Rating our Re-buy of Artesa Cab Franc

Jeff enjoying Artesa Cabernet Franc at TerraWe've posted a few times lately about having different tasting experiences the second time we drank the same wine (see "Wattle Creek Malbec - an Enigma," "Why You Should Always Buy Two Bottles," and "Every Bottle Can't be a Winner". Last night, we opened a bottle of 2005 Artesa Cabernet Franc (Alexander Valley, Limited Release) that we had purchased after sharing our first two bottles with Jeff's parents. This time, we were enjoying the wine for a second time two years later.

The verdict is in (drumroll please)...

It's still very, very good.

If you read this blog with any regularity, you know we are huge Cabernet Franc fans (see our recent post, "Cabernet Franc - tasty all on its own). Even for a favored varietal, Artesa's 2005 Cabernet Franc really stands out. It has a subtle smell of herbs and cocoa and has a dark fruit taste that reminded us of dark fruit like black currant. The wine was silky smooth with nicely concentrated flavors and a little hint of alcohol on the finish. This flavor combo paired well with Jeff's flank steak and summer vegetables and Sally's bistro burger and fries at Terra. 

The wine is 81% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Merlot with all the grapes coming from Alexander Valley (read the winemaker's notes here).

Shared bottles are the best ~ A to Z Pinot Noir

As we’ve frequently said, wine always tastes better when it’s shared. This past Christmas, my brother and his wife gifted us a bottle of A to Z Pinot Noir.  It is one of their go-to wines, and after tasting it, I completely understand why!

Founded in 2002, A to Z Wineworks is the fastest growing winery in Oregon.  The name A to Z refers to the fact their wines are sourced from various Oregon wineries, and the wines are crafted to be the essence of Oregon rather than reflect a specific single vineyard.  

Their 2009 Pinot Noir is deeply colored and smells of minerals, red and black cherries, and spice. In the mouth, it opens up with rich flavors of boysenberry and plum fruits, and dusty tannins.  It finishes with ripe acidity and tannic structure.  This is definitely a wine that fits my “ingredients to dessert” label.  It was quite enjoyable on its own, with dinner, and we finished the bottle off after our meals were complete! Wine Spectator recommends drinking it now through 2014.

Besides the yumminess, this wine has two other great characteristics – screw cap and under $20!  It is pretty widely distributed, and can be found at BevMo (~$19) and Specs (~$16). Pick up a bottle ~ you’ll enjoy!

2006 PlumpJack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Last Saturday, my parents were in town visiting for Father's Day weekend. Sally and I took my parents to one of our favorite special occasion restaurants in San Diego, Bertrand at Mister A's to mark the special occasion. The patio of their roofdeck restaurant offers what is arguably the best view in San Diego plus the food and service is superb. (One small ding - their corkage fee is an outrageous $30 per bottle.)

When it's a special occasion, it's a good idea to bring a special occasion kind of wine. For us, one of our go-to wines for big events is PlumpJack Cabernet Sauvignon. (We previously wrote about their 2004 vintage - read that here.) This time, we had two bottles of their 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, in keeping with the idea that you should always buy at least two bottles if you really like a wine (why you should always buy two bottles).

The wine was outstanding. The nose smelled like cocoa and herbs, tasted like black fruit on the front palate, and finished with full, soft tannins. It was velvety smooth throughout as a good wine should be.

So, what lessons were reinforced?

1. Always buy two bottles of the good stuff.
2. PlumpJack is a premium wine that's worth it.
3. Take good care of your Dad on Father's Day.

Jeff and his Dad (on the right) enjoying a glass of PlumpJack.

Three Serving Mysteries (sort of) Cleared Up

There are three persistent questions we hear when it comes to serving wine:

1. What's the proper serving temperature?
2. Should I use an aerator?
3. When should I decant wine?

Before providing an answer to each question, please keep in mind there is only one hard and fast rule when it comes to enjoying wine:

If you like it, it's good.

That's it. Everything else is a suggestion or comes down to personal preference. So, please keep in mind that our answers reflect our palate, but it's always a good idea to experiment on your own to discover what you like best.

1. What's the proper serving temperature?
Most people know the basics -- white wine chilled, red wine room temperature. Right? Well, maybe. First, it's good to know what temperature does to wine. The colder the wine, the less acidity and alcohol you'll taste, but you'll also taste less of everything else. That means a cheap Chardonnay with poor balance will undoubtedly taste better chilled on a hot summer day than if you serve it warm. However, a well-made Chardonnay that's nicely balanced will reveal more of it's character if you serve it a bit warmer.

OK, so you want a relatively foolproof way to serve?  

• White wine: Chill for at least 60 minutes and pull it out 10 minutes before serving. 
• Red wine: Room temperature. Some people like their reds slightly chilled, but we don't.

2. Should I use an aerator?
No.

You've probably seen these devices that attach to a wine bottle and froth up the wine as you pour it. Adding in oxygen opens up the wine's flavors while subduing some of the alcohol, but aerators tend to take it to the extreme. Look carefully, and you'll generally see aerators only used in wineries with cute names like "Hot Mama Vineyards" that feature racks of bedazzled "Got Wine?" t-shirts for sale in their tasting room. Those wineries can be a lot of fun, but they typically need an aerator to cover up the poor quality of what they're serving. Almost any decent wine will taste better without it.

3. When should I decant wine?
Decanting wine serves two main purposes. Older wines tend to have a lot of sediment build up in the bottle, so pouring the wine into a decanter is an easy way to separate the wine from most of the sediment. Very young wines tend to need a little help expressing their full flavors, so if a wine tastes too tart or there seems to be too much alcohol, you can soften it up by pouring it into a decanter and letting it sit for 15 minutes or more.

That's it! Feel free to agree or disagree, but always keep in mind these suggestions come down to personal taste. After all, there's only one rule when it comes to drinking wine!

2010 Kaiken Malbec

Business trips really are a great way to discover new wines.  While Jeff has been known to go prowling for wine when traveling solo (read his confessions here), I typically lean on my co-workers for recommendations.  This usually is a bigger task than it sounds, as I am frequently fighting off the wine list being tossed my way.  I thought after an unfortunate purchasing mistake that earned me the nickname “half bottle” this would ease up, but not so much.  Every now and then I can coerce someone else in making a pick, and this has led to some great discoveries!

One recent discovery was the 2010 Kaiken Malbec from Mendoza.  As with typical Malbec wines from Argentina, this wine is very rich in color.  It smells of dark fruits still in the wild (think berries and plants), with tastes of blackberries and blueberries and a smooth texture.  These characteristics make it an ‘easy drinking’ food wine.  While well balanced up front, it has a slightly acidic finish, and would benefit from aging.  The winemaker does recommend cellaring for up to 5 years. 

The blend is 94% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and aged 6 months in 60% French Oak. It is well distributed (available at Specs and BevMo) and best part is the price.  You can pick up a bottle for about $12.  This is a tasty, guilt free mid-week wine.  Give it a try!