Toward the end of 2012, I took a two-day wine tasting trip with my cousin, Nicole. She lives out of the country, all the way on the other side of the world (read: Australia), and so my family and I don’t get to see her all that often. Because of these far-and-few-between visits (well…every other year is actually REALLY good), I’ve been trying to make sure that we get to spend a little time together. This time, I insisted that we tackle some wine tasting, and this is something I recommend you try as well.

Step 1: Identify the person you think you can hang out with for at least two days of tastings
Step 2: Pick a theme
Step 3: Plan a little, or plan a lot, but plan to have a great time!

My question to my cousin: Which do you want to taste – red, white or sparkling? Her choice: sparkling. EEeexcccellleenntt! I’ve been wanting to focus on sparkling wines, because they are actually not in my “wheelhouse” of wines (read: I kinda stink at focusing on sparkling tastings). Since we were both going to be located in the greater North Bay, I decided to theme our two-day outing as Sonoma vs. Napa Sparklers. Now, some might say “sparkling in Winter?!”. Yes! IMO (in my opinion), wine tasting in winter is the best time to go tasting, because not as many folks are around, and that means more time/opportunities to speak with the tasting room staff to learn about what you’re tasting.

Sonoma locations: J Vineyards, Korbel, Iron Horse Vineyards, Gloria Ferrer
Napa locations: Domaine Carneros, Domaine Chandon, Mumm Napa

Though many of the wines from these wineries wouldn’t have been looked at me regularly, I can’t not mention the fact that sometimes even the main Wine Deviant (me) needs to break out of looking for what is different about wines or wineries to focus on doing a different kind of activity. And this is what you should do to! Be different, and plan a themed wine tasting. Go for a specific varietal, clone or just style of wine, and tackle it! It’s time to learn!

As for our fun, here are my nerdy notes for the wines that stood out (and many of which, I purchased):

J Vineyards 2002 Brut Magnum RRV
score: 4 out of 5
n: gala apple, light yeast, opens up to creme brulee & caramel, amazing!
t: light cremant, slight creme brulee, short finish

Korbel 2008 Masters Reserve Blanc de Noir, $25 (50% Pinot Noir, 40% Sangiovese, 10 unknown/blend)
score: 3+/4 out of 5
n: fruity nose, slight taffy
t: wow! a stand-out to all the rest, not familiar with use of Sangiovese for a sparkling wine, but a fun choice!

Iron Horse Vineyards 2008 Wedding Cuvee $38, (85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay)
overall, our 1st choice here, obvious crowd-pleaser
(sorry the notes are sparse on this one…end of the day, and we were outside in the cold. I really liked it, but I was clearly ready to go home, by the way that note reads)

Gloria Ferrer Va da Vi NV (non-vintage), $22 (Muscat addition)
score: 4 out of 5
n: nice fruit, apple cider note
t: mimics the nose, nice body and light bubbles, nice sweetness to the cuvee, good fruit sweetness, good acidity, peach (white)

Gloria Ferrer Anniversary Cuveee NV (non-vintage), $40
score: 3+/4 out of 5
n: mild apple (gravenstein) and slightly creamy
t: nice creamy, yeasty notes, slight citrus peel, good finish

Domaine Carneros 2008 Brut Cuvee, $27
score: 3+/4 out of 5
n: white flower/lemon flower
t: round body, nice mandarin citrus note, good crispness, long finish

Domaine Carneros 2008 Vermeil Demi-Sec, $36
score: 3+/4 out of 5
n: slightly creamy note, honey note durig warm up and light white flower
t: nice mold fruity sweetness, white peach and pear notes, gala apple on backend

Mumm 2007 Blanc de Blancs
score: 4 out of 5
n: Granny Smith nose, tart
t: tart, granny smith prevalent, round, very good balance

Mumm 2000 DVX
score: 4+/5 out of 5
n: beautiful creme brûlée!
t: same as nose, creamy, light lemon, long finish, light green apple and slight pineapple. This wine was incredible, and a testament to what Mumm sparkling wines can do when left to cellar for a few years!

So, put Quixote on the list and learn all about the magic that surrounds you from a genius Viennese artist Hundertwasser and his own style of identifying how this building would come to be. (The story includes a lake that doesn’t belong and naturalism – what a wild man!) And now, my favorites from the tasting that day:

Panza 2006 Grenache-Mouvedre

The short:

1. The flavors and aromas are pretty common to these varietals, but still a lovely wine to consume;
2. The label doesn’t immediately remind me of anything else out there, and they have this whole line in screw caps for happy, immediate consumption. This line, however, isn’t the one with the outstanding label (see Quixote wine below)
3. The tasting room truly does stand out and provide a shine to this 2nd label for the company. There are some great stories here;
4. For this region, Grenache and Mouvedre are not typical varietals found here. And, it’s a shame to learn that this will be their last vintage of this blend with only 40 cases left at the time this was written. They tore these vines out to make room for more of one of their other varietals. To me, that’s a shame, as this is a blend that continues along the path of setting them apart from others in the valley…but, whatever!

The judgement: 3+ out of 5. Part of me enjoying this wine is that it’s not what’s regularly on the Napa Valley menu, and the rest of me is enjoying it because it’s their expression of Rhone (region in France) blending. And “mama” likey the Rhones.

The nerdy notes:

• Nose: deep cherry, nice oak, deep dark fruit
• Taste: moderate depth of dark red fruits, nice finish, hint of anise on the back end

P.S. I’ll be providing a 24-hour follow-up to this, so stay tuned!

Quixote 2005 Petite Syrah

The short:

1. You’ll see in my Nerdy Notes section a mention of nachos and peppers. This is kind of speaking to a slight green and pepper note, but it’s not obvious. It actually took some time, swirling and digging to stumble across it, and it was there  and gone in a flash;
2. Love the label, especially considering it was designed by the same man that designed the building during an airplane trip back from visiting the site where Quixote would be built. It definitely stands out! Also, this main line of wines is also ALL in screw cap – folks, that signals to me that these are to be consumed within 5 years or less;
3. Again, the tasting room is just one element of many that makes this winery and it’s wines stand out. Well done;
4. Petite Syrah is around the area, but not in the TOP-top of what people think of when they think Napa Valley wines. At least, I don’t think so. Would love feedback on this from folks out there.

The judgement: 4 out of 5. Yeah baby. I was really happy with this bottle, and am ready to head back to the winery to get a bottle of this!

The nerdy notes:

• Nose: slightly poopy upfront, big jammy fruit, currant, meaty, and nachos w/ jalepeno peppers, slight black pepper note
• Taste: jammy raspberry/blackberry combo, meaty, nice mouthfeel and body
• Extra-nerdy: These folks boast organic farming and plentiful cover crops for their 28 acres of estate grapes!

When I think of well-known wine regions in the U.S., I think of Napa and Sonoma – each region boasting popular varietals:

Napa

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chardonnay
• Merlot
• Zinfandel

Sonoma

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chardonnay
• Merlot
• Pinot Noir
• Zinfandel
• Sauvignon Blanc

There are a few more varietals grown in each region, and a solid list of these can be found on the Napa Valley Vintners and Sonoma County Vintners websites respectively. In fact, many of these “alternate” varietals will be talked about and plenty of reviews will show up in the near future.  But every so often, you’ll also see reviews or discussion about these “normal” varietals too. Why? Because sometimes you stumble across a bottle that doesn’t quite fall within the “normal” or well-known characteristics.

That being said, there is A LOT of ground to cover when it comes to many other wine regions in the U.S., let alone the world! And so, I’ll be making my way through some of what’s in my own “cellar”, but I want your feedback on not just wine regions in the U.S. that need to be covered, but specific wineries, winemakers, and varietals that need to be examined. So plug your suggestions below, and let’s get going!