Category: wine reviews

Sanoma reaches from the Roche vineyard in the south of Sanoma Valley all the way up to the Dry Creek valley just south of Cloverdale on route 101. That’s a journey time of around 2 hours along small country roads and generally low valley floors, with the emphasis on heat. I’ve had some wonderful drives long these lovely little roads in my old Saab 900 Turbo Convertible, that I keep in San Francisco but the roof is always down and I wish one could go a little faster to keep the oppressive heat from draining all your energy. This is premier wine country; expensive wines. Names like De Loach, Flowers, Marcassin all spring to mind with their funky and ambitious winemaking skills. The Sanoma Mountain wine area offer some of the best wines available in the whole of California with an emphasis on Cabernet and Zinfandel. Further north in the famous Russian river region, even though the  vineyards are lower down on the valley floor, this is one of the coolest regions of Sanoma due to the fog and cloud cover that results from the closeness of this valley to the entrance of the river at Peaked Hill on the Pacific coast.

J vineyards is located here in the Russian river valley and its emphasis is on Pinot noir that ages consistently well over a 4-8 years.

Please look at the link below for me more detailed information on this vineyards location, topography and varietal focus.

www.jwine.com

SOLD OUT: I am hoping to re-visit Sanoma in the Spring of 2014 and look at some more of J Vineyards wines. I shall keep you updated as to my success with this.

Alc 15.0% vol

Mr Whirly says:

“ Now almost 6 years old this wine is holding up well. Some lovely Autumnal fruit of blackberries and Damson show through a tobacco and smoky haze.”

Mr whirly says:

“ I waited three years before I started to sell this wine since I thought it was too young and bold when I first imported it. It is now ready to go: still big but not as bold and the fruit has had time to relax a little. Give it a whirl, make sure you whirl hard and long!”

Greg says

“Mendocino is the largest producer of Petite Sirah on the north coast of California. Our Petite Sirah comes from several old vine vineyards and some new high tech vineyards scattered throughout the bench lands and hillsides of Mendocino County. The wine was aged in a combination of Eastern European and American oak barrels for twenty months that soften the tannins and add complexity to the wine. This wine offers deep aromas and delicious flavours of ripe blackberries, chocolate and spice. Typical of Petite Sirah, this wine displays rich, round tannins that lead to long, lingering finish.”

Alcohol: 15.5%

Mr Whirly says:

“ From the furthest northern wine region in California high up amongst the Redwood’s, Greg Graziano has been making outstanding and affordable wines here for over thirty years. Soft and with a Bakewell tart middle palate, this wine defies its 15 % alcohol level since it is so well balanced and elegant. Mendocino is an up and coming wine region. Similar to the 2005 vintage with textured layers of Almond and sweet black cherry fruit, soft tannins and a generous mouth feel. Cool climate Zinfandel means that the wine is in no way “hot but cool and approachable.”

Greg says:

“ Our Zinfandel comes from eighteen different Zinfandel vineyards scattered throughout the bench lands and hillsides of Mendocino County. Many of these vineyards are still farmed by third and  fourth generation Italian-Americans. This vintage displays a rich dark purple garnet colour and deep aromas of black cherry, boysenberry, plum, spicy sandalwood with hints of toasty oak. Uplifting flavours of plum and earth combine to give this full-bodied Zinfandel a generous mouth-feel. Rich full tannins and balanced acidity lead into a long, lingering finish. “

Past vintages of this wine have been incredibly popular and I can assure you this 2006 vintage is the best yet.

Alcohol: 14.5%

New 2011 vintage arrives end Of 2013: 2006 vintage now sold out

Mr Whirly says:

“ Whirly wines first venture with this varietal, famous in the Loire regions of Saumur, Savannieres  and Vouvray. Vibrant rich pear and apples with touches of Vanilla on the nose and palate. Aged Sur lie for 5 months in neutral French Oak Burgundy Barrels. “

Price: sold out

Alcohol: 13.0%

A Barbera from Northern California! The glory of wine!

New vintage of this wine has just arrived, February 2014 and I shall be posting some tasting notes on it soon. Its Greg’s 2010 vintage of the wonderful grape

WInemakers notes:

“ Enotria, part of the Graziano family of wines, is what the ancients called Italy. We produce wines from Italian grape varieties that are native to the Piemonte region of Northwest Italy. We utilise the best methods, both modern and ancient, to create wines that are distinctly Californian yet evocative. This grape is the most widely planted and the workhorse grape of the Piemonte, Barbera is known for its lively acidity. Our version, which is grown in the foothills and bench lands of Mendocino County, has been aged in a combination of French Burgundy and American Oak barrels for over 24 months. This long ageing helps to bring a harmonious balance of sweet fruit flavours, rich earthy complexity and softer tannins and acidity. “

Mr Whirly says:

“Barbera from Northern California and in particular Mendocino arrived here in the 19th Century with immigrant Italians and took well to the coastal Volcanic soils of this Northern part of this wonderful state. This is Graziano’s 15th vintage of this grape. Once again not young, this wine shows well now and for time to come with soft textured tannins and black cherries on the palate, almost Cherry Clafoutis in its makeup, which we love!

It has a little hint of coconut and toasty oak too. I am really proud of this wine:  I hope you find the point of difference with some Italian wines you might know, really exciting. This is what wine is all about: tasting the same grapes made in different regions of the world and seeing how indeed they have their own identity. “

Alcohol: 15.0%

Primo Rosso: “ First red “

This is the second vintage of the wine for my wine business and the first was a fabulous success so I expect this to be too.

A blend of six grapes but don’t be put off if you are, like me, a fan of single varietals on their tod! This is a wonderful example of how grapes can be blended really attractively and shows off Greg Graziano’s winemaking skills very well indeed. It also fit’s really well into that very large void, of wines being available from the United States that have some quality and panache but are not too expensive. 65% Zinfandel, 15% Carignane, 10% Petite Sirah, 5% Sangiovese, 3% Negroamaro, 2% Nebbiolo. Some lovely bottle age means this wine is soft with tannins of maturity and grace: medium to dark purple-garnet in colour with some flavours of plums and blackberries in a pie with the addition of a little Marzipan, Almonds and Moraschino Cherries. This wine does not fade away but remains strong and even when opened will taste well after 3 days of opening, so has the potential to be an interesting pourer in 2011 and in the years ahead.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Primo Bianco: “ First white”

New Vintage just arrived, February 2014: tasting notes for the 2011 vintage will follow shortly

Following the undoubted  success of the Primo Rosso in 2010 I decided it would be a good idea  to import it’s sister. So here  it is!

Primo Bianco means “ First white”. This is Greg Graziano’s complex blend of six different grapes! Six! Wow, I said to myself before I tried it for the first time, that must me a difficult job blending six grapes! He’s done a very good job which means he’s a very clever winemaker!

Mr Whirly says

“It’s a very complex wine, quite herbaceous with a touch of fennel and dill on the nose.  Great concentraion. I recently tasted this with Tom and Lisa Lewis at the lovely Monachyle Mhor with a vegetarian risotto with fennel and other strong flavours and it was quite a special match.”

Winemakers notes:

Winemaking: We hand-harvested the grapes at an average 23.5 degrees brix through the months of September and October, 2009. The grapes were crushed, pressed, cold settled and then racked into neutral French Burgundy oak barrels.  All of the lots were 100% barrel-fermented and “sur-lie” aged for 5 months with no malolactic fermentation.

Winemaker Comments: This is a blend of 6 different varietals: Tocai Friulano, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Arneis, Pinot Grigio and Cortese. The grapes are from hillside vineyards in the Redwood and Ukiah Valleys. The wine is rich and intensely fruity with appealing aromas and flavours of spicy melon, ruby red grapefruit, anise, and mineral. The wine is nicely balanced by crisp acidity and a long, lingering finish.

Alcohol: 14.0%