Some guys might say it’s not too masculine to drink sparkling wine.  Some might say it’s not too masculine to drink rosé, or “pink” wine.  Well, I’m going to throw all caution to the wind and drink a wine that’s both pink and sparkling… and I’ll admit that I love every sip of it!

Mumm Napa has become one of the names that I trust for good, yet surprisingly affordable sparkling wine.  We’ve reviewed their Brut Prestige in the past, so we figured it was about time to check out another of their wines, the Brut Rosé.

This wine has a seductive bouquet with an elegant and perfectly balanced blend of aromas like black cherry, strawberry and orange peel.  There’s also some yeastiness to the nose.  The acidity on the palate is superb, giving a crisp and fresh expression to green apple, citrus and wild cherry flavors.  The finish is nice and dry, with a salted green apple characteristic.

Wine: Mumm Napa Brut Rosé
Variety: Sparkling Rosé
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $15.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

Last week I reviewed the SPELLwine sangiovese and this week we’re checking out their syrah.

I admit it.  I have a prejudice against Californian syrah.  I’ve had far too much of it that is over-extracted, syrupy sweet and too overpowering to pair with anything I eat.  It’s not the grape’s fault.  I’ve had plenty of syrah-laden wines from Cotes du Rhone that are awesome!  And with this syrah from SPELLwine, winemaker Kristen Spelletich proves to me that it’s not California’s fault either.  It’s the choices the winemakers are making.

Kristen approaches syrah in a way that she says is “appropriate for the varietal.”  And she does it well, proving my prejudice is misplaced.  California can create a balanced, approachable syrah.  And the SPELLwine syrah is also one with enough structure to last a few years.

“In twenty years there won’t be and good library wines available,” Kristen commented to me.  ”Because everyone is manipulating the shit out of their wine to make it drinkable now.  But it’s not good for aging.  What’s wrong with letting a wine lie in the bottle or a barrel for a few years?”

And this one has been lying around for a few years.  Check the vintage on this wine.  It’s a 2006!  But it’s not something I’ve had lying around, you can buy the 2006 vintage of syrah from SPELLwine today!  How awesome is that?  Rather than bottling a full vintage and moving it out as quickly as they can, they let it sit and bottle on demand.

This syrah offers a beautiful, harmonious nose with aromas like black pepper, black raspberry, plums and toasted oak.  The palate brings scrumptious fruit flavors that come through as full but not jammy.  It starts with plum and berry flavors, then evolves into spice on the midpalate.  The tannins are just enough to give some texture to the mouthfeel, although I wouldn’t call it silky.  This is a well balanced and structured wine, but it’s little agressive on the edges, making it just shy of elegant.  But it’s still a spectacular wine and a great example of what I wish more Californian winemakers would do with this varietal.

Wine: SPELLwine
Variety: Syrah
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 14.4%
Rating: 89
Price: $16.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

While I love a bargain on wines, I get bored with factory-made wines that while not offensive just have no excitement to them.  So many wines on the market today are manipulated in an attempt to “standardize” the flavor.  And it’s not just the cheap ones.  A lot of this is done in order to make while appealing to drink right off the shelf.  But I appreciate it when I come across producers who create wines the old way.  Wines that should sit in the cellar for a few years before you drink them.  Sure, it’s a little more work as a wine consumer.  But the wine tends to have a little more character, at least that’s been my experience.

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard is one such producer.  They’ve been creating European-style, cellar-worthy wines since the 1970′s.  In 2008 they launched a new brand called Quinta Cruz, which includes only varietals that are native to the Iberian peninsula.

While their prices tend to be toward the upper-end of our bargain-hunter price limits (and some over), sometimes a splurge is in order for a special wine.

I had an opportunity to check out their tempranillo from Pierce Ranch in San Antonio Valley, California.  And while I would have liked to tuck this one into the cellar for a few years, I had no complaints.

The nose on this wine is absolutely beautiful, with aromas of blackberry, cherry, coffee, cured meats and brown sugar.  The palate is equally delightful, offering ripe blackberry and cherry flavors complemented by hints of chocolate.  The concentration on the palate is perfect, as are the acidity and balance.  The tannins are dense enough to give a little structure, but I wouldn’t complain with a little more tannin.  The finish is nice and long, and adds a touch of tobacco.  All told, this is an outstanding wine.

Wine: Quinta Cruz Pierce Ranch
Variety: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.1%
Rating: 91
Price: $18.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

I can’t help but wonder how meaningful the “Meritage” name is to wine consumers.  I mean, I don’t hear many people saying, “I’d like a glass of Meritage.”  I suspect a lot of consumers don’t even know what it is.  In essence, Meritage is a name for Bordeaux-style wine that’s made somewhere other than Bordeaux.  You’re really not supposed to call a wine a Bordeaux if it’s not made there.  So some clever folks came up for another name for it, Meritage.  It’s actually a trademarked name, owned by the Meritage Alliance, and anyone who wants to create a Meritage wine needs to license the name.

The idea makes sense, creating a common name for this type of wine.  And I enjoy Bordeaux-style wines.  But I just haven’t noticed a groundswell of consumers clamoring for Meritage.  Maybe the awareness just isn’t there yet.  Or maybe I just run in the wrong circles.

By the way, Meritage is pronounced like “heritage” with an M instead of an H.  So, don’t try to get all fancy with your French accent and call it mare-i-tahhhzh.

The nose is a pleasant on this Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage, albeit rather unmoving, blend of blackberry, plum, cedar and vanilla aromas.  And while those are all aromas we love in red wines, I characterize it as “unmoving” because it’s just not harmonious, in other words, the right aromas are there, but there not optimally balanced.  The palate has plenty of cherry and plum flavors with moderate tannins and decent acidity.  And again, while it’s enjoyable, it’s not mind-blowingly good.  It finishes a bit on the tart side, with sour cherry flavors and a medium length.  This is a decent wine for the price, but nothing extraordinary.

What’s your take?  Are you a Meritage fanatic?

Wine: Robert Mondavi Private Selection
Variety: Meritage
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $11.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

I’m a big fan of sangiovese, but most of the time if I’m drinking a sangiovese it’s one from Italy.  I just don’t come across a lot of domestic sangiovese, but I’m always curious about it when I do.  Perhaps I don’t come across much of it because the market is just too small for it, limiting its distribution and production.

Based on a conversation I had with Kristen Spelletich, the creator of SPELLwine, I might be on to something.  She told me that she doesn’t sell a lot of her sangiovese.  ”And it pisses me off too!  Because it’s a super, high acid, good with food wine,” she vented.  But that doesn’t prevent her from producing it.  Kristen’s attitude toward wine is to create wines that don’t necessarily follow the formula that others use.  And it’s working for her.

SPELLwine was created by Kristen after she started working for her parent’s winery, Spelletich Cellars.  Actually, her mom does most of the winemaking but it’s guided by Kristen’s palate for this brand.  With SPELLwine, Kristen wanted to create a brand that was geared toward millennials.  And while the acid trip designs on the labels stand out as something new and different, her perspective on winemaking struck me as rather old school — in a good way.  Perhaps old school is the new, new school.

I couldn’t agree more with Kristen about her take on the SPELLwine Lodi sangiovese.  It is a great food wine.  And it pisses me off that they don’t sell more of this too.  It’s a great wine and if you’re not drinking it, you’re missing out.

The nose of this sangiovese is awesome!  It has bright cherry aromas along with plenty of spices like nutmeg and clove, all with good intensity. Beneath all that there’s a slight floral aroma lurking behind the corners and adding a touch of intrigue.  The palate hits you with outstanding acidity and tasty cherry flavors.  The tannins aren’t too heavy but there’s enough to add some texture to the mouth feel.  The finish is relatively long, with lingering cherry and raspberry flavors.

I would classify this as a “best of both worlds” wine.  It has the acidity and some of the tannins I would expect from an old world sangiovese with the fruit I would expect from a new world producer, but it’s not over the top.  It’s a nice balance.

Wine: SPELLwine
Variety: Sangiovese
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14.9%
Rating: 90
Price: $17.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

Huntington is a label that is part of the Hahn family’s portfolio of wines, which includes Hahn Winery, Cycles Gladiator, Hahn SLH Estate, Lucienne, Smith & Hook, Copa Del Rey, and Bin 36.  Along with this assortment of wine brands, the Hahn family also owns the Mugie Ranch in northern Kenya, where the Hahns reside for part of the year.  The Mugie Ranch is home to a school, a farm and a wildlife preserve.  The Hahn family takes the proceeds from the sale of Huntington wines to fund higher education scholarship programs for Kenyan children.

All of Huntington’s wine labels offer artist’s renderings of scenes depicting the Kenyan people.  This particular Huntington label showcases the Samburu ladies in blue, in a painting by the family’s own Gaby Hahn.  A noble approach to wine making, and a very worthy cause indeed, but it still begs the question:  how is the wine?

Huntington sources their sauvignon blanc from Dry Creek Valley, in the heart of Sonoma County.  The nose of this wine is very fresh and balanced, offering crisp green pepper and citrus, particularly lemon, along with some tropical notes.  On the palate the wine showcases a more elegant style of sauvignon blanc, in contrast to more intense styles from New Zealand and Chile.  But there is also a distinctly racy backbone of citrus that stands out – a welcome element here that spritzes things up.

The Huntington sauvignon blanc has a relatively high 14.1% alcohol level, but the wine remains balanced through the finish.  After tasting this wine for a bit, you’ll notice that it is considerably drier than many other sauvignon blanc’s at this price point.  It’s not unpleasant, and I feel it adds some maturity to the character of this wine.

The Huntington should pair well with lighter foods, but it’s certainly enjoyable on its own.   And oh by-the-way, it should serve your conscience well too.

A  Salute!

Wine: Huntington
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14.1%
Rating: 86
Price: $14.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

While packaging really doesn’t tell you much about the wine inside the bottle, it’s a critically important element for wine producers.  The truth is as consumers we often will buy the bottle that we think looks the best.  But what do the looks of a bottle really tell us?  Regardless of whether the label design is any indication of quality, I’d have to say that I really like the look of this wine.  The design is simple, clean and attractive.  So, this one scores well on the bottle design… but of course what we really care about is what’s inside the bottle.  And fortunately, I was pleased with that too.

The name 337 comes from the name of the grape vines.  In Bordeaux and Burgundy, each vine clone is given a unique identification number to help vintners identify how different vines perform.  The producers of 337 wines saw something in the 337 vine that they thought would work well in the Bordeaux-like conditions of their Clay Station Vineyard in Lodi, California.  Some 15 years ago they planted the vines and now they’re creating some luscious wine from them.

While some cabernet has other varietals blended in to shape the flavor, this wine is 100% cabernet sauvignon and 100% from the 337 vine clone.  The wine was barrel aged in a combination of French and American oak, so that does impart some influence on the flavor profile.  But other than the spice from the oak, this is all 337.

Dark chocolate, cassis and cherry scented pipe tobacco aromas give this wine a delightful nose.  In the mouth it brings out cherry and blackberry flavors with vibrant acidity.  The tannins are sufficient, adding smoothness to the texture.  It finishes long with blackberry, black tea and a touch of spice.

Wine: 337
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $14.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

Last week, David did a review of a sauvignon blanc from Robert Mondavi, so I thought I’d work in another Mondavi wine today.  This one is a cabernet sauvignon from their “Private Selection” line.

Like David, I haven’t had any negative experiences with any of Mondavi’s wines.  I’ve had some that are great, some that are good and some that are mediocre, but I haven’t had any that are bad.  Yet I come across some consumers who scoff at the idea of drinking a glass of Robert Mondavi.  I suppose that could be due to their omnipresence on wine shelves.  It seems that everywhere you go in the US you’ll find some Robert Mondavi wines.  Good for them to have such great distribution, but I guess I can see why some consumers would think it’s not that “special” if you can get it anywhere.  Nonetheless, it’s often a decent, reliable choice.

This wine has a nice, spicy nose with tobacco and cedar notes complementing plum and blackberry aromas.  The palate is very juicy and offers blackberry and dried plum flavors with good acidity.  It has a little bit of a black tea flavor to it, but the feel of the tannins is a little bit light and I would have liked a little more to add some structure to the wine.  But still, for eleven bucks this isn’t a bad bottle of wine.

Wine: Robert Mondavi Private Selection
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $11.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

My experience with Robert Mondavi’s various wineries goes back many vintages.  And, I can say that I’ve never had a negative experience with any of their wines, whether they were from the main estate, from Woodbridge, or from their joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Opus One.  Regarding the latter, I’ve been fortunate to enjoy a number of vintages.  And, I’m happy to report that the streak is in-tact.  While I’ll say up front that Woodbridge’s 2010 California sauvignon blanc would not be my first choice at this price point, because it’s not necessarily my style of sauvignon blanc, it does represent a great value.

The wine is not 100% sauvignon blanc.  Woodbridge blends a bit of French colombard and semillon, along with small percentages of a few other obscure white varietals.  However, the wine is 76% sauvignon blanc and this, according to California law, enables the wine to be classified as sauvignon blanc.

On the nose the wine offers sweet lemon-lime and crisp apple.  It’s an aromatic nose, and quite attractive, but it lacks some of the intensity that you might find in a southern hemisphere sauvignon blanc.  However, some zingier traits emerge on the nose as the wine opens and warms.

The first taste activates a broad area of the palate.  This usually indicates a well-balanced and complex wine.  More sour apple and lemon-lime are available on the palate; but, the real story here is the acidity, or I should say the lack-there-of.  It’s not that this wine is devoid of acid.  There is sufficient acid here to adequately balance the wine.  But many value priced sauvignon blancs from alternative geographies are offering more power and intensity at similar price points, and, I believe they are also raising the bar for what consumers will expect out of this varietal.  That said, this more elegant style, eschewing acid and intensity for graceful fruit and softer mouth-feel, is indicative of Mondavi’s various interpretations of the varietal.   In the tasting notes, Woodbridge claims a zingier style, but my guess is that you will disagree with their claim.  2010 saw mild conditions in Lodi, where the fruit is sourced, along with slightly higher rainfall and cooler temperatures.  We will definitely revisit the 2011 to see if the style remains consistent, or Mother Nature has handicapped the 2010.

We’re really mincing details here, mostly because it’s Robert Mondavi’s legacy we’re talking about.  This is a good wine for the money and, as mentioned, a great value.  If your style is more elegance than intensity, this is your wine.

A  Salute!

Wine: Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 86
Price: $7.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Last week, Cheryl Indelicato from DFV Wines was in town for the Cincinnati International Wine Festival and I had a chance to meet up with her for lunch and to taste the lineup in her new brand of wines, Handcraft.  I had previously tasted the cabernet sauvignon, but this was an opportunity to revisit it and check out her other wines.

Cheryl is from the third generation of the family that owns DFV Wines and she’s worked at the company for 22 years, yet this brand is her first personal foray into the winemaking process.  The majority of the work Cheryl has done at DFV has been on the business side, in marketing, PR, human resources and hospitality.  And for her first vintage, I’d say she did a stellar job at creating some damn good wines for the price.  Of course, she didn’t do it alone.  She partnered with winemaker Alicia Ysais on this project.

In creating this new wine brand, Cheryl had a couple things in mind to make these wines unique.  First, she wanted to include some Italian varietals in the blends as a nod to her heritage and to give the wines a unique expression.  The red wines have a little sangiovese while the whites have some malvasia bianca.  She also wanted to make a wine that particularly appeals to women.  Well, let me put a dress on because these wines appeal to me too.

The label on these wines is fun too, where they have a “wine profile ribbon” in the design.  All the elements in the graphic represent characteristics of the wine.  Some represent flavor characteristics, like the cherries and nutmeg graphics.  And some elements represent the care taking of the wine, like the birds which represent the sustainable agriculture on their vineyards.

Spice is the name of the game with this wine.  Nutmeg and rose petal aromas give it a unique twist.  It also shows some black currant on the nose.  The palate offers black currant, cherry and plum flavors up front supported by plenty of chocolate and spice on the mid-palate and into the finish.  The acidity is near perfect and the tannins are firm.  The finish is long and luscious.

This wine gets a solid thumb’s up.  At this price, it’s an outstanding cabernet.

Wine: Handcraft Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.