I’m guilty of reminiscing. I admit it. But I think anyone that has tasted wine for a few decades is as guilty as I for recollecting greatness. We all have those memories where certain decades, regions or producers simply blow our minds. Maybe it’s simply a green drinker finally grasping greatness in a glass. I don’t know. Whatever it is, some memories seem to stick more than others and for me, Arrowood is one of those producers that captured my heart back in the 90’s.

Back then, I used to work as a sommelier and I’d get excited every time my wine distributors showed up to pour me the latest Arrowood lineup. Pockets of greatness such as the ’93, ’94, ’96, ‘97 Arrowood Chardonnay Sonoma County Cuvée Michel Berthoud Réserve Spéciale were out of this world. ’94, ’95, ‘97 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County Réserve Spéciale were equally spectacular as were the ’94, and ’97 Arrowood Syrah Russian River Valley Saralee’s Vineyard and the ’97 Arrowood Viognier Russian River Valley Saralee’s Vineyard.

I left the restaurant business back in the late 90’s and haven’t had the pleasure of tasting every vintage like I used to.  Sure, I pick up a bottle here and there, maybe consume it immediately, or squirrel it away for a celebration or rainy day, but it’s not like the good old days where I got to try his full lineup upon release. I miss those days.

Here it is, more than a decade later, and I receive news that Richard Arrowood announced his decision to leave his long-time position as Winemaster at Arrowood Vineyards. What a heartbreak.  Aside from the fact that I’ve always loved his wine, I’m terrified this might be the end of an era. Maybe I’m getting a little carried away and caught up in the moment, but I must know Arrowood’s future. And what does Richard plan to do next?

I had to reach out and interview him, and in the process, I discovered interesting twists and turns about Arrowood’s past, and found a passionate man that will not let anything stand in his way of continuing to make those handful of gems that we all love so dearly.

Here is a toast to Richard’s new venture, Amapola Creek, where he will focus on small-lot Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel from the Sonoma Valley.

Stay tuned for our upcoming post were we review Richard’s ’06 Amapola Creek unfined & unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon. You won’t want to miss it.

…and wishing you the best of luck in your new venture, Richard.

So readers, what are some of your favorite Arrowood wines…and have you tried any of Richard’s new wines from Amapola?

~Pamela Heiligenthal

Having recently judged the Oregon Wine Competition, I had an opportunity to survey the Oregon landscape. As it turned out, we had many good Pinot noirs and Rieslings for the ’08 and ’09 vintage. Some of the standouts , which I sometimes refer to as ‘diamonds in the rough’, include a handful of gems.

Zerba Cellars for example, kicked it with their ’08 white blend & ’07 red blend. The ’06 Merlot & Syrah was tasty as was their ’07 Mourvedre.  As for Chardonnay, the ’08 Phelps Creek Vineyards and the’09 Stoller Vineyards rocked it.

There were many great Pinot’s but the most impressionable were the  ’07 Emerson Vineyards, ‘08 Amity Vineyards, ‘08 Cardwell Hills, ‘08 Cathedral Ridge, ‘08 Spindrift Cellars, and a late harvest by Ankeny Winery.

Emerson Vineyards did well in the Riesling category.  If you haven’t tried their wine, go out and grab yourself a bottle. They continue to bring it year after year.  Another favorite was the ’09 Pudding Ridge Riesling, which dances in your mouth with high and low notes – complex and pretty.

There were a few great Gewürztraminers including the ‘08 Honeywood Winery, which had a slight lemon and lychee flavor, and the ‘09 Airlie Winery Gewürztraminer was interesting with an exotic fruit forward nose with good balance and sweetness. Also impressive was the ‘08 Amity Vineyards Pinot Blanc with its flavors of tangerine, zippy lemon and apple.  The Sauvignon Blanc category was small but the ’09 Dry Hollow Vineyards was interesting – it had a touch of unexpected sweetness but very likeable.

If you haven’t tried some of the wines listed above, I’d recommend giving them a try.

On the flip side, I was a little disappointed in the quality of the ’08 and ’09 Pinot Gris represented – I expected this category to shine, but only a few made an impression. Another disappointment was the lack of entries for the Müller-Thurgau and sparkler category. I think Oregon has many good examples at reasonable prices, yet there weren’t many entries to judge. Hopefully, they’ll have more entries in this category for next year’s event.

…and if you happen to be in Salem on Friday, August 27, you’ll have an opportunity to taste some of the medal winners and be the first in the know on who wins “Best of White” and “Best of Red”. If you can’t wait, I take bribes. Just kidding. For ticket information, visit The Oregon Wine Competition.

Exciting stuff from a great winery that dares to be different while keeping some of the old time nostalgia some of us dinosaur zinfandel heads long for. The fruit for this one contains a pedigree of several vineyard locations all of which have been known to produce some of the best Zinfandel wines ever made.

With sources like Amador County, Lodi, Mendocino and last but not least Paso Robles there is good reason this wine carries the character of Zinfandel flavor profiles of the past. It exhibits the usual berryliciousness with licorice notes on the nose and pulls those smells into the flavors but on the way manages to pick-up the spiciness of grilled plums mixed with macerated blackberries.

A big smooth finish makes this package work; you will be hard pressed to find a cuisine that would overshadow this wine. This bottle will be a welcoming find at my dinner table anytime. ~Marc Hinton

Rating: 91 | $12 | 14.6% ABV

Find this wine to buy: Vinquire | WineZap.com

The fruit from this AVA just keeps getting better especially the Pinot Noir. I remember driving back and forth from hwy 101 and Pacific Coast One looking at property in this area in 1998 and back then, there were very few grape growers in this remote location.  It has of late become a source for high quality grapes that will rival Northern California fruit at reasonable prices. David Rossi the maker of this wine seems to be a pioneer in sourcing excellent quality grapes from vineyards who are still flying under the radar.

This wine is another solid bottling from winemaker at Fulcrum; more proof that commercial level wines can be made at Crushpad. This is not always the case as we have tasted a few dogs made at that facility, but the fault does not manifest itself in the winemaking techniques used. The fault according to my palate has been fruit choice and as much as I have tried to teach my palate to lie, it seems I have yet to be successful no matter how much I abuse that particular tactile sense. As I meander I will try to stay On Point, no pun intended (well maybe just a little).

Just as in culinary, a really great chef can take some so-so ingredients and make them taste OK maybe even great, but a relative newcomer will struggle to achieve palatable results without using the best base products (in this case grapes) and this winemaker has a couple of vintages under his belt and has not faltered because he chooses to source the best fruit available for the style of wine within a particular varietal he plans to make.

This Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands is a classic example of the previous statement. The layers of flavor induced by climate and terrior exude a perception I refer to as a familiar mystery; like when you know something but do not know how you know it. Here I am referring to the familiarity of flavor and balance this wine proffers with no history to point to. Maybe it’s just the style of pinot I have always wished someone would make and now I have finally found it.

The aromas are expansive as they emulate a blue fruit and eucalyptus incense extremely pleasant to the nose.  Flavors continue to frame fully ripe blueberries and spice with the finish bringing attention to the texture of the fine grained soft tannins. All this in an a package that I would expect handing over a picture of President Grant for when it can be had for a Jackson and a Hamilton. Seek it, drink it, love it. ~Marc Hinton

Rating: 91 | $28 | 13.9% ABV

I selfishly admit I enjoy competitions. Why? Because I can use the information to gauge a region, a year, a variety – information that’s useful to update our vintage charts. That, and it gives me the opportunity to tell you about some of the new diamonds in the rough before anyone knows about them, and believe me, they are out there. Judging is sort of like an exploration; you never know what you’ll stumble upon through your travels.

So do medals mean anything? The answer is yes.

Wineries find it valuable for marketing their product.

Consumers benefit by finding good quality wine.

I benefit because I get to sample hundreds of wines.

…and if you want another view on this subject, read “Where Have All The Medals Gone – Retailers are Missing Opportunities to Win Over Consumers” written by W. R. Tish. It’s a timely read for me as I recently judged the 2010 Oregon Wine Competition. If you haven’t read Tish’s article, head over to Beverage Media — you’ll find the story on page twenty.

Which reminds me — I usually twitter through competitions, so if you happened to miss this one, you can always follow the next one from my twitter handle, enobytes. This is one of the advantages of being an independent wine source. We don’t have to worry about the bureaucracy of filtering information through a chain of editor approvals before we voice our opinion, so you’re in the know via social media as the event happens.

So what are the diamonds of the rough you need to know about from this competition?  Stay tuned next week…

The story goes like this: Once upon a time, in the northwest corner of Ventura County, California in a town called Ojai, wine grapes thrived. As early as 1889, people began planting vineyards and extracting from them velvety, premium wines. The hot days and cool nights with enough cold in the wintertime to allow for occasional dormancy were the perfect environment. It was here that winemaking legend Adam Tolmach settled in 1993 after starting and working in Santa Barbara County with Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat.

Image courtesy of englewoodwinemerchants.com

Tolmach’s wines have themselves become storied works of art, highly sought after bottles for whom Robert Parker could find no match in those heady days. So it was that in the early and mid- 90’s, Parker scored a number of Tolmach’s Ojai Vineyard wines in the 90’s too and brought to the winemaker a kind of fame reserved mostly for Robert Mondavi and eventually, Jim Clendenen.

But Central Coast varietals, particularly Rhones, began an annoying habit of being too hot according to many in the wine world. Alcohol levels were as high as 16 percent in some cases and Tolmach didn’t want to play that game. He believed balance was the key to a good wine and he meant to produce exactly those kinds of wines.

All of this was against the backdrop of Ojai losing its vineyards to Pierce’s disease, which decimated the crop. Tolmach didn’t let it stop him. He continued sourcing fruit from the Central Coast, which he’d always done, and specifically what he calls “the cool corner” of the state in Santa Barbara County.

The coastal region of the county is remarkable because on the entire American west coast, it is the only region with a mountain range that runs east-west instead of north-south. This geographic anomaly allows the cool and moist fog from the coast to wend its way up through the valleys and hills in the evenings and mornings while burning off during the afternoons and allowing the sun to warm them up. The cool temperatures force the grapes to fight a little harder, concentrating their juices and producing smaller berries with intense flavors.

Tolmach, along with so many great Central Coast winemakers, began making the Burgundian and Rhone varietals that ultimately made the region famous. But it was his syrahs that drew Robert Parker’s attention. The velvety smooth, smoky core, the fruit forward profile and rich layered flavors attracted the prophet of wine and made the Ojai Vineyard a wine-household name.

Part of Tolmach’s charm, however, was that he developed a reputation for something of a “hermit on the hill.” The winery never had a public presence beyond the bottles themselves, no tasting room adorned the well-traveled Central Coast tourist spots and while you would occasionally find him and his wife Helen pouring at special events, Ojai Vineyard wines remained a kind of ethereal presence on the Central Coast wine scene. Until about 3 weeks ago.

Enter Dusti Pelow, a friend of the Tolmachs who, unbeknownst to us unwashed masses, worked quietly and diligently behind the scenes to convince Adam to put a public face on the Ojai Vineyard. Adam was always lukewarm to the idea, according to Pelow. “He would say he’d think about it and then he’d call and say, ‘no, I’m not going to do it.’” Pelow was persistent, however, and finally showed the Tolmachs a warm space that she and her husband owned on Montgomery Street just off the main drag in Ojai. It’s a small room with a cool stone patio and on occasion, Pelow’s Labrador, Lucy can be found looking for love from patrons.

Pouring such beauties as Tolmach’s upper Ojai Valley Riesling, a dry and light cool summer sipper, Pelow is now touting the Tolmach line of cool climate Central Coast wines that simply speak for themselves. Tasting is $12.00, but the price is erased if you buy two or more bottles of wine. Prices have come down, too. The recession affects everyone, you know.

Ojai Vineyard’s tasting room is open Thursdays and Sundays from 1-5 PM and Fridays and Saturdays from 12-7 PM.  It’s located at 109 S. Montgomery St. in Ojai and the phone number is 805.649.1674.

~ Mark Storer

A big winner right out of the gate. Like a race horse this wine takes off and shows concentration and balance while still remaining exciting. From what I saw at the winery there was enough of this wine in their cellar for it to be around for a while. Things going the way they are in Spain right now it will probably be released soon to excited buyers looking to scoop up on vintage wine being sold at less than the usual price.

Spending 24 months in barrel aging and another 12 months in bottle, this selection from the La Mancha district was quite a revelation from this Ribera Del Duero producer known for concentrated, well-crafted reds that do not disappoint and this one was a fine example of all the aforementioned traits.

This winery is a no miss destination if you are in this region. Pease call ahead for tasting or tours. The wine had aromas of significant intensity dark and red berryliciousness which play off the spice and oak. Flavors are deep cherry mocha and the finish goes on forever.

This wine is not from Ribera Del Duero but from an area not as well known by anyone outside of Spain and that is the large growing area of La Mancha. With half a million acres is the largest continuous vine-growing area in the world.

If you do happen to go to the winery and their brand of hospitality leaves you wondering “was it something I said?” Do not feel bad.  It has been known to happen to others.  But I digress and time to move forward. If you’re in this region and you want to experience the utmost in hospitality, go into the city of Peñafiel and find Marcus at his family’s restaurant Restaurante M. Eugenia.  Take my advice and have the baby lamb, salad and the house wine. You will feel at home, relaxed and forget all about anything else going on anywhere except at your table. ~Marc Hinton

Rating: 94 | $35 | 14.5% ABV

Nice enclosure — that’s usually a good sign.  This one is a plastic peel away with a reusable cork; a very efficient way of sealing a bottle. The official jury is still out on whether these actually work better than real cork that fails more than 10% of the time. What does it really matter. Stelvin has proven time and time again in aged wines, fresh wines, good and bad wines their enclosure works better than cork, but let’s get back to writing about this wine.

The marketing message New Generation as a designation is a bit puzzling. But hey, what the heck, at the California State Fair Home wine making competition they had an entry in the Bordeaux blend category that listed it’s blend as 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Cabernet Lafite, who knew?

Aromas for this Pinot Gris are typical for California Gris starting with faint white floral aromas and elusive citrus and tropical notes. The flavors are direct — very peary and applee (is there such a word?) with a persistent saltiness that’s a bit distracting and the texture just a bit rough hewn coming close to being clumsy, but it has very good culinary pairing capabilities because it has a bit of spice and a tinge of residual sugar. It would pour well with Saffron Pernod Mussels, Crab, Spicy Thai, Roast Chicken, or a well made turkey meatloaf.  ~Marc Hinton

Rating: 84 | $14 | 13.4% ABV

Find this wine

The ’08 Adelsheim Elizabeth’s reserve exudes the classic northern Willamette Valley style. I was lucky to have been introduced to Adelsheim back in the early nineties by a guy who was integral in challenging my quest for wine knowledge and I have to say Chris Choate knew a good thing when he tasted it. We worked together at Abiquiu, John Sedlar’s venture with the Kimpton Group.

There were several Oregon Pinot Noir’s on our wine list and they were all good but it might come as no surprise that the restaurant did not do so well.  A Pinot Noir heavy wine list at a modern southwestern cuisine concept might be a deterrent to wine sales.  Well, that and nothing on the menu looked like what it was called. No really, this guy wrote a menu just to mess with peoples heads.

Lamb enchiladas were not a tortilla wrapped nor was there any cheese involved. Huevos Rancheros had egg but no rice or beans and it was served on a pewter statute. But that was then and back then Dave Adelsheim was ahead of his time when it came to Oregon winemakers. Today he is still on top of the game.

This ‘08 has snappy cherry and spice aromas mingled with the earthy Chehalem Mountain forest fauna. The flavors bring red berry fruit deep to the core balancing the forward acidity and making this a wine that screams for food. The mouth filling smooth texture is pleasant delivering a finish that hangs around long enough for you to appreciate the soft lush texture.  Duck would be a good match, as would a bacon cherry tomato and baby romaine lettuce salad. This Adelsheim Pinot Noir is worth looking for. ~Marc Hinton

Rating: 90 | $40 | 13.5% ABV

Find this wine to buy: Vinquire | WineZap.com

Our website Enobytes has been on the web now for almost four years and in our wildest dreams we never thought we would garner the loyal following that we have. In the beginning we thought we would just build a site people could come and gather information about new wines and marketing trends that are usually only disseminated among wine industry professionals and for us the most important objective was that the information would be accurate and free.

Those goals and standards are still in place and despite the fact we disagree and anger some of the other wine media outlets our numbers show people keep coming back. Reviewing the wines we consume and passing that information along to anyone who will read it seems to be what most of our readers are looking for.

This year we were nominated and became a finalist in the category of “Best Wine Reviews” for the 2010 American Wine Blog Awards.  That was quite an accomplishment but the milestone I am talking about now is the privilege of receiving wine before it has been released, and not just any wine but an awesome Zinfandel from Lodi – the ‘08  Harney Lane Lizzy James Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel.

This wine is drinkable now but will hold well into the next decade. There is limited distribution so I suggest contacting the winery if you live in a state where wine can be shipped. If you do not, first I suggest contacting your legislature to remedy that shipping problem. Second, plan a trip to Lodi. It’s a fun place and when you get there you can go try all the great wines at Harney Lane.  Thanks Kyle and the entire Mettler and Lerner families. A special thanks goes out to the crew at Harney Lane for giving us such fantastic wines and the opportunity to let folks know about them.

The ’08 Harney Lane Old Vine Zinfandel has concentrated deep smells of a freshly baked blackberry pie cooling next to some fresh made fudge; add to that fresh coffee brewing and you almost have described the aromas of this wine. The aromas I describe are not from a current mental inventory of aromas I call upon to describe wine, but derived from tactile events that took place during some of the most memorable times of my youth.

The berrylicious assault on the palate is pleasing beyond what a mere glass of wine should be able to obtain and this one gives the love and keeps it coming until  the final drop of the tantalizing fruity finish drops off the edge of your tongue.  As the finish lingers you glance at the bottle to see how much of this is still left. You might share these flavors and aromas the first time you drink this wine but if you are opening this one after trying it among friends then you are a very generous person worthy of being called a true Hospitalitarian. Many wine connoisseurs would horde this one for themselves or offer it in hope of furthering a love interest or serve it to anyone who loves Zinfandel that they may want to impress.

Harney Lane is poised to become the shooting star of California wineries that under promise and over deliver and the success could not happen to better folks. Please join me in supporting this family run winery that keeps bringing standout wines to the market at fair prices. ~Marc Hinton

Rating: 91 | $32 | 14.9% ABV

Find this wine to buy: Vinquire | WineZap.com