Wednesday's Wines: Prisoner Wine Company

Last week, Constellation Brands spent a lot of money – $285 million a lot – to acquire The Prisoner Wine Company. Most people probably aren't familiar with Constellation, but they are one of the world's largest wine producers. Constellation owns Robert Mondavi Winery, Clos du Bois, Ravenswood, Manischewitz, Vendange and recently acquired (they spent $315 million for this brand) Meiomi in addition to dozens of other wine brands. They also own the Corona, Pacifico and Modelo beer brands along with Svedka vodka. Chances are if you've bought a bottle of booze you've given Constellation some of your money.

There has been a lot written about this acquisition by the wine media. Most of the discussion revolves around the lack of vineyards or production facilities with the purchase. Just as with the Meiomi purchase, only the brand was acquired by Constellation. Some writers have been flabbergasted that so much money could be spent on a wine brand when the source of the grapes seems to be up in the air. Other companies, like E & J Gallo Winery and Jackson Family Wines have been buying vineyard land up and down the Pacific Coast. That certainly is a strong approach to building a wine empire, but I would argue that the Meiomi and Prisoner brands are stronger and more highly regarded than any owned by Gallo or JFW. In today's economy, brand is king. All of the most popular wines are built on brand and not on vineyard sources. From what vineyard does Two Buck Chuck or KJ's Vintner's Reserve come?? Prisoner is more about a certain style than it is about expressing a particular terroir. That style of wine can be produced in much larger volume than a wine based on a defined place. To most American wine consumers, consistent style and availability is much more important than the expression of time and place. As much as this disturbs me personally, it is the way the wine industry has been trending for quite some time.

As aggressive as this approach seems to be, it is actually quite conservative. Providing the same style of wine year in and year out in as many markets as possible is a tried and true path to building a strong brand. Just look at how popular America's fast food chains have become. I can buy a Big Mac in Denver, Seattle and Miami and they all will taste the exact same. However, this doesn't mean all wine is going this way as my friend the Wine Curmudgeon often rants about. The number of wine brands that are privately owned, small wineries is much larger than the number owned by "Big Wine" overlords – and actually continues to grow. Yes, volume-wise they are much smaller, but we obviously still have the progressive end of the wine where the expression of place and vintage characteristics is important. Instead of converging to the same common point, wine seems to be as rapidly diverging as American politics.

A few weeks ago – and prior to the acquisition announcement – I sat down with Prisoner's winemaker Jen Beloz to taste through the lineup. Jen started in 2011 after Huneeus Vintners purchased Prisoner from Orin Swift founder Dave Phinney for $40 million. While doubling production from ~85,000 cases to ~170,000 cases Huneeus made quite a profit on that ~6 year investment! And just think, The Prisoner originally started as a single 385 case label. Now, the portfolio of wines produced by PWC includes the namesake Prisoner blend, a newer white blend called Blindfold, the Thorn Merlot, a Zinfandel called Saldo, and a Cabernet Sauvignon known as Cuttings. The wines are perhaps known best for their clever, catchy, creative and most importantly memorable labels. The Prisoner label is an image Francisco de Goya's The Little Prisoner etching. While the labels are cool and all that, I wanted to get to know what was inside the bottles.

Wednesday's Wines: Matthiasson Red Wine and Cabot Klamath Cuvee

A few weeks ago, I wrote about red blends as a growing wine category. I personally find blends often make more complete and complex wines than varietal wines. Aroma, flavor or texture characteristics that may be missing from a single variety can be filled by another grape. It is amazing to see that as little as 1% of a variety blended in truly can completely transform a wine. Blending is also a useful tool for a winemaker to create as good of a wine as he or she can each year. Weather conditions in back-to-back vintages can treat cultivars quite differently, so by playing with the cépage (percentage of each variety of grapes in the composition of a blended wine) can adjust the characteristics of the finished wine.

I find that many wineries take two different approaches to blends. The first is to make the blend their grand vin - top wine. The best lots are used to build the best wine possible. Often with this approach, the same cultivars are used to create the blend. The cépage may change - or it may stay exactly the same - but the building blocks generally are the same each year. Perhaps certain vineyards, or blocks, are selected for the vintage characteristics each provide. What is "leftover" after the blend is finalized can then be sold as varietal wine or different blend (or off in bulk anonymously).

The second approach is to create a blend after all the varietal, single-vineyard, and premium blends have been finalized. This approach can be perfect for creating great value wines - if the winemaker still takes care in making sure the blend works. All too often, simply throwing all the "leftover" wine together doesn't produce a high-quality wine. Today's wines are examples of both these approaches, and both are beautiful wines in their own right.

Wednesday's Wines: Donnafugata Sedàra

The wine bug bit me when I started drinking Spanish wine back in college. As I got in deeper I found myself reading books on France and its various wine regions. With the fundamentals down, I felt more comfortable exploring the more adventurous and irregular American wine regions. Sadly, I've only really dipped my toes in the sea that is Italian wine. I love the intricacies and nuances of Italian wine, but it really can be a confusing minefield. One of my goals this coming year is to dive deeper into the Italian wine world.

Ben's Blush: Boulder Creek Dry Rosé

Four years ago, I decided to start a weekly series on sparkling wine in honor of the impending birth of our first child: Benjamin. It was a fun way to celebrate our new bundle of joy and reflect on his milestones, all while exploring a specific style of wine each week. This year, I decided to resuscitate the concept, but with rosé. I didn't time it with Ben's birthday in mind, but his fourth birthday is rapidly approaching.

It also happens to be the 125th birthday of the City of Littleton, where we have lived for the past six years. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Littleton, it is a quiet suburb of Denver located about 10 miles to the south. The historic downtown area is home to a few shops and restaurants, but an influx of more youth and energy would be highly welcome (though many residents want to keep things as they've always been), as downtown is often too quiet. The addition of Breckenridge Brewery this summer should push things along in that direction.

We happen to live between two parks just a few blocks to the east of the downtown district. Littleton uses one of these parks for its fireworks shows several times a year and we get a front row seat. For the birthday celebration this year, the City decided to use the other park for a fireworks show because the Littleton Museum, next door, was hosting a reception featuring Breckenridge beer and food from the Breckenridge's Farm House Restaurant. A few of our neighbors and our trio of kids all trekked the two blocks to the park to watch the show. I admit, it was odd seeing fireworks going off with snow on the ground, but the show was entertaining nonetheless. Ben ooh'd and aah'd on his own without any prompting. On the way back home, the little ones had a spontaneous dance party, complete with bubbles, on the sidewalk in front of our neighbors' house.

The next morning, Ben and I walked down to the rec center for the birthday carnival and pancake breakfast. I was quite surprised how long the line for pancakes was, but I guess free food will do that. After filling up on pancakes and orange juice, Ben spent a good hour running back and forth between the two inflatable entertainment centers (bounce castles). It was fun seeing all the kids having so much fun (and burning all that excess energy at the same time!). I guess you don't have a 125th birthday every year, but it sure would be a great way to kick off Spring and the coming warm weather every year if the City were to throw a party each March!

2013 Boulder Creek Winery, Dry Rosé, Grand Valley AVA

Sadly, Boulder Creek will not be making any more rosé - any wine for that matter. The owners decided to wind down operations because they couldn't find a new location at a reasonable price. This merlot-based rosé is their swan song for the category of wine they thought could be a signature style for Colorado, even though they had trouble selling it because of the lack of sweetness. The color is almost a neon pink. This was an odd, but interesting, wine. Not because of the wild strawberry, or basil, or thyme aromas and flavors, but because of the smoked pepper - almost cayenne - undertones. The finish was notably spicy and with a bit of heat. It went down easily and was surely unique. 13.2% abv Purchased $16. Good

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux is in Denver this week

The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) is an organization formed in 1973 by a group of Bordeaux wineries that is something of a marketing program that puts on tasting and educational events in France and abroad. The organization now represents 133 wineries, both classified and non-classified producers. Every year, winery representatives tour the U.S. with their wines, but usually only visit New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Last year was the first time the tour found its way to Colorado.

This year, half of the group will be in Denver on Thursday, January 29 (the the other half is in Las Vegas that night). The Châteaux owners and winemakers from over 60 of the most prestigious Bordeaux producers (sadly, no First Growths...) will pour and discuss their wines. I can't think of another opportunity in Colorado to taste such a collection of historic and respected wines. As an added benefit (and because of Colorado liquor law) the event is a fundraiser for the Denver Public Schools Foundation, but hosted by Applejack Wine & Spirits. For a full list of the participating producers and to buy tickets, click here.

The 2012 vintage will be featured at the tasting, though I would hope some producers bring some examples properly aged Bordeaux wine. 2012 is the second in a trio of less-than-ideal vintages for Bordeaux. The vintage started cool and wet, and finished with heavy rains around harvest time. Though I haven't tasted much 2012 Bordeaux, I've read that merlot from the Right Bank produced more favorable wines when compared to the later-ripening cabernet sauvignon from the Left Bank. Many of the top sweet-wine producers even declared that they would not produce any wine in 2012, but instead sell-off their wine in bulk to less prominent producers.

I don't drink much Bordeaux, frankly because the price of admission is so steep. Many of the wines that will be poured at the UGCB tasting cost between $50 and $300 per bottle. The First Growth producers, who will not be in attendance, sell their wines for around $1000 per bottle. Prices have come down some since consumer demand (especially in China) of the heralded 2009 and 2010 vintages caused prices to skyrocket. Still, with three lower-quality vintages currently languishing in the market since the critically acclaimed 2010, supply and demand are still out of sync when it comes to general pricing for the region. Nevertheless, I will be quite interested to see what is in the glass on Thursday night to see if there is some value to be had. I hope to see you there!

Hooked on a Feelin' ... (1800 words on authenticity and Matthiasson wines)

Authenticity is one of the words buzzing its way around the tiny little realm that we call the wine industry. The term even made its way into a Huffington Post story yesterday about common food terms that have lost all meaning. In our little world, one camp (producers, consumers and writers) clamors for authentic wines, while the other (more producers, consumers and writers) bemoans the abstract idea of a wine's authenticity. The whole argument over "authenticity," as it concerns wine, is really over the definition of what is "authentic."

Well, I'll dip my toes into the water on this subject. Authentic wines are wines of undisputed origin and wines (and producers) worthy of trust. Authentic wines can be made in small quantities by an individual or, albeit more difficult, in an industrial setting by a team of enologists in a lab. Authentic wines can be single-vineyard, single-clone wines or blends of unlikely varieties. To me, the idea of an authentic wine is tied to the relationship between the consumer and the producer. This is where trust in the origin of the wine comes into play. I find it easier to have a connection with people, but as my buddy Joe Roberts so eloquently put it (I'm sensing a Pulitzer...) consumers can have a "relationship with a f*cking bag of candy." Proponents of authentic wines want to feel connected to a wine's origin, whether that be the soil, the grower or the producer. They want to know everything they possibly can about how, and perhaps more importantly why, a wine was created.

Tasting with Stéphane Derenoncourt

There are many different types of winemakers. Some make wine under their own name and are something of a one-man or one-woman show. Some have their own brand, but also consult for a few other wineries. Some our winemakers for hire and consult at one or many wineries. Regardless of who writes their check (or how big those checks may be), most winemakers love what they do and are passionate about wine. A few weeks ago, I sat down with a man who does all of the above.

From humbling beginnings in Saint-Émilion, Stéphane Derenoncourt made a name for himself in the 1990s and has since become a globally renowned winemaker that makes wine for more than 60 wineries (including two of his own) in a dozen different countries. He, along with Michel Rolland, is often referred to as a "flying winemaker." I met with Derenoncourt during my weekend in California for Premiere Napa Valley. I interviewed him for Decanter and we also tasted through the 2009 lineup of his Derenoncourt California wines.

What's a winery's responsibility?

What is a winery's responsibility? Is the responsibility to the consumers or to itself? Should a winery always strive to make the best wine possible or should it simply offer commercially viable (i.e. not flawed) wine at a fair price? Should a winemaker only make wine he or she likes or should consumer preferences be considered? Should a vineyard be planted with popular variety, such as cabernet sauvignon, because it will sell or should a lesser-known variety, like petit manseng, be grown if it is better suited for the site?

Ben's Bubbly: Humberto Canale Extra Brut

Each week, Ben is developing new traits. During the past few weeks, he had four top teeth come in, and he's developed a funny face where he opens his jaws with his lips tightly pulled over top and bottom teeth. We call it his turtle face. We assume that he is doing it because of the odd sensation of teeth against his lips, but either way it is still funny. The other new thing that Ben has started is pointing, but in a style that is truly his own. Instead of using the traditional pointer finger, he uses his whole arm with this hand open, palm side up a la Vanna White. Mom likes to think that he is channeling his inner Steve Carrel from when Michael Scott (The Office) meets Holly and realizes that they have a lot in common, raises his arm and says, "Acting!" (sorry, can't find a video to link).

Humberto Canale, Extra Brut, Patagonia, Argentina

I always keep my eyes out for interesting wines, so when I saw this bottle on clearance at local retailer I didn't hesitate. This blend of 50% semillon, 30% pinot noir, 10% merlot, 10% sauvignon blanc comes from one of the southernmost wine regions in the world. It is pale yellow with greenish tint. The nose is very floral and full of fresh peach and apple aromas. White peaches and tart pineapple flavors dominate the palate. Overall, this unique bubbly is very dry (too much so for my wife at first taste), yet very smooth. I quite enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it as an unusual blend of grapes.

12.6% abv Purchased $12 Good/Very Good

Meet the Winemaker: Brooke Webb (Mesa Park Vineyards)

Brooke Webb

Twenty years ago there were only five commercial wineries in the state, so Colorado's wine industry is still in its teenage years. Today, there are over one hundred! Most wineries popped up organically as families decided to give the wine lifestyle a try. Eventually, some wineries changed ownership. Our guest today is the assistant winemaker at one such winery. Mesa Park Vineyards is the newest incarnation of Mesa Grande Vineyards. Bought by the Price clan (Chuck and Patty Price along with their daughter Brooke and her husband Brad Webb) in 2008, they handcraft red wines from the classic Bordeaux cultivars: cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. Brooke, now juggles being assistant winemaker, mother and a job, but she found the time to answer our questions!

A new wine is born: Anemoi Boreas

New wineries pop up all the time. Every year we see new wineries in California trying to sell the next big thing. New winery owners plop down several million dollars on a few acres of prime real estate, pay one of the state's top viticulturists to manage their grapes and finally pay a celebrity winemaker's ransom to consult on how to make a wine that will score 100 points from one of the wine world's tastemakers like Robert Parker, Jr. or Steve Heimoff.

More often than not, a larger winery or wine conglomerate will buy another winery and incorporate the new brand into its portfolio. The new management infuses capital and shakes things up to give the appearance of the brand being reborn. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't. Very rarely do you see one producer operating two wine brands completely independent of each other.

Terroirist.com does Colorado Wine

A few months ago, Terroirist.com founder David White (@TerroirsitBlog) tweeted that he was planning a trip to Denver. I responded to his tweet and suggested that we pull a few corks. David wanted try some Colorado wine after seeing Gary Vaynerchuk's raving review of Guy Drew Vineyards' 2007 Metate on his short-lived Daily Grape. Well, after a few tweets back and forth, we met this weekend and tasted through a lineup of Bordeaux blends and varietal wines from Colorado, California and Bordeaux along with Terroirist.com contributor Ainsley Adams and some members of my local tasting group. We started with a Colorado riesling, non-blind, and then blind tasted through 5 Colorado, 3 California and 1 Bordeaux wines (the other guests brought the non-CO bottles). One of my local wine tasting buddies was kind enough to also bring a half bottle of a well-aged Sauternes to finish the festivities. 

Starter: 2009 Reeder Mesa Vineyards Riesling. Good floral aromas with some apricot and mineral flavors and hints of gasoline. There is a bit of noticeable sulfur and it could use a bit more acidity. It is ok, but I've definitely had better CO riesling (including previous RM vintages). Good

Wine 1: This garnet colored wine has flavors of dark cherries and raspberries, tea leaves, leather and a bit of dark caramel. It has well-structured tannins and an slightly earthy and peppery finish. This was my #2 of the tasting. Very Good

Wine 2: Deep purple, this wine is clearly younger than the previous. Lots of red and blue fruits, especially raspberry and grapes and dark chocolate fill the palate.. The finish was nice with an added smokiness. Fairly monolithic, but overall a very good wine. Very Good

Wine 3: Definitely more old-world in style than the previous two. It is meaty, funky with notes of black olive. The aromas are big and complex. It has firm tannins with spicy tobacco and leather flavors. Very Good

Wine 4: This wine is exceptionally young. It is bright purple and smells and tastes like a barrel sample. Green pepper, raspberry and white chocolate suggest that is cabernet franc heavy. It needs a few years to come together; I don't think it is ready to drink yet. Good

Wine 5: This wine has complex aromas and flavors. Cedar, cigar, brown sugar, plums, blueberries, and black currants are all there along with notes of lavender and sage. I love the intensity and combination of fruit and secondary flavors. Combined with the long and smooth finish, this was easily my wine of the night! Excellent

Wine 6: Dark red fruit, cedar, tobacco and vanilla combine to create a lovely complex nose. The mouth is full of big fruit almost bordering on blackberry liqueur over vanilla ice cream. It needs time to meld and will clearly keep getting better. Very Good

Wine 7: The nose is less intense than the previous wines. Another old-world style wine, but not screaming Bordeaux like Wine 3, graphite, red plums, slight black tea and pencil shavings are evident in what is a little thin palate with a short finish. A subtle wine that needs to be drunk with food and not in a lineup of 8 other wines. Good/Very Good

Wine 8: The oak is noticeable on the nose and I immediately think Napa. Concentrated red and black fruit, and typical currant but it is acidic and lacks soul. Not doing it for me. Good

Wine 9: This was the only wine of the afternoon to exhibit a bit too much alcohol on the nose and palate to me. Sweet red fruit is prominent on the nose. The palate is not what I expected, but pencil shavings, cranberries, figs and raspberries make up for the kind of watery texture. Good/Very Good

We finished with a 1985 Chateau Gilette Sauternes. I took no notes on this, but clearly remember honeyed apricot and more acidity than I would expect in a 26-yr old Sauternes.Very Good

11 things you didn't know about Colorado wine

Today's Colorado Winefest at Northfield Stapleton will top off a successful Colorado Wine Week that included tweet-ups, a tasting at the Governor's Residence, and a celebrity chef dinner with Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg. Forty eight wineries will be pouring an abundance of wines along Northfield's Main Street. Over one thousand people are expect to attend this first-annual event that also features food and wine pairing seminars and a Riedel "glass tasting." So, in honor of all the first-time Colorado wine experiences this week, I offer a list of eleven things that you might not have known about Colorado Wine:

1. There are more wineries along the Front Range than in the Grand Valley.
2. Only 15 states have more American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) than Colorado.
3. Colorado is home to the highest vineyards in the North Hemisphere.
4. Winegrapes have been grown in Colorado for over 120 years.
5. Most of the grapevines in Colorado are self-rooted whereas most in California and France are grafted onto American rootstock.
6. Colorado is home to two Jefferson Cup Award-winning wines (Bookcliff Vineyards' Petite Sirah and Boulder Creek Winery's VIP Reserve)
7. The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board was created in 1990 by the Colorado General Assembly to promote and support Colorado's wine industry.
8. Merlot is the most widely planted grape in Colorado.
9. There are over 100 licensed wineries in the state (up from 40 in 2000 and 5 in 1990).
10. Meaderies, cideries and perries are considered wineries according to the Colorado liquor laws.
11. Both the Colorado Winefest in Denver and the Colorado Mountain Winefest in Palisade are fundraising events for the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology.

With a little help from my friends

The wine industry can be a pretty cutthroat business. Just as new wineries open up on a weekly basis, others close due to competition. A winery's bottom line depends on selling wine; If consumers are buying a competitor's wine they're not buying your wine. Wineries naturally compete against each other, however, they can also work together. This is especially important in emerging wine regions such as Colorado.

In Colorado, a leader in cooperation is Two Rivers Chateau and Winery. Owner Bob Witham, is the first Colorado winery proprietor to utilize a recently enacted state law that allows two or more wineries to operate at an alternating proprietor licensed premise. This means that a portion of a host winery’s licensed premises can be shared with alternating proprietors for winemaking activities. Offered as an employee incentive for Two Rivers' winemaker Tyrel Lawson, Witham agreed to let Lawson start his own winery, Kahil Winery, using Two Rivers' infrastructure. One condition with this arrangement is that Kahil must not produce any wines that directly compete against any Two Rivers labels. For its first release, Kahil produced a Malbec, a variety which Two Rivers does not produce.

In addition to sharing premises with Kahil Winery, Two Rivers also produced and bottled a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Colterris, for High Country Orchards and Vineyards owner Theresa High. Not surprisingly, Ty Lawson was also the winemaker for this debut endeavor. With the cooperation and foresight of Two Rivers Winery, two new wine brands have been emerged by taking baby steps while holding the hand of one the leaders of Colorado's wine industry. To celebrate and participate in the First Ever World Wide Colorado Wine Virtual Tasting, I opened a bottle of Colterris.

2008 Colterris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grand Valley AVA, Colorado

This deep purple/red Cabernet has a little bit of Malbec and Merlot thrown in for good measure. Rather than open more than one bottle for the tasting, I decided to try the Colterris three different ways. I popped and poured some wine into my glass before pouring some more into a decanter and left the bottle half full. I sipped on the first glass for an hour or so before going back to the wine that had been sitting in the bottle. After about two hours and some vigorous swirling for aeration, I poured a glass from the decanter. The wine straight from the bottle, both with the initial pour and an hour later, was brooding with dark fruit. Relatively smooth tannins melded with black currant and blackberries along with a hints of mint and smoke. After 15 minutes of swirling in the glass, the wine opened up and presented more complexity. Earthiness, tobacco and smoke moved to the forefront while still maintaining a core of black fruits. The wine from the decanter bypassed the jammyness of the initial pour and yielded the most satisfying glass of the night. A touch of minerality began to show with the final few sips of the night. To enjoy the Colterris at its best, I recommend decanting for two to three hours. However, if you prefer that bold Napa-like jammyness pop and pour and experience how the wine changes over the course of a few hours. 14.3% abv Purchased $20. Very Good (tasted 11/10/10)

United Slurps of America: Colorado edition

Happy Halloween! I hope that you are enjoying vinous treats tonight! A friend of mine in Boston is starting a new Halloween tradition by offering beer for parents chaperoning their little monsters. I hope that this tradition is mainstream, and with wine, by the time my little one is making the Halloween rounds. If anyone is looking for wines to offer as Halloween treats next year, I have a few ideas for you!

Colorado wines do quite well for themselves at wine competitions throughout the country. Gold medals and best-in-shows are abundant. However, few other wineries can proclaim the hardware and recognition that Boulder Creek Winery has accumulated over the past few years. Founded in January of 2003 by Mike and Jackie Thompson of Boulder, CO, Boulder Creek Winery has really made a name for itself recently. Winners of 3 Best of Shows at the since 2004, including the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon in 2010, a First Lady’s Choice in the first annual Celebration of Premier Colorado Wines for the 2009 Gen Y Riesling and most impressive of all, Colorado’s first ever Jefferson Cup for their almost sold out 2006 VIP Reserve in 2009. While I am not a huge fan of wine competitions, this is some impressive commendation for Boulder Creek’s wine.

In addition to awards, Boulder Creek Winery was one of two Colorado wineries to travel to Paris, France to pour their VIP Reserve at the Tasting of American Wines at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to France. About 500 members of the French wine industry gathered to sample wines from throughout the United States. Mike and Jackie reported that their 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot blend was well received by the French. Boulder Creek Winery was also featured the January 2010 issue of Wines & Vines because of Jackie’s extraordinary attention to detail. Jackie laboriously removes seeds during délestage for her red wines. She credits seed removal with improving the quality. This level of craftsmanship is also reflected by the medals and plaques on display in the winery.

For a fitting follow-up to DrinkLocalWine.com’s Regional Wine Week, Colorado Wine Press has teamed up with the award-winning blog Swirl, Smell, Slurp and arranged to slurp a couple of Boulder Creek wines for their United Slurps of America. Every state produces wine, so why not taste at least one from each? Thus, the United Slurps of America was born. I am honored to be along on this journey as we cruise the Diagonal Highway north of Boulder, CO to slurp some local wine. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 Gen Y Riesling were graciously provided as samples by the winery.

2009 Gen Y Riesling, Boulder Creek Winery, Colorado

This wine was actually made by Will Thompson, Mike and Jackie’s 20-year old son. Will has been instrumental in winery operations since its inception in 2003. Last year, winemaker and mother, Jackie, decided to give Will a bit more authority in the winery’s operation and allowed him to choose one wine to make from start to finish by himself (with mom closely watching, of course). Will chose Riesling, the winemaking tradition was passed down to the next generation and the 2009 Gen Y was born. This pale yellow Riesling is very aromatic. Citrus, pineapple and ever-so-slight petrol aromas emanate from the glass. The Gen Y is medium sweet with honey and Asian pear on the forepalate. This sweetness is followed by good acidity of citrus and piña colada flavors briefly on the midpalate. Minerality and Riesling’s characteristic petrol rounds out the finish. This first wine by a first-time winemaker provides a good balance of sweetness and acidity. The nose is just fantastic. It is a touch too sweet for my preference, but overall it is a very good wine. 12% abv Sample ($16). Very good (tasted 10/16/10)

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Boulder Creek Winery, Colorado

This award winner is Colorado’s rebuttal to anyone who says good Cabernet Sauvignon cannot be made in the Centennial state. This wine is almost black throughout but with a dark red rim. It smells dark and brooding. The complex nose provides aromas of characteristic black currants, herbs, pencil shavings and black pepper. A hint of tobacco and smokiness is evidence of its time in oak barrels. After just smelling this wine for a few minutes, it fills my mouth with a good amount of smooth yet strong tannins that don’t dry out my mouth like so many over-extracted Cabernets and is balanced by a healthy amount of acidity. Currants and dark plums come to the front of the palate but are quickly replaced by a long finish of mesquite and pepper. Another aromatic wine by Boulder Creek, but I would like the fruit flavors to linger around for a while longer. This wine definitely deserves to be paired with a proper meal. 14.2% abv Sample ($24). Very Good (tasted 10/17/10)

What's really in that bottle?

Buzz words are all the rage. During this political season, "extreme" seems to be the buzz word here in Colorado. Apparently every candidate running for public office is extreme, doesn't like America and wants to take my money to spend it on worthless projects. Maybe I've just seen too many political ads! A different buzz word made the rounds this past year in the wine world. From Eric Asimov's June piece in The New York Times, Jon Bonné's San Francisco Chronicle article last month to Rémy Charest's Palate Press tome this month, many in the industry have been debating the merits and perils of using the extreme term, "natural." Perhaps the queen bee of this debate is Alice Feiring.

Natural wine has many different definitions depending with whom you are speaking. Most definitions include no chaptalization, no acidification, no added sulphites and no filtration or fining. Most recently, this debate reared its head via a series of comments between Adam Lee of Siduri Wines and Matt Kramer of Wine Spectator after Kramer's article on wine authenticity. Does the authenticity of a wine or the use of additives affect the quality of a wine? Alice Feiring would definitely argue that anything but the most natural and unadulterated wine is a compromised expression of potential terroir. Others, most notably Robert Parker, would probably argue that if a wine tastes good then it doesn't matter how the winemaker created the elixir.

Not to avoid the controversy, nor to join it (though I doubt enough people will read this post to make my point anything but moot), I actually take both sides in this argument but lean more towards the terroirist/natural wine contingent. In general, I would prefer that my wines be the purest expression of the geography (cultural and physical) from which they are produced. However, if you believe that terroir has a cultural component as I do, winemakers do play an important role in wine production. This intervention can be just as influential as the soil and climate that the vines use to nurture their precious fruit to maturation. Thus, I am able to thoroughly enjoy a tasty, yet engineered, wine and accept it for what it is. However, all too often, the hand of the winemaker is too unsteady with his manipulation of what the vine provides and the resulting wines are watered down or over-acidified farces.

I do enjoy experiencing "natural" wines to see how the non-interventionist approach produces wine with soul. One such winery in Colorado is Woody Creek Cellars. Owner and winemaker Kevin Doyle's self-proclaimed slogan is "making fine natural wines with Old-World methods using only Colorado's finest natural ingredients." Doyle started his winery in 2000 after leaving the Aspen restaurant industry in 1998. His no-frills winery is located in an old apple packing shed in Austin, CO along the North Fork of the Gunnison River just outside the boundaries of the West Elks AVA. Doyle makes his wines using hand-picked grapes without the addition of chemicals or sulphites, stainless steel tanks or filtration and fining in conditions and with equipment reminiscent of an old-world rustic vigneron. All of the wine is transferred from bin to barrel to bottle via gravity. While this approach can lead to unruly wine, it also can give the wine a soul that is often filtered or acidified away. Woody Creek actually accounts for the second most bottles from a single winery in my modest 150ish-bottle "cellar." While not my favorite from my collection, I grabbed a 2008 Merlot the other evening and have been drinking it over the last three nights.

2008 Merlot, Woody Creek Cellars, Colorado

This bronze medal winner at the inaugural Celebration of Premier Colorado Wines competition was at the top of the Woody Creek stack so it has graced my glass each of the last three nights. This dark ruby Merlot offers fruity yet spicy aromas. Plum, cherry cola, mocha and anise tempt my nose. On the tongue, cherry cola, blueberry compote and blackberries are complemented with hints of mulling spices. The subtle tannins don't help to balance the alcohol. Overall, while not my favorite offering from Woody Creek of those that I've previously tried, it is a good wine but out of balance on the palate. 14.1% abv Purchased $17. Good (tasted 10/25/10)

First Post!

Welcome to Colorado Wine Press. As a wine fan, I enjoying experiencing new and exciting wines from all over the world. This website is devoted to sharing my exploration of such wines with you. My plan is to focus on Colorado’s wines but any and all wines/wine experiences are fair game. The Colorado wine industry has been rapidly growing these past few years. In 1990, Colorado was home to only 5 wineries. Today, approximately 100 wineries and 2 American Viticultural Areas (AVA) call Colorado home. Every year Colorado wines wine medals from various competitions from across the country. In fact, just this year a Colorado wine (to be revealed in a later post) won a prestigious Jefferson Cup. With Colorado’s wine competing with best wines of the world, it is time that you get acquainted with these world-class wines from right in your backyard. For this first post, I’ve selected four distinct wines made by four different wineries to start us on our journey together.

2004 Crooked Creek Meritage, Montezuma County

The wine pours into a dull dark black garnet from the core to the rim. The nose is quite light with some spices, cola, and a bit of toasty vanilla. The palate yields little fruit, low acid and minimal tannins. Bitter chocolate, leather and tinned vegetables show through the light/medium body. An acceptable wine, if not a bit past its prime. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. Purchased $14. Average (tasted 6/28/10)

2008 Two Rivers Riesling, Mesa County

This clear pale lemon wine packs a punch on the nose. Powerful aromas of honeysuckle, nectarine and citrus peel emanate from the glass. I want to just keep smelling this glass. The light body provides less intense flavors of gooseberry, tart nectarines and wet slate. The slight sweetness is countered with zesty acidity. A bit on the sweet side for my taste, but overall a lovely wine. 100% Riesling. Sample (retail $12). Average/Good (tasted 7/12/10)

2008 Balistreri Merlot, Barrel 212, Bennett Vineyard, Colorado

A deep purple core yields to a violet rim. The nose shows blueberry pie and blackberry liqueur with a hint of clove. Ripe and fine-grained tannins combine with complex slight jammy flavors of black plum, tobacco, lavender and a trace of black pepper. A very good, concentrated and complex wine. 100% Merlot. Sample (retail $26). Very Good (tasted 7/12/10)

2008 Plum Creek Palisade Red, Colorado

A clear ruby color. The nose is quite floral dominated by violet and dried cranberry. A light body with low acidity and light supple tannins yields red currant, black cherry, cinnamon, mint and a hint of pepper. These complex flavors supply a long finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Sample (retail $12). Good (tasted 7/12/10)