GAMBA ZINFANDEL: Here’s a truly amazing wine that I tasted a few weeks ago and haven’t stopped thinking about since!
- Smooth & Supple
- Full-Bodied & Rich
- Toasty Finish
- 15.9% Alcohol (can’t tell!)
This old vine Zinfandel was perfectly juicy and extremely complex. At first, I thought it smelled similar to other Dry Creek Zins I’ve tasted (Sonoma Valley). However, upon sipping this delight, I realized how unique and different this one is.
Read the full article about wine heat damage and oxidation at JennaAndWine.com
FACT: The plot that the Terra Fossil grapes are grown on was at one time a paleontological dig site where dinosaur bones were discovered.
‘Wow’, I thought, ‘I wonder what this wine will taste like? How would dinosaur fossils affect the flavor, texture, bouquet, and color of the wine?’ I had to try it! Just the concept alone of being able to state that I had tasted a wine from dinosaur terroir would make it worthwhile!
Cabernet Sauvignon:I began with the Cabernet Sauvignon and high anticipation of what the flavors would be like. I imagined high minerals, or rich fauna flavors as a result of these ancient, prehistoric stomping grounds. Overall, the flavor was unbalanced, highly tannic and acidic (pucker up)! At the price of $6/bottle, I am not surprised, but was definitely disappointed with this one – maybe I am a Cab snob, so this wasn’t the wine for me. I noticed the dinosaur on the bottle was the TRex, though – which may be an illustration of what to expect flavor-wise!
Malbec: I definitely had higher expectations for the Malbec from the start – I mean this was Argentinian wine we’re talking about. First off, the dinosaur on the label was a Stegasaurus. I felt like this was the bottle that should showcase the TRex, since Malbec is king in Argentina… As for the flavor, I definitely preferred this over the Cab. For the $6 price point, I can see this being a top seller - it is fairly easy to drink and a bit smoother than expected. The finish was non-existent, making the wine feel a bit flat overall.
Why the Dinosaurs Died in Vain: The real story here deals with missed opportunity, from a marketing perspective. The initial reason for my fascination with this wine was based on this special terroir. Anyone who is asked whether or not they would like to taste a wine that was grown over dinosaur bones would jump at the chance. If you are not concerned about flavor or price, that is the real appeal of this wine. Why then, when I visited the TerraFossil website, did I find a horror film that featured, not TRex, Teradactyls or any other dinosaur, but…..wait for it……zombies?????!! I kept watching waiting for the dinosaurs’ grand moment in the spotlight. After all, there is a silhouette of a dinosaur on each bottle, right?
Maybe the marketing agency grew tired of the dinosaur theme and wanted to mix it up, but I believe that is the first rule of marketing (aka beat the dead dinosaur to death). Long after you’ve become bored as a marketer, your audience is just beginning to make the association. And, although they admit to being aware of this with their campaign explanation of ‘how not to do product placement’, I still find their featured branded movie horrifyingly sad. Zombies don’t create terroir – Dinosaurs do!!
Havarti with Dill & Chardonnay
Thought Process: Chardonnay Tastes Good with Seafood, and so Does Dill….
**IT WORKED!!**
Coppola didn’t just slap a black and gold label on this bottle for the fun of it… this blend is like liquid gold, but without the gold rush price! An excellent, medium-bodied red that is smooth and supple - perfect for pleasing a variety of tastes and crowds. I paired this with a truffle-infused pasta meal (white sauce-based) but it also paired well with chicken marsala.
This wine is actually a Bordeaux-style blend containing Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It is by no means flat and carries lot’s of dimension!
**Exceptional Value for the Price**
This bottle of Coppola Claret is available at Wine.com for $19.99
One of the distinctive differences between wine tasting in Napa vs. Sonoma is the cost. What you will often find is that your total trip in Napa will cost substantially more than if you were to visit Sonoma – even though the two are right next door to one another. Many tasting rooms in Sonoma are free, while just about every tasting room in Napa charges. For this post, I’ve put together some Napa wine tasting discounts that I found for my most recent trip this past weekend. And, since the driver we hired decided to drive below the speed limit the entire way up there (see noted text below), it’s a good thing I did find these deals because it curbed the pain of having to pay that a$$hole extra!!
1) Silverado Vineyards - 2 for 1 tasting
2) Folie A Deux - FREE tasting before noon
3) Turnbull Cellars - Complimentary Tasting for 4 (exp. 6/11)
or 2 for 1 Tasting at Turnbull
4) Grgich Hills Estate - 2 for 1 tasting
*Free barrel tastings on Fridays
NOTE: The limo company that we used was Rixos Limosine, whom I strongly advise to avoid! Believe it or not, the driver drove below the speed limit (an industry trick that only works if you are trying to lose repeat business and referrals)!
*Click the links to print out the coupons
As the season for wine tasting has begun, I thought I’d share some basic do’s and dont’s that I have learned along the way. Watching this video could be the difference between appearing quite professional, or ridiculously unprofessional (a lush).
*Special thanks to Cave B and Boudreaux Cellars for putting up with my continued antics…
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- Time.com Note: French are still spending more on wine per capita. |
My coworkers must know me better than I thought (or maybe they were sick and tired of hearing me complain about not being able to drink while pregnant) because not only did they coordinate a wonderful office baby shower, but they also gifted me some extremely generous gifts!
I couldn’t believe how well my complaining and sad eyes had paid off! It was a true surprise and I am very grateful to my coworkers for thinking so highly of me! Now I look forward to celebrating the birth of my baby girl with this very special bottle, as every new parent should.
There is another reason why this bottle is so special. Recently, I’ve been looking for some very high quality bubbles to celebrate with. One of my favorite wine personalities is Andrea Robinson, a master sommelier who I had the privilege of meeting during my Washington wine trip. Since she is a huge Champagne fan, I looked to her for a celebratory bottle recommendation. What I learned is that the bottle that enlightened her to the point of leaving her financial career in order to pursue wine was this very bottle!
You can view a video of her discussing the bottle with Maggie Henriquez, the President and CEO of Krug, a very passionate, poetic woman who compares Grand Cuvee to a Symphony.
Now I really can’t wait to taste this! I will keep you posted on how the fabulous tasting goes and I look forward to sharing my findings in the next month or so…
With Memorial Day approaching, there are a lot of wine sales and deals out there. I have received a ton of emails in the past couple of days with great offers that are well timed with the approaching Memorial Day weekend. Cost Plus, Wine.com, BevMo, along with individual wineries, like BV, Sterling, and more… To be honest, there are so many wines I am ready to try, but I have to control myself, so I opted to buy from one sale only and that was BevMo; partially because I can pick up easily at a nearby store; partially because they had a great selection.
Thought I’d share my wine purchases from BevMo in case you want to partake in some of the offerings as well. The strategy for me was most bang for my buck, since I am still on maternity leave here (for those who aren’t familiar, maternity leave = less $)
Jenna’s BevMo Shopping Cart:
1) Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling ‘09
Was: $7.99, Sale: $5.99
2) Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot Indian Wells ‘08* Was: $16.99, Sale: $12.99 3) Beaulieu Cabernet Napa ‘07 Was: $18.99, Sale: $13.99 4) Graffigna Malbec ’08 Was: $14.99, Sale: $8.99 *Finally found this one! I’ve been searching for some time now and kept missing the Indian Wells bottle, as my friend Marc knows…
