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First Look: Have a Look at Greenbar Collective, Distilling Downtown

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Friday, April 20, 2012, by Daniela Galarza

Today, Litty Mathew, co-owner of downtown's first new distillery since prohibition, passed along renderings of Greenbar Collective. As promised, there's a bar inside the distillery and, once complete, it will be used for guest bartender tastings by invite only. The first cocktail tasting is coming up next month. More to come.
·Greenbar Collective Sets Up Distillery Downtown [~ELA~]

Greenbar Collective

2358 E. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90021

USA

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Source: http://la.eater.com/archives/2012/04/20/have_a_look_at_greenbar_collective_distilling_downtown.php

Bouchard Père & Fils Domaine Tempier Kanonkop Saxum Two Hands

Visit and Tasting Report: Vaughn Duffy Wines

I spent half a day tasting in Sonoma last week and I've got a lot of thoughts to share. I've visited Napa a dozen times, but this was just my third time tasting in Sonoma. A mistake I made the first time I visited - and maybe others have too - is expecting Sonoma to be a more affordable but otherwise just as good place to taste Cabernet Sauvignon. Sonoma is a cooler climate than Napa and a therefore a better place to taste Pinot Noir and other cool climate varieties. If they're the varieties you're into then Sonoma may be a better place to visit than Napa.

As I was looking at potential wineries to visit I was like a kid in a candy store. There are so many tremendous Pinot Noir producers to visit in Sonoma. Of all the wineries I visited, the one I'm most excited to write about is this one: Vaughn Duffy Wines

The name comes from a young couple that relocated to Sonoma from San Francisco:  Matt Duffy & Sara Vaughn. I met with Matt at Vinify Wine Services - a custom crush facility for emerging winemakers where he works as a Cellar Master - to taste the two wines he produces: A Pinot Noir and a rosé,<br />
I first heard of Vaughn Duffy from @tgutting on Twitter. He seems to always be drinking wines from California Pinot Noir producers I enjoy - like Siduri, Zepaltas, and Joseph Swan. I pinged him to ask what he thought were some up and coming producers I should check out. Vaughn Duffy was his recommendation.

The wines I tasted were just the second produced by Vaughn Duffy Wines so we're definitely getting in on the ground floor here.

Matt, as earnest and enthusiastic and kind as you can imagine, worked as an intern at Siduri so he follows a similar lineage as Ryan Zepaltas in that respect. While tasting his two current release wines - a 2010 Pinot Noir and a 2011 Rosé - I asked about his winemaking philosophy. Although he enjoys leaner Pinot Noir for personal consumption he wants to make wines his family and friends will enjoy. That they'll love.

And enjoy them I did.

The prior vintage of Vaughn Duffy rosé landed on the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 list of 2011. Quite an accomplishment for the first wines ever released under this label. Matt makes this wine from juice bled from premium Pinot Noir grapes from clients he works with at Vinify. To pay their generosity forward he donates $1 from every bottle sold to Sonoma charities. No two vintages are exactly the same - Matt says the 2011 vintage took longer for fermentation to begin - but many of the same crowd pleasing characteristics found in the 2010 rosé are also found in the 2011.

All of the winemakers I spoke with agreed that 2010 was a tough vintage for Pinot Noir. The growing season was extremely cool and grapes were slow to ripen. To assist ripening, leaves were removed late in the season. Then a rogue heat spike late in the season with temperatures well over 100F came along and fried exposed grapes.

When I hear that a vintage is "challenging" I tend to treat that as an indicator I should buy selectively. I asked each of the winemakers I spoke with about this and they said that good producers won't put out bad wines. If the grapes were truly fried they wouldn't have been picked. So what we'll see with 2010 Pinot Noir is reduced yields but good wines from good producers.

Although the 2010 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir is labeled "just" Russian River Valley, it could technically be labeled as a single vineyard wine. The grape source for the prior vintage was the Suacci vineyard (where Zepaltas and others have produced single vineyard Pinot Noirs in the past). However, in 2010 a fire near the Suacci vineyard imparted smoke taint on the Vaughn Duffy rows within the vineyard. As if the challenging overall weather conditions weren't enough!

So Matt sourced grapes from the Desmond vineyard which is Southwest of Windsor in the Russian River Valley. This is traditionally a warmer site so Matt thought the cooler growing season would be a good one for Pinot Noir. Based on what I tasted in the bottle, I think he was right.

Here are my notes on the wines:


2011 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir Rosé</b>
14.1% Alcohol
$16
259  Cases Produced

The innocent light peach color did little to prepare me for how electric this wine is. Made using the Saignée method - juice bled from pressed Pinot Noir. Peaches, watermelon, and floral aromatics. Slight residual sugar is balanced wonderfully with sharp acidity. It's hard to imagine this bottle of wine at a deck party going unfinished. Terrific.

92/100 WWP: Outstanding

 
2010 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir
13.7% Alcohol
$39
99 Cases Produced


For my palate, this is a delicious wine. Ripe strawberries, cherries, and a round voluptuous personality. Fresh. Pure. Friendly. Hard to stop tasting. Just the second vintage from Vaughn Duffy. I like the style here.

92/100 WWP: Outstanding

Next Steps:

  • Visit VaughnDuffyWines.com and sign up for their mailing list.
  • If you're a New England friend and would like to go in on a mixed case with me drop me an email (wellesleywinepress@gmail.com) and let me know. I'd prefer to amortize shipping costs across a larger order.
Lots more to come. Littorai, Kosta Browne, Zeptaltas, and more. I'd love it if you subscribed to the WWP to get regular updates.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/jv742oOtWn8/visit-and-tasting-report-vaughn-duffy.html

Didier Dagueneau Trimbach d’Arenberg Bouza do Rei Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi

WBW 74 Wrap-up: 39 Sparkling Values

This is my fifth time hosting Wine Blogging Wednesday, our monthly virtual tasting event, but my enthusiasm has not diminished with the passage of time. In fact, since bringing back the event from hiatus it looks like the idea might be picking up some steam judging from the entires this month. While many of the bloggers are new, some of the WBW stalwarts from the past also returned.

The first post came in a week early from Dave at Toledo Wines and Vines. His choice of a Louis Bouillot Crement de Bourgogne ($18) in celebration of the New York Giants Superbowl win got the tasting off to a fine start.

Another early entry was posted by Jasmine at the Knitting 40 shades of green blog. It?s aways good to see a new perspective from outside the wine blog circle on WBW and Jasmine did not disappoint with a nice review of Barboursville Brut ($17) from Virginia.

Roddy from Sentir le Bouchon! in the UK was next with non-vintage Condesa Blanca Cava (£7/$11) which he enjoyed quite a bit.

Next was the VA Wine Diva reviewing not a wine from her home state but the always dependable Gruet Winery non-vintage blanc de noirs ($15).

Alleigh from A Glass After Work was the second to blog a sparkler from Gruet Winery, their non-vintage Brut ($14). From her review it looks like this will not be the last bottle from this reliable New Mexico producer.

Wine Blogging Wednesday founder Lenn Thompson from New York Cork Report was next with a review of Happy Bitch Wines ?Happy Bitch? NV Rose ($12.50). This wine is a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay from the Finger Lakes region of New York with a bit of sparkle added.

Next to post was Xandria from the BrixChicks blog, the first of three there (thanks Ladies!). She selected a Jean-Louis Denois Brut ?Tradition? ($15) from France?s Languedoc. From her review, this K&L exclusive seems like a no-brainer for Bay Area or online value seekers.

The first multi-bottle entry was next from Ben at Colorado Wine Press. First of the three wines tasted was Gruet Winery Brut Rosé ($15) which was preferred over the others. Next up was Trevisiol Prosecco, Extra Dry which didn?t impress. The final wine as Domaine Chandon, Brut Classic which fared better than the Prosecco but didn?t measure up to the New Mexico sparkler.

Girl Meets Glass was next with Fleuraison Blanc de Blancs ($12). Made from Spanish base wine, it is trucked north to the Languedoc where secondary fermentation and bottling takes place. The resulting wine is delicate and might be best used for sparkling wine cocktails.

Next was Bob at 2001 Bottles ? A Wine Odyssey who posted a lengthy article covering the non-vintage Evans & Tate ?Zamphire? ($21) from Australia and 8th Generation ?Confidence? 2010 ($22.50) from Canada?s British Columbia province. While both wines used the bulk process to add the bubbles, BC?s Confidence proved the winner in the flavor department.

Lisa from Wine Muse was next with Pizzini Brachetto 2010 ($17) a Muscato-like sparkler made from the Brachetto grape in the state of Victoria in Australia. The off-dry frizzante-style rose was a hit.

Liza from BrixChicks posted a review of the reliable Napa Valley sparkling wine from Mumm, their Napa Cuvee M ($18). The wine is another winner from this respected Champagne house who has been making sparkling wine in California for 26 years.

Thea from Luscious Lushes was next with a trio of sparklers from California and New Zealand. First up was Trader Joe?s non-vintage North Coast Sparkling Wine ($10) which sounded pretty nice for the price. Next she reviewed the reliable sparking standby from Roederer Estate ($17). And finally tasted Quartz Reef Method Traditionalle NV ($22) from New Zealand. Going for extra credit, Thea blogs another 3 wines in the honorable mention category from Mumm Napa ($15), Gruet ($14) and Gloria Ferrer ($16).

My post was next with another Trader Joe?s exclusive their Albero Brut Cava ($8) which I though was a good crowd pleaser for any celebration.

Shannon from Grape Occasions reviewed the trendy Villa Jolanda Moscato Rosé ($10) and was pleasantly surprised by the off-dry sparkler.

Posting next was Michael from Undertaking Wine with a Long Island selection, the Palmer Vineyards non-vintage Special Reserve Brut ($20). And from his review it sounds like another good option for New Yorkers.

The final post of the night was a blow-out by BrixChicks Liza and Heidi who hosted a tasting of 10 sparkling wines. The standouts where the non-vintage Gruet Blanc de Noirs ($14), non-vintage Piper Hiedsieck Champagne Brut ($15) and 2008 Taltarni ?Taché? ($20) but check out their entire post for some entertaining tasting notes including aromas reminiscent of Bath and Body Works.

Posting on Wine Blogging Thursday was Gwendolyn from Wine Predator with pairings of 4 wines with various dishes. Although all the wines seemed to work with their dishes, the Trader Joe?s Blason du Bourgogne Brut Rose, Cremant de Bourgogne ($12) seemed like best wine of the quartet.

Update (I missed a post): The Wine Compass blog posted a review of Yellow Tail Bubbles ($10) which was deemed a good value.

So that concludes the seventy-fourth edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday. Overall, 19 bloggers tasted 39 wines from 8 countries. With only a few repeats there are over 30 solid choices for everyday sparkling wine.

Next month look for Joe from 1WineDude to take Wine Blogging Wednesday in a totally different direction which he will announce early next week.

WBW 74 by the numbers

Bloggers: 19
Wines Tasted: 39
Countries Represented: 8
Least Expensive: $8 ? Albero Brut Cava
Most Expensive: $22.50 ? 8th Generation ?Confidence? 2010

Tagged as: Sparkling Wine, WBW, WBW74

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/RXfMmVa_nZY/

Coho Carlisle Ridge Quinta do Vallado Owen Roe

The Folly of Immortality

The personal Palio this week was unusually punishing, as if to remind us that one doesn?t just get older. There are forces out there that even though they seem to be random, aim to hurt and to mangle. Those in my world have been shaken, but not taken out. Not this time. But then, it?s only a matter of time.

I was talking to a young winemaker in Italy last month when the conversation headed philosophical. ?We Italians are trying to do something with our wines that nobody else has tried. We are reimagining our history; recasting our future.? He was so young, and so serious. And so ardent. I didn?t have the heart to tell him that when he went to bed that night and woke up the next morning it would be 30 years later. He wouldn?t have understood, or even cared. The purpose of being young is to be in a constant state of youth. After all, what does a young person have their whole life except their youth? Let them enjoy it; time will chip away at it sooner than they think.

Back in Siena, as I walked around the Piazza del Campo and made the circuit a time or two, clicking off the minutes before I had to meet some friends, I thought of the blood, sweat and tears that infused this place in July and August . Some folly, but what a great drama nonetheless. Due palio così.<br />

Running around in circles, no rules, anything goes. The heat of summer, the medieval costumes. The grilled meats, the wine, once thought to be cast from the blood of the gods. Now we know it ain't necessarily so. The surrounding hills until 50 or so years ago, the site where sharecroppers lived their lives. Not overly elegant or romantic. But who remembers that now? Now the generations have changed over a time or two and there is the ongoing ?malessere? for the past four years or so that Italy hasn?t seemed to be able to shake off.

Going deeper into the Tuscan countryside, toward Montepulciano, there wasn?t so much of that urban discomfort. No, there were matters of the farm. The vines needed to be pruned, plots needed to be replanted. Spring was in the air. There was no time for malaise, not enough hours in the day for such vanities.

I?ve been to Montepulciano a handful of times in those last four years, maybe even more that I have been to Montalcino. I feel comfortable there, as is there aren?t the expectations and the hopes for such quick fame and fortune. Folly held at bay.

Montepulciano isn?t the first son or even the more handsome one. But in its quiet way, there is a depth and a draw. Just like the time I tried the 1970 Nobile di Montepulciano some 30 years ago. Or what seemed like yesterday in time.

They rest, they wait, they alter, all the while the humans chase after the fire, hoping to win the race against time. But it?s a big circle, and a pitiless one at that.

So what is one to do? Are you close to a cellar? Is there wine and an empty glass or two nearby? If so, grab a bottle and those glasses. Forget about the conquests of Monday. Dismiss your plans of grandeur, to be the preeminent expert or to corner the market. Or to even think you are anything more than the grain of sand we all are on this infinite beach along the universe. For a short moment, let it all go. Open that bottle, pour it, share it and let the horses and their riders whisk on by, taking time with it.

Besides, who wants to live forever?


written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola limited rights reserved On the Wine Trail in Italy

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Source: http://acevola.blogspot.com/2012/04/t-he-palio-this-week-was-unusually.html

Attems Bodegas Beronia GodmeÌ PeÌ€re & Fils Doubleback Mollydooker


Dinner with Lou, Early Spring

Apero
Fleurie 2006, Yvon Métras


Bizarre nose of beet juice and cabbage leaf, infused with geraniums. The fruit is there, it is a Beaujolais after all. The fruit is red, a bit tart on the finish and totally refreshing. After 7 or so vintages of faithfully drinking Metras at happy occasions, I am not any closer to understanding the wine, able to foretell what it will taste like, or even explain why I love it so much. I just wish that I could share a glass of it with every person out there who truly loves wine. Just received my 07?s.

Cabbage stuffed with Braised Cabbage, Bacon, Shrimp. Salmon too.
Arbois 2004, Traminer, Ouillé, Tissot
Savagnin, non oxydized, because Stephan Tissot chose to top up the barrels. That is ?ouillage.? Such a complete bouquet: grilled almonds, covered with honey and rubbed with ginger and lemon rind. It smells as if bees made this wine, after feeding on lemon flowers. Fresh, rich, quite extraordinary.

Osso Bucco
Barolo 2001, Dardi Le Rose, Bussia, Poderi Colla
I still feel bad about opening this up, just as it is about to enter adulthood and all. It?s just starting to get that beautiful Barolo ?thin-ness,? when ripe Nebbiolo is not overly extracted, gobbed with wood, and allowed to develop some bottle age. It has finesse, bright cherries, red plums, cloves and essence of cola on the finish. Long, and not large, would be the best way to describe it. Best days are still ahead of it.

Labels: Arbois, Barolo, Fleurie, Metras, Nebbiolo, Poderi Colla, Tissot

Source: http://thecaveman.blogspot.com/2009/03/dinner-with-lou-early-spring-apero.html

Avignonesi Pagos de Familia MarqueÌs de Griñon ChaÌ‚teau de Lascaux Koutsoyiannopoulos Veramonte

SEO Services

It?s hard to find reliable SEO Services these days. Heck make a single seo related post on Twitter and you?ll magically find yourself with 25+ new followers all trying to sell you their seo services. Get yourself on the first or second page of Google and you?ll start getting phone calls. It?s annoying because if these seo companies knew what they were doing, couldn?t they get customers on the web instead of by telemarketing. Personally speaking, if they can?t rank for a seo related term?.why would I want them working on my website?

Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/676

Hall Coho Carlisle Ridge Quinta do Vallado

Krug Grande Cuvée Brut

It's been quite awhile since I've popped a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée which just happens to be one of my favorite wines in the world. No other Champagne house can capture this type of brilliance in their non-vintage wines. Krug is just simply on a pedestal of their own.....

On the nose of this particular bottle I get beautiful bread pudding, creme brulee, nutmeg, and lemon curd aromas. It's beautifully aromatic, with all the yeast and fresh bread notes you would expect from a Grande Cuvée.

On the palate the wine is jam packed with bread pudding, creme brulee, lemon-lime, bread dough, caramel,   crushed stone, dry apricot, and honey suckle. The wine is of course brut dry, however there is a fruitiness and also some really nice caramel/creme that really makes this wine delicious and desirable. The finish sails on and on and there is a creaminess and tart key lime pie note that lingers on the palate for quite some time. Brilliant as always.....95 points

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBlogWineCellar/~3/q0jPikIKEDU/krug-grande-cuvee-brut.html

Hall Coho Carlisle Ridge Quinta do Vallado

Hawke?s Bay on the road again with 200 wines

  Hot Red Hawke’s Bay is gearing up to go on the road again with over 20 wineries coming to Wellington on the 12th of June and to Auckland on the 31st of July.  With wines priced from $18 to $250 available to sample and possibly over 200 wines this year there will be something for everyone to try. “This is one of our best long-standing events with many faithful followers.  It’s one the wineries love too.  Showcasing their wines with fellow winemakers from Hawke’s Bay creates a unique atmosphere” says Lyn Bevin of HB Winegrowers.  “I know everyone enjoys the interaction, the tasting and the discussion on the day.”   The event has a trade and media only section earlier in the day and a change this year will be to open to the public from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.   The 2012 event will again feature some fantastic wines – for example, the Crossroads Talisman from the 2009 and 2010 vintage (a secret blend of up to 7 varieties), Ngatarawa’s Alwyn Winemakers Reserve Merlot Cabernet 2009 which is made only in exceptional vintages and in small quantities, Alpha Domus The Aviatrix 2010 which is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Semillon as well as wines not yet commercially released.  For anyone keen on Hawke’s Bay wine and wanting to know a little more, Hot Red Hawke’s Bay is one of the best events you can attend in the year. Tickets are now available from www.eventfinder.co.nz . Hawke’s Bay wineries presenting at Hot Red Hawke’s Bay are:   Alpha Domus Babich Wines Black Barn Vineyards Church Road Winery CJ Pask Winery Clearview Estate Winery Coopers Creek Craggy Range Winery Crossroads Winery Cypress Wines Elephant Hill Winery Esk Valley Lime Rock Wines Mills Reef Winery Mission Estate Winery Ngatarawa Wines Sileni Estates Trinity Hill Winery Vidal Estate Villa Maria   Alluviale Wines (Wellington only) Bridge Pa Vineyards (Auckland & Hawke’s Bay only) Mai Mai Creek (Auckland only) Te Mata Estate (Hawke’s Bay only) For further information contact: Lyn Bevin, Executive Officer Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Inc. Phone 876 3418 or 027 621 7891

Source: http://www.nzwine.com/wine-talk/hawkes-bay-on-the-road-again-with-200-wines/

Orin Swift Schloss Vollrads Roco Knoll Dominio de Atauta