Michael David Winery Sixth Sense™ Syrah and Incognito Red Wine Blend

“When witches go riding, and black cats are seen. The moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween”. - 19th century postcard. I love Halloween and why should the kiddies have all the fun. We adults deserve to indulge in the fright and frolic of the day too. It’s the one day of the year (or month if you’re like me) when you can be delight in some devilish fun. Black cats, spooky tombstones, scary ghost stories, witches and goblins Whatever your reason to celebrate, I have the perfect Halloween wines raise your spirits; Michael David Winery Sixth Sense™ Syrah and Incognito red wine blend. As the witching hour approaches, these potions will leave you thinking about celebrating Halloween every day.

Sixth Sense™ 2009 Syrah

The ruby red color conjures images of a moonless night. Aromas of black cherry and blueberry lure you in for the first sip. Black pepper, plum and vanilla seduce the palate. Fruit forward and a frightfully long finish make this wine a delight to drink with ghosts and ghouls. If you don’t have any of those lying around, this wine is divine any day of the year.

 

Varietal – Syrah with Petite Sirah blended in

TA – 0.62
pH – 3.52
Alc – 15.5%
SRP - $16

Incognito 2009 Red Wine Blend

Dark plum colors drip down the sides of the glass, slurp, oops almost let that little drip get away. Bouquet bursts through with cherry and vanilla. Black cherry and velvety tannins wash over the palate, tantalizing the senses. Creamy hazelnut finish, makes this the perfect wine sink your fangs into while handing out candy.

Varietal – 40% Syrah, 25% Cinsault, 11% Carignan, 11% Mourvedre, 9% Petite Sirah, 2% Grenache, 2% Tannat

TA – 0.58
pH – 3.56
Alc – 14.5%
SRP - $18

Andrew Harshner and his wife Lucille established their farm on 160 acres outside of Lodi, CA in the 1860’s. The next generation growers may have been wiped out when Prohibition began but for the Phillips family and others, it was a blessing. When Prohibition took effect, many grape growers ripped up their vineyards to plant more profitable crops. While others, took advantage of a loop hole, shipping grapes to households with instructions on “how not to have the grapes turn into wine”.  The Phillips family was one of those turned the situation to their advantage. Now run by brothers Michael Phillips and David Phillips, the winery is a thriving family business.

I watch the leaves float down from the trees and skate across my driveway, and I think, great, time to sweep the driveway again. But for now, I’ll just relax and enjoy some of my potions, err I mean wine.

If you would like to send samples for my review, please contact me at kstargaard@yahoo.com.

2011© Kellie Stargaard.  All Rights Reserved.

http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/

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Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2009

It’s that time of year again, have you made the trip to your local pumpkin patch yet? Pumpkins of all sizes and colors are dotting the side of the road and parking lots. When you finally pick that perfect pumpkin, bring it home and ready to carve, wouldn’t a glass of wine make this tradition a bit more fun? I have the perfect wine, Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2009. If you scour retail stores, you may be able to find a free pumpkin carving stencil of the ominous Ravenswood logo. Spooky pumpkins, a glass of witches brew, err, I mean wine and a chill in the air, signify the approach of that frightful holiday, Halloween.

Rich blackberry and blueberry aromas. Those same bold fruits carry over to the flavor. Well structured tannins and a haunting finish, I find nothing frightful about this wine. And at just $10 a bottle, your wallet won’t go into shock either.

Appellation – California

Aged – 14 months in French Oak, 25% new

TA – 6.1 g/L

pH – 3.67

Alcohol – 13.5%

SRP - $9.99

Ravenswood is one of my go to wines.  It’s one of those wineries that offer consistent quality and I have a special connection to the winery. Last October I, along with a handful of other journalist, were chosen to be inducted into The Order of the Raven by none other than head Raven, Joel Peterson. My time in Sonoma was spectacular and something I’ll never forget. I  was given the rare opportunity to drink wine in the very vineyards the grapes were grown, dine with the growers in their homes and see Sonoma from a birds eye view via helicopter.

Wondering where the name Ravenswood came from? During the first harvest, Joel arrived at Dry Creek Vineyards to pick up his truck and the freshly harvested old vine Zinfandel grapes. Upon arrival he found the truck had not been loaded but instead the boxes of grapes had been left through out the four acre vineyard. As Joel struggled to gather all the boxes, a thunderstorm emerged in the distance. The race was on now to gather all the grapes and get them to the truck before the storm hit. During this time, two ravens perched themselves in the vineyard and watched the activity, all the while seeming to mock Joel and his efforts. I’m sure they were waiting for their turn at those tasty grapes. It was that night once all the grapes were loaded and in the crushing process, Joel decided to name his winery Ravenswood. The logo is now synonymous with hard work, quality and great tasting wines, even when the logo has kangaroos instead of ravens, but that’s for another blog.

As the leaves continue to fall and crunch beneath my feet, I revel in all those glorious colors that continue to spring forth. The recent rains have caused some leaves to drop completely but it just adds to my first true fall experience. Although I must say, with temps in the 30’s and 40’s it’s feeling more like winter than early fall.

If you would like to send samples for my review, please contact me at kstargaard@yahoo.com.

2011© Kellie Stargaard.  All Rights Reserved.

http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/

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Cline Cellars Cashmere 2009

Wow, I can’t believe we’re in October already; it’s my favorite time of year. This is my first real experience with the changing seasons, in Florida we have palm trees and the only time they change is during hurricanes. Then the fronds are all blowing in one direction or have blown off altogether. Mother Nature is right on cue, leaves are changing, temps are dipping, winds picking up sending leaves dancing across the roads and pumpkin and fall displays are dotting the rural roads to my home.

Another indication we’re in the month of October, all those pink ribbons. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I thought what better way to support the cause than with the purchase of Cline Cellars Cashmere 2009, a Rhone style varietal blend. Cline Cellars supports Living Beyond Breast Cancer and has contributed more than $200,000 to breast cancer foundations. The Cline Cashmere serves as a symbol of this ongoing support.

Aromas hint at something wonderful, spicy and woodsy. Loads of currant and raspberry wash over the palate. The wine is medium sweet but not jammy. Body is a little on the light side and I think I would have preferred something more full bodied on this fall evening. The finish was a little disappointing as it was extremely short lived. I envisioned myself wrapped in its silky soft liquid but found it to be a little rough around the edges. May have just been an off night for my palate.

Varietal – 50% Mourvèdre, 33% Grenache, 17% Syrah

TA - .62g/100ml
pH – 3.84
Residual Sugar - .30%

Family run by Fred and Nancy Cline, the winery is located on 350 acres in Sonoma County and is one of the first wineries on the Sonoma “wine road”. Originally located in Oakley, Fred’s maternal grandfather, Valeriano Jacuzzi, yes of the spa Jacuzzi fame, farmed orchards and vineyards. On summer visits, Cline learned how to turn those plump ripe grapes into wine. After studying Agriculture Management from UC Davis, Cline founded Cline Cellars near Oakley. In the early 90’s, Cline and his wife relocated to its present location in the Careneros region of Sonoma County and as they say, the rest is history.

Cashmere is a Rhone style blend of Mourvèdre, sourced from 30-year-old vines planted in sandy soil, dry farmed and head-pruned to develop flavorful fruit. Grenache vineyards in Oakley involve cluster thinning and leaf pulling, increasing fruit concentration. Syrah grapes come from Oakley, and have warm days and cool nights resulting in lush fruit flavors.

With the changing season, my husband and I took a drive to Blairsville to take in the local scenery in the mountain town. When we moved to NE Georgia just two months ago, I didn’t know what to do with the hilly roads. Having moved from the flat lands of Florida, going up and down and around was something I had to get used to. While looking at houses, our speed racer realtor, Kathryn, used the term, “hold onto your skivvies”. I then coined my own term for some of the roads leading up to and through the Chattahoochee National Forest, “turn your britches brown roads”. Well, good thing I wasn’t the one driving to Blairsville, because there were a few twists and turns where I just had to close my eyes and my husband leaned over and asked, “are your britches brown yet?” I replied, “not yet, but close!”

If you would like to send samples for my review, please contact me at kstargaard@yahoo.com.

2011© Kellie Stargaard.  All Rights Reserved.

http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/

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flipflop Moscato California 2010

For those of you new to my blog, let me give you some background, I’m a wine drinker. I don’t mean, I occasionally enjoy a glass with dinner or with friends, I’m a nightly wine drinker. Even if I’m sick, I have been known to have a glass of wine, of course then it’s for medicinal purposes only. Being a serious wine drinker can put a dent in your budget, so I set out to find great tasting wines that wouldn’t break the bank. Over the past few years, I have found some great wines under $20, for the occasional splurge, and very tasty wines under $10 for my everyday wine drinking. I’ve also found some that I wouldn’t even use for cooking; luckily those are not the norm.

In July my husband and I took the leap and moved to the NE Georgia Mountains, settling in Murrayville. We have 3 acres of wooded land complete with the occasional bear, plenty of deer and one steep, long driveway that I know I will not venture down if there is any chance of ice. I’m a Florida girl, grew up in Southwest Florida and moved to Tampa during college where I put down roots until our recent move. Being a newcomer,  I have the opportunity to explore this wonderful area and see things in a way a native NE Georgian may not. I’ll bring to you great wine finds and those you may want to leave on the retail shelves.

Most of the country associates the south with sweet tea and sweet wines. I can happily contest the notion that all southern wines are sweet. However, this being my debut in the true south, I thought it appropriate to profile flipflop Moscato 2010. The wine took Double Gold at the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and has been listed as Best Buy in the June issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Floral aromas fill the glass; flavors are sweet and crisp with a lingering honeysuckle finish. Light bodied the wine is semi-sweet and pairs well with spicy barbecue chicken or ribs. Perfect wine to enjoy outdoor while the temps are still warm.

TA: 0.68 g/100mL

RS: 7.60 g/100mL
pH: 3.53
Alcohol: 10%
SRP: $7.00
Case Production: 15,000

Looking for another good reason to checkout flipflop wines? With every bottle of flipflop wine purchased, Soles4Souls distributes a pair of shoes to someone in need. Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based charity, collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. To find out how you can help more, click here. How often do you get the chance to enjoy a bottle of wine and help a community?

Tune in each week and read up on my new adventures, like my “bobcat” sighting that turned out to be just a large cat or local wine events like the Frogtown Cellars Harvest Dinner that took place this past Saturday evening and how you can participate in future harvests. 

Cheers!

2011© Kellie Stargaard.  All Rights Reserved.

http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/

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Monticello Rioja Reserva Tempranillo 2003

Mother Nature seems to be teasing NE Georgia with days where you’re sure fall has arrived, only to find the next day humid and warm. My arms are getting tired with all this open the windows, close the windows stuff. A handful of leaves have just started to turn on the fall color show. Though I’m not sure if it’s due to drought or if fall is truly making an appearance. Regardless, when the temps at night dip into the 60’s it’s time to crack open a wine with a little oomph to it. That’s where Monticello Rioja Reserva 2003 comes into play.

First whiff and the classic bouquet of spice and oak come through. Flavors are full of spice, vanilla and very woodsy. Refined tannins give it a dry feel but not enough to make the cheeks pucker. Finish is long and oaky.

Varietal – Tempranillo

Region – Rioja Alta, Spain
Alcohol – 13.5%
SRP - $18

Founded in 1874 by Celestino Navajas in Rioja Alta, Spain, Bodegas Monticello is one of the oldest wineries in the region. The winery focuses on top-of-the-line wines and all receive the seal of the Rioja DOC control board. Once the grapes are harvested they are left to age in Bordeaux oak barrels for no less than 18 months. They are then bottled where they can be consumed immediately or aged for several years.

As the much needed rain gives way to bits of sunlight shining on the wet leaves, I’m anxious to experience my first true fall season. Stores have already begun setting out pumpkins and various gourds and I’m itching to begin hauling them home and setting up my own little pumpkin patch. Hoping the first week of October will bring a little cooler temps so my poor pumpkins don’t turn to mush before the season is over. I know I shouldn’t complain, in Florida you couldn’t carve a pumpkin until the day of Halloween since it would be rotten the next day.

Come January I’m sure I’ll be cursing the cold, stuck inside unable to navigate the snow and ice and desperately missing my flip flop and t-shirt attire. In the mean time, I’ll sit back and relax in one of our rocking chairs while watching the squirrels gather acorns and wait patiently for nature to turn on its spectacular color show.

If you would like to send samples for my review, please contact me at kstargaard@yahoo.com.

2011© Kellie Stargaard.  All Rights Reserved.
http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/

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Running with Scissors Cabernet Sauvignon Livermore, CA

Boxes, boxes and more boxes. Whether they be unopened, repacked or flattened, my life is now full of boxes. The excitement over rediscovering all my stuff has turned into an overwhelming feeling of doubt and wonder. Doubt of whether I’ll ever get everything into place and wonder of where in the world am I going to put all this stuff. Now I look forward to some much needed storage solution. A wine storage solution will be the purchase of a riddling rack to hold all those wonderful wines. This brings me to my next wine, Running with Scissors Cabernet Sauvignon.

Aromas were a little closed even after some in glass swirling but I can detect some hints of blackberry and vanilla. Cherry and blackberry hit the palate, nice balance between sugar and the round and smooth tannins. Very drinkable but was a little disappointed. I was told by an associate at Total Wine, the wine is a second label produced by  Concannon but I wasn’t able to find anything online that confirmed this statement. If anyone knows, please let me know. I did purchase this at Total Wine before we left Florida for $9.99.

Unfortunately the only website I found for Running with Scissors is under construction, so I have zero info on this wine and winery. For $9.99 it’s worth a try and it really was drinkable, I just found it to be a little closed. Perhaps a different variety or vintage will be on my shopping list soon.

While I make friends with our new house, the land is stunning. We’ve already had a bear or two, deer feed in our woods on a regular basis, the squirrels are busy preparing for the upcoming winter and the local wineries are wrapping up their harvests. More to come on those very soon. 

As I dive into the mountain of boxes, unpack some things, repack others, drag boxes back to the basement, it hits me. Why is it, I can find all the high school crap my mother made me store and all of my old Fisher Price toys, yet I can’t find the box with the DVD player? Frustrating…. Ah, I look forward to the day when everything is in its place, even if that place means stored in the basement. The basement, big plans for that area…will eventually become the wine bar. A place of my own where I can sit back and enjoy a few glasses of wine with my husband, or friends and family. The roads are around are too winding to go out and have a few glasses, much safer and smarter to enjoy in the comfort of our own home. Until then, there’s always the front porch and the rocking chairs, which is still blissfully clutter free.

If you would like to send samples for my review, please contact me at kstargaard@yahoo.com.

To donate to the America’s Disaster Relief Truck, currently helping Alabama tornado victims and Mississippi flood victims, click here.

2011© Kellie Stargaard.  All Rights Reserved.

http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/

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Root:1 Carménère 2009

Reunited and it feels so good. After months of being in storage and packed up in boxes I finally have access to all of my stuff! Now comes the daunting task of finding a place for all that stuff. I think George Carlin put it best when he said “That’s the whole meaning of life isn’t it, trying to find a place for your stuff.” Well, I know that’s what my life meaning will be for the next several weeks.

While getting reacquainted with my stuff, I’m getting accustomed to the sounds of rural country life. Roosters crowing and cows mooing intermingle with the birds in the trees and the dogs barking in the distance. Rural life, getting back to man’s roots I guess you could say. Seems like a good intro into my latest wine, Root:1 Carménère  2009.

Intense red fruit aromas of cherry & blackberry and spicy notes. Full to medium bodied with woodsy red berries and just a hint of smoke in the finish. Perfect balance of smooth tannins and residual sugar. It’s dry but not mouth puckering. A really a lovely wine to sip while sitting in our rocking chairs on our front porch. You can find this at most retailers for around $12.99. Picked this one up at the local Kroger store.

Rooted in Chili (pun intended) Root:1 the Original Ungrafted takes pride in their unique wine region. Geographic and climate conditions create an environment resistant to Phylloxera which  forced so many wine makers in other countries to graft their vines to generic rootstocks. Root:1 roots are grown on original ungrafted roots, allowing all the surrounding flavors to absorb through the roots and shine through in the wines.

The Carménère vineyards are located between the Andes Mountains and the coastal mountains on the Pacific. The steep and rocky slopes consisting of sand and clay help retain moisture during the warm days and the ocean breezes provide for cooling during the night.

Originally planted in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, the Carménère grape, was thought to be extinct and was only rediscovered in Chile in 1994. The name "Carménère" originates from the French word for crimson (carmin) referring to the crimson color of the autumn foliage. Now rarely found in France, Chili is the largest producer of the Carménère variety with more than 8,800 hectares cultivated in the Central Valley. Carménère is considered part of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux, France and is referred to as the “lost grape of Bordeaux”.   

If you would like to send samples for my review, please contact me at kstargaard@yahoo.com.

To donate to the America’s Disaster Relief Truck, currently helping US disaster victims  click here.

2011© Kellie Stargaard.  All Rights Reserved.

http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/

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