Adventures in Amador
The broadest definition of adventure includes any sort of gamble or risk-taking. Even so I'm being disingenuous by describing my recent trip to Amador County, California as an adventure. True, it was a trip to a place I'd never been, undertaken with a rough map and some recommendations heard late at night in a crowded bar. That information was more than enough for me to be confident that a trip would be worth the time and effort. In this case my confidence was amply rewarded.
I was able to try a number of new things in Sacramento and my wife and I covered quite a few wineries in Amador. Due to the amount of material this article will be split into a number of parts (total number unknown right now) describing the wine finds from Sacramento, the road trip to Amador, and the wines which I brought back home with me to taste again.
The city of Sacramento deserves far better treatment than it will receive here. It's the state Capital, is pretty diverse in population and industry and has a number of excellent restaurants. If you'd like to know more I'd suggest here. I was in Sacramento to celebrate the awarding of Juris Doctor to a dear friend of mine. Since it was a celebratory occasion we spent a good deal of time drinking with friends and family.
I was first granted a happy occasion to explore new wine selections at Taylor's Market. This is a wonderful grocery and butcher that does its own grilling, aging and smoking of various meats. My friends were kind enough to join us for a relaxed chill dinner before the swarms of relatives descended. We selected an assortment of sausages (all superb) and a pair of "local" wines, one from Amador and one from El Dorado. Amador lies about an hour southeast of Sacramento city, El Dorado is north of Amador and east of Sacramento, also about an hour away. This area is known as Gold Country because of the numerous gold mines which dot the hills and the regional history tied to the Gold Rush.
Jumping ahead in chronology a few days, I had one more opportunity to shop for local wine in Sacramento at Beyond Napa where I picked up a number of Amador wines. I was interested in visiting here because my trip to the wineries was due to fall on a Monday. Unlike in Napa or Sonoma, half or more of the wineries in Amador/El Dorado are only open for tasting on weekend afternoons or when they feel like it. I was due to miss out on a number of my late-night recommendations. Beyond Napa came to my rescue. They offer a really nice selection of wines that aren't distributed to the outside world and I picked up a number of them which I'll describe in future updates.
We tried a Sangiovese from Noceto (Amador appellation) and a Zinfandel from Singleleaf (El Dorado appellation). At this point I feel it's necessary for a diversion into the grape varietals of Italy and Austria/Croatia. Sangiovese is traditionally grown in Italy, in particular Tuscany. A simple web search will dig up great swaths of information on this particular grape. To make things short and to the point it does well in hot dry climates, like the Amador and El Dorado areas. Other grapes that do well here include Syrah, Barbera, Mission, Viognier, Muscat, Sauvingon Blanc, and of course Zinfandel. I would say that Gold Country wineries are most famous today for their Zinfandels and Zin blends although Sauvignon Blanc may run a close second. For a very nice description of common grape varietals and their climate needs I recommend the Professional Friends of Wine site. These varietals were brought over by immigrants in the late 19th century (around 1880) and have been used in winemaking since that time. Many of the vines from that initial planting still produce grapes - meaning that the vines are a hundred years old or more. Older vines produce fewer grapes with very concentrated sugar.
A fascinating immigrant with a different history is the Mission grape. This was originally brought to the New World by Spanish settlers in the 1500's. It was planted in California in the mid to late 18th century. It took its name from the Spanish Missions which were often the center of wine-making activity. Only a few wineries still make wine from Mission grapes and I was fortunately able to try one (although I didn't purchase any).
To sum up - hot and dry climate, old vines from Italy and Austria/Croatia. To finish this evening's post I'll describe the Noceto and Singleleaf.
In Italy Sangiovese grapes are blended into Chianti and Brunello. If you've had either of those wines you'll recognize the flavor of Sangiovese when you have it as a stand-alone wine. It has a distinct initial sweetness followed by strong acidity and mild clay or earthy flavors. The color is lighter than a cabernet or merlot and the mouth-feel is definitely more liquid (I'd say watery but that's usually seen as a bad thing). The Noceto was a very nice wine and it was reasonably priced (~$16). It went fairly well with the sausages. The bad news is that you won't be able to purchase this locally. Noceto will ship to Virginia via their web site. I'm afraid this is going to be a common situation with all the reviews from Amador - of the 8 wineries we visited only 2 are available in the DC area at Total Wine.
The Singleleaf was a more herbal and tannic example of Zinfandel than some I tried (for example Sobon Estate Rocky Top) but had good balance. To me Zinfandel has a very distinct flavor. The tip of the tongue will receive a very sweet almost sugar-like flavor while the sides of the tongue get a strong dose of acidity and mouth-drying tannins. All sorts of other flavors are intertwined with this baseline including earthy or mineral tastes, herbal, woody, etc. The smell can often contain distinct notes of alcohol but will also contain cassis or other berry aromas as well. Zinfandels tend to have a high alcohol content (due to the high sugar levels) compared to other wines, up to 20% more.
I was able to try a number of new things in Sacramento and my wife and I covered quite a few wineries in Amador. Due to the amount of material this article will be split into a number of parts (total number unknown right now) describing the wine finds from Sacramento, the road trip to Amador, and the wines which I brought back home with me to taste again.
The city of Sacramento deserves far better treatment than it will receive here. It's the state Capital, is pretty diverse in population and industry and has a number of excellent restaurants. If you'd like to know more I'd suggest here. I was in Sacramento to celebrate the awarding of Juris Doctor to a dear friend of mine. Since it was a celebratory occasion we spent a good deal of time drinking with friends and family.
I was first granted a happy occasion to explore new wine selections at Taylor's Market. This is a wonderful grocery and butcher that does its own grilling, aging and smoking of various meats. My friends were kind enough to join us for a relaxed chill dinner before the swarms of relatives descended. We selected an assortment of sausages (all superb) and a pair of "local" wines, one from Amador and one from El Dorado. Amador lies about an hour southeast of Sacramento city, El Dorado is north of Amador and east of Sacramento, also about an hour away. This area is known as Gold Country because of the numerous gold mines which dot the hills and the regional history tied to the Gold Rush.
Jumping ahead in chronology a few days, I had one more opportunity to shop for local wine in Sacramento at Beyond Napa where I picked up a number of Amador wines. I was interested in visiting here because my trip to the wineries was due to fall on a Monday. Unlike in Napa or Sonoma, half or more of the wineries in Amador/El Dorado are only open for tasting on weekend afternoons or when they feel like it. I was due to miss out on a number of my late-night recommendations. Beyond Napa came to my rescue. They offer a really nice selection of wines that aren't distributed to the outside world and I picked up a number of them which I'll describe in future updates.
We tried a Sangiovese from Noceto (Amador appellation) and a Zinfandel from Singleleaf (El Dorado appellation). At this point I feel it's necessary for a diversion into the grape varietals of Italy and Austria/Croatia. Sangiovese is traditionally grown in Italy, in particular Tuscany. A simple web search will dig up great swaths of information on this particular grape. To make things short and to the point it does well in hot dry climates, like the Amador and El Dorado areas. Other grapes that do well here include Syrah, Barbera, Mission, Viognier, Muscat, Sauvingon Blanc, and of course Zinfandel. I would say that Gold Country wineries are most famous today for their Zinfandels and Zin blends although Sauvignon Blanc may run a close second. For a very nice description of common grape varietals and their climate needs I recommend the Professional Friends of Wine site. These varietals were brought over by immigrants in the late 19th century (around 1880) and have been used in winemaking since that time. Many of the vines from that initial planting still produce grapes - meaning that the vines are a hundred years old or more. Older vines produce fewer grapes with very concentrated sugar.
A fascinating immigrant with a different history is the Mission grape. This was originally brought to the New World by Spanish settlers in the 1500's. It was planted in California in the mid to late 18th century. It took its name from the Spanish Missions which were often the center of wine-making activity. Only a few wineries still make wine from Mission grapes and I was fortunately able to try one (although I didn't purchase any).
To sum up - hot and dry climate, old vines from Italy and Austria/Croatia. To finish this evening's post I'll describe the Noceto and Singleleaf. In Italy Sangiovese grapes are blended into Chianti and Brunello. If you've had either of those wines you'll recognize the flavor of Sangiovese when you have it as a stand-alone wine. It has a distinct initial sweetness followed by strong acidity and mild clay or earthy flavors. The color is lighter than a cabernet or merlot and the mouth-feel is definitely more liquid (I'd say watery but that's usually seen as a bad thing). The Noceto was a very nice wine and it was reasonably priced (~$16). It went fairly well with the sausages. The bad news is that you won't be able to purchase this locally. Noceto will ship to Virginia via their web site. I'm afraid this is going to be a common situation with all the reviews from Amador - of the 8 wineries we visited only 2 are available in the DC area at Total Wine.
The Singleleaf was a more herbal and tannic example of Zinfandel than some I tried (for example Sobon Estate Rocky Top) but had good balance. To me Zinfandel has a very distinct flavor. The tip of the tongue will receive a very sweet almost sugar-like flavor while the sides of the tongue get a strong dose of acidity and mouth-drying tannins. All sorts of other flavors are intertwined with this baseline including earthy or mineral tastes, herbal, woody, etc. The smell can often contain distinct notes of alcohol but will also contain cassis or other berry aromas as well. Zinfandels tend to have a high alcohol content (due to the high sugar levels) compared to other wines, up to 20% more.
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