An Evening With Alara Cellars and Jason Stephens Winery #alaracellars #jswinery

*Samples Received*

These are fantastic tastings when you find diamonds in the rough and these 2 are no exception. Janu and Jason Goelz the wife and husband team of Alara Cellars and Jason Stephens Winery, were our hosts for the evening along with Robert Larsen of the Larsen Projekt.

Janu who is a Bay Area Native has had quite the career. Commercial films to a corporate career, to fashion, weather and now wine. It was meeting Jason that lead to her becoming a wine professional and eventually a winemaker. The labels on her wines are an expression her love of fashion and very cool I might add. Jason who worked in the business world focused in finance, started Jason Stephens Winery in 2008. His cutting edge cellar technologies allows him complete quality control from vineyard to bottle and produce exquisite wines.

First wine of the night the 2017 Alara Cellars Pinot Noir San Benito Central Coast. From the first pour to the last the nose shows wonderful red fruit of strawberry, cranberry, candied cherry with hints of cinnamon spice and a splash of cola. Allow the wine to open and a bouquet of fresh cut roses circle the nose. Such a beautiful aromatic wine. Love the mouth with juicy strawberry, crushed cranberry and cola. This one is a keeper Janu!

Second wine of the night the 2016 Alara Cellars Tempranillo San Benito Central Coast. Pop the cork and notes of cherry and raspberry followed by dark berries, a hint of earthiness and herbal notes with a pinch of white pepper. The mouth shows clusters of dark fruit with an influx of red berry, dusty earth and a peppery herb finish. While I do not drink much Tempranillo I really enjoyed the complexity of this wine.

The third wine of the evening is the 2014 Jason Stephens Merlot Santa Clara Valley. The wine is 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet and 5% Malbec. In the glass chocolate and raspberry aromas race from the rim with fresh sliced plum and crushed herbs yelling drink me. The mouth is silky with cherry, blueberry jam, a hint of plum and vanilla bean with a dusting of cocoa. Top shelf merlot here folks.

Final wine of the evening the 2014 Jason Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Clara Valley. The wine consists of 77% Cabernet, 11% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc. The nose is rich with dark fruit (blackberry, dark cherry) with splashes of raspberry, cloves and licorice. The mouth is lush with layers of fruit blackberry, cherry and blueberry followed by cloves and a hint of toasted almonds. While a full bodied wine the tannins were soft and the wine so appealing. One solid cabernet!

If you are looking for small production hand crafted wines which reflect the vineyard and grapes, then I highly recommend the wines of Alara Cellars and Jason Stephens Winery. These wines do not disappoint. Well done Janu and Jason! Robert thanks for the introduction to these fine winemakers and their juice.

Cheers
Dan

Steele Wines Tweet Up With Jed Steele

*Samples Received*

A fantastic evening sipping and talking Steele Wines with a few wine friends across the country, Robert Larsen of The Larsen Projekt and Jed Steele of Steele Wines.

Steele Winery is located in Lake County which is north of Napa County and east of Mendocino County. It has the designation of being one of the least populated grape growing regions with a population of 65,000 residents in this mountainous area, of which you will find 32 wineries and 8,800 acres of wine grapes. While the Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes are varieties most popular to the region you will find Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Chardonnay, Barbera and Riesling.

Owner/Winemaker Jed Steele has been making wine in California for over 50 years. His longevity in the wine business has allowed him to develop key relationships with some of the very best growers and work with many different varietals. His varietal production is limited to  around 1000 cases so that he can continue to produce small batch hand crafted wines.

We started the evening off with the 2017 Shooting Star Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit for this wine is sourced from the Dorn vineyards in Kelseyville and has been the source for the past 25 years. Fermented and aged in stainless steel, I loved the clean crisp character of this wine. Tropical on the nose, you get guava, grapefruit and loads of citrus zest. The mouth was vibrant with crushed pineapple and fresh squeezed grapefruit. The wine reminds me of the tropics of Hawaii or was it the guava aroma. Either way a great start to the night and $15.00

Wine 2 of the evening was the 2016 Steele Chardonnay Cuvee. The chardonnay is a blend of grapes from six different vineyards (Bien Nacido and Goodchild in the Santa Maria Valley, Sangiacomo, Durell and Parmelee-Hill in Carneros and finally Lolonis Family in Mendocino. Barrel fermented with the Lolonis steel fermented. The nose shows wonderful character with pineapple, mango, baked apple and spice. The mouth is rich with apple, pear and pineapple followed by baking spice and a hint of cream on the finish. Excellent expression of good chardonnay. $24 seems like a steal (no pun intended).

The third wine of the evening was the 2016 Writer's Block Cabernet Franc and I'll declare my favorite of the night. These grapes are from the Shannon Ridge Vineyards in the High Valley where you will find sandy soils with steep slopes at 1900 feet. The nose is solid with black licorice, plum and red berry clusters and cloves. The mouth is killer with juicy cherry and raspberry followed by a soft plum and dash of white pepper on the finish. At $17 per bottle buy it by the case folks it's that good.

Final wine of our hour tasting was the 2016 Steele Styme Syrah. The grapes for the Syrah come from the Jacobsen Vineyard on Jed's property which he planted in 2002. Additionally Jed gathers some fruit from Fiora vineyard. Aged in oak 22 months in oak prior to bottling, you can age this wine for the next 10 years.  The nose shows dark fruit, spice with a dusting of cocoa powder and a hint of smoke. The mouth fantastic with red berries and blue berries surrounded by chocolate and barrel spice. Only 175 cases produced and a great price at $38.

Thank you Jed and Robert for including me in this excellent tasting. Folks stop by the tasting room at 4250 Thomas Drive Kelseyville Ca. I highly recommend you taste their portfolio.

Cheers
Dan

2016 Legende Medoc

*Sample Received*

A little French wine this evening from the Rothschild family who have been associated with the vineyards of Bordeaux since 1868. The Legende wines were created to be easy drinkers and accessible with immediate charm. The Medoc showcases the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grape varieties blended 60% and 40% respectively. This wine can be paired with a variety of dishes and mine happened to be a rustic beef dish. Great price at $24.99

From the moment you pull the cork the deep crimson purple color of the wine catches your eye and leads you to immediately thinking rich wine. The nose shows dark intense fruit with hints of red berries followed by sliced vanilla bean, spice and toasted oak.

The mouth is rich and elegant with dark cherry, blackberry, raspberry and plum. As the berries roll across your mouth, warm vanilla cream and spice compliment the fruit. The finish is long and silky. While you can pair with your favorite dish I also think you can drink on it's own. Valentines day is just around the corner and what a wonderful bottle this would be to share with that someone special. Grand vin!

Cheers
Dan

Concha y Toro Marques Casa Concha 2014 Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

*Samples Received*


Couple of wonderful wines of Chile for this post. A single vineyard Chardonnay and a dual vineyard blend Cabernet Sauvignon. The winemaker is Marcelo Papa who is one of the 5 lead winemakers at Concha y Toro.

The 2014 Chardonnay comes from the Limari Region in the Llanura de Camarico Vineyard. The growing season lasts 7 months in mineral rich soil with loads of sunlight and cool breezes from the Humboldt Current. The nose on this wine shows ripe green apple, white peach with a hint of tangerine and baking spice. The mouth is full of bright fruit with tart apple, juicy pear and a kiss of spice and oak on the finish. Really nice wine for $22 and a steal.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the Puente Alto and Pirque vineyards in the Maipo region of Chile. This area is known for producing some of the very best Chilean Cabernet. The nose shows nicely with blackberry, raspberry, black currants with hints of wild violets and crushed cherries. The mouth is elegant with the dark fruit and red fruit intertwined with spice, vanilla and a slight hint of toasted oak. Outstanding $25 Cabernet.

 Swing by your favorite wine shop today and grab a bottle from Chile. See how they are producing some very nice wine for your palate.

Cheers
Dan

2015 Passaggio Connect 69.23.8 Red Wine Coplan Vineyards Sonoma County

Tonight's wine is a creation from winemaker Cynthia Cosco owner/winemaker of Passaggio Wines in Sonoma Ca. The 2015 Connect Red Wine is a blend of 69% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. This wine clocks in at 14.5% but is so soft.

For those of you who might be wondering who Cindy is how about a little background. The year 2004 and her venture from the East Coast to the West. Walking away from a 15 year career in law enforcement to make wine. I never asked her if anyone thought she was nuts to walk away from stability to the unknown. She worked her first harvest that fall of 2004 and moved into the lab after the harvest. Classes till 2007 and she was well on her way to making her own wine. Hello Crushpad and while the Lab Manager there she launched Passaggio. Let's fast forward to today and those original 50 cases of unoaked Chardonnay have turned into 1700 cases of both whites and reds in many different varietals. Her own production facility and tasting room are open and she has become a household name in the California wine circles. Passion, drive, nurturing are just some of the descriptors which in my opinion define her success. Oh and she makes really great wine too!

The nose shows fresh blackberries and blueberries with dried herbs and cloves. The mouth is lush and rich with blackberry, plum, raspberry and blueberry followed by a hint of leather and herbs. I love the fruit on the finish with just a hint of spice. Allow the wine to open in the glass and you get this splash of red fruit which compliments the dark fruit in perfect harmony. Cindy please never stop making this wine!

Swing by her tasting room at 25 E Napa St Suite C Sonoma in the Sonoma Plaza the next time you are out for a sip. I think you will love what you taste.

Cheers
Dan