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Jul
2020

Paso Rocks: Paso Robles Wine Review Roundup

categories: Booze, Wine

Last week I participated in a webinar, discussion, and virtual tasting highlighting the Paso Robles AVA through the eyes of three prominent winery representatives: Jason Haas, partner and general manager of Tablas Creek Vineyard; Jordan Fiorentini, vice president of winemaking and vineyards for Epoch Wine Estates; and Amanda Wittstrom Higgins, newly appointed executive vice president of Ancient Peaks Winery.

The main takeaway (at least to my eyes and ears): Paso rocks. I mean, yes, it rocks in the figurative sense as well. But I was really digging (pun sort of intended) all the geeky geological stuff these guys got into. The show-and-tell of vineyard rocks was one for the record books. Have you seen fossilized whale bone in your backyard? Thought not. And of course, how these soil types and topography of each vineyard’s location affects the wine style is a connection I love making.

So, I thought I’d take some time to talk a bit about each winery, why they “rock,” and of course include mini wine reviews for each. Please, enjoy.

Courtesy Epoch Estate Wines
Courtesy Epoch Estate Wines

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Jul
2020

Notre Vue Estate New Releases

categories: Booze, Wine

If you’ve been sticking with me through my WSET studies, you’ll know that the last two posts were all about soil types and soil health. In keeping with that theme, I want to highlight a new-for-me winery, Notre Vue Estate from Windsor, California whose latest releases dive into the soil types and structures throughout their vineyard.

soils samples from Notre Vue Estate.
Not cigars, like I first thought when I opened the box. These are soils samples from Notre Vue Estate.

As I talked about in my Vineyard Soil post, it’s not just soil composition but vine row orientation—i.e. slope and aspect—that dictate what vines will thrive best where in the vineyard. So, let’s take a look at what viticulturist Daniel Charles has to say about the Notre Vue soils and then have a little taste of what those soils have produced…

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Jul
2020

This Week’s Latest Wine Headlines: June 28—July 3

categories: News, Wine

It’s a short week this week for those of us in the US, and I hope everyone has some way they’ll be enjoying the time off. Of course, celebrating our country’s heritage is a bit bitter sweet this year—for many reasons—so, I’d like to highlight a few positive pieces that came out in this week’s wine-related news. Wine Industry Advisor speaks to Sonoma viticulturist Brenae Royal, who speaks to how racial inclusivity within the wine business means creating a simultaneously broader, yet more intimate and meaningful, wine consumer base. For more on that kind of perspective, check out the Forbes piece that profiles three Black wine experts—including one of my favorite local producers Theodora Lee. And for those of you in the biz who are looking to hire, work or network with, or just become familiar with qualified Black wine industry pros, Julie Coney has spearheaded, and officially launched, the Black Wine Professionals website just this past week.

Need a bit of a laugh? Well, there’s a company making wine bottles out of paper. Yeah…

Oh, and for my wine nerds out there, check out Tim Gaiser’s blog post on deductive tasting and Young Gun of Wines’ dive into ageable Aussie Chard.

That’s some of the good/fun news. However, I do want to say that if you have outdoor plans for this Fourth of July weekend, please stay safe. Here in California Newsom has shutdown indoor businesses (including bars, restaurants, wineries, and tasting rooms) in 19 counties, as well as state beaches from Monterey to Sonoma. But before you get any ideas about packing up the truck and heading toward the North Bay, be warned: Sonoma County is not immune and is, in fact, probably next on that list.

So, again, wherever you are, however you choose to celebrate, please make smart decisions, stay safe, protect yourself and others. That’s all from me for now. Have a happy weekend and drink some good wine.

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Jun
2020

Gnarly Dudes Two Hands 2018 Shiraz

categories: Booze, Wine

I’ve been going out of my comfort zone and purchasing wines I probably wouldn’t otherwise, all so I can experience a broader range in conjunction with my WSET Diploma course. That range means varietals, countries, winemaking methods of course. But it also means different levels of quality—as this is one of the most important points when writing your tasting notes for the exam. The next couple of reviews are literally going to be notes taken from my WSET notebook. They’ll be quick, fairly succinct, but include an explanation as to my reasoning behind any conclusions I’ve determined.

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