First North American Wine Bloggers Conference

Pushing the comfort zone.

I like to think about what I write.

Like Randy Rhoads chiseling out each note of the guitar solo, I mull over words and phrasing.

You can’t do that here. 5 minutes to listen to the spiel, taste and write and publish.

No time or opportunity for introspection. You get what I get.

First North American Wine Bloggers Conference

The wine has arrived.

A “Sustainable Wine bottle” Yellow + Blue = Green

2007 Argentine Malbec. ($11-$12 for a 1 liter Tetra-Pac.)

Dark berry and cassis aromas with notes of cedar. Slight bod with bright acids. A bit astringent and tangy on the end for some. Good everyday wine.

First North American Wine Bloggers Conference

The wine has arrived.

Sean Minor’s 2006 Four Bears Napa Valley Cabernet

The mantra for this brand is to keep their wines under $20, but this $17 wine is nice with good typicity and interesting spice notes. Cherry and cedar with some brown spice and cigar notes, it scintillates in the mouth with silky tannins and good acidity.

Very food friendly and an excellent value.

First North American Wine Bloggers Conference

The wine has arrived.

Kanzler Vineyards, 2007 barrel sample.

Voluptuous. Probably over 14.5% ABV. A blend of Dijon 115, 667 and Pommard 4.

The 667 is dominating here with dark cherry, sassafrass and other subtle spices. Soft and lightly sweet with a nice peppery note on the back. Creamy finish with a sweet note.

First North American Wine Bloggers Conference

The wine has arrived.

From Cupcake Vineyards comes a 2007 central coast Chardonnay sourced from Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Livermore.

Clean, lots of sur lie and oak fermentation. Tropical and some lemon and creme brulee. Fairly clean and good acidity with a creamy character in the mouth.

First North American Wine Bloggers Conference

The wine has arrived.

Small Vines Wines 2006 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Three year old producer making pinot from high-density planting.

Big on malolactic characteristics, aged in 36% new oak. This single-vineyard wine (due to be released in a month) is a field blend of four Dijon clones (115, 114, 667, 777) grown biodynamically. This wine is too buttery and creamy for my tastes. It dominates the armoas for me. Smooth and quite soft in the mouth this is a drink-now social sipper.

First North American Wine Bloggers Conference

The wine has arrived.
Twisted Oak 2006 The Spaniard (grenache, tempranillo, mourvedre and graciano)

Form Calaveras County, this wine is bursting with berries, peppery spices and leather notes. Rich and opulent, with smooth tannins it ends briary note.
This is a red meat eater’s wine.

I am not sure after one taste for how long this may be laid down.