saturday at martinelli winery

So, it’s Saturday we got up early to partake in the free breakfast fare at our hotel before heading off to Sonoma for our visit to Martinelli Winery. I had my route all mapped out and so off we went. After our first encounter with Mayacamas mountain roads last year it was decided that we’d head down and around and then up the 12, however my GPS had other ideas and continued to force me over to the 101 via 116. Now, this was our first time venturing into Sonoma beyond Sonoma Square, so in the end I let my GPS be the guide. But soon enough the large red barn of Martinelli revealed itself from behind the trees and we knew we had arrived.We were scheduled for their VIP tour at 11:00am and we eventually arrived at just about 20 past! We were warmly greeted and taken to the tour already in progress. The day was beautiful, warm and sunny with some morning clouds still hanging around, but no rain in sight! The tour started at the foot of the Giuseppe and Luisa vineyard. We were then taken over towards the crush pad where they talked about their process of harvesting, processing, and making of the wines, interlaced with wonderful family stories.

We tasted a lot of fantastic wines, 8 or 9 in total if a recall but our favorites were the 2009 “Vigneto di Evo” Zinfandel, which was a big bold and juicy zin, with tones of black fruit flavours and just the right amount of sweet tobacco spice. The tannins are really quite smooth and help to round this juice out. It’s a great entry-level bottle (only $30 and 627 cases produced) for those who love a darn good Martinelli zin!

We enjoyed our’s back at the hotel!

Our other favorite was the 2008 “Zio Tony Ranch” Pinot Noir. This pinot brings both power and grace to the table. The nose is warm and welcoming with notes of baking spice mingling with aromas of red cherries and plum. The palate is treated to a full-bodied array of ripe raspberry and black cherries. Once this one opens up the tannins really integrate into the whole structure and are smooth and silky. The finish reveals the hints of vanilla-oak from a year of sitting in 75% new French Oak barrels with it’s gross lees and lasts forever! We saved our bottle for Easter Diner and had it with a traditionally prepared Spiral cut ham that was marinated overnight with pineapple and 7up and then slow roasted with a brown sugar glaze. The pairing, in my opinion, was divine!

All of the wines were fantastic but then again with Helen Turley and Bryan Kvamme behind the winemaking you really can’t go wrong! If you’re ever out that way you really need to pay them a visit!

a day at failla

Our trip to Wine Country began early Friday morning as we checked out of our hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf and into an estate car back to the airport to pick up the rental car (one of the limitations of booking with United Miles). From there it was a fairly easy drive over the Bay Bridge and up I80 through Oakland, with a quick job over to 29. We stayed at the new Best Western Ivy Hotel at the northern end of Napa. After we checked in and got settled we headed to our first winery of the trip: Failla. This a beautiful little winery nestled at the base of the mountains in the Northeastern corner of St. Helena off the Silverado Trail.When we arrived we were greeted like old friends. On the walls of the entry way stood proud but empty reminders of festive holiday parties past, including old Failla Jordan labels (would have loved to have been able try one of those Syrahs!). We were taken into what will eventually be the living room of the family home once the new caves and tasting rooms are completed just up the hill. The feeling was very warm and cozy with a large river rock fireplace and a decidedly Adirondack feel!

The river rock fire place.

A view if the porch.

We were to be joined by one other couple, so while we waited we were poured some of their 2009 Sonoma Coast Chard, which was just lovely with nice pear notes and a lovely and crisp acidic finish. Since Erhen Jordan spent quite a bit of time making wine in Rhone, his wines are decidedly Old World in personality with a nice balance of New World terroir. We were also treated to a taste of their very limited production (185 cases) 2009 Edna Valley Viognier, Alban Vineyard, of which the French Laundry gets but one case! It had a wonderfully floral nose and bright yet round palate and clean finish. I would have bought a bottle if they had any! Once the other couple arrived we got to revisit the Chard and tasted two Pinots and a Syrah.

The Chard and Viognier.

Both of the Pinots were exceptional. The first to be tasted was the 2009 Sonoma Stage that had a nose of autumn leaf and spice, with a rich, lush and spicy palate. The tannins were silky smooth and the finish lingered on like a fond memory of camping on a brisk fall weekend. The second Pinot we tasted (and the one we brought home) was the 2007 Peay Vineyard, which hails from the Sonoma Coast near Mendocino. The nose was ripe with spiced cherries and hints of leafy smoke. The mouth was treated to a lush palate of red fruits and velvety tannins and a finish that brings tart cranberry and crisp strawberry flavours. The last wine we tasted was the 2009 Phoenix Ranch Syrah, which I absolutely loved with it’s big warm nose of spiced dark fruits and sweet tobacco leaf and rich palate of plum and blackberries, aggressive tannins and velvety chocolate finish.

The tasting line up.

The spoils of tasting.

Sipping the Peay Vineyard pool side.

The Estate Chardonnay enjoyed at home.

If ever there was a way to kick off a weekend in wine country this was definitely it and we can’t wait to return. Not only to taste more of Failla’s wonderful wines but also see the new caves and perhaps sit on the inviting porch and sip some vino in the crisp and clean St. Helena air. Visit them online at Failla Wines

2008 Fog Crest Laguna West Pinot Noir

2008 Fog Crest, Laguna West, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

Spicy red berries, blackberries and cherry cola (ala Dr. Pepper) on the nose with hints of vanilla oak and baking spices. Lovely medium bodied palate full of darker fruit cola flavors balanced by a silky smooth tannic structure, warm oaky notes and ribbons of white chocolate that lead into a long and satisfying finish of chocolate covered strawberries. There’s a nice level of acidity that keeps the overall character of this pinot on the lighter more elegant side to pair well with lighter dishes while still remaining bold and confident enough to hold up to more robust dishes.*

We had the first bottle with pasta shells with spinach, homegrown sun-dried tomatoes, roastrd whole clove garlic and peas in an arrabiata sauce and the match was made in heaven.

*Just a sidenote on these tasting notes for the second bottle, which was poured through our Vinturi aerator into the decanter while the first bottle was decanted without the use of the Vinturi. The first glass of the first bottle was still a bit tight but did open up nicely after a half hour or so…just in time for dinner! The first glass from the second bottle was amazingly smooth, like the last glass from the first bottle, and only got better as it sat in the decanter.

Fog crest vineyards

The Highlight of the weekend for us, hands down, was Fog Crest, sitting on the hill off Occidental Road in the Russian River Valley! After being stopped by a fill-in postal worker wanting a signature for a package, we continued down a gravel drive that wound its way through the vineyards.

There we were greeted by Jim Manoogian, one half of the husband/wife owner/vintners team! It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 70’s and barely a cloud in the sky! He started us of with the first of two Chards and then walked us down to the vines where the chard grapes are grown and bud break was in full force.

We tasted both the 2007 Laguna West and 2007 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay. The Laguna West was a richer and rounder chard with lush pear falvours intermingled with hints of peach and baking spices that led into a nice mild and toasty hazelnut finish with a pleasant touch of crisp acidity. The Estate Vineyard chard was a bit more old world in style exhibiting lemon floral and soft hazelnut aromas on the nose that led into a palate of crisp apple and citrus notes on a cool base of minerality and nuanced oak flavours. The finish was warm and bright with just the right amount of cool acidity

We then headed back to the barrel room to taste the pinots. With glasses in hand Jim lead us over to the upper estate pinot vines, where he talked about their pruning process and how they will eventually drop double buds.

Here we tasted the 2008 Laguna West Pinot Noir that welcomed you in with a warm and spicy nose with notes of dark and bright cherry cola. The palate was rich and smooth with a base of silky smooth tannins supporting a chorus of ripe red berry fruit flavours accompanied by nuances of anise and lush plum. The finish added more dark fruit and cola flavours that tapered slowly off with light acidity.

Once we were hooked Jim then capped off our tour with a barrel tasting, or thieving as he called it! My very first! He treated us to a preview of their 2010 Upper Estate Pinot Noir that was barreled last October. Though it was still young with lots of green notes you could tell that this was going to develop into a very lush and complex wine as it was already exhibiting the signature berry flavours and soft structure of the 08 Laguna West.

After all was said and done we walked away with two bottles each of the 07 Estate Chard and the 08 Laguna West Pinot and I guarantee we will be ordering more! If you get a chance I highly recommend that you try to visit them! http://www.fogcrestvineyard.com/

2007 Hendry Pinot Noir Napa Valley

I picked up a couple of bottles on Friday from Just Grapes. One was a fav of mine the La Cartuja Priorat 2009, which was every bit as good as the past two vintages that I’ve had and the other was this Pinot Noir from Napa Valley near Carneros and Mt. Veeder along the Redwood Creek.

This Pinot shows deep garnet and ruby in the glass with a rich warm nose of spiced red berries, leather and earth with hints of backing spice. The palate is treated to bold red and dark fruit flavours with touches of cocoa and toast brought on with a good decant and the 11 months of 50% new French Oak aging. The Finish is well-balanced a nicely structured with supple and velvety tannins mingled with a fresh but not too tart acidity.

2007 Hendry, Hendry Vineyard, Napa Valley – Pinot Noir

2009 Grandmaster Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

I got this on sale last night at Wholefoods for $13.99! Originally it was $24.99. It was really quite nice for the price with lots of warm spice, leather and cherry aromas. The palate was rich and juicy with darker berry flavours, think black cherry and mulberry, with notes of baking spice that lead into a long supple and velvety finish with nice acidity for balance. The grapes were harvested in September of 2009 and were barrel aged for 14 months and limited to just over 1400 cases, which isn’t too limited but that’s what the label says 🙂

2009 – Grandmaster Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

2009 castle rock Pinot Noir

I found this Pinot Noir at Trader Joe’s for $11.99 and was surprised that it had somewhat of a character beyond strawberry juice. The nose was bright and red berry fruity but there was some hints of baking spice. The palate was also juicy but not in a coolaid sort of way and it did exhibit some smooth tannic structure. The finish was a bit weak and did have a slight strawberry jolly rancher fruitiness to it…but as it didn’t last long I didn’t mind. Anyway, for $11.99 it was one of the better sub $20 Pinots from Willamette Valley I’ve had.

2009, Castel Rock, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

Four Graces…for sure

2008 – Four Graces Pinot Noir, Willamette ValleyJust a wonderfully supple and rich Pinot, with a nose full of spiced red berries and warm hints of leather and earth. The palate brought darker fruits like black cherry, a hint of plum and soothing nuances of baking spices (it reminded me a little of the Martinelli Moonshine Ranch…described as Holidays in a Glass). Mid-palate brought in some brighter notes of strawberries and a cranberry laced acidity. The structure was lovely with really smooth and gentle tannins that tied into a very satisfying finish. This one really went great with left overs and nice fire in the fireplace!

Pinot Days Chicago 2010

If you’ve never had the pleasure of attending one of these events, either here in Chicago or elsewhere, I highly recommend that you do! For the nominal fee of $50 one is offered over 300 different Pinots from close to 70 different wineries from the Central Coast all the way up to Willamette Valley! I have to admit that one can be a bit overwhelmed when entering for the first time; the Festival Hall at Navy Pier is huge and the buzz in the air, electric! But with a game plan it quickly becomes very welcoming and when you reach a table almost intimate as well. I was quite pleasantly surprised that, despite the large number of attendees, the wait to get to a table was not at all bad. So, our game plan was to hit all the wineries that we just had to taste and then fill in the gaps after that and it worked quite well.

By the end of the even we had tasted nearly 50 different Pinots but I’m only going to talk about the highlights and the standouts. In no particular order of course.

Our first stop was at J Vineyards where they had two Pinots to try. First was their 2007 RRV, which was smooth, elegant and structured, showing spiced cherry flavors and silky tannins. The second Pinot was their 2006 Single Vineyard, which was bigger in body and flavours but had more savoury earth notes that added that extra dimension.

At the Domaine Chandon table we were surprised with a 2008 still Pinot Meunier from their Carneros vineyards. This was my first time having a Pinot Meunier and a single varietal still wine and I was very, very impressed. Deeper in colour and darker in fruit profile, this wine exhibited a rich and lush palate that had wonderful earth tones, structure and balance.

Right nest door to Chandon was DeLoach who not only offered up four of their best Pinots they also offered a barrel taste of their newest vintage, which hasn’t gone to market yet. You could tell it was still quite young but it was still quite smooth even with the green wood notes that hovered in the mid-palate.

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I had to make a stop by the Goldeneye table as they were part of our wine makers class last year at Just Grapes and the 2006 Anderson Valley they were pouring did not disappoint by any stretch of the imagination! It was a classic style Pinot with w hint of old world using only French oak casks (35% new and a the balance being seasoned no older that two seasons).

Okay, let’s talk Merry Edwards! They had two offerings: the 2007 Sonoma Coast, which was basic but not boring but the 2007 Flax Vineyard, Russian River Valley Pinot was outstanding!

Next door was Martinelli, which offered up their 2007 Lolita Ranch Russian River Valley and my personal fav on that table the 2008 Moonshine Ranch Russian River Valley, which was as the rep (A Martinelli herself) said, “It’s like Christmas in a glass!” Which could not have been a more accurate statement. It had this lovely deep ruby colour and a nose full of warm baking spices that led into a palate of spiced red berries and cranberries and finished warm and spicy, with really smooth tannins.

Failla was one of the newer wineries and by no means an underdog. Their Pinots from Russian River Valley and Anderson Valley were exceptional!

The last one I’m going to talk about was hands down both mine and my girlfriend’s favourite of the night! The Fog Crest 2008 Laguna West, Russian River Valley Pinot was rich with cherry and plum flavours balanced by warm spicy notes. Soft tannins provide wonderful structure and the finish lingers on and on with dark fruit and cola notes! Fog Crest got it’s start in 1998 with South/East facing slopes and sandstone soils that provide the ideal growing conditions for Pinot and Chardonnay. So, if you haven’t had the pleasure of trying Fog Crest I highly urge you to do so.

http://www.fogcrestvineyard.com/

After nearly four hours of tasting it was time to eat so we finished the night off at Cafe Iberico for some amazing Tapas and a bottle of the 2006 Campo Viejo Crianza, Rioja!

Pinot Days is, as I said, an amazing event that should be attended by everyone and anyone who loves West Coast Pinots! I know we’ll be going back next year!

La Crema the crop

When I got home last night the GF surprised me with a nice bottle of this:

2008 – La Crema, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
This is a very well-balanced PN with bright red berry and spice notes on the nose followed by a rich and smooth palate of raspberries and red cherry with perfect elements of spice and soft tannins. The finish was equally smooth and I even detected notes of light chocolate. Out of all the bottlings from La Crema, the Sonoma Coast is by far better than the Monterey offering, which to me was too leathery, bordering on black rubber on the nose. We feel in love with this bottle while in San Fran last April. And for $19.99 at Trader Joe’s it’s not too bad a buy either.