pinot noir

Indulge Wines Thinks Outside the Box

Filed under: Wine

Remember back in the day when wine came only in bottles? Then came boxed wine. But even that is essentially a bag inside a box. But now Californian vineyard Indulge Wines is cutting the box out of the equation with wine in a bag.

The winery based in Buellton, Santa Barbara County, is offering a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2009 Pinot Noir in 1.5-liter bags that are equivalent to two regular-sized bottles. And while they may not seem as classy, they do offer several benefits. One is portability, in that the bags are lighter to transport both for the buyer and for distribution, the "Astrapouch" accounting for only 2% of a full bag's total weight. There's also less waste, and the wine is set to keep for 30 days after opening.

[Source: Indulge Wines via Slashfood]

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Tags: boxed wine, indulge, indulge wines, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, wine, wine in a box, wine in a sack

Wine Review: Ponzi 2009 Pinot Noir Tavola‏

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Ponzi Vineyards celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. It's a thriving family operation founded by Dick and Nancy Ponzi back in 1970 when Oregon's wine culture was just getting started. Their philosophy centers around respectful stewardship as well as innovation and experimentation, and four decades later the vineyard is a successful leader in its industry.

Their latest release is a 2009 Pinot Noir, Tavola, which is a "blend from our Avellana, Abetina, Linda Vista, Madrona, Aurora, Buteo and Estate vineyards, as well as fruit from sustainably grown vineyards located in the Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton and Eola Hills AVAs." I was able to try it myself and found it to be delightful and surprisingly refreshing for a red, with bright fruity overtones and a definite lean to the sweet side. It's smooth, well-balanced, and has a soft, lingering finish. Raspberries, strawberries, and spices are prominent on both the nose and the palate. I imagine it would go well with a variety of meals but we paired it with pan-seared salmon and a butternut/pork belly hash and it was great. Overall it gets a 7.5 out of 10.

Ponzi Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir, Tavola, Willamette Valley, $25.

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Tags: pinot noir, ponzi vineyards, review, wine, wine review

Clos de Goisses, Champagne Worth A Ten Year Wait?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Champagne Philipponnat one of the major owners of Grand and Premier Cru vineyards in the region is releasing the 2000 vintage of its single vineyard, Clos de Goisses prestige cuvée. Clos des Goisses – a Grand Cru site – has a southern facing slope and 45° incline creating a lovely, warm sheltered spot to nurture grapes into perfect form. As the ripest vineyard in the region, it is able to produce a vintage almost every year, contrary to the Champagne norms of making vintages every three to four years.

The 2000 vintage is a blend of Pinot Noir (65%) and Chardonnay (35%) and can be aged up to 30 years. There is no malolactic fermentation and the 2000 vintage reflects the warmth of the year with bright, fruity nearly tropical flavors. Oak (just under 50%, no new oak) was partially used in the fermentation process for the first time at Philipponnat, to add complexity. The harvest was reduced to just 20,000 bottles out of a potential 55,000 bottles to cull out the best possible blend.

Why the wait for a 2000? Charles Philipponnat says: "we have always believed in long aging before release and prefer to keep our Clos de Goisses cuvée for 8 to 10 years to allow the wine to develop complexity without losing any freshness."

Champagne Philipponnat is distributed in the U.K. via Les Caves de Pyrène, and the 2000 Clos des Goisses will have an RRP of £125. In the U.S. it will be available at select locations including Zachys where it will sell for $155.

Tags: champagne, champagne philipponnat, chardonnay, france, pinot noir, sparkling wine, wine

Gourmet Latino Vino: Sampling Offbeat Wines from (Way) South of the Border

by Amy Cortese (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Wine, Events

If your idea of Latin American cuisine is tacos and a frosty Corona, you're missing out, amigo. From Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, Latin America offers up a stunning array of flavors and culinary traditions -- and all were on display recently at the Gourmet Latino Festival, a five-day series of events and tastings in New York City. There was Argentine barbecue, Mexican mole, and cocktails made with Peruvian Pisco, Mexican tequila and Brazilian Cachaca.

Being a wine lover, I was intrigued by an event that promised to pair Latin America specialties with wines from surprising regions like Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico. it was held at at Palo Santo, a Latino restaurant in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, where chef-owner Jacques Gautier serves up unusual but authentic pan-Latin cuisine, often using ingredients from his rooftop garden.

"I like to showcase dishes I've come across in my travels but that are less well known," explained Gautier. The same could be said for the wine served that evening.

Tags: chardonnay, chenin blanc, latin american cuisine, Maria Luz Marin, Palo Santo, patagonia, pinot noir, red wine, riesling, sauvignon blanc, south american wine, uruguay, white wine, wine

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Twitter Plans Wine For A Good Cause

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Charity

Twitter is partnering with custom wine producer Crushpad on a new charity-driven project, Fledgling Wine. The Twitter staff will work with Crushpad to make a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay. The fundraiser, the Fledgling Initiative, will benefit Room to Read , a San Francisco non-profit organization that establishes schools and libraries for children in developing countries. Founded by former Microsoft employee John Wood, Room to Read has established 765 schools and filled over 7,000 libraries with more than 5.7 million books. The company says that $5 from every $20 bottle sold will go to Room to Read. Twitter users can follow the progress of the wines through @fledgling. The release date is planned for Fall 2010.

[via SF Gate]

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Tags: chardonnay, fledgling, fledgling wine, fledglingwine, pinot noir, PinotNoir, twitter, wine

The Allison Gives Oregon Wine Lovers A New Place To Stay

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

These days I get excited when a project I wrote about a few years back actually comes to fruition. We first talked about the Allison Inn & Spa back in 2007. It's part of a large development in Oregon's Willamette Valley, an area which is quickly becoming one of the go-to spots for wine tourism. The hotel in Newberg, Oregon has a signature restaurant, 12-treatment-room spa and fitness studio, covered indoor pool and 12,000 square feet of meeting and social gathering space.

The Allison's 85 rooms range in size from nearly 500 to more than 1,500 square feet. Rooms include wet bars, mini refrigerators, Bose sound systems and linen bath robes. There are 20 suites with features like bay window seats, fireplaces and terraces or balconies. Rooms offers pastoral views of oaks and conifers, neighboring vineyards and more than 70,000 recently planted trees, grasses, shrubs and perennials. There is also a one acre chef's garden.

The hotel celebrates the region's famous pinot noir wine with 'pinotherapy' spa treatments. The restaurant, Jory, is named for a soil type that produces Oregon's pinots and boasts 700 wines on its list with 50 available by the glass. Room rates range from $295 to $1,100 and pets may join their owners for a $50 fee per stay.

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Tags: oregon, pinot noir, PinotNoir, the allison, TheAllison, wine tourism, WineTourism

San Francisco Celebrates Pinot Days

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Events

Think that the ZAP Festival is San Francisco's only varietal fest? There is also the Pinot Days event held in the same place, Fort Mason. The event, which takes place from June 24 to June 28 includes winemaker dinners, focus tastings and more. The big event is the Grand Festival on June 28th which hosts over 220 Producers from California, Oregon, New Zealand and Australia and like the Zinfandel festival offers the chance to compare the different expressions of pinot from a variety of places and producers. The tagline for the event is Serious Wines, Serious Fun, a phrase that embodies the spirit of the food-friendly and sophisticated pinot noir. The main tasting is $50.

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Tags: pinot, pinot days, pinot noir, PinotDays, PinotNoir, wine

Chilean Wines Making Impression on U.S. Consumers

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Argentina and Australia have both widened our national palates and expanded our wine vocabulary. As they have grown in prestige and density the U.S. has embraced their unique qualities and beamed with pride at the continued diversity of personal wine knowledge.

Another country home to the Southern Hemisphere is also prompting increased interest among oenophiles -- Chile. Although known for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends exports for Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Carmenere and Syrah have increased in spite of the American recession. To capitalize on consumers' continued interest in the range of wines from Chile the 'Wines of Chile' is to open a new U.S. office in NYC.

If you're unfamiliar with Chilean wines I suggest you start with the Carmenere -- typically they are full-bodied and hold a deeply colored essence plus it sounds sensual when it rolls of the tongue.

Gallery: Chilean Wine Tasting

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Tags: cabernet blends, cabernet sauvignon, CabernetBlends, CabernetSauvignon, carmenere, chile, chile wines, chilean wine, ChileanWine, ChileWines, pinot noir, PinotNoir, sauvignon blanc, SauvignonBlanc, syrah, wines of chile, WinesOfChile

Signaterra Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Benzinger's Signaterra wine is a new wine label that seeks to join the best of three forces, earth, nature, and man for excellent wine. They have produced two wines, the 2006 Bella Luna Pinot Noir Russian River Valley and the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Shone Farm Vineyard Russian River Valley. The Signaterra wine notes are divided into Earth, Nature and Man categories which describe the location of the vineyard and how it is formed, the climate and how the grapes are tended (often using organic, biodynamic and sustainable farming methods) and the way the grapes were harvested and how the wine was produced. At $24, the Sauvignon Blanc is on the pricier end of that varietal. The San Francisco Chronicle recently named it tops in their tasting of Sonoma County Sauvignon Blancs finding it rich and well-balanced with notes of jasmine and mango cream aside the citrus and grassy flavors traditionally associated with Sauvignon Blanc.

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Tags: benziger, pinot noir, PinotNoir, sauvignon blanc, sonoma county, SonomaCounty, wine

French Maid Wine

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

In keeping with White Rocket Wine Company's niche of bringing new brands of high quality, affordable wines to the new generation of wine drinkers comes French Maid Wine. Each of the five varietals from the French 'Old World' Languedoc region is given a 'New World' spirit. Offering a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc, each French Maid Wine brings French terroir to the newbies of the wine world on a smaller budget of only $12 per bottle. For the connoisseur who prefers more luxury priced wines this may not be the bottle of choice but as an introduction to wine it just may fit the bill.

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Tags: cabernet sauvignon, CabernetSauvignon, chardonnay, french maid wine, FrenchMaidWine, merlot, pinot noir, PinotNoir, sauvignon blanc, SauvignonBlanc, white rocket wine company, WhiteRocketWineCompany

Grand Cru Estates, Make Your Own Pinot Noir In Oregon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Yesterday I mentioned Crushpad but they aren't the only ones in the make your own wine business. Another make-your-own wine business has launched, this one in Oregon. Grand Cru Estates is a 13,000 square-foot winemaking facility breaking ground this month in the Yamhill Carlton AVA. Partners Domaine Danielle Laurent and Bailey Estate Vineyards have created Grand Cru Estates as an exclusive winemaking club that lets members create a barrel (25 cases) of their own premium Pinot Noir. Each membership offers interaction with the winemaking team both in the vineyard and in the winery and includes winemaking seminars, winemaking dinners, a biodynamic garden for member use and personal access to the winery for private events and personal concierge.

Club membership is available immediately beginning with the 2008 fall harvest with an initial membership fee of $5,000 for the first 30 founding members, along with a $20,000 fee for each member barrel.

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Tags: oregon, pinot noir, PinotNoir, wine

Pinot Lovers' Cruise

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Yachts & Sailing

The second "Pinot Lovers' Cruise" is scheduled for May 31 - June 12, 2009, and combines the wines of August West with Freeman Vineyard & Winery. The 12-day trip on Oceania Cruises' Insignia makes stops in 12 cities, starting in Rome and ending in Istanbul. Oceania only carries 650 passengers and is known for its relaxed, no-tie policy, and gourmet cuisine, overseen by Executive Chef Jacques Pepin. The cruise includes a private winemakers' dinner, wine tastings and discussions, tours of top Italian wine-estates and plenty of Pinot parties.

Freeman has been named as one of the Magnificent 30 "Hottest Pinots" by the Wine Spectator, while the San Francisco Chronicle recognized August West as one of its top 10 wineries of 2005. Both wineries have received multiple 90+ scores from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and the Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine.

Cruise prices range from $3,649 - $7,049 per person double, including free airfare from 20 major U.S. airports. Book by September 1 and receive prepaid gratuities, worth up to $300 per cabin.

Tags: August West, AugustWest, cruise, cruises, cruising, Freeman, Jacques Pepin, JacquesPepin, pinot noir, PinotNoir, wine

Winderlea Vineyard and Winery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Another fine winery has opened up a tasting room in Oregon. Winderlea Vineyard & Winery, a luxury boutique winery specializing in limited production Oregon Pinot noir has opened their new tasting room on Worden Hill Road in Dundee. Owners Donna Morris and Bill Sweat retired from the business world and moved from Boston to Oregon in 2006, purchased the Goldschmidt Vineyard in the heart of the Dundee Hills and devoted themselves to creating fine Pinot noir. The inaugural 2006 vintage consists of three bottlings: 2006 Winderlea Goldschmidt Pinot noir -- a single vineyard designate from their estate vineyard, the 2006 Winderlea ANA Pinot noir -- a single vineyard designate from the highly regarded ANA vineyard adjacent to Winderlea, and the 2006 Winderlea Inaugural Reserve Pinot noir made up of fruit sourced from the neighboring ANA and Weber vineyards. Winemaker Robert Brittan formerly of Stags Leap Winery makes Winderlea wines.

Winderlea's new sustainably built 4000-square-foot tasting room includes a commercial kitchen and has solar hot water heaters and Day4 Energy photovoltaic modules to meet its energy needs. . The east and south sides of the building are made up entirely of glass and aluminum providing dramatic views over the Oregon countryside. The tasting room will be open Memorial Day through Thanksgiving on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11AM to 4PM. All proceeds from the winery's $10 tasting fee will be donated to !Salud!, an alliance between Oregon winemakers, Tuality Healthcare and medical professionals to provide education and access to healthcare services for Oregon's seasonal vineyard workers and their families.

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Tags: oregon, pinot noir, red wine, winderlea, wine

Foursight Wines, A Winemaking Family Gets Hands On

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

I'm far too lazy to have my own winery but I love stories of small family-owned wineries. Foursight Wines is a new Anderson Valley family owned and operated winery producing just a few hundred cases of cool-climate Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc each year. Foursight Wines is a collaboration between two generations of the Charles family: Bill and Nancy - local winegrowers - their daughter, Kristy (the executive director of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association), and her fiancé, Joe Webb (a Sonoma State Wine Business graduate, currently working with Londer Vineyards). That's Kristy and Joe hard at work in the picture on the right. The name refers to the four people behind the wine as well as to four generations that have lived and worked on the same land which has in the past been a timber mill, farmland, grazing land for livestock, and now a winery.

The 2006 Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir was hand-harvested from the family vineyard and sells for $46 (425 cases produced). The 2007 Anderson Valley Sauvignon Blanc came from the Ferrington Vineyard and was made in 100% stainless steel and sells for $20, (189 cases produced). All vineyard work is done by the family, with help only during pruning and harvest. A tasting room is in the works and should be open in fall 2008, for now the wines can be ordered at the winery website.

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Tags: anderson valley, foursight wines, FoursightWines, pinot noir, red wine, wine

MooBuzz Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The folks at Don Sebastiani & Sons always think up clever names for their wines. From the same guys that brought us Used Automobile Parts wine comes MooBuzz, a new brand that will focus on super-premium Burgundy grape varieties grown in the Sonoma Coast appellation. The brand will focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietals. Why MooBuzz? it is a tribute to Sonoma Sebastiani calls the land of milk and honey (moo for cows, buzz for bees). The suggested retail price for the 2006 MooBuzz Pinot Noir is $25 and the 2006 MooBuzz Chardonnay will retail for $20.

[via Avenue Vine]

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Tags: chardonnay, moobuzz, pinot noir, sonoma, wine