Your House Red: Boxed and Ready to Go

I'm the only wine drinker in my house. And there are times, like now, when things are so crazy that planning menus and opening bottles of wine that will in all likelihood go off before I can finish them up doesn't make sense. Enter the new generation of boxed wines.

I'm particularly partial to the Octavin, which has a fantastic spigot contraption that doesn't leak or drip. There are other options out there, too, and all of them keep air from getting to the wine thereby keeping the wine fresh-tasting for weeks, rather than days. The only downside of the Octavin is that with white wines they take up a certain amount of prime refrigerator real estate. With reds, you just set them in a cool place on the counter and enjoy a glass whenever the mood strikes.

Given the convenience of the packaging, I was particularly pleased to receive this sample of the NV Bodegas Osborne Seven because it is an ideal candidate for a house red--you know, the easy-drinking reds that go with practically everything and are great to have on hand. And the price is right, too: a 3.0 L size Octavin (equivalent to 4 bottles of wine) has a suggested retail of just $22. (available in the market for $16-$21)

The very good QPR NV Bodegas Osborne Seven is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, Grenache, and Graciano. With all those grapes in it, it's hard to pin a varietal character on the wine. Instead, this is a "red" wine--which is not a bad thing on a Tuesday night when you're making Mark Bittman's chicken with roasted potatoes and Romesco sauce. I could smell the Grenache in the floral and fruity aromas. The Syrah and Petit Verdot are evident in the flavors which span the plum and blackberry spectrum. There are some darker notes, too: dark chocolate and ground coffee.

This wine will go with pasta, soup, stew, pizza, burgers, steaks--you name it.

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

Mighty Fine Malbec

Malbec just tastes right this time of year. In the summer, I always try to keep a few bottles on hand for cookouts, and whenever I go shopping there always are new bottles I want to try.

This wine, though, counts as a familiar favorite--one of those wine friends that we know we'll enjoy spending time with. The 2008 Clos de los Siete Clos de Los Siete is made by Michael Rolland from grapes grown in the Mendoza region of Argentina. This rich, smooth blend traditional Bordeaux grapes (suggested retail, $19; available for $15-$20) including not only Malbec but Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, has excellent QPR with its plum, herb, and espresso notes. There is some smokiness in the aftertaste, making it a wonderful partner for grilled food such as steak, chicken, pork, and sausages.

Malbec goes very well with Mexican cuisine, and we had it with Chile-Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos. The Ancho and Chipotle chile powders in the marinade add a rich, flavorful dimension to the meat that is perfect with a rich, smoky wine like the Clos Los Siete.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

Food and Wine: the Search for Versatility

Pairing food and wine can be a perplexing, confusing business. People can be nutty on the subject and I have to admit I can be a bit obsessive about finding the perfect food to go with Pinot Gris and the ideal wine for spaghetti and meatballs.

In a world of shrinking bank accounts and free time, I've started prizing versatility in wine. When I go to the store, I'm increasingly drawn to wine that goes with everything. What that often means is that my shopping bag contains a red blend and a bottle of Gewurztraminer. Here's why.

Why Red Blends? Here in the US we tend to gravitate towards single-variety bottlings--Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah. The rest of the world does things differently. Chianti is made from a blend of red grapes that includes at least 80% Sangiovese. In the Rhone, red wines can include Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and other red grapes. Like Bordeaux reds? These bottles typically contain Merlot, Cabernet, and juice from Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc. In my mouth, blending grapes takes some of the hard varietal edges from a wine. Put Merlot with Cabernet and some of its green pepperiness goes away, for instance. This makes red blends great food wines, capable of adapting themselves to a variety of cuisines--from burgers to roast chicken to beef curry. In the US, many red blends feature Zinfandel and Syrah. This makes them smooth to drink, and a bit higher in alcohol levels than those from Europe so read your labels! One nice red to try is the 2007 Adastra Ed's Red ($15). This big, yummy, smooth red blend is comprised of 43% Syrah, 39% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Made with organic grapes (see note below), it has abundant notes of dark chocolate, plum, and black cherry in the aromas and flavors. This wine is not only very good QPR--it goes own VERY easily too, so remember it's 15% ABV. Pair it with anything from soups, stews, burgers, spaghetti, pizza, roast chicken with rosemary, pork tenderloin, beef curry--let your imagination fly. NOTE: the nice folks at Adastra tell me that because this is a blend, the mix is not made exclusively from grapes grown in Adastra's organic vineyards.

Why Gewurztraminer? When I started thinking about this post, I was planning on extolling the virtues of Sauvignon Blanc. That's a versatile grape, too. But Gewurz edges it out, in my opinion. That's because it pairs beautifully with Asian cuisine--Thai, Chinese, Japanese, even Indian. It also is perfect with pork, sausage, and chicken. So whether you've got some delicate sushi or a hearty Alsatian pork stew, a flavorful Thai curry or a plateful of sausages and mashed potatoes, Gewurztraminer turns out to be a surprisingly good option. Gewurztraminers can be made in a dry or slightly off-dry style, so look at the description on the label. The spicier your food, the better it can handle a bit of sweetness in the wine. The most versatile Gewurztraminers, I find, are the dry ones. One I enjoyed recently was the 2007 Joseph Swan Vineyards Gewurztraminer from the Russian River Valley's Saralee's Vineyards ($20, domaineLA). I loved this domestic Gewurztraminer with its classic, restraind flavor profile. Elegant apple and white nectarine aromas lead into flavors that are almost steely in their intensity and dominated by apple and stone. The aftertaste tends towards nectarine, but this wine is by no means sweet. It was lovely with a tamarind chicken curry, with some sausage, and with a pork stew. Excellent QPR.

Do you have other suggestions for wines that go with most everything? If so, leave them in the comments.

Full disclosure: I received the red blend as a sample.

Today on Serious Grape: Winter Red Blends

Most of you are freezing. If this is the case, you don't want to know what the weather's like in Southern California.

Chilly temperatures call for a warm wine, and for my money the best bets are often red blends. Versatile, tasty, and affordable, today's red blends can be made virtually anywhere, and include varieties such as Zinfandel as well as the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.

Red blends--they're not just for Bordeaux anymore. If you want some particular recommendations, head over to Serious Grape, my weekly column on Serious Eats. You'll find a list of red blends I've tasted recently that cost between $7 and $26 in most markets.

Stay warm, have a great weekend, and see you next week. (photo by TheBusyBrain)

Cozy, Comfortable, and Classy: Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Of all the wines I love, there are none that I love so much as the Rhone blends from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Some wines make me shout with excitement, others impress me with their finesse, and then there are those that intrigue me because of their rarity or their exceptional value. But only Chateauneuf-du-Pape makes me feel like I've put on a cozy, comfortable sweater and slipped into my favorite chair. The heavy embossed bottles, with the keys of St. Peter crossed just over the label, are classy enough for any fine dinner party, yet they never seem to intimidate anyone, either, perhaps because they are not so highly touted as Bordeaux and Burgundy. Despite their relatively low profile, wine critics love them, and bottles of Chateauneuf-du-Pape often appear at the top of "the best wines of" lists, as they do this year.

What's even better is that truly excellent wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape can be surprisingly affordable.

The 2003 Perrin & Fils Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards is a case in point. I bought this last January at Costco for $23.69. You can still find it online for between $25 and $38, which is not too bad for a wine this good with some age on it. My first tip, though, is to by them a bit younger and age them yourself, even for a short period. This wine was only 2 years into its suggested "drinking window" when I bought it and eleven months older when I drank it. But it should continue to develop and evolve for the next five or six years, if you have space in your cellar for it. That's one of the nicest things about Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines: they tend to be ready for drinking much sooner than their red neighbors to the north in Bordeaux, and yet they have aging potential, too. The January 2008 edition of Food & Wine Magazine, for instance, includes 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Papes as one of the best wines to buy this year and cellar for the future, since the 2005 vintage is seen as one of the most age-worthy in recent years.

When I popped the cork on the 2003 Perrin & Fils Les Sinards all the comfort and excitement I associate with one of these great Rhone red blends was evident from the very first aromas that came from the bottle. Scents of plum, leather, thyme, and tobacco were accented with just a hint of ripe apricot. As if this wasn't complexity enough for one wine, the flavors included plum, allspice, and blackberry. The wine had a lingering finish that was warm and spicy. This was a lot of wine for $24, and something that would fit well on any holiday table whether you're serving beef, turkey, goose, or even a vegetarian option like mushroom and chestnut stuffing. Excellent QPR, and I will be seeking out other vintages of this wine.

The Perrin family has roots in the Rhone that extend deep into the 16th century. They are known for making superb wines, including their flagship Chateau Beaucastel red wine. The Perrins are long-time partners of Robert Haas's vineyard and winery in Paso Robles, Tablas Creek, which has done so much to raise the quality, and consciousness, of Rhone varieties here in the US. So when you drink this wine, you are also tasting more than a little bit of history with each and every sip. But the Perrins aren't content to rely just on their history--they embrace the future as well as the past and explore sustainable farming practices as a way to link together traditionally-proven growing techniques with their concern for the environment. They even blog, and you can learn a lot about the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation, and their viticultural efforts, by reading it.

If you see a bottle of 2003, 2004, or 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape when you're in the wine store and it's a good price, you might want to give it a try since all three were recommended vintages. And if you see a bottle of Perrin & Fils, snatch it up right away. I may be behind you in the aisle, and if you show the slightest indecision I'll have it in my cart before you get a chance to think again.

Holiday Food and Wine Strategy #3: Takeout

Holidays are full of traditions. Eggnog. Mistletoe. Dreidels. Latkes. Takeout.

Takeout is a tradition that goes back at least as far as ancient Rome. But during the holidays, there is no happier tradition in my opinion. To fully enjoy it, it's imperative that you stock up on specific kinds of wine and have them in the cabinet and waiting for your next needy moment. In my house, we don't like to spend more on the takeout wine than on the takeout itself--despite Dean & Deluca's latest and best efforts to get me to spend $395 on six bottles of wine because "nobody drinks fancy wine every day." Well, I think we can do a lot better than that, don't you? For far less than $395, here are some wines that go great with your takeout, and will leave you lots left of dosh left over for holiday shopping.

Riesling--This is what you need for incendiary takeout, such as hot Thai curries, vindaloo, and raging Szechuan cuisine. Go for something dry or off-dry for best results. There are lots made in the US and Australia that are not terribly expensive, or you can splurge slightly and get a bona fide German riesling kabinett like the 2005 Max Ferd. Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett($16.95, Chronicle Wine Cellar; available elsewhere for between $15 and 27) It had full aromas of peach, peach blossom, and apple with a silky texture and flavors of apple, citrus, peach, and flowers that were distinctly off-dry.

Viognier--This is what you need for everything Asian that is not searingly hot, or spicy little chicken wings. If you like noodle bowls, pad thai, and mu shu, this is the wine to have on hand. Try the 2005 Domaine de Gournier Viognier, a producer recommended to me by Dr. Weingolb. (I got this as a sample from domaine547, and you can get it there for just $10.99). It was drier than most domestic viognier, with subdued citrus and apple aromas, and a predominantly apple palate.

Red Blends--These are vital for your pizza delivery nights, or for coming home to after driving through In-N-Out Burger. Blending several red varieties helps to keep the wine soft, affordable, and relatively inexpensive. There are lots of earlier reviews for red blends on the site, but we just enjoyed the 2004 Peterson "Zero Manipulation" red blend and highly recommend it for your house red this holiday season. ($12.49, WineQ) It is a carignane-based blend with additions of zinfandel and mourvedre, and it tastes a bit like an Italian red. High-toned red fruits (cranberry, pomegranate) are present in both the aromas and flavors. A bit of black raspberry is in there, too, if you reach for it. Nice acidity, not too much tannin--in short, a great food wine.

Lightly Oaked Chardonnay--Good with any bucket of fried chicken, or the rotisserie chickens from the supermarket, a lightly oaked chardonnay imparts enough richness to stand up to the bird, whether fried or roasted. One that we liked recently was the 2005 Egret Chardonnay. ($14.99, WineQ) This wine had rich aromas of vanilla and pear, with touches of white flowers. There were flavors of creme fraiche, apple, and pear with a touch of Mandarin orange at the very end. This was a creamy, slightly oaky chardonnay that paired well with food.

Sparklers--With everything else, from subs to salads, why not open an inexpensive sparkling wine? We had the NV Zonin Prosecco the other week, and it was a terrific bargain. ($5.99, Trader Joe's; between $5 and $9 from other merchants). This was the color of pale toast, and had aromas of lemon, bread dough, and apple. Lemon and white grapefruit dominate the flavors and produce a very light, refreshing wine that is great value.

Remember, this is supposed to be the season of joy. Put that cookbook down and get some takeout. There's plenty of time to make fricasee and beef daube later. After the packages are wrapped.

Winery Watch: Navarro Vineyards

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.

Tucked into the hills just off Highway 128 in Mendocino County is a winery that produces cult wines for the common person. Navarro Vineyards is something of a cult favorite among people like you and me--folks who like fine wine, who appreciate when wine reflects the place where the grapes are grown and the varieties that go into it, and who don't want to spend an absolute fortune to drink it. Thanks to Ted Bennett and his partner in life and work, Deborah Cahn, it's been possible for ordinary people to drink extraordinary wine ever since they started Navarro Vineyards in 1974.

When Ted and Deborah began working the land and planting their vineyards, vineyards were few and far between in the Anderson Valley. They took over a former sheep ranch, and planted unfashionable varieties for the time, such as pinot noir, gewurztraminer, pinot gris, chardonnay, muscat blanc, and riesling. If this makes you think "Alsace," there is a reason. Ted and Deborah love the wines of that region, and they are perfectly suited to the Anderson Valley's soil and climate. Critics agree. The wines are regularly praised by Dan Berger, who frequently includes specific bottlings in the recommendations he makes for exciting and high value wines in Tom Stevenson's annual Wine Report (ps., the new edition is just released, so you may want to pick up the 2008 Wine Report now).

Today Navarro Vineyards is still a family affair, with Ted and Deborah working alongside their children Aaron and Sarah. If you are lucky enough to visit, you will feel like family too as you are welcomed into the friendly tasting room, given complimentary tours and pours, and lead over the hills, past the llamas, and into the rooms where the huge oak casks hold the wine until its ready to be bottled and sold to consumers like you and me. This is a working farm, run by people who love the land and live as lightly as possible on it, using cover crops and sheep to enrich the soil instead of chemical fertilizers. (photo of Ted, Deborah, Aaron, and Sarah, along with their beloved dachshund, from Navarro Vineyards)

Navarro Vineyards devotees are usually members of the Pre-Release Club, which delivers a personal stash of Navarro wines to you each June and December at 10-33% discounts. The friends I visited the vineyard with late this summer are members of the club, and were able to pick up some of their wines while they were there. They were even kind enough to share a bottle of Navarro's special pinot noir, the Deep-End Blend, with me over dinner after our day out in the Anderson Valley.

Below you will find my tasting notes for the wines I tasted recently at the vineyard. 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, or to Navarro's online store where you can order what you want and have them shipped directly to you as long as your state allows it. Navarro wines can be hard to find in retail stores, because Ted and Deborah prefer to keep their prices low, cut out the middle-men and middle-women, and sell directly to their customers. With wine this good, and prices this reasonable, who can argue with their plan?

2005 Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir ($18) I promised you I would tell you when I found a really good pinot noir under $20. I found it, and I'm telling you, this is excellent QPR. Rose aromas and juicy black cherry fruit usher you into the equally juice cherry flavors. There is medium toast on the mid-palate and a good balance already for a young wine between fruit, spice, and acidity. Not as complex as the Methode a l'Ancienne pinot noir, but a great deal for the price.

2004 Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir "Méthode à l'Ancienne" ($25-$35) Really impressed with this year's bottling. I tasted nuts and earth, along with mushroomy and truffley notes, that accent the core of bright acidity and cherry fruit. I think it will age very, very nicely. Excellent QPR.

2005 Navarro Vineyards Navarrouge ($12) Eight red varietals, including syrah, cabernet, pinot noir, and carignan go into this excellent QPR wine that should be a leading contender for your house red. Cherry blossom aromas, black cherry flavors with a fair amount of oak in the midpalate, but it's interesting and flavorful. I suspect it will be even better in 4-8 months. This is one to buy by the case and just have on hand for when friends drop by at the holidays.

2006 Navarro Vineyards Edelzwicker ($12). A lovely wine for the money, made from riesling, gewurztraminer, and pinot gris grapes. Enticing flower aromas, with a palate of litchi and lime. Our favorite wine to have with Thanksgiving leftovers, or for any holiday lunch, don't be surprised when this turns up on my holiday wine picks this year. Excellent QPR.

2005 Navarro Vineyards Muscat Estate Bottled Dry (around $18 if you can find it). This is a wild, wild wine with pure orange blossom aromas and a searingly crisp and dry lemony palate and finish. Very clean wine, and schizophrenic in a good way--or at least a way that works! Perfect for sushi with wasabi. Very good QPR.

2004 Navarro Vineyards Syrah ($22) Huckleberry and cranberry dominate the fruity notes in this syrah. Good acidity, but I would prefer to taste more spice. I think this wine will continue to develop, though. Good QPR.

2005 Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir Deep End Blend (price N/A). This wine has a lot of potential and is already drinking beautifully. High-toned cherry and cinnamon on first opening, with a dark ruby color. As it opens up notes of cedar, cocoa powder, and blackberry enter into the palate and aromas. Continued to develop and gain complexity as we drained the bottle. Wait a year and check again, but I think this one will age well and develop in interesting ways. This will be expensive if you can get it (as in more than $40), but it is an awfully complex pinot and good QPR.

2003 Navarro Vineyards Riesling ($18-$19). Very good dry riesling with apple and apricot fruit and a little tropical fruit lift in the midpalate. This resembles a German kabinett, but lacks the mineral dimension to make it outstanding. Good QPR.

2006 Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir Deep End Blend (Barrel sample; not yet released). Beautiful color and pinot texture on this wine, with rich cherry flavors and nice cedary notes underneath with some earth, mushroom, and thyme. Lots of acidity now, giving the wine the structure that promises great things to come. Will be more than $40 if you can get it, but in time it is likely to be worth every penny. Good QPR.

Navarro Vineyards has a great website, with detailed information on every wine that they make. They also answer their email, so if you have a question or want to check to see if they have any bottles of that dry muscat hanging around, don't hesitate to drop them a line or give them a call. If you are a Navarro fan, feel free to leave notes about your own favorites in the comments below.

Aren't Blends Beautiful?

Orchestras. Mutts. Fusion food--even weird fusion food. Historical- mystery- suspense- thrillers with a horror twist. Blended wine. I love them all. I see nothing wrong with mixing things up and experimenting with new combinations of sounds, tastes, and images. (Picture of the Philadelphia Orchestra from the Official Philadelphia Visitor's Site)

Which is why I find it so weird that 85% of any grape variety is enough to warrant slapping "sauvignon blanc" or "cabernet sauvignon" on a label. Do people think this makes me MORE likely to buy the wine? It turns out it makes me LESS interested. Am I alone in loving blended wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, Grenache with Shiraz and Mourvedre, or Roussanne and Marsanne?

Is this labeling practice a weird hangover from when purchasers were scared--rightfully so--of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink blends? Do we still think that just because a wine includes a single variety of grape or the juice comes from only one vineyard, it's a better wine? Sometimes, this is true. But certainly not always, as anyone who drinks Rhone blends, Bordeaux blends, or some of the excellent blends coming out of California or Australia knows all too well.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because of a recent dispute on CellarTracker! that had to do with labeling a wine as the varietal "Fume Blanc." I thought the varietal was sauvignon blanc, and the style off wine was fume blanc. Turns out our friends at the ATF recognize fume blanc as a synonym for sauvignon blanc. Weird, but hard to argue with even though I passionately believe that this just confuses consumers and is wrong, wrong, wrong. Then I argued that the wine had 88% sauvignon blanc and 12% viognier and should be labeled a white blend. Foiled again, since as long as there is 85% or more of a single varietal it counts as a single varietal wine.

This goes against everything I believe about promoting the widest possible number of grape varieties, and telling people exactly what is in the wine they are drinking. How will people learn about viognier if they don't even know that they're drinking it?

I don't need calorie counts or carbohydrates on my wine labels. I just want to know what grapes went into it!

NV/MV: Nothing Wrong With That!

When you see NV (non vintage) on a wine bottle, what does it say to you? Does is say, "run away, this is a not very good wine?" Do you find yourself going past NV bottlings in wine stores in search of something with a vintage on it, even if you know nothing about vintages and aren't even sure that vintages matter in under $10 California syrah or chardonnay? Have you ever bought an NV wine that wasn't a sparkler?

It is my opinion, wine lovers, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with NV wines. I've had NV sparklers, reds, and whites. I don't recall that I've ever had a bottle that wasn't good to drink and awfully good value for the money. But NV wines still carry something of a stigma about them. To combat this prejudice, some vineyards are now labeling their formerly NV wines as "MV" wines--multiple vintage--to make the case that what you are drinking is actually a blend of juice made from grapes picked during different harvests. If you are already drinking blended varietals, why not blended vintages?

Now it is true that many NV or MV wines do not have the distinctive character that sets apart their vintage-designated siblings. Climate and growing conditions alter the quality and quantity of every harvest, and one of the things I love about drinking wine is that each vintage can differ from those that have preceded it. That's one of the reasons wine buffs love vertical tastings. But if you're looking for a good, everyday wine don't neglect the NV or MV bottles you might stumble across in the wine shops.

During the past year I've had more than 30 NV or MV wines, many of them sparkling wines from the US, France, and Italy. But I've also had some good still wines like the NV Sharpe Hill Vineyard Ballet of Angels, and the NV Saint-Cosme Little James's Basket Press. My most recent foray into NV still wines came about with the help of domaine547, who gave me a bottle of the NV Ojai Vineyards Ojai Red to try. ($19.99, domaine547) Ojai Vineyards make some superb syrah and pinot noir, which is outside of my normal, everyday wine price range so I was excited to be able to taste their much more affordable NV bottling. It was a very good mystery blend that clearly is based on syrah grapes. I thought it might contain some pinot noir, given its blueberry aromas, but domaine547 is sticking to the syrah theory! It's color was dark ruby, almost purple, and in addition to blueberries I smelled plums and rose petals. Tasting the wine, I detected blackberries and blueberries, freshly cracked pepper, and just a touch of cedar. The wine wrapped things up with a brambly finish of berries, herbs, and more cedar. This was a complex wine, and it took a while for it to open up and really shine, but when it did it was so enjoyable, and represented very good QPR.

So next time you see a NV or MV wine, don't just pass it by. Give it a try.

BBQ Wine for the Last Days of Summer

The so-called "dog days of summer" ended on August 11, marking the astronomical turning point of the summer season and our tilt towards fall. The last best BBQ weather is upon us, and even if you can BBQ year round as we can in California, somehow food from the grill always tastes better in summer. I don't know how much they BBQ in France's Languedoc, but I found a perfect wine from that region to go with your grilled foods.

The 2003 Chateau de Caraguilhes is a fun, old-fashioned grenache-based blend with a little bit of syrah, carignan, and mourvedre in the mix. ($10.99, Mission Wine) It's a bit rustic and rough around the edges, with all kinds of warm herbal and brushy notes up front in the aromas. These mouth-watering summer smells are followed by ripe, blackberry fruit and a lingering aftertaste of dusty and grilled herbs. The ripe fruitiness underneath comes through at the very end, keeping the wine balanced and making it utterly perfect for BBQ. This robust wine is unfiltered, so expect it to throw a little sediment, or expect to decant it if this bothers you. I thought this wine represented excellent QPR at just a hair over $10, as it was richer and more complex than many reds at this price-point. And it's organic, to boot.

As for foods to pair with it, it would be as good with simple grilled chicken as it would be with BBQ ribs slathered with a spicy tomato sauce, burgers, hot dogs--you name it.

Chateau de Caraguilhes is a historic wine chateau located in the Corbieres district of the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region in southern France. The tradition of grape-growing and wine-making extends back to Cistercian monks in the 12th century. The chateau was a pioneer of organic agriculture, and the vines have been farmed without chemicals or pesticides since 1958, a tradition that continues today in this certified organic winery.

I tried a white from the Languedoc for WBW #33, and did not like it as much as I had expected to given the reds I've tasted and enjoyed. But this wine didn't disappoint, and confirmed my sense that if you like robust reds, you should keep your eyes out for wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon.

It's Official: Bonny Doon Is Biodynamic

Last month, Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm received Demeter Certification for his Ca' del Solo estate vineyard in Santa Cruz. Since 2003, the vineyard has been farmed biodynamically and with the Demeter Certification now in place for both the vineyard and the winery it will be fascinating to see how these changes alter the market perception--and the taste--of Bonny Doon wines. (image from the Biodynamic Agriculture Association UK)

Grahm's goal is to make Bonny Doon a 100% biodynamic estate winery, a goal that I heartily approve of since I felt like the brand was getting a bit out of hand and losing its focus, and that its marketing strengths were in danger of outrunning his winemaking abilities. I'm happy to report as a DEWN (Doon Esoteric Wine Network) Club member, that I have received some of the smaller production Ca' del Solo wines and have really enjoyed the post-2003 bottlings. Going biodynamic has meant that Grahm cut back on production. He's also drawing on the skills of a talented team including director of viticulture Philippe Coderey, vineyard manager Nicole Walsh, and associate winemaker Jillian Johnson.

Varietally speaking, the new focus seems to be on Mediterranean grapes. If it's a grape grown in Spain, southern France, or Italy, the folks at Bonny Doon are interested in it. I don't usually write up my reviews of Bonny Doon wines on the blog, since the ones I drink can be hard to find. But in light of their announcement, I thought I would share my reactions to two wines I've had recently that were made from grapes harvested near the beginning of the biodynamic transformation:

2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Piemontese Blend Cá del Solo Vineyard ($20) had abundant initial aromas of cranberry and plum develop that developed herbal notes as the wine opened up. More cranberry was in the flavors, along with berry, plum, herb, and mineral notes. Mild tannins, and a dry, almost austere finish, this wine was made for pasta with red sauce or a simple grilled beefsteak.

2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Dolcetto Cá del Solo Vineyard ($18) was very, very good. Dark purpley-red in color, its aromas were a tad alcoholic at first and there was a strong tannic grip to the first sips. Once it was left open for an hour, the tannins and plummy fruit integrated, and aromas of rose petal emerged to accompany a distinctive spicy flavor note. It's nice smooth finish made this a good partner for spaghetti carbonara.

These tasting notes bode well for the future of Bonny Doon. Though neither of these particular wines is available any longer, there are several wines from the Ca' del Solo vineyard that are available over at their website, including an albarino, a muscat, and a grenache. (sorry there are no direct links, but the site if flashified, so you're on your own!) Also, it is worth noting that even wines that are designated DEWN, and are therefore restricted to club members for a time, often become available to everybody a little later on. This was the case with their grenache, for instance.

But buyer beware. Not all Doon wines are biodynamic--only those from Ca' del Solo grapes harvested after 2003. And the first certified biodynamic grapes will be picked this fall. Additional caveats: last summer Grahm sold off the Big House and Cardinal Zin brands, so those aren't even made by Bonny Doon anymore. The Pacific Rim wines are in the process of relocating to parts north, although Grahm seems (for the moment at least) to still be involved in the project.

I'm enjoying being on Bonny Doon's journey from mega-brand to biodynamic estate winery. If you want to join me, head over to the website and pick up a few bottles. See what you think.

Drinking at the Abbot's Table

Owen Roe O'Neill was an Irish hero who fought against Oliver Cromwell's English army in the 17th century. This heroic figure inspired Jerry Owen and David O'Reilly, the partners who bring us Owen Roe and O'Reilly wines.

Owen Roe is based in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and they make stunning wines, especially red wines, under the Owen Roe, O'Reilly's, and Sharecropper's labels. The Abbot's Table red blend is their most popular bottling. Falling in the middle of the Owen Roe/O'Reilly's price spectrum, it combines a good price point with a lush, complex flavor profile. I tend to pick up a bottle on release and drink them a year later, and of course I love the woodcut label.

Recently I opened up the 2004 Owen Roe Abbot's Table ($26.99, Mission Wines; available at many merchants for $20-$30) It was a very nice red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (44%), Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Grenache, Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Counoise. It had a deep, rich, plummy color. When you opened the bottle, you were struck by aromas of cedar, plum, blackberry, and earth all of which developed as the wine opened up and softened. All of these notes were detectable in your first sips of the wine, with intriguing minty and herbal notes added in and a distinctly peppery finish. Even though I waited a year it was as till a tad bit disjointed, with the flavors not quite hanging together fully yet, but it was still plush and easy to drink as long as you gave it some air in a decanter or glass. But if you've still got a bottle, I'd wait another 6-9 months before opening it with some warm winter stew or a roast. Even though this was scrumptious, there are many red blends out there that drink well for less money, so I gave this good QPR.

The 2005 Abbot's Table has also been released, and CellarTracker drinkers seem to like this vintage just as much as the last, so if you can't find the 2004, you might want to pick the later bottling up instead. I already have, and its going to sit just where it is for another year before I open it up and taste it. See you next year at the Abbot's Table.

Fancy Dinner for 6? The $44 Cameron Hughes Wine Solution

June is all about big celebrations: graduation, Father's Day, weddings. What this means for many of us is that we are hosting, and attending, more than our usual share of fancy dinners. This month, lots of us are trying to figure out how to stretch our food and wine budgets to accommodate special meals with grandparents, visiting relatives, dads, grads, brides, grooms, and in-laws. (photo by Ian Britton of FreeFoto.com)

What you need is a little help from Cameron Hughes and your local Costco. With them on your side, you can serve each guest 3 glasses of wine (one sparkling, one white, and one red) for $44--total. Yes, these will be normal size glasses, not a huge beaker full of wine like the picture to the right. If you want to serve your guests more generous pours, buy two bottles of each. At $88 dollars for 6 bottles, it's a steal. I received these bottles as samples from the winery, but I would (and did ) happily pay retail for them after I went through the samples. This was my first Cameron Hughes experience. Trust me, it won't be my last.

People can get a bit sniffy about Cameron Hughes wine, and make comparisons between them and Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck." I've had both. There is no comparison. These are wines with much more complexity and finesse. The reason? Like a European negociant, Hughes buys his grapes in lots from top-notch growers who have a surplus, and then in most cases he bottles wines made just from that lot to preserve their unique characteristics and distinctive flavors. Sometimes the production totals are relatively small--a few hundred cases--so you have to move quickly to get your stash before they're sold out. To bring them to you at the best possible price, Hughes makes his wines available directly from the winery or from Costco, cutting out the markups that typically go to distributors. And, Cameron Hughes is the first US winery to be carbon neutral, so his wine is good and good for the environment, too.

Here's how to have your own fancy sit-down dinner and serve three excellent QPR wines that taste like they set you back $100 but will cost only $44.

Before dinner, serve your guests the NV Cameron Hughes Lot 25 ($21). Packaged in a classy bottle with platinum wrappings, it's labeled NV for technical reasons having to do with dosage, even though the vast majority of this wine came from grapes picked in 1998. The wine's age gives it wonderful richness of color and and a biscuity taste, as well as a refined texture from its tiny bubbles. Flavors of apple and a round nuttiness made this a hair shy of brut, in my opinion, but this was perfect for me since I like a sparkling wine that has some soft edges to it. Made from equal parts of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes picked in the Carneros AVA, this is a nice step up if you're used to drinking the standard non-vintage $20 sparklers. And it's good with cheese, guacamole, shrimp cocktail--a very versatile food wine.

Try serving a first course of asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto, or a leafy green salad with sherry vinaigrette and warm goat cheese rounds. The 2006 Cameron Hughes Lot 26 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($11; $8.99 at my local Costco) would be a perfect partner for either of these dishes. I like sauvignon blancs fermented in stainless steel like this one, and I really love the relatively low 12.8% alc./vol. It was a textbook example of a Marlborough sauvignon blanc, with a pale, translucent color and tangy aromas of cut grass and citrus rind. The flavors are predominantly white grapefruit with a bit of lemon, but the grass notes are reintroduced in the juicy finish. This makes it a perfect summer sipper and for about $9 a bottle, it is no wonder that every time I go to the local Costco there are fewer and fewer cases to be had.

For the main event, many of us will head straight for the beef. Steaks, roasts, and London Broils are favorites at fancy dinners. Of course, this kind of main course demands a rich and complex wine, like the 2005 Cameron Hughes Lot 29 Lake County Meritage ($11; $8.99 at my local Costco). Poured into a decanter and tasted blind, most drinkers would think it was a young cru bourgeois from Bordeaux. Made in a restrained Old World style, the blend contains cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. This wine had abundant tannins, but it drank very well after 30 minutes in the decanter, and even better later. It was dark plum in color, with aromas of pencil lead, herbs, blackberry, and currant. As the wine bloomed, there were flavors of eucalyptus, more herbs, plum, and blackberry. I suspect this will age into a beauty. Sadly, Lot 29 is already sold out at the winery, but it may be available to you locally--there are still a few cases at my Costco in the LA area, and I ran out yesterday and bought 3 more bottles to stick in the cellar. If you can't find it, you might want to snap up one of their other new releases, like the 2005 Cameron Hughes Lot 34 Rutherford Cabernet ($14; $11.99 at my local Costco and now also cooling its heels in my cellar).

All three wines represented excellent QPR, with their textbook varietal characteristics, yummy flavor profiles, and low cost. These wines tasted special, and sitting back and sipping a distinctive 9-year-old sparkling wine with my guests that retails for around $20 makes me happy. And if you're reading this blog, it will probably make you happy, too. We are the people for whom Cameron Hughes makes wines: consumers who know enough to know they don't want oak chip tea bags in their chardonnay, but don't necessarily want to pay $30 or more for a bottle to drink with dinner.

If you missed your chance to get Lot 29, be sure that you don't miss any future releases by signing up for their email newsletters. I seem never to be in my Costco when the Cameron Hughes Wines arrive--and they do go quickly--but the newsletters tell you specifically which Costcos are receiving which wines, and they let you know those that are available on the website for you non-Costco types. I've got a few more bottles to share with you over the next few weeks (including a Chardonnay and a Syrah-Mourvedre blend), so stay tuned for more Cameron Hughes reviews.

Winery Watch: Twisted Oak Winery

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.

Some people have entirely too much fun at their work.

They do not work in cubicles--they work at a place where a sign proudly proclaims "Adults at Play." (picture courtesy of Twisted Oak). They do not commute long hours on Los Angeles area freeways--they scoot down country lanes in Calaveras County. Instead of corporate cocktail parties they attend BBQs where folks dress up in pirate gear or western outfits, brandish rubber chickens, and ask if you are twisted enough to join the Twisted Few. They do not write up mission statements that no one will read full of words no one can pronounce. They've given those joys up for wine labels that feature punctuation marks instead of letters of the alphabet, and coming up with clever t-shirt slogans. You have a job that sucks the joy out of life at Mindless Thoughtless Corporation X. They work at Twisted Oak Winery, and they produce #!&* fine wine that puts some of the joy back into life.

Named after the venerable California Blue Oak on the property, Twisted Oak specializes in Rhone and Spanish varietals. (photo courtesy of Twisted Oak) Grenache, Tempranillo, Verdelho, and Viognier are just some of the grapes that Twisted Oak makes into wine. These wines are not just New World knock-offs of Old World bottlings, however. Each one has the stamp of the Gold Rush region of California where they are grown: they are a bit more adventurous in their flavor profiles, have a bit more backbone in terms of acidity and structure, and are more fun to drink as a result.

Twisted Oak grows their own grapes at vineyards in Vallecito and Sheep Ranch Road in Murphys, CA. But they also work in partnership with other Calaveras County growers, including Tanner and Dalton Vineyards, and those in other parts of the state like the Silvaspoons Vineyards in Galt and Sumu Kaw Vineyard in El Dorado County. Twisted Oak believes in the fruit grown in these often overlooked viticultural regions of California, and one taste of their wine will make you a believer, too. But they also know that good fruit benefits from careful treatment, so after the grapes are harvested they process them in their nifty gravity feed winery. This ensures that the juice is extracted gently and the maximum flavor is left in the juice, where it belongs.

One of the most remarkable things about the Twisted Oak Winery--apart from the wine--is the way that they have welcomed their customers as friends. This can be attributed in part to the fact that Twisted Oak is a pretension-free zone, where they poke fun at each other, their wine, us, and the wider world of wine enthusiasts with devilish good humor. Jeff Stai, known throughout the Blogosphere as "El Jefe," keeps us all up to date on the doings at the winery through his blog, El Bloggo Torcido. His entries show that these are winemakers we can imagine spending the evening with--just look at the picture above of the Twisted Oak bunch at the Hospice du Rhone Saturday BBQ. (photo courtesy of El Bloggo Torcido). Aren't these the kind of people you want to buy your wine from?

While Twisted Oak folks might be lots of fun, don't let their silliness fool you. These are talented winemakers who take a lot of care with the wine that they produce. I've been struck in my tastings of Twisted Oak wines by the balance that they are able to strike between ripe, lush fruit and food-friendly acidity. What follows are some of the wines from their portfolio that I've had recently. This is by no means all the wines that they make, so you might want to visit the Twisted Oak online store, or head over to WineQ which has a roster of their wines including some no longer available through the winery. Prices listed below are the recommended retail price from Twisted Oak or the price I paid for them through WineQ; as always you may be able to get these wines at higher or lower (lucky you) prices. Detailed "Geek Sheets" are available for each and every wine listed here, if you want to know what food goes with your wine, or how much brix or volatile acidity it has.

2005 Twisted Oak %@#$! ($23.99, WineQ) Also known as "Potty-Mouth White," I had it with some of John Potter's crab cakes I pulled off his blog Brim to the Dregs and it was a great pairing. This wine is a Hermitage-style blend of Roussanne and Marsanne that represents stunning value. I dare you to try to find a Hermitage from the Rhone that delivers such fresh peach and pear aromas and flavors with a decided streak of minerality for this price. Earthy notes add complexity to the finish. Excellent QPR.

2005 Twisted Oak Viognier ($22) This is seriously good viognier, a textbook example of the aromas and flavors characteristic of the varietal: honeysuckle, jasmine, and orange blossom flowers; zippy citrus including lemon and an intriguing note of mandarin orange. The wine was also very well-balanced, with a slightly sweet impression when you first sipped it, and then refreshing acidity in the flavors. Excellent QPR.

2005 Twisted Oak Verdelho Silvaspoons ($15.99, Wine Q) Get this excellent, award-winning white while you can, as stocks are running low. It had soft aromas of peach and melon followed up by bright floral and citrus flavors to accompany the rounder peach/melon notes. Perfect with grilled fish, fish tacos, peel and eat shrimp—if it swims in the sea or crawls on the ocean floor, this is the wine to have with it! Excellent QPR.

2004 Twisted Oak Tempranillo ($24): This young tempranillo from Calaveras County grapes has lots of potential. All it needs is a bit more time in the bottle to settle down. Right now there is a pronounced spiciness to the wine, with good tannic structure and cherry fruit—the kind of wine that would perfect for BBQ and big steaks. But in another year or two I suspect that the fruit and spice will be a bit more integrated, the tannins a bit more subtle, and it will be even more fantastic. Buy it now while you can! Excellent QPR.

2005 Twisted Oak *%#&@! ($28) They may call this "Potty-Mouth Red", but it's really another beauty of a wine made from Calaveras County fruit. This soft Rhone-style red blend contains grenache, syrah, and mourvedre. Blueberries, black plum and alluring floral aromas are followed by black and blue fruit flavors that are bright and will pair well with food. Very good QPR.

If you're planning a trip to the Foothills this summer, be sure to stop into one of their two tasting rooms to try some of this excellent wine. I've had a chance to meet some of the Twisted Oak family, and I guarantee you will have a good time! In the meantime, consider joining the Twisted Few wine club, to get your hands on their wine (and maybe a rubber chicken, too...) at deep discounts, as well as procuring limited production wines like their new 2005 Torcido.

You and I might not be able to have much fun at work. But at least we can drink stuff made by those who clearly do.

Next Week: Peachy Canyon

Winery Watch: Vinum Cellars

Here's the latest in my Friday posts highlighting California family wineries. You might not be familiar with all of them--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. Have fun! To read previous posts in the series, click here.

Do you remember your first Vinum wine? I do. I was heartily sick of over-oaked Chardonnay and a wine merchant in Davis, CA suggested I try Chenin Blanc. It was 1999 or 2000. There was a lot of Chardonnay around. A lot. Chenin Blanc? Who had heard of such a silly idea? I think I rolled my eyes.

He handed me a bottle with a label bearing the picture of two guys hitch-hiking near Clarksburg with a sign that said "Will Work for Chenin." That was enough to get me to take the wine, and as I was checking out the guy at the store said, "They're Aggies, you know." At home, when I opened the wine on a hot, hot Davis day capable of searing the flesh inside your nose (UC Davis alums will instantly know just what I mean), I thought I was in nirvana. Leave it to two Aggies to come up with the perfect summer wine. It was cool, crisp, and refreshing. I was sold on Chenin, sold on Vinum, and became a life-long fan. I was not alone. Friends started boasting that they were members of the "ABC" club (Anything But Chardonnay) after tasting their first Vinum Chenin Blanc, too.

I give UC Davis alums Richard Bruno and Chris Condos a lot of credit in the transformation of the American palate. (photo of Chris, Jack the dog, and Richard courtesy of Vinum Cellars). Since the first 1998 bottling of Vinum CNW (Chard-No-Way) Chenin Blanc, they were leaders in showing US drinkers that they didn't need to drink oaky wines all the time. The two decided to start Vinum Cellars based on friendship and their mutual love of not only chenin blanc, but other once obscure varietals. Their first bottle of Mourvedre, for instance, also dates back to 1998, along with their first bottle of Cabernet Franc. We take these varietals a bit for granted now, but in the late 1990s--they were revolutionary.

Today Richard and Chris work with family growers from Clarksburg to Santa Barbara, and from El Dorado County to Napa to make their fun and affordable line of wines, following in the footsteps of the negociants of Europe. They buy fruit from specific growers, overseeing the production themselves, and then marketing the resulting wines under the Vinum Cellars label. Ken Wilson (pictured at right with his beloved and famous dog, Tanker from the PETS Petite Sirah label, courtesy of Vinum Cellars), is one of those growers, and his family have been raising grapes in Clarksburg since the 1920s and have been growing wine grapes since 1971 when they planted their first 15 acres of Zinfandel grapes. Just 15 minutes from downtown Sacramento, today Wilson Vineyards grows over eight varietals for Vinum and other winemakers in California.

Vinum Cellars make what I call "go-to wines"--those essential wines that no matter the vintage or the varietal turn out to be great purchases. Spanning the spectrum of price points from barely over $10 to $30, there is a bottle for every purse, and every occasion. Here are a few highlights from their current releases that I particularly recommend for their great taste and great value:

2006 Vinum Cellars Chenin Blanc CNW (Chard-No-Way). ($11) From the Wilson vineyards in Clarksburg comes this very good chenin blanc, with a nice balance between bright citrus and soft melon flavors and aromas. A slightly silky texture makes this wine distinctive and elegant. Excellent QPR.

2004 Vinum Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Slow Lane" ($27). This is an excellent value in a Napa Valley cabernet. Warm aromas and flavors of cocoa and cassis are dusted with cinnamon, and these flavors develop throughout the long, juicy finish. Pull out the steaks, fire up the bbq. Excellent QPR.

2005 Vinum Cellars Petite Sirah PETS Wilson Vineyards ($14). The wine with Tanker on the label, this is another great Clarksburg wine from Ken Wilson's fruit that's slightly rustic in style, with brushy and herbal aromas and flavors, accompanied by red currant fruit. I'd be tempted to see how this wine would be in the fall, when it has a chance to settle down a bit since it's still pretty young. But if you can't wait, you're still in for a brawny red treat. A portion of the proceeds benefits the San Francisco SPCA. Very good QPR.

2005 Vinum Cellars Viognier VIO ($25). Made from fruit from San Benito County on the Central Coast, this excellent viognier has pronounced floral aromas or honeysuckle and jasmine and the taste of honeydew melons. It is perfumed and juicy, the perfect summer sipper. Very good QPR.

2006 Vinum Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon It's Okay! ($11). A rich rose, made of 100% cab grapes from Napa. Yes, a rose made with expensive cabernet grapes. It is dry, made in the Tavel style of France, with beautiful raspberry aromas and flavors, touched with a strawberry note. This is not your parents blush wine. Try it with bbq chicken, or some seared tuna. Very good QPR.

2004 Vinum Cellars Red Dirt Red ($30). This Rhone-style blend was made from grapes sourced in the Sierra Foothills of El Dorado County. In Chris and Richard's hands the classic combination of syrah, grenache and mourvedre yields a wine where rich red fruits combine with floral aromas of roses and violets to produce something really interesting and complex. Good QPR.

2004 Vinum Cellars Cabernet Franc "The Scrapper." ($30) A scrappy wine made with El Dorado fruit and an unapologetic attitude. Red currant aromas and flavors are held in check with a solid grip of tannins and a green freshness that would make this perfect for London broil marinated with balsamic vinegar and lots of rosemary. I think this will also settle down a bit and lose some of its tannins over the summer, so if you have a few bottles you might want to set some aside for beef stew in the fall. Good QPR.

So if you find yourself in a wine store with no familiar bottles in sight and you spot one of the Vinum labels, pick it up without hesitation and know that you're in for a treat. But why wait until you're desperate? Try a Vinum bottling soon by clicking on one of the highlighted wines above. You'll be taken in some cases to Vinum's online store, and in some cases to a list of merchants in the US who stock their wines. Even if you aren't a member of the ABC club, there's a Vinum wine for you.

The Joys of an Easy Drinking Red

Red wines can be demanding drinking partners, with their high alcohol levels, robust flavor profiles, and dizzying array of rich fruit flavors, not to mention the veritable spice cabinet that can emerge due to oak fermentation and bottle aging. It's one of the reasons that red wines are so popular.

But sometimes you want a red that is a little more easy to drink. In the wine biz, these wines are often called "approachable" because they exhibit rich fruit flavors that are comforting and draw you into the bottle. I had one of these approachable red blends from a superb Santa Barbara producer named Core Wine. Core is the brainchild of Dave and Becky Corey, who believe that "the core of every wine begins in the vineyard."

The 2004 Core 163 ($12.99/375ml, Mission Wines; 750ml under $25 at many other merchants) is an outstanding, non-demanding red blend. It has a grenache base, which makes for lovely aromas of flowers and red berries. Sipping the wine reveals more of these flavors, and as the wine opens up in the glass there are notes of rich, milky chocolate with hints of herbs and cinnamon. Just 620 cases of this wine were made.

The 2004 Core 163 blend is just plain yummy, and represents very good QPR with its abundant grenache varietal profile complemented with the aromas and flavors of syrah and mourvedre. Serve it with something simple and flavorful, like this great Korean barbeque pork accompanied by steamed rice or noodles (the leftovers make great sandwiches the next day).

Winery Watch: Brutocao Cellars

This is the third in a series of posts highlighting California family wineries. You might not be familiar with them--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. Have fun! To read previous posts in the series, click here.

In Renaissance Venice, two things were prized above all else: family and land. (Allegory of Venice by Carpaccio) Venice didn't have much land to speak of, and what little there was seemed constantly at risk of being washed into the Adriatic, but the city's rulers knew that land was important. Most Venetians have a deep yearning to own something --anything -- permanent and lasting to hand down to their descendents. The ghosts of the city must smile every time they think of Brutocao Cellars, where a Venetian family married into a family of Mendocino County farmers and put down deep roots into the California soil. It was Venice's two obsessions--with family, with land--that kept Venice strong, century after century. And its what makes Brutocao Cellars wines so special today.

Len and Marty Brutocao lead a family effort to make wine that is a homage to their Italian heritage and a testament to the hard work started by Marty's father, Irv Bliss, when he bought land in Mendocino County back in the 1940s. (picture of Len and Marty Brutocao courtesy of Brutocao Cellars) Folks were just starting to think about planting and cultivating wine grapes again after Prohibition, but not many were thinking of the remote reaches of the Northern California coast. But Irv Bliss thought this land could yield some fine wine, and he was proven right.

Beginning in 1991 with the help of family and friends, and later with the help of Fresno-native and UC Davis graduate winemaker Fred Nickel, the Brutocaos began putting out some lovely examples of California wines made with Italian and Bordeaux varietals. (picture of Fred among the barrels courtesy of Brutocao Cellars) Farming over 475 acres of choice land and planting more than 12 grape varietals, the Brutocaos paid attention to the best traditions of winemaking. To honor these traditions, they chose the Lion of St. Mark--the symbol of Venice--to mark their wine bottles and name their wine club.

Brutocao Cellars is also interested in starting new traditions, and they are part of a group of Mendocino Winemakers who collaborate on the Coro Mendocino project. Operating under strict production rules like a European DOC, eleven Mendocino wineries (Brutocao Cellars, Dunnewood Vineyards, Eaglepoint Ranch, Fetzer Vineyards, Golden Vineyards, Graziano Family Wines, McDowell Valley Vineyards, McNab Ridge Winery, Oracle Oaks Winery, Pacific Star Winery and Parducci Wine Estate) make a special, ultra-premium wine with Zinfandel at the core and other varietals added in unique proportions that reflect the special characteristics of each particular vineyard. "Coro" means "chorus" in Italian and Spanish, and the name Coro Mendocino reflects winemakers' efforts to harmonize all the individual, strong voices coming out of the county's vineyards these days.

When Jeff Miller took the time to share Brutocao's line of wines with me at the Family Winemakers Event, it was clear to me that they are distinguished not only by the care with which they are made, and the traditions that the family draws upon, and the alliances that the Cellars has with other area producers. What distinguishes Brutocao's New World wines is that they have Old World soul. They are food wines--meant to be opened around a dinner table full of friends and family, with plates of food, good conversation, and lots of laughter. These bottlings contain the stuff that everyday wine culture in American should be based on, with their juicy fruit, complex flavors, and soft elegance.

Here are my brief tasting notes for my favorite Brutocao Cellars wines, with links back to the Brutocao website (soon to be launched in a jazzy new version, but the links will still work) so that you can order some wine for your own collection. My local wine store here on the Sonoma Coast stocks their wines, so ask your retailer if they can get some to have on hand when the yearning for some good wine hits you hard. It's also worth knowing that they have a second, value-oriented label, Bliss Vineyards, so keep your eyes peeled for that line of wines, too.

2004 Brutocao Quadriga Hopland ($24) A yummy Cal-Italian blend of sangiovese, primitivo, dolcetto, and barbera. Lovely red and black fruit aromas, are accompanied by warm, spicy notes and real structure as the flavors unfold and develop. This would be age-worthy, but you may not be able to wait its so good now. Possibly my favorite from the tasting, and there was a lot of competition! Excellent QPR.

2004 Brutocao Zinfandel Hopland Ranches ($22) This was an outstanding example of Mendocino Zinfandel with real complexity and depth. No wonder it won a gold medal at the California State Fair! Jammy blackberry aromas and flavors are complemented with cedary spice. Cracked pepper notes emerge as the fruit fades on the finish. Great value. Excellent QPR

2004 Brutocao Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon ($20; also available in large-format 3L bottle for $100) Made from fruit harvested from the Hopland Ranch's Contento and Feliz vineyards, this outstanding cabernet has rich cassis aromas and flavors with a distinctive whiff of pencil lead shavings that made me think of Bordeaux. This wine is still young, and has a strong grip of tannins, so I'd age it a year or two to give it time for its flavors to shine. I'd save it for the holidays in 2008! Excellent QPR.

2003 Brutocao Merlot Estate Bottled Bliss Vineyard ($20) What a nice merlot. Juicy cherry and blackberry aromas and flavors are woven with spicy cedar notes that extend through the finish. Enough to make Miles turn away from his Pinot Noir, and a marvelous wine to pair with food, whether summer BBQ or autumn stews. Excellent QPR.

2005 Brutocao Chardonnay Bliss Vineyard ($16) The versatility of the Brutocao portfolio is exemplified in this chardonnay, where a touch of oak brings out the apple and pear aromas and flavors characteristic of the varietal. Soft vanilla notes accent this appealing chardonnay. Very good QPR.

2006 Brutocao Sauvignon Blanc Estate Bottled Feliz Vineyard ($14) Yet another find from Brutocao, this time a nicely-balanced, citrusy sauvignon blanc. Aged in stainless steel to preserve the freshness of its aromas and flavors, grapefruit and other citrus flavors dominate a flavor palate that starts out soft with melons and grasses. Very good QPR.

The extended Brutocao vineyard family not only produces great wine, they lead by example in showing us what a great thing it is when European culture (especially wine culture) meets up with American can-do spirit. They have opened cafes and bistros alongside their tasting rooms in Philo and Hopland, because they believe that wine and food are partners. They host bocce tournaments because they know that families and friends who play together, stay together. (photo courtesy of Brutocao Cellars) They hold chili cook-offs for the Tri-County Little League because they believe in the future of the area. And they know deep in their bones that wine, if made with this kind of passion and commitment, is as permanent and lasting as any Venetian could wish.

Next Week: Red Head Ranch

Winery Watch: Four Vines Winery

This is the second in a series of posts highlighting California family wineries. You might not be familiar with them--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. Have fun! To read the first post in the series, click here.

Families today come in all shapes and sizes. They can include your children, your partner's children, friends from college, former neighbors who moved in when they lost their job and never left because they turned out to be great gardeners or cooks and therefore were far too useful to evict, cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. They clump up in one spot over holidays, and stretch out in complicated diasporas that span the globe the rest of the time. They are kept together with passion, email, text-messages, and all-inclusive long-distance phone plans. Sometimes, they even include grapevines and pirates. (photo of Christian "the Pirate" Tietje courtesy of Four Vines Winery and FutureWorks)

I discovered one of these thoroughly modern families at the Family Winemakers of California tasting: the Four Vines Winery family of Paso Robles, Amador County, and Sonoma. The family started with Christian Tietje, a wandering chef who came to San Francisco from Boston in 1990, and fell in love with old vine Zin. In 1994, the family grew from Christian and Zin to include Susan Mahler (aka Sam), a pilot and earth scientist, who quickly fell for Christian, his Zin, and the backbreaking and absorbing work of tending vineyards. They moved to Paso Robles, started Four Vines Winery, and focused on making appellation-specific Zins and--at a time when this was a complete heresy--unoaked chardonnay. As the business grew, they needed help, and help came in 2004 in the form of Christian's childhood friend Bill Grant, who managed the finances and marketing for the burgeoning enterprise. Today the family includes tasting room wine pushers, crush slaves, cellar masters, keepers of wine, growers, pirates, bikers, and self-appointed "ZinBitches." Not to mention a growing mob of satisfied consumers and fans. (photo of Bill, Sam, and Christian with their grape-children courtesy of Four Vines and FutureWorks).

Together, the Four Vines family wanted to introduce some fun into wine, and to blow the cobwebs off what (especially in the 1990s!) was becoming an all too stultifying and stuffy wine culture. They gave their wines names like "the Biker," "Maverick," and "the Heretic." They started holding Zinfandel Festivals with pirate themes long before Johnny Depp had even thought of donning an eye patch. They were among the first to appreciate the sensory pleasures that came from making Zin from grapes that came from old vines. And they loved seeing how Amador fruit differed from fruit sourced in Paso Robles, or Napa, or Sonoma.

There is an old expression--"the genius of the place"--that was used in the 18th century to describe the spirit that inhabited a particular spot. Architects and landscape gardeners were supposed to try to capture the genius of the place in whatever work they did. The Four Vines family seems to have applied this concept to their winemaking, and the results are stunning. They produce rich, complex wines that have an intriguing silkiness on the palate. Every zin has a different cascade of flavors and aromas that evolve from your first sniff and sip. And the other wines that they make are truly memorable examples of the varietals that go into the bottle.

What follows are my brief tasting impressions of their line of wines. You are going to be hearing a lot about them in the upcoming months, based on coverage the winery has already received this year from Wine & Spirits and Wine Spectator. Buy the wine now if you want it, because the 2004s are nearly sold out. Or, save yourself the aggravation and join their wine club, thereby insuring that you will get your required stash of new Four Vines wines as they are released. The first 2005 reds will be released in late May, so circle this date on your calendar and check their website so you aren't disappointed because, yes, they, too, are going to sell out. After that, piracy will be your only option.

Prices below are those suggested by the vineyard. Click on the name of any wine to be directed to merchants in your area or online who might be offering the wine at higher or lower price points.

2005 Four Vines Chardonnay Naked Chardonnay ($14) This excellent unoaked chardonnay, made with Santa Barbara County grapes, has striking butterscotch and soft pear aromas that are followed up with fresh pear and citrus flavors. Juicy, easy to pair with food, and excellent QPR.

2004 Four Vines Zinfandel Old Vines. ($18) I doubt that you could fine a better Zinfandel at this price. It has a superb balance of fruit, spice, and acidity with warm aromas and flavors of blackberry, clove, and pepper. This wine will improve further with a little time in the bottle. Excellent QPR.

2004 Four Vines Zinfandel Biker ($20) This rough young zin from Pas Robles should settle down and shed some of its acidic tannins with a bit more time in the bottle. Its blackberry and pepper flavors and aromas are struggling a bit to come forward now, but all the structure and potential are there so give it some more time and it will be superb. 15% alc/vol. Excellent QPR.

2004 Four Vines Zinfandel Maverick ($20) Soft blackberry-toned fruit from Amador County, with 14. 9% alc/vol. I found a very good balance of fruit and spice, and lots of complexity as the two wove together. Excellent QPR.

2004 Four Vines Petite Sirah Heretic ($30) Absolutely stunning petite sirah. Cocoa and cassis aromas and flavors, with a smooth and silky cassis palate with notes of fresh picked blackberries. Seek this one out. It's fantastic. Very good QPR.

2004 Four Vines Syrah Bailey Vineyard($30) An impressive syrah with beautiful, jammy plum and cassis notes. Warm spices complement the fruits and add complexity. Very good QPR.

2004 Four Vines Anarchy($30) This nouveau Rhone-style blend made with Paso Robles fruit has an infusion of zin that you can really taste. Made with syrah, zin, and mourvedre. Jammy red and black fruits, nice spice. Good texture and mouthfeel. Good QPR.

2004 Four Vines Peasant($30) Another wine made with Paso Robles fruit, this intriguing red blend is dominated by syrah and mourvedre. Soft and smooth blackberry fruits, touched with vanilla and cracked pepper. Good QPR.

These are wines that are full of the genius of the place, and the genius of the people who make them. You won't be disappointed with their wines, and you may find yourself behaving like a pirate and starting your own treasure chest of Four Vines wines.

Next Week: Brutocao Cellar and Vineyards