Artesa Cabernet and Clover Hill Riesling

Greetings from Vintage Connections! 
This week's wine tips.

Artesa Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 

This rich, deep red wine comes from two counties in California.  Sixty-three percent of the juices came from Napa County and thirty-seven percent came from Sonoma County.   It is not a pure 100% cabernet sauvignon, but is a blend of 85% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 4.5 % cabernet franc, 4.5% syrah, and 1% malbec.  You really could call a Bordeaux style blend, but because it is 85% cabernet sauvignon, Artesa is able to call it Cabernet Sauvignon.  

The grapes were hand-picked and only free run juices were used.  It was immediately put into 30% new and 70% used French oak barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation and aged for 25 months.

The aroma is full of dark red fruits with flavors of spice, leather, cassis and cherries.  Tannins are still noticeably present, but not overpowering.  The finish is long and satisfying.  Alcohol is 14.2% by volume.  PLCB product code is 15925 and is currently a Chairman’s Select.  It sells for $12.99 a bottle and is available at many PA Wine and Spirit stores.


Clover Hill Vineyards Riesling

This semi-sweet Riesling from Clover Hill Vineyards in Breinigsville, PA has a unique aroma and flavor not usually associated with most other Rieslings.

It is very light yellow in color with floral and mineral aromas.  The flavor was definitely floral, but not what you would expect.  The flavor had some fruit flavors like peaches and apricots.
It has 3% residual sugar, but is not syrupy.  It would be good with spicy Thai or Indian food.   It   is available at the winery and numerous tasting rooms around the area.  It sells for $10.99 a bottle.
Clover Hill Vineyards has a lovely California style tasting room.  The tasting room staff is very knowledgeable about their wines.  You can find other tasting rooms at the King of Prussia and Lehigh Valley malls, Allentown and Boscov’s Fairgrounds Farmers Markets, and their lovely country tasting room in Robesonia.

Up-coming Events

If you know of an up-coming local wine event, let us know and we will add it to our calendar.

Blues in the Barn at Pinnacle Ridge
June 19 and 20

Summer Solstice Festival at Manatawny Creek Winery  
June 19

The Great PA Wine Toast
Saturday, August 14

Bottle Shock Revisited!

Saturday September 18, 6:30 - 9:30 PM 
Seen the movie? Read the book?  
Now try it yourself!

Blind tasting of USA vs. French wines. Appetizers included.
Benefits the American Wine Society Educational Foundation

$49 per person, $90 per couple, $350 per group of eight.

Perkiomen Valley Library, Schwenksville
See more about the Perkiomen Chapter of AWS.


Mom's House
Benefit Wine Dinner

Saturday, October 23

Five course dinner, each course paired with a different wine.  

Kimberton Arts Center  6:30 PM, $75 per person or $525 for a table of 8.  

For more information about Mom's House, click HERE

This Week's Fun Fact!
 

The largest cork tree in the world (on record) is in Portugal.  It averages over 1 ton of raw cork per harvest, enough to cork 100,000 bottles of wine. (From the Amazing Book of Useless Information).

There will be a quiz someday.

Wine Tips - Pinnacle Ridge Naked Chardonnay and Saintsbury Pinot Noir

Greetings from Vintage Connections! 
This week's wine tips.

Pinnacle Ridge Naked Chardonnay
As summer gets into full swing, we’re looking more and more towards those wines that are cool and refreshing.  This crisp, delicious un-oaked chardonnay is a perfect example.  

From Pinnacle Ridge Winery just north of Kutztown, this chardonnay was fermented and aged in stainless steel allowing the wonderful fruit aromas and flavors of the chardonnay grape to shine through.  If you’re not a fan of oaky chardonnays, this wine is a must try. The Naked Chardonnay “shows aromas of apple and pineapple” and “fills the mouth with fresh fruit interlaced with mineral tones.”.

We love a glass of it with grilled chicken or a cool shrimp cocktail.

Available only at the winery it sells for $10 a bottle.  Alcohol is approximately 12% by volume.  

Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir 

Carneros (Napa), Stanly Ranch, CA  This 2006 100% pinot noir is made from grapes from multiple vineyards in the Carneros region of California, mostly from the Napa Valley vineyards.  The wine goes through malolactic fermentation and then is moved into French oak barrels for aging.  Much time and thought is given to this Carneros bottling of Pinot Noir from Saintsbury.  “Our Carneros bottling delivers distinctive Pinot Noir character in a wine of power, grace and elegance.”  

We found this pinot noir to be a good, if not excellent, example of pinot noir at a recent blind tasting of seven Pinot Noirs.  The Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir came in 3rd out of seven US Pinot Noirs.  It has flavors of dark cherries and a “spicy oakiness”, with balanced acidity and slightly elevated levels of tannins.   

Alcohol is 14% by volume.  PLCB product code is 13655 and is currently a Chairman’s Select for $27.99.  This is selling out fast and may be hard to find in PA Wine and Spirit stores. 

Up-coming Events

If you know of an up-coming local wine event, let us know and we will add it to our calendar.

Blues in the Barn at Pinnacle Ridge
June 19 and 20

Summer Solstice Festival at Manatawny Creek Winery  
June 19

The Great PA Wine Toast
Saturday, August 14

Bottle Shock Revisited!

Saturday September 18, 6:30 - 9:30 PM 
Seen the movie? Read the book?  
Now try it yourself!

Blind tasting of USA vs. French wines. Appetizers included.
Benefits the American Wine Society Educational Foundation

$49 per person, $90 per couple, $350 per group of eight.

Perkiomen Valley Library, Schwenksville
See more about the Perkiomen Chapter of AWS.


Mom's House
Benefit Wine Dinner

Saturday, October 23

Five course dinner, each course paired with a different wine.  

Kimberton Arts Center  6:30 PM, $75 per person or $525 for a table of 8.  

For more information about Mom's House, click HERE

This Week's Fun Fact!
 

What is Claret?  Claret is another name (usually) for a red Bordeaux Blend.  In the 14th century, when France began exporting red Bordeaux to England, the English called it Claret because it was lighter and more clear than the deep, dark red Spanish wines they were used to.  At that time, the red grape skins were removed quickly when making Bordeaux, leaving a much lighter, clearer rose color than we are used to today (from Judgment of Paris, 2005).

There will be a quiz someday.

Manatawny Creek Winery and J. Lohr Fog's Reach Pinot Noir

Greetings from Vintage Connections!

This week's wine tips.
This blog was scheduled to post on June 1 but something went amiss with the automatic posting function in Blogspot.  We apologize.

Manatawny Creek Winery Riesling

We just learned that the 2008 Riesling sold out over the weekend.  We've heard that the 2009 is "not as fruity as the 2008," so some will like it more than the 2008, some less.  

This softly sweet white wine is an excellent summer sipper.  With bright floral aromas that puts you in mind of a warm summer field of wildflowers, it has flavors of peaches and apples.  Cool and refreshing, it has low residual sugar that makes it a wonderful accompaniment to spicy Thai or Indian food.  Great all by itself while you sit on the deck or patio and enjoy a warm summer evening.

Available only at the winery, but why not take a short road trip and visit!?  It sells for $11.95 a bottle.

We’ve talked before of the wonderful hospitality we receive in the tasting room.  Did you know Manatawny winery has a display vineyard?  There you can see how many of their varietals grow, mature and ripen.  See bud break in early spring and watch the clusters  grow into colorful grapes ready for harvest.

Manatawny also offers many festivals during the summer season where you can sit on the lawn, listen to great music and picnic with a bottle of your favorite Manatawny wine.  They also have many local artisans and crafters with items for sale.  Make a visit sometime this summer and see all they have to offer.



J. Lohr Fog's Reach Pinot Noir 2007

Deep red-purple with youthful hues and moderate density, aromas of strawberry, cherry and rhubarb jam, with a bouquet of toasted oak and vanilla.  The flavors are reminiscent of stewed strawberry and cherry with oak spiciness. A wisp of fresh herbs with a velvety structure, and a long, lingering finish. Perfect accompaniment to grilled lamb or duck.

Alcohol 14.9% (15.1% per vintner).   PLCB code 30861, is currently a Chairman’s Select (Luxury category) available at many PA Wine and Spirit Specialty stores for $19.99 while supplies last.

More info from their website.

The 2007 vintage of J. Lohr’s Fog’s Reach Pinot Noir marks our second release of this noble varietal.  Grown on cobbly, sandy loam soils in the cool, windy Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey, Pinot here seems to thrive, producing tiny, deeply-colored and flavorful clusters. Comprised of Dijon clones 115, 667, 777 and Pommard 4 grown on two different rootstocks, the Pinot Noir grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed and sorted into six or twelve ton, open-top fermentation tanks in our newly created small lot winery in Paso Robles.  The grapes were cold-soaked for an average of five days prior to warming and inoculation with yeast.  Twice per day the Pinot Noir was punched down to optimize extraction of the delicate varietal character until the completion of alcoholic fermentation.  Once pressed, the wines were settled overnight and racked to new and second fill Burgundian-coopered French oak for eight months of barrel aging prior to racking, final blending and bottling.

Up-coming Events

If you know of an up-coming local wine event, let us know and we will add it to our calendar.

Summer Solstice Festival at Manatawny Creek Winery  on June 19.

Bottle Shock Revisited!

Saturday September 18, 6:30 - 9:30 PM 
Seen the movie? Read the book?  
Now try it yourself!

Blind tasting of USA vs. French wines. Appetizers included.
Benefits the American Wine Society Educational Foundation

$49 per person, $90 per couple, $350 per group of eight.

Perkiomen Valley Library, Schwenksville
See more about the Perkiomen Chapter of AWS.


Mom's House
Benefit Wine Dinner

Saturday, October 23

Five course dinner, each course paired with a different wine.  

Kimberton Arts Center  6:30 PM, $75 per person or $525 for a table of 8.  

For more information about Mom's House, click HERE

This Week's Fun Fact!

Like that Pinot Noir?  Like that Cabernet?  Guess what.  Many countries and appellations, including most in the USA, allow up to 25% of a different wine to be blended into a varietal without indicating so on the label.  Often, you can find this information in a specific wine's technical data on the winery's website, but not always.

There will be a quiz someday.

Wine Tips - Cupcake Sauv Blanc and Viognier-Chard Blend

Greetings from Vintage Connections!

This week's wine tips.


Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from Marlborough, NZ.

Yes, ANOTHER sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.  If you get the idea we like Marlborough sauvignon blancs you’d be right!

This crisp refreshing sauvignon blanc is lightly tart with fresh herbal aromas.  It has flavors of lemon grass and limes.  Acidity is a little high, but served well-chilled it is a delicious summer sipper.  It has a long and pleasant finish.  Pairs well with goat cheeses and especially delicious with seafood.  Try it with lobster tails on the grill.

Alcohol is 13% by volume.  PLCB product code is 3003 and is available at most PA Wine and Spirit stores for $11.99.


Zuccardi Series A Chardonnay-Viognier 2008 from Mendoza, Argentina.

Now that summer is quickly approaching we thought we’d highlight more refreshing white wines that we feel would be good to sit out on the patio and sip.

We found this to be an interesting blend of 50% chardonnay from the Tupungato region and 50% viognier from the Santa Rose vineyards.  The aroma is all viognier, but the taste is predominantly chardonnay.  It has a crisp refreshing flavor with fresh peach aromas.  The wine exhibits good balanced acidity with a long-lasting finish.  It has a light sweetness with 2.6% residual sugar.

The chardonnay was fermented and aged for 6 months in French oak barrels while the viognier was fermented in stainless steel.  The slight sweetness makes this very easy to drink all by itself while sitting out on the porch or deck, or paired with chicken on the grill.

Alcohol is 13% by volume.  PLCB product code is 22764 and is available at most PA Wine and Spirit Stores for $11.99.

Up-coming Events

If you know of an up-coming local wine event, let us know and we will add it to our calendar.

Summer Solstice Festival at Manatawny Creek Winery  on June 19.

Bottle Shock Revisited!

Saturday September 18, 6:30 - 9:30 PM 
Seen the movie? Read the book?  
Now try it yourself!
 
Blind tasting of USA vs. French wines. Appetizers included.
Benefits the American Wine Society Educational Foundation

$49 per person, $90 per couple, $350 per group of eight.

Perkiomen Valley Library, Schwenksville
See more about the Perkiomen Chapter of AWS.

 

Mom's House
Benefit Wine Dinner

Saturday, October 23

Five course dinner, each course paired with a different wine.  

Kimberton Arts Center  6:30 PM, $75 per person or $525 for a table of 8.  

For more information about Mom's House, click HERE

This Week’s Fun Fact.  The corkscrew was invented when wine was just starting to be stored in bottles rather than terra cotta amphoras and then oak barrels. 

Once a narrow-necked bottle was created, wine could finally be safely stored for longer periods with the help of a cork.  The earliest known patent for the corkscrew was in England in 1795.  (From “History of the Corkscrew” by Mary Bellis).

Artesa Chardonnay and Barren Ridge Petit Verdot

Cheers from Vintage Connections!

Artesa Chardonnay
From the Carneros area of CA, Artesa Chardonnay is 100% hand-harvested chardonnay.  Fifty percent of the juice was barrel-fermented with sur lees stirring and aging and partially stainless steel fermented.  Half of the wine also underwent a secondary malolactic fermentation, giving it the buttery smoothness characteristic of malolactic fermentation.  It has aromas of lemon flowers, pineapple and green apple with a crisp fruitiness, vanilla, butter and toasted oak flavors.  There is a “tingle of crisp acid” on the finish.  

Artesa Winery is owned by the Ravent family originally from Spain.  The winery’s name means “handcrafted” in Catalan.  The winery itself, built in the early 1990’s, is situated on 350 acres and nestled in the hillside.  “With architecture that captures a series of Mediterranean themes, including water flowing along narrow channels, audible and silent fountains and the interplay of light and shade, Artesa is a reflection of the proud Spanish heritage upon which it was founded.” (from Artesa’ website).

Although we’re not normally big fans of California Chardonnays.  We found this chardonnay to be extremely drinkable and not too oaky.  Its crisp flavors, toasty aroma and balanced acid made it great to drink with food.  Next time you cook chicken on the grill you might want to try a bottle of Artesa Chardonnay.

PLCB product code is 8036 and is available for $19.99 at most PA Wine and Spirit Stores.  Alcohol is 14.3% by volume.

Barren Ridge Vineyards  Petit Verdot

Once again it's time for another road trip south.  This time not as far as Shelton Vineyards in NC, but an easy overnight trip into the beautiful mountains of Virginia.  There are over 150 wineries in Virginia.  We thought we’d introduce you to some of our favorites starting with Barren Ridge.  Barren Ridge Vineyards is located in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, just a few minutes from Interstate 81.

This Petit Verdot is a rich, deep purple almost black wine made from 100% petit verdot grapes.  It has rich aromas of ripe dark red fruits.  The flavor is full-bodied with hints of violets and leather.  The tannins are light and drinkable, though strong enough to lay this wine down for a few years to allow it to completely mature and become more complex.

Barren Ridge winery was originally the family apple farm.  Located in Fishersville, VA, the winery is owned and operated by John and Shelby Higgs.  The tasting room looks out over the gently rolling hills of Virginia and has only been open since 2008. 

Though Barren Ridge Petit Verdot is only available at the winery, we felt this wine was worth talking about.  It sells for $25 a bottle at the winery.  Alcohol is 13% by volume.

Up-coming Events

If you know of an up-coming local wine event, let us know and we will add it to our calendar.

Summer Solstice Festival at Manatawny Creek Winery  on June 19.

Bottle Shock Revisited!

Saturday September 18, 6:30 - 9:30 PMSeen the movie? Read the book?  Now try it yourself!
Blind tasting of USA vs. French wines. Appetizers included.


Benefits the American Wine Society Educational Foundation

$49 per person, $90 per couple, $350 per group of eight.

Perkiomen Valley Library, Schwenksville
See more about the Perkiomen Chapter of AWS.


Mom's House
Benefit Wine Dinner

Saturday, October 23

Five course dinner, each course paired with a different wine.  

Kimberton Arts Center  6:30 PM, $75 per person or $525 for a table of 8.  

For more information about Mom's House, click HERE

This Week’s Fun Fact  -Petit Verdot was originally used as one of France’s Bordeaux blend wine grapes.  It was used to add dark color and complexity to the wine.  Since it ripens a good deal later than the other Bordeaux grapes, winemakers have stopped using it so that their wine can be made that much sooner. 

Wine Tip - Carmenere and Viognier

Santa Helena Gran Reserva Carmenere 2007 from the Colchagua Valley in Chile, this dark red, full-bodied 100% Carmenere has rich aromas of ripe dark red fruits and a pleasant complexity with tannins that are still a little young.  We found it best to open this wine at least an hour before serving allowing the wine to open up and release the excellent flavors to help soften the tannins.  It has a long lasting finish.

The juice is kept in contact with the skins for a total of 25 days which explains the deep red color and tannins.  It is placed in oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation.  It is aged in both French and American oak barrels for one year then placed in bottles where it is aged for 6 months before being placed on the market.

This wine is great with hearty dishes and red meats.   Alcohol is 14% by volume. PLCB product code is 28775 and is available at many PA Wine and Spirit Stores for $11.99 a bottle.


Tabali Reserva Viognier 2008 from the Limari` Valley in Chile, this 100% Viognier is very light yellow in color.  It has “scents of vanilla, melon and pear” (the Denver Wine Press).  With light acidity it shows flavors of apricot and honey with just a hint of ginger.

The Tabali winery is located at the edge of the Valle de Encanto (the Enchanted Valley) where the area “owes a great deal of its mystical heritage to the”…“Molle and Daguta tribes.”  This area has weather very similar to the Mediterranean with cool summer temperatures that make it an excellent wine growing area.
The Tabali Reserva Viognier is unoaked and off-dry.  It is refreshing and a great “patio” wine for the summer.

 This wine pairs wonderfully with butter or cream sauces, curries, roasted pork or even lobster.  Alcohol is 13.5% by volume. PLCB product code is 22495 and is available at many PA Wine and Spirit stores for $9.99 a bottle.

 Up-coming Events

If you know of an up-coming local wine event, let us know and we will add it to our calendar.

Check out the Jazz coming to Pinnacle Ridge on May 16 and the
Summer Solstice Festival at Manatawny on June 19.

American Wine Society Educational Foundation Benefit Tasting
Saturday September 18  

Wine and Appetizer Pairing, Perkiomen Valley Library, Schwenksville
Time and cost TBD
See more about the Perkiomen Chapter of AWS.

Mom's House
Benefit Wine Dinner

Saturday, October 23

Five course dinner, each course paired with a different wine.  

Kimberton Arts Center  6:30 PM, $75 per person or $525 for a table of 8.  

For more information about Mom's House, click HERE

This week’s Fun Fact  - There are more than 100 clones of Pinot Noir, more than any other grape.

Wine Tips - Herding Cats and Fume Blanc

Greetings from Vintage Connections!

This week,we feature a South African blend and a California Fume Blanc. 

Also, see our Fun Fact at the bottom of the page.

Herding Cats 2008  (red) from the western cape of South Africa.  This blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Shiraz is a deep dark red in color.  It has flavors of dark cherry, cassis, and pepper.  “Soft fine tannins give the wine an elegant and lingering finish.” (From Badger West Wine and Spirits, LLC).

We used this wine untested for our “Wines of the World” class and were happily surprised.  The balance between the rich Cabernet Sauvignon and the spicy Syrah made for a good tasting wine.  The finish lasted longer than we had expected.

There seems to be no information on the winery it comes from, so information about fermentation and aging is unavailable.

Alcohol is 13.5% by volume.  PLCB product code is 7058 and is available at most PA Wine and Spirit Stores for $9.99.

Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc from the Napa Valley, CA.   Robert Mondavi Fume` Blanc is made of barrel-aged 92% Sauvignon Blanc and 8% Semillon.   Fume Blanc has aromas of “lemongrass and lime blossoms and hints of sage and spice“, with flavors of  “crisp yellow peach”.  It has a slight minerality and a “zesty acidity” with a long finish.  It is light straw colored.

Fume Blanc was created by Robert Mondavi in 1966, when his Sauvignon Blanc wine sales plummeted.  Changing the name from Sauvignon Blanc to Fume Blanc caused sales to increase significantly.

Sixty-eight percent of the wine is fermented in French oak barrels.  The rest is fermented in stainless steel.  The entire batch is then aged for four months in French oak barrels.

Alcohol is 13.9% by volume.  PLCB product code is 8582 and sells for $17.99 at most PA Wine and Spirit Stores.

Up-coming Events

Check out Mothers' Day weekend events at PA wineries including Manatawny, Pinnacle Ridge, and other local wineries that are part of the Berks County Wine Trail and the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail.

Check out the Jazz coming to Pinnacle Ridge on May 16 and the
Summer Solstice Festival at Manatawny on June 19.

American Wine Society Educational Foundation Benefit Tasting
Saturday September 18  

Wine and Appetizer Pairing, Perkiomen Valley Library, Schwenksville
Time and cost TBD
See more about the Perkiomen Chapter of AWS.

Mom's House
Benefit Wine Dinner

Saturday, October 23

Five course dinner, each course paired with a different wine.  Kimberton Arts Center  6:30 PM, $75 per person or $525 for a table of 8.  For more information about Mom's House, click HERE

This week’s Fun Fact  -  From our winemaker friend Joe, “The Amazing Book of Useless Information,” and many other sources.

The "punt" in the bottom of sparking wine bottles adds strength so the bottle can withstand the pressure created by the fermentation in the bottle.  The punt has no practical purpose in still (non-sparkling) wines (some say it provides extra bottle strength for shipping and stacking cases of wine, but many wines are shipped and stacked without punts in the bottoms of their bottles).