Locations Wine - America's Left Coast

Last month we were impressed with a sample of Dave Phinney's Locations French, Spanish, & Argentinian Wines and that reaction continued with three more wines - this time from America's left coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. Like the European versions, Phinney selected the grapes and regions to best represent each state in it's entirety -- with the exception of the Oregon wine which is a true representation of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.  In brief, these wines are delicious and at the SRP - a great value to consider.



OR4 Oregon Red Wine ($20) 100% Willamette Valley Pinot Noir aged ten months in French oak. Light bodied, cherry throughout, noticeable tannins and acids.

WA 4 Washinton Red Wine ($20) a blend of Syrah, Merlot and Petit Sirah and aged ten months in French and American oak. Delicious dark fruit, baking spices, and finishs with a very smooth tail.

CA4 California Red Wine ($20) a blend of Petite Sirah, Barbera, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Grenache harvested from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and the Sierra Foothills and aged ten months in French oak. Dark fruit and chocolate, velvety mid, easy structured finish. My favorite of the trio. Excellent.

A Week of Terlato Wines Traveling Through Napa, Sonoma, Sicily, & Tuscany

Last week I enjoyed four wines delivered to my door by Terlato Wines, the wine importer, producer and marketer who's global portfolio consists of more than 40 brands. These wines represented well known regions such as Napa, Sonoma's Russian River Valley, Tuscany, plus a second Italian region - Sicily. Here are my notes. Cheers


Markham Vineyards 2014 Napa Valley Merlot ($26) Solid wine and great value. Cherries and leather, structure, noticeable tannins.

Hanna Winery 2015 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($20) Closer to New Zealand than California, with it's creamy lemongrass, minor tropical fruits, and refreshing acidity.

Cusumano Alta Mora Rosso 2014 ($24) The most fascinating wine of the foursome, from Sicily's Mt. Etna appellation and 100% Nerello Mascalese. The indigenous grapes are harvested from the slopes of an active volcano 4,000 feet in elevation.  Similar to Nebbiolo, the thick skin grape are known for string tannins and enhanced acidity. And this wine features these elements as it comes across extremely dry and minerally - a food pairing wine with dominate tannins and acids.

Cecchi Classico Classico 2014 ($22) Another great value wine that we covered in more detail during 300 years of Chianti Classico with Cecchi Family Estate.  Sangiovese that starts with a refreshing fruit forward character.which transitions to a well rounded, structured, and lingering finish. Perhaps from the acids.  A complete bargain at this SRP.

A Quad from Miner Family Winery

I recently received four wines from Miner Family Winery, the well known winery located along the Silverado Trail in Napa's Oakville. They source fruit from primarily Napa Valley but will branch out to other well know regions in the Golden State. Like Garys’ Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. In this tasting, most of the fruit was harvested from the Stagecoach Vineyard. This site is situated at 1,500 feet along a stagecoach trail from the 1800s with the vines planted between large rocks and boulders.

2012 Miner Family Winery Wild Yeast Chardonnay ($50.00) This barrel fermented and ML induced wine is made from grapes sourced from vineyards in Carneros and Stagecoach Vineyards. As you can expect this is a full bodied wine, both buttery and velvety but not over the top. Pears and sweet spices on the palate. Usually not my style but there's enough acidity to produce a fresh wine.

2014 Miner Family Winery Garys’ Pinot Noir ($60.00) This is another heavily oaked (15 months) wine from Garys’ Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. Even with the oak, this is a light fresh wine, raspberries and white peppers, and a fresh, lingering, long tail.

2013 Stagecoach Miner Family Winery Merlot ($50.00) From the Stagecoach Vineyard and includes 11% Cabernet Franc that was aged 21 months in French oak. This is a big Merlot, feels very Cab-ish. Lush and juicy with a structured and highly tannic finish.

2013 Stagecoach Miner Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon ($75.00) Includes 6% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc and spent 21 months in French oak. This wine is meant to age but is ready now. It's not a giant Napa bomb, but lighter and dustier, nice acids, and appropriate tannins for the body. Expensive, but a well made wine.

#WineStudio -- The Many Moods of Malbec With Achaval-Ferrer

September brings Argentina's Achaval-Ferrer to the Protocol Wine Studio #WineStudio with a heavy diet of Malbec from their three  signature vineyards listed by altitude: Mirador, Bella Vista, and Altamira. Last year the winery celebrated their 20th birthday and have achieved many accolades during the recent years. In 2012 the Bella Vista Vineyard 2010 was selected among the World Wide TOP 10 by the yearly publication of Wine Spectator. The following year their “Fincas” line consisting of Altamira Vineyard, Mirador Vineyard, and Bella Vista Vineyard are the Top 3 Wine Spectator ranking of Argentinian wines. These awards are a result of the respect that Achaval-Ferrer has for their single-origin vineyards and the overall Mendoza region. Their wine is also available in over 70 counties, yet these aren't simply fruit forward international styled wines. In fact, they are complex  Over the course of the monthly session I received two samples below:

Achaval-Ferrer Malbec 2014 ($25.00) - 100% Malbec sourced from the three main vineyard with altitudes ranging from 3,150 to 3,600. The fermented wine is aged 9 months in French oak barrels. This is a savory Malbec, both juicy and dirty where the spicy leathery nose is similar at the tail. Expect a medium tannic finish.

Achaval-Ferrer Quimera 2012 ($34.99) - This is a Bordeaux styled blend with 50% Malbec, 70 year old vines from Medrano and Luján from Cuyo; 24% Cabernet Franc, from Tupungato; 16% Merlot from Tupungato; 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, old vines of Medrano and Tupungato; 2% Petit Verdot. Predetermined blocks are harvested for this wine and then fermented. After fermentation the winery selects the best barrels from each grape variety, blends them, and ages 12 months in French oak barrels. The bottle's back label includes all the technical notes and recommends to decant one hour before serving. I followed that recommendation. There's plenty of dark fruit in this wine, followed by a heavy dose of chewy spices. It carries some dirt and tobacco; structured, balanced, and acidic. And the finish lingers.... Nicely done. Much more complex then your standard 100% Malbec. Reminiscent of Geo Gonzalez in his prime, throwing a diet of curve balls then a deadly fastball for the K. Cheers to Achaval-Ferrer, Protocol Wine Studio, and Argentinian Malbec.

#WineStudio Presents Sonoma’s Rosé Revolution

After a soggy May it was time to pivot to summer with June's #WineStudio Session 35: Sonoma's Rosé Revolution. And indeed the revolution has spread throughout the valley and across multiple grape varieties.Wineries are using the two traditional methods for producing rosé, either gently pressing the grapes as in Provence or using the saignée or bleed from red wine production. This session featured four Sonoma wines: Passaggio Wines 2015 Rosé Merlot Sonoma;  Ellipsis Wine Company 2015 Rosé of Pinot Meunier Sonoma County;  Pedroncelli Winery 2015 Dry Rosé of Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley; and Angels & Cowboys 2015 Rosé Sonoma County (Grenache Rouge, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Grenache Blanc). I received a sample of the last two with notes below. Cheers.

2015 Pedroncelli Winery Dry Rosé of Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley ($12). The grapes are harvested from prime Dry Creek Valley fruit, the Pedroncelli estate as well as Buchnignani vineyard. This rosé is made by combining both popular methods, the free run juice from early picked grapes (60% of the blend) and 40% saignée (juice which was drawn from the fermenting tank of fully ripened Zinfandel). Because of the the fruitiness of the Zin, the wine feels slightly sweeter than dry (.4% R.S.) and  looks like cherry gummy bears in the glass. The flavor starts with candied red cherries and a side of mint, but as the wine warms strawberries evolve, with the fresh acids persisting throughout. A simple, yummy, and refreshing wine.


2015 Angels & Cowboys Rosé Sonoma County ($15). The brand is a collaboration between Cannonball Wine Company co-founders, Yoav Gilat and Dennis Hill, and Northern California graphic artist, Michael Schwab. The wine is a field blend of Grenache Rouge, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Grenache Blanc sourced from vineyards in Carneros, the Alexander Valley and the Dry Creek Valley. The grapes are harvested early, lightly crushed and macerated on their skins as in the Provencal style. After a long fermentation at cooler temperatures the wine rests on its lees to increase the mouthfeel and texture. Unfortunately my bottle was consumed without my presence when friends visited, but here's what other participants had to say. 

Dezel Quillen ‏@myvinespot: Though sleek & racy, @aandcwines rosé carries enough weight/texture to move onto the the dinner table w/ grilled fish, bird, etc

Gwendolyn Alley, MA ‏@ArtPredator: Palette: watermelon, honeydew, cucumber. Crisp with minerals, light fruit, sage in finish. Angels and Cowboys #rose

Debbie Gioquindo,CSW ‏@hvwinegoddess: Everything is nice on this wine! The minerality, freshness, the citrus finish the violets on the nose....

Mother's Day at Harford Vineyard & Winery

Ladew Gardens

Mother's Day lead us to a day trip to Maryland's horse country and Ladew Topiary Gardens and Harford Vineyard & Winery. The gardens are quite impressive and the winery, a mere 10 minute drive away. Part of the Piedmont Wine Trail, Harford Vineyard was established in 2003 growing Vidal Blanc and Traminette and adding Merlot later to their estate property. In 2009 they started producing wine and augment their portfolio with grapes grown in other Harford County vineyards - except for the California sourced Malbec.

The winery generally has eleven wines available ranging from dry reds to semi-dry whites to sweet wine. Their Chardonnay ($15) is fermented to .5% r.s. Even with a little sugar this is a tasty wine, although I wouldn't recognize the grape. On the other hand, the Vidal ($16) and Traminette ($15) were spot on, floral and acidic for the former, a tad spicy for the later.  Their Cabernet Franc ($20) was my favorite: medium bodied with cherry over green pepper flavors. As for the sweet wines the Peach Kissed ($15) is the best - a blend of peach juice and Vidal with the stone fruit ever present. Cheers to Maryland wine.

Touring the Route 17 Wine Road in Virginia's Piedmont

I've driven through the intersection of Route 29 and Route 17 probably a hundred times on trips to Charlottesville and elsewhere but have never stopped at any of the wineries just south of Warrenton. That changed this past weekend as I traveled directly to the middle of Virginia's Piedmont in order to visit three area wineries. Granite Heights is also located in the area but closes for the winter. And as always, theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App will guide you to these wineries.

Molon Lave Vineyards
This winery is owned by the Papadopoulos family, the same Greek family who started Mediterranean Cellars. The vines for Molon Lave were planted in 2003 with the winery and Tasting Room opening in late 2009. The utilize primarily estate fruit and are the first winery in Virginia to produce Kosher wines. A rabbi travels down from New York to supervise all phases from harvest to pressing and fermenting to ensure the designation. And like Mediterranean Cellars they produce a a traditional Greek Retsina styled wine, the Kokineli ($28) rosé that has less of a resin profile than Mediterranean's version.

A tasting during this visit consisted of eight wines for $8 with a very traditional wine list (outside of the Kokinelli. The 2012 Chardonnay ($24) is one of their Kosher offerings and is showing nicely with lively acids and just a tad of butter from the oak treatment. The 2013 Viognier ($26) also sees some oak and is made off dry at 1.5% R.S. The acids penetrate any sweetness thus this wines tastes like dry honeysuckles. Their 2013 Pinot Grigio ($32) is also produced off dry at 2% R.S. and is a tasty wine, but $32 - for Pinot Grigio - I think that's asking a lot.

Chambourcin is a French hybrid that gets a bad rap and I think Molon  Lave produces two nice versions, first the 2014 Katie's Charm ($24) fermented and aged in stainless steel. There's plenty of fruit and approachable tannins to make this one an easy sipper. On the other hand the 2013 Chambourcin ($26) is aged 18 months in oak to created a bigger wine with more spices and tannins. Take your pick according to the style you prefer. Their two biggest wines are the 2013 Merlot ($28) and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon ($35)  aged 12 and 18 months respectively. Black fruit are prevalent on both with the main difference being the Cabernet Sauvignon has a more black pepper profile and is Kosher. I definitely enjoyed the visit to Molon Lave and see it know as a launching point to travel further south on Route 29.


Grey Horse Vineyards
This is a new winery that is still waiting on it's two year old estate vineyard to yield fruit. Thus, they source most of the juice from Molon Lave Vineyards and other Virginia vineyards. The winery has a large spacious and comfortable tasting room where they provide live music for visitors. Andrew O'Day was onstage this day. And this was a popular spot with a group event and several people lining the tasting bar. Grey Horse offers a Standard Tasting of 5 wines for $10 and a Premium Tasting of four wines plus the Canter ($52) port-styled wine. I chose the Standard Tasting and chose the Bethany's White 2014 ($31, Viognier and Vidal Blanc), Over Fences 2013 ($31, Chardonnay and Viogner), Chardonnay 2012 ($29), Merlot 2012 ($35) , and Equidae 2012 ($36, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot). On the positive side, the two reds were very nice with the Merlot creamy, spicy, and showing solid tannins while the Equidae had less spices and body but a friendlier finish. On the negative side, the Over Fences and Chardonnay were flawed with the over abundance of volatile acidity tainting the wine. Also, the wines are over priced - $30 for a white wine - particularly wines aged in stainless steel.  And $10 for a tasting of 5 wines; should be half that price. Recommended to people who like red wine and live music.

Morais Vineyards & Winery
In contrast to Grey Horse, there wasn't much to complain about Morais Vineyards. The Morais family has been making wine in Portugal for over a century and Jose Morais, with his fourth generation winemaker Vitor Guimarãis, have brought Portuguese wine culture to the Commonwealth. Opened in 2011, the winery has an elegant event center for weddings and a similarly elegant tasting facility - a circular building hosting a circular tasting bar. Families will enjoy the spacious grounds and play areas; but on this visit I enjoyed the wines. They offer two tasting flights, the Classic Tasting of eight wines for $8 and the Deluxe Tasting of the Classic plus four dessert wines for $15. The winery also provides a platter consisting of cheese, chocolate, and salami to suggest potential pairings for each wine.

I chose the Deluxe and thought all the wines well made with several unique offerings. First, the Portuguese influence is present with the fruity and creamy Verdello ($22, 12%) and the spicy Touriga ($25). And the Battlefield ($21) is made in the Vinho Verde style but is an interesting blend of 60% Vidal Blanc and 40% Albarino weighing in at a measly 10% abv. Picked early, these grapes possess plenty of green apple flavors. The final white was an excellent Sauvignon Blanc ($22) which blended seamlessly with its suggested food pairing - salami.  Their Rosé ($21)  is a bleed from 100% Cabernet Franc, but I preferred the resulting Cabernet Franc ($23) red wine with its slightly creamy flavor and solid acids. The Merlot ($24) and Select Red ($25) - a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc - rounded out the reds and are were both very nice wines.

The winery's dessert wines were getting plenty of attention from my fellow visitors that day and I quickly learned why. The Cherry ($17/375ml) is made from sour cherries in the a style reminiscent of the Portuguese dessert wine Ginjinha and is fantastic. I guess I could say all the dessert wines were fantastic or very close. The Moscatel ($27) is 100% Muscat of Alexandria and possess the expected floral aromas with only subtle hints of alcohol. The Jeropiga ($17/375ml) is a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc fermented with a cinnamon stick and fortified with grape brandy. And of course they must offer a port styled wine; the MV Tawny ($28) made from 100% Touriga and simple delicious.

The tasting room staff was also a pleasure to meet. When not familiar with a question they quickly escalated the question to someone who may and were knowledgeable about the winery and products. And the prices were very reasonable for a Virginia made wine, particularly wines produced primarily from estate grapes. Well worth a visit.

Loudoun's Creek's Edge Winery - A Relaxing Destination

Question? Which community holds the two oldest standing houses in Loudoun County, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is home to a new farm winery? The answer is Taylorstown, a small village two miles south of the Potomac River that was first settled in 1734 by Richard Brown who build a mill over the Catoctin Creek. The two oldest standing houses are "Hunting Hill" and "Foxton Cottage" - both located directly across the Catoctin Creek from each other.

The new farm winery is Creek's Edge Winery, which was established by Tedd Durden in 2010. The estate vineyard consists of 4.5 acres of vines such as Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Amish structure housing the winery and tasting room is magnificent, even at night when we ventured over.  Although we missed the views of the estate, nighttime has another advantage, particularly Sunday night when the remain open until 7PM and occasionally live music. The winery charges $8 for a standard tasting and $15 for an expanded menu. I chose the standard and learned that most of the wine is Virginia grown except for the Riesling and Sangiovese which are sourced from Washington state.  The Virginia fruit is sourced from a neighboring Lovettsville vineyard as well as southern Virginia. The wines for the standard tasting are listed below (with my immediate thoughts) and the prices were pretty consistent within the Loudoun community.  Overall the wines were solid; I enjoyed the Pinot Gris the most . Add in the ambiance and Creek's Edge Winery is a relaxing destination in the Loudoun County Wine Trail. And theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App will guide you to historic Taylorstown.

• 2014 Pinot Gris ($26) - peaches
• 2014 Stainless Chardonnay ($26) - green apple
• 2012 Chardonnay ($28) - lots of butter
• 2014 Riesling ($25) - 2.5RS a solid wine
• 2014 Rosé of Sangiovese ($25) - strawberry acids
• NV Chambourcin ($24) nice fruit, slight pepper
• 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) - very smooth, light green pepper
• 2012 Merlot ($30) - slight earthiness, low fruit, black pepper

More Turkish Wine from VinoRai During #WineStudio

VinoRai returned to #WineStudio in October joined by Chief Wino Andrew Stover who has introduced the DC market to these Turkish Wines. You can read about our coverage of VinoRai and Turkish wine here, but a quick summary is that traditional grapes are grown in central Turkey (Anatolia) and mostly international varieties near the coast. In fact locals prefer these international varieties more than wine from indigenous grapes since they are considered more noble. And yes Turkish tasting wines from international varieties allows us to compare the grapes to other regions, but I am more intrigued with the long ancient tradition of the indigenous varieties such as Kalecik Karasi, Öküzgöz, and Boğazkere.

Turasan 2013 Kalicek Karasi (13%) - Turasan is one of Turkey’s oldest and largest wineries with its founding in 1943. It is now run by third generation Hasan Tursan with Edouard Guérin the winemaker. The winery is located in high altitude Cappadocia (Mid-Southern Anatolia), which is best known for the white grape Emir and blue-black grape Kalecik Karasi. The region provides limited water supply so grapes take longer to reach full maturity - producing intense fruit. The Kalecik Karasi was almost extinct, but resurrected to to the efforts of Turkish and French experts and the Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture.The name Kalecik Karası means the “black from the small castle” and in fact the small village of Kalecik contains a castle.  The Turasan 2013 Kalicek Karasi is bright and tart with fresh red fruit and a little cinnamon on the tail. I can see why Kalicek Karasihas been called the Pinot Noir of Turkey. 

Yazgan 2013 Bogazkere ($20, 13%) - Like Turasan, Yazgan is one of Turkey’s oldest and largest wineries and is located in Izmir - near the coast bordering the Aegean Sea. The winery was founded by Mr. Huseyin Yazgan in 1943 and whereas the family is still involved, Antoine Bastide D’Izard is currently the winemaker. Being an indigenous grape, the Boğazkere fruit is sourced from the Diyarbakir province in SE Anatolia. In fact Diyarbakir is considered Boğazker's native province where the grape thrives in the hot, dry Continental summers and cold, wet winters. The word Boğazker translates to throat burner since the thick-skinned red grape produces murky full-bodied and tannic wines.  The 2013 Boğazkere starts with a cherried tobacco aroma, with sour cherries and dark fruit on the palate, and finishing with prevalent yet manageable tannins. A very solid wine.


Diren 2011 Karmena Red Blend (13.5%) - Since it's founding in 1958, the Diren Winery has focused on indigenous Turkish varietals in the Tokat region of Anatolia. In 1985 Mustafa Vasfi Diren transferred the wine making duties over to his son Ali Diren who has continued the tradition of promoting indigenous varietals.  The 2011 Karmena Red is a blend of five grapes (35% Öküzgözü 30% Syrah, 15% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Boğazker) with each providing a unique characteristic to the final wine. According to the winery,  "Okuzgozu grape lays a framework of luscious red fruits in the wine, with Bogazkere providing tannin and backbone. To these we add Cabernet Sauvignon for its body, Syrah for its spiciness, and round it out with Merlot for its supple character."  The wine is extremely friendly, juicy and smooth, with a slightly spicy - but long juicy finish.

Tokat regionAnatolia

2011 Gali Evreshe ($25, 14.5%) Bordeaux blend Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc from estate vineyards adjacent to the Aegean Sea on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The first impression was a candied hot aroma followed by more candied fruit, finishing with big juicy tannin. This is a wine that must be decanted - surprisingly so since the wine meets zero oak.  After settling, the heat and candied character diminishes providing more juicy flavors, but still plenty of tannins.  Or as +vtwinemedia tweeted " Right Bank Bordeaux backbone; Napa-like power; Stony structure all its own".

Think Pink, Think Merlot, Think Slovenia: Erzetič Damski Rosé

June's #WineStudio concentrates on dry rosé and features several wines from regions and grapes you'd normally not associate with the style. Case in point, the Erzetič Damski Rosé ($24, 12.5%) produced from Merlot grapes in Slovenia and imported by Old World Vines. The Erzetič Winery is located in the Goriska Brda region, which is part of the larger Primorska wine region. Goriska Brda borders Italy and shares many traits with its Italian neighbors - particularly the predominance of red wines. Although the local white Ribbola would beg to differ. Wine making in the area can be traced back to the 13th century, with the Erzetič property growing grapes since 1725. The vineyards are slightly elevated on rolling hills providing adequate ventilation and the soil is composed of ancient seabed matte. Erzetič is a family business with knowledge passed to each generation; currently Aleksij Erzetič is the winemaker. Interestingly, Erzetič is one of only two wineries in Slovenia making wine from Georgian amphora vases. Cheers to orange wine; but now to the pink wine.

The Damski (Ladies) Rosé is 100% Merlot harvested from estate fruit. The grapes were gently pressed until the desired color, texture, and tannin extraction was reached; fermented occurred in stainless steel.The result is a salmon pink colored wine, with noticeable acidity. Raspberries are prevalent on the nose, but the most impressive feature is the creamy mid-palate where the wine melts into the acids. Quite nice; definitely the best Slovenian Merlot rosé I've ever had. Cheers to that and to next week's WineStudio rosé . 

Ten Bucks Goes A Long Way With Red Diamond #Wine

Along with the Columbia Crest samples, I received three wines from fellow H3 winery Red Diamond Winery, all priced in the $10 value range.The Merlot was sourced from Washington State fruit, whereas the Pinot Noir consists of California grown grapes and the Temperamental several grapes imported from Spain. And all three are priced to appeal to most wine consumers.


Red Diamond 2012 Merlot ($10, 13.5%) is a  90% Merlot, 10% Syrah blend of grapes harvested from eastern Washington state. The wine was aged 12 months in French and American oak barrels. The Merlot starts  with subtle earthiness and spice on the nose, moves on to a dusty and blackberry - dark cherry flavor, and finishes easy with decent acids and lingering spices. Very nice.


Red Diamond 2012 California Pinot Noir ($10, 13.5%) is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir, 10% Petit Sirah, and 10% Petit Verdot. That's an interesting combination and interestingly the wine starts with a peppered spearmint aroma. The cherry flavors evaporate quite rapidly as the wine races to a smooth finish. Prefer others.


Red Diamond Temperamental ($10, 13.5%) is a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 4% Graciano, 3% Garnacha, and 3% Mazueloall imported from Spain. This was easily my favorite wine of the trio, with chocolate cherries on the nose, followed by a slightly elevated blackberry middle, and finishing very smooth. At ten bucks, this is quite a deal. Cheers.

Columbia Crest Winery and the Horse Heaven Hills AVA

It was a joyous household in May after receiving a package of H3 wines from Columbia Crest Winery, the largest producer in Washington State's Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The viticultural area was cut out of the larger Columbia Valley AVA in 2005 and consists of half a dozen wineries.The region is unique in that the hills face south, providing plenty of sunshine and airflow - 30% more wine patterns than other areas of the Columbia Valley. Temperatures are hot with little rainfall (9 inches annually) as the 14,000 foot peaks of the Cascade Mountain range block moisture from the Pacific.

According to local historical records in 1857 rancher James Kinney was camping in the range of hills in south-central Washington. When he woke up to discover his herd had wandered up a mountainside and into an upland plain where they were munching on succulent bunch grass. “Surely this is Horse Heaven,” Kinney commented. The area has been known as the Horse Heaven Hills ever since.

Columbia Crest  has been operating for 25 years and maintains 2,500 out of the 6,040 acres of vines in the AVA. The soil in these vineyards are primarily sandy and silt loam with the vineyard's height ranging from 200 to 1,800 feet.  In 2003 Juan Muñoz-Oca joined the Columbia Crest team with a pedigree of working his grandfather's Bodegas Toso winery in Mendoza, Argentina. In 2011 he became winemaker after spending the preceding years enhancing the winery's red wine program.

Their H3 brand are affordable wines intended to "express the appellation’s terroir".  In general, the five wines I tasted were very approachable and mostly true to style.

H3 2014 Sauvignon Blanc ($15, 13.0%) - with 1% Semillon. Whereas there is plenty of lemon citrus, the mineral aspects were as prevalent as the acids. Very nice.   

H3 2013 Chardonnay ($15, 13.5%) - a very complex Chardonnay resulting from various oak treatment, several yeast strains, and 70% undergoing malolactic conversion. The aroma starts with plenty of pears but the fruit gives way to a toasted buttery character that remains through the finish. Not my style of Chardonnay, but for those who prefer an oaked Chardonnay - give it a try.

H3 2012 Merlot ($15, 14.5%) - a very different Merlot, with 4% Cabernet, extended maceration on the skins and varying oak aging. There is a dominant spicy character that mingles with blackberry and dark cherry flavors. This is not your fruit bomb Merlot.

H3 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon ($15, 14.5%) - blended with 1% Cabernet Franc with various oak treatments; this was my favorite of the group. It starts with a loads of dark fruit on the nose, transitioning to subtle vanilla and earthy leather. The finish is very approachable, with a slight layer of chocolate and berries.

H3 2012 Les Chevaux Red Blend ($15, 14.5%) -a blend of 60% Syrah, 27% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Viognier, 2% Malbec, 3% Other Varietals. The Horses is another excellent wine where the fruit is allowed to express itself with some silky texture and a bright finish. Love the Rhone dominant aspect of this wine.

Tasting Tuscany's Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

This week, members of the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano came to Washington D.C. as part of a marketing campaign. I was fortunate to able to attend a seminar that provided an overview of the region's wines. The Consorzio is celebrating it's 50th anniversary with their primary goal being to preserve the region's agriculture heritage.  The city and region of Montepulciano is located in the larger Valdichiana region within SE Tuscany and borders Umbria to the east. Montepulciano's soil is primarily clay and silt with elevations ranging from 800-2,000 feet. And Montepulciano is considered a Continental climate with long hot and dry summers.

In 1980, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano was granted DOCG status with the following rules enforced. The grape vines must be planted within approved viticulture areas close to the town with maximum yields set to 8 tons per hectare. At least 70% of the wine must be Sangiovese, locally called "Prugnolo Gentile"; this specific clone has a thinner skin than its Brunello cousin. The remaining 30% can be a combination of other red grapes approved in the Tuscany region, although up to 5% can be white grapes. There are three types of wines that can be produced in Montepulciano. (1) Rosso di Montepulciano is wine that has been aged in oak for a maximum of one year. These wines are fruit forward and intended to be consumed immediately. (2) Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is wine that has been aged for a maximum of two years, although there are several  permissible combinations of oak maturation and bottle aging. In general, these wines are held back at least one year in the bottle until release. (3) Vino Nobile Reserva is wine aged at least three years, with at least 2.5 years in oak and are usually only produced in very favorable years.

Moving to the seminar, there were a few common themes that arose. First, most of the wineries presenting were relatively newcomers to winemaking - having converted family farms from other agricultural or animal husbandry pursuits to vineyards.  Second, most of the wines possessed very fruit forward aromas that dissipated as the flavor profile portrayed more earthiness and dust. Merlot was a common addition which may account for the fruity nose.  Finally, although Sangiovese is considered an acidic grape, these wines were flatter than I had expected - perhaps due to the blends or bottle aging.

The wines we sampled were from 2009 and 2010 with the later considered a perfect growing year with a wet cold winter, slight rain during bud break and flowering, and then a long, hot and dry summer.

• Fattoria La Braccesca 2010 Vina Nobile di Montepulciano: 90% Prugnolo Gentile and 10% Merlot from the Valiano district and aged one year in oak and one year in the bottle. This wine hit the above mentioned profile, with a cherry fruit aroma followed by a dirty cherry flavor and easy tannins.
• Lunadoro 2010 Vina Nobile di Montepulciano:  100% Prugnolo Gentile from the Valiano district and aged in large Slavonian oak casks for two years. Starts with blackberries then transitions to dirt and lingering smooth tannins. Very nice.
• Crociani 2010 Vina Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva: made from 80% Prugnolo Gentile, 10% Canaiolo Nero, and 10% Mammolo; fermented using natural yeast, then aged three years in Slavonian oak followed by six months in the bottle. As expected, this is a bigger wine, with less fruit and more dirt. The finish is surprisingly easy and lingers until the next sip.
• Tenuta Gracciano Della Seta 2010 Vina Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva: made from 90% Prugnolo Gentile, 9% Merlot, and 1% Trebbiano (an example of using a white grape) from the Gracciano district; then aged in various types of oak for three years and then six months in the bottle. The Trebbiano enhances the aromatics, then the wine follows with a leathery profile and finishes smooth.
• Montemercurio 2009  Vina Nobile di Montepulciano Messaggero (Message of the Gods): made from 95% Prugnolo Gentile and 5% Canaiolo Nero - to strength the body. The wine is then aged for 18 months in Slavonian oak, six months in smaller oak casks, then bottle aged for one year. This wine was somewhat of the exception to the flavor profile with the usual bright cherry fruit, followed by a combination of fruit and dirt in the palette and finishing with strong acids. Perhaps my favorite.
• Casale Daviddi 2009 Vina Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva: made from 90% Prugnolo Gentile and 10% Canaiolo Nero and aged three years in French oak and six months in the bottle. There is almost a candied cherry aroma with a little more fruit on the palette, then the standard dirt and smooth, long finish.

A Tasting of Four Napa Valley Wines from Ca’ Momi

Just in time for the Christmas holiday, Ca'Momi Winery sent me four wines from their Napa Valley establishment. "House of Momi" honors the three owners Italian heritage, specifically, the name of the family house in Italy's Veneto region.  The winery offers a few brands with the fruit sourced from the estate in Carneros or throughout Napa Valley. I received a shipment of their Passion brand, consisting of Merlot,  Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. They also produce a Cabernet Sauvignon in this series.

My first thought was that it will be intriguing to sample Napa Valley Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. And they both were tasty with the 2013 Zinfandel ($26) focusing on blackberry and spice and the 2013 Pinot Noir ($26) dark cherry. Both are fruit forward, easy drinking, with a shadow of tannins at the tail. Nice wines, but I would prefer other California regions with these varieties.  The 2013 Chardonnay ($22) was a more typical Napa Valley wine with a big citrus fruit flavor, with vanilla and butterscotch in the mid-palette, and a but of spice at the finish. Good acidity as well. For those who enjoy a little oak, but not over the top, this is for you. My favorite was the 2013 Merlot ($22). There's plenty going on in this wine starting with the cherry leather aroma, gummy berry flavor, dirt texture, pepper, and big tannins on the tail. Nicely done.

Getting to Know Moldovan Wine - Eastern Europe's Best Kept Secret

Last week the Moldovan National Office for Vine and Wine conducted trade tastings in Washington D.C. and New York City entitled Wine of Moldova Eastern Europe's Best Kept Secret. This presented an opportunity to learn more about Moldovan Wine far from the sweet Moldovan reds that I had tasted long ago.

Moldova is located in far southeast of Europe, with Ukraine providing an eastern border, Romania a western, and the Black Sea basin to the south. The climate is moderately-continental (46-47˚ latitude) with the Black Sea influencing vineyards in the southern regions.  Red wine grapes are primarily grown in these southern regions, with white wine grapes predominately in the central regions. And there are four primary wine regions: Valul lui Traian (southwest), Stefan Voda (southeast), Codru (central), and Balti (northcentral). One interesting note is that Valul lui Traian translates to Trajan's Wall and is located between two of these walls used to protect the Roman Empire from "barbarians".

List of Producers

Grapes have been grown in what is now Moldova for thousands of years - starting with the ancient Greeks. Known as Thracia, the Dacians (Thracians) produced wine perhaps over five thousand years ago and the Illiad highlights this in a verse: "Greek warriors went to Thracia to find wine”. This tradition continued with the Romans and peaked in the Middle Ages under Stefan the Great. Yet, even under Ottoman rule, wine production was still a strong component of the local economy.  In the early 1800s, Moldova found itself under Tsarist rule and the aristocrats thirst for wine drove production higher with wine being exported to throughout Europe when the phylloxera epidemic ensued. Following the two World Wars, Russia demand for sweet red wine dominated the Moldova wine production up until Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign in the 1980s.Moldovan producers started looking at international standards which received a further boost upon Independence in 1991.

Today Moldova has 112,000 hectares of vineyards planted with over 30 grape varieties - with 70% of these white varieties. The white varieties are preponderantly grown in the central Codru region with Rkatsiteli, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay the top grapes. Red varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Saperavi - mostly planted in the southern regions of Valul lui Traian and Stefan Voda. You can also see a Republic of Georgia presence with the Rkatsiteli and Saperavi.  Indigenous varieties account for only 10% of overall wine production, with many of these also shared with Romania: Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Regala, Feteasca Neagra, Rara Neagra, Plavai, and Viorica.

During the Washington D.C. tasting, I sampled wine from 13 wineries - ten listed above and three from the Moldovan Small Wine Producers Association. Most of the wines were seeking local distribution; but the retail prices for all the still wines range, or will range from $10-$15. For the international varieties,  I tended to prefer the Merlot over the Cabernet Sauvignon with some of my favorites being the Vinaria Nobila 2012 Merlot, et cetera (Stefan Voda) 2011 Merlot, Cricova (Codru) 2011 Vin Virgin,  Castel Mimi (Codru) 2012 Merlot, and the Vinaria Din Vale (Valul lui Traian) 2011 Merlot. That being said Bostavan was pouring a very nice 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon along with a bone dry, floral and tasty muscat - their 2012 Muscat Cocori.  At the next table, Chateau Purcari (Stefan Voda), on of the oldest continually operated wineries in Moldova (1827),  was pouring a very tasty rose along with three solid reds - my favorite being the indigenous 2012 Rara Neagra.

Speaking of indigenous grapes, there were several examples of the white Feteasca Alba (Castel Mimi (Codru), Vinaria din Vale (Valul lui Traian), Cricova (Codru)). I can see myself exploring this wine grape further, the wines were soft and creamy, with interplay between lemons and nuts. Acids are mild - not sure if that's relevant to the grape or vintage. Cricova is a producer to follow; the morning of the tasting I read this BBC article describing their unique underground city. In addition to the Feteasca Alba and Merlot, they poured a nice Pinot Noir sparkling wine - the Grand Vintage 2007.

I few other producers I spent considerable time with were Albastrele Wines (Stefan Voda), Chateau Vartely (Codru) and et cetera (Stefan Voda).  Albastrele poured a Merlot Rose, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Pinot Grigio - all from the 2013 vintage. Each were fresh, clean, great acidity, and tasty - with the Pinot Grigio providing a nice creamy mid-palette. Chateau Vartely had the most unique collection, a Rara Neagra Syrah Merlot blend which was balanced between earthiness and fruit, a dry Traminer (perhaps my favorite wine of the tasting), and a true Muscat Ottonel Ice Wine. Very nice.  Finally, et cetera, is an example of the new spirit in Moldovan wine production. The winery was started by two brothers, Alexandru and Igor Luchianov, as they returned to their native Moldova after spending many years in the United States. They planted their first grapes in 2003, opened the winery in 2009, and now produce 8,000 cases annually. Many of these cases are sold out of their wine tourism based operation with restaurant located on the property and an inn in the works.

Each of us probably don't have access to many or any Moldovan wines in our local markets.  But pay attention, because if you see one, don't be dismissive and take a look. You will most likely have a nice value wine. Cheers.

#VirtualVines with Old York Cellars & Hometown Heroes

This past week Old York Cellars hosted another #VirtualVines online tasting featuring their What Exit Wine brand: a Jersey-centric line of wines that raised $5.000 for the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund. The winery has now turned their philanthropy support to Hometown Heroes, where $1 from each $18 What Exit White, Red, & Blush Wine where be donated to the charity. During the  #VirtualVines, Old York winemaker Scott Gares and Sommelier Laurin Dorman were joined by Hometown Heroes President & Founder, Mike Schwartz, to discuss wine and the charity's goals. The embedded video below describes the organization.

Photo courtesy of Old York Cellars

During the session Gares also answered questions on the current harvest and the affect of Sandy at the winery. During the hurricane, most of the grapes had already been harvested, but blocks of Malbec were sitting in the press when the winery lost power. The juice sat on it's skins for eight days - fortunately it was Malbec. Gares also had to use generators to operate punch downs for juice in fermenting tanks. As for this year, the cool, but dry summer will lead to an early harvest; the grapes are accumulating high concentrations of sugar already.

On to the wine, we started with the What Exit White, a 90-10 blend of Chenin Blanc and Cayuga White. It is completely dry, with a floral-apple nose with some decent depth on the palette. The finish is clean and acidic. The What Exit Red is a 6-40 blend of Barbara and Merlot. This is a fruit forward wine, with a slightly spicy nose, followed by dark berry flavors and finishing softly with nice acids. Our tasting finished with the What Exit Blush, basically the White with some Cabernet Sauvignon added for color. Thus, it's dark than most rosés, but don't let that full you to think this is a sweet blush. There is only 1% r.s. and it is closer to a Provence-style as it drinks dry with strawberry characters and a refreshing acidic finish.

These are very nice examples of local NJ wine. Remember, $1 from each bottle sold is donated to Hometown heroes and if you use the coupon code HEROES up until August 8th, you receive 20% off of any What Exit Wine. During our #VirtualVines tasting Old York Cellars donated $1 more to the charity for every #VirtualVines tweet that night. $300 was raised; good for them. Cheers.



Hometown Heroes is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to foster an environment of goodwill, generosity, and encouragement by supporting local communities in times of crisis. We provide assistance with meeting unexpected needs in our communities, and do not discriminate based on ethnicity, gender, or age. The organization provides an opportunity for all of us to give back to our neighbors through professional services, financial help, and advocacy. Hometown Heroes assists those in need to find solutions to problems that appear overwhelming. Our non profit has supported our neighbors through the Restore the Shore campaign, as well as providing assistance for individuals facing homelessness, domestic abuse, drug addiction, disability, and more.

The United Grapes of America - Oklahoma - Canadian River Vineyards and Winery Merlot

Since the annual Wine Bloggers Conference draws participants from across North America, one major benefit is the chance to taste wines from inaccessible states. During this year's conference,  Mika and TomJoe from The Vineyard Trail brought along an Oklahoma wine: the Canadian River Vineyards and Winery NV Merlot ($17).  The Sooner state is home to about 50 wineries, with the largest number of vineyards located in central Oklahoma where CRV is located. The Merlot is estate grown and is a jammy fruit forward wine that races to the finish quite quickly.  There are very little tannins and it's fruit character is most likely popular in the local Oklahoma market.  Cheers to drink local wine and The Vineyard Trail for sharing.

StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America

Bedford Pennsylvania's Briar Valley Vineyards & Winery

Since no trip is complete without stopping into a local winery or brewery, while heading to Seven Springs Mountain resort for a short Father's Day break, I stopped in the historic town of Bedford to visit Briar Valley Vineyards & Winery. The winery has been operating for the past 7 years under the leadership of Jean and Tod Manspeaker. Jean is the winemaker with Tod as the vineyard manager. The grow a wide selection of grapes from Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Riesling as well as Lemberger, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. And at times, they need to supplement from other Pennsylvania vineyards but these are truly local wines.

Even though they are a small operation (2,000-3,000 cases annually), they have established a very nice tasting room in the heart of Bedford on Pitt Street. Almost all there wines are sold from here, with the remainder sold through various restaurants in Western PA.  And I'll start off immediately by saying I was quite impressed with both the consistency of their portfolio and the overall quality. I could quibble over whether I wished their were more acids in a few, but overall, these were the nicest PA wines I have tasted. The 2013 Riesling ($17) and 2012 Pinot Gris ($15) were my favorite whites and I think I'm beginning to come around to the later. I was even more impressed with the reds, which have been very inconsistent with my experience in Pennsylvania wine. Starting off, they produce a Lemberger ($20) - how cool is that. Their 2010 is medium bodied, nice acids, and a slightly spicy tail. Pretty good. This was followed by a 2009 Merlot ($20) - fruity and jammy and then the 2009 Proprietors Red ($25), a blend of the later with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. This is a big wine, nice black fruit throughout with a smooth ending. Very nice.  I finished the tasting with the 2009 Cabernet Franc ($20) which was just as pleasant as one made in Virginia.  I think what makes these reds so nice, is that the winery ages them in the bottle for a few years before release. 

Take some time to stroll through Bedford as well. The Bedford Fort Museum is close by as well as several historic buildings. You can also learn about George Washington and the Whiskey Rebellion. Disputes like that never change. Cheers.