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Great California Wine Bargains of 2019

April 24, 2019 by Don Lahey

The number of California wineries continues to explode and given the recent spate of excellent vintages, both quality and bargains abound. Although California has suffered through a number of drought years which has resulted in many smaller than average crops, the proliferation of new wineries coupled with greater attention to viticulture and appellations other than Napa and Sonoma guarantee plenty to like. Moreover, one need not be a multi-millionaire to enjoy the Golden State’s viticultural fortunes.

Boutique family owned wineries are firmly behind California’s most exciting wines. However, many long established California wineries are also re-inventing themselves by establishing vineyards in locales heretofore out of their realm and by growing a wider range of grape varieties. Blends have become popular again and Rhône varietals, such as Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, have gone mainstream, both as individual varietals and in blends labeled GSM.

One of my favorite California off the radar wineries that offers superb quality is Fisher. Fisher’s Mountain Estate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon constitute some of the tastiest and most endearing Chardonnays and Cabernets we have come across in recent years. Fisher’s wines are not cheap, but far more recognizable California Chardonnays and Cabernets sell for a lot more and deliver much less. Fisher’s wines are hard to come by but worth the price.

Union Sacre’s 2016 Squire Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir from longtime friends Philip Muzzy and Xavier Arnaudi is not exactly on the tip of everyone’s tongue yet; these guys have crafted an exceptional Pinot Noir for under $40.00 that positively rocks. Look out Russian River! You have some real competition from Santa Barbara and points south.

Pedroncelli remains a stalwart family owned Sonoma County winery that consistently puts good wine in the bottle at a very fair price. Known for more than 90 years for their Zinfandels, Pedroncelli has been quietly bottling small lots of knockout Petite Sirah in addition to first rate Sauvignon Blanc. The moral of this story is “search for the small batches and little known bottlings from established California wineries.” Therein lay the values and troves of undiscovered gems.

The 2016 Andronicus from Napa Valley’s Titus Vineyards is one Bordeaux blend that should not be missed. Priced around $30.00 a bottle, this beauty combines the best of Cabernet Sauvignon (at 66%) with varying amounts of Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Andronicus sells for a fraction of the price of Titus’s fabulous award-winning Cabernets and Merlots but is every bit as rewarding in its own right, and it’s ready to drink from the moment the cork is pulled. We are sure to see more of this beauty.

Salud!
Don

Zinfandel: America’s Own Grape

March 15, 2019 by Don Lahey

Zinfandel has been dubbed “America’s own grape” despite or perhaps on account of its obscure heritage and its immigrant status. Like the vast majority of Americans, Zinfandel’s ancestry and roots hail from lands far away. Zinfandel’s DNA points to Eastern Europe and the Primitivo grape variety whose origins lay in Croatia and more recently Italy, which may in part account for its popularity among the Italian immigrant population that began flocking to our shores, both east and west, in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Finding favor in California among a welcoming immigrant tide in search of a grape capable of producing wine with both a body and a soul in a climate conducive to its production should come as no surprise.

Nonetheless, Zinfandel produces a wine quite different in California from Primitivo and its Croatian and Italian forbearers, and nowhere is that more apparent and welcome than in Sonoma County – the spiritual home of Zinfandel. In Dry Creek Valley and along the banks of Sonoma County’s Russian River, Zinfandel relishes the cooling Pacific breezes that funnel up the appellation’s canyons and valleys as its fruit basks in the long dry summer afternoons, which not surprisingly bring the grape to the pinnacle of perfection. Amador County, Lodi and other California locales also call home to America’s quintessential varietal where Zinfandel’s deep rich colors, intense berry, bramble, and herb flavors, high alcohol, and lush tannins result in wines that fill the mouth and satisfy all of the senses, yet there is more to Zinfandel than strength and vigor.

One of Zinfandel’s keys to success is its extraordinary lifespan, which enables it to produce quality fruit well into old age. In fact, the oldest Zinfandel vineyards (many in California are in excess of 100 years of age) are the most prized. Another attribute of Zinfandel is its versatility. Zinfandel can take on the role of chameleon, equally capable of becoming a light pink quaffable wine such as White Zinfandel, or a deep, dark intense potion of incredible proportion, or something altogether different in the refined style of classic claret.

As an immigrant to our shores, Zinfandel embodies the American experience.

It is a grape that has transformed itself over the last century and a half and honed its own unique identity, an identity that is continually evolving and infinitely open to interpretation. In the eyes of its many admirers, Zinfandel has become a bigger, better, more complex grape since its arrival in America with “a can do attitude” and an identity all of its own. This year, why not take a tour of America and discover America’s own grape. Enjoy!

Salud!
Don

What’s Hot and What’s Not in Wine in 2019?

January 25, 2019 by Don Lahey

One trend that has already taken the wine world by storm and shows no sign of abating is America’s love affair with rosé, dry rosé in particular. This trend is hardly new, but its continuing resurgence defies the pundits. In short, dry rosé has become more than a trend and a summertime drink. It’s no longer the stepchild of red and white wine but a bona fide wine category that now demands equal status with white and red wine.

As for what is the best unknown wine out there just waiting to be discovered, it is likely the one in my glass, which could be almost anything from an aromatic, hauntingly delicious Kerner from Italy’s Alto Adige to a Super Tuscan from Bolgheri or Maremma along Italy’s Tyrrhenian Coast, or one of Argentina’s super premium Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon blends that sells for a fraction of California’s overpriced Cabernet Sauvignons.

Napa Valley Cabernets, in particular, are overvaluing themselves. With the exception of a few dozen iconic Cabernet and Cabernet blends, it appears the bubble is bursting on California Cabernets selling for $50.00, $100.00, or more. Attempts to sell such wines “quietly” at substantially discounted prices have increased exponentially over the past year despite a recent string of exceptional vintages and a plethora of excellent wines. What are undervalued, especially in the premium category, are South Africa and South America’s top reds.

In the $12.00-$20.00 category, Spain’s red and white wines are frequently undervalued and remain veritable bargains, too. White Spanish wines from top producers made from Albariño, Godello or Verdejo varietals can be purchased for less than $20.00 a bottle. And who can forget the many outstanding blends from Spain’s Montsant or the thoroughly enjoyable Tempranillo-based wines of Castilla Y León?

The world of wine has always suffered from a split personality. Wine drinkers are presently in love with rosé and at the same time enamored of bold reds and in search of another lover. Merlot, after a makeover, appears to be on the rebound, too. Who knows what comes next from fickle palates?

Salud!
Don

The Best Wines to Serve & Pair with Holiday Meals

December 7, 2018 by Don Lahey

It seems that everyone wants to sell us something, almost everything in fact, before the holidays. And similarly, there is no shortage of pundits to advise us on what we should buy; this is especially true of wine. Unsolicited or not, I am repeatedly asked by friends, acquaintances, and even total strangers what wine I recommend they serve and pair with their holiday dinner.

My answer to the inevitable holiday wine pairing question is this:

What are you serving and what do you like?

I can’t, nor should I, tell you what you like, but I may be able to offer some suggestions based upon decades of experience as to what wine and food pairings tend to please most people’s palates, so below is a stab at answering the question.

Poultry

With poultry, whether turkey, chicken or duck, light reds and full-bodied white wines make good companions. Pinot Noir, red burgundy, and Beaujolais Villages work especially well with poultry. Pinot Noirs from California’s Russian River, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Santa Rita Hills appellations as well as Oregon’s Willamette Valley tend to get the highest marks. Some tried and true Pinot producers to consider are Benovia, Walt, Bethel Heights, and Bergström, among others. As for Beaujolais fans, they will want to consider Janodet’s excellent Beaujolais Villages or a cru Beaujolais from one of the appellation’s 10 cru villages. California Zinfandel also merits two thumbs up. Similarly, Chardonnay lovers have a wide array of producers and wine styles from which to choose. Excellently crafted oak-aged Chardonnays from Benovia, Chappellet, and Morgan are readily available and garner considerable acclaim from critics and consumers alike. For more mineral and terroir-driven Chardonnays, consider serving a Pouilly-Fuissé from the likes of Domaine Gilles Noblet or other premium Mâcon producers.

Seafood

If seafood is on the menu, Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon-Fuissé and Mâcon Villages Chardonnays are again top crowd pleasers, but I would not overlook the delicious Gavis from La Giustiniana Lugarara or Stefano Massone, as they provide equally compelling companionship to fish and shellfish with more body and character than Pinot Grigio.

Meat & Vegetables

If meat and hearty vegetarian dishes grace your holiday table, the world of wine is at your fingertips. Big reds such as Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Malbec, Meritage offerings, Ribera del Duero, Rioja, and Super Tuscans all shine with beef, lamb, and other red meats. There is no shortage of eligible candidates from among that list, though several producers stand out for quality and consistency: Chappellet, Domaine du Vieux Lazaret, Domaine Grand Tinel, Round Pond, Luca, Tikal, Dominio Basconcillos, Valenciso, and Urlari, to name just a few.

Cheese, Pasta, Pork & More

With cheese, pasta, pork, and tomato-based dishes, consider a delicious Côtes-du-Rhône from Chamford or Guigal, a Ventoux from Domaine de Vieux Lazaret, or a rich Petite Sirah from D. Pfaff, Carmen, or Peltier, but as you like it because the holidays and life itself are too short to drink wine you don’t like or someone else’s palate.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and the safest of Holidays,
Don

The 10 Most Important Things to Know About Wine

November 16, 2018 by Don Lahey

Wine has played a huge role in my life, whether tasting it, drinking it, studying it, or simply sharing it with friends, family, and wine lovers around the world. Although I have other interests, wine seems to be the topic everyone wants to discuss with me or, perhaps, I am the one who feels compelled to speak of wine out of a sense of my own passion or the perceived expectations of others. Whatever the case, in the more than 40 years I have been enjoying wine and worked in the trade, two questions invariably ensue.

Firstly, what is your favorite wine? Secondly, what are the most important things everyone should know about wine?

The answer to the first question is simple: I don’t have one single favorite wine.

Besides, I don’t drink wine that I don’t enjoy, so the wine in my glass is invariably my momentary favorite. The second question requires a more lengthy response and encapsulates what I have learned about wine and life in the previous four decades.

Wine is meant to be enjoyed.
Wine doesn’t mean much until it’s shared and someone else enjoys it, too, so share.
You can’t drink a label, a price tag, or anyone else’s palate, only the contents of a bottle. All else is wine snobbery.
Paying too much or too little for wine is a recipe for disappointment.
Variety is truly the spice of life, so try new and different types of wine often; you will learn a tremendous amount about wine and your own palate.
Food and wine are fast friends; each makes the other shine and doubles the pleasure.
Pair different wines with the same dish to see which pairings work best.
Trust your own palate.
Drink wine from fine thin glassware that you wash and dry carefully by hand. Soap spots and water stains add nothing pleasurable to wine.
Read about wine and the world’s wine regions from multiples sources, learn about the varietal connections that link Old and New World wines, and taste, taste, taste… but don’t forget to enjoy! Wine is not a contest.

Salud!
Don

The 2015 and 2016 Bordeaux Vintages Are Not to Be Missed

October 19, 2018 by Don Lahey

In some wine regions of the world, the quality of wine varies little from year to year. The reason is that the weather in some wine regions remains fairly consistent and predictable. This is particularly true in areas with Mediterranean climates. In other wine lands, such as Bordeaux, vintage means everything. The weather in Bordeaux varies enormously throughout the growing season and from one year to the next, and because weather largely determines the quality of the vintage and the resulting wine, vintage speaks volumes in the most hallowed of French appellations.

The adage in Bordeaux is June makes the quantity, August the style, and September the quality. If the flowering and subsequent berry set go well in June, growers can look forward to a bumper crop. And by August, the vignerons know roughly what to expect in style. But it’s September and, to a lesser extent, October that ultimately determine how good the Bordeaux wines will be, particularly the reds, based largely on the amount and frequency of rain that falls during those months. If a tropical depression sweeps in from the Atlantic, all bets will be off. With this said, Bordeaux has enjoyed two of the finest back to back vintages in recent memory in 2015 and 2016, and neither should be missed.

Not only is quality superb top to bottom from Grand Crus to Petits Châteaux in 2015 and 2016, subsequent vintages can hardly match this dynamic duo. Although the resulting wines are different in style, each of these vintages enjoyed ideal weather in September and October. Consequently, 2015 and 2016 produced a bevy of exciting and downright profound wines, with the red wines surpassing those even in the heretofore exceptional 2009 and 2010 vintages. Consequently, I’m putting as many 2015 and 2016 red Bordeaux in my cellar as I can afford because Bordeaux doesn’t get much better than the wines of these two vintages and neither 2017 nor 2018 can match what 2015 and 2016 have to offer.

Salud!
Don

America’s Love Affair with Pinot Noir

September 24, 2018 by Don Lahey

America is in love with Pinot Noir, but it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. A generation ago, Pinot Noir was the proverbial step child of American grape growers, an afterthought and an anomaly at best. Only a few stalwart visionaries like André Tchelistcheff of BV vineyards dared to plant France’s most coveted, yet often mercurial, grape variety in California. And frankly, those early attempts yielded less than exciting results.

Today, Pinot Noir’s fortunes have changed. Pinot Noir is all the rage, not only in America but around the world where it stands at the pinnacle of the world’s grape varieties, but it is not because the planet’s other favored varietals (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sangiovese, and Tempranillo to name a few) are incapable of greatness; rather Pinot Noir is the rare grape variety that is capable of being transformed annually into the planet’s most complex red wines as well as the most exquisite rosé, still, and sparkling wines.

Although Pinot Noir was born in Burgundy a millennium before Cabernet Sauvignon made its appearance in Bordeaux, it now thrives in Champagne, California, Oregon, and in rare hallowed parcels across the planet in addition to its native Burgundy. However, the difficult to grow and often unforgiving Pinot Noir varietal demands attention, a cool, temperate climate, and a deft hand in the cellar. When all stars align, Pinot Noir yields light to full-bodied wines of stunning aromatics, depth, and length of flavor. Moreover, good Pinot Noir can age gracefully for as long as any wine when stored properly. Not surprisingly, it also yields the world’s most expensive wine on average, which makes it all the more attractive to collectors and a growing legion of admirers.

Salud!
Don

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