The Wine Hacker.com

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)

Bold and Passionate - the 2012 Ménage à Trois Midnight Delivers Flavor!

Ménage à Trois Red has become very popular here in California, and is so named for its flavorful blend of three popular red wines: Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel.  Words of wisdom from this kicky, youthful winery: 

"Ménage à Trois examines what happens when you put
three attractive, single, young grapes in one exquisite bottle"

During the holidays, I scored the last bottle of the new Ménage à Trois Midnight on our local grocery store shelves.  Affordable yet elegant, this wine oozed passionate secrets, dark kisses, and sexy undertones.  Exceptionally dark in color, it has a nose like a Christmas plum pudding - full of fruit and spice.  Ah , but when you sip this dark beauty, naughtier thoughts enter your mind as the exotic richness of this Petit Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet, and Petit Verdot blend expand your senses.  

Blackberry, mocha and a hint of cinnamon blend together in a silky soft kiss as you hit the middle note of this luscious blend.  The finish is strong, and almost analogous to - well - you get the picture.  

This is a limited release, so grab some while you still can! 

Food Pairings:   This wine is not for the faint of heart, although it is smooth, it is also quite powerful,  I would pair it with an equally powerful dish that can stand up to the intensity of the Midnight blend.  Cajun Blackened Chicken or a nice Sausage Jambalaya come to mind.  

Music Pairings:  This is a sexy yet strong wine, I suggest checking out this list of the 50 greatest seduction songs of all time for some great ideas.  Or, stick with a tried and true musician, and play some Marvin Gaye.  

Activity Pairings:  Friends, this blog is G-rated, so I will leave this one to your imagination.  

 

Findleton Estate and the Unveiling of the 2012 Petite Syrah on January 25th

One of our coolest discoveries when visiting our new surroundings (we just bought a home in historic Placerville, CA) is the Findleton Estate and Vineyard in Camino, California.  Findleton is a charming little winery with tons of Jimmy Buffett memorabilia, and a featured "Parrothead Red" blend that is to die for!   This winery is also cool because it carries my friend Krissy's amazing jellies, she makes a Jalapeno jelly from a down home Southern recipe that is tasty and full of zing.  

In fact, ALL the reds I tasted during my last visit (tasting notes to be the subject of future blog posts) were pretty awesome - and this next release is sure to be no exception. 

On January 25th, the winery is unveiling its 2012 Petite Syrah from 12:00 - 5:00 PM at the tasting room in Camino.  This sure-to-be-dynamite wine is being paired with Tuscan Spinach, Bean and Sausage soup, and bread - which is making me hungry while writing about it.  

I am sad as I can't attend - I will be hosting a garage sale that day - but wanted to share this with my readers as it is sure to be a wonderful event.   

 

Hot Tubbing and Twisted Oak 2009 "Cockamamie" Syrah - What a Great Combo!

As a member of the "Twisted Few" (Twisted Oak's Wine Club), I get their wonderful Calaveras County wines shipped to my door several times a year, and it is always a great day when I come home to a box of good red wine.  My shipment this week included the luscious 2009 "Cockamamie" Syrah, which I deemed worthly of a blog post, my time, and fluent words of praise.  

So what's with naming a great wine "Cockamamie"?  On the back of my bottle, in a blatant poke to our Aussie friends, the winemaker says, " We figure that if a nameless place in another part of the world (let's just say their bathtubs swirl the other way round) can have the cockamamie idea to call their Syrah "Shiraz", we can have the cockamamie idea to call our Syrah "Cockamamie". Right?"

Twisted Oak is 100% "TUDE" - and they have the big, bold reds to go with it! I love this winery and wine club for both the quality of their wines and the fun they attach to every bottle.  A visit to one of Twisted Oak's two tasting rooms in Calaveras County is really a treat - if you visit the main site in the forest, you get to walk through the "Rubber Chicken Forest" (does anyone remember Gary Larson's Farside Rubber Chicken cartoon?).  I must admit I have only visited the main tasting room in downtown Murphy's,CA, but a visit to this great landmark has made my bucket list.   The folks at Twisted give every new member of their wine club a rubber chicken as a gift to remember them by.  Mine is proudly displayed next to my wine rack.  

Hubby and I took unbreakable glasses of our "Cockamamie" to our hot tub last night, and enjoyed it under the stars while letting the stress of the week slip by.   A perfect compliment to the bubbly water, the "Cockamamie" Syrah was light yet rich and "plummy" - with flavors of elderberry, blackberry, red cherry, and a touch of cedar.   Hubby thought it might even have been too light for a Syrah, but I thought it was like a delicate yet bold, yet non filling dessert.   Just right.  

Also from the wine maker's site, "This Syrah is Big, Bold and Deep Purple in color. You’ll detect pronounced aromas of ripe olive and blackberry, along with perhaps a little Smoke on the Water. You’ll taste Lazy flavors of plums, blueberry and leather. This is a wine that might make you feel like a Highway Star, but it might be better to stay at home and enjoy it with your Woman From Tokyo."  

Hmm mm....I missed the olive, which is a good thing  because I hate olives! 

Food Pairings: This is a good Foccacia wine if I have ever seen one, and I was salivating imaging the big rosemary taste of Foccacia last night (sadly, none in sight).  Add some garlic hummus and it would be total heaven.  I can see this going with the little weiners in BBQ sauce that my Ex and I used to serve at Halloween parties, affectionately dubbed "Microweenies" too.    

Activity Pairings:  One awesome hot tubbing wine, I could also enjoy it while playing horseshoes, watching reruns of Family Guy, or sitting through one more showing of Mars Attacks (ack ack ack ack.....).  

Music Pairings: An irreverant wine calls for irreverant music.  I vote for AC/DC - light, fun, "out-there", and bold but not too complex.   How about "Big Balls"?  The winemaker has  other Classic Rock suggestions in their review too....  If you're more into jazz, I suggest Sun Ra. 

Where to Buy:  Twisted Oak's website is the only place I know for now to get this wine.  The good news is that it is reasonable. 

One BIG Petite Sirah - from MoniClaire Vineyards

Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to share this wonderful wine with my good friend Bill who had just suffered through a very difficult business meeting and was seeking red, fruity comfort.   The first bottle we tried ( a French wine with a very fancy label) just didn't cut it; it was labeled "pruney", and found its way to a watery grave.   

 

The MoniClaire 2006 Petite Sirah was noticeably different to us even before the first sip, with a warm fragrant nose and outstanding color and clarity.  Its promise deepened as we sampled it, with full forward fruit and solid evidence of it's 12 month aging in French oak barrels.   The mid palate was both big and silky; characteristics that are usually mutually exclusive.  And the finish was complex and earthy with no bitter or harsh aftertaste that sometimes taints a good Sirah.  As the winemaker notes in his website, just a hint of soft vanilla spice was present.   We really enjoyed this wine, and I think it helped poor Bill mellow out some from post meeting distress.   

MoniClaire Vineyards was the dream of fellow "Silicon-Valley-ite" Pete Smiderle and his wife Mary Beth, and was named after their two lovely daughters, Claire and Monica.   Based in the Dry Creek Valley of Healdsburg, CA which has to be one of the loveliest places on earth, these wines are rich, complex, and incredibly drinkable.   

Food Pairings: 

This wine would be lovely with marinated skirt steaks and caramelized onions, BBQ leg of lamb,  a Gazpacho stuffed round steak (round steak pounded thin, spread with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro and red onions then sprinkled with lime juice, rolled up, secured with toothpicks and grilled),  or Steak Tartare.    It is full, BIG, and rich, and deserves a complex mix of flavors and textures.  

Music Pairings:   A big "in-your-face" wine that is still smooth and elegant, I would pair it with Stan Kenton big band music, Toad-the-Wet-Sprocket anything, or anything from Wayne Wallace's "Three-in-One" album.

Other Pairings:  This is a great post meeting destresser wine, but would also be a wonderful reward for a good yearly bonus, a great  backyard BBQ wine with a few close friends who appreciate wine, or a fabulous "side-of-the-hot-tub" wine.    

 Where to Buy:

From the winemaker's website:   

In San Francisco, visit Absinthe Brasserie and Bar, 398 Hayes (415) 551-1590 and 
Poesia, 4072 18th Street (415) 252-9325.

You can also find us at:
Bottle Barn, 3331 Industrial, Santa Rosa (707) 528-1161
Unwined, 6946 Almaden Expressway San Jose (408) 323-wine
Draegers Market, 4100 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville (925) 736-2751

We can make arrangements (via phone 707 433-4320) to accept checks for payment.