12,000 Page Views

I've never taken blogging about wine too seriously - you may have guessed this by the three postings in the last two years. While I'm always interested in promoting the great wine regions I am so fortunately surrounded by, the enjoyment I derive from blogging comes and goes. That said, I have never missed posting about a blind tasting, if only for future reference by my fiends who participated.

After my most recent posting, I took a look at the stats, just for grins.

Views

After almost 4 years, I've had 12,905 views.

Top Five Posts

• 2008 Cayuse "Bionic Frog" Walla Walla Valley Syrah came in first with 354 views.
• Bordeaux in a Box came in second with 245 views.
• Can I Get that Merlot in a Box? came in third with 221 views. 
• Silvertip VINEYARDS came in fourth with 210 views.
• How to Plan a Wine Tasting Trip came in fifth with 153 views.

Bionic Frog being #1 baffles me.

Adsense Earnings

Total Estimated Earning - $46.69
Estimated Earning from Clicks - $44.70
Estimated Earning from Views - $1.98

45th Birthday Tasting - Part 2 : Cabs

After enjoying dinner, a splurge of prime and kobe Fred Steak from Schaub's, we moved on to the Cabs.

2005 Ridge Montebello

We started by tasting the main event: The 10 year old beauty, 2005 Ridge Montebello, Bob and Caroline gave me for my 40th. It was truly a treat.

We then moved on to an 'at your leisure' tasting of my best cabs.

Results

It should be noted that while everyone tasted, not everyone provided their ratings, including yours truly. I was disappointed not to find Jennifer's thoughts on this, given her affinity for Napa cabs.

Top to Bottom from Left to Right

D - 2010 Frank Family Vineyards, Reserve, Rutherford came in first place with an average of 3.69. I picked this up on a Napa adventure with Dawn two years ago. This wine tasted fantastic then and even better now. They had an even better, more exorbitant Cab blend: The Winston Hill Reserve. Thanks Dawn for reminding me! If I ever return to the tasting room, you can bet I'll be looking for them both.

A - 1997 Silver Oak, Napa Valley came in a close second with an average of 3.60. Bob and CJ gave me this 18 year old masterpiece as well for some occasion that by no means warranted it. At this point you may be asking yourself who is Bob and how can I become friends with him. :) We are blessed with truly wonderful friends. Often they are far too generous. Whenever this generosity comes in the form of a bottle of wine, I always try and make certain the wine is enjoyed with them.

Silver Oak is the first bottle I ever purchased over $50 at the first wine bar I ever went to courtesy of my good friend Ted. We tasted with a nice older couple. I remember the wife said her favorite wine was Opus One. I had never heard of this wine. Ted told me it was a silly expensive, overrated wine.

C - 2009 Vine Cliff, 16 Rows, Oakville came in a third with an average of 3.26. At Ted's recommendation we toured Vine Cliff on our first real trip to Napa. It was a fantastic, beautiful, and informative two hour tour with just us and the wine maker. I will always remember it. It ended in tasting 4 wines: 2 white and 2 red. This is when I learned how expensive wine in Napa was.

Me: "This tastes great!"
Winemaker: "That's our $85 Estate. You liked that, try this."
Me: "Wow! That's even better!"
Winemaker: "That's our $150 reserve"

At this point I felt I had to buy something, so I bought one of each of the reds.

I'm not picking on Vine Ciff's incredible wine. It's all that expensive in Napa. This was just my first experience with the pricing.

At some point, When Wine Enthusiast gave the wine a 98. Ted and I bought one, betting who would open it first. I paid Ted the $20 I owed him to serve this wine.

B - 2011 Dariush, Napa Valley Cabernet Franc came in a last with an average of 2.66. We picked this bottle up on our last trip to Napa. The Dariush cab will always have a special place in my heart after the Return to Napa Cab Tasting. I'll never forget opening up #1. I still can't believe it was an Opus One that beat the Dariush; what a wonderful gift to share.

I was shocked to read the bottle the next day and discover that this was the Cab Franc instead of the Cab I had intended to use. Doh! I'm going blind in my old age, that and their bottles look very similar. This wine was also too warm, which was unfair to it. It was incredibly chocolatey too.

Russian River Ads

After publishing my last post, I was treated to this ad when I viewed the blog.

 I don't think the ad picking algorithms got the jist of the Russian River, or perhaps I don't.

45th Birthday Tasting - Part 1: Pinots

For my 40th birthday, our dear friends the Fosters gave me an incredible gift: A 2005 Ridge Montebello. I had tasted Montebello once before at Ridge, but never imagined owning one. Bob told me to cellar it for 5 to 8 years. After 5 years, I figured it was ready to taste, and I vowed to bring my best wines to taste alongside it. Anyone that knows me must be shocked to read I actually cellared something for 5 years. My good friend Ted regularly offers to store my special purchases, knowing I'm apt to open them prematurely. The first time I bought a case of futures, I don't think any of them survived to the recommended age of 3 years. But after wasting a good number of bottles, I've mostly learned my lesson.

2007 Marcassin Pinot

We started the tasting with another bottle Bob and Caroline had given me for one of my birthdays: A 2007 Marcassin Pinot. I had never heard of this exquisite, rare wine made by Helen Turley until Bob put it in my hands. After reading about its scarcity, how hard it was to get on the list, and seeing how exorbitantly priced it was directly (let alone on auction) I tried to return it. Bob, of course, wouldn't have anything to do with it. I tried to open it on a couple of previous occasions when the Fosters were around, but could never muster the courage. After breaking the cork (doh) I strained it into my best decanter, and let it sit for 2 plus hours before we all enjoyed this incredible treat.

We then went on to an "at your leisure" Pinot blind tasting of the best my cellar had to offer. All of the Pinots were allowed to breathe 2 plus hours.

Results

Top to Bottom from Left to Right

Our First Bottle

B - 2012 Kosta Browne, Russian River Valley came in first place with an average of 3.30. We first experienced this wine in Las Vegas at Aureole; it’s a great restaurant, but the attraction was the 3 story wine tower with angels that fetched wine in a Mission Impossible-esque way we had seen on TV. We were seated in the swan room and were only able to see the tower in action from the outside and on the walk in and out of the restaurant. On the up side, we did have a swan swimming just outside the window. I was attracted to Kosta Browne on the iPad containing the wine list due to its mention in a couple of "Best California Pinot" searches I had done when looking for places to go. After the half bottle we enjoyed there, we joined the waiting list, and currently purchase the maximum number of bottles a year they allow us to purchase - four.

D - 2012 Halleck Vineyard, Estate came in second place with an average of 3.29, a virtual tie (TM) for first. We encountered this winery on our first trip to the Russian River. It was available by the glass at Stark's Steak & Seafood, a recommended steak house we walked to that was literally on the other side of the tracks from where we were staying. While enjoying a great steak, "Potato Skin" fondue, and truffled french fries, I discovered one of my favorites, the Three Sons Cuvee Pinot. That same night, Sue discovered one of her favorites, the Sapphire Hill Pinot. All Halleck wines are treats in our house, but a bottle of the Estate is a once a year (if that) celebration.

A - 2012 Patz & Hall, Pisoni Vineyard came in third place with an average of 3.11. Ted turned us onto this winery; their Sonoma House was our last stop on our Wine-Train-gift-certificate-inspired adventure to Sonoma and Napa last year. We joined the winery so that Ted could get some Pisoni - it's only available in limited club allocations. We enjoy the wine too, but mostly I blame Ted. :) They offer a billion Pinot and Chard varieties, so you can't help but find some you love; so far it's been an exercise in cellaring.

C - 2012 Thomas Fogarty, Rapley Trail, Henry Ayrtons’ Block, came in last place with an average of 2.22. We were tricked into rejoining Fogarty when they informed us that, while getting their records in order, they had discovered that we never received a club shipment we paid for a number of years ago. While picking up the the shipment, they plied us with all sorts of great wine, "tricking" us into rejoining. We encountered the Henry Ayrtons at a special tasting with the wine maker and owners at Fogarty.

At this point you no doubt realize that the best of my cellar is way too young, and you probably question if I've actually learned to cellar anything at all. You'll just have to take my word for it.

I'm going to cellar one of each of these to try again in two to three years.

2014 Birthday Tasting

While walking one night on our quest to satisfy our Fitbit slave master, Sue and I decided the seeing our friends trend line was going the wrong direction and we should do something about it. We decided to have a tasting. The closest open date we had was close to my birthday, so we called it a birthday tasting (shocker!). Even more shocking was that I decided to have a Pinot tasting.

As soon as we got confirmation from the majority I was off to the races, searching for the most interesting Pinots I could find. In the end I busted my budget and purchased close to a case from K&L alone. Somehow, the idea that it's your birthday puts one into splurgefest mode.

We washed all the glasses in preparation. You would think this would be easy, but even with Stem Shine Crystal Dishwashing Powder, the supposed solution to all our woes, and vinegar it proved challenging. In the end, we prevailed, or at least no one complained.

All the glasses we could find

There was one misunderstanding. A white Pinot was brought. I apologized to its owner since I hadn't clarified which type of Pinot. I will make certain this is clear next time. For this reason F was removed from the tasting at its owners request.

Sue made bacon wrapped potatoes, a recipe my sister Kellie turned us on to. Yum. We had more meats and cheeses than one could ever hope to eat. For the main course, we splurged on 11.2 lbs of Prime and Kobe Fred's Steak from Schaub; Bob and Paul turned me on to this stuff; it's crazy delicious meat. We ate, we tasted, we rated, all while enjoying each others company.

Results

Top to Bottom from Left to Right

E - 2012 Landmark Vineyards Overlook came in first place with an average of 3.71. It was on sale at Safeway for $20 with a club card, $30 normally. Jose chose this because there were only a few left. Sadly Jose was gone for the tasting, picking up Lili at the airport. They both arrived later to enjoy his victory.

H - 2010 Clos Pepe Estate, Sta. Rita Hills came in second place with an average of 3.39. It cost $60. Paul and Jennifer brought this because its sign said Robert Parker gave it 95 points.

D - 2011 Walter Hansel, Russian River, North Slope Vineyard came in third place with an average of 3.17. It cost $38. Carlos and Ling brought this. Carlos figured something from the Russian River was a good idea.

B - 2010 Miner, Garys' Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands came in fourth place with an average of 3.03. It cost $50 on sale. Ted and Shannon brought this. Shannon chose this; Ted made sure we all knew his reputation for winning wasn't on the line. She wanted to bring an Oregon pinot, but couldn't find one, so settled on a Gary's Vineyard pick.

J - Silvertip, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains came in fifth place with an average of 3. Michel brought this. It cost $28 with his club discount, $35 regularly. He brought it because he knew at least Jose, Ted, me and him really enjoy it.

G - 2006 Freeman, Sonoma Coast came in sixth place with an average of 2.87. It cost $50. Sue and I brought this. This was the second oldest of the ones I bought from KnL. I found it on a list googling for the best California Pinots.

A - 2000 David Bruce, "Commemerative", Santa Cruz Mountains came in 7th place with an average of 2.83. It cost $50. Sue and I also brought this. I found it while searching for Santa Cruz Mountains wines I've never tried on K&L. It even came in its own box. It was probably a little over the hill.

C - 2008 Thomas, Dundee Hills came in eight place with an average of 2.56. It cost $114. Mac and Rebecca brought this. Mac picked it, trying to get something nobody had tried before.

I - 2006 Vosne-Romanee, 1st Cru - Les Suchots came in last place with an average of 1.68. It cost $60. Bob and Caroline brought this French wine. The clerk recommended it.

I may not have found any incredible Pinots, but I had an great time with my family and friends.

After the tasting, we enjoyed all the Picchetti Zin I had in my cellars, even the 3 Ted had asked me to pick up.

An Ideal Wine Followup : Rhys Vineyards

Reading An Ideal Wine turned me on to the interesting Rhys Vineyards.

I signed up for their mailing list on their web site and received an unfortunate response:

9/19/11

"We have added you to our waiting list. We currently sell all of our wine to our active mailing list. We estimate that there is a 1-2 year wait before you will be able to purchase wine and move onto our active mailing list."

A year later it was more of the same:

9/20/12

"We would like to thank you for your interest in our wines and for your patience. Unfortunately, we do not have enough wine to add new customers to our mailing list at this time. We do expect this situation to improve by early next year. We will be in touch in late January, hopefully with an email offering for you to order from our Spring 2013 Release!"

It all turned around this year:

1/15/2013

"It's been almost two years since we've been able to offer wine to customers on our waiting list and we are excited to finally be able reward your patience. This offering of 2010 Rhys Bearwallow Pinot Noir is a great introduction to Rhys and we believe it is our best Anderson Valley bottling to date."

They allowed/allotted me to order 4 bottles of 2010 Rhys Bearwallow Pinot Noir at $60 a pop. I begrudgingly purchase special wines in that price ranges on occasion, but rarely one's I've never tried. 4 untasted and expensive bottles seemed extremely risky, and probably stupid, but it was my first allotment, and I didn't want them to forget about me in the future. I also put 2 bottles of 2010 Rhys Family Farm Vineyard Pinot Noir on my wish list, but was informed later that none of my wishes could be fulfilled.

The bottles arrived yesterday and we eagerly tried one last night. It tasted good, but young, and dissappointing. I reviewed the accompanying documentation to find: "We recommend cellaring all of our wines for 5+ years to reveal their full personality...". 5 minutes of in glass aeration does not equate to 5 years of in bottle aging. I marked the other 3 to open in 2018 and put them in the frig. I guess we'll know how ideal it is in 5 years, 7 years after reading about them. I'm not certain I'll purchase any from the next allotment; we'll see how silly I am then.

Putting the Chronicle's Gold Pinots to the Test

After reading the results of the 2013 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, I set about getting a hold of all of the Double Gold and Gold winning Pinots from the Santa Cruz Mountains for a tasting.

Double Gold
2008 Muccigrosso Vineyards

Gold
2011 Beauregard Vineyards, Byington
2010 Savannah Chanelle Vineyards Muns Vineyard
2010 Savannah Chanelle Vineyards Regans
2010 Soquel Vineyards Reserve

Tasting

The weekend of Pinot Paradise we all got together. We started off with a delicious 2011 Beauregard, Bald Mountain, Chardonnay. All the usuals except Lili were in, 10 of us in total, requiring more than the usual one starter. I added a nice 2011 Woodenhead, French Colombard. We enjoyed cheese, Michel's truffle pâté, some scrumptious, sometimes mouth burning bacon wrapped potatoes, and catching up as we waited for everyone to arrive.

I brought out my Waterford wine glasses, a gift from years ago. The weekend before I gave all the glasses a 10 minute dip in a vat of CLR to remove all those embarrassing hard water stains that had prevented their appearance.

Jose arrived with a wonderful gift, a birthday gift if you will: A 2009 Stag's Leap Cellar, Fay. He told me that it was supposed to be really good and it had been given a rating in the mid 90s. I was thankful for the gift. At the time I found it ironic, thinking that Jose had rated the same wine, although a different vintage, a 1 in our Return to Napa Cab Tasting. Paul had brought the 2007 Fay and still gets riled up whenever Jose's rating is mentioned. I knew everyone would get a kick out of this and dutifully told them as they arrived. Jose later claimed the 2009 was rated much higher than the 2007. I didn't follow up.

Correction: The following Monday Jose alerted me that my ginkgo hadn't been working. In the Return to Napa Cab Tasting, Jose actually gave the Fay a 3. I had confused this with another tasting where Jose gave Paul and Jennifer's SLV a 1. My sincerest apologies for the accidental slander Jose.

Bob and Carolyn arrived with a lovely arrangement of tulips, which Sue couldn't stop going on about.

After everyone arrived, we tasted, compared notes, and enjoyed each other's company.

Results

Top to Bottom from Left to Right

C - 2010 Soquel Vineyards, Partner's Reserve, Santa Cruz Mountains came in first place with an average of 3.65. It cost $60.

We went to Soquel earlier in the year. We even bought this award winning Pinot. Unfortunately, I bobbled it when transferring it into the house, breaking it in the driveway. I was glad to see it on the list, so I could try it again. I called them up and ordered another one for the tasting.

E - 2010 Savannah Chanelle Vineyards, Regan Vineyard came in second place with an average of 3.54. It cost $50.

My daughter Alex needed some practice before taking her license test, so she drove us up to Savannah Chanelle. We picked up their winners, which interestingly enough, were not even being generally sold yet.

D - 2011 Beauregard, Byington Vineyard came in third place with an average of 3.48. It cost $40.

Sue and I went to Beauregard for Winter Passport and luckily picked up a couple of their 2011 Byington.

A - 2010 Savannah Chanelle Vineyards, Muns Vineyard came in fourth place with an average of 3.19. It cost $50.

B - 2008 Muccigrosso Vineyards came in last place with an average of 2.95. It cost $35.

We had never tried Muccigrosso. They do not have a tasting room. You can purchase their wine from the website and they'll bring it to your door. I mistakenly got the wrong vintage, 2009, and they were gracious enough to get me the 2008. After trying them both, I believe I prefer the 2009.

After

Sue then served us a spectacular meal of seafood chowder, lobster mac and cheese, coleslaw, and beef, chicken, and shrimp kabobs. We enjoy some Windy Oaks and a Domaine Serene that Michel brought.

For dessert we enjoyed a delicious Kahlua cake Shannon made and some Mochi Jose brought.

What was Left of the Cake

We saved the Artimesis Paul and Jennifer brought, along with the Fay for another day, perhaps even another tasting.