The lesser appellations

We have written much of the tough vintages of 2010 and 2011, however as we continue to taste the red wines from these vintages specifically from California there is a bright spot emerging, albeit small it is a bright spot nonetheless. The big problems in these years were the early onset of cold and very rainy weather in the appellations of California. In 2010 this came on the heels of the coolest summer in some 50 years in the state. All of these forces conspired to prevent much of the fruit from ripening to the point it was usable, or if it did get ripe enough to use in many cases the flavor profiles were less than stellar.

The bright spot in all this though is coming from the lesser known and in many cases less respected appellations further east from the traditional gold standard appellations of Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara. The grape growing areas of Lodi, Amador County, Lake County and the Santa Lucia Highlands being slightly further inland from the cold waters of the Pacific received the benefit of a few degrees warmer temperatures throughout the growing season, and in the case of some of the wines we tasted from these areas it made a world of difference.

In normal to warm years we frequently find wines from these locales to be a bit over alcoholic or "hot," and the aromatics and palate flavors to be loaded with dried or baked fruit character. This presents itself with raisin and prune flavors that we don't much enjoy. In the cooler years though the temperatures in these areas are just warm enough to ripen the fruit and produce wines that are quite good. It seems that in cool years these appellations apparently "become" Napa and Sonoma for a season.

We just this past week tried the Wrangler Red blend from Shannon Ridge Winery located in Lake County. This 2010 blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Cabernet is lush with fruit flavors, rich in the mouth and shows lovely berry aromatics. It is easy drinking and the tannins you would expect from this less than ripe vintage are soft and supple, making it a compelling drink for $12.

At one of our recent winemaker dinners we tried several varietals from the Hahn Winery which has extensive vineyard sources in the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation. Both their Merlot at $14, and their Chardonnay at $18 showed very well (both from the 2010 vintage). The wines like the aforementioned Shannon Ridge were lush and rich and showed no signs of the cold growing season and cold and wet harvest.

Also this week we had the chance to taste the 2010 Sangiovese from Sobon Estate Winery in Amador County. This location gets very warm as it is actually east of Sacramento, Calif. - well away from the cooling effects of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Again like the others mentioned we were very impressed by the wine, it tasted like the wines we would expect from the more traditional growing areas, and showed none of the baked and dried characteristics we sometimes see from these far inland areas.

Combined with some of the international locations that had good to very good years in 2010 and 2011 we are happy and encouraged to find some of these bright spots among what were previously thought of as less desirable growing regions here in the domestic appellations. We will continue to taste wines from these areas when we have the opportunity as that is the best way to find some hidden gems in tough years. It will be an interesting study to see how the wines are in warmer years. We encourage wine consumers to do the same and let your palate be the judge of whether these appellations deserve to be elevated to consistent consideration. Based on our recent experience, the quality given all of the challenges the wineries encountered coupled with compelling pricing leads us to feel they warrant such consideration.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.