Quick Taste: Sentinel Oak Viognier

My supervisor Claire gave me two wines from Sentinel Oak vineyard; a Viognier and a Syrah. This vineyard is extremely local to our store location, and is 40 miles south east of Sacramento in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley. Because of their work to sustainably grow grapes of superior quality, their production is very small. So small in fact that the Syrah and Viognier are their only two current releases. I decided to save the Syrah for another night, and I poured the Viognier.

Formal tasting notes: this Viognier is floral and clean on the nose, with hints of pear. Bright crisp citrus on the palate, with an semi-dry finish. Would be a perfect accompaniment with fish or a salad.

Overall, a solid Viognier, but nothing spectacular.

Quick Taste: Mohua Sauvignon Blanc

Tonight we had a free wine tasting at the store, sampling two wines from Australia and New Zealand. The Australian Syrah was great! Smooth, nice spice, lingering finish. However, it was the Sauvignon Blanc that caught my attention! This New Zealand wine was beautiful and was a great price! At $11.99, this white wine had a beautiful nose, was full of fruit on the palate, and had a well balanced finish. It, in my opinion, far exceeded many of the domestic sauv blancs I have had. In one word, this wine was bright! Easy drinking, but not dull; perfect with a seafood dish or just by itself. I might have found my new favorite sauv blanc!

Tasting Notes: on the nose: PASSION FRUIT, citrus, some stone fruit. Melon and grapefruit on the palate. Nice lingering off dry finish. Beautiful!

Up coming posts: current book I'm reading and domaine laroque cab France

Quick Taste: Frisk Riesling 2010

Tonight I paired this 2010 Australian "prickly" Riesling with a spiral pasta, broccoli, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. This is the first Riesling I've had, and I enjoyed it! I was surprised that it was sweeter than I had expected, which is most likely a result of the 11% muscat gordo. The "prickly" elements of this wine made it especially clean for a light pasta dish, and I enjoyed the pairing.

Tasting Notes:
Lemon, pineapple, and some spice on the nose. Also a hint of minerality. On the palate, its quite mouth watering, with ginger, apple, and a refreshing "prickle"! Definitely a sweeter wine with a nice lingering finish!

Rare Red - 100% California Grapes!

Selling wine along with enjoying it, has been a strangely enlightening experience. Personally, I enjoy sauv blancs, pinot noirs, and a variety of red Italian blends. That is, in the 6 months that I have been drinking wine. When purchasing wine, I am always looking for something different, whether it’s a domestic wine for a great value or an imported varietal that I’ve never heard of before, I am always looking for a new experience.  However, as a wine seller, you begin to notice several types of wine buyers. Being from California and working near wine country, I encounter people who are solely looking for domestics, especially local ones. Then there are the customers who are completely open to any new and interesting wine that we suggest. I love hand selling in general, but the latter are usually the most talkative and provide the more fun interactions. Then there are the people who won't drink certain varietals or types of wine, whether it’s oaked Chardonnay, white wine, or blends. Then there are the customers who just want good, cheap, under ten dollars, bottles of wine; and are very serious about it as well. Recently, I have been most surprised at one wine in particular that seems to have captured the attention of these types of customers completely.

Rare Red claims to be a four grape blend, 100% California, retails for $6.99, and is flying off our shelves. I’m not completely sure why I’m so fascinated with this wine. I think it has to do with my perception of the typical wine buyer, focused on varietal, vintage, and value. But Rare Red has broadened my view of the average buyer. Further research on this wine has shown that it has been a great seller for about a year now. Some bottles have the varietal breakdown included on the label, however the bottles we sell do not. Customers are buying this bottle without knowing anything about the wine inside, only that it’s affordable. Whether these customers are of the younger generation of wine buyers, or wine lovers of the older generation; I don’t think it matters. People are buying it because it’s good and cheap. There’s no superiority or judgment.   Rare Red has shown that if a wine is good, drink it.