St Francis Chardonnay

The St. Francis Winery label features their bell tower hinting of another place and time, somewhere nostalgic. The winery is named after St. Francis of Assisi, protector of the natural world. Following in St Francis of Assisi's ways the winery practices green methods of pest control, cooling, lighting, bottling and even transportation.

The winery’s began in 1971 when Joe Martin purchased the Behler Ranch. At first the winery sold grapes to surrounding wineries. In 1979 began the winery began bottling their own wines. 

St Francis Sonoma County Chardonnay is produced from grapes grown on the winery’s  Lagomarsino Vineyard in Russian River Valley, as well as from growers in Sonoma County’s other top appellations, including Sonoma Valley, Carneros and Alexander Valley. Each vineyard is carefully selected for their contribution of distinctive and individual qualities to the finished wine.

Grapes are picked during the September nights to preserve the wine’s delicate flavors, aromas and acidity. Grapes are pressed 100% whole cluster and fermented in different lots. Aging occurs for six months in 75% French oak barrels and 25% American oak barrels, with lees stirred by hand to achieve a rich mouthfeel.

The aromas were a little closed and nothing really to brag about. The flavor was a little one dimensional- being overpowered by its acidity.  If you concentrated you could find it lightly oaky on the tongue with only a hint of the buttery taste we crave in a good Chardonnay and a hint of honey in the finish. It seems to be lacking the lees influence to bring out some creaminess the winery speaks of.  The winery notes this wine can age for 2-3 years, but I think 3 years might have put it a little past its prime. For me this is a forgettable wine.

Varietal:  Chardonnay          

Producer/Importer:  St Francis       

Region: Sonoma County, California

Vintage: 2009

Price: $12

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): Yellow straw

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): typical chardonnay

Taste (acidity, balance, body): little to no buttery oak flavors, hint of honey, dry, but spice-laced as chewed, overly acidic.

Bottle presentation:

Label description: “Aromas of fresh melon combine with hints of hazelnut and citrus. This  medium-bodied Sonoma County Chardonnay displays fresh flavors of butterscotch and pineapple, followed by crisp acidity and a rich, lingering finish.”

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 7

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments:  Abv 14.2%

Sommerau Castle Gewurtztraminer

Sommerau Castle Gewurtztraminer is produced in the Pfalz region of Germany.  Although the Gewurtatraminer was not rated as high as the 2010 Riesling tasted November 2011 (http://winenightatez.blogspot.com/2011/11/sommerau-castle-riesling.html), it is a still a fair wine.

  

Varietal:  Gewurtztraminer

Producer/Importer:  Sommerau Castle       

Region: Germany

Vintage: 2008

Price: $9.99

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): Straw

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): musky

Taste (acidity, balance, body): spicy middle lemon, citrus

Bottle presentation: Blue bottle with silver lable

Label description: Spicy notes to accent the juicy peach and apricot flavors.  Enjoy with baked ham, roasted turkey, and spicy Asian cuisine.

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 7

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments:

Villa Donna Malvasia

Villa Donna Malvasia, is produce in the Italian region of Puglia. It is a sweet and light wine with the color of strawberries and the ripe flavors of Raspberries and Strawberries with a drizzle of honey.

Varietal:  Malvasia    

Producer/Importer:  Villa Donna Puglia

Region:  Italy

Vintage:

Price: $13

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): Dark Rose’

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): Berries

Taste (acidity, balance, body): Raspberries, strawberries and honey

Bottle presentation:

Label description:

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 8

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments:

D'Arrigo Italian Riesling?

When you think of Rieslings you think Germany, not Italy, but in fact Rieslings are produced worldwide.  D’Arrigo’s Riesling is produced in the Veneto region in northeast Italy.  It is aged for 4-5 years after gently pressing whole grape at low temperatures and fermented in steel tanks.  It is harvested mid-September and bottled the end of March.

Varietal:  Riesling     

Producer/Importer:  D’Arrigo         

Region:  Italy

Vintage: 2009

Price: $8

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): golden yellow

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): earthy

Taste (acidity, balance, body): starts sweet, has a spicy pear middle, and finishes off dry with a citrus tang. Light in body.

Bottle presentation:

Label description:

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 7

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments: abv 11%

Kitchen Sink Moscato

Kitchen Sink Moscato is not what we expected from a Moscato.  It was crisp and buttery and smooth and not too sugary, more like a late harvest Riesling.  We liked it.  This is one wine I would not dump down the kitchen sink, but rather enjoy it far from the kitchen sink.

Varietal:  Moscato

Producer/Importer:  Kitchen Sink  

Region: California

Vintage:

Price:

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): light

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): earthy

Taste (acidity, balance, body): buttery, crisp golden apple,

Comparisons: Almost like a late harvest Riesling.

Overall rating (1-10): 9

Date consumed: February 9, 2012

Comments:

Red Rock Winery’s Reserve Winemaker's Blend

Red Rock Winery’s Reserve Winemaker's Blend is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Syrah. Grapes were selected of highest quality fruit from the state's top throughout California's premier appellations, more than half of the grapes from Sonoma County.

The Petite Syrah is a small grape with a high skin to juice ratio, giving the wine a deeper purple inky hue.  It also contributes the aromas and flavors of big ripe berries. All three grapes combined give this wine a nice balance with a full mouth feel that finishes with a hint of vanilla and spice.

Varietal:  Winemaker’s blend:  Merlot/Cabinet Sauvignon/Petite Syrah

Producer/Importer:  Red Rock       

Region: California

Vintage: 2009

Price: $9.99

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): deep dark purple red

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): Big bowl of ripe berries and cherries

Taste (acidity, balance, body): Strawberry jam and cherries, slight vanilla and spice at the finish.

Bottle presentation: Label displays a stack of rocks (one being red) that hikers often use to mark trails or locations.

Label description: “Our Winemaker's Blend exhibits concentrated aromas of dark berry jam and boysenberry, offering a plush mouth feel with flavors of blackberry, light brown spice and vanilla. “

Comparisons: Very close to the Apothic Red, although we like the Apothic Red a little better.

Overall rating (1-10): 9

Date consumed: January 11, 2012

Comments: 13.8% abv

Trapiche Malbec 2009

According to the local liquor distributor Trapiche Malbec is currently the number one selling Malbec in the US.  The grapes are grown on sandy soils high on the Mendoza River in the east region of Mendoza.  The wine was aged in French and American oak barrels. 

While it wasn’t a bad wine, it just wasn’t what we expected for a Malbec.  Typically I think of a Malbec as a medium bodied, fruity, smoother, mellow wine.  This one was a little sharp with the loads of peppery spice. If you can ignore the peppery mid-tone you might be able to taste the plum hiding in the background. Some nice toasted oak flavors are mixed in, but again you have to get past the pepper.  It did finish nicely with a full blackcherry aftertaste. 

Cheese did improve the palate of the wine quite a bit mellowing it out and upping the rating. This one should be accompanied by food, but not chocolate.  Chocolate gave this wine an awful sour effect.

I wish I would have had my aerator, maybe aerating would have helped smooth some of the sting.  Or maybe in a few more years this wine will age into what can be described as a quality Malbec.  For now it is just too harsh.

Varietal:  Malbec

Producer/Importer:  Trapiche          

Region: Mendoza Argentina

Vintage: 2009

Price: $8.95

Tasting notes:

 Sight (Color/Clarity): ruby red with violet hues

 Smell (bouquet, aroma): peppery & earthy, a little timid

Taste (acidity, balance, body): Strong peppery middle, plum in the midtones if you can ignore the spice, toasted oak flavors mixed in. It finishes full bodies with very black cherry aftertaste

Bottle presentation:

Winemakers Notes: “A rich, red-colored wine with violet hues, redolent of plums and cherries. Round in the mouth with a touch of truffle and vanilla. Food pairings: The ideal wine for grilled meat. It also combines very well with pasta, mild to spicy cuisine and semi-hard cheeses such as Gouda, Edam or Gruyere.”

Comparisons:

Overall rating (1-10): 7

Date consumed: January 11, 2012

Comments:  Number one selling Malbec in the US.  Cheese mellowed the spiciness.  NO chocolate! 13.5% abv