Current Releases from Fjellene Cellars in Walla Walla

Fjellene Cellars is a small, family-owned winery located in Walla Walla, Washington. Owner/winemaker Matthew Erlandson founded Fjellene Cellars in 2008. Prior to going out on his own, Matthew worked as assistant winemaker at Beresan Winery and Balboa Winery under Tom Glase. Before his winemaking days, Matthew spent thirteen years as an outdoor educator and mountain [...]

Current Releases from Fjellene Cellars in Walla Walla was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

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Value Alert: 2009 Honig Napa Valley Cabernet

The latest issue of Wine Spectator arrived today and, like the arrival of pumpkin flavored treats, their Napa Cabernet tasting report is a sure sign of autumn. There's some surprises in the issue for sure but keeping it high level 2009 is hailed as the fourth Napa Cab vintage in a row rated 95+ points.

If you're a regular reader of the WWP you know Pinot Noir coverage has outpaced other varietals around here lately. That's because, for me, California Pinot Noir is incredibly delicious and pairs well with 90% of the meals we enjoy.

But with the weather turning cooler, I reached into our stash and pulled a couple of nicer bottles of Napa Valley Cabernet recently. The first was a 2006 Lewis Napa Cabernet. Tremendous stuff. It really set me off on a mission to find more wines like it that didn't carry its hefty price tag. That wine sells for north of $80 - can we find similar for around $30?

But first, another Napa Cab that was a stunner:

2007 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
14.8% Alcohol
2,900 Cases Produced (based on 2009 vintage)
$80 Release Price

Spectacular. Tasting this I had flashbacks to some of my favorite visits to Napa tasting rooms. What I thought was particularly notable about this wine was its prominent black currant preserves and cedar notes -- backed by supporting classic Napa Cab attributes. It's hard to find these characteristics at more approachable price points. Each sip made you want to come back for more. Sadly, bottles like this don't last forever. Even when they're 1.5L.

95/100 WWP: Classic

So two fantastic wines from Lewis and O'Shaughnessy. What separated them from more affordable wines were two things: Flavor profile -and- depth of flavor. Primary fruit is amply supported by more complex savory aromas and flavors. It's relatively easy to find an affordable, juicy Cali Cab. It's not easy to find one with these additional characteristics.

So where do we turn for a tremendous $30 Napa Cab? The 2007 Honig Napa has been amazingly reliable across a half dozen bottles. Every time I've opened one I've been amazed at the quality they've delivered.

And good news: The 2009 is out, Wine Spectator loves it (92 points, a Top Value), and I think it's as good as the 2007. Here are my notes on the 2009:

2009 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
14.1% Alcohol15,000 Cases Produced
$40-$45 Release Price

There's a freshness to this wine that's tremendously appealing, but it's made even more compelling since it's paired with earthiness and supporting complexity that's hard to find at this price point. Black currant, cassis, and cocoa power on the nose. On the palate it's light on its feet initially but quickly followed up with the same notes apparent on the nose with medium weight and serious flavor. And milk chocolate. This might exceed the tremendously reliable 2007. Back up the truck if you can find it in the $30 range!


93/100 WWP: Oustanding

Read reviews on CellarTracker
Find it at retail on Wine-Searcher


Question of the day: Are you a fan of Honig Cabernet? What are some of your favor Napa Cabs you can find for $30 or less at retail?


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Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Autumnal Equinox Edition

Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…

The Power of Intent in Biodynamic Wine

I wrote a heady post in September about Biodynamic wine.  The story is too complicated to summarize here (link to post), but one of the things that I touched on (and that interests me on an ongoing basis) is the notion of “intent” in the vineyard particularly as it relates to viticultural quality and Biodynamic preparations.

They say that you can taste “love” in a food dish, so, while not scientifically quantifiable (at least not yet), it stands to reason that extra attention and loving preparation with BioD preps. might have a positive benefit on the vines and subsequently the wines.

This notion of intent isn’t my idea; I culled it from Voodoo Vintners, Katherine Cole’s Biodynamic-related book published earlier this year (she has a different supposition about ‘intent’ than I do).  A passage from the book notes, “The belief is that the preparations aren’t merely herbal treatments for plants; they’re carriers of the farmers’ intentions, which have been swirled into them through the powerful act of stirring.  While it isn’t a requirement for Demeter certification, intention is that little bit of witchcraft that separates the most committed practitioners from the unbelievers.”

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My point in September and my point now is that “intent” isn’t witchcraft, its science – science that is still emerging and not completely understood.

To that end, I read an incredible, eye-opening, mind-bending article in the current issue of Time magazine about a new technology device called the BodyWave.  An iPod sized device, the BodyWave is based on electroencephalography (EEG), the study of how brain activity excites neurons to emit brain waves that travel the central nervous system and can be measured.

So, here’s the thing.  Not only can this BodyWave device measure the fluctuations in the brain’s electrical activity, but when connected to a computer it can perform functions based on brain waves.

It’s a holy crap moment to realize that by focusing brain activity somebody can shut off a valve in a nuclear power plant, via computer, with the power of their mind, as elaborated on in the article.

The full Time magazine article is subscriber-protected (darn publishers that try to run a business…), but the intro. to the article is available here.

I’m a liberal arts guy, as far removed from science as one can get by education, vocation and lifelong learning interest, but I do have the ability to suspend my disbelief and it seems likely to me that in 10 years’ time the Biodynamic conversation is going to be around an entirely different set of conversational conditions than the current ‘bunkum vs. belief’ precept that we have now.

On Knowledge

I’ve never reconciled the “demystify” vs. “knowledge frees you” debate as it relates to wine.  Many will say that wine is needlessly overcomplicated for the average consumer and the arcane aspects act as a barrier to entry.

Well, sometimes you find defining wisdom in the unlikeliest places.

Scott Adams, the creator of the cartoon Dilbert, noted in a blog post recently what I’ve thought, but have never been able to say quite so eloquently. 

Indeed, you are what you learn.  You don’t have to know much about wine to drink it, but it sure makes it that much more enjoyable if you lean into the door…

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Thanksgiving Wine Recommendation

Thanksgiving is the wine world’s national holiday.  I get that.  It’s my favorite holiday, too. But, the attendant wine pairing articles are exhausting.  Does it really matter what you drink with Thanksgiving dinner?  Nope.  If it did, somebody, anybody would care that I’ll be having Sparkling Rose, German Riesling and New Zealand Pinot, but, really, nobody cares.  At the end of the day, the below picture encapsulates what really matters when picking a wine for Thanksgiving (Hint: Focus on the food).

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It Was a Good Week for Lot18

My eyes bugged out like a virgin at a nudist camp when I saw that Lot18 secured $30M in additional funding.  That money coupled with clarification from the California Alcohol Beverage Control (CA ABC) on some wonkiness in legalities, means the first week of November 2011 will go down as a watershed moment for Lot18.

Perhaps equally interesting to me is a passage noting, “Radical Transparency” in an email sent to Lot18 members from Lot18 (ostensibly founder Phillip James).  The email noted:

As Lot18 moves into its second year of existence, our goal is to ensure that, with more money in the bank and compliance questions behind us, Lot18 can continue to deliver on its responsibilities to our suppliers and to our members alike. We must hold ourselves accountable to ensure we maintain trust with everyone who produces and consumes goods offered by Lot18.

We do this through a policy called Radical Transparency, which simply involves sharing more than was once considered wise. We believe in this because it drives our focus and ensures that all of our employees and our members feel that they have a role in shaping our future. Together we can create a service that will not only help you find great value, but also encourage you to spread the word to friends and family so that they may also share in the delight.

We’re all aware of “transparency” as an online buzzword the last several years.  It’s a word that has been co-opted, commoditized and rendered meaningless, as well.  It seems, transparency is really code word for faux sincerity and empathy and that makes adding the modifier of “Radical” to transparency all the more interesting.

These days, every new business success story comes with hagiographic mythologizing and I wouldn’t be surprised if, in this area, “Radical Transparency” is where Lot18 stakes their claim.  After all, culture and customer service is already taken by Zappos.

Yet, radical transparency isn’t a new concept either.  If you’re interested in seeing how a hedge fund called Bridgewater Associates (founded by Ray Dalio) has codified a brutally honest feedback loop see this profile piece from New York magazine and Dalio’s 123 page “Principles” document (worth the read).

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_autumnal_equinox_edition/

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