Winecast

This week’s podcast is a bit of an experiment in the format, influenced by Jon Gordon’s, “Future Tense”, show and podcast. I introduce a hot new wine region in California, the Sonoma Coast AVA, and recommend some Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to check out from the area.

Wineries mentioned on the show:

- Williams-Selyem

- J Rochioli Vineyards & Winery

- Gary Farrell

- Flowers Vineyard & Winery

- Littorai

- Hirsch Vineyards

- Siduri Wines

- Kistler Vineyards

- Peay Vineyards

- Sonoma-Cutrer

- Marcassin Vineyard

- Aubert Wines

- Martinelli Winery & Vineyards

- Pax Wine Cellars

- La Crema

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: +01-206-33-WINE-9 (+01-206-339-4639)

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Today’s podcast is about Portugal’s white Vinho Verde wines, I continue the wine cellaring series*, talk about the recent listener poll and share some listener comments.

Show notes:

00:20 - Welcome and show theme

00:35 - Vinho Verde background

02:59 - Tasting Notes

03:13 - Gazela, Vinho Verde NV, Bottled 2005 ($8)

03:44 - Portal do Fidalgo, Vinho Verde, Estate Bottled 2003 ($10)

04:28 - Vercoope, “Pavão”, Vinho Verde NV, Bottled 2005 ($7)

04:54 - Best of tasting and best value

05:11 - Starting a cellar with a mixed case*

10:15 - Poll results

12:03 - Listener comments

15:28 - Contact details

15:52 - Next show theme

* The Winecast Mixed Case #1:

- Champagne: Taittinger Brut ($30) from Winecast 3

- Cabernet Sauvignon: Clos du Val, Napa Valley 2001 ($25) from Winecast 22

- Chardonnay: Cambra, Katherine’s Vineyard ($16) from Winecast 16

- Zinfandel: Seghesio, Zinfandel, Sonoma County 2003 ($17)

- Crisp, dry white: Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2001 ($15) from Winecast 27

- Gewurztraminer: Cuvee Anne-Laure, Gewurztraminer 2003, Alsace ($11) from Winecast 21

- Italian Red: Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva 2001 ($17) from Winecast 9

- Bordeaux-style blend: Peter Lehmann, “Clancy’s”, Barossa Valley 2002 ($16) from Winecast 26

- Riesling: WWE. Dr. H. Thanisch, Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett 2001 ($12) from Winecast 5

- Bodegas Javier Asensio, “Torsa” Tinto, Navarra, Spain 2003 ($8)

- Beaujolais: Georges Duboeuf, Morgon “Jean Descombes” 2003 ($9) from Winecast 14

- Dessert Wine: Weingut Ochs, Gewurztraminer Beerenauslese 2001, Weiden am See ($15/half bottle)

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: +01-206-33-WINE-9 (+01-206-339-4639)

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

When Lenn announced the theme for the first year anniversary edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, I immediately fired up Google maps to pinpoint the locations of all the wineries in Minnesota. Since I had already covered Minnesota wines recently on the show, I was concerned that the closest winery and vineyard, to abide by the theme of "Drink Local. Real Local.", was the Alexis Bailly Vineyard that I featured in Winecast 28. As it happened, they are at 27.4 miles from my humble abode and recording studio. The next winery on the list was over in Cannon River, a pleasant town of 3,877 people, that clocked in at 31.4 miles; close enough for this purpose, I rationalized, as I dispatched an email to Lenn asking for dispensation (which he kindly granted). So for this month, I will cover the wines made at the aptly named Cannon River Winery.

The Cannon River Winery opened it's doors only last October, refurbishing a large downtown building that once featured a bowling alley. The large space is nicely laid out with the winery and barrel aging cellar on one end and the tasting bar and gift store on the other. The winery is owned by John and Maureen Maloney from the Twin Cities; they also have about 20 acres of vineyard land partially planted to French-American hybrid grapes in the neighboring town of Sogn. Their winemaker is a Columbian expatriate with previous experience making wine in Ohio; sounds like quite a story that I will have to investigate further.

About noon a couple of weeks ago, I arrived at the winery to taste through their line of local wines. I was pleased to see an array of options on their website, that promised exotic varietals such as Edelweiss, St. Pepin, LaCrosse and Frontenac. All cold-hearty, French-American hybrid grapes developed especially for surviving the harsh winters up here. I also noted that they make wines from more familiar vinifera varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and my favorite, Zinfandel, but figured those grapes (best case), juice (most likely) and/or wines (hopefully not!) were trucked in from appellations further to our West. I was greeted by a helpful woman who informed me that two of the four wines I was most interested in (i.e. the locally grown ones) had, "sold out last weekend". Great, I thought, why didn’t I make the trip earlier?! Undeterred, I tasted the other two wines with these impressions:

- Cannon River Winery, "Lorraine's White" NV ($12) - Made from locally grown LaCrosse and Riesling of unknown origin (CA is most likely). Unfortunately, the woman helping me didn’t know the percentages of the blend. Clear in color with a tinge of yellow, pleasant peach nose, nice off-dry peach and green apple flavors that would have been fine for WBW 11. Enough acidity to complement light entrees or cheese. Score: 7.5/10

- Cannon River Winery, "Minnesota Meritage" NV ($16) - Made from 50% Frontenac grown at their vineyard with the balance equally blended with CA Merlot and Zinfandel. Light ruby color with wild cherry aromas, mellow red berry flavors with a slightly tangy finish, an enjoyable blend that defies expectations given the grapes involved. Score: 7.5/10

Yes, I did taste their other wines made from out of state grapes, but will not review those here as this is not how I interpreted Lenn's instructions. The wines should be both made and (mostly) grown near your house to qualify. So both of these wines are of good quality and a great accomplishment for the Maloney's on their first release. I'll give both best of tasting and best value to Lorraine's White, as I thought this had a bit more interesting flavor profile than the Minnesota Meritage. If you have a chance to visit the winery, which is the only place I know you can buy these wines, pick up a bottle of each (as I did). This is a winery I will definitely visit again to taste their Edelweiss and St. Pepin-based wines and keep track of their progress.

Thanks to Lenn for a great theme to cap off the first year of Wine Blogging Wednesday. I’m looking forward to another great year and to hosting a future edition.

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: +01-206-33-WINE-9 (+01-206-339-4639)

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

In this week’s show I focus on Soave from Italy’s Veneto region and start a series on cellaring wine.

Show notes:

00:20 - Show theme and thanks to Adam Curry

01:20 - Background of Soave wines

05:50 - Tasting Notes

06:10 - Bolla Soave DOC 2004 ($8.50)

07:04 - Monte Tondo Soave Classico DOC 2003 ($8)

07:26 - Inama Soave Classico DOC 2003 ($10)

08:10 - Best of Tasting

08:16 - Best Value

08:24 - Cellaring wine

17:24 - Contact details

17:50 - Please vote at Podcast Alley

18:22 - Next show’s theme

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: +01-206-33-WINE-9 (+01-206-339-4639)

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Today’s podcast focuses on the grape from the Loire Valley: Chenin Blanc. I also talk about wine tasting etiquette and the poll at Winecast.net

Show Notes:

00:20 - Show Theme

oo:36 - Background on Chenin Blanc. Best wines are from France: Saumur and Savennières (dry), Anjou and Vouvray (off-dry), Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume (dessert), and Crémant de Loire (sparkling), South Africa (Steen) and California (Clarksburg and Monterey County)

02:20 - Tasting Notes

02:33 - Dry Creek Vineyards, Clarksburg, Dry Chenin Blanc 2004 ($10)

03:02 - Masbon, Vouvray 2002 ($12.50)

03:38 - Ballentine Vineyards, Napa Valley Estate, “Old Vines”, Chenin Blanc 2004 ($14)

04:20 - Best of Tasting

04:54 - Best Value

05:05 - Wine Tasting Etiquette

09:58 - Poll at Weblog

10:53 - Podcast Awards

11:09 - Contact Details

11:50 - Next Show Theme

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: +01-206-33-WINE-9 (+01-206-339-4639)

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The third and final chapter in my recent tastings in California, this time reviewing the Pinot Noir of the Los Carneros AVA.

Show Notes:

00:21 - Welcome and show theme

00:53 - Background and history of the Los Carneros American Viticultural Area

03:32 - Acacia Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Carneros 2003 ($25)

03:55 - Acacia Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Field Blend, 2003 ($50)

04:30 - Acacia Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Beckstoffer Vineyard 2003 ($60)

04:52 - Domaine Carneros, Pinot Noir 2002 ($27)

05:30 - Domaine Carneros, The Famous Gate 2001 ($50)

05:52 - Best of tasting

06:16 - Best value

06:32 - Please vote for Winecast for the Podcast Awards!

06:57 - Contact details and credits

07:18 - Next show theme

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: 206-202-4696

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The second in my 3-part series reviewing the wines tasted on my recent Napa Valley trip. This time I talk about the modern history of the Napa Valley and taste some surprising Zinfandel’s made there. I also announce a new poll at the blog.

Show notes:

00:20 - Show theme and objectives

02:40 - Modern history of the Napa Valley

08:04 - Tasting notes disclaimer

09:45 - Neal Family Vineyards, Zinfandel, Rutherford 2003 ($22)

11:09 - Ballentine Vineyards, Zinfandel, Napa Valley, Estate 2000 ($18)

12:06 - Ballentine Vineyards, Zinfandel, Block 9 2000 ($27)

12:33 - Ballentine Vineyards, Zinfandel, Block 11 2003 ($25)

13:12 - Ballentine Vineyards, Zinfandel, Block 9 2003 (NYR)

13:49 - Ballentine Vineyards, Zinfandel Port, Napa Valley 2003 ($25/375ml)

15:00 - August Briggs, Zinfandel, Napa Valley 2003 ($28)

15:30 - Best of tasting and best value

16:50 - New poll open on blog

18:13 - Podcast Awards voting

19:29 - Contact details and credits

21:15 - Next show theme

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: 206-202-4696

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The theme this month is from Beau at basicjuice who picked off-dry wines. I picked three from the wine store and one from the cellar to fill the bill. What I looked for was a bit of sweetness, but not enough to be confused with a candy bar.

The first selection is from Josef Friederich, a Deidesheimer Hofstueck Spätlese 2003 ($8.50) - From the Pfalz region of Germany, this wine is made from the Kerner varietal. Clear leaning toward straw in color, lean citrus nose, interesting herb, green apple and honey flavors with a dose of acidity and slightly mineral finish. Nicely off-dry and quite similar to Riesling in flavor. A good choice for a warm day on the patio that would benefit from some food. Score: 8/10

My second selection is from the Sokol Blosser Winery, their Evolution, “Lucky No. 9” NV ($14) - A great label that plainly states it’s “off-dry” flavors; I have wanted to find an excuse to pick up a bottle. Light straw color, peach and pear nose, pineapple and peaches with noticeable acidity make this a good choice with food. Seems dryer than the Deidesheimer Hofstueck Spätlese, but qualifies as off-dry I guess due to it’s high acidity stealth flavor thing. Score: 8.5/10

Further investigation found this wine to be made from 9 grapes: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muller-Thurgau, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Semillon, Pinot Blanc, Sylvanner and Chardonnay. Damn, I would have guessed a bit of Viognier in this blend Check out their website at: http://www.evolutionwine.com/

The next selection is from Beni di Batasiolo, the Moscato d’Asti 2004 DOCG ($9) - The shelf stuffer said, “perfect for the patio”, so I thought it would be great for this off-dry event. I should have read the back label, which refers to it as, “Excellent with all deserts.” Oh well, it was open, so I had to taste anyway. In fact, I had a heck of a time extracting the cork from this baby and found out why once I poured my first glass. Nice lemony straw color with creamy bubbles, yes, bubbles. I have had many wines with spritz in my day, but this one rivals some low carbonated sparkling wine. The nose is classic muscat: melon and peaches. Very spritzy melon and peach flavors with enough sweetness to rot your teeth without going over the top (I’m not going to drop “cloying” here DISQUALIFIED as an off-dry wine, but quite nice in it’s own right. Score: 8.5/10. Note: don’t store these in a warm room or in your car for fear of explosion; I’m serious.

My alternative selection (to make three for Winecast norms) is from the Snoqualmie Winery, their Columbia Valley, Chenin Blanc 2002 ($5) - Light straw yellow with a bit of green color, lean nose of apple and pear, green apple, peach and watermelon popsicle flavors which finishes off-dry. Pretty good, but one-dimensional. Score: 7.5/10

Best of tasting: Sokol Blosser Winery, Evolution, “Lucky No. 9” NV ($14)

Best value: Josef Friederich, Deidesheimer Hofstueck Spätlese 2003 ($8.50)

Thanks to Beau at basicjuice for the theme and Lenn Thompson for the original inspiration (best wishes to Nena and you on Friday!). See you next time...

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: 206-202-4696

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I’m back after a great vacation in California with the first of three shows focusing on the wines of the Napa Valley. In this first installment, I cover the early history of the Valley, the Howell Mountain AVA and share seven Cabernet Sauvignon’s I tasted last week.

Wines Tasted:

- Ladera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2002 ($35)

- Ladera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lone Canyon 2001 ($65)

- Ladera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain 2003 (NYR/$65)

- Neal Family Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2002 ($45)

- August Briggs, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2000 ($20/375ml)

- August Briggs, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2002 ($42)

- Beaulieu Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, “Rutherford”, Napa Valley 2002 ($25)

Show Notes:

0:00 - Opening theme

0:21 - Welcome iTunes listeners!

0:44 - Overview and objectives of Winecast

2:30 - Napa Valley history

4:23 - Howell Mountain AVA

5:50 - Tasting notes

9:55 - Best of Tasting / Best Value

10:39 - Contact details, theme music credit

11:03 - Please vote at Podcast Alley!

11:27 - Lost some feedback emails

12:17 - Next show will focus on Napa Valley Zinfandel

Feedback: [email protected] | Audio comments: 206-202-4696

Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Another show focusing on a wine region that doesn’t get much attention: the wines of Minnesota. I interview Nan Bailly of the Alexis Bailly Vineyard and recommend three of her wines.

Show Notes:

0:00 - Intro and theme music

0:21 - Overview of Show

0:56 - Background on Minnesota wines

2:42 - Interview with Nan Bailly

13:36 - Tasting Notes

14:22 - Alexis Bailly Vineyard, Marechal Foch 2004 ($14)

15:08 - Alexis Bailly Vineyard, Frontenac 2004 ($15)

16:21 - Alexis Bailly Vineyard, Ice Wine NV ($25, 375ml)

17:06 - Best of tasting and best value

17:14 - Sorry if I missed you at Bailly Vineyard on Saturday

17:56 - Vacation in California will mean the next podcast will be on June 26 or 27

18:30 - Show contact details

18:50 - Next show will focus on the wines of California’s Central Coast, Santa Cruz Mountains and Napa and Sonoma Valleys