Mouthing Off

On my recent trip west, I tasted quite a few good Napa Valley wines, some of them discoveries (or discoveries for me, at least). I'd point people towards Jamie Kutch's silky, flavorful 2006 Kutch Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, for instance, if it weren't darn near impossible to find—still, get on the mailing list and who knows what will happen. Jamie makes his wines at the Deerfield Ranch Winery, and while I was there I also got to taste a pretty terrific Chardonnay from another fellow making wine there, Matt Wilson. The 2006 Sky Saddle Chardonnay ($30) comes from a small biodynamic vineyard in the Oak Knoll District; fourteen months of extended lees contact gives it a silky texture and depth that recalls Mark Aubert's Chardonnays, for instance, albeit at a lot less $$. Not very much of this around, but no one seems to know about it yet, either. Give the man a call.

You wouldn't cause yourself grave damage drinking the 2006 Rockledge Saralee's Vineyard Roussanne ($40), either, unless you liked it so much you inhaled the entire bottle and went zooming off in search of more—a risk, in fact. Pear and wildflower aromas, creamy texture bolstered by a firm mineral backbone, rich but not sweet. Fine example of California Roussanne. 96 whole cases made, so, again, act now. Or yesterday (again, best place to find this is by contacting the winery directly).

And I was happily surprised by the 2005 Wolf Family Estate Cabernet Franc 97% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% ($60), a cumbersome name for a graceful red that actually smells and tastes like Cabernet Franc, something a lot of California Cab Francs seem disinclined to do. From vines planted in the late 1970s—a whopping three-quarters of an acre of them—it's got pretty floral/violet aromas mingling with mocha and black cherry, and similar flavors ending on dusty, firm tannins. Where to get it? Yep, once again: call the winery. (Though if you're in CA, some retailers turn up on wine-searcher.com: check it here.)

Sherry doesn't get enough love. It's one of the great wines of the world, but no one understands it, and basically, in this increasingly wine-obsessed country of ours, Sherry is sitting around moping by the phone while everyone else is going to the prom. (Partly this is because its sleazy little sister, the American stuff sold in jugs and labeled as cream sherry, will date anyone, especially winos and doddering old cat-ladies). In any case, I'm recommending a terrific dry sherry, the El Maestro Sierra Fino ($15/375ml), in my July column (not up for another week or so). Everyone should go out and buy it right now.

If you want more—and less frivolous—inside info on some great Sherries, check out my friend (and former colleague) Peter Liem's latest posts on his blog. Usually Peter is roaming around Champagne, but he just spent a week in Jerez tasting more than 300 sherries at an odd event called Vinobile, a celebration of sweet wines that, thank God, they moved to May from July—when I was there a few years ago, I found myself trying to taste vintage port in a tent under a 105˚ sun. Anyway, Peter's got a great palate and his picks are worth noting.

Several good Sauvignon Blancs have shown up at recent odds-and-ends tastings here at the Tasting Room, so it seems like now's the time to mention them all, a kind of grab-bag of citrusy vino-zing.

2006 Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc ($19) South African winemaker Kevin Grant (formerly of Hamilton Russell Vineyards) founded Ataraxia a couple of years back—the first vintage released was '05—to concentrate on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. But he couldn't resist making a Sauvignon Blanc as well, which is nice for us, since it's full of flinty citrus notes and a hint of cracked pepper. I'm also indebted to Grant for his descriptor of what too much Sauvignon Blanc smells like, which is "sweaty adolescent armpit." Yep. That's a negative smell, that one. (Imported by Leucadia)

2007 Ceàgo Vinegarden Kathleen's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ($18) Ceàgo is former Fetzer president Jim Fetzer's biodynamic project up in Mendocino, though this wine actually comes from a separate (also biodynamic) vineyard in Lake County. Very appealing crisp Sauvignon with melon and citrus zest notes, almost prickly on the tongue but in a good way. Ceàgo, by the way, is derived from a Pomo Indian word meaning "grass seed valley." You know the Pomo Indians...they're the ones that are always referencing other Indians in a studiedly ironic way...

2007 Provenance Vineyards Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc ($20) Lots of flavor in this Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc—lemon curd, lime zest, rubyred grapefruit—but not the flabbiness often found in warmer climate SB's. It gets some additional richness and palate depth from 20% of the wine staying on its lees in stainless steel barrels (and 5% in oak), and also about 8% Semillon being in the blend. Really inviting Sauvignon—this you could drink all summer long.

2006 Kim Crawford Small Parcel Spitfire Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($20) My tasting note for this reads, "Absolute spot-on 100% passion fruit." And in truth, I've never had a Sauvignon Blanc that smelled so exactly like fresh passion fruit, which is kind of cool. Doesn't hurt that this is fun to drink, too—all that passion fruit (did I mention passion fruit?) flavor gets balanced by a crisp herbiness and tingly acidity. (The vintage is current; Kim Crawford's Small Parcel wines are released later than regular releases.) 

2007 Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc ($25) Winemaker Francois Cordesse says about this white, "We try to stay away from dry herb, and fine-tune toward grapefruit." To which I say, hot diggity dog. I also say: it's mostly Knight's Valley fruit, a small percentage of Sauvignon Musque, with about 15% of the wine in one- and two-year-old French oak, and if you ask me it smells and tastes like mangoes, lemon oil, grapefruit and a touch of cream. Very pretty wine.

2006 Château de Sancerre Sancerre ($25) Very classic Sancerre with a grassy, clear, citrusy aroma and clean, fresh notes of melon and citrus; though it has good Sauvignon Blanc acidity, it also has a very appealing roundness in the mouth. The Château itself, oddly enough, was a gift from Louis Marnier-Lapostolle to his wife in 1919.