Thanksgiving Wines— and Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives!

I was looking through my blog stats today and noticed a huge amount of visitors reading the post I wrote about Thanksgiving wines in 2009! So I figured I better write another one and give folks something more recent to read with my selections for 2011. So here are what wines I’m drinking for Thanksgiving—and more importantly the three days after Thanksgiving. Plus a special bonus feature: Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives—

Thanksgiving Day: What’s on the menu? Duck I think, I don’t know really. My husband is the cook. But it will all be good with these wines.

Rose: Shane 2010 Rose Ma Fille, Sonoma County 
Whites: Cartograph 2009 Gewürztraminer Floodgate Vineyard, Russian River Valley &
Quivira 2010 Viognier–Sauvignon Blanc 50/50 blend
Reds: La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Manchester RidgeVineyard, Mendocino Ridge  – I love everything that comes out of the Manchester Ridge vineyard and this wine in particular is pure magic.
Baxter 2007 Pinot Noir Toulouse Vineyard, Anderson Valley –
Q: What’s going on in Philo? A: Some serious good wine.

Black Friday Wine—
Baxter 2006 Carignan Caballo Blanco Vineyard, Mendocino --I love this varietal and I’ll need the strong flavor profile of this Rhone variety to help me navigate the online sales.

Saturday 2nd Day of Leftovers Wine—
These wines will shine and make the leftovers taste divine.
White: Phillips Hill 2010 Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley
Red: La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard Sonoma Coast – Every time I drive by this vineyard I think about this wine and it’s mineraly-minty-mocha-cherry-madness. Will pair great with the leftover duck if there is any leftover.

Sunday Everybody Please Go Home Now Post-Thanksgiving Wine—
Quivira 2009 Flight Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma-- the name Flight says it all—this fruity blend of 94% Zinfandel and 6% Viognier— is the right choice to serve after the holiday to those lingering too long . The name drops a subtle hint if  that doesn’t work simply say—“Go on, get going or you will miss your flight!”

The Thanksgiving line up. Start your engines!

Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives—

Aunt A: Well she’s a lush and we all know it, but she's not super particular about what's in her glass. She drinks any old swill on sale at the market so just to mess with her I'll pour Phillips Hill 2010 Chardonnay Ridley Vineyard, Anderson Valley because it will make her really sit up and notice. She will love it, but then won't be able to buy it in her Podunk town, so it will be a passive aggressive win-win.

Cousin J: My pain-in-the-ass-know-it-all cousin:  I'll serve Bonny Doon Cunning a blend of 61% Carignane and 39% Mourvedre because he won't know the grapes and will smirk that it's a screw cap. Then the color will fade from his smirky-know-it-all face as he realizes how darn good it is and he'll be beside himself and fuming because he didn’t know anything about it.

Cousin MJ: MJ is such an utter twit. He is an investment banker... need I say more? No, but I will…MJ is a beady-eyed greed monster, obsessed with feathering his nest on the backs of others. He gives new meaning to the 1%.  For him I’ll pour La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Van Der Camp Vineyard, Sonoma Mountain because it’s elegant and complex with a beautiful backbone. All the qualities he lacks. Wait, on second thought this wine is too good for that loser. I’ll save this for later.

If I had a favorite cousin I'd pull him or her aside and pour them a glass of Shane 2007 Syrah The Villain, Mendocino County – but I don’t—so I’ll just drink it myself.

Wine I’m Saving for Christmas: Baxter 2007 Pinot Noir Oppenlander Vineyard, Mendocino 

Cheers and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

NOTE TO READERS: I received the LaFollette and Quivira wines I discuss in this post as samples---BUT!!! I am already a Quivira Queue club member, and I purchase all their wines. I love La Follette and buy their wines regularly on my own as well. It was just a happy coincidence that I was sent samples. So don’t get all huffy about the fact I liked these wines because they were samples. I ALREADY BUY & LOVE THEM! Everything else I bought with my own money.

Shane! Come Back Shane!

In my last post I wrote about some stops along the wine road during barrel tasting weekend. But we made one last stop. Stop 5: Shane Wines and Kosta Browne.

Neither Shane or Kosta Browne was on the official barrel tasting agenda but we were there along with @WhatDebPours and @SonomaWilliam for a pre-arranged tasting with Shane Finley Associate winemaker for Kosta Browne and Owner/Winemaker of Shane Wines.

First we tasted the 2010 Ma File Rosé. I love Shane’s Rosés and their light Provencal style. This vintage is a spicy delight. I bought a case. Next we tried the 2010 Judge Syrah Vineyard Bennett Valley, the 2010 Jemrose Syrah also Bennett Valley and the 2010 Charm Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley.

The Charm was Shane’s first Pinot Noir and it SOLD OUT in less than two weeks. Let that be a lesson to you. One taste and you would beg for it. As they say in South--"Tastes so good, makes you wanna slap yo' momma."

But the bottle pic here may be as close as you will get.

After tasting the Shane current selections we tried a barrel sample of Shane’s Grenache Blanc. And Wooo Weeee, Hot Diggity! All I can say is if you get an email saying this is available for purchase, don’t delay…buy it pronto. I learned my lesson with the Pinot.

We also tasted Kosta Brown Keefer Ranch Vineyard Green Valley RRV 2006 and 2008 Pinot and several barrel samples of Kosta Browne from various vineyards. It was a great privilege to taste all of them.

"Are you serious?"

Shane Finely (above) reacting with despair when asked if he would like to use @SonomaWilliam Valet Parking services at his next event. (um, little inside-outside joke there)

So, here's the deal-- get yourself on the Shane list here and if you ever get the opportunity to visit in person. GO! Shane is one of the most fun and hilarious winemakers you will ever meet. Plus he is well versed in obscure movie and music references as pertain to wine, so bring your 'A' game, or “NO Pinot for YOU!”

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!

There’s a Name for My Condition: Rhone Ranger

I love Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Carignane and Viognier. I like saying the word Viognier almost as much as drinking the wine itself. I get weak in the knees when I see the menu for Girl and the Fig, and sometimes I just stare at the offerings on my Girl & the Fig iPhone app when I can’t sleep at night. I’m a wine club member of Quivira and Bonny Doon and I’m on the Shane Wines allotment list. For years I thought I was alone with this Rhone obsession.

But now I find out there is a name for my condition-- it's called a Rhone Ranger and there is an organization by the same name. The Rhone Rangers are dedicated to the promotion, education, and general sharing of the love about American Rhone varietal wines. Kind of like a support group for hopeless Rhonemantics like me.

And through their support, I'm giving away two tickets to the next Rhone Ranger event! Read on Kemosabe.

Rhone Ranger members include Wineries, Growers, Retailer Restaurant, & Distributor Associates, and “Sidekicks” a membership level for consumers.

The Rhone Rangers sponsor tasting events and seminars through out the year. The 14th Annual Grand tasting is happening March 26-27 at Fort Mason Festival Pavilion in San Francisco. The grand tasting features over 500 wines from more than 100 Rhone Rangers wineries, and includes gourmet food samples of cheese, bread, olive oil, charcuterie, fruits and chocolates. Plus there will be three educational seminars and a winemakers tasting dinner catered by none other than Girl and the Fig!

Educational Seminars:

#1 - GREEN RANGERS: SUSTAINABLE, ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC AMERICAN RHONES

#2 - MOURVEDRE ON THE MOVE.

#3 - WILD WINES AND THE STORIES OF HOW THEY CAME TO BE.

For more detailed information on all the events and to purchase tickets click here.

But wait, you can win two tickets to the Grand Tasting right now, right here!

Just tell me what Rhone variety you like to pronounce and why? For Example: I like to say Viognier because it sounds like some kind of sexy lingerie. And I feel rather posh when I say it. But what about you? Do you like the sound of Counoise because it sounds like something Jed Clampet went hunting for? Or maybe you have a penchant for saying Grenache? Tell me.

If you are new to Rhone’s, here’s a quick list and pronunciation guide to help:

Red Varietals:

SYRAH (Sur-RAH)

PETITE SIRAH (Puh-TEAT Sur-RAH)

GRENACHE (Gruh-NOSH)

CARIGNANE (Care-een-YAHN)

MOURVÈDRE (More-VEHD-ruh)

CINSAUT (San-soh)

COUNOISE (COON-wahz)

White Varietals:

VIOGNIER (VEE-ohn-yay)

ROUSSANNE (ROO-sahn)

GRENACHE BLANC (Gruh-NOSH Blonk)

MARSANNE (MAR-sahn)

PICPOUL BLANC ((PEEK-pool Blonk)

Post your answer in the comments below and a random drawing will determine the winner of two tickets ($90 value) to the Grand tasting in San Francisco on March 26-27, 2011. Enter Now! Contest closes March 11th.

P.S. You can follow the Rhone Rangers on twitter @RhoneRangers and tweets from the event at #RRSF