A Tasting for Kellie and Katie

I would love to have my sister Kellie and her partner Katie over for all of our wine tastings, provided they bring the ever adorable Elliot with them. Unfortunately, they live in Chicago. For Christmas I decided I would send a tasting to them.

It's against the law to send wine through the mail, so I had to buy it from somewhere that could ship it. I chose K&L, my favorite local shop.

I was somewhat constrained when I chose the wine. I wanted them all to be from different regions of California and new to me. An additional complication was they all had to be found in the main warehouse of K&L so they would go out in one package; paying for shipping is bad enough once.

I considered doing a skype tasting, but Katie said it usually takes them a week to get through a bottle, so they would need help getting through 4. A skype tasting with just us would have been pretty geeky, but with others it would probably have been a tad strange, so we decided to taste separately and share the results.

West Coast Tasting

We invited Ted and Shannon, and Bob and Carolyn over. I prepoured the wines.

It was my first chance to use the new slate cheese plate and cheese knives I received for Christmas. The plate allows the names of the cheeses to be written on it. It rocks. Thanks Sue! The cheese knives are just too cool and much too exorbitant.Thanks mom!, you shouldn't have.

We tasted the Pinots, sharing our thoughts as we enjoyed each other's company.

After tasting, we enjoyed a great meal of seafood enchiladas and chicken nachos.

Results

A - 2007 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, Bailey's Branciforte Ridge, Santa Cruz Mountains came in first with an average score of 3.29. It cost $29.

D - 2009 Sequana, Santa Lucia Highlands came in second with an average score of 3.04. It cost $30.

B - 2007 Alysian, Star Ridge Vineyard, East Terrace, Russion River Valley came in third with an average score of 2.69. It cost $35.

C - 2009 Alta Maria Vineyards, Santa Maria Valley came in last with an average score of 2. It cost $24.

Chicago Tasting

Kellie and Katie had a great time. Apparently they stayed up until 2AM for the first time since Elliot was born.

Cinco de Wino

Burrell School's club delivery coincided with the grand opening of Odonata's new tasting room. Sue and I had briefly tasted Odonata's wines, what little he had left, on our first trip to the Surf City Vintners. He seemed like a really nice guy, making some good wine, so I thought it would be good to patronize his new place.

We arrived in Santa Cruz 45 minutes before the tasting room opened. Walking by we could see them furiously working to get everything ready. We asked if they were ready for business, but they said come back at noon. We picked up an apricot and dark chocolate chip scone and a chocolate croissant at the bakery next door, you can guess who got what, and went for a walk, enjoying the beautiful day.

Has Kyonghee convinced Bob to sideline in the Coffee business?

Odonata

Arriving back at noon we found we were not alone. Four other couples were waiting for the tasting room to open. Eventually someone walked in. We followed, paying our $5 tasting fee. We were then greeted with a refreshing glass of River Skimmer, which sounds a little scary, but was very nice. As we enjoyed the wine, Denis Hoey, the owner and wine maker said hello, thanked us for coming, and told us all about the place. He looked a little frazzled, but very proud.

The tasting room was very nice, with plenty of room inside and out to enjoy their offerings. The walls were lined with paintings from local artist John Crawford. Denis said that they planned to rotate local artists every month. All the furniture was antique, furnished by Crawford Antiques. Using local talent was very important to Denis, even the pitchers were made by local glass blowers.

There was a huge table of delicious cheese and wine food of all sorts.

The wine was very nice. We brought home some Pinot and Malbec. I also picked up one of their t-shirts, which has a cool tribalized dragonfly on it.

Like any urban tasting room, it doesn't have the scenic views of the mountains, but if you're looking to taste some good wine in a nice location, Odonata is an enjoyable, worthwhile stop.

Bonny Doon

We had lunch at the restaurant in Bonny Doon, Randall Grahm's winery, which is just a block away at Surf City Vintners. I didn't know what I had gotten myself into until I looked at the menu. This place was a foody/granola lovers dream. Thank goodness there were a few meat choices on the menu. I went with the pork shoulder sliders, which I didn't know were even sliders until they showed up. Sue had an onion, duck, blueberry pizza (that must give you ideas of what they menu contained); the center was covered in an arugula salad. They were both very good, though I'm embarrassed to admit I couldn't bring myself to try the blueberries, and, of course, I never even considered trying the salad.

Duck pizza anyone?

In addition to the food, we ordered the Flight of the Cigare for each of us, which included 4 2 ounce pours. Sue and I agreed the best of the batch was the 2011 Vin Gris de Cagare, which was a refreshing rose of sorts. Neither of the reds seemed to have much going for them, they were pretty bland.

A flight of wine and Sue's all smiles

Wine jellies came with the check

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

Since we were there, we decided to go around the corner and knock another winery off our list: Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard.

The tasting area was pretty industrial, but nice enough. The wood of the bar was pretty cool, made from a tree off the wine maker's parent's property, if I recall the story right.

The staff was very friendly as were the other patrons. We had a good time jabbing about this and that. I lamented with a Florida State fan about rebuilding years, perhaps even decades.

Unfortunately, the wine was hit or miss; nothing really stood out. We took home their two Pinots and a Tempranillo to explore further in the future. Their Bailey's Branciforte Ridge Pinot won an as of yet unposted blind tasting, though it was not tasting that today.

We packed up the wine and headed to Burrell to enjoy the sun at the summit.

Return to Napa Cab Tasting

We resumed our bimonthly blind tastings with Napa Cabernet blind tasting. I wanted to share some of the bottles we had brought back from our trip in March, and what better way than a tasting? Given the expensive nature of Napa Cabs, I have to wonder if the guests felt the same way.

Days before, Ted joked that he was was decanting his wine for two days to improve the taste. He teased about how good it was smelling.

We started with a toast to Shannon's birthday, drinking Sue's favorite champagne from our visit to Mumm's. We had quite the spread. Bob had brought a plateful of scrumptious cheese, Lili brought a basket of incredible empanadas, and we had a plate of Italian meats. Yumm! We indulged outside while we waited for everyone to arrive.

The last couple arrived just before seven. It was getting cold out, so we moved inside, blinded the wines, and started tasting. Things were a little tight, space wise. We need more of a banquet hall to handle a tasting for 12, but we made do.

We crowded into the family room. Who invited Wilson?

Almost everyone thought the quality of the wines was much higher than usual. Jennifer told us Napa Cabs were her favorite, and she couldn't help enjoying them all. My notes were pretty pathetic, but Shannon's sounded like a haiku. We made it through the 9 wines and tallied up the votes.

Results

Top to Bottom from Left to Right

F - 2008 Opus One came in first place with an average of 3.95. Ted and Shannon brought this. It cost $180.

G - 2006 Darioush came in second place with an average of 3.91, a virtual tie for first. We picked this up at the winery on our recent Napa trip. It cost $88 at the winery.

H - 2008 Hartwell, Estate Reserve, Stags Leap District came in third place with an average of 3.78. We also picked this up at the winery on our recent Napa trip. We payed $100 for it at the winery, which was club price, retail is $125.

C - 2007 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Fay, Estate came in fourth place with an average of 3.77, a virtual tie for third. Paul and Jennifer brought this. Stag's Leap is Jennifer's favorite winery. They paid the club price of $100.

D - 2007 Ladera came in fifth place with an average of  3.61. Bob brought this. KnL's website help convince him: 90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The least expensive effort, and a top value for a Napa Cabernet..." It cost $30.

E - 2006 Elyse, Tierjen Vinyard came in sixth place with an average of 3.60. Michel brought this. He had been to the winery years ago and really enjoyed it. It cost $37.

I - 2007 Cade, Howell Mountain came in seventh place with an average of  3.55. We also picked this up at the winery on our recent Napa trip. It cost $72 at the winery.

A - 2008 Oakville Winery, Oakville came in eighth place with an average of 3.25. Sangmok and Kyonghee brought this. A wine lady at Costco recommended it to them after they said they were looking for one for a group wine tasting. She said she tried it and liked it a lot. It cost $39.

B - 2006 Mount Veeder Winery, Reserve came in last place with an average of  2.28. Jose and Lili brought this. It had a 93 rating and cost $30.

I was pretty shocked when I saw OpusOne won. It and the Darioush were incredible over blended, smooth wines. Ted and Shannon continue their dominance of the events they attend.

Epilogue

After tasting we enjoyed grilled beef, vegi, chicken, and shrimp kabobs, and a sweet dessert that Michel brought.

Pleasant Valley Vineyards

As part of Spring Passport we visited Pleasant Valley Vineyards, one of the four wineries on the Corralitos Wine Trail.

Pleasant Valley Vineyards

The tasting took place in their backyard. It was a beautiful oasis, surrounded by the estate vineyard growing Chardonney and Pinot, complete with a waterfall and their own giant red wood grove. It's hard to imagine a more perfect place.

Tasting under the shade of red woods

Pleasant Valley is a family run winery. Craig Handley is the wine maker. His wife Cathy, does all the pruning on the estate vines. Their son and his wife poured us tastes of Chardonnay, Pinot, Syrah, Merlot, and Zin. Their wines were all named after the grandchildren and themed according to their interests. The Merlot, one of my favorites, was named Casey Alexander and was decorated with pirates. According to his father, Casey's interests have moved on to Star Wars, but thought it unlikely Lucas would allow them to put light-sabers on the label royalty free. It was refreshing to see such family involvement. The wine was all very good.

The adorable grandchildren were getting in on the action as well, selling colorings for $1 and $2. Bob and Carolyn got a kick out this and purchased one for a dollar.

They were running a special on the wine, buy 3 get one free so we combined our orders and decided to purchase 2 Merlots, a Pinot, and a Zin. I went to see Cathy about the purchase. On the way I ran into Craig and told him how much we enjoyed his presentation at Pinot Paradise, just weeks before. Craig then asked if we were interested in a special Pinot tasting, which I'm guessing was for the wine club members. I said, "Sure!" He then poured us the some incredible Pinots and entertain us with interesting stories of his life.

Our favorites were the Willa's Block, the Lester Cuvee, and the Dylan David Estate Reserve. These were more expensive than the previous wines we tasted, but the scruptousness was ratcheted up accordingly.

After making some addendums to our order, I again headed to see Cathy. We commented on how cute the grandchildren were. Cathy provided more evidence, telling us how Abby would introduce herself by saying, "I'm Abby Cabbie. My wine is really good!" It was very hot and Craig went the extra mile, hooking us up with a refrigerated box.

Summary

We had a great time at Pleasant Valley. The location and hospitality were second to none.

Spring Passport

I hemmed and hawed for a couple of weeks before finally deciding the Thursday before Spring Passport to hit a couple of wineries.

Using my wine app, I quickly worked up an itinerary of wineries I had never visited:

• Roudon-Smith Winery
• Pleasant Valley Vineyards
• Pelican Ranch Winery
• Trout Gulch Vineyards which was pouring at Equinox Champagne Cellar

I let Bob know what I was thinking, since we always enjoy wine tasting with them, and they already owned a Santa Cruz Mountains Passport. He talked to the boss and said they were in.

Saturday morning Bob and Carolyn showed up just before 10. We piled into the Civic and headed over the hill. Luckily, traffic wasn't backed up yet and we made good time to Watsonville. That temperatures were in the 90s, which was unseasonably warm. I knew it would send everyone over the hill to the beach, which was one of the reasons why we left so early.

Surprisingly, we ended up at the Winermakers Studio. We were greeted by Mica Raas who told us about the co-op and the 3 wineries that were pouring there that day. He told us Al Drewke from Roudon-Smith must have hit some traffic coming over the hill, but he should be along any minute. He explained that while he wasn't a member of SCMWA, he honored passports and would love to share his wine with us. He didn't need to ask us twice.

Mica Cellars

Mica appeared young, but he explained that he had been making wine for the past twelve years and at a number of different places. Judging from his wine, he has learned a lot along the way.

I asked him where his name came from; he said it was biblical (Micah), but that he was named after the rock (Mica).

Mica infectiously poured us his creations. He showed real passion for his terrior driven wines. He poured Sauvignon Blanc, Zin, Charbono, which is apparently in low supply due to the inability to mechanize the vineyards, and CFM, his bordeaux style blend.

His labels had a color scheme to associate the taste. He said blue candy doesn't taste like blueberries, it tastes like blue. I'm not certain I totally grasped it, but it was an interesting idea and the labels looked nice.

He also told us about his 91 point, "exceptional" Pinot, which he only served to Wine Club members. Bob quickly asked if he were to purchase a bottle would he allow us to taste it. Mica agreed, pouring us a taste. When Carolyn tried this she proclaimed it delicious, which is a gold star for any wine. I had to agree.

All the wines were very nice. My favorites were the Pinot and Zin. Additionally, Sue liked the Charbono, which I thought tasted interesting but didn't quite work for me. I even liked the Sauvignon Blanc, which is a rarity.

The prices were very reasonable, bottles were $20 or $30. Wine club members received 50% off. Bob joined, making each of the wines $10 or $15. An amazing deal!

Roudon-Smith Winery

Al had arrived and was ready to start pouring as soon as we finished with Mica. He told us that they make wine that fits the fruit instead of forcing everything into the California style.

When I asked if he was Roudon or Smith, he told us a bit of their long history going back to 1972. Last year they split with their partner when they wanted to head different directions. This lead to two "new" wineries: Roudon-Smith Winery and Skov Winery.

Al poured started us out with Chard, followed by a very nice Pinot with hints of spice. This was probably my favorite.

Al pours us a taste

Next Al poured us the RSW Cuvee, their blend which used to be called Claret. It was very drinkable and seemed an incredible deal at $15. It tasted to me like koolaid, which gave everyone else a good laugh. Of course the Nebraskan thinks koolaid is a good taste. :) The Zin and Duet were also very good.

As a plus, Roudon-Smith Winery was paying the sales tax.

Bump Wine Cellars

Unfortunately, someone came in that was strongly perfumed; this set off Carolyn's asthma, so we had to leave before we could try Bump which recently relocated from Sonoma.

Pleasant Valley Vineyards

Next we went to Pleasant Valley. See my post.

Summary

Winemakers Studio is a nice place to visit. The wine is incredibly reasonable. The wine makers are knowledgeable and entertaining. Like other urban wineries, it doesn't have the scenic views of many of the Santa Cruz Mountains wineries. However, it does have the advantage of providing access to a couple of wineries in one place.

Grenache Village

For the longest time Paul had been thinking we should do a Grenache tasting. Knowing this, I saved all the Grenaches I ran into for the eventual event. During the Christmas break, we finally got a chance to do the tasting.

Parker took a billion pictures, and this was the best one

Grandma watched the twins, allowing Paul and Jennifer to get out for a much needed break to taste some wine. We tasted five red Grenaches and had a wonderful dinner. Both of the girls had their favorites. Jennifer loved the Storrs, whereas Sue loved the Ridge. I thought all the wines were good, but none particularly struck my fancy.

Results

Top to Bottom from Left to Right

E - 2008 Marilyn Remark, Wild Horse Road Vineyard, Monterey County came in first place with an average rating of 3.45. It cost $45. Sue and I brought this from our Monterey River Road trip with Ted and Shannon.

D - 2008 Storrs, Central Coast came in second place with an average rating of 3.23. It cost $26. Paul and Jennifer brought this.

A - 2004 Ridge, Lytton Estate came in third place with an average rating of 3.15. It cost $33. Paul and Jennifer brought this.

B - 2008 Marilyn Remark, Los Ositos Vineyard, Monterey County came in forth place with an average rating of 3.13, so close to 3rd. It cost $32. Sue and I also brought this from our  Monterey River Road trip.

C - 2009 Nicholson Vineyards, Old Vine Grenache, Santa Clara Valley came in last place with an average rating of 2.98, so close to everyone liking it. It cost $27. Sue and I brought this from our Corralitos Wine Trail trip.

Pathways to Pinot - House Family Winery

It was pouring and I was still recovering from the cold that had hit me earlier in the week, but this didn't stop me from thinking I could use the Pathway to Pinot Paradise event to further my goal to visit all the wineries in the area. I'm crazy that way.

I made a list of the participating Santa Cruz Mountain wineries I had yet to visit:

• Beaurgard Vineyards
• Hallcrest Vineyards
• House Family Winery
• Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery
• Pelican Ranch Winery
• Pleasant Valley Vineyards

At first I wanted to go over the hill, but the rain and my hazy head made me think something closer would be better. I settled on starting at House Family Winery.

Sue and I headed out into the wet weather after enjoying a late breakfast of eggs.

House was surprisingly close, only 3.5 miles away. We were the first arrivals of the day. The weather was worse there, the wind was really whipping. I wondered if anyone else would be braving the weather that day. Jim House and Jim Cargill and his son welcomed us from their white tasting tent, a heated, mostly dry patch of wine tasting warmness.

Jim House answered our questions as he poured us a vertical, 2010, 2008, 2009, of their scrumptious Pinot. 2010 was the first sold to the public. 2008 and 2009 were not available in enough quantity for the public to enjoy. At times the wind ripped through the canvas of the tent creating quite a roar, making it nearly impossible to hear what was being said. I somewhat humorously questioned whether the structure would hold; they assured us it was anchored to some rocks.

Rock Anchoring

Jim followed the vertical up with a barrel sampling that they themselves had only tasted for the first time 20 minutes before. He completed the tasting with a white burgundy styled Chardonnay and their Cabernet Sauvignon, which they are mostly known for.

House mostly sells their wine directly and through their club. Jeffery Patterson of Mount Eden fame is their wine maker.

On warmer days the tastings are held outside. We were shown pictures of the location on an iPad. The sunny pictures looked great and were quite a contrast. From the tent you could see up the hill to part of the vineyard and the backside of the tasting area.

Eventually another car came by, carrying 4 wine enthusiasts, and then another. By the time we were ready to head on, 6 other crazies were enjoying the House Family wines with us. The storm had died down enough to take some pictures outside the tent.

Private Vineyards Seen From the Back of the Tent

Sue and I had quite an adventure visiting the House Family Winery. We took home some of the Pinot and Cab to enjoy later. I'll mark them off my list, but I'll keep them in mind for a nice day, when we can enjoy their real tasting area.

Winery Details