One Stop Tasting

Just down the road from Schug, there's a complex put together buy the "Carneros Family Wineries". It has a café, some shops, and four tasting rooms representing a large number of very small wineries, mostly from Sonoma and Napa. While you don't get to see the wineries, it's an excellent opportunity to taste wines from many producers at one stop.

Artesa Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Held for 14 months in oak, it has asparagus, vanilla and toast notes, which dominate the flavours, too. It's very smooth, but lacks the tart crispness that I prefer in the varietal.

Artesa Chardonnay 2007
Aged 8 months in oak, it has complex aromas of green apple, pear and minerals. The flavours are of apples and peaches, and the toasty oak is subtle on the finish. LCBO has just started carrying the 2005 vintage.

Artesa Pinot Noir 2006
Also aged 8 months in oak, it has aromas and flavours of sweet cherries, smoke, and a chocolatey finish.

Artesa "Ridgeline" label Merlot 2004
Artesa's Ridgeline wines come from the Alexander Valley. Aromas of plums and raisins and alcohol (14.8%!), the alcohol dominates the flavours, which also include cherries and plums. Soft tannins and a long finish.

Artesa Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Ripe dark fruit and coffee aromas come through on the tongue, with a dark coffee finish.

Larson Family Winery Gewurztraminer 2006
Good floral, peach and pear aromas, but the dry mouthfeel is a bit sour.

Larson Family Winery Pinot Noir Rosé 2005
Here's an unusual wine, Pinot turned rosé by taking it off the skins early. The tasting room rep swore that it was the only one we'd come across - certainly, we didn't see any others.
The aromas oforange, candy and sweet cherries were interesting, and came through in the mouth, too. Light bodied, naturally, it's just semi-dry with 1.5% residual sugar. It would work as a light summer dessert wine, paired with a fruit dish or light pastry.

Larson Family Winery Pinot Noir 2005
Red cherries and smoke, it's oaked with light tannins and a toasty finish.

Larson Family Winery Zinfandel 2005
Lots of dark fruit and leather, and the tannins are soft and well-rounded. It has a short tannic finish.

Larson Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
The Larson product I liked best, it has rich red berries and cigar box on the nose, and tastes of dark fruit, cedar and a chocolate finish.

Carica "Kick Ranch" Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Light asparagus and citrus notes, with some residual sugar in the mouth. Flavours of pineapple, and it still manages a mouthwatering finish.

Harrington "Wild Horse" Pinot Noir 2006
From Napa fruit, this has sweet cherry and leather notes, and tastes of sweet and sour cherries mixed, with medium tannins and leather on the finish.

Schug Carneros Estate

The Carneros Valley, which shoots off of Sonoma at an angle, is a beautiful, rugged terrain with a number of tiny wineries. Schug isn't tiny, and is located at the top of a steep ridge just off the highway. They distinguish their wines as "Sonoma Coast", which denotes little to no oak; and Carneros, meaning oaked.

The tasting room manager, David, told me that the white wines are vegan, the reds are not.

Schug Carneros Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2007
The complex nose of green pepper, asparagus and grapefruit is matched by the tart green apple mouthfeel, with more grapefruit on the finish. Yum.

Schug Carneros Estate Chardonnay 2006 Carneros
Peach and green apple aromas, and flavours of vanilla, butter, and summer fruit. It has a long toast finish.

Schug Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2006
Just beautiful. Complex nose of sweet red fruit, black pepper, sweet spices and vanilla. The tastes are smoky, sour cherry and it has a long, medium tannic finish.

Schug Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Carneros 2006
Sweet cherry and alcohol aromas, with flavours of smoky cherry and light toast on the finish.

Schug Carneros Estate Merlot 2005
Blended with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, I liked this one a whole lot, too. The aromas are plummy, with some leather and red berries. And the tannins are smooth and well-rounded, with light cherry and plum, and a bit of raisin, flavours.

Schug Carneros Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Lots of ripe red fruit and cigar box aromas, it's slightly tart with some cigar box and sour cherry flavour. The high, smooth tannins are great.

Schug Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Carneros Heritage Reserve 2006
With light cherry and leather aromas, it has sour cherry and lots of tannins, with vanilla and toast on the finish.

In the Valley of the Moon

The Sonoma Valley has been home to a number of interesting historical figures: Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz; horticulturalist R Burbank, whose work at the turn of the century provided the foundation for farming and gardening throughout California; and author Jack London, who's book "Valley of the Moon" took its title from the English translation of the Aboriginal word "Sonoma".

Driving through Sonoma, the challenge is to decide which wineries to hit, which to miss. The wineries know that, and many have taken to offering entertainment beyond wine tasting: a castle, complete with torture chamber and moats; shops and cafés; and other products to complement the wines.

B.R. Cohn Estates
Here's what I mean. What brought us to B.R. Cohn? Besides the fact that the wines have a good reputation, we were hooked by the promise of an olive oil tasting room, too. Olive oil is the other gourmet product produced in Napa and Sonoma, and travelling with a chef, well, there's room for compromise in every relationship...

It just got better after we arrived. First, Caroline fell in love with Moose, the 10 year old lab-bulldog cross whose main job is to lie in the middle of the tasting room and have his belly rubbed.

Second, the history of the winery. Owner B.R. Cohn made his fortune as manager of the Doobie Brothers. While still young, in the early 70's, he bought some vineyards and sold fruit to other wineries. The property's vines had a great reputation, and Cohn eventually made the decision to start making his own wines. He converted the family house to offices and tasting room, hired a winemaker, and launched his label.

B.R. Cohn Woody White
A multi-vintage wine blended from Symphony and Chardonnay, it has a pineapple and green apple nose, but tastes of sweet apples and tropical fruit. It has a long fruity finish. It's very slightly off-dry.

B.R. Cohn Chardonnay 2007
With pear, apple and creamy vanilla aromas, it has a very light toasty finish and a crisp, mouthfeel.

B.R. Cohn "Silver Label" Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
A full-flavoured Cab, it has lots of dark cherry and black berry aromas, with tobacco and black pepper. Richly flavoured and full-bodied, it offers tastes of dark berries and a cigar box finish. I liked it, but found it almost too much Cab, and commented that I thought it would be even better used in a Bordeaux-style blend. The tasting room manager, Frank, brought out...

Doobie Red 2006
Produced mainly for an upcoming charity concert by the Doobie Brothers, it doesn't have a B.R. Cohn label. But it's great! Produced with the same Cab as above, it's blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc from the same vintage. Aromas of alcohol, plum, and ripe red cherries, it has complex black cherry and sour cherry flavours, along with tobacco and a coffee finish. I suggested that the winery re-brand it after the concert and offer it as a serious label.

B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2005
The "flagship wine", this has ripe cherry, blackberry and alcohol aromas. It has a rich blackberry and smoke flavour, with high tannins and a long, long finish.

B.R. Cohn Pinot Noir "Russian River Valley" 2005
Made from fruit grown on an estate-owned vineyard in Mendocino, it has a nice raspberry and sweet cherry nose, and a spicy cherry flavour with just a bit of toast on the finish.

Husch Estates

Just across the road from Roederer, Husch Estates is a pretty property where they produce about 40,000 cases of wine every year from 100% estate fruit. The tasting room is tiny but quaint, a former farm building converted to a new use. Husch is in the midst of building a new facility, with wheelchair-accessible washrooms.

Husch Estates Sauvignon Blanc 2007
A hint of green pepper and asparagus is matched with some slightly sweet citrus. The mouthfeel is crisp, with green apple and sweet spice.

Husch Estates Special Reserve Chardonnay 2006
The very definition of a California Chard: peach, vanilla and toast. It's dry, with a toasty fruit finish.

Husch Estates Gewurztraminer 2006
With good honey, peach and floral aromas, this is complex in the mouth: peach and pear, white pepper and honey. The finish, very floral, is just medium-length.

Husch Estates Pinot Noir 2006
Fermented for 10 months in new French oak, it has an alcohol, black cherry nose. The flavours are of slightly sour cherry and leather, with a short cherry finish.

Husch Estates "Knoll" Pinot Noir 2006

The Knoll is a small estate vineyard planted in 1968, and this wine is made exclusively from the fruit that grows there. 50% of the wine is fermented in new French oak.It has surprising black cherry and cola aromas, and the flavours of of big fruit, too. With a long, slightly tart cherry finish and good, rounded tannins, it's a lovely.

Husch Estates Cabernet Sauvignon "Reserve" 2004
Blackberries, leather and cigar box, the aromas are complex and perfect. But the taste is lightly tart, with full, well-rounded tannins and menthol on the finish.

Husch Estates Chenin Blanc 2007
A gentle dessert wine, it smells and tastes of sweet peaches, apples and honey.

Husch Estates Muscat Canelli 2007
Sweet ripe tropical fruit, especially pineapple, give this dessert wine a nice complexity.

Husch Estates Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2007
With 12% residual sugar, it's very sweet, with good floral, pear and peach notes.

Roederer Estates

I haven't had the opportunity to tour a sparkling wine maker. The process is different from "flat" wines, and I want to see it all - the riddling, the dégorgement, all of the steps of the méthode traditional.

And I'm still waiting. My e-mail requests for a tour at Roederer - one of the world's top Champagne makers - went unanswered. Even if they had been, a tour would be unlikely. Roederer started harvesting this week (sparkling wine grapes are harvested earlier than flat wine grapes), and that ties up the whole team.

To be honest, I haven't developed a passion for sparkling wines, though I do like the dry, rich Crémants of Alsace. Nobody has offered me a free tasting of the expensive stuff, either, so my knowledge of Champagnes is limited to the under $50 products.

In general, I found the Roederer products disappointing. Blended from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they lacked the aromas and flavours of the grapes.

Roederer Estates Brut MV (multi-vintage)
60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, this is an extra dry wine, with lots of citrus, green apple and steel notes.

Roederer Estates Brut MV Magnum
This is the same blend, but because of the larger size bottle it has to be aged in the bottle an extra year. Supposedly, this makes it creamier, though I couldn't detect the difference.

Roederer Estates Rosé MV
55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay, this fruity, dry wine is the one we liked the best.

Roederer Estates L'ermitage 2000
The tasting room rep kept calling this "the special one", based on its price, I think. Fermented sur lees for four and a half years, it has a nice mousse, and is dry and fruity, too. We still liked the Rosé better.

Roederer Estates Extra Dry MV
It's, um, dry and fruity.

Roederer also offers two flat wines:

Roederer Estates Chardonnay 2007
Steely, with peach and mineral notes, it has a light vanilla and toast quality and is off-dry.

Roederer Estates Pinot Noir 2005
More bitter than sour, this is very dry and lacking much fruit character.

Navarro Vineyards, Anderson Valley

Stretched along the Navarro River in western Mendocino County, the Anderson Valley has become one of the most exciting new appellations in California. Certainly, it contains beautiful vistas of steep rugged hills covered with pine and scrub. The Anderson is known for its Alsation-style wines but also for its Pinot Noirs.

And it offers two sparkling wine makers, too: top Champagne maker Roederer opened a winery here, as has Scharffenberger Cellars. More about Roederer later.

The wineries here are densely packed together - one after another, on both sides of Hwy 128. The only question is, which ones to try?

I had made an appointment at Navarro Vineyards, because they have both wines and juices on the menu at Millennium and Caroline had recommended them.

Navarro is one of the oldest wineries in the region, and offers both estate and non-estate wines. They have about 100 acres of vineyard, not nearly enough to supply their production.

According to Rose, the tasting room rep, Navarro uses egg whites in many of its wines; they aren't vegan.

Navarro also produces two varieties of juice, bottled just like wine. They include a Pinot Noir, which tastes a lot like regular grape juice, and a Gewurztraminer, which is absolutely beautiful. It has all of the floral and fruit character of the wine, but you can still drive afterward. We bought a couple of bottles to bring home.

Navarro Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Aromas of grapefruit, asparagus and minerals offer a lot of promise. It's very tart, with a clean finish and more of that grapefruit flavour.

Navarro Vineyards Pinot Gris 2006
Even more tart than the Sauv, this is steely with melon and green apple notes. It has a disappointing short finish.

Navarro Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2006
This is a dry Gewurztraminer, done right. The floral aromas, with honey and green apple lead into flavours of melon and pineapple. But it's honestly dry and very complex - lovely, and we bought some to take home.

Navarro Vineyards Muscat Blanc 2006
More honey, melon and floral aromas, this is dry, too. But I found some unwelcome bitterness on the long finish. It's good, but the Gewurz is better.

Navarro Vineyards White Riesling 2006
Classic Riesling nose: petroleum, steel, peach. It's there on the tongue, too, with the ripe peach and minerals coming through. This has a long grapefruit finish.

Navarro Vineyards Pinot Noir 2006
Beautiful aromas of sweet cherry and smoke, it's fruity on the palette, with just a hint of toast and vanilla on the finish.

Navarro Vineyards Zinfandel 2005
Sweet aromas of strawberry jam, plums and orange, but it's actually very dry, though the plums and strawberries extend into the long finish.

Navarro Vineyards Unfiltered Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2007
Not yet bottled, we were given a taste of this anyway. It had strawberry and red cherry notes, along with some orange and sweet spice. I found it too toasty on the finish, but some time in the bottle may help reduce that.

Navarro Vineyards Syrah 2005
Highly tannic and with a long finish, this has aromas of tobacco and dark red fruit.

Navarro Vineyards Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2006
Botrytis-affected and with 11% residual sugar, this dessert wine is very floral, with sweet spice, honey and orange notes.

Pacific Star Winery, Fort Bragg, CA

While Caroline was taking a day-long course at the Living Light Institute in Fort Bragg, I was left to my own devices. Though Fort Bragg offers some cool beaches and the famous Skunk Train, I can't say either of these held my attention for long. Happily, I came across the tasting room for the Pacific Star Winery, which is located a few miles up the highway.

Being on the chilly, windswept coast, Pacific Star doesn't grow its own grapes, but buys them from the Redwood and Anderson Valleys.

Tasting room manager Robert Zimmer, who's ex-wife is the winemaker at PSW, told me that they don't fine any of their products - all Pacific Star wines are vegan.

Here's what I had:

Pacific Star Winery Viognier 2007
A nice, simple example of the varietal, it smells like grapefruit and pineapple, with some minerality from the steel tank fermentation. It's mouthwateringly tart and steely, with a slightly bitter finish.

Pacific Star Winery Chardonnay 2003
PSW's only barrel-fermented wine, it shows nice peach and pear notes, with hints of orange and vanilla. The taste is of toasty orange, too, with a tart finish.

Pacific Star Winery Pinot Noir 2004
A good Pinot, it has sweet cherry, white pepper and light citrus aromas, but a lightly sour cherry taste. With medium tannins, the finish shows a bit of dark tobacco, too.

Pacific Star Winery Charbono 2005
Charbono is a varietal I hadn't tried before, so I was interested to see what it offered. It's quite interesting, with raspberry jam, orange and a mild smokiness. The raspberry is present in the taste, too, along with some sour cherry and light tannins.

Pacific Star Winery "It's My Fault"
A multi-vintage blend of Syrah, Charbono and Carignane, it smells and tastes of raspberries and tea, with lots of smooth tannins and a medium-length finish.

Pacific Star Winery "Dad's Daily Red 2002"
Here's another blend, this time with Carignane, Petite Sirah, Charbono and Zinfandel. It has a very complex nose of raspberries and plums, along with cigar box. The berries, with some sour cherries, come through in the mouth, too.

Pacific Star Winery Charbera 2003
A blend of Charbono and Barbera, it smells like sweet red fruit and leather. The taste is complex: rich red cherries, tobacco, and white pepper. It has medium tannins.

Pacific Star Winery Syrah 2001
A full-bodied Syrah, it has lots of chewy tannins, with dark berries, leather and black pepper.

Pacific Star WineryPetite Sirah 2005
I didn't care much for this: sour cherries and harsh tannins.

Pacific Star Winery Coro Mendocino 2005
Coro Mendocino is a group project made by a collective of area wineries. Each producer is responsible for its own style, and it must be tested twice by the group prior to bottling.
This blend is made up of 40% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah, 15% Carignane, 10% Charbono and 10% Barbera. It has earthy, candied aromas, with red fruit and a chocolate-coffee finish. It has medium acids and low tannins.

Pacific Star Winery Pinot Noir Reserve 2003
With red cherries, warm spices and black pepper, this reserve, mostly sold out, is a winner.

BARRA of Mendocino

In 1926, Antonio and Marie Barra left Piedmont, Italy to settle in the New World of Calpella, California. Antonio and Marie both came from wine-making families, so it was natural that they would grow grapes and make wines here, too.

Their son, Charlie, recently celebrated his 63rd grape harvest, and is still actively running the vineyards while his wife Martha manages the tasting room and the marketing operations.

Winemaker Dan Kopache, who has worked at Benziger, Kendall-Jackson and Fetzer, joined the business in time for the 2007 vintage.

We met Charlie, Martha and Dan at the tasting room for a comprehensive sampling of their products. The tasting room is gorgeous, built for a previous owner, a sparkling wine producer. It's shaped like a champagne glass, but in a tasteful way.

BARRA's vineyards are certified organic, but because they use some sulphites their wines are labelled as "using organic grapes" but aren't certified products themselves.

Almost all BARRA products are vegan, though some of their Cabernet Sauvignons have used egg whites to reduce the tannins. Dan told me that other fining agents, such as diatomaceous earth and bentonite, can help clarify a wine but won't reduce tannins.

Martha said that BARRA has recently introduced a second label, Girasole. BARRA will remain the premium label, with Girasole offering less expensive wines. For instance, Girasole wines won't have time in new French oak barrels.

These guys make a great team. From Dan's technical knowledge and easy-going manner to Charlie's rich stories and jokes ("Know why I've never missed a harvest? Because when you get a paycheque only once a year, you'd better show up!") to Martha's generosity and gentle management, we left feeling like members of the BARRA family.

In the interest of full disclosure: Team BARRA took us to lunch. We had a great time!

We also had a whole lot of wine - 16 in all, including both BARRA and Girasole products.



BARRA of Mendocino Pinot Grigio 2006
This is a great example of a Grigio - minerally, steely, with lemon and oak aromas. It's very slightly off-dry, with a lot of citrus and floral flavours. Perfect hot summer day drinking wine.

BARRA of Mendocino Pinot Blanc 2006
Pinot Blanc, a variety grown mainly in Alsace, isn't one I've tried before. According to Charlie, this comes from 50-year old vines. It has aromas of melon and pineapple, and tastes of steel and citrus. Simple but flavourful, it has a long citrus and slightly bitter finish. We liked it, and bought a couple of bottles for "further analysis".

Girasole Chardonnay 2007
Here's another nice Redwood Valley Chard - aromas of orange, minerals and flora, it's very dry with just a hint of vanilla. Unoaked, it allows the flavours of the grape and the terroir to shine.


BARRA of Mendocino Chardonnay 2005
As opposed to the Girasole above, I found this oaked Chard a bit overdone. Rich, with lots of vanilla and toast, it's for traditional California Chardonnay drinkers who like big, oaky wines.

Girasole Pinot Noir 2006
Nice cherry and alcohol aromas are met with a very light sour cherry flavour, along with rich red fruits and medium tannins. Well balanced, simple Pinot.

BARRA of Mendocino Pinot Noir 2006
Again, I found this full of rich cherry and vanilla aromas, but with the toasty notes from the oak aging. And again, I preferred the Girasole.

Girasole Sangiovese 2006
I made a mistake with this one - I didn't buy any to take home. Plums and ripe red berries, it has high acidity and high tannins, with flavours of tobacco and chocolate and a long, complex finish. Good now, another couple of years in the bottle with make it shine.


BARRA of Mendocino Sangiovese 2004
Yum. Blackberries, plums, raisins and figs, this is a rich, complex and well balanced wine ready to drink right now. OK, I should have bought THIS one, too!

Girasole Zinfandel 2006
Also from 50-year old vines, this has ripe red fruit and black pepper notes. The mouthfeel is smooth, with medium tannins and red fruit. Another nice summer drinking wine.

BARRA of Mendocino Zinfandel 2003
Raisins and cassis on the nose, coffee, chocolate and blackberries in the mouth, this really shines.

BARRA of Mendocino "59th Harvest" Pinot Noir 2004
Produced to celebrate Charlie's 59 years in the vineyard, this is a premium (now sold out, I believe) wine with a lot of subtle, complex flavours. Sweet red fruit, leather and alcohol aromas, it adds some rich chocolate notes in the mouth.

Girasole Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
The blackberry and black pepper aromas come through on the tongue, too. It's highly tannic, with a long finish.

BARRA of Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Another winner, this has aromas of cassis, ripe red fruit and black pepper. It all comes through in the mouth, with lots of chewy tannins.

BARRA of Mendocino "59th Harvest" Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Rich chocolate and raspberry notes, this also offers earthy aromas. Very complex, very good.

BARRA of Mendocino Petite Sirah 2003
Smooth, rich jammy notes, it has very high tannins, but still a smooth, fruity finish.

BARRA of Mendocino Muscat Canelli 2006
BARRA's only dessert wine, this variation of Muscat is subtle and not too sweet, made very much in the European style. Aromas and flavours of pineapple, apple and sweet spice, it would perfectly compliment fruity-based desserts.

Frey Vineyards

"Do you know the Frey story?"

Isabelle Frey was chatting with us while she opened a number of wines for us to taste. Frey doesn't have a tasting room, but instead offers a long, pine table and benches in the midst of the winery's buildings and gardens. Houses, offices, fermenting tanks, bottling operation, vineyards, everything you would need for a family-run winery.

And it's a big family. Frey's founders had 12 children. They've grown up and married and added another 30 grand-kids and 2 great grand-kids. Isabelle, who came from Ecuador to study sustainable farming practices, ended up marrying the youngest Frey son and now works in the winery with everybody else in the Frey Army.

"Frey Vineyards was the first certified organic winery in the United States," continued Isabelle. "That doesn't just mean how we grow our grapes, but also how we make our wine. We do not use any sulphites, and that's stated on every label."

Sulphites play multiple roles in wine-making. They kill the wild yeasts that are on all grapes, and they help stabilize and preserve the wine. However, many people have a sensitivity to sulphites, leading to allergic reactions or headaches. And some wineries over-use them, which affects the aromas.

Not using sulphites opens a new, if niche, market to Frey. But avoiding sulphites also means certain compromises.

Isabelle told me that Frey's reds will last only 6-8 years in the bottle. They whites will last only 4-6 years (though they've had wines last longer than these averages). Appropriately, Frey's wines are produced to be consumed soon after bottling.

As well, sulphite-free wines can't be aged in barrels, which contain too many possible contaminants. Isabelle said that they use oak chips to a limited extent in some wines.

But there's no compromise on flavour. Almost all of the wines we sampled were full-flavoured and complex.

All Frey Vineyard wines are vegan, too.

Frey Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2007
With a very complex nose (green pepper, asparagus, and citrus), it offers more of the asparagus and only a medium acidity on the tongue. A slightly bitter, but very long and dry finish.

Frey Vineyards Chardonnay 2007
This has a beautiful golden honey colour. The aromas of honey, vanilla, orange and cinnamon follow through in the flavours. But it's surprisingly, happily very dry, with only a light toasty orange flavour in the finish. This wine is steel barrel fermented, but with a limited inclusion of oak chips.

Frey Vineyards Pinot Noir 2006
In your face notes of strawberry jam, leather and black pepper clash a bit with the highly acidic sour cherry flavours and medium tannins. It has a long tart finish.

Frey Vineyards Zinfandel 2007
Good now, this will really round out in the bottle in a year or two. It has raspberry, plum and cassis aromas, and is very high in tannins, but with medium acidity and lots of plummy flavour leading into the finish.

Frey Vineyards Merlot 2007
Bottled only a few days before we opened it, I suggested this wine might be suffering some bottle shock, a fairly common condition where a wine loses much of it's aroma for a month or so after it's bottled. Giving it a bit of time will allow it to open up.
For now, I just noted a lot of jammy alcohol aroma, with high tannins and a rough mouthfeel. I regret not buying a bottle to try again in a month's time.

Frey Vineyards Sangiovese 2005
This offers lots of ripe red fruit and light leather on the nose, extending into the highly tannic mouthfeel. The taste is complex, cigar box meets ripe raspberries.

Frey Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
I liked this one a lot, with blackberries, cassis and leather aromas. In the mouth it offers tobacco, lots of tannins, coffee and chocolate.

Leaving Harbin

Today is our last day at the lovely and peaceful Harbin Hot Springs, where we've spent hours and hours soaking in warm water, swimming, laying in the sun and enjoying massages and great food.

We also did an afternoon trip to Calistoga, and had a wonderful beer - Third Street Aleworks IPA, brewed in Sonoma. Rich, creamy, bitter and with a long finish, it did a good job combatting the dry heat of the town.

Monday, I have appointments at a number of wineries in the Redwood Valley - there will be much to taste, much to learn, much to blog.

Cheers,
Dave

Signs

Signs in a Napa store:
"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy." Benjamin Franklin

"Do you know the way to Chardonnay?"

Going to California with a thirsting in my heart

Tomorrow morning, I'm flying to California to join Caroline, who has been staging there at two top vegetarian restaurants - Millennium and Greens - for the past month.

We'll be in San Fran for the first night, then driving to Harbin Hot Springs, a beautiful, peaceful, but sadly alcohol-free retreat where we'll spend a week lying in the sun - when we aren't getting massages or Watsu treatments. Life is good. It's also free of Internet, so it may be a few days before I post again.

We'll drive through the Napa Valley on the way to Harbin. I hope to make a stop or two at wineries, and will duly report in.

The week after Harbin, we'll head to Mendocino, then Sonoma for a few days of wine tasting. I've arranged a number of appointments for private winery tours, and I'll post the results here.

How to match wine and food...

Another day, another Pinot Noir

Here's a nice one: Chanson Pere et fils Pinot Noir 2006, Burgundy.

The Burgundy region of France is so closely tied with Pinot Noir that the wines made with this variety have long been called, simply, Burgundies. It's a varietal that's especially loved by winemakers and oenophiles alike, because the grape is so challenging to grow, and - in a good year - produces subtle, complex wines with little interference from the vintners.

Just south of the city of Dijon, the vineyards of Chanson Pere et fils were founded in 1750, though they've changed hands a number of times and are currently owned by a wine making consortium.

The 2006 Pinot Noir, made from grapes grown in a number of vineyards in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits, is a lovely, affordable wine. The first aromas are of cigar box and raspberries, followed by white pepper and alcohol. It's a wonderful, complex nose. The taste is just as nice: cherries, with a balance of high tannins and medium acidity.

Here's a Pinot made the way it should be - oaked, but so subtly that the wood just adds another dimension, it doesn't overpower the fruit. And here's the best part: it's only $20.

This wine is perfect for dishes with mushrooms or dark sauces. Or by itself - my recommended method!

Is it vegan? I don't know. But standard Burgundy wine making practice is to not fine, so there's a pretty good chance.

Cheers,
Dave

Weekly Wine Quote

"When there is plenty of wine, sorrow and worry take wing."

Ovid, "The Art of Love"

Rodney Strong Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006

Rodney Strong Estates is one of Sonoma's longest-established vineyards, growing Pinot since 1968 according to their website.

It's a site a like a lot, with a great deal of information about the growing conditions of each wine. Isn't it nice to know that this Pinot Noir suffered a rainy spring but, thanks to a hot July, it didn't finish being picked until October?

I bought this wine for a couple of reasons. I expect to be in that part of Sonoma in a couple of weeks, and let my eagerness to taste some of their wines get the best of me. And the LCBO notes caught my eye, too, as did the fact that this wine won multiple awards.

I'm not convinced. Despite the winery's stated commitment to allow "grapes from each vineyard and growing region to express their intrinsic character", I found that the grape was overwhelmed by the new French oak barrels.

Here's what I mean:

This Pinot has a lovely light raspberry juice colour. It smelled of raspberries, too, and smoke. More inhaling brought notes of vanilla and toast.

Vanilla and toast. They're the scents not of the grape but of the barrel, common in many of the Chardonnays that have begun to go out of style. The new oak barrels are charred on the inside and these aromas come from the blackened wood.

And when I tasted the wine, that's what I got - lots of toasty flavour, with a hit of sour cherry to follow. The toast stayed right to the finish.

After I finished my tasting note, I poured a glass, then another. With each sip, the toast and vanilla became more pronounced, overwhelming the wine. Those poor grapes, which had survived rain and heat, were finally undone by being left too long in too new a barrel.

I'd still like to stop by Rodney Strong Estates. Perhaps I can find some wine that expresses the grape, too.

This monkey don't shine

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007

A small tag on the neck of this Marlborough, New Zealand bottle tells the story that, in the 19th century, a monkey was seen frolicking in the bay. Hence the name.

I'm glad the monkey had fun, because somebody deserves to. Sadly, that doesn't include drinkers of this rather watery Sauvignon Blanc.

Very promising on the nose, the wine has an immediate hit of asparagus and lemon - a very good start. But there's nothing but citrus and water in the mouth, with a fairly short citric finish.

Goes to show: just because there's a frolicky monkey on the label, doesn't mean there's a frolicky wine inside.

Cheers,
Dave

Trapiche Reserve Malbec 2006

Auxerrois is the name of a thin-skinned, heat-loving grape that at one time was commonly used in Bordeaux blends. French wine growers largely lost patience with it in 1956, when a severe frost killed most of the year's crop. Smooth, mellow Merlot has since replaced Auxerrois in most Bordeaux.

Fast-forward to the 1990s, and wine-lovers rediscovered Auxerrois. But it was the grapes grown in Argentina, now, and under their Spanish name of Malbec, that caught the wine world's attention.

Argentina, and particularly the Mendoza region, is perfect for Auxerrois/Malbec, and the region is famous for this grape, just as Australia is famous for Shiraz and New Zealand for its Sauvignon Blanc.

Trapiche is considered one of the top producers of Malbec, and this Reserve shows why. With rich aromas of raisins, cigar box and red fruit, a sip floods the mouth with tannins and ripeness. The tannins sustain through the long finish, with just a hint of coffee at the end. Superb.

This is a full-bodied wine and it demands a full-flavoured food to match it. I tried it with grilled seitan in a mushroom broth, and the hearty seitan easily stood up to the Malbec. I could also see it with smoked tempeh stews or other dark or mushroomy foods.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to determine the fining agents used by Trapiche. But if I had to hazard a guess, I doubt this wine is vegan.

Cheers,
Dave

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007

This has been one of my favourites all summer. Crisp, clean and flavourful, it begs to be sipped sitting on the deck on a warm August night. I believe it's vegan, though I haven't yet confirmed this.

New Zealand's Marlborough region is charmed with hot sunny days and cool nights. Lots of fresh water and fertile soil, combined with winemakers who are happy to let nature take its course, has led to the development of some of the best Sauvs in the world.

This one is typical of the NZ style: aromas of asparagus, lemon, minerals and grass give a good hint of the crispness to come. And it comes through. Mouthwatering and intense, there's a lovely light sweetness toward the finish, like a slightly tart orange. Delicious!

Against all advice, I prefer to serve this one well chilled. I find it's aromas and flavours still come through, and the chilly crispness makes it very refreshing.

Bottle Shock - the trailer

Wine enthusiasts are excited about the upcoming release of Bottle Shock, the comedy about the 1976 Judgement of Paris, where a California wine beat French wines in a blind tasting. The film, starring Alan Rickman, opens this week.

WineNews: Vintner terrorists!

This from Time Magazine. Here's an excerpt:

JÉrÔme SoulÈre's lawyer, Jean-Marie Bourland, doesn't justify his client's avowed acts of destruction, but sympathizes with his client's predicament. "We're in a country where, alas, our leaders don't pay attention to well-behaved, and listen to those who leave them no choice," says Bourland. "Many of these people are agonizing and dying a slow death," he says. "For some, I suppose, posing a bomb is their attempt to pose a question."