2013 Lola Sauvignon Blanc Steven Kent Winery Ghielmetti Vinyard

*Lola was a sample received for tonight's event

Lola  L O L A  Lola was the wine of the evening on Tout Social with Winemaker Steven Kent Mirassou. The participants bounced questions off the winemaker, listened to his philosophy on Sauv Blanc and learned about the scope and soil of the vineyard. Steven is a joy to listen to and his passion for fine wine really shows. He also brought a dish to pair with the evenings offering and commented how he enjoys pairing food with wine.

Lola was named after his cat if you were wondering. I was expecting to hear it was his first love who he shared a bottle of wine with but I was way off. The aromas on this wine are very pleasing with beautiful floral notes combined with lime and orange citrus. Nice sense of crispness on the nose. Simple yet elegant. We debated over the hour whether she was sassy or elegant. I say a little of both.

The mouth has a huge acidic feel with the citrus stealing the show. Lime, lemon, grapefruit and hints of mineral on the long finish. I paired this wine with a pan fried tilapia drizzled with lemon zest and a white wine sauce using tonight's offering. Day 2 this wine was even better!


Thanks again Tracy and Steven for letting me join in the fun. Always a treat to drink these wines.

*Lola was a sample received for tonight's event

Cheers
Dan

2009 Whistling Dog NSV Estate-Dijon Blocks Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills

My first sip from Whistling Dog Cellars was a purchase from my local wine store and what a fan I am now. The name comes from the family dog Fleck who yes whistled. Pointing birds in the field or plunging in the waters to retrieve his frisbee, his passion could not be contained just like his owners passion for Pinot. Celeste and Tom Symonette work the entire process of winemaking themselves from pruning the vineyards to bottling the finished product. Small lot hand-crafted wines are dedicated to quality and a dream to make the best Pinot Noir from "the ground up." There are no corners cut when it comes to their juice.

The nose is beautiful with cinnamon spice and ripe bright cherry. Cloves and earthy tones, fresh cut wild violets give the wine a floral accent and dried rosemary an herbal touch. Gives you the sense of standing in the vineyard enjoying the mid morning aromas.

Love the flavor. Tart cranberry and ripe cherry are music to my palate. Cloves and a hint of earthiness with a creamy caramel soft finish. Delicious Pinot and I highly recommend!

Cheers
Dan

Duct Tape Red Wine California

Enjoyed this $15.99 purchase from First Avenue Wine House in Cedar Rapids and my second blend from Irish Vineyards. Duct-Tape Red Wine was the winner of "Blending Bash" and claims to "Fix Most Everything"

Excellent nose with rich vanilla, blueberry, boysenberry, dark cherry, blackberry and toasted oak. Let the wine open and the dark fruit with cloves really shine.


The mouth is very juicy and jammy with blackberry, and cherry in the beginning. Creamy blueberry and dark plumb with just a hint of oak. Soft tannins on the finish. Nice layers of flavor combined with oak and spice makes for an enjoyable wine. Salud Irish Vineyards!

Cheers
Dan

Cellarcast With Special Guest Macario Montoya of Campesino Cellars

Chatting this morning with Macario Montoya Owner/Winemaker of Campesino Cellars you can hear the passion and excitement in his voice when he talks about wine, family and Napa/Sonoma. From the vineyards where his co-owner wife Griselda grew up to the label, wines named after his daughters and even the name Campesino all have special meaning. They make sure to recognize all those individuals from the vineyard workers to the harvest crew to the tasting room associates...everyone is equally responsible for the success. Family is important to them both as well. Listen as we spend 30 minutes chatting on CellarCast.

Click the link to listen Interview With Macario

Cheers
Dan

2009 Dutcher Crossing Maple Vineyard Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

Each time Deb Mathy owner of Dutcher Crossing Winery and winemaker Kerry Damskey visit my favorite wine store First Avenue Wine House I make sure not to miss the event. Tonight's wine was a purchase 2 years ago and bottle signed by the winemaker which will add to the empty bottle shrine.

The aromatics on these wines are so pleasing to the nose as all Dutcher wines. Rich blackberry, dark cherry, ripe blueberry and fresh sliced plum get me excited about the wine. White pepper and fresh mint round out the aromas. The wine is 94% Zinfandel and 6% Petite Sirah.

Big fruit and even bigger flavor. Jammy fruits of blackberry and raspberry with juicy cherry and plum. Black pepper and licorice with hints of vanilla. The finish is long and what impresses me is the beautiful layers of fruit and spice throughout the taste. I loved this wine at the event and it's even better now. Well done Kerry!

Visit the tasting room at 8533 Dry Creek Road in Geyserville California and taste their award winning wines. Be prepared to be entertained by Deb. What a hoot.

Cheers
Dan