Wine Bloggers Conference: Live Blogging!

Bag-in-Box, Boho Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cupcake Vineyards, James David Cellars, Kanzler Vineyards, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Small Vines Wines, The Spaniard, Twisted Oak, WBC, Wine Bloggers Conference, Yellow + Blue

A group of bloggers — 170 or so of us — is currently in Santa Rosa, California, at the first ever Wine Bloggers Conference. It’s incredibly geeky and so far fun. I’ll be updating a few times this afternoon.

First taste of the day will be the 2005 Bink Pinot Noir, Weir Vineyard. Three clones, vinified separately and blended before bottling. Here’s a picture of it. Yay for multimedia! Tastewise, it’s a nice, medium-bodied Pinot that’s not pretending to be Syrah, which I appreciate greatly.

Update: next up is Clos La Chance — 2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. About 1200 cases, $30 retail. That’s Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 drinking it with Russ Beebe, the Winehiker in the background.

This is a very minty wine. Sort of like cherry Sucrets with a little menthol thrown in. Decent!

Update: next up Boho Vineyards Chardonnay bag-in-box eco-friendly packaged wine. $24 for the equivalent of four bottles (3L). It will last up to six weeks in the fridge as the bag shrinks as the wine is dispensed, not allowing any air in. Check them out at their website. Of course, here’s a pic:

Update: next up is the 2007 James David Cellars Muscat Blanc, a dry Muscat from the Paso Robles area. It’s funny, I’ve followed the tweets of David Cole (handle: ColeDavid) for a while, and knew he was making wine. But I figured he was a hobbyist winemaker. This is some serious wine, though, very well made. No picture on this one…

Update: now we’re on to the 2006 Twisted Oak “The Spaniard.” This is way more balanced than the 2005, which I sold proudly. A very balanced wine. I’m happy with it, and so too seems the ebullient El Jefe, just below!

Next up: 2006 Small Vines Wines Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. It comes for a vineyard with about four times the average vines per acre, with the winemaker having been inspired by the style of DRC. Unfined, unfiltered. Organic, biodynamic (non-certified)…this will apparently retail for $65 a bottle. This has tons of acidity and flavor. Interesting. Lots of potential. It’s a cliché to say Burgundian in style but that’s what I’ll say anyhow.

Next…2007 Central Coast Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay - for only $12 this is a pretty good deal. This isn’t a flabby Chard at all. Very Macon-like. You can apparently get it at Cost Plus, or possibly through the website Underdog Wine Merchant.

And next…2007 Kanzler Vineyards Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast. $48 retail. Barrel sample (won’t be released until the Spring of 2009). This is a more extracted, rich style of Pinot compared to the Small Vines Wines. It’s fairly big and not quite settled in at the moment. Great potential but not ready yet.

Update: on to another box wine, this time in a Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina in TetraPak packaging, from the Yellow + Blue winery. This is a very structure-oriented wine. At this point in the day I may be over-sensitive to tannins, so I’m not really going to write any more notes while I give my palate a rest. It’s probably not fair to the wine for me to pass judgement. But I will post one last pic, of the TetraPak which fits a liter into a compact space, and lowers the carbon footprint (and cost) of the wine significantly.

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