Wednesday's Wines: Bedrock North Coast Syrah

This week we celebrated our son's fifth birthday; it's amazing how fast the time flies. One of the advantages of having been afflicted with a wine collection disorder means that I have decided that birth-year wines are a purposeful component of our sizable wine stash. Now, unfortunately I do not have any from my wife's or my birthdays, but having young children makes buying their birth-year wines easy. It is looking like our second child's birth year – 2015 – will be a decent year for agreeable wines that may see her 21st birthday. However, Benjamin was born in 2011 – not the greatest vintage across the globe, with a few exceptions such as German whites and vintage Port. I do have a few wines set aside that I think will make it to his 21st birthday, but I'm guessing most 2011 wines will be best long before he is even able to operate a motor vehicle let alone legally consume a glass of wine with his parents. So, on his fifth birthday we decided to open a five-year old bottle of California Syrah from one of best value producers out their.

Bedrock 2011 North Coast Syrah

The Bedrock 2011 North Coast Syrah (14% abc, Purchased $20) is the entry-level Syrah offered by Morgan Twain-Peterson. His single-vineyard wines tend to be in the $30-$50 range, but this blend of barrels that didn't make the cut for those pricier wines is a steal at $20. Entry-level wines are a great way to get a glimpse of what a winery's more expensive wines taste like. As with most of the Bedrock wines, this wine is full of lovely and powerful aromas. Scents of flowers, bacon, white pepper and cherries radiate from the glass. The dark purple wine shows its pedigree of richness and complexity with flavors of black olives, spicy pepper, tobacco, cedar, and dark cherries. It doesn't have the density and concentration of the more expensive wines, but it still punches above its price class. Still going strong after five years with a few more likely at its peak. Good thing I have a few more of these waiting downstairs.

Ben's Bubbly: Moët et Chandon White Star

This past week, Ben discovered his hand and has been a slobbering fool. While he hasn't exactly figured out how to intentionally bring it to his mouth, he takes full advantage of it when he does. Also, this past weekend he slept through the night. It wasn't a sleep marathon by everyone's standards, but six hours is a full night's sleep with an eight week-old. We went to bed at eleven and were surprised when we both woke up for the first time at five the next morning. Unfortunately, Ben did not want to go back to sleep and we were up for the day. We thought we'd take a nap later in the day, but of course that did not happen. While we have been lucky that he is a good sleeper, we really need to start taking a few naps when he does.

Also this week, I learned that I passed the Wine Location Specialist Certificate Program offered by the Center for Wine Origins. The Center for Wine Origins was founded in 2005 by the the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the grape growers' and winemakers' trade association of Champagne, France; and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP), the trade association for the grape growers and houses in Douro Valley and Porto, Portugal. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., this organization aims to educate Americans about "the importance of location when it comes to wine, and to gain greater protection of wine place names in the U.S." According the the federal government, Champagne and Port are classified as semi-generic names and prohibited to appear on wine labels unless they also contain the true place of orgin - i.e., "Colorado Champagne" (see more about this next week) or "California Port" or are grandfathered in on labels already in use at the time of the international agreement with the European Union.

The Wine Location Specialist Certificate Program consists of a comprehensive study guide and a 50-question multiple choice exam exam and an essay question. This program is open to wine professionals and free to register for once you are approved by the Center for Wine Origins. I was inspired to take the exam by Joe Roberts of 1WineDude.com and was lucky enough to complete the exam with more than 45 multiple choice questions correct and better than 4 out of 5 points on the essay to pass With Distinction. I am now certified by the IVDP and CIVC to lead wine education seminars, tastings and dinners specific to the Port and Champagne regions. To celebrate this week's Ben's Bubbly, I decided to pop the cork on a true Champagne!

Moët & Chandon White Star, Champagne

Probably best know by their Dom Perignon label, Moët & Chandon is a large Champagne negociant that produces a range of sparkling wines. While I don't buy Moët wines often, this was a bottle with an extinct label purchased by my wife at a school fundraiser auction. Moët has rebranded White Star as Brut Imperial, along with a slightly drier dosage. This wine was light in color with fruity and doughy aromas. I mostly smelled apples and pears, but frosted cupcakes also came to mind. The sugar was definitely noticeable amongst the creaminess on the palate. This wine reminded me of cross between a cream soda and Celestial Seasonings' Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea. This was a nice wine, but a bit sweeter than I like my bubbly. I am glad that Moët decided to drop their dosage levels in the Brut Imperial. 12% abv. Purchased $50. Good (tasted 5/27/11)

Ben's Bubbly: Ruinart Blanc de Blanc (also starring Ovid and Drinkward Peschon)

Well, this past week was quite eventful. We brought our little Benjamin home when he was just four hours old and have had a continuous line of friends and family come over to meet him and lend us a hand. The first night was great. He (and we) slept for eight hours. He was quite sleepy after his grand entrance, but after catching up on sleep our little hungry guy emerged. My wife feeds him while I get diaper duty. He is very well behaved and only cries when he gets cold during diaper changes, but he usually gets his revenge during those sessions...

My parents drove out from Wisconsin to see their number one grandson. My sister flew in from college and my brother drove up from Colorado Springs. This was the first time that we'd all been together in almost 18 months and the first time my parents and sister have seen my brother since he got back from Iraq last month. To celebrate these two joyous occasions, we opened a few bottles of wine including the first of fifty-two bottles of bubbly.

While it has taken me almost a week to get this post finished, it is my intention to be more prompt with Ben's Bubbly posts. I do have to leave the disclaimer that countless diapers were harmed during the making of this piece...

2007 Peñascal Estate, Tempranillo Rose, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon

We opened this rosado to sip while cooking dinner and enjoying the 70-degree weather. Sitting in the refrigerator for more than a few months, it was time to open this one from Spain. Pinkish-copper in color, this tempranillo is a refreshingly dry rosé. Strawberries, papaya and herbs are noticeable on the nose and palate. I really enjoy dry rosés and this one is no different. While it is nothing special, I will look for more tempranillo rosés. 12% abv Purchased $8. Good (tasted 4/6/11)

2007 Drinkward Peschon, Entre Deux Meres, Napa Valley

This Bordeaux-style blend produced by  mothers Lisa Drinkward and Francoise Peschon (winemaker at Araujo Estates) is a blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon, 11% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 7% petit verdot. This opaque purple-black wine packs a lot of aromas and flavors. Dominated by blackberry, cassis and vanilla, smoke, glycerol, and a bit of leather also make an appearance. While the tannins are smooth, the big fruit and vanilla yield a mouth-coating experience. Not for those who are looking for a more nuanced wine.14.3% abv Purchased $55. Very Good (tasted 4/6/11)

2005 Ovid, Experiment K1.5, Napa Valley
Ovid's flagship wine is a Bordeaux-style cult wine produced from grapes grown on Pritchard Hill to the east of Oakville at 1400 feet above sea level. They are also committed to the idea of experimentation with their wine. Each year they release small amounts of unique Experiment wines. The first offering was the K1.5. This initial release is a blend of 73.5% cabernet franc, 21.9% petit verdot, 3.5% merlot and 1.1% cabernet sauvignon. The wine is dark garnet and yields a unique, yet beautiful bouquet. The earthy and spicy scents are a stark contrast to oak and fruit bombs so prevalent in the Napa Valley. Chocolate, licorice and dark fruits make this experiment a tasty success. 14.5% abv Purchased $85. Very Good/Excellent (tasted 4/7/11)

NV Ruinart, Blanc de Blancs, Champagne

The first bubbly of our 52-week journey had to come from the eponymous region of Champagne. I have not had much sparkling wine and usually do not pick up on the subtle differences these under-ripe grapes and carbon dioxide produce. At an industry tasting last year, this wine stood out from the others to me. Produced from 100% chardonnay, lemon, orange blossoms and a slight yeastiness combined with the fine beads of bubbles made this a lovely opening act. Not as sublime as I remembered it to be, but still this is a lovely wine. 12.5% abv Purchased $50. Very Good (tasted 4/7/11)

1997 Murphy Goode, Vintage Port

Many Port-style dessert wines produced in California are made from zinfandel or cabernet sauvignon. That is why when I was in California three years ago I was surprised to find this very traditional wine made from 70% tinto madeira and 30% touriga and aged in barrels for 20 months. As it was only available in the tasting room, I bought a case and have been slowly going through the bottles. This is about as good of a domestic port-style wine that I have tasted. This wine has notes of toffee, prunes, dried dark fruit, and even a little vanilla. Not overly sweet and showing any of its high alcohol, this is a delicious value dessert wine. I'm glad that I still have five more bottles. 18.5% abv Purchased $24. Very Good (tasted 4/7/11)