Brew Hops & Wine Stops

My recent opportunity in touring the Robert Mondavi Winery was an eye-opening experience. My first visit to the winery was in the late 80s. I was fortunate enough to attend the visit while Robert Mondavi was still alive. You could still feel his presence in every aspect of the winery and the tour itself. The strong Italian influence and way of life was embedded in every bottle, every laugh, and every smile I encountered during my visit.

   In recent years, many wineries have come and gone in Napa Valley. Ownerships have been changed, as was the case with the Robert Mondavi Winery. Although the new ownership has implemented newer programs, the vision of Robert Mondavi’s goal to produce some of the finest wines in the world has endured the test of time.

    During my most recent visit we toured the new To Kalon Project, named after the vineyard that surrounds the winery, which translates to “Beautiful” in Greek. The project itself utilizes gravity to transport wine through the production system. The winery has returned to traditional oak fermentation in the belief that it would enhance the quality of their finest wines.

  While walking the grounds of the winery, I absorbed the visual stimuli of the Winery’s traditional Spanish mission-style architecture. The sculptures, arches, and many art exhibits throughout the winery added vastly to the appeal and history of the vineyard. One’s senses were not only overwhelmed by smells and tastes but by the visual sculpture that was the Robert Mondavi Winery.

    As I was touring the vegetable and herb gardens, I noticed fresh cuts in the vegetable plants, only to later discover that they were accompanying my garden ratatouille and herb crusted rack of lamb. In the traditional culinary style of Robert Mondavi, the dinner was complemented with a 1991 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve followed by the 2006 Reserve. The ’91 vintage was very elegant and had a Bordeaux-styled influence, while the ’06 vintage had a classic Napa valley style. This tasting perfectly encapsulated the dream of Robert Mondavi. His desire to bring the classical style into the contemporary era, while maintaining the true essence and soul of the rich history of the winery, was finally realized.

Cheers -- Mario Zungul, Wine Consultant, Jacksonville

There are many areas renowned for their fine wines -- known to even the novice wine drinker: we think almost immediately of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa and Sonoma, Chianti, Rioja, or Barossa. But there is one area that many of us in this country tend to forget, and it produces some of the finest white wines in the world.

I'm talking about Alsace. Yes, that little strip of land about seventy miles long and a handful of miles wide that has been the center of territorial disputes between France and Germany for centuries. The place is something of an anomaly. The people speak and consider themselves French, but the names, the architecture, and much of the food is old-world German. The wine is something of an anomaly, too. It is often said that Alsace makes German wine in a French style, and there's a lot of truth to this. But here the differences are as interesting as the similarities.

In Alsace we're dealing with mostly white grapes: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Muscat mainly. But what a difference between them and those of other countries! Alsatian Riesling, for example, is much drier, not to mention bigger and bolder and higher in alcohol, than most of those from Germany, only eighteen miles away. And it pairs with food so well!

Although Riesling is the greatest of the wine grapes from the area (many experts would call it the greatest white wine grape in the world), when most people think of Alsace, they think of Gewurztraminer. Gewurztraminer is an unctuous wine - perfumed with aromas of rose petals, lychee nuts, and honey. As the perfect wine pairing Asian and Pacific Rim foods - including, yes, sushi - it should be a lot more popular. And just try it with a hunk of Muenster cheese!

Muscat (Moscato) is very popular in this country all of a sudden. But Alsatian Muscat is again unique. Unlike the Muscat from other areas, Alsatian Muscat is dry. Try it as an aperitif.

While I'm at it, can I also plead the case for Pinot Blanc? This is a wine that is often overlooked because people often think of it as a lowly kin to Chardonnay - not quite up to scratch with its big brother. Actually Pinot Blanc is delightful, and a great wine to pair with food precisely because it isn't as overpowering as some Chardonnays can be.

And let's not forget those wonderful, very classy dessert wines - the Vendange Tardives and Selections de Grains Nobles (S.G.N.'s) - that Alsace is famous for. Like all great sweet wines they balance their delicious sweetness with a hint of acidity.

I guess what I'm saying is --- don't forget Alsace. Wine drinkers of the world - be daring. Don't just stick to the tried and true. The experience of wine is so much greater if it includes a love of variety and a willingness to try something different. Enjoy!

Does anyone out there want to vote for another neglected Fine Wine area? We'd love to hear.

Bill Stobbs, Wine Supervisor, West Coast

(Pictured is Domaine Weinbach in Kientzheim, near Kaysersberg. The Grand Cru vineyards of Schlossberg are behind the home of Colette Faller and her daughters Catherine and winemaker Laurence)

The "Block" series wines are single estate offerings from California at a very competitive price.
At the beginning it seemed like these wines were the California wine aficionados’ best kept secret, although the secret didn't last long. The "Block" wines have become, in a very short time, one of the most successful brands in ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine portfolio. They are our wine consultants’ favorite California wines.

The reason for their rapid and tremendous success is due to the value of these wines. The wines are always from premium California wine appellations without a mention of the producing estate or winery. The reason for this is that same wine bearing the estate label could be offered at up to twice the price of the Block label. The wines are made only in those years when there is top level excess juice available. Rather than selling this juice on the bulk wine market, the wineries sell it to us for the Block wines. The wines are limited in distribution—they’re available at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in Florida, and at another handful of retailers across the country, and when a label sells out, that’s it for that label.

After being in the wine business as long as I have, I had the opportunity a couple of years ago to do something that most in the retail wine business don't get to do. I worked in a vineyard for a day, following the grapes that we picked as they went from the vine to the de-stemmer, crusher and eventually the fermenting tank. A couple of months ago I received a bottle of the Shiraz (Syrah) that was produced from that tank. It was signed by the winemaker at Clos du Bois, our host for this wine experience. I'm a little torn as to whether or not I will open the signed bottle. I have many bottles of wine that I did not help produce, but only one that had some of my sweat, and fortunately no blood...very sharp vine cutting tool!!

 I mention this because in 3 weeks I will be doing this again in Monterey at the Wild Horse and Estancia Wineries. I will be posting notes as we go through the daily processes of winemaking. I look forward to sending out some pictures of the events of the days. So until then, cheers.

Ken Amendola, Wine Supervisor, Northeast Florida

 Sometimes you have to do things yourself.  After losing a popular brand from Lake County in California I decided to make the replacement from the same area with a friend.  Rob McDonald has been in the wine business as an importer and winemaker for a large part of his life so, I called him.  I wanted a Sauvignon Blanc with birght acidity and a pronounced grapefruit character.  Rob had the perfect vineyard but we had to wait a year to get the fruit we wanted. 

 
Clear Lake with Mount Konocti in the distance

 
The Rooster Vineyard

  David Weiss’ Rooster Vineyard is just outside Kelseyville on the west side of Clear Lake in Lake County.  The whole area is dominated by Mount Konocti, an extinct volcano that created the soil types of the hills around it.  The Rooster Vineyard has a gray loam soil that gives a richness to the wine that has to be checked in the vineyard with pruning and green harvest.  The must is fermented in stainless steel at a cool temperature with no oak influence.  I tasted the 2009 vintage, the first, with Rob in the spring and could see that it was going to be just what I wanted, a very refreshing Sauvignon Blanc perfect for Florida’s weather.  Keep an eye out for the Rugged Hills Sauvignon Blanc.  It’s perfect with seafood and salads or just for sipping.

This past May, Brad Lewis, Bill Stobbs and I took a quick one week trip to Spain in search of new Spanish wines for our portfolio. Two of our discoveries just arrived in our stores this week.

In our travels through Ribera del Duero we came across a small producer [thank you GPS] Cruz de Alba. A fairly new property,this estate is already receiving 90 pt. reviews from the Wine Advocate. The 2006 Cruz de Alba is full bodied with layers of ripe fruit and available to purchase. $25.99

Continuing on we visited a more traditional producer in Rioja, Ramon Bilbao. This estate has been producing wine since 1924. It was one of their more recent bottlings that most impressed our group. The 2006 Ramon Bilbao Limited Edition is made in a more modern style with lots of up front tempranillo fruit and structure to stand up to any meat you might put on the grill tonight.

I'll admit it. I'm smitten. It's what happens when a self-affirmed Euro-wine geek travels to the pre-eminent red wine region of Spain and rediscovers a lost affinity for the area's top grape.  Think of it as a sort of re-kindled wine love affair.

Sure, I've indulged in many fine examples of Tempranillo over the years from virtually everywhere in the world it's produced: Argentina (check!), Washington State (done that!), Australia (you bet, mate!), all parts of the Iberian Peninsula (Si! and Sim!). And while enjoying each and every example (the good ones, of course), I must confess that for the most part, Tempranillo remained an infrequent choice of mine when answering the critical question: What wine will I drink tonight?

Flash backward to June, in the days before the EU debt crisis and World Cup fever sent pulses racing in Espana, my heart was skipping a happy beat as I criss-crossed the Ebro River valley to sample much of Rioja's bounty. From Laserna to Haro, Logrono to Laguardia, Fuenmayor to Oyon, the common thread that holds these diverse terroirs together is this early ripening variety (the name comes from the Spanish term for early - “temprano”).

 

 
Whether delicate with aromatic perfumes in Rioja Alavesa or charmingly plump in Rioja Alta the best wines from these sub-regions displayed the classic black cherry essence of Tempranillo as the central theme. The traditional styles (Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva) often up the ante with notes of rose petal, tobacco, coffee, underbrush and spice box, which will appeal to fans of Left Bank Bordeaux and Tuscan Reds while the more modern versions can have violets, cocoa, kirsch, and anise as undertones. Both the traditional and new wave emphasize elegance and balance instead of raw power. Fans of medium-weight and flavorful wines in general (hear that Pinot Noir lovers?) may fancy a stroll here too.

As far as food pairings, these are food wines indeed! The Riojanas love to feature it with lamb but other grilled meats and chorizo are also splendid partners at table. The famous D.O. Piquillo Peppers and hearty vegetable casseroles were mainstays as well. White Asparagus was in season, served with a generous drizzle of the local olive oil. It was the perfect foil for the rare white grape variant, Tempranillo Blanco.

There are other grape varieties that are part of the rich tapestry that is Rioja and worthy of exploration in future posts. There are some interesting developments here. It seems that many winemakers in Rioja are in the process of “rediscovery” too.

Just like this wine lover.

Jim Greeley

Wine Supervisor SW Florida

In late July I gave a couple of small, informal wine classes to a group of guests in our Crystal River store during their in-store tasting. I decided to pour three new wines which I was certain nobody in the room had tried before since all three wines had just arrived that week. Two of the three wines were from our ‘BLOCK’ series…limited production wine bottled for us under the Block ### designation, made from extra juice from some of the top wineries in areas like Howell Mountain, Rutherford and others. These wines are from single estates, not blends of many wines of the same areas, or A.V.A.’s.

Pouring wines like these presents a slight challenge, since my taste runs toward European wines. I have always been pleased with the Block wines, especially the very first one we offered, which was a 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stag’s Leap District of Napa Valley, Block 713.

The wine I chose that evening was the new BLOCK 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, also from the Stag’s Leap District. There are certainly not an abundance of vines in the District, are rarely any excess juice, which explains why we have not offered one since 2004. The highest compliment you can give the Block 707 is that it expresses the Stag’s Leap character, ripe black currant and crushed berry aromas and flavors, with well integrated tannins and a long silky finish. I think wine aficionados call it typicity, which is not so typical today! And at $23.99, it is quite a bit less that anything else we offer from the District.

--Shayne Hebert, Wine Supervisor, Central Florida

Earlier this month, several members of our wine and management teams headed to California. One of the stops was at Antica Winery, in Napa, owned by the Antinori family. We toured the property Wednesday, August 4 and had lunch with winemaker Nate Weiss. Rare flank steak, beet salads, olives, blanched almonds.

Some quick facts:
The wine maker is Nate Weis, since 2008--he was formerly at Patz and Hall. The vineyard boasts 1250 acres; 450 in grapes. They also sell some grapes to Stags Leap for Artemis.

They grow Cabernet, Chardonnay, Cab Franc and Sangiovese here in the Atlas Peak AVA. At an elevation of 1650 feet, there’s a huge range of temperatures: a 20 degree difference is possible daily from valley floor to hilltops. 

In 1989, they completed a cave for barrel storage—the cave maintains a constant 55 degree temp year round—a cool change for us Floridians to visit! The cave has 8000 barrels capacity—but, then, it’s 35,000 square feet!

The winery has an 1800 Ton capacity facility; they process 30 tons for the Antica label and sell the rest.

--Andy Abernathy, COO

If you were on this trip with me you know that I could not wait to tour Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.  This winery is steeped in history as the maker of the Cabernet Sauvignon that beat Bordeaux’s First Growths in the historic Paris Tasting of 1976.  As we drove into Stag’s Leap District you could see how this was different than everywhere else we had been so far. One step onto the property of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and there was no question why their wine is so unique. 

The winery was surrounded by volcanic rock and steep, rocky slopes with small beautiful vineyards between.  Walking out to the mountain carved caves there is a wall of handprints of all the winemakers and viticulturists who had “lent a hand” at the winery. 

The caves are “green tunnels,” no air conditioning or humidifiers, only the cool breezes that whip through the tunnels. They believe the air your wines are barrel aged in is an important component to the finished product and use the same air purifiers NASA uses on space shuttles.  

In the heart of the cave sat a pendulum swaying with the earth’s rotation.  As you walk out of the caves you see Fay’s Vineyard, where we sampled some grapes from the 2010 vintage right off the vine.

--Amy (Wine Consultant, New Port Richey)

Markham Vineyards is one of Napa Valley’s first wineries. It was first founded by Jean Laurent, a Bordeaux immigrant who came to California during the gold rush in mid 1800’s. He built the winery in 1874, and in 1879 he added the stone cellar that is the heart of the present-day winery’s tasting room and art gallery featuring the amazing photography of Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone Magazine’s first chief photographer. 

After Laurent’s death, the property changed hands a number of times. About a century later, Bruce Markham arrived in Napa Valley also looking to start a winery. He purchased vineyards in Yountville, Oak Knoll, Calistoga, and the old Laurent winery in the late 1970’s. The first employee hired by Markham, Bryan Del Bondio, is now president of the winery, and chef of our luncheon at the winery.

We were guided through the mid-sized winery by winemaker Kimberlee Jackson Nicholls who quickly put us at ease.

 She explained her winemaking technique and decisions a winemaker is responsible for while touring us through fermentation and storage areas within the winery.

In the middle of one of these dimly lit barrel rooms sat a candlelit table and we enjoyed our first barrel tasting of the trip. We began the lunch with their 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and 2008 Chardonnay paired with a salad full of fresh vegetables picked that morning from Bryan’s garden. Both white wines had bright fruit flavors that complemented the fresh greens. The main course consisted of grilled lamb chops over a porcini mushroom risotto, again fresh from the garden. The lamb went perfectly with their 2007 bold Cabernet Sauvignon. We finished with double chocolate chip cookies and a silky 2006 Merlot. The wines coming from Markham are approachable, affordable, and accessible and a perfect match for any meal. We appreciate the hospitality shown to us by two very warm people, Bryan and Kimberlee, who made this a quite memorable experience.

... Amy (Wine Consultant, New Port Richey)

While I was teaching a wine class today, some interesting  misconceptions about German wine came up.  All in the group were familiar with the terms Kabinett, Spatlese and Auslese.  They thought  these terms  reflected the sweetness of the wine, Auslese being the sweetest. Not always, I explained. These terms refer to the time of harvest.  Kabinett wines are made from normally ripe grapes; Spatlese literally means “late harvest”; grapes  picked about 7 days after the normal harvest (Kabinett).  Auslese means that the grapes were selectively picked out from particularly ripe bunches.

When the winemaker uses grapes from any of these harvests, he ferments them dry, and then decides what sweetness level he wants, by adding unfermented grape juice. (This adds the desired sweetness and lowers the alcohol.) If the winemaker wants to make a half-dry Kabinett, Spatlese, or Auslese , he may have no more than 18 grams of residual sugar per litre.  This would be labeled SPATLESE HALBTROCKEN, and this wine would only have a very light sweetness.  If the winemaker decides to make an even drier style of Spatlese he may have no more than 9 grams of residual sugar per litre.  This wine would be labeled SPATLESE TROCKEN. There would be no perceptible sweetness to this wine. 

Moral to the story?......Read your wine labels.  Don’t buy a German Riesling Spatlese, expecting it to be a succulently sweet wine, only to discover after opening it that the label says TROCKEN!

..Marie, West Coast/Northwest Florida Wine Supervisor