Over the 4th of July holiday, Kara and I went to visit my folks in the great city of Reno, Nevada.
Kara’s birthday was on the 3rd, so to celebrate, my parents took us out to a great restaurant called the Stone House Cafe. This Reno hot spot has a beautiful outside dining area and a great staff of servers working there. Kara and I shared a plate of oysters on the half shell as an appetizer. For dinner, Kara had “The San Diego” (a seared Ahi Tuna sandwich) and I had the half roasted chicken (Why they didn’t roast it the whole way? I’ll never know. Heyoohhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!). It was all delicious!
The next morning, I woke up early to watch this thing with my dad…
While waiting for the fireworks show, Kara and I popped our heads into a few of the local bars to get some good drinks at a good price.
At The Alley, Kara was able to get a fresh watermelon shot, while I had a tall can of PBR. At the Victorian Saloon, we reacquainted ourselves with a local named John. He bought us each a shot of Jagermeister… or maybe we bought him a shot… I’m not sure.
Anyway…
The fireworks were really cool.
We took a cab home.
The next morning, we slept in.
For lunch on the 5th, we hit up Kokopelli’s Sushi inside the Circus Circus for some all-you-can-eat sushi. Again… Delicious! We got so stuffed full of amazing sushi that we had to go back to my folks house to take a nap.
After waking up, we decided to go explore the Grand Sierra before having another dinner with the folks. It’s a gigantic casino in between Reno and Sparks. Formerly known as the Reno Hilton, the Grand Sierra is home to a really crappy mall.
Why would we go?
Well…
In the past, we found a gem of a wine bar called The Reserve. The wine bar is loaded full of REALLY good wines that are available by the taste, half glass, or full glass using the power of the Enomatic Wine System…
It took us a while to find the wine bar, because Reserve has been moved closer to the Charlie Palmer Steak House. Once we got to the wine bar, we were stoked to discover that on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 they have an event called 60 Minute Grape. For 20 bucks, you get to taste 4 wines poured by the Charlie Palmer sommelier paired with an amuse bouche, plus you get 10 dollars credit on the wine machines.
Kara was all like, “Should we do it?”
And I was all like, “I’ll give it a shot. I’ve got time to kill.”
While waiting for 5:30 to roll around, we started tasting some of the wines in the machine.
I started with a taste of the Rombauer 09 Carneros Chardonnay. It had a classic nose of vanilla, oak, and butter. On the palate, there was a beautiful taste of sweet cream and apple pie. I gave it a solid 90.
Next, I moved over to the Hedges 08 CMS. It’s a Washington state blend of chardonnay, marsanne, and sauvignon blanc. Get it? C.M.S.! There was a smell of apple and flint to go along with a tongue tingling acidity and minerality on the palate. There was a nice hint of pear and lime on this one. Give it an 87, foo.
After we wet our whistles, the sommelier came out with his first wine for us…
Sin-ley Valleclaro Rose. I can't read the vintage from the picture and I didn't take good notes, so I'll let you guess the year.
The Sin-ley Valleclaro Rose is a Spanish wine made from the prieto picudo grape. The nose was buttery and smokey. It had flavors of rich cream and crisp lime. A very nice rose that I gave an 87.
As we were finishing the rose, we were brought our amuse bouche. A delicious black bass ceviche for the rose, and caprese salad of fresh mozzarella for the next wine. Speaking of…
THE Four Graces 2010 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris. I can read this label.
THE Four Graces 2010 Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley was all about being light and full of minerality. A perfect pairing for a caprese salad, but at $18 a bottle I wouldn’t buy this 86-pointer.
Next, we tried…
Carrefour Napa Valley Pinot Noir. 2006? What year does that look like to you?
The Carrefour Napa Valley Pinot Noir was okay. It was nice and light, which I like. There was a hint of strawberry, but it also had this weird soapy thing going on. Give it an 85.
Finally…
Opolo 2005 Grand Rouge. Or is it 2006?
The Opolo Grand Rouge is a Rhone style wine from Paso Robles. It’s a blend of counoise, grenache, and petite sirah. It gave a nose of black licorice and chalk (I love chalk!). On the palate, there was plenty of dark red fruit, but it wasn’t goopy by any means. It was a solid 88.
After finishing the tasting, we ended up being late for dinner with the folks.
I explained that we were at this awesome wine tasting at this awesome wine bar.
Ridge Vineyards is the raddest winery in the history of all that is awesome.
A couple of months back, after visiting their Monte Bello tasting room in Cupertino, Kara and I decided to become members. The membership allows us free tasting, discounts on wine, and the ability to buy futures of their Monte Bello at a DEEP discount. One of the really neat things we’ve discovered since joining Ridge is how many cool members-only events we get to take part in. Recently we were able to go to two different events on back-to-back days.
During the summer season, the Monte Bello tasting room will serve a special flight to club members on the first Friday of each month. Although Ridge is most known for their zinfandel and Bordeaux blends, for July, they offered a vertical tasting of chardonnay.
Who says white wine can't age?
The tasting consisted of the 2003 and 2004 vintages of the Monte Bello Chardonnay, as well as the 2005 and 2006 vintages of the Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Charonnay. The great part about this tasting was seeing just how well chardonnay can age. The two Monte Bellos were very much smooth and balanced. They both had really nice acidity. The 2005 Estate was a crowd-pleasing chardonnay with a beautiful creamy finish. The 06 Estate had this amazing smell of figs, but the taste did not live up to the nose. The winner of this throwdown was…
The 2003 Monte Bello Chardonnay. Class in a glass.
After the chardonnay vertical, I had a hankering for a zinfandel and a picnic. Now, if you’re talking zins, Ridge has ’em. Based on a recommendation, we got a bottle of this bad boy…
Ridge 2007 Carmichael Zinfandel and a picnic.
This zin had a nice spice and ripe fruit, without being too jammy. It was a great way to cap off the day…
Okay…
Seeing this thing on the road on the way back was pretty cool too…
If my car were just a little bit smaller, I'd have tried to drive under this thing.
For an early 4th of July celebration, the next day, Ridge offered barbecue paired with many of their fine wines. Here’s what we had…
Check in with a glass of 2009 Mikulaco Chardonnay. Don't mind if I do.
2009 Geyserville paired with a bomb ass North Carolina Pulled Pork sandwich.
2006 Mazzoni Home Ranch with Kansas City Baby Back Ribs and a bunch of forks.
2007 Lytton Estate Zinfandel w/ California Tri Tip and Blue Cheese Potato Salad. Yum!
I found this 2008 York Creek Zinfandel hiding in the corner with Texas Beef Brisket. This York Creek has become one of my favorite zins in the Ridge collection.
After these pairings, there were three more wines for us to try in the main tasting room…
"Would you like to try our 2009 Jimsomare Chardonnay?" "Does a bear poo in the woods?"
The 2009 Buchignani Carignane. So nice, I had it twice... You'll see.
2006 Lytton Estate Syrah done in the true Côte-Rôtie style with 8% viognier.
We were such fans of the Buchignani Carignane that we got another bottle to have with our picnic leftovers from the day before.
I’ve got 8 wines that I’ve been thinking about opening up. What I need you to do is take a look, and leave a comment telling me which of the wines you would like me to taste for you.
Okay?
Go!
A) Vina Zaco 2006 Tempranillo
B) Cocobon 2009 Red Wine
C) Chateau Du Seguinier 2005 Bordeaux
D) Chateau Ballan-Larquette 2006 Bordeaux
E) Franciscan 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
F) Joseph Drouhin 2007 Pinot Noir
G) Mont Gras 2009 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon - Syrah
H) Kendall-Jackson 2006 Syrah
So now it’s up to you.
Leave a comment, and let me know which wine you want me to taste. If you think I should try something else, let me know.
On Friday, Kara and I decided to head over to Sarah’s Vineyard in Gilroy. Sarah’s is a small winery, tucked into the Santa Cruz Mountains. The breezy climate makes it perfect for Burgundian and Rhone varietals. I am a big fan of their light style of wine making.
The reason for the trip was to attend their Summer Music Series. They have a neat patio and lawn area where different local bands will come to play. The tasting room stays open late to sell their wines by the bottle to enjoy with the music. You can bring your own picnic, or buy something to eat from whichever catering company is there (it changes from week to week).
Kara and I brought homemade Brie Paninis with Mango Chutney, Turkey (for me), and Spinach. We also bought a bottle of the Sarah’s Vineyard 2006 Central Coast Pinot Noir for $15.
Sarah's Vineyard 2006 Central Coast Pinot Noir and Kara's foot 2011.
Color: This Pinot had a cloudy dull red color. You could recreate that color by mashing a bunch of over-ripe roma tomatoes into a paste and adding water and a pinch of dirt. I know that doesn’t sound very appetizing, but I must say it looked fantastic. See…
Tomatoes and Dirt and Awesome!
Nose: There was a nice whiff of smoke, butter, and pepper. As I took a bit more in, I noticed a rubbery cola aroma. Nice!
Taste: This Pinot Noir had a very meaty and buttery taste on the palate, rounded out with a touch of cherry cola. On the finish, a touch of cranberry and walnuts became present.
I really liked this wine. I also appreciate that Sarah’s did not jack up their prices for the event. I give it a solid 87.
As the sun began to set, the wind really started to pick up. It got hella cold, hella quick. The cover band, Naked in Vegas, was alright. They were not, however, good enough to keep our cold asses at the vineyard after we had finished our bottle of Pinot Noir.
Yesterday, Kara and I did a little tasting at Guglielmo Winery. I originally went there with the intention of tasting and scoring EVERY wine we tasted. Things did not go as planned. The problem was that a tasting room is not an ideal space to score wines. Too many people. Too many wines. Too many distractions. That, and it’s embarrassing to write down a score in front of people working for the winery you are scoring.
I will say that I had a great time there. None of their wines felt like must-haves, but Guglielmo is a fun place to be. All of their wines fall in that 83 – 89 point range for me. All of the people that work there are more like 92’s. Great, great folks and a neat place to visit if you are ever visiting the Santa Clara Valley.
The wine that stuck out the most to me was the 2010 Estate Grown Rosatello. It was an interesting rosé wine made from the grignolino grape (a super nerdy varietal from Italy). Guglielmo claims to be one of only two wineries in California to grow the grape in any significant quantities. The wine seemed food-friendly enough, so I purchased a bottle for $16.
I’m not a HUGE rosé drinker, so it is a tough category for me to score (It’s tough to type too. Alt + 0233 = é). Part of this blog experience is to try new things. So how do I transition from a novice into an expert on pink wines?
THE THREE BOTTLE THROWDOWN!
This morning, I picked up two more bottles of Rosé from Trader Joe’s to compare against the Rosatello. One from the Rioja of Spain ($6.99) and one from the Rhone of France ($4.99). I know what wines I have purchased, but I will not know which of the three I am drinking until after I take my notes. I had Kara pour the wines into three different glasses…
The three Rosés were labeled with wine charms: "Red", "White", and "Blue". In the battle between Spain, France, and the USA, I think we all know who should win... or do we?
After I taste the wines, I’ll see which one is which. Wish me luck…
Wine #1:
"Red": You know what time it is!
Color: This is the darkest wine of the bunch. It haa a cool blood-orange type of color.
Nose: There is a really pretty nose to this one. Peach skin, oranges, and licorice dominate the nose. There is a strong minerality that is rounded out with a hint of strawberry.
Taste: This is what I would expect a Rosé to taste like. Very dry. There’s a nice orange and peach fruit to this, but the wine is much more driven by its minerality and acidity. There is a long rubbery finish that I really like. My guess is that this is the French Rose.
Wine #2:
"White": More like orange! Heyohhhhhh!!!!!!
Color: The color is a very dull, very light, orange tint.
Nose: The nose is very tight. There are hints of sugar and salt. There’s a subtle touch of peach.
Taste: The first second of the taste was salty minerality. This flavor gave way in an instant to a beautiful mouth full of cream and licorice. It has some oak notes that remind me of a California red wine. I really like this! I’m thinking that this is the Spanish Rose.
Wine #3:
"Blue": The candle is for Evan.
Color: The color on this wine is almost identical to that of the second (“White”) wine. Light, dull, and orange.
Nose: The nose is giving subtle hints of peach and minerals.
Taste: All I can think of when tasting this wine is the viscosity. This wine is the thickest of them all. There’s a light acidity and minerality. This wine would go well with food, but mostly because it would not get in the way of the food. I doubt, however, that it would do anything to enhance the food experience. This wine confused me. It’s not bad. It’s pleasant. It just doesn’t bring much to the table.
Now…
The scores have been tallied, and the I’ve seen what’s what. Here are the results from worst to first.
In last place…
Marques de Caceres 2009 Dry Rose Wine. Rioja, Spain. This wine made me "Blue".
I originally gave the Marques de Caceres an 85+, but the more I thought about it, the more I disliked it. Again, it is not bad. The problem is that for 7 bucks, I can find at least two wines that are significantly better in a similar price range. Give it an 82 with shrugged shoulders.
In second…
Cellier du Rhone 2009 Cotes du Rhone Rose. "Red" and Rad!
The Cellier du Rhone is a steal at 5 bucks a bottle! Give it an 86. This is what I want from a summer time rosé.
And in First Place…
Guglielmo Private Reserve 2010 Estate Grown Rosatello. Santa Clara Valley, California. In spite of the look, this is NOT a crappy "White" zin.
The Guglielmo Rosatello is not your typical rose. I am, however, in love with the creaminess of this wine. Give it an 88 and save it for a hot summer afternoon.
So, there you have it. I don’t know if I’m an expert yet, but I think I learned a lot today.
Inspiration abounds when ground beef and Tecate Light are in the mix.
KaraIsRad, my wife, was to be back from the gym in about 15 minutes. The clock inside my brain told me it was time to start prepping.
80/20 ground beef? Check!
Veggie Patties (For her, dude!)? Check!
Grill on? Fa’ sho!
Tecate Light? No doubt!
Let it be said that I do love hoppy craft beers. Love ’em! Make them so hoppy it tastes like I just bit a rose bud off of a 5 year old bush. Flowers for days. Love me some micro-brew!
But…
When a grill is involved, you have to bring out the canned lager. The macro-brew, if you will. Something cold with a tinny (aluminum) kick.
I’m a Coors Lite fan. Not that I think it is any better than Bud or Pabst or Modelo. It’s not even different. I like the Coors Lite because of the can. There’s only one can that can tell you it’s cold using blue mountains. One! That’s the Silver Bullet, baby.
I had some Tecate Light on hand, because I’ve been on a taco kick lately. Again… there is no (okay… a little) difference in taste here. If you’re making tacos on the grill, however, your canned lager MUST be Mexican. I don’t make the rules, holmes. I just stick to ’em.
Now…
I was deep in it. Getting my mise en place for the ultimate Blue Cheese Burger w/ Garlic Dijon Aioli, when I thought to myself,
“You know what would go great with this burger? WINE!”
I dropped my Tecate Light like it was cold, and grabbed me this sucker…
The L'Authentique la Caumette NV and my dope ass Nokia (Phone Book) leaning against a turtle lamp.
When I picked up this $4.99 bottle of L’Authentique la Caumette NV Red Table Wine at Trader Joe’s, I swear the elderly stock clerk gave me the same look that Bastian got from that dude at the book store in Never Ending Story. His eyes said to me, “You can’t handle this!” I started to shake just before he ripped the bottle out of my hands…
I was shocked to hear him speak in such a calming tone “Nice. This is an EXCELLENT bottle of wine,” he told me in a gentle French accent. “This wine has good fruit, nice acidity, and for the price… it cannot be beat.”
This Non-Vintage French table wine does not list the grape varietals being used, but the word on the street is that it’s a blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre and carignan. The back label, showing a map of France with a little dot near the Southern Rhone, leads me to believe that the aforementioned blend is entirely possible.
I poured two glasses. One for me and one for KaraIsRad. Then, it was back to the barbecue…
Pre-Heat to Hell Fire... ALWAYS!
80/20 ground beef w/ egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and dill. Shape like a deformed heart, and lay it down!
Always oil up the grates to get sear marks. Only flip it once. Man Code!
Time to eat… I mean… taste the wine.
Blue Cheese Burger w/ Garlic Dijon Aioli, Arugula Salad w/ Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta (by KaraIsRad), and L'Authentique in a big glass. Not L'Fake!
Color: This wine is as red as red can get without being black. I’m talking BLACK! It’s what I would envision the back alley of Fangtasia from True Blood to look like.
Nose: My fist thought is of orange zest. Very ripe, but acidic in nature. There is a chalky feel to this nose. I love chalk. Throughout it all, there is a red raspberry fruit that balances everything out.
Hey…
The Bachelorette is on!
Told you!
Look… I’m not a huge fan of the show, but it is a great conversation starter:
“Who names their kid Constantine? Or West? Or Ames?”
“What’s up with that guy’s face?”
“Why does she wear so many belly shirts?”
“How come that dude is always squinting?”
“Is that dude missing his lower set of teeth?”
“That dude runs like a girl. What’s his problem?”
Oh yeah…
Back to the wine!
Taste: On the initial attack, there are these extremely dry, mouth-filling tannins. They are lasting 30+ seconds, easily. Dee-lish!
There is that same orange zest component that I smelled earlier, but it is rounded out with hints of lemon and lime. There is this not-so-ripe strawberry flavor that is really nice. Great acidity!
I just took my first bite of the burger…
"These burgers are crazy!" - The Moldy Peaches
It is F-ing Amazing!
The beefiness of the burger, paired with the lactic notes of the blue cheese and tanginess of the aioli bring out some chocolaty tones from the wine. It gives my entire mouth a rich milky feel.
KaraIsRad made a fresh arugula salad with sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and a red wine vinaigrette. This highlights the flavors of orange blossoms and chalk.
You have to respect this wine for what it is. A red table wine. What do we put on our tables?
Food.
By itself, the wine is a solid 88. With food? Give it a 90. This is the perfect wine for a weeknight meal with the wife. And a steal at 5 bucks.
Pair it with Pizza, Pasta, Burgers, the Bachelorette, and possibly the Bad Girls Club. This wine is THAT versatile!
Setting the mood: I have this tempranillo decanting in two huge wine glasses. The candle is for show. It will not be lit.
There are a few advantages to having summers off. One such advantage is having a ridiculous amount of time to kill.
The other day, I spent almost two hours at the Gilroy BevMo just looking at wine. Scoping the labels. Reading the blurbs. Scouting for deals.
A “deal” is NOT the same as a “sale”.
They are having their 5 cent sale right now. It’s a scam that will be discussed on another day.
By deal, I’m talking about value. A Rad wine at an equally Rad (if not Radder) price. With so much time on my hands, I found that the best deals (on paper) were in the Spain, Chile, and Argentina sections. I came across hella wines that were highly rated by the Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (Not Wilfred Wong! Again… will discuss on another day) that were in the 10 to 20 dollar range.
From that BevMo adventure, I ended up buying 3 bottles of wine. Of the bottles, the one that I am the most excited to taste is this bad boy…
The Mas Que Vinos 2007 Ercavio Tempranillo Roble cost me $10.99 and was given a 90+ rating by Robert Parker. Now, Gary Vaynerchuk would tell me to trust my own palate, but I must say that my palate usually agrees with that of Robert Parker. For 11 bucks, why not try it?
Now, it’s time to taste…
Those smudges on the label are not supposed to be there. I'm that messy.
Color: This wine is a DARK ruby. There is a not quite rusty rose color along the outer edge of the glass.
Nose: One sniff of this tempranillo filled my mouth with cocoa powder. You know how you’ll be opening a packet of instant cocoa and a cloud of powder wafts up to your nose? THAT kind of cocoa powder. The chalkiness of the nose also reminds me of opening the box for a new bicycle tube. There is a green component to this wine as well. Slightly minty. A little like fresh lettuce from the garden. There is a deep note of plum.
Taste: I don’t want this to throw you off. My first thought in drinking this wine was of a grapefruit. Imagine that tart citrus component of a grapefruit. Now take away the mouth-puckering sour aspect. I guess I’d call it essence of grapefruit.
Now, take that grapefruit and dip it in chocolate. Delicious!
There is a lingering acidity. A little lime. There are some nice soft tannins that tell me this is as good as this wine is going to get.
This wine is a solid, confident, beast…
This wine makes me want food… Now! I want tacos. I want burgers. Bruschetta. Cheese. It is extremely versatile.
After my initial taste, I jumped up to raid the fridge. My initial thought was to grab some cheese. Since I was thinking about tacos, I grabbed some hard cotija cheese from Mexico (Literally! I flew down to Mexico just now to get this cheese).
While I was cutting the cheese (Childish joke. Though not intended… appreciated!) My mouth began to water with this flavor of caramel and chocolate (Rollos anyone?), so I grabbed some strawberries.
The saltiness of the cotija paired very well with the acidity of the wine. The strawberries did a great job of stepping up those chocolate notes.
This wine is a solid, food friendly, mo fo.
Considering that this is my first official review for this blog, I had a tough time scoring this wine. I must tell you that I loved it. You must also know that I doubt it has the structure to last another two years in the cellar. All I’m thinking right now, however, is that I want to go buy a whole case right now. I want to drink this wine with as many different food pairings as I can. It is THAT good. But… I’ve had better. But… It’s only 11 bucks.
I’ve got to tell you, I could not have asked for a better wine to score first for you. This is THE threshold for me. I’m giving it 90 points, and I’m telling you that you MUST try this.
When I was a senior in high school, my mother was talking with my uncle on the phone. My name had come up in the conversation, and my uncle proceeded to tell my mom,
“If you don’t like Jeff, you don’t like people.”
My mom relayed the words to me a few days later, and I was completely flattered. That is, without a doubt, the greatest compliment I have ever received.
Those words were said well over a decade ago. Although I doubt today that neither my mother nor my uncle would recall that conversation, I’ve worn those words like a metal ever since.
That quote means so much to me, because they explain so perfectly how I want people to think of me… A genuinely nice person. That’s not always the case (just ask one of my old roommates), but I try.
Whether you’ve known me since I was a kid in Ben Lomond, met me as a punk rocker at San Lorenzo Valley High School, studied biology with me at San Jose State, or are reading my words for the first time in this blog (Hello There!), I want you to know that I’m a good dude who’s always looking to enjoy life.
That brings me to this blog.
My goal here is to highlight as many good things in life as I can. I want to tell you about what I’m watching on TV. I want to tell you about my fantasy sports teams. I want to tell you what I’m listening to on my iPod. I want to tell you how my last race or long run went.
BUT
I also want to give you focus. Because of this, I’ve decided to make this a blog about WINE. I can’t think of any one thing that does a better job of bringing all of the good things in life together.
What am I sharing with my wife when we watch TV together?
How do I celebrate my fantasy football championships?
How do I set the mood?
How do I congratulate myself for a job well done?
WINE (period)
This blog will be THE place to find my wine reviews. I am not an expert. I am not critically acclaimed. I do, however, love wine.
You will also read about the people and places I encounter whenever wine is involved.
My hope for you, is that you simply enjoy this blog. Please subscribe to it, and tell your friends, if you like it. If you can’t get enough of me, you can also follow me on Twitter @JeffIsRad.
It’s possible that some of you could end up reading this only to find that you hate me. (Yikes!) You may think that my writing lacks pizzazz. (Ouch!) You could be frustruated by my spelling. (Yowza!) You will tell your friends that I have no business writing a blog about wine at all. (Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!)
If that is the case, please just remember what my mom once told me my uncle said to her on the phone over a decade ago…
Stay Rad 