Hello, Pinot

Last night, a friend and I went out to dinner at Uva here in Napa. Great place, good food, fun atmosphere. I brought along a bottle of my favorite wine - the 2004 Wren Hop Pinot Noir from Holdredge. I know this blog is supposed to be about wine tasting in general, not just the same wine over and over, but this wine is delicious. I was saving my 2004s of this pinot for a special occasion, and my friend moving across the country was reason to break out the good stuff as a goodbye for her. This vintage, 2004, is my absolute favorite so far. It was everything I remember it being - round, smooth, and cherries all over the place.

We had that with dinner, then took a bottle of 2004 Passalacqua Old Vine Zin to the bar. Again, delightful, fun, jammy, chewy....all things that zin should be. Nothing can trump my Holdredge pinot, but that zin was delectable. Sort of made me want toast with jam. Interesting.

Oooo a Test.

Far too many people are wine snobs. Some people, especially those in the Millennial generation, think that because a bottle of wine is $30+, it's automatically good, and better than anything under $15. I do concede that many, many bottles over $30 are good, but I don't think it's a hard and fast rule. Unlike many generations before, Millennials and Gen Xers tend to buy more expensive bottles, and either hold on to them for "special occasions" or drink them as everyday wines. Everyday wines at $30 a bottle? That's $7.50 a glass. For that price, someone had better be serving me that glass of wine and offering me bread service.

There are many good bottles of wine that are under $30. I will make that statement now. As a test, I will host some dinner parties, decanting some under $30 wines, and see how my guests react. As often as I can until the end of the year, I'll test a $20 bottle, a $15 bottle, a $10 bottle, and then something under $10. Fascinating.

Of course, if you're reading this, you're probably invited to dinner because I probably know you pretty well. This test is on you. Have fun.

One more thought....

I forgot to write about my adventure across the street today, from Holdredge to Davis Family. If you've been down Front Street in Healdsburg, you know that on the left there are five wineries (Holdredge, Camellia, Christie, Sapphire Hill, and Huntington) and across the street there is the one with the metal sculpture of the lady. The very large sculpture. Yes, that one - Davis Family Vineyards.

I wandered over there this afternoon for a taste of their barrel wines, as well as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - these usually are more lavish and lingering than California Sauvignon Blancs, which have a tendency to be crisp and fruity with very little to play with after. For a red-only drinker (this is sloooooowwwwllyyy changing), I did like the Sauvignon Blanc at Davis, however I was much more taken with the dry Riesling out of the barrel. Not only did the sign on the barrel entice me (it said if you were a wine geek, to ask what was in the barrel....I did. I'm a geek on so many levels), but the wine was GREAT, a white I would actually drink! Mark the day! It was soft on the nose with no overt flowers or sickly sweet aromas, and the palate welcomed acidic fun and refreshing flavors. Home run, baby. Home run.

Oh My Feet...

I just got home after a weekend of pouring for Holdredge Winery. They make my favorite wine - the Holdredge Wren Hop Pinot Noir. It was awesome to be out there in the wine-lover's world again. Weekends like this remind me of why I got into this business to begin with.

Yesterday I showed up at the big barn in Healdsburg, home of Holdredge. They used to share this barn on Wine Road weekends with Sapphire Hill, but the space is all theirs now. I discovered them years ago, while doing Winter Wineland (another Wine Road event) with friends. This diamond in the rough sparkled, shimmering so brilliantly that I tout them to everyone I know as making my favorite wine ever. Ever, yes, ever. I know that's a bold statement, but I am still in love with the flavors and aromas of that Wren Hop Pinot.

This weekend, I told everyone I poured it for that it was my favorite, and of course, I was asked why. For some reason this is a difficult question to answer...but I'll try. Each sip of the Wren Hop Pinot Noir is like a smooth, round ball smothered in black cherries and a dusting of cinnamon rolling around in your mouth, tantalizing your tongue. I think that about covers it.

They have many other wines, including 3 other Pinots, 2 Zins, 2 Syrahs (Lovers Lane is delectable), and 2 late harvest wines. I highly, highly recommend Holdredge! Next weekend, March 8-9, is weekend 2 of Barrel Weekend. Swing by on Saturday!