Solomon Divides the Wine

Posted on November 21, 2008 by Sonadora

Literally.  A bit of a play on a reference there, but my final stop for the day in Murphys landed me at the Solomon Wine Company.  Solomon divides their wine offerings into 3 groups, the Muse Wines, the Garsa Wines, and the Cloud 9 Wines.  I had been at Solomon the night before and really liked their Composition Cloud 9 wine, so I wanted to return and check out the rest of the offerings.

I stopped in at 10 minutes to closing, and didn’t want to be a bother, but luckily Solomon has the philosophy of staying open as long as people keep coming in. I think this worked out for them as about 4 more groups came in after me, and well after the normal closing time!

The tasting room boasts a huge tasting bar. Plus, a second smaller bar. I’d bet a good 30-40 people could comfortably fit at the bars with no problem, probably even more.  Solomon also offers a large array of local products for purchase, wine related and not, and I spent a good bit of time wandering around the tasting room examining the wares. Producing their first vintage in 2000, the winery now makes 5,000 cases of wine a year.

2007 Garsa Roussanne: $19.99. 1st vintage, oak aged. Honey, apricot, flowers, light orange, good body, clean fruit.

2006 Garsa Rosado de Sangiovese: $15.99. From El Dorado County. Dark, strawberry jam, cherry, little bit of citrus, dry, crisp, racy. I bought 1 bottle.

2006 Muse Genie: $12.99. The blend on this wine changes every year. This year it’s Chardonnay, Trebbiano, Muscat Canelli, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier. Crisp, bright, light nose, honey, citrus, grapefruit, easy to drink.

2006 Muse Mingle: $12.99. Blend changes every year. Currently Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Chocolate, red fruit, light, berry, spice.

2004 Garsa Tempranillo: $19.99. 2.5% Muscat Canelli blended in. Blueberry, black cherry, spice, tannins, some underlying red fruit.

Rapport Ruby Dessert Wine: From Madera County. Souza, Touriga, Tinta Madiera. Blackberry, raisiny, port-like.

I also took home a bottle of the Garsa Grenache and the Cloud 9 Composition. Look for notes on those in the future! Overall, the people at Solomon were incredibly friendly, and I coulld have easily spent another hour there tasting the wines as they had many more to offer!  Well priced and quite a few good selections.

Filed under: California, Solomon Wine Company, Wineries | No Comments »

Cock-a-doodle-do!

Posted on November 20, 2008 by Sonadora
Guess who took this photo?

Guess who took this photo?

I felt like a nice Pinot Noir the other night, so I swooped down into the basement and snagged a bottle of the 2006 De La Montanya Felta Creek Flying Rooster Ranch Pinot Noir. The wine came in a club shipment, clocked in a 14.2% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost me $19.20. I am eagerly awaiting my next De La Montanya shipment…I just saw that they charged my credit card, so it should be here in short order. So many of their wines work wonderfully with Thanksgiving dinner!

On the nose, I first smelled vanilla covered cherries.  That aroma quickly blew off, and I found sandalwood, leather, earth, forest, spice, and raspberries. The nose didn’t give up much fruit, but the aromatics were beautiful.  In the mouth I got flavors of black cherry. Huge black cherries! Other flavors showed as raspberries, blackberries, spice, dark fruit, oak, espresso, and sage.  I know sage sounds a little strange, but I swear, I tasted fresh sage leaves!

Overall, the Flying Rooster Ranch Pinot Noir is just gorgeous. It’s drinking beautifully now, showing tart fruit, lots of structure, and a good varietal profile. I think this bottle in particular would be lovely with your Thanksgiving turkey!

Filed under: California, De La Montanya, Pinot Noir, Red, Wine | No Comments »

Poppies and Wine

Posted on November 19, 2008 by Sonadora

Not exactly a combination I’d think of, but when I walked back to the Zucca Mountain tasting room, the tasting room attendant happened to be sitting outside packaging California Poppy Seeds. He kindly gave me a package to take home and suggested I plant them in containers if I’m trying to grow them in VA….our climate is a touch different than Northern CA!

If you are pretty much any taller than I am (which isn’t difficult, I’m really not that tall) you’d best watch your head as you duck (literally) into the Zucca Mountain tasting room.  It’s carved into the tiniest portion of the “basement” of the building that also houses its gift shop.  If you put 5 people in the cave-like area, that would be too many.  The tasting bar is also tiny, but I found it cozy and perfectly sized for me ;)

2006 Chardonnay: $16. Pear, peach, light, honey, apricot, crisp.

2006 Sangiovese Rosato: $15. Crab apples, berries, crisp, red berries, lime, very dry.

2005 Sangiovese: $34. Bright cherries, strawberries, red fruit, sweet note, tannic, nice structure.

2006 Barbera: $32. Smoky, plums, stewed fruit, raspberries, red fruit, chocolate on the back palate, totally different wine, really nice.  My favorite of the tasting, I took home one bottle.

2005 Syrah: $28. Meaty, vanilla, smoky spices, vanilla, chocolate, dark fruit, long finish.  I took home one bottle.

2005 Sorprendere: $25. Zinfandel, Syrah, Barbera blend.  Blackberries, cracked pepper, plums, vanilla, chocolate, espresso, smooth, very drinkable.

2007 Syrah Port: $26. Really fruity, berries jump out, huge nose, flowers, chocolate, dark berries, great with chocolate.  My dad is a huge Port fan and I always pick one up for him, so I bought one of these to give him next time I see him! I’d never had a Syrah Port before.

Overall, a great selection of wines.  The reds were fantastic and I wanted to take all of them home.  The tasting room attendant was excellent too, very knowledgeable about wines of all kinds. He worked in the area as the wine buyer for Safeway for 30 years. And surprisingly enough to those of us not in CA….you can actually buy pretty good wine at the Safeways in Northern CA!

Filed under: California, Wineries, Zucca Mountain | 1 Comment »

Hi Nice to Meet You. Hi Nice to Meet You. Hi…

Posted on November 18, 2008 by Sonadora

Table 12 at "work."

Table 12 at work

The first “all hands” event of the recent Wine Blogger Conference became fondly known as “speed dating.” The concept: Each participating winery got to pour one wine for each table. They had 5 minutes to tell us about it and let us taste it, then they had to move on to the next table. This turned into an exercise in endurance and speed for those of us sitting at the tables. Not to mention, the art of typing fast, trying not to have wine spilled on you lap top, and trying to hear above the din of nearly 200 people talking and typing loudly!  I tried to Twitter my tasting notes and take notes for my blog at the same time. Others seemed to concentrate more on Twitter, as our tasting became the 2nd most talked about thing on Twitter, second only to chatter about Obama.  I think that 14 wineries participated, but due to a bit of confusion on all parts, only 13 came to our table.

First up: the 2005 Bink Pinot Noir from Yorkville Island in Mendocino. Earthy, red fruit, strawberries, raspberries, tannic, bright fruit, red, anise.

2005 Clos Le Chance Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Martin California. 1200 cases made. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Reserved nose. Pepper, earth, tannic, needs time, definitely decant this one, currants, dark fruit, black fruit. Retails for $30.

2006 Boho Chardonnay in a box. Box made of recycled material and printed with soy based ink. 4 bottles to a box, retails for $24. Apple, pineapple, light, crisp, tropical, simple. Good for the price point, for a party.

2007 James David 2007. Retails for $18. 100% Muscat. 105 cases. Winery produces a total of 1400-1500 cases currently, looking to expand to 2500.  Honey, apricot, tropical, dry, light, crisp, lime, peach, nice apple.

2006 Twisted Oak The Spaniard. We already know I love this one. I even saved my glass of it and took it back to my room to drink after the tasting. I spit everything else out.  Cherries, very smooth, brown sugar, caramelized, red raspberries, drinking beautifully, red fruit, some vanilla, nice structure, really smooth and well integrated fruit and spices.

Jefe pours and plays with chickens

Jefe pours and plays with chickens

2006 Dark Horse 2006 Zinfandel. 3500 cases. Winery has been around for 5 years, Dry Creek Valley.  Cherries, dark fruit, anise, spice, pepper, blackberries, excellent fruit, quite nice. Really enjoyed this one.

2006 Small Vines Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. Biodynamic estate. 144 cases produced. Retails for $65. Really bright cherries, raspberries, spice, earth, leather, rose petals, nice structure, tart fruit. Wonderful wine. I wanted to drink this one.

2007 Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay. 6-8 months in barrels. Hails from the Central Coast, retails for $11.99.  Lemon, crisp, light, apple, pineapple. I couldn’t believe this one saw any time in oak. This would be the perfect party wine.
2007 Kanzler Pinot Noir. Barrel sample. So far it’s spent 12 months in French Oak. Estate grown, approximately 400 cases. Will retail for $48 and will be released in Spring 2009. Hails from one of the oldest vineyards in the Sebastapol AVA. Dark fruit, black cherries, licorice, gorgeous structure, cherries, raspberries, tannic, fabulous, wonderful wine.

2007 Lionheart Roussanne. 275 cases, made at Crushpad from grapes from McGinely Vineyard in Santa Barbara. Aged in neutral French oak.  Tropical, pineapple, caramelizied something, crisp, lime, citrus.  Would be great with seafood, especially crab.

2006 Sean Minor 4 Bears Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 15000 cases total for the winery. This is the 4th vintage. Named after their 4 children. Aged in 50/50 new and old oak. Retails for $17. Big and fruit forward. Black and red fruit, tobacco, candied cherry, tannic, red fruit, raspberries, really big fruit. Great value table wine.

Yellow Blue Tetra Pak Malbec. 1 liter package retails for $10.99. Organic. From Mendoza.  Big black fruit, blackberries, spice, very fruit forward.

2004 Bonterra The McNabb. 60% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petite Sirah. Organically grown. Retails for $45.  Blackberries, blueberries, plums, really nice fruit on the nose, spice, roses, tannic, leather, earth, dark fruit. Nicely done.

My overall impression of this event came out in favor of needing more time with each wine.  By the time the winery/winermaker/representative poured around the table and you tried to ask a few questions about the wine, it was time for the next wine and you hadn’t even tasted. Lucky for me, there were a few extra glasses on our table because at times I had 3 wines I needed to taste and evaluate.  I thought that if each wine had been given 8 minutes, that would have been the perfect amount of time. I did like the idea of tasting all the wines in rapid succession though, and it definitely got the crowd going for the weekend.

Filed under: California, WBC, Wine | No Comments »

3 Generations of Tanners

Posted on November 17, 2008 by Sonadora

I strolled down Main Street to the Tanner tasting room dragging some wine with me. In retrospect that probably wasn’t the best idea as my wine case only got heavier after I left Tanner.  I walked up to Tanner to find 3 generations of Tanners at the tasting room. Grandma, daughter, and granddaughter.  Apparently, on a regular day, I would have found 4 generations there with a great granddaughter usually in attendance as well!

I’m afraid to report that I neglected to take pictures at Tanner. I got wrapped up in chatting and carrying my then incredibly heavy box of wine and simply forgot. Also, Tanner has yet to put up a website, though I understand they will be doing so soon, and perhaps joining the blog community!

The Tanner tasting room is brand new. I believe they opened just about a year ago.  The total production for Tanner is 600 cases, however the Tanner Family owns many acres of vines.  They sell most of the grapes to other wineries and just started producing a small amount of wine under their own name in 2005.

Like many of the businesses on Main Street, the Tanner tasting room is located in a small old house.  The whole town is quaint and actually reminded me very much of a small town in New England.  I wish I could have spent several days exploring the town, but at least that gives me a good reason to return!

2007 Vermentino: $18. Lemon Sherbet, banana, lemon, crisp, dry.

2006 Syrah: $24. Plum, blackberry, spice, pepper, vanilla, big dark fruit, tannins.

2006 Barbera: $27. Juicy plum, lots of fruit, vanilla, pepper, blackberries, spicy, nice finish.

2006 Petit Verdot: $28. Earth, leather, dark, coffee, dark fruit, spice, smoke, black cherries, spice.  Loved this wine! I took home one bottle with me.

2005 Melange de Mere: $27. 47% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot. Blackberries, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, tannins, toast, baking spice.

2006 Petite Sirah: $35. Blue fruit, blackberries, spicy wood, cinnamon, perfumey nose, very spicy, pepper, tannins.  We all know how much I like Petite Sirah, so this was a no-brainer.  I purchased 1 bottle.

I gathered that the Tanners are looking to jump into the blogging world, and social media.  I encourage them to do so, I’d love to read more about this family winery.  I really enjoyed chatting with the Tanner women and I think their family has a great story to tell.  They even showed me a picture of a great great great relative pouring wine for a customer!

Filed under: California, Tanner, Wineries | 2 Comments »

A Friendly Reminder

Posted on November 16, 2008 by Sonadora

Since the move over to WordPress, my feedburner feed no longer works.  I see a bunch of you still subscribe to it or were subscribing to my other defunct feed.  My feed that actually works and will continue to work is: http://wannabewino.com/feed/ So take a minute, and subscribe to it!

Many thanks for your continued patience and for continuing to read and subscribe!

Filed under: Misc | No Comments »

Zinfandel, My Old Favorite

Posted on November 15, 2008 by Sonadora

Camellia 1

I must admit, when I first started drinking wine, red wine really wasn’t my thing. It took me a trip to Sonoma and my very first taste of Zinfandel however, to completely change my mind and fall head over heels in love with this grape. Not long after Zinfandel, I discovered Petite Sirah, Merlot, Grenache, and all my other red wine loves.  And now, I think we drink slightly more red wine than white wine.

However, I have never outgrown my first love, Zinfandel, and I almost instinctively reach for a bottle when I am in the mood for a big red wine.  Tonight being no exception, I chose the 2005 Camellia Cellars Leconi Vineyards Zinfandel.  It clocked in at 14.8% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost me around $25.

See my pretty Christmas Cactus? It's a little confused...

See my pretty Christmas Cactus? It

On the nose I found blackberries, black currants, black cherry, spice, vanilla, and slight chocolate. In the mouth I got flavors of fresh black cherries, dark fruit, blackberries, black currants, some red fruit on the mid palate, raspberries, and plums. This Zin showed all fruit on the palate, which tasted great to me. The fruit seemed fresh, not jammy at all. I thought the wine seemed well structured, with some tannins on the back of the palate, but quite ready to drink right now.

tannins on the end, but perfect to drink now.

Filed under: California, Camellia Cellars, Red, Wine, Zinfandel | 2 Comments »

Cuvee Cuvee

Posted on November 14, 2008 by Sonadora

I picked the Ortman Family Vineyards 2006 Cuvee Eddy as the wine for the evening. I purchased this bottle from Domaine547. It now costs $16.99, originally $21.99, though I can’t remember what I paid for it.  I bought it in one of my searches for interesting new wines that Jill helped me with.  It clocked in at 14.3% alcohol by volume, hails from San Luis Obispo, and had a real cork closure.  The blend is 44% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 15% Petite Sirah, 9% Mourvedre, and 2% Viognier.  Right there you have 5 of my all time favorite grapes blended into one wine…how can you go wrong?
I set the wine for the evening on our coffee table, mainly because I have coasters there, and it requires Matt to get up and pour me wine, rather than the other way around. The first thing I notices about the wine is that I can smell it from 3+ feet away before I’ve even got a glass of it in front me me.  On the nose I found berries, lots of berries. Blackberries, blueberries, black cherry,  spice, pepper, earth, baking spice, and cinnamon all wafted our of my glass.

In the mouth, big tart berries, blackberries, earth, red currants, chocolate, vanilla, pepper, and spicy wood dominated.  More red cherry and red fruit showed in the mouth than I would have expected from the nose. My thought in drinking this wine turned to bbq….I think it would stand up excellently to spicy bbq sauce.  The wine had tannins to spare and a firm structure.  Ready to drink now, or should keep for a few more years if you wish. Yum!

Filed under: California, Domaine 547, Red | No Comments »

Wine with a Cause III & Twitter Taste Live

Posted on November 13, 2008 by Sonadora

I’ve been meaning to tell you about this operation for a couple of months now, but wanted to wait until I had the chance to taste the wines first. My friend Judd of Michel Schlumberger has started his own label, called Humanitas, with the mission “Drink Charitably!”  I happened to be attending a tasting at the Wine Blogger Conference where Judd covertly let us taste a few of his current wines.  He should thank me for not posting the picture I took of him sporting a “nose ring” here and am instead posting the only other picture I can find of him at the moment!

Judd shows Brittany the grapes.

Judd shows Brittany the grapes.

Judd started Humanitas in 2002, and all the profits from the wine go to support local iniatives (though all around the world) dealing with hunger, affordable housing, and illiteracy. You can even choose to have the profits from your purchase to go any of a long list of specialized initiatives.

Humanitas is also participating in an upcoming Twitter Taste Live event on Nov. 21! For all you West Coast Folks, the time has moved up to 8 pm EST, so you should be able to participate too!  This go-around our hosts are Lenn of Lenndevours and Bin Ends Wine. We will be tasting through 3 of Humanitas’ current offerings, the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc-Monterey, the 2007 Chardonnay “Oak Free”-Monterey, and the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon-Paso Robles. The wines are available as a set for just $45 here. We will also be tasting the 2006 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, available here. So pick up your wine and join us live on Twitter at 8 pm EST.  Make sure to follow me on Twitter!  More event details available here.

2006 Humanitas Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: Cherries, spice, vanilla, leather, bright red fruit, coke, raspberries. Tannic, great acidity and structure.

2005 Humanitas Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark fruit, bramble, earthy, spice, licorice, big Cabernet flavors and aromas. Huge structure and lots of tannins.

2006 Humanitas Signum Meritage: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon/40% Merlot. 165 cases, not yet released. OMG, I’m in love with a wine! Peppers, dark plums, blackberries, spicy, backing spice, really nice fruit, smooth, gorgeous. Judd had leftovers the next day and it was tasting marvelously (I should know, I snagged the rest of the bottle from the table of leftovers after the anti-conference by the pool!).

So over the last few days, I’ve presented quite an array of wines and causes to you. I hope you’ll consider supporting one or more as you do your holiday wine shopping.  As Judd would say, Drink Charitably!

Filed under: Bin Ends Wine, California, Lenndevours, Red | 3 Comments »

Happy 2nd Birthday Wannabe Wino!

Posted on November 12, 2008 by Sonadora

Wannabe Wino is two years old today!

Two years ago, November 12 was a Saturday. It was the day I clicked “Publish” and launched my wine blog, Wannabe Wino. And now, it has its own home and a new host, and an “all grown up” look.

I never thought people would read.  And I really never thought people would read and come back.  But somehow, they did, and you still do.  It’s why I’m still here, plugging away behind my 12 inch Mac screen.

This year, the wine blog has brought much fun to my life, most recently with me attending the first ever Wine Blogger Conference, an event I certainly look forward to attending every year from here out. I’ve now met some of the wonderful wine people I’ve been interacting with for two years, and had the opportunity to get to know them off line.

I’ve had the chance to go to so many wineries and taste so many wines I would have never known about without the blog, and to share those experiences with you.

So thanks to all of you who read and comment, those who encourage me and those who challenge me. Thanks to all of you, here I am, nearly 700 posts later after that very first Saturday.

Cheers, and here’s to the Terrible Twos!

Me

Filed under: Misc | 9 Comments »

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