A Wonderful Bottle from Dry Creek; Guest Reviewed Chard

Okay, so I have enough wine in the house to occasionally go to the wine rack or storage units to look for a bottle for that night's dinner. Every now and then, I find a bottle that I had forgot all about.

Nearly a year ago I visited Carmel, Ind., shop Vine and Table on a Saturday morning and tasted my first Peterson Winery wine. I pulled that bottle out this week. The other wine reviewed here is a nice California Chard, but the comments come from a much better judge of good Chardonnay than this writer.

Peterson Winery 2008 Shinbone - Peterson is a great little winemaker in Sonoma County's Dry Creek appellation. I actually visited there in March of this year and did a very quick tasting. Peterson's tasting room is virtually adjacent to Kokomo Vineyards.

The Shinbone is a big and rich Sonoma blend of 50 percent Shiraz, 20 percent Cabernet, 20 percent Carignane and 10 percent Petit Sirah. Dark fruit, toasted oak, and rich plum dominate the palate. This is a big food wine, make no mistake. It has a sense of terroir, but if that's too geeky for you  - how about earthiness? The deft touch of the winemaker delivers big without overpowering.

The wine is nice and dry with a very satisfying finish. It does come in at 14.5 percent alcohol and it's only fair to note, rather hard to find. Peterson only made 250 cases of this vintage. But I found it in Central Indiana so it's not impossible.

These folk have a nice sense of humor too. I remember an old large-and-in-charge cat in the tasting room and some quirky humor. On the back of their wine bottle is the Peterson philosophy: 1. No soul-less wines; 2. When the land is poor, no one is rich; 3. If it ain't got the root, it ain't got the fruit.

How can you not love that?

Peterson Winery 2008 Shinbone, $28, Highly Recommended.

Markham 2010 Napa Chardonnay - So I've written here often enough that most might guess I'm not a big Chard fan. I do like some of the unoaked Chardonnay wines and love Chablis. I'm just not a fan of oaked Chardonnay.

So I often hand over a few of my traditional Chardonnay wines to my boss, Jim, who is a Chard afficionado. He has provided me a few notes before and is really getting a knack for identifying tastes, texture, and all those wine geeky things we imbibers enjoy.

Here are his thoughts on the Markham Chard:

"We really enjoyed this wine. It has a beautiful light straw color — not overly yellow and is very easy to drink with or without food. There is plenty of toast and spice on the nose, and maybe a hint of butter or butterscotch. We tasted apple and vanilla. It has a silky texture and enough oak for those who like it, but not too much.

"We had a taste straight out of the refrigerator, where it had chilled for six hours or so. It was okay, but it improved greatly as it warmed. I'd recommend drinking it between 50-60 degrees, which seemed to be the sweet spot. It flattened out a little as we drew near the end of the bottle.

"Typical alcohol content for a Chardonnay -- think the bottle said 13.8 percent.

Drinks like a $20-30 bottle. Much better than the $12-15 grocery retail Chardonnays I've had. But very much worth the suggested $18 retail.

Markham 2010 Napa Chardonnay, SRP $18, Highly recommended.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

A Wide Variety of Wines for Review (12-1-11)

Who says no one makes a great $11 wine? Well, sometimes I do. But sometimes we find one that works at the price point. Sometimes, you find three that make some sense!

Lots of Italian wine tonight and no real stinkers in the group.

I'm writing tonight while sipping on some Paso Robles Ortman Cuvee Eddy - a great $17 bottle of wine. Unfortunately, the Ortman's have announced they will be ceasing operations later this month. It goes to show that a great product, growing sales, and a dynamic wine story isn't always enough. It's tough selling wine out there!

Here are some you might like:

Banfi Centine 2009 Rosso - The Centine label is generally very easy to find and value priced. The Rosso is 60 percent Sangiovese, 20 percent Cabernet, and 20 Merlot.

This wine has big red fruit and spice but not a lot of balance but the finish is not off-putting. Wine Spectator gave this value bottle a very respectible 87 points. A lot of people may like it for its low 12.5 percent alcohol. It's not unusual to find this bottle under $11.

(Banfi Centine 2009 Rosso, $11, Trade Sample, Recommended)

Banfi Centine 2010 Bianco - This nice white is 40 percent Sauvignon Blanc, 30 percent Pinot Grigio and 30 percent Chardonnay.

I liked the white and the Rose (which I have reviewed from previous vintages) better than the red. The white was a little on the fruity sweet side for my palate but it's clearly a wine many would enjoy.

It had tons of pear and lime for my palate and similar low alcohol at 12-12.5 percent.

(Banfi Centine 2010 Bianco, $11, Trade Sample, Recommended)

Domaine Chene 2009 Bourgogne - It's hard to find drinkable Burgundy under $14 but the Chene makes a run at it. I bought this bottle on the recommendation of a sales person at Indianapolis' Kahn's Fine Wine.

This was typically Burgundian with a very light and earthy mouth feel. If you're used to California Pinot or even Oregon, you might not like this one for its nearly non-existent fruit. This Burgundy is about terrior.

Unless you just really want to try Burgundy at a cheap price, there are plenty of other Pinot Noir choices in a good wine shop. Save a few dollars and buy your first Burgundy at a little higher price point.
(Domaine Chene Bourgogne, $14.95, Not Recommended)

Scagliola 2010 Barbera - A great bottle of $18 wine! I've never consumed much Barbera but I'm ready to buy more after this one bottle.

This Italian red from Piedmont had bright fruit and acidity. I liked the somewhat lighter mouth feel for an Italian wine. You still get some rich dark fruit on the plate without the heavy after taste so many red wines will give you.

This is not a wine for your pasta and red sauce but it would be great with salami, crackers, and Italian cheeses.

The wine can be found in the $13-$18 range.

(Scagliola 2010 Barbera, $17.99, Highly Recommended)

Masi Modello Delle Venezie - Here is an Italian blend that most wine lovers will really embrace.

This is a blend from Veneto, Italy, that can be found under $12 but up to as much as $16 or $17. It's made moslty from grapes most aren't going to be familiar with - Refosco and Raboso. It has a beautiful ruby red color in the glass and a nice pleasant nose of ripe fruit. This wine is another lighter style wine that's dry but quite fragrant with cherry and red raspberry fruit.

(Masi Modello 2008 Delle Venezie Rosso, $11.99, Highly Recommended)

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Concannon Celebrating Its History with Petit Sirah

There’s nothing better than a glass of wine with a great background story. Concannon of Livermore, Ca., offers both to consumers with an eye on the environment and great wine.

The Concannon family arrived in California in 1883 and has been operating continuously by the ensuing generations down to John Concannon today. John’s father Jim Concannon is a California wine pioneer. Jim is also widely credited for America’s first 100 percent Petit Sirah.

“This is our flagship wine,” John Concannon said during a recent Indianapolis visit. “My father was the first to make Petit Sirah in 1961 as a varietal. For years before, it was a blending grape used in Burgundy. We’ve actually trademarked ‘America’s first Petit Sirah.’ So, we’re celebrating 50 years.”

Besides the bold, rich Petit Sirah, Concannon is also known for helping lead a conservancy movement in the Livermore region, which is just east of San Francisco. Concannon and other area vintners have placed their vineyards in an independent trust that assures urban sprawl will never take over the historic area’s farm ground.

Concannon makes four wines, soon to add a fifth, from the Conservancy properties – Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Sirah, and Chardonnay. They retail at $15 and represent some of the best value varietals you’ll find at the price point.

But Concannon is best known for the small purple grape with all the big flavor. “This is actually a very sacred process how we make our Petit Sirah,” Concannon said. “We harvest the fruit at night, let it cool down, we bring it in and throw it on the sorting table. We sort out the berries, throw them through the rubber impalers and release the juice. We add some yeast and we’re making wine like the Egyptians did.”

The grape can be difficult to work with for a 100 percent varietal wine. “This wine is a little devil,” Concannon said. “What we’ve learned in 50 years it’s all about controlling the oxidation rate. During the first six months we lock it down in stainless steel and then the next six months we’re putting it in American oak, medium toast (that’s our spice rack). This is where the old school winemaking comes in because during the last six months we’re putting the wine in these 55-year-old vertical, upright barrels. They are French oak from Bordeaux. The wood is inert so it’s not giving off any flavor but the porousness of the wood accelerates the oxidation rate, speeding up the aging process. That gives it a nice soft mid-palate.”

The end result of all that hand crafting is a wine that’s anything but petite. “This wine is the St. Bernard that wants to sit in your lap,” John laughed. “It’s a very friendly wine but it’s big.”

And while many people shy away from big red wines it’s easy to recommend Concannon’s version because of the roundness. Concannon shared recent A.C. Nielson statistics showing Petit Sirah as the second-fastest growing varietal in California behind Pinot Noir.

He suggests pairing the wine with any food that has spice or pepper along with steak, barbeque, or Asian food. “If you have heat in the meal, bring it on. This wine can keep up with it.”

I love this wine with a nice charred steak.

Howard’s Picks:

Concannon Conservancy wines – At $15 each, you can’t go wrong with these wines distributed in all 50 states. The Cabernet and Petit Sirah are big flavored wines with a nice smooth mid palate and finish. The Merlot shocked me with its hint of spice. The Chardonnay doesn’t clobber you with oak. These are great wines. Concannon is about to release a new addition to its Conservancy lineup – “Crimson and Clover” to honor Jim Concannon. The crimson stands for the red wines and clover for the family’s Irish heritage. The red blend is expected in stores later this year.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com