Smoking Loon California Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

By lisala on 8/30/10 3:53pm
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Smoking Loon is a label owned by Don Sebastiani and Sons, producing California table wines as negociants in California's Sonoma Valley. Don Sebastiani and Sons produce wine under the Smoking Loon, Pepperwood Grove, Aquinas, The Crusher, B Side, Flock, and s|k|n labels. They also produce the new Big Green Box California boxed wine from their Pepperwood Grove label. Under the Smoking Loon label, they produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Petite Syrah, Syrah, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Savignon Blanc, and Viognier. We picked this up on a whim, based on past experiences, and realizing we hadn't tried it in several years, and that a friend loves their Merlot.

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Westerly Vineyards Viognier Santa Maria California, 2008

By lisala on 8/24/10 2:14pm
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This is another first for me; I've never had Viognier, just Viognier, before, though I have enjoyed white wine blends containing Viognier. The Westerly Vineyards Vigonier is a light straw color in the glass. The aroma is sweet and musky, very like honeysuckle or certain musk melons, or even orange-flavored mead, on the nose. Just from the aroma, this is clearly not Chardonnay, it's not Sauvignon Blanc, it's very different.

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Westerly Vineyards Santa Maria California

By lisala on 8/23/10 1:29pm
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Neil and Francine Afromsky originally intended to grow Granny Smith apples, but unfortunately, the market for Granny Smiths declined. Consequently, in 1995, the Afromskys purchased a chunk of prime agricultural land (the Westerly Estate) in California's "Happy Valley," located in the extreme southeastern tip of the Santa Ynez Valley. They were the first viniculturists in the Happy Valley, and they turned to viticulturist Jeff Newton to guide them. At first, they planted Bordeaux style varietals; later, they began cultivating Rhône varietals, like Viognier. After the harvest, struck by the quality of the grapes, they decided to make their own wine, and Westerly Vineyards was born.

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Viognier

By lisala on 8/21/10 5:37pm
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Viognier is an old white wine grape, whose name is pronounced like this. Just how old isn't clear. It was present in France in the middle ages, and there are those who suspect it is the grape referred to by classical writers as a grape from the eastern coast. The University of California at Davis' viniculture DNA studies have determined that Viognier is very closely related to white grape known as Freisa, a grape closely associated with Italy's Piedmont region, and that Viognier is a cousin of Nebblio, which means that they have at least one ancestor in common.

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Lindemann's Chardonnay South Africa Western Cape 2007

By lisala on 8/12/10 7:33pm
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Founded as an Australian winery in 1843, and now one of the largest producers and distributors of Australian wines, Lindemans is now owned by Fosters Group (who also own Beringer, Stags Leap, Rosemount, and Penfolds). Their fame has been in part based on Australian wines released in carefully controlled batches—like the Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay, or Bin 50 Shiraz. They are one of the largest wine producers and distributors in Australia, and, since their acquisition by the Fosters Group, they have increased production and distribution, both. In Australia, the Lindemans Winery at Karadoc in Victoria produces wines for the Cawarra, Bin Series and Premier Selection labels, and a second, older winery in South Australia's famous Coonawarra region produce the Reserve and Coonawarra Trio wines.

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Hannah Nicole Cabernet Sauvignon Contra Costa, California 2005

By lisala on 8/11/10 10:48am
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I'm still very intrigued by the differences between California and Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. For my part, I associate California with a tendency towards more oak, and Washington with a similar tendency to complex fruit. Consequently, this 2005 bottle of Hannah Nicole Cabernet Sauvignon practically leapt off the shelf and into my basket while looking for something to accompany home-made chile rellenos. The Hannah Nicole winery is located in Contra Costa, California. It's a family winery, but one that recently finished building a huge complex with a warehouse, and tasting room and shop, on beautiful grounds. The proprietors initially planned to grow apples; Granny Smith apples to be precise, but when apple prices dropped, they planted grapes. And then, caught by the joy of wine-making, in 2002 they bought more land, and planted more grapes.

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Concha y Toro Frontera Carmenere Valle Centrale Chile 2003

By lisala on 8/4/10 2:15pm
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I've been deliberately looking at Chilean wines since the earthquake last February, and especially, for Carménère from Chile. Locally, the best place to look for new world wines is at one particular grocery store, or at Trader Joe's. I haven't had a chance to go to either, yet, and this particular bottle of Concha y Toro Frontera Carmenere Valle Centrale Chile 2003 was a bit of a surprise find. Frontera is the easiest Chilean wine to locate in the U.S., and it's a good entry point to the rest of the wines from Concha y Toro.

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Concha y Toro Frontera Wine

By lisala on 8/3/10 3:20pm
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Concha y Toro winery is located in Chile. To be more precise, in several large sections of Chile; Concha y Toro consists of over 11 thousand acres spread between the primary wine producing regions of Chile, in Maipo, Maule, Rapel, Colchagua, Curico, and Casablanca. The area is protected by natural barriers— the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world, to the north, the glacial Ice Fields in the south, the Pacific ocean to the west, and the Andes in the east. Concha y Toro is the largest producer of wine in Latin America. The Concha y Toro Vineyard was founded by Melchor Santiago de Concha y Cerda and his wife, Emiliana Subercaseaux, in 1883. The initial plantings were of traditional varieties from France's Bordeaux region, consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot, and Carménère.

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Carmenere

By lisala on 8/2/10 7:05pm
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Carménère was, in the mid 1800s, a staple of French Bordeaux wine blends (in combination with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot). The Carménère's simultaneously herbal and spicy qualities provided a pleasant contrast for the other wines in the traditional Bordeaux blend, though it was prized as much as for the deep red color (the name Carménère is cognate with carmine, a deep vibrant red—though the name seems to be inspired more by the deep red of the grape vines in fall). Carménère was successfully planted in Chile, where the original French stock thrived, and frequently, grew alongside Merlot vines.

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Charles Creek En Casa California Pinot Grigio 2007

By lisala on 7/15/10 10:49pm
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I note that this bottle of Charles Creek En Casa California Pinot Grigio was a find at the local Bargain Grocery Store. It's summer, it's hot, and the perfect weather for drinking Pinto Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. This particular Pinot Grigio is from a small California family winery based in Sonoma (and Napa) California. Gerry and Bill Brinton are the proprietors, and they rely on Kerry Damskey as their "consulting winemaker." They produce a variety of red and white wines, including some limited release wines.

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