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! 

 

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!! 

 

 

 

 

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...

 

 

 

 

Looking for a Yummy Cab Franc? Findleton Winery's 2014 Release Totally Rocks!

                                                                              
A truly good Cab Franc is very tough to find.  Not many wineries offer it, and many are harsh or just plain blah.    But when you get a truly good one, it is worth the wait.

Tom Findleton has created such a gem and I was thrilled to be able to taste it back in February. Since then, we have enjoyed several wonderful bottles of this "nectar of the Gods" 

Cab Franc is primarily grown as a blending wine, which is why you rarely see it sold pure.  From Wikipedia,:

 

 

 

    

Cabernet Franc
Grape (Vitis)
Cabernet Franc in Viala & Vermorel
Color of berry skin	Blue-black
Species	Vitis vinifera
Also called	Bouchet, Bouchy, Breton (more)
Origin	Bordeaux, France
Notable regions	Bordeaux, Loire
Notable wines	Château Cheval Blanc

Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being used in blends and produced as a varietal in Canada and the United States, it is sometimes made into ice wine in those regions.

Cabernet Franc is lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon,^[1] making a bright pale red wine^[2] that contributes finesse and lends a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on the growing region and style of wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, bell pepper, cassis, and violets.

Records of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux go back to the end of the 18th century, although it was planted in Loire long before that time. DNA analysis indicates that Cabernet Franc is one of two parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carménère.^[3]

 

 

This lovely and fully drinkable wine is acidic in character, with the beautiful softness of a Cab Franc as well as a bold character usually seen more in its close relative; Cabernet Sauvignon.   I tasted rich forward fruit, a hint of black pepper, soft vanilla and hot cocoa flavors enriched with some tart strawberry and rhubarb middle tones and a soothing rich dark berry finish that was both lingering and satisfying.   I also got just a hint of the type of bell pepper you would find in a Chicago Portillo Italian sub sandwich (thinking of those, as I am making a clone of them tonight for dinner).   The color is also dark and rich, with outstanding clarity (no need to decant as no sediment in this wine). 

There are enough tannins to provide some character with a mild chewy feel, as well as to ensure it will cellar well.    

We enjoyed this wine with a a pasts smothered with rich Marinara sauce and meatballs.   I would expect it to go equally well with salmon dishes, fajitas, grilled chicken based dinner salads, and  Italian antipasto plates.   And yes, Portillo type Chicago-style Italian sub sandwiches which are NOT low calorie, but a true foodie experience that is not to be missed.   

Drink up folks!  

 

Fenton Herriot Vineyards - the Best Kept Secret of El Dorado County!

Far off the beaten path, Fenton Herriott is one of the smaller wineries in the El Dorado area.  I only learned of them through taking a flyer and ordering one of their lovely wines off the menu at the Smith Flat House (arguably the best restaurant between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe).

One sunny Sunday, we went on a pilgrimage to find this wine mecca, and were not disappointed in our tasting experience. 

An overall observation - most El Dorado wineries specialize in wonderful reds and have a few token whites.   Fenton Herriot has a full selection of great whites, roses and reds, plus yummy dessert wines.  I have about five pages of tasting notes, so will attempt to condense them down to what I found to be the very best of the best (although every wine I tasted here was excellent).

On the "white and light" side, we loved the 2015 Gewurtztraminer for its purity, perfumey floral nose and rich creamy, peach, mango and citrus flavor with the hint of spice for which Gewurtz is famous.  A tiny hint of earth in the finish gives it character and complexity.   And a most interesting blend - the Jane Way Lot 4 , tones down the sweetness of the Gewurtztraminer by adding Chardonnay.  This wine had a beautiful light straw color, a floral and spicy nose, and nice acidity with some white pepper and nectarine flavors in the finish. 

I usually hate Rose', but the 2016 Rose' captured my fancy with a nice salmon color, only 1% residual sugar (so not sickeningly sweet like a lot of pink wines), and cranberry/strawberry flavors with a hint of nutmeg.  At $18 a bottle, this is truly a bargain!

On the red side (always my favorite), we LOVED the 2014 Sangiovese and scored a few bottles of it for our Italian meals.   Only 100 cases were made and at $23/bottle, we suggest getting them while they are available.  This Italian wine has a rich cedar and licorice nose, with forward flavors of spice, oak (was cellared in 25% refurbished oak), black cherry, dark chocolate and mixed berries.  A long, satisfying finish rounds out the experience of tasting this fine wine. 

Velvety and rich, the 2014 Syrah is a medium-bodied and delightful wine with a dark, garnet color and rich flavors of coffee, dark cherries, plum, elderberries, and just a hint of vanilla and eggnog.  This wine is rich and warm, and would be an excellent accompaniment for just about any type of meal (yeah - I don't think I would serve it with hot dogs, so as a qualifier, let's say any ELEGANT meal). 

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon was the star of the red wine show, with a beautiful forest and olive nose, early flavors of Honeydew melon erupting into rich fruit-forward flavors of blackberry, cassis, oaky vanilla, and blueberry jam with just a hint of cardamom.  At $30/bottle, we felt it out performed many of the $100/bottle Cabs we have had, and were happy to score a bottle of this wonderful stuff. 

Our tasting included three outstanding dessert wines as well; the standout here was the 2015 CC Ruby Syrah of which only 63 cases were produced.   I tasted silky, rich chocolate cherry flavors with a hint of cocoa bark and mint.  It is very different from most dessert wines, and is totally free from the "raisiny" flavor that many inferior dessert wines have.  It is a deep garnet color, and would be great with vanilla ice cream or as a nightcap (preferably while in a hot tub). 

A 100% GREAT tasting at Gold Hill Vineyard and Brewery - Placerville, CA

It is exceptionally rare to visit a winery and have EVERY wine you taste be outstanding, but that is exactly what happened the week before Christmas at Gold Hill Vineyard .   I had hoped to choose my absolute fav of 2017 and write about it, but that became impossible after visiting Gold Hill (and Fenton Heriott, which I will talk about in a later post).  

Gold Hill is a definite must see if you go wine tasting in the California wine county!  The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and many brides-to-be choose this scenic locale for their weddings.  They are dog friendly (on a leash, of course), with a nice deck overlooking the grounds for enjoying a nice glass of wine or beer while Fido sun bathes.  This month the deck is under construction, but should be operational again once it is warm enough to sit outside.   

Several incredible wines stand out in my mind and taste buds from this experience.  The top of the line white choice was the 2015 Reserve Chardonnay, which was aged 12-18 months in oak and had a nice, light straw color.  It managed to be both sweet and crisp, with Jonathan apple flavors, jasmine, honeysuckle, and just a "tad" of ginger.   I recommend it highly with a nice Thai meal or white pasta. 

The "stars" of this tasting show were the reds which rival anything I have had in Napa or Sonoma.  If I wrote about all of them, this post would go on forever so I will feature just a few.  I am a huge fan of blends, and Gold Hill has two that are just world class.  The 2014 Meriticious Red is a Bordeaux blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, and Merlot that won a double gold at the 2017 Amador County fair.  WOW WOW WOW - this is an incredible wine and we are so lucky to have scored some of it before it sells out.  It has a rich, jammy black raspberry flavor with a rich, long finish full of plum, rhubarb, and rich cherry flavors.  The deep garnet color is exceptional, and the nose full of red berry notes that hint of the wonderful wine to come. 

The Rhone blend, called simply the NV5311, is a blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Mourvedre and is equally yummy.  I tasted rich pomegranate, persimmon, grape jelly and structured tannins with a snappy black pepper finish.  This wine is rich and dark in color with great clarity.   We gifted this one to some friends for Christmas who told us they loved it as much as we did.  

And one more wine in the same class as the blends as far as quality and drinkability is the 2012 Cab Franc.  The nose on this wine was highly fragrant with plum and current notes and just the barest hint of white pepper.  It is big for a Cab Franc, with lots of forward fruit and rich jammy flavors.  A "zing" at the end was not unpleasant, but rather gave it a unique signature that we really liked.  

All in all, we are very pleased to live in El Dorado County as the wines are simply getting better all the time.  Gold Hill is aptly named, as these great wines are a TRUE treasure.  

(Photo from www.goldhillvineyard.com)

The VERY Best Meal of 2017 - Via Romano's Six Course Italian Feast with Chef Giovanni

Looking back on the year, Bert and I had a ton of great meals between our subscription to Blue Apron, my incredible cookbook collection, and our El Dorado and Lake Tahoe restaurants.  Hands down, the winner of the best meal of the year was the Winemaker's Dinner at our local Italian winery; Via Romano.  And believe me, this was a tough call to make!

A new Apple Hill/Camino winery - Via Romano will be celebrating its one year anniversary on January 6th with an Open House featuring small bites and desserts. They are fast becoming a local hot spot with incredible Italian style wines, a beautiful patio, regular fun events, and a friendly atmosphere that exudes warmth from the moment you set foot in the tasting room.

This event, held on October 13th (two weeks before our annual Halloween party which explains the tardiness of this post), was held on a long well-appointed table in the center of the tasting room.  Chef Giovanni, a local chef who hosts culinary excursions to Italy and has a restaurant located in the picturesque Italian Alps was the star of the show ( sharing the stage with the wines and Papa Romano himself, of course).  Each of the six courses was paired with one of the hand-drafted, award winning wines created by Jon and Leanne, our winemakers. 

The first course was a Farinata, a "light as air" chickpea crepe with onion and sage, paired with the 2015 Calaveras County Vermentino.  The Vermentino is a rare Italian varietal hailing from Northern Sardinia in the province of Olbia Tempio.  It features a nice floral nose, a "not-too-sweet" flavor and a hint of citrus with some mineral flavor with an overtone of nectarine, pine nuts, and nutmeg.  It was a wonderful first course wine, and really unusual and fun.  The crepe, cooked in Jon's new outdoor pizza oven, served to whet our appetite for more luscious foods, which Chef Giovanni explained to us course-by-course.

The next course was "Peperoni Ripieni con Tonno e Bagnet Verde" or red peppers stuffed with tuna and finished with a Piemontese parsley sauce.   The pairing here was the 2016 Shenandoah Valley 'Lileana' Rose di Sangiovese.   I usually don't like Roses, but this one was divine - with a soft velvety texture, light yet complex finish, and floral flavor with a hint of spice.  The peppers were incredible and just as soft and delicate as the wine.

At this point, one of the other stars of the show - Papa Romano (the namesake for the "to-die-for" Super Tuscan red) raised his glass and proposed a toast by banging on the side of his glass.  "A toast - TO ME!"    My crazy husband followed this up with a cry of "Dilly Dilly" (adopted from the NFL Budweiser commercial ).    We were enjoying a dinner with a big, wild and crazy Italian family, even though most of us just met each other that night - and it couldn't be better! 

A course of handmade pasta filled with meat and greens was next, served with a wine that I was sad to hear was sold out - the 2014 Dolcetto.  This was a BIG red with a "sweeter than your typical California red" flavor; full-bodied and rich with ripe cherry, strawberry and plum adding to its sweet goodness. 

Next came a rolled beef course filled with proscuitto, cheese and herbs that had been slow-roasted in Barbera and a handmade tomato sauce.  The sauce was incredible, like nothing I had ever tasted before with an explosion of herbal flavor and tomato goodness that had my taste buds dancing.  The 2014 Fairplay Barbera perfectly complemented this dish - with bright acidity so characteristic of a great Italian wine.  It was full of ripe berry flavors with a hint of cinnamon and licorice - definitely one of my favorite Barberas ever.  The judges at the California State Fair thought so too - they awarded it a Silver Medal. 

Chef Giovanni further titillated our senses by serving cheeses he had brought into the US from the Italian alps - YUM! They were served with what was hands down the best wine we had that night - the 2013 Sierra Foothills "Papa Romano Red" Super Tuscan.  We loved this wine so much that we brought a bottle with us on our recent trip to Costa Rica where the sommerlier from Secrets Papagayo said that he would have sworn it came from Italy if we hadn't told him it was a California wine.  Big, brash, and unapologetic just like Papa Romano himself (Bert was seated by him all night, they had a great time), this wine is a blend of a blend of 38% California, Shenandoah Valley Sangiovese, 38% El Dorado County Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Calaveras County Cabernet Franc, and 12% Fair Play Merlot.   I taste rich black cherry, bright blackberry jam, pomegranate, rich spice, a hint of earth and TONS of forward fruit with a long, satisfying finish.  We loved it with the cheeses, and had it again with a wonderful pork loin in Costa Rica. 

The last course was a pot of chocolate creme with almond -hazelnut cookies paired with an aromatic Nocino and a luscious Moscato di Neroli - ALL of which were to die for and the perfect finale to one incredible evening.  Dilly Dilly!