All of that adds up to a pretty fun and busy life, not to mention fantastic quality time with the Lady, of which and whom, I absolutely adore.   Recently my side-life got even busier (but healthier), by getting pulled into triathlons by my bro in-law.  I competed in my first USAT sanctioned adult race earlier this year, throwing up a 03:45:02 time in what many people consider to be the most difficult Olympic length triathlon, at Wildflower 2013.  Whew…that’s a lot of moving parts!  But OK enough whining, let’s talk about other people with side gigs, namely, insanely talented winemakers that produce wine under their own, tiny production labels.

Kale Anderson - courtesy Pahlmeyer

 Kale Anderson is a rather quiet, young winemaker, who’s actions with wines tend to speak much louder than himself.  He has rocketed up the ladder of wine, with significant stints at (a personal favorite) Terra Valentine, then Cliff Lede & Poetry, and now as Director of Winemaking at the highly esteemed Pahlmeyer.  With all of these accolades, particularly in the realm of fantastic, bold, and balanced Cabs, it might come as a surprise that Kale has gone a different route for his own label, Kale Wines (FB, WL).  Yet, once you open Anderson up and get the quietly passionate man to discuss his wines, you find out that he has a deep appreciation for Rhone varietals and French dry rosé.  Indeed, when one works your day job making fantastic Bordeaux and Burgundian varietals, why not head off after a long 12+ hour day and make wines that charge your palate in a different, and yet familiar and most personally delicious fashion?

Kale Sonoma County Kick Ranch Vineyard Home Run Cuvée

Kale Wines throws down tremendously good wines, fully focused around Syrah. My family and I had a fortunate opportunity to sit down for a private picnic tasting with Anderson earlier this year, courtesy of the his label.  The three reds are just stunning…balanced, bigger, yet filled with great smooth mouthfeel, deep and dark fruit complexity, all balanced by the more savory herbs and secondary notes.  Each of the three are a true triumph of terroir and price point.  I can’t (obviously) say enough about these wines and yet…they’re his side job!  The dry rosé features very bright and juicy acidity, balanced with red fruit and citrus.  It was a rather delightful tasting, and we left loaded down with newly purchased wine.

Damien Georis - courtesy Georis Winery

Damien Georis is a man that I’ve written about a number of times over the years.  I first met him a few years ago when he became head winemaker at one of of favorite wineries of all time, Georis Winery (WL) (surprisingly…no relation). For the last 8 years, Georis has been making some of his own delicious vin under the label Madeleine Wines, named for his dearly loved grandmother. Inspired by his beloved Loire Valley, he fashions medium-bodied, distinctly elegant, complex, and balanced reds from Cabernet Franc and whites from Chenin Blanc. Earlier this year, we had a chance to again catch up with Georis and his delightful girlfriend Kierstyn Bachmann-Berlin at the Georis Winery sister Corkscrew Café, courtesy of Damien.

Both of the wines that we tried were wonderful representations of their varietal, each also garnering a WKBadgefor their high quality.  The bright acidity in both wines, balanced with their savory components, fruit flavors, and minerality just force them to happily scream for some accompanying food.

Madeleine Wines - Damien Georis

After five years of tasting these wines I can almost structure the wines’ aromas and flavors in my mind, Georis’ talent at extracting a sense of place and style from these grapes each year is truly phenomenal.  I anxiously await trying his wines each year, all done during extra time after his day (and night) job at Georis Winery.  His wines are delicious.

The takeaway?  Side gigs can be healthy, successful, and fun; but perhaps most importantly: a necessary complement to your daily life.  Cheers!

Kale Wines (FB, WL):

Kale Sonoma County Rosé 2011

Kale Russian River Valley Samantha’s Vineyard Syrah 2008

 Kale Mendocino County Alder Springs Vineyard Spirit Rock Syrah 2009

Color: Deeper violet core, medium violet edges.

Nose: Super good, meaty and tobacco-spiced nose, with violet florals and dark black fruit.

Palate: Very cool and smooth mouthfeel here, with juicy black and red fruit. It is very balanced, with spiced toast and cherry tobacco out into the long finish, showing great acidity and tannin: OldWorldWK.

 Kale Sonoma County Kick Ranch Vineyard Home Run Cuvée 2009

Color: Darker ruby core, with light ruby edges.

Nose: Dried, sweet tobacco, with juicy and ripe blackberry and sweeter toast near the rim.

Palate: Very good mouthfeel here again from this winemaker, with juicy and ripe black cherry. This is all followed by a flinty and minerally, black fruited, earthy and toasted finish. Also shows a good, fine grip: OldWorldWK.

Madeleine Wines (WL):

 Madeleine Monterey L’Arsouille Chenin Blanc 2011

Color: Lighter straw yellow in color, with clear edges.

Nose: Big and bright Meyer lemon here, complemented by a briny minerality, and more floral notes of peach blossoms and fruit.

Palate: Very good, with great complexity for this varietal in the New World. It is light-bodied, with a zesty acidity that refreshes all of that pitted and citrus from the noise with the same seaside saline minerality. A wonderful expression of Chenin Blanc: OldWorldWK.

 Madeleine Paicines Chapitre V – La Pianiste Cabernet Franc 2009

Color: Darker violet and garnet here, with ruby highlights and edges.

Nose: Very good and complex here, with fresh garden herbs and spices of anise, lavender, and rosemary. Then black olive comes in, followed by deep and ripe, yet still bright, cherry and earthier black fruit.

Palate: Also very good here, with great balance between the earthy and savory flavors, complex ripe fruit, silky tannin, and juicier acidity. All of those herbs are present here as well, showing off clove tobacco and cigar box, along with the raspberry, black cherry, and black and red currant fruit. It finishes very long and with great acidity, showing some earth and cigar box again here, as well. An outstanding effort: AwesomeWK.

Recently, there has been an explosion of very useful and very informative wine-related infographics. Leading the charge has been the super-fun wine folks at Wine Folly (Tw, FB, g+), led by fearless leader Madeline Puckette.  They’ve put together a number of fantastic ones, that they also sell as posters, and rightfully so: knowledge can definitely be art.  Another one that really popped out to me was directed my way by my buddy Steve; which nicely combines my science side (meta-analysis) with my wine side (flavors of white wine varietals).

Sean Seidell (FB) is a graphic designer that specializes in creating infographics that “present the results of scientific research through visual design.” Steve sent me a link to an article on PopSci that covered one of his latest infographics, “20 White Wines in 20 Flavors.”  Seidell collected wine reviews from a number of biggie wine magazines and sites, and then parsed out the flavor descriptors for each of the 20 wine white wine varietals.  Using that data, he then was able to fine out which descriptors were most used for each varietal, and plot that as something of an area plot, pointing to each descriptor on a flavor wheel.  Clever stuff!  It’s really cool enough to buy as a poster, in fact.  Check out a low-res preview of the poster below.  Cheers!

20 White Wines in 20 Flavors - Sean Seidell

#PureChablis at Boulevard

The lady and I attended the dinner as media, courtesy of Sopexa and Julie Ann Kodmur.  Our hosts were Françoise Roure, Marketing & Communication Manager for the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB) and the Ambassador and President of the Chablis Wine Board, Jean-François Bordet.  An intriguing younger Frenchman, Bordet is also a vigneron himself as head of his family’s Domaine Séguinot-Bordet (WL) in the village of Maligny in Chablis. We were also rather delighted at the restaurant, as we had never dined at the legendary SF eatery, Boulevard.  Needless to say, the meal was excellent and filled with wonderful deviations off the tasty traditional pairings that I’ve come to love with the light-bodied, very bright fruit and minerality found in Chablis.  I will defer the food review to my lady, Beth Fontaine (Tw) of Rollerskating With Scissors.

Chablis Appellations - from PureChablis.com

Our vinous trip through the wines of Chablis went from the bottom of the already high quality level, all the way to the top.  Chablis has four levels of sub-appellations, each with their own level of quality classification.  They range for the everyday Petit Chablis, to the largest of Chablis itself, all the way to the high end Chablis Premier Cru, and the seven most well-regarded Chablis Grand Cru vineyards.  All are 100% Chardonnay and are defined by their precisely mapped vineyard locations, soils, and closely regulated winemaking methods.  I found the Chablis Premier Cru wines that we tasted to have only the slightest oak notes, and be very zingy with their minerally acidity and very light body.  Meanwhile, the top end Chablis Grand Cru featured a more rounder feel with some tropical fruit to balance that still zesty acidity and citrus fruit from the lower classifications.  All were very impressive and unique however, with the Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2008 ringing in as my favorite of the dinner.

It was a truly educational and of course, super tasty, dining and wining experience.  My hearty thanks to Sopexa, Kodmur, and our Pure Chablis hosts for such a wonderful experience.  You can find all of my wine reviews below and the food recap over at the Lady’s site.  Cheers!

Wines tasted at the San Francisco Pure Chablis (FB, Tw, WL) winemaker dinner at Boulevard:

Domaine Séguinot-Bordet Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2010

 La Chablisienne Chablis Premier Cru Côte de Léchet 2009

Color: Light canary yellow, clear edges.

Nose: Slightest toast and earthier citrus and lemon, then nice granite minerality.

Palate: Medium body here, with rounder smoothness in the feel, zesty lemon on top and a more mineral-zinged, toastier finish. Very good: OldWorldWK.

 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis Premier Cru Les Beugnons 2009

Color: Canary yellow core, clear edges.

Nose: Very clean and fresh, with a mineral-driven, nectarine fruit and the slightest oak tones.

Palate: Light to medium full in body, with a fantastic citrus mix of fruit, led by that nectarine. Beautiful green apple and the brightest acidity for freshness. Very good: OldWorldWK.

Domaine Pinson Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu 2009

Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent 2009

 Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2008

Color: Medium canary yellow, light canary edges.

Nose: Very lush and bright, with slightly toasted peach & yellow apple fruit, surrounded by flinty notes.

Palate: Medium full, with a bright, balanced acidity, lightly spiced orange fruit and lemon zest lead into the very long, earthy, lightly toasted and rounder finish. Extremely good: AwesomeWK.

Domaine Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru Le Clos 2008

Napa Valley

Michael Scholz & Alan Kropf

There will be two online Twitter tastings, both hosted on ToutSuite (my first time using this well-regarded platform).  The first, and the one in which I’ll participate, is tomorrow Thursday 03/21/13, from 4-5pm PST.  The second is this Saturday, from 1-2pm PST.  Scholz will be fielding questions online at @StSupery and through ToutSuite, alongside fearless host and my good buddy Alan Kropf, President of Mutineer Magazine. Below you can find the full list of wines that we’ll be tasting, which I have obviously pre-tasted, in anticipation of the early left coast start time.  I received them as samples, courtesy of the winery.  All are tagged on WineLog with StSupery13.  The full details are in the e-flyer at the bottom.

I hope to see you online tomorrow and cheers!

Wines (StSupery13) from the St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery (FB, Tw, YT, WL) ToutSuite Winemaker Tasting:

St. Supéry Napa Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2012

 St. Supéry Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Color: Dark ruby in the core, with medium ruby edges.

Nose: Very good ripe black cherry here, with cassis, cocoa powder, and light toast.

Palate: Full-bodied, with a fair amount of fine coating tannin that is still integrating with the nice acidity. Good ripe blackberry, cassis, black cherry, fennel, and deep black chocolate; this is drinking well now, but has plenty of time to age, all for a fantastic price: QPRWK.

 St. Supéry Rutherford Estate Merlot 2010

Color: Very dark ruby and violet core, with darker violet edges.

Nose: Deep and ripe black fruit here, with plum, black cherry, and cassis. Leather, warm earth, and dark toast wrap all of this in a dark cloak of unsweetened chocolate.

Palate: Full and extremely smooth and sinuous in feel. This shows off awesome dark and ripe, black and red, juicy fruit, wrapped in earth and leather, anise and black cherry chocolate, all dusted with fine and smooth tannin. Soo good and sexy: AwesomeWK.

St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery Napa Valley Estate Moscato 2012

St. Supéry Live Online Tasting with Winemaker Michael Scholz

Petite Sirah is a grape variety and wine varietal of which I’m quite fond.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me some balance in my wines, but sometimes you just need a big ass wine to take you through the night…and Petite Sirah will be that wine.  Add in 6+ years of good aging and well, you’ve got a thing of beauty: big but finer tannin, leather, earth, loam, spice, black pepper, deep/dark/ripe black/blue/red fruit, and juicy acidity all mean that you’ve got an incredibly big, beautiful, and balanced wine in your glass.

D&D teaches you all of this during the 3 hours of delicious Pets +, in this case, pork.  D&D is known for its chill and unpretentious vibe, along with its fantastic and plentiful small bites. The National Pork Board sponsored this year’s event, meaning that the 30+ chefs, restaurants, and caterers all tossed together some incredibly savory and tasty bites of food, all of which paired brilliantly with the deepness of plethora of Petite Sirah being poured.  I’ll leave the foodie recap to my lady, Beth Fontaine, of Rollerskating With Scissors. The wines listed below are my favs from that tasty night, listed alphabetically (PSILYDD13), and with a couple even gathering some WKBadges.  Look for them near you, and enjoy their boldness!

Favorite wines from Dark & Delicious Petite Sirah 2013 (PSILYDD13):

Carica Sonoma County Kick Ranch Petite Sirah 2008

Carica Sonoma County Kick Ranch Petite Sirah 2009

F. Teldeschi Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah 2000

 F. Teldeschi Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah 2001

Color: Darker violet with brick garnet lowlights.

Nose: An extremely good, earthier nose, with ripe and still bright black and red fruit, with blue poking through as well, along with dry herbal notes, integrated toast and meaty leather.

Palate: Also very good and similar to the nose, with its deep and dark, earthy and ripe black and blue fruit. Great coating and softening tannin, with perfect balancing acidity. A fantastic and balanced wine, with tons of life left: AwesomeWK.

F. Teldeschi Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah 2002

Gustafson Family Vineyards Dry Creek Valley Dry Creek Mountain Vineyard Petite Sirah 2007

Gustafson Family Vineyards Dry Creek Valley East Ridge Block Petite Sirah 2009

 Tres Sabores Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2010

Color: Dark, opaque purple core, dark violet edges.

Nose: Slightly closed at this young age, but still showing signs of deep depths of earthy, cool and ripe black and blue fruit, earthy toast, and good violet florals with some savory herbal components. Very good.

Palate: Young here, but very good feel already, full, yet balanced dark black fruit with some earth and medium toast, good Balanced tannin and acidity. Can’t wait to try this in 3-4 years: KeeperWK.

My favorite of the Chatom wines, by far, is their interpretation of the Old World Portuguese variety of Touriga Nacional: the Chatom Vineyards Calaveras County Estate Touriga.  This wine, usually used as a main blending component of Port, here becomes a beautifully balanced, floral and peppered, black cherry fruited dry red wine, with great structure.  Learn more about Chatom Vineyards in the video embedded below.

For inquiries about the sale of Chatom Vineyards,

contact Agent Ron Schwab, with First Choice Business Brokers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Strada del Vino Terre di Arezzo - #StradaVinoArezzo

As I made my way from my hotel in Florence that morning in late May last year, I had some trepidation.  Usually I travel in media groups, guide at hand to move us in the right direction at all times.  Other times, I’m with my fearless traveler wife, the lady Beth Fontaine (Twitter, Blog), who has the common sense to get us to our designations, regardless of language.  Here in Firenze I was on my own, but armed with some very detailed directions, kindly hashed out by my soon-to-be new guide, the warm and fresh-faced Alessandra Ferrati, whom picked me up at the tiny Montevarchi train station, following my very comfy trip on the local train.  Alessandra was a local, born and raised, and has worked for Strada for the last seven years.  The loose organization is currently made up of 160 members, 70 of which are wine producers, with the rest food producers, restaurants, or agriturismos. The road winds through 8 DOC/DOCG or wine appellations: Chianti DOCG, Chianti Colli Aretini DOCG, Colli d’Etruria Centrale DOC, Valdichiana DOC, Cortona DOC, Valdarno di Sopra DOC, Vinsanto del Chianti DOC, and Vinsanto del Chianti dei Colli Aretini DOC.

Tenuta di Petrolo - #StradaVinoArezzo

My arrival at Tenuta di Petrolo (Tw, FB, WL) had been preceded earlier in the year by none other than the then President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, while on holiday with his family and wife Carla Bruni.  It is with that little tidbit of information that Alessandra introduced me to the winemaker for Petrolo, Dr. Stefano Guidi.  Immediately after arriving, we took a brief tour through the offices of the Estate, and then headed out to view the cellars and winemaking facility. Petrolo is very well respected throughout the international wine community, not only for it’s tremendous wines made from both Right Bank Bordeaux and traditional Tuscan varieties, but also for its legendary estate olive oil, of which I was lucky to obtain a sample (Rollerskating With Scissors article). In addition to its many wine and food products, Petrolo is also an agriturismo, with 5 farmhouses available for weekly rental distributed throughout the gorgeous property. Finally, the estate is also contains a famous ancient landmark, which can be seen on all of its wine labels, the Etruscan and Roman Tower of Galatrona.  It is all that is left from a three towered castle, and sits high above the estate on the hills that separate their land from Siena.

Lunch at Petrolo - #StradaVinoArezzo

During the estate tour, we made it all the way up to the top of the Tower where we saw a fantastic 360 view with miles of the surrounding land in view, much of it made it into my video of this visit to Strada. Owned by Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust and her son Luca Sanjust, the estate produces three premier wines, with no second label or house wine as a base product.  They do produce a tiny amount of dessert Vin Santo del Chianti DOC each year as well, per the Italian norm.  Their Viticulturist Dr. Carlo Nesterini tends to a little over 75 acres under vine, with roughly 65 in actual production. They are converting to Biodynamic, with most of the vineyards almost completed. Due to its extensive green harvest selection process, Petrolo produces only between 5,400 and 6,300 cases of wine per year. Only the extreme best lots of this mainly Chianti fruit makes the cut, and this exhaustive attention to quality is deliciously tasted in their wines.  All feature tremendous intensity and structure, but also the restraint, minerality, deep fruit, and savory components that I have come to love about the great wines from all across Tuscany.

Piazza lunch at Petrolo - #StradaVinoArezzo

We enjoyed the wines over a beautiful, fresh and organically estate-sourced lunch, spread out on their extended piazza, extending out from the main home on the property, though not without some excitement. The estate chef was nearly undone by the house golden retriever, whom managed to scarf up the original spread of cured meats just before service!  Situation solved with a brief trip back into the village, all three of the red wines and the food exceeded expectations, with two of the reds garnering WKBadges of AwesomeWK.  While quite young, they all still featured extremely deep depths of red and black fruit, dark floral notes, tasty and balanced acidity, firm but fine tannin, and wonderful savory notes of wet earth, graphite minerality.  The Vin Santo was also an AwesomeWK crowd pleaser, with unreal viscosity and apricot tinged honey sweetness, again balanced by great acidity.  Quite happily satiated, I bid and fond farewell to both Alessandra and Stefano, and joined my hosts for the final portion of the day and night, the cousins of Migliarina e Montozzi.

Fattoria Migliarina e Montozzi

 Fattoria Migliarina e Montozzi (FB, WL) has its own fantastic, and long, historical story.  The family of Antonio and Carlo originated in Cortona in 1080 under the name Bartolini and following a relocation to Florence and Arezzo, used the name Baldelli.  Now the family uses both names and has owned the two properties that comprise Migliarina since 1608. Both Migliarina and Montozzi were the original sharecropper estates and small villages: Migliarina on the road to Rome down in the valley (literally, the road is now their private drive to the estate) and Montozzi castle perched high above, on the hilltops overlooking said valley. I had the rather fantastic chance to stay in the post-Renaissance main building that still resides on the Migliarina property, in the “Leccio” room.

Fattoria Migliarina e Montozzi - #StradaVinoArezzo

Below my rooms are the tasting room, offices, and traditional winery, but in the 16th century they were the stables along that ancient Roman route.  The rooms are impeccably furnished with traditional Tuscan furniture, beautifully laid out, and still feature all of the modern amenities that you might want, including wifi. Across from my suite was the “new” estate building, built in the 1800′s. A German family was enjoying their holiday in that set of rooms, along with the round estate pool, surrounded by ancient statues, monuments, and a closed mausoleum.  The estate has long produced wines from these lands, but it is only recently that Antonio and Carlo, young and rather dashing 30-something cousins, have endeavored to revive the property.

Famiglia Migliarina e Montozzi - #StradaVinoArezzo

And revive they have done!  The property is now a fantastic agriturismo spot, the winery is continuing to be upgraded, and their vineyards are being replanted as needed and converted to certified organic.  They are also restoring the old villa estate buildings and church that can be found on the hilltops at the Montozzi estate.  Their wines, while already doing quite well based on our vertical tasting dating back to 1962, are even fresher and more balanced in the steady and capable hands of winemaker Beppe Rigoli. The balance of ripe black fruit, mixed with juicier black cherry, and the earthy tannin, new leather, anise, and medium toast that has become a hallmark for me of the great wines from Tuscany can all be found in the very affordable wines from the various labels of the house.  The Fattoria Migliarina Toscana IGT Cavasonno 2007 was a favorite, showing phenomenal complexity and balance, while at an extremely affordable price of roughly ~$18.  As stated previously however, that Fattoria Migliarina Chianti DOC 1962, was just a phenomenal aged wine with its beautiful dried anise.

Fattoria Migliarina e Montozzi - #StradaVinoArezzo

The tasting was accompanied by homemade charcuterie and included all of us together: the two cousins, Beppe the winemaker and his viticulturalist wife, including the two patriarchs, Piero and Giovanni Bartolini Baldelli.  We were high above the surrounding valleys in the garden of Montozzi, with the setting sun dashing across the hilltops and the swallows playing in its last rays…it was difficult not to just sit back and to take in the moment…  With that, we bid arrivederci to the sleeping sol and headed in for a family-style dinner, accompanied by our favorite bottles: it was a beautiful ending.

I sincerely thank the proprietors and staff at Strada Vino Terre di Arezzo, Sally Fischer PR, Tenuta di Petrolo, and Fattoria Migliarina e Montozzi for their hospitality, samples, and the organization of this visit.

Posts on Vinopanion – WineLog.net: http://wkwine.us/V-StradaVA

Wines on WineLog.net: http://wkwine.us/WL-StradaVA

Facebook: http://wkwine.us/V-StradaVA-fb

Flickr: http://wkwine.us/V-StradaVA-fl

Youtube: http://wkwine.us/V-StradaVA-yt

The Wine Traveller Guide/Italy app: http://wkwine.us/LpjQd8

Slow Wine 2013 App – The Wine Guide by Slow Food: http://wkwine.us/WabrRw

Wines that were tasted along the Strada del Vino Terre di Arezzo (Twitter, Facebook, WineLog):

Tenuta di Petrolo (Twitter, Facebook, WineLog):

 Petrolo Toscana IGT Boggina Sangiovese 2009

Color: Dark ruby/violet core, violet edges.

Nose: Beautifully complex nose of dark red and black fruit, deep violets and newly churned earth. Tremendous.

Palate: That same big, but tremendously smooth mouthfeel, beautiful food-centric acidity, and all black fruit. The integrating deep oak is balanced by granite minerality, before the expected, incredibly long finish. Tremendous: AwesomeWK.

 Petrolo Toscana IGT Galatrona Merlot 2009

Color: Dark garnet core, ruby edges.

Nose: Deep chestnut and truffle here, some loam as well, alongside the all dark fruit and dark chocolate notes. Very good, with air.

Palate: Juicy and dark black fruit, toast and cocoa, with that loam that delves more into graphite here, outstanding acidity and silkier tannins. Extremely good: AwesomeWK.

Petrolo Toscana IGT Torrione Sangiovese 2009

 Petrolo Vin Santo del Chianti DOC 2003

Color: Dark brown core, more golden deep amber edges with dark honey lowlights, slightly milky.

Nose: Huge nose, earthy fresh forest honey, with toasted almonds, sweeter vanilla toast.

Palate: So thick and viscous! Softest coating of the mouth, feeling of thick honey. Beautiful honey flavors as well, unfiltered, with a mixture of almond, dried apricot and honeyed toast. Bakanced acid for all of that sweetness. Much bigger and sweeter than others I’ve had, but beautifully unique and balanced. Tremendous: AwesomeWK.

Fattoria Migliarina e Montozzi (Fb, WL):

Fattoria Migliarina Toscana IGT Cavasonno 2004

 Fattoria Migliarina Toscana IGT Cavasonno 2007

Color: Medium garnet.

Nose: Earthy rhubarb here, pencil lead, with some mushroom, as well.

Palate: Round and very smooth here, that same lead and earthy rhubarb too, with mainly black fruit underneath. Good deal: QPRWK.

Fattoria Migliarina Toscana IGT Cavasonno 2009

Fattoria Migliarina Toscana IGT Cavasonno 2010

Fattoria Migliarina Chianti Superiore DOCG 2004

Fattoria Migliarina Chianti Superiore DOCG 2007

Fattoria Migliarina Chianti Superiore DOCG 2009

Fattoria Migliarina Chianti Superiore DOCG 2010

Fattoria Migliarina e Montozzi Chianti DOC 1985

 Fattoria Migliarina Chianti DOC 1962

Color: Brick into blood orange, light orange edges.

Nose: Plum and prune, with some cherry vanilla and hint of VA.

Palate: Light bodied, with super smooth feel, prune here and dried anise with cherry vanilla into the nice acid and light dry tannin finish. Still quite good and will last, even after 50 years: AwesomeWK.

Fattoria Migliarina e Montozzi Toscana IGT Vinile 2010

This time the Twitter tasting will be with Steven Kent Mirassou (Tw) himself, along with their VP of Retail Sales, Tracey Hoff (Tw).  The live online event is on Friday, 02/15/13, from 4- 6pm PST. You can also find the discussion on-going with the twitter handles for both wine labels, listed above.  Follow along with us, as we all taste through the 6 wines from Steven Kent and La Rochelle that are shown below, and join in the vino-educational fun with the hashtag #StevenKentWines.  I received these wines as samples from Balzac Communications. Cheers!

Wines tasted from the Steven Kent Portfolio (Tw, FB, YT, WL):

Steven Kent Winery Livermore Valley Ghielmetti Vineyard Lola 2011

La Rochelle Russian River Valley Dutton-Morelli Lane Chardonnay 2010

La Rochelle Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot noir 2009

La Rochelle Carneros Donum Estate Pinot Noir 2009

Steven Kent Winery Livermore Valley Ghielmetti Vineyard Petit Verdot 2009

Steven Kent Winery Livermore Valley Home Ranch Cabernet Vineyard Sauvignon 2009

I first met Brian Kulich, the dynamic Founder and CEO of Block122, a few months back on Twitter.  At once young and fresh faced, he also shows a dash of silver wine and food wisdom streaking through his hair. He is also as down-to-earth as any wine professional that you could hope to meet. A current alum of the aforementioned BOULEVARD, and former of the also venerable Aqua, he is a Certified Sommelier and 15 year veteran of the west coast food and wine scene.  You can hear more about Block122 from Brian himself, in the Kickstarter campaign video shown below.

You can look forward to many exclusive articles about the west coast wine scene from myself and many other talented food and wine writers that are happily ensconced in this fascinating vinous meridian.  My first article is about a trip that the lady Beth Fontaine (Twitter, Rollerskating With Scissors) and I took to the longtime bubbly producers at Schramsberg Vineyards (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, WineLog).  Later, you can find another article from the legendary Santa Maria Valley growers at Bien Nacido (Twitter, Facebook, WineLog), about their own, tiny production wine label.

So signup for future updates from Block122 (Twitter, Facebook, WineLog), and follow along as they roll out their website. You can also help to support them directly by contributing to their already successful crowdsource campaign over at Kickstarter.  Cheers!

The ZAP organization puts on a week-long festival of Zin every year and this year’s ZAP 2013 Festival runs from January 31 until the ZAP Grand Tasting 2013 on February 2, in San Francisco. Four major events are slated for this year’s run, but many smaller events are happening across the city and the bay, in the weeks leading up to the main events.

It is for you lucky readers that I have procured a special discount for tickets to the Grand Tasting, an event that I’m excited to attend again, after a couple years away.

From the ZAP website:

ZAP Zinfandel Festival 2013

Thursday 01/31 – Saturday 02/02

Epicuria Food & Zin Pairings

Thursday, January 31

Embark on a gourmet adventure as you explore the versatile flavors of Zinfandel at ZAP’s informal dine-around event. You have the opportunity to sample sophisticated and whimsical culinary creations from master chefs, perfectly paired with 50 top Zinfandel wines. Savor tantalizing delicacies from the ZinKitchen celebrity chefs while learning their professional techniques. Immerse yourself in the Zinfandel culture as you mingle with winemakers and culinary experts who feed your epicuriosity!

Check out the article by my Lady, Beth Fontaine (Twitter)

of Rollerskating With Scissors,to get a discount code for Epicuria!

Flights

Friday, February 1

Designed for the enthusiast with a passion for the legendary, this exclusive seminar-style tasting ignites your imagination for the varietal as you delve into the history, culture and science behind the many flavors of Zinfandel. Flights offers unique insight into the Zinfandel varietal and allows you to experience the true character of the wines through the eyes of experts as you revel in a sensory experience like no other.

Winemakers’ Dinner

Friday, February 1

The fabulous forties reign as you venture to the exotic at our Casablanca-themed VIP benefit. Here’s looking at….our premier winemaker hosts as they share the intrigue and romance behind their craft at this elegant reception and dinner, while pouring their specially chosen private selections of Zinfandel. Journey back through time as you learn about the origins of America’s Heritage Wine and the modern-day practices that make Zinfandel so legendary. A live and silent auction features rare and one-of-a-kind lifestyle lots, with proceeds benefitting ZAP programming, education and Heritage Vineyard Projects.

Grand Tasting

Saturday, February 2

Enjoy the thrill of creating your own Zinfari at ZAP’s Grand Tasting! Make the quest for your personal Zinfandel flavor destination as you journey through the varietal’s unique growing regions to experience the diversity of America’s Heritage Grape. This expedition takes you through the world’s largest Zinfandel tasting where you can enjoy hundreds of barrel samples, new releases and premier Zinfandel wines. The return of the ZinKitchen will be a highlight.

Enter “winelog” while buying tickets to the

Grand Tasting and receive 15% off your purchase!

Top Zinfandel wines on WineLog (Twitter, Facebook):

• 

  Opolo Mountain Zinfandel 2005

  17 Loggers 4 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Orin Swift The Prisoner 2007

  12 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Sutter Home White Zinf 2003

  7 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Orin Swift The Prisoner 2005

  7 Loggers 3 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Seghesio O Vine Zinfandel 1999

  7 Loggers 2 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend 2009

  4 Loggers 2 Comments Find Prices
• 

  V. Sattui Madeira

  3 Loggers 2 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Durant Zinfandel 2004

  3 Loggers 0 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Turley Zin, Dogtown 2002

  3 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Turley Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel 1999

  2 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Rombauer Vineyards Zin 2003

  5 Loggers 2 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Turley Wine Cellars, "Pringle vineyard" 2001

  2 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Turley, Moore Earthquake 2004

  2 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Turley, Hayne vineyard 2000

  2 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Jessie's Grove Winery Earth, Zin & Fire 2008

  2 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel 2007

  10 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel 2007

  17 Loggers 3 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel 2003

  11 Loggers 2 Comments Find Prices
• 

  7 Deadly Zins 2005

  16 Loggers 3 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Old Moon 2005

  4 Loggers 0 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Ridge Geyserville 2003

  3 Loggers 0 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Ridge Geyserville 2004

  3 Loggers 0 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs 2003

  4 Loggers 0 Comments Find Prices
• 

  Renwood Winery Old Vine Zinfandel 2004

  3 Loggers 1 Comment Find Prices
• 

  Chateau Montelena Estate Zinfandel 2004

  3 Loggers 0 Comments Find Prices