Vampire Wine? Yep! Happy Halloween!

SHE Says: When HE finds out I posted this, he might make me take it down, but it’s my favorite holiday HALLOWEEN and I wanted to be sure you know that there’s a wine to match!

Vampire Wine

VAMPIRE WINE - Believe it or not, Vampire wine used to come from Transylvania.  Seriously? Seriously. Right in the center of Romania the finest wines in the world were produced a loooong time ago.   Legend has it that the wine from Transylvania was so good that the Romans stole many of the vines and replanted them in Italy.  Those Romans…  Years later, (can someone do the math for me?)  some very clever Americans imported the wine from Transylvania and branded it Vampire Wine.  I LOVED it.  Reds so dark  you could pretend it really was blood.  And what a great gift at Halloween time.  Perfect.

Alas, no more.   Now they are just another vineyard in Paso Robles.   No problems, Paso Robles wines are outstanding – it’s just not Transylvania.  The vampire from Paso Robles? Ok, I’m trying.  They are still enjoying the Vampire theme and extending their brand like any good American would.   I haven’t tasted it yet, so I can’t  vouch for the taste,  but I can definitely vouch for the fun.  So give it a go!  Take a few bottles to your favorite Halloween party! You’ll be the coolest ghoul in the room.

Wines from Transylvania

TRANSYLVANIA WINES: Romanian wines are ultra-dramatic, so if you’d like to check out real wines from Translyvania, click here:  
They’re “bloody good”.    Romania is on our list for next year, so we will report back first hand.

Andeluna Vineyard and Winery – Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

He Said "Que bella!" She Said, "Que freddo!" The Vineyards at Andeluna Cellars

 

HE SAYS:  On the second day of our wine travels in Mendoza, we drove down to the Uco Valley. It was about a one hour drive from our lodge, part of it over some rolling hills.
The Uco Valley is higher elevation – the snow-capped Andes Mountains tower right there to the West. It is the highest altitude of the growing regions in Mendoza, and the area is more undeveloped so that seems to be where most of the new vineyard and winery expansion is occurring. Andeluna (meaning Andes moon) is a beautiful new winery, built by H. Ward Lay, of the Lay potato chip family. It took about five years to build this winery, but they did a fantastic job creating a contemporary version of an old Argentina ranch (estancia).

Their winemaker, Silvio Alberto, was named “outstanding young winemaker of the year,” and he crafts the wines, and gets input from famed consulting enologist Michel Rolland.

The lovely Gisela

Andeluna does charge for touring and tasting, but we got a great private tour from Gisela, a very personable young lady. Outside in the vineyard she explained how they manage the vines to have a specific number of spurs and clusters, and then how they go through and thin the clusters by 60-70% to concentrate the flavors in the grapes that do remain. I had the giant tasting room all to myself, as my wife thought 10:30 in the morning is too early to drink wine. Nonsense!
SHE SAYS: Shall we be accurate?  I was in the tasting room, too.  You were just in a world of your own and forgot I was there. And pretty cute you were, too.

2007 Andeluna Cellars Winemaker’s Selection Torrontés
HE SAYS: This was my first chance in Argentina to taste a Torrontés, which is the only wine considered to be 100% Argentinian. I really enjoyed this wine, which reminds me of a cross between a viognier and sauvignon blanc. The Andeluna Torrontés had nice fragrant nose and yet was very crisp and clean with grapefruit and tropical fruit flavors. This wine, with grapes from the Tupungato area, didn’t see any oak, and was very nicely balanced – a terrific food wine. 15  SHE SAYS: 10:30 in the morning  is too early to drink wine.

He Said "Wine. She Said "Coffee."

 

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Chardonnay –
HE SAYS:  Half of the wine was aged for a year in American and French oak, while the rest stayed in stainless steel. This chardonnay had a nice, clear golden color and honeysuckle nose. It was nice and clean with a touch of oak amongst the citrus and vanilla flavors. It still had enough acid to go with food. Very tasty. 15+   SHE SAYS: Thx for the coffee.

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Merlot –

She Said, "You're tasting how many wines?"

HE SAYS: This was a very nice Merlot, with a deep and dark rose nose. It was soft, with dark berry and touches of cinnamon and cocoa flavors. It had a good body and nice balance, with the fruit emerging from the medium tannins. It was aged for a year in French (80%) and American (20%) oak, then aged six more months in the bottle. I suggest aging it another 3-5 years. 15
SHE SAYS: 10:45 in the morning  is still too early for wine.

2005 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Malbec–
HE SAYS: Great purple color on this Malbec. It was dryer than the Merlot, with earthy berry and cherry flavors. Nice finish, but medium high tannins masked the fruit somewhat. 15
SHE SAYS: I love you, Malbec – but even 11:00 in the morning is too early.

2004 Andeluna Cellars Reserve Cabernet –
HE SAYS: This is a big wine, but the tannins were so strong that much of the fruit was masked. There were chocolate essences to it, but it definitely needs more bottle time to soften the tannins and let the flavors emerge. Hard to figure out at the moment. 14+
SHE SAYS: Ok, Ok, I’ll try it.  :-*/  !*!   I was right.  It’s just too early.

2003 Andeluna Cellars Grand Reserve Pasionada –
HE SAYS: A terrific Bordeaux-style blend, comprised of 35% Merlot, 35% Cab; 20% Malbec and 10% Cab Franc. (The proportions change each year, depending on the quality of the grape. In contrast, the ’04 is 49% Malbec, 26% Merlot, 17% Cab and 8% Cab Franc.) The wine was aged in new French (85%) and American (15%) oak for 18 months, and then aged for 8 more months in the bottle. This was a truly terrific and elegant wine, with great full flavors of cherry and berry and a touch of cocoa. The tannins were medium, so it could sit for a bit. By far, it was the best of the red wines by Andeluna and is worth seeking out. 16+
SHE SAYS: I believe you.

Clos de Chacras Winery, Chacras de Coria, Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina

Clos de Chacras – Vineyard and Winery

Clos de Chacras Gran-Estirpe Malbec

SHE SAYS: Want to feel really good?  Like you are in love?   Then click the link right here and go to the Clos de Chacras website.  Listen to the music while you read what we’ve written about this Bodega.
HE SAYS: This is another boutique winery in the city of Chacras de Coria in the Luján de Cuyo area.   Bautista Gargantini was one of the fathers of the Argentine wine industry in Mendoza.  By 1911, their winery ranked as one of the world’s leading producers. In 1921 they opened a facility in Chacras de Coria, but it was later sold.   Then in 1987, Bautista’s granddaughter Silvia Gargantini, and her husband, Alejandro Genoud, purchased it.  Some remodeling and updating was required, but beyond that the approval process took an astounding 17 years and they just reopened in 2003.   Well, it was well worth the wait.

Clos de Chacras - The gate to the barrel rooms.

SHE SAYS: It’s not very often that someone has the patience to wait for 17 years to create  something they love, but here you will see and feel the value of those 17 years.  The preservation of their history and the permanence of their long-term choices for the life of their winery are seen and felt in every corner.

Clos de Chacras tour. The cement fermentation tanks.

HE SAYS: We were lucky again and received a private tour of their old wine-making facility and saw some of the new improvements. Their old cement fermentation tanks are located underground, and the original gate that is reflected on their bottles is still there in the bottle storage area.

Clos de Chacras

They have long-term contracts to purchase grapes from the nearby Maipú area and the La Consulta and La Carrodilla areas in the Uco Valley. They make two lines – Cavas de Crianza, with Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet varietals, plus a blend of the three – and Gran Estirpe, their premium Malbec wine. We paid about about $10 US each for the tour and tasting, which included cheese and crackers.

SHE SAYS: The 2004 Gran Estirpe is why we are here.  When we tasted the Gran Estirpe at Vines of Mendoza, we knew we had to visit Clos de Chacras.  Seek the Gran Estirpe.  

2006 Cavas de Crianza Malbec –
HE SAYS: Gorgeously purple colored Malbec from the Maipú region, with fruity and soft flavors. It shows great balance and is very smooth and has a wonderful mouth feel. This sold for about $30 Argentine pesos, or less than about $10 U.S. This is a great wine and a tremendous value. 15+

SHE SAYS: This is our forth winery of the day.  I can tell you this one is beautiful, but I have no more words than that.

2005 Cavas de Crianza Cabernet –
HE SAYS: This also comes from Maipú and was deep and dark, with an earthy component to it. It is very good and very complex. It can age for about 5 or 6 years they think. Also a great value at around $10. 15
SHE SAYS: This one makes me cry.  In a good way.

2005 Cavas de Crianza Blend –
HE SAYS: A blend of 40% Malbec and 30% each of Cab and Merlot. It was nice, had medium tannins, but was not as distinguished as the Cab or Malbec. As I recall, the blend costs just a bit more. 14
SHE SAYS: I am tired. I will trust you on this one.

2004 Gran Estirpe Malbec –
HE SAYS: We tasted this through the Vines of Mendoza. The grapes for this Malbec come from 100-year-old vines in Lunlunta (Maipú) in the Luján de Cuyo area. It has brilliant purple color and a full mouth feel, soft and warm like a warm brie. This Malbec has merlot and cabernet and was one of the best malbecs I tasted. They only produced 6,100 bottles and it has won a few awards, so it is well worth seeking out. Really delicious. 16+
SHE SAYS: Seek the Gran Estirpe.  Since they make only 6,000 bottles, this will not be a part of your scheduled tasting.  Just buy a bottle and take it home with you.  You will have no regrets.

The Gran Estirpe aging in bottles.

2005 Melville Estate Pinot Noir, Verna’s

HE and SHE both say: This is a very special wine that we share with you.    Melville Winery is a favorite spot of ours.  Melville Winery is located in the Santa Rita Hills of Lompoc, California, in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Got all that?   Hills, Valley, Saints, California, Mediterranean architecture . . . traces of heaven, right?   We’ve had a bottle of 2005 Melville every August  for the last three years and every year it gets better.  Find some if you can.

Melville Winery

Do we have an ulterior motive?  Indeed we do.  We are sharing our joy with you.  2005 Melville wines were in the oak barrels Aug.  2006  when we celebrated our marriage with a wedding reception in the barrel room at Melville Winery.  There were only 30 of us, but it felt like 300 and  there was a ton of  love, joy, dancing, good karma and laughter seeping into the barrels and  “terroir” of Melville that day.  When the 2005 wines were released, we bought a case — half pinot noir, half syrah — with the idea that we’d drink a bottle each year to celebrate our anniversary.  When we decided we wanted to be married longer than 12 years, we went shopping for more.  Uh, oh.

Now, back to the 2005 Melville Estate Pinot Noir, Verna’s

SHE drank her 2005 Melville Pinot with perfectly grilled lamb chops (medium rare, thank you), mashed potatoes, roasted heirloom tomatoes with eggplant, and Parma ham with melon and figs.   HE drank his 2005 Melville Pinot with that same tremendous Parma ham, melon and fig appetizer — a pairing made in heaven — and veal saltimbocca topped with more Parma ham.  Simply delicious.

HE SAYS: This wine was unbelievably good. From the very first smell to the glory of that first taste, all the way to the last swallow, this wine was outstanding.  Beautiful color, with a lovely rose petal and violet scented nose, with a touch of mustiness.  In the mouth, a most delicious bowl of strawberries and cherries. Very soft and well balanced, a real treat.  We tasted this wine at Melville in May ‘07 and my notes say “tasty, nice body, good balance” — a respectable 14+ in my ratings.  No doubt the occasion and symbolism of the wine played a part, but this wine has grown up and developed into a seriously terrific wine.  It was truly one of the finest California or Oregon pinot noirs I have ever tasted.  It could be peaking now — gonna have to wait another year and see.  A thundering 18+!
SHE SAYS: Wow.  An 18+  Melville, are you reading?  I hope he describes me like that someday.  So to this lovely Pinot Noir, I say, “Mmmmmm. You are so sexy the way you sneak in and light my fire.  Thank you!”

HE SAYS: One more note on Melville wines — I generally prefer their main line from Verna’s for pinot and syrah versus their Santa Rita Hills and other single vineyard designations.  I find the fruit more forward and approachable in the Verna’s, which comes from their ranch in Los Alamos.  Regardless, they consistently make very nice wines and their winery setting is just gorgeous.  And if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to check out Babcock right next door.  SHE SAYS: That is way too much information for me.  I just drink it.

HE and SHE both say: If you can find any 2005 Melville wines that were in the barrels that summer, we say pay whatever they want, just buy it!

Blind 2005 California Pinot Noir Tasting

Nov. 30, 2007, marked the 16th year of our blind wine tastings on the eve of the USC-UCLA football game. Venom and Vinum we coined it. Venom, referring to the sports rivalry, and vinum, the wine. The Trojans won again (they’ve now beaten the lowly Bruins 8 times in the last 9 years), but that’s another story. There is a secret wine group we’ve cultivated – we were 16 tasters this year – we get together and bring a bottle based on the evening’s theme. Most of the time we’ve gone with cabernets, but we’ve changed up the last few years and did zinfandel, then syrah, and this time pinot noir. The particulars are that everyone had to bring a bottle of 2005 pinot noir from anywhere in California, priced between $15 and $40. We do the tasting after dinner. The bottles are wrapped in foil so (presumably) no one knows which bottle is theirs, and we pour the wines one at a time. There were 9 wines, so everybody had to bring 9 glasses.

It was quite a sight to see a table of 16 with 9 glasses in front of everyone! Click here to see. 9 x 16 + 144 glasses After everyone has tasted all the wines and gone back to compare, we each rank them from best to worst and tally up the votes. To read the details on how He scores wines, click on the post titled He shoots, He Scores! Here are notes from He and She in the order the group ranked the 9 wines, from worst to first. Prices are what people paid in L.A. Scores and comments follow. 2005 Valley of the Moon Pinot Noir ($18)– He said: I gave this a 14 (avg). It has pretty good body, but was a bit acidic, which other tasters didn’t like. Not great. It placed 9^th in the tasting. SHE Said: eh? (short and to the point) This means not particularly memorable to her. Sort of like the guy you made out with in the parking lot when you were in high school and he remembers it, and still talks about it, but even if you try, really, you’re sorry, but you just don’t recall. 2005 Chalone Pinot Noir (Monterey) ($35) – He said: I scored this 15+. This wine changed a lot in the first 5 minutes in the glass. It started out kind of funky, but with air it got much better. It had a good body and decent acid levels. The funky first tastes and acid probably led to lower scores from the group. I ranked it based on the final tastes and had it as my third best wine. SHE Said: A day in a dusty attic is what this wine is. A day in an empty, dusty attic.  Way too dusty to be only 2 years old. 2005 J Pinot Noir (Sonoma-Russian River Valley) ($30) – He said: I gave it a 15. This was a nice, simple wine. Almost Carneros pinot style. Pleasant to drink, but in a big tasting like this it wasn’t big enough to stand out. SHE Said: It just disappears…like so many blind dates. Pfft. 2005 Hartford Family Vineyards Pinot Noir (Sonoma) ($40) – He said: 15 points. My friend had high hopes for this wine, basing it on tasting reviews. It had a very berry nose, was soft and easy drinking, but not as complex as some others. Similar to the Dierberg, but with more acid. You’d want to drink this wine soon. SHE Said: Strong on the tongue – and that’s all I’ll say about that one. 2005 Capieaux Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) ($40) – He said: I gave it 14+. An earthy pinot with medium tannins. It was kind of dry. It was OK, but not great. Certainly not worth the high price tag. SHE said: What’s with the fizz? 2005 Dierberg (Santa Maria) ($37) – He said: I gave it 15+. This was a nice wine with great color and inviting berry flavors. It had decent acid, so it could age. The Dierberg vineyard has been one of the premier pinot vineyards in the Santa Barbara county, but this is the first time I’ve had a wine under their label. I’ve had several nice bottlings from other vineyards in year’s past, so it’s a very solid bet. SHE Said: I gave it a 5 on a scale of 1-10, but I’ll be darned if I can remember why. It came in 4th place, so it’s a decent wine.
2005 Alma Rosa Pinot Noir (La Encantada, Santa Rita Hills) ($40) – He said: Well, here’s the story on this one. This is the bottle I brought because I had tried it in the summer at the winery and thought it was terrific. Alma Rosa is the winery run by Richard Sanford, who put Sanford winery and much of the Santa Barbara wine region on the map. I gave it a 17 at the time, which is an outstanding score for me. It was a tremendously delicious wine with cherry berry fruits. Big, but approachable and happy. A wine to drink now or in 1-2 years. So, flash forward to the tasting, and the same wine I give a 13+ and have comments like “nothing special and thin.” How to explain this? I can’t. I’ve never had something like this happen before. The rest of the group scored it high enough to place it a respectable third. It couldn’t have been corked because it has a screw cap. Maybe it was me – I’d like to give this another try. SHE Said: I LOVE it! He finally spends $40 on a bottle of wine and he hates it. Oh the irony! Oh, the pain! It took him days to recover, poor thing.   As for the wine, I loved it, it was one of my favorites of the evening. SHE’s final word on that wine, “O000h!…it’s like an interesting friend from  Chicago…” 2005 Rusack Pinot Noir ($32) – He said: I gave this a 16. It was a very nice wine, easy drinking, good body. A very solid effort from this winery between Los Olivos and Solvang in the Santa Barbara region. This finished in second place for the group. SHE said: Nice, very interesting. But over time, just a bit too spicy. Like a dancer I knew who I thought would make a good friend. Over time, I was so very wrong. 2005 Orogeny (Sonoma, Green Valley) ($30) – He said: This wine earned a 17+, which is excellent/outstanding. The plus probably reflects that I had a bit too much to drink. But it was the clear winner in the group, earning the most number 1 votes by far. It is a yummy, delicious pinot noir. Lots of cherry/berry fruit, great balance. Simply terrific. I wrote that it is the Santa Barbara style (like wines 2-5), but it’s from Northern California. I’d never heard of this winery, but Manhattan Fine Wines was carrying it and recommended it and they were right on the nose with this. Orogeny, I learned from the label, is the greek word for a geologic term for mountain creation. Turns out their grapes are from the Dutton Ranch, which I knew was highly acclaimed for chardonnay, but I had never had pinot from them. Their first vintage release was 2002, so they’re relatively new, but they certainly are worth keeping an eye on. This 2005 pinot is worth seeking out and is the only wine that I think was well worth the price. Get some and enjoy. SHE said: Very nice. A happy wine, right from the start. Doesn’t make me work to hard to figure it out. Ahhhh, my new best friend.