National Drink Wine Day, well alrighty then!

Drink what you like.  It's that simple.  I can remember a few ah-ha moments back in the mid-90's that had me checking back labels for certain importers and front labels for certain regions all the sudden while shopping for new wines -  I liked.  It happens.  Suddenly my palate changed from big bold Bordeaux style wines into more elegant and feminine wines from Burgundy and California's Sonoma County.  Though I still enjoy the occasional glass of very well made Cabernet Sauvignon, I branched out years ago due to an open mind and crazy curiosity to learn more about wine and wine regions. 

Sometime in 2002 or 2003 I was giving a bottle of 1997 Williams Seylem Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir by my dear friends Jason and Liane LaBarba from Dallas.  This bottle blew my mind and pretty much kick-started my passion for Sonoma County Pinot Noir.  Fast forward 12 years later and I was representing one of the greatest family producers in Burgundy http://www.demontille.com/family.html.  A thrilling ride through the wine supply chain indeed - full of ah-ha moments. 

So my point is...drink what you like and drink what you don't know so much about - it just might change your life. It happened to me.  

Cheers to National Drink Wine Day - Ali

Taste the #1 Wine in the Top 100 Tasting in LA this Saturday

The 2012 Wine of the Year - 

2009 Bench Cabernet Sauvignon $19.99

The Red Carpet Family is very proud to present Bench Cab as our 2012 Wine of the Year.  The Top 100 is about the best wines for the money; we present to you a 100% Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for just under $20. The Bench has a brilliant deep garnet hue and is a perfect representation of this noble varietal. Aromatically, it is a cavalcade of blueberry, red forest fruit, sensual suede, loam and even a slight hint of eucalyptus. It is so robust, yet elegant with tannins that bring together a mesh of currants, tobacco, and fresh herbs. Age worthy for sure, but ready to be enjoyed right now, so why wait. -H.K, Red Carpet Wines.

Bonus: 

#3 of the Top 100: 2010 Cyprus Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $34.99Dan Fitzgerald is the winemaker and a very talented one at that. He has three wines on our list and could easily have had more. He makes wines of great structure that show terroir and are extraordinarily drinkable; no over the top manipulation or nonsense with his wines! I see big things happening with his winery and am proud to be able to showcase his wines to our customers. Michael

#11 of the Top 100: 2010 Bench Pinot Noir $18.99 An amazing Value to say the least. This is a wine of great character and yet is very approachable. The fruit is sourced from some of the best vineyards in the Sonoma Coast but won't break the bank. The fruit comes from Sangiacomo Amaral Ranch and carries notes of blackberries, strawberries, and Pomegranate. Delicious with coq au vin, beef bourguignon, poultry, pasta and filet mignon. Michael

More information on http://www.redcarpetwine.com & http://www.brackmountainwine.com

Cheers to a great tasting in LA, I'll be in Big D judging the http://www.dallaswinecomp.com - Ali

This Week in Pictures

...Almond Orchards, Rock N Rollers, a Full Moon, Sunrise in the Russian River Valley, an Alexander Valley Sunset, Surfer Winemakers and oh some damn good wine. I love my job.  - Ali

Behind Bars

I'm trying to beat the clock today and so far I'm not winning.  I'm referring you all to read The Gray Report  (I've been a follower of Blake Gray's writings for years now) and his words are accurate.  Briefly,  I recall the day this story broke about the fires, many of my former clients wines were destroyed and the days and weeks following the fire were devastating - their history and their future gone.  A heartbreaking time for many.  - Ali

Villian Who Burned Other's Wines Gets 27 Years.

California is releasing 34,000 non-violent prisoners because of a federal court order on overcrowding, which means anybody who commits crimes against property, not people, has a pretty good chance of walking free these days.

Fortunately, the worst wine villain of this millennium was tried in federal court, not state court. Mark Christian Anderson might not serve all of the 27-year sentence he got Tuesday, but it's a pretty good bet that he's had his last glass of wine for at least a decade. Read the full article here

Game Day Wine

A day of snacking and sipping...chile, cornbread, potato chips, spinach dip are all on the menu.  I'll be washing this healthy Superbowl Menu down with 2010 Cyprus Chardonnay, great acidity to cut through the fat and flavorful richness to mellow me out after a glass or two.  

I've got no skin in the game this year, but will be cheering on my hometown girl Kelly Clarkson who's singing our National Anthem, she's nervous about it.  So there's time to grab a few bottles of Cyprus if you live around San Francisco at K&L Wine Merchants, small production this year, so it's not widely available.  Cheers - Ali

2010 Cyprus Chardonnay

From one of the oldest vineyards in the Russian River AVA - vines are planted on the old AXR1 rootstock. It's not often I taste a California chardonnay that I enjoy this much! The wine has great acidity, lemon cream pie flavors with a pinch of minerality and finishes long and supple. 

100% barrel fermented on new and neutral French Oak. Fermentation was long and cool resulting in wines that did not go dry until January (Harvest date: Oct. 20th). Lees were stirred in barrel every two weeks until bottling to develop its rich mouth feel and layers of complexity.  100% French Oak, 40% new and aged on fermentation lees for 9 months. Produced by Brack Mountain Wine Company

Case production: 230   $20-24 a bottle

A Big Day Tomorrow Too!

Yes - load up on fun wines before the Big Game on Sunday...join the Micro-Winery Collective Open House tomorrow in Santa Rosa!  A cool opportunity to try new wines from some new kids on the block.  I'm sorry to be missing this one, but if you are near Santa Rosa, this tasting is well worth spending some bucks to support the smallest of small producers around.  The Ultra Crepe Truck is on tap as well...delicious.  Happy Weekend Everyone!  - Ali

Please visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2730983445/efblike for more details. 

The lineup:

• Colagrossi Wines 
• Inspiration Vineyards where A little Inspiration makes every day a celebration.
• Little Red Vineyard featuring a REDiculous blend of Cab Sauv and Syrah.
• Premonition Cellars 
• Simple Math Cellars ...right place, right time...
• Two Shepherds Unique Rhone Wines that Express Their Sense of Place
• Wesley Ashley Wines Wine with a soul

Picture Perfect

Snapped with my iPhone while driving (parked) below Copain Wine Cellars in the heart of the Russian River Valley yesterday afternoon.