Varietal of the Month: Gewürztraminer

Gewürztraminer is a medium body, dry white wine lighter than a Chardonnay and heavier than a Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigo. Gewürz means spice in German and the grape hails from Alsace the French wine region bordering Germany. It’s a cool climate grape that exhibits great aromatics and texture with refreshing spicy flavors such as lychee, passion fruit, cinnamon, clove and ginger with a dry, crisp finish.

Alexander Valley Vineyards 2021 Gewurztraminer, Mendocino County

 

The Alexander Valley Vineyards 2021 Gewürztraminer from Mendocino is made from Organic grapes and has a pale straw color like a muted sunbeam. Inhale deeply and be swept away by the heady bouquet of rose petal and orange blossom with tropical notes of lychee and guava. On the palate it’s bright, fresh and fruity with great texture and full of flavors of bergamot, Bosc pear and spicy apple cinnamon that I found reminiscent of Apple Jacks. Balanced and round with a tart yet silky finish and final note of elderflower. Pair with red Thai curry.

 

ABV 13.25

$16

Balletto Vineyards 2020 Gewürztraminer, Russian River Valley

 

The Balletto Vineyards 2020 Gewürztraminer is grown in Russian River Valley and has a pale translucent yellow tone in the glass. It’s soft and aromatic on the nose with scents of lychee, peach and a wonderful toasty base note of warm marshmallow. On the palate a plush mouth feel with creamy round notes of peach, guava, ripe pear and hint of spicy ginger. Pair with Spring rolls and Hoisin dipping sauce. 

 

ABV 13.9%

$20

 

Mill Creek 2021 Gewürztraminer, Dry Creek Valley

 

Pale rose-gold in color, the Mill Creek 2021 Gewürztraminer from Dry Creek Valley, truly sparkles in the glass. A wonderful clean dry scent of freshly laundered linen on the nose with notes of rose petals, peach kernel, honey and ginger. Soft and plush it has great balance with rich flavors of bosc pear, bergamot, Turkish delight (rose water) white peach and a spicy cinnamon note on the finish. Pair with flaky white fish steamed with ginger, garlic, soy, and scallions. 

 

ABV 14.7%

$

Optima 2021 Gewürztraminer, Dry Creek Valley

 

The Optima 2021 Gewürztraminer from Dry Creek Valley is a veritable garden of delights with intense aromatics on the nose comprised of passion fruit, rose petals, white nectarine, and spicy notes of cinnamon. The palate is opulent and viscous, opening with notes of honeydew, ripe pear, lychee and peach. The finish is spicy and bright with lemongrass, cardamom, honey, clove, and ginger. Dry and delicious, pair with an old school classic—Gruyère, or gouda cheese Fondue.

 

ABV 14.1%

$28

Joseph Swan Vineyards 2019 Gewürztraminer Saralee’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley

 

The Joseph Swan Vineyards 2019 Gewürztraminer from the famed Saralee’s Vineyard in Russian River Valley has a thoroughly captivating nose of perfumed rose petals and sandalwood. Dry yet full flavored on the palate with bright notes of honey, pink grapefruit, creamy peach and spice. Wonderful balance overall with a spicy finish. Pair with bratwurst and sauerkraut for a hearty dish of old world flavor.

 

ABV 13.3%

$

Portugal Part 6: Croft Vineyards & Portrait of Adrian Bridge

Adrian Bridge, CEO Fladgate Partnership

Adrian Bridge is focused. You can see it in the way he walks across the land, plucks an orange from a tree, thumps a barrel, mimics the stomping cadence in the lagare, or hunkers down in the dirt to illustrate a point. To call him passionate would be an understatement. No, Adrian Bridge, CEO of the Taylor's Fladgate Partnership is beyond passionate; he is completely attuned and fully engaged in everything he turns his attention towards--from vineyards, to wine tourism. Bridge has great presence and strikes me as the type of man who could introduce himself by saying -- “Bridge. Adrian Bridge.”-- without mocking James Bond.

In the lagare

Close to the land

On a chill February day, just outside Pinhão on the Douro, Bridge escorted us through Quinta da Roeda, the Croft property purchased in 2001, where Croft Port red, white and pink is produced. Much of the harvest work is by hand, but with a technological assist. In the lagares, humans still tread the grapes, but a sophisticated piece of machinery (similar, to the one at Quinta Nova) supports the treading with a custom crush device set on rails that skims across the shallow granite vats and adjusts the pressure according to the liquid levels.

Mechanical treader

Field demo with the pneumatic snips

Out in the vineyards skilled workers perform their jobs with the aid of high technology. The day we visited, the vineyard crews were pruning the cane using pneumatic snips calibrated to cut the vine in a precise way each and every time with no human error. The shears are set to cut a certain diameter, keeping fingers safe. Apparently if you stick your finger in the clipper and pull the trigger it will not cut you, but no one volunteered to prove the point.

Quinta da Roeda

At first glance the vineyards look like they just magically planted themselves in perfect alignment with the land, but the slopes at Croft are laid out with lasers to mitigate erosion and the tenets of bio-diversity are at play here in the fields of the lords of Port.

Outdoor tables and view at Quinta do Panascal

After the tour of Croft we adjourned to the rustic yet chic Quinta do Panascal for a luncheon where we sampled several Fonseca and Taylor’s Port offerings. The Fonseca Siroco white port makes for a fine cocktail and it set the tone for the rest of the lunch, which included red and white table wines and several top ports from Fonseca and Taylor’s.

The traditional Portuguese dishes were prepared with flair and served with a touch of elegance that seems to be the hallmark of all the Fladgate port wines and guest properties.

A tiny island of delight

The vineyards under the Fladgate Partnership include Croft, Taylor’s and Fonseca. And like Adrian Bridge, they all have a singular focus on the end result, be it the exquisite expression of grape in the glass, or in the case of wine tourism, the embodiment of hospitality in the service offered at the Yeatman-- the new ultra luxury wine hotel, in Vila Nova de Gia across the river from Porto--the latest jewel in the crown of the Fladgate operation.

View of the river from Quinta do Panascal

Next Post Up--Foodie Feast at Rui Paula's DOC & Party at Quinta do Pégo!

Links to all Portugal Posts:

Part 1: The Conference Venue

Part 2: The Wine Pleasures Conference

Part 3: The Minho Land of Vinho Verde

Part 4: A Visit to Sandeman & Vini Portugal

Part 5: The Douro & Visit to Quinta Nova

Part 6: Croft Vineyards & Portrait of Adrian Bridge
Part 7: Foodie Feast at Rui Paula's DOC on the Douro
Part 8: Quinta da Pacheca Lodge and Cellars

Videos in the Annex:

• The Lagare Collection--What Hipsters Wear to Tread
• Slow Travel in Portugal
• The Tiles of Portugal

Roll Out the Barrel

Last weekend and this weekend the Annual Sonoma Wine Road Barrel Tasting Event is on. It's tons of fun, but I usually don’t go for two reasons: 1: It’s crowded. 2: It’s crowded. But this year we decided to do a very local barrel tasting tour and visit wineries less than 6 miles from our house.

First Stop: Joseph Swan Winery

Great offering of barrel samples including

2009 Zinfandel Mancini Ranch 2009 Zinfandel Zeigler Vineyard 2009 Syrah Trenton Estate 2009 Syrah Great Oak Vineyard 2008 Cabernet Trenton Estate.

Stop 2: Martin Ray

The folks at Martin Ray were in an 80’s mode wearing neon green, orange, and pink and offering free (temporary) tattoos. I liked the Sauvignon Blanc they poured in the tasting room and the Pinot barrel sample.

Stop 3: Graton Ridge Cellars—The 60s were alive and well at Graton Ridge and in addition to their medal wining wines the main reason to visit Graton Ridge is for the rainbow peace sign each visitor gets on entering the tasting room. Groovy man. The giveaways don’t get any better than this! The barrel samples I liked were the 2010 Russian River Chardonnay and the 2010 Bacigalupi Zinfandel

Stop 4: Dutton Goldfield

I am a fan of Dutton Goldfield wines, so it’s hard to believe this was my first visit to their new tasting room since they opened almost a year ago. I guess it’s like the Empire state building or Statue of Liberty, you take it for granted if you live there and drive by it all the time. The new tasting room is open and airy with a great patio set up out front perfect for relaxing in the afternoon sun.

Of the five barrel samples there, I liked the 2010 Fox Den Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Green Valley of Russian River appellation and the 2010 Morelli Lane Zinfandel Russian River Valley. The Morelli smelled like a Pinot and tasted like a Zin! It’s two wines in one.

In the tasting room Sarah Kelley poured us the lovely 2008 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay as well as the 2008 Devils Gulch Vineyard Pinot from Marin County and the 2008 Cherry Ridge Syrah (also Green Valley Russian River). We also tried the 2008 Sanchietti Pinot that I loved so much in the past. This wine is close to being sold out and I snagged a few bottles from the quickly dwindling inventory. I noticed almost everyone who tasted the Sanchietti bought some on the spot.

Hanging out by the Fork Food Truck

After the tasting it was time for some food and lucky for us Sarah Piccolo of Fork Catering Food truck and Jeff Tyler of Chicago Style Hot Dogs were both on hand in the parking lot serving up their specialties.

We got a Chicago dog with EVERYTHING and a Crab roll sandwich and a Mongolian Beef sandwich from Fork. Look for Tyler and Sarah next time you are out and about.

Sarah Piccolo of Fork

We made one last stop at Shane Wines and Kosta Browne which was not part of the Barrel Tasting Trail and I’ll tell you all about it on the next post!