Sans Liege and Vin Debut

To say I am a fan of Sans Liege wines, and also the Groundwork wines, would be a massive understatem

Taj Cellars and the Science of Cocktails

This past week I had the pleasure of attending the Exploratorium’s annual fundraiser, The Scie

2009 Montrieux Pineau d’aunis

Every first Thursday of the month I get together with a group of my good guy friends for what we aff

 

Sans Liege and Vin Debut

in Wine Experiences

To say I am a fan of Sans Liege wines, and also the Groundwork wines, would be a massive understatement. Obsessed may be a little strong, but I would go as far as to say they make my favorite wines in the world! I’ve written before about the Groundwork Grenache, and I must say, it is still one of my favorite Grenache’s. But, recently I had the pleasure of trying both The Offering and the Cotes du Coast at Vin Debut in San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood.

Vin Debut specializes in small production wines from California and around the world. The set up of this wine bar and merchant is very cool. The tables and chairs are surrounded by the wines they offer. Broken down by style and body type rather than region or type of wine, it makes it easy to order a wine you are in the mood for that night. It also makes it easy to peruse all of the wines they offer for sale that may not be on the menu. The great service adds to the cool vibe and neighborhood feel. Being that my wife and I hope to move to West Portal this year, we look forward to this being our neighborhood wine bar and merchant for many years to come!

So long as they keep providing amazing wines, it will make it easy to continue frequenting Vin Debut. The 2009 “The Offering” is a complex red from Santa Barbara County. 42% Grenache, 31% Syrah, 25% Mouvedre and 2% Viognier, The Offering has aromas of blackberry, hazelnuts, espresso and a bit of leather. The palate opens up to pink peppercorns, chili powder, and raspberry. It is a big bodied wine, coming in at 15.6% alcohol. As with most all Sans Liege wines, it is made a bit differently than most similar wines. Using 15% whole cluster fermentation and aging for 22 months in various barrels, 14% new French oak, 23% second fill French oak, 63% neutral French oak, The Offering is a unique and amazingly delicious wine. The aging potential is 6 to 10 years.

The 2009 Cote du Coast is, at the moment, my favorite white wine. 43% Viognier, 39% Roussanne, and 18% Marsanne, and 15.4% alcohol, this is a formidable white wine. Big, but silky, lavender and cypress are the first notes you sense on the nose. The Cotes du Coast is 100% Malo-lactic Fermented, and aged for 16 months in 50% second fill French oak, 50% neutral French oak. This is an absolutely amazing wine that is becoming harder and harder to find in San Francisco.

I would suggest trying both of these wines if you can, and keeping a few bottles of The Offering to age for a few years. And if you find yourself in San Francisco, or if you are lucky enough to live in this beautiful city, check out Vin Debut as they always seem to have the best wines in town!

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Taj Cellars and the Science of Cocktails

in Wine Experiences

This past week I had the pleasure of attending the Exploratorium’s annual fundraiser, The Science of Cocktails. I was invited by my friend Ty, from Taj Cellars, to help pour their wines and enjoy an evening of science mixed with some extremely creative libations. From the Bourbon and pear juice, topped with Star Anise foam, to the tequila dust shots (yes, tequila dust) to my friend Clayton’s favorite part of the evening, the mini burgers, the event was a great time! One I hope to frequent for many years to come.

As I mentioned earlier, I had the pleasure of helping Taj Cellars pour, promote and partake in their fantastic wines. Founded in 2005, Taj is a collaboration of it’s three owners, Joe Buckel, Alex Wilkens, and Ty Albers. They focus on small batch, artisan wines and have gained accolades and awards for their wines. Ty brought a few of those award winning wines with him to share that evening.

The 2009 Cold Creek Ranch Chardonnay. This juicy, bright Chardonnay has notes of pineapple and melon with a long silky finish of citrus. With a rich golden hue, this wine is very inviting and will keep you coming back for more. I know there were a few fans that couldn’t seem to get enough!

The 2007 Sonoma Valley Syrah. This is a personal favorite! Well balanced, with aromas of vanilla and currants. This is a drinkable wine for all occasions that can be paired with food but stands up on it’s own very well. Winner of a silver medal at the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, this Syrah was, and will continue to be, a crowd pleaser.

The crowd favorite of the night, and my new favorite Zin, was the 2008 Dry Creek Zinfandel. This is a classic California, jammy Zinfandel. Blackberries and currants on the nose and palate, this is a big, vuluptous, sultry Zin that I, and many others, raved about for the entire evening. For anyone not familiar with Zinfandel, I strongly recommend you try Taj’s 2008 Zin, because they don’t get much better!

After a few hours of sharing Taj’s amazing wines, Ty, Clayton and myself decided it was time to sample some of the unique and tantalizing cocktails. There were small batch bourbon’s to try, a organic tequila and bitters mixture that went down way too easy, local gin concoctions and to wash things down, a nice porter from local San Francisco Brewery Speak Easy. There was plenty of fun, and maybe a little trouble, to be had. We ended the evening sharing good food and good conversation well past closing time. The event was a resounding success for the Exploratorium’s yearly fundraiser. A fund raiser that I intend to frequent and contribute to for years to come.

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2009 Montrieux Pineau d’aunis

in Wine Experiences

Every first Thursday of the month I get together with a group of my good guy friends for what we affectionately call, ‘Dude’s Dinner’. We always pick a new part of San Francisco and a restaurant we’ve not been to and almost always, have drinks before hand. This week’s dinner was at Basil, which offers some very tasty Thai food. Drinks before hand, at least for this guy, was at Terroir just across the street. Terroir specializes in Natural, organic and bio-dynamic wines. My wife and I will be traveling in France this summer, targeting the Loire Valley, so I decided to blindly try something from the Loire.

My choice was the 2009 Montrieux Pineau d’aunis. A very tasty offering. Being from the Loire, it is a truly old world styled wine. With grape varieties including from Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Gamay. In the glass it has a pale ruby color that’s slightly cloudy. The overall aroma was not all that powerful, and it took a moment to pick up the aroma of beets. The first nose was of a light oak aroma. A bit dry initially on the palate but the tart acidity washes the soft, but present, tannins away nicely. Overall, it is a fair balanced wine. My first initial reaction to the taste of the wine was one of cranberries, but that changed a bit over time to a slight hint of rhubarb as well. Both flavors are not over powering which leads to a very drinkable wine.

This offering will probably not age all that well, but should be good for at least the next 3 to 5 years. For a bio-dynamic wine, this one is pretty impressive! The varietal is used often in Sparkling Rose and not often bottled on it’s own, so you won’t find it often. But, if you get a chance you should definitely reach for it if you have an adventurous palate.

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