Making It For A Ripe Old Age

I’m photographing a wedding this weekend for a beautiful young lady and the handsome love of her life. Other than being a “Rockstar” wedding photographer, Becky knows that I’m also the “One Rich Wine Guy” when I put a glass in my hand and my cape on in my off hours. Becky is the owner and publisher of Taste Tri Cities Magazine, which I also am a featured columnist in a few issues each year.

Becky approached me at a few days ago and asked me what local wines I felt would fit into their wine box ceremony for their wedding? They need a wine that will last to make it to their 10th anniversary. After all, the last thing that you want is the stuff my wife and I bought to make it to our 25th. The stuff has been vinegar for at least 15 years, so we’re serving it as salad dressing for our 25th next year.

After much thought, I suggested the Champoux Cabernet Sauvignon from Fidelitas, amongst other favorites of mine. But, since that conversation I’ve been pondering that question of what wines will stand up to aging.

Fifty years ago you needed more than just a little dust on the bottle in order to have a good wine. It was just expected that most European and Californian reds required considerable bottle time in order to be drinkable.

It really hasn’t been until the past few years that wines have been developed more and more to be consumed immediately. For the most part all wines that you find on the shelves in the United States today are “RTD” or ready to drink.

So, what does it take to have a good wine that can be stored for several years? Is it a certain bottling method? Is it juice sourced from a specific place? Is it a cork type? Is it just chance?

According to experts, most aging qualities in wine have to do with the pH balance in the wine. Wines that have a low pH balance tend to do better overall. That would mean that there is a high acid content.

Along with low pH, there should also be some strong tannins or flavor compounds in the wine in order for it to age well. Wines with the highest levels of tannin content tend to be Cabernet Sauvignons, Syrahs, Nebbiolos, and other like varietals. Wines that taste “green” like unripe vegetables or berries tend to fall into this category.

I know I’ll get some hate mail over this broad statement, but by and large I’ve found that this holds true: A good old wine, is a lot like a baby rattlesnake when its young. It should look safe enough, but messing with it will surely give you a bite. If you want a wine that will age, find one that pretty well rips your tongue out and stomps on it when it’s young.

I realize that the above statement is not always true. As I mentioned early in this column, the Fidelitas Champoux Cab is far from a dangerous wine to drink right now. It has silky, smooth tannins, and is pretty darn drinkable now. The difference is that this wine has depth to its flavors, and an intense tightness that loosens up when decanted over a period of days. With aging it will make a good wine that I know will bless Becky and Ryan on their 10th anniversary, and many more to come.

Enjoy!

Find The Perfect Wine For Your Mom

While I was sprinting through the gift shop looking for gifts for my mom and wife this week, I realized that it was indeed Mother’s Day again. This year, I thought I would celebrate our mothers with a review of some of my favorite womanly wines. The list of woman oriented wines extends forever, although I thought that it would be fun to list some that match the motherly women in my life.

First, I thought I would start off with a wonderful story of a woman who passed away at the ripe age of 100. Standing at 4’8”, Mary was passionate, loving, caring, strong, and loved Lawrence Welk.

Her memory has gone on to create one of the strongest red blends in the entire Northwest. Her winemaker grandson, Charlie Hoppes, honors Mary with every bottle of M100 Red Blend. The wine is a beautiful blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 12% Syrah, and 7% Malbec. The M100 wine opens with nice raspberry and strawberry jam flavors. The finish is a nice balance of cocoa, spice, and velvety tannins.

Another motherly personality that I’ve been touched by in my life reminds me of Kiona Winery’s Vivacious Vicky labels. Vivacious Vicky is named after Vicky Williams, wife of winemaker Scott Williams. Her vivacious personality in spite of 25 years of long hours, endless dinner guests, and fruit flies that are ever present in the wine business, makes this label remind me of several women in my life.

There are four Vivacious Vicky labels. A White, Red, Rose’, and their Nice Legs Merlot. The Red, White, and Rose are very approachable in both price and flavor. The Merlot is a premium vintage, with a mouthful of rich berries, vanilla, and baking spices.

Next, to a wine that has created both positive and negative vibes for me over the past few years. Charles Smith of K Wines developed Kung Fu Girl Riesling about 3 years ago. The current vintage of this wine is good for the price, with approximately 1.5% residual sugar, it is a semi-dry done in the Mosel style. A little bubbly in the glass when you swirl it, it tastes of young peaches and spice. The reason why I choose this wine for this column is simply for the label. It’s caption that says “Girls Kick Ass” really speaks to so many powerful women in my life.

Next, I just have to bring up Mad Housewife Wines. These wines I know have broken some sales records down at Dave’s Chevron in Pendleton. The labels are just plain funny, with a 50’s style lady on the front who looks completely “June Cleaver” gone mad. This reminds me of many of the mothers in my life. Things may be completely bonkers around them, but as long as there is a glass of wine with dinner everything works out.

Last, I need to bring up a wine that I know offended my wife when I walked in the door with it. But, I know these wines are catching on like wildfire. Bitch wines out of Australia, come with a pretty, pink label with hearts and daggers on it.

Bitch originally offered just Grenache, which was full of berries, and buttery tannins. Now they are offering a Bitch Bubbly, which is a Grenache Rose’ Sparkling. This wine hits the tongue with a burst of ripe strawberries, lingering citrus flavors, and tight bubbles. For the price, this is good stuff. I’ll let you guess who this reminds me of!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Top Wines of 2009

Before I get too far into this article I want to start with a disclaimer: These are my opinions and not some cold hard truths that come down from the wine gods. The wheels on the bus will not fall off if your favorite wine isn’t in here.

Last year this was the only article that I received hate mail and phone calls over. For some reason people felt that I had hurt their sensibilities because I didn’t mention their brand of White Zinfandel. Anyway, just relax and enjoy my picks for 2009.

Wine of the year - 2001 Garrison Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - No, the date is not a typo. Tucked away against the foothills of the Blue Mountains on the Washington side of the state border between Walla Walla and Milton Freewater is a beautifully constructed barn made out of imported slate, hand-hewn timbers, and gorgeous adornments. This is the home of Garrison Creek Winery. Available by appointment only, David March, the winemaker has bottled and is selling a limited supply of wine that will rock your socks. The 2001 vintage has had many years in the barrel and the bottle, making it one of the most fantastic Cabernets I’ve had in many years.

Best Chardonnay - Gordon Brothers 2006 Reserve Chardonnay – This is Chardonnay the way God intended it. Pears, apples, and melon on the nose and front of the palate, transitioning to the warm vanillas and baking spices associated with careful oaking on the finish. Absolutely delicious.

Best Red Blend - 2007 Fidelitas M100 Red Blend - Charlie Hoppes continues to prove why he is considered to be the region’s most sought after winemaker. This affordable blend simply “rocks”. Flavors of vanilla, cassis, chocolate, and dark fruit from start to finish.

Best Rose’ - 2008 Barnard Griffin Rose’ of Sangiovese - It isn’t rose season, but I have fond memories of this particular bottle from this year’s stock. You might be able to find it in a few specialty shops, but Rob is already working on his 2009 to be released sometime in the next few months.

Best White Blend – 2008 Saviah Cellars Star Meadows – Last year I named this winemaker the number one winemaker of the year. I still have to say that Rich Funk still tops the list. His 2008 Star Meadows is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semmilon, which brings out layers upon layers of citrus, apricot, and floral flavors.

Best Merlot – 2006 Pepper Bridge Merlot - This is one of the toughest years in recent memory for me in making this decision. A lot of absolutely fantastic Merlots have been coming from this region in the past few years. Jean Francois Pellet holds the top notch with this vintage. It has intense flavors of plum, currants, and cherries, with layers of chocolate and spice.

Winemaker to watch – Kontos Cellars 2006 Boushey Syrah - There aren’t a lot of winemakers in the region who were raised in the winemaking business, but Cameron Kontos is one of them. Following his father, Cliff Kontos of Walla Walla Cellars, Cameron has gone on to further refine his skills under Marie Eve Gilla of Forgeron over the past few years. 2009 was a fantastic year for Cameron. He and his brother Chris opened Kontos Cellars this year at the Walla Walla Incubator, and just a few months later he married the love of his life Becca. His Boushey Syrah earned a 91 from Robert Parker, and is absolutely fantastic! It opens with layers of peppercorn, bacon, and roses, soon followed by dark berries and truffles. The finish is long and satisfying.

I wish you all happiness and success in 2010!

Fidelitas Wines Consistently Good

In every industry there is someone who just simply hits it out of the ballpark every time. You know that person. They are the one with the Midas touch. No matter what they do, no matter what they produce, it is always just simply better than the others. People try to imitate their style or their products, but can never create at the same level that they do. These people are simply artisans of their craft.

One such person is Charlie Hoppes, the owner and winemaker for Fidelitas Winery. I’ve known and followed Charlie for years. I’ve even sat behind him in church on Sundays. Not that I’m a stalker. We just happen to live somewhat parallel lives.

What impresses me consistently about Charlie and his winemaking is his clean and no nonsense approach to the business. Every bottle, whether highly acclaimed or his quiet work as an advisor to other wineries, is absolutely beautiful. There is no “just bottle it” mentality that you see with other vintners. If it isn’t Charlie’s best, you aren’t going to taste it.

The other thing you’ll soon note about Charlie, once you get to meet and know him, is that he is a genuinely nice and sincere person. His word is as good as his wine.

Last week I attended a tasting at the AVA Wine Room in Kennewick that featured several Fidelitas wines. For a small fee of $20 we enjoyed four different Fidelitas wines and hors d’ vores. A fifth wine, his newest vintage of Merlot, was poured as a thank you gift from Charlie and appreciated by all.

We started the tasting with the 2007 Semillon. This clean, dry Semillon is simply beautiful. Multiple layers of citrus and floral scents and flavors lead to a wonderfully crisp finish. Perfect with soft cheeses, salads, or spicy foods.

The first red we sampled was the 2005 “Eight” Syrah. Eight is Charlie’s selection of his best eight barrels of Syrah from each vintage. Highly limited in production, and truly divine, the 2005 Eight features flavors of bright cherry, raspberry, and licorice. If you like really good Syrah, you better get this one while it lasts. The 2005 is Charlie’s finale to Syrah, never to be made again.

The 2006 Columbia Valley Cabernet is a perfect example of what Columbia Valley fruit is supposed to offer. Flavors of Black Cherry and Licorice fill the mouth. A gentle mouthfeel and long tannins on the finish.

Next, we enjoyed the 2006 Ciel Du Cheval Cabernet. Just awarded a Wine Spectator “94”, the Ciel has a wonderful palate of blueberries, cola, and dark chocolate. This bottle was absolutely fantastic!

Last, we enjoyed a special treat of Fidelitas 2005 Columbia Valley Merlot. Dark stone fruit flavors, black cherry, mocha, and cassis fill the palate. A delicate and long lasting finish with just enough tannin to balance the fruit make this wine a favorite of mine. Yum!!

If you want to try any of these wines, I know that they are fully distributed in both Pendleton and Hermiston. You can pick them up at any of the local wine shops, and at several of the finer dining establishments.

Enjoy!

New Vintages Rolling Out Of Area Wineries

Hooray! We are now in one of my very favorite times of the year. The bulbs are breaking through the soil. The days guarantee sunshine broken every few moments by torrential rains or even wet snow. Everything is just on the edge of coming out of winter hibernation. Most important to me is that the region’s wineries are releasing their new vintages and retiring the old ones.

At Terra Blanca, Keith & Renee Pilgrim just held their annual Onyx release weekend. If you haven’t ever attended this annual gala, I can truly tell you that you are missing out. Keith & Renee pull out all of the stops, sharing their wine with the public. This includes even their special library wines at unbelievable prices.

My wife and I had a wonderful time at the winery’s Onyx dinner. The entire meal, catered by Leo’s Blue Moon, was entirely paired with red wines, which I considered brilliant!

I was very impressed with the 2005 Onyx. Keith makes every other vintage immediately drinkable, opposed to a vintage that must lay down a few years. This year’s Onyx is a little tight in the bottle, but with a little swirling of the glass opened up beautifully with plenty of stone fruit and spice, slight tones of lavender, leather, and a wonderful balance of tannin.

Charlie Hoppes has also released his newest vintage of Fidelitas M100 and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. I ran into Charlie the other night at a tasting, and enjoyed several wines from his portfolio from his Semillon to his 2004 Malbec.

The 2007 Fidelitas M100 is named after Hoppe’s Grandmother Mary who was honored with the label on her 100th birthday a few years ago. Mary’s name lives on with this amazing Bordeaux blend. Filled with beautiful, jammy plum and dark fruit flavors, laced lightly with cedar and smoke. This new vintage is every bit as drinkable as it is affordable.

The Fidelitas 2006 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is another of Hoppe’s amazingly artistic treats. His steadfast dedication to Bordeaux wines is clearly evident by the way he continues to make really good Cab. Like the 2005, I was impressed with the flavors of black cherry, blackberries, and licorice. It has a long, lingering finish with a beautiful balance of fruit and tannin.

Fidelitas 2006 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon fills the nose with blackberries and herbs. This dark, rich wine shows all of the best of the LaTour and Windrow vineyards that the grapes were sourced from. I especially enjoyed the long finish and silky mouthfeel.

The great thing about both of these wineries and their wines is that they are readily available throughout Eastern Oregon. You can find any of these vintages at local wine shops and establishments.