It had been too long. since I’d tasted wines from Anaba and I was eager to see if they were as good as I recalled. Anaba Wines is very much a Sonoma County Winery. Most of their wines are produced from purchased fruit, but all sourced locally in Sonoma County. Their focus is on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rhone varieties.
few things tie this group of wines together. First and most importantly they’re delicious. They’re all appropriate for Spring. Regardless of their price point they represent excellent or better value. And finally with just a couple of exceptions, most of them are widely available on store shelves. All of them can certainly be ordered online, which is where many of us are purchasing our wine these days.
The Kautz Family has been involved in the wine business since planting their first vineyards in 1968. Over a couple of decades their plantings expanded to over 5,000 acres between Lodi and the Sierra Foothills. Today they have more than 6,000 acres and they’re a second generation winery. In addition to the Ironstone range of wines they also produce a line of value driven offerings called Leaping Horse.
Today I’m taking a look at two of their wines.
Ironstone 2017 Cabernet Franc $14
Ironstone 2016 Reserve Old Vine Zinfandel $25
Click below to hear all about them and keep in mind they’re just the tip of the iceberg of what Ironstone produces.
Wines are available to order through Family Wineries Direct
Gabe tastes a couple of releases from Ironstone Vineyards, 2017 Cabernet Franc ($14) and 2016 Reserve Old Vine Zinfandel ($25) gabesview.com ironstonevineyar...
ACORN Winery is located in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. Founded in 1990 by Betsy & Bill Nachbaur, they produce roughly 3,000 cases of wine annually. Each wine they produce is made entirely from Estate Fruit. Their 32 acres (Alegria Vineyards) are Certified Sustainable. More than 70 grape varieties are grown on their property and every wine they bottle is a Field Blend. That means the grapes for each wine are harvested, crushed, fermented and aged together.
Alto Adige in Northern Italy is a diverse place in a number of ways. Valley floors and mountains provide a variety of influences on vines as do elevations that range from a few hundred feet to several thousand. The region which sits at the intersection of Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany feels the influence of all those countries on
2018 marks 50 years of winemaking for The Malan Family. They’ve been making wine outside Stellenbosch under the Simonsig Family Vineyards label since 1968. Just two years later, in 1970 they introduced their first red. They’ve continued to push the quality envelope over time and widen their portfolio with complementary offerings when and where they fit in well. Their flagship wine remains Chenin Blanc but that is in a sense the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the breadth their portfolio offers.
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to taste their wines alongside members of the Malan family and winemaking team on a number of occasions. Recently however I sampled some of their wines in an entirely different manner. To mark the occasion of their 50th one of the events they hosted was a virtual wine tasting. Members of the family and winemaking team sat in a room in South Africa and a number of participating journalists tuned in over YouTube and tasted along from our homes or offices.
There’s a richness and diversity to their portfolio that becomes apparent when tasting a number of their wines side by side. They have several Sparkling wines in their lineup and these are a bit of a secret weapon as they’re not the most famous wines they make, but they’re uniformly well made, delicious and solid, or better values. Tasting two distinct expressions of Pinotage side by side is a good way to see the range of this grape. And the Chenin Blanc stands as one of the outstanding white wine values in the world. During the chat I paired the wines below with Indian Cuisine which was a terrific match.
Simonsig Kaape Vonkel Brute Rosé ($25)
This Brute is composed of Pinot Noir (64%), Pinotage (34%), and Pinot Meunier (2%). From the lovely pink hue through the above average finish everything about this offering is impressive. Fresh red fruit and bits of spice dot the nose. The palate is fruity and delicate. Bits of biscuit appear on the finish.
Simonsig 2017 Chenin Blanc ($14)
This is composed entirely of Chenin Blanc. One vintage after another this wine is a steal. It’s delicious, food friendly, refreshing, and a great example of Chenin Blanc. It leads with a massive nose loaded with tropical, citrus and fleshy yellow fruit aromas. All of those elements translate to the palate along with bits of spice. The mellifluous finish features a continuing burst of fruit. Racy acid keeps everything in check.
Simonsig 2015 Pinotage ($18)
This cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault was created in South Africa in the 1920’s. Simonsig released their first in 1970. Red and black fruits are joined by hints of tar on the nose. The palate is stuffed with black cherry, raspberry and baker’s spices. Sour red and black fruits round out the finish. This offering is a great match for nearly anything you pull from your grill.
Simonsig 2015 Redhill Pinotage ($38)
This offering, made up of 100% Pinotage, is a barrel selection of wines aged in entirely new oak. Black plum and spice are at the core of the aromatics. Black fig, cherry and bits of Raspberry drive the palate. The finish is long and somewhat lusty with black fruits, tinged by red continuing in droves. This wine is a perfect accompaniment to hearty dishes and will work phenomenally with smoked meats of any sort.
Simonsig 2015 Frans Malan ($38)
This blend is named after their founder. It’s brings together Pinotage (67%), Cabernet Sauvignon (29%), and Merlot (4%). They’ve been making this wine since 1991. Aromas of red cherry, raspberry and plum are evident along with a solid core of spices. Sour red and black fruits underpin the mélange of sweeter red fruits on display through the palate. The palate shows off hints of baker’s chocolate and earth.
Sonoma County’s Rodney Strong Vineyards is well known for a strong portfolio of wines that check a lot of important boxes. The wines they offer have a strong sense of their Sonoma County origins; sometimes as wide as the county, others as specific as a small parcel. If your budget is $10 of $75 they have something of quality for you. More often than not these wines deliver more in quality than the price tag would suggest. Every once in a while; seemingly more often in the last few years, they add something new to their lineup. I’m always eager to taste anything they’ve produced because the wines in their lineup tend to be not just good, but also a boon for wine consumers. So when their latest entry, Upshot, showed up on my doorstep I was excited to twist the cap off and get it into my glass. Considering that Symmetry, their Red Bordeaux inspired blend, is one of the best wines (and values) in their portfolio, one vintage after another, I was immediately intrigued to learn that they added another red blend.
Rodney Strong Vineyards 2015 Upshot Sonoma County Red Blend ($28)
This new offering from producer Rodney Strong is an unconventional blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Riesling. Looking at the blend and the modern packaging it’s clear that Upshot is a completely different wine, with a likely different audience than the venerable Symmetry. Things open up here with a lifted nose showing off dark berries and a hint of white flowers. The flavors are equally dark with blackberry, plum, and raspberry joining oodles of spice, and bits of cocoa. Savory herbs, black olive, chicory and dried black fruits are all evident on the solid finish.
There are so many red blends from California on shelves these days. The vast majority of them though are in the more casual supermarket wine category. They're also often sourced from all over the state, not just Sonoma County. Don’t let the screw-cap, contemporary label and name fool you, Upshot is several classes above those. It’s both a serious and very drinkable wine that combines a bit of curb appeal with substantial structure. Whether you’re pouring it for casual wine drinkers or more discerning winos, they’ll all find something to like here. The suggested retail price is $28 but you’re likely to find it on the shelf for right around $20. At that price you might want to grab a case and up your house wine game. The real Upshot is that Rodney Strong Vineyards have added yet another terrific wine to their portfolio.
One of the things I'm always on the hunt for are wines suitable for everyday drinking that over deliver quality and drink ability based on their price point. While there are certainly quite a few American standbys in this category but there are simply more wines at $20 and under made outside the U.S. that fit the bill. It's also not as often that a new offering of substance in that category with U.S. origins is released. But Nine Hats from Columbia Valley in Washington has crafted such a wine. The brand was started in 2007 and the name refers to the fact that nine internationally regarded winemakers are involved with producing the Nine Hats wines.
Nine Hats 2015 Columbia Valley Red Wine ($20)
This offering is a blend of Syrah (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (41%), Merlot (7%), and Malbec (2%). The fruit was sourced from 4 sub AVA’s within greater Columbia Valley. A bit more than 5,000 cases were produced. From the first whiff to the last sip it’s obvious this is a wine of substance and structure. Red fruit, spices and gentle wisps of toast emerge from the nose. Cherry and red raspberry flavors dominate the palate along with hints of cinnamon and allspice. Earth, chicory and dark chocolate nibs are evident on the above average finish. Firm acid and gripping tannins provide structure. There’s sophistication to this wine that belies its modest price point. Most important is the fact that it’s delicious, food friendly and well-priced for everyday consumption.
