C. Donatiello Rosé

Last fall I had the opportunity to visit C. Donatiello Winery at the site formerly occupied by Belvedere, with fellow wine bloggers Lenn, Sonadora, Spoon, Joe, Thea, Nick, and Patrick. Chris presented us with an awesome flight of his estate Chardonnays and Pinot Noir. The Rosé which I had not tasted before last night, was a parting gift which I brought home and tucked away to save for warmer weather. Last night, I decided to follow Sonadora's advice and open it with bbq chicken wings, cornbread and cole slaw.


C. Donatiello
Rosé

Vintage: 2007
AVA: Russian River Valley
Alcohol: 14.5 %

Color: rose
Intensity: medium
Aromas: pine nut, orange blossom, strawberry
Flavors: raspberry, strawberry, mandarin, vanilla
Body: light
Acidity: moderate
Sweetness: dry
Finish: moderate

Summary: C. Donatiello specialized in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir so, this Rosé is likely made from Pinot Noir grapes. Upon opening the bottle, I instantly recognized the aroma of Sonoma. It has very enticing notes of cream which sink back into citrus and pine nut. The flavor is somewhat citrus forward finishing with sparkling raspberry and strawberry notes. The alcohol content is surprisingly high--tasting it, I would not guess that it was above 13.5%. This wine pairs nicely with food with plenty of palate-cleansing acidity. Unfortunately, the winery does not sell their Rosé but if you stop by in person, you might be able to sample it.

Saralee's Vineyard & the Russian River Valley

Having read about Saralee's Vineyard over a year ago, I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to visit during the Wine Blogging Conference. She's kind of a big deal in Sonoma County. Saralee greeted us and gave us the lay of the land and then handed us off to wine-makers Rod Berglund, and Daniel Moore to lead a hike. They both source grapes from Saralee. Daniel gets the coveted Roller Coaster Ridge Pinot Noir and Rod takes the Pinot Gris from Turkey Hill. Rod does loose some fruit to the wild turkeys if you were curious.

As we walked, Rod and Daniel talked about the local soil types, and the fog patterns that set the Russian River Valley AVA apart stating "fog is the one unifying factor." They also both talked at length about the controversial Gallo petition to expand the AVA. The Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association is taking no official stand on this matter, and I'm sure I don't blame them (*see Wine & Politics). A full write up on this petition before the TTB has been posted at Appellation America.

We were served a tasty spread including homegrown heirloom tomatoes (in homemade wine vinegar), homegrown figs, sandwiches and homemade aioli and mayo. Of course, both wine-makers poured us some of their wines as well.

As we enjoyed our lunch, Saralee came to our table and our Zephyr guide coaxed her into telling us (humbly) of her work volunteering with the student vineyard for El Molino High School. The students grow the grapes and local wineries take care of the vinification and sales. All the proceeds go back into the program. Last year, they sold 50 cases of their Lion's Pride label to the Bohemian Club which I thought was quite something. Some of us at the table were ready to re-enroll in high school! It's just really cool that kids in the valley have the opportunity to be immersed in the wine growing industry that surrounds their community.

image courtesy of Russian River Valley Winegrowers Foundation

WBW #48 Roots? What Roots?

This month, Wine Blogging Wednesday goes right back where it started from. WBW creator, Lenn Thompson is hosting once again and has given us a fitting assignment: Back to Your Roots. Right away I’m in trouble because I have no roots. My family has no roots. I was born in Canada, grew up in California, and currently reside in New England. My maternal grandmother doesn’t know what town her parents were born in. I stammer when people ask me “where are you from” and expect a succinct answer. But, we’re talking about wine so my itinerant personal history should be less of a factor. Let me see now…Wine roots--shouldn’t be difficult…Right, so...Scarcely over a decade since I turned 21…roots, roots, roots...I got nothin’!

Okay, maybe not nothing: I did a stint as a hostess when I was 22 working in a bistro which boasted a very extensive port collection; in fact, the largest selection of Port wine (dating back to 1896) on the West Coast—pretty impressive. I had the opportunity to taste several very good, and quite old ports while working there. So, roots? Yes, perhaps... But, when it came to shelling out $50 for a 20 year old Tawny Port for WBW, I wasn’t really feeling it.

So, what’s left then?

You guessed it: California Chardonnay.

My parents usually kept a bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge when I was growing up. Chardonnay is the first wine I remember trying. Kendall Jackson is the first brand I can remember liking.

So, I’m at the wine shop last weekend, and not feeling particularly excited about the prospect of buying a bottle of Kendall Jackson just for WBW. So I decided my approach would be to buy a California Chardonnay using the same selection criteria I would have used way back in the mid-nineteen-nineties when I first began purchasing wine. Those criteria were: a) Under $9.99 b) Attractive Name and/or Label c) Not Fetzer/Gallo.

I found a Russian River Chardonnay that met my stringent guidelines: Angeline 2006. We love visiting the Russian River by the way. We haven’t been to many of the wineries there but, Hop Kiln stands out in my memory. Also, Chai Baba chai.

Angeline Chardonnay 2006

AVA: Russian River
Color: Straw
Intensity: Medium
Aromas: Butter, pear, mushroom
Flavors: Mineral, peach, pear, butter, strawberry
Body: Full
Acidity: Moderate


Summary: The label declares a hint of oak, and they are true to their word. Some butter is there but it’s definitely not a butter-bomb. This wine has a surprisingly mineral mid-palate for a Chardonnay with a round, fruity, medium-length finish. Great with chicken; bit of a let down with cheese and crackers. Still, it’s a decent bottle for under $10 and certainly a nice alternative to Kendall Jackson or Yellowtail that I would recommend trying in place of either of those.

Weekend Wino-ers: Merlot-quacious!

Okay. Everybody whose wine-buying habits weren't affected by the opinions of Paul Giamatti's character in Sideways, hats off to you. The rest of us: Let’s not beat ourselves up about it. Maybe we were naïve; maybe the times made it seem right; who knows. The point is, we can change our minds. After all, it wasn’t Merlot that changed, it was us...


Taster A and I decided it was time to remind ourselves what Merlot was all about with a horizontal tasting of three Merlots from Sonoma County. We opened three very nice single-vineyard bottles, and compared them side-by-side. All had typically soft tannins, plumy nose, and subdued character. Of course, we did wind up with our favorites.

Toad Hollow
2005 Merlot Reserve
Russian River Valley
Richard McDowell Vineyard
Price: $19.99
This was the most oaky of the three but, not offensively so. Slight herbal notes of basil on the nose and bright berry fruit on the palate. The oak fell to the background once introduced to food.

Benziger
2004 Merlot
Sonoma Valley
Rose Ranch
Price: $37
Taster A found the nose disappointing but the flavor redeeming. I had sort of the opposite reaction: Found the nose pretty interesting with plum, floral, earth, and chocolate notes but, found the wine to be vapid on the palate. No acid to speak of. The palate improved with food.

Bartholomew Park
2004 Merlot (blend: 15% Cab)
Sonoma Valley
Desnudos Vineyard
Price: $32
Most interesting of the three: Refined leather and lots of floral notes on the nose; stewed plums, boysenberry, elderberry, etc. on the palate. The scent in the bottom of the glass had Taster A reminiscing of pine boards being ripped by a buzz saw.

We had a fantastic food pairing for Merlot Night: Stuffed Portobello mushrooms with scalloped potatoes and baby spinach topped with a warm bacon-Bordeaux dressing. We talked about the wine throughout dinner. Merlot definitely has some stiff competition for attention among other varietals yet it has a special character all its own: Sort of a quiet beckoning. Can you hear it calling?

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:
2 Portobello mushrooms
3 T Olive oil
1/3 C breadcrumbs
2-3 cloves of garlic
3 T red wine
2 oz smoked Gouda
2 oz mozarella
2 t. Oregano
Sea salt to taste

Wash Portobellos and remove outer skin if desired. Pat dry. Turn on broiler and rub outside of cap with olive oil. Place on pan under broiler for about 5 minutes gill side up.
Remove pan from oven. Cut stems from caps and set aside.

Dice mushroom stems and garlic. Heat a pan on the stove and add 1 T olive oil. Add breadcrumbs, a teaspoon of oregano, and a pinch of salt. Allow breadcrumbs to brown then remove to bowl. Add another T of olive oil to pan on low-heat, add garlic, pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon more oregano. Allow garlic to sauté for a few moments, then add diced mushrooms and toss. Pour about 3 T red wine over the mixture, cover and let cook until tender (about 4 min). When wine has reduced remove to bowl. Add about half the breadcrumbs and mix. Place one half of mixture onto each Portobello cap. Top with half Gouda / half mozzarella and remaining breadcrumbs. (Smoked Gouda is a good accompaniment Merlot but, can be too strong. Cutting it with a mild cheese like mozzarella will help keep the flavors from overwhelming the wine)
Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until top is melted.