Bear Republic Racer X Double IPA

There's a fun beer app that I've got on my phone called Untappd. It's got some social networking aspects, but mostly I use it to keep track of beers that I've had. You can also get little accomplishments, called badges, for things like drinking a certain number of Irish beers having a beer in a particular place. There's a "special" category of badges which are only available for a limited time. There was one for Racer X at the end of October. When I saw it at the grocery store, I picked it up, but when I checked the app, it looked like that was the last day to get the badge, and I wasn't really in the mood for beer, so I stuck it in the fridge to enjoy later. When I decided to have it a few days later, I checked into the beer on Untappd and I was happy to see that the badge was still available, so it all worked out.

Actually, it really did all work out. This is my kind of double IPA. There's a strong malt backbone with caramel notes topped off with lots of hops. It's very well balanced, and that's perfect for me. Too bad it's seasonal because I think I like this better than the standard (and really easy to find) Racer 5 IPA.

Is it a coincidence that great wine-making regions are also great at making beer? There's Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, Anderson Valley Brewing Company, and in and around Sonoma County, there are three amazing breweries with Bear Republic in Healdsburg, Russian River in Santa Rosa, and Lagunitas in Petaluma. My next trip to Sonoma I plan to go to Lagunitas, which we skipped before, and I need to plan a trip further up to Anderson Valley to check out both their wine and their beer in person.

Crios Malbec red blend 2012

I'm not very familiar with either wine from Argentina or Malbec, so tasting this was a little outside of what I usually have. I have had some Malbec before, either from Argentina or California, but I haven't had enough of it to really form an opinion about it. I was interested in this bottle because in addition to 40% Malbec, it also has 40% Bonarda (plus 15% Tannat and 5% Syrah). I did a little research and I discovered that the grape called Bonarda in Argentina is known as Charbono in the US, where it's fairly uncommon. However, I have had Charbono before, at Sarah's Vineyard in Gilroy, and I really liked it.  This wine only cost about $14 at my local wine shop, so I thought it was worth a try, and it definitely wasn't a mistake.

The wine pours a pretty dark purple color, with a very fruity nose of stewed strawberries, vanilla, and orange peel. The nose made me think it would be bold and fruit forward, which is exactly right. The taste was fruity but not jammy. The wine is young, and it was pretty tannic, and there was a slightly bitter aftertaste. I had another glass after about an hour, but I couldn't tell that it opened up much, so I think you just get what you get from this wine. It was still very pleasant and easy to drink. I had it with beef tacos and it worked out well, and I'd guess this wine can be enjoyed with just about any meal.

My research on the varieties in this wine turned up that Malbec ("bad mouth" in French) is so-named because in its native Bordeaux, where it is one of the 5 permitted red varietals, it doesn't actually taste very good and so is grown in only very small amounts. It's not really known why Malbec was planted in Argentina, but it's good thing that a grape that doesn't get much love at home has become such an important part of wine growing in other parts of the world.

Talbott Logan Chardonnay 2012

I went to the Talbott tasting room when we went wine tasting in Carmel Valley earlier this year. It had a huge 3-sided bar in the middle of the room, with antique cars and motorcycles along the walls. It was a beautiful day outside, so we spent the tasting out on the ample patio, only venturing back in for the next taste on the list. Talbott really only makes two varietals - Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We didn't buy anything that day at the tasting room, mostly because you can find their lower end wines at stores pretty easily, and their higher end wines, while delicious, are pricy.

The Logan Chardonnay is sort of the mid-range. It's not as inexpensive as the lowest end, the Kali Hart, but at $20 at Bay Area grocery stores, it's still very reasonable. The higher end, Sleepy Hollow, is usually around $35, and there are some that are even higher than that. At the tasting room, where we got to compare them all side by side, I thought the Logan was by far the best bang for the buck.  It pours a lovely light golden color. The nose is bright, you just want to dive right in. Really nice and floral, with honeysuckle notes, and fruity with pear and kiwi. The taste is tangy with a long finish. It reminds me of lemon meringue pie. This is one of my favorite Chardonnays, especially given that it's not expensive and is easy to find.

Completely unrelated - I was planning on writing a blog post about New Zealand pinot noir today, since I had one a few weeks ago that was excellent and I was really excited about them. But then I had one that was nothing special, and I had one yesterday that I found basically undrinkable. So now I'm wondering if the first one was a fluke, or if the other two were just duds. The one I liked was Villa Maria 2008. 

Samuel Adams Third Voyage Double IPA

The Boston Beer Company (aka "Sam Adams") is a great beer company. They are, by definition, the largest craft beer company in the United States. However big they get, that's how big the biggest craft beer company is. The other craft beer companies agree to this status because Sam Adams does so much to help out the smaller guys. Similar to Sierra Nevada and other big beer companies, they use their flagship Boston lager to make lots of money so they can release small batches of other things. Now, I like Sam Adams as a company and respect what they do, but I'm not always blown away by their beers. I think they can be a little boring.

Fortunately, this Third Voyage Double IPA is not boring at all, and it's actually pretty good. I bought it in a 4-pack of 22 oz bottles at Costco. The other three were gose, imperial white, and honey beer. I thought the imperial wit was good, but I didn't care for the other two. The Third Voyage pours reddish-pale, a little darker than most double IPAs, with a 2-finger head. It's not too hoppy on the nose, just a hint of citrus, but more notes of caramel. The taste is hoppier, with a bright citrus and faint pine notes, but a really big malty backbone of caramel and toffee.

As far as double IPAs go, this is the kind I like, with some structure that's not just hops dialed up to eleven. I'm not sure if you can get it outside the 4-pack, but if I saw it on its own, I'd buy another bottle of it. If I saw the imperial white on its own, I'd definitely buy it.

Since the holiday season is coming up, Sam Adams will soon be releasing their holiday variety pack, if it's not been released already. For the past few years it has included some beers that I liked a lot. One is the Old Fezziwig Ale. The other is Chocolate Bock. I don't really like either the Boston lager or the standard seasonal winter lager, but the variety pack is worth buying just for these two, if they are in it this year.

Creekview Melodious 2009

I think it was while I was drinking wine from Creekview that I realized there are a lot of kinds of wine out there, and while someone might personally enjoy some more than others, they can all be appreciated. The first time I went to Creekview, I tasted a bunch of wines - at least 7 or 8. And I enjoyed every single one of them. I went back again a while later, and even though the wines weren't all the same, I had the same sort of experience. Both times they had a Bordeaux blend that really knocked it out of the park. They're still doing it with Melodious.

As I've mentioned before, a Bordeaux blend is a mix of the traditional varietals of the Bordeaux region in France. The St. Francis wine that I reviewed before was mainly petit verdot and malbec. This one is a little more standard, with more cabernet sauvignon than anything else, but there's no single varietal that dominates. I like that there's at least 10% of each of the 5 grapes. I've heard it said that a Bordeaux blend shouldn't be "just another Cab" and I agree. Blends are great because they can really have a synergy going and let the winemaker express something interesting.

This one has a beautiful nose, it's smoky and oaky and has a lot of black cherry. It fills the mouth really well, no holes anywhere. There's some vanilla and almond and it's nicely tannic. I'm having it with cheese and crackers, and the tanginess of the cheese is bringing out something that tastes a little like toast and jam, but the wine isn't jammy at all. 

Creekview is in St. Martin, on the south end of the Santa Clara Valley. Before Prohibition, the whole valley was a big area for vineyards, but now pretty much the only ones left are around Gilroy. The winery has a beautiful patio area with walkways through the vineyard. They're only open the 3rd weekend of each month, and you're almost guaranteed to meet the winemakers since they operate the winery behind their house.  You can do an afternoon of wine tasting in this area less than an hour's drive from San Jose, and some of the wineries are really top notch. Others in the area that I like are Sarah's, Aver, and Sycamore Creek.

Dawn's Dream Carmel Valley Pinot Noir 2010

The wineries around Carmel Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands are known for Burgundy-style wines of pinot noir and chardonnay. The tasting list at Dawn's Dream included 5 different pinots. They started out very light and fruity and gradually became more full-bodied and complex. The Carmel Valley 2010 was the 4th of the 5 we tasted that day. They were all very good, but this one really jumped out at us.

It pours a pretty color, not super dark but not as light as you see with some pinots. The nose is strawberries, canteloupe, and roses. The floral note is fairly subtle but adds a nice elegance. The taste is really silky with a long finish especially in the mid-palate. There's a touch of spice and tobacco, and lots of strawberry and some cranberry. It's not a delicate pinot, but it hits all the right notes for me with elegance, the medium body, and the long finish. We had this wine with roasted chicken and it was a nice pairing.

When we went wine tasting in Carmel Valley, there were only a few wineries we had planned to visit in advance. The town is really small, and there are a lot of wineries basically next door to each other all the way down the road. We got a recommendation from one place to go to Joyce, and at Joyce they recommended Dawn's Dream. Both were really nice, and I liked that they had different styles. Joyce had a pinot noir as well (it's got to be on the list for wineries there), but they also had a good Riesling and a good Merlot. Then it was nice to head to Dawn's Dream to see what different kinds of style you can get even within the same varietal. Learning what different winemakers like to do is something I really enjoy about visiting small wineries like these.

Regional Wine Week - South Bay area

October 6-12 is Regional Wine Week, and it seems like a good time to highlight some of what I love so much about the local wineries here in the South Bay area. You may be thinking, "Come on, it's still California, that's not very 'regional.'" Well, I disagree--not that it's California, that's true enough, but it certainly is regional. When I bring up a wine tasting trip with friends, they often think that means driving up to Napa Valley, as if that's the only place worth talking about. Here are a few reasons why wineries in the San Jose vicinity deserve some consideration.

First, they're really close to home! Sure, I can drive 2+ hours to get to Sonoma, Napa, or Paso Robles, but I can drive less than an hour to get great wine from the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley. There are wineries and tasting rooms in Saratoga, Sunol, San Martin, Los Gatos (among many others) and even downtown San Jose. If you want to get away from it all, there's no shortage of wineries to visit out in the hills at the end of long winding roads where chances are pretty good you won't have mobile service.

Second, there are options for all tastes. You like delicate pinot noir? Try Hallcrest (they have a pinot-only wine club option). Maybe big juicy zinfandels are more up your alley. Satori Cellars has some very nice ones. Perhaps you are interested in something a little different. Check out the pinotage at Loma Prieta or the charbono at Sarah's Vineyard. And let's not forget the whites--the area produces excellent chardonnay, such as those at Cinnabar and Creekview, and MJA has some of the best sauvignon blancs I've ever had.

Third, you don't have to break the bank. It seems like the more well-known a region is, the more they charge for the wine, or even just the tasting experience. There are a ton of South Bay wineries that offer a tasting for $5, which is usually waived with a purchase. And the wines themselves are very reasonable. Some of my local favorites are under $20. I'm also a lot more tempted to join the wine club of a local winery. I can go to pick up my wines in person, so I don't have to pay shipping costs, plus it gives me an excuse to visit on a regular basis.

Fourth, there are some famous names here, and they help lift up the little guys. Ridge is a big winery, no doubt. Their most celebrated vineyard, Monte Bello, is at the top of a hill outside of Cupertino. If you go visit Ridge (and you should, the view is amazing), you have to drive past a couple of smaller ones on the way. Why not stop in for a tasting? Bonny Doon is a well-known name in Santa Cruz. They have a tasting room and restaurant in town that's in the same center as several other wineries. So go check out the famous players, but drop by the small wineries too. They'll be very glad to have you, and you might find a new favorite.

In short, if you live near San Jose, you love wine, you haven't tried any of the local wineries, what are you waiting for? Consider this your engraved invitation.