In Honor of Hospice du Rhone 2010

I was planning to attend Hospice du Rhone 2010 this weekend in Paso Robles, but sometimes life just gets in the way. In the spirit of the event, which celebrates the great Rhone grapes, as vinified from producers around the world, I am hosting an informal poll of people's favorite Rhone varietal single bottlings. If you are reading through a feed reader, there is a poll embedded in the actual page. Leave your vote and your thoughts and comments here:

What is your favorite Rhone grape, done as a single varietal bottling?
	Syrah
	Mourvedre
	Grenache
	Viognier
	Roussanne
	Marsanne
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Exploring a Big Production Washington State Wine

The story: It is easy, and common, for serious wine drinkers to bag on really large production wines. Names like Gallo, Kendall Jackson, Yellow Tail and many others come to mind when thinking of companies that make mind-boggling quantities of wine. But in reality large production does not have to mean completely inferior product. There are many gigantic producers who have successfully split into multiple brands, labels, and series in order to offer a hugely diverse product line to as many wine consumers as possible. These companies, while surely chasing profit, also are capable of holding an ethic towards value and quality.

One such producer in Washington State is Columbia Crest. Since I will be traveling to Washington specifically to learn about wine in June, I am interested in the wide spectrum of what their producers have to offer. A part of the larger Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Columbia Crest has been instrumental in bringing Washington wines into the place of respect and prominence they hold today. They also were some of the first producers of single varietal Merlot bottlings in the United States, which eventually led to it becoming the most prominently drunk red grape amongst Americans. Columbia Crest was awarded the #1 wine of 2009 from Wine Spectator with their $28 2005 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Additionally they bottle wines from around Washington State under labels such as 14 Hands, an entry-level offering of Washington's most well known grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling. While this label produces over 200,000 cases of wine annually, it still strives to provide quality wine at an affordable price.

The wine: The 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is labeled with Washington State as the appellation, indicating that while much of the fruit may come from the winery's own Horse Heaven Hills vineyard it is less than the strict 95% required by Washington state in order to label a specific AVA or vineyard. 14 hands is made by winemaker Keith Kenison who also makes the white wines for Columbia Crest. It is a dark cherry red with a purple core, slightly translucent wine. It has a fruity nose with blackberry and cherry, with a touch of tar, earth, and coffee. The wine has a nice mouthfeel and medium body, tasting of cherry fruit and a darker fruit liquer. The finish exhibits notes of espresso, milk chocolate and mild vanilla that are quite pleasant and long, with the whole experience framed by some present but relatively mild tannins.

The verdict: The wine is not particularly complex and does not require much thought, but it tastes really good. Other online reviews indicate that it is primarily marketed to restaurants and I can see it being an outstanding house Cabernet at around $7 a glass. It retails directly from the winery for $12 and some online reviews indicate that people have found it occassionally in some Northwest grocers and other wine retailers often associated with a restaurant. I like this wine and give it a score of 3 out of 5.

So it looks like another example of how Washington fruit is being used to produce some very good quality to price ratio wines, even in large quantities. This is evident in their critical acclaim, and in the way their large production wines (such as this) offer us great everyday wine drinking experiences.

This wine was received as a sample to participate in exploration of Washington wine.

The 4 Types of Wine Consumers

Recently I spent the afternoon shadowing my favorite wine retailer, to learn what life was like on that side of the counter. I have never been involved on the commercial side of wine, only ever been a consumer, but now with The Vino File I am more and more interested in all aspects. I thought it would be interesting to see what it is like to advise people off the street on their wine purchases, pairings, and questions. While I certainly do not feel qualified to hang around the store as some kind of expert, I am more than qualified to observe people's behavior and comment on it here (isn't that what a blogger primarily does? observe and reflect?).

It struck me early in the day how there are generally 4 types of wine consumers in terms of their interest and knowledge levels. The first level never did come into the shop, but constitutes a very large percentage of the wine buying population:

'The normie' - Meet Average Joe. This guy doesn't spend much money on any given purchase, but collectively with his friends still makes up the vast majority of wine spending in the U.S. Joe does not go to wine shops; why would he when they sell plenty of wine at 7-11? Joe is not going to ask questions, not going to read your blog, and is certainly not interested in wine pairings. A California Chablis with a dripless push-button spout for his lady, and a much more robust jug of Gallo Paisano sounds nice to him. With this group (and they really are the majority of wine drinkers) there does not need to be any talk. The way in which they can and should be reached is simply by sharing when you have a chance. Don't bother them with details about grapes, vinification techniques, appellations, just let them taste. There is a portion of this group that is ripe for the pickin' (groan) but it will not be through coersion, or your knowledge and prowess. Be patient, they are actually entitled to their own taste and exposure to wine.

The next group is my personal favorite to see come into a wine shop, or participate on a wine blog. I call them 'The seekers' This group does have an interest in the wine they drink. They do not actually spend much time or energy learning about or experiencing wine, but when they do drink it they like to know a little. A seeker will often show their lack of wine exposure with statements of (and I swear it was asked that afternoon) 'I only like sweet red wines. But I hate dessert wines. What do you have for me?' Now initially such a request might leave the advisor a little baffled, as the wine enthusiast understands that sweet is the opposite of dry, and there are very few off-dry red wines that would not qualify as a dessert wine. This is when a wine advisor must pull out their bag of leading questions. Should you take it quite literally and point them towards an inexpensive sweet Lambrusco, or maybe push them a little with a big jammy Zinfandel? Careful questioning around what they have had and liked before might get you there, but you must be careful to not overwhelm them with information that they do not find necessary or interesting. The great thing about this group (and they should be our favorite group) is that they really do want to know, grow, and expand their palette. Hold their hand a little bit, without being condescending as this is likely an enthusiast (or at least a customer) in the making.

'The know-it-all' - A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and these folks are well armed with just that. As a newbie wine enthusiast I am always treading very carefully to avoid this phase of wine knowledge development, as it is quite unbecoming. However there are people, even friends and family, who spend years in this phase and we must allow them to be their douche-baggy selves. A customer at the store this afternoon walked in and said 'I only drink French wines, where is your French section?' I explained what the store did have (which was admittedly limited) and left her to browse. She came back and asked for a very specific white Bordeaux wine, which I indicated was not available. "Well what other wine stores are there nearby?" I politely told her of the other places in the area where I buy wine, to which she said she was too tired to go anywhere else. Next she said, "I'm assuming you don't know much about what is on these shelves, since I haven't seen you before. But we are going to have a Morrocan lamb tanguine so I want something spicy that will stand up to it and I have a very low tolerance for bad wine." At this point I'm wondering why she wanted to pair a white Bordeaux with a spicy lamb dish, but I guess it could work. I then offered the Reserve Perrins 2007 Cotes du Rhone explaining that it had great fruit, great acidity and spice, and a beautiful Old World rocky element so for $8.95 she could not go wrong. "Well, I'm not convinced" she said and promptly left. No sale for the wine store, no feelings of success for me, the advisor, but mostly a missed shot at what is truly a great wine for the customer. Know-it-alls I suppose need not be corrected, nor confronted, and are probably best left to spout their knowledge and do with it what they please. They will either learn one day, or go through life missing out on some nice opportunities, not much we can do for them.

Finally there are the real 'Wine Geeks' These are folks that have a true depth of knowledge and experience, tempered with a humility and respect for everyone around them. These people do not weild their wine facts at you like a offensive sword (huh???), and yet they seamlessly bring others along on the journey. They know what they like, and they know why they like it. What I saw about a few of these folks, is that they still want advice or interaction from the people in the wine store. They are not lost in the store, they are not too smart for anyone to help them, but they have a security in where they are at with wine They truly enjoy trying other people's recommendations, or being pointed towards anything new and interesting.

Where are you on the path of wine knowledge and how do you use it to interact with others? I am part way down the path of 'seeker' and obviously display how much more I have to learn daily on the pages of The Vino File. However, I really hope to skip the 'know-it-all' phase, which is possible. Are there other categories of wine consumer that you have encountered?

Tres Picos Borsao Garnacha 2008

The story: Garnacha (known as Grenache outside of Spain) is a red skinned grape grown widely throughout the world. Lending itself primarily to hot, dry climates it has done well in France's Rhone region, parts of Spain, Australia, and the warmer areas of California. The grape can be a bit lacking in both acid and tannins and is often blended into Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre blends (known as GSM) to add juicy berry flavors, and an element of softness. However, if grown carefully it can develop complex flavors loaded with berry, leather, tar, and even smoky earth elements.

One area in Spain, Campo de Borja, is located in the northwest section of Spain and provides an excellent climate for the production of Garnacha single varietal wines. They have dubbed themselves the 'Empire of Garnacha' and are planted at 62% Garnacha. The area exports a lot of their wine, and tends to offer quality wines at an affordable price.

The wine: The Tres Picos Borsao Garnacha 2008 comes in at 14.5% abv, and pours a scarlet red, nearly opaque juice. The nose was held back until about 45 minutes allowed it to open up. It then offered copious blackberry and vanilla, with some nice notes of licorice and black pepper. The wine was delicious tasting of brambly fruit, blueberries, and leather, followed by a spicy floral mid pallette, and finishing with a smokey, earthy finish that lasted quite awhile. As the wine opened up more of the vanilla, and oaky elements came forward however always in balance, and offering medium tannins that really just framed the flavors.

The verdict: This wine is delicious now, and I think will stay delicious for a couple of years. I does not necessarily offer an opportunity to cellar and hold onto the wine, so feel comfortable drinking it now. I received it at a office party gift exchange (believe me, this was by FAR the best gift available), but it seems to retail widely for around $14. 4 out of 5 is my score, 91 is Tanzer's. A wholehearted recommendation for a buy on this one. Enjoy.

How Do You Define 'Value' in Wine? (I Think It Is Mostly Made Up)

I've been thinking a lot about what 'value' means in regards to wine. I have probably been thinking about this because as I explore and learn about wine I tend to drink inexpensive wine. Juxtaposed against some of the great wine I get to taste occasionally I am firmly aware that there tends to be a price to quality correlation in wine, and by spending less on wine I am usually sacrificing some elements of quality. Of course this is not always the case, and maybe that is where value exists, but lets dig into it a little bit.

subjective - a judgement that takes place in the mind or is influenced primarily by individual observations

objective - something that exists externally, actually exists, or is real

So if wine value is found at the intersection of quality and price then it can be an objective observation. I have argued before that a wine's quality is not subjective. Good structure, integration, complexity, terroir expression, etc. DO exist and are real. Price is also an external occurrence. One can track the average price of a certain varietal or blend, from a certain region, within a certain quality range, and use a mathematical calculation to ascertain where the specific wine's price point falls in the continuum. This would be a measure of the wine's value and could be argued to be objective.

However, while quality may exist objectively it is only ever able to be expressed as an experience from an individual palette that translates this experience into a score. So at this point subjectivity is introduced. Then an individual's willingness to part with their dollars to repeat the experience is so obviously subjective that the idea of defining a wine's value as an observable reality seems to me to fly right out the window. (Stop me if I am rambling, or writing run-on sentences.)

I say this because we folks who discuss (or review) wine regularly attempt to define a wine as a good value, or not worth the money. Some reviewers include a wine's price point as an element in their overall score. I argue that the value of the wine becomes so subjective through the individual's experience that this almost becomes pointless. What we are really saying is that for my experience today, in this moment, with all the influences I had on me when tasting this wine, this $15 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon came across more like a $20 Cab that I have had in the past. If advice on a value wine is kept in check, with an understanding of its subjectivity, then I think it is worthwhile. But as a constant pursuit to actively search for the best 'value' I think it is a waste of time and has the potential to drain out some of the joy that experiencing wine is supposed to provide in the first place. So I promise that when I score a wine it is based on my experience and is aside from the price point. I may subsequently comment on whether I personally found it worth the asking retail price or not, but that will be a separate and identifiably subjective judgement.

The value of a wine ONLY exists in an individual's experience and how they feel about their decision to trade their dollars for the product. We can make observations and statements like 'people will tend to feel that this wine was worth more than they paid', but beyond this wine value is not measurable or objective.

Do you agree? Disagree? How do you tend to define value for yourself? Do you just spend what you feel comfortable, sit back and enjoy and not really think about it too much?

Anglim Winery - An Example of How Twitter Pairs Well With Wine

Anglim Winery in Paso Robles, California got my attention simply by their presence and interaction on Twitter (@anglimwinery). They participate actively without coming across as overly self-promoting. Unlike some wineries they do their own tweeting, allowing consumers and followers to get a sense of what the winery is up to but also the people behind Anglim Winery. They are a great example of how a small boutique winery can essentially build customer relationships, and advertise for free, while they are working in the tasting room, filling orders, even in the barrel room or vineyard.

Their social media presence incentivized me to carve out an hour to visit their tasting room while in Paso Robles to see if I could meet the people and wines behind the tweets. The room is located in downtown Paso Robles in the old train depot, and is within walking distance to some great cheese shops, restaurants, and other tasting rooms. Since Anglim does not own any of their own vineyards, at this time, it makes sense for them to co-locate with other Paso Robles attractions. This also offers the visitor a unique and convenient experience away from the winding roads and buses of tourists out in the fields.

Pouring in the tasting room I found Steffanie Anglim, co-owner with her husband Steve. Steffanie manages sales, marketing, and the many tastings that Anglim participates in annually. Steve acts as the winemaker sourcing fruit from some of the absolute best vineyards in the area (Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard, Viognier from Bien Nacido, Rhones from French Camp). The whole operation began because Steve and Steffanie, self-admitted wine lovers, bought a home winemaking kit for Christmas one year that made some pretty bad wine. Steffanie asked Steve if he couldn't just head north to Santa Barbara and negotiate getting a very small batch of some quality juice for his next effort. That's it, it was over. Steve started to build some relationships and realized that if he wanted to do it, he could produce wine. While Pinot Noir was their original love, Santa Barbara was just priced outrageously high for a startup, small scale winery. They discovered that Paso Robles offered a wonderful environment for him to build from scratch, learn the trade, and make a wide variety of delicious wines.

Steffanie was great to talk to as she poured her way through their wines. I took extensive notes and scores on at least 7 of their wines, but in the moment left my notes sitting there and do not have them with me today. That actually may be a good thing for both the reader and Anglim as now I can simply present to you the three Anglim wines that still haunt my memory because I found them to be exceptional.

2007 Anglim Zinfandel St. Peter of Alcantara - Sourced from a 40 acre vineyard south of Paso Robles that produces only zinfandel and petite sirah on a very steep hillside, this wine is just being released now. And it is HUGE, in a very good way. The nose is slightly restrained, only giving hints of the fruit that will hit you. But the second the wine hits your palette it literally explodes with very bright red cherries and raspberries, that wonderful California Zinfandel jam flavor that pushes right up to the edge of overdone but does not cross it. Then you get the characteristic spicy pepper and a long delicious finish. This wine is gigantic but in great balance. If you love California zin you will love this wine, 4 out of 5.

2007 Anglim Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard - Steve now has two vintages of the wine he has always wanted to make under his belt. This one is a real winner, and is sourced from Fiddlestix Vineyard which is NOT in Paso Robles (I've said before I'm always leery of Paso Robles grown Pinot as it is just too hot there in my opinion). Taking a gold medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, this Pinot offers rather dark cherry flavors but enough earth, spice, and velvety mouthfeel to keep you clearly in the Pinot realm. This wine gets a 4.5 out of 5 and retails for $48. Spectacular wine.

2007 Anglim Mourvedre Hastings Ranch Vineyard - I have a soft spot for single varietal bottlings of Mourvedre, and this example was a really exciting one. To me, while it certainly did not come across as a single note, this wine had striking coffee on the nose, and pretty substantial white pepper on the palette. It was the kind of wine that surprises you when first experience and you are either going to love it, or really not like it because it is really so distinct. I loved it, and score it a 3.5 out of 5.

Thanks to @anglimwinery for a great visit. I highly encourage you both to find them on Twitter and interact, and to carve out a visit to downtown Paso Robles and specifically Anglim Winery when you are there. In the meantime order a couple of their wines here and get a sense of what someone's dream and determination can do when they finally find the right juice!!!

The logo and photograph were obtained in the Trade/Media section of the Anglim website and are their property. In the photo Steve is checking on the progress of his grape fermentation, and not actively twittering, in case you were confused.

It's Official, Syrah Is My Favorite Grape. For Today At Least.

I have had several people ask me recently what my favorite grape is; what do I prefer to drink? I always have answered that I don't pretend to know enough about wine to even begin to answer that question. And honestly in the first two and a half months of The Vino File I have found wines that I really like made from nearly 30 different grapes. I think also I am compelled to feel that I should appreciate 'well made' wine of all types and not get biased by a particular grape varietal or style of wine. Well, I think I found some bullshit in my false sensibility. They say you are what you eat, which is gross if you think about it, but with wine I probably am what I buy. See, I have tasted lots of wines at tastings, at the wine shop, at parties, and enjoyed many of them. But every time I actually pull out my Visa and buy, there is a good chance it is a Syrah. I'm not sure why except that I love the sensory experience that they offer up, from the gamy, smokey, big fruited nose, to the robust, spicy, complex tastes. So the announcement is made: I'm biased towards Syrah. This is not to say that The Vino File will have any renewed focus on Syrah, just to answer a question that I have received a lot lately. Oh, and I reserve the right to start buying lots of anything else in the immediate future, as I see fit (I think Zinfandel is on the horizon).

The 2003 Sawkar Family Vineyards Sonoma Mountain Reserve Syrah was included in a recent shipment of under $25 California wines from The Wine Garage in Calistoga. Of interest to me was that the winery owner and assistant winemaker is Dr. Raghu Sawkar, a former vascular surgeon from Ohio who moved to Napa with a dream of producing great wine. Dr. Sawkar is one of the few Asian winemakers in California, and one of even fewer Indian-American winemakers. He has maintained an interest in his Indian heritage, as shown in the Vineyard's lotus flower logo, and his involvement in increasing wine availability in Indian markets (which has not proven an easy task.) In fact, Sawkar shares winemaker Kerry Damsky with an Indian producer, Sula, while he himself maintains the vineyards and produces the fruit for their wine.

This syrah was a dark garnet red, but slightly translucent. Grown on Sonoma Mountain it was representative of a colder climate syrah giving a nose of lead, plummy purple fruit, some smoked meat action, and initially quite a lot of tobacco/cigar. The wine gave off a slightly salty smokey meat on the front, with some very nice cigar and berries mid-palette. It ended with a herbal and cherry finish and left quite a long, minerally finish with just a touch of chocolate. The body of the wine was just a little bit thin, but it had a distinct structure that made it stand apart from other syrahs I have tasted in the last couple of weeks. D, who usually shys away from wine judgement beyond 'I love it' or 'its just not for me' said that it tasted of 'burnt mountain' which I, knowing D, knew to be a big compliment for the wine.

Zack was intrigued by the meatiness of the syrah

As the wine opened up over the evening (paired with BBQ hamburgers and some amazing guacamole) it got fruitier and spicier but actually lost some of the complex layers of meat and smoke that it originally offered. In an overall evaluation of the wine I give a 3.5 out of 5. It offered a lot when opened, but I think as a 7 year old wine it is on the tail end of its peak drinkability. I suggest if you have one, or find one, you pop it and drink it down. Sawkar wines are in very small production, but a quick call to the winemaker (who answers the phone himself) indicated that you can order them directly, by mail, or from The Wine Club in San Francisco. I think it is a worthwhile wine, from a unique producer, and recommend it for a late spring BBQ.

The Vino Files Wine Week (P)review

Last week was a busy and exciting week at The Vino File, and I did not have a chance to summarize for anyone who missed things. Additionally the coming week has some good stuff that you will not want to miss (I'm okay with the fact that I might be only talking to myself in that statement).

First up I totally surprised myself by capturing the title in the 3rd annual Young Winos of L.A. March Madness blind tasting tournament. It was down to the wire, and took a lucky (if slightly educated) guess of Australian Shiraz to pull out into the lead and never look back. With this outrageous victory comes a little bit of free wine, bragging rights although to whom I'm unclear, and D's lavish praise "that's cool, what's for dinner again?"

The next day I received notice that people all over the country had donated money to support wine bloggers who could not afford to attend the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, and a committee had chosen The Vino File as a recipient of some of that money in the form of a partial scholarship. Besides being obviously honored, and grateful that this community respects each other enough to do this, I am really very excited to attend and learn. I want The Vino File to be better (although I would argue it can only go up from here), and I know that a lot of people that I respect will be attendance and offering guidance in sessions and workshops. Honestly this tops the news that 'V' has returned to ABC this Fall as the most exciting news of April 2010.

Finally last week the wine tweeters and blogosphere erupted over the introduction of House Resolution 5034, a bill that would drastically reduce the ability of alcohol producers to challenge state laws that inhibit direct shipping and other means of distribution that cut-out the wholesalers. Huh? What does that mean? The law gets quite technical and may be of no interest to your average wine consumer. Just to say, this is the type of law that is so obviously brought to our House of Representatives purely out of lobbying and special interests and one glance at it clearly shows whose interest is represented (BIG hint: it is the large alcohol wholesalers). I can not claim to understand the downstream effects of this particular legislation but I know that it really chaps me that a state-mandated layer of commerce (which seems a little unconstitutional itself) has the power to eat up our House's time debating the merits of further protecting them and limiting the rights of others. Enough about that.

Coming up this week on The Vino File I will reveal that I have discovered my favorite grape. No, I did not come upon some obscure varietal bottling that changed my life. I simply evaluated where I tend to spend my money after tasting dozens of wines and it comes down to one grape much more frequently than any others. Look for that.

Additionally, if I can find my notes I will write up my trip to visit Anglim Winery, owned and operated by Steve and Steffanie Anglim. They are making and selling some great wine out of their tasting room in downtown Paso Robles.

And most important my dog Zack will make his first appearance on the blog. Have a great week!!!

The Twisted Sisters of Calcareous

While at the Grand Paso Robles Tasting Tour in San Diego I came across a very friendly man who was sneaking tastes of his reserve Mouvedre from behind his table to interested tasters with such infectious pleasure that I couldn't help but love the wine. Unfortunately the table was busy enough that I did not get to speak with him, but I took a mental note that next time I was in Paso Robles I had to taste the wines of Calcareous. While I have not confirmed, I imagine the pourer was winemaker and general manager Damian Grindley, whose on boarding at Calcareous and coinciding production of their own estate fruit has produced some nice results in more recent vintages. Calcareous was originally a joint venture between Lloyd Messer, a wine and beer distributor from Iowa, and his daughter Dana Brown who continues to own and manage the winery. They produce estate grown bottling under the Calcareous label, and wines made from both estate and purchased fruit under the Twisted Sister label, which tend to be less expensive. The vineyards and tasting room are located about 4 miles directly west of downtown Paso Robles and worth a visit for the views and setting alone.

The wines:

2007 Twisted Sister White Rhone Blend - 50% viognier, and 50% marsanne this wine had a nose of honey and citrus with a touch of oak. It was simple but bright with grapefruit and honey on the palette and came across as rather crisp and delicious. 3 out of 5 but a bit overpriced for what it offered at $25.

2008 Calcareous Marsanne - This wine did not have a big nose, as I expect from a marsanne, but offered hints of fresh apple. The wine was a bit oaky with some nectarine and stone fruits. It had a full body and richness that was pleasant with just a touch of alcohol showing through on the end. Also rated at 3 out of 5 and retailing for $28.

2007 Calcareous Pinot Noir York Mountain - I'm often a little leery of pinot that is grown in Paso Robles as it just seems too hot and this one, in my opinion, proved me right. It had a brambly, cherry nose with some green herb flavors in it. The wine was very fruity with darker black cherry flavors, some big herbs in the middle and a very strawberry finish. The wine was pleasant enough to drink but did not represent the subtlety of a good pinot noir. The wine gets a 3 out of 5, and for $34 is not recommended.

2006 Calcareous Zinfandel - Now this is a varietal I think does great in Paso Robles. It was a beautiful bright red color, and also smelled of bright red fruit with a touch of vanilla. The wine tasted of big red berries and jammy fruit, some wonderful spicy black pepper action, and then a medium finish. This wine is 3.5 out of 5 and a buy at $28.

2006 Calcareous Syrah - This syrah gave off a restrained nose of dried fruit and flowers. It had cherry and red berry flavors with some great spiciness that added complexity to the wine. It finished with some distinct but not overpowering tannins that held the earthy spice in place for a great finish. This wine gets a 4 out of 5 and is a strong recommend at $34.

2007 Twisted Sisters Syrah - This wine is obviously younger than the other syrah offering but had a tighter earthy and smoky nose that I think would be really great if I had time to let the wine decant for an hour (not encouraged in a busy tasting room apparently). The wine gave less fruit forward flavors of dried cherry, potting soil, green herbs, and some subtle spice. I really enjoyed this version of the syrah but it was slightly less complex and structured at this stage. Drinking the way it does now I give this wine a 3.5 out of 5. It retails for $25.

2006 Calcareous Cabernet Sauvignon York Mountain - The cabernet gave a very fresh nose of raspberry and vanilla. The fruit drank a little darker, but offered a rather terroir driven earthiness expected in more expensive cabernets and held the fruit in great balance with acid and a strong sense of structure. It was not the most complex cabernet sauvignon I have tasted but at $34 and with a score of 3.5 it is worth buying.

The Mouvedre is available from the winery as well, for $42, and comes highly recommended, however they were not pouring it this day (in their defense they did offer to when I said it was the wine that brought me there). Overall I thought the wines of Calcareous are of a good quality for the price that they are offered, and as the winemaker and estate fruit becomes even more established I anticipate the quality will continue to increase. For now they are certainly worth a stop if you are in Paso Robles, and worth a purchase if you come across them in the store or restaurant.

The Vino File is Going to Walla Walla

Wow, I just got some great news and want to take a minute to say thank you. As wine blogging has become more prolific there has grown up quite a community of people who participate and support each other. This ranges from people who are quite serious and influential to citizen reviewers who maintain a blog simply for fun, and a lot of folks in between. For the last couple of years these wine bloggers have gotten together once a year to discuss the advancement of wine blogging as a medium, socialize and meet each other, and also explore social medias interaction with the wine industry. The Wine Blogger's Conference has grown year over year considerably and will be held this year in Walla Walla, Washington from June 25-27. Obviously The Vino File is a brand new blog, and something I started as a fun hobby for myself. That continues, but I couldn't help but feel intrigued and actually quite accepted by the existing wine blogging community from day 1. So attending the conference was something I was interested in as well. That said, I couldn't really afford what it would take for me to attend this year, based solely on that interest alone. Walla Walla may be a brilliant place to grow grapes, but it is actually quite far from an airstrip and can make travel logistics just a touch expensive.

But in the spirit of community many wine bloggers have banded together to create a scholarship fund in an effort to bring as many citizen wine bloggers to the conference as humanely possibly. I'm telling you, these people believe that the medium, the impact, and simply the camaraderie is enhanced by increased participation and it shows. This is not an exclusive group, which I for one find admirable. So I applied for a little financial boost to help get myself to Washington. On Tuesday night I received an e-mail indicating that I was granted a scholarship to attend. I can not tell you how happy that made me, and how excited I am to participate. In full disclosure I asked for a minimal amount of money, just enough to soften the cost to a level that felt comfortable for me. I will be paying my own airfare, car rental, and any associative costs with the travel. The scholarship will cover my conference fee ($95) and two nights of shared accomodations (so I think around $140 total). This was enough for me, as I have a couple of unused flight vouchers from Southwest to get there, and will be looking for a carpool opportunity.

I just wanted to take a minute to share that I will be attending, and that you will see coverage of the event here at The Vino File when it occurs. But most importantly I wanted to say THANK YOU. Thank you to the early wine bloggers who interacted, reached out, and made me feel welcome in the community (particularly Steve Paulo, and Sonadora come to mind). And thank you to those of you who worked diligently to raise scholarship funds (@winebratsf, and Luscious Lushes). Finally thanks to those who gave of whom I may never know. You have absolutely made my year, thank you. Stay tuned for updates on my prep, and all the feedback I can provide on what I experience and learn in Walla Walla. I can't wait to meet the people who have built this community.

How a Bottle of Wine Gets Into Your Hands: A Whirlwind Introduction to the 3-Tier System

If you read many wine blogs you have certainly seen discussion around the displeasure with the three-tier liquor distribution system in the United States. I for one did not exactly know what this meant. I did some research to try and find a simple way to understand what this system is, and why it is different than other products that we consume. It gets a little confusing, and individual States handle parts of this differently, but bear with me and I will try to explain.

First we have a producer, Tier 1. This is the company, family, or person who has made the wine. There are obviously Tier 1 participants who are big and corporate, and some that are really small family businesses. These people have a couple of options, depending on the laws of their states and the type of alcohol control license that they have. In some States they may sell directly to you the consumer on their property (ala tasting room). In other States the government controls all alcohol retail, and they may not (but you don't see a lot of wine production in those States.) The wine producer may also sell their wine directly via mail or Internet and ship it to you, dependent on the direct alcohol shipping laws in YOUR state. But mind you we are still dealing with Tier 1. Of course wineries love to participate in one of these options, which they refer to as direct-to-consumer sales, because then they actually get to see the profit of the full retail mark-up instead of sending all that money down the line to the other two tiers.

The second tier is the contentious and arguably unnecessary tier. This group of folks can be referred to as wholesalers, brokers, representation, distributors, a whole number of terms. After Prohibition, when States became responsible for their own method of alcohol control, it was decided to put this layer of distribution into the alcohol system as a means of promoting responsible social behavior. It was also argued that this layer helped to guarantee that all taxes were paid on alcohol sales, and regulation of this tier gave each individual State more control over how they wanted to deal with alcohol and its availability to the public. To this day the wholesalers and their very powerful associations insist that these are the justifications for their existence. As you can imagine, there is a markup at this tier.

The third tier is who you as a consumer generally deal with, the retailer. This may be a large supermarket chain, a small wine shop, a restaurant, even an airport gift shop. This tier buys their wine, at a wholesale price, from the 2nd tier, marks it up, and sells it to you.

To add complexity some States control 100% of tier 2, and some even 100% of tier 3. Throw in the import rules for wines not produced in the United States and you can see how many hands, and governmental controls, get involved in your little bottle of wine.

So in the 3-tier system you, the consumer, are not a tier. You just get the pleasure of paying the multiple markups, and having your access and control over what products you buy restricted by the existence of the 2nd tier. Here's why: the 2nd tier is the only group that is mandated, and protected by the system. Producers and retailers will go out of business if they don't provide a product that people want to buy. This encourages diversification, quality, value, and all those other things we study in basic capitalist economic courses. The wholesalers are guaranteed a spot in the game by the system itself. In fact, they are rewarded for exerting more control, and restricting competition in your marketplace.

I won't go on too long on this. There are many people out there who know WAY more about this than I even care to. But I wanted to go back to square one for those of you who read wine blogs and occasionally come upon discussions of the injustice in the distribution system without any understanding of what they are talking about.

Anyone who either works in one of these tiers, or has additional, clearer explanation please jump in. I know I for one find this topic to be quite interesting.

The Wines of Qupe

In my early exploration of wine I have been easily convinced that what differentiates a good wine from a great wine is really a sense of place. Sure there are other elements of grape growing and vinification that clearly affect the end product, but some wines that are grown and produced perfectly still don't reach greatness. This gap to me most often represents the full expression of the terroir. I decided to explore my theory by visiting Qupe's tasting room in Los Olivos. I knew that winemaker Bob Lindquist grew and sourced a lot (around 50%) of his fruit from the Bien Nacido vineyards outside of Santa Maria. I've written about this vineyard before and felt that tasting several wines from different grapes and vintages but the same winemaker would help highlight to me what the sense of place can add to a wine.

Bien Nacido is located outside of Santa Maria on California's Central Coast. North of Santa Barbara, but south of Paso Robles it is generally a cool climate vineyard most known for its beautiful Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit. Qupe doesn't just source their fruit from Bien Nacido, but also shares a winemaking facility at the vineyards with the distinguished Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat. While this association certainly aided Bob and his family in their winemaking start, they have independently moved towards the production of Rhone varietals and certainly developed their own reputation for producing outstanding wine.

The tasting room in Los Olivos also pours the Verdad and Ethan wines, which are a Spanish varietal focused line by Bob's wife Lousia and a few wines made by their son Ethan (which were showing spectacularly by the way). Quick side note, Ethan was pouring in the tasting room and did not introduce himself as the winemaker of this line. I later found a video in which I realized who was pouring and would have loved to ask a million questions had I known. Maybe next time.

2007 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Reserve - Block Eleven - This vintage produced a very small crop of Chardonnay, due to weather, so this bottle is 78% Chardonnay and 22% Roussanne. It has a nicely perfumed nose of tropical fruits, cream, and a touch of oak. On the palette it displayed pineapple, appricot, some nice creamy roundness with a touch of oak spice and a bit of mineral on the very long finish. This was an absolutely delicious, balanced wine and gets a 4 out of 5. It retails for $30, with 946 cases produced.

2007 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard - Just recently bottled, this Syrah was a very ruby red with purple hues. It had a bright nose of red cherries, some vanilla, and a herbal/licorice/fennel thing that was very interesting to linger on for a minute. The taste gave way to deep purple fruits, some great herbal action, and just a hint of black pepper spice. The wine was balanced well with medium tannins and receives from me a 3.5 out of 5. The wine retails for $25.

2007 Syrah 'Aliso's Vineyard' - This wine, not sourced from Bien Nacido, was harvested substantially later than normal due to a cool year, and only produced 144 cases. It is 100% Syrah, and shows deep purple hues that fade to an orange at the outer rim. It had my favorite nose of the day with a sweet black berry compote component, and some clove. The wine was earthier than the other Syrah, with less of a fruit forward taste. I got plums with their skins, and lots of spice. The finish was significantly spicy and tannic indicating that this wine could be layed down for quite some time. This wine was my favorite of the tasting and gets a 4 out of 5. It retails for $35.

So my experiment to educate myself on the 'taste of a place' fell a little short only because the tasting room was only pouring two Bien Nacido sourced wines. Overall I enjoyed the wines and found them to express a cooler climate than the Paso Robles Syrahs I tasted later in the weekend. If you have the opportunity to taste through some of the Lindquist's wines I highly suggest it, as they are actually quite affordable for the quality they deliver and the sense of Central Coast that is expressed in them.

An Inexpensive Way to Taste a 2007 Southern Rhône

The story - If you have been reading The Vino File, you know that I am a fan of Tablas Creek and what they are doing in Paso Robles. You will also know that Tablas was a joint venture between Bob Haas of Vineyard Brands, and the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel. Beaucastel is recognized as one of the leading chateaus of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the Southern Rhône. So I was excited to try the Perrin family's Côtes du Rhône when I came across it recently at my favorite wine shop. 2007 is being touted as a stellar vintage for the Southern Rhône, with comments made like 'buy any that you can get your hands on.'

Côtes du Rhône is the most commonly produced wine in the Rhône, making up nearly 70% of all wine that comes out of the region. It designates that the fruit is not necessarily from any specific region, and generally represents a much lower quality than Village wines, Hermitage, Chateauneuf-du-Pape (obviously), or Côte-Rôtie. But, because it is less regulated and has no restriction on grapes or proportions there can be same amazing value that comes out of these wines. In a good vintage, and from a good winemaker, these wines can give an everyday value wine that displays some of the best Rhône characteristics.


The wine: The 2007 Reserve Perrin Côtes du Rhône is a southern Rhône blend of 60% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% mouvedre, and 10% cinsault. It is NOT the Beaucastel bottling, but an even more affordable, and less specific in terms of vineyard sourcing, bottling put out by the Perrin brothers. This wine regularly scores at least 89 points, when reviewed, and in good years gets up in the low 90's. And yet the bottle frequently sells for between $8 and $10 dollars.

The wine is an inky garnet and purple in the glass. It has a great nose of dried dark fruit, baked bread, and dried violets. The wine drinks like a great Old World dusty, brambly, but slightly fruity wine. I got lots of earthy, herbal, sage notes on the finish, with some nice mid-palette stones and peppery spice. The wine was rather full-bodied for an inexpensive wine.


The verict: This wine was just delicious for the price, and a great introduction to the character of southern Rhône. I give this wine a 3.5 and for the price point am really blown away by what it provides. It should be drunk for what it is and not compared to better sourced, higher priced, Rhône wines, but standing alone I give a whole-hearted recommendation as this wine represents one of the best values at your local wine shop right now.


Any other Côtes du Rhône or Côtes du Rhône Villages that you have been drinking from 2007 that you find to be a great value?

Forget the Millennials: The Unfaithful, Untapped Consumer Group

The wine world loves to debate whether the millennial generation is their key to future profits. I even weighed in with my thoughts (as a millennial) as to how we like to be marketed to. But then it occurred to me: Gen Y may be a decent long term plan, but a group has really presented itself in the last couple of years that has to be ripe for the picking. When a good percentage of people in the public view get caught doing something, rest assured that there are hundreds of thousands of people doing the same thing that we will never, ever hear about. If 5% of public figures who are male are discovered as cheaters, that means at least 15% of them are doing it. And if 15% of the male general public are also doing this then we have a HUGE untapped market. Just think of the first 5 things that occur to me and makes them a better wine consumer group than Millennials:

1) They are all over 21

2) They tend to have disposable income (even if most of it is Sandra's)

3) They all have either enough ego, or enough shame that they could probably use a drink

4) They all have relationships in their lives that they need to hush with gifts

5) A new spokesperson emerges every few weeks

If this doesn't smell of opportunity I don't know what does. But then again my nose is a little unreliable. Here are some possible celebrity endorsements that could really get this thing going:

S.C. Governor Mark Sanford - He recommends a Pearmund Cellars Malbec. This little beauty comes from the heart of Appalachia in Virgina both verifying your alibi but also appearing very heartfelt when it shows up as a gift in Argentina.

Tiger Woods - Obviously he opts for a 19th Hole 2007 Sonoma County Limited Merlot. This self-proclaimed 'Wine for your 19th hole' not only reminds the little lady who she is with, but also subtly doesn't allow her to forget that she ain't exactly your first trip down this road.

Sen. Larry Craig - Can't pass up a small bottle of airline wine (ordering white zinfandel is sort of a subtle wink to the flight attendant). Plus the smaller bottles fit nicely under those darn stall walls with low floor clearance.

Bill Clinton - Easy choice for the ex-President, always leaning towards an inexpensive, but delicious, Hardy's Whiskers Blake Tawny Port. The charisma of this little bottle makes half-baked ideas seem better than they are, at the time, and it really livens up a stale cigar.

Rev. Ted Haggard - Probably from a marketing standpoint we need to steer clear of this guy. He has apparently exited a program in which he was able to pray away the grape, and is no longer drinking wine.

If we can get 10% of cheaters to increase their wine consumption based on a few well placed endorsements I think we can make a fortune off this deal. Any other endorsements you can think of?

Stephen Ross Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyards 2006

The story: It is arguably true that Chardonnay, more than any other grape, takes on its characteristics from the vinification techniques that are applied to it. Chardonnay literally can be found in so many different styles that it can be difficult to state what is 'varietally correct.' However it is a forgiving grape to grow, and provides a beautiful sugar to acid ratio that makes it approachable to so many palettes when done well. There is really no wonder that it is so popular.

The other great aspect to Chardonnay's versatility is that it really can take on the characteristics of the appellation in which it is grown. One such appellation, the Santa Maria Valley, tends to produce Chardonnay fruit that exhibits wonderful tropical fruit flavors. The viability of Santa Maria Valley has been enhanced substantially by wines coming out of Bien Nacido vineyards. This is one of the most well known vineyards on California's Central Coast. Planted to 250 acres of Chardonnay, 200 acres of Pinot Noir, and many acres each of Pinot Blanc, Syrah, and Merlot, this vineyard provides the fruit from some major and accomplished wineries. Pioneers on the Central Coast like Au Bon Climat, and Qupe even have their winemaking facilities here. Bien Nacido single vineyard designation on a bottle of wine at a minimum indicates that the winemaker takes great pride in starting with high-quality fruit that will be expressive of the terroir.

Stephen Ross, while located a few miles north in San Luis Obispo, produces a Chardonnay that is sourced from a few rows in Bien Nacido vineyard. He produces several Chardonnays, but makes this wine in a more European style, leaving the acidity high to make it a food friendly wine. For someone looking for a Chardonnay that expresses California, without being a oaky butter bomb, this is a wine to consider.

The wine - The 2006 Stephen Ross Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyards is a golden yellow in the glass and has a subtle nose of apple, toasted bread, and just a whiff of oak. On the palette the wine gives off citrus elements, lemon rind, some tropical fruit (pineapple), and a nice minerality. The wine does have a crisp acidity with a medium to long finish that is both refreshing and makes you want to return for more.

The verdict - This wine gets a 3.5 (out of 5). Not everyone who tasted this wine with me enjoyed it, as many like a rounder, creamier Chardonnay. But I think it was a nice example of the style that many producers are moving to in a crisper, less oaked Chardonnay more reminiscent of their French counterparts (but with that California sunshine fruitiness that I can't find anything wrong with!!)

This wine cost me $16.95 which was a steal. I happen to know that there are a few bottles left at CW Cellars in Pasadena, if you are in Southern California. Otherwise the 2007 vintage is available for order from the winery here. The 2006 vintage did get a score of 92 from Wine Enthusiast also, if that lends more credence to my recommendation!!

Calina Reserve Carménere 2008

The story - Originally a Bordeaux varietal, carménere now is found primarily in Chile. It was used in France as a blending grape but has found itself to do quite well in Chile as a single varietal, often producing deep and complex red wine. The grape has its drawbacks and issues, which is probably why it feel out of favor in Medoc, but the industry in Chile has funded programs to improve the production of carménere, and some plantings have now even begun in the United States. The grape is late ripening and therefore can be vinified too young and show vegetative properties, but when done well it can have fruity, gamy, and earthy flavors that rival a good cabernet sauvignon. I have been exploring South American wines both for their own characteristics and as a chance to really find some good values and came across Viña Calina, a producer of Bordeaux varietals located in the Maule Valley. This valley was one of the hardest hit areas by the recent earthquake, and it is expected that many of the smallest producers in this area may not survive the economic devastation. Viña Calina produces chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and carménere and has been recognized in major media outlets as a very good value wine for the quality they tend to produce.

The wine: The 2008 Calina Carménere Reserva cost $8.95, and was a nice dark red and purple in the glass. It had a slightly muted nose of cherry fruit, and some chalky, dusty earth. It tasted of stewed plums, a mossy earth, some oak, and nice spicy finish. The tannins were present, but not heavy, it had a medium body, and a tasty medium length finish.

The score: This wine gets a 3 (out of 5). It was an easy bottle to drink over conversation with a couple of friends and not take too seriously, but nothing felt out of balance or unpleasant. It was not a particularly complex wine, but for the price it was quite good and easily gets a strong recommendation from me. The 2007 vintage got a 89 from Wine & Spirits, and several vintages have been named to Wine Enthusiasts 'Best Buy' list.

The wine seems widely available and would certainly make a good mid-week drink if you come across it.

Wine Week in Review

Monday: My review of Amalie Robert in Oregon has become my most viewed post, since The Vino File inception. It also made me dream of great Pinot all week...

Tuesday: A stop by my favorite wine shop, ended with a quick tasting of Handley Cellars 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley. Since I took no notes and won't give it a formal review, I will just say that for $15 it was a nice example of Sonoma sauvignon blanc. I like lots of grass and acidity in my sauvignon blanc, and this one was a little bit right down the middle between fruity and herbal. However the value on what you are getting with this wine is right.

Wednesday: A blog entry at Tablas Creek Blog gave some strong insight into why it is very difficult to find good value, high quality California wines. The only thing I would like to see is a similar breakdown on how we can get some great imports for so cheap. It baffles me that a bottle can be produced, imported, and marked up and still only cost me $6. However, I appreciate the transperancy in a business decision that this blog entry gave. Wednesday night I attend a Young Winos tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon and successfully differentiated blindly between cabs from Argentina, California, and Bordeaux. If I can recommend a wine from this tasting I would say that Edge Cabernet Sauvignon is a good buy for under $20.

Thursday: The Vino File has had two full months as of Thursday, and grew 80% month over month on total visits, and 215% on unique visitors (not just Mom anymore!!) The first of April also began the nomination period for the Wine Blog Awards 2010. If you want to nominate your favorite wine blogs head over here. And if The Vino File gets a nod from you (just leave your nomination in the comments) I promise I won't be mad. There are several new wine blogs that I think are great, actually better, and would nominate them myself but they were already nominated. Voting will occur in a couple of weeks also, so stay tuned. Also on Thursday I posted my April Fools entry and got a little criticism that it came across as angry.... I'll own that.

Friday: Working hard on catching up on podcasts from Three Wine Guys, who I recently discovered. Something about their reviews mixed with foul language makes me remember what they talk about more keenly then a written review. Anyway, I'm enjoying them.

Have a great weekend folks!!

Not That You Asked, But Your Wine Blog Should Be About These Things

I'm probably a better consumer of wine blogs than I am a producer. I mean by time and volume alone I read dozens of blog entries to every one that I write. So today I will comment on what I am good at, and that is discerning what I like in other people's wine blogs. I will give a definitive list of what I want to see more of. I was going to write a list of what I do not want to see any more of, but there is no sense in hurting any feelings. I know people blog because they want to let their own prerogative lead, so take my suggestions for what they are worth (which is admittedly not much).

Give me more:

Closure discussions - Whenever I read a wine review, or tasting notes I fixate on the 'closure disclosure' Way more than the grape varietal or blend, the aromas or taste, I want to know if they use synthetic corks. D is collecting corks to make a few homemade Tuscan Farmhouse-style trivets so I don't want to waste my time on any screw caps.

Anger - Whether it is anger at a bad event, the three-tier system, a really shitty wine, or the media that dismisses us lowly bloggers I am glued to any angry entries (I'm actually serious on this one). Bring on the anger.

Redundant tasting note lists - I really hate to intuit when reading wine reviews. If I knew what the wine smelled or tasted like, I probably wouldn't be seeking out the blog in the first place. So if the wine tastes like leather, and a barn, AND a saddle in a horse stall say all of that. How am I gonna know that the nose has pine, moss, bark, AND evergreen trees if you don't write it down? And by all means if you taste pickles, AND dill separately, but also together, throw in a dill pickles.

Cussing - A well placed 'shit' or phrase like 'bone-fuckin'-dry' helps me know that this writer is no wine snob. And like Howard Stern's move to Sirius, isn't that why we write on the Internet anyway? I mean I know most of us would write under an editor and for big bucks if we didn't feel it would stifle our independence.

Neutrality - I know it seems like this one is counter to my appeal for more angry entries, but who doesn't love a compelling series of entries that never takes a side? Or better yet, a review that scores a wine really low but has nothing negative in the notes so you have no idea why the wine is bad. It just seems more fair to the reader and the product to walk right down the middle of the road. Neutrality makes me comfortable.

Hyperlinks - I'm not talking a well placed link here and there, that's boring. I'm talking an entry that almost doesn't make any sense unless you reference the 22 associated articles that put your blog in context. I love it because it almost makes it like a little game to see how many layers deep you can get in order to figure out the point. And the extra blue words makes the blog entry a little bit prettier.

These are just a few of my personal preferences, the things I like. Because I love them (and a self-admitted hypocrite) you will probably see a lot of these things in my blog over the days to come. What do you love to see when you spend a couple of hours that you should be doing something productive reading blogs?