Pulling The Cork

Taste & Talk 2008 Passaggio Chardonnay

Our Taste & Talk with Cindy Cosco (@passaggio on Twitter) of Passaggio Wines wrapped up yesterday.  It was really a great conversation and very interesting.  If you are interested in getting caught up you can check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.  Trust me, if you missed it you want to check it out.  Cindy is a very interesting person and came to wine making from a unique place. 

I am actually a little bummed we are finished with our chat but Cindy has agreed to let us check in with her as she tends to her 2009 wines.  She is basically going to open up her wine making process to share it with you - the readers of PTC and the watcher of PTC TV.  Should be fun to follow along with her through the process of making her 2009 vintage. 

Today's episode of PTC TV is a review of the 2008 Passaggio Chardonnay.  Cindy is making her Chardonnay in more of a European or French style in that it is unoaked and she doesn't put the wine through malolactic conversion as so many other California Chardonnay makers do.  As always, our complete written tasting note is below the video.  We hope you enjoy this episode of PTC TV!

Please note:  Pulling The Cork received this wine as a sample from Passaggio Wines.

2008 Passaggio New Generation Chardonnay- USA, California, Sonoma
Wine was tasted at 56 degrees.  In the glass it was clear, pale straw in color with some gold toward the edge.  The nose revealed very robust and intense aromas of tropical fruit, grapefruit, green apple, pear and some florals.  The bouquet revealed a hint of minerality.  Overall a pretty complex aroma profile.  The mouthfeel was full bodied which surprised me for a Chardonnay that didn't undergo malolactic conversion.  There was a very lively and bright acidity with flavors of citrus, grapefruit, green apple, Bosc pear, mango and lemon zest with some honeysuckle and minerals underneath the fruit.  A very complex and layered flavor profile that was bursting with fruit.  Very crisp and refreshing.  The finish was moderately long with lingering flavors of green apple, pear, lemon zest and wet stones.  This is a surprisingly excellent wine for $13.00 a bottle.  So European or French in style versus the splinter pulling, butter stick chewing Chardonnays that have become all the fad in California. 

Highly recommend this wine! 50+5+13+18+7=93 pts (click here to learn more about what these number mean)

Taste & Talk 2007 Seven Artisans Petite Sirah

We hope you have enjoyed our first Taste & Talk with Jeff Miller of Artisan Family of Wines.  Part 1, Part 2,  Part 3 and Part 4 of the interview can be found by clicking on each of the links and so far we have reviewed the 2008 Red Côte Rosé, 2005 Sly Dog Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2006 Seven Artisans Meritage.

We are now down to the fourth and final wine from Jeff and Artisan and today's episode of PTC TV is a review of the 2007 Seven Artisans Petite Sirah.  The video tasting note below includes some comments from Jeff about the vineyard where he grew the Petite Sirah, his approach to crafting this wine and some thoughts on the tannin and alcohol components of the wine.  The wine is 100% Petite Sirah, 14.9% ABV and there were 475 cases produced. 

As always the written tasting notes (taken over two days of tasting) are below.  We decanted the wine for 2 hours before the video tasting.

Please note:  Pulling The Cork received this wine as a sample from Artisan Family of Wines.

2007 Seven Artisans Petite Sirah - USA, California, North Coast, Suisun Valley
Decanted for 2 hours.  100% Petite Sirah.  14.9% ABV.  Very deep, dense and intense blue/purple and the color only diminished slightly as it got to the edge.  The nose was huge and intense with aromas of ripe blackberry, plum, blueberry and a touch of rose petals.  The bouquet was fresh ground black pepper, cinnamon and a hint of sage.  A pretty complex nose.  In the mouth this was full bodied and chewy with very firm and big tannins.  The tannins were very pronounced and typically mpoyh drying for Petite Sirah.  There was some good acidity which, if you aren't paying attention, could get overlooked behind the tannins - but the acidity is there. The flavor profile was ripe dark cherries, blackberry, plum, blueberry and briar patch with more black pepper, sage and some clove.  The finish was long with the 14.9% alcohol almost completely masked behind the fruit and spice.  Blacberry, plum, black pepper and cinnamon lingered. 

Day 2 - Now open for 24 hours, the aroma and bouquet were the same as Day 1 and almost as intense.  The flavor profile was the same with the fruit coming much more to front and becoming a bit more lush.  The big tannins were still very present but a bit more soft and playing in better harmony with the acidity and flavors than the previous day.  Still very full bodied with a long finish.

A complex wine that is spot on correct for the varietal with the acidity and tannin structure to age well for 10-20 years.  The big tannins may scare some off and this wine is not for everyone but for $17.99 this is another good value from Artisan Family of Wines.  Highly recommended! 50+5+13+17+8=93 pts (click here to learn more about what these number mean)

Taste & Talk 2006 Seven Artisans Meritage

Recently we finished our first Taste & Talk segment with Jeff Miller of Artisan Family of Wines.  The four episode conversation was an excellent start to this ongoing series of conversations with wine makers, winery owners, vineyard managers and others associated with bringing wine to your table.

Part 1, Part 2,  Part 3 and Part 4 of the interview can be found by clicking on each of the links and so far we have reviewed the 2008 Red Côte Rosé and the 2005 Sly Dog Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.

Today on PTC TV we are tasting and reviewing the third of four wines from Artisan Family of Wines - the 2006 Seven Artisan Meritage.  As is our standard operating procedure the written tasting notes can be found below the video.  Enjoy!

2006 Seven Artisans Meritage - USA, California, North Coast, Suisun Valley
Decanted for 3.5 hours.  89.5% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, .25% Malbec and .25% Petit Verdot.  14.1% ABV.  The wine was clear with a deep purple or garnet core and slight ruby out toward the edge.  The nose revealed rose petals, ripe red cherries, leather, cocoa powder and black cherries.  The nose was fairly intense, medium intensity I would say.  In the mouth this was full bodied with a pretty good balance of acidity and tannin though a tiny bit on the tannic side.  That said the tannins weren't bitter or rough but firm and well structured.  The flavor profile was ripe red cherries, black cherries, chocolate, earthy mushroom, a subtle but very nice tobacco leaf and black currant.  There was a bit of vanilla and cedar lingering behind the flavor profiles but it was very subtle.  The finish was pretty long with more ripe red cherries, cocoa powder, mushroom, vanilla and cedar lingering.  A fairly complex wine with the acidity and tannin structure to age well for 5-10 years.  Nice layers of flavor in the mouth and the wine improved as it got more air in the glass and decanter.  For $17.99 this is another good value from Artisan Family of Wines.  This is very Bordeaux in style but at a fraction of the price of many better wines from Bordeaux.  The price is incredibly low for a wine of this quality.  Highly recommended! 50+5+13+16+7=91 pts (click here to learn more about what these number mean)

Taste & Talk 2005 Sly Dog Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

If you have been hanging out at Pulling The Cork you know we are in the middle of our first Taste & Talk series with Jeff Miller of Artisan Family of Wines.  You can get caught up by checking out Part 1 and Part 2 of our conversation with Jeff as well as our video review of Artisan's 2008 Red Côte Rosé.

Today on PTC TV we are going to taste and review one more of Artisan's wines before we go back to sharing other parts of our conversation with Jeff.  The wine for todays episode is the 2005 Sly Dog Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Jeff will get into some detail about the wine in today's episode but here are a couple of quick facts.  The 2005 vintage is the second release of Sly Dog Cellars Cabernet.  It comes from the well known Red Hills District of Lake County in California which is highly regarded for its distinct terroir.  The soil composition is mostly red gravely loam which allows for deep root penetration of the vine resulting in small and intensely flavorful grapes.  Temperatures during the day are very hot with very cool nights - ideal growing conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our final written tasting notes are below the video and we are also providing a link to Artisan's recommended Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon Cake.  It is sinfully good!  Enjoy this episode of PTC TV and the Sly Dog Cellars Cabernet!

Please note:  Pulling The Cork received this wine as a sample from Artisan Family of Wines.

2005 Sly Dog Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, North Coast, Red Hills Lake County
DAY 1 - Decanted for 1 hour, this wine wine was clear with a deep and intense garnet core and slight ruby at the edge.  The nose revealed rose petals, raspberry, black cherry and plum with a bouquet of vanilla and white pepper.  The nose moderate in intensity but the aroma and bouquet were quite easily identifiable.  In the mouth this was medium bodied with a perfect balance of acidity and tannin.  The tannins were firm and refined.  Unlike many California Cabs these days this was not an extracted fruit bomb but much more elegant with ripe raspberry, black cherry, juicy black plums and meat (game?) with subtle hints of vanilla, cedar and white pepper.  The finish was moderately long with dark plums, dark cherry and raspberry lingering with a touch of vanilla.  There were some nice layers and a decent amount of complexity make this a very nice and excellent value at $14.99 a bottle.  Interested to see how it is fairing tomorrow.  

DAY 2 - The wine has now been in the decanter for around 19 hours.  The nose is now much more intense with black cherry, cassis, blackberry, vanilla, smoke and dark chocolate.  The mouthfeel remained a medium body but was a touch more full with the acidity and tannins still in great balance for such a long time in the decanter.  The acidity made the fruit flavors of black cherry, blackberry, and raspberry really stand up considering the length of time it has been out of the bottle.  There was vanilla, a hint of anise and dark chocolate shavings behind the fruit.  The finish was still moderately long but the wine now had more layers to it and became a tad more complex.  On the finish it left behind black cherry, dark chocolate and vanilla.  I think the tannin and acidity levels should allow this to age well for the next 5-7 years, maybe longer, but it is drinking very well right now.  This is a very elegant and smooth drinking California Cabernet; a very nice change of pace from so many fruit bomb Cabernet that seems to dominate so much of the market.  The price is incredibly low for a wine of this quality.  Highly recommended! 50+5+13+16+7=91 pts (click here to learn more about what these number mean)

Taste & Talk 2008 Red Côte Rosé Artisan Family of Wines

We launched our Taste & Talk series by sharing parts of our conversation with Jeff Miller, Partner Owner and Head of Winemaking Operations for Artisan Family of Wines. 

In Part 1 Jeff shared some background on Artisan Family of Wines, the origins of the name and how he got started in wine making.  Jeff then talked about his winemaking philosophy, vineyard management approach and whether or not being a small boutique winery allows him to take more risks or forces him to play it a bit more safely in Part 2 of our conversation.

Today we are going to break into our conversation with Jeff to taste and talk about the first of four wines from Artisan - the 2008 Red Côte Rosé.  The Rosé is 65% Rosé of Merlot and 35% Rosé of Syrah, 12.5% alcohol by volume and the suggested retail is $12.99. 

I am not a big Rosé fan but after our chat with Jeff it seemed he was trying to do some things a bit different with this so, at the very least, I was intrigued to give it a go.  Here is the video tasting note(written notes are below) and it includes Jeff sharing some information on how he made this Rosé.

Please note:  Pulling The Cork received this wine as a sample from Artisan Family of Wines.

2008 Red Côte Rosé Artisan Family of Wines - USA, California, North Coast, Suisun Valley
Clear and bright the wine in the glass was a pale cranberry/strawberry in color.  The nose was moderately strong aromas of strawberry and orange blossoms with undertones of lime.  The bouquet showed some vanilla and a hint of spice.  The mouthfeel was light bodied with a good balance of acidity and sugar.  Much more lively acidity than other Rosé I have had but enough residual sugar to add depth.  The flavor profile was moderately complex with fresh strawberries, kiwi and a touch of tangerine with some minerality, vanilla and a very subtle touch of baking spice.  The vanilla and strawberry notes played off one another to give it a strawberry creme flavor. The finish is just a bit to the plus side of moderate with strawberry creme, kiwi and orange zest as it lingered. There is a little more complexity to this Rosé than many others I have had but I have to stop just short of calling it complex.  It is a very good wine for the price and a really nice summer wine. By far the best Rosé I have ever had!  Recommend this highly and drink it now! 50+5+12+16+5=88 pts (click here to learn more about what these number mean)

2007 Clayhouse Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

About a month ago I did a Taste & Talk on the 2006 Clayhouse Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.  When I tasted that vintage and posted my tasting note I mentioned I would also do a video tasting note on the 2007 vintage.  When I went to to pull the wine to prepare for the video I realized that I had given my last bottle to a client as a gift and mistakenly forgot to remove it from my cellar in Cellartracker. Thankfully the good people at Clayhouse, specifically Rusty Eddy, - Communications Director at Vintage New World who handles marketing for Clayhouse, read about my stupidity and sent out a bottle of the 2007 for Pulling The Cork.  In the interest of full disclosure that makes this a sample though if you have been hanging out with us you know we say it like it is around here regardless of how we acquire a wine.   

I am about to kick the proverbial dead horse again but no tasting note is complete without putting it into context with the region, vineyard, terroir, history, winery, wine maker etc. so please click here to read all about Clayhouse and their wines.  Here is the video tasting note followed by some important information on the 2007 vintage and bottling (the technical sheet from Clayhouse in .pdf) as well as our written tasting note and score.

Some Background Info

The grapes for the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc came from Block 12 of Clayhouse's Red Cedar Vineyard outside Paso Robles which is mostly shale and sandstone soil.  Harvested between August 15 and October 4, 2007 the whole cluster of grapes were given some contact time with the skins to give the wine some more character and the pressed juice was fermented cool at temperatures between 52 and 58 degrees (since we are in America we use Fahrenheit). 

The wine was aged in stainless steel tanks with 2% being barrel fermented before being bottled in mid March of 2008.  The final blend includes 7% Chenin Blanc 2% Roussanne and is 14% ABV.  Total production was 3,600 cases.

Tasting Note - The Non-Video Old School Written Version

2007 Clayhouse Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Clear, bright and pale straw with a touch of green in color. The nose was full of pineapple, Granny Smith apple, peach, fresh flowers, fresh cut grass (the flowers and grass coming from the Chenin Blanc in the blend).  A very nice nose with just a touch of baking spice in the bouquet (the Roussanne). The flavor profile was more pineapple, green apples and peach with some lemon zest, orange blossom and stone like minerality. Very alive with acidity making this refreshing and mouthwatering but it is nicely balanced. The finish is moderate with tropical fruit, flowers and peach remaining on the palate as it finished. This is a very good wine for the price and is an easy every day summer drinking wine. Recommend this highly and drink it now! 50+5+12+16+5=88 pts (click here to learn more about what these number mean)

Without question I recommend this wine as it offers really great quality for the price.  Go get ya' some!

 

Losing Our Taste Live Virginity With Robert Oatley

Last night Pulling The Cork (@pullingthecork for the Twitterati) participated in Taste Live for the first time.  You could say we effectively lost our Taste Live virginity to Robert Oatley Wines.  I will admit to a degree of skepticism about tasting using Twitter but this worked and it is a lot of fun.  The basic premise is that people from all over the world can join together tasting the same wine and share their thoughts about the wine in the same Twitter stream using the Taste Live hashtag of #TTL. 

Does all that jargon freak you out and make you think you are reading Cantonese?  It can be a bit overwhelming for sure but trust me it is pretty cool, easy to use and you should give it a shot.  In addition to the various tweets on the wines in the stream the good people at Hellovino did a live stream from Camp 4 Wine Cafe in Modesto and the entire mixed media approached really worked.  Great job!

We tasted three wines from Robert Oatley and the festivities got under way at 8:30 EST (5:30 PST and, I don't know CST- figure it out for those of you in the middle).  We started with the Pinot Grigio and here are my down and dirty tasting notes and scores (see Tasting Notes & Scores - How & Why) for all three wines from my lowest to highest (least favorite to most favorite):

*Please note, I received these wines as samples specifically for the Taste Live event.

2008 Pinot Grigio, South Australia - Could not find suggested retail or case production numbers
Composition: 100% Pinot Grigio
Region: Currency Creek, South Australia
Barrel Ageing: None
Alc/vol: 13.5%
RS: <0.40g/100mL
pH: 3.27
TA: 0.645g/100mL
Closure: Screw Cap-Stelvin Lux  

The nose was blowing some sauternes like elements behind grapefruit zest, star fruit and spice.  A light mouthfeel with super zingy acidity that almost had me drooling gave up a palate of more grapefruit zest, granny smith apples, some tropical fruits and white pepper.  A rather short finish with tropical fruit and white pepper lingering.  The pepper was an interesting and nice compliment to the bright fruits.  I thought it a bit thin compared to other PG's I have had recently and I did not find it to be varietally correct.  It gave off more of a Sauvignon Blanc profile than a Pinot Grigio profile to me.  Someone in the stream said there is 5% Riesling in the wine but I didn't find that on Oatley's website as it says it's 100% PG.  Oddly, after the wine warmed in the glass to the mid to upper 60 degree range it started to give off an aroma of armpit body odor.  To be fair, it was awfully warm at that point but it was something I have not experienced before.  50+4+11+15+5=85 pts.

2008 Rosé of Sangiovese, Mudgee, Australia - Suggested Retail $18.00 - 3,100 cases
Composition: 100% Sangiovese
Region: 100% Mudgee, New South Wales
Barrel Ageing: None
Alc/vol: 13.0%
RS: 0.30g/100mL Dry
pH: 3.42
TA: 0.61g/100mL
Closure: Screw Cap - Stelvin Lux

The nose was rather muted at first and I couldn't get much from it except a hint of fresh strawberries and herbs I couldn't make out.  I was tasting it at what should be an ideal temperature of 48 degrees so I don't think that muted the aroma.  As it warmed above 50 degrees (used the trusty static fish thermometer I recommended in our post on wine temps) the nose came out to play with soil covered strawberries, herbs, vanilla and rose petals.  The palate was strawberry creme, pound cake and thyme sprigs.  Refreshing acidity in balance with the flavors. Again, a bit of a short finish but strawberry shortcake, thyme and minerality left behind.  I am not a big Rosé drinker but this might make me think twice about that.  It is actually quite good.  50+5+11+17+6=89 pts. 

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Mudgee - Suggested Retail $20.00 - 5,600 cases
Composition: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot
Region: 100% Mudgee, New South Wales
Barrel Aging: 12 months in French Oak Barrels
Alc/vol: 13.0%
RS: <0.07g/100mL
pH: 3.70
TA: 0.670g/100mL
Closure: Screw Cap – Stelvin Lux  

Without question this was the wine of the night for me.  Decanted for 2 hours before the tasting though I snuck a peak taste on the pop and pour into the decanter.  This wine is EXACTLY why I recommend decanting big young red wines - see our post on that here.  On the sneak taste it was very tight and all wound up like a 5 year old on a sugar rush - very little being revealed.  2 hours of decanting made this wine sing.  The nose had a bit of Bordeaux fertile soil/barnyard funk I enjoy (some don't but I love it) with black cherries, blackberry, oak and smoke.  Actually quite interesting as I have never experienced that Bordeaux funk trait in an Aussie Cabernet blend before.  On the palate it was a medium edging toward full mouthfeel of lush black cherries, plum, baking spice, vanilla and old leather.  A wee bit tannic still but mostly in balance with good acidity.  A moderate to long finish of dark fruit, vanilla and smoke was pleasing.  It had some Bordeaux characteristics that I like though I am going to stop way short of saying it is on the same level as good Bordeaux.  A really good wine for the price though I don't think it is going to be something you can keep around for more than 5 years as it just doesn't seem to have enough structure for long term ageing.  50+5+12+17+6=90 pts.   

As the tasting started to draw to a close I was asked by a few people to take a pic of me drinking the Cabernet Merlot (which became known as the Caberlot in the tweet stream) directly from the decanter. 

I obliged and lest you think I did so as a result of drinking too much wine I was spitting most of the night and only began to drink AFTER Taste Live was over.  

Thanks to all the new friends we made last night and thanks to Craig Drollet from Bin Ends Wine(@bindendswine for the Twitterati) the innovator and brain behind Taste Live.  Also, special thanks to the guys at Hellovino (@hellovino and @calebsexton on Twitter) - can't wait for you to come by and taste that Grange and deliver the 3 Decanter Salute! 

We will definitely do Taste Live again - good times! 

The Wine Neophyte Experiment - Blind Tasting 2 Cabernet

I have always wondered if two neophytes to wine could tell the difference between really great wine and really good wine.  In a blind tasting would they choose, as their favorite, the wine that is widely regarded as one of the best or the wine that is a decent wine for the buck?

My opportunity to perform such an experiment occurred on July 4th weekend when my Father In-Law and Brother In-Law were in town for a visit.  I have done guided wine tastings with them before but their wine knowledge and experience is, to say it nicely, limited.  For example, Dad sometimes puts energy drinks and ice cubes in his red wine to, as he says, "cut down the chalkiness".

Now that you know the wine experience baseline of who is involved let me set this up for you.  Two wines were randomly chosen from my cellar by someone not involved in the tasting.  The only guidelines given to the chooser were:

1. The wine should be California Cabernet Sauvignon within two vintages of one another.

2. Use the Cellartracker community average scores to determine quality and be sure there is enough of a spread in average score to ensure a difference but not so much as to be easy.

3. The differential in price had to be more than $50.  In the interest of full disclosure I was told, priot to the tasting, that one was over $100 a bottle and one was around $11.99 a bottle. 

Each wine would be wrapped in aluminum foil and labeled A and B and each would be decanted for the same amount of time.  This video is a bit longer than I would normally like at 12 minutes so I broke it into two parts both available below.  I cut a ton of it out in the interest of time but couldn't cut anymore without losing substance...and some humorous moments.  If you just want to see the tasting notes they are below the vids.  So those are the rules and here is the video of the blind tasting.

Ok, just to make sure I clear something up.  I tasted these wine's blind and at the end the two wines were a surprise to me.  I was told, as noted above, that one wine was above $100 and clearly I mispoke when I said the Robert Mondavi was over $100 a bottle.  As I went back and checked what I paid and the current value I discovered I was clearly wrong.  I paid $95.99 a bottle and the average selling price according to Winebid.com is $91.09 at the time of this writing. 

Here are the tasting notes. 

WINE A - 2004 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve California, Napa Valley
Decanted for 1 1/2 hours for video tasting and decanted an additional 2 hours for a total decant of 3 1/2 hours prior to tasting again and writing tasting notes. Dark and dense deep purple with some ruby on the edge. An intense nose, filling the room and my nose with gobs and gobs of rich and juicy dark fruits, like walking through the dark fruit section of a high end grocer - ripe blackberry and black cherries with oak and chocolate. On the palate it was bursting with more of the dark fruit, blackberry, dark cherry, currant and plums with some spice, oak and vanilla. I also got a touch of mint. It had a long and delicious finish that just kept going and going.  Very well integrated and smooth tannins that give the fruit lots of backbone and a nice splash of acidity to liven it up. This is an elegant, well balanced and complex Cabernet - really what California Cabernet is all about. It is drinking incredibly well right now but the structure is in place for another 5 to 10 years of ageing I think. Robert Mondavi's memory and legacy live in this bottle. Wow what a wine! $95.99 retail.  50+5+14+18+9=96 pts.

WINE B - 2006 Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles - California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Decanted for 1 1/2 hours prior to video tasting and decanted an additional 2 hours for a total decant of 3 1/2 hours prior to tasting again and writing tasting notes.  Deep garnet with some reddish hues. Even after the long decant this was very tight and resisting. The nose was holding back but there was some Bordeaux style funk, red fruits and green vegetal aromas.  Medium bodied on the palate with more red fruit, plum, spice and smoke. The tannins were very forward and rough but there was some decent fruit structure and acidity in place. This may get better with some age, though I am not convinced of it, but right now the tannins are just way overpowering and a bit bitter. It could just be that it is such a baby and very tight.  I thought it would get better with 3 1/2 hours of air time but that thinking didn't come true.  It needs a ton more air time or a minimum of 3 more years of age to even find out if this could be something. $11.99 retail.  50+5+11+13+7=86 pts.

Bottom line, the best wine is the kind of wine you like and the kind of wine you drink regardless of price or pedigree.  Drink what you will!

Let us know if you have a suggestion for a tasting or a blind tasting and we will do our best to do it. 

Have you ever done a blind tasting?  If so, what has been your experience?

If you haven't done one and you would like to now, go ahead and record it and we'll post it here on PTC. 

2006 Clayhouse Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

It's summer and it seems appropriate to pop something "seasonally appropriate", if there is such a thing, after Rob's double dose of reds from Switchback Ridge.  Today I am going to share my thoughts and notes on the 2006 Clayhouse Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.  I know the 2007 is the newest release (the picture to the right is the 2007) and I plan to provide a tasting note for it as soon as I can get around to tasting it.  I also have to track it down because I thought I had it in my cellar and just discovered last night I gave it away as a gift to a business colleague of mine.  Oops, shame on me for not entering that into Cellartracker!

I first became aware of Clayhouse wines in 2005 when a friend of mine in the recruiting business recommended I try out their 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (the first vintage for Clayhouse and one of their first wines I believe) and it was impressive enough that I looked into their other wines.  I will bottom line it for you, I really do enjoy almost every wine in the Clayhouse repertoire.

NOTE: I believe that any tasting note should be put into context with information about the region, climate, geography, vineyard, winery and winemakers.  Without this information I believe any review or tasting note is incomplete and, to be perfectly honest, less interesting.  That said, I know some people just want to get right to the wine and the tasting note.  If that is you, scroll to the bottom to get the tasting note and data sheet. 

Regional Information

Clayhouse Vineyards is in the Paso Robles AVA (American Viticultural Area), the heart of California's Central Coast, which was established in 1983 and later expanded in 1997.  It is the fastest growing and largest geographical AVA with more than 26,000 acres planted to vineyards and almost 170 wineries calling it home.  The name comes from the native oak trees, El Paso de Robles - the pass of the oaks (I didn't know that, I had to look it up), which was shortened to Paso Robles when California gained independence from Mexico in 1850 (I am a history geek, what I can say?). 

Wine grapes were first planted in Paso Robles in 1797 by Franciscan missionaries for use in sacramental wine and European farmer immigrants revived the old missionary plantings in the 1860's after that whole historical independence thing I mentioned above.

The Climate

Summer growing season is warm and clear without much interference from mother nature (wind, fog, clouds etc.) with daytime high temperatures ranging from 85-105 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime lows between 40-50 degrees.  Harvest time in the fall is warm and relatively rain free with rainy season starting in November (8-45 inches annually), about two weeks later then the better known AVA's Sonoma and Napa Valley.  Winter temperatures can plunge into the 20's and the vines go to bed (dormant) completely by mid December.  Frost is still possible in to mid-May which may surprise some people who noted the serious heat of the summer above.  I live in Michigan so frost in July is a distinct possibility.   

Vineyard and Grapes

The grapes come from Clayhouse's 1,500 acre Red Cedar Vineyard, one of the largest contiguous vineyards in the Central Coast, which is divided into 30 individually farmed blocks planted with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malbec, Zinfandel and Petit Sirah.

The Winery and Wine Makers

Clayhouse is named for the 150 year old adobe building (clay-get it?) that sits on the edge of the Red Cedar Vineyard.  The new Clayhouse tasting room opened up in downtown Paso Robles in January of this year. 

Rick Middleton is the Proprietor and he comes from a family with a four generation long history in agriculture.  He and his family started Clayhouse wines in 2003.

David Frick is the wine maker and he can trace his lineage back to 1635 through seven generations of wine growers.  He honed his wine making skills in Napa Valley at well highly regarded Trefethen Vineyards and Spring Mountain Vineyard.  The wines are produced at Courtside Cellars Winery outside of San Miquel.

Vineyard Manager is Mike Clay who was born into agriculture in the Central Valley (do you see a theme developing here?) so he knows the soil, climate and character of the soil at Red Cedar better than anyone could.  He knows the soil and the grapes are in control which is something he learned from working with high profile wine makers Ed Sbragia, Chuck Ortman and Christian Rogenaunt. 

Ok, without further ado, let's taste the wine!

2006 Clayhouse Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (that link is to the technical or data sheet for the wine supplied by Clayhouse if you like that sort of thing - I do!)
A good, solid  and easy drinking Sauvignon Blanc for the summer. Very pale straw with a green tinge on the edge. Pleasing nose of citrus, pineapple, green apple, grapefruit and peach on the nose.  I also detected a  hint of pear which I found really interesting in a good way.  The aroma wasn't intense but present.  Bright and lively acidity, a nice attribute for a summer wine, marked a light mouth feel with melon, pineapple, grapefruit and general citrus notes. A refreshingly moderate finish with residual ripe citrus, green apple and baking spice flavors.  A nice SB that showed good balance and moderate complexity.  Drink 'em if you got 'em because I don't think they will last much longer.  50+5+12+16+6= 89 pts. (see Tasting Notes and Scoring to know what these number mean.)

I paid $16.49 a bottle for this wine and a year ago it was pretty available for $13.99 to $17.99 as Clayhouse had a 3,600 case production.  At that price point this is an excellent wine.  Looking forward to tasting and sharing my thoughts on the 2007 vintage...as soon as I can get my hands on it! 

2006 Cellers Can Blau Montsant

Without question Spain offers some of the best wine value for your dollar.  As I have had to cut back on my wine spending, like so many others, I have had to search out and find wines of quality that wouldn't empty the pocket book.  Spain was one of the first places I looked thanks in large part to researching the tasting notes and buying habits of those I trust on Cellartracker. 

Spain is the third largest wine producer in the world AND has the most land planted to vineyards of any nation in the world.  Wow! 

Compared to many wine lovers I know, my knowledge of Spanish wine is lacking.  But that is relative since I know some people who know a ton about Spanish wine.  That said, I have tasted a good number of Spanish wines (mostly red) and read everything I can about them.  The more I have learned the more I realize what I have been missing.  Hopefully our time together talking about this wine will prevent you from ignoring, like I did up until recently, Spanish wine.

The 2006 Cellers Can Blau Montsant was recommended to me by a wine and specialty foods retailer in Grand Rapids, Michigan called G.B Russo and Son.  Dave Russo is incredibly knowledgeable, the wine selection is vast and diverse, and the prices are very reasonable for retail.  If you are ever in or near Grand Rapids it is worth your time.  

So let's talk about this wine.  By the way, I have never been to Spain much less Montsant so most of what I am sharing with you comes from my reading, research and tasting which you can all do on your own.  I am just doing some of the leg work for you and condensing it...at least I hope I am condensing it.