Today is a special day.
Today, nominations open for the Wine Blog Awards.
So I ask you…
What is your favorite wine blog?
If you like this…
You may just want to nominate StayRadWineBlog.com as your favorite New Wine Blog.
All you gotta do is go here…
http://wineblogawards.org/from-the-organizers/wine-blog-awards-nominations-being-taken/
If you’re hardcore, you can nominate your favorite post from Stay Rad as the Best Wine Blog Post.
Just sayin’.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Two words:
White Zinfandel
I haven’t purchased a bottle of White Zinfandel in my entire life.
Ever.
Oh…
Believe me when I say I’ve had my fair share of it.
I did go to college.
But…
As we wine geeks explore the world of vino…
As we obsess on flavors, varietals, regions, and vineyards…
White Zinfandel gets left behind.
Some connoisseurs (of the snobby variety) would not be caught dead with a glass that pink sweet stuff.
But…
White Zinfandel does have a time and place.
Imagine you’re at a wedding in Phoenix, Arizona in 95 degree heat…
“Why, yes. I will have a glass of White Zinfandel.”
There really is nothing better in that situation.
Although, Miller Genuine Draft does come in a close second.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Saturday was a good day.
At 8:00am, Kara and I ran the OGSD SLUG Run 5K.
Not only did each of us come in second place in our age group, but I actually placed 3rd overall.
Here’s some proof… Granted, it is also proof that most of the race participants were elementary school kids trying to raise money for science camp… But still…
I won me a $25 gift card to a local running store for beating them kids.
It’s my Bib in a Box!
Earlier in the week, my buddy Cheeto mentioned that there was gonna be a BBQ competition in our neighborhood, so as soon as Kara and I returned from the race, we showered up and headed over to the Morgan Hill No Bull BBQ Cook-Off…
This is the third year in which Morgan Hill has held this competition. It is a national event that is part of the Pacific North West BBQ Association. In the competition, teams camp out over night to make the perfect brisket, chicken, pork, and pork ribs for a select group of judges.
As a spectator, you can purchase tickets to taste some of the items from the BBQ teams. Along with a booklet of five tickets, you also receive a vote in the “People’s Choice” competition. You know I’m never one to not let my opinion be heard, so I had to get my taste on.
You know that BBQ styles can range all over the place, so to limit the variables in play, I elected to compare pork ribs.
First up…
Porktera BBQ
Porktera Rib
The thing that really stuck out to me about Porktera was the richness of the pork. The sauce was nice and tangy. Not a bad start.
Next…
Smoke Slayers
Before I had my rib, I just had to take a peek at what Kara was trying…
Pulled Pork Taco? Nice!
On to the ribs…
Smoke Slayers’ Rib Tips
You’ve gotta love a rib tip. A little bone. A little cartilage. A textural sensation. Fun and delicious.
Next…
Canyon Riders BBQ
You gotta love it when you get to choose your sauce…
I chose the Sweet N’ Mild.
Canyon Riders BBQ Rib with Sweet N’ Mild Sauce
This rib was big and meaty. I usually opt for the spicier style of sauce, but the Sweet N’ Mild created a good contrast with the smokey rib meat.
When we rounded the next corner, we saw a big ass line…
Big Ass Line
With a line that long, it’s gotta be good… Right?
So Kara and I jumped on in…
Kara and Jeff in Line
Once we got to the front of the line, we were stoked on what we found…
Bad S BBQ
This is what I got…
Bad S Rib
See the carmelization on that rib? See that rich ass sauce? See how juicy that meat looks?
That was one Bad S Rib!
Kara’s food looked pretty good too…
Firecracker Shrimp
Now, it was time for my last rib of the day…
Big Ed’s Buzzard BBQ
Big Ed’s Rib
Great sauce. Great meat. Great presentation. Just great.
Kara still had one more tasting ticket, so we lined up next to this smoker…
The smoking section…
And ended up here…
Epiquerean Social BBQ
And Kara got this…
Chicken Wings
Lucky for me, Kara was full… So I got to eat ’em.
Super smokey and delicious.
The only thing that was left to do was drop off our votes for People’s Choice…
People’s Choice
For me, it was a toss-up between Big Ed’s and Bad S, but in the end…
Bad S gets my vote!
So I ask you…
What’s your favorite BBQ?
Stay Rad,
Jeff
So…
Kara and I were in Phoenix, Arizona this last weekend for a wedding.
Kara was one of the bridesmaids, and spent quite a bit of time with the bride for her bachelorette party, rehearsal, and prepping for the wedding. As a result, I had quite a bit of alone time this weekend.
Fortunately for me, there were tons of wedding guests in the same boat.
Sunday, the day of the wedding, I was planning on just kicking back in the hotel room and watching baseball when I got a call in my room…
On the other end of the phone were my buddies Valerie and Jason, who were also in town for the wedding. Being hardcore Giants fans, like me, they were gonna take a quick trip to nearby Scottsdale to check out the stadium where the San Francisco ball club plays their Spring Training games.
I was all like, “Heck yeah, foo!”
Here’s what the stadium looks like…
Scottsdale Stadium: Spring home of the San Francisco Giants
A big decorative ball.
Since Spring Training is over, the gates were hella closed.
After checking out the ballpark, we drove down the street to Old Town Scottsdale for lunch. Since it was Seis de Mayo, we decided to hit up some Mexican food…
Cien Agaves on Seis de Mayo
Cien is Spanish for 100. Blue Agave is the succulent plant that is used to make Tequila.
True to the name, this place always carries between 100 and 150 Tequilas on their menu.
Tequila, however, is not why we came to this place.
It was all about the tacos!
Tinga Taco: Made with Shredded Chipotle Chicken
Carnitas: Shredded Slow-Roasted Pork
Tecate Fish Taco: Beer-Battered Ono with Cabbage and Baja Sauce
Taco al Pastor: Classic Pork
While stuffing our bellies, I used Yelp to see if there were any wineries nearby.
Sure enough, Su Vino Winery was right down the street.
They are billed as Scottsdale’s first, and only, winery… So we had to check it out.
The tasting room had a very modern feel, and the staff was genuinely friendly and engaging…
The Wine…
Well…
The wine was okay.
Check it out.
Su Vino NV Summer Rain White Wine
Summer Rain is a Riesling infused with green apple. It is also one of the winery’s biggest sellers.
I’ve got to tell you that I am not a fan of infusing different flavors into wine. It kind of takes away from the romance of the grapes and their sense of place. That being said, it kinda works… Kinda.
The Riesling grapes are mainly from Washington. The infusion of green apple gives the wine pear-like flavor. It’s a little sweet. It’s a little tasty. It’s a little fakey fake.
It does, however, have its place. On a hot ass day in Arizona, this is what you would want to drink. I give it an 80-.
Su Vino NV Merlot
The first thing I noticed on the label was that it said “American” on the label. The folks working there told me that most of the fruit for their red wines come from Napa Valley, but they must also have some juice coming from other states.
The Merlot has a super fake-smelling nose of vanilla. On the palate, it brings more vanilla with cherry, cranberry, and olive.
I didn’t like it.
72
Su Vino NV Syrah/Grenache
You’ll notice that there is no label on this wine. Su Vino specializes in personalized labels, so they keep a lot of their bottles bare just in case somebody wants to get one printed.
It had a nose of blackberry, cinnamon, and oak. On the palate, it was very nutmeg-tasting with a few dark berries sprinkled in.
78+
While I was tasting the Syrah/Grenache, Valerie and Jason were tasting the Sangiovese. They seemed to like it, so the server offered me a taste as well…
The grapes for the Sangiovese are all from Italy. It had a good cherry flavor, but was a little thin for my liking. I gave it an 81+.
Up next…
Su Vino NV Syrah
The nose on this one had hints of cocoa shavings, soil, and plum. The wine tasted of blackberry fruit, tires, and cocoa. You’d think I would have liked this wine more. The problem is that the flavors don’t really marry each other that well.
80+
Su Vino NV Zinfandel
This American Zinfandel had a sugary nose of blackberries. The Zin tasted very ripe. It had lots of blackberry fruit mixed in with vanilla. It’s a 77+.
I really do like the idea of Su Vino.
I think more downtown areas would benefit from tasting rooms.
All the folks working there were awesome.
I just wish their wine was a little better. All of them tasted generally flat, to me.
Well…
This tasting experience was kind of a miss for me. So, now I have some questions for you…
Have you ever had any wine from Arizona? Did you like it?
Leave a comment below, yo.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
You know how I feel about Bubbles Wine Bar in Morgan Hill…
I love it.
Check the food I had there last Friday…
New York Crostini with Rare Steak, Horseradish, Peppers, and Capers. Mmmmmm…
Only the dopest of the dope Oysters. Mmmmmm to the hella…
When you’ve got great food, great wine, and a great atmosphere, you don’t want the afternoon to end…
And yet…
It must.
So Kara and I decided to have one more round before we walked back home.
For me, there’s only one choice when finishing of a nice evening…
Port!
Graham’s Six Grapes Port
Graham’s Six Grapes Port is referred to on their website as “the everyday Port for the Vintage Port drinker.” Considering I don’t drink Port every day, and have yet to consume a Vintage Port, you can take this review how you like…
Color: Dark inky purple. I mean… c’mon… What did you expect?
Nose: Nutty grape and plum juice.
Taste: The Six Grapes comes in at 20% alcohol. And let me tell you… You can feel that heat. Beyond that, it’s goopy grape juice with a nice nutty backbone.
Score: This is not a very complex Port, but it’s not really meant to be. What is undeniable is that it is tasty. For that, Graham’s, I’ll give you an 86.
You know…
The Six Grapes got me thinking.
Dessert wines are always going to have residual sugar. They are always crafted to be tasty, sweet treats. The delicious factor is always going to give dessert wines an edge, so I’m wondering…
Should there be a different scale for rating dessert wines?
What do you think?
Stay Rad,
– Jeff
You gotta love Ridge.
You gotta.
Last month, they come through with a badass component tasting of the 2011 Monte Bello (letting Monte Bello Collectors taste each of the four possible varietals that could end up in the 2011 Monte Bello). Back then, I was stoked to the hella on the assemblage.
This past Saturday, I headed back to the winery up above the city of Cupertino for the First Assemblage Tasting event.
The 2011 Monte Bello is coming along fantastically (and still bringing mad espresso notes!).
But this post ain’t about that… Well… This ain’t entirely about that.
I think the beauty of the Ridge Monte Bello is its ageability.
To prove just that, the fine folks on the mountain decided to open up the vaults and serve up something fun…
Ridge 1977 Monte Bello
Color-wise, this Monte Bello was a rusty orangish brick-red with mad sediment in the glass.
Nose of soft red fruit.
On the palate, the fruit is subtle. This wine is all mouthfeel. Smooth and smooth. There’s a hint of sun-dried tomato, and lots of rubber.
There’s something fun about a wine this old that still gives pleasure to the consumer.
The grapes that went into this wine were picked almost 35 years ago.
When this wine was in the barrel, I was in my mother’s womb.
There’s something fun about knowing that the Monte Bello I’m purchasing now will be here, giving me pleasure 15, 20, 30 years from now.
Sometimes you gotta look forward by looking back.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Sunday was a day to celebrate.
Sunday marked the third anniversary of 4488: A Ridge Blog by Christopher Watkins.
Sunday was the birthday of the late, most epic, jazz bassist, Paul Chambers.
Sunday was also F-ing beautiful…
See what I mean?
So it only stands to reason that on Sunday I headed up to Ridge Vineyards to participate in another blogger tasting…
I had no clue how much more awesome the day was gonna get…
When Christopher let us bloggers into the cool side of the barn at Monte Bello, at first, things looked normal…
Water, Glasses, Pen and Notebook all arranged nice and neat.
Breads and Cheeses were on display and ready to be noshed.
But then, things got weird…
Christopher started us off with a splash of the Ridge 2010 Chardonnay to wet our whistles. It was a classic golden-yellow color. There was a vibrant nose of green apple, vanilla, and mineral water. On the palate, the Chardonnay was quite viscous and brought flavors of vanilla bean and lemon meringue pie.
Oh no… There was nothing weird about the Chardonnay. It was great.
But what was up with that camera across the room?
Say "Cheese!"
And when Christopher brought out the wines, he kept them inside brown paper bags…
I haven't gone straight from the bag since I was in college.
Things began to make sense once Christopher began to introduce the tasting.
In honor of the blog’s anniversary, and Paul Chambers’ birthday, we were going to listen to some classic jazz music (all featuring Paul Chambers on bass) while we were going to drink some classic Ridge wines (made by another guy named Paul… Paul Draper). Our goal was to match the four wines we were about to taste with one of the four songs we were going to hear. The wines would be tasted blind, so as not to influence our choices.
So what’s up with the camera?
In August, Christopher will be participating on a panel at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon to discuss the relationship between wineries and bloggers. The camera would be used for source material for his presentation.
So…
After each of us got a chance to make wine and music pairing choices, we would reveal our answers on camera.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I can Drink that Tune in four glasses.
Let’s do this!
Wine #1
Color: Dark reddish purple.
Nose: Blueberry and tires (mmmmmmmmm), with this deeper concentrated blackberry note that keeps opening up over time.
Taste: There is a great concentration of tire rubber and blueberry fruit. The finish is nice and long, and peppery, with some dope-ass tannins.
My Guess: This, to me, was a classic Monte Bello. Great, dark fruit flavors, and balanced to the hecka. Let’s call it a 2008.
My Jazz Pairing: Give me “Paul’s Pal” by Sonny Rollins. To me, it’s the type of song I would use to turn somebody onto jazz. Just classic… Like this wine.
Do it, Sonny!
Next up…
Wine #2
Color: Similarly dark red, like the first wine… but darker. You feel me?
Nose: One sniff, and I had to jot down the words “Funkified Earth” in my notebook. There’s a lot of layers to this one. A lot. And yet, they come together perfectly. There’s this great mixed berry fruit, along with this oily goodness.
Taste: Mad strawberry and blackberry fruits. There’s a great mix of green bell peppers and crushed black pepper on the finish. As wacky as these flavors may sound, the wine itself is quite reserved.
My Guess: This wine is so damn good… and so damn unique. I was guessing a recent vintage of Geyserville (Zinfandel), because I always find them to be so damn good… and so damn unique.
My Jazz Pairing: “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk is loaded full of bouncy, funky notes. Like the wine, it’s so damn good.
Take it away, Thelonious!
Let’s keep it rollin’…
Wine #3
Color: More darker red than the first two.
Nose: Good fruit and leather. Remember when you were a kid, rockin’ fruit roll-ups for lunch? This wine smells like that strawberry fruit roll-up.
Taste: Juicy and concentrated with fruit… Spicy blackberry and red currant.
My Guess: At first, I was thinking that this was a ripe Zinfandel, but the more I thought about the aromatics of the nose and the spicy fruit, the more I gravitated toward Syrah. Let’s call it a recent Lytton Estate Syrah.
My Jazz Pairing: “So What” by Miles Davis is a laid back, cool tune. This song takes me back to elementary school. Not a care in the world, but the fruit roll-up in my hand.
It’s all you, Miles…
And finally…
Wine #4
Color: Similar color to wine #3.
Nose: Super, ultra concentrated fruit of raspberry and currant. Good leather notes.
Taste: The first sip gives a flavor blast of blueberries and raspberries. The fruit fades into a leathery finish.
My Guess: This was a fun wine. Not my cup of tea, but fun. The concentrated fruit reminded me of some of the Old School Zinfandels I’ve had in the past… So that’s what I’m going with.
My Jazz Pairing: A fun wine needs an up-beat tune like “Mr. P.C.” by John Coltrane. Super up. Super fun.
Let’s take a ride on the Col-Train (Get it?)!
Dang, that was fun…
Hella Fun!
After each of us declared our jazz and wine pairings, Christopher brought us some more wines to taste while he tabulated the results. I was very stoked to get another chance to taste from the Historic Vineyard Series again…
History repeats itself... Or does it?
Ridge 2009 Perrone Cabernet Franc: Red fruit and jerky on the nose. Juicy red fruit and vanilla on the palate.
Ridge 2009 Klein Cabernet Sauvignon: Chalky blueberry and blackberry on the nose. There’s a great grip to this wine accompanied by black and red fruits. There’s a nice tea leaf flavor on the finish.
Ridge 2009 Torre Ranch Merlot: Chalky, smokey red fruit on the nose. Red plum, olive, tea leaf on the palate. Juicy and complex.
A few months back, I ranked the Perrone first, followed by the Klein and the Torre Ranch.
This time, my ranking has flip-flopped. That Torre Ranch Merlot is fantastic!
Okay…
So, after we got into the Historic Vineyard wines, Christopher was ready to reveal the wines that we had tasted earlier.
Are you guys ready?
Here we go!
Wine #1:
I guessed a 2008 Monte Bello…
The Answer:
Ridge 2001 Monte Bello... Scored a 99 by one Robert Parker.
I was glad to know that aside from the vintage, I got this one right. As you recall, this wine screamed classic to me.
Wine #2:
I guessed a recent vintage of Geyserville (Zinfandel)…
The Answer:
Ridge 2000 Monte Bello... Overall winner at the 30 Year Anniversary Judgement of Paris Tasting.
Wow! I choose recent Zinfandel-based field blend, and it’s a 12-year-old Cabernet! I couldn’t believe how different the two Monte Bellos tasted. At least I was right about one thing…
This wine was damn good!
Wine #3:
I guessed a Lytton Estate Syrah…
The Answer:
Ridge 1999 Lytton Springs (Zinfandel)... Winemaker Eric Baugher's favorite vintage of Lytton Springs.
Hey… I got the right vineyard! To bad it was the wrong grape.
Wine #4:
I guessed the Old School Zinfandel…
The Answer:
Ridge 1997 Geyserville (Zinfandel)...
Those in the know should be proud of my pick. The Old School block is part of the Geyserville Vineyard. The problem here was that I was too specific.
All in all, I’d say I did a pretty rad job.
What a Sunday!
What a view!
What a view!
What a view!
There’s only one thing to do to celebrate a day like this…
Turn on some jazz, and drink some wine!
Miles and Charlie, could you do the honors?
Thanks guys.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
My dad grew up San Bruno, California. It’s a little city just south of South San Francisco. So, pretty much, my dad grew up in San Francisco.
He’s told me plenty of stories about growing up in The City.
When the Giants moved out to San Francisco from New York, my dad and his friends would ride their bikes to Candlestick Park to see Willie Mays play. This bike ride, I am told, involved riding across the freeway… That’s crazy!
When the Giants were out of town, he and his buddies would play at the airport. The friggin’ airport! That’s crazy!
When the Fourth of July was coming up, they would head over to the back alleys of China Town to buy firecrackers. That’s crazy!
In a word, my dad is CRAZY!
As a kid, I was so jealous of all the crazy stuff my dad was able to do with his friends just due to his proximity to The City.
I grew up in Ben Lomond, California. No baseball team. No airport. No China Town.
When I was in junior high, I mentioned to my friends about how my dad used to get firecrackers in China Town. A few of them suggested that we get my dad to take us up to find some. When I asked my dad, I was a little shocked when he said yes.
“Sure I’ll take you guys. And while we’re up there, I’ll take you to the coolest restaurant you’ve ever seen.”
So one Saturday morning, I jumped into my dad’s car with my ol’ buddy Dave Thevegetarian and my neighbor K.T. to get us some firecrackers. We got to China Town around noon.
We spent about an hour roaming from shop to shop and alley to alley, with my dad asking around about firecrackers. My dad, who at the time looked like Ned Flanders from the Simpsons, figured out that if there were firecrackers to be sold nobody was going to sell them to him. So… we gave up our search.
Next on the agenda was lunch.
“This place,” my dad told us, “is my spot. I’ve been going here since I was in high school. Nobody knows about it.”
We came up on a skinny little storefront that read, “Sam Wo”. When I peeked through the front door, all I saw was a dirty old kitchen.
“Where’s the restaurant?” I asked my dad.
“Follow me, boys!” My dad just walked right into the kitchen toward a set of stairs in the back. Feeling a bit weird about it, we stepped into the kitchen along with him and began to walk up the stairs.
Once we reached the second floor, we walked into a narrow dining room and were seated right next to the window overlooking the neighborhood. As far as the decor or the dining room, there really wasn’t much to speak of. It was your typical run-down Chinese restaurant. Then my dad pointed out the dumbwaiter…
“Since the kitchen is on the first floor,” he told us, “the chef will put our food on that elevator in the wall, and it will come up to us.”
What!?!?
First we walk through the kitchen, now there’s an elevator for my food?
“This place is the bomb!” I exclaimed.
Dave and K.T. high-fived each other and said, “Word!”
I don’t remember what the food tasted like that day…
I don’t even remember what I ordered.
What I do remember is that I went to this totally bad ass Chinese restaurant called Sam Wo, and nobody knows about it.
Let’s fast forward…
When I was finishing up college at San Jose State University, my good buddy from high school, JR Fromgirls, moved up to San Francisco from Santa Cruz. When he first moved to The City, my buddy Sue and I would often go up to hang out with him.
Each time we came to visit, JR would take us to a hip new place to eat that nobody had ever heard about.
So one night, after drinking a few soda pops at JR’s apartment, we hopped into a cab to go get some food. “I’m gonna take you to the coolest Chinese restaurant in The City,” he told us, “… and nobody knows about it.”
After we stumbled out of the cab, I looked up at the sign on the restaurant.
“Sam Wo?” I read aloud, “I’ve totally been here!”
“No you haven’t,” JR responded, “Nobody knows about this place. You have to walk in through the kitchen.”
Let’s fast forward one last time, shall we?
Last Friday morning, while I was getting ready to go to work, I spotted that familiar Sam Wo sign on the morning news. I turned up the volume in time to catch the anchorman reporting that Sam Wo would be closing up shop.
It felt weird hearing the news. I’ve only been to Sam Wo twice in my life, and yet I felt really sad about it.
If anyone were to ever ask me where to eat in China Town, I would always tell them about Sam Wo… You know… The place where you walk in through the kitchen.
Nobody even knew about this place… You have to walk in through the kitchen!
It was my dad’s spot.
It was JR’s spot.
It was my spot.
It was Conan O’Brien’s spot…
Apparently… It was everybody’s spot.
But…
It made you feel like you were a part of it.
So…
This weekend, I figured that I would pay tribute to Sam Wo by getting me some Chinese food.
To pay tribute to my readers, I figured I would try to pair my meal with a wine.
Chinese food is not an easy thing to pair wine with.
There’s so many different flavor profiles that you are working with…
Sweet.
Sour.
Spicy.
Earthy.
Salty.
Chinese food has it all.
My suggestion is that if you are going to pair a wine with Chinese food, try to stick with one flavor theme.
When I called up China Palace in Morgan Hill to make my to-go order, I decided to go with Earthy and savory flavors.
Here’s what I got…
Tea Smoked Duck w/ Dumplings and Duck Sauce, Pork Chow Mein, and Steamed Rice w/ Mad Soy Sauce
If you’ve never had Tea Smoked Duck before, get on it!
The duck is very Earthy, and smokey, and just plain dope.
As far as pairing, I had a couple of wines in mind. I think a well-made, balanced Zinfandel would work well. I would also like to try this meal with a spicy Merlot.
In the end, I felt like a Rioja would be the way to go. I often get a minty, tea-like quality from Tempranillo (the main grape from Rioja). Why wouldn’t it work with a Tea Smoked Duck?
Here’s what I chose…
I got the Campo Viejo 2006 Rioja Reserva for 13 bucks from Safeway. You can find this in most grocery stores.
Campo Viejo 2006 Rioja Reserva:
This Rioja is made of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Craciano, and 5% Mazuelo. It spends 18 months in the barrel and another 18 months in the bottle before it is released. The Campo Viejo comes in at 13.5% alcohol.
Color: Dark brick red.
Nose: This nose is a fun one. There’s a nice balance of sun-dried tomato and raspberry. There is a minty aroma, along with tea, smoke, and cedar.
Taste: Raspberry and blackberry fruit up front. There is a long finish of tea spice and acid. There are pretty, supple tannins in this one.
Pairings: The duck has these rich, Earthy, and gamey notes. The wine makes the tea smoke pop. The chow mein has bright pork flavors and Earthy noodles. It brings out the blackberry notes in the wine. The buttery and starchy flavors of the rice lift up the oak notes of the Rioja.
Score: I’ve got to say, this was a great pick. I’m a genius. Give it a 90.
Oh yeah…
I almost forgot…
The fortune cookie brings out a creaminess in the wine that is just rad.
Now that’s what I call good fortune.
... in bed.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
So…
The other night, Kara and I hung out with our ol’ buddy John Terra Savia…
John sells wine for Terra Savia…
What you may not know is that Terra Savia, along with making some great Cabernet Sauvignon, makes a sparkling wine from 100% Merlot.
Have you ever had a Merlot-based sparkling wine?
I haven’t…
Until John let us sample some…
Terra Savia 2010 Brut Rouge well chilled with an edemame salad. Perfect for a hot day.
Color: Dull copper/salmon pink.
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.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
As far as wine bars go, you’ve got to know that Bubbles in Morgan Hill is one of my favorites.
If you don’t belive me, just click here.
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
To start, we walked over to the Beauregard Vineyards table…
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+
Next, we tried out Tank House…
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.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Stay Rad 