melissa

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Spend Your Bones on Three Sticks, Not Stones!

I get to Napa and Sonoma often. It’s common knowledge that this part of our country has some wonderful wines, but the area is also well known for some exquisite food! I’ve had some of my very favorite meals in Northern California.

My husband and I adore the charming town of Healdsburg, located in the northern part of Sonoma County. Surrounded by world class AVAs such as Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Chalk Hill and Alexander Valley, the town of Healdsburg has a delightful town square. Shops, art galleries, wine tasting rooms and some fabulous places to dine surround this quaint downtown plaza area.

A year or so ago my husband and I were chatting with some people while tasting at Thumbprint Cellars’ tasting room in the square. The gal with whom we were talking was headed to her shift just down the street at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen, and suggested we head there for dinner and sit at her table. I’d always wanted to dine there, so we took her up on the offer!

The experience was fabulous!!! The food was wonderful and the wine list sublime. They were also pouring a special wine that night, and the kind sommelier made sure our glasses weren’t left out! The wine was a Cabernet Sauvignon from Three Sticks Winery. This Cab was so velvety and flavorful, with lots of fruit, but some earth too. My husband and I knew that we’d found a gem! When we returned home I got on their mailing list! With our first allocation I ordered some of their 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. 

We opened a bottle last night with some friends, and it was definitely the wine of the night. With a dark ruby color, this aromatic wine has smoke, licorice and black currant on the nose. On the palate are cassis, blackberry, black cherry, soft tannins and a long and lovely finish. This wine is definitely a winner! It’s drinking well now, and will only get better with some time in the bottle. I’m glad I still have a couple in my cellar, and wish I had more.

Three Sticks Winery now has a tasting room in downtown Sonoma. I haven’t been there yet, but you know that it’ll be on my list for my next Sonoma County visit. Find out more here:

http://www.threestickswines.com

http://www.charliepalmer.com/dry-creek-kitchen/

 

Do You Love Italy???

Lo amo l’Italia!  I love Italy!  I love the Italians!  And I love their wines!!!!!

The times I’ve visited Italy have been delightful.  It’s a spectacularly beautiful country with the nicest people and fabulous wine!!!

Shopping at my favorite wine shop in Orlando last week, I was introduced to a really fun (and not overpriced) Italian wine.  The 2012 Torre d’Orti Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso is from the Veneto region, located in northeast Italy.

What is a Ripasso wine?  It is from the Valpolicella region north of the picturesque hometown of Romeo and Juliet, Verona.  “Ripasso” is Italian for “repassed”, and it refers to the process of fermented Valpolicella wine being “repassed” over the skins and lees left over from the fermentation process of Amarone wines.   This imparts extra color, texture and flavor to the Valoplicella wine!  This process also increases the alcohol content, because a second fermentation is induced.  This produces a wine that is bigger, darker and more flavorful and complex than the original Valpolicella.   Ripasso della Volpolicella received its own DOC designation in 2009.

This 2012 Torre d’Orti Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso is a blend of three varietals, Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.  The color is bright ruby red.  On the nose are dried plum, black cherry and chocolate.  The juicy palate is loaded with the black cherry and dark berries and is soft, with an almost creamy texture.

If you like big, juicy, fruity wines (for example, are you a California Zinfandel lover???) you’ll definitely enjoy this.  Check this one out!!!  I think that you’ll love it!

http://www.torredorti.com

Rockin’ Syrah from Chile

Want a great wine for a great price?  If you’re a lover of Syrah, and especially Syrah from the Northern Rhone, check out this winner from Chile!

The 2012 Merino Syrah is from the Limari Valley in Chile.  Located in the Coquimbo region north of Santiago, the Limari Valley has mineral rich soil and a similar climate to Marlborough in New Zealand, influenced by the Pacific Ocean.  This is a very dry area with an average of only four inches of rain per year.  Drip irrigation is allowed and used to water the vines.

The wine is a bright purple in color.  The nose screams ripe blueberries, with some mocha and a touch of smoky meat.  The palate has the juicy blackberries, olive juice and the meatiness.  The bright fruitiness is balanced by some earth and acidity making the wine taste very alive!   The tannins are sweet and velvety smooth.

If you’re a fan of Syrah, check out this wine.  It reminds me of a Syrah from the Northern Rhone and ROCKS for the retail price of about $15!

 

Good Friends, Great Chardonnay!

I love my friends!!!!  Friends get you through rough spots in life, and can also help you celebrate the highs.  Sometimes, friends also share really good wine!

My friend Lisa, (whose husband Michael chose the wine and even chilled it for us, so big kudos to Michael!) brought us a dynamite Chardonnay the other night to a “Girls” gathering.  Yes, this Chard is big and oaky, but it’s balanced and yummy too!

I enjoy a lot of different styles of wine.  Many “wine pros” hate Chardonnay.  Many “wine drinkers” love Chardonnay.  There are two sides to this story.

Chardonnay is a neutral grape.  It is often called the “winemakers grape”, because it can be influenced greatly by the people producing the end product.  It can sometimes be manipulated in a way that is not flattering, and in my opinion this is when Chardonnay gets a bad rap.  Chardonnay can also be LOVELY.  Some of my favorite wines in the world are Chardonnay, especially from the Burgundy region of France.

There are also great examples from other regions, including the New World.  A great example of a fun Chardonnay from the New World (Napa specifically) is the 2012 Staglin Family Salus Chardonnay.  Now would I want to drink this wine every night???  No, but then I wouldn’t want to drink ANY wine every night.  Well, except for Champagne, but that’s another story for another day!

This Staglin Salus Chardonnay is not pretending to be from Burgundy.  It is big and buttery.  It has a good amount of oak on the nose and palate.  It also, however, has some lovely acidity, with pear, green apple, and Meyer lemon to balance the whole thing out.  And the finish is long and lovely.

For me, there are times when I relish a big, buttery Chardonnay like this.  Personally, I think that it’s snobby to say that this is wrong.  If you are a lobster lover, this would be a great pairing.  Personally, I love some good old-fashioned buttered popcorn with this wine!

So whether you’re sitting down to a nice meal of rich seafood, or you’re sitting in front of the TV watching a fun chick flick and devouring some buttery popcorn, grab a bottle of the 2012 Staglin Family Salus Chardonnay.  Let me know what you think!  I can’t imagine you’d be disappointed.

http://www.staglinfamily.com

2009 Les Vins Jean Claude Debeaune Fleurie Clos des Quatre Vents

I love this time of year.  The change of the seasons is finally approaching.  Here in Florida the change is slight, but I relish the heat and humidity slowly diminishing.  The cooler evenings encourage me to sit on my deck and open a bottle of red instead of white.  And what better red is there to transition from summer into autumn than a light, fruity Gamay?  It’s slowly becoming a Beaujolais time of year!

With my husband on a recent adventure in Beaujolais!

In case you’re not privy to all things Beaujolais, here’s some information in a nutshell:

Beaujolais AOC is considered the most basic, and will also be the least expensive.  The grapes for these wines mainly come from less distinguished vineyards in the southern part of the region.  A large portion of this appellation is sold as Beaujolais Nouveau.

Beaujolais-Villages AOC is the intermediate category as far as the classification goes.  These wines come from 39 villages located in the midsection of the region where better quality grapes are grown.  Beaujolais-Village are often a blend from several villages.  Some wines from this appellation are also sold as Beaujolais Nouveau, but that is not very common.

Beaujolais Cru is the highest category of classification here.  In Beaujolais the phrase “cru” refers to 10 special villages, where in other parts of France “cru” refers to a specific vineyard.  The 10 Cru villages (more or less from North to South) are:

St. Amour – pretty, delicate wines

Juliènas – similar to St. Amour, but slightly beefier

Chénas – often keenly acidic, with notable minerality and fine tannin

Moulin-à-Vent – a top cru, very complex and muscular

Fleurie – aromatic, pungent wines that age well

Chiroubles – at their best, these are raw, gamey, and delectable

Morgon – another top cru; powerfully ripe fruit, amazing depth

Regnié – fresh, clean wines; generous, not terribly complex

Brouilly – dark wines, with notable bouillon flavors and strong tannin

Côte de Brouilly – a top cru: intense minerals & richness on the palate

The 2009 vintage in Beaujolais is considered to be brilliant.  Even Georges Duboeuf, the so-called “King of Beaujolais”, was quoted as saying “”For me 2009 is the vintage of the sun – in fact, this is the best vintage of my lifetime.  The [2009] Beaujolais Crus are opulent, exceptionally full-bodied and fabulous. This vintage will be talked about for years to come.”

So, the wine I cracked open to celebrate the beginning of fall was the 2009 Les Vins Jean Claude Debeaune Fleurie Clos des Quatre Vents!  I could see the opulence in the glass.  It was much darker in color than most Cru Beaujolais I’ve had.  I loved the aromas of jammy strawberry and black cherry, as well as violet.  The palate was elegant with strawberry, cherry and some great minerality.  This wine is a winner, and it has a nice price tag of about twenty bucks!  If you can find it at your local retailer, be sure to grab a few bottles!

Considering Beaujolais Nouveau is released next month, you may very well see my blog visiting this region again soon!

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