A Nice Second-Label Chardonnay

Hunting for a fruity, non-oaky Chardonnay, we recently picked up a bottle of a 2005 Hawk Crest Chardonnay. We know Hawk Crest because we know Stag’s Leap, so we hoped it was a safe bet. And it was.

So how are Stag’s Leap and Hawk Crest related? Hawk Crest is the more entry-level label from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley. Stag’s Leap is known for rather elevated wines at correspondingly elevated prices. If you want a $50 Cabernet Sauvignon, consider Stag’s Leap. Understanding, however, that not everyone considers a $50 bottle of wine a reasonable expense, Stag’s Leap developed this secondary line of wines intended to be approachable, affordable, and drinkable when you buy them.

Stag’s Leap isn’t the only winery doing this. There are lots of wineries out there who have what is called a “second label.” Mondavi has one called Woodbridge. Geyser Peak’s is called Canyon Road. Well-known in the Pacific Northwest, Chateau St. Michelle has a second label called Columbia Crest. Liberty School – which now is a stand-alone wine – first started out as a secondary wine to Caymus. Even the extraordinarily fancy-pants winery Opus One is in the seconds game with Overture. For some, having a second label is a way to expand their market. For others, it’s a way to profitably sell wine that is OK but not up to the standards of their higher-end brand.

So back to the 2005 Hawk Crest Chardonnay. Your Two Wine Nuts are not big fans of Chardonnay done in the traditional California style. Meaning, we don’t like a ton of butter and vanilla and the taste of basically licking the inside of an oak barrel. But, Chardonnay can be crafted in a less woody way, allowing the fruit and crispness to show through. The 2005 Hawk Crest achieved this nicely.

We first noted that the color was not nearly as yellow as many Chardonnays. Instead, the Hawk Crest was lighter and more straw-colored. It had a nicely light smell, not huge and in-your-face (or, perhaps, in-your-nose). We caught whiffs of sweet vanilla (like ice cream), honeysuckle, and honey butter. Taste-wise, we were pleased to discover a nice crispness and sharpness to the Chardonnay. It still had a smoothness and creaminess to it, but it didn’t roll around in our mouths with a heaviness typical of many Chardonnays.

Overall, we would say the 2005 Hawk Crest Chardonnay is a good go-to Chardonnay if you don’t like the heavy, buttery oakiness found in many other versions. Although we found our bottle at BevMo, we’ve seen Hawk Crest in places like World Market and wine shops. And at just $9.99 per bottle, it’s hard to beat. Compared to the Oyster Bay Chardonnay we reviewed on February 3, we would say we like the Hawk Crest a bit better due its more pronounced fruitiness and better price.

A good California-light Chardonnay

As mentioned in previous posts, your Two Wine Nuts are not big fans of typical California Chardonnays. For many years, we thought that all Chardonnays were thick, heavy, oaky, and buttery; indeed, that's how most California-style Chardonnays turn out. But there are actually some Chards out there that are...fruity! Most of the time, they are French wines, but more and more producers are discovering there is a growing American market for a lighter-touch Chardonnay. Having had some very positive experiences with other offerings from Oyster Bay Wines, we picked up a bottle of 2005 Oyster Bay Chardonnay recently and gave it a try a few nights ago with friends.

Oyster Bay Wines come from the Marlborough area of New Zealand's south island. Our favorite Sauvignon Blancs come from New Zealand, so we were eager to see what they would do with a Chardonnay.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Oyster Bay Chardonnay was not as fruity as we were hoping. It actually smelled very much like a typical Chardonnay -- lots of oak and butter and a hint of vanilla bean. Taste-wise, it is best described as a much tamer version of a California Chardonnay. There was butter, there was oak, and it had a creamy mouthfeel. But it was not nearly as heavy and in-your-face as typical California versions. This was a very good thing. While it didn't have the fruitiness we were hoping for, a friend who was tasting with us said, "I don't really care for Chardonnays and I could drink quite a bit of this!" So if you like California-style Chardonnays in concept but are turned off by how heavy they are, give this New Zealand one a try.

We bought the Oyster Bay Chardonnay at BevMo for $12.99, which is pretty reasonable but we'd be more excited to find it on sale for closer to $10. We will likely buy a couple more bottles the next time we see it, but we are still on the lookout for a fruitier, less oaky Chardonnay.

A tasty Syrah at a good price

There are a few wines we like to stock up on when we hit a BevMo during road trips to California. Rock Rabbit Syrah is one of them. We recently opened a 2003 Rock Rabbit Syrah from the Central Coast of California and happily enjoyed it with some calzones.

Rock Rabbit produces just two varietals: a Syrah and a Sauvignon Blanc. Starting with their 2004 release, they started calling their Syrah a Shiraz. This is the same wine and the same grape. Syrah is the French name and Shiraz is the name used mostly in Australia. Sort of like Pinot Gris (the French name) and Pinot Grigio (the Italian name) - same grape, slightly different name just to confuse people.

The Rock Rabbit Syrah was deep rich purple in color and smelled a tiny bit like a Zinfandel. It smelled heavy, of ripe raspberries and dark plum. Interestingly, it smelled heavier and deeper than it tasted. It was medium-bodied (meaning it wasn't wimpy) and had some tannins, giving it a youngish feel. The most prominent flavor was blackberry jam. It was very sippable and held up against our tomatoey calzones.

At $11.99 at BevMo, we think this is a great wine to keep handy as well as a good one to serve for casual meals with friends. In addition to BevMo, also try local wine shops. We have not seen Rock Rabbit at Cost Plus World Market or grocery stores.

For more info about Rock Rabbit, check out their website.

UPDATE (1/31/08):
We just found the 2004 Rock Rabbit Shiraz at Trader Joe's for $9.99!

A Mediocre Merlot

Years ago, the first wine your Two Wine Nuts bought in quantity was a 1990 Clos du Bois Merlot. That Merlot was the first wine we liked enough to stock up on, so we splurged and bought six bottles. Being rather new to wine, six bottles was quite a commitment. Unfortunately, we had very little knowledge about properly storing wine, so we made several vital mistakes:

▼ First, we stored the wine in a room that got a lot of sun. Wine likes darkness.

▼ Second, we stored the wine in a room whose temperature fluctuated. Wines like consistent coolness (we now have a wine fridge that we keep at 52 degrees).

▼ And third, we stored the wine in a rack that sat on the floor. We vacuumed the floor often enough, there was quite a lot of vibration under the wine. Wine likes to be still.

Sadly, we only enjoyed two of those bottles. By the time we found a third special occasion calling for our coveted Merlot, the wine was ruined. It was a sudden lesson in the importance of storing wine properly. If you don't have a cave or a wine cellar or a wine fridge, the best place to house your wine is often something like a dark, quiet closet. Refrigerators are too cold, and garages often fluctuate in temperature too much.

We were reminded of our first bulk purchase when we spotted a bottle of 2004 Clos du Bois Merlot while shopping at Beverages and More on a recent trip to California. On sale for just $8.99 (regularly priced at $9.99), we decided to see how this "historical" wine has held up. Sadly, it really hasn't. Or our tastes have changed measurably over the past 15 years, which is very likely.

We shared this Merlot over dinner with a couple new to wine. As your Two Wine Nuts were smelling mild hints of raisin and heavy fruit, the wife of the couple had one of the best wine descriptions ever. She said, "This smells like Communion." There you have it.

Although the Clos du Bois Merlot opened up its plummy flavor a bit as the meal progressed, it was mostly thin in the mouth and had quite a bit of tannins, reflected by the astringent puckery feeling. So, overall we were not all that impressed with this wine. We would not recommend it, even at the consumer-friendly price of being less than ten bucks. There are much better Merlots out there. Have some fun finding them and skip Clos du Bois's version.

A favorite sweet Riesling

One of the really fun things about Rieslings is that they can vary so much. Some will be sweet and fruity; others will be dry and acidic. In the mood for a sweeter version, the other night we opened a 2005 Firestone Vineyard Riesling and were happy that this easily sippable white has remained consistently sweet and light since we first discovered it in 2003.

Like most sweet Rieslings, the Firestone version smelled like apricots and peaches. Its flavor was similar. The label also claims it boasts a honeysuckle flavor. Having never eaten honeysuckle, we can’t say for sure but we’ll at least agree with the concept. Because of its sweetness, the Firestone Riesling is another good wine for folks who are just starting to experiment with wine. We have a couple of very occasional wine drinker relatives who love this wine whenever we serve it to them.

Firestone Vineyards is owned by the same family famous for tires. It is located in the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara, CA. Several years ago, we visited the winery. We tasted about ten different offerings and the Central Coast Riesling – one of their more entry-level, grocery store wines – was the only one we liked.

We haven’t yet spotted Firestone wines in the Pacific Northwest. We do occasionally see it on wine lists. It is easily found at Beverages & More and online. Road trips to California usually involve a stop at BevMo and this is one of the wines we stock up. The 2005 Firestone Riesling is currently on sale for $7.99, regularly priced at $9.99. Either way, we think it’s a great buy.