| Wine Tasting on Thursday
This Week!
Thursday, August 11
5-8pm
it's free. just stop in.
We'll be tasting these three:
Clos Robert 2009
From: Central Coast - Ukiah, CA
Ringing in at: 13.9% alcohol
Who is making this stuff? The owner used to work for the big guys, making crazy cheap wine. He decided that he's actually really good at going out and finding quality grapes at a very good price - as he knows the area...
What does it taste like? It's heavily pear & apple, hints of citrus & tropical fruits on the finish. It's medium-bodied with a nice round palate. There's some minerality in there but not a lot of oak. 92% of the grapes that are from Santa Barbara (Central Coast) are stainless steel fermented and allowed to go through malolactic fermentation (where you get the roundness from). The other 8% of the grapes are from the North Coast, and are barrel fermented. The owner says, "I do not believe in over-oaking Chardonnay, but want the result to be like a lean Meursault."
$11.75
Travis Chardonnay 2009
From: Livermore, CA
Ringing in at: 14% alcohol
Who is making this stuff? The people at this small winery, just about 1hour from San Francisco are thankful for their moderate climate and cool nights! Because of this and their sustainable farming practices, Travis' wines are an amazing value and deliver a true reflection of ripe, aromatic, cool-climate California Chardonnay
What does it taste like? This wine remains really concentrated with fruits of peach, pear, nectarine and exotic fruit aromas on the nose. Because this Chardonnay is unfiltered & unoaked & undergoes no malolactic fermentation - all these processes help keep it bright and racy with good acidity. Rich and slightly yet lively on the palate, with excellent natural acidity, this is not your mother's Chardonnay!
$17.75 Rodet Macon-Villages 2008
From: Burgundy, France
Ringing in at: somewhere between 11 & 14% alcohol
Who is making this stuff? Well, the French are! If you've got your wine geography down, you'll know this but if not, here's a great really quick lesson about French wine. French wines almost always say their 'place' name as the title on the bottle. For some, this along with the sheer boring factor of the labels make many shy away  from French wines of any color. This is unfortunate actually...because French wines can be so amazing, even at the lower price points. As with all wines, you just need to know what you're looking for. This bottle has what I call wide hips which signifies that it's a Burgundy bottle. Almost all white wines from the Burgundy region are Chardonnay. This one in fact is 100% Chardonnay. The name Macon-Villages designated the village of Burgundy from which the wine must be grown and bottled.
What does it taste like? Without getting into too many details, this wine will likely change how you think about Chardonnay. It's not cloyingly buttery and barrel oaked, no sir. It's beautifully rounded and while it is slightly toasty, with a hint of almond and honey on the nose, it also has aromas of fresh peach, with hints of pineapple and citrus. I love how this wine ends on a tropical fruit note, not the heavy laden buttered oil slick that can be called Chardonnay.
$17.25 | 
