Tous les Jours

    I recently tasted the '09 Syrah from Andrew Murray Vineyards, and for the price, it was excellent! Aptly named "Tous les Jours," it really is an everyday drinker.  Notes of moderate French oak aging- tar, bacon, and mild green tones. Flashy yet not fleshy, displaying its licorice and red/blue fruits with a subtle, fragrant twist, this wine also has a great balance of acidity and low alcohol. I haven't had other wines from this producer but am eager to try! 

Here is a quote from their website about their winemaking style: 

    "We genuinely believe that great wine starts at the root of the vine, at the very point where the eventual fruit derives its sustenance. Vineyard selection is therefore of paramount importance in our winemaking process. We want grapes that had to work hard to make it to maturity and that are carefully harvested at just the optimal point in their maturation.

    We’ve been around long enough to not be swayed by fads in an industry that is frequently seduced by the current vogue. We’re open-minded enough, however, to utilize technological advancements to ensure that the wine we first poured into our bottles, tastes exactly the way we predicted it would taste when you pour it into your glass in your own home. Our winery is a blend of the old and new; the classic and the modern; beautiful French oak barrels and glimmering stainless steel tanks; traditional Burgundian shaped bottles and reliable screwtop closures.

    We’re passionate about winemaking, dedicated to the evolution of our techniques, and wise enough to stay the course to produce consistently highly-regarded wines."

Please less oak!

I poured a woman a glass of 2008 Ojai Vineyard Solomon Hills Chard today. She takes a generous sip and a gives me a puzzled expression. She says, "this isn't Chardonnay! It's not oaky!" To which I replied that the oak flavors do not belong to the grape but the barrel in which it ages. She again looks at me cocking her head in wonder saying, "But it's not oaky!"

Thanks California for impairing another good grape variety!

The rebirth of balanced wines in California

It seems that wines of balance and true complexity might be coming back into style among American winemakers. Napa valley began and then ruled the front of big, overripe, oaky, and powerful wines. Wines of such promise spoiled by their 'enhancements,' wines that could have stood among the great wines of Bordeaux. This plague infected the styles of winemakers across the world, uniting in a common effort to ruin the great art of winemaking.

But not for long! 

The unrefined American palate has called for change, and thus begins the slow process of refinement. Santa Barbara County has been on the forefront of this rebellion, led by passionate winemakers such as Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, and Adam Tolmach of the Ojai Vineyard, and many others. These winemakers understand that wines must express their terroir, which can only be accomplished through a proper ripeness and handling of the fruit, a balance of acidity, and minimal intervention- in other words through a profound respect of the true art and science of winemaking.