Wine Shop At Home Tasting Party

On Sunday my husband and I hosted our launch party for Wine Shop At Home. The guest list was intimate and we served an assortment of cheese, fruit, salami and bread along with SIX wines.

We started with the Fleur Bleu 2010 White Bouquet. This central coast blend consists of 50% Riesling, 42% Gewurtraminer and 8% Chardonnay. Sunday just happened to be a gorgeous sunny day and this wine was perfect. The wine is light and delicate with a clean finish. I tasted Apple and Pear with a touch of honey. This wine is a thumbs up in my book but not the favorite of the day. Our second wine was the Lumiere de Vie 2009 California Savignon Blanc. Savignon Blanc (a Bordeaux grape varietal) can have a grassy, even unpleasant cat urine aroma. This wine did not!
Sav Blanc is not usually one of my favorites but this wine could change my mind. With Aromas of Apple, Pear, Peach and honeysuckle it would pair well with Roasted Chicken or Scallops.

On to the reds... first the 2009 Pied Violet Reserve Mendocino Merlot. Pied Violet or "Purple Foot" comes from the Mendocino applellation known for creating dark, complex red wines. This wine was jammy with blackberry, vanilla and oak aromas. Merlot's have gotten such a bad rap but this one was pretty good. I would choose this as a good weekend wine to share over dinner with family and friends. Next up, the Fleur Bleu 2008 Yorkville Highlands Six Petals Blend. We renamed this the Frankenstein blend. Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Viognier, Cabernet Savignon and Merlot. WHEW. That is a mouthful. NEXT... Halcyon 2009 Mendocino Cabernet Savignon. 90% Cabernet Savignon and 10% Mendocino Merlot. Cabs are consistant favorites with flavors of dark fruit, blackberry, licorice and leather. The oak and minerals give it some some good tannins but a fairly smooth finish. The last wine of the evening seemed to be the one everyone liked best. The 2009 Fleur Bleu North Coast Mourvedre. You can smell the Black fruit, Cherry, Brown Sugar, Vanilla and Plum. It was a big mouthful bursting with flavor punctuated with just the right amount of tannin and acidity. With a long finish this wine leaves you wanting more. This wine is ready to drink now or can lay down in your cellar for four to six years. I recommend this wine to any Rhone fans. I don't think it will disappoint. Until next time... Salute!

Rhone Reds

My husband and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary by heading to Paso Robles for a little tasting last weekend. The weather cooperated and I was thankful not to see rain. We visited several wineries but I am going to tell you about two of my favorites.

On Sunday after breakfast we headed to EPOCH. A little history first... In the early 1900's Paso had a famous resident. His name was Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Ignacy was a concert Pianist, composer and a statesman that owned several thousand acres in the area and in 1933 he won a gold medal at the state fair for his Zinfandel. Long story short... in 2004 Bill and Liz Armstrong purchased 350 acres which included Paderewski's Rancho and York Mountain Winery where Epoch's new tasting room now sits. We tasted four wines at Epoch. First was the 2008 Epoch Red, a blend of Syrah, Tempranillo, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Mourvedre. Then we had the 2008 Zin, a 2007 Tempranillo and last but definitely not least the 2008 Ingenuity. At $55.00 a bottle it is probably not an every day drinking wine but a special one for sure. This unique blend of 61% Syrah, 17% Grenache, 14% Petite Sirah and 8% Mourvedre is a delight for Rhone fans. It is fruit forward but with serious structure. I recommend a visit to Epoch and do it before the Ingenuity is gone. Only 415 cases of this were produced.

Next stop... DENNER! Said to be the hub because of the 400,000 tons of grapes they process each year, Denner is also a collaboration of seven winemakers. The top dog there is 25 year old Anthony Yount who became the Denner's winemaker in 2009. The Denner's own 126 acres and sell grapes to a number of wineries, Justin probably being the most well known. In addition, their wine maker's also collaborate on 10 different wine labels including Epoch. We tasted four wines at Denner. First was a Viogner, then a Grenache blend and then....The Ditch Digger! This blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Mouvedre, 5% Cinsaut, and 5% Cinoise is a mouthful of ripe raspberries, black cherry, red licorice and cocoa. Don't let the name fool you, this is an elegant wine. Two thumbs up for this one. Last but again not least... Mother of Exiles is 70% Cabernet, 20% Petit Verdot and 10% Cab Franc. With a taste of black cherries, black licorice, caramel and leather this will not disappoint. We were lucky to have been able to take home The Ditch Digger as these wines SELL OUT. If you make it to Paso, Denner and Epoch need to be top on your list!

Wine Spectator did a feature in March on the Paso Robles Rhones including the two I talk about here and this month Paso will host Hospice du Rhone April 28th-30th. This event is like no other, we spoke to one winemaker who said he now volunteers at the event since it is a little expensive to actually attend. $795.00 for the weekend package but from what I understand well worth it for Rhone lovers. Last year the event hosted over 130 Rhone wine producers and importers from all over the world. For more info on this fab event: http://www.hospicedurhone.org/index.phpw

Cheers to the Rhone Reds!

April Wine

This weekend we visited The Wineyard. This is a fun little wine bar in Thousand Oaks. They offer wine tasting as well as wine by the glass and bottle. Lucky for me they were tasting BYRON. Everyone that knows me should know that I am partial to Pinot.

For those who are not familiar, Ken Brown founded Byron in 1984 on the eastern edge of the Santa Maria Valley. In 2003 Ken founded Ken Brown Wines where he continues to make outstanding Pinot Noir. Back to Byron... They specialize in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I tasted four wines. A 2008 Santa Barbara Chardonnay and three 2009 Pinot Noirs. The one I am going to talk about here is the 2009 Nielson Vineyard Pinot Noir. From the first sip I knew this wine was for me. Smooth & velvety! I tasted dark cherry and plum with a bit of smoke. This wine has a nice lingering finish. You might think this a young wine but it has structure. I would say this is an outstanding Pinot and one I would buy again. Average price for this wine is around $32.00

Enjoy!

Here we go... Some of you might be wondering why I am writing a blog about wine? The answer is simple, I want to do something I enjoy. I left the security of my job late last year after years of frustration and in January, my husband and I went to LAW school. We took a class from Ian Blackburn at Learn About Wine. It was a 4 week crash course that taught me a great deal. I am pleased to say I passed the course but I am still learning and I want to share each step with you. I am going to talk about wine and hopefully in the process share some interesting facts and give you the skinny on what is happening around L.A.

Cheers!

April Events: http://valleycultural.org/food-wine-and-micro-brew-festival/

Micro brew Festival- April 28, 5-8:30PM: Westfield Promenade ***

http://www.cvent.com/events/wine-cheese-and-chocolate/event-summary-714fb26847ca40fd96be52f972487111.aspx

Learn About Wine- April 10, Wine Cheese and Chocolate