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California Chardonnay Never Gets Old: Geode Santa Barbara 2006 and William Hill Napa 2005

Leave it to a baby boomer to latch onto this millennial wine label concept. Forgive me; the label goes with the new table we just bought from Pier 1 Imports, that place where the millennial generation now shops. The proverbial "we" refers to the writer, namely me, and my civil union partner of nearly 20 years, or whatever is allowed to be said given we do not fall into the category of "one man and one woman".

Geode is a wine concept. It is a design. It is targeted marketing. This is its first vintage. It over-delivers. That's a good thing. Quick, before they sell it off to a larger company keen on watering it down and milking the label as a cash cow, buy it and drink up.

If they are going to wing these concepts out at us, then we need to know when to buy and when to pass. We need to be as fickle about our preferences as they are about their focus group results. My experience is this type of concept is best when it starts out. They can evolve into something even better, but rarely. Again I say, buy now and drink up. Just don't get married to it. Play the field. Be gay with California wine - don't get married.

White Rocket Wine Company has done a great job with Geode Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2006. Chardonnay is the proverbial "dead horse" in many ways these days, so it takes a strong concept, product and price to make hay. True to form as a Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, this newbie takes on hints of Puligny-Montrachet, a remarkable feat for a sub-$15 wine, Geode is packed with oodles of honeyed botrytis overtones and delicious tropical fruit flavors. The honey is in the head space and the pineapple, mango and lemon-lime grace the palate in a sophisticated way. The performance is very well rounded, creamy on the palate, yet the finish is crisp dry.

Veteran wine maker Melissa Bates is credited with this stellar value laden effort. She reportedly gave this wine an average of 8 months in oak, 3/4 French, 1/4 new.

Price: $14 (Nashville). Closure: real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

They maybe should start calling Napa Chardonnay simply, "a glass of white Napa". Chardonnay seems so generic, especially in the days of now, when "mom-and-pop" wineries are a romantic thing of the almost-past. Last year William Hill Estate changed hands, leaving the portfolio of Jim Beam's peeps and joining the ranks of E&J Gallo's decendents' peeps. But this is Napa juice, so I say, call it "a glass of white Napa". It sounds more distinguished than, say, a glass of Gallo's William Hill Napa Chardonnay.

By the way, do you know how to tell right away if that winery you're researching is owned by one of the large "wine umbrella portfolio management groups", without googling it? Here's a hint: If they ask you when you're born, before you check out their homepage, tell them you're born on January 1st 1901. And rest assured, you're under a big umbrella.

Okay, now that we've established that Gallo bought a Napa property with lots of history and genuine character, let's give them credit for injecting the house with efficiency without sacrificing quality. Under Gallo's umbrella, William Hill can compete better in the reality known as wine 2.0, the modern wine marketing landscape. As part of an entire "aisle" of offerings, this label can wield more muscle than it could stand-alone. We get better deals as a result. When they don't water it down, we stand to benefit by such an arrangement.

Reportedly, the fruit for William Hill Napa Chardonnay 2005 is from Carneros and Atlas Peak. Malolactic fermentation and oak aging inject the wine with richness, layered atop the lean acidic structure begotten from the cool climate vineyards. The oak influence is noticeable, reinforcing the tropical mango and perfumed lemon aromas and flavors. Here is a successful baby Chassagne-Montrachet, if you dare call it that. I call it a darn good glass of "white Napa".

Price: $13 (Nashville, on sale). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.9%.

Beautifully conceptual these wines, both of them. This is what Chardonnay is all about, and it's amazing how affordable they are.

Red, White and Brews: Tait Ball Buster Shiraz 2006, Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier 2007, Duvel Belgian Ale, and Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

The 2006 edition of Bruno Tait's Ball Buster is true to form. Like Barack Obama, it's a velvet glove on an iron fist. This I verified on the night of the third Presidential debate of 2008, by drinking the third bottle to date.

Mind you, writing about it is not as easy as drinking it. It's so smooth on the surface, you get carried away, as if the Bush years are a thing of the past. If I were on death row, I would request as many glasses of Tait Ball Buster as I could get, as a prelude to the lethal injection that would be the ultimate anti-climax. I imagine a last supper of long-suffering Shiraz grapes, basket pressed to my lips before I turn blue.

Robert Parker's Jay Miller, a true hedonist of a reviewer, sees the virtue in Ball Buster '06, to the tune of 92 points. I first tasted Ball Buster 2005, drawn to the name. It was quite good; the 2006 seems even better, but that's probably just my eternal optimism getting the best of me.

Fact is, Bruno says this year's blend is 78% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The iron fist manifests itself by way of the alcohol level that soars into the stratosphere without a trace of ethanol in the nose. The velvet glove is the cloak of the grape skins preserved from the vineyard into the glass.

Tait Ball Buster 2006 is deep dark purple ruby, as expected. You get aromas of loganberry, expresso, cedar and forest. Lush jammy red-to-black fruit, vanilla, then chocolate emerge, at first sweetly on the edges of the tongue. The finish is dusty dry with soft astringency on the center of the tongue.

Price: $19 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 15.7%.

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier expresses the very irrational exuberance that got us into this economic mess. But it didn't, it just tastes that way. Like Sarah Palin, it's fresh, attractive and uncluttered, but alas, it's well crafted.

This alternative white wine blend will connect and resonate with most any white wine drinker. It tastes like perfectionism in a bottle. It comes out of left field but has the power to bring people together. I've tasted this wine in previous vintages, always found it to be pleasant, but this vintage really grabbed me.

Expect perfumed aromas of melon, pear, grapefruit and cold blossoms, plus overtones of sweet spice. On the tongue, bright acidity gives it a mouth-watering crisp edge. The finish, like Sarah Palin, gives a wink of sweetness, but the overall effect is palate-cleansing. Robert Parker himself rated this one 90 points, a real bragging point for an under-$15 USA-made white wine.

Price: $14 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 12.8%.

Oktoberfest! I must confess that October has found me drinking more beer. Maybe it's Oktoberfest, or maybe I'm turning into a beer advocate. My paying job has me promoting brews, so I have a vested interest in gaining first hand experience. Research must involve all the senses. Yeah, that's it.

Not knowing much about beer, I stumbled onto a couple of good ones right off the bat. First, Duvel Belgian Strong Pale Ale. If you've tried it, you know about that amazing head. If you haven't tried it, and you're not dead yet, go get a bottle, chill, and pour it into a glass. The head defies gravity. It's like what I hoped whipped cream would be when I first learned of it, but it never was. Lightly bitter, unlike the hop-head brews that gather the limelight, beautifully crisp, like a champagne, refreshing and smooth, Duvel is the creme de la creme, literally and figuratively. It's not the latest thing, but no one appears to have improved on it. Expect to pay about $3-$4 a bottle (330 ml.). Alcohol content: 8.5%.

And then there's Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. 'Tis the season, and unlike the imitation over-hyped or over-hopped brews that pretend to convey the harvest, Dogfish really does. The color is beautiful, somewhere between a new minted copper penny and an October sunset. The aromas are complex, hinting at sweet baking spices and pumpkin, but also conveying lots of malt and even some hops. The flavor is a bribe that could make you do most anything.

Expect to pay about $8.99 for a 4-pack of 12 ounce bottles. Alcohol content: 7%. Don't miss out!

By way of a "plug", I recently installed high-proof beer sections into Frugal MacDoogal's web sites for Nashville and Fort Mill, SC (Charlotte, NC area). These sections combine my original bottle photos with a pinch of clever programming, some worthy graphics, and information from all over the place. So far, Frugal's is getting good results from this effort.

A Taste of Havana BC (Before Castro)? Hey Mambo Swanky White 2006 and Sultry Red 2006

Don Sebastiani and Sons has a new label out, and it captures the mood of the new wine buyer quite well. Hey Mambo is in step with young wine consumers who are just discovering what they like. The dynamic duo of winemaking, Richard Bruno and Greg Kitchens simply can't not make great wine for the money. And the Sebastiani marketing magic shows no signs of running out of steam.

There was a time when Havana was the world's playground, dwarfing Las Vegas. Anything went. People danced the Mambo and let loose of all inhibitions. Unfortunately, shortly after I was conceived, Havana went into a coma by way of Castro's "revolution". I must rely on the memories of my aunts and uncles, movies, books and interviews to get a sense of the sensuality that played itself out before New Years' 1959.

The Hey Mambo "Brand" is in its first year, vintage 2006, for both Swanky White and Sultry Red. The packaging is very successful, with the glossy "black and white and red all over" photographics case packaging, the screaming to-the-point label and the red "waxy" Zork closure.

The wines don't disappoint. Hey Mambo Swanky White 2006 is a category-defying fruity blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Muscat Canelli and Chenin Blanc. These are grapes that, for the most part, are known perhaps no better in the USA, than by Richard Bruno. Once quirky, now these grapes are becoming the staples of many so-called "alternative" whites, but fine-tuning them is a trick not every wine maker can pull off.

Swanky is an apt description. The nose is absolutely alluring, sexy, intoxicating, with its crosscurrents of honey, apricots, apples, ginger spice and cold blossoms. But then on the tongue, you are awakened from your stupor with a slap of citrus, the likes of grapefruit and lemon-lime, perhaps even green apple crispness. Another reason this wine is dead-on for the newcomers of wine is the finish. It's pretty much dry, but not DRY! The fruit is sweet, so the finish plays out in a way that makes friends of both the experienced and not-so-experienced taster.

Sultry Red is a blend of Barbera, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Alicante Bouchet. In other words, this is a true, old-timey "field blend", albeit reinvented. Once again, this is the type of composition Richard Bruno is well acquainted with. "Bistro Style" is written all over the wine, as it is also captured in the small print on the front label. Imagine the glaze that will appear on the eyes of the guests you are pouring for, when you get to recite all six varieties that are contained within. No Cab, No Merlot? No kidding!

Hey Mambo Sultry Red 2006 is worthy of its burning hot name. The color is deep candy apple red. The aroma is Zin-like, a bit smoky like a Havana cigar, loaded with raspberry, loganberry, and redcurrant preserves, hovering over new leather club chairs. A bit of clove-y baking spice asserts itself on the tongue, as well as dusty cocoa and more of those sweet berries. The finish is dusty dry like the old vineyards land that bore the fruit.

Both wines' stats are identical, and either (or both) are capable of putting you "in the mood".
Price: $12 (Nashville). Closure: Zork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Don and Sons have some great food pairing suggestions for these wines. I can vouch for Swanky White paired with USA-wild-caught shrimp quesadillas, and Sultry Red with free-range spicy chicken sausages with sundried tomatoes and herbs. In other words, get out the spice, the cheese, the onions, and go wild. If you're wearing a button-down shirt, unbutton it!

What's Your Style? Carmel Road Monterey Chardonnay 2006 and NO Unoaked Monterey Chardonnay 2007

A lot of very good and not very expensive Chardonnay originates in Monterey County. But what influences a bottle of Chardonnay more? Is it the the place where it is grown or the way it is made? I have to say both. Unlike in Burgundy, where the location dictates style, in Monterey there is total freedom to express the personality of the grape after it is picked, through its handling in the winery. Lots of oak, little oak, or no oak; secondary malolactic fermentation or not; it's up to the producer and wine maker to decide.

In Burgundy, if your vineyard is in Mersault, you are going to make a rich and oaky wine. If your vines are further south in Pouilly-Fuisse, you are going to make a Chardonnay with little or no oak at all. As a consumer, you know what to expect in terms of style based on where the wine is from. All you need to do is navigate the vintage charts and producers to make a selection that matches your tastes, mood and food.

In Monterey, you will need to taste a lot and decide for yourself which label is your style. Which label suits your mood? Which label will you open this evening? What if you're having a glass before dinner? How about with dinner? The good news is, I haven't tasted any fresh, well-made Chardonnay from Monterey I didn't like. The weather is cool there, the hang time for the grapes is long, and the soil is lean, well-drained and minerally.

Here are two Monterey Chardonnays that have both significant differences and similarities. I guess the story could be stated as thus: You can twist the grapes every which way, you can take the grapes out of Monterey, but you can't take Monterey out of the grapes.

Carmel Road Monterey Chardonnay 2006

Carmel Road Winery is now part of Jackson Wine Estates, best known for Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay. Carmel Road is managed under a Brand "umbrella" that includes high-end labels Hartford Family and Freemark Abbey.

Carmel Road Monterey Chardonnay saw just over 6 months in oak barrels, 3/4 French, a minor portion new barrels. Starting out with high quality concentrated fruit, this is enough oak influence to make for a richer style Chardonnay. I would say this one is just a bit richer than middle-of-the road, without going off the rails. You could say it's efficient luxury. If this is your house wine, you might drive a metallic pearl Lexus. Alternatively, you might drink it when you're celebrating, but not showing off.

Expect a rich lemon-gold brilliance in the glass, and aromas of pear, lemon drops, vanilla plus a whiff of clove spice. There is a creaminess on the tongue. The flavor is moderately complex, noticeably oak influenced, with spicy tree fruit and tart citrus notes that balance out nicely in a smooth finish.

Price: $15 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 14%.

NO Unoaked Monterey Chardonnay 2007

This is the first vintage for NO Chardonnay. NO Vineyards and Winery has been making Lake County Sauvignon Blanc, devoid of oak or malolactic fermentation, since 2003. With the growing trend in unoaked Chardonnay, it's no surprise they would line-extend to leverage their brand name, which might just as well be "Buck Naked", "Butt Naked", or "In the Buff".

As expected, NO Monterey Chardonnay saw no oak, and no secondary malolactic fermentation. The screw cap nails this concept home, as not even the natural influence of a cork is allowed to manipulate the Monterey fruit. This is as close to a pure sample off the stainless steel tank as you can get.

NO is bright pale straw, with a slight greenish tint in the glass, noticeable lighter than the Carmel Road. The aromas and flavors are lean, dominated by Granny Smith apple and lemon. On the tongue, this Chardonnay is lean, tart and focused, with grassy, lemon-lime and green apple flavors. This is a Chardonnay for Sauvignon Blanc lovers, you might even say "shrill" for a Chardonnay. If this is your house wine, you might drive a hybrid vehicle, or maybe you just feel like breathing some clean air.

Price: $11 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Being that both of these Chardonnays originate in Monterey County, don't expect their differences to outweigh their similarities. I expected them to be more different, but was surprised they both share a fruit forward nature, beautiful Chardonnay character, plus great minerality and acidity. The nice thing about the comparison is the NO (unoaked) Chardonnay costs a few dollars less than the Carmel Road. This is as it should be. After all, when you're avoiding the high price of oak barrels, you should pass along the savings to the consumer. All too often that isn't the case.

Meridian Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2006

The label eludes to the scene. You're there, or your mind takes you there if you're not there in body. You look to the west and the colors emerge with a fortunate sunset as sailing vessels are in no hurry to return to their moors. People amble down the boardwalk or the palm lined avenue as a hard working two-man band entertains a crowd at the Tiki bar around the corner. No shirt, no shoes, no problem.

You may have spent a lot to get here, or maybe you don't have a lot to spend and your trip is pure imagination. No matter, because as the saying goes, wherever you go, there you are. This scene is not begging for a high-priced bottle of wine, but one that fits the ritual and mood of a picture perfect day as it prepares to pass into night.

Has Meridian painted a picture you can see yourself in? You can certainly afford to be here. Meridian Vineyards, whose history includes being acquired by Beringer, then becoming a little piece of the beverage behemoth Foster's, is the little engine that can get you here. They could charge more, you could spend more, but why? For $7 you can dive into a bottle of Santa Barbara Chardonnay and experience a tropical sunset wherever you are.

The aromas and flavors are centered around pineapple. It's a summer fling in a glass, you might even call it a fantasy. The flavors come across a tad sweet, but it's just the tropical fruit talking. The wine is actually pretty dry in terms of residual sugar, but oak influence is minimal so the Santa Barbara fruit is intense. There are hints of orange, coconut and lemon-lime, but that welcoming pineapple is what reverberates. The finish is a simple pleasure; one that says, "drink, don't think".

The point is, we don't always need a wine to be monumental. Very good for the price and right for the mood is frequently all we really need. Like this Chardonnay.

Price: $7. (Nashville, Clearwater). Closure: Nomacorc. Alcohol content: 13.4%.

Hook & Ladder Tillerman Russian River White 2005

Some of you will be trying to guess the blend; others will just relish in the discovery of such a great affordable alternative white wine with a delicious personality. It's not sweet at all but neither does it turn your mouth inside out on the way to its refreshing finish.

Cecil DeLoach made 2400 cases of Hook & Ladder Tillerman White 2005, which I'm guessing includes Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. The processing definitely didn't include any oak.

Excellent value ($14). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.8%.

Style: Unoaked, crisp, dry, somewhat tropical and very refreshing.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light golden straw. Aromas: Apricot, peach, grass and hints of pineapple. On the tongue, the feeling is tart, dry and light-to-medium bodied. The fruit forward palate carries through the aromas with nice acidity leading to a refreshing finish.

Comment: A great wine for a wine aficionado and his mother on vacation at her house in Holden Beach, North Carolina (view pictured above). I can say it was great with some very fresh grouper and field fresh vegetables.

Winewaves reviewed Hook & Ladder Gewurztraminer in April, 2007.

Cambiata Laumann Estate Monterey Albarino 2005

There are trendsetters and then there are people who are so far out ahead of the wave that they may be looked upon as downright offbeat. Eric Laumann is adept at making more expected wines while crushing and blending for Monterey Wine Company. But his personal family project, the Cambiata label, involves growing and making Albarino and Tannat. Albariño is THE white wine of Galicia in Spain and Tannat is a unique and heady red wine that makes for an great bit of wine trivia. You will typically only find it being grown and made into wine in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, in the southwest corner of France.

I have no doubt that Albariño has lots of upside potential because it occupies the right sensory position and we're all looking for something different from Chardonnay in a white wine. And then there's the wanderlust factor. Many of us would love to take a tour of northwest Spain but opt instead for the bottle of wine. But very few have considered growing and making Albariño in California. Why not? More power to Eric Laumann and Cambiata.

You may be interested to know that Laumann once worked for another "offbeat" character in the California wine world, Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, who also grows a bit of Albariño and blends it.

Very nice Value ($22). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.8%. Cases produced: 400+.

Style: Exotic, juicy round, intensely fruity and refreshingly dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Intense peach plus tangerine, lemon and hints of cold blossoms. On the tongue the mouth feel is medium-bodied, approaching fat yet with excellent acidity. The rich tree fruit and lemony citrus flavors finish lush yet dry.

Comment: You might spend less for an Albariño from Spain or Portugal, but surely curiosity alone will make you want to try this one.

Winewaves reviewed Laumann's Poppy Pinot Noir 2005, a wine he makes for Monterey Wine Company. The bottle of Cambiata Albariño 2005 tasted for this review was provided by the winery.

Summerland Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2005

Summerland's under-$15 Santa Barbara Chardonnay is a smart fusion of bright varietal flavors and light handed spice, perfect for the season.

Summerland proprietor Bilo Zarif and winemaker Etienne Terlinden have been creating expressive Central Coast Chardonnay for several years, first at Zarif's Barnwood Vineyards and Laetitia Winery, and now at Summerland.

Excellent value ($14). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 14.2%.

Style: Bright, somewhat complex, light spice, crisp/dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light lemon straw. Aromas: Pear, spiced apple and hints of cold blossoms and banana. Tart, juicy and a bit rounded off, the spiced apple, orange and ginger flavors are lively and refreshing in the clean dry finish.

Comment: A trendsetter in a sea of California Chardonnay.

Alma Rosa Santa Barbara Pinot Gris 2004

Are you likely to pay a bit more for a wine if it's biodynamic, organic or a product of sustainable farming practices? What if you get a superior wine of great aroma/flavor intensity and length?

Thekla and Richard Sanford left their namesake winery behind in 2005 to found Alma Rosa and they bring new energy and positive focus to the venture. They farm their Santa Rita Hills vineyards with respect and kindness in order to keep the land and their wines unspoiled and beautiful.

Burgundy native Christian Roguenant is the head Winemaker, a frequent wine judge and also a photographer. 2004 is the first vintage for Alma Rosa Santa Barbara Pinot Gris, and the 2005 was recently released.

Excellent value ($18). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 12.5%.

Style: Intense fruit, pretty, light, crisp.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Bright lemon gold. Aromas: Perfumed apricot, white peach, cold blossoms and spring rain. A voluptuous body with nice curves combines with a lively tart feeling on the tongue as the pretty apricot and lemon flavors are sustained in the crisp finish.

Comment: "Tell me what wine you drink, and I will tell you what you are."

Zaca Mesa Santa Ynez Valley Viognier 2005

Zaca Mesa is thirty-something now and has developed into a very well managed and focused wine estate that practices "sustainable winegrowing". Through a winnowing process they found Rhône varietals (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, and Roussanne) grow best on their sprawling property north of Solvang. Although they also produce Chardonnay from vines planted in the 1970's.

Clay Brock follows a string of highly successful Winemakers. He reports Viognier 2005 was fermented in stainless steel and neutral oak barrels, aged 3 months on the lees but not allowed to go through malolactic fermentation. Filtering was "gentle".

Excellent value ($15). Closure: Neocork. Alcohol content: 14.5%.

Style: Aromatic fruit, lightly floral, round body, crisp finish.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Light golden straw. Aromas: Peach, mandarin orange and cold blossoms. The mouthfeel is nicely round and juicy tart. Layers of citrus fruit, peaches and cream reverberate in the crisp dry finish.

Comment: Chill gently; this natural beauty will easily form "wine diamonds", or tartaric acid crystals. This is considered by many a good sign for a white wine. If you're bothered by them, you can filter them out.