The Pursuit of Chardonnay

There are days when I just despair for the future of Chardonnay. All it takes is a string of uninspired, overly manipulated examples with loads of fake oak flavors and it makes me swear off the stuff for weeks.

But it only takes one good bottle to remind you why some of the world's great wines have been made from the grape.

If you're in pursuit of Chardonnay, this bottle should help you remember what Chardonnay can be.

2009 MacMurray Ranch Chardonnay Sonoma Coast (suggested retail, $20; available in market for $12-$20) This is a good example of a California Chardonnay that has seen some time inside a barrel, so there are flavor elements that derive from oak, namely a vanillin note that did not strike me as at all fake or forced. Hurray! The entry for the wine comes from its aromas of dough and apple (a bit like an apple crumble), with a note of honeyed vanilla that is the prelude for tastes to come. The flavors are dominated by cream and apple, with a cantaloupe note that I can't say I've ever tasted in a Chardonnay before, but which added an interesting dimension to the wine. Creamy vanilla notes linger in the mouth after your last swallow. Very good QPR, if you like rich and full-bodied California Chardonnays that remain true to the grape.

Full Disclosure: I received a sample of this wine for possible review.

No Time for Rosé? This Will Change Your Mind

I love rosés. They are affordable, food-friendly wines as I've said on many occasions. At home at summer barbeques, and welcome on Thanksgiving tables, there are lots of times when a rosé is the right wine choice.

So I'm always surprised when people tell me they don't do rosé. Huh? I know--just know--that they're thinking of some horribly sweet White Zinfandel ca. 1987, rather than a crisp, dry wine like the one I'm recommending here. It is, hands down, the best rosé I've ever tasted. And I've been tasting some awfully good rosés lately. But there's something special about this wine, so if you can find it give it a try and see if it doesn't impress you, too.

The 2009 Cep Vineyards Sonoma Coast Rosé is made from Pinot Noir grapes grown in my favorite of all viticultural regions. It is, quite simply, perfect. ($19.49 in my local independent grocery store; available elsewhere for $17-$20) Like the picture shows, it is a true, pale salmon. Lovely, rich aromas of warm strawberry rise up from the glass along with something stonier that reminds me of a wet beach and a touch of baked earth. The flavors are pure strawberry, too, with little mineral inflections along the way. The wine is very dry, yet it retains a juicy aftertaste. Excellent QPR for a rosé that delivers rich, full flavor without a drop of sweetness.

And don't blame me if you are looking for this in November and it's sold out. Buy some now--before I buy all the bottles left at K&L.

Pinot Noir--Both Red and Rosé

I'm writing from the Sonoma Coast appellation as I often do this time of year, and it wouldn't be proper if I didn't include a post about the coast's favorite grape: Pinot Noir. Today, I'm highlighting the versatility of the grape by writing about a traditional red Pinot Noir, as well as a rosé made with the grape--and both are under $20. In addition, I'm tipping you off about what just may be the best value in Pinot Noir. Period. It is a little pricier than most wines I review here at just under $30, but drinks like a wine that is easily twice or perhaps even three times the price.

First up, we have the 2007 The Other Guys Pinot Noir Moobuzz ($17.99 in my local independent grocery store; available for $11-$18) Underneath a truly bizarre closure that must be peeled and then tugged, this wine goes through an awkward stage when first opened, when I detected a strong note of acetone in the aromas. It settles down quickly, though, to more appealing aromas of red raspberries, huckleberries, a touch of high-toned pomegranate. These red fruit aromas are evident in the flavors as well, along with additional earthy and spicy notes (especially baking spices like allspice, cloves, and cinnamon). A decent food wine, think of this when you're serving some grilled salmon this summer. Very good QPR.

For another very good QPR Pinot Noir, think pink. The 2009 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Rosé from nearby Fort Ross Vineyard is a delicious wine that expands your sense of the grape into the land of affordable summertime sippers. ($11.99 in my local independent grocery store; available elsewhere for around the same price) The wine is surprisingly dark in color--a rich, deep tea rose--but the aromas and flavors are quite dry and laced with mineral notes. You will find strawberry and herbal flavors and aromas, too. The aftertaste is dry, but retains its mouthwatering juiciness.

And finally, I recommend the excellent QPR 2008 Cep Vineyards Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. ($25.99 in my local independent grocery store; available elsewhere for $23-$31) It used to be something of a hush-hush matter that this was Peay Vineyard's second label, but it's all over the web now. This is perhaps the best value in under $30, made by talented winemakers with some amazing fruit that just wasn't quite up to their high standards. This wine is quite young at present, which translates into "quite spicy" so give it some time in a cool dark place or some time to open up before you drink it now. (It would be a lovely wine for holiday dinners in November and December, by the way). Its raspberry, orange peel, clove, and allspice aromas and flavors are scrumptious and a perfect lead in to the flavors that follow. As wine opened there were mineral, cinnamon, and herbal notes, too. This wine is very complex for the price, and with a classic--and classy--Sonoma Coast profile.

Another Simple Solution--and It Involves Pinot Noir

I've found another simple solution to the "what's for dinner?" crisis many of us face at the end of a busy day.

I was intrigued by Mark Bittman's recent recipe in the New York Times for "risotto-style" chicken pasta. What I most liked about it was that it involved one pan, one cutting board, one knife, and a lot of things we always have in the house (chicken in the freezer, mushrooms in the fridge, pasta and chicken broth in the cupboard). Who has time to wash dishes this time of year? And it seemed as though it would be finished--from prep to plate--in around 30 minutes. What's not to like?

As I threw this recipe together, I scanned the wine racks looking for a good bottle of wine to go with it. Rather than recommend a hard-to-find wine, I drew out the 2007 Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. Regular readers know this is my favorite appellation for US Pinot Noir. Sometimes the wine can be a bit pricey, however. I'm delighted to report that this wine is both affordable ($18!) and easy to find in most markets for $12-$24. This excellent QPR Pinot Noir delivers characteristic Sonoma Coast aromas of cherry, chalk, and a lick of smoke. These lead into a juicy, well-integrated palate of berries, cherries, and chalky minerality and that nice smokiness turns spicy in the aftertaste. This is another excellent food wine, that's versatile and affordable enough to feature on your holiday table, as well as satisfying your everyday wine needs.

(And yes, the risotto-style pasta was excellent--and a perfect partner for this wine, with the earthy mushrooms.)

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

An Affordable, Stylish Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

It will come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog regularly that I love Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. I love its style, its class, and the way that the cool growing temperatures seem to give the wines a depth and complexity that make them wonderful dinner companions.

I don't drink as much Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir as I would like to, however, because wines from this region--especially wines made with the world's most finicky grape--can cost a pretty penny. So it's always a great discovery when I find a Pinot Noir that has all the good taste I crave and excellent QPR as well.

Just in time for the holidays, I've found such a wine: the 2006 MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. I received this as a sample, but you should be able to find it in most places for between $12 and $20. MacMurray Ranch was purchased in 1941 by Hollywood actor Fred MacMurray, and today Australian-born Susan Doyle sees her role as winemaker as one that depends on a combination of science and art.

The results of this combination, if this bottle is any indication, are excellent. This was a superb Pinot Noir for the price. It had lovely aromas of spice, cherry and raspberry fruit, and flowers. These were enticing, and made you want to swirl and sniff for a good, long time before you even took your first sip. When you did, you were struck by flavors of high toned black cherry, allspice, and fresh-baked raspberry cobbler. The wine had a surprising depth as it went over your tongue, so if you like your Pinots to have nice body and good balance, you will like this wine. Even though the wine was full of fruit flavors, there was a nice silkiness of texture--which for me is one of the real delights in drinking a well-made Pinot Noir. The whole experience was rounded up with a spicy aftertaste that was mouthwatering and only made you want more.

If you see this wine for under $20 it's a steal, and I highly recommend that you buy it and keep it on hand for when you're serving soups, stews, anything with mushrooms, or pork dishes this autumn. Pinot Noir is one of the world's most versatile food grapes, so there is almost nothing this wine wouldn't go with--including turkey if you are looking for a red wine for Thanksgiving.

In a world full of overpriced Pinot Noir that often doesn't deliver in the taste department (even if it does cost a lot), it's a joy to drink such an affordable, well-made, and classy Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #47: This Wine Brought to You By the Letter "S"

This month's Wine Blogging Wednesday, Lenn Thompson's online tasting event, is inspired by Sesame Street, Sammy the Snake, and all other good things that start with the letter "S." Our hosts, Erin and Michelle from Grape Juice, wanted to see what we would come up with if left to our own devices with only a consonant to guide us.

My choice was the 200-

Six
Scenic Root Growers
Spicerack Vineyards "Punchdown"
Syrah from the
Sonoma Coast.

How's that for sticking to the theme!

First, a little bit about Scenic Root Growers. You may not link all their wines together, but Scenic Root are the people who bring you Pey-Marin and Pey-Lucia Pinot Noirs, Texbook Cabernet Sauvignon, Mount Tamalpais Merlot, and Pey-Marin Riesling. The folks behind these labels are Susan and Jonathan Pey, who are proponents of natural and sustainable growing practices. They are also helping to keep alive the tradition of wine-making and grape-growing in Marin County (you may know Marin County as the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge), which began back in the early 19th century.

For this bottling, Susan and Jonathan did things a little differently from what you might expect to see in a California Syrah. First, they obtained cool climate, Sonoma Coast fruit. Then, they used neutral French oak barrels for fermentation and to age the wines which means there is little to no oak influence on the wine. Finally, a little bit (4%) Grenache was added to the juice to compliment the existing fruit flavors and textures.

The result was an excellent QPR discovery. ($20.89 in our local coastal grocery store; expect to find it for $19-$40 at a retailer near you) The 2006 Scenic Root Growers Spicerack Vineyards "Punchdown" Syrah reminded me of the northern Rhone's red wines, especially those from the area around Cornas, with its blue-black fruit profile and spicy touches of pepper. It was inky purple color, which hinted at the aromas of plums, blueberries, and smoke that were to come. The flavors opened up into blueberries, plum, huckleberries and finished with a touch of bacon fat.

Because of its cool blue fruit, this Syrah will be very easy to pair with a wide range of dishes from mac and cheese to chili and hamburgers. We had it one night with leftover chicken chili and it was excellent, but it really shone with some barbecued ribs. The meatiness of the pork picked up that bacon fat taste in the finish, and the pepper was very nice with the spices that were used.

Thanks to Erin and Michelle for such a fun theme. It led me to a wine that I may not have bought otherwise--and am I glad I did. I don't have lots of room in my cellar for multiple bottles of the same wine, since I'm always hunting for something new to taste and write about here on the blog. This is one of the few bottles I've had in the past few years that I knew I wanted to have again--and again. Somehow, somewhere, I need to find some room for a few more bottles!

Wine and Your Own Back Yard

This is the Sea Ranch airport, a tiny airstrip on the northern Sonoma coast. When I'm not in LA, I walk around this airport at least once a day with the dogs, or to get my morning coffee from the Two Fish Baking Company, and thought I knew the place pretty well. I know where the poison oak grows, where the deer are likely to jump out at you from behind a stand of coffee-berry trees, and where not to stand on the rare occasions that someone either takes off or lands.

Imagine my surprise when I was prepping for Pinot Days a few weeks ago and heard a discussion of this airport. I was listening to some older podcasts on my iPod and there was the voice of Vanessa Wong of Peay Vineyards explaining its importance during an episode of GrapeRadio that focused on Pinot clones. She explained how the depression at the airport helped to suck cool sea air from the Pacific Ocean and funnel it right up the Annapolis Road to Peay Vineyard grapes. This is what gives Peay Vineyards the right combination of warm days and cool nights to ripen the chardonnay, pinot noir, and syrah varietals that go into their complex and compelling wines. If you look closely at the photo, you will see that the airport is foggy, but that right beyond the airport there are blue skies. That's the ridge, where the Peay Vineyards are located.

Vanessa Wong's remarks were a real eye opener for me. I live in a house without a vineyard in sight. But geography and microclimate are tricky things. For all you know, your housing development is contributing to some far-off vineyard. Do we ever really know how our own back yard is shaping wine all around us? Take the time to find out about vineyards in your area and talk to local growers about the geography and microclimates surrounding where you live. You might just be surprised.

Watching the fog roll in, roll out, roll up to the ridge but not over it--this is one of the major spectator sports at The Sea Ranch. It dictates when you go for your walks, take your swim, drive to town to buy wine, and if you go to the bluff to watch the sunset. Next month, it will determine whether or not we see the Perseid Meteor showers.Now I have a new reason to watch the fog. More important, I will have a new reason to be grateful for it. Every time I round the airport and pull up the collar of my jacket against the chilled, foggy air, I will say a quiet word of thanks as I send it on its way up the road to the Peay Vineyards grapes and into my next bottle of pinot noir.

Winery Watch: Fort Ross Vineyard

An ongoing series of Friday posts highlighting California family wineries. You might not be familiar with all of these vineyards and winemakers--yet--but they produce wines that speak with the voices of this state's people, places, and history. They are worth seeking out. These posts will be longer than most posts on the blog, but I hope you will find them perfect for leisurely weekend reading and internet browsing. To read previous posts in the series, click here.

Perched above the Pacific Ocean, on a beautiful but treacherous stretch of coastline, is a vineyard that has spectacular views and produces equally spectacular wines. Here you will find Fort Ross Vineyard, overlooking the historic Fort Ross encampment of the Russia-America Company which was established in 1812. As Linda and Lester Schwartz point out, this is the true Sonoma Coast. (picture of the view from Fort Ross Vineyard in spring courtesy of Fort Ross Vineyard)

The Sonoma Coast above Jenner is not for the faint of heart, or those who get car-sick. There is a pioneering mentality among the residents, since it is an hour and a half to the nearest city of any size (Santa Rosa) up a winding road that is a hazard even without the occasional cow you find lazing in the center of Highway 1 and the Winnebagos inching their way around the curves. For those of us who love this part of the world, all the hazards are worth it. Where else do you see such views? And where else, I'm starting to wonder, can you make such wonderful wine?

The Schwartzes began their wine-making journey at Fort Ross in 1994, nearly two centuries after we believe that the first grape vines in Sonoma County were planted near Fort Ross, from rootstock brought into the area from Peru in 1817. The Schwartzes come from South Africa, and moved to California in 1976. They fell in love with the Fort Ross site in 1988, when they built their house and began to explore their property. Lester's background in geology no doubt came in handy as he walked the rocky ridges and came to know the terrain and the soil. The Schwartzes began to think about grapes, and experimented with various rootstocks for years. They came to realize that pinot and chardonnay thrived. Linda began taking courses in viticulture and found she had a deft hand with a backhoe. They cleared the site, planted, put in a pond, installed drip irrigation and Fort Ross Vineyard was born. They couldn't resist infusing their South African wine heritage into the varietal choices they made, planting the relatively rare (in the US) varietal of pinotage which they sourced from South African bud wood. That, too, thrived.

Fort Ross is a cool climate vineyard spread over 28 vineyard blocks all less than 1 mile from the ocean. Here, the grapes are exposed to warm sunny days and cool nights that are often foggy (you can see a little bit of coastal fog clinging to the hills in the background of this picture). The Schwartzes, along with their primary winemaker Ed Kurtzman, believe that the climatic particulars of the site, along with the marine soils in the area, will distinguish the wines from this part of the Sonoma Coast--so much so that there is a Fort Ross-Seaview AVA in the works to carve out a smaller designation from the larger Sonoma Coast AVA. (photo courtesy of Fort Ross Vineyard)

Here are my impressions of the Fort Ross wines I tasted this spring. They were also at Pinot Days last week, and their table was mobbed so I'm giving you fair warning: the word is out about Fort Ross wines. Get your hands on these wines when and if you can. These wines are not cheap, but the wines are well worth the price. As I mentioned in my Pinot Days Post Mortem, the day of the good under $20 pinot may be at an end. Alder Yarrow sadly agrees. If you love pinot you may want to economize on another varietal, to help your wine budget cope. The important thing is to spend your pinot dollars wisely, and Fort Ross wines allow you to do just that.

Prices indicated here are the suggested retail prices at the winery; as always the price you pay may be higher or lower at your local merchant. Clicking on a wine's name takes you either to a list of merchants who stock the wine, including Fort Ross's online store. Fort Ross Vineyard has no wine club yet, but you can contact them to be notified when the wine club is up and running which may be a prudent move if you like their wines as much as I do.

2006 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Rose ($16) This beautifully perfumed dry rose has abundant raspberry fruit and a delicious mineral streak. Excellent QPR.

2003 Fort Ross Pinotage Fort Ross Vineyard ($32). Made from 100% pinotage grapes, it has rich and luscious wild blackberry fruit aromas and flavors. The flavors develop into a long finish with complex layers of coffee, earth, cocoa, and dark chocolate. Seek this one out--its a winner, and a relatively rare varietal here in the US. Excellent QPR.

2003 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Symposium ($32). 4% of pinotage grapes are added to the pinot noir in this blended bottling. Lush black cherry flavors and aromas predominate, accompanied by rich cedar notes and some earthiness. Easy drinking red. Excellent QPR.

2004 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Fort Ross Vineyard ($39). I really liked this wine, which had great complexity in a restrained package. This is my kind of pinot noir. Black cherry and raspberry aromas were joined with a gorgeous note of rose petals. The wine had a smooth, silky texture, and the aromas were echoed in the flavors. Very Good QPR.

2003 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Reserve Fort Ross Vineyard ($49). This pinot noir is far richer and jammier, with raspberry, cola, and rose aromas and flavors. The finish picks up an interesting black tea note. Good QPR.

2003 Fort Ross Chardonnay ($32) A very well done chardonnay, with aromas of pear and peach. You'll find the same characteristics in the flavors, along with a streak of minerality. Good QPR.

Fort Ross was settled by pioneers twice: once in 1812, and once again in 1988 when the Schwartzes decided to take a bit of Sonoma Coast ridgeline within spitting distance of the ocean and started growing grapes on it. That pioneering spirit has paid off in this marvelous, distinctive wine. Tasting a Fort Ross pinot noir transports me to the Sonoma Coast even when I'm not there. I think it will do the same for you, too.

A Special Chardonnay: 2003 Eric Kent Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

This beautiful label by artist Colleen Teitgen serves as the first hint of the beautiful wine inside made by her husband, Erick Kent. The 2003 Eric Kent Wine Cellars Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is so beautiful inside and out that I've thrown my usual "availability" criteria out the window on this one, folks. Eric Kent only made 9 barrels of this wine--just 225 cases. It's the smallest production wine I think I've had, and you probably won't find a bottle since even the winery is sold out. I nabbed one at Chronicle Wine Cellar for the unbelievably good price of $19.95 (this wine normally retails for around $27) It is an amazing chardonnay, and represents excellent QPR. If you are in Pasadena, and can beat me back there to see if there are any left, you may be able to nab one, too.

Eric Kent's 2003 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a classic cool-climate chardonnay with grapes sourced from Russian River and Sebastapol vineyards. It's rich straw color is a preamble to the golden aromas of ripe pear and honey. These lead to flavors of pear, vanilla, and a touch of lemon. The wine spent 15 months in French oak barrels (60% new), but the oak is so well integrated that you get the richness without any oakey flavor. Instead, you are aware of a heavenly honey-vanilla persistence from the aromas through the finish. This is a huge chardonnay (15.5% alc/vol), but the alcohol is somehow kept in balance with the wine's impressive varietal structure.

With this nearly perfect chardonnay we had some perfectly matched food: seared scallops with tarragon mashed potatoes and tarragon beurre blanc sauce. Like the wine, this meal was both fresh and rich, which resulted in a nice partnership of flavors and textures.

Getting your hands on a bottle of Erick Kent wines in the future is going to be tough, since the entire output of the winery is miniscule and the UK's Decanter magazine named the winery "one to watch" in October of 2006. There is a pre-release club that I am extremely tempted to join (5 bottles a year at 30% discount) and the website has a good list of all the stores in the US that carry their wines. If one is near you, I'd suggest you hot-foot it over there and put your name down now for the next bottle that comes in the door. Yes, it's that good.

2003 Hamel Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, from the Campbell Ranch in Annapolis

It's Indian Summer in southern California, with highs in the high 80s and cool, cool nights. Perfect for pinot! And to celebrate fall, we popped open a bottle of the best domestic pinot I've had in a very long time, the 2003 Hamel Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. Technically, this wine comes from Campbell Ranch in Annapolis, CA, but if you are looking for it on Wine-Searcher (see sidebar) you will find it easily if you just leave it as "2003 Hamel Pinot Noir." I found it as several online retailers for under $30 (remember, I said mostly under $20) and at my beloved Chronicle Wine Cellar for $21.95.

Hamel Winery is in Healdsburg, one of those small, independent wineries that doesn't even have a website, never mind a fancy tasting room with monogrammed glasses and cheese knives for sale adorned with clusters of grapes. They sourced the grapes for this pinot noir from the Campbell Ranch just north of Annapolis, CA on a long, winding road that passes from Highway 1 on the coast, through part of our beloved Sea Ranch, and up into the warm Sonoma County hills. Over on calwine.com they gave this information about the ranch, to accompany their sale of the 2004 vintage of this wine:

Steve Campbell’s family has lived on this property since 1938. Over the past few years, the Campbells watched as several growers planted Pinot Noir in the neighborhood. It had become evident to them and many others that this northwest corner of the Sonoma Coast shows great potential for producing exceptional Pinot Noir. In 2000, Steve, his wife Lisa and his father Phil followed suit. They identified a few choice acres of Goldridge soil on their large ranch and planted a nicely exposed ridge top that slopes gently to the north west. The site is about four miles from the Pacific Ocean and about 700 feet up above the fog line.Kevin’s grapes came from a swath through the center of the vineyard where the flavors showed the most promise. The clone is Dijon 777.

This is a serious, and seriously good, Sonoma County pinot noir. The 2003 Hamel is dusky plum in the glass, and it has a delicious, silky texture as it rolls around in your mouth. There is a lot of spice and warm berries (raspberry, with strawberry and cherry) in the aromas and on the palate. The flavors just open up, one after the other, and there are hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, and tea as they do. At the end, there are still some strong tannins, which indicates to me that this wine may continue to improve in the bottle. Though this wine is still available, it is now 2 years since it's release in October 2004, and I think could still be interesting in 2 more years. I'm going to buy a half case and try out this theory!

This has just excellent QPR--a wine that is worth every penny, even if you are spending more pennies than you are used to in the wine store. I like this just as much (maybe more?) than the Flowers pinot noirs, that are 2x the price when you can get your hands on them. It has great complexity, along with all the subtle pinot noir varietal characteristics. I'm not the only blogger to give Hamel high marks. See how Alder over at Vinography compared this wine to the field of California pinots at the June 2006 pinot tasting.