August West Pinot Noir

Can one Pinot Noir be everyone's Pinot? What if you sourced the grapes from various locales to provide the earthiness of the rough terrain of one region, paired with the cool climate long maturation of another? Left in the hands of a seasoned farmer who knows when and how to prune this so vigorous vine. Crafted with care by the finest winemaker. Perhaps you could create a Pinot Noir that would appeal to everyone?

The folks at August West are pretty damn close. They have created a Pinot Noir that excites my olfactory senses as well as my palate. The 2008 August West Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands is something special.

The nose of cherry, strawberry, flint, and delicate rustic earthy quality makes this Pinot Noir stand head and shoulders above others. Muted but ripe berry flavors awaken the palate and compliment a variety of dishes from braised pork, flank steak with a chipotle sauce, grilled salmon, or even a dried cranberry enhanced green salad. The light earthy quality of this wine will help to bring out the seasonings, the peppers, the spices in any dish. Just thinking about this makes my mouth water.

August West makes three Pinots (Santa Lucia Highlands, Graham Family Vineyard, and Rosella's Vineyard) the Santa Lucia is the least expensive at around $30. I have a bottle of the Grahams Family Vineyard ($45) waiting for me when I recover from this winter cold. I know it will be worth the wait.

Check out the Wine Lab Newport for August West wines.

Decant this and it will open up like a blooming flower

I was fortunate enough to share a bottle of 2006 Viader "Dare" Cabernet Franc this evening. When I saw it on the wine list I had to have it. I immediately thought of how I could convince the table of mostly white wine drinkers that we should get this bottle. I was quickly encouraged by an associate who wanted to drink red to order it. To hell with the rest I knew what I was doing.

When the waiter brought the bottle to me and poured a sample I was so enamored by the nose of cigar box, dark berry and cherry, tobacco and pimento that I almost didn't want to taste it for fear the palate might spoil the beauty of the bouquet. Fear not I said to myself I knew this wine would be amazing and right out the bottle it was a delight. Blueberry and spice, a bit of smoke and soft round tannic structure. Wow.

I asked the server to decant it as I said those legendary words "Decant this and it will open up like a blooming flower". Remember this line. Chant this line. Follow this instruction and that Cabernet Franc will blow your mind.

WINE LIFE!

BUY THIS WINE

When I think of a great Riesling I usually think of Germany. It think of the region of Mosel. I think of a delicate balance of sweet and acid. Well chilled so that each taste as the wine metamorphoses its way to room temperature provides different flavors. A great wine, a great Riesling, should hit you with a bit of honey, sweet apple and meyer lemon. Though somewhat aromatic it should not attack your nostrils with flowers if but a wiff of petrol. Expressing peach, pear, orange in the middle and when the glass having warmed reaches room temp produces a white pepper and orange zest. Yes these are the characteristics of a great wine.

I have tasted a number Rieslings, I have learned what I like, and I like Zach Bergweiler-Prum Erben 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese. That was a mouthful but oh how your mouth will thank you when you drink this amazing wine. Best of all I found this at Costco for $18!

I would pair this wine with spicy dishes or those that emphasize leafy green veggies. I have even heard talk of pairing such a wine with Taco Bell (but you didn't hear that here).

Viognier - The Perfect White Wine?

In Oz Clark's Grapes and Wines he says that Viognier (VEE-ON-YAY) filled the consumer demand for a white wine with "weight and softness of an oaky Chardonnay without the oak". For me Viognier is currently my favorite white because it combines the crispness of a Sauvginon Blanc with the fruity profile of a Riesling and spares us from the high acid levels of either. For me oak doesn't enter in to the discussion and to bring it up is a bit misleading. The other thing that I really enjoy about Viognier is that it pairs well with so many of the foods I enjoy such as sushi, salads, fish, chicken and my current perfect pairing with Cambodian Spring Rolls.

Viognier is a very aromatic wine with lots of floweriness in the nose and winemakers often blend it in with their red wines for this reason. A couple great examples are Storybook Mountain's Napa Estate, Eastern Exposures Zinfandel 2006 and Spring Mountain Winery's 2007 Syrah Co-Ferment where they crush and ferment the Syrah and Viognier grapes together instead of blending them after fermentation as is done with most wine blends. But I stray...

The first Viognier that caught my eye (palate) was Bridlewood's Reserve Viogner which for me is a nice light introduction to the grape. It's a bit on the drier side but still very aromatic and lots of fruit character. Priced at around $13 (bevmo.com) it was included in their 5 cents promotion earlier in the year so I purchased 2 bottles for less that 15 bucks after tax. That's right at the current high volume sales price of $6.99/bottle.


The second one that really caught my attention is the Copain Viognier "Tous Ensemble" Mendocino County. This is my current favorite as it is the perfect balance of fruit and crispness to make a bright yet subtle white wine with a lot of complexity. This may be the perfect white as it complements the crisp high acid foods (lemon chicken, cranberry vinaigrette salad) and contrasts well with rich creamy dishes (butternut squash risotto, grilled sea bass, deep fried egg roll). What is great about pairing a bright wine like this with rich dishes is that it gives your palate a refreshment between bites so future tastes will be just like the first one, special. With all pairings you will find this wine will bring out the sweetness in foods you didn't expect and the foods will bring out the apricot and citrus notes from this wonderful wine. At $20 I think this a great buy for a truely great wine.

Another fine Viognier is 2008 Darioush Viognier Signature a less subtle crisper white which has high unripe fruit character for a wine in this category. It paired well with the Cambodian Spring Rolls bringing out the crisp minty character of the roll and accentuating the sweetness of the lettuce. I think this is a great wine but it's price point ($40) may take it out of many peoples recession budget.

Cheers to all you Rhone Rangers!