With a title like that you would think I would be writing about Pinot Noir.  Well… You are right, but not in the traditional sense.  I want to give a quick toast to Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe Vineyards, not only does he make wonderful Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with tremendous Acidity and Character, but he also makes a Pinot Noir Rosé that will knock your socks off.  So instead of discussing any of the traditional Pinot Noir at the tasting I would like to delve into the intricacies of the most intriguing wine at the tasting, 2009 Clos Pepe Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir.

Clos Pepe, a 29-acre family owned winery and vineyard, is divided between 25 acres of Pinot Noir and 4 acres of Chardonnay.  The yields from the vineyard range from 1 – 2 tons per acre which is a tiny amount, so small that it is less than half of yields allowed in Burgundy’s Grande Cru AOC system.  The farming is outstanding, producing low yields of extremely high quality.  The soil is driven by minerality with large deposits of Calcium and Calcareous Shale. 

Out of the many Pinot and Chardonnay that I have tried, there are few vineyards that I can say, “I have never had a bad wine from this site”.  Well, Clos Pepe is one of those vineyards.  If you have never experienced this vineyard, quickly run to your wine shop and find any bottle that carries the Clos Pepe name.  Then sit back, savor the wine, enjoy some food, and maybe share a little with friends.

Now back to that Rosé… This pink wine has backbone with plenty of acidity and bone-dry.  This is not your grandma’s Rosé.  This is a food pairing wine, with enough acid to pair with crab, sea bass, halibut, and an array of poultry (Pheasant would be my personal preference).  Could be a nice apéritif as well, pairing this wine with a triple cream brie would be heavenly. The alcohol is nice and refreshing at only 12%, it is a wine that you can chill down and drink all summer long!  The most amazing aspect, it’s available via the Clos Pepe Estate website (www.clospepe.com) at only $23. Trust me, a great value that will not disappoint!

This was a night that we honored a great friend and a farewell to his long-standing tenure at one of our favorite Napa Valley Restaurants.  Sure, Restaurant Cuvee (www.cuveenapa.com) will still be one of our favorite places, but it is hard to believe that Chef, Octavio Berrera will not be preparing the food.  “Tavo”, as we call him, has become a great friend over the years, and his food is heaven.  With the menu containing contemporary California cuisine, Tavo added his own Spanish flair to the dishes.  His additions of traditional textures, spices, and overall flavors make him a stand out as one of the up and coming stars in the Napa culinary scene.

My wife and I like to try to have “date night” once a week, as a time to enjoy each others company in our otherwise hectic lives. Last night was everything that we have become accustomed, the service, food, and of course the wine was great.  It being, our good friend Tavo’s last night we ordered all of our favorites.  Which made it even better is that it was Wednesday, “3 for $30 night”.  On this night Cuvee offers 3 courses for $30, and no corkage fees.  Naturally, we brought an interesting bottle from our cellar, a 2003 Nickel & Nickel Rock Cairn Vineyard Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The Menu:  Well it was the Chianti braised short-ribs for both of us (they are to die for).  I started with the duck cups, and wifey started with the wedge salad.  For those of you that do not know, duck cups are lettuce wraps with a filling of duck confit with Asian spices, mushrooms, cashews, cilantro, and bunch of other goodness. We also decided to get the same desert, the world-famous churros.  These are not like any churros that you have had before.  Actually, once you have these you will never eat another churro… Nothing compares.  This ordering is different then we regularly order, as we both like to try a variety of food, but tonight was about the Tavo specials! 

The Wine:  WOW!  This wine was rocking… I called Nickel & Nickel today to try and get more, but well, no more 2003.  I will be buying the current release, 2006.  The Rock Cairn vineyard was planted in 1984 is at the southern edge of Oakville. It is a 30 acre vineyard named for the “cairns” or piles of rocks that were formed long ago when Indians traversed the hills and would place a rock on the pile as an offering for safe passage. The site is composed of deep gravelly loam with a western exposure, and the vines produce very concentrated fruit late in the season. The wine was in its stride, deep, rich, with velvety tannins. Cassis on the nose yielded to accents of vanillin and sweet pipe tobacco.  On the palate the wine was full-bodied, with espresso blending with cherry, and Kirsch.  A perfect pairing with the short-ribs and the duck cups.

At the end of the night we wished Tavo our best luck.  After he takes some time off, we will be waiting to see where he lands.  I have a feeling we will see him very soon opening his own establishment.  I know I will be a big supporter of any establishment where he is in the kitchen.  So, this is toast to a great friend, great cook, and a wonderful gentleman.  Tavo, best to you, we can’t wait to see what the future holds!

I was excited about the walk around yesterday because Hendry Winery brought their primitvo and Zinfandel.   We ended up discussing the history of the two varietals and their differences.  According to the ATF (Alcohol, Tax and Trade Bureau) they are similar enough to be considered the same grape. The differences between the two grapes are really not that cut and dry and it depends who you ask if you want to know whether or not they are the same grape.  The last winery I worked for grew Primitivo but called it Zinfandel once it was in bottle.    The representative at Hendry told me that the Primitivo they bring in from their vineyards is a much smaller grape, it comes in a bigger less dense cluster and even the color of the grape is more intense.  It also ripens earlier then Zinfandel. 

After tasting the Hendry Zinfandel and Primitivo it becomes quite evident that no two wines are truly created equal even if they are almost an exact clone of each other.   The Hendry primitivo has beautiful aromatics that are much like that of Zin.  However, much to my surprise the flavor profiles of the two are very distinct.  

The 2006 Hendry Zinfandel Block 7 & 22 is a classy little thing as far as Zinfandel goes. It has vibrant aromatics of chocolate and dried cherries.    It has a juicy mid palate and luscious mouth feel.   It has the red raspberries laced with chocolate and white pepper that are so classic for Zin.  It is also nicely balanced and doesn’t slap you in the face with tannin and alcohol (like many California Zin’s do) 

The 2006 Hendry Primitivo is a more masculine wine.  I think the main differences are the tannins and acidity.  Even though they are a bit harsher there seems to be less tannins and more acidity then the Zinfandel. The Primitivo has more floral notes and I like that it has a very distinct violet aromatic.  The Primitivo showcases cinnamon, white pepper, black pepper and bright red fruit.  The Primotivo seems to be a little more in your face then then its long lost twin. 

This comparison would be a really fun tasting for you and your friends to try.   Zinfandel and Primitivo are the only two separate varietals that I can think of that are this much of a genetic match.   I was somewhat surprised that the two wines were so different & I think you will be too!

To learn more about the Hendry Wines and the differences between Zinfandel and Primitivo please visit  www.hendrywines.com

Over the years I have profiled the customers that stop through tasting rooms (some good & some bad), and through these observations have categorized some of the stereotypes:

1.) The Learner – These people typically do not know much about wine.  They are eager to learn. They might not buy a lot, but, normally, these are the folks that leave the tasting room knowing more about the wine process. While, this person may not ask challenging questions, this customer leaves feeling like they have accomplished building upon their education.

2.) The Know it all – We all know these people!  This person normally has enough knowledge to make them dangerous, but figures all winemaking processes are the same. They like to argue and challenge the tasting room staff.

3.) The Party – You will normally see them leave the limo or party bus with  a rum & coke or a beer. They walk in the door with the cocktail, and when told they can’t  bring their cocktails into the tasting room, they will “chug and dispose” then want to start the tasting. Typically, they will talk among themselves while drinking the wines as if it were in a shot glass. This includes a sub-grouping of Bachelorette parties. If you have ever heard the sound of 20 young ladies, then you know there is no chance of getting a word in. 

4.)The Anti-Social – You will recognize this person right off the bat, as they will avoid eye contact. They will not ask questions and they will give one word answers.  I am not one of those people who talks just to hear myself speak, but every once in a while the conversation with the “anti-social” will in actuality just be with yourself!  

Feeling out the customer is a very important part of hospitality service. You do not want to react the wrong way with the many stereotypes you will encounter. Remember that the learner may become your largest customer in the future. This is the most rewarding customer. Once they leave the tasting room you feel like you are sending them back out into the world with a new knowledge. I have been told that there are no stupid questions, just stupid people. This is true and if people want to learn they may need to start from the beginning. The “know it all” will often enjoy talking about themselves, the easiest way to sidetrack them is with the, where are you from, where are you going for lunch, what wines are you favorites, etc… Do not let them get under your skin, and remember that, while you are right, the customer is always right. Grin, nod, and say, “Wow, I did not know that, I learned something new today!” Then laugh at the pompous comments with your fellow coworkers after they leave. The Party, well just go with it. I am sure that we have all been there. This group is all about fun, make sure that they are not too drunk, they have a designated driver, and maybe offer some water. Other then that, crack some jokes, pour some wine, and hope that they do not get too rowdy.  Unfortunately, for you and the rest of the world there is nothing you can do about the anti-social, you can not teach personality.

For fun, I have made a top 10 list of funny things people have said in the tasting room, you can guess on the groupings for these comments:

10). Great reserve Cab, we’ll take four cases; this will be awesome for pizza Thursdays.

9). He said, bung hole, hahaha

8). So, this is a wine library, I thought there would be books

 7). I’m buying this to mix with Fresca during the summer.

6). Wine & Women are so similar… They both like to lay down in the dark.

5). It says strawberries on the tasting notes, at what part of the process are these added?

4). I’m a winemaker, would you like to see my jugs and box?

3). Son, I am a wine connoisseur, and there is no such thing as a white Burgundy.

2). Wow, your Zinfandel is Red!

1). Yes, I was in Napa… I’m refusing the charges because I do not remember buying three cases of Cab.

Finally,  the reenactment from Sideways where Miles chugs the dump bucket is up there in the comical ratings.  People always like to use that one! Tasting rooms should always be a great place for fun & education.

 After many years working, managing, and overseeing hospitality, now running day-to-day operations, I do not get to spend as much time as I would like in the tasting room. This is the most rewarding part of the industry.  Educating the consumer only helps in the overall sales effort. While brand loyalty in the industry is tough to gain, I believe that it is not impossible and the best place to build this, is in the tasting room.

Last night we went downtown for a little glass of wine at my favorite local wine bar, The Bounty Hunter.     The owner, Mark Pope and his crew really do it right.  I travel all over the nation selling our wine to restaurants and wine bars and without a doubt Bounty Hunter is one of the best.  Bounty Hunter captures the one thing that most wine bars don’t and that is FUN.   This is not your average wine bar.   They play rock n’ roll, serve great BBQ and have a wine list that represents wines from all over the world.  If you’re feeling a little wild you can even sit in one of their saddle bar stools.     They have over 400 bottles of wine in their retail shop, at least 40 wines by the glass and a long list of wine flights.  They even have several beers on tap and a beer list that represents much of the globe as well.      

I started my night off with a glass of 2008 Hollywood & Vine Chardonnay from Napa Valley.  This is a really fantastic winery here in the valley.  They are known for their Atlas Peak 2480 Cabernet and Chardonnay.   I have had their wines before and have never been let down.  The 2008 Chard is 70% barrel fermented and 30% tank fermented.  It has nice acidity and flavors of crisp apple, pineapple, strawberries and pears.   The mid-pallet is full and rich and has a ton of butterscotch, baking spice and vanilla.   The finish was a little short at first but once it opened up a bit it lingered and lingered.

After the butterscotch bomb, I was warmed up and ready to move into an interesting red wine.   We decided on a bottle of 2006 Gaja Sito Morresco (Lange, Italy).   The Sito Morresco was awesome.  It was very tight when we first opened it so we decanted it for a while and then dug in.   I don’t have a lot of experience with Nebbiolo’s and blends so this was a rare and fun treat for me. This wine is 35% Nebbiolo, 35% Merlot, 30% Cabernet  it is stylistically contemporary in pallet, has great fruit and is much more reasonably priced then Angelo Gaja’s main label.   The wine had nice floral notes, deeply concentrated cherry flavors and little hints of orange peel.

For more information about the Bounty Hunter please visit www.bountyhunterwine.com

Last night was a great night!  I sold 45 cases of wine to the Bounty Hunter Wine Bar, It hailed in Napa (California’s version of a snowstorm!)  and we had our famous  girl’s night.   This week it was my friend Katie’s turn to host.  Janice Isley also joined us last night and brought a 2006 Cabernet from her winery.   The 2006 Cabernet had not yet been released so it was fun to get a sneak peak.   The Isley’s have been making great wine in Napa Valley for over 50 years in the Stags Leap district- so it is pretty safe to say that they know a thing or two about makin’ some real  fine wines!   We decanted the wine for about an hour while we munched on Risotto, Cheese, and our daily gossip. 

After the hailstorm, a ridiculous game of apples to apples, and several bottles of champagne the ladies were rearing to take the red wine for a spin.   The 2006 Isley was UNBELEIVABLE!   2006 is quite young for a Napa Cabernet – she was a little shy at first but once that sassy thang opened up she was like a new animal.  It had a beautiful, floral and perfumed nose, flirty on the pallet, and surprisingly quite polished for such a newbie.    Janice blends Malbec into her Cabernet program which gives the wine a little more structure, color and tannin.    

 Malbec originated in France and was one of the six grapes that were allowed to be blended into Bordeaux wine.   Malbec is known for its inky color and its tannic structure.  The Isley Family planted their first Malbec Vineyards in Napa in 1996.  The Malbec is a dead giveaway in the Isley Cabernet because of the deeply concentrated blackberry flavor profile and structure.  This wine has so many layers that I don’t really know where to begin.   You get the floral first followed by cedar and spice…the mid pallet explodes like a fruit bomb and coats your mouth with cherries, blueberries, and tons of rich black fruit.  The finish is long and leaves coc0a lingering on your pallet, long after you have  finished sipping it  (or chugging as we girls sometimes like to do)    

This is by far one of the best Napa Valley Cabernets I have tried in quite some time.  Its predecessor, The 2005 Cabernet (which is the current vintage) received 94 points by Wine Enthusiast and was very highly reviewed and rated by some other big boys, Laube, Parker etc.  There is a wonderful elegance about this wine but what I love most is that there is not a whole lot to think about….it is simply, interesting, fun and dang good.  (Kind of like our girls night!)

Thanks so much ladies…..it was yet again… another very wild night with ya’ll…. .And snow in Napa??  Who Knew??

I highly recommend you check these wines out for yourself.   Please visit www.isleyvineyards.com

The Loire Valley Sits to the South of Paris and stretches west to the port city of Nantes along the Atlantic Ocean.  Many rivers run through the Loire giving a range in soil conditions from rich metamorphic soils to calcareous limestone and river bed soils.  This gives the Loire a wide range in flavors from richer rounder wines to zingy zesty minerally wines.  With Loire River being the longest river in France it yields many micro-climates. Splitting into other tributaries, such as the Maine, Nièvre, & Erdre on the left-bank and Allier, Cher, Indre, Vienne, & Sèvre Nantaise on the right bank, adds finger-like cooling influences to the north and south Loire Valley.  Due to all these factors, winemakers of Loire have styles of Chenin Blanc ranging from bone-dry Sparkling wines to Botrytis dessert wines. 

We explored five wines from Loire encompassing two distinguishing different soil compositions.  We tasted three wines from Touraine, a more inland region of Loire located just east of Tours.  Touraine sits with the Loire River to the North and the Cher River to the South and has Tuffeau soils, a relative to Limestone.  The remaining two wines are from Anjou, a coastal region between Nantes and Angers.  Anjou sits on both the north and south banks of the Loire River intersecting at the Maine River and has Schist soils, which is the same as metamorphic.  

Since Loire wines tend to range from Bone dry to sweet, we tasted wines which were Sec and Savennières being more austere, bone-dry wines with intense minerality and also tasted Demi-Sec and Doux which have more honey and botrytis notes with tart citrus and minerality. Wow what a day, I had waited for this tasting all week, and finally it was here.  

The Wines:   

Touraine 

1. Olivier Deletang Montlouis-sur-Loire “Les Batisses” Sec 2007      $14.40/bottle 

-  Fresh notes of juicy pear, jolly rancher tart green apple, developing into star-fruit. Opening up to little hints of SO_2, and rounding off with a pronounced minerality of wet-stone. 

2. Francois Pinon Vouvray “Cuvée Tradition” Demi-Sec 2007                     $18.90/bottle    

-  Grandma’s newly baked apple pie hints at a little baking yeast with undertones of dried hay or straw. An aspect of caramel and honey dazzle the palate ending in a floral note of orange blossom. 

3. Olivier Deletang Montouis-sur-Loire “Les Batisses” Demi-Sec 2007        $17.10/bottle    

-  Notes of Limon-Lime start leading into tree fruits.  This wine is “Driving Miss Daisy” and all over the road and palate.  It now leads to dried fig and river-rock with a lush velvety finish. 

Anjou 

4. Domaine Des Baumard Savennières 2005                                     $20.70/bottle    

-  Hay and cut grass start this wine into a fire of burnt toast.  A chemical aspect, which smells like Mom’s hair dye, takes over.  As the wine opens it shows some bruised and dried tree fruit and leans towards to creamy almost leesy finish. 

5. Domaine Des Baumard Quarts de Chaume 2004                                       $63.00/bottle 

-  This Botrytis dessert wine opens with freshly made apple sauce & baked pear.  Additions on vanilla extract, honeycomb, & butterscotch give this wine the elegance of a full length botrytis feature, creating a wine that is delicately sweet without being cloying. 

Which is my favorite?  Well that is a good question, with these wines being so different stylistically it is hard to choose.  I tend to like wines with more lean and austere flavors, which fit the  descriptor of the Oliver Deletang “Les Batisses” Sec 2007.  I took home a few bottles that evening and opened the Sec up with a grilled chicken salad.  This wine is perfect for almost any occasion and over-achieves in value given the price. 

Who in Napa does these out-of-the-ordinary import tastings?  Back Room Wines (www.backroomwines.com), which has weekly tastings most of which take us out of our normal routine and put us in another region.  It takes us out of our element, and gets us to refresh or educate our pallets with different regions.  They also sell me on probably too many imports, but hey, it gives us something different to share with friends.  

 I find that if you drink too much of a particular wine you start to develop a “house pallet”.  It is hard to break this routine, especially when you are showing the same wines and/or varietals 5 – 7 days a week to different restaurateurs and retailers.  Trust me, I love my domestic Pinot Noir, but there is more out there and it is good to keep an open mind. Some people say variety is the spice of life and with wine I find this statement true.

From a man’s perspective this is one of the most exciting parts of the year.  You have the NFL playoffs climaxing to the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks, March Madness is just around the corner, and pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training starting on February 17^th.  With all this excitement in the sports world, this is normally the time of year that I take the deep fryer off the shelf and it finds a vacation spot on the kitchen counter. Sometimes it takes until the Super Bowl to get this going, but this year it started a little early, as in this past weekend. 

It started as a normal Saturday, a cup of coffee, list of errands, the Dog wanting to play, but this Saturday was going to be different with what seemed to be two very exciting NFL games on the TV. I was dedicated to getting my list of chores done early. So here was the ever exciting list: Go to the Dry Cleaners, Post Office, Grocery, and then my favorite stop of the day, Mumm Napa Valley.  If you join the Mumm Wine Club, and you choose the pick-up at Mumm option, you will soon find out that they are very persistent with phone calls and letters letting you know your wines are ready.  Of course, the pursuance might stem from the fact that I usually have around 6 months of shipments by the time I make it up that way.  Congratulations, you are on the Mumm naughty list!!!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand – Champagne and Chicken Wings.  Saturday would not prove itself as exciting as the day was perceived.  The football games were blow-outs and since the wife was out-of-town no Champagne was opened.  However, on a side note I did make some killer empanadas for a friend’s b-day party.  This, of course, marked the deep-fryer out of retirement playoff opener, like the great #4, Brett Favre.  The wife would return home later that evening to the fabulously sweet aromas of Duck Fat, and at this point she knew there was no return.  The fryer was out and there was going to be a great surprise for Sunday football!  Oh, and the surprise was about 3 pounds of wings and a case of bubbles from the previous day.

I was so excited; I pondered how I had made it through the whole regular season without wings?  The idea of chicken wings gave me hope that the Sunday games were going to be more entertaining.  Normally Sunday football calls for wings and beer, but given the circumstance of having all this sparkling wine, I reminisced of an event a few years earlier down in Texas.  It was after a long day of selling Pinot Noir down in Austin.  I want to say it was in September and a day that was stifling hot.  I went with one of our wine reps to Stubbs restaurant and he convinced me that anything cold with bubbles would pair with BBQ.  We ordered up a bottle of Shramsberg Blanc de Blanc and shared our opinions with others around us, and many were so surprised that we possibly came up with the perfect pairing.  After my day-dream of BBQ and Schramsberg was over, I thought lets give hot-wings and bubbles a try! 

We popped open a Mumm Brut Prestige and found that the dryness and acidity really cut into the spice of the wings quite well.  While the football games still lacked that exciting edge we had anticipated, we found that with enough wings and sparkling any day can live up to expectations.  The moral of the story; There is a wine out there for every occasion.  Sometimes pairings do not reach expectations, but it is about enjoying wines and trying new experiences with family and friends.  Do not hesitate to venture outside the realms of normal pairings, throw out those old wine pairing rule books, and just drink wines you like with foods you like!

From a man’s perspective this is one of the most exciting parts of the year.  You have the NFL playoffs climaxing to the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks, March Madness is just around the corner, and pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training starting on February 17^th.  With all this excitement in the sports world, this is normally the time of year that I take the deep fryer off the shelf and it finds a vacation spot on the kitchen counter. Sometimes it takes until the Super Bowl to get this going, but this year it started a little early, as in this past weekend. 

It started as a normal Saturday, a cup of coffee, list of errands, the Dog wanting to play, but this Saturday was going to be different with what seemed to be two very exciting NFL games on the TV. I was dedicated to getting my list of chores done early. So here was the ever exciting list: Go to the Dry Cleaners, Post Office, Grocery, and then my favorite stop of the day, Mumm Napa Valley.  If you join the Mumm Wine Club, and you choose the pick-up at Mumm option, you will soon find out that they are very persistent with phone calls and letters letting you know your wines are ready.  Of course, the pursuance might stem from the fact that I usually have around 6 months of shipments by the time I make it up that way.  Congratulations, you are on the Mumm naughty list!!!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand – Champagne and Chicken Wings.  Saturday would not prove itself as exciting as the day was perceived.  The football games were blow-outs and since the wife was out-of-town no Champagne was opened.  However, on a side note I did make some killer empanadas for a friend’s b-day party.  This, of course, marked the deep-fryer out of retirement playoff opener, like the great #4, Brett Favre.  The wife would return home later that evening to the fabulously sweet aromas of Duck Fat, and at this point she knew there was no return.  The fryer was out and there was going to be a great surprise for Sunday football!  Oh, and the surprise was about 3 pounds of wings and a case of bubbles from the previous day.

I was so excited; I pondered how I had made it through the whole regular season without wings?  The idea of chicken wings gave me hope that the Sunday games were going to be more entertaining.  Normally Sunday football calls for wings and beer, but given the circumstance of having all this sparkling wine, I reminisced of an event a few years earlier down in Texas.  It was after a long day of selling Pinot Noir down in Austin.  I want to say it was in September and a day that was stifling hot.  I went with one of our wine reps to Stubbs restaurant and he convinced me that anything cold with bubbles would pair with BBQ.  We ordered up a bottle of Shramsberg Blanc de Blanc and shared our opinions with others around us, and many were so surprised that we possibly came up with the perfect pairing.  After my day-dream of BBQ and Schramsberg was over, I thought lets give hot-wings and bubbles a try! 

We popped open a Mumm Brut Prestige and found that the dryness and acidity really cut into the spice of the wings quite well.  While the football games still lacked that exciting edge we had anticipated, we found that with enough wings and sparkling any day can live up to expectations.  The moral of the story; There is a wine out there for every occasion.  Sometimes pairings do not reach expectations, but it is about enjoying wines and trying new experiences with family and friends.  Do not hesitate to venture outside the realms of normal pairings, throw out those old wine pairing rule books, and just drink wines you like with foods you like!

Our winery actually produces Petite Sirah as well,  so  I get the question a lot “What is the difference between Petite Sirah and Syrah?”   All I know is that they are two separate varietals, but here is the real skinny on the subject.  As it turns out , Petite Sirah’s mother plant IS IN FACT Syrah.  So to sum it up briefly Petite Sirahs “baby mama”  is Syrah.  Petite Sirah originated from the Rhone in France and was created when Peloursin “the baby daddy” and Syrah were  crossed.  So there you have it!   …we have some baby mama drama to add to our Petite Sirah Vs Syrah battle.

The Contenders; 2006 Guffy Syrah, Corners Napa Valley & 2006 Guffy Petite Syrah Mendocino County

The 2006 Guffy Syrah has aromatics of  ripe blueberries, cherries and raspberries.  It has a little bit of  cola and  eucalyptus.   The Guffy Syrah comes from Carneros, Napa Valley.  There are  a ton of eucalyptus trees in the appellation.   The sap that falls from the eucalyptus is Puuuhngent and undoubtedly plays a role in the wines for some Carneros producers.  However tonight I am the only one who smells eucalyptus so I might just be crazy.  Back to Guffy, this wine is fantastic for a  “RAB” I am pleasantly surprised.  It is full bodied, very ripe and has a long finish that leaves vanilla, baking spices and a little bit of cocoa lingering.  If I were a fancy wine writer I would give this wine 90 points.  But I am not…so whatever.

 The 2006 Guffy Petite Sirah is totally outrageous right out of the gate.  I feel like I am getting smacked around by its big tannins and it’s and instant love hate relationship.   It is super ripe, jammy and has this crazy concentrated blackberry fruit flavor.  The finish has a lot of  mocha.  I love that….but I feel like it is not as balanced as the syrah.   The syrah was a little more sophisticated to me.   It had more layers.  This Petite Sirah is wonderful it is just not as well rounded as the Syrah.  HOWEVER- many people are into the jam in the jar thangg and I can’t hate…it is a great wine.   I would rate this wine 88 points.   Ladies and Gents,  if I were the line judge on this one , it would be a tight match but I do believe the Guffy Napa Valley Petite Sirah would take the  cup.

If  you personally would like to take the Petite Sirah/ Syrah challenge, check Guffy Family Wines out.  They are an excellent boutique family owned winery in Napa Valley.   They produce very small quantities of their hand crafted wines and I believe you  can only purchase from the winery.  http://www.guffyfamilywines.com/

Do it! and then let us know which varietal wins your “battle of the bands”!

Enough for today my friends there is too much good football on!  Let’s go Vikings… Love ya Brett.

http://www.guffyfamilywines.com