https://www.cedarvillevineyard.com

http://www.hollyshill.com/

https://www.lavacap.com/

https://www.bellagracevineyards.com

https://davidgirardvineyards.com/

https://gracepatriotwines.com

Why try Grenache? … you may ask, I am a Zinfandel, or Syrah hard core. Well if you like really opulent deep ruby, power wines, it might not be for you.

Grenache when artfully made in California is an open fruit grape, with amazing red berries complexity and acidity, with light and long spice on the finish if done correctly. It tends to be lighter since the skins hold less colors and thickness so the really best Grenache of the foothills will be picked at the peak of ripeness and offer a lighter pale ruby color, yet lots of structure and layers of complexity. From that woody spice and anise, to raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate and black cherry fruit notes.

It can work as an aperitif, or a table wine, (it works great at Thanksgiving since it pairs super well with turkey). Traditionally in France, Grenache is used in blending wines that are of exceptional high end quality. My experience shows up to 5 years is about the max for getting the peak youthful fruit and acidity from this varietal at the wineries you see portrayed here. Opinions on aging Grenache vary, but if you are new to it, you won’t be setting it aside anyway. I prefer the vibrant nature of Grenache, so that means drink young!

Grenache when it overproduces is less amazing than the lean years, I have found. It is good to ask the grower if he has a had a small harvest, and drought years and underproduction can be especially good for that exceptional Grenache vintage. Excellent Grenache is also grown in Sonoma County, and the Paso Robles region, so those are areas where the terroir is well suited. To try one of the truly exceptional Grenache’s of Paso Robles, please try, https://tablascreek.com/. I think Tablas Creek is some of the best California Grenache I have ever tasted, and they veer towards the elegant side of being grape forward, as many Grenache fans love. Neil Collins and his team, are masters at Grenache. And Neil himself has been at this for about 25 years and is highly recognized.

The grape does not do well with too much oak, so the masters of this wine, think Lewis Grace and Tablas Creek here, do not apply very much oak in their process. Grenache used to live in the shadow of bolder grapes, especially the venerable Syrah or the earthy Mourvedre, but in today’s market it is seeing a fan club all to itself. Producers are figuring it out, and that’s a wonderful thing.
As one long time French producer of wine once said:
“Grenache delivers what Pinot Noir promises…”

Before heading out, maybe consume this deep dive to remember a few things before jumping into the car for the tastings.

The post Sierra Foothills Grenache appeared first on Frank's El Dorado wine blog.

Bill spoke briefly of the 10 sites that give him a lot of cultivation diversity to work with Syrah, in the highly varied elevations of the Sierra Foothills. His epiphany for Ascent came when he tasted some of these fruits out of the fermentation tank in the late 1990’s. He then realized elevating some of this wine was a long term goal to work up to. It took years is the takeaway, and I am sure he still tries different design tweaks to this day. His only request of his clients was, don’t drink an Ascent young. Let the fruit integrate to 10 years and beyond, and this was going to become evident as we went through the tastings.

Bill relaxed and sharing his journey.

He answered several questions from the audience including what makes a grape noble. Ultimately, in Bill’s words a noble grape needs to have the small berries to start, and the characteristics towards making very diverse and palate pleasing wines. In California, these would be Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. The long road is often the work to attaining many unique flavors on the palate from one sip, and then the long finish is what all expert wine tasters are especially attuned to. The long pleasing integrating finish is the differentiating factor in most cases, to what elevates a wine above 94 points.

How did we like the wines? They were amazing. We started with a youngest 2018 Ascent, that still had lots of acidic structure clearly in the back of the mouth, and wild, diverse flavor notes all across the palate. A truly amazing mouth feel. The acids were both large and pleasing at the same time, tannins there, but not at all gripping, and definitely not in the front row. That wild fruit flavor that comes with Syrah was still rather fresh and the mouth felt creamy but cut with pepper and more so a diverse Mediterranean spice box. Wow it is just getting started was my thought. To be honest the nose, was subdued, there like a light spice coming off a French food dish, nothing overpowering, or any single dominating note, more spices than any dark cherry or single fruit. An enticing mystery was the first thought. Always breath in the wine before doing a swirl. I notice many wine lovers make this mistake, immediately gyrating the glass with their hand. You must breath the wine in deeply, before swirling to see what is dominant in the air of the glass. Take time to calculate, then swirl and take more notes as the flavors have now integrated and surfaced more fully. This change will go a long way to understanding the wine. No wine is easy to evaluate in just a few minutes either. No expert taster evaluates with only one sip, a tasting always includes two or three sips.

From the 2018, we moved to the 2013’s. We did two tastings, the Ascent, compared to the Terre Rouge DTR Ranch, which was the most wild of the tastings. These 2013’s were tremendous, and many of us thought the 2013 at 10 years was best of show, but in the end we purchased the 2008 Ascent. In a simple sentence, the 2008 was the best for its tremendously long finish and a further smoothness of that spice that is the pinnacle of what California Syrah can achieve. No single unpleasant phenol note whatsoever, simply joy of a finish that you question yourself. “How long did that really last”. Is it still going on? The 2008 wasn’t the most powerful, but it was certainly the most elegant. Some people I know loved the DTR Ranch, for its strong flavors. You hear a real mix of ideas across the audience. That is wine, everyone has their ideas of what flavors makes for them a perfect wine.

And as an important note, all wine ferments rather quickly and then is simply wine, known as free run wine. The elevation happens in pressing and the barrels. Syrah and all wine grapes are susceptible to oak and its strong tannins, especially new oak, which can impart a lot of change in a wine. This is where wine makers often forget to go easy. Grenache especially does not like too much new oak, Pinot Noir can be over-oaked. Part of it is a style thing. Of course Syrah can handle oak, but the oak here may sometimes be a blend of new and neutral oak. The quality of that oak, and the process used is what is key. I have seen a number of long-time winemakers speak and show me that great oak, such as the Francois Freres barrels, which is one major component of the Ascent magic. The Freres barrel staves have been air dried for 3 years before they are coopered, softening them. Other quality barrels can cost just half as much, and the oak used in these barrels is very special within France. The wine is allowed to integrate in the barrels for 22-24 months . As the vines age, the wine becomes more capable of integrating with the oak. Anyone who loves Syrah needs to buy one of these wines, or simply come to one of Bill’s “sold out” seminars and see what a truly amazing wine tastes like. The more you learn the more you enjoy.



Cheers Bill, and thank you, and your amazing team for sharing your life’s work with all of us!

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It makes a lot of sense to follow a blog on Zinfandel and its importance to the Gold Country and Sierra Foothills AVAs with the other stalwart grape of the Sierra appelations which is Barbera. Barbera is a complementary varietal to the venerable Zinfandel of the wines of California’s interior. UC Davis said Barbera would do well in California’s central valleys. It has since also been planted in Sonoma, Amador and El Dorado counties, and provides many wineries the potential to leverage this versatile varietal. You will find a lot of Barbera at Northern California wineries.

Why the title of this blog, well because it can get confusing. Italy is the world’s most diverse wine country on the planet. It is said, that over 1 million unique vineyards exist in Italy, and they are the largest producing Country in the world just barely beating out the other two stalwarts of Europe which are Spain and France. Italy is a powerhouse in wine, and yes Barolo which is made from the Nebbiola grape varietal is not Barbera. So a small joke on the world of Italian wines, because it is so varied and complex. Cheers to Italy, they have been doing vinification of grapes for centuries.

Barbera in the foothill wine regions is usually made as Zinfandel is, trying to be a fruity, dark and bold wine. As Paul Bush from Madrona and Rucksack wineries explains how Barbera is very acid forward when the grapes are picked a bit earlier and Paul blends two distinct pickings to determine a better balance for his Barbera, focusing on medium body Barbera. I do love the Rucksack Cellars Barbera I think it is a classic Barbera for our area but there are of course many others to try. I prefer a Barbera that is structured with enough acidity and tannins (structure), to give it a long mellow finish, quite different, than California Zinfandel. Generally speaking, Zinfandel will be more tannic, and Barbera will be more acidic, but overall structure and balance is the key to drink-ability, and how well a wine will go with food.

Another foothills choice for Barbera would be a famous Barbera producer from a historical perspective and this is the Boeger Winery who is also the pioneering winery of El Dorado County in the modern era. Boeger produces lots of varietals, but they maintain Barbera as one long standing flagship varietal. Boeger Barbera should be an easy find if you are local within the region.

I want to mention 2 wineries from Amador, as Amador is very well known for Barbera plantings. Cooper Vineyards, takes Barbera very seriously. Cooper loves big Barbera trying to leverage all the grape can give, in a rich and opulent tone. Another Barbera from Amador to try is the Bella Grace Barbera, the organically grown Barbera fruit at Bella Grace is top end. Other players in the Steiner Road group do well with Barbera, right alongside all the Zinfandel that comes from this section of Amador County.

Like Paul at Rucksack says you should try to drink Barbera with food. The acids of Barbera especially common in Italian Barbera’s you can purchase are designed to cut through starchy foods, such as pasta, bread and potatoes. So it is a perfect compliment to some appetizers that may provide starch and this is a good starting way to pair this varietal.

If you want to go deeper on the varied world of Barbera I think it is a must to leverage an online wine store that brings in a good number of Italian Barbera’s so you can try the different more acidic nature of the Italian Barbera to see how that suits you. Italian Barbera’s go deep and wide. A great place to start is Astor Wines. Ones thing I love about Astor is they stock an amazing amount of varied Italian Barbera’s from all over Italy. So that’s a good online store that will let you try a few.

Enjoy any well crafted Barbera at your next Italian pasta meal just to see if you like that cherry tone and palate cleansing acid with your spaghetti, and remember to drink a few choices, as the varietal can be very diverse, especially when you dive in deeper to what Italy provides. Here is a launch point at Wine Folly into the Piedmont region of Italy, where Barbera is heavily planted and all types of Barbera wines are produced in Piedmont, from lighter elegant Barbera’s to very rich and opulent ones.

The post Barbera is not Barolo appeared first on Frank's El Dorado wine blog.

The roots of Zinfandel go back to the 19th Century in California and it could be the first major varietal that really took off in more vineyards than any other varietal. There is claim that over 10% of the vineyards within the state have some of this varietal growing in it.

As far as mountain Zinfandel goes, it can be more acidic, complex and offer a level of complexity that is both less fruity and full of rich spices, such as cardamom, crushed cinnamon, clove or even curry. The fruits can span from tart cherry, towards black fruits, or even raspberry, in the lighter renditions.

Most Zinfandel across California and in the Sierras too, is picked when the sugars are pretty high. When sugar in the grape is high, it produces a higher alcohol wine, which are often adored by those people that love a “big wine”, or lots of body. Alcohol above 14% is very common and it is actually very uncommon to find a California Zinfandel under 13%. There are a few “young” elegant, or less of a fruit bomb Zins, such as one made by Hank Beckmeyer the winemaker of La Clarine Farm in Somerset, California. Hank’s Zinfandel is a classic Zinfandel that is both tart and delicious usually coming in at 12.x% alcohol, because he gets his mountain grape when the sugars are lower and uses more European methods to create the wine. He sources from a El Dorado County mountain vineyard at about 3,000 foot elevation. The elevation helps lengthen and moderate the ripening process.

Zinfandel wine grapes ripen early. Zinfandel or Primitivo grapes in Lodi California for example will definitely ripen faster, even in August some years. I helped a friend harvest his Primitivo in August one year.

Zinfandel is a wine that is spicy if nothing else, so pair it with strong cheeses, grilled foods, seasoned meats or vegetables, and of course barbecue. Zinfandel almost always goes better with food.

What are some of the wineries that have specialized in this varietal?

There are simply too many to try, you will never have the time or fortitude to try all the different California Zinfandel on the market. There are literally thousands. So if you are new, go with what a professional might suggest.

Jim Gordon at Wine Enthusiast definitely knows Northern California wines and here’s his blog on 10 California Zinfandel’s to try.

In my local area, here are two wineries that have landed some very tasty Zinfandel over the years.

Fair Play: https://oakstone-winery.com

Amador: https://www.terrerougewines.com/

Amador wineries are more attuned to Zinfandel. One winery that has lots of production, and varietals, and goes great with Zinfandel at great prices is the Sobon Estate in Amador County, this is a well established family winery. And one that is really exceptional at sourcing the finest grapes from some of the most distinctive vineyards all across state is, Turley which spans Napa, to Paso Robles and has a very active tasting room on Shenandoah Road, in Amador County. Finally the very popular winery that really does well focusing on both Zinfandel and Barbera’s, and has extremely popular tasting room site, is Scott Harvey. Their 1869 rendition of Zinfandel is perhaps from some of the very oldest vineyards producing Zinfandel in the entire state, if that is intriguing to you. Older mature vines tend to do much better giving off intense fruit.

Zinfandel may have first started, somewhere near the Gold Rush area of Coloma, close to my home. One thing is certain in Gold Country, Zinfandel is still the king grape, especially as you move into Amador County.

So lastly, what about blending that Zinfandel? This varietal is not known as a blending grape like say Grenache or Marsanne is. I mean we don’t have the Rhone culture affecting Zinfandel which is almost as old as (modern) California itself. So here is one idea. Look at some innovation towards another varietal that has less tannins and arguably more fruit, which is Barbera. And you could purchase a wine that is 50% Barbera / 50% Zinfandel and see how how that works for you. The initial vision is to get the fruitiness off their Barbera with a tannic boost from the Zinfandel. If you don’t like the bomb Zinfandel, then this wine was made for you. Good residual sugars, and more fruitiness. Which the Barbera brings in clusters.

Cheers!

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