2007 The Crusher, Wilson Vineyard, Clarksburg

This pale straw colored wine bears a slight glint of steely blue. Intense aromas of jasmine and clove unfold with hints of apricot and peach. The palate has a luscious, nectar like texture, abundant with apricot grit and sweet white peach flavors, and a finish of star anise, vanilla and juicy Bartlett pear.

This is a Don Sebastiani and Sons wine. This is a soft, crisp viognier.

Aromas: nectarine, white peach, apricot, clove, jasmine
Body: medium
Color: pale straw yellow

Eat with: olive oil poached tuna tartine, (open faced sandwich) grilled country bread, wild arugula, hard-boiled egg, shaved radish, olive vinaigrette, pickled vegetables

www.donandsons.com/threeloosescrews/thecrusher

2007 Francois Villard Les Contours de Deponche Viognier

At his tiny Domaine, no expense is spared in the production of his stunning wines from the lowering of yields in the vineyards to the purchase of top quality new wood barrels each year. The Condrieus are made in a late-picked, relatively full style whilst retaining a mouthwatering mineral intensity, while the red St Joseph is a massive, yet fine-grained, wine that could forgivably be mistaken for Côte Rôtie.

Body: medium
Color: yellow
Aromas: soft peach, white flower, orange blossom

What makes this wine so stunning is that it is made from younger Viognier in the Condrieu region known for its rich and complex wines. Francois Villard is a highly energetic, passionate winemaker with a background as a chef. He began making wines in 1989 and has not stopped moving since. He also owns a restaurant in Ampuis.
“Francois Villard makes one of the northern Rhone's most stunning Condrieus, but this talented young vintner also makes a haunting wine called "Les Contours de Deponcins," which is made from the Viognier grape but doesn't carry the Condrieu appellation. A vin de pays made from younger Condrieu vines, it is a little less rich than his official Condrieu, yet beautifully balanced, floral and elegant.” LA TIMES

Passion Fruit: François Villard worked as a chef for a time, and is himself a solid menu whose specialities are fricassée of independence, carpaccio of energy, gratin of boldness and sauté of ambition. All liberally seasoned with intuition. Who would have thought, when he breezily started out in 1989, that nearly 20 years later he would be one of the leaders in the northern Rhône Valley? Without ever losing his look of mischief, François has pushed on with what felt, quite simply, like a calling. He has built it all through a craving for pleasure and work. Neither cranky nor fearful, he has driven his ideas to the limit – often by instinct. Over the years everything has gelled into solid experience, and the man has forged a vigneron’s well-tempered resilience. In 1993 came the first press article and his first selection in a guide: François skipped around his kitchen, as joyful as a schoolkid in a playground. The youngster had always dreamed of one day ranking among the great winemakers; he was not arrogant, it just seemed self-evident. Thus could he forever feel the “vine magic” that had beguiled him when, aged 20, he had met his first growers. Thus could he give lifelong roots to an emotion, the way he had felt when, in 1987, he had tasted the Condrieu of Lucien Desormeaux. In Poncins, where he planted his very first vine, is a big rock. Sometimes, on days of doubt, François goes to sit on it: what if the dream were to end? A classic bout of the blues for a hyperactive grower who will never depart from his true nature: he is a wine adventurer. (From the Rhone Vignobles website)

Eat with: pastis scented steamed mussels, garlic, leeks, herbs, grilled bread

2007 Domaine Beauchene “Terre des Papes”, Blanc

Varietals: 33% Grenache Blanc, 35% Clairette, 30% Viognier

Tasting Notes: Great summer white blend with perfect balance of acid and fruit. The Grenache blanc contributes to the body and aromas of pear, the Viognier lends itself to the beautiful flower notes, and the Clairette kicks in with high acidity.

Body: medium
Color: straw yellow
Aromas: delicate aromas of honeysuckle, fresh pear, and citrus framed with clean acidity

The Castle Beauchène dates back to the XVIII century and the family Bernard dates back its history in the area even longer. They started wine making here in 1794. The property from that time belongs to the family to day. Michel Bernard took over in 1971 and in 1984 he bought Chateau Beauchene and made it the center of winemaking. The Bernard family has lived in Orange since the 17th century. Originally tenant farmers, the Bernards were to profit from the social upheavals of the French Revolution, buying their first vineyard soon after the conflict in 1794. This vineyard is still present nowadays.

The vineyard is located in Valreas (northern part of the Cotes du Rhone appellation), and used to be the property of the popes. Fruit harvested before over-maturation for better complexity and freshness. Short fermentation (one week), temperature-controlled to avoid the excess of hard tannins, before malolactic fermentation. Each grape is vinified separately. Ageing in stainless tank for a few month. Bottling in late Spring.

Eat with: sautéed Alaskan halibut, yukon potato purée, leek confit & crawfish-brandy reduction

2006 Domaine Faury St. Joseph Blanc

Faury Saint Joseph white is produced from 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne grapes whose vines are between 5-15 years of age grown on granite based soils.

Aromas: lemon, lemon meringue, minerality, nice tart finish
Body: medium
Color: straw yellow

St. Joseph’s, an AOC in the Northern Rhone, appellation is large for the region, comprising more than 2,400 acres of vines from the river to the hillsides and up on to the plateau above. (The slopes of Hermitage have little more than 300 acres of vines.) Many of the vineyards have a more easterly exposure, receiving less sun than those on the hillsides, along with a colder wind, resulting in grapes of an entirely different quality St. Joseph produces 90% Syrah and 10% of either Marsanne or Roussanne.

The estate of Phillipe Faury makes just six wines, two whites and four reds. The wines are far less rustic than many Saint-Joseph, the fruit ripe, and the overall results more complex.

Tasting Notes: Beautiful pear, lanolin and vanillin aromas jump from the glass, the palate has a seductive minerally and oily texture that leads to flavors of pear, honeysuckle and a well balanced toasty oak finish. A light wine, with a slightly harsh note on the finish. Notes of pineapple, cream, vanilla, and wet slate. Marsanne / Rousanne blend.

Eat with: grilled rabbit roulade, carrot purée, haricot verts, baby carrots, roasted shallots & thyme jus

2006 Zaca Mesa Roussanne, Santa Ynez Valley

From their website: Roussanne is a richly complex, white grape variety indigenous to the Rhône Valley of France. It is a difficult grape to grow because it is very susceptible to rot and mildew and ripens late.

After being hand harvested, this Roussanne was gently pressed and placed in French oak barrels to ferment. The wine was then aged “sur lie” or on the lees (yeast and solids) for 10 months, stirring each barrel regularly to enhance the rich, creamy mouth feel. Zaca Mesa Vineyards BLOCK: Foxen C

Aromas: apricots, figs, honey, spice
Body: medium
Color: yellow

There are only 200 acres of Roussanne planted in California and Zaca Mesa owns 8 of them.

Tasting Notes: On the nose, aromas of apricots, figs, honey and spice fill the glass. Alingering finish has a touch of minerality, a signature characteristic of our vineyard. Enjoy with grilled halibut, lobster risotto or rosemary roasted chicken over the next five years. — Clay Brock, Winemaker

Eat with: sautéed Pacific rock cod, fennel purée, baby summer squash, niçoise olives, garlic confit & sundried tomato vinaigrette

Arrowood Winery 2006 Viognier, Russian River

Dick Arrowood, the winemaker and owner, is one of the pioneers of Viognier in the Golden State. He first planted in 1991 when the grape was diminishing in its birth place of France. Since then, Viognier has made a resounding comeback in both California and France.

Aromas: apricot, peach, honeysuckle, light honey
Body: medium
Color: yellow

Good words: 90 Points - Robert Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate, #174 December 2007

From their website: Winemaker's Notes - The cool climate and long growing season of the Russian River are well suited to Viognier. The slow ripening of the fruit results in a powerfully heady bouquet backed by wonderful acidity. Our 2006 is teaming with apricots, peaches, honeysuckle and a dash of honey. The flavors are rich, intense and wonderfully exotic.

Viognier made its debut with great fanfare in California more than two decades ago. A handful of winemakers -- including Richard, who produced one of the state's first Viogniers back in 1991 -- proclaimed this nearly extinct grape (only 30 acres were remaining in 1965) had the potential to do grand things in the Golden State. Turns out they were right.

When planted in the proper location, Viognier yields wines that are beguiling and compelling. In France, that location is the town of Condrieu in the Northern Rhone Valley, where Viognier has been cultivated for nearly 2000 years. For us, it's Saralee's Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. This rolling 275-acre site is one of our favorite sources for Rhone varieties in Sonoma County. Viognier was first planted here back in 1989, making it one of earliest cultivations of the grape in California. (Subsequent plantings have since raised the vineyard's total to 7.3 acres.)

Located on a hillside just outside the town of Glen Ellen, overlooking the Sonoma Valley, Arrowood Winery is the real life dream of Richard Arrowood and his wife and partner, Alis Demers Arrowood. Completed in 1987, the winery is modeled after a New England farmhouse. With its winemaking facilities hidden from view, the building sits in perfect harmony with the surrounding countryside.

Eat with: cheese & fruit, three selections of cheese, seasonal fruit, house-made fig cake & baguette

http://www.arrowoodvineyards.com

2006 Consilience Grenache Blanc, Santa Barbara

Consilience winery has been making wine since 1997, but was formally founded in 1999. They have been making wines "loosely focused around the typical Rhône varietals" (most of which are sourced from the Fess Parker estate) ever since. Their winemaking philosophy is to create wine with distinct expression of regional characteristics. Brett Escalera is the winemaker from Consilience. He brings experience from his ongoing tenure at Fess Parker Winery where he has been making wine since 1996. His position at Fess Parker's Winery also allows Consilience to source much of its fruit from that estate.
Winemaker’s Comments: Grenache Blanc is the white berried form of Grenache, and also has its origins in the northeast of Spain where it is found in the blends from the Rioja.

Aromas: Rich mouthfeel with minerality, white peach, pear, and melon. Excellent acidity.
Body: medium to full
Color: golden yellow

From their website: Nestled among boutique shops & restaurants, the Consilience tasting room is located on Grand Avenue in the wine country town of Los Olivos, California. The philosophy at Consilience has been to not only create expressive, reliably high quality wines, but also to put that wine in the bottle for a reasonable price that is far below what comparable quality wines would cost.

This vibrant 2006 vintage of our Grenache Blanc is predominantly from the Camp 4 vineyard in Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley. Camp 4 is the newest addition to the Fess Parker family of vineyards. Located in the Santa Ynez Valley it is just southwest of he winery. The 1,400-acre piece of land was purchased in 1999 and the initial planting of 250 acres produced its first crop 2003. This vineyard experiences a warmer climate. Camp 4 is currently planted to 25 acres of Grenache, 10 acres of Mourvedre, 15 acres of Roussanne, 130 acres of Syrah and 25 acres of Viognier.

The cycle of cool mornings, warm days and return to cool evenings are what make this a prime growing area for the typical Rhone grape varieties. All factors make for a long growing season and maximal flavor development. Barrel fermented in older French and American oak, this Grenache Blanc proudly exhibits well rounded aromatics of caramel apple with that fresh from the orchard scent and crispness on the palate.

Eat with: quiche Lorraine, green salad, matchstick frites.

http://www.consiliencewines.com/

2007 Graves Grenache Blanc, "Monkey Wrench", Paso Robles

This wine has a touch of residual sugar but is nicely balanced with great acidity. It is lovingly named Monkey Wrench because it is a pain to make. They use only natural yeasts so it often has a stuck fermentation leaving a touch of sugar left. When there is enough acid and lively fruit to balance it out, they choose to let nature win and leave the wine as is.

Aromas: floral, lemon, pear, spice, burst of juiciness on the palate.
Body: medium to full
Color: yellow

Monkey Wrench" Grenache Blanc: the fruit was sourced from the west side of Paso, tank-fermented, green apple and citrus aromas, crisp acidity with some mineral notes

From the Grape Crusader’s Blog: Tasting Notes: “What a lively and unique wine. I love aromatic whites like gewurztraminer, viognier and grenache blanc. I love them for their uplifting and entrancing smells and I especially love them for their ability to always make the uninitiated say “wow!” The Graves Monkey Wrench is no exception. Very pretty floral aromas that float out of the glass. I smelled a lot of citrus smells as well as a hint of ginger and pikake (Hawaiian climbing jasmine plant noted for its fragrant flowers). Historically, grenache blanc has been widely grown in Spain and France. Only a smidgen currently exists in California. In the mouth were flavors of tangerine and apple as well as some mineral influence. I felt like you never really noticed an obvious acidic component in the wine, but you just knew there was one, because of the refreshed feeling your palate received after every sip. The texture was beautiful too as it was sort of a combination of juicy and silky. “

Winery Background: “This is a true artisan family winery built from the ground up. In fact, Hilary was 5 months pregnant when the vines were first planted in 2002. A little over 1,000 cases spread across four or five wines are produced. If I remember right, Hilary and Simon Graves bought the land for their vineyards in 1999, while they were both still in school studying viticulture and enology. They are completely hands on when it comes to farming their vineyard, but hands-off when making their wine. Although their operations are not certified organic, they do farm organically.”

Eat with: fig & arugula salad, toasted pecans, “Laura Chenel” chèvre, pancetta, fig & port vinaigrette

http://www.graveswinegrowers.com/

Domaine de Fonfile Viognier

Domaine de Fonfile Viognier
Vin de Pays d'OC

The grapes for this Vin de Pay come from between Corbieres and Minervious in the Languedoc. The estate has been managed by the same family for over 100 years. It is located on an ancient lagoon in the Pyrenees mountain range that was once drained by Louis XIV at the end of the 17th century and was reclaimed and replanted to vines.

Aromas: bright peach, apricot, honeysuckle, and hints of minerality
Body: full
Color: straw yellow

From the Real Wine website: The Fonfile Estate has a unique geographical site, located between Corbières and Minervois, 25 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. The Fonfile Estate is on the site of an ancient lagoon amidst the hills and mountains of Languedoc, cut off from the sea during the uplift that raised the Pyrenees. The lake was drained under Louis XIV, at the end of the 17th Century, and steadily reclaimed and planted during the French Second Empire. The Domaine de Fonfile has been in the Gau family for more than 100 years. In the second half of the 19th Century, the Gau family left the Pyrenees for the more hospitable land of Languedoc. Pierre Gau was the first to settle on the land there, and planted the first vines. From 1922 on, Alfred Gau progressively improved the main winery and extended the vineyards. From 1950 on, Jean Gau, further extended the vineyards and diversified production, planting apples. He subsequently gave useful advice to Yves and Jacques Gau, his sons, oenologist and agronomist respectively, who each in his own specialist area, have since helped modernized the Estate’s winegrowing techniques, wine-making and management aiming to produce every year truly authentic wines. The Estate requires a specific set of winemaking skills where the vineyards are flooded at the end of each winter for several weeks every year, an ancestral technique which allows the vines to be grown on their own rootstock and not attached to American root stock as almost the totality of French vines. As such, the vineyard was uniquely protected from phylloxera in the beginning of the 20th Century. This gives a measure of authenticity to these wonderful wines.

Eat with: spring pea pancakes shaved carrots, yellow beets, pea shoots & carrot-ginger beurre blanc

2007 Miner Family Viognier, "Simpson Vineyard"

GOOD WORDS:
Connoisseurs' Guide March 2009 - 92 POINTS, 2 PUFFS
The Miner 2007 Viognier ranked 2nd in the March issue out of the 30 plus tasted, including Phelps, DuMol, Pride Viognier. "Sweetly spiced peaches merge with touches of honey, anise and kiwi in the deep, impressively filled aromas of this well-focused youngster, and the equally rich flavors that follow show lots of fruity substance and no let-up in depth. Full-bodied and quite well-balanced with Chardonnay-like richness and weight, it is a wine of considerable potential and should grow better with a year or two of quiet time in your cellar. Good Value."

San Francisco Chronicle Wine Section's Top Pick Viognier
"Winemaker Gary Brookman used fruit from John Simpson's vineyard in Madera, located in the Central Valley near Fresno, for this wine. In its 10th vintage, it has always has been 100 percent Viognier. Rich pear, citrus and floral aromas with hints of Galia melon lead to a full-flavored palate and slight oily mouthfeel, as befits Viognier."

Aromas: citrus, honeysuckle, peach
Body: medium
Color: yellow

From their website: SIMPSON VINEYARD, MADERA - From famed grower and vintner John Simpson we receive our heady and intoxicatingly delicious Viognier berries. This little known area in California's Central Valley near Fresno, is not typically thought of as a primary source of fine wine grapes by the powers that be. To this we say, the proof will always be found in the bottle folks. The hedonistic nature of this particular varietal is heightened by the passionately farmed, low-yielding vines that produce grapes of unusual concentration, purity of flavor and electrifying vibrancy. (Viognier)


Gary Brookman, winemaker, originally cut his teeth making wine in 1980 at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. It was there he worked with a myriad of varietals, constantly refining his skills with each passing harvest. From there he spent two years at Franciscan Estates garnering an obvious love for wild yeast fermentation. He's been at Miner from day one crafting wines and stalking vineyards in critical pursuit of bottled harmony while capturing the essence of the land.

Tasting Notes: Aromatically complex with citrus and honeysuckle notes on the nose and a plush feel on the palate, the Miner Viognier consistently displays a fine balance of natural acidity and intense concentration. Sourced from John Simpson's low-yielding vineyards in Madera, this quintessential food wine was whole cluster pressed and stainless steel fermented to allow the vibrant, tropical and stone fruit characteristics of this varietal to shine.

Eat with: sautéed Alaskan halibut, yukon potato purée, leek confit & crawfish-brandy reduction

website: www.minerwines.com

2006 Krupp Brothers, “Black Bart” Marsanne

Aromas: peach blossoms, honeysuckle, jasmine, honey, apricots, almonds
Body: full
Color: straw yellow

From the website: WINEMAKER: Nigel Kinsman joined the team at Krupp Brothers in October 2006. Nigel has earned many accolades and the respect of the wider Australian wine community by crafting complex and balanced wines at Hay Shed Hill in Margaret River, Western Australia. Prior to that, Nigel gained experience at several of Australia's top wineries and honed his skills with Italian varietals as winemaker for boutique Chianti winery Tolaini, under the guiding hand of winemaking consultant, Michel Roland. Nigel firmly believes that wines are "grown not made."

Krupp Brothers Marsanne comes from a gently sloping south-facing block at Stagecoach Vineyard, containing 2 excellent French Marsanne clones, 574 and a Tablas Creek field selection.

Tasting Notes: Straw yellow, brilliant clarity; Intense lifted nose, displaying a wonderful complexity of flavors—honey suckle, orange blossom, jasmine tea, almond kernels, fennel, lemon and freshly harvested honeycomb. The palate is full, polished and balanced with flavors of citrus, peach and apricots. The texture is succulent and creamy complemented by a steely minerality.

Eat with: beet & feta salad - olive oil & herb marinated feta, pickled vegetables, upland cress & yellow beet vinaigrette

2007 JC Cellars Marsanne, Preston Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley

What can I say about Jeff Cohn that has not already been said? Genius winemaker, good friend, crazy guy, family man, passionate … the list goes on.

Aroma: ripe peaches
Color: golden yellow
Body: medium – full body

From their website: Renown for Rhône style wines, and hailed as one of the masters of zinfandel, JC Cellars founder and winemaker Jeff Cohn marries his passion for classic French style winemaking with a spirited Californian sense of innovation to craft elegant wines that showcase terroir.

Tasting Notes: Rich, with plenty of depth, this wine contains the element of ripe peaches at its center, but is balanced with minerality. Ripe stone fruit and citrus blossom waft placidly in the glass and a classic hint of bitter almond rounds out the creamy finish. Big and racy, its acidity avoids the heaviness that can be associated with Marsanne from warmer climates.

“Jeff Cohn, the owner-winemaker of JC Cellars in Oakland, California, is a Marsanne convert. He told me that, after traveling to France two years ago, “this majestic grape was no longer my inspiration, but my obsession.”

Returning from a recent trip to France, Cohn is just as smitten (“I feel like I’ve come from a revival meeting”). “Viognier is so fruity and obvious, Roussanne is pretty and full of finesse,” says Cohn, “but Marsanne is a grape of real sophistication. Tasting it forces you to ask the question: What is this wine showing me? And the answer is, of course, the vineyard. Few grapes are as transparent as Marsanne—the levels of stony flavor and mineral texture are just insane.” Excerpt from: Always the Bridesmaid, Marsanne, the ignored little sister of the Rhône whites, has good bones - By Jordan Mackay

Eat with: shellfish sausage; lobster, bay scallops & prawns, saffron tagliatelle & smoked pepper coulis

Website: www.jccellars.com

2007 Calera Viognier, Mt. Harlan

The name “Calera” is the Spanish world for “limekiln,” which serves as
the winery’s symbol and appears on every bottle of wine.
Josh Jenson, owner and winemaker for Calera began his career making wine in Burgundy. A native Californian, he decided to move back and search for limestone soil to emulate the wines of Burgundy. He found it in the AVA of Mt. Harlan that sits 2200 ft. above sea level, 25 miles from the cool breezes of the Pacific. The grapes have a very long growing season here in the central coast, developing mature flavors with pronounced minerality from the limestone soil.

Aromas: silky wine with pronounced flavors of white peach, nectarine, honeysuckle, and underlying minerality
Body: medium
Color: yellow

From their website: Calera’s 2007 Mt. Harlan Viognier is amazingly alluring, silky and distinctly white peach in both aroma and flavor. Honeysuckle, also very prevalent, is accented by a wonderful floral bouquet, succulent nectarine flavors and typical mineral undertones so notable in Mt Harlan wines.

Josh Jensen's winemaker mentors in Burgundy were adamant that pinot noir and chardonnay must be grown in limestone-rich soils, as present in the Côtes d’Or, to make great wines. Upon his return from France in 1971 he spent two years searching throughout California to find limestone before finally purchasing, in early 1974, a high-elevation parcel with a limestone deposit of several million tons. Located 90 miles south of San Francisco and about 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, it is near Mt. Harlan in San Benito County. Its elevation is 2,200 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest and coldest vineyard properties in California. Limestone had been commercially quarried from Jensen’s Mt. Harlan property a hundred years earlier, and to this day, next to his Viognier vineyard, there stands a magnificently well-preserved 30- foot tall masonry limekiln.

Eat with: sautéed Maryland soft shell crabs, white corn, piquillo peppers, fingerling potatoes
& smoked paprika vinaigrette

Website: http://www.calerawine.com/news/index.html

2007 Wellington Roussanne, Sonoma Valley

In the vineyard Wellington practices sustainable agriculture. They use a blend of organic and traditional farming practices that promote healthy vines and a healthy environment. Their new, irrigated vineyard blocks have permanent cover crops in order to help replenish the soil and to provide habitat for beneficial insects and spiders. The old, dry-farmed blocks are still cultivated (with a pre-W.W.II Allis-Chalmers model M crawler), in order to retain soil moisture. Sulfur dust, used for millennia to control powdery mildew, is the only thing that we ever put on the vines; fortunately they never need insecticides.

Winemaking is custom tailored to each small lot of grapes (typical lot size is less than four tons). There are no standard practices other than utilization of the utmost care in handling grapes and wine. All wines are aged in small oak barrels, clarified by racking and are bottled either unfiltered or with minimal filtration. Their oak barrels are currently 90% French, 10% American.

Aromas: white flowers, almonds, green apple, and a burst of lemon on the midpalate.
Body: Medium
Color: Straw Yellow

From their website: Roussanne is a variety that has been grown in the Northern Rhône appellations of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St. Joseph and St. Peray for centuries. A century ago, White Hermitage was considered the best white wine in France. Many producers of Rhone variety whites are making “Chardonnay wannabees” – big, fat wines with lots of new oak. At Wellington Vineyards we produce Marsanne, Roussanne, and Sauvignon blanc with minimal new oak, so that the true character of the grape variety shines through.

Eat with: goat cheese sampler, selections of local & imported artisan goat cheese, seasonal fruit & baguette

Website: http://www.wellingtonvineyards.com/

2007 Anaba “Coriol” White

The name Anaba comes from the type of wind (anabatic winds) that drift in from the San Pablo Bay and glide upward as they hit the steep slopes of the valley. This wind cools the grapes after a warm summer day.

From their website: Vineyard Notes - We use traditional French Rhône varietals for our white blend. Anaba's Coriol is made with 69% Viognier, 15% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne, and 6% Grenache Blanc grown in Sonoma Valley. We source these grapes from three premium vineyards: McWilliams, Landa and Kelly Glenn. The Landa Vineyard is located in the shadows of the eastern hills of the Sonoma Valley. This site consistently produces high quality Viognier grapes, known for their floral aromas and lends a fleshy, rich texture to the wine.

Aromas: darkly toasted bread, lemon peel, peach, hint of minerality.
Body: medium
Color: golden yellow

Winemaking Notes
This fruit was hand harvested early in the morning to ensure the coldest juice possible and came into the winery in exceptional condition. We then hand sorted, whole cluster pressed and fermented one third in stainless steel under very cool conditions. Two thirds of the fruit was barrel fermented. The lees were stirred frequently for ten weeks post fermentation, a process called batonnage, which increases the appealing textures of the wine. Coriol white was barrel fermented and then went through malolactic fermentation. This wine was aged for 11 months in 100% French oak barrels, 20% of which were new.

Tasting Notes
Complex aromas of darkly toasted bread and lemon peel emanate from this rich wine. Our medium bodied Rhône style blend is laden with notes of white pepper, summer peach, citrus and a provocative mineral note. The Coriol white is mouthwatering and bright.

Eat with: sautéed Alaskan halibut, yukon potato purée, leek confit & crawfish-brandy reduction

Website: www.anabawines.com

2008 Bedrock "Ode to Lulu" Mourvedre Rose, Sonoma Valley

The grapes were originally planted in 1888 in Sonoma Valley. The winemaker worked for Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier and made this in her honor. It is juicy and crisp enough to drink on its own but substantial weight and complexity of flavors make it delicious with food. This is a very dry rose with some serious body and weight to stand up to different dishes.

Aromas: dusty raspberry
Body: medium
Color: coral

An Essay from the Bedrock website: “The Importance of Rosé; Rose’ is a wine I drink as much for pure pleasure as for intellectual stimulation. In the warmer months there is something sacred about a late afternoon meal of cold chicken, fresh garden tomatoes, and rose’. It is one body in the sacred trilogy of rustic simplicity.

Proper rose’ is refreshing, life-nourishing stuff that revives the soul, much the same way that dark, smoky, red wines replete with rich fruits replenish and warm in the depleting months of winter.
However, anything equivalent to the delicately colored roses I adore from Bandol and Provence are hard to come by from the New World. Too often, the economic-ease of bleeding off some juice from grapes picked for red wine, is used as the guiding philosophy for making pink wine. The results are often times horrendous. The juice, picked at high potential alcohols, lacks the vivaciousness of fruit and brightness of good rose’. Frequently, high levels of residual sugar are left in to cover-up a lack of character.

Rose’, in my opinion, should bear a closer resemblance to white wine than to red.

It is for this reason that I pick at potential alcohols lower on the scale where brightness and lift still exist. This is not to say that fruit does not matter—I use Mourvedre from a block planted over 120 years ago for requisite concentration of complexity of flavor—but like fine champagne, the wonders of rose’ lie in its unbearable lightness of being.” Morgan Twain-Peterson

Bedrock Wine Co.’s first rosé is an homage to the great lady of Bandol—Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier. I have attempted to craft a wine of noble breeding—a serious rose’ for the not so serious trivialities of the warm months of the year when nothing else satisfies quite as much.

The wine is made from 100% Mourvedre grapes sourced from a block originally planted in 1888 at my family’s Bedrock Vineyards in Sonoma Valley. Picked at 23.8 brix (white wine levels), this wine was crushed and placed directly into the press. There, it macerated for several hours, picking up the delicate coral color it has today. It was then fermented very cold in stainless steel tank and let lie sur-lie for three months prior to racking and bottling. This wine is all about delicate red fruits, snappy flavors, and the classic forest floor spiciness of the terrestrial Mourvedre.

Eat with: duck confit, one leg, garlic & parsley roasted French fingerling potatoes, frisée salad

http://www.bedrockwineco.com/

A Great Read: http://blog.bedrockwineco.com/2007/08/16/crush-a-childhood-in-the-california-wine-industry/

2007 Tablas Creek "Cotes Du Tablas", Paso Robles

This winery was started by the Perrin family of Chateau du Beaucastel and Robert Haas, importer and owner of Vineyard Brands Wines. All grapes are grown on their 120 acre certified.

From their website: The Tablas Creek Vineyard Côtes de Tablas Blanc is a blend of four estate-grown white Rhône varietals: Viognier(38%), Roussanne(17%), Marsanne (25%), and Grenache Blanc (20%). The wine, like most wines of the Southern Rhône, is a blend of varietals, featuring the aromatics and fruit of the Viognier, the flavors and clean minerality of the Marsanne and Roussanne, and the crisp acids and rich mouthfeel of the Grenache Blanc. Like our Côtes de Tablas red, this wine is designed to be ready to drink young: at its peak from the moment of its release.

All varietals for the Côtes de Tablas Blanc were whole cluster pressed, and fermented in stainless steel to emphasize the clean crisp flavors and preserve the aromatics. Only native yeasts were used. After fermentation, the wines were racked and blended, and bottled in April 2008. The wine underwent only a light cold stabilization before bottling.

The 2007 Côtes de Tablas Blanc is a blend in the style of French Cotes du Rhone whites, and features intense aromas of stone fruits and minerals, flavors of apricot and Provençal herbs, rich texture, moderate acidity and a long peachy finish.

Aromas: peach, apricot, herbs, minerality
Body: medium
Color: straw yellow

Eat with: roasted Sonoma County half chicken, baby yukon gold potatoes, watercress salad, dijon vinaigrette.

http://www.tablascreek.com/

2006 Copain Roussanne, James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles

From their website: Bees wax, lemon curd and fennel pollen aromas are pure and full on the nose. Crisp acidity buttresses the waxy roussanne character and keeps the zesty pear and lychee flavors lively on the palate. A beautifully seamless finish is long and pure with long lingering honeycomb like flavors.

The vineyard is located in Westside Paso Robles out Hwy 46 about 12 miles from the ocean and Hearst Castle, as a crow flies. The proximity to the ocean helps regulate the high temperatures often associated with Paso Robles and is further aided by tremendous diurnal temperature variations. Peak temperatures can reach the low 100-degree range yet dive into the low 50s at night, allowing for the vines to recover. These large temperature fluctuations between high and low create a very desirable "sugar to acid ratio". This, coupled with the high-lime, calcareous soils which do not allow for a lot of potassium absorption, keep pHs lower, even at elevated sugar levels, resulting in ripe fruity wines with a balanced underlying acidity. This vineyard's attributes aid in my syrah winemaking technique of including 50% to 100% whole cluster, dependant on vintage.Very small production winery in Paso dedicated to making organic single vineyard wines that are true to the varietal characteristics.

Aromas: lemon cream pie, white flowers, orange dreamsicle, fennel, beeswax
Body: Medium
Color: Straw Yellow

Eat with: spring pea pancakes, shaved carrots, yellow beets, pea shoots & carrot-ginger beurre blanc

http://www.copainwines.com/alt/Copain_Wine_Cellars/Home.html

2007 Parmalee Hill "Darcy", Sonoma Valley

The heart of the Parmelee-Hill property sits on a knoll that faces the Sonoma Valley to the East and San Pablo Bay to the South. The climate is typical of coastal influenced areas. Morning fog retreats during warming midday hours. The warmth is commonly broken however by intense afternoon ocean winds that quickly drop the temperature. The fog sometimes retreats only as far as the Western hills until it blows back overhead fairly early in the afternoon. This type of climate tends to be self-restricting, resulting in naturally low-yielding vines producing fruit with intense flavor.

Aromas: perfume, floral, honeysuckle, citrus
Body: full
Color: pale gold

From their website: What a wonderful wine. This may be our finest accomplishment to date. Named after our daughter, Darcy Hill Merritt, who you will often see at tastings.

Winemaker comments: Rich and pale gold in color with green highlights. The nose is perfumey and floral with honeysuckle and a hint of lemon lime plus pear and stone fruit, slightly mineral or stony. A floral and lively palate, rich tropical fruit including nectarine and melon, full bodied, balanced, lush fruit finish. 125 cases produced.

Our fruit is hand-picked at night for better quality; Experienced crews are the backbone of the success at Parmelee-Hill. Nothing other than the cleanest, ripest fruit will make it from the field to the winery. We attempt to harvest as much as possible at night when the fruit is colder and is both truer in sugar content and more resistant to being battered and split during harvest. The boxes are stacked and hauled to the winery where they are dumped and sorted by hand. The end results are whole intact clusters that look much the same as when they were hanging on the vine.

We only crush about 10 tons of fruit for our own use. The largest lot crushed is 2.5 tons, and most lots are harvested in one ton increments. This technique is tough on the farmer (us) however allows Don to source fruit from different blocks to come up with the ultimate field blend for our finished product. We also now have the advantage of experimenting in the vineyard with different practices and tasting the end product to continue to try and increase the quality of the fruit we grow.

Eat with: goat cheese sampler, three selections of local & imported artisan goat cheese, seasonal fruit & baguette

http://www.sonomasyrah.com/

2007 Qupe Marsanne, Santa Ynez Valley, California

Bob Lundquist of Qupe has been making Marsanne since 1987 in the same style: picked a bit earlier to maintain bright acidity. Qupé is dedicated to producing handcrafted Rhône varietals and Chardonnay from California’s Central Coast. They employ traditional winemaking techniques to make wines that are true to type and speak of their vineyard sources. Their goal is to make wines with impeccable balance that can be enjoyed in their youth, yet because of the good acidity from cool vineyard sites can also benefit from ageing. They are committed to sourcing grapes from some of the best and most prestigious vineyards in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Aromas: honey, citrus, flowers, wet stone minerality
Body: medium to full
Color: yellow

From their website: This wine is 53% Marsanne from the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos, 18% Marsanne from the Demetria Vineyard just north of Los Olivos (what used to be Andrew Murray Vineyard), 17% Marsanne from the Purisima Mountain Vineyard and 12% Roussanne from the Stolpman Vineyard, both just west of Los Olivos. Ibarra-Young is organically farmed. Demetria and Purisima Mountain are both farmed biodynamically. All lots were whole cluster pressed, the juice settled and chilled for 48 hours and then put to neutral barrels for fermentation. The wines were aged in the same barrels for 5 months and went through complete malolactic.

Eat with: pastis scented steamed mussels, garlic, leeks, herbs, grilled bread

http://www.qupe.com/default.htm

2007 Sobon Estate Roussanne, Amador County

This winery was started in 1989 by Leon and Shirley Sobon. It was a 30th wedding anniversary present to each other. Paul Sobon is the second generation of the Sobon family to lead the winemaking team. Paul’s previous experience in Australia and Bordeaux, France; his on the job training; and his "can-do" attitude makes him extremely well qualified for the position.

In 1989, our family made the decision to start farming sustainably. After a winter of much research, we began using as few chemicals as possible. Our growing practices have evolved over the years, and today we employ complimentary plantings, beneficial bugs, and other natural growing techniques that we believe encourage healthier grapes and better tasting wines.

From their website: We now farm 160 acres of wine grapes, olives, prunes and walnuts. The wines are made by conventional means using a minimum of sulfites to preserve freshness and color. At bottling, our wine contains between 15-20 parts per million free sulfites, which diminish after several months in the bottle. (for informational purposes, wines with no added sulfites can contain 8-12 parts per million of sulfites, a natural product of fermentation). We believe the small amounts of sulfites we use are necessary to maintain the freshness, stability, ageability, and enjoyment of our wines.

Aroma: floral, butterscotch, pears, hint of minerality
Body: Medium
Color: Yellow

Eat With: salad of the season, radish & carrot julienne, spring onions, garlic croutons & carrot vinaigrette.

http://sobonwine.com/

2007 Novy Family Wines Viognier

Adam & Dianna Lee of Siduri, together with Dianna’s Texas-based family, the Novy’s, formed Novy Family Wines in 1998. Adam & Dianna wanted the challenge of working with varietals other than Pinot Noir and the Novy’s, who traveled each year to work harvest and bottling at Siduri, longed to expand their involvement in the wine business. While Novy Family Wines specializes in producing single vineyard Syrah from Napa, Sonoma and Santa Lucia Highlands, Adam and Dianna’s zeal for finding exceptional vineyard sites has resulted in small bottlings of other varietals as well, including Zinfandel, Grenache, Viognier, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. The name Novy means “new” in Czech and celebrates and embraces the families old heritage working with new world wines.

Aromas: ripe, crisp peach and pear, hints of fresh apricot and jasmine
Body: medium
Color: straw yellow

From their website: Quite frankly, we love Viognier. There is something so beguiling about the nose, the crisp acidity, and the pure fruit that it is difficult for us to refuse a glass (or two), especially when the weather warms up. We try to capture that lively spirit of the grape in our Viognier by picking fairly ripe fruit (but not over ripe), by fermenting the juice entirely in stainless steel, and by eschewing malolactic fermentation. All of these techniques seem to help preserve the wonderful fruit while retaining the crispness that keeps the wine fresh.

The 2007 Novy Viognier was picked on September 27 and immediately pressed to bins to settle for 24 hours, racked to two different tanks and fermented using a combination of yeasts. At dryness the wine was racked to stainless steel barrels where it was kept until bottling in May.

With crisp pear and peach aromas, wonderfully forward and sweet tasting fruit, and a long, crisp finish, this is the perfect wine to serve at the beginning of a meal.

Eat with: Atlantic diver scallops, fingerling potatoes, English peas & shoots, red pearl onions & pea vinaigrette.

http://www.novyfamilywines.com/index.html

2008 Cono Sur Viognier

Colchagua is a warm, Mediterranean region in north central Chile known for growing rhone varietals such as Syrah and Viognier as well as excellent Cabernet and Carmenere. The climate is temperate all year round and the enhanced marine influence acts as a moderating factor for both hottest and coldest yearly temperatures. The vineyards stretch to the very foot of the Andes and are carefully managed to counteract the natural soil vigour.

From their website: Dressed in the beautiful medium golden colour characteristic of this variety. Sweet notes of apricots, citrics and peaches anticipate final hints of azahar flower notes. Fresh and lively in mouth, this Viognier is concentrated, tasty, full and savoury. A wine of great character, density and structure, with a good acidity level and great persistence.

Aromas: bright aromas of peach, apricot, white flowers, and citrus
Body: medium
Color: golden yellow

Eat with: Sauteed Pacific Rock Cod, asparagus, hen of the woods mushrooms, green garlic ragout, meyer lemon-herb oil

http://www.conosur.com/en/our-wines/cono-sur-single-varietal/viognier/