Is it Hard to Find Good Value in California Wine?

The story: I was looking back over my wine reviews from the last year or so and realized something. Very few of the wines that show an amazing quality to price ratio, essentially a very good value for what comes in the bottle, come from California. Almost every other major wine producing region has shown up to the game with $10 wine that are really pleasing, but most $10 California wines are less than spectacular (generalizations, speaking in broad swaths that overall make my point people). I would love to hear why people think this is. Is the real estate to grow the grapes just too high? Is there a leftover inflatted sense of what one used to be able to charge when times were good that people are resistant to retract from? Or am I just not looking hard enough?

Now when you get to the $20 and up mark I can name a whole number of wines that I think bring fireworks to the table. So it is not something against California wine in and of itself. I just would always recommend Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, and maybe South Africa first if people ask for where to look for value. To my point:

The wine: The Franciscan Estate 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a pale straw color in the glass. It has a particularly dull nose with whafts of pear and lime, and a bit of sweet pineapple when at room temperature and given a generous swirl. The palette is really one note of a somewhat non-descript lime-like citrus both on the front and back end. There really is nothing going on in the middle. The wine is light to medium bodied, has a rather lackluster acidity and structure, and is ultimately incredibly boring to drink.

The verdict: No California, no. This wine has a suggested retail price of $17 which means you can find it for closer to $14. But you shouldn't. Skip the Napa sauvignon blanc if you are looking for a daily drinker and head straight to the Loire, or South Africa. If you want to go up a level to $20 plus sauvignon blancs then yes look back to Northern California. There are certainly some good ones, but overall I think California struggles to provide great values in wine.

This wine was provided as a sample with intent to review.

What a Hamilton Can Do

The story: I am dying for someone to explain the economics to me on this one. I truly do not understand how it can be feasible to farm a vine way over in Asti, pick the fruit, pay for the work in the cellar, pay for the barrels, bottle the thing, put a cork in it, ship it to the U.S, pay customs, ship it across the country to California, pay the wholesaler, and put it in my hands for $9.95. I know it happens, but I don't know how. I'm sure that there are stories about the wine glut and the economy that help explain these things, but when a $10 bottle of Piedmont wine brings a bit of excitement to my weekday dinner table I can't help but wonder how it is really possible. This is the rare bottle of wine that makes me believe that wine really is special, unique amongst beverages. Beer and liquor can be good, even great, but the marvel of a farmer's touch from around the world, the weather of a given year and the soil of a vineyard being present in a unique bottle that costs me only a Hamilton simply blows my mind.

The wine: The wine in question is the Scagiola Frem Barbera D'Asti 2007. The wine has an inky black and deep red color and a very expressive nose full of dark fruits, cedar, and tobacco. There is a bit of alcoholic heat that does not completely blow off over time but certainly becomes less distracting as the bottle carries you through dinner. The wine is rather dark and rich in flavor, full of jammy blackberries, damp earth, and bits of coffee. It has an impressively mocha-like finish that is really delicious.

The verdict: This is a big, big wine and certainly comes across as much more expensive than the $10 I found it for. Unfortunately I am now seeing here that I found an absolute steal. That said, even at $20 I think this brings a quality to the table that is worth the outlay. If there is anything to critique here it is that the wine is not necessarily as Old World in its sensibility as one might expect, or possibly even hope for, in a Barbera d'Asti. There is a bit of ripeness and an aspect to the body of this wine that reminds me slightly of California. However, the great Italian rusticity is still there. The clear acidic bite that Barbera from the Piedmont region brings is there. The passion is there, the attention to detail is there, and therefore my recommendation for this exciting and affordable bottle of wine is clearly there.

Highlights from Pasadena Pinot Fest

Pinot is difficult. It is not only difficult to grow and make wine out of, although it is notoriously temperamental, but also to love. It is offered in so many varying styles with pressure to extol the Burgundian, it can be overwhelming. Is it best when it is light, velvety, and almost sensual? Or is the more powerful extracted flavors of cherry, cola, and dark earth to be praised? Is it okay to be a fan of both styles and still consider yourself a wine geek? It can become a question of not knowing what to expect when you open a bottle, and therefore occasionally leads me to steer clear.

While I do have strong preferences in my pinot, I am of the mindset that while varietally correct may have importance, it does not supersede your right to spend your money the way you see fit. And on the other hand, pinot can be so irresistible when it hits the notes that appeal to you that it is difficult to understand why someone doesn't love it. Complicated on the vine, complicated in the cellar, and complicated in the souls of its devotees, pinot noir was bound to be a successful and beguiling grape.

I did not have a tremendous amount of time at the Pasadena Pinot Fest this past weekend, but found the event to be very well thought out. The venue was lovely, and the Altadena Country Club was miles ahead of most hotel and conference centers where I have attended other large scale tastings. The food from Palate and Noir was really excellent. And the star of the show, the pinot, was outstanding. Here are a few things I discovered for the first time that I wholeheartedly recommend:

Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow 2005 - One of the few wines in the room where I will say that the clear influence of some toasty oak was so well integrated with the fruit and acid that it was absolutely delicious. A bit expensive at $56 but a really beautiful and delicious pinot.

Harrington Pinot Noir Mendocino 2008 vs. Harrington Terrana - Same grapes, same wood treatment, one innoculated with commercial yeast the other fermented wild and bottled with no sulfites. The wines were so extraordinarily different it was shocking. This urban winery in San Francisco is doing some very interesting things, and this experiment results in two wines with their own elements of appeal, and interestingly very different fruit tones from each other. I believe they are both retailing for $35, and would make an awesome pair of wines for a wine dinner at home with a late in the meal revelation they are the same grapes (put the sulfite free wine first)

Ken Brown Pinot Noir Santa Barbara 2009 - One of the best mouthfeels I found all day. If you like your pinot silky do not skip this $32 beauty.

Thorne Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills 2007 - This wine comes from a very small producer in the Santa Rita Hills, who makes very little wine and yet sells a lot of grapes to the wineries in their area (Brewer Clifton, Sea Smoke, etc.) With only 450 cases and at a very reasonable $36 this wine is worth a phone call. If you like your red fruit countered with a fresh soil earthiness, and a bit of restraint that is not always found in California pinot check this out.

Vergari Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vineyard Sonoma Mountain 2006 - Vergari poured several great pinots, a couple of which were truly the most Burgundian that I tasted on Saturday. This wine in particular seemed the most balanced to me. It possessed a delicious factor with a acid balance that I enjoy in pinot. And in a field dominated by the Central Coast it was great to find a producer from the Northern part of California that was bringing the quality. The wine retails for $39.

Zotovich Estate Pinot Noir 2008 - Another small producer, producing a pinot with very cool floral aromatics and flavors. Since I was on my way out I tasted their syrah as well and found it to be equally successful, very cool climate in its flavors and restraint. It was great to find an unknown producer that is making such loverly pinot, retailing for $38.

A short but great day at the Pinot Fest allows me to recommend you check out the wines or at least the producers found above. And remember, part of the appeal of pinot is how difficult it can be to pursue, and the high dividends that it pays when you do.

The Best Intentions...

The story: I have principles. I do. I think feeling forced to spend money on pink hearts and Cupid cards just because marketing makes you feel compelled is ridiculous. The people I love hear it from me all the time, and one day set aside as an attempt to generate revenue off my guilt for not complying is not going to convince me. I also have a very strict personal ethic in the direction of my blog posts and am not going to write a story pitched by a PR company. How dare they suggest exactly what I should think a wine 'pairs' with or precisely when I post a review of any sample they may choose to provide. That is utterly insulting, and I will not participate. It is also clearly laid out in my Sample Policy. I am an independent person who can not be influenced by such profit motivated demands.

When I was in high school I regularly declared that I would spend my entire future being open to the music that was current. I was so offended that the adults of the time had no interest in what I thought was hot. But life happens and principles have to be adapted. When I hear Ke$sha brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack I am reminded why now in my early 30's my iPod is still dominated by Smashing Pumpkins.

Life also happens in other areas. Just when you think that you've got one up on Hallmark you meet the love of your life, someone who doesn't make you feel obligated towards pink hearts but rather feel inspired to share life with and use any excuse to remind them how much you love them. Suddenly Valentine's Day may or may not be a marketing ploy but it doesn't matter. This person deserves flowers, or chocolate, or sparkling wine and you look forward to celebrating. And then a PR man from New York suggests a Valentine's wine and it is so utterly perfect for such celebrations of love that you can't imagine not suggesting it to your readers. So the Band-Aid of pride gets ripped off and you share. In the end the man of principles is left saying, "I love you early 90's flannel-inspired alternative rock." Or "I love you carefully crafted PR pitch" Or certainly most importantly "I love you D!"

The wine: The Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé Cuvée de la Pompadour is made from 58% pinot noir, and 42% chardonnay. It is a beautiful salmon peach color with tiny fast bubbles that make you feel celebratory just pouring. The nose is subtle but pleasing with fresh strawberry and flaky pastry, all framed by some cinnamon and spice. Drinking the wine one is struck with a sense of vibrancy as both the bubbles and acid are carefully etched. The sparkler tastes of strawberries and citrus pith, and the whole thing comes across as slightly weighty and rich. You put this together with the forementioned bubbles and acid and you have a very sexy wine drinking experience that is ready to pair with almost any Valentine's date (food or no food). There is a beautifully lengthy finish to this wine that offers a pleasing bitterness, reminiscent of ruby red grapefruit, and bits of minerality.

The verdict: Really stunning, and hands down the best domestic rose sparkling wine I have had in ages. Like I said, I had intentions of never suggesting this wine for Valentines, how much more cliche could one get? But I can't not do it, it is truly perfect. The wine is available pretty widely for $28-38 and gets a huge recommendation from me. If you can not get it in time for Valentine's Day, or have principles that have remained stronger than my own against it, then pick it up for a random date. It is simply delicious, and perfectly situated between serious and fun.

This wine was provided as a sample with intent to review.

The Pasadena Wine Scene: An Introduction

Ladies and gentlemen, it's a brand spanking new blog series. Filled with information you can't live without, and promises from yours truly that will probably fall apart after a few well intentioned tries. However I simply can't resist exposing my favorite city, and its intersection with my favorite pastime, to the world.

For now lets just pretend that this post goes out to....the world.

Pasadena is a city of nearly 150,000 just a few miles north of downtown Los Angeles. It is that sunny and temporarily green city seen across the United States each New Year's morning when the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl beam proudly into your living rooms, disrupting your hangovers, and making you consider moving to the unfailing 75 degree hills on your screen. And it is a really lovely place, even if the once a year pictures fail to show the traffic and the brown cloud that gets pushed up from all the people in greater Los Angeles and trapped by the high peaks of the San Gabriel mountains that frame our town to the north. Its growth was fueled both as an alternative to rather conservative L.A. business people who wanted to move out of the city, and its resort options available to Easterners who wanted to experience the Southern California warmth. While maintaining some of that conservative, occassionally boring reputation Pasadena has become a diverse and dynamic city with large and influential populations of white, black, Latino, and Asian populations all living in proximity and contributing to the cultural makeup of the community. It is a great place to live, famous for its stunning examples of Arts and Crafts era architecture, and with lots to eat, drink, see, and do.

And yet it has its idiosyncracies. There is not quite the level of competition in the restaurant and bar scene that ultimately serves to refine destinations in more populous and metropolitan cities. With a couple of noteable exceptions Pasadena is not a destination where up and coming chefs and sommeliers want to cut their teeth, as it offers limited options for exposure. This can lead to mediocrity in many of what should be the finer establishments. Balanced by loads of delicious lower cost options (dim sum, Thai, soul, Mexican, Armenian) as long as you are willing to be done eating long before the late hour of 9:30 pm, it is a pretty good place to eat. The other good news is this has not stopped a handful of passionate winos who offer us Pasadenians an opportunity to buy, drink, and talk wine without having to make that treacherous trip down California's oldest freeway into Los Angeles. This series will expose those places to buy your wine, or drink your wine when in Pasadena (a place that will reward you if you make the effort to visit).

First up, in an attempt to be prescient, is a wonderful wine event brought to us by the people behind one of Pasadena's finest restaurants Noir Food and Wine. The Pasadena Pinot Fest is an all out celebration of domestic Pinot Noir featuring wine dinners and a Grand Public Tasting pouring pinots and an occassional chardonnay or syrah. The setting is the Altadena Country Club located up towards the foothills and giving you a great excuse to stay in Pasadena for dinner on your way back through town after the event. The list of wineries is impressive, and the attendance cap is appealing. The tasting is also immenent, this Saturday, February 12, from 1:00 to 5:00. Tickets are still available, although the event does sell out. $85 gets you four hours access to the wines, food, including cheese and charcuterie, and a souvenir glass that can go on a shelf somewhere with all of your others.

If this event mixes the wine industry with the town culture that I know, it will be a relaxed, inviting, friendly event that will take itself only seriously enough to show respect to the winemaker guests. It will be chill enough to realize it is just fermented grape juice and meant to be fun. There is a lot of competition for your wine dollars out there, maybe one could argue there is too much wine, and too many events. I argue that this is a great opportunity on a Saturday to enjoy yourself and find where you want to be directing your dollars in your pursuit of California Pinot, plus you get to explore one of the finest cities in America while you are at it.

An Everday Italian Table Wine, Exactly As It Should Be

The story: I belong to very few wine clubs, and a smattering of mailing lists. This is not because I don't think they are worthwhile, I think they can be great. Rather it is because I am currently the type that prefers to try different things almost every time I open up a bottle. With this in mind, and my desire to expose myself to more French and Italian wines, I did find a wine club that was perfect for me. The Kermit Lynch Wine Club sends out two bottles of French of Italian wine each month, selected by the guys at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant in Berkeley, CA. For those unfamiliar, Kermit Lynch is an importer who for years has traveled France and Italy attempting to find authentic, quality wines to bring over to the U.S. He is quite a personality, with strong feelings towards preserving traditional vinification techniques that produce wines of character and distinction. So while you may not always like every Kermit Lynch wine you purchase, you can rest assured that it was imported for some specific attributes that Kermit or his buyers found to be correct for the region, or interesting. They take a very personal approach in their buying and in their selling, allowing customers to build a relationship with an individual salesman over the phone or in person at their shop.

The wine: One of the first wines sent in the club was the 2009 Monferrato Rosso by Kermit Lynch. Mr. Lynch has undertaken his own bottlings of both this basic Italian red and a Cotes du Rhone in the recent years, and this one is blended barbera, fresia, and croatina. The wine smells of ripe red raspberries and cedar, with some citrus and a bit of yeast and popcorn. A rather straightforward nose, in check, that is overall curiously comforting. Drinking the wine, the raspberries continue along with a stout sense of minerality. The wine is rather light bodied and comes across as both rustic and very balanced, nothing is out of step.

The verdict: This is a classic and really rather perfect everyday Italian table wine. It reminds you of the coutryside in its rusticity, but has enough refinement to feel very carefully made. Nothing about the wine will blow your socks off, but that is not the point of the wine as it so carefully reminds you with each sip. I am not the type to buy cases of something and make it my everyday wine, as there is just too much to try out there. But I can understand why someone would, and at $12 this should be a candidate. It was made to go on a table, and be eaten with food, and not surprisingly would pair with a huge variety of meats, pastas, or salads. It ultimately is a wine that is pleasing and in perfect check.

Treatise on Temecula

For those unfamiliar (I'll explain soon why you might be) Temecula is a mid-sized town in Southern California's Inland Empire located part way between Los Angeles and San Diego. The town of just over 100,000 people, has been incorporated for just 20 years and had large population booms due to rapid real estate development when prices were going crazy in nearby L.A. and Orange County. During this time a rather successful wine scene emerged, and with nearly 15 million potential tourists within an hour and half drive, Temecula's wineries have seen success and growth. While the area saw a population decrease and large numbers of house foreclosures during the real estate bubble burst of the last couple of years, the wineries are still packed on any given weekend.

As an Angeleno who can not make it to Paso Robles, Sonoma, or Napa very often, I have on several occassions made a trek out to Temecula to enjoy the scenery, and the scene. Most recently I spent a great day celebrating a good friend's 30th birthday on what could technically be called a 'booze cruise' (albeit a rather calm and respectful group of booze cruisers.) We visited several wineries in the region and had a fantastic time. It clearly was the type of event that keeps Temecula busy and successful. But I do have a few critical observations about what is happening in Temecula, and why you may not hear much about them outside of So Cal.

Like most wine regions, the wines we tasted offered a wide range of quality and pleasure. While several were nice, several were absolutely terrible. And I mean terrible. While not the majority there were certainly more than one wine that tasted like no more than water with a spritz of lemon. And maybe some soap. Primarily it was the white wines that fell completely flat with a lack of any developed flavors, and a blaring lack of integrated acidity. On the red side many of the wines had nice aromas of expensive oak, but across the palette lacked any sense of fruit and had out of whack acidity that seemed like it had been added a bit carelessly. This sense again was not in the majority of red wines, but present in several and across several wineries. Temecula is hot and I imagine can be a difficult place to grow grapes that cool significantly enough at night to maintain acidity, therefore requiring the addition of tartaric acid during vinification. But it didn't always seem to be done with great success.

The wineries in Temecula seem to eschew traditional wine media (ergo 'scores') and instead display walls and showcases full of ribbons and medals from wine competitions, with literature and signage indicating that what you are about to taste is 'award winning.' There is no need to debate here the validity of the various wine competitions and fairs in which these awards were won. I will make the observation that in order for Temecula to remain outside the rest of the wine world, and therefore avoid the competition and comparison that would follow, it seems they have chosen as a collective to stay outside of more traditional methods of marketing and exposure.

What this essentially allows Temecula to do is offer their wines at absolutely ridiculous prices. Again, this is a generalization and not true across the board, but I saw a 2004 petit verdot selling for $105 that had absolutely no fruit expression left, and a single vineyard syrah that was drowning in oak for $95. What? This stuff must sell to people who do not realize, or possibly care, that you can buy some of the world's finest syrahs and shiraz for less than this, or close to it. I couldn't help but think of all of the outstanding Washington semillon, New Zealand sauvignon blanc, Argentinian malbec, and Cotes du Rhone I could get for $15 and just cringed at the outrageous disparity.

So how do I personally feel about Temecula as a whole? Actually you may be surprised to find that despite my critical observations I think they have a very good thing going for themselves. And their guests. I honestly had a great time, thought that the people were incredibly friendly and fun, and would recommend it as a Southern California tourist destination without reservation. Now, I will be holding tight to my dollars as I do not feel that much warranted a purchase, and do not feel guilty about that when paying $15-$20 for a tasting. But I would go again, at the drop of a hat.

To wrap it up I want to say that these criticisms were not to be made about all the wines in Temecula. There were three in particular that stood out to me as good wines that were worth the price they were selling at:

South Coast Sparkling Blanc de Noir - with a touch of remaining residual sugar but nice bubbles and a good crispness made this bottle very tasty and refreshing for a reasonable $18.

Leonesse 2009 Melange de Blanc - a blend of roussanne, marsanne, and viognier offered great mouthfeel, peachy aromas, and a very white rhone-like palette that was tasty and correct at $24.

Leonesse 2007 Signature Syrah - showing some cool syrah traits of smoked meat and subtle spice this syrah was truly delicious and probably the best red wine I tasted in the valley, and one of the least expensive at $34.