Feb

13

Here are a few events worth checking out this weekend and beyond:

Feb

12

So as to ensure that we’re not encouraging people out there to skimp on wine when it comes to preparing for Valentine’s Day this Thursday, we felt it appropriate to choose a slightly more expensive bottle for this week’s Weekday Wine.

Last weekend, I was in New York City for a wedding, where I found the bottle of Riesling for which this posting is named.  As I was chatting with a clerk in a neighborhoody wine shop on the Upper East Side, we were interrupted when he was asked by his colleague to quickly grab a bottle of Chateau Margaux from behind a locked case for another customer.  Unfortunately for me, that wine — one of the world’s finest and most expensive Bordeauxs — was not being sold at a deep, deep discount.  Regardless, I was extremely pleased with the bottle that I ended up purchasing: the Schloss Gobelsburg Gobelsburger Riesling 2006.

With Rieslings, I usually opt for dryer versions, and for a dryer-is-better kind of guy, the Gobelsburger was a perfect match.  This wine had an enticing golden color reminiscent of Champagne, and in it, I found aromas and flavors of minerally grapefruit and green apple that carried through to a lengthy finish.  My favorite quality of all: the distinct punch of acidity that remained tempered perfectly by the wine’s other components. 

Overall, this is a refreshing wine that’s easy to like.

Feb

11

beltaneranch.jpg

Perhaps Sonoma wine country’s most enticing feature is its gently rolling hills covered in wheat and dotted sparsely with eucalyptus, cypress and oak trees — by any reasonable standards, a stunning landscape.  It’s an area that lends itself perfectly to overnight visits from San Francisco, which is an hour’s drive south, but unfortunately, many of the more attractive accommodations will set you back $500 plus a night.  

Over New Years this past year, we developed one overnight itinerary that resolves the cost issue and provides a few good opportunities to savor and admire the gorgeous scenery:

1.  Do-It-Yourself-Dinner:  Make your first stop Glenn Ellen Village Market, an excellent spot for loading up on picnic supplies and creating a smorgasbord-style dinner.  This market is a little pricey, but the quality and selection of foods – particularly the wine and cheese – is phenomenal.  If you choose not to go wine tasting during the day, you can buy many of the same wines sold by local wineries here.  On our New Years trip, we picked up both dinner, which we ate at our inn, and the next day’s lunch here.

2.  Accommodations:  You have to reserve it well in advance, but a room at the Beltane Ranch is well worth planning ahead for.   Beltane’s main structure is a charming, two-storey ranch house, pale yellow in color, that contains a handful of well-appointed, rustic rooms.  The ranch house is fronted by a Southern-style porch equipped with a swing, and in the rear, a small, private cottage is located a few steps down a stone path.  There are no in-room TVs or telephones, and the long driveway that leads from the public road up to the inn is unpaved. 

When we stayed there, we were greeted upon arrival with the smell of burning firewood and a plate of freshly baked sugar cookies.  We rented the cottage, which was perfect for us: two parents traveling with a babbling infant.  Our accomodations were equipped with a small sitting room containing a gas fireplace and two French doors leading out to a private garden adorned with a lemon tree, an olive tree, and two white Adirondack chairs.  We ate our dinner in front of the fireplace while our little boy slept, and we even peaked outside to admire the night’s sky, which was bright with stars due to the absence of any clouds or nearby light pollution.  In the morning, a delicious breakfast and coffee were delivered to our door.  For $240 including tax, we were pleased, to say the least.

3.  Hike: After finishing breakfast at Beltane, embark on a one-hour hike up the small mountain behind the ranch’s property — the innkeeper will give you directions.  When we took this hike, it really gave us a chance to feel enveloped by the scenery around us and to breathe in deeply the fresh, eucalyptus-perfumed air.  When you get high enough on the trail, turn around to see San Francisco Bay gleaming in the distance, and then enjoy the spectacular views all the way back down the hill.

4.   Relax: Finally, head over to Gundlach Bundschu (or, Gun Bun), one of the local favorite wineries, for a picnic.  Stop into the tasting room first to check out the wines — our favorite is usually the Gewürztraminer, which goes well with a picnic, but we also like their Pinot Noir.  It’s good etiquette to first buy a bottle at any winery where you picnic, but you don’t have to drink it on site.  If you do choose to do so, though, tell the pourer: he or she will cork the bottle for you and even lend you glasses.  You have two good options for picnicking at Gun Bun: the first is out in front of the tasting room, where there’s a small lake and a few tables and chairs.  We preferred the second option, though: there’s a cozy picnic area beyond the small parking lot with views of the valley.  It’s a great spot for a bit of peaceful reflection.

Let us know what you think if you try this!

Feb

7

Not long before the Super Bowl, I happened across an article that talked about the best wines to drink during a football game.  The person being interviewed suggested two options: a crisp white wine like a Riesling, which is great with food and won’t worry hosts about carpet spillages, or a Syrah, which tends to pair well with barbecued foods.

I have to admit, though, the wine that I brought to my friends’ Super Bowl party was the above-named Pinot Noir, which is neither a crisp white like Riesling nor a heavy red like Syrah.  Still, we did manage to enjoy both the wine and the game… and, I might add, there were no spillages.  With a light body, beautifully complex berry aromas, a sensual mouthfeel and a lingering finish, any wine connoisseur who has tried the 2004 McHenry Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir would say the same thing: that this Pinot is more like an old world version, in its subtlety and gracefulness, than one from California. 

The bottom line for our purposes?  Not a Super Bowl wine, but with football season in the rear-view mirror and Valentine’s Day fast approaching, this wine is ever more relevant for anyone seeking a bottle appropriate for the holiday.  Riesling might be good for keeping carpets clean and Syrah might pair well with barbecue, but there’s no doubt that this wine pairs well with romance.

Take note that only 320 cases of this Pinot Noir were made, so purchasing a bottle might require a little bit of legwork.  One place that had it as of last week is Vintage Berkeley, which ships across the country.  You can also try ordering directly from the winery itself by clicking here.     

Feb

6

Here are a few events worth checking into this weekend:

Feb

4

Happy belated Super Bowl, everyone. 

Wow, what a game, huh?  Congrats to the Giants fans out there on a well-deserved win.  As a tortured Eagles fan, I’ve spent a large chunk of my life disliking your franchise, but I am going to let bygones be bygones for just a few days in honor of your team’s achievement.

… But then I’m going to need a drink.  A big one.  And for those of you that are also looking for a place to drown your sorrows — whether you’re a Patriots fan, an Eagles fan or just a fan of another team that let you down – or even celebrate a victory, we’ve picked out a special winery for today.

dog-on-barrel.jpgVincent Arroyo is a tiny winery with an annual case production of just over 8,000 a year.  In fact, it’s so small that while some of the wines they make are available for purchase, much of their business is in selling Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah futures, meaning that you buy a case while the wine is still aging in the barrel.  As you can imagine, you literally won’t find anything they sell for sale anywhere else.   

What makes Vincent Arroyo so special as wineries go is that it’s located in Napa Valley, but so far north that the area is relatively tourist-free.  That adds up to an exceptional environment for growing Bordeaux grapes and no crowds. 

The winery itself is nestled in a picturesque area surrounded by small hills, and the tasting room doubles as barrel storage.  There are picnic tables and even a friendly, happy winery dog. 

On our visit, we were fortunate enough to meet Vincent himself, who was pouring out a bottle from his personal library — a Cab from the 1991 vintage.  While my wife, my mom and I were glowing from our luck in tasting a 17 year-old wine, my father, who doesn’t drink wine, sat on a bench outside and seemed to be soaking in the calm and beauty of the environment surrounding him.   

While I hate to let out the secret of such a good thing, it’s difficult to discuss wineries and not recommend this one for both wine enthusiasts and mourning football fans alike.

www.VincentArroyo.com
2361 Greenwood Avenue
Calistoga, California 94515
(707) 942-6995
*Tastings by appointment; no tasting fee.

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