2012 - The Year In Review

Given the lack of activity in this blog one might think little to no wine passed my lips in the past twelve months. That would be wrong. 2012 was a busy year. Lots of wine was consumed and notes taken but the real highlights were the trips afield. In February there was a cruise on Holland America down into Mexico. I have grown to like cruises. What I don’t like are the wine prices onboard. I try to embark with as much wine as I think is needed even if it means enlisting fellow travelers as mules. This is not necessary with Holland America as they allow a generous personal wine allotment. I also like to do cruises with my mother-in-law. She needs to be taken onboard in a wheelchair which means that I get her walker. So if you are ever going on a cruise and you see a little old lady being wheeled up the gangplank followed by a guy pushing a walker loaded down with at least one case of wine, you will have found me! Say Hi. I might share a bottle with you.

May found me in Granada, Spain on a work related trip. Andalusia, specifically in the southwest, is sherry country. Through the good graces of Classical Wines I was able to organize a tasting for our little group at Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana. In what was to be a recurring theme for 2012 I had come down with a head cold which meant my appreciation of the wines was limited but I must applaud the generosity of Senor Hidalgo (6th generation winemaker) for making time to give us a guided tour and unbelievable barrel tasting of his outstanding sherries. Also of note during our trip was the availability of inexpensive aged wines in several restaurants. Spain definitely stays on the wine Bucket List for the future.

To celebrate my 60th birthday in June we took a short trip to Santa Barbara which turned out to be partly a reliving of Sideways the movie, and partly new discoveries. We took the train, conveniently bypassing the LA freeways, to Santa Barbara with the soundtrack of Sideways playing in our heads. With a hire car we based ourselves in the unique little village of Solvang and enjoyed dining à la Miles and Jack at the Hitching Post II and the Los Olivos Café; and yes, Miranda did have a glass of F^#k!&g Merlot. We also had dinner at the Ballard Inn in Santa Ynez and tasted at many excellent wineries that didn’t get the nod from Sideways. But the real discovery was the Wine Ghetto in Lompoc. A bunch of wineries in a Lompoc industrial park with the finest being Piedrasassi; they even had a friendly Standard Poodle!

In October we did a road trip to UC Davis, where Miranda’s highlight was to celebrate her 30 year class Reunion. For me a highlight of the Davis trip was, you guessed it, wine. The Dean’s Office at UC Davis arranged for us to take a personal tour of the new Robert Mondavi Wine and Culinary Institute and Good Life Garden. Continuing the benefits of being married to a good woman we then stayed with a long time veterinary friend of Miranda’s and her winemaker husband in Sonoma, and then on to Mt Veeder overlooking the Napa Valley with Miranda’s cherished old friends Ridgie and Buttons. We visited wineries in Napa, Sonoma and the Anderson Valley and yes, for several days I had a head cold and could smell absolutely nothing. But when my nose began to work I really appreciated the discount that winemakers offer each other and we filled Miranda’s little Subaru with three cases of wine! Most memorable were sampling wine at various stages of fermentation at Russian Hill Estate Winery, and a visit to Lagier Meredith, the smallest mountain vineyard in Napa which is only reached by traversing an (almost) death defying switchback one lane road. Outstanding wines, especially their Syrah. Worth every stomach clenching curve. Carole Meredith told us a little trivia about Precious Bane, their recently released excellent Syrah fortified. Its named after a novel written by Mary Webb, the great aunt of Carole Meredith. A character in the book is named Jancis Beguildy. And the parents of a very well know wine writer/critic named their child after her - Jancis Robinson!

On the way back down to San Diego we also dropped in to a few, but nowhere enough, wineries in Paso Robles. This is one region I need to revisit for several days. There are great examples of Syrah in Paso, like the 2005 McPrice Myers Les Galets Vineyard Syrah that I am sipping as I type. Richly complex and still a pup at 7. Who said 15%+ wines have no aging potential.

What does 2013 hold for Shiraz? Stay tuned because February will find us in Australia on a wine tour of Victoria, specifically Rutherglen, and the Barossa and Clare Valley regions of South Australia. Then in April we will again visit Davis and hopefully there will be time to visit a few wineries in Napa, Sonoma and Anderson Valley. Who knows maybe I’ll blog a little about these wine adventures.

Off to the Land of Wonder, the Land Downunder

Our annual trip to Australia is occurring a little earlier than usual. Real early, like tomorrow. If we have picked our QANTAS flights correctly we should be boarding the A380 Airbus some time after 10pm at LAX for the 14 plus hour flight. This year our wine exposure is a little more ambitious than in the past. A two week road trip visiting six wine regions in three different states. The trip will start in Dubbo, NSW where Miranda and I will be joined by my cousin Ngaire and her husband Chris. First stop will be the cool climate wine area around Orange sampling wines from Canobolas-Smith, Mayfield, and Printhie. Then it will be off to The Falls for a relaxing dinner (and wine) and a good nights rest.

The second day was to be visits to selected wineries in the Hilltops and Canberra regions. But Chalkers Crossing at Young have told us they won’t be open and the Canberra wineries are holding their Wine, Roses, and All that Jazz celebration. So all we hope to achieve is to fight our way through the crowds so that we can taste whatever Clonakilla has on offer that weekend.

It may be fate that the second day promises little wine as the next two as sure to hold some of the highlights of the trip. Why? One word, Rutherglen. Well OK, four words. Rutherglen and fortified wines. For those who don’t know, Rutherglen is the epicenter of fortified wine in Australia, and the wines they make there are among the best in the world. And we get to visit the big guns like Chambers, Morris, Buller, and Campbells. And we will also drop by Warrabilla to taste the big, bold wines of Andrew Sutherland Smith. This should be two days of wine heaven.

To recover from all that alcohol we will spend the next two days traveling along most of the Murray River from Albury to Murray Bridge. We will be driving through a number of wine regions (Goulburn Valley, Swan Hill, Murray Darling, Riverland) as we motor alongside the Murray, but apart from accommodation in Swan Hill and Loxton we won’t be stopping because the next wine region on the itinerary is McLaren Vale. Tastings have been organized at Arakoon, Kay Brothers, d’Arenberg, and Mollydooker. A highlight will be a BBQ with Roger Pike and the chance to taste his Marius wines as we look out over his vineyards. We had hoped to stop by the Redheads Studio and Samuel’s Gorge but I guess they are too busy making and selling wine to answer my email request for a tasting appointment!

The next region is that little known wine making area, the Barossa Valley. We will taste at Winter Creek, Trevor Jones, and Teusner, and then recover over dinner at Vintners Bar and Grill with several winemakers. The next day will see us at Seppeltsfield. Miranda and I visit this grand old place every time we are in the Barossa, but this time it will be special as we will be tasting the wines under new ownership. Diggers Buff, Hobbs and Tim Smith will also be letting us sample their wines.

On the next day we will visit our last Barossa winery, Dutschke, before heading up to Clare Valley and tastings at Kilikanoon, Neagles Rock, Pikes and Paulett. Then it will be back to Dubbo via Broken Hill because its always good to get a little bit of the reality of the outback under your belt before you return to the maddening pace of southern California.

Your Chance to Influence My Wine Drinking

Our annual trip to Oz in early November is in the planning stages. This year its going to be somewhat of a marathon endeavor because we want to see what is left of the Murray River (at least the part that still has water) and so we plan on a road trip visiting NSW, Vic and SA. Naturally wineries will be on the agenda and I’ve put the early list below. We usually aim for about 4 wineries a day simply because I try to organize to spend a couple of hours with the winemaker/cellar door staff to talk about the wines; rather then just belly up to the bar for a few sips and talk about the weather.

There are gaps in the list, especially for Orange and Canberra; and the Clare list is probably too heavy with red wine makers. So if you feel like adding a few names, and the reason why you think we should visit, please do. (NOTE: The numbering is not in any order of preference and we haven't yet make enquiries to the wineries so its not a list of the order we will visit either.)

Orange wineries
1) Canobolas-Smith
2)
3)

Canberra wineries
1) Clonakilla
2)
3)
4)

Rutherglen wineries
1) Buller and Son
2) Campbells
3) Chambers
4) Morris
5) Stanton & Killen

McLaren Vale wineries
1) Marius
2) Mollydooker
3) d’Arenberg
4) Redheads Studio
5) Mitolo

Barossa wineries (Day 1)
1) Dutschke
2) Trevor Jones
3)
4)

Barossa wineries (Day2)
1) Seppeltsfield
2) Tuesner
3) Winter Creek
4) Red Nectar

Clare wineries
1) Kilikanoon
2) Neagles Rock
3) Tim Adams
4) Pike
5) Jim Barry