Bob Pepi is a Napa Valley Legend.. but so much more. It’s always a pleasure to pull up a glass and taste wine with him, this time we did it over Zoom. Watch our char here!
In 2020 just about everyone has spent some time on Zoom Calls. If you’re involved in the Wine Business in one fashion or another then you’ve definitely been on a lot of Zooms. There are so many Zoom invites it’s impossible to accept them all and do them justice. But there are those it’s wise never to turn down an invite from, if you can help it. My PR friends Tim McDonald, Rusty Eddy (Wine & Spirits Spoken Here), and Robert Larsen (The Larsen Projekt) are certainly on that list. Early on in the Pandemic they started hosting Zoom Tastings about once a month and as much as anything they proved to be a great hang. Of course we also taste some good Wines and from time to time Spirits too.
During the November Edition of this regular get together we made the Paper Plane two different ways. One using Straight Edge Bourbon and the other using Distillery No 209 Gin. Both were really tasty. Though I surprised my preconceived notions be preferring the one made with Gin a bit more. Recipes below. Before we got to those though we tasted some wine. One in particular stood out for me.
Girard 2018 Mixed Blacks ($35)
The fruit for this wine was sourced in Calistoga and it’s a true old school Napa Valley Field Blend with the varieties interplanted. The traditional way to approach these vineyards is to pick, ferment and age the grapes together regardless of variety. There was a time when wines of this nature were commonplace in Napa Valley; today they’re few and far between. So for me the existence of this wine, and it’s tip of the cap to a bygone part of Napa’s history is exciting on it’s face.
Sticking my nose in the glass and then sipping Mixed Blacks reveals a lot more reason than sheer nostalgia to get excited about. This is a wine of heady aromatics, black and red fruits and savory herbs. Oodles of spice and intermingling wisps of citrus peel are evident as well. Racy acid ties it all together. Girard Mixed Blacks will work well with all but the most delicate or heaviest of foods. A great choice for a Holiday Meal loaded with a cornucopia of flavors.
Along with the wine & spirits we tasted on this Zoom there was a 4-pack of “repour wine saver” stoppers. Sometime early in calls Tim started testifying about how well repour works. He was speaking with such fervor about repour I assumed (and asked) how many shares of the company he had in his portfolio. It turns out he neither owns stock, nor are they a client, he just likes things that work. That shouldn’t have surprised me, they often send out bottles or products for their Happy Hour Zooms that they don’t represent. Tim suggested using repour on one of the wines we were tasting and going back to it 8 days later, on Thanksgiving.
I decided to take that challenge and used repour on Girard Mixed Blacks. But not only did I re-taste it on Thanksgiving, I’ve been re-tasting it about once a week since. In fact I’m sipping the last of it as I write this. In short repour works fabulously. After you open a bottle of wine you stick the repour stopper in the bottle whenever you’re not pouring wine. repour removes oxygen from your botte. When you finish the bottle, throw out the stopper and use a new one for the next botte. Purchased in packs of 4 they come to about $2.50 each. But if you buy packages of 10 or more, they’re less than $2 per stopper. The last sips of Girard Mixed Blacks I’m drinking taste exactly like the first sips I took on November 19th. It’s truly a fantastic and well priced product that I plan to purchase a nicely supply of. The moral of the story here is, always listen to Tim McDonald.
Paper Plane Two Ways
The Straight Edge Bourbon Paper Plane
.75 oz Straight Edge Bourbon
.75 oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
.76 oz Aperol
.75 oz Amaro Nonino
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and add ice. Shake until cold. Strain into a chilled couple glass. Enjoy.
The No. 209 Gin Paper Plane
.75 0z No. 209 Gin
75 oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
.76 oz Aperol
.75 oz Amaro Nonino
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and add ice. Shake until cold. Strain into a chilled couple glass. Enjoy.
On Episode 10 of “One Bottle Each I’m joined by Jeff Kralik. Jeff is best known online as The Drunken Cyclist. As you have likely already surmised, from the name of his blog and Social Media handle, my friend Jeff is passionate about both Wine and Cycling. Most of the time he enjoys these separately. Jeff was my guest on Episode 02 and I’m thrilled to have him back as my first return guest.
In every episode of “One Bottle Each",” my guest and I each introduce a wine for us to taste and talk about.
On episode 10 Jeff and I taste and discuss:
I don’t know about you, but for me $20 is a very specific threshold when it comes to wine purchases. I fully believe that wine of any price point can provide value relative to its quality. But there’s something really sweet about finding wines for less than $20 that I enjoy drinking and want to recommend.
Here are eight wines that I’ve had recently which meet that criteria. All of them delicious, well made, and under $20. Most of them are meant for consumption in the next year or so, a few will drink well over the next 5 years.
Georges Duboeuf 2020 Beaujolais Nouveau ($13.49)
This is latest vintage of the wine that started the Nouveau craze. It’s entirely Gamay, In the 2020 vintage they sourced fruit mainly from the southern part of Beaujolais. There’s a tinge of purple in this mainly deep red wine. That tinge is the first thing I look for when I pour the Nouveau, it’s part of its hallmark in my eyes. Brilliant bright red fruit aromas lead the charge. The palate leans towards red cherry with hints of black cherry peeking through. Mineral notes and cranberry mark the finish. The freshness and vein of acid will keep you coming back.
Aerena 2019 North Coast Chardonnay ($13.99)
Sometimes those under $20 values I’m looking for are the product of a sister label to a better known brand. In this case the big brother is Blackbird Vineyards. Apple, pear and guava are all part of the generous aromatics. The palate is stuffed with fresh fruit that’s supported by a bevy of secondary characteristics. Bits of tropical fruit, citrus zest and roasted chestnut are all evident on the solid finish. Wisps of toast, good weight and bright acid complete the package. Count this among the choices here that will drink well for a handful of years.
Roaming Dog 2019 Columbia Valley Chardonnay ($14)
This Chardonnay from Washington State’s Columbia Valley was aged exclusively in tank. Bartlett pear, granny smith apple and a tiny dollop of butterscotch all drive the aromatics. Fresh, yellow-leaning fruit flavors dominate the palate. Mineral notes are evident on the above average finish. All of the incredibly fresh fruit is buoyed by firm, racy acid. This is really joyful glass of Chardonnay that might just help convert some of those who think they don’t enjoy the grape.
Knotty Vines California Pinot Noir ($14.99)
Knotty Vines is a new line of 4 wines priced at $14.99 from Rodney Strong Vineyards. Always a dependable producer of Sonoma County Wines, with this line they’ve dipped a couple of toes into the lifestyle brands demographic. Leave it to Rodney Strong Vineyards to do that in a way that’s approachable for the emerging wine drinker and with enough interest for seasoned drinkers to have something to grab onto. This Pinot Noir offers a blast of dark fruit from the nose all the way to the toes. Black currant, cherry, spice and dark plum are evident. It’s richer and with a bit more heft than a lot of Pinot Noirs, but no so much so that it’s still not clearly Pinot.
Firesteed 2019 Oregon Pinot Noir ($16.99)
This, the entry level Pinot Noir in the Fiesteed portfolio has been a bit of a standard bearer for me over the years. It’s a wine I grab in a pinch when I want a mouthful of Oregon Pinot Noir for Taco Night or to sip casually with my thoughts. Year after year it delivers and the 2019 is no exception. Red cherry and bits of mushroom inform the aromatics. Continued red fruit, earth, and a dollop of spices are evident on the palate. Tart fruit emerges on the solid finish. It’s tasty and reliable Oregon Pinot Noir that won’t break your weeknight wine budget.
Mandrarossa 2017 Frappato 2017 ($17.99)
Frappato is native to Sicily where it thrives. When handled appropriately the results are fruit driven, light bodied wines. For me they bring to mind Villages tier Gamay. Red and black, berry aromas are dominant. The flavors lean towards tart red fruit tinged by wisps of purple fruit. Solid finish and mouthwatering acid make this straightforward wine hard to put down. Pair this with a charcuterie plate for excellent results.
Primus 2018 Carménère ($17.99)
The fruit for this Carménère comes from organic vineyards within the Apalta region of Chile’s Colchagua Valley. Aromas and flavors lean towards red fruit such as cherry and raspberry. Hints of black plum peek through as well. Savory herbs and black peppercorn are evident. This wine is juicy and immediately appealing but proportionate. A rich vein of acid provides a nice backbone. The Primus Carménère will work well with all but the lightest of foods.
Tamarack 2017 Firehouse Red ($19.99)
Syrah (33%), Cabernet Sauvignon (27%), Merlot (18%), Cabernet Franc (11%), Mourvedre (3%), Grenache (2%), Counoise (2%), Sangiovese (2%), and Petit Verdot (2%) are all part of this Blend from Columbia Valley. Firehouse Red is assembled after the individual lots have a year in barrel. Aromas and flavors here lean towards dark, purple fruit tinged with red. Tart blackberry, black pepper, and black tea are evident on the above average finish. Terrific mouthfeel impresses. Bright acid allows the innate freshness of this wine to shine. This is an absolutely killer red blend for the money. Flavorful, proportionate, eminently food friendly and a lot of fun to drink, what more do you want for less than $20? It was even better the second day Store shelves are teeming with generic red blends that are innocuous at best and hard to drink in a lot of cases, at worst. Here’s one that spins all of that on it’s head. At this price and this level of value it’s a wine you might want to grab a few cases of to drink over the next five years or so.
Happy Giving Tuesday!
There will be many opportunities in the month ahead to enjoy a glass of wine. Whether you’re having a Holiday Meal, Toasting your friends and family over Zoom, or knocking back some for simple gustatory pleasure, there will be a multitude of reasons to enjoy wine.
On this Giving Tuesday I’m recommending a Chardonnay from a stalwart Sonoma County Producer. Sonoma-Cutrer has been producing wine for nearly 40 years. In that time they’ve become a go to producer for so many consumers and a standing selection of restaurant wine lists across the country.
While they grow and bottle a number of distinct Chardonnays, it’s the Russian River Ranches Chardonnay that they’ve become best known for. In light of Covid-19, Sonoma-Cutrer has taken the step of donating $100,000 to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation (RWCF). This non-profit is an advocacy and action group created by and for restaurant workers. Sales of Russian River Ranches Chardonnay will directly support their donation.
Sonoma-Cutrer 2017 Russian River Ranches Chardonnay ($28)
The fruit for the 2018 vintage of this Chardonnay was sourced at all six of their Estate Vineyards as well as some outside growers. The result is a well hewn composite of Sonoma County Chardonnay. Green apple, Bartlett pear and an undercurrent of baker’s spices inform the aromatics. The flavors are soft, fruity, and direct. Lemon ice, granny smith apple and a underpinning of minerals are the most prominent. The finish is above average, acid-rich, and mouthwatering. It’s a wine you’ll simply want to keep drinking.
You should certainly, drink this Chardonnay because it helps support a worthy cause, but also because it’s consistently well produced and delicious. It’s worth noting that Sonoma-Cutrer’s recent charitable work also incudes a joint donation with Woodford Reserve of $50,000, announced last month, to No Kid Hungry.