Turning Zinfandel Upside Down!

For 2011, the hot trend in California wine is in the blends.  Customer interest is growing as these savory new ideas come to fruition.  Value abounds, as these quality wines typically range $15-$30, and smart consumers are showing their good taste by trading up a notch from the value wines they discovered during the downturn in 2008.

For this post, we focus on Zinfandel as a component of the wine blends here at Locals.  Great Zinfandel fruit is still harder to come by than some other varietals, which can sometimes be found with great quality, and more inexpensively, at harvest.  Then add the challenge to the winemaker’s muse:  to make a new and unique combination that pleases, raises the bar, and sets their brand apart from the rest.

So let Locals begin your blending!  First up is the new Bedarra 2009 Bonfire ($25).  Composed of Sonoma County fruit, it is made of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (30%) and Zinfandel (20%).  (This wine follows on the heels of Bedarra’s popular Beachfront white, a satisfyingly cool blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.)  Their red blend is fruit forward.  Sweet tones arise from the quality oak along with pleasant tannins on finish.  Blackberry meets tobacco.  With its smooth and satisfying richness, this wine makes a perfect complement to any barbeque, be it on the beach or the backyard.

Second is the Pendleton 2008 Celebration Cuvee ($29).
This is Mike Pendleton’s special blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Zinfandel (25%), Petite Sirah (30%), Cabernet Franc (15%) and Petite Verdot (5%).  What a yummy mouthful!  Long reach across the palate.  Drinking with the full voluptuousness of a Bordeaux-style blend, at the same time this savory wine is elevated by just a hint of sweet fruit.

Next we suggest the 2007 Atrea Old Soul Red ($25).  Here Mendocino County Zinfandel (43%), Petite Sirah (20%), Syrah (19%) and Malbec (18%) are artfully combined in flavorful American oak.  A delightfully sweet nose and finish rests on a rich meaty foundation with excellent balance.

This wine is a real crowd pleaser, and also this winery’s biggest seller. Still available (!), the delectable 2008 Dark Horse Zinfandel/Cabernet Sauvignon Gunfighter Fifth Notch ($20) is the subject of a separate post, click here to read it.

The newly released 2007 Ramazzotti Ricordo ($30) is a big and pleasing non-varietal Zinfandel, co-fermented with Petite Sirah, Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Carignane & Chasselas Doré.  The co-fermentation is key, as the flavors knit together so well, just as in an old-vine field blend.  This wine is a huge Locals favorite every year.

Finally, the 2008 Peterson Vignobles ($32) conveys elegance and finesse.  A distinctive blend of Petite Sirah (55%), Old-Vine Carignane (15%), Syrah (15%) and Zinfandel turns the Dry Creek’s Zinfandel paradigm upside down on an artful touch of Zin fruit. Medium-bodied, smoky, fruity, with a touch of dark caramel and pleasant across the palate.  Great with ham or prosciutto try it with a PB&J…sliced pears, brie and ham on an artisan roll.  Delish!

Ehret Family Winery–We Love Knights Valley Fruit!

Recently, Ehret Family Winery joined Locals Tasting Room.  A storied family of Sonoma County hospitality, they established their Bavarian Lion estate vineyard in 1996.  It is located in the important but lesser known Knights Valley, on Highway 128 between Alexander Valley and Up-Valley Napa (Calistoga).

While there are no tasting rooms there, Knights Valley fruit has been the nearly unsung hero of many well-known wines by Beringer and others.  Jess Jackson also took particular interest, developing a property in this area.  Old time Locals Nouveau Hicks still ask about a stunning Mourvedre wine from Knights that we offered in the early years of our tasting room here in Geyserville.

The Ehret wines express their exciting appellation ably!  The Ehret 2009 Sauvignon Blanc($16) comes up well in this hottish climate, a first-class balance between fruit and grassiness.  A bit of coastal air conditioning often comes up the Russian River and spills into the valley, moisturizing and cooling things just a tad in the evening.  So nice long hangtimes are the norm here, and perfectly ripened fruit jazzes up every bottle it fills.

The Ehret 2008 Bellarina, an appealing Meritage blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is a great casual choice.  Smoky dark cherry flavors finish on elegant tannins lingering in this medium bodied wine, and only $20!  It’s great with lamb and all meats, or try it with some grilled portabellas.  An opulent, hearty syrah is also produced by this winery.

But the signature wines are made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Great from the bottle now, or age them out more fully.  The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($34) has classic fruit flavor, nice body and a lengthy finish.

The 2006 Hillside Reserve ($40), with fruit selected from a hillside block above the valley floor benchland, is a little bigger, richer, more piquant and intense.  We’d call it a great cab.  Come on in soon and see if you agree!

A new recipe from our friend and Locals Club Member Dan Kreppein

photo courtesy of R.B. Boyer

Meat-I get all my meat at Costco.  The ribs are great and un-enhanced, meaning they don’t get soaked in a brine solution which can make pork taste really salty, especially if you use a rub with a lot of salt in it.  I usually get between a 5-8 lb brisket in the cryovac package.  You will read about 2 pieces of the brisket-the flat and the point-I’m not sure if the Costco ones are either the flat or the point or both.  I suppose I could ask the butcher, but the ones I have done have been really good, so again, I’ll just go  with it. (Restaurant depot brisket is way better if you can get it, or some of your local stuff too I’m sure.)

Prep-Right before I put the meat on I’ll take it out of the fridge and rub it down with a little canola oil to make the rub stick.  You can go with a standard BBQ rub, or there are many recipes out there for beef specific rub, usually has a lower sugar content than a standard rub.  I liberally coat both sides of the meat with rub and let it sit while my fire is coming up.

Fire-I usually use lump with chunks of hickory.  Any wood for smoking is good except maybe mesquite, which is a really strong flavor.  I have used apple, maple, hickory, cherry-they are all good.  You want to put your chunks on about 10 minutes before your meat goes on.

Cooking-Set up your cooker for indirect at anywhere from 225-325.  There are 2 schools of thought: the low and slow crowd, and the hot and fast crowd.  I I have done both with good results either time.  Yet another variable to play with.  I always cook with the fat side down ( I don’t trim the fat beforehand) and put a probe in connected to an external digital thermometer.  Once your meat hits about 160-165 in internal temp, I pull it and add a braising liquid.  If you want, you can also finish in the oven at this point.  I use a throwaway aluminum pan and put the meat in there, along with some kind of liquid that will be absorbed into the meat during the rest of the cook.  I have done a couple of cups of beef broth with some Worcestershire sauce and some more rub, microwaved for a minute or so.    The last one I did I used a half bottle of Dr Pepper that I let go flat and it came out great.  You can play around with this as well-you can use sauce, whatever.

Put the meat back on and keep your probe in, pulling the meat off when it hits between 190 and 200.  It may “stall” at around 170 or so, where the temp stays constant for a while, even for an hour or so or more.  This is normal, all of the collagens in the meat are turning to liquid which is a good thing.  (New tip: The meat is done when a probe or instant read thermometer goes in “like buttah” or with no resistance) When it hits your target temp, pull it and wrap in foil , adding the leftover liquid form the pan.  Take the wrapped meat and put it into a cooler and let it rest for at least an hour.  You can cover the meat with old beach towels to let the temp come down slowly-the rest is critical because the liquid is re-absorbed into the meat.  If you keep the probe in you can serve when it gets around 160 or so.  You can even keep it warm in an over for the rest.  60 minutes is the minimum rest though.

Slicing & serving:  You want to slice against the grain, or it will be really tough.  I usually will slice it in half with the grain, and then slice against for the individual portions.  An electric knife works really well for this, but be prepared to shred your cutting board.  You can also trim the fat off for those who don’t like it.  A good brisket won’t drip with juice but should be tender and have good flavor.  It is very easy to dry it out, just add sauce if you need to counter the dry meat.  Personally, I like it fresh with no sauce, and reheated with sauce.

Honestly, it is my favorite type of BBQ.  It’s lean but has amazing flavor.  Here is a link to a ton of opinions on brisket; like I said 100 people have 100 opinions on it.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=102415

Grilling Season Has Arrived!

Cedar-Planked Wild Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce
Barbecued Vidalia Onions

photo by woodleywonderworks

Bring on the grilling season!  These recipes came up in a conversation here in the tasting room regarding favored grilling preparations with long-time Locals Wine Club Members Rich & Maureen Tunheim of Santa Rosa.

The idea of grilling wild salmon is particularly apropos of 2011 here in Sonoma County, as this is the first year since 2008 that salmon has been fished locally (Bodega Bay).  The season opened May 1, and continues off and on as allowed by Fish & Game and as weather permits, through the end of September.

If you want to get the freshest, most delicious fish ever, you can buy it right off the docks at Lucas Wharf or at the Tides Fish Market in Bodega Bay (707-875-3554 for availability update).  What a treat!

The Barbecued Vidalia Onions will make an excellent, savory side to the rich salmon.  Fill out the rest of the menu as you see fit.

Enjoy the salmon with one of Locals awesome pinot noir wines, like the Foggy Valley, Ensueños, Praxis or Eric Ross Saralee.

By the way, if you have a favorite grilling recipe, please submit it to yummy@tastelocalwines.com!

Click here to see the recipes.

The Fifth Notch Is A Charm!

Each year, renowned Winemaker Mike Loykasek of Dark Horse Winery combs the Sonoma County area for fine grapes that have no home, calling the resulting wine The Gunfighter.

For 2009, this wine’s first name is “Zin” and it’s last name is “Cab”…actually Mike calls it the “Fifth Notch”, as it is the fifth time he has made this ever-changing blend.

A fortuitous blend indeed.  All Dry Creek fruit went into this satisfying wine, with Zinfandel providing upfront fruit, and Cabernet Sauvignon adding depth and structure.  Rich and seductive, arguably, the Fifth Notch is the best in the series so far.

Great around the grill, this wine is ideal for informal spring and summer fun.  At only $20 per bottle, no more than $216 per case (even less if you are a Locals Club member), this wine screams summer value.  But better hurry, this is one of those wines that always sells out quickly.  And it will be gone if you don’t plan ahead now…

For 2010, The Praxis Viognier Moves Closer to Home

Praxis Cellars has been making Viognier for a decade, but the 2010 Praxis Viognier ($17) marks a move to sourcing fruit from the renowned Russian River Valley.  Working on a cool-climate syrah wine prompted Winemaker Bill Arbios to switch to making a Rhone-inspired white wine from similarly farmed fruit.

The grapes chosen flourish on a rolling hillside, a southwest exposure that takes more sun than much other such coastal fruit, and resulting in some common threads to the hotter climate fruit used in previous Praxis Viogniers.  As with all Praxis wines, the 2010 Viognier expresses the character of this single vineyard.  All Praxis vineyards are are sustainably farmed…with care and passion that is ultimately expressed in the glass.

With this new fruit source, the wine is a little softer, and captures the rich fruit essence of its stellar viognier fruit.  Still offered in a crisp European style, the wine is clean and full-bodied, with a lingering finish of ripe fruit.  To retain the purest expression of the viognier grape, the wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks.

The wines’ color is pale straw yellow with green highlights.  The aromas are fresh, complex and clean: melon, honeysuckle, vanilla, pineapple and especially freshly-sliced pear.  These components carry across the palate, intensifying as you enjoy a sensory chorus of delight.

New Appellation, Healdsburg Plaza?!

Our most recent winery addition to Locals Tasting Room is Bedarra Vineyards.  The Bedarra Estate Vineyard is only a mile west of nearby Healdsburg’s town center.  The epitome of a small artisan winery, fewer than 500 cases of wine are produced here in a year.

The Bedarra brand is inspired by the beauty and tranquility of the remote Bedarra Island, just off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, where proprietors Jeff and Brigid enjoyed their honeymoon in 2003.  Around their home, they grow glorious chardonnay wines, made from their single acre of 15-year old vines.  With the backdrop of tropical palm trees on one side and majestic mountains on the other, Bedarra Vineyards is as scenic as it is fruitful.

The island spirit is carried forth with their fun 2009 Beachfront ($18) wine.  A refreshing blend of Estate Chardonnay and Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc has been married in your glass.  A fun wine with a perfect balance of bright fruit, smooth texture and a crisp clean finish, those of you Nouveau Hicks who might remember the Portalupi Bianco should pay extra attention to this wine.  Like a bit of summer poured into your glass, the Beachfront showcases why this Italianate style of white grape blending is becoming more and more popular!

The 2007 Bedarra Chardonnay ($19) has an exquisite, creamy, custard-like mouthfeel, all while reflecting a well-balanced acidity throughout and a long & lingering finish.  Vibrant flavors of lemon, crushed pineapple and baked pear abound.  A super value on one of the nicest chardonnays made here in these parts.  The 2007 Bedarra Reserve Chardonnay ($29), even thicker and richer, has a refined elegance which might also enhance your appetite.  The flavors, less citrus and more créme brulee, are deeply integrated and interwoven.  A super match to creamy pasta dishes, chicken or seafood.