Many wine drinkers only tend to think of areas like Napa, Sonoma and even Paso Robles as the only good wine regions of California. There’s no doubt that great wines do come from those regions, however, there’s a particular one that you should be aware of – the El Dorado Wine Region.

Its higher altitude naturally lends itself to the growth of phenomenal Rhone grapes like Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. It’s my opinion that all too many people have had a bad experience with some of these grapes as they had them from regions which don’t do them justice.

Crystal Basin Cellars, in Camino California, definitely knows what its doing in regards to Rhone grapes and nothing cements that notion better than a recent sample I did on their wines.

2007 Mourvedre Reserve – W.E.P. Rating: 80%

Technical Data:

Source: Fodhla Vineyard and Spanish Creek Ranch, El Dorado County

Harvest Date: October 20, 2007

Brix at Harvest: 26

Time in Barrel: 18 months

Type of Oak: New and used French & American

Alcohol: 15.9%

Bottled: April 9, 2009

Production: 179 cases

Price: $27

Nose: Black pepper, bell pepper, cranberries, raspberries, bubble-gum, cinnamon, cloves and chocolate.

Taste: Definitely get the black pepper dancing across the tongue with the bitterness of cranberry coming through into the mid-palate transistion. In the end, I get the hints of cocoa powder, cinnamon, raspberry, cedar plank and cola. The finish  is too short for me, however.

2007 Reserve Grenache – W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Technical Data:

Source: Duarte Vineyard, El Dorado County

Harvest Date: October 25, 2007

Brix at Harvest: 26

Time in Barrel: 18 months

Type of Oak:Neutral French & American

Alcohol: 16%

Bottled: April 9, 2009

Production: 69cases

Price: $28

Nose: Dried cherries, white pepper, shoelaces, cranberry, dried red delicious apples and prune juice.

Taste: A stellar mix of the cherries and cranberries right off the bat that are almost perfectly rounded-out with amazing acids and tannins that hold it all together, keeping it in-check. The finish on this wine is insanely great – the acids and fruit carry on for days and quite simply demand tomato-based pasta dishes with rich cheese and/or beef and veal.

2007 Reserve Syrah – W.E.P. Rating: 150%

Technical Data:

Varietals and Sources: Suma Kaw Vineyard and Gold Hill Vineyard, El Dorado County

Harvest Date: September 30, 2007

Brix at Harvest: 26

Time in Barrel: 18 months

Type of Oak: Neutral French & American

Alcohol: 15.3%

Bottled: April 9, 2009

Production: 250 cases

Price: $22

Nose: Blackberry jam laced with blueberries and spices like cinnamon and clove on the back end. I also pick up an almost nutmeg / caramel action as well.

Taste: Hello blackberry and blueberry – my antioxidant lovers. The berry component on the front-end can’t be ignored. Very solid wine from start to finish – I love the solid tannins mixed w/ the obnoxious blackberry and blueberry fruit. I really get the spice component picking up stronly across the mid palate as well as good acidity. The finish brings on notes of leather, attict dust, footlocker and christmas spice that lasts for hours. This is easily one of the best syrah’s I’ve ahd from anywhere at this price point. I’d HIGHLY encourage you to seek it out and try it asap.

Winery website: www.crystalbasin.com

Located in Richland Washington (Tri-Cities), J. Bookwalter winery has become an iconic brand of quality wines to many winos in this great state of Washington and for good reason. It has done a great job of making consistently good wines at prices that typically are on-point. After all, who doesn’t like a good value in wine these days?

For the “Foreshadow” Cabernet Sauvignon, JB works with top-vineyard sites which are quite literally scattered throughout most of the Columbia Valley, including such famous AVAs as Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills. Sublime fruit, a good oak program and hopefully a winemaker that knows to get out of the way and allow all of that incredible fruit to stand on its own merits.

This is my first review of one of their wines, so I’m exited to get into it.

Technical Data:

• Appellations/Vineyards 48% Red Mountain: 32% Klipsun, 16% Ciel du Cheval, 40%
• Columbia Valley: 24% Dionysus, 16% Conner-Lee, 7%
• Yakima Valley: 7% Elephant Mountain, 5%
• Horse Heaven Hills: 5% McKinley Springs
• Final Blend 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc & 2% Petit Verdot
• Aged for 20 months in new, one and two-year-old French oak barrels. Most, if not all of the barrels were three year air dried, thin stave, medium toast with toasted heads.
• Cases Produced: 1181 12-pack cases/750m
• Bottled Summer 2009
• pH 3.71
• TA .59, alcohol
• 14.9% by volume
• Price: $36

Nose: “Christmas spices”, red cherries, black pepper, baseball glove, road tar, charred asparagus, chocolate and tobacco.

Taste: Excellent balance of fruit, tannins and acids. I totally get the red-fruits across the front-end – you know, raspsberries, cherries and red pears. But across the mid-plate is there the chocolate, tobacco and what I’ll call “charrdness” picks up. Good finish – one that is totally superior to any cab from California I’ve had in this same price-range. This is a solid cab that is creeping up there a tad on the price-scale but still a good overall value. It’s still a VERY young cab and would do well to decant for an hour or more before drinking.

W.E.P. Rating: 95%

Winery website: www.bookwalterwines.com

Most folks only think of Malbec when it comes to the country of Argentina and the reason is simple- it’s what “they do”, right?  Well, not exactly – they also produce a lot of other varietals that are simply rocking things out of the park at the price-points they’re able to hit.

In fact, I’d say that dollar-for-dollars, it’s really difficult to match the QPR of Argentina right now this side of Spain or Portugal. In this review, I take a gander are a Torrontes, a Rose and finally a Malbec.

These wines are imported to the USA by Frederick Wildman and Sons which is based out of New York. It has established itself as a premier importer and are sticklers on quality.

2008 Don David Torrontes Reserve – W.E.P. Rating: 100%

Technical Data:

• Wine Type: Dry White
• Grape Type: 100% Torrontes.
• Country: Argentina
• Region: Cafayate Valley
• Alcohol: 13.9%
• Sugar 4.0 grs./lt
• Acidity: 6.2 grs./lt
• pH: 3.35
• Price: $16

Nose: Jasmine, grapefruit, kiwi, chock-dust and gravel.

Taste: Classic jasmine fruit across the mid palate along with some orange peel, grapefruit pulp, and a touch of dust. Good acids, good body and a soaring finish that has superb hang-time.

There are many reasons why I simply love the torrontes grape and just about each time I have one, I’m reminded of how fruit, dry and food-friendly they really are. This is a grape that I believe has a really good chance of sneaking in under the radar and grabbing a lot of market away from Pinot Gris.

2008 Michel Torino Malbec Rose – W.E.P. Rating: 95%

Technical Data:

• Wine Type: Dry Rose
• Grape Type: 100% Malbec.
• Country: Argentina
• Region: Cafayate Valley
• Price: $15

Nose: A little rose petal action right off the bat along with cherries, rhubarb, spice and some honeysuckle.

Taste: I’m getting that classic mix of strawberries and pepper along with some very nice notes of gym socks, red delicious apple and a touch of pear. Good fruit forward action with a solid mid palate transition. The end is very solid and finishes rather well.

2007 Trapiche Broquel Malbec – W.E.P. Rating: 50%

Technical Data:

• Alcohol: 14 %
• Charactteriisttiics Total acidity: 6.30 g/l
• pH: 3.30
• Sugar: 2.78 g/l
• Price: $15

Nose: Peppered jerky smell right off the bat. Nice layers of leather, charcoal and blackberry.

Taste: Sour cherries, rhubarb, black pepper and leather belt. I’m not really into the way this wine finishes as it’s a bit too hot and gets too disjointed for me on the back-end. For my money, there are more exciting malbec’s out there.

The husband and wife team of Optima Winery in Healdsburg California started in 1984 and has remained a relatively small, family-run winery that produces premium wines. Its mission is quite simple – work with top vineyards in and around its local regions and help them each showcase those particular vineyard sites.

Mike Duffy is the winemaker and moved to the Sonoma area back in 1983 with the hopes of one day owning his own winery. He and Nicol have a “Brady-bunch” type family now and couldn’t be happier. It’s been over 20 years now and they show little signs of slowing down.

In this review, I take a look at their Cab, Petit Sirah, Zinfandel and Zinfandel port:

2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Technical Data:

Not available as of press time.

Price: $40
Nose: Black peppercorns, sweat-sock, tobacco, big-leage-chew, charred jalepeno and a pile of fresh earth in your hands.

Taste: Dark chocolate, cherries, twizzlers, road-tar, cigar wrapper and some spice hit the front of my palate. There’s a decent mid-palate transision that takes place, with some leather components and a touch of saw-dust in the mouth sensation that pick up for me. The end has quite a bit of acidity that rings through but still has ultra-tight tannins. I think this wine will drink much better with more time in the bottle – this is a wine you’d really do best to decant for a few hours.

2006 Petit Sirah – W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Technical Data:

• Appellation: 100% Dry Creek Valley
• Alcohol: 14.5%
• pH: 3.78
• Total Acid: 5.6
• Residual Sugar: None
• VA: 0.88 g/L
• Total Phenols: 2930
• Composition: 92% Petit Sirah and 8% Zinfandel
• Price: $32

Nose: Cocoa powder, blueberries, star anise, white pepper,

Taste: Definitely get a nice dark chocolate flavor along with the blueberries, blackberry, and some nice hints of leather chunks, saddlesoap and gym sock. Strong acids in this wine help help it age well and it maintaints a very strcutured feel all the way through. My only concern at this point is that – to me – the wine still drinks a little young – I’d love to hit it again in a couple of years to see how it matures.

2006 Dry Creek Zinfandel – W.E.P. Rating: 95%

Technical Data:

• Appellation: 100% Dry Creek Valley
• Acohol: 14.5%
• pH: 3.62
• Total Acid: 5.57
• Residual Sugar: None
• VA: 0.87 g/L
• Total Phenols: 2099
• Composition: 90% Zinfandel and 10% Petit Sirah
• Price: $25

Nose: Smoked bell peppers, black licorice, hickory, match stick and blackberry pie.

Taste: Take a can of cherry coke, shove a bunch of used match-sticks into it and a few drops of liquid smoke and that’s what you’ll have right off the bat with this wine. It’s full of smokey, dark fruits that linger quite nicely on the end and has some good acidity to help guide it along. This is not your typical “overly-flabby” California Zin.

2005 “Orgaz Zin” Port Zinfandel – W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Technical Data:

• Appellation: 100% Dry Creek Valley
• Alcohol: 20%
• pH: 3.71
• Total Acid: 5.60 g/L
• Residual Sugar: 9.7%
• VA: 0.75 g/L
• Composition: 100% Zinfandel
• Barrel Aging: 12 months in French Oak
• ProductionL: 2160 bottles (500ml)
• Price: $26

Nose: Dark chocolate, candy-cane action, black pepper, some medicine cabinate as well. mile chocolat, black raspberries and tar.

Taste: A FRIGGIN TIDAL WAVE OF dark chocolate, milk chocolate, some whoppers candy – a little malt action. I’m also getting that Vicks44D cherry flavor across the mid-palate and the dark fruits pick up on the finish – blackberries, black cherries and raspberry. The finish is quite long but does end on a slighty tart note which helps clean out the sweet.

Winery Website: www.optimawinery.com

Eisch is a german-based glassware maker that has been producing high-quality products since 1952 and has a world-wide reputation as a premiere brand. The premise of this glass it to help it air-out the wine while in the glass – it does so by using a super-polymer layer that creates tiny pockets of air that encompass the wine.

For this review, I picked out a 24% lead-crystal glass that I normally use that has a near identical shape to the Eisch. Of course this “Breathable” glass contains no lead at all, so I’m very interested in the results.

“Normal Glass”

Nose: pencil lead, wood shavings, sunflower seeds, plums, dark raspberries, cherries and pipe tobacco.

Taste: It’s like someone took a #2 pencil that had been dipped into a black fruid and red berry reduction sauce and drew a straight line down the middle of my tongue. It’s a very focused – almost tight – flavor profile.

“Breathable Glass”

Nose: Same notes as above but a lot more “relaxed” and open in the glass – less tight, if that makes sense.

Taste; I’m still getting the lead, berries and black fruits, however, the flaVors seem to spred across the palate a lot more evenly. In addition, it does have a greater sense of being “more relaxed” as well – the tannins have started to soften quite a bit.

Overall Impressions:
In the end, this glass did work, overall, for what it was designed to to – help wines open up quicker and have a greater sense of flavor. However, it doesn’t seem to have as great an effect on all the wines I’ve had in it but I can say with certainty that it’s a worthwhile glass to check out.

Price: $30

W.E.P. Rating: 95%

Link to official site:
http://www.eisch.de/eng/website/news/sensisplus_glass/index.php

Yeah, that’s right, Austria – you know, G’day Mate? Oh, right, it’s Austria not Australia – they make wines there? They sure do, and some of the more intreguing whites I’ve had in quite some time.  This small country in the southeastern part of Europe has a long history of producing quality wine-grapes, however, doesn’t have near as big of a following as other regions around the world here in America.

Darcy and Huber – the two men behind “The Austrian Wines” company in New York are looking to change that for the better by importing top-quality Austrian wines that showcase what that country is capable of producing.

In this review, we’ll take a look at four different whites, so let’s get into it:

2007 Hajszan Geminschter Satz Weissleiten – W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Price: $25

Nose: Sea salt, lemon curd, jasmine flower, blue stone, grapefruit and kiwi.

Taste: Spritzy lemon/lime action on the front-end – sort of like a 7-up invasion here but in a tame way. Nice bright acids have a good sugar compliment and don’t get too crazy. Super clean finish leaves a nice amount of fig and apricots hanging out on the tongue, along with some spice.

2007 Martinshof Dac Gruner Veltliner – W.E.P. Rating:  95%

Price: $19

Nose: Hints of apricots, bananna, green apples, peaches and grapefruit.

Taste: This wine is rather “viognier-like” in its approach. It has some of the semi-spicy notes a good, dry viognier has but it’s much lighter. Excellent layers of light fruit skimmers across the palate – peaches, green apple skin, peach skin, bananna peels and a hint of lemon and kiwi. Excellent acidity rips at the back-end and the finish is quite nice. Overall, a very solid effort.

2008 Rotes Haus Gruner Veltliner – W.E.P. Rating: 95%

Price: $20

Nose: Nice aromas of petrol, white peaches, flint, bananna, lavender blossoms, jasmine.

Taste: Excellent acids that embody waves of pears, peach skin, bananna peel, jasime, sea salt and flint – almost a pea-gravel thing going on here. A very dry white that has so many possibilities with food. It has a really godo balance of acids and fruit which help keep it in check. I’d easily pair this with everything fraom fresh seafoods to sushi to beef tar-tar.

2008 Edlmoser Gemischter Satz – W.E.P. Rating: 85%

Price: $23

Nose: Salt water taffy, green apples, pineapple and grapefruit.

Taste: Really nice, firm acids that explode into a tidalwave of tropical fruits – kiwi, lime, sour apple jolly ranchers and grapefruit. Good mid-palate transistion where there tartness and really picks things up – it sort of reminds me of a margurita with the salt around the brim. Good finish that hangs out for awhile with enough acids to make it very food-friendly.

For the complete list of available Austrian wines from Darcy and Huber, you can visit their website here:

http://www.theaustrianwines.com/darcy_and_huber_selections/Shop.html

Based in McMinnville Oregon, Panther Creek Cellars has been at it since 1986 with a model of picking top-shelf vineyards in its surrounding areas. Their goal? Simple. Produce best-of-class wines that reflect the terroir of each vineyard and ultimately showcase what Oregon is capable of.

I fell in love with their wines last year so it’s great to see how things are progressing – this time with a pair of their whites. I realize that not many people outside the state of Oregon thinks “chardonnay” when thinking of Oregon, but I’ve had some really nice ones from there. To me, they’re typically a lot more acidic then what you’ll find in hotter regions, however, I find them very appealing.

Of course Pinot Gris has become a staple in Oregon winemaking and really should be more widely accepted on a national and international scale for how well it can be made in Oregon. I know too many people who have a limited “Pinot Gris Palate” – and they should really try to branch out and try Pinot Gris from other areas.

2008 Chardonnay – W.E.P. Rating: 100%

Technical Data:

• Bottling Date: April 15, 2009
• Release Date: July 1, 2009
• Alcohol: 14.1%
• Cooperage: 7 month, stainless steel
• Fermentation process: No malolactic, dry
• Production: 300 cases
• Vineyard: Volcanic Nekia and Jory soil
• Price: $20

Nose: Green apples, jolly ranchers, grapefruit, kiwi and pears.

Taste: Reminds me of eating a freshly picked apple from the tree – add in some hints of grapefruit juice and the flavor of an apple jolly rancher candy. Stellar apple flavors that pick up quite heavily across the mid palate and that is where the nice acids start kicking into gear as well. Good, clean finish on the end make this one of the more desirable chardonnay’s I’ve had in awhile.

2008 Pinot Gris – W.E.P. Rating: 120%

Technical Data:

• Bottling Date: April 2, 2009
• Release Date: May 1, 2009
• Alcohol: 13.2%
• Cooperage: 6 month, stainless steel
• Fermentation process: No malolactic, dry
• Production: 300 cases
• AVAs: Approximately 70% Willamette Valley and 30% Rogue Valley
• Price: $14

Nose: Grass-laden grapefruit, lemons, rose petals and a very nice petrol action.

Taste: Superbly bright tropical fruits cascade across the front-end of the palate and have a nice supporting cast of acids which help keep it all together. This is an exceptional pinot gris that is a stark reminder of why Oregon kicks ass with it. Nice long finish has enough acidity and left-over fruit to tear right through heavy cream-sauced pasta or with pesto. An exceptional effort that should be highly sought after.

Without a doubt, Ravenswood Winery is one of the most well-known Zinfandel producers in the United States and the world. Its owner and winemaker, Joel Peterson, most likely bleeds zinfandel. It’s his unadultered passion for this noble grape is one of the primary reasons behind it and he has made it his mission to bring quality zinfandel to the masses.

Last year, I reviewed some of his more value-driven zins and so it was a nice surprised to take a look at one of Ravenswoor’s single-vineyard wines as well.

Technical Data:

Location:   Dry Creek Valley

Acreage: About 30 acres

Year planted:  Oldest vines planted from 1913–1919

Soil type:  Gravelly clay loam

Climate: Very warm North Dry Creek weather, little fog

Elevation: About 300 feet

Exposure: On the Dry Creek bench, with a slight western exposure

Spacing: Oldest vines 8′X8′, younger vines vary from 6′X10′, 6′X12′, 8′X12′

Yield: About 3 tons per acre

Varietals: Varieties separated in blocks, Zinfandel, Carignane and Petite Sirah

Blends vary based on vintage characteristics.

Rootstock: St. George

Price: $35

Nose: Dried cherries, eucalyptus and raspberries right off the bat that smell as if they’ve been shoved inside a sock. I also get some nice notes of green peppercorn, black licorice and dark chocolate.

Taste: Rhubarb-laced raspberry pie, with allspice, cherry-cola, shoe-leather, charcoal and plumsauce. A good mid-palate transition that has the fruit showing strong across the entire palate. This wine started off rather awkward for me, however, after a while of decanting, it opened up rather well. A good effort but to me there are more interesting zinfandels in its price-range or slightly less.

W.E.P. Rating: 65%

Over the past few months, I’ve had the chance to get to know Eric Ross a little bit via Facebook and it’s been a pleasure to understand what makes him tick. His winery by the same name, is located in Glen Ellen California and sources quality vineyards to make a variety of wines – reds and whites.

Like many smaller producers, however, many of you will have a hard time sourcing his wine outside the state of California and may have to just order directly, assuming you live in a state he can ship to.

In this review, Eric sent us three wines to taste, however, the Syrah that showed up was corked so unfortunately I won’t be able to include that in my tasting notes but at least in the picture below you can see what the bottle looks like.

2008 Marsanne-Roussane – W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Technical Data:
Varietal: 48% Russian River Valley Marsanne
52% Russian River Valley Roussanne
Acidity: 0.61 g/100ml
pH: 3.52
Residual Sugar: Dry
Alcohol:14.4 %
Harvest: October 20, 2008
Bottled: August 17, 2009
Cases: 185
Price: $28

Nose: Green apple core, key-lime, ruby red grapefruit along with really nice hints of stonefruit here – peaches and pears.

Taste: Really bright fruit on the front end which cascades layers of peach flesh, kiwi, lime, and grapefruit for days. Solid mid-pallate with a good amount of “spritziness” that starts to surge. Good back-end that finishes well with really nice acids and quite simply screams out for a shellfish apetizer or even a heavy cream-sauced pasta dish.

2008 Pinot Noir – Saralee’s Vineyard – W.E.P. Rating: 110%

Varietal: 100% Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Acidity: 0.56 g/100ml
pH: 3.9
Residual Sugar: Dry
Alcohol:14.4 %
Harvest: September 30, 2008
Bottled: August 17, 2009
Cases: 316
Price: $40

Nose: Smoked paprika, bacon, wet cedar for days, plums, cinnamon, cloves and some nutmeg.

Taste: The cedar and smoked paprika hit your tonuge right off the bat and then comes a nice tidal wave of cranberries, plums, a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. It starts picking up a nice musty sock flavor towards the back of the palate and the fruit does a good job of keeping the heat at bay. A full-bodied pinot that is among the better Pinot’s I’ve had from anywhere. This is such a food-friendly wine that I could see having it with pizza or london broil.

Winery Website: http://www.ericross.com/

If you were to have the chance to meet the winemaker at Four Vines in Paso Robles, Christian Tietje, and ask him what his style was, he’d most likely say “to make wines that do a kick-ass job of representing their varietal composition”. His fresh, bold attitude is, fortunately, one that we’ve been seeing more of over the past few years and I believe it’s a step in the right direction for helping to “take the snob out of wine”.

We first met Christian at the Seattle ZAP event have got the time to know him a bit and have really come to appreciate his demeanor. In this review, I take a look at four zinfandels from this relatively young winery.

2007 “Biker Zinfandel” – W.E.P. Rating: 100%

Technical data:
Varietal: Zinfandel
Appellation: Paso Robles
Alcohol: 15%
ph: 3.47
Total Acid: .53
Cases produced: 4091
Price: $25

Nose: black cherries, jam, black pepper, charcoal, tobacco and cola.

Taste: Vanilla-toasted black-cherry chocolates assault the front pallete and tug along a very lush mid-palatte transition of some char, asphalt and arugala. Very long finish that lasts for days with a stellar mouth-feel.

2007 Martinelle Vineyard Zinfandel – W.E.P. Rating: 80%

Technical Data:
Varietal: Zinfandel
Appellation: Paso Robles
Alcohol: 14.9%
ph: 3.37
Total Acid: .75
Cases Produced 343
Price: $35

Nose: Blackberries, sour cherries, vanilla, hazelnut, pomegranate.

Taste: Really nice attack of blackfruit coming into the mouth – blackberries, black plum, plum skin, black cherry cola. This gives way to a decent mid-palatte that consists of leather, saddle soap, cocoa powder and vanilla. The finish is okay but a bit too hot – you could hide some of the heat, however, if you pair it with the right kind of grilled foods.

2007 Sophisticate Zinfandel – W.E.P. Rating: 70%

Technical Data:
Varietal: Zinfandel
Appellation: Sonoma County
Alcohol: 14.8%
ph: 3.69
Total Acid: .71
Cases Produced: 1124
Price $25

Nose: Strong vanilla on the nose – like so many zins – along with spicy raspberries, milk chocolate, black cherries and blackberries.

Taste: Strong dose of vanilla-covered spiced red fruits along with anise. As with all of these wines there’s a good dose of fruit and spice right off the bat which does have a decent mid-palate transition, however, the finish has too much vanilla in it and is too short for me.

2005 Zinfandel Port – W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Technical Data:
Varietal: Zinfandel
Appellation: Paso Robles
Alcohol: 18%
ph: 3.65
Total Acid: .68
Cases Produced: 1100
Price: $25

Nose: Dark chocolagte with a MASSIVE attack of cigars and hints of peppered blackberries and black cherries.

Taste: A dominican cigar, caramel, blackberries, dark chocolate and a touch of honey. Superb “mouthfeel” that slides easily down the ol’ hatch. Good finish that lingers quite well – would be an easy pick with some cheesecake.