Chardonnay
2007 Thierry et Pascale Matrot Chardonnay Bourgogne Blanc
Citrusy, pithy, minerally…off balance and a bit challenging for me. Picked up as another recommendation for a wine that pairs well with butternut squash soup, but didn’t compare to the 2008 Domaine d’Ardhuy Bourgogne Blanc (tasting notes on this wine posted earlier today) – in fact, I have a full bottle of this wine left while the d”Ardhuy was finished at dinner last night (and both were served with dinner). My rating: 84
2008 Domaine d’Ardhuy Bourgogne Blanc
I went to McCarthy & Schiering wine shop in Seattle looking for a good wine to pair with butternut squash soup and, man, did they nail it with this French Chardonnay. Good wine on its own, with more crispness than a US Chardonnay. Good citrus, apple and mineral notes. But, with the soup, it was a perfect blend of flavors complimenting each other. Whenever I make butternut squash soup again, this is the wine I will have on hand to enjoy it with. My rating: 88
2008 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay
Lemon, peach, sour apple, in a crisp and full white wine. surprisingly little oak and a long, lingering finish. Really nice wine, but a bit pricey for a Washington state white wine, so keeping my rating at an 89 (don’t always do this, but only in situations where i feel the QPR is off a bit). My rating: 89
2008 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris Cuvée Romanus
Excellent Pinot Gris and under $20. Crisp lemon and citrus, with a smooth, buttery broad palate and long finish. Recommendation from the sommelier at Cafe Campagne in Seattle and absolutely hit the mark. If I could find any of this online, I’d buy a case without hesitation. My rating: 90
2007 Domaine Roger Perrin Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Very nice Chateauneuf-du-Pape, with a huge aroma – blackberry, bacon, mocha and chestnuts. On the palate, great acidity and a decent finish. doesn’t live up to all the hype of the 2007 CDP vintage, but, then again, this is a $27 bottle and I think the QPR is very high on this wine. My only regret is that I didn’t buy more than I did (only bought two bottles). My rating: 90
2007 Terra Blanca Roussanne
Reserve Terra Blanca Estate Buttery/creamy, meyer lemon, leeche and some minerals. Nice, easy drinker, but may be too buttery for some tastes. My rating: 87
2006 Long Shadows Wineries Pedestal
I had a glass of this last night at the met in Seattle and didn’t take too many notes, but suffice it to say this is a beautiful wine. Dark, lush, ripe fruit and so incredibly well balanced, smooth and silky. Long, lush finish and zero heat. I thought I would need to wait on the ’06’s that I have in my cellar, but this is already showing very well. My rating: 94
2007 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red
Raspberry, blackberry, mocha, smoke (from the Carménère …rare addition for a US blend, at least in my experience) and pepper – it’s lush, broad on the palate and well balanced, with a long, lingering finish. This is an incredible wine for the price (about $15) and if I can find any more, I’ll pick up everything I can let my hands on. My rating: 90 And, the blend on this thing is crazy (see below) – makes me want to be there for that blending party…probably takes a week to figure it all out.
BLEND
- 31% Cabernet Sauvignon (15% Walla Walla Valley, 9% Columbia Valley, 4% Wahluke Slope, 3% Rattlesnake Hills
- 27% Syrah (17% Columbia Valley, ◦6% Horse Heaven Hills, 2% Wahluke Slope, 2% Walla Walla Valley)
- 16% Merlot (9% Walla Walla Valley, 4% Columbia Valley,2% Rattlesnake Hills, 1% Wahluke Slope
- 14% Cabernet Franc (◦8% Horse Heaven Hills, 3% Walla Walla Valley, 3% Wahluke Slope
- 7% Malbec (Columbia Valley)
- 3% Sangiovese (Columbia Valley)
- 1% Carménère (Walla Walla Valley)
- 1% Petit Verdot (Walla Walla Valley & Columbia Valley)
2005 Frédéric & Daniel Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine La Roquète Cherries, strawberries, fennel and butterscotch. Bright acidity, medium body, medium finish. Very nice CDP. My rating: 88
2005 La Crema Chardonnay California
Every time the price goes up on this wine, the quality seems to go down – this was a much better wine when it was $10 then it is now at around $15. My rating: 84
2006 Havens Wine Cellars Merlot
Really bummed out with this one. Bought a case at what I thought was a steal for $6.99 a bottle at K&L Wines, one of my favorite and most trusted wine sources. Opened one bottle and thought it had gone bad, so opened another, which was okay the first night buy the second night it tasted like the first bottle. Not worth giving tasting notes on this one except to say it tasted like wine in a can – very tinny and bitter. My rating: 70
Continue reading about Wine tasting notes from a week gone by…
For those of us fully entrenched in the online wine world, there are few better places to be or better things to do than partake in Twitter TasteLive. Billed as the “world’s premiere wine tasting community,” TasteLive hosts events on a regular basis in which bloggers like myself and others “get together” in the virtual world to share tasting notes and thoughts about the chosen wines for the night. Kind of like a big tasting of a winery’s new wines, but with people spread out all over the world…literally…giving those of us partaking a way to get involved with our friends and peers and share what we think, while also giving the wineries an opportunity to share their wines, get exposure and interact with the online wine community.
So, why keep all that fun to myself? I mean if you’re not following along on TasteLive or on Twitter, then I might as well share my tasting notes with you. The format will be verbatim from my Tweets – I can only multi-task so much. (NOTE: these are only my tasting notes – if you want to see everyone’s tasting notes from tonight’s events, you can search on “ridgewines” or “ttl” on Twitter).
On to the wines…on tonight’s TasteLive, four wines from Ridge Vineyards in Santa Cruz, California.
- Nice nose on the chardonnay – lemon, starfruit, just a little pineapple and some good grass and minerals
- Pretty rich and robust nose, actually, more than I see on most Chardonnay
- Wow – that first sip threw me off. Given the nose, I expected something a little oakier and much more creamy. Very nice surprise.
-
Lemon, green fruit, minerals & grass on the Chard mouth. Long, lingering finish, altho a bit hot as the wine warmed up
- [100% Chardonnay]
- Something very interesting on the nose of the Carignane – mincemeat? french onion soup? Anybody else picking up on the complexities?
- Carignane has a very nice blueberry upfront and then a good balance of dark fruits and acidity – would be a nice pairing wine
- Carignane really has some nice acidity on it
- [100% hillside grown old vine Carignane]
- [in response to @enobytes] Completely agree – the color on the Caboose is very dark
- Nose on the Caboose is ripe, plummy, jammy, sweet, like a train ran over a box of ripe fruit & splattered it all over the station walls
- Caboose was extremely tight for me when I first opened it, but has opened up considerably – let this one sit a while before drinking
- [96% Zinfandel, 4% Petite Sirah]
- The 2007 Lytton Springs is what I’m talking about – have always loved this wine from
- Lytton Springs aroma – cherry, chocolate, sweet pipe tobacco and wet, sappy tree bark – I love the nose on this wine
- Lytton Springs – immediate balance on the palate, not overripe, good acid, strong tannins, finishing all the way through
- I want to pair the LS with a juicy, blue cheese bacon burger – preferably from red mill in Seattle – or Girl & the Fig burger in Sonoma
- The LS gets better with every sip – such good balance and the finish is looooong
- [71% Zinfandel, 22% Petite Sirah, 7% Carignane]
2006 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard Walla Walla Valley. The fruit on this wine is some of the most subtle I’ve ever tasted on a Washington Syrah. With 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier, there’s definitely a nice fruit balance on the front end with blackberry, blueberry and raspberry, but when it hits the mid-palate, there is a truly unique minerality, leather and earthiness that takes over and subdues the fruit. Not a UFC-type submission, but more like a dinner with the Dalai Lama who convinces you that everything you ever thought about life was wrong…and it was all okay with you, even uplifting and motivating. Having enjoyed this wine with two good buddies who are true wine aficionados made it all that much better. My rating: 94- 2005 Chateau Plince Pomerol. This really is a beautiful wine. Definite blackberry, licorice, tea and oak, with a little touch of earth and leather. It’s a complex wine that’s incredibly well balanced, with just the right acidity and tannins to make it feel vibrant and alive through the strong finish. Amazingly velvety and textured for a 2005 – particularly since it was just released in early March. No doubt this will get better with age, but certainly a great wine now – I can only imagine what it would taste like if decanted for an hour or so before drinking. My rating: 92+
- 2006 Sea Smoke Ten Pinot Noir. This is, hands down, the best
Pinot Noir I have ever tasted. I first learned about Sea Smoke with the 2004 vintage and it continues to amaze me with this, my third vintage of Sea Smoke. This is not a faint, light Pinot – it’s dense, rich and incredibly well balanced, with a complexity unrivaled in other Pinots (or, at least those I’ve tasted). Definitely one of those wines I’m sad to finish…my only consolation is the 4 other bottles in my cellar, but I think I’ll wait a few years on those. My rating: 95 - 2008 Pepperwood Grove Pinot Noir, Valle Central. Part of the Whole Foods Holiday Wine Top ten list…This is a light, fruity, spicy Pinot Noir, with blackberry, cherry, spice and toasted vanilla notes. You won
‘t find any stemmy qualities or rich complexities, but it is incredibly well balanced, with very little heat and a nice mid-range finish. It’s definitely a wine that would work well in the early stages of Christmas dinner, just after a nice white and some cheeses. And, if you’re thinking “how did a $6 wine make it to #4,” I’ll bet if you decant this bottle and just let people try it blind, you will find that they think it is a much more expensive bottle of Pinot Noir than it actually is. Tons of quality packed in this value wine. My rating: 89 / 90+ for a wine under $10. - 2005 Long Shadows “Pedestal” Merlot Columbia Valley. I’ve been a big fan of the Long Shadows wines for so
me time now and this one lived up to the expectation. A recommendation from a good, very trusted wine friend, I was actually more entranced by this wine than I thought I would be. Huge nose, with dark cherries, plum and mocha, followed by some mellow Christmas spice notes (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove). Tannins are a little chalky still, but will mellow over time and I’m glad I have a few more in the cellar so I can taste it when it does. My rating: 92 - 2004 Fattoria Poggiopiano Rosso Di Sera Toscana.
This was a beautiful Tuscan wine. Extremely well balanced, with dark berries, coffee and hint of maple syrup and rich spice, this is one of the best wines I tasted yet in Italy. If I let my wine sit for a few minutes, it became better balanced, gentler and more silky. Once I swirled it, it became hot, tannic and angry. This can happen with most wines, but the transformation was much more pronounced on this wine than I’ve seen in others. It’s as if all the wine wanted to do was sit back and unfold, no pressure, no worries. The second I asked it to do something it didn’t want to, it let me know and became a different and lesser wine. It really did feel pissed off when riled up. A true lesson in letting wine develop as it needs to, no matter what you think is right for it. My rating: 92 
2008 Michel Schlumberger Pinot Blanc. It’s clearly a French-style wine, not a sweet or oakey California white – one of the cleanest, most refreshing and simple white wines that has had the pleasure of meeting my palate…as the person pouring said “drinks like water, doesn’t it?” That’s partially true, but only in regards to the ease with which it goes down. But, there is some complexity here, as nuanced as it is. Good subtle fruit and touch of mineral and metal, almost a zinc-like quality, that does add some interesting qualities to the wine. My rating: 89- 2007 Fontanafredda Barbera Piemonte Briccotondo. On the nose I got dirt and grass and plum and cherry and chocolate, all mix
ed up like a rich, aromatic stew. A good solid swirl and I also pick up some crushed black pepper and even just a hint of menthol. Great nose on this wine. It’s big and intense and complex, which, for me, is exactly what I like – builds so much expectation for tasting the wine. As for taste, definitely on the earthy and not entirely old school, but on the older school side of red wine. Some good solid young fruit, nice acidity and strong tannins that are drinkable now, but should also be good with a few years of aging. On the palate – front, mid and back all powerful and lasting. Are you getting the point here? I love this wine. Hard to believe this is going for $11. My rating: 90 
2007 D.R. Stephens Chardonnay. For some reason, I did not review this wine on my blog in 2009, but, regardless, I was truly impressed by how well made it is. I couldn’t find my original tasting notes for this wine, so I’ve included notes from Wine Spectator: Rich and full-bodied, this is framed by smoky, toasty oak, but also offers a delicious core of pear- and nectarine-laced flavors that are pure and elegant. Although I don’t remember the core elements of the wine from my tasting, I do remember being pleasantly surprised by how rich, complex and non-oakey this was for a CA Chardonnay – very distinct from most of the other Chardonnay’s I’ve tasted from Califonia. My rating: 91- Sancerre. This is an interesting entry for the list as I believe it’s still a work in progress. I was first introduced to Sancerre this
year and it absolutely captured my imagination. The Sancerre region in France is known for its whites, particularly those using the Sauvignon Blanc grape, and is unique in its landscape of chalky limestone and flint-filled hills. Most Sancerrre’s are 100% Sauvignon Blanc, unblended and made without much, if any, oak. The reason I’m so intrigued by Sancerre is that I have liked every one I’ve tried and yet I am not a fan of most Sauvignon Blanc’s. For me, Sauvignon Blanc is usually a little too thin and overoaked, particularly the California versions. But, the Sancerre brings something very different to the table. It feels more pure to me and doesn’t try to hide the glory of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. My rating: varies by bottle
What’s on your list this year?
Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
Per Trader Joe’s Holiday Guide “Affable, quaffable – this is a Chardonnay that balances acidity, body and flavors gracefully. Having aged for 8 months in French & American Oak, it has a round mouthfeel that spirals in complexity serving to highlight the fruit driven character of the wine. It [...]
Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
Per
I was first introduced to Tandem Wines at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Napa this summer. At the time, I felt like they presented some very strong white wines, particularly the 2006 Tandem Manchester Ridge Chardonnay. After tasting wines for about two hours, it’s often hard for one to shine through and make an impression on your palate, but this one did. Definitely one of the better whites at the conference.
So, when I received two new Chardonnay’s from Tandem Wines a while back, I was excited to try them.
The first was the 2006 Tandem Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley. On the nose, I picked up grass, pear, minerals and copper. The nose was also reminiscent of an indoor swimming pool covered in lemon and honey. Now, that may sound gross to some of you and just flat out indecipherable to others, but, for me, a kid who grew up in swimming pools, it’s always a little nostalgic to pick up a swimming pool smell. In the mouth, some vanilla, oak, lemon, sweet grapefruit and honey. This was a nice Chardonnay, with good acidity (just enough to balance the richness of the vanilla and oak) and a smooth, buttery finish.
Wine Spectator has this to say about it: Sleek, with a trim, modest band of citrus and pear notes shaded by toasty, creamy oak. Gains complexity on the finish. Drink now through 2011. 87
The second wine was the 2006 Tandem Sangiacamo Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley. A first, I thought I had accidentally poured from the same bottle, as it wasn’t that much different than the Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay. Still lots of pear and grass, with a touch of peach – not as much swimming pool, but, still, remarkably similar to the Ritchie. I went back and checked the bottles and it was indeed the Sangiacamo that I had poured,, so, given that I tried both relatively quickly after pulling them from the refrigerator, I decided to let them sit a little and see if they showed some different colors.
It was then that the Sangiacamo started to shine. It showed many of the same characteristics as the Ritchie, but displayed a richness that I hadn’t tasted 15 minutes earlier, a kind of mellow sweetness. Not like the sweetness of a sweet wine, but more of a just-ripe fig or date-type sweetness. And, again, not too much, but just enough to balance the fruits and compliment the acidity nicely.
Wine Spectator has this to say about it: Intense and richly flavored, with tiers of honey, fig, melon and citrus flavors that turn elegant and spicy, gaining complexity on the finish, where the flavors fold together nicely. Drink now through 2011. 90
Bottom line is that these are both good, solid Chardonnays in their own right and I would definitely buy the Sangiacamo as it displays a bit more complexity than the Ritchie. That said, the 2006 Tandem Manchester Ridge Chardonnay Mendocino still haunts me from last summer. Not sure if it was the atmosphere of the Wine Bloggers Conference or the two hours of tasting that preceded the Manchester Ridge, but there was something about that wine that still stays with me.
What you should do: Tandem is doing some cool things and their winemaker – Greg LaFollete – is a strong one (look for a post on one of his Pinot Noirs coming soon). Pick up a bottle of anything they make if you can – it’s definitely worth a try. And, they make enough varietals that you’ll be able to experiment should they be to your taste.
My ratings: Ritchie: 87; Sangiacamo: 89
NOTE: the Tandem wines were sent to me as a sample from the winery.
Price: $16.99 @ Friend/Gift
What They Said:
Per La Crema “The 2007 release of our Sonoma Coast Chardonnay bursts with vivid citrus and fresh green apple aromas, laced with subtle notes of honeysuckle and clove. On the palate, flavors broaden into rich spiced apple and crisp lime zest, with vanilla and caramel tones adding richness and [...]
Continue reading about 2007 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
My first introduction to Fantesca Estate turned out to be a great one, with the 2007 Fantesca Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley. Not a typical California Chardonnay, with a little less oak and butter than I expected, this offering is much more along the lines of a French white wine – very well balanced, crisp and light, more earthy than oakey, with a consistent and prevalent acid structure. Also, more citrus than I expected from a California Chardonnay, which, on the warm summer night we tasted it, definitely hit the spot.
From the winery’s website: The goal was to make a wine that confidently places the fruit at center stage while complementing it with nuanced winemaking skill which adds depth, complexity and balance. The three separate vineyard lots were thoughtfully paired to individual oak and fermentation protocols to weave into a seamless blend.
But, that’s not the real story behind this wine. Sure it’s a good wine and probably something I’ll buy again, but it’s the association with Heidi Barrett (yes, that Heidi Barrett of Screaming Eagle fame) that gives this wine a more well-rounded story. She is not the winemaker for this Chardonnay and didn’t shepherd the wine from vineyard to bottle, but she did oversee the barrel aging and final blending processes. And my guess is that it’s that much better for having her involved.
It’s like hiring a world-renown music producer to join you halfway through your first CD to mix your final tracks, but not produce the CD from start to finish, which is exactly what I did with my old, and last, band. Sure, we ended up with a great CD that I still listen to now and again, but we never got as far as some of his other bands (like the two he moved on to immediately after working with us, who, between them sold over 50 million records).
Interesting…is my old band to Fantesca as our master mixer is to Heidi Barrett? In the end the product is still great, but it could have been just that much better had the key person been involved from the beginning. Oh, never mind, I digress…and that conversation is probably only interesting over a nice bottle of wine with old bandmates.
In any case, still a very nice wine from a great winemaker.
What you should do: Buy it. It’s not a cheap Chardonnay at $45 and, like everything associated with Heidi, it’s not easy to find, but, if you can find a bottle pick one up. I do think it’s worth $45, but it’s worth even more if you’re able to pull it out at dinner with some wine snobs and tell them the story behind the wine (on second thought, maybe you should just tell them you have it and then enjoy it on your own).
My rating: 90
If you want to know more about Heidi Barrett, Gary Vaynerchuk just this last week posted two new videos on Wine Library TV with her as his special guest.
Wine Maker and Legend Heidi Barrett Visits Wine Library TV – Part 1
Wine Maker and Legend Heidi Barrett Visits Wine Library TV – Part 2
On a side note, you can find our CD (you know – the one mixed by that guy that went on to produce way more successful bands) in bargain bins at carefully selected, high-end, premium music stores around the country. Cheap, CHEAP!
Continue reading about Screaming Eagle, Heidi Barrett and Chardonnay?