Three Pinots - Three AVAs

Theme:  

I love Pinot! On every wine trip my husband and I take we enjoy searching out and trying Pinots that we haven't had an opportunity to try in the past.With the Pinot grape being known for taking on the terroir of its vineyard, I thought it would be great to taste three 2012 Pinots from three distinct AVAs in California - Sonoma Coast, Green Valley, and Anderson Valley. And why not drink one of my favorite California Pinot producers!! Let's just say it was a delicious evening! And if you love Pinot, I highly recommend trying a MacPhail Pinot! You can check them out on line or visit them at their new Tasting Room in Sebastopol if you are visiting California wine country. www.macphailwines.com

The Wines:

MacPhail 2012 Wildcat Pinot Noir

• Color:  Pale brick red with great clarity
• Nose:  An aromatic wine with youthful, bright red fruit with a layer of earthiness and touch of white pepper.
• Mouth:  A light to medium bodied wine with fresh acidity and a finish that goes on and on. Cherry flavors "pop" in the mouth with mineral notes on the finish.
• Price:  $49
• Rating:  4.5 out of 5

MacPhail 2012 Toulouse Pinot Noir

• Color:  Clear brick red wine
• Nose:  Cherry, earthiness, a touch of mint, this is another aromatic wine
• Mouth:  Very different flavor profile than the first wine. A wonderful silky mouth feel that is balanced and fresh with raspberry and a hint of butterscotch. This wine has a lovely, long finish.
• Price:  $49
• Rating:  4.5 out of 5

MacPhail 2012 Sundawg Pinot Noir

• Color:  Medium, ruby red
• Nose:  Another wonderfully aromatic wine with darker red fruit, spice, and earthiness-the fruitiest nose of the evening.
• Mouth:  Spicy red fruit, this smooth wine has a medium body that is wonderfully smooth. Another fantastic finish!!
• Price:  $49
• Rating:  4.5 out of 5

The Pairings:

Lamb Chopper Goat Cheese:  Wow!!!! We love this cheese and it is a fantastic match with all three wines. We didn't think the finish could get any better on these wines but when paired with these wines the finish went on and on, especially with the Toulouse. The fruit was definitely accentuated with this cheese.

Rembrandt Aged Gouda:  We love this cheese but it was too big for these wines.

Brie Torte Cheese:  Another nice pairing that we liked best with the Sundawg Pinot but is definitely a nice match with the Wildcat Pinot-really brought the fruit forward in a pleasant way.

Mushroom Soup:  This wonderful soup from Fezziwig's Marketplace was another wonderful pairing with all three wines! Hard to pick a favorite pairing but we especially enjoyed it with the Toulouse. A perfect example on how food and wine can make each other even better. A bonus-this delicious soup is not only tasty but quick and easy to prepare!

Smoked BBQ Salmon:  A very nice pairing with the Sundawg bringing out the succulent fruit of the wine. We also enjoyed it with the Toulouse. When paired together we found the wine became a little smoky and there was an added spiciness to the wine. The salmon was a bit too smoky for the Wildcat.

Chuao Dark Chocolate:  Very nice with the Wildcat and Toulouse-definitely noticed some caramel notes in the Toulouse when paired with this chocolate.

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Raspberry Chocolate:  Yum! Raspberry flavors of the chocolate really brought out raspberry flavors in the wine!

Conclusion:

Beth:  Looking over my notes from the evening I see things like wow, delish, yum. That pretty much sums up the evening for me! First the wines were out of this world. As expected the characteristics of each of the wines was distinctive. The Sundawg from Green valley had wonderful spicy notes and had the deepest red fruit. I loved this one alone, but it also paired well with the Lamb Chopper cheese, mushroom soup, and the BBQ salmon. The Toulouse from Anderson Valley was silky smooth with fruit on the nose more restrained. This wine's flavor exploded when paired with food. The mushroom soup gave this wine's wonderful finish and extra kick! In fact the flavors of all the foods really enhanced this wine. Loved the nose on the Wildcat! All the wines were fantastic with the Lamb Chopper cheese, but this one was my favorite. All of the wines had wonderful, long finishes and all paired perfectly with the wonderful mushroom soup. I loved them all and can't pick a favorite.

Lisa:   Wow- what a difference location makes!  With the Wildcat from Sonoma Coast I could really pick out the cherry notes up front with mineral on the end and even had a late warm feeling that lingered.  When I tasted the Toulouse from the Anderson Valley, I felt like I was in Oregon with an herbaceous mouth, maybe since the valley is cooler.  As for the Sundawg, it was definitely the fruitiest and yet to me tasted least like a Pinot. Even though they were all unique I LOVED them all! When pairing food, we started with the Lamb Chopper Goat cheese and was blown away by how they made the already delicious wines really pop!  Of course the mushroom soup was a perfect match with them all too.  The Toulouse was my favorite with the smoked salmon.  Finishing with the Dark Raspberry chocolate, again a hit with all!  Overall, I can't really pick a favorite since they were all very different.  It sure was nice to be enjoying them with great company :)!  Thanks for a wonderful class Beth!! I'll miss you both! Come visit me for class in Texas!

Mary Jo:   Oh, MacPhail! We love drinking wines from places we have actually had the pleasure of visiting! These three were all amazing Pinots!  The wines were very different, with the Wildcat having mineral and cherry flavors and earthy on the finish; the Toulouse having minty freshness and, eventually, butterscotch and caramel on the nose, with a silky, strawberry flavor on the mouth; and the Sundawg having a sulfuric, dark red fruit and earthy nose and spicy flavors.  All of the pairings were so enjoyable, as well! As we know though, not every good goes with every food. Unfortunately, the Rembrandt Gouda was not a good pairing. The Lamb Chopper and Brie, on the other hand, were amazing!!!!! The Toulouse Anderson went very well with the mushroom soup, and the Sundawg Green and the soup really enhanced the flavors of the other.  The Ghirardelli dark chocolate was a total WOW! The dinner, wine, and especially the company, were top notch.  I am blessed to have enjoyed so many similar evenings with two great ladies!!!!  Thanks, Beth!

An Evening on the Mediterranean Coast

Last week the Stay at Home Winos had the pleasure of doing what we love--sharing our love of wine by teaching a wine class.  Ellen and Tim Moore, owners of Fezziwig's Tea & Gourmet Market in Lebanon, Illinois invited us to teach "An Evening on the Mediterranean Coast" Wine Education Event.  The wines served were from various countries along the Mediterranean Sea which included France, Spain, Italy and topped off with a surprise tasting from Greece.

Photo by Jackie Wind Clinton

 

The evening began by greeting our students with Sangria made with  Rosatella Rosé using the Gourmet duVillage Wine Country Sangria mix and complemented with guacamole dip from Fischer & Wieser guacamole starter.

The table is set!
 Photo by Jackie Wind Clinton

Once everyone was seated in the Culinary Experience Room, class began with a welcome and introduction. We began with a 2012 Sauvion Vouvray Chenin Blanc from France's Loire Valley.  Walking everyone through the steps of tasting, we began with looking at the color--was it clear?  Light? Yellow or gold or did it have a green tint?  Everyone had enjoyed coming up with fun descriptions of the wines.  Next, we moved on to the "nose" of the wine, teaching them how to swirl their glasses to release the aromas and to let them really sink their nose into the glass to savor all the wine's flavor.  Was it fruity, citric, floral, grassy?  All kinds of ideas popped in their heads and it was fun hearing the results! Swirl again and take another sniff.  Did you pick up something different?  Swirling takes practice but you get the hang of it fast.

Of course what we have all been waiting for, now to taste!  Was the taste similar to the nose?  Was is citric, acidic, floral, buttery?  Did it linger on the palette?  We walked them through many possibilities and let them come up with flavors they tasted.  There are no wrong answers because everyone has their own unique "bank" of flavors. And this wine was a hit!








Once we completed the first wine, we continued on with the same format of color, aroma, and taste venturing next to Italy. The 2012 Chloe Pinot Grigio named after the ancient word meaning "blooming" has it's grapes sourced from Italy but produced in Northern California.

Off to Spain!  Our final white wine of the evening was Campo Lindo Blanco from Bodegas Ramon Roqueta Winery located in the Catalunya DOC made with the Macabeo and Chardonnay grapes.







Back in France, we changed over to a Rosé

of mainly Grenache, with Cinsault and Syrah and is located on old fluvioglacial terraces on the right bank of the Rhône Valley.

Our first red of the evening was a 2012 Bon Marche Red Blend.  This wine, although made in the French style, is actually from Bueller Vineyards located east of St Helena, California in Napa Valley.  This blend consists of Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot and Malbec and was aged in French and American oak barrels.  Very much a favorite of the evening.







And finally back to Spain to enjoy one of Orin Swift's Location wines "E".  Again, a delicious blend of
Grenache/Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell, and Carignan/Cariñena. It is super concentrated fruit from old vines with low yields that are accented with a judicious oak program for a balanced and distinctive wine.

Along with the wines, some nibbles paired with them were the Fischer & Wieser Peach Salsa and a simple humus with Fezziwig's own Lemon Infused EVOO served with tortilla and pita chips.

Rounding out the evening was a tasting of two Greek wines.  Fezziwig's doesn't usually carry Greek wines so one of their distributors brought these in especially for the evening.  The white wine was a 2012 Moschofilero Boutari from the Mantinia grape which was citric and similar to Sauvignon Blanc. The red wine was Kretikos Boutari  which was a blend of two grapes: 60% Kotsifali and 40% Mandilaria.  This one was earthy and had soft tannins.  They were both a treat to enjoy!

With all the laughter and fun conversation, we feel the night was a huge success!  Many students walked away with new knowledge of wine tasting and are ready to sign up for the next class.

Cheers!
Lisa

P.S. Thank you Jackie Clinton for providing photos from the evening. Check out this talented lady's blog at www.wind-inspired.com .

Pork, Pinot Noir & Port Night

The Wine Line Up

     Last Friday evening I joined my fellow wino, Lisa, along with my husband Mike and friends Jackie and Phil in attending a fabulous wine pairing dinner entitled "Pork, Pinot Noir & Port Night" at Fezziwig's Marketplace in Lebanon, IL.  I must say the food and wine delighted all of our senses.

Gorgeous table ready for the diners

     Our evening began with a lovely appetizer of Brie cheese and  pomegranate-jalapeno compote on top of a crostini. This delightful treat was enjoyed with the first two Pinot Noirs of the evening, Mossback Pinot Noir from the Central Coast  and Brassfield High Valley Appellation Pinot Noir. Both wines paired wonderfully with our appetizer, and also highlighted how different appellations and terroir affect the Pinot Noir. The Mossback, from the Central Coast of California, was an earthy Pinot Noir with the distinctive cherry flavors of the Pinot grape. This wine has a touch of Syrah and Tannat blended with it that added to the spiciness of the finish. The Brassfield Pinot was an elegant, estate grown Pinot from a mixture of Dijon and Pommard Clones. A nicely balanced wine, with black cherry and an earthiness of a forest floor.

     After having our fill of our first course, we were invited into the newly renovated Culinary Experience Room. This room is separated from the store by French doors and houses wine pairing events, cooking demonstrations, and other culinary events. The setting is beautiful! Once we were all settled in we were ready for our second course-Wild Rice and Sherried Mushroom soup. All I can say about the soup is it is fantastic! The earthy mushrooms in this soup paired perfectly with both the Brassfield and Mossback Pinot Noirs. 

Fezziwig's own Wild Rice & Sherried Mushroom Soup

Stopped just short of licking this bowl clean!

       Now we were ready for the main course and our next two wines, Fess Parker Sta. Rita Hills 2010 Pinot Noir and Hahn Santa Lucia Highlands 2011 Pinot Noir. The Fess Parker had lovely black cherry and raspberry on the nose with a hint of vanilla. Medium bodied with a lovely spiciness. The Hahn was a little lighter bodied, a bit tarter than the Fess with brighter fruit on the nose and palate and a nice finish. Both wines paired very nicely with the pork tenderloin, truffle potatoes, and hericot verts (sautéed in bacon infused olive oil-delish-sold at Fezziwig's). After sampling these two wines, I have to say my favorite Pinot of the evening was the Hahn, with Fess Parker a close second!

     
      At this point I was feeling fat and happy, but the evening wasn't over just yet! Dessert was Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake with Caramel Sauce served with RL Buller and Sons Fine Tawny. Let's just say it was a perfectly rich, decadent way to finish a wonderful meal.

RL Buller Fine Tawny

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake

     Fun was had by all this evening. The meal, prepared by Ellen Leaf-Moore and Julia Jensen was such a treat. As always, Tim entertained us with his knowledge of wine and witty conversation. If you enjoy wine, good company, and wonderful food, I suggest you make it a point to attend an upcoming wine pairing dinner at Fezziwig's. Check out all their upcoming events at www.fezziwigsmarket.com. Also, I want to thank Jackie for sharing some of her wonderful photos for this blog. Check out this talented lady at www.wind-inspired.com. 

Cheers,

Beth

  



Our New Look

Beth, Mary Jo, and Lisa overlooking Russian River Valley

How fast time flies. It seems like only last week, Lisa, Mary Jo and myself set out on our blog writing adventure, but more than a year has passed by since that first posting. In addition to expanding our knowledge of wines, writing this blog has opened up some wonderful opportunities for us to share our passion for wine with others. From Grilling in the Garden to helping with a wine tasting at the annual Karla Smith Foundation auction, to our most recent class on how to host a blind wine tasting party at Fezziwig’s Marketplace, we have thoroughly enjoyed each new adventure. So after reflecting on the direction of our blog, over a nice Pinot Grigio and pizza at Peel Wood Fired Pizza, we decided it was time for a bit of updating. No major changes, just a few tweaks we think will allow us to get information to you in a better format. Here are the changes you will see:

• We have added a new page that we are excited about sharing. It gives us an opportunity to review wines we have tried and want to recommend to you! Check out the page, “What’s In Your Glass Tonight”, for a new wine review each week. It will include a description, review, and suggestions for pairings. Wines that we have recommended in the past are now listed on the page, “Wines We Found Devine”.
• Each week you will continue to see our regular blog on wine related topics. Notes from Wine School will continue to be posted as well.
• As part of our wine education, look for ‘Wine Word of the Week” on our Facebook posting. Just a quick post with words related to wine to broaden your wine vocabulary.
• Last but not least, time does continue to tick away, and though we don’t feel (or look) any older, we thought it time to update our biographies too. Check out what is new with us, one of us has a new addition soon to arrive!!

For me the best part of this blog experience has been meeting new people who enjoy wine and food while challenging myself in my knowledge of wine. Of course the very best part is spending time with two wonderful ladies who make my life better each and every day!
Cheers,
Beth   

How To Host a Blind Wine Tasting!

What could be better than a wine party?  How about a wine party teaching you how to throw a wine party!  The Stay At Home Winos were most fortunate to be asked to host just such a party!

Last Thursday, the Winos hosted "How To Host A Blind Wine Tasting" at Fezziwigs's Marketplace in Lebanon, Illinois.  First, a little back ground on Fezziwig's!(http://www.fezziwigsmarket.com/index.html)

Fezziwig's opened their unique shop in historic Lebanon, Illinois in 2007.  Ellen Leaf-Moore and her husband Tim Moore, both with extensive retail management experience, decided the shopping district in Lebanon would be the perfect backdrop for a wine and gourmet food business.  They didn't stop there, later adding home decor, entertaining essentials, gourmet olive oils and an enormous list of loose leaf teas.  My Husband and I started visiting (with and without our children) soon after Fezziwig's opened their doors.  In some ways for the Stay At Home Winos, Fezziwig's was the beginning of our journey.  Both Lisa and Beth have worked, and still occasionally work, at Fezziwig's and the three of us have spent a lot of time (and money) in this great shop.

One of the specialties at Fezziwig's, other than wine, is loose leaf teas.  Ellen Leaf-Moore is a Level IV Certified Educator Specialist with the New York-based Specialty Tea Institute.  Fezziwig's "Wall of Tea" contains over 100 different types of loose leaf teas!  Teas can be purchased in-store or on line! In addition, Ellen teaches classes, such as "Blending Your Own Botanical Tea", which will be held on Tuesday, August 13.

Finally, this wonderful store offers home decorating and entertaining items, as well as classes on cooking, decorating and entertaining.  But my personal favorite is Fezziwig's delicious wine!  They carry an assortment of varietals that are unique and delicious!  To this day, some of my favorite wines are those I have purchased or enjoyed at Fezziwig's!  Further, the atmosphere of this lovely gem has contributed greatly to some wonderful memories I have made with my family and friends!

But, back to the wine class!  The main focus of this class was to teach participants how to host their own blind tasting at home.  The Stay At Home Winos gave an overview of how the evening would go, and we got started!

The first step in hosting a blind wine tasting, is to decide on a theme.  For the class, we chose three red wines and three white wines - all different varietals.  We gave participants a sheet that outlined the characteristics of five red varietals and five white varietals, letting them know that the three wines of each type were listed among the five.

In their own wine tastings, participants would also need a group of wine drinking friends, wine (covered - of course!) and finger food.  We had three types of cheese, crackers, cashews and bread sticks to go with our wines this evening.  Of course, chocolate covered grapes were offered at the end, as well!  Other staples of a blind tasting include water, white background with which to judge the color of the wine, paper and pens, a dump bucket (if you do that sort of thing), a scoring sheet and a small prize for the winner.

For our class, we started with whites.  We gave participants helpful hints on how to hold their glasses (by the stems), how and why to swirl (my specialty!), how to properly enjoy the nose and how to taste. Participants were asked if they smelled any particular aromas and what they tasted.  They were also asked if anyone had an idea which wine was which varietal.  After all the score sheets for the whites were handed in, we found we had one participant who had guessed all three varietals correctly!  She received a bottle of wine preserver.  (Congrats, Jackie!)

After a brief intermission, and some shopping, our guests were once again seated at the table for round two - reds!  We went through the same analysis of our three reds, as we had done for our whites.  The reds proved to be infinitely more challenging to our guests.  There were many great responses about what our guests found on the nose and mouth.  In the end, however, no one matched all three...or two...but several people were able to guess one of the three.  Those guests received a bottle of delicious gourmet BBQ sauce.

Overall, the evening was a resounding success, and demonstrated that a blind tasting isn't as easy as one would think!  Our participants had great questions that sparked interesting discussions.  The Stay At Home Winos truly enjoyed hosting this class and meeting all of the participants.  Further, we enjoyed being together at a place that holds such amazing memories for the three of us.

Cheers!

Mary Jo

Carignane-An Unexpected Surprise!

I enjoy wandering through a wine shop looking at all the wines available, some familiar and some not so familiar. Lately I’ve been exploring Italian wines, learning about unfamiliar grapes and regions and trying to find new wines to taste.

 

What a pleasant surprise I had recently when I discovered a new wine, not from Italy, but from a familiar source much closer to home, Cline Cellars, at one of my favorite wine shops, Fezziwig’s Marketplace. The wine:  Cline Ancient Vine Carignane.

 

Carignane (Karen-yawn) is a widely planted grape in Southern France, especially Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence regions. It is grown mainly as a grape to blend with Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvédre and as a table wine in France. The French began widespread planting of this grape after Algeria became an independent nation and France lost its inexpensive source for Carignane. In Spain the grape is known as Mazuelo (mah-zoo-eh-loh) and is grown in the Rioja region for blending with Tempranillo in the production of Reserva and Grans Reserva Riojas. In Italy Carignane is known as Carignano and grows best in the Southwest corner of Sardinia. Carignane is also grown in Algeria and California.

The Carignane grape is bluish-black in color with large round, thick skins. It is not usually known for its aroma. This variety is known to mutate like the Pinot Noir grape. France recognizes 25 clones of the Carignane grape. It is naturally high in acidity and tannins which adds to its value as a blending grape. It is known for high yields and requires a long, warm growing season.

So you may be wondering what possessed me to write about a grape that is mainly used as a work horse blending grape. The answer to that question is ancient vines! Ancient Vine Carignane is believed to have stronger aromas with notes of black plum and vegetal aromas. And they naturally have lower yields which elevate the tasting experience. I found this to be the case when I had my first bottle of Carignane.




When I first opened the 2010 Cline Ancient Vine Carignane I found the nose to be an explosion of chocolate, dark fruits, and cloves. I so much enjoyed the nose on this wine that I couldn’t wait to try it! I was not disappointed. This wine has wonderful dark berry flavors with a nice touch of spice. Just think Zinfandel, but bigger and bolder. I found it to be nicely balanced, and would pair well with firm cheeses, pizza, grilled meats, and dark chocolate. Or even better yet at only $18 a bottle, share with some friends around a fire, on a cool, fall night.

Cheers!

Beth


                                                      WINE WORD OF THE WEEK

Length: When we call wines long or short, we're not referring to the size of the bottle or how quickly we empty it. Length is a word used to describe a wine that gives an impression of going all the way on the palate--you can taste it across the full length of your tongue--instead of stopping short halfway through your tasting of it.  Many wines today are very upfront on the palate--they make a big impression as soon as you taste them--but they don't go the distance in your mouth; they're short.  Generally, high alcohol or excess tannin is to blame.  Length is a sure sign of high quality!

Our Beginning

            I thought it might be helpful if I told you how three neighborhood ladies began our wine journey together and how you and your friends can study at home too!

     A few years back I decided that I wanted to learn more about wines. I had enjoyed wines for years, especially red wines from California. After taking a few classes at our neighborhood wine store called Fezziwig’s, I started looking for books that might assist my wine journey. I found a great one called Great Wine Made Simple by Andrea Immer Robinson. Each chapter is set up perfectly for creating your own wine school. Some lessons can be done in one sitting. Others work better over multiple evenings (which, by the way, is a great excuse for getting together with your friends or neighbors). At the end of each chapter, the author lays out a tasting with step by step instructions. After reading the first chapter of her book, I decided I needed to have my own tasting. You can gain a lot of knowledge about wine by reading but you really have to taste the wine to get a better understanding of the concepts. My only problem was it wouldn’t be much fun to taste alone, so I asked my neighbor Lisa to join me. She had taken the wine classes with me at Fezziwig’s so I knew we had about the same knowledge going in. The first wine school class was so much fun we decided we should keep it up. Due to the amount of wine opened for a class, it really seemed like we needed more drinkers. So we asked another wine drinking neighbor, Mary Jo, to join us. School was in session.

So, you ask, how did we set the curriculum for Wine School? In the beginning we basically followed ideas from Great Wine Made Simple. We also expanded our reference selection to include Wine Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly. This is another excellent resource that we find ourselves referring to often. He also has some tastings to try. When I was preparing for a trip to Italy, I added Italian Wine for Dummies which was informative and a great reference tool. Now we go online a lot to find information and expand on tasting ideas we have read about in the past. For example, we may compare California and Oregon Pinot Noir. Or sample wines from a specific region in Italy or France. There is no end to possibilities. To share the load of planning a lesson, we rotate hosting school with the host deciding on the topic of the evening. In the beginning we just did tastings but we soon started adding cheese pairings. Yum, yum!! Lately we started to add some other small nibbles that should pair well with the wines we are trying. If the wines are red, you can be sure there is some dark chocolate involved!

There is a basic format that we follow for our classes, but we remain flexible. Each class consists of three wines. If we are comparing the same style of wine from different regions we try to stay in the same general price range for our wine so the comparison is more accurate. Other times we may vary the degrees of price ranges. Sometimes it will surprise you…you may enjoy the more moderately price wine the most. The setup includes three glasses for each person and a white plate or napkin for viewing the wine. We have learned that it is best to taste and make notes on each wine by itself before we add any of the food pairings. That way you can really see how wine and food are meant to be together. For our note taking we found a tasting sheet that we find helpful at www.wine-tastings-guide.com . This tasting sheet allows you to have all three wines on the same sheet for side by side comparison. We start with the color/appearance. Next we move to the nose, which we find is the most difficult to put in words. We have grown in this area, but continue to look for ways to improve here. Last, the mouth, how does it feel in the mouth, the finish, etc? After we have tasted each one, we go back and try them again with the pairings. Many times our least favorite wine becomes a favorite with the correct pairings. A new twist we have added to a couple of our classes is the Winerd game. Mary Jo received it as a gift for Christmas and it is a lot of fun. It challenges us on terms and general wine knowledge, so you learn while you play!

When all is said and done, we have fun, enjoy each other’s company and get to try new wines. Over these last few years we have become more that just wine loving neighbors. Now we are wine loving friends! I count myself lucky to call Lisa and Mary Jo dear friends.

Cheers,

Beth