The Wine Hacker.com

Christmas Eve Dinner and the Charles Krug 2016 Generations Red Wine

This Christmas was the best ever!  We counted our blessings in many ways.  Both my husband and I were diagnosed with Covid-19 on December 15 - and the outlook for having a good holiday was quite bleak.  Thankfully the trees and decorations were all up before we were hit with the characteristic fatigue and symptoms of this dread disease.  I believe that the simple emotion of hope helped us recover to the point that our taste buds were back by Christmas Eve - and we were able to enjoy this awesome wine gifted to us by a dear friend.   

This Bordeaux blend is fully bodied, layered, and intense - which made it the perfect pairing to Wagyu beef burgers we were gifted by other wonderful friends this holiday season.   The nose is fruity and rich, with cocoa, ripe berries and just a hint of cinnamon rounding off the aroma.  The front palate is a delightful mixture of pomegranates, elderberries, and rich dark cherries.  The mid palate is a burst of complex flavors, with earthy tones, leather, and berry jam.  Structured tannins create a desirable long finish - and makes this a perfect red meat wine for an elegant occasion like Christmas Eve.  I taste bay leaves, blueberries, and a hint of cream in the finish. 

Charles Krug Winery is the oldest winery in California, and was established in 1861.  The label tells us that this winery has been stewarded by C. Mondavi and Family since 1943.  

Charles Krug is my Dad's favorite winery.  This wine did him proud.  It is available on Wineexpress.com if you don't happen to have a friend as generous as ours!  (Thank you Wind and Jenny, and Bill and Yuka for the beef)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for a Big Italian for New Years? Wine, That is? Try the Findleton 2018 Primitivo

The folks at Findleton Estate Winery here in El Dorado County have done it again!  The 2018 Primitivo is BEYOND yummy - with rich flavors of ripe black plum, dark cherry, blackberry jam and just a hint of all spice.  It wins the distinction of being my favorite Findleton wine for the season, and it had LOTS of competition as Findleton makes great red and white varietals.  

Crystal clear, it has a beautiful dark purplish-ruby color.  it is not a dry red, but also doesn't fall into the category of overly sweet.   We love good Italian varietals, so for us it has just a perfect amount of sweetness and forward fruit.  It is bold but not too bold, and has the rich complexity we love in Italian wines. 

Not being able to settle for just one bottle, we have served it several meals including BBQ St Louis Ribs - it complimented the sweetness in the sauce perfectly and added a touch of class to our country meal.  We have also found it to be a fabulous lasagna and pasta wine.  My husband Bert's favorite food is lasagna, so we were delighted to find a new lasagna wine that didn't either overpower the sauce or clash with it. 

Findleton is offering tasting flights outdoors during our pandemic, but is best to check by calling them first as this changes from day to day as we move in and out of Purple Covid status.   Here, you can see the rich color of all of our pours during our November tasting.   

At $26/bottle, this wonderful libation can be purchased online here, if you are unable to come to Camino, CA to taste and purchase directly.  A comparable Sonoma or Napa County wine would be at least four times this cost! 

Happy New Year to all! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rave Reviews for the 2016 Findleton Alicante Bouschet!

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A Treat from Australia; the 2018 Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz from the Barossa Valley

Lucky me!  My boss who is from Australia gifted me with this wonderful wine in his quest to find comparable California wines.  We enjoyed it with Sunday night dinner, which was Salmon Glazed with a Thai Chili Sauce and assorted sauteed vegetables over rice. 

This robust, deep purple wine stood up very well to the spice in the chili glaze.   Almost completely opaque, it is big and intense yet well balanced and versatile enough to complement a wide variety of cuisines.  

The first thing I noticed was the complex nose, with the aroma of fine cocoa tempered with cedar, black cherry and allspice.  The mid palate gave a burst of flavor full of rich black fruit; plums and raspberries - good acidity and none of the jammy sweetness of a lesser quality wine.   I noticed a nice kick of rhubarb and cranberry flavors with just a hint of persimmon. 

The finish was long and pleasurable, with enough tannin to provide interest without being overwhelming or characteristic of a "young" wine.  I tasted some earth notes, leather, and fine oak in the finish.   

To borrow a term from the great Robert Parker, this wine was "intellectually satisfying" in every way. 

Now, on to my challenge.  This wine is very unique to the Barossa Valley in Australia.   Even though our Californian Syrah is pretty much the same grape as Shiraz, the difference in climate, soil, and conditions make those two wines very different.  I recently enjoyed a California Syrah that was quite a bit lighter in character than this Shiraz.  

Am having fun reviewing my tasting notes and looking at my cellar to see which California wine to recommend as a suitable local alternative that is comparable in both price and quality.  Reviewing local Malbec as well as red Bordeaux blends in the area - but this is a challenge as this Shiraz has the density of a fine port without the sweetness.  

On with my quest! 

 

Sly Dog Cellars and a Kick-Ass Meritage

When you think of Suisun Valley - good red wines doesn't easily come to mind   A few years ago, Bert and I went tasting here on our way to stay at Clear Lake in Lake County.  Eager for more fodder for my wine blog, I stopped at Sly Dog and did some tasting - and bought this great 2007 Meritage as one of my "finds" for the trip.  

Yesterday in the midst of this Covid crisis I was searching for a bottle I didn't remember well to drink during our VMWare/Carbon Black virtual happy hour.  Looking at my notes for this bottle, I found I didn't remember any of them and my notoriously bad handwriting (yep, my parents always said I should be a doctor) didn't give many clues past the big STAR I put on it and the all caps GREAT I wrote on the napkin.  

Wowser!  What a great wine and smooth blend!  Wonderful clarity and a beautiful sparkling garnet color give a hint as to the intense experience your taste buds will have upon experiencing it.  One BIG Red!

It is a big red, with a complex spicy nose with enticing jammy fruit - once you sip it, you get the huge cherry flavors with the nice Bordeaux finish and long finish characteristic of a much more expensive wine.  

I think I will forgive them the cheap and tacky label! 

I taste big spice on the finish - a hint of cloves, a bit of sassafras, and lots of verbena, with nicely softening tannins.   It will age well, but has aged well to date also (considering it is 2020).  

This wine was selling for $16/bottle in its heyday, I opened it after having cellared it for some time, if you can find it - it will be a fabulous find. 

Music Pairings -  Anything by Muddy Waters , Wally Schnalle's Idiot Fish (Bay Area fusion band), or maybe Three Dog Night (it does have DOG in the title) . 

Food Pairings - We are having it tonight with Omaha Steaks "Mojo Pork" crockpot meal.  Will be great with any Cajun food or complex spicy dish, as well as with BBQ ribs with a sauce with just a hint of spice and sweetness.   Can hardly wait to find more, sad that we only bought one bottle.   Next time! 

 

 

A Great Video from One of My Favorite Wine Makers - Mike Owen from Crystal Basin

Back in the dark ages of Silicon Valley - Mike was once the guy at one of my customers' who beat me up on price, as he was CFO of a prominent early stage company.  Now, I am buying his wines!    Mike has a lot of wisdom to share and some award winning red wines, as well as a great sense of humor 

https://crystalbasin.com/category/videos/

 

 

Listen to the "Grapefather" for Amazing Italian Wines in El Dorado County

One bright January day, I stumbled upon this handsome gentlemen at the newly opened Nello Olivio tasting room in Camino,  CA off Highway 50.  He was the epitome of grace and finesse, and invited me to join him in some libations left over from a wine club event that had just been held.  I had just tasted his wines, and immediately joined the "Wine Mob" as I just couldn't get enough of the big, earthy reds offered!  Also , wine club members can use this beautiful room as well as a gorgeous "cave" at the Placerville location that was just the site for my husband Bert's 65th birthday held this July.  

And the wine we opened that day?  It is now a library wine as it was a double Gold medal winner; the 2015 Sagrantino.  I tasted it that day in January, bought it and hid it to save it for Bert's party.  I mostly hid it from myself -if I had seen it in plain site it never would have made it till July!  Sagrantino is a rare treat, as it is an Italian varietal only grown by a few wineries in the US.  Until recently, it was almost exclusively grown in Umbria, Italy.

It was the perfect birthday treat - rich with a lovely berry nose, heavy but smooth and rich tannins, and plummy with hints of earth, cinnamon, leather, and just a touch of fine oolong tea.  Our friends loved it, and ran to the tasting room to try the 2016 Sagrantino.  Not quite as big or elegant, but still a very fine wine and a great find.  

If you are looking for a light summer wine, another one enjoyed at our party was the 2016 Bianconello.  It is simply delightful chilled!  It's perfect if you want a dry white that is not lemony, buttery or heavy.   I also loved the Dieci and the Sangiovese.   

If you visit Camino OR Placerville, be sure to stop in and visit the "Grapefather".  The reds are fantastic, and the ambiance wonderful.    

And now, for something completely different (to quote Monty Python) - here is a little video they showed us in the Placerville tasting room.   Yes, he really IS the Grapefather!  

 

Enjoy!! 

 

 

 

 

2019 Open House Party at Madrona Vineyards - Fun In Spite of Rain

Sunday was a cold, rainy day in El Dorado County - but spirits were bright at the annual Madrona Vineyards Open House!  Here is a small video I took - there was a small live band playing so may be a little tough to hear.   Turn up your speakers, and get ready to stand in line for those Malbec futures. 

 

 

Love Red Blends? Visit Gold Hill Vineyard and Brewery in Placerville, CA

Yesterday was a fun Saturday as it was wine pick up day at Gold Hill Vineyard   We LOVE Gold Hill for its picturesque setting, idyllic countryside picnic opportunities, and WONDERFUL wines and beers.  Here are some more of my new VLOGs describing our visit and red blend tasting/comparison:

 

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Remember, Gold Hill is a MUST for any wine lover who visits El Dorado County!

 

 

 

 

Pizza Night at Via Romano in Camino, CA is FAB!

One of our favorite wineries here in El Dorado County is Via Romano, and for the first time ever, our busy schedules allowed us to attend their bi-monthly pizza night.     Jon and Leanne, the winemakers, purchased an Italian style pizza oven that cranks out unique and delightful creations about every ten minutes for the duration of the event.   What a great time we had!  The pizzas ranged from a traditional pepperoni and red sauce with cheese to a delightful pesto, tomato and arugula creation.  They even had wonderful, piping hot calzones oozing with cheese and veggies.  Nothing is better than this, fresh from the oven and enjoyed on the winery patio under the stars.  

If you want to attend these events, I suggest booking early as they sell out fast.  Live music is featured every pizza night, we got to listen to Wanderlodge from Oregon, which was a folksy, southern rocky kinda small town band with a style all their own.   And you have to be quick as the pizzas get put on the table in front of the oven where hungry guests dive bomb them.  The veggie pizzas don't go quite as quickly as the meat ones do, but are every bit as delicious. 

We enjoyed the new 2015 Sangiovese with our dinner and it was just lovely, with big jammy flavors and the rich complexity that Italian wines bring to the table in spades.  It perfectly complimented our delicious pizzas, and the night was just fabulous.  

The only down side was that I did a great VLOG of this event that I lost as I was just learning my video blogging platform.....which was upsetting.   Next time...