October 27, 2011 at 5:04 pm (Candy, Chocolate, cleaning, Cooking, Cote du Rhone, Earthiness, Fond, Food, Fruit, Pan Sauces, Soil, Spain, Spicy, Syrah, Tasting, Tempranillo, Zinfandel)
Tags: Acid, Black Fruit, Candy, chocolate, Deglazing, Earthiness, Fond, Junior Mints, Spicy, Syrah, Tempranillo, Zinfandel
It is that time of year when the kids are out and gathering candy to satisfy their sweet tooths. But there is one candy that lends its self to a wine sauce. Junior Mints. What? Yes, it is the chocolate and mint that when combined with a red wine, say a Tempranillo, that makes for a fun sauce. Think of it this way, the sauce, with a hint of spice, the earthiness of the wine coupled with the earthiness of chocolate is going to pair perfectly with lamb. A seared piece of lamb, with this sauce would be most unexpected.
Now washing this down with a nice Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain or maybe a fruiter version from California or Oregon might be just the thing. But if you do not have a Tempranillo handy, then uncork a Zinfandel, Syrah or even a Cote du Rhone. The goal is to find a wine with high acid and a spicy finish.
If you are searing the meat in a sauce pan, then deglaze. To deglaze is to capture the cooked bits or fond at the bottom of the pan. That is where most of the flavor is contained. And an added bonus is thet the pan becomes much easier to clean.
So do not be afraid to experiment. Uncork Happiness.
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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.
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March 2, 2010 at 9:24 pm (Age, Barbera, Black Fruit, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Cellaring, Chardonnay, Comparisions, Earthiness, Fruit, Laguna Niguel, Lake County, Malbec, Napa, Nebbiolo, Paso Robles, Petit Sirah, Pinot Noir, Red Fruit, Soil, Sonoma, Syrah, Tasting, Tempranillo, wine critics, Winemakers, Zinfandel)
Tags: Acid, Adam Carruth, Barbera, Black Fruit, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Carruth Cellars, Cellaring, Chardonnay, chocolate, Clear Lake, Dry Creek, Earthiness, Lake County, Malbec, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Paso Robles, Pepper, Petit Sirah, Port, Port of Syrah, Retail Wine Stores, Soil, St. Olaf vineyard, Syrah, Tannins, Taste, Tempranillo, Zinfandel
Adam Carruth is a nice, unassuming guy. He is that neighborhood friend you had growing up . But when you meet him and talk to him, he has one overriding passion: Wine. You would never guess that he owns a winery and makes 17 different wines.
Adam makes a large number of wines in his north San Diego facility at Solana Beach. He buys grapes from all over California and turns them into solid, good wines at very reasonable prices. At California Taste Fine Wine in Laguna Niguel, we just had a tasting with a few of his varietals. The place was packed and mood boisterous.
We started off with his 2007 Lake County red Hills Sauvignon Blanc. This is a lean, crisp wine packed with grapefruit, citrus and lots of acid. A food wine, this Sauvignon Blanc does not scream New Zealand. And that is a good thing. It reflects its California roots with the upfront fruit and the richness that many golden state-wide wines have. A smooth finish with this one.
Next up was the 2007 Barbera. This varietal, originally from Italy, grows well throughout California. This wine hails from Clear Lake and has a rich velvety mouthfeel with plenty of black and red fruit characteristics. Wen you are unsure what to serve with pasta and red sauce or the fully loaded pizza, this is a fun choice. And this wine is low in tannins.
Adam sometimes takes a bit of his wines and makes what he calls “Friends Blend.” The 2007 blend has Zinfandel, Cabernet , Malbec and Petit Sirah. This is a perfect red table wine and it is another very smooth finishing wine.
Next was the Yolo County Tempranillo. It seems that this spicy finishing wine has become the favorite in the store. One of our employees likes this the day after Thanksgiving with a perfectly made turkey sandwich. As for me, I think the fruit and earthiness are a perfect match to a Chile Relleno. Many would prefer beer, but the red does not amplify the heat of the chili.
Adam goes to Dry Creek in Sonoma for his 2007 Zinfandel. This is not a big, heavy fruit bomb loaded with alcohol. rather it is nice example of a medium bodied wine that has a long finish with those tastes of blackberry and spice that are the hallmarks of a Zinfandel. This is a wine I like to pour at BBQs and with a steak.
Malbec is one of my favorite grapes. I feel I was ahead of the curve on this one, enjoying Malbecs twenty years ago, before most people realized it is grape often used in top Bordeaux. the 2007 Carruth Malbec has an intense fruit flavor and log finish. It is another wine to pair with BBQ or even a slow simmered pot roast. The grapes for his wine come from the St. Olaf vineyard in Lake County. This is the same vineyard that the Barbera comes from.
The 2007 Syrah is another Sonoma wine. Syrah is often overlooked by wine buyers. This Syrah is big and plummy with a finish of black pepper. Syrah is one of those very food friendly wines, that once you have a good one, memories of Cabernet Sauvignon fade away. Syrah is the next big thing one the wine scene, or so I have been told. People need to get out and try a bottle of Syrah with their favorite meal. It will open the eyes to other possibilities.
The Red Hills of Lake County are covered in grape vines. Some of those are Cabernet Sauvignon, where Adam sources his grapes for his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines struggle in the volcanic soil and produce wines with blackberries, bing and sour cherry and tobacco/mocha notes. This is a full-bodied red with minimal tannins and a long, smooth finish. The acid and fruit is very well balanced, making this a definite go to Cabernet Sauvignon.
We finished the tasting with Carruth’s 2007 Paso Robles Petit Sirah. This is a rich,dark wine that is good with roasts and osso bucco as well as say a chocolate dessert. Made for the red wine drinker who enjoys a wine that stains the glass, this a big red.
Adam makes a number of other wines including a two different Ports, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a Nebbiolo. He is also experimenting and vinifying the first ever Flor, a crossing grape from the University of Davis, California. Adam likes his wine., when people enjoy his wine, he says they are Uncorking happiness. Me, I just think they are opening a good bottle of wine.
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February 11, 2010 at 8:08 pm (Age, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Cellaring, Collecting, Earthiness, Food, Fruit, Italy, Malbec, Merlot, Napa, Petit Sirah, Petit Verdot, Storage, Winemakers, wineries, Zinfandel)
Tags: Acid, Black Fruit, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cain 5, Cakebread, California Taste Fine Wine, Cherry, Clos du Val, Clos Pegase, Darioush, Dominus, Far Niente, Italy, Merlot, Nickel & Nickel, Opus One, Petit Sirah, Petit Verdot, Pine Ridge, Retail Wine Stores, Shafer, Zinfandel
The big day of romance is drawing near and I am told I need to deliver a big red on Sunday. I asked what that meant and that meant a juicy red with a fruit forward taste and a long finish. Well, that describes so many wines, it is insane. So my frantic search begins.
I am found of Italian wines, but I think we are talking here about a big California red. Recently, I posted about Patel Zinfandel, but I do not think that is it. I am guessing we are talking about Cabernet or a Cabernet blend. At California Taste Fine Wine, we just got a shipment of O’Brien Seduction, a Cabernet based blend out of Napa. This is a wine rich in cherry, blackberry and toasty oak. It has a splash of Cabernet Franc which adds acidity and gives the wine a longer finish. The name alone screams romance. And the packaging is nice too.
When it comes to Napa Cabernet, most are not 100% Cabernet. Often they blend in Petit Sirah for color and to give the wine a little depth. Same for Petit Verdot. Both of these have been used for many years to soften, color and round out many Napa Cabernets. Merlot plays a huge role in this, as it is the partner of Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux, France. While at least on the left bank. The right bank is primarily Merlot blends with Cabernet Franc. Hello, Petrus!
But getting back to my dilemma. I think I need to start the festivities off with a Rose and maybe something sparkling. (See Valentines Wines, Part IV). I need to produce a bottle of Cain 5 Blend from Napa out of the cellar. When it comes to big Napa reds, there are a number of incredible wineries to choose from: Clos Pegase, Clos du Val, Darioush, Shafer, Pine Ridge, Opus One, Dominus and so many more. But the best advice is to ask a retailer what they recommend.
Finally, if you are going out to dinner, definitely bring a bottle with you. Two things will happen, you will save money by just paying the corkage fee and perhaps you will discover a new favorite that might just become a Valentines tradition. All of the wineries mentioned produce outstanding reds that will not break the bank.
I will go and dig out a bottle of Cain 5. Maybe a bottle of Cakebread, Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel too.
For those of you saving a bottle for that special some time, now is the time. Enjoy what you like and do not be afraid to open that special bottle. An occasion such as Valentines is why you bought it in the first place. Now that is what I call Uncorking Happiness.
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February 8, 2010 at 6:04 pm (Cellaring, Earthiness, Food, Paso Robles, Tasting, wineries, Zinfandel)
Tags: Acid, Black Fruit, Four Vines, Paso Robles, Zinfandel
So I put on the miners hat and venture forth into the cellar. I decided that I needed a big, juicy red. A bottle jumped off the rack and into my hand. Something somewhat unexpected.
In Paso Robles, there is a very irreverant wine company that takes an extreme attitude to the wines. That winery is Four Vines. They make a number of good wines, and specialize in Zinfandel. And that is what we drank. 2005 Biker Zinfandel. I wanted a wine that had a good fruit component,a long finish and one I could write about. This wine had all that and more. And when matched with the braised chicken, I was a very happy drinker.
My wife was pleased a well. She is a big fan of Four Vines. Uncorking one of those always brings her Happiness.
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February 7, 2010 at 10:34 pm (Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Cellaring, Cheese, Collecting, Cooking, Food, Malbec, Storage, Tasting, Uncategorized, Zinfandel)
Tags: Black Fruit, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cellaring, Indianapolis, Merlot, New Orleans, Pepper, Spicy Wine, Zinfandel
The big game is about an hour away and I have been asked all week: Wine Boy, what are you going to drink during the game? I enjoy big, heavy beers, so a t first I thought a nice dark beer would go down well. But then I said. ” I have a nice collection of wine. Why not use something there.”
So then I thought, “What wine goes with super bowl food?” So many are having Southern themed parties in honor of the New Orléans Saints. But when in Indianapolis, what would a Colt’s fan eat?”
So American themed food it is. But tonight there will be potatoes made a few ways, braised chicken and a vegetable or two. And of course chips and salsa. So this now becomes a challenge much like a Thanksgiving dinner. Red wine with fruit? Spice? Light? Heavy? Cabernet Sauvignon?Zinfandel?
So I think that a big red is order for the big game. I am not sure what it will be. So I am about to put on my miners hat, turn on the little light and see what pops off the rack. I look forward to hearing from a lot of you to see what wine or beer was enjoyed for the super bowl.
But remember on the first Saturday of May, it is always mint Julips. No Kentucky Derby would be complete without them. So get comfortable on the couch and Uncork some Happiness. I hope your team wins.
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January 26, 2010 at 10:13 pm (Cabernet Sauvignon, Comparisions, Cote du Rhone, Earthiness, Food, Fruit, Malbec, Merlot, Napa, Paso Robles, Soil, Tasting, wineries, Zinfandel)
Tags: Anise, Asinthe, Berry, Black Fruit, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Cassis, chocolate, Clos du Val, Cote du Rhone, Dry Creek Vineyards, Earthiness, Layercake, Licorice, Malbec, Merlot, mocha, Mosby, Rotta Winery, Soil, Tasting, Truffles, Zinfandel
We are constantly lead to believe that chocolate pairs very well with Port. And yes, it does. But what many people do not realize is that chocolate pairs well with many red wines.
But I have to digress for a moment. Many years ago, I had a Vichon Cabernet from Napa in Sedona, Arizona. (Vichon is no longer made in Napa). The restaurant owner said, “Try it with this.” What he had was a chocolate mousse topped off with whipped creme. The whipped creme had vanilla in it. The whole thing with the dry Cabernet was one of those moments that change your perception of food and wine pairings. At that time, I was not that into the whole thing like now, but I enjoyed a good bottle of wine.
So When California Taste Fine Wine had the red wine and chocolate tasting, I wanted to turn a few people around on their thinking.
The first wine was the Don Rodolfo Tannat. Tannat is an earthy wine with chocolate/mocha notes in it’s taste. The chocolate with mocha paired well with that as did the Vidal Fleury Cote du Rhone. Both of these wines had an earthiness and a hint of dark fruit that made the chocolate sing. This would have been stunning chocolate with a Malbec as well. It would have brought out the ground coffee/earth of Malbec
The Clos du Val Merlot and the Dry Creek Heritage Zinfandel matched up nicely with Cassis Truffles. The big fruit bomb of cassis was perfect foil for these wines that had a large amount of berry in them.
A word about the chocolates. The chocolates were custom made for the tasting. There were truffles with coffee/mocha, cassis, and Absinthe. There were also dark chocolate cups. But we will get to that shortly. Our thanks to Lynnsey Ramos for her culinary skills.
The next wine in the tasting was Mosby Obssessione. This was a bottling of Montepulciano from Italy. This wine paired well with truffles coated in coco powder. Those were purchased from Costco. They are not overly sweet and again, the hearty character of the wine and chocolate matched well. At this point, I started to realize that there was a theme happening. And the next wine proved the point.
For many years, Absinthe was an illegal beverage in the United States. It has just been legalized in the last couple of years. The primary taste of Absinthe is Licorice or Anise. There are whole rituals for drinking the liquor. But we will save that for another time. Lynnsey incorporated about a teaspoon into a number of truffles. That made them very hardy and tasty. And it went very well with the very fruit forward Cabenet Sauvignon from Layercake. The bit of the Absinthe cut the fruit of the wine and brought out its acidic side.
The final wine was Rotta Zinfandel Port. We pored that into the little cups. Then we slammed the whole thing into our mouths. Delightful, especially as the tasters were going hands free.
But the trend that developed is this: When you have an earthy wine, it tends to pair very well with dark chocolate and chocolates infused with black fruit flavors. Something to keep in mid when you need an instant dessert and all you have is a bag of Hershey’s Special dark and a bottle of red. Try it and see if you are Uncorking Happiness.
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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.
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January 17, 2010 at 3:39 am (breathable glass, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Taste Fine Wine, Collecting, Comparisions, Merlot, Petit Sirah, Petit Verdot, Tasting, Winemakers, wineries, Zinfandel)
Tags: Ballentine Vineyards, Bruce Devlin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Danielle Cyrot, Merlot, Petit Sirah, Petit Verdot, St. Clement Vineyards, Three Clicks Winery, Zinfandel
This idea has been perculating around my head for over six months. I ahve had the extreme pleasure of meeitng the winemaker sand trying these wines beforew today. They are all packed with flavor. We iwll break it down as we go. I will have comments here from both winemakers as well.
The first wine in the tasting is the Ballentine Chenin Blanc. Awarded a Wine Spectator top 100, this is a dry Chenin with tastes of stone fruit and citrus. I servedthis wine at Thanksgiving and it was just fantastic. It paired well with all of the food on the table. I even drank a glass while carving the turkey.
First, Helen Benziger, red wine lover, says the whites are very good. Hell has not frozen over. A new concert to good white wine.
Krazy Ken Spears has done it again…this could be the best tasting ever! The wines keep getting better and better with each one tasted. These Napa beauties are really tasty. Bill Benziger
Bruce Devlin here, as long as my wife is not listening, I’m winning the battle. Well I have to admit her Merlot might be kicking my butt in the throwdown, but I can hold my own in the Cabernet battle. A great tasting.
Danielle here….My husbands Petit Verdot is fantastic. The best wine he makes. I think my St. Clement Merlot might win the throwndown though between St. Clement and Ballentine. But I need to be careful. I still sleep with him at night so as far as he knows….he is the best winemaker in Napa Valley!
Bill here again..it seems that everyone loves the Ballantine Chenin Blanc. It would be great for some many different occasions. Helen says it tastes like summer.
Ann here, I love it here! The wines are awesome and Ken & Kim are great! Tonight’s tasting had a big surprise at the end…you have to be here to experience the taste! I will be back to experience more wine.
So here we are at the end of the St. Clement/Ballentine throwdown. The wines were amazing. Many liked the St. Clement Merlot. But people were stunned by the Ballentine Petit Verdot. The Three Clicks Sauvignoin Blanc andPetit Sirah were very good and many thought the two of them working together.
It was a very good event, so much so that we just decided to repeat with different wines in the late summer, early fall. So look for some incredible Zinfandels and single vineyard cabernets. Tonight we Uncorked a lot of Happiness.
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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.
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