2011 Chelsea Goldschmidt Merlot, Alexander Valley

I got an e-mail yesterday announcing that Off the Vine, the wine retail store where I worked from 2009-2012 is closing sometime in the next few weeks. The owners have been presented with a wonderful new wine-related business opportunity in Colorado and I wish them nothing but the nest of luck. I know they will love it there. To clear their inventory, they are offering the remaining stock at a generous discount. So I was there when the store opened this morning to pick up a few cases; some known and others unknown.

One of the "unknowns" I got this morning was the 2011 Chelsea Goldschmidt Merlot, Alexander Valley. I opened it tonight with burgers off the grill and couldn't possibly have been more pleased. Wonderfully deep cranberry color could easily pass for a Cabernet. The nose seemingly reveals another aroma with each and every sniff. Plum, sweet cherry, coffee, licorice and toasty oak. Around the 1-hour mark the wine turns decidedly minty. Beautiful balance on the palate as well with coffee bean, charred oak, sweet cherry and considerably more tannin that I expected from a $16 California Merlot. Am I too excited about this wine? I really don't think so. Highly recommended.

2011 Paul Dolan Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino

Continuing along my journey through a case full of inexpensive wines I've never tried, tonight I reached for the 2011 Paul Dolan Sauvignon Blanc, Potter Valley, Mendocino. Transparent color with just the slightest hint of golden hue. Wonderfully floral aromatics with bits of green apple, kiwi and lemon adding complexity. No trace of grassiness, bell pepper, "gooseberry" or anything else that I currently detest in most New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. This is all about pure California fruit. Quite tart and lemony on the palate with assertive acidity My only quibble with this wine is the somewhat short, watery finish. But for $13, I'm not complaining. Drop dead gorgeous with fish tacos (cabbage, guacamole, chipotle crema) and a glass after dinner was just as refreshing.

2011 Evodia Old Vines Garnacha, Calatayud

Continuing along with my box of inexpensive wines I've never had, tonight's selection was the 2011 Evodia Old Vines Garnacha, Calatayud. This is an absolutely stunning wine and at $8.49 (before discount!) a stunning value. According to the label, this wine comes from 100 year old vines planted at 2400-3000 feet elevation. I'm at a loss for how someone can produce this wine, transport it across the ocean, mark it up 3 times (importer, wholesaler, retailer) and still make money on this at such a ridiculously low price.


Anyway, back to the wine. Textbook Spanish Grenache with sexy blueberry cobbler, mineral, sweet Mediterranean herbs and minty mocha notes on the nose and palate. Tannins are something of an afterthought so drink it up now. Long, herbaceous finish plays well with tonight's dinner of grilled flank steak with charmoula sauce. We also had parsley potatoes (parsley from the garden) and broiled asparagus (asparagus from the garden) with Parmesan cheese.

2011 Eola Hills Pinot Gris, 2012 Rainstorm Pinot Gris

I spent a very somber, yet satisfying morning/afternoon with my son's Cub Scout pack at two Memorial Day ceremonies in Paola. This morning we assembled in a corner of the Paola cemetery reserved for veterans' graves; many dating back to the Civil War and simply marked U.S. Soldier. We were there with representatives of the local VFW chapter, a motorcycle honor guard and even a Civil War reenactor. After a prayer from the VFW chaplain, we listened to stories about local veterans, heard a reading of recently-deceased local veterans and then had a 21-gun salute and "taps" played on the bugle. In the afternoon, a similar ceremony was repeated  at the Veterans' Memorial in downtown Paola.

I wanted to grill or smoke something this evening for dinner and salmon steaks were on sale at the grocery store for $7.99/pound. So I picked 3 thick ones, rubbed them down with a lemon pepper seasoning and hot-smoked them over charcoal and maple chips. I mean, this just begs for Oregon Pinot Gris, right?  18 minutes later, the salmon was succulent and tender with just the right amount of smoke flavor.

While the salmon was smoking, I opened the 2011 Eola Hills Pinot Gris, Oregon. Features classic Pinot Gris color with that hint of brassy golden/orange hue. On the nose it's all about lemons and tart green apples. The tartness continues onto the palate with bright and vibrant green apple flavors and a long, tart finish. Slightly oxidized? A well-made wine, but just not what I was looking for. So I re-corked the rest of the bottle and stuck it in the fridge for another day. Retails for about $14 and not something I'm likely to buy again.

After relegating the Eola Hills to the fridge, I twisted the screw cap on a 2012 Rainstorm Pinot Gris, Oregon. This has a very clear, light golden color that could easily pass for a Sauvignon Blanc; no brassy highlights. Some fragrant pear and mineral notes on the nose, but the super dry, minerally palate is nearly devoid of fruit. The finish is commendably long, but once again, it's just pure mineral. I suppose this was an okay value for $10, but I don't see myself buying this one again, either.

I hate to call the evening's wines a disappointment as neither one was particularly bad. But neither one of them had that "it factor," either like some of my favorite inexpensive Pinot Gris that you can read about here (Wallace Brook, Cline, J Vineyards, Mohua, etc.).

2010 Pierano Estate "The Other," Lodi

Hey, is this thing still on? Anyone out there still reading this blog? I know it's been a while since my last post but I think I'm back. At least I'm back to buying wine. After spending roughly the last five months just drinking wines that I represent in my capacity as co-owner of Amphora Distribution (a small new wine distributor in Kansas), I went out and actually bought a mixed case of someone else's wines. My only criteria were that the wines were all under $15 and that they were all new to me.

Tonight we went to a friend's house for a little pre-Memorial Day cookout. He smoked two pork shoulders and a couple of racks of ribs on his new Traeger pellet smoker. Thinking smoked ribs and Kansas City-style BBQ sauce called for a fruit bomb of sorts, I grabbed the 2010 Pierano Estate Vineyards The Other, Lodi. The wine has a perfectly lovely, clear ruby color; although I was say it stops well short of complete saturation. While the wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Syrah, I would say this wine is all about the soft, medium-bodied, plummy aromas and flavors of Merlot. There's a good bit of oak, a trace of nondescript spice and just enough bay leaf to add complexity and spare the wine from the dreaded monolithic descriptor.



Nothing outstanding here, but it did everything I could ask an $11 bottle of California red to do and it was quite nice with the excellent BBQ. The retailer I purchased this from told me his store loaded up on this wine based on the excellent 2010 Pierano Cabernet that they couldn't keep in stock. (But he also told me that the 2011 Pierano Cabernet is a huge disappointment.) I haven't tried anything else from this winery, but if I find a dusty bottle of 2010 still lurking on some retailer's shelf, I'll be sure to pull the trigger.

2008 Federalist "Visionary" Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley

Holy smokes! Has it really been a month since I've posted anything here? I knew I was being lame and lazy, but I had no idea that it had gotten that bad. I'll really try to do better. But seriously, the vast majority of what I drink these days are wines distributed by Amphora that I bring home after a long day of tasting with retailers and/or restaurants. I don't want to use this site to prop up my own wines and I've had these wines so many times that I don't even bother dissecting them any more. But every once in a while, like tonight, I drink something I don't distribute.

I've recently had the 2008 Federalist Visionary Zinfandel, Alexander Valley twice and I can't say that I'm really impressed. Is it the wine? Or maybe it's because I would have aligned myself with the anti-federalists had I been around in the late 1700s? Anyway, the wine has a rather translucent, cranberry color. When the cork is first pulled, the nose is all about tart raspberry fruit. Swirlitude in a big Riedel Cabernet glass coaxes out lots of coconut-laced American oak and distinct chocolate note. Missing is any hint of pepper or spice, hallmarks I look for in a good Zinfandel. The 14.2% alcohol isn't noticeable and the wine, to its credit, has nicely-balanced acidity and tannins. Finishes rather sweet with raspberry jam and American oak. I think I paid about $25 for this when I was in St. Louis over Christmas. I've since seen it all over Kansas City for about the same price. But I doubt it is anything I would buy again.

2011 J Vineyards Pinot Gris

The 2011 J Vineyards and Winery Pinot Gris, California has one of the most amazingly intense noses I've come across in recent memory. Luscious waves of tangerine, ginger, cantaloupe and white flowers tantalize the nose while honeyed melon and mineral notes tease the palate. There's a hint of residual sugar on the finish, but it does not detract from the wine's overall crisp and clean nature. Would make an excellent summertime sipper. A beautiful wine in the sub-$15 range that paired perfectly with tonight's shrimp/shiitake mushroom/spinach/bowtie pasta toss.

I must confess, I haven't had anything from Jordan/J Vineyards in probably 20 years as I tend to avoid mass-produced/name brand labels when possible. But being a big domestic Pinot Gris fan, I thought I'd take a chance on this one that I saw at a grocery store in St. Louis over Christmas. Nice to see this starting to show up on retailers' shelves in the KC area.