2008 Miner Family Estate Stagecoach Merlot

Admittedly, Merlot is not one of my favorite varietals (“Sideways Effect” or just bad wine?).  But, I haven’t completely snubbed the grape.  I am always willing to give it a chance, and every now and then I find one that really surprises me, like the 2008 Wild Horse Unbridled, and the 2008 Benziger Sonoma County.  The '08 California Merlots must really be hitting the mark for me, as we recently had another one that was quite enjoyable ~ 2008 Miner Family Estate Stagecoach Merlot.

We discovered this wine visiting the Miner Family tasting room on our 2012 trip to Napa Valley.  It is very rare that I taste a Merlot that gets a smiley face rating, which means…it’s coming home, and this one did.  The 2008 Stagecoach Merlot is a blend of 79% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The nose has classic characteristics of berries, vanilla, and a little smokiness.  Dark, tart fruits came forward on the palate, with plenty of tannins.  This full-bodied wine did well on its own, but really shined paired with our dinner of meatloaf, mixed green salad, and mashed parsnips. 

A great fall wine, and a Merlot worth giving a try!  

This wine retails for about $40.  It can be purchased directly from the winery, and is also available in limited quantities at select Specs stores.  You can also search availability at restaurants and retailers in your area here.  

Herman Story Weekend

Herman Story is one of our favorite wineries.  If you aren’t familiar with it, you should get to know it. Winemaker, Russell P. From, makes bold, flavorful wines without going over the top.  Every bottle leaves you wanting more.  We recently had a “Herman Story Weekend”, by enjoying two of our favorites ~

2010 On The Road ~ 100% Grenache

What better way to enjoy one of your favorite wines than at one of your favorite restaurants.  We started the weekend by bringing this bottle with us to Terra.  When Emily popped the cork, her first words pretty much summed it all up, “I smell blueberry”.  This wine had heavy flavors of blueberry compote, and was silky smooth.  At first pour, it did have a little ‘sting’ on the back end.  But, this definitely mellowed out the longer it was open. If you’ve never had 100% Grenache, this may not be the one to start with… as it will ruin all others (sorry Emily!).  Yes, it is that darn good. 

2010 White Hawk Syrah ~ 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier

Clearly cooking was not in the cards this particular weekend.  The next night, we brought a bottle of White Hawk Syrah with us to Poseidon in Del Mar.  While the sunset views can be quite stunning here, the wine definitely won the night.  Like the 2009, this wine is rich in color and flavor.  Very structured and well balanced, full of raspberry, hints of herbs and notes of white pepper. 

The wines are somewhat hard to find.  The best way to get your hands on some is to join the club (well, join the wait list).  Or, visit the tasting room in Paso Robles and pick up as much as you can while there.  Every now and then you may find a bottle or two in a specialty wine store (like San Diego Wine Co.).  But, your best bet is to find someone who is already a club member and get them to share a bottle! 

Getting to know Tempranillo

Last weekend, we shared a couple bottles of Artesa 2007 Limited Release Tempranillo with our friends Sarah and Dave. It was a perfect pairing with a grilled flat iron steak, au gratin potatoes, and an arugula and tomato salad. Cherry flavors gave way to hints of clove and earthiness with mild tannins.

The wine was outstanding and went down way too easily.

Two sad, empty bottles of Tempranillo the morning after a great dinner with friends.

Tempranillo is a wonderful, versatile grape. It goes well with a lot of food and is generally reasonably priced. It was even the red wine served at the Service Failure book release party held at Village Vino.

It's also relatively unknown to most casual wine drinkers.  Here’s a quick guide to help you discover the grape on your own. 

Regions

According to Wine Searcher, nearly half of the world’s Tempranillo production comes from Spain, where it is the most popular varietal in Rioja wines. It’s also catching on in other regions such as the US, Australia, and Argentina. The grape does best in places with hot days and cool nights. 

Flavors

Typical fruit flavors include cherry and plum with hints of spice, leather, and tobacco. Tannins are moderate while acidity is high, making this a wine that’s typically better with food than on its own.

Pairings

Steak is definitely high on our list and anything off the grill will go nicely. Check out this wide range of additional suggestions from Wine Folly:

• Lasagna, Pizza and dishes with tomato-based sauces
• Grits, Polenta and dishes with corn as a major ingredient
• Mexican food such as tacos, nachos, burritos and chile rellenos

Give it a try!

If you’d like to give it a try, we recommend Volver Tempranillo. This is an excellent under $20 selection that is widely distributed. Look for it in BevMo, Total Wine, Specs, and many other retail locations.

Sadly, Artesa’s Tempranillo is no more. (If you find a few bottles, please share some!)

The Circle of Wine

Last year, my friend Tami told me she and a friend were planning a trip to Napa. She knew Sally and I are into wine, so she asked me for a few suggestions. Sharing wine tips with friends is one of the reasons we write this blog, so of course we had a few.

I quickly sent her links to three of our most popular blog posts on wine tasting in Napa Valley:

• How to plan your first trip to Napa Valley
• 3 days in Napa at our top 10 wineries
• Going wine tasting? Follow these top 10 tips

I also suggested she stay at one of my favorite hotels, the Napa River Inn.

Tami and her friend had a wonderful trip. The Napa River Inn treated them to a wonderful experience, they enjoyed some good food, and of course they had some amazing wine. The two of them visited a few of the wineries I had suggested, but they also discovered a few of their own.

I recently saw Tami while we were both in Washington, D.C. working on a project for the American Society for Training and Development. It gave us a chance to compare notes about our latest wine discoveries. Tami told me that her favorite winery from her Napa trip was Summers Estate Wines. I made a mental note to check it out.

A week later, Tami posted a picture of a bottle of Summers wine on Facebook with the caption, “Living la dolce vita.” ("Living the sweet life.") I made another mental note to check it out.

Later that day, Sally and I dropped by Iowa Meat Farms, our local butcher shop. They have an outstanding wine collection that always bears a look. I was surprised to see a bottle of 2009 Summers Napa Valley Zinfandel.

Was it destiny?

We bought a bottle and took it home to enjoy that night with grilled chicken and roasted root vegetables. It had notes of cocoa and cigar on the nose. Those flavors carried to the palate where they were joined by hints of raspberry and strawberry with a little pepper on the finish. The wine definitely got better and better the longer we had the bottle open and we savored every drop. 

Summers Estate Wines has been added to the list of wineries Sally and I must visit on our next trip to Napa. They are just one more example of how wine connects us all.

Living la dolce vita.

Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir

It can cost a pretty penny to go upscale on a restaurant wine list. Add a few pennies more if the bottle isn't a current release. Typical mark-ups are two to three times the retail price, which can really add up.

We recently enjoyed a bottle of 2007 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir while dining at the Plantation Gardens restaurant in Koloa, Kauai. This was definitely a vacation splurge but we didn't pay restaurant prices. That's because we bought it at The Wine Shop in Koloa and used their connections to avoid the corkage fee. It was all part of our plan to make our vacation better with wine.

Domaine Serene was one of the wineries we visited when we toured Oregon's Willamette Valley wine region in 2010. Their wines were impressive and we even enjoyed a bottle of their 2006 Rockblock Reserve Syrah at our anniversary dinner while on the trip.

Plantation Gardens has a very Pinot-friendly menu, which made it a great choice for this wine. The nose was pure Oregon funk, a distinctively earthy smell. The palate had cherry up front with undertones reminiscent of a fall forest. This strong earthiness is an awesome pairing with pork, short ribs, and root vegetables but also works with a wide variety of other food.

I don't know where you can find this wine on the mainland, but the 2010 release is available online directly from the winery.