Nose: Up front, the aroma is unmistakably that of strawberries. Squeeze in a little bit of lime. Pour it over a slice of brioche. This wine has a great nose.
Taste: Fruit flavors of peach and tangerine mixed with yeast. There is a big, long acid finish, sprinkled with mineral flavors.
Score: This is THEE wine to have on a hot day. Refreshing and complex. Give it a 90+, and enjoy.
This past Thursday, they became my most favoritest.
If you don’t believe that “favoritest” is a word, just click here.
Here’s why…
"Where have you been all my life?"
Once a month, for $10, Bubbles offers a wine and food tasting.
Kara and I had been planning on going to one of these events for a while. Since we had last week off, and our ol’ friend John Terra Savia was in town, we all met up to get our taste on.
This tasting included six wines, and tons of food…
Tons of food: Prosciutto Wrapped Prawns w/ Spicy Chili Oil, White Bean Stew, and BBQ Pork Sliders w/ Blue Cheese Cole Slaw
Beauregard 2009 Metalique Chardonnay and Beauregard 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay
Beauregard 2009 Metalique Chardonnay:
This is Beauregard’s version of the unoaked Chardonnay. Admittedly, I’m starting to get kind of bored with that style (That gives me an idea for a post!). There is nothing boring, however, about the 2009 Metalique. Crisp, lemon acidity, stone minerality, and smoke… Lots of smoke! It’s an odd finish. Then again, I’m a little odd too. It gives me character. It does the same to the wine. Give it an 87+.
In talking to John, we began to speculate as to how an unoaked Chardonnay could get that smokey.
My guess was that it was rouge bacteria.
John just kept saying, “It tastes like smoke taint to me… Like there must have been a wildfire that year.”
Sure enough, the next day John sent me a link to an article about another Chardonnay from 2009 (Pelican Ranch) that was grown in the same area (Bonny Doon) and had also been affected by a wildfire. Check it out!
Beauregard 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay:
This Chardonnay is more my style. Crisp, lemon acidity (like before), but with the addition of vanilla bean from the oak and malolactic fermentation. I tried the spicy prawns with this wine, and the heat really went well with the creaminess of the Chardonnay. 88+
Tank House 2009 Syrah and Tank House 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
Tank House 2009 Syrah:
On the nose, this Syrah was loaded full of tomato. The palate, conversely, gives flavors of caramel and cranberries. This was an awkward, but interesting little wine. The white bean stew did a good job of marrying the flavors. 86+
Tank House 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon:
Tomato (again) and smoke on the nose, with a touch of tea leaf. On the palate, this cab brings a good balance of clove spice, plum fruit, Earthy black tea flavors, and nice acidity. This one also went well with the white bean stew, but it can definitely stand on its own. 89
The last stop on our tasting journey was Alderese Vineyards (Note: I’d provide a link to their website if they had one. Let me know if you can find it. I had no luck)…
Alderese Vineyards 2009 Westside Zinfandel and Alderese Vineyards 2008 Late Harvest Zinfandel
Alderese Vineyards 2009 Westside Zinfandel:
This is a new winery in Amador county specializing in Zinfandels. The 09 Westside Zin has a touch of Petite Sirah in it. The flavor of this wine is quite candied. Fruit-forward plums and dark raisin flavors dominate the palate. Though I give it an 86, this was the perfect wine to go with the pork sliders. The pork brought out a nice, green pepper flavor.
Alderese Vineyards 2008 Late Harvest Zinfandel:
The gentleman pouring the wine told us that 2008 was the first Zinfandel vintage for Alderese. I asked him if they did a regular Zinfandel that year too. He said they did not. John and I both speculated that they probably messed up harvesting the first year. This wine was super candied and sugarfied. Hella concentrated raisins for days. Another 86 that still went very well with the pork.
We had a great time at Bubbles, as we always do.
I’m looking forward to going to more of their tasting events in the future.
Since Kara and I had this last week off, we decided to do a little wine tasting.
On Friday we headed over to Clos La Chance in San Martin.
Some of you may know that this is the winery where Kara and I got married.
Here’s some proof…
The Happy Couple
See… I told you so.
As it turned out, Friday wasn’t the most beautiful day (weather-wise) to go tasting.
It was a bit wet…
Actually, even when it's soaking outside, this is one of the most beautiful wineries in the area.
Inside, there was a perfect wine on the menu to compliment the weather…
Clos La Chance 2009 Reserve Petit Verdot
Color: Dark purplish red.
Nose: Big dark mocha notes, with a hint of green bell pepper.
Taste: True to the varietal, this Petit Verdot has a fantastic grip on the palate. Tons of dancing black pepper spice along with powdery tannins. Great mocha, plum, and green bell pepper flavors.
Score: I have to admit that I am not a big fan of cigars, BUT this is a great cigar wine. Perfect for a lounge chair, under a covered patio, on a rainy day. Give it a 90-.
This Sunday morning (two days later), Kara and I headed back up to the Clos La Chance estate to take advantage of the more Spring-like weather…
Spring has sprung!
This time, it was perfect weather to take a Chardonnay class…
Pulling up a chair in the Grand Salon.
As part of Clos La Chance’s Chardonnay month, Estate Sommelier Roy Froom lead a 20 minute presentation on the golden grape.
Here’s the two Chardonnays we got to taste…
Clos La Chance 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay and the Clos La Chance 2009 Liebeler Vineyard Chardonnay
Clos La Chance 2008 Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnay:
Sourced from 6 different vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this Chardonnay is steel fermented and barrel aged. The SCM Chardonnay is the flagship wine of Clos La Chance. It goes through full malolactic fermentation.
Color: Typically golden-yellow in color.
Nose: Green apple. Pear. Lemon zest. Vanilla. Nice.
Taste: Good, vibrant, lemon acidity. There is a nice integration of oak that gives this Chardonnay a neat little brown sugar flavor. This wine has a light to medium viscosity and a good, creamy finish.
Score: A solid effort. Give it an 88+.
Clos La Chance 2009 Liebeler Vineyard Chardonnay:
The Liebeler Vineyard is one of the six vineyards providing fruit for the SCM Chardonnay. This vineyard is pretty high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This cool-climate Chardonnay is oak fermented and aged. It goes through partial malolactic fermentation, and is aged on its lees.
Color: Same as the SCM.
Nose: This brings a big oaky aroma up front.
Taste: Big oak and spice on the palate give way to a very crisp, acidic finish of green apples. Good, medium viscosity.
Score: The Liebeler just barely edges out the Santa Cruz Mountains for me at an 89, though I would say the SCM is more of a crowd-pleaser in flavor and price.
Thanks for the memories, Clos La Chance. We’ll probablly come back tomorrow…
Jump in your buggy, and drive on down (or up… or over…) to Santa Cruz and do you some wine tasting.
The Santa Cruz Mountains are home to some of the finest wineries in the world.
The only problem is that driving your buggy from one winery to the next can be a real schlep.
Over the last couple of years, a small group of wineries have been opening up tasting rooms on the West Side of Santa Cruz to make your wine tasting just a little bit easier.
Randall Grahm started Bonny Doon Vineyard in 1983, and has been making legit Rhone wines from the get go. Growing up about a 10 mile drive from Bonny Doon, I’ve known of this winery my entire life. This, however, was my first experience tasting their wines…
I feel like a dumb ass for waiting so long.
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2010 Banana Slug Roussanne
This white Rhone was grown from the Beeswax Vineyard in Arroyo Seco. It brings butt loads of minerality and clean green apple fruit. There’s a good weight to this one. And, of course, it’s got a great acidity to compliment a light dish. 89
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2011 Vin Gris De Cigare
Here’s the lineup for this rose… 73% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 8% Grenache Blanc, 16% Roussanne, and 4% Cinsault. Peach on the nose. Lime and minerals on the palate. 100% goodness. 89+
Ca' Del Solo 2006 Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is THEE noble grape of Italy. Bonny Doon does this grape justice. Good strawberry fruit and Earth notes on the nose. There is some red plum on the palate, but this wine is dominated by its Earthy, grippy, tannins and powdery finish. 90+
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2007 Alamo Creek Syrah
Fantastic. This wine is fantastic. This San Luis Obispo Syrah is inky, and gamey, and smokey, and dope. Give it a 91.
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2007 Le Cigare Volant normale
Le Cigare Volant is Bonny Doon’s Chateauneuf-du-Pape style blend of 60% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 4% Mourvedre, and 4% Cinsault. This is their flagship wine. I can see why. Good raspberry nose. Raspberry, cranberry, leather, and pepper on the palate. This wine is mad complex. This wine is mad balanced. I’d plant my flag in this wine too. 90+
The neat thing about Le Cigare Volant is that you can also try a couple of variations of the same wine based on the vessel in which they were aged…
Also available in en demi-muid and en foudre...
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2007 Le Cigare Volant en foudre:
The normale blends some wine aged in giant casks and others that were aged in normal sized wine barrels. The en foudre is just the stuff that was in the giant cask. Since less of the wine is in contact with the wood, the en foudre is a bit juicier than the normale. Blackberry nose. Raspberry, cranberry, and leather are still the prodominent flavors on the palate. Everything just seems to be a bit more rich and ripe. Good stuff. 91+
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2007 Le Cigare Volant en demi-muid:
With the smaller barrels, a lot more wine is in contact with the oak. On the nose, this added some pepper notes to the blackberry fruit. The pepper also comes through on the palate… and it lingers for a while. 91
The second we walked through the doors of the MJA Tasting Room, we were greeted by Marin Artukovich. Marin worked in the Kona coffee business in Hawaii for 16 years before starting a winery on Howell Mountain in the Napa Valley. He’s had his tasting room in Santa Cruz since 2010, where he serves wine under the labels Serene Cellars and DaVine Cellars… along with Kona coffee and Hawaiian music.
All of his cabs were terrific.
My favorite…
Serene Cellars 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon... Or as Marin calls it, "Nosey".
Along the way, Marin made sure to feed us…
Chocolate Covered Kona Peaberry Coffee Beans
Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nut
And he gave me a quick tour of his winery in the back…
They play movies in here too!
Once the wine tasting was done, we needed some lunch…
In this episode, Jeff reveals the winners of the First Ever Stay Rad Free Stuff Giveaway while revisiting a dope Cabernet Sauvignon from Aver Family Vineyards.
I’ll start contacting the winners on Wednesday, April 11th. If you don’t hear from me, hit me up at JeffStayRad@gmail.com with the subject title “Gimmie my Free Stuff, Foo!”
Wine Tasted:
Aver Family Vineyards 2007 Family Album Cabernet Sauvignon
In this episode, Jeff tries a Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux from the Medoc region. Is 2009 the greatest Bordeaux vintage of all time? Let’s work our way from the bottom up…
I hopped into a van with my buddies Cheeto, Scotty Physics, and the Laser Boys.
Rain was falling like crazy.
An hour later, we ended up at our destination…
But where the heck were we?
I know that city way over there. That's San Francisco...
But what is up with this fence?
And who the heck are the Firebirds?
This must be a popular place?
Are we playing war games?
Okay... Now I get it. We're tasting distilled spirits.
But what's up with these knives? I'm scared.
Established in 1982, St. George Spirits is the oldest craft distillery in the United States. It’s located at the World War Two Navy Base at Alameda Point in Alameda, California (right next to Oakland). The tasting room/distillery is found inside of a renovated hangar that was once home to VA-304, the attack squadron known as the Firebirds.
This place is bad ass!
Let’s get into the spirits…
AQUA PERFECTA POIRE EAU DE VIE
Aqua Perfecta is the name of St. George’s Eau de Vie line. Eau de Vie (water of life) is a traditional style of unaged fruit brandy that is very popular in Europe. St. George is the first Eau de Vie distiller in the United States.
This pear brandy is high in alcohol, but smells fantastic. The Eau de Vie is traditionally used as a digestif.
St. George Botanivore Gin
Let’s say you’ve been on a martini kick. And let’s say that you’ve just run out of gin, and were looking to restock your liquor cabinet (like this guy). This Botanivore (Botanical Eater) is the gin for you.
Crisp. Herbaceous. Complex.
Pick it up!
St. George Terroir Gin "Mt. Tam"
I love the concept of this gin. If you’re into wine, you have to love a gin that’s rocking terroir in its name.
This gin definitely represents the qualities of Mt. Tamalpais. Douglas Fir. Bay Laurel. Coastal Sage.
This gin tastes and smells like a Christmas Tree.
Hangar One Straight Vodka
And here's the bottle.
Odds are that even if you’ve never heard of St. George, you’ve probably heard of Hangar One Vodka. The vodka was given its name based on the Navy Base where it’s distilled.
This vodka is made of a combination of distilled wheat and Viognier (you gotta be stoked on wine making an appearance here). Hangar One is distilled only once to make sure that you do get a lot of that delicious flavor… And boy, is it delicious.
Hangar One "Spiced Pear" Vodka
There is also a nice variety of infused vodkas under the Hangar One name. This one brought a neat aroma and taste of pears and bananas.
Breaking & Entering Bourbon Whiskey
And here's the bottle!
Although St. George does distill their own single malts, this bourbon is the only product here that they do not distill themselves.
The name “Breaking & Entering” comes from the fact that they commissioned a bunch of barrels from various distilleries in Kentucky. St. George then blended these barrels (each 5-7 years old) to make their own unique bourbon.
The B&E brings some nice caramel and vanilla spice.
Firelit Coffee Liqueur
Here’s what you get when you blend roasted coffee beans with Chardonnay brandy…
A rich and creamy delight that has 30% alcohol content and a massive amount of caffeine.
Hell to the yeah, foo!
Qi White Tea Liqueur
Orange peel for days, with a nice white tea minerality. At 40% alcohol, this stuff is scary delicious.
AQUA PERFECTA POIRE LIQUEUR
They love pears at St. George. They love them.
Their pear fruit liqueur was a bit too fruity for me.
Capri Sun like.
Let’s move on…
St. George Absinthe Verte
Here's the bottle. Yes. That monkey is playing a cowbell with a human femur bone.
Here’s the thing about Absinthe…
Absinthe is a delicious, high alcohol (120 proof) liqueur made from wormwood, star anise, and fennel.
Absinthe was illegal in the united states for almost 100 years.
By the time Absinthe was legalized for sale in the United States in 2007, St. George had already perfected and produced their version.
St. George was the first U.S. made Absinthe to be sold in the country.
Most people who talk about Absinthe have no clue what they are speaking about.
Lance Winters, the distiller at St. George does.
Peep this video to get the real deal…
Our Absinthe taste was served with an ice cube to release some of the botanicals, creating a delicious milky white louche…
Wait for it...
Wait for it...
Wait for it...
Wait for it...
There you go!
This Absinthe was super complex, with a big licorice characteristic.
You should be warned that Absinthe does numb your tongue a little bit (one reason why it’s served last), so don’t freak out if it happens to you.
Some people think Absinthe will make you hallucinate.
Those people are idiots!
Or are they...
After our tasting, we took a little tour of the distillery…
Gin
Bourbon
A big ass still.
Another big ass still.
The model of the shark that ate Samuel L. Jackson in the movie Deep Blue Sea.
Some of the herbs used in Absinthe.
We got to taste a bit of raw wormwood. Hella bitter!
As soon as I caught a whiff of that barbeque flavor, I got a flashback to when I was in high school.
Whenever my friends and I would drive up to punk shows at 924 Gilman St. in Berkeley, we would always walk around corner to get some Everett and Jones.
It’s been about 15 years since my last taste…
I ordered a Tall Saucey Sistah Ale...
And a big ol' plate of ribs with medium sauce. You could use napkins, but you don't need them if you've got wonder bread.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm...
And since it was right down the street, we also hit up this place…
Stay Rad 