Exactly One Year Ago

...I landed in the South of France and quickly made my way North to visit the Rhone.  And a flash from the past here, such a thrilling trip!  http://www.texacaliwinetrail.blogspot.com/2011/03/chateauneuf-du-pape.html 

 A view from the castle in Chateauneuf du Pape

Sunrise

a beautiful view from the San Francisco Ferry Building towards the East & the Bay Bridge. Click photo to enlarge the view!  TGIF - Ali 

Photo Credit goes to Mr. Story

Wine of the Week - a Cabernet??!!

To be totally honest with you all, I hardly drink this bottle of Alexander Valley Cabernet.  ONLY because I can't ever get my hands on a sample since it's the fastest selling Cabernet Sauvignon I've ever worked with.  

All of us at Brack Mountain are in the same boat, the owners and winemaker - nope, none of us, not a drop of Bench Cabernet to be found in any of our stashes. It's selling incredibly quick - by the glass at some high-profile restaurants across the US, poured out of a wine KEG at the United Center's Stadium Club in Chicago and countless shiny bottles are put into the hands of customers in fine wine shops from the West to the East.  

It's a damn good bottle of Cabernet - especially for $20. 

Wine Geeky Facts about the 2009 Bench Cabernet Sauvignon

Vineyard is located in Southern Alexander Valley, along the Western bench of the Mayacamas. These soils are rocky and volcanic, with excellent early and mid-day sun exposure.  Yield: 3 tons/acre. Fermentation: the grapes were destemmed only, then transferred by gravity to a stainless steel fermentation tank.  After a long cold soak, the fruit was inoculated with a proprietary blend of yeasts to imbue the wine with greater complexity. After a steady fermentation to complete dryness, the new wine stayed on the grape skins for an extended maceration to develop mouth-feel and structure. The wine was pressed off 45 days after it went into tank. Malolactic fermentation was left to complete indigenously.  Aged for 18 months in 100% French Oak, 50 % new. 1400 cases produced. pH: 3.58 TA: .57

Check out the chatter!

K&L Wine Merchants - LA, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, CA

It is a rare thing to find a Cabernet at this price from Northern California with as much depth, complexity, and real Cabernet character as the Bench from Alexander Valley. Made by the Brack Mountain Winery, this small lot wine comes from the western bench of the Mayacamas Range, hence its name. It's full of rich and dark fruit flavors backed up by firm tannin and cedar and cigar box spices. It is a real Alexander Valley Cabernet for a great price! Read 4 more K&L staff reviews. 

Red Carpet Wines  - Glendale, CA

Now, everyone who knows a little bit about wine knows about The Alexander Valley. Sure, there is Jordan, Lancaster, and Silver Oak to name a few. Oh, but there are so many others and excellent value too. 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. #1 Wine of 2012 - read more from Red Carpet.

Cheers - Ali

Domaine Vincent Stoeffler

A nice surprise from Alsace on a Tuesday night for me.  Wet rocks, crisp, bright and dry...loved it.   I clicked on the producer website to find these descriptors - oh my kind of Riesling!    

"Wines with Stony Characteristics" ...

Coming from excellent soils, produced according to the same draconian rules as the Grands Crus. These generous and complex wines age well. They express the nobility and the typicity of the soil.

 

 http://www.vins-stoeffler.com

I'm looking forward to trying other wines from Domaine Stoeffler thanks to my old pal Condes,  http://gcondeswines.com/index.html 

Cheers - Ali

Wine of the Week

well, so far! A natural wine selection brought to us in California by Amy Atwood Selections

A beauty of a Beaujolais! Served slightly chilled,with almost preserved cranberry and strawberry notes along with rose and violet petals both on the nose and mouthfeel. A lively welcome few glasses to help us continue through the week! From the internets...

Chamonard 2009 Morgon Clos de Lys

From four hectares of massale-selecton, high density plantings ranging from 50 to 100 years of age in the lieu-dits of Chenes, Corcelette, and les Martillets. Chanudet works the vineyards organically but does not seek certification, there is no added yeast or sugar. The 2009 Clos de Lys shows complex aromas of red and black fruits with hints of licorice and graphite. The palate is balanced with good acidity for a 2009, the fruit is succulent and pure, and while it's hard to imagine not drinking this wine now, it seems to promise a long and uniquely Morgon evolution.  Cheers - Ali

SXSW

oh and so it begins...cleverness is oozing all over Austin, Texas for at least the next 2 weeks. Please order here before this smarty-smart t-shirt sells-out, I'm bet it will! Cheers - Ali

So you think you like Silver Oak in Alexander Valley?

THE REAL DEAL. 

Last Thursday I drove into J.Rickards winery for the first time ever in my life.  HOW IN THE WORLD have I missed out on this wonderful winery all these years?  It's certainly been a very long while since I've tasted through an entire lineup of wines and liked every drop - I even bought a bottle of Zinfandel!

J.Rickards is located a stone's throw South of the Silver Oak Alexander Valley winery off of Hwy 101 in Cloverdale, CA. Click for Directions Here. 

So Jim and his wife Eliza make running the winery a total family affair, in 1976 they purchased 60 acres and finally after the encouragement of friends founded the winery in 2005.   Instead of repeating what has already been written about J.Rickards I'll say this...if you are into buying incredibly well made wines made by down-to-earth folks, here's your winery.   I'm adding J.Rickards to my "must visit" list for everyone who continues to reach to me seeking an itinerary for Sonoma County visits.

I walked away with two armfuls of wine, 2 bottles of each of their whites and a bottle of delicious Zinfandel (my least favorite varietal).  Jim Rickards (you'll recognize him from his handle-bar mustache and handsome smile) opened their soon to be released 2009 "Ashley's Block" Malbec as well...a beautiful wine. It's good to be a J. Rickard wine club member. 

Oh and here's a highlight for all the Cabernet Sauvignon drinkers out there who pay a premium price for a bottle of Silver Oak...this bottle was killer.

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon - Five Sisters Blend

This is a classic blend of the Five Sisters -- the characteristic varietals of the Bordeaux Region. (Cabernet Sauvignon - 78%, Malbec - 11%, Petit Verdot - 6%, Merlot - 4% and Cabernet Franc - 1%) The elegant and refined wine pairs beautifully with Prime Rib, Filet Mignon and savory vegetable dishes.  Prior vintages were Gold Medal winners.  New Release!  Gold Medal 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition $34

When visiting, don't forget to ask about the story behind the two vines pictured above! Cheers, Ali

Vouvray in the City

What a week, Monday was the final day of judging the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition , a three day Wine.Woot! - Woot Off! and then a huge week for wine in the Bay Area, especially for Napa wine lovers attending  Premier Napa Valley  and Burgundy enthusiasts in town for La Paulée de San Francisco.  All the while, it's been a long and tough few nights for me due to an allergy driven cold and little sleep (an outrageously horny Mockingbird is wrecking havoc on the neighborhood).  

So on Thursday night knowing I had a tasting event in San Francisco with Brack Mountain Wine Company I sucked it up and medicated enough to breath (finally!).  The night was fun -  meeting new fans, talking about the vineyards and tasting 2010 Cyprus Chardonnay, 2010 Cyprus Pinot Noir and 2009 Bench Cabernet Sauvignon alongside Winemaker Dan Fitzgerald.  Perks of the job!  However, Thursday night's dinner was the highlight of the week for me.  

We hopped in a cab with our SI's (significant others) and headed to Heaven's Dog a few blocks away from our tasting for some killer Chinese food. Their legendary cocktails had drawn me here before, but tonight was all about getting our dinner and wine on.  

The first round of food included Shanghai Dumplings - melt in your mouth little steamed pockets of yum.  Braised Pork Belly in a rice bun - pure decadence and a spicy eggplant dish which took us into a little bite of paradise.   We  originally thought about eating at the Slanted Door which is one of our favorite restaurants and wine lists in San Francisco, but wanted to try a new spot (thank you Eric!).  So far all of our expectations were met and we were just getting settled in for the main course. 

I often talk about how great white wines go with meat - Duck, Pork, Beef...yep, white wine.  So Dan zeroed in on the 2009 François Pinon "Silex Noir" Vouvray, Chenin Blanc. 

SIDE BAR: My first experience with Vouvray was at the Salt Lick in Austin, Texas. I took one of Loire Valley's most treasured winemaker's Jo Pithon out for a real treat one night during a week-long visit to Texas.  Jo's made a name for himself within Loire for his vineyard and cellar skills and of course producing world class Chenin Blanc from Savennières and Anjou.  This particular night, I grabbed a 1993 Vouvray from my cellar which went perfectly with the Texas style BBQ brisket and pork ribs. A true "ah-ha" moment for me as the bottle of Argentine Malbec was an EPIC FAIL we also tasted with dinner.

Ok so back to the wine of the week for me...the Chenin Blanc was absolutely perfect with our main course. Concentrated flavors of citrus, honeysuckle, Asian spice with a kiss of sweetness. The table fell quiet all but the licking of our BBQ Pork soaked fingers. It also complimented the Tea Marinated Crispy Duck and Stir Fired Mongolian Lamb dishes incredibly well.  We passed on sweets after our last bites and savored a few last drops of the Chenin Blanc. A slight pause and look around the table with the obvious desire to order another bottle and get after it again made us all laugh.  

Shaking our heads and thinking too bad is was a school night and off we went. We ate like kings and queens and the check at the end was not bad at all for the amount of food ordered -approx. $50 a person.  A great night of wine, food and friendship and a new favorite Loire wine for all.  Heaven's Dog was spot-on, the menu small but focused and shows off a diverse wine list and of course their famous "Pre-prohibition era cocktails".  I suggest you make time for a visit soon...Ali

PS Here's a great interview with Francois Pinon and his US importer Louis/Dressner.

I love his answer to "What's work like in the Cellar?"...In the cellar my approach is to intervene as little as possible or as "nicely" as possible. Before any work can start in the cellar, it's imperative that we harvest our grapes at optimal maturity. This is easier said than done: a few days could change everything.

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.

Check these out...

I've fallen behind a bit with the blog this year, it's been a very busy few weeks kicking off the New Year.  Wine.Woot! and Rue La La are killing it for wineries Nationally with their direct to consumer channel!  If you haven't taken time to "join the discussion" on Wine.Woot! and see what all the hype is about, do it, it's a cool group and one of the best "virtual wine tasting rooms" on the planet.

Well, all I have to say about the  Brack Mountain Wine Company  portfolio after the first few weeks of 2012 is - grab'em while you can!  No foolin' in all my years I've never seen California wines fly onto top-dawg wine lists and fine wine retails shelves so gracefully. Absolutely stunning.

My current favorite...2010 Bench Pinot Noir:  100% Pinot Noir grapes from Sangiacomo Amaral Ranch - just north of the San Pablo Bay. Around $24 a bottle at your favorite wine shop, just ask for it if it hasn't arrived yet!  Cheers - Ali

Winter Wineland Done Right!

This weekend Northern Sonoma County is kickin' with the 20th Anniversary of Winter Wineland where thousands of wine fans are checking out the latest releases from wineries all over Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and the Russian River Valley, my stomping grounds for sure!  It's been exciting to suggest to friends where to stop and cool to receive messages from everyone after tasting all weekend!

Westside Boys

Last Thursday night I had the pleasure of attending a small (but enormously rowdy) Pinot Noir dinner alongside the winemakers of Davis Family Vineyards, Joseph Swan, Kosta-Brown and Holdredge.   It was a night for the record books, I was literally sore the next day from laughing so hard.  Zazu Restaurant beautifully paired each wine with local flare and love.   

My wines of the night: 2010 Joseph Swan Gewurztraminer & 2008 Davis Family Vineyards Soul Patch Pinot Noir.  Must grab a few of these bottles soon for the house.  Big Shout Out to Ziggy the Wine Gal for creating this cool event, know I know what everyone had drivers, these pinot boys know how to pour it on!(click on the pics to read the menu and full list of wines poured - EPIC!).

 Dinner in The Shop

Saturday night was a real treat - a first ever dinner in "The Shop" at Porter-Bass.  The sunset fell behind the hills of the Green Valley while driving West. The sky quickly turned from blue to pink to orange and ended with midnight blue - stars shining bright at the top of Mays Canyon road where Porter-Bass calls home.  

A relaxing night with outstanding wines - old and young from Phillips Hill & Navarro in Anderson Valley, Littorai & Porter-Bass and even a sip of bootlegged Brandy made from Pinot Noir grapes.  

Gracious hosts Luke and Elena Bass filled The Shop with delicious food and stories that were great fun!  Conversation lingered on about who makes the best biscuits around, film new & old, thieves in the night (someone stole their propane tank!) cool weddings and of course a small amount of wine industry talk.  

The highlight of the night was the Porter-Bass 2007 RRV Pinot Noir, a perfect glass alongside Elena's savory Cassoulet. 

Everything about the evening was darling (dogs running in & out, fireplace flickering, a tractor guarding the door!) and warm even though we were sitting among tools of The Shop.  A fun tasting place, can't wait for others to experience the Porter-Bass Shop soon. 

Winter Wineland Done Right!   Cheers,  Ali

Visionaries & Heartbreak

The first few weeks of January in this biz is full of finalizing strategy, confirming calendar dates and taking a few very deep breaths to gear up for a full year ahead.  

Direct to Consumer Big Leagues

2012 is already full of exciting opportunities to help wineries with their direct to consumer business on Wine.Woot! and Rue La La.   Both sites are very unique sales channels that wineries utilize to expose their brand and sell cases of wine to a National audience.  I've learned so much over the past 12 months while working with the great team behind it all - Wine Country Connect - this is a recent article  published in the Press Democrat explaining the beginnings and current success of this smart Sonoma, California based team.  Both Wine.Woot! and Rue La La are presenting new features to highlight and strengthen their effectiveness for wineries in 2012...which will be a ton of fun for online wine shoppers.  Wineries - please reach out to me anytime to talk about working with us, it's simple and fun, no market-visits required!

Farm to Table

The year also brings a unique new beginning for Brack Mountain Wine Co., I'm helping them grow their 3-tier wine business as well as developing their eCommerce and messaging to the world.  In 2011, we seriously couldn't keep wines in stock - demand for these wines in major US cities were stronger than the winery's release schedule! 

Getting to know the team behind Brack Mountain Wine Co. back in 2010 was such a blessing, rarely does one meet a winery comprised of both incredible winemaking skills & business acumen. Don't take your eyes off of Brack Mountain this year - they are just getting started and I'm very honored to be on the ground-floor.  Stay tuned...

Family Heartbreak 

Many of you have asked "what's going on with Pellegrini?".  In brief,  "it's complicated". Wine sales in Texas are still breaking records (big thanks to Favorite Brands!) and will continue until we hear from the winery that they are out of wine.  It's no secret that the Pellegrini's have been in one of the worst family battles on the West Coast.  Their beloved Cloverdale Ranch vineyards were sold, 100% of their oldest claim to fame - Olivet Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir grapes were sold the last 2 harvests to other winemakers and fruit was left on the vines of their popular Eight Cousins RRV Zinfandel.  

It's all quite shocking, I won't go into any further details, but it's such a sad situation, professionally and personally I am left extremely heartbroken for Ida Pellegrini, the matriarch who has witnessed such a nasty battle among her children.   Who knows what the future will bring for Pellegrini Family Vineyards, anyone who has 10 million dollars laying around or so could make their "owning-a-winery" dreams come true this year I'm sure. 

So a big year ahead for TexaCali Ali - thank you for your faithful readership, fantastic that the TexaCali Wine Trail is turning 8 years old in May.  So many adventures past, present and to come!  Cheers and Happy New Year everyone, Ali

Thank you 2011, Living the Dream!

What a FANTASTIC 12 months of living!  2011 memories are firmly placed in the TexaCali Ali record books.  A big shout out to everyone who touched my life this year - so many old and new friends, my circle grows larger yet more concentrated with good people and wildly wonderful offerings each and every day.   Thank you.

A few of my favorite posts and biggest memories of 2011 along the TexaCali Wine Trail:

We all got our Cheese on in January

February's Groundbreaking "Wine on Tap" at Whole Foods Bar Lamar in Austin

An EPIC Visit to the Rhone Valley and South of France in March

April was NO FOOL. From Bordeaux to Wine.Woot! & the most fun night on stage with Mumford & Son's

A Tribute to Grace in May

Best of June in Pictures

Helping TexaCali Inner Circle Members with Wine Country Travel in July

August presented: 

1) my favorite Wine of the Week all year long

2) A love story

Best TV commercial of the year starring dear friends in Austin happened in September

Beating my Chest for Wine.Woot in October for the World to Understand

October was also full of California wine country travel for friends

Porter-Bass Winery & Vineyards released some super great wines in November

12 California Wineries you need to start buying from was a huge hit in December

Thank you for reading the TexaCali Wine Trail, hard to believe that this blog is soon going on 7 years strong, I love my loyal following.  BOOM - incredibly grateful for all the blessings 2011 brought and welcome the New Year with a big smile and warm heart.  Excited for a full blown blast in 2012...

Happy New Year to All!  - TexaCali Ali 


PS - my #1 song of 2011, heard these guys live in Oakland kicking off the Railroad Revival Tour!

Happy Holidays!

Cheers to a Happy & Safe Holiday Season Everyone!  

  













Merry Christmas,  TexaCali Ali