Tag Archives: Sonoma

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2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County, Buena Vista

You should always cap off a day of wine tasting with a good wine–the 2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County is assuredly one of those. It’s a dark, spicy red blend from my favorite winery and culls grapes from AVAs throughout Sonoma County into one fantastic wine. This was a birthday gift and came out to play just this weekend.

2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

This vintage is mix of Petite Sirah (30%), Cabernet Sauvignon (29%), Syrah (18%), Grenache (12%), and Malbec (11%)–what I’ve heard termed a “kitchen sink” wine by more experienced tasters because of the mash-up. It’s hefty, and I do not mean just the special bottle. The glass, adorned with this badge thing, is the heaviest bottle I’ve ever tasted and almost instills some gravitas into the tasting experience. What I mean is the actual wine itself. The Sirah/Syrah is very much present in this wine, an undercurrent beneath a rich Cabernet/Merlot layer. It is really magnificent and a worthy successor to the Caymus that I sampled just hours beforehand.

Last night the Sheriff accompanied bacon-wrapped filet mignon steaks, sizzled to perfection on hot NC evening, and sides of potato and salad. Tonight the 2013 complemented mixed salad greens (including freshly chopped basil that is fighting hard against some hearty sun…and getting some good love along its journey), waxed beans, and a couple of pork chops grilled up to taste and also accented with crushed black pepper and basil.

Say the Buena Vista folks, “Inspiring dark red fruit aromatics arrest the senses while rich raspberry, blackberry, and semi-sweet chocolate flavors are deliciously unleashed on the palate.” Yup, good friends all, those flavors, and accurately described.

Screen Shot 2016-06-12 at 4.16.22 PMThe winemaker explains they have sourced the grapes from Rockville, Dry Creek Valley, and Alexander Valley in the 2013 The Sheriff of Sonoma County. I understand that it’s performed very well in competition and with reviewers, and this guy is no exception. It’s my second Sheriff of this year (neglected to post Notes on the first…story for another time…) and I’m truly appreciative of the gift and wish I had saved more to share. Fun beverage to write about, and even better to drink.

 

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2013 The Count’s Selection Syrah, Buena Vista

As the sun drops lower in the sky, so too does this thoroughly enjoyable bottle of the 2013 The Count’s Selection Syrah, from my favorite winery. It’s a reminder of another time, other adventures, and memories that are nearly a decade in age.

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2013 The Count’s Selection Syrah, Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma, California, USA.

Often I look for news of Buena Vista in the pages of Wine Enthusiast, a tasting note or accolade that California’s oldest premium winery (1857) may have engendered from some competition or critic. It’s not often that the Sonoma winery is covered in the pages of that magazine but I look nevertheless, probably for some affirmation that others enjoy Buena Vista offerings as much as I do. I look not for validation but a shared experience, a shared enjoyment of their approach to winemaking.

This one is bottle #1365, finished as you may gather on a bright, sunny Carolina Sunday. The 2013 Count’s Selection Syrah accompanies steak, Brussel sprouts, and a mashed potato (with just the right lumps and consistency). This wine has some great leather and pepper hints to it, both in the glass and to the taste, and plenty of dark fruits that carry those earthy notes to the taster.

The first glass in always my favorite in a syrah, and this one is no exception. The worst? That’s easy too–your last one.

 

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2014 Meiomi Chardonnay

Meiomi wine has been exceptionally good to us lately. This evening is another instance that echoes recent bottles we have had, both whites and reds, and I would encourage you to browse any of those reviews for context. It’s our first sampling of the 2014 vintage, and we picked a great meal with which to pair this aromatic white wine.

2014 Meiomi Chardonnay, California, USA.

2014 Meiomi Chardonnay, California, USA.

The food? Killer. A moonshot home run. You’re looking at a 2014 Meiomi Chardonnay next to Cod Kedgeree served over basmati rice, eggs, and frizzled onion. The lime garnish was a great touch too, softening the curry spices (a blend of kedgeree spices) and bringing some light refreshment to the dish. The result, courtesy of Blue Apron and a fun evening in the kitchen doing the prep work, was a mix of warm and cool, of spice and sweet. I’m not sure I’ve had a Chardonnay under better circumstances, all told.

The cod kedgeree in the prep stage.

The cod kedgeree in the prep stage.

As shared in previous Notes regarding Meiomi, the winemaker sources these grapes from multiple AVAs throughout California and brings them together in a proprietary blend. There is some orange in the aromas, some other citrus fruits, and a luscious mouthfeel. It sounds weird to observe that it tastes liquid, or solid, but both kind of make sense as I reflect back on the 2014 now. Some thoughtful planning had two bottles of the 2014 on hand as we started in on this adventure, and when we finished the first we had #2 primed and ready.

Though we do prefer the 2013 to the 2014 Meiomi, the latter made for quite a fantastic dining (cooking too!) experience.

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2014 Meiomi Pinot Noir

I’m of two minds on the Meiomi Pinot Noir. On one hand, this wine is ubiquitous in wine stores across the U.S., and Notes has covered it on several prior occasions. So has the mainstream wine media, and writing about this wine feels almost passe.

On the other hand, it’s friggin’ great. This is the 2014 vintage of a Pinot Noir that just might be my second favorite. I’m tempted to look back on all the Pinots we’ve covered here for the sake of comparison, and I know it’s solidly placed on the list behind only my favorite Buena Vista offerings.

2014 Meiomi Pinot Noir, California, USA.

2014 Meiomi Pinot Noir, California, USA.

Its black and red berry scents, much richer than a typical Pinot, help set it apart right away. It’s more than just the light strawberry you often get, the whiff of vanilla, in a less polished Pinot. Joe Wagner culls fruit from three different California counties to weave together blackberries, cherries, and a little something leathery in the 2014 Meiomi. Oh yeah, and it does still have some soft notes of strawberry and vanilla if you’re into such things. We had the Meiomi with steaks and asparagus, and worked our way right through the wine.

Santa Barbara, Sonoma, and Monterey all share a role in this very successful outcome. I’m sure that certain high-brow wine folks look down on the Meiomi for its mass production, but it’s a great thing that the Wagners have found a way to combine exquisite tastes with affordability in this bottle. Who likes an elitist, anyways?

For the vineyard’s own tasting notes, simply click here–and enjoy. As for us? We’re on next to Valentine’s Day and another Meiomi.

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2013 Chardonnay, Meiomi Wines

The Meiomi Pinot Noir gets a lot of attention from wine enthusiasts (this one included), and for good reason. It’s a fantastic wine, and it is well represented in Notes if you wanted to search for such reviews. What I didn’t know was that Wagner also had a comparable white blend in their Chardonnay.

2013 Meiomi Chardonnay, Meoimi Wines

2013 Meiomi Chardonnay, Meoimi Wines, St. Helena, California, USA.

The Meiomi Chardonnay (this one is obviously a 2013) is, like their red, a blend of grapes sourced from Santa Barbara (49%), Sonoma (30%), and Monterrey (21%) coastal counties. That mixture infuses a wide variety of interesting tastes in this white, which is not overly oaky  or buttery but rather characterized by some crisp apple-like fruits and some mineral undertones. Not quite what you’d expect from a wine that does some time aging in French oak. My wife and I both enjoyed, which is pretty high praise if you know us.

Thus did the 2013 Meiomi Chardonnay launch our house into Friday evening, the end of the year’s first work week. The stemware was ready and served up our drinks during the cocktail hour as well as during dinner–which consisted of two types of ravioli. Delicious dinner and wine for us both*.

My wife picked out this bottle, and we are likely to put it more frequently in the rotation over the coming year with pasta, fish, and the helluv it. Hope you enjoy yours as much as we did.

*Note that mine also consisted of more Wagner family wine. 

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2013 Geza’s Selection Pinot Noir, Buena Vista

It’s New Year’s Eve, right on the verge of 2016, and a perfect time for a double dose of great beverages–we’re celebrating here with the 2013  Geza’s Selection Pinot Noir, and with my wife’s favorite champagne. That‘s how you ring in the new year!

2013 Geza's Selection Pinot Noir, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

2013 Geza’s Selection Pinot Noir, Buena Vista, Sonoma County, California, USA.

Friends and long-time readers of Notes of Note may recall that Buena Vista wines and Veuve Cliquot have both made prior appearances for such occasions. They are fantastic examples of the craft, grapes that cost more than the norm (at least for our modest household) and taste better too. We are pouring amply and with big smiles; we hope to make it to midnight.

The staff at Buena Vista describes this offering from their cellar as follows: “A beautiful ruby color in the glass, this Pinot Noir opens with floral aromas and hits of raspberries and dusty herbs. Flavors of wild plum and brambleberries are accented by hints of pepper and rich chocolate.” If you’re one of those people who says you can’t tell the difference between a $10 wine and a $40 bottle, the 2013 Geza’s Selection is your proof. Numbered bottle or not, you know the quality in this Pinot Noir as soon as you smell and sip this bad boy.

And what of the food? It’s about new experiences for us…including potato pinwheels topped with sour cream, bacon, and green onions (pictured), and a delicious tuna nacho dish. This my bride adapted from a recent meal she’d had out in the city (before the Amy Schumer show) and featured fresh seared tuna and a wasabi mustard mix. It sort of has an aioli bite to it, and we enjoyed both dishes thoroughly. Hopefully both are indicative of good things for us in the year ahead.

Happy New Year everyone!

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2012 Simi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

The Alexander Valley I’ve “visited” on several previous occasions. Among the 30 or so vineyards of this Sonoma County AVA are Clos du Bois, Francis Ford Coppola, Rodney Strong, and Simi Winery–who produced this bold 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon.

2012 Simi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

2012 Simi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA.

Tonight this Cab accompanied black and blue bacon cheeseburgers, tossed beds of greens with mustard, and crispy crowns potatoes. The blackberry flavors, tinged with subtle inferences of spice, were a juicy accent to the burgers. The Simi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon smelled almost tart in the glass, but its actual finish was far gentler and more even than its nose suggested. My wife expressed this idea far more eloquently than I am here but, like this enjoyable bottle of red, her words were fleeting and I have lost them to time and space.

Here’s how the vineyard conveyed: “Balanced flavors of red and black fruits, smooth tannins, and soft spice give way to a velvety finish.” They used fruit from Los Amigos and Red Fan, and other Alexander Valley Vineyards (e.g., Encinos, Big River, Hoot Owl Creek, and Belle Terre) to develop the final flavors in this Cabernet, which is actually a red blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Malbec. (It’s the Malbec and Verdot that convey the spices, if you’re curious…)

Last couple things: the grapes fermented 32 days in stainless steel (on the skins) and ultimately aged 16 months in small oak barrels–releasing in June of 2014. It’s a good value for the price, and the 2012 Simi Cab should be readily available in your local wine store. I’d pick up another and recommend you do the same.