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."

Picking our anniversary wine from the $$$ wine list

2008 Ladera Stile Blocks Howell Mountain Cabernet SauvignonSally and I dined at J&G Steakhouse in Scottsdale, Arizona last Wednesday for our 14^th wedding anniversary. Local laws prohibited us from bringing a bottle of wine from our own collection, so we had to go to our bag of tricks to pick something from their wine list.

Admittedly, it was tough to pay steep restaurant prices for a nice bottle of wine. Cost is one of the many reasons why we bring our own bottle whenever we can.

We struck out trying to use our usual tricks for selecting wine from a restaurant wine list. The first move is to look for familiar wines, but they didn’t have any bold red wines we knew that fell within our price range. Our next trick is to look for options on the wines by the glass list so we can try before we buy, but again nothing jumped out.

Our last trick is to go with a region we know and get our server’s advice. We selected a Ladera 2010 Stile Blocks Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that sounded promising. Our server hadn’t tasted it, but enjoyed other offerings from Ladera. It was also from Howell Mountain, which is in the northern part of Napa Valley and has a flavor profile we generally enjoy.

The wine turned out to be a good one. It had aromas of dark fruit, pencil box, and cocoa on the nose which gave way to blackberry on the palate along with a bit of tartness that mellowed as the wine warmed. The finish had powerful tannins which were a perfect match with our steak.

This wine is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. It’s a current release and is available for sale on the Ladera Vineyards website. 

2008 Ehlers Estate "1886" Cabernet Sauvignon

Today is International Cabernet Sauvignon Day.  The “holiday” started four years ago, and it is really just a great excuse to celebrate, and drink, all things cab.  While a day early, last night we popped open one of our special bottles ~ 2008 Ehlers Estate 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon.

My Dad was a fan of big, bold red wines.  He would say, the bigger, the better.  Ehlers is one I know he would have enjoyed.   Ehlers is a small, family operated winery that makes some big cabs.  The 2008 Ehlers Estate 1886 cab definitely stands up to that reputation.  There’s a lot going on with the nose, with great smells of black cherries, cocoa, and a little cinnamon.  The taste hits you with this little splash of bright fruit upfront and then gives way to the same flavors enjoyed on the nose – black cherry, cocoa, and cinnamon – tossed with a little leather.  Yup, leather.  The finish is bold, yet silky. Totally delicious. 

Of course, a wine like this deserves an equally impressive view (and meal).  We enjoyed our bottle while dining at Mr. A’s in San Diego.  It is arguably one of the the best views in San Diego – especially outside on the patio at sunset.  And of course, steak…. Well, veal chop for Jeff.

Ehlers not only produces great wines, they make a difference.  A portion of their winery proceeds directly support international cardiovascular research (over $30 million awarded). This dedication is represented in their logo – a heart within the E.

A big red wine, and supports a great cause.  What’s not to like about that?  

Red, White, and Beer

Wondering what to serve while celebrating this weekend?  With the help of What to Drink with What you Eat, here are suggested pairings with traditional, and not so traditional July 4^th grub.  Because sharing a cold one is sometimes the way to go, we’ve added a few favorites to the list, creating our Red, White, and Beer recommendations ~ Happy 4^th!

You should find all of these at large beverage stores, such as BevMo, Specs, and TotalWine - all are under $20

Hot Dogs

RED: A to Z Pinot Noir

WHITE: Seghesio Pinot Grigio

BEER: Anchor Steam

Hamburgers

RED: Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon (especially with cheeseburgers!)

WHITE: about as “white” as you may want to get is Rose – go with any Spanish one

BEER: Abita Amber

BBQ

Any meat with smoky and/or sweet sauce

RED: “The Franc” – Cosentino Cab Franc

WHITE: Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling

BEER: Blue Moon White Ale

Grilled Meatloaf

RED: Plungerhead Old Vine Zinfandel

WHITE: Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc

BEER: Shiner Bock

Apple Pie

By this time, I’m sure you’ll just want a nice cup of coffee.  If not, a little sherry always goes nice with pie.

Perfect pairings for your Memorial Day cookout

The original Memorial Day was on May 30, 1868 when people were urged to decorate the graves of soldiers who died in the Civil War. The date is believed to have been chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country. Today, Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and many Americans observe the holiday with a barbecue.

Here are some of our favorite wines for a cookout. All of them are under $20 and are available at BevMo, Specs, Total Wine, and many other retail outlets.

Steak
Go with a Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon. This was one of our first go-to wines and remains a favorite to this day. It's also on our list of Great Wines Under $20.

Pork
We're huge fans of Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir, which won a blind taste test at our HalloWine party in 2010. It's a great match with Pork but is also enjoyable on its own.

Chicken
Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay is a good choice if chicken is on the menu. We often recommend this wine for gatherings because it is nicely balanced without too much oak or citrus.

Hamburgers
Our selection here is Cline Zinfandel. It's a repeat from last year's Memorial Day BBQ list, but it's also one of the few tasty Zins that's available at BevMo, Specs, and Total Wine.

Hot Dogs
Most of us will go for a beer if hot dogs are on the menu, but why not wine? Caymus Conundrum, a distinctive white blend, would actually make an excellent pairing. It's a perfect summer wine and we always try to keep some in the house.

National Moment of Remembrance
Let us not forget that Memorial Day is a time to remember all of the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. In 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act. It calls on all Americans to pause at 3 pm local time on Memorial Day for a moment of silence to remember those who have died while serving our country.

After the moment of silence, consider raising a glass of something good to honor the memories of our fallen heroes.