Jade Mountain "La Provencale"

Syrah, Grenache, Carignane, Mourvedre

All of these are classic grapes blended to make Rhone region of France. Jade Mountain is was way ahead of the times producing these varieties!

Color is more like REAL Pinot Noir versus a Syrah blend. The nose explodes with Raspberries, spice and everything nice! Lush and fruit forward with delightful plum and racy exoctic spices as the main taste. Very well behaved throughout the long pleasing finish!read more...

Hop City "DNA Breakdown"

F: 7 W: 7 F: 6 Food or Cocktail!

Alexandria Nicole Cellars "Quarry Butte"

52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 15% Malbec, 13% Syrah and 2% Petit Verdot

Tastes dark berries, black pepper and spices along with leather and oak! Cherry and espresso in the long, rich finish! Barrel aged for 18 months in French and American oak. 

From their website: 

http://www.alexandrianicolecellars.com/

Alexandria Nicole Cellars is dedicated to producing small lots of hand-crafted wine from our own Destiny Ridge Estate Vineyard. Our 263 acre estate vineyard is located high above the bluffs on the Columbia River, near the town of Paterson, Washington, where our grapes thrive in the soils and climatic conditions of the Horse Heaven Hills. Through attentive viticulture management, balanced crop levels, gentle hand-harvesting and processing of grapes, and passionate winemaking, we produce consistent quality in every bottle. Our 243-acre estate vineyard is located high on the bluffs overlooking the majestic Columbia River, in the highly recognized Horse Heaven Hills Appellation. It is here, high on the dominate ridge, that our grapes thrive in the soils and climatic conditions of the Horse Heaven Hills.

Hop City "DNA Breakdown"

F: 5 W: 8 F: 6 Food or Cocktail!

Chronic Cellars "Sofa King Bueno"

Wine for beer drinkers!

 Smooth, refreshing, and somehow complex! The guys over on the beer side tasted and loved this wine; even the label is cool!  Dark beer lovers rejoice... 

"The Velvet Hammer!"

 

27% Petite Sirah
25% Syrah
20% Tempranillo
14% Grenache 

10% Mourvedre 

4% Tannat

Juicy fruits, Bing cherries and ripe blackberries caressed toasted vanilla, cinnamon and clove. Well-integrated fruit and round mouth-feel. Some wines like this can get a little flat in the mid-taste, this one simply rawks!

Can you find the hidden message?

Hop City "DNA Breakdown"

F: 3 W: 7 F: 4 Cocktail wine!

In Fine White Rhone Blend

In Fine
Rhone Blend

Offers up a mineral and smooth mouth-feel with a very cool Apple Blossom and Mandarin that blossom into Fuji apple and mineral on the finish. White Rhone wines are amazing and versatile wines and a great alternative to Pinot Grigio

From the website
This pale yellow wine with bright tints offers up a mineral and appetizing nose with
notes of white fruits and white flowers. The smooth and wide palate reveals the same
flowery and citrus aromas with a nice freshness. White fruits such as pears and peaches
are found on the finish. Serve at 48-50̊F with cheese (goat), fish and/or seafood, Asian,
or Creole cuisine, or simply with friends! [love when they borrow my prose!]

A blend of 80% Clairette and 20% Bourboulenc from younger vines growing on terraces
hillside vineyards on the foot hills of the Mont Ventoux. Aged in stainless steel tank for
8 months before bottling.

Fruit 4 Weight 4 finish 7 Food and cocktail friendly

Chateau Roc Meynard Bordeaux Superieur

Chateau Roc Meynard Bordeaux Superieur
Good structure and grace are the keywords for this delightful wine! With a nose of raspberry, blackberry and on taste turning blackcurrant-redcurrant towards a silky yet classic structure.
Pepper and bay leaf arrive just in time at the finish

BEFORE YOU RUN AWAY!
The wines of St.-Emilion and Pomerol, on Bordeaux's right bank, are based largely on Merlot, but consumers are mostly unaware of this because Bordeaux wineries don't usually list varietals on the label.
 

Fact, the wine that Miles most treasured in "Sideways," Chateau Cheval Blanc, is a blend of Merlot and another varietal he slams, Cabernet Franc. 

The film makers originally wanted Miles' fetish wine to be Chateau Petrus Pomerol, the world's most sought-after (and most expensive) Merlot. "Quite a few film scripts cross my desk and I vaguely recall 'Sideways' asking for permission to use Petrus," Christian Moueix, who runs Chateau Petrus, said by fax. "I am afraid that at that time, I found the script unexciting and declined."

From their website:
The vines are planted on hillsides within a perfect terroir with chalk, clay, and sandy
soils. Aged for 20 months in tank. This is a robust yet elegant and well balanced wine
with a perfect expression of ripe red and black fruits with darker spices. A true value Bordeaux!
90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc

Food:
Classic: “boeuf Bourguignon" or "coq au vin" (literally chicken cooked in wine)
Nouveau: Bocado’s Bad ASS Burger [1 of my top three in the city]! That way you to can create the famous scene in sideways! 


HopCity Rating:
Fruit 6 Weight 6 Finish 7 Food! < see store for details

M5 Monastrell

 M5 Monastrell is another fine addition to HopCity’s growing range of Monastrells. Versatile, fun, and approachable are the keys words for this grape and M5 is no exception. Excellent aromatics, followed by a smooth-lush taste of plum, currant, and cherry fruits. The extremely long finish belies the wines 15% alcohol. Monastrell grape skins are particularly high in antioxidants, which allow Mourvèdre-based wines to age well despite their relatively supple tannins. All stainless keeps this lovely in the value range while also contributing to it’s rare good with food  / cocktail statue

Fruit 4 Weight 5 Finish 5 Food and cocktail wine < see store for details



From the website:
The M Series wines are all 100% Monastrell aged in stainless steel. The M5/Mourvedre from Yecla is the class of these wines. It has a lovely kirsch-scented nose [Cherry], oodles of fruit, excellent balance [great acidity], and a long, pure finish [good weight and balance]. It should be consumed over the next 2 years. The name Vinos Sin-Ley means "wines without laws." According to importer Patrick Mata, these cuvees are produced by an array of serious winemakers who wish to have their own personal projects apart from those of their employers and to not be bound by the various D.O. regulations.

Parker likes it to with a 90+ rating; I love when he and I agree

Mourvèdre-based wines pair well with grilled and roasted meats, root vegetables, mushrooms and dark fowl such as duck: flavors that harmonize with the earthiness of the wine.

The Girls in the Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

The Girls in the Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is an amazing example of the quality wines that have evolving out of Washington for a while now.




A little shy at first, like your first dance in 4th grade. But once she knows your going to stick around she mellows nicely and shows her ability to dance on the palate. Prefers long walks with good company, loves the aromas of red flowers and fresh tilled earth. Her favorite stone to look at is garnet . To truly enjoy her, loves to be held for 5 to 6 hours after you meet her...




Balance in fruit body and finish at this price? Go girl power?

From their website:

http://www.thegirlsinthevineyard.com/wine.html

no,
they are not our daughters
or our pets
they are the vines
cabernet sauvignon

The girls in the vineyard is a California Cabernet produced from sustainably farmed grapes grown in the lovely Amber Knolls Vineyard in the Red Hills AVA of Lake County.

Appellation: Red Hills Lake County AVA, single vineyard, high country.

My favorite Washington Cabernet food pairing...

Leg of Lamb
    1/4 cup honey
    2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon lemon zest
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    5 pounds whole leg of lamb
    1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions
   1. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, rosemary, ground black pepper, lemon zest and garlic. Mix well and apply to the lamb. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
   2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
   3. Place lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt to taste.
   4. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and roast for 55 to 60 more minutes for medium rare. The internal temperature should be at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

El Supremo Malbec

El Supremo Malbec is an exceptional value when looking for an everyday wine with weight and substance!

Aromas of earth with the taste of black currants, hint of cacao, with a long and intense finish. This wine is perfect for the winedrinker that likes wine on the "surly-side!"

Ideal with:  carne asada tacos / cheddar bacon burgers / simple grilled lamb chops / 

Chimichurri sauce friendly flank steak

*  1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*  2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice

* 2 Tbsps apple cider vinegar, red wine or sherry vinegar
* 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, washed and dried
* 1 cup cilantro leaves, washed and dried

* 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
* 1/4 cup oregano leaves, washed and dried
* 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
* 1/2 shallot, roughly chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppe

Arrogant Frog Winery

With so much pomp and circumstance still in the wine world today. It is refreshing to find fun/approachable wines from a country known for selling us wine on a pedestal. And this French wine does not require a geography lesson for us to know what is in it.

1. We will always be, to some degree, a varietal driven culture and these guys get it. Varietal is right on the label!

2. We want reasonable everyday fun drinking wines

3. "High up on the mountainside," "old vines," "Only 5 hectares," "Highly rated," "only made 5 cases." "it is from this side of the mountain," "geography lessons" etc. are just sales tools! Is this my wine? Will I like it?

4. If you hear the words "This is my favorite!" RUN AWAY! You do not love everything that even your spouse/lovers loves; why in the hell would ALL of you love something as personal as taste?

For many of you, YOUR WINES ARE HERE!

Arrogant Frog White...

85% Chardonnay, 15% Viognier

Vinification

De-stemmed grapes are vinified separately, without skin contact. Low temperature racking at 8̊C followed by three weeks fermentation at 17̊C. 10% of Chardonnay undergoes malolactic fermentation. [<<

With a aromas of elegant aromas of tropical fruits, with peach and white flowers and hints of vanilla. Tastes of fresh and mellow apple and melon with a long persistent finish
Serve lightly chilled with seafood and fish; will also complement sushi, white meats, blue cheese

Arrogant Frog Pinot Noir...

100% Pinot Noir

Vinification

De-stemmed grapes are vinified separately. Skin contact at 10̊C for three days. Skin contact at 10 ̊C for 3 days prior to 6 days fermentation at 24/26̊C with daily pumping over followed by a 9 day maceration. Only the first presses are reincorporated into the wine. 50% of the blend is aged in new oak barrel for 7 months. The other 50% are matured stainless steel vats. After taking the wine off the barrels we have aged it for a further 2 months in vats prior to bottling.

Bright and lovely light garnet with aromas of  strawberry, cherry, and soft spices and vanilla. Nice body with ripe tannins and acidity; develops very delicate aromas and a long lasting finish. Not sweet, just ripe and drinkable! Serve with ALMOST ANYTHING! Save red sauces for the other wines.

Arrogant Frog Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot...

55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot

Vinification

De-stemmed grapes are vinified separately. Skin contact at 10°C for two days. Six days fermentation at 24 to 26°C, followed by 17 days maceration. Aging before release 55% in concrete vats for 6 months, 45% in barrels for 6 months, additional 3 months in bottle before release.

Deep purple with hints of ruby. Nose of  blackberries, truffles, mocha and jam with a hint of 'nilla!

Well balanced and smooth long finish hugged by notes of plum.

Ideal with pastas, barbecue, poultry, game, terrines, and medium to strong cheeses, as well as chocolate desserts.

Champagne [Sham-Pain]

“Sham-Pain”
Current “rules of disgorgement” state that champagne and sparkling wines are “celebration only” wines. Served with the purpose of commemorating something and not to be enjoyed for what they themselves are…really good wine, yes wine.

With all of this ego and pride “flowing” it is no wonder that we only want to decide once a year what bubbles to purchase! Complicated by the fact that the “confused consumer” has dictated what is available for purchase. Extra-Dry, which would better match our American sweet tooth [since we drink colas like water] is very hard if not impossible to find. Why, we never bought it so they stopped shipping it; not to mention many people liked Brut better because Extra-Dry was “too dry.” Dam dam dam those labels! Think I am kidding, why you think they have animal wine labels, because they taste soooo cute! It is simply the power of suggestion. Also, our confusion and lack of consumption of Champagnes has kept others from entering the market. Australia for example has the French involved in producing great products in their country but they will not ship to the U.S. because they became worn-out just trying to get us to drink Shiraz!

Why drive a formula 1 race car in rush hour traffic? Going by sheer taste, it is hard to justify spending up to 5 times more for a producer’s cuvée de prestige versus a Non-Vintage. Non-Vintages are a blend on different years that enables each Champagne house to maintain its style or flavor on wine. The middle tier and harder to find but worth searching for is “Vintage” Champagne, made from a single year, this wine offers refined flavors for half the price of the cuvée de prestige or cuvée spéciale and tete de cuvee.

Yes, Champagne has a purpose and should be enjoyed often, but why not give some others a chance; sparking wines from California, Spain [cava], Germany [Sekt] and Italy [Asti] make great substitutes for Champagne. Offering a refreshing style without the price pressures of supply and demand! Even France has it’s own offering from other parts of the region that offer good value, Champagne-like wines called crémant from d'Alsace and crémant de Bourgogne [Burgundy] are the most popular. Called crémant because they are done in the Champagne style of a secondary fermentation in the bottle, which causes higher pressure and therefore smaller bubbles then you can get from any other methods like adding CO2 to a tank. The Champagne style or Champenois is considered the best and can be emulated by many other regions around the world, usually at a better price. Quality and preference are the other considerations.

I drink champagne when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty. ~ Madame Lilly Bollinger

What to look for...

France
Produces non-champagne sparkling wines called Cremant. Look for:
Crémant d’Alsace- made mainly from Pinot Blanc; may also contain Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Rosés are made with Pinot Noir. Crémant de Bourgogne- uses thirty percent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris. Aligoté is added to round out the final blend.
Crémant de Loire- the largest sparkling producer outside of Champagne- uses a blend of the Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc or Cabernet Franc

Italy
Makes several great sparkling wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but even more exciting varieties are made with the Prosecco grape and called Asti. Formerly known as Asti Spumante, the name was changed to distinguish it from cheaper U.S. brands. Sparkling wines from the Moscato grape are made in a frizzante style, which has slightly less bubbles.

Germany
Makes Sekt. The best examples are made from Riesling, and their labels state the following: “Deutscher Sekt” [made with German grapes.] The best of the best in this group are made in the méthode champenoise.

Spain
Makes sparkling wines called cava from grapes like Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel·lo, and Subirat. Wines made from Chardonnay were introduced about thirty years ago and add further refinement to these expressive wines. The traditional method must be used which is the same as in champagne, with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle.

United States
Produces sparkling wines made in both the champagne method and the charmont process. The latter is a less expensive style, made in a manner similar to the way soft drinks are made, with the occasional use of a concrete pit. YUMMY! Better versions range from brut to sec, but remember no hard and fast rules apply. If you have a taste for American sparkling wines but not the French, it is probably due to the fact that our version of brut often contains the same amount of sugar that French demi-sec has.