2006 Lady Grace Verdelho

From somewhere a bottle of Burford and Brown's, 2006 Lady Grace Verdelho appeared in our wine refrigerator - how, I do not know. The wine's pale appearance almost dissuaded us from opening it - think cheap pinot grigio. However, curiosity overcame our skeptical attitude and once again we found that looks can be deceiving. It's nose is floral and the flavor, somewhat like apricots. You can also feel the wine's complexity as it moves off the tongue and throughout the mouth. With a nice balanced acidity - this wine is a refreshing libation alone or with a meal.

Having heard of Verdelho, but never really researching the grape, I found that it originated in the Portuguese island of Madeira and is also grown in the Douro valley to make "white" Port. It is also grown in some regions in Spain and Argentina, but its greatest success outside Portugal has been in Australia.

Peter Burford brought his knowledge of the grape from Australia when he was hired winemaker at California's Alexander Valley Vineyards. In 2001 he started Burford and Brown with a colleague from Alexander Valley Vineyards, Adam Brown, whom he has since bought out. The 2005 Lady Grace Verdelho was his first vintage verdelho, the "Lady Grace" to honor his mother. Burford and Brown is now the largest producer of Verdelho in the United States, so look forward to many future releases. The 2007 Verdelho will be released shortly and is priced at only $10. What a bargain.

2005 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc - 75 Wine Company

Over the years we have tried several excellent Sauvignon Blanc wines from France, New Zealand and Virginia, but I think we may have found on of our favorites: the 2005 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc from 75 Wine Company. The winery is named after the year the Beckstoffer family moved to the Napa Valley.

The wine possesses a refreshing citrus aroma and flavor, but has the texture and finish of a good chardonnay. After fermented in stainless steel tanks, the wine was aged on lees for three months. Technically this means that yeast components, usually polysaccharides, are released to the wine by autolysis. For our purposes, this means that the wine develops greater palate weight and texture, i.e. a rich and creamy finish. The 2005 and soon to be released 2006 Sauvignon Blanc are both very affordable at $20/bottle. We drank this wine with fruit and cheese - a great combination.

Niner Wine Estates - 2004 Sangiovese

On Christmas Eve, a dinner guest brought over a 2004 Sangiovese from Niner Wine Estates. After re-tasting today, this is the best Sangiovese I've tried produced outside of Italy. I can't articulate tasting notes as well as the winery's description so here it is:

"This wine’s deep dark color is notable for Sangiovese. The promises made by its appearance are kept by the aromas and flavors of this dark rich wine. The nose brings aromas of black fruit and well-integrated oak with a hint of licorice. Warm rich flavors of jammy blackberry and juicy cherry are accompanied by soft tannins and a subtle note of mint on the finish."

In layman's terms this is a fruity wine, but with a smooth - slightly spicy finish. Even with the low tannins the finish is unique. This morning I discovered that the wine won Best of California and Double Gold Medal at the 2007 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition and various other Gold and Silver medals during the past year. The wine is also very reasonably priced at $20. I hope I can find another bottle in my area.

Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot #44

Somehow we stumbled upon one of our new favorite values wines: Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot #44. Located in Sonoma, Marietta Cellars specializes in Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year the winery creates a proprietary blend consisting of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Carignane and lesser amounts of Cabernet and Syrah. The current version, Old Vine Red Lot #44 is awesome - blackberry aroma - slightly spicy - but with a smooth, almost buttery finish. And priced under $15 it's a bargain.

Kokomo Winery 2005 Zinfandel, Perotti Vineyards

We have been drinking several different Zinfandel wines lately and our favorite has been the 2005 Zinfandel, Perotti Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley from Kokomo Winery. This three year old Sonoma Valley winery specializes in single vineyard wines, particularly Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and of course, Zinfandel. The Perotti Vineyards Zinfandel was fermented in French & American oak after harvesting from the famed third generation vineyard. This wine is pure Zinfandel - a raspberry forward flavor and a spicy complex finish. And the wine is reasonably priced at $22.

Target® Wine Cubes

At a recent birthday party, the hosts served Target® Wine Cubes, produced exclusively for Target® by Trinchero Family Estates. These wines are made from California grown grapes and the offerings consist of Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, and a Cabernet/Shiraz. We had the Cabernet/Shiraz, a 50/50 blend that was really good - a dry, full bodied wine with berry flavors and a slightly spicy finish. In the past the major advantages of boxed wines has been their convenience and price: Wine Cubes are currently available in two sizes: 3-liter (4 bottle equivalent) for $15 and 1.5-liter (2 bottle equivalent) for $10. But as the quality of these wines improve, they are becoming much more competitive to their bottled cousins. And Trinchero has come full circle from their Sutter Home heritage - producing bulk wines close to the quality of their Napa Reserve wines.

Witch Creek Winery; Carlsbad, California

While driving along scenic Highway 101 we noticed the Carlsbad tasting facility for Witch Creek Winery. After a quick u-turn, we entered the tasting room to discover that the winery makes several excellent wines from grapes grown throughout California. Out of close to 20 wines available, we sampled six. The reds were outstanding, smooth yet full bodied. Our favorite was the Tre Amici, a blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Syrah. The wine is spicy up front with a smooth low-tannic finish. Another good blend was the 2005 Dave’s Pretty Good Red, made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Brunello. This wine is more than pretty good now, and the winery recommends aging a few more years, when the wine should peak. The final blend was the 2004 Guadalupe Full Monty – made from Montepulciano and Aglianico grapes grown in Mexico. Like the Tre Amici, this wine is initially spicy and then finishes smooth. We also tasted two vintage wines the 2004 El Dorado Merlot and the 2005 Nebbiolo. While each was good, we preferred the blends – they just seemed to have more texture. We finished the tasting with their awesome Muscat Love (Orange Muscat) and Hard Apple Cider. These sweet wines are both recommended, especially the Muscat with its floral aroma and vanilla finish. On our next trip to southern California we plan on visiting Witch Creek’s Julian tasting facility in the San Diego County Mountains.

Wine 101 - Muscat Canelli

The first mention of wine in modern literature occurred in the Book of Genesis’s story of Noah’s Ark. After the Ark landed on Mount Ararat, one of Noah’s first acts was to plant a vineyard. The most likely grape: a Muscat. Muscat is a group of similar grape varieties (200 in all) in which the most familiar are Muscat Ottonel, Muscat of Alexandria, and Muscat Canelli. It is thought that Muscat Canelli probably originated around the Mediterranean and it spread from there. The Greeks brought cuttings with them to the Crimea, the Romans and Phoenicians took it to Europe and event the Egyptians sent cuttings as far south as present day South Africa.

Today Muscat Canelli is cultivated throughout the world; it is known as Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (‘Muscat with small berries’) in France, Moscato di Canelli in Italy where it is used to make Asti Spumante and semi-sparkling Moscato d'Asti, Muskateller in Germany, and Muscat Lunel in Hungary. In the United States, Muscat Canelli is primarily grown on the west coast.

In Montana, Tom Campbell of Mission Mountain Winery was first introduced to the Muscat family of grapes at U. C. Davis as part of class work in their mother block of grape varieties. He was impressed with the plump sweet fragrant nature of the grapes and knew then that he had to make Muscat wines. While visiting other winery’s he determined that Muscat Canelli was his favorite Muscat varietal because of its flavor profile. And as a winemaker, he experimented with other Muscats such as Muscat of Alexander, Orange Muscat, and Muscat of Hamburg and always returned to Muscat Canelli. Currently Mission Mountain Winery offers two Muscat Canelli wines, a semi-sweet Muscat Canelli with 1.7% residual sugar, the Nouveaux Riche dessert wine with 10% residual sugar, and a Cream Sherry - Muscat Canelli fortified with brandy. For the past 21 years these wines have won medals at many national and international competitions. Since this grape is not a household name, sampling at the winery’s tasting room is the only chance people have to experience the variety; Mr. Campbell has observed that visitors generally love it or reject it.

In California, Mastantuono Winery has been producing Muscat Canelli for over two decades. Located in the Central Coast appellation, the winery is close to halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles and is the 5th oldest winery in San Luis Obispo County. Based on the owner’s Italian heritage, they take pride in their Muscat, calling it the “True Nectar of the Gods”. One of the main reasons the winery gives for producing Muscat Canelli is that it provides an important part of a balanced tasting list. Having several dessert wines is a good way to finish a wine tasting. This dessert wine displays fruity aromas with a slight taste of pears. The winery recommends pairing the wine with cheese and fruit. The only acceptance problem the winery encounters is that some Californian wine drinkers frown on sweet wine – so they ignore the dessert wines. It’s amazing to us how certain attitudes limit people’s enjoyment of some types of wine.

Farther east, in Oklahoma, Muscat Canelli has been a very successful wine for Tres Suenos Vineyards and Winery. They winery cultivates Muscat because it grows well in their climate and produces a fruity wine with honeysuckle characteristics. The winery opened 6 years ago and is located in Luther County – in the central part of the state. They produce a sweet 100% Muscat Canelli, Fiesta Blanca, which is both a Gold medal winner and their leading seller. They also blend with Riesling and Chenin Blanc to create a rose style Blush Delight.

Michel-Schlumberger - 2005 Pinot Blanc

A relative recently gave us a bottle of Michel-Schlumberger's 2005 Pinot Blanc that they had received through their California wine of the month club. We eagerly opened the bottle in order to sample a California wine, since lately, we had been trying to reduce our surplus of east coast wines. The Alsace native Pinot Blanc thrives on the hillsides near the Pacific Ocean, where the cool air allows the grapes to ripen slowly, producing ripe flavors without excessive sugar. This wine is made extremely dry, but the finish is very refreshing; the citrus aroma continues through the body and finish. Aging the wine in steel allows the grape's fruitiness to dominate with a slight spiciness for balance. We would strongly suggest serving this wine with a meal, the winery suggests Thai, but we feel the wine should compliment both spicy and milder foods. The wine retails for $21 so it's a good alternative to higher priced chardonnays or any Pinot Grigio.

South Beach Wine & Food Festival Preview - Gnarly Head Zinfandel

During last year’s Washington D.C. International Wine Festival, we spend a considerable amount of time tasting various Zinfandel wines at the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission exhibit. These wines were full-bodied reds, full of fruit flavors with a smooth-spicy finish. One of our favorites was the Gnarly Head Zinfandel, produced by the Delicato Family Vineyards and this wine will be available at the 6th Annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival.

Wine was first produced commercially in the Lodi region in the mid 1850’s with the opening of the El Pinal Winery. At the time, grape growing was a smaller industry as compared to the farming of melons and grains. However, in the 1880’s the prices for grains and melons fell dramatically and farmers looked to grapes as an alternative source of revenue. Although many varietals prospered, Zinfandel and Tokay flourished in the Lodi environment, with its sandy soils and warm summer days followed by cooling night-time breezes. At the turn of the century, grape growers in Lodi were thriving and some even prospered during prohibition by selling grapes to home wine makers which was still legal) instead of making their own wine. With the rise of the seedless table grape, the farming of Tokay disappeared and more vines were allocated to Zinfandel and other wine-making varietals. In 1986, the stature of the Lodi wine grapes were elevated with the designation of the Lodi Appellation (American Viticulture Area). Winemakers in Lodi could now label their wines: "Lodi" labeled wine. Today close two dozen wineries produce hundreds of "Lodi" labeled wines from thousands of acres of premium wine grapes.

In the early 1920’s Gasparé Indelicato immigrated to California from the small village of Campobello in Italy. He planted the first grapes for Delicato Family Vineyards in 1924, just as his father, grandfather and several generations did before him. Within a few years, winemakers across the country knew of the quality of Gasparé's California grapes. After Prohibition Mr. Indelicato allocated a portion of his grapes to wine production and “in the old hay barn by the vineyard, Gasparé, his brother-in-law, and their twin wives took turns with a hand driven press to produce their first vintage consisting of 3,451 gallons of wine (that's just under 1,500 cases of wine).” Over time, his winemaking reputation grew and “other producers in the budding California wine industry approached Gasparé and his family for custom-made wines. To meet the demand, the family acquired additional vineyard land. Gasparé's three sons, Vincent, Frank and Anthony, joined the family winery as the business grew. Today, Chris and Jay Indelicato, third generation family members and Anthony's sons, are leading the business into the future under the name DFV Wines.”

DFV Wines recognized the excellence of Lodi grown Zinfandel and began forming partnerships with local growers in order to add a Zinfandel to their offerings. DFV hand-selects their grapes from some of the oldest and most respected vineyards in the region. The vines are 35-80 years old and produce fewer grape clusters, but the small berries yield intense, concentrated fruit. The result: a full bodied red wine with plum, pepper and chocolate flavors and a lingering and spicy finish. And why the name, Gnarly Head? According to the DFV, “the old Zinfandel vines were grown as free standing “head trained” vines. They resemble wild bushes with twisted old trunks and branches that spread out in all directions sprouting leaves like unruly umbrellas – truly gnarly heads. “

Thanks to the efforts of the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) and the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission, wine consumers are beginning to recognize and appreciate Zinfandel wines. And for those for believe that many high-alcoholic cabs are beginning to taste the same, Zinfandel is a great alternative. Today, Gnarly Head Zinfandel is the fastest-growing zinfandel in its price category, wine selling for under $15. But what makes Gnarly Head unique? It is the only Zinfandel wine in this price range that is made from 100% Lodi-appellation Zinfandel grapes. The other big name Zinfandel wines are all California appellation. Even if you can not attend the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, we strongly recommend trying a Lodi produced Zinfandel, and in particular the Gnarly Head. And in the future, look out for a Dry Creek reserve wine called Gnarlier Head.