Black Box Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay

Over the past few months we’ve received a surprising number of boxed wine samples.  I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise since we are all about cheap wine.  But even though we’re into cheap wine, we’re still finicky and definitely prefer to review good, cheap wine (or call it “inexpensive wine” if you have a hang-up with the word cheap.)  Anyway… we have noticed an increase in wine producers using bag-in-box packaging and we’ve noticed the quality of the wine going into boxes to be improving as well.

Black Box is one of the producers that’s doing a nice job with their boxed wines.  And when I say, “nice job” I mean that the wine is OK.  They do better with some varieties than with others.  This chardonnay I would say is good.  I was really impressed with the bouquet, but not as wowed by the palate.  It doesn’t “blow me away” as the best chardonnay I’ve ever tasted, but for the equivalent price of $8.00 a bottle it’s pretty good.

I should note that Black Box actually puts out two different chardonnays.  They have a Monterey County chardonnay, which I have not tasted, and this Napa Valley Reserve chardonnay.

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Main Street Winery Chardonnay

When you’re looking for a California Chardonnay, you may seek out one from Russian River Valley, Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley.  But there’s another region you should consider, Santa Barbara County.  This region is far south of the Sonoma/Napa wine country.  In fact, the southernmost part of the county is just over 100 miles north of Los Angeles.  Instinctively you may think it would be warmer this far south and not as good for vineyards, but influence of the Pacific ocean make outstanding conditions for growing wine grapes.  The area gets very little rainfall and a persistent fog from the coast creates cool, cloudy conditions which grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir just love.

The majority of the grapes in the Main Street Winery Chardonnay come from Santa Barbara County, 82% to be exact.  The other 18% of the grapes come from Monterey County, north of Santa Barbara County and just south of San Francisco.

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Summer Rosé Report: Drinking Local

Sorry for the silence on Monday and Tuesday, but here's the excuse: first, I'm writing (though obviously not this blog...) and there really is a point at which I feel that my brain may run out of words if I spread too many of them around. (My friend and wine guru Jeff Stai from Twisted Oak Winery says this will not happen--at least not to me--but I remain unconvinced). Second, I'm drinking rosés--lots of rosés. I had this notion I'd wait and post reviews of all of them at once.

Then I thought: who am I kidding? It's summer. People need their rosé reviews NOW because no matter how many times I (or another wine writer) say rosés are good all year around, how many people pay attention to us?

This summer's rosé reviews are all going to be local wines--and by local I mean wines made in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties where I am currently writing to you from deep within a belt of fog that refuses to leave and has given us temps in the fifties (that's the high...). Which is proof that rosés are good whatever the weather!

Without further delay, here is the first of the summer rosé reviews:

2009 A Donkey and Goat Grenache Rosé Isabel's Cuvée ($17.00, domaineLA) This was a lovely, weighty rosé--though not in the color or in the fruit profile, so I am left grasping for a way to describe why it feels so substantial in the mouth. There were juicy aromas of watermelon and strawberry, which (though faint) were very alluring. Warming the wine slightly from fridge temperature helps to draw these aromas out. There were more dry strawberry and melon notes in the flavors, with lots of minerality. Excellent QPR for a dry, flavorful pink wine that will please both red and white wine lovers.

This mouthfilling wine will stand up well to spicier foods, like buffalo chicken wings or these delicious spicy chipotle shrimp tostadas.

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Montevina Chardonnay

Montevina got their start back in 1970 and they’re based in Sierra Foothills in Amador County, California.  While they have 400 acres of estate vineyards, they also source some of their grapes from other growers.

The literature available on their Chardonnay doesn’t state whether the grapes are from their vineyards or sourced.  It also doesn’t state, in detail, where the grapes are from

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Looking for Grapes In All the Wrong Places

People have different ways of locating good wine values. Some shop the sales, while others haunt the box stores. A few turn their backs on their favorites--Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, sparkling wine--and settle for something they're less fond of hoping it will suit their tastebuds.

My number one budget strategy (other than finding yourself a good wine retailer who will get to know your taste in wine and can steer you away from costly errors) is quite simple, can be done in any store, and is neither a strategy based on abstinence or rock-bottom clearances. Here it is:

Look for grapes in all the wrong places.

Certain regions become justifiably famous for producing a single grape--like Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa, or Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley--and this means that growers can command the highest prices for their wines. But Cabernet Sauvignon is not the only grape grown in Napa Valley. Trust me on this. Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling (rare, but it's there!) are excellent and represent excellent value, too, because really, when is the last time you heard anybody ask "Do you have any Napa Riesling??"

Here are a few of my recent finds that fit the "great grape in a surprising place" mantra for wine value.



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Concannon Conservancy Chardonnay

When I write about European wines it’s fairly common to come across producers with a rich history, passing down vineyards for several generations.  But most producers in the US have a much shorter history.  Concannon is an exception to that rule.  Established in 1883, Concannon is the oldest continually operating winery in California under the same family name.  They now have four generations of family involvement in the winery.

Concannon produces a few different lines of wine and this Chardonnay is from their Conservancy line.  These wines are produced with grapes sourced from the Livermore Valley vineyards, which are protected by a conservation trust to ensure that the land is preserved as a wine production region and not overtaken by urban sprawl.

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Monthaven Chardonnay

Boxed wine seems to be taking on new shapes lately with both the shape of the containers and the quality of the wine inside.  There are several wines on the shelves these days in what’s been named Octavin packaging.  It’s an eight-sided box (an octagon) and is really just a new shape for bag-in-a-box packaging.  The Octavin packages hold 3 liters of wine, which is the equivalent of 4 average-sized wine bottles.  While you may be reluctant to open a package with so much wine in it for fear of it going bad, you really don’t need to be as the wine will stay fresh for up to a month after opening.  This is due to the fact that exposure to air is what causes wine to go bad after opening, but with bag-in-a-box technology the wine isn’t exposed to air when you open it.

The wine in this Octavin is , named for the location of the winery in Monterey County, California.  While the fruit in this wine is sourced from vineyards throughout the Central Coast, the majority of it is from Santa Barbara and Monterey.  35% of the wine is barrel fermented, and the majority of it is barrel aged for at least four months.

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Ricardo Santos Malbec

Ricardo Santos is the former owner of the Norton Winery and thirty-some years ago he was the first wine producer in Argentina to export Malbec.  Unless you’re new to wine or have been living under a rock you know that now Argentine wine is almost synonymous with Malbec.

Given Santos’ history with Malbec, I was really excited to taste this wine.  What I found was not a typical Argentine Malbec.  It was much more earthy and not as “big” as a lot of other Malbec.  We usually taste blind, so in full disclosure I’ll have to say that I didn’t taste this one blind.

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Sizing Up Sauvignon Blanc

Summertime. And the living is hot. (image from DKC Service)

Sauvignon Blanc always has the effect of a liquid air conditioner on me. One cool glass and I can feel my core temperature drop and imagine a fresh breeze on my skin.

It would be an understatement to say that there is a lot of Sauvignon Blanc in the market. Let's face it: there's tons of the stuff. It comes from nearly every region of the globe, and finding your way among the options can be a bit daunting. Happily, most bottles are eminently affordable, which makes it possible to experiment without facing bankruptcy.

I must confess that I have a predilection (especially when the temperature rises) for Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, which are the epitome of refreshment. But don't forget that regions closer to home, like the Napa Valley, make excellent Sauvignon Blanc, too. Check out some of my favorites below.



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