California (Dry Creek) - Pasterick 9.05.10

Still owe the blog Spain and France coverage from June. Will get back to it soon. But I did not want to pass up a very memorable visit in the Dry Creek area.

Some of you know that we are big Rhone wine enthusiasts. In California, we follow a handful of producers and now have a new one to the list and this may just be the best one...

Pasterick is a small husband and wife production with less than 600 cases annually of Northern Rhone inspired Syrah (a.k.a. Cote Rotie). They purchased the property which housed the Red Barn Winery (circa 1913). Less than 10 acres are planted and the current vintage is the 2005 Syrah. The Syrah is co-fermented with 3% Viognier, spends 3 years in barrels, and 1 year in a bottle before it is released. The 2006 is due out in November.

What makes this wine unique to us is the noticeable difference from the 'terroir'. That's right! The land. Dry Creek is better known for Zinfandel. Not to say you can't find other varietals. In fact, a lot of Pinot Noir is produced in the Russian River area. Most notable are the wineries/vineyards found on Westside and Eastside Roads which produce excellent Pinot Noirs. That aside our excitement was really about the land on the property. They have three primary blocks of Syrah on the land. Frankly, I don't remember the names (let's call them A, J, and S blocks). The property resides on the western side of West Dry Creek Road with the vines facing southeast. Two blocks (J and S) are to the north and one block (A) to the south and literally on top of the wine cave.

The Syrah is a cuvee (blend of the grapes from the north blocks). This wine is young and probably needs a year or two to round out a bit. However, it is very well structured wine, has plenty of legs, and good color. We were really impressed by this wine and the similarity to a Cote Rotie. The Viognier was noticeable as it provided some balance and freshness. And what we didn't get was a lot of alcohol or better yet a 'big' wine that you would expect from this type of climate (typically very hot and friendly to... Zinfandel).

This is a shot of the S block (lower of the two blocks on the north side).

Next up was the 2006 'Angle of Repose' Syrah. The Angle is exclusively from the A block which sits on top of the wine cave. The cave was built into the 120 million year old bedrock which provides a natural climate for cellaring and a great setup for hosting.

The A block has approximately 900 plants but yields are extremely low. For the 2006 Angle, only 44 cases were produced.

Now don't dismiss my 2005 Syrah review because it is a great wine. So good we bought it for our cellar. But the 2006 Angle Syrah... WOW! Yes. WOW! Gerry and Diane were celebrating their 34th wedding anniversary and we were lucky enough to catch them at the end of the day and in a celebratory mood. This wine was something else. It was vibrant, full bodied, well structured, contained and yet explosive. My jaw dropped! All I could think about was whether I willing to pay USD100 for this exceptional wine? The short answer was yes. Fortunately for us, it is priced at USD60. This is a huge steal. HUGE!!! Unfortunately, they don't sell it. In fact, it will only be available to wine club members and on a very limited allocation basis. So yes, I will get some but not enough to share. Sorry!

Pasterick also had a handful of library wines available so we picked up a bottle of the 2002 Syrah to have with dinner that night. In brief, this validated my thoughts about the 2005 Syrah (cellar for a couple of years and then enjoy over the next 7-10 years). A really nice wine.

A shot from the cave. Even Dagny had fun... And to think we held her hostage for over two hours!

Recap

Winery

Wines

2005 Syrah - QPR High, USD38, Cellar Worthy

2006 Syrah 'Angle of Repose' - QPR Very High, USD60, Cellar Worthy (not available for sale... bummer)

2002 Syrah - QPR High, USD44, Drinking well now, Cellar Worthy until 2015 or so

What we bought to drink

2002 Syrah - Yummy now and about 5 years (or so) left

2005 Syrah - Hold until 2012 and then start drinking over the next 10 years

Joined the wine club (a case a year)

Where to find it

At the winery and a few restaurants

Contacts

www.pasterickwine.com

gerry@pasterickwine.com

+1 707 433 4655

Chile (Miscellaneous) - READ ME

The end of the line in Chile. These shots are from Torres Del Paine national park in Patagonia. It was a half-day hike to get this spot. Well worth it.

Miscellaneous is not usually appealing to a reader but you should read this post. We cover off some of the odds and ends during our time in Chile.

Altair Sideral 2003. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and a touch of Sangiovese. Left bank style (80+% Cabernet). The Syrah and Sangiovese help bring it together. Nice full bodied wine with a moderate alcohol level. Opens up over an hour. It is at its peak but you can enjoy for another year or two. QPR High, USD23 (got 6 in March via winelibary but they sold out) Wow. Yummy. Must Buy (good luck)!

Concha y Toro Amelia 2005 Chardonnay. Pineapple in a Chardonnay? Vanilla in Chardonnay? Baked Pineapple. NO. Not right!

O. Fournier Chile (see Mendoza 2.09.09).

2008 Urban. Merlot, Carignan, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon. Inexpensive and not good. Very Green. No structure.

2008 Centauri Blend. Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Marginally better but I think the Carignan in both cases was picked early.

Ron Zacapa 23 Year Old Rum (Guatemala). Nice. Tightly controlled recipe and firmly regulated aging standards by the government.

Chile Recap

Wines

Due to the earthquake we just scratched the surface. Casablanca was very pleasant and we really enjoyed the wines from Kingston Family. Altair Sideral was by far the best value and it was a really exciting wine (still have 2 bottles left).

Beer

Great beer country. Better than Argentina. Big fan of the Kross Stout.

Food

Did I mention the Patagonian Lamb...

Chile (Casablanca) - Emiliana 3.16.10

Organic and Biodynamic (and not so much)

Great idea and an interesting venture from Chile. Emiliana did not start out as an organic or biodynamic venture. Founded in 1986 as Bodegas y Vinedos Santa Emiliana, they did not become a certified organic winery until 2001 (the first in Chile). Since then, I would say it has been a bit uphill. Bottom-line is that they have over 3800 acres in Chile so they produce a lot of wine. Currently, only one wine, the 'iconic' G is produced from a 100% biodynamic and organic vineyard. Unfortunately, this was not offered as part of the tasting.

They have Chilean labels (Adobe, Novas, Coyam, G) and US labels (Walnut Crest, Natura, Coyam, G). Start with the 'basico' wines and work you way to the 'premium' ones.

A disclaimer: The basico wines of Adobe/Walnut Crest are not organic but they are produced in an ISO 14001 certified winery (i.e. not so much).

The tasting room was modern with a nice outdoor patio which we opted for since it was the end of the day and Dagny needed some entertainment.

2009 Adobe Sauvignon Blanc Reserva (Not Organic) - crisp but green and grassy. A hint of lemon.

2008 Novas Chardonnay (Organic) - in 60% American oak (80% new) and 40% steel tank. High alcohol at 14.5%. Plenty of oak notes. Not much else.

Side Note: Novas in spanish = DON'T GO!

2008 Emiliana Pinot Noir Reserva Especial (Organic) - Good acidity but not complex. Fruity wine with a bit of earth. Perhaps styled towards old world but barreled in American oak (not new).

2007 Coyam (organic) - Wines Spectator 90 points. Not a Suro family 90 point wine. Perhaps an 85 point wine... Coyam means oak tree. 14 months in new oak (80% French and 20% American). Native yeasts. Fruit was from the Colchagua Valley not Casablanca. High tannins. Green. I tasted stems.

Recap

Winery

Emiliana Organic & Biodynamic Vineyards

Wines

2009 Adobe Sauvignon Blanc Reserva - QPR Low-Mid, USD11

2008 Novas Chardonnay - QPR Low, USD10

2008 Emiliana Pinot Noir Reserva Especial - QPR Mid, USD12.5

2007 Coyam Syrah/Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon - QPR Low-Mid, USD30

Wines we bought to drink

None

Where to find it in the US

None that I know of for the premium labels but the Walnut Crest label, at an average of USD5, I am sure will turn up at any big retailers.

Contacts

www.emiliana.cl

www.emilianausa.com

Chile (Casablanca) - Matetic 3.16.10

Only two days in the Casablanca region due to the earthquake and our extented stay in Patagonia. Matetic was recommended to us by our friends at Peay. We did not have time to hit up the tasting room so the best we could do is taste a couple of the wines during our lunch.

Unfortunately, I have lost my notes... Ugh.

So I will leave it at this. We did sample their EQ Sauvignon Blanc (refer to my Lima, Peru posts) with lunch along with the Corralillo Chardonnay (lower end). Neither did anything to stand out. I also had a glass of the EQ Pinot Noir.

Anyway, can't recall what I thought but I am fairly sure it wasn't a wow. I would say that it is worth a try but don't lose any sleep over it.

Lunch was fair. The atmosphere was a little stuffy and they didn't really seem to welcome us (with Dagny) in tow. Didn't quite get that since all tourism had pretty much dried due to the earthquake. Oh well, I won't dwell because it would not be fair to opine without my notes memorializing the visit.

Recap:

Winery

Matetic Vineyards

Wines

2008 EQ Sauvignon Blanc

2008 Corralillo Chardonnay

2008 EQ Pinot Noir

Wines we bought to drink

None

Where to buy them in the US

www.wallywine.com

Contacts

www.matetic.cl

Chile (Casablanca) - Kingston Family Vineyards 3.15.10

Well, we are back. Wrapped up our European Tour (Spain and France plus Ireland) and our sabbatical. We got back to SF July 5th and thought we would finally finish the Chile posts from March (oops...).

Kingston Family Vineyards produces three varietals: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Syrah which are primarily sold in the US (80% US, 10% Brazil, 10% Chile). They have approximately 200 acres are planted but they also farm other varietals (mostly Chardonnay) which they sell. The family has been on 7500 acres of land since the 1800's hundreds. Pretty cool story about how they raised their kids (remote learning until college and then college in the states). Anyway, you can grab all of this on the web site (www.kingstonvineyards.com).

They started producing wines in 1998 and just recently (I think last year) completed a brand new winery on the property. Their first vintage was in 2003 in which 450 cases were produced. Currently, I believe the production is closer to 2000 cases.

Prior to the new winery they leased space from Veramonte. They have a US based wine consultant Bryon Kosuge and an onsite Chilean wine maker Evelyn Vidal.

The day we visited they were bottling the most recent vintage. And in true California fashion, a bottling truck was pulled up to the winery. This was actually the first time we had seen a bottling line in action which was pretty cool.

These stainless steel barrels (yes, barrels) for the sauvignon blanc.

2007 Bayo Oscuro Syrah - Full bodied with good structure and subtle earth tones.

2008 Alazan Pinot Noir - Reminded us of a Mendocino County pinot noir. New world style that is fruit forward but shows a bit of earth around the edges.

2008 Cariblanco Sauvignon Blanc - A good balance of aciditity and minerality. Hint of peach and pomello (grapefruit family).

The outdoor tasting bar (just completed) which has views of the vineyards and part of the valley floor (sorry no pic).

Recap:

Winery

Kingston Family Vineyards - A must visit in Casablanca. Be warned you buy the bottles you taste so it is a bit pricey.

Wines

2006 Bayo Oscuro Syrah - QPR Very High, USD27, cellar worthy (bought this in the US based on the wine makers recommendation for an age worthy selection)

2007 Lucero Syrah - QPR Very High, USD20

2007 Bayo Oscuro Syrah - QPR Very High, USD27

2008 Alazan Pinot Noir - QPR High, USD30

2008 Cariblanco Sauvignon Blanc - QPR High, USD16, good for summer

Wines we bought to drink

All of the above

Where to buy them in the US

www.kingstonvineyards.com

www.klwines.com

Contacts

Courtney Kingston - info@kingstonvineyards.com

www.kingstonvineyards.com

Chile (Casablanca) - Indomita 3.15.10

Apologies for the lapse in time to our faithful readers since the last blog update!

So after our two weeks in Chilean Patagonia we managed to get up to Santiago for a few days before making our way back to Lima, Peru. Though there were no visible signs of the catastrophic earthquake that struck central Chile in Santiago, the Colchagua wine region to the south was crippled. As such we opted to visit the Casablanca wine region which is about an hour west of Santiago. This area reminds me a lot of the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. It can get hot but it is also near the ocean which creates a nice inversion layer resulting in cool evenings and some foggy mornings. In Casablanca, they focus on white wines (Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay) with a sprinkling of red wines (primarily Syrah and Pinot Noir). Similar to the Mendoza region in Argentina, some of the wineries have gourmet restaurants on site to compliment the experience. And so we start with our first of two lunches in the Casablanca region.

Indomita is a large producer. As I recall they are in the 1+ million liters of annual wine production club. For our visit, we did not schedule a tour. Instead we opted for the restaurant and the 'menu of the day' which was paired with their wines. Our menu included four courses plus desert and coffee (note: they served Illy espresso - nice) and we sampled 6 wines with the meal.

Our first wine was the 2007 Reserve Chardonnay. This was paired with a timbale of caprese salad. Not a new idea (a timbale of something) but an interesting concept with the salad. Basically, the essence of a caprese salad in a shot glass. The wine was refreshing for a hot day (which it was). A hint of citrus. Most likely steel or possibly neutral oak. And just a bit bitter on the end.

Next up was the 2008 Duet Grand Reserve Chardonnay served with tuna tartare. The wine reminded us of a very traditional California Chardonnay. Lot's of oak. A hint of peach. Still a little bitter on the end.

Now things got really interesting. Well, that is an overstatement. Our third course was Chilean sea bass with arugula, kidney beans, and wild mushrooms. Great combination. The wild mushrooms and the sea bass! Anyway, food good :) Wine bad :( Served with this course was the 2007 Duet Pinot Noir. Served at about 45 degrees. Why? Well, lucky for you we asked. The answer, ugh... 'Because it is a very delicate wine'. In simple terms, this is a bad wine so we mask it by keeping really cold! What we got from it was a hint of chocolate and cherry on the nose. Not much body or structure.

Did we talk about Patagonian lamb yet? Possibly not. Two words, mouth watering. Unfortunately, we were no longer in Patagonia. For the fourth course we were served lamb with a king crab humita. Oh and I forgot, have you had king crab (centolla) from Patagonia? Well refer to my lamb observation above. Anyway, this came with the 2007 Deut Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere blend. Unlike the 'chilled' Pinot Noir, this was served a bit on the warm side. We got some chalk (mineral) on the end. The wine did not have much body or structure. Perhaps a trend!!!

Chocolates. Did we tell you about the artisanal chocolates from Patagonia? Please refer back to the previous paragraph! Two wines came our way, 2006 Zardoz and 2008 Late Harvest. Zardoz is their premium Cabernet Sauvignon (100%). Leather, mocha, and dry. Late Harvest was blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer. Soap, light, and not much residual sugar.

The Danes were in town at Indomita! Did you know they invented wine?

Recap:

Winery

Vina Indomita - Should visit just for the views of the valley floor. Has a tasting room.

Wines

2007 Reserve Chardonnay - QPR Mid-High, USD9

2008 Duet Grand Reserve Chardonnay - QPR Mid, USD20

2007 Duet Pinot Noir - QPR Very Low, USD20

2007 Duet Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere - QPR Low-Mid, USD20

2006 Zardoz Cabernet Sauvignon - QPR Low, USD46

2008 Late Harvest - QPR Very Low, USD6 (yes - six dollars but still lousy)

Wines we bought to drink

None

Restaurant

Indomita, Chef Oscar Tapia - Coin toss as you are about an hour from Santiago and the 'menu' was USD50 per person.

Contacts

www.indomita.cl

Chile - Artisanal and National Brews

We hopped into Chile via a lakes crossing (yes, plural) from Bariloche to Puerto Varas (central Chile) over two days. The trip was fun and I give full credit to Kara for coming up with this plan. Our first stop in Chile was the border village (less than 50 people) of Puella. This is a destination spot setup exclusively for the border crossing. At Hotel Puella (pic is from our room), we began our journey into Chilean beers and wines. Unfortunately, the hotel was not well stocked with quality wines so begin our Chile recap with beers....

Let's go to the National side of things first:

Cristal - Sound familiar? Turns out both Chile (green can) and Peru have a national beer with the same name. Both countries claim to have the better beer. Chile's is a simple lager. Peru's version is more like a pilsner. A toss up!

However, if we talk about pisco sour, then we have a clear winner. The pisco sour from Peru is of superior quality and flavor. In Chile, a pisco sour is comprised of lime juice, lots of sugar, and a hint of pisco. It is served in a champagne flute. In Peru, a pisco sour is comprised of lime juice, egg white, pisco, and bitters. It is served in a rocks glass.

Imperial (sorry no picture) - Another big brewer in Chile that we sampled. Nothing to note. Similar to Cristal.

The Artesanal side is really interesting. In fact, we found the overall quality of these beers to be much better than what we tasted in Argentina (though, Australis would be on par with the best ones we tasted in Chile)

Colonos - From Lago Llanquihue (third largest lake in South America), this lager is both unfiltered and unpasteurized. The flavor profile was a strong hint of bitterness in the end which reminded me more of a pale ale than a lager. Color profile was cloudy. Can that be a color? No. Ok. How about caramel in color but murky in visibility!

Austral - Made in Punta Arenas (Patagonia - Tierra del Fuego), this is no longer a micro brew. They produce over 10 varieties of this brand and sell it all over Chile. Regardless, we found these to be excellent beers from top to bottom. The Calafate Ale was our favorite of the bunch. Calafate is a berry (much like a blueberry) from Patagonia. It is a bit more dense and sweeter in flavor. The beer itself reminded me of a good every day amber ale. Not bitter nor was it sweet from the fruit.

Kross - Two flavors on this one that we found (they make seven flavors), a golden ale and a stout. The both unfiltered and unpasteurized. The stout was excellent. This was closer to a Guiness Foreign Stout in flavor profile and consistency. I had this along side a garlic soup (broth) which was amazing at La Leyenda del Remezon (quaint and eclectic restaurant near the port in Punta Arenas - highly recommended). Great combo!

Szot Negra - A stout of average quality. Bottle fermented (noted on the label) and again no preservatives. This seems to be a common theme for all the artisanal beers in Chile.

Szot Amber - Good. But try their Pale Ale (not pictured) which I really liked. Bitter but smooth in the finish.

Kuntsmann (sorry no picture) - A brewery out of Valdivia which makes a handful of beers. Similar in production style (unfiltered and unpasteurized). They make a pale ale 'Torobayo' which was Kara's favorite ale of all the ones we tried. It was a smooth beer with very little bitterness in the end.

And a fun picture... In case you can't read this is a 1960's Pepsi sign we saw in Bariloche, Argentina - "DRINK Pepsi = Cola DELICIOUS - HEALTHFUL"

Draw your own conclusions on this....

Recap:

National Beers

Cristal - Peru's version is slightly better

Imperial

Artisanal Beers

Colonos

Austral - Grandfather of beer in Patagonia. Try as many as you can

Kross

Szot

Kuntsmann

What beer we would buy to stock in the fridge

Kross Stout

Kuntsmann Torobayo

Austral Calafate Ale

Restaurants

La Leyenda del Remezon (Punta Arenas) - Get the garlic soup.

Contacts

www.cervezaaustral.cl

www.kross.cl

www.szot.cl