (only an hour into the general portion).

I was in speed tasting mode so I only have a star rating from 1 to 5 where 5 is the best.  A new find for me was C.G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery — the owner is a food scientist who has moved into wine making.  He has done a very good job with his wines — give them a try!  The Gregory Graham, Gamba, Mazzocco and Edmeades wines really stood out for me this year.  I strongly suggest that you try their wines / visit the wineries.   The wines are listed alphabetically by winery

Bella Vineyards & Wine Cave, Healdsburg, Sonoma
3.75 to 4 stars — 2007 Lily Hill, Dry Creek Valley $38 – (light, complex, layered with ripe fruit but not overly so)
3.75 stars — Two Patch, Alexander Valley, $38

Boeger Winery, Placeville, Sierra Foothills
3.5 to 3.75 stars – 2006 Walker Vineyard, El Dorado, $18

Bradford Mountain Winery, Healdsburg, Northern Sonoma
3.5 stars — 2006 Dry Creek Valley, Dry Creek Valley, $28
3.75 stars — 2006 Grist Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, $34

Brutocao Cellars, Hopland, Mendocino
3.3 stars — 2007 Estate Reserve, Hopland Ranches, Mendocino, $34
3.25 stars — 2006 Estate, Hopland Ranches, Mendocino, $22

C. G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery
3.5 stars — 2006 Gunther Vineyard, Shenandoah Valley, $25
4.25 stars — 2006 Southern Exposure, Shenandoah Valley, $35
3.75 stars — 2007 Sierra Foothills, $18

Calcareous Vineyards, Paso Robles, Central Coast
4.25 stars — 2005 Twisted Sisters, Kate’s Vineyard, Paso Robles, $26
4 stars — 2006 Calcareous Vineyard, Kate’s Westside Vineyard, Paso Robles, $26

Candor/Hope Family Vineyards, Paso Robles, Central Coast
3.25 stars — NV Candor, Central Coast — a zinfandel blend, good concentration

Chatom Vineyards, Murphys, Sierra Foothills
3.5 stars — 2006 Calaverous, $19
3.75 stars — 2008 Barrel Sample, Calaveras, $19

D-Cubed Cellars, St. Helena, Napa Valley
3.75 stars — 2006 Napa Valley, $27
3.25 stars — 2006 St. Helena, $32
3.25 stars — 2006 Howell Mountain, $37

Edmeades Winery, Redwood Valley, Mendocino (they poured 7 zinfandels and they were all very good this year)
4 stars — 2006 Perli Vineyard, Mendocino Ridge, Mendocino Ridge, $31
4.25 stars — Piffero Vineyard, Redwood Valley, Redwood Valley, $31
4 stars — 2007 Mendocino County, Mendocino County, $20

Four Vines Winery, Paso Robles, Central Coast
3.25 stars — 2007 Biker, Paso Robles, $25
3.25 stars — 2007 Dusi, Amador, $25
3 stars — 2007 Sophisticate, Sonoma County, $25
4.25 stars — 2007 Zinbitch (blend of Biker and Dusi) — only 300 magnums made!

Gamba Vineyards and Winery, Fulton, Northern Sonoma
4.5 stars — 2008 Estate Old Vine, Russian Rivery Valley, $43
4 stars — 2008 Moratto Vineyard, Russian River Valley, $43
4.25 stars — 2008 Russian River Valley, $35

Gregory Graham Wines, Lower Lake, Lake County
4 stars — 2007 Crimson Hill, Red Hills, Lake County, $18
4.5 stars — 2007 Crimson Hill, Red Hills, Lake County (late harvest – 375ml), $22

HammerSky Vineyards, Paso Robles, Central Coast
3.25 stars — 2007 Estate Reserve, Paso Robles, $39
3.25 stars — 2007 Open Invitation Zin Blend, Paso Robles, $49

Harney Lane Winery, Lodi, Central
2.5 stars — 2007 Old Vine, Lizzy James Vineyard, Lodi, $33
2.75 stars — 2007 Lodi, $20

Hendry, Napa, Napa Valley
2 stars — 2006 Block 7 & 22, Napa Valley, $30

Klinker Brick Winery
3.35 stars — 2007 Old Vine, Lodi, $18 (light but complex aromas and flavors)
3 stars — 2007 Old Ghost Old Vine, Lodi, $37 (fruit was overripe)

Lava Cap Winery, Placerville, Sierra Foothills
3 stars — 2006 Rocky Draw, Lava Cap, El Dorado, $22

Leonhardt Vineyards, Geyserville, Northern Sonoma
3.3 stars — 2007 Rserve, Dry Creek Valley, $48 (complex and spicy)

Mauritson Family Winery, Healdsburg, Northern Sonoma
3.75 stars — 2007 Rockpile Cemetery Vineryard, Cemetrery Vineyard, Rockpile, $39
3.5 — 2007 Rockpike Ridge Vineyard, Rockpile Ridge, Rockpile

Mazzocco Winery, Healdsburg, Northern Sonoma (they had 4 reserve zinfandels — all very good and 6 regular zinfandels — all very good but not quite as concentrated as the reserve wines)
4 stars — 2007 Maple Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, $32
4.5 stars — 2007 Maple Vineyard, Reserve, Dry Creek Valley, $40
4.25 stars — 2007 Smith Orchard Reserve, Dry Creek, Valley, $50
3.75 to 4 stars — 2007 Pony Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, $32

Murphy-Goode, Healdsburg, Northern Sonoma
3 stars — 2006 Snake Eyes, Alexander Valley, $35
3 stars — 2007 Liar’s Dice, Sonoma County

Novy Family Wines, Santa Rosa, Northern Sonoma
3 stars — 2008 Novy, Russian River Valley, $20

Outpost Estate Wines, Angwin, Napa Valley
3.5 stars — 2008 Barrel Sample, $45 (will be bottled in 3 months, good concentration with a elegant layered finish)

Perry Creek Winery, Someset, Sierra Foothills
2 stars — 2006 Zinman, Sierra Foothills, $14
2.5 stars — 2006 Altitude:2401 Fair Play Farms, Sierra Foothills

Renwood Winery, Plymouth, Sierra Foothills
2.5 stars — 2006 Grandmere, Amador, $40

Rosenblum Cellars, Alameda, Bay Area
3.5 stars — 2007 Rockpile, $?

Saddleback Cellars, Oakville, Napa Valley
3.5 stars — 2006 Old Vine, Napa Valley, $36

Selby Winery, Healdsburg, Northern Sonoma
3.5 stars — 2007 Bobcat, Sonoma County, $34 (ripe flavors w/ RS and 17.8%abv!)
3.75 stars — 2007 Old Vine, Sonoma County, $24 (elegant, layered, concentrated with 15.7% abv)
4 stars — 2007 Zinfandel Port, Sonoma County (fragant, perfume aromas with a clean finish)

Carol Shelton Wines, Santa Rosa, Northern Sonoma
3 stars — 2006 Wild Thing, Cox Vineyard, Mendocino County, $24
3 stars — 2006 Rocky Reserve, Florence Vineyard, Rockpile, $33
4 stars — 2006 Karma Zinfandel

Sierra Starr Vineyards, Grass Valley, Sierra Foothills
3.5 stars — 2009 Zinjolais, Sierra Foothills (Zinfandel fermented using carbonic maceration — this would be a great wine chilled in warm weather.  Note: this must be a unique wine!)
2.5 stars — 2006 Old Clone, Estate Vineyard, Sierra Foothills

St. Francis Winery & Vineyard, Santa Rosa, Sonoma Valley
3.5 stars — 2007 Karen’s Terrace, Sonoma Valley, $35
3.25 stars — 2007 Old Vine, Sonoma County, $25

Storrs Winery, Santa Cruz, Bay Area
3.25 stars — 2005 Lion Oaks Vineyard, Bay Area, $34
3.25 stars — 2006 Rusty Ridge, Bay Area, $30

Storybook Mountain Wines, Calistoga, Napa Valley
3.25 to 3.5 stars — 2007 Mayacamas Range Estate, Napa, $34

Tin Barn Vineyards, Sonoma, Sonoma Valley
3 stars — 2007 Dalraddy Vineyard, Napa Valley, $27

Valley of the Moon Winery, Glen Ellen, Sonoma Valley
2.75 stars — 2006 Estate Old Vine, Sonoma Valley, $25
3 stars — 2007 Sonoma County, $20

Venge Vineyards, Calistoga, Napa Valley
2.75 stars — 2007 Scout’s Honor, Napa Valley, $38

Zina Hyde Cunningham Winery, Boonville, Mendocino
2.5 stars — 2007 Old Vine, Redwood Valley, $30 (lacking in fruit and too many tannins)

I did barrel tasting from the remaining 2008 wines in barrel with some wine club members on Tuesday.  The wines tasted were: 2008 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast; 2008 White Hawk Vineyard, Sangiovese, Santa Barbara; 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Coombsville Vineyard, Napa Valley; 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rafael Vineyard, Napa Valley.  All of the wines are tasting very good!

I was quite happy at how all of the wines showed.  Here are some tasting notes:
The 2008 White Hawk Vineyard, Sangiovese was tremendous!  It has great concentration with aromas and flavors of blue fruit (blueberry, boysenberry) and cherry.  The wine is not as classic as the 2007 Sangiovese is but I think a bit of blending with Sangiovese from the Stophlman vineyard will bring in a the lovely sour cherry flavor one looks for in Sangiovese.  Also, a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon will give it a long and lovely finish.

The 2008 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, which has had its primary blend done already is very similar to the 2007 Pinot Noir with the exception of more smoke, earth and hints of spice.  The acidity on the wine might need a slight tweek just before bottling but seems very good during my quick taste.  If you liked the 2007 Pinot Noir, I think you will enjoy the 2008 version very much.  I will be doing the final blend of the 2008 Pinot Noir to have it bottled in time for Christmas but not Thanksgiving. 

The two Cabernet Sauvignons are amazing!  The wine is concentrated, rich and complex.  The fruit flavors of the Coombsville vineyard is quite striking — lots of cassis with some nice middle-palate fruit and a long finish.  The Rafael Vineyard fruit tastes of dense raspberry jam.  It is not typical for Cabernet Sauvignon to have a raspberry flavor but the combination of the two wines will be very good.  I will be looking to blend in some petite verdot to add complexity with a spicey and tannic element and some Cabernet Franc for aromatics.  The resulting blend will be powerful wine with some nice aging potential.

I attended the Wine & Spirits annual top 100 wines tasting event held at The Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center on October 14, 2009.  It is a very well attended event; this year I would estimate the attendance at roughly 550 – 600 people.  The event is well worth your time to attend next year!  I highly recommend it. 

The purpose of the event is allow people to try the wines from top 100 wineries from the year in one place.  It is a great experience to get an understanding of what the wine critics of Wine & Spirits are giving high scores, what varietals are in favor, learn about new wine regions and the specific wine styles of those regions.  The wines being poured were in the following categories: sparkling wine, Crisp white wines, floral whites, rich whites, sherry, pinot noir, Austrian, Italian, Iberian, Rhone family, Cabernet family, Zinfandel and Port.  It is a bit of an odd classification but it helped to have the wines grouped on the tasting floor.

I tasted quite a few wines so the rating (out of 5 stars) and comments are very limited.  Disclaimer: your mileage may vary due to the number of tastes:

Sparkling:
Roederer Estate, 2002 Anderson Valley L’Ermitage Brut – 4 stars [W&S:93, $45]
Roederer Estate, NV Champagne Brut Premier – 3.75 stars
Schloss Gobelsburg, NV Kamptal Brut Reserve – 4.25 stars (a lovely blend of Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay)

Crisp whites:
Boutari, 2008 Santorini — 3 stars (Assyrtiko — fresh cherry, mineral, sea shells)
Gaia, 2008 Santorini Wild Ferment Assyrtiko — 2 stars (aged in acacia wood, too much wood and mineral and lack of fruit) [W&S:94, $35]
Gaia, 2008 Santorini Thalassitis — 2.5 stars (mild cherry, mineral)
Schiopetto, 2006 Collio Sauvignon — 3.5 stars (grapefruit, high acidity) [W&S: 95, $30]

Floral Whites:
Sheldrake Point, 2007 Finger Lakes New York Dry Riesling — 3.5 stars overall, 4.5 stars nose (smells like a high-end Mosel riesling, palate comes across as too dry for the aromas)
Sheldrake Point, 2007 Finger Lakes New York Dry Magdalena Vineyard Riesling – 4 stars (balanced flavors, aromas, intensity with botritysis elements).
Kilikanoon, 2007 Clare Valley Mort’s Reserve Watervale Riesling — 2.5 stars [W&S:93, $35]
Dr. Loosen, 2007 Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese — 4 stars
Dr. Loosen, 2007 Mosel Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese GoldKapsel — 4.75 stars (not cloying, good acid with great Mosel characteristics (floral, petrol, stone fruit)
Joh. Jos. Prum, 2007 Moswel Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese — 3 stars
Nigl, 2007 Kremstal Kremsleiten Riesling — 3 stars (mild floral, light stone fruit)
Nigl, 2003 Kremstal Kremsleiten Riesling — 2.75 stars (mineral, white floral)

Rich Whites:
Marcel Deiss, 2004 Alsace Grasberg — 4.25 stars to 4.5 stars (lovely lush Edelwicker style Alsace blend — very balanced, good concentration with sufficient acid to last many years) [W&S: 94, $67]
E. Guigal, 2005 Hermitage Blanc — 3 stars (noticable oak is distracting from excellent aromas and palate flavors)
E. Guigal, 2007 Condrieu — 2.75 stars (wet wood, hint of humus)

Pinot Noir:
Anthill Farms, 2007 Mendocino County Comptche Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir – 4.25 to 4.5 stars (lovely delicate and refined Pinot Noir) [W&S: 96, $46]
DeLoach, 2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir — 3 stars  (medium concentration, red fruit)
Flowers, 2006 Sonoma Coast Andreen-Gale Pinot Noir — 3.75 stars (medium intensity aromas, light floral, red fruit)
Peay, 2007 Sonoma Coast Scallop Shelf Pinot Noir — 3.5 stars (floral, light, red fruit) [W&S:95, $52]
Peay, 2006 Sonoma Coast La Bruma Syrah — 3.5 to 4 stars (fennel, ansise, black pepper) [W&S: 95, $45]
W. H. Smith, 2007 Sonoma Coast Maritime Pinot Noir –3 stars (earthy, dark fruit, classic sonoma coast profile)

Austrian:
Moric, 2007 Burgenland Blaufrankisch — 3.25 stars (blueberry, boysenberry)
Moric, 2006 Burgenland Alte Reven Neckenmarkt Blaufrankisch — 4 stars (blue fruit, soft tannins, medium + concentration — a lovely wine) [W&S:93, $95]

Italian:
Elvio Cogno, 2004 Barolo Vigna Elena — 3.5 stars (old style of Barolo before recent adoption of more modern winemaking techniques)
Elvio Cogno, Barolo Ravera — 4 stars (modern style of Barolo — a bit more fruit driven)
Poderi Luigi Einaudi, 2004 Barolo Nei Cannubi — 3 stars (violets, dried red fruit)
Poderi Luigi Einaudi, 2007 Dolcetto de Dogliani Vigna Tecc — 3 stars (fresh red fruit — slight bitterness (tannins) on the finish)
Vietti, 2005 Barbaresco Masseria — 3 stars (high acid, slight bitter tannins, very dry finish)

Iberian:
CVNE/Conino, 2005 Rioja Graciano — 3.5 stars (red currants, grapey)
CVNE/Conino, 2005 Rioja Reserva — 3.5 stars
Buil & Gine, 2005 Montsant Baboix — 3.5 stars (Smoky, earth, red fruit w/ hint of earthiness
Buil & Gine, 2008 Rueda Nosis — 3.5 stars (Verdelho — red grapefruit, great acid)
Quinta do Noval, 2007 Porto — 4.25 stars (excellent port would have scored higher but slight note of latex paint)

Rhone Family:
Delas Freres, 2005 Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette – 3 stars ( Frances Ferrier cooperage – spicy )
Delas Freres, 2006 Crozes-Hermitage Les Launes — 3 stars
Qupe, 2005 Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido X-Block Syrah — 2.5 stars (dry and bitter notes — aged in hermitage cooperage)
Qupe, 2007 Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Roussanne — 2.75 stars (dry, mineral)
d’Arenberg, 2006 McLaren Vale The Ironstone Pressing — 4 stars (very similar to Lionheart 2007 Dry Creek Valley Syrah)
Leeuwin Estate, 2006 Margaret River Art Series Shiraz — 4 stars (restrainted, balanced old world style syrah) [W&S: 94, $35]
Leeuwin Estate, 2006 Margaret River Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay — 4.5 stars
Yalumba, 2006 Barossa Valley The Scribbler Cabernet-Shiraz — 3.75 stars (rich, complex, balanced)

Cabernet Family:
L’ Ecole N’ 41, 2006 Walla Walla Valley Perigee Seven Hills Vineyard — 3.5 stars (noticable fine-grained tannins but pleasant)
L’ Ecole N’ 41, 2006 Walla Walla Valley Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard — 3.5 stars (needs more time in the bottle and will improve)
Saviah, 2005 Columbia Valley Laurella — 3.5 stars (super tuscan sangiovese – rich and complex) [W&S:94, $36]
Beaulieu Vineyard, 2005 Napa Valley Tapestry Reserve — 3.25 stars (a bit thin, drying tannins)
Beaulieu Vineyard, 2005 Napa Valley Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cab. Sauv – 3.75 stars
Beringer, 2005 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon — 3.5 stars (rich but expected more from the wine)
Diamond Creek, 2005 Red rock Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon — 4 stars (violets, red currant, concentrated) [W&S:98, $175]
Diamond Creek, 2005 Volcanic Hill Cabernet Sauvignon — 4 stars
Louis M. Martini, 2004 Sonoma Valley Monte Rosso Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon — 3.5 stars (spicy, red currant)
Ridge, 2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvginon — 3.5 to 3.75 stars (floral, cassis, red currant, slightly drying tannins — needs more time in the bottle) [W&S:97, $145]
Ramey, 2006 Napa Valley Annum Cabernet Sauvignon — 3 stars
Skouras, 2006 Greece Synoro — 4.5 stars

Zinfandel:
Dashe, 2006 Alexander Valley Old Vine Todd Brothers Ranch Zinfandel — 3 stars (slight acetal  acetate notes) [W&S:96, $32]
Dashe, 2006 Dry Creek Valley Old Vine Louvau Vineyard Zinfandel — 3 stars
Storybook Mountain, 2006 Napa Valley Eastern Exposures Zinfandel — 3.75 stars
Storybook Mountain, 2005 Napa Valley Seps Estate Cabernet Sauvignon — 3.25 stars

Port:
1991 Porto Colheita — 4.5 stars (walnut, sherry, hint of aldehyde)

The Taste of Mendocino was put on by the Associate of Mendocino County Grapegrowers at the Golden Gate Club at The Presidio in San Francisco.  The wine producers of Mendocino represented all of the 11 approved and pending AVAs in the larger North Coast appellation.  The sub-AVAs are: Anderson Valley (Sept 1983), Cole Ranch (May 1983), Covelo (March 2006), Dos Rios (Nov. 2005), McDowell Valley (Feb. 1987), Mendocino (July 1984), Mendocino Ridge (Dec. 1997), Potter Valley (Nov. 1983), Redwood Valley (Feb 1997), Sanel Valley (pending), Ukiah Valley (pending), and Yorkville Highlands (June 1998).  I noticed that the wines coming out of Potter Valley and Redwood Valley are showing quite a bit of complexity and layered aromas and flavors — keep an eye out for wines coming out of these sub-AVAs.

The event had 65 wineries presenting their wines from the trade and medias consideration.  I was only able to taste a few of the wines at the event.  Overall, the quality of the wines were quite good and fairly consistent.  The value for money factor is very good for the Mendocino wines in general — keep an eye out for them!

I was able to taste the following wines:

A Donkey and Goat Winery:  2008 Grenache Rose – McDowell Valley ($10.64 / 168 cases); It was a very nice light bodies and balanced Grenache Rose.  2007 Syrah – Broken Leg Vineyard ($24.61 / 245 cases); It was big, meaty syrah that was quite pleasant.  2006 Syrah – Perli Vineyard ($37 / 48 cases); this was a serious syrah and worth giving a try.  It was fun to catch up with Tracey Brandt as she and her husband starting making wine at Crushpad just slightly before I did.  We had met several times at the old Crushpad location on Bryant. 

Anthill Farms Winery:  The distributor for Anthill Farms was pouring at the event.  The Anthill Farms wines are very impressive.  The wines are some of the best examples of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir you will find.  The folks at Anthill Farms are making some impressive wines — seek out this wine to try it and share with good friends!

Bink Wines: The winemaker, Deborah Schatzlein, was pouring the wine at the table — always nice to meet the winemaker!  I tried just the 2005 Pinot Noir – Weir Vineyard ($40 / 300 cases) which was very enjoyable!  It has improved in the bottle since the WBC last year where they were pouring it at the live blogging event.

Brutocao Cellars: I tried several of the wines being poured and enjoyed all of them.  I can strongly recommend the 2006 Pinot Noir – Estate ($26 / 1770 cases) [It did very well in the 7th Annual Pinot Noir Summit blind-tasting -- more details to come in the near future.] and the 2005 Coro – Estate (50% zinfandel, 20% sangiovese, 15% barbera, 15% syrah).  Coro is blended wine that can only be produced in the Mendocino area and must have at least 40% zinfandel and a maximum of 70% in the blend, 2^nd Tier Varietals: Percentage of any ONE not to exceed Zinfandel as majority component and max of 5% out of vintage. Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Sangiovese, Grenache, Dolcetto, Charbono, Barbera, Primitivo; Free Play: Up to 10% of total blend from any single or combination of vinifera source. – See this link for the entire Coro protocol.  The Coro was the best of the 5 that I tried at the event!

Chance Creek Winery: I tried all the wines and preferred the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc – SB ($21 / 200 cases) it reminded me of a well-down Bordeaux Blanc; 2005 Sangiovese ($17 / 990 cases) was a nice combination off Dark fruit, cedar, earth will a nice overall balance.

Chiarito Vineyard: I enjoyed the 2006 Nero D’Avola ($50 / 60 cases) quite a bit — a good example of Nero D’ Avola, it is on par with some of the best wines I have tasted out of Sicily [Nose: medium intensity -- perfume, red fruit; palate: juicy, red fruit (cherry and raspberry), with licorice; The 2005 Zinfandel was a nice example of Mendocino zinfandel but not the best [Appearance: opaque ruby/purple; Nose: medium intensity -- perfrume, slight medicinal quality, dried red fruit; Palate: medium, soft tannins, flavors of ripe cherry, cranberry and red currants with medium+ acidity].

Copain Wines: The wines from Copain were very good (as expected).  I had an interesting discussion about how the syrahs were produced — trying to get some pointers for my syrah!  I was told that the syrahs all had at least 15% whole clusters in the fermentation, the cap management protocol is very interesting (stopping of grapes via feet and only up to two times a day if that many — slow fermentation with minimal cap management).  I wonder how they manage to get such serious extraction and dark colors in their wines!.  The 2007 Syrah – Baker Vineyard ($35 / 205 cases) was very good with some serious aging potential. 

Eaglepoint Ranch Vineyard: I was hoping to say hello to Casey and find out how things are going at the vineyard this year — I love the syrah and petite sirah grown by Casey!  However, he was not able to attend the event which was unfortunate.

Frey Vineyards: The wines were a bit on the simple side but enjoyable quaffing wines.  The 2005 Syrah – Biodynamic ($20 / 1260 cases) was enjoyable and would be great with BBQ.

Graziano Family of Wines: Greg Graziano the winemaker was pouring at the event.  It was really enjoyable discussing the wines and grape growing in Mendocino.  Many of the wineries get at least of their grapes from the Graziano family.  I enjoyed the  2005 Barbera – Enotria ($17 / 900 cases), 2005 Coro ($37.50 / 466 cases) and a fantastic late-harvest Chenin blanc ($17 for 375ml).  The Chenin Blanc could have been out of the Loire in a good year; I highly recommend seeking this out!

Handley Cellars: Both of the Pinot Noirs are worth trying — 2006 Pinot Noir – Anderson Valley ($30 / 4062 cases) and 2006 Pinot Noir – Mendocino County ($25 / 1516 cases).

Lazy Creek Vineyards: They are a most stop when you are visiting the Anderson Valley.  They make really good Pinot Noir.  The 2006 Pinot Noir – Anderson Valley ($39 / 730 cases) is worth seeking out!

Lolonis Winery: I have really enjoyed their wine for the last 7 to 8 years.  They are a very consistent producer of reasonably priced wines.  The 2005 Petite Sirah- Orpheus ($38 / 1000 cases) is very good, very dark color, blue and black fruit will a balanced acidity that will allow this wine to age for at least 10 years.  If you like Petite Sirah, go get a bottle or two of this!  The 2002 Petros – Redwood Valley ($50 / 800 cases) was drinking very well but should not be held more than another 2 or 3 years.

McNnab Ridge Winery: I really enjoyed the 2006 Zinfandel – Cononiah Vineyard, Potter Valley ($22 / 200 cases).  It was like a combination of very good Mendocino Zinfandel and Anderson Valley Pinot Noir — silky tannins, lovely perfume, floral elements with spicy, red fruit backbone.  The 2005 Coro ($37 / 172 cases) as well.

Naughty Boy Vineyards: The 2006 Pinot Noir ($24.90 / 642 cases) was made by Greg Graziano.  The Pinot Noir had violets, cherry (red and black) on the nose; palate had cherry, kirsch, floral with a medium body, overall very balanced in intensity, acidity and alcohol with complexity in the aroma and flavor profile.

Neese Vineyards: I tried both the 2002 and 2003 Zinfandels ($14.99 and $13.40 respectively).  The zinfandels were very different but were clearly from Mendocino — light to medium body, lots of red fruit, hint of cedar and some mild spice.  The wines were not great but for the price point not a bad value.

Parducci Wine Cellars: The 2005 Coro ($35 / 395 cases) was quite enjoyable but did not have the balance and complexity of most of the other Coros.  The wine may just need to have more time in the bottle for the blend to settle down.

Roederer Estate: The sparkling wines of Roederer are almost always a very good value for the money especially being produced in the US vs. Champagnes.  The 2002 l’Ermitage ($45 / 8300 cases) was wonderful; light pear, apple with good yeast, toast and crisp acidity.  It would be easy to sit down in the warm sun with a good friend and finish off a bottle of this before you knew it!

Saracina Vineyards: I tried the 2007 Atrea — “The Choir” ($20 / 836 cases) but was not impressed.  The blend of 76% Roussanne and 24% Viognier should have been much more aromatic and the palate weight was too heavy due to the large amount of Viognier in the blend.  I prefer a lighter style of white Rhone Blend (see Lionheart Wines 2007 The Angel’s Share, Saralee’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley). 

Terra Savia: I had a good talk with Jim Milone, the winemaker, regarding how a small winery / label can be successful.  He has been in the wine business for 30 years.  He advice was start small and slowly build up the brand and keep your prices down so you can ride out the three year cycles of what is in vogue and what is not in vogue.  His 2005 Petit Verdot – Reserve ($15 / 450 cases) was a nice, solid example of Petit Verdot — red fruit, a bit of floral, warm spices o’plenty; for the price it is a great way to get introduced to Petit Verdot which is normally very expensive due to the limited amounts that are grown in California.

My wife and I had several friends over for dinner before the Rhone Rangers events of last weekend.  The reason why I mention this here is that the food was fantastic and the paired wine was quite a treat!  We had been saving some very good wines we picked up in Tuscany during our honeymoon in 2003.  It seemed like a great time to share the wines.

Menu for the dinner
Appetizer
Crab Salad on Endives

Roederer Estate NV Brut, Anderson Valley

First Course
Spicy Squash Soup
Focaccia

Robert Sinskey 2006 Pinot Blanc, Los Carneros (1.5l)

Main Course
Osso Bucco with Gremolada
Wilted Collard Greens with Polenta and Onions in Port Sauce

Caprili, 1997 Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Riserva (for 1998 not 1997 vintage)
Fattoria Del Cerro, 1999 Vigneto Antica Chiusina, Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano DOCG
Casanova de Neri, 1998 Tenuta Nuova, Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG
Whitcraft Winery, 2002 French Camp Vineyard, Lagrein, San Luis Obispo County
Amphora, 2006 Windsor Oaks Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

Dessert
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mousse with Blackberries steeped in port with Almond Wafers

Robert Sinskey, 2003 Zinskey Late Harvest Zinfandel, Napa

The food and wine pairings were quite lovely!  I can highly recommend all the recipes used for this dinner.  The cab salad on endive had a great combination of lively lemon tang to go with the crab and the slight bitterness of the endive.  The champagne picks up the best parts of the appetizer. 

The Spicy Squash soup would be great on any cold evening but especially in the fall.  The cumin in the soup can be a bit strong but would make the soup a great combination with any beef dish to follow the soup.  The focassia had asseggio cheese baked into it which was a very nice touch.  Robert Sinskey Pinot Blanc is some of the best made in the US; it is done with a light touch, well balanced, nice floral elements but good acidity — made in an Alsacian style. 

I was not what I was looking forward to more the Osso Bucco or the Italian wines…a good problem to have, in my opinion.   The Osso Bucco was slow cooked for 3.5 hours and made the house smell amazing.  The combination of the wilted collard greens and the fried polenta combined with a port reduction glazed onions was a fantastic counter-balance to richness of the gremolada covered Osso Bucco.  The food was tremendous — strongly recommend it to you!  The Sangioveses from Tuscany were all good but the Casanova di Neri and Fattoria Del Cerro was stunning!  It was a toss-up at the table as to which wine was the better.  Personally, I preferred the Fattoria Del Cerro just due to the fruit profile was a bit riper/slightly bigger.  Each of those wines will easily be very good upto 2025!  The wines have a tremendous level of complexity in the nose and on the palate.  I wish I had taken detailed tasting notes before dinner started.  The wines were quite good when we purchased them in 2003 but they have definitely improved with the 5 years of additional cellar aging.   I strongly recommend that you decant the brunellos at least 6 to 10 hours before serving; it could take up to 24 hours for the wines to really open up to their full potential. 

One of our guests brought over the Amphora Pinot Noir and the Whitcraft Winery Lagrein wines.  The wines were a nice change of pace from the Italian wines — a good lead in to dessert.  The Lagrein was very good — a huge wine not for the faint of heart or people concerned with having stained teeth!  The Lagrein was big, black, inky and delicous (blue and black fruit with high fine-grained tannins — 14.9% abv but not noticable).  The sad thing was that 2002 was the last year the Lagrein was made by Whitcraft; the varietal is very hard to find outside of northern Italy.

The dessert was very good and a great compliment to the main course.  The blackberries were soaked in the late harvest Zinfandel port during the day before the dinner.  Before dessert was served, Jen put all the fruit marinade left over back into the bottle to be served with dessert.  The combination of black berry juice with the late harvest zinfandel is highly recommended!

I would like to thank everyone that stopped by the table to try to the wines!  We really appreciate your interest and support.

Lionheart Wines was pouring our wines at the 2009 Rhone Ranger Grand Tasting held on March 22nd at Fort Mason in San Francisco.  The turnout for the event seemed to be consistent with the last several years; I would guess 2500 people in attendance.  The tasting has two parts — media/trade tasting from noon to 2 PM and then the general public from 2 PM to 5 PM. 

Overall, I think the event was a fairly positive for Lionheart Wines.  I poured for a quite a few journalists, wine buyers and just interested people.  It will be interesting to see what type of publicity, web traffic and sales come from the event.  It is always a tough call in whether or not a winery should  attend large mass tasting as it is very difficult to track the net result from the event.   The issue of brand development is very important to a new brand like Lionheart Wines but developing a brand without supporting sales does not make sense.  So, I am going to do my best to keep track of the results from the event — write up something closer to harvest on what has been effective and what has not.

A downside to pouring at the event is that I do not get to go around and try new wines.  I really do enjoy wine tasting especially finding new wines and getting to know other winemakers.   I did get to try, the 2002 Tables Creek, Roussanne, Paso Robles, which was just lovely (thank you, Christopher)!  It shows what Roussanne can do with some age before it starts to shutdown.

I would love to hear about wines you tried at the event — please leave a comment with the wineries / wines that you enjoyed!

The Tre Bicchieri wine tasting event showcases wines from all over Italy.  The range of wines was tremendous — all the way from lowly Sicilian mass produced wines to the astonding Sassicaia wines.  Sassicaia is clearly one of the best wines in the world!  It was pure pleasure to be able to try it at last! 

The event was fairly lightly attended probably around 1000 to 1500 people in attendance.  It was easy to get around and taste the various wines which was a nice change from most of the mass tasting events held at Fort Mason.  The wineries did not bring many bottles so most of the wineries were out of wine and left the building by 5:45 PM. 

I was speed tasting mode so the level of information on the tasted wines is less than I normally would do.  I have also given each wine a snap judgement rates using 1 to 5 stars where 5 is perfection.  The rating can also be a range. 

Umani Ronchi
2004 Rubiesco Vigna Moticchio Riserva — 2.75 stars – $16
Nose: Medium+ intensity nose of cotton candy, mocha, black cherry; Palate: medium+ soft tannins, mocha, black cherry, slight espresso on finish.  The finish was a bit disjointed — the flavors did not transition well from one to the other.

Fontanafredda
2004 Barolo V. La Rosa — 3 to 3.25 stars – $49
Appearance: medium ruby with brickish hue core
Nose: Medium intensity of floral (violets), light tar
Palate: Medium- tannins, light body, medium+ length, flavors of black tea, floral, red cherry; with a enjoyable and smooth finish.

Il Molino di Grace
2005 Chianti Classico Il Margone Riserva — 2.25 stars
Nose: Pronounced intensity with flavors of cooked cabbage, plum, red cherry
Palate: medium soft tannins, high acidity, flavors of coffee, black cherry, tannins a bit drying on the finish. 
The aroma of cooked cabbage was very distracting from the rest of the wine.

Vigna Rionda – Massolino
2004 Barolo Parafada — 3.25 stars – $67
Appearance: medium ruby with slight brick core
Nose: medium intensity aromas of violet, date
Palate: high acidity, medium velvety tannins, long length, flavors of floral, date, fig and strangely ruby grapefruit on the finish.
The wine is clearly meant to be drank with a hearty Piedmontese or Tuscany style meal.  The ruby grapefruit finish was strange at first but helped the wine have a palate cleaning finish that was quite nice.

Bucci
2006 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Villa Bucci Riserva – 2.75 stars – $37
(this is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Appearance: Deep, ruby core
Nose: medium+ intensity with aromas of red and black fruit, anise, sour cherry
Palate: soft, medium+ tannins, mouth-coating, medium+ acidity, flavors of black cherry, stemmy, fresh herbs

Donnafugata
2005 Contessa Entellina Milleunanotte – 2.5 to 2.75 stars – $56
Appearance: opaque ruddy ruby core
Nose: Medium+ intensity aromas of rubber and overripe black fruit
Palate: Medium tannins, medium length with flavors of candied walnuts, date and mincemeat

Nino Negri
2005 Valtellina Sfursat – 3 stars – $43
(this was produced in the recutio (dried grape) style)
Appearance: medium ruby/brickish core
Nose: Medium intensity with aromas of raisins, dates and pretty floral (very nice)
Palate: medium tannins, medium+ length, flavors of date, raisins, floral with a very pleasant finish.

Santi
2005 Amarone della Valpolicella Proemio – 3.25 stars – $44
Appearance: deep ruby core
Nose: medium+ intensity with aromas of Christmas cake, warm spices
Palate: medium+ fine-grained tannins, flavors of Christmas cake, Marischino cherry, medium+ length but the tannins where a distraction on the finish of the wine otherwise I would have scored it higher.  The wine should improve with some more bottle aging.

Masciarelli
2005 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Marina Cvetic – 2.75 stars – $23
Appearance: opaque ruby core
Nose: medium- intensity with aromas of violets, anise, cherry
Palate: medium tannins, medium length, flavors of cherry, plum and coffee on the finish.

2004 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Villa Gemma – 3 to 3.25 stars – $58
Appearance: opaque ruby
Nose: medium intensity with aromas of licorise/anise, black cherry, eucalyptus
Palate: medium+ tannins, long finish, nice mouth coating texture, flavors of red cherry, black cherry, and fresh floral.

Fattoria Le Corti
2005 Chianti Classico Cortevecchia Riserva – 3 stars – $19
Appearance: deep ruby core starting to show signs of brick
Nose: medium intensity with aromas of violet, eucalyptus, black cherry
Palate: high acidity, medium drying tannins, medium+ length with flavors matching the nose, the finish is a bit hot.

Fattoria Le Pupille
2005 Saffredi (Super Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Alicante) — 3 to 3.25 stars – $65
Appearance: opaque ruby with some brick starting to develop
Nose: Medium+ intensity with aromas of sour cherry, plum, milk chocolate
Palate: medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, medium+ length with flavors of dill, oregano, black currant, black cherry

Agricoltori del Chianti Geografico
2005 Chianti Classico Montegiachi Riserva – 3.25 to 3.5 stars – $21
Appearance: bright, deep+ ruby core
Nose: medium intensity with aromas of floral (violet), sour cherry, black cherry
Palate: medium+ to high acidity; medium, fine-grained tannins, medium+ length, medium alcohol, flavors of floral (violets), red & black cherry, plum; the finish was very clean and pleasant.

Tenuta di Capezzana
2005 Carmignano Villa di Capezzana – 3.5 stars – $13
(80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Appearance: deep+ ruby/slight purple core
Nose: prounounced intensity aromas of tar, slight rubber (blew off a bit some some air), sour cherry
Palate: medium+ acidity, flavors of sour cherry, hint of anise and eucalyptus; with a mouth-coating viscosity.

Perticaia
2005 Montefalco Sagrantino — 2.75 stars – $20
Appearance: deep ruby with some brick in the core
Nose: medium intensity of menthol and artifical cherry
Palate: high powdery tannins, high acidity with flavors of cherry, eucalpytus

Damilano
2004 Barolo Cannubi – 2.75 stars
Appearance: Brick red core
Nose: medium intensity with aromas of cherry, earth
Palate: medium + soft tannins, flavors of cherry, forest floor

Feudo Principi di Butera
2005 Deliella (made with Nero d. Avila varietal) – 3.75 stars – $47
Appearance: opaque- ruby core
Nose: medium+ intensity aromas of licorice, black tea, red & black cherry
Palate: medium+ acidity, medium tannins, flavors of jasmine, black tea, cherry (red and black), earthy, beets and warm spice.

Castello di Ama
2005 Chianti Classico Castello di Ama – 2.25 stars – $28
Appearance: deep ruby/slight brick at core
Nose: medium intensity aromas of toasted marshmellows, red cherry
Palate: medium slightly green tannins with flavors of cough syrup (articial cherry), cherry, silty earth

Cantina Convento Muri-Gries
2007 A. A. Lagrein Abtei Riserrva – 3.75 stars – $12
Appearance: opaque ruby core
Nose: medium+ intensity with aromas of raisin, dates, floral, blueberry, roses and plum
Palate: medium+ acidity, medium_ tannins, long length, medium+ concentration; flavors of plum, date, floral and slight bitterness on the finish.

Frecciarossa
2005 OP Pinot Nero Giorgio Odero (Pinot Noir varietal) – 2.25 stars – $30
Appearance: deep- ruby core
Nose: medium+ intensity aromas of red cherry, eucalyptus and warm spice
Palate: med tannins, flavors = aromas, medium length.
The wine does not come across as a Pinot Noir but more like a Sangiovese

Hilberg – Pasquero
2006 Nebbiolo d’Alba – 3.75 to 4 stars – $38
Appearance: opaque-/deep ruby
Nose: medium+ intensity aromas of roses, tar, black cherry, violets
Palate: medium+ slightly green tannins (clearly from Italy), medium+ concentration, flavors = aromas and a long finish.
This wine is a very good example of what Nebbiolo should taste like!

Cusumano
2006 Sagana (Nero d’ Avila varietal) – 2.25 stars – $22
Appearance: opaque ruby core
Nose: medium+ intensity with aromas of overripe plum, raisin, rum balls, rubber, dates
Palate: medium acidity, flavors of overripe fruit, medium+ length with a finish of slight cooked cabbage.

Palari
2006 Faro Palari – 3 stars – $44
Nose: medium+ intensity with aromas of cherry, slight lactic note and warm spices
Palate: medium+ powdery tannins, medium+ concentration, flavors of earth (silt), warm spices and cherry.

Poggio Bonelli
2006 Poggiassai – 2.75 stars
Appearance: opaque ruby core
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of slight raspberry, rhubbarb, cooked strawberry
Palate: medium+ velvety tannins, medium+ acidity, flavors of bleu cheese, lactic, black cherry, rhubbarb

Tenuta San Guido
2005 Barrua - 4 stars – $42
Appearance: opaque ruby/purple core
Nose: medium+ intensity aromas of black tea, jasmin, plum
Palate: high soft, fine-grained tannins, long length, flavors of black tea, plum cherry (red & black) with a slightly green finish

2005 Bolgheri Sassicaia — 4.25 to 4.5 stars – $140
Appearance: deep ruby/ slight brick core transitioning to ruby rim
Nose: medium intensity with aromas of cherry (red & black), black tea, currant (red & black)
Palate: medium+ velvety tannins, high acidity, long length,  flavors of black tea, black cherry, red currant, rose.
The wine is very complex layered, perfectly balanced which transitions from the fresh fruit elements to the more dried elements with time.

Tenuta Fontodi
2005 Flaccianello della Pieve – 2.5 stars – $50
Nose: medium- intensity with aromas of floral(slight), dried sour cherry
Palate: medium+ acidity, medium+ drying tannins (slightly green), flavors of red fruit

Vietti
2004 Barolo Lazzarito – 3.5 stars
Appearance: medium+ ruby core
Nose: prounounced intensity aromas of violet, cherry, eucalyptus
Palate: medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, flavors of sour cherry, violets, red grapefruit on the finish

Monfalletto – Cordero di Montezemolo
2004 Barolo Enrico VI – 2.75 stars – $56
Appearance: medium- ruby with slight brown core
Nose: aromas of red currant, red cherry
Palate: dry; light tannins, aromas of dried cherry, cranberry — on the thin side

Cav. G. B. Bertani
2001 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico – 3.5 stars
Appearance: medium ruby core
Nose: medium+ intensity aromas of date, dried cherry
Palate: medium+ to high acidity, long finish, aromas of date, cream sherry, walnuts

Feudi di San Gregorio
2007 Greco di Tufo Cutizzi – 3.25 stars – $24
Apperance: bright, light copper
Nose: medium+ intensity aromas of mineral, almond, white floral
Palate: medium+ acidity, medium length, flavors = aromas

Giancario travaglini
2004 Gattinara Tre Vigne – 3 stars – $21
Appearance: medium- ruby slight brick
Nose: medium- intensity aromas of sour cherry, cinnamon, licorice
Palate: medium- tannins, flavors of sour cherry, warm spice

Poliziano
2005 Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone – 2.5 stars – $38
Appearance: deep+ ruby core
Nose: medium+ intensity with aromas of earth, sour cherries
Palate: high, fine-grained tannins; medium+ alcohol, medium finish, flavors of sour cherry, earth and euculptus on the finish.

The San Francisco Chronicle Grand Wine tasting was held at the Herbst Pavillion in Fort Mason on the 28th from 2 to 5 PM.  The Pavillion was packed with a large number of wineries and attendees.  The event sold out of the 5500 tickets well in advance.  The crowd was big but I do not think all 5500 people were there at one time — maybe a peak of 4500 or so.  I was sharing a table with Eric Kent Wine Cellars.  Kent was pouring his 2007 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley; 2007 Kalen’s Big Boy Blend (syrah) and 2007 Bennett Valley Syrah.  All of Kent’s wine were fantastic as usual.  It should be noted that the Kalen’s Big Boy Blend won a gold medal at the SF Chronicle and a score of 94 from the Wine Spectator.  So, you can imagine that the wine easily lived up to its name.  

I was pouring the 2007 The Angel’s Share, white Rhone Blend, Russian River Valley; 2007 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley.  The Angel’s Share was showing particularly well on Saturday while the Pinot Noir was a bit tight but opened up with some decanting.  I had just brought along one bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon just to let interested people try it.  As it turns out, the Cabernet Sauvignon was very well received.  I was very happy that all of the wines were showing quite well especially The Angel’s Share.  We were fairly busy pouring samples the entire time.  So, I was not able to really go do any tasting of the other wines at the event.  It is a bit of bummer to not be able to go taste other wines as that is a key part of the wine industry — competative analysis, finding new blends and training your palate. 

Several bottles of my 2007 Pinot Noir were donated for the media tasting area.  I am curious to see if any press / wine reviews come out of the event.  It would be nice to get some media coverage out of the event.

The event was a very good event and a great way to try some outstanding wines from all over the country.  The competition had entries for 26 states and over 4700 total wines spread over 50 category.  I would suggest that you look to attend this event next year.  You will not be disappointed.

It was a beautiful day in the SF Bay Area!  The tasting event was really quite nice as we got in with the trade (it is much more sane than the general tasting….1500 vs. 10,000 people).  The 2006 vintage appears to be fairly good with some standouts especially in the Mendocino region.  Zinfandel has a very wide range of aroma/flavor descriptors which range from a earthy, spicey (fresh cracked black pepper) to jammy, intense fruit (often with dried fruit characteristics).  At the ZAP grand tasting, the range seems to be best described by the Bradford Mountain Winery 2006 Grist Vineyard on the cracker pepper range to the Calcareous Vineyard 2006 Kate’s Vineryard, Paso Robles.  The overall vintage of 2006 seems to be above average.  Mendocino had a very good showing in the 2006 vinetage while Napa Valley did not show terribly well based on my limited tasting.  Note: Given the number of tastings in short period of time — as it has been said, “your milage my vary”.  Please consider this a relative rating of quality.

Favorite wineries:
Edmeades
Bradford Mountain Winery
Calcarerous Vineyards
Selby Winery
Storrs Winery
Renwood Winery

The scale is based on 5 stars being the best possible.  Normally, I would do a 100 point scale or a WSET based detail wine description however I did not have time to do that type of analysis. 

Artezin Wines (www.artezinwines.com)
3.5 stars — 2007 Mendocino County, Zinfandel — $18
Aroma: raspberry, cherry; Palate: medium- body, light and pleasing.  This is a light  body wine that is nice now but will probably not hold longer than 12 to 18 months from now — a great summer BBQ wine.

Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves (www.bellaWinery.com)
2.5 to 3 stars — 2006 Lily hill vineyard, Dry Creek Valley — $25
Aroma: banana, blue fruit, baby powder; Palate: similar to aromas plus dried bananas but has a medium+ concentration.   The wine could have been much more given the concentration but the banana flavor/aroma is distracting.

2 stars — 2006 Dry Creek — $35
Aroma: sulphur and wet cedar on the nose; palate follows the nose.

Bradford Mountain Winery – Healdsburg, N. Sonoma (www.bradfordmountain.com)
3.5 – 4 stars: 2006 Grist Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley:
Aromas: cracked black pepper, baking spices, red fruit; palate: medium body, medium+ length, flavors: cracked black pepper, baking spices, red fruit

4 stars: 2005 “El Grandate”, fortified wine, 18.5%abv, 10% residule sugar (100 grams/liter):
Aromas: raisin, fig, dried currants, dried fruits; Palate: raisin,s fig, dried currants, medium+ concentrations.
This is a very nice, balanced fortified wine — good example of what can be done with zinfandel made in the port style of fortified wines.

Calcarerous Vineyard – Paso Robles, Central Coast (www.calcareous.com)
3.5 – 4 stars: 2005 “Twisted Sisters”, Kate’s Vineyard, Paso Robles — $29
Aromas: meat, soy sauce (slight), black fruit; Palate: red cherry, pomegranite, chalky/mineral, slightly dried fruit, medium+ concentration.

4 stars: 2006 Kate’s Vineyard, Paso Robles — $30
Aromas: pronounced intensity — blue fruit (boysenberry, blueberry); Color: opaque Ruby core -> ruby rim; Palate: blue fruit (boysenberry, blueberry), light baking spice; medium + concentration.
This wine has a nice level of fruit intensity, layered flavors, medium+ palate intensity.  The wine will evolved into something really nice over the next 2 years.

Cosentino Winery — Yountville, Napa Valley (www.cosentinowinery.com)
2.5 – 3 stars: 2006 Estate, Ancient Vines, Lodi — $40
Aromas: red fruit, very ripe fruit bordering on dried fruit; the fruit is a bit too dry and does not bode well for the longevity of this wine.

Dancing Lady Wines — Healdsburg, N. Sonoma (www.dancingladywines.com)
3 stars — 2006 Old Vine & Old Vine Clone, Della Costa Family Vineyard, Alexander Valley – $20
Aromas: medium+ intensity, black fruit, red fruit; Palate: medium- tannins which are a bit drying.
The wine is definitely a drink now as the fruit is starting to taste dried up.  It is nice now but will not hold more than 12 to 18 months.
Note: this wine won a silver at the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine competition.

3.5 – 4 stars — 2007 Old Vine, Della Costa Family Vineyard, Alexander Valley — $30
Aromas: sweet mincemeat pie, cranberry; palate: concentration medium+, flavors: cranberry, cherry, strawberry.
The wine as a nice concentration, balance of aroma/flavor intensity and balanced acidity.  The wine is drink now but can be held for 2 to 3 years.
Note: this wine won a gold at the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine competition.

D-Cubed Cellars — St. Helena, Napa Valley (www.DCubedCellars.com)
3 stars: 2006 Napa Valley — $27
Aromas/Flavors: dried red cherry, red fruit

Downing Family Vineyards — Napa, Napa Valley (www.DFWines.com)
2 to 2.5 stars — 2006 H & H Vineyard, Oakville — $29
Aromas: dried fruit, prune, diacyel (buttery); Palate: dried red fruit, oak. 
The wine tasted like it had been added a bit too long in oak as the fruit was starting to dry out vs. the tannins in the wine.  The wine should be drank now and not held.

Edmeades — Redwood Valley, Mendocino (www.edmeades.com)
4 – 4.5 stars: 2005 Piffero Vineyard, Mendocino Ridge
Aromas: pronounced intensity, ripe fruit, floral, cedar; Palate: red cherry, raspberry, cedar, with smoke on the finish; medium+ concentration, very balanced wine.

4 stars: 2007 Zinfandel, Mendocino County — $18
Aromas: blueberry, dark cherry, perfume; Palate: blueberry, dark cherry, perfume — layered, complex and very well balanced; medium+ length.
This wine is a great value for the money! It is smooth, easy drinking with a surprising level of complexity for low priced premium level wine.

3 to 3.5 stars: 2006 Ciapusci Vineyard, Mendocino Ridge, Ciapusci, Mendocino Ridge — $30
Color: medium ruby; Aromas: perfume, blue fruit; Palate: tart red cherry, blueberry, mineral.
This is a lean wine with more of an old world style which is suprising for Edmeades.

4 stars: 2006 Zeni Vineyard, Mendocino Ridge
Aroma: smoke, violets, Rainier cherry; Palate: black fruit, Rainier cherry; Medium+ concentration

Four Vines Winery — Paso Robles, Central Coast (www.fourvines.com)
3.5 stars: 2006 Maverick, Amador County
Aroma: violets, red fruit; Palate: Medium+ concentration; flavors — red cherry; medium- tannins.
The wine is at its peak from now until the next 6 months — do not cellar this wine!  If you have this wine, please break out and enjoy!

2.5 to 3 stars: 2006 Biker, Paso Robles
Aroma: slight soy sauce, red fruit; Palate: medium- tannins which are drying on the finish, red fruit, cranberry.

Note: I have really enjoyed the Four Vines wines in the past several years.  However, the quality of the wine seems to have slipped a bit.  I was disappointed with the wines I tried.

Gamba vineyards and Winery — Fulton, N. Sonoma (www.GambaWinery.com)
3.5 stars: 2007 Estate Vineyard, Old Vine, Russian River Valley — $45
Aromas: Medium intensity; red currant, cranberry; Palate: red currant, red cranberry; Medium+ acidity.
The wine was nicely balanced with lively acidity that should help it age.  The style of this wine is a change from the previous two vintages which is more concentrated, fruit bomb old vine.  I would like to see Gus (the winemaker) take the style to between the 2005 and 2007 vintage — it would be more elegant and complex.

3 stars: 2007 Moratto Vineyard, Old Vine, Russian River Valley — $45
Aroma: dried red fruit, hint of cracked black pepper; Palate: medium slightly drying tannins, flavors = dried red fruit, slight cracked black pepper.

Hendry — Napa, Napa valley (www.HendryWines.com)
3 stars: 2006 Block 7 & 22, Napa Valley — $30
Aroma: medium+ intensity, slightly lactic, red fruit; Palate: black cherry, blackberry; medium+ acidity, medium+ length.
The wine was not a good as the last several vintages of the Block 7 zinfandel.  The wine is enjoyable now but will not hold more than 2 years.

Howell Mountain Vineyards — Rutherford, Napa Valley (www.HowellMountain.com)
2.5 stars: 2006 Black Sears, Napa County, Howell Mountain — $38
Aroma: medium+ intensity, dried red and black fruit (raisin, prune); Palate: Medium+ drying tannins, flavors of dried fruit, prune. 
This wine is clearly made from mountain fruit given the tannins.  The fruit seems to have been left too long on the wine given the dried fruit characteristics coming through so strongly.

Klinker Brick Winery — Lodi, Central Valley (www.klinkerbrickwinery.com)
3.5 to 4 stars: 2006 Old Vine, Lodi — $18
Nose: floral (violet), fresh bread (brioche), banana, red fruit, cola, root beer; Palate: flavor matched the aromas, medium+ concentration, very balanced.
This is a great value, easy to get and good with so many different foods.

Ledson Winery & Vineyards — Kenwood, Sonoma Valley (www.ledson.com)
3 stars: 2005 Old Vine, Mendocino County — $36
Aroma: red fruit; Palate: medium+ fine-grained tannins, flavors: cherry, baking spice

2.5 to 3 stars: 2005 Old Vine, Sonoma County — $40
Aroma: concentrated fruit, savory; Palate: Medium+ intensity; flavors=red and black fruit, boysenberry, savory, black fruit

Limerick Lane Cellars — Healdsburg, N. Sonoma (www.limericklanewines.com)
3 stars — 2006 Collins Vineyard, Zinfandel, Russian River Valley — $30
Aroma: slightly reduced, black & red fruit, slight black pepper, earthy; Palate: slightly drying tannins; red druit, black fruit, black olive, tangy finish.

This wine was not as good as prior vintages which is unfortunately as Limerick Lane Cellars makes tremendous and distinctive tannins — velvety soft tannins, blue fruit on nose/palate, and explosive in the mouth.

Mauritson Family Winery — Healdsburg, N. Sonoma (www.mauritsonwines.com)
3 stars — 2006 Cemetery Vineyard, Rockpile — $39
Aroma: floral, red fruit, cedar; Palate: medium+ concentration, red fruit; medium+ tannins (noticable)

Mazzocco Winery — Healdsburg, N. Sonoma (www.mazzocco.com)
4 stars — Pony Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley — $32
Aroma/Palate: red cherry, raspberry; Palate: medium+ concentration, round mouthfeel, silky tannins –> overall very balanced

Novy Family Wines — Santa Rosa, N. Sonoma (www.NovyFamilyWines.com)
4 stars: 2006 Papera Ranch Vineyard, Russian River Valley — $33
Aroma: toasted oak, carmel, blue fruit (boysenberry, blueberry); Palate: medium+ concentration, medium, silky tannins; flavors: christmas cake (cloves, allspice), blue fruit, toasted oak

Opolo Vineyards — Paso Robles, Central Coast (www.opolo.com)
3.5 to 4 stars: 2006 Summit Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles, Westside — $19
Aroma: black fruit( cherry, currant), floral; Palate: medium+ concentration, flavors: caramelized sugar, jammy, red & black fruit; medium+ acidity

Outpost Estate Wines — Angwin, Napa Valley (www.outpostwines.com)
2.5 to 3 stars: 2006 Outpost vineyard, Napa valley, Howell Mountain — $45
Aroma: oak, cedar, red fruit (raspberry), black pepper, violets, yellow mustard; Palate: oak, cedar, raspberry, spicy and tangy acidity on finish
The yellow mustard aroma is quite distracting.

Perry Creek Winery — Fair Play, Sierra Foothills (www.perrycreek.com)
2 stars: 2006 Zinman, Sierra Foothills — $14
Aroma: sulphur, herbaceous; Palate: herbaceous; length: medium-
The wine was on the thin side and not nearly as good as the last few vintages of this wine.

Renwood Winery — Plymouth, Sierra Foothills (www.renwood.com)
3.5 stars — 2006 Jack Rabbit Vineyard
Aroma: light intensity; red fruit, sweet spices; Palate: light body, Medium+ length

3.5 stars — 2005 Grandmere, Amador County — $35
Aroma: medium+ intensity — Cherry, cola (nearly pinot noir); Palate: red cherry, pomegranite; medium- concentration.

3.5 stars — 2005 Old Vine, Amador County — $18
Aroma: red fruit (currant, cherry), medium intensity; Palate: medium- tannins, flavors: red fruit, cherry, raspberry, red currant –> light, clean finish

Rosenblum Cellars — Alameda, Bay Area (www.RosenblumCellars.com)
4 stars — 2006 Rockpile Road Vineyard, Rockpile — $35
Aroma: pronounced intensity; aromas: maple syrup; Palate: blackberry, blackberry, baking spice, black cherry, boysenberry; medium+ concentration.
This is a made in the typical Rosenblum fruit bomb style of wines.

Selby Winery — Healdsburg, N. Sonoma (www.SelbyWinery.com)
4 to 4.5 stars: 2007 Bobcat, Sonoma County — $34
A bit closed down on the nose; Aroma: blue fruit, raspberry; Palate: blue fruit, raspberry
This is a very balanced wine with good concentrated but not great concentration.

3.5 to 4 stars: 2007 Old Vines, Sonoma County — $28
Aroma: boysenberry, red cherry, black cherry; Palate: eucalyptus, blue fruit; medium+ concentrated

Carol Shelton Wines — Santa Rosa, N. Sonoma (www.carolshelton.com)
2.5 stars: 2006 Wild Thing, Cox Vineyard, Mendocino County — $28
medium balanced, middle of road but has a poor finish (overly cedar)

2.5 stars: 2005 Maple Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley — $33
Aromas: violet, perfume, cherry, cedar; Palate: cherry, cranberry, lactic finish

St. Francis Winery & Vineyard — Santa Rosa, Sonoma Valley (www.Stfranciswinery.com)
2.5 stars: 2000 Reserve, Old Vine, Pagani Vineyard, Sonoma Valley
Aromas: wet wood, black currant, warm spices; Palate: savory, red fruit, slightly drying tannins with a bleu cheese finish (this is very unpleasant)

Storrs Winery & Vineyards — Santa Cruz, Bay Area (www.storrswine.com)
3 to 3.5 stars: 2005 Lion Oaks vineyard, Old Vine, Santa Clara County — $35
Aromas: lavendar, anise, black olive; palate: light body, red fruit, medium length pleasant finish

4 stars: 2005 Rusty Ridge Vineyard, Old Vine, Santa Clara County — $30
Aroma: slight dried fruit, rose petal, red fruit, baking spice; Palate: medium+ concentration; flavors: raspberry, cranberry, pomegranite, slight cedar; medium+ length

Stryker Sonoma — Geyserville, N. Sonoma (www.strykersonoma.com)
3 stars: 2006 Estate old vine, Alexander Valley — $26
Aroma: floral, sweet olive, raspberry, currant; Palate: raspberry, red currant, warm splices

Taft Street Winery — Sebastopol, N. Sonoma (www.taftstreetwinery.com)
3 stars: 2007 Cobblestone Vineyard, Sonoma
Aroma: prounounced intensity; fresh raspberry, allspice; Palate: cranberry, drieed raspberry

Terra d’Oro — Plymouth, Sierra Foothills (www.terradorowinery.com)
3.5 stars: 2006 Amador County — $18
Aroma: medium intensity; ripe fruit and slightly dried red fruit; Palate: medium+ concentration; flavors: red fruit (cherry, currant)