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Apr
2017

Rutherford Ranch 2015 Reserve Chardonnay

categories: Booze, Wine

Carneros, known predominantly for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production, bridges the Sonoma-Napa County border. It’s the Napa side that I have a hard time with. With some of the region’s coolest climates the Pinot Noir here seems to be harsher, tighter, spicier — whereas I tend to favor my full-bodied, fruit-forward Russian River Pinots. But when it comes to Chardonnay, I like a bit more life, intrigue, rusticity, flavor. That same Carneros cooling effect gives the Chardonnays from the region just that: a marked acidity, minerality, and earthiness that shines right through — from stem to stemware. 

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Apr
2017

Miner Wines 2014 Viognier

categories: Booze, Wine

Walking home from work, I decided to pop into a local, boutique wine shop. I was hesitant because it looked like a run-of-the-mill liquor store from the exterior, boasting “deli sandwiches,” “fine cigars,” and — oh yeah, right — “premium wines.”  But thinking about the meal for one I had waiting at home, I peaked in to see if maybe they had a little something to accompany my evening plans. I hit the hole-in-the-wall jackpot at this place. Wines from reputable winemakers big and small lined the walls. Even better, suiting my personal needs, there is a whole isle dedicated to half bottles. And so it was here that I discovered Miner Family Winery and their delectable Viognier.

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Mar
2017

Lindeman’s Bin 85 Pinot Grigio 2015

categories: Booze, Wine

An exciting conclusion to my Lindeman’s Australian wine series is the Lindeman’s Bin 85 Pinot Grigio. While their Chardonnay offered a classic take on the varietal, the Cabernet Sauvignon a markedly New World expression, it’s the Pinot Grigio that — to my palate — is just 100% Australian.

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Mar
2017

Wine Sale: 30% Off Santa Cruz Wine

categories: Booze, Wine, Winery Reviews

It is with a heavy heart that I say farewell to Three Arches Winery — a boutique, mom & pop-style operation run by a group of retired friends here in the South Bay Area. I first met Steve and Rose during a local wine walk. My partner in wine crime and I fell in love so hard with their wines, we became club members on the spot. Through the years they’ve given us not just great wine, but a sense of family as well. So them closing shop is like bidding adieu to the awesome aunt and uncle I never had.

What this crew had was a true Silicon Valley start up. The crew started making wine in a three-car garage just a few years back as a kind of hobby. Through hard work, solid friendships, and a passion for wine, Three Arches was able to expand to warehouse winemaking — still rustic, still homey, still filled with love. A visit to a Three Arches open house and wine pickup always meant a bear-hug from Steve, a kiss from Rose, and a wine glass in hand to taste the latest releases or re-live some old ones. I always left an event feeling invigorated about my choice to follow a wine-based career path — just look how happy and social it makes us!

You would think that the land of startups would do its best to support small business, but living (somewhat begrudgingly) in the area, I’ve found that is not the case. And, unfortunately, the “need” for more townhouses seems to supersede the (actual) need for this winery to stay in business.

Now I will digress with my anger at the issue and get to my point. All wine must go! So, support small, support local, support my wine family. (Damn the man!) All Three Arches wine is 30% off.

Although there’s the rare Sonoma-sighting, most of Three Arches wines come from the Santa Cruz Mountains — so you’re in for a real punch of flavor even with the lighter varietals. They have a minimalistic winemaking approach that means each bottle celebrates the fruit. A few of my personal recommendations:

Sonoma County Pinot Gris

Muns Vineyard Pinot Noir

Santa Cruz Vineyards Meritage Red Blend

Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon

More Info: Like I said, they’re a small lot, so if you have any questions feel free to ask me. Of course, to purchase this amazing wine please visit the Three Arches website.

BriscoeBites officially accepts samples as well as conducts on-site and online interviews. Want to have your wine, winery or tasting room featured? Please visit the Sample Policy page and then Contact Medirectly. Cheers!

 


Mar
2017

Book Review: Slave to the Vine by Darren Delmore

categories: Books

Slave to the Vine: Confessions of a Vagabond Cellarhand

by Darren Delmore

Wine. It makes us feel so cool — sipping at home next to a roaring fire; ordering something unpronounceable at a the latest Michelin-starred restaurant; being seen, glass in hand, at the local hipster tasting room. It’s unfortunate that in this life-is-a-constant-photo-op day and age, wine has become a prop, a fashion-icon even. And for wine drinkers (as opposed to wine appreciators or wine students), the story stops there. To those wine drinkers I say: You know nothing.

What we pour into our glass is not a drink. It is a story — a story of a farmer who planted his parcel to vines; a story of climate and soil; a story of farmhands who pruned, picked, and sorted; a story of cellarhands who pressed, pumped, and racked. Forget the bottle, forget the label, forget your crystal stemware. Wine’s story is rustic, it’s dirty, it’s gritty. Wine’s story is a story of hard labor and hard decisions. Wine’s story: If you haven’t lived it, you don’t really know.

Darren Delmore has lived it and shares his story here.

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