This year international Chardonnay Day is scheduled for May 21, 2020. We were invited to attend a virtual tasting of six Pacific Coast Chardonnays by six wineries. This Zoom tasting event was organized by Colangelo & Partners PR. The event was sponsored by Jackson Family Wines. We received a shipment of six Chardonnays, two from wineries in Oregon and four from wineries in California. The wines represented in the tasting included:

2017 Gran Moraine Chardonnay, Yamhill Carlton AVA
2017 Willa Kenzie Estate Chardonnay, Yamhill Carlton AVA
2018 Freemark Abbey Chardonnay Napa Valley – Los Carneros AVA
2018 Maggy Hawk Chardonnay, Skycrest Vineyard Anderson Valley AVA
2017 Stonestreet Estate Chardonnay, Alexander Valley AVA
2017 Brewer – Clifton Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills AVA

We met on Zoom with other writers from mostly the east and west coasts of the United States. The tasting was led by Master Sommelier Thomas Price, who organized the tasting geographically. The Zoom tasting was very laid back and it was nice to see the different attendees.

In 2011 the Wine Bloggers Conference took place in Virginia. One of the keynote speakers, Eric Asimov challenged the attendees to write creatively about wines. It was at that conference that I began writing haikus for wine descriptions. For this Chardonnay wine tasting, I decided to write both traditional wine notes and haikus. 

Pacific Coast Chardonnay Tasting Haikus

2017 Gran Moraine Chardonnay, Yamhill Carlton AVA

A Gran Moraine Chard
With velvety fruit salad
Fruit to mineral.

2017 Willa Kenzie Estate Chardonnay, Yamhill Carlton AVA

Fruity with oak hint.
Willa Kenzie Chardonnay
Want another glass.

2018 Freemark Abbey Chardonnay Napa Valley – Los Carneros AVA

A velvety Chard
Freemark Abbey three vineyards
Blended and fruity.

2018 Maggy Hawk Chardonnay, Skycrest Vineyard Anderson Valley AVA

Fruity, easy drink
Maggy Hawk Chardonnay wine
Where is the seafood?

2017 Stonestreet Estate Chardonnay, Alexander Valley AVA

Thinking fruit salad
Stonestreet Estate Chardonnay
Easy drinking wine.

2017 Brewer – Clifton Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills AVA

Fruity wine not oak
Brewer Clifton Chardonnay
Easy drinking Chard.

I do not write haikus for every wine tasting. Usually I write them once or twice a year. These Chardonnays were impressive and I was actually able to taste the grape. Kathy and I will add additional posts about these Chardonnays and the wineries.

Cheers,
Terry

Sometimes wine drinkers experience a partially filled bottle of wine after opening it. On occasions we have had an opened bottle of wine sitting on our kitchen counter for over a week. More often white than red, since many of the unused red wines end up in our wine vinegar crock. Although this is unusual, it does happen. What if we could pour the unused wine into a container and have it last for a week?

We received a Savino Enthusiast wine carafe from Savino to try (retail $29.95). We generally drink more red wine than white wine; I decided to try a white wine to see what the wine would be like over a week. The week extended an extra day so our results are for eight days. The Savino website suggests that a wine will stay fresh for up to a week. We pushed that timeframe a bit. 

For a white wine we chose a 2017 Palffy Juhfark that we brought back from a trip to Hungary. This white grape is indigenous to Hungary and is a Vitis vinifera grape. On the first day of tasting the wine, we noted that it had a light yellow color with a straw hue. This color did not change over the eight days the wine was in the Savino. The aroma on the first day was floral and fruity. The taste was reminiscent of daisies, citrus, yellow stone fruit and a hint of pear. The mouthfeel was silky and the wine had a medium body. The finish was crisp. The wine had a long aftertaste.

Three days later, we tasted the wine again with most of the same results. The color and aroma were the same as the first day and we felt the taste was very fresh with daisies, citrus, yellow stone fruit and a hint of pear. In addition to the crisp finish, we noticed a bit of mineral on the finish. The wine had an extremely long aftertaste.

Eight days later we finished the wine. There were more changes in the wine by the eighth day, but the wine was still enjoyable. The color was the same as it was on the first day. We did notice a slight lessening of the aroma. On the taste, pear was more dominant and the citrus and yellow stone fruit were in the background. The taste was still smooth and the wine still retained its medium body. The fruit forward finish was a little diminished but still there. The wine continued to have a long aftertaste.

Savino Enthusiast wine carafe lived up to our expectations. If you are looking for an unusual gift, perhaps for Mother’s Day, consider a Savino carafe. The company has two carafes. The Savino Enthusiast is made of plastic while the Savino Connoisseur is made of glass and retails for $49.95. How does this carafe work?

There are three parts to the carafe. The body holds a 750 ml bottle of wine. Over the wine you place a float. Since the float literally floats on the wine’s surface, as the volume of the wine in the carafe lessens, the float goes down. There is also a lid to the carafe that you insert and slightly turn. The system helps keep oxygen away from the wine’s surface. Although the carafe and parts are dishwasher safe, it was easy to clean by hand. To serve the wine, remove the lid and just pour the wine. The float does not impede the wine below it as it turns direction to allow the wine to flow. 

This is a nice carafe to keep on the counter or in the refrigerator. It works well in keeping a white wine fresh. We will have to try a rosé and a red wine.

Cheers,
Terry

Four generations of the Einaudi family have crafted wines. I had an opportunity to taste three Barolos from their portfolio at the Barolo, Brunello, Barbaresco tasting in Washington DC last month. The tasting was organized by Empson USA. Poderi Luigi Einaudi was established by Luigi Einaudi in 1897 in the Dogliani in the province of Cuneo. Luigi originally sold the grapes until 1915 when he had the cellars built and began to make and sell wine. Luigi Einaudi served as President of the Italian Republic from 1948 – 1955.

Today the estate is under direction of Luigi’s great grandson Matteo Sardagna Einaudi. The winery has 63 hectares (156 acres) of grapevines planted that totals 358 acres in several areas. 

Wines

The 2016 Barolo “Cannubi” DOCG was made with Nebbiolo grapes from the Cannubi Cru. The vineyard soil is composed of gray white marne of Sant’Agata which consists of 55% clay, 30% sand and 15% limestone. The fermentation and maceration time took a bit over three weeks. The wine was then racked to large barrels where it aged for thirty months. Afterwards the wine continued to age in bottles. This Barolo had a translucent garnet color. Cherries and flowers were noted on the aroma. The taste offered cherries, violets and some baking spices. The wine had a silky mouthfeel and was full bodied with bold tannins. Fruit and spices were on the finish.

The 2016 Barolo “Ludo” DOCG was a blend of Nebbiolo from three crus: Cannubi, Terlo and Bussia. Fermentation and maceration lasted for 16 days. Half of the wine aged in large oak barrels for 30 months, while the other half aged in barriques for 18 months then racked to large barrels for an additional year. After bottling, the wine aged for 8-9 months before being released. The wine had a translucent garnet color with a perfume and cherry aroma. The taste included violets and cherries along with tobacco and baking spices. The velvety wine was medium/full bodied and had bold tannins. The finish was fruity and spicy.

The 2016 Barolo Terlo “Vigna Costa Grimaldi” DOCG was crafted with Nebbiolo grapes from the Costa Grimaldi vineyard in the Terlo cru. The vineyard was composed of a marly- calcareous soil. The fermentation/maceration lasted for 24 days. Thirty months of aging took place in large oak barrels followed by 8-9 months in bottles. The wine had a translucent garnet color with a sienna hue. Perfume and red berries were on the aroma. The taste included cherries, red raspberries and licorice. The velvety mouthfeel was accompanied by bold tannins on the full bodied wine. The finish had fruit and spice notes.

Poderi Luigi Einaudi offers three different winery tour experiences ranging in times from 90 minutes to 150 minutes. If you enjoy Barolos try one from Poderi Luigi Einaudi.

Cheers,
Terry