Friday, May 28, 2010
Changes at Sierra Vista
We have had a personel change at Sierra Vista. Yesterday we had a going away luncheon for Tyler Grace who is leaving SV to join with his father in a new venture called Grace Patriot Winery in Camino, Ca. We wish him all the best. To take his place, which will be difficult, we have invited a young man, Carter Coleman, to join us. He received his introduction to the wine world at Alderbrook Winery in Sonoma. Welcome Carter.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
What people say
Today I got an email from some people who won our wine at a silent auction. Here is what they said:
Several years ago Bob and I bought a large ( x 4) bottle of your Syrah - Red Rock Ridge at auction. We put it down per the instructions written on the bottle waiting for the appropriate time to open it.
Since 2002 we get together with two couples twice a year and have an Italian Feast. Great fun! The event lasts for about three days and we make all of the food from scratch including whatever noodles are included in the menu. Needless to say, a lot of wine is consumed with different wines with each course.
We recently hosted the feast and chose to open your Syrah. We let it breath a bit, decanted it and served the wine in special Riedel glasses.
THE WINE WAS EXCELLENT. Thank you so much for producing an excellent wine and also making it available for the silent auction.
All for now, John
Several years ago Bob and I bought a large ( x 4) bottle of your Syrah - Red Rock Ridge at auction. We put it down per the instructions written on the bottle waiting for the appropriate time to open it.
Since 2002 we get together with two couples twice a year and have an Italian Feast. Great fun! The event lasts for about three days and we make all of the food from scratch including whatever noodles are included in the menu. Needless to say, a lot of wine is consumed with different wines with each course.
We recently hosted the feast and chose to open your Syrah. We let it breath a bit, decanted it and served the wine in special Riedel glasses.
THE WINE WAS EXCELLENT. Thank you so much for producing an excellent wine and also making it available for the silent auction.
All for now, John
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
What bloggers say
Recently I sent some wines to Sue Straight for her evaluation. She used to run the San Diego Union Competition(I think) but now does wine evaluations. She assures me she is non partisan and that the tastings are not biased and are truly blind. The following are some evaluations. To see more go to:
http://wine-wench.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/. She gives a maximum of five stars.
Syrah (also called Shiraz in Australia) is originally from the Rhône Valley in France, but it is grown in many parts of the United States and is becoming one of Australia’s top wines. Syrah (and Shiraz) tends to be a big, full-bodied wine with flavors of blackberry, cherry, green herbs, leather and smoked meat.
There is no, I repeat NO relation between Syrah and Petite Sirah.
Try pairing Syrah with hearty dishes, such as roasted lamb, eggplant parmesan, grilled and smoked meats, stew, chili and robust cheeses.
My panel and I tasted 15 Syrahs from all over California. The following 9 were our favorites (There were lots of rockin’ good wines in this flight!):
Five Stars
Sierra Vista Syrah
2006 Reserve, El Dorado County $25
There is a French word, “garrique,” that one of my wine geek friends turned me on to – it means “hillside wildflowers.” One sniff of this lovely wine and you’re Julie Andrews, running down a wildflower covered hillside, singing “the hills are alive…” I love my job. Seriously, though – aromas of garrique, red cherry, red raspberry, vanilla and spice set the stage, both in the nose and in the mouth. Delicious!
Five Stars
Sierra Vista Syrah
2006 Red Rock Ridge, El Dorado County $32
Just be glad that I’m not Elmer Fudd reviewing this delightful wine – Wed Wock Widge fwom El Dowado. Sorry – couldn’t help myself! It really is a wonderful wine!Mouthwatering aromas of juicy red fruits (raspberry, strawberry, red cherry), baking spices and smoke delight the nose and continue as flavors in the seamless, silky mouth. Delicious! Serve with wabbit.
This post is all about great Cabs priced between $20 and $30.
Check this out ~ these wines come from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, El Dorado County, Paso Robles and Lodi. These appellations ALL produce rockin’ good Cabs! Neener, neener, neeener – good Cabs don’t come from Napa Valley exclusively!
Oh yeah – we bloggers now have to say this ~ all wine samples were provided complimentary by the participating wineries. Thanks wineries!
Five Stars
Sierra Vista Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Reserve, El Dorado County $26
Think about a big slab of warm cherry pie with vanilla ice cream and you’re halfway there! This Cab is absolutely delicious and balanced, with aromas and flavors of cherry, vanilla, cinnamon and toasty oak, all wrapped up in a velvety mouth feel.
These wines are still current so come taste them and you will like them.
John
http://wine-wench.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/. She gives a maximum of five stars.
Syrah (also called Shiraz in Australia) is originally from the Rhône Valley in France, but it is grown in many parts of the United States and is becoming one of Australia’s top wines. Syrah (and Shiraz) tends to be a big, full-bodied wine with flavors of blackberry, cherry, green herbs, leather and smoked meat.
There is no, I repeat NO relation between Syrah and Petite Sirah.
Try pairing Syrah with hearty dishes, such as roasted lamb, eggplant parmesan, grilled and smoked meats, stew, chili and robust cheeses.
My panel and I tasted 15 Syrahs from all over California. The following 9 were our favorites (There were lots of rockin’ good wines in this flight!):
Five Stars
Sierra Vista Syrah
2006 Reserve, El Dorado County $25
There is a French word, “garrique,” that one of my wine geek friends turned me on to – it means “hillside wildflowers.” One sniff of this lovely wine and you’re Julie Andrews, running down a wildflower covered hillside, singing “the hills are alive…” I love my job. Seriously, though – aromas of garrique, red cherry, red raspberry, vanilla and spice set the stage, both in the nose and in the mouth. Delicious!
Five Stars
Sierra Vista Syrah
2006 Red Rock Ridge, El Dorado County $32
Just be glad that I’m not Elmer Fudd reviewing this delightful wine – Wed Wock Widge fwom El Dowado. Sorry – couldn’t help myself! It really is a wonderful wine!Mouthwatering aromas of juicy red fruits (raspberry, strawberry, red cherry), baking spices and smoke delight the nose and continue as flavors in the seamless, silky mouth. Delicious! Serve with wabbit.
This post is all about great Cabs priced between $20 and $30.
Check this out ~ these wines come from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, El Dorado County, Paso Robles and Lodi. These appellations ALL produce rockin’ good Cabs! Neener, neener, neeener – good Cabs don’t come from Napa Valley exclusively!
Oh yeah – we bloggers now have to say this ~ all wine samples were provided complimentary by the participating wineries. Thanks wineries!
Five Stars
Sierra Vista Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Reserve, El Dorado County $26
Think about a big slab of warm cherry pie with vanilla ice cream and you’re halfway there! This Cab is absolutely delicious and balanced, with aromas and flavors of cherry, vanilla, cinnamon and toasty oak, all wrapped up in a velvety mouth feel.
These wines are still current so come taste them and you will like them.
John
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Spring
Wow! Has it been a month since the last post? Sorry! Looks like our effort to keep up this blog has gotten a little soft lately. Spring and Fall are always the busiest times for us. In the Spring we have pruning to get done, bud break, wine clubs and of course El Dorado's famous Passport weekends! After passport we always feel we can take a breath for a little bit. This year was a pretty good turn out. Better than expected since The Winery Assoc did not end up selling out on tickets. We got over 1000 people coming through on both weekends, rain & shine. The unique thing about this Spring is it seems it never wants to end. Today is May 12th and as I was driving to work yesterday morning I saw up to four inches of snow on the tops of cars! The ground at the Vineyard was white, but come 9am everything was melted and the day was heating up. Today is one of those dreamy Sierra foothills spring days. Maybe Summer now will start to show its beautiful face. At least we will have plenty of water this year for the vines!
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