V. Sattui Winery
Zinfandel
Crow Ridge Vineyard
Old Vine
Russian River ValleySt. Helena, California, USA2006
15%
$28.00 -- Sattui Winery, St. Helena, CA
Color: Medium garnet
Nose: Raspberry, fig, pine
Body: Medium
Front: Raspberry
Middle: Rosemary, black pepper
Back: Smoke, cedar
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
V. Sattui wines are always on my mind. Admittedly, I'm not a big Zinfandel fan, but partly that's just because they seem to vary so much from bottle to bottle and even year to year that I feel I can't count on anything.
The Crow Ridge is a rich, juicy wine, good with any kind of food (though it's just salted, spicy almonds tonight). It provokes a little contemplation, though, unfolding through a few nice layers, and it's big enough to make you take notice.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Berthoud Syrah
Berthoud Vineyards & Winery
Syrah
Sonoma ValleyCalifornia, USA2003
13.8%
$28.00 -- Mayo Family, Glen Ellen, CA
Color: Deep garnet
Nose: Plum and mash
Body: Full
Front: Sour cherries
Middle: Dark roasted coffee, caramel
Back: Thyme, tannins
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
It was a damn noisy late afternoon in the Mayo tasting room (they stay open until 6:30, well past most wineries) when I tried this wine, but I think I heard that it's the private label of that company's winemaker. This is some seriously French stuff; dark, earthy, and brooding.
This is not a wine for everyone. It was delicious with the roasted chicken and avocado of tonight's meal, but really, it's got a strong character. At about an hour of decanting it was at its most subtle and multilayered. There's not much more of it, honestly--they only made three barrels, to my math about 900 bottles--but it's a delight.
Syrah
Sonoma ValleyCalifornia, USA2003
13.8%
$28.00 -- Mayo Family, Glen Ellen, CA
Color: Deep garnet
Nose: Plum and mash
Body: Full
Front: Sour cherries
Middle: Dark roasted coffee, caramel
Back: Thyme, tannins
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
It was a damn noisy late afternoon in the Mayo tasting room (they stay open until 6:30, well past most wineries) when I tried this wine, but I think I heard that it's the private label of that company's winemaker. This is some seriously French stuff; dark, earthy, and brooding.
This is not a wine for everyone. It was delicious with the roasted chicken and avocado of tonight's meal, but really, it's got a strong character. At about an hour of decanting it was at its most subtle and multilayered. There's not much more of it, honestly--they only made three barrels, to my math about 900 bottles--but it's a delight.
Robert Craig Affinity
Robert Craig Winery
Affinity
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Napa Valley
Angwin, California, USA2006
14.5%
$55.00 -- Wildflower, Tucson, AZ
Color: Rich ruby
Nose: Boysenberry, licorice
Body: Full
Front: Cherry
Middle: Coffee
Back: Chocolate cream pie
Burns clean?: Yes, though I had weird dreams
Cap: Cork
Another Wildflower half-off deal. This one wasn't as memorable as the 2005, which I first tried at this same restaurant last year. It's mostly Cabernet (judging from the front label, which declares it a Cabernet Sauvignon) but it's billed as a blend (judging from the back label which heralds the varietals listed above.
Whatever it is, it's great with all kinds of food, from the duck with cherries and spinach I had to the rich Mahi Mahi extravaganza my mom ate most of next to me. I do think I have an "affinity" for this wine, but I think in all honesty I'd say that it doesn't quite extend to passion. But friendship is more than enough.
Affinity
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Napa Valley
Angwin, California, USA2006
14.5%
$55.00 -- Wildflower, Tucson, AZ
Color: Rich ruby
Nose: Boysenberry, licorice
Body: Full
Front: Cherry
Middle: Coffee
Back: Chocolate cream pie
Burns clean?: Yes, though I had weird dreams
Cap: Cork
Another Wildflower half-off deal. This one wasn't as memorable as the 2005, which I first tried at this same restaurant last year. It's mostly Cabernet (judging from the front label, which declares it a Cabernet Sauvignon) but it's billed as a blend (judging from the back label which heralds the varietals listed above.
Whatever it is, it's great with all kinds of food, from the duck with cherries and spinach I had to the rich Mahi Mahi extravaganza my mom ate most of next to me. I do think I have an "affinity" for this wine, but I think in all honesty I'd say that it doesn't quite extend to passion. But friendship is more than enough.
Chalk Hill Chardonnay
Chalk Hill Winery
Chardonnay
Russian River Valley
Sonoma
Healdsburg, California, USA2006
14.8%
$26.00 -- Wildflower, Tucson, AZ
Color: Pale, milky gold
Nose: Pear, butter
Body: Full
Front: Apricot, lemon
Middle: Garlic butter
Back: Cedar, rosemary, truffle
Burns clean?: Yes, though I had weird dreams
Cap: Cork
I'm breakin' my own rule about reviewing wines served to me at restaurants. Wildflower's got a half-off special on bottles of wine on Tuesdays during the raging hot months of the summer, and this was way too good to pass up. I haven't had Chalk Hill in 10 years; when I was a youngster, my parents used to get it because it was a fantastic Chardonnay for around 20 bucks. Then it skyrocketed, along with a host of other Californiay Chardonnays, and they didn't buy it anymore.
It's a stunning wine. A long, long development on the palate, with clear structural shifts and an immaculate balance of acidic fruits up front, mellowing out to soft butteryness in the middle, and evolving into a woody, earthy finish. My father compares it to a Puligny-Montrachet, and I think that's right, though it's bigger, beefier, somehow. Still, it's subtle.
Wildflower has a world-class tuna tartare, and this was perfect accompaniment. But! We took the last few ounces of it home, and I had the last glass this evening while in my parents' pool. It was just as good with a hot afternoon swim as with raw fish.
Chardonnay
Russian River Valley
Sonoma
Healdsburg, California, USA2006
14.8%
$26.00 -- Wildflower, Tucson, AZ
Color: Pale, milky gold
Nose: Pear, butter
Body: Full
Front: Apricot, lemon
Middle: Garlic butter
Back: Cedar, rosemary, truffle
Burns clean?: Yes, though I had weird dreams
Cap: Cork
I'm breakin' my own rule about reviewing wines served to me at restaurants. Wildflower's got a half-off special on bottles of wine on Tuesdays during the raging hot months of the summer, and this was way too good to pass up. I haven't had Chalk Hill in 10 years; when I was a youngster, my parents used to get it because it was a fantastic Chardonnay for around 20 bucks. Then it skyrocketed, along with a host of other Californiay Chardonnays, and they didn't buy it anymore.
It's a stunning wine. A long, long development on the palate, with clear structural shifts and an immaculate balance of acidic fruits up front, mellowing out to soft butteryness in the middle, and evolving into a woody, earthy finish. My father compares it to a Puligny-Montrachet, and I think that's right, though it's bigger, beefier, somehow. Still, it's subtle.
Wildflower has a world-class tuna tartare, and this was perfect accompaniment. But! We took the last few ounces of it home, and I had the last glass this evening while in my parents' pool. It was just as good with a hot afternoon swim as with raw fish.
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