2012 Lang and Reed Cabernet Franc

We are on a journey to explore the charms of Cabernet Franc from various regions. One of our most memorable tasting was from François Morissette at Pearl Morissette, when he let us sample his Cabernet Franc from the fermentation tank. The wine was ruby colored with such clarity in the glass and a perfumed nose that it reminded us of a Pinot Noir. Recently, we have been exploring the Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley including 2008 Domaine de la Chanteleuresie Bourgueil Beauvais and 2010 Charles Joguet Chinon, both wines which we have enjoyed.
So now, we are branching out with an American Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley, the 2012 Lang and Reed. I love their story on the home page Lang & Reed Wine Company. Turns out that Lang and Reed are the sons of Tracey and John Skupny who started the Wine Company in 1996, after a long tenure (40 years) in the restaurant and wine business. This Cabernet Franc is the entry level offering, which we thoroughly enjoyed. It captured the abundant sun that is the hallmark of California and was a very approachable wine. I have to confess that though I liked the wine a lot, I wasn't paying attention, I'll need another taste of Lang and Reed to familiarize myself with the color and nose to update this blog.

Wine Tastings Tab Updated

I revised a Tab that I had called Wine Tastings, which contained the following paltry information:

I've updated the contents so that all of the wines that we have tasted are now listed by the varietal, which I think is a much better way of keeping track of some of the wines we have enjoyed.
Auxerrois
2012 Adelsheim Auxerrois
2011 Clos des Rochers Auxerrois
2012 Odinstal Auxerrois
Barbera
Desperately Seeking a Good Barbera:
       2006 Barbera D'Alba Scudetto Mascarello Giuseppe e Figlio
       2009 Ferdinando Principiano Laura
       2008 Oddero Barbera D'Alba
       2009 Conterno Fantino Vignota
2009 Vietti Barbera d'Asti
2008 Pio Cesare Oltre
2009 Castello di Neive Barbera d'Alba
2009 Castello di Neive Barbera d'Alba
2009 G. D. Vajra Barbera d'Alba
2010 Vietti Barbera d'Alba
2009 Barbera d'Alba Marziano Abbona Rinaldi and 2009 Gagliasso Barbera d'Alba Vigna Ciabot Russ
2007 I Carpini Barbera Superiore
2011 Barbera D'Alba Superiore Conca del Grillo, Silvano Bolmida
Cabernet Franc
2009 Bernard Baudry Chinon
2008 Domaine de la Chanteleuresie Bourgueil Beauvais
2010 Charles Joguet Chinon
Cabernet Sauvignon
1995 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon
1997 Dunn Howell Mountain
2010 Paumanok Tuthills Lane Cabernet Sauvignon
Champagne
Krug Grand Cuvee
Egly-Ouriet Les Vignes de Vrigny Champagne
2006 Westport Rivers Brut Cuvée
Gruet and Billiot Champagne Tasting
Aubry and Pierre Péters Champagne Tasting
Thiery Triolet Champagne
Chardonnay
2009 Domaine Cheveau Macon Chaintre Le Clos
2002 Kistler McCrea Vineyards
2004 Baumard Savennieres
2008 Dehlinger Russian River Valley Chardonnay
2009 Bachelder Niagara Chardonnay
2010 Niagara Bachelder Chardonnay
2005 Francois Gaunoux Bourgogne Blanc
2010 Exultet Chardonnay The Blessed
2002 Chassagne-Montrachet Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard
2009 Pearl Morissette Chardonnay
2008 One Women Estate Reserve Chardonnay
2002 Kistler Hyde Vineyard Carneros
1982 Robert Ampeau Meursault La Pièce sous le bois
2011 Vignoble Dampt Les Fourneaux
2011 Norman Hardie Chardonnay
2010 Wolffer Perle Chardonnay
2011 Joseph Drouhin Macon Villages
2011 Waltz Vineyards Estate Chardonnay
2009 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes
2010 Eight Bells Chardonnay
Chenin Blanc
2009 Laurent Kraft Vouvray
2009 Petit Chenin
2010 Domaine Huet Clos du Bourg
2010 Paumanok Chenin Blanc
2004 Baumard Savennieres
2010 Chinon Les Chanteaux Couly-Dutheil
2012 Clos le Vigneau Vouvray
2010 Richard Leroy Noels de Montbenault Chenin Blanc
Cortese/Gavi
2012 La Battistina Gavi
Nebbiolo
2007 Vietti Nebbiolo
2000 Ferrando Carema Black Label
2008 Elio Sandri Nebbiolo
2009 Barbaresco Terre di Bo
2007 Antoniolo Gattinara San Francesco
Pinot Noir
2007 Alma Rosa Pinot Noir
2009 Michel Noellat et Fils Bourgogne
2009 Philippe LeClerc Bourgogne Les Bens Billons
2004 Jacky Truchot Morey St. Denis Les Blanchards
1996 Pommard Leroy Les Vignot
1998 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Docteur Peste
2007 McCall Reserve Pinot Noir
2010 Paul Garaudet Cuvee Paul
1990 Charmes-Chambertin Faiveley
2008 Brewer Clifton Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills
2011 Failla Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
1988 Faiveley Grand Cru Clos des Cortons
1999 Cristom Marjorie Vineyard Pinot Noir
1995 Domaine Maume Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques
2004 Jacky Truchot Morey St. Denis Clos Sorbes
Riesling
2008 Red Tail Ridge Dry Riesling
2011 Rosewood Estates Mima's Block Riesling
2002 Schleret Riesling Herrenweg
2010 Rosewood Sussreserve Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
2008 La Demoiselle de Bourgeois Pouilly Fume
2012 Henri Bourgeois En Travertin Pouilly Fume
2011 Grgich Hills Fume Blanc
2009 Paumanok Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
Syrah
1994 Dehlinger Russian River Valley Syrah
2005 Bonaccorsi Syrah Star Lane
Temperanillo
2000 Lopes de Heredia Tondonia and 2002 Bosconia
1991 Lopes de Heredia Vina Tondonia
Viura
2001 Lopez de Heredia Gravonia
Bordeaux/Bordeaux Blends
2007 Paumanok Assemblage
2010 Paumanok Assemblage
2005 Chateau La Tour de Bessan
2000 Malartic-Lagravière Red
1989 Chateau Palmer and 1994 Ridge Montebello
2009 Chateau La Tour de Mons Margaux
Rosé
2011 Sofia Rosé
2012 Charles & Charles Rosé
Southern Rhone Blends
1995 Chateau de Beaucastel
1998 Chateau de Beaucastel
2001 Le Vieux Donjon
1998 Chateau de La Gardine
Oddbins
2009 Kiralyudvar Tokaji Furmint Sec
2009 Vietti Roero Arneis
2010 Jonathan Edwards Connecticut Pinot Gris
2008 Chateau Ksara Reserve Du Couvent 2003 Turley Petite Syrah
2010 Hidden Bench Nuit Blanche
2006 Gaia Estate Agiorgitiko
2008 Gorys Crespiello
1984 Argyros Vinsanto
2011 Abbazia di Novacella Kerner
1997 Palmer Reserve Merlot
2013 Chateau de la Chesnaie Muscadet
2010 Les Granges Paquenesses Savagnin
2011 Uranos and 2012 Kyklos
2004 Saladini Pilastri Pregio del Conte

Snow Melt in the Vineyard Brings Surprises

After coming home from thawing out in sunny California, we went to check on the status of our vineyard. This is the periodic trek that we make in the winter to download the data on our temperature sensors. My husband said that next winter, we will be taking measurements less frequently, I have it set for every 10 minutes, which means that we must check on the data loggers every 44 days or so. We didn't know quite what to expect, but this time, we didn't have to trudge into the vineyard with our cleats. There was about 3-inches of snow that still covered the vineyard.

It seemed as if the south end of the vineyard had a little less snow which became a little thicker as we walked north. After getting the data from the logger on the south end of the field, we began to walk to the northeast corner, where our other data logger was and in one of the rows, my husband discovered a somewhat grizzly surprise. At the foot of one of our vines was the head of an animal that had been completely bleached so that only the skeleton remained.

We surmised that it might be the head of a deer and as soon as we went home, my husband checked on the Internet and confirmed that it was a deer head. Apparently, with the snow being so thick, the deer have a problem. They sink into the snow when

they walk and have difficulty running so that they become prey to coyotes which have an advantage of being able to walk on the snow.

We also checked on the status of our vines and although it has been a really tough winter, the buds look as if they are swelling!

Visiting Fellow Beserker Larry Schaffer at Tercero

After visiting Steve Clifton at Palmina Wines we drove to Los Olivos to meet with fellow Wine Beserker Larry Schaffer, winemaker at Tercero. We remember when we went to Los Olivos, pre-Sideways, it was a sleepy little town with a great restaurant called Los Olivos Cafe. We had previously arranged a meeting with Larry for 1 p.m., when we arrived at his wine shop, Maeapple greeted us and said that Larry should arrived shortly, and he did. We did a wine tasting with Larry, who makes Rhone variety wines. We began with a wine called the Outlier, followed by a Grenache Blanc, Verbiage,and Viognier. One thing that got my attention was when Larry mentioned that he foot stomps his grapes. Cool. Larry mentioned that the night

before, he was showcasing his wines in Newport Beach at a place called "A", the former Arches Restaurant. All the while, people were coming in to taste Larry's wines and we could see Maeapple deftly handling all the tasting duties. We purchased a bottle of the Outlier and Viognier to share with my husband's sister and brother-in-law in Los Angeles.

A Visit with Steve Clifton of Palmina Wines

On the day after visiting Clos Pepe we drove to Lompoc to meet with Steve Clifton of Palmina Wines. We were already familiar with Steve Clifton of the Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir fame, but our mission that day was to learn about Barbera.

Palmina is located in Lompoc in an area known as the Wine Ghetto. We arrived at 10 a.m. and met Steve, who welcomed us to Palmina and even though this was the first time that we were meeting Steve, we immediately felt very comfortable. The wines at Palmina are a nod to Italian varietals. Steve let us taste his Malvasia Blanco, a grape that originated in the Mediterranean region and now grows in the Friuli-Venezia area in Italy. We next tasted Steve's line of Barbera wines and as we tasted his Barbera, he told us some of the viticultural practices he uses to ripen Barbera. My husband and Steve talked about the Barbera clones that we were interested in and Steve mentioned that he imported the Italian Barbera clones known as VCR 15 and 19. Steve mentioned that the Barbera went through the virus testing protocol at Foundation Plant Services and was commercially available in 4 years, which he felt was a very short turnaround time. The last Barbera that we had was a total surprise. It was a sparkling Barbera made in the methode champagnoise, the traditional style of making champagne! Before leaving, Steve gifted us with two of his Barberas, the sparkling Barbera and the 2011 Barbera Walker Vineyards. We had on hand a wine to give Steve as well, it was a 2003 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia. Steven expressed interest in a grape variety that we are growing called Auxerrois, which he had never tasted, so my husband said that he would ship Steve a bottle of Odinstal, an Auxerrois from Germany.

Visiting Clos Pepe

On the first weekend that we were in Los Angeles, we took a short trip up north to the Buellton-Solvang area to visit Wes Hagen at Clos Pepe. The winery is by appointment only, but Wes encourages visitors, so before we left Connecticut, we arranged a visit. Another couple, Tracy and Kevin and we were the only people on that Sunday so we had Wes all to ourselves. Wes told us that there was a frost warning during the early morning hours and he had woken up to turn on the fan, which was like an inverted helicopter blade that drew the cold air off the slope and out of the vineyard. The vines were in the 1-3 inch shoot stage and at least one shoot had 3 inflorescences developing. Wes explained about the unusual terrain around the Lompoc area, where the mountain range runs from west to east and funnels the cool air in from the Pacific Ocean. Wes then gave us a geology lesson of the region, explaining that the soil is comprised of diatomaceous earth, along with the unusual weather pattern of morning fog and sun is conducive to growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

We walked up the hill to the Clos Pepe residence during which time Wes related to us a short history of the world according to grape in seven minutes. He began from the time when all the continents were one land mass, to the appearance of the first wild grape and then the discovery of the hermaphroditic grape vine with it's fruitfulness, that drew the attention of early humans. Wes referenced Dr. Patrick McGovern's work in identifying tartaric acid found on shards of earthenware that can serve as a marker for the presence of grapes and it's products, leading to the discovery that people in the Zagros mountains were engaged in wine making as long ago as 5000 B.C. When we reached the residence, we were invited into the kitchen where Wes served us a platter of cheese, salami and bread to have with the tasting of the Clos Pepe wines. We tasted 2 different styles of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The wines were all very good and we bought a case that Wes will ship to us. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
Endnote: it is the second day of spring and it has been snowing in Connecticut from yesterday, a far cry from sunny California.

Dinner and Wine with Old Friends

Full disclosure, for the past 10 days, we have been visiting family and friends in sunny California. We left Connecticut on March 6th, following a winter storm that left us with more snow and arrived in Los Angeles to 80 degree delight. We were there to celebrate my husband's sister's birthday. One of the things that we also did was to get together with my husband's high school friends. We met up with Mary and Paul at another friend's restaurant, Alan Greeley's The Golden Truffle. Alan has owned and run this restaurant for at least 35 years. Through the course of the evening, we learned that Paul was the best man at Alan's wedding. The three men reminisced about the time they went to the desert to ride their truck pulled lawn chair and motorcycle pulled milk carton. I know you can't picture this, so photos are on the way.

We were there during restaurant week so we chose the Prix Fix. We had this Pinot Noir with our appetizers and a crostini that Alan brought out for us. What was nice about The Golden Truffle is that they have half bottles and my husband and I ordered this half bottle of 2012 Windy Oaks Pinot Noir. Tasting this Pinot Noir was very interesting to me because I was in an online class with the son of the owners of Windy Oaks, Spencer Schultz. On their website, I learned that this Pinot Noir is made from a mixture of 5 clones. My husband really the Pinot Noir, he definitely got the California influence, but felt that it was a well balanced wine with fruit and acid and great color. With our meal, we had another half bottle, this time we chose a Gigondas that paired very well with the stuffed grape leaves. Here is a photo of the trio, from left, Paul, Alan and my husband.

Alan regaled us with stories of drinking a 6-liter bottle of La Tache. We basically closed down the restaurant and my husband had a great time recalling high school times with his friends.

2012 Odinstal Auxerrois

We shared this 2012 Odinstall Auxerrois with my sister-in-law who prepared a delicious meal of salmon over guacamole with arugula. We sat outdoors in 80 degree warmth! There was a nice bouquet that came from the wine and it tasted of lemon and peaches. A little more fruity than I thought an Auxerrois would be.
We are growing Auxerrois so it was interesting to be able to taste the expression of this variety that comes from Germany. Auxerrois is not a very well known variety but we feel that it is a good pairing with the foods in our area of southeastern Connecticut, which includes fish and oysters. The flavor of Auxerrois can be very lemony and acidic which makes for a perfect pairing with seafood. I have to be honest, we still like the first Auxerrois that we ever had that came from Clos des Rochers, made in Luxembourg.

Diacetyl Formation

A consequence of malolactic fermentation (MLF) is the formation of diacetyl or butane-2,3-dione, responsible for the buttery flavor found in some wines. The sensory threshold for diacetyl in wine varies with the type of wine and ranges from 0.2 mg/L in Chardonnay, to 0.9 mg/L in Pinot noir, and to 2.8 mg/L in Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

I knew that diacetyl was a by product of malolactic fermentation, but until I read an article written by Brigitte Martineau and Thomas Henick-Kling, I didn't know that diacetyl can be formed during alcoholic fermentation as a result of the oxidative decarboxylation of α-acetolactate, a compound synthesized by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and excreted out of the cell.
Also during the early stages of fermentation by S. cerevisiae, if there is an accumulation of pyruvate, the presence of lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus brevis and fermentable sugars, can contribute to the formation and accumulation of diacetyl.¹
The following diagram shows the pathway that leads from citric acid to the formation of pyruvate and then on to diacetyl.²

Malolactic bacteria, such as Oenococcus oeni, synthesize diacetyl from citrate or other carbohydrates via pyruvate present in the wine at the time of malolactic fermentation inoculation.
Factors that influence diacetyl concentrations include:³

• Presence of lactic acid bacteria during fermentation
• Aeration
• pH
• SO₂
• Citric acid concentration
• Malolactic bacterial strain
• Inoculation rate
• MLF temperature

At one point in the journey of wine attributes, especially in Chardonnay, the buttery flavor that diacetyl contributed was a sought after style, but it seems that it has now fallen out of favor. I am not a fan of diacetyl in my Chardonnay, but I do know that I have had some Chardonnays which have had a touch of diactyl that I appreciated with the food that I was eating. So as far as diactyl is concerned, to each their own palate.
References:
1. Brigitte Martineau and Thomas Henick-Kling, Formation and Degradation of Diacetyl in Wine During Alcoholic Fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain EC1118 and Malolactic Fermentation with Leuconostoc oenos Strain MCW, Am. J. Enol. Vitic., 1995 46:442-448.
2. Kenneth C. Fugelsang and Charles G. Edwards, Wine Microbiology Practical Applications and Procedures, Second Edition, Springer, 2007, page 42.
3. Roman Mink, Ralf Kölling, Stephan Sommer, Hans-Georg Schmarr, and Maren Scharfenberger-Schmeer, Diacetyl Formation by Oenococcus oeni during Winemaking Induced by Exogenous Pyruvate, Am. J. Enol. Vitic., February 2015 66:85-90; published ahead of print October 30, 2014, doi:10.5344/ajev.2014.14056.
4. All structures were drawn by the freely available drawing program from ACD Labs called ACD/ChemSketch Freeware.

2011 Barbera D'Alba Superiore Conca del Grillo, Silvano Bolmida

A lot of perfume came from this Barbera D'Alba, including what I thought was anise and licorice. The wine was very inky in color. The flavors did not disappoint. I thought this Barbera was a definite rival for the 2009 Vajra Barbera D'Alba which is one of our favorites.
I found more information about Silvano Bolmida here: The Black Dog Wine Company and the Silvano Bomida Site: The 5 hectare vineyard was founded in 2000. A frequent tillage ensures not only a natural weedkiller but also a right oxygenation and an organic change in the deepest layers. During the harvest the grapes are handpicked, the development of the analytic and polyphenolic values of every single portion of vineyard is taken into account in order to produce wines whose flavour richness and elegance are characteristics already present in each bunch.
The long fermentation on the skins gives the wine its organoleptic completeness. The immediate placing in barrique and tonneaux (only few are new) with lees helps the polymerization and the stabilization of the polyphenolic constituents. The bottling without filtering guarantees the total respect of its characteristics.

Temperature Sensitive Wine Labels

Whenever we drink a white wine, we do notice that temperature can play a major role in enjoying the fullest expression of the wine. Since we have grandchildren, we are familiar with the "forehead temperature strip" that can quickly measure body temperature. Having that in mind, I've always mentioned to my husband that....wouldn't it be nice if there was something that you could just put on a wine bottle that would accurately predict the temperature of the wine. He seemed to think that something like that was already out there.

This month's issue of Wines & Vines contains an article called Think Ink written by Jane Firstenfeld about a new kind of label made by G3 Enterprises using temperature sensitive or thermochromic ink that can be applied directly onto glass or a label to indicate the ideal temperature of the wine. An example which was given in the article was the Turning Leaf label. The label changes when the wine has been chilled and is ready to drink.
Getting back to the "forehead temperature strip" idea, there already is a company out there Dry Pak Industries that sells strips made out of a polyester (mylar) microencapsulated liquid crystal color changing ink that is accurate +/- 0.5 °C. I think this is a great opportunity to package and market a "wine temperature strip" to the discerning wine consumer.

2010 Eight Bells Chardonnay

My husband recently opened up this wine to have with our dinner. It was a remarkably aromatic Chardonnay. I asked him where he got it from and apparently, it is a taste of Seattle, courtesy of our son, who is currently living there with his wife.
The 2010 Eight Bells Chardonnay has a good deal of acidity with a touch of oak.

The grapes are sourced from French Creek Vineyard, located near Prosser, a nine acre vineyard planted with 30 year old Wente Clone Chardonnay vines.
Eight Bells is a small urban winery in the Roosevelt/Ravenna neighborhood of North Seattle that produces 1500 cases of wine a year. Eight Bells Winery is jointly owned and operated by Tim Bates, Andy Shepherd and Frank Michiels. When I went to their website, I saw that even though they are an urban winery, they have figured out how to employ gravity for the gentle handling of their grapes. The care that the owners take in sourcing their grapes and making their wines is apparent in this Chardonnay.

Vintage Notes 2015

We cannot remember when we have had snow that has lasted this long and we have lived in this area for 30+ years. We recently went to Holmberg Orchards to replenish our apple supply with the best apples in the area and ran into Rick Holmberg. Rick and my husband talked about the unusual winter that we are having. Rick has seen this much snow in the area before in 1973, but during that snowfall, there was a thaw. This winter, if memory serves, we have had a covering of snow ever since January 27th. Just last night, we had another six inches of snow!

If this photo looks familiar, it is very similar to the photo that accompanied my blog: Champagne to Weather an Epic Snowstorm, which is dated January 28, 2015.
I'm finding comfort in the old British adage:
           If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.