Win Tickets to ZAP’s 2011 Grand Zinfandel Tasting at Fort Mason!

You heard correctly. Beyond Napa Valley is giving away 4 tickets to ZAP’s Grand Zinfandel Tasting at Fort Mason. All you have to do is write a Zinfandel-inspired Haiku. Click the link below for all of the details. We hope to see you at the Grand tasting in January.

Win Tickets to ZAP’s 2011 Grand Zinfandel Tasting at Fort Mason!

A few more details:
When is the event? Saturday, January 29, 2011, 2:00–5:00pm.
Where is the event? Fort Mason, in San Francisco
How much are the tickets? Tickets are currently $70 / person, but here is your chance to attend for free.

Source: http://www.beyondnapavalley.com/blog/win-tickets-to-zaps-2011-grand-zinfandel-tasting-at-fort-mason/

James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison

Field Notes from a Wine Life – Autumnal Equinox Edition

Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…

The Power of Intent in Biodynamic Wine

I wrote a heady post in September about Biodynamic wine.  The story is too complicated to summarize here (link to post), but one of the things that I touched on (and that interests me on an ongoing basis) is the notion of “intent” in the vineyard particularly as it relates to viticultural quality and Biodynamic preparations.

They say that you can taste “love” in a food dish, so, while not scientifically quantifiable (at least not yet), it stands to reason that extra attention and loving preparation with BioD preps. might have a positive benefit on the vines and subsequently the wines.

This notion of intent isn’t my idea; I culled it from Voodoo Vintners, Katherine Cole’s Biodynamic-related book published earlier this year (she has a different supposition about ‘intent’ than I do).  A passage from the book notes, “The belief is that the preparations aren’t merely herbal treatments for plants; they’re carriers of the farmers’ intentions, which have been swirled into them through the powerful act of stirring.  While it isn’t a requirement for Demeter certification, intention is that little bit of witchcraft that separates the most committed practitioners from the unbelievers.”

My point in September and my point now is that “intent” isn’t witchcraft, its science – science that is still emerging and not completely understood.

To that end, I read an incredible, eye-opening, mind-bending article in the current issue of Time magazine about a new technology device called the BodyWave.  An iPod sized device, the BodyWave is based on electroencephalography (EEG), the study of how brain activity excites neurons to emit brain waves that travel the central nervous system and can be measured.

So, here’s the thing.  Not only can this BodyWave device measure the fluctuations in the brain’s electrical activity, but when connected to a computer it can perform functions based on brain waves.

It’s a holy crap moment to realize that by focusing brain activity somebody can shut off a valve in a nuclear power plant, via computer, with the power of their mind, as elaborated on in the article.

The full Time magazine article is subscriber-protected (darn publishers that try to run a business…), but the intro. to the article is available here.

I’m a liberal arts guy, as far removed from science as one can get by education, vocation and lifelong learning interest, but I do have the ability to suspend my disbelief and it seems likely to me that in 10 years’ time the Biodynamic conversation is going to be around an entirely different set of conversational conditions than the current ‘bunkum vs. belief’ precept that we have now.

On Knowledge

I’ve never reconciled the “demystify” vs. “knowledge frees you” debate as it relates to wine.  Many will say that wine is needlessly overcomplicated for the average consumer and the arcane aspects act as a barrier to entry.

Well, sometimes you find defining wisdom in the unlikeliest places.

Scott Adams, the creator of the cartoon Dilbert, noted in a blog post recently what I’ve thought, but have never been able to say quite so eloquently. 

Indeed, you are what you learn.  You don’t have to know much about wine to drink it, but it sure makes it that much more enjoyable if you lean into the door…

Thanksgiving Wine Recommendation

Thanksgiving is the wine world’s national holiday.  I get that.  It’s my favorite holiday, too. But, the attendant wine pairing articles are exhausting.  Does it really matter what you drink with Thanksgiving dinner?  Nope.  If it did, somebody, anybody would care that I’ll be having Sparkling Rose, German Riesling and New Zealand Pinot, but, really, nobody cares.  At the end of the day, the below picture encapsulates what really matters when picking a wine for Thanksgiving (Hint: Focus on the food).

It Was a Good Week for Lot18

My eyes bugged out like a virgin at a nudist camp when I saw that Lot18 secured $30M in additional funding.  That money coupled with clarification from the California Alcohol Beverage Control (CA ABC) on some wonkiness in legalities, means the first week of November 2011 will go down as a watershed moment for Lot18.

Perhaps equally interesting to me is a passage noting, “Radical Transparency” in an email sent to Lot18 members from Lot18 (ostensibly founder Phillip James).  The email noted:

As Lot18 moves into its second year of existence, our goal is to ensure that, with more money in the bank and compliance questions behind us, Lot18 can continue to deliver on its responsibilities to our suppliers and to our members alike. We must hold ourselves accountable to ensure we maintain trust with everyone who produces and consumes goods offered by Lot18.

We do this through a policy called Radical Transparency, which simply involves sharing more than was once considered wise. We believe in this because it drives our focus and ensures that all of our employees and our members feel that they have a role in shaping our future. Together we can create a service that will not only help you find great value, but also encourage you to spread the word to friends and family so that they may also share in the delight.

We’re all aware of “transparency” as an online buzzword the last several years.  It’s a word that has been co-opted, commoditized and rendered meaningless, as well.  It seems, transparency is really code word for faux sincerity and empathy and that makes adding the modifier of “Radical” to transparency all the more interesting.

These days, every new business success story comes with hagiographic mythologizing and I wouldn’t be surprised if, in this area, “Radical Transparency” is where Lot18 stakes their claim.  After all, culture and customer service is already taken by Zappos.

Yet, radical transparency isn’t a new concept either.  If you’re interested in seeing how a hedge fund called Bridgewater Associates (founded by Ray Dalio) has codified a brutally honest feedback loop see this profile piece from New York magazine and Dalio’s 123 page “Principles” document (worth the read).

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_autumnal_equinox_edition/

Hiroshi Fushida Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot

Alsace and Biodynamics

Source: http://thecaveman.blogspot.com/2012/10/alsace-and-biodynamics.html

Paul Goldsmith José Froilán González Oscar González

Haydn’s Review of the Hard Row to Hoe Shameless Hussy Sangiovese Dry Rose

Winery: Hard Row to Hoe
Appellation: Lake Chelan AVA (just established last year!)
Price: $22
Haydn gives this wine: 90pts
You can buy this wine: Hard Row to Hoe’s website

At least for me, when it comes to summertime, the rose wine jumps right up to the top. Along with those crisp whites (hello New Zealand), the cool and refreshingness of  a rose is hard to beat. And when wine tasting in a region where the summer temps are hovering in the 90s, something cold is almost always something good.

Such was the case with the Hard Row to Hoe Shameless Hussy Rose, made from the Sangiovese grape. When describing this wine, I realized all of the bad Freudian slips that could easily be derived from such a tempting name. Without going all the way (sorry, no pun intended) into their history, the cliff notes go something like this: It’s based upon a brothel whereby the only mode of transportation to get there was by boat, or row boat, in the name’s case.

This rose is made for the summer. It’s crisp, refreshing, and loaded with bright berries, including strawberries and raspberries. The nose is beautiful with images of red berries dancing around your nose. It would go great with crab cakes (no, not those crabs) and cool brie cheese on a sunny afternoon.

As a Lake Chelan wine tasting virgin, this was a great wine to taste what Lake Chelan can produce, be it in a Rose. Overall Hard Row to Hoe’s wines were balanced with a comfortable amount of tannins and acid to them. And while the Syrah was the wine that won out to sip out on their covered balcony with misters running at full strength, the rose left one of the biggest, um, impressions in my mine. I now need to go was my… glass.

Cheers,
Haydn

—————————-
Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

Source: http://www.beyondnapavalley.com/blog/haydns-review-of-the-hard-row-to-hoe-shameless-hussy-sangiovese-dry-rose/

Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V

How sharp are your kitchen knives?

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/07/how-sharp-are-your-kitchen-knives.html

Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa Leo Kinnunen

Whitehall Lane Winery in St. Helena – The Sauvignon Blanc is outstanding

Amid the rain and wind this past Wednesday, we managed to squeeze in a tour and tasting at the Whitehall Lane Winery in St. Helena. Tom Leonardini and Family have owned the Whitehall Lane winery since 1993. Whitehall Lane is one of the Napa Valley’s earliest wineries with a start date of 1979. The winery is one our favorites, and we’d selected the winery for our Boutique Wine Trail back in 2003.

This was our first visit since the winery did a remodel and an addition a couple of years ago. Although the building structure has changed, the personnel remains very much the same, anchored by winemaker Dean Sylvester now in his eighteenth year at Whitehall. Our tour leader was Mike McLoughlin, the General Manger who joined the winery shortly after the Leonardini Family purchased the winery. Consistency is good in this case; the Whitehall Lane wines have been highly regarded throughout its history, highlighted many times by the Wine Spectator for its reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dean Sylvester is his lab checks the Sauvignon Blanc blend

For tourists to the Napa Valley, the winery is easy to spot as you drive north on Highway 29 heading to St. Helena. The vineyards here stretch across to the Mayacamus Mountains to the west, providing one of the most glorious Napa Valley sights no matter what the season of the year or the weather of the day is. The architecture and color scheme of the winery blend perfectly into the vineyards and mountains. This inviting atmosphere draws many tourists to the tasting room. The photo below was shot in January of 2011 from the Whitehall Lane parking lot.

The vineyards adjacent to Whitehall Lane.

We like the Sauvignon Blanc and it is perhaps the most underrated wine in the Whitehall Lane lineup. The key to this wine is the small amount of Semillon grape that Dean Sylvester puts into this wine. I think the Semillon gives an added character to the S.B. The acidity is quite nice but not overbearing as in some Sauvignon Blancs. The wine is quite gentle with subtle citrus flavors. The wine sells for $18 at the winery. I can occasionally find this Sauvignon Blanc at my local Costco for about $11. It is usually in stock at Costco when the winery needs to make room for the next vintage. What a steal!

Two other wines we like are the Merlot and the Napa Valley Cabernet, both solid efforts and well balanced. These are terrific food wines because they do not overpower the palate. They just taste darn good with chicken and a variety of red meat dishes.

The tasting room is open daily and the tasting fee is $15 per person for a taste of four wines. Tip: Before you visit, do a Google search for “Whitehall Lane two-for-one tasting coupon.” I am almost certain you’ll find a coupon to print out for your visit to Whitehall Lane. We also suggest that for lunch you try Cindy Pawlcyn’s new restaurant in St. Helena. It is called the Wood Grill and Wine Bar and the food and atmosphere are very pleasant. You might even spot a few winemakers there enjoying lunch or dinner and having a friendly chat about their wines.

Enjoying the wines of Whitehall Lane

The post Whitehall Lane Winery in St. Helena – The Sauvignon Blanc is outstanding appeared first on Napa Valley Wine Blog.

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/whitehall-lane-winery-in-st-helena-the-sauvignon-blanc-is-outstanding/

Jean Marc Gounon Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi

Coming Attractions: Not far from the Joan's on...

Source: http://la.eater.com/archives/2013/01/23/coming_attractions.php

Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney Hubert Hahne

Source: http://thecaveman.blogspot.com/2009/03/madiran-2002-vieilles-vignes-chateau.html

Brian Hart Gene Hartley Masahiro Hasemi

ExpansionWire: The Sandwich Bar Bakery & Cafe,...

Source: http://la.eater.com/archives/2013/01/25/expansionwire.php

Roberto Guerrero Maurício Gugelmin Dan Gurney

Good News Spreads Fast

Word on the winners of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition is spreading like wild fire! A preview tasting for the media last week in Beverly Hills has generated a lot of buzz that we are really excited about! Take a look at some more posts:

http://gastronomy-101.blogspot.com/2009/06/event-la-wine-competition-preview-and.html

http://thirstyinla.com/2009/06/19/2009-la-wine-spirits-competition/

http://lablips.dailyradar.com/story/los_angeles_international_wine_and_spirits_2009/

http://www.womenwine.com/posts/journals/18487-winners-of-the-2009-la-international-wine-competition

Source: http://blogs.fairplex.com/blog/wine/?p=90

Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson

Controversial Promoter Says Marketers and Media Are Hurting Wine

"Would you buy a product that has not worked? Would you import a wine that has a fault? Would you adopt a strategy that had lead to defeat? This is exactly what is starting to happen with most of the...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/Z79bDACRKE8/pancho-campo-says-marketers-media-hurt-wilne.html

Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene

Age Verification Comes to Twitter

It is a common occurrence to be barred from entering a wine related website until you have confirmed your birthdate, or at least confirmed you are of legal drinking age in your country.

On Facebook it is already possible to stop under-age members from seeing certain content.

However, until now this could not be done on Twitter and the only way to conform to the letter of the law in certain countries, was to post ineffective notes on your profile such as “By following you confirm you’re of legal drinking age”, or worse, annoy real and legal followers with messages threatening to block them if they did not confirm their ages (as was explored here in November after an experience with Beaulieu Vineyards)

Twitter, in partnership with BuddyMedia (a social marketing suite of tools for large brands), have now launched and integrated an age verification service as part of the Twitter experience. From today brands can sign up to for Age Verification via https://age.twitter.com/ which will enforce rules that they describe as “consistent with standard industry practices”.

Expect to be sent a Direct Message (DM) if you decide to follow a wine brand that will direct you to a site where you will have to enter your date of birth before being approved. If you happen to fail it (because you are underage, under-attentive or under the influence) you will be forever blocked by that account. However, assuming you do pass, the good news is that you will not have to go through the process again for other Age Verified accounts. [more details from The Next Web]

What is not clear what happens if you make a mistake and need to correct the age associated with your twitter account.

These “standard industry practices” may be completely ineffective, and misguided, but until law-makers see sense this is here to stay and expect this to spread quite quickly amongst the brands owned by large multinational drinks companies keen to prove their ‘Responsibility’ credentials.

It will also probably not be long until the age verification process includes some external auditing and confirmation (from Facebook, or other online resources) which will increase its accuracy but raise many privacy issues.

Why not consider creating an alternative age verification system - it may be more likely to be effective.

Oh, and for the record, if you are under 18 in the UK, or 21 in the USA, you should not have read any of this in case you should be encouraged to drink excessively simply through discovering that alcohol brands exist.

Please drink and market responsibly!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/TxMx5Vsz_Eo/

Matthew Roy Kenseth Alan Dennis Kulwicki Travis Wade Kvapil

DEALFEED: Caufield's

Source: http://la.eater.com/archives/2013/01/22/caufields.php

Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard Brian Gubby

Top Chef Masters Rumormongering: More Top Chef rumormongering: After asking...

Source: http://la.eater.com/archives/2013/01/24/top_chef_masters_rumormongering.php

Georges Grignard Bobby Grim Romain Grosjean

Age Verification Comes to Twitter

It is a common occurrence to be barred from entering a wine related website until you have confirmed your birthdate, or at least confirmed you are of legal drinking age in your country.

On Facebook it is already possible to stop under-age members from seeing certain content.

However, until now this could not be done on Twitter and the only way to conform to the letter of the law in certain countries, was to post ineffective notes on your profile such as “By following you confirm you’re of legal drinking age”, or worse, annoy real and legal followers with messages threatening to block them if they did not confirm their ages (as was explored here in November after an experience with Beaulieu Vineyards)

Twitter, in partnership with BuddyMedia (a social marketing suite of tools for large brands), have now launched and integrated an age verification service as part of the Twitter experience. From today brands can sign up to for Age Verification via https://age.twitter.com/ which will enforce rules that they describe as “consistent with standard industry practices”.

Expect to be sent a Direct Message (DM) if you decide to follow a wine brand that will direct you to a site where you will have to enter your date of birth before being approved. If you happen to fail it (because you are underage, under-attentive or under the influence) you will be forever blocked by that account. However, assuming you do pass, the good news is that you will not have to go through the process again for other Age Verified accounts. [more details from The Next Web]

What is not clear what happens if you make a mistake and need to correct the age associated with your twitter account.

These “standard industry practices” may be completely ineffective, and misguided, but until law-makers see sense this is here to stay and expect this to spread quite quickly amongst the brands owned by large multinational drinks companies keen to prove their ‘Responsibility’ credentials.

It will also probably not be long until the age verification process includes some external auditing and confirmation (from Facebook, or other online resources) which will increase its accuracy but raise many privacy issues.

Why not consider creating an alternative age verification system - it may be more likely to be effective.

Oh, and for the record, if you are under 18 in the UK, or 21 in the USA, you should not have read any of this in case you should be encouraged to drink excessively simply through discovering that alcohol brands exist.

Please drink and market responsibly!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/TxMx5Vsz_Eo/

Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr

Is the bloom off the user review site rose?

Source: http://tablascreek.typepad.com/tablas/2013/01/is-the-bloom-off-the-user-review-site-rose.html

Christian Klien Karl Kling Ernst Klodwig

Poll: Which of these wine shops would you like to see in Needham?

Last year Needham, MA voted to allow retail wine sales for the first time. According to this article in the Boston Globe, on February 2nd, 2013 public hearings will be held to determine which of 10 applications will be granted licenses. Up to 6 will be approved.

Looking through the list we see a number of familiar names with stores in other locations in the Boston area. Here is the list of locations and applicants:

1257 Highland Avenue, Needham Wine & Spirits, Michael O'Connell

679 Highland Avenue, Blanchards Wines & Spirits, Christine Elder

855 Highland Avenue, Gordon's Fine Wines & Liquors, David Gordon

• These 3 are long standing Massachusetts retailers with multiple locations 

922 Highland Avenue, Vinodivino, Raphael Keller-Go
65 Crawford Street, Bin Ends, John Hafferty

• These 2 are newer retailers with 1 or 2 existing locations

292 Forest Street, Volante Farms, Inc., Dave Volante

• Part of a recently expanded farmers market/grocery store 

33 Highland Avenue, Highland Ave Wine & Spirits, Marc Idelson

922-932 Great Plain Avenue, Craft Liquors, Edward Spivak
1013 Great Plain Avenue, Needham Center Wine & Spirits, Christopher Lianos
50 Central Avenue, Panella's Market & Deli, Jeffrey Panella

• I'm not familiar with these - anybody else?

I'd be interested in hearing which of these you think would be the best choices for residents in Needham and surrounding towns. Vote for multiple retailers you'd like.

And leave a comment if you're familiar with these and can shed some light on what kind of store they're likely to operate.

If the poll fails to embed go here to vote and/or see results

Thanks for your thoughts!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/xPH9tcfyNBw/poll-which-of-these-wine-shops-would.html

Peter de Klerk Christian Klien Karl Kling

In which we dig ourselves a hole, on purpose

Source: http://tablascreek.typepad.com/tablas/2012/12/in-which-we-dig-ourselves-a-hole-on-purpose.html

Juan Pablo Montoya Joseph Francis Nemechek III Ryan Joseph Newman

Field Notes from a Wine Life – Media Edition

Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…

Rex Pickett

If you’re not reading Rex Pickett’s (author of Sideways and Vertical) blog, you are officially remiss.

Pickett is a gifted writer who cranks out perfectly incubated long-form posts with turns of phrase that are both wry and rich, offering insight into the machinations of publishing, film and stage that few culture vultures grasp.

Pickett recently wrote an extensive (3900 word) post on the reasons why a film sequel to Sideways (directed by Alexander Payne) would not be made from Vertical, Pickett’s book sequel.  In doing so, Pickett offered a discursive meditation on Payne’s artistic pathos and the factors that may be playing into Vertical’s stall on the way to celluloid.

Unfortunately, Pickett removed the post after re-publishing a second version that deleted much of the armchair psychologist rumination he originally channeled from Payne’s psyche.  An email inquiry to Pickett on why he removed the post (in either iteration) has gone unanswered.

If I were a muckraker, I would publish the post because Pickett’s deletion of the post from his site did not delete the post from RSS feed readers like Bloglines or Google Reader.  But, I’m not a muckraker…

Hopefully, Pickett will revisit the topic in a manner that is less confessional and more elucidation because it was worth the extended read time.  Until then you can read the other posts on his site and gain tremendous insight into the vicissitudes of the publishing process, what the afterglow is like after capturing the cultural zeitgeist and how he’s helping bring Sideways to the theatre with a stage version.

It’s definitely recommended reading.

A Discovery of Witches

While we’re on the topic of books and authors (and with Halloween around the corner), a reinforcing mention goes to Deb Harkness of Good Wine Under $20.  Earlier this year a little book she wrote called, “A Discovery of Witches” was published and immediately shot up the best sellers lists.  The movie rights were acquired this summer by Warner Bros, likely securing Harkness’ financial future in the process.

While I read fiction infrequently (the last fiction book being Vertical by Rex Pickett), those that I know who can tell the difference between kindling and a classic call A Discovery of Witches “mad genius.”
Any conversation about a wine blogger doing good should begin with Deb Harkness who is now dabbling in rarified air.  Pick up her book if you haven’t yet.

Bargain Wine Books

There’s little doubt, in the prolonged US economic malaise we’re experiencing, that “value wine” and “bargain wine” are hot topics.  Heck, an entire channel of business has been defined with “Flash” wine sale sites.  Given that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a couple of wine books would be published with this specific focus.

What is a surprise is that the books are authored by wine writers with real chops engaged in offering a deeper narrative than the slapdash compendiums of wine lists that has passed muster in years gone by.
Just in time for the holidays, Natalie MacLean has Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines publishing on November 1st and George Taber, a wine writer on a tear with his fourth book in six years, has A Toast to Bargain Wines: How Innovators, Iconoclasts, and Winemaking Revolutionaries Are Changing the Way the World Drinks publishing on November 15th.

An Idea worth Duplicating?

Celebrity deaths come in threes and new wine ideas come in twos.

We’ve seen this duplicative market entry in recent years with winery reservation systems CellarPass and VinoVisit and now we’re seeing it with quasi-wine search engines.

WineMatch and VinoMatch are both in the early stages of launch purporting to help a consumer match their likes with wines they might enjoy.

Meh.  The problem with these sites isn’t that consumers don’t need help finding a wine they like, the problem is that most wine consumers don’t understand what kind of wine they like.  Yes, it’s the tannins that dry the back of the mouth and its residual sugar that makes that K-J so delectable…

By the time consumers figure out their likes and dislikes graduating beyond the “go-to,” they don’t care about having somebody help them “match” their wines to their tastes because they’re on their own adventure.

It’s just my opinion, but these sites face looooong odds of finding consumer success and short of the slick willy seduction that happens with some wineries who haven’t been bitten and as such aren’t twice shy, they won’t find *any* success.  But, I’ve been wrong before, at least once.

Pictures and Pithiness

While we’re on the topic of online wine services, I’m not sure whether I should be happy or aghast that I’ve been a habitué of the online wine scene for long enough to see a derivative – it’s like watching a remake of the movie Footloose when I was saw the original in the theatre.

There’s a new wine site called TasteJive that takes the concept of a wine blog called Chateau Petrogasm, popular in 2007 and 2008, to new heights.

Around the premise that a picture is worth a thousand words even if that picture has nothing to do with wine, they have created a site that provides nothing but visual metaphors with a 140 character description for finding wines you might like.

I loved the idea of Chateau Petrogasm, I like the idea of a perfectly crafted 140 character slug, but I’m very uncertain about the community aspect of TasteJive—the users who control the uploading of pictures and descriptions.

As noted mid-20th century photographer Diane Arbus said, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”

Not exactly a recipe for success in bumping into a wine.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_media_edition/

Richard Allen Craven Kerry Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr

Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc Vertical Tasting [Wow! Alert]

For those of you who are not familiar with a vertical tasting, it is a tasting in which you taste different vintages of the same wine from the same winery. We were first “wow”-ed by Fielding Hills in the summer of 2008. Since then, we have visited the winery, tasted all of their new releases, and even helped them with bottling. Previously, we have had the pleasure to enjoy vertical tastings of their Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot that have demonstrated the remarkable consistency that Fielding Hills has been able to produce since their very first vintage. We were thrilled when we were able to get our hands on all eight vintages of Cabernet Franc that they have produced, from the 2003 vintage to the current 2010 vintage, for another vertical tasting.

Fielding Hills Winery, a small, family-owned winery in Wenatchee, is one of the top wineries in Washington State. Owner/winemaker Mike Wade and his wife Karen are longtime apple and cherry growers who have turned a middle portion of their orchard near Mattawa into a vineyard. The grapes for all nine of these wines were sourced from the Wade’s Riverbend Vineyard, planted in 1998, in the Wahluke Slope AVA. However, the 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 vintages are labeled as Columbia Valley because Wahluke Slope was not established as an official AVA until 2006. Strictly red wine producers, Fielding Hills’ current production is about 1400 cases.

Recently, the four Wine Peeps and our good friends, Mark and Jill and Doug and Amee, sat down to dinner to enjoy this vertical tasting. While most of our tastings are blind, we decided not to taste these blind. We simply wanted to enjoy the wines and taste them in a logical order. We started with the oldest and worked our way to the youngest before we ate any food to try to get a good baseline for evaluation. [Unfortunately, the bottle of the 2007 vintage that we had during the dinner was corked, and we did not have a second bottle on hand. A few days later, we were able to get our hands on another bottle, which, thankfully, was good. So my tasting notes below for the 2007 vintage are for that bottle and not the one we had during the dinner.]

This tasting was fabulous! Once again, we were amazed at the consistency of quality in these wines. They paired extremely well with Mom’s dinner of tomato basil soup, mixed green salad with apples, caramelized leeks and maple Dijon dressing, roasted pork tenderloin with southwestern and peppercorn seasonings, baked mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and non-fried ice cream garnished with fresh raspberries and drizzled with chocolate raspberry balsamic vinegar for dessert.

You can’t go wrong with any of these wines. In fact, all eight wines were very good and received a Quality Rating of at least 3.5 stars (out of 5). We thought that six out of the eight were excellent and rated them as 4 stars (out of 5) or higher. Once again, we were “wow”-ed by the 2008 vintage and gave it a rare 5 stars (out of 5). It remains the best Cab Franc I’ve ever had. The oldest vintages are still holding up well, but Mike really seems to be hitting his stride with the last three vintages.

If you are ever in the Wenatchee area, Fielding Hills is a stop you do not want to miss. I encourage you to give Mike and Karen a call to make an appointment to visit the winery. And regardless of whether you are able to visit or not, try to get your hands on a bottle or two of Fielding Hills wine and enjoy.

From oldest to youngest:

2003 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc (Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): Deep garnet in color. Aromatic with red fruit, prune, herbs, and licorice on the nose. Red cherry and vegetal notes come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium tannins, and a long, slightly bitter, finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of five)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Winery Release: $28

2004 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc (Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): Deep, dark garnet. Nice nose with red fruit and cinnamon aromas. More cinnamon as well as red and black cherry comes through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of five)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Winery Release: $28

2005 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc (Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): Deep, dark red. Nice nose with red fruit, caramel, and floral aromas. Red and black fruit, spice, and floral notes come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of five)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Winery Release: $30

2006 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc (Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): Deep red in color. Aromatic with red fruit and floral aromas on the nose. Fruit-forward with bright red fruit, floral notes, and a touch of spice on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of five)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Winery Release: $30

2007 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc (Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): 88% Cabernet Franc, 6% Syrah, 4% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, dark garnet red. Aromatic with black cherry and cinnamon on the nose. Fruit-forward with black cherry and spice on the palate as well. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity, medium to high tannins, and a long, slightly bitter, finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of five)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Winery Release: $30

2008 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc (Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): 88% Cabernet Franc, 6% Syrah, 4% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, dark red in color. Gorgeous nose with red and black fruit, spice, floral, and a touch of bell pepper aromas. Luscious black cherry, spice box, and herbal notes come through on the palate. Full-bodied with crisp acidity and high, dry tannins. Extremely well-balanced and smooth with good complexity and a very long, lingering finish. Still the best Cabernet Franc I’ve ever had. Wow!
Quality: 5 stars (out of five)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Winery Release: $30

2009 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc (Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): 90% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah, 3% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, dark red. Nice nose with black cherry, raspberry, and spice aromas. Black cherry, spice, and a touch of black pepper come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a very long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of five)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Winery Release: $30

2010 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc (Riverbend Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, Washington): 85% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah, 5% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, dark red in color. Beautiful nose with red and black fruit, cinnamon, and clove aromas. Black cherry, cinnamon, and clove come through on the palate. Full-bodied with crisp acidity, and high, dry tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of five)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Winery Release: $30

Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc Vertical Tasting [Wow! Alert] was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

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Gimax Richie Ginther Yves Giraud Cabantous