WineSmith Blog

Jason Miller and Mike Mercer, friends of ours, are opening a wine bar in Leesburg called The Wine Kitchen.    Be sure to check it out!  You might see a familiar face working there, too.

I’m excited to announce that we are now selling gourmet coffees from around the world at WineSmith.  When you stop to think about it, coffee and wine do have a lot in common (but I’m not going to list out all of those things right now).  That’s partly why I’ve personally gotten more interested in good coffee lately, and I’ve been frustrated with the limited selection of coffees in our area. So, I’ve been working over the past few months to establish a relationship with a company that imports “authentic, delicious coffee that is produced with care by talented farmers dedicated to fair, democratic principles, sustainable agriculture, and the cultivation of the highest quality coffees imaginable.” Sounds pretty good, right?   

Let me give you an example of the kind of coffee I’m talking about.  Karaba, which was named the Best Overall Coffee by Saveur magazine, is from a co-op coffee farm in Rwanda.  The heirloom “French Mission Bourbon” variety of coffee that is grown by the farmers on the four hills of Karaba is a treasure, producing sweet, complex, fragrant, and gently fruity coffees with a delicate body. This varietal has existed in these hills, unchanged, for almost a hundred years; and Rwanda is one of the only places that still cultivates this antique variety. A cup of this coffee, true to form, is filled with notes of citrus, cherry, and butter, with the underlying sweetness of caramel.

Please be sure to check out these new coffees the next time you are in the store.  We will be conducting regular tastings and featuring new coffees as they become available from our importer. 

Wine Spectator released the full Top 100 Wines of 2008 today.  I’ll be updating this post regularly as we’re able to report which of the wines we have in stock / on order.

#88) Chateau de St.-Cosme Gigondas 2006: In store now!

#86) Adegas Morgadio Albarino Rias Baixas Legado del Conde 2007: In store now!

#79) Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Kabinett Mosel Piesporter Goldtropfchen 2007: In store now!

#77) Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne NV: In store now!

#63) Montirius Vacqueyras Le Clos 2005: In store now!

#56) St.-Urbans-Hof Riesling QbA Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 2007: Arriving Friday.

#52) Bodegas LAN Rioja Reserva 2004: In store now!

#51) Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Berardenga 2006: Arriving on Friday.

#49) Dierberg Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley 2005: Currently sold out, but we have more coming in this week.

#34) Condado de Haza Ribero del Duero Crianza 2005: In store now!

#13) Mount Eden Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 2004: Coming in this week.

#10) Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel 2007: Sold out last week; more on the way!

#9) Mollydooker Carnival of Love 2007: We sold our initial allocation of this wine before it even arrived in the store a few weeks ago, but we might get another shipment in the Spring.

#8) Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2005: Our wholesaler is expecting a small shipment of this wine at the end of December.  We’ll try our best to get some for those of you who want it!  (By the way, those of who you came to our Paso Robles tasting on Friday night should remember the Ch. de Beaucastel name — the family who owns this winery are co-owners of Tablas Creek!).

#7) Chateau Pontet-Canet 2005: This wine sold out at the beginning of the year . . .

#6) Pio Cesare Barolo 2004: In store now!

#5) Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” 2005: We still have two 1.5 L bottles of this wine on hand.  What a great gift for the holidays!

#4) Château Guiraud Sauternes 2005: We were allocated two bottles of this wine - in store now!

#3) Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva Old Vines 2005: Not currently available.

#2) Château Rauzan-Ségla Margaux 2005: Not currently available.

#1) Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta Colchagua Valley 2005: Expecting delivery on Thursday this week!

Call (703) 729-2970 if you want to reserve any of the wines that we have available!

Stay tuned for more updates . . .

Our November wines of the month (El Cipres Torrontes, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon) come to us from Bodegas Correas in Argentina.  Their vineyards and winery are now owned and managed by fourth generation Correas family members, which is a great reminder of the long history of winemaking in Argentina.  Each of the three selections this month are representative of the terrific values that you often find from Argentina and Chile.  WOM Club members get these three wines for only $30 (normally $36)!

You can also read the write-up posted on our site for more information on the wines that we’ve selected to feature this month. 

Why buy local?  There are probably lots of reasons, but two come immediately to mind:

1. Foods are fresher (you only get what’s in season and the food doesn’t have to travel hundreds of even thousands of miles to get to your local grocery store); and
2. You support your neighbors and the local economy. 

I’m excited to announce that we are in the process of stocking several different meats, cheeses, and other foods that are made by local farms and vendors, including Fields of Athenry, Oak Spring Dairy, Meadow Creek Dairy, and many others.  Please be sure to check out our food section as you come into the store over the next few weeks and help support our local economy by trying some of the products that we are starting to carry.

I wanted to finish this post with a quick highlight on Fields of Athenry.  I’ve been sampling various cuts of meat (rack of lamb, rib-eye steak, whole chicken, and lamb sausage) over the past several weeks, and I’ve been really impressed with the quality of their products. I can definitely taste the difference between their meats and what I’ve bought from grocery stores in the area — there is just more flavor.

American Flatbread, Tuscarora Mill, and Vintage 50 are a few local restaurants that use meats from Fields of Athenry in their recipes.

We’ll be getting deliveries from Fields of Athenry every week, and we charge the same prices as the farm. If you’re a fan of good meat and buying local, you should definitely pick up a cut or two the next time you’re in the store!

Our October wines of the month (Three Wives and Three Rivers) are from wineries in the Pacific Northwest.  You can find lots of great information about Three Rivers on their website, but finding information on Three Wives is much harder.  That’s because 27-year old winemaker Remy Drabkin is a boutique producer with very small production.  Remy’s reputation is quickly on the rise, so don’t be surprised to hear her name more often.  Check out this article for more information.

You can also read the write-up posted on our site for more information on the wines that we’ve selected to feature this month. 

By the way, the Three Wives wines will be featured at the Oregon Wine Dinner we are co-hosting with Nice Legs at American Flatbread on October 21st.  Please join us!

I met up with two good college friends from Santa Barba on Saturday and enjoyed a slightly more relaxed pace.  We started out with a winery tour and barrel tasting at L’Aventure at 10 am.  L’Aventure is one of the more celebrated wineries of Paso Robles.  Owner / winemaker Stephan Asseo was making wine in Bordeaux before he discovered the Paso Robles region. Since moving there, he has become known for his renegade Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blends, like the Optimus and the Estate Cuvee.  We got the rare opportunity to meet Stephan briefly while tasting through some of his latest vintage wines still in barrel.  Thanks to Jacob for the wonderful tour and hospitality!  L’Aventure is a must-see winery if you head to Paso Robles.

We stopped at Terry Hoage Vineyards next.  Several of our customers have grown to love Terry’s “The 46,”  which is a Grenache/Syrah blend.  Unfortunately Terry’s wines are no longer represented by a distributor in Virginia, which means we can’t sell his wines anymore!  I talked to Terry, who played football for the Skins and Eagles for several years, and he is interested in finding another distributor for our state.  I gave him the names of a few people that we work with and I hope that one of those will work out for him. It would be nice to get his wines back in Virginia!

Made a quick stop at In & Out for an animal style burger — yummy!

It’s probably easiest to summarize the rest of the afternoon by saying that my friends and I received royal treatment for Steve and Pam Lock (Ecluse Wines) and Mike Mooney and son Chris (Chateau Margene and Mooney Family wines).   Both families took us on tours of their wineries and gave us barrel samples.  They shared insights on everything from making wine to their personal lives.  It was a fantastic afternoon, and I’m happy to say that we have wines from Ecluse and Chateau Margene on our shelves! 

At Mike Mooney’s suggestion, we wrapped up the day with a great dinner (and plenty of great wine) at McPhee’s Grill in Templeton.  Another must-visit place if you head to Paso!

It’s been a week since I came home, and I’m ready to go back for more.  Here are some quick final thoughts on my trip:

• Incredible community/friendship among winemakers, winery and vineyard owners, and everyone else in the wine industry!  These guys all hang out together and even share information with each other.  Small case in point, Sherman Thacher asked me to return a table cloth to Steve Cass when he found out I was heading to Cass after leaving Thacher. 
• Great range of high-quality, delicious wines, from Rhone varietals to Bordeaux varietals and good ole California Zin
• Great price points on wines (especially compared to other California wine regions)
• Perfect balance of rural community (beautiful setting and relaxed pace of life) and cosmopolitan appeal.  Great food at cool restuarants and nice boutique shops. 

Started out this morning with a tasting of older vintages from Adelaida (Rhone varietals), Peachy Canyon (Zinfandel), and Eberle (Cabernet Sauvignon).  The winemakers from each winery sat down with us and presented their wines personally, discussing the vintages and their respective approaches to making wine.  Highlights of the tasting included a vertical tasting of Peachy Canyon’s Mustang Springs Zinfandel (2003 - 2006), a 1990 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Eberle, and the 2004 Adelaida Version White (a white Rhone blend). 

That tasting was the end of our official wine buyer’s tour, so at 12:00 I drove straight over to Jack Creek Cellars for a meeting with Doug Kruse.  Paso isn’t known for Pinot Noir, but Doug has a great spot for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the West Side (referring to the wine region on the western side of Highway 101, which runs north-south through Paso Robles).  Doug, like everyone else I spent time with on the trip, was a gracious host and happy to share his wines and insights.  He treated me and a few travelling companions to a barrel sample of four different clones of Pinot Noir (667, Pommard, 115, and 2A).  It was the first time I’ve been able to taste four different clones straight out of the barrels, and it was amazing to be able to taste the very distinct differences between them.  As an aside, I also got to taste a barrel sample of more Kruse Pinot Noir at Chateau Margene on Saturday, and I was definitely able to taste those distinct flavors.

Next stop was at Thacher Winery to visit Sherman and Michelle, who just finished building a brand new winemaking facility and tasting room.  Many of you know that I’m a huge fan of Thacher Zinfandel, but I also really enjoyed tasting his Viognier and Syrah as well.  Fortunately Sherman had some time to give me a tour of his new place before a slew of visitors crowded the tasting bar and demanded his attention!

From Thacher I took a nice drive all the way out to Justin (by the way, you can check out this map of the Paso Robles wine region if you’re interested).  Justin, which is famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends, is probably the best known winery in Paso Robles.  They have an amazing winemaking operation, which was in full swing while we were there, and a spectacular cave for storing barrels (and some bottles) of wine.  Got a sample of their latest vintage wines at the winery, but my best memory of Justin wines from this trip will be the bottle of Savant (a high-end blend of Cabernet and Syrah) that some friends and I shared at dinner on Saturday night at McPhee’s Grill in Templeton.

My last stop for the day was Cass Wines, clear across Paso on the East Side.  I can’t begin to thank Steve and Alice Cass enough for their hospitality.  Steve took me on a personal tour through his vineyards, from which many wineries in the area source fruit.  The property is postcard perfect, with beautiful green vines spread out across a valley floor and steep hillsides rising up around them.  Another highlight from the trip: sitting down and watching the Presidential debate with Steve and Alice over a few bottles of delicious wine.  It was a nice way to unwind from a day of running from one winery to the next!

Speaking of Cass, I couldn’t resist snapping this photo at the entrance to Thacher Winery.  Anyone know this Ted Plemons guy?  Apparently he builds lots of homes and wineries around Paso Robles (and happens to make a few trips to Northern Virginia every year promoting Cass Wines).  In fact, he and his lovely wife were in the store on Saturday, Sept. 27th!

I guess I should start by saying that the dinner at Artisan last night night was outstanding.  The restaurant, which is about three years old, is run by a husband, wife, and brother who source almost all of their food (and wine) from the Paso Robles region.  You won’t find vegetables that aren’t in season on their menu, which changes about 8 times every few months.  They try to work with as many organic ingredients as possible, and we saw several of their farms from which they source in our travels today.   Just as  important, the menu is inventive and delicious.  If you visit Paso Robles then you have to have lunch or dinner at Artisan.

I’d also recommend staying at Hotel Cheval, which is a fantastic new hotel in downtown Paso.  Their website says it all — be sure to check out the photo gallery.  Thank you to the Paso Wine Alliance for treating us to such great food and accomodations!

Today was a busy day.  Here are some highlights:

Breakfast and vineyard tour with General Manager Jason Haas at Tablas Creek, which is jointly owned by the Haas family and Ch. de Beaucastel (in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France).  These two families are basically responsible for bringing Rhone varietals to Paso Robles.  They make their wines entirely from estate grown fruit, which is all organic and maintained by a full time vineyard crew of 20 people.  Very rare, and the results show in the wines. 

Vineyard tour of Red Cedar Vineyard, where wineries like Four Vines and Treana source grapes for their blends.  The winemakers for Clayhouse Wines, Four Vines, and Liberty School (a Treana project) met us in the vineyards to present their wines and join us for lunch.  Winemakers Christian Tietje (Four Vines) and JC Diefenderfer (Liberty School) are in the picture pouring their wines. 

A varietal tasting of 200 wines from Paso Robles wineries.  I’m happy to report that we already sell many of the all-stars from this huge line-up, but I also found a few others that we need to bring into the store soon, including Adelaida and Edward Sellers, among others.

Dinner tonight at Villa Creek restaurant in Paso Robles.  Twenty local winemakers/reps joined us for the dinner and brought some of their most prized wines to share. 

It’s been a full day, and these highlights don’t do justice to the amount of knowledge that I was able to absorb from talking to so many different people throughout the day.  The folks at the Paso Robles Wine Alliance have put on a fantastic program, and I’m very grateful for this opportunity.

The official program ends tomorrow morning with a winemaker’s seminar, but I’m sticking around to visit a few more wineries, including Jack Creek, Thacher, Justin, and Cass.  More updates (and pictures) coming soon!

This is a shot I took of Grenache grapes ripening in the morning sun at Tablas Creek. 

Got an early start to the day — needed to be at Dulles by 5:45 to catch my 7:00 a.m. flight.  Happy to say that United got me to San Luis Obispo on time without incident!

Flying into San Francisco this morning brought back lots of good memories.  Some of you might not know that Nadia and I lived in the City by the Bay for almost two years.  We moved back to Northern Virginia six years ago this month!  Coming back to the West Coast always feels good.

Anyways, I wanted to provide a quick summary on the day before going to dinner tonight, which marks the official beginning of the tour that I’m on.  I started out by stopping at Tolosa Winery, which is literally right across the street from the San Luis Obispo airport.  I know that doesn’t sound very romantic, but the winery is beautiful and modern.  Many of our customers love the Tolosa Unoaked Chardonnay, so it was nice to stop by and see the source for this wonderful wine.  The staff in the tasting room were very gracious and allowed me to taste through three Tolosa Pinot Noirs, including the entry-level SLO (for San Luis Obispo) Pinot, Estate Pinot, and 1772 Pinot, which is a reserve level Pinot that won’t be available until later this Fall.   Each of the wines represented fantastic values for their respective price points (app. $20, $40, and $55).

Unfortunately the next two wineries that I visited don’t currently have their wines available for sale in Virginia.  But they are famous wineries here in Paso Robles, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit them on my way in. 

Turley is known for Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, primarily from Napa and Paso Robles.  They make BIG wines (don’t be surprised to see 16%+ alcohol), but they don’t make a lot of them.  If you love big Zins then you need to try Turley.  The bad news is that the wines are not available for purchase in Virginia.  Malanie, who hosted me this afternoon, has been working for Turley for seven years and hasn’t seen a new distributor brought on since she started.  The good news is that you can find Turley wines in some DC shops and restuarants.  I recently had a glass of Turley Zin at Proof.  Otherwise, you could try joining their wine club to ensure that you get a delivery every couple of months.   My favorite today was the Library Vineyard Petite Sirah, which is made from grapes grown right around the public library in St. Helena (Napa).  I also really enjoyed the Dogtown Vineyard Zin.

By the way, it’s harvest time here along the Central Coast, and it’s always a nice surprise when you open the car door and are greeted with the smell of freshly picked grapes. This is a picture of old vine Zin (80+ years)  from the Turley property in Paso Robles.

Next I stopped at Linne Calodo. Wow.  Before I forget, let me say thanks to owner / winemaker Matt Trevisan for turning me on to Rancho Deluxe, a local band that he knows well since growing up with several of its members.  Their music was playing on the stereo in the tasting room, which (like the rest of the property) is under serious construction.  Matt sent me home with two Rancho Deluxe CD’s, one of which I immediately slid into the car stereo.  There are few things better than riding along through wine country with the windows down and good music playing on the radio!

Of course, Matt set me up to be in such a mood.  What a gracious host. Not only did he open a bottle of his prized Martyr (a Rhone style blend with a generous dose of Mourvedre), he also gave me and two other guests a sample of his 2007 vintage wines right out of the barrels.  I wish you all could have been there.  Matt probably would have sold all of his 2007 production.  His wines, which are always Rhone-style blends and made from grapes grown on his property or within 2 miles, are phenomenal.  Although Linne Calodo wines have been available in Virginia before, Matt does not currently have any representation in the Commonwealth. He said he is open to the idea, and I’m hoping he teams up with a certain small distributor from which we buy lots of wines.  I will certainly let you all know if we are able to get any of Matt’s wines!

My next stop was Firestone Walker Brewing Company, whose award-wining Pale Ale we sell in the shop.  Many of you have probably heard me say that the this Pale Ale is one of my favorite beers.  Why? Firestone Walker is one of only two breweries in the US that ferments some of their beer in oak barrels, and the Pale Ale is made with about 10% barrel fermented beer.  I’m not a guy who likes oaky wines, but the oak treatment that Firestone gives their beers really adds another dimension of flavor and texture.  I also got to try a few of their speciality brews, which are only available here on the West Coast. 

I finished the afternoon with a stop at a local tacqueria.  All that wine and beer sampling made me hungry!  For those of you who have lived in California (or visited a resident of the Golden State), you know the difference between a good Chipotle burrito and a good burrito made fresh at a local tacqueria.  I visited 4 Hermanos Tacqueria at the recommendation of several locals and ordered a carne asada burrito.  What can I say?  It’s been at least five years since I had a burrito like that, and I savored every juicy bite.  I can scratch that off my list of things to do for now (although I’ve been told of another famous establishment in town that I might visit before the trip is over).  I still need to get some fresh sushi and an In & Out burger.  You just have to know what I’m talking about to appreciate it! 

So, my dinner at Artisan restaurant starts in 30 minutes.  I’ll report on that tomorrow along with some other updates!