Breathe

I am sure you have had occasion to be at a fine restaurant and approached by the wine steward with the question...'Do you want to let the wine breathe before dinner?'  As you gaze up from your menu, maybe a bead of sweat would appear on your forehead as everyone at the table pauses for your response.  Oh the pressures of dining with wine!  Let's keep it simple...typically when a wine is exposed to air it will hopefully become more expressive, but simply uncorking the bottle is not enough exposure to oxygen to effect a major change in the structure.  My response to the steward would depend on the bottle of wine, it's vintage and grape varietal.  Sometimes I would say the wine could be immediately poured into the glass and other times I would even request it be decanted first.  The whole concept of letting wine breathe, is simply to maximize its exposure to the surrounding air. By allowing wine to mix and

mingle with air, it will typically warm up and the wine's aromas will open up, the flavor profile should soften and mellow out a bit and improve the overall intensity.  Typically red wines are the ones to benefit most from breathing before serving. However, there are select whites that will also improve with a little air exposure and as they warm up in the glass. In general, I have found that most wines will improve with as little as 15-20 minutes of air time.  I think of a bottle of wine as having traveled a long distance from grape to glass  and deserves a little rest and respect, so why not let it breathe!?!  After doing a little research I found that in fact, some wines don't particularly benefit from the practice of 'breathing' at all and a few might actually suffer because of it, especially an older wine that is already fully mature.  An older wine may have become fragile with age and give up its flavors quickly after it is poured.  I have experienced this with some age old vintages with very big price tags...the wine was simply "gone" the instant it was poured into the glass!  No body, thin on flavor and weak aromas.  Allowing a wine to breathe seems to work best and awaken wines that are in their youth, before they are really ready to consume.  Young wines are often 'tight' and may seem closed or not accessible, showing little aroma or flavor...they also may be tannic which mellows given time.  Another option to decanting is to pour a small bit of wine into your glass allowing it to 'coat' the glass, then moving it to the largest portion of the glass thus allowing air to hit as much wine as possible.  Then just let it sit a few minutes before drinking.  Wines with high tannins, Cabernet's, Syrah's, will generally need more time to breath whereas lighter bodied wines like Pinot Noir's may need little or no time at all.  To me wines are never 'static'...they evolve on the vine, in the barrels, bottle and glass, and as your meal progresses, so will your wine!  Have some fun and experiment with this concept!

Cheers!

SOMM like the hot seat!

Recently some friends of our recommended to us the Jason Wise documentary "Somm" about a group of friends preparing for the Master Sommelier exam.  Talk about a passionate journey!  The film follows four young men Ian, Dustin, Brian and DLynn who have literally set aside their lives to study for this rigorous test and the film covers the full year leading up to the big event.  These four gents travel to little known wine appellations seeking intimate facts about these regions that might be asked on the test...they memorize facts about winemaking and are continually working to sharpen their senses in order to be able to identify any wine they might encounter in the test.  It was amazing to me how good they were at recognizing flavors, terroirs, regions, grape varietals, vintages, even down to the exact vineyard!  The exam itself is broken down into three sections: theory, service and blind tasting. Candidates might pass the first two, only to stumble on the third, which means returning a year later to re-test on the missed section.  The blind tasting of six wines requires not only identifying the grape varietal, but the region it came from and the year it was made.  Now that is intense!  Some argue that the process of testing and preparing for entry into the Court of Master Sommeliers is on par with studying for a medical degree. Okay, some of you might not be compelled to seek this documentary out, but I have to admit, I was riveted!  The most astonishing part to me was their ability to specifically identify the wines using only sight, smell and taste.  It takes lots of practice to be able to identify the qualities of any wine, and that is part of the fun.  Every growing region has its own distinct soils, exposures to sun, rain, wind, bugs, characters which all add to the unique flavor of the wine.  You may not be aware of it but when you taste a wine you are using all of your senses including your memory...what does lemon peel taste like or crushed violets, or dried black cherry...what about the smell of wet stone or tobacco or barnyard!?!  In the movie Ian describes a flavor of a wine not as an aroma but rather as "a freshly opened can of tennis balls".  Now that is definitely a scent I can taste!! All of these things are filed away in our brain and come out to remind us of what we are tasting in wine.  If you do love wine then this documentary has all the elements of a great movie...drama, humor, tension and all of the characters are so different and reaching for the same goal.  I highly recommend giving this movie a look!  Try to guess who makes it and who does not...

Cheers!

Tom Jones

I am going to veer off the path a little with this blog as I wanted to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a true gentleman...Tom Jones.  No, not the Welsh singer who became one of the most popular icon's of the 1960's, but rather the Tom Jones I was so lucky to have known, the one with a rich history of accomplishments a mile long, and whose passion was wine!  Thomas Victor Jones passed quietly recently in his home on the Moraga Vineyards in Bel Air, CA...he was 93. Tom was a soft spoken innovator who spent nearly four decades at Northrop as its top ranked executive, over time he fought for many technical breakthroughs in the aviation industry that changed forever the military systems that helped to make our country safer during times of war.  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in those board meetings where his ideas were discussed and put into action!  So many hours and so much dedication to this career...ah, but then in his second career, Tom and his late wife Ruth developed and established Moraga Vineyards and Winery on a hillside of their property in the middle of Los Angeles. When I first met Tom, Kirsten and I were in the beginnings of trying to establish our own vineyards in the Alexander Valley and I had no idea of his history or accomplishments.  At that first meeting, Tom took a keen interest in what we were doing and he shared so much about the trials and tribulations of establishing a vineyard.  Tom had a thing for perfection...he went into great detail describing how he painstakingly made sure that each vine in the vineyard was the right match for the micro climate and soils of his hillside.  The Moraga vineyard is 16 acres situated at a 600 to 900 foot elevation just five miles from the Pacific Ocean.  We spent many an hour sitting in the beautiful setting of his winery, adjacent to his home and Ruth's garden with heirloom irises and roses. At the winery,  looking out over the vines and conversing over a glass of the Moraga White...I would swear I was in the wine county and not in Los Angeles!  But then he would take his guests on a hair raising jeep ride up through the vines, where at 900 feet the city views were spectacular. The trait I loved the most of Tom's was his genuine interest in a person and his ability to really listen ...he never pretended to know more than anyone else, and I do believe he was always seeking to learn something new about grape growing and wine.  The wines he crafted had the complex flavors of the hillside and the elegance of his nature.  The first Moraga Red Table Wine was produced in 1989 and released in 1992. The blend for Moraga Red Table Wine is biased toward Cabernet Sauvignon, but includes a considerable contribution from Merlot, with the objective of producing the best possible blend.  Tom's first Moraga White Table Wine was produced in 1998 and released in 2000. The grapes for the Moraga White Wine consist of a single clone of Sauvignon Blanc. They are grown in the deep gravel beds and cooler temperatures of the canyon floor which is considered the optimal growing environment for this varietal.  The very last time I sat with Tom, the very first thing he asked me was...'How are those grapes doing on the hillside?'  Tom always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye that told you he was a friend...he was one of the 'original' entrepreneurs,  with a true Bohemian spirit!

Tom Jones, you will be missed.

 

Giving Thanks

I know what you're thinking...here we go again with the same old "what to serve with the Thanksgiving feast" blog. Well, it occurred to me that there is an over abundance of musings that deal with this topic, and as I always prefer to be a little outside of the box, I want to go in a different direction this year.  Don't get me wrong, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year...it gives us a chance to reflect and gather with family and friends to share a great meal with great conversation!  As I look forward to the big event, I think about the traditional turkey (which we like to BBQ), and side dishes galore, everything from the stuffing to the mashed potatoes and gravy, perhaps candied yams, green beans or maybe Brussels sprouts, although I am sure some of you might encounter the green jello thing with sour cream and walnuts that some relative insists on bringing.  The point is that there are so many fantastic flavors it is hard to pair any one or two wines that will work with everything. Most Thanksgiving meals are a vast array of diverse taste sensations.  Add to this the fact that the feast is usually consumed in a short period of time  and  the wine is too!  So what should one do about the wine? First take into consideration how many people you will be serving and be prepared to offer a choice of whites and reds. I know that many of the 'experts' will recommend a full bodied Chardonnay or a flavorful Pinot Noir, but this year, perhaps you might want to make some alternative choices available.  Some might like to stay with a sparkling wine others might prefer a Cabernet.  You could choose to take the track that Thanksgiving comes but once a year and perhaps you will want to bring out some 'special' bottles of wine that you have been saving to share.  Whichever route you take, I think that people put too much pressure on themselves to choose the perfect  wines for Thanksgiving.  I say as you are planning the meal relax...and make the wines more of a fun experiment! Savor the meal, share wines that you enjoy, and be thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving All

Changing of the wines

Okay...it's official! We had our first roast chicken last night which means the seasons are changing, at least in our kitchen. There is a crispness in the air and a coolness in the evening that signifies that fall has arrived and we can turn the oven on inside! And although we will still BBQ from time to time, this is California after all, our attention turns to hearty homemade soups, Shepherd's Pie, Cioppino and other scrumptious comfort dishes.  For me, the change in seasons brings about a feeling that is hard to express; as the weather and the scenery start to change, the autumn season has its own unique beauty, the daylight hours grow shorter and the nights cooler, there is a new smell in the air, and of course there is a football game on in the background. I also love the sight of the leaves on the vines as they have turned their golden hue, our version of the fall foliage! This is also the time when we start to look ahead to Thanksgiving...(but I  will save that for our next meeting.)  The change of season gets me into 'changing up' the wines and just like I switch from t-shirts and shorts to sweaters and jeans, my taste preferences tend to change as well.  At this point I find myself searching the wine closet for more full bodied varietals, I tend to reach for a Cabernet or Zinfandel more often than not, to go along with the bigger, richer meals.  But I’m not altogether ready to give up on white wines—not yet, anyway. I just look for wines with bigger body and texture, more pronounced fruit, and spirited aromatics that let them stand up to bold flavors. I also tend to serve them a bit warmer than I would in the summer, which allows them to expand in the glass.  A well-chosen white wine in the fall can be just as satisfying as a red, and they pair well with many classic, hearty, cool-weather dishes.  The transition from the organized chaos of harvest through the fall and into winter is a kind of 'reawakening' for the wine industry.  It's time to move away from the hot weather wines, rose and sauvignon blanc, and lean towards something a little more weighty!  I would love to know what are your 'transition' wines?? 

 

Happy Fall sipping!!

 

 

Ridge Lytton Springs 2011 Zinfandel

Bramble, raspberry, cassis, toasted oak, and floral aromas; layered black cherry and currant, full bodied with well coated tannins and notes of licorice and black olive on the finish.

 

 

 

 

Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Visually stunning with a deep garnet-ruby hue, this wine possesses an unprecedented elegance of fruit expression, lively acidity, tannin structure and oak integration. Aromas of blackberry, black cherry and cassis are supported by subtle hints of baking spice and vanilla from oak aging.

Mantanzas Creek 2011 Sonoma County Chardonnay
In the vineyard, Chardonnay leaves were removed so the sun could mature the fruit, delivering delicate aromas of lemon and pineapple. Summer was mild and the afternoon sun helped mature grapes tofull ripeness. Overall, 2011 was excellent vintage for Chardonnay.
 

Stars Aligned

This past weekend we picked up cases of the 2009 Arbios Cellars Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the long awaited first vintage from our hillside from Bill and Susan Arbios! We were so excited to finally have this wine to share as it has been a long but great journey.  I couldn't help but reminisce on all of the trials and tribulations we have been through, from the dream of having a vineyard, meeting some of the most interesting characters in the county of Sonoma and finally connecting with winemaker Bill Arbios who in 2003 planted the vineyard and farmed it to fruition.  As we were leaving, Susan informed us that harvest would be happening the very next morning at the crack of dawn which just happened to be my birthday!  So there we were driving away with big smiles on our faces...first vintage wine from our hill in the trunk and harvest happening the very next day!  We all know that harvest happens when Mother Nature says its time (weather, bugs, rain heat, etc.), and according to Mother Nature and Bill, at 25 brix, it was time.  As we arrived home from our chores tractors were being unloaded from big rigs and the bins for the grapes were on the ground.  We had our first taste of  the 2009 vintage with our dinner that evening and oh boy, it was fantastic!  I could taste the hillside, the earth, the berries, a touch of sage, (the blood, sweat and tears) and perfection!  Our hats off to Bill for crafting a great Cabernet which we would love to share with you all! Then the next morning we were awakened by the familiar sounds of harvest, tractors starting, workers conversing and even singing, and the work began, starting at the top of the northwest block and moving downward.  As the sun rose I stepped outside with a fresh cup of coffee in hand with Kirsten, my brother and my mom to take in the activity on the hillside...such a joyous occasion.  As mom conversed with the workers in Spanish I wondered what they were saying about me...was I having a bad hair day!?!  A few hours later, my brother and I went into Healdsburg to run some errands and as we drove back I said - let's go check the crush pad on the 128 to see if the grapes have arrived -
Sure enough, as we pulled in, the big rig had just pulled up with the first 10 tons of grapes and so we watched with reverence the next part of the grape's journey from vineyard to bottle.  It is truly a sight to behold to see the grapes cascade into the de-stemmer and all I could do was smile.

To add to this magical weekend, we had a birthday celebration on the hillside for me, (49 years old again), and opened many a bottle of the 2009 Arbios Cellars, Wild Creek Ranch Vineyards, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which was received with glowing reviews!  This past weekend the stars really aligned and I am so grateful...
This post we are featuring the 2009 Arbios Cellars Wild Creek Ranch Vineyards Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and if you would like to try it, please contact me via email at sctellez@gmail.com for more information.
I think you will find it as magical as my birthday weekend!

Cheers,
Steve

First Impressions

How important are first impressions?  We have all experienced being introduced to someone we don't know and I know that I usually have an immediate response to that person! No matter how much I don't know about them, I have a response.  Some of it may have to do with the look in their eyes, interested, or not...and a hand shake is always an indicator.  How do they speak...(how do they smell?) You get my drift.  I recently finished a book called "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell which sets forth his theory of 'thin slicing' which is the way we tend to make day to day gut level decisions in a couple of seconds. Gladwell made reference to two expert 'food tasters' in his book who, after years of experience in tasting foods could actually identify the ingredients of a packaged cookie, and exactly which factory it was baked in, and even what other products were baked in the factory! This is somewhat like a Sommelier's ability to identify the grape varietal, vineyard, and winemaker of a given bottle of wine.  Okay, I get that it takes years of experimenting with food or wine to refine your palate to this point of near perfection...but to me that is half of the fun!  It is in the experimentation phase, (which in my opinion never ends), that one begins to hone their craft, which in this case is their sense of taste, sight and smell.   As the 'food tasters' have made a very good living from their craft, I am humbly just looking to add to my internal (brain) resume of what I taste in wine.

Marketing also plays a big part in thin slicing as the book so pointedly stated. This leads me to the question...what 'thin slicing'  do you do when purchasing a bottle of wine or when tasting a glass?  There are the split second decisions that affect your initial perception of a wine...but with wine, that perception can change with each sip as the wine in the glass changes. I have all to often ordered a bottle of wine at a fine eating establishment only to be disappointed when it is served way too cold...ahh, but as the wine warms up in the glass, hopefully the true textures will come out and then you are able to better enjoy.  I think that decisions about wine are a combination of the 'thin slicing' theory as set forth by Gladwell and then patience, to allow the senses to absorb the experience.  I would love to hear your personal 'thin slicing' experiences...all too subtle are the conclusions that we have come to after the first sip but often that is a decision made in seconds and sometimes time can change these decisions significantly.
As we slide into the fall season, my 'taste' turns to full-bodied wines, and as the harvest draws closer, the anticipation of what the season will bring to the glass is exciting...looking forward to some cooler weather and even some rain, but not until after the harvest!

Here are some fall favorites thin sliced:

Taste:

CrossBarn (Paul Hobbs) Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 2011

The Paul Hobbs CrossBarn Chardonnay Sonoma County is a wine that gives a great first impression in terms of its complexity.  It only takes one sip for me to know that I am a fan...the wine has a pleasing pale yellow color that is fragrant with flowers, pear and citrus.

Smell:

Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2011

My fist impression of the Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir happens in the glass...after a few seconds I know by smell that this wine is going to be enjoyed as aromas of wild berries and dried herbs float to my nose.  The deep ruby red color is also very appealing.

Sight:

Okay, there is one label that always catches my eye in the wine aisles…J Vineyards, black label.

I think it is the simplicity of this label that draws me to it...in that 'thin slicing' moment, I immediately know whose whine it is!  Sometimes less is more...