Ultimate California Wine Blog

It was not easy getting a photograph of Robert Pellegrini at the Word-Up tasting. He had been receiving accolades and congratulations from all sorts of people, but there was just enough time for me to grab this quick picture with his prized offering, the 2006 Milestone. I did not have an opportunity to speak with any Pellegrini representatives, so the only information I have is what I can read on their website.

But I can tell you about the wines for which I made tasting notes…

2007 Pinot – Classic cherry. And, I’m afraid to say, rather flat an uninspired. A rather insipid entry and biting finish.

2007 Zinfandel – Dark and chewy, a bit more structured than the Pinot with chocolate and deep blackberry fruit.

2006 Cloverdale Cabernet Sauvignon – Still very young and tannic upon entry

2006 Milestone – It was this wine that showed me why Robert Pellegrini was getting all the attention at this tasting. 55% Merlot, 1/3 Cabernet Sauvignon, and small amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. This was a well-blended, smooth offering showing defined plum and black fruit components. I detected a noticeable herbaceousness in the core, with a long, luscious finish hinting at cinnamon.

Pellegrini Family Vineyards ~ 4055 West Olivet Road ~ Santa Rosa ~ 95401 ~ 800.891.0244

Meeting Scott Stelzle and Toby Meeder of Venteux Vineyards was definitely a highlight of the Rhone Rangers tasting. I think it was just because after getting bread crumbs all over their table, they still had huge smiles on their gregarious faces. At the tasting, I was told that Scott and Toby were one and the same as far as the business is concerned; each taking on duties of winemaking, cellar rat, sales, but the website depicts Scott as the powerhouse behind the production.

Venteux means windy in French and that name is derived from the blustery location of the winery and vineyards. The establishment is ten years old and produces twelve varietals, but is keeping the production under 2,000 cases. Most of the wines are 100% varietals, with an occasional blend thrown in for good measure. And if visiting the Paso Robles area, apparently they have a lovely little bed-and-breakfast available for visitors!

2007 Grenache – One of the first “swallow-worthy” wines I tasted at the event. A huge Wow Factor with a supple, round mouth feel. The elegant nose provided the classic chocolate and cherries, but well-balanced and integrated. Hints of spice brought out the finish. At $28 a bottle, this is on the border of not quite the $10/$15 bargain, but not the $40 splurge. Worth the price!

2007 Farmouse Cuvée – A Château-du-Pape blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 20% Mourvedre, a heady aroma of truffles greets the nose but the mouth is filled with dried fruit, dark cherries and dried plums. This is one of those rare wines that exudes the passion of the winemaker. $28

2007 – Tache le Verre Syrah –  The guys told me that “tache le verre” literally means “stains the glass” and while this is a huge, bulbous wine, all dark and inky in its heartiness, it is still smooth and very accessible. Having spent 20 months in new French Oak, this is a wine I would like to taste in ten or fifteen years. $35.

Throwing myself back into the reviewing of wines and wineries is going to be quite a process. While I used to be able to drive around the Napa and Sonoma counties, being a San Francisco-bound girl makes those trips a bit more cumbersome. To start, I will be relying on large tastings coming to the city and usually, to Fort Mason. This last weekend was Rhone Rangers, and while I did not get through nearly as many wineries as I would like, it was a great pleasure to meet new friends and taste through some lovely wines — not the least of which was Zaca Mesa. Eric Mohseni is the winemaker and with the exception of a Chardonnay, their website shows they are almost an exclusively Rhone varietal producer.

A few things that Eric told me during my tasting; he models a few wines after the Château-du-Pape legacy, they are all about sustainable practices in the vineyards, and Zaca Mesa does not source grapes, but grows it all themselves and have done so for over 25 years. They claim to have the oldest Syrah grapes in the Central Coast and are completely family-owned and operated.

2008 Viognier – Clean and lovely, elegant floral notes with a core of honey balances out bright stone fruit flavors.

2006 Roussanne – Eric was rattling off about the wine going into a tank first and then a neutral barrel, using 60% new oak, but I somewhat zoned out on the specifics as I became enraptured with hints of Turkish rose petals in the full-bodied, spicy offering. A touch of toasty on the finish, an elegant offering I could easily become attached to.

2006 Z Cuvée – Refuted to be the winery’s “quaffing wine,” this was a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsaut (this particular vintage, anyway), and shows a rich, warm nose of cherry, berry, and dried sage and tarragon.

2006 Z Three – An estate-bottled blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, there is a rich unctuousness to this offering, with its dark, ripe tannins and liqueur-like berry fruit.

2006 Syrah – Aged in 25% new oak, this was the one wine which did not blow me away. A slightly tannic nose, there was a smokiness which I found a bit stronger than I care for and believe the inbalance is due entirely to its youth.

Zaca Mesa ~ 6905 Foxen Canyon Road ~ P.O. Box 899 ~ Los Olivos ~ 93441 ~ 805.688.9339

Open 10am-4pm daily.

Yes, there a diacritic circumflex above the “u” in this wine’s name and there is a reason for it. Benjamin Sharp, President of Captûre explained it to me at the Word-Up tasting held at Fort Mason. (By the way, Word-Up stands for the Winemakers of the Richmond District, Upper-panhandle and Presidio).

While they apparently specialize in several Bordeaux varietals, all from their Alexander Valley vineyards, it was their Sauvignon Blanc that was being poured and tasted and — after an hiatus of more than four years — brings me back into the world of wine writing.

A stupendous wine, its pale thin yellow belied a huge, fat nose of yuzu and Buddha’s Hand citrus; strong elegant lemon and a hint of clean floral notes. Entering the mouth with force and vigor, this was not the strident, cat-piss Sauvignon Blancs which have become the norm. This glorious wine showed depth and length and was one of the truly swallow-worthy samples tasted at this particular event. I am still remembering it.

And the circumflex? Well, it is a reflection of the image on the label of both the Pine Mountain estate where their vineyards lie as well as a Rorschach-like inkblot of the embrace of a man and woman, the latter hearkening to the great love given in making this wine. Tasting this wine and chatting with Benjamin about the passion they exude in this single offering makes me that much more intrigued to taste the rest of their line-up. Partnering with Denis and May-Britt Malbec, winemakers, and Mike and Carol Foster, proprietors, this is an organization to keep an eye on.

Captûre ~ Post Office Box 1820 ~ Healdsburg ~ CA ~ 95448 ~ 707.395.0457

I love discovering new players in the wine field. Through a series of articles I have been writing on women-owned wineries, I was fortunate to sit down and interview Vicky Farrow of Amista Vineyards; to learn her story and taste her wine. Amista means “making friends” in Spanish and that is the core philosophy behind the genesis of Amista Vineyards. For the Farrows, it is a social beverage that is all about sharing and romance.

Amista is the realization of an 11-year dream for the Farrows which actually started out as husband Mike’s dream. While living in Saratoga, they decided to re-landscape their backyard with 130 Cabernet Sauvignon vines. This was in 1994 and at the time, there was no thought about what to do with the grapes. Knowing that a first year’s grape growth is usually insufficient with which to produce wine, they purchased an additional 1/2 ton and some close friends helped them to make their first batch for fun: a barrel and a pony keg’s worth.

Vicky’s work with Sun Microsystems provided an opportunity to move to New Jersey but they brought their un-bottled wine with them and as Mike enjoyed the fruits of retirement, began to look for vineyard property as an investment, the dream never wavering. After searching on the internet, they found 27 acres in the Dry Creek region. For the first three years, they worked the vineyard remotely, selling their fruit to Rodney Strong Vineyards.

By 2002 Vicky and Mike could fight it no longer – starting to restore a 1908 cottage that sat in the middle of the vineyard, they decided to make that their home and become full-time, permanent residents. As soon as they landed and Mike’s feet hit the ground, he wanted to be more than a mere grape grower — the passion of his initial winemaking coming back to him. Against common sense, he produced six barrels from first leaf of recently replanted 8-acres of Syrah.

Supplementing their Syrah and Chardonnay vineyards with additionally purchased grapes, there is hopes of growing into Cabernet and Zinfandel. With many, many friends helping them along, the Farrows passion is less in the growing and producing than it is in the sharing and helping people learn about the entire wine experience. Chris Wills, known for winemaking at Kenwood and Lake Sonoma is advising and if the Syrah I tasted is any indication, this will be a winery to watch.

2003 Amista Syrah, Dry Creek, Morningsong Vineyards – Initial smoky aroma with deep core of blackberry and boysenberry. Faint hints of star anise and classic, dusty Dry Creek heather. Upon first opening the bottle, there were young, hot, tight flavors of blackberry and chocolate liqueur with dried roses and deep spices. After letting the bottle open, redolent vanilla aromas appeared with a heady, erotic, exotic flavors indicative of the grape showing amazing balance and a long, luscious finish. No price obtained.

Amista Vineyards ~ 3320 Dry Creek Road ~ Healdsburg ~ CA ~ 95448 ~ 707-431-9200
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