Wine Each Week ~ Folded Hills 2017 Grant Grenache

Though the Folded Hills Ranch has been around in Santa Barbara County for over a century, grapes were not planed until 2014. This makes the 2017 the first vintage and it is impressive. This Grenache offers slight bright fruit spicy character plum, pomegranate, cranberry, strawberry, Bing cherry, and pink peppercorn. There’s a touch of sweet oak and vanilla-infused tobacco and a nice mild acidity running through the length of the wine. Comprised of Grenache with 8% Syrah folded in, this is a delightfully balanced wine, made to accompany a diversity of food.

ORIGIN: Santa Ynez - Santa Barbara, California

ALCOHOL: 13.6%

PRICE: $38 /750 ml

SCORE: 91 POINTS

Folded Hills

Summertime Rose’- The Livin’ and Drinkin’ is Easy

To borrow the above phrase from George Gershwin and tweak it a little, summer is ideal for rose’ however let me be clear, it’s for any night of any year (sorry about the rhyme, Mr. Gershwin seems to be floating in my ether right now).

So for your consideration, here are four rose’ wines to explore this summer.

The 2017 Tres Chic ($16.99) from Le Grand Courtage is light and summery, fresh cut strawberries, lemon-lime, red currants, guava and a balanced acidity. Made of Grenache Noir and Cinsault. The fruit is from Sud de France (South of France) in the Pays d’Oc region.

The Edna Valley Rose’ ($16/Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre) takes the idea of the Tres Chic and puts a new world spin on it. It offers similar strawberry and lemon-lime notes, but with more minerality and deeper fruit flavors.

The 2017 Fleur de Mer Cotes de Provence Rose’ ($20) then accentuates the Edna Valley with a brighter acidity and strong minerality. The strawberry and lemon lime are quieted by the more floral notes of lavender and honeysuckle.

The culmination of all this finds its expression in the J Brut Rose’ ($45/Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), which combines all the best of the three wines listed above, but adds bubbles. What’s not to love? So check out any of these bottles and enjoy summertime livin’.

The Paraduxx Paradox

Paraduxx, originally an offshoot of Duckhorn wines, was formed in 1994 to celebrate the idea of blended wines, as opposed to single varietal wines, which Duckhorn had more of a focus on. Winemaker Don LaBorde says Paraduxx is “inspired by the iconic blends of the world, and made for the modern palate.” And that’s pretty spot on. The 2014 Candlestick Napa Valley Red Wine shines a light on just how excellent a blend can be. Mainly Syrah with 38% Grenache this is an opulent wine: rich, ripe, creamy and mouth filling. It expresses sweet fresh picked blueberry and blackberry, sugared almonds, boysenberry preserves, a light acidity but a drop dead gorgeous experience, viscerally; part tactile but part emotional. Yes, wine can do this. And this wine is not for a variety of foods - it’s big and commanding, like when you have a piece of really excellent chocolate that’s so rich you just need one piece. Yeah, this wine is like that. Aged 18 months in oak, (95% French Oak, 5% American Oak) the Candlestick is that immensely satisfying experience.

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, California

PRICE: $58/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 14.7%

SCORE:  94 POINTS

Rhone on the Range

The Rhone Valley in Eastern France is known for what we in American call Rhone grape varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Marsanne, and a few others. The Beauty of these wines is that they typically are restrained, yet floral, subtle, earthy exhibiting less potent berry fruits than say, Cabernet from Napa, and have higher acidity, meaning they work well as food wines. Two versions, specific to the Southern part of the Rhone Valley, recently caught my eye, and they are immensely good quality considering the price tag.

The Cotes du Rhone Villages Puymeras Rouge ($18) is comprised of mainly Grenache with 20% Syrah and 10% Carignan. The lighter berry notes are clearly evident – raspberry, black cherry and boysenberry, but beyond that - and typical of Rhone wines - there is an earthiness of cedar and wet earth, black licorice, light pomegranate, but still juicyfruit without being candied.

The Cotes du Rhone Reserve Blanc ($12) is made up of mainly Grenache along with 15% Marsanne, 10% Clairette and 10% Viognier. There are light tropical notes, lemon zest, a nearly vibrant peach note and back notes of honeysuckle and slight butter toffee, though this is not a sweet wine, but it hints at it, though offers mainly bright  summer fruit.

Widely available here in the U.S. I highly recommend one or both, not only as a deviation from the norm, but a surprise for quality in your glass.

www.lesduaphins-rhone.com 

Red, White and Chews – HalloWine Candy

Wine and chocolate is decidedly not my favorite combination, let’s be honest. Potent sweet rarely goes with wine, (and I’m not talking sweet wines) but some combinations of wine and candy do work pretty well (for my spirits and candy pairing for The Hollywood Reporter, go HERE). So…a few ideas this All Hollow’s Eve.

From Carneros come the 2013 Educated Guess Chardonnay (a mere $17) which takes as its dancing partner the Butterfinger, originally created in 1923 and intended to be a peanut butter concoction, though that is all but lost these days. Nonetheless the chocolate on the Butterfinger is of little concern as the majority of flavor comes from the flaky Butterfinger center with its sweet caramelized toffee
 

M&Ms are obviously artificially sweet, though nonetheless addictive and the 2014 Old Vines Sorbo a Sorbo Garnacha (Grenache, a mere $12) from Spain already with a bright acidity, menthol, cedar and blackberry allows the overt sweetness of the M&Ms to become mitigated and it softens the wine, dropping out the acidity so it feels more seamless while the chocolate loses it’s fundamental sweetness.

The best idea is to experiment with whatever candy and wine you’ve got on hand, or, as I suggest, try a few new things, either way, life is predicated on being creative!

Bio & The Heavy D: Qupe’s Biodynamic Grenache

There are a variety of different types of farmers, like grape growers, including (broadly speaking) those who work with the soil and those who work with chemicals with the soil. Biodynamic farming and winemaking, actually beyond organic, is a confusing subject for a lot of consumers, and even some winemakers I know are vehemently opposed to it. But why? Yes it has elements of an “airy fairy” quality, lunar aspects and some mystical elements, which I’m not getting into here. Of course, if treating the earth you farm with the utmost respect is bad, well, I then clearly don’t understand farming. Anyhoo…organic wine, biodynamic wine – all great ideas that minimize our impact on the land and products we farm. Problem used to be that so many of these wines just weren’t very good. Not any more – the current spate of certified organic and biodynamic wines made in the U.S. is impressive - like the Qupe 2011 Grenache from the Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard. Qupe has long been at the forefront of winemaking in Santa Barbara County and typical of Grenache this offers soft black cherry, rhubarb and pomegranate, blackberry compote, mild oak and spice supported by a mild acidity and enough fruit to compliment your food without overpowering it. Certified Demeter (biodynamic) in 2009 this fruit hails from the Edna Valley in San Louis Obispo and this is truly a stellar wine. So if you think biodynamic is a crock of shit, that’s fine; that is your opinion. But the proof is always in the pudding, er, wine. And this baby rocks. Regardless of your beliefs, this wine is well worth the price tag and delivers more than the actual cost. And that is something rare these days. QUPE

ORIGIN: Edna Valley, San Louis Obispo, California

PRICE: $35 / 750/ml

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  91 POINTS

Twin Sons of Different Mothers

Summer is fast approaching and typically folks turn to white wines to stave off the heat. I don’t advocate whites in summer and reds in winter – wine is an all-year adventure, be that Champagne, dessert wines or whatever else you might find, there is no “season” in which to drink them. Having said that a pair of terrific lighter wines together on one table provides something for everyone, regardless of the calendar. The 2013 Decoy Sauvignon Blanc out of Sonoma has soft citrus, lime, grapefruit and beautiful mouth feel to make this perfect with appetizers of cheeses, kicking it on your deck. The Decoy lacks the sometimes more astringent nature of Sauvignon Blanc, and has a creamier texture, akin to Chardonnay. Its “brother” is the 2013 Halter Ranch Rose from Paso Robles. This baby rules because this version comprised of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and the wildly offbeat Picpoul Blanc, is simply a standout wine. I love the acidity which is needed for food along with a dark strawberry, black cherry, pomegranate kind of thing. It’s deeper than most roses so if you prefer red wines, this is for you. So find these wines, get them on your table and if it is hot or cold where you are, sunny or overcast, these two wines are the best of both worlds. 

DECOY 

HALTER RANCH