A Hidden Gem in Livermore Valley in California

Behold, there is a hidden gem in Livermore Wine Country. McGrail Vineyards and Winery is a family owned and operated winery. They focus on high quality wines including Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. I'd like to thank Heather McGrail for sending me samples of their 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvigon. They have a beautiful tasting room as seen to the left. They hold many events open to the public. On July 24, 2010, they will be holding a release party for their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon so don't miss it.

Their 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has a Garnet color with medium density. The aroma has dark cherries with a little bit of black pepper. Also there is low to medium oak on the nose. The wine is medium to heavy body. On the palate it's fruit forward with dark cherries, plums and strawberries with a medium level of tannins which makes it very complex. It has moderate balance and moderate to good intensity. This wine has a long finish that is pleasing to the new world wine fan. It should age well for the next 5-7 years. I would rate this wine an A. Alcohol level is 14.3% and sells for $36. You can purchase their high quality wines at the winery or online at http://www.mcgrailvineyards.com/purchase.html . Also, here is a link where you can find McGrail Wines at retail locations and restaurants. http://www.mcgrailvineyards.com/resellers.html

I hope your palate takes off when you indulge yourself with McGrail Wines.

Have a Nice Flight!!!TM

Andy Gamitian

Flights Wine Blog Inc.

Founder & CEO

Zin in Paradise - 19th Annual Zinfandel Festival

The 19th Annual Zinfandel Festival attracted thousands of Zinfandel fans. There were over 300 wineries pouring at two buildings at Fort Mason. Wineries A-G in one building and H-Z in the other.

As I walked into the Zinfandel Grant Tasting Event, there were thousands of Stolzle wine glasses set up to hand out to attendees.

After grabbing my wine glass, I came across a table full of baguettes. They definitely hit the spot for soaking up all the wine that everyone was going to taste.

After grabbing a baguette, I went straight for my favorite winery, Seghesio. Their wine would probably be the first to run out so I wanted to make sure I got to taste their new releases. I tasted the 2008 Sonoma, Sonoma County ($24), the 2007 Cortina, Dry Creek Valley ($36) and my favorite the 2007 Old Vine, Sonoma County (90 year old vines, $36). After tasting the

Seghesio wines I went back to the A-G Building and stumbled across Frank Family Vineyards. They pour their 2007 Napa Valley Zin which was fruit forward full of blackberries and dark

cherries. Great structure and complexity. Another thing that caught my eye was the Centellino Decanter as shown below. I thought this decanter and pourer was a very creative invention.

In addition to the tasting was a Silent Auction benefiting America's Heritage Projects which

supports programs that benefit Zinfandel research, preservation, scholarships and wine education.

Some of the well known producers I visited include Chateau Montelena (2006 Estate, Napa Valley $30, 2007 Estate, Napa Valley $30) , Folie a Deux (2007 Amador County $18) ,

Cakebread Cellars (2006 Snow's Lake Vineyard, Red Hills, Lake County $41) , Gundlach Bundschu (2007 Sonoma Valley $38) , Peju (2006 Napa Valley $28), and V. Sattui Winery (2007 Bar 49 Vineyards Napa Valley $27, 2007 Black Sears Vineyard, Howell Mountain $40, 2007 Gilsson Vineyard, Russian River Valley $35, 2007 Ramazzotti Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley $40, 2007 Old Vine Pilgrim Vineyard Lodi).

One winery that caught my eye was Rockwall Wine Company, Inc. The winemaker is Shauna Rosenblum, daughter of world renowned winemaker Kent Rosenblum. Kent is also a consulting winemaker to Rock Wall.

Their wines were impressive. 2007 Sonoma County Reserve, Monte Rosso, Sonoma County $35, I rate it an A+. The 2007 Sonoma County, Windsor Oaks Vineyard/Monte Rosso, Sonoma County $25, I rate it an A-. Finally, the 2008 Jesse's Vineyard, Duarte Vineyard, Contra Costa County, $28, I rate an A.

I'll see you at the 20th Annual Zinfandel Festival.

Have a Nice Flight!!!TM

Andy Gamitian

Flights Wine Blog Inc.

Founder & CEO

Double O Secret Agents Olson Ogden

Olson Ogden is an exceptional winery that specializes in making quality wines. I have to thank Tim Olson, John Ogden and Margaret Ryan for sending me these wines to taste and review. First up is the 2007 Syrah from the Stagecoach Vineyard in Napa Valley.

This wine has a beautiful garnet and deep purple color. The aroma shows berries specifically raspberries and strawberries. It also has an aroma of smokiness and a low amount of oak. On the palate it's tastes like blackberry and cherry jams. Very low amount of tannins. It's fruit

forward and full bodied with a long finish. Good complexity and moderate to good balance. It also has a hint of black pepper. Great structure. This has 14.7% alcohol and should age well for the next 3-5 years. I would rate this wine an A+. Available for $52.

Next up is the 2007 Syrah from the Unti Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley.

It has a stunning garnet and purple color.The aroma has dark cherries and blackberries along with a bit of black pepper. On the palate there are a low amount of tannins which makes this a fruit forward wine. The palate also has dark cherries and blackberries. It's full bodied and has a long finish with lots of fruit and a hint of tannins. This has 14.5% alcohol and should age well for 3-5 years. I give this wine an A. You can purchase this wine for $38.

The last of the Rhone varietals is the 2007 Syrah 72% Sonoma County

and 28% Napa County.

It has a picturesque ruby red and garnet color. It's medium density with the aroma of blackberries, cherries, black pepper, earthiness and a touch of oak. On the palate it's very smooth, silky and fruit forward. The tannin level is very low which follows with long fruit fruit forward finish including blackberries, blueberries and cherries. The alcohol level is 14.8%. I would rate this wine an A-. This wine is available for $28.

Next we're onto the delicious Pinot Noirs. The 2007 Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley. It has a shade of red and purple with a light to medium density. The aroma is floral like roses along with cherries and strawberries and a hint of spice. It's light to medium bodied and low to medium oak. On the palate there are low tannins with medium acidity. Lots of fruit including cherries, strawberries and raspberries. It has a smooth medium to long finish and fruit forward. Moderate to good intensity. Good to excellent complexity. Ready to drink and should age well. 14.7 alcohol and I would rate this wine an A. It's available for $42.

To conclude we have the 2007 Pinot Noir from Sonoma Coast.

This wine paints a picture of red and ruby red. Medium bodied with aroma of cherries, strawberries, raspberries and low to medium oak. A bit herbal and a hint of spices. On the palate, low to medium tannins and lots of fruit including strawberries and cherries. A medium to long finish with good complexity and well balanced. Low to medium acidity. I would rate this wine an A-. The wine is available for $32.

All wines are available at the Olson Ogden website www.olsonogdenwines.com .

Hope you're palate takes off with these luscious wines.

Have a Nice Flight!!!TM

Andy Gamitian

Flights Wine Blog Inc.

Founder & CEO

Wine Future 09 was like "Back to the Future"

I received a scholarship at Sonoma State as an MBA Wine Business student to attend the Wine Future 09 conference November 12th and 13th in Logrono in the wine region of La Rioja, Spain from the Wine Academy of Spain.

I felt like Marty McFly in the movie “Back to the Future” because the conference showed me what the present point of the wine industry is in but then it sent me to the future of where we’re going due to the steps we are all taking to get out of this slump. The only person missing was “Doc” to provide me with a DeLorean time machine.

The two day conference had an attendance of over 1,000 people in the trade. It also included a wine tasting of wines from Rioja, Spain and France and Brazil using Reidel wine glasses. We listened to panel speakers from industry leaders like world renowned wine writer Jancis Robinson as seen below.

Also, Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV who basically said that this is the time to capitalize on your passion with wine and if you’re not on Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn then you’re not in the game. In the Q & A session the controversial wine critic Robert Parker spoke about how restaurants are not as busy mainly because they are marking up wine by about 300%. I was hoping to meet Robert Parker but the private tasting that he was conducting sold out. The video link below give more color on the conference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eHjIBwpTSs&feature=player_embedded

As they say a picture is worth a thousand words but I say a video is priceless, just ask Gary Vaynerchuk who turned Wine Library TV into a $60 million dollar business.

Have a Nice Flight!!!TM

Andy B. Gamitian

Founder & CEO

Flights Wine Blog Inc.

Spottswoode Right on the Spot. Smith-Madrone Is Not A Clone.

On September 26th, I was invited by Julie Ann Kodmur, a Publicity & Marketing Consultant, Russ Beebe of California Wine Hikes, and Beth Milliken of Spottswoode, as a guest blogger to visit the wineries Smith-Madrone and Spottswoode. I was familiar with Smith-Madrone's Rieslings because I really enjoyed tasting them a long time ago in the UC Berkeley Extension course of Fundamentals of Wine Studies I: Wines of California and Europe. This class is still available and taught by Ray Johnson, my first wine educator/professor. If you're new to wine you should pick up his book, The Good Life Guide to Enjoying Wine. The photos are brought to you by Robb McDonough. In this photo is Ray Johnson on the left and Russ Beebe on the right.

I've heard of Spottswoode's Cabernet Sauvignon, but I've never tasted their wine or heard their story of how they became so successful.

Right below in this photo is Stuart Smith loading grapes to be destemmed and crushed.

Smith-Madrone winery was founded in 1971 by Stuart Smith. They produce over 4,000 cases of estate wine per year. Stuart Smith is the Managing Partner and Enologist. His brother Charles F. Smith III, as seen in the photo below, is the winemaker.

After our tour of the winery and estate vineyards, we sat down and tasted the following wines. 2007 Chardonnay ($30) , 2008 Chardonnay, 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($45), 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 "Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon" (which is pending a name), 2008 Riesling ($27), 1993 Riesling and the surprise was a 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon as seen below.

Here is a group photo of all the bloggers invited.

We then departed to down to Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, which is owned by CEO

Mary Novak.

One of her daughter's, Beth Milliken is President. As seen below, Beth gives the group the history and background of Spottswoode.

Joining the tour was Jennifer Williams the Winemaker and Director of Vineyard Operations and Aron Weinkauf the Assistant Winemaker and Vineyard Manager. Spottswoode is known as one of the first to adopt organic farming. Spottswoode has been certified by the California Organic Farmers since 1990. We started off the hot day (high 90's to low 100's) with their 2008 Lyndenhurst Sauvignon Blanc. Then we were welcomed by Chef Misty Phelps for lunch which included Pomegranate Braised Shoulder with Natural Jus, Cool Herb Organic Marble Potato Salad, Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burratta and we topped it off with Chocolate Shortbread Cookies and Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies. We continued the tour to the room where they hold all their tanks. We then tasted the Cabernet Sauvignons from vintages 1994, 1999, 2001, 2006 and 2007.

The only other Cabernet Sauvignons from the 1994 vintage that I have had are Caymus and Joseph Phelps. I was very honored to be a part of this day.

A Legend Teaches the Novice

It was almost like Jack Nicklaus teaching the young Tiger Woods all about the world and life of golf except that Joel Peterson makes world renowned Zinfandel and I write a wine blog. A man with over 30 years experience in the wine industry compared to a man with almost 3 years experience in the wine industry. I was invited to have dinner with Joel Peterson (the founder and winemaker of Ravenswood), Virginie Boone of the Press Democrat, Lisa Klinck-Shea of Folsom & Associates, and Ziggy "The Wine Gal" Eschliman (but she wasn't able to make it) at the restaurant Syrah Bistro in Santa Rosa.









Thanks to Angela Saunders and Lisa Klinck-Shea of Folsom & Associates for making it a reality. This was the first time I had dinner with a winemaker or interviewed a winemaker. I woke up in the morning and wondered, “Is this real or am I dreaming that I’m going to meet Joel Peterson of Ravenswood?” I just moved to Sonoma County a few weeks ago, I’m almost at a loss for words (and I’m a blogger who is supposed to write about this once in a lifetime experience?) I walked into the restaurant and there was Joel, hanging out and waiting with a glass of Bruno Paillard, Premiere Cuvee, Reims-France NV. He basically said that everyday he trys to always start a great meal with Champagne/Sparkling wine. Now that’s how to do it right!! I informed him that I just started the MBA Wine Business Program at Sonoma State . It's the first MBA Wine Business Program in the US. He also told me he’s thinking of writing a book but he’s hesitating because he doesn’t feel he’s a good writer. I say if “Jose Canseco can write a book, anyone can!!!” Go for it Joel!!!

So one of the reasons for this meeting/dinner was to showcase and taste the upcoming release of the Ravenswood Vineyard Designate wines, which I never knew existed nor tasted until now. So I was respectfully informed that he’s been making these wines since 1976 (a year after I was born). Now I heard about Ravenswood back in my Wealth Management days of the “Dot Com” years of the 90’s because one our advisors was trying to advise him as a client but I never knew Ravenswood went public. Joel informed me that in 1999 they went public at $10.50 a share and raised $10.5 million in cash for only 20% of the corporation. Those days, we were wondering if the Nasdaq was going to hit 5,000. My early experience with Zinfandel was with Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda for their new release tasting events only because I used to live in the East Bay. I remember going to the Rosenblum new release tasting events and seeing a table set up to seek investors to help Rosenblum expand their business. Back then I thought, “Invest in a winery? How about a tech stock?” Later I hear, Rosenblum is sold to Diageo for $105 million. Joel kindly informs me that they sold Ravenswood to Constellation Brands for $148 million and he’s Senior Vice President and a member of the Senior Executive team of Constellation Wines US. A true entrepreneur!! Click here for the press release of the transaction.

So we ordered our food and then we started tasting the wines.

2007 Dickerson Vineyard Zinfandel - 100% Zin. Vines from the 1920's around prohibtion time. You could only make wine at home. On the palate - Raspberries, Spices, and Eucalyptus. 1,060 cases. Retail is $35.
2007 Big River Zinfandel - 100% Zin. Vines from early 1900's in Alexander Valley. On the palate - Plums and jammy. 980 cases. Retail $35.
2007 Belloni Zinfandel - 78% Zin, 22% Mixed Blacks (Alicante Boschet, Carignane, Grenache, Petite Sirah). On the palate - Spicey, (I love spicey Zin and spicey food, this was one of my favorites) 1,300 cases. Retail $35.
2007 Barricia Zinfandel - 76% Zin, 24% Petite Sirah. Vines from the 1850's. On the palate - lots of berries, spices. 1845 cases. Retail $35.
2007 Old Hill Zinfandel - 76% Zin, 24% Mixed Blacks (15 total varietals). Vines from 1889 Organically farmed. On the palate - Blackberries, spices. 1180 cases. Retail $60.
2007 Teldeshi Zinfandel - 76% Zin, 22% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignane. Vines from 1900-1910. On the palate - Black cherries, vanilla. 3560 cases. Retail $35.
2007 Icon Mixed Blacks - 36% Carignane, 27% Petite Sirah, 25% Zin, 12% Mixed Blacks. Vines from 1905. Joel mentioned that this should've been California's unique wine. This will age very well. On the palate - raspberries, blackberries, rich. 1070 cases. Retail $75.
2006 Pickberry - 74% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon. Joel mentioned that these wines are like high end Bordeaux style wines and a better price of $50 per bottle. 1600 cases.

In this photo from left to right, Virginie Boone, Josh Silvers (Chef/Owner of Syrah Bistro), Joel Peterson and me. Thank you Lisa Klinck-Shea of Folsom & Associates for taking the photos. We forgot to take one with you.


My favorites were the Belloni and the Teldeschi. The Grilled Lamb Sirloin was really good. An unforgettable night. Highly recommend Syrah Bistro if you're coming up here in Wine Country. The only downside of the night was that we had to use a bucket to dump out the excess wine that was poured. You can't drink 8 glasses of wine during one dinner!! Joel Peterson is a man full of life, a family man and a man living a dream. I hope to join this club someday.


And of course... the highlight of the night...No Wimpy Wines!!!

Hey Joel!! If you're reading this...write that book!!

I hope your palate takes off with these wines. I know mine did.



Have a Nice Flight!!!


Andy Gamitian
Founder
Flights Wine Blog
gamitian@yahoo.com
http://www.flightswineblog.com/

Winery of the Month: Paraduxx

We visited Paraduxx in Napa. Paraduxx is part of the Duckhorn Family. Paraduxx specializes in Zinfandel-Cabernet Sauvignon blends. We hope you enjoy this clip.


Thank you and ...

Have a Nice Flight!!!tm

Andy B. Gamitian
Founder
Flights Wine Blog*
gamitian@yahoo.com
http://www.flightswineblog.com/
*A Business division of ABG Capital Group, LLC