Frank Mangio's Top Ten Tastings for 2008

What a grand year for wine it has been! I attended approximately 250 wine events at wine shops, restaurants, hotels, wineries and special celebrations tasting thousands of wines and meeting hundreds of wine professionals with a passion for their wines.

I submit the following top ten tastings listed alphabetically without regard to rank. All were equally delicious and are an excellent representation of their varietals. Price to value and availability were also a consideration. Prices can vary and are generally what I have seen on web sites and in the stores that stock them.

This year I have listed two Sangioveses, one from Italy and another from Temecula. There are also two blends: an Italian “Super Tuscan” style from Temecula and a Bordeaux style from Paso Robles. A Napa Cabernet and Chardonanay, an Oregon Pinot Noir, a Central Coast Zinfandel, a San Diego County Viognier and a Sonoma Petite Sirah complete the ten. Enjoy!

Clos LaChance Hummingbord Series Zinfandel,Central Coast CA., 2005. $18. A rare Zin with moderate alcohol which gave it a delicious European style flavor. Aged in natural oak for 14 months. Notes of wild cherry and raspberry. Oak spice on the finish. www.clos.com.

Erath Pinot Noir, Dundee Oregon, 2006. $19. The cornerstone of Erath’s wine portfolio and that of Oregon, this Pinot floats into the palate with luscious ripe strawberries and a slight but beautiful hint of caramel. Buoyant acidity. An artful wine. www.erath.com.

Falkner Super Tuscan Amante, Temecula CA. 2005. $39.95. The signature blend of Sangiovese, with some Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Robust and elegant. Excellent balance. Medium bodied mouthfeel enhances a variety of food pairings. www.falknerwinery.com

Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay, Napa Valley Ca., 2006. $42. A venerable, legendary name and hero of the ’76 Paris Tasting that put Napa Valley on the world wine map, Grgich produces its first Chardonnay that is both organic and biodynamic with no artificial enhancers. Alive with delicious acidity. Notes of lemon zest, flowers and honey. Elegance shines. www.grgich.com.

Justin Isosceles, Paso Robles, 2005. $65. A banner vintage in Paso, carefully crafted pruning and perfect crop levels, produced a soft, fruit forward entry with complexity and promise. Aromas of boysenberry, mocha, mint and cassis make this blend an event to remember. This wine will get even better with more aging, up to 15 years.

Pedroncelli Petite Sirah, Sonoma, Ca., 2005.$15. Superb value for this vintage. Rich with ripe blackberry, concentrated flavors, deep and complex. Dry Creek Valley aged for 23 months. www.pedroncelli.com.

Orfila Estate Lotus “67” Viognier, San Pasqual Valley, CA. 2007. $23. The Rhone Valley white that is the talk of the industry and no one does it better than Orfila. A blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Rousanne. The perfect 40 acre hillside for this exotic varietal with its tropical aromas and tastes. Earlier vintage won gold in France. www.orfila.com.

Peppoli Chianti Classico, Tuscany Italy, 2005. $23. Delivers classic Chianti earth-taste. Pronounced floral and mineral notes. Medium to full-bodied, with silky texture. Lots to enjoy here. Wide distribution. Wine Spectator favorite. www.winespectator.com.

South Coast Winery Wild Horse Peak Sangiovese, Temecula CA., 2005. $34. Best of Class in California competition, the grapes are grown in 2,200 feet altitude and steep terrain. Unrestrained taste, concentrated and uniquely structured. Winery was awarded the state winery of the year at the ’08 California State Fair competition. www.southcoastwinery.com

Z D Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA., 2006. $50. Dark velvet, stunning Cab, with a heavy scent of berry nectar. Explosive entrance to the palate. Rich coffee, chocolate hints. Balanced and drinkable now and will age gracefully for up to the next ten years. Handcrafted, with two years in oak. www.zdwines.com.
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WINE BYTES

WineSellar and Brasserie in Sorrento Valley San Diego has planned a French Style wine tasting on Sat. Jan. 3 from 11:30 to 2pm. Taste Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone Valley favorites. $20. ea. Another $12.50 for lunch. Call 858-450-9557.

Il Fornaio in Del Mar beigns its 2009 “Festa Regionale” dinners from Mon. Jan. 5 through Sun. Jan. 18. Food and wine from the Trentino-Alto Adige region will be featured. Drink Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio. Reservations call 1-888-ITALIAN.

Bacchus Wine Market downtown San Diego has a Piedmont Italy wine event on Fri. Jan. 9 from 4 to 8pm. Wines featuring Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera will be tasted. Details by calling 619-236-0005.

Falkner Winery in Temecula offers a Wine Appreciation class taught by in-house Sommelier George Myers on Sat. Jan. 17 from 10:30 to 2:30pm. Cost is $45. pp. Call 951-676-8231 for more.

La Cereza Shines Silver

Temecula, Calif. / Feb. 1. 2008

Wine drinkers seeking to explore new and exciting worlds in the vast cosmos called the wine industry often find themselves overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite amount of wines available to them. Add to this conundrum a whole slew of promotional schemes by labels including point systems, critics’ reviews and shelf talkers…all aimed to assuage possible buyers to purchase their bottle of wine instead of the one next to it. Is your head spinning yet?

Well, just like any other competitive market, wineries have the ability to have their products rated objectively each year during a handful of annual wine competitions. One of largest of which is the annual San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Located at the doorstep of Napa Valley, wineries that earn medals during this wine competition consider it a huge feat, a right of passage, so to speak, in the wine world.

La Cereza Vineyard and Winery, located in Temecula Valley, is now the proud bearer of that title after winning silver medals in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for both their Sangiovese and Tempranillo red wines.
Judged next to wines from appellations long-recognized for excellence in red wine-making like Napa, Sonoma and Central Coast, La Cereza considers these awards a great honor as well as a testimony to their desire to produce high-quality wines capable of competing with the best.

The earning of a silver medal for their Tempranillo varietal is especially exciting for the Spanish-themed winery, as this grape is considered to be the quintessential Spanish grape, used to make the world-famous Rioja red wine.
“The choice to produce this wine here denotes the foresight of our winemaker to acquire tempranillo grapes from Guadalupe Valley,“ said Buddy Linn, owner of La Cereza. “This fruit is extremely high-quality and the outcome has been a very consistent and exceptional wine.”

La Cereza’s silver medal award for their Sangiovese is also remarkable, considering it’s the first year that the winery has ever produced this unique Italian varietal.
La Cereza winemaker Gus Vizgirda said he has long been honing in on his winery’s potential to produce excellent wines from Mediterranean grapes such as Tempranillo and Sangiovese.

“We have a very unique winemaking style here in the (Temecula) Valley and particularly at La Cereza,” said Vizgirda. “It’s based on the fact that we have a terroir here that is very similar to the Mediterranean, so although we may not be producing wines like the ones you’ll find up North, we’re confident and proud that we have a style that’s totally different and the quality is just as good.”

Give Thanks to these Holiday Wines

The Fall season is always an exciting one for wines as new releases are brought to market and the current year’s harvest is completed. I understand that California from coast to coast had a banner harvest with little rain as an impediment and rich concentration of juice, with no overproduction. The only exception was the Pinot Noir crop. The dry weather has left vineyards scrambling for grapes to make this wine. The shortage of Pinot could lead to rising prices for this fragile grape. But we won’t be able to taste the goods for a year or two.

• San Diego Wine Company is touting the Chateau Bellisle Mondotte, St. Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux, 2005, for just $28.95. ‘05 was an incredible year in France.
  
  
• Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve 2004. Just out as the #9 wine in all the world from Wine Spectator at 95 points. $125. This was the last year that the Mondavis had a hand in the winemaking before being taken over. But wait…I just tasted the ’04 Mondavi Cab, not the reserve, but a rich, beautifully structured non-reserve wine, for just $20… your choice. Just don’t bother with the ’05: a stinging taste and flavor…ugly!
  
  
• Banfi Chianti Classico, 2005. Well balanced, easy to please the palate Sangiovese grape. Easy price at $10.
  
  
• Pedroncelli “Mother Clone” Zinfandel 2005. Sonoma’s most pleasing old vine Zin. Full-bodied classicDry Creek Valley wine. Just a touch of Petite Syrah for a bit more bang. “ Mother” is 100 year old vines. Great concentration. Worth a look at www.pedroncelli.com. $18.

Win a Cruise to Ensenada, Wine, Food, more This Saturday

Mention this blog entry when you visit the Taste Of Wine TV booth Saturday at the San Diego Bay Food and Wine Festival, and you can enter our special drawings for wine, dinners, and a Cruise to Ensenada. (Must be 21 or over to participate. (Winners will be contacted by cellphone during the festival via text messaging, or e-mail). Ensenada cruise courtesy of Kimberly at www.BraggAboutTravel.com

11:15 Falkner Winery, Temecula

11:30 Opolo Winery, Paso Robles

11:45 Pedroncelli Winery, Sonoma

12: noon Williamette Valley Winery, Oregon

12:30 Ghiardelli Chocolates

12:45 La Cereza, Temecula

1p.m. Nature Sweet

1:15 Vina Robles, Paso Robles

1:30 Flora Springs, Napa

Still time to get tickets for the biggest wine even on the West Coast:
www.WorldOfWineEvents.com