November 2006

Chardonnay

Wines suitable for soirees
FIRST COURSE: The whites should have a bit more weight once you sit down at the table, so think lightly oaked chardonnay. The most elegant is Ontario's Malivoire 2004 Chardonnay ($22, 91), with apple, pear, mango, guava and quince complexity.

Beach inspires Bawley dream
"Local surfing spots have inspired the names of our wines, including the Gantry Chardonnay, No Toes Red, Guillotine Chambourcin and Moonlight Verdelho," she said. The couple grows a number of grape varieties including the French Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Verdelho and Chardonnay.

Malls All About Oregon offers wine finds
I had Foris Chardonnay ($4.75) with my salad and Covey Run Merlot ($5) with a prime-rib entre. You can get Foris Chardonnay for $4.50 a glass, $18 a bottle, Lindeman's Shiraz-Cabernet from Australia same prices or Beringer White Zinfandel from California for $3.75 or $14.

Daniel: How to buy party wine -- and stay on budget
Consider buying a couple of types of white, probably chardonnay and either sauvignon blanc or pinot gris/grigio. This is the most popular white, but the ABC (anything but chardonnay) crowd may refuse to drink it.

Wine brand popular in restaurants now hitting retail shelves
Now the vineyard, which is owned by Louisville, Ky.-based Brown-Forman, is releasing a new version, Sonoma Coast chardonnay, which will land on shelves nationwide in early December. According to the poll, Sonoma-Cutrer was named the top chardonnay served at the country's best upscale restaurants.

TASTINGS: Chardonnay for those elitist Democrats
Those chardonnay-sippers have certainly been in the spotlight this week. So with the elitists in mind, as well as everyone else who enjoys this beautiful wine, we asked our local experts to recommend chardonnay to drink this fall.

eLuna.com A Site Focused on Kosher Wine

The Perfect Bundt Cake
Dalquist helped pick a chocolate chardonnay cake as the best recipe in the country during the company's "Bundts Across America" contest.

Chardonnay is better than ever in California
In his latest releases of pinot noir and chardonnay, not only is he proving that he knows how to make good wine, but that he knows how to make great, world-class wine. Happily for wine drinkers, Mr. Hunter is not the only winemaker whose efforts deliver masterful expressions of chardonnay's incredible potential.

TASTINGS: A world of chardonnay
Chardonnay is a world of wine choices just on its own. Chardonnay here is clean, sharp, with some oak and fruit married in wines meant to be drunk young.

Savoring the flavors
One recommendation: herbed crepes filled with goat cheese and a confit of olive and roasted peppers with Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay. Raw endive with gray salt and raw carrot ribbons lightly tossed in extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt both paired beautifully with Pinot Noir, rather than the expected Chardonnay.

Gaffes catch up with chardonnay socialist
The image consultants are patting the last wayward strands of hair in place and the wordsmiths are sculpting ...

Franschhoek chardonnay beats the rest
The annual Diners Club Winemaker of the Year award, for which the judging category this year was chardonnay, has been presented to Franschhoek winemaker Gottfried Mocke for his Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 2005. His ‘standard’ Chardonnay 2005 came second in a taste-off.

Wine Brand Popular In Restaurants Now Hitting Retail Shelves
The company is hoping to capitalize on the popularity of its chardonnay at restaurants. Sonoma Coast chardonnay will land on shelves nationwide in early December.

Sometimes, nothing beats a good chardonnay
Wine columnist Edward Deitch kicks off a dinner with friends with this Chalk Hill chardonnay, one of California's best. The wine was Chalk Hill's 2003 Estate Bottled Chardonnay from the Chalk Hill area of the Russian River Valley in Sonoma, and it was notable for its exceptional balance and beautiful fruit.

Wine Lovers Page
Made from 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, fermented in the bottle for a full 24 months on its own yeast lees to build complex flavors, Rotari "Arte Italiana" Talento Trento Metodo Classico may be the best $10 sparkling wine I've yet encountered. A very fine sparkling wine made by the traditional fermented-in-the-bottle process used in Champagne, it's made from a Champagne-like blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir ("Pinot Nero" in Italy).

ROYS HILL BONANZA
The Roy's Hill Sauvignon Blanc, Unoaked Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Merlot are true New Zealand favourites.

Wine Pick Of The Week: 2005 Joseph Drouhin Mcon Villages ($10)
Few wine drinkers these days like to admit they enjoy chardonnay. Part of the problem is there is so much chardonnay made in all quality levels that a lot of plonk winds up being foisted on the public.

Gold medal chardonnay awards for four wines
David and Shona Egan’s Bushmere Estate Chardonnay 2005 was awarded Bushmere Estate’s first gold medal. Kim Crawford SP Tietjen Gisborne Chardonnay 2005, Montana Estates Ormond Chardonnay 2004 and Saints Chardonnay 2005 were the other three Gisborne gold winners.

Retailers get shot at famed wine
Now the vineyard, which is owned by Louisville-based Brown-Forman, is releasing a new version, Sonoma Coast chardonnay, that will land on shelves nationwide in early December.

A little something to bring home
Peter Lehmann, Chardonnay, Barossa, 2004: Golden straw, with a sprinkling of new wood and fresh balancing acidity showing off guava, citrus and pineapple aromas and flavors.

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir win no fluke for Marlborough winemaker
A TOAST: Matt Thomson with his Champion Wine of Show trophy for Delta Vineyard Martinborough pinot noir 2005 at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. Mr Thomson not only took the trophy for champion wine of the show with a pinot noir from his Delta Vineyard, he won the reserve trophy with a sauvignon blanc from St Clair, where he is the winemaker.

Mise en Place: Southwestern Thanksgiving Menu
Reasoning: Pinot Noir is a classic pairing with Thanksgiving dinner and it still works here. Because of the chiles and spices, a plush, fruity style of Pinot Noir works best, so look to California or Oregon rather than Burgundy.

Choosing the Right Wine for Americas Great Bird: John Mariani
Williams Selyem makes more than a dozen pinots, ranging from a basic Sonoma County Pinot Noir (about $40) up through Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($50) to highly allocated single-vineyard bottlings. These include Westside Road Neighbors Pinot Noir, Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard Pinot Noir, Bucher Vineyard Pinot Noir and others, all of which cost $100 and up.

The Cool South Dominates The Annual Cuisine Pinot Noir Tasting
Cuisine’s latest Pinot Noir tasting, detailed in the upcoming Christmas issue, has seen South Island wines completely dominate the top positions. “Villa Maria is hugely enthusiastic about New Zealand’s potential for Pinot Noir, particularly Pinot Noir from the Marlborough region.

Delta Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2005 wins Air New Zealand ...
A Marlborough Pinot Noir has taken away New Zealand’s most prestigious wine trophy for 2006. Delta Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2005 has won the Air New Zealand Champion Wine of the Show Trophy, a first for the winery.

Sacramento Bee
Just as harvest was starting, Lee's itinerary brought him through Sacramento, where he paused to introduce several of his latest releases and to discuss his and his wife's fascination with pinot noir. Vintners see pinot noir as the most fragile and finicky of grapes, but that sensitivity also explains its appeal, for it expresses where it is grown more tellingly than any other grape.

Oregons PAPA PINOT Speaks to Appellation America on Pinot Noir
Oregon's "PAPA PINOT" Speaks to Appellation America on Pinot Noir No wine more closely associated with a single state than Pinot Noir and Oregon.

Pair wines carefully with a feast
Louis Jadot 2005 Beaujolais-Villages ($13.99) is good, he says, as is Martin The Grape Tray at the northwest corner of Fresno Street and Shaw Avenue pushes chardonnay and pinot noir.

Wines selected for internatl Pinot Noir showcase
Pinot Noir 2007 Chairman Steve Smith MW, along with Board members John Belsham and John Comerford, spent two days recently tasting more than 750 wines to select those for Pinot Noir 2007 delegates to imbibe. Being held in Wellington from 29 January 1 February 2007, Pinot Noir 2007 will see 500 of the worlds most influential wine and food industry players converge on Wellington to talk, debate, discuss, and most importantly taste Pinot Noir.

This bubblys sure to charm
Jean Laurent and his father co-own this Champagne estate, with 33 acres, planted largely to Pinot Noir with just over 10 percent Chardonnay. A "Blanc de Noirs" is, you guessed it, "White of Blacks." It's made from red grapes, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Clap for Pinot Noir and Nuances of Toast
So let me just close by saying that, although I have made some fun of the wine country experience here, I really do feel, in all sincerity, that Pinot Noir and his Nuances of Toast would be a good name for a band.

Beringer Founders Estate 2004 Pinot Noir California
Founders Estate theoretically tributes the Beringer Brothers who founded the vineyard in 1876. Black cherry, plum, and hints of ...

Fruity wines right for Thanksgiving
Ever-popular pinot noir is also a good direction, with its modest tannins and plentiful acidity. Willamette Valley Vineyards Oregon Pinot Noir 2003 ($21.99, all stores) offers more sophistication and great value, with black cherry fruit, spicy nutmeg and vanilla aromas and a longer finish with fine tannins.

This bubbly's sure to charm
Jean Laurent and his father co-own this Champagne estate, with 33 acres, planted largely to Pinot Noir with just over 10 percent Chardonnay. A "Blanc de Noirs" is, you guessed it, "White of Blacks." It's made from red grapes, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Oregon Pinot Noir
TWO STARS 2004 Archery Summit Premier Cuvee Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($37) This medium-bodied effort has a lush nose of sweet cassis, boysenberry and cherry cola with touch of barnyard. TWO AND A HALF STARS 2003 Argyle Nuthouse Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($42) Argyle's winery was formerly a hazelnut drying facility, where Nuthouse -- the big, bold brother in the Argyle family -- is now aged and fermented.

Clos du Bois 2004 Sonoma County Pinot Noir
Light, smooth, respectable. Wont knock your socks off, but wont annoy your grandma, either. Although ... New! More ways to find the latest on pinot-noir:

Choose Central Coast Tolosa Pinot Noir with grilled fig salad
ONE SIP of this wine tells you that this is a pinot with big personality – a distinct reflection of the hillsides of San Luis Obispo where the grapes are ...

Hear This: On Digital Media, Episode #14
Our wines this week were: Clos du Bois 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Francis Coppola Diamond Series Pinot Noir.

Brussels sprouts, duck confit conjure fall flavors for Pinot Noir
If you try a range of current release Oregon Pinot Noirs from 2003, 2004 and 2005 and a variety of price points, it's very likely that several of the stylistic Pinot Noir bases are covered. The amount of land planted to Pinot Noir has almost tripled over the past 10 years, from 2,744 acres in 1995 to 7,974 acres in 2005.

From jugs to pinot noir
What began decades ago as an area to grow grapes for Almadens jug-wine production has evolved - some might ... New! More ways to find the latest on pinot-noir:

TASTINGS: Turn ordinary turkey extraordinary
The Iuratos also like chardonnays and zinfandels, and, "for something a little different," they suggest riesling as your white and pinot noir as your red. "You'll need to spend a little more on the pinot noir, but you won't be disappointed.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cool weather means Cabernet Sauvignon season is here
Cabernet Sauvignon spends the summer hiding in the cool recesses of many a wine cellar, waiting for autumn. I tasted 45 budget Cabernets for this column, and the best was the 2004 Cycles Gladiator Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon ($10).

Rodney Strong 2003 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
Its a little like slumming after some of the fine wines weve been sampling lately. But at least a little ...

Spaghetti Red
It can include up to 15 percent “other” red grapes (including Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon), up to 10 percent Canaiolo, and up to 6 percent white grapes (Malvasia or Trebbiano).

A very pleasing prodigal wine
Full marks also goes to the 2004 cabernet sauvignon, which has dark chocolate and young berry flavours.

Napa Valley Register
Not too long after Hack Wilson launched Chimney Rock Winery in the mid-1980s with a single cabernet sauvignon, he prevailed upon veteran winemaker Doug Fletcher to put together a reserve wine that would make use of the estates superior fruit. Acting on that request, the Stags Leap District-savvy Fletcher blended varying amounts of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot and cabernet franc for a wine he would call Elevage.

Reviews You Can Use
Malbec grapes shine in Argentina, but Chile's strong suit is Cabernet Sauvignon, barely ripe and often more like a good Bordeaux than a Napa Cabernet. Those looking for a more upscale Thanksgiving wine will love this superior quality Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc.

Cabernet Sauvignon season kicks off
Shafer, whose Napa winery did not release a Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1981 vintage, says that the last option is best.

A nose for the wine trade
Its not that he disdains individual appellations Cartlidge Browne is coming out with a single vineyard-designated cabernet sauvignon from Lake Countys Snows Lake Vineyard, which will sell for $20. Total production of the CB brand is about 150,000 cases of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, chardonnay, syrah, zinfandel and sauvignon blanc.

Napa Redwoods Estate 2002 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
When is a Cabernet Sauvignon not a Cab Sauv? When it runs 15 percent Cabernet Franc. Thats the story ...

History Casts a Vote for Beaulieu Vineyard(R) Georges de Latour(R)
This gathering of Hollywood's best and brightest stars enjoyed the 2002 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. * The Reagans Celebrate Their Anniversary -- In 1983 when President and Mrs. Reagan spent the night aboard the British Royal Family's Yacht Britannia on the occasion of their 31st wedding anniversary, the first couple was presented with a bottle of 1952 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

White Bordeaux
Medium Bodied, Dry, Ready, but will improve, Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc/Merlot, 12.5% alc. Ready, but will keep, Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% alc.

Talking ‘talkers’ – they do serve a purpose
Look at it this way: Imagine an aisle with 15 bottles of California cabernet sauvignon, all in the $10-$12 range. An example on the company’s Web site is for Pacific Estates Single Vineyard 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon: “A bold, rich, supple wine that offers memorable black fruit flavors.” Food pairing recommendations of the wine include stews, roasts, grilled meats and big, creamy cheeses.

Pat Shingleton for November 9
Sauvignon blanc, Riesling and merlot fall into the intermediate to warm region grapes while syrah, cabernet sauvignon and zinfandels enjoy the heat.

Who says red wine isn’t for fish? Try it with catfish and see
This recipe uses Cabernet Sauvignon to enhance farm-raised catfish.

Irans Quiet Revolution
They are buying bootlegged booze, from fine French Cabernet Sauvignon at $20 (US) a bottle to the Tuborg beer and Absolut vodka that supplement readily available homemade arak.

Silicon, Napa valleys collide at virtual vintners
Boutique Napa cabernet sauvignon easily fetches twice to triple that amount.

Raise a glass to Autumn
Ridgeline Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002: Serene yet complex, this Cabernet is the first release of a boutique winery owned by the Codorniu of Spain bunch. A blend of Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, this red is as polished as Nat King Cole.

Journey Teams Up with De La Montanya Winery to Produce a Sonoma ...
With only 300 bottles produced, Generations boasts a rare blend of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Meunier from the Sonoma Coast appellation in Northern California.

Wine round-up
Star turn of the lunch, though, was Manso de Velasco 2003 (£14.99 - only 5,000 cases are produced annually), entirely Cabernet Sauvignon from 100-year-old ungrafted vines from a single estate.

Wine Tasting , Vineyards , in France
What's In The Wine? 6 hrs ago | Wine Tasting , Vineyards , in France ... significantly reduce or eliminate vegetal/herbaceous character",..."is useful in intense, up-front fruity

Zinfandel

Daniel: Ravenswoods zins big, yet restrained
Ravenswood Winery in the Sonoma Valley produces a variety of wines, but it's really become synonymous with zinfandel. The 2004 Dickerson ($30) hails from a vineyard on the west side of the Napa Valley on Zinfandel Lane (appropriate).

What put the zip in the zinfandel?
A: I, too, have been dismayed by the change in zinfandel, once my favorite California red, and now, as you say, almost undrinkable. Back in the day, zinfandel was just picked, no muss and no fuss, and ripened unevenly.

Game on?
“Well, if we’re talking American wine,” he says, “I’d bring zinfandel because you’d get a rich fruit, and you’d also get some spice to go with the peppers in the chili. I’d emphasize big, plump, fruity, and spicy, like zinfandel or syrah.

Lodi regions old zinfandel vines producing fine wines
Lodi winemakers transform some of the Golden State's most magnificent fruit from old zinfandel vines into mighty fine wines. Lodi's original zinfandel vines were planted in the 1870s, and some surviving vines are more than 100 years old.

History on the plate - and palate - at Winemakers Dinner
Rhone varieties such as Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignane and Cinsault grow alongside Cucamonga Valley Zinfandel grapes that are sought after by some of the biggest wineries in California. This was served with Pioneer's Legendary Old Vine Zinfandel.

Mendocino grows a grape for every palate
Neighboring wineries grow drastically different grapes: It's not uncommon to find Burgundian Pinot Noir grown next door to Apulian Negro Amaro and Californian Zinfandel. The label called "Graziano" is dedicated to what the third-generation Ukiah-area winegrower refers to as "traditional Mendocino wines" -- Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc.

Ignoble rot spells trouble for Pinot Noir, Zinfandel
Pinot Noir and Zinfandel are particularly at risk because of their thin skins and tightly formed clusters. Seghesio bet Saini in July that Zinfandel grapes from Aradou Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley would not be ready by Sept.

Driven to make the best Pinot Noir
They liked what they'd made, and one night while sampling a bottle they read in a local newspaper that esteemed critic Robert M. Parker Jr. was in the nearby Napa Valley scouting for zinfandel. They convinced themselves that Parker just might appreciate a bottle of pinot noir -- their pinot noir -- as a welcome change of pace from tasting zinfandel.

Woot! Woot! A new way to buy wine online
the current week’s JanKris Paso Robles Trio for $39.99 plus $5 shipping: a JanKris 2004 Riatta (blend of 50 percent Sangiovese, plus Zinfandel and Cabernet ...

An embarassment of riches
Then there was a bottle of white zinfandel with some biscotti.

Serving Wine at Holiday Parties
When choosing a wine to serve at a party, White Zinfandel is an extremely popular choice. A chilled beverage, White Zinfandel is light, sweet, and low in alcohol content, which makes it a popular choice for folks who are driving.

St. Germain Has Taste of France, Just Not Enough: Richard Vines
Perhaps we get the wine lists we deserve, and St. Germain has taken a sensible commercial decision to offer something for everyone, including such predictable varieties as Australian chardonnay, Californian zinfandel and Italian pinot grigio.

Fast-food chain offers some ideas for wine pairings
Jalapeño -- "The full fruit and full body of the Zinfandel will hold its own." Four Vines Old Vine ($11); Peachy Canyon Incredible Red ($10).

US mag punts Helderbergs 96
Premium imported wines on the 96 Winery Road winelist include Barollo from Italy; Cabernet and Zinfandel from California; Chateau Mouton Rothschild and wines from Bordeaux; Pinot Noir from Burgundy and Shiraz from Chateauneuf Du Pape and South Australia.

Fine wines to please Elves, Dwarves and Men
"Grapes of greater name have come from Numenor, yet the Zinfandel endures. "You may also find this to your liking," said Joel son of Peter, holding aloft a 2005 McManis Family Vineyards California Zinfandel ($10).