Enobytes Wine Blog

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  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

It’s Wine Blogging Wednesday #54, the monthly virtual tasting event sure to educate and entertain any enophile. The recipe is simple. Find a host, create a theme, add bloggers, mix in some great tasting notes and post at 350° until tasty.

This month, our host David McDuff over at McDuff’s Food & Wine Trail hosted the event and selected our theme, "Passion for Piedmont". I was enthusiastic about this theme because the region always gets my blood rushing with excitement. I almost forgot about participating (time slipped away with family in town) but as luck would have it, I happened to look at my calendar this morning and realized I’d scribbled Piedmont WBW due! Doh! Read the rest of this entry »

I’m trying to wrap my head around the bittersweet debate of pairing wine with chocolate. I certainly have my own thoughts on the subject (which I’ll get into shortly) but what’s interesting is that for years, no one openly, at least in my recollection, debated that wine didn’t go with chocolate. Heck, it matches as well as peanut butter and chocolate, right?

Well, according to some, not exactly. I’ve come across a few posts that debunk the myth (here and here) and I’ve talked about this subject with some of my colleagues, and I’ve been surprised by some of their responses – the two don’t work so well together. When I asked this same question to my twitter wine aficionados’, answers varied greatly, and I have to admit I strongly agree with one of the comments coming from Lenndevours that even most of the “great” pairings are barely decent. Read the rest of this entry »

If I asked you what the world’s most popular white variety is, how would you respond? You guessed, it, Chardonnay – unless, of course you live in Spain, where Albariño ranks as the signature white that captures everyone’s heart. Read the rest of this entry »

I tried another wine from the Rosa D’ Oro winery down in Lake County California last night and low and behold folks we have another winner! The 2005 Primitivo (a close relative to the Zinfandel grape) was fabulous; deep woodsy aromas with
big, juicy, luscious flavors with intense fruit flavors. These folks are making some of the best Italian varietals I have tasted in a decade.

Speaking of new releases (well if we weren’t we are now) there are quite a few from our neighborhood scheduled for Read the rest of this entry »

The driving question going into 2008 about wine, for me, revolves around integrity. Wine producers have surprised me this year in their ability to market wines that happened by mistake or the cellar rat mixed two tanks. Oreana’s Red Table Wine, from Santa Barbara (available at Trader Joe’s), the label reads mistake or fate, and then they launch into a tale of two tanks being mixed. Wasn’t that the story behind the Non-vintage Chardonnay from the Paso Robles Winery "Eos" (Novella)?

Regardless of the story behind the wine, the bottom line becomes, is it good wine at a price-point that represents value? The value of integrity continues to be challenged regarding consumers and wine producers. It does not only reflect on the producers. Consumers have their own concept of marketing integrity now believing the best quality can be mirrored at any level. A good example would be this scenario; the most asked for wine this year was Rombauer Chardonnay. Well not actually – the question usually goes like this, “My favorite wine is Rombauer Chardonnay”. I always reply, “Regrettably, we do not carry that wine” and most often the customer replies with “what do you have at less than $10 that will taste like Rombauer”? My response is always the same, “nothing", at its current asking price of $30 there is a reason I do not sell anything as good at less than $10. The wine is phenomenal and undervalued. Rombauer continues to make wines that represent integrity year after year.

Hands down, the favorite Cab people ask you to mirror would be Silver Oak “Napa
Valley” Cabernet Sauvignon again at less than $10. Read the rest of this entry »

To commemorate a great year we’ve released our top 25 wines for 2007. The list showcases the best wines we tasted with a particular emphasis on quality products that represent outstanding values. Making the list for 2007 are the following wines, which scored a 90+ rating based on a 100-point scale in order of points received.

Designation: West Face Vineyard: LookOut Mountain Region: California – Sonoma Value: $50 Score: 94

We’ve released our top wine surprises for 2007. These wines may or may not still be available for purchase. If you laid some of these down for consumption later, you are a savvy enophile.

Designation: N/A Vineyard: N/A Region: Mendoza Value: $5.00 Score: 87

Designation: N/A Vineyard: N/A Region: Washington Value: $15 Score: 94