In this episode, Jeff tries out the Big House 2011 White Wine…
Wine Tasted:
Big House 2011 White Wine
Paired With:
Spinach Salad with Chicken, Walnuts, Pomegranate Seeds, Dried Berries, Sunflower Seeds, Feta and a Balsamic Vinaigrette
After the Fact:
Whoops! I forgot to rate the wine on camera. Click here to see the score for this and other rad wines.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
A couple of weeks back, I got together with my ol’ buddy, Nick TheDrummer.
Some of you may remember that he is the guy that made this sweet logo for me…
Stay Rad. A Logo.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may also recall that we were in a punk rock band in high school…
What? You’ve never heard of The Willies?
And if you’ve been really keen on what’s been going down, you may also recall that he tried to steal my Halloween candy from me once.
Anyways…
While hanging out recently, we decided to film an episode of Stay Rad Wine Blog TV.
It started out as a really cool idea…
We pooled together his two video cameras and my iPhone. We set them up in different areas of the room, pressed record on all of them at the same time, and were set to make a supper slick three angle episode.
It was gonna be epic.
Well…
Once we started filming, Nick and I started to ignore the cameras, and really spent the next 42 minutes drinking and telling a bunch of inside jokes.
During the episode, I noticed that one of the cameras shut down.
After we were done filming, it also turned out that my iPhone only recorded the first 8 minutes and the digital audio recorder that we were using ran out of space.
What we were left with was a single camera shot of two old friends hanging out.
While I think you’re going to enjoy some of this, the episode is pretty long and does start to fall apart at the end.
I really like this episode. I just want you to know what you are getting into before you invest 42 minutes into it, ’cause it is a bit different from the videos I usually do.
Check it out…
Stay Rad,
Jeff
PS – To those that don’t know, Nick is a pretty badass musician. Here’s his newest single, “Better Way”…
He also owns and operates a Music and DJ service called Santa Cruz Live Music and DJ. Check it out!
This past weekend, Kara and I rolled up to Bodega Bay for an impromptu celebration of the engagement of our friends Richie and Erin.
Tucked along the Sonoma Coast, Bodega Bay is a small fishing town North of San Francisco. It’s a trip that should have taken us a little over two hours to accomplish, but after fighting rush hour traffic on Friday afternoon through San Jose, Oakland, and San Rafael it took us about three and a half.
We spent the majority of our first night in Bodega Bay celebrating the newly engaged couple with dinner, drinks, and a badass round of Apples to Apples.
A blast to be sure…
The next morning, we headed over to The Tides Wharf right along the Pacific Coast Highway to get some breakfast. While we were waiting to be seated, I walked out on the back patio to snap a few pictures…
The Thick Coastal Fog. The Signature of Bodega Bay.
To those not expecting it, the thick fog that covers Bodega Bay can come across as being quite eerie. It’s for this reason that Alfred Hitchcock chose this spot as the backdrop for his 1963 film, “The Birds”. Many of the scenes were filmed in the parking lot of The Tides Wharf.
Here’s a few of the local celebrities.
For breakfast, I ordered the Hangtown Fry…
The Hangtown Fry: Fried Oysters, Eggs, Bacon, Hashbrowns, and Rye Toast.
I love me some oysters, but I’ve never had them fried before. These ones were great. The outside was just crispy enough to give the oysters a snap without making the inside all rubbery.
After breakfast, we spent the rest of the day at the beach. Trust me… It was beautiful… Foggy… But beautiful. I’d show you some pictures, but I left my camera at the rental home.
After a fun day at the beach, and a tasty dinner, it was wine time.
On Saturday evening, we popped open quite a few bottles. Here are some of the highlights…
Rombauer Vineyards 2009 Zinfandel
Rombauer Vineyards 2009 Zinfandel:
Rombauer is a Napa winery that is more well-known for their Chardonnays, but I have always been a fan of their Zinfandels. Kara and I picked up this California Zinfandel on a trip to their tasting room. The fruit is 60% from their vineyards in the Sierra Foothills, with the other 40% from various vineyards throughout Northern California.
Color: Dark, dark burgundy red.
Nose: Raisin, cranberry, and plum fruit with red bell pepper and tobacco notes.
Taste: This is a big boy. Super concentrated plum fruit layered with sweet oak and tannins.
Score: This wine was a real crowd pleaser. It’s got that big fruit and alcohol that many folks love about Zinfandel. It does have that “smooth” taste that is easy to fall in love with. My only problem with this wine was that it didn’t bring anything else to the palate. A bit one-dimensional… You dig? 89
Haraszthy 2009 Dunbar Vineyard Zinfandel
Haraszthy 2009 Dunbar Vineyard Zinfandel:
Haraszthy is one of the oldest wine-making families in Sonoma County. The 2009 Dunbar Zinfandel is their first single vineyard wine.
Color: Dark red.
Nose: Black pepper, blackberries, and raspberries.
Taste: Green peppers, raspberries, and cranberries.
Score: A solid Zinfandel. A cool label. Give it a try. 88
De Loach 2008 Von Weidlich Zinfandel
De Loach 2008 Von Weidlich Vineyard Zinfandel:
Kara and I visited De Loach on our first wedding anniversary, and picked up this bad boy. The Von Weidlich Vineyard is in the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County.
Color: Dark burgundy red.
Nose: Tobacco leaf, blueberries, blackberries, and bell peppers.
Taste: Tobacco and mint dominate the palate. There is a good black pepper spice, along with some blackberry and cranberry fruit.
Score: This was my wine of the night. Hella complex. Hella balanced. 89
The De Loach also had something in it that the other wines did not…
The cork was covered in diamonds… Wine Diamonds!
On Sunday morning, after saying our goodbyes to the newly engaged couple, Kara and I headed South on Highway 1 to check out some of the fishing towns of Tomales Bay. We stopped at The Marshall Store in Marshall, CA to get us some more oysters…
Oysters! Dope oysters!
If you’ve never had a chance to visit Bodedga Bay, and the surrounding areas, I would definitely recommend you checking it out.
It’s not just for the birds…
It’s for oysters too.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
In this episode, Jeff tries some sparkling wine with sashimi…
Wine Tasted:
Korbel N.V. Brut
Paired With:
Tuna Sashimi on Rice with Seaweed Salad and Miso Soup
Stay Rad,
Jeff
In this episode makes a Tri Tip Sandwich along with a Zinfandel that you can find at a store near you…
Wine Tasted:
Paired With:
A big ol’ Tri Tip seasoned with Salt and Pepper…
Seared on High Heat…
Grilled on Medium for about 30 Minutes…
And put on a Sandwich with a Side of Butter Lettuce Salad.
After the Facts:
1. The current release of the Vintner’s Cuvee is XXXIV.
2. The Vintner’s Cuvee is always non-vintage, and may be blended from grapes of multiple vintages.
3. The majority of this fruit is from Lodi.
4. The XXXIII contains a small amount of Petite Sirah.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
In this episode, Jeff rocks out to a German Riesling and Latkes…
Wine Tasted:
Loosen Bros 2010 Dr. L. Riesling
Food Pairing:
Latkes with Green Onions, Apple Sauce, and Sour Cream
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Yesterday, my Aunt B. and Uncle J. took Kara and me wine tasting at Domenico Winery in San Carlos…
Domenico Winery
Domenico is an Urban Winery found just off of the 101 on the San Francisco Peninsula. I am always intrigued by the quality of wine coming from Urban Wineries like Domenico. I could do a whole series on just Urban Wineries…
But this post isn’t about that.
Although the winery is not located within the boundaries of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, Domenico is considered to be a Santa Cruz Mountain Winery because they do make some wines with fruit sourced from that appellation. Here’s a few that we tasted…
Domenico 2009 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay
Domenico 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
I do love me some Santa Cruz Mountains fruit. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains…
But this post isn’t about that.
Domenico is more well-known for their wines made from Italian varietals. We got to try the follwing wines which are recommended by yours truly…
Domenico 2006 Dolcetto
Domenico 2007 Montepulciano
Although I was into both of these, I am not usually a fan of wines made of Italian grapes grown in California (with the exception of Primitivo aka Zinfandel, which technically has origins in Croatia)…
But this post isn’t about that.
Domenico also makes a fine Bordeaux style blend from Napa…
Domenico 2005 Napa Valley Meritage
I was also very impressed with their dessert wines…
We picked up the 2009 “White Cashmere” Malvasia Bianca Dessert Wine, thanks to my aunt and uncle.
Yup. Domenico is a pretty cool place. You should check them out the next time you’re in San Carlos…
But this post isn’t about that.
On the way home, after saying our goodbyes to Aunt B. and Uncle J., we decided to swing by Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Tasting Room… Since it was on the way, and all…
As always, the entire lineup at Ridge was fantastic. We were hella stoked by the following…
Ridge 2010 East Bench Zinfandel
Ridge 2007 Syrah/Grenache
Ridge 2006 Lytton Estate Grenache
Those wines were very good. I mean… Ridge is ALWAYS good…
But this post isn’t about that.
There were two wines that we got to taste that were just amazing…
The Ridge 2010 Buchignani Ranch Carignane is unreal. The nose is this crazy combination of beef jerky and cake frosting. I know that sounds weird, but trust me… That smell is beautiful. The palate brings some legit blueberry and blackberry fruit. Pick it up! 92+
Behind the counter, they had open a Half Bottle of Ridge 1993 Monte Bello, so we had to have a taste. It’s hard to believe that this wine is 19 years old. Considering that half bottles age more quickly than those that are full-sized, it was neat to see how young it still behaved. The color was a dark reddish-purple with just the slightest rustiness near the rim. The nose had this fantastic spice that Kara and I were having trouble putting a name to. Kara settled with chai tea. The spice to me was more that of nutmeg and carob. There was also a generous aroma of plum. On the palate, this bad boy brought it all. Black tea, green peppers, clove, mint, ginger, blackberries, cranberries, and leafy tobacco married perfectly. This wine, right now, is in a sweet spot. It is F-ing great! 95
Since Kara and I joined Ridge last year, I’ve probably visited the winery about 20 times (Yikes!), and I am always surprised by all the neat little gems that show up every time…
But this post isn’t about that.
After we got home, I took our dog, Angel, for a walk…
What’s up? Dog.
While on our walk, Angel stepped on a bee.
My dog is a bad ass. She is maybe 15 pounds, and talks trash to the local pit bulls whenever she sees ’em. But, when she stepped on that bee, I’ve never seen her in more pain… Ever. She began to limp and cry, and would not stop.
Kara and I took her to the vet to get her paw checked out. They gave her a couple of shots to ease the swelling and pain, and by bedtime she was back to her bad ass ways…
But this post isn’t about that.
When I woke up this morning, I saw that my ol’ buddy, Nick TheDrummer, had created the following logo for me and posted it to my Facebook page…
Stay Rad Wine Blog: The Logo
It’s pretty cool, huh?
But this post isn’t about that.
This post is about the kindness of people…
It’s about my wife coming on wine adventures with me.
It’s about my aunt and uncle inviting us to lunch, treating us to a wine tasting, and buying us a bottle of wine… Just because.
It’s about the people at Ridge Vineyards always making fantastic wine, and bringing a great wine tasting experience every single time. I would continue to love their wine even if they were jerk faces, but they are far from it… And that’s just keen.
It’s about my dog, showing me nothing but love… Always.
It’s about perfect strangers showing nothing but love for my dog, even when she tries to bite their faces off.
It’s about Nick taking the time to make a logo for me just because he thought I would like it.
It’s about people taking the time to read what I have to say just because…
It’s about how much I love and appreciate you all.
That’s what this post is about.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
If you took the time to watch Episode 51 of SRWBTV, you may recall that I spent quite a bit of time talking about Natural Wine.
Although the term has been a hot topic among wine geeks for some time now, it wasn’t until my recent visit to Nagoya, Japan that I got a chance to really understand what Natural Wine really is.
You may recall from the Japan Fun Time series on Stay Rad that one night PB and Aim E. took us to a Natural Wine shop called Peshico…
Peshico
Aim and PB had been to a few of their tasting events in the past. Knowing that Kara and I love wine, they called up Joel from Peshico to see if they could arrange a tasting for us.
Although Joel told them that Peshico was moving away from doing tasting events, he invited us down to the store to pick some bottles of wine. We could then head over to a local restaurant to have dinner and enjoy the wines while Joel described them.
We were all like, “Heck yeah, foo!”
And Joel was all like, “Come on down.”
Peshico: The Shop
Now…
Before we really get into the wine, let’s talk about the umbrella that is Natural Wine…
The term “Natural Wine” is not regulated by any governing body, the way that “Organic” is. Most Natural Wine producers will not include the term on their label. This makes it tough for us American consumers to take hold of.
Natural Wine is not just “Organic” or “Biodynamic”. Those labels refer to how the grapes are farmed. Many Natural Wine advocates will argue that after these organic grapes are farmed, they can be treated in very un-natural ways to make wine.
The best way that I can describe Natural Wine is that it is a philosophy in winemaking.
When grapes hang from vines, as they ripen, natural yeasts will collect on the grapes. These indigenous yeasts will consume energy from the sugar in the grapes through a process called alcoholic fermentation, a natural process in which yeast convert sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol. You may have heard stories of birds eating grapes that have fermented on the vine, gotten drunk, and then flown into windows. Essentially, the alcohol produced here is wine, the way that nature intended.
Now…
Of course, the moment that man decides to plant and farm grapes, throw them into barrels and bottles, stick a label on them, and sell them to the public, we introduce a whole bunch of un-natural processes. The goal of the natural winemaker is to intervene as little as possible in this process to make a wine that people will enjoy. In order to do this, winemakers will try to follow a self-imposed set of guidelines. Here are a few of them…
1. Grapes are organically grown (with or without certification).
2. Grapes are dry-farmed.
3. Grapes are hand-picked.
4. Wine is fermented on their natural occurring yeasts.
5. No sugar is added during the winemaking process.
6. Wines are rarely filtered or fined.
7. Very little, if any, sulfites are added during the process.
Now…
A quick word on sulfites.
There is no such thing as a sulfite-free wine, because sulfites occur naturally in grapes. While sulfite allergies do exist (the FDA estimates 1% of the population suffers from sulfite sensitivity), the compound seems to get a bad rap from the general public.
Some folks like to blame sulfites for their hangovers, when alcohol is the more likely culprit.
Some folks claim that the sulfites in red wine gives them headaches, so they stick to white. The reality is that white wine contains much more sulfites on average than their red counterparts.
If you are convinced that you have a sulfite sensitivity, you could see an allergist… Or you could do the food test. Do you have reactions to dried fruits? If so, maybe you do have a sulfite sensitivity… Considering that they contain about 10 times more sulfites than wine.
Okay…
Back to Natural Wine…
I like the idea of being a minimalist when it comes to making wine. It is not the goal of the natural winemaker to make a wine that is consistently the same from one year to the next. It is the goal of the natural winemaker to produce a wine that best expresses the grapes grown in one place during the course of one year. Just like the weather, Natural Wines can vary quite a bit from one year to the next. In a sense, you could consider Natural Wine to be journal that nature has written during one growing season.
You know… This blog is kind of like a journal. Does that mean that Natural Wine is Rad?
Let’s read on, and find out…
So…
After picking out a few bottles, Joel took us over to a local Italian restaurant called Orsarino…
Orsarino
Good thing Joel knows his Japanese as well as he knows his wine…
Joel ordered us up some good food. Take a look…
Scalops
Tons of other dope foods.
As good as all the food was, this dinner was all about the wine…
Natural Wine
Wine One:
Christian Binner 2009 Katz’en Bulles: This sparkling Riesling from Alsace, France brought aromas of apple and lavender. There’s a good lemon/lime acidity to go with notes of honey and menthol on the palate. A great start.
Wine Two:
Pierre Frick 2008 Pinot Blanc: This Alsacian white is a crisp little number. Apple Sauce. Honeysuckle. Lemon. Crisp to the Hella.
Wine Three:
Le Scarabee 2009 Sur un Nuage: This is a red blend of Grenache and Carignan from the Roussillon region of France. Good notes of strawberry, clove, and cinnamon on the nose. Good flavors of Earth and strawberries. Good tannic mouthfeel. You could say it’s good cubed… And that’s hella good!
Wine Four:
Podere il Santo 2006 Rairon: 90% of this Italian red from Lombardia is made of a grape called Uva Rara. That translates to Rare Grape! The other 10% is Barbera. There’s a great nose of cherries, blueberries, and soil. The palate matched the beautiful nose on this wine. Everyone at the table was a fan.
I’ve gotta say that ever since this dinner, my mind has been obsessing on Natural Wine.
I was really pleased with how fresh, different, and delicious these wines were.
Now…
I’m certain that there are some clunkers out there, but this dinner was a shining example of how good Natural Wine can be.
I want to thank Joel at Peshico for being such a great host, and for sending me a whole bunch of info on the wines we drank that night.
If you get a chance, don’t be afraid to give Natural Wine a try.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
PS – For more info on Natural Wine, check out MoreThanOrganic.com.
In this episode, Jeff tries out an Old Vine Zinfandel from Amador County…
Wine Tasted:
Kirkland Signature 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel, Amador County – 88+
Paired With:
Grilled Ciabatta with Blueberries, Basil, Ricotta, and Honey and a Strawberry and Goat Cheese Mixed Green Salad
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Many of y’all know that Kara and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary last Tuesday.
Some of you even know that we spent that day in the wine country of Paso Robles.
But nobody…
NOBODY…
Nobody knows what went down that day…
Until now.
Paso Robles is a good two and a half hour drive South from our home, so we jumped in the ol’ car ’round 8am that morning. From the Bay Area, it’s pretty easy to get there… Just jump on the 101, and go nuts.
We arrived in Paso at 10:30. Our first destination was Justin Vineyards & Winery on the far West end of Paso Robles…
A view of the Vineyards at Justin
I’ve been a fan of Justin for a little while (Remember when I tried their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon last year?).
Although they are most well-known for their Bordeaux style wines, we were able to taste a nice and herby Tempranillo and beautifully smokey Syrah.
Of course, my favorite tasting at Justin was their 2009 Isosceles…
Justin 2009 Isosceles
The Isosceles is Justin’s Left Bank style Bordeaux blend. It is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Merlot, and retails for $62.
Color: Dark ruby.
Nose: A beautiful scent of blackberries and cassis with just a touch of cocoa powder.
Taste: Big black fruits, licorice, tobacco, and pepper. The limestone soils of the vineyard gives the wine a good acidity to balance with the fruit and tannin.
Score: This is a beautiful wine that drinks well now, but would taste great in about 7 years. 92 points.
The next stop on our Paso Robles adventure was Tablas Creek Vineyard…
The barrels in view from the tasting room at Tablas Creek.
I’ve known about Tablas Creek for a while (mainly because of their numerous Wine Blog Award nominations and wins for Blog Tablas Creek), but have never had the opportunity to taste their wines.
It was clear to Kara and me from the get go, that we made a good choice by stopping here…
For starters, they offer you a big steel bottle of water on your way in. There’s a refrigerated dispenser that you can use to refill whenever you need to. When you’re done at the tasting room, you just leave the bottles on the counter. Every tasting room should do this. EVERY… SINGLE… TASTING ROOM.
Tablas Creek is partly owned by the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel in the Chateauneuf du Pape region of France. Slowly, but surely, over the years they have been importing Rhone vines from France to plant in their vineyards. It is an extremely time-consuming, and expensive process, but I can’t think of many other places in California that can match the style and quality of the Rhone wines that we tasted on Tuesday.
Here are some of my favorites…
Tablas Creek 2010 Cotes de Tablas
Tablas Creek 2010 Mourvedre (How do you pronounce it?)
Tablas Creek 2009 Esprit de Beaucastel: Ripe blackberry and raspberry on the palate. Rich. Luscious. Dope. 92
Tablas Creek 2010 Counoise
When we were done with the tasting, we were given the tasting glasses to take home with us.
On the way out, I noticed some of the young Mourvedre vines that were waiting to be grafted, and just had to take a picture…
Mourvedre
Tablas Creek Vineyard is easily one of the best Winery/Tasting Room experiences that I have ever had. Nothing flashy. No gimmicks. Just great wine in a friendly environment. The passion is in the wine and the people who are serving it, and it shows.
Just great.
Just go there.
Our next stop was Cypher Winery…
Cypher Winery
Cypher Winery is home of the Freakshow label. In spite of the wacky labels and names for the wines, these guys bring some quality juice.
My favorite of the day was…
Freakshow 2009 “Loco” Tempranillo. This wine a good combination of dark berries, herbs, and oak. Definitely recommended.
Next, we made our way over to Turley Wine Cellars to get our Zinfandel on…
Turley Wine Cellars
Turley is well-known for making great single-vineyard Zinfandels from Napa and Paso Robles. I was a big fan of this one…
Turley 2009 Ueberroth Vineyard Zinfandel: Good blueberry fruit with herbs and spices. 90+
Many of the wineries we visited sent us home with glasses from the tasting room. Turley gave us the option of a glass or a stainless steel water bottle full of ice-cold water…
Guess which one we took?
After Turley, we mosied down the street to the new Sextant Wines tasting room…
Sextant Wines
This is the Sextant 2007 Kamal Cabernet Sauvignon. It was pretty good.
Our last winery of the day was Zenaida Cellars, where there was a ridiculously long list of wines available to taste…
Zenaida Cellars
All of their wines were great, and the folks working at the tasting room were really cool.
We came home with the Zenaida 2009 Zephyr, a semi-Rhone blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, and a splash of Viognier.
After a long day of tasting wine, we checked into our hotel and spent a bit of time at the pool before heading out to dinner at Buona Tavola…
Buona Tavola
Buona Tavola specializes in Northern Italian Cuisine. They have two locations… One in San Luis Obispo and one in, of course, Paso Robles.
The wine list was very extensive, and very reasonable. We decided to go with this one…
The Cascina Val Del Prete 2010 Barbera D’Alba is fruit-forward and has enough complexity to be enjoyed on its own, but the subtle Earthiness and good acidity make it a great food wine as well.
While looking over the menu, I took full advantage of the fresh bread and olive tapenade on the table. “What’s that? Do I want more? Yes, please. Keep it coming!”
They have a very reasonably priced three course meal, so Kara and I jumped all over it…
Round One: Insalata al Cuore di Cesare
Round Two: Fettuccine al Sugo di Carni Miste
Round Three: A Really Good Pork Chop
I don’t know if it was the wine, or the people, the fact that it’s so fresh in my mind, or because it was our anniversary… But I cannot remember having a more all-around pleasant experience wine tasting.
I’ve heard people gush over Paso before, but I never imagined that this place really would live up to the hype.
I was wrong.
This place is fantastic.
You should go.
If you don’t believe me, it’s cool.
Just do yourself a favor.
Believe the Hype!
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Stay Rad 