Tasting with Our Favorite Winemaker, Cuvaison's Steve Rogstad

Steve Rogstad, Jeff Toister, and Sally Toister (all with purple teeth)

Last Friday, we had the privilege of drinking wine with Steve Rogstad, the winemaker at Cuvaison. 

It’s not a big secret that Cuvaison is our favorite winery. Their entire portfolio of wine is consistently outstanding. Cuvaison wines almost always appear in our blind tastings and have even won two single varietal tastings: Pinot Noir and Syrah.  

We met Steve at Cuvaison’s tasting room in Carneros and tasted through their current releases while picking Steve’s brain about all things wine. It was an unforgettable experience.  

We have a tradition of talking about the high points of our wine trip as we make the drive home from Napa to San Diego. Here’s a re-cap of our conversation about our experience tasting wine with our favorite winemaker. 

What was one of the most surprising things you learned?

[Sally] It surprised me to learn that he didn’t like to make Zinfandel. Well, maybe it wasn’t that he didn’t like to make it but it was just harder for him to make. That was surprising to learn for something that’s so damn good.

[Jeff] Yes! It was interesting to learn that Zinfandel grapes had more variability even in individual clusters that many other varietals. 

[Sally] What about you? 

[Jeff] I think for me it was learning about the Sauvignon Blanc clone called Sauvignon Blanc Musque. We don't typically like Sauvignon Blanc that's fermented only in steel, but we like Cuvaison's. Now we know that we like Cuvaison's and Cade's (which is made the same way) because of the Musque clone. It doesn’t produce that high grapefruit taste that you typically get in Sauvignon Blanc.

[Sally] It was also cool learning about the concrete eggs that more wineries like Cuvaison are using for fermentation. We’ll definitely have to learn more about that.

[Jeff] Yeah, we found three wineries on this trip that are doing that (Cuvaison, Cade, and Reynolds Family.)

[Sally] I also liked learning about the flexible layout of their winemaking operation. It was cool that they could reconfigure everything to meet the demand of whatever they were working on. 

[Jeff] Yes. It seems like a real advantage to be able to adjust your capacity almost on the fly based on whatever grape you are harvesting. Didn’t he say that he learned about this “smart shed” design from a winery in Australia?

[Sally] That conversation about the smart shed really brought out our nerd side.

How would you describe the experience of tasting wine with Steve?

[Jeff] It was cool that we were really drinking and enjoying wine rather than just tasting it.

[Sally] One thing that struck me is that we usually take copious notes when we’re tasting, but we didn't this time. We know we’re going to like their wine as long as Steve’s the winemaker. To me, it was really more about the experience of sharing the wine and learning more about it. 

For example, I enjoyed learning about the location of the vines being the number one factor that influenced the wine.

[Jeff] He talked a lot about how the different factors such as irrigation, soil, weather, etc. are all connected to the location. He even talked about using a different winemaking style depending on where and how the fruit was grown. 

[Sally] For me, it was great to see his passion come out as we talked about his wine. 

[Jeff] I think it was fun to just sit there and talk. Never once did he stop and tell us we were supposed to get notes of leather or whatever.

[Sally] Yes. It was funny that he half-jokingly said they sometimes just make that stuff up. 

We tasted a lot of stuff, what was your favorite? 

[Sally] I really liked the Spire Pinot Noir. The other one that disappeared in my glass pretty quickly was the Brandlin Cab. It was… magical. 

[Jeff] You know, when you look at it, their wines aren’t cheap, but they’re very reasonable for the quality of wine you’re getting. They have an excellent quality-to-price ratio.

[Sally] They definitely have a high QPR. What was your favorite wine?

[Jeff] I would say your picks are really good ones. I’d also say that every time I have the Mariafeld Pinot Noir, I’m surprised by how good it is. It’s slotted price-wise between their higher-end Spire Pinot Noir and their larger production Estate Pinot Noir, but there’s something about the Mariafeld Pinot Noir that just hits my palate the right way.

Bonus notes: We both talked about their outstanding Pinot Noir. The 2012 Estate Pinot Noir just received a 91 point rating from Wine Enthusiast. Reviewer Steve Heimoff said, "It defines the Carneros style."

Pinot Noir - St. Innocent

Pinot Noir is typically a medium bodied wine, light in color with flavors of cherry, raspberry and cranberry. Depending on the region, the level of fruitiness and influence of earthiness varies.  

California pinot's typically more fruit forward with bolder flavors. Oregon Pinots tend to be more delicate in the fruit flavors with more earthiness (I call them 'dirty Pinots."). Both styles are great for different reasons. It is also nice to discover those that have a little bit of both in the bottle, like the 2010 St. Innocent Temperance Hill Pinot Noir.

We discovered this wine on a trip to Willamette Valley in 2012. Not only did we like the taste, we also rated it with a high QPR score (what's a QPR score?). This wine is darker in color than you would find with a typical Oregon Pinot. Light smokey nose, dark cherry and raspberry flavors with a touch of spice.  Just enough earthiness to round it all out, with a very smooth finish. It paired quite nicely with our flat iron steak and pork chops!  

Keep an eye out for it in restaurants, or purchase directly from the winery.  Retails $32. 

Getting to Know Rioja Wine at Village Vino

We’ve been trying to expand our wine horizons beyond California. 

The blind tasting at our 2014 Oscar party featured only one California wine. Our last two posts featured Spanish wines: a Granacha and a white blend called Auzells.

Yesterday, we met our friend Yolanda at Village Vino to try some Rioja from CVNE. This winery produced the #1 wine on Wine Spectator’s 2013 Top 100 list. That particular wine wasn’t being poured, but we had to check it out nonetheless.

We’re not too familiar with Rioja, but the grapes tell us this region is right up our alley. Red Rioja wines (Rioja tinto) typically feature Tempranillo grapes, which is a versatile grape that pairs well with food. 

Our tasting started with a Viura. This was a very dry white wine with lots of minerality and almost no acidity. It almost reminded us of a French Sauvignon Blanc with even less citrus. You could really taste the limestone soil that the grapes were grown in.

Next up was a Rosado (rosé) made from Tempranillo. We’re slowly discovering that a Rosado doesn’t have to be a nasty, semi-sweet, psuedo-wine. Many, like this one, can be light and refreshing with good flavors for a pre-dinner drink or to enjoy with a light meal.

We then took a tour of several levels of Tempranillo from Crianza to Gran Reserva. These levels are controlled by law in Spain and primarily reflect the different aging processes. (If you want to learn more, check out this excellent Rioja primer from Wine Folly.)

They were all lighter-bodied red wines, but had a nice underlying earthiness to them. We all agreed these would drink much better with food.

Village Vino has some very tasty light bites, so we decided to order a cheese plate and a flatbread pizza. Our tasting was almost finished by the time we realized we wanted food, so we opted to shift regions and share a bottle of Stoller Pinot Noir. Stoller is an excellent example of Oregon Pinot Noir with excellent cherry flavors coupled with that typical Oregon earthiness.

Sally and friend Yolanda enjoying wine at Village Vino

Discovering Spanish Granacha - Las Rocas Vinas Viejas

We always say that shared bottles are the best bottles.

Last night, we enjoyed a bottle of 2009 Las Rocas Vinas Viejas Grenacha that was given to us by our friend Alisa. It was delicious. 

Quick trick - whenever we receive a bottle of wine as a gift, we write the name of the person on the bottle with a silver marker. This way, we’ll remember who to toast when we enjoy it.

Back to the bottle.

Grencha is the Spanish name for the Granache grape. This particular wine is from the Catalyud region in Spain, where Grenache accounts for approximately 55 percent of the grapes grown. “Vinas Viejas” means “old vines.” According to the Las Rocas website, the grapes are grown on vines between 50 and 100 years old. 

We’ll be the first to admit that we’re a bit California-centric when it comes to wine. That’s not at all because we think wine from elsewhere is inferior. We just don’t know other wine regions quite as well as we know our Californians.

Thanks to Alisa, we’ve gotten to know a good Spanish wine a bit better.

This was definitely a darker Grenache. It has black cherry and plum on the nose with dark fruit continuing onto the palate along with a little earth. The finish was slightly acidic with a touch of heat, which went well with our meal of rotisserie chicken and roasted root vegetables.

Note: The "regular" Las Rocas Granacha (i.e. younger vines) received a nice recommendation on the Reverse Wine Snob blog. It sounds like either one is worth a try if you can get your hands on a bottle.

Wine Bar Discoveries

Some of our best wine finds have been discoveries while attending events at local wine bars.  Many of them offer special tasting events or even just a wide selection of wines by the glass.  Both are a great way to explore wines you may never find, or try otherwise.  Here are a couple of wines we discovered while attending local tasting events with friends. 

2011 Tomàs Cusiné “Auzells

We discovered this wine at a Spanish wine tasting event at Village Vino.  It is a blend of 31% Macabeu, 27% Sauvignon Blanc, 16% Riesling, 16% Chardonnay, 5% Albariño, 3% Müller Thurgau, and 2% Muscat. If you are like me, I didn’t know what half those grapes were, much less how to pronounce them.  The important part was that it tasted really darn good.

Auzells is a medium body white, with aromas of citrus and pear.  We found these flavors to carry over to the palate.  It was delicate, but not bland.  Light and crisp, with flavors that stayed strong throughout.  It paired very well with maple mustard chicken and roasted root vegetables. 

This wine is distributed to restaurants and specialty wine shops. Keep an eye out for it, it’s really quite tasty!

2010 Writer’s Block Cabernet Franc

We discovered this wine at a Cabernet Franc tasting at Bacchus Wine Market & Tasting Room.  I love Cab Franc, but it is harder to find this varietal not hidden as part of a blend.  This event was an opportunity to taste 6 in a single setting.  Count me in!  

Writer’s Block is produced by Steele Wines, in the Lake County area.  The 2010 is a blend of 92% Cab Franc, 4% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.  It did not disappoint.  Thick, full flavors that hit you from the time you pop the cork.  We immediately smelled green pepper, coffee, and a little tobacco that carried over with a growing flavor of rich, dark berries that finished with bold tannins.  Excellently balanced, with no burst of alcohol. This is a very solid wine, and at under $20 a bottle, an excellent anytime wine. 

Check out your local wine shops and bars for upcoming events.  You never know what you may discover! 

Upcoming Events

Village Vino (full list and details)

April 2: Oregon Pinot Tasting with Raptor Ridge

April 12: Cune Winery with Lucia Ramos

April 15: Patz & Hall with owner Anne Moses

Bacchus Wine Market (full list and details)

March 28/29: Wines from Eastern Europe

April 4/5: Wines from Portugal

April 11/12: Cabernet Sauvignon