Sweets My Sweet

Every year Valentine’s Day happens. Of course. Same as every year, every yearly thing happens and yet somehow it throws us for a loop. It’s astounding how every late autumn we are like “OH. My. GOD. It is getting dark so early!” as if that hadn’t been happening at the same time every year all of our lives.

Still some things seem like big things. Valentine’s Day needn’t be. I’m comfy being single. There is romance in my life here and there but until I find my lobster I’m chill celebrating it single.

Oh um well that is until love finds me. I yearn for that but also oh f#*k I’m kinda busy for all that so why don’t I open some sweet wine for everyone.

Romancing one’s self (take that whatever direction you want) is an art. Wine is art. And wine as romance makes you the goddamned Mona Lisa for a minute. Today I have a sweet charmer to act both as a love letter to yourself and/or companions. It is actually a fortified wine–that is the wine is made and then there is extra alcohol added. That was way too simplified a description of the process, but that’s for another day. In the meantime, here’s your Valentine:

Gigondas La Cave Terres Blonde Muscat Beams de Venise is lithe, stone fruit forward with a solid lick of salinity and zooms of hyper-orange-blossom-water. Elegant and zing-y, light on its toes with a core of minerality. And yes it is sweet, but you know how you eat a nice ripe piece of fruit and yes, it is sweet, but “this is sweet!” is not what you would say, but rather, “this is a good piece of fruit”? Well, this wine is a good piece of fruit. Sort of a floral melon genre undervibe, and all over refreshing, too. hot air balloon vibes in that it is vibrant but lifted and soaring in an anchored sort of way. To sum up the tasting notes, it’s all melon and stone fruit and white roses that chill on wet stones.

American wine idol

My golly. So I started the Diploma program for the Wines and Spirits Educational Trust (WSETs) and the first (of six over two years) segments is…Viticulture and Vinification. And our class on vinification was guest-talk by…Brandon Sparks-Gilles of Dragonette! And I LOVE Dragonette. So life is mighty cool when you suddenly start being taught by the people you look up to.

Sorry I’m probably so not funny right now. I’m just reeling from “what is this wicked awesome wine life I’m living” joy. Oh and I’ve been acting a bunch more so my brain is addled.

So! Today’s wine. From my fave winery aka the winery owned by my home slice Brandon. The 2015 Dragonette John Sebastiano Vineyard Grenache. I promise to never say home slice again unless it’s my own recipe in house made pizza.

Such a sophisticated Grenache. For those needing review Grenache is a big ol’ player in the southern Rhône and it’s the G in GSM (Syrah and Mourvèdre are the other two letters). Even though I know Dragonette wines have oh so much finesse, for a Grenache from California I sorta was expecting a BIG wine. It’s so much better.

Grenache is known for being ridiculously high alcohol but this one’s vineyard is one of the coolest Rhône-varietal sites in this state. And seeing as such this wine (no surprise like its totes Dragonette duh) has oh so much elegance. And a “mere” 13.5% abv.

Smells like a Cali Pinot. Looks a tad ruddy. Light tannins. Tastes of underripe cherries black grapes and maybe…arugula? Something totally refreshing. I love a chilled red and oddly I think this does well as one.

Dragonette you are my darling. Cheers to you being in my life be it in my glass or teaching me. Wine love. So good.

I promise to be funny again someday but for now gonna finish this elegant glassful of fun.

SPRING (no less dramatic than winter) comes rosé!

Before I go on, let me give my recommendation. If you see 2015, nab it. Drink it. Love the hell out of it. That being said that advice expires in maybe a year and the following is also so truly worthy:

2016 Chateau de Trinquevedel Tavel

Fucking ephemeral beverages. You can LOVE one vintage and then the next vintage you adore ever so slightly less. But then you can’t source old bottles because wine is a living being. Those old bottles might not continue to stand up.

But if you trust the winemaker you can trust that the future vintages will be delights in their own right.

Fucking youth focused culture. For wine. For anyone.

Actually that’s inaccurate, as wine’s rep amongst the misguided masses is that older is better. But that is not so for rosé, generally.

Still, at this Chateau even if the older ones…expire…you’ve faith they will continue the good work.

The 2015 vintage had me like “FUCK that is still one of the BEST rosés”

The 2016 I liked a tad less. It smelled like more, but lacked the linen complexity of of 2015. Yet I still thought of it this: 

“It has all the elements in a perfect balance, all I miss is starched napkins!”

Then I thought “good golly I’m an idiotic snob.”

But I can’t FUCKING wait to continue to taste the Trinquevedel as the years go by. It is a special wine methinks–and affordable too!

 I have had one bottle of 2015 and a couple of 2016 left and I need the discipline to save one of each to compare when 2017 surfaces. 

So! The side by side of what I have. Well duh yah because I think 2015 may be a smidgen better that inhibits me from judging 2016 accurately.

Oh. Well.

But okay. I will stop waxing poetic on the other years so we can FRIGGIN’ REVEL in the 2016.

Lemme give the 2016 stats:

To the eye: clear, medium plus salmon (nearly peach perfect) and medium tears.

To my nose: clean, medium, strawberries, white cherries, strawberries. And stone. White stone. Youthful.

The most of all important tongue!!!!:

Dry, medium acid, medium minus minus tannin (Iget a hint), Medium alcohol, (13.5%abv which technically is barely medium plus but to me it is medium feeling), body  is medium plus for a rosé!!! Flavor intensity medium plus with flavor of     white and yellow peaches, oak bough, raspberries, stewed strawberries and  rhubarb pie. 

Finish: medium plus medium play take that to mean what you will

This wine goes on!

Join me and we will revel. And since I’m a woman wine professional I call reveling work. Work for the Friggin’ Win.

Lurve y’all! I promise to go back to love but right now I’m in a lurve phase.

Cheers dahhhhlings.