Quick Taste: Rocca Family Vineyards Bad Boy Red

By Rob Bralow, Wine Post Editor

I am so jaded by marketing gimmicks. I see funny names, wacky labels and stupid stunts in wine every day. Maybe even twice a day. A few days ago a very good customer came into the store asking for Effen Vodka. Why did she want it? So that she could give it as a gift and say, "Here's an Effen Vodka. Now make me an Effen drink."

So when I received a bottle of 2007 Bad Boy Red from Rocca Family Vineyards, I was anything but enthusiastic. There it is, with that shadowed cowboy looking down as his hat covers his eyes. It screams marketing, which tends to mean that the juice in the bottle came as an afterthought.

I tasted the wine and did a double take. I needed to make sure the wine I had poured in the glass actually came from the bottle I had in front of me. This was a serious wine and I had been treating it like crap since I got the bottle! The nose had beautiful violets and black fruit pouring out of it, soft and smooth. The taste was velvety with excellent blueberry and blackberry, topped by a spicy kick in the finish as the alcohol warms you up.

I was seriously impressed with this wine. It goes to show that you never know what is in the bottle until you taste it. The price on this is about $30, and worth every penny.

Disclaimer: I received this bottle as a media sample.

A Lunch with Hourglass Vineyards

by Rob Bralow, Wine Post Editor

At the end of March, I sat down with Jeff Smith, the owner of Hourglass Wine Company. Jeff's father, Ned Smith, purchased six acres of land in 1976 and created a bed and breakfast along Lodi Lane, which Jeff claims was one of the first in Napa. Ned was not particularly interested in biting into the wine industry at the time, but decided to plant his favorite varietal Zinfandel, in hopes of trading grapes for finished wines. The Zinfandel vineyards were decimated by phylloxera in the early 1990's, at which time Jeff took over management.

"It was close," explained Jeff. "We were thinking of selling the land. But first I wanted to be sure we were doing the right thing. My friend Kelley Maher put me in touch with Dr. Mark Kliewer and said if we would host him for a weekend, he would evaluate our site."

Dr. Kliewer was the Dean of the viticulture program at UC Davis and one of the world's premier experts in grape growing climates. He concluded that the Smith property had the potential to produce some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. This high praise from such a prestigious source had Jeff planting Cabernet Sauvignon as fast as he could. By enlisting Bob Foley, already a noted winemaker, Jeff propelled the Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon to cult status starting with the very first vintage in 1997.

My favorite part during my talk with Jeff was when he described the land. Besides having fantastic visions of sunsets and cooling winds that come through the vineyards in the summertime, a newer property that Jeff recently purchased with several business partners has two blue-line streams (streams that run for most or part of each year) that run through the vines, creating a winery with a branded namesake "Blueline." Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc are currently planted in the Blueline Vineyards, with plans to add plots of Petit Verdot and Malbec. Each year an interesting occurrence takes place on the Blueline Vineyards:  Steelhead's (a type of Rainbow Trout) run up the river to hatch their young upstream. I would love to be there to watch it happen, but it is somewhat unpredictable and only lasts for a short period of time.

After talking about the vineyards for a while, we tasted the 2007 Hourglass Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. There are some wines that are like meeting a cheerful, bubbly friend of a friend. Some wines are like meeting someone who asks awkward questions at inappropriate times and you just have to smile and suddenly remember that you had to be somewhere else. This wine was like meeting an old friend on a porch while the sun is setting. The nose was silky, with blackberry and raspberry up front, moving to that pleasant smell I associate with walking into a tea shop. The taste was delicious: smooth with soft currant, blackberry, with a pleasant hit of black pepper and eucalyptus that stretched on and on and on...

After talking about the wine and the winery, Jeff wanted to ask me about my blog and what I do. I found this extremely interesting because the more I spoke to him, the more I understood that he did not quite get it but really wanted to learn more about social media. He put his trust in his PR agency to help him, which I always think is a good idea. Jeff was fascinated by my views on twitter and Facebook and bloggers. After the lunch, I think he was starting to understand that most bloggers have other day jobs and that the reason they blog is for the passion of writing about something they love, wine. Jeff could definitely relate to that.

Disclosure: This post resulted from a press lunch. 

I am also going to add an additional disclosure to my blog posts. Now that I am working for Blue Streak Wines & Spirits I am going to further disclose whether or not the store carries the wine or wines that I talk about. Discussing a wine on my blog will not automatically mean that the store carries them. That said, there may be some wines in the store that I will talk about here. As in everything, I will attempt to be as honest and transparent as possible.

The store does not currently carry any of the wines discussed in this article.

Quick Taste: Hall Wines Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc

by Rob Bralow, Wine Post Editor


The first time I was introduced to Hall Wines from Napa Valley was from a sample I received in the mail. It was a bottle of 2006 Hall Wines Katheryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon. I did not really think too much about it. It had an attractive label, came in unattractive but serviceable packaging. Then I went to the 2009 Wine Experience hosted by Wine Spectator. Copies of the November 15th Issue were lying about everywhere, and I could not help noticing that the bottle that had just arrived in the mail was one of the three wines on the cover for the Napa Valley Issue.


I then got the chance to taste the wine during the orgy of wine that ensued. It was absolutely delicious. My notes can be found midway down the page at my blog post about the Experience.


When I received an e-mail asking me if I wanted to taste some more wines from Hall, I immediately said yes. I received a bottle of the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, both from Napa Valley.


2008 Hall Wines Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley - Fresh in the glass, the wine has a strong pink grapefruit expression, with some rich herbal notes, like fresh cut tea leaves. The taste was very peppery, with white pepper and jalepeno, finishing on grapefruit and lemon rind.


2006 Hall Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - I took this wine out to dinner with a few friends of mine, because I had some expectations for the wine. We went to a BYO Italian place, that I do not mention, because if I keep talking about it you might think I am shilling for them. I am not, I just love the place. Anyway, I opened this bottle there, with a few friends and found the wine to be as much the little brother of the Kathryn Hall Cabernet as I could hope. There was classic blackberry and cassis, with some ripe cherry and caramel. The taste was filled with cinnamon and chocolate, with some ripe fruit towards the end. The difference was that this wine did not taste as finished. The Kathryn Hall was pure bliss, while this was just nice to drink. The difference between a swiss chocolate and a bar that you picked up at Acme. Both of chocolate, and both are tasty, but one just blows the other away. In my next life I think I will be a chocolate blogger...


Disclaimer: These wines were both received as unsolicited free samples.

News Update: I wrote this blog post about a week ago and checked through my e-mail and found that on March 31st Hall Wines announced by press release that the winery has received Organic Certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), one of the nation’s oldest and largest organic certification and trade associations in North America. The organic farming certification process spans three years and each of HALL’s six estates located throughout Napa Valley and Alexander Valley in Sonoma County follow the strict guidelines set forth by the CCOF. To date in 2010, 355 acres owned by the HALL’s have been certified organic. The last of the estate vineyards, known as the Hardester Ranch with 145 planted acres, will receive its organic certification on August 18, 2010.

Quick Taste: Luna Vineyards

By Rob Bralow, Wine Post Editor

Luna Vineyards was founded in 1995 by Mike Moone and George Vare in Napa Valley. What sets this winery apart from most of the other wineries is that they are doing a little bit of work with different varietals, most noteably Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese. These wines have an artisan touch, obviously worked and cared for by the winemaker and vineyard managers.

2007 Pinot Grigio - I am not a huge fan of Pinot Grigio, as most readers have picked up on by now. When I find one I like, it is usually crisp and citrusy. I found this wine creamy and a bit herbal, as if a combination of creamed corn and green tea were mixed together. That said, it was quite drinkable, but not something that really stood out for me.

2007 Merlot - If you like cherry, you should buy this wine. There were red cherries, black cherries, bing cherries... it was a cherry bonanza. There was also rich cinnamon and cedar box that found its way in. This wine needed another couple years in bottle, a decanter, and a fatty cheese. It was tight, so buy now, drink much later.

2007 Sangiovese - It was like something out of a dream where I woke up and said, "Quick someone make me a strawberry cake with vanilla frosting!" and Luna was there saying, "I happen to have one right here." This wine was very good, with strawberry cake, vanilla bean, and sweet strawberry jam on the nose. The flavors were clear and well defined, which makes a great wine for someone who like to pair with food. The taste held much of what was on the nose, with a bit of dusty tannin in the mix. At first I thought the wine dropped in the mid-palate, but I realized that it just needed to breath longer (again, more time in bottle needed). After waiting an hour for the wine to breathe, everything came together and was delicious.

Walking the Stepping Stone

By Rob Bralow, Wine Post Editor

On average it take me about two to three months review a wine that has been sent to me here on Wine Post. There is first the time lag between when I receive the wine and when I taste the wine. That is usually about three to four weeks. This is deliberate, as it allows the wine that has been sent to me to get over its bottle shock from being put into a box, shaken vigorously by the UPS or FedEx man, and then delivered to me.

After waiting an appropriate amount of time, I then taste the wine and write down my tasting notes. I will usually taste the wine after about 15 minutes of it being opened, then again after 30 minutes, and then again after an hour. This allows me to see how the wine changes and evolves. It also gives me a small glimpse into seeing if the wine could have aged. The more changes the wine goes through while open to air, the more these changes could have blended into a wine as it sits in the bottle. It is not a sure indicator, but it is close. You can definitely tell when a wine is closed tight and needs a while in the air to open up. More time in the bottle would certainly help these wines open.

I mention this because these are some of the properties I found in Cornerstone Cellars' newest label: Stepping Stone. I received a bottle of the 2007 Grenache and 2007 Cabernet Franc. The Grenache is from the Red Hills AVA, in Lake County, within the North Coast of California (circles within circles). The Cabernet Franc comes from vineyards in Carneros. I really enjoyed both of these wines, but I thought the Grenache was great. It had beautiful wild berry flavors, with a fine sprinkle of crushed black pepper. The longer this wine sat in my glass, the smoother and more enjoyable it became, clearly indicating to me that this wine could have held up for another five years easily.

The Cabernet Franc was also very nice, with fresh and vibrant fruit, hinting at a background of herbal polish. Blueberries and raspberries were the most prevalent with a band of dust that carefully divided the fore-palate and the mid-palate.

Another thing I like about Cornerstone is that on the individual wine pages there are a few notes about WHY the winery decided to make the wine.

Disclaimer: I received both wines as samples from the winery.

Wine of a KOZ

By Rob Bralow, Wine Post Editor

I received some samples in the mail from someone pitching a story about charitable wines for the holidays. I honestly did not give it my full attention, mostly because I was rather distracted by my own worldly woes.

I then dug into my e-mails and found that I have received a ton of information about KOZ wines. KOZ wines is a collaboration between Grammy Award-nominated jazz saxophonist Dave Koz and Whole Foods Markets. 100 percent of Dave's proceeds benefit the Starlight Children's Foundation. Previously I've written about Humanitas Winery and One Hope Wines, both of which have deep ties to humanitarian charities. KOZ does go one step farther, but that is because famous jazz saxophonists probably do not need to make wine in order to make money.

These wines are all made by Vinum Cellars, a company which makes about ten wines under their own label. Below are my notes from the KOZ wines that I received:

2008 KOZ Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley - This was a pleasant wine for drinking, but not much else. There was a fatness to the wine that made it something of a Coca Cola wine. You can drink it, and it tastes good, but there is not much else to it. On the nose there was some gooseberry and asparagus, both of which came out in the taste.

2007 KOZ Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley - There is some real heat here, as there should be in a wine that has a 14.7% Alc. For me this wine was rustic and a little rough edged. There was definitely some fruit, blackberries and cranberries, but there is a woody dryness that just sucks away the fruit in the middle.

2007 KOZ Red Alto Blend, El Dorado - My favorite wine of the group. A wine with a mostly Syrah base, blended with Grenache, Mouvedre, and Petite Syrah, this wine really brought out the fruit. This was round and succulent, with fleshy red cherry pushing its way out of the glass. With good length and a nice balance, this wine makes you feel good both on the palate and in the fact that you are really giving to a children's charity.

Kissing under a vineyard canopy

Wouldn't you like to get married with a vineyard and roses backdrop? Well, the WineBard is getting married and wants to say her vows (not have the ceremony, just say her vows) in a Napa vineyard.

So there is a general call out to all the vineyards in Napa, how would you like to have bloggers talking about how awesome you were by offering to host a blogger to say her vows.

Her K.I.S.S list:

• Rose bushes at the end of the rows of vines


• Picturesque location for Wedding photos


• Can accommodate four people for about one hour on Aug 18th


• No staff, or event space required from the vineyard

For more information, you can email winebard@gmail.com with a brief description of your winery and why your vineyard would be perfect for the special day. Entries will be posted on http://www.winebardweds.com/ as they come in and notifying the chosen winery on August 14.

The official announcement will be made on the wedding day, followed by a post of how it went.

Please email no later than August 13 at 4pm PST, the bride has some planning to do!

So much twitter, such good wine

Saturday night I participated in a Twitter Taste Live with wines from St. Supery. We tasted the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 Virtu, 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2008 Moscato. St. Supery is a winery in Napa Valley, with a vineyard in Rutherford and another in the corner of the valley called Dollarhide. This event taught me something very interesting, something that really could only have come as a true epiphany.

The 1WineDude is so much better at coming up with metaphors than I am.

I mean, it just is not fair. How can I compete with this:

1WineDude: 04 St Supery Cab: There's a Slim Jim playing hide & seek with you in a blackberry patch. And you're eating a dark chocolate bar. #TTL

or this one

1WineDude: 08 St Supery Sauv Blanc: Like riding a lime sled over a field of cut grass. If u could sled on grass. And if sleds were made from limes #TTL

Tasting note gold. I have no idea what it means, but it just sounds so freaking cool. The best I could come up with is:

RobBralow: 2006 Virtu from St. Supery – its like rumplestiltskin is jumping on my tongue and asking me “what’s my name biyatch!” #TTL

And now I have to deal with explaining to my relatives (who are increasingly reading my blog) exactly what I meant by "biyatch."

However, all said and done, I thought these wines were good. With perhaps the exception of the Moscato, I thought each wine showed excellent varietal character, a really pleasant experience. The Virtu, which is a white Meritage (Mer-eh-tij... ryhmes with superitage) was a really interesting wine. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, there were really pleasant notes of honeysuckle, tangy lemon, and a smidgen of butterscotch. The warmer the wine got, the more expressive it became. The Cabernet was delicious, blackberry, anise, with rich tannins. It was my favorite wine of the night. And the Sauvignon Blanc was crisp, light, and extremely refreshing.

Wines tasted on October 29th, 2008

Pinot Noir

1) Fleur de California Pinot Noir 2006, 13.5% ALC., Carneros, California, USA

2) Joseph Drouhin Cote de Beaune-Villages 2005, 13% ALC., AOC Cote de Beaune-Villages, Cote D’Or, Burgundy, France

3) Baden Biengener Maltesergarten Pinot Noir 2003, QmP Troken Auslese, Markgraflerland, Germany

Merlot

4) Sterling Vineyards Merlot 2004, 13.5% ALC, Napa Valley, California, USA

5) Chateau Beaumont Cru Bourgeois Supérieur 2005, 13.5 ALC, (51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot), Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France

6) Chateau Haut-Surget Lalande de Pomerol 2005, 13% ALC, AOC Lalande-de-Pomerol, Bordeaux, France