"On Top of the World" by SashaW on Flickr

Wednesday night, July 21st, 2010, we attended the annual blind tasting challenge held at Chris Hinton’s Bin 75 tasting room in Johns Creek. It is the mid-week event during their anniversary sale, which nets you 20% off cases of wine. You can also score some wines at 25% off solid cases. Check the website or call for more information.

My wife went into the event as defending champion and was ready to take down all challengers, myself included.

The event was a slightly different format this year, with the addition of a seventh wine, the reception wine. Normally we know what that wine is, but this year it was also poured blind and would act as the first tier tie-breaker.

You are given choices in each flight, one of four whites, the other of three reds. You have five choices of grape variety and country, with no repeats of correct answers within flights.

Keith, the wine manager, plays host. He goes through the basics of blind tasting, explaining what color will tell you, what the aroma and taste markers are for each grape variety, along with the same tidbits for each country represented and whether or not they even grow that grape in that country. For example, you aren’t going to guess Germany if you think the wine is Chardonnay. He wants each selection to be a solid representative of both the grape and the country, though every once in a while he does throw in a curve ball. Last year, it was in the form of an Italian Cannonau, which most of us know as Grenache.

We arrived just in time, as my lovely bride was returning from a business trip and of course, we got stuck in Atlanta traffic. Go figure. Tired as she was, she got out her notepad and went to work, listening to everything Keith said and writing down notes as we went along. She swirled, sniffed and sipped. She contemplated and then, marked her answers. We don’t collaborate, so our results are completely our own.

The whites, were actually pretty straight forward, though I could see where the first one might trip up folks on the country of origin. When it came to the reds, the first was a bit shut down on the nose, but as it warmed the clues began to emerge. It was the second red which was not only my favorite, but my downfall as well. The third was fairly straight forward, though it could have easily been mistaken for another of the choices.

For whites, we had the following five grapes as our selections:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Gris / Grigio
• Riesling
• Viognier

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• New Zealand
• France
• Italy
• Germany

White Wine #1 (reception wine): The wine was a bit shut down for me, so my first thought was Pinot Grigio, but I wasn’t 100% sure since it was fairly cool at service. I was also a bit frustrated by the lack of hourly parking at the airport and then sitting in traffic, not to mention having not eaten much that day. Eventually, the fairly simple citrus pointed to Pinot Grigio from Italy. 2008 Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio $13.98

White Wine #2: Brighter than the first wine, with more white citrus than anything. It tasted sort of lemony to me at first, but eventually more like grapefruit, which of course marked Sauvignon blanc. There wasn’t any real grass or sweet hay notes, so I eliminated California / Oregon. It wasn’t super over the top either, so I got rid of New Zealand. That left France (Germany doesn’t make it and Italy wouldn’t be a good country for a typical SB), though for me it wasn’t obviously Loire Valley since I didn’t get as much minerality as I would expect. If I’d been doing this without choices, I’d have probably gone South African. Turns out, the 2008 Domaine Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc ($13.99) was from Cotes de Gascogne.

White Wine #3: The slam dunk of the night, as a couple inches from the glass and my brain went “OAK MONSTER!”. Yes, a California Chardonnay with plenty of sweet oak, but lacking any real fruit flavor. Nice for those who like this style. 2008 Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay $13.98.

White Wine #4: Hello German Riesling. Again, this was a slam dunk for me, as I’d have to say that when it comes to still white wines, German Rieslings are my favorite. This was a mouthful of stone fruits, with a touch of slate and just the slightest bit of residual sugar. It was also the favorite of the crowd, with probably 80+% of folks saying it was their favorite. This continues the streak of every single blind tasting event I’ve attended where Riesling was the crowd favorite. Yet, they still languish on shelves. Pity that. This gem of a wine retails for $10.99 and as Keith suggested, you can drink this and mow the grass at the same time. Slammin’ good idea. 2006 GR8 Riesling $10.99.

Now came the more challenging reds. Our five grape choices were:

• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Grenache
• Pinot Noir
• Sangiovese

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• France
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Spain

Red wine #1: A bit reticent, but this eventually opened up and gave plenty of clues as to the grape and origin. It smelled of Sangiovese at first, but it seemed a bit more fruit driven than what I’d expect from a Chianti. Plus, I didn’t get a lot of that leather, bark note which is the classic marker for me. After about five minutes, those notes emerged and I went straight for the correct answer. 2006 Volpaia Chianti Classico $18.99.

Red wine #2: I missed this one. It was bright, juicy and full of crunch red berry fruits, with a touch of earthiness and loads of bouncy acidity. I kept thinking, Grenache or Pinot Noir. I tossed it about and just went with Spanish Grenache, which turned out to be my undoing for the night, as this was the one wine I got wrong. It was my favorite wine of the night and once again, convinces me that if you want to drink Pinot Noir for under $20, you should be checking out the wines from New Zealand. I’m starting to see more of them available and I hope you’ll try this one. 2009 Over the Edge Pinot Noir (Martinborough, New Zealand) $16.99.

Red wine #3: Slam dunk again, as this had the dark black currant fruit and touch of tannic bite that I come to expect from Cabernet Sauvignon. I guess I could see where one might guess Merlot, but in the $20 and under price range (which we knew all the wines fell into), I’ve never tasted a Merlot that wasn’t creamy and velvety soft. 2008 Villa San Juliette (Paso Robles, CA) Cabernet Sauvignon was $14.99.

The answer sheets were turned in, the scores were tallied and the winner was announced. It was a gentleman whom I didn’t recognize and he got every possible answer right, except for the country of origin on the Pinot Noir. I think I neglected to mention, but the grape variety was worth 1 point, the country of origin 2 points, but it only counted if you got the grape right as well. Keith then went through all the wines one by one. The audience cheered and groaned with each reveal, until we were finally done and wait a minute, we had a RECOUNT!

My defending Champion wife had written down her answers and she had 100% of them right. Somehow, a mistake had been made. As it turns out, our sheets (I’m not sure if anyone else got missed) hadn’t been tallied. We had handed in ours first and I think they got put down where they got overlooked. A simple error that was then corrected.

So, not only is my wife now the FIRST EVER two time Blind Tasting Champion at Hinton’s, she is also the first person to get all the answers correct. I think two others have gotten everything right except one country. As for me, in case you weren’t paying attention above, I got everything right except for the Pinot Noir, which like I said, I mistook for a Spanish Grenache.

A grand time and congratulations to my @AtlantaWineGal.

A small sampling of our culinary treats

Lasting as long as the closing volume to Peter Jackson’s vision of The Lord of the Rings, our wine group battled through fourteen different wines, four different cheeses, some amazing appetizers (including smoked salmon) and a dinner of beef tenderloin, Varenyky, grilled veggies and broccoli salad. It was epic.

For only our second formal gathering, I have to say the bar was set quite high with this particular cast. As usual, it was heavy on the new world wines, though all three of the whites did come from Europe which I found to be interesting.

To begin the festivities, we started with some Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne, which was actually purchased 2 to 3 years ago. I commented to the provider (and our gracious host for this installment) I thought that was actually the best way to consume NV (non-vintage) Champagne, as the extra time in bottle typically adds some richness and nutty character to the wine. It was a solid example of the region, with nice citrus and hints of yeast and toasted nuts coming through as well. We had four cheeses to snack on (along with smoked salmon, fresh chopped liver and assorted other munchies) and I thought the Champagne went best with the Robusto. A solid above average wine, but I still prefer their domestic stuff for the money.

After that, I made un-inspired sips at two of the whites. I didn’t care for the 2007 Chateau de la Greffiere Macon-la-Roche-Vineuse, but that is just more for personal taste reasons. It was a solid example of the region and for under $20, it is a nice introduction to white Burgundy. The 2008 Vina Godeval was a 100% Godello from Spain that was one of the more interesting whites I’ve had in quite a while. It had a nice complexity to it, with stone fruit, floral notes, spice and beeswax. If you want something off the beaten path for summer, this is a solid choice. I didn’t try the 2004 Carl Ehrhard Spatlese Riesling, but I’ve had wines from this producer and they have always been solid. I really meant to get back to it after all the reds, but I totally forgot about it.

Now, onto the reds, which from beginning to end were all above average to outstanding.

2005 Tolo Cellars Asini Paso Robles Red Wine (16.2% alcohol): A $28 from the winery blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Zinfandel, this had been opened in bottle for 5 hours, then decanted for 2 hours the day before. It was still as peppy as your local Starbucks barista who has enjoyed too much of their own product for anyone’s good. A bright melange of red fruits and licorice on the nose (the Sangiovese) gave way to more blackberry and bramble on the palate. I’d call this a  danger Will Robinson wine because of the high alcohol and too easy to slug palate. I wouldn’t pay $28 for it, but I was more than happy to drink it.

2007 Santa Ema Amplus One: I didn’t sample because I’ve had and raved about it before.

2004 Frog’s Leap Rutherford: A very easy to drink style of Cabernet that was lacking in any real tannin, but had enough acidity to keep it from falling flat on its face. A glass of subtle, yet flavorful black currant and black cherry. If you’ve got Napa Cabs from this hot and juicy vintage, I’d start drinking them now.

2003 Stella Maris Columbia Valley Red Wine by Northstar (14.5% alcohol): A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon; 45% Merlot; 4% Malbec; 4% Syrah, this was the early contender for WOTN (wine of the night) for me. Earthy smoked herbs danced with dark red cherries in a graceful manner those folks on reality TV dancing shows can only dream of. It had a long, smooth finish and was a great pairing with the beef tenderloin. A fine second label effort that is drinking in its prime right now. As the evening wore on, the wine did begin to give way a bit and wasn’t as good the second time around, but I still enjoyed it. #2 for me, as I really liked the mix of both old and new world style.

2000 The Ojai Vineyard Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah: A bowlful of blueberries and spice, this was smooth and easy to drink. I’m not a big California Syrah person typically and while this didn’t convert me, it was a fine effort for a wine I really thought would be past prime.

2005 Kilikanoon Barossa Valley Testament Shiraz (15% alcohol): I remember when my wine sensei first touted Kilikanoon wines to me. Like many red wine newbies, it was easy to love the fruit-laden style of Barossa Valley Shiraz, like a teenage boy falls for Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. I still find Kilikanoon wines to show more restraint and deft hand in obtaining balanced and refinement from their wines, as opposed to Mollydooker where the volume knob starts at 10 and goes up from there. Unfortunately, these big Aussie bombs have fallen on hard times and for those who like them, you can often score tremendous bargains. This wine has loads of tooth-staining black fruits, with nice baking spice and vanilla notes to round out the flavors. A big wine with soft tannins, a core of acidity and big rich flavors that will overwhelm all but the biggest of food.

2001 Stags’ Leap Winery Petite Syrah (14.2% alcohol): One of our two offerings, this was one of my earliest wines-to-lay-down acquisitions. Another wine I read about in Karen McNeil’s The Wine Bible. One of the most fascinating things about this wine is how it got trashed by one publication, but then lauded by two others. If I had been paying attention, I probably would have drank this earlier. It failed to exhibit my expectation of wrestling alligators with their teeth bared that makes Petite Sirah (I have no idea why they spell it with a Y instead of an I) such a great wine. It still had nice spice, black plum and blackberry fruit with hints of toast, but it just lacked the power I expected. Yes, I know the wine is 9 years old, but I wasn’t expecting it to have totally lost its grip. From what I am now reading, it may have never really had that strong of one to begin with. A good wine, but I really was hoping for more.

1999 Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille (14% alcohol): A wine from famed Italian winemaker Angelo Gaja, whom I associate more with Barolo than Brunello. I believe this wine had been opened for over 24 hours by the time we drank it and in talking with the host (and provider of this wine), we both concluded that may have been too much. While nowhere near dead or shut down, it seemed to have lost a bit of luster that you’d expect from such an expensive (retail is estimated around $130 – 140) and highly rated (91, 92, 93+) wine. Now don’t get me wrong, it didn’t suck, but it didn’t blow anybody out of the water either. It exhibited classic Brunello dark cherry, leather and floral character, but also a good bit of oak character in the smoke and chocolate notes. Tannins were relatively mild, but I should hope so after breathing as much air as this did. I think this would have been better the day before and a more fair comparison to the next wine. All in all, my third favorite.

2001 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino Pian di Conte: This was one of my first Brunellos, having tasted (and bought it for the store) it as a wine retail buyer. It was later in the day and we were the rep’s last stop, so after drinking and loving this so much, he offered me the remainder of the bottle. I corked it and proceeded to consume it later that evening, taking the same time to breathe in its perfume as I did in drinking it. When I departed my store, the owner gave me a bottle of this as a gift, as he remembered how much I loved this wine. I think the retail was $59.99. A very modern style, this drinks beautifully right now. Yes, it was a bit on the chewy side when we opened it, as it came right out of storage and was popped and poured, no decant time permitted. As the wine opened up, the spiced cherry with smoky cedar flavors sailed on in a finish that was easily in the 45+ second range. Fans of more old world, “traditional” Brunello might find this too much, but it wasn’t like we were drinking Napa Cab. You knew this was Italian, you knew this was Brunello and most important of all, you knew this was just down right tasty. While it wasn’t the overall crowd favorite (I don’t know what was), I know myself and two others were in agreement that it was ours.

Many thanks to our hosts for their generous spread of delicious food and wine, along with great hospitality. I know that myself and my wife are looking forward to the next gathering of Wineaux 75. Until then, be well, drink well and love well.

Cupcake Vineyards

Adam Richardson’s first love is flying, earning his pilot’s license before his driver’s license. Before he became a winemaker, he was a lieutenant aviator in the Royal Australian Navy. He flew helicopter search and rescue missions for 8 years before making a dramatic change in careers, entering the world of the vine.

“You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”.

I had the pleasure of meeting this true flying winemaker for dinner at one of Atlanta’s finest new restaurants, Miller Union. Adam is the head winemaker for Cupcake Vineyards, which is a part of the larger Underdog Wine Merchants organization. We enjoyed 9 different wines, along with great food during all three courses of our meal. FULL DISCLOSURE: The meal and wines were all covered by the winery, so I had to pay for nothing.

First, let’s talk about some of the highlights from our conversation.

Least favorite varieties to work with: Merlot and Pinot Noir. My wife was a bit taken aback by his lack of appreciation for Pinot Noir. We got to talking about it and he did say he loved (to drink) a good Burgundy, but that it could quite frustrating to really find those that really moved you.

Favorite variety to work with: Shiraz. He commented that his answer might seem obvious, being it is a major grape in his homeland, but he said that wasn’t the real reason. He felt Shiraz was a grape you could generally always make a good wine with, but that to make a distinctive, unique wine was a much more challenging task. It was finding that distinct voice which made it his favorite grape to work with.

Favorite wine to drink: Outside of his own wines, it was Barbaresco. His answer took me aback, as it wasn’t something I really expected. He said he was a big fan of German Rieslings as well, but when it came down to it, Barbaresco was his absolute favorite and it yielded my favorite quote of the evening, “You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”. I thought this was a great way to describe the passion for a particular wine and it is one I feel like many Burgundy fans could identify with.

Worst thing he’s ever eaten: Adam is an enthusiastic cook whose favorite cook book is [AMAZON affiliate link] The French Laundry Cookbook. Not exactly lightweight stuff there. The answer to the question was lamprey eels that had been boiled in their own blood. He said it was as disgusting as it sounded. As for an unusual thing he’d eaten that he did enjoy, it was drunken prawns.

Approach to winemaking for Cupcake: In our conversation, I think I’d say Adam is shooting for a broad audience, but without making wines geared only for newbies. He wants to make balanced wines which exhibit typicity for their region and grape. His personal affinity for European wines and understanding of the US market make him well equipped to pull off his aim of creating value wines that wine drinkers of all experiences can enjoy.

Overall, I got the impression that Adam was quite a fan of food and wine, especially when you consider he is responsible for making wines on four continents and continues to add new wines to the portfolio. At this point in time, the Cupcake brand alone has 12 different wines, with more coming this Fall. From a business point of view, the brand is easy to remember and hints towards a more fruit driven style.

Here are quick notes on all the wines we tasted:

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) 12.5% alcohol: As before, this was a very nice balanced approach to the grape, which can often exhibit overwhelming grapefruit and herbaceous character. This wine weaves together grapefruit, pear and sweet lemon flavors that make it suitable for drinking alone or with seafood, be it raw, grilled or sautéed.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio (D.O.C. Trentino, Italy) 13% alcohol: So, the wine world used to be pretty crazy for this grape, which I often found to be more akin to lemon water as the mass market producers tend to make it. This was actually pretty good and while I’d not personally run out to buy it, I’d have no issue with recommending this as a solid example of the grape.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Mosel Valley, Germany) 10.5% alcohol: We had a nice chat about German Rieslings and how they are becoming an endangered species in the wine world, as the vineyards are hard to work and many of the younger generation have no desire to work the land. At this price point, you have a nice wine that exhibits stone fruit and citrus, but lacked the punch of slate and overall flavor that I so enjoy from this region’s wines. I think you can do better with other choices.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington) 13.2% alcohol: Creamier and drier than the German wine, I found this more to my liking. It just required the right food, which we weren’t really having and honestly, we sort of rushed through the two Rieslings and the next wine, as our entrees had arrived and we were eager to get to the whites. I’ve got a sample bottle of this in the fridge and think I may try it with some veggie spring rolls.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay (Central Coast, California) 14% alcohol: Well made, with a nice balance to the oak and fruit flavors. The oak shows some character in the buttery vanilla nose, but the palate exhibits some nice tropical fruit flavors and I felt this was well made, though I don’t know if the world needs another $10 Chardonnay. This strikes a nice balance between the classic butter bomb Cali-style and the surging popularity of un-oaked wines. California Chardonnay fans will enjoy.

2007 Cupcake Vineyards Merlot (Central Coast, California) 13.9% alcohol: Juicy, but lacking any real character and was just sort of there. My least favorite wine of the night.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) 13.5% alcohol: Starts off with a great smoky leather aroma that lays over the black fruits, which make their presence known once you get this lovely drop in your mouth. I liked the sort of restraint this wine shows, as I’ve been finding so many Malbecs of late to be over ripened fruit bombs that are one trick ponies. This went really well with my NY strip, which was cooked to a perfect rare. (Thank you Miller Union!). This was my favorite wine of the night and something I’d buy.

Overall, the Cupcake brand is off to a fairly good start. They have an easy to remember name, no critters or low-brow marketing, an appealing price point and cover most of the major grapes. I had my favorites, as any wine drinker will, but it wasn’t like I found any of the wines undrinkable. Those I didn’t care for (Merlot and German Riesling) weren’t bad, I’ve just had better for the money.

A big thanks to Adam for taking the time to meet with me and my wife, we really enjoyed it.

Cheers!

Cupcake Vineyards Blanc de Blancs

Rick Bakas, social media wine maven for St. Supery, has been on a roll with his creation of live Twitter tastings. It was something he started a few months ago.

The basics are:

• Events are held the first Thursday of each month.
• You RSVP (it’s free) on Eventbrite.
• You buy a bottle (or more) of whatever that month’s theme is. Yesterday was Chardonnay.
• You login to your Twitter software of choice, or a website like Twitterfall. Set up a search column for the appropriate hashtag (last night it was #chardonnay) and then follow along, Tweeting away with hundreds / thousands of others.

The original event consisted of a specific time frame, but it has since expanded to being a 24 hour event so participants all across the world feel more welcome.

Is it geeky? Sure, but it is fun as well. You can share your thoughts, learn something new, be exposed to new producers and just maybe learn a thing or two about a wine or grape you didn’t know before. If you are on Facebook, I suggest joining up becoming a fan “liking” the Community Wine Tasting on Twitter page.

Last night’s theme was Chardonnay and my wife and I had a bottle of blanc de blancs (white from whites) from France that was made by a winery in the Loire Valley. The appellation says France, so I guess the Chardonnay came from somewhere outside the Loire? I really can’t be sure since there wasn’t a lot of information to be found, other than the fact that the wine is produced at Lacheteau winery and is 100% Chardonnay.

Doesn’t really matter that much, but I’d be curious to know the fruit sourcing since it would be weird to get the grapes down in Burgundy or something and then ship them to the Loire (a region best known for Sauvignon blanc, Chenin blanc, Cabernet franc and Muscadet) to be made into wine.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I received this wine as a sample.

NV Cupcake Vineyards Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay: I’ve seen this for I think $12.99 (which was way back in December and I believe was a sale price) at Cost Plus World Market, but haven’t noticed it anywhere else. Due to unusual circumstances, we ended up having this with pizza, which was a TERRIBLE pairing. For those who think pairing wines is over rated or useless, I beg to differ and will be more than happy to discuss it with you. If the pizza had been a nice white pizza, it might have worked better. Unfortunately, such “esoteric” options (why oh why haven’t any of the chains caught onto the joy of white pizza?!) aren’t readily available here in suburbia.

The wine wasn’t bad, but it was hard to determine if it was the wine or the pairing. After dinner, I still had some in my glass and as it got up to room temperature, the wine didn’t show real well. Granted, sparkling wines are best enjoyed at very cold temperatures (I’m talking 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit), but that doesn’t always apply to evaluating them. Granted, I almost never let my flute sit long enough to have room temperature sips, as I don’t drink wine this way. I evaluate as I drink. Context matters.

Essentially, I just got simple citrus fruit and not much else. Perhaps a touch of minerality, but little complexity. At this price point, I don’t expect a lot, but I’ve had more interesting wines than this. I think it was of average quality, good enough when served cold to not disappoint, but something I really wouldn’t recommend or buy myself. I think my palate is forever spoiled after all the grower Champagnes we had at ICSWI.

In order to be fair, here are some other reviews I found, most all of which liked the wine more than I did.

• Snooth (4 reviews)
• Cellartracker (1 review)
• Good Wine Under $20
• Under the Grape Tree
• The Bottle Report

Have a great weekend!

Without doubt, bloggers are getting attention on both a national and regional level. Two nights ago, Artesa winery played host to several local wine and food bloggers, treating us to an outstanding dinner. This is my review of the wines and food. FULL DISCLOSURE: The dinner and wines were all paid for / provided by Artesa.

Our hosts were Tim Shippey, Brand Director, and Mark Beringer, VP of Production and Winemaking. Dinner was at Bone’s, rated the best steakhouse for food and service by Zagat in 2009. I sat at one table with my wife, Tim, Ed (winetonite) and his wife, Joe (suburbanwino), and Elizabeth (vine75). The other table, well that remains a bit of a mystery. Mark was seated there, but I recognized none of the ladies (and it was all ladies) sitting there. I wish we had all gone around the room and introduced ourselves, but I guess that thought has arrived too late.

Shellfish platter at Bone's

Dinner kicked off with the above and you know what, I’d have been happy to stuff myself and my arteries on these lovely delights. The platter had some of the largest cocktail shrimp I’ve ever eaten, along with lobster, lobster claw and crab claws. The best of the lot was the crab, which were sweet and succulent, but none of it lacked for quality. Paired with the appetizer were the two Chardonnays from Artesa, the 2008 Carneros and 2007 Carneros Estate Reserve. As recently discussed, I’m not one who seeks to drink Chardonnay, so keep that in mind. Between the two, I found the first wine to be crisper and well suited for the spicy cocktail sauce I was drowning my shrimp in. It retains a fair bit of acidity thanks to only seeing 30% malolactic fermentation, with nice tropical fruit leading out the parade, finishing with a touch of spiced cream. The oak treatment is fairly light, aging 8 months in 30% new French oak and 70% used. The Reserve is more in line with what I think the typical Chardonnay drinker is looking for, but in better balance and not a blow hard looking for attention through lavish outerwear. What does that mean? The oak is present, but not so loud that you can’t detect anything else. Think of it like a caramel swirl inside your apple pie ice cream. I think a few folks preferred this, especially with the lobster. Me, I liked the less expensive option due to the higher degree of tropical fruit and acidity.

2007 Artesa Carneros Pinot Noir / 2007 Artesa Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Reserve

Next up were the two Pinot Noirs, the 2007 Carneros and the 2007 Estate Reserve. Both of these were quite good, especially considering their price points, which should be around $20 and $34 respectively. Both wines are 100% Pinot Noir, yet show great depth of color without dipping into that “is there Syrah in this?” realm. The first wine was an easy drink, with red cherries, black plum and a hint of oak spice. The fruit was obviously ripe, but not so much as to kill all the acidity. A good expression of the varietal at a nice price point. The real star of the show and a contender for group WOTN was the Reserve. Loads of ripe black cherry, herbs, spice and vanilla make this more than a mouthful of a wine a real treat to drink. Load up all those flavors into a solid frame of tannin and acid and you’ve got yourself a relatively inexpensive wine worthy of laying down. Drink a bottle every year for the next five and enjoy your education on seeing how wine evolves. Oh yeah, I forgot, this wine was paired with Kobe Tenderloin Carpaccio with arugula and parmesan. Wow, this was amazing, with great richness in flavor, with the arugula and parmesan shavings providing a nice balance to the beef. Awesome stuff. Take a look for yourself.

Kobe Tenderloin Carpaccio with arugula and parmesan

The next, and what I thought would be last, wines were the two Cabernet Sauvignons. Both of these wines were from the 2005 vintage. The first was from Napa, the second from Alexander Valley. In most cases, the order would be reversed, but with Artesa, the Alexander is the bigger and quite honestly, much better wine. The Napa Valley Cabernet was probably my least favorite of all the wines the whole night and that doesn’t mean it was a bad wine, it was just that I was still really quite taken with the Reserve Pinot Noir.

The menu selections were filet mignon, NY strip or swordfish. I ordered the swordfish, my wife the NY strip. I really wanted to try more of the Pinot with both dishes and that was a good thing, because it worked really well with both. The swordfish had a nice butter sauce on the plate, adding some richness to the savory flesh. The steak was a perfect warm rare and the Pinot had plenty of grip, be it with a hand cloaked in velvet, that stood up to the steak. I don’t have any real notes or specific memories of either Cabernet, other than like I said above,  I believe that right now, the Alexander Valley is the better wine.

2005 Ridgeline Cabernet Sauvignons - Lone Pine and Standing Bear

We thought the wine was done with, but then Tim asked if we’d be interested in some small production single vineyard Cabernet sauvignons he had in the car. I was like umm, yes please. So, out came two of the six vineyard designates bottled under the Ridgeline brand, the 2005 Ridgeline Lone Pine Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 Standing Bear Cabernet Sauvignon. The pic is linked from one Ed posted on Twitpic.

Both wines were quite delicious, with an interesting split of preference. According to Tim, most everyone who tasted the wines fell along gender preferential lines. Men almost all favored the Standing Bear, women the Lone Pine. The biggest difference you could taste was in the complexity, with the former being a simple hitch knot, the latter being Gordian. The Standing Bear was a spicy vanilla raft navigating a river of black currants. The 15.1% ABV was well framed on a supple core of tannin and acidity, with no perception of heat on the back end as many wines of this heft are prone to.  There are only 107 cases of this 100% pure Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged for 24 months in 75% new and 25% used French oak. The fruit was picked at 26.3 brix.

As for the Lone Pine, it was a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet Franc, which is where I’m sure much of the added complexity came from. There are 104 cases of this made, with an even higher brix of 26.7 for the fruit and a slightly longer oak treatment, clocking in at 25 months in the same combination of oak as the Standing Bear. I don’t remember much about this, other than I preferred the Standing Bear and went back for seconds on it before finishing the Lone Pine. Both were excellent wines, but hard to come by, though you can look into special ordering them. Just ask your local wine retailer to look into it for you and tell them Georgia Crown is the distributor.

All in all, I have to say I was really impressed. Granted, these wines were all tasted in a great setting, as we had a private dining room, a cornucopia of great food, the opportunity to talk to the brand manager (he sat at our table) and of course, it was all paid for by Artesa. All that considered, I think everyone was pretty pleased with the overall quality of the wines. Even the wines I liked the least were good, just not memorable as the Reserve Pinot Noir and the Standing Bear Cabernet, which were my top two picks. As Tim said, come visit the winery and you will be converted. I can totally believe it.

Once again, thanks to Artesa and Bone’s for hosting a wonderful evening of food and wine.

Haiku
Artesa makes wine
All were good, some were divine
Assimilated

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UPDATED 01/28/10 9AM Here is Elizabeth’s assessment of the evening.