Report: Livermore Left Intact

Might I pat myself on the back for introducing yet another wine tasting virgin to my scene. We three girls had a fabulous time exploring my new favorite part of the East Bay: lunching, wine-ing, and enjoying the fantastic Livermore sunshine!

We started off with a delicious lunch at Wente's restaurant. We ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (not Wente's-- is that a faux pas? Oh well.) and it was hands down the best Sauvignon Blanc I have had in a really, really long time. Brophy Clark 2006, Santa Ynez Valley, Valley View Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, just blogging about it reminds me that I best look it up & order some online if need be! Once again, a Wente treated us to a spuerb meal and wonderful service, right down to writing "Happy Birthday" in chocolate on Kelly's crème brûlée.

Happy birthday, wine tasting newbie! @the Restaurant at Wente

Well, since there's a tasting room just a few feet away... off we go!  Being the former sorority girls that we are, we decided we had to have a color theme (red) and wear boas. Birthday girl Kelly got a tiara. We were quite the festive sight!

@Wente vineyards (I appear to have sweated off my make-up).

My comrades were pleased that Wente accomodated their desire for only white wines. How can I be friends with a couple of Reisling lovers is beyond me. As DD, I couldn't even finish off their red wine rejects. Alas, not everyone is as red wine savvy as ZinfanGirl!

Next up was White Crane. What a little gem! They were offering something like 9 tastes for $5-- wowzers! And like any good winery, this was waived with any purchase. We arrived uncertain of where the tasting was. Could it be that little wooden shed just past the vines? That was when we heard the singing...

Our red-clothed, feather-adorned selves entered just as the singing finished. We immediately received remarks about our boas. After explaining that it was Kelly's birthday, the entire winery launched into a (second) round of, "Happy Birthday!" The vibe in that little tasting room was friendly, fun and welcoming-- always good traits, in my Zinfan-pinion. And it's always a rare treat to start your tasting with a sparkling wine-- double points for that, White Crane!

Boas, tiaras & red, oh my! @White Crane

After consulting our trusty map (I'm on the verge of brekaing up with my GPS-- seriously, don't get me started), we found that another recommended winery, Charles R, was just down the road. ZinfanHubby's good friends told us they like Charles R because it is "off the beaten path." They were not joking. I had faith that the Horace-mobile could make it down this gravelly dirt road, and was not disappointed (Horace, like ZinfanGirl, would never let some dirt & rocks interfere with wine).

Literally, off the beaten path! @Charles R Vineyards

Charles R had an interested Chardonnay called Sur Lies, a method which uses less batonnage to bring out the fruit flavors. I knew immediately what this meant even before the lady held the bottle up for my friends to see. "Ewww!" was the (predicted) reaction to the sight of sediment floating in the bottle. ZinfanGirl, however, found it interesting. Dredges & sediment, while not ideal, are just something you deal with in the wine world. Like having to scoop poop if you own a cat, it just comes with the territory (not to insinuate that ZinfanGirl would ever swallow cat poop. Just sayin'.). Our visit to Charles R concluded with Deena's pink melted frosted birthday cupcakes outside in their lovely little picnic area.

Thanks to Kelly for the photos. I better actually, you know, make sure she's OK with me posting them on here.

Livermore Ladies

An old ZinfanFriend from my college days is coming up from SoCal this weekend for her birthday. She has never been wine tasting, and I consider it my ZinfanDuty to remedy this situation immediately. Remember what happened when I found out my pal Noah had never been? In case you don't, please see Hunting the Black Chicken Pt. 1 and Hunting the Black Chicken Pt. 2 to refresh your memory. I take wine tasting virgins and corrupt them into converts-for-life, and Kelly will be no different.

Tomorrow I am loading up our sexy little convertible (with Horace the beaver in tow, natch) with Kelly and a couple of other sorority sisters. Yes, I was a sorostitute in college. Laugh now & get it over with. Done? OK, moving on... So the ladies & I are heading across the Bay to Livermore for a day of wine tasting. The fine folks at Wente/Murrieta's Well/Tamas Estates gave ZinfanHubby & I each a "passport" during our last visit: by collecting stamps from each of the 3 wineries, we each received a gift certificate of $25 off any $50+ purchase. In exchange from being spared an afternoon of wine-ing with a gaggle of giggly girls, ZinfanHubby is relinquishing his passport to the cause-- the cause being lunch at Wente's restaurant. Yum!

As the official director of this trip, I haven't decided which wineries to go to. I'm sure we'll taste at Wente before we have lunch-- well, the girls will. I'm driving, and have tasted at Wente before, so I will save my palate for new locales. A friend who hits up Livermore wineries regularly recommended White Crane and Charles R Vineyards. A fellow Twine'o tweeted a few recs as well: Tenuta, Bent Creek, Ruby Hill and Charles R (again-- I better put Mr. R at the top of my list).

So there's my ZinfanPlans for the weekend. What are yours? Where are ya headed, and who are ya headed there with? And if you should happen to see a convertible cruising through Livermore with 4 girls all wearing red & sporting boas, say hi. We won't bite... hard ;)

I'm Zinfan-OUT!

Review: 2006 Wente Vineyards Counoise

First and foremost, ZinfanGirl asks herself this: has Livermore Valley always been so close by? And why haven't I been there sooner? ZinfanFact: the Girl actually grew up in the same county as Livermore. Granted she was outta there long before her 21st birthday, and as we all know, ZinfanGirl never touched booze before that day... except in Mexico, where the drinking age is 18... and that spring break to Europe when she was 20... OK, there is clearly a reason she isn't called ZinfanAngel. Moving on...

The last time I wrote about Livermore Valley, I expressed my joy at tasting previously unknown varietals (please see Review: Murrieta's Well). This time around, I am sipping another new discovery: Counoise. The gentleman at Wente's tasting room was impressed that I got the pronounciation down pat on the first try and, despite never having heard of it, immediately pegged it as a French grape (ZinfanGirl is happy that her French degree still proves useful from time to time).

Ah, mon petit Counoise! This lovely little grape is used in Rhône valley wines, although its pepper immediately reminded ZinfanGirl of a delightful wine she tasted & bought at a Salon du Vins (wine fair) in Le Mans (Loire Valley, which is known for its sweet Chenin Blancs & is about as far from Rhône as you can get while staying in France). The wine was purchased and given to ZinfanBro without first recording the name, vintner, and other pertinent information. ZinfanBro was given a ZinfanWhooping when he confessed he and a friend drank said wine after the beer had run out one night & they were too drunk to drive to get more. ZinfanFURY!!! But again, I disgress, and the morale of this story is that I was delighted to finally find once again what I thought I had lost forever: that unknown, peppery red wine.

So, back to Wente: the label claims, "aromas of cherry, red licorice and graham. Flavors of candied cherry, red berry, and hints of vanilla and toasted oak..." No pepper? Srsly? That's the first thing I taste (followed closely by the cherry). And how on earth can a French varietal have notes of graham? If you ever have the chance, ask a French person what a graham cracker is-- you will get the same puzzled expression, I imagine, that I am still wearing (seriously, no pepper!?).

Tannins and acidity are mild, and this wine tastes & feels much lighter than it looks. It isn't very "earthy" or, as ZinfanHubby says, "dirty," as I suspect the French Counoises are. This is a good alternative to white or rosé on a warm afternoon (or maybe I am just telling myself this to justify drinking at 1:30PM). I'm recalling a lovely duck confit & candied cherry salad I had not too long ago and think this wine would pair perfectly with such a dish-- something light and berry-centric without being too sweet.

Oh Livermore, thank you so very much for introducing me to these new treasures. I'm so happy we're neighbors :)