Posts tagged with 'Pinot Noir'

Wine For Every Setting At THIS Dinner Party

  • Posted on January 23, 2011 at 9:38 pm

by Phil Anderson
This is number SIX in a series of articles aimed at acknowledging the importance of local wine bars and shops.  Every decent city has them!  Right?

And I am back in North Idaho for this little gem of a wine shop which is MORE than just a wine shop.  The Dinner Party, in Coeur d’Alene, sets out to provide  a truly unique collection that would lend richness and warmth to any gathering.  There are examples of exquisite linens, eclectic table settings and art that will set the stage as you entertain, greeting you right as you walk into their shop.  Of course, I am entranced with the fact The Dinner Party also offers distinctive wines that please the palette, pair well with food and expand the entire wine experience.  YES!  Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!

Balletto Vineyards Winemaker, Anthony Beckman, and I at The Dinner Party in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Often times on Saturday, Owners George and Mary Balling, along with a winery or distributor, will host a wine tasting.  I’ve been to two such tastings, most recently a tasting of Balletto Vineyards, with winemaker Anthony Beckman, out of the Russian River Valley area of California. 

There were five wines poured this particular afternoon and all of them showed well.  Even the young 2009 Balletto Estate Pinot Noir showed well, though it was TOO bright and berryish for me.  Shelley LOVED that one, however.  It’s interesting what different palettes enjoy.

We started out with the 2008 Pinot Gris, moved on to the 2007 Estate Chardonnay, tasted the ’09 Pinot Noir, then a 2008 Balletto Winery Block Pinot Noir, which was my favorite of the two, and finished with their 2006 Estate Syrah.  All of the Balletto wines we tasted had an undercurrent of mustiness and were fairly light, including the Syrah.  The Syrah, however, did have a wonderful, huge peppery nose which I loved. 

We didn’t have a white wine to drink when we got back home so we bought and brought the Pinot Gris back with us.  Historically, Pinot Gris is not usually a varietal that makes it through our door.  I think it has less to do with the grape varietal than it does the quality of the Pinot Gris we’ve tried.  This one is a notable exception.  Again, a little mustiness on the nose.  It’s not like it’s over powering, but just enough to force you to give it some thought.  They accomplished their goal of producing a French style Pinot Gris.  We had it before dinner and it was wonderful. 

The other tasting, a couple of months back, was of Renwood Winery Zinfandel’s.  Renwood, also in Northern California, produces many different Zinfandel’s and they all were marvelous!  As you may or may not know, I used to “dance” with Seattle Civic Dance Theatre when my daughters took dance lessons.  I was privileged to be asked to “dance” in their two annual performances.  Basically, we were walking props for the real dancers!  One of the other Dad’s that did this was Jeff Peda and he was the one pouring for Renwood Winery that day!  It was great to see him again, especially when he was pouring such quality Zin.

Here Jeff Peda of Renwood Winery talks about one of the fine Zinfandel's being served at The Dinner Party.

So, both times I’ve been to a tasting at The Dinner Party there has been some history.  My relatiohship with Jeff was the first stop and this last time it was George’s relatiohship with Balletto Vineyards.  George broke into the wine business by working for Balletto Vineyards and the winemaker, Anthony Beckman, made a special trip up North just for this weekend (which included a winemakers dinner the night before at a local restaurant). 

Whenever I’ve walked into The Dinner Party, I am always welcomed by a smiling face, usually that of Mary.  Though they both know about all of their stock, I get the impression that George knows a bit more about the wine and Mary knows a bit more about all the accessories for putting on a fantastic dinner party.  When you’re stuck on what to use while creating a memorable dinner party there is really no other place to turn than The Dinner Party.  I know this from experience!

Now, today the NFL Conference Championships were played.  As you know, I predicted the Packers and the Jets would meet in the Super Bowl.  NOT gonna happen.  I split my predictions.  Had Sanchez, a USC alum, not fumbled late in the first half the outcome might have been different.  But, as my brother-in-law always says, “If if’s and buts were candy and nuts we’d all have a very Merry Christmas”.  Sorry… 

I will give you my Super Bowl prediction before the game.  Until then, thank you for reading and, as always, bottoms up!

Drinking The Nectar Never Felt So Good

  • Posted on January 20, 2011 at 10:31 pm

by Phil Anderson
This is the fifth in a series of articles aimed at acknowledging the importance of local wine bars and shops.  Every decent city has them!  Right?

The last submission I highlighted a small little Deli in Hayden, Idaho which is stocked full of quality wines but lacking in web presence.  THIS will be the exact opposite.  Well, not TOTALLY opposite. 

Josh Wade knew what his target was when he started tweeting on Twitter and providing his status updates on Facebook.  His goal was to get a strong enough following so that he could open his very own wine bar in Spokane, Washington.  So, Josh tweeted, updated and posted, and then did it some more…and some more….and then he threw in some interviews and then tweeted and updated and blogged some more. 

A couple of weeks ago was the culmination of months upon months of hard work and perseverance and the net result was the grand opening of Nectar Tasting Room, a calculated spin-off of his wine blog of the same name.  Josh HAS the quality AND he has the web presence.

By Definition Nectar means, ”the life-giving drink of the gods”, which I rather like.  If that’s too esoteric for you, then simply understand that Nectar means, “any delicious drink”.  And that is what Josh is serving up, delicious drinks, the Nectar, if you will!

I had a chance to visit Nectar Tasting Room recently and discovered 30 wines by the glass offered ALL of the time.  If somebody would like to try one of the 30 wines and the bottle is not open, then open it shall become.  To keep track of all these wines by the glass you simply have to look at the menu…which is an iPad.  There are four of them there.  Social media started this so why not continue to use technology to the fullest!  The room is a decent size and it’s clean and contemporary.

The 30 different wines are produced by five different wineries including, Anelare Winery, Hard Row to Hoe, Northwest Cellars, Skylite Cellars and Terra Blanca, all Washington wines.

I tasted five wines, one from each of the wineries.  I had a non-vintage Pinot Noir from Hard Row to Hoe, a Northwest Cellars 2005 Merlot, a 2008  Skylite Cellars Rosé from Sangiovese, a 2007 Syrah from Anelare and a 2008 Late Harvest Chenin Blanc from Terra Blanca.

All had their pros and cons, as is typical when wine tasting, but my top two were the Rosé from Skylite and the Late Harvest Chenin Blanc from Terra Blanca.  The Rose was certainly a European style with a mustiness on the nose that included prunes and raisins.  It was absolutely delicious!  Not as crisp as some Rosé’s tend to be.  The Late Harvest Chenin Blanc had a delightful blend of peaches and flowers on the nose and it was VERY tasty. 

To open a business in this economical climate, no less, a wine bar, is a risky venture to say the least.  The location seems to be in a good place so hopefully Nectar Tasting Room can sustain a healthy business until the Summer rolls around when it will be a little easier.  If you are in the Spokane area you should really try to make it over to Nectar Tasting Room.

As per tradition it is time to make some predictions for this weeks NFL Conference Championship games.  By DEFAULT, I pick the Jets to defeat the Steelers.  I can’t stand the Steelers and their quarterback, in my humble opinion, is overrated.  How ’bout, 23-14.  Gary Vaynerchuck will be pleased I’m choosing the Jets as well.  If you watch ANY of his epidodes, you know he’s an obnoxious Jets fan that hopes to someday own that team.  Oh, obnoxious in a GOOD way, Gary. 

On the other end, how can you NOT pick the Packers over da Bears?  Rogers is playing out of his mind and they are on a major roll, plus the Bears just up-ended my Seahawks, so still not too happy with them.  The score will be 30-17.  There you have it, the Jets versus the Packers in the Super Bowl in Dallas in 17 days.

I will write before THAT however to give you my Super Bowl prediction.  Until then, thank you SO much for reading and bottoms UP!

Running Into A RockWall Tongue First

  • Posted on May 19, 2010 at 1:44 pm

The tasting room at RockWall Cellars.

By Phil Anderson

Omak, Washington.  Not a place you would think to look for a quality wine.  Or is it?
Upon a local recommendation I seeked out and found RockWall Cellars in the phone book and realized it was only 3.2 miles from my hotel.  After phoning the winery I was told the tasting room had closed for the day.  Bummer.
The person on the phone said he would call the owner to see if he would come open up the tasting room and I said that would be great.  After five minutes my cell phone buzzed and, sure enough, I could come up to the tasting room right away.
“What great customer service,” I thought.  I ALREADY like them!
Little did I know what I was about to walk into.  The tasting room was simply decoratated but comfortable.  Doug Sheets introduced himself as the owner and vintner of RockWall Cellars and asked me what I wanted to start with.
After taking a look at 19 (yes, 19!) different wines to taste I started checking off the ones I wanted to try and still came up with 13.  I tasted four different whites, including their 2008 Dry Riesling, 2008 Auxerrois, 2008 Chardonnay and their 2008 To Di For–Lula, which is a blend of 55% Gewurztraminer and 45% Riesling.
It became quite apparent from the first taste that this was a good idea to look these guys up.  I liked all of the whites I tried.  The Chardonnay uses light oak and it had perfect balance of oak and fruit along with a very floral nose.  Their top selling wine is their To Di For–Lula blend which I found delightful.  Interesting profile, however.  Do you remember those felt pens that are designed for kids that have fruit fragrances in them?  I got that in the nose, strawberry to be exact.  And on the palate I detected a bit of petrol, which I understand is not probably something one would look for in wine but it didn’t detract from the wine.  It was very interesting to be sure.
While I was tasting the To Di For–Lula, Doug told me of the story behind the name.  Lula was his Great Grandmother and she inspired the naming of this wine.  He also mentioned that the winery has only been around a couple of years and he owns it with his partner and sister, Diana Mock.
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Pinot Noir grapes growing across the street from the RockWall Cellars tasting room.

The next wine I tasted I had never heard of and that was Auxerrois.  I was very intrigued.  He poured it and as I was sipping it I stared out the front door of the tasting room gazing at the sprinklers watering the Pinot Grapes just across the street.  As the sun hit the water coming off the sprinkler it had a magical look to it.  The Auxerrois had a slightly pungent nose and, for a white, had some body to it.  It was very interesting and I’m glad I tried it.  I look forward to doing some more tasting of this “off the beaten path” white varietal.
Doug then found out I am rather partial to reds and turned the tasting sheet over to reveal 11 different reds that they pour.  I realized then I should probably learn to spit, but concluded now was not that time.  I tasted ALL of his reds and gave each a very good score.  I tried RockWall Cellars’ blends including Off The Wall, To Di For–Eddie (named after his Great Grandfather, naturally), To Di For–Amore (probably named for the love his Great Grandparents had for each other!), Generation and Second Generation.  I also tried their varietals including their Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot and Reserve Merlot.  RockWall Cellars also makes a Port style wine that they call Foch Lore, which is made from 100% Marechal Foch, aNOTHER varietal I had never heard of before.
It would have been rude had I not tried their Foch Lore and that’s exactly what I did.  It was marvelous!  It was SO good!  This was the first time I actually smelled AND tasted tobacco in a wine.  This had it on the nose and at the front of the palate.  I know it sounds odd to say something that smells and tastes of tobacco would be good.  I don’t like black licorice but when those profiles show up in a red wine I like it.
The wine that I purchased was RockWall Cellars’ 2008 Off The Wall red blend which has Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Marechal Foch in it.  It had a FANTASTIC nose which I immediately fell in love with…pepper, smokey, licorice.  There was a LOT going on.  It also had a very long finish.  I can’t wait to open this up and try it with a steak because I think this will be fantastic.
My very favorite wine from RockWall Cellars, however, came from a varietal that I don’t often enjoy this much and that was both their 2007 Merlot and their 2007 Reserve Merlot.  I gave my highest marks to both but they were actually both quite different.  Their Merlot had an outstanding nose and I there was plum in the taste.  Doug didn’t have a bottle of the Reserve Merlot open but he felt compelled to open one for me.  Although I didn’t expect that because it WAS after hours, after all, I was extremely thankful for him offering this and I accepted, with great anticipation, his pour.
This Reserve Merlot is sold for $47 a bottle, by far the most expensive of RockWall’s collection of wines.  The Off The Wall blend that I purchased was only $16 a bottle, a virtual steal for what you get.  Everything about the Reserve Merlot was smooth…the nose, the taste, the mouthfeel.  It was a bit tight at the very beginning but it opened up quickly and wonderfully.  I caught a little bit of chocolate on the nose, as well.  One of my very favorite wines to date.  Spectacular.
RockWall Cellars only produces about 1,200 cases of wine a year so you won’t likely find them in your favorite wine store.  One of the major benefits of stopping by wineries to taste their wines is that you are likely going to taste something brand new because stores and restaurants just cannot stock ALL of the wines made in the world.  What you CAN do, however, is call them right away and sign up for their wine club or, at the very least, get on their mailing list.  This WILL be my next wine club that I join, without a doubt.
I am SO happy that I took the time to stop by RockWall Cellars in Omak, Washington, and taste what they’re making.  If you have tasted their wine, or when you do, let me know what you think by writing a comment about it below.  And if you like drinking wine but aren’t yet a fan of drinking wine on Facebook, you can click here and sign up today…like right now.
As always, thank you for reading (sorry this was such a long post) and, until next time, bottoms up!

And Now For Some Great Juice

  • Posted on March 31, 2009 at 4:11 pm

The past couple of posts I have written about some decent wines at rather low prices.  Not today.

 

Recently I had the privilege of tasting a couple of very good and well thought of wines and one very interesting one from a highly thought of winery.  I’ll start with that one.

 

I was having a conversation with the General Manager of Elliotts Oyster House in Seattle, Washington, one of the top seafood restaurants in the nation and I told him about this wine blog I write, the one you just happen to be reading right now.  I had asked him if he would consider being interviewed for a future post and he agreed.  So look forward to an interview with Tom Arthur coming up soon as we talk in depth about Pinot Noir, his favorite varietal. 

 

He then poured me a glass of a 2005 Syrah from McCrea Cellars.  McCrea has a great reputation for producing very nice Syrah’s.  He told me that this wine was returned by one of his guests as being corked.  (Be sure to read the next post which will describe what it means when a wine is corked).  “Well”, he said, “it wasn’t corked” but it WAS something and he asked me to identify what was wrong.

 

Oh, great, I thought, now he’s going to find out just how little I really DO know about wine!

 

It smelled fine.  (Oh, now, I’ve failed.)  He said, no the nose IS fine.  Whew!  Next the taste; Immediately I tasted what seemed to be carbonation and I told him just that.  He said, “Bingo!  You nailed it.”   Apparently the wine makers at McCrea Cellars goofed a tad on this wine and didn’t remove all the yeast and that caused it to be, as Tom said, “a bit spritzy.”  People just don’t expect that sort of taste in a red wine but it isn’t harmful and, actually, it was a very interesting taste.  I asked him if this might be the next style of wine, a red wine that you can chill a bit and have it be effervescent.  He didn’t think that would happen.

 

I tasted a couple of other wines, as well.  One was a 2005 Dunham Cellars Trutina which is a blend of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 13% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Franc.  Absolutely delicious.  Full, rich body and not too tannic.  Dunham Cellars has a history of producing very nice wine.  This one was well balanced and had great mouthfeel.  The nose was spectacular with hints of spice and pepper. 

 

The last one I tried was from Betts & Scholl, a 2005 Grenache from Australia’s Barossa Valley.  According to the winery, Grenache is the most widely planted grape in the world.  This wine had a lot of berry on the nose and wasn’t as complex as the Trutina.  It also had a fair amount of tannins.  It isn’t often I get an opportunity to have a Grenache and it makes me wonder why I don’t choose this varietal more.

 

Suffice it to say I enjoyed ALL three wines including the “spritzy” one from McCrea.  But these wines are hardly at the price point of the wines in my last two posts.  The McCrea and Dunham wines are over $30 and the Betts & Scholl is near $25.  But the value of a wine isn’t only about the cost of it but the quality related to the cost.  That is why we were so high on the Oak Leaf Chardonnay (see my post from March 20) which was UNDER three bucks but not on the Two Buck Chuck which is priced very similarly.

 

One thing that I’ve found in the world of wine is that it is sometimes difficult to find out what wine to serve with the food you’re preparing or, the other way around, what food you should make to go with the wine you want to open.  With that in mind, I just added a new widget to help you pair wine with food and you can see it at the bottom of the left column.  I’m not sure I will keep it as it’s rather small.  The regular size widget blows right through the words of the post and I can’t figure out (yet) how to make that NOT happen.  If you have a comment on this widget or anything else, please don’t hesitate.  Just click on the word “comment” at the bottom of this post and it will be directed right to me.  After the Ultimate Blog Party 2009 posts netted me many comments I felt very liberated.  So you TOO can help me feel that way with a comment.  Ok, enough begging.

 

Remember the next post I will write about what a “corked” wine is.  Until then, bottoms up!

 

 

2009 Inauguration Day tasting notes

  • Posted on January 20, 2009 at 3:58 pm
What a day! President Obama was sworn into office and the whole nation, including ourselves, were fixated on the events as they unfolded. As I looked at their luncheon menu I noticed they chose all California wines to pair with their meal. A 2007 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc with the first coarse, a 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir to go with the second coarse and a Korbel Natural “Special Inaugural Cuvee” sparkling wine (they errantly called it a California Champagne) for the third, and last, course. Go to White House Menu to see what food they paired these wines with or try Duckhorn Gift Set to buy the first two wines in a wooden gift box and enjoy what all the dignitaries at the luncheon enjoyed.

A side note, Shelley’s all-time favorite Merlot is made by Duckhorn. We have a couple bottles that we laid down some years back, one of them a 25th anniversary bottle. Perhaps we should think about bringing one of those up soon to enjoy, yes?

Tonight we celebrated this historic day by finishing off that wonderful lasagna from Sunday night and we opted to try a blend with it—an unusual blend from Oxford Landing from South Australia called GSM, which stands for Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre. I told you it was unusual. Oxford Landing has been around since 1958 and this 2006 GSM was a blend of 47% Grenache, 43% Shiraz and 10% Mourvedre.

Shelley thought she noticed pomegranate in the nose but changed that to, get this, concord grapes. How often do you get anything grape from a wine? Everything BUT grapes, right? I tasted cherries and Shelley added that they were sour cherries, at that. I couldn’t argue. A very smooth, well rounded red wine with virtually no tannins and didn’t taste as young as it should have.

We opened our evening by opening a bottle of Robert Mondavi Chardonnay from 2007. OK, nothing mind blowing here. We both thought the same thing after looking, smelling and tasting: Oak. There was so much oak in this Chardonnay that you couldn’t really taste that it was Chardonnay. That might explain why we each only had a glass and the rest sits in the bottle in the fridge. Perhaps we’ll try and finish it another night. It used to be that you could count on anything from Mondavi to be, at least, good, but not anymore. How sad.

And that’s what I have for you tonight. Until next time, drink up and enjoy!

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