Author: Bruno Donaggio

Russian River Passport to Pinot is this weekend. Several wineries are participating and the wineries will be pouring their Pinot including barrel samples of the current vintage so I spent Saturday afternoon driving around the rolling hills of Russian River.

The wineries I attended this day were: Joseph Swan, Harford Winery, Dutton Estate, Iron Horse, DeLoach, Hook & Ladder, Harvest Moon, Martinelli, Russian Hill Vineyards, La Crema, and last but not least, D’Argenzio.

My first stop was at Joseph Swan. I had the 2008 Trenton Estate Pinot Noir, slightly cloudy, medium red with cola flavors. In addition to their regular tasting they poured multiple lots of barrel samples of their Estate Pinot from different blocks in the same vineyard.

Hartford Winery in my opinion was the star of the day. The winery is new to me and this was the first time I had their Pinot Noir. If there was one wineries Pinot that I would have to describe as “Burgundian” it would be this one. Of the five wines I tried they all had the flavor profile of a good Burgundy. The 2009 Fog Dance Vineyard PN was medium dark to red, dusty mushrooms on the nose, tight but balanced finish. I also had the 2008 Stevens Bench PN, the 2009 Velvet Sisters PN and the 2009 Jennifer PN as well as a couple of barrel samples. And by the way, they had the best hor d’ourves of the day.

At Dutton Estate I liked their 2009 Thomas Road PN which was dark red with a nose of warm mulled spices with a tight, firm finish. And the salmon sliders were not bad either.

Iron Horse vineyards had to have the best view of any vineyard I visited this day, to reach the winery you drove along a winding, one lane road to get to the top of the hill where the winery was located. I liked their 2007 Golden Gate Cuvee sparkling wine. Poured from a Jeroboam, it was pale salmon in color, crisp with good balance and it went well with the bbq brisket sliders they served.

The Martenelli Winery was one of my must go to stops and I wasn’t disappointed The Pinots were very interesting. The 2009 Sonoma Coast PN was medium red with black cherry and mushroom nose, tight with dried mushrooms on the long finish. The 2009 Bondi Home Ranch PN was dark purple with a slight oily, rubber band nose, fleshy, full-bodied, concentrated but closed flavors. the 2010 Bondi Ranch PN had a toasty nose, juicy but balanced, deep fruit. The served a plate of three cheese to go with the wines which were very tasty.

My final winery of the day was D’Argenzio which is located in a small mall with several other wineries. I had a chat with Mr. D’Argenzio, sipping his 2008 Bacigalupi Vineyard Petite Sirah (still in barrel!) while sitting in the back near the bocce court, listening to an excellent guitar duo and a pretty women shaking her tambourine.

Had an excellent wine adventure in Santa Cruz and now it was time for a weekend in Sonoma. Since I would spend a couple of days doing the Pinot passport in Russian River, I decided to spend Friday afternoon touring Dry Creek Valley which is slightly north of Russian River.

Again it was a beautiful day whenI started the tasting tour at Rafanelli Winery which is known for their Zinfandel. They poured three outstanding wines. Their 2010 Zinfandel DCV was black with a sweet, dusty plum nose, chunky but not jammy with moderate structure at the finish. The 2009 Merlot DCV was black and brambly with chewy concentrated fruit and good structure on the long finish with a touch of heat peaking through. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon DCV was black with a nose of oak and black plums, chewy concentrated fruit without being jammy with good structre on the finish. Very tasty wines.

Next stop was Martorana Winery, a small family winery and the winemaker was doing the pouring duty in the tasting room this day. He  poured wines made from Dry Creek fruit as well as from Alexander Valley fruit. The 2007 Alexander Valley Zinfandel was dark red with black cherries on the nose with good, but not jammy fruit and good balance. The 2006 Merlot DCV was dark red with blueberries on the nose and good concentration of fruit. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon DCV was dark red to black in color with chocolate and mint on the nose, good structure with mouth coating tannins on the finish.

The drive to the tasting room at Mounts Family Winery took me through beautiful rolling hills surrounded by vines and the workers tending them. I started the tasting with their 2010 Viognier which had a bouquet of canned peaches with creamy, full fruit. Their 2009 Old Vines Zinfandel DCV was dark violet to black with a nose of black plums, very concentrated, great balance and menthol on the long finish. Their 2008 Petite Sirah DCV was black with a nose of toasty blackberries, very chunky with a nice mouthful of tannins on the long finish.

At Zichetti Winery the 2008 Estate Zinfandel which is made from vines planted in the 1960’s was dark and concentrated with notes of black licorice on the long finish. I tried a barrel sample of their 2011 Estate Zinfandel and what was unusual was getting peaches and apricots on the nose with some peach notes on the finish.

At Passalacqua Winery their 2009 Estate Zinfandel had a closed nose with velvety fruit and a long finish was some crisp acids.

Had my morning coffee walking along the Santa Cruz pier, watching the sun rise over the mountains with the smell of the sea air and the sounds of sea lions barking in the background. Looks like it will be a nice day for wine tasting.

From Santa Cruz I drove into the mountains to get to wineries that were open on a weekday. My first stop was Burrel School Winery. The building is an actual schoolhouse from the 1950’s that was restored and converted to a winery. The property was on a ridge, in fact a fault line in the mountains, great view The produced a wide range of wines from santa cruz fruit as well as sourced fruit from other appellations in the state. Their 2007 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir started with a huge nose of red raspberries with a touch of cigar box followed by long fruit and a balanced, tight finish.  Their 2009 Estate Chardonnay started with toasty notes, mineraly but not heavy fruit with a toasty finish. Their 2007 Syrah “Pichon Vineyard” had a nose of smoky bluberries, was dark and concentrated with firm acids on the finish. Was tasty but I thought it dropped a bit on the finish.

A few miles away was TestaRossa Vineyards. The site of an old monastery, an impressive building on top of a hill. All the wines they poured this day was from outsourced fruit from outside santa cruz appellation. Their 2010 Bien Nacido Chardonnay was old school Cali, light gold, aromas of butterscotch and pineapple with juicy tropical fruits on the finish. The 2010 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir was medium red in the glass, red cherry with some barnyard on the nose, tight, bright fruit with crisp acidity on the finish.

Next stop was the tasting room for Cinnaber Winery located in the town of Saratoga. From their tasting menu I liked the 2008 “Clautiere Vineyard” Mourvedre from Paso Robles. With a nose of raspberry, chocolate and herbs on the nose with a finish that on my notes I wrote “chocolate covered cherries”.

Back in town I stopped at a couple of urban winery tasting rooms, Storrs Winery and Vine Hill Winery. At Storrs I enjoyed the 2007 Pinot Noir from Monterey fruit. Medium red with some barnyard and cola on the nose with juicy fruit and a firm finish. Their 2008 Grenache from the Central Coast was dark red with a nose of dark cherry and blueberry, concentrated fruit with a dusty, firm finish. Very tasty but needs some more time for everything to come together.

At Vine Hill, their 2009 Cumbre Chardonnay from santa cruz fruit had a sea tang on the nose with tight fruit with slate undertones and a nice balance. Their 2007 Cumbre “Hicks Family” SCM Pinot Noir had warm and dusty nose with rosemary and mineral on the balanced fruit with a long finish. The 2006 Cumbre “Raffanelle Vineyard” SCM Pinot Noir was very nice with a nose of barnyard and fresh herbs, great balance, tight with herb notes on the long finish.

I decide to take a few days off and take a trip to Nothern California.  I planned on a couple of days in Santa Cruz and then make my way up to Sonoma for the Russian River Pinot festival.

After my non-sleep at the airport, I made into to San Jose around noon, picked-up my rental, who made me a deal I couldn’t refuse and rented me a convertible mustang, and made my way south towards Santa Cruz. On the way I would have to drive over the Santa Cruz mountains so I decided to start my wine vacation by stopping at some of the wineries in the mountains. Unfortunately many of the wineries in the mountains are closed to the public and the ones that are open are opened on weekends only so I had limited options. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a long drive from the airport to wine country. About a fifteen minute drive to the highway exit for my first of two wineries to visit, David Bruce and Byington.

That drive from the highway exit to the wineries was pretty spectacular, real mountain driving. The road was barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass with winding roads and no guard rails and in many cases the road turning into one lane. The views were great, the air smelled great but I didn’t think I would be doing to much power drinking in the mountains this day.

First stop was Byington Winery. Beautiful building surrounded by a great view of the mountains.  I tried six of their wines. The 2009 “Ball Mountain” Chardonnay from Santa Cruz was golden in color with a spicy, pineapple nose good mouthfeel with a minirality running through it, nicely balanced and reminded me of a Meaursalt. The 2006 “Bates Ranch” Cabernet Sauvignon was black with a nose of herbs, lush and concentrated with nice minirality. The 2007 Estate Pinot Noir had a beautiful nose of dusty barnyard with a tight velvety, lingering finish with a little of the 14% alcohol heat peeking out at the finish.

Down the road was the David Bruce Winery. Another spectacular view from the tasting room. I started with their 2004 Estate Chardonnay. Interesting to try a Chard with some bottle age, deep gold color, nose of camel, toffee and some sherry notes.  The 2002 Estate  Syrah which was blended with some Petite Sirah, was dark and concentrated with a nose of dry leaf  and a long finish.

Since most of the tasting rooms were not open to the public, I headed to the town of Santa Cruz. They have a warehouse district where several wineries have a tasting room. I stopped by the Bonny Doon tasting room. Bonny Doon is one of the “Rhone Rangers” and specializes in wines made from the Rhone varietal. The tasting room is also a restaurant as well with a modern decor. I had a cheese plate with my wines, all the cheeses were from California and very good. I had several of their “Le Cigare Volant” (flying cigar) wines which are blends of Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. The 2000 had a nose of cardiman and old leather, bright fruit with a crisp, lively finish. The 2007 & 2008 had a nose of warm plum with tight, slatey fruit. The 2010 Le Ciagare Blanc  (Rousanne & Grenache Blanc) was tasty with a nose of white flowers with good balance and a long finish.

I stopped at the Santa Cruz Mtns Winery tasting room. They were unusual in that they specialize in Spanish and Portugese varietals. The 2011 Verdelho had typical nose of grapefruit with citrus, grapefruit flavors. I also tried their 2010 Tempranillo, and their 2009 Touriga. The 2007 Duriff SCM was dark red with a nose of blackberries and rosemary with crisp acids and firm tannins on the long finish.

This past Saturday I attended an in-house tasting at Young’s wine store located at 505 Plandome Road in Manhasset. They had sixteen distributors/importers pouring some of the wines in their portfolios. It was a good cross section of wines from various countries. I’ve been to this event a few times before and they do a good job. Some of the wines I enjoyed:

From Southern Wines and Spirits, the 2009 Stag’s Leap Artemis had a nose of black plums with a very chewy texture. The 2009 Girard Petite Sirah Napa Valley was inky black with chunky but not jammy fruit with a long dusty finish. The 2009 Girard Artistry Bordeaux blend Napa Valley was dark in color with black fruits and menthol on the nose with  juicy and jammy fruit.

From Winebow the 2010 Belle Glos “Clark & Telephone” Pinot Noir was dark, almost black in color, very unusual in a Pinot, very extracted raspberry and sour cherry fruit, a very ripe style of Pinot Noir.

From T. Edwards Wines, the 2009 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico had toasty, earthy, chewy fruit with good balance while the 2006 Rocca di Montegrossi single vineyard “San Marcelino” had a big nose of violets with dark, tight fruits and a mouthful of tannins on the finish.  The 2008 Sinskey “Four Vineyards” Pinot Noir was a beautiful wine with a nose of cigar box with tight velvety fruit and toasted tobacco notes on the long finish.

From Domaine Select, the 2008 Clos Du Caillou Chateauneuf du Pape had a nose of menthol and earth with chewy, damp earth fruit and a long finish.

From Dubos Imports the 2005 Chateau Gros Caillou St. Emilion had a beautiful nose of black cherry with silky fruit and earth on the long finish. The 2008 Bois Tiffray Lussac St Emilion was a good value Bordeaux with chunky but balanced fruit.

From Tempranillo Imports, the 2009 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha had a big nose of spring flowers with a mouthfull of fruit. The 2007 Victorino Tinto de Toro was black with a nose of cherries and spareribs and a velvety, smoky finish.

This Saturday afternoon I attended an in store tasting at Post Wine & Spirits wine shop located at 510 Jericho Turnpike in Syosset. They had some of the beverage distributors pouring some of their wines, about a hundred.  I started the day out by trying some of the white wines. The 2011 Di Filippo Grechetto was dark gold, floral with a mouthful of fruit.  The 2010 Gini Soave Classico had a nose of hazelnuts with moderate fruit, a floral finish and good balance.  The 2010 Flora Springs Soliloquy Oakville Sauvignon Blanc had a nose of white flowers with lots of melon flavor with none of   the  grassiness that you usually get in a  Sauvignon Blanc.

The 2010 Domaine Crochet  Vouvray Sec had a nose of wet slate with a crisp lemony finish.   On to the reds,  I enjoyed the 2007 Les Chemins de Bassac Isa Rouge from Languedoc, a blend of Syrah, Mouvedre, Cabernet and some Pinot Noir. A nose of damp earth, a mouthful of chewy fruit and a long finish. The 2010 Evesham Wood Le Grive Blue a Pinot Noir from Oregon was nice with a big nose of cola and black cherry and some earth, tight silky fruit with a long finish. The 2009 Dom Laurent Bourgogne Rouge was dark with  a dusty, cherry nose tight and chewy with firm acids on the finish.

The 2009 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico was not a typical Chianti, dark and rustic with a  nose of plums, with very chewy and earthy fruit and firm tannins on the finish. My favorite red of the night was the 2008 Frog’s Leap Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Very elegant with restrained alcohol levels, a nose of green olives and tobacco, balanced fruit with silky tannins on the long finish. If I would have tasted it blind I would have guessed it to be a Bordeaux.

This past Saturday I took a road trip to Philadelphia to attend the 11th annual Philly Wine Fest. The event was held at the Lincoln Financial Field  located at the AT&T sports complex which is about a fifteen minute subway ride south of the city center. This past week in New York some of the big wine magazines such as the Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast, and Wine & Spirits Magazine had tastings. I missed those events so I thought I would make up for that with this event in Philly since many of the vendors who participated at the magazine events participated at the Philly event as well.

Since this was a huge event I decided to focus on red wines and since the last few tastings I attended I drank mostly European wines, I made sure the first part of the tasting would be spent sampling California wines.

I started the day off to a good start by trying the wines from Pahlmeyer Winery. Their 2008 Merlot Napa Valley was big with chocolate and velvety fruit and good structure while their 2008 Proprietary Red Napa Valley had a nose of mint with tighter fruit than the Merlot. Ridge Vineyards poured a few of their reds. I enjoyed the 2009 York Creek Zinfandel, not a jammy Zin but tight and silky with a balanced finish. The Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon blend is always outstanding and the 2006 that was poured had a nose of plums and black cherries with a lush mouthfeel, though I thought the finish could have been longer.

 

 

 

 

Shafer Vineyard poured the 2008 One Point Nine Cabernet Sauvignon which was very concentrated but I though the wine needed some more time for the components to come together, would love to taste it in a few years after it had time to settle down. From Caymus Vineyards the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection was outstanding, my notes had liquid velvet, chocolate with a long finish. The 2008 Rubicon from Inglenook was black,dense and chewy with good balance.

Beaulieu Vineyards poured a few of their wines. The 2008 Tapestry Reserve was dark and concentrated with tight fruit and a firm finish. The 2008 George de Latour Cabernet Private Reserve was dark and concentrated with silky fruit and a great balance with a good grip on the long finish. Louis Martini’s 2008 Monte Rosso Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon had a closed nose but a mouthful of silky, dusty fruit and a long finish. Joseph Phelps Winery poured their 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet which had tight fruit, good grip and a dusty finish. Their 2008 “Insignia” had a nose of plums, very tightly put together with a mouthful of tannins on the finish.

When they opened the event for the consumers at 5:00 they finally served some food and they poured wines that were not available during the trade portion of the tasting.  I know I said I would stick to California wines but they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I liked the  2004 Bodegas Muga Gran Reserva “Prado Enea“, which had a great nose of damp earth, excellent mid palate with nice balance. The 2005 Muga Rioja “Torre Muga” was made in a more new world style with dense, black, sweet fruit and nicely balanced. They brought out some of the heavy hitters for the vip consumer tasting and I had the opportunity to try wines such as the 2009 Chateau Palmer and the 2009 Chateau Mouton Rothschild.  The Palmer was silky with great balance while theRothschild had a big nose of green olives with velvety fruit. I was a little disappointed with the 2007 Chateau Petrus. I don’t know if it was from the high expectations I had for the wine or for the fact that I spent the afternoon drinking fruit forward new world Cabernet and Merlot. I thought the Petrus had a big nose and a long finish but the fruit was very tight and light. They also  poured the 2007 Penfolds Grange which had a big nose with great balance and a long finish.

Overall it was a very good tasting.

On Saturday I went to a couple of wine tastings. Spanish wines at Union Square Wines and a Burgundy tasting sponsered by Garnet Wines which was held at the Bohemian National Hall. I went to the Spanish event first. Didn’t have much time so I started the day with the 2008 Organic Brut Reserve Cava from Marques de Gelida. Then I made my way to the last table which usualy have the top-end wines at these tastings if any are being poured that day. They poured three Rioja Reservas from the 2001 vintage. It’s always nice to try a bottle of red that has some maturity to it. I liked the 2001 Ramirez de la Piscina Gran Reserva which had a beautiful nose of leather with mature dusty fruit on the palate. The 2001 La Rioja Alta Reserva Especial Vina Adanza had a nose of dark blackberries with sweet fruit and a long finish. The 2001 Senorio de Pecina Reserva had a nose of sour cherries and cooked fruit on the palate. Other Rioja poured included the 2007 Muga Reserva and the 2005 Lopez de Heredia Crianza Vina Cubillo.

The tasting event sponsored by Garnet consisted of twenty white and red Burgundy and I have to say that there wasn’t a clunker in the bunch. Some of the whites that I enjoyed included the 2010 Domaine Bart Marsannay “Les Favieres”, the 2009 Claude Jobard Rully Montagne “Le Follie”, the 2009 Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils Saint Aubin Premier Cru En Remilly and the 2009 Chateau de le Maltroye Chassagne Montrachet. With the reds I enjoyed the 2009 Chateau de Raousset Morgan Douby, served chilled it was nicely balanced and a good sipping red. The 2009 Domaine Lafouge Auxey–Duresses 1er Cru “La Chapelle” was a great bargain Burgundy, toasted earth on the nose, black velvet fruit and a long finish. The 2009 Domaine Stephane Magnien Morey-Saint Denis Cuvee Petites Noix 1er Cru had a beautiful nose of forest floor with a great silky balance on the finish. Other tasty juice included the 2009 Hospice de Beaune Santenots Cuvee Jehan de Massol Volnay 1er Cru, the 2009 Chateau de la Maltroye Chassagne Montrachet Rouge “La Boudriotte” and the 2009 Damaine Rapet Pere et Fils Pernand Ile des Vergelesses 1er Cru.

This past Sunday I attended the Malbec World Day tasting held at City Winery which is located at 155 Varick Street.

I’m not sure what the “world” in world day tasting was since all of the wines poured at the event were from Argentina but Malbec is the signature grape from that country. I’ve never been a big fan of Malbec from Argentina since many times the wines are big fruit bombs. Many of the wines at the event were just like that but a few were made in a more restrained style. I was finding that the wines from the San Juan province in the western part of the country were made in the more restrained style probably because of the fact that most of the vineyards are in high elevations. They served some good grilled skirt steak with a garlicy chimichurri sauce for a typical Argentinean experience.

Some of the wines I liked: Bodegas Caro 2010 Amancaya, the 2010 Aruma and the 2009 Caro. Caro is a collaboration between Catena and the Rothschild’s. The Amamcaya had a big nose of stone fruits with a great balance with a long finish. The Caro had good complexity and a velvety finish. I had the Casa Montes 2009 “Don Baltazar” Malbec which had a beautiful nose of black cherries and mint with tight but silky fruit and a good grip on the finish. Their 2010 Ampakama Malbec was dark with sweet leather on the nose and chewy fruit that dropped a bit on the finish but was still drinking nicely. From Bodagas Renacer I had the 2008 Final Reserva Malbec which had a big perfume of red fruits with silky fruit and a good grip on the long finish. Their 2009 Enamore was an unusual wine. A blend of five grape varietals it was made in an Amarone style in which the grapes were allowed to partially dry before being made into wine. A raisiny nose with the bitter almond finish that you would find on an Amarone.

The 2010 Salentein Reserve Malbec was dark and dense with good mouthfeel and black fruits on the finish. Luigi Bosca poured his flagship wine, the 2007 “Icono” which is an equal blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. It had a persistent dusty nose with a velvety long finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past Tuesday evening I attended a night tasting run by the Montefalco Consortium featuring wines of Sangratino from the village of Montefalco and surrounding areas in Umbria Italy. The event was held at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria located on 53 Great Jones Street.

The grape of Sagratino is a small production grape varietal that received its DOCG status in 1991. The wines labeled Sangratino di Montefalco (DOCG) are 100% Sagratino while the wines labeled “Rosso” (DOC) are 60-70% Sangiovese with about 15% Sagratino and the rest other grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon,  Merlot, etc.)

Some of the wines I tried included: The 2007 & 2008 Colpetrone Sangratino di Montefalco, The 2005, 2006 & 2007 Arquata Sagratino di Montefalco, the 2006 Perticaia Sagratino di Montefalco, the 2005 Antonelli Sagritino di Montefalco, and the 2008 Antonelli Montefalco Rosso

These wines were inky-black, dense and chewy with a mouthfeel that reminded me of a good Amarone or a jammy Cali Zinfandel. I thought the younger wines tasted green and grapey while the older ones meshed together with flavors of wet leather, damp earth, meat and herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Very bold wines.