Laird Family Vineyards: It was a pretty typical tasting, Sauv Blanc, Chardonnay, 3 cabernets. It was interesting tasting the cabernets from newest (and least developed) to oldest (and, in theory, the best). The 2008 was definitely tart and flat. The 2005 was definitely milder on the palate but still left my tongue very dehydrated. It wasn't the type of dryness that makes you want more...it was the kind that needs food pairing to be remedied. And that's fine. It just depends what you're looking for: casual sipping wine, or a pairing wine. I purchased a 2007 Sauv Blanc that we didn't taste for $12 (probably just an easy go-to wine), and a Pinot Noir for $34.
Steltzner: This was an interesting tasting. We had a Rose, Pinotage, Malbec, Claret, Cab Franc, and Cab Sauv. The wines here had substantially more character, and I purchased the Rose at $18, which I felt was a good value for the drinkable, not too tart, and not sweet, wine. I also purchased the Cab Franc and the Cab Sauv. They were both around $40, and they were both smooth, had great fruit and balanced tannins. These will be nice in a couple years or now. One thing I didn't appreciate was how stingy they were-- $15 per person instead of the normal $10 per person, and no discount on purchased wines, even though we brought them a lot of business.
Silverado: We had our own tasting/banquet room overlooking the valley. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, after two wineries and 2 bottles of wine at lunch, tasting became a little difficult. I didn't buy any here, because I don't think the wines matched the price-point. I've noticed in general though that the wines one tends to taste are usually the newest vintages and therefore not aged to their full potential.
Cline: The winery was beautiful, flowers, lake, etc. They also gave us cheese/crackers in our own tasting room which was great and much appreciated. We tasted: pinot gris, viognier, cashmere blend, mourvedre, and a cab. I am a huge viognier fan. Theirs wasn't my favorite, but i I thought it was fair for $16, and I purchased it to encourage the production of Viogniers. I'm pretty tired of Chardonnay, and rarely drink it. So Viognier is my medium-bodied replacement.
All in all, I really enjoyed Laird for it's hospitality and family feel, Steltzner and Cline for their different varietals, and Silverado for its views of the valley. I think we had the perfect mixture of wine types and we saw the variation in styles.
In conclusion, I just want to say that wine country is yet another HUGE reason why California is the best state. Seriously, no other state can compete!
No comments:
Post a Comment