Live blogging – not so live…

On the first day of the Wine Bloggers' Conference I participated in the Live Blogging event. The idea was that we would have 6 minutes to taste each wine and talk with the winery representative. We would then post what we had online, more or less regardless of editing. Unfortunately, the blogging was not so live. There were some bandwidth issues, so I was not able to get onto the Internet.

Here are my notes (unedited) from the event:

Benovia winery = Savoy vineyard pinot noir 2007, Anderson valley Sonoma – light red
Smooth, smoky,
Cranberry, strawberry, vanilla, (taste drops off for me and then really leaves more behind)
Alc 14.5
Cases 370
$55
50% new oak (all French)
Most sold at winery, dist in NY

Lions Pride Pinot Noir 2007 Russian River Valley
115 cases (never more than 120)
El Molino High School (do label and winery bottles)
Proceeds to high school
$35
Meaty on the nose
So fruity!
$25k a year for students
Students tend crops – all winemaking Lee Martinellie Jr. – celeb winemaker
Really fruity and smooth

1acre – btw parking lot and athletic field

Rodney Strong Rockaway Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 SV Alexander Valley
1800 cases
$75
Blueberry
Amazingly good taste. Classic Cassis and blackberry, lovely leather and excellent fruit
Steak
Current release – around Jan

Cornerstone Cellars – Napa
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Howel Mnt. Cab
Picks a month later than most wineries
Floral, perfume, blackberry
So smooth, really blueberry
Extremely tannic, needs more time
Sustainable farming
Website – cornerstone cellars.com
CraigCamp
$100
600 cases

2006 Signitara – Sonoma Valley Sunny Slope, Stone Farm, Gordenker
Blend
64% Cab 36% Merlot
Earth, nature, and man
New release (new brand)
Biodynamic vineyards – the bottle for this year is organic, next year bio
Smooth, rich fruit up front, moves into cranberry, strawberry, nice tannins
$49
1200 ish

Matthiasson SB Ribolia Giola Semilion, Tocai Fruilano – Napa 2008
Bright grapefruit, perfume, floral, kiwi
Blend that has everything
First taste – round
Right along dry creek to south Napa
Very juicy and round, a little soft lemon, kiwi,
100% barrel fermented (30% new)
¼ barrels malolactic
Bottled 6 weeks ago
$35
NY, Fl, TX, SoCa Nor Ca, DC,
So easy to drink,
290 cases

Joseph Phelps Cabernet 2005 Napa
Blackberry, leather, vanilla
Really juicy up front, rich tannins, blueberry and cassis, great smoothness
40-50000 cases
$54
Open for about 2 hours – really nice

Bonny Doon Le Cigar Volant 2005
50% Grenach, mourvedre Syrah carignan, cinsault
So smooth and beautiful, sexy,
Blueberry and juicy cherry, earthy and just lovely, real wine, bacon,
1500 cases
Skurnik Distribution
Freaking amazing
Taste the dirt
$32

Kaz Petit Sirah 2008
Beautiful Purfume, pepper,
Sweet! Lots of fruit, fig, lemon shortbread


Concannon Petit Sirah 2006 – Central Coast limited Release
$30 Mill revamp of the winery
Rich and round smell, blackberry, vanilla, leather
Sweet fig up front,

Cracker came through – THANK GOD!
Media Lunch Wednesday august 19
$15

Bella Zinfandel 2007 Dry Creek Valley Lily Hill Estate
Minty, eucalyptus,
Fat and flabby, lots of meat,

Twisted Oak River of skulls 2007 Calaverass County
88 Mourvedre 12 Syrah
400 cases
A little dirty, barnyard,
Dark and sweet, blackberry, moving tannin, raspberry, smoky, toasty,
100% creepy
Release next month
Name come from El Rio de la Calaveras