US Pinot Noir 2015

Thanksgiving, a holiday that really means nothing to me, is when I sell the most Pinot Noir. It’s a grape that has always been lauded as the best pairing with Thanksgiving meals. It’s also one of my favorite varietals due to the different expressions you can find of it throughout the world. One of my favorite quotes in the film ‘Sideways’ is when Miles is trying to explain to Maya his fascination with this grape:

“It’s a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It’s uh, it’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s, you know, not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and thrive even when it’s neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot’s potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they’re just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and… ancient on the planet.”

Basically, this is a grape that can’t just be grown anywhere in any climate by just anyone. It’s hard to grow and usually only flourishes in cooler areas. That’s why when my parents gave me a bottle of Old Soul Pinot Noir from Lodi, a California AVA known for being on the warmer side climate-wise I was a bit horrified.

They gave the bottle to me in a brown sack and made me promise not to reveal what it was before I tried it. I even went so far as to open the bottle with my eyes closed so as not to see the cork. When I tried it I was convinced it was Zinfandel or possibly Petite Sirah. When I finally pulled it out of the sack I was shocked that it was Pinot Noir, I hadn’t even considered it as a potential varietal for what was in my glass. That being said, it actually wasn’t a bad wine. Full-bodied, bursting with dark fruit notes and only medium tannins. It just wasn’t Pinot Noir and I found it harder to enjoy after knowing what it supposedly was.

Luckily I’d had a good Pinot earlier that week: Trisaetum Willamette Valley 2015. This is one of my favorite Oregon Pinots, partially because it’s so affordable and just so damn delicious. I hadn’t been able to find it in a while, but Kye brought it home after a shopping spree at Total Wine, and I was thrilled. It’s light to medium-bodied with ripe red fruit notes of strawberry, cherry and raspberry. It finishes with hints of black pepper and nutmeg, a hint of acidity and silky tannins. It’s a truly beautiful example of the best kind of wine this grape can produce and I was more than happy to drink it again.

Brutocao Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

I am not a huge fan of California Cabernet Sauvignon, I tend to think that they have a tendency to be a bit unbalanced and a bit overpriced at times (*cough* Caymus *cough*). At the same time I can't fault California, especially Napa Valley, for making Cabernet their own and every now and then I come across a bottle that I really enjoy and adore, like Heitz (one of the best producers out there as far as quality and price are concerned) or, more recently, Brutocao Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendocino County.

Cabernet Sauvignon came into being due to a crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It is one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world and though California has embraced it, it was originally well known for being one of the six red grapes allowed in France's Bordeaux wines. It's also fascinating how differently this varietal can taste depending on where it was grown and produced. In France (usually blended with other varietals, like Merlot and Cabernet Franc) it exhibits more earth and tobacco notes, Australia and Chile tend to highlight it's herbal (especially eucalyptus) flavors and California focuses on the jammy fruit notes (and high alcohol) it can display.

Brutocao Cabernet was different from what I'd come to expect from Cali Cabernet. While it still accentuated the fruitiness, it didn't overdo it, like other wines of its ilk. It was medium-plus bodied with notes jammy fruit on the nose accompanied by a hint of clove. Black cherry, cranberry and raspberry came through first on the palate but were quickly followed by dusty, herbal earthiness. This single vineyard Cabernet finished with pleasantly smooth tannins and a touch of acidity.

This wine went a long way in changing my mind about buying California Cabernet and it definitely helped that it was under $20.

Brutocao Quadriga 2013

Sometimes things go wrong in every way that they can and you’re left having to pick through the mess and find remnants worth saving. While it would be easy to sit around and bask in a “woe is me” attitude, what’s the point? So what if shit doesn’t work out? Deep down I never really expected it to in the first place. I’m not an optimistic kind of gal, never have been and never will be, but I also think that there’s no point in worrying about yesterday’s problems because tomorrow’s might be worse and next week’s will probably be catastrophic. And why worry when I have wine? *

I had honestly planned out a better (more eloquent) post to accompany this wine, then life happened, and that killed off any and all attempts to fake optimism... BUT that doesn’t make this wine any less spectacular:

Brutocao Quadriga (quadriga being a Roman chariot drawn by four horses, in this case four Italian varietals) is a blend of 40% Sangiovese, 28% Primitivo, 16% Barbera and 16% Dolcetto from Mendocino. In my opinion its an old world style wine with a new world feel. It spends 18 months in oak (90% French, 10% American). Medium-bodied with notes of violet accompanied by red cherry and fresh blackberry on the nose. The fruit carries over to the palate and the oak adds some caramel and more rustic notes. The finish is medium-plus with bright acidity and light tannins. It’s a super enjoyable red wine, perfect for warmer weather.

I promise a better post next time, once I’ve gotten past this terrible month. Also some people in the McDonalds drive-thru outside my apartment just started some major drama and the screaming and honking is a bit distracting... while also highly entertaining. My apologies.

*not saying you should try drinking your problems away, it’s a less than stellar plan and rarely ever works out.

Ampelos Pinot Noir Lambda 2012

Yesterday was my best friend/roommate, Kye’s birthday and in celebration we raided our box of wines we brought back from our California trip back in September and opened up an Ampelos Cellars Lambda Pinot Noir 2012. We randomly stumbled on the Ampelos Cellars tasting room while checking out the Lompoc Ghetto our first day there and were really impressed by the wines, especially their Pinot Noirs and a Grenache/Syrah blend they called "Syrache".  

It was also our last stop after a very long day and I wound up making a terrible faux pas. We'd had a 5am flight and I hadn't managed much sleep since insomnia's a bitch, so in my tipsy, exhausted haze I accidentally wound up leaving the very nice and knowledgeable girl who handled our tasting a 20 cent tip instead of the 20% I'd actually meant to. It was pretty damn mortifying since there's nothing I despise more than crappy tippers and 20 cents isn't just crappy, it's downright insulting. I didn't stop feeling guilty until I mailed her a real tip along with a letter apologizing profusely. The owners, Peter and Rebecca Work, wrote me back to reassure me I wasn't the first person to make that sort of mistake which was very nice of them and helped assuage my guilt somewhat. 

From Ampelos Cellars website:

“In 1999 we  purchased 82 acres in what would later become the Sta. Rita Hills appellation (Santa Rita Hills in California is legally Sta. Rita Hills), and named it “Ampelos”, the Greek word for vine. The name has a two-fold purpose. First, we believe that all great wines start in the vineyard. Secondly, we have close ties with Greece; we were married there and own a small bed & breakfast, called Ampelos Resort, on the island of Folegandros. We bought the land with dreams of someday watching the nightly sunset over the hills and our dogs running through the vines.

[...]

A cancelled meeting at the World Trade Center on the morning of September, 11, 2001, brought us to the realization that it was time to pursue our dreams of growing grapes as if tomorrow might never arrive. We quit our corporate jobs and moved permanently to our fledgling vineyard in the southern Sta. Rita Hills AVA to start learning about farming the land from Jeff Newton (Central Vineyard Care).”

We didn't really have high hopes of finding any of their wines in Texas, so I was super thrilled when I started a new job with Spec's and found not one, but two of the Ampelos Pinot Noirs on the shelf (Lambda and the Sta. Rita Hills). There's a fairly decent chance that I did a happy little jig when I saw those bottles, because I am ridiculous like that sometimes.

The Lambda 2012 was still everything I remember it being. A blend of six different clones, 33% aged for about two and a half years in new French oak. Light bodied with bright red fruit, vanilla, cloves and a hint of black pepper. It's a fairly complex wine with moderate acidity and very well balanced. Definitely still one of my favorite California Pinot Noirs!