Enobytes Wine Blog

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 Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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 Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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

Helen Turley first discovered the Upper Barn (an old-clone chardonnay plot) on the Alexander Mountain Estate over a decade ago. Today, this location has been the source for some of California’s best Chardonnays.

Perched at at elevation of 1,800 feet, the ’08 Stonestreet Alexander Mountain Estate Upper Barn Chardonnay is a shining example of the fruit harvested from this plot. It’s fruit forward, full-bodied, rich and creamy wine with notes of tropical citrus, pear, honey and lemon flavors finishing with bright acidity and mineral.

Tastes like: Poached pears with lemon and honey sauce

Pairs nicely with: Freshly cracked crab with lemon-butter sauce; 50th anniversaries and birthdays; non-scheduled sex; Lobster Ravioli with Crabmeat Cream Sauce; first dates; A French Riviera beach walk on the Mediterranean Sea.

Cellaring: Drink now or cellar through 2012 if you have the willpower to wait.

Case production: 326

Rating: 93 | $65 | 14.5% ABV

Find this wine: Vinquire | WineZap.com

Back in the early seventies some of my first California wine experiences began in Lodi because back then I was stationed at Castle AFB. At that point in time almost all the grapes from the region went to the Gallo, Rossi or Mondavi family. The region now is home to high quality wines made by fourth and fifth generation winegrowers and it is really no surprise. The area has always been able to produce quality; just back then quantity was the name of the game.

On a recent trip to judge the California State Fair home winemaking competition, I was fortunate enough to be reintroduced to the region by Mark Chandler the Executive Director of the Lodi – Woodbridge Winegrape Commission and what a fantastic job he and his staff did. The day culminated with a paella dinner that was probably the best paella I have ever been served.

I was first introduced to Harney Lane wines during dinner at the home of Robert Perry (Culinarian, Viticulturist, Olive Oil Producer and Host extraordinaire) where he and Jonathan Wetmore (Culinarian, Vineyard Manager and Winemaker) made the previously mentioned Paella, again it was phenomenal.

I was curious about the rest of the wines he makes that were not served at the dinner. Even though I had been on a journey for three days where I tasted wine while being hosted by one of Napa’s top producers, judged a wine competition and was hosted on a tour of Lodi’s wineries, I opted to stay one more day just so I could go to Harney Lane and find out if my investigative gut feeling was correct. Read the rest of this entry »

I really liked this wine as I have a fondness for the Lodi appellation wines that goes back to the seventies when I was a young soldier stationed at Castle AFB.

Lodi has changed over the years and in a good way.  Now more than ever, great wines are being made there. The use of rotary fermentation seems to also be gaining popularity in this appellation. Aging in new French and American oak for 12 months adds some complexity to the final product as well.

The fact that this varietal was their first production gets me very excited about trying the next vintage. I also appreciate the quickness Lodi growers and vintners move when they think a different grape might do well in their climate.

It seems they also have the ability to adapt other growing techniques that they may have not embraced in the past; such as deficit irrigation, crop thinning and leaf pulling to maintain proper growth and ripening.

The aromas are consistent with the character of Malbec’s dark berry and spice. The flavor profile brings little out of the ordinary but for a first vintage the fruit exudes depth that usually takes decades to achieve including balanced acidity and a good amount of tannins. I look forward to preparing meals in the future where this wine will be served. ~Marc Hinton

Rating: 89 | $14 | 13.8% ABV

Find this wine to buy: Vinquire | WineZap.com

Independence Day 2010 brought big expectations from the start to the finish — activities, wine and cuisine. No let down here. A yellowfin tuna appetizer with pickled ginger, tamari and wasabi led to a seriously grilled Kobe steak and a Port demi-glace served with all the accompaniments any great steak should have like a baked potato with fresh chives, apple wood smoked pepper bacon and sour cream served with grilled fresh corn on the cob.

A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Stonestreet’s winemaker Graham Weerts move to Sonoma County took him to the far side of the globe. However, the similarities between the two areas’ climate, soil-type and arduous growing conditions made him feel immediately at home. ~Stonestreet Wines

The 2006 Stonestreet Christopher’s Alexander Valley Cabernet was a perfect pairing for the steak; a bit of a bruiser with enough elegance to get the job done. This wine rocked it in a serious way; strong and solid the Alexander valley fruit brought the terroir of Sonoma greatness and will rival all challengers from Napa.  I ‘ve personally experienced the rift between the two AVA’s recently and was surprised at how deep this annoying but prevalent dispute goes on. Read the rest of this entry »

Lodi might be known for its remarkable reds, but let’s not forget about its innate ability to make some tasty whites. In the past, this part of the country was primarily known for the cultivation of Chardonnay, French Colombard and Chenin Blanc. Fast forward a couple of decades, and its movement shifts to showcase Viognier, Gewürztraminer, and some of the best Albariño I’ve tasted in a while.

What makes Albariño so special is its intrinsic capability to mimic so many varietals, while it distinctively stands out as a wine with unrivaled character and finesse. Emulating its stature would call for a dash of grassiness from Sauvignon Blanc, a hint of almond flavors found in Pinot Blanc, a handful of mineral flavors from Riesling, a pinch of apple and peach from Chardonnay, enveloped with the sweet smells of apricots and orange blossoms found in Viognier.

Take for example, the 2009 Harney Lane Albariño from the Lodi AVA, which stands up to its Spanish counterpart, a flamenco dancer that demands attention to its rich, tart, distinctive aromas and flavors. Add a heavy dose of hot Lodi sun, and you’ll get layers of tropical notes not found in the cool, damp northwest corner of Spain.

Tastes like: Licking a tart green apple infused with grapefruit and pineapple.

Pairs nicely with: anything freshly grilled from the ocean; a dinner with a winemaker and Paella; a bonfire at the beach; a romantic picnic getaway; a midnight summers dream; an aperitif with friends and family; any kind of Asian food; risotto with apples and pancetta; the winners circle at NASCAR or Del Mar.

Cellaring: Drink now or forever hold your peace

Rating: 93 | $19 | 13.5% ABV

Find this wine: Vinquire | WineZap.com | Direct from the Winery

~Pamela Heiligenthal