Dallas Wine Chick

Summer Whites Perfect for a Costa Rican Summer Vacation

My daredevil 7 year old who ziplined upside down every chance she had

One thing that I’ve learned in my travels is that the wine cellar at my house usually has a much better selection (and certainly is a much more cost effective choice) than buying wine from a resort.  So, when traveling to Mexico (or in this case Costa Rica), I put a case of assorted bottles together in a shipper, check it with the airline and hope the wine arrives intact (it always has).

This trip, I received several samples that I knew were Costa Rica vacation worthy.  The first was from my friends at J Vineyards & Winery.  You may remember that I had a chance to sit down with Kathryn Lindstrom, COO, and Melissa Stackhouse, winemaker, during the recent Sonoma in the City visit in the Spring and I was a big fan of their wines.   They shipped me a sample of the 2011 J Pinot Gris that was perfect for the beach.  It had notes of tropical fruits including banana and pineapple with a fresh crispness and minerality.

The second set of samples included the 2011 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone North Red Rocks! and 2012 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone North Coast White Rocks! with the new packaging that I mentioned during my March Napa trip.   I love the winery’s philosophy of making the best possible blend based on the blends of Southern France for a price that is affordable.   We tried both the red and white with new friends with rave reviews and lots of label picture taking on their end.

On the red, I got big notes of red fruits – both stone fruit and berries, spiciness and a juicy mouth feel when drinking this wine.  It was perfect with my husband’s grilled steak but didn’t overwhelm my grilled fish.  The white was crisp and great for outdoor patio weather.  The wine had lots of fruitiness with notes of floral, tropical fruit, apple and pear. It was perfect with the ceviche and mahi-mahi freshly caught that morning by my wonderful family.

I also was able to find a refreshing wine at the resort that was a Chilean sparkling wine.  I saw the bottle listed for $11 on the Internet. Let’s just say that you couldn’t get a glass of that at the Four Seasons Resort at that price.  Undurraga sources grapes from Central Chile including Maipo made in a New World style with lots of strawberry, minerality and crispness.  It was an unexpected find in Paradise.

A Conversation with the Men behind Sartori Wines

Bernabei and Sartori 

When Banfi invited me to experience the Sartori family wine portfolio, I knew I was in for some great wines and a lunch that would take me right back to my Italian roots, but without all the yelling.  I met Andrea Sartori, fourth generation of the Sartori family, and Franco Bernabei, a renowned consulting wine maker, to explore their portfolio of wines.

This was my first experience with Sartori wines, a well-known name for over a century from Italy’s Veneto region.  The family’s initial foray into hospitality was as a hotelier and later as owners of a restaurant and hotel.  In 1898, Pietro Sartori bought Villa Maria, a vineyard with a small cellar attached in the heart of Valpolicella, to source good wines for his hotel and as a small cellar for the family’s personal consumption.  Pietro’s son, Regolo, an Air Force officer in the first World War, sold the restaurant and declared the future of his family was in wine. By the 1950’s, Regolo’s two sons expanded the winery with an eye on expanding its distribution outside of Italy.

In the late 90’s/early 2000’s, Andrea Sartori, Pietro’s great-grandson, took over the business. Soon afterward, in an effort to get closer to the grapes, he made a decision that would turn the negociant system in Italy on its head.  In 2002, the company joined with Cantina Colognola, giving the family rare guaranteed access to more than 6,200 acres of high-quality grapes from 800 farmers in Soave and Valpolicella, where virtually no wine houses control their own vineyards.  This freed them from ‘the mercy of the market’ and gave them the ability to work with the best farmers, grapes and vineyards.  Sartori said, “People thought we were crazy, but for the first time, we had the ability to do significant projects from the ground up and farmers now owned a piece of our company.”  The two coops merged together in 2011 and these relationships as critical to their success.

Bernabei, who is a fifth generation winemaker, took the consulting job with Sartori because he is originally from Veneto and wanted to work with a family that “paid considerable attention to the history and heritage of Italian wines.”  He believes that wines should be original, traceable and carry an identity card based on the vineyard.  In harvest, the balance of acidity and pH are important.

We started with the Sartori Di Verona 2012 Pinot Grigio. This wine had a mineral characteristic with floral notes, peach, citrus and pears. Bernabei talked about how this wine is treated like a great burgundy in the style it is produced. I asked him what he was going for in this wine. “I want to pick a grape and the consumer tastes the dew – it’s a perfect fruit.” He believes that winemakers should not be invasive and wines should be expressions of the vineyard.

He then talked about the trends in wine making and why Sartori will never follow the path of forcing a style that isn’t native to the grape. “The greatest wines are not forced, pushed or exaggerated,” said Bernabei. “They maintain their sense of place – we make wine with what we have. That expression can’t change,” he said.

Our next wine was the 2010 Sartori di Verona Pinot Noir, a fun project the two men put together to see if they could make an Old World expression that would stand up to the classics.  It had the classic vegetal notes and pungency that makes up good pinot with notes of vanilla, black cherry, spice and pepper.  It is meant to make pinot accessible and for $11, this was a wonderful expression of affordable pinot noir.

We then moved to the 2009 Sartori di Verona Valpolicella, which had notes of earth, cherry and represented a classic version of this wine.

We then made the switch to a white wine – the 2010 Sartori di Verona Ferdi, which was a muscular white with elegance, power and notes of pear, apricot, lemon curd and lots of complexity. We actually came back to this wine after the full line of up big reds and it had lost nothing. And, for $14, it was a heck of a deal.

It was time for the big boys next. I have to point out that we were eating lunch at Terilli’s and Bernabei asked for some Parmesan cheese, which fell woefully short of Italian cheese standards. But we persevered on (making me really want to get some of the cheese they wanted me to have). The 2008 Sartori di Verona Regolo uses a technique of gentle pressing followed by skin maceration at low temperatures for 10 days. The wine then sits on Amarone pomace to enhance the aromatics and aging potential.  This results in a wine with great minerality and notes of berry and cherry. Great to drink today, but at $19, you should put some down and see what happens.

We moved to the 2010 Sartori di Verona Regolo, which had a great balance of black fruit and acidity. The Sartori Amarone 2010 had notes of wild fig, dates, terrior and was incredible. The “I Saltari” 2001 Le Vigne di Turano is a collaboration of the Colognola and Sartori wineries to improve viticulture, winemaking and production of Verona wines. The wines are aged in casks and slow racked to “bring the marriage together.” It was old world and had aged wonderfully with notes of spice and dried fruit.

A constant over the last 100 years is the Sartori family’s love of their land and heritage.  I look forward to continuing to watch the family’s evolution of their classical portfolio and evolution into what we consider non-traditional varietals of Italy.

Grants Last Stand: 100 Year Family Recipe Recreation

Say you had one secret family recipe over 100 years old that was never actually written down, but you wanted to recreate it to honor a family member who started your business five generations ago.  Add to that the complexity of the recipe containing ingredients from nine different sources – many that don’t exist today in the original format – and you have the daunting challenge of trying to create William Grant’s original scotch blend.

But Brian Kisman, Grant’s sixth master blender in 100 years, decided to do just that.  It took him eight years relying only on this nose and he blended almost 30 different whiskies trying to recreate what he thought this master recipe should taste like.  The property had an old cottage which served as a storage unit of sorts until the family hired its first archivist in 2009.  And, this archivist found a book from 1912 that contained a recipe.  Surprisingly enough his blend vs. what Grant originally used was very close.

Grant, originally born in 1929 Dufftown in the Scottish highlands, a town of 1,600 people and nine distilleries, saw opportunity in the late 1800’s with a malt whiskey blend of malt and grain whiskey.  You still know the prevalent names that dominated the market back then – Johnny Walker, Glenfiddich, Patterson and Haig.   The Grant name, which was named after the family’s battle cry “Stand Fast,” graced the bottle for five generations.  Grant whiskey hit the U.S. in 1905, when John Grant brought it stateside, and sells an average of two bottles per second or around 1.5 million bottles per year.  In 1956, Grant hired a designer, who interestingly enough designed the London Tube, to come up with the innovative triangular bottle still used today.

Grants is blended with two types of whiskeys – malt and grain, which is a blend of barley and wheat (sometimes including maize) using batch processes in pot stills.  The family uses five different distilleries to come up with one master blend from the casks.

I tried the regular Grants blend, which was sweet, rich and had notes of honey, toffee, vanilla and an almost fruity flavor.   Then we opened one of only two existing bottles in the United States of Grant’s Last Stand.  Wow – it was smooth, yet peaty.  Smoky, yet floral.  Exquisite stuff.

We talked about the label then and what had to change.  Back in the late 1800s, it was just fine to talk about how you should drink Grants Last Stand under the supervision of a qualified doctor.  Medicinal purposes and all … And, because the blend contains egg whites (one per 20 liters), you must disclose that the blend contains eggs.

I think I’ll buy the medicinal purposes disclaimer.

Club W: A PYOW (Pick Your Own Wine) Club

I don’t have to tell you that there are a lot of wine clubs out there – and most of them don’t allow you to pick the wines that you receive. Lately I’ve noticed a trend that puts the consumer in charge.  Club W does just that.  It is a wine club focused on bringing consumers value wines without being pretentious or telling you what you should drink based on some “expert’s” palate.  It allows you to choose the wines based on your taste and have them shipped directly to your door.

Club W asked me to experience why their way of doing things is different.  As part of the process, I filled out a Palate Profile, a questionnaire that helps Club W choose wines matched to my tastes.  Once I submitted the questionnaire, twelve wines were recommended to me and I choose three for shipment.  All of the wines are $13 retail, so your subscription is $39 plus a flat rate of $6 for shipping.  If six or more bottles are ordered, shipping is free.

While one of my original choices was out of stock, there were 11 other wines that I could select.  I ended up with the following:

• 2009 Wolf Den Chenin Blanc – this was a lush white full of tropical fruit like pineapple and banana with notes of vanilla.  I thought it was a great Summer white.
• 2009 Mas de Bayle VdP des Collines de la Mare Rouge – a nice little French red with berry, spice and notes of mocha.
• The Messenger Red #1 – chocolate, blackberry and notes of oak, cherry and mocha.  The no vintage blend was a favorite of the group gathered to taste.

The club also has wine choices of “still available” from past selections and “curator’s choice,” wines that are offered for $19, a slightly higher price point.  After you receive and taste your shipments, you can post your wine ratings so Club W can further customize your selections.

The mission of Club W is to take the guesswork and pretention out of enjoying wine at a value price point.  You’ll find no jargon or ratings, but the ability to discover what it is that you like without breaking the bank.  Each bottle also comes with a QR code that links back to Club W content, which includes video reviews of the wines that are accessible from the Club W mobile app.

The Club W people were nice enough to offer Dallas Wine Chick readers a free $13.00 credit, which is basically 1 bottle of free wine, if you sign up.  Use this URL and enter a coupon code of 411dallas.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

Wine Review Round-up: French, Spanish, Italian and California

With the new gig, a little behind on wine reviews… 

It’s been a while since I’ve done a wine round up and lately I’ve been fortunate enough to try some really great wines at all price points.  Since I started my new job in Dallas, I have been instituted “Thirsty Thursday’s,” where I gather my co-workers and we have team building with wine involved.

I’ve listed my favorites in several different categories based on trying more than 40 wines.  These were often tried by region, varietal or price point.

Value Wines ($15 and Under)

2011 Domaine Maby La Forcadière – a dry rose with a nice minerality and notes of raspberry and flowers.  I really enjoyed this rose and I don’t give compliments on roses lightly.

2011 Bolla Soave Classico – a well-priced summer wine with citrus, apricot, peach and a nice crispness.

2012 Bodegas Ostatu Rioja Blanco – tropical notes, crisp and refreshing.  Another great summer refresher.

2012 Vina Ventisquero Sauvignon Blanc – citrus, tropical fruit, minerality with a nice balance of herbs and a creamy texture.

2012 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc – apple, grapefruit and pear.

2011 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Reserva Carmenere – a nice expression of Carmenere with blackberry, forest floor, mocha and spiciness.

2010 Matchbox Dunnigan Hills Syrah – at $10, this wine with notes of raspberry, currant, black fruit, cocoa, spice and jam, was the best red wine that I’ve tried at this price point.  It had depth and complexity that I have never found in a $10 bottle.

2009 Ruiz de Viñaspre – I tasted lots of red fruit and floral notes in this 100 percent tempranillo.  It was a well-balanced wine and very drinkable with or without food.

2010 Vina Zaco Rioja Tempranillo – lots of vanilla and spice with blackberry and mocha.

2009 Bodegas Bilbainas Vina Pomal Crianza – blackberry, licorice, cedar, mocha and spice make this a well-balanced wine.

$15 to $40

2001 Ramirez de La Piscina Gran Reserva – all spice, flowers, cherries, currant and lots of depth.  This is an elegant wine that is drinking very well today.

2005 Finca Allende Rioja Allende – notes of blackberry, cherry, earthiness with layers of depth.

2005 Deobriga Rioja – smokiness combined with lots of red fruit, flowers, vanilla, spice and tobacco.

2006 Grupo Olarra Bodegas Ondarre Reserva – a very smooth wine with lots of rich red fruit, dates and spice.

2009 Domaine Bressy-Masson Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Cuvee Paul Emile – this was a rich and smooth wine with notes of blackberry, fig, tobacco, black tea, spice and chocolate.

2009 Domaine du Pesquier Gigondas – this was a big wine with lots of terrior, berry, black cherry and herbs.  This was a very well balanced wine.

2010 De Martino Legado Reserva Carmenere – another good expression of Carmenere with notes of tobacco, flowers, vanilla and cassis.

Over $40

2007 Finca Monteviejo – a powerful wine with blackberry, plum, mushroom, currant, dried fruits, spice and earth.  Exactly what a great Rioja should taste like.

Winemakers Gott, Smith and Bieler World Tour

The invitation looked like a blast – a world tour featuring Joel Gott, Charles Smith and Charles Bieler at Lee Harvey’s with a rock band, tacos and summer whites and rosés.  But Mother Nature had a torrential rainstorm in mind for Dallas, so I pulled up to three very wet winemakers, a lot of wine industry folks huddled together, trays of Texas tacos and a day that was anything but summer.

Charles Bieler, Joel Gott and Charles Smith

Smith, who I had the chance to first meet at the Wine Bloggers Conference 2010 in Walla Walla and then later at a Pioneer Event, talked about the six day, eight city and eleven event tour.  The other Texas stop in Austin and Colorado hosted some great parties judging from some of the pictures on Charles’ phone.  While I was there, I tasted his 2012 Kung Fu Girl Riesling, which was bursting with citrus like orange, peach, pineapple and lots of minerality.  There’s a reason why this wine continues to get kudos from the critics.

I also had the chance to talk with Joel Gott, who I had briefly met this spring at the Festa Primavera St. Helena Montessori School Auction.  I have always been a fan of his wines and the 2012 Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc did not disappoint.  Big notes of island fruit, citrus and great acidity make this a nice summer sipper.

I didn’t get a chance to talk to Charles Bieler, but his 2012 Bieler Père et Fils Rosé was a nice French style wine with notes of raspberry, strawberry and notes of lavender.

Even though the weather was a severe buzz kill, these guys know how to have a good time and made the best of what could have put a damper on the day.

INTO WINE: A Q&A with Olivier Magny

The subject matter was just “Book.”  Honesty, I thought to myself, “just what we need – another wine book” and books aren’t something I wanted to get in the habit of reviewing.  I even went to Google to see how many would pop up on search – the answer, 764,000,000.  But the email from Olivier Magny was just so engaging.

“As part of the promotion thingy, I just wanted to see if you’d be interested in receiving an advance copy – free of charge, no strings attached, no nigerian widow asking you to transfer funds, no nothing!  You like it, you can blog about it, you don’t, well, no biggie, many ways to recycle it,” he said.

Okay, he was funny. So on a beach in Punta Mita, Mexico, I started reading.  And, couldn’t stop.  My husband, someone who I never expected to pick up a book about wine, had the same experience.  Olivier, an award-winning sommelier and best-selling author, is based in Paris and is the founder of O Chateau, a fabulous wine bar that has been rated one of Paris’ best.

I briefly had the chance to meet Olivier in Dallas and here’s our Q&A:

There are clearly a lot of wine books on the market today. What unique perspective do you believe you are bringing with the release of INTO WINE?

I think I try to bring a bit of a fresher voice, following what I think makes wine and its’ culture not only fun and delicious, but also truly inspirational.  INTO WINE is a wine book that doesn’t only talk about wine (100% wine is just boring to me).

I told you that my husband couldn’t put the book down.  He’s not into wine books at all – is he the type of person you were targeting with the release of INTO WINE?

INTO WINE is for everyone who’s ever had a glass of wine really.  Amongst the early reviewers, I’ve had both complete novices and experienced professionals tell me how much they loved the book – and it makes me really happy.  I’ve perfected the art of talking to people of all walks of the wine life working at O Chateau for close to a decade now.  No matter where you stand in your wine journey, this book will prove genuinely helpful and informative.  Guaranteed!

If you were trying to convey three things with INTO WINE, what do you want the reader to take away?

Well, the book is informative.  It’s engaging.  And I believe it’s a book that will make you think – one that may lead you to change your outlook and your habits on a couple of things.

What are the biggest differences between French and American wine drinkers?

I’d say that when it comes to wine, most American drinkers are more interested and more knowledgeable than your average French person.  There is a passion around wine in the US that you simply don’t find in France these days!  Style wise, a majority of Americans like it big, while culturally, the French have always looked down on big wines!

You talk a lot about terrior and really bring it to life in the book.

Yup – I believe terroir is the cornerstone of a real and genuine understanding of anything wine.  It is what makes wine not only delicious but also truly unique. I’m proud to be a “terroirist”, and in the book, I explain this tremendously exciting philosophy of terroir, which is healthier, tastier and more sustainable!

Having met you in person, you are a pretty approachable guy.  With all your credentials and experience, how do you avoid becoming a wine snob?

Thanks Melanie.  Wine snobs really bore me to death: I’m just not interested in talking to them!  Also, at the end of the day, I love to drink wine, I love to share the culture of wine, but talking about that very wine is simply not my thing.  I much prefer to drink it and talk about something that I find actually interesting.

When you are hanging out with your friends, what are your “go to” wines?  Let’s talk budget, mid-priced and splurge wines.

Budget – I think the Loire is fantastic.  Both whites and reds

Mid-priced – I’m a big Rhône fan when it comes to reds.  For white, I love a good white Burgundy!

And well, if I’m to splurge, for reds, I’d go for an Hermitage (still in the Rhône).  And for whites, I do love a triumphant German Riesling from the Mosel Valley!

What else am I not asking you that I should be?

Where can your readers buy Into Wine?  The answer is right here.

Note: The book was launched today.

Sonoma In the City Does Dallas: Day Two

The Taste of Sonoma tour brought more than 100 Sonoma County wines ranging from Russian River Valley chardonnay and pinot noir to big Zin from Dry Creek Valley to rich cabernet sauvignon from Alexander Valley to the Mansion on Turtle Creek.

Yolanda Papapietro

While I did not try anywhere near 100 wines, I was able to find some standouts and see some old friends in the process.  What a surprise to see Yolanda Papapietro from Papapietro Perry pouring her wonderful pinots.  My friend, Jennifer, turned me on to these fabulous wines and I loved being able to try the 2010 line-up from the Leras Family Vineyards, Nunes Vineyards, Russian River Valley and the 777 Clones.  Other standouts included Bella, Sojourn, Davis Family, Flowers, Gary Farrell and White Oak Vineyards.

Me, Justin and Robert 

Then I was fortunate enough to run into Rodney Strong Associate Winemaker, Justin Seidenfeld, along with my friend, Robert Larsen, Rodney Strong marketing extraordinaire.  Justin took me through the line-up and talked about the history of Rodney Strong.  The winery was started over 50 years ago when Rod Strong, who originally had a career as a dancer in America, decided to pursue his wine making passion. Rodney Strong Winery was the thirteenth winery bonded in Sonoma County. The Klein family purchased the winery in 1989 and focused on making single vintage and reserve wines. After working at Iron Horse and Mondavi as a harvest enologist as well as with Constellation wines, Justin joined Rodney Strong in 2010. He told me that he wanted to take great wines and “brighten up” the wine making style.

We tried the following line up:

• 2012 Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc, Charlotte’s Home – white stone fruit, pineapple, citrus and herb make this a very balanced white.
• 2011 Rodney Strong Chardonnay, Chalk Hill – old world style with vanilla, citrus and hints of oak.
• 2010 Rodney Strong Cabernet, Alexander Valley – dense and rich with big berry, plum with a great intensity.
• 2010 Rodney Strong Symmetry contains all five Bordeaux varietals and the blend changes annually.  Big berry, spice, cassis make up this well balanced red that changes based on the vineyard’s strengths.
• 2008 Rodney Strong Cabernet, Rockaway – full of raspberry, blackberry, terrior, spice and notes of vanilla.

Justin talked about his ten hour Rodney Strong interview that started out with Tom Klein, the winery owner.  After making it through the gauntlet, he walked into a room that included well-known winemaker David Ramey, where he was asked to create the final blend of Symmetry.  He rolled up his sleeves, took off his tie and blended his way to a new job.

The next day began with a lunch with the Sonoma County Trio of Vintners, Winegrowers and Tourism at Hotel Zaza Art House & Social Gallery.  The event, meant to showcase the diversity of Sonoma, began with a speed tasting concept.  Here is what I learned from sitting down with the representatives which included Guy Davis from Davis Vineyards, Christopher Barefoot from Flowers, Corey Beck from Francis Coppola and Clay Maurtison, from Maurtison Winery, who I had dinner with earlier in the week.

-          Sonoma County is the size of Rhode Island, five times the size of Napa Valley and has more than 60 miles of coastal land off the Pacific Ocean.

-          There are more than 200 different soil types.

-          There are 1,800 wine growers in Sonoma and many of them are multi-generational.

-          Today only 6 percent of the land planted is being utilized.

-          There are 100 wineries and 150 growers in Sonoma County.

-          The first winery was built in Sonoma.

I loved Tim Zahner’s, CMO of Sonoma County Tourism, quote about Sonoma.  “In other places they call it the localivore movement, in Sonoma, we call it eating.  Sonoma happens to be a place for farmers who happen to make great wine.”  I also heard great quotes about Sonoma being “Ag-land, not Disneyland,” a not so subtle snap at another well-known region about 90 minutes away.

Guy Davis

It was also a pleasure to have a chance to catch up with Guy Davis, winemaker and owner of Davis Vineyard, who has always been delightful in my past encounters.  He talked about Sonoma being a region if farmed correctly, Mother Nature takes over.  He planted his wines 17 years ago and has been organic since day one.   The man knows how to work his micro-climates in his Pinots from Soul Patch, Horseshoe Bend and Starr Ridge Vineyards.

Christopher Barefoot

The lunch was a family style affair where winemakers and the media sat together.  The event showcased great food, diversity of wines and great conversation.

My whirlwind experience ended with an event hosted by Amy Gross, a great wine blogger who writes Vinesleuth, who was hosting an event in conjunction with the Blissdom conference with Rodney Strong.  The event brought together some amazing women and we were divided into teams where we blended our own Symmetry wine.  Picture a miniature science lab where we measured, blended, sipped and debated our final blend.  Justin and Robert, graciously hosted the event and Justin judged the six blends.  While we didn’t win, our team, aptly named Cork Dork, had a great time and the conversation and tempo of the tasting was hilarious.

The Sonoma in the City event reaffirmed the diversity of soil and climate.  It’s a region focused on legacy, family, terrior and character.  And I clearly have a lot to learn.

Sonoma in the City Storms Through Dallas: A Glimpse at a Special Region (Part One)

Right on the heels of my Napa trip, the Sonoma in the City gang came to town with a week chockful of events that put a spotlight on the region.  These guys rolled out the carpet with a series of lunches, happy hours, tastings and dinners that demonstrated the diversity of the region by showcasing the grape growers, wine makers and tourism executives that believe Sonoma is the “real” wine country in California.

Melissa and Kathryn

My experience started with a meeting with two powerhouse women from J Vineyards & Winery, Kathryn Lindstrom, chief operating officer, and Melissa Stackhouse, vice president of winemaking, at Abacus Restaurant.  Since I had just stayed at Jordan Winery the week prior, I knew that Judy Jordan founded J Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg in 1986 with a concentration on J sparkling wines as well as J varietal wines including Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.  The grapes are grown using sustainable farming techniques and J is considered a “green winery” by the San Francisco Bay Area Green Business Program as well as a “sustainable winery” through the California Winegrowers Alliance.

Kathryn talked about her transition from the finance industry to luxury wine and how she made the decision at 45 to make a big change into an industry that she loved.  Melissa talked about the collaboration that happens in her wine making team of three with a focus on the integrity of the grapes and bringing the fruit into the glass.  She views her team’s role to “allow the wines to find their own happy place” and interfering minimally.

We tried several wines in our tasting line up:

-          2011 Pinot Gris – this was a refreshing and tropical wine that will be available in May of 2012.  It will be joining my collection.

-          2011 Pinot Noir – lots of black cherry, elegance, herb and black pepper.  Delicious.

-          2010 Nicole’s Vineyard Pinot Noir – this wine is named for Judy Jordan’s daughter and had notes of plum, licorice, cherry and vanilla.

-          2011 Pinot Meunier – notes of cassis, cherry, mocha and floral.  I love off the beaten path wines and this one did not disappoint.  This is made with the remainder of the Pinot Meunier that is not used in the sparkling wines.

-           NV Cuvee 20 Brut – hints of toast, yeastiness, apricot, citrus and nuttiness.  This was a great sparkling wine.

As a female executive in another industry, I love to meet women that have risen to the top and defied the odds in a male dominated space.  My hat is off to the ladies at J Vineyards who are doing the right thing by the grapes, the vineyard and the environment.

I left the J Vineyards event and heading to Charlie Palmer Restaurant for a dinner sponsored by Dry Creek Valley, which featured Tim Bell, winemaker for Dry Creek Vineyard, and Mauritson Wines owner/winemaker Clay Mauritson, and his brother, Cameron, who grows the grapes.

  Bill Smart, director of marketing for Dry Creek Vineyards, and Clay from Mauritson

Dry Creek is known for its Zinfandel, Bordeaux and Rhone-style wines and is located right outside of Healdsburg.  What was evident is that this is a place of family, with some vineyards dating back more than 100 years.

The Mauritson family has the longest history of any current grape growers in Rockpile, a cornerstone appellation of Sonoma County.  Clay Mauritson’s great-great-great-grandfather S.P. Hall, planted grapes in the Rockpile region in 1884, shipping his wine back to Sweden where his family lived.  Much of this original estate was taken by the Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1960s and is now Lake Sonoma.

Clay, a sixth-generation member of the family, is making wines again from Rockpile grapes, which are grown by his brother.  Rockpile is a very unique appellation located at the Northwest edge of Dry Creek Valley where two appellations overlap and the Healdsburg-Rogers Creek Fault, a dominant earthquake fault, runs through the middle of the horseshoe shaped base.  Picture steep slopes and rocky terrain above Lake Sonoma that are elevated between 800-2000 feet.

I also had the chance to talk to Tim Bell, the winemaker for Dry Creek Vineyards, which is a 40 year old grape grower and winemaking business.  Founder David Stare started the business with the goal of creating great wines at a reasonable price.  That vision hasn’t changed.   Tim, also worked at Freemark Abbey Winery, Bosché and Kunde Family Estate, where he became an expert in using different grape varieties and working in various climates.  When he was called to interview at Dry Creek, he had never traveled that far north.  But when he talked to Kim and Don Wallace, president and partner respectively, he realized he wanted to realize their vision for what the winery could be and knew he’d be entering a new level of collaboration he had never experienced.  Today, he continues in his quest to showcase the grapes and terrior in Dry Creek Vineyards wine.

Barely Cooked Scottish Salmon, Grilled Octopus, Lobster Corn Dog & Striped Bass Crudo

Roasted Duck Breast with Chipolte Glaze, Creamed Nettles, Compressed Persimmon

We had an amazing array of great food pairings created by Chef Michael Sindoni who matched with wines from Dry Creek and Mauritson as well as some other Sonoma producers.

Some of my personal favorites were:

-          2012 Dry Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc – bursting with melon, tropical fruit and citrus with a minerality that made this a great food pairing wine.

-          2011 Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc – full of grapefruit and peach with a balanced minerality that was more austere in nature.  Another great food wine.

-          2009 Dry Creek Vineyard “The Mariner” – a meritage blend that had lots of black cherry fruit, herbs, blackberry, vanilla and mocha.

-          2010 Rockpile Winery Cabernet Sauvignon – Rockpile grows more cabernet sauvignon than any other regions and is full of concentrated fruit with notes of tobacco, blackberry, cassis and cedar.

-          2008 Forchini Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon –notes of chocolate, cherry, Asian spice and mocha.  This made the dry aged NY strip with bone marrow breadcrumbs sing!

-          2010 Dry Creek Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel – this was one of my favorites with lots of black pepper, cherry, blackberry, herbs and floral notes.

-          2011 Mauritson Zinfandel – juicy raspberry, vanilla and notes of spice made this a very well balanced, almost feminine wine.

-          2007 Dry Creek Vineyard Soleil – apricot, honey, citrus and vanilla.  This was the quintessential dessert wine.  Delightful!

-          2010 Rockpile Winery Independence Red – a port like wine with big fruit, nutmeg and notes of tobacco.  Perfect match with the cheese plate served for dessert.

I asked about why Dry Creek Valley was doing this tour and it’s all about awareness.  Clay said, “when you are off the beaten path, you have to convince consumers that this is a destination point that is a little less Disneyland and a little more about the wine experience.  Even within Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley has 70 family owned and operated wineries.”

Tim added, “It’s all about a small production, hand crafted agricultural community with lots of pride, blood, sweat and tears to bring these great wines to the consumer.”

Elyse Winery: Sincerity and Sustainability

Even before I was lucky enough to get on the blogger sample list for Elyse Winery, I’ve been a long-time fan.  I like Elyse’s approach to sustainable wines, their no fuss approach at the winery and the people have always been knowledgeable, passionate and downright nice.  Rick Saunders was our host and we had a ball with him on the tour and trying the Elyse wine line up.

Rick and Molly

In 2012, Elyse celebrated its 25^th harvest from its very first crush of 4.5 tons of Zinfandel when Ray and Nancy Coursen made 286 cases of their first wine.   In 1997, the current winery and vineyard was purchased on Hoffman Lane.

Their focus hasn’t changed – great wines prepared with artisan grown ingredients that pair well with food. Today the production is 10,000 cases with international distribution.  The two brands – Elyse and Jacob Franklin are named after their daughter and son.

We tried the following line-up:

• Elyse Chardonnay 2010 – made in a classic Old World style with citrus, pear and vanilla.  A chardonnay for folks who don’t drink Chardonnay or who love old world style Chardonnays.
• Jacob Franklin Sauvignon Blanc 2011 – only six barrels are made of this wine and it isn’t distributed outside of the winery.  Classic grapefruit, citrus and minerality.
• Elyse Le Corbeau 2008 – a 90 percent Grenache and 10 percent Syrah blend.  It had floral notes of jasmine with raspberry and cassis.
• Elyse Syrah 2008 – notes of Asian spice, mushrooms and berry with a spiciness that would make it a great Fall day wine.
• Elyse Morisoli Vineyard Zinfandel 2008 – here’s the terrior wine that originally launched the entire Elyse portfolio.  Love this wine.
• Elyse Black Sears Zinfandel 2008 – this was a big, big Zinfandel with nice berry fruit, but not a fruit bomb.  Lots of balance, pepper, spicy and juiciness.
• Jacob Franklin Mon Chou (my sweetheart) 2007 – a nice blend in a Bordeaux style with notes of green pepper, cassis, berry and tobacco.
• Elyse Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 – soft fruits, notes of perfume, floral and hints of oak and vanilla.
• Jacob Franklin Chavez-Leeds Petite Syrah 2009 – blackberry, chocolate, mocha, spice and pepper.  This was one of my favorites.
•  Elyse 2006 Port Cabernet Sauvignon – this port combined Viognier brandy with great cabernet.  It was another favorite and a perfect cheese/fruit/dessert match.

It was a fabulous end to a behind the scenes trip of good wine, great food and great people.