johnk's blog

Fäsi Estate Winery – 2003 Private Reserve

California Wine tasting with Fäsi Estate Winery – 2003 Private Reserve
2009 Fäsi Crest Private Reserve Syrah
CA - Madera County - Madera
Retired Vintage/Library Wine / Ingredients: Organic Syrah Grapes
Winemaker Notes: Deep rich color, black cherry spice. Hint of tobacco with a background of toasty oak. Flavors of blackberry, chocolate, black licorice combined with warm toasty wood flavors and balanced acidity. Fruit forward finish with nuance of vanilla.
Food Pairing: Beef, lamb, BBQ meats, gourmet pastas
Cellaring: Ready to enjoy now
Alcohol 14.14%

Syrah’s often carry flavors of black cherry, black pepper, blackberry, plum, bell pepper, clove, licorice, espresso and dark chocolate. So, when wondering what pairs best with Syrah’s consider these flavors, and whether these would complement the meal you are planning. Think grilled meats, vegetables, wild game and beef stew for starters.

While I enjoy a good many California Syrah’s there a at least two local wineries in the Fresno and Madera County area that seem to stand out. That being said, I would like to share with you 2003 Fäsi Crest Private Reserve Syrah. I should start out by saying that this wine is a retired vintage/library wine at this time. I just wanted to share with how well this nearly 11-year-old vintage is performing right now. I just find this to be one of the outstanding wines that has been produced in California's Central Valley.

Idle Hour Winery – 2015 Cabernet Franc

California Wine Tasting With Idle Hour Idle Hour Winery – 2015 Cabernet Franc

Ingredients: Cabernet Franc
Nose: aromas of rich berry, herbs, and caramel
Taste: This Cab Franc has excellent balance of soften tannin and flavor
Character: Rich full-bodied wine is a fantastic balance of soft tannin
Food Pairing: Beef, lamb, stews
Cellaring: While ready to enjoy now, this wine will age well few more years
Alc. by Vol.: 14.2%

Cabernet Franc - Interest in the grape started with California wine makers who wanted to replicate the Bordeaux blend, perhaps you have purchased a Meritage. In the 1980s, heightened interest in Cabernet Franc led to an increase in plantings that helped push the total acreage of Cabernet Franc in California and you will find much of it In Clarksburg, Napa, and Sonoma counties. Idle Hour Winery’s Cabernet Franc is a rich and full-bodied wine with distinctive aromas of flowers, herbs, red fruits, and a touch of caramel. As you sip, you begin to appreciate red currant with some hint of darker fruit and notes of herb and black pepper. Though a full-bodied wine this Cab Franc has excellent balance of soften tannin and flavor that would go perfectly with any party or meal.

Pair this wine – Consider spring lamb or veal, salmon, grilled chicken. Maybe one of my favorites for BBQ party, tequila chicken wings. Which ever you choose to pair one thing for certain if you are a red wine lover. That first taste will leave you wanting more.

Matson Vineyards – 2014 Tango Handcrafted – Tannat and Tempranillo Blend

Some years back while visiting family in Redding, CA I had the pleasure of discovering and visiting a small family winery just outside of Redding, CA called Matson Vineyards. I know, not a big surprise, me visiting another winery – right? Yes, I love to visit wineries of California and I enjoy visit wineries of all sizes. However, the smaller family wineries hold a special place in my heart. Why? Because of the generally relaxed atmosphere, and at the same time a real energy and passion in the air. You can sense it as you listen to the owner and often the winemaker as he tell his or her story or simply just getting a conversation rolling on why he, or she loves making wines. The winery I am referring to produces between 1,200 and 1,300 cases of wine each year. The main vineyard is 4.5 acres of vines with two additional locations not to far from the winery.

Treasure Island Wines – 2017 Russian River Valley – Sonoma, CA

Chardonnay can be a bit of a chameleon. In making that statement it becomes clear that Chardonnays can be bright, crisp and lean, or big and buttery. This grape and the wines it produce can be so many different things yet the same grape and so susceptible to suggestion. So, if a winemaker goes for rich ripeness and lots of long bathing in oak, this agreeable grape goes along for the big and buttery ride so to speak but is just as agreeable to go the crisper and leaner too! Generally, the made in stainless steel and unoaked style is crisper and leaner and often depending on the soil of the vineyard of the fruit used you can detect a taste of stone, perhaps a flinty flavor along with some apple and melon.

Jim Mirowski, winemaker, and owner of Treasure Island Wines has achieved with his 2017 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley a delightful crisper and leaner Chard. This Chardonnay was made in stainless steel fermenters with just a touch of oak.

Moseley Family Cellars – Le Jardin Rouge – 2015 Capay Valley

Let me introduce a genuinely nice GSM with a little “V” on the end. The wine, Le Jardin Rouge – 2015 Capay Valley This blend was produced by Moseley Family Cellars.

Capay Valley is a rural valley northwest of Sacramento in Yolo County California. This California AVA is about 102,400 acres region in size and borders Napa County, Lake County and Colusa County. Actual vineyards planted are about 25 acres. Some excellent fruit comes from this AVA and you will find a few wineries such as Cache Creek, Taber Ranch and Capay Valley Vineyards. This little AVA produces Tempranillo, Merlot, Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mourvedre, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese and Petite Verdot. Moseley Family Cellars has selected for this blend Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Viognier wine grapes. The blend is 55%/33%/10% and 2% respectively for their 2015 Le Jardin Rouge.

The primary grape in this blend, Grenache (gruh·naash) is a dry, red wine that is typically full-bodied and interestingly light in both color and tannins. Grenache produces wines that are loaded with strawberry, cherry, blackberry, purple plum and in the richest examples, even cocoa, black tea or licorice.

Next is Syrah and it often carry flavors of black cherry, black pepper, blackberry, plum, bell pepper, clove, licorice, espresso, and dark chocolate.

Zip Sips Wine Review - Moravia Wines Red Blend Hygge

Moravia Wines is a Central Valley Winery located in Fresno California and is the subject of our First Video Wine Review called Zip Sips

Wine Wednesday with Westbrook Wine Farm

Westbrook Wine Farm – 2007 Mariposa Count, Cabernet Sauvignon
Ingredients: Cabernet Sauvignon
Nose: earthy deep and rich
Taste: dark cherry for the fruit, hint of chocolate or mocha with just a hint or leather.
Character: Full flavored, fleshy and well-structured
Cellaring: good for a few more years if cellared but my last bottle will not last that long.
Alc. by Vol.: 14.5%
Personal note: While my favorite from this boutique winery is their Flagship wine, Fait Accompli, this wine has flavors of dark cherries, dark roses, chocolate, truffles, cedar, and Cabernet sauvignon fruit.
Tasting notes: smooth, well-balanced
Suggested pairing: Grilled ribeye steak

Westbrook Wine Farm is a vineyard and winery in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of eastern Madera County, California, near Bass Lake and Yosemite National Park. Westbrook’s mountain vineyards are planted to field blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Gros Verdot and Carmenere. The Krause’s, Ray and Tammy, practice sustainable farming and minimalist winemaking and make their wine in the traditional Claret style by co-fermenting grapes, rather than by making separate varietal wines and blending them. Their Flagship wine is their Fait Accompli includes six and our Museum, three of the eight red varieties permitted for use in Bordeaux or Meritage style wines.

Wine Wednesday - FӒSI - 2003 Syrah

FӒSI - 2003 Syrah

Private Reserve

Ingredients:Organic Syrah Grapes
Nose:Black cherry, plum, and toasty oak
Taste:Black cherry, sweet spice, and plum
Character:Full-bodied with ripe fruit flavors, integrated tannins, and a spicy finish
Food Pairing:Beef, lamb, stews, and gourmet pastas
Cellaring:While ready to enjoy now, this wine will age well few more years
Alc. by Vol.:14.1%

Westbrook Wine Farm – 2004 Fait Accompli

Westbrook Wine Farm – 2004 Fait Accompli

Ingredients: California Boudreaux Blend – Field Blend

Nose: Wonderful bouquet that evolves as it waits for your enjoyment in the glass

Taste: I hope it is sufficient to say this is a California Boudreaux blend that will give some of the best French Chateau’s a run for their money. Think of Chateau Pipeau, Lynch Bages and a few other wonderful French wines.

Character: Simply Wow. Glorious, superbly balanced and beautifully integrated fruit. Tannins soft and mellow. Wonderfully long finish. Outstanding. This vintage simply singings. Spectacular wine. Well done.

How well do you know your customers?

How well do you know your customers? Do you know them well enough to know what they want? Or is it more along the lines that we tend to think we know what they want?

The average wine sale in a California wine tasting room is around $70-$80. While the average sale in the private session tastings, whether it be wine club members, or first-time visitors that request private tastings average $300 or more than those in the tasting room. So, it is simple, right? All you have to do is get as many people into private tasting sessions as possible, right? Not necessarily! These amounts just mentioned are the average sales amounts in the different two venues - but what if you were to include non-sales visitors? What would the true number be if you included every group of visitors instead of just those that bought wine while tasting? I don’t have such data to share, but I would be willing to bet that the average sale in the tasting room would be much lower.

The amount from the private session might be a little lower but not likely as much as the regular daily or weekend tasting room traffic. Why do I say that? Those that choose to pay the higher price of a private session you are probably going to find are more affluent to begin with and can afford to buy more wine, or perhaps even purchase futures on vintages to be released later. One thing to keep in mind is the experiences between the two groups and how they are different as is the level of service given.

California Winery Directory