September 14, 2012

Now that the summer months have passed, I hope to be a better blogger.  At the very least, I hope to be a little more consistent.

The Wooster Inn is privileged to host winemakers from around the planet on a regular basis.  Of course many of them hail from California.  Mac McDonald, winemaker and owner of Vision Cellars has made at least a half dozen visits over the last decade.  He is a pinot noir specialist who only makes 250 or so cases of wine from each of five vineyards.  Small quantities with high quality makes each bottle a special treat.  Generally the price also makes the wine one that might be reserved for special occasions.  

Today the Inn received two cases of two wines:

            Vision Cellars Coster Russian River Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009

            Vision Cellars Chileno Valley Pinot Noir 2008

When last we visited these wines, they had a minimum retail of $46 a bottle.  Although only 250 cases of each were produced, this special allocation is reduced to $30 a bottle.

I have never before witnessed a price like this for wines like these.

The Russian River Valley is truly the most prized real estate in Sonoma County.  At only 198 square miles, this is the prime pinot growing area in California. Pinot Noir needs a cool growing climate and the proximity of the region to the Pacific Ocean generates a fog most evenings that drops the daytime high temperature by as much as 40º.  This cooling affect increases the growing season by 15-20% over warmer neighboring regions.  A long growing season creates wines with a balance of fruit, acid, and sugar.

The Chileno Valley is a bit further to the west in Marin County.  The strong winds that come off the ocean into the valleys of the county cause the pinot noir grapes to protect themselves with thicker skins.  The winds also make pollination difficult, so this is hardly a prime grape growing region.  The resulting harvest creates age-worthy wines with a strong tannin structure.  This is not a light pinot noir.  In fact I have converted some folks who only like bigger wines like cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel to pinot noir by sharing a bottle with them.

June 7, 2012

I continue to be reminded that I am a very inconsistent blogger.  Sorry about that.  I continue to hope that I will get better at this.

Those of you who know me and those who have followed this blog know that I consistently try to find the best wines at the best value.  After all, if you’re paying $100 or more for a bottle of wine, it ought to be great.

In this quest I have become a HUGE fan of négociant wines.  Négociant wines are those made by one wine maker and labeled by the négociant  wine company.  Famous and prestigious wine makers often make more wine than they can use.  Once they have built their brand and the demand for their wines, they have an interest in controlling the supply.  Here is where the négociant wine company comes in and negotiates a price that is often pennies on the dollar.  Sometimes the wine is purchased while in the barrel or vat, other times it is already bottled.  In some cases the original wine maker will even put the new, secondary label on the bottles.

There is a shroud of secrecy surrounding these wines.  There is nothing like a nice confidentiality clause in a contract to keep the price of those big name wines up and constant.  Why would you pay $60 for a label when you can get it for $16 on the négociant market?  In most cases, at least for me, the taste of the wine is far more important than the label or knowing the pedigree of the vintner. 

Of course buying wines on the secondary market requires a certain amount of trust but I have been working with these wines for several years with my friend, Hunter Vogel, of KitFox and Treasure Hunter wines.  Today I want to introduce another company that works to provide great wines at value prices:  Cameron Hughes Wines: http://www.chwine.com/

Last week, the Mid-West Territory Manager, Steve Wiley, stopped by with about a dozen wines.  I believe Steve covers 7 states, but he spent about an hour with me and I tasted through the collection.  (I know, you feel sorry for me!)  I brought in four of the wines.

Remember that most of these négociant wines are very limited in their availability.  In many cases there are just a couple hundred cases for national distribution.  Consequently they will move through our inventory very quickly.  My hope is that we will continue to have these wines presented so that I can bring them to you.

While the wines are great, the labeling is confusing.  All the wines are named Cameron Hughes followed by a lot number and then the varietal.  Depending on the offerings there can be a number of any varietal each with a different lot number.  It does save them from coming up with clever names for the wines, but as their offerings grow, I think it might be hard to keep the wines straight in your mind.

Here are the wines we have:

Ø  Cameron Hughes Lot 217 Russian River Sauvignon Blanc 2009 with a retail of $8.99

Ø  Cameron Hughes Lot 240 Albarino 2009 with a retail of $12.99

Ø  Cameron Hughes Lot 271 Russian River Pinot Noir 2009 with a retail of $15.99

Ø  Cameron Hughes Lot 258 Malbec 2010 with  a retail of $9.99

Just an idea of how limited the distribution of these wines is, all of these wines are currently sold out on their website.  I was going to be lazy and send you there for the information on each of them but, alas, I will tell you why I brought them into the Inn.

The Lot 217 Sauvignon Blanc tasted like a tremendous value to me.  It has the great citrus notes that have really taken over from the herbal characteristics that once typified the varietal.  Sauvignon Blanc is summer to me.  At the end of most days you can find me on my patio enjoy a glass or two.

Lot 240 Albarino is from Spain and one of the less known white grapes.  For years and for the same money I have  purchased Martin Codax Albarino which is distributed in the Gallo family of wines.  When I tasted Lot 240 it had the characteristics of the Martin Codax but a richer color, a more intense nose, and a bit more body.  I couldn’t pass it up.

The Russian River Pinot Noir that is Lot 271 has more of the earthiness of a French Burgundy and less of the fruitiness of a New World Pinot Noir.  I generally tend toward the New World style.  I know that some of you prefer a bigger, dryer wine.  I don’t remember tasting a pinot noir of this complexity at $16 a bottle!

The final wine on this buy is the Malbec that is Lot 258.  This wine is from Argentina, the place on the planet where this grape is most popular and most produced.  Malbec was originally a blending grape in the Bordeaux region of France, a region where by law all wines are blended.  Each grape brings a particular quality to the party.  Malbec principally brought color and tannin (the compound that brings the dry pucker to wine).  Years ago, when I first tasted Malbec as a varietal wine, it was too tannic, it was difficult to drink.  Over time, the winemakers have learned to balance the tannins with the fruit qualities of the grape.  While still a deep red wine great for grilled meats and BBQ, the added fruit qualities actually move it into a New World, fruity, food-friendly style.

If you’re interested in any of these wine, stop by.  Mark your calendar for the Cameron Hughes Wine Dinner that we will have on Friday, February 15, 2013 at The Wooster Inn.

May 4, 2012

I was gently reminded today that I have neglected the Wine Blog for the last month.  It’s not a bad sign since the Inn has done some great business.  But during this past month we have had The Wooster Wine Festival and I have had the chance to try quite a number of wines that have been added to our collection.

In April 2012, Wine and Spirits Magazine gave Kathy Joseph’s Fiddlehead 728 Pinot Noir 2008 the award of Best California Pinot Noir this year.  It rated it at 93 points out of 100 and named it as a “Best Buy,” which is a pretty bold statement as the wine retails for $42.99!

7.28 is the mile marker on Santa Rosa Road bordering Fiddlehead’s primary vineyard in the Santa Rosa Hills.  Kathy Joseph is a true friend of mine and of The Wooster Inn and makes some of the best pinot noirs I have ever tasted.  Without doubt high end wines like these have had a tough time during the past couple years.  In fact, one of my most favorite wines Lollapalooza, a name which means “best of the best” won’t even have a 2008 vintage.   (But do know that I am buying up what little remains of the 2007 vintage even though it retails for $75 a bottle)

Kathy produces the wines that I share with guests most frequently.  Unlike some pinot noirs, Kathy’s wines are complex with so many layers of flavor. Orange zest, chocolate, dark black cherries, plums, and spiciness are all part of the experience.  Just amazing!

So maybe $42.99 is for special occasions, well during the Wine Festival I spent some time talking with a new distributor, Luke Taylor who owns Traderman Distributors.  While we were talking I was enjoying Lucas & Lewellen Pinot Noir 2008.  This wine actually comes from the same region as 728 and reflects some of the same big characteristics, but for $21.99 a bottle.

I had the chance to taste Matchbook Chardonnay in the 2009 vintage.  I have to be honest and say that chardonnay has been my least favorite for the last 15 or 20 years but time is a changing!  What I did not like is the overly oaky treatment of chardonnay that overtook the entire experience.  Wine should taste like fruit and not two by fours!  The 2007 vintage of Matchbook was pretty woody. The 2009 version has a much lighter oak treatment that lets the juicy, fruit quality of the chardonnay grape to shine through.    You have to love the great label on Matchbook wines; looking lightly charred, the labels reminds the winemaker of his youth when his fascination with matches cost the family their home.  You know parenting:  One proud moment after another!  In any case, Matchbook Chardonnay 2009 is $19.99.

Friday, March 9, 2012

It’s a big day here at the Inn.  Fiddlehead Cellars 2011 Rosé has arrived as the real true harbinger of Spring.  First a word about rosé wines:

Rosé has gotten a bad name because of white zinfandel which is certainly a sweet wine and often the gateway/entrance for wine drinkers.  I am personally all for anything that helps folks appreciate wine.  My hope is that folks are willing to move beyond this experience to wines that are not dominated by sweetness.  Wines that are less sweet or not sweet at all actually offer a much wider array of flavors and tasting experience.  Learning to appreciate these subtleties is the path of a wine lover.  While Fiddlehead Cellars Rosé is indeed pink and has the name “Pinkie” on its label, it has no discernible sweetness.

There are a couple of ways of making a rosé:  one is to simply blend a white and red wine to the desired flavor or color.  The traditional manner of production is to minimize the contact of the juice with the skins of red grapes.  All color in wine comes from skin contact.  By limiting the time of contact, the winemaker accomplishes two things:  the most obvious is a lighter color.  The second is the lighter development of tannins in the wine.  Tannins are the chemical compounds that give a pucker to red wines.  This characteristic is more of a feeling than a flavor but is essential to a dry wine experience.  So a rosé bridges the flavor components of a white wine with some of the characteristics of red wines.  Essentially the winemaker creates a white or lighter wine that red wine drinkers will like too.

Fiddlehead Cellars Rosé is made in the traditional way described above by Kathy Joseph, owner and winemaker of Fiddlehead wines.  She specializes in two varieties of grapes:  Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir.  This rosé is made from pinot noir grapes.

The wine is highly allocated and because we have a great relationship with Kathy Joseph we have 10 cases of the 305 she produced.  We are going to save some of those cases for her Winemaker’s Dinner on August 4^th, but this is really the time to enjoy this wine.

As usual, this wine is reminiscent of spring strawberries in the glass.  Be warned:  this wine is designed to be tasted when it’s young (that is, newly released).  It loses the light fruit qualities fairly quickly.  The wine is still tasty but not with the characteristics that I look forward to each year.  I can hardly improve on Kathy’s tasting notes that can be found here:  http://www.fiddleheadcellars.com/uploads/7/4/9/8/7498238/2011_pinkie.pdf

So how much is “Spring in a glass”?  $23

We are storing this wine under refrigeration in order to preserve the young character until our August wine dinner.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

What happened to me in February?  Not a word to the blog!  Well part of that is that we actually purchase less in January and February than in any other time of the year.  The other part is that we fortunately had a very busy February. 

New wines are rolling in now.  Here is a little about a few of them:

Yesterday Christof Höpler visited the Inn from Austria.  This handsome, young man is both the owner and winemaker for Höpler Winery.  We have a total of zero Austrian wines on our current list, but what did impress me is his description of his wine production area.  He showed me pictures of the temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks that he uses for his wines.  I cannot express enough how important controlling fermentation temperature is to the creation of wines; particularly white wines. 

Longer, cooler fermentation allows the winemaker to make a more balanced wine since the sugars are not consumed as quickly as they would be at warmer temperatures.  This slower fermentation actually allow the winemaker a better chance at stopping the process when he wants to.  In fact, in most white wines, you would want a bit of residual sugar to remain to balance the high acidity of the grapes.  A balance wine is one where you want one sip after another.

As many of you might know, I have the privilege of judging wine competitions now and then.  It is a privilege because winemakers trust the judges with their livelihood and each and every judge takes this responsibility very seriously.  The issues that often flaw white wines go back to the lack of equipment to control fermentation temperatures. Seeing the impressive equipment at the Höpler Winery gave me great hope for some pretty spectacular new wines.

Höpler Guttenberg Grűner Veltliner 2006:  First of all, Grűner Veltliner is the national white grape of Austria.  Cold hearty, it carries many of the characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurtztraminer; meaning crisp acidity and some floral characteristics on the nose make this a great wine as the weather warms. At $20 a bottle the wine is a departure and one to explore in the world of white wine.

Höpler Riesling 2008:  If you have ever had the chance to taste a true dry Riesling from Austria, you would expect, and probably find a minerality that is not matched anywhere in the world.  That’s what I was looking for in this wine, and although it is not as pronounced as some, you can sense the chalky soil in which these grapes are grown.  Riesling is one of my favorite wines because it so easily reflects the conditions under which it is grown and it is also such a food-friendly wine.  Also, the grape can make up wines from sweet to very dry.  Few grapes are so versatile.  This is truly a wine of the dry variety and it too is $20.

The third wine from Höpler Winery is Höpler Zweigelt 2007.  Everyone loves a good Zweigelt (actually who knows what a Zweigelt is?!?!?!)  Zweigelt is a hybrid grape variety that is a cross between two Austrian varietals.  Dr. Zweigelt is the creator of the hybrid.  So what’s it like?  It is a deep, dark red wine but it has some really grapy-fruitiness up front with a nice balance dry finish.  Zweigelt is now the most widely grown red grape in Austria and who am I to argue with the population of an entire country?  This wine is also $20 a bottle.

If you’re not a regular visitor to The Wooster Inn, you might not know that each week we have six wines that are special glass pours in addition to the six house wines that we have.  The idea is that this gives our guests the chance to try a wine that they might not have had before.  Certainly the Höpler wines fit that criterion.  Look for these soon or stop in any enjoy a new experience.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

I would have to say that January is moving right along (thank goodness) and business has been pretty good for this time of year.

It’s a new year and we have a new wine list which is accessible via the main page of The Wooster Inn site:  www.thewoosterinn.com

Couple points about the new wine list:  where once there were two lists, we now have one that lists the state minimum retail for each wine as well as the restaurant price.  Unlike most restaurants, we do not multiply the cost by two or three times.  Instead we just add a modest amount to cover the cost of the servers and the glassware (that seems to need replacing all the time).  On the most expensive wines on the list, the restaurant price is the minimum retail.  All of this is to encourage our guests to enjoy the wines that enhance your dining experience.

New wines:

Hera Vinho Verde 2010 is a blended white wine from Portugal made up of three grapes that are particular to that country but little known elsewhere (85% Loureiro, 7.5% Trajadura, and 7.5% Arinto).  I thought it was very refreshing, nice acidity, with a touch of sweetness.  It is a reminder of the Spring that will come to us in a few months.  It is also only $8.  It would pair well with lighter foods and would appeal to Riesling drinkers.  Nice wine, nice price.

(Weingut Max Ferd.) Richter Classic Riesling 2009 is from Germany, pretty much the origin of Riesling.  Most wine experts that I know absolutely love Riesling.  It is a wine that has relatively few steps in its production but those steps are so important.  It needs to be fermented at cool temperatures.  It needs to have just the right balance of sugar to acid.  Too much sugar and you have a syrupy drink that is difficult to pair with food.  Too much acid and the wine is unbalanced and virtually undrinkable.  A wine maker once told me that a balanced wine is one that leaves you wanting more.  This is a balanced wine.  I also wanted this wine because it has the crisp mineral finish that is particular to this growing region.  Though Riesling is grown in a number of cool growing areas, it is the slate laden soil of the Mosel region that gives this wine its uniqueness. It is $16.

Today I met with Hunter Vogel of KitFox, Hoe Down,  & Treasure Hunter wines all under an umbrella company named The Authentic 3 Finger Wine Company.  Hunter is a longtime friend of the Inn and I am fortunate to visit with him a couple times a year. 

Hunter bottles negociant wines under the Treasure Hunter label.  Negociant wines are wines produced by a winery but labeled as Treasure Hunter and sold for less than the primary label.  So why would any winery do that?  Well premium wineries want to hold their production levels from year to year in order to keep up demand and pricing.  When more wine is made than is needed, it becomes available to people like Hunter.  Although these wines won’t be in for a week or so, let me tell you about them:

Here is the story behind two of them.  The title of this story is:  “How Do You Make a Small Fortune in the Wine Business?  Start with a Large One”

·         Two wealthy investors bought vineyards in the prized Stag’s Leap District to the east of Napa.  They wanted to create a fantastic Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with the intention of selling them exclusively through the Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Francisco at over $100 a bottle.  This was back in 2005.

·         The deal did not materialize.  Meanwhile the wine was cellared in the bottle.  Hunter finally was able to purchase the wine and slap his label on it.

·         Treasure Hunter Cellars Stag’s Leap-Carneros Merlot 2005:  while not generally a fan of merlot, this one is extraordinary.  Smooth, juicy, with great tannin structure.  It is a fantastic wine with flavors that are often found in bigger wines like a cabernet sauvignon.  Best of all, this expensive wine experience is $20

·         Treasure Hunter Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2005:  Just like the merlot, this is a smooth wine with all the fruit that the cabernet sauvignon grape can give but a smooth finish that only is found in the finest of wines.  This experience is $25 and I am certain that you will not be disappointed.

There are only about 500 cases of each of these wines and we are fortunate to have the relationship that we do with Hunter and Purple Feet Distributing so that we access to these wines.

There were two other wines we tasted:

·         Treasure Hunter Fifth Senses Cabernet Sauvignon 2008:  Mt. Veder and Rutherford are two prized regions and the source of the grapes that make up this wine.  This fine cabernet is also $20 retail.

·         A new wine actually created by Hunter’s winemaker is called One Time Spaceman 2008 – Moon Dust.  It is a Rhone blend so it is mostly Grenache, blended with syrah, mouvedre, and tempranillo.  This is great juicy wine.  This one is $30 retail.

We will feature these wines in our glass pours when they arrive on or about Friday, January 27, 2012

Thursday, December 8, 2011

We store about $25,000 in wine inventory throughout the year and the holiday season is probably my least active for wine purchases.  We are busy at the Inn and the holidays mess around with the schedules of the vendors.  Nonetheless, we did just receive a couple of wines.  One is new to me and the other is an old favorite.

The new wine is:

Castle Rock California Cuvée Pinot Noir 2009 ($8 – that’s right – only $8!)  So how do you find an $8 pinot noir that’s any good?  Frankly, when I tasted this one last week I thought it was a $20-$25 wine.  The label on this wine gives you some clues as to why this is such a buy.  The clues are the words “California” and “Cuvée.”

The trend in winemaking and thus wine labels has been single-vineyard or at least single appellations.  The idea, which is correct, is that each vineyard, each valley, each region imparts unique qualities to the grape and thus to the wine. But what happens if you mix grapes from different areas?  If each area produces a grape with a slightly different flavor profile you conceivably have a wine that combines the strengths of each of those areas.

The word “California” on the label (instead of Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, etc.) means that grapes are sourced from throughout the state.  These grapes are fermented separately, usually near the vineyard, and then blended into the final product.

Cuvée is simply a word that means blend.  So does Meritage, (rhymes with heritage) and wines that simply say Red Table Wine.

I am not certain how this particular winery does its bottling, but one might think that there might be some wine left at the end of a bottling run from each vineyard.  How about mixing these odds and ends and bottling that cuvee? 

Alternately, the winemaker is a master at blending tastes to create from many wines a single wine with a particular flavor profile that highlights the best from each vineyard.

Either explanation works for me when you get a great drinking pinot noir for $8.

Franciscan Chardonnay 2010 ($13) This is like visiting an old friend.  Franciscan wines have been around for the last 30 years.  The founders were some of the first in the Napa Valley.  The wines from this operation tend to be traditional in style but there are a few extra steps that winemaker, Janet Myers, takes to add just a little more flavor to the wine.

Disclaimer:  Chardonnay is generally my least favorite white wine.  I prefer the crisp citrus qualities of Sauvignon Blanc.  I like the mineral qualities of Torrontes which hails from Argentina.  Pinot Gris from Washington State tickles the tongue.  Riesling seems to universally support the food which it accompanies.  I came to know chardonnay during the heavy oak aging days inspired by Kendall Jackson.  Somehow wine that tastes like toothpicks is not my cup of tea. 

Fortunately winemakers have been moving away from the heavy oak influence and allowing the fruitiness of the grape to show through.  So why oak in the first place?  Chardonnay is a wine that tends to have a great start, a decent middle, and a weak finish or aftertaste.  Oak aging compensates for that weak finish by adding flavors and tannins that some call a buttery finish, some call toasty.

If done gently, oak aging should add a vanilla finish.  To enhance that finish, this wine also endures sur lie aging; which means that the wine remains with the spent yeast cells after fermentation.  This process also enhances the finish.

Light oak treatment, sur lie aging, and ripe fruit create a wine for chardonnay lovers and chardonnay skeptics like me.