Archive for the ‘Wine Reviews’ Category

by Katherine Parker

I attended PINK OUT! SF this week, an event eagerly anticipated and long-awaited by me.  PINK OUT! is an annual wine tasting and food-pairing celebration focused entirely on Rosé wines. It’s hosted by Chef Robert Lam at the San Francisco waterfront location of his Butterfly Restaurant. PINK OUT! SF, in its 8^th year, is organized by the Rosé Avengers and Producers (RAP).

Getting Sassy at Pink Out! SF

Rosé came onto my radar when I moved to Sonoma in 2009 and started classes in the wine studies program at Santa Rosa JC. Instructors like Bob Frazer, Ray Johnson and others opened my palate to a broad spectrum of wine varietals and winemaking styles I had never considered drinking. Rosé was one of those.

Living on the border of Carneros, Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Coast, I was soon smitten. My piece “Romance with Rosé,” became one of Simple Hedonisms’ most popular.  When I found out there would be a tasting of 30+ Rosé wines in one place, I was excited.  The wines, the Butterfly waterfront venue and food, and the sassy spirit of PINK OUT! SF lived up to my expectations and more.

The Wines

Rosé is so versatile. Think of the many ways you can use and enjoy it: As a low(er) alcohol wine for a business or vacation lunch (Envolve or Korbin Kameron); as a mouth-cleansing refresher with spicy Asian or BBQ food (Lasseter Family); as an appetite-stimulant with a plate of fabulous cheeses (Dunstan or Kokomo); as a celebration wine, when you want a Pink Champagne with (Gloria Ferrer) or without the bubbles (Chateau D’Esclans) as an aperitif for a festive occasion. Also, a very good Rosé can be had for a great price. Of 40 or so wines, most are priced under $25 with several good value Rosés at $14-18. These were just a few faces of Rosé at PINK OUT! SF.

Roses of all shapes and colors

I found Rosés of all origins, varietals and colors at PINK OUT! SF: France, Spain and Australia; Sonoma and Napa; Yolo and Lake county grapes are represented. There are Rosés made from Grenache, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Sangiovese, Vermentino, Zinfandel … to name a few. And at least one (MidSummer Cellars) co-fermented with Viognier (Like!).

The Colors

Straw. Pale Gold. Silver. Platinum. Peach. Salmon. Pink-Pink.Foamy Pink. Licorice Red Candy. Clear Ruby. Hot-Pink! Deep-Pink. Take your pick of pink.

As a whole I found the wines well made. I had a few favorites, which are influenced by my personal preferences (running to dry, low-alcohol Rosé, particularly of Pinot Noir, a varietal I favor).

Top Picks

Top Pick: Kokomo 2011 Grenache Rose

Kokomo Grenache Rosé 2011. Grapes from Pauline’s Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma CA. This wine is elegant in every dimension: Crystal clear pale platinum in color, dry berry bramble nose, round and mouth-filling on the palette. Drinks well by itself and would pair excellently with an aged Spanish Manchego cheese, shellfish or naturally seasoned grilled pork. It was the perfect accompaniment to Chef Lam’s spicy paella. 13% Alcohol, $22.

Dunstan Rosé, 2011. Signature salmon color, light fragrant nose, dry and cleansing on the palette. Balanced and satisfying. From Sonoma’s famed Durrell Vineyard Pinot Noir grapes.

VML 2011, Rosé of Pinot Noir. Winemaker Virginia (Ginny) Lambrix (Truett-Hurst and VML labels) made this lovely Rosé of Pinot, which retails for $19.

Many other wines here were also worthy of mention:

Chateau D’Esclans, Whispering Angel Rosé 2011, and Rosé 2011 from Cotes de Provence, France.  Whispering Angel seems to create a category all it’s own. Made from a blend of 7 varietals  – predominantly Grenache and Rolle – it is silvery pink in color, soft and round, and so light it seems to evaporate pleasantly in the mouth.  Almost like champagne without the bubbles.  14% alcohol, $19. I liked the Rosé 2011 for its direct and structured approach – Grenache and Rolle with 20% oak. 14% alcohol, $35.

Gloria Ferrer was memorable for sparklers. They I tasted a couple of interesting and well-priced Spanish pink wines, Segura Viudas NV Brut Rosé ($8) and Freixenet NV Rosado Brut ($13).  These were great paired with the oyster appetizers.

DEFINE Wines 2011 Syrah/Grenache Rosé. A new entrant with a finely-tuned, bold and fruity 13.5% alcohol Rosé. $38.

Carneros Wine Co., 2011 Fleur de California Rosé of Pinot Noir. Made from grapes from Carneros and Suisun Valley, this is a straightforward refreshing Rosé. Perfect for lunch at 12.5% alcohol and $14 retail.

Butterfly Restaurant

Chef Lam put together a menu of spicy paella, grilled-cheese burgers and salad that paired so well with the Rosé tasting it was a hard act to follow. Then it was followed by platters of cheeses with cornbread triangles that made me realize how much the cheese and the Rosé wanted to be together.  The waterfront location is ideal with its floor to ceiling windows and open kitchen. I will be back soon to discover the menu and waterfront vistas.

Pink Out! SF Crew

The Bling

At the same time my interest in Rosé developed, Rosé winemaking styles have been rapidly evolving from a “what shall we do with the leftovers?” into an art and craft of Rosé. This event expresses the accessibility, diversity and enthusiasm of today’s Rosé. It’s on my calendar for next year on the second Tuesday of May. That should give me enough time to shop for something pink and sassy to wear in 2013.

Related Articles

A Call For Rosé – May Panel Review (Drink Pink!)

Tasting Notes: Envolve Winery 2011 Rosé, Sonoma Mountain

You will be reading a LOT more about pink, or Rosé wines here this month. As I have shared a few times, I am passionate about (properly made) Rosé wines. This month, I am tasting through about 60 for my Rosé panel. (See A Call For Rosé – May Panel Review (Drink Pink!)

I am well into the tasting and  will release some of these notes separately, all will have notes  released on my CellarTracker notes.

About Envolve

This is an interesting new brand, for sure. The heritage is unmistakable – Benziger family. But if this Rosé is any example, a fresh new direction from the classic, consumer grade wines Benziger produces. I won’t know until I taste them all , but am interested to try.

Their website is well done, with a good vibe and energy. Off to a good start it seems.

Kudos for having tech sheet on your website. As I taste through dozens of Rosé right now, its annoying how many don’t. What caught my eye first on this, was a vineyard with a large planting of Rhone grapes, I had not heard of before, Dragonsleaf Vineyard.  Per their notes “There are 50 acres, planted predominantly to Rhone varietals (Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault). “  Sonoma County is still playing catchup with Rhone plantings, and Cinsault can be very hard to find. As a Rhone Ranger board member, and President of our North Coast chapter, Bravo!

Wine Review: 2011 Envolve Sonoma Mountain Rosé

This rosé is a blend of 92% Syrah, 8% Grenache. 2011 was considered one of the most challenging vintages in decades for much of the county, and this seems no exception as they note: “The 2011 vintage in Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley AVAs was a challenging one. We never received our usual August heat spell, and it prevented a lot of the fruit in these AVAs to struggle reaching optimal ripeness. We were quite lucky, however, and picked around 21.5 brix to lock in the acidity and still have enough sweetness to add the necessary phenolic complexity.”

Bravo – in my opinion the acid and alcohol are where they should be. One of my biggest disappointments as I taste through this panel are rosé of 14%+ alcohol, that have drifted closer to being a red wine than a rosé. Not that its impossible to make a great balanced rosé thats not the classic 12-13% alcohol, but in my experience its the exception not the rule.

To The Eye: Medium Pink color

On The Nose: Expressive red fruit, strawberry and raspberry. Subtle hint of earthiness.

In The Mouth:  In The Mouth: A wonderful expression of Rosé; cherry, strawberry, watermelon in the mouth. Its bright and fun on the front palate, it gains complexity and some wet stone minerality mid palate, and finishes nicely with juicy acidity. A wine that makes you smile, sip, and reach for a refill. There is a tiny bit of RS sweetness. I don’t think it adds to the wine personally, and would have fermented it dry, or I’d rated it a tad higher, but its a stylistic choice, and others may actually prefer it.

Recommendation: Worth grabbing a bottle for your summer fare, or an aperitif, if you see it. Or buy it online $24. 89 Points. Media Sample received for Pink Out Tastelive.

Wine Geek Info:

• Harvest Date:   September 17th 2011
• Bottling Date:   January 18th 2011
• Release Date:    February 1st 2012
• pH:                       3.34
• Total Acid:          .68
• Alcohol:                12.7%
• Residual Sugar:   .50
• Production:         536 Cases

Related Articles:

Rosé has Legs! Report from Pink Out! SF

A Call For Rosé – May Panel Review (Drink Pink!)

Rhône Rosé Panel: Quivira, Mounts, and Skinner Vineyards.

Tasting Notes: 2009 Sainte Leocadie Minervois Rosé

Wine of the Week – Foppiano Vineyards 2010 Estate Rosé

Tasting Notes: Ortman 02 Series Grenache Rosé – Paso Robles

Wine of the Week – Carol Shelton 2010 Rendezvous Rosé (Mendocino Carignane)

Wine of the Week – Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris De Cigare, Rosé

It’s a only matter of days and hours until I spend 2 days in the Rhone mecca of Hospice du Rhone, so as I work tonight, I am sipping and paying homage with a white Rhone blend from small local producer, Sheldon. I had originally intended to review their Grenache based Vinolocity a few weeks ago, but it was one of those nights where I just enjoyed the wine too much to put thoughts to keyboard. Should make Eric Asimov proud after his comments at the last Bloggers conference.

I recommend Sheldon winery regularly to Sonoma visitors, although I have only reviewed one of their wines, officially, to date. (It was, however, one of my highest ever scoring red wines.) Tobe and Dylan have a true passion for making wines that are unique, expressive, and truly artisanal.

Review: Sheldon 2010 Vinolocity Blanc – Sonoma Coast Rhone Blend

I fell in love with this wine during Wine Road Barrel tasting weekend in 2011 and bought futures, something I do rarely for whites.

Like all Sheldon wines, this is unfined, unfiltered. Only 13% alc. A blend of 50% Viognier (with skin contact), 25% Grenache Blanc, and 25% Roussanne.

To The Eye: Light yellow straw color, quite clear and bright. (Who says unfiltered means cloudy.)

On The Nose : Tangerine, white peach, white grapefruit, spice.

In the Mouth: Nice mouth feel from combination of acidity and Malolactic. Citrus at front palate, viscous slightly tropical mid palate, and an interesting pleasing finish of acidity and slight nuttiness.

Recommendation: Only 100 cases made, suspect not much left, grab a bottle before extinct. $28 online or at the winery in Santa Rosa. 90 points.

Related Articles:

Countdown To The 20th Anniversary of Hospice du Rhone #HdR2012

Wine of the Week – Sheldon 2009 Graciano Ripkin Vineyard, Lodi

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It’s now less than a week until the International Hospice du Rhone. To celebrate, I am diving into a few imported French Rhones.

This wine is imported into the US by Pasternak, a high quality importer whose media shipments are always a pleasure to receive. This wine is no exception.

Wine Review: 2010 Maison Richard Côtes du Rhône La Petite Fontaine

A blend of  60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Cinsault and 5% Carignan.
To The Eye: Dark red, to purple color.

On The Nose: Raspberry, graphite, smoked meat

In The Mouth: Mostly red fruit, blackberry, with a nice note of minerality.

Recommendation: A keeper wine for the price, and a wonderful example of what red wine can be without oak. Grab a few bottles if you see them around.

89 Points. Media Sample

Related Articles

Countdown To The 20th Anniversary of Hospice du Rhône #HdR2012

A Rhone Event Like No Other – Hospice du Rhone April 29-30 Paso Robles (OR – The French are Coming!)

I have to admit, I didn’t want to like this wine. I am not a big fan of the idea of feeding Millennials slightly sweet wine as a ‘transition wine. Nor am I a fan of the current wave of Muscat as ‘the next big thing’ – repeatedly this leads to lower quality wine, in a varietal that will be easy to abuse. This is not an industry to trend chase.

BUT I actually see a scrap of validity of the transition wine philosophy with this Moscato, and frankly its a decently made wine. They also ‘get’ marketing, and have a well designed website.

Review: Martin Weyrich 2010 Moscato Allegro

What distinguishes this wine is the acidity and low alcohol. Cold slower fermentation helps add nice aromatics.

To The Eye: Medium yellow straw, clear except for tiny hints of bubbles

On The Nose: Honeysuckle, ripe melon, ripe pear.

In The Mouth: Lush, and just slightly effervescent.  The acidity combines with the relatively high RS (10%) for a well done combination that never comes across as sugary or cloying.
Whether it was luck or design,  the result is solid nonetheless.
Do  NOT drink overchilled, you will lose the subtleties.

Recommendation: At $12 and  7.5% alcohol, its a great aperitif or would go very well with spicy food. If you see a bottle, grab it for your next picnic or Thai dinner.

Available at various retail as well as online.

88 Points. Media Sample.

Wine Geek Info:

• Fermentation: Three weeks in stainless at 52 degrees
• CO2: 2000 mg/l
• Alcohol: 7.5%
• ph: 3.36
• Residual Sugar: 10.35%
• Total Acid: .8 g/100 ml
• Production: 40,000 cases

Ahh Pinot Noir. I have been writing and focused heavily on Rhones for many weeks now with my Rhone Rangers and Hospice du Rhone countdown.

But man can not live by Rhone alone (my friend, Rhone icon Randall Grahm told me this!) so last night it was time to go back to ‘my first girl’ and share notes on a winery I have enjoyed for years, but is one of those I somehow just never reviewed before.

If you haven’t been to Dutton-Goldfield’s ‘new’ (its not that new anymore it opened April 2010) they no longer share with Balletto but have a gorgeous tasting room of their own. Venture over to Sebastopol some time for a quality tasting experience.

Dutton-Goldfield is renowned for their Russian River Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but they have several other small lot releases up their sleeve, including Syrah, Zin, and a Pinot Blanc I can’t wait to taste and share shortly.

Wine Review: 2010 Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County)

I couldn’t be more pleased by the slow return to “balance” in Sonoma County wines, and no varietal do I appreciate this more in than Pinot Noir. Elegant, soft, sultry, spicy as she should be, not dark, tannic and flabby. Not that any Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir, during the duration I have been exposed to their wines, ever went down that route, and thus why I have been a fan.

To quote D-G on this vintage, as I think it shows prominently in the tasting:

2010 is a favorite vintage for the masochistic DG winemaker—cold, then wet, then HOT, then cold. Patience, a great grower, and attention paid off. In the end, we harvested a crop of extremely low yield (production of this wine is down from even the sparse 2009 vintage), tiny berry, high acid, low sugar and wonderfully ripe, concentrated and tasty pinot. Though alcohol is low and acid is solid, the phenolic ripeness and bright juicy fruit just sings in this vintage.

To The Eye: Deep crimson , ruby color. Slightly darker color belies the flavor profile.

On The Nose:  The wine is incredibly expressive; blueberry and blackberry, combined with hint of lingering spice, leap out of the glass like a bowl of berry cobbler.

In the Mouth:  Pleasantly (and a bit to my surprise), the wine is more restrained that the aroma profile might lead you to anticipate, I was fearing overly expressive fruit. This Pinot Noir changes wonderfully as you taste it. The  initial front palate is soft and pleasing black fruit, mid palate, tart cranberry expresses itself and shows the acidity more, with a spice note at finish that lingers pleasantly on the tongue.

Recommendation:  Buy and Drink or Hold. This excellent Pinot Noir is modestly priced at $38.
This wine drinks wonderfully now, but should age well, and gain complexity with bottle time. I’d recommend buying several bottles; some to consume, some to hold to observe it over time. You won’t go wrong either way.  Media Sample.

Wine Geek Info:

• APPELLATION: Russian River Valley
• VINEYARDS: Maurice Galante, Emerald Ridge, Silva, Morelli Lane, Freestone Hill
• ALCOHOL: 13.5%
• TITRATABLE ACIDITY:  0.58 gm/100 ml
• PH: 3.62
• WINEMAKING: Open top fermentation, cold soak, punch down.
• BARREL AGING: 10 months in French oak  (40% new barrels)
• WINEMAKER: Dan Goldfield
• CASES PRODUCED: 2,598

Related Articles:

Highlights and Top Picks of the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival

#PinotSmackdown Greenhouse Tasting Winners – Baxter Winery! (Grenache up next!)

Pinot-Philes – Sunday October 23 Healdsburg Pinot on the River is a Must Not Miss Event. (New Venue!)

Countdown To The 20th Anniversary of Hospice du Rhône #HdR2012

Simple Hedonisms is Off Again! This Week it’s the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) in Oregon

Sunday April 10th – ‘How the West Was Wine’ Ticket Contest for West Sonoma County Wineries Open House

Syrah is an interesting varietal that I believe is emerging from its dark period. Darwinistically most of the “weak” or the trend chasers who followed the inane idea that Syrah was the next craze have gone on to do other things, and serious growers and producers are now left.

So much Syrah has been replanted or budded over, I expect over the next few years we will see a shortage, and Syrah prices regain lost price footing.  This is not an industry to chase trends, especially for red wines, I wonder how many learned their lesson?

At the end of  April is the unparalleled Rhone immersion, in Paso Robles:  Hospice du Rhone, “the World’s Largest International Celebration of Rhone Variety Wines.”  Syrah of this caliber and profile will be one of the wine styles I will be seeking out and reporting back on.

Cool Climate vs Warm Syrah

As I have written before, one of Syrah’s “problems” with consumer identity is that it produces two very different wines, when grown in warm climates like Dry Creek Valley, versus cool climates like Russian River or Sonoma Coast.

Warm climate Syrah has more lush fruit, berry flavors, is usually higher in alcohol and tends to be popular with the average wine consumer. Cool climate Syrah is leaner, lower in alcohol, with notes of white pepper, olive, minerality – and is generally more appreciated by the more serious aficionados. Many wine consumers and even wine makers will observe their palate change and evolve over years, often to the leaner cool climate style.  There is nothing wrong with either of course, but consumers buying Syrah should pay close attention to where its from.

Certainly in France, the focus for the most lauded Syrah comes from Northern Rhone,  cooler Côte-Rôtie region,  where most Syrah is under 14% alcohol and balanced. I was quite amazed and pleased to hear from several vintners in Châteauneuf-du-Pape  during my recent trip there, that they don’t like a lot of Syrah in their blends as they don’t like what it does in the Southern Rhone, and were slowly supplanting Mourvedre, which does very well in the heat there and ripens more slowly.

Petrichor Vineyards

Thank heavens for the big Rhone Rangers tasting last Sunday (and Social Media). It’s ironic that Petrichor is quite nearby,  and that Margaret Foley and I are Facebook friends, but had never met.  She was kind enough to give me a bottle.

Courtesy of Petrichor Vineyards Website

When I went to the website and learned their winemaker was Duncan Meyers of cult producer Arnot Roberts, I knew I was in trouble.

Arnot Roberts produces wines of amazing balance and restraint, that I wish I could afford to consume daily.

Wine Review: 2009 Petrichor Les Trois Syrah, Sonoma County

I will cut to the chase and say this is simply a stunning Syrah, one of my new favorites.  There wasn’t a lot of vinifcation information on the website, but I could glean that only a 140 cases of this gem produced, a blend of 86% syrah, 14% Grenache.

I feel confident much if not all of the fruit is cool climate, but since it says “Sonoma County” that means its been sourced from a variety of places that don’t have enough percentage to name an AVA, like Russian River Valley, or Sonoma Coast. Or perhaps they just preferred not too.  They do have their own vineyard of 8,000 Syrah and Grenache vines, but its unclear when it was planted or what percent is in the wine. Any use of oak in this beyond neutral, seems minimal, and certainly complimentary.

To The Eye: The color is a deep purple, impenetrable to light, without tech sheets, I feel comfortable guessing unfined and unfiltered knowing the heritage of the winemaker .

One The Nose: A wonderful blend of earth, smokey meat, olive brine, red fruit and raspberry, hint of ocean salinity.

In the Mouth: Incredible. The aroma profile carries with saline and mineral notes that dance intermingled with white pepper, red & black fruit. Great supple structure that is elegant and soft, not over bearing, jammy, or puckering.  Acidity that lingers and lifts up the wine. I’ll trade acid for tannins any day.

This wine proves again the benefits of cool climate, acidity, minimal-no new oak, in making wines that express themselves naturally.

Recommendation:  I don’t lightly recommend a wine that approaches $50 but this is the real McCoy. Break open the piggy bank.

If you want to impress a true wine aficionado (and I don’t mean some Parker/Spectator score chaser who thinks Oak is the bomb) – buy this for a gift or bring to a dinner.

94 points.  $48  – online.

Related Articles

Rhône Rosé Panel: Quivira, Mounts, and Skinner Vineyards

March 24-25th in SF: “A Weekend Celebration of American Rhônes” or “Palate Enlightenment”

Wine of the Week: Baxter Winery 2006 Carignan – And the Rhone Countdown Begins

Tasting Notes: Wesley Ashley Wines 2009 Intelligent Design Cuvée – And Why Rhone Blends Rock

Wine of The Week: David Girard 2009 Mourvèdre – A Pinot Lovers Mourvèdre

Tuesday Mar 20th – Join The Rhone Rangers and “SonomaWilliam’ for a Live Rhone Twitter Tasting 530-700 pm

Albariño – a Spanish white wine popular with wine aficionados  who look for leaner white wines, higher in acidity.

The Rías Baixas region of Spain (which I have not visited yet unfortunately) is renowned for the Albariño grown here, so I was delighted when asked if I wanted to receive a sampler pack. (More reviews to come.)

Albariño is one of my Spanish white loves, and growing to be one of my preferred varietals. It reminds me somewhat of Grenache Blanc, in that its high in acidity, and responds to vinification techniques, and can gain some complexity if something besides stainless is done with it: neutral oak, concrete etc. (lees aging anyone?)

US production is slowly increasing, but is still hard to find, and generally I have been more pleased with the the Albariño imported from Spain. Which by the way you won’t find on most Safeway shelves, but your local wine shop should carry a bottle. 

Review: 2010 Gallegas Albariño Rías Baixas Miudino

To The Eye: Medium yellow

One The Nose:  A pleasant nose of grapefruit & white peach.

In The Mouth: Bright and lively lime, wet stone, some stone fruit, good mouth feel, and a touch of minerality combined with lingering finish. 12% alcohol.

Recommendation: A very enjoyable white thats great as an aperitif, but would sing when paired with shellfish, especially oysters. A solid white,  under $20. If you see any,  grab a bottle. 89 Points.

Where To Buy:

Via www.wine-searcher.com

Miudiño – available to order online at http://www.zagatwine.com/

Also fun – sign up for information on the new Albariño Explorers Club website:

http://www.albarinoexplorersclub.com/wines

cheers!

Carignan – the grape growers in Mendocino can’t pronounce (they say it ‘kerrigan – like Nancy”, the French have forgot, and that got a bad rap during the jug wine days.

As I have written previously, it can be a difficult grape to work with, but small winemakers are discovering how wonderful this varietal can be if treated with care, and some old vine head trained, dry farmed vineyards can still be found.

Countdown to Rhone

If you are a Rhone style wine aficionado, March and April are your months.

March 24-25 is the Rhone Rangers “Weekend Celebration of American Rhones.”

Over 100 domestic Producers from California, Washington, Oregon, and even Virginia assemble in Ft Mason, San Francisco for two days of seminars, winemakers dinner, auctions, and tastings.

April 26-28th Rhone lovers head to Paso Robles for Hospice du Rhone, “the World’s Largest International Celebration of Rhone Variety Wines.”

This years event is even more special in that its the 20th anniversary. This event is a stunning immersion of seminars, lunches, dinners, & tastings.

In honor of these two do not miss events, I will be featuring a Rhone wine review each week.

Baxter Winery – Known For Pinot, Skilled At Everything

The Baxters, a small winery family in Anderson Valley, are renowned for their Pinot Noir. They clearly demonstrated  this when they won my greenhouse Pinot Smackdown, by a large margin.

Winemaker Phil Baxter renewed my faith in the minimalistic, ‘natural’ style wine making approach, showing what skill, attention, and patience can do.

In addition to Pinot Noir, which they are most known for, Baxter producers many other, very small lot, all equally stunning wines, including Syrah, Cabernet, and yes, even Merlot (that will change your opinion of the poor grape.)

I will review a Pinot Noir soon, and they are about to release a new Rose’ that is one of the best I have tasted in awhile, and look forward to reviewing (and buying more) when released.

 Wine Review: Baxter Winery 2006 Carignan  – Mendocino

I have had the pleasure to barrel taste and geek out with Phil Baxter several times, and its always an honor and a pleasure. Phil is humble, passionate, and entertains all questions with grace, never condescending or arrogant. I have to admire his patience  – I’d be tempted to release many of his wines in barrel much earlier, and consumers would buy them, but Phil waits until he believes the wine is the best it can be, rather than going for the cash. That means dollars are tied up longer. Baxter wines can cost a few dollars more, but this is why, and they are worth it.

On the Nose: Complex Nose of spice, cocoa, black fruit, slight hint of leather.

In The Mouth: Layered flavors of bright red and black fruits, with soft tannins and nice acidity. A great wine that goes down well solo, but the acidity makes it perfect for food.

Recommendation: Highly Recommend. 92 Points. Only 150 cases made.

Where to Buy: Online at the Baxter website. $32

Take the time to make an appointment to visit Phil & Claire Baxter the next time you are near Anderson Valley. It’s a beat off the beaten path, but worth it. And then sign up for their wine club to keep the bottles in supply.

Related Articles:

Wine of The Week – Ranchero Cellars 2008 Carignan, Old Vines, Mendocino County

Why Rhone Wines & Wine Review: Wesley Ashley Wines – Intelligent Design Cuvee – #WBW71

A Rhone Event Like No Other – Hospice du Rhone April 29-30 Paso Robles (OR – The French are Coming!)

Rhone Rangers San Francisco Grand Tasting – A Complete Rhone Weekend, not just a Tasting. Learn More & Win Tickets

Sometimes I am not sure what to expect when I see an unusual blend, like this one of  Syrah (46%), Malbec (31%), and Petit Verdot (23%.)

On paper it could work: a Northern Rhone varietal blended with two Bordeaux. Or would it….

I am happy to say they do – wonderfully.

Wine Review: Ancient Peaks Winery Renegade – Margarita Vineyard, Paso Robles

To The Eye: Dark purple.

On The Nose: Dark red fruit and berry

In the Mouth: Soft, dark black fruit, cocoa, dried red fruit. soft tannins.  A nice winter red, comfort wine. Save for the fire, a stew, lamb shanks or short ribs. Pairs nicely with food thanks to good acidity.

Recommendation: Buy and enjoy. If you can, I can’t find it online, it may be sold out. Nice bottle for $21. 89 points.  Media Sample

Wine Geek Info:

Varietal Composition

• Syrah (46%)
• Malbec (31%)
• Petit Verdot (23%)

Harvest Date

• October 3 (Syrah)
• October 7 (Malbec)
• October 28 (Petit Verdot)

Aging Regimen

• 18 months in French and American oak barrels

Final Analysis

• Alcohol: 14.5%
• TA: .69
• pH: 3.70

Cases Produced – 1,014