Do you see this picture? It’s of an empty wine bottle. That’s because, despite the fact that I enjoyed this wine over the course of several days, I enjoyed it so much it just slipped my mind to take a picture. Pour, drink, enjoy. That’s my short story about how this rosé “saved” me, bringing a bit of joy to a rough week.
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J. Cage Cellars 2016 Schmidt Home Vineyard Chardonnay
I’ve been having a hard time with Chardonnay lately. I’ve been finding them too overworked: either over-oaked or incorporating too much malolactic fermentation — in the worst cases both. I don’t like to start off a post with a negative, but you have to understand where I’m coming from. The Chardonnay’s of late have left me wondering — what does Chardonnay actually taste like? What is its entity? What is its innate nature? Ok, I’ll go there…where is its soul?
I found it. Here. With this wine. This is the Chardonnay I’ve been looking for. This is the pretty much the Chardonnay I want to always be in my cellar.
Inman Family 2017 Endless Crush Rosé of Pinot Noir
This is my first taste of Kathleen Inman’s wine and I have to say I am absolutely honored that she and her team sent this my way. Because of scheduling issues, I’ve had to turn down at least two invites to meet with the iconic vintner herself, which left me gutted. Well, this little pink surprise perked me right back up to day the least. A solid acidity that provides a hint of effervescence that just fizzes away on the tongue leaving a solid finish — without giving too much away here, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised at how structurally sound this rosé of Pinot Noir was; it’s a rosé varietal that’s proven a bit too fruity and fatty in the past. If you’ve had that experience, cast those aspersions aside. Kathleen knows what she’s doing and, what’s more, it’s a wine that’s important to her, as it has a bit of a personal story behind the name and label…
Artesana 2015 Tannat
Awhile back I did a close up look at Tannat in my feature Let’s Talk (and Taste) Tannat. Here, I featured the Californian Tannat trail-blazer Yannick Rousseau of Y. Rousseau, who makes two single-varietal Tannats (his Russian River expression, and the more exclusive, single-vineyard expression entitled The Musketeer), as well as a rosé of Tannat. I also called out the Oregon pioneer Troon Vineyard who makes both a single-varietal Tannat as well as a Tannat-Malbec blend.
The truth is, however, that Tannat is somewhat the “heritage grape” of Uruguay — a region I’ve only recently began to explore through various media tasting events. After reading my take on Tannat, I was quickly put into contact with Artesana, a boutique estate winery located in the Canelones region of Uruguay. They, too, are deserving of a noteworthy title, as the creative women who run the winery are (as far as we know) the only in the world to create a unique “TMZ” blend — Tannat blended with Merlot and Zinfandel (the latter varietal being the unexpected ingredient). And so it is high time we take a look at the single-varietal expression of Tannat, straight out of the country the grape now calls home.
Terra d’Oro 2015 Deaver Vineyard Zinfandel
Travel back in time to when Zinfandel was first planted in California. It was during the Gold Rush Era, and the heart of the Era laid amongst the foothills of the Sierras. This is where the Deaver Vineyard was planted over 130 years ago in 1881.
Not long ago I had a chance to taste through Terra d’Oro’s line up of Italian-inspired varietals: Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Barbera, and of course Zinfandel. Without a doubt, the standout is their Deaver Vineyard Zinfandel. With its simultaneous delicacy and rusticity, a sip of this Zin will have you reveling in the mysteriousness of what has become California’s heritage grape.
