Wine Bloggers Conference
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.
For today, I’ll be talking about Michel Schlumberger (Twitter @M_Schlumberger).
I’ll be honest, I had not heard about Michel Schlumberger before I went there for a vineyard walk, but it is now on my list of favorite places in California wine country. Seems I wasn’t alone, as even Judd Wallenbrock, the President / GM felt the same way…“Judd Wallenbrock, a 29+ year veteran of the wine industry, arrived at Michel-Schlumberger dumbfounded by the sheer beauty of the Estate & stunned by the wine quality. “Why have I never heard of this place?” he asked, and set about his mission of establishing Michel-Schlumberger as the industry’s premier destination for those seeking a truly unique wine experience.”
First off, Dry Creek Valley, for those of you who haven’t been is absolutely stunning. Tucked away northwest of Healdsburg, the scenery is beyond words, particularly in the summer when the grape vines are lush with leaves and young grapes.
But, once you get to Michel Schlumberger, it takes Dry Creek Valley to another level. A beautiful California mission-style main building creates the landmark, as the lush vineyards move quickly up the hillside behind. The tasting room is spread throughout, both inside and outside, creating a very warm, in-touch-with-nature setting, one in which it’s just as easy to take in the aroma of the wines as it is to feel the breeze coming in through the open doors.
Sadly, I had a bit of a different experience at Michel Schlumberger than my peers as I had to leave early and was unable to join them on the vineyard walk. My plan was to sort through some of my notes from the weekend and start writing my blog posts. But, our gracious host at Michel Schlumberger (Judd Wallenbrock) would have nothing of it. He was fine with me squatting on the property, but insisted that I have some wine while I wait. And, never one to be a bad guest, I, of course, politely obliged.
Michel Schlumberger is known for small lot Bordeaux varietals and, in my opinion, they are making some of the most unique wines in northern California.
Michel Schlumberger 2008 Pinot Blanc
What is it with me and white wines lately? Seems my favorite wine of the weekend was a white, – the Matthiasson Napa Valley White Wine – and here we are again, with another great white from Michel Schlumberger.
Before I tell you any more, I need to be fair and let you know that when I looked up Michel Schlumberger wines on Wine Spectator there wasn’t one of their wines rating more than 87, dating all the way back to a 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon. And, the 2006 version of the Pinot Blanc only attained an 80 rating. So, it is with all due respect to the Wine Spectator and its tasting team that I say that’s just plain hooey (this, of course, being a widely recognized and highly technical wine tasting term – don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of it before). Clearly my palate is very different on this one, because this is the second best white I tasted all weekend.
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.
What you should do: BUY IT. No question in my mind that this wine has to be tried. It may not be to everyone’s liking, especially those that prefer stronger, more buttery and oakey whites, but it’s simple enough, with just enough complexity to keep it interesting. And, at $21 a bottle (at the winery), that’s a price that’s worth experimenting with.
My rating: 89 (will be interesting to see if WS rates the 2008 or not, but, hey, I just found another great white wine, so what do I care?)
Michel Schlumberger 2006 Le Fou Pinot Noir
Le Fou, translated into English, means “the insane one,” which, of course, peaked my interest almost immediately. If someone has the guts to call their wine “the insane one,” I’m more than willing to go along for the ride.
Don’t think it necessarily lives up to the name, unless there is a back story that I don’t know about, but, regardless, this is a great Pinot Noir. Very well balanced, both on the nose and in the mouth, with floral undertones and a sweet nectar taste. The acidity is spot on and, like the Pinot Blanc, this Pinot Noir brings with it a mineral, metallic feel, much like zinc, that I have yet to see in other wines in Napa. For me, this is what made the wines I tasted feel truly unique.
This is not an in-your-face, spicy, robust Pinot Noir. It is much more subtle than that, but is still rich and packed with good fruit, mineral and floral notes.
What you should do: BUY IT. I mean it. I’m going to pick up a few bottles to have on hand and they will sit proudly next to the Sea Smokes, Kosta Brownes and Paul Hobbs in my cellar (not the same type of Pinot, to be sure, but can definitely stand on its own as similar quality).
My rating: 90 (not rated by WS)
Have you tried Michel Schlumberger? Would love to hear what you think.
It seems I’m a bit late to the game on these notes, as pretty much everyone who attended the Wine Bloggers Conference has already posted their thoughts on the event. But, the positive is that it allows me to not only consolidate some great posts from others (you’ll find these at the end of this post), it also lets me live up to the description of my blog – …because what the world needs is another opinion about the Wine Bloggers Conference.
Man, I can find a rationale for pretty much anything.
Observations from the WBC09 (careful, I will ramble in spots…think “Dear diary…”):
- There is something very real to what’s going on in the blogger world. Duh, you say, seems obvious. But, really think about it. All 300 of us were in Napa for the weekend. Some of us drove, some of us flew from all over the world. At the same time, 1,500 mommy bloggers descended on Chicago. That’s about 1,800 people in one weekend voluntary spending their time and money to talk about blogging and connect with fellow bloggers. And, if you consider that a very small percentage of those people are able to make a living at it and the rest of us are just plain passionate about what we do, that makes the phenomenon even more remarkable. If anyone thinks blogging is a fad, that should let you know that we’re not going anywhere.
- We felt like a real community. Sure, we all twitter and facebook and blog and ning and delicious and technorati and digg and on and on, but when we all get in a room together and emerge as living, breathing human beings behind social marketing monikers and web images, it’s pretty cool. In the end, there’s a bit of nerd in us all, both wine nerd and technology nerd, and we had the chance to let it all hang out and be both people. For once, I didn’t feel bad about having my head buried in my iPhone at dinner and no one cared that I had to ask them what they just said (or, better yet, I could say things like “could you just twitter me with that? I’ll get to it much quicker that way.”). And, I can guarantee we had more wine tastings than they did at that other blogging conference in Chicago.
- The Napa wine community embraced us far more than I ever anticipated, with interesting panels, lunches on the lawn, vineyard walks, one-on-one conversations, interviews, tastings, tours, etc. It really was incredible. Napa gets a lot of heat for becoming what many refer to as the “Disneyland of wine,” but the people we met with and the time and interest they took in us really felt to me more like what I imagine an older, smaller, not-yet-world-stage Napa to be like. For me, that’s the best kind of wine country. Brought me back a bit to what I truly do love about the California wine country – great wine, beautiful scenery and a deep connection to those who have dedicated their lives to making it all come to life. Thank you Napa!
- We never trended on Twitter, which to be perfectly honest, was surprising to me. I’ve never seen so many people heads down in their iPhones and laptops, letting the world know real time what they thought about the event, the content, the wines we tasted, etc. Could it be that we were only talking to ourselves and those few who felt unfortunate that they didn’t attend? Oh, please say it isn’t so.
- On the bus rides back and forth and in conference rooms and at the after hours gatherings, I was able to talk to and share ideas with so many great folks (some of whom I have listed in Twitter wine folks to follow – Part II). For those of you who don’t know us as a group, I was stunned by the wealth of knowledge floating through the venues. As serious as the winemakers are about their wine, this crew brings the same passion, knowledge and intensity to their craft. As bloggers, we get mired in discussions about ethics and whether or not we’re actually providing useful and credible information to folks. But, I can tell you, when you’re in the room with 250+ people focused on their passion and a technology that fuels that passion, you can’t help but feel the power of it all. Truly incredible.
- Next year is in Walla Walla, Washington. Having lived in the Northwest for 20 years, with great in-laws living 45 minutes from Walla Walla, well, let’s just say I’m already registered for WBC10. And, it was a great idea for the organizers of the conference to put out tastings of Walla Walla wines as we wrapped up WBC09. Should be a fun and truly unique experience, particularly if you’ve never been to Walla Walla. You registered yet?
If you have or have found other interesting WBC09 stories, let me know.
Continue reading about Wine Bloggers Conference…the final word
In the world of blogging and social media, does it still make sense to send thank you cards, emails, IM’s or Twitters? Sure. But, why not thank everyone at once for an amazing weekend in Napa?
Sincere thanks to all of the following sponsors for giving us an unbelievable weekend – truly amazing and something I won’t forget for a very long time.
Organizers
Premier Sponsors
Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers
Russian River Valley Winegrowers
Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley
Media Sponsors
Event Sponsors
Continue reading about Wine Bloggers Conference open thank you
This past weekend in Napa, 250+ of us attended the Wine Bloggers Conference in Napa. But, it could have just as easily been called the Wine Twitterers Conference as we all nerded out on our iPhones and other handhelds at meals, at tastings, on the bus, in the vineyards…honestly, I think it’s the only time in the last year that I haven’t felt bad for picking up my iPhone at dinner or anywhere else where it wasn’t, well, just me.
Some may call Twitter a fad, a business model that eventually morphs into something else, a crazy kids thing or a completely baffling activity, but when you get a group of dedicated and passionate people collectively focusing on their object of desire, the real and virtual world start to meld into one pretty quickly. A truly unique and quirky experience.
And, so you can experience some
of the interesting folks on Twitter that were with me in Napa, here is the second in my installment of Twitter wine folks to follow (you can find Part I here – Good wine people to follow on Twitter). If you’re on Twitter and you enjoy wine, wine blogs, tasting notes, whatever, these are great people to pay attention to.
Probably forgot someone, but there can always be another list…plenty of us out there.
Continue reading about Twitter wine folks to follow – part II
2005 Bonny Doon Le Cigar Volant
2007 Tandem Manchester Ridge Chardonnay
2008 Michel Schlumberger Pinot Blanc
2007 Arrowood Cote de Lune Blanc, Saralee’s Vineyard
2007 Aveleda Alvarinho Vinho Verde
Continue reading about Wine Bloggers Conference – my top wine picks
Can’t wait to taste them.
Continue reading about Napa and St. Supery grapes on their way…