2010 Honig Sauvignon Blanc

I had the great pleasure of meeting Stephanie Honig for a tasting and meet and greet while I was working in Jupiter, Florida either late 2008 or at the beginning of 2009.  Anyways, I had just added the Honig Sauvignon Blanc on our wine list 3 weeks prior to that after tasting it for the first time and was very impressed with the wine.  When I moved up to Jacksonville, I knew that I wanted to place this great wine back on my list.  I haven't had a vintage yet, that either had a bad bottle or didn't taste as good as the last.

The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc displays great aromas of orange blossom, some stone fruits and grapefruit, giving it that citrusy, refreshing taste what we are looking for in new world sauvignon blancs.  However, it is not over the top as the sauvignon blancs from New Zealand and has a medium body that offers a nice, lingering finish. 

Since they only use stainless steel and used neutral oak, the wine displays itself true to california sauvignon blanc at its finest.

So, during your next visit at our beautiful 619 Ocean View, start your evening with a refreshing glass of Honig Sauvignon Blanc!  Perfect for the warm summer days ahead of us.

If you ever have the opportunity to meet one of the Honig family members, make sure to take advantage of that.  They are very nice and humble!  And they know how to make good wine.  For more info, visit their website at:
Honig Winery

2008 Burgundy - Domaine de Montille

If you follow wine closely or got your new wine spectator in the mail already, some of this may no news to you.  However, I am actually adding a personal touch to my burgundy wine coverage.
For all that don't know:
2008 was looking to be a disaster vintage, as the summer unloaded to much rain and cool weather for a great year in burgundy.  But by the second week of September, wind from the north helped drying the grapes and the climate turned favorable warm.  This change in weather saved the vintage, but yields were smaller than usual.
Back to the wine:  My first try of the 2008 vintage was actually with a great Burgundian wine maker and owner, who sat right across my table, at a wine luncheon.  His name is Etienne de Montille and he owns Domaine de Montille, which produces world class pinot noirs and chardonnays from the Cote de Beaune.
The wine that I am adding to our wine list, is the 2008 Bourgogne Rouge.  It was well rounded, pure burgundy style (terror driven) pinot noir at its finest.  And that at a very reasonalble price point for a great pinot noir from Burgundy.

Other Domaine de Montille wines that I got to taste that day (all of them where great):
The first wine I tried was a Chardonnay and it was very good!  The 2007 Beaune Blanc 1er Cru Les Aigrots was amazingly well balanced with a very fresh and pure nose of white flowers, peaches and citrus notes, which complemented the raciness and minerality of the wine.  Long finish!

- 2008 Beaune 1er Cru Les Sizies:  ruby colored, with notes of floral and soft, slow ripening fruit on medium plus body.
- 2007 Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards: This full cluster fermentated pinot showed notes of rose pedals, raspberry and intense minerality on the palate.
- 2008 Pommard 1er Cru Les Pezerolles: The Pezerolles was a bigger pinot in my eyes than the last two.  It showed more dominant red fruit (plum, red current) and only some softer floral notes. Also full cluster fermentation.
- 2008 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens: great, refined, perfect balanced wine. The fruit aromas, the floral notes and the minerality and terror make you want to drink more.

Aging Cellar at their winery in Volnay, Burgundy

Cheers until next week.

Steelhead Sauvignon Blanc

The Steelhead Sauvignon Blanc is a wine that is produced by Steelhead Vineyards.  The wine itself is a great representative for California Sauvignon Blanc and its story behind it, makes it even better.  This 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma County was founded thru a unique project partnership between trout unlimited and steelhead.  The project started to give tribute to the steelhead and coho salmon as well as the restoration of their habitats in northern california waterways.

The wine shows great aromas of meyer-lemons, light floral notes, honeysuckle and apricote.  The wine displays crisp minerality and has high acidity with a lingering citrus finish. 

With only 13.5% volume, this wine is very refreshing and I would suggest our sea scallops, brie dumplings, and flounder with such wine. 

Cheers,

Cayalla RTW

The Cayalla RTW is a wine produced by Firesteed Cellars.  2004 was the first produced vintage of this great red wine blend and the grapes come from top sourced sites in the Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley appellations out of Oregon and Washington state. 

The Cayalla name was derived from the Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes in the eastern part of Washington and Oregon. 

We currently still offer the 2004 vintage on our list, which is a blend from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.  The wine shows notes of berries, vanilla bean and some pleasant herbal notes.  On the pallate, chocolate and dark cherry notes linger along a good balance of earth & minerals and a touch of acidity.  This wine is a steal and a must try for Pacific North-East wine lovers.  Anybody who had other wines from Howard Rossbach's Firesteed Cellars, knows that this must be a a great wine.

On our list under interesting reds at $8/glass or $32/bottle.

Cheers,

Martin Diehr