Drink Wine With Me

Archive for the ‘California’ Category

From time to time I will include in my blog wines that aren’t necessarily expensive but go slightly above the $25 per bottle parameter that is the premise for this blog.  One such wine is from the ever popular producer Ridge out of Sonoma County, CA-the Ridge Geyserville Red 2007.  Ridge has been producing highly rated red wines for over 40 years.  This is the first of their wines that I have tasted.  The Geyserville Red is a zinfandel blend composed of 58% zinfandel, 22% carignane, 18% petite syrah, and 2% mataro.   This variety has an earthy aroma with flavors of blackberries and plums.  Notes of pepper, spices, and some light oak were also present.  The presence of tannins and acidity give way to a really nice finish.  This wine has all the character and flavor that I look for in red.  If you are looking for a good quality wine to take to a dinner party this would be an excellent choice.  It retails for approximately $35 per bottle and can be held for a decent period of time.  Ridge Geyserville Red has been rated 91 points by Wine Spectator.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend another amazing wine tasting at Court Street restaurant in Hoboken, NJ.  We tasted 10 top rated wines several of which I will be writing about in future posts.  We started with 4 whites and I was excited to see that one of my favorite varietals was on the list.  Viognier is a white grape that is produced in the Rhone Valley in France.  Zaca Mesa winery located north of Santa Barbara, CA in the Santa Ynez Valley is producing what I feel is an excellent version of this wine.  They are the first winery to plant this varietal in the area.  Zaca Mesa Viognier 2008 has both rich aroma and bold, crisp flavors.  This wine is first aged in stainless steel and then transferred and aged in French oak barrels.  In the glass is a clear pale golden color with a strong floral nose.  This white has an intense burst of flavors on the tongue.  I tasted pear and citrus with hints of peaches.  It is medium bodied and has a long finish with great acidity.  You can pair this wine with spicy dishes and seafood.  I recommend this white for wine drinkers who favor less sweet and slightly drier whites.  Zaca Mesa Viognier is rated 90 points from Wine Enthusiast  2008 and is available for less than $20 per bottle.

My absolute favorite wine is Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon.  This award winning wine is produced by Silver Palm Wines in California.  I first fell in love with this fabulous red wine at a tasting a few years ago.  I purchased several bottles and just finished my last one this Thanksgiving.  This is without a doubt the most smooth and flavorful cabernet I have yet to taste.  The varietal breakdown is 82% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot, 5% syrah, and 3% petite syrah.  Upon opening the beautiful bottle which is accented in platinum, you experience mouth watering aromas of cherries, coffee, pepper, and wood smoke.  Upon sipping there is a perfect blend of flavor with cherries, currants, vanilla, and spice.   These flavors are intensified due to aging in oak barrels for 15 months.  If you love spicy, smoky, reds or are a cabernet drinker in general this is a wine you definitely have to try.  My bottles were from the 2005 vintage which was only available in restaurants previously.  You can now purchase this wine online as the 2006 vintage is readily available.  I LOVE Silver Palm Cabernet and cannot wait until my latest order is delivered!

After what has turned out to be a crazy and intense week at work I came home and opened up a bottle of Zen of Zin Old Vine Zinfandel hoping it would help me decompress a little.  What I wasn’t expecting was an excellent bottle of wine.  Zinfandel is usually my go to red when I am out on the town.  I love it’s richness and full deep flavor.  This version is much lighter than what I am used to even though it is 13.5% alcohol .  The aroma of coffee is very pronounced upon opening.  I tasted juicy berries and lots of spice but the best thing about this wine is that there are definite chocolate notes.  This is mentioned on the bottle and amazingly enough that flavor came through with every sip!  This Zinfandel is an extremely versatile wine.  It is great on it’s own but also makes a great companion to your dinner and can carry right on through with dessert.  I would say this is a perfect choice if you are entertaining or need to take wine to a party.  Zen of Zin is bottled by Ravenswood in Sonoma, CA.  It retails for under $15 and is readily available online and in stores.