Stay Rad

I know.  I know.

Sundays tend to be pretty quiet… for many a reason.

Fridays and Saturdays are meant for staying up late.  For going all out.

I get it.

Sundays are all about rest… recovery… relaxation.

You’ve got to recharge for the work week.

Sundays are meant for TV’s and burritos.

But not this Sunday.

Not in the middle of the weekend when we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Not when we have Monday off.

Not all of us.

Not most of us.

But many of us.

At least more than usual.

Not on a clear day in the mid sixties in the middle of January.

On days like this, you must go wine tasting.

You must.

How else are you going to celebrate life… That, and a Forty Niner victory.

So, when Kara and I showed up to Sarah’s Vineyard in Gilroy, I just had to wonder…

When we walked through the doors of the tasting room at Sarah’s Vineyard, we were shocked to discover that we were the only guests there.

At one o’clock.

On a Sunday.

During a three-day weekend.

When the wine is this good!

Here’s how it went down…

Sarah’s Vineyard 2010 Jour de Joie:

This is a very clean white Rhone blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc.  Nice floral notes, with a touch of oak.  A bit oily, but in a good way.  Give it an 86+.

One thing that’s neat about the location of Sarah’s Vineyard is that straddles both the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley appellations.  Both growing their own grapes, and sourcing from nearby vineyards, they have the ability to display the microclimatic influences of fruit that is grown just a few miles apart.  This is never more true when we were able to compare two of their current Chardonnays.

Sarah’s Vineyard 2009 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay:

This Chardonnay has some good red apple and asian pear fruit, rounded out by lemon-flavored acidity and custard.  A food-friendly wine that can stand on its own.  87+

Sarah’s Vineyard 2009 Central Coast Chardonnay:

In contrast with the Santa Cruz Mountains effort, this Central Coast Chardonnay is a citrus-driven wine.  Think grapefruit juice and orange zest.  There is a beautiful, creamy finish to this one.  Give it a solid 88.

Sarah’s Vineyard 2008 Cote de Madone:

A Silver Medal winner in the 2011 SF Chronicle Wine Competition, one could consider the Cote de Madone Rhone blend to be their flagship wine.  This blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignane, and Counoise brings a dark red to purple color to the glass.  There is a huge nose of cherry and leather.  The palate is loaded with dark fruit, spice, and a rich, meaty finish.  Good stuff!  89

Sarah’s Vineyard 2007 Fifty Fifty:

Sometimes, you don’t have to over-complicate wine.  Sometimes you just do an even blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and let the fruit speak for itself.  This wine is simple.  This wine is reserved.  This wine has depth.  Cherries and blueberries up front give way to a long finish of leather and spice.  The subtle use of oak allows the Santa Clara Valley to speak to your palate.  My palate likes what it hears.  89+

Sarah’s Vineyard 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains Merlot:

A great nose of soil and chocolate.  The palate is dominated by juicy dark cherries and fine tannins.  A very nice cool-climate Merlot.  89

To finish off our flight, our server poured us something special…

Sarah’s Vineyard 2007 Nuits d’Enfer:

Have you ever “painted the town red”?  That’s what it means when a French dude talks about the “Nights of Hell” (the literal translation of Nuits d’Enfer).  This red wine is mainly Merlot, with a touch of Charbono and Cabernet Sauvignon.  There is a BIG hit of blue and black fruit on this nose.  On the palate, the wine is powdery fine with its tannic structure.  Good blueberry fruit gives way to tobacco and spice.  At 20 bucks, this is a great wine if you plan on tying one on… Or… if you just wanna taste something really good.  You should get this.  90+

We had a great time as Sarah’s Vineyards, and you will too.

Lazy Sundays be damned.

Stay Rad,

Jeff

Tags: Gilroy, Jeff, Santa Clara Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains, Sarah's Vineyard, Stay Rad

This entry was posted on January 16, 2012 at 4:51 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.