October 28, 2010 at 9:46 pm (Age, Barbaresco, Barbera, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Campagne, Cellaring, Chablis, Collecting, Diamond Mountain, Laguna Niguel, Napa, Nebbiolo, Reverie Winery, Rose, Rousanne, Storage, Tasting, Vinspelunking, White Wines, wineries)
Tags: Barbaresco, Barolo, Bordeaux, Burgundies, California Taste Fine Wine, Cellaring, Diamond Mountain, Laguna Niguel, Nebbiolo, Retail Wine Stores, Reverie Winery, Rousanne, Vinspelunking
I know that you may never have heard of the term Vinspelunking. It is the idea that you are exploring your or others wine caves, looking for hidden treasure. In this case, hidden bottles. Forgotten treasures. It is a great way to relive some magical wine moments.
The tools needed to Vinspelunk are these: Corkscrew, wine glass(es) and maybe a candle. There are always a few cups and a cork screw or two in our wine cellar.
As someone who is in the business of selling wines, (California Taste Fine Wine, Laguna Niguel), I am often asked when is it time to drink a certain bottle. I too am asking myself this very question. I was recently rearranging things in the home cellar and came across a few bottles that I totally did not remember owning.
One of those was a bottle of Roussane from Reverie Winery on Diamond Mountain in Napa Valley. It is the 2005 vintage and now I am going to open it in the next few days and hope that it is okay. It seems a bit aged. It is a little dark, with hints of oxidation. Too bad it was not a screw top bottle. Screw top bottles can be stored or cellared in any position. I call that fool proof cellaring. The only concern is light, heat and vibration. The Rousanne was cellared, but not properly. It was standing up in a box. My bad.
It seems the concern is more about White Wine, Champagne and Rose. Finding an older red wine such as a Nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco etc), Cabernet or Bordeaux is not so troublesome. Many of the reds have mellowed out and are drinking so well. Interestingly enough, a few of the white wines taste better with a little age on them. Especially the white Burgundies and Chablis from the 2002 vintage.
This experience has taught me that if you have a wine collection, you need to make at least two trips into the depths of the cellar a week. Vinspelunking can be a fun activity. It will be shocking what you might find. Uncork some of your own happiness.
Leave a Comment
March 10, 2010 at 5:37 pm (Age, Black Fruit, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Cellaring, Cooking, Laguna Niguel, Napa, Soil, Storage, Tasting, Winemakers, wineries, Zinfandel)
Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Crush Pad, Laguna Niguel, Malbec, Napa Valley, PAtel Cabernet Sauvignon, PAtel Zinfandel, Retail Wine Stores, Tasting
This weekend, we are hosting at California Taste Fine Wine Raj Patel. He is the owner/creator of Patel wines. These are small, very limited production gems sources from some of the best sites in Napa.
Raj started out as a guy who loves wine. As he got more into it, he decided he wanted to make his own wine. So he contacted CrushPad in San Francisco and was soon on his way. His first effort was a 5o case experiment called Zinfandel. He figured he wanted to sell some of it and so he got the proper permits and was off on a grand adventure.
Now he has a number of red blends, Malbec and a few more things fermenting. He has even beaten out Duckhorn for a set of sought after grapes.
But what makes all of this so remarkable is that he is very meticulous in his wine making efforts. He has an actual wine maker that he works with. They select only certain lots of grapes, the best barrels as well as mixing up the barrels. That means he uses a variety of barrel types for the juice. And time. They let things sit. And sit. And sit some more until they feel it is okay to bottle. Then the wine stays in the bottle for at least another year or more before being released.
That is why we are debuting the 2007 Cabernet. It has finally come of age. But I have said before that these wines are well made. You can open a bottle and if you do not finish it, can just put the cork firmly back in it and finish at a later date. (Store in a cool, dark space) the wine tastes good seven to ten days later. No gas, no nothing. That is the hallmark of a very well made wine.
We are one of the only wine retail stores to have this wine. He made 112 cases of the Cabernet Sauvignon and only 50 cases of the Zinfandel.
So this Saturday, March 13, at 4pm, I will be excited to try these wines again in Laguna Niguel. Now I can really say that the Patel Wines are Uncorking Happiness.
Leave a Comment
January 18, 2010 at 7:37 pm (Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cheese, Cote du Rhone, Laguna Niguel, Petit Sirah, Petit Verdot, Zinfandel)
Tags: Blue Cheese, Bordeaux, Brandy., Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Cote du Rhone, Laguna Niguel, Petit Sirah, Petit Verdot, Port, Taste, Zinfandel
Well it has finally started to rain here in Orange County, California. Laguna Niguel has been parched. And at times like this, you might ge parhced too.
Most people would automatically reach for a bottle of red. That is a good thing to do. Something with kick like Zinfandel or a Cote du Rhone would normally hit the spot. On days like this, you are simmering up some soup or making a pot roast. Hearty meals. These demand some hearty wines as well. One that springs to mind is Petit VErdot. This grape varietal is one of the blendng grapes in Bourdeaux and makes a great red on it’s own. Usually packed with black fruit and soft tannins, Petit Verdotadds body and color to many Bordeaux style blends. The same can be said about Petit Sirah.
Petit Sirah appears in many Califonia Cabernet Sauvignons as a way to help them get a little extra color, finish and backbone. And believe me, there is nothing wrong with that. So wines like this are good on a rainy day.
But for me, rainy days man Port. This thick version f wine, fortified with brandy or done in a late harvest style really warms one up from the inside. Port is one of those wines that people do not realize can be used for a number of things other than an after dinner drink. On a rainy day like today, imagine a glass of port with some blue cheese, neutral crackers and maybe some roasted almonds. Or splash some into a chocolate cake after it has come out of the oven . That adds a whole new dimension to the cake. Remember to let the cake cool before frosting.
A nice tawny Port seems to have that certain taste that seems to hit the red fruit/alcohol/maybe a hint sweetness spot. And on a rainy day like today, Uncorking Happiness is essential.
Leave a Comment
January 13, 2010 at 1:27 am (California Taste Fine Wine, Comparisions, Laguna Niguel, Merlot, Napa, Tasting, wine critics, Winemakers, wineries, Zinfandel)
Tags: Ballentine, California Taste Fine Wine, Chenin Blanc, Laguna Niguel, Merlot, Petit Syrah, St. Clemnet. Three Clicks, Tasting, Winemakers, Zinfandel
It is not often that both husband and wife are wine makers. Each one doing his or her thing for winery. So it is with Bruce Devlin of Ballentine Vineyards and Danille Cyrot of St. Clement. Danielle was voted winemaker of the year for 2009. Both wineries are located in Napa, California. Ironically, they are almost directly across the street from each other.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce in July of last year. We tasted through the entire lineup of Ballentine wines. We also took quite a few bottles home with us. I have also tried the St. Clement wines which are consistently some of the best from a small Napa winery. The following is a copy of the press release about Saturdays tasting at California Taste Fine Wine. Marketing guru Ken Nicholas suggested we do a live blog from the event. So stay tuned. And if you are in Laguna Niguel Saturday at 4pm, try and join us.
California Taste Fine Wine is excited to host the 2009 winemaker of the year, Danielle Cyrot from St. Clement winery. She is going to face off against her husband, Bruce Devlin of Ballentine Vineyards.
Both winemakers have their own wine as well, Three Clicks. They make Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Syrah. This will be the first time that they have ever done a Southern California wine tasting.
Saturday, January 15 at 4pm, California Taste Fine Wine will be pitting Cabernet Sauvignon against Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot vs. Merlot. And so much more.
The Chenin Blanc from Ballentine is a Wine Spectator top 100 wine and their Old Vine Zinfandel was awarded 92 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. St. Clement has been voted best boutique winery two years in a row by Napa and Sonoma Valley Magazine. These and more will be available to sample on Saturday, January 16.
The showdown begins at 4pm and costs $25 per person. We will have cheese and crackers to nibble on as well. Reserve your space today at 949-218-9974.
For more information, contact Ken Spears at California Taste Fine Wine at 949-218-9974.
Leave a Comment
