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Grassini and Sanguis winemaker Matthias Pippig (he talks with his hand alot)
A few days ago I brought a group of friends to Grassini Family Vineyard in the American Viticultural Area (AVA) called Happy Canyon. I tasted here in the summer and was very impressed with Grassini’s winemaker Matthias Pippig’s talents especially with his own label, Sanguis. My reasons for scheduling this visit were twofold. First, I wanted to see how the wines were evolving and secondly I wanted my friends to see the most beautiful winery in Santa Ynez Valley (in my humble opinion). After driving through the scenic Happy Canyon area, with its horse farms and vineyards, we arrived at the Grassini gate and rang the intercom. We were buzzed in and the gate opened to reveal gently sloping hills covered with grapevines with varying hues of autumn yellow leaves. Further on we passed a beautiful lake surrounded by reeds and water-loving plants of many types. After driving slowly so we could take in the beautiful vistas, we arrived at the winery. Though the winery was recently constructed, it looked as though it had been there for many years. It was built using reclaimed antique fir (circa the late 1800s), some of which was milled from timbers found in the Oregon River. We were greeted by assistant winemaker, Jessica Gasca, who took us on a tour of the facility, which is itself a work of well engineered art. It is solar powered and built such that the juice, must and wine are gravity fed (in lieu of using pumps) during the entire production process. Moving grape must and wine by gravity is a technique used for centuries that fell out of favor because of the convenience of pumps. Though the use of pumps is the norm, some winemakers and reviewers feel that the use of pumps can cause irreparable damage by introducing air and smashing berries and seeds in a way which can release unwanted off flavors.
The cave at Grassini Family Vineyard
Another time-honored method utilized at Grassini has to do with wine storage. During the construction of the facility, a cave was excavated at the site so that the wines could be stored in a place that stays cool and dark with steady relative humidity. After spending some time in the Grassini cave, I wanted to start digging one at my house.
The group tasting Grassini wines (that's me taking notes)
Our tour included a very comfortable family room with beautiful copper clad fireplace and dining room. There is also a large bedroom suite (with a great view of the vineyard) that wine club members can rent. We tasted a couple Grassini wines, both inaugural releases, while sitting at the dining room table. We started with the spectacular 2007 Grassini Sauvignon Blanc which aged for 17 months: 60% in stainless steel, 20% in new French oak and the remaining 20% in neutral French oak. With well integrated flavors of white flower, peach and pear this wine has extraordinary richness, an almost creamy mouthfeel, and a finish with hints of vanilla and caramel. Next we tasted the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Though a bit young, this wine already has beautifully integrated flavors of black currant, plum, cherry and a finish of chocolate. I really enjoyed this painstakingly crafted wine and I look forward to tasting it over the next four or five years as the tannins soften.
2008 Sanguis Ramshackle & Threadbare
Next Jessica took us downstairs to the main tasting area which has stunning view of the vineyard. The room was dominated by an enormous hand wrought table where we were seated to sample the Sanguis wines. Those familiar with Manfred Krankl’s coveted Sine Qua Non will notice an unmistakable similarity with Sanguis as both labels feature unique artwork by their respective winemakers. An observant wine taster in our group asked Pippig about this; Pippig cracked a smile and said that he and Krankl have been friends for years and that they share a passion for motorcycles. Small world eh? First up was the Sanguis 2008 Ramshackle & Threadbare, a heady white blend of 58% Roussane, 40% Malvasia Bianca and 2% Viognier with aromas of honeysuckle and orange blossom. Though very rich, the fruit and acidity are balanced. I’d serve this wine in warm summer months with Asian or Thai cuisine or seafood. When I tasted the wine I thought it would be fabulous with grilled thresher shark steaks in a spicy orange and ginger marinade.
We moved on to reds, beginning with the Sanguis 2007 Backseat Betty. This is a blend of 83% Syrah, 14% Grenache and 3% Viognier. Pippig, who’d taken a break from his tasks in the winery to greet us, commented that the Syrah and the Viognier were cofermented. He feels that this influences the texture in a positive way. Though it sounds counter intuitive (since Viognier is white), cofermentation helps to deepen the color and flavor of the Syrah. This exceptional wine with flavors of white pepper, blackberry and plum is a real pleasure to drink young, but I think a patient collector will be rewarded in 2014 or 2015 with greater complexity and character. I think that this wine will follow the same arc that I find with some Châteauneuf-du-Papes. They drink well young and then have a few sleepy years where they are best left undisturbed followed by a period of time when they’ve evolved into captivating, complex wines.
2006 Sanguis As the Crow Flies
Next up was the Sanguis 2006 As the Crow Flies, a classic Côte-Rôtie style blend of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier with flavors of black cherry, blackberry, hints of smoke and herbs. I have to admit that I fall head over heels for great Côte-Rôtie style wines and their oddly pleasurable combination of floral and meaty, bacon-y aromas. I purchased some this beautiful wine on my last visit, so it was especially interesting to taste how well it is evolving. I don’t plan on opening any of these bottles in my collection until sometime between 2013 and 2015.
Lastly we tasted the Sanguis 2007 Devil in the Deep Blue Sea a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. Though this is a brand new release, this wine is drinking beautifully now with dominant flavors of black and red fruits and hints of mocha and bittersweet chocolate. I’d be willing to bet that this wine will evolve beautifully over the next few years. If you have the patience, I’d recommend opening at least one bottle of this gorgeous wine every year beginning in 2012.
The exceptional wines we tasted from Grassini and Sanguis are the product of impeccable winegrowing practices and the beautiful marriage of art and chemistry in the winery. Trust me, just go there. You’ll thank me later. Don’t forget to call a week or so ahead to make an appointment (888-686-3086). And when you get there, let Jessica and Matthias know that Anne from Wine Nation Underdog says “hi and keep up the fabulous work”.
Presqu'ile Chardonnay
As the old saying goes, “no man is an island”, but Matt Murphy and Dieter Cronje, winemakers of Presqu’ile are good with “almost”. Presqu’ile is French for “peninsula” (or almost an island) and it is the name that Murphy’s grandparents gave to a promontory of land they purchased off of the Missippi’s Gulf Coast. It was a gathering spot for family celebrations for many years until hurricane Katrina destroyed it. Years of fond memories inspired Matt Murphy to name his wine label Presqu’ile.
Dieter Cronje (L) and Matt Murphy (R) winemakers of Presqu'ile
I was fortunate enough to taste the Presqu’ile 2008 Chardonnay at the Chardonnay Symposium earlier this year. Unfortunately, the bright sun conspired with my camera settings and my photos weren’t good – in fact they were really, really, bad. (Thankfully their winemaking is way better than my photography.) Suffice it to say, Presqu’ile is worth seeking out. The Chardonnay fruit is from Solomon Hills and Bien Nacido and is cold fermented with native yeasts. Some is aged in stainless steel and the rest in neutral French Oak. This wine is too good to pour for your friends who insist they only like red wine…which leaves more for you! Murphy and Cronje also make an incredibly bright and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc that you can find on the by-the-glass list at Full of Life Flatbread. Now, you have yet another excuse to go to Flatbread this weekend. =) They also make a Pinot Noir, which I am looking forward to tasting soon. For more information on Presqu’ile, check out this great article that the Santa Barbara Independent just published. Until next time, remember life is too short to drink bad wine!
Morgan Clendenen winemaker/owner of Cold Heaven
When I think of Harvest Festival, I imagine there is an autumn chill in the air and I’m sipping red wines bundled up in a cozy sweater. However, this year, the 20th year of the festival, we were in the midst of a late summer heat wave, so shorts and sandals were de rigueur. This year there were over 115 different wineries represented at the festival. Of the 115, there were many wonderful, familiar wines from Ampelos, Beckmen, Brander, Dragonette, Fiddlehead, Foxen, Margerum, Jaffurs, Tre Anelli, Stolpman, Ken Brown, Cold Heaven, Palmina, Qupé, being poured, so I a made point to seek out wines that I had not sampled before.
Bob Lindquist winemaker/owner of Qupe and his son Theo
With far too many wines to sample everything, I had to really pick and choose carefully from the offerings. Of the wines I tasted, there were a few real stands outs. Jim Vogelzang was pouring an absolutely lovely ’06 Vogelzang Cabernet Sauvignon, but his superb 2009 Sauvignon Blanc was what took my breath away. Jim took a few minutes to explain to me what they do differently. Naturally, they start with great fruit – after all you cannot make an outstanding wine if you start with bad grapes. Here is where it gets interesting. After the grapes are picked; they are put on refrigerated trucks which are driven to Napa. In Napa they delivered to renowned winemaker Robbie Meyer (of Versant, Jericho Canyon, Peirson Meyer and L’Angevin) who works his oenological magic. Jim also let me know that for the Sauvignon Blanc, Meyer uses neutral French oak barrels that have been used for Chardonnay. Another outstanding white was the unreleased ’09 Dragonette Happy Canyon Sauvignon Blanc which was heady with the aroma of honeysuckle and tasted of creamy lemon curd. Yes, dear reader, I know I said I was going to avoid familiar labels, but this was an unreleased Sauvignon Blanc from Dragonette, so I had to bend my own rule. It was less of a hard and fast rule and more of a guideline really, anyway. 😉
Dan Reeves of Reeves Ranch Vineyard
Even though it was a very warm day and white wines were helping me cool off, I did taste some wonderful reds at the festival. I loved the 2006 Jalama Paradise Road Syrah, which is co-fermented with 3% Viognier in the classic French Côte–Rôtie style. Young winemaker, Mark Cargasacchi is crafting some truly beautiful wines. It runs in the family; Mark’s brother is making some outstanding wine too. Speaking of Mark’s wines, he wasn’t pouring it at the festival, but his 2006 Jalama El Capitan is *really* worth getting your hands on (while you still can). It is a red blend of 47% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre and 23% Cabernet. He only made 92 cases of this rich beauty, and last time I checked they only had 8 cases left, so if you’re a fan of GSM blends, give the folks over at Jalama Wines a call: 805-735-8937 or go visit the new tasting room in the Lompoc. Tell them that Anne from Wine Nation Underdog sent you. You’ll thank me later after you’re tucking into your first glass. Overall, my favorite Syrah of the festival was the 2008 Reeves Ranch Syrah. I had heard of the name Reeves Ranch Vineyard because Kris Curran (winemaker/owner of Curran) made a Reeve’s Ranch Reserve Syrah from fruit from this vineyard a few vintages ago. It was extraordinary, so naturally I had to go investigate the source of this outstanding fruit. Boy was I in for a treat. Dan Reeves poured me some of his 2008 Reeves Ranch Vineyard Syrah and I really enjoyed the well integrated flavors of coffee, mocha and spice. Most of the fruit is from the estate which is located in the foothills above Los Olivos. The vines which were originally planted in 1989, were grafted over to Australian and French Syrah clones (Shiraz clone 3, Estrella and Clone 99) in 1994. The rest of the fruit is from Black Oak vineyard in Los Alamos. Though the grapes from Reeves and Black Oak were fermented separately, it was eventually blended together and aged for 18 months in French oak, some of which was neutral. After I tasted this wine, I thought it would be priced around $35 a bottle. Are you ready for this? The wine sells for $24 on the Reeves Ranch website and you get a discount if you order a case. Don’t you love it when you find a great wine at a really good price? I do! If you are in the Central Coast area, you can taste this wine at Avant Tapas and Wine bar in Buellton. It is also being poured by the glass at Los Olivos Café (in Los Olivos). Don’t wait too long though, because they only make 400 cases a year.
Peter Stolpman of Stolpman Vineyards
There were lots of great events over the Harvest Festival weekend, including an open house at Au Bon Climat / Qupé winemaking facility. There was also an open house event at Cold Heaven – as soon as I get my notes and snapshots organized I will post again. Until then, let me leave you with this thought. Those who abstain from alcohol die sooner than those who drink moderately (1 to 3 drinks per day)…as if you needed an excuse!
Danish visitors who are cellar ratting at Ampelos for the summer
Three winemakers to have on your radar - McPrice Myers, Edgar Torres, Russell From
Recently, a few wine geek friends and I organized a wine tasting trip to Paso Robles. We all met up and then our driver whisked us off to our first stop Barrel 27‘s tasting room at 2323 Tuley Ct. Suite 110, in Paso Robles. I’d made an appointment for us to taste the wines from Barrel 27, McPrice Myers, Herman Story and Bodega de Edgar. Barrel 27 is made by two young winemakers, McPrice Myers and Russell From. Their cellar master is Edgar Torres. Essentially, Barrel 27 is a collaborative effort while each winemaker has his own personal label as well. We walked into the tasting room (located in an industrial area just off the highway), grabbed a spot at the bar and proceeded to work our way down the list.
*2009 Barrel 27 “Sittin’ Pretty” Viognier – heady floral nose, honeysuckle, tangerine, orange marmalade. 100% Viognier. Most of the wine was done in stainless steel except for one neutral oak barrel. Retail price: $18
2008 Barrel 27 “High on the Hog” – blend of 39% Grenache Blanc, 36% Viognier, 20% Roussanne, 5% Marsanne. Florals on the nose with peach, honey and melon on the palate. Done half in oak and the rest in stainless steel. Wine Spectator 88 points. (Points, smoints, I drink wine, not points.) Retail price: $15
2005 Barrel 27 Central Coast Rosé of Syrah – 80% Syrah, 20% Grenache. Flavors of raspberry, cherry and smoky orange. This is a fabulous barbecue wine. Some of the Syrah was bled off soon after it came into contact with the skins. (This method of making rosé is called saignée -a French winemaking term). This results in a pink wine because there isn’t enough contact with the grape skins to make the wine red. Retail price: $13
2007 Barrel 27 “Rock and a Hard Place” Grenache – Nose of black and red raspberries, blueberries and dried cranberries. On the palate, flavors of the aforementioned berries plus hints of black tea and spice. Drinking this wine reminded me of wine tasting in France’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, where Grenache is often the primary grape. Retail price: $18
2006 Barrel 27 “Right Hand Man” Syrah – Aromas of black cherries, black pepper, anise and plum with flavors of black raspberry, pepper and hints of smoke. Retail price: $18
2007 Barrel 27 “Head Honcho” Syrah – Nose of ripe black fruit, sage and smoke. Palate of blackberries, cranberries, cola, pepper, clove, anise and dark chocolate. Retail price: $28
2007 Barrel 27 “Hand Over Fist” – Rhône style blend of 52% Syrah, 29% Grenache, 19% Mourvedre. Aromas of black plum, blueberry, rhubarb and violets. Palate of black cherry, blackberry, currants and spice. Retail price: $30
2006 Barrel 27 “Bull by the Horns” – Blend of 50% Petite Verdot, 25% Syrah, 25% Tempranillo. Aromas of blackberry, cocoa, clove, anise, pepper dominate the nose. The palate is fruit forward (blueberry, black plum, blood orange) and backed up clove, cinnamon, tea and vanilla.
Herman Story wines just waiting to be tasted in the barrel room
After tasting through the Barrel 27 list we were ushered through a doorway behind the bar and into the back of the warehouse where barrels and were stacked to the ceiling. We were surprised and delighted to be greeted by Russell From, McPrice Myers and Edgar Torres. They let us know that they would be leading us through a combined tasting of wines from all three of their personal labels. What an unexpected and exciting surprise! After all the introductions, we got down to tasting. Each winemaker stood by a makeshift table (made an upended barrel) ready to pour his wine. Here are the notes I managed to scribble down during this little adventure. The wines marked with an * are the ones that made it into the trunk of my car:
*2009 Bodega de Edgar Albariño – lively acidity, ginger, lychee – one of the best Albariños I’ve tasted.
*2009 McPrice Myers Larner Viognier – gorgeous floral nose, lychee, tropical fruits, creamy mouthfeel. 177 cases produced. Retail price: $28
2008 Herman Story “Tomboy” – blend of 80% Viognier, 10% Marsanne, 10% Roussanne. The Viognier is from Whitehawk Vineyard and the Marsanne and Roussanne grapes are from Bien Nacido Vineyard. Florals, honey, apricot and nectarine. My scribbled notes say “Tomboy will get your friends to stop drinking crappy white wine”. 228 cases produced. Retail price: $36
2009 McPrice Myers Roussanne – This was a barrel sample. Jasmine, honey. Fruit sourced from the James Berry Vineyard (Paso’s premier source of Rhône varietals).
*2008 Bodega de Edgar Garnacha – A dear friend brought me a bottle of this a few months back – it knocked my socks off! Some whole clusters were used to make this wine. Blackberry, raspberry with anise and baking spices on the finish.
*2007 McPrice Myers “L’Ange Rouge” Grenache – 92% Grenache, 4% Syrah, 4% Mourvedre. Fruit from Alta Mesa and Larner Vineyards. Big but still elegant with flavors of red raspberry, cranberry, bittersweet chocolate, tobacco leaf. 575 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 Herman Story “On the Road” Grenache – Fruit from Larner, Santa Barbara Highlands and Derby Vineyards. Cranberry, black raspberry, clove, anise, nutmeg, coffee and leather. 398 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 Bodega de Edgar Tempranillo – Fruit sourced from French Camp Vineyard. Boysenberry, with vanilla and dusty earth on finish (reminded me of Sangiovese)
*2008 McPrice Myers “Altas Vinas” – 47% Mourvedre, 34% Grenache, 19% Syrah. The fruit is sourced from the Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard located high in the Southern Santa Barbara Mountains. 243 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 Herman Story “Casual Encounters” – 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre. This is the first vintage of this SGM blend. The Grenache was whole cluster and was sourced from Thompson. The Syrah is from Laetitia. The wines were 100% co-fermented. Earth, leather, pepper, black plum and chocolate. 154 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 Bodega de Edgar “Mis Pasos” – 42% Syrah, 41% Merlot, 17% Tempranillo. Gorgeous, black fruit, coffee, leather, spice and earthy notes. 25 cases produced. Retail price: $45.
*2007 McPrice Myers Larner Vineyard Syrah – 3% Viognier was co-fermented with the Syrah. Flavors of black plum, dried blueberry, raspberry, hints of violets. 142 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 McPrice Myers Larner Vineyard Syrah – the ’07 and the ’08 are deeply colored and dense with flavor. Also, both vintages have long finishes. Retail price: $36
*2007 Herman Story “Nuts and Bolts” Syrah – This is the second vintage of “Nuts and Bolts”. Deep dark color, black cherry, baking spices, white pepper, earth, bacon – super long finish. 522 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 McPrice Myers “Beautiful Earth” – 79% Syrah, 16% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre. Flavors of black plum, blueberry, blackberry, baking spices and coffee. 650 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2007 McPrice Myers Les Galets Vineyard Syrah – 100% Syrah – gorgeous deep ruby color. Blackberry, white pepper, anise, bittersweet chocolate, clove and hints of mint and tobacco leaf. 194 cases produced. Retail price: $36
These beautifully-crafted, small production wines are really, really, really worth getting your hands on. A huge thank you goes out to Russell From, McPrice Myers and Edgar Torres for personally introducing us to their fabulous wines. Thanks guys!
* – this marks wines I was compelled to bring home
A selection of Herman Story wines
Herman Story wines - the backs of the labels
Edgar risking life and limb to find us a couple bottles of his La Guerra white wine
Was it something McPrice said?
I’ve enjoyed Cold Heaven winemaker Morgan Clendenen’s Viogniers for many years. I especially love a glass of her late harvest Viognier after dinner in lieu of dessert. Jason and I stopped by to taste at the new Cold Heaven tasting room in Buellton the other day. I’ve never seen a red wine from Cold Heaven, so I was thrilled to see that there was a Syrah, called Second Sin, at the end of the tasting menu. We started with the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($20) which had a nose of white grapefruit, and florals. Ripe tropical fruit, citrus and bright acidity – the result of stainless steel fermentation- linger on the palate. This would be a fabulous wine to have with scallops or oysters. The 2008 Le Bon Climat Vineyard Viognier ($33) was next on the list. With a heady floral nose, flavors of guava and peach and a soft mouthfeel this is a gorgeous wine. We then tasted a richer and more full bodied Viognier – the 2008 Sanford and Benedict Vineyard Viognier. This had a beautiful nose of apricot and violets and well integrated flavors and a sweet, lingering finish. Next up was the 2008 Vogelzang Vineyard Viognier which had a nose of orange blossom and tropical fruits (especially pineapple core) and crisp acidity. The 2007 Domaine des Deux Mondes Saints and Sinners is a wine made from a collaboration between Morgan Clendenen and Yves Cuilleron, an expert on Viognier from Condrieu. Domaine des Deux Mondes is French for “Domain of Two Worlds” signifying the coming together of two worlds to make a single wine. This was an absolutely beautiful wine with just the right amount of richness on the palate to make it luscious. Only 3 % new oaks was used, so the fruit from Sanford and Benedict really shines. Another product of the collaboration between Morgan Clendenen and Yves Cuilleron is called Deux C which is French for two C’s (one “C” for Clendenen and the second “C” for Cuilleron) is composed of wine made here in California combined with wine made in France. This is quite literally a marriage of Old World and New World with two barrels of wine made in California combined with two made in France. The vintage is 2005 however due to labeling regulations, this wine’s label cannot indicate a vintage. Next, we moved on to two reds. We tasted first the 2004 and then the 2003 Second Sin Syrah. The 2004 Second Sin was made with fruit from top notch vineyards – Bien Nacido, Beckmen and Vogelzang. The wine is a mere 13.5% alcohol (the fruit was picked slightly less ripe) – far lower than many if not most California Syrahs. The wine tastes far more like a French wine than one from California. I think this will age beautifully for a decade or more. The 2003 Second Sin is a glassful of beautifully integrated flavors including meat, black cherry and baking spices. This is truly an elegant wine that gets better with each sip.
Be sure to stop by the tasting room and wine making facility at 92A Second Street in Buellton CA 93427. The tasting room is open Friday through Monday from 12pm-5pm.
Kristy took us on a tour of the winemaking facility and barrel room. Here are a few snapshots I took:
In the Cold Heaven barrel room
Spinning, mirrored Buddha head watches over the barrels at Cold Heaven
Barrel of Cold Heaven 2009 Le Bon Climat Vineyard Viognier marked with a horseshoe symbol
Barrel of Cold Heaven 2009 La Vina Vineyard Viognier marked with a pistol symbol
Barrel of Cold Heaven 2009 Le Bon Climat Vineyard Viognier marked with a high heeled shoe symbol
Barrel of wine at Cold Heaven marked with lotus symbol
Jason and I stopped by the Municipal Winemakers tasting room on Saturday 2/20 to help celebrate the grand opening. Judging by the crowd it was a resounding success. Seriously…people were crammed into the tasting room like sardines. We managed to squeeze our way in the door and then after many “excuse mes” made it to the table where the Municipal Winemakers 2008 Bright White was being poured. This is a dry Riesling which would match well with ceviche, flip-flops and a casual, sunny Santa Barbara afternoon. After this we tasted the Municipal Winemakers 2007 Bright Red which is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah – in the Cotes du Rhone style. Next up was the Municipal Winemakers 2007 Dark Red which is a blend of Shiraz and Cabernet. Winemaker Dave Potter used fruit from outstanding vineyards in order to make this wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon is from Star Lane which just happens to be one of my favorite vineyards located in the newly created Happy Canyon AVA – (American Viticulture Area). He also used Syrah from Tierra Alta and Fess Parker’s Camp Four vineyard. Some Syrah made from Camp Four fruit have some interesting smoky undertones – like the Consilience 2005 Syrah Camp Four Vineyard. The Municipal Winemakers 2007 Dark Red is good wine for backyard barbeques. Lastly, we tasted the Municipal Winemakers 2007 Fizz which is a sparkling Shiraz which is sealed with a crown cap like what you’d find on a soda bottle. While this type of closure seems a bit unusual, it is actually fairly common in Australia where Potter learned quite a bit about making wine.
Municipal Winemaker Dave Potter
After this Jason and I managed to find Potter in this mob of people to congratulate him on the fabulous turn out.
Then we walked over to the Kunin/Westerly tasting room where we found enough space for the two of us at the bar. I have a few favorites here. First the Kunin 2006 Viognier Stolpman Vineyard. This is a classic Viognier with floral and apricot aromas. On the palate it is soft and rich – truly a beautiful wine. My other favorite is the Kunin 2007 Pape Star – this is a red blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre and 15% Syrah in the style of wines of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC in France. Kunin’s Pape Star reminds me of wines we tasted in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC with Jason – back when the exchange rate wasn’t so bad. We decided to taste a few wines, head to head from the Kunin library: 2001 Syrah Alisos Vineyard, 2003 Syrah Alisos Vineyard and 2004 Syrah Alisos Vineyard – almost a vertical flight. The 2001 had more of a nose and oddly enough more fruit than the ’03 or the ’04. The ’01 had flavors of black cherry, white pepper with some faint herbal notes on the finish. The ’03 was a bit more reserved and featured less fruit and spice than the ’01. The ’04 was the earthiest of the three wines and Jason thought it would be good with a cigar. All in all a good day of wine tasting – and only 10 minutes from our house!
Library "almost" Vertical tasting at Kunin: 2001, 2003, 2004 Syrah Alisos Vineyard
There are only a handful of days that the Margerum Wine Company is open to the public – the rest of the time it is open by appointment only. February 13th was one of those public days, so my husband and I headed on down to the winery to go taste some vino. We bumped into our neighbors Pamela and Albert who asked us to join them for dinner at the Ballard Inn. Jason and I are big fans of chef Budi Kazali’s creative and flavorful menus so this was a welcome opportunity to go there with fellow foodies. More on this later!
Here is the list of wines from the “official” tasting list of the day (which didn’t include all the surprise bottles that winemaker Doug Margerum opened) and some comments:
2008 Margerum Chenin Blanc – light yellow color, crisp on the palate, flavors of white grapefruit – perfect wine for scallops and other seafood.
2008 Pinot Gris – fermented in 75% stainless steel and 25% barrel, high acid, lean wine
2006 Grenache – my husband Jason (a dedicated Grenache fan) really liked this one. It is expressive, but not dark or big or high in alcohol. It is subtle and would complement many foods…salmon or pork loin came to mind while tasting this wine.
2007 M5 – Jason and I have been fans of Doug Margerum’s M5 blend for many years. The 2007 offering had some interesting notes of sasparilla that I don’t recall from previous vintages. I’d recommend cellaring the 2007 M5 one 3-5 more years to increase the flavor integration. While we were tasting the 2007 Doug opened up a bottle of the 2008 M5 which is scheduled to be released in mid March. The 2008 is fruitier and very approachable now. You can drink the 2008 M5 this one while you are cellaring your 2007.
2006 Syrah “Alisos Vinyard” – This is an absolutely beautiful Syrah from its color all the way the finish. The only bad part was that so few bottles were made…only 50 cases.
2006 Syrah “Alondra De Los Prados Vineyard” – This was my favorite wine of the day – which is a high compliment because I tasted some beautifully made wines. The Alondra De Los Prados Syrah or ADP as it is called for short, is actually 5% Viognier. The Syrah and the Viognier are co-planted and co-fermented. The resulting wine has some floral notes which Viognier is known for the Syrah takes center stage with its intensity and power. Margerum recommends that this one be cellared for a few more years, but I will have a hard time keeping the corkscrew away from the case I bought. Only 125 cases were produced, so I highly recommend ordering a few while you still can.
2006 Syrah “Black Oak Vineyard” – This was another great example of the fabulous Syrahs that Doug makes – mmmmm…black cherry and hints of anise.
2006 Syrah “Colson Canyon Vineyard” – Aromas of florals, cassis and anise with flavors of cherry, black plum and white pepper. I bought a few of these to cellar for about 5 years. If you’re into wine scores, Stephen Tanzer rated this one a 90.
2006 Syrah “Great Oaks Ranch Vineyard” – Wines made of fruit from Great Oaks tend to have spice characteristics that I really enjoy. This intense wine offers flavors of anise, cracked pepper, coffee and black cherry.
2006 Syrah “Purisima Mountain Vineyard” – Flavors of cassis, dried cherries, black plum, blackberries and some earthy notes. The finish was long and lovely! Wine Spectator gave this wine 90 points.
2006 ÜBER Syrah – This is an extremely well planned wine. Margerum sourced Syrah fruit from seven different vineyards, and then picked and co-fermented them over 45 days. Then he blends in carefully selected barrels of single-vineyard Syrah – resulting in a powerful, dense wine. This is one of my favorite Syrahs because there is so much going on in the glass – rich, powerful and layered. Drink ÜBER and treat your mouth to an adventure. =)
1995 Antinori Solaia
There were a few other wines that we were able to taste that weren’t on the official list. The most exciting one for me was the 1995 Antinori Solaia. This is one of the most famous “Super Tuscan” wines in the world, made by the Antinori family who have been making wine for six centuries. Needless to say it was a real treat to taste this wine! It is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc. The years in the bottle were well spent, leaving soft, well-integrated tannins. On the palate, flavors of blackberry, currant, boysenberry lead to a long and fruity finish.
The evening's lineup of wines.
After the event at the winery was wrapping up we headed over to Doug Margerum’s house to continue our wine tasting adventure. (Thanks again for your hospitality Doug!) Doug opened a number of wines from his collection including a 2001 Vieux Telegraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Châteauneuf-du-Pape happens to be one of my favorite wine-producing regions in the world. Clearly this is my lucky day!
After enjoying Doug’s hospitality and some really interesting conversations (“Hi” to Fisch and Blaine), Pamela, Albert, Jason and I headed over to Ballard Inn for dinner. We ordered most of the appetizers – *all* were wonderful, but my favorites were the “winter turnip soup with duck confit and Fuji apple salad”, the “red roast Kurobata pork belly with Napa cabbage fondue” and the “panko crusted sweetbreads with Madeira sauce”. It was hard to choose an entree because they all sounded so good. The “pan seared duck breast with sweet potato puree and balsamic reduction” is what I usually order, but the “Australian rack of lamb with creamy farro, leeks, fennel and star anise glace” sounded amazing. I eventually settled on the “crispy skin arctic char with roasted fingerling potatoes and horseradish nage”. Everything was beautifully presented and incredibly flavorful! Kazali’s food was the perfect ending to a decadent and fun-filled day!
Disco ball hung in the doorway to the Margerum Wine Company barrel room
Jason, Pamela and Tony in the barrel room at Margerum Wine Company
The aftermath of some serious wine tasting at Margerum Wine Company
Pork cracklins + sparkling off-dry German Rieslings = Strangely wonderful wine/food pairing
The text on this painting from Doug Margerum's collection reads "wine is good living". I couldn't agree more.
2/20 tasting room grand opening 2pm-6pm
Don’t miss the grand opening of the Municipal Winemakers‘ tasting room 2/20/2010 from 2pm-6pm. Taste some wine and enjoy h’ors d’oeuvres and wish winemaker Dave Potter congratulations! The tasting room is located at 28 Anacapa Street in Santa Barbara. It is located behind the Kunin/Westerly tasting room. If you decide to go taste at Kunin/Westerly too, make sure you taste the 2007 Kunin Pape Star. It is a Châteauneuf-du-Pape style blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah aged for 10 months in neutral oak barrels. Enjoy!
A foodie friend of ours Lee from Vancouver was going to be in Los Angeles and called to see if we wanted to meet up for dinner at Animal a couple nights ago. Jason and I haven’t seen Lee in a while and we love to try out new restaurants so we accepted the invitation. There were 7 of us who ended up at Animal at 8:45pm on a Tuesday night. As we waited for our table to open up, someone spotted Bobby Flay eating at a table near the bar. That is a good sign…I figure Flay knows a little something about food. Another good sign was a local who’d eaten there numerous times who was also waiting for a table absolutely gushing to us about the menu. He listed about 6 things off the menu that we “had to order”. I noticed that many of the tables were full in spite of the fact that it was late on a Tuesday – another good sign. The restaurant was sparsely decorated…actually to call it “sparse” implies too much. There were bare lightbulbs screwed into sockets on the walls and a couple of framed animal skulls hanging on the walls. Clearly the decor won’t be distracting us from the food. We were seated and started ordering almost immediately. I was pleasantly surprised to see the 2008 Dragonette Rose (Grenache / Syrah) on the bottle list. Dragonette is a premium quality, boutique winery located in Lompoc in an area affectionately called the “wine ghetto”. They’re making some beautiful wines – we barrel tasted there a few months ago and I fell in love with a barrel of co-fermented Syrah and Viognier. The rose was a perfect beginning to a fabulous meal! We ended up ordering nearly everything on the menu – it was all outstanding! Here is a photo of the menu for the evening that we were there.
Menu at Animal: 435 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 782-9225
We loved everything with the exception of the green garlic broth with grilled toast, but there were a few dishes that you really must order. First and foremost, the barbeque pork belly sandwiches with slaw. We ordered this dish three times over the course of the evening and each time when it arrived at the table, I wasn’t able to get my camera out quickly enough to snap a photo before the food was devoured! Suffice it to say it was amazing – especially with the bottle of 2005 Anjou Chateau Perray Jouannet (a red blend dominated by Cabernet Franc). Another dish that went too fast for me to get a photo was the pig ear with chili, lime and fried egg. I like bacon – alot- however pig ear sounded more like something my dogs would enjoy. After tasting the saltiness of the pig’s ear countered by the tart acid of the lime juice , I won’t be sharing this with my dogs, ever. Wow – this was really good! Also, the rabbit loin with parsnip, pear mostarda and Benton’s bacon was fabulous (this dish and the barbeque pork belly sandwiches were my two absolute favorites of the evening). Skatewing isn’t something you see on menus in the United States much – this preparation with collards, rutabaga and grainy mustard was wonderful. We ordered two of these because the other side of the table kept hoarding the skate. Skatehoarding is not a crime! 😉 Sorry, I just had to say it. If you are into foie gras, Animal offers some really creative and very tasty versions. a) Foie gras, biscuit, maple sausage gravy and b) foie gras loco moco with quail egg, spam and hamburger. Both were out of this world! By the time we got to the end of the meal we were all too full for dessert…this fact wasn’t enough to stop us from ordering every dessert on the menu. The tres leches with dulche de leche was rich and sweet – my husband gave it two thumbs up. I was partial to the bacon chocolate crunch bar with s&p anglaise…bacon, chocolate and anglaise. Need I say more? Joe’s doughnuts with cinnamon sugar and caramel were also very good and so was the panna cotta with saba (which I learned is a sweet reduction of grape must). Ultimately, I cannot do the food at Animal justice with words and photos…you simply *must* go there. Better yet, go with a group so you can order the whole menu!
Foie gras loco moco quail egg spam hamburger
Sweetbreads, creamed spinach and hen of the woods mushrooms
Melted Petit Basque with chorizo and grilled bread
Poutine, oxtail gravy, cheddar - Poutine ("poutine québécoise") is French Canadian comfort food.
Skatewing with collards, rutabaga and grainy mustard - Skate hoarding is not a crime. 😉
2008 Dragonette Rose and Animal's by the glass list
Foie gras, biscuit, maple sausage gravy
Rabbit loin with parsnip, pear mostarda and Benton's bacon
Sallie, Michael and Maggie - Note the incriminating balsamic barbeque sauce on Michael's fingers from the pork ribs. 🙂
Liz wonders who ordered the vegetables as she eyes the balsamic glazed pork ribs.
Happy Birthday Lee!
Wine Nation Underdog 
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