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.

Girard

TRL/Staff/Wine: 9/7/7

The tasting room is tucked away in the quaint neighborhoods of Yountville, just down the street from Jessup Cellars. It's a very modern tasting room with private tables for four, a room for large tasting, and a bar for the casual tasters. There's seating outside, as well.

The staff knew their script about the wines very well, but it was obvious that it was a script. One thing that was a little off-putting was how they reminded all of their new patrons how close to closing they were.

2007 Sauvignon Blanc Stone Fly Vineyards: $24/$19/$17
Fermented in stainless. Aged in French oak. Semillon 8% 92% Sau Blanc from Mount Veeder.
A very quiet feel, taste, mouthful.
Nice oak structure. The nose has mild apricot, lemon, and other indistinguishable white fruits. This is refreshing smelling wine, served nicely cool.

2007 Mixed Blacks: $50/$40/$52Field blend of zin, petite sirah, syrah, mouvedre, carignane and who knows what else.
The nose is so openly unashamedly black fruit that you can’t help but nearly pour it through your lungs. The nose also is unmistakedly Carnistoga mouvedre.
The palate follows beautifully with rich deep, dark fruits…
The fruit on the nose actually mutes a little as it warms up. The black fruits are integrated and robust, but difficult to discern. The oak on the nose carries the fruit to your nose, but doesn’t overpower them.
This is a wildly accessible wine that has all appearances of complexity, but isn’t. It’s a really good field blend. The black fruits abound, balanced well with the mild oak finish. This’ll impress your friends…

2006 Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon:$75/$60/$48
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
The nose on this Cab is exactly cab with just the right amount of earth and spice. I struggle to identify the black fruits due to the oak, but the cherry is accessible.
The oak on the nose blankets the fruit.
Nice mouthfeel, that’s soft and silky, but a little lighter-bodied than I would expect. The fruit is well integrated, again, but difficult to distinguish. This is a spicy cab that some of your friends would like, but others would pass on.

2006 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon: $75/$60/$48
The nose is much softer, with more accessible dark fruit. Cassis, blackberry, black cherry, but there’s a significant amount of oak on the nose. The nose belies the longevity of this wine. The oak on the palate isn’t nearly as oaky, and the cassis really stands out. It’s full-bodied with really great mouthfeel, for a cab.

2007 Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon: $75/$60/$48
Where’s the nose? The oak is almost non-existent on the nose. The bouquet has a peppery nose, tempered with black fruits. This isn’t a wine that gained much from the oak. If they used new oak on the 2006, they used the same barrels for this wine. As Cabernet Sauvignons go, this is an easy drinker, but not impressionable. Both wines, though, were aged in 85% new French oak.

2006 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon: $75/$60/$60
The nose has a non-threatening softness to it. This is a highly structured wine with all the tannins and earthiness that is expected. The fruit is struggling to compete with the tannins, but does so in a manner that makes the wine better. A wine you could/should pair with meaty/peppery food, but is just barely accessible enough to drink by itself.

Matrix

TRL/Staff/Wine: 8/8/8

It would be unfair to associate this winery with its former occupant, Rabbit Ridge. As the Wilson wineries expand throughout the valley, they've opened the Matrix Winery. With it comes three vineyards that are producing respectable Pinot Noirs.

The tasting room has a nice feel and charm to it, but your sense of smell can be blanketed some of the "charm" that was carried forward from the previous occupants (Rabbit Ridge). It's large enough to comfortably serve 10-12 patrons, served by two pourers. The staff members here were very engaging, suggesting other wineries, and helping patrons find their way to other wine-tasting experiences. They knew the wines and the history of them, providing us with some "off-the-wall" information that was charming and entertaining.

It's notable to mention that if you're a club member of Mazzocco, DeLorimier, or Wilson Winery, your discount it good here, too.

2009 Sauvignon Blanc:$18/-/-
Dry lemon and pink grapefruit on the nose. The palate follows.

2007 Nunes Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: $32/$24/$28
Light and simple nose and palate. Somewhat spicy/oaky palate, but the palate has dried black fruits.

2007 Buoncristiani Vineyard Pinot Noir:$35/$26/$30
Spice and red currant on the nose, full and blatant. Palate simply does not follow.

2007 Buoncristiani Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve: $45/$34/$42
Much better balanced. Earthy palate that is smooth, with black fruits and mild oak. Brand new French oak.

2007 Reserve Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, Alegria Vineyard:$38/$26/$38Similar nose to a dessert wine, it’s so jammy. Palate is good and follows somewhat, but simply does not live up to the nose. It’s a great zin, but I’d be expecting the Mazzocco fruit on the palate, and it’s not quite there…maybe it needs to open a bit. The competing aromas in the tasting room made it difficult to give this wine its due. I walked outside with it and it was a completely different bouquet.

2007 Matrix Zinfandel
Wonderful, full, almost dessert wine nose…very jammy, almost smoky. Palate was not as discernible, but great! Liked the reserve zin better.

2007 Alegria Zinfandel

The Alegria zin (not reserve) needs to wait. It's good and you can tell it’s going to get there, but you have to have patience. Another year would be best. "Wow" to the nose, the palate simply needs to come around.

C. Donatiello

TRL/Staff/Wine: 10/7/7

Formerly Belvedere. The renovations are great! It's a very large tasting room that is very well staffed. This is one of the places I hold up as the purest example of a 10 TRL.
Staff is eager enough with some knowledge of the wines. Nothing that you’ll find “enlightening”. I give them credit for serving their Pinot Noir in the right stemware.

2007 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: $39/-/$30
This was a pinot with very little to offer on the nose and palate. I've already spent too much time on it...

2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: $38/-/$40
This wine has a much bigger nose. The Russian River Valley had record rainfall that year. The raspberry peeks out of the bouquet like it's tempting you to find it. It's medium-bodied and has better balance. The raspberry also slips over your palate, lightly, but very pleasurably. The spice of the oak carries the fruit throughout the sip. I’d stop back in for this one.

2008 Pinot Noir Maddies Vineyard: $62/-/$35
The nose has balanced fruit and floral bouquet. Red currant and raspberry are subtly prominent. The palate doesn’t follow, however, with a dramatic shift in flavors to herbs, spices, oak, and a touch of alcohol. Any fruit that appears on the palate is dried in nature.

2008 Pinot Noir Floodgate Block 15 Vineyard: $48/-/$40
The nose is predominantly subtle fruit with mild hints of oak. The finish is layered, with a slight sweetness that lightly tickles the sides of your tongue. The palate kicks ass! The oak and red currant carry the raspberry, and mild quince. The disappointment is that the nose isn’t as enticing as the palate provides.

Thomas George Estate

TRL/Staff/Wine: 9/7/7

Based upon the recommendation of a credible source, we ventured into old stomping grounds (Westside Road) to try a new winery. Thomas George Estate is a relatively new winery that exists in what used to be Davis Bynum's facility. They've dramatically renovated the facility and surroundings and elevated it to a real Westside Road attraction. One of the drawbacks to such a large tasting room/bar is that when staffed w/ three pourers, each may end up serving as many has 6-8 people at a time. The intimacy of the experience is lost and your ability to learn about the wine, the winery, or the winemaker is diminished.

The reds are wines good. They are well-valued, but only somewhat compelling.

2008 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Musque:$25/-/$17
Crisp, but lushly tart. The nose has a soft citric, like a sweet pear.

2008 Chardonay, Stuhlmuller Vineyard, Alexander Valley: $32/-/$18
No malolactic conversion. Stainless steel barrels.
Light nose, that’s nearly vacuous. I struggle to discern very light lemon and honey on the nose. The palate follows, but this is a chardonnay that has no body, and flavor so subtle that it would never survive a chardonnay blind tasting.

2008 Russian River Valley Chardonnay: $32/-/$18
100% French oak (1/3rd new oak). Another light chardonnay, where the oak is the dominant flavor and even that was hard to discern. The finish runs long, but it’s just more oak.

2007 Allen Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir : $48/-/$46Slightly floral bouquet, with strawberry on the nose. It lacks a little intensity that might be improved by a better glass. The palate, however, is all Pinot! There’s complex palate to it that includes dark cherry, plum, with some slight boysenberry notes. Almost medium-bodied and very good mouthfeel.

2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir:$38/-/$38
Red currant and cherry on the nose. Very stereotypical Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Silky tannins finish the wine well. A slight sweetness flushes over the palate as the strawberry –rhubarb does its thing. Medium bodied… drink with friends at your happy hour.

2007 Zinfandel, Tre Torrente Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley:$34/-/$35The blackberry and raspberry on the nose, knocks you in the head. Luscious doesn’t begin to describe it. This smells like it might be a fruit-bomb, but the nose isn’t jammy. It surprises me with some un-hinted spice and alcohol on the palate. It might be the oak…