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January 2 2009
With the nebulous term “value” being bandied about these days like a badge of honor, I thought it might be interesting to look at two “value” wines from the same winery.
Of course, “value” is a term that means 100 different things to 100 different people.
Value, to me, constitutes a wine that is (generally) under $15 that offers nice drinkability, but also a level of craftsmanship that is quality indicator denoting it as a wine that with some complexity and interest.
One-note fruit wines with a layer missing in the tasting profile, need not apply.
Sadly, over the course of the last two to three years, most domestic wineries abandoned the $12 - $15 category to move upstream, only to wish they could beat a hasty retreat now. The wine aisle is rife with $17.99 US-based wines that once occupied the $13.99 price slot.
Imports from South America seem to dominate this vacuum, even dipping down to the $9 range with some mildly interesting “value” wines.
Other rippling trends we continue to see is the West Coast butter-bomb backlash in Chardonnay with the the oaked vs. stainless steel trend seeing some nice growth along the lines of stainless.
And, of course, organic, sustainable, green and the like continue to see strong consumer interest, even if nobody really knows what it all means; sustainable means what exactly?
These burbling, bubbling trends makes Snoqualmie from Washington even more interesting – besides the fact that I have always liked the name Snoqualmie, which seems to me to be like Ketchikan, AK – a name vaguely exotic and interesting even if the towns themselves aren’t as interesting as their names.
Snoqualmie offer wines in national distribution, frequently in grocery and liquor stores, at the sub - $15 price point, and have an oaked and an unoaked (organic) chardonnay. They have got their bases covered. And, generally speaking, the popular wine critical press have marked various Snoqualmie varietals as good values over the last couple of years.
However, in reviewing their oaked and unoaked Chardonnay, color me surprised when the oaked Chardonnay came out as the better wine to my palate. And, if you consider that national distribution means a movement to a “house style” you can consider this review fairly consistent despite year-to-year growing differences.
It is not often that predominate notes of “pineapple upside down cake” will interest many wine folks, but their oaked Chardonnay is a tasty treat, particularly compared against their unoaked organic Chard which is more expensive and not as good.
If given a choice between the Snoqaulmie Oaked Chardonnay versus their organic unoaked (naked) offering I would say, “Drink This (Oaked), Not That (Naked).”
My Tasting Notes can be found below:
2007 Snoqualmie Naked Chardonnay
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January 1 2009
What is the old saying, “Don’t cook with any wine you wouldn’t want to drink.” I am glad to note that the ’07 Hall Sauvignon Blanc makes a fine cooking wine and even better drinking companion.
Over the last two days, my wife made a delicious risotto called Risi Bisi (filched from Emeril Lagasse, I think) and a fondue. Both called for a cup of wine and both subsequently paired beautifully with a glass of the same Sauvignon Blanc.
One of the small joys and bits of laughter that makes everyday a discovery with my wife is the accidental happenstances that occur with her as a virtual teetotaler with amazing sensory capacity.
For example, she does not know that classic Sauvignon Blanc has notes of cat pee, though her nose may tell her.
So, it’s with no small amount of good humor that I have to explain to her that its all right as she stirs the risotto and exclaims, “This wine is off—it smells like Lulu (her cat growing up).”
Despite my wife’s infinite olfactory sense, it is difficult to pin Hall winery down with any level of finite finesse. This is a winery with many things going on, all seemingly successful.
If you didn’t know any better you’d think they’ve been doing it since the 70’s, but the reality is they are relatively new to the Napa Valley wine game – acquiring vineyards over the course of the last 20 + years, but the release of the Hall Cabernet coming in 2001 with the Sauvignon Blanc following in ’04.
Spend any time reviewing the web site or press materials that came with the wine sample and one thing that becomes very evident is that no expense is spared in any phase of Hall. This is a first-class operation – from the ongoing Frank Gehry designed winery and tasting room to the vineyards that have been acquired to fuel production growth, to David Ramey as consulting winemaker. Everything is done with high quality execution and winning in mind.
Hall is doing it right because the Sauvignon Blanc is delicious, hitting all the right notes – varietally correct on the nose, with abundant acidity and ripe California fruit—the standard by which other CA Sauvignon Blanc’s can be compared.
And, it went great with the risotto, too.
My tasting note can be found here.
Lindsay’s Risi Bisi Risotto recipe:
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December 14 2008
Despite the hard time that large wine companies with high production take from wine drinkers-cum-pundits in the wine blogosphere, it is nice to see the estate / fine wine division of Constellation making some meaningful wine with a level of progressiveness in their consumer engagement efforts.
Is it possible to be all things to all people? Can a winery balance the thin line between art / commerce successfully?
Kim Crawford will have you believing it is possible.
The 2008 Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is a fine example of national distribution, professional critical acclaim, and social media engagement, coupled with the most important thing – a darn tasty wine.
It is so tasty, in fact, I spent the better part of last Saturday afternoon driving around Indianapolis looking for it – most stores were out of stock after its second appearance in two years on the Wine Spectator Top 100 wines of the year, garnering 91 points and a #40 ranking on the Top 100.
Note to self. This is Indiana. Don’t check every wine shop in town first—go to your corner liquor store.
Despite the lack of quaintness in my purchase, it is not the Top 100 ranking that had originally interested me in Kim Crawford—it was the advertising.
I subscribe to a music magazine called Paste that seems like it is written for me – it focuses on accessible indie rock and arts culture. It is a national magazine and the November issue had a Kim Crawford ad.
It was noticeable because how often do you see wine advertising in a contemporary youth culture/music magazine that is not Yellowtail? Hardly ever.
The ad copy says:
At Kim Crawford, we believe in trailblazing. Whether it’s screw caps, Unoaked Chardonnay or up-and-coming artists, we support unconventional thinking and the courage to break new ground. We’ve put together the perfect party playlist with some of our favorite new sounds and songs. Why not download it now?
So, let me get this straight – a large wine company brand, with acclaimed wine from the wine industry critical press, that is advertising in a niche music/culture magazine with a specific web site that offers music downloads and content commissioned from a wine consultant and blogger, Courtney Cochran? What else can they possible be doing right? Social media. Yeah, check there, too. Kim Crawford has a Facebook page and they also Twitter.
Aside from the full-color, full page ad in the magazine, I hope other wines are taking note of this recipe for success as it should give smaller wineries some inspiration.
In the meantime, I am enjoying a glass of the Kim Crawford listening to Five Star Iris on the Experience Kim Crawford site.
You can see my tasting notes here.
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December 9 2008
I consider myself a writer, yes. Wine blogging and being a “writer” aren’t mutually exclusive. As a writer who can’t call inspiration on command, I keep a running list of post ideas, usually anywhere from 20 - 50 items that can be fleshed out for a post.
Oddly, nowhere on that list, at any given time, is a specific wine to review, though I drink a glass of wine most nights. Sometimes, frankly, I forget or don’t even think about writing about a wine as a review. Perhaps it’s my folly or just my interests—I enjoy tasting wines moreso than I consider myself a hardcore reviewer of wine or an epicurean that pairs food and wine together and, likewise, I get more excited to write about, well, what I normally write about.
That said, I’m going to review some wines. All were received as samples from the respective wineries. I never take it for granted that I receive samples, so thank you to the winery and their PR representatives for engaging in the wine blogosphere.
Cameron Hughes 2006 Lot 81 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
I have to say I am an unabashed fan of Cameron Hughes. I like what they are doing and I like how they do it. The whole notion of a $50 wine for $15 just really plays well with me. I tend to fetishize a few things that I love in and around wine and Cameron Hughes falls into that classification.
In acquiring this wine, Tim Elliott and I were loitering after our Wine Blogger Conference panel discussion (where we just got done talking about wineries influencing bloggers) and up comes a couple of guys from Cameron Hughes (Paul Jenson and Ben Jenkins) ready to talk a little shop and ply us with samples. The timing was dubious, but when two bottles are stuck in my hand from a wine company that I’m really fond of, who am I to argue? Thanks, guys.
Given that background, the Lot 81, frankly, isn’t up to normal Cameron Hughes quality. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid wine, but it doesn’t hold up the value proposition as well as other wines I’ve had from Cameron Hughes. This quality of wine can definitely be had in the $20 price range, and down into the $12 - 15 category.
Not a clunker, an enjoyable quaff, just not in line with the CH value prop.
2005 Wolffer Estate “Caya” Cabernet Franc
My experience with New York wine is growing, though not yet quite expansive. I’ve been to Vintage New York in NYC, I’ve hauled a half dozen bottles home with me and I’ve tasted a bunch of bottles that Lenn from Lenndevours brought out to the Wine Blogger Conference. And, generally speaking, I’m a booster for the New York (and Michigan) wine industry to grow, grow, grow.
Save for a couple of thin Pinots, all of the whites and the multiple Merlots and Cab Francs I’ve tasted have all been good, showing NY as having a real, legitimate place on the national stage, just a pace behind Washington. And, I think I now understand Lenn’s exhortations for quality because the potential is present in New York even if the execution doesn’t always fire on all cylinders, allowing some clunkers to slip through every now and again.
One thing I really like about Lenn is he calls them like he sees them and he is a quality champion for New York wines. And, while I can’t specifically attribute Wolffer sending samples out to wine bloggers to Lenn’s influence, I know Lenn has spoken well of Wolffer in the past and surely a sample showing up at my door step is a sign of the impact he has in that region.
Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give to this Wolffer Estate Cab Franc is this isn’t a wine with potential, it doesn’t need to round into form in a couple of vintages. It’s a good wine now. It’s a 20th anniversary wine for the winery, as well, even if I don’t know if the 20th anniversary is tied to ‘05 - the vintage year, or ‘08 the year of release. Take a look at their wine line-up here.
2006 Bouchaine Carneros Pinot Noir
I first pulled the cork on this wine at the same time that friends and I were drinking a slew of other California Pinot’s—Patz & Hall, William Selyem, Road 31, a micro-Pinot from Crushpad and some inexpensive bottles. It didn’t show well.
With the graciousness of the winery, who sent me two bottles, I tried again, to give it a fair shake. The reason, in hindsight, it didn’t show well is very obvious now. Stylistically, it is definitely not a California-style Pinot. This is classic Burgundy via Carneros—which is probably a reason for many Pinot lovers to rejoice with many CA Pinot’s pushing the limits on fruit (and alcohol). Given that I think Kosta Browne invented the color black, I might not be the best person to ask, however.
Setting aside my own personal bias and looking at it objectively, this wine has an incredibly complex nose and a mid-palate that invited introspection. With more flavor components then I can recall from a wine in recent memory, it is well-crafted, balanced, with restrained fruit and a lot of earth components. And, it is a sure delight with dinner.
You can buy online here
My tasting notes are here.
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August 21 2008
Imagine a chocolate covered black cherry fist enrobed in a velvet glove. That begins to approximate the 2005 Rockaway Cabernet.
The thing that I really like about this wine is what it isn’t.
* It isn’t overpriced, relative to allocated wines
* It isn’t all fruit and sweet oakiness
* It doesn’t beat you over the head and say, “Look at me”
* It isn’t made for drinking tomorrow; a wine IV drip for an immediate gratification society
The fact is, David Ramey, consulting winemaker for Rockaway, has made something different, something you don’t see very frequently at an approachably priced $75 in the allocated Cab category. He has made a wine that is forbidding, young yet integrated and balanced. As something of a Ramey fan, I know he has the touch to make Cab’s ready to drink now, too. It’s a delicate balance, for sure. But, I’m glad to see a wine of this caliber that DOES NOT come straight out of the bottle ready for the straw to drink it with. It needs air, but more than anything it needs time.
Today you see the acids, the medium small tannins that will mellow to a fine grain, the abundant fruit—kirsch liqueur, dark chocolate, a hint of coffee on the finish, an obvious pedigree that will make this wine a show stopper in a few years time.
Perhaps that is why Rockaway isn’t priced $50 more a bottle. Patience rewards those that will to let a liquid asset appreciate in value, which this beauty will certainly do.
Drink it with a fine meal in 2011 and be thankful for signing up for the list way back in ‘08 when it was announced via some bloggers.
In a nod to Chateau Petrogasm, who, upon reflection, should have been a part of the Rockaway program, I offer up a visual identifier. And, Joe from 1WineDude, who was a part of the program, gives his visual descriptor at Chateau Petrograsm, found here.
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