pinot noir

Meiomi | 2013 vintages

Meiomi

Not many people can trace their profession back five generations.  Joseph Wagner, however, is one of those people.  Joseph’s father and grandparents founded a little winery called Caymus back in 1971.   Thirty years later at the ripe old age of nineteen, Joseph started work on creating his own single vineyard Pinot Noir label.  He named it Belle Glos, after his grandmother. You might recognize the distinct wine bottle with loads of red wax running down the side.  Not long after, Joseph and the family created the Meiomi brand.  Meiomi is now “the leading luxury Pinot Noir in the U.S.” according to the winery literature.

Meiomi differs from Belle Glos in several ways.  Most obvious is the sourcing of the fruit.  While Belle Glos focuses on creating single vineyard wines, Meiomi’s wines are a blend of three of California’s most well known coastal AVA’s.  Also, Meiomi recently introduced Chardonnay to the lineup, while Belle Glos continues to focus solely on Pinot. Lastly, the price points are a little different.  Belle Glos retails in the $40-$50 range while Meiomi retails in the $20-$25 range.

The American Viticultural Areas (AVA’s) Meiomi sources their fruit from included Sonoma County, Monterey County and Santa Barbara County. Each area imparts it’s distinct characteristics on the wine and helps to create a consistent wine year after year.  A wine that is suited quite well for restaurant settings: consistent, drink now, great price points.

The Wines:

Meiomi 2013 Pinot Noir

37% Monterey County, 34% Sonoma County, 29% Santa Barbara County

Meiomi-3Deep garnet in color with a nose of strawberry and vanilla oak.  The palate takes on plum, cherry and subtle cinnamon notes, with a medium body and a creamy smooth finish.  This wine is a ripe, fruit forward wine and if you’ve enjoyed previous vintages of Meiomi Pinot Noir you should really like this one.  The wine was aged in 100% French oak with 60% of that being new and the alcohol comes in at 13.8%.  Retail price $21.99. Weekly Wine Journal rating 91 points.

 

 

 

Meiomi 2013 Chardonnay

49% Santa Barbara County, 30% Sonoma County, 21% Monterey County

Meiomi-2Golden straw in color with a nose of tropical fruit.  On the palate, pear, pineapple and a little minerality.  This wine underwent malolactic fermentation which gives it a nice creamy mouthfeel and softness.  Alcohol also comes in at 13.8% and retails for $21.99.  Weekly Wine Journal rating 90 points.

 

 

 

 

 

*review samples provided by Copper Cane Wines & Provisions

3 New Releases from Paul Dolan Vineyards

Paul Dolan Vineyards

paul-dolan-wine-bottles

Have you ever had any wines from Mendocino County?  Until recently when I took San Francisco Wine School’s CWAS program I had not been exposed to a lot of wine from Mendocino.  At many retail wine outlets the selection from California consists mostly of Central Coast and Napa/Sonoma, with very little from Mendocino.  The area has a rich wine history and if you’re looking to expand your palate, this is the first place I would recommend you start.

Paul Dolan Vineyards 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino County

paul dolan sauvignon blanc bottle

Vineyards:  100% Potter Valley, Mendocino County

Aging: 100% stainless steel fermented and aged

Alcohol: 13.5%

Certified Organic by C.C.O.F.

This wine is an almost perfect blend of the Californian and New Zealand styles of Sauvignon Blanc.  The nose has distinct lemongrass notes while the palate is a blend of kiwi and grapefruit.  This wine has a very solid backbone of acidity, and just enough ripeness to dial that acidity back a notch.  Suggested retail is $18.  Weekly Wine Journal rating 96 points

Paul Dolan Vineyards 2012 Pinot Noir, Mendocino County

paul dolan pinot noir bottle

Vineyards:  100% Potter Valley, Mendocino County

Aging: 16 months in new and seasoned oak barrels (currently no additional information, I’ll update when I learn more)

Alcohol: 13.5%

Production: 2,000 cases

Certified Organic by C.C.O.F.

This wine has some nice notes of leather and red fruit on the nose.  The palate consists of crisp strawberry and cocoa.  This is a medium/light bodied wine with low tannins and a medium/low level of acidity.  Suggested retail is $30.  Weekly Wine Journal rating 88 points.

Paul Dolan Vineyards 2012 Zinfandel, Mendocino County

paul dolan zinfandel bottle

Vineyards: 100% Mendocino County

Aging: 16 months in new and seasoned oak barrels (currently no additional information I’ll update when I learn more)

Alcohol: 14.5%

Production: 4,000 cases

Certified Organic by C.C.O.F.

I really enjoyed this wine as it was a welcome departure from the overly ripe simplistic fruit bombs I’ve been running into lately.   Blackberry, black pepper, full bodied, medium/high tannins and medium acidity.  The wine evolved quite nicely over my 24 hour tasting period.  I recommend decanting for at least an hour or two on this wine as of right now (Oct 2014)  Suggested retail is $25.  Weekly Wine Journal rating 92 points.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by all three wines. Why?  I didn’t know what to expect, I had no pre conceived opinions of what these wines might be.  I know I’m supposed to do that with all wines, but if you put a $100 Napa Cabernet in front of me I can’t help it – I just know it’s going to be pretty good. More often than not, it is.   But with these wines I just didn’t know and now that I do, I have a new standard with which to measure all wines from the region.  The wines were interesting, a departure from the standard fare.  But not such a radical departure as to be weird and off putting.  Just enough to be interesting and delicious.

Another thing to note as that Paul Dolan Vineyards doesn’t seem to be making a big deal about their Certified Organic credentials by plastering it on the front label of the bottle.  The stewardship of the environment doesn’t just stop with being organic.  Special attention is paid to water reclamation and waste.  Tim Thornhill, chief operating officer and owner talks about changes he made at his other project, Parducci Wine Cellars in an upcoming PBS series titled Quest for Water.

Paul Dolan Vineyards website

 

 

 

Wine Review | Robert Mondavi 2010 Pinot Noir | Carneros

Wine Review | Robert Mondavi, 2010 Pinot Noir, Carneros

2010 carneros

2010 Pinot Noir, Carneros

According to the literature supplied with this review sample, 2010 was “an exceptionally chilly, wet spring followed by a cool summer of no summer”.  The season was characterized by below average temperatures, a small heat wave in August and heavy rains in October.  Again, according to the literature, the yields were “significantly lower than average.”

One of the things I noticed on a trip to Howell mountain in June of 2011 was how far behind the mountain fruit was compared to the fruit of the valley floor.  I would imagine the same effect with the 2010 Carneros vintage.  The result would be low yield, high intensity berries.

This 100% Pinot Noir has a restrained nose of blackberry and spice.  The palate is  rich with raspberry and an almost pine like forestyness to it.  There is enough acidity and backbone to make this a solid wine, a wine that a Cabernet drinker might get into.  There is a hint of toasty oak owing to 7 months aging in 34% new French oak. Alcohol weighs in at 14.5% which was a little surprising, not too much heat on the palate although the nose was hot yet vibrant.  For those wine drinkers who have not yet experienced “heat”  try adding vodka to Capri Sun in quantities that it begins to sterilize your nostrils and mouth.  Thats heat.  This wine doesnt have that, don’t worry

The suggested retail price on this wine is $27, although most retailers will probably have it at around $20.  As far as California Pinot Noir goes, this is a decent value, and if you can pick it up for $15 or less it would be a good deal.  I’m not a huge fan of the varietal in general, although some of the best wines I have ever tasted have been Pinots.  This wine is a decent effort.  If you’re looking for something better than average, without breaking the bank this is it.

Weekly Wine Journal Rating: 88 points

Brancott Estate | Marlborough

Brancott Estate, Marlborough New Zealand

2010 Sauvignon Blanc | 2010 Pinot Noir

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a private wine tasting for wine industry sales people and among the selection were two wines from New Zealand’s Brancott Estate.

Brancott estate wineBrancott Estate Wines started in 1934 as Montana Wines, but recently changed their name to Brancott Estate.  The Brancott vineyard was their flagship vineyard and so they thought it appropriate to make the change.

Brancott were among the first to plant pinot noir in the Marlborough region and also among the first to recognize that Sauvignon Blanc was going to be huge for New Zealand.

Speaking of the Sav-blanc, here’s the info:

The wine has a pleasantly ripe aroma and palate.  Tropical fruit intermingled with lemon grass spice.  And I mean exactly like dried lemon grass spice.  I actually have a bottle of this spice on hand to help people understand wine terminology.  The wine is straight forward, uncomplicated but not flabby or boring.   I think this is a pretty good deal at $10 to $15 retail depending on where you shop.

The pinot noir was interesting.  I am so much more used to the various flavor profiles of California pinots.  This one was quite a bit different.  Not as complex as some of the big names, but I think it’s quite a steal at $10 to $15 retail.

Aromas of cherries and strawberry with a fruit forward palate with the nice little added kick of cinnamon spice.  The big difference with the majority of California Pinots is that this wine had a decent funky earthy quality to it.

Weekly Wine Journal rating on both wines: 89 points

Wine Review | Cameron Hughes Lot 176

Cameron Hughes Lot 176 | 2008 Pinot Noir, Los Carneros

Lot 176 wine bottle

Cameron Hughes Lot 176, Los Carneros

Cameron Hughes is well known for his Cabernet’s but he is starting to gather accolades for his Pinot Noirs as well.  Lot 176 was sourced from a large wine consortium with facilities in California, Oregon and Washington State.  The fruit for Lot 176 is 100% Pinot Noir from Los Carneros.  On the technical side the alcohol weighs in at 14.5% and production was 2,750 cases.   Cameron has quite a bit of information on his website about the harvest process and cooperage…

“…moon harvested, hand sorted, gentle destemming, 8 days cold soaking… aged for 8 months in 40% new French Oak”

glass of wine

Lot 176 in the glass

On the nose: cinnamon and spices, with a hint of heat.  This is not the unpleasant type of heat the comes from a poorly made high alcohol wine.  Rather it adds a level of vibrancy and vigor to the nose.  The palate is rich with Cherry and Strawberry with a nice strong backbone of acidity which helps balance the ripeness on the finish.  Another fantastic deal for only $16

Wine review | J Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

J Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, Sonoma Countyrussian river pinot noir

Judy Jordan, of Jordan Winery fame, decided to branch out on her own more than 20 years ago to make site specific cool climate wines.  Since then J Vineyards has grown into one of the largest estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley with 274 acres planted to vines.

The 2007 offering of J vineyards Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley starts out with a beautiful floral nose of violets and roses.  The palate is quintessential Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, with bright cherry and strawberry fruit with cinnamon and clove notes backed up by solid oak tannins.

The alcohol comes in at 14.3% which is fairly high for a Pinot Noir, but there is little in the way of alcoholic heat.  This wine is a Cab drinkers Pinot, it has solid enough tannins from 15 months in 30% new French Oak.  The suggested retail on this wine is $35 which is right in line with high quality wines from this region.  14,500 cases were produced so it shouldn’t be too hard to find at your local specialty shop, or you can order direct from the winery HERE

Verdict: 4 out of 5

*disclaimer this wine was received as a sample