Mill Creek

Why do we stop at Mill Creek…? Let me count the ways… Mill Creek has a quaint little tasting room set back from the main road. With a water wheel at the side, the tasting room has a cathedral ceiling to accommodate a loft above the long tasting bar. The TRL rating notwithstanding, the value we’ve found in their wines over the years has been great! In past reviews, you may recall that I’ve felt they’ve had a bit of inferiority complex, being so close to Twomey as they are. The boon is to the consumer, however, because the wines are REALLY good at a GREAT price!

This was an interesting stop, this year, because it’s growing in popularity with the neophytes that seep up from The Bay. It’s close to Armida, who is WILDLY popular, so spillage is bound to occur. We managed to slip in and begin tasting before the flood, but it was short-lived. Two, maybe three tastings in and the patients were loose in the asylum. For whatever reason, though, I was being patient, patient, patient…and it paid off. We had been there almost an hour, still “slogging” through the offerings, when we were invited upstairs to the loft (reserved for club members, of which we are not). This is where the fun really began and a whole new dimension of Mill Creek was revealed to us.

When this is all said and done, you’ll notice a couple of things: 1) our value ratings were pretty close to retail prices; 2) we bought a lot of the wine. It’s important to note that there were other discounts being offered, and with the rapport that we developed with the staff, they were exuberantly offering more!

2009 Sauvignon Blanc $19/-/-Notes of pink grapefruit. Dry and slightly acidic

2009 GewurstraminerCalifornians are trying to make a name for themselves with Gewurstraminer, so they’re doing what’s not usually done with the grape; they’re making it dry. This is one of those dry gewürztraminers with plenty of citrus fruit flavor. It has a smooth, simple, good palate with notes of lychee and honeysuckle… yes, I said lychee.

2007 Chardonnay Reserve $32/-/-This chard was aged in French oak for 9 months. It has a soft nose that is not inviting but very unimposing. It displays an unusual integration of flavors of melon, citrus, and slight butteriness (I know, it’s not a word; deal with it). It’s a wine that goes down nicely but makes me think about it.

2009 Zinfandel $30/-/$34The obvious youth of this zinfandel should discount most less favorable comments that I might offer. For example, it’s very light bodied, in a way that reminds me of a smoky pinot, but is still fruit forward, with strawberry and boysenberry on the palate. -Lisa

The nose hasn’t developed yet, but it hints at the some floral qualities that will be interesting once it has developed as a wine. The red fruit qualities are dominant and quite appealing. The anise, characteristic of Dry Creek Valley, doesn’t present itself. As zinfandels go, there’s no spice, just bright fruit deliciousness. I liked this wine and would buy a bottle or two in the future, but it didn’t compel me to buy futures.

2006 Zinfandel $26/-/$32This zin had much more spice on the nose. The anise appeared alongside the red fruit in this vintage. A nice wine... better than the 2009.

2006 Syrah Estate Corner Pocket Vineyard $33/-/$32

There’s a bit of toast on the palate which smoothes out the dark fruit and spice in this wine. Not sure of the spice I get on the nose, but feel it’s well integrated on the palate.
Deep dark blackberry, raspberry, black currant and mild smoke. Without the earthiness of a typical syrah, this is a delicious wine!!

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma county -/$30/$34By now, you should know that we’ve been invited up to the loft, away from the clamor and cacophony of the neophytes below. This will prove fortuitous when one of them breaks a bottle of white wine vinaigrette whose aroma permeates the building, making it nearly impossible to smell/taste anything.
This is a club member only wine, so no retail price was provided. Again, it’s very young (especially for a Cabernet Sauvignon), so the nose is a bit undeveloped. It did have slight floral notes with the slightest hint of mint/eucalyptus. 90% Cab/10% Merlot. Smooth with mild tannins and modest-to-no complexity. It had an unusual sting /tingle in the back of my throat/mouth that may be associated with the fermentation process that it’s still undergoing.

2004 Reserve Merlot $32/-/$45
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ah, yes, the merlot for which we are most fond! Soak in the warm nose of baked cherries with tannins that are perfectly balanced with the fruit. This is a fantastic Merlot! There’s a spicy red fruit that I’ll have to look up, but the mystery only enhances the allure of the wine.

2006 Wine Club Blend -/-/$30Since we were in the “clubbers” loft, we were introduced to one of the perks of membership. A number of years ago, they brought their club members together to offer them an opportunity to blend their own wine. I’ve seen other wineries do this, but have never participated. The product of this event, however, will be bottled and sold under the Mill Creek label and the club member’s special designation. This is a fun, fun thing to do if you have aspirations in the wine industry.
This is a blend that is really interesting. The spice on the palate brings blood to the senses. 28% Merlot/50% syrah/22% Zin. They let us taste this, but it wasn’t being released, yet, so no pricing was available. With a little more maturity and bottle aging, this will be worth upwards of $30 per bottle.

2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley $44/-/$45This cab originates from a 10 acre Vineyard in Alexander Valley used for the Reflections blend. It has a warm nose and smooth palate. The nose increases in complexity as time passes. It has a soft quality to it that is quite beguiling. The palate is smooth but would still stand up to a very mildly smoked porterhouse with white pepper. (not sharp, very smooth).

2009 Reflections Bordeaux blendThis is what Clos du Bois’ Marlstone has always wanted to be. The nose has bright red fruit with notes of raspberry, strawberry, cherry, and red currant. The tannins are smooth and almost subtle. The current blend is Cab/Merlot. The palate follows well, with little or no surprises…perhaps some mild white pepper. Even as young as it is, I’m going to implore my club member friends (whom I introducted (my new word) to Mill Creek) to acquire some for me.

The Final Take : 21 bottles, totaling $493.20 to include2005 Mill Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
2007 Mill Creek Vineyards Left of Starboard Zinfandel
2004 Mill Creek Vineyards Merlot Estate
2004 Mill Creek Vineyards Merlot Reserve
2006 Mill Creek Vineyards Syrah Estate Corner Pocket Vineyard

Unti

So, a word about Unti... The Italians settled in the Russian River Valley to make primitivo (cum zinfandel). Among them are Rafanelli, Teldeschi, Forchini, Unti, Pedroncelli, and others. Unti is a winery that sets a standard in Syrahs, on most occasions. This is a small winery run by a father and son, where the tasting room is little more than some free space at the south end of their barrel room. They put up a few walls to create some offices and a bar for tasting. No charm to speak of, but they have a generous offering of wines to tast and some exceptionally notable varietals. They have a Benchland Syrah that is quite coveted and a classic Barbera that won't stay on the shelves for more than a couple of months (rightfully so). If you want a bottle of the best Barbera in northern California, then you better get there quick. They usually release their Barbera in May and you can count on it being sold out before the summer’s over. While we didn't have the chance to taste the Barbera, we didn't leave without it. There are many good reasons it’s popular and there’s no such thing as a bad vintage for this wine.
Pomp, posh, and pinache are merely words that start with a "p" for these folks. Nonetheless, find twenty minutes out of your day to stop in.

2007 Grenache Dry Creek Valley
80% Grenache/10%Syrah/10% Mourvedre Unfined/unfiltered

Lively nose once it warms, with notes of boysenberry and red currant. It has no acidity, is medium bodied, and possesses a modest earthiness. As grenache’s go, this is atypical…which is why I like it.

2007 Zin Dry Creek Valley 28/-/26
88% Zin/8% Petite Sirah/4% Barbera

This is zinfandel is a primitivo clone. If your unfamiliar with the genesis of zinfandel in America, you should hit Wikipedia; some say it started from the mission grape, but it definitely has roots in primitivo. (That pun was for you, honey.) What's important to note is that a primitivo clone is like a second generation Italian... the first descendant of the immigrant whose name was shortened on Ellis Island. That said, it has an unusual floral nose, but a delicious palate. It's a bit spicy without the acid. If I could be a little pretentious, I'll add that the Petite Sirah definitely shows itself in this wine.

2007 Syrah Dry Creek Valley $30/-/$26
This wine is dark, rich, and earthy. The nose confused me, but I went through a few glasses before I found one that presented the wine appropriately. The wine could benefit from a smaller glass (in lieu the Bordeaux glass, in which it was served). This is one of the best syrahs for the price. There’s still a note of anise, but the other syrah characteristics are still present. The principal reason my guilt-free price was so low as because we struggled to get a good taste of it, struggling with the glass as we did.

2007 Benchland Syrah Dry Creek Valley $35/-/$35You have to get past the initial shock of the dark earth, mildly fungal, but no-spice salami-like (no pepper qualities) earthiness in order to get the fruits on the nose, but let it sit a moment in your glass (decant it if you like), and you’ll get the full black currant fruits with deep earth tones you like in a sirah. -Lisa

The dark fruits are plentiful, to be sure. The earthiness that you expect in a Syrah would be a stretch to say. The black currant and anise (typical of the area) contribute to the lightly velvety finish. I’ve had better versions of this wine, but it’s still a good value.

2006 Benchland Syrah Dry Creek Valley $28/-/$35Since this was a cooler vintage, the tannins should be rougher. As it happens, though, this is a better rounded Syrah than its younger brother. Let the wine open in the glass before you stick your nose in it... It could just be the way things were being presented, but my first snootful was filled with the smell of bad meat. As it warmed up a little, and the wine settled. While it is better rounded, the nose is of some concern
Winemaker notes are of intense blackberry, smoked meat, and spice. I get the meat…but if it’s smoked, it’s a gamy, smoked meat.

Fritz

Predictably, our first stop of the year was at Fritz. It was the Friday of the second weekend and my wires were crossed...they weren't tasting from the barrel that day, "but if I came back tomorrow..."

I was characteristically noncommittal because I knew that, as a club member, I'd have my chance at a good deal on their new wines. (Not as good as the futures price, but you win some and you lose some...)

We had to stop, if for no other reason, to pick up our futures from last year. It had been a good selection last year, with a purchase of a half case of each of their offerings. Unfortunately, they chose to barrel age the Zinfandel just a little longer. No worries, though, the Cab was good to go without a word to say! Ahhh, but if that were the end of the story, there'd be little reason to go on, now would there!

2009 Sauvignon Blanc
I've been a big fan of these Sau Blancs over the years and this one doesn't disappoint as much as it surprises. It has intense flavor on the nose, fully integrated, indistinguishable, but undiluted. Having said that, the huge acidity over the palate almost took me aback. As Sau Blancs go, I prefer a creamier mouthfeel, but I'm not averse to a crisp finish. This one, however, was so crisp it could have shaved your tongue off! All kidding aside, the shortcoming of this wine is that the acidity completely masks the flavors on the nose. If you buy this wine, lay it down for a while and if you do serve it, pair it with some oily/buttery fish or chicken.

2009 Jenner Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
So, Jenner is a new label of Fritz's and I was curious how it would stand up to their estate chardonnays. This wine lures you in with hints of lime on the nose... and then it EATS YOUR FACE with explosive tartness (lemon lime) on the palate! I can't remember anything like this in recent memory. If you really enjoy Italian Pinot Gris, then this will be your chalice of choice. For half the price, though, buy a Pinot Gris.

2009 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Now, on to their estate grown chardonnay... This wine had mild citrus on the nose, and with trepidation, I sipped it anyway (still re-arranging my face from the last wine). The palate followed with more intensity than the nose, but not so much that it frightened you off Chards for good. It was fresh and crisp; it's a nice wine, but not what I want in a chardonnay, these days (I miss the buttery chards of old). I wouldn't tell you to not buy this wine; it certainly satisfies a demographic.

2009 Jenner Pinot Noir: $25/$20/$28Back to Jenner, the new label... This wine has a mild red fruit on the nose, with slight hints of herbs. It was a very appealing nose, if I'm honest. The fruit and herbs are spicy on the palate with quite a bit of acidity. It could settle (be laid down) for another year.
Lisa's notes: Huge herbs (say that three times real fast), but does not overpower the fruits on the nose. The palate is easy and drink now, but will improve in the next year. My guiltless price is $38.

2008 Lost Canyon Pinot Noir Saralee’s VineyardThis wine has rich, red fruits on the nose. A dried red fruit flavor appears on the palate with modest spice and acidity. We still have a few bottles of this from our futures purchase last year. It’s showing better here than when I served it with salmon last weekend. What did I do wrong? Well, for one, I served it with salmon. You really want something biased toward herbaceous than fruit when pairing with salmon.

2007 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley: $25/$20/$22This was mild and muted on the nose. It’s light-bodied with spicy, fruit flavors.

2008 Zinfandel Dry Creek ValleyMedium-to-light-bodied Zin with much more flavor. More than modest amount of anise, red currant, and a flavor I can’t identify. If you subscribe to the "wine has an ethnicity" philosophy, then this one has the Nose of Dry Creek Valley (much like the Italian noses of New Jersey).

2008 VinoValpredo Squeezebox Red: $20/$16/$3050% Zinfandel/35% Cabernet Sauvignon/15% Syrah
This wine exudes a lightly flowery nose with hints of a dark red fruit. It's medium-bodied with subtle tannins from the cabernet. A splash of petite sirah would really liven it up. It's a perfectly enjoyable wine that I classify as an over-achiever at its market price.

2007 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: $35/$28/$35What a full-bodied cab, with great flavor! The mild anise confuses the tannins a little, but that's the ethnicity of a Dry Creek Valley wine, even the cabs.
Lisa's Notes: I'm not sure this will mature to anything more complex or full. The last of the glass demonstrated a little light for a cab, but it is a great drink now for an inexpensive cabernet that would nicely complement a regular sirloin (no real spice). This could not stand up to a spicy or well smoked steak.

2007 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve: $50/$40/$45This is what I call my "big dog" of Fritz's cabs. It's an extremely smooth, very drinkable Cab with lots of big red fruits. It has very little tannins, or acidity so it won’t hold up to much red meat, but for a cab out of northern California at this price, it's a good deal.

2011 Barrel Tasting

This turned out to be quite a nice adventure. I'm only starting to realize it as I sit in my cozy, leather couch drinking one of my luscious, treasured finds. If you've spent time, year after year, going to barrel tasting as we have, you might find yourself becoming inured to the charm of the event. The crowds get bigger and younger every year (not that we get older), and it somehow feels more like a travelling frat/sorority party than a weekend of discovering new wines while they are barely zygotes (so to speak). Part of the challenge of late is to keep it fresh while trying not to kill or maim those airheaded, mindless neophytes that surround you. You work to keep it fresh by finding one or two new wineries you've never tried before; one-in-three will be fruitful. Volume of wineries visited also helps keep things fresh. On any given three-day weekend, we will visit 20-30 wineries. This allows us to revisit many of our old haunts and slip in more than a few new ones.

The other thing that keeps things fresh is to bring along newcomers..."fresh meat", as it were. Of course, it's important to be selective; you don't want them to blend in with the chuckleheads (like the year I took my sister). This year, we happened to introduce a couple to the experience (and wine-tasting, as a practice) on the second day of the event. The experience was so successful, they changed their other plans and joined us again on Sunday. Rookies will usually slow the pace a bit, but after the first day, we were all into the swing of things. All told, our three-day tally was 17 wineries and just as many cases of wine.

While I'm on the point of returning home with such a booty, I have to say I was surprised at my success in bringing so much home. In years past, our sojourns have been in our Toyota Prius which, through repetition and learned efficiencies I've come to be able to pack 18 cases, luggage for two, and a passenger. On this trip, I was in our Lexus IS350C (a convertible) and was concerned that I'd have to leave some of "our soldiers" behind. My persistence prevailed, however, and we (myself and my soldiers) were treated to the most comfortable 800 mile ride home ever! As impressive as it was (to me, anyway) that the ride was still smooth, it was even more exciting that the car didn't lose a step in it's zip! All I can say is...Ahhhh!

So here's the short version of our event weekend; the details will be forthcoming.

Friday - 3/11/11

Fritz (of course) - Dry Creek Valley

Sbragia - Dry Creek Valley

Unti - Dry Creek Valley

Mill Creek - Russian River Valley

Saturday - 3/12/11

Buena Vista

Siduri/Novy

Armida

Matrix

Sunday - 3/13/11

Russian Hill

Harvest Moon

Joseph Swan

Sapphire Hill

Stonestreet

Robert Young

Clos du Bois

Mauritson

Sheldon Wines

The Take was 7 cases (by volume) out the door, and 4.5 cases on futures. Purchases were made from 12 of the 17 wineries (futures or otherwise). I call that quite productive.