A Virtual Tasting with Karl Wente of Wente Vineyards

Just about every month, I do the TasteLive online blogger event. Wineries or PR agencies send their wines, and my fellow bloggers and I taste them together and share our thoughts via Twitter. It's a nice communal experience, and although sometimes it can get a little off topic and the bloggers can be harsh with each other, I get to experience wines I may not normally try, and hear others' opinions so I find the events, on-the-whole, enriching to my wine geek soul.

On February 10th, I did an event featuring Wente Vineyards, a family winery in the Livermore Valley (right where I used to live in California, about 45 minutes away from San Francisco if you drive fast, more like an hour if you drive slow). If you're ever out that way, they have a beautiful facility with a nice restaurant, a picturesque golf course, and pretty views, so it's worth the jaunt off the freeway to see it. Oh, and If you go, you must get the wine-filled truffles. I still think about those sometimes...quite yummy!

The Livermore Valley is inland, so it's warm and can ripen fruit quickly and predictably. This large Valley has the cooling influence from the San Francisco Bay with cooler nighttime temperatures that preserve acid and tannin in the grape. The Wente family is the largest operator here, and one of the oldest. They are known mostly for their Chardonnay and for the "Wente Clone" of the grape which is used widely in California.

For this event, we were presented with three wines: the 2008 Riva Ranch Chardonnay, the 2007 Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2007 The Nth Degree Syrah. All were made by the fifth generation winemaker, Karl Wente.

Karl is a young, hip guy who has an unorthodox philosophy about wine, blending Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer into his Chardonnay, Petite Sirah and Barbera into his Cabernet, and the former and a touch of Cabernet Franc into his Syrah. Not being accustomed to these types of blends, I gravitated to the Syrah, which tasted the most similar to styles I frequently prefer. That said, the Chardonnay ($19.99) is a fairly traditional California Chardonnay and the Cabernet ($14.99) a nice light red, so they are good to try if you are a fan of Cali Chards and easy-drinking reds.

Here's the review of the Syrah, the wine which was the standout for me:
The Wine: The Nth Degree Syrah
Where It's From: Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay
The Grapes: 89% Syrah, 5% Petite Sirah, 5% Mourvedre, 1% Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2007
Price: $45

Color: An inky purple, the wine held the color to the edge, where it thinned out just a touch to a slightly watery rim.

Smell: Lush black fruit flavors abounded. Juicy fresh cut blackberry, black raspberry, and black plum were abundant with a healthy dose of basil, black pepper, and smoky leather as secondary smells. This is big wine!

Taste: With all the heat in the Livermore Valley, I'd expect this wine to be all fruit, but it was a great blend of the scents on the nose with chocolate, dried herb, and bacon all supported by a nice amount of tannin that imbued it with a strength and character that was impressive and tasty.

Food: A rich burger or steak off the grill, fatty game birds, or anything richly flavored would be a match. With a hearty stew on a cold night, you'd be a happy camper with a glass of this in hand.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink. It's a nice Syrah and worth a try if you have $45 to spend, although I'd explore the Australian section too. For that money, you could most likely get something that drinks like $100.

Thanks to TasteLive and the folks at Wente for this great tasting experience!